Chapter 3: town tour

The first thing on Cara's agenda at 8:30 in the morning was to finish unpacking the car. The weather outside had warmed up compared to last night, but barely. Something about rearranging my room while wearing a sweater and jeans just didn't sit right with me. I should be in Nike shorts and an old Beta club t-shirt, but then I'd probably freeze to death. Who knew you could fit so much stuff in a Nissan Sentra?

Outside, I got a better look at everything in the light. The most fitting word I could use to describe our street was quaint. All the houses had the same coastal look, like something out of Cap Cod. At least two were on the market. I guess there weren't hoards of people looking to move to Forks. Our house wasn't the only one chipping paint, though it did seem to be a part of the better kept ones. Surrounding our street was a dense expanse of forest, likely due to all the heavy rain fall. It was so green. The grass, the spruces, firs, hemlock, and pine. Back home, it was less forest and more woods. Lots of brown and yellow. But at least it was something. Far at the end of the street sat a rusty red Chevy. That was familiar too, seeing really old trucks parked in front yards.

Halfway up the stairs for the third time, I seriously considered taking whatever was left in the car and dropping it off at a Salvation Army or local mission. Cara sure didn't help the situation either, always bossing where I should put things. Thank God I wouldn't have to share a bathroom with her because I'm pretty sure we'd end up strangling each other.

Once the last box was placed in the corner, it was all a matter of unpacking everything. My clothes alone would take the better part of an hour. I started a heap of things that I couldn't or wouldn't wear anymore and made a note to take them downtown and sell them if I could. There had to be at least a huge garbage bag full, if not more.

By lunch time, I'd managed to hang up and fold all the clothing I was willing to keep and that would fit in the small closet. About half of my belongings were in their rightful place while the rest of them still remained in boxes. If I wasn't starting school in a couple of days, I could have cooled it on the unpacking frenzy and done a little at a time. But the last thing I needed was more stress. I hated unpacking though; a box of sketching paper and a new package of pencils that I had yet to tryout had nearly stopped me in my tracks. There were so many things to draw here, so many plants and leaves and tree fronds that would look beautiful with a little charcoal shading.

Focus on the task at hand, Collins.

I tried to look extra busy when Cara poked her head into the doorway. She'd been catching up on work from over the holidays and had secluded herself to the living room for the better part of the morning.

"If you can get ready in 30 minutes, we'll grab something at the diner in town, and maybe go on a little tour."

Cara was in a good mood today, probably less stressed now that there wasn't a mountain of paperwork for her to do and her sleep schedule would soon be back to normal.

"Yeah just let me shower real quick."

Okay, to be honest, there'd never been anything 'quick' about my showers. I just loved the hot water too much. But really, who would care if I skipped shaving my legs? perhaps the extra hair would fight off the ever-present chill. God, it felt like forever since I had showered somewhere besides a motel bathroom. There were no questionable pieces of hair clinging to the tub or curtain and the towels smelt clean. I wrapped a fluffy one around me and twisted my hair up in another. Most of my makeup was still put away, but I was able to throw on some concealer and mascara to look reasonably human. I pulled on my thickest jeans and warmest sweater. My tall boots were more fashionable than practical, so that was another thing to grab on our trip when Mom and Dad came in.

There wasn't a whole lot to Forks: some shops downtown, a post office, police station, a Methodist church, and a gas station.

Just like home, I thought. It seemed there were a lot of similarities between my hometown and here. If only I tried to look for them. Stop thinking about your old home. It's a little too late for that.

Last night, just as I was drifting off, I'd promised myself not to dwell on my life in Alabama anymore. There was no point in making the transition any more difficult than it needed to be. Easier said than done, but I at least had to try.

The diner sat sandwiched between a barber shop and antique store. A string of bells jingled every time the door opened. That was a good sign. The restaurant was right in the middle of a lunch rush, but we were able to find a table by the window. The menus looked like they'd seen better days, probably sometime around the eighties. Another promising sign.

"That's the chief of police and his daughter, Bella, sitting to our left. For God's sake, don't stare at them," Cara hissed the last few words at my blatant disregard for social etiquette.

"I didn't mean to," I said indignantly. "Besides, he's watching TV and she's not looking this way either."

Still, I snuck a less conspicuous glance their way after a few minutes. The chief looked like such a dad. His eyes were locked on the football game as he lifted bites of steak to his mouth. Bella was staring off into space, at what, I had no idea. I figured she was daydreaming. I drew my attention back to the menu and scanned for something that sounded appetizing. So much for eating healthier here. I could always start that later.

The waitress was insanely sweet, unlike the last time we'd eaten at a diner. She had that small town charm and seemed to recognize my sister. In just under fifteen minutes, she was bringing our food out, as well as a refill on drinks. I'd barely dug into my mashed potatoes when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Chief Swan had approached our table, his daughter just a few steps behind him.

"Hi Charlie, hey Bella. Just finishing up lunch?" Cara greeted them politely. Charlie grinned real wide and threw an arm around Bella's shoulders.

