The wind was howling outside and I could hear the rain thundering against the house as I lay awake trying desperately to fall asleep

The wind was howling outside and I could hear the rain thundering against the house as I lay awake trying desperately to fall asleep. I looked at my alarm clock and saw it was 2:30am. I groaned to myself. Great, I was going to look a fright tomorrow when I started at Forks High. I already knew I would be somewhat of a novelty coming from Australia, but it would only be topped off by looking like I had a massive hangover that frequently happened when I hadn't slept well. I stared up at the ceiling willing myself to fall asleep. A quick peek at the clock told me it was 2:33am. I suppressed another groan and burrowed my head deeper into my pillow to escape the thunderous noises coming from outside. Well look on the positive side, I thought, it can't get any worse than this.

It was 7am and I was sitting at my kitchen table in my hometown of Perth, Western Australia. It was the earliest I had gotten up in a long time, but it was necessary as I was leaving on a plane to Los Angeles in a couple of hours. Although I was feeling queasy, I managed to down a slice of toast spread with vegemite and a strong instant coffee, hoping it would calm my nerves. It didn't of course, and I hated vegemite, but it was probably going to be a long time before I tasted it again and I had to admit, I was already feeling homesick.

"Bella, honey, have you finished packing?" my mum asked as she shuffled into the kitchen in her bunny slippers.

"Yep, all done."

"Alright, I'll be in the shower if you need anything. And don't forget to pack books to read on the plane. Oh, I almost forget. Mrs. Johnson wants to say goodbye before you go."

I rolled my eyes, "Mum, are you serious? She hates me. I hate her. Therefore, I will not be wishing her farewell."

"Bella!" my mum growled, before heading towards the bathroom.

Mrs. Johnson was one of our neighbours who was constantly harassing me about my lack of a boyfriend. She was very old, I estimate ninety if she was lucky and she only ever wore overalls that looked to be from the fifties. All in all, I would not be saying farewell to the old woman.

After washing my dishes, I headed to my room for a final pack and goodbye. My suitcases were lined up on the bed; I didn't own much and barely any of my clothes would be suitable for the harsh weather in Forks, but I would worry about that when I got there. I put some music on and listened to Evermore's, "Running" as I contemplated my life in Perth. I loved living here. The people were friendly enough and because it was so isolated from other cities in Australia, we had a fairly small population compared to Sydney or Melbourne, which in my opinion was a plus. I wasn't a fan of big crowds. We had amazing beaches and a great town centre complete with Kings Park just a few kilometres away. Ultimately, I would miss living here but I was looking forward to a change of scenery and getting to know my dad a bit better. I had only been to Forks, Washington once before and my first impression of it was a dreary old dump, but being a few years older I was hoping (and praying) things had changed. I had had a farewell party two nights ago with my friends Joyce, Lilly, Dean, Celeste, Alvin, and Susannah where we had gotten slightly, or in my case, excessively drunk. Good times. I was going to miss them, especially Joyce who had been my best friend since we were two.

"Bella, it's time to go!! Hurry up, the taxi's here!"

I looked up, realizing I had been reminiscing for over an hour. I looked around, my eyes wandering once more, grabbed my suitcases, and said a fond farewell to my childhood room. I was on my way to Forks.

I opened my eyes sleepily as the plane descended in Port Angeles. I was totally and utterly exhausted. The plane trip had been absolute hell. First I flew from Perth to Los Angeles, via Sydney, which took nineteen hours. Another 2.5 hour flight took me from LA to Seattle where I hopped on a smaller one hour flight to Port Angeles. My legs were stiff and I had a crook in my neck. I knew my hair looked terrible but I was so tired I couldn't care less. Grabbing my bags, I stumbled off the plane, almost falling over. Thankfully, someone grabbed me before I fell. I looked up confused; it was my dad.

"Bells! It's so good to see you! How was your flight? How's Renee?"

"The flight was horrible. Now I remember why I hate it so much. Renee's great. She and Phil are leaving for Adelaide next week."

"Let's get you home, you must be exhausted."

He grabbed my bags and guided me out to where the cruiser stood.

"It's an hour ride back down to Forks, if you wanna sleep Bella. Have you eaten?"

"Yeah dad," I replied wearily, rubbing my eyes, "I ate on the plane. Wake me up when we get there okay?"

"Sure thing."

I lay my head down and immediately drifted off into a deep sleep.

I woke to the sound of cheering and yelling coming from downstairs. I looked around; I was in what seemed to be my bedroom. Charlie must have carried me in here. Fairly smallish, it contained my bed, a desk with a computer on it, my cupboard, and an old rocking chair that was in the corner. Thankfully, I had a great view as my room faced out over the street. Walking downstairs, I spotted Charlie watching what looked to be some sort of football on the television. Ah, just one more thing left to mourn, I thought to myself. I would miss watching the AFL on television, especially my team, the West Coast Eagles.

"Hey Bells," Charlie had seen me. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Nah, I'm alright. How long have I been asleep for?"

"Approximately nineteen hours. You were out like a light. I couldn't wake you up."

I pondered for a moment. "My brain's all muddled. What time is it?"

"7:45pm Forks time. You hungry?

"Nah, but I'm gonna take a shower." I ran back upstairs, unpacked as fast as I could, and grabbed a pair of my pajamas, consisting of boxer shorts and a bonds singlet, and ran into the bathroom. The water drummed steadily against my skin and I immediately relaxed. Ahh, showers can do no wrong. I lathered up with my strawberry shampoo and let the water run down my body, soothing my aching muscles. Time passed, and then I could hear Charlie knocking on the door.

"Out Bella! You've been in there for nearly an hour"

"Sorry dad," I yelled, stepping out and drying myself in a towel. I got dressed quickly and went downstairs.

"Sorry dad, I lost track of time. It won't happen again."

"That's okay Bells. I made eggs if you want some. There's some in the pan on the stove."

I walked into the kitchen and over to said stove where I discovered a congealed concoction believed to be scrambled eggs. Not wanting to be rude, I grabbed a fork and took a tiny bite. Needless to say, the eggs were disgusting and I spat it out in the sink.

"Yummy dad. Delicious." I yelled. Not.

The fridge yielded very little; a jar of plum jam, a carton of milk, and a bag of raisins.

Hmm… I thought. Charlie likes breakfast. I decided on a trip to the grocery store would be on the agenda tomorrow. Closing the door, I headed upstairs, not before yelling out,

"Dad! I'm going to go read in my room. Night!"

"Goodnight Bella. Good luck for tomorrow!"

Great. I was going to need it.