So when I'm ready to be bolder,

And my cuts have healed with time,

Comfort with rest on my shoulder

And I'll bury my future behind,

I'll always keep you with me

You'll always be on my mind

But there's a shining in the shadows

I'll never know unless I try

Home – Gabrielle Aplin

I do not own Twilight

I was being shaken softly; my eyes didn't want to open but the shaking continued along with the cooing of my name. The drive was long, I fell asleep just as we left Seattle but Sam said it was a good few hours.

"Savannah we are here" The voice cooed again and again my body was shaken. I gave in eventually and opened my eyes, the light around me was dull but it was day time. Sam was stood at the door beside where I sat in his old truck and he smiled at me. "Sorry, I didn't think you would appreciate being carried in" He shrugged a little and I nodded back, I probably would have crapped myself waking up in a place I didn't know. "Jared and Paul got your bags, come on Emily is dying to meet you" He smiled wider this time, his eyes lighting up more as he spoke her name. I had heard about her but never seen or met her. I think they started dating last year and got engaged pretty swiftly after that, he said she was amazing and by the look on his face I could tell she meant a lot to him.

I shook my body more awake and grabbed my shoulder bag that was lazily strewn over the seat next to me and climbed out, it was freezing. I was in skinny jeans and a hoody but I was still freezing. Overlooking the small yard I saw that we were in the middle of what seemed like a forest, trees were surrounding us on every side and stuck right in the middle of those trees was a house, a wooden like house that looked as if it had grown directly from the trees that billowed over it. It was small and cute, something of a cottage you would imagine reading about in a mystical book. Little red riding hood sprung to mind, the grandma's house.

"It's not much, but there's a spare room and enough space for the three of us" Sam quickly added as if noticing me staring at the little house, he sounded somewhat self conscious of the place but I didn't know why. It was pretty and unique.

"It's cute, different" I smiled back at him and he nodded with a little smile on his much older face, I had studied him before I fell asleep. He had changed so much, he looked easily 26 not 21, his hair wasn't long anymore but cropped into a lazy surfer style haircut that lay at the top of his neck and in general he was just different. The only thing that stayed the same was the big brown eyes and fairly serious posture. He had always been a serious person but now he seemed more so, as if he was a man with responsibilities and control over his life, very unlike the 21 year olds I met back home who were all party hard or go home sort of people. He jerked his head toward the house telling me to follow him and I did, I smelt it as soon as I hit the bottom step of the wooden porch, fresh baking. Homely, very homely. Almost too good to be true homely.

I glanced to the left of me as I reached the front door and saw that my assumption about the house growing from the trees seemed even more fitting, a huge tree ran straight through the porch. This was definitively the strangest little house I had ever seen, carved on the tree trunk I could see words, drawings but I couldn't make out what they were without getting closer.

"Savannah" Sam called from ahead of me; he was stood in the doorway waiting for me to follow him in. The nerves in my stomach kicked up again and I suddenly felt on show and awkward, I wasn't into meeting new people and the idea of meeting a bunch of guys had freaked me out from the minute the Jared guy had said it. I kept my head down just staring at the floor beneath my feet, the old woven rug that was frayed from years of people walking over it. The house was warm, the smell even more overpowering than it had been outside, it smelt like cake batter baking and a subtle hint of honey. "Savannah this is Emily, my fiancée" His voice made me jerk my head up again, I was awkward in new situations but I wasn't rude. I glanced up at the empty kitchen, empty apart from Sam and the girl who lay cuddled in his arms. She was probably the same height as me but she looked tiny next to him, her head was turned showing me only her long ebony black hair that was straight and fell to her shoulders, she was slim built and in simple jeans and a checked fitted shirt. Then her head twisted and surprise took me for a second but I steadied myself and smiled back at her as genuinely as I could. She was undeniably pretty, kind faced and truthful in her smile but she had three long scars running down her face and touching the upper part of her neck. Sam was studying me as if waiting for me to say something rude or hurtful, his smile had gone and he was watching me with intense interest. But I didn't focus on her scars; I lifted my eyes to hers and smiled more.

