CATALINA, paul lahote

BACK TO THE TOWN OF UTENSILS !

[ alternatively : home sweet home ! ]

CATALINA SWAN SPENT MORE OF HER CHILDHOOD AT La Push Reservation than she did in the small town of Forks - no matter how much Charlie Swan tried denied it. Her weekends all consisted of the same; wake up, have a little dance in the kitchen, check and check and check again that Charlie had all of his fishing equipment before they bundled into the police cruiser and set off for the Reservation. Cata babbling directions to the man as though they hadn't done the drive one thousand times. She'd knock on whoever's door had offered to babysit her - all messy french plaits that Charlie had tried his best with (honestly !) and mismatching clothes because the Chief of Police was no fashion expert, while Charlie waved from his car. 'see you later, golden girl!'

The chosen babysitter that day would open their arms for the girl, because who wouldn't? Ushering her inside without a second thought. Sam Uley was babysitter #1 throughout most of her youth, the girl had the boy wrapped around her little pinky; and everyone knew it because she had them right there as well. All she had to do was smile that honey sweet smile, and bat her eyelashes and she had complete control. As she grew older, Cata spent less time with Sam and more time with people her own age, not that she didn't love the Uley boy but third wheeling with him and his new girlfriend was never her first choice of plan. Instead, she found a best friend in the girl she had known since diapers, and the boy her dad had always dreamed she'd end up with - his dreams stomped out pretty quickly when he found out Cata was trying to set up the Black boy with one of her friends. They spent their days at First Beach, the local diner, the cliffs, even their own gardens - because it didn't really matter where they were, they were always good at making their own fun.

"Cata! Bells! Jacob and Billy are here." Charlie shouted up the stairs to his two girls.

Cata moved quickly to silence the radio that lulled out a song she'd never heard before, just needing something to fill the silence as she sorted out the few belongings she had brought from Arizona, thankful she already had the majority of her things here already. Her room hadn't changed much since she left, not that she had expected it to. There wasn't much that tied Cata to the room or to anything really; her whole life had been constantly moving, switching between states every summer.  She was a ghost of a girl inside, and outside of the room.

Grinning excitedly, Cata finished tugging a jumper over her head before moving into Bella's room, pulling her hair from where it was trapped under the material as she pushed her sister's door open. "You coming, B?" Cata asked, looking to her sister who sat on the edge of the bed, eyes lingering on her desk where a picture of herself and Cata was pinned against the wall. Cata had her arm wrapped around her twin, both cheesing up to the camera, a yellow tinge of age smudging their faces.

Isabella looked up to her twin, her honey blonde hair static around her ears as she lifted a delicate hand to smooth it. Bella had always been jealous of Cata's ability to look ethereally  beautiful, and her near constant relaxed nature. They'd only arrived back in Forks that same day, and here Cata was looking like she'd lived here her whole life already, her and Charlie chuckling away in the front seat of the car on the ride back from the airport.