Chapter Text
If there was one word I had to use to describe Forks, it would be green.
As Uncle Charlie's car slowly made its way down the gravel road leading to the small mountain town, I found myself in awe of the sheer amount of *green* there was all around me. The trees, the rolling hills, the mountains in the distance, and of course the grass.
Everything was green.
Uncle Charlie was quiet, eyes on the road. He'd barely spoken a word since originally meeting me at the airport when I first landed in Portland. It's been an hour since then, the car silent. Not that I minded.
I was grateful, in fact. I'd always loved long and quiet rides, ever since I was a child. They gave me time to think. And today, I had quite a lot to think about.
I'd never been to Forks before. My mother was raised here with her brother, but whilst my uncle had stayed, she had moved across the country to Virginia, where she met my father. Four years later, I was born.
Charlie had always been the one to come visit us- never the other way around. As a child, the way he described Forks to me made it seem like some sort of leafy wonderland. He'd promised I could come visit him, when I was old enough. I had every intention to do so, to spend the summer after my eighteenth birthday with him.
Unfortunately, life doesn't usually go as you planned for it to.
I'd been happy back home. Content. I had everything I needed. Until that night on the icy road, when I felt the car swerve, the screech of the tires, before everything went dark. Waking up in the hospital, seeing everybody gathered around my bed, the flowers piled on the bedside table, wondering where my parents were.
And of course, the news. The news that made me feel like puking up my own heart. Their funerals, the will readings, common procedure. We'd just gone out for groceries. It was never meant to end that way.
But once more, life doesn't usually go as you planned for it to.
I was pulled away from my thoughts by Charlie's throaty voice beside me.
"Bella is excited to see you."
It was a feeble attempt at conversation, but I obliged.
"Yeah. I'm looking forward to it too," I mumbled.
Another long silence fell over the car, and Charlie sighed beside me, clearly disappointed at my lackluster response. Getting the message, I spoke up again.
"How is she? Bella?"
"She's... adjusting well, I'd say. Made a couple friends. I think she likes it here."
"Good. I'm glad for her," I replied, trying to fight back a smirk at the thought of Bella enjoying her time in a place as wet and cold as Forks.
Charlie shot me a slight smile before turning back to the road, pleased I was being more responsive.
"Ah, here we are," he suddenly piped up, taking one hand off the steering wheel to gesture towards a sign coming up.
"The City of Forks Welcomes You."
Charlie's house was on the outskirts of Forks. We drove through town for several minutes before it's roof became visible, off in the distance.
As the car pulled into the driveway, I noticed a fire y red truck beside us. Nothing too fancy, beat up at that- but I was surprised we had visitors, nonetheless.
"Is someone over?" I asked.
"Oh?" Charlie perked up, sounding confused for a moment. "That old thing, you mean? It's just Bella's. Bit of a welcome gift for her."
"Do I get a car too?" I asked half-jokingly as he stepped out of the truck.
"Maybe for good behavior," he retorted as I joined him, shutting the door behind me.
Before I could even think of a response, the door flew open a few feet ahead of us. Standing in her pajamas in the doorway stood none other than Bella herself.
"Were you waiting by the door?" Charlie asked, clearly startled by her sudden appearance.
"Uh, yeah," she responded sheepishly, taking. a few steps down the porch.
"Excited to see me?" I offered awkwardly.
Bella and I had never been particularly close. We lived in different states, of course, meaning we'd only come in contact briefly during the holidays. I doubted I even had her number saved.
Save from an occasional exchange of pleasantries at Thanksgiving, I really couldn't say I knew much about her.
She smiled a bit, and I internally sighed in relief that the joke landed.
"For sure. As excited as can be."
We stood at a standstill, a long moment passing over the three of us before Charlie spoke once more.
"Let's get you girls inside, before the weather turns." He eyed the sky above worriedly. "Looks like we might get a storm roll in later tonight."
"Oh, I saw something about that on the news this morning," Bella piped up, opening the door for the two of us to pass through.
