Here it is: The Daybreak Retake. I'd like you to read this chapter and then review it. I have a poll on my profile page you can use if you don't want to review.
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She stuffed her parka into the overhead compartment. As she down beside me, she sighed. I could sense her discomfort and disappointment.
"This was your idea," I said, pinning back my neon blue bangs. My carry on item was a battered old viola. I'll admit, it was less practical, but it's my baby. "I would have happily settled for a GED."
My hair style isn't the only thing that makes me so different from my genetically identical sister. I, Eliza-May, suffer from what was historically called 'Little's Disease'. Isabella Marie is far healthier, and, in my opinion, an idiot.
You may call me bitter, but as we flew away from our sunny home in Phoenix, Arizona, I wanted to hit her. Oh well, I thought, sitting back in my seat. Let's just forget the fact that cold weather and I aren't compatible.
"Liza," Bella said, shyly. "I'm sorry."
"Sure," I grumbled. "Keep telling yourself that. We are going to the dreariest, wettest, most depressing place in the Milky Way, and all you can say is 'sorry'? Apology not accepted."
"Charlie is willing to take us, and he says there's a really good doctor." I had no doubt that she was either disusing my tendency toward illness or a physiologist. She, like always, she was acting like an older sister. The strange thing was that I was nearly an hour older.
That's another thing that annoys the shit out of me. I'd always be the weaker sister, the freaky musician who met the wrong guy and began to hang with the wrong people. The awkward, sickly child that forced herself to become part of a start-up gang and learned to protect herself. The sweet innocent that lost her innocence, thinking she would become strong.
We only called our father 'Dad' to his face. Neither one of us had been to Forks since we were fourteen, when Bella threw a fit. I really didn't miss the place, and I wasn't looking forward to finishing high school there.
"The hospital's called 'Forks Community', and it's in 'Clallam County Hospital District #1.' It doesn't even sound like they treat broken bones." All though, I did read something about hyenas. Wait; that was the Seattle Zoo. Maybe it was hernias. Whatever.
I've got a thing for research. I spent hours trying to change Bella's mind, but none of it worked, so I forgot the details.
"You've never broken bone." Good point.
That's another difference between Bella and me. She's a klutz; I just avoid going places where I might fall. Shouldn't it be the other way around? I'm the one with spastic diplegia! I swear; Bella's going to be the death of my good-girl-gone-bad reputation.
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Four hours later, we got on another plane, and an hour later, Charlie was waiting out side the plane.
Bella and I both groaned. He brought the police cruiser. Does everyone know that we're the police chief's daughters? Man, I hope we can get a car soon.
"It's nice to see you, Bells, May." He gave Bella a one armed hug, and then steadied her. He noticed that my legs were wobbling a little. "You a little tight?" He reached for me, hoping I wouldn't be hostile.
"I'm fine, Dad." I shrugged off his second hug. "Mom says hi."
"How is Renée?" He never stopped loving our mother and he wasn't very good at keeping it a secret. At least, not from me. He's very easy to read.
"She's fine," we said at the same time.
Our winter clothes fit into two bags. Luckily, Bella and I are the same size, so we didn't have spend too much money on winter clothes. Unluckily, Bella and I have different style tastes. I like dark colors; she well, doesn't care.
The main reason Bella hates Forks is the green. The main reason I hate Forks is Bella. We're never apart. I wanted to move to Forks ages ago, but now that Bella was with me, my life was ruined. We'd probably live together until one of us gets married.
Forks is supposed to be a 'new day' for me. A trip back to square one. The school counselors thought a change in scenery might help my depression problem, and improve my behavior. To prove them wrong, I pierced my cartilage myself. I had no intention of living up to Bella's straight B's, Advanced Placement school record. D's suit me just fine and I don't mind serving detention everyday. People don't stare at me in detention. There, I'm normal. Well, almost.
"I found you two a car."
My ears perked up. Things were beginning looking up. He wasn't punishing me for the few crimes he knew I committed.
"Well, actually, just Bella. I forgot that the doctors said your reflexes aren't good enough for a standard, May." He never seems to remember my condition. He tries too hard to help me feel normal.
I didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. I looked out the backseat window. I'd seen most of Phoenix thru a similar window. Forks was different. The green covered everything. Enchanting, the emerald state. It might just put me to sleep.
I thought about Forks High. I knew I wouldn't be too comfortable there. All my illegal doings would probably be put to an abrupt halt. No more. Nada.
I spent the rest of the trip giving my father and sister a well-deserved silent treatment. I started coughing once or twice. I ignored it. Instead, I watched the rain. It wasn't an omen that things were going to go bad; it was just a sign that some things never change.
We turned onto the (unfortunately) familiar street in the two-stop light town. Dad carried our stuff up to the second floor and Bella followed him so she could clean up.
I walked into the living room and sat on the love seat. Renée and Charlie's wedding picture was still on the wall and following it were nine pictures of nearly- identical Bellas and me. In the tenth, my nose was pierced and my hair was green, and Bella was the only one in the frame in the eleventh. I was at the clinic when that was taken, I remembered.
Charlie came in. "Eliza-May, we need to talk."
"About what, Dad?" I tried desperately to sound innocent. He never used our full names.
"Renée told me you were expelled from your school in Phoenix." Communication was not Charlie's best skill. This must have taken a lot of thought. "What did you do?"
I crossed my arms, and fiddled with my new piercing. "Nothing."
"You know I can't believe that." He was trying to help me.
Busted. "What do you think I did?" I coughed into my arm.
He shook his head. "You stole a car." Not a guess, really.
"The principal's," I muttered.
"THE PRINCIPAL'S? EM, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" He slammed his fist on the table. "I'M A POLICE CHIEF!"
"Don't remind me," I grumbled.
"You realize that if you something like that here, I'll arrest you." No duh!
"That's why I'm not in Florida, Dad. The people at school think you can change me for the better."
"Well, you better change something. Go get yourself unpacked."
I didn't sleep too well that night. Bella spent a decent amount of the night bawling and then tried to talk to me. She was trying, no doubt, to ignore the ghost-like whoosh of the wind outside our window.
"Did Charlie find out what you did?"
"You mean Ms. Potter's car? Yeah. I got the usual. Change your spots or kiss your freedom goodbye." I snorted. "Yeah, right. Like that'll happen."
"You really ought to take this seriously, Liza. I mean, this can't be good for your health." That is so like her, being the responsible one.
"My condition isn't progressive, Bells."
"I know, but," She sat up. "You're going to something you can't reverse one of these days."
I rolled my eyes at the ceiling and pretended to sleep.
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Forks High now had 359 students, and as Bella drove 'The Thing' (her new '59 Chevy truck) to the office parking lot, I internally hit myself. The Thing would draw even more attention to us. "Haven't people here heard of mufflers?"
"At least it's sturdy," Bella chuckled.
"Eliza-May," I said when I reached the counter. "That's my sister, Isabella."
The lady smiled and passed us our schedules. "Come give me these slips at the end of the day."
"I think I'll walk the rest of the way," I told Bella. "I've got Spanish first thing."
"'Kay, Liza. Be careful. If you fall—"
"I'm not made of porcelain, Isabella. I'll be fine."
Low and behold, the first hour Spanish class was doing an oral assignment. "Señorita Swan, why don't you introduce yourself?"
"Bien. Me llamo Liza. Soy de Phoenix, Arizona."
"Y, ¿por qué eres aquí?"
"Soy aquí porque fui expulsando. Vivo me padre y me hermana gemela, Isabella."
"You just used the preterite, Eliza. Can you conjugate all of ser?"
"Present: Soy, Eres, Es, Somos, Sois, Son. Simple Preterit: Fui, Fuiste, Fue, Fuimos, Fuisteís, Fueron," I recited. "It's also the preterit form of ir. Voy, Vas, Va, Vamos, Vais, Van."
"Why are you only in level one? You have a talent."
I shrugged. "Ni idea." Because of Francisco, I thought. And the gang of course.
The teacher waved me back to my seat.
Lunch came as a relief. I went outside to smoke.
