Twilight and all of it's characters belong to the lovely Stephenie Meyer. I'm just borrowing them for a bit.

Bella

I really didn't want to be here. Thirty minutes and already I was so homesick I could barely breath. I didn't think I'll be able to do this, I don't know why I thought I could.

Here was at my father's house in Forks, Washington where I had no friends and it tended to rain more days then it had any right to. Home was my mom's house in Phoenix, Arizona where I still had no friends, but it was usually sunny and warm. I threw my bags on the floor and plopped down on the bed to stare up at the ceiling. Charlie, my dad, was downstairs shuffling around in the kitchen, I assumed that he was giving me space and some time to settle in. Give me all the time in the world Charlie, I'm never going to feel settled here. I heaved a big sigh, wiped a traitor tear off of my cheek and went to look out my window. It was cloudy and raining. Big surprise.

My parents split up when I was just a baby. I have no memory of them together as a couple. My dad still has pictures hung around the house of the three of us as a family, before mom left, taking me with her. Whenever I look at the pictures of the three of us together I felt like I was peeking in on someone else's life, it's a feeling that always left me a little disconnected., like I didn't belong anywhere. Maybe I would ask Charlie to take the pictures down.

My parents both grew up in Forks, if things had been different I would have too. Shortly after they graduated high school they got married, and soon after that I came along. From the story the pictures downstairs tell we had a good six months together before my mom Renee packed the two of us up and left Forks behind, Charlie and all. We'd been living in Phoenix ever since. It's not perfect but it's a lot better then Forks.

I wasn't looking forward to this move. I'd spent summers at Charlie's most of my life and never really enjoyed it. I've always been more of a city person and Forks your typical small town. Charlie and I had never really been close, and from the awkward ride home from the airport I'd hazard a guess that that wasn't going to change any time soon. It's funny though, because when it comes down to it I've always been more like my father then my mom, and yet Renee and I have always been more like friends and Charlie and I seemed more like strangers. While my mom is care-free and impulsive my dad is down-to-earth and a rock, more solid then anyone else I knew. Where my mom is out-going and light hearted my dad has always been quiet and serious. It's weird that I seemed to take more after the parent that I've spent the least amount of time with, but I guess it just goes to show that sometimes you can't help who you become.

I missed my mom already. I could tell that that was going to be the hardest part about living here, leaving her behind. It's for her though, my move. Which is probably the only reason why I thought I'd be able to go through with it. She'd recently re-married to a baseball player named Phil and I felt like they needed some time without me around to figure out how to be married, and it didn't help that Phil was always traveling and my mom was stuck home with me. Which is why I was here in Forks, why I asked to move in with my dad, even though I just wanted to be home.

Tomorrow I was supposed to start school at Forks High School, where I will be a junior. I wasn't looking forward to it. Not only will I be the new kid in school, but I was starting right smack in the middle of the school year, which will only go to draw more attention to me, something I don't want. It's a small school and I'd guess that they didn't get a lot of new kids, which meant I probably wouldn't be able to fade into the background.

Back home I wasn't exactly popular, but for the most part I was left alone. I had my books and my music and my peace and quiet, it worked for me, I was happy. I never thought I'd miss my school this much, but the idea of starting at a new school has me terrified, making me miss the comfort of the familiar. I just have to make it through the next few days and things will look better, at least that's what I kept telling myself.

I put away some of my things and then looked around my room. In all the summers I visited here it never changed, at least there's some comfort in the familiar. I could smell cooking and decided to head downstairs to see what Charlie was up to. If nothing else I was thankful he gave me plenty of space, this was hard enough without having someone hovering over me.

Dinner was a dull affair. I could tell that cooking wasn't one of Charlie's areas of expertise, which was fine with me since I actually enjoyed cooking, it helped to calm me. Charlie asked how I was settling in and if I was looking forward to starting school tomorrow. I lied on both accounts, there was no reason for both of us to be miserable. Mostly we sat in silence and I wondered if this was how we would spend every dinner together. Life in Forks was going to be a lot different.

After dinner I told Charlie I was going to go up and finish getting settled in and then hit the hay early, it had been a long day. Charlie asked if I wanted a ride into school tomorrow, but I declined. Charlie's the police chief for Forks and I didn't want to start my first day of school showing up in his cruiser. The town was so small I was pretty sure everyone would already know exactly who I was, but still, I wanted to go as incognito as possible. And anyway, Charlie bought me a truck as a welcoming gift. It was the oldest thing I've ever been in and completely beat up, but I loved it anyway. I was excited to drive myself around, even if I was only driving to school and back.

