SIREN [j. hale]

0.1

now playing: Sunsetz by Cigarettes After Sex
(Nell's lullaby).

November 28, 2004

Sirens

Elenor Rhodes had heard sirens more in her life than she heard church bells.

She had red and blue veins, with flashing lights in her carotid artery. Nightmares of phone calls that sent her to her knees and skin bruised with memories of her past. Nell was what the small town of Forks called a somber wanderer. She had a past darker than any eclipse, yet her mind still crawled with pure curiosity. With the things the girl had seen, no one could comprehend how her mind was still so open. So willing to put herself out there to learn about anything she could. Alas, a mind so moldable isn't the brightest nor favorable. That is what the kids at school couldn't understand; Nell's mind wasn't like theirs; her mind barely belonged to herself, she's couldn't remember a time when she had a thought brighter than twilight.

Nell was if nightfall had dripped into human form; the utter personification of night terrors and midnight tears. The dark thoughts were the only thing keeping her feet on the ground.

"Knock, knock," Charlie pushed the door of Nell's room open. "Rise and shine, kid."

Nell let a groan escape her lips as she pulled her black duvet over her face. Charlie chuckled, staying by the doorframe. "First day back after break," He nodded, looping his fingers around his belt loops. "I know it's tough, kid. School starts in an hour." Charlie gave Nell one final look before leaving her room, closing the door on his way out.

It was raining outside, not uncommon for the end of November in forks. Autumn was slipping right into the frigid hands of winter, and with the rain would come snow; Nell hated snow.

She could handle the cold and the crisp mornings filled with nothing but white. She could handle the pinpricks of ice, the below freezing temperatures, and the wind blow. What she couldn't handle were the reminders. The reminders of what her life was before she moved to Forks and before she was placed to live with the Chief of police.

Winter meant car crashes.
Frozen lake water.
Days to celebrate life when all Nell knew was death.

Nell threw her covers off of her face, nuzzling them against her bare chest. She reached up to rub her eyes, seeing purple and black sparks as she rubbed them harder. Finally, she pulled herself out of bed. The cool air nipped at her skin.

She shuffled over to her closet, pulling out a large black and white striped crew neck. She pulled it over her head, watching as it fell below her thighs. She paired the sweater with a black skirt, stocking ripped up the sides, and well loved black doc martens.

After applying her makeup the way she liked it-- dark and messy-- Nell swung her backpack over her shoulder and made her way to her car. Charlie had bought a burnt orange truck off of Billy Black for Nell and Bella to share, but since Bella hadn't arrived in Forks yet, the beauty was all hers.