finally facing my waterloo

[samantha]

do you know what it's like to feel so in the dark
to dream about a life where you're the shining star

The clock ticked away another minute and Elyse turned to once more smack the snooze button on her alarm as it chimed out that it was time for her to get up and face the world. She was so reluctant however to give up her dream place. The last images of the fantasy swirled through her brain and then finally she cracked her eyes open completely. In her dreams she could fly, she could dance with the dolphins, she could be anyone she wanted. It was such an escape to dream, and she delighted in it, but when she woke in the mornings she always saw them for what they were and forgot the images. Elyse was a girl that looked at the possible rather than the impossible. Her dreams were all very well and good, but real life was something that couldn't be mixed with them. What she was living was going to be her lot unless she actively strove for something else, and she was planning to do just that. Elyse already knew what she wanted to do with her life, she wanted to train as a Doctor and then help others. It was a simple dream but one that was plausible and might stand a chance of becoming a reality if she worked hard enough, not some lofty ambition of becoming a super stars for Ely. Her head was planted firmly on the floor where it belonged. Lofty ideas were ok for the night time, but she saw them for what they really were in the light of day. Nothing but dreams. To believe in them was a waste of energy.

Slipping her tiny body out from under her covers she felt the rush of cold immediately and wanted to dive back under, but resisted the urge. It was time to get up, the clock was already reading nine am and it was a saturday, she couldn't lay around all day, that wasn't productive at all. Her eyes fell on a pile of books next to her bed and grinned, her Mom must have bought them for her and just put them there for her to sort. Her deep dark eyes flicked the titles with mild interest before she spotted something that held it like a wrecking ball, a medical textbook. A laugh rippled from her lips as she reached down to pick it up and began a gentle flick through, determined to not get distracted by what was inside it until she was at least dressed. That was her goal, she knew she could last that long without curiosity getting the better of her. She hurried into the shower so as just not to push it.

She emerged about ten minutes later wearing the first clothes that she laid her hands on in her rush. However as she scooped it up again something fell out, a note from her Mom instructed her to go to the cliffs and read as it was going to be a nice day. Once more she laughed as she thought of how predictable she was. Her Mom had known that the first book she went for was going to be the textbook. So she decided to take the advice of her Mom and grabbed her bag before heading downstairs. She tucked the deep red book into the depths and reached into the top cupboard for something she could claim was breakfast, her fingers brushing a packet of poptarts and nodding, that would make her Mom happy, at least it was something. Elyse was sure that the older woman went through the cupboards every day when she came home to see if Elly had eaten enough. It was like living with Matron all over again. Elyse slipped her phone into the top flap of her bag as she waited for the tarts to toast and then went in search of the keys for her truck. Her feet carrying her all over the house before she finally found them in the jeans she had chucked in the washing the day before, it was lucky she wanted to drive to the cliffs or they would have gone through the machine when the cleaner came. Shaking her head with a small laugh she returned to the kitchen just as her breakfast popped up and declared that it had finished cooking, a grin forming on her face as she picked them out and scoffed them in a matter of bites, in too much of a rush to read her book to actually think about eating.

Once she was done she washed her hands and headed out the back door, locking it to save having to do the front. Elyse found herself rushing around the side of the house and basically jumping into the truck, such excitement over a new book. She shoved her key into the ignition and was off, the cliffs calling her name as the sun rose higher in the sky, signalling it was going to be a good day, a day when she wouldn't miss her old life in England. Her friend had left a text message on her phone and she had hastily replied when she awoke, and that small contact was enough to keep her happy for quite a few hours. The time difference didn't matter as both girls usually had their phone on silent and just remembered to check morning and night. It sort of worked. Grinning as she drove her thin fingers flew around the wheel as she bumped down the track, coming to stop when she could go no further on wheels. Jumping out as she had to, her height stopping her merely stepping down, her feet landed on firm ground and she set off up the track towards the crest of the cliff.

