Chapter 2 – Settling In
A tiny house in Forks, given to my Dad from an aunt I couldn't even remember. I didn't really know what to say at first. My Mom and Dad where so happy to have this kind of back up plan for me that I didn't decline, I didn't mention that Forks was actually 1,206 miles away from LA, from everything I've ever known.
I went to bed early that night, opened up my laptop and googled colleges in Forks. To my surprise there was actually a few and I sent a couple emails out asking about late submission. Without actually making the decision, it looked like I was moving to Forks, on my own, at 18. The next few weeks were kind of a blur, saying goodbye to my little friend group who promised to call and e-mail, getting my last bagel at my favorite little brunch place, walking the streets I knew so well and packing up my whole live into a few boxes. That would have been hard enough, but the packing boxes where separated into two – one being Forks and one being Australia. I was going to miss my Mom and Dad so much that I could actually feel an ache in my chest when I thought about how far away they were going. All in the space of 3 weeks I'd lost my home and my parents. I just hoped whatever was waiting for me in Forks was good – I was betting everything on it.
I left for Forks before my Mom and Dad left for Australia so they could help me get all my things to the airport and say a proper goodbye. The drive to the airport was short and I laid my head on the cool glass in the back of the car, just looking and listening to the two people I loved most in the world. They laughed, spoke, moved and breathed together. I guess you could say they were really soulmates. We spoke about our favorite memories throughout all the years in LA and before I knew it, I was at the departure gate. I grasped them both in a group hug and they held me back. We didn't have to say anything, we just knew.
I put one foot in front of the other rhythmically, scared I was going to turn around and beg for them to take to Australia. They knew I could do this, and I kept that thought with me as I turned around for one last look. They were locked in an embrace, my Dad cradling my Mom's head. I knew they would keep each other safe and with that comfort, I stepped onto the plane.
So that's how I came to be sat on this flight from LA to Seattle-Tacoma Airport. I'd found my seat and already took out my book to begin reading. I needed anything to distract me right now. I peek my head out from the pages and the stewardesses are preparing for takeoff, so I guess I have a row to myself which is cool, I could really do with it. I put my book down and look out the window, glancing at my last view of LA as we soar above. In the smallest voice I whisper goodbye as my head begins to nod and the view slips away.
When I wake up it's to the announcement from the pilot asking everyone to prepare for landing. My heart beats so fast in my chest I'm surprised that I'm not taking off too. I open my front camera to check I look okay and just scrape back my auburn hair into high pony tail, wiping at the eyeliner that transferred under my eyes in my sleep. Glancing out the window as we land, it shocks me how different the landscape is here. My heart beats even faster and I know that I'm really, really doing this. I guess this is my new home.
My Mom and Dad had helped me arrange the move to Forks. I had a rental car waiting for me outside the airport and my things were already at the house, the removal guys dropped them off last week. The 3-and-a-half-hour journey to Forks was more than enough for me to overthink absolutely everything. What if my college submissions have all been rejected and I have to live in the house as a foreign hermit? What if the house is a total mess and I get the first flight back to LA? At least the scenery was kind of calming as I drove, lots of full, viridescent trees and hills with miles of long, unruly grass. The sky even seemed higher here – or maybe that was fog deceiving me. Just as I'm about to stop for a break, the City of Forks sign jeers at me from the side of the road. So, I guess I'll keep driving, I can't be too far from the house now.
After getting lost a couple times I pull up in the driveway of my new house. I feel a little ashamed about worrying about the state of it – my dad wouldn't have sent me to a ruin. And he really didn't. It's so small, it's actually kind of quaint. I step out of the car to take it all in. Traditional red brick, it has 2 stories and a little chimney pocking out from the right side. The front of the house has a path to the driveway and grass surrounding all sides, with a few little bushes and a tree. I have neighbors but their houses are a little stretch away, so I do have privacy. I step up to the olive door and shove my key in. This moment kind of feels big to me. This is my first place on my own and as I open the door, the anxiety seeps away while the excitement kicks in.
The house is hugely open plan, and the door opens to the spacey first floor, with the stairs in front of me. The floor is all hardwood, a deep glossy brown colour with a huge fluffy rug in front of the fire. The downstairs is kind of split into 2 rooms, the living room and the traditional little kitchen at the back. All of the furniture is already here, half of it mine from LA and I guess the other half was Great Aunt Glinda's. But it fit so well. The emerald green sofas matched the emerald green kitchen and the bookshelves matched the huge fireplace. I slunk my bag onto the floor and started opening the curtains. The windows were huge and the one next to the fire even had a little seat attached. Had I actually just walked into my dream house? The house became lighter from the open curtains and I went to open the back door to circulate some air through – it was kind of musty. The back garden was much bigger than the front, with plentiful grass and a huge tree almost reaching the roof of the house. I drew a breath out, seeing it as smoke in front of me in the cold air. I knew I was home. I could feel it.
The whole of the upstairs was just 2 rooms as well – the bedroom and the bathroom. The bedroom had a huge 3 paneled window and my bed stood with the headboard against it. I sat on the soft covers and took in my new room. The walls were a soft cream and the floor the same hardwood as downstairs. I knew I could make it mine with a million different fairy lights and about a ton of blankets. I sank deeper into my mattress and smiled, breathing in the familiar scent of my old bed. I dreamt of my Mom and Dad that night and in my dream, Australia seemed to have a lot of trees.
Author's note - Thankyou so much for reading! Characters from the books are about to join the story from here on if you were wondering when they would finally appear! I haven't wrote in years so I'm just getting back into the swing of things. Please let me know what you think! Thankyou :))