"It's so good to meet you. Sam has told me so much about you and I've been so excited to have a girl here with me at last" She loosened herself from her hold and walked across to me, she seemed genuinely nice. It didn't sound like something Sam had grilled her to say, she stood in front of me for a second before wrapping her arms around my shoulder for a hug that I semi returned, it took me a little by surprise. She was near enough the same height and build as me but she hugged me a bit of force and I couldn't quite steady myself enough to fully hug her back. She let go and smiled at me again waiting for me to speak.

"I uhh, yeah Sam's told me all about you too" He hadn't, he had only told me basic information but I didn't want to be rude. "Thank you for having me" I gave her a smile then looked at Sam, he was smiling again now and looked somewhat relieved I hadn't said anything rude or been rude, not that I would have. I wasn't a rude person, I had never back chatted anyone in my entire life, or gotten in a fight or anything like that. I was mostly a calm person.

"Oh it's no problem, you are family. We are so happy to have you here"

My stomach clenched painfully as she said the words 'you are family'. I was half family and only hear because if Sam didn't take me I would be put into the care system, my family was my mom and she was gone. I was sure Sam had taken me out of pity than anything else, that and the fact my mom had put him in her will as carer for me if something happened to her. I guess she did the will a few years back after she had a cancer scare, although at the time Sam was a teen so I didn't know why she would think it ok to put him in as my guardian. But now I was glad she had because I had spent three weeks in a foster home while they waited to sort out me coming here and it wasn't exactly the best experience I had ever had. I looked back up at my brother, his face saddened since I last looked at him and I realised tears had sprung to my eyes. I didn't cry often but lately I was like a tap that was unable to shut itself off. I gave him a swift smile that he didn't return and blinked the tears away.

"So this is the house, it's nothing special but it suits for now. The guys are just putting your bags in your room and fixing the dressing table for you, Quil broke it during a game of hide and seek with Claire the other day. I will show you up in a minute, but would you like breakfast? I bet you haven't eaten in so long" Emily started motioning to the big open rooms around us, when I say big I mean because it was just one huge open plan downstairs with archways separating the rooms. The kitchen was directly as you walked in, with the dining area joined to it then through the dining area and archway was a living area with two sofas and a flurry of random chairs scattered around the TV. The wooden stairs led straight into the kitchen/diner and I could hear the banging of feet and furniture upstairs as Jared and whoever Paul was fixed whatever someone called Quil had broken. "Made muffins, but I have some cereals here too or I could do you pancakes, bacon. Anything you want really, we stock in piles of food for the guys so you can look in the pantry if you like" Emily rambled on a little as she fluttered by the kitchen island where a big plate full of muffins rested. Stocked food in for the guys? What were they all, body builders?

I shook my head at her and smiled. "Just cereal is fine thank you" I was watchful of what I ate, not because I was a weight freak but because I had to be healthy for dance. Not that I danced anymore, I guess it was habit.

"Savannah doesn't eat meat" Sam chirped up now as he pulled out two chairs at the kitchen table and motioned for me to sit next to him. It took me a little by surprise that he knew that and I cocked my head at him. "What? I pay attention on the two day visits you know" He smiled a little again and handed me a glass of orange juice before sitting back in his chair.

