9
Bella felt her shoulders tense even more as they passed the 'Welcome to Forks' sign that stood at the edge of Forks, Washington. While eight years had changed the small community in many way, there was so much that was still the same: the grocery store, the local mechanic, the lodge. Bella had been forced to sit through many meals there, grumbling about how much the food sucked, how unhealthy it had been. But over the years, she had clung onto those memories.
"Remember our first day of freshman year, B?" Alice asked, turning and looking back at Bella as they passed the high school. "We were so nervous."
"Yeah," she murmured. "I tried to convince them that I was sick, that I needed to stay home, but . . . but it didn't work."
"Never did," she laughed and turned back around. "Every time I come back, I think about that day. We thought for sure we would be picked on, teased because everyone knew your brother, but they didn't even look at us. We were nothing to them."
"Wish we still were," Bella muttered under her breath. Whether or not anyone heard her, she wasn't sure. She looked over at Charlie, who was still fast asleep. How she envied her right then: to be that innocent, to not worry about every step you take, every move you make. Bella had once been like that, too, before he beat it out of her.
—MfM—
Twenty minutes later, Jasper pulled the black SUV up in front a large, Victorian style house that sat just on the outside of town. It was white with red shutters, a wraparound porch with a swing, a dozen potted plants, and a floral Christmas wreath on the door. Bella almost smiled. It was almost two months since Christmas and the wreath was still on the door. Just like every year, she thought.
"Ready, B?" Edward asked, causing her to sigh. "They aren't going to be mad."
Bella scoffed and shifted her attention to him. "Yeah, they will, and they should be."
"B," Alice murmured and when she looked back at the house, she saw the front door open and her brother step out.
Tears filled her eyes as she automatically reached for the door handle, pulling on it, and letting the door swing open. Her heart was racing as she looked down at Charlie and then back at Edward.
"Go," he whispered. "I'll get her out in a second. Go to him, B."
She nodded, dislodging the moisture that had filled her eyes, causing it to sprinkle down her cheeks. Trying to keep from losing control, she slid her legs out, her feet touching the ground, her knees feeling weak and shaky. She kept her back to the front of the house as she stepped backward and closed the door to the car. Once again, taking a deep breath, she turned and looked back at her brother. Still a devastatingly beautiful man, he had dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was tall and slender. His eyes widened and his mouth opened just a smidge.
"Isabella?" he whimpered, taking two steps down. "Isabella, is it really you?"
"Hey, Carlisle," she murmured. "Been a long time."