THE CALLIE SWAN SAGA

TWILIGHT : FORKS GREENHORN

WRITTEN BY MELISSA ROSENBERG

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY STEPHANIE MEYER

ADOPTED AND ADAPTED BY REGALGIRL94

CHAPTER ONE

DRIFTER FROM THE SUNNY STATE

Drifter. Alien. Intruder.

All different ways to say stranger. Definition; person who is unfamiliar. I was the person who was unfamiliar, in a place that was unfamiliar. I was the deviant.

All different ways to say... unwelcome.

I can't say it was the fault of Forks, Washington. Any other place would feel as strange. And it wasn't my fault. I'd felt this way for a year now, even in Phoenix. It's not that I didn't love my mom or my sister. I did love them. I loved my father too.

Phoenix wasn't home. And Forks wasn't home. But to me... everything felt disconnected. At least Bella knew where I was coming from. Except to her, wherever our mother was, was home. She wasn't close to our dad, even called him Charlie. But not to his face, thank god. That would break his heart.

In a way, I was glad to be going to Forks. I know, who can be glad to live in a place named after an eating utensil? But I was. Ever since Bella stopped our summers with my dad, I missed him. It had been about three years since I'd seen him.

I may not have looked at Forks as home, but I didn't look to it as a prison like Bella and our mom did. My mom was never one to be held down by anything, Forks and my father included. That's why when I was a baby and Bella was almost two, she broke my dad's heart and took us away from him all in one go. All to escape a small town and a marriage. I know that when I say it like that, it makes our mom out to be some heartless harlot. But I never mean it that way. I did love our mom, despite what my behavior suggested. But part of me resented our mother for taking me away from my dad whom I loved so so much.

And that's why, for the first time in over a year, I felt excited. Excited to be going to live with my dad. Bella didn't share my excitement but... she was doing this for me. If anyone ever asked her, she'd explain how Phil got a job in baseball that causes him to travel a lot and that she decided to move back with my dad so mom could travel with Phil. But I knew that she knew how much I missed my dad, and I wanted to be with him. She was going to Forks in hopes to pull me out of... it.

Bella stood at the end of the cul-de-sac on the desert's edge. She held a tiny barrel cactus in a clay pot. She walked towards me and mom and said, "Got it."

Mom cursed as she fiddled with her new cell phone. She was never too able with technology. I wanted to laugh but nothing really made me actually laugh. I rarely even smiled. But the corners of my eyes crinkled up when mom looked like she was about to throw the cell at the side of house. She sighed, "I'll figure it out. You gotta be able to reach me and Phil on the road -" She paused and squealed, "I love saying that – on the road."

"Very romantic," Bella murmured.

Phil exited the house carrying Bella's three suitcases with ease. She had a hell of a lot of stuff. I only had one suitcase. Mom was sending the rest of my stuff in a few weeks when she and Phil moved out. But I didn't have much of a connection with material things. I didn't have much of a connection with anything.

The journey to Forks consisted of a long car ride to the Arizona Airport with both Bella and I staring out the window with our ear buds in our ears, an even longer air plane ride with Bella staring longingly out the window and me trying to fall asleep, and finally a long awkward silent car ride in my dad's cruiser.

Dad looked like he wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence. Bella sat in the front. Even though I was closer to Dad, he and Bella were more alike. Both taciturn, introverted. You would think that if that were true then I would be more alike our mother. But that couldn't be more false. Our mother and I were nothing alike.

"Your hair's longer," Dad commented.

Bella looked down and fiddled with a strand of her curly dark hair and muttered, "I cut it since the last time we visited."

"Guess it grew out again."

Bella just nodded and silence followed. Dad tapped his fingers against the steering wheel slowly, "How's your mom?"

"Good."

I placed my ear buds in my ears to block out the silence and looked out the window. We passed a sign that read "The City of Forks Welcomes You – Pop. 3246." I sighed. The only thing Fork and I had in common... we were both strangers to each other.

The cruiser drove through town. Every store front had a wood carving. The Timber Museum's sign was two loggers sawing a stump. The police station was a small wooden building across from City Hall.

We pulled up to the old two-story house. A woodshed full of firewood. There was a small boat in the garage, fishing gear, an old buoy. Bella climbed out of the car, but I didn't. I pressed my forehead against the cool glass and closed my eyes. Bella got one of her suitcases out of the car and started tugging it into the house.

