Bella Swan - Forks, Washington
Sunday, August 22, 2004
My father was waiting for me at the small regional airport in Port Angeles, standing stoically in the rain. He was there to take me home to Forks, a place I had once promised myself I would never return to. Without exaggeration it rained on this inconsequential blip on the map more than any other place in the continental United States. A fact that made me bring my only carry-on item - a faux-fur lined waterproof ankle length coat. My goodbye gesture to the sun was a sleeveless white eyelet lace top that was far too thin for the gloom and constant cold that enveloped Forks most of the year.
My mother had escaped the sleepy little town nestled in the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula when I was only a few months old. I had spent every summer there visiting with my father Charlie for a month, until I was fourteen and refused to go back. Afterwards, I would spend two weeks of my summer vacation with Dad in destination places like Hawaii or Disney World. Just after finishing our latest vacation in San Francisco, I realized I was being unfair to him. I spent the following few days in a state of consternation and confusion as I worked out what I was feeling. Then it hit me, realizing I had been projecting my mother's hatred of Forks onto my opinion of the town.
It took a while to sort out how I felt. First I had to try and remember all the negative comments Mom had said about Forks throughout the years. Then I tried to separate out all those little verbal jabs she made from my actual personal experiences as a child. Which included some almost forgotten childhood friends. It didn't take me long to come to the conclusion that even though I disliked cold and wet weather as a rule, it was hardly a reason to hate Forks. Especially when it kept me from developing a stronger bond with my father.
While I would miss my flaky eccentric mother, it was time for a change and her new marriage made the choice even easier. She married Phil a couple years ago, he's a nice guy and a minor league baseball player who has to spend months out of the year on the road. She would never say it, but I could tell she was miserable when he was away on those long tours. They loved each other so much and I could no longer stand in the way anymore. Thinking over both problems, the choice was simple. My family as a whole would be happier if I spent my last two years of school with my father.
I would also miss Phoenix, the sun and the blistering heat, the sprawl of the congested city and the sheer variety of the people. Forks had a population of just over three thousand people, and was three hours away from Seattle and an hour from the closest city of Port Angeles. There was one good restaurant, two diners, three motels, four take out places, and five bars within six square blocks. The small downtown had some quaint little boutique shops, but nothing with decent clothing or new books. I had counted everything as we drove north past the outskirts of town to a small strip of houses cutting into the untouched forest. It had been planned as the first street in a new development, but the developer folded after finishing the first six. Ours was at the end, a simple two story with two bedrooms and one full bath, a detail I had forgotten entirely.
As we got closer I could see the truck Dad had bought me as a welcome home present, a giant bulbous faded red Chevy truck that might've been new in the early 50's. He had bought it from Billy Black, a family friend who lived on the Quileute reservation down by the coast twenty or so miles away. I would've preferred Harry Clearwater's restored 67' Chevy impala soft top, which was an actual car and had some style. Billy's old truck was a statement piece, one that said I was an old man with no money.
I had been somewhat close with Billy and Harry's kids, although none of them were exactly my age. Jacob and Michelle, Billy's youngest, were two years younger than me. Seth, Harry's youngest, was three years younger. Leah, Harry's daughter, and Rachel and Rebecca, Billy's twin daughters, were all a year older than me. As kids it didn't matter so much so we all played together, but as we got older we grew apart and never really reconnected.
"There it is." I said trying to force myself to be excited, even though I wasn't about to turn down a car, especially when the alternative would be getting driven around in Dad's police cruiser.
"So why did Billy want to get rid of it?" I asked when I didn't get a response from Dad.
"He didn't have a need for it anymore. Jacob or Michelle are getting Rachel's car when she graduates and they rarely use the truck, it just doesn't make sense to keep it. That, and ever since the accident Billy doesn't drive." Charlie was oddly verbal, at least for him, but didn't seem to have an urge to continue. That was one of the things I liked about my father, he wasn't what you would call verbose. My mother talked all the time, usually about nothing.
"Oh right, I forgot about that. How're they coping?" I asked, needing to fill the silence for some reason as we pulled up to the house. Perhaps it was because I was about to finally reach my destination. Two months of planning, and I was actually here. I had to repress a sigh as we stopped, the cruiser's brakes squealing ever so slightly.
"About how you would imagine." Charlie said as he opened his door, and immediately got out, moving to the back of the cruiser and beginning to pull my luggage from the trunk. I took the opportunity to be alone and let loose my sigh before getting out and joining him.
"I can't believe Sarah's gone, and Billy can't walk now?" I fidgeted slightly as I grabbed my smaller suitcase. Dad just shrugged and we headed inside.
"No he can't walk, but I think he's okay. So anyway, the thing runs so you shouldn't have to worry too much. Jacob is also pretty good with cars, so you could call him if there's trouble." He was nodding as he spoke, and only paused long enough to pull out his keys and unlock the front door. I liked the idea of calling the truck 'The Thing'. So, I nodded at it, silently christening the ancient beast with the admittedly silly name.