When she reached the top she took only a few minutes to look at the view and the way the sun danced on the tide before opening her book and turning to the first page, an introduction, nothing more. Her eyes flew over the words as she ate up the information with much more enthusiasm than she had eaten her breakfast only about twenty minutes earlier. Most people read stories, romances and fantasies, Elyse read medical textbooks. There was something truly weird about this little brunette. Her legs crossed under her as she balanced the book in her lap and let her mind just learn. The flow of information soaking into her like she was sponge and it water. Elyse's mind had so many questions and when she didnd't get the answers she got really frustrated. She wanted to know everything, but everything was exactly what she couldn't know. There was no time to know everything, things kept changing and life kept evolving. It was just the way of nature. Nature was something even her brain couldn't control. Her hand reached up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear as a reflex, the pale hitting the dark and creating a night and day contrast. Elyse was as pale as snow but with the eyes and hair that would look better on someone tanned and foreign. She was just odd all around in her opinion. Ely didn't even notice when another person approached, not until they cast a shadow upon her book and she was forced to look up.

tag -- open as anything

[paulj]

The early morning wouldn’t have been inviting to anyone, but with this extra heat that Paul got with being a werewolf, the cold morning didn’t even bother him. He was nice and warm, and would always be. Paul’s temperature was at a good a hundred and eight or more. No human should be alive with that kind of temperature. He let out a chuckled and threw off the covers that he did not really need, he had them over his long body out of habit more than anything. His long legs swung over the side and he sat up with a start. He had finally got a good night sleep, but it was a Saturday so he did get to sleep in a bit. Paul had been a bit surprised that Sam hadn’t told himself and Jared to come and met him somewhere. He paused to ponder over this. He smirked slightly, it was probably because Sam knew that Jared and Paul and even himself needed some rest so he was basically giving them the day off.

Paul stood up and stretched, now standing at his full height of 6’4. He had grown a lot in the last year, and now knew the reason behind it. He hadn’t loved the idea of it, and it didn’t help that he was already short tempered, but he had become a werewolf because of the leeches, or Cullens as other knew them. His eyes narrowed a bit at just the thought of them. They were the enemies, they were the ones that harmed other, and himself and the ones like him were there to protect the humans. They were so naïve to what was happening around them. Probably would always be, because they were not suppose to tell anyone about there transformation. It was a pack law of some sort. And they had been made to keep away from others till they could control their temper. That took a good month or two for Paul, he was pretty short tempered. Angered easily. He actually didn’t mind it but others did. Paul shrugged, that was there own problem.

As he walked over to his dresser to get some clothes for the new day, he saw that his dark hair was sticking out in every direction. Even with the short cut he did have it looked a bit messy. He’d have to put some water on it to flatten it. He might leave it the way it is, it didn’t look half bad. Paul opened the first drawer and grabbed a new shirt, it was a navy shirt with some sort of writing on it. Paul pulled on the shirt, he hadn’t wore anything the night before so he didn’t have to take anything off. Next he bent down and grabbed the jeans he wore the other day. The jeans were ragged and had holes in them. He didn’t much care about it, they were a nice pair of jeans and he was going to wear them till they were falling apart. Which was almost happening. He slipped the jeans on quickly. They were fitting on him, he didn’t need to grab a belt with these. Paul didn’t bother with taking a shower either having taken a shower the night before.

Light peek of sun peered though this window and a smile pulled at his lips. It was going to be a good day to spend outside, and maybe he could get some work done around the house. Helping his mom with something’s and maybe his dad too. They had knew about the whole transformation, and that just made his life a hell of a lot easier. He didn’t have to try and work around it nor did he have to explain about where he was going, all he’d have to say was, ”Sam want’s us. I’ll be back soon.” And he’d be done with it. That was the best thing, he thought. And they knew not to piss him off, but he was more tolerant with his parents than anyone. It was just…natural he guessed. He had just shrugged it off for the time being. Something he really didn’t have to think about, all he knew was that he needed to keep his temper under control when he was around humans, he didn’t want to blow the cover and get yelled at by Sam. That was something he didn’t want, even though that might be a good fight. Paul shook his head quickly and dismissed the thought. If he wanted to have a nice fighting match he’d have to go poke Jared to see if he would fight with him. He might, and it would be a challenge. Even though he was pretty sure he was bigger than Jared.

