A Story From My Songbook
For over a year my favorite songbook's index made me think of the chapters of a love story. So here it is. It starts with Bella leaving Phoenix and menders on its own way scratching canon content here and there while having its own path at other times. Characters have their own mind and make their own decisions. Alice is has a bigger part in the action of the first chapters but Edward is coming into the picture, of course!
What else do you need to know?
Alice – and thus Edward – know that Bella is supposed to be in Edwards life. Alice is going to embrace this fact, Edward, naturally, is fighting this right from the beginning making a prick out of himself.
Mostly Bella's point of view, Edwards occasionally.
Oh, and: I do not own Twilight, I do not own Disney princess linen but I do own a long lost sappy teenage diary…
Hope
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune-without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
Emily Dickens
Chapter 1 – What's up
Chapter Sum:
Bella arrives in Forks. Words do not exactly fly between here and Charlie. Nevertheless, they come along just fine and Bella settles in more or less easyly.
BPOV
"Bella! Bella!" I was standing behind our house in Phoenix bathing in the heat and forcing my body to suck up as much sun and heat as it could. It was my farewell to my former life. In Forks, where I send myself to live with my father, the sky was to be overcastted most days of the year, it would be cold and it would rain most of the time. I didn't like the rain or the cold any more than I did like the dreaded small town of Forks. However, I did like my mother and I wanted her to be happy. She was head over heels in love with her new husband Phil and I could see how much she missed him, every time he was travelling through the county, leaving her behind. "Bella, darling, there you are! Come on, we have to hurry! I already put your suitcases in the car!" With a sigh, I opened my eyes and let go of the handrail. So this would be it. I took my backpack, which contained, along with my passport and ticket, my much worn out copy of Wuthering Highs and my brand new parker. "I'm coming, mom!"
At the airport, my mother hugged me for what seemed the thousands time repeating "I am going to miss you so much." And "You don't have to do this." Like it was the high prized mantra from the latest in yogi. "I'm fine mom. I am going to miss you, too. But we have the phone and e-mails and you have Phil do distract you." It wasn't as if we've had this conversation endless time over and over again. "But who will distract my little girl? You are always so sinister. Promise me to have some fun" "Sure mom, I will" Fun. In Forks. Sharing the initial letter was the closest fun would have in common with Forks. Of that I was sure. Mum was preparing to repeat this conversation, when the last call for my flight saved me from lying to my mother again. "Be sure to tell Charlie hi from me. I call as soon as Phil and I are checked in, in whatever excuse for a hotel we're staying." "I'll be fine mom. Don't worry. Love you!" And with those words, I turned my back on my mother and my life in Phoenix and probably the face of the sun for a long time.
On my arrival at Forks, I was greeted with gushes of rain and cold wind. I fumbled to pull my parker closer around me before I followed Charlie, my dad, around the corner to the cruiser. Of course I'd known I'd be driven around in a car with red and blue lights on its roof, but I already had my mind set on buying a car for myself. I don't like being in the center of attention at all and driving through town in the cruiser was all but inconspicuous.
"How was your flight?" Charlie was griping the steering wheel tighter as he tried to start some form of small talk. See, neither one of us is what would be called the talkative type. "Fine, dad." "How is Renée?" "She's fine dad. She told me to say hi." "Good." Charlie hesitated a moment and threw me a sideward glance: "Is there a chance you will ever be telling me the real reason for staying with me in Forks?" "It is the real reason, dad. Mom needs to spend more time with Phil and I wanted to spend more time with you. Getting to know you better, you know." "But you always detested Forks" "I guess, it can't be as bad as I remembered it." Probably worse, I thought to myself. "I am sure it was the evil side of my teenage self that saw everything in a negative light." "If you say so." Charlie appeared to be satisfied by my explanation for the moment and the rest of the forty-minute drive, we spend in silence.
My room was exactly as I left it the last time I stayed in Forks. The only addition being some new linen and a computer my dad bought so I could chat with my mom. I was quite grateful for both. The occasionally e-mail would save me from my mother calling every day and the linen from sleeping in Disney's princess edition. "Nothing has changed, Bells. It's all the way you left it." "Yeah, thanks dad." I was sure if I opened the drawer of my desk, my long lost early teenage dairy would still be there. "If you need anything, I'll be downstairs." Charlie and I were alike in those things. See, he didn't know how to handle those kinds of situations, neither did I. We both preferred being on our own, yet, we were afraid of hurting anybody by keeping to ourselves. As I heard him descending the stairs, I let myself fall on my bed. I closed my eyes, but I couldn't even pretend being at home, for the sound of gushing rain and the whirling of the wind always managed to tie my mind to this place. To Forks. So that's it, I thought, my new home. Better start thinking of it as this. Home. I picked myself up from the purple linen and started to unpack my two suitcases. It took me no more than ten minutes. So, what next? I didn't know anybody here beside my father – not that I have had many friends back in Phoenix. At least I had places to go back there. Just as I was starting to drown myself in a pool of self-pity, I heard a loud rumbling noise from outside. As I looked out the window, I saw an old red truck approaching our driveway. "Bella! Come down! You have a visitor!"
When I came down the stairs there was a boy standing in the door. "Hey, Bella. Remember me?" He was smiling with unreal white teeth, nervously pushing a strand of his dark hair behind his ear. "Bella, you surely remember Jacob Black, don't you?" Charlie inquired. The boy, eh Jacob, flashed me an excited grin. "We used to play all the time, when our old men went fishing." Well, that'll explain why I didn't remember him. I thought. "Hi Jacob." "Come on outside, have a look at your truck." He was turning to go outside already. "My truck?" Charlie anxiously shuffled his feet: "Yeah, Bella, you'll need your own car here. And Billy Black was just selling his, so I thought I'd buy it for you." "And on the upside," Jacob added, "it kind of stays in the family, right?" "Are you okay with this?" Charlie inquired. "Am I okay with this?" I couldn't believe Charlie. "That's awesome! I've planned to get my own car, but you have already got me one! Thank you so much, dad!" I could see Charlie was quite happy with himself. "Come on, you need to know a few things and I need a ride back home." Jacob was hurrying me along.
On our drive to La Push, the reservation he lived on, he was happily chatting along. Reminding me of our "old times" and telling me about his car projects. Jacob, it seemed, was the type of self-made hands-on mechanic who could do magic to anything with an engine. His presence made time go fast and after just a short while, we arrived at his house. "Billy isn't here, otherwise I would have made you come inside and say hi." Jacob grinned at me. "He is almost as excited about you staying here as your dad is." "I believe he told everybody in Forks about me coming home?" I asked. "Not everybody," Jacob shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and added with a wide grin – which I started to register as his trademark – "just the ones he met in the last two months" I shuddered. So much, for not arising attention. "Okay. Bye Bells. Make sure to come and visit pretty soon!" "Bye Jacob! And thanks for the instructions on the truck!" I shoved in the protesting gear and turned around.
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