The adopted Swan

Prologue

It was a cold winter night. Snow was just starting to stick to the ground in a huge blanket leaving the ground stained in white.

A small two story white house sat next to the big dark forest with an elderly woman standing on the steps to the back door. The woman stared into the forest as if she was waiting for someone or something. She wore a light gray bathroom with navy blue thermal pants sticking out at the bottom and a pair of black moccasins covered her feet.

Suddenly a tall figure emerged from the forest carrying something in it's arms. The figure was male and he wore a three piece gray suit with a black tie and black dress shoes the whole outfit was clearly custom made to fit his 10'0 something height. His skin was paler than moonlight and had no hair on his head and no face for that matter. Black tendrils were attached to his back and wiggled around like an octopus's tentacles.

The unknown creature man approached the woman with slow calm steps before stopping a few steps away. He used his tentacles to grab the dark bundle in his arms and gently pass it to the woman's awaiting hands. Once the bundle was in her arms she reached up and pulled a part of the black blanket down, and out of the way, to reveal a peacefully sleeping newborn with moonlight pale skin and tufts of black and white hair sprouting from it's head.

"Is this her?" The woman asked for confirmation before looking up at the creature for confirmation the creature nodded wordlessly. The woman looked back down at the sleeping baby that was nuzzling into her chest for warmth "What's her name?" The woman asked while staring at the beautiful baby girl enchanted by her.

"Esmeray Jadis" the creature somehow spoke without a mouth. The woman looked up at him curiously and he elaborated on the unusual name "I was always fond of Jadis while Zalgo picked out Esmeray which means 'dark moon' I thought it was beautiful and fitting" he gestured towards her unusual but angelic appearance. The woman nodded and said "I'll have my son, Charlie, take her" the man nodded and said "You and Geoffrey raised a good man, Helena."

'Helena' smiled and said "I know. Thank you, Slender" 'Slender' nodded before turning around and walking back to the woods. He paused when Helena's voice called out to him "I hope you're aware that I will tell her the truth about who she is and where she came from when she's eighteen!" Slender turned around and 'looked' at her before saying "That's reasonable. Give her eighteen years of human normalcy before telling her the truth. It's what Jayne, her mother, would've wanted" he then turned around and walked into the woods.

Helena looked back down at the baby only to be startled to see that she was wide awake and staring out at the forest with tearful blood red eyes. Esmeray looked back up at Helena and whimpered as if she could feel the abandonment that just took place. Helena immediately began to shush and coo at her and turned around and walked back into the house.

Everything goes black after that and a voice begins to call out "Freak! Hey freak! Esmeray get your ugly ass up!"

Ruby eyes fly open and a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old lurches forward as she jerks awake panting from the intensity of the dream. There's a loud banging sound coming from the door of her closet sized room.

Esmeray stumbles over to the door running into the wall as she squeezes through the makeshift bedroom and manages to open the door to be greeted by the lovely face of her older sister "What is it Bella?" The girl in question sneers before saying "We're moving to Forks today, remember? Now hurry the hell up!" Bella storms off leaving a happy Esmeray in her wake.

Home. She was finally going home. Back to Washington. Back to the cold. Back to Forks. Back to.....

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The woods.