PROLOGUE
May 21, 1995
"We're getting ready to land, Isabella, check your seatbelt."
Bella lifted her book from her lap, to show the buckle of her seatbelt. She'd kept it secured for the whole three hour flight. The stewardess nodded and gave her a small smile. She was nice, with pretty black hair and bright red lipstick. Her name was Kristy, which Bella liked because it was the name of one of the babysitters in the books from the school library. When she'd collected Bella in Phoenix, she'd offered her a packet of goldfish. Then they'd waited for the flight together, while Bella ate her snack and Kristy pointed out the different types of planes rolling along the sizzling tarmac outside. That one is ours, getting more fuel, and that itty-bitty one is headed to somewhere close, Sedona or Tucson or Santa Fe. The massive one with the red maple leaf on its tail will fly all the way to Toronto.
Bella already knew they were about to land the plane, she'd heard the pilot's announcement. And Charlie always booked her a window seat, so could see the familiar shapes clarifying on the ground below. The world looked very different between the two airports Bella had seen. In Phoenix the sky was always stunning blue, with no clouds, the ground was all gray and brownish orange in every direction. In Seattle, there was darker blue on the ground too, where the water cut into the dark green landmass right next to the large dirt and asphalt expanse.
The woman sitting next to Bella leaned over to look out as they approached the landing strip, Bella heard her let out a relieved breath once the wheels hit the ground. The plane rattled, and Bella slid forward in her seat slightly when they pulled the brakes. The rough fabric of the plane seat scratched against the back of her thighs, it was already very hot in Arizona, so Bella wore shorts.
"That always makes me nervous," the woman told Bella.
Bella looked at her. She was old, like Bella's teacher, with gray at the roots of her hair and glasses.
"You're so brave to fly by yourself," she told Bella.
Bella shrugged, "my dad lives here." Well not here, Bella knew, he lived in Forks, which was a different town in the northwest of Washington state. But she didn't tell the woman that, because she knew about stranger danger. "He's gonna pick me up at the airport."
"Fun summer with dad?"
Bella nodded. "I like it here."
"Me too, my daughter lives in Bellingham. She's having a baby, that's why I'm here, even though I hate flying."
"Driving is more dangerous than flying," Bella said. She'd read that on an advertisement in the Seattle airport in January, when she was flying back to Arizona after Christmas break.
"Good point," the woman said. She tried to smile, but it wasn't very convincing.
"I get off the plane first, you can come with me."
"Thank you, but I'll survive. If I'm too quick out my son-in-law won't have time to park the car and I'll have to wait anyway."
Bella nodded, she hated waiting outside too, especially when the teachers kept asking if she was positively sure her mom would show up.
The flight crew moved at the front of the cabin, as the pilot pulled into their spot. Bella leaned over and pulled her backpack onto her lap. The bright block colors were slightly faded, but the zippers worked better than her old one. And on the back it had her name 'Bella Swan' in Aunt Sarah's neat handwriting, beneath the crossed out 'Rebecca Black.' Bella put her book away and hugged the bag to her chest. The seatbelt light was still on, so she stayed put in her seat, swinging her feet back and forth. The tips of her toes brushed against the floor, an improvement from the journey in January.
Lots of people were already standing up and waiting in the aisles, pulling things from the overhead compartments. Bella strained her neck to look over the seats, and saw Kristy approaching.
"Ready to go, Isabella?"
Bella nodded, unbuckled her seatbelt, and stood. The nervous woman beside her attempted to force herself further into her seat to allow Bella past. She said cheerily, "Have fun with your dad!"
"I will," Bella said, "have fun with your daughter."
Kristy gestured for her to walk in front, Bella shrugged her backpack onto her back. They reached the front of the plane just as the doors slid open.
"Thank you," Bella said to the other stewardess.
"Have a good day, Isabella," the woman returned.
Kristy's high heels clicked along the floor of the jetway. Bella didn't run forward like she wanted, but she wished the woman would walk faster. The hallway opened into the terminal, and there were about a million people around. Kristy brought her over to the desk, to let the other passengers off the plane. Three of them took off running immediately, the rest slowly joining the crowd. Bella stood on her tiptoes to look around for Charlie.
"Bells! Bella!" The familiar voice cut through the noise, and Charlie came rushing towards her.
