—
"BELLA is doing a lot better, really." Charlie informs from the drivers seat of his old cruiser. His hands rest on the steering wheel and his tired eyes peer at the slick road.
I watch him closely, waiting for the moment he dozes off and we swerve into the other lane—okay, that may be a bit dark, but still! The man looks exhausted.
"And what about you?" I ask, shifting my body slightly, still keeping my eyes on his face.
He deeply sighs and shakes his head. "I, well—everything going on with your sister and work at the station has been..." he trails off gruffly.
"Exhausting? Draining?" He nods leisurely at my examples. "Dad, you work too hard." I rebuke. "Which is why I will take care of Bells, and you can take more naps."
Caring for my younger sister wasn't something I initially planned on doing, but that was before I realized how bad it really is.
"You don't have to do tha—"
I interrupt him, "Ah Ah! I am volunteering."
He sighs deeply. "I really appreciate it, Els."
"Its the least I can do." As the words fall from my lips, the car drives past the 'WELCOME TO FORKS' sign, and I feel nostalgia bubble up inside of my stomach. The last time I was in Forks was three years ago, I was eighteen and ready to leave the small town behind for something grander, which is why I moved to Seattle with my best friend right out of high school.
I'll be returning to the waterlogged city in two weeks, after spring break has ended--for now, though, I will help pull my little sister out of whatever funk she has stumbled into.
We pass through the shops and restaurants, hardly anybody walks the soaked sidewalks, but if there are any, they stare at the car with gaped mouths and curious eyes.
"This place hasn't changed a bit, has it?" I mutter with my eyes stuck on the window of the cruiser.
"Well, it certainly got more exciting after you left." Charlie states, turning down the road my old house resides on.
I give him a quizzical glance. "What does that mean?"
"Just..." Charlie puts the car in park and glares up at the second-story window. "You'll see."
He climbs out of the car into the damp and rainy outside, I scramble to follow behind him. I pull my bags out of the backseat, ignoring his protests. "Dad, I'm a grown woman now, I can get it."
He scoffs a laugh, "Alright, kid, I'll take your word for it."
I go to pull my suitcase onto the ground, but its too heavy and I begin to stumble backwards, I catch myself just in time, but my suitcase isn't so lucky and lands straight in the mud.
"You can get it, huh?" Dad snorts and picks up my suitcase, I don't even try to intervene, I just stay silent and follow behind him into the house that holds so many memories.
He unlocks the front door and shrugs his damp coat off, I do the same, inhaling the warm and comforting air that lingers around me.
Much like the town, the house hasn't changed either; same dining table, same pictures still left hanging up, same furniture... I revel in the familiarity.
Charlie is about to step into the living room, when his phone begins to ring, he looks down at the tiny screen and sighs deeply, he picks it up, his voice is harsh and stern when he greets the person whom called him.
I watch him intently, growing curious when his voice begins to lose its hostility and morphs into slight enthusiasm.
"Okay, Harry--I'll see you soon." He hangs the phone up and bounds towards the laundry room, he emerges with a rifle, my eyes widen.
"Um. dad... what's goin' on?" I teeter on my feet, unsure what to do.
Charlie throws his coat back on before turning to face me. "Theres these wolves that've been harming people-- we've been hunting em and Harry thinks he has something." He explains hastily, he fumbles his words.
I blink and slowly nod. "Okay... so, you're going hunting?" I frown, I haven't seen my dad in two years and he's leaving to hunt some... wolves.
He must see my disappointment, because he pulls me into a tight hug. "I don't want to leave ya here, kid, but we've been hunting these things for months, and it'll be so much safer when its gone."
He pulls away and I peer up at him. "I understand. Go kill the wolf, or whatever." I smile lightly at him.
He nods and hurries for the door, he pulls it open and is about to disappear into the rain, but I call after him, he slowly turns around with his bushy eyebrows raised. "Be safe." I say, reciting the lines I always said when I was a child.
His eyes soften, "Always am." He responds before the door slams shut and he is gone.
I sigh and walk towards the stairs, now would be a good time to speak with Bella, who, apparently, has been drowning in sadness over some boy.
I slowly ascend the creaky steps, taking my time to stare at the photos adorning the wall, most are of Bella and I, though some of Renee and Charlie hang around.
I finally make it to the second floor and glance at the door to Bellas room, I hedge towards it and lightly rap my fist against the wood. I wait for a response, but after about 30 seconds, I grow impatient and bang my fist harder.
"Come in." Bella answers brittlely. I push the door open and take in Bellas new, yet old, appearance; she looks much skinnier, I can see it even through her coat and baggy jeans, her pale skin is in rough shape, and the grey light flooding in through the window doesn't help it.
"Bells." I croon and trudge further into her room.
