Bella Swan and Jacob Black lived a very loving and happy life. They were not exactly rich, but they were rich on love and affection, with the devotion of their three young children. They were married for nine years and still going strong. Jacob worked as head mechanic for his auto and motorbike repair business, and Bella worked as the preschool teacher at the La Push Preschool Center. She loved her job and the children who attended every day.
The Black Family lived in a modest bi-level house, in which Jacob, Sam Uley, and the rest of the Uley Pack built. It was sturdy, made with hard work and stability. Jacob made all of the furniture as well, painting them in vivid greens and violets, his sweetheart's favorite colors. The three children, Carley, Jake, and Aly, loved their parents deeply, deeper than any love they known. Jacob would do anything for his Bella, and she for him. Being with one another and watching their children grow up was living a dream every day. Jacob was the air Bella breathed, and she was the blood in his veins, his heart beat only for her. There was never a time that they were apart, except that one faithful day, ten years ago, when both of Bella's worlds would collapse.
A Day of Infamy, as then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt described the horrific events of the bombing of Pearl Harbor over the old transistor radio. Bella was living at her father's home in Forks, Washington at the time. On that Sunday afternoon, December 7th, 1941, Bella was finishing up some homework for Algebra that was due the next day, when she heard the news. She was listening to some lively swing music, when the interruption crackled across the radio. It only lasted a few minutes, but seemed like a thousand years. Bella dropped everything she had and closed off her mind, and ran into Charlie's strong, but comforting arms. How long she stayed there, who knows, but it seemed like a lifetime. The next day, President Roosevelt gave his infamous Infamy speech, and declared war on the country of Japan. From that point on, Bella lived in fear, and also in hopes that none of the boys she knew would join in the war, although deep down, she knew that was not realistic. She was in the core of her own battle, but now it was just trivial. However, this was all too much and unfair to take in.
As if Bella's heart could not endure anymore breaks, the three Cullen boys, Edward, Emmett, and Jasper, all of whom she grew attached and loved, enlisted into the war. Then, to add another crack, Jacob and Sam would also be joining. Their announcements were not easily understandable, but they were supported. The men thought they could stop the dangerous monsters, as they thought of themselves as monsters. Bella never believed that they were this, and no one else outside the Black and Cullen homes knew that they were. She cried at night for their lives, their safety, and families. She cried for the losses, the lost, and the unknown of what may or may not happen. Her only hope was that they all made it back, regardless if they were in one piece or not.
"Please, God." Bella prayed. "Let them all be alright when they go. Have them come back home safely."
Her own battle was not of a violent one, but it could have been had it escalated to that point. Edward Cullen was vying for her unconditional love, as well as Jacob. Edward was soft, and mellow, with a hint of difficulty. Jacob was hard, strong, and possessed true determination. Each day, the two boys would do something different, and persuade Bella that he was the best choice for her. However, Bella could see no faults or negative aspects in either, so that made choosing hard. When she told the both of them that she needed more time, she wished those words never slipped from her lips. Now, that they were going to war, aiding America to victory, Bella felt like she was slapped. What if the one boy she loves never comes back home? What if the both of them were lost? And Emmett and Jasper? Sam too. How could she live with that? What will she do?
Departing Day was not a pretty one, but dark, dank, and cold. Before Edward and Jacob got onto the train that will begin their army destiny, Bella given them tearful good-byes, and Jacob gave her a passionate kiss, in which she deeply gave in, and Edward was deeply jealous. Bella embraced Jacob close, holding him so tight that she thought her arms would break. He wiped away her tears, with one finger, and whispered, "Don't worry Bells. Both the bloodsucking leech and I will be okay."
"Don't think I did not hear that, Mongrel," Edward muttered, his amber eyes turning darker. Bella stifled a giggle, for they were fighting to the very end for her. If only she could make up her stubborn mind up now! She then hugged and kissed Emmett, Jasper, and Sam good-bye, praying that Rosalie, Alice, and Emily, their soul mates, would not experience heart break. Emily was pregnant with Sam's first child, and Bella hoped that he or she would grow up with a father. Unable to bear children of their own, Alice and Rosalie were even more devastated then Emily as they hugged and kissed their husbands good bye. For their sakes, Bella wished for happy returns.
The last that she seen the five of them, were all of their hands waving out the train windows, their faces showing a mixture of smiles and tears. The train rolled out slowly out of the station, than picked up speed. Smokey mists left a trail behind, making Bella's chocolate eyes tear up from both the smell and smoke. The four beautiful young women stood on the wooden platform, arms around each other's waists as they watch the train disappear over the horizon during the last moments of twilight. What laid ahead for them, and the families, as well as the other men enlisted was greatly unknown.