OasisStarted 12.14.08

CHAPTER ONE

I had to get away from Phoenix. I had to leave. I knew I couldn't continue to live a normal life here when everywhere I turned I was plagued with memory after memory. Where everywhere I turned, I could see his face, hear his voice. Running away would never make me forget, but it would help me live.

My father and both of my brothers, Emmett and Jasper, lived together in Forks, Washington in the same little house that my mother and father spent the earlier years of their marriage in. And the early years were the only years for their marriage. My mother, so much like me, hates the rain and the green. She craved the sun and the warmth. She couldn't stand living in a small, green, and rainy town. So she left, and came to Phoenix, where she remarried.

It took a while to convince them both that I wanted to move in with Charlie, my dad. I wasn't very subtle about my hate of Forks and rain. But eventually, they let me. I had packed most of my belongings and sent them ahead of me. The luggage I would bring on the plane wasn't much. The clothes I usually wore in Phoenix weren't practical in Washington.

My brothers didn't really care why I wanted to come to Forks, they just cared that I was coming at all. I would spend a month out of the summer every year up in Forks until I turned 15. It was then that I threw a big enough fit and they finally stopped sending me. I hadn't seen the male side of my family in 3 years. It was time for a visit.

Two plane rides later and I was looking into the faces of my brothers. I had missed them more than I had let on. They were more than enthused to see me as I got off my plane.

Jasper was a year older than me and Emmett was two years older. They both attended the University of Washington.

"BELLA!" Emmett's booming voice could be heard over everyone in the terminal. Before I knew it, he had grabbed me up in a big bear hug and was squeezing the air out of me.

"Hey, don't hog the sister! I want a hug, too!" Jasper had always been the calm and collected person of our family. He wrapped me up in a hug as soon an Emmett had set me down. "Oh, Bells."

"Hey Jazzy." I whispered.

We made our way out of the airport and got situated in Jaspers truck, me in the middle, just like old times.

It felt very different to be in Forks, to be around my brothers. Even though I had missed them, I wasn't exactly used to having them around me. It was a lot different than when we were little.

Everything in Forks was green. The trees, the ground and even the light was tinted green, filtered through the treetops. You couldn't see the sky; there were too many clouds and trees. You could see a clearly defined mist hanging in the branches. I knew that it would rain most of the time here. I also knew that it was a rarity to see the sun. It wouldn't take me long to grow tired of it.

But I knew that here I would find my escape, and more importantly, my sanity. I would feel safer here, where those who didn't need to find me couldn't. Real ones replaced my figurative rain cloud. My soggy days were now a reality and no longer just my mood.

Walking through the front door of Charlie's home, felt like walking into my own home. It was warm and cozy, and it felt right. Charlie was in his recliner in the living room watching some game that was on TV. As soon as we were in the door, the boys quickly took their places on the sofa.

"Bella!" Charlie stood up to give me his genuine one-armed hugged. Neither one of us were big on our emotions.

"Hey, Dad." I smiled up at him.

"You're finally home." He sounded relieved. I couldn't blame him; I was his only daughter out of three children.

I ducked out from under his arm and grabbed my suitcases and headed up to the middle bedroom, the one that had always been mine. I opened the door to find my room just like I had left it three years ago. My single bed pushed into a corner, my rocking chair in another, my desk on one wall, and my dresser perpendicular to it. It was pale blue, but my bed ensemble was yellow. I smiled at that. Jasper knew my love of the sun.

I opened one of the boxes at the foot of my bed, underneath the window and started to unpack my things. It was a task that would only keep my hands busy but would let my mind wonder to other things.

It was summer time and I knew I would need to find a job, something that would let me make friends, since I wasn't going back to school for a year. I needed to add some more money into my college fund before I could afford to go anywhere.

Unpacking was a slow process. When I was done, my closet appeared nearly bare. I had left my warm weather clothes in Phoenix, where they belonged. I would need to go shopping soon. I had a couple hundred saved up for warmer clothes; I would use that soon.

My car was being delivered tomorrow. My precious black VW. It was a graduation gift from my mother. It wasn't new, but it sure looked like it was. Shiny black paint, new tires and all the scratches buffed out. I loved my car.

Emmett came bounding up the stairs and threw himself on my bed. I rolled my eyes before asking what he wanted.

"Aw, come on Bells. Jazz and I just want to spend some time with you. Lets head down to First Beach and hang out there, that away you can meet everybody. It's a Friday night so they should be down there." He tried giving me a pout, which made me laugh.

"Sure, Em. I might as well. Let me change and I'll meet you down stairs." As soon as he left my room I changed into some black skinny jeans, a plain white shirt and my black and white pea coat. I walked down the stairs and put on my uggs that were at the door. "Okay, guys. Lets go."

With loud shouts of joy we made it out the house and back into Jasper's truck. Soon enough, we were driving the fifteen miles to the reservation that First Beach resided at. Everything was still as I remembered it when I was fifteen. Green. Green and wet and sticky.

When we made it down to the beach we could see a group of people in the distance, a blue bonfire already lit. It didn't take long to walk across the pebble-sand and make it to the group.

"Hey, everyone!" Everyone nodded at Emmett, acknowledging him. "This," He put his arm around my shoulder. "Is my sister, Bella!"

Everyone waved at me and I saw a blonde girl, who looked like she belonged in a modeling magazine, a black haired, pixie like girl, and a drop-dead-gorgeous boy with bronze hair stand up and make their was over to us.

