first things firsts; thank you all everyone that favorited and followed, it really makes me so glad and pumped up to write this second chapter. we still aren't meeting the cullens or everyone we know, but it's coming, I promise, just enjoy a little more of Diana. XX - Lavs


Unpacking, arranging and accommodating all of our things in the new house was a task we were all already accustomed to and with each new time, we broke our previous record time. Most people usually take a week to put everything in its proper place, because they do it gradually and without any hurry, but we always seek to eliminate this task from our life right away at the insistence of Pauline. She always said it was not worth losing precious moments of our future days with worries about unpacking. Thinking like that made us want to simply leave everything in its proper boxes, but she also never allowed it.

Since then, I've always tried to find some fun while performing this arduous and somewhat monotonous task, either through music or just chattering about crap for no reason and I ended up infecting everyone in the family and it became a family moment; out Kingsley bonding time.

I walked down the stairs to the living room, the lighter weighing in my pocket because I had to return it with the same subtlety that I had managed to steal it; and maybe it wouldn't be possible because everyone, my family and some staff, were coming and going all over the house. My mind was circulating looking for an apology if I was caught with the same tranquility as I was trying to figure out a way to get closer to Nolan's dark suitcase.

Four shift helpers came in carrying the frame of what looked like my bed, and I took the opportunity to run toward my target.

"Oh, Di, thank god you came down." My mother's voice calling me was so sudden that it made me drop the lighter in Nolan's suitcase instead of subtly putting it on and pretending that it had never left. I turned at once toward her, hands behind my back like a child being caught doing what they shouldn't. ""We were going to start without you. Dinner, I mean. They're still bringing in the furniture."

She arched an eyebrow, warning me that she had seen my little action and questioning me with a simple glance, but she made no further comment, just waved to the kitchen, where the others were.

We had a very simple dinner, just a few sandwiches with various flavors, because neither the stove nor the refrigerator were properly fitted and working. Reed couldn't lavish his culinary skills to the family like he always did. We ate almost in silence, something not characteristic of ours, amid the noise that the helpers made while they mounted all the furniture. Reed sometimes hummed some country music, or Ezra drummed his fingers nervously against the mahogany table, but besides the little noises, no one was talking. After everyone had finished, I offered to wash the dishes and clean everything, only to escape the dusty room.

It was almost dawn when the staff finished assembling everything and theoretically we were allowed to start organizing everything. Even at the risk of ending up only when it was class time, each of us tried to deal with the countless boxes that accumulated in the hallway, all our belongings. And the mood of the house improved considerably, turning into our family moments that always happened.

Maybe the only points of tension were me and Ezra, we were not yet talking to each other completely, and for twin siblings who did everything together, every little problem turned into something dramatic and apocalyptic, they both knew it, everyone in the family knows it, but no one recognized or intervened it. And even that little interaction earlier wasn't enough to ease our connection. And of course, Nolan, with its variations of humor and sarcasm distilling for everyone.

While arranging our cutlery, I tried not to let it bother me again, but I became increasingly aware that peace would only reach its peak when we were united again as we always were. This wasn't a change our family could handle.

I was casually cleaning one of our silver knives when Ezra bumped into my shoulder a second time and I decided that I had reached my limit. My temper could be as unpredictable as Nolan's. But Ezra was lucky that I wasn't particularly violent that day because otherwise I would repeat one of the incidents of our childhood; when I had thrown a butter knife into his leg when we were about eight. I sighed and dropped the piece on the counter along with their similar and went after him.

The closer I got, the more he walked away, until I managed to corner him in the hallway that separated the room he chose after losing the main for me and Andy's room.

"Hey, hey, don't run away from me!" I stepped forward and pulled him down his arm, preventing him from entering and closing the door in my face. Ezra had always been a bit scrawny, albeit tall, for our age and that was why I still managed to have the physical edge in our fights. But now was a serious moment.

He completely ignored my call and turned to leave me again, but I kept my grip tight on his arm and pulled him harder, forcing him to face me.

He avoided my gaze; so typical of my brother. But I hadn't climbed two flights of stairs for nothing.

