Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 1

First Encounter

My mother drove like a maniac in order to make it to the airport on time. We had the roof down and my hair was whipping my face, turning my cheeks red. It was almost freezing, but that didn't stop my mother from showing off in her new car. I looked up to admire the cloudy, grey sky and sighed; I would miss the weather. I was wearing my favourite leather jacket. It was simple and dark grey. I didn't have much to take with me. Just one suitcase and my carry-on item. A book.

It's a small town where my father lives. Picturesque and sunny, with palm trees and little white houses with perfect green lawns. It has almost constant sun. It rains on the insignificant town less than anywhere else in the country. The rain is what I will miss most about my town. I would miss going outside just to get soaked and then having a nice hot, bubble bath waiting for me inside.

My mother had enough of the town when I was around six months old. She divorced my dad and we fled the sun to live in London. In the rain and smog. It was a huge change; going from the peaceful quaint town she was used to, to the crowded, busy inner city. It is all I've ever known. Charlie had only ever come to visit me, so I had no idea what his home town was like.

I was now going to expel myself there. Even if I would detest it. I loved London. It's large, sprawling city that I'd come to call home.

"Bella-" My mother called just before I boarded the plane. "You can still change your mind"

My mother looked like me. The same oval shaped face and hazel-brown eyes. The only difference was that she has better skin than me and has shorter blonde/brown hair. I felt a surge of panic as I looked into her wide, child-like eyes that were beginning to tear up. How was I going to cope without my best friend? She had Phil now so at least I knew that she wouldn't be lonely, knowing that she wasn't alone put my fears to rest.

"I want to go mom," I told her. I'd be a nice change to be able to sunbathe and swim out the back garden.

"Tell Charlie I said Hey?"

"Of Course" I smiled.

"I'll see you soon," she insisted "I'll come to get you in a flash if you need me honey. Remember that".

"Stop worrying" I urged "It'll be great. I love you" I pulled her into a tight hug, then quickly turned and boarded the plane.

It was ten hour flight from London to the USA and then we'd need to drive from the airport to this town, called Forks. Flying doesn't bother me at all. I've gotten used to it. The car ride, well I was slightly concerned about that. It was sure to be awkward with Charlie.

Verbose or loquacious are definitely not Charlie's traits. I wouldn't know what to say anyways, even if he were. He wasn't showing a lot of enthusiasm about the move. I think he's used to being a bachelor now, and doesn't know how to deal with a 16 year old girl.

When I landed in America it was boiling. I had to remove my jacket, luckily I had put a white and lace vest on underneath. I loved the sun; the blazing heat beating down on my face. I always looked forward to when my mother and I went on our annual holiday abroad. I would definitely miss the rain, sleet and snow though. I'd even miss the bitter, cold winds that helped me wake up in the morning.

I walked off of the plane to the baggage claim. Gathering my suitcase and duffle bag, I looked for Charlie. It took a while until I finally saw him. His eyes were shifting to different places of the airport. I walked towards him. He spotted me and pulled me into an awkward hug. He took my bags and we made idle chit-chat until we reached his car. A Police Cruiser. He was the Chief of Police. He set my things in the trunk and head for home.

"So how was the flight?" Charlie asked.

"It was long," I answered simply. I had spent most of the flight either sleeping or reading my favourite book, Wuthering Heights. Charlie asked about how Renee was. After that the ride was silent.

After a short time, we arrived at our home. It was just like it was in the photos my mother had from fifteen years ago. I guess Charlie wasn't one for change. The white washed walls and concrete steps leading up to a bright, red front door. It looked homely. Charlie lugged my suitcase up the stairs for me.

"There ya go Bells…I'll leave you to it." One thing that's good about Charlie: He doesn't hover.

I went and unpacked my stuff in the small room. The walls were a light blue and yellow curtains hung from the small window. The small double bed that sat in the middle had a quilt and purple sheets covering it. The closet wasn't anything fancy, but it was big enough to hold all my clothes...I only had a little. Most of my London clothes were too warm for the weather here. I had really pooled my resources to pack a decent summer wardrobe. It was still extremely scanty. I wasn't one for dresses and shorts.

After unpacking everything, I went down stairs to see what was for dinner. Charlie could only make a few things. My favourite being mushroom ravioli. There was a loud rap on the door and Charlie answered it. I could hear murmuring from the living room.

"Bells, get in here" Charlie called.

I walked into the living room to find two other people. One was in a wheelchair that was by the side of the sofa. He was old-ish. I'd say he was around my dad's age. He had warm looking brown eyes that were very smiley. He had long dark hair that hung limply around his shoulders and a massive smile on his face. The second looked like a much younger version of the other. Same smiley eyes and long, dark hair. He was sitting shyly on the sofa.

