All these years I've been wandering around,
Wondering how come nobody told me
All that I was looking for was somebody
Who looked like you.
- The Beatles: I've Got A Feeling

Beep

Hello, you've reached the new residence of Bella Swan. If you're hearing this that means I'm still cleaning. If you must leave a message, wait for the beep –

Beep

"Bella, this is your best friend in the whole wide world Alice speaking – now pick up the phone!!! I know you're there Isabella, and I will not hang up until you answer your phone. Pick UP!"

I dropped my rag that I had been using to wipe up the remaining traces of dust off the fireplace in my new living room, but at the sound of Alice's irate tones, I knew I couldn't ignore her. Making my way amidst the strewn sheets, dust piles, and boxes, I finally reached the phone, managing to pick it up before she could yell some more.

"Hello, Alice," I sighed. I knew she'd find me.

"Isabella Marie Swan how could you do that to me, your best friend and all?! I can't tell you how horrified I was when I called up your house to learn from your mother that you had packed up all your things and completely moved out of state!! And that you hadn't bothered to tell her where you were going! Do you know how long it's taken me just to find you?! How could you do this to me!? What have you got to say for yourself!?"

I sighed again. I knew she'd take it like this. Truth was, I hadn't called and told her of my plans because I was afraid she'd try and talk me out of it – I knew that if anyone would be able to talk me out of it she most certainly could – and I didn't want to be talked out of it. I was happy with my plan and I wanted to go through with it, it would be the only way that I might be able to find myself again. I had planned on calling her, once all the papers were settled and once I had finished cleaning up the house…

"I'm sorry, Alice, I – I know what I did was wrong and sneaky of me – I know you're my best friend and it hurt doing it but – but Alice I was afraid…"

"Oh Bella! Don't you know that you can always talk to me? What were you afraid of?" She sounded much sadder now than angry. I was glad this was the case, because an angry Alice was a dangerous Alice. I knew she could overpower me.

"I was afraid that you would stop me from going," I admitted ashamedly – for I was ashamed now – I knew I had made the wrong choice. She was my best friend.

"Stop you!? Bella, I think that this is the best decision you've made since…since…Mike died. I'm glad that you decided to get out – I just – I just wish you could have trusted me with your troubles…I – You know I want to be there for you – We're like sisters!" I was crying now. Leave it to Alice to open my eyes to my own blind decisions.

"I regret not telling you Alice – I – Oh! I wish you were here!! I wish I could talk to you face to face! I really need you, and I didn't think about that! I – wait, how did you even get this number?"

"Angela, who else? Bella, you know I would be able to find you wherever you went – I'm smart enough for that!" Right, Angela. I'd told her as soon as I'd found the place. I owed it to her to tell her, since she was my only link left to Mike…

"You're not mad that I told her and not you…?" I asked hesitantly. I heard her sigh over the line.

"No…I understand why you did…I'm glad that you told at least somebody…In case…Well…"

"Alice…"

"Bella, open your door." I frowned. What?
"What?"

"I said, open your door. You wanted to talk face to face, well, then let me in!" I jumped when I heard a knocking on the solid wood of my new front door. Quickly stumbling past boxes and trash, I made it safely without tripping, and wrenched open the door. And there she was, standing in all her spiky-haired, bouncing glory.

"Alice."

"Bella." We stared at each other for a moment. I wasn't sure if she was still mad at me and I didn't want to be the first to make a move. But then the moment passed and suddenly we launched at each other and I was in her arms and we were hugging and I was crying and it was one big mess of emotions that we both were too tired to hold back anymore.

"I m-missed you!" I sobbed into her shoulder and she was patting my back.

"Bella, I missed you too – I'm sorry," she whispered. I pulled back to look at her.

"W-why are you sorry? I should be the one to apologize! I know what I did was wrong, I should never have left you in the dark! I'm sorry, Alice!" I felt fresh tears sting my eyes and she gave me a sad smile, cupping my face in her hands.

"Bella, I forgive you, okay? Now, why don't we go inside – let me clean you up – Plus I'm hungry." I laughed shakily and put my arm around her waist and led her into my newly broken in home. I saw her look around as we made our way past all the clutter. She looked impressed.

"Quite a task you have before you," she commented, noting the small headway I'd made in dusting the living room and removing the sheets from the already existing furniture. All of my own pieces were still wrapped up inside the U-Haul out back. Forks was a small town, so I knew that it wouldn't take me long to find someone who could help me move the heavier of my belongings into the house. Still, I wanted to save that for last, after I had every room dusted, polished, and wiped down.