"I think we need to talk, like, really talk, not joking or bump into my shoulder. Very mature." My gaze was hard on his and I think that made him stop trying to evade this conversation and really face me. Take me seriously. I was rarely to leave something unresolved, it was simply part of my personality, but Ezra was the opposite; he was more introverted, which meant that I had to take the lead in our discussions. It was not something comfortable, but it was something I needed to get out of my system and there was no good in postpone it.

"I know, fine." he murmured, nonchalantly. And I wanted to ask rhetorically if he thought I was some stupid who would believe that. I was his twin sister, not the teacher he was trying to fool because he didn't do his homework. My hand circled his biceps again, squeezing harder just to soften my anger.

"Don't 'fine' me. Don't be like this. Not with me." I was almost begging now but still trying not to be so vulnerable. I've always been told that I had expressive eyes, all that nonsense of how my eyes were the door of my soul just because they were slightly large and very light blue. But that was the first moment I believed in it, for Ezra stared at me for a few seconds and his expression softened, I had his attention and his heart open. And that only made me more nervous about what I had to say next.

I always had the philosophy that things would only improve when confronted as they should, that putting off, manipulating and flattering weren't as efficient as they looked and that's why should I apologize to my brother for my attitude when we left Seattle. We had left the city in bad terms, fighting in a way we had never been before, it was usually with Nolan that we had our differences, never with each other. And it was totally my fault. Ezra came to me as soon as we discovered that we would be moving on that day, a great amalgam of blessings as the Forks house already ours and the hauler contacted us, and I was in a very bad mood. The guilt of having to give up everything and everyone was already consuming me and I cashed in on him, in harsh words and spoiling some of his projects. He cared very much about what I had destroyed.

I admit it had been a childish and a rude attitude, even an asshole one. But I was trying to fix it and move on, and intentions should always be taken into account. And although they were just a few simpleprojects, my brother had a sensitive soul, he was our father's sun, so I knew that my actions had hurt him, hurt him to the point that he was harsh and rude to me in a way that there never was been. Not even when I pushed him over or when we fought as children to pass time.

"Ezra, I'm so sorry. I was bitch with you. I shouldn't have taken it all in you, in your things. It wasn't fair." I could say much more. Could say that I couldn't bear it if our relationship were never the same, that this was not the kind of change I wanted to have, that he was my twin brother, the person closest to me and I couldn't bear to lose him because my selfish attacks. I couldn't start a new school, damn it, I couldn't stand Forks without him.

He took his time to consider my words, his head raised so I could not read his expression. And again I cursed him for the inches he'd stolen, for they would come in handy now.

"It's okay, now seriously, Diana." He looked me in the eye again and I could feel the forgiveness in his eyes, it was more than necessary.

Without ceremony I jumped into his arms, clutching him in a tight fraternal embrace to convey all my happiness because we were connected twins again.

"Now we can go down tomorrow and complain about having to go to school. Two is better than one, isn' it?" He whispered, still holding me in his arms and I chuckled loudly, more blissfully for having reattached that in accordance with what he was saying. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and returned to my room.

Ezra came to help Pauline with Andy's room, but I couldn't go back to follow all the work, around two in the morning, when I was in my room the guilt was gone from my body and I fell asleep while I was putting my clothes in the wardrobe, and in my stupor I used my own dress as a sheet and slept on the hard floor, even if my bed was right next to me.


I barely woke up the next morning. My body was waiting for a ray of sunlight to let me know it was time to wake up, but Forks didn't give us this luxury. The sky was heavy with gray clouds as Andy stormed into my room to wake me and a chilly wind streamed through the window, which made my comforter and bed even more attractive. It wasn't in my nature to be so lazy in the morning, especially when it was the beginning of my stay in a new city, but the weather was so cold, I could almost swear that there was a haze on the floor. But of course, I had a moral obligation to get up.

It was Forks's weather already having an effect on my behavior. It was better to take the evil by the roots.

