A Fresh Start

Chapter 1

My name is Isabella Swan. I was born on September 13th 1992 in Phenix, Arizona. When I was one and a half years old I was adopted by James and Victoria Carter. They already had a three year old son, Laurent. They were always mean to me. Laurent wasn't as bad as his parents but little boys know how to bring down a child's self esteem like no body's business. When I was five and Laurent was ten, they adopted another little girl, Alice. She was only two years younger than me and was extremely energetic but kind we became fast friends...sisters. They always treated her like a little princess and me like a pebble in their shoe, but I don't blame Alice for that. It wasn't her fault.

On my sixteenth birthday that's when everything got really bad. That is the day that James decided I should become a "woman" - he raped me and after, Victoria beat me. I thought it was a one time thing but apparently I was wrong. James and Victoria had their fun with me every night until my eighteenth birthday. That night I packed my bags and left. I went strait to the hospital and got a rape kit done and photo's taken of my bruises and scars.

Alice knew what was happening to me and I didn't plan on leaving her there. She would be turning sixteen in two months and I couldn't take the chance that they would do to her what they did to me. So, I took James and Victoria to court and filed to be Alice's legal guardian until she was was of legal age to be on her own. I had already been taking care of both of us since she came so needless to say I won the case. I had a secret stash of money for when I turned eighteen and it came in handy, thought the court gave us $100 000 of James and Victoria's money to help support us. School had already started so I rented us an apartment near by and got a job. My goal was to find my birth parents. Alice's died in a car accident, that's why she was with us in the first place, so I searched for mine.

After two months, I found them. Renee Dwyer and Charlie Swan. Renee in married to a minor league baseball player, Phil Dwyer. They married five years after I was born, and now live in Jacksonville ,Florida. Charlie and Renee married each other right after hight school and divorced a year later, eight months before I was born. He is now the Chief of Police in the small town of Forks Washington. Also known as the rainiest place on the continent. Great.

Charlie was closer so Alice and I decided to go their first. We decided to go for the Christmas holiday. I couldn't pull us out of school or child services might take Alice away. So Ali and I Got on a plane and headed to Forks washington.

Forks was so small that we had to land in Port Angels. The nearest airport. We had decided that the conversation I needed to have with Charlie was one you did in person, so h had no idea that we were coming. We hailed a taxi and took the two hour drive to Forks, to my dad.

When we passed the sign that said "Welcome to Forks" we directed the driver to the police station. We had looked up a map of Forks on google so we knew where to go, but he didn't need our directions.

As we paid the driver, opened our umbrella's and got out of the car I felt like I was ready to have a panic attack. I hadn't had one in over four months and it was scary.

"Alice maybe we shouldn't have come. I mean what if he knew Renee was pregnant. I am so stupid we should just go back to Phenix." I was rambling but I didn't care. I just needed to get out of there. I had always hated being the centre of attention and it just got worse as I got older. Damn, how could i be so stupid. He doesn't want me here. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

I was pulled out of my inner battle by Alice shaking me. "Bella. You need to do this. Even if he doesn't want you here, which I doubt, than you still need to know. You can't grow old thinking what if. Now get your ass in there and talk to him. Do you want me to come?" Alice said, turning back into the mini drill Sargent she was.

"Mhmm." I mumbled, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Good." She said before dragging me into the building where I could be humiliated beyond repair or I could find a man who just didn't know I existed and would want me – a father.

As we walked in and closed our umbrella's five sets of eyes latched on to us. Alice, being the fearless pixie she was walked strait up to the help dest and said, "Excuse me, we're looking for Chief Charlie Swan."

"Of course mam, may I say who's wishing to speak to him." The officer was looking at her like eye candy. I didn't like it, but Alice could handle herself.

"Please just tell him that it's someone important who he will want to see. Thank you." The officer looked a little bit stunned but put in the call anyways.

"If you would just wait over there. The Chief will be with you in a minute." He said, directing us to a row of chairs by the door.