"I know, I know, but I've only been here two days…I have barely scratched the surface…"

"I hope you have at least finished cleaning and stocking your kitchen," Alice replied, giving me a sideways look. She knew how much I loved to cook and couldn't stand eating out. I was always so critical of others' cooking that I more often just made my own meals. I nodded, smiling and wiping off the last few tears from my cheeks while leading her back to the kitchen.

The day that the house was mine, well, the day that I owned it through my first mortgage payment, I had immediately started in on the kitchen, dusting, wiping down the beautiful marble counters and cherry wood cabinets, fitting in my microwave, and my toaster. I had to call the gas people to install my Viking stove. I polished the sink – which was the largest I'd ever come across previously, made of copper with glass taps, and I'd stocked it with as many groceries as I could afford until I found work. I had spent all my savings left over from my own bank account to buy the house. Right now I was living off of what Mike's and my joint account had left.

"Wow," was all Alice could articulate when she saw it. The kitchen was on the large side – I was still getting accustomed to it.

"I know," I murmured, taking in the beautiful sight. That kitchen was my pride and joy. The rest of the house was still in the transformation process, but this place was perfect. Alice went over to the sink and pulled out a paper towel, wetted it, and turned to me.

"Sit and spill," she commanded. I sighed and took a seat on one of the bar stools that came with the kitchen. Yes it had a bar counter that looked out into the dining room. Alice came around the counter and started cleaning up my face.

"I'm waiting," she announced.

"Where would you like me to start?" I asked, closing my eyes and relishing in the coolness of the cloth.

"After you left…I want to know what you did to end up here and with this house – then I want to know what you've been up to since I called."

"Well, this is going to be a long story."

"I've got all the time in the world," Alice announced in a singsong voice as she continued to wash my face. I'm sure it was just as dusty as it was salty from my tears – I didn't know because I still didn't have a mirror, not that I was so excited to see the sorry image of myself…

"Well," I began, "after I left Renee and Phil's I just got in my truck and started driving. I really didn't have a plan after that. I knew I wanted to head somewhere that was completely different, someplace new, so I traveled north for a while. I drove until it was dark then stayed at a motel…Then, I guess I must have been really out of it, but I started dreaming about my childhood – where I grew up, up in Washington with my father, Charlie…I don't remember much from that time…Renee took me away when I was so young…but something about the green there, the rain and the coolness of Washington, of Forks…When I woke up I decided that's where I'd head.

"I hadn't been to Forks since I was young, but once I got there, all these…memories just started flooding back – I don't know Alice, but since I came here, I've never once thought back to Mike and all the pain and monotony that I'd been living back in Phoenix…Forks makes me feel…at home – I don't know, I can't explain it."

Alice smiled and nodded in understanding.

"So, I was looking for any place, didn't matter what it looked like – I wasn't going to be picky. In a small town like this, you can't. I went to the realtors and they set me up with some visits…I almost was settling for a small apartment that's more in town, but then the realtor happened to mention this place – he wasn't even going to bring me out here to this place…something about it being too out of the way and too old for it to be suitable for me – but I made him take me. As you can see, the house is kind of out of the way…secluded, surrounded by forest, but it's a good size, it's beautiful in its age, and I just – I don't know! The moment I laid eyes on it, I fell in love!"

"It is a beautiful house," Alice agreed, looking around. "Who was the owner? I can't understand them wanting to give up such a beautiful house!"

"There wasn't one – the state owned the house because the owner died. Edward Masen…he build the place…I've been trying to find out more about him, but no one seems to want to talk about him…Apparently his a legend of Forks, he's been dead for fifty years…he died young, he built the house himself. That's about all I know. No one seems to have liked him very much…"

"Interesting. Well he sure was a good carpenter. He built this place? That's a mighty big job for one person," Alice commented. I merely nodded. "So you bought the place," she prompted.

"Yes, but before – when the realtor was showing me around, there was an…incident…"

"An incident?" Alice questioned, frowning. "Expand that statement, please."

"Well, we went upstairs to the master bedroom – there was this portrait of Edward there – and the realtor made some comment about no one liking him and then there was this, I don't know, howl? Before that it had sounded like someone was laughing – I mean it sounded like the house was laughing, and when it was howling – the realtor just bolted out of there! It was pretty freaky, but I think stuff like that's happened before because the guy seemed like he was expecting it to happen or something, and he as expecting me to not want the place after that, he talked about it being haunted or something – I almost didn't get it, but I figured, if it is haunted, I could totally handle it. It's just a house – what could be the big deal?"

