Chapter 1: The Return

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, I only enjoy manipulating them.

Looking down from the sky, everything always appears miniscule. When you're on a plane, it kind of humbles you. You understand how small and insignificant you really are in this vast world. If one person were to disappear, in the grand scheme of things, he/she doesn't really matter. But when you start getting closer and closer to the runway, everything becomes larger and larger until you feel like you're looking at everything through a magnifying glass. Each person is not as small as a bug anymore. Each person has their own lives and their own family and if they are ripped away from their lives, they will be sorely missed.

Plane rides always make me slightly philosophical, but I have been deeply introspective especially today. Today is the day that I finally go back home. Today is the day that I see my grandfather after years. Today is the day that I settle down in a bed that I won't be leaving in a couple of weeks. My mother is a studio makeup artist, and lately she's been involved in several high profile movie sets. We've always been moving around with each different movie, ever since I was ten. I have seen so many places in the world and had such a unique education, but the one place that I haven't seen in years is Arizona. But today, I'm finally coming back to Prescott, Arizona, my hometown.

"Bells, we've landed. Let's get grab our bags and beat the rush, okay?" Renee interrupted my reverie. I watched my mother as she gracefully stood up and assumed a puzzled look on her face. She was not nearly tall enough to reach the overhead compartments, and was much too ladylike to jump up and get our bags. But never fear; Renee always finds a way to get things done. The rather handsome middle-aged man that sat behind us chuckled and got our bags for us. Renee chimed her beautiful laugh and her face lit up the way I love. Her short brown hair bounced up and down in a way that made her look more youthful than me. But then again, I have always been the more stoic, apprehensive one. Renee worries about me being too introverted and independent because of my childhood, but I just feel like I'm different. I feel like I'm meant for something other than being a typical 17 year old girl.

We exit the plane and finally set foot in the airport. A long hour later, we finally got all of our baggage and we were in the car, on our way back home. When we finally arrived at the border of Prescott, I let out a sigh of relief that I didn't even know I was holding. I felt a sense of home inside me that I really hadn't felt in years. I smiled at the trees and the bustling little streets of my charming little hometown.

We arrived at a large two story home nestled between tall trees. I could almost see myself swinging from tree to tree as a child and jumping into the huge piles of leaves that accumulated in the fall. So many good and bad things happened in this house. This was the house of my childhood. This was the house where I was forced to grow up too quickly. This was the house where I lost my father.

"Finally here," Renee sighed. "I've missed it so much." She gazed up at the house longingly, like she felt like it would not accept her back inside after all these years. Suddenly, the door burst open and I see a figure running headlong at us.

"Jimmy…?" I asked in astonishment. I jumped up and ran towards my brother in glee. I was enveloped in a warm bear hug that I sorely missed.

"Did you miss me?" He grinned down at me. Jimmy towered over me now even more than before. He reminded me of one of the tall trees that surrounded my house.

"Yeah, loser. How's the weather up there?"

"Shut up!" He replied snappily. He released me from his death grip and waltzed over to my mother, who had watery eyes and a cheesy smile on her face. I forgot how much she missed my brother too. They had always been so close. I never really understood why she took me with her instead of my brother. I was always closer to my father than my mother, because we were the same person. Restless, strong-willed, stubborn, and at one with nature.

The teary-eyed reunions continued when my grandfather came outside with his crinkly eyed smile and my grandmother trailing after him. We all exchanged warm hugs that conveyed a thousand different emotions, and I felt like we had been accepted back into the family again.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" My grandmother offered. We finally stepped inside the house and I was assaulted with the familiar musty smell of my home. The soft velvet sofas and antique furniture that had been passed down through the family was in the same place as always. I felt like I was transported back into my childhood, when I wasn't so held down by the deep-rooted grief. I didn't have to force myself to smile now, no, a real smile emerged on my face, and for once, I felt content.

I raced up the stairs to my old room and I set my bags down. I jumped on the creaky old bed and relished the feel of the familiar comforter. This whole day seems like it's just rediscovery for me. After a few hours of settling back in, I hear the shout of my grandma calling us down for dinner. The deep pungent spices of my favorite dish, my grandma's chili, beckoned me to come downstairs.

"Thank you so much grandma, I love you!" I squealed. Nothing could make this day bad. We all dug into our food and exchanged all the stories we had missed in our years apart.

"So she ate the goat liver, thinking it was chicken, and she nearly puked right there!" Renee guffawed, and everyone erupted into more laughter at my expense.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh at me. But if it was any of you all, you probably wouldn't have had the self-control to choke it down for their happiness!" I retorted.

"But only you would be stupid enough to eat goat liver! Haha, goat girl!" My brother laughed at me, and I had to laugh as well. It felt just like old times, when we were all together and happy.

Dinner finished up, and Renee stayed down to talk with my grandparents about something important. As usual, my brother and I were shooed off to our rooms, as if we weren't old enough now to understand. Jimmy and I parted ways at our bedrooms, and I kicked my socks off and flopped onto my bed. This is my life now. I decided to brush my teeth and go to bed early, so I lumbered over to the bathroom and fumbled around for the light.

Flicking the light switch on, I was forced to look into the mirror right in front me, and see the girl with dark mahogany curls and pale white skin. But I didn't see myself in the mirror. I saw my father staring back at me, kind brown eyes and all. All the emotions I had repressed these past seven years came flooding back to me, and this time, I didn't stop them. I let them rush out of me like a flood and was taken over by my grief.

I don't know if I can take this any longer.

A/N: Okay this was just an introductory chapter and it's a lot of Bella's thoughts. The story's not going to be this depressing, I promise! I'm just trying to get all of their back stories in so that I can move on with the real plot. And I can tell you, it's going to be one hell of a plot. Please read and review!