CHAPTER 1:
Bella Swan
When Bella Swan moved to Forks, Washington, to help care for her father after a near-fatal heart attack, she predicted college would be her most challenging experience in life thus far. Until she met Edward Cullen.
It's 7:00 a.m. in Phoenix, Arizona. I groaned in annoyance as my alarm clock rang, waking me from a sleepless night. I packed everything I would need for my journey to Forks; leaving out my favorite book and headphones for the plane ride. Forks is a cold, wet place in the Olympic Peninsula, so I'll need to do something I hate, shopping. I'll need a parka to survive as well as mittens – for obvious reasons.
The smell of pancakes wafts up to my bedroom, which is fortunate because my mother would never let me leave without eating a full meal.
"Bella, come down! I made your favorite, blueberry pancakes with whipped cream! Hurry before they get cold!" She yelled from the kitchen.
"I'll be right there!" I shouted as though I was already out of bed.
I didn't want to go, but I knew this was what Charlie needed. He'd suffered a heart attack and I decided to move in with him to help him recover. After he and my mom separated, we didn't really stay in touch. He was a typical dad – very hands-off and only wanted the bullet points. But, he was still my father and I wanted to care for him while he recovered. Besides, Dr. Cullen said diet could have prevented his heart attack, and heck – I'm a pretty good cook!
I got out of bed, followed the delicious sweet smell of blueberries into the kitchen, and sat down across from my mom. She already had a stack of pancakes with whipped cream and warmed syrup on the side just how I like it. I could tell she was nervous—normally we serve ourselves.
"Did you sleep at all last night?" she asked with concern in her voice. "I know you don't want to go, but it might be good for you to have some new experiences." She had a long-term boyfriend who lived with us and often traveled for work, so this was going to give her the opportunity to tag along.
I disliked the idea of new experiences. New anything meant having to adapt to new surroundings, ways of life, and people. But I was normally too busy with my head in a book or the internet to realize what was happening around me. I've never been good with people, but I love deep connections. As a freshman in college, I developed an all-girl site where they could post their problems and receive honest feedback from other girls, anonymously. A judgment-free zone, per se. And to say we've seen it all would be cutting us short. No photos were allowed on the site –to keep up with the fully anonymous mission – but let's just say I have graphic images burned in my head. Foot porn, STIs, smells, you name it. It's on my website, and I'm proud of it.
"I slept as okay as one would moving to a wet, cold town such as Forks," I said with a sigh and bite of a pancake in my mouth. "Speaking of that, what time do you want to leave for the airport?"
"As soon as you're done eating, sweet cheeks!" Susan said enthusiastically. I rolled my eyes. I should have known they would be on the road as soon as they dropped me on my way to wet hell. Leaving this early would mean me getting to the airport 4 hours earlier than normal. I took my last bite, put my plate in the sink, walked to the door frame, and stopped. "Sure thing, mom," I said sarcastically.
I realized how little I was leaving behind on my new path to Forks. My mother seemed excited I was leaving. I didn't have any friends really, none to say goodbye to. Maybe that was an inspiration for my website, girl-next-door. So everyone, including me, could have someone to turn to for anything and everything when they didn't have their own. I know what it feels like to be alone – a void per se. When the world seems dull and the thing you love seems duller.
I walked down to my room for my one 32.5lb suitcase, my shoulder bag, and my MacBook. Blow my old room a kiss goodbye, closed the door, and opened the next.