I finished unpacking my stuff and spent some time gathering up everything I would need for tomorrow. I tried to decide what I would wear but in the end I realized I just didn't care enough to worry about it and instead went and got ready for bed. I laid down in the dark and that's when I knew I wouldn't be able to stop the tears. As much as I hate crying I knew I just needed to get it out of my system. And so I cried myself to sleep.

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In the morning I woke up feeling a little better. I still wasn't looking forward to school, or even happy to be here but I didn't feel as hopeless as I did yesterday. I looked at the clock and realized I had plenty of time before school started, so I went in and took a nice long hot shower, hoping it would help me relax a bit. After I was showered and dressed and had restored some order to my hair I headed downstairs to see what Charlie was up to.

When I entered the kitchen the first thing I noticed was a note from Charlie, seems he was an early riser and had already left for the day. He wished me luck at school and left some money next to the note for lunch. I hunted around the kitchen some until I found the cereal and sat down in silence to eat. When I'm really nervous I close my eyes and slow my breathing down and picture myself sitting down on the beach watching the waves crash. I did that now, preparing myself for my new life.

After breakfast I grabbed my bag and keys and headed out the front door. I was pretty sure I was going to be early, but I thought it would be a lot better then being late, plus I wanted to give myself time in case I got lost.

I found the school pretty easily and headed to the office to pick up my schedule and a map for the day. I headed off to try to find my locker, not because I needed to drop anything off, but just so I would know where it was at. The school was pretty small, just a couple of buildings all surrounding each other. It was different from my old school in that you had to go outside to get to each building, but besides that it looked like your typical school. Two of the buildings looked larger then the others and I guessed that they held the gym and cafeteria.

I found my locker and practiced opening it a few times, trying to memorize the combination. I was still one of the only students there, but it looked like more people were starting to show up. I grabbed my schedule and map and tried to figure out where I'd need to be for first period. It looked like I had English with Williet, I had no idea if Williet was a guy or girl at this point, but figured I'd find out soon enough. I headed off to where I thought the classroom was and was pretty happy with myself when I found it without any major mishaps. Students were showing up in full and I was starting to realize I was already drawing some attention so I decided to head into class and hoped the teacher didn't wait till the last minute to show up.

Williet was a Mrs. Williet, and she was seated at her desk when I showed up in front of her with my schedule in hand. She gave me the book I would need for class, assigned me a seat, and told me that for the first day or so I could just try to get caught up. I thanked her and sat down. I doubted I'd need the time she had given me to get caught up, I was always a pretty good student and English was always one of my better subjects, but I was thankful there would be no pressure for the first few days.

All through class I let my mind wander. I tried to think about anything but where I was, with little to no luck. I kept noticing looks and glances from the students around me. I was certainly that day's entertainment. The girl sitting next to me caught my attention and gave me a shy smile, I smiled back, glad she seemed more welcoming then curious.

After class was over she stood up to introduce herself. "Hey, I'm Angela Webber. You must be Chief Swans daughter, Isabella."

Before I stopped myself I grimaced a little. "Yeah, except no one calls me Isabella unless I'm getting in trouble, you can just call me Bella."

As we turned to walk out of the classroom I noticed the students around us trying to listen in without seeming to. I guess Angela noticed too because she slowed down a little so we could fall behind. She gave me a sly smile as we walked along.

"So what class do you have next?" Angela asked while tucking her book into her bag as we walked along.

I looked at my schedule before answering. "Ummm, looks like Trigonometry with Genson."

"Oh that's where I'm heading next. Do you want to walk with me, I'll show you how to get there? Do you need to stop at your locker?" she asked.

I now had my English book in tow, but it wasn't heavy enough for me to feel the need to run back to my locker so I shook my head and followed Angela, grateful to be on talking terms with at least one person at Forks. As we entered the class I again went up to the teacher to introduce myself and got assigned a seat. My seat was at the back of the class, with an empty seat on my right and a blonde girl on my left. As soon as I sat down Mr. Genson started into the lesson. Trig has never been one of my strong subjects so I was forced to pay more attention here then I did in English.

