Fly

Chapter 1

"Uncle Charlie, are you sure it's alright that I stay here with you?"

His niece must've asked that question at least a million times since arriving in Forks and every time Charlie answered the same way. "Desi, you are more than welcome here, now stop asking." He took a bite out of the eggs she made him, giving her a wink.

Desiree simply nodded, picking at her own food, sighing heavily. She felt like a burden to her uncle, even though it'd been three months. Honestly though, Desiree had nowhere else to go, which put even more guilt on her conscience.

"I was just making sure…" She mumbled as Charlie stood up from the table, patting her shoulder reassuringly.

"You worry too much, Desi." Charlie attempted at making a joke, but it wasn't working as he reached for his jacket, slipping it on. "Look, Desiree…"

"You better get going or you'll be late." Desiree cut him off, standing abruptly from the table, and picked the dishes up as she set them on the counter by the sink.

"Yeah, you're right." Charlie sighed, taking one more sip of his coffee, wishing he knew what to say to his niece. This was almost as awkward as Bella coming to live with him her junior year in high school. "I'll be home late tonight, but…"

"If I need anything I'll call you." She finished his statement, cracking a smile, wishing she could give him something more, but Desiree couldn't. She felt so dead inside, had ever since her mother's untimely death, wondering when the pain of her absence would go away.

Charlie knew he couldn't stall anymore, glancing over his shoulder back at his niece, and let out another heavy sigh before heading to his car. He still couldn't believe all that transpired, especially with his only sibling dying from cancer. He didn't even know she was sick and wished he had called to check on her more often. He literally had no idea just how badly his sister singlehandedly destroyed her life with depression and heavy drinking. It was still hard to believe, to swallow, because Madeline had been the stronger and more sensible one between them.

He only called his sister on holidays when it was convenient, not even remembering her birthday. She lived clear across the country and it made him wonder why. Now that she was gone, there was no more time, which he thought they had plenty of. He was wrong and Charlie would live with that guilt for the rest of his life, no matter what anyone said or thought.

Desiree watched her uncle drive off in his squad car, finally allowing the tears to slip down her cheeks that she held in for her uncle's sake. She didn't want anyone seeing just how much pain she was in. She began scrubbing the dishes harder, more tears falling, and finally stopped as she gripped the sink with her hands, allowing the sobs to overtake her body, the memory of her mother almost too much to take.

And it was all because of Simon Neches, Desiree's father, or sperm donor as she referred him.

Madeline and Simon met freshman year in high school and instantly became sweethearts, marrying right after graduation. She had every woman's dream to marry the love of their life, their soul mate, young and deeply in love. They went to the same college, but halfway through, Madeline decided she wanted to have a family with Simon. So she gave up her degree in nursing to be a stay at home mother while Simon brought home the bacon, which she didn't mind. They were married for ten years and tried for five to conceive a child. Finally, Madeline went to a fertility specialist and soon after, Madeline became pregnant.

Instead of being happy about the situation, Simon started distancing himself from Madeline, but she was so wrapped up in having a baby that she really didn't notice. He didn't show up for ultrasounds or checkups with her, which was her only suspicion that something wasn't right. Still, Madeline refused to let any stress into her life, knowing her baby's life was on the line.

Nine months later, they had a beautiful baby girl named Desiree Marie Swan-Neches. It seemed as though Simon was changing his ways because, at first, he was a very attentive and loving father to Desiree. Madeline prayed this was the first step in getting her family back together, thinking of anything else, just being happy with Simon and their beautiful daughter.

When Desiree turned two, however, everything changed.

Madeline had just gotten back from grocery shopping with Desiree and went upstairs to check on her husband, thinking he was napping. It was usually what he did on a Saturday afternoon, after working in the morning. Only to wind up with a broken heart at the half empty closet and dresser drawers. Simon had packed his things while she was gone and left a measly note with a lame excuse saying he couldn't handle it anymore.