With that in mind, I jumped up, trying to ward off the drowsiness and laziness of my body while stretching out. Eu havia lido junto com Pauline alguns exercícios matinais para fazer ainda na cama alguns anos atrás e embora eu não tivesse certeza que minha mãe continuasse a segui-los fielmente, eu ainda os fazia. They were really useful for that early morning turnaround.

Energized again, I prepared for a day of class. There was still hot water in the shower, which meant that not everyone in the house was ready yet, because in a six-person house, there was hardly any hot water left early in the morning when everyone had obligations. Good for me. The heat shock on the way out was the worst part, I really would take some time to get used to the morbid Forks ice, Seattle was not so bad. But I could adapt to the cold, just as I adapted to the heat of California, the wind of Chicago, among many others.

There wasn't much I could do about how I looked, I hadn't taken a good look at what young people in Forks weared to go to school so I couldn't be too simple or too flashy. Each city had its different style and it was also good to adapt to it. But judging by its size and tradition, I was going to bet on something more basic. My wardrobe was perfectly neat, though I could bet it would not last for long; I knew myself, so it was easy to find one plaid bib that ended up in a skirt. I wore it over a plain white blouse, grabbed a dark cardigan and a pair of dark sneakers that I wore with larger socks. I was not sure whether I owned the sneakers or whether it was some shoe I had stolen from Ezra when he still wore the same size I did.

My hair was much easier to deal with, its cut and color were already all the style he needed. For a long time I used my long, natural brown hair without something specific made for it to stand out, but in the last year I had cut it short just above my shoulders and painted it from the height of my eyes below a bright red which sometimes seemed more pink when it did not receive sunlight. In Forks, apparently everyone would see more in the faded rosy tone. He was smooth with just a slight wavy which meant he did not give me any work to fix it.

I was in the process of adjusting the last detail in the mirror to make sure I was cool when a rhythmic knock sounded on my door. Ezra didn't even expect me to utter anything and he was already entering. He wore black jeans that did not make him look slimmer than normal, a simple dark blue shirt, and he wore the jacket on his arm that I knew would look great on him. I gave him a look of approval just like two thumbs up when he looked at me. He just rolled his eyes, the insensitive.

"We're going downstairs soon, it's almost 8 o'clock. "He paused in the middle of the sentence, as another line of reasoning struck him. "Imagine the scene, we arriving late, Forks would never forget."

"It's a small, not a dead one." I picked up everything that would be used for school supplies and stuffed it into a purple backpack that was well worn but still fit, I pulled it out of my room and down the stairs. As we passed through the door of Nolan, Ezra gave three beats to remind our other brother that he had not yet graduated.

"Yeah, but we'll be the news. Nothing much happens here. You see, earlier today three neighbors came to welcome us, and of course to spy on a little, but who does it nowadays?"

"You're exaggerating!" It wasn't possible that Forks was so desperate for something to get them out of monotony like that. Welcoming the neighbors looked like some movie or old stories, not something that happened in real life.

"Apparently they don't get many new people, especially people who have no connection with the residents. The sheriff's daughter moved here a few days ago from Phoenix and they can only talk about it!" He exclaimed. And the name of the city randomly jumped in my mind.

"Oh, Phoenix! Have we lived there? "I asked, searching through my mind for memories of the city of Arizona, it struck me as strangely familiar.

"No, we went there when we were little, remember? It had nice streets."

"Nah, you're the one with the good memory, not me." I shrugged. So there was no reason for me to remember Phoenix or maybe the streets marked me as a kid, I had a soft spot for deserts.


There was no one in the kitchen when we arrived. I was surprised, usually Pauline and Reed were always in sight when you were looking for them, it was almost a gift, the ubiquity. But now I could only hear the noise of what I thought to be Nolan getting ready to also enjoy breakfast. Ezra took the lead and went to make the eggs and bacons which was the Kingsley's favorite dish and a few minutes later was putting one in my place from the table, one for him and one for Nolan who was arriving.