"Yup, nothing much has changed since you left. Glad to see your back in town with your...?"

I felt my face heat up as three sets of eyes landed on me. Hopefully there wasn't any gravy on my chin or a green bean stuck in my hair. Stranger things had happened.

"Collins, she's my sister," Cara supplied for him. "She'd gonna be staying with me for the rest of the school year while my parents travel for work. You'll have to keep an eye out for her." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I was already eighteen and fully capable of looking after myself, even in an unfamiliar place.

"Well, maybe she and Bella can spend some time together. You a senior?"

I hastily swallowed a mouthful of Dr. Pepper and regretted it as my esophagus felt like a balloon was trapped inside.

"Yes sir," I smiled. Wow, my accent seemed so much more prominent here. "I'll be starting as soon as school is back in session."

"Good, good. You two might have some classes together then," he directed the last sentence at Bella, who started to look just the slightest bit uncomfortable. She just kind of shrugged her shoulders and smiled, though it came across as more of a grimace. I bet she would be an interesting read.

"I reckon we'll leave you to it. Nice meeting you, Collins. Cara," he waved and both of them turned to the door. Bella hadn't said a word the whole time. I wondered if Forks was a clique-ish town because I'd definitely not gotten that impression for my sister. It seemed too small to even have cliques. I stabbed another piece of hamburger steak and bit into it. The gravy had just the right amount of salt. Cara cleared her throat and eyed the door until it jingled.

"Charlie's a nice guy. His daughter is too, she just...I don't know. I can't figure her out," she huffed and waved her hand theatrically. Cara had a habit of psychoanalyzing everyone, not just her patients. I hated when she did that to me, but it was kind of fun to try it on other people. I imagined I could be good at it too, but that was probably due to my unfair advantage.

"She's probably just quiet," I mused. Nothing wrong with that. Cara hesitated to agree.

"I don't know, every since she started dating one of the Cullen boys, it's like she's on a whole other planet when I talk to her."

"Who's Cullen?"

"Dr. Cullen is the head doctor at the hospital. He's absolutely brilliant to be so young. I work with some of his patients in the psych ward. He and his wife adopted a couple kids, and one of them is dating Bella. The whole family is very well mannered, but they're a little...odd. Kind of standoffish. Just my opinion though."

Cara had a tendency to think that a lot of normal people were weird. I had a tendency to take her opinion with a grain of salt.

"Oh, that's nice of them to adopt. I'll probably seem them in class too."

After eating, we made a quick trip by the school so I'd know how to get there. It wasn't too difficult, mostly just a straight shot from the house. The school wasn't much bigger than the one I'd left, though it did have several more buildings, each spaced out evenly across campus. The front office was surrounded by neat little shrubs and still had a festive wreath on the door. How cute.

The days between arriving at Forks and Mom and Dad showing up kind of ran together. By day two, everything had a place in my room and every cardboard box had been stacked in the garage for storage purposes. I'd started reading books to pass the time, since I didn't have my car yet and Cara was not about to let me joy ride around with hers while she was at work. After restocking the fridge and pantry, I had enough food to snack on mindlessly. And still, I ate a tomato sandwich more often than not, with a glass of homemade sweet tea because the bottle stuff just tasted soured to me.

The Sunday before school started, my parents rode up on a white horse, at seven sharp. Well, it was actually a white Camry, but who cared? I was just happy to have my wheels back. And, well, my parents, even if it were only for a day.

"Wow," was the first thing my mom said when she stepped through the front door. "I knew your house was big but not this big."

I was pretty large for just two people, though I wouldn't complain about that.

"I guess that psychology did pay off," was what Dad said. I thought for sure that Cara would have something biting to say back, but she simply pulled them into a hug before shooing them out of the door again.

"We've got a long day ahead of us, so let's not dither. I don't want to be late to the airport because you guys didn't have enough time to buy Collins a full wardrobe."

Mom and I took the back seat, though I knew she would get car sick if she weren't careful. She looked as radiant as ever, with her freshly highlighted hair and red lipstick. I wished my hair was still that color naturally.

"What do you think of Forks so far?" She desperately wanted a pleasant answer. I didn't need to read her emotions to know that.

"Um, I'm not sure yet. I haven't gotten the opportunity to see all of it like I want. But what I have seen seems very nice. I met the chief of police and his daughter the other day." There, that would be sufficient.

"Oh good! Those are nice connections to have," she replied cheerfully, before pushing a stray piece of hair behind my ear like she always did. That was all it took. Excitement, nerves, guilt. It all came flooding over me with the smallest amount of physical touch. Excitement and nervousness about getting to move to France, guilt because I was being left with a sister that would have preferred I not move in and disturb her way of life. Mom's emotions were so predictable, but they still affected me like everyone else's.

Dad reached for the radio dial and surfed for something to listen to.

Several more bodies have been found, bringing the total count up to five. The gruesome acts of violence beg the question: rabid animal, or organized gangs?

