OUR MOTHER DROVE US TO THE AIRPORT WITH THE windows rolled down. it was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue, i was wearing my favorite shirt—sleeveless, blue, with my hometown name on it and my number and last name on the back. our mother ran away from bella and i's old house when were only a few months old. it was this town me and bella had been compelled to spend a month every summer until bella and i were fourteen. that was the year we put our foot down; these past three summers, my dad, charlie, vacationed with me in california for two weeks instead.
it was to Forks that i now exiled myself, and action tgat i took with great horror. i destested Forks. i loved Phoenix. i loved the sun and the blistering heat. i loved the vigorous, sprawling city.
"bella, emma. you don't have to do this." mom said before we got on the plane.
my mom looks like me, except she has short hair and laugh lines. i felt a spasm of panic as i stared at her wide, childlike eyes. how could i leave my loving, erratic, hare-brained mother to fend for herself? of course she had phil now, so the bulls would probably get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car, and someone to call when she got lost, but still...
"i want to go." bella lied. i could tell she has always been a bad liar but she had been saying this lie frequently so it sounded almost convincing.
"yeah, same. i want to go as well. plus i think it's a good way to get away from the house." i smiled at her trying to calm her nerves so she wasn't so nervous about us.
"tell charlie i said hi." mom told us.
"we will."
"i'll see you soon, my darlings." she insisted. "you can come home whenever you want— i'll come right back as soon as you need me." she said. it sounded like she didn't want us to leave. But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.
"don't worry about us." i urged "it'll be great. i love you mom." bella said. "i love you as well." i said hugging her.
she hugged us tightly for a minute, and then we got on the plane, and then she was gone. it's a four hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks.
Flying doesn't bother bella; it bothers me a little thought not much. the hour in the car with dad and bella was a little, awkward. i could feel the tension as soon as we stepped out of the airport.
charlie had been fairly nice about the whole thing. he seemed genuinely pleased that me and bella were coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. he'd already gotten me and bella registered for high school and was going to help me get a car. i don't know if bella would get one. i think she is though.
but it was sure to be awkward with dad. neither of us was what anyone would call verbose, and i didn't know what there was to say regardless. i knew he was more than a little confused by me and bella's decision—like my mother before me. i hadn't made a secret of my distaste for Forks.
when i landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. i didn't see it as an omen—just unavoidable. i'd already said my goodbyes to the sun. Bella and I both had.
Charlie was waiting for us with the cruiser. this we were expecting, too. Dad is police chief to the good people of forks. my primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that i refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top. nothing slows down traffic like a cop.
dad gave us an awkward, one armed hug when we got off of the plane.
"it's good to see you ems. you too bells." he said smiling. "you haven't changed much bells. ems you have. how's renée?" dad asked
"moms fine. it's good to see you, too, dad." i said. bella said the same usual words. she's not aloud to call him charlie to his face though.
i had a lot of bags. bella didn't. most of her clothes were too permeable for Washington.
"i found a good car for you bella, really cheap," he announced when we were strapped in.
"what kind of car?" bella asked she look suspicious of the way he said "good car for you" as opposed to just "good car."
"we'll, it's a truck actually, a chevy."
"where did you find it?"
"do you two remember billy black down at la push?" la push is the tiny indian reservation on the coast.
"no." bella said
"yes. i remember." i said smiling at dad. "do i get a car too?" i asked him.
"i haven't found you one quite yet. but tell me what you want i'll try to find one." dad said
"a F-150." i smiled brightly and leaned back in the backseat.
"copy that. well anyways billy black used to go fishing with us during the summer," dad prompted. "he's in a wheelchair now," dad continued when neither of us responded, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap." dad said.
"what year is it?" bella asked. i could see that from his change of expression that this was a question he was hoping bella wouldn't ask.
"we'll, billy's done a lot of work on the engine—-it's only a few years old really." dad said i don't know why he thought so little of bella thinking she would give up this easily.
"when did he buy it?" she asked him
"he bought it in 84', i think."
