This Chapter has been revised and edited.
Layla's Pov
I dragged my feet up the hardwood steps to my temporary stay. An old, cramped office turned guestroom.
All the upstairs bedrooms, once belonging to my father and his sister, were stuffed with storage Syd refused to go through.
After my grandma died, he refused to go through anything that reminded him of her.
"I'll grab some spare clothes. Go get warmed up." Syd pointed to the bathroom across the hall I tiredly shuffled into.
There, I remove my waterlogged clothes. My fingers numbly fumbled with my jeans. I practically had to pry them off my body.
The lukewarm water felt piping hot, sending painful pricks into my skin.
"You've got an hour before the water runs cold!" Syd warned me through the door. "Got it!" I called back, irritated by the time limit.
I let the water pound my strained shoulders, uncoiling the muscles wound by the anxiety of driving nearly non-stop.
My best friend Ashely accompanied me to Sacramento for the first 6 hours of the 8-hour drive.
She flew home from there, but it was worth it for both of us. We hadn't seen each other in weeks since the incident at my sweet sixteen in July.
What happened was bad enough, and navigating without a cell phone wasn't easy either.
I rinsed the conditioner coat from my hair when the water turned cold. Syd was right about the hour-time limit.
The bathroom, full of steam, hovered like a warm cloud. I hid in the humid atmosphere to braid my hair for sleep.
I didn't have the time or patience to dry it out. I knew the moment my head hit the pillow, I'd crash.
The cold air nipped at my legs as I retreated to the shoe-sized spare room.
Clunky dark oak furniture towered over me, making the grey-green walls appear like they were caving in.
The only redemptive factor was the queen-sized bed pressed up wall to wall against a large window on the far side.
I turned to the desk that doubled as a nightstand, and the spare clothes were folded neatly on top.
Grateful for wool socks and thick quilts, I hurriedly cocooned myself to harbor the last of my dissipating warmth.
I couldn't pinpoint the time in which I woke up the next day. I hadn't plugged in my digital clock, and the blackout curtains had sealed away the light.
Lifting the heavy quilts was a workout. I stretched hugely, popping several joints unintentionally. Despite the rest, my limbs felt like lead.
I managed a morning routine without luggage. Today, my mission was to find out which mechanic had my vehicle so I could lug my stuff back here.
I bounded downstairs to gather my clothes from yesterday. Hopefully, they weren't still drenched from the storm.
Syd, the early bird that he was, had generously washed, dried, and folded everything.
"Good morning, Grandpa." I yawned, covering my mouth.
"You mean good afternoon!" My dad's sister, Aunt Melanie, was sitting with him at the kitchen table. She skipped over to greet me.
"Afternoon?" I gawked. "Sunday afternoon, to be exact." Mel laughed, hugging me.
"What?" I gasped in her tight grasp. I had nearly slept a full forty-eight hours.
"Don't worry about it, sweetie. You needed your rest." She assured me.
"My car! My things! Oh no, Syd. School starts tomorrow." I squirmed in Aunt Mel's arms.
What am I going to do? I'm not even unpacked yet.
"Don't worry. I called Wren for you and grabbed your things from Dowling's yesterday." Syd assured me, pointing to the pile on the floor I missed.
My small stacks of boxes, two suitcases, and various miscellaneous items waited by the base of the staircase.
"Thank you," I hugged him. "You can unpack when you return," he said.
"Where are we going?" I asked, not wanting to step foot in another vehicle for a while.
"Port Angeles. You need your phone fixed, right?" Aunt Mel paced towards the door.
I followed her, unenthused, grabbing my purse off the rack leading up to the front door.
"We'll stop for groceries on the way back," My aunt continued. "Pick up a pizza too, why don't you?" Syd called after us.
"Sure thing, Pops!" Aunt Mel chimed, slamming the front door behind us.
He hated cooking almost as much as shopping. I frowned to myself.
"What?" Mel asked me once we were in the car and well on our way.
"Nothing. I think I'm just groggy after sleeping so long."
I was actually just as hesitant as Syd when it came to food prep. I hadn't been anywhere besides a local farmers' market in years.
My mother, who was always on the go due to work, brought home takeout most nights. I didn't know where to start or how to get into the cooking groove.
Aside from that, Syd lives off of black coffee, cigars, and jerky. Opposite to me. A tea-drinking vegetarian with a chocolate addiction.
