Chapter 1: Starting Over

La Push, Washington. A place practically engulfed by nature. The color green splashed against rocks and tree bark, if not sprouting from the trees itself. The forest lined the road on both sides for miles, with the occasional break to show mountains or a field. When the town itself was close, a beach was visible, gracing the area with just a bit more color.

A red truck hauled belongings a car ahead of me, an SUV just behind it. My backseat was full of my most prized possessions as I followed. I had the lightest weight, given the Eclipse I drove. The backseat was practically nonexistent, as well as the trunk. Mom and Dad were cursed with carrying some of my things, if the U-Haul wasn't already.

I caught another glimpse of the beach before we reached town. The sea was beautiful. I couldn't wait to dip my toes in the damp sand.

A chime rang through the vehicle, which I carefully dug out of my purse. "Hello?"

"Not bored yet, are you?"

"Close. How far are we?"

"Almost there."

I glanced ahead at Mom's side view mirror. Sunglasses. In overcast. I couldn't say I was a fan of the weather. "Good. Tell me again why I chose a sports car. My legs are killing me."

Her laughter informed me of her amusement, which was better than nothing, I guess.

I pulled onto another street and the house was revealed. It was average; not too small, not too big. Two-stories, white siding, and a dark roof. By the indication of surrounding neighborhoods, it was definitely one of the nicer homes. There was a cute little porch with white railing around the sides. That was the deal breaker for Mom.

I sighed when I got the chance to finally stretch my legs. Mom didn't waste any time approaching the front door, so I followed. The first thing I noticed upon entry? The newly painted walls. The sharp scent made me shudder; I would have a headache in no time flat.

I climbed up the stairs slowly, trying to find the feeling in my legs again. The hall continued in both directions, but I took the route to the right. The floor creaked beneath my weight as I scoured for bedroom options.

There was one at the end of the hallway I found suitable. It was white, like the others, with beige carpeting. At least it was big enough for my bed and dresser. The colorful furnishing I had in my previous room would fit nicely in this one.

I walked over to one of the two windows in the room and looked outside. The room overlooked the front of the house through one window and the right side through another. From the other window, all I could see was a few yards of grass and then a wall of trees. As I took in the woods, I noticed a path that had been worn into it. I didn't doubt that I'd find a reason to walk it later on.

The rest of the day we moved everything into the house, emptying a few boxes here and there. My priority was my room, the place I'd be spending most of my time anyway. Dad and I managed to get my stuff up there without much trouble, despite the difference in strength.

For the rest of the night I was up in my room, digging through boxes and putting stuff away. I only came down for dinner and that was when the stars were finally out. After watching another cliché chick flick, I settled into bed. After such a long drive, sleep came easily.

. . . . . . . . . .

I woke up early the next morning, not too surprised to find the sky still in overcast. I grabbed myself a pastry from the cabinet once I was downstairs and informed my parents that I was going to do a little scouting. They were still too busy with unpacking to really notice.

My first place of choice was the high school, the newest hell I would have to endure until graduation. I heard the local high school was made of Quileute students, meaning I had a chance of being noticed, which wasn't exactly my cup of tea. When you had light brown hair and blue eyes, not to mention lightly tanned skin, you were usually the first person to stick out on a reservation. I could probably consider myself an outsider for the first few weeks, isolated from conversations and only receiving eye contact from anyone who bothered to look my way.

As small of a town as La Push was, I still ended up getting lost. Growing irritated with constantly going in circles, I pulled into a parking lot to the nearest store. It was small and a little rundown, but it filled its purpose. People were walking in and out of the shop while I tried to get my GPS to work. Hardly any signal.

With a sigh I leaned my head back, staring up at the ceiling of my car. If I could barely navigate around a town so small, how was I going to survive this move? My parents were trying to torture me, as parents usually do when they force their children to leave home.

Of course, most parents didn't do it a month or so before the school year was over. My situation was original in that regard.

I gave up on using my GPS and resorted to instincts, pulling out of the parking lot and trying to find my own way home. I managed to locate the main road through town, which was a start. Since I lived close to the edge of town, taking the winding and curving roads was a must. On the way, everything began to look familiar. Naturally, I figured getting home would be easy.