"did he buy it new?"
"well, no. i think it was new in the early sixties—or late fifties at the earliest." he admitted sheepishly.
"ch-dad, i don't really know anything about cars. i wouldn't be able to fix anything if something went wrong, and i couldn't afford a mechanic..." bella said
"really bella, the thing runs great. they don't build them like that anymore." dad said
"how cheap is cheap?" i asked
"well i already bought for a homecoming gift and i can buy the car that you want as one too, ems" dad said making me smile brightly at his comment.
"wow. free." bella said "you didn't need to that, dad. i was going to buy myself a car."
"i don't mind. i want you two to be happy here." dad was looking ahead at the road when he said this. charlie wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. bella inherited that from him. so she was looking straight ahead to as she responded to him.
"that's really nice, dad. thanks. i really appreciate it." bella said.
"and thank you for saying you'd buy me the car that i want." i told him.
"your welcome." he smiled
finally we made it to dads. he still lived in the small, two bedroom house that he'd bought with my mother in the early days of their marriage. those were the only kind of days their marriage had—-the early ones. there, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was bella's new truck. well not new. but new to her. it was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. i could tell bella loved it. i didn't know if it could run but hopefully it could. plus, if was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged. the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by pieces of the foreign car it has destroyed.
"wow, dad, i love it! thanks!" bella said.
"i'm glad you like it." dad said with a wide smile on his face.
it only one trip to get bella's stuff upstairs. it took me three! maybe because i brought too much things. im just planning to stay until college to be honest. bella got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard. the room was familiar; it had belonged to us since we were born. the wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window—-these were all apart of my childhood. the only changes charlie made was, he added a new room for me so me and bella could have separate rooms since were older. he switched out the baby cribs for a bed and adding a desk as we grew. the desk now held a second hand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. this was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily. the rocking chair from my baby days was still in the corner. i would get that out and move it to my room in a couple of days when i'm settled.
there was only one bathroom at the top of the stairs that u would have to share with charlie and bella. i was trying not to dwell too much on that fact.
one of the best things dad is he doesn't hover. he left us alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have already altogether impossible for our mother. it was nice to be alone, not to have to smile and look pleased.
"hey, bella. i'm going to go start unpacking i'll be in my room if you need me." i said smiling at her.
"okay." she said and turned back around to look out the window.
•
i soon got my truck. i was in love when dad drove it over to the house. at first i thought he was joking with me. but he wasn't. if i could say i was the happiest girl alive i'd say it, but i don't think i am. i mean i'm happy but i'm not happy. does that make sense?
i took a shower later on and as i was brushing my damp hair. maybe it was the light, but i already looked sallower, unhealthy. my skin is pretty, very pretty. it's tan with freckles all on my arm and face. my face was clear, no acne. most girls would kill to not have acne. i, for one don't really care if i get acne or not i get it sometimes when i'm on my period of course. but other than that. i don't care.
facing myself in the mirror, i was forced to admit that i was lying to myself. it wasn't just physical but it was also mental. and i couldn't find a niche in a school of three thousand people, what were my chances here?
i mean i got along with people my age. maybe i related to much to them,period. even my mother who was closer to me than anyone else on this planet, was never in harmony with me, never on the same page. sometimes i wondered if was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world does. maybe there was a glitch in my brain but the cause didn't matter. all that mattered was the effect. and tomorrow would just be the beginning.
i didn't sleep well that night, even after i was done crying. the constant whooping of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. i pulled the faded old quilt over my head, and later add the pillow, too. but i couldn't fall asleep until after midnight, when the rain finally settled into a quieter drizzle.
