Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Blood & Chocolate, although I really want to own Robert Pattinson ;-) I do however own "Aunt" Hope.
A/N: I hope y'all are enjoying this story so far :-) Thank you to those who reviewed and added this story on their favorites and alerts, you guys make me smile X-) I was so excited about posting this story that I couldn't wait any longer so here's an update and things WILL start getting more interesting in this chapter! And I want to apologize ahead of time to some of you English Lit. people if I end up going back and forth from past tense to present tense. I'm trying my best, so please, have a heart. Also, I have no idea how long it takes to fly from France to Washington so I'm just guessing. Anywho, enough of my blabber, here's the chapter!
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The Attempt to Move On
Two Days Later
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw what happened that night over and over again.
Flashback
After Ulf, Finn, and Greggory killed Aiden, I was in a fit of rage. I lost complete control. I all but ripped Willem's arms off of me, I think I just dislocated his shoulders but I didn't give a shit. I ran towards the guys and I jumped in the air and landed on the ground changed into a wolf. I clawed, and bit into them. All I could hear were my growls, and their whimpers. Good, they deserve to feel more than half the pain I felt right then and there. I suffered, now it's their turn.
I didn't remember much after that. All I remember was clawing out Ulf's left eye, and quite possibly biting off a piece of Finn's ear. After what felt like hours, the last thing I remember of that night was coming back into mine and Aid- the apartment, in my human form, naked and covered in blood. I couldn't even say his name, without feeling more of what's left of my heart break.
While I was taking a scalding hot shower to wash off the blood, I broke down in tears. He was dead. He was really dead. He died right before my eyes. The running water muffled my screams. I just kept screaming his name until my throat was raw and sore. I wasn't sure of what happened to the Four after I ran. I hoped to whatever kind of "God" that was up there, that those guys were dead. I showed no mercy on them, they deserved worse than what I could ever give them.
After the hot water turned cold, I got out and dried myself off. After I got dressed, I started packing all of my possessions. There was nothing for me here now, and there's always the possibility of at least one of the Four surviving and wanting to get back at me, or possibly some of the other members of the pack who shared the same hatred for me. I had to leave the country. But where to?
Then it hit me. Aunt Hope! She was my mom's best friend, but they were practically sisters. I remember she used to baby-sit me, my brother Liam, and my sister Marie. We were so close, we called her "Aunt Hope" She's also loup-garoux, but she was exiled from the pack for refusing to be Gabriel's new mate when he requested for her. When my family was killed by hunters at our cabin in Vermont, I thought I would be living with Aunt Hope. But she told me I would be living with Aunt Astrid in Romania. She said I would be safer if I was surrounded by my own kind, that she wouldn't be able to protect me since it would have been just me and her.
We sent letters to each other for a while. Until Gabriel forbade me from having contact with someone who was dead to the pack. Apparently he was still pissed about being rejected by her. What can I say? The guy was a dick. I remember her last letter; it was like she knew I wouldn't be allowed to contact her again. She wrote:
My dearest Vivian,
I know this may be the last letter you will receive from me, considering what a control freak Gabriel is. I just want you to know that I love you more than anything in the world and this is not a Goodbye. This is more of a TTFN, Ta Ta For Now. I will always be in your heart, just like you will always be in mine. If you're ever in any trouble and you have nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to, I will be waiting for you. I don't care if it's a week, a month, or even five years from now, I will be in the same place waiting for you. You are all I have left and I don't plan to lose you forever. You will always be like a daughter to me. Never forget that you DO have family, and that I love you with all my heart. Until we meet again my darling.
Love,
Aunt Hope
She said she would be waiting for me no matter how long it takes. I found the last of the letters I had always kept with me, I read the address, and drove to the airport. When I showed the flight attendant my plane ticket, I rested in my window seat and shut my eyes as my plane made the destination to....Forks, Washington.
End Flashback
I woke up from the nightmares of my memories when the cab that drove me from the airport pulled to a stop in front of the address I gave him. It was a nice white, two-story, Victorian style house. There was a dark blue Chrysler PT cruiser in the driveway. It must be her car, at least I hope so. I paid the cab fair and stepped out of the car with my one suit case and walked to the front porch. I was so nervous. What if she moved after all? What if she was now married with kids and didn't have room for me?
I pushed those nerves aside and knocked loudly on the door.
"Coming!" a female's voice yelled in a sing-song type of tone.
My heart was beating a hundred miles a minute, my palms were sweaty, and my pulse was racing. Please let something go right, I thought to myself. I could hear the footsteps rushing towards the door. When the door opened, my brown eyes met with very familiar blue eyes. She looked just as I remembered her. Long blonde hair, deep blue eyes, fair colored skin.
"I'm looking for Hope Carter, does she live here?" I asked. I wanted to be sure it was her.
"Yes I'm her." she replied
"You know, when you said it wasn't a Goodbye, I wasn't sure if it was actually going to be true." I told her.
I wanted to see if she would remember me. I saw her look at me in realization. Her eyes started tearing up.
"Vivian?" she whispered.
"Hi, Aunt Hope."
