Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


In our days we will say
What our ghosts will say
We gave the world what it saw fit
And what'd we get?
Resurrection Fern ~ Iron and Wine


That first day of school I arrived early, and made my way to the teacher's lounge where I reintroduced myself to Angela Weber.

"Hi, you're Angela right? You're teaching art and photography? We met at the hardware store a few weeks ago, I'm Bella." I hoped that she hadn't quite forgotten me yet, but I was well aware that the town gossip mills had been working overtime about the small town's police chief's daughter moving home.

"Right... Bella, I remember. How are you finding life in a small town? Is it everything that you were hoping for? All settled in yet?" she inquired. Her quiet humming voice making sure that I felt right at home.

"I'm getting there, one small home improvement project at a time. It's been a lot of hard work, but so rewarding. I can feel my small home really taking shape now, you know?" I truly hoped that I wasn't babbling too much for her. I had high hopes that we could form a friendship, but I was so rusty at reaching out to people, and the last days of my relationship had sapped the life out of me. I needed to start fresh here, making the effort with Angela and Ben might make all of the difference in my new life. I wanted to make sure that I could live here comfortably and part of that was a promise to myself, to at least make an effort to form bonds with the people in Forks.

"My offer stands you know, anytime you want or need to borrow Ben for any of your home improvement projects just ask, we're more or less a package deal anyway, so I'll come along to help out too! In any case, we're both in here way before the others will likely arrive for the first day back, would you like me to give you another tour of the school? I'll make sure to include all of the 'trouble spots' that I'm sure Mr. Howard left out when he took you through. We are a pretty small and quiet school, but we do have the occasional problem student, and there are areas that they tend to stick too, I'll make sure you know where they are." Angela began leading me off into the school as she spoke, and her insights into life here gave me hope that I hadn't misjudged the situation and that perhaps I was making my first Forks friend.

The school was relatively small, but built in much the same vein as every other school was in the 1950s. The only amenities that seemed to be modern were the sports facilities. It certainly appeared that the school had tried hard to maintain the buildings and grounds that were attached to its sports program. This surprised me as I hadn't pegged Michael as the sort of principal who would spend school funding in those areas. I figured there must be a reason for this, but it wasn't immediately apparent.

Not that the classrooms were outdated, they had been maintained well, but they were not modern. Perhaps there had been no real need or push from the area to keep the classrooms up-to-date with the latest technology. Not that I was complaining, the room that I would be using was freshly painted, the desks may have been old but they were in good condition and the boards available in the room were more than adequate. I would feel at home here in no time.

A quick detour into Angela's art room revealed an Aladdin's cave of wonders. Artwork was displayed on almost every available surface or wall. Sketches and watercolors that had obviously been done by previous students, both talented and untalented nudging shoulders and sharing wall space. Sculptures ranging from immensely detailed figurines down to lopsided vases were settled on benches and her desk, and in some cases hung from the ceiling on wires and string. The cheerfully chaotic feel of the room was both welcoming and open. She had vaguely pointed in the direction of the back of the room where the entrance to the darkroom was located, and I could see scores of photographs pinned to a large cork board on the back wall of the room. None of the pieces made an individual impact, they were simply presented en masse.

By the time Angela and I had made our way through the school with her very informative commentary, we needed to select seats back in the teacher's lounge for the morning meeting. This meeting turned out to be more or less the same as in every other school at the start of the year. It began with a welcome back from our fearless leader, then a quick rundown on which teachers had been assigned which extra-curricular activities, which duties we were to take on, and introductions of new staff members.

Introductions to larger groups of adults were never my forte. I would much prefer that the spotlight stayed far, far away from me. It was a necessary evil to be introduced to the faculty, so I put on a happy face, figuring that the longer I pretended it would be fine, the easier it actually would be.

Perception is often reality, and in this case I was so glad it was true. By the time I could resume my seat and the next agenda item came up, my face could have started a forest fire. Angela leaned towards me and whispered "Don't worry about it, Bella, they'll come up to meet you properly later, and no one can blame you for being overwhelmed by this. We've all been there too!"

