Heart of Stone | Jasper Hale

01

She absolutely abhorred the cold, it crept through her bones and crawled through her clothes.

Layers were never enough, the freezing temperatures always seemed to seep through into her body, which is why it was ironic that Aimee Adeline moved to a place where the climate wasn't exactly the definition of nice weather.

As she stared out of the window of the moving car, she watched the trees blur past, morphing into colors of green and brown. The road was long and curvy, leading her and her mother into the small town of Forks.

They needed a fresh start, they figured moving into such a small town wouldn't cause too much attention. The pair had just passed the sign for Forks, Aimee was filled with dread at the thought of settling into another school.

It was always a struggle, being the new student; people were overly nice but their true colors quickly showed through. A knot tied in her stomach at the thought of meeting new people, social interaction wasn't something she was very good at, hopefully people would just make the conversation for her and she would just nod along.

Aimee was awkward at the best of times, being the new girl was exactly what she needed.

"How you doing over there?" Her mother asked, glancing at her daughter before looking back at the road, Aimee's gaze tore away from the window and she smiled slightly.

"Dying on the inside."

Her mother huffed a laugh, "I know its scary, but you'll get used to it."

"Scary is an understatement." Aimee muttered, seeing as the trees turned into actual streets with houses and stores, more people milled around and were walking about their business. Forks really was a small town.

The car drove for several more minutes before they pulled up in front of a two-story house, it was quite average. Aimee got out of the car and slammed the car door shut, staring up at her new home, a grim smile on her face. Her mom cut the engine and exited the vehicle, fumbling around for the keys.

She walked up the steps and crossed the porch to the door, turning the key until it unlocked. The door swung open and they both stepped in, looking around the empty hallway.

"We'll make it work." Her mom said with a determined face, putting down her bag and the keys soon followed, clinking on the wooden floor. Their furniture would arrive soon, meaning they could finally make the house a home. Aimee nodded and walked around aimlessly through the house, imagining what it would look like filled with furniture.

She wasn't very hopeful.

"When will the moving van get here?" She asked, turning around to see her mom bringing in a suitcase, she looked up and checked her watch.

"They should be here in twenty minutes, so not long." She answered before putting the suitcase down. Her mom walked closer to Aimee, seeing the brown haired girl frowing. "We'll be fine here, Aimee. I promise." She hugged her daughter close, muttering how Aimee could decorate her room however she wanted.

*

The moving van had arrived, the two people efficiently removed their furniture and quickly left as soon as they came. Aimee and her mom really had their work cut out, Aimee put her hair into a low bun and started helping her mother shift the furniture around, rearranging it until the house started feeling comfortable.

They both collapsed onto the comfy couch, breathless from moving everything around. Aimee reached for her bottle of water and drank deeply, exhausted.

"You can go sort your room if you want, those moving guys already carried your bed frame up there, so you won't be sleeping on a mattress tonight." Her mom joked, poking Aimee's arm. Her daughter breathlessly laughed and stood up, almost tumbling over.

"You sure you don't need any help down here?" She asked, looking down at her mother who shook her head.

"I'll be fine. You haven't got the vision of how I want it, you'd be a terrible interior designer." Her mom teased, Aimee gasped.

"Excuse me, just wait until I'm done with my room. Then you'll see who the master is." Aimee then walked upstairs to find the room where her bed was. Walking through the landing, she found the bathroom and then her own room.

It was quite spacious, a large window was in the middle of the wall, giving her a perfect view of the outside. Aimee felt a shiver crawl down her spine and she pulled her sweater on, which was been tied around her waist.

Turning slowly around the room, she envisioned her room. All her possessions had been moved into the room, sat in the middle of the room, waiting to be moved.

She walked to the boxes and picked the box that had her clothes in, Aimee was a big fashion follower and adored it. Clothes were significant in her life, as well as food.

She started hanging her clothes in her wardrobe, then put her other garments in the drawers, whilst doing so she planned her outfit for school tomorrow. She didn't want to stand out, but she wanted to make a good impression if anyone happened to speak to her.

Once all her clothes were folded and neatly put away, she started with her beloved books. Aimee was an avid reader, collecting all sorts of genres. Reading was a great passion of hers, almost a coping mechanism. Entering a world of romance or fantasy, it seemed better than the real world.

When she put all her books in the particular way on her bookshelf, she felt herself tire. She had a busy day tomorrow, having to meet new people and not get lost in the confusing school corridors that every school seemed to have.

Aimee pushed all the boxes to the other side of the room, leaving them to sort out tomorrow. She then pulled the curtains shut and got ready, pulling on pajamas and doing the usual routine, brushing her teeth and skincare.

Looking at her watch, it was nearly midnight and she yawned, stretching her limbs

Aimee then sorted out her bed, slipping under the covers once she had put on a duvet cover, pillow cases and a fitted sheet over the mattress. The coldness embraced her and she shivered, trying to rub her limbs together to create warmth.

Looking around the room, she silently approved of the half-sorted room before yelling goodnight to her mom. A reply echoed throughout the house and Aimee settled down, closing her eyes and trying not to think about all the ways her first school day could end badly.