"Isn't Forks supposed to be, like, always stormy?" I asked, only half seriously as I shrugged off my coat. Charlie took it, hanging it up beside me on the wall.
"You'll get used to it," he promised. "If Bella can handle it, so can you."
"Wow. Thanks Dad."
"Welcome, sweetheart." he responded absentmindedly, looking up at the clock. 4 PM.
"I've got to be at the station in thirty. You two can handle yourselves, yeah?"
We both nodded.
"In the meantime, I guess you're probably hungry." he looked to me before turning to Bella. "Is lunch ready?"
"Yeah. Salmon and rice."
"I'll take some to go then."
With another quick nod, she hurriedly made her way to the kitchen, presumably to pack the meal up.
"With I could stay," Charlie sighed. "Help you get adjusted. But duty calls."
"It's fine," I quickly assured him. "Bella can show me around. I wouldn't want to take you from your work. You're an... important guy."
"This 'important guy' should probably go get changed to do his 'important' business," he replied, a slight smile on his face.
"I wont bother you any longer than," I took a few steps back, holding my hands up in a sign of defeat.
The smile turned into a slightly lopsided grin, and the police chief turned on his heel, headed upstairs.
With both Bella and Charlie gone, I couldn't help but feel a bit awkward, standing alone in the foyer. Unsure what to do, I finally settled on checking up on Bella.
"Hey," I mumbled, stepping into the kitchen. Her back was to me, standing at the counter as she scooped up rice into a small bowl.
"Oh. Hi."
"So... when is Uncle Charlie getting back tonight?"
"It depends. I mean, usually around 8. But probably later tonight."
"Why's that?"
"He's been busy. There have been some- I guess, deaths, in the town. Animal attacks. More paperwork than you'd think."
"Oh," I faltered. "Is that common here?"
"I don't think so. Not based on how Charlie's acting, that is."
I watched silently as she placed the lid on the plastic lunchbox, setting it down on the table and wiping her hands on her shirt.
"Want me to show you to your room?"
I nodded, following her as she stepped out of the kitchen and began making her way upstairs. I dragged my suitcase behind me, grunting with the effort it took to pull it up the steps. We eventually came to a stop in front of a dark green door. My new bedroom, I presumed.
The room was on the smaller side, though not overwhelmingly so. I didn't mind. There was a mahogany dresser to my left, bed in the corner by the window. Cozy. My old bedroom, admittedly, was much larger, but I wasn't opposed to this new living arrangement.
"What do you think?" Bella asked.
"It's... nice. I like it."
"I did a bit of the decor. I was scared you wouldn't be a fan."
"You could've done a lot worse," I responded, setting my suitcase down on the bed.
"I can help you unpack," she offered.
"I'd like that."
The rest of the night passed in a blur.
Bella and I finished unpacking within an hour or so, settling in to watch some TV as we waited for Charlie to get back.
Once he did, she served a quick dinner: more salmon and rice.
I had a feeling that Charlie had gone fishing recently.
The night eventually came to an end and I retired to my own room, more than a little nervous for the day to come.
My first day of school.
The morning was littered with nerves, as anyone would expect. I shook as I slid on a pair of jeans and a delicate green top, eyeing myself in the mirror for a long moment before finally stepping away.
Bella drove me to school - Charlie had work, and as we made our way down the dark road, she gave me a bit of a crash course.
By the time we arrived I felt like I knew everyone already. There wasn't much to know— Forks was tiny, as was it's school. No clubs, a handful of teachers, and no particular student that stood out enough to be talked about.
I stepped out of the car, turning to Bella.
"So, this is it?"
"Yeah. Forks High School. Home of the Spartans."
"We were warriors at my old school," I zipped my jacket up— it was cold. "Westfield Warriors."
Bella started walking towards the main entrance and I followed, struggling to maintain my balance on the ice.
As we made our way forward, my eyes couldn't help but flicker towards one particular car in the lot: a shiny Volvo, much flashier than the others. It stood out like a sore thumb.
Bella, noticing, finally spoke up.
"You're wondering who's car that is, right?"
I nodded.
"Cullens. You should see their house."