Bella broke away from the airport officials and lurched towards him. He bent over to hug her under her arms, then lifted her with an exaggerated grunt until he was standing upright and she was swinging limply, her arms tight around his neck. She put her nose against the skin just above his flannel collar. Her next inhale smelled like pine trees and rain.
"Aw, I missed you, baby." Charlie squeezed her, making her legs swing sideways a bit. The books in Bella's backpack smooshed against her spine.
"I miss you too," Bella mumbled into his neck.
Charlie grunted again, then bent to set her back on the floor. Bella kept her arms wound around him until her feet were firmly planted and he was trying to pull away. A wide smile split his face, as he put his hands on her shoulders and held her, then stroked the side of her head gently.
"Sir? I just need to see your ID, and you can be on your way," Kristy said.
"Sure, sure," Charlie stepped towards the desk, his right hand pulled Bella close against his side. He withdrew his wallet and handed over the card, Bella leaned her head against his solid warmth.
Kristy looked between the papers at the desk and Charlie's ID, then handed it back to him and said, "alright, you're good to go."
"Thank you for looking after her," Charlie said, putting his wallet away again.
"My pleasure," Kristy said, and smiled.
"Thank you," Bella said, already taking Charlie's hand and turning away from the desk.
"Bye, Isabella," echoed behind them.
Charlie's hand felt large and very warm around Bella's. His palms were slightly calloused, and the veins on the top bulged from his sun-tanned skin. So unlike the faint blue lines beneath Bella's.
"Are you hungry?" Charlie asked when they passed a pretzel shop.
"I had snacks on the plane," Bella answered. Kristy had given her both the cookies and the nut mix, so she didn't have to choose like everyone else. Charlie nodded, and led them through the airport to the baggage claim area. The belt wasn't moving yet, so they found an empty spot on a bench and sat down to wait. Bella kept her backpack on, but leaned against Charlie when he put his arm around her shoulders.
They watched everyone moving around. Bella recognized some of them from her plane. A dark-skinned lady with braids down to her waist wrapped herself around a tall man and kissed him. An older couple herded a pair of bored teenagers towards the carousel. A man in a black suit, carrying a briefcase, hurried off the escalator and rushed to the line of payphones against the wall. A little girl took both of her parents' hands and swung between them. A man in a camouflage army uniform lifted a squealing boy above his head, then kissed a woman. Some bystanders clapped at the reunion.
The buzzer sounded, the light flashed, and the conveyor belt lurched forward. Charlie and Bella stood, and joined the herd of people staring at the opening in the wall.
"How many bags do you have?" Charlie asked.
"Just one."
"Okay, let me know when you see it."
There were a lot of black bags that looked like Bella's, Renee bought it at a thrift store. But Bella's had a bright orange ribbon tied around the handle.
"That's it," she told Charlie and pointed, "with the orange bow."
Charlie pulled her forward, only releasing her hand for a second to get a grip on the bag. Then he took her hand again and carried the duffle bag on the other side.
The crowds cleared as they left the terminal and walked towards the parking garage.
"Are we gonna ride the boat?" Bella asked as Charlie led her past the rows of cars.
"It's a nice day," Charlie observed in reply and Bella smiled.
They found the Forks Police Department car, and Charlie opened the back door for her. Bella took off her backpack and shoved it across the backseat, then climbed into the booster seat. "Mom doesn't make me use a carseat."
"Really?" Charlie's eyebrows drew together as he watched Bella fasten her seatbelt.
"Yeah."
"Well, in Washington State, you're not tall enough for that yet."
Bella settled into the seat as Charlie closed the door and rounded the car to sit in the driver's seat. "How tall do I have to be?"
Charlie started the car. "4 foot, 9 inches."
"Can you measure me when we get home?"
"Sure, baby," Charlie said.
The booster seat was okay, actually. The seatbelt didn't rub against her neck and she could see more out the window. Charlie paid the man in the ticket booth and pulled out onto the road. The radio buzzed, then a man's voice announced the song. Bella listened for a while, then said, "I heard this song before."
"Oh really?"
"My bus driver plays it," Bella said.
Charlie turned the dial to the right, and the music got a bit louder. "It's pretty good."
Bella nodded her head along with the melody as she stared out the window. There were big white cotton candy clouds in the sky, the sun shining bright with no rain. They listened to the music together as Charlie drove towards the water, then up to the ticket booth. He told the woman working that he'd reserved a spot, and she lifted the barrier for them. They pulled into the line of parked cars. Charlie cracked the windows and turned off the car.
