AN: Thanks so much for all the reviews and patience, it was greatly appreciated :). I'm rather fuzzy on the geography of Forks, so I'm basically going to make up all of this according to how I imagined everything upon reading the books. I just noticed today upon typing this chapter that I have been forgetting disclaimers. How silly of me…
DISCLAIMER: well, obviously I don't own Twilight or New Moon, otherwise I probably wouldn't be writing fan fictions.
After driving very fast for a while, I slowed down the Thunderbird when the roads became more familiar. As I drove, a soft clap of thunder tickled my ears. I could hear the rain before I even saw it. Fat drops of it plopped onto the windshield and windows of the car. Even though I didn't need them in order to see, I flipped on the wipers and watched the drops wipe away and stream down the sides of the windshield. I smiled.
This is home, I thought to myself, for once feeling a small grain of real happiness trickle down my spine. I continued to smile as I drove past the familiar "Welcome" sign that signaled that I was passing into Forks.
I drove along the roads, remembering more and more as I went. As a human, I would have never thought I'd have even come close to being this attached to boring, rainy old Forks. But after all the turmoil, drama, and danger that I'd been through over the past four years, it was like a break from my new harsh reality and a trip into a memory.
The sweet smells of sawdust and grass filled my nostrils, mixed with the rain. It smelled beautiful. How could I ever have forgotten? Past the mills, I drove on until I was driving through Forks' Main Street.
I rounded a corner and drove on a ways until the road became slightly more worn. The grass gradually began to grow taller, and the trees on one side of the road gradually became denser as I drove. I could see a house very far in the distance. I sped up to about 80, but slowed down as I approached the house. I stopped quietly not far down the road from the house, though I could see the details of it perfectly well.
It was a small, white house. Plain, simple, livable. But apparently in the time of my absence, Charlie must have felt no obligation or necessity to keep the house looking clean. The small front yard was becoming over grown, and even from the distance away that I was, I could plainly see the dingy white paint chipping away from the wood. The porch looked dusty and cluttered, and I could see where some shingles had fallen and had not been repaired.
My eyes wandered, and a lump formed in my throat at the sight of my old red truck, still sitting in the driveway. I felt my lip quiver and the muscles in my neck tighten at this. He still hadn't sold it after I'd "died". I heard a faint creaking sound, and I looked. I saw a shadow moving inside the house. I stepped out of the car and bounded silently toward the house.
I stood outside the house now, determined not to make a sound. I took a gentle step onto the porch. It creaked, of course. I winced at the loud sound and looked toward where I knew the living room was, listening for any movement. None. The TV must have drowned out the noise.
I remembered the window to my bedroom upstairs and pushed it gently, hoping not to break it. It was locked. I furrowed my brow and looked at the little lock determinedly. It was just a little lock; after all, there was no reason why I could not move it.
I'd gained two special powers, and though immunity to most other vampires' powers seemed to come naturally, I hadn't quite mastered the other one completely. I hadn't been good at moving things lately, but Alice had told me that it'd take a while to get good control over my power to be able to use it all the time. No harm in trying, right?
I extended my hand, slowly spreading my fingers one at a time and focusing all my thoughts on the small lock. All I could picture in my mind was the lock moving on its own. I closed my eyes and focused my energy to my hand, my breath stopping in concentration. I heard a click. My eyes flew open and I looked. The lock had turned. I pushed at the window once again, and it opened freely. I grinned and quickly slipped in. I turned to look at the bedroom I'd once called mine. All my things were exactly as I'd left them.
I opened the door softly and peered down the stairs. His breathing was very even, I could hear that. It was more ragged-sounding than I had remembered. He snauffed very loudly, making me jump a little. I was so concentrated on the even breathing it caught me by surprise.
Certain he was asleep, I tiptoed down the stairs quickly, my feet making little sound save for one or two tiny creaks. I sidled against the wall to the corner and peeked around the edge. The sight of him clutched at my cold, dead heart.
Charlie looked shockingly older than he had when I had "died". He'd noticeably lost some of his weight, and his skin looked paler, slightly more worn. A closer look told me that he had dark circles engraved beneath his eyes. I could also tell that his hair was greyer, his scalp slightly more visible. He was withered, worn, and frayed… and it was my fault that he was.
I wanted to run over to the armchair and shake him awake, tell him that I was not dead, and not to worry. I wanted to make his dinner like I used to, and live here with him in this house so that he wasn't alone. So I wasn't alone.
But, sadly, that was all impossible.
I watched him sleep for a while – still unsure about how long of a while—before I finally went back I went upstairs to shut the window back. I planned to lock the window as I had found it and leave through the front door. As I turned the little lock on the window, I heard a creak on the floor behind me. I whipped around, eyes wide.