Paul walked out of his small room and shut the door easily. He went straight to the kitchen, a normal thing. He was always hungry and that was another thing that the werewolfness brought on, the hunger. His stomach was already grumbling for the need of food. If he wasn’t careful he could eat almost 3 times as much as he normally would. Paul chuckled, his mom wasn’t too thrilled about that because it meant that had to go to the store a lot more than she normally would. He stumbled around the kitchen a bit till he found what he wanted. A bowl of cereal and some milk. Not the most satisfying but it would due for now until he could go out and grab something better to eat or until him mom made some lunch for him like he did. Paul grabbed a bowl and got the milk out of the fridge. Setting those two things down he went and got a box of cereal. Pouring a good portion of the cereal into the bowl he had. Filling it with the milk almost made the cereal over flow the small bowl it was in.

Grabbing the bowl he set it down on the table and sat down in a chair that was almost to small for him. It groaned from his weight, he laughed slightly. He was still amused by the height and the strength that he’s gained. It was a great advantage, but he hadn’t really needed it, he was pretty strong before. He was stronger now though. Paul’s smile grew and he started eating his bowl of cereal. Once he had scarfed that down he brought his bowl to the sink and rinsed it out. Old habits die hard, his mother had been teaching him for the last 5 years to wash off his plates and bowls and then put them in the dish washer, and now…she had him trained. He sighed, that was kind of pitiful, but at least he did what he was told. It made it a bit easier on her. That was one thing that most people didn’t know about him, was that he COULD be a gentlemen and be nice to everyone but chose not to. He’d rather just keep to himself and keep the friends that he has. Which were few now since the transformation. Paul wondered if that was for the better or for the worse. He didn’t know.

After putting away his bowl he went to the bathroom and combed his hair a bit, trying to make it look a bit nice, at least acceptable. Or so his mother would say. Once that was somewhat acceptable, he brushed his teeth quickly and left. He was done and now he could finally leave out into the somewhat beautiful weather they were having. It could have been raining outside though and he would still be nice and warm. His long stride took him to the living room where he grabbed his cell phone, wallet and car keys he’d left there the other night. Putting the phone and his wallet in his pockets he left his house. Locking the door behind him, he went to his car. It was an old car that him and his dad and rebuilt over the last year, and it was now finally able to be driven. He was so glad, he liked this car better than the mar his mom drove. Hoping into the black car, he started it by pressing the clutch and the break in. It was a stick, one of the harder things to learn but he’d picked it up pretty quickly. Him and his father were pretty happy about that. Paul chuckled a bit, remembering the day his father taught him the stick shift. ”Good old days…” He mumbled to himself and backed up the car and starting down towards the cliffs.

Third gear was the highest he put it in going through the little town of La Push, he had decided to go up to the cliffs. It was more peaceful and maybe he’d go cliff diving. That was a pretty good idea, almost perfect weather for it. Paul finally got to the little parking spots there was and he noted there was a truck there too. His brow scrunched together, he wondered who would be here, he didn’t notice the truck at all. ”Must be someone new.” He nodded, that must be it. Paul pressed in the clutch and brake again as he cut his car off. Pressing the emergency brake down before he opened the door and got out. Paul shut the door and locked it, putting the keys in his right pocket.

Paul started a nice steady stride off towards the cliffs and as he got closer he noticed a small brunette form sitting out by them. He kept walking closer, you could just barely hear his foot steps. Paul was trying to figure out who it was sitting there before he got close to her, but that wasn’t happening. This was definitely someone new. He was pretty close to her and now he was standing almost directly behind her. She was bound to look up any moment because he just so happened to be in her way of the light she was using to read some textbook. First thought that came to his mind was, ’What is she doing on a nice day like this, reading a TEXTBOOK!’ The girl did look up and he gave a smile to her. Trying to be somewhat friendly, he felt like being generous today. ”Hey, sorry I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I don’t believe I know you…are you new?”

