Waking up was the hardest part.
The moment my eyes opened tears streaked down my cheeks and onto the pillow below me.
I didn't like how the bed felt. It wasn't my bed.
The smell of this house was different. It smelt of lavender and wet grass where I was used to cedar and pine needles.
And there was no Alec to come in and gently wake me up with a plate of steaming eggs.
Everything was different.
And I hated it.
I pulled off my covers and wiped at my tears, sniffling gently as I tried my hardest not to break down. After a while of laying and staring at the ceiling I sat up, immediately taken aback at the view in front of me.
Because it was dark when I arrived last night, I couldn't really see outside of the glass walls. But now as the sun shined, warming my skin and bed all I could see was green. I slid out from the covers and walked up to the window, hearing the birds call in the sky as fluffy clouds roamed above me. I turned to my right, seeing the glass wall next to the bathroom had handles on it. I walked up, touching the cold metal and pushing down on it, opening it up to a small balcony that looked out to the forest.
"Wow." I whispered, feeling the wind chilling my skin. Just below the balcony was a small creek that flowed into the woods, disappearing into the trees just a few feet ahead.
It wasn't home.
But it could have been word.
-TSIPWR-
I picked out the CD from the shelf, popping the case open and taking the disc, sliding it into the stereo system. I turned it slightly down and pressed play, feeling my body immediately relax as the soft piano flowed through the room.
Clair De Lune was always a favorite of mine. A song that Alec would keep on repeat to help me fall asleep at night. I sat back down onto my bed with my open suitcase and began taking out all of the items, separating my clothing into piles and once the piles were complete, putting them neatly in my drawers in the closet.
No one had come up to see me. I was grateful for them giving me time to adjust.
At the bottom of my suitcase were items I had brought to me to Italy. There wasn't much, a few pieces of jewelry and pictures of places I have been. I picked up the pictures, roaming through them as the music behind me continued to sway.
I set them down, grabbing a velvet box, the last that was in my bag. I opened up, seeing the diamond bracelet Alec gave me just a few nights ago. Everything was good then. I was happy then. I shut the box and set it on the bed side table wiping away more tears.
"Jasper!" A voice from outside squealed and giggled. I stood from my bed and walked to the open glass door that led out to the balcony. I glanced down seeing a slender man holding onto a young girl. She looked to be my age, her skin sun-kissed and her hair jet black short and spiky. The blonde haired man grabbed onto her waist, picking her up and carrying her over her shoulder as they made their way into the woods.
"Jasper, stop!" The girl laughed again. "Let go of me!" The man chuckled, setting her down as she jumped over the creek, his body gone within an instant and into the woods as she traveled behind him at a human pace.
"Hey wait up!" Emmett hollered, leaving the house and running into the woods. A blonde girl sauntered out as well, smiling as her curls bounced with every step she took. She ran passed Emmett with fast speed, revealing to me that this was Rosalie – the vampire daughter.
They all disappeared into the woods, their voices carrying until they were out too far.
I turned back and walked into my room, stopping just as my stomach began to growl. I bit onto my lip and sucked in my courage and opened my door, glancing out to the hallway seeing that it was empty. I opened the door all the way and stepped out, the floor creaking underneath me.
"Hello, little one." A voice said behind me, causing me to gasp and turn around. Carlisle stood behind me, smiling gently. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"No that's okay…" I laughed weakly, running my hands through my hair.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked and I nodded. "That's good. The kids have stepped out for a bit, but they will be back shortly. I figured you could meet them all when you were ready."
I nodded my head slowly.
"Thank you." I told him.
"I have to go into my office and get some work down. If you need anything just call my cell phone from the house phone. The number is on a piece of paper that's hanging on the fridge."
"Okay."
"I'll see you soon." He told me, stepping aside and was gone in an instant.
I made my way downstairs and helped myself to glass of orange juice and as I heard voices carrying from the woods, I felt myself freeze up and I quickly took my glass and headed back up into my room, closing the door behind me.
-TSIPWR-
I hadn't left my room all day.
I sat near the wall on the futon, staring out to the setting sun and inhaling deep breaths. My stomach was growling louder and louder but when I heard people downstairs, I felt my nerves get the best of me.
So instead I sat around my room, looking through all the books in the room and picking out random CDs, listening to the songs and lingering my bed. By the time nightfall hit, I took a shower in my bathroom just to waste time.
I sat on my bed, brushing my wet hair out just when a knock came at my door. I felt my throat go dry as I set my brush down. The knocking stopped after a few seconds and then started up again.
"Bella?" A voice, a girl's voice, called out to me. "Bella, I have some dinner for you. I thought you may be hungry." She told me.
My stomach began growling again and I knew I couldn't resist. I stepped off of the bed and touched the door knob, taking in a deep breath and opening the door.
Rosalie stood before me, her long blonde hair shiny and curly and her sunset red eyes brightened as she took in my appearance.
"Hi." I said shyly. She was absolutely stunning. I had never met someone as beautiful as her and I got the sense that she knew that too. She smiled her white teeth as her smooth skin glinted under the lights of the hallway.
"Well it's nice to finally put a face to a name." She said with a sincere smile. "I'm Rosalie. You can call me Rose." Her voice was smooth as she held out the plate for me.
"Thank you. For this." I nodded towards the plate.
"You hadn't come down all day. I figured you'd be starving." She laughed.
"Yeah, I know… Sorry… I just…"
"You don't need to explain, Bella. I understand." She told me. "You're just trying to feel this place out. Just don't starve yourself next time, okay?"
"Okay." I nodded.
"And when you're ready to come down, I know Jasper and Alice want to meet you. Emmett said you ran into him yesterday. Literally." She laughed, covering her mouth as I felt my cheeks brighten with red.
"Yeah, that was embarrassing." I laughed, trailing off.
"Don't be embarrassed. Once you get to know Emmett better, you'll realize he embarrasses himself on a daily basis." She grinned, shaking her head. "He's used to it."
"Thank you." I nodded, feeling as my anxiety began to ease.
"No problem. Enjoy your dinner." She waved and stepped out, disappearing behind the wall. I sat on my bed and began eating my dinner, laying down and listening to the music that played on the stereo.
Maybe I wasn't comfortable here yet, but with a few weeks under my belt maybe I could be just as happy as everyone else.