Charlie stood in the doorway brandishing a nightstick. In the darkness of my small bedroom, I could hear his teeth grinding together, his face fierce with rage.
"Who's there? Stay where you are!" he commanded angrily, holding the nightstick in a menacing way. I gulped and took a step back, my hands up in the air.
"Stay calm," I said softly. By the speeding of his increasing blood pressure (to my unwanted eagerness), I could tell that this statement only enraged him further. His hand flew to the wall beside him and flipped the light switch on. His eyes widened when he saw my face. He dropped the nightstick. And I watched relief as his blood drained from his face.
We stood for a long time, neither saying a word. He stared at me, and I stared at his face, trying to ignore my own salivation at the sight of his veins bulging out of his neck. He kept opening and shutting his mouth as if he wanted to say something.
There was nothing that could be said.
"Bella…?" he said bewilderedly, his eyes wild with many emotions. I couldn't help but smile a little.
"Hey, Dad," I said warmly, the phrase coming out easily and normal, as though it'd been a typical day and he'd just arrived from work while I was finishing making dinner. He simply stared, taking in my changed appearance with surprise and shock. I listened to his heart beat rapidly, and his breathing become deeper and more frantic sounding. He leaned up against the wall and began to wheeze. Worry struck through my chest. Good one, Bella. Rise from the "grave" and give Dad a heart attack.
I was by his side in an instant. I put a hand on his back and held his elbow gently with the other so that he wouldn't fall if he collapsed. "Dad, are you okay? Calm down... breathe, it's okay." I said softly, but I was sure he could hear the panic in my voice. I breathed with him so that he would match my breaths, and I could gradually hear his heart rate and breath return to normal.
"B-Bella... is it... is it really you?" he gasped out slowly as he brought his eyes up to meet mine in the dark, still on the verge of hyperventillating, I could tell. I frowned.
"No."
He lowered his head again, defeated. It hurt me to see him like this, but I knew it was impossible to tell him the truth. I feared that he would do a lot worse than just hyperventillate. I cupped one of his cheeks softly with my hand, hoping to display sympathy. The cold from my hand shocked him, and his eyes shot up to mine in surprise. I smiled softly.
"You're dreaming, Charlie... when you wake up, you won't be able to find me. But I want you to know that I love you very, very much. And... even though you can't see me, I'll always be here." I watched his eyes tear up, and my lips quivered. "I love you, Dad." He smiled a very small smile as two tears dripped down off his chin. "I love you too, Bel-ACK!" I shot my hand up and chopped the side of his neck with my hand and watched him fall unconscious.
He began to fall forward, and I caught him lightly in my arms. Cradling him in my arms like an infant, I carried him downstairs to the chair he was in when I arrived and lay him down gently, careful not to accidentally bruise him. I brushed my lips over his forehead, trying to ignore the shiver that went over him when I did so, and swept from the house, locking the door behind me.
I was in my car in less than 3 seconds, and once the ignition was turned, I was speeding down the road. It was steadily getting more and more annoying and angering that I couldn't return to all the old people I used to know. That I couldn't return to Jacob and the werewolves, that I couldn't return to Charlie, and I knew that after Edward has moved on, I can never really return to the Cullens and still feel comfortable. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being a vampire and being this powerless over everything. I hated it!
I pushed my foot down on the brakes to slow down, but I wasn't paying attention and hit it slightly harder than I meant to. I knew what was coming before it had finished happening: the tires screeched in protest, the car jerked to a hault, anything that was in the car other than myself lunged forward or else flew to the front of the car. I groaned and rubbed my temples, letting my head rest against the seat. I was ready for my "life" to end. Soon. I briefly pondered where to go next before I finally went to search for a way to end my life. I opened my eyes and looked over at the side of the road that was almost overgrown. I smiled.
Of course. I wanted to go into the Forest one last time. I hid the car in the brush, carefully covering it. I stood back and once was satisfied that no one passing by could tell it was there, I turned and looked up at the Forest, taking in every detail from the green leaves to the insects wriggling in the underbrush. As I stepped forward to begin my hunt, I couldn't help but smirk darkly.
My last meal at home.
With that thought in her mind, Bella plunged into the forest, leaping long, gazelle-like bounds through the trees and listening intently for movement of animals in the forest. But... little does our young Bella know, one certain werewolf is throwing a foul tantrum only a few miles away...
(A/N: I hope you all like it, sorry it was delayed! Jacob Black will make an appearance in the next chapter, I assure you. Just be patient. Feedback is encouraged and greatly welcomed, thanks!!)