"Oh, well I am sure we can find some food here for you. The boys will be happy though, they hate sharing food especially the bacon, and if it means more for them then you're already a winner in their eyes" Emily started giggling as she poured milk into a bowl. "We only have granola, is that ok?" She placed the bowl in front of me and I nodded, it wasn't fruit loops but it would do. She wasn't a pushy dance mom but she wanted the best for me and apparently this was the best. "It's only Kim who eats cereal here and she eats granola so that's all we have"

"It's fine, thank you"

"So you can be enrolled in La Push high school after the Christmas break, so you have a month off before having to go. I figured you would be happy about that" Sam stirred up conversation with the normal smile on his face, he seemed like he was on edge, nervous and jittery as if he was desperate to make conversation to keep the atmosphere friendly. Not that it wouldn't be, I got on well with Sam, he was my brother and my family I guess, and Emily seemed nice. But it did feel slightly awkward I guess, suddenly having to live with people I didn't know and a brother I didn't know that well. My stomach dropped at the mention of school, I didn't want to go back to school, I couldn't handle it. I hadn't been at school in two months, I lasted a day before I stopped going again. They let me have two weeks off after my mom died, I had been staying at her friend's house and they said I should go back to get back to normality, but I couldn't handle the sad looks, the pity and the questions, the questions were the worst. They weren't mean, but even a simple 'how are you' made my heart tear open. So I refused to go again, and after another week my mom's friend couldn't handle me being there all the time and so the care system took over until the paperwork was signed for Sam to take me. I guess I hadn't given school much thought, I was in my senior year so it was vital I went back but still.

"It's a nice school, small. I mean there's probably only 40 kids in the senior year if that" Sam went on and I nodded along, at least here they wouldn't know I guess, they wouldn't have a reason other than I was the much paler new girl. They wouldn't pity me for what happened to my mom, they would just wonder why I was there and why I wasn't fully Native American, and that was an answer I could give them without crying. I was only half Native American, mom was white and Josh was Quileute. And together they made me; I was tanned but not as russet skinned as Sam or Jared, or even Emily. I was more olive toned, like I had been at the beach all day. My hair wasn't black, it was brown but then Sam didn't have jet black hair so I guess not all Quileute's did. I was just being stereotypical. "And you won't be alone; you're in the same class as Jacob, Quil and Embry"

"And Kim" Emily piped in. I didn't ask who they were, I guess they were part of the 'guys' Jared had mentioned.

"And then Seth is at the school as well, he's a junior, Collin and Brady are only sophomores but they probably won't bother you much" Again I had no idea who Sam was talking about I nodded anyway, I would probably be introduced to them at some point. Although, they were mostly male so I wasn't sure I was quite comfortable with that. I wasn't a prune, I had male friends back home but if the guys here were anything like my brother now was or Jared was, then they were probably going to intimidate the hell out of me. Maybe I could make friends with Kim; she likes cereal, that's one thing in common. We could bond over cereal.

"You're overwhelming her Sam" Emily had sat down beside her fiancé and landed a playful slap on his arm before looking at me. "You will meet them later on, they are all really nice and I'm sure they will make you feel welcomed" Something in the way she said it made me think that they would make me feel welcomed or face her wrath, she seemed like the kind of person to be able to control a bunch of guys like that. She was sweet, but she had a look about her, I wouldn't cross her.

"I think the guys are done with the dressing table, either that or they've gone suspiciously quite because they've broken something else" Sam shifted in his seat and I found myself cocking my head to look at the stairs. I couldn't hear anything, just their footsteps. I would hardly say they had been loud before hand but maybe Sam was more in tune with his house than I was and could hear freakishly well. "I'll show you up if you're finished"

I nodded again and stood up with the half empty bowl; Emily shook her head though and took it back off me allowing Sam to show me up the stairs. A man was walking from a doorway as I reached the top, his back was too me but he was shirtless and huge, muscles twitched in his shoulder blades and his russet skin seemed to almost stretch over them. He was as big as Jared, but he wasn't Jared. This guy was taller than Jared I was sure of it.

"Paul, this is Savannah" Sam called out to him but he didn't look around, he just walked down the hallway and reached for another door.

"Yeah yeah let me piss first" The guy called out and Sam shook his head in slight annoyance.

