13

Choice

Chapter 1

The Beginning

I never really believed in one thing or another. I guess as a kid you believe in things like Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny. I've never been religious either; but when you grow up that all changes. You realize those things aren't real. You start to think there isn't anything out there besides people just like you. Now you really don't know what to believe.

While flying on a plane north to the small city of Port Angeles, Washington I thought this. I was just sitting there listening to Rascal Flatts and nodding off as I stared out the window at the fluffy clouds that were steadily getting darker.

I was going to visit my uncle, Charlie Swan, for the summer, he was my mom's brother. He was the Chief of Police in Forks. My mom, Cassandra, my dad, Diego Lopez, and I all live in San Francisco, California and I've only been to Forks a few times. Usually I would go there while my cousin Bella was there so I wouldn't be bored out of my mind.

Even though she's about three years older than me, we've always been there for each other. But over the last three years, ever since she moved to Forks permanently instead of living in Phoenix, Arizona with her mom, we haven't really talked as much. And I even missed her wedding the year before because I had a summer study program at Stanford University, which was pretty good for a fifteen year-old almost sophomore in high school girl. It's June and I'm turning sixteen in about a month so it'll be my birthday while I'm there and I'll be a senior when I get home.

It was nearly a two-hour flight but I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before. I had had a nightmare that didn't really make a lot of sense.

As soon as I arrived Charlie was waiting by his police cruiser. "Hey, Mira," he said as he hugged me stiffly. That wasn't my full name it was Tamira Carmen Lopez, but I liked Mira.

"Hey, Uncle Charlie," I said smiling as I put my luggage into the trunk and got in the cruiser. We didn't talk on the ride to Forks, but neither of us were uncomfortable with the silence. It took another hour to get to Charlie's house since Charlie drove pretty slow.

After we got there Charlie helped me unload the few bags I had from his car's trunk and took them upstairs to Bella's old room. "Yeah, I haven't had anyone use it since Bella…." Charlie said but stopped.

I figured he probably wasn't used to talking about Bella not being around. "I'm really sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding," I said quietly.

"It's okay. Um, I figured we could eat at the diner tonight so um I'll just let you get settled in," he said as he left the room that was a good thing about Charlie, he didn't hang around too much.

It didn't take me too long to unpack even though it was June I brought some winter clothes because I knew it was still is really cold up there.

Later at dinner I told Charlie about the stuff my mom, his sister, had been up to lately and the classes that I was taking. And he told me about the Bella's wedding and how her and Edward were gonna wait to go to Dartmouth for another year or so after they finished junior college.

The next morning after I got up and made breakfast for myself since Charlie had work; I tried to figure out what to do for the day. Then I spotted a note on the counter:

Mira,

Bella, called last night after you had gone to sleep. She said she would be by around eleven to see you and maybe take you to the Cullens' house. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here.

Love,

Uncle Charlie

I smiled as I read the note, Bella was coming over! Well, that solved my what to do problem. I looked over to the clock on the microwave and saw that it was about ten-thirty.

I rushed back up the stairs and started combing through the recently organized closet. And found one of my favorite red shirts and matched it with a pair of dark jeans and some black boots. After that I raced to the bathroom and brushed my dark brown hair quickly and put it in a high ponytail. Today my eyes were more of a brownish gold.

By the time I was ready it was only about five minutes to eleven so I just relaxed in my room. There weren't many things left in here since Bella moved out. There was a little dream catcher on the headboard and a scrapbook full of pictures of Bella's friends in high school that had dates and names of the people in them.

I turned the page of the scrapbook and found a picture of a guy with reddish hair and gold eyes. Under the picture it said 'Edward Cullen, Charlie's kitchen 9/13'. So that was Edward, he wasn't bad looking but not my type. In the next couple pictures there were the other Cullens, the weird thing was they all had the same golden eyes but from what Bella had told me all the kids were adopted when they were younger. Something felt odd about it.

Then I heard a honk from outside the window, I pulled open the curtain and sitting there in the driveway was a shiny silver Volvo. Huh, not to shabby on style are they? I thought quietly. I raced down the stairs and out to the Volvo, opened the door, and got in. Oh, was I in for a shock.

Bella looked the same but different. Her skin was a lot more pale and her face was shaped a bit different. And her eyes, especially her eyes, were the most different. They were a sort of amber-goldish color, kind of like the Cullens' eyes in the pictures I was just looking at seconds before. Instead of the chocolate brown her eyes used to be, just like my mom's and Charlie's. I didn't have them, I had my dad's ever changing color eyes.

"Bella?" I asked staring at her in confusion.

"Tamira, it's been so long," she answered her voice completely musical.

"Yeah, you look different especially your eyes," I said as she started to pull out of the driveway and racing down the road.

