CHAPTER ONE:
SLOWLY BUT SURELY

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IF THERE WAS ONE thing that Shay Chambers hated most in the world, it was having to wake up early. The ear-piercing shriek of her alarm always managed to infuriate her, and that cold cloud-covered morning was no exception. She let out a groan of annoyance as she fumbled for the snooze button, the silence that followed welcomed by a relieved sigh. She laid there for a moment, curled underneath her warm blankets, relishing in the heat that resonated to her bones. But she couldn't hide forever, no matter how much she wanted to, so with a whine of disappointment, she crawled out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she slid her feet into a pair of slippers and padded across the room with a heavy heart. 

Her bedroom door creaked as it swung open, causing her to wince as a sudden gust of air pricked at her exposed skin. Across from her, Sebastian's bedroom door was propped open by one of his tattered converses. She could see her brother's thin frame sprawled across his bed, snores lingering in the freezing air. With an amused smile tugging at her lips, she crept into his room, the floorboards groaning under her feet as she leaned over him, shaking his shoulders to wake him up.

"Sebby," Shay cooed, giggling as he let out a grumble of frustration much like her own, squinted eyes opening to glare at her. "You gotta get up, buddy, you have school."

"Five more minutes," he yawned before rolling onto his side, his back to her.

Shay scoffed, shaking her head as she turned to leave the room, heading to the bathroom and kicking the door shut behind her. She stripped out of her pajamas with great reluctance - knowing that once she was out of them, there'd be no going back to sleep - before hopping into the shower and turning on the taps. She screeched as ice cold water poured down on her, followed by a string of furious curses as she waited for the temperature to slowly but surely increase. Unfortunately for Shay, that wasn't the first time she'd made that mistake, and it definitely wouldn't be the last, judging by Sebastian's knowing laughter as he passed the bathroom door. She wasn't sure how long she stayed there, but by the time she was finished, her brother was moving around his room, getting his things ready for the day.

She went back to her own room, humming some pop song under her breath as she clung to the fluffy white towel that was wrapped around her body. Locking the door behind her, she removed the towel and changed into her work uniform; a dark green button-up with three-quarter sleeves and a pair of black skinny jeans with rips at the knees. She pinned her name tag to the front of her shirt, throwing her frizzy curls back in a messy ponytail, before stopping and staring into the mirror for a moment.

The girl that stared back at her was becoming more and more unrecognisable with each day that passed. The longer their mother was absent from their lives, the more she became a parental figure to her younger brother. The longer she worked at Forks' local diner to support her family of two, the more she lost the carefree, loving teenage part of her that she so desperately clung to in the chaos of their lives. And it terrified her, what she was becoming. She didn't ask for any of it, yet there she was, forced to persevere anyway. 

With a sigh, she forced a smile back onto her face, murmuring, "You've got this, Shay." Just as a reminder.

Sebastian was already in the kitchen when she went downstairs. He had a glass of orange juice in one hand and a worn copy of a book in the other, his eyes frantic as they raced to read each word before they left. She watched him in amusement, smirking as he finished the chapter he was on and cheered in triumph.

"Let me guess, you forgot to do your homework last night?" she chuckled, making her way over to the counter to make herself a cup of coffee. If there was one thing that Shay Chambers couldn't live without, it was her caffeine. 

"I didn't forget," Sebastian insisted, though his blushing cheeks said otherwise.

"You didn't want to then?" she continued, grinning at the sheepish smile he shot her. "Not to worry, Sebby. I was the same way when I was in high school."

"What, back in the dark ages?" he teased, letting out a laugh as she turned to glare at him.

"Careful now, Sebby. I'm the one that drives you to school, remember? I could always make you walk." With a shudder, Sebastian peered through the kitchen window, grimacing at the rain that was pouring down on their tiny town. Shay smirked, knowing she'd gotten him good. "That's what I thought, bud." She sipped her coffee, peering at him over the rim of the mug. "And for the record, I only finished high school last year. That does not make me old."

Sebastian laughed again, muttering a sarcastic "sure" under his breath as he began to back out of the room. Shay followed behind him, spewing her protests at his taunts as they moved to the front door.

