I sat quietly in the backseat of Renée's car. She was driving us to Phoenix's airport. Instead of the normal sundresses and hats that one would wear in a sunny state like Arizona, I opted to wear hoodies and long pants with sunnies. My hood was up and I was staring at the lush greenery as it rushed by my window. When we got to the airport, I grabbed my bags and we walked up to the terminal gate. "Bella, Alex, you don't have to do this." Renée said. I let out a frustrated sigh, she has said that about a hundred times…well...it was more like thirty-two but who's counting?
"I want to go." Bella lied...again. She is one of the worst liars I know, and that's saying something. However, Bella has said this lie over and over it's starting to sound convincing.
"Alex?"
"I do want to go, Mum, it will be a good opportunity for me." I muttered. Arizona was always too bright for me.
"Tell Charlie I said hi."
"We will."
"I'll see you soon." Renée promised. "You can come home whenever you want, I'll come right back as soon as either of you needs me."
"Don't worry about us." Bella said. "It'll be great. We love you, Mum." Renée held each of us in a tight embrace for a minute before we got on the plane. It was about a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, then we had to change planes and fly another hour to Port Angeles. It was then another hour driving back in what would most likely be a police cruiser. Surprise, surprise, when we got off the plane, Charlie was waiting for us in the cruiser. You see, Charlie is the Chief of Police in Forks. He gave me a one-arm hug, which was awkward, and caught Bella as she stumbled off the plane.
"Lex, Bells, It's good to see you." Charlie said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied Bella. "You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"
"Mum's ok, she says hi. It's good to see you, too, Dad." I said as I gathered our bags. I had two suitcases filled with my winter clothes for Bella, we do fit in the same clothes, were twins. All our stuff fit into the boot of the cruiser. After we were strapped into the car, unfortunately, I was in the back behind the bars, Charlie spoke again.
"I found a good car for you girls, really cheap." He announced
"What kind of car?" Bella asked. She makes a fair point, in Charlie's book, 'good car for you' doesn't mean 'good car' in general.
"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."
"Where did you find it?"
"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?"
"No."
"He used to go fishing with us during the summer." Charlie explained. "He's in a wheelchair now, so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."
"What year is it?" Bella asked. I could see from Charlie's change of expression that this was the question he was hoping neither of us would ask.
"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine, it's only a few years old, really."
"When did he buy it?" I questioned.
"He bought it in 1984, I think."
"Did he buy it new?" Bella continued.
"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties, or late fifties at the earliest." Charlie admitted sheepishly.
"Ch-Dad, neither of us know anything about cars. We wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and we couldn't afford a mechanic…"
"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."
"But it's old Dad!" I complained, slouching in my seat. "Do they even sell parts for it anymore? A-and how cheap is cheap?"
"Well, girls, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." Nice. Free.
"You didn't need to do that, Dad. We were going to buy ourselves a car." Bella told him.
"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." Charlie was kind of awkward with this sentimental stuff, Bella got that from him.
"That's really nice, Dad." I told him, "Thanks, we really do appreciate it." With the free car we got from Charlie, we can just save up until we can get a better one.
"Well, now, you're welcome." That was practically the end of all conversation. We did share a couple of comments about the weather and then it was silent for the rest of the ride. I sat and looked out the window as we drove through Forks, everything was green, that's all I need to say about it. We arrived at Charlie's two-story house, it had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, phew. In the driveway, there was a large truck. It was a faded red colour, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. It was...unique, and to my honest surprise, I kind of liked it. It was old, and iron. So if Bella ever got into an accident, she would be fine.
"Wow...Dad, this is amazing!" I hopped out of the cruiser and walked up to the truck.
"We love it, thanks." Bella said for both of us.
"I'm glad you like it." Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again. It took only one trip to get all of our bags into our rooms. Bella's room was facing the west while I was told mine was facing the east. My room was relatively new, with a wooden floor with pale pink walls, white lace curtains in front of the window that faced the backyard, a desk to do my homework on was in the corner of the room. Bella had the only computer in the house as well as a phone cable, not that I needed either anyway. There were only two bathrooms in the entire house that the three of us had to share, Bella and I would share one while Charlie used the other, simple.