"About a 20 minute wait, should we go walk around?" Charlie asked.
Bella nodded and unbuckled herself. Her door wouldn't come unlocked from the inside, so she waited for Charlie to rush back around and let her out, then she took his hand and they walked through the lines of cars to the railing overlooking the water. Bella stepped onto the lowest bar of the barrier and held onto the top, the peer down into the waves crashing against the rocks. The air smelled like when she went fishing with Charlie and Uncle Billy and Jacob.
"Look, a bird," Bella held on with one hand and pointed at the seagull floating on the surface.
"Oh, yea," Charlie said.
"What's it doing?"
"Looking for fish to eat, I guess."
Bella cocked her head at the bird. "Does it eat the same fish as you?"
Charlie hummed in consideration, then answered, "Don't think so, we never see seagulls at the lakes or rivers."
Bella mimicked his hum. "Maybe seagulls only like sea fish."
"That's a smart theory."
Bella grinned, looking around the dock. "They have hotdogs over there."
Charlie followed her pointed finger to the little booth set up at the edge of the boardwalk. Bella felt her stomach growl, but the noise of the area covered the sound.
Charlie took her hand and said, "come on, I could use some lunch."
Bella squeezed his hand and jumped off the railing, landing on two feet.
They brought their lunch back to the car because there were no open benches. Bella held both of the paper baskets while Charlie took off his flannel and spread it over the hood of the car, then lifted her up to sit on it. The sun was hot, especially with all the concrete and asphalt around, but there was a cool breeze lifting off the water that occasionally blew Bella's hair across her face. Charlie had ketchup in his mustache, which Bella pointed out with a giggle. He used one of the napkins to clean his face. Then he used the cold water from the sweating plastic bottle to wet another one. He cleaned each of Bella's hands, wiping between all of her fingers as she lightly thumped her feet against the car's front bumper. The ferry crew started telling people to get back into their cars as Charlie wiped his own hands.
"Stay right here, Bells," he said.
Bella nodded, watched him jog over to the nearest trashcan and toss their garbage inside, then hurry back. He grabbed her under the armpits and swung her in a circle before setting her on the ground.
He picked up the flannel, then ssid, "here, put this on, it'll be chilly on the water."
The fabric hung past Bella's hands and covered her shorts. She hugged it against herself once she'd settled back into the car for the short, slow drive from the dock onto the ferry. Once the car was parked inside the boat, Charlie and Bella took the stairs up onto the sun deck and watched the land disappear behind them, Seattle's skyscrapers to one side and towering Mount Rainier to the other.
It was chilly, but Bella smiled as the wind cut across the waves. Charlie pulled her onto his lap on one of the deck chairs. As fast as Seattle faded away behind them, the Olympic Peninsula rose in front. All shadowy mountains clinging to the last of their snow, and dark green trees tall as any steel and glass building across the water. The journey took barely half an hour, then they were descending back into the interior of the ship and driving back onto the highway.
Charlie fiddled with the radio dials until he found another station with music. "What'd you do on the plane, Bells? Did they play a movie?"
"No, I had my book."
"You still above your grade level?"
"Yeah, I read like a fifth grader."
"That's my girl."
Bella smiled and twisted the fabric of Charlie's shirt between her fingers.
"I got a library card," Charlie said as the radio went to commercial, "I'll take you whenever you want, alright?"
"Okay," Bella said. Maybe they would have something different than her school library. She had two chapter books in her suitcase, plus the one she'd read on the plane. All of them were gifts from her teacher because Hailey Anderson from class 5D's parents donated newer versions to their classroom.
The soft music and gentle rumble of the car soon lulled Bella to sleep, and she barely noticed the remaining three hours of the drive. She woke halfway when Charlie pulled into the driveway, shut off the car, and opened his door, but she kept her eyes shut and waited for him to carry her inside. He lifted her into his arms and she slumped against him as he walked up the steps and into the house. The familiar smells filled her nose immediately. She cracked her eyes to look around sleepily as he carried her up the stairs and laid her in her bed.
"I hadta wake up early," Bella mumbled as Charlie removed her shoes, snuggling to the mattress immediately as he tucked the blanket around her.