She slightly turns her head, her dark hair falls over her shoulder and her toffee eyes meet mine, "Ellie?" She asks, fully turning her body towards me now.
"The one and only. Dad didn't tell you I was coming?" I ask, she seems quite shocked to see me standing in her room. Bewilderment is pulled over her sunken in features.
She tilts her head to the side and her eyebrows furrow, after a second she exhales, "I, um, I don't know..." She stammers. "He may have mentioned it?" She nibbles on her bottom lip like its gum, "I've been a bit distracted."
I perch at the end of her bed, "With?"
Her arms lurch up to wrap around her waist and she swallows thickly, "Dad didn't gossip with you?"
"He told me a boy left you in the woods, and that you were pretty messed up over it, but he also said you're doing a lot better," I pause and study her stature--is she doing a lot better? I'm uncertain. "Is that true? Or is it just dad not being able to read emotions?"
"I'm--I don't know, sometimes I feel like I'll be okay, but then I'm reminded of... him, and the progress I've made vanishes." She looks down to her feet. "But, also, Jacob Black has helped me out a lot, he's like this ball of warmth..." She trails off diligently, "but he's away right now, and without him I feel horrible all over again."
I nod slowly, trying to keep down all of the information that was just tossed down my throat. "Wow, that sure is a lot." I stare at Bella as she stands before me, she tugs at the sleeve of her coat. "Um, are you going somewhere?"
Bella looks down at me with slight confusion, before she seems to gather what I'm saying. "Oh, I was about to go out, yeah." She replies with a slight shrug.
"Hm, where to?" I quiz, my eyebrows lifted up.
She shifts her weight back at forth, "My friend," She pauses periodically before stammering out a name, "Angela, wanted to meet up in Port Angeles."
I have an instinctual feeling that she may be lying, but what would she be lying about, really? So, I stand up with a nod, "Alright, well, have fun." I step out of her room into the hallway, she trudges behind me.
I walk towards my door, which still has the stickers I slapped on it's surface stuck onto it, I push it open and smile at the dark blue walls with polaroids adorning them. I can hear Bella race down the steps, so I fully walk inside and push the door shut with my back.
I sit down on my bed and struggle to rip my converse off of my feet, I finally pry them off of each foot after a few minutes of struggling. I sigh in relief and flop back onto my bed, I stare at the stars that have been on my ceiling for nearly seventeen years now, they're so familiar and are a tiny note to my younger innocence, I can't help but find some odd comfort within them.
As I stare up at the little stars, I begin to feel drowsy, after all, I have been traveling all day, and stupidly decided to stay out late with my best friend last night, leaving me to only get a few hours of sleep before a three hour drive.
I roll over and pull a blanket over my body, I let out a dramatically loud yawn before slipping my eyes shut.
THUNDEROUS knocking causes me to stir awake. I look around my dark room, trying to wake my foggy mind up.
The knocking continues, and I force myself to sit up. I make my way out of bed, immediately missing the feel of my warm blankets.
My frown is large as I make my way downstairs, just as my foot touches the linoleum of the kitchen, another knock erupts. "Hold your tits!" I shout at whomever thinks our front door is a punching bag.
I unlock the door and yank it open, expecting to see Bella, or dad, but no, I see a short, black-haired woman with pale skin and protruding purple circles under her eyes, she's gorgeous, nonetheless.
"Um," I blink at her, "Hello?" My voice is still groggy and thick from my sleep.
She stares up at me, her large, dark eyes peering into my soul. "You must be Ellie."
"How the fuc--" I stop myself short, with a head shake and deep breath. "Who are you? And How do you know me?"
The petite woman smiles jubilantly, "I'm Alice Cullen, a friend of Bellas." She announces.
Her last name rings a tiny bell, but I don't currently feel like standing here and trying to figure out why. "Um, okay, nice to meet you?"
"Bella ins't here, is she?" She suddenly asks, looking over my shoulder into the dark kitchen.
"No, she left hours ago... why?" I quiz, raking my eyes over Alices figure.
Her smile drops and she drags a pale hand through her choppy hair, she looks panicked. "Is everything okay?" I ask.
"Maybe we should speak insid--" The approaching of a deafening engine cuts Alice off, headlights pool over the surrounding trees, and eventually, Bella's rusty red truck pulls into the driveway, she sits in the passenger seat, soaking wet and huddled up next to a boy without a shirt on. Jacob Black.
...I thought Bella was out with Angela?
They nearly kiss, but something stops them, and soon, Bella is running out of her truck, and up the steps, and then she smacks into Alice, Bella stumbles backwards but Alice saves her.
Jacob Black, who has been watching the whole ordeal from the yard, retreats into the thicket.
"Oh my gosh, Alice!" Bella shouts breathlessly and wraps her arms around the woman, after their hug breaks, Alice leads Bella inside, I follow suit, still confused and lost.
