Bella's Point of View.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to Port Angeles, Washington! It is 3:06 PM. I hope you all enjoyed flying Delta Airlines!" The annoying voice from the overhead speaker woke me from my sleep. I looked out the window and sure enough, we were on solid ground. I grabbed my small back pack from underneath the seat in front of me and walked down the aisle and off the plane, but not before falling on my face. A few children giggled and the flight attendant I had met earlier, Shay, rushed to see if I was okay. I nodded my head and continued on my way. I was back in what looked like the same hallway in Phoenix and sure enough, I was following the same bald man. I could spot Charlie out from a mile away. It had been 2 years since I had last seen him, but he hadn't changed much.
"Hey Bells." He said as he awkwardly hugged me.
"Hi Cha- Dad." I said, remembering he didn't like being called Charlie.
We walked to retrieve my other 2 bags. I told Charlie I was capable of carrying them myself, but something told me he remembered how clumsy I was. We eventually reached the Police Cruiser and that's when I remembered that my dad was the Chief of Police in Forks and if I didn't get a car soon I would be riding to school in the cruiser everyday. I decided not to think about that since there was nothing I could do about it right now. Charlie hit the power button on the radio and started singing to some country song that I had never heard. Rain, I thought to myself. Just great. We entered the proximity of Forks about 30 minutes later. Green. Everything was green. The ground and even the tree trunks were covered in moss. "You like pizza right?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, pizza's fine."
"Good. Sorry Bells, I'm not much of a cook."
"I can cook Dad. I'm sure I'll need to go grocery shopping though."
"I'll give you money. Oh, and I kind of got you a present."
"What do you mean kind of Dad? You know I hate surprises."
Before he could answer he was pulling into the drive way, next to a red truck. "Dad you didn't!" I almost screamed.
"Sorry Bells. I couldn't resist." He tried to say but I was already out of the car and next to the truck. My Truck.
"I love it." I said with a huge smile on my face. It wasn't new. It was pretty old actually. There was a huge dent in the side and parts of it were pretty rusty, but it was mine, and I loved it.
"Good," Charlie said. "Now you'll have plenty of time to gawk at your truck later. You should probably unpack a little. You start school tomorrow, I'll order the pizza."
The thing I loved about Charlie the most, was that he hated awkward situations. And like me, he tended to create them, yet tried very hard to avoid them. He carried my bags upstairs then left me alone to unpack. I sat down on my new twin sized bed and looked around the room. They were still the same light green walls and there were a few of my drawings from pre school still hanging up. A computer had been added to the far corner so Renee and I could keep in touch. It looked like it was from 1964, but its not like I would be using it that much. "Bells! Pizza's here." Charlie yelled as I heard the doorbell ring. I pressed the power button on the computer and turned off the light before heading downstairs. "You like pepperoni, right?" Charlie asked as I stepped into the kitchen.
"Yeah Cha- Dad."
"Sorry Bells, I forgot to ask. I'm used to it just being me eating around here." He laughed as he gently patted my shoulder.
Dinner was quiet, but it wasn't awkward. Charlie and I were both comfortable sitting in silence, another thing I inherited from him. Charlie wasn't the kind of guy that would force me to talk, especially since this whole situation felt just as weird to him as it did to me. I hadn't been to Forks since I was 11, and I hadn't seen my dad since I was 15. It was pretty spur of the moment when I called Charlie to talk about moving up here. Of course he agreed and said he would love to have me, but it was still weird. My dad and I had never been that close. Even when I was a kid and still lived in this small house, we never had that special father daughter bond all my friends had. Sure, my dad had taken me to a few little hay-rides down at La Push around Halloween, and sometimes he would even take me fishing on Saturday mornings, but we never talked much. The only thing that kept me here right now, was knowing that this would make Renee happier in the long run and Charlie and I both knew saying anything unnecessary would only make things more awkward than they already were.
After dinner I washed the dishes and put the leftover pizza in the refrigerator. "You know how to get to school Bells?" Charlie asked as I walked into the living room.
"Forks is a small town, it shouldn't be too hard." I answered, looking around the room. It was clear that Charlie had never gotten over my mother. The picture from their wedding day was still sitting on the mantel along with a family picture from when I was about 4. Hanging above the fireplace were my school pictures, ranging from kindergarten to 10th grade and a few pictures of me with the friends I left behind when I moved to Arizona. I walked over to get a better look. "Hey Dad, do any of these kids still live in Forks?" Charlie walked over to inspect the pictures I was talking about.
"That's Emma," Charlie said pointing to a picture of me and a small blonde girl on a swing set. "She and her family moved to California not too long after you did. Do you remember her? You guys were practically inseparable."
"Yeah Dad, a little bit." I said thinking back. Of course I remembered when this picture was taken. It was right before she jumped off the swing set and tried to convince me to. Emma had always been the daredevil.
"How about these two?" I asked pointing to a boy slightly taller than me with brown hair and a girl my size with long red hair.
"They moved too. The girl's name was Kyrie and that boy was her older brother, Mitchell. They live in Colorado now I think."
"Oh," I mumbled slightly disappointed. It would have been nice to know a few kids. Well, sort of know.
"You're keys are hanging next to the door," Charlie called as he turned the television on. "I'll probably be gone before you get up."
"Alright. Well, goodnight Dad."
"Night Bells." He answered as I headed up the stairs.
It was only 9:00 and I really wasn't all that tired, so I decided on taking a shower. I grabbed a towel out of the closet and headed to the bathroom I now shared with Charlie. It was small but familiar. I was in and out in about 20 minutes. I grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a random t shirt and quickly threw them on. My computer was beeping and I figured I had a message from Renee, and I was right.
Bella Honey,
How's Forks so far? I know you haven't even been there a day yet but I'm anxious! I really do need to get you a cell phone, maybe I can get your father to chip in. I can't believe I'm going to be on the complete opposite side of the world from my daughter! If you wanna come home all you have to do is call and I'll be on the next flight back to Phoenix. I love you sweetheart.
-Mom.
She always was the mushy one in the family.
Yeah Mom, it's good I guess. Raining. I start school tomorrow. And don't ask Charlie for anything. I feel bad enough that he has to live with me. I'm not going back to Phoenix. Stay there with Phil and be happy. I love you mom.
-Bella.
After sending my reply I shut down the computer and set my alarm for tomorrow morning before laying down. I turned out the light and closed my eyes, trying to find sleep. I tried to tell myself that being here was a good thing, that it was for the best. But deep down, I couldn't be so sure.