"Morning." I wished, my high voice rising against his heavy footsteps and received only an inaudible murmur and a deadly look. Nolan was in a bad mood today, nothing new under the sun. I would not let that ruin my day. Andy came down just as we were already eating, sleepy and he was wearing blue too, he looked even more like Ezra because they both had hair cut longer, highlightining the dark color. It was strange to notice the resemblance and how much I was not alike them.

Pauline and Reed joined us soon after, laughing and he had his arms wrapped around them. They were coming from the front door so that soon piqued my curiosity.

"What was it?"

"The Newtons that live in the front have already come to welcome us, do you believe it? And they said they have a teenage son too. I almos believe I want to live forever in a small town. Such nice people." My lips curved into involuntary laughter. I was not questioning or doubting my mother, but I knew her well enough to know that this would never be the case, nor from my father, who now agreed by waving her comment while sitting on a chair. None of them could sit in one place and soon they would be saying that they would rather live in a hectic capital.

I looked around and all my brothers had similar responses, just different ways to demonstrate. Ezra had the same smile as mine, but hiding in a cup of coffee, Andy openly laughed and Nolan looked even more moody rolling his eyes.

"Lovely, are not they? I guess I've never met people like them, the third just this morning." Reed added, an open smile on his face. It was incredible how simple things could cheer my parents and, because I knew that was the reason for their happiness, inspire them.

My eyes met Ezra's on the other side of the table and I could almost imagine what he was thinking. Small town.

"So, mother, taking advantage of you in a good mood with all new environment. Are you sure it is worth starting with this new school?" I almost choked on my coffee with Ezra's words, it was not quite what I was expecting. And he still continued, in a dramatic tone. "At this rate, we'd better study at home, would not we? There are a lot of programs and ways to regulate this if you feel a lot of weight in your consciousness."

All eyes on the table turned to Pauline at once, curious for her answer. She raised a blond eyebrow at the audacity of Ezra's request and for a few seconds I suspected she would agree, but Pauline began to laugh.

Yeah, Ezra. Nice try.

"Not even if I wanted to, dear. You know that it's important for you to keep busy, keep interacting with other teenagers." She blinked one of her blue eye at us as if we were all understanding the same sublime message and I decided right there that I was not going to comment any more. I ate in record time and waited for my brothers to do the same. We hugged Pauline and Reed in a little line before we left.

Although we were privileged in cash, Pauline and Ezra wouldn't give a car for each teenage son, it was practically unfeasible, so we usually split a smaller, more economical car between me, Ezra and Nolan, with the prerrogative of atending Andy when he needed to be driven around. But this morning, we - and I mean, me, the loser of the latest bet - would be taking our parents' car even while ours came with a carrier that had some problems.

I don't know why they still accepted that I was driving a vehicle with them inside. I was fully aware that driving was not one of my qualities, not because I did not know the mechanics of driving a car, but because I had no sense of space. I'd get lost anywhere they'd let me down if I did not have some outside guidance to keep me on the lines. I even tried to use it to escape the task of being the driver of the time, but I never could. As soon as I touched the steering wheel, Ezra took the instructions that one of the visitors had left us as a gift and assumed his post of my co-pilot.

Surprisingly, Forks wasn't proving to be a challenge. The streets were wide and objective, there wasn't much to see and to confuse me. I was able to find Andy's elementary school easily because it was only a few blocks from our own home and the high school was even easier taking that as its starting point. A few minutes later and very few curves later and I could already see the small brown brick building right next to the highway, with a "Forks High School" sign directly in front of it. I thanked them immensely for giving us a description, otherwise, I would never think that place was a high school. Several students were already arriving, but it was still easy to find a space between the cars.

"Oh, look! We arrived in record time and I didn't get lost, not even once." I announced. This could only be a good sign, it was an almost unheard of feat for me.

"If you could figure out a way to get lost around here, I'd say you deserve a prize." Ezra replied, shoving the map into his backpack. I childishly showed him the tongue, but he was already getting out of the car. I did the same, pulling my own backpack and placing it on my back, with two straight straps.

"Di, look at this beast!" I turned to see what Ezra had found so interesting and I laughed. It was a big, big truck, something that looked like it could compete in races if it wasn't so old and worn out. It was a horrible burnt orange. If my father had seen it, I would surely say that it was the perfect car in a post-apocalyptic setting.