I lean against one of the bright counters, my arms fold over my chest and I stare at Bella and Alice. I have decided to wait and reprimand Bella later, this is all too entertaining.
"Alice," Bella repeats, "you're here, I can't believe it!" as Bella speaks, she sounds exasperated, excited, and shocked. "Is Edward...?"
Before Bella can finish what she was saying, Alice talks over her. "Bella, would you like to explain to me how the hell you're not dead?"
"What?" Bella and I ask simultaneously.
"I saw a vision of you." a what? "One of you jumping off a cliff." Again, what? Unbeknownst to my inner wonderings, Alice continues to chuck shocking revelations into the air. "Why in the world would you attempt to kill yourself? I mean, what about your dad? What about--"
Bella spares me a glance, I shake my head at her with narrowed eyes.
Bella quickly interjects, "I wasn't trying to kill myself, Alice. I went cliff jumping. Recreationally, you know? It was actually kind of fun." She says with a shrug.
Alice stares at my little sister with bewilderment, and I do the same.
Bella is not one to hurl herself towards daring activities, especially cliff jumping.
I sigh loudly and glare at Bella so hard my eyes begin to hurt. "You? Cliff jumping? Bella-- no offense, but you're not the cliff jumping type." I assert, expressing my disbelief. "Cut the shit."
Bella looks like she wants to respond to my calling her out, but she begins to shiver. "Go change. I'll make you some tea." I speak, pushing away from the counter.
Bella begins to stagger forward, but backtracks and turns her head towards Alice. "You'll stay here, right?"
A tiny, breathtaking smile sweeps over Alices painted lips. "Of course."
Bella nods sharply and hurries up the stairs.
I proceed to grab a bright yellow mug from the cupboard and prepare Bellas tea. "So, how'd you and Bells meet?" I am certain Bella has never mentioned this woman before--which isn't surprising, considering she never spoke with me about her boyfriend, until a few hours ago.
Dad is the only person who has ever talked to me about her newfound love, I want to say his name is Edwin? He mostly called me to complain about the boy, and from the stories I've been told, his complaints are more than justified; this boy apparently led Bella to run off to Phoenix, fall down a flight of stairs, proceeded to break up with her in the woods, and then threw her into a deep depression. He sounds swell.
"She and my brother dated." Alice answers, peering over my shoulder.
I pause and turn my head slowly, "You're Edwins sister? The boy whom left Bella completely broken?" My tone is sharp.
"His name is Edward," meh, close enough. "and he--we, had to leave."
"So why are you back? To bring her hopes up, and then leave her to feel like shit all over again?" I ask. Its obvious that Bella is overjoyed to be seeing Alice, but what will happen to her when Alice leaves?
"I was worried about Bella and came to check on her." Alice keeps her voice calm and kind, even in response to my little rant.
I fully turn now with Bellas tea in my hands, it burns me through the glass, but I leave it, too invested in this conversation to place it back down. "Right, you said you had a vision. Whatever that means." I mumble.
"I have premonitions... I get them sometimes and they sometimes turn out to be right. I just wanted to make sure." She explains, yet I feel like she may be lying.
"Premonitions?" I echo. "Like a gut feeling or some shit?"
Alice nods slowly, "Yes, exactly."
I purse my lips and stare down at the steaming liquid in between my hands. "That seems so logical." I see Alice shrug from my peripheral.
Soon, Bella trudges down the stairs, I look up just as she approaches. Her old, soaked clothes have been swapped out for fresh ones, and her tangled hair has been brushed out. I hand her the drink and step into the living room, plopping myself on dads recliner.
Much to my dismay, Bella and her little friend follow me, sitting themselves on the couch.
I try to pay them no mind as I flick the TV on, bright light floods the living room, washing over the furniture, light voices fill the air.
"Do you mind?" Bella cranes her neck to glare at me.
I shrug and smirk, "Not at all."
Bella huffs and whips her head back around.
I bore my eyes into the screen, hoping to pull my attention away from the pair, and, it begins to work, but unfortunately, Bella and Alice begin speaking about Jacob and wet dogs and they grab my attention back. I pause the show and swivel my head to stare at them.
"Jacobs is sort of - of a werwolf."
My eyes widen. "What?"
Alice turns to me with a light laugh. "I think she means figuratively."
Bella awkwardly scratches behind her ear, "Um, El... can you maybe go upstairs?"
Normally, I'd say no and stand my ground, but, I'm too confused to hear anymore about premonitions and figurative werwolves, so I stand up and scurry up the stairs, into my room.
I run a hand down my face and flop back onto my bed and shove my earbuds into my ears, maybe, with enough music, I can push my confusion back.
ik new moon rlly takes place in like 2009/2006, BUT let's just pretend its current day!!🫶🏼😁