Ch. 1

I have never given much thought to how I would die. If I had to pick, I would say that dying in the place of someone I love appeared to be a good way to go. After all, doing anything for someone you love should be enough of a motivation. Granted, it was not to the extreme of dying that my decision was made to leave home. However, it was to the extreme of loving someone that helped refrained potential regret.

Yes, I will miss Phoenix. I will miss the heat, and I will miss the warmth. I will especially miss my loving, erratic, harebrained mother…and her husband. But…

Glancing down at the barrel cactus in her hands, brown orbs studied the small plant that resided in between a jean clad lap.

…It was time to go.

Curling her fingers tightly around the small clay pot, Bella pulled it closer to her torso, ever mindful of the thorns.

It was the only thing that she had brought from Phoenix, the only connection that would remind her of the past sixteen years. Yes, she had her clothes, books, and other personal belongings - all of which had been shipped earlier that week - but those items were not rooted to Phoenix; just like she was not.

"Your hair's longer."

Lifting her head at the sound of the gruff voice, Bella studied the man beside her as their car took them down the winding road.

A few months earlier, Bella had decided that it was time to let Renee and Phil actually live their lives without the strain of taking care of someone like her. With that thought in mind, Bella only had one place to go: Charlie's.

It had been years since she had last seen her father, but from what she could tell, Charlie had hardly changed. He was still the somber, neatly dressed man that she recalled from her childhood. Eyeing the uniform her father currently wore, Bella glanced at the badge before remembering that her father had been made the chief of police a few years back. That might explain why his hair, although a chestnut brown like hers, now contained speckles of grey, despite being in his early 40s.

"I cut it since last time I saw you," Bella eventually replied.

"Guess it grew out again."

Charlie's short response was met with a simple nod, which in turn led to more silence.

Like her, Charlie possessed a taciturn, introverted persona. Between the two of them, the cruiser had been encompassed in silence as the two made their way from the airport at Port Angeles to their home in Forks, Washington.

Under a constant cover of cloud and rain, the small town had a rough population of 3,246 residents. Well, 3,247 if you included Bella into the mix.

This will be a good thing, or so Bella prayed. However, as she turned her gaze away from her father to stare out the police cruiser's window, Bella's certainty faded.

It had been dark when the plane had landed, and the mass of evergreens and rain did nothing to lighten the mood or make her feel welcomed. Even as the cruiser cut through the logging town that was to be her permanent residence for the next year, Bella felt nothing for the familiar sights.

Deciding to move back to Forks was not for sentimental reasons, however. No, it was simply a means to an end. It would allow her foster parents, and herself, to start anew. With this in mind, Bella was determined to finish the last year of high school as a normal teenager. No one would learn of her secret, including Charlie.

"Well. We're here," Charlie finally spoke as he pulled into the driveway.

Staring out the window, Bella took in the familiar sights.

A woodshed, full of firewood; a small boat tucked safely away in the detached garage; fishing gear leaning against the porch; and there amongst it all, the old two-story house she had been raised in. Besides the weathered appearance, mostly due to a combination of the faded and chipped paint, the house looked the same.

Lost in memories, it was another minute before Bella climbed out of the cruiser and helped her father carry her bags inside the house.

As Bella stepped through the door and into the foyer, Bella paused for a second time. Just like the outside of the house, the inside had been frozen in time. It was outdated and unstylish, but it still felt like home; comfortable and lived-in. Bella could not help but relax as she was surrounded by the flood of memorabilia that lingered in sight.

"I put Grandpa's old desk in your room. Also, I cleared some shelves in the bathroom."

Her thoughts broken by the sound of her father's voice, Bella realized that Charlie had already made it halfway up the stairs.

"Oh, right. There's only one bathroom," Bella murmured while hefting her bags to follow after her father.

"Well, here we are," Charlie said as he set the bags down and turned the handle to a door she had not seen in over a decade.

Standing in the doorway, Bella took in the sight of her room. Hardly a thing had changed. Posters from her youth lingered on the walls. Similarly, intertwined with the posters was an array of photos of herself and Charlie or pictures that she had once drew. By the bed were shelves in need of a fresh coat of paint, and on top stood aged trinkets and stuffed animals. The bed, Bella noticed, did have a fresh new comforter, however.

"It's a good working lamp," Charlie began, breaking the silence as he continued talking about the desk. However, as he caught his daughter's gaze, Charlie raised a hand to rub awkwardly at the back of his neck. "The sales lady picked out the bed stuff. You…you like purple, right?"

Unable to help it, Bella felt a soft smile tug at the corner of her lips at the sound of her father's uncertainty. "Purple's cool. Thanks."

"Yeah, okay. Well then." Charlie cleared his throat. "I'm going to let you unpack. If you need anything, just holler."

"Thanks Char-dad," Bella murmured. "Good night." That was one thing she always remembered about Charlie, he never hovered. Bella could not appreciate anything more about him than that at the current moment.

