Chapter 1
I, Elizabeth Swan, am not happy. I'm mad at my Mom, mad at my sister, and mostly mad at myself. I could not believe I had let Bella convince me to leave the perfect life I had built in Phoenix. I had the best friends in the world, I was doing great in school, and Coach Karr had even said that I had a really good chance of making varsity cheer next year. Unlike most teenagers, I was actually enjoying high school. Then Mom remarried, and Bella decided that we should be good kids and go live with Dad so Renee could ride off into the sunset with her boo. It sucks being a good kid.
"Girls," my Mom's voice interrupted my mental rant, "you don't have to do this."
"We want to go," Bella answered before I could respond. Bella was probably worried I would say something mean or sarcastic-to be fair, Bella was right.
"Beth?" Renee asked, turned towards me.
"Oh me?" I made sure the sarcasm was apparent as I spoke, "I'm so pumped to go to a town named after a utensil, go Forks! Wooooo….," I trailed off after seeing Bella glaring at me. Whoops?
Alright so I was being a little unfair to the small town. I didn't have anything against Forks, I always thought it was pretty whenever my sister and I visited, and I was excited to spend some more time with my Dad, I just wished that I didn't have to leave everything and everyone I cared about behind. I didn't want to start my life over in a new town, with new people who might not like me. I would miss gossiping during Study Hall with my best friend, Stephanie. I would miss dashing off campus at lunch with my friends to get food from the restaurants nearby and then rushing to make it back in time for class. I would miss Friday night football games, and sleepovers with the squad. I would miss flirting with all the hot guys. I would miss all the wild parties that I could barely remember.
What do people even do in Forks anyway? Do they party? Would people even invite me to the parties? I mean the police chief is my Dad, they might think I will report them. Were the guys cute? Would they think I'm cute? Would I find a new best friend? There were just so many questions and so much uncertainty. I didn't like it.
"Sorry," I apologized to my Mom, "I'm just a little nervous about starting school."
"It's ok sweetie, just know you girls can come home whenever you want—I'll come right back as soon as you need me."
I could see in her eyes that part of her really didn't want us to move back. She was excited to travel around with Phil and live their lives together. I couldn't really blame her for that, but a small part of me resented that she was more interested in living with her lover than her two daughters. She had never been super interested in being our Mom, she was more of a friend who lived with us and worked. Bella had always been the one who took care of me. She is the one who made me soup when I was sick and who stayed up late helping me with my homework. At least Bella would be with me in Forks. Things could've been worse.
"Don't worry about us," my sister urged, "It'll be great. I love you, Mom."
"Yeah, we are gonna have a fun adventure!" I tried to sound positive as I spoke, I might be a bit petty but I truly didn't want to hurt my Mom. She was like a ball of light and energy. Ugh it was too hard to stay mad at her.
My Mom gave both of us a hug goodbye, and then Bella and I boarded the plane.
###
The flight was only about five hours but it seemed like forever. Bella and I didn't talk much as we got off the plane, but I could tell she was as nervous as I was. Bella and I had our differences, but we were still really close. We told each other most everything, and I am not ashamed to admit my sister is one of my bestest friends.
"Deep breath, Bells," I whispered to her as we walked toward our Dad. She gave me a small smile that looked more like a grimace as we finally reached our Dad. Both my Dad and Bella were kinda awkward, so I knew it would fall to me to keep things from getting too weird. I ran up to Charlie and gave me a big hug, "Dad," I exclaimed, "I've missed you so much!"
He laughed as he embraced me, "I missed you too, kiddo!"
He walked up to Bella next and they shared what was probably the most awkward hug to ever happen in the history of the world. I actually cringed while watching it.
"It's good to see you, Bells," he said to her, catching her as she stumbled because my sister can not remain upright to save her life, "You haven't changed much, how's Renee?"
"Mom's fine. It's good to see you too, Dad."
My Dad grabbed all our luggage and packed it into the trunk. Bella and I would need to do some shopping, our supply of winter clothes was definitely lacking. Bells would not be happy with me dragging her to a bunch of shops, but it was her idea to move to this watery town—she owed me.
It was raining so we all got into the car quickly. Bella sat in front and I was in the back. It was a little weird sitting in the back of the police cruiser but my Dad had promised that he had just sanitized the back seat. I tried my best not to think about why he would need to sanitize it.
"I found a good car for you, really cheap," he said to Bella as soon as we got on the road.
"What kind of car?" Bella sounded suspicious, and I hoped Charlie wouldn't notice her tone.
"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."
"Where did you find it?"
Come on Bells just say thank you already, I thought.
"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?"
"No," Bella answered.
"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie prompted.
I had vague memories of an older man with long dark hair helping me put a worm on a hook. I could also remember going to his house and playing with his kids. Two daughters and a son...I think. "Oh I think I remember him, Dad. We used to play with his kids, right?"
"Yeah! Rachel, Rebecca, and Jacob are his kids. You five used to have a lot of fun together."
That wasn't exactly true. I could remember that two girls never wanted to interact with us because they were older and thought Bella and I were too young and immature, and Jacob spent the whole time chasing after Bella. Sometimes it sucked being the youngest of the group, but I wasn't about to correct Charlie.
