I don't own Twilight.

It's been a week since my arrival at Forks.

Things started to simmer as the days passed.

The trio of girls from Eric's table had lost interest in me, but Roux seemed to glance at me from a distance.

The Cullens seemed less interested in me after the fourth day of school.

Kate frequently tries to speak with me, but I always reject her advances. It was either her sister or Fem Hale that would stop her advances towards me, but the bold girl managed to find a way around them.

Fem Hale still glares at me, but it's not burning holes into my head.

Hale and the Mammoth still talk to me inside our respected classes, but they never once spoke with me outside of class.

Everything seemed to calm down, but that all changed this morning.

It was morning when I heard footsteps downstairs.

"Bells?"

"He's finally home," I mumbled.

I slowly left the room and started to descend the stairs.

I held in my breath as I ultimately found myself face to face with my birth father.

Charlie is a spitting image of me with our brown hair and chocolate eyes. The only exception to this is his curly hair.

He stared at me with both joy and sadness, which surprised me. I thought he's overjoyed to finally see his daughter, who he always wrote to for years.

He shifted his feet awkwardly as he took in my appearance.

"You look beautiful, Bells," he said while rubbing the back of his neck.

I inwardly groaned as I stared at him with a blank expression.

Charlie reminded me so much of my old self before the incident. I used to be exactly like him. I was a clumsy girl who was timid to the world. I would be kind to the people around me while constantly being insecure.

However, that part of myself has died with Reenee. Any chance of salvaging it became impossible when Gran passed.

"Bells? Are you okay?"

I nodded my head and offered him a handshake.

"Nice to see you in person, Charlie," I said with a fake smile.

That seemed to have sparked a timid smile on Charlie's face.

"It's great to see you, Bells," he said with his gruff voice. He took my hand and gave it a soft shake.

"So, why are you late?" I asked, "Your letter says you should've come sooner."

Charlie walked to the kitchen to grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"Things got worse in Port Angeles," he explained with a sigh of frustration, "More people are going missing, Bells. It's worrying both the police of Forks and Port Angeles. We thought we found a trail somewhere, but we couldn't find anything. Now, we're starting to double our efforts to find the cause."

Charlie walked to the living room and sat on his recliner.

"Shouldn't you go get some sleep?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The Port Angeles police are calling us off for now. We're going to focus on the safety of the town and its residents. It's our priority."

He was about to turn on the TV set until he spoke again.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for your first day in Forks, Bells."

"Don't worry about it," he said, "I was too focused on school."

"That's good, but I have a surprise for you later today."

"What?" I said with a bit of shock.

"I have a surprise for you, Bells," he said after sipping his beer," You'll thank me later."

"You don't have to do that," I insisted.

"I have to do it," he said with a frown, "I'm not changing my mind."

I only sighed and left the room.

I already had an idea of what's my surprise based on the letter Charlie left me.

"Oh, Bells. Don't even think about making an excuse. You're going. Schoolwork is the worst excuse you can make at this point."

"This is the first time I regret having good grades."

As I walked to my room, I heard Charlie groan about something involving a baseball game.

The drive to La Push felt like it lasted for hours.

Charlie was excited as he could be about this.

He told me some stories about his adventures with Billy and Harry, including his teen rivalry for a woman named Sue.

"You know, I was the first to give up Sue because I met your mother," said Charlie with a small smile," The moment I met Renee, I knew she was the one for me."

I didn't say anything when I heard this because I pondered how he became so loquacious. His eyes brightened at the mention of his friends in La Push. He also became more confident in his appearance, showing how proud he was to be their friend.

"Maybe Charlie does have a life here with his friends. Maybe that's why he didn't want to leave Forks with Renee."

Deciding to partake in the conversation, I asked, "So who won Sue's heart? Billy?"

"No, Billy fell in love with someone else too. Trust me; we made fun of him for days," he laughed.

Seeing Charlie like this startled me. He was so different from anything Gran told me before passing. She even mentioned his sorrow whenever he called in the past.

"Maybe she exaggerated."

"Billy has a son a little younger than you, Bells," he said with a smile, "His name is Jacob Black."

"How young?"

"He's Fourteen."

"I'm Sixteen," I deadpanned, "He's around my age, but he's still young. Plus, I'm turning Seventeen in a month."

"You know, Harry has a daughter named Leah," he informed me.

"She's Eighteen."

I only shook my head and looked out the window to see the beach.

"You know, I thought you wouldn't care about the age since you've been around the older graduating class in school. Instead of graduating next year in 2006, you're graduating a year early because you've been working hard in school."

It was at that moment I turned around to look at Charlie. His eyes were on the road, but I noticed how proud he was of me.

I rolled my eyes and watched as we arrived at the reservation.

We walked to Billy's house to see two people having a conversation on the porch.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," said the man in a wheelchair.

