All of Layla's clothing fit neatly into 2 dresser drawers, as she separated them into tops and bottoms. She looked at her clothes and sighed. They were getting tight and short on her already. Layla wished she'd stop growing out and grow taller. She peaked at 5 feet 2 inches and hadn't grown anymore. She sighed and laid on the bed, inhaling deeply. The bed and the sheets looked clean and smelled like fabric softener, which Layla was so thankful for. She walked downstairs to find her uncle.
"If… if it's not an inconvenience...a three minute shower? I'll be super quick and I won't use an hot water or-" Layla asked quickly, but got interrupted.
"You can take the longest, hottest shower in the history of showers. We've got plenty of hot water and Bella has accumulated so much shampoo and that girly smelling body wash that it'd take years to go through it all. Don't ever rush or even think you're using too much of anything, okay? Promise me. No rushing. No being afraid of using too much water or soap or shampoo or anything." Charlie said.
Layla smiled softly and rushed off to take a shower. A hot shower. With shampoo and body wash… if she never took another shower again then it'd be okay. A knock at the door startled her.
"There's towels under the sink. Also there's extra toothbrushes and toothpaste. There should be some deodorant… it might be mens but it'll work until you get your own." Charlie said before walking away.
Layla turned the shower on hot and got in, scrubbing her skin until it was pink and red, washing away everything, all the dirt and grime. She washed her hair twice with shampoo, loving how good it smelled. Conditioner made her hair feel nice. She turned the water off and wrapped a towel around herself before going to brush her teeth and snag some deodorant. She looked at her clothes, seeing how dirty they were. She wiped the shower down until it looked pristine. She balled her clothes into the towel and made a mental note to ask uncle Charlie how to use the washing machine. She stood at the door, listening for the sound of anyone. When she was met with silence, Layla tried to quickly rush up to her attic bedroom. She hadn't counted on seeing anyone, but when she reached the top of the stairs, she bumped into the wall. Layla stumbled but was steadied. She opened her eyes and looked up. It wasn't a wall she run into, but a person. Several persons. Tall persons. Beautiful, tall persons. One short but beautiful person. One person who looked like uncle Charlie.
"I…" Layla squeaked, unable to finish her sentence.
"You must be Layla! I'm Alice. How about we let you go get dressed. Then come back down here and meet all of us." Alice said.
'Her voice is that of angels…' Layla thought. 'I bet she is one. I read a book about angels being on earth...'
Layla blushed and all but ran up the attic stairs, embarrassed. This was not how she intended on meeting anyone. She quickly went through her clothes, trying to find the cleanest. She sighed sadly. She pulled in a pair of jeans that were turned into capris because she outgrew them and a t- shirt she had once found in a dumpster. She pulled her hair back into a braid to dry and walked back downstairs. She heard talking in the living room and followed the sound.
"Well there she is!" Charlie said, grinning. "This is my niece, and Bella's cousin, Layla Delaney. Layla, this is my daughter Bella, her boyfriend Edward, his sisters Alice and Rosalie, and his brothers Emmett and Jasper. Layla will be starting school Monday with you all. Maybe once she knows people, it won't be so nerve wracking. A big dinner and bonfire on the rez tonight, if you and your family want to join, Edward." Charlie said.
"We are going hiking this weekend. Dad has been planning this trip since he found out he got a free weekend from the hospital. But thank you for the invite, Mr. Swan." Alice said.
Charlie nodded. "I'm going to head over and help Billy and Sue start getting everything ready. Bells, will you bring Layla around 6?" he asked.
"Sure." Bella said, smiling.
Charlie left and Layla was still poised in the doorway.
"I'll just be up in my room. I won't interfere on your time with friends. It was nice to meet you all." Layla said quietly.
"Is it because I'm too sexy to behold?" Emmett asked, grinning.
Layla looked lost.
"You've befuddled the girl, Emmett." Edward chastised.