I felt the door being opened and the glass leave my face. I opened my eyes and saw my Dad smiling down at me. I did a little half-smile – the best I could do – and whispered, "Hi dad."

I saw his smile widen and he leaned down to kiss my forehead, "It's good to have you home, Callie."

I felt his arms wrap around me and I sighed into his chest, feeling content.

After putting our bags away in our rooms – Dad emptied out grandpa's old office to make a room for me downstairs – we had pizza for dinner and dad and I watched the game while Bella went to bed early.

The game ended and Dad yawned loudly, standing up, "Okay well I guess it is time that we go to bed."

I sighed, "You know I don't sleep, Dad."

Dad nodded to himself as if just remembering. And I couldn't blame him for forgetting that one little detail. I hadn't seen him in three years. And my infliction was just a year old. Dad sighed, "Well, you can watch TV. And I think some of your mother's old books are in your room." He came over to me and kissed the top of my head. I almost smiled. "Goodnight, Callie."

"Goodnight Dad."

It had been about a week since we'd arrived. We spent the days unpacking and I went for hikes in the woods. We just wanted to settle in before we went to school. But we were set to start soon.

I was standing in the kitchen. On the counter sat a full glass of water and two yellow and green plastic looking pills. Behind those were two boxes of cereal; cornflakes and cheerios. I couldn't decide those. Which cereal to eat? To take the pills or to not take the pills? This was part of my problems.

In the end, I took both the pills without drinking the water. Dry swallowing pills was not a good idea. I chugged down half the glass of water. I heard a car pull up in the driveway and looked out the window. I saw a faded red Chevy truck, circa 1960 and a bright blue 1960 jeep.

I saw Dad talking to two guys, both very tan, and the older one in a wheel chair and a cow boy hat. I heard clomping on the stairs and walked down to meet Bella tripping down to the front door. She smiled at me, "Wanna go see whats up? Did you take your meds?"

I shrugged one shoulder up and down, "Yes and yes." She opened the door and we both walked out to meet Dad. It seemed like the two guys were a teen boy my age – he had long silky black hair, deep russet skin and kind brown eyes – and who could be his father – with knotted black hair to his shoulders, deep russet skin that wrinkled to make it look like worn leather and wise dark eyes.

Charlie smiled putting an arm around Bella's shoulders. I hung back on the front steps. I didn't do meeting new people. I leaned my shoulder on the railing and watched as Dad said, "Bella, you remember Billy Black."

The man in the wheel chair smiled at my sister, he must be Billy, "Glad you're finally here. Charlie hasn't shut up about it since you told him you both were coming."

Dad almost blushed and rolled his eyes, "Keep exaggerating, I'll wheel you down the hill."

"Right after I ram you in the ankles," Billy took several rolls at Dad, who dodged him. Jacob shook his head at them and shyly approached Bella, "I'm Jacob. We – uhhh – made mud pies together when we were little..."

Bella awkwardly smiled and nodded, "Yeah... no, I remember." She looked at Dad and Billy, "Are they always like this?"

Jacob rolled his eyes and nodded, "It's getting worse with old age." Bella politely smiled but I could tell that she was only being polite. And I could tell that this Jacob had a thing for her. Poor kid.

Dad came over to them and patted the hood of the truck, "Well what do you think of your homecoming gift?"

Shock showed on Bella's face as she gestured to the truck, "This?" Dad looked smug when he nodded. Bella laughed out with a smile and exclaimed, "No way! This truck is for me?"

Dad nodded, "Just bout it off Billy, here."

"I rebuilt the engine and-" Jacob began to say.

But Bella interrupted him when she yelled, "It's perfect!" She beamed and rushed to the truck. Jacob eagerly joining her.

Dad and Billy came up to me. Dad smiled as he kissed my forehead in greeting, "Do you like the jeep, Callie? It's yours."

I wanted to smile. I wanted to laugh and tell him how much I loved it. That I loved him. But I couldn't. But I did wrap my arms around his torso and tell him, "I love it, dad. It's great."

Bella got so excited that she drove the truck right out of the driveway.

So there it is! First chapter. Let me know what you think and REVIEW!

RegalGirl94