"Wow, Bella Swan has bought herself a haunted house!" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands. She jumped up on the counter, her legs dangling next to me, and she stared around as if expecting a sprite or something to come wandering out. I shook my head. Typical Alice to be excited about something like that. She was such a crazy girl – I loved her to death – but she was still crazy.

"Yeah, well, I went ahead and bought the house – but nothing strange has happened since that one time. I don't think there's anything haunting it. It's just a house! I have been thinking about moving that portrait, though," I added, thinking back to Edward Masen's beautiful face, staring down at me as I moved about in that small bedroom. I hadn't been able to sleep, with him openly staring down at me, so I had taken to sleeping in the living room in my sleeping bag. The bedroom wasn't really ready yet, anyway. I had to get a new mattress because the bed frame was so huge.

Just then, though, a large gusting wind came out of no where and began shaking through the house and that same tell-tale howl started up – it was like a gigantic roar that ripped through the place – Alice slid down off the counter and wrapped her arms around me, shaking.

"What was that!?!" she yelled, gripping me tightly, as the growling subsided. I gripped Alice back, but I wasn't surprised by it in the least. In fact, it just made me angry.

"Alice, I don't know – whatever it was, it's not going to scare me off – This is my house now!" I said a bit louder, "So I can do as I like!" Alice turned to stare at me, her eyes still wide.

"Well, well, Bella – before you seemed like such the scaredy-cat and now look at you, all brave in the face of danger!" I rolled my eyes.

"What danger, Alice? It's not as if some boogieman is about to come out of the closet and strangle me. All that was just noise – and that's all that's happened. I don't think I'm in any danger.

"I'm proud of you, Bella," Alice announced, settling herself on an accompanying barstool. She looked at me, her face serious, and I could tell that she was speaking plainly with me here.

"Why?"

"Because you're doing it! You've gotten past all the rubbish of death and mourning and your making yourself a new beginning. I wish I was half as strong as you." I felt the tears coming again.

"Alice," I whispered, taking her hand.

"You know I love you, Bella," she told me, squeezing me hand. I simply nodded. "And that's why I've decided to move out here with you." My mouth dropped open.

"Alice! What are you talking about!?" Her face was set and she looked like she was preparing to counter any argument I might bring up.

"Bella, I've lived in so many place – I've moved so often that I feel like I've seen everything! I only stayed in Phoenix because of you…We got to be such good friends I didn't have the heart to leave…But ever since you moved out, well, I've been thinking about moving myself –" Here she broke off and smiled at me. "But I knew that anywhere I went just wouldn't be the same without my best friend! So that's why I searched for you. I knew that wherever you chose to settle, I could settle there too."

"Alice," I began, serious, "I don't think that's such a good idea – I mean, I shouldn't be the thing to dictate your life! You're a fashion designer for goodness sakes! You travel for a reason! And this is Forks! Forks, Washington! What kind of business could you possible get out here! Please don't move here because of me, I don't want to tie you down!" She sighed, seeing how upset I was. Alice was a designer, a good one at that, and she was such a buoyant, crazy, amiable person that I couldn't imagine her existing out here in Forks dreariness. It just wouldn't suit her.

"Fine, I won't make the decision now, but I at least want to stay with you until you get completely settled and the house finished. I'll help you with things. It will be great – and this way, if the house is haunted, I'll be there to save your butt!" I laughed, relieved.

"That's fine, Alice. You can stay for now. And I guess I really could use the help…"

"You could," Alice agreed, looking at the mess, "Two pairs of hands are better than one!"

"And I've got a spare bedroom!" I announced. "Not that it's finished…I hope you like sleeping bags and a nice, hard floor!" She laughed along with me.

"Anything, as long as I get to stay up let swapping ghost stories with my bff in a haunted house! I'm so ready for an adventure!"

"Well, you're in for one…" I sighed, looking at her. "I really am glad you're here, Alice…I've missed you." She smiled and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I'll always be there for you, Bella," she told me softly.

"I know – Thank you." We sat there hugging, as the sun sank down and the clouds gathered in, leaving us in a hushed, faded twilight. I had never felt safer.

Playlist:

The Beatles - I've Got A Feeling

The Strokes - When It Started

Cat Power - I Don't Blame You

Coldplay - Life In Technicolor

Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring

10cc - How Dare You

Okay, so there it is. Please, please review and let me know what you think! Don't worry, next chapter gets some Edward action...And let me know what you think of Alice. I'll be fleshing her out more as the story unfolds, so. Cheers!