Feeling much better for her cheering words, I listened attentively to Michael's last words to the staff, and then gathered my belongings to head back to my classroom and begin the work of setting it up. Facing a day full of teens, who would rather be anywhere than cooped up in a boring room after having had the freedom of summer, I tried to keep the classes light. Making sure that the students were aware of my requirements for passing, and that I would not be putting up with any stupidity.

Lunch rolled around quickly, and I practically fell into a seat next to Angela back in the lounge.

"You look like you need a rest, Bella. How are you finding it?" she asked as I slumped further in my seat, looking at the sandwich I had packed for lunch and trying to work out if I really did want to eat it.

"I forgot just how much the monsters take out of you after the summer break. I may never be the same again after this morning. How are you doing, Angela? Good classes so far?" I asked her, she still looked relatively fresh, and I was wondering how she managed that. Between a cat fight over who saw the new boy first in my second period class that I'd had to break up, and the juniors who were looking to coast through the year, I'd had my work cut out for me. I had known difficult students before, but the senior girls involved in the cat fight had taken the cake. I knew that kids like Jessica and Lauren would be trouble, but I was hoping to get them under control swiftly and quietly without disrupting the rest of my class. After their display of poor manners, I had separated them into the front row desks at either side of the room, as far from the boy whose attention they were seeking as possible.

"Ah, you're forgetting that I'm teaching art and photography, aren't you? They mostly enjoy my class, of course, there are some in there just to waste some time, but they get the message pretty quickly that I don't mess around. I'm guessing that they are a little more reluctant to sit in a classroom and read the classics?" She raised an eyebrow at the end, and I noticed her eyes were drawn to the wrist I had been rubbing.

"You would be guessing right. Of course, there are some kids who will more than make up for those other ones, but we'll see how the year goes." I reached for my sandwich and began eating as a bit of a distraction.

We ate in companionable silence for a while after that, enjoying each other's company while amusing ourselves with the other goings-on in the room. One of the office ladies seemed to have a pronounced crush on the coach, and was hovering over him as he ate at one of the other tables.

By the time we had finished eating our break was nearly over. I stashed my belongings back in my bag and balled up the trash both Angela and I had strewn around us on the table. When I stood and turned to throw out the trash, I caught my foot on the leg of the table, falling into it. It was one of those agonizingly slow moments, when you know you are about to make yourself look a fool in public. Conversely, while it seemed to take forever to fall towards the table, I barely had time to throw my hands out before I realized that the action would aggravate the knock I had already given my wrist.

I could feel my face flare as I immediately sat back down in my seat gripping my injured wrist. So much for a good first impression, after this display of my clumsiness, I was certain to be remembered for my lack of coordination. Angela fussed around me, asking me if I was alright, but all I could manage was a subtle nod. She quickly busied herself with grabbing our trash and throwing it out, seeing that I just needed a few moments to collect myself.

"Are you sure you're okay? You were already wincing before this stumble." She questioned me closely; it appeared that luck was on my side in one way, none of the other teachers had noticed my stumble.

"I'm sure. I just slipped this morning, which is nothing unusual for me. It's not broken, and more than likely it's just a sprain. Painful, but nothing that won't heal on its own. This probably didn't help, but I'm okay." I tried to set her mind at ease, I appreciated the concern, but I really didn't want to make a big deal out of nothing.

"You may be right, but wouldn't it be better to have it checked out? How about I take you up to the hospital? It would be better to know for sure that you haven't done too much damage." I could see the determination forming in her eyes, and knew that I wouldn't be able to put it off too much.

"Okay, okay, you win. I'll go up to the hospital, but not right now, I have classes for the rest of the afternoon and I'm trying to make a good impression on the students. I need their respect for the year ahead. It can wait until the end of the day, but you don't have to come with me." I asserted, sure that if I didn't then I would end up spending the rest of the afternoon waiting in the E.R. to be seen by a busy doctor whose advice would most likely be to ice my wrist and try not to use it too much.

