(Haha! I finally got this done!)

Hey Twilight fans out there reading,

I hate Twilight. (Harry potter ftw bitchaaaaaas~)

If that makes you want to stop reading, go ahead. I, however, refuse to make fun of it in this story. It is strictly opinion free.

And if you want to go all fangirl and correct me if something never happened, or if I wrote something wrong, then I'm going to stop writing this story (unless it's actually constructive and isn't about how I've messed something up). I have the book opened and ALL THAT I'M ADDING is just Bella's "true opinion" and extra scenery details (reading Twilight again in the attempt to write this fanfic really irritates me…I can't believe she (Stephanie Meyer) doesn't write setting detail in! I was on the same page for around TWO HOURS!) Yarg…working with Twilight seems…pointless…but I did it!

…Just saying…er, venting. Now you can read.

Driving me to the airport, my mother looked calm and relaxed…it was a front. I was lounging in the back of the car casually, glancing out at the vivid scenery of skyscrapers and city buses. That was a front too.

It was hot outside, an unsurprising seventy-five degrees. I would have denied the heat any other day, but today I didn't readjust myself to avoid it; instead I let I sit on my skin, to remind me that I was leaving it for something much more cold…and not as dry.

Where I was leaving to was the complete opposite of the warm paradise I lived in now; I was heading to Forks, Washington. Never heard of it? That's not surprising; not a lot of people ever have. I have, however, and it was a small, rainy town with a population of…molecules. I used to live there with my mom and dad, Charlie, until my mother had enough and ran off with me. Probably the only wise thing that my mother had ever done. Then again, she was the one who had gotten into the relationship with my dad too early.

I didn't want to go to Forks. I didn't want to leave Phoenix; didn't want to leave the heat, the sun, the endless crowds that I could hide in day after day after day…

But you need to blame my mom for that. She's dating a baseball player, and their going to be traveling a lot…just great. So, it was either Forks, or a trailer park. No more Phoenix for me…even though I'm the one who takes care of my mother, instead of vise versa.

We pulled up to the driving lot and walked in, along with the other many people leaving for vacations, and to visit loved family members on the east coast…

I was doing neither.

We walked silently to the gateway, and as I flashed my ticket to the flight attendant, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to see my mom's worried, innocent eyes…so much like my own face. Except that I wasn't innocent…at least not to my pleasure. Who am I kidding? I'm a klutz; innocence just seems to fly away from me.

"Bella" she started hesitantly. I knew how she would finish; I had heard the same words as a counsel over a thousand times before.

"You don't have to do this."

I had looked down to the ground when she said this; now that she had said it, I looked back up and stared at her, into her child-like eyes; somewhat naïve, I knew that it was okay if I did leave; the bills would get paid, thanks to her boyfriend Phil, there would be food, and I was sure that she wouldn't set anything on fire…possibly.

There wasn't a reason for me to be there…but I didn't want to go either. And I knew that the material aspect wasn't the reason for my mom to say that.

I looked up at her with as little emotion as possible, trying hard to hide my sadness as I left my home and travel back to my birthplace…

"That's okay…" I said, staring at her nose, trying to avoid her eyes. "I…want to go." I heard my voice crack on 'want', but the point was still evident that I couldn't change my mind, no matter how much I wanted to.

Her face fell slightly. "Tell Charlie that I say hi."

I nodded. "I will."

Her face grew serious as she looked at me. "I will see you soon." She promised emptily. I knew that there wouldn't be any way for her to. "You can come home whenever you want…and I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

Her eyes flickered as she said that last part. I knew she meant well, but she wouldn't willingly come back to me. I didn't want to be a bother to her, or Phil-I didn't even want to be a bother to Charlie, but bothering him was better than bothering two people at once…

I nodded obediently. My mother nodded with me, knowing well that I was lying as well when I had said that I wanted to go to Forks; I have always been a horrible liar. People just see right through all the things I say…I feel like I'm just a book at times…except that no one reads nowadays anyways so…I just feel like a…facebook page, I guess. Except that I have no facebook…

I was about to turn to the gateway when she grabbed me into a hug. I stood there, mother hugging me, and slowly put my arm up onto hers. She squeezed me tighter; I simply waited for her to release me into the gates leading to an abnormally wet hell.

I turned as I walked down the long hallway to the plane; I turned and waved off to my mother, who held her purse as if it would make me turn around and come back.

It did make me turn around. But not to her direction.

As I took my seat in the plane I wondered how I was going to spend the four hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle. That's not the end of it though; there's another hour to get to Port Angeles…and then another hour to actually get to Forks.

As I thought about the hour car ride with Charlie, my wonders on entertainment for the two flights vanished. I frowned; that was going to be awkward.

I used to visit Forks every summer and stay with Charlie until I was about fourteen years old. Then I insisted on stop going to the depressing microscopic town, and had met up with him for two weeks in California instead.

