A/N Okay so here are the basic parameters for this story. 1) Alice and Jasper aren't married, they are incredibly good friends. 2) This is basically Twilight through Breaking Dawn (if I get that far) rewritten with a love interest for Jasper. 3) I don't own The Twilight Saga it belongs to Stephenie Meyer. 4) Reviews are appreciated.
"Here's our new house," my dad says as we reach the end of an incredibly long driveway. "Isn't it something?"
I peer out the car window at the huge mansion and wonder how my dad afforded it. It is gorgeous of course. Two stories constructed entirely of red brick with Victorian details and gray roof. There is a wraparound porch, and some of the rooms on the top floor have balconies. It feels like I'm in an old Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte book. I would have picked something more modern, but I'm not in charge.
"It's amazing!" my mother exclaims and then begins to prattle on about how lucky we are my father got his promotion. I grimace at my older brother Jace in the opposite passenger seat, and he gazes back with the same expression. Lucky isn't the word we would have chosen. We had everything we wanted when we lived in Michigan, friends, a quaint little house in the country, family. It seemed like a cruel joke when our father told us we were moving to rainy Washington, especially with Jace being a senior in high school. Our only consolation was that he had not moved into Seattle where my father would be working, but rather a small town called Forks.
The one word I would have used to describe Forks after my first time in town was green. Extremely green. We lived in the woods in Michigan, but even they weren't this green. Moss covered everything, and don't believe there is such a thing as a tree that is not green. If I had to pick another word it would be overcast. The clouds were so thick it I wasn't even sure the sun ever got through them. This was fine with me; I loved stormy darker weather without the sun. However, my mother and brothers weren't going to be pleased.
"Mark," I gently shake my sleeping nine-year old brother's shoulder. "Mark sweetie, get up we're here."
Mark groans softly and rubs his eyes. He is short for his age, and has the height of a six or seven-year old. He's still got a lot of baby fat, and golden brown hair that sticks up in tufts all over the place. He really is quite adorable, though he prefers I don't say so
"Don't call me sweetie," he mutters softly in his little boy voice as he stretches and yawns.
"Yeah, jeez Lizzie," Jace chastises my word choice, though I can tell he's holding back laughter, "Mark's not a little kid anymore he's nine years old for crying out loud."
"Exactly!" Mark states, and Jace and I try to cover our guffaws as we get out of the car. Our father and mother are already on the porch, my father fingering through his key ring for the key that opens the double doors.
"Where is that? I swear I had it…" he mutters to himself, while my mother smiles obliviously. Looks like we now have two mental nut cases in our new residence.
I turn my attention to my older brother, who currently looks like a model for some really big, really expensive clothing. I'm not lying when I say Jace is gorgeous, when he smiles any girls in a twenty foot radius fall over dead from shock. He has thick, jet black hair and my mother's stunning hazel eyes. His height is also impressive, at six feet he towers over everyone else in the family. If that wasn't enough he's a bit of a fitness geek, so he's well-muscled to boot.
In comparison, I'd say I'm average. I have golden brown hair and chocolate eyes, both of which match my father's. My hair is cut into an angled bob that just touches my chin. And height and figure? Forget about it. At 5'7" I'm the shortest full grown person in the family. My figure isn't that bad, I have muscle because of soccer, but nothing amazing or supermodel looking like Jace.
"Ah, here it is," my dad finally locates the key and places it in the door. It clicks as he turns it. "Welcome home."
The white doors swing open to reveal a large open space with two stairwells, one on the left and one to the right, leading to the second floor. The second floor over hangs the first very slightly like a balcony, and then splits off into two hallways. The first floor itself is very beautiful. As I said there is a large main entry area with beautiful wooden floor. It branches off into three different rooms. I'm eager to explore, but I wait for my father's permission.
"Okay kids feel free to explore. Lizzie and Jace, your rooms are in the left hallway. Lizzie yours is at the end of the hall and Jace the other is yours. You'll know which rooms they are because there are mattresses in them. Hopefully we'll have them completely furnished in a month or two. And you," my dad points to Mark, "will have a room in the right hallway with your mother and me."
"Aww, Dad," Mark pouts. "Why can't I sleep by Lizzie and Jace?"
I roll my eyes. He's never going to acknowledge he's the baby of the family.
"I'll tell you why," I crouch down to his eye level, "because Jace and I have monsters that follow us everywhere. They're always trying to scare us by shrieking and gnashing their teeth and scratching at our necks. This doesn't scare us but what does is that every night they come, and sink their teeth in our necks to drink our blood. If you sleep by us they might do that to you too."
Mark is cringing at this point and I chuckle. God, I wish I was that innocent again.
"So do you get why you can't sleep by us?"
Mark nods over enthusiastically.
"Good, now you can go and explore."
Mark walks away from us, glancing over his shoulder in disbelief that our blood is a midnight snack for monsters.
I do a quick run through of the house. There isn't anything terribly exciting. It's is still mostly empty and lacks any real decorum. I hope my mother isn't going to decorate the house, she lacks good taste. She also lacks sanity, literally. My mother was admitted to a psycho ward when I was twelve. She drove out of the house to a hospital late one night with a sheet over her head. We found out the next morning where she had gone, and that she was delusional. That was fine with me. She'd been mentally abusing me since I was eight. Of course, after she was deemed sane my dad wanted her back. She got a little better, but still, I didn't want anything to do with her.
