Chapter 8: Returning Home
The first day back in the town of Forks was very hectic. The Cullen's packed all of their things from the house in Alaska and moved straight away. It had been 90 years since any of them had lived here and they missed their home. One thing Alice didn't want to leave behind were her drawings. She took pride in every single one of them and she made it a point to pack them before they headed out the door. They took all the cars including the Porsche back with them also. Carlisle wanted it to make it look like a legit move. The moving truck, and everything that pertained to the whole process.
It was in early September when they arrived back in their forest home and they enjoyed every minute of it. When Alice got out of the car that first day, she stood with her feet rooted to the spot. She loved the house. It was covered in glass windows and white walls. It was a two story house which was another factor she loved about it. Alice wondered who's room was who's. She wondered if she could pick her own room. As she started unpacking her boxes out of the car, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Alice turned around to see Emmett's smiling face. She remembered the day she came into the family. Running into the bolder of a man was the best thing that could ever happen to her. The man took a big whiff through his nose and released a large amount of unneeded breath. "Ah smell that?" Alice repeated the process and nodded her head. "That's the smell of life little sis. I can't believe we're home! WHOO!" Emmett blurred into the house and started jumping up and down like a little kid all over the bed he placed in his chosen room. Alice chuckled and shook her head before walking into the house with her possessions.
After the bulk of everything was moved into the house, Alice moved her attention to the last box which contained her drawings. The one with the mystery girl's face, was the one she saw in front. The eyes of this girl bore into her as if they were looking directly into her searching for her soul. It was kind of scary. Alice would soon find out if this girl was real for it was the first day of school tomorrow. First day of high school to be exact. Over her years of existence Alice was home schooled by Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle taught her math and physics, science and basic problem solving while Esme taught her all about sports. Believe it or not Esme was very nimble and she knew a lot about physical education. From baseball to tennis, Esme knew it all. It surprised even Carlisle when she volunteered to teach Alice on this subject.
As Alice walked into the house with her box, she thought about going to a real school, and she seemed nervous. Even a little afraid. She didn't know what was gonna happen. The pixie didn't know how she was going to react to being around normal humans. Of course she forsake human blood long ago but that didn't mean she didn't crave it every now and then. That's what made Alice think about poor Jasper. The blonde empath was still very susceptible to the urge of tasting human blood. Even a drop of the stuff can lead him into a hungry rage. Alice tried to have a vision of what the future held for tomorrow but none came to her. She set the box on the bed and sat down next to it running a shaky hand through her hair. Alice took the painting of the girl out of the box and stared at it for a long time. She couldn't get over how beautiful this girl was. Her hair was silky smooth and her eyes was as green as the sea. Alice ran a hand over the drawing and tried to search her mind for a name for her. When she could find none she groaned and fell back on her bed. She put the canvas over her face and whispered, "What's your name?" Hopefully she would find out tomorrow when school would begin anew.
A couple months later, in a house just outside of the forest, a girl with a heart shaped face and brown hair down past her shoulders was settling down after a long flight from the hot sunny state of Arizona. She had just finished unpacking all of her things and she was sitting on the window sill and looking out at the changing colors. She was thinking about the next day. It would be her first day at a brand new school. The girl sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. She didn't know if she was ready to handle it. I mean she liked school well enough and she had tons of friends at her old school in Arizona but she didn't really like meeting new people. The girl was a loner really and mostly kept to herself. Just when she thought she was ready to move into bed, she heard a knock at the door. "You alright there Bella?" A man with pale skin short shaggy hair and an unkempt beard and mustache combo peeked his head through the door to check up on his daughter. Bella nodded her head and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah Dad, I'm alright. Just thinking about tomorrow." Charlie walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. "A little nervous about school?" 'Nervous would be an understatement.' Bella thought quietly. She just nodded and waited for her father to continue. "I know it's a big change from your place in Arizona but I'll make sure it feels like home here for you in no time." Bella smiled at her father and hugged him lightly. "Thanks dad." When she moved away, Charlie moved to kiss his daughter on the forehead before getting up and heading to the door. "No worries about tomorrow Bells. I'm sure everything will be just fine. I love you." He said before walking out and shutting the door behind him.