"I suppose it's to be expected… you just used a contradicting statement. Sexy and yourself doesn't belong in the same sentence." Jasper said seriously.
That earned laughter from Bella, Edward, Alice, and Rosalie. Layla hid a small giggle. Emmett's mouth opened slightly in protest.
"Don't laugh! How is anyone ever going to believe I'm sexy if you all keep laughing!" Emmett said, grinning. "Maybe I still have a chance to convince Layla. Come sit beside me and let me tell you all about how awesome and amazing I truly am."
"The last thing you need is a fangirl. Your head barely fits in the room as it is!" Rosalie teased.
Alice walked over to Layla.
"Come sit with me. I'm dying to get my hands in your hair and play with it… if you'll let me?" Alice asked.
Layla nearly froze.
'The angel likes my hair…' Layla thought as she let Alice lead her over to the couch.
"So tell us about yourself. Dad wouldn't give us any details." Bella said.
Layla sat in the floor and let Alice have at her hair. She thought for a moment.
'I'm the daughter of small town drug lords who got busted mailing several hundred pounds of pot...I was also a drug mule and a punching bag…' Layla thought.
Edward looked down, an action that was not missed by Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper.
"There's not much interesting you tell. I lived in Mt. Shasta near a volcano." Layla said.
"Who's your favorite actor? Or singer?" Alice asked.
Layla scrambled for an answer but came up empty. She'd not recalled seeing any movies or even having a radio to listen to. She shrugged and looked embarrassed.
"Oh now you're going to get Alice and Rosalie in a tizzy. They'll throw you head first into so much pop culture." Emmett said.
"Don't make it sound so bad, Emmett. Only the best." Rosalie said.
Layla looked up at Rosalie and stared.
'Alice sounds like an angel but this girl… Rosalie… She embodies what angels look like…' Layla thought.
"Look at me and swoon, too!" Emmett whined.
Layla looked away from Rosalie and blushed.
"I'm done with your hair. Let's go raid her closet and dress up!" Alice said.
Layla felt shame fill her every pore. She didn't see Edward shake his head and didn't hear his whisper that she had only 3 outfits and none of them good.
"It's nearing 6, Alice. It'll have to wait for another day. Besides, I like her shirt." Emmett said honestly.
Layla looked at her shirt. It had a pair of fangs printed on it along with the words Fangs For The Memories written on it.
"You'll have to let me borrow it sometime." Rosalie said, smiling.
Layla smiled softly and nodded.
Edward kissed Bella and headed for the door with Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie following. Emmett walked over to Layla.
"You're probably just overwhelmed at how damn handsome I am. It's okay. It still happens to me when I look in the mirror. But next time I expect fawning and swooning and at least 4 declarations of how I'm the best looking guy you've ever seen." Emmett said before heading to the door.
Layla watched as they headed for the door and smiled shyly.
"Bye, gorgeous!" Layla called out.
Emmett turned around and grinned.
"I knew it!" Emmett boasted.
"Oh...I was talking to Rosalie… sorry." Layla said, unable to hide her grin.
"My heart!" Emmett whined, stomping outside.
Edward kissed Bella once more before going to the car and driving everyone home.
"I guess we better go. Are you ready?" Bella asked. Layla slipped her old shoes on and nodded, following Bella out to the truck. Bella turned the radio onto an oldies station as they headed for the rez.
"This is my favorite type of music...80's. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers… just listen." Bella said.
Layla nodded along to the beat. Tomorrow she would tell Alice that she has a favorite singer.
...
so i realised i made a boo boo in the first chapter. For Sue and Charlie to be dating, Harry can't be alive in this fic. So let's pretend that mistake disappeared. Slow build but now she at least knows the resident vampires.
I'm aiming on updating every Monday and Thursday. So be on the lookout!
And thank you to Kagz for my first review! I wanted to shake layla up for this story. Don't worry though. She's soon grow to that sassy smart ass we all know and love!
Let me know if you all like this?