A/N: Hello, and welcome to my story. I hope you enjoy it. The timeline may be a bit off, as this is set in present day, but everything will make sense in the end. This story may contain some heavier and uncomfortable topics, so please be aware of that when reading. You have been warned. I own nothing except the OCs, unless stated otherwise. Enjoy and don't forget to R .


Chapter One: A New Beginning

"Mariella."

Mariella turned her head towards the sound of the familiar voice and smiled slightly. "Cora."

"Hey, honey," Cora greeted, stopping by the wheelchair. "We've got you a chair here."

"From where?" Mariella couldn't help but ask, as she stood from the airport's wheelchair with Cora's help.

"The hospital. Charlie spoke to one of the doctors there and he agreed to loan him the wheelchair. All settled?"

Mariella nodded.

"How's your leg?"

Mariella shrugged, resting her hand on the broken limb encased in a blue cast.

"Does it hurt? Do you need any meds?"

Mariella shook her head again.

"Are you sure?"

Mariella nodded.

Cora eyed Mariella for a moment before nodding. "Mariella, where's your cane?"

Mariella held up the bundle of sticks that, when unfolded, would reveal the white cane she always carried with her—a symbol of her blindness.

"Gotcha," Cora said. "Mariella, this is Chief Charlie Swan and his daughter, Bella."

"Hi," Mariella greeted.

"Hi, Mariella," Bella said, stepping forward. "It's nice to meet you."

Mariella nodded. "You too."

"Hey, kid," Charlie greeted. "Good to have you here with us."

Mariella nodded again, smiling ever so slightly.

"Well, let's get a move on," Cora said.

"You hungry?" Charlie asked as they continued towards the baggage claim.

Mariella shrugged, unsure whether Charlie was talking to her or to someone else in the group.

"I could eat," Cora said.

"Me too," Bella said.

"What do you guys want to eat?" Charlie asked.

"I'm not picky," Bella said.

"Mariella?" Cora asked.

"Uh, anywhere's fine. Maybe McDonalds or something."

"That okay with you two?" Charlie asked.

Bella and Cora nodded.

"Sounds good," Charlie said.

"I would suggest we have dinner at the café I work at, but I figure you'd rather just go home and not be around a lot of people, especially after your flight, sound about right, Mariella?"

Mariella nodded, relieved.

When they reached the car, Cora helped Mariella into the back with Bella, folding the wheelchair, and putting it into the trunk along with her luggage.

"We need to get you some more clothes," Cora commented as she got into the passenger's seat. "There can't be many in there."

Mariella shrugged, shaking her head. "It's okay," she said. "I don't like having a lot of clothes."

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Just makes things easier."

Charlie and Cora exchanged looks but said nothing as they glanced at Mariella in the backseat, eyebrows raised.

"Ready to hit the road?" Charlie asked, starting the car.

"Let's go," Cora said. "I want food."

Mariella smiled.

"We've got something for you, Mariella," Cora said. "Reach out."

Mariella reached out and Cora placed a small box into her outstretched hand.

"What's this?" Mariella asked.

"Your new phone."

"What?"

"Your new phone," Charlie said, smiling. "You need a way to keep in contact with us when you're at school."

"Oh, right…" Mariella said. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, we did," Cora said. "We managed to get VoiceOver turned on, but we figured we'd let you set everything up. You know how to do that, right?"

"I… Yeah… I do," Mariella said, opening the box and pulling out the shiny new phone. "Thank you."

"Of course!" Cora said. "Is that an okay case for you?"

Mariella nodded, running her fingers along the thin but sturdy case. "What color is it?"

"The phone is a rose gold, and the case is a light blue."

Mariella nodded. "Thank you," she said again, unable to say anything else.

"Of course," Cora said, giving the girl a warm smile.

"What about the phone bill?"

"We'll take care of it," Charlie said. "Don't worry about it."

"But…"

"Let us take care of you," Cora said. "It's the least you deserve."

Mariella looked away, blinking a few times, fighting back tears of gratitude. She pulled her earbuds out, plugged them into her phone, and popped them into her ears. Pressing the side button on her phone, she set to work setting everything up. Once she was in her phone, she navigated to her music and hit shuffle, grinning when The Fighter by Keith Urban came on.

A while later, Bella tapped Mariella's hand to get her attention. Pausing the music, she withdrew an earbud and looked up.

"We're pulling into the McDonalds drive thru," she said. "Do you know what you want?"

"Uh," Mariella considered the question for a moment. She didn't want to get anything that would cost too much. She knew what was cheap and what she could eat. "Some chicken nuggets and fries."

"You want the meal?" Charlie asked.

Mariella nodded.

"What size?"

"Medium."

"How many nuggets?"

"Four."

"You sure?"

Mariella nodded. "I can't eat a lot of food without being in pain."

