A/N: First chapter! Let me know what you think? Thanks :]

It was already well past midnight when the dark blue Honda passed the sign saying "Welcome to Forks". Alayna Roberts stared angrily out the window as the social worker drove her to her new "home". All her life, she had lived in a small walk-up apartment in New York City, but after her mother passed from a long, painful battle with cancer and because her father didn't want her, she had been taken by the state and thrown into the home of her next closest blood relative- her mother's younger sister.

Amy Roberts had been more than willing to take her niece, but Alayna hadn't been more than willing to go. The especially painful part for Alayna had been moving from New York, where she had two loving best friends, her attitude was welcomed and people either openly cared or didn't even pretend to, to tiny little Forks, Washington where everyone would know her, lie to her, and pretend to care about what happened to her just to pry into her life. If there was something Alayna hated more than her father, it was a false pretense.

"We're here!" Marie Engall, the overly enthusiastic social worker assigned to Alayna's case, announced as she pulled up a long, winding driveway. Marie- as she insisted Alayna call her- continued to jabber as Alayna rolled her eyes, grabbed her duffel bag from the back seat and slammed the car door probably harder than necessary. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she followed Marie up the steep drive and to the front door of the gorgeous two-story, brick house that stood in front of them. Before either of them could reach the door, a tall thin woman burst through it, throwing her curly blonde hair into a sloppy bun.

Alayna's eyes filled with tears and her heart clenched painfully as she took in the sight of her mother's sister. The two women had been best friends as well as family, and they looked so similar that Alayna knew it would be a while before it stopped hurting to look at her aunt. When Amy Roberts looked her niece in the eye, she expected her to cry, so she took the shorter girl by the shoulders and crushed her to her chest in a tight hug. She hadn't anticipated Alayna's stiffness or sudden statue-esque behavior, so when it happened, she awkwardly let go.

"I'm so sorry to hear about what happened, Alayna," Amy told her softly, trying to stare into the teen's eyes. She was surprised at all the animosity she saw there and was even more surprised when Alayna opened her mouth to speak.

"You hadn't called us back in five years, Amy," she said harshly, "so who are you to tell me you're sorry?" Alayna nearly winced at her tone, though. She didn't want to be so angry, but with all that had happened it seemed to be all she could hold on to. Amy's eyes widened, but she quickly masked her surprise.

"Be angry with me," Amy stated firmly, "that's fine."

"I had planned on it," Alayna countered rudely. Amy stretched her arm out, welcoming her niece into her home, and Alayna stormed right by her.

"But don't you dare be angry with your mother." Amy's sentence stopped Alayna cold. She didn't turn, didn't move except for her hair blowing in the wind. If the wind had been any louder, Amy wouldn't have heard her niece's quiet reply.

"It's so hard not to be." Pretending she hadn't heard, Amy said good-bye to Marie, who was awkwardly standing nearby, not sure what to do. After Marie left, Amy walked back inside to find Alayna standing in the middle of the entryway.

"Just drop your bag here," Amy suggested gently, "and I'll show you around." Amy bit her bottom lip, waiting for another blow-out, but was pleasantly surprised when Alayna lowered her beaten red duffel bag to the shiny, wooden floor. Amy pointed immediately to her left to show Alayna the small sitting room adorned elegantly with stiff couches and uncomfortable looking chairs.

"Then there's the dining room," she explained, gesturing to the right.

"The kitchen," she said as they walked through a large, airy room off the dining room decorated completely in black and white.

"The living room," Amy explained, spreading her arms wide and walking into a large room plushly decorated with comfortable-looking furniture and warm red and gold hues. The first thing Alayna noticed wasn't the furniture or the colors, though. It was the theater system. The far wall was shelved from top to bottom, side to side and each shelf was crammed full; the top half with DVDs and the bottom with CDs. The TV that sat opposite the couches was large and flat-screened and sitting on either sides of it were entertainment centers filled with video game systems and their games. Of course, a DVD player sat atop one of the cabinets to play her huge collection of movies. Alayna's eyes bugged out in shock.

"Where in the world did you get all those DVDs?" the shorter girl finally asked. Amy was pleased that Alayna was starting to open up to her.

"Didn't anyone tell you what I do for a living?" Amy asked curiously. Alayna just shook her head, a confused frown on her face.

