I do not own the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 1

"'Who is Bella Swan? She is a fun loving but serious girl, a girl who loves adventure and is not afraid of a challenge. She is knowledgeable in all things technology…' Okay, really Bells? All things technology? I had to teach you how to work your iPhone!" I groaned as Jacob teased me, falling back onto the bed I let out a sigh. "Don't give up! You'll find something."

"Yeah… says the guy who works for his dads pawn shop!" I mocked putting a pillow over my face. He lifted it up and grabbed my hand, forcing me up. "Seriously, I need something. I can't keep living with my mom!"

"Why? It's not so bad. No rent, free food…" I shot him a look that changed his tune. "Look, I can ask my dad if he's willing to hire an extra hand to help out around the store if you would like."

"No, you don't even get paid…" Jacob was born lucky, he didn't need extra money to scrape by. His parents were wealthy, he was able to buy his own place and his own car. I knew they had the money to pay me but I couldn't work with him. He had been my best friend for the past 10 years, ever since meeting in high school drama class. "I'll go out looking today and see what I can find."

"Ya know… Seth did offer you that job…" Jake threw out, he said it so quietly that I wasn't sure if I was meant to hear it or not.

"Ugh…" I fell back down on the bed. Seth Myers worked at the only hotel in Forks, Washington. He had offered me a job a few months back as a housekeeper but at the time I was working with a great boss in a small gift shop. Unfortunately, that gift shop closed down recently, hence why I am now looking for a job. "Fine, I'll go. Wanna come?"

"Can't, I have to head down and open up," Jake ushered me out of my room, knowing full well that I wouldn't go down to talk to Seth today. On the way out, we passed my mom watching a telenovela. "Mrs. Swan, can you even understand what they're saying?"

"No, she can't," I laughed and walked up to her, "But, from what we can understand Angelica is cheating on her husband with the gardener, but she has an evil twin who is about to be introduced."

"Make fun all you want but the drama is real," Renee said pausing the show. We shared so many qualities, our humor was among them. It had been just my mom and I for the past year and a half. When COVID hit, my dad was among those lost. He had a weak heart already and when he came down with COVID, well we knew it signed his death sentence. He recovered from the disease but the damage to his already weak heart had been done. "Where are you headed?"

"I'm heading down to talk to Seth about a job. I'll be back later."

"Ok, well good luck. Now, I'm going back to my show," I laughed as I shook my head. My mom was a bit quirky, and I wouldn't have her any other way. Jake walked with me to the hotel as it was near his parents shop, but he part ways there unfortunately. Putting on my brave face, I walked into the small Forks hotel. It was rustic and quaint. I saw Seth sitting at the front desk. He instantly saw me and smiled.

"Hey, old pal old buddy!" I pointed my fingers at Seth and gave my best smile. "Uh… is that job still available?"

"I thought you didn't want to clean rooms?" Seth gave a cocky smirk, driving me crazy. "What changed?"

"Dude, I'm desperate… I need a job to save money! Please!" I put my hands together and was prepared to beg.

"On one condition… you go on a date with me?" I rolled my eyes and shoved his shoulder. Seth wasn't a terrible choice among men in our town. He was sweet and kind, easy on the eyes. He had dark hair that was nicely kept, dark brown eyes to match that head of hair. Plus, he was great with kids, but I didn't feel an attraction to him. "So, is that a no?"

"This feels wrong but one date," I agreed and as a promise gave him a kiss on the cheek. "When can I start?"

"Go find Rose in the laundry room, she'll show you where to start."

"You are the absolute best and I love you for it!" I said this time grabbing his shoulders and full on kissing him on the lips. He was completely stunned but eventually laughed it off. I heard him mutter something but couldn't care to find out what. I found Rose right where he said she would be, folding laundry. "Hola mi amiga!"

"Bella!" Rose shrieked and gave me the tightest hug in existence. "What are you doing here?"