"Fair enough. What would you like to drink?"

"Dr. Pepper."

"Bells?"

"The quarter pounder meal, please."

"Cora?"

"The same, but with extra pickles."

Once they all had their food and were on their way, Mariella resumed listening to her music, closing her eyes and resting her head on the back of her seat, her face turned towards the window as the music filled her mind, giving her the mental reprieve, she needed.

"We're here," Bella said, just as one of Mariella's songs came to an end.

Mariella pulled out her headphones and pocketed her iPod, grabbing her cane from the floor just as Cora opened her door, Charlie assembling the wheelchair nearby.

As Mariella settled into the chair, she noticed how quiet her surroundings were. She had been from a large city, and it had always been too noisy for her liking. Now, she could hear the birds chirping in the trees and the sounds of traffic, somewhere off in the distance.

"I got the door," Bella called, running ahead, unlocking the door, and pushing it open.

"Thanks, Bells," Charlie said, pushing Mariella through the door and into the small, cozy home. "Mariella, your room is the only one on the ground floor. When you come in, straight ahead is a hallway that leads to the staircase. Bella's room is the left, mine is on the right, the bathroom is in front of mine. To your right is the living room. There's a couch, a TV, and an armchair. Through the living room is the kitchen. We'll help you label everything whenever you'd like, just let us know."

Mariella nodded. She wanted to get everything labeled as soon as possible, but she had just moved in. There would be time to label things. In the meantime, she would just have to ask for help. She didn't particularly relish that idea, but oh well.

"Okay," Charlie continued, "off the kitchen, past the fridge, is a door that leads into another small hall with a bathroom off to the left, and your room straight ahead."

"Thank you,"" Mariella said, smiling slightly.

"It's no trouble at all," Charlie said. "Bells, did you put clean bedding on the bed in Mariella's room?"

Bella nodded.

"Good. Cora, if you wouldn't mind helping Mariella get settled, Bella and I will go into town, and get some more groceries on the way home."

"Do you need my card?" Mariella asked.

Charlie grinned. "Nope. You keep your money."

"Are you sure? I can help get stuff."

"I'll let you know if I need help, okay?"

Mariella frowned but nodded.

"Good. I'll bring your things in, then Bella and I will be off."

Once everything had been brought in, Charlie and Bella left Cora to help Mariella settle in.

"Let's get you to your room," Cora said, pushing the wheelchair. "I'll bring your things in and help you put them away, sound good?"

Mariella nodded.

"How are you doing after everything?" Cora asked, as she brought the last of Mariella's things into the room. "Are you still nervous?"

Mariella nodded, looking down. In truth, she was terrified she would be found, but she was not about to say that out loud.

"Oh, you poor thing," Cora said, leaning down and giving Mariella a hug. "You'll be okay, I promise. You'll be safe here."

"I hope so," Mariella said softly. "Maybe I shouldn't be scared, but…"

"It makes sense," Cora said. "Really, it does. Like I said, you're in good hands with Charlie. Forks is a very nice, friendly town. Everyone knows everyone. People will look out for you."

"How much do Charlie and Bella know?"

"Charlie knows the bare minimum. You were in an unsafe situation and needed to get out. Bella knows what everyone else in town will hear. The rumor is that you're my niece from out of town. You needed a place to stay after your relatives were killed in a fire. You broke your leg jumping out of the window to escape."

"But my relatives are still alive."

"Yes, but they shouldn't be," Cora muttered darkly. "Neither should that boy."

Mariella looked up at Cora, eyes wide.

"What?" Cora asked with a grin. "I can be dark. They don't deserve to live."

Mariella nodded slightly. "Why a fire?"

"You know, burn the bridge. You're not there anymore. And it's not like it's illegal for you to move. You're 18."

Mariella nodded. "I still worry though. About… everyone. What if I'm found?"

"You're safe here," Cora assured gently. "Charlie won't let anything happen to you. Neither will I. You're safe now. It'll take time for you to fully believe that, but I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that you are safe. You may want to have this conversation with Charlie too. Let him know your concerns."

Mariella shook her head quickly.

"He doesn't need to know everything," Cora said, "only what you tell him."

Mariella nodded, frowning slightly. She knew it would be a good idea to talk with Charlie, but the less that people knew, the better. Then again, Charlie was the Chief of Police! Surely, he would keep whatever she told him to himself?

"Let's get you unpacked and settled, shall we?" Cora asked, pulling Mariella from her thoughts.

By the time Charlie and Bella returned, Mariella had her things unpacked and she had labeled the microwave, the washer and dryer, and was finishing up the oven when the two walked in.

"Charlie, Bella, come here," Cora called. "Come look at this. It's clear!"

Mariella bit back a smile as she cut the labels she had made to size.

"How did you do that?" Bella asked her.

