Chapter One: Moving Back

"Alex, Sweetheart! Phil says we have to go now or else you and your sister will miss your flight!"

"Coming, Mom!" I yelled over my shoulder before throwing the last of my junk into the open backpack at my feet. After pulling the zipper close, I threw the bag over one of my shoulders and took the stairs two at a time, jumping the last one. I met my mom at the bottom and flashed her a bright smile.

"You know, you don't have to stall," Renée said, bumping shoulders with me as the two of us walked out of the house. "If you want to stay here with me, all you have to do is say so."

I could hear the hope in my mother's voice, she really didn't want her babies to leave her, no matter how excited she was to be traveling with Phil. But it didn't matter how bad it made me feel, I knew I had to do this for my mother. Renée deserved the chance to live with Phil and not have to worry about Bella or myself all the time. She deserved the chance to be happy. Not that she wasn't happy when my sister and I were around. Bella and I had promised to e-mail and call often to keep her up to date on what was going on with our lives in Forks and we were going to keep that promise.

"Mom. You know I love you, but I miss dad. It will be nice to get a chance to spend more than just a few weeks a year with him." I assured, giving mom a one armed hug before moving to hop into the backseat behind Phil.

As Phil started the car, I reached out and grabbed my older sister's hand, the one NOT holding onto a small cactus clipping. Bella looked at me confused for a moment before slipping her fingers through mine. I knew she was nervous. Forks had never been her type of place, but she was doing it for mom. We both were. I wanted her to know that I was going to be there for her, that she wasn't doing it alone.

The two of us looked out our windows on the way to the airport, taking our last looks of Arizona: the clear blue sky, the bright sun, and the tall cluster of buildings. The windows were down and I couldn't help but smile as the wind played with my dark curls, loving the feeling on the warm air on my skin. As our destination came into view, Bella and I let go of each others hands and prepared ourselves for what would come next, saying goodbye to mom.

"Now you girls are positive that you want to do this?" Renee asked, looking from one daughter to the other. "Because if you don't we can pack up the car now and go back home."

"Mom, we want to go," I answered, shaking my head slightly as I stepped forward to give the older woman a hug. "Really."

As I let go, I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. It was pretty easy seeing as we were more or less the same height, myself being maybe an inch taller at the most. Bella quickly embraced Renee as soon as I was out of the way. She too assured mom that this was what we wanted before letting go.

"I just want you both to know that if at any point you want to come home, all you have to do is call me and I'll be there."

We both nodded. It wasn't the first time mom had told us that. Grabbing our bags, we waved good-bye to Renée and Phil before heading off towards our flight. Because I had the window seat I spent most of the first flight listening to music and looking out at the sky while Bella read a book. Neither of us said much during those four hours until our second flight from Seattle to Port Angeles.

"So, we're almost there," I said as the small plane took to the sky.

"Yay?" Bella answered, marking her place in her book before turning to look at me. "I mean, is that really a good thing?"

I thought about it for a moment before nodding my head. "Yeah, I think it is. I mean we get to see dad."

Although Bella had more of an odd relationship with Charlie and was, therefore, a bit nervous to be living him full time, I was excited to seem him. He was our dad after all. I was looking forward to spending more than just a couple of weeks out of the year with him, getting to know him better. I missed the old house, the woods in our backyard, hell I even missed the rain. Basically, I missed everything about Forks that Bella hated.

"Charlie… How much do you wanna bet he is going to pick us up in the cruiser?" Bella said, leaning her head back so that it rested on the high-backed plane seat.

"Like he has another car?" I pointed out, chuckling slightly. When I was younger, I had found it exciting to know that my dad was Chief of Police and made a point to tell all my friends back home about it. I mean; he was practically a superhero! I knew Bella didn't feel the same way though and that's why I thought it was funny. Bella didn't like attention and driving around in a car with red and blue lights on top was practically a neon sign that said 'look at me'.

"Still, the first chance I get, I'm going to buy my own car," Bella spoke in a determined manner. "I refuse to spend the entire time being driven around in that thing."

"Don't worry, dad promised to help you get a car. You can suck it up and ride in the cruiser until then."