thick fog was all i could see out my window in the morning, and i could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me, you could never see the sky here; it was like a cage. breakfast with dad and bella was a quiet event. he wished me and bella good luck at school. we thanked him, knowing his hope was wasted. good luck tended to avoid bella. charlie left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. after he left, me and bella sat at the old square oak table in one of the three unmatchinh chairs and examined his small kitchen, with it's dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. nothing was changed. my other had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago in attempt to bring some sunshine into the house. over the small fire place in the adjoining handkerchief sized family room was a row of pictures. first a wedding picture of charlie and my mom in Las Vegas, then one of the four of us in the hospital after me and bella were born, taken by a helpful nurse; followed by the procession of me and bella's school pictures up to last years.
these were embarrassing to look at. i would have to see what i could do to get dad to put them somewhere else, at least while we were living here. it was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that dad has never gotten over our mom. it made bella uncomfortable.
me and bella didn't want to be to early to school but we couldn't stay in the house anymore, i donned my jacket which had the feel of a biohazard suit, and headed out into the rain.
it was just drizzling still, not enough to soak us.
we made our way to school with me behind bella since i didn't know the location of our new school. i stepped out of my truck the same time bella did. we past a group of people who someone by the name of trey i think said 'nice truck' to bella. this made me mad so i kinda said 'how about you shut the fuck up'. so i went off on him. what's the big idea. me and bella walked into the school as a lady with red hair looked up.
"can i help you two?" she asked
"i'm isabella swan and this is my sister emma swan." bella informed her, i saw the mediate awareness light her eyes. i was expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. daughters of the chiefs flighty ex-wife, come home at last.
"of course." she said. she dug a through a precariously stacked pile of documents in her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "i have your schedules right here and a map of the school." she brought several sheets to the counter to show us.
she went through our classes for us, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave us a slip to have each teacher sign, which we were to bring back at the end of the day. she smiled at us and hoped, like dad, that we would like it here in forks. i smiled back as convincingly as i could.
"your isabella and emmalise swan, aren't you?" the boy looked like the overly helpful, chess club type.
"bella."
"emma." we corrected our names
"where's your next class?" he asked
"uh, government, with jefferson, in building six." i said speaking for the both of us since me and bella had the same exact schedule.
"i'm headed toward building four. but i could show you the way." definitely over helpful "im eric." he said smiling.
"thanks." me and bella said at the same time.
"so this is a lot different than phoenix, huh?" he said
"very."
"it doesn't rain much there, does it?"
"three, four times a year maybe."
"wow, what must that be like?"
"sunny."
"emma looks very tan. but you don't"
"our mother is part albino."
he studied our faces apprehensively, and i sighed. it looked like clouds and a sense of humor didn't mix. a few months of this and i'd forget how to use sarcasm.
we walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. eric walked us right to the door, though it was clearly marked.
"we'll, good luck," he said as i touched the handle. "maybe we'll have some classes together." he sounded almost to hopeful.
i smiled at him vaguely and went inside with bella. the rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. my trigonometry teacher, mr. Varner, who i would have hated anyways just because if the subject he taught, was the only one who made me stand int front of the class and made me and bella introduce ourselves. bella stammered, and tripped on the way over to her seat.
after two classes, i started to recognize several of the faces in each class. there was always someone braver than the others who would intro themselves and ask me questions about how i was liking forks. at least me and bella never needed the map.
one girl sat with me and bella in both trig and spanish, and she walked with us to the cafeteria for lunch. we sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to us. they seemed impressed by her bravery in speaking to bella and i. the boy from english, eric, waved at me and bella from across the room.
it was there sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that bella and i saw them.
they were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where i sat as possible in the long room. there were five of them. they weren't talking, and they weren't eating, thiught they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. they weren't gawking at us, unlike most of the other student l, so it was safe to stare at them without fear if meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. but it was none of these things that caught, and held, my attention.
they didn't look anything alike. of the three boys, one was big—-muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. another was taller, leaned, but still mud, and honey blond. the last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze colored hair. he was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.
the girls were opposites. the tall one was statuesque. she had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw in the cover of the sports illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self esteem just by being in the same room. her hair was golden, bentley waving to the middle of her back. the shirt girl was pixie like, thin in the extreme, with small features. her hair was a deep black, crapped short and pointing in every direction.
and yet, they were all exactly alike. everyone of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. paler than bella, the albino. they all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. they also had dark shadows under those eyes purplish, bruise like shadows. as if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose. through their noses, all of their features. we're straight, perfect, angular.