"I was desperate so here I am! Seth hired me as a housekeeper, said you could show me the ropes." I grabbed a towel and began helping her fold. "So, what's new?"

"Oh forget me! What did you have to do to get Seth to give you this job?"

"He asked me out and I said yes…" a small smirk played on her lips. Rose and I had been friends for nearly as long as Jake and I had been.

"Between him and Jake, I'm not sure who you're gonna end up with! Either way you are gonna have some pretty babies!" I threw a towel at her and shook my head. "What? You know it's true!"

"Jake and I are just friends and I only agreed to Seth because I needed a job!" I folded the last towel and looked at her. She had been through a lot recently, but you would never know. She was married to a great man now, but it took a lot for her to get there. "How are you?"

"Bella, I'm fine! Royce is in jail and Emmett would never let anything happen to me," that was true. Emmett was a big man, 6'5 and 250 lbs of pure muscle. "Or our baby."

"What?!" I shrieked, Rose beaming from ear to ear. "So, Seth would have let me have the job anyway. You'll be out soon? How far along are you?"

"I'm still early, only 3 months," she waved me to follow her, we made our way down the hotel hallway. "Ok, so let's get to work. We'll grab the cleaning cart and hit up vacant rooms." Just like that she showed me how to completely disinfect a room. Some weren't bad but others… others should be condemned, and staff forced to wear a hazmat suit. I wasn't entirely sure it was safe for her to be in those rooms.

"How many are like that?" I asked out of breath after cleaning our worst one this morning, I won't even go into detail.

"Unfortunately, at least half…" she looked at her watch then up at me. "But hey, it's lunch! Come on, I'm meeting up with Emmett and his mom. You know you're welcome."

"Nah, you go on. Jakes family store isn't too far, I'll go bug him and hang out for a bit." She gave me a knowing smile and walked off. Rose had been like a big sister figure to me, she was a couple years older, but you couldn't tell. She loved teasing me about guys, I rolled my eyes every time. As I walked past the front desk, Seth was still there managing it. "See ya Seth, I'll be back at 1."

"Hey hold on," I pumped the brakes, "dinner tonight?"

I shook my head in defeat, "Fine, tonight, pick me up at 7. As a stalker I know you know where I live. Now I will be back." He wasn't a stalker; he was a great guy. This was just a small town. I should really give him a chance. Walking outside, there was a slight breeze that made me wish I had a jacket. Thankfully, the Blacks pawn shop wasn't too far away from the hotel. I was there within a matter of minutes and grateful for the warmth. Jacob was with a customer; I simply nodded my head to say hello and sat down to wait.

"This has been in my family for generations. I hate to sell it, but hard times… it might not look like much but it's magic." That piqued my interest, I know it's rude to ease drop but… "my great grandparents met because of this gem."

"Honestly, while it may have sentimental value, it's just not worth a lot," poor Jake, he wasn't good delivering good news.

"Please, you're a guy," I said getting up and joining the conversation. Unfortunately, he was right. It was just a little crystal rock that had been attached to a gold chain. Jake gave me a look that said, 'I told you so'. "It's very pretty though."

The girl just stared at me in complete awe, but also as if she was looking at a ghost. "Um… I must go," with that she was out the door and left us holding the necklace.

"That was odd," I mused as I put the necklace on, "what do ya think?"

"I think it was very odd, maybe she was off her meds," I slapped Jake but had to agree. The girl had been very odd. "I mean, come on, a magic necklace?"

"Maybe she added that to try to get more money. Either way, can I have it? I wasn't kidding when I said it was pretty." Jake shrugged his shoulders and walked to the back. "Hey, let's go grab lunch!" I called after him but somehow felt my words didn't reach him. I had this strange feeling come over me as I was fiddling with the small gem. It was sort of an out of body experience before I realized that I wasn't in the store anymore. I had no clue where I was, I blacked out.

A/N: I've had this story bouncing around in my head for quite a bit. I finally got it out and am well on my way to completing it! I hope you enjoy.