Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot.
I previously posted this story before taking it down because I didn't have the time to work on it, but now I've made time and decided I want to go through with it. I've pretty much reinvented the story (though not completely), as I was dissatisfied with the original.
Anyways, a warm welcome to new readers and hello again to the old! My sincerest apologies for any confusion.
I hope you enjoy the story!
UNRAVEL
-x.X.x-
Chapter 1:
I stared at the bustling crowds of people at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, wondering what on earth I was doing here.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Renee asked from behind me. I flinched in surprise, turning towards my mother. I hadn't realized that she returned from the washroom. She had been watching me, her blue eyes full of worry.
I smiled at my mother as convincingly as I could. "I'm sure."
She sighed, wringing her hands nervously. "I'm just worried-"
"Nothing's going to happen to me, mom." I assured her calmly. "Charlie is more than capable of protecting me."
My father, Charlie Swan, had been a criminal investigator for nearly 25 years.
When my mother got remarried this summer, my father made me an offer I couldn't refuse; spend my final year of high school with him in Washington. I had only a handful of friends in Phoenix, and though I would miss my mother terribly, she didn't need me to take care of her anymore. Besides, she and her new husband, Phil, deserved time together as a newly married couple without a teenage daughter in the way. So I said yes to Charlie.
Renee frowned and crossed her arms. "I know he is. It's just... You need to be careful. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. If you ever had to go through what I've been through..." She trailed off, shuddering.
My mother was referring to my father's biggest and most dangerous case, The Volturi Operation- which had taken place during their marriage.
The Volturi was an American organized crime ring based in Los Angeles and led by the notorious Felix Upyr. Their name came from the fact that most of the mob's members originated from Volterra, Italy. They had been guilty of murder, extortion, racketeering and trafficking, among other things.
Right before his imprisonment, Felix Upyr managed to discover my father's true identity; my father used to work under the alias "Billy Burke". Once Felix discovered who my father was, he kidnapped my mother and held her hostage in an abandoned building near our home in Downey. Charlie arrived just in time to save my mother and capture Felix, but the damage had been done.
Fearing for her life and mine, my mother filed for a divorce and fled from Downey like a bat out of hell. She settled down in Phoenix, Arizona, giving birth to me a few months later.
"I'm sorry mom, I know." I murmured apologetically. "You have a right to be worried given what you've been through, but-"
"But you'll be okay." My mother sighed, offering me a small smile. "Your safety is being taken care of."
"Exactly." I replied, grinning. "Charlie will do everything he can to keep me safe, you know that."
I strung my bag over my shoulder, Renee following me as I made my way to the flight check-in.
This was where we parted ways.
My mother quickly rested her hand on my arm to stall me from joining the line. "You really don't have to do this, you know." She told me.
I drew her in for a hug, squeezing my eyes shut to prevent my tears from overflowing. "I want to." I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
After a few seconds I let go of my mother. I took a long last look at her. At her light brown hair, big blue eyes, her face full of laugh lines. She carried with her a sense of youthfulness and joy. She was my other half, my best friend. She was erratic and scatterbrained, but I loved her nonetheless.
"Don't forget to pick up your pink blouse from the dry cleaners." I reminded her, making her laugh.
"This is why I need you here." She said fondly.
I gave her a bittersweet smile. "But you don't, mom."
"Yes I do!" She protested. She looked at me sadly, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're my baby girl…"
I felt my will to leave waver at the sight of her tears. Seeing her like this made me panic. Could I just leave her here alone?
Phil made his way over to the two of us, reminding me that my mother wasn't alone. He handed Renee the vanilla bean latte as requested and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him gratefully. Simply seeing them together reinforced my resolve.
Phil brought out a spark in my mother that I had never seen before. He was here to stay, and I knew that he was going to take great care of her.
I smiled at the two of them and wiped a stray tear from my mother's cheek.
"A little change will do us both some good." I murmured to her softly.
