『 CHAPTER xii: PURPLE AND PAINFUL.  』

SUE AND DAPHNE CALLED IN EVERYONE to the kitchen to grab their own plates and get what they were going to eat. Harry and Charlie come in through the sliding doors laughing with Billy right behind them as they carried in the grilled fish and shrimp. Everyone bustled around the living space and June laughed loudly when Leah shrieked loudly as Seth threw mashed potatoes on her face. She reached over to grab him but he ran away, cackling madly as Charlie and Harry laughed as well, Sue calling for them to behave. Leah groans loudly as her aunt Allison helped her get cleaned up, Leah muttering on about how Seth always does this! Star began eating and sat by Lyanna and Elodie, all three girls engrossed in the tales of the sunny area Bella was speaking about, Arizona, the place she lived most of her flow. An area of constant dryness and heat, a setting which was but a myth to Quileute girls like Star and Elodie.

June's grandmother Iris called for cups and June took the role, opening the cupboard and tiptoeing to try and reach for the plastic cups sitting at the top. She reached and reached but failed, she was about to open her mouth and declare her loss when a hand reached in front of her and swiped the cups easily.

Jacob's smiling face met hers, "I got you, ocean eyes."

June chuckled, grabbing the cups from his hold as he handed them to her, "Thanks. Never could reach the cupboard when I was younger and I still can't now." She huffs playfully.

He laughs, his eyes twinkling as he stares down at her. "I'm tall for my age— most of us around here, are. Can't say the same for you, ocean eyes." He jokes.

June rolls her eyes, "Funny."

Her aunt Allison comes up, grabbing the cups, "Thank you very much," She winks at both of them, tapping June's nose as she slips past. "Make sure you all get your plates, Star's hovering over the mashed potatoes."

"Hell yeah, I am!" Star hoots with her mouth full, earning a look from Iris who smiles nevertheless. She winks at June's grandmother, who shakes her head at her again. "Oops, sorry, Iris!" She looks to Seth. "Kid, pass me more potatoes."

Seth's eyes widened, "More? Sure, Star, here." He says.

Jacob nods to Allison, gesturing he has his plate and goes to speak again but it's Billy's voice that takes control over the atmosphere. "—any luck on that Waylon case, Charlie?"

They're all sitting down by now when the question sinks in. June and Bella share a quick look. They hadn't anticipated Billy, whom Edward had said was such a firm believer in his mind, would bring up the topic of her dad slaughtered best friend over dinner. Jacob notices the tension and sits beside June, the youngest Swan sister looks over to where her dad is sitting; right next to her mom, Daphne's blue eyes weary as she puts her hand on Charlie's that rests on the table. June's heart clenches a bit, she hadn't expected them to get so close either. But she wasn't surprised. Daphne was always nostalgic whenever she saw Charlie and got reminded of the life she threw away with him and their perfect little girl by running away herself.

"No, unfortunately," Charlie says as he chews on a fry, shrugging with a sigh as he picks up his beer. His brown eyes turn misty. "Although I don't think it was an animal that killed him as the coroner wrote off."

Billy seems just as troubled as he does satisfied with the answer, "Never thought it was."

     Bella drops her spoon in her plate and mumbles as she picked it up. June could shake her head if she didn't have Billy staring at her from the corner of her eye.

"You never know around these woods," Harry Clearwater reasons, sitting next to his wife who's sitting in between her two children as they glare at one another. "Our families have lived here for generations. You still don't know what goes bumping around at night."

Daphne looks troubled, she turns to Billy. "You've gotten the word out haven't you, around here?" She looks to Harry as well. "Make sure that the kids keep out of the woods."

"We have," Billy assures.

"It's not easy to know so many people are dying," Allison says as she shakes her head. "For some inane reason, it's only attracting more tourists!"

"People who search for some excitement," Sue rolls her eyes with a heavy sigh. "I went down to the store the other day and the clerk told he that about a handful of guys had hunting supplies to look out for whatever was out there."

"They come to my work, too. Hikers and hunters and whatnot." Bella says with a nods, everyone facing her. She reddens slightly under the attention. "Mike's dad said business has never been busier. I can vouch for that."

