A/N This story will contain triggers for suicide/depression and abuse (non physical). If you or someone you know is in crisis you can call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline or 1-800-799-7233 for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Holding things in is not being strong, or brave but getting help and facing those problems and fears straight on is. Also, sorry if this seems like a slow start, I'm trying to write it like an actual book, so in reality this would only be half a chapter but I can understand how on a website it might seem sluggish of a story. I swear it gets better! I own nothing of Stephanie Meyers.
Bella had done it. She had made it through the day with that fake smile plastered on her face, and her friends had whole-heartedly believed this was one of her good days. She had even gone beyond what a good day would normally require, staying after for a yearbook meeting and submitting pictures for the school newspaper. By the time Bella arrived home she felt almost a sort of confidence build in her. The day was tough, and faking every ounce of emotion was predictably exhausting; but her ability to do so had never waivered. That sense of confidence drained the second the image of Charlie sitting on their front steps came into view. "Charlie won't be fooled dumbass," that now strong voice in her head laughed "He's Police Chief, idiot" it continued to snicker. As she parked and approached the house, the voice got louder and louder, causing a crack in the perfectly crafted mask of contentedness, that had previously held so strong. But Charlie did not in fact see this, his face in fact brightening up upon realizing this was a "good day".
"Hey Bells, how was school?" Charlie asked, a sense of hope hidden behind the ordinary question. Show time, Bella thought. Taking a quick, steadying breath she responded.
"It was actually really great! I got an A on my English paper (lie, she had gotten it extended due to a lack of a physical paper on her part), and Angela and me are planning a trip to go dress shopping for homecoming (another lie, they had talked about some book Angela was reading). Oh and I submitted some pictures to the school newspaper. (Not a lie. Step one to creating a convincing façade; always throw a bit of truth into the mix)".
That little bit of hope from before now blossomed into full blown happiness as Charlie smiled wide, relief showing in his eyes, as he held himself back from attacking her with a bear hug. His kid was ok. Maybe only for today, but she was ok.
Bella, seeing his relief, began walking inside. Maybe she could make a break for it before he decided to go all dad on her.
"So Bells, there's something I have been meaning to discuss with you". Welp, she had tried.
"Uh yea Dad what's up?" "Well, and before I say this I want you to know the decision was super last minute and your mother and I talked long and hard, and well I really wasn't sure how to tell you hence me also telling you last minute…"
Great, Bella thought, he's kicking me out, all the way back to Jacksonville. At least maybe she could be slightly tanned and miserable there.
"….But um your sister is coming to live with us". Shit, shit, shit! Oh that was ten times worse than getting told she was being shipped off to Florida. All Bella could muster was a open-mouthed stare at Charlie, who at this point looked worried, probably assuming he had broke her. Finally, words came out
"Uh dad, just um… why?" "Well she missed you, and I haven't seen her for more than two weeks in years, and well me and your mom thought it might be good for you to have her around. You two always seem happier when you're around each other". Psh yea ok, Lia was a bubbly ball of personality she was always happier around literally anyone. And Bella, well Bella was unsure if she wanted to be that "happier" version of herself that she was around Lia.
"Ok but Lia hates Forks. Like would rather get shipped to China than move here"
"Well she's more mature now, and clearly she is ok enough with Forks to move here". " "Dad, Lia is the opposite of everything Forks. When we were in Phoenix, she was downtown constantly. And when we were in New Jersey I'm pretty sure she lived in Manhattan more than our house. Hell, the girl can't go a day without tanning or some sort of sunlight. She might have a mental breakdown if she gets too pale!" "And, annnd, she constantly needs stuff to do. I can't remember the last Saturday she spent doing nothing unless she was sick or actively made the decision to be boring. She'll lose her mind weekend one here!"
