Disclaimer: I do own Twilight, but only in my wildest fantasies. Mrs. Meyer owns it in real life though.
A/N: This story is mostly humour and romance and I am having a lot of fun writing it. I will be updating daily so that should compensate the short chapters. English is my second language so please be kind enough to overlook the mistakes and concentrate more on the story. Since I will be updating daily, this story will be unbeta'd. Thank you, please read on.
The huge campus building came into view and the knot in my stomach tightened with anxiety. I wish I had fought harder when Jasper had said we'll drive to Seattle. It was torture of the worst kind, being stuck with him in a car for two days when I knew I wouldn't be seeing him for the next four months. I could feel my lunch coming back up and I quickly cranked down the window to let some air in. I had never been as far as Seattle before. Hell, I'd never even left town limits except for maybe a few holidays here and there and no to say I was feeling a little like fish out of water would probably be understating things. As soon as we entered the big, bad city of Seattle, I knew I was never going to fit in. It was like being thrown into a whole new world for me.
I was a farm girl, my life revolved around lounging in fields, feeding chickens, rough-housing with the boys and climbing trees. I was from a place where everyone knew everyone else. Homemade pies and barbeque nights, neighbours who were friends and friends who were family, little joys that seemed somewhat lost in a city as big as this one: these were beloved parts of my home that I was dreading leaving behind.
The noises of the city intimidated me; the impersonal feel of the entire landscape gave me chills. I had never seen these many cars, or heard these many people for that matter. Suddenly the whole prospect of independence seemed overrated to me.
I knew I just had to say the words and I would be whisked away from this place, but deep down I recognized I was excited for this new chapter of my life. I couldn't wait for it to start. I just wished it didn't have to start this far away from my family.
People don't often understand my need to be close to them, or as close to them as I can manage. It was just the three of us really, my brother, uncle and me, functioning smoothly in our own dysfunctional way. Mom and Dad were out of the picture before I had even learnt the meaning of those words. An accident of some sort, I had yet to know the details.
My name? Isabella Swan, Bella to the world, Kiddo to family.
They say you can't miss what you've never had, truer words have not been spoken. I always get pity-looks from people when I tell them I'm an "orphan", but they needn't have worried. I was never in want for the warmth of a mother's hug or the protection of a father's touch. For me all that resided with my brother, Jasper Swan. He was my protector, my hero, my mother and my father, all rolled into one. Jazzy was the brother each girl wishes she had. Attentive to a fault, though a tad bit over-protective at times. The one thing he could not stand was to see me cry, he would move the mountains if he could for me.
My uncle, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, who became our sole guardian after our parent's sudden demise, was a force to be reckoned with too. On his way to becoming one of the world's greatest orthopedic surgeons, Uncle Carlisle left everything – his job, his status, his wife - to come and take care of us and the family estate my had father left behind. Some say he was foolish, too flippant, to give up everything for a bunch of kids and a piece of land, that anyway wouldn't be his as soon as said kids turned eighteen, but as far as I was concerned he was the smartest, most talented man on Earth. No one could compare to Uncle Carlisle, except for maybe Jasper.
And in a few short hours I'll be leaving them behind, ready to start a new life, at the University of Washington, a 1000 miles from home. While on one hand I couldn't be more excited if I tried, I was also feeling a bit lost on the other as I would be leaving behind my shelter for the better part of four years. I couldn't wait, though, to seek out my adventure. It could be something as simple as learning how to cook Ramon noodles so I didn't starve at nights, but it would be mine and something I would be proud of. And maybe, just maybe, I'd find the reason worth going through this ordeal along the way, too. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed just in case.
I could feel Jasper tensing up when we reached the gates of the University, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel as if it was his life line, his face turning whiter. He noticed me watching, however, and fixed a smile on his face. It made him look like something had died under his nose.
I tried to suppress my sigh as he quietly opened my door for me and chanted the mantra that had gotten me through the months leading up to this point.
College, freedom, now or never.
A/N: As a warm-up, I will be updating another chapter today and then we'll go on to one chapter per day. Please leave a review.
