Back to the Trees

Chapter 1 - Cold Feet

I ran all the way to my mum's house. I didn't even care that it was still dark. The door was locked and the doorbell didn't work, so I resulted to pounding on the door instead. I didn't really know why though; mother was a heavy sleeper.

I stood for forty five minutes thumping on the glass of the door before there was any movement. The hallway light flickered on the the keys turned in the lock. Once the door opened I could see the image of mother I hadn't seen since I was a young child. Her hair stuck up and out all over the place, her eyelids were heavy with sleep and her posture was slouched.

"Lily, it's half two in the morning. What do want?" I didn't respond, I just slipped past her and moved quickly towards my old room. The door was shut but a faint glow of light filtered under it. I knocked just as loudly on that door as I had the front one.

"Alannah?" When I had moved out mother had offered my room to her, though at the time I'd had no idea who she was. "Alannah, you still here?" She appeared from the other side of the door. Her waist length hair cut to her shoulders and set in loose curls. Apparently she'd mellowed out since my accident and I was taken aback slightly.

"What do you want?" She didn't sound harsh or unimpressed which shocked me further. I didn't know what to say; I was too stunned. She lent on the doorframe, revealing the matted, tangle of hair at the back of her head, and allowing room for Mitchell to leave the room.

"One, ew! That's my brother. And two, we really need to talk." I walked into the room behind her. The sheets on the bed were, well, not entirely on the bed anymore. I felt sick at the thought as to why and a shudder ran down my entire body. I sat myself of the very edge of uncovered mattress, still disgusted by the idea of her being in bed with my older brother. Alannah busied herself untangling her hair and straightening out her pyjamas.

"I remembered." She stopped dead and turned to look at me. Slowly she recovered herself.

"About flamin' time." She shooed me off the bed and began to put the bed sheets bed on the bed.

"Alannah, where's Lee?"

"What does it matter. You're getting married in the morning." She shook the duvet twice and then lay it out neatly. "He gave up his wolf when he thought he might lose you, after killing the guy who caused all your problems in the first place, then he stuck around even when you had no clue who he was. He stayed just long enough for that mug you're with to slip that pretty little ring on your finger." Then she turned her back on me and returned to straightening out her room. I felt sick to my stomach. How long had he watched as I slowly slipped further and further away? How many times had he wanted nothing more than to run to me, hold me and tell me he loved me? I felt like such a fool.

"Are you just going to stand there with your mouth agape or are you going to leave?" Now she sounded irritated. She kept her back turned to me.

"I can't marry him." The sigh that left her body was visible. "Alannah, I just can't. Maybe four months ago I could, maybe I could when I went to sleep tonight, but now? Now I can't."

"Not my problem." She kept her back to me and began to rummage around in her wardrobe. "Now if you don't mind I have to get ready to be your brother's plus one to your wedding."

"A wedding that's not going to happen! I need to borrow some of your clothes and darker makeup. I also need your help, so stop being to stubborn and get over yourself!"

She turned round completely stunned. I had never spoken to anyone like that in my life but maybe I should have done it long before now. Slowly a small smile spread across her face.

"Look who finally grew into herself. Where do you want to start?"

I left Mitchell and Alannah in the car with Evanescence blasting out of the speakers, wandered carelessly into the church, strode up the aisle disregarding the tempo of the music and stood facing Kieran. The jingling chains on the waist high black skinny jeans were the only sound in the otherwise silent building, the corset that I wore so revealing that even the priest's eyes popped out of his head and his jaw dropped.