What I didn't expect was the half-naked guy running out of the woods.

I slammed on my breaks when he hurried for the road, my tires screeching against the pavement. The guy bolting across the road didn't even seem to care, simply sparing a glance my way before he continued onto the other side. Town was a couple miles back. What the hell was he doing running around half-naked through the woods anyway?

Deciding it was best I didn't find out, I continued on my way. Mom wouldn't believe me when I told her. She would probably ban me from dating any guy in La Push until I left for college, simply based on the fact that they ran around shirtless like wild children.

I considered that my first dose of oddity in La Push, and I had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

. . . . . . . . . .

The next day I came to a conclusion: La Push was my new home, as hard as that was for me to accept, which meant that I needed to brush up on the place. If all of the people here would be running around half-naked, I would have to convince my parents that we couldn't live in a nudist community. Surely we would leave on the spot.

Convinced it might work, I booted up my computer. I discovered that I now lived in Clallam County, which included Sequim, Port Angeles, and Forks. A popular hobby for the townspeople included surfing, which I couldn't do and would probably never try. Water and clumsy don't go well together.

Scrolling, I found the bit that was most interesting—the segment on the Quileute Tribe. La Push had a Tribal council in town, and they were apparently very spiritual. Boys would go on quests to find their supernatural power once they reached puberty. Of course, monsters and legends were included, as well as a creation story. According to legend, a traveling shape shifter created the first Quileute by coming across a wolf and turning him into a man.

"Sarah!"

I rolled my eyes. Dad was in one of his moods again. "Yeah?"

"Get your ass downstairs, now!"

With a groan, I trudged downstairs. Dad was seated in his chair when I peeked into the living room. "…What is it?"

"Kitchen," he snapped. Deciding it was best not to question him, I walked across the entryway to find Mom putting plates into a cupboard.

"Someone's a little upset this morning," she explained, sending a glare toward the living room. "Go back up to your room, honey."

I closed the distance between us, leaning against the counter as she grabbed another box. "What's going on? Are you two fighting again?"

"Sarah," she scolded.

At her look, I simply shrugged. What else was I supposed to think?

"Don't worry about it."

I wasn't fooled, but I did as she asked. Instead of returning to my room, however, I grabbed my purse and a jacket. The jingle of my keys alerted Mom that I was leaving. Dad didn't spare a glance.

"Heading out?"

"Yeah," I said, slipping on my jacket. "I didn't get a chance to see the school yesterday."

"Right. The boy with no shirt," she reminded me, smiling.

I nodded. "Yeah, him. Here's hoping I don't run into nudists this time."

She laughed. "Good luck."

I quickly raced to my car, sheets of rain coming down from the sky. I didn't expect a lot of sunshine in this place, but it was spring. April showers bring May flowers and all that. I would just have to get used to it, among other things.

Despite the fact that my parents had been fighting for years, I would never adjust to the problems at home. When I was finally smart enough, I started leaving the house whenever arguments arose. Dad had a short fuse and Mom didn't tolerate stupidity. Their relationship was one I would never understand, nor did I want to. It was too complicated for my tastes.

Along the highway I noticed the sign for the school. I was momentarily confused, considering I got lost yesterday and never came across it. I pulled my car into the lot and parked, staring through my windshield at the building. It was rather large, which I didn't expect. As far as I could tell, it looked pretty nice. A hard canopy hung above the entrance and the school was a single level. Navigating the halls wouldn't be as bad I thought.

Of course, I still had the students to consider, but I wouldn't know anything about them until I actually met them. Much like my mother, I couldn't tolerate stupidity too much, nor could I handle snobs. Pulling away from the school, I prayed that the school experience would be kind to me.

A/N: Ignited is my first chapter story published on my fanfiction account. Thank you for viewing! This is the revised edition of the first chapter, so other chapters (a select few, really) will be getting treatment as well. Considering this story was started 4-5 years ago, my writing has come a long way. I thought it was time to update the chapters a bit to my current form of writing.

Reviews are welcome and encouraged. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but original characters. That stands throughout the entire story.