"I know I don't have to come, silly, but I do want to help out if need be, so I'm coming with. Besides, won't you be bored sitting in that waiting room all by yourself?" Ang chuckled good-naturedly.

I could see that she wasn't going to let me go on my own, so I gave in graciously and we arranged to meet at her car after classes.

When the final bell rang my wrist was throbbing, and I was glad that I had allowed Ang to talk me into going to see the doctor, if for no other reason than I would gladly accept any pain relief they might offer. I sent a message to dad to let him know that I had probably sprained my wrist and was going to the hospital to have it looked at, knowing that if I didn't then I'd get a phone call tonight from him asking why he'd had to hear about it from one of the town gossips. Nothing was sacred in a town this size.

Angela was good company while we waited to be seen. Amusing me with anecdotes of life growing up in a small town, with each new person to appear in the waiting room she would share a snippet of their story. A little old man who was being allowed to leave the hospital moved past us, and she leaned closer to tell me that no one would sit near the man in their church as he was legendary for his flatulence. Small tales that I would have known if I had been allowed to grow up here with some semblance of normalcy. Sighing, I shifted in my seat trying to find a way to sit comfortably in these cold, hard plastic chairs. Giving up, I simply slumped and kept my eye on the door they were summoning people through.

When my name was finally called I had been about ready to leave, whether Angela was ready to go or not. Sitting in a cold waiting room was not exactly the way I wanted to unwind after my first day on the job in a new school. The nurse who ushered me through took further details of my injuries, and then settled me in an examination room, advising that the doctor would be along shortly.

The man who soon stepped into the small room was wearing a lab coat and a suit, and had a stethoscope hung around his neck, but that was the only resemblance he bore to a doctor. His strong features seemed more closely suited to a catwalk than on a man who was supposed to be tending to the walking wounded, and the manner he carried himself was markedly different to the doctors I had known; most of whom were slouched in some way, this man carried himself with the perfect posture of a dancer. His pale blond hair was neatly swept back from his face, framing almond shaped eyes, an aquiline nose and full lips. He was handsome, but not intimidatingly so, instead the smile he gave me made him seem open and accessible.

"Isabella Swan? I'm Doctor Cullen; you must be Charlie's daughter? He's been so excited about you moving to town, I'm so glad I was on duty when you came in. Which reminds me, what brings you to the emergency room after the first day of school?" His sparkling blue eyes searched my face as he spoke to me, almost as if he was looking for a sign of my injury on my face.

"I'm pretty sure I've just sprained my wrist, but Angela here wanted to make sure that it wasn't anything worse, and seeing as I fell on it again at lunch I agreed to come in." I smiled at him pointing to my left wrist, which by now was showing signs of swelling.

"Looks like it was a good thing she talked you into coming, I don't like the look of that swelling. What time did you say you injured this?" he inquired while gently examining my wrist and turning it, testing my range of motion. Eyes intense as he must have run through an internal checklist.

"The first time was just after breakfast this morning, so I think it was around 7:30, but then I tripped again at lunch. I put my hands out to stop my fall on the table and jarred it again. That was really only a couple of hours ago." I tried to lighten my tone, uncomfortable being subjected to such close scrutiny. Intense was about the only word I could use to describe Dr. Cullen, he looked at me in such a way that I felt as though he could see through me.

"You may be right about the sprain, but I want to get some x-rays done just to be on the safe side. In the meantime, I'll make sure that we get a cold pack in here to ice down your wrist. That swelling is looking a little painful..." As his voice trailed behind him, I could see that a couple of nurses had immediately appeared and began taking instructions from him. One of which reappeared shortly with the prescribed cold pack, and a wheelchair to take me through to the radiology department for the x-rays. Angela excused herself and told me she'd meet me out in the waiting room when it was all over.

The radiology department was obviously very quiet, as I didn't have to wait long to have the images taken, and was quickly back in the exam room with a cold pack on my wrist. I had been promised that the doctor would be back in as soon as he had checked the films.