Now Bella was just rambling. But she could see the cracks in Charlie's resolve. He clearly knew she was right. Not that Lia was some miserable, whiny brat, it was quite the opposite actually. If the environment was not ideal to her, well she made it ideal. She worked waitressing shifts after school so she could pay for those trips into the city, and kept her grades up so Renee would buy her that lovely Jeep of hers. No friends? Not a problem; Lia would just ask to sit at a lunch table, interject into the conversation with a joke at some point, and bam! she was set. Lia didn't whine about her problems, she fixed them. And here came Bella's problem with Lia; she tried to get Bella to do the same damn thing. Every time Bella got dragged into that dark hole when Lia was around she would practically shove her into her own makeshift version of therapy. Where Bella told her what had led to this particular episode, Lia would talk to her about it everyday until Bella started to feel better, and then they'd watch a movie to laugh and move on.
This usual way of doing things meant Bella was incredibly screwed for the following reason; Lia was going to pull her usual therapy shit the second she was unpacked. Except, Bella couldn't explain the problem this time. "Oh yea well listen I normally wouldn't be this broken up over a boy but this time he was a vampire and promised me I was his immortal love but then proceeded to dump me and leave me stranded in the woods" didn't exactly roll off the tongue. With Charlie, it was easy enough to pretend that this was normal first love lost drama. He hadn't even dated after Renee. Lia on the other hand, she was much more familiar with boys and breakups; she wasn't going to buy any of Bella's excuses.
"Listen Bells, I really appreciate you being concerned for your sister" Charlie started, dragging Bella out of her inner monologue, "but she will be fine. And it's only until you graduate. Then she is moving back in with your mother'. Bella thought she heard a hint of disappointment when Charlie spoke that last part, but in all honesty she couldn't be bothered to care at that moment. There was an end date on Lia's presence in Forks, an exact stretch of time that Bella would have to fake being ok or at the bare minimum tell Lia to back off constantly. "Then," whispered the voice "we can give up, finally". A sense of contentment washed over her, and she looked at Charlie with all the hope in the world in his eyes. The poor man had no idea what was coming, but maybe if she could make him happy for the coming months, it would all work out ok. Sighing, "when is she getting here?".
Relief. "She'll be here tonight, but don't worry she's staying in the downstairs guest room so if she comes in super late it shouldn't wake you up'. No worries on that end, sleep hadn't been on the agenda in weeks. "I'm gonna go make dinner; anything else you need?" "No but uh Bella…I'm glad you had a good day honey". "Yea Dad, me too".
The house was blanketed in complete darkness, but whether from how late it was or the mass amount of trees surrounding it, was anyone's guess. Lights were faint but illuminated the inside and Lia sighed with relief. Someone had actually attempted to stay up for her. Not sure if Charlie was actually awake though, and not wanting to scare the man with the gun, Lia called the house phone. "Hello?" Bella. The sound shocked Lia straight into silence. It was a sound she hadn't heard in months, and one that she had assumed she wouldn't have to hear for at least another twelve hours. "Heelllooo?" Bella was beginning to get annoyed with the lack of an answer. Finally, "Hey LaLa, it's your favorite person, currently cold and stuck outside". "Oh my god, hey Emilia! Do you need help getting in? Do you want me to wake up Dad?!" So, they were going with full names, and avoiding each other as an opening move. Lia could tell she had her work cut out for her. That did not, however, mean she couldn't be slightly passive aggressive. "Yea if you could I'd really appreciate it. Just need help with one or two bags, but I'm sure you've gotta get some sort of sleep before school". That caused some hesitation. "Uh yea you know someone told me that you should get at least four hours or just not even bother. Kind of now or never. I'll just go get Dad…" "Ok I'm gonna hang up, I'll see ya tomorrow LaLa" "Yea night Emilia"
Lia began pulling her bags out of the car, all of which felt heavier than she remembered. Or maybe her short, insignificant/significant convo with Bella was what was really weighing her down. Emilia. It felt dirty, like that feeling someone gets when their parents are yelling their full names down the hall, and the person just knows they're screwed. Normally, even when Bella was on the verge of throwing her in a six-foot ditch, she still called her Lia. Emilia wasn't just her name, it was Bella's way of signaling to her; signaling that she was not exactly her friend as this moment and maybe if she had the option to stay away, it was in Lia's best option to take it. Well sucks for you Bella! Lia smirked to herself, I'm great at dealing with people annoyed at my presence. Just go ask mom! It was at this point Charlie walked out the front door, dragging his feet slightly. Seriously Bella, you could've sucked it up and just been passive aggressive to my face for twenty minutes; saved Charlie some sleep. Now the bags were definitely heavier. Jesus, what did she pack?! Charlie had reached her and immediately started grabbing bags that Lia was avoiding. God bless Dads who save the reunions for post- unload. "Hiya Pops!" "Hi Lia, how was the drive?" "Pretty good, pretty long. Not the worst I've ever had". "Good, Good".