"I know, baby." Charlie stroked her hair, then kissed her forehead. "Go back to your nap."
Bella nodded minutely, asleep again before Charlie had even made it out the door. In her dreams, she watched from above as an enormous wave swept over a sandy landscape. After the water sank into the earth, a thousand tiny creatures sprung from the mud and scurried through the new flowers. Trees rose from the ground, they grew and grew until Bella could lean over from her perch in the sky and brush her fingertips along their highest branches.
Sunlight still streamed through the open window when Bella woke. For a second she looked around the room, unsure where she was, then sat up and rubbed her eyes. The door to the hallway was open, Bella heard the faint noise of a sports game on the TV. She padded down the stairs and found Charlie in his spot on the sofa with his socked feet on the coffee table next to a can of diet coke. Charlie uncrossed his arms and sat up when Bella approached him, rubbing her eyes groggily.
"Hey, Bells, did you have a good sleep?"
Bella nodded, then climbed into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her immediately, relaxing back into the cushions. She slid her bare feet between his legs and under one of his thighs, where it was very warm. Both of them looked at the TV for a while. Bella recognized Charlie's team, in their bright teal jerseys. She'd seen them in person the previous summer, when they'd gone to Seattle for a game with the Black and Clearwater families.
"What's a mariner?" Bella asked after a few minutes of watching the men run around the diamond field.
"Hmm?"
"A mariner, like the team."
"Oh, it's a sailor, I guess. Someone who works on fishing boats and such."
Bella stared at the TV. "So they all work on boats too?"
Charlie's chuckle rumbled through his chest against Bella's ear. "No, it's just cause there's a lot of ships in the area."
"Oh…do people in Seattle go fishing too?"
"Maybe a few, but mostly they buy their fish at the store. Which isn't as good, cause it's not so fresh."
"Yea, that's no good," Bella said.
They watched the remainder of the game in peaceful silence. Charlie rattled Bella a few times to clap when his team scored, which they did twice more. They beat the Twins, who Bella learned from the announcer came from a place called Minneapolis, Minnesota. Charlie and Bella stayed put on the sofa as the camera switched to some men around a table talking about the game they'd just seen. Bella was halfway back to sleep again, warm in Charlie's arms, when the doorbell rang.
"That's probably Sarah," Charlie said, shifting Bella off his lap.
"Oh!" Bella said, then hopped off the couch to follow Charlie to the door.
He swung the door open, and it was Aunt Sarah waiting there. She shoved a big paper bag of stuff into Charlie as she stepped inside, knelt down, and pulled Bella into a hug.
"Bella! Oh my goodness, welcome home!" She exclaimed.
Bella smiled and wrapped her arms around the woman's neck, leaning into her embrace. "Hi."
Sarah's long black hair ran down her spine in a thick braid. Bella lightly stroked the soft ridges of the braid with one hand, Renee didn't like anyone to touch her hair, even her daughter. And anyway it was usually crunchy and stinky from hairspray. But Aunt Sarah had the same lovely smell as always, strawberry from her shampoo, salt from the beaches, and paint from her studio.
"Oh, let me look at you," Sarah said. She sat back on her heels and held Bella at arm's length. Her white teeth flashed as she grinned at Bella, her hands warm on Bella's face, then her shoulders. "Well, good thing I have some clothes for you, it looks like you've grown 6 inches."
Bella giggled, then remembered and looked up at Charlie. "Dad! You gotta measure me!"
She pulled away from Aunt Sarah and ran into the kitchen. Along the trim of the doorway, there was a column of dates, starting September 13, 1990, ascending until the most recent in January. Bella pressed her back against the wood and tried to make herself tall while Sarah put her bag of stuff on the kitchen table and Charlie rifled around the junk drawer for his tape measure and a pen. He grabbed the newspaper from the counter. Bella held very still and upright while he held the paper flat against the top of her head and marked the line. Then she turned around to watch him mark the date and measure the distance to the floor.
"3 feet, 9 and a half inches," Charlie declared, then measured the distance between today and January's line, "you've grown one and a quarter inch."
"How far until I can ride without the carseat?"
Charlie adjusted the tape measure until it held up 11.5 inches. "About that far."
Bella gaped.
"Better eat your vegetables." Charlie chuckled and mused up her hair. Bella scowled at him. She ate lots of vegetables, Renee didn't buy much else because she was on a diet. Charlie turned his attention to Sarah preheating the oven.
