Snowflake | PAUL LAHOTE (Editing)

Prologue

Elizabeth Wilson had always hated pity, in any way it could be shown. That's why she was trying to avoid people in those days. She didn't want to see their faces, let alone hear them express their sympathy. " We're so sorry for your loss " or " It must be terrible for you to bear all this " or even " She was such a wonderful woman, you must miss her terribly " they kept saying, one right after the other. Her neighbours, her mother's coworkers, even people completely unknown to her. A week and an half had passed from her mother's death and Elizabeth had had to deal with too many things at the same time. The funeral, the condolences, the will's reading and, last of all, but not less important, her departure from Vancouver. If it was up to her, she would choose to stay in the city where she had lived from when she was only 3. After all, she was fully capable to take care of herself. But the law didn't think it alike. She was 17, her only parent died and, for that reason, she had to be sent to live with her closest relative, her aunt Rose. Elizabeth closed her last suitcase with a sigh. She would never admitted it, but she was scared. Plus, she had never met her aunt before and didn't know anything about her either, apart from that she was her father's sister and that she lived in a reservation.'You can make it. You're strong' she said to herself. She had to be strong.After one last look in the rooms of her house, she started taking out her suitcases.The sky was really cloudy that day in Vancouver and she thanked the weather for a while, because she was not in the mood to take her daily precautions as always.
" Are you ready, my dear? "  The voice of the social worker distracted Elizabeth from her thoughts.She looked at the house. No more laughs to tears or trips in the woods or hot chocolates in winter. No more shopping at the bookstores together or films watched with a big bowl of popcorn. No more "Goodnight, Ellie" before sleeping. She swallowed deeply, while her heart was trembling. " Yeah, I'm ready "

The plane ride was tiring and boring, terribly boring.Elizabeth tried to read Angels & Demons, one of her favourite books, but the man beside her snored too loudly and a kid behind her never stopped kicking her seat. When the plane finally landed, she sighed in relief.Once she managed to get her suitcases, she headed to the point of arrival. Port Angeles airport was rather small, but still crowded. Elizabeth looked far and wide, trying to find her aunt, but all she saw were people completely unknown to her. Many of them stared at her while she passed, with the only result to make more and more annoyed. She was usually used to people who stared at her, but it was different that time. She was alone in a crowded place, in which she had to find an aunt that she didn't even know what she looked like. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. And the looks she was receiving didn't help at all. She was starting to become really pissed off, and for a while the thought of running back to Vancouver had touched her mind, when a voice behind her called her name.
" Elizabeth! Finally I found you" A woman approached her, waving a hand. " I'm your aunt Rose "

Elizabeth took a while to look at he aunt. She had long, black hair and dark eyes, plus a nice, russet skin. Pretty much her total opposite. She wasn't treating her like a freakshow nor looking at her with pity and Elizabeth appreciated that, but that didn't mean that she'd get her trust immediately.Her aunt must have seen her wary expression. " Don't worry, Elizabeth. I know I'm just a stranger for you " she said with a calm voice. " You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Now come, please, let's go home "
Elizabeth sighed and part of her tension faded away. " Okay... aunt Rose " she replied following her aunt. The car ride was almost silent. Rose didn't force her to talk and she passed the time looking through the window. The landscape was not so different from where she lived before, except for the weather.
" Does it always rain so much here? " asked Elizabeth while the car was crossing a small town called Forks. The sign at its gateway said it had a population of only 3,545 people. How nice.
" Yeah, pretty much " her aunt answered turning in a road that ran through the forest. " A sunny day is a rare thing here, my word "The girl huffed.
" I guess that this place is perfect for me, then "
Knowing that she didn't have to be so strict on her daily care was indeed a great thing, but the thought of having such rare sunny days saddened her a bit. Of course she liked rain, its smell and rainy days in general but, no offence, sometimes she liked walking under the sun rays and enjoying their heat too. 'Guess that I'll have to get used to it, though'
And she also knew it wasn't the only thing that she had to get used to. After all, her life was about to change. Forever. A mumble came to her ears. Turning her attention to her aunt, she made eye-contact with her in the mirror. " Sorry, aunt Rose. What were you saying? " Her aunt smiled at her. 
" Don't worry, Elizabeth. I was just asking if you would like to eat pizza for dinner tonight "
" It's okay, I guess " she answered nodding a bit. She wasn't really in the mood, but she didn't want to upset her aunt. It was clear that she was trying to make a good impression on her. Meanwhile, they had finally reached the reservation. Elizabeth stared for a while at the wooden sign, in which there was carved 'Welcome to the Quileutes reservation', then she stared through the window once again. The place looked much nicer than what she expected. Simple, colored houses were spread across the woods and at the sides of the roads. Plus, many people were outside, doing their own business, driving or simply walking and chatting. And they were obviously similar to her aunt, with the same russet skin and dark hair and eyes. That made her swallow. She was totally different from each one of them, no way her presence would go unnoticed.
'What if they don't accept me here?' She quite got annoyed by her own thought. She had lived well with the sole company of her mother until that moment, without worrying too much about people acceptance. But still, the fear of not being accepted at all by those people didn't leave her. There wasn't her mother with her anymore. She was completely alone now. Trying to wipe off those thoughts by her mind, she noticed that the car had stopped.
" We're arrived " aunt Rose said getting out of the vehicle. Elizabeth followed her and found herself in front of the place she would live from that moment on. It was a neat, white house, a bit more distant from the others. It had a woodshed at one side and was surrounded by bushes in flower. While they reached the porch, she noticed that it was full of a great variety of plants. Colorful primroses, huge hydrangeas, shy lilacs and, here and there, even some succulents. Her aunt must have noticed where her attention was concentrated, 'cause she gave her an embarassed smile. " I know, I know, there are too many of them. I just... I just like plants. A lot "
" Don't be ashamed " Elizabeth tried to made her more confortable. " It's okay if you like them, they are really beautiful. I like them too " 
Her aunt appeared greatly delighted by their new common interest. " I'm happy to know that, darling! "  Then she hurried to open the door. " But please, now come in. You had a lot to deal with today, you must be really tired "Elizabeth followed her in.
The house was not too big, but it was pretty nice and comfy at the same time. On the groud floor, there was a living room, with bookshelves full of books at its walls, a little kitchen and a storeroom; going upstairs, there were two bedrooms, a studio and a bathroom, which Elizabeth didn't mind to share with her aunt, since she had never been the type of girl who stayed in it for hours. Then she get in the one that would become her own room." I hope you will like it, Elizabeth. I purchased a new bed and those bookshelves and I also cleaned... ". Elizabeth interrupted the woman with a soft chuckle. " Wait, aunt Rose. Hush " Her aunt finally stopped talking too fast. " It's okay. This room is okay. I like it "