Lia had forgotten how many words Charlie seemed to be lacking as he kicked open the door and led her to the room that was going to be hers. To someone like Bella, who loved purple and wanted her life covered in it, Lia's room would be the actual worst. But for Lia, whose idea of perfect was clean and illuminated, the white walls and light grey dressers were a dream. The gold handles as accents added a cherry on top. As Lia surveyed her new room with a smile on her face, Charlie surveyed his long-missed daughter. She had changed a great deal since the last time he'd seen her. The long dark hair that seemed to be a staple for both his kids, was now simply a slight part of his daughters dark to bleach blonde balyage she now sported. Her skin had turned to an olive tone, at least three shades darker than her sisters and at least a shade darker than her last visit. Charlie almost wanted to cry, having to accept that another one of his daughters was in fact clearly attractive. And to his great unease, his younger daughter seemed to be embracing that in her effort towards her outward appearance.
Were her nails done too? And how many piercings had she accumulated? When had she gotten a nose ring? When had she started dressing like someone on one of those social media sites? Charlie could feel himself beginning to panic and looked to Lia to do something to save him. Lucky for him, Lia knew how to fill an awkward silence. Having placed her suitcases off to the side, and freeing up her hands, Lia ran up and gave her dad a big hug; mercifully pulling him away from his worries. "It's good to see you Dad". "Its good to see you too kiddo" Charlie whispered. He held on for a few seconds longer than he normally would and then let go.
"Sorry to do this but uh I've got to be up in a few hours for work so if you don't need me, I think I'll turn in". "No its ok, I was just about to say I'm kind of exhausted" Lia breathily laughed. She was always adding a little breathy laugh at the end of her statement when she felt awkward about what she was saying. It was how she got people to warm up to her; get them to smile at the very least or tat hat most they would chuckle along with her. Either way, it stopped any of her statements from being taken in a controversial way.
"Alright, Bella has school tomorrow and I'll be at work so you're gonna have the house to yourself for a while. I can help you unpack when I get home if you want". "Yea Dad I'll let you know if I don't finish". "Sounds good, night!" "Night Dad, love ya" "Love you too".
With Charlie gone, Lia had a few moments to herself again before she passed out. Opening her phone, Lia checked her Snapchat and texts, making sure to respond to those friends that would legitimately call the cops if she didn't respond within a few hours of the time she had said she was arriving. Then, opening her laptop, she found a crime documentary on Netflix and went to the bathroom to wash off all remnants of makeup. It was at this point a long, piercing howl rang out, sounding only a few feet from the window. Lia jumped, startled at this unfamiliar sound and ran to turn on all the lights. The girl could've sworn that when she looked up to the now illuminated blinds, a large figure ran by. Startled again, Lia backed away from the window, pausing her documentary. There was no way a giant thing was running around her backyard. Lia stood in silence for a little while, waiting for another howl or flash of movement, but nothing. Yep, the show is definitely making me paranoid, thought Lia. Pressing the play button, Lia went back to washing up and then slightly ran back to her room, locking the door once inside. Maybe it was paranoia but it never hurt to lock a door.
The exhaustion eventually took over, leaving Lia passed out in front of the still running documentary. Despite the violent program playing right before sleep, she would have a dream not a nightmare. She would dream of a sweet relationship with a faceless man. She would dream of a future life of romantic dates in Seattle and moving into a Manhattan apartment. She would dream of a grey/white wolf. And she would dream for hours but come morning, those dreams were but a pleasant feeling of a good nights rest, leaving Lia with absolutely no indication of how real those dreams were about to become.