Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or anything relating to it. Only these words.

Note: This is Alice's version of the story, Sisterly Bonds, by quail1982. I thought we should know Alice's side of the story, so I asked her if I could write this and she said yes. So I did. And will continue doing so. If you happened to see this one first, go read her story and see Bella's point of view. And...thank you for reading mine. (It will get better as the story progresses.)

I liked living in Phoenix, but I couldn't say I loved it. My twin sister, Isabella, on the other hand, loved Phoenix. It had Mom, Phil, sun, warmth; and those were only some of the reasons why she hated the move from our home to a house we barely stepped in. I tried to make her happy with some new clothes, especially a cute new coat, but I noticed it seemed to make her feel worse. But I didn't let it bother me. If I was the outgoing one with grace to match my style, she had to be the introverted klutz in need of a call to the fashion police. For every yin there had to be a yang.

Just like our parents.

Mom, Renee, was like me. She was outgoing and disliked anyone who wanted to pin her down, which I knew was hard for Dad, Charlie. He was the sensible one, the one who knew a family needed an income. But that lead both of them to start down different paths in life. Even two kids couldn't change that. The times Bella and I visited, I could tell he was still sad about the past. Then we started visiting less and less, and I knew my dad was hurting all over again. That was why I started planting the idea in Bella's head to go visit him more than a few weeks a year. It was just icing on the cake that Phil played minor league baseball and went on the road for weeks at a time.

And that was how I ended up moving from a place I only liked to a place I secretly loved.

When we arrived at the airport, I handed Bella her new coat. I already felt this move was the right one for the both of us. I didn't voice this thought to Bella since I knew she would just blow me off, so I smiled at her and bounced off into the rain and towards Dad. She seemed to appreciate that as much as the new coat, but the slightly sour attitude of Bella left me to make conversation for most of the car ride home.

As soon as the car stopped, I jumped out of it and grabbed the two suitcases I brought. Those, along with the bag I brought with me on the plane were the only bags I was allowed to bring, a rare order from Mom. So I resolved to buy the rest of my wardrobe in Forks and hoped Bella wouldn't mind having less than half the closet. Charlie called me back before I made it to the front door so he could show the two of us his new purchase: a 1950's red Chevy truck. To me, it wasn't the best looking vehicle around. I would have loved something a little more streamlined, a bit sleeker, and much faster than something from the '50's could ever go. When he looked back at me with a smile on his face, all I could do was look back at him as if someone just passed gas. With a quick flash of sorry across my features, I turned myself back around and headed to the room Bella and I would be sharing.

Our room was upstairs, and it looked the same as the last time I saw it. Even the cork board still had a few clothing designs I drew and subsequently forgotten during the time away. My finger slowly ran over the scraps of blue and purple fabric pinned next to it, and I wondered where I left the rest. I didn't take long trying to figure out where since I knew I'd find it as soon as I started unpacking; fabric didn't have legs until someone sewed them into pants. Moving past fabric, I stopped at a picture of Mom and Dad during happier times. It was a reject from a photo album I made years ago of all the pictures Mom left at Charlie's, but I didn't have the heart to throw it out. If the camera had been positioned correctly, the two of them would have been seen underneath a tree, holding each other. Instead, Mom probably forgot she had the zoom on, causing everything around them to fade away and the picture to focus on their waists. To me, that was the most important part of the picture.

By the time Bella had started to unpack, I already had half of the closet and one drawer of the dresser already claimed. I shrugged my shoulders when she started having trouble fitting the rest of her hangers onto her side. "Sorry?" She sighed and shook her head, telling me without words she was going to let it go for now.

"Let's go for a drive in Tank," I suggested after a good hour had passed and all we had done was come up with a name for the truck. "Maybe I can get an idea of a decent place around here to get a job so I can have money for shopping." When there was no protest from the other side, I pushed myself up from the bed and grabbed my purse and coat. I saw the keys sitting on the desk, but I paused, thinking about having to drive the monstrosity. I took the keys and threw them at Bella, washing my hands of that burden. "You drive."

It didn't take long to see what Forks had to offer. Nothing much had changed. The same restaurants. The same grocery store. The same small used car dealership. A few places had closed and a couple more took their places. Nothing looked like a great place for me to work other than the fabric store, but I was sure it wasn't hiring. The whole trip was depressing and I went back home with a frown plastered on my face.

"The people of Forks better be more exciting than its stores," I said to the window as Bella pulled into the driveway, even though, deep down, I already knew they were.