True to his word, a minute later, a man approached us. His medium brown hair was receding and he had kind, brown eyes, thought his were a little bit lighter than mine. He was wrinkling a little bit, had a prominent worry line and the ghost of smile lines. He looked sad. When his eyes wrested on me they widened a little bit.

"Hello, I am Chief Swan. My deputy said you wanted to talk to me?" He said after clearing his voice.

"Yes, would you mind if talked somewhere a little more private?" Alice asked. Well Alice doesn't really ask for much, everything she says has a sense of finality to it. You just don't argue with Alice.

"Yes, um...how about we go to my office." He kept glancing at me distractedly as he talked and I could feel the blood rushing up to my cheeks. I ducked my head in embarrassment but followed them to his office.

While we walked I was making connections between us. I was already sure that he was my father. It's not really that we look alike, because we don't, but because he seems to have the same countenance as myself. When we arrived he stood awkwardly by the door asAlice and I walked in. Alice, of course, made herself at home immediately in one of the chairs across from his desk I slowly sat down in the other as Chief Swan took his position behind his desk.

"Um...Hello. I'm sorry to disturb you at work Chief Swan but um...well-" I was cut off by Alice.

"What we wanted to talk to you about is of kind of urgent." Alice, getting strait to the point as always.

"Alright then. What can I do for you." Chief Swan said stoically.

I cleared my throat. Get strait to the point, I told myself sternly. I took a deep breath and started. "My name is Isabella and I was adopted when I was one and a half by James and Victoria Carter. They treated my like a slave...not a child and encouraged their son to pick in me. When I was five, they adopted Alice." I said, motioning to my sister. I steadied myself and continued. "When I was sixteen James began to rape me. When I turned eighteenth I left and brought them to court. With the evidence against them they were put in jail and I was given custody of Alice. We decided to look for my birth parents after we were able to get our lives back together. So I looked and finally they gave me my birth certificate. I was born on September 13th 1992 to Renee McAdams and Charlie Swan." I said holding my breath. I didn't dare look at Charlie. "So, Alice and I waited until winter break and decided to come here and well...get some answers. You were the only Charlie Swan in the U.S who was married to a Renee McAdams at some point and Forks is closer to Phenix, where we live, than California so we decided to come here first. We don't want to encroach on on your life so you can tell us to leave if you like and we will leave you alone." I said, keeping my head down.

After a few minutes of silence I stood up. "It was nice to meet you Chief Swan. Sorry for disturbing you." I said as I turned to leave.

"Wait." Charlie said. I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned on my heel, keeping my head down. He let out a shaky breath, "I didn't know." He whispered. That made me look up, brow furrowed expectantly.

Charlie let out a gust of breath and sat down again, head between his hands. "Renee and I were high school sweet hearts and married as soon as we graduated. We had decided to take a year before going off to collage. We went to the community collage in Port Angels. A few weeks in Renee told me she was leaving. She was already packed. She left that night and sent me the divorce papers a few weeks later. I had no idea she was pregnant. I had no idea I've had a daughter for half my life. How could she keep something like that from me?" He was getting angry now. He slumped down in his chai and said, "I'm sorry." so quietly I almost didn't hear him.

That confused me. He had nothing to be sorry for. He was completely ignorant to my existence, he didn't know. I voiced my concerns and he let out humourless laugh.

"I could have done something." He said stubbornly. There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Alice, in a truly "Alice" moment, said, "Well at least we know you're really related. You're both stubborn as a mule it seems."

Charlie let out a deep chuckle and I blushed crimson, finding and interesting scrape on the floor.

"Well," said Charlie, "I can't just let you go now can I?" He asked rhetorical. "What would you to say to coming here for a while. You can stay with me if you want and we've got a hight school too. I know you don't know me all very well but I'd like to get to now you." He said, blushing slightly. "Both of you." He added, looking at Alice.

Alice looked exited and squealed happily, jumping at Charlie and hugging him tightly. He seemed quite taken aback with her exuberance, but gave her a timid smile and hugged her too. He looked over at me while I bit my lip, torn. I would really like to get to know him and so did Ali but I really didn't want us to be a burden. I told him as much and he smiled slightly and nodded.