Hello! This is my second story ever, so please leave me reviews on some love interests for Madeline, I'm still clueless onto who to match her up with! Also please leave me comments on whether or not you like the way the story starts! Thank you!
xoxo Brii
My name is Madeline Swan and I've always loved Arizona. Even with its blazing heat that left me walking around my house with barely any clothing. I loved my room, my twin, my house, my friends, and my Dustin Grey from 3rd period. Well, not exactly my Dustin Grey, he was just a crush but I'd like to imagine that he was mine.
I loved pranking my twin and the old geezer, Gerald, who lived around the block. I know I know, who would prank an old man? But I couldn't help it! I had to get my revenge for the when he turned my dog Spots into the animal shelter when I was 8! Granted Spots would always poop in his yard but still! Spots was just a puppy. A huge husky puppy. I loved when Bella and I would pretend to be each other, just to confuse our Mom and Phil.
I loved sneaking out my small window to join my two best friends, always yelling "I'm going on an adventure!" in Bilbo Baggins voice, dragging Bella along for the journey each time. I loved the adrenaline rush I'd get from going to the small lake not too far from my house and skinny dipping with my best friends, Lily and Sam. I loved how embarrassed Bella would get everytime I told her to jump in and show us her rockin' body, even when I knew she would say no and opt to just read a book on shore. I just liked to ruffle her feathers. I loved sneaking back into my house just before dawn, giggling every time my wet feet would make squeaky sounds. I loved how Bella would always grab the mop, cleaning my wet feet as I walked so there wouldn't be any evidence in case our mother got up. I'd never admit it but she's the only reason we never got caught.
I loved how all four of us would look and feel like zombies the next day at school, only getting like 2-3 hours of sleep. Claiming we'd never stay up that late again, only to repeat it the next day. I loved gushing over how hot my crush looked in his outfits to my mom. She'd always hype me up about him, threatening that if I didn't make a move she would, only to get a pillow thrown at her face from Phil. I loved how Bella and I would turn 50 shades of red from being out in the sun. Never tanning, just burning. I loved how one time I fell asleep outside eating ice cream out of a tub, and woke up to find a spoon shaped sunburn on my thigh.
Overall, I loved Arizona. I knew it like the back of my hand. It was where my heart was, my home.
Which is why I can't help but want to cry and headbutt this plane's window, hoping it would wake me from this dream because this can't actually be happening. I can't actually be moving. This is just some nightmare that I'll wake up from once I headbutt this window.
With a plan formed inside my stressed out mind, I moved to headbutt the window. Not caring that I might look like a crazy person..
"If you headbutt that window one more time I swear to God Mads."
...again.
I sighed in defeat as I sit back and watch the clouds go by.
Why am I moving you ask? Oh simple! So Phil can go on with his minor league baseball dream and Mom can be his mobile cheerleader that moves with him. Apparently, it'd be too much trouble to drag us along with them everywhere they go, so where do they stick us? Right back with Charlie, our biological father, in Forks, Washington. The gloomiest town that could ever exist. Literally the polar opposite of Arizona, if the google pictures were anything to go off of.
It's a town surrounded by 20 ft tall trees, always covered by thick gloomy clouds, and always cold. Population is around 4,000 people, which is literally like a quarter of the population of Arizona, meaning two horrid things. One, we're going to stick out like two sore thumbs and two, we're going to stick out like two freaking sore thumbs.
I hate attention, and I know Bella hates it too, probably even more so. Plus, any chance we had at shrinking away and laying low flew out the window once we found out our dad was promoted to chief of police. Seriously, is this karma for pranking old man Gerald all those times? I bet that old geezer can feel my misery and is laughing up a storm in his dusty home, declaring that I finally got what I deserved.
I hope Lily and Sam won't let my pranks die. I did not spend the last week there teaching them how to tie a bucket full of water to the top of old man Gerald's door then tie the string to the doorknob perfectly so when he opened it he'd be drenched, because legends never die and if they let my legend die, so help me, I will walk all the way back and tie their hair together in the constrictor knot I learned from girl scouts and vow to never untie it.
A familiar sensation stung my eyes as I thought about the two best friends I left behind. Bella and I grew up with the Carter siblings. They were an extension of our family, practically living at our house but thankfully, both their parents and ours never minded. They were the reason why my feet felt like lead as I walked away from them at the airport. Sure, I loved Arizona, but Lily and Sam were the reason why I loved it so much. All my memories of Arizona had them two in it some way or another.
"It'll be okay Mady." I heard Bella's soft voice say as she handed me a tissue.
It was only then that I realized some tears had escaped.
"Ah, thanks Bells." I said softly, wiping my tears.
She gave me a sad smile in response, grabbing my hand and squeezing.