"He's in a wheelchair now," he continued, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."
"What year is it?" Bella asked.
"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine—it's only a few years old really."
"When did he buy it?" Bella kept pushing. I really wished she stopped asking so many questions. This was getting uncomfortable.
"He bought it in 1984, I think."
"Did he buy it new?"
God, would her interrogation ever end.
"Well, no. I think it was in the early sixties—or late fifties at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly.
"Ch—Dad," Bella nearly called him Charlie, that would've been bad, "I don't really know anything about fixing cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic…"
"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."
They probably don't "build them like that anymore" because it's unsafe. Bella needs a car with the most current safety features, that girl is a danger to herself.
"How cheap is cheap?" she asked.
"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." Charlie peeked sideways at her with a hopeful expression. It was kind of adorable, I could tell how much he wanted her to like it and it was obvious he has tried his best to make sure she will be comfortable here.
"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car."
"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He was looking straight ahead as he said this. Not being comfortable expressing your emotions was a family trait.
"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it." Bella was also looking straight ahead as she responded, equally uncomfortable as Charlie. Personally, I was grateful that she finally accepted the car.
"Well, now, you're welcome." He seemed so embarrassed and they both seemed so uncomfortable. I was struggling not to laugh at how awkward they both were.
"So do I get a car too?" I asked, once I knew I wouldn't burst out laughing.
"Well, Beth, you aren't legally allowed to drive, so there is no reason for you to have a car," he responded, looking at me through the rear view mirror.
"Well duh," I was still only fifteen, "but you are the Police Chief doesn't that mean I get special treatment."
"I'm sorry kiddo, but if anything I am going to be stricter on following the law."
"Dang," I sighed.
After that we fell into a comfortable silence for the rest of the drive. I stared out the window and looked at the place that was to be my new home. There was a lot of green. Like seriously all I could see was green. It was kind of a nice change of scenery from all the brown of Arizona, but I was wondering how long I had until I came to despise the color green.
When Charlie pulled into the driveway of the little two bedroom house, I could see the faded red pick-up truck parked on the side of the road. It was actually pretty cute, even though it probably lacked all sorts of life-saving safety features. Did they have airbags in the fifties?
"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Bella sounded really grateful, and she is a terrible actress, so that meant she actually liked the truck. That's good. Maybe that will help cheer her up about the move.
"I'm glad you like it," Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again.
Bella and I grabbed our bags from the truck and Charlie led us in. I realized with no small amount of horror, that Bella and I would have to share a room. Don't get me wrong, I love my sister, but I also love privacy, and the ability to sneak out without her noticing. I started to follow Bella up the stairs to the bedroom that we use to share but Charlie stopped me.
"Uh actually Beth, I converted my office into a bedroom for you. I thought since you girls were older now, you might not want to share a room anymore," he led to a small room at the back of the house. I was a little shocked that he had given up his office for me, he clearly wanted to make the move as painless as possible for us. It was so sweet, and I was extremely grateful that Bella and I would have our own rooms.
"It's perfect, Dad," I gave him a soft smile, "thank you."
"No problem, honey," he cleared his throat, "and I cleared off a shelf for each of you girls in the bathroom."
I nodded as he left. One bathroom-three people-should be interesting.
I set my bags down and took a moment to look around my new bedroom. There was a full bed in the back left corner, with a little white bedside table. The covers on the bed were also white but they had a swirly blue design across. In the right back corner there was a little desk and chair. The desk had a purple lamp on it, and I could see that Charlie had stocked the desk with pens, pencils, and paper. Diagonally across for the desk was a wooden dresser with four drawers, I was confident that I could fit all my clothes inside. There was a big, fluffy white rug in the center of the room, which was nice considering the hard wood floors. And lastly, there were two windows in the room. A small one in between the dresser and bed, and a larger one in between the bed and desk that faced the woods behind the house. The window was big enough that I would be able to crawl out of it, and it was especially perfect that I was on the first floor. It would make it super easy to leave the house if I needed to partake in any activities that my police chief father, and goody two shoes sister should not know about. I'm a pretty good kid-I swear. I don't do hard drugs or go out and break into houses or anything that bad, but sometimes everything just gets to be too much and I just want to relax, ya know? Get a little wild with my friends, nothing too crazy. Just perfectly normal, teenage stuff.
I unpacked my bags and hung up some pictures on the walls. Then I went upstairs to check on Bella.
"Bells," I called while knocking on her door.
"Come in," she called back.
I strolled into her room and then flopped onto the bed. She was sitting on the ground by her dresser, folding her clothes before tucking them inside the drawer. "Are you ready for tomorrow," I asked quietly.
She froze mid-fold and turned to look at me. "No," she responded just as quiet, "are you?"
I nervously chewed on my bottom lip, "Nope."
She laughed a bit, "Aren't you the social butterfly, Beth?"
Back in Arizona, I had a reputation for being quite the extrovert, "Well yeah in Phoenix, but it's easy to be confident and talk to everyone when you have a solid group of friends behind you. I don't know anyone here besides you."