Waiting for Charlie to leave, Bella turned and shut the door behind him before moving over to the window. Making sure it was shut and latched; Bella pulled the curtains closed before turning to study her room. It was late and she really did not feel like unpacking. After all, there was not much of a rush. With the timing of her move, she had entered halfway during the spring semester. Since spring break would soon begin, Charlie had agreed for her to wait until after the break to attend class.

With two weeks before she would start school, Bella decided she would rather call it a night and settle things in the morning. Turning off the lights in her room, Bella became enveloped in darkness. Knowing that it would not do for Charlie to come back and discover that she was moving around in the dark, Bella made her way over to the small lamp that Charlie had indicated earlier and turned it on. For now, she would allow her father to think of her as the klutz he remembered.

Opening up one of the boxes labeled "clothes," Bella sifted through her outfits before pulling out a pair of boy shorts and one of her favorite night shirts. Setting them on the new comforter, Bella grabbed her travel bag from her luggage and went in search for the bathroom to get ready for bed. It was a few minutes later that Bella returned to her room.

Double checking that the door was locked, Bella finally shut off the lights. It was there, in the dark that Bella changed for the night and climbed into bed. As she pulled the covers up over her shoulders, Bella snuggled into the unfamiliar scent of new bedding. With heavily laden eyes, Bella fell asleep, unaware of the flickering tail that escaped the comforter to dangle in the night air.

Resting a photo of her and Renee on a shelf above the antique roll-top desk, Bella bit back a sigh. It had been nearly two weeks since she had left Phoenix; nearly two weeks since she had heard from her surrogate mother and the loneliness was finally starting to overwhelm her.

Bella had tried to stay busy since arriving. She had unpacked everything the following morning and over the next handful of days revamped her room and parts of the house, much to Charlie's initial shock. In retrospect, Bella was uncertain if the shock came from the flood of new paint, shelves, and cookware, or the fact that Bella had been caught using power tools when her father decided to swing by the house for a late lunch.

Thankfully, it had just been a drill that round. However, there had been multiple times when Bella had to quickly stash the other tools out of sight, especially the air compressor, the belt and disc sanders, and not to mention the numerous saws. In the end, it did not take Bella long to discover that she would have to be more careful about which projects she worked on in front of Charlie, especially after the scolding she received for being on the ladder as she replaced a few window panes from the outside.

It was worth the trouble, however. After the first day of looking around, Bella quickly realized how much had gone unchanged in her absence. Whether it was due to sentimental reasons or to the simple fact that Charlie was still a bachelor, the place needed more than just a womanly touch to the place.

By the end of her list, Bella had upgraded her bedroom from glittery pinks and vibrant purples to something more subdue. Opting for soft greens and browns, Bella quickly turned the foreign room into a safe haven to call her own. Similarly, she took over the kitchen. After discovering that there was hardly any edible food for a growing teen, let alone a grown adult, Bella persuaded Charlie to update the utensils and kitchen ware. Thankfully, Charlie was more than willing to pay for the new additions, especially if it meant Bella gave up the power tools.

Unfortunately, no matter the amount of effort she had put into the house, Bella still did not feel like she was home.

Sighing, Bella traced her fingertip along the edge of the picture frame.

She missed Renee and the freedom of her foster parents knowing her secret. Perhaps she should tell Charlie, or at least she could tell him that she was no longer the klutz that he remembered. On the contrary, Bella had grown to be rather graceful over the past handful of years.

Before Bella could make up her mind, her ears twitched faintly in the sunlight as a honk echoed through the old house. Curious, Bella moved across the hall to glance out the window. Pulling the curtain aside, Bella's brows furrowed slightly as she watched as a faded red truck pulled into the driveway beside her father's cruiser.

Lingering at the window, Bella continued to watch as two men exited the cab. First was the driver, a young Quileute Indian. Amiable with long black hair and a childish roundness to his features, the boy walked around the back of the truck, only to reemerge on the other side. Continuing to study the driver, perhaps a year her junior, Bella watched as he helped the passenger out of the seat and into a wheelchair. Under closer inspection, Bella noticed similar characteristics in the man.

After a moment, Bella realized that the man was the same person who occupied many of the few photos scattered about the house. "So that's Billy," Bella murmured before glancing back at the boy. "Then that must be Jacob."

It had been years since she had seen either one of them.

"I heard you guys coming all the way down the road," Charlie teased as he greeted first Billy and then Jacob.

Snorting, Bella agreed with her father. Even without her sensitive hearing, she would have heard the truck coming a mile away.

"Good to see you, too," Billy chuckled. "Where's the girl?"

"Bella? Inside I think. Let me get her."

Stepping away from the window, Bella glanced at the mirror she had placed in the hall above the stairs. Straightening her faded t-shirt, Bella quickly checked her appearance to make sure all was in order and was descending the stairs even as her father opened the front door.