"I don't even know why anyone would want to be outside, hiking and all." Star grumbles as she ate, eyeing everyone with her stale look. "The air is too fresh, and the trees at too pretty. It's disgusting."

Elodie and Lyanna and Seth all laugh.

"Why don't you young ones get the word out?" June's grandmother speaks, her crystal irises eyeing the youngest people in the room. "By, whatever means your little generation has going on nowadays."

             "Yeah we use tiny rolled up scrolls tied to the ankle of trained foxes and delivered by them, I'm on it." Star says with a firm nod.

"Don't forget the cloud writing!" Seth chimes, which causes Star to nod, fist bumping him.

June's aunt Allison is passing out more utensils and whatnot, seemingly counting when she frowns. She looks to Jacob. "Oh, Jacob! I almost forgot, where's your friend?" She can't help but add sourly, dark eyes narrowing. "Tiffany's boy."

June notices the stillness in the air — Embry Call's dubious father might've been the biggest scandal since before Rachel and Rebecca Black left the Reservation without looking back. Everyone knew Embry's dad was Joshua Uley; a fact that had Tiffany Call and June's aunt Allison at odds, rightfully so. For Joshua had yet to leave Sam's mother and a five year old Sam before he got Makah-born girl pregnant with Embry.

"He couldn't make it, I guess." Jacob's brows furrow, he looks to Lyanna surprisingly. "Did he ever answer?"

         Everyone looks to the other Makah girl, Lyanna slinking in her sink a little before she straightens, shaking her head with a crestfallen look June catches before she replaces it with a smile, "No, he didn't. Said he was busy or something." Lyanna says dismissively.

"Busy? Okay." Jacob sorta grumbled.

June blinks, "I saw him with Sam the other day." She decides to say, recounting her memory. The room is even more quiet and Leah kinda hardens at the mention of the heartbreaker. "At the diner; Sam and his little rats were all there."

Charlie notices the tension and sighs, "June—"

June disregards her dad's sigh and looks to Lyanna. "Embry was there, too."

Lyanna's pretty face falls. She too, as new as she was to the Rez, seemingly heard all about Sam Uley and his henchmen from Leah. "I didn't know he hung out with them...?" Her question directs to Jacob.

Jacob's face is just as fallen as Lyanna's is as he hears the words that June uttered. He shakes his head, his long hair moving with him. "Me, either."

June can imagine somethings going on with Jacob and his own circle. For as long as she knew, Jacob had his own trio with Quil Ateara and Embry Call. But judging by the sullen face of Lyanna and the irritated one on Jacob's — June knew she had to get out of her own head and start worrying about others. Especially if Sam was no recruiting so close to someone as good as Jacob. The room is silent again as everyone turns to the door opening. The devil himself, Sam Uley, stands at the entrance, his groupies flocking behind him. He comes into the house, nodding. June watches as Harry and Billy's face flood with pride upon seeing Sam. June, for the life of her, doesn't know why. But she doesn't care about anyone but Leah, who's beautifully sculpted face looks in shambles at the sight of him. The ire fills June as Sam has the audacity to smile at her. Loyal to Leah, Star and Elodie glare, arms crossed while Lyanna gets the memo and crosses her arms as well, their piercing eyes following him. Even June's mother, who had never taken to her own brothers wanton behaviors, can't believe Sam would be following in the same path as Joshua was.

Jared Cameron peaked in and saw Star who was happily eating and beamed, "Star!"

"Oh, for fucks sake," Star groaned loudly, grabbing something from underneath her seat. The voodoo doll looking like Jared appeared in her hand and she stabbed it repeatedly, "Please choke, please choke, pleasseee—"

Wide eyed, Jared gulped before staying outside with Paul Lahote's chuckles filling their ears.

Sam nods to Leah, "Lee." He smiles weakly.

Leah cannot handle it, June knows. The smile sets her off the edge and she pushes out of her seat, throwing her napkin on the table. "I'm sorry, Daphne, Iris, I have to be excused."

