One. The Return

Four months ago, I had an accident. I was in the hospital for a week before I was let out. I had to go to rehab for a month before I was allowed back in school. For the past two months I've been on 24/7 surveillance by my mother and stepfather. It was tortue having to be watched for every single thing I did. From when I woke up all the way into the night when I went to bed. It was like prison without the bad food, repression and the chance of waking up to someone standing over you with a shank.

"Are you sure you want to–"

"I'm sure."

I was at the airport. My mom was trying to convince me at the last minute to stay with her and my step-father but I already made my decision.

"I'll be fine mom. Bella and Charlie will be there to watch over me."

She sighs realizing there wasn't much she could do or say to convince me.

"Renee," It was Phil. He was standing next to my doubtful mother. He was much more reassuring and positive for me wanting to leave. "She'll be fine. It's only for the summer."

I nodded, "And it's not like I haven't been to Forks before. I used to go every summer with Bella."

"I know, I know. It's just that–"

"Mom, I'll be alright."

There wasn't much more she could say as it was getting close to when I would have to check in for my flight and the lines were starting to get long. She smiles feebly. She had finally given up and had given in.

"I know you will honey."

She hugs me for the fifth time today, this one being tighter and longer than the rest. She kissed me on the cheek before she had to be pried off by Phil who quickly hugged me and let me go.

"Call when you get to Seattle."

I nodded. I waved goodbye to them one last time. I almost rolled my eyes when I saw my mom's eyes water. She made it seem as if I was going off to war and not going to see my sister and father. I turned away from them and headed to check in. Every step I took away from them, the more freedom I felt. It felt like a weight was getting lifted off my shoulders. I loved my mom but these last couple of months she's been overbearing and I just needed a break away from her.

Charlie still looked the same. I had just got my luggage and was waiting outside the airport doors to see him pull up in the cruiser. That patent curly brown hair and thick brown mustache that I'm accustomed to seeing him with didn't look a hair out of place. There were a couple more grey hairs then when I previously saw him.

"You cut your hair?" was the first thing he asked once I buckled myself in.

"Yeah," I said. Last year, I dyed the ends of my hair blue. This month, I decided to cut it off along with a couple more inches.

He nods thoughtfully, "It looks nice."

"Thanks."

I forgot how long of a ride it was from Seattle to Forks. There was a good thirty minutes of silence between us. I lost my headphones on my way from the bathroom to baggage claim so I couldn't just pop in an earbud to fill the silence. Charlie at least turned the radio on but eventually had to turn it off after getting nothing more than static on our way out of Seattle.

"How long are you staying for?"

"I'm aiming for July but the way Mom wants it, it might only be until next month."

He laughs, "Whether it be one month or two, I'm just happy you're here."

I smile, "Me too."

Three hours later and we were pulling up to the familiar white paneled two story. I noticed an old looking, faded red truck that I don't remember Charlie ever having. Charlie must've noticed my curious gaze.

"That's Bella's truck."

Ah. Now it makes sense. It looked like something my sister would have. She's really into old, vintage stuff. I open my door.

"Is she home?" I asked. I got out of the car and closed the door. Charlie was already opening the trunk.

"She's at school. She gets out around three."

I nodded. I forgot that their summer break starts later than mine. Charlie closes the trunk shut. I packed pretty light only bringing one suitcase and my backpack for the summer. If I really needed anything I would borrow it from my sister.

Stepping inside the house for the first time in two years felt so surreal. The last time I was here, my hair was to my back, I had braces and I was flat chested. Now, my hair just touches my shoulder blades, my teeth were straight and I no longer have to watch videos on how to grow boobs in a week. That was a questionable time in my life.

"This place still looks the same," I let out a low whistle as I looked around. He had the same couch and living chairs – new television though. The same wooden kitchen table, same bright yellow cabinets; there's a small dent in the entryway between the living room and kitchen where I hit my head when I was six.

"I know it's been a while since you and Bella shared a room but that's the best we got at the moment. I ordered an air mattress but it's coming a little later."

We were standing just outside of the kitchen in the living room.

"That's fine," I said, "I'll just have to strap her arms and legs down so she doesn't knock me out."

"I thought it would've been the other way around."

"That was only one time after we stayed up to watch Friday the 13th."

"I should've never allowed you two to watch that," He ruefully shakes his head, "You kept waking up every hour."

"I was going to watch it one way or another."

He chuckles, "Yeah, you're probably right."

I made my way out of the living room and to the stairs leading to the second floor. The stairs wavered under every step I took, it creaking as I lifted my foot up to the next step. It felt like an old memory was being unlocked as I made my way to Bella and I's former room.

When we used to visit, we would sleep in bunk beds. I always slept on the bottom and Bella on the top. We would rock paper scissors for the top bunk and I would always somehow lose every time. I remembered always being woken up since the beds would creak under any type of movement. I was a much lighter sleeper than my sister.

In replacement of those wretched bunk beds was one single queen size bed. I threw my bag on the bed and glanced around the room. The same desk was still here but with a newer computer on top. The dresser that went with the old bunk beds was still there along with the mirror just above. The same light blue paint still coated the walls as they did when I was younger. I wondered if Charlie ever repainted them, then I remembered the yellow cabinets in the kitchen.