He was probably wondering what had changed my mind about Forks for me to actually come back. He knew that I hated going there, let alone move there. I pulled up in the seat in an attempt to readjust my position. Nothing changed my mind; my options just kind of backfired on me.

He wasn't upset though; no, he seemed pretty pleased when I had called to let him know that I was going to live with him permanently…for now, at least. Hopefully some monster will come rip me up and drag me against my will back to Phoenix.

Ha. I wish.

But the one hour car ride was definitely going to be incredibly uneasy. None of us were much of "talkers", and, like I said earlier, he must be curious as to why it was I decided to move out with him to Forks.

I pulled up the book in the coat pocket of my parka (yes my carry on is a parka…believe me, if you ever go to Forks, you'd be wise to bring one too) and opened it to the first page. I didn't care what book it was; I just grabbed the hardest read from Barnes & Nobles that I could in twenty minutes.

I began to read when i felt someone's eyes on me. I slowly looked up to my right to see a woman staring at me with concern. She was clutching a cross tied around her neck. She squinted her eyes when I looked at her and I could see her grip on the cross tighten. I bit my lip and looked back down at my book. I didn't feel the eyes leave my side.

I eventually got too absorbed in my book to notice her strange fixed gaze. I read eagerly; glad to be distracted from the reality of where I was ending up.

Attention passengers,

I looked up from the pages to see a flight attendant speaking into a microphone. Her sound projected over the plane seats.

We will be landing soon. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. Thank you for riding with us today.

I sighed. So much for that I thought, sliding the book back into the parka pocket. Back to reality…

I noticed that the odd woman across the aisle from me was missing from her seat. She took up all three seats in her row; she had a white flowery coat-blanket of some sort draped over two of the seats, and had suit cases covering the floor in front of the chairs…was that all of her carry on?

She came back and I glanced out the window, feeling a bit guilty for looking at her things.

As I looked out at the approaching ground I heard a very light thump on the seat next to me. I moved my head away from the window, my eyes still gazing out and forced my head to look at the seat next to me.

Shining in the light of the airplane was a silver cross…and a note. Frowning, I grabbed the cross and shoved it into the other pocket of the parka. I wasn't religious; why did I need a cross from someone who was glaring at me like I was the devil? I wasn't possessed; why would someone just give someone a cross…?

I held the note in my hands, turning it to the back, then to the front again. I considered opening it…but settled on stuffing it into the pocket of the blue parka. I'll read it later…I suppose…

Another flight later I landed in the small land of Port Angeles. There was rain outside. I didn't expect anything less; I knew that the sun was a distant thing now.

I grabbed my things and struggled with them as I walked to the door. I attempted to walk through the crowd until I actually got to the door. I tried to open them with my side, but the door didn't budge open wide enough. I began to push harder.

Someone pushed besides me and I stumbled onto the wet pavement…which made me slip even further. See? I landed on my butt, my luggage everywhere. Told you I was a klutz.

Charlie ran from wherever he was standing as I fell, helping me up and grabbing one of my bags. He let go of my arm as I was steadying myself and I stumbled back towards the street. Charlie dropped the suitcase and grabbed me before I landed. "It's good to see you, Bell." He said smiling as he pulled me back up. I heard snickers from behind me. I returned to my feet with a sigh, and began to gather up my suitcases. He did the same, lifting up two and we began to walk to his car. "You haven't changed much. How's Renee?"

"Mom is fine…It's…good to see you Dad." I coughed out bluntly, trying to show some positivity. I'm not sure it would be wise to call him 'Charlie'…to his face at least.

I caught sight of it thirty feet away; I should have guessed that he would pick me up in his…work car.

Charlie is Police Chief to the people of Forks. This was his only car, last time I checked. I need my own car I realized as we got closer. I'd rather not be driven around with red and blue lights on top…everywhere I go…

My few bags fit easily in the trunk of Charlie's cruiser. I threw them in, and opened the door to the shot gun seat and slid in.

"Bella, I've found a car for you." I turned to him. How did he know that I wanted a car? Ugh, I'm so easy to read.

He saw my face of surprise and looked a bit worried. Probably misinterpreted it. That seemed to happen a lot to me. "A good car for you, really cheap."

I turned back and raised my eyebrow slightly. A good car for me? Jeez, did the seatbelts have bubble wrap or something? I hate being a klutz. What does he mean, good for me?

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

"Where'd you find it?" I asked, remembering his use of the word "cheap."

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?"

"No." In fact, I barely remembered anything about Forks or the surrounding areas. I did know that La Push was a tiny Native American reservation by the coast.

Charlie looked a bit discouraged, as if I had just pushed aside his attempt of bringing up memories of this drenched town. "He used to go fishing with us during the summer," he prompted.

Ah, perfect explanation as to why I didn't remember him; it was a memory of the town and all those forced summer "vacations" to it. I tend to push back unpleasant, painful, unnecessary things from my memory. It's incredibly helpful…at times…

Charlie continued, despite my silence, once again, probably misinterpreting it. "He's in a wheelchair now, so he can't drive it anymore, and he offered to sell it cheap."

