Found.

Plans.

Clara POV:

I prayed that no branches scratched my car, as I squeezed through the close-knit trees on the ominous, winding road that led to the Cullen's house.

Alice Cullen had put a lot of faith in my ability to follow directions without a sat-nav, this was something that required common sense and a skill for maps.

I had neither.

I let my breath escape through my teeth in annoyance as yet again, I found myself hopelessly lost. What was it again? Turn right? Turn left?

-Go home, because my earlier courage was very quickly fading?

Who lives in the middle of the woods? I had been expecting a mansion in the most pleasant part of surburbia. I hadn't missed their designer clothes and expensive cars. Why would they choose to live in such a bleak and lonely area? This kind of misanthropist behaviour was just plain odd.

Aberdeen WA may be wet and miserable but there are definitely nicer areas on offer than the middle of the woods. They must be hikers or something.

Somehow the image of the Cullen children in fluorescent anoraks and fanny packs didn't seem to work.

I stopped the car for a minute, sighing again as I saw the rain drops begin to dance in the thick beams of my head lights. Why couldn't I shake the feeling that all was not as it seemed? The twisting, weight of anxiety had been residing in my stomach since the end of school and I fought to tame it in that moment.

My mobile chirped on the seat next to me, making me jump and I scrambled to read the message:

Turn left at the next fork in the road and you'll see the house. Can't wait to hang out! A x

I let the breath I didn't realise I had been holding out of my lungs in a whoosh. How had she gotten my number? I hadn't given it to her and it's not like I was in the phone book...

Weird.

Breathing deeply to calm my sudden onset of nerves, I started the car up again and turned left as instructed. I tried not to think too much about the fact Alice had known exactly where I was lost.

———————————————————
"You made it!"

Alice flashed her brilliant white teeth at me in an ecstatic smile. I could see the rest of the Cullens standing awkwardly in the foyer and my stomach dropped with irrational fear and foreboding.

"Um... Hi Alice, thanks for the directions - sorry I'm late."

If it was possible, her smile became even brighter as she ushered me into the house.

Now, I'm using the word 'house' here loosely - it was unlike any house I had ever seen...

A giant red wood grew from then centre of the foyer, a spiral staircase wrapped around it like a loving embrace - light filtered in through the raindrops on the walls of glass on either side and the sense of openness and peace was tangible in the air.