Heart Of The Bear - R.H x OC x L.C

Prologue

Tw: Implied self-harm

Looking out into the setting sun from the balcony of mine and my mother's penthouse apartment in LA, I can't help but feel numb despite the beauty of the setting sun shining down on me. Dropping the sharp and bloody pocket knife in my hand to the floor, I grab the already lit joint, and swiftly put it between my lips, inhaling deeply before blowing the smoke back out. The concept of death is so easy to wrap your mind around, but to experience it in your own life? It changes your perception of death. Especially as a minor who is suddenly forced to rip your life up by the roots, forced to move two states over, to the always sunny and warm town of Forks Washington. I can practically taste the sarcasm in my mouth at my own thoughts. Having been there a few times already to visit my aunt, I'm already hating the prospect of having to move to a town that has the same climate as England of all places.

The death of my mother was as shocking as it was sudden, and it left me reeling and spiralling hard. Acute heart failure they told me, and the irony of the situation isn't lost on me, considering the fact that my mom was a total health-nut. My aunt flew out to LA to take care of the funeral arrangements, since despite my hatred for being overly emotional, I was too emotional and heartbroken to actually take care of it myself. Then again, a 16 year old really shouldn't have to take care of their sole parents' funeral arrangements. Sitting in the warm evening sun, I can't help but worry about the future. I'm by no means popular at school anymore since my turn to the dark side, but I still have all my friends here, and I was certainly still respected here as well. To have to start over, and in such a small school? It'll be an absolute pain in the ass. Finding a new dealer especially is going to be frustrating, which from my past experience doesn't come without a degree of risk.

Getting up from the lounge sofa, I throw the remains of the joint on the marble tiles, immediately stomping on it with my bare foot. With the last of my things being packed yesterday, my car shipped to Forks, and my aunt being done getting ready, I'll finally be flying to Washington tomorrow. I proposed driving there from LA, but my aunt insisted that it would be easier and safer for me to just take a plane, since in her words, I'm a new and inexperienced driver. Padding into my bedroom I quickly grab some shorts and a shirt to sleep in, before going to my ensuite bathroom to get my nightly routine done, while also disinfecting and wrapping up the new lines on my inner thighs. Laying down in my wide and obscenely large bed, I gently wrap my silk sheets around myself as I drift into a dreamless sleep.

Forks Washington:

Leaving the private jet, I can't help but frown. No sun in sight, and while I'll admit that isn't necessarily bad in its own right, today just isn't one of my brightest days so some sun would've been nice. Walking to the airport parking lot, I'm looking around for the guy my aunt sent to pick me up. Supposedly he's a childhood friend of both her and my mother, but the prospect of getting picked up in a cop car isn't exactly something I'm looking forward to. Nothing beats moving to a new town, just to be ridden through town like a delinquent on your first day am I right? No? I thought so. I pretty quickly spot the cop car, and by extension the awkward looking older man holding onto a sign with my name on it as if the sign is the only thing tethering him to this life. Pulling the pack of cigarettes out of my pocket while quickly and efficiently lighting the stick, I start to make my way towards the man.

Giving him a small smile as I get close while blowing out some smoke, I can't help but grin a little at the almost offended look he gives towards the cigarette between my fingers. "I take it you're Charlie? Clarke mentioned you'd be the one to pick me up" Giving me a huff, he reaches his hand out to shake mine "I sure am kid. Not sure if you remember me, but I did see you a few times when you were younger. And you sure have one strong handshake" Letting out a small laugh at his comment, I can't help but clech just a little harder before letting go "I sure hope so sir, otherwise I'd be complaining about the effectiveness of the hours I spent in my home gym" All I get in response is a low chuckle, before the stiff man makes his way towards the drivers side of the car and getting in behind the wheel. Taking my time to dispose of the bud of my cigarette, I slowly get into the passenger seat. As I close the door, the man looks at me with a small and friendly, if a little awkward, smile "So I'll be driving you to the new house your mother had built a while back, when she was planning to retire here with you when you were younger. It'll take a while to get there, so if you need to, go ahead and try and get some sleep" Giving him a stiff nod, I lean my head against the cold and slightly foggy window, feeling how it brings a measure of relief to my slowly building headache.

I was shaken from my sleep by a gentle shove to my shoulder, my head feeling as if a brick had been hit over it. Looking towards Charlie, I can see he's giving me a small smile "We're here kid, say hi to your aunt for me will you?" giving him a small smile of my own, I give him a small nod as I exit the car. Looking up at the borderline massive mansion I'll be sharing with my aunt going forward, as well as the forest surrounding it on all sides aside from the road going up to it, I can't help but think about my mom again. She loved her job, but her biggest dream always was to move back here again while bringing me with her. This idea was especially solidified after the incident that happened when I was 15, but to her frustration work always happened to get in the way of executing that plan. And now it'll always be too late. Hearing the police cruiser driving away behind me, I take a deep breath as I prepare myself to walk up to the front door of the mansion that'll be my home for the foreseeable future.

Words 1170

Here we go people. This will likely be the chapter for Hotb for this week, and while it's admittedly on the shorter side, that isn't without reason. This is just a general look at the mental state Alexis is in prior to her arrival in Forks, and doing her arrival, and how she feels about the death of her mother. This will obviously be explored more going forward as she processes it, since this is her in the immediate aftermath while the feelings still haven't quite hit her yet. The next chapters going forward in the story should, as long as things go to plan, be a lot longer. I don't intend to fill the chapters with unnecessary fluff to make them seem longer, but my hope is that they'll be anywhere between 2 to 3 thousand words long. We'll see if that works out, but for now I'll be starting the writing for my next TVD chapter, before hopefully getting an early start on next week's chapters.