Dusk was brewing just beyond the waves, and twilight was nearing closer as the seconds passed. The smell of bug spray and sunscreen lingered as the Arizona sun beat down on Isabella Marie Swan's pale skin. Bella signed, savoring her last moments of sunlight before her days would be filled with the drizzle of rain and chill of autumn. In the past, not soon before her mother Renee had met Phil, she considered living with Charlie. Still, as always, her mother's spontaneity and wonder had left her scrambling to pick up the pieces and ultimately make a decision for herself. But that was like Renee, childlike and pure, going off instinct rather than insight and leaving her child to make rational decisions. Bella tried to ignore the thoughts racing behind her eyes and instead savor the sand between her toes, enjoying the heat conducted through the tiny granules as they pressed against her flesh.
She knew if Renee wasn't reliable, she could count on the sand, the wind, the sun, and the rain. "Please Forks be kind to me," she chanted in her head almost like a prayer. She hadn't been popular or even acknowledged significantly at her current school. She had not had a large group of friends or even any as most of her peers chose to ignore or surpass her in every activity which required social interaction. It was better though than it had been. For the first several years of school, Bella found herself bullied significantly to the point where she avoided most interactions with other students. Now they ignored her for the most part, occasionally some would make offhand remarks about her pale complexion or small frame. Weak, Bella thought to herself. She pinched her outer thigh just below her bathing suit, subtlety so no one would see. She hated knowing she was weak, but what could she do? She was fragile and she was damaged. Forced to be an adult as a child between two divorced parents. One absent, and the other aloof. Perhaps Forks would be the respite she hoped for. Only a year or so more before she began college and could start her own life. She hoped for the best, yet prepared for the worst as she continued to dig her nails into her skin, feeling the skin break and blood flow beneath her nails. She could be a new person in just a few years, but first, she would have to make Forks Washington her new home.