"Leah—" Lyanna speaks up but the russet skinned girl is already disappeared off into the other room, Sue following her daughter with Elodie and Star following after them.

Iris stands up immediately, greeting her favorite grandchild. "Samuel," She says as if nothing happening. "The foods just come out, you're right on time—"

"Who invited you?" June stands immediately, her voice like chipped ice.

Sam stands straighter after hugging Iris, "Grandma."

June's eyes flicker to Iris who tutted, "Now, Juniper, enough of this. You cannot mean to be so calloused, your mother just got back—"

"I don't care," June cuts off. "Why are you here?"

Sam's jaw clenched but before he could say anything Harry Clearwater speaks, "There's more than enough food for everyone—"

"I was invited June," Sam grits out. "I don't only come when I'm invited or when it's only convenient for me."

June knows the insult when she hears it. Sam's ignorant to why she doesn't visit. He doesn't know anything. He doesn't know that she's closing to dying with every word she speaks and every second that goes by. He doesn't know that. She doesn't think he'd even care.

She laughs just as icily as she speaks, "Oh, yes, the golden child. I forgot." Her blue eyes narrow. "It's just that you've been messing up lately, it's kinda hard to remember how special you are."

"Juniper," Iris's warning voice came. "Enough."

"And you're such a saint, June?" Sam challenge back with a dark look. "What'd you think everyone will say when they find out who your new friends are?"

June pales instantly. Her jaw clenched as she feels all eyes on her, Bella's most importantly. She looks to her sister before standing her ground, "Shut up, Sam."

"Hold on, now," Charlie furrows his brows, looking to his daughters. "Somebody better start talking."

"It's nothing dad," June all but snaps, anger filling her body and she can swear she feels her palms heat up. Bella's typing on her phone and June already knows what's she's doing — planning a getaway. "Really. Sam doesn't even know what he's talking about."

Sam gave her an incredulous smile, "Oh, I don't?"

        June shook her head firmly, her palms making fists. "No, you don't." She stood her ground.

"Who are these new friends, Juniper?" Billy chimes up, looking with dark and suspicious eyes between Sam and his younger cousin.

"Dad—" Jacob tried to intervene, giving June an apologetic look.

Sam answered though, his whole faced seemingly morphed into complete anger. "June's become friends with the Cullen's."

In that moment, June wanted him to hurt. She wanted him to feel the pain she had been for months. For the way he hurt Leah and thought he was the chief of the tribe or something. Harry and Billy shared a look that had Billy eyeing June with a heavy heart. Lyanna looked down at her plate, Jacob shutting his eyes with a silent grimace. Her mother even gasped a bit at the words Sam spoke, her disapproval of her only daughter with the Cullen's written in her face — but June only cared about one: Charlie's face was sunken in disappointment, not directed at her, but for the dumbfounded conclusion he made whenever he heard the Quileute's talking bad about the Cullen's.

         "They're my friends." June spoke firmly, her blue eyes piercing him. "Is there a problem with that?"

Sam clenched his jaw, "They aren't people you should be hanging out with."

Before June could retort something witty or clever, her dad beat her to it, much to the frown on Daphne's face that had only appeared when she heard her daughter was consorting with the most hated family in regards to the Quileute's.

"Why the hell not?" Charlie's the one who asked, just about done with the whole prejudice around this place as June was. "Dr. Cullen and his wife raised those kids right — they're good folks, Sam, all of them."

"Exactly, Samuel." The corner of June's lips twitched upwards. "You should really stop listening to silly stories and focus on real life."

"You're not hanging out with them anymore, you hear me?" Sam says to her, his eyes holding a warning. "Even grandma agrees."

Iris heaves a sigh, turning to June. "Sam's looking out in your best interests. He thinks—"

June wants to yell, IM GONNA DIE ANYWAY! All but one person including have zero idea they've got a dead girl walking right in front of them. June reasons that's why she wasn't as afraid of Edward and his family as she should've been. A family of vampires that could've ripped her and Bella apart any second they wanted. Any sane and non suicidal person would've steered clear from Edward Cullen but June was convinced that Bella wasn't all that sane and June herself was not a person who loved life all that much. Because death was already promised, her mortal life was to end. June didn't mind when happened, because it was going to occur regardless of what she did or what decisions she made.

