Family Ties

Chapter One

Keyria's POV

Forks, Washington. That's where I was heading, where my new home would be. I should have been spending Valentine's weekend with my friends, not moving to another state. But, since my parents never came home from their Christmas shopping, they were declared dead and I had to go to my closest living relatives. It isn't a long drive from Portland, Oregon to Forks, but a drive I didn't want to take. Thankfully the GPS still worked in my mom's Focus, or I would have never taken that turn that would put me in the last 30 minutes of my trip. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like living with people I've never met. My parents told me a little about Esme and Carlisle, but not a lot. I was going to meet them in the spring, when we all got together after graduation to make some college plans. I know they have adopted kids, something about not being able to have their own, and that they stay to themselves. Another reason for the college talk. Apparently I was going to the same college their oldest kids were attending, so it was a plan that we would all room together or something. But that was really it, I didn't know anything else.

Finally, the winding road brought me to the house. I had to blink a few times, it wasn't something I had imagined. I could see windows like, everywhere. It was a simple beauty, fancy but still charming. I could see the couple standing next to the driveway, looking perfect as they stood waiting for me. My eyes spotted another on the porch as I stopped the car, taking a deep breath before I opened the door. I stood by the car and smiled weakly, looking into the faces of the people I'd be with.

"I'm Keyria Platt. Are you Carlisle and Esme Cullen? My Aunt and Uncle?" My voice was a little shaky, but I was still able to keep the required politeness in my tone as I moved gently toward them. Naturally, my knee smacked against the driver fender as I rounded, slight trippage following before I landed neatly on my feet in front of them. Of all the times for Murphy's Law to kick in, now would be it, wouldn't it? I bit my lip slightly, my cheeks growing warm as I reached out a hand for welcome.

Esme was the first to step forward, a warm smile on her lips and her tawny hair flowing around her shoulders. She didn't take my hand, instead she wrapped her arms gently around my shoulders.

"Yes, I am your Aunt Esme," she whispered, stepping back slightly as she gestured to the man on her right. "And this is Carlisle, your Uncle." She flashed another smile as Carlisle took my hand briefly. I knew it was cold out, but I didn't really think it was that bad until I felt how icy his hand felt. How long had they been standing there waiting for me?

"It is very nice to finally meet you, Keyria. I hope you will be comfortable here with us, if only it could have been for better reasons." Carlisle's brow furrowed a little, his lips turning down slightly at either corner. My eyes left the oddly bright blonde hair and turned to the ground.

"Thanks, I just wish I knew what really happened. Thanks for taking me in like this, I'm hoping I'll be out of your hair shortly after I graduate." I spoke softly, not wanting to sound rude. I didn't mind the fact I had to stay with them, I just didn't want to burden them for too long.

"Nonsense," came Esme's smooth voice, her hand resting on my shoulder. "You can stay with us for as long as you need to. Take your time to do what you need to do." She flashed me another warm smile before looking to Carlisle, who nodded in agreement with a matching expression.

My head bobbed and I felt myself smiling a little as I looked back at them. It felt good to know they wanted me here, though I was still going to do my best to stay to myself.

"Thank you both. I'll make sure I don't get in the way and I'll keep things quiet if I can't sleep." I giggled a little, leaning against the hood of my car.

Jasper's POV

I wasn't sure how this was going to work. Things were tense enough in the house just having Bella around Edward at school. Now we have another human coming, only this one would be living with us. I didn't exactly like the uneasiness I felt, but it wasn't my place to say anything this soon. Besides, she probably wouldn't be human for long. Adoptees were usually already vampires, turned after an accident or far in the past before Carlisle found them. It was a little odd that she was coming here human, but perhaps she had an illness that was coming to the end. I shrugged slightly and averted my attention to the approaching car. I leaned a little on the porch railing, keeping my focus on the situation at hand. I could feel a little aprehension coming from the girl, almost nervous. As she stepped out of the car, her face reminded me of Esme. She looked as though she could have been Esme's little sister, with golden blonde hair and a smaller frame. But of course, I knew that couldn't be a possibility. Esme had been immortal for quite some time and the girl was a very young human.

Shaking my head a little as she ran into the fender and stumbled, I knew it would be even more interesting with two clumsy humans around. At least she had a graceful landing, that might help a little. The emotions coming from Carlisle and Esme brought me back to the present though. I didn't expect them to feel so happy about seeing her, or so... relieved. It was like they already knew her, like she had been part of the family that was just coming home from vacation. I didn't like it, especially not knowing why they would feel so strongly for her already. I straightened as Esme pulled her close to them, the sun breaking through the clouds briefly. I had to stop myself from moving though, noticing the girl hadn't seen anything strange. They were all too preoccupied to notice much, but my eyes focused on something important. I looked at my hand quickly, the same brilliant sparkle as usual. My eyes darted back to the trio, Carlisle and Esme looked fine. No sparkle at all, and they were right in the beam of light. Thankfully the sun dipped back behind the clouds before the girl would spot anything.

This was too much to keep to myself, I had to tell them; and soon. A human with a gift that strong could be both very helpful, but also a very sought after prize. I could tell she wasn't aware of what she was doing, which also meant she didn't know what we were. Maybe I could speak with them as she was settling in. We would have to figure out a plan to keep things quiet, at least until she could handle it. I stepped off the porch, moving to stand close behind Carlisle and spoke so only they would hear me.

"I need to speak to both of you. The sooner the better." I spoke quickly, in the space of a breath, and kept my face relaxed.

KPV

Carlisle and Esme moved just a little as the other guy joined them.

"I'm sure you'll be just fine, Keyria. Just make yourself at home and let us know if there is anything you need." Carlisle smiled a little, his face becoming softer as he did. Esme beamed, tipping her head slightly toward the other guy.

"And this is Jasper, one of our oldest sons. Jasper, this is our niece, Keyria." Esme looked at him quickly, that warm smile still gracing her face. I didn't know what it was, but she just seemed to be so warm all the time. I straightened myself and extended my hand. I couldn't take the chance of being rude to any of them, and a handshake was generally acceptable these days.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you." My voice was still a little shaky, but at least my hands weren't clamy. I didn't expect the returned handshake, but Jasper took my hand and did a little half shake-bow thing.

"It is a pleasure indeed, ma'am. Let me know if you need any help." His voice was a little rougher, and he had a deep southern draw. He gave me a small nod of his head and a little smile as he stood straight once more. Esme patted his shoulder a little and shook her head.

"I think Emmett will do just fine. We need to get a few things squared away, and Alice and Edward will be home this evening. You'll get a chance to meet everyone after dinner." She turned with the men toward the house, raising her voice just barely as she called for the help.

"Emmett! I want you to help Keyria unpack while we get everything else squared away. Thank you." SHe looked back at me over her shoulder and smiled, though I wasn't sure how anyone inside could have heard her.

"He'll be out in just a minute. He knows which room is yours and he'll show you where to put anything else. Just get settled in and we'll talk more once you've gotten everything situated." She smiled again as she linked her arm through her husbands and headed inside.

Sighing deeply, I opened the doors and the trunk of my car. I pulled out a couple of boxes I wanted to take inside first, one which had all my gaming stuff in it. After I got everything inside and unpacked a little I could relax with some gaming at least. THe box was heavier than I thought though, and I ended up sliding it to the ground so I wouldn't drop it. I hoped this Emmett guy would be kinda strong, this wasn't the only heavy parcel I had. I moved to the trunk and leaned against the car, thinking about how I wanted to keep things.