"Bells this is Billy Black, from down on the Quileute Reservation…"

"Oh hi, nice to meet you." I asked looking at the old man.

"You too, Bella," He greeted.

They all settled into their seats to watch a game of Baseball. The Olympics was the only sport I'd watch on the television. But, even then, I didn't find it that interesting. I made myself dinner. Pasta, nice and simple.

Later on in the evening, I joined the men once again. The boy accompanying the old man was Jacob Black, his son. He seemed friendly enough. I decided he was a little too friendly. It was starting to make me uncomfortable. Just after they left Charlie remembered something.

"I got a surprise for ya" he said pointing to a rusty '53 Chevy truck. It's red paint was peeling in some places; mostly on the bulbous cap and it looked like a monster. It was awesome.

"So what do you think?" He asked nervously

"That's for me?" I asked disbelievingly. He nodded "Oh My God it's-this is perfect. Thanks dad!" I hugged him. It was very generous for my dad to get me a car. I decided to call it Big Red.

"Yes, I bought it off Billy. Got it real cheap 'cause he's in a wheelchair now so he's got no use for it," I smiled

"I don't know anything about cars dad, I mean it is pretty old….I don't really have enough to repair it-"

"Don't worry. Jacob is a great mechanic. Totally re-built the engine for ya. It runs great,"

"So when you say you had it cheap…how cheap is cheap?" I had only saved up a little money over the years and I was intending on using some for college.

"Well Bells, you don't need to worry about that. Think of it like a welcome present," He peeked at me with a hopeful expression. Probably wondering if I'd accept it. He knew I hated people spending money on me.

"Wow Free? Thanks dad," I beamed and gave him a one armed hug.

I learned that I wouldn't get my way with gifts so I figured I'd just accept it gracefully. It was a very nice gesture. It started to rain then, so we both hurried inside and settled in for the night. I was dreading school tomorrow. I didn't sleep well the constant noise of the rain pelting against the window kept me awake.

I finally managed to get to sleep around midnight after the rain turned into a slight drizzle. When I awoke early in the morning for school, all I could see from my window was fog. Breakfast with Charlie was silent. Neither of us felt the need to fill the time with mindless chatter. After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three unlatching chairs and examined his small kitchen. It's dark panelled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor were exactly the same as they were fifteen years ago.

My mother had decorated the kitchen when she was pregnant with me. She wasn't too keen on sitting still. On the fireplace in the small family room were a row of pictures. One of my parents at their wedding in Las Vegas, One of the three of us just after I was born and then a procession of school photos up to the most recent from last year. They were extremely embarrassing and I had a sudden urge to hide them. But, I figured Charlie wouldn't appreciate that very much.

I didn't want to stay in the house any longer so I quickly ate my toast, donned my jacket and stepped out into the . It was only drizzling so I didn't get drenched when I quickly locked up and ran to my truck. It was just my luck that it rain the first day I'm here. I didn't get to admire my new car for a second time because I was in a hurry to escape the damp air that clung to the little hair peaking out from my hood. The truck roared to life. It reminded me of the lions Charlie watches on the nature channels. At least it did start, much to my relief. I turned on the ancient radio and listen to random 50s music as I drove to school. It was easy to find.

Forks High School only had three hundred and fifty-eight students including myself. Most of them would have grown up together. I was going to be seen as a curiosity; a freak. Perhaps, if I were a beautiful girl, I could've worked that to my advantage.

Unfortunately, I wasn't. I had very fair skin, it looked almost translucent in the light, plain brown hair and hazel eyes. I couldn't play any sports without injuring myself, the people around me or both. It wasn't just my appearance that made me stand out either. I didn't relate to people my own age. Or people in general really. Even my mother, who was the one I was closest to, always confided in, was never in harmony with me. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. Something that made me see things differently than everyone else. All I knew was the effect it had. Today was definitely only the beginning.

. I parked outside the first building which had a large sign saying OFFICE outside. I jumped unwillingly out of my warm truck and hastily walked inside to the desk. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly.

Sitting at the desk was a middle-aged woman. Her salt-and-pepper hair was pulled right back into a bun at the back of her neck and held in place by many pins. She was wearing a white blouse with the buttons fasten all the way to the top, with a black cardigan. Her hollowed out blue eyes were framed with red glasses. The name tag she wore said she was Mrs. Cope. She looked at me kindly as I approached.

"How can I help you dear?" She asked in a friendly voice.

"Hello I'm Isabella Swan" I didn't need to go on as I saw the flash of recognition in her eyes. No doubt I had been talked about for weeks.

"Chief Swan's girl. Yes dear, I have your schedule and a map of the school here. You'll also have to get this slip signed by all your teachers and return it by the end of the day." I quickly thanked her and went to park my truck in the main car park.