"I don't care what he thinks!" June screamed loudly, everyone looking away and looking like they wanted to be anywhere but there.

         Daphne spoke first, "June, my love? What's this all about?" She asked in her soft mothering tone.

      "I think we know what this is all about," June stared at her cousin straight in the eye. "Sam's trying take the attention off himself — following in his daddy's footsteps, becoming just like uncle Joshua." 

"Juniper!" Iris stood, outraged. June's aunt Allison just had her eyes on her plate.

"She didn't mean it, mother!" Daphne snapped, standing up as well. Her blue eyes widen as she looks to June. "You didn't mean it, did you."

"Every word, mom. Welcome home," June replies icily and gestured to her older sister. "Bella, come on, we're done here."

Her older sister nods, standing up as she taps some words into a text, "He's waiting."

Billy and Harry protest. "Girls, let's all sit—"

Charlie begins to frown, "What? Who's waiting?"

"I don't think so," Sam all but roars, his eyes telling her that he knows exactly who's waiting. Jared and Paul get equally dark looks and rush away from the porch. "Like hell you're leaving. Not with them."

"You're not in charge of Bella." June snaps.

"No, but I'm in charge of you." Sam retorts.

"You're nothing to me. Not since you've decided to become Joshua Uley 2.0," June said, knowing how much he hated to be compared to his father. It was the worst insult she could give him.

June stands right in front of him. Sam was shaking with anger by this time and everyone seemed just how dangerous he looked but June was undaunted while everyone suddenly sweated in nervousness of what was gonna happen next. Her palms her glowing she knew, but she only kept her fist balled tightly. Sam came closer and in an instant, Jared and Paul came in to try and restrain him, but June was much quicker and shoved him with all her might as she tried to get out the door. Surprisingly, he fell back with a force so hard it knocked him onto the porch. Everyone's eyes widen at the scene in front of them.

June's hands glowed for a second before they stopped, no one but her seeing, her eyes widening in horror as she realized what she had been able to do. "Sam–I'm—so," She stopped herself when he got up quickly, seeing my okay but just as in shock as she was. She shook her head. "I have to go—I have—Bella! Let's go!" June looked at Lyanna apologetically who was blinking the events, June grabbing her coat as Bella took her hand, "I'm sorry how things turned out, tell Leah I'll visit her soon, and Star and Elodie." She says to the girl who nods with a sad smile. "And you, too."

"June." It's his voice. Jacob. He brings her back to sanity. His toffee eyes are worried, he's mostly always worried about her.

"I'm sorry, Jake." She shakes her head sadly.

Then she says nothing as she and Bella take off running to the treaty line with the familiar shiny Volvo in sight. June can't help but sigh in relief, she blinks away the scared tears the whole time. She feels her blood pumping in her ears. Bella hops in the passenger while June gets in the back. She leans her head on the seat and sighs.

Edward looks at the both of them, confused as he had dropped them off only hours ago, "You two alright?"

"We're fine," Bella answers but looks back to her sister, too. "June almost pulverized her cousin."

June feels her tears returning, "Just drive, Edward."

The vampire wastes no time, giving her a solemn nod as he peels out from the treaty line and practically races out of there. June leans her forehead on the cool glass of the window, trying to catch her breath from the little getaway they just pulled. She didn't mean half of the things she said but then she did. Leah deserved more, her aunt Allison deserved to have a good son. It wasn't fair. Nothing's fair, a voice in her mind reminds her, making her remember a spot on a cemetery that was waiting for her. June winces to herself, feeling a part of her arm tender for some reason. She pulls back her jacket sleeve — a perfect veiny bruise that wasn't there when she went to her grandmother's appeared, purple and painful and the epitome of a reminder that she, a girl named for the flowers her mother loved so much, would never have a fair ending.