I paused at the threshold and held my breath, then stepped through and felt nothing. I wasn't sure what I expected, but the total lack of any kind of emotional revelation disappointed me for some bizarre reason. Charlie didn't seem to notice my hesitation or disappointment and continued up the stairs without another word. Once we were in my room he set down my big suitcase and made a sweeping motion with his right hand.
"Pretty much the same, I got you a new… ish computer from work to use for school, and the bedding is new. You like purple right?" He winced a little, but I pulled him into a hug.
"Yeah, purple's my favorite. Thanks Dad, I'm happy to be back home." I was exaggerating, but I hoped he couldn't hear it in my voice. Thankfully he just nodded, and as we pulled apart he managed a small smile.
"I'll let you unpack, we can hit the diner or order pizza or something in a couple of hours." He cocked his head and turned to leave without another word.
"Sounds good." I said even though he didn't wait for me to confirm if that was okay, but he did nod as he closed my door.
I didn't try to unpack, instead I plopped onto my bed and closed my eyes. I tried to cry, to get out the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm me, but all I could feel was empty. This new life might've been a mistake, but it was only a couple of years. I racked my brain trying to remember the names of the girls I used to play with as a child. But nothing came to mind, so I clenched my teeth and sat up to look around.
It was basically the same as how I had left it three years ago, with light blue walls and a peaked ceiling. The window looked out over the back yard, and the sole tree on our property. The room had been mine since I was born, and it was tied to my childhood memories of this place. The computer was a nice addition, it had a color monitor and supported Windows XP so at least I knew the police department wasn't working with antiquated equipment.
I booted up the system and was immediately greeted with a login screen for the Forks Police Department. A small piece of paper was taped to the bottom of the monitor with a username and password in hastily scribbled black ink, my father's hand writing. Thankfully it worked on the first attempt, and I took the time to send Mom an email with enough fake joy that I hoped it would placate her, or she would see right through it and I'd get a follow up call. A chore I was hoping to avoid, because Mom's phone calls were marathon length exercises in managing irritation, patience and frustration all while feigning positivity and interest.
I moved over to the old rocking chair, left over from my baby days, and tried not to think about tomorrow. I had never been to a school in Forks, and couldn't quite remember what the building even looked like. It was a small school of just three hundred and fifty seven students, now one more. I was entering a situation where everyone had grown up together, and knew each other from kindergarten. I was the new girl, from a big city and the daughter of the Chief of Police. I just knew I would be a curiosity, a freak… perhaps the center of attention, which was a possibility I was dreading with every fiber of my being.
Maybe if I looked and acted like a typical Phoenix girl, I would be able to enjoy my inevitably short popularity. But I was not that girl, in most ways I'd never really fit in anywhere. My ivory-white skin and dark hair might look good on a twenty-something movie star, but not on a kid in a city where the sun dominated the sky most days of the year. I should've been tan, maybe athletic with bottle blonde locks and a jock ex-boyfriend and a resume including cheer squad and volleyball. All the things that would go with living in the Valley of the Sun.
I was thin, but soft and obviously not into sports in the slightest, not that my coordination would let me even indulge in the attempt. I could trip over my feet walking in a straight line, and the last time someone made me throw a baseball, I almost knocked out the Gym teacher when it bounced off his head. I wasn't sure what else to do, so I moved over to my suitcases and began to put away my clothes. Most of them were new, bought on a shopping spree with mom, who insisted on getting me clothes for the 'depressing and cold northwest', as she put it.
After I put away the last shirt, I went into the bathroom to check my appearance. It was just about what I expected, with my mane of slightly tangled hair hanging limply from a haphazardly chosen middle part. My eyes had dark circles under them from lack of sleep, and my skin was looking more pale than usual. Generally my skin could look pretty, especially in the right lighting. Here I just looked washed out and colorless, as though the very world around me was draining my life away. I splashed some water on my face, brushed my hair out and shrugged when I realized that was the best I could do without makeup.
Dad was watching a baseball game and motioned towards the kitchen table where there were two boxes of pizza. I blinked a few times in confusion shaking my head slightly, I hadn't even heard the delivery guy knock.
"Thought you would want to stay in tonight. I got you a veggie." Charlie said between swallows, just as a play distracted him towards the game. I walked over and found my pizza on top, it had all my favorites which was more thoughtful than I would've given him credit for, because he would've had to ask Mom what I liked. The last time I had pizza with Dad, I was still eating meat.
"Thanks, I'll be upstairs." I said as I grabbed the pizza and made for the stairs. I glanced over once and he was giving me a look but didn't linger and returned his stare back towards the game. I shrugged it off and closed my door as I got in my room. It took me several hours to wind down enough to sleep. The rain was a constant reminder I wasn't home, or rather, I was in a new home that was vastly different from where I had grown up. When I finally managed to get to sleep, it turned into a light restless night that was plagued with nightmares I couldn't quite remember when I awoke.
Welcome to the revised version of The Crash. There are a ton of changes to this version, not the least of which is the removal of the repetitive and confusing multiple POV's. Instead this is paired down to just Bella and Angela. The romance between Rosalie and Bella has been a primary focus, with numerous new and expanded scenes and entire chapters differing from the original. Every line has been reviewed and often updated for language and content.