A/N: So, here's another chapter. It was hard convincing myself to go to bed last night… I really wanted to keep writing. I don't know if anyone's actually reading and/or enjoying what I'm putting out, but I haven't gotten to the juicy bits yet, so I guess I understand the lack of reviews. Still, I'm begging you, review me. The suspense is killing me. And if people don't like what they're reading, there's clearly no point in me continuing to publish chapters. For the sake of my insecurity, my sanity, REVIEW.

I do not own Twilight or any of its angsty characters. Stephenie Meyer does… and she's laughing all the way to the bank.

Chapter Three

I woke up to a familiar sound and, for a moment, I thought everything had been a dream. Just a moment. But as I reached over to silence my alarm clock, I realized it was on the wrong side of the bed. And then my eyes opened, struggling to focus on my foreign surroundings. It was real. I was in Forks. And that meant that today was my first day of school. I groaned, sitting up to shut off the damn alarm.

Last night had been horrible. Unpacking only took a couple of hours, as I really hadn't brought that much to begin with. Still, forcing even my meager wardrobe into a too small closet had been rather challenging. I had managed to hang a few posters, but decided against hanging anything else, save the bulletin board which now sat over my small desk. My walls were a deep purple, left over from one of Renee's darker periods, and adding clutter to them just made the room feel smaller. I liked the color, though. I wouldn't change it.

I slowly swung my legs over the bed and gingerly placed my feet on the hardwood floor, as though testing it for its stability. Damn was that cold… and it was only November. I made a mental note to buy an area rug, if only for the sake of my feet in the morning. Rising now, I squared my shoulders and took a few deep breaths. I had made a decision last night, and I was going to stick to it. This town was a new opportunity for me. A fresh start. And, while I hate starting over, it was time to grow up and deal with it. This had been my decision. Time to start living with it.

I walked around the foot of my bed, Charlie had replaced my ancient twin with a nice fluffy double, and I reminded myself to thank him for it when I got downstairs, and looked warily out my window. I actually had a nice view, facing the woods on the side of the house, but I couldn't appreciate it right now. It was raining. Still. I felt the knot in my stomach wake up like a snarling dragon. My body slumped over a bit, forehead touching the cold glass of the window, as I tried to compose myself. A couple more deep breaths and I decided to move on, get dressed, worry about the things I could control. I'd just have to deal with the weather. It rained practically every day in Forks. No sense crying over something I couldn't control.

Spinning on my heel, I quickly crossed the room to my door, grabbing the bathrobe that hung behind it, and walked down the hallway as silently as possible to the bathroom that Charlie and I now shared. It was vacant, and I let out a little sigh of relief. Obviously Charlie woke up much earlier than me. That was good. I closed the door behind me and turned to face myself in the small, oval mirror which hung above the ancient porcelain sink, surveying the damage from last night's pity party. This was not good.

"You need to stop this shit right now, young lady," I lectured my reflection. "Do you have any idea how much time it's going to take me to fix this?"

My hair, generally out of control with its waves, was now a full-blown rat's nest. It stuck out from the back of my head like dark brown Brillo, with small pieces sticking out in odd directions. My eyes, the same brown as my hair, were nearly swollen shut from the amount of crying I had done, the skin underneath them looking hollow and faintly purple, betraying my lack of sleep. My pale complexion was even paler, be it from exhaustion or stress or the sheer terror of what I had to face today. Shaking my head in disgust, I reached down to the faucet and began splashing cold water on my face. I looked up again. It had helped. A bit. Still, this was going to take some work.

I brushed my teeth quickly, trying to forget that, just 24 hours ago, I had been brushing my teeth in my bathroom in Phoenix. I bent over, washing my face in earnest this time, and was just leaving the bathroom when I heard Charlie call up the stairs from the kitchen.

"Bells? You've got about 30 minutes before you have to leave, honey. Hurry up. You don't want to be late."

No. I certainly did not want to be late. I spun into my room, grabbing my hairbrush off my desk and turning to face the low dresser that had been my great-grandmother's. It was a beautiful, dark mahogany with rounded corners and clawed feet. A large, squared mirror rose from behind it, with floral embellishments framing its corners in the same rich wood. I had been terrified of this dresser when I was a little girl, thinking it looked like something out of a haunted house. But it was beautiful. I could see that now.

With some effort, I managed to smooth my long hair into presentable waves, taking small sections from the front and pinning them in the back in preparation for the rain that would surely not be lifting any time soon. Nodding to myself, I reached for my makeup bag, glad that Renee had forced me to buy some basics before I left. I used to just use whatever she had, and she was always happy to share with me. Now, I was on my own in that department.

Not really knowing what I was doing, I covered my face in a light powder. I was still pale, but at least it evened out the splotches and dark circles from last night's sob-fest. I held a dark gray eye liner in my hand and wondered if it was even worth it. "New school, new start," I chanted to myself, and quickly swiped it over both lids before I could change my mind. Mascara came next, and then some clear lip balm, an expensive one that Renee had given me as a going away present. She said it would give me confidence. I had thought she was being ridiculous at the time, but it did look rather nice, and I smiled at myself, stashing the balm in my backpack so I could re-apply later.