"I was thinking that Sundays could be our day. Wren told me you wouldn't mind attending mass with me in the morning. Right after, we could get lunch somewhere else."
So Mel was stepping in as my keeper in my dad's stead. That was mildly disappointing.
The one time I lived in the same state as Wren, he didn't seem to plan on seeing me often. But honestly, what did I expect?
"Sure." Why not? It would make them happy. It's not like I had my own plans or a group of friends yet.
If anything, I would get lucky most weekends when she would inevitably flake on me.
"Great! I can't wait to show you around downtown. The church is so quaint and beautiful-"
I half-listened to her rant about future plans. I was busy fixating on the passing plethora of foliage.
The drive was different during the day. I was fascinated by the woods. All the dripping moss blowing in the breeze made the forest look like it was breathing.
I hadn't been inside it since I was a child, and I was strangely drawn to it.
The downtown area of Port Angeles was teeming with students shopping last minute with their families.
It made it difficult to find parking, so Mel dropped me off in front of the mobile store. It didn't look it from the outside.
I would have deemed the place a pawn shop with the dark grey painted-over bricks and metal bars over the windows.
The bell rang as I entered. It was pleasantly sparse with patrons.
I approached the glass counter, where two customers were discussing the phones on display while one man was on his way to check out.
A beautiful woman with tumbling golden hair locks leaned over the shoulder of a younger boy who was scrawny and pale with light brown waves.
She was explaining the difference between the two top competing models in his hands.
"Cash or card," the manager said to the paying customer, who was intensely distracted by the lovely young woman across the room.
Her skin was clear and white as snow, and her petal-colored lips parted smoothly as she spoke with an angel's voice.
Then I realized I was also staring, so I stopped to pull out my damaged cell phone for repair.
I leaned on the counter next to the boy. He seemed to be young, maybe around fourteen.
I casually glanced in his direction. He seemed to have difficulty deciding, and the beautiful woman's golden eyes flickered impatiently.
"Need help?" I asked him. The boy turned towards me, emerald green eyes sparkling with interest when he realized I was speaking to him.
"I'm not sure. I've never had a phone before," he confessed.
"If you're starting out, I recommend something not so breakable and maybe a waterproof case for this place."
I pointed at the sleek black phone in his left hand and to the shatterproof case on display.
"You think?" His chaperone removed the other option, looking relieved.
"Definitely." I nodded in approval. "Hi, I'm EJ Mason." He reached out his hand for me to shake.
EJ's boyish smile broadened, popping one dimple in his cheek. I felt myself smiling instinctively.
"Layla Moon," I introduced myself. He seemed very sweet. "Layla," he repeated to himself, his smile growing brighter and more captivating.
"I'll meet you in the car. Don't take too long." The blond kissed the top of his head and strode out the door before the guy from the register could ask for her number.
"Excuse me, is that your sister?" The man bothered EJ instead. "No. That's Aunt Rosalie." He frowned, perturbed by his question.
"And clearly taken. Didn't you see the ring on her finger?" I asked him, hoping he would mind his business.
"She is," EJ nodded, echoing my statement. The man grumbled, trudging out the door in disappointment.
The shopkeeper closed the register and headed toward us. I gestured for EJ to go first. He was helped first, and then he took my phone for a busted screen repair.
"I'll be attending Forks as a freshman this year." EJ eagerly shared this news with me, making small talk during our wait.
He seemed equally excited and anxious. "It looks like we are both having our first days. I moved here from LA the other day."
"Really?" I nodded yes, watching the screen replacement. "Are you new here as well?" I asked him.
"Sort of. I moved here from New York. But I've only been homeschooled. So public school will be..." EJ's brows furrowed, messing up his innocent expression.
"Different?" I offered. "Yes. I also feel like I'm different. Almost too strange to attend."
His voice sounded impossibly sad as he fumbled his fingers over the glass display.
"It's true, it will be different than what you're used to, but I don't think you should be so hard on yourself, EJ. You belong there just as much as anyone else." I assured him.
"You think so?" EJ's eyes lit up again. "Of course. Honestly, I'm nervous too," I whispered into the hand I was resting my chin upon.
"Why? You've been to public school before." "Yes, but every place is different. It would be better to know at least one person before classes start."
"Wait, what about me?" He asked with a cheeky smile. "Sure, we can be friends."
EJ was easy to talk to, and I would like to see him again if I have the chance.