•—•—•

ON THE FIFTEENTH OF MAY, A SATURDAY, Juniper H. Swan couldn't help the constant repeats of Nirvana's greatest hits that flooded the atmosphere of her small yet spacious room. It was small in size, though the thoughts and the being whom occupied it, a fifteen year old blonde with about five painful and purple bruises scattering her olive skin, had made it grand. The blonde's thoughts made the ink on the once blank canvases she had littering her bedroom floors — paintings that were the same horrid things her night terrors made her already fragile mind witness. June had paint covering most to all of the large, hideous bruises that marked her body. There was one on her forearm, which she had gotten ( a fact she realized after the trail and errors she happened to experiment with ) from pushing Sam, a one hundred and sixty pound grown man like he weighed nothing. There was that caressed her entire left hand, one on her right, and one on her ribcage and one on her shoulder.

The trials and errors ( though she didn't fail in what she was trying to accomplish ) began when June was dropped off at home by Edward three days earlier — the day she had began to work her genius little mind.

Making her way to the plant nursery down by Forks High, she bought six empty and very small plant pots. She also bought seedlings of bellflowers, then two bouquets sunflowers and proceeded to let the bouquet die over the course of the week. June set all the pots along her window, put in the necessary soil, put the bellflower seedling inside and stared at it. June knew what she was going to do. She knew it, she felt it in the hollowness of her bones, the fiber of her skin. June knew she was going out of her mind — but it wouldn't matter. Her grandmother told her she'd be dead soon anyway.

"Come on, June." She mumbled her to herself.

                     June shut her eyes. She saw the horrible things from her nightmares; a devil with red hair and eyes the color of a crimson rose petal, an angel of a girl with Snow White skin that could set people on fire with her crimson stare, withering in pain from the burning she inflicted. She touch the soil of one plant. Opening her eyes, her vision showed her a fully sprouted bellflower in bloom, pretty and purple and painful to comprehend that she had done it. The flower, the purple bellflower, had not been a bellflower yet at all. But a seedling. No water, not even a ounce of sun outside the window that she had cracked open. June tried again with the other pot, another bellflower erupted. The more and more her tears came, the more brilliant in color and size the bellflowers grew out to be. Until it was all but one of the pots filled with bellflowers — grown by her hand, her glowing golden palm which felt like it was the base of a campfire itself. She left the sixth one alone, because the thought of having another painful bruise on her body was as much of a bruise as the actual one would be.

Which all led up to May fifteenth, a Saturday, where the blonde fifteen year old girl sits on the floor of the bedroom with paint covering her horrid bruises and Nirvana blaring out of her speakers and her eyes bloodshot from her crying the her mental breakdown had brought upon.

Her dog, Patrick Verona, was with her dad downstairs. She didn't want to blow out his poor and sensitive dog hearing. June cried and painted, cried and painted until she couldn't even see her skin beneath of the splashes of paint she has on her. June knew her whole family, her Quileute side of the family, was probably angry with her. Sam looked like he wanted to wring her neck. Her mother looked disgusted she was friends with the Cullen's. Her grandmother was looking at her with those warning eyes that told her she couldn't make it obvious she was on a dance of death. They were a macabre of a family. Charlie had quickly came home the day of the cookout, her mother in tow with him. Daphne stayed the night, Bella and she sharing a look when she heard Charlie's door shut close. They shared a shudder, too.

As far as June knew, Daphne was out buying groceries and Bella was with Edward, doing who knows what because what can a vampire and a human do besides chill and ask questions? Daphne gets home as soon as the thought passes her, June going over to the window to see the small blue car pull up. Charlie meets her mom outside and helps her with the groceries. June sees Daphne's face and sees her say something and it makes Charlie laugh — he hasn't smiled this large since, well since Waylon was murdered. It should make her feel better, her parents getting close again. But June doesn't count on it lasting very long. It was only time before her Gemini of a mother to up and leave when she decided seeing the face of her soon-to-be dead daughter was too much.

      June goes over and lowers her music to a minimal hum, changing it to the poetic and silken voice of Jim Morrison as well. She finds solace in the lyrical genius of his music, of the instruments his band strums, how people are strange indeed. June opens her door and whistles.