Besides Bella's bed and the TV in the living room, everything was exactly the same. I haven't checked the bathroom but I had a deep feeling I would see the same hair products that Charlie used when I was last here and when he was with mom. But then again I wouldn't change anything either if I had his hair.

I slipped my shoes off and sat down on top of the purple comforter covering the bed. I laid back, my head hitting the bed.

I wonder what my sister's reaction will be when she sees me?

I didn't tell her that I was coming for the summer. The last time I saw her was when she was leaving for Forks. I wasn't able to come when she had the accident and was in the hospital. It was last minute and mom could only get one ticket for the earliest flight. I was also still in recovery and mom didn't feel I was ready to leave.

I could hear Charlie stomping his way up the stairs as my suitcase seemed to hit every step. I leaned back against my elbows to lift myself up once I heard him enter the room.

"What do you have in here?" he grunted out. He puts my suitcase down with some force on the wooden floor. I stared amusedly.

"I thought I packed lightly."

His eyebrows went up to his hairline. "If this is light, I don't want to know what's heavy." He sighs to himself. He looks around the bedroom before looking at me. "I'll leave you to it."

He walks out the room, leaving me to my own devices. I didn't realize how tired I was until I closed my eyes and reopened them to a later day. I looked over at the night stand to see it was a little after three. I sit up slowly, still a little drowsy. I stretched my arms above my head, yawning. I happened to see myself in the mirror above the dresser. I tried my best to fix my hair. It was a good couple of seconds of me doing that before I got off the bed. I smoothed the comforter back down to the way it was before I came and distrubed it.

I left the room and went to the bathroom to find some mouthwash to quickly cleanse my nap breath. I had just gargled and spat the minty liquid into the sink when I heard the front door open.

"Dad, I'm home," It was my sister.

I heard the front door close and then heard Charlie's heavy steps walking toward Bella.

"How was school?"

"It was ok. There weren't as many stares this time."

"That's good," I heard some shuffling downstairs. I stood in the doorway. A part of my body was in the hallway as I leaned against the doorframe. I could hear Bella's heavy boot hitting the wood floors. It sounded like she was headed to the kitchen. I decided to finally leave the bathroom and make my entrance.

I walked down the steps, trying my best to be as quiet as possible but that was hard in itself with how creaky the staircase was. I just planted both my feet at the bottom of the steps when the front door creaked open.

I stared confusingly at the strange man that walked inside carrying what looked like my sister's bag. He stared back at me with the same confusion written on his face.

"Who are you?" I asked.

I completely forgot about going to surprise my sister as my focus was on the new guy. His expression seemed to morph from confusion to understanding in a matter of seconds catching me off guard. I didn't notice the footsteps of my sister – surprisingly, or Charlie coming up from behind.

"Roni?"

I turned around to see my surprised sister.

"Hey sis."

"When did you – How?"

I moved swiftly over to her. I made sure to be careful as she was a bit unbalanced with the big boot casted over her foot. I hugged her tightly, she hugged me back with the same amount of force. We let go of each other. She grabs a piece of my brown hair, twirling it. She looked surprised, "You cut it?"

"I got tired of the blue."

She nods at that, smiling widely up at me.

"Either you got taller or this cast is weighing me down," I laughed.

"I think it's a little bit of both," She hits me playfully on the shoulder, "Hey!"

It was a break in between our little reunion. I looked past Bella to see Charlie watching us in amusement. Bella moves around me. I curiously watch her as she moves hobbling with every step to the guy that originally stopped me in my tracks.

"I want you to meet someone," she said. I was intrigued. My questions were finally going to be answered.

He steps up. It felt like it was being built up for me to meet the Queen more than some random guy.

"I'm Edward," he said.

It sounded like angels just left his mouth. It was blatantly obvious that he was handsome. But the way he carried himself, even in this short amount of time I've seen him – about five minutes, there was just something more to him than the physical attributes.

What was he to my sister?

When I called my sister or when she called me, I don't remember her ever bringing him up. She was much more private and reserved compared to me or even our mother. In the beginning, we would call and talk to each other four to five days out of the week. As the weeks and eventually a month went by we seemed to communicate even less, more like once or twice a week. I didn't mind too much since I was busy myself and the fact that when we talked less, she sounded much more cheery than when I first talked to her in her first week in Forks.

I didn't realize the cause of her being preoccupied and more happy was due to a boy, a very cute boy. Now I want to know if this was a friend or a friend. Her relationships were much more private in comparison to mine. I used to always talk to her about my boy troubles. She didn't say much but she was a good listener and offered way better advice than mom. She would rather I go for my heart, while Bella would say I should go with my brain. If I stuck with my mom's advice I would be in jail or in my fifth relationship at fifteen.

"I'm Roni," I said, "Short for Veronica. Don't call me Veronica."

I made sure to put extra emphasis on the don't. I hated the way my full name sounded. I was envious of my sister's name. It sounded so much prettier than VerOniCA. I wonder who decided that was a good name for me.

