chapter iii, details

listening: sweet creature by harry styles
"But we know where we
belong, and, oh, we started,"

━━━━━━━━━

     "What about pastel yellow and green?" Amara brainstormed as she sat at the kitchen table with Sinta and Bella.

     "What if you had a green base? Both light and dark with multi-colored flowers?"

     "And the flowers could be all different types of flowers because I know you don't like the same flowers with different flowers as a theme?" Bella suggested as she picked at her lightly bit her lip, grabbed the pencil from the table, and wrote down a couple of flower suggestions.

     Amara sat deep in thought, trying to figure out the outline for her website. The process of having her own business was more challenging than she expected. Figuring out the colors, the foods she would make, the prices, making sure that the expenses would be reasonable but cover the cost of the ingredients, the list was seemingly endless, and the girl was progressively getting more frustrated.

     "Honey, maybe, come back to this later? You're stressing yourself out. Just come back to it later."

     "But, if I don't figure this out, I know it will never happen. Once I start something, I have to finish it, or it'll never get done. You know this, Mom."

     "I know, honey, but this is more to take on than just school projects. This is a job you intend to do for the rest of your life. Take some time to think about everything and return to it. It's not going anywhere."

     Sinta patted her daughter's shoulder as she got up from the table and made her way toward the stairs.

     "Just think it over, okay?"

     Amara nodded as she looked up at her mom, a small smile forming on her face. Watched as Sinta disappeared from the bottom of the stairs. Tilting her head as she looked down at her notes, Amara blew a small raspberry, set the notepad aside, and took the notebook that Bella had finished writing ideas down in. She closed the notebook and stood up from the table.

     "Let's go for a walk! I need to clear my head!"

     Bella gave a tight smile as she nodded her head, slowly removing herself from the table, the chair squeaking. Amara, following her movements, the sister duo began making their way out of the kitchen and to the door.

     "Mom, Dad! Bella and I are going for a walk," Amara announced. A pregnant pause kept the household silent.

     "Okay, have fun and be safe!"

     Quickly leaving the house, Amara and Bella rushed down the stairs, both girls feeling that taking a walk might be the best thing to do. Practically skipping down the driveway, Amara turned on her feet as she watched Bella walk down. As the dark-haired girl made it to her sister, Amara linked her arms with Bella.

     The girl walked down the sidewalk, and the overwhelming smell of the forest entered Amara's senses, causing her to inhale deeply. She would never get tired of the smell of the wet forest; the smell seemed to ease her worries and bring her back to earth.

     She really needed this. The smell of the forest soothed her, with her sister by her side.

     "So, how have you and your boyfriend been?"

     "Oh, we have been good, perfect actually. Edward has been treating me nicely."

     "That's great, I'm glad you finally found someone you are interested in, and they feel the same way! So when can I meet him?"

     Bella paused as they continued to walk. The girl was a little nervous about Amara meeting Edward and his family. As much as she held deep feelings for Edward and cared for his family, she was not exactly fond of Edward reading her sister's mind, Jasper possibly harming her, as she was not so sure if Amara's blood had the same effect on him, and Rosalie not being the kindest to her.

     She knew that the day would come eventually; however, Bella was willing to hold off for as long as she could if that meant protecting her sister because, despite everything, she would always be first.

     "I don't have to meet him just yet, you know? I can wait until you feel comfortable enough for me to meet Edward and his family," Amara reassured, hoping that her sister did not feel pressured into having them meet. They were still quite the new item, so she could understand her weariness.

     "No, no, I want you guys to meet, but t-they are complicated. Edward and his family, and I just don't want you to be overwhelmed or uncomfortable, that's all."

     "It's fine, I get it! Anyways, how are you feeling that you are turning eighteen?" Amara nudged Bella, a teasing smile on her lips.

     "Please do not remind me." Bella deadpanned.

     "It's not that bad, Bella, you are making it seem like you are turning forty!" Amara laughed, removing her arm from her sisters and wrapping it around her shoulders, squeezing her.

     "I still feel old."

     "Whatever you say, Bella, whatever you say."