"I brought you some dinner," she said, "thought you'd be tired after all the driving."
Charlie and Bella walked over to the table, and watched her unwrap a small casserole dish, perfect for two people. Even cold, the food filled the room with the scents of cheese and pasta, sausage and garlic and broccoli. Bella licked her lips as Sarah set the dish in the oven to warm up.
"Just needs to heat up for a few minutes," Sarah said, and set the timer on the microwave for good measure. "I gotta get home, the girls have exams starting tomorrow."
"Is Jacob finished with school too?" Bella asked.
"Yep," she answered, "we'll see you bright and early Tuesday morning!"
Bella's feet shifted with excitement, and she bolted forward to wrap her arms around Sarah's waist. The woman's hand rubbed along her head for a moment, Bella squeezed a bit harder.
"Alright, let her go, Bells," Charlie said lightly.
Bella obeyed, and Charlie walked Sarah out the front door, leaving her alone. Outside the kitchen window the porchlight glowed faintly, and Bella heard their distant voices for a few minutes. Instead of following them outside, Bella knelt on the cold linoleum floor in front of the oven to watch the casserole. The cheese bubbled invitingly, and Bella wanted to crack the oven door and take a sniff. She resisted. Charlie house didn't have many rules, but she wasn't allowed to touch the oven, or the knives, and especially never ever his police officer gun.
The timer had three more minutes to go when Charlie came back inside. "How's it lookin?"
"Yummy," Bella said.
Charlie nodded, and began unpacking to other things Sarah had brought. A pile of second-hand clothes grew on one of the chairs, including a pair of bright yellow rain boots and rain jacket. Bella's suitcase from Phoenix only ever had shorts and t-shirts, even when she visited for Christmas, so Sarah had her in the rotation of families on the reservation constantly trading things as their children grew.
The timer buzzed, and Bella jumped to her feet to let Charlie get the food out of the oven. Both of them hummed in appreciation when they saw the finished result. Bella brought some cups of water, napkins, and cutlery to the table, then sat down and waited for Charlie to bring over the plates. She still wore Charlie's flannel, and she pushed the sleeves up past her elbows before she picked up her fork to start eating. The food was delicious, of course, and they both finished their plates in silence. Charlie collected the dishes and brought them to the sink, then he opened a cabinet for something, and came back to the table with a stack of oreos on a napkin. He gave Bella two, and sat down to eat his two. Both of them twisted the cookies apart to lick the cream out first, then ate the remaining cookie rounds in one mouthful each.
They washed the dishes together. Well, Charlie washed the dishes, then handed them to Bella one by one, who dried them with a rag and put them back on the counter neatly. Charlie stacked the dishes in the upper cabinets while Bella returned the cutlery to their proper places in the little drawer organizer.
"Can you watch TV while I read on the couch?" Bella asked once they were done.
"Sure," Charlie agreed, "let's get some pj's on."
They went upstairs into their bedrooms. Bella ignored her suitcase and headed for the chest of drawers. The old handle rattled as Bella pulled the bottom drawer open. She chose a matching pajama set, long sleeves and pants in light green, printed with little Christmas trees. Most of the things in her drawers and closet here were second-hand, or third or fourth or fifth. But Bella had gotten these brand new on Christmas Eve.
In the bathroom cabinet, Bella found a brand new toothbrush and tube of kids' toothpaste. Bella flipped the little sand timer on the sink and stepped up on the stool to stare at herself in the mirror while she brushed. Charlie came in behind and stood behind her while he brushed his teeth too. He wiggled his eyebrows at her in the mirror, and pink toothpaste ran down Bella's chin as she giggled.
"All clean for the dentist tomorrow?" Charlie asked once the timer was up and she spit into the sink.
"Yup!" Bella said. She leaned over to take a sip of water from the faucet.
Bella fled the bathroom before Charlie could make her floss, she found her backpack by the front door and hopped up on the couch with her book. When Charlie sat down beside her, Bella curled into his side and opened to her bookmark while he found another baseball game to watch. She made it through two whole chapters before her eyes started to drift shut between paragraphs. She tried to blink herself awake, but the dinner was making her tired despite her nap. Charlie put her bookmark in place when she sank into him and finally fell asleep. She slept against him for the rest of the game, then he carried her back to her bed.