The Last Breath
Prologue:
Nobody knows why that town was chosen as the victim. That is, of course, nobody except two; two beings that we're completely different from one another. One purely evil creature rampaged through that southern town, bringing every breathing life to its death. Nothing was left untouched, undamaged or living. But a single family, just one, was different from any other. They fought with everything they had, as if their lives depended on it. And it did. But will that be enough? Everyone was prepared to take the last breath. Can the two save the lives of their families?
Chapter One: Forks, Washington
I was so not looking forward to today. Today was my first day here in Forks. That's so awesome… not really.
Forks is wet and green. And… that's pretty much it. It's a very small town that's under the constant cover of clouds. Right now, it is mid-January. I don't understand how people live being cramped, not being able to enjoy much sun while getting drenched nearly every time they walk out of their front doors; I would go insane! I haven't even seen the house and I'm already losing control over my sanity. There's no way that I will be able to live here… for possibly over a year. But I just keep reminding myself that I'm doing this for Renee, my mom. I'm giving her the chance to be free, to travel with Phil, who she married a few years back. He is a bit young for her in my opinion, but I knew that they were in love. Love is something that I have no experience in what-so-ever. I never went on a date, never had my first kiss, none of that. In fact, I have never even become interested in anyone.
As of now, I am riding in Charlie's cruiser. He's my dad and the Chief of Police. It was so embarrassing to ride in a police car. Everyone would know that I am his daughter and would stay away from me in fear that I would snitch if they did anything wrong. I know this, because it has happened before in Phoenix. People would think I was a goody-goody. Maybe that is why I never had much of a social life.
We rode in an awkward silence until he decided to start up a conversation. "I bought you a nice truck. I got a good deal," he announced, 'A Chevy'. He bought me a car?! Oh, he is in for it now. But I will try to keep calm. My 'Forks string' - as I named it - is wearing dangerously thin.
"Where did you find it?"
"Billy Black. You remember him, don't you, Bells? From La Push?"
I thought about it, shifting through my memories, but I could not remember a Billy. "No."
"Well, he is unable to drive, because he was injured badly a while ago. So, he sold me his truck cheap," he explained.
Oh, really? "How much is 'cheap'?"
His body went stiff while his mouth turned down into a frown. "Very cheap," he answered.
Free? Wow!
"What year?" I continued to interrogate him.
"It's a 1953 Chevy pickup."
I suppose that isn't too bad. But still, he knows very well that I don't like receiving gifts. I sighed realizing that I had lost this battle.
I refocused my attention back out the window to look at the passing green blurs. I missed the warm and sunny Phoenix. Now, I am stuck here in Forks, Washington.
This is for Renee, I told myself. At least I still had that rational part of me that seems to keep me positive. I wonder how long that will last. With all of this change going on around me, I am not positive that it will last more than my first day, especially since I know for a fact that there are many more changes to come.
The cruiser began to slow before coming to a halt. My head snapped up to take in the view. From what I remember, this house hasn't changed much. It is still the same as I remembered it. The only difference that I noticed is the rusting old Chevy parked in the driveway.
Two dark-skinned males were talking standing next to it talking. The older one was sitting in a wheelchair while the young one was leaning against the side of the truck. As soon as they heard the cruiser's engine, both of them looked up to watch as we came into view. Charlie parked at the side on the dirt road. He cut the engine and got out. The Forks string thinned even more, if that were possible.
When Charlie came to the passenger side and opened the door for me, the string became so thin that it was invisible to the human eye. I'd need a microscope to see it if it existed.
Reluctantly, I forced myself to step out of the cruiser. Thanks, dad. I rolled my eyes. Charlie slammed the door shut and leads me over to the guys. "Bella, this is Billy Black and his son, Jacob," he introduced us.
Billy, the older one, held out his hand which I shook firmly. "It's great to see you, Billy."
He smiled warmly at me. "Hey, Bells. Remember me?" The young one, Jacob, asked. It took a minute to think it through. That tan skin, his long, black hair, his deep-set brown eyes, and his warm grin that was stretched on his face… he was… he was… Jacob!
"Yeah, I remember you, Jake! It's so great to see you again!" His face instantly lit up. He smiled down at me a little too amiably for best friends.
Ah, great. Now, I guess I have an admirer. I truly don't want to ruin our friendship. This day just keeps getting better and better and better…
The four of us stayed outside just talking and were getting caught up. The sun was now in between the north part of the sky and the west. It must be around 4pm.
Soon, Jake and Billy had to leave. My dad offered to drive them home.
"Hey, Bella, why don't you tag along? It'd give us an extra, say, 45 minutes," Jake asked.
I considered it for a minute. As I was about to decline the offer, Jake gave me the puppy-dog face. "Fine," I said defeated.