Another cool thing about Charlie, he doesn't hover as Renée would. I was able to unpack by myself. First thing I did was put my toiletries in on my side of the bathroom sink. I looked at myself in the mirror, pale skin, light brown hair, brown eyes, just plain old me. I then put all my clothes in the dresser that I owned that was dotted with flower stickers. I sat on my bed and pulled a brush through my mane of unruly curly hair and prepared for bed, a white t-shirt and sweatpants. I laid down in bed and stared at the ceiling, I didn't fall asleep. I heard Bella cry herself to sleep, and then toss and turn all night due to the rain. I got out of bed at five-thirty and got changed into a pair of pale blue skinny jeans, a long-sleeved button-up white dress shirt and a pair of white strappy heels. I cooked breakfast for Charlie and Bella, eating food as I went. When they both came down the stairs and sat at the table, I placed breakfast before them. "What about you Alex?" Charlie asked, "Don't you want breakfast?"
"I've already eaten." I told them. I went up to my room and grabbed my bag. I came back downstairs and waited for Bella at the door. We left and hopped into the truck. Bella was the first driver so she hopped into the driver's seat while I got into the passenger seat. The car smelled of tobacco, gas and mint. Surprisingly, the car started pretty quickly but was extremely loud with my sensitive ears.
The school wasn't hard to find, it was off the main road like everything else in this town. It didn't look like a school, the only way to tell it was a school, was the huge sign out the front reading 'Forks High School'. It looked like a cluster of identical houses. All the buildings were built with maroon coloured bricks, there were so many trees and bushes, the full size of the school was unknown to my sister and I. Bella parked in front of the first building she saw. It had a small sign over it's door saying it was the front office and nobody was parked anywhere we were. So...great going, Bella. We got out of the cab of the truck and walked towards the office. Bella took a deep breath before opening the door. It was brightly lit inside the office, and it was small. There was a tiny waiting room that had padded folding chairs and orange-flecked carpet. Notices and awards hung off the walls and a large clock ticked away in the background. Plants grew in plastic pots around the small room. The room was smaller again due to a long counter that cut it in half. There were some desks behind the counter, one which was being occupied by a red-haired woman who was wearing glasses and a purple t-shirt. I held my breath in the room as I was in close proximity to her. She looked up and regarded Bella and I, "Can I help you?" She asked,
"I'm Isabella Swan, and this is my sister Alexandria." I could see the recognition in her eyes, the Chief's daughters have finally come home.
"Of course." The lady dug through a stacked pile of documents and bought out the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule's right here, and a map of the school." The lady took Bella through her classes and how to get there quicker. She then went through mine and I noticed that all of mine were AP classes, so I would be taking classes with the 12th grade. The lady gave us each a slip for each teacher to sign and give back to her at the end of the day. She wished us a happy stay here in Forks. I gave her a small smile before walking out the door, leaving Bella to park the truck somewhere else. I walked into the school and walked to my class. AP Trig, building 5 with Mr Vanner. He was already at the desk when I walked in and I gave him my slip.
"I'm Alex Swan, I need you to sign this." I said bluntly. Mr Vanner gave me a small smile and told me that there was only one spot left in the class, at the back to the left. I glanced over at the table and then made my way over to it, dropping my bag down beside me. I sat there still for the next ten minutes before people started to pile in. I noticed a girl walk, more like strut, into the classroom and the students parted like the red sea. The girl had long blonde hair that reached the middle of her back and a figure that one would see in swimsuit magazines. She had dark eyes and bags underneath them. The blonde bombshell walked over and sat next to me. She glanced over at me but I had my eyes glued to the front of the room, if I ignore her, she'll ignore me. I did my work in silence. The woman beside me was called on, and I learnt her name was Rosalie. When the bell rang, I gathered my things and sprinted to my next class. Unfortunately, Rosalie was in all of my classes. When it was time for lunch, I sighed in relief. I scanned the cafeteria and spotted Bella. I smiled and walked over to her table
"Hey, Alex." Bella said when she saw me approach.
