Millie has always had her heart's desires fulfilled - a cozy home and supportive parents. However, her paradise is about to shatter as she is uprooted to a vaguely familiar town to start new with her aunt.
In this somewhat unfamiliar setting, she c...
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⚘ Millie ⚘
It's been a week in Beacon hills and I already feel a sense of belonging here. LA will always hold a special place in my heart and I will always be thankful for my memories there, I just can't let the memories prevent me from making new ones.
I'll always be grateful for Melissa because she welcomed me with open arms, opening her home up for me to start over. I haven't felt happy for a while, but she's been by my side through the process of recovering and healing.
I owe it to myself to embrace anything that comes my way. I need to start prioritizing my own happiness and growth, and that means doing things I wouldn't normally do, starting off with exploring the woods. I've been back to the lake a few times since the first time I found it, it's my new favorite place.
I take my camera out from my bag, stepping over a branch. It's getting dark out, so it's the ultimate twilight aesthetic. Edward, come out, please! Seconds after, I hear the sound of branches snapping, and my head turns, looking for where the sound came from.
"Hello?" I speak up, turning around. I few moments passed so I continued to walk. I have no idea where I'm going but it's beautiful out here. I walk over to the puddle of water, stepping from rock to rock. I squat down angling the camera just right to get the shot. Standing back up, I leap onto one of the rocks.
I pick up a pebble and skip it across the water. As I hear more branches snapping, I step back and look around, feeling my stomach churn. "Is someone there?" I call out, but before I can yell again, I see lake boy emerging from the path by the lake.
He turns his head looking at me and I could see the nervousness in his eyes as he waved slightly in greeting. "I'm sorry, this is weird. I wasn't following you, I promise." His voice trembled slightly as he apologized for being in the area, quickly reassuring me that he hadn't been following me. "What're you doing out here?" I ask, stepping off the rock and moving closer to him.
As if he's trying to deflect the attention away from himself, he turned the question back on me, curious about my reasons for being there. "I was kinda wondering what you were doing out here?"His gesture of raising his hands in surrender seemed almost comical, as if he was playfully mirroring a scene from a movie.
The exchange of questions between us made me wonder even more why he was there, this was an unexpected encounter. It was clear that there was an unspoken connection we both had to this lake. I think we have mutual desire to understand each other's motives and intentions. Besides the awkwardness of accidentally bumping into each other, I think there was something beginning to form, whatever that might be.
"I was thinking of exploring today, the weather is perfect for it," I said, lifting my camera. "I was planning on going to an open field that's really beautiful. You could join me if you'd like," he suggested, gesturing towards a different path. "It's that way." I shrug, "alright."
The light started getting brighter as we walked further down the path. "Do you come out here often?" I speak up, "yeah, to clear my head." He responded, looking over at me. "Since you asked a question, it's only right if I ask one." He chuckled, and I nod. "It's only fair." I agreed.
"Why Beacon Hills? I heard you came from LA." He asks, and my stomach turns. "Something happened to my parents, so I'm living with my aunt Melissa," I explain. "My cousin Scott is actually down in LA, but he's busy with work. So here I am." I smile, glancing up at him, and as I finished my last sentence, he looks taken aback. "Scott McCall?" He asks confused. "Yeah, how'd ya know?" Now I'm confused. "He's friends with my dad, I'm Eli Hale, my dad is-"
I gasped, "Derek Hale!!" He lets out a breathy laugh and nods. "I wouldn't say it like that, but, yeah, that's my dad." This town is really tiny. "I've heard a few stories about how Derek helped raise Scott." He didn't respond, he just walked in front of me and pushed aside some bushes.
I smiled showing him I was thankful, and I stepped through the bushes, being met with acres of land. There was nothing for miles. Mountains and light green grass surrounded the entire field. A couple feet away from us was a swing hanging from a tree. "How did you find this?"
"It's all about exploring." He quoted me, gesturing me to follow. "It's beautiful." I lift my arms, spinning around, taking in the air. Eli stopped and placed a blanket down, looking up at me. "Glad I found you," He lays down, staring at the sky. "It's better at night."
I follow his action and sit down beside him. "You're one of those boys, huh?" I look down at him, seeing him look up at me. "Those boys?," He repeats what I said. "What is that supposed to mean?" He asks, sitting up, leaning on his elbows. "You break the rules!?" I ask, fiddling with my hands, and he makes an 'oh' sound. "Sometimes rules need to be broken." He sounds like he's implying on something, but I ignore it.
"I'm Millie," I blurt out, a wave of embarrassment washing over me. "Oh, goodness, I completely forgot to properly introduce myself." His grin widens, revealing adorable dimples. "I'm Eli," he replies, reintroducing himself. "Pleasure to meet you, Eli," I respond, returning the smile and extending my hand for a shake, which he accepts with a firm grip. "And you as well, Millie."
Eli ended up dropping me off at home. We were out there for hours talking about random things, I think one time we ended up getting on the topic of chicken nuggets. He's fun to be around, it's better now, especially because I have an exploring buddy. I place my camera bag down and spot aunt Melissa in the living room.
"Aunt Melissa, how is your dating life?" I ask, sitting down next to her on the couch. "Oh gosh, am I about to have a teen girl talk?" She sighs, turning to face me. "Yes you are aunt Melissa."
She picks up her coffee, accepting her fate. "There were a few guys and your uncle definitely wasn't the only dead beat I've dated." She couldn't have explained my uncle better, he's more than a deadbeat. Whatever's worse is what my uncle is. "Blah, they're all dumb."
She nods in agreement, "they all suck, they're all ignorant." She finishes her coffee and sets the cup back down on the table. "How are you?" She takes the blanket from the top of the couch and throws it over us. "It still hurts if that's what you're asking." I feel a slight pain in my heart whenever I think of my parents. It's a pain that won't ever go away, I just think it'll get less painful over time. They taught me everything I know, and I wouldn't be where I was today without them, and I'll always be grateful for that.
"That's okay, totally reasonable." She reassures me, pulling my head to her chest. "Have you made any new friends?" She brushes her fingers through my hair. "You remember Derek Hale, right?" I look up at her, "well I see his son, Eli, around school, and we hung out together. He showed me this amazing place today."
I felt her squeeze my arms in a mini hug. "I haven't seen Eli since he was a baby. He was just walking the last time I saw him, how's he doing?" She questions. "He seems to be doing alright, I'll let him know you said hi." I take a deep breath, getting up from the couch. "I have some homework to do, but I'll be down for dinner."
She nods, "alrighty then, spaghetti and meatballs, hopefully that's fine?" She looks over at me. "Totally fine, aunt Melissa."
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Sorry for the shorter chapter, my February vacation ends tomorrow, and I've been working on this for a day, but I think this chapter is perfectly fine to be published. I hope you're enjoying the story so far!
