Chapter 1
BPOV
My stepfather Phil and my mother Renee drove me to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. I was wearing a long sleeved turtleneck, a Slipknot hoodie, and my favorite pair of jeans, covered in doodle marks from whenever I got bored. My carry-on was a fanny pack, containing my phone, wallet, earbuds, passport, and some strips of spearmint gum.
I was heading to Forks, a small town in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. It was also where my dad Charlie lived as the town's police chief. He had allowed me to move in with him to finish up my junior and senior years of high school, and I couldn't be happier. My mom had divorced my dad when I was only four months old, taking me with her as she ran from what she perceived to be a gloomy, oppressive place. I disagreed; although I only spent summers in Forks, I still loved the daily downpours and the almost constantly cloudy sky. It gave off a sort of calm, tranquil atmosphere that was almost the complete opposite of the sunny, fast-paced lifestyle of Arizona.
There were an endless amount of possibilities that could happen in Forks, and I wanted to experience all of them. Well, mostly everything anyway; I was curious, not reckless after all.
"Bella", my mom said, shaking me out of my excited thoughts. "Are you sure you want to go? You don't have to do this honey."
I bit my lip as I looked at the woman who raised me. I know she meant well, but this was a decision I had made long ago, a choice that had only been strengthened by the passage of time.
"I'm sure mom. This is what I want to do."
Right as I said that, Phil got out of the car and brought my suitcase out of the trunk. After making sure it was safely on the sidewalk, I gave him a quick hug, before turning and clasping my mom's hands.
Mom took a deep, shaking breath before looking me in the eye. "Tell your father I said hi."
"Will do."
"And don't forget that you can come back whenever you want. You'll always have a home here in Phoenix."
Although she'd said that to me a thousand times before my departure date, hearing it always brought a smile to my face.
"Thanks mom, that really means a lot to me."
"I love you sweetheart."
"Love you too mom."
After saying my final farewells, I checked my luggage in, printed my ticket, and boarded the plane. In the four hours it would take to reach Forks, I sat back in my seat and let my mind wander as I gazed out the window. My first order of business would be buying a car. Although it wasn't uncommon for teens to be driven to school by their parents, my dad was the chief of police; as a result, he had to be on constant alert, ready to spring to action at a moment's notice.
I also let my mind trail to my dad as a person. Those who knew him would say my dad was someone who never minced words, but I knew that he was really just shy, which was something that I had inherited from him. Living together wouldn't be too bad; we both knew how to give each other space, and we didn't need to fill silences with conversation.
Of course, being quiet didn't mean being oblivious. Quiet man he may be, but my dad always had a knack for knowing when something was wrong, and he never hesitated to help someone in need. It was this intuition that made him so good at his job and, although I never said this out loud, it was something I'd always wished mom had.
When the plane landed and I collected my luggage, I exited the airport to my face upwards to the afternoon drizzle. It really was quite refreshing.
Standing several feet away with his trusty police cruiser was my dad, Forks Police Chief Charles 'Charlie' Swanson. Smiling broadly beneath his thick handlebar mustache, Dad reached out and gave me an awkward one-armed hug, which I returned with a full one. I normally wasn't like this, but I hadn't seen the man in months. He deserved some affection, even as something as simple as an embrace.
"Glad you could make it Bells," Dad said, still smiling. "How was your flight?"
"The flight was good. I'm glad to be here too Dad."
Once my suitcase was packed and we had both strapped in, Dad started the engine and pulled out of the airport.
"I uh, found a car for you. Didn't have to pay much for it at all," my dad announced suddenly after several minutes of driving.
I looked at him in surprise. Other than my mom and step-father, I'd never told anyone about my goal of buying a car, and here my dad went out of his way to do so for me before I'd even arrived. I quickly turned my head to peer out the window, desperately trying to stop the tears welling in my eyes.
"Wow dad that's awesome! Thank you so much, I-I don't know what to say."
"Ah, it's nothing. Down't worry about it," my dad said before clearing his throat in embarrassment.
Falling back into silence, I focused on the scenery passing by outside. Now don't get me wrong, Arizona's deserts are beautiful, but the flora present in Forks took my breath away. Due to the constant rain, everything was a brilliant emerald green, practically giving off an aura of nature at its finest.
When we got back to dad's house, I saw my new car in the driveway. It was a 1990 Chevy, and it was love at first sight. It may have been aged, with the paint job slightly faded, but it was still my own car. As soon as I got out of the cruiser, I leapt inside my new truck, wanting to see what the inside was like. Despite being used, it had been cleaned pretty thoroughly, with a faint bubblegum scent as the only reminder of a previous owner, who obviously had good taste in candy.
Afterwards, the rest of the day passed by in a blur. Dad helped me move my stuff into the guest bedroom, we went out to grab dinner at Zip's Drive In, I sent an email to mom when we got back home, before brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed.
When I woke up, I blinked in surprise before sitting upright. It had been a long time since I had such a deep, restful sleep.
After a quick shower, I grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs. Dad had already left for work, but he left a plate of blueberry pancakes along with a note, wishing me luck on my first day at a new school.