"Hey, Bella." I greeted and sat down next to her. Bella looked over to one of the tables and I followed her gaze towards a group of people who sat in the far corner of the room. I smirked and turned back around when I saw it was Rosalie's coven. I only saw a glance of them, but they were hardly unrecognizable. There were three guys and three girls. They were talking in whispers, I could listen in but that would be just rude. One of the boys was bulky and looked like he could weight lift a mountain (Let's be honest it's totally possible). Another boy was tall and had blonde hair, he looked to be struggling with...fitting in I should say. The last one had brown hair and could make every straight girl here swoon. Rosalie day next to the other girl. She was short and had pixie-cut black hair. All of the coven's eyes were black. I heard the smallest one rise from her seat and her feet glide across the floor. She dumped her tray and exited the cafeteria.
"Who are they?" Bela asked. Jessica giggled,
"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen, they all live together with Doctor Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath. I glanced over at the Cullens.
"They look nice." I commented,
"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle. "But most of them all together though. Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together." Jessica sounded like they were the new town gossip.
"Which ones are the Cullens?" Bella asked. "They don't look related…"
"Oh, they're not. Doctor. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales are siblings, triplets, the blondes, and they're foster children."
"They look a little old for foster children."
"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are all eighteen, but they've been with Missus Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."
"That's really kind of nice, for them to take care of all those kids like that when they're so young and everything." I smiled to myself, they're all a coven, no doubt.
"I guess so." Jessica's tone implied that she was jealous of the Cullens. "I think that Missus. Cullen can't have any kids, though." She added. I laughed quietly to myself, that confirms it.
"What are you laughing about?" Bella asked me, "The fact that Missus Cullen can't have kids?" I shook my head,
"No my dear sister." I replied, "I was merely recalling last summer." I smirked as Bella turned beet red. I full-on laughed at that, "Your face is priceless!"
"You said you'd never bring that up." Bella grumbled under her breath as her blush receded. "Have they always lived in Forks?"
"No." Jessica said in a 'duh' tone, "They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska." I nodded to myself, smart.
"Which one is the boy with the reddish-brown hair?" I knew who she was talking about, the one who she's already fallen for.
"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently, none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him." Jessica sniffed, a clear case of sour grapes. I watched as the coven rose in synchronization, the food on their trays untouched. They dumped their trays and left. When the bell rang, I rose, giving Bella a quick hug before I left for Spanish. Unfortunately, Rosalie was in that class as well. Gym was one of two bits of levity at school. I gave a note to Coach Clapp before moving to the bleachers. Gym itself was both AP classes and normal classes, meaning I was able to watch my sister embarrass herself in front of the whole class. I gave my note to the gym teacher and sat in the bleachers, pulling out my art supplies and started to draw. After Gym, Rosalie left to go home with her coven. Bella and I went to the office to hand in our slips. Edward Cullen was there. He was arguing with the lady to change his biology to anything else. That was Bella's class. The door opened again, letting in another gust of wind. The girl who entered just placed a note in a basket and left. Edward turned and glared at Bella. I stepped slightly in front of her and sent a warning growl to Edward, glaring at him just as harshly.
"Never mind, then." Edward said hastily, "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." Edward then turned on his heel and stalked out of the office. I never let my glare leave him until the door closed behind him. I walked up to the desk with mine and Bella's signed slips in hand.
"How did your first day go, dears?" The receptionist asked.
"Fine." Bella lied. The receptionist didn't look convinced.
"It was ok." I said. I wrapped my arm around Bella as we left the office to our truck. I told Bella to get in the back and that I'd drive. She nodded weakly and got in the truck. I turned on the heater as I turned the key to the ignition. Bella curled into my side as we drove, and I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. I could feel some tears escape her eyes. When we got home, Bella went up to her room and started on homework while I started on dinner. When Charlie got home, we ate in silence before turning in for the night.