The day seemed to drone on and I was sure time slowed down. After Algebra I had History. Angela introduced me to some of her friends between classes, Lauren and Jessica, the later which had History with me and walked me there. Jessica seemed peppy and popular, waving to everyone as we passed them by. Her conversation was almost non-stop and I was glad I wasn't expected to hold up my end. She asked me questions here and there, where I was from, why I didn't have a tan if I was from Phoenix, did I have a boyfriend, stuff like that. She sat next to me in History and would talk under her breath when the teacher was occupied. It was a little exhausting trying to keep up with her, especially as she felt like she had to catch me up on all of the gossip about everyone I didn't know yet. I was kind of relieved when Spanish sent me in the opposite direction of her, but before we parted Jessica asked if I wanted to sit with her, Lauren, Angela, and some of their other friends at lunch. I agreed and headed off to find my Spanish class.

Spanish wasn't bad, we got partnered up and were supposed to work on asking and answering questions in Spanish. My partner was a relatively cute guy with blondish hair who turned to introduce himself.

"Hi, I'm Mike Newton." As he talked he offered his hand for a shake.

I took his hand and gave it a quick shake as I introduced myself. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Bella Swan."

"Yeah, we've been waiting for your arrival for a little while now. Chief Swan stopped by last week to get you registered and everything and it didn't talk long for the whole school to hear about you switching to Forks High," he said. "So I bet this is a lot different then the school you're used to. You're from Phoenix right? That's got to be a tough to move to such a small place when you're used to living in the city."

I looked around to make sure our teacher wasn't paying attention, since we weren't doing a great job practicing our Spanish. When I realized he was too engrossed in his book to care, I turned back to Mike.

"It's ok. It's certainly a lot quieter then Phoenix, but it's not too bad," I answered.

I then made an attempt at Spanish, hoping Mike would take my lead. I wasn't comfortable answering a ton of questions about myself.

Spanish went by pretty fast and when the bell rang Mike and I adjusted our desks and gathered up our books to head out to lunch.

Mike turned back to me when we were out in the hallway and asked, "So, would you want to sit with me and my friends at lunch?"

I remembered I had already promised Jessica that I would sit with her and told Mike so.

At first he frowned, but then when I told him it was Jessica I was sitting with his face lit up. "Oh, that's ok, that's actually where I sit too. There's a whole group of us, it'll be great, you'll like everyone."

With that we headed to the cafeteria and got in line to buy lunch. I looked around the cafeteria and noticed Jessica and Angela already at a table over on the side of the cafeteria. Jessica saw me looking and smiled and gave me a quick wave. I smiled back and signaled I'd join her in a minute. I picked up a salad and a juice and headed over to the table, trailing Mike who was in front of me in line. I greeted Angela and Jessica and Lauren, who had joined them while I was in line for lunch, and then met a couple new people including Eric and Tyler who sat down next to Mike.

I started eating while everyone around me chatted about their day. For the most part I was quiet, answering questions that were sent my way but not actively participating in the conversation. I was content to check out the cafeteria, looking around at the people I hadn't met yet.

Over in the opposite corner from us I noticed a girl staring at me. She was small and pixie-like, with dark brown hair cropped short and green eyes. She was beautiful in a very exotic looking way. She sat next to a blond haired blue eyed boy who was holding her hand in his, making it obvious they were together. He was a lot taller then she was, though it was hard to tell by exactly how much while they were both sitting down. He was just as good looking as she was, only in a different way. Where the girl was exotic he was your typical All American kind of boy. Handsome in a comfortable way. Next to him was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Like the boy she was blond with blue eyes. If I had to guess I would say they were related, they looked too much alike for it to be a coincidence. She was tall and thin and all legs, with her hair hanging down to the middle of her back. I wondered why she wasn't off in New York City, or Paris, or somewhere modeling. I had no doubt she would easily be a success. To her right was a brown haired boy who easily had to be the biggest guy in the school. I had a hard time imagining him as a high school student, he looked much older then everyone around him. He was tall and broad, though in great shape. He had to be a jock or athlete of some kind. He was handsome, but you didn't notice at first, you were so distracted by his size. The longer I looked though the more I realized how handsome his face actually was. Like the other pair it was obvious he and the blond girl were a couple. The blonde girl was leaning into him and he would reach up and rub her back or touch her hair, even while they were eating.