"Oh, they're just contacts," she said but I could tell she was lying. She had never been a good liar.

"Okay," I said quietly.

She drove for a while and then we came to a large meadow and in the middle sat a large house with glass walls. "Here we are," Bella said as she parked the car in the enormous garage. There was just about every kind of really expensive car imaginable.

When we walked inside the actual house I saw all of the Cullens waiting for us. One of the blonde males got up and walked over to me. "It's nice to meet you, Tamira," he said his voice full of compassion. He shook my hand and was it my imagination or was his hand like ice?

"Tamira, this is Carlisle. And behind him are Esme, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Edward," Bella said gesturing to each person.

"Hello," I said quietly I could feel myself blushing.

They were all so beautiful I felt awkward. But they all smiled at me.

"Where's Rosalie?" Bella asked looking at Edward.

"She's with Jacob in the other room," Edward answered his voice was also musical but there was the slightest hint of urgency like they were trying to hide something.

All of a sudden I heard a high-soprano laugh from I guessed the kitchen. I whipped my head around to see a little girl about four years old with bronze colored curls. "Nessie," said another voice that was husky but also slightly strained. She stared at me for a split second before disappearing again.

"Um, that's Edward's niece, Reneesme," Bella said quickly but I could hear the same hint of worry and caution in her voice like in Edward's.

"Mmhh," I said sounding a little disbelieving.

"Why don't I give you a tour?" Bella said as she ushered me up the stairway away from the little girl.

She gestured and named each room for each of the doors in the hallway but never opened one until we got to Carlisle's study. It was filled with shelves and shelves of books. My eyes opened wide in wonder and excitement I forgot about all the odd things I had noticed in only twenty-four hours there and marveled at all the books he had. There were even separate shelves for philosophy, medicine, mythology, science, history, mathematics, music, and English. He even had the complete works of two of my favorite English authors, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare.

I picked up the Austen book that I was currently reading, Pride and Prejudice. Bella giggled a little from behind me. I turned around to face her a little confused and asked, "What?"

"I'd almost forgotten how much you love to read. You should see your face right now," she said smiling.

I smiled and blushed again I was still shocked by how different she seemed. Just then my stomach growled and Bella laughed again. "Come on, I'll get you some food," Bella said as we left but I was a little reluctant to.

In the kitchen while Bella was making my lunch I met Jacob, Rosalie, and Reneesme. Nessie was so cute I just loved her instantly. It was a little weird how Jacob was only wearing shorts and a T-shirt and it was pretty cold, I could see his muscles, they were big and hard.

A few minutes later I was eating my lunch in the living room while listening to Alice tell me every detail of Edward and Bella's wedding. She was so perky and eccentric and had a very good memory. I was laughing at some of the memories she told me.

Suddenly, the front door burst open and four people walked in. The first was a girl with blunt short black hair and russet color skin; she looked about twenty-one or so. All she wore was a tank top and short shorts. The two guys behind her could have been twins; both of them had short-cropped black hair and the same russet skin like the girl they were probably about seventeen. They only wore long jean shorts; they also had huge muscles like Jacob did.

The last one was obviously the youngest but he had the same short black hair and bronze skin as the others; he was probably around my age. He too only wore jean shorts but he wasn't as bulky in build as the other two guys. And his eyes were like a milky chocolate. When I saw him I got this warm feeling in my chest and I felt slightly dizzy but I shook it off.

Jacob got up from his spot on the floor with Nessie, who was busy listening to Alice's story intently. "Um, Tamira these are my uh friends, Leah Clearwater, Embry Call, Quil Ateara, and Seth Clearwater. Guys, this is Bella's cousin Tamira," Jacob said he looked slightly nervous.

So the youngest one was named Seth and the girl was his sister. He was staring at me intently. I started to blush but said shakily, "Hi."

The girl, Leah, stepped forward, "Uh, Jake, Sam wants to talk to you." She also looked like she was hiding something too.

"Okay," Jake said as he left out the door and I saw a look of longing in Seth's eyes and then he disappeared out the door with the rest of them. I looked out the window hoping to catch a last look at him but I didn't. Instead I saw what looked like a huge animal flash through the forest and disappear. Well, after all this wasn't San Francisco.

After Alice finished telling every detail of the wedding Edward was nice enough to play the piano. It was so amazing how he could play such beautiful melodies. But there was something hidden in his expression like something had happened that had changed everything.

Eventually Nessie fell asleep after I had eaten dinner and Edward suggested that Bella take me back to Charlie's house. I yawned as I got up and said goodbye to them all promising I'd be back the next day. Bella dropped me off and walked me in. Charlie was already asleep and I was tired too, so I decided to go ahead and go to bed. I was out as soon as I hit the pillow unaware of what would happen the next day.