     Amara smiled at her sister, reconnecting her arm with Bella's, and the two began to make their way to the flower shop, the two unconsciously making it to their destination. The sound of their shoes hitting the wet pavement reached the girl's ears, making them look around. The two, so caught up in their own world, were unaware of the silence surrounding them. It felt as if they were the only two in the world at that moment, and they were.

     The streets of Forks were bare; a couple of cars were parked alongside the streets, but there was no sign of anyone out. It could have been that it was still seven in the morning, and it was a Saturday, and most people who needed to be at work for the morning shift were already there.

     Bella and Amara looked at each other before chuckling, now standing in front of the Forks flower shop.

     "How did we even get here?"

     "I don't know, maybe it's fate."

     "Or maybe it's that we subconsciously were looking for flower designs for your bakery?"

     "I think my idea is more suitable, come on." Amara dragged Bella by the hand and into the flower shop.

     The overwhelming smell of fresh flowers hit the girls. Bella was slightly revolted by the smell, and Amara was delighted by the pretty colors of the flowers.

     "It smells like happiness..."

     Bella gave her sister a look, "Happiness smells like freshly made cookies."

      Amara turned to her younger sister, "I can't argue with that."

     "Well, isn't this a lovely surprise!" Odina came out from the back as she heard the doorbell ring.

     "Odina! It's so good to see you!" Amara brought the woman into a small hug.

     "This is my sister Bella!" Bella gave a small wave to the older woman, who had a warmth in her eyes.

    "It's nice to meet you, Bella, and nice to see you again, Amara! I hope that you both find everything well! And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!"

     "Thank you, and we will!"

     "I met her at the grocery store when Dad and I went shopping. I told you about that, right?" Bella chuckled and shook her head at her sister. Pulling Amara along, hoping that being surrounded by all the flowers and colors would inspire her. Enchanting yellows and sea blues caught the upcoming baker's eyes, making her rush to the blue orchids and yellow lilacs.

     "Bella, what about blue and yellow for the theme? For the shop at least?"

     "I think that could work, but I feel that only one of the colors should be bright while the other is lighter and adds accents to that color, so maybe yellow could be bright while the blue wraps around the design?"

     "You are a genius, Bella! I was making all of the colors bright when I could have just done that!"

     Bella laughed as Amara bounced on her feet, her dimples adorned on the apples of her cheeks. Continuing to look at the flowers, Amara let her hand glide along the smooth granite countertops. Her eyes roamed along the variety of flowers on each table, unable to decide on which flowers to get and base her theme on.

     Her eyes soon gravitated toward the purple hydrangeas, the girl's body slowly moving toward them. Reaching her hand out, Amara softly plucked a flower from its case and brought it to her nose.

     "I see you seem to like the hydrangeas, not a lot of people do."

     Amara jumped slightly as she turned her head to see an older lady with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She relaxed as she nodded her head, "Yeah, I think that they're beautiful, and I would have never even thought of picking these if I didn't see them. I would have picked the lilacs at the front, but decided to keep looking."

     "Ah, I see. They are ones that are overlooked, much so."

     "Yeah, they are."

     "Well, if you need me, I'll be at the front."

      Amara nodded as she smiled at the woman, causing her to do the same and take her leave. Bella came up next to her older sister.

     "Did you find anything, Ria?"

     "I think so, these are really pretty, and I think that they fit the energy and vibe I want the shop and website to have."

     A small ding sounded, causing the girls to look over the side of the flower display, two people walked into the shop, a woman with high cheekbones, intense brown eyes, her skin a warm brown, and straight mid-length hair cascading down her shoulders; and a young boy with a round youthful face, short messy hair, warm brown eyes and similar to the young woman, he had warm brown skin.

     The teenage boy locked eyes with Amara, his eyes widening in recognition, a large, toothy smile making its way onto his face.

     "Amara! You're back!"

     "Seth! Hi! It's so good to see you!"

     Seth made his way over, quickly moving through the flower tables. The young boy wrapped Amara up in a tight hug, lifting her off the ground slightly. The girl let out a cheerful laugh, patting his back as he brought her feet back to the ground.

     "You packed some muscles on, little dude! What are they feeding you over there in the Clearwater household?"

