Sunset Chapter 1: We arrive home (First Sight Part 1)

By the time Mom had driven us to the airport that morning, she had already told us how much she missed us at least four times. We hadn't even gotten on the plane and I was already tired. Bella was wearing the same outfit I know she would – sleeveless, white lace – and held her parka. I was wearing blue jeans and holding a green hoodie, ready for the rain that would await us.

"Bella, Emma," Mom said to us once again. "You don't have to do this."

Our mother, Renée, looked so worried about us. I felt sad about leaving her but I knew that it would be for the best in the end.

She'll have a wonderful time in Florida with Phil, Charlie will get to spend more time with us, and Bella will get to meet the love of her life. I thought, strengthening my resolve. Everyone will be happy.

"Don't worry Mom, we'll be fine. I'll look after Bells and make sure that she doesn't get us into too much trouble." Mom gave me a teary chuckle. Bella always got into trouble easily, with me trying (and mostly failing) to get her out of whatever mess she made. I will say, most of the time it isn't her fault. Trouble just seems to seek her out.

Bella looked a little annoyed at the comment but ignored it. "I'm fine, I want to go," She lied. Bella wasn't a great liar but even I had to admit she almost sounded convincing.

"Tell Charlie I said hi."

"We will."

"I'll see you both soon," she insisted. "You can come home whenever you want – I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

I knew that she really would come back if we asked. I wouldn't ever think of doing so. She loved Phil and thrill of adventure too much. It would just hurt if either of us stayed and got in the way.

"Don't worry about it," Bella urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Mom. We'll miss you." I said.

She gave us both tight hugs. Then we boarded the plane to Forks. I let Bella take the window seat in the hopes that it might cheer her up. It didn't seem to take as long to get going as it should have. Traveling never did Here.

I slept for most of the four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, too excited about the move to sleep much last night. On the plane to Port Angeles I mostly watched the in-flight movie, some cheesy Rom-Com. I was glad when we landed, eager to see Dad and be able to get reacquainted with our small town. I wondered if I would get a chance to visit the Reservation before the small class trip later in the year or if I would have to wait.

Walking through the terminal, I grinned at the rain as it hit the windows. My sister might not like it, but I always enjoyed the rain. It was unavoidable in a place like Washington and I knew that Bella was already dreading the weather. She would come around eventually.

After getting our bags, we headed towards Charlie and his cruiser.

"Dad! I missed you!" Running towards him, I gave him the biggest hug I could, almost knocking us both over. It had been a too long for my liking.

Dad hugged me back just as much. "I missed you too, honey," he said as I pulled away.

Dad wasn't hard to deal with at all, contrary to what Bella had decided. He was just a little shy and unsure, but as soon as you made an effort and found something to talk about you would be fine. I guess it helped that unlike Bella, I was more outgoing like Renée. I also made an effort to be closer to Charlie during the summers that I spent at Forks.

Charlie gave Bella an awkward, one-armed hug when she stumbled on the sidewalk.

"It's good to see you, Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied her.

"You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad."

Bella and I had only brought a few bags. Most of Bella's clothes were unsuited for Washington's weather and had stayed in Arizona. Most of my clothes were already here in my closet. We easily fit everything into the trunk.

"I found a good car for you both, really cheap," Dad announced when we were strapped in. We had been decided a while ago that we would share a car to make it easier.

"What kind of car?" Bella said. Of course, I already knew what kind of car it was, so I just listened in from the back.

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

"Where did you find it?"

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" I smiled, remembering La Push and the Blacks. Even after Bella refused to keep coming here, I continued to spend most of my summers in Forks. I often went down to La Push and hung out with Billy, Jacob, and my other friends from the reservation.

"No." I rolled my eyes at her bluntness. Of course not. Bella saw to it that she removed most of her childhood memories of Forks. As if she knew what I was thinking, she turned and gave me a look.

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie prompted.

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued when neither of us respond, too caught up in our staring contest, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it?" I blinked and looked away. Dang it.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine – it's only a few years old, really."

Bella's triumphant grin faded. "When did he buy it?"

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?"

"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties – or late fifties at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly.

"Ch – Dad, I don't really know anything about 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."

"And," I piped up, "Billy's son Jacob is a mechanic. I'm sure that if we ask nicely, Jake would help if we have any problems."

Bella still looked a little unsure. "How cheap is cheap?"

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." Charlie peeked sideways at Bella with a hopeful expression.

I jumped in before Bella could say anything to hurt Dad's feelings. She had a nasty habit of sometimes not thinking before she spoke.

"Wow! Thank you so much Dad." Don't say anything hurtful, please, Bella.

Thankfully, she seemed to catch my hint.

"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Well, now, you're welcome," he mumbled, embarrassed by our thanks. They both looked straight-ahead as they talked. Bella was too much like Dad, unable to show her feelings very well and sometimes too stubborn for her own good. They both were uncomfortable around each other, so that didn't help much. Hopefully I could help to bridge that gap.

We talked a bit about the weather a little before we fell into silence. Staring out the window, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful the scenery was. Bella was right – it was an alien planet. Greenery everywhere, the forest reaching up high enough to cover the sky at some points. The rain had not lessened a bit, still falling on to the ground causing puddles to form all over the road. I had almost forgotten how much I loved it here.