Ignoring him, Charlie motioned towards me, "Billy, this is Bella."

I looked at wheels as he smiled at me.

"Bella! I haven't seen you since you were a baby," he said laughing, offering me a handshake. I took his hand and noticed the look in his eyes at the contact.

They changed from friendly to suspicious.

"How do you like Forks? Have you made any friends?"

"It's alright. I haven't made any friends except for my art partner," I lied.

"Art partner?" he asked, "What's their name?"

"Who's this?" I asked, pointing at the buff kid he was talking to earlier.

His body was muscular, almost like a bodybuilder, but not like the mammoth from school. He had no kind of baby fat on his body. His sleeveless tank showed a tribal tattoo on his arm.

However, his most prominent feature is his dark eyes. I can read his eyes for days considering I can closely relate to all the emotions shown.

His eyes contained emotions of anger, despair, confusion, and longing.

"Nevermind, I don't relate to him one bit."

"This is Jacob," he said with a smile, "He's my youngest."

"Isn't he supposed to have baby fat for his age?"

"Jacob Black," he said while looking into my eyes.

The emotions from his eyes shifted in an instant.

His anger and confusion are now displayed in his face as he tries to conceal his scowl.

"Jake, you okay," asked an alert Charlie.

Jake sniffed the air and then relaxed.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Charlie. Sorry, I thought my allergies were going to act up again. You know how much I hate them," he said while staring at me, "I'll be inside."

"Wait, Jake. I think Bella should go in first," said Charlie, "Let her have a view of the place."

Black nodded his head and stepped aside to let me pass.

I rolled my eyes without thinking and opened the door.

"Surprise!"

I fake smiled as I looked around the house to see shirtless boys and an older woman. The majority of the boys were on the couch or at the large dinner table, eating something. The older woman was coming from the kitchen with four trays of food.

Turning my head towards Charlie, I told him, "I'm not old enough to enjoy this type of entertainment, Charlie. I didn't think you were that kind of progressive father."

Charlie only stood at the door with his mouth gaped as he tried to explain himself but only succeeded in looking like an idiot.

"Old man can't take that humor, Bells," laughed a boy on the couch.

"At least someone understood," I mumbled as I waited for Charlie to regain his composure.

"Trust me, Bella. He isn't that kind of father. Your old man is too stubborn for his good," said the young Black.

"I'm not old, Jake," said Charlie with a glare towards the boy.

"You're an old man is old Bella. He can't even beat me in a fight."

"You're going to eat your words, Billy," said Charlie as he rolled the man outside with the intent to fight him.

Jake shut the door, not wanting to see them fight.

"Bella, that kid is Seth. He's Sue's son," he said with a sigh, "He'll show you around."

Black left the room, leaving me under the care of a younger boy.

"Hey, I'm Seth Clearwater," he said while smiling kindly at me.

"Higginbotham," I said, trying desperately not to look into his eyes.

Out of all the people I've met, this is the only person I know to have such bright features. Only glancing into his eyes caused me to wince uncomfortably.

"Are you okay?" he asked, confused.

"I'm fine. It's just been a long day."

"Well, my mom has some food ready in case your hungry."

At the mention of food, I heard my stomach rumble.

The rumbling caused some of the males to look my way.

"Woah, that was loud," said one of the boys.

"Show me the food," I said, ignoring the comment.

Once I sat at the table, Seth introduced me to his mother, Sue.

As I tried not to flinch while shaking her hand, I eyed the food.

"Hungry?" asked the woman.

Nodding my head slowly, letting go of her hand.

"Enjoy some of the food on the table, Bella. I made salad, chicken, pasta, and more."

Before she finished her sentence, I served myself some potato salad, two burgers, beans, veggies, and spaghetti with meatballs.

"Oh, Bella. That's a lot of food for a girl like you. Are you sure you want to eat that much?" questioned Charlie as he rolled Billy to the table.

Billy looked curiously towards Bella in thought.

"Trust me, Charlie. You'd be surprised at what Gran hasn't told you," I said as I held the burger near my face.

"She told me you ate a lot, but I can't even eat that much food, Bells."

I only smirked as I ate my food quietly.

Ten minutes later, my plate is empty.

I looked around to see everyone staring at me in amazement.

"Your grandmother was right, Bells, you can eat," said Charlie as he sipped his beer.

For the rest of the day, everyone was talking and socializing with the people around them. Charlie told stories about the past with Billy and Sue while the boys started to cheer for who would win the next match in the racing game.

As the commotion continued, I decided to sneak out for some alone time.

Originally I planned to walk to the nearest shop on the reservation but decided against it, considering that Charlie might become angered.

Instead, I settled for a walk on the beach.

I looked around the beach as I kicked the sand.