     Seth let out a laugh as Leah came up behind him, a small smile on her face as she brought Amara into a small hug. It was nice to see a familiar face, especially after going through some rough patches.

     "How are you, Leah?"

     "Hanging in there, it's good to see you back."

     "It's good to be back." The girl gave a sympathetic smile to her old friend. Since she had been back, she had heard in the grapevine that Leah and Sam were going through a rough patch and had broken up, and the girl couldn't help but feel for the girl.

     "Are you back for good?" Seth questioned as he turned back to Amara after greeting Bella, to which Leah nodded to the girl, a tense smile on her face, Bella returning it.

     "You know it! It feels good to be home. I haven't been able to catch up with many people, trying to get used to being here again, but it's been good."

     "Well, there is a bonfire at the beach in a couple of days. I can send you the details if you want," Leah suggested.

     "Yes, that would be great! Thank you!"

     "Do you still have the same number?" Amara nodded her head as Leah pulled her phone from her back pocket.

     "What are you guys doing today?"

     "Oh, we are here to get some flowers for our mom, she wanted us to get some for around the house!" Seth exclaimed.

     "How are your guys' mom and dad by the way?"

     "They're doing well, hanging in there, going day by day."

     "Well, that's good, let them know that I said hi!"

     "Will do, Mara!"

     Amara turned to Bella, who was now about five feet away from her, flipping through a small box that was next to a small stack of similar boxes.

     "Whatcha looking at?"

     Bella turned to her sister, "These are dried samples of each flower, and what they symbolize, and all that on the back of each card. I was thinking you could use these to finalize your flower choices and color scheme."

     Amara all but leaped onto Bella, shaking her with excitement, "Bella, you are a genius!" Grabbing the box and placing the top back on, the young woman walked over to the cash register with a large smile on her face.

     Now, she could really get to work on her ideas.

━

     Bella's birthday came quickly. Charlie, Sinta, and Amara surprised her with a small cake and a few presents, despite the resistance from the birthday girl. Bella did not seem all that excited that it was her birthday, and even though the family had heard the "I'm getting old" comments, they felt like there was more to why she wasn't all for her birthday but, they still wanted to get her gifts and a cake, even if it was small because the girl deserved to be celebrated.

     The girl went to school, and now she was getting ready to go to the Cullens' house because Alice had wanted to do a small party for the girl. And now, Amara was going to a bonfire at La Push Beach to reconnect with some friends.

     Charlie sat at the kitchen table, munching on the double-chocolate brownies that Amara had made that morning. After coming home from the flower shop, he could see Amara brighten up. It was the same difference that he saw in Bella when she got together with Edward. And that made the man nervous, after witnessing, firsthand, the inner turmoil that Bella had faced when she had first started dating the Cullen boy, which led her to be in an accident that landed her in the hospital, had shaken the man.

     He did not want his eldest to go through the same thing that his youngest did, again. Although she was going to reconnect with friends, he had a gut feeling that his oldest daughter was going to find someone, and it scared him. Even though Amara was more selective with dating, and yes, she had crushes in school and would go on "dates," she only dated one person, and he had never seen his daughter look more heartbroken.

     It was young and dumb love; he left her with a broken heart and a wilted mind, and he never wanted to see his flower lose her petals again.

     "You're overthinking again." Sinta's hand massaged Charlie's shoulders, startling the man. Breathing out, the man placed the brownie down and placed his hands on his wife's.

     "Tell me about it. I just...I don't want Amara to go through what she did before, and I know what you are going to say, that she is only going to meet friends, but the look on her face and the feeling in my stomach let me know that-"

     "You can't protect her from everything. I know, as her father, that you want to, but all we can do is prepare her the best that we can and be there for her if anything ever does go wrong."

     "I know. I know."

     "Mom! I don't know what to wear!" Amara yelled from the top of the stairs, making the couple chuckle.

     "Our daughter has great timing. Let me go see if I can help this girl."

     Nodding his head, Charlie laughed as Sinta walked up the stairs, preparing herself for the amount of clothes that would be everywhere on her daughter's floor.