The conversation then turned to school. We discussed our nerves about starting during the middle of the semester and how uncomfortable it was going to be. We both promised to keep an eye out for each other and to be ready to help for whatever reason if it was needed. It was on that note that the plane landed and the time came for the two of us to reunite with our father.

As Bella had guessed, Charlie had driven the cruiser. She flashed me a knowing look as we walked down the stairs of the plane, and because she was so uncoordinated, she stumbled due to a misplaced foot. She would have landed face first on the pavement if I hadn't been right behind her. Being used to my sister's clumsiness, I was ready to grab Bella's shoulders and hold her in place. Bella gave me a smile of thanks before walking down the rest of the steps and joining Charlie by the car.

"Hey, Dad." I greeted as I sat down my bags so that I could put my coat on, even though it now covered my yellow spaghetti strapped blouse. I had worn the shirt as a sort of tribute to the sun I was leaving behind. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you, girls, too." Charlie responded before pulling us into one-armed hugs. It was a bit awkward, but we were used to it. It happened every time we came to visit him.

When the hug was over with, Charlie insisted on putting our bags in the trunk while we got into the warm car and out of the rain. Being the oldest, Bella took the passenger seat while I slid into the seat behind her. We sat quietly while waiting for dad to return. The silence continued as we pulled out of the small airport and started towards Forks. I spent the time once again looking out the window. I had forgotten just how green everything was around here. The trees, the grass, the bushes, they all seemed to glow brightly through the rain. It made me think about just how strange it was, almost alien.

It wasn't until we reached town that Charlie broke the silence.

"Your hair's longer," he commented, looking sideways at Bella.

I leaned forward in the back seat to see my sister examine the ends of a small chunk of hair. "I cut it since the last time we saw you."

"Oh, guess it grew out again."

Bella just awkwardly nodded her head.

We all sat there for a moment before Charlie looked at his youngest in the rearview mirror.

"How's your mom?" He asked.

"She's fine, hasn't changed much," I answered, giving a small smile.

This time, it was Charlie who nodded his head uncomfortably before the car slipped into silence once more. I remembered now just how much like our dad Bella was, both of them awkward and quiet. Nothing more was said as we drove through town on the way to the house. I took in all the buildings that I hadn't seen in three years. They all seemed to look the same. The timber museum, the small police station across from City Hall. Each landmark showed how close we were to arriving home.

When we finally pulled into the driveway of the old two-story building of my childhood, I couldn't help but bounce slightly in my seat. Getting out of the car, I helped carry my bags into the house and made my way up the stairs towards my old room. The door was open a crack so I pushed it open with my foot before setting my bags down and taking in the tiny space.

It looked almost exactly like I had left it. My posters still hung on the wall as well as my knick-knacks, which still sat on the shelves. The only really big change was that my stuffed animals and other toys had been removed and a vanity had been left in their place. I was just running my fingers over its top when there came a small knock at the door. Turning around I saw it was Charlie.

"It was your mothers. I gave your sister your Grandpa's old desk so I hope this is okay. There should be enough room for you to do your homework on it." He said, leaning against the doorframe. "I also cleared some shelves in the bathroom for the two of you."

I had forgotten that there was only one bathroom. That was going to make things interesting.

I quickly pushed the thought from my mind, however. "It's perfect, thank you."

Charlie looked at me and nodded before looking over at the bed. "The sales lady helped pick out your bedspread. I hope the color's fine."

I followed my father's gaze and saw the dark red comforter folded up at the end of the bed with what looked like matching pillowcases on top. From what I could see, they were both covered with black designs. Normally I would have preferred a blue like my bed set back in Arizona but for some reason I found myself liking the color. It was a sort of burgundy and went well with the gray walls.

"I love it. Thanks, Dad."

"Good." I could tell that Charlie was relieved to hear that. "Well, I guess I'll let you get to unpacking."

