A/N... I don't really have anything to say. Read on...

R&R.

Disclaimer —I do not own Twilight or it's characters.

Chapter One — A Fool's Game.

"I know you hear me."

Bella ignored the voice behind her by pretending to read her copy of Wuthering Heights again...

"You have to listen!" the voice shrieked by her ear, but Bella didn't even cringe. "Okay fine! I'll tell you my story without you caring. My name was Catherine Bane. That rhymes, doesn't it? Okay, well on my way home from work, there was this man in an alleyway, you see. He had grabbed me when I wasn't looking and pulled me into the alleyway with him. I can't remember this man's name, though. I think it was Rick... or Roger... maybe Richard... or Rich... I think it was—" the woman didn't get to finish her sentence as Bella had cut her off.

"Fine, fine! I'll listen to your damn ghost story, dammit!" she groaned. "But in return, tell your ghost friends to leave me the hell alone unless it's a fuckin' emergency, dammit."

The ghost merely smiled as she launched into her death. "Okay... where was I? Oh, yes. So, Riley pulls me into the alleyway and rips my clothes off. Then he pulls out this weird looking dagger and carves this "R" scar into my skin. It was painful, I was screaming. Then he proceeded to plunge the dagger into my heart and I died, but as I came right here after, I didn't really get to see my body— just the man's face. He had light brown hair, a muddy blond. His clothes were ripped and his face scrubby. He had brownish eyes with flecks of gold around the layers... beautiful."

Bella didn't know whether to roll her eyes, sag with satisfaction the whole story was over, or to weep with tears that the woman actually did know her murderer. She didn't want to go to the station with a drawing of a man she didn't know, who had supposedly killed this woman... she wanted to die. She had always hated dealing with these ghosts' shit. It wasn't fair to her.

She remembered the day she found out she could see ghosts...

Flashback—

"Daddy? I wanna go to the park!" the little girl cried.

Her father sighed and chanced a glance at the girl's mother. She had been feeling depressed, most likely. So, he was going to take the crying girl to the park, away from Renee Swan. He didn't know what she was going to do, but he had a feeling she would be leaving Forks.

Renee had always hated the small town. She grew more depressed over the years, not feeling as though this was her path to follow.

Charlie Swan, Chief of Police. Charlie and Renee had married right after high school, and had gotten pregnant with little Bella herself. Bella was found out to be a daddy's girl. Charlie had taken Bella everywhere she wanted. He loved her, and she him.

"Be back soon," Renee quietly said.

Charlie quickly nodded, picked up the crying girl, and walked towards the little park across the street. He watched her swing herself up onto the little swing, and start to pull herself forward by pulling the chains on either side of her and leaning back a little. As Bella swung higher and higher, she laughed a tinkling little laugh that reverberated in his ears...

And then it stopped.

Charlie quickly glanced at Bella, wondering what she was doing. She had started talking to the swing set next to her, but no one was there.

"Bella, honey. Who are you talking to sweetheart?" Bella's father had asked.

Bella glanced at her father and giggled quietly at what the little girl was saying next to her.

Bella frowned a little, then she asked who she really was.

"My name is Makenna. I am six years old. It's nice to meet you," the little girl replied.

Bella looked back at her father. "Daddy this is Makenna. She's six."

Charlie didn't look pleased. "Sweetie, there is no one there..." Charlie trailed off.

"Yes there is! She's sitting on the swing right next to me! Can't you see her?" Bella cried.

"Calm down, sweetheart."

Makenna was staring at Bella. "Tell her hi. I have to go now. Bye, Bella."

… Flashback Over...

And that was that.

She started seeing ghosts when she was five years old. Though, she never did figure out who Makenna was talking about.

Catherine, the ghost, had left awhile ago. Bella had figured she'd crossed, but she wouldn't put out too much hope. She didn't want it coming back to bite her in the ass.

Bella had lived with her mom for the past nine and a half years now. Bella had taken care of her mom for most of her life. Renee had always been the child in the relationship between Bella and Renee. To Bella, it wasn't really fair. But, she had learned to accept it, no matter how hard.

And that's how she learned to accept the supernatural part of her life. It came easily.

She stopped in her thoughts, cursing internally for getting off-track. She pulled out her red journal and wrote today's thoughts.

When I wake up, I think of death. It affects us in so many ways. But, I wonder how it would affect us if the one person that makes you live, becomes untouchable.

What does the shyness permit, if only the sky view in your eyes wouldn't draw me in. It was magnified, tenfold, and although the love of one's sanity is her own of will, one must choose between the gate of one's heart, and the softness of one's brain. Use your heart for choices of love, and your brain for those of intelligence.

Bella closed the book with a slam, and shut her eyes tightly. Her last encounter with Collin didn't go so well. She broke up with him because she was getting all the wrong signals and it just didn't feel right; he was her brother, not her love.

She knew it wasn't love because she saw the way Renee and her new husband, Phil, had been so... well, in love. They looked at each other in adoration and wonder, so much that it made Bella look away and drown in envy.

Phil was a minor league baseball player, so he traveled a lot. Renee was always not-so-excited without him around. She always made me moody when I was around her when Phil wasn't to be found.

