WINTER RAPIDS CHP 1

I was losing control. The back roads of Forks, Washington at night, in the middle of the winter are never safe to be traveling on, much less when you are someone like me, an accident prone klutz. I was on my way home from La Push, spending the holidays with my closest friends. They had offered to put me up at their house but that would have meant putting my best friend out of his room and I wouldn't do that to him, especially with his height and most defiantly not during the holidays. No, I would just drive home. My warm bed was calling to me and I was pushing my beat up truck to its limits, something I should have never done even on a good day. I was crossing the river when I hit a patch of black ice causing my truck to fishtail, go through the guard rail and into the freezing cold of the rushing river below.

I have always been a good swimmer. I fall and trip over nothing but air on land but in the water I am like a mermaid, graceful and elegant. The water was my home no matter the weather, especially in a town like this where it rains almost every day.

This day the water was not my friend. There had been a bad storm a few hours before so the water levels were running high, the temperature was dropping, getting closer to the freezing point. Luckily my father, the chief of police, had taught me how to get out of situations like this so I knew I needed to kick out my window and get out before it was completely submerged. Unfortunately the river was uncooperative and kept sending me back under before I could fill my lungs up. I struck out towards shore but fighting against these rapids was almost useless.

One of the times my head rose above water I saw headlights coming around the bend in the road. I immediately started screaming for help, praying that they would see the broken guard rail and would get out to investigate. Luck must have been with me for the car stopped and someone got out. I increased the volume of my cries praying they could find someway to help me. I did not mean for them to jump in after me but I will forever be eternally grateful. If this person had not jumped in, I never would have made it; my strength was already waning and was gone by the time they reached me and pulled me to the shore.

"Miss, can you hear me?"

"C…c…cold."

"Let's get you warm shall we?"

All I could do was nod, my teeth chattering together. With this he picked me up and swiftly carried me to his car. All I could make out was the paint color, silver. After setting me in the passenger's seat, he swiftly got in the car, started the heat, and began the drive to where I knew not.

"My name is Edward. I haven't seen you around here before, are you new?"

"N…no. My n…name is B…b…Bella Swan, the chiefs daughter."

"How long have you lived here Bella?"

"F…for…forever. My m…mom left when I w…was two. I k…k…keep to myself. I work in the p…public library. W…what about y…y…you?"

"Well, my dad moved us here when I was like twelve. He took up a position in the hospital and my mom is an interior designer. When they found they couldn't have kids they started adopting. They both have plenty of money and are very loving so the adoption agencies love them. They adopted me first and then the rest of my siblings came soon after."

"H…How many s…s…siblings do you have?"
"There are four of them. Rose and Jasper are brother and sister and Alice and Emmett are brother and sister. Rose and Em are engaged and so are Ali and Jazz."

"Wow. Umm, where are we g…going?"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know the way to your house and mine was only a few minutes away so I thought we could go there and get you warm, if that's alright with you of course."

"P…Perfectly fine. J…Just need warmth."