This was her way of comforting me, and It always worked. She was never the 'talk it out' type. We both knew that each others company was enough, so we'd always just hold onto each other for support. The only times we ever had to talk about our feelings was when something was really bothering us. Like the one time Bella was being bullied in 8th grade and told me about it. I say one time because poor Jeremy learned to never bully my sister again when I showed up to school the next day and almost scratched his eye out. That's besides the point though, Bella squeezing my hand was her way of saying 'Me too'. I know she's hurting too. I can see it in her eyes and in her posture. She hadn't even looked at any of her books this whole flight, which let me know that this was just as hard for her as it was for me. Honestly, this place better be heaven for the ache it's causing my sister and I.
An eternity later and we finally reached our destination.
Gloomy little Forks.
"I swear if the neighboring town isn't called Spoons, I'm going to sue." I said seriously to Bella.
She chuckles.
"Come on, Charlie's- Er uh, dad's waiting for us." she stutters.
Ah yes, Charlie, our awkward dad we haven't seen since we were like 10. Wonder how that's going to go.
"Better get used to calling him dad Bells, don't want to be rude now do we?" I scold lightly, knowing it was only a one time mistake.
"Shut up and get your bags"
I smile fondly as I do as I'm told.
As long as Bella's with me, I think I can handle just about anything life throws at me.
As soon as we step off the plane, we get smacked by Fork's chilly air.
"Holy shit! It's freezing!" I yell at no one in particular. Trying desperately to shrink into my coat.
"I second that." Bella replies, trying to cover her face with her coat sleeves.
We waddle to where we're told to wait for Charlie, probably looking a lot like penguins as we huddle close to preserve at least some heat.
"Where is that man?! I'm going to get icicles in my nose in about 3 seconds!" I groan, my voice muffled since I'm huddled into Bella's shoulder.
"Calm down, he'll be here soon."
Sure enough, a few freezing minutes later and we see a police cruiser park not too far off.
"Hey look Bells, now we get to say we've been in a police car."
"Girls! Hey, over here!" We hear Charlie yell, even though we clearly see him.
We make our way over, dragging our luggage along.
"Hey Dad." I reply as I give him a one armed hug. I'm not being rude, I'm fairly certain my other arm is frozen.
"Hey Isabella." he replies, returning the hug. I hold back a groan as I hear my sister's name.
"It's Mady Dad." I inform him.
"Oh uh, Sorry. It's uh hard to tell you girls apart." He apologizes awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.
"It's okay, it happens a lot." Bella dismisses as she too hugs him.
"Oh okay, well uh i'll put your luggage away, why don't you girls get in the car?" He states after a few moments of awkward silence.
We nod enthusiastically as we hop in the cruiser, more than happy to be shielded from the cold.
"Well, I remember now why you're so awkward Bells." I tease Bella as we both sit in the back of the cruiser.
"Oh shut up Mads. You do remember I'm older right?" Bella teases back, using the older card.
"By like 2 minutes!"
"Still older."
"Tsk. Whatever." came my very smart comeback.
She laughs knowing full well she won this dispute.
We soon hear and feel the trunk being shut before Charlie hops in the driver's seat a second later.
"Alright girls, let's go home." He says with a smile as he briefly looks at us through the rear-view mirror.
I'm glad he looked away because I did not want him to catch my sad excuse of a smile at the word 'home'. That wound was still very fresh and very open.
I inwardly sigh as I try not to think about it, instead opting to watch the trees go by. This place isn't that bad, it's actually quite beautiful. I love Arizona, but it was no way as green as this place is. The trees look like giants with thick trunks and roots. The gloominess giving them a mysterious feel. I notice a few people wave at Charlie as he waves back. Oh right, chief of police. This whole town must know him, meaning they all probably know of his twins returning to home. I try to refrain from headbutting the window as I inwardly groan. Honestly, I think i'd be brain dead if I were to actually follow through with all the times I'd thought about headbutting something out of fustration.
A little while later and sleep finally starts to wrap around me like a comforting blanket and I invite it in with open arms.
"Mads. Mady, wake up. Hey we're here." I hear Bella say, shaking me softly.
I yawn as I stretch, hearing a few bones pop and crack.
Bella scrunches up her face in slight disgust at hearing my bones but says nothing as she climbs out the car. I follow suit, looking up at our childhood summer home once I'm fully out the car.
The white two story home looked exactly as I remembered it.
"I see not much has changed." I told Charlie with a small smile, as he hands me my luggage.
"Yeah uh, I never really got around to changing anything." He replies with a sheepish smile.
Once we had our luggage, we head inside our house. I can't bring myself to call it home yet. I just can't.
It was like stepping into a time machine, literally nothing had changed.
"Woah, you weren't kidding." Bella said as we looked around.
"Yeah. I was meaning to but once I got promoted I never really had the time." Charlie informs us.
"Oh congrats on that by the way." I say with a smile.
"Thank you." He says with a proud smile. He's always loved his job, even before he was promoted, so I'm genuinely happy for him. He definitely deserved the promotion.
"Your room is still the same as well. Hope you don't mind sharing, uh, now that you guys are grown and all." he mumbles awkwardly with a light chuckle.
