Later; when Nessie and Jacob were back; from hunting. Nessie's point of view.
Dad called me "Nessie, you've got a package" I was utterly surprised, who was it from? Why? What is it? I got instantly curious. I pulled the wrapping paper to reveal a set of books. I read the blurb and knew what it was. "It's my wish coming true" I barley whispered it but of course the others heard. My Mum asked me cautiously "what did you wish for? Nessie, answer me" I blinked twice and told them. Their eyebrows disappeared into their heads. Mum said "I wished Renesmee would meet someone similar to her own age that she could be friends with" Dad's eyes lit up with understanding. They don't know about Anna whereas he does so know both Renesmee and Bella's were being answered.
"Let's read them then. Come on. Nessie, you read" Emmett bellowed eagerly. We all just nodded and sat on the couch. Mum sat on Dad's lap, I sat on Jacob's and the others sat next to their boyfriends. I began reading:
My Mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was 75 degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue.
"Wow, the sky was blue in Phoenix" Emmett said sarcastically "shocking"
Rosalie hit him over the head and smiled sweetly at him.
I was wearing my favourite shirt – sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry-on item was a parka.
Alice looked horrified at the thought of owning a parka.
In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks…
"Woo" said Emmett. We; me, Jacob and Jasper; copied him.
Exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my Mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old.
My eyes had grown to about double their original size as I read Forks being insulted. I read on quickly and stared at Mum and Dad "someone hates Forks." I sighed and kept reading.
It was in this town that I'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was 14. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past 3 summers, my Dad, Charlie…
My eyes were already wide so I blinked twice. Bella nodded, she had read the blurb as well and she knew it was about her.
Vacationed with me in California for 2 weeks instead.
It was to Forks that I now exiled myself – an action that I took with great horror. I detested Forks.
"Aw, poor Forks. Bella that's really mean. I don't like you anymore" Alice wailed.
"Baby, she loves it now, remember?" Jasper reminded her. Alice nodded.
I loved Phoenix. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city.
"Bella," my Mum said to me – the last of a thousand times – before I got on the plane. "You don't have to do this."
My mum looks like me, except with short hair and laugh lines. I felt a spasm of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained mother to fend for herself? Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car and someone to call when she got lost, but still …
"You sound like more of a mother than Renée ever did" Esme said, Bella sighed "well… one of us had to be the adult."
I want to go," I lied. I'd always been a bad liar, but I'd been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now.
Emmett had been nodding vigorously the whole time at the 'bad liar' bit. "Worst liar in the world; ever" Emmett said confidently, Mum frowned "I'm not that bad am I?" it was Dad who answered "Yes; the worst liar I've ever met, love". Mum pouted so Dad kissed her pouted lips to make her feel better. Until it got weird. Mum turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, Dad wrapped his around her waist and basically it got gross. Me and Jacob pulled faces at each other before a shoe flew at his head. Dad had taken Mum's shoe and had thrown it at Jake's head but not mine so I laughed harder.
"Tell Charlie I said hi."
"I will."
"I'll see you soon" she insisted. "You can come home whenever you want – I'll come right back as soon as you need me"
But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.
"Don't worry about me," I urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mum."
"Bella, do you ever put yourself first?" Jacob asked shaking his head again Edward answered "no. Not my Bella. It's quite annoying for the person you love most in the world to care more about a goldfish than herself. It makes it hard to do things for her and it definitely doesn't help when she's stubborn".
She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane, and she was gone.
It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane in Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back to Forks. Flying doesn't bother me; the hour in the car with Charlie, though, I was a little worried about.
Charlie had really been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence.
"Of course he's pleased; he's your parent!" Esme told Mom with a frown, Edward added on "anyway who wouldn't want you to move in with them?" everyone groaned at him in unison. I could tell this was gonna be a long book.
He'd already gotten me registered for high school and as going to help me get a car.
But it was sure to be awkward with Charlie. Neither of us was what people call verbose, and I didn't know what there was to say regardless. I knew he was more than a little confused by my decision – like my mother before me, I hadn't made a secret of my distaste for Forks.
When I landed in Port Angele, it was raining. I didn't see it as a bad omen – just unavoidable.
"That's good; a practical mind well done Bella" Carlisle said to Mum she smiled.
I'd already said my goodbyes to the sun.
"I take it all back" Carlisle joked. Mum stuck her tongue out at him, "Mature Bella" he joked "incredibly" she back chatted.
Charlie was waiting for me with the cruiser. This I was expecting too. Charlie is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks.
Jasper frowned "What was he to the bad people?" Jasper asked. Mum answered "Dad" and everyone laughed.
My primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that I refused to be driven around in a car with red and blue lights on top. Nothing slows down traffic like a cop.
"That's why I avoid them" Dad said
Charlie gave me an awkward, one-armed hug when I stumbled my way off the plane.
I giggled at my Mum's spectacular balance skills. She pulled me on her lap. So Dad had me and Mum on his lap.
"It's good to see you, Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied me. "You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"
"Mum's fine. It's good to see you, too Dad." I wasn't allowed to call him Charlie to his face.
I had only a few bags. Most of my Arizona clothes were too permeable for Washington. My mum and I had pooled our resources to supplement my winter wardrobe, but it was still scanty. It all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser.
"I feel o sorry for you babe. Wow how did you survive?" Alice asked horrified while Rosalie nodded in agreement and Jasper laughed.
"I found a good car for you, really cheap," he announced when we were strapped in.
"What kind of car?" I was suspicious of the way he said 'good car for you' as opposed to just 'good car.'
"You always were observant weren't you?" Dad said.
"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."
"Where did you find it?"
"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is the tiny Indian Reservation.
"It's not that small" Jacob stated
"No."
"You didn't remember dad?"
"NO, Mutt she didn't; so SHUT UP. Thank you" Rosalie shouted at him
"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie prompted.
That would explain why I didn't remember him. I do a good job of blocking painful, unnecessary things from my memory.
"He's in a wheel chair now," Charlie continued when I didn't respond "so he can't drive it anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."
"What year is it?" I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping I wouldn't ask.
Rosalie's face had looked disgusted the whole time but she had to say "horrible truck, BURN, kill it" she shuddered at the thought of mums old truck.
"Well Billy's done a lot of work on the engine – it's only a few years old really."
Emmett coughed.
Carlisle & Esme walked in; beaming. "Nessie we have your present" Nessie ran and hugged Esme then Carlisle. Carlisle gave her a doctor book (surprise, surprise). Esme gave her box with an envelope inside and it said:
To our darling granddaughter,
Take the book to the kitchen.
Then open up the book cover.
Love
Nanny and Granddad
Xxxo