I scowled to myself at his use of the word "cheap." "What year is it?" I asked him up front. It was the right thing to do, because his changed expression proved enough to me that my assumptions about the use of the word "cheap" were correct.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine…" Without any responses from me, he quickly continued to cover his tracks. "It's only a few years old, really."

Charlie must have forgotten about me as much as I had about Forks. I never give up that easily.

"When did he buy it?"

"He er…bought it in 1984, I think."

A few years? Really Charlie?

I inhaled deeply. "Did he buy it new?" I asked a bit testily.

"Well…no, I think it was new in…the early sixties-" he paused, looking at me, delaying his next response: "-or late fifties at the earliest," he added sheepishly.

"Ch-Dad," I corrected myself before continuing…and before he could notice I called him by his first name…"I don't really know anything about cars. I mean…" I started, throwing my arms up in the air in a pointless gesture. "I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I can't afford a mechanic…"

"No, really Bella, the thing runs great." The thing?

"They don't build them like that anymore," he continued, as I pondered the possibilities of "the thing" becoming a nickname for my to-be ancient hunk of metal. Remembering that it was so called "cheap," I asked him the price: "How cheap is cheap?"

"Well, uh…honey, I kind of already bought it for you. Like…a…homecoming gift." He glanced at me with this; a homecoming gift. Nice word choice; made it seem like I wanted to come back "home;" like I saw this place as my home…

But still. Free.

"You didn't need to do that Dad…I was going to buy a car…"

Charlie looked ahead as he responded. "I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He said the last part awkwardly, in an attempt to seem casual and nonchalant. We both weren't considered "comfortable" with expressing any emotions…especially out loud. So I looked straight ahead as well when I responded.

"That's…really…nice Dad. Thanks…I appreciate it." I tried to sound legitimate when I said it, but happiness in Forks…an impossibility. I didn't need to have him grieve over my displeasure of being here though; it was pointless. Plus…free truck…

"Well…you're welcome," he mumbled out, embarrassed by my thanks. Silence ensued. I stared out the window at the green. It was too green; like an alien planet.

We eventually made it to Charlie's house without breaking that silence; the same small, two-bedroom house that I had lived in when I was born. The early days…The only days that my mom and Charlie had had, better phrased.

Parked on the street in front of the house, was the "new" truck. It had a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. It looked like the kind of truck that you saw on the news after a car accident, unscathed, or scratched…I loved it. It was my polar opposite; if it got into accidents, it never got hurt like how I always ended up doing.

"Wow, Dad! I love it. Thanks!" Now I wouldn't be walking in the rain, or being driven by the police to school. This just made my situation a little bearable.

"I'm…glad you like it." Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again.

It took only one trip to get all of my stuff upstairs. I passed by what seemed to be the only bathroom in the house, and I hurried by it, not wanting to dwell on that downturn. My old bedroom was the one I now occupied; its window facing over the front yard, a tree standing majestically in front of it. The room was the exact same as when I was a kid-with the only changes being that the crib was switched with a queen-sized bed and a desk was added. Everything else; the wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellow laced curtains by the window, even my old rocking chair-all of it were from my childhood.

The desk held an old second hand computer and a phone line stapled against the wall into the nearest phone jack. These were brought upon by my mother; attempting for us to keep in touch.

Charlie didn't help me unpack-a benefit, as I let a few tears slip out as I stared dejectedly outside. It gave me some alone time, something I never had with my mother constantly looming over me. I wouldn't go off on a water work fest now though; I'll save it for bed, when I realize how embarrassingly terrible tomorrow morning will be.

I'd stand out like a sore thumb; Forks High School had only three hundred and fifty seven students before me. I would be a complete outsider; these kids probably never had new students come before. Who would want to move here anyways?

But here I am from the city; where there's actually a normal glimpse of sun; I'd be a freak to them. Well…maybe I'd be a freak if I actually looked like a Phoenix girl; being ivory skinned didn't help me out in the slightest with that. Slender I was, but…not athletic, as you may have guessed from my rants of klutziness. I could be pretty…if there was color in my face. The only color here in Forks was green. I had none of that.

Thinking harder, I just faced that it wasn't just appearances that I wouldn't fit in with the students; I wasn't…social, per say. I didn't get around with peers… I didn't get along with anyone for that matter. If I couldn't find a niche in a school with three thousand people, then what the hell was I going to do here, where everyone would know my name/existence? Not even my mom, the only person I'm relatively close to, saw eye to eye with me. I usually wondered whether I was normal, if everyone had the same brain as me. Maybe I was glitched. Not that it mattered; there wasn't anything that could be done for me; it was the effect that I would have to face. And all that began tomorrow…Oh boy. Can't wait.

…and that's that. Sorry, had to split the chapter up in half. I'll write the next part soon…ant I won't take forever like I did with this chapter orz.

Star signing off~