Digital Desire || Twilight J.H.

13 | SETTLING IN AT FORKS

//

Nova Swan stood silently as she waited for her father and sister to pick her up from the airport. After a rather frightening flight full of vehement turbulence, she had finally made it to Forks. Well, almost. She was currently in Port Angeles, which was a small town placed right beside Forks. After a brief car ride, she should be in Forks.

The white-haired girl sighed quietly, finding herself wondering what Jasper was up to. She often thought about him, despite having been ignored for a little more than two months. It was frustrating that he could be rude and she would still (metaphorically) run after him. Why couldn't she accept he was probably never going to answer her again?

Nova dipped her hand into her front jeans pocket, retrieving her phone. The last text message she received was her father telling her he was on his way. The message included many typos and characters that didn't belong there. It was pretty amusing, imagining him fumbling over the buttons on his phone.

The eighteen-year-old frowned as she scrolled up in her past conversation with Jasper. He sounded ominous in his last few messages to her. All she wanted was to know he was okay. She feared the worst; maybe he had died or maybe he was hurt. But worst of all, she feared he was perfectly healthy and just didn't care enough about her to text back.

She shook her head in a feeble attempt to rid her mind of Jasper. After slipping her phone back into her pocket, she turned her attention to the parking lot she was standing nearby. It was then she noticed a cop car driving up, and through the tinted windows, she could distinguish her father's face in the driver's seat and her sister's face in the passenger's seat.

Nova let a grin fall onto her face. She had missed Bella, despite how pessimistic and awkward the girl could be. But as Bella stepped out of the cop car, she took notice of how disheveled and depressed the girl appeared. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was greasy and untamed. She looked even paler than normal. Plus, she looked slightly thinner, as if she hadn't been eating properly.

Nova's smile transitioned from an ecstatic grin to a bittersweet tilt of her lips. Despite feeling sorrowful over Bella's horrible coping, she still felt a tinge of excitement at seeing her sister -- and father as well -- again.

"Hey, Dad. Hey, Bells," Nova greeted. The young woman let her two suitcases rest on the sidewalk as she pulled Charlie and Bella into a hug, one person in each arm.

"It's good to see you again, Nova," Charlie murmured. "Your hair -- it's white?"

"Thanks for noticing," the young woman teased. "I dyed it."

"Oh." He didn't sound too thrilled about her hair, but didn't sound like he disapproved either.

Bella spoke up quietly, "You're right; I have missed you." The depressed eighteen-year-old gave a twitch of her lips that resembled a pitiful smile.

Nova's grin broadened. With a smug expression, she exclaimed, "I knew it!"

//

The drive to Forks was surprisingly awkward. Nova expected that it would be awkward with just Bella and Charlie in the car, but with her added, it only seemed to add to the awkwardness. Why? Because she kept trying to fill in the blanks with stupid comments.

Forks was very green. Nova adored it; the forests and shrubbery were serene and beautiful. Despite the sun not being out, she still enjoyed the view. It was gloomy without much light, but still peaceful. It reminded her of those rainy and sleepy days in Arizona, when Nova would nap and cuddle with her sister and sometimes her mother.

After the socially inept car ride, they finally reached Charlie's house. The house brought back so many memories to Nova, but she didn't mention it in fear of upsetting her father. The poor guy had been abandoned by his wife that also took their daughters with her.

"We're here! Awesome!" Nova exclaimed happily.

The three family members hopped out of the vehicle. Nova gathered one suitcase while Charlie generously grabbed ahold of the other. Bella led the way inside, probably eager to be away from the awkward atmosphere. Which was odd, considering Bella was so awkward herself.

"Nova, your room is right across the hall from Bella's," Charlie revealed. "I didn't have time to repaint it, so I hope you don't mind the lavender walls."

Nova shrugged. "Nah, it's fine. I don't mind."

The white-haired girl began hauling her luggage up the staircase. Charlie was right in front of her, leading the way. Which was fine, since Nova didn't want to burst into the wrong room and invade his privacy.

Charlie opened the bedroom door, and sure enough, the walls were a lavender hue. Nova didn't mind at all, since she loved the calming shade of light purple. She left her suitcase on the carpeted floor to approach the window, which had a clear view of the forest behind the house.

Nova realized after a moment that Charlie was waiting for a reaction of some sort, so she grinned and spoke, "Thanks, Dad. I still love lavender, so don't worry about the paint."

Charlie nodded, looking slightly relieved. "Alright. I guess I'll leave you to unpack?"

Nova murmured, "Yup." She was grateful that Charlie wasn't that type of adult that would hover over you unless you were injured. He knew when a teenager -- or a young adult for that matter -- wanted to be left alone.

Charlie shut the door behind him. Moments after doing so, Bella knocked and entered the bedroom. Nova perked up from where she was unzipping her first suitcase.

"Hey," Nova greeted. "I'll unpack and then we can eat a bunch of ice cream, okay, Bells?" Bella nodded in response with a feeble twitch of her lips.

The knowledge that Bella was suffering made Nova's chest ache. The poor girl was looking like a lifeless zombie. Or a robot perhaps. Either way, it was sad and concerning. No wonder Charlie was so eager for her to visit...

But the thing was, Nova was suffering from a broken heart as well. She missed texting Jasper. She foolishly thought that one day they would trust each other enough to meet in real life, but he proved her wrong.

Nonetheless, Nova sucked it up and put up a strong facade. Her sister needed her right now, and she had been worrying about Jasper for 2 months. Maybe it was time to give up on him?

But still, when no one was looking, Nova would check her phone for any new text messages.

None came.

//