Chapter 1: Summer's End

Chapter 1: Summer's End

"Emma," a deep and slow voice called to me. "Emma!" I felt my whole body shake and this time the voice was more clear and sharp. "Hey!" My eyes snapped open but fluttered back to their original position before.

"Uhn," I moaned.

"Come on wake up," Charlie said his voice a little bit more chipper. He pulled the covers back and in retaliation I curled up into a tiny ball and buried my face in my pillow. He had already opened the blinds to my room and it was filled with light that burned my eyes.

"I've got a surprise for you," he sing-songed

I turned an eye out towards him. His face was beaming with this plastered on smile that took up half his face and scared me. I snapped my face back in my pillow.

"Since when did the sun come up so early?" I mumbled in to my pillow sounding muffled.

"Since I opened up the blinds. Now come on, I've got a surprise for you, something special for today." I shot up in bed feeling my hair fly all over the place. I always had the worst bed head in the morning. "I knew that a surprise would get you to wake up."

Surprise? For a special day? Man, those two statements together could only mean one thing.

"Happy Sixteenth Birthday Emma!" Charlie shouted when we reached the kitchen.

My shoulders slumped a little bit. I hated my birthdays mostly because I always got a cactus from my parents every year. Responsibility was better than a birthday party they used to say. I was four so I didn't know better and believed every word they said but I still couldn't get a cactus to live longer than a few months before it wilted out on me. I just hope the surprise isn't a cactus or I'll stick it in my eyes.

I looked at the counter and saw that Charlie had attempted to cook pancakes. I sat down but lost my appetite when I looked at the plate of hockey pucks.

"You don't have to eat the food but I have something else for you. Close your eyes." I did and Charlie led me outside into the sunshine. I could hear his feet patter away in apparent excitement.

"Okay." I opened my eyes just kind of letting this surprise take over me but when I saw it the effect was about what I was looking for.

In the drive way was a rusty old truck that looked like it had gone through the war and then some.

"A truck," I stated sounding like an infant saying their first words.

"I know it's not much but since you're starting school here tomorrow and have your driver's test today, I thought I would give it to you to use for the test and to drive to school. So what do you think?"

When he said it belonged to Bella it made me appreciate it even more. I walked up to Charlie and gave him a hug all the while staring at this big hunk of metal.

"It also will crush any other vehicle that comes into contact with it but we won't have problems with that will we?" Charlie had no idea what kind of a driver I am.

"Thanks Charlie, it's great. Well I better get ready for my test." I slumped off to the bathroom to get dressed.

Well it has been about three weeks since I've been living with Charlie and things are pretty good so far. I don't do a lot with him but he admits that he and Bella didn't either. She was always out with friends or with the Cullen's. Well there go my options; but I did hang out with Jacob a lot over the three weeks.

Charlie has been great with me but he complains too much about my cooking. After the wedding he has been reserved and spent a lot more time at work. I think he really missed Bella and now that she is going to be gone for a long time, his heart seemed to break. But he has been coming home earlier since I've moved in. Also the loss of his only brother really hit him hard but at the funeral he seemed to make amends when he apologized for not being that older brother and everything. It was sweet and Charlie seemed to feel better about it all.

As for everything else, all went well. I haven't met anyone yet but that's because I am always at Jacob's. Our house sold in Texas but Charlie gave me that money for college as well as the inheritance money. He said it was left to me so anything out of it should belong to me. I tried to persuade him otherwise, to take the money because I am a difficult child to take care of; but he only laughed at that. We did come to a compromise though. He would buy the necessities and I could use the money for wants like clothes and make up.

I still got a job though at a sporting goods store, owned by Mike Newton's parents. I was the only other employee besides the Newton family but I only worked about five hours a week, the paycheck now going to fill the Metal Beast's tank and pay for the insurance.

I was finally settling into my new life.

A/N: Okay so this is just the beginning of Emma's new life. I won't be able to update really fast because my computer is fried from a lightning storm (thank you Wisconsin for your great weather) so I'm using someone else's but if I have time in school I'll try to get ahead in my story. Ah school! I'm just looking forward to the summer! It may not sound so good but this is just the transition into her new life, the beginning so it's not that great. Whether she passes her test or not . . . (I take mine in August) R&R!