Smiling tenderly at how far my dad was going to make me feel welcome, I went into the kitchen to grab the maple syrup and some milk. After I finished, I got into my truck and started the engine for the first time. The loud roar as it came to life made me jump in my seat; I had to take a few deep breaths for my heart to return to a normal rate.
Finding the school was easy enough despite having never gone there before. Google Maps does wonders when trying to navigate after all.
The front office of the school was small yet cosy, reminding me vaguely of the lobbies of the hotels for guests who had to catch a flight the next day. Sitting behind the desk near the entrance was a woman in her late twenties, who had frizzy brown hair and was wearing a tie-dye tank top, despite the weather outside being close to 10 degrees Celsius.
"Hello. Welcome to Forks High School! How can I help you?" The woman, who I assumed was a secretary, inquired in a polite voice.
"Hi, my name is Isabella Swanson, I'm starting classes here today?"
"One moment please," the possible-secretary said before typing on her keyboard. Apparently finding what she was looking for, her eyes widened a bit as she looked at me again.
"Ah, here we go! Isabella Swanson, incoming junior transfer student from Phoenix, Arizona." The woman proceeded to reach down into one of her desk drawers for a document my new teachers needed to sign, and a map of the school campus.
"My name is Ms. Cope; I'm the head secretary of the Forks High front office. It's nice to meet you Miss Swanson." Although the speech seemed really cut-and-paste, Ms. Cope's smile seemed quite genuine.
I couldn't help but smile in response. I was feeling less nervous about school already.
EPOV
High school.
To most adolescents, this was a place not unlike a prison, where rules had to be followed and homework needed to be done. To me, high school was a constant, no matter the time period. It is a place where growing humans can interact with others, and begin to get just the smallest taste of the outside world. It was a place that held countless memories of laughter and tears, happiness and heartbreak.
If a normal teenager could hear my thoughts, they would assume I was an old man in a boy's body. They'd be half correct, given the fact that I'm over a hundred years old, and will continue to live for several centuries to come.
Although I had the gift of mind reading, I preferred not to use it all that much. Instead, I often found myself content just listening to the numerous conversations of my fellow classmates wash over me like a river. Their voices gave me hope; they reminded me of how, even if some humans make dark choices, there are others who not only outnumber the malicious, but make better choices than them that lead to acceptance, teamwork, and love.
The only contrasts against this steady stream of human thought, aside from myself, were my two brothers and two sisters, who knew about my special power and rarely gave it a thought. I always did my best to shut myself out and give them their privacy, but, having lived with them for decades, I could still tell what was on their minds, even if I wasn't telepathic.
My sister Rosalie, our family's blond bombshell, was thinking about mirrors, which had started today after she seen her reflection in one of her classmate's glasses. Ever since, she was mulling over how mirrors had factored into the mythologies of many past civilizations, and whether or not any of them held truths long forgotten. Rosalie's mind was a series of tunnels, that led in multiple directions.
My brother Emmet, the gentle giant, was going over his wrestling match with Jasper the previous night, trying to figure out the factors that had caused him to lose. Physics equations were racing along in his head as he studied the match from all angles, hoping to cover his own weaknesses before issuing a rematch. Emmet's mind was a body of clear water with no shadows or hidden creatures lurking underneath.
My other sister Alice, the hyperactive fashionista, was going over her latest design, and how she should have her 'business associate' (aka another one of our classmates) model the adjustments she was going to make. If Emmet could calculate physics in his head at a fast pace, Alice's thoughts would make his look snail-like in comparison; she was impulsive and couldn't sit still, but that was partly of her ability of clairvoyance, which came to her at random times, not unlike the former Disney show That's So Raven. Alice's mind was a blustering tornado, juggling her hobbies and the future at the same time.
My other brother Jasper was, unfortunately, suffering. He controlled the unique power of pathokinesis, an ability which allowed him to influence the emotional states of anyone around him. However, every superpower possesses a downside; Jasper's was that although he could control emotions, he was easily susceptible to them as well. Just being in a cafeteria, where the feeling of hunger was present from hundreds of students, was making his cravings for blood strengthen, while his self control weakened.
I quickly nudged his foot with my own, instantly catching his attention and causing him to regain his senses. Giving me a quick look of gratitude, my southern brother left the cafeteria to get some fresh air. None of us blamed him for his difficulty in handling crowds; Jasper's mind was like a planet, exerting its gravitational pull on other nearby objects, drawing them in with its charismatic force.
With that done, I was ready to return to pretend eating, when I felt eyes on my back. I scanned the cafeteria before my eyes met another pair, several tables away.
(A/N): Well, here it is, my first Twilight fan fiction. Shoutouts to Das_Mervin, Gehayi, and other writers on Live Journal for inspiring me to see how I could rewrite this series and try to make it better. Each chapter of this first book will comprise of both Bella and Edward's perspectives, with one providing more narrative over the other depending on how the story progresses. Also, as the title implies, yes: in this story, the Cullens are faeries who still crave blood. Why that is will be explained in a future update.