"who are they?" i asked the girl from my spanish class, whose name i forgot.
as i looked up to see who i meant—though already knowing, probably from my tone—-suddenly he looked at her, the thinner one, the boyish one, the youngest one, perhaps. he looked at my neighbor for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flicker to mine. he looked away quickly, more quickly than i could.
"that's edward and emmett cullen, and rosalie and jasper hale. the one who left was alice cullen; they all live together with dr cullen and his wife." she said under her breath
i glanced sideways at the beautiful boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers. his mouth was moving very quickly, his perfect lips barely opening. the other three still looked away, and hey i felt he was speaking quietly to them.
strange, unpopular names, i thought. the kinda of names grandparents had. but maybe that was in vogue here—small town names? i finally remembered that my neighbor was called jessica, a perfectly common name. there were two girls named jessica in my history class back home.
"they are...very nice looking" i said "especially edward." i said looking to bella she looked kinda jealous as i said that though.
"do you like him?" bella said. looking more jealous by the second. "no bella i haven't even met him yet. i just think he's attractive is all." is all i said. i looked back over and saw him looking at me like he was trying to figure something out.
we talked about how they were all together except for edward, he was single. jessica complained saying she wished dr cullen adopted her. so i kinda defended them and i saw them all looking at me. this is so weird i thought.
"have they always lived in forks?" bella asked. what type of question is that?
"no they moved here from alaska around two years ago." jessica said
"that's edward like i said. he's gorgeous of course, but don't waste your time. he doesn't date. apparently none of the girls here are good looking enough for him." she sniffed a clear case of sour grapes. i wondered when he turned her down.
i but my lip to hide my smile. then i glanced at him again. his face turned away, but i loving his cheek appeared lifted, as if he were smiling, too.
as lunch went on edward and i kept sneaking glances at each other throughout the time we had left.
i went to my next class and i had to sit next to edward. as i passed in front of a fan i saw edward gag making me feel bad about myself. maybe it was something else right? as class went on he kept scooting away from me as if he didn't like i was sitting next to him. what is wrong with him? suddenly the bell rang and he jumped quickly out of his seat faster than i could say 'cupcake'.
"aren't you emmalise swan?" a blond-headed boy asked me
"emma." i corrected him
"i'm mike."
"hi, mike"
"do you need help with finding your next class?"
"i'm headed to the gym, actually. i think i can find it."
"that's my next class too." he seemed thrilled. i wonder where bella is she does have the same class as me.
me and mike walk to gym class and as we get there i see the girls playing volleyball and the boys, basketball. bella was playing. she isn't good at sports. like at all. she hit the ball and it hit mike in the back of the head as he was talking to me.
"oh my goodness!" i laughed as bella jogged over.
"i-i'm sorry. i told them to not let me play. they didn't listen." bella laughed nervously.
"n-no it's fine. so i met your sister here." mike said smiling at the both of us. "yeah the annoying one." she laughed.
"hey!" i said as i hit her arm. "well it was nice meeting you mike but me and bella should go. we have a doctors appointment today. i guess a yearly check up." i said smiling at him. i lied i just wanted to leave early if i'm being honest.
"o-okay well, yeah. it was nice meeting you both." he said as we walked away.
"so how was your first day?" i asked bella. "very hectic." she laughed. "how was yours?"
"well besides the fact that you were totally jealous that i called edward attractive, my day was good." i laughed at her as she gave me a look.
"i was not jealous!" she laughed out as we got done changing and walked out of the school and to our trucks.
"whatever helps you sleep at night."
_______________
A/n: hey guys so this is my first chapter of twilight . bella got a little jealous there didn't she? well i'll update you all on the second chapter tomorrow.
have a great day!!!
xo xo xo xo
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