My face taken care of, it was time to deal with the rest of me. I opened my window and leaned out a bit, trying to gauge the temperature. It was freezing. Duh. Turning to the closet, I grabbed my favorite pair of jeans and a purple long sleeve t-shirt. Slipping them on quickly, I surveyed myself in the mirror. Not bad. After years of hot weather and tank tops, though, I'd have to get used to all this fabric. Reaching into the closet again, I pulled out a charcoal gray sweater, a short-ish one with a v-neck, and added it to my ensemble. Turning to the mirror, I found myself optimistic for the first time all morning. I really looked good. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

"10 minute warning," Charlie yelled up the stairs, pulling me out of my happy place and pushing me back into reality.

"Shit," I muttered, collecting my backpack and grabbing my new, waterproof boots on my way into the hall. "I'm going to have to start waking up earlier."

I hate feeling rushed… it stresses me out. Oh well, time to push that aside. I took the stairs too fast, stumbling a couple of times and nearly missing the last step entirely. Taking a moment to compose myself, I arranged my face into a smile as I crossed the small living room into the kitchen, wishing Charlie a good morning and thanking him for my new bed.

"No problem, Bells. You get settled in alright?" Charlie asked, rising from the table.

"Oh, yeah, Dad. No worries." I said, watching him dump his dishes from breakfast into the kitchen sink before he made his way to the front door. "You leaving for work?"

He turned sheepishly, as if sorry that he would be leaving before me. "Yeah, Bells. Will you be alright? There's cereal in the pantry, and eggs in the fridge. I didn't really know what you'd want, so I thought we'd go grocery shopping today after work."

"Sounds like a plan," I said, rising to meet him at the door. "Have a great day, Dad. See you when you get home."

"You too, Bells. You remember how to get to the school?"

I nodded.

"Alright, then. Good luck, kiddo." He grabbed his jacket and gun holster from the peg by the hall closet, gave me a weak smile, and reluctantly walked out the door.

I turned and walked back into the kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers, trying to remember where everything went. The walls were a simple white, the floor a fading blue linoleum, but the cabinets were canary yellow, another vestige of my mom's brief occupation of the house. I was surprised he hadn't re-painted them after all these years, and took it as a sign that he liked keeping reminders of her around. I grabbed a cereal bar out of the pantry and wandered into the living room, taking the opportunity to check everything out while I was alone.

I grabbed my boots from where I had dropped them by the stairs, and perched myself on the end of a well-worn recliner, clearly Charlie's favorite chair. Lacing up my new, heavy shoes quickly, I glanced around the room, taking in old family photos and knick knacks, remembering some, not recognizing others. I ran my hand over the squat green couch which sat under the front window, adjusted the shade of the white lamp on the end table, and poked Charlie's green recliner, watching it rock back and forth a couple of times before it finally settled again. The small flat-screen tv across from the couch was the only new addition to the room, and I smiled to myself. Charlie must really like his tv.

A hollow chime from the antique clock behind me ended my tour of the house. It was now 7 o'clock. Time to leave for school. I crossed the room in two steps, grabbing my new coat off the peg by the door. It was black and bulky and felt very, very foreign as I pulled my arms through it, pulling the hood up over my hair to protect me from the rain outside. With a sigh of resignation, I swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed out the door, grabbing the key that maintained a permanent residence under the eave by the door and locking it behind me before putting the key back.

Squaring my shoulders, I crossed the lawn in front of the house too quickly as I tried to avoid the rain, losing my balance and nearly wiping out entirely. Straightening, I took slow, deliberate steps towards my truck, breathing deeply once I got inside. This wet grass thing would take a lot of getting used to. I was clumsy anyway, but add slippery surfaces to the mix and I was screwed.

Turning the key, the engine roared to life, waking up anyone within a ten mile radius who had the common sense to still be asleep at 7 o'clock in the morning. Really, I loved this truck… but did it have to be so loud? It took a couple hard pumps of the clutch before I could get into gear, but then I was off, driving down slick, unfamiliar roads, approaching a school I had never been to but still knew the exact location of. I hummed to myself a bit, trying to calm my nerves, trying to make my hands stop shaking, trying to make that damn knot in my stomach go away. When that didn't work, I began chanting.

"New school, new start," I repeated over and over to myself. And then I was there. All too soon. I wished the drive had taken longer, I wished there was traffic, I wished I was braver, prettier, more interesting, I wished a bolt of lightning would come down and hit me now so I wouldn't have to do this. I wished to be anywhere but here. But it didn't work.

I pulled into the first parking lot I saw, parking directly in front of a sign that read "Forks High School, Home of the Spartans." Fuck me. Here we go.

A/N: I hate editing after I write, and I don't have the patience to wait to post, so please forgive any awkward wordings. My plan is to go back and edit every couple of days, or as I feel like it, so bits and pieces may be changing occasionally. If anyone would like to volunteer to Beta for me, it'd be super helpful. I'm treading water on my own right now. REVIEW!