The rain began to get heavier as they stepped onto the front porch, Sebastian waiting with impatience as his sister locked the door behind them, not too eager to head out into the cold when she could easily just go back to bed. Sharing a wary glance, the siblings rushed over to where Shay's second-hand honda was parked in the driveway, throwing themselves into the vehicle with relieved sighs. The drive to school was spent in silence, excluding the radio as it blasted the current top forty hits through the speakers. Shay listened along, fingers tapping patterns against the steering wheel as she drove. And before they knew it, they were pulling into Forks High School's parking lot. Usually, it'd be crawling with teenagers trying to avoid heading into school for as long as possible, but with the storm roaring above, everyone was eager to get away from the rain. 

Shay stared up at her old school with fascination. It wasn't too long ago that she was a student there, struggling to juggle her education and her home life. It definitely wasn't easy trying to study for exams while she looked after her brother and worked crazy hours to support them both. And it wasn't any easier now that she'd graduated, but at least they were getting somewhere, slowly but surely. Sebastian's voice had her snapping out of her reverie, and she averted her eyes towards him, confused.

"What?" she asked, causing him to snicker.

"I just asked if you were okay," he muttered, his laughter fading as he frowned, his sister's silence hitting him hard. Shay had always been happy and carefree around him, but there were times where she'd go quiet, and it seemed that morning was one of those times. "Are you okay, Shay?"

"I'm fine, Sebby," she muttered, ignoring the familiar feeling of stress that weighed on her shoulders, greeting her like an old friend. "You don't have to worry about me."

"Easier said than done," he murmured and she stayed quiet, pretending that she hadn't heard him. She didn't want Sebastian to worry about her, to feel like a burden to her. She'd been in his position more times than she could count, and the glimmer of doubt shining in his eyes was like a slap across the face for her. 

"You better head inside," she said as the bell rang, signaling the start of first period classes. "You may be a freshman, but there's only so many times that the teachers will let you get away with being late before they start giving you detentions. Trust me, I learned that the hard way."

"Okay," Sebastian chuckled as he gathered his bag, preparing for the onslaught of rain when he stepped out of the car. He went to open the door, but stopped at the last second, turning to give his sister a beaming smile, so innocent in its radiance. "I love you, Shay."

"I love you too, Seb," she murmured, swallowing thickly as he continued to grin. "Now get going. I'll be here to pick you up when school's over."

With that, he stepped outside, slamming the door shut behind him before racing up to the main steps, heading to where his friends and a couple of other students were lingering by the doors. Shay waited for him to disappear inside before she started up her car, hand reaching out to turn down the radio now that her brother wasn't there with her. She was just about to reverse from the parking lot when she saw her on the front steps, watching her car with interest.

Alice Cullen was someone that Shay had only seen once or twice when she was in school. She knew who she and her family were, everyone in Forks knew the infamous Cullens, but she'd never gone out of her way to bother them. She just didn't feel the need to fall at their feet as everyone else did, but seeing Alice standing there, staring back at her, she knew something had changed. As she drove past, she lifted her hand in a wave, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. Her face flushed pink as Alice beamed back, and she was quick to avert her eyes away as she continued to drive, her heart suddenly feeling heavier than before.

Meanwhile, back in Forks High's parking lot, Alice stood there with a look of awe on her face, golden eyes following the honda as it drove onto the main road. Bella and Jasper watched her in confusion, while Edward wore the smallest of grins, looking into his sister's thoughts filled with the face of Shay Chambers. 

"What?" Jasper frowned, his hand grazing his best friend's arm. "Alice, is something wrong?"

"I found her," she murmured, and suddenly, everything seemed to make sense.

"You did?" he gasped, sharing a smile with Edward while Bella continued to frown in confusion.

"Found who?" she asked, glancing at each of them in turn. "Who did you find, Alice?"

"Her name is Shay Chambers," Edward spoke, watching as Alice's eyes lit up. "She graduated last year."

"Shay," Alice repeated, still in shock. "What a beautiful name."