I liked to think that I lived somewhere like Forks Before.

Soon we pulled up into the driveway. Dad's house had changed from a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom. The change was probably an adjustment made for my being here. The rest of the house was still the same as it had always been. "Welcome home, Emma," the house seemed to say to me.

Welcome Home, indeed.

Parked out in front of the house was the faded red truck. Looking at it, I could see why Bella loved it so much. It was big and bulky but that only added to its character. I was kind of disappointed that this meant that I wouldn't get to see Jacob until at least the upcoming weekend but a little more interested in settling in at the moment.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Bella was all over the car in an instant.

"It's wonderful," I stated, glad that there would be at least one thing about this town that she wouldn't hate. For now, at least.

"I'm glad you two like it," Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again.

It only took one trip to get all of our stuff upstairs. Once I got everything in my room, Dad gave me another hug. "Good to have you back, Emmie," he said before he left me to unpack.

My walls were a nice cream color that went well with my wooden floors that I had thrown a brown rug over. My bedspread was a darker shade of green, my favorite color, with white polka dots and white sheets. I had two side tables, a dresser, a desk, and a bookshelf, the top of the bookshelf filled with trophies (mostly participation from when I was younger). Lantern lights hung all over my room. Bella and I found them fun little decorations to put up when we were younger and just never took them down. Green and white curtains covered my windows. I had my own closet but I would still have to share the only bathroom with Dad and Bella.

The first thing I did was charge up my phone and laptop. Unlike Bella, I splurged a bit of my money so that I wouldn't have to deal with the dinosaur computer in her room. Even for 2005, that thing was old.

I sent Mom a quick email to tell her that we got to Dad's safely and that I would talk to her later. I took a look at my flip phone and sighed. Only a few more years until the first iPhone. I could survive until then. At least I had a mobile phone. I don't know how Bella got so far without one.

I was pretty sure from my knowledge of technology that I was originally from the future. Or at least, the future based off of where time is right now. And that might not even be correct seeing as my life Before my Death was technically in another dimension. I had taken to calling my first life "Before my Death" or just "Before."

Pushing myself out of my thoughts, I continued to put away my clothes and other things, making sure to place my dance bag near the door for tomorrow. I tried not to think about how many stares I would get tomorrow as one of the "New Girls" or the fact that Bella would essentially cry herself to sleep. If I tried to help her she would just push me away and say she was fine. No, it was better to let herself do what she had to so she could feel better.

While putting my things into the bathroom, I decided to get some of the knots out of my hair. That's what I get for sleeping on the plane. Looking at myself, I wonder if anyone would mix us up or if it wouldn't take long for the students to realize how different we are.

Bella and I were both the same height and had the same very pale skin. We both also have light brown hair (Bella with more red tints than me) but I managed to get Mom's ocean blue eyes while Bella got Dad's chocolate brown.

Differing from Bella, I manage to keep my balance pretty well. Considering I'm a dancer, I was pretty happy about that. Because of my athleticism, I was still slim but not as soft. No six pack here, but I had a few hidden muscles.

Unfortunately, I was no stranger to being hurt. I often tried to help Bella with her balance, leading me to losing my own. Of course, I got my myself hurt plenty with dance, especially since some girls (and a few boys) could be ruthless.

Finishing with my hair, I went to go see how Bella was settling in. She still had most of her bags full and was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"You ok there, Bell?" I asked as I sat on the bed next to her.

"Yeah, fine. Just worried about tomorrow," Bella said, looking upset. I knew that she was not very good with the spotlight put on her. I was the same, except for when I was performing. Still, I could fake it well enough. Bella, on the other hand, didn't do very well with hiding her distain from others.

"You'll be fine. Besides, I'll be there to help. Even if we don't have the same schedule, I'll be there for you."

"Thanks, Emma. I'll try to remember that."

I frowned about her dismissal but let it go. She really was a "suffer in silence" type, wasn't she?

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my sister very much but sometimes I just want to knock some sense into her, especially once I remembered her book-self (and movie-self, but I don't remember the films as much. This universe seemed to mostly go along with the books anyway). I never really liked the way that she acts in the book or even sometimes as we grew up, but I dealt with it. We don't always see eye to eye and I might not agree with some of the things she has done (or will do) but I still love her.

Even when she sometimes acts like a self-entitled brat.

Later that night, Charlie ordered pizza for dinner since we didn't have much in the way of groceries. I could tell that Bella was going to make it her mission to take over the cooking and maybe even the cleaning. After I watched a bit of TV with Dad before heading to bed. I had an easy time falling asleep with the rhythm of the rain.


Author's Note:

Happy Memorial Day guys! I meant to get this posted in Saturday but wasn't able to until today. My plan is to post every Saturday but only because I have some chapters typed up already and I know I can have them ready by then. I only have up to chapter 6 done, so after that my posting will be more random. Speaking of chapters, I want every chapter to be about equal to the chapter in the books. I thought First Sight was a bit too long though, so I split it into two chapters. They aren't evenly split so the next one is longer, but I thought this was the best place to stop.

(As you can see, Emma has got a little bit of bitterness towards Bella's attitude on things but she still loves her sister.)

Thanks for the reviews and support! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.