Not, beta'd. Stephanie Meyer owns all the characters!

Then

Bella's childhood had been relatively normal while her parents were alive. She was gifted - both intellectually and magically - but her parents never made her feel differently. After Charlie and Renee had followed Helen's advice about the garlic, Bella's abilities didn't seem so volatile. There were no more quakes or broken windows. The only indicator that she had special capabilities was the jungle that Charlie had to tame in their backyard every weekend. She was a very good child.

She hadn't been the most popular girl where she had grown up, but she had a very healthy and strong relationship with both of her parents. Her mother had sung and danced with her to songs playing over the clothing store speakers every time they went shopping together. Most children would have been embarrassed; Bella never was. Her father would continue to take her on daddy-daughter dates the third Saturday of every month. Some Saturdays they would go to the diner, some they would have picnics or go see a movie. It was all about the quality time.

After they died, though, she didn't want to dance when she shopped or go out on picnics or dates with anyone. How could she possibly do any of those things without her parents around?

When she arrived at Helen Swan's home - a dark home with mahogany-colored wood and a wrap-around porch - she hadn't known what to expect. Her parents' home had been bright and open. She had only spoken with Grandma Swan a handful of times on the phone and met her in person one time at the funeral. Helen had flown in to bury her only son. She had hugged Bella closely, squeezing the young girl tight, as she held back her own tears. Oh how she had wished she had come out to see him. The grief of losing a child was unbearable, even if she had known it was coming. Grandma Swan was gifted with foresight.

It had been decided that Bella would stay with Charlie's mother since Renee was an only child whose parents had been long deceased and Charlie's eldest sister lived in Italy. His other sister, Tanya, was temporarily staying with Helen after her recent separation from her husband. Helen had insisted that Tanya's husband would fight for her to come home, and he'd win, but Tanya didn't believe her. Her daughter, Alice, was living with them, too. Bella only had heard stories about Tanya's wild child from her grandmother. Helen seemed amused by Alice's antics most of the time.

Helen grabbed Bella's suitcase and held her hand as she walked slowly to her new home. Bella's lip quivered as she felt tears well up in her eyes once they reached the entrance. Would she ever stop crying?

Helen opened the door to the house. When they stepped inside, Bella was greeted with the scent of lavender. She felt herself begin to calm.

"Alice," her grandmother called out. "Would you like to meet your cousin and help her to her room?"

She heard a door open upstairs. A young girl a little older than Bella ran down the stairs. She had long, jet black hair. She squealed when she saw Bella and ran over stopping directly in front of her. The girl observed Bella for a moment before wrapping her arms around her. Bella, still holding her grandmother's hand, looked over for help. Helen shrugged and winked. After realizing she would not be released until she hugged her back, Bella released Helen's hand and returned her cousin's embrace.

Alice pulled back a few long moments later, still holding Bella. She had clear, pale skin and a pointy nose. Her eyes were mesmerizing, a deep sea green with gold in the center. She smiled.

Her grandmother cleared her throat and Bella glanced up at her.

"Bella, this is your cousin, Alice. She and her mother are staying with us."

"Hi Bella," she sighed sadly, sounding much older than she looked. "I'm so sorry we are meeting under these circumstances. I can tell you that yes, you will be happy again, but it will be later."

"How-" Bella stopped speaking as the guilt consumed her. Her parents had died in a car accident. A drunk driver had blown a red light, slamming into their vehicle at 56 miles per hour. They had died on impact. They had been driving to pick Bella up from a sleepover. The mother of the child she had stayed with had claimed Bella was having a panic attack, so they rushed to pick her up. The truth was that she was having a panic attack, but it wasn't because of the sleepover. "It was my fault."

"No, it wasn't," Alice's voice was strong, even at thirteen years old. "I can see that you'll soon understand that."

Alice had been right.

And she continued to be right about many things after that day. When she witnessed Bella's gift begin to manifest itself at Grandma Swan's - in the form of chrysanthemums, which symbolized grief - she didn't say anything until she found Bella laying in the flowers. Alice sighed and laid next to Bella. She grabbed her hand.

"These are pretty," Alice pointed to the mum growing around them. "This is a very special gift you have."

"I can't control it," Bella responded quietly, nervous about how her cousin would react. The kids at her old school weren't the warmest. "I've always been able to do it. My mom and dad...they never treated me like I was different."

Alice didn't respond. Instead, she nestled further into the flowers. She was more of a free spirit. She always knew how things would work out, so she was rarely stressed about the inevitable.

"They always made sure that I only did this at home. I've learned to hide it. It scares people, I guess."

Alice turned on her side, leaning on her elbow and resting her head in her hand. "Screw people."

Bella's eyes widened as she turned her head toward her foul-mouthed cousin. "Alice!"

"No," she frowned. "Screw people. You have a really cool gift. You should be able to use it whenever you want."

Since at this point, Bella had some inkling that Alice was always right, she didn't argue.

Instead, she let the flowers grow.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Bravery