Detaching himself from the doorframe, he turned into the hall and went downstairs. I watched him go for a moment before grabbing my bags and moving them to the bed. I was in the middle of moving my clothes from said bags into my small dresser and closet when I heard a honk. I only had one window that faced the front yard and, unfortunately, it was blocked by a large tree. Being unable to see who was here, I walked out of the room and started to make my way downstairs. I met my sister in the front entryway and together the two of us exited the house to see Charlie greeting two people as they got out of a beat-up old truck.

"Bella, Alex," Charlie called when he saw us standing by the front door. "You both remember Billy Black."

I nodded my head in greeting while Bella spoke, "Hey, you're lookin' good."

Billy chuckled slightly. "Well, I'm still dancin'. Glad you two are finally here. Charlie here hasn't shut up about it since you told him you both were coming."

The comment caused both of us to chuckle slightly while dad looked a bit embarrassed.

"All right, keep exaggerating and I'll roll you into the mud." Charlie threatened jokingly.

"Right after I ram you in the ankles." Billy shot back before wheeling himself after his friend.

My sister and I stood there watching the two older men for a moment before someone else drew our attention. He looked to be around my age with russet skin, dark brown eyes and even darker hair that fell past his shoulders. He was pretty cute. Something in the back of my mind told me that I knew him. But where did I know him from?

"Hi, I'm Jacob," he said shyly. It seemed I wasn't the only one unable to remember him because Bella wore a confused expression as well. This caused the boy to add, "We, um, we used to make mud pies together when we were little."

Without warning, I snapped my fingers and pointed at him. "That's right!" I exclaimed, remembering him now. "I talked you into eating one once. Sorry about that."

I could remember him throwing up shortly after eating that mud pie. He didn't feel good after that and had to go home. I hadn't been able to really apologize because it happened a few days before Bella and I were supposed to return home. Jacob didn't seem to mind, however, as he chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. That was a long time ago."

"Are they always like this?" Bella asked, pointing to the two dads who were still play fighting in the middle of the street.

"It's getting worse with old age," Jacob told us, chuckling again.

I joined in on the laughing as Charlie came forward and patted the back of the truck. "So what do you girls think of your homecoming gift?"

My mouth dropped; he had gotten us a truck? Within the twenty minutes we had been in town he had already done what he promised he would do.

"No way. The truck is for us?" Bella asked, not being able to believe it either.

"Just bought it off Billy, here," Charlie confirmed. Before he could say anything more, I launched myself at him, burying my head in his chest while my arms squeezed him tight around his middle. He stiffened slightly before returning my hug, patting my back gently.

"It's perfect!" Bella said happily, beaming her first real smile all day.

Quickly, she opened the driver's side door and hopped into the seat. Jacob also looked excited as he made his way over to the passenger's side. After letting go of Charlie, I gave him one more grin before joining the two at the vehicle, sticking my head through Bella's open window.

"Okay, so you gotta double pump the clutch when you shift, but… besides that you should be good." Jacob instructed before handing Bella the keys.

"Is that this one?" Bella asked, wanting to make sure she had the right one. Jacob confirmed that it was indeed the right one and Bella started the car. The loudness of it surprised me, causing me to jump slightly. That was going to take some getting used too.

"So, wanna ride to school or something?" Bella asked, turning to Jake. Seemed only fair to give the kid a ride.

"Oh, um, I go to school on the reservation," he said.

An awkward silence fell over the three of us for a moment as that sunk in.

"That's too bad," Bella said suddenly, "It would've been nice to know one person."

"Hey, you always got me, sis." I pointed out, reaching through the window to push her shoulder gently.

Bella turned to look at me and attempted a very weak smile. We were in different grades meaning we wouldn't see each other very much except for maybe once or twice in the hallways. It would have been nice to have at least one other familiar, friendly face at school. Unfortunately, we were going to have to settle for one another.


Authors Notes:: So this is the first update for my new Twilight story. I've decided to try writing in first person so be patient with me if it's a bit bumpy. This story will pretty much follow the movie but have some serious book influence as you'll see in the next couple of chapters. There is a collection on polyvore so you can check that out by clicking on the link on my profile. Please tell me what you think about this story so far and if you would like me to continue. Posting new stories kinda freaks me out because I never know if people are going to like them or not. So, yeah. :)