Eleanor "Nell" Swan, Charlie and Renee's oldest daughter, moves to Forks, Washington after her younger sister Bella has a near fatal accident in Phoenix. Reunited with friends she made during the summers she spent with her father, Nell feels like sh...
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content warning: this chapter contains some underage drinking
Within a week of Bella being released from the Phoenix hospital Eleanor had moved her belongings from Boston to Forks. Her room, across the hall from her younger sisters, was filled with plants and pictures of memories taped to the dark green walls. Her film cameras sat perched on her windowsill waiting to be used.
It was a rare sunny day in Forks when Nell agreed to tag along with her father who was making his way to the La Push reservation to go fishing with his long term friends, Billy Black and Harry Clearwater.
Pulling up to the Clearwater house, Sue was working a shift at the hospital on the reservation and her youngest child, Seth, was working a shift at the gift shop run by Tiffany Call. Nell was excited to visit her close friend Leah Clearwater. The two girls being close in age had been close since a very young age, spending almost every summer together every time Nell would stay in Forks with her father. The two had countless memories of giggling in the back of a boat as their fathers fished together, setting up a tent in the side yard of the Swan property, babysitting the youngest Clearwater, Seth, and begging Billy Black to tell the two girls the legends of the Quileute tribe.
Even after Nell relocated to Boston and stopped her summer visits, her and Leah still kept in contact. The two girls spent every Friday night on the phone for hours and constantly emailed back and forth a collection of pictures that captured moments of their lives. Nell was aware of Sam Uley breaking up with Leah almost two weeks after bringing up the topic of marriage and then not soon after, he started dating Leah's cousin Emily. If it weren't for the fact that it was finals week and Leah insisting that she was fine, Nell would've flown to Forks herself.
Nell's grin grew wide as she stepped out of her fathers police cruiser as she saw Leah standing on the porch of her home. The russet skinned girl had slick black hair that fell to the middle of her back. Her legs were toned from all the runs she took around the rez as a form of stress relief. The two girls embraced as soon as they were within reaching distance.
"I can't believe you moved back" Leah laughed into Nell's shoulder. Loosening her grip Nell leaned back on her heels, running a hand through her hair.
"Neither can I" She giggled back in response.
"Well, I'm just glad to have you back here" Leah sighed, leading Nell inside after flashing Billy, Harry, and Charlie a wave.
Leah flicked on the TV, the volume on low as Nell relaxed into the sofa. The Clearwater girl let out a chuckle of her own before grabbing two of her Dad's beers out of the fridge in the corner of the kitchen. Cracking them both open she passed one of the cool drinks to the eldest Swan.
"How's your sister?" Leah asked before taking a sip of her drink, kicking her feet up on the edge of the coffee table.
Eleanor shrugged her shoulders before taking a long swig of the bitter beer. "In love with that Cullen boy. I think dad said his name was Edwin?" Nell recalled with the roll of her eyes.
Leah stifled a laugh "Edward," she corrected "for some reason the elders don't like the Cullen family all that much. Something to do with the legends apparently"
Nell sighed fondly at the mention of the Quiluete legends. She remembered almost every Saturday night she spent at the Clearwater house the two girls would beg Sue to take them to the bonfire. They'd sit at the feet of Old Quil after braiding his hair, sticking daisies in between the twists, as Billy told the legends of the tribe. Nell and Leah would spend the rest of the night in the same bed whispering their own stories of the spirit warriors who rescued princesses from tall towers and turned into wolves to fight off the dragon that guarded her. With the help of Sue Clearwater and Sarah Black the two young girls would even bake treats, muffins and small cakes, that they'd leave on the edge of the wood as gifts for the brave spirit warriors that protected the land. The treats would rest on drawings the girls had made of what they thought the spirit warriors looked like. Nell always drew a large silver wolf with deep chocolate eyes. The wolf usually stood behind a layer of trees, head high as if he was listening for something.
Leah ran a hand through her hair before continuing though "The elders are kind of bullshit though. They keep telling me to be happy for Sam and Emily"
Nell scoffed, shaking her head and leaning forward. "bullshit" she mumbled, moving a free hand to Leah's knee. "I'm down to egg his house" she offered, genuinely, with a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Leah let out a laugh and shook her head. "I actually egged his car already so if we are going to do something like that let's at least think of something new"
The two girls laughed until their stomachs hurt and they were gasping for breath. Spending the rest of the day lounging around the Clearwater house the girls watched classing romcom's and did face mask's until Sue and Seth came home from work where the four started cooking dinner. Idle chatter filled the kitchen as Seth and Leah playfully shoved each other around and Sue tried to get them to calm down and stop making a mess of the meal she was trying to make. Nell smiled fondly. She was too young to remember when her parents split up and Bella always seemed to like being off on her own. She loved her family dearly but they were never like this. Being on the reservation brought a calm to Nell's heart and cleared the clouds that seemed to swirl in her mind. She loved living in Boston with her grandma, Midge, and she loved the visits she spent with her mother and step father, but Forks, more specifically La Push? It was where Nell felt most at home. The Swan girl was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the opening of the door to the Clearwater home.
"Smells good in here" she heard her father say as he and Harry Clearwater entered the house.
"no thanks to these two" Sue retorted, pinching both Leah and Seth as they were throwing grapes at each other. Nell laughed, only to quickly play it off as a cough as Sue shot a look in her direction. Harry caught the Swan girls eye and gave her a wink before making his way over and ruffling her hair.
"You two staying for dinner?" Harry asked as Charlie leaned against the door frame.
"Don't think so, I've got some cases to catch up on and this little miss" He said, moving to playfully swing his arm over his daughters shoulder "had some homework to do"
Nell groaned, leaning her head back and Charlie just laughed.
The two Swan's bid their farewells to the Clearwater's before climbing back into Charlie's police cruiser and heading home.