She wasted no time pulling me into her arms, crushing me into a hug. We are both crying tears of happiness.
"I've waited so long for you. Look at you; you're so beautiful, so grown up."
"I've missed you so much, Aunt Hope. I have no place else to go, can I please stay with you?" I asked her as I broke down crying.
"Sweetheart, you don't even have to ask. You're staying here and never leaving, you have no say!" she replied jokingly but truthfully.
She let me in the house, and after telling her everything that happened, she embraced me. Comforting me as I was crying for Aiden.
"I'm so sorry, Vivian. You've been through so much. I know you won't believe me but I'm going to tell you anyway...it's not your fault."
"What are you talking about? Of course it's my fault! It's my fault my family's dead, Astrid's dead, Aiden's dead, they all died because of me!!"
"You stop talking like that right now. All of those things were way beyond your control. Do you think any of them would want you to blame yourself for their deaths? Would they want you to hate yourself like this, or live like this? No, because they love you and they know you're not to blame. I know this is going to be tough, but you'll have to try to move on. Grieve now, but try to live your life. I may have never met Aiden but I know he wouldn't want you to suffer like this. How much did you love him? How much do you love him?"
"I would have died for him." I answered with conviction.
"But will you live for him?" she asked.
Aunt Hope always had a way with words. She reminded me of Melanie from Gone with the Wind, just as sweet and just as wise. She had a really good point. Aiden was too good a person to want me to hate myself for the rest of my life.
"I will. I'll try." I replied to her.
"Good. Don't worry; we'll get through this together. So here's my plan, we spend this whole week together doing what ever we want, and enroll you into school."
Spending the week with Hope I'm more than willing to do. But school...? There's only one word for it and it's what Wisconsin was in Dogma....Hell.
"Do I have to go to school?" I complained.
"Yes you do. You came here to start over and that starts with going to school and meeting new people. Besides you're 16, you're still young and you need an education."
Damn it, she got me there. Ah what the hell. If I can survive being attacked by loup-garoux, I can survive a couple more years of high school.
"Ok Aunt Hope, you win." This is going to be so much fun!
One Week Later...
How the hell did a week go by so fast?! I swear, there's a God and he hates me. I am so not looking forward to starting school. This is actually my first time going to school in a long time. Gabriel said it was better that I was home schooled by Aunt Astrid so I wouldn't do something to lead hunters to the pack and kill us all, since according to him, it was all my fault that my family was killed. Like I said, he was a dick.
Anywho, my stupid alarm clock woke me up at 6 a.m. like it was supposed to. On impulse, I grabbed the alarm clock and threw it at the wall, causing it to break into tiny pieces. Damn, now I was going to have to buy another one! After taking a shower and drying myself off, I got dressed in my new pair of dark blue skinny jeans, my favorite T-Shirt of Blind Mag from Repo! The Genetic Opera, and low top black and white Converse All Stars with the Jackass logo on the side. I blow dried my straight blonde hair that went down to my mid-back, put on some clear lip gloss and black eyeliner. Hell, since I'm going to be drawing attention anyway just for being the "new girl", I might as well look good doing it.
I went downstairs and ate some cereal since I still had time to eat before walking to school. Apparently Aunt Hope had a different idea.
"Come outside. I have a surprise for you." She tells me as I rinse my bowl in the sink.
"Ok." I reply. She puts her hands over my eyes as we walk outside.
"Ok. 1...2...3!" She pulls her hands away from my eyes and what I see makes me scream like a
15 year old girl at a Beatles concert.
There in front of me was the most beautiful light blue 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS! I always had a weakness for classic muscle cars. Aunt Hope figured it out pretty fast when we watched an episode of Supernatural on Thursday and I was drooling over Dean and his hella sexy 1967 Chevy Impala. That's when I told her about how I prefer the classic muscle cars to the new age crap cars that all look the same and have no personality.
Anywho, back to the present. I couldn't believe that Aunt Hope got me this beautiful piece of machinery!
"Oh Mylanta! This car is friggin beautiful! How did you get this?" I asked her.
"I have a friend whose son is quite the mechanic. He's been restoring it all week."
"The next time you see him, send him a chocolate basket or something kickass like that." I told her, not once taking my eyes off the car.
She chuckled, "Ok I'll keep that in mind. But you have to go now or you'll be late for school."
"Oh crap that's right!" I jumped in my new wheels after Aunt Hope gave me the keys.
Now I'm actually looking forward to going to school so everyone can check out my hella sweet ride! As I pulled into the school parking lot, people were already looking at me in my car. I found a space next to a blue van with a few kids hanging out around it. I sat there for a couple more minutes listening to Cream and Bastards Rise by Harvey Danger. As soon as the song was over, it was time for me to step out of the car and into reality. And of course more people stared at me, but I just walked with my head held high and thought to myself, Ok chins up, boobs out, it's show time!
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A/N: What do you think? Like it? Love it? Don't worry; there will definitely be some Edward in the next chapter! The "chins up, boobs out, it's show time" line is from one of my favorite movies Connie and Carla X-) PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Reviews are like hugs and kisses, I want lots of them!