Billy and Charlie got to sit inside the cab while Jake and I had to sit in the bed. The cold winter air blew across my face. I tried my best to ignore it. But I shivered, giving Jake the excuse to hold me. I couldn't see any harm in it, so I agreed. I sat in between his legs with his arms wrapped tightly around me and his head resting on top of mine.
"This is nice," he commented while I just nodded. His sigh made me look at him in confusion.
My Forks alarm went off, buzzing and sounding the loud sirens when he started leaning towards me. I instantly backed away a bit to try to send him the message. Fortunately, he understood.
"Jake, you're my best friend. I don't want to change that - At least, not yet." He nodded, a look of disappointment plastered on his face. This was exactly what I was trying to avoid!
The shivers and cold left my body, so I decided that it was best to put in some distance, so that I could get us back to friends without all the awkwardness. The rest of the ride was uncomfortable. I felt bad for hurting his feelings. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought that I was a terrible person; because right now, that is exactly how I feel.
Thankfully, the ride didn't feel like a long amount of time. The truck was pulled over and Jacob hopped out to help Billy. I let out a sigh of relief. Why was life so complicated? Right now, I am thinking about moving back to my mantra; This is for Renee. That little voice wins once again.
"Are you planning on getting out anytime soon?" The voice was so close. I didn't even hear anybody approaching. I looked up to see Charlie staring back at me with his eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"Yeah, I was just thinking," I responded quietly.
Deep breath in, deep breath out… again…again…
After I felt myself calm enough, I attempted to climb out. Charlie stopped me right before I was about to flip out. He helped me the rest of the way out. "Do you want to talk about it right now," He asked in that caring fatherly tone. Did I want to talk about my problems? Did I want to talk about how I miss Mom, Phil, Phoenix, and how I felt guilty about Jake? Did I want to talk about how the changes are affecting me, how I don't want to leave Charlie here, and how I still want to go back? How about how I am scared to death to start school? The answer was no. I wasn't quite ready yet.
"No," I finally replied, "I'm not ready to." Charlie looked down at me like he was trying to figure me out. My mother always said that I was like an open book, easy to read but sometimes difficult to grasp.
The drive home wasn't as uncomfortable, but I wouldn't say that it was enjoyable, which was definitely not the case here.
It was around 5-ish. The sun is a little farther to the north, the sky darkening little by little. I thought it over and over. I finally decided to just let it go. It is not ruining my trip, though I wouldn't mind going back home.
This is for Renee. Ugh!
Along the ride, I felt myself gradually calming down and then cheered up. I guess it is not as bad as it could have been. He could have ignored my protest. He could have shown his anger and disappointment more. But he didn't. Jake understood. He didn't push it. No, he let it go to show that he doesn't blame me. I'll still call him up tomorrow evening. I want to keep our bond, not destroy it.
The green and white blurs passing by became clearer and clearer until they stopped. I turned my head to look out the windshield. We were already at the house. Huh.
Charlie risked a glance at me. When he saw that I was feeling better, he shut down the engine and got out of the car. This time I was able to get out on my own before he had a chance to help. We walked up the steps of the porch. There was still snow around, but thankfully there wasn't much ice.
After fumbling with the keys for a couple of seconds he managed to unlock the door. As he opened it, I peered inside.
Like the outside, the inside hasn't changed much. There was still the same couch and flat screen TV. On the side table was a picture of me when I was about 9 or 10. I was running around the sprinklers while my dad chased me. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was one of the days that the sun was out and shining, and that is pretty rare. Days like that aren't easily forgotten.
I moved my eyes around the old familiar living room before moving on to the kitchen. There were more changes to this room than the living room or the outside. The table was moved to the corner by the window. That and there was a new rug by the sink. Other than that, it was the same. Charlie's gun lay on the table. His fishing coat was slung sloppily over the back of one of the chairs. Charlie led me upstairs to my room. He opened the door.
Inside, there were a lot of changes that were made. My childhood toys were removed from my room. The bed spread was upgraded to an older look. I spotted a desk on the right side of my room and tall dresser with 5 drawers on the left.
"I hope you like it. I know that it's not the best but…" His voice trailed off awkwardly. "Well," he started, but did not finish, instead turning to the door.
"Thank you, Char- um… dad." Wow, I really need to work on calling him 'Dad' instead of 'Charlie'.
"Yep," he murmured and then left after setting down my bags. I put my cactus on the nightstand and then sat on the bed.
It is not a total tragedy, but it could have still had a better start to the year. I truly want to give Forks a try. It may or may not work out. Nevertheless, I am willing to suck it up and stay until I finish school.
Lying back on my bed I thought of excuses to leave. This is for Renee…right. This is going to be a long night.
Author's note: I am so sorry for my absence. I have had a bit of troubles with the computer repair shop. I am now writing on a new Acer laptop. I promise to make up for the long delay. Due to writer's block, I might not continue "Black Love."
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