"No, that's fine with us." Bella replies with a smile.
"Okay well, you can go ahead and unpack, I'll be down here if you guys need anything." he says.
"Thanks dad!" I reply with a smile as we both start walking upstairs.
"Hey uh girls?" he calls out just as we near the top. Turning back to look at him, I notice a small grin on his face. "I'm glad to have you both back." he says.
We smile and nod as we continue our descent to our room. Perhaps I can learn to love this place as much as Arizona. Only time will tell I guess.
After unpacking and making the room more age appropriate, throwing all the dolls and stuffed animals into a box, we finally sit on our beds, tired from the stressful day.
My bed is against the wall, positioned right next to the window while Bella's is parallel to mine a few feet away. I glance at her still form, noticing what she has in her hands.
A cactus.
Immediately my calm mood plummets, my heart sinking along with it.
I walk over and sit beside her, pulling her in for a hug as she leans her head on my shoulder. We stayed positioned this way for while, looking at the small cactus and mourning for our old home before a honk breaks our solemn atmosphere.
I get up and walk towards the window, peering out.
"Who is it?" Bella says, still sitting on the edge of her bed.
I see a Native man in a wheelchair, with a younger Native boy who looks our age talking to Charlie. Their faces starting to ring some bells.
"I think that's that one kid we used to play with when we were younger and his dad. I can't remember their names though."
Bella sets her cactus onto her nightstand as she walks over and peers out as well.
"Oh that's uhm, Bobby? Filly?-" Bella starts.
"Billy!"
"Oh yeah, Billy! And his son, Jacob I think?"
"Yeah yeah, Billy and Jacob."
"Hm, wonder what they're doing here, should we go say hi?"
"I don't think we have a choice." I reply amused, as I see Jacob waving enthusiastically at us.
Bella just chuckles as we head out.
"Bella, Mady! You two remember Billy black." Charlie says, more as a statement than a question once he sees us heading his way.
"Of course we do." Bella says, smiling at Billy.
"You're looking good there Billy." I say teasingly.
"Still dancing." He says playfully, "I'm glad you two are finally here, Charlie here hasn't shut up about it since you told him!"
"Alright, keep talking and I'll roll you in the mud!" said man replies playfully.
"After I ram you in the ankles!"
I chuckle and shake my head as I watch the two mess around with each other.
"Are they always this way?" Bella asks, directing the question to Jacob.
"They get worse with age." He chuckles.
"I bet." I reply with a chuckle of my own.
"I'm Jacob." He introduces.
"Yeah we remember you." Bella states, and I notice the twinkle in Jacob's eye as she says it. Oh? What have we here? I try to hide my grin at noticing how Jacob's attention was solely set on Bella. Oh I know a crush when I see one.
"You do?" He replies, surprised but trying and failing to hide his enthusiasm.
"Yeah, we used to make mud pies!" I steal the line from Bella, holding in my laugh at Jacob's small look of disappointment.
Before I can tease the boy any further, Charlie's voice steals all of our attentions.
"So, what do you think?" He says as he leans on the red truck in our driveway.
"No way." I whisper as I rack my eyes up and down the truck. Sure it's old, but it's ours!
"About what?" Bella says, confused.
I look at her with the 'Are you dumb?' look.
"About your homecoming gift." Charlie says with a smug smile, knowing we'd love it.
Finally Bella catches on as she squeals in glee, thanking Charlie as she heads for the driver's seat. I already knew she'd hop in the driver's seat so I head for the passenger side instead.
I hear Jacob grunt and Bella apologize as she accidently hits him with the door. I don't bother holding back my laugh at the awkward moment between them.
Jacob then comes around and sits on the passenger side, leaving me in the middle of the 3 seated truck.
Noticing the cringey silence, I decide to save myself and everyone else from it.
"So Jacob, you go to Fork's high?"
"No, actually I go to school on the reservation."
"Oh that's right, we forgot you guys have your own school there." Bella replies.
"Yeah." Jacob says sadly, forcing me to hold in another laugh. Poor Jacob is whipped.
After about another half hour of conversing with Jacob and Billy, we finally say our goodbyes as they leave. We thank Charlie for the gift and bid him goodnight as we head to our room.
Once we're in our pj's and about to go to climb into bed I stop as I notice how far apart our beds are. Call me a baby, but I did not feel comfortable sleeping alone for the first day.
"Bells?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we move our beds together?" I reply with a quiet voice laced with embarrassment.
She looks at me for a moment before smiling and nodding. We then push our beds together so it makes one giant bed, climbing in to get some rest since we have to be up early to register for school. I already want to headbutt something just from thinking about it.
"Thanks Bells." I say sincerely.
"Anytime Mads."
A few moments go by of silence, before I feel Bella cuddle up to me.
"We'll be okay here Madeline. You'll see. We'll come to love this place as much as we do Arizona." She states, before turning over and finally falling asleep.
I sigh out loud. I hope so Bella, I hope so.
And with that thought, I allowed myself to finally shut down.