"Don't worry Beth, everyone will love you, they always do."
I laughed, "Not everyone loved me back home Bella, but thanks."
She smiled at me and then went back folding and putting away her clothes. "Hey Bells," I said.
"What?"
"Promise me that we will stick together and you won't ditch me for the cool new Forks peeps."
"Beth don't be ridiculous. I would never ditch you."
"Just promise," I said, giving her my pouty face that always got me what I wanted.
She sighed, "I promise, Beth"
"Do you pinky promise?" I help up my pinky finger, like we used to do as little kids.
"Yes I pinky promise," she linked her pinky finger with mine.
"Good! You can't break a pinky promise Bells, that's the law of the universe." She laughed and I shot up to my feet, remembering the gift I had gotten her.
Startled by my sudden moment she rose to her feet as well, "What?" she asked.
"Wait here for a second," I said before running out of her room and into mine. I found what I was looking for in my backpack, then I ran back up the stairs. I handed her the gift, it was still in the little red bag from the airport gift shop. She looked confused as she pulled out the two necklaces inside. The V between her eyebrows increased as she gazed at the necklaces and read what they said. Then she laughed.
The necklaces had been an impulse buy. When I saw them in the airport before we were boarding the plane, I knew I had to get them. Each necklace had a little potted cactus charm. One said "Big Cactus" and the other said "Little Cactus", both cacti had a little cartoon face drawn on. They were adorable and perfect for Bells and I.
"Beth, these are perfect, I love them!"
"I knew you would," I smiled at her.
I helped her put on her necklace and she helped me put on mine. I wasn't planning on taking it off anytime soon. It was a reminder of home, and of the bond my sister and I shared. Even when we fought and got mad at each other, I still loved her. And I was glad I wouldn't be completely alone in this.
Once I was back in my room, I finally let myself cry. One night, I promised myself, you get one night to feel sorry for yourself.
###
I was slow to wake up in the morning. My eyes burned from crying, and I was exhausted from staying up late. Oh crap I thought I am going to look like shit on my first day. I crawled out of bed and shuffled up the stairs into the bathroom. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and put in my contacts. I never liked wearing my glasses in public, and in a town that rained as much as this, I would need window wipers on my glasses to be able to see. So contacts were just all around the better option for me.
I moved slightly quicker as I went back to my room to get dressed. I threw on a pair of black leggings and an oversized, cream coloured sweater. The neckline of the sweater was a little low, but not so scandalous that Charlie wouldn't let me out of the house. I pulled on my red Doc Martin boots, then I grabbed my jewelry box and make up bag, and ran back upstairs to the bathroom. Bella was in there, so I had to wait a bit before I could finish getting ready. I would need to get a mirror for my room, because this was a lot of running around.
"We need to leave in twenty minutes," Bella informed me as she exited the bathroom.
I nodded and walked in, locking the door behind me. I put on some rings and a couple bracelets, then put in my favourite dangly earrings that looked like silver teardrops. I quickly moved on to my makeup, because I wanted to have enough time to eat breakfast before we left. I didn't wear a lot of make up-just enough to not look like a zombie, usually it was just some mascara, but today I added some concealer around my eyes to hide the fact I spent the night crying my heart out.
Once I was finished, I examined myself in the mirror. Bella and I were fairly similar in looks. We weren't identical twins or anything but you can tell we are related. We were roughly the same height, 5'4", but while she was built like a slender ballerina (ironic, I know), I was a bit more muscular and curvy. We both had brown hair, but mine was slightly more red. Currently, my wavy hair fell about halfway down my back. I ran my fingers through my hair, and watched the light shine against it. I would need to shower tonight, or risk looking like a greasy cow tomorrow. Our face shape was also similar, we had the same sharp cheekbones and jawline. That is however, where our similarities ended. Bella has unblemished ivory skin, and mine was slightly darker, with freckles dotting across my nose and cheeks. Back in Arizona I was always considered pale, but here in Forks I might actually pass as tan. I could thank cheer and my friends for my colouring. Outside practices and games, paired with all those trips to the lake with the group had contributed to me being a couple shades darker than my sister. With all the doom and gloom here, it would probably wear off by summer though. Finally, I looked at my eyes in the mirror. I was never sure how to feel about the greyish blue colour, and I found myself longing for my mother's ocean blue eyes. Renee always said that my eyes look like a tempest. That was probably what contributed to my insecurity. Bella had the beautiful chocolate eyes, and mine looked like a violent storm.
"Beth," Bella called from downstairs, "ten minutes before we have to leave."
I gave myself a serious look in the mirror, "Alright, girly," I said to myself, "you can do this. You are Elizabeth freakin' Swan. You've performed in front of a stadium full of people, you are the girl that won't back down from a dare, you are never afraid to talk to people or speak your mind, and bitch, you're the life of the party! A tiny high school in Washington is nothing. You are gonna go in there and be your perky, sassy self. That school won't know what hit them."
I tried my hardest to believe my pep-talk, as I turned from the mirror and ran downstairs, fake it 'til you make it and all that jazz.
I am going to take Forks High School by storm.