[samantha]

do you know what it's like to feel so in the dark
to dream about a life where you're the shining star

The words swam into her head like the waves of the ocean swam into the bay below her. This was her moment of complete calm that she had been waiting so long to recieve, the moment when she could merely sit and soak in this new world where she had been brought. It was so untamed compared to the quaint little british countryside she had been living in for the past eleven years. Her school had been a sanctuary, a place where she could be an academic and nothing else, a place where she had friends that loved her and teachers that thought she could hang the moon if she wanted. She had never truly believed the last but the first she had coveted more than anything. Having been raised by a nanny it was weird to experience love just for who she was, it had brightened her look of the world like the sun breaking over the world and licking it with warmth. She just wished everyone could experience the same thing one day, that everyone could have friends and lovers that made them feel like they were being warmed by the sun. Her fingers danced over the page before she came to realize that she was missing something, something very important. Her hands instantly moved to scrabbling in her bag, and the next moment she was withdrawing her favourite posession, the one thing she knew she would never be able to lose without serious problems. Her I-Pod. She pushed the white earphones into place and began to scroll the screen.

Finally she came to stop on something that she fancied, the musical Les Miserables. Her grin split her face as she started at the very beginning of act two, having done act one the day before whilst she was unpacking. The shere power of the music and the flowing magic of the lyrics wrapped around her like some sort of spell and she lost herself willingingly to it. There was something in musicals that could make her feel so very settled, something that was universally recognised. If she had a dream at all it would to be on the West End, her name in lights, or her face on a poster. She knew it was never going to happen but it was nice to think, nice to have something to fantasize about in a boring class. The problem with going to school in a new place was that half of it she already knew, she had already done it in England in her advanced placement classes. Biology was the worst. Had she not been so shy she would have been tempted the correct the teacher again and again as he gave instructions that were wrong and told facts that were off. Elyse thought she was being taught by an idiot, she truly did, she could teach the class better not saying a word! She clucked her tongue to fight back the nasty thoughts, it wasn't in her nature to bitch about people, not even inwardly. The class would only last for a year, then she would get another teacher apparently, she was sure she could last a year.

Her dark eyes looked out to the ocean for a moment before they returned to the book in front of her. The ocean was very much like her mood at that moment. Calm and smooth, clear as glass, unmarked as new fallen show. The only thing that touched it was the warmth of the sunlight, making it glisten and glow. Beautiful. Though she only took a few moments to admire it before her eyes moved back to the page in front of her and her settled back to the steady flow of the music. The time passed easily and quickly for her when she was in this kind of mood, the kind of mood where everything just seemed so much smoother and less like an uphill struggle. There was something very peaceful about La Push as a whole, it was just the knowing nobody and being all new that got her frustrated. Suddenly the music died in her ears and she realised she had gotten to the end of the album, so did something she naturally did, changed music tact completely. Skimming through to J she happened across the Jonas Brothers and grinned wildly, pressing play and letting the pop rock beat wash over like therapy, something fun after something terribly heavy and depressing.

Her pale face moved up to take in the form that had cast a shadow of her book and her breath caught in her throat. My god this man was massive! Her dark brown eyes blinked in amazement as she tried to guess his actual height, whilst trying to find her vocal chords to say something. Standing at only five foot Elyse was the ultimate in tiny apart from maybe this girl she saw walking around Forks sometimes. Her hands went to her ears as she popped the earphones out just as he spoke, catching every word as the music continued to pour from the white pods. Her fingers embarrasedly skimmed it to off before she spoke, her english accent thick within her mouth, the gentle lilt of a british raised lass. "Yeah, yeah I'm new here." She said, a slow smile pulling over her lips as she looked up at him and finally managed to meet his eyes from his mammoth height, her own little body amazingly breakable compared to his. He seemed to be radiating more heat than the sun above her and her smile widened just a little, showing her row of bright white teeth. "I'm Elyse." She said, closing her book and holding her hand up for him to shake. Her hands were just as tiny as the rest of her. A lot of people mistook her for a porceline doll because of her size and her colouring.