"Wow! I think Mrs. Hixon had one of those, didn't?" Remembering the hateful woman who lived in the apartment above ours when we lived in Chicago was enough to make us shudder, even Nolan who seemed to completely ignore us as he leaned against our car and make a face of boredom.

"Yes, but hers were redder." Ezra pointed.

"An older Mrs. Hixon then. Who do you think still walks with such a junk?"I could imagine an old janitor or a hopeless teacher.

"Have you two finished judging other people's cars, or are you going to go through each one of the parking lot?" Nolan asked in his sarcastic tone.

We walked then, the three of us, me, Ezra and Nolan towards the office. A few people would cast us curious glances, discreetly opening the space for us to pass, but I wouldn't even pay any attention to their expressions or if they would say something. I was trying to absorb the environment, it was very different from what I was used to. Like all of Forks, it was rustic and tried to be cozy, but it lacked all the elements of a large school as I was accustomed to, but nothing that I couldn't adapt. When I entered the office, the woman behind the counter, red-haired and wearing glasses, looked up.

"May I help you?"

"Hello. Good morning. "I put my most sympathetic smile on my face as I introduced myself. It was almost scripted what I had to say, so I softened it with a little sympathy. "I'm Diana Kingsley, these are Nolan Kingsley and Ezra Kingsley. We are the new students, surely you have received the call from our mother."

Apparently, Ezra was correct in his assumption that nothing happened in this town, for her eyes showed recognition as I spoke our last names. Some neighbor should have already commented on the strange Kingsleys who came to live in the city, for I was sure that my mother had not spoken to a woman when she was taking our plates.

I tried my best not to sketch any reaction to that, but my smile became a bit fake, stretched out on my lips as I held myself so as not to ask any nosy questions.

"Ah yes. The Seattle boys, it's not always that we have new students. "She answered in a warm tone, but there was still curiosity and astonishment as she scanned us behind her glasses. I raised my smile even more when I noticed what she was doing and she had the decency to look away.

She stood up to search through some of our stacked papers for our schedules. Nolan, who was the eldest, was already in his senior year so she explained to him separately all the periods, although I was sure he wasn't even listening and then turned to me and Ezra, who would be a year down and happily sharing the vast majority of classes. Advantages of having a twin.

She finished with a mechanic wish we would enjoy Forks and it was too much for my self control.

"We will!" I shouted behind my back, giving her a lousy wave of my hand, in fake excitment. I couldn't see her face, but imagining how she was the same color as the red hair almost made me want to go back for a peek, but Ezra squeezed my arm tightly.

"Stop. Do you want her to think we're weird?" I rolled my eyes.

"Ah, come on. She was already judging you, didn't you see? It's my hair, I'm sure of it." He didn't retort, so I thought he agreed with me. Ezra had also noticed the astonished stares she was giving us, that they would all give us, he was too smart not to have noticed.

"I'll go to my classes. See you...later." Nolan murmured, taking one last look at us before turning into a corridor.

I sighed. Nolan was at every interaction tinkering with my nerves and I simultaneously hated him and felt bad for hating him, for hating a family member. His temperament was too risky and I had nothing to ask for forgiveness as I had done with Ezra; it was not my fault.

Ezra looked at me and we exchanged the same look of complicity, I knew he was thinking the same line as me and it made me feel better; I had someone who understood.

We arrived at the entrance door of the office, which led to the same courtyard where we entered. He could see several students coming in, talking to their peers, and getting ready for the day. One side of my brain was checking that maybe I hadn't dressed so inadequately so, I looked like a veteran resident for not wearing a heavy coat. We weren't yet in their field of vision so we were still incognito, but not by much, when we crossed the gate we would be entering a new universe. The universe of the high school of Forks; a new adventure.

Ezra searched my gaze and I wasn't late in returning him. He smiled a little, just from the corner of his mouth.

"Ready?" I had nothing to prepare myself for.

Or so I thought.