I didn't know who needed to hear it more: her, or me.
Renee nodded and dabbed at her eyes, sniffling and laughing embarrassedly. "Listen, if ever you want to come back home, you call us and we'll come get you, okay baby?"
I laughed. "Okay. Bye mom, I love you."
"I love you too." She sighed, smiling at me tenderly.
I looked up at Phil. "You take care of her, okay?"
He grinned and nodded, pressing his lips to the top of my mom's head. "I will. Goodbye Bella, and good luck."
"Thanks, Phil. Goodbye, you two." I smiled at my mother and stepfather sadly and handed my ticket to the ticket operator to scan.
I passed through the entrance to security and waved one last goodbye to Renee and Phil.
I felt their eyes on me as I walked through security with a wistful sigh.
Here goes nothing.
-x.X.x-
When my father invited me to come live with him in Washington, I had been understandably excited.
Despite the circumstances of their divorce, Charlie and Renee were on good terms. My father was allowed to visit me in Jacksonville every year, and after I turned 13, he suggested I fly to wherever he was. He thought it would be good for me to travel, and he paid for most of the tickets so my mother never complained.
I had always enjoyed my visits with Charlie; we had similar personalities, and he was protective and fatherly in a quiet way. We shared a very strong bond.
The limitation on the time I got to spend with my father was terrible. Never mind my parents' divorce- when your father is an important criminal investigator, you eventually learn that apprehending criminals and solving cases is so consuming (both of the mind and of time) that one can forget that they even have a family.
So when Charlie offered me the extra bedroom in the house he was living in, how could I say no? The timing was perfect, the opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime, and I would get to spend an unconstrained amount of time with my father.
The only downfall was that Charlie was settled down in a town I had never even heard of before- in fact, I'm sure hardly anyone even knew it existed- a place called Forks. This small, utensil-named town was surrounded by nothing but endless forest and some parts ocean, and it had a population a little over 3500.
It was one of those towns where generation after generation of families had been born and raised there, and everyone knew each other. Not to mention, the town also held one of the highest records of rainfall per year in all of America.
It was enough to almost completely eclipse my excitement, but not enough to prevent me from moving.
And now here I was, navigating my way through Seattle-Tacoma airport pushing a cart loaded with my bags and trying to find the pickup area. Hundreds of people milled about, passports in hand, saddled with various quantities of luggage. A family of four dressed entirely in floral-patterned shirts, cargo shorts and Birkenstocks passed by me, excited smiles on their faces and leis around their necks. There was no guessing where they were headed.
I couldn't find a payphone to call my father, but when I made it to the pickup lot there was a sleek black car waiting patiently for me, just as Charlie had promised.
I exhaled in relief, excited to see my father again after so long.
But when the driver's door opened, I was surprised to see that it was not my father who stepped out of the vehicle; but an extremely attractive man – possibly the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life.
He couldn't possibly be here to pick me up.
The man was tall and clearly very fit. His bronze hair was messy, and an angular jaw, sharp cheekbones and straight nose defined his face. Thick, dark lashes framed the most mesmerizing emerald eyes I had ever seen.
He seemed young; probably in his mid- to late twenties, but he carried himself with a sureness and mystery that made any assumption of his age questionable.
I was about to turn away when he began to approach me. His face was expressionless yet his eyes remained intense and completely focused on my own.
I blushed at his attention, feeling slightly self-conscious.
The beautiful man cleared his throat. "Isabella Swan?"
His voice did not disappoint. It was smooth like velvet, and deep, almost melodic even- I thought I was going to melt right there and then.
There was a pause, and I realized that he was waiting for a response or some kind of acknowledgement. I snapped out of my daze, blushing lightly. "Um yes, that's me. Bella, actually. I um, prefer Bella…" I trailed off awkwardly.
He nodded at me before flipping out his badge and showing me his ID. "I'm Special Agent Cullen. Welcome to Washington."
-x.X.x-