Even if he was a little younger than me, something was refreshing about his presence.
At that moment, the manager returned with our phones in hand. "Enjoy the rest of your day, kids."
"Wait, I didn't order this." I pointed to the second bag he handed me.
"Oh, Wren ordered a new phone for you. He says Happy belated birthday."
A new phone? I guess this was his way of making up for not receiving me this weekend.
EJ and I exchanged numbers, and I showed him a few features before we headed out the door together.
I found Mel farther down the block, force-feeding quarters into a parking meter.
We didn't have as much time as she would have liked, so she walked us down the main strip.
At the end, we stopped by a bookstore. She picked up the latest romance book in her series while I left with a much-needed cookbook.
Later, La Push
When I sat down the last grocery bag, I noticed Syd's shotgun propped up next to the door frame.
"Why'd you leave that out? I thought your hunting trip was last week." Mel questioned Syd, who was already digging into the pizza we brought home.
He scarfed down a long, stringy piece of cheese before answering me."Nothin'."
"What happened? Was it the foxes again?" I started filling the sink with water to wash the produce.
"Those boys might've come back." He piled his plate with more pepperoni slices.
"For what? Syd! I haven't been here long, and I'd like to make some friends." I marched around the table to confront him.
"You need girlfriends. Not a pack of hormone-ridden boys." Syd grumbled.
"Who's to say they don't have sisters?" He wouldn't look at me, guilty, as I continued.
"It's mega rude of you to threaten them for helping me in the middle of the night during a freaking monsoon! Do you know how delirious and tired I was? And don't get me started about the deer I clipped to get myself in that situation."
After I finished my whiny rant, I stole a piece of pizza off his plate, plucking meat from the poached slice.
He grumbled about something I didn't catch. I narrowed my eyes at him as I took a bite.
"Fine. But if they step one toe out of line or deface my property-" I groaned at him.
"I swear they're going to think I'm so weird," I whined. "You'll be fine, kid." Syd turned the TV on for the evening news.
"What about my car?" "It won't be ready until Wednesday at the earliest."
I sighed. "I'll drive yah," Syd assured me. "Great." I groaned, retreating upstairs.
"Good night," Syd called up to me. "Night!"
My boxes and luggage lined the hall leading up to my room. Syd must have brought them up while I was out.
It was late and I didn't want to begin unpacking, but I dug through everything anyway.
Back home, it was a school year ritual for my friend group to plan what we wore on the first day collectively.
LA is a fashion capital after all, and all of us were willing participants in trend-chasing.
As I transferred my things over to the giant clunky dresser, I recalled what the locals were wearing on the streets today.
I quickly discarded what I thought I was going to wear for something more practical. Most kids my age were decked out in Patagonia, REI, or dripped Old Navy.
My sandals didn't stand a chance in the rain, and I hadn't seen a single person in a skirt today, and it was Sunday.
I dug deeper in my duffle bag for my stack of denim.
I set out the improved fit on the desk chair: Jeans, a lace cami layered with a button-up t-shirt, and my only pair of sneakers. High-top Converse.
Despite all the sleep I had received over the past few days, I was too tired to find my pajamas.
I turned off my desk lamp, stripped down to an oversized shirt, and crawled into bed.
First-day jitters got the best of me. I woke up extraordinarily early, and the eerie quiet of the morning was nothing like the sounds of the city.
Restlessly, I made the most of my unrest with more unpacking.
Like a game of Tetras, everything had to have a place, or my little floor space would be compromised.
Reaching a stopping point, I sat on the floor and leaned back against my bed.
A pang of loneliness struck me as I checked my old cell phone for my friends' messages.
Ashely was the only one who texted me with a group pic of our friends' first-day fits.
Of course, it was always beautiful and sunny there, so they could wear whatever they wanted.
This year, they started off strong by rebelling against the dress code. They wore denim miniskirts paired with layered low-cut tank tops.
It was typical for a few of us, if not all of us, to get detention for doing this. To blow it off by ditching that first Friday for a hosted block party.
Alexis will be hosting the first one this weekend, too. I wonder what the theme will be or if I will still be invited since the move.
I could book a flight with my mom's credit card, just in case...but I doubted my father or Syd would let me go—not after what happened a few short weeks ago.
He couldn't expect me to drop all my old friends, though; this situation was temporary.
Once the court finalized everything with the custody battle adjustments and my mom dealt with the aftermath of that night, everything would go back to normal.