"Bella! Billy and Ja- Oh." Charlie cleared his throat when he realized Bella was standing right in front of him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Bella, you remember Billy Black," Charlie introduced as he quickly backtracked so Bella could come outside.

"Glad you're finally here," Billy greeted as Bella descended the steps.

"Hey there, you're looking good," Bella returned, stopping in the driveway next to the three men.

"Well, I'm still dancing," Billy grinned. "Really though, it's good you're here. Charlie hasn't shut up about it since you told him you were coming."

Arching an eyebrow at her father, Bella watched as her father puffed up a bit in embarrassment.

"Keep exaggerating and I'll wheel you down that hill," Charlie threatened playfully, eager to change the topic.

"Ha! Right after I ram you in the ankles, that is," Billy retorted.

"Oh yeah? Bring it!"

Giggling, Bella watched as Billy took several rolls at her father, who simply dodged out of harm's way time and time again.

Shaking his head, Jacob approached Bella as the two old men played in the road. "Hi. I'm Jacob," the boy introduced, rather shyly for his size. "We made mud pies together when we were little kids," Jacob continued when Bella looked on without recognition.

"Yeah… I think I remember," Bella offered before turning her attention back to her father. "Are they always like this?"

"It's getting worse with old age," Jacob laughed.

Realizing they had an audience, Charlie moved out of the street and saddled up to the truck. "So, what do you think?" Charlie inquired, patting the rustic hood like a proud father.

"About?" Bella inquired when she realized Charlie had addressed the question at her.

"Your homecoming present," Charlie beamed.

"Oh. The truck is for me?"

Bella wasn't vehicle savvy on any means. Granted, she knew it was a Chevy based off the logo and figured it was from the 50s or 60s based off the design of the model, but that was it. The one thing that she was certain of, however, was that she was going to go deaf with how loud it sounded earlier when driving up.

"Yep! Just bought it off Billy, here," Charlie beamed.

"Oh, that was very nice of you." Unfortunately, Bella didn't have the heart to say anything negative to her father, especially with how proud he looked just now.

"It's a 1963 Chevy StepSide c-10," Jacob offered. "Don't worry though. I rebuilt the engine so it's better than new, and I know that it is a bit rough from the aesthetic perspective-"

"It's perfect," Bella smiled, resting a hand on Jacob's arm to silence the boy. Yes, she would probably hate the contraption, especially with how slow the older truck would probably be, but it was the thought that counted, and for that she was grateful.

"Wanna check it out?" Jacob inquired.

Although she would rather not, Bella agreed. The boy was too eager for his own good, and besides, she needed to learn at some point if she did not want the beastly device rusting in the driveway.

Climbing into the driver's seat, Bella watched as Jacob eagerly rushed to take over the passenger side.

"Okay, so, you gotta double pump the clutch when you shift, but besides that you should be good," Jacob explained while handing the key over.

"Is that this one?" Bella questioned with her left foot.

"Yeah. Yeah, right there."

As the truck roared to life after the third try, Billy nudged Charlie in the hip with his elbow. "Told you she'd love it," Billy bragged. "I'm down with the kids."

"Oh yeah, you're the bomb," Charlie chuckled, rolling his eyes as he watched Bella back the truck out of the driveway to take it for a test run.

On the way back from circling the block, Bella shifted in her seat. She had been contemplating asking Jake, as the boy informed her to call him by, a question since they drove off. She needed to make friends if she wanted to have a normal teenage life. So, why not start with someone who was genuinely being nice to her? After a few more minutes of debating, Bella finally bit the bullet.

"So, hey," Bella began, getting Jake's attention. "Do you wanna ride to school or something?"

Perking up at the offer, Jake quickly slouched in his seat. "Oh, I go to school on the reservation."

"Oh, right, right," Bella murmured. "That's too bad." She really did want to know at least one person beside her father.

"But, we can hang out afterwards," Jake offered.

"I'd like that."

A/N: So, I was wanting a story to read earlier and nothing caught my interest. Instead, I had an idea bubbling in the back of my head of altering the original Twilight. I'll keep it on par to the story line, but I thought to turn Bella into a feline of sorts. I'm not certain I want her to have super powers, per say, such as that of the Quileute wolves or even werewolves. Perhaps just a cat girl. Who knows. I'll explore that avenue as the story develops. I'm just tired of the all out "badass" Bella coming onto stage from the beginning, walking over everything as if she's an untouchable goddess, and the story's a closed case from the first paragraph. As far as her "mate" goes, I was thinking of a Bella/Victoria pairing (since I have a Denali, Volturi, and Alice already in the works). However, because of how I have it plotted out, Victoria will not come into light until the very end of the story - just as a heads up.

Opinions, suggestions, comments (regarding gift or mate)?