Mariella set down the scissors and picked up a sheet of thick, white paper and set it in front of her. She picked up a metal object and held it up to show Bella.

The object was long and rectangular in shape, with small, rectangular slots. Each rectangle had small grooves in the sides of them, three on each side. The slots ran spaced about a centimeter apart for twenty-eight columns and four rows. The metal piece that lined up below the one with slots had holes that lined up with the slots.

"What's that?" Charlie asked, coming over to stand on Mariella's other side.

"It's called a slate and stylus," Mariella said. "This one"—she tapped the metal rectangle—"is the slate. This"—she picked up a tool with a pointed metal tip and a plastic handle that had an indented space for Mariella's finger—"is a stylus."

"What's it do?" Bella asked.

Wordlessly, Mariella opened the hinges of the slate and slid the paper inside, faced down, closing the slate with a soft snap. Picking up the stylus, she proceeded to quickly punch out something, opened the slate, flipped the paper over, ran her fingertips over the braille dots to check for errors, then cut around the braille, and handed it to Bella.

"What's it say?"

"Your name."

"Oh, neat! Thank you! But how did you label stuff with this?"

"Peel the backing off and stick it to something."

Bella stood, headed upstairs, and returned a few minutes later with a folder. Setting it next to Mariella, she peeled the backing off her name and stuck it to her folder.

"That is neat," Charlie said.

Mariella nodded, putting her things away into a small bag.

"Would you like anything to snack on?" Charlie asked. "We have chips, cookies, crackers, granola bars… Or, if you're hungrier, we do have some cereal, canned items, and frozen things that can easily be heated up in the microwave."

Mariella shook her head.

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"Okay, well, just remember, you are more than welcome to eat at any time, okay?"

Mariella nodded.

"Do you need anything else before I go, Mariella?" Cora asked.

Mariella shook her head.

"Okay. I'll be picking you up from school to take you to the hospital tomorrow, so they can have a look at your cast and hopefully give you a day when it can be removed. You'll have to tell me how your first day goes. Feel free to text or call me if you need anything, okay?"

Mariella nodded.

"Take care, kiddo," Cora said, gently hugging Mariella.

"Thank you for helping me," Charlie said, giving Cora a kiss on the lips.

"Of course! You'd be lost without me, and you know it."

Charlie nodded.

"Bye, Bells."

"Bye," Bella said, raising her hand in farewell.

"Okay then," Charlie said. "I'm heading up for the night. Mariella, I'll bring you to the school tomorrow. The papers have already been filled out and just need your signature."

Mariella nodded, giving Charlie a brief smile.

"Have a good night, girls," Charlie said, turning and leaving the room.

"I'm going to make a cup of hot chocolate," Bella said. "Want one?"

Mariella nodded.

"Regular milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peppermint, or caramel?"

"Peppermint, please."

Bella nodded and set to work making them both cups of hot chocolate. She set Mariella's cup in front of her and picked up her folder.

"Um, thanks for the braille name," she said.

Mariella nodded, smiling slightly.

"Do you need anything before I go upstairs?"

Mariella shook her head.

Bella nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Mariella nodded.

Bella nodded again, crossed through the living room and up the stairs, her cup of cocoa in hand.

Mariella pulled her phone out of her pocket just as it vibrated. She unlocked it, and opened her messages, finding one from an unknown number.

'Hey, it's Charlie. This is my number. Let me know when you get this so I can send you Bella's.'

Mariella took a sip of her drink before replying.

'Got it, and thanks. Sorry I don't talk much, I'm not good with new people. Anxiety.'

'It's okay. Just talk whenever. It doesn't bother me. Bella's the same way, only she's just shy. I heard her come upstairs a few minutes ago. Are you doing okay down there?'

'Yes. She made me some hot chocolate, so I'm sitting at the table, drinking it.'

'You can take that to your room if you want.'

'Too lazy. The sink's not that far from me.'

'Do you need help getting to your room? Can you manage the wheelchair?'

'Easily. I just go slow.'

'Good. Let me know if you need anything. My phone's always on.'

'Thanks, Charlie.'

'Yep. Good night, Mariella.'

'Night.'

Mariella finished her hot chocolate, wheeled herself over to the counter and put the dish in the sink. She would have washed it, but she couldn't reach the faucet. Shaking her head in frustration, she made her way to the door that led to the hallway and managed to get through it and into her room with a little difficulty, but nothing she couldn't manage on her own.

Grabbing her pajamas, she quickly changed, climbed into bed, grabbed her phone, and turned on an audiobook.

She lay there, listening to the story unfold, hoping it would help her sleep. After half an hour of lying there, wide awake, she sighed in frustration, opened YouTube, found her favorite creators, and hit play. Pulling the blankets up to her chin, she listened to the videos until she finally fell into a restless slumber.