She waits two seconds before she hears the jingle of Patrick's collar and he's running into her room. "Good boy," She pats his head as he passes in. Patrick jumps on her bed, his chew toy in his mouth so he's pretty content.

June smiles fondly until she hears a knock at her door. Eyes widening, she quickly stuffs most of her paintings under her bed and turns the others face down. "Come in!" She tells whoever is knocking. It's her mom. She isn't surprised. June looks up at her and she shuts the door behind her.

    June looks at her warily, "Mom."

"June-Bug," Daphne greets just as softly. Her eyes drift immediately towards the paintings peeking out from under her bed. June stiffens, seeing her mom pick up a painting and eye it with subtle horror. "This ... is this what you see at night?"

June looks at her mom, dead in the eye, "Every night."

Daphne nods slowly, her blue eyes endless with words that are better left unspoken. "Have you told your grandmother?"

June looks down at the bruises on her hand, covered by the paint on her body. "I don't think I want to visit the Reservation anymore." She says numbly, blinking back tears. "Not for a while anyway."

She needed to stay away. She needed some time, she needed to think and just get some space from everything over there, she couldn't keep her promise to Jacob — Jacob, who's smile could make her forget even her largest worries, even her awaited death. She didn't want to feel helpless as she always did when she was around him. She wanted to feel in control, because with him, there was no control. Being with him, just, was.

Daphne's lips pull into a thin line. She goes to kneel in front of June, trying to get her daughter to look at her. "Sweetheart, what happened with Sam—?" Daphne asks in a hushed tone.

"I don't know," June chokes out, tears streaming down her face as she shakes her head, her face crumbling. "I don't know what's happening to me, mom. I don't know ... I don't know anything about anything anymore. All I do know is that I don't want to die like this, hurting, in pain and going out of my mind. I want to be myself when I go."

Daphne cups her daughters face, "Talk to me, tell me because I want to know. I'm not running away, Juniper. Not anymore, I told you." Her mom says fiercely, her eyes damp as her own. "Let me help you, baby."

June chokes up slightly. June didn't know if her mother's words meant anything. But Daphne never promised what she couldn't or wouldn't keep. And she never promised to stay like she was right now. June couldn't help but believe her mom. So June stands up without a word and goes over to the last pot, the sixth pot filled with soil she had yet to test out. She grabs it, bringing it over to where she was sitting down on the edge of her bed. Daphne looks at her warily. June sits. She didn't know if it would work in front of someone else. She had to try, her mom had to know. Iris couldn't know yet, she was still angry at her for the things she said to Sam, so June thinks. She thinks about her nightmares, the way she had been able to shove Sam out of the way, the Cullen's and the nomads that were terrorizing her town and killed one of her dads best friends and were murdering others for the hunt of it all. Blood drinkers. Vampires.

            The thoughts seemed to amplify her dormant power, however dormant it was, because the once small seedling grew into a beautiful purple colored bellflower and a painful bruise sprouted on her right wrist. The pain was sharp and it brought out a soft whimper from June's lips — Daphne's eyes widened as she watched her daughters face crumble in more pain and she took the pot, the blooming bellflower, from her.

June took a shaky breath. Her Labrador came up, whining a bit as he nudged her, licking her hand. She smiled a bit, but it was soon followed by a burst of tears. Daphne reached for her, pulling her into her arms and rubbing her back soothingly.

       June cried into her mom's arms, "Mom? There's something seriously wrong with me." She says.

Daphne can only hold her close.

note: henlo I love angst™ but yeah; junes powers ( still very new and very much a cause of anxiety for jun :----/// ) tried to portray her from my own experiences with anxiety and depression and you get her, june who has her ups and downs and she's a very fickle girl, immoral and very morbid because of her awaited death. she wants to die, not really, but she convinced herself and has a mentality that she does and she's okay with it right now but then there's always that special someone,,, henlo jacob who makes her rethink everything. oh and bb lyanna young made another appearance firenations her oc is my life,,,,get ready to see her more in part two which is coming in only three more chapters!!!! IM EXCITED!!!