     "Amara, honey, calm down. I know it's been a while since you've gone out with a friend, but you know these people, yes, you haven't seen them in a while, but you know them, so calm down."

     Amara nodded at her mom, her shoulders sagging in slight relief, "But I still don't know what to wear."

     "Okay, well, it is a bonfire, correct?" The girl nodded to her mother's question.

     "So, what screams bonfire? Because I know you have something in this large, overwhelming pile of clothes that you have. Maybe something flowy, but comfortable, and don't do open-toed shoes, you will get cold, trust me."

     "But what if the open-toed shoes go with my outfit?"

     Sinta placed her hands on her hips as her eyebrows raised and her mouth thinned into a small line.

     "Yeah, okay, got the memo, no open-toed shoes."

     Amara turned to the pile of clothes on her bed knowing that she was going to have to put them away, and as much as she did not want to, she was going to do it before she went to the bonfire because she did not want to have to deal with it for when she got back, and who knows how late that was going to be.

     "Okay, let me clean off all of these clothes and then find an outfit because I still have an hour."

     Sinta smiled, "Let me leave you to it."

━

     Stepping out of Leah's car, the young girl shut the passenger seat door, Leah doing the same for the driver's, and Seth running off from the backseat, leaving the door open.

     "This kid." Leah scoffed as she rounded the back of the car and shut the door.

     Amara was racked with nerves, her hands smoothing down her white flowy dress, ruffled and scrunched at the top, and her white flats.

     "Hey, you'll be fine, they know you, you know them, stop worrying." Leah smiled slightly, her eyes intense as always, but you could feel the pain and heartbreak radiating off her.

     "I'm sorry, I should be the one comforting you; I don't have to be at a bonfire with my ex, who left me for my cousin." Amara sighed as she rubbed her hand on Leah's shoulder.

     "Perks of being the daughter of someone on the council. Come on, they are waiting for us."

     Amara and Leah made their way up to the group of people that gathered around the blazing fire, laughing and chattering among themselves. Linking their arms together, Amare tried to make herself a comforting presence for Leah, understanding that she was going through a lot emotionally and mentally.

    Billy Black, her father's best friend, and her old best friend's dad spotted the two girls first: "Well, look who it is, Miss Amara Swan."

     The group of people whipped their heads, making the girls almost stop in their tracks as they made slow steps to the group.

     "No way!" Three boys chorused, getting up from their places and rushing over to the girl.

     One by one, Embry, Jacob, and Quil greeted the girl with warm, tight hugs, each of them towering over her. Amara hugged each of them back with excitement, rocking each of them back and forth, years' worth of hugs wrapped into one hug for each of them.

     "Are you back?"

     "How have you been?"

     "How was school?"

     A flurry of questions was thrown at the girl, Amara trying to identify who was asking what and what to respond with.

     "Alright, boys, give the girl some space!" Billy exclaimed as he made his way over to the girl.

     Amara leaned down and gave the man, one who has known her for her whole life, a well-awaited hug. The comforting pine scent that covered Billy's jacket made the teenager feel more relaxed. Standing up straight, the girl smiled at Billy.

     "How are you, Billy?"

     "Hanging in there, Mara. Hanging in there. Charlie told me you were coming home about a month ago. I was wondering when you would pay us all a visit."

     The girl was then brought into another hug by Sue and Harry, Leah and Seth's parents, and a few of the other tribe council members. Amara felt completely relaxed as she was welcomed by everyone at the bonfire.

     "Is this everyone?" Amara questioned as she looked around the group of people. The tribe council, the Clearwater siblings, Embry, Quil, and Jake, were the only ones around the fire. Billy shook his head at the girl's question.

     "No, the rest are inside the house."

     Jake scoffed and shook his head as he, Embry, and Quil shared annoyed looks. Catching this immediately, ever the observer, Amara turned to Leah, who shook her head and looked down at the bright flames in the middle of the logged circle.

     "They will come out when they are done with whatever they are doing, so why don't we all catch up. I want to hear all of the stories you have while you were out at school." Sue spoke as she softly led the young girl to sit next to the boys, as they made a spot so she was in between Jake and Embry, and diagonal to Leah.

