Chapter one BPOV:
Mom, I signed, you know I want to do this. A new start is what I need.
I know, baby, she spoke and signed at the same time, but I don't know why you need to go back to forks. No one there will know how to sign, not even Charlie.
I can read lips, mom. You know that well enough and I can sort of speak. People will just have to get used to me. Also I will have an interpreter in almost every class, you worry too much. I felt guilty for lying to her about there being an interpreter but she wouldn't let me go unless she thought I would be able to understand my teachers.
I'm sorry, you know I love you, right?
I nodded. She had been telling me over and over since I had told her that I wanted to move in with my father, Charlie. He had never come to terms with my being deaf and hadn't been too bothered when my mom left with me in tow. He thought I was a freak and I didn't mind because I thought it too. My mom just told me I was special. I had always been special. When I was born I was completely deaf because I was premature, my ears never had chance to develop properly and because of some faulty genes they never have. No one realised I was deaf until I was 2 years old when they did tests on me to see if I had a problem understanding speech because whenever someone spoke to me I would ignore them or look at them as though I didn't speak their language. Which was kind of true. As soon as my mom found out she signed both her and me up for an ASL course. We both picked it up pretty quickly and mom convinced my dad to sign up too. He went for a few days but he never got the hang of it and gave up pretty soon. I had never hated him for not trying to learn my 'language' but I hated the fact that he expected me to understand him perfectly. He was the reason I could read lips and speak although my speech was very slow and I was often made fun of for being stupid. When I was five my mom had finally had enough of his attitude towards me and left him. I was happy to be leaving the rainy town but I still wanted to see my dad sometimes. Every year I would go down to forks and spend a week in the summer with him. I perfected the art of lip reading and tried my best to keep up with the kids there. None of them realised I was deaf and this was the way I preferred it. Being deaf wasn't who I was; it was just a part of me. I sighed and looked up at my mother who smiled softly at me. Time to face my destiny. I signed. She laughed and reached behind to hold my hand. This would be the last time I would see my mother for a while. She was travelling with her boyfriend, Phil, and I was moving across the country. I was even changing my name. I would no longer be Isabella Marie Jenks, the deaf girl. I would be Bella Swan, the new girl. I smiled and waved goodbye to my mom, who had tears in her eyes. 'I love you' she mouthed at me before I was ushered onto the plane. I took my seat and settled down for the flight. I put in my headphones and pretended to listen to music so that no one would disturb me. There was a little boy sat next to me who was happily signing away to a woman next to him. I let myself cry silently. I was leaving my old life behind. New beginnings.
I arrived at the Seattle airport and glanced around for Charlie. He was stood to one side with a huge sign held above his head. 'Welcome home, Bells.' I smiled at him and made my way over. Great look you grown much. He signed awkwardly. At least he was trying. "Hi dad." I said. He smiled widely and took me into an awkward hug. Nothing had changed about him. His moustache was still as unruly as ever and his eyes, so much like my own, were surrounded by wrinkles, he even smelled the same. Like old leather and tobacco. He grabbed my bag and led me over to his police cruiser. I forgot to mention, Charlie is the chief of police in Forks so I would have to ride around in his cruiser if I needed to get anywhere. Charlie pulled up to his house and got out of the car, leaving me to take in my surroundings. The house itself was tiny and it overlooked the main road in Forks but it was fairly closed off. The next house was at least half a mile down the road and opposite was a huge expanse of forested area that it would be very easy to get lost in. Charlie tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a beat up old truck that was sat on his driveway. I loved it instantly. "Whose is that?" I asked cautiously. "It's yours, Bells. I thought it would be nice, as a welcome back gift. Do you, err..., like it?" Charlie replied sounding nervous. I suddenly forgot how to speak. It was mine. I threw my arms around Charlie's neck. I could feel him laughing, and pulled back to look at him. "I take it you like it then?" He asked, grinning. I nodded furiously. I saw him laughing once again. "I'm glad." He spoke, looking down so I could barely see what he was saying. He led me up to my room and left me alone to unpack. I was glad he didn't hover. I just needed time to come to terms with my self-inflicted exile. I had already told Charlie not to tell anyone here that I was deaf apart from the teachers at school. I didn't want to be treated differently to other kids. Of course he had ignored me to an extent. He had only told the teachers about my deafness but he had also convinced the school to set up an extra class where people could learn ASL so I could communicate in an emergency where my speaking would be too slow. I doubted anyone would want to learn ASL but at least he was thinking of me and had started to understand that I needed to be able to speak in my own special 'language' that so few understood. The deaf community in Forks was currently non-existent so I was alone in my silence. But I didn't mind. At least I knew I wouldn't be stuck with anybody who wanted people to feel sorry for them because they were 'disabled'. I would never refer to myself as disabled, I was just a bit different. But no one understood that. I was tired of the pity and the sympathetic looks I got from people when they realised I was deaf. I wanted to be just Bella, nothing more. I didn't even want to make friends here I just wanted to be able to blend with the crowd. Become invisible to bullies and jerks. I just wanted a new beginning.
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