There was a faint smile on Edward's beautiful face.

"I'll be in the kitchen Bella," he said. He moves past her and greets Charlie who looks none too pleased making me snort under my breath.

"We're going to work on our homework in the kitchen," she tells Charlie. She looks at me, "You're more than welcome to join."

I put my hands up, "I'm technically on my summer break. And as of the start of my break, I am not going to touch any textbook or pencil for the whole of my summer."

She rolls her eyes. "It's just trigonometry."

"Like that makes it any better."

She shakes her head. "We're having leftovers tonight by the way. It's spaghetti. There should be enough for you as well."

"Ooh. I missed your cooking. I tried boiling some noodles last week and nearly caught the kitchen on fire."

She laughs in bewilderment. "I'm not even going to ask."

I decided to use my time, up until dinner, to somewhat settle in. Since it looked like I'll be sharing a room with my sister, I decided to unpack a few things.

I put my laptop at the end of the desk where there was just enough space for it. I dragged my suitcase into the closet deciding that tomorrow I'll be more productive and unpack all the clothes I bought with me. Before I moved it into the closet I made sure to bring out my toiletries that were sat on top of my clothes. I put that small travel bag into the bathroom.

I thought about going down in the kitchen to grab a snack, when in reality I was going to eavesdrop but decided against it since I had a deep feeling it wouldn't be anything too interesting or that my sister would catch on.

The Edward boy intrigued me and it didn't help that my sister has told me absolutely nothing about him. Maybe some time while I'm here, I can get him alone and ask him as many questions as I could think of. As of right now, I'll just have to stick with only knowing his name, to my annoyance.

I took out my phone now realizing I needed to call mom. It rang once before I heard her bright voice.

"I was just about to call you. How was the flight?"

"It was fine," I sat down on the edge of the bed. "I unfortunately had to sit in front of a kid with about as much manners as a newborn puppy. He kept putting his knees in the back of my seat."

"God I'm so happy you and Bella turned out alright," There was some rustling and it sounded like she was moving around in the background. "I'm assuming you're in Forks?"

"Yeah, I forgot all about calling you. I was just so tired from the flight and it completely–"

"It's fine honey. I understand. Where's your sister?"

"She's downstairs in the kitchen working on her homework with some guy I just found out about today. His name is Edward."

"Oh I forgot to tell you about him."

My mouth flew open. So she knew about him too. How am I the only person in the world – a little bit dramatic, but seriously how come I'm the last person to know about him. I stood up from the bed.

"How did you know about him?"

"When I went up to Seattle in March to visit your sister at the hospital, that's when we first met."

"And you somehow kept that vital information from me for this long!" I wasn't upset, but was slightly annoyed at being left out and the fact our mom knew before me. She's a known blab machine. I'm impressed that she kept this information from me for so long.

"I meant to tell you, but it just completely left my mind once I landed back in Phoenix," She seemed to have moved farther from the phone, like she was speaking from another room. "The move to Florida and making sure that you are alright seemed to come first before telling you about Bella's boyfriend."

"So they're together."

"Yup. And can we talk about how handsome he is."

I laughed, "I don't think there is a single word to describe how attractive he is."

Our conversation went on for ten more minutes before she had to go. She was in the middle of packing for the move to Florida. I wasn't too keen on living there but didn't say anything since Phil seemed so happy along with mom. Florida may have the heat and sunshine, but that's where it ends when comparing it to Phoenix.

I was on my laptop looking up the closest retail stores in or near Forks – nothing but hardware stores popped up, when my sister hobbled in.

"Someone's comfy."

I was lying on my stomach with my feet up, typing away on the laptop.

"I sure am," I didn't look away from the screen. "Does Port Angeles have any good retail stores?"

"Yeah they have a couple," she limps over and points to one of the links that just appeared after I searched for the city. "This is the one my friends went to, to pick their dresses for the school dance."

"Is that the one you didn't go to?"

"Yeah."

I turn to look up at her, "You're such a bore."

She exclaims in shock, "I am not a bore."

"Yes you are. How does someone not enjoy dancing and having fun."

"I have fun."

"And I'm dating Chris Evans," She flicks me on the top of my forehead. "You attacking me doesn't help your case. Should we talk about prom?"

She rolls her eyes, "Who wants to go to prom with a cast on their foot."

"I would! I would probably go without both of my legs and still enjoy it. And I can't believe you didn't take any pictures."

"Charlie did."

"But that was before prom and was only one picture. Did you even go to the after party… Nevermind. When I have my prom it's going to be treated like my wedding. I'm going to take hundreds of photos, might even get a professional photographer," She rolls her eyes.

"And how are you going to treat your wedding?"

"Like it's my last day on earth," It wasn't a serious statement or to be taken to the heart. She stares, then laughs shamefully covering her mouth.

"Did that sound ridiculous? I asked.

She removes her hand from her mouth but laughs once again. I guess I got my answer. I grabbed one of the decorative pillows from off the bed and aimed it at her. It hit her directly in the face. But she seemed to shake it off and continued to laugh at me much to my displeasure.