"That's Paul, full of manners as you can see"

"Great to meet you Savannah" Paul carried on into the room giving me a wave with his hand but again, he didn't look at me. I couldn't see his face but something swirled in my stomach, as if I were swooning over him already. Muscled men around a teenage girl, obviously I was going to crush on one of them at some point.

"Come on, just ignore him" Sam sounded a little exasperated as he headed into the room Paul had just left, it was a small room but it was nicely decorated. It smelled slightly of fresh paint and it looked fresh too. The walls were a magnolia colour, a double bed fit in the centre with two side tables on each side, two lamps rested there and the bed had a small teddy on it. The newly fixed dressing table was beside the wardrobe opposite the bed, although it looked slightly wonky. The window was open, blowing the red and brown swirled curtains in and out. It was nicely decorated, brown and red themed I realised. Above the bed lay three canvas pictures, one had a picture of a beach on it, then a cliff top and the last was a hand painting of a wolf. It was a pretty room, fit well with the house in general.

"We didn't know if you were into girly colours, Emily wanted to paint it pink but somehow I couldn't picture you as a pink girl so Kim said red and brown, is it ok?" Sam turned to me as he stopped beside Jared who was now also topless and very muscled. I nodded as I continued looking around, there was a picture frame on the right bedside table, I had to squint to see it but it was a picture of me and Sam, we had it taken on one of the annual visits, we had been at the Zoo.

"It's really nice Sam, you didn't have to redecorate for me though" It felt nice that he had, made me feel just that more welcomed and almost wanted here rather than being a pain in his ass.

"Well, unless you wanted to sleep on the floor amongst boxes piled high with unpacked ornaments your grandmother would own, then you should be glad we did redecorate. The room was a dingy orange and smelled like Quil's feet" Jared added in now and I had to chuckle a little bit. I guess it was a good thing they painted it then.

"Well thank you, it's nice and I am definitely not a pink girl so this is perfect"

"Paul get in here and say hi" Sam suddenly called out as a body went sulking past the open bedroom door, it stopped but didn't turn to look in.

"I'm late for work dude, it's not like she's going anywhere I can say hi later" He sounded pissed off, maybe he didn't like me. My heart drooped at the idea of him not liking me which seemed crazy because I didn't even know the guy. Sam tutted while Jared laughed a little and the footsteps in the hallway started again as Paul went off down the stairs.

"Such an asshole, don't worry Paul's like a guy with constant PMS he hates everyone" Jared reached out and nudged my arm playfully before walking around me and out down the stairs.

"The others won't be as rude I promise, they are all at school right now but we organise a bonfire tonight so you could meet them. Hope you don't mind, I know you only just got here but they spend a lot of time at the house so we didn't want you to be overwhelmed with them all one day when you woke up. Seemed like a good idea when we organised it, we can cancel it if you want, introduce them slowly" Sam was rambling, I had never seen him ramble but he was rambling. He was obviously nervous about either me being here, or me meeting his friends. Although why he was friends with kids in high school I had no idea.

"Sam it's fine, tonight's fine. I just need a shower first, and a nap" I probably stank, airplane smell and I was still shattered. He nodded his sudden nerves calming. As much as meeting these new people would freak me out, I needed to at least try. This was my home now, I needed to try and fit in, make it something other than the nightmare I had been dreading recently.

"The shower is down there, there are only three rooms up here so you can't really get lost. I have work in a bit but Emily will be here, she can help you unpack and if you want you can help her with the food for tonight. I'm sure she will love getting to know you a bit more, it's like she's deprived of female attention" He grinned like a Cheshire cat again, I didn't find that hard to believe if all these guys were around so much. "Anyway, I'll see you in a while" He leant in for another brief and slightly awkward hug before wondering out of the room.

I glanced around, it was nice here, and the people were nice. Well the three people I had met so far were nice, Paul was different but he wasn't as bad as he could have been. I've met ruder people. I think I could like it here, if I tried and let myself get close to these people, but first I need a shower and a power nap.