Time in forks seemed to the pass much slower than it did in the rest of the world.
Hours could stretch into days and the summer months could be measured in years, the passing days seemed at exist entirely separate to the days on the calendars, carefully marked in red and underlined. Marking the start of a senior year or the first day of a new job. Marked to remember and yet carefully ignored as you clung to the illusion of freedom that Summer often.
For 18 year old Christina Swan summer was spent in long days lazing around on La Push beach; forming bonds with the rez boys and watching Lyn and Jacob attack each other with seaweed, while her, Embry and Paul made bets on how long it would take for them to fall in love. And in even quick, careful but busy days spent with Bella and Edward. Lounging on the comfortable chairs in the Cullen's family room, joining by Emmett, who spent all his summer begging them into playing video games until the early hours of the morning. Or on the rarer occasions with Alice and Rosalie Cullen, shopping on their endless credit cards. Bella disapproving in the background and Lyn even more disapproving back in their shared room, some things never change. But other things do and time does pass, however slowly.
Eventually summer does pass and the real world comes rushing back into your life. That red date on the calendar is today and summer freedom gives way into the long drag of the school day or the even longer drag of a day spend clicking away on an office keyboard. Chrissy found work in a local lawyer office while Lyn worked in a grocery store down at the rez, Bella of course was starting her senior year. And wage earning leads to house hunting.
The house was small and old but their, paid for in advance for the next 6 months, a joint venture by the eldest Swan girls. Charlie helped them move in with a tear in his eyes, despite the fact it was a 20 minute walk back to his house. Bella being hugging by one sister and ignored by the other, some relationship will never work, despite mutual affection. But even so everybody knew this was the start of something big.
A new chapter.