I was relieved to see that most of the cars there were older than mine. There was only one shiny, silver Volvo parked at the end which was ostentatious. I looked at the map in my truck, hoping to memorize it so I wouldn't have to walk around with it all day. I stuffed everything in my bag, pulled the strap over my shoulder, and inhaled (trying to gather my strength). I was being ridiculous. Nobody was going to bite me.

I exhaled after I stepped out from my truck. I made sure my face stayed hidden by my hood so that I would blend in. I felt myself start to hyperventilate as I approached building three where my first class was. I took deep breaths and gently pushed open the door. There were two girls just inside the door hanging up their coats.

The first girl was average height with light brown, curly hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a very tight pink tank top and skinny jeans. The heels she was wearing were making her wobble as she walked. The second girl was slightly taller, with bleached blonde hair and light blue; almost grey eyes. She was wearing similar clothes to the first, only her tank top was purple. They walked unsteadily over to seats right in the front.

"So Jess," said the second girl "have you heard about the new teacher we have for English?"

"Yes I have. I heard he is an absolute god!" said, who I assumed to be, Jess.

They both started gossiping and giggling so I stopped listening. I took the slip up to the teacher, a short, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Forges. He looked up at me when he saw my name and of course, I flushed bright red. But he sent me to an empty desk at the back without introducing me to the class. That I was entirely thankful for.

It was harder for my peers to gawk at me in the back, but they managed. I looked down at the syllabus outline the teacher had given me and found that I had already studied the majority of topics. It was going to be a boring year. I wondered if my mother would send over my file of work. Perhaps that would be considered cheating. I zoned out as the teacher droned on and on about the phases of mitosis. Finally after what seemed like days the bell rang signalling the end of class.

The next few lessons continued much in the same manner. The teacher signing my slip, my finding out I already knew most of the stuff and everyone gawking. My Mathematics teacher, Mr. Parry, who I disliked anyway because of the subject he taught, was the only one who made me introduce myself to the class. I stammered, blushed, and tripped over my own boots on the way to my seat. After a while I could recognise quite a lot of faces in my classes. There were people who would come and introduce themselves and ask me if I was liking Forks. The lunch bell rang and as I was about to leave a gangly boy, with black hair leaned over to talk.

"Hi your Isabella right?"

"Just Bella,"

"Right Bella hey I'm Eric. The eyes and ears of Forks High!" he laughed.

"Where are you eating lunch?" He asked with a hopeful look on his face.

"Umm I don't know…" He seemed like the over helpful type.

"Do you want to eat lunch with us?" He pointed to a couple of others that were just leaving the class.

"Sure" I thought seen as I was going to be here a while, I may as well get to know some people. We got our jackets and headed out into the rain towards the cafeteria.

"So Forks is a lot different than London right?"

"Very," I answered. I was starting to feel homesick again. The rain was reminding me of home. "It doesn't rain a lot here does it?"

"No, about a couple of times a year," he answered, I sighed.

"Wow, I can't imagine what that must be like…"

"Sunny" I started to laugh at that. Even though he didn't see what was so funny.

He studied my face. I sighed, clouds and humour obviously didn't mix. We made our way towards a table in the middle and it was full with several of his friends, who he introduced to me. I forgot all their names as soon as he spoke them. They seemed impressed by his bravery in speaking to me. The girl from Biology, Jess, turned to me and prattled on about teachers and fashion. I didn't try to keep up. There seemed to be only one topic of conversation… the new teacher.

I looked apathetically around the cafeteria while trying to make it seem like I was listening to Jess. It was while I was doing this I noticed the four students sitting right in the furthest corner, away from everyone else. They were all laughing and joking together. They were the only ones out of the whole school who weren't staring at me. It was safe to study them without fear of meeting a pair of overly riveted eyes.

There were two boys. The one was huge and brawny, with curly brown hair with a slight red tinge to it and dimples. His eyes were a light green. He looked like a serious weightlifter. He was kind of intimidating. The other was less-built, but still muscled. He had shaggy blonde hair with bright blue eyes. He seemed more approachable than the other. The two girls were complete opposites of each other. The first was very tall and statuesque, with perfect curves and wavy blonde hair that reached mid-back. Her hair was a shade lighter than the boys. She too had bright blue eyes that were wide and framed with thick eyelashes. The second was short and very thin. She had small features and looked very pixie-like with her short black hair in a disarray and dark brown eyes.

I noticed that the two blondes looked similar. They could've been siblings. They both had honey blonde hair and blue eyes. I decided to ask Jess about them. She seemed to know about everything going on.

"Hey Jess? Who are they?" I nodded my head slightly in the group's direction.

