Chapter 1  

Start of Something New

My hands shook reaching for the door to my greatest nightmare, high school. Inside it I’d only meet kids who pitied, taunted and asked questions, stupid questions. Most of them things I’d rather not talk about.

I’ve been an orphan all my life, or at least as far back as I can remember of my life And since I was young, kids at my school, any school, wanted to know one thing. Everything. Eventually I learned to keep my mouth shut and tuck myself into a corner where no one could see me. Unfortunately I’d always been the kind to attract the oddest attention, whether it was wanted or not.

I found no reason at all that this school was going to be any different than the other’s I’d been to.

Finally I took a breath and pushed the door open, a sigh of relief escaping me before I could stop it. It had been cold all morning and most of last week when I arrived. I was beginning to think this Forks place had no clue what heat was, let alone the sun –though it seemed highly unlikely due to all the green plants indoors as well as outdoors what with all the potted plants all over the small school office.

"Hello there, can I help you?" the lady behind the desk spoke in a weird perky voice. She was a little plump and, as mean as it sounds, the pink shirt she wore made her cheeks rosier than they should have been; it reminded me a lot of a little piggy.

I muttered my name but she didn’t respond so I could only assume she didn’t hear me. "Claire…Newton." I hesitated with the last name; it wasn’t really mine. I’d been Astor, Smith, and Pen before, Newton was just something to use till I turned eighteen and packed my bags. I’d leave and really experience a life; maybe even find my real last name.

This Forks, Washington place was just a minor setback.

"Another transfer? You’re Mike Newton’s new girl aren’t you?" New girl, that sounded weird, but I guess I am since they had a little twelve-year-old named Natasha when I got here; I’m almost positive she’s really theirs. Things like that didn’t stay secret for very long here, even if I asked it to be discreet. Maybe it didn’t help that Mike and his wife, Jessica, had been flaunting my adoption during store hours. Even so I nodded keeping to myself as her chubby fingers did a number on the keyboard in front of her.