"I'm Rosalie, Em's girlfriend. I've heard a lot about you." She smiled at me and shook my hand.

"Actually, we both have! Em and Jazz haven't shut up about you since they heard you were coming to live with them. I'm Alice, by the way, Jazz's girl." Pixie girl was short and thin. She looked willowy and lithe.

"I'm Edward, their best friend." The bronze-headed beauty stepped in front of the girls and took my hand, kissing it. "How can someone so pretty be related to these two goons?" He asked me, laughing.

"It's a secret. I stole the good genetics. You know what they say, save the best for last!" I laughed.

"Hey! That's mean, Bells. That was really mean." Jazz pouted at me.

I knew I was going to enjoy hanging out with this group of people. They were fun and collected. Edward though, he was a completely different story. He dazzled me, but I knew getting involved with him, after everything in Phoenix, was not the right thing. I would only hurt myself.

We all sat around the bonfire and I was introduced to the rest of the people there. We ate hotdogs and even managed to pop a bag of popcorn. It was a relatively small group, not too big. There was Eric, Jessica, Lauren and Mike. Lauren seemed to instantly dislike me. I think it had something to do with Edward.

I woke up late in the afternoon the next day. My car had already arrived and I had wanted to get a head start on job applications. I dressed nice and ate a sandwich for lunch before setting off into town.

I applied at several locations: Starbucks, The Lodge, Newton's Outdoor Shop and the Safeway. I would know in a couple of days which job I got.

I got home and threw myself on the couch in between my brothers, who were watching a Seahawks game. Edward was in the recliner, I assumed he was rooting for the opposing team and didn't want to be in their line of fire for it.

"I'm home, guys. How's the game so far?" I always tried to take an interest in their sports.

After getting a long speech on the game, I gave up and went to the kitchen to start spaghetti for dinner. I was putting the noodles in boiling water when Edward leaned himself on the counter. I raised my eyebrow at him and stirred the noodles so they wouldn't stick.

"So, you cook, huh?" He asked, eyeing the pot of sauce.

"That I do. I live in a house full of guys, someone has to be able to cook around here or we'd live at The Lodge." I laughed and so did he.

"That's true. I see them down there all the time. It's either that or pizza." He smiled at me.

"So why did you leave the game? Don't you like watching sports or something?" I added some more seasonings to the sauce, it didn't taste right just yet.

"I wanted to talk to you, alone." He nodded at me.

"Oh. What? Am I the new interesting girl or is it the fact I'm your best friend's sister?" I smirked at him and his eyes went wide.

"You're quite the smart-ass." He laughed.

"I take pride in my sarcasm." I smiled at him and stirred the noodles so they didn't stick. Sticky noodles were Charlie's specialty.

"Why did you move here?"

I felt the color drain from my face and my hands started shaking as I held the spoon. No one—no one—knew the real reason why I moved here.

"Um," I knew he could tell something was wrong. "I needed… a change of scenery." I gave him a shaky smile, hoping he would buy it.

It didn't look like he did, but he didn't question me further, instead he went back into the living room to watch the game with everyone else. He looked like he knew it was something more. He was too perceptive.

I finished dinner and set it on the table and called the guys into the kitchen. I set the Parmesan cheese on the table and set out the utensils as they made their way in talking about the game.

"It sure smells good in here Bells!" Charlie said, smelling the air. "It's sure good to have you home."

"Hey! It tastes as good as it smells!" Emmett boomed out, causing everyone to laugh and dig in.

I sat down last and I ate the least. I didn't like knowing that someone wanted to know my secret. That they knew I was hiding something. I figured I could come here and completely forget about it all. Apparently, that wasn't going to happen so easily.

I cleaned up the mess after everyone had ate and was making their way back to the TV for another game that was coming on. I washed the dishes, cleaned the counter and put the leftovers in the fridge with instructions for Charlie to heat it up if I wasn't at home.

I excused myself and made my way up to my room in between Emmett's and Jasper's. I grabbed my bathroom bag and some clean pajamas and took a shower before the guys could get in there.

The hot water pounded on my back and loosened all of my tense muscles and made me feel a lot better. I felt myself relax and slowly began to clean myself and wash my hair with my favorite shampoo. I stepped out, my skin red from the heat, and dried myself, putting on my clothes.

I went back into my room and pulled my laptop off my side table figuring that now was as good of a time as any to send Renee a message letting her know I was alive and safe at Charlie's. I turned it on and blow-dried my hair waiting for it to boot up.

I logged on to my e-mail and saw several new ones. They were all from Renee and each new one was more and more frantic than the last. I sent her a short one, letting her know I was sending a longer one.

I told her about the uneventful plane ride, reuniting with Jasper and Emmett, seeing Charlie again and meeting Edward. I wished Phil luck with baseball and told her I already missed her and that I hoped she was enjoying Florida. I told her I had applied for jobs and that my car had arrived. I explained about being the boys last hope at nutrition. And then I told her I would write again later, when there was something more to write about.

When I looked up from my computer Edward was sitting in my rocking chair, smiling at me. He stood up and came to sit by me as I placed the computer back in its resting spot, turning it off in the process.

"I didn't see you come in…" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm just stealthy like that." We laughed together. "I just came to tell you bye. I have to head back home."

"Oh, alright then. I guess I'll see you later then, since you're friends with my brothers." I smiled at him and walked him to my door.

He hugged me and I knew I tensed up and shied away from it. Being in such close contact to another man… it didn't feel quite right just yet.

"Bye, Bella."

"Bye, Edward."