"This is a no tobacco campus."
The person talking was unearthly pale with bronze colored hair and dark eyes. He was kind of handsome, if you're into the lean-but-muscled, rich-boy look. "Does it look I care?"
"Those things will kill you." He sounds like a walking Health Book.
"And?" You, dude, have no idea how many times I've tried to take my own life.
He looked alerted. "Are you okay? Really, if need someone to talk to, Liza—"
"How'd you know my name?" I was suspicious. Of course everyone knows us. We're the police chief's way word daughters who finally came home.
"Well, I assumed you didn't go by 'Eliza-May'. You are Liza, right? Not Bella?"
"Yes, I'm Liza." I ground my cigarette butt into the sidewalk, and then fell. I wasn't planning on it. It just happens sometimes.
Edward still looked alerted. "You okay?"
I put my pack in his outstretched hand. "Estoy bein."
"I don't want one," he said, clearly disgusted. The look seemed out of place on his stone-white face. His dark eyes struggled not to look me in the face.
"I know." I replied. "It's my last pack. I don't when I'll be able to get more, so I might as well quit now, right?" How hard can a three-year-old nicotine addiction be to beat anyway? "Plus, I think I want to keep my father from arresting me." I stood up.
"Okay." He walked back to the cafeteria. "See you."
Turns out that the only other teacher who gave me any trouble was the math teacher (who's name I forgot). Finally, I had my last class. GYM.
It also turns out that this was the only class Bella and I had together. We both groaned. "This is going to be disastrous," Bella mumbled, putting her head in her hands.
"And dangerous." I shook my head. "Have they seen us play sports?"
Luckily, Coach Clapp didn't make us dress down on our first day. So we watched. Some guy with spiky hair looked at Bella from time to time.
"Who's that?"
"I think his name's Mike," Bella said, shaking her head. "He's in a few of my classes."
At the end of class, we walked back to the office.
Bella's eyes popped out of her head. "Edward Cullen."
"Who?" It was the pale boy who took my cigarettes. I turned away. "Oh, stone boy."
"Stone boy?"
"He's not very nice." He stopped talking to the lady at the front, and started to leave. He bumped into me, and was out the door before I could say anything to him. "See?"
"He hates me. He's in my Biology 2 class."
"How do you know? It's only our first day here. Things will look up." I bet she has a crush.
"Since when were you so optimistic?"
"I don't know. Maybe Utensil Town is rubbing off on me?"
That got a smile from her.
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"Dad?"
Charlie looked up from the dinner he ordered and looked honestly surprised that I was speaking to him. "Yes, May?" The tone in his voice said, "What did you do this time?"
"I was wondering if you know Edward Cullen's folks."
Charlie instantly knew who I was talking about. "He must in your music class."
I nodded. "He may be. I really didn't notice him 'til lunch." Am I taking music this term? Does this school even have a strings program?
"They," Bella came into our conversation, "they seem a little strange."
"People in this town!" Charlie exclaimed. "You think I'd have more problems with all those adopted kids. The kids whose families have been here for generations are far worse." He looked at me as he said it.
I get it, Dad. "What I mean," Bella replied correcting herself, "is that they keep to themselves."
"Dr. Cullen's a nice man and a brilliant surgeon. God knows he could have been better paid in any other hospital in the nation. Thank goodness his wife wanted to live in a small town. He takes the kids hiking or camping every few weekends." He looked at me again. "Speaking of doctors. How you doing, May? I noticed you were coughing last night."
Busted, I thought again. "I'm fine. I'll live."
"Famous last words," Bella muttered in my ear. OF course, I did remember that every time I say that I land myself in the hospital for two weeks.
"Dad, if you're worried, I'll see a doctor sometime this week." How bad can it be?
Just then, the phone rang. Charlie answered. "Swan residence. This is Charlie." "Oh, hello Dr. Cullen." "She did?" He looked at me and raised his eyebrows. "She forgot to mention it. Do you have any openings this week?" "No, apparently the fall didn't do anything drastic. She has a really bad cough." "Yes, I'll bring her in tomorrow morning."
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