"I'm a movie editor," she explained, "and most of these movies, I helped create in some way. Although I will admit, some were gifts and others were purchased." As much as Alayna wanted to deny it, she knew she was warming up to the woman who so reminded her of what she had lost. Alayna smiled for the first time since leaving New York, and Amy smiled back.

"What do you say we finish the rest of this tour?" Amy asked with a twinkle in her eye, "I have a surprise or two for you." She led Alayna up the stairs and turned left into a large study. Two of the four walls were lined with books upon books and a puffy chair sat behind a massive desk that was cluttered with piles of paperwork.

"Sorry about the mess," Amy apologized, "it's for a project I'm working on right now." Alayna smiled again.

"Don't worry about it," she said, trailing the fingers of her left hand over the books on one wall. She was absolutely speechless.

"Amy," she started, "this place is perfect." Amy just smiled and leaned against the door jamb. Alayna turned to look at her aunt, her long, stick-straight brown hair swirling over her shoulder and her bright blue eyes expressing the thanks she wasn't ready to verbalize.

"Come on, Lay, let me show you your room," Amy said, her eyes sparkling. Alayna followed Amy out of the study and down the hall, flinching at the use of the nickname. They passed by one room that Alayna figured was Amy's, and stopped at the door at the end of the hall, Amy turning to face the shorter girl with her hand still on the doorknob. She bit her lip nervously and Alayna knew she probably looked bewildered because Amy's cheeks stained slightly red and she looked away.

"I just really hope you like it," she said nervously. Alayna found herself laughing fully and playfully pushing her aunt's shoulder.

"Of course I will!" Amy's smile returned and she awkwardly twisted the doorknob, thrusting the door open. Alayna's jaw dropped open. She walked past Amy and into the spacious, beautiful room. The walls were bright green with a yellow stripe around the top. A queen sized bed stuck out from one wall, and was decorated with the same bright green color, her pillows and comforter lined in a buttery yellow similar to the stripe on her wall. Next to the bed stood a small, wooden nightstand with a lamp on it. On the wall across from the bed sat a large desk with a brand new Mac laptop perched atop it. Over the desk, attached to the wall was a sturdy looking shelf with a few novels on it. She recognized a few of her favorite titles and wondered if Marie had sent Amy most of the things Alayna had thought she had to leave behind. She was about to fall backwards onto her bed with its thousand pillows and comfy looking blankets when she saw Amy bouncing out of the corner of her eye.

"What?" Alayna asked slowly, turning her head. Amy was practically dancing as she pointed to the double doors next to the desk. A smile crossed Alayna's features as she slowly reached for one of the doorknobs.

"You want me to go in here?" Alayna asked, overloading her face with fake confusion. Amy just bounced more and nodded. "Well... What's in here?" she was stalling and Amy knew it.

"Just open the door!" Amy bellowed as she sprang at the smaller girl. Alayna covered her head, laughing hysterically.

"Okay, okay! I'll open the door!" Alayna flung the doors open and gasped. She was sure that this was the largest closet anyone ever had. It was a wide room and both sides were lined with clothes, separated by fabric and then ordered in the colors of the rainbow.

"Amy," Alayna breathed, "it's perfect." Amy stood behind her, no longer bouncing.

"You really like it?" Amy asked.

"Of course I do!" Alayna exclaimed happily, "but you didn't have to do all of this for me." Amy cocked her head to the side and brushed hair from her niece's face.

"I feel bad," she said, "that I was never there for you or your mother. I should have been there with you to help take care of her." Alayna stiffened and pulled away at the mention of her mother.

"It's fine," she said, looking down and effectively pulling her face from her aunt's hand. Amy sighed and dropped her hand.

"It's okay to miss her," Amy told Alayna, "but I'm scared you're always going to close up when someone mentions her." Alayna looked back up at her aunt, fury in her eyes and a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Of course I miss her, she's my mother," she spit out. Alayna stormed out of the closet and flopped face-first onto her bed. Amy watched her go before exiting the closet herself and shutting both doors quietly behind her.

"You'd better get some sleep," Amy said, her soft voice seeming loud in the silent room. "You start school tomorrow." Alayna ignored her but turned on her side, facing away from the door, and curled into a ball. Tears streamed down her face as soon as she heard Amy shut her bedroom door, and sleep soon overtook her.