Bella got up and went to her closet to change into her pajamas, which consisted of a t-shirt and flannel pj pants. She got into bed and shut her eyes to get some sleep for the day ahead. Bella saw nothing as sleep began to take her, but then a second later a pair of amber eyes flashed into her mind's eye. They were beautiful but what came next frightened her. A pair evil looking red eyes also flashed into sight. This caused the girl to sit straight up in bed breathing heavily as if she had seen a ghost. "What the hell was that?" She spoke to the room around her. Something didn't feel right about those red eyes but remembering the golden amber eyes comforted the girl. She didn't know why but she saw caring and understanding in those eyes. It was that thought alone that put Bella back to sleep with a smile on her face.
The next morning when Bella woke up, she was greeted by the smell of burnt bacon and something else sizzling on the stove. She assumed it was eggs, but she couldn't tell for sure. Charlie was burning the hell out of everything. Bella rushed to get her clothes on. A green mock jersey with the number 8 on it and a pair of jeans. Her coat was downstairs in the closet. She brushed her hair and her teeth before heading down to assess the damage. When Bella arrived in the kitchen, she almost cringed but she did chuckle at the sight of her dad covered in flour attempting to make pancakes. One thing she didn't forget when she was a child was the fact that Charlie couldn't cook. Her mom always made dinner or they got take out. The man turned around and saw his daughter almost busting a gut at the sight of him. "Hey Bells. Ready for breakfast?" Bella just grabbed a piece of non-burnt toast while she picked through the bacon trying to find one that was remotely edible. "I'm not really that hungry dad. I just have the jitters I guess." Charlie nodded in understanding. "I know how you feel. I know it's a new school and everything but at least try and eat something. Oh and I got ya a homecoming gift." Bella was in mid chew at this point and she tilted her head to the side. Charlie chuckled at his daughter's confusion. "Come outside with me." He walked out the front door and to the driveway. "Hey Billy, Jake, wow you're huge." 'Billy? Jake? As in Billy and Jacob Black?' Bella wondered as she followed her father out with her piece of toast in her hand.
The sight that greeted her was one that put a huge smile on her face. Her old childhood friend Jacob Black was standing next to a big red Ford pickup truck. She ran to the boy and hugged him around his neck. "Jake! I can't believe it! How are you?! You need to put that long hair of yours in a ponytail or something before it gets caught in one of you motorbikes." They both laughed at the statement and Jacob hugged Bella around her waist. "Hey Bella. You all settled in?" The girl nodded and turned her attention to the truck. "Wow. This is great guys! I mean it's kind of rusted and the reds a little faded but thank you so much. Now I don't have to have dad drive me around in the police cruiser to and from school." Billy and Jacob couldn't hold in the laugh they both produced. "What's wrong with the cruiser?" Charlie asked. "Nothing dad. I just don't want to attract any unwanted attention on my first day." Jake tapped her on the shoulder and said, "News flash Bells, you're the new kid in a small town high school. You're gonna get all the attention you don't want." Bella playfully punched the tan skinned boy in the shoulder. "I already know that so don't make it worse." Jacob nodded and rubbed his shoulder even though it really didn't hurt.
Charlie watched the kids with a smile on his face before looking at his watch. "Jeeze Bella, you gotta get going. You're already late on your first day." Bella ran back into the house to get her backpack and when she came back out, she kissed her dad on the cheek, grabbed the keys from him and hugged Jacob one last time before getting in the truck and starting it up. "Thanks again you guys. I'll see you later." That reminded Charlie of something. "I'm gonna be coming home late tonight Bella so don't wait up for me." The girl nodded before pulling out of the driveway and waving at her best friend, and the two fathers. "That's some girl you got there Charlie." The man in the wheelchair said. "Got a good head on her shoulders". Charlie nodded with tears in his eyes. He was so grateful to have his little girl back in his life. "Yeah Billy, she certainly does. You wanna watch the game highlights before I have to get ready for work?" Billy nodded and Jacob wheeled him up the ramp and into the house.