let's get lost // leah clearwater

chapter 5

Nysa was in an odd state of mind after finishing A Streetcar Named Desire. After completing her geometry homework, she flew through the last pages. She loved everything about it, the characters, the symbolism, she even watched the 1951 film last night once Nani had went off to bed (which was late since she was off doing who knows what in the Rez).

But, she wasn't thinking about it in the way one would expect. It made her think of her ex-girlfriend. 'I've always depended on the kindness of strangers.' That quote was on a repeat in her mind as she drove the way towards the reservation. She couldn't even appreciate the beauty of her surroundings. The forest was thick, humid and dense. But, it wasn't the type that was eerie, that would frighten you during the night-time. It was healthy and alive, full of over-grown moss. She even caught a glimpse of the beach, the sharp rocks hidden under the gains of wet sand.

Oh, that tragic irony.

Nysa was an utter bitch to Bianca Torres. She could even admit that to herself (not that she hadn't already been told by countless people around her). She hadn't always been though, there were points though their relationship where Nysa truly did care for Bianca, they had a lot of fun, they shared many common interests and the sex - damn, the sex was good.

But Nysa quickly became a bad girlfriend. Not spending time with her, ignoring her texts, barely going on dates and that led poor Bianca to cheat. Not that Nysa cared very much, she was happy for a get out. Anyway, not long after, she left for Forks.

And that led her to here. As she switched off the engine, she switched off her thoughts. She had arrived at La Push High. The entire lot was just one big empty space, like they'd simply dug through the forest to create an opening as the green filtered the perimeter. The parking lot was about the same size as the one at Forks but there was only one school building though. It was surprising large and brown, windows panelling the middle section at a curve. It had a slating grey roof, Nysa could see the few footballs lost up in its cervices.

As Nysa got out of her jeep, she noticed a pair of eyes on the back of her head. He was tall with clipped hair, something she noticed was uncommon among the Quileute boys, he had to be a senior just like her, having a palpable odd air of authority around him.

"Do I know you?" She called out, shaking her head at him, growing slightly annoyed. Despite the considerable distance, Nysa knew he could hear her from the way his eyes narrowed, turning his head slightly. Nysa rolled her eyes, whispering a quiet "weirdo." These things just keep on having, don't they?

She swung her backpack over her shoulder and started towards the building, there was only one direction that the office could really be. A few people that she saw smiled warmly at her. Nysa was taken aback slightly, these students already being way nicer than those at Forks.

"Hey," a voice called out to her, Nysa turned sharply. It was that boy again. He was sort of stiff, looking at her with a glint in his eyes, like Nysa should know who he his. "I'm sorry, you just seemed familiar. You don't go here, do you?"

"No, don't. I go to Forks High School," Nysa said curtly, she looked up at his towering figure blankly. He was annoying her and Nysa really didn't have too much of a reason why.

The boy didn't say anything, only looking at Nysa intently again.

"Is that all?" She asked, far ruder than she intended to be.

He nodded again, "Sorry." And walked away.

Okay, maybe the people here were stranger.

The administration office was easy to find, it was the first room to the left as soon as she entered. One thing she was getting sick of was all these papers she had to sign but Nysa was quick to remind herself, this was her choice to take this class as she felt the need to get a little snappy at the very kind lady at the desk. Soon enough, she was enrolled as a temporary student at La Push High.

Nysa had some time to kill before her first lesson over at Forks (she was starting woodworking next Monday) so, she decided that she wanted to check out their library. There was a book that she wanted to get her hands on, The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike, that she just couldn't seem to find around the town. She'd checked in the Forks High School Library, the local bookstore and the local library but was not prepared to pay for it.

This time around, Nysa wasn't given a little map to study. She shrugged, the school was small enough, there couldn't be more than 150 students here, even smaller than Forks. That freaked Nysa out slightly, everyone most definitely knew everyone.

She glanced at the signs on the walls, there being a little plaque in the beginning of the corridor, 'Office' it read. Nysa kept walking, passing through the science and humanities corridors. She found her way to the English section of the school. Surely, she thought. She bumped into a few people but they were too busy rushing to get to their own classes to help Nysa out at all.

Finally, at the very back of the ground floor of the school (she had even wandered into the gymnasium at some point), was the Arts section. At this point, one could imagine the tiredness that Nysa felt. She had practically explored the entire school yet not found the single place she was looking for. So, Nysa simply opened the first door that she saw, not really checking where she was going.

There were three things that surprised her.

First, was that the room was dark. It certainly wasn't just any old workshop like she thought it was going to be. Nothing but two red lights were on, illuminating the space in an eerie feel.

Second, was the girl who was standing in the middle. She was holding a large sheet in her hands, an affronted expression on her face. Even in the minimal light, Nysa could tell how gorgeous she was. She was tall, with hair that flowed just below her shoulders, pitch black and pin straight. Nysa wished she could have seen her a little clearer, call it superficial but she just couldn't help herself.

The third thing, was how loud her voice was.

"What are you doing? Get the fuck out!"

The girl was shouting at her, and Nysa had no idea why. She froze to her place, mouth agape at the sudden change of atmosphere.

"Hello? Did you hear me? LEAVE!"

Nysa backed out the room quickly, incredibly taken aback by the loud voice that practically reached into her ears and pulled out her eardrums. Once the door was shut behind her, she looked at the little sign beside the door that she hadn't seen before, 'Dark Room.'

Ah.

so as you guys can probably tell, I've aged down the characters by a year. So, Sam, Leah and Nysa are in their final year and a year older than Bella instead of being 2 years older.

anyways thank you for reading!! i love this book so much