I only had to stick out this fall semester.
I pulled back my curtains to assess the landscape.
The looming clouds obstructed the sun, and the morning fog hid the end of the driveway, making the trees look murky.
The practical fit I dawned, trends aside, made me feel like I was officially exiled from the land of the sun.
It was stupid, and I would get over it, but I couldn't shake the feeling of a great divide.
I would have to do my best to blend in. Making a good first impression in the smallest of towns was going to be my goal.
I tugged down my long-sleeved V-neck and pulled up my cream lace camisole at the edges when Syd called to me.
"Would you like some coffee, kid?" The squeaky floorboards must have given away that I was awake.
"No, I'm good!" I sounded back; I didn't need more induced jitters via caffeine.
I migrated to the bathroom across the hall to fix my hair. I pulled out the braids I'd been wearing the past couple of days and separated the waves, recoiling them with my product-filled fingers.
Now came the worst part of my daily routine: facing the hideous flaw that made me a freak.
My heterochromia. Every morning, I'd put one colored contact in to cover up this deformity.
Why couldn't both my eyes have been normal?
What was wrong with having two brown eyes? Nothing. It would have been safer than inheriting half of my mother's genes.
I took a deep breath before facing my right eye. The problematic one wasn't the grey-blue that my mother claimed on her license.
Like hers, it was a startling bright silver comparable to liquid mercury.
On my mom, this feature looked impeccable. Complete, matching, like they were supposed to be there.
Her eyes glowed against her summer-tanned skin and blow-out Barbie blond hair and gleamed with her pearly Farrah Fawcett smile.
She belonged on Sunset Avenue like a fit model to a runway.
But I was not like her. I was not Lily.
I've hated our contrast in looks since I was young. After many tantrums and public avoidances, she reluctantly agreed to help me cover this monstrosity.
From the end of elementary school, I was enabled to hide the glaring flaw.
I slid the dark brown contact into place. Then tilted my head side to side to see if anyone would tell the difference. All clear.
Most of the time, it felt natural to me, and no one had pointed it out before.
Now that I was in a new place with new people, I couldn't help but be paranoid.
I glanced at my new phone resting on the counter—7:30 am. I was going to be late! Why hadn't Syd said anything?
"We have to get moving, Syd! I don't know my schedule or where any of my classes are!" I rambled nervously, collecting my things as I ran downstairs.
Syd wordlessly opened the door and rolled his eyes, keys in hand.
"Don't worry. You'll find that things move a lot slower around here."
Syd's relaxed nature was irritating, but he was right. The bus line was still ejecting students, and the parking lot was sparse.
In our wait, I texted EJ Mason to wish him luck on his first day. At least we were in this together despite the different locations.
Syd's truck rolled to a stop at the parent drop-off. Once the buses moved, I could see the school—a wide red brick compound of a building.
'La Push High School, home of the fighting wolves' was painted in bold white letters rimmed in red.
The entrance contained double-wide cement stairs leading up to a single pair of glass doors.
My hand rested on the door handle, reluctant to get out. The nerves grasped me at full throttle.
Syd had gotten out and opened my door for me. Maybe he'd asked me to leave several times, and I hadn't heard him.
"Don't rush. Be careful. Everything will work out." Syd assured me, helping me down from his lifted vehicle.
A sea of copper-skinned children wove around us when the first bell rang. Some stopped and stared, not recognizing me.
At least with my summer glow, I'd fit in with everyone else.
Syd gave me one last quick side hug before departing on his commute to work.
"See you later, granddaughter!" He called out louder than I thought he should.
Embarrassed, I marched off, hunting for the main office for a schedule.
The office was hectic. Textbooks stacked up, lining the waiting room benches.
Students came in and out to collect one or more. Some confronted the front desk clerk about schedule conflicts.
Papers covered every countertop space imaginable, and all the walls were littered with wildlife and anti-drug use posters.
I stood in line behind my new peers until the next bell sounded for classes to begin. I waited for the shrill echo to cease before I approached the desk.
"May I help you?" The secretary repeated dryly. I peered over the divider at the stout woman sipping her mug.
"Good morning. I'm Layla Moon, the new transfer student."
The purple beaded strings attached to her glasses jangled as she jerked her head from the computer to a printing fax machine, then back at me again—definitely not a good sign.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading this 'Set the Stage' chapter. I hope you stick around for the more exciting chapters to come.