The beach wasn't anything like the ones I saw in California. The beaches there were filled with life as the sun slapped you in the face with its bright rays. On some beaches, you could find beautiful seashells decorating the sand.

Here, the beaches reminded me of one thing.

Death.

There's no light shining in your face. There are no seashells scattered around the beach with beautiful colors.

It was lifeless.

Plain rocks decorated the entire vicinity while the cool air caressed my cheeks.

In a way, this beach reminds me of myself.

I'm cold and indifferent. I'm a pessimistic person who only feels anger, frustration, and sometimes calmness.

Other than that, I feel nothing.

After walking around the beach for a bit, I found a brown log near a big cliff. Deciding to sit down, I sat on it and looked towards the ocean.

I didn't know why but I wanted to paint a drawing of the picture in front of me.

The waves of the water lulled as the sun barely showed. I bet it would've been a beautiful sunset to watch, but the cloud inevitably blocks the sight, preventing a majestic picture.

I sighed as I started to think about what's going to happen after graduation.

Staying in Forks is the last thing I want to do.

Instead, I might go to an out-of-state university of some kind. Maybe I'd go to Italy or even Alaska. Get a degree and make enough money to retire at thirty. Then I'd buy a house, secluding me from the outside world with solitude as my only companion. Then maybe when I grow old, I'd die in my bed from cancer or old age.

"Living the dream."

I continued to think about Renee and Gran. I didn't know how Renee would feel about my dream of seclusion, but I know my Gran would hate it with a passion.

She used to tell me about how she regretted settling down and not exploring more of life. She lived as a stay-at-home wife who'd raise Renee.

The woman tried to encourage Renee not to settle too soon, but she was a sucker for love.

In the end, Renee realized it too late. She already had a family and was about to enter the life of a stay-at-home mother.

So, she left Charlie after he said he wouldn't move away from Forks with her to raise me.

It ended in divorce.

My thoughts were interrupted by someone approaching me.

I didn't bother to look away from the view as the stranger stood there. After a while, they finally spoke.

"Mind if I sit here?"

In truth, I did mind, but I prefer not to dive deep into my thoughts again.

Without saying a word, the stranger decided to sit down.

I felt a little warmth as the person sat next to me.

We remained silent for a long time until I decided to speak.

"Higginbotham."

The silence returned as I continued to stare at the waves.

"Clearwater."

I turned my head to look at Sue's only daughter.

She's tall like most of the boys in La Push but still small. Her hair is in a pixie cut, gently swaying in the wind. Her warm skin that radiates the air is a gorgeous copper.

Her eyes filled with both sadness and bitterness. A combination I never thought I'd see in someone like herself. However, it only proves that nobody should judge someone without knowing them.

I turned away from the older woman to look at the sky.

It was darkening.

Clearwater started to move, trying to pull something out of her denim shorts.

I stared at her as she pulled out a cigarette and struggled to look for her lighter.

Without a word, I pulled out my zippo I keep inside my shoes.

"The chief daughter carries a zippo in her shoes?"

"Sue's daughter smokes?"

"Do you smoke?" she chuckled.

"It's not something I do a lot, especially now that I live with a cop. I mean, what would Charlie Swan think of his daughter inhaling toxic fumes?" I replied sarcastically while rolling my eyes at the end of my sentence.

The girl next to me chuckled as she inhaled the smoke.

"He'd lose his shit," I said as I watched her exhale.

"I take it you're not here because you wanted to see Charlie," she said with a frown.

"I'm only here because of a promise."

She sighed and rubbed her head.

"He's a good man, Higginbotham. He wants you to be happy. He cares about you and your health," she emphasizes.

"Says the girl who's letting out smoke," I sighed out.

"Trust me, this won't hurt me," she said, "You, on the other hand-"

"Trust me, I know I shouldn't do this for my health."

"Then why-"

"Who says I care?"

We remained silent.

The rest of our time is absorbed in watching the waves move until someone calls my name from a distance.

"Bella!"

I turned to see Jake approach us with another boy.

I Let out a sigh as I stood from the log.

Clearwater started putting out her cigarette and kicked sand over its remains.

When Jake arrived, he looked disapprovingly at Leah until he flinched and grabbed his head.

"Feeling better?" I asked though it's painfully clear that he didn't want to be here with us.

"I'm fine," he said while sending a silent glare to Clearwater, "Charlie and Sue are wondering where you two went, so they sent me here to get you."

I sighed as I looked one last time at the ocean before turning back to Black with an annoyed expression.

"I don't want to call him by his last name if I ever see him in public. What should I call him?"

"Hey, what's your favorite animal?" I randomly asked.

"A wolf," he said with a grin.

"Oh, he's going to regret ever saying that," I thought with a smirk.

AN: I apologize for not posting for the last few months. I was involved in an accident around March and needed time to recover. The next chapter will come soon.