After that, Madeline turned to hard liquor to escape the pain Simon caused her. She was still a mother to Desiree, but nothing like she'd been before. In a way, Desiree wondered if her mother blamed her for her father walking out on them. Desiree had to grow up very early in life, making her own food, while her mother slept hangover after hangover away. Only at night did Madeline hit the bottle and let out her pain, not wanting to do it in front of her daughter. Desiree did the best she could to take care of her mother, cleaning up messes, and keeping her mother's dark secret.

This went on from age three to sixteen, when Madeline went to the doctor to have a biopsy done on her stomach, only for it to turn out to be liver cancer. Desiree was there when the doctor diagnosed it, the words running through her mind about how it spread to her mother's kidneys, bowels and lungs. There was no treatment available because of how far advanced the cancer was. Madeline was basically sent home to die in hospice care and managed to live until Desiree's prom night, when she died.

Desiree never had the chance to properly say goodbye to her mother.

The funeral preparations were made by Charlie, since both of their parents had passed on already. Desiree was just a teenager and couldn't deal with all of this, though her mother had left her everything. She found the will in her mother's journal, which basically had every memory of her father written in it. Wanting to burn it, Desiree fought with herself over the turmoil and agony her mother went through because of him.

She never hated anyone in her life, but when her mother died, Desiree decreed that she hated Simon Mitchell Neches and would even after her own demise.

The funeral in itself was a total blur, Desiree hardly remembering anything the minister said that Charlie hired. She just remembered how hard it rained and Charlie trying to comfort her, along with his daughter –her cousin- Isabella Swan. The last time Desiree saw Bella, it was at a family reunion when they were seven years old…so the girls weren't exactly close. It seemed Bella didn't mind that Desiree had moved into her father's house and basically taken over what she used to do, but somewhere deep inside, it had to be killing Bella.

Even though she was now a married woman to a man named Edward Cullen.

The bottom line was Desiree had nowhere else to go and that's why Charlie offered her to move in with him. She dropped out of school and moved to Forks, having decided she wasn't going back. She was going to get her GED and go to college to fulfill her mother's dream: to become a nurse. She wanted to help people and Desiree was going to do that for her, knowing she owed her mother that much. That and she wanted a degree in nursing, knowing it would come in very handy.

Not wanting to think about the past anymore, Desiree quickly finished the dishes, dried and put them away, before going to look over her GED application. She had to take tests, which she didn't mind. She could do them through the mail, she had all the time in the world after all. Charlie was never home so Desiree was mostly alone, though she didn't mind it. Being alone definitely had its perks, such as completing testing without any distractions.

Throughout the day, Desiree cleaned the house; vacuuming, dusting, laundry –both her and Charlie's because the man never could get his finished-, and organizing to keep her mind off of things. It took her until two before she finally sat down to read over the paperwork the state of Washington sent for her GED testing.

Desiree was halfway through the paperwork, when a knock sounded on the door. Looking up, arching an eyebrow, Desiree set her pen down before going to see who it was. It was a little after four o'clock in the afternoon, so she couldn't imagine would be dropping by for a visit. Charlie never came home earlier than five, which happened rarely. She was shocked to open the door and finding Bella standing on the porch, along with Edward and a few others.

"Hey Desiree, I hope we're not bothering you." Bella's twinkling voice said, smiling sweetly at her cousin with shimmering golden eyes.

That's another thing Desiree didn't understand. She was only seven years old, but she could've sworn Bella had brown eyes the last time they saw each other. It was none of her business though and Desiree refused to delve in her cousin's mind.

"No, you're not." Desiree said, not wanting to seem rude, and stepped aside as they entered, heading back to the kitchen table. "Charlie won't be home until late." She didn't want Bella waiting around, remembering what her uncle said.

"That's alright, we weren't here for my dad." Bella replied, nodding at her husband, who took a seat at the kitchen table. "We actually came to talk to you."

Desiree slowly looked up from the paperwork, staring back into her cousin's golden eyes, confusion entering her own. "What about?" She asked, trying to keep the tenseness out of her voice, but it was hard to do.