Separate you might not have noticed their beauty as much, they still would have probably been the most beautiful people in the room, but it wouldn't have been as apparent as it was when they were all together like that. With the four of them sitting there together your eye couldn't help but stop at their table time and time again. I wondered why they sat off on their own, with their good looks they should have made up the popular crew in the school, but instead they sat at a half empty table and pretty much ignored the rest of the cafeteria.

Except for the small dark haired girl, who was still staring over at me. I was starting to get a bit uncomfortable and couldn't figure out why she would stare at me like that. Did I do something to her unintentionally? I didn't think so, I mean it's not like I had been at the school long enough to really offend anyone. She didn't look mad but I didn't know her well enough to say for sure, one way or another. After a minute or so she slowly turned back to the blonde boy who I had thought was her boyfriend. When I was sure she was in a conversation with the other three I turned to Jessica to ask her who they were.

"Hey Jessica, see the kids over at the table opposite us?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could, pointing with my chin and hoping I didn't attract their attention.

Jessica looked over at them and rolled her eyes. "Oh, they're the Cullen's. Their parents are Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. They're actually adopted. See the small dark hair girl? That's Alice, her and her brother Edward were the first two the Cullen's adopted. I don't see Edward, I guess he's not here today or he'd be sitting with them. Anyway, they've lived with Dr. Cullen since they were about eight I guess. They're twins. The big brown haired guy there, his name is Emmett, he was the next one adopted. I guess he came when we were about twelve, he's a year ahead of us so he would have been about thirteen. The Cullen's are pretty young and everyone was surprised they would take in three kids like that. I guess Mrs. Cullen can't have children, though I'm not sure, maybe she just prefers adopting."

I looked around to see if anyone at their table had caught on that we were talking about them but it didn't look like it. I turned back to Jess who had taken a sip of her soda and was ready to continue with her story.

"So for a while it was just the three of them. Even though only Alice and Edward are actually related to each other they've always acted as though Emmett was their actual brother and not just their adopted one. He's pretty protective of them too, definitely acts the part of the big brother. Anyway, about two years ago Mrs. Cullen's sister and husband got into a car accident and were killed. Mrs. Cullen was their only family left I guess, so they came to live with them. They're the two blondes at the table, their names are Rosalie and Jasper. Rosalie is a year older then us, both her and Emmett are seniors. Jasper is in our grade, along with Alice and Edward. It's kind of weird, Jasper is dating Alice, and Emmett and Rosalie are dating. They all live in the same house with each other. Can you imagine?" You could tell that Jessica thought this was a pretty big piece of gossip.

Actually, it really was. I couldn't imagine living with my boyfriend, not that I've ever had a boyfriend. I wonder how their parents handled it. I wondered if it was weird because they were kind of like brothers and sisters. I guessed though that it wouldn't be so weird since Jasper and Rosalie hadn't moved in with them until just two years ago. Still it was interesting to say the least. I turned back to Jess to see if she was done with her story.

She looked them over for a bit and then turned back to me. "So everyone likes Dr. Cullen and his wife too much to say anything about it to them, but the whole town pretty much talks about it. It's pretty scandalous. At least they weren't raised as brothers and sisters like Emmett was with Edward and Alice. They pretty much keep to themselves since they all started dating. Alice, Edward, and Emmett used to hang out with everyone before though, and I guess to a certain extent they still do, just not like before. Alice is very out-going and friendly, Emmett is on the football team, and Edward is just Edward, you'll see when he comes back to school. But since the Hales, that's Rosalie and Jasper, have entered the picture they spend less time with everyone else and more time with each other. I guess they realized how weird we all think they are for dating each other."

I looked back over at the table and noticed the small dark haired girl, Alice, was looking back over at me. Her gaze was intent and I would have guessed that not a lot passed her by. I shifted in my seat and waited for her to look away. I wondered why she kept looking over at me, it seemed more then just curiosity over the new girl. Finally the bell rang and we all got up and threw our trash away and headed to class. I had biology next, along with Mike who walked me to class. I was assigned a seat at an empty lab table and let my mind wander through most of class. I found myself coming back to the Cullen's time and time again. They were fascinating, not just for their looks but for their relationships with each other.

The rest of the day passed uneventful and the last bell finally rang and I was able to get in my truck and head home. I stopped on my way home to pick up supplies for dinner since I didn't want to eat Charlie's cooking again, and then I went upstairs to my room to chill out before it was time to start on dinner.

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A/N:

Oy! Let me know if you like it so I know if I should keep going. ;o)