I am aware that this is a very short chapter, but I'm finding as I begin to write that a fair amount of research is required. This is mostly due to the fact that I want to make this my own and not be an obvious rewrite of Twilight because the way I have it planned, it's going to be quite different. As I plan out more and more of the story, I'm finding that I'm taking the very general idea of Twilight, boy meets girl kind of thing but, surprise, boy is actually a vampire and then adding my own twists and turns. One of my biggest goals is to make my female lead have an actual personality. I always hated Bella because she was so boring and I really want to avoid that here. I want my lead to be someone that people can appreciate and identify with and sympathize or empathize with. I want her to be real. Anyway, generally speaking, I think I'm going to continue making the chapters relatively short. I don't have a ton of free time and shorter chapters makes it easier for me to stay focused and actually get something written rather than waiting and hoping for larger chunk of time to be available. In any case, here's chapter 1 and again any thoughts or opinions would be much appreciated!
I pressed my head against the hard glass of the airplane window, straining to see every part of land below. I was struck once again by all the green I saw. It dominated the landscape in a way I had never seen, but then green isn't exactly a common color in the Land of Enchantment. Green mostly came in the form of the weeds that grew everywhere. Browns and greys, though? Those colors were everywhere. I wasn't a fan of them, the colors of the desert. To me they signified desolation, a place where life wasn't meant to grow or thrive. But green, green was life and what I saw below me was a lot of life.
The landing wasn't exactly smooth, but in such a small plane, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. I groaned as I stood up and slowly stretched my cramped legs. The flight between Seattle and Hoquiam was only forty minutes, but the seats weren't exactly designed for people with longer legs and my muscles complained as I walked down the few short steps to the ground. I stretched as I looked around, taking in the scenery. To be fair there wasn't much to see. The airport was set on a small peninsula jutting out into the bay, just big enough for the four and five passenger planes that used it. Aside from the few airport buildings, there was just water and trees to look at.
As I collected my few pieces of luggage, I called the taxi service I had looked up the night before, thankful that even in a small city this luxury was still available. I was told the wait would be about twenty minutes, but I didn't mind. Despite the day being overcast, something that was not at all unexpected, it wasn't cold outside and I enjoyed just looking out over the water. It also gave me the opportunity to call and talk to my parents for a few minutes without any inquisitive ears listening in on our conversation.
The taxi arrived sooner than expected, a pleasant surprise, since it began rain just as he pulled up. He was older than I had expected and I hurried to load my bags into the trunk before he could help. He was quicker than I had expected though and I had barely popped open the trunk when he came around the side of the car. He gave me a cheerful grin as he smoothly slipped the bag I was holding from my hands. Despite my protestations that I could help, he ushered me into the backseat and proceeded to load my bags himself.
"Don't worry, girl," he said as he slid back into the front seat. "I may be old, but I won't have a heart attack or nothing on ya." He gave me a quick wink before shifting the car into gear and pulling out onto the road. I couldn't help but laugh at his cheekiness. Hopefully everyone I met would be just as friendly, it would certainly make settling in easier.
The thirty minute drive from Hoquiam to Montesano passed mostly in silence. My driver, who'd introduced himself as Duane, seemed to understand that I wasn't a particularly talkative person and aside from pointing out a few notable landmarks and buildings, he said very little which I appreciated. I was tired after a day of traveling and I just wanted to look out the window and drink in the scenery.
The farther we drove, the more I fell in love. This was a place I could be happy, I thought. This was a place where I could get my life together and finally find success. I leaned my head against the window, watching the raindrops race down it. The sound of the rain on the roof slowly lulled me to sleep. I closed my eyes, feeling for the first time in years, a glimmer of hope.
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