Edward smiled charmingly, his bronze hair wild as ever, the same golden eyes nearly piercing Desiree to the core. He freaked her out to be quite honest and she had to lower her gaze, swallowing hard. "Do not be frightened, Desiree. We simply come here to deliver a warning of sorts." Edward said gently, smiling when she looked up again. "We feel that-"

"You need to stay out of the woods, especially at night." The stranger interfered, tired of beating around the bush, and Desiree looked at him for the first time carefully.

He stood well over six foot and had a body that looked as though it was chiseled out of stone. His skin was deep russet and his ravenous black hair was cut short, some of it hanging in his deep dark, captivating brown eyes. To be frank, the man was gorgeous and looked like he could tear anyone in half.

"Jake…" Bella sighed, rolling her eyes, and shot her friend a look. "That's a little too direct don't you think?"

"No, it's straightforward. She needs to know without beating around the bush. Mind introducing me to your cousin or am I not good enough for that?" He snorted derisively.

"As much as I loathe to do this," Bella paused, only half-joking. "Desiree, this big brute is Jacob Black, a very dear friend of mine."

He waved and Desiree simply nodded to acknowledge his presence.

"We were hoping for a little sensitivity on your part." Edward stated heatedly, after the introduction, folding his arms in front of his chest. He was tempted to call Jacob a dog, but given the fact Desiree had NO idea what they truly were, he decided against it.

"Oh please, since when are you two sensitive about anything?" Jacob shot back defensively, leaning against the counter, his eyes landing on the beauty named Desiree.

Her hair was a deep auburn with natural golden highlights in it that flowed down her back in waves. Her bangs were cut in an angled style, fanning over her beautiful green eyes. They were a deep jade and reminded him almost of emerald stones. She stood at about Bella's height, maybe a little taller, and wore a simple pair of blue jeans with a long sleeved black top.

"Enough, Jacob." Edward stood up from the table, trying to keep his temper in check, but Jacob was asking for it, especially after reading his thoughts. That was Edward's gift, topaz eyes narrowing slightly. "Desiree, please just promise us you won't go into the woods, at least until we let you know it's safe to do so."

"I promise." Desiree was very confused, having gone in the woods a few times to walk, finally pulling her gaze from Jacob. She'd caught the name, standing up along with them. "Will you please tell me what's going on? You're sort of freaking me out…"

"Don't be frightened, everything is fine. We just want you to stay out of the woods."

"There have been reports of attacks going on lately." Jacob wasn't about to keep the truth from her, already knowing that's why Charlie didn't usually come home until nearly midnight every night.

Being a shape shifter had its definite advantages.

"Jacob!"

"What?" He snapped, rolling his eyes. "She would've read the paper and found out sooner or later."

"Why are you three coming to warn me though? Shouldn't Charlie be doing that or something?" Desiree asked, knowing that sounded somewhat rude, but she didn't care. If they wanted her to stay out of the woods, they were going to give her a reason why. "Look, I'm not made of porcelain, Bella. Just please tell me what's going on."

"Charlie asked us to come tell you." Edward lied smoothly, daring Jacob to contradict him, his eyes plainly showing it. He would rip him limb from limb if he blew their cover, especially since Desiree was HUMAN, unlike the rest of them.

"Oh okay…" She felt really low, blinking when Bella placed a cold hand on her shoulder. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Desiree. We're just the messengers. We should really get back though. Renesmee is probably wondering where we are." Bella smiled, thinking of her daughter and stepped off of the porch.

Jacob sighed, staring back at Desiree, hating to keep secrets, but he knew it was for the best. "Hope we didn't scare ya too badly." He flashed a cheeky grin and winked before jumping off of the stairs with ease, landing gracefully, heading down the road while Edward and Bella drove away in his silver Volvo.

Shaking her head, Desiree shut the door and went back to finish her paperwork, but all she could think about were the dark mysterious eyes of Jacob Black.