You know how it goes: don't own anything, affiliated to nobody, make no money, Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer and I'm just playing with her characters for a while.

- Prologue -

Life generally sucks and that's a worldwide known fact. Ask anybody, form anywhere at any time and they will all tell you the same: that life really, really sucks.

But if by some twist of a sick and oh, so twisted Fate your name happens to be Isabella Swan, then your life, my friend, doesn't just suck – it SUCKS; with capital letters and all that shit.

Now, you might ask yourself how is it that I know this… That's easy: I'm Isabella, daughter of Charlie Swan and Renee Dwyer, née Higginbotham, formerly known as Swan and my life does SUCK.

It hasn't always.

I mean, there was a time – a long, long time ago – when my life was good; back when I still had a mum and a dad and a family, when Sunday meals where a family affair and my dad came to every recital and school event, when my mum used to tuck me up at night after which she and dad took turns reading me bedtime stories, when during those particular loud thunder storms I could still go to their bed and feel safe with my mum and dad protecting me, when Grandma Marie came to visit every couple of months or so and when everything was just as it should be. But that didn't last long, and before I knew it, I was getting dragged – kicking and screaming – all the way to California and later on to Phoenix and my life started to suck.

I didn't have a family after that anymore. I had Charlie back in Forks every summer and every other Christmas, Grandma Marie in California whenever my mum decided it was time to visit her – Grandma loved Charlie and never actually forgave her daughter for leaving him so they didn't really got along – and Renee, and soon after, her new husband Phil, in Phoenix for the rest of the year.

I didn't have any friends either. Those I used to have back in the days I still lived in Forks, soon forgot about me just as I forgot about them, and I never actually bothered to make new ones in California or Phoenix.

I was alone and it sucked, but I was okay with it. It was simply the way my life was and after a while of self-pitying I decided to just go with the flow. And it worked. I was almost happy with it all; content to see my father once or twice a year, happy to visit my grandma anytime Phil had a game up in California and pleased with seeing the country every time Phil had a game during my time off from school.

What I wasn't happy with was seeing mum's face every time school forced me and as an extension her to stay back from traveling with Phil. She wanted to be with him and even if it hurt I soon realized that she wanted it even more than she wanted to be with me.

Life sucked and it wasn't just mine that sucked either: Charlie was alone missing me and mum every day of his life, Renee had me and Phil, but much too often had to choose between us and I longed for some normalcy.

And that is why I got from then and there to the now and here: now being a few days before my eighteen birthday and here being with Charlie in his cruiser driving from Port Angeles to Forks. I was going to live with him; leaving my mum free to be with Phil and hoping, with all of my heart, that mine and dad's life would suck a bit less if we were together.

Next chapter – tomorrow