Finally, I go to my room at the end of the hall. Even though it's empty I love it. It's bigger than my old room back in Michigan, and I note that my father has been paying attention to what I enjoy. The back wall has a large window smack dab in the center that looks out over the forest. In front of the window there is a little ledge to sit on. It is an ideal place for me to write my stories. The mattress sits to my right. A small smile creeps onto my lips. Maybe I can get used to Washington, because this room is perfect.
"LIZZIE, LIZZIE GET UP IT'S TIME TO GO TO SCHOOL!" Mark is jumping up and down excitedly at the end of my mattress.
"Mmph," I mumble into my pillow. Then I flip over to stare at my little brother. He's bright eyed and bushy tailed. How do little kids enjoy school so much?
"The monsters have your scent now," I tell him. "They'll be coming to your room tonight."
With girlish shriek Mark dashes out of the room.
I lay in my bed, watching the ceiling for several minutes. I don't want to go to this school. I want to go to my old school with my friends.
Finally I get up, change my clothes, and start to head downstairs. I can smell someone cooking, and when I arrive at the kitchen, I find my mother standing next to a waffle maker.
"Morning, Mom."
"Morning, Sweetheart." She leans over to give me a kiss. I artfully dodge out of the way and grab a plate full of waffles.
"Where's Dad?" I ask as I settle myself against the counter a good distance away from her.
"Oh, he's getting dressed. He's going to take you to school today."
Lovely. Now I have to convince him not to drive us to avoid embarrassment. I would get Mom to, but she's one of those lovey dovey types.
"Hey, Liz," Jace waves as he breezes into the kitchen directly to the waffles.
"Morning, Sweetheart," Mom hugs Jace and he allows her to plant a kiss on his cheek. He doesn't like her either, but he does a better job of tolerating her than I do.
"So," he says to me while he establishes himself next to Mom and the waffle maker. "Did you tell Mark the monsters are coming to get him?"
"Yep." I fork some waffles into my mouth.
"Why?"
"He was jumping on the end of my mattress," I reply in between nibbles, "how else was I going to get him to leave?"
"Well, you're to blame if he stays up all night."
"Fine with me." I take another bite of my waffles. I don't want Mark to be scared, but I do want him to stay out of my room
"Then I'll send him to you if he's frightened," Mom asserts. "He's not sleeping in my room."
"Yeah right," I chortle, "With my storytelling abilities? He'll be out of there in ten seconds flat."
"Unless he wets the bed," Jace replies with an evil smile.
"If he does that I'm throwing him outside."
"Throwing who outside?" My father saunters into the room with my little brother hiding in his side.
"Morning, Daddy," a huge smile alights on my lips as I walk over and give him a hug and a kiss. "How are you?"
"Fine. Unless you plan on throwing me outside."
"I only will if you drive Jace and me to school," I jest. "Otherwise I think you're in the clear."
"You don't want me to drive you to school?" He asks skeptically, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not that I don't want you to Daddy," I assure him, "It's just the whole embarrassment factor. Jace and I are old enough where we don't need anyone to transport us anymore."
I proceed back to the counter and snatch my plate of waffles and resume eating. I can tell my father is pondering this. I'm still his baby girl.
"Dad," Jace decides to intervene. "Lizzie and I really aren't little kids anymore, and Lizzie is right about the whole embarrassing thing."
"I guess…" Dad's will starts to cave in under the pleas of two children.
"Excellent." I say. Now maybe I'll stand a chance in Forks High School.
"And don't worry about Lizzie, Dad," Jace adds. He knows our father almost as well as I do. "I won't let my baby sister get hurt."
"Cut it Jace," I commanded, "Or dad will have to worry about you instead."
"Mhm, like you could beat this." Jace flexes his arm muscles.
"Maybe not those. But I am a soccer player so I could kick your ass."
"Lizzie!" my mother and father scold me simultaneously.
"Sorry, sorry," I wave my hands like I'm surrendering. "I'll be good. I promise."
Both of them continue to look at me disapprovingly.
"Hey look, angel," I draw an imaginary halo around my head. "See, I won't cause any trouble."
Their looks don't ease up.
"Hey Jace," I start backing away from my parents and towards the front door, "I think its time to go to school."
"We don't have coats or backpacks," he responds, Jace always likes to be prepared.
"Thank you Captain Obvious," I give him two thumbs up. "But we'll do without them today." Really I would prefer we did have them, but I wanted to get out of the house before I made my parents even more upset with me.
"In the back seat of the SUV," my father growls.
"Oh, um, thanks Dad," I reply and then sprint for the safety of the car.
Forks High School was small with a student population of under four-hundred students (which was the size of my last school). It was also poorly designed for the weather conditions. It was quite a few separate builds with parking lots sprawled in between. Great for walking in the rain.
Jace pulled up to the first building with a small sign that said Front Office overhead. The only other vehicle there is a beaten up, faded red truck. We get out of our SUV.
"Ready for hell?" I ask Jace. He chuckles.
"Do you always have to be so dramatic?"
"Yes, I am a writer after all." I tease. Then we both step up on the curb and into the Front Office of Forks High School.