     Soon, everyone delved into comfortable conversation, asking Amara questions about her time at school, and Amara, in turn, asked everyone about what was going on while she was gone. Laughter and beautiful moments were shared by the people there. The boys had begun roughhousing with each other, letting Leah get up from her spot and sit down next to her long-haired friend.

     "See, I told you it wasn't going to be too bad," Leah nudged her with her elbow, the girl smiling in response.

     "Okay, you were right, I just don't know why I was so nervous."

     "You have been gone for a while; it's normal to feel that you may not be accepted in the same way as you were before, distance does that sometimes." Turning to Leah, Amara brought her into a tight side hug, letting Leah's head rest on her shoulder.

     The sound of the house door opening caught the group's attention, and a small group of three guys and one girl walked out. Two people who she assumed to be Sam and Emily walked out hand-in-hand, and two unknown guys made their way over to the group.

     Leah removed her head from Amara's shoulder, the two girls stood up, and the group of teenage boys stood up next to them, slightly shielding them from the group that was approaching them. Sue made her way over, getting ready to mediate if she needed to.

     "Sam, Emily, Paul, Jared, this is Amara, Chief Swan's eldest daughter. She has been away at school, and she just got back." The woman, introduced as Amara, softly made her way through the barrier that the boys had made between her and Leah and the group.

     Standing in front of them, she looked at each of them with a small smile on her face, slightly weary, because based on the Emily and Sam situation with Leah and the way her closest friends reacted to the mention of them earlier, the girl was not quite sure what she was expecting.

     "Hi, it's nice to meet you all!"

     As soon as she looked at each person, it was over. Sue, Harry, Billy, and the rest of the council quickly noted the situation and made their way over.

     Paul, Jared, Sam, and Emily paused. Time seemed to slow down; the sound of the leaves rustling to the movement of the wind became acute, almost collapsing to the floor, and the four were held in a powerful trance. The light of the bonfire added a glow to her face, her brown eyes reflecting the light of the fire, making them seem lighter than normal. The rich scent of vanilla and brown sugar made their heartbeats speed up. They could physically feel and mentally see the small, thin golden strings connected to the woman in front of them.

     Billy, Harry, and Sue exchanged worrying looks, disbelief in their eyes. If their eyes were not deceiving them and they thought what happened was real, some questions needed to be answered, and caution was to be delicately used.

     The sound of blaring ringtones rang into the air, breaking everyone out of their respective trances. Amara felt her phone vibrate in her boot, making the girl lean down and grab it. Looking at the contact and seeing that it was her mom, the girl picked up the call.

     "Hey, Mom, what's up?"

     "Honey, is your sister with you?"

     "Bella? No, isn't she supposed to be with the Cullens tonight for the party?"

     The small group turned to the girl, put on edge at the mention of the Cullen family. Billy wheeled his way to the small group, also holding his phone up to his ear.

     "Charlie, it's fine, we will find her."

     "We think your sister is missing, and we want you to come back home until we find her." Amara could hear the fear and urgency in her mom's voice. Looking over at Billy, had hung up the phone and looked at the teenager.

     "Amara, you need to go home; your mother and father are freaking out over Bella being missing, and they want you with them." The man was apologetic due to the night having to be cut short.

     The girl nodded and glanced at Leah, who nodded, "I'll take her home, Billy."

     Billy nodded in thanks. Amara turned to her friends, all of whom sensed what was coming, and brought her into their respective hugs. Hugging her tightly, Sam, Emily, Paul, and Jared couldn't help but watch in discomfort and annoyance as the boys held onto Amara for a little too long for their liking, but right now, it was not the time and place to bring it up.

     There was a missing girl to find.

━━

This was a long one but exciting one to write!

This chapter isn't heavily edited, so if there are
any big mistakes, let me know!

Half of the pack has imprinted on Amara, however,
There is going to be light angst for a while. in this
edited and revised version, book-wise, I am going to
have hesitation from Amara to get into a relationship
with the pack.

I wanted more nuance in her friendship with Leah
and how she acts and feels about being imprinted on
and the fact that her ex-fiancé (Sam) got
with her cousin(Emily).

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