One of A Kind

Pre-Twilight: Chapter One

Cold.

That is what I felt the moment I woke up. Early January is when it is the coldest in the tiny town of Forks, Washington. It's one of the many things I like about this town. I cannot stand the heat. I would rather risk the chance of hypothermia rather than hyperthermia.

It is the beginning of a new semester at school. Unlike most people, I actually enjoy school. I am a very social person, and I love learning. Some may call me a nerd, but I am a philomath, meaning I am a lover of learning and studying. I learned that in my human perspectives class last semester.

I can smell the scent of bacon frying downstairs, meaning I need to get up and get a move on. I get up and go into the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I am brushing my teeth, I admire the fact that I woke up looking somewhat decent. My hazel eyes stand out between my pale skin and dark eyebrows. The bags under my eyes are barely there, thanks to me going to bed at eight last night.

I go back to my room and stand in front of my closet, deciding what to wear. I choose a pair of black jeans, a baby blue sweater, and chunky black heels. Walking out of my room, I grab my white scarf and backpack.

As I walk down the stairs, I hear Anna, my stepmom, humming to some new song that she has probably heard on the radio a million times. Anna and my dad met when I was eight, and then they got married two years later. She is probably the best thing to happen to my dad, besides my sister and I being born. My mom and sister, Bella, live in Phoenix, which is almost always hot. When I was five, my mom left with Bella. I convinced her to let me stay in Forks because I love the cold and had many friends. My version of convincing back then was throwing many tantrums until my mom finally gave in.

Even though we live a little over 1,500 miles from each other, we are very close. We face time every other day. I fill her in with school and theater, and she fills me in on what is going on with Bella and her. She also likes to throw in what gossip is running through the town that week. I was there for the entirety of my winter break. The weather in December was not wholly unbearable. Growing up, Bella and I were not the closest. That was just due to the distance and the fact that we were always busy when we were younger. I came and spent the whole summer in Phoenix before my freshman year. Bella and I strongly bonded over that time and have been very close ever since.

"Netta! Hurry u—"

"I'm already here." She jumps when she hears my voice.

"Oh! Okay, your breakfast is on the table. Hurry up and eat. I have to be at the hospital early." Anna is the head of cardiovascular surgery at Forks Hospital. "I am supposed to show the new neurosurgery doctor around this morning. Apparently, he moved all the way down here from Alaska."

"Talk about a change of scenery." I snickered.

"Totally!" She chuckled. After about five minutes, I finished my breakfast and washed my dishes. Anna had already gone out to the car to heat it up. I lock up and walk to the car, avoiding the spot of ice in front of the front stairs. We get on the road and start driving to Forks High.

"Netta, can you be careful today?" Anna said, breaking the comfortable silence in the car.

"Why? Another feeling?" I asked.

"Yeah. I feel something is going to happen today, whether to you, me, or your father." She explains.

Anna is a witch. Not the movie's witches who wear dark robes and fly on broomsticks. She does minor spells, nothing too crazy. She put up a protective barrier around the house where she could only let people in. Once, she accidentally made one of our living room windows explode because she got a little too mad at the Bachelor one Monday night last September. Only I know about her being a witch. Not even my dad knows. She did not even want to tell me, but when I started showing signs of being a supernatural being, she had to reveal what she was to me to help me.