All recognizable characters are Smeyers, blahblahblah..
FULL SUMMARY: After a tragedy occurs, Renee and Bella flee their home in Arizona to the sleepy town of Forks to escape the memories. Bella has never fit in with any croud, she has never had a perfect clique, so when she finds the Cullens and becomes friends with them, she is shocked at how well she fits with them. But her recent past threatens to take it all away from her as she is close to losing her mother and herself to it. OOC, AH.
So put your arms around me
And then stay there forever
Let it always be this way
You and me together
So put you arms around me
And I'll never let go
I know they're easy words to say
But I mean it more then ever
-Put Your Arms Around Me (Natasha Bedingfield)
ONE:
As Bella is driven up to her new home by her mother, she reminisces. Her old life has melted away from her as fast as fat is sucked down a liposuction tube. There will be no more comforting hugs, kisses on bruises or fun parties with the family. Only Renee and Bella, 'till the end of time. Bella shivers, either from the cold or from the light caress of depression.
She looks out of her window to glimpse at the scenery flowing past her. Green, green, green, brown, green. Bella wonders at the dominating color of green, a color which is almost unheard of in sunny Arizona. She half expects a wood sprite to spring out of the trees and blow her a kiss.
The smoke of Renee's cigarette swirls into Bella's face, into her eyes and down her throat. Bella coughs lightly and makes a fanning motion in front of her, clearing the air. Renee gets the hint and holds her cigarette further out of the window so the smoke is taken into the breeze. Bella wonders what happens to the smoke. Does it fade out into nothing, similar to the death of humans? Or does it stay as a translucent substance, floating along with the breeze? Perhaps the smoke will travel deep into the Congo and witness horrors unimaginable to Bella, or maybe it will witness the romances of Paris, or the bleak beauty of a desert…
Bella is snapped out of her reverie by the sight of her new home. She only knows it is hers because Renee showed her a picture of it before the move, otherwise the crumbling house would look like every other house on the street to her. Though the fact is that it hers, therefore it is different. To her, the faded navy blue of the roof is calming, the rusty mailbox: charming.
Renee stops the car and glances at her daughter. "Here we are," she says, glumly. To Renee, the house seems dull and dilapidated, which to her, fits in completely with the landscape behind it. To a vibrant woman used to the yellows and reds of Phoenix, Arizona, bumfuck nowhere, Washington, is quite a downgrade. Though maybe a big change is necessary, she thinks.
Bella, on the other hand, is delighted. The fast pace of Phoenix was constantly exhausting to her, maybe this is the time to slow down and finally figure out what life is about. Though, at only seventeen, I probably won't get far, Bella thinks. She gives Renee a small smile.
Both women climb out of the car and grab their luggage, of which there isn't a lot. They were trying to get out of Arizona as fast as possible, which didn't leave much time for possessions. Though possessions are important to both women, they don't regret leaving them. Getting out was the priority.
Upon entry into the house, Bella and Renee glance around appreciatively. As seen from the outside, there are many windows in the house, making it very bright and open. The house seems like a hug embodied, willing to open its huge plasterboard arms and welcome you into its carpeted grasp, comforting and coddling until stresses are no more. Of course, to Bella, it seems like there will never be such thing as comfort again. Perhaps it would be wise to refrain from allegorizing a house, Bella thinks to herself.
The walls are painted a relaxing pale pink, the carpet a warm beige. The house has some basic furniture which makes Bella's lips curve slightly – some lawn chairs in front of a crappy TV and a bookcase with a few books. Bella walks up to the bookcase and runs her finger along the spines of some of the novels – Jane Austen, Emily Bronte. Awesome, Bella thinks. I'll have something to read when I'm deluding myself about my intelligence.
Bella hears a squeal coming from somewhere to her left, presumably from Renee, who can work herself into a state of extreme excitement quite easily. Or, more accurately, who gets excited at anything. Bella once burnt toast, and Renee's eyes sparkled at the 'fascinating sooty shade of the bread.' Bella follows the squeal into what looks like a small kitchen.
"Look at these cabinets, Bella!" Renee cries, pointing at the cupboards above the kitchen sink and bench tops. "Divine!"
They are divine, Bella thinks. Divinely yellow. She looks at the stark yellow cabinets, then at the old square oak table and mismatched chairs, then down at the white linoleum floor. Odd combination, but I like it, Bella thinks.
As if somehow Renee had heard Bella's thoughts, she says loudly, "Oh my GOD! We need a decorator badly, this décor is hideous..." Bella rolls her eyes.
On the night of the next day, after having spent the daylight arranging her room and the living room while Renee went out to buy furniture, groceries, and of course, cigarettes, Bella ponders what the next day will bring. A new school, with new teachers, new students to avoid… Not that Bella is a social pariah, or she doesn't want to make new friends, Bella just doesn't like the company of most people. Everyone she has ever met hasn't clicked with her in the way that people in movies and novels seem to automatically click. She wishes she could figure out why, instead of feeling so alone. Bella could use a good friend; especially with her no longer being able to relate to Renee. Though she will probably be too busy evading all attention to make one.
Bella turns off her recently bought antique lamp and rolls over onto her side, tucking her hand under her head and bringing her knees to her chest, readying herself for dreams, where she is taken away from the reality of her life. Before she can fully drift off to sleep, rain begins to pour down, making a sound similar to the sound of an angel shooting a rooftop with diamond bullets.
Bella has always wondered about the rain. It seems so magical, so mystical, yet it is brought into existence simply by the condensation of water vapor. Bella often pretends to herself that the rain appears in a more esoteric manner, such as by sea nymphs, summoned from the ocean, smearing their droplets across the sky, or by magnificent whales swimming around the earth, squirting enough water out of their blowholes to coat the land. But such things are for fairytales, as she is often told. She stops making up "stupid stories," as Renee and her Phoenix friends often tell her to in their lectures, and slips into slumber.
The drive to school the next day is completely miserable. In her shiny new red truck - which Renee got for her the previous day at a discount from some old guys who most likely stared down her top - Bella feels safe, like she's in an army tank. The problem is, the rain is pissing down even more heavily than the night before. It seems as if our angel friend has acquired a machine gun, Bella thinks, sardonically. She is afraid of the very real possibility that she will hit someone, therefore she drives overcautiously. Though this results in a pace as slow and leisurely as a cat hacking at a mouse, which gives Bella room to think. Room she doesn't want.
To distract herself, Bella tries to turn on the radio of the truck, which, exactly in tune with her luck, does not work. Instead, she spent the drive to Forks High – which was not hard to find as it was just off the highway, like most other public places in Forks – thinking up a name for her truck. It was huge and, like Bella had thought before, tank-like. The vehicle could probably withstand a terrorist attack, hell, an attack of huge rainbow-feathered harpies if Bella was being creative.
After a quick debate with herself, Bella decides on Max, with a sharp nod to herself. Possibility of being short for Maximillian will be decided at a later date.
Bella easily sees the big wooden sign labelled 'FORKS HIGH,' and drives into the clearly marked entryway next to it, which lead to a small parking lot in front of the school, surrounded with huge oaks and pines and various shrubs. She jumps out of the cab of Max with little grace, almost slipping over on the sopping pavement, saved by a light grip on her elbow. Bella looks up, startled, into friendly brown eyes.
"Hi, I'm Jessica. Welcome to Forks."
Concrit, or just plain ol' ego boosting compliments, are appreciated.