I sat quietly for a while watching the goings-on in the department, trying not to disturb the ice pack. The nurses moved calmly and precisely from one room to the next, like a well choreographed ballet, wasting no energy as they spread calm and control throughout. The Emergency area didn't appear to be terribly busy, certainly I had been in much busier departments. However, there was a sameness about them, the cold burning smell of the disinfectant, frigid air conditioned temperatures, and the no-nonsense manner in which the nurses and doctors ferried themselves between one emergency and the next.

I had been so focused on absorbing my surroundings that it took me a few moments to register that Dr. Cullen was back in the room with me.

"Well, it appears your instincts were spot on. There's no break or fracture here, but judging by the swelling this is a pretty nasty sprain. Make sure that you keep icing your wrist regularly, and I'll make sure they fit you with a wrist brace to keep the movement down until the swelling subsides. Do you have any questions?" his eyebrow raised, and those deep blue eyes probed just as surely as his fingers had danced along my wrist earlier.

"No, I'm fine, by this time I'm an old hat at most of these minor injuries. I've even got a wrist brace at home somewhere, I'll be sure to dig it out once I get home." I smiled up at him, happy that he seemed ready to release me back into the wild world.

"In that case, it was a pleasure to meet you, Bella. I hope the next time we meet it's under more pleasant circumstances." He helped me up, ensuring that I was steady on my feet before he began to move out the door. He stopped just outside, then turned back towards me, "I'm so glad I was here to help you this time." He then continued on his way, coat flapping dramatically behind him as he left to attend to the next patient.

The words sounded strange and yet familiar to me, I had heard them before; someone had spoken those exact words to me before, with that exact inflection. It was the strongest sense of déjà vu I had ever experienced. His words, the searching looks that he gave me, and the manner in which he carried himself all contributed to the overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Shrugging it off as a flight of fancy, I headed out to find Angela.

As Angela collected her bags, I began making my way out to the hospital parking area. I burrowed, absentmindedly, through my bag for my phone, certain that at any moment I could expect a call from Charlie demanding to hear what was happening. Instead what I found was a very tall, fair, handsome man. His large frame had to be over six feet tall, he had sandy blond almost frizzy hair, eyes a strange aquamarine and a prominently broken nose. We bumped into each other, but I was lucky enough that his quick reflexes meant that he caught me instead of sending me tumbling to the ground for my third spill of the day.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, I'm sure my dad's going to call me any second now, and I can't find anything in my bag." I tried to explain and apologize all at once.

He shrugged it off, "Don't stress about it. I'm fine, no harm, no foul in my book. And I wasn't paying a great deal of attention myself." He gestured to the phone in his hand, where he had been busily sending a text message.

"Looks like we're even then?"

"Sounds that way. Although, I do feel bad for almost bowling you over just as you're leaving the hospital. I'm glad I didn't accidentally send you back in there. I'm Riley, by the way." he announced, then looked at me expectantly.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry, I've forgotten my manners. I'm Bella. Thanks for catching me, I'm glad I didn't have to head right back in there again too." I blushed red, wishing I'd for once think about what was about to leave my mouth before it was actually out there.

"Hey, I'd like to make it up to you. Perhaps ..." he was cut off by my phone making its presence felt through the obnoxious ringtone I'd programmed simply so I could find the thing in the depths of my bag.

"Sorry, I'll have to take this, I'm sure it'll be Dad. He'll want to know that I'm okay. In a town this size, no doubt we'll bump into each other again." I turned from him to find Angela standing off to one side, evidently having tried to give us enough room to talk. Finally locating the phone, I flipped it open to answer it and started the walk towards the car. Turning back, it appeared that perhaps he had wanted to extend our encounter, but I didn't want to keep either Dad or Angela waiting, so I simply waved. After all, if there was one thing I had learned from Renee it was to leave them wanting more.


A/N Huge thanks again to Britpacksuccubus who never yells at me for my abuse of commas, and my occasional lapses back to Aussie English :) Thanks also to Nostalgicmiss without whom I wouldn't have written a single word of this.