"Christ, they still haven't found the people responsible for those deaths you were telling us about?" Dad asked incredulously. Cara simply shook her head, her lips thin and white over her teeth. "Well, I don't want you two in Seattle until they catch the people responsible. This world has gone crazy as a bed bug."

"That was one good thing about Andalusia. Never heard about gang violence," Mom tsked from my side.

"But they said it could have been an animal," I insisted, though I wasn't too sure myself.

Cara snorted humorlessly.

"Have you seen the photos of the crime scenes? I don't think there's an animal in Washington capable of that kind of torture," she scoffed.

"Let's talk about something a little happier," Mom suggested. Always the peacemaker. So the conversation turned to their move to Europe and the details that surrounded that: their new apartment, Dad's new job, and a rough outline for when we'd see them again. Mom insisted that we all spend a week in France come summer time. My mind instantly filled with images of croissants and creme brulee. Before long, I had a very elaborate daydream planned out of how I'd spend my week sipping coffee and eating as many carbs as my body could handle. All I had to do was endure a couple months of endless clouds

By the time we neared the port, a nice sprinkling of rain had popped up directly over head. First thing to shop for: a durable rain jacket and extra large umbrella. My old jacket was merely water resistant, and Lord knows, that wouldn't hold up to Fork's-grade storms. As it turns out, we weren't the only people with the idea to shop for clothes before school started back. Nearly all of the stores were bustling with shoppers wanting to return or exchange ill-fitting Christmas presents or spend gift cards. A lot of them looked to be around my age, and I tried to picture a few in my classes. Something about the picture didn't fit right. I still felt like a tourist on holiday with her family, though my family would rather commit all seven deadly sins than be away from home on any major holiday. It used to drive Cara absolutely crazy.

Mom and I found ourselves alone between racks of jeans and chunky sweaters. I'd already acquired a nice armful of long sleeve shirts, layering tank tops, thick socks, and a pair of boots. Cara and Dad were somewhere, either arguing politics or discussing baseball stats. It could never be anywhere in the middle with them, but that's how they'd always been. I held up a cute blue and white striped sweater that felt particularly soft and showed it to mom.

"Definitely get that one. And this too," she pointed out a mossy green waffle knit shirt with lace at the ends of the sleeves. Mom loved to shop as much as I did, and we got on a roll, there was no stopping us.

"So have you been by the school yet? Are you nervous?"

"Cara took me by the other day. It doesn't seem too bad, but I won't really know until tomorrow. People move schools all the time," I shrugged and took the green shirt she offered. I tried my best to sound excited, or at the very least, indifferent, about being in Forks. And too be honest, it wasn't all that hard when I thought about it like a new adventure. The only think that interrupted that adventure were all the texts I'd been getting from my friends. School wouldn't start back in Andalusia for another week, and I felt like the odd woman out.

"Thank you for taking this as easily as you have. It means a lot to me, and I know it means the world to your father. Your sister hasn't exactly shared your enthusiasm," Mom quirked her eyebrow and toyed with a delicate Aspen leaf necklace. There's this rule about having siblings: no matter how much you guys don't get along, you always defend each other around the parents. No exceptions.

"I think she's just been stressed about work. Sounds like she missed a lot to move me all the way out here. She'll come around more once everything gets back into rhythm," I said, wanting to paint Cara in a more positive light.

"I know. You're probably right," Mom smiled and placed a navy blue felt hat atop my head before laughing. "Okay, you have to get that hat. It's adorable."

Adorable was an overstatement until I adjusted it properly over my hair, which is a feat when you have several bags of clothes and a couple of hangers draped over both arms. It made my hair look blonder and my eyes bluer, something I usually only got from the salon and makeup. I typically wasn't a fan of hats, unless they were baseball caps, but Mom was right about this one. It's like it was made for my noggin'.

We finally found Cara and Dad at a sporting goods store just down the street, where I was able to snag a rain jacket suitable for hurricane level rain. My parents needed to be in Seattle by four for their flight out to Atlanta, so we stopped at a restaurant and had an early lunch before packing back into the car for the hours long drive. The rain had let up a while ago, and the sky had lightened just the slightest. With any luck, their flight wouldn't be delayed by the weather, though I selfishly hoped that they could stay just one more day with us before leaving indefinitely.

"We'll call as soon as we can and keep you updated until we reach France. I'll have to figure out this whole long distance calling thing with our phones," Dad pulled me into a tight hug and affectionately ruffled my hair. "Don't give your sister too much trouble, Collie."

God, I hated that nickname. But coming from my Dad right then, I wanted to bawl into his shoulder and beg for the both of them not to go. I bit my cheek until I tasted the saltiness of blood. I didn't want them to be the one thing to hold them back. Mom grabbed me next and squeezed me so tight that I gasped.

"I love you," she whispered in my ear.

"Love you more."

"Love you most."

She always beat me to the 'most' part. But as I watched her and Dad's backs disappear through the crowd of people and felt my stomach drop to the ground, I seriously debated if it weren't the other way around.