"Oh them. That's Rosalie and Jasper Hale, and Emmett and Alice Cullen…They kind of keep to themselves. They're all together. Like together together. Rosalie's with Emmett and Alice and Jasper are a thing." She said matter-of-factly.

"Huh, so which ones are the Cullens and the Hales?" I was curious.

"The blonde girl and boy are the Hales. They big dark haired guy Emmett and the little dark haired girl are the Cullens. You know Dr Cullen? Well they're his kids. He adopted the Hales when they were babies,"

"Wow that's really nice of him. Adopting two other kids when he got his own two as well…" I mused.

"Three"

"Huh?"

"He has three of his own. His other son Edward just moved back here from Alaska. Just graduated college and he's the new English teacher," I sat at the table with Jessica and her friends longer than I would have if I'd been sitting alone. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day. One of my new acquaintances, called Angela said she was in my English class and so I walked with her. She seemed nice enough. Although she was quite timid. At least she wasn't vindictive like Jess' friend Lauren.

Apparently, there was no assigned seating considering there was a new teacher so I sat by Angela in the centre of the class. A boy whose name I think was Tyler sat down on my other side but didn't strike up a conversation. The shrill ring of the bell sounded and after a minute, a tall man walked in with his head down, a large attendance folder in his left hand. I couldn't see his face as he walked toward the desk. As soon as he set his things down, he turned toward the white board and grabbed the nearest marker and wrote in elegant script "Mr Cullen".

He turned toward us and most females in the class gasped and started gossiping. I had to admit, he was dazzling. His bright emerald eyes stared back at us anxiously; he had a handsome square jaw, which was slightly unshaven and a perfect straight noise. His unbelievably white teeth made his smile glow. I tried to remain cool and collected, but his gaze ran over my classmates and then settled on me. I blushed a bright red and lowered my eyes for several seconds before peeking up through my lashes, only to find his eyes still locked on my face. He then seemed to collect himself and looked away before calling the class to order. With a crooked smile, he spoke in a smooth velvet voice.

"As you can see, I'm Mr. Cullen and I'll be you new English teacher, so to help me settle in…would you like to explain a little bit about yourself?" He searched the room for volunteers, but found none.

"Okay how about I start? Well, I'm 23 years old. I play the piano and like listening to classical music mostly. I have 4 siblings. Hmm… Oh and I have a pet goldfish called Jaws. Don't ask," He looked around the room for the next person and found mostly all the girls hands up. Hoping to impress him or just get his attention. I sunk down further in my seat. He pointed to Lauren and she beamed at him.

"Are you single Mr. Cullen?"

"Yes. I am." He was looking around the room uncomfortably as she asked.

"So your single?"

"Duh, that's what he just said. Your supposed to be telling us about you! Not finding out if you'll be able to have sex with your teacher…" Tyler spat at her. I looked at him shocked. He didn't seem the type to be so forward but I guess I didn't know him that well. Lauren flushed before stammering through her answer.

"I'm Lauren. I'm 17 years old. I love shopping. I have one younger sister Lucy and a dog called fluffy," So she was definitely a 'typical' girl. Mr Cullen decided to just go around the class in order for it to be easier. A boy called Mike Newton was up next.

"Uh, Hi I'm Mike. I like playing football and going to parties. Umm oh and definitely hot girls!" everyone laughed at that "I have an older brother Tom and I don't have any pets," Most of the class had gone and it was now my turn. I found that everyone was staring intently at me. Possibly trying to learn new information on the chief's daughter. Mr Cullen was also staring at me again and I flushed tomato red.

"H-hi I'm Bella Swan. I'm new. I moved here from London. I'm an only child and I did have a cat called Delilah and a dog called Norman , but they're with my mother. I love reading…".

Mr Cullen had an intense look on his face like as if he was trying to memorize everything about me. After the rest of the introductions, there was only 15 minutes left of the lesson and we were left to socialise. Angela went to talk to this boy called Ben that I saw her eyeing. Leaving me alone. I pulled out a battered copy of Wuthering Heights. It was my favourite, I saw Mr Cullen out of my peripherals approaching. When he reached me I looked up to find his eyes focused on the book in my hands.

"Wuthering Heights?" he asked utterly entranced.

"Yes, it's my favourite I explained.

"Mine, too" He whispered softly. Our eyes met and I became completely captivated in the emerald orbs. I struggled to get my question out.

"Really?"

"Yes…" he trailed off, still gazing into my eyes.

The bell rang and I reluctantly got up to leave. "Lovely to meet you Bella. See you tomorrow," He smiled. I would never get over how handsome he looked when he smiled.

"Sure, Bye." I left the building and jumped into my truck. The engine roared to life, attracting much attention. I pulled out of the parking lot and drove home.

My first day hadn't turned out too bad after all.

R&R Please x