I decided to move back with my father about two weeks ago. It wasn't a very pleasurable choice, seeing as I didn't like the cold or the wet, and Forks is almost always cold and wet. It was mostly to get away from the newlyweds, but also because I couldn't stand by and watch Renee lose her spark when Phil was away. I didn't want to travel, so Renee chose to stay with me. I didn't think it was very fair of her, so I chose two weeks ago, and now I am on a plane to Forks, Washington.

It wasn't really a choice I wanted, but I didn't mind as long as Renee was happy. All throughout the two weeks, my mom kept saying 'it wasn't necessary' and that 'I didn't have to leave', but I remained adamant.

So it might explain, clearly, that I am now in Forks, Washington. Well, not in Forks exactly, more like the airport in Port Angeles. I wandered off the plane into the crowds of annoying people towards luggage claim. I hadn't really packed much to take with me, as I wanted to make a fresh start.

I heard Charlie before I seen him. He was shouting my name and waving his arms around while simultaneously trying to balance on the balls of his feet. It wasn't a very smart idea, seeing as how Charlie didn't really have good balance. I wasn't clumsy anymore as I hardly ever fell. I had learned my balance issues.

"Hey dad," I greeted.

"Bells! You look older than the last time I saw you," he observed. "It suits you well."

"Thanks dad. You look great, too."

"Well, come on," he ushered me into the car, taking my bag and putting it into the trunk. "I want you to look at your room and tell me what you want to do with the walls and your bed. I'm heading out to Seattle to see a friend and I was going to stop by a Home Depot on the way and grab some things for the house."

"Okay, dad. Thanks."

"Don't mention it Bells."

And then it was silent.

When we arrived in Forks, Washington about an hour and a half later, I immediately went to my 'new' room and checked it out. There wasn't really much, considering the small bed was just a mattress without sheets, the walls were a bare white, and the floor was just Japanese cherry wood floorboards. It was nice.

Comfortable.

I was interrupted from my musings when Charlie called down the stairs. "Bella, we have guests I'd like you to meet!" he shouted.

I reluctantly walked down the stairs and stopped in the doorway of the kitchen to see what Charlie was shouting about. There was a man in a wheelchair by the sink. He had long raven black hair that was tied at the nape of his neck and was showing gray spots. Next to him stood a rather tall looking beast of a boy that had really long raven black hair framed around his face and warm dark brown eyes. He had one hand on the armrest of the wheelchair and the other in his pocket.

"Bella, this is Billy Black, and his son Jacob Black," Charlie introduced.

I shook Billy's hand first, then Jacob's. "Bella, though you already know that."

They chuckled. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Bella," Billy said.

I nodded my head, hoping that this wasn't going to last long. I wanted to get a feel of my new room and figure out what paint and bed I wanted.

I was a little uncomfortable with the way Jacob looked at me, but I knew it was just teenage hormones.

Charlie, Billy and Jacob went into the living room to watch the rest of the baseball game on his new flat-screen, while I started making Grandma Swan's famous lasagne. It took naturally, thirty minutes, so the game was almost over considering they turned it on middle of the game. I gave Charlie and Billy a beer and a plate of lasagne each, and Jacob a soda and a plate as well.

Jacob was pretty much watching me closely almost all night, but I had decided to ignore it best I could and eat my food.

When I had went up to my room, I decided the paint colors. I decided red, black and gray. Red because it showed courage and vitality, black because it showed death and stability, and gray because it showed sorrow, security and maturity. They suited me well.

I was planning on painting each wall a different color. The fourth wall would be blank so I could write anything I felt on that wall. I planned on a canopy bed that wasn't a really big one, but queen size, maybe? Yeah.

Jacob and Billy had left about an hour later. It was a Sunday night, so they figured they should get rest considering we had school tomorrow. Charlie had the liberty to register me in school. I had sighed deeply because seriously? Who the hell would want to go to school?

I was a freak. Eventually people would figure out my problem with talking to ghosts sooner or later. I didn't want to deal with that crap, and plus I figured there wouldn't be many ghosts here anyway. Who would want to haunt a small fucking town like this? People who had no lives before. That's who.

I walked slowly downstairs, and into the living room. Charlie was sitting in the recliner and watching some fishing networks on T.V.

"Night dad."

He looked over at me. "Night, Bells. It's good to have you back."

I smiled. "Yeah. It's good to be back."

I kissed his forehead and walked a little faster upstairs than I did walking downstairs. When I got to the linen closet across from the bathroom, I reached inside on the bottom shelf and grabbed some sheets. I carefully laid them on the smallish mattress and plopped down. I untied my gray All Star converse and and pulled my pants down, leaving me in my over-sized shirt and panties, and pulled the sheets back. I had already brushed my teeth and took a quick shower, so I just hopped right in bed and fell into a contented blissful sleep.

And for once, I was actually looking forward to tomorrow.

So, what do you guys think? Do I make an excellent author or what? (Laughs out loud).

Nah. For right now I think I should be focusing on making a chapter two, and school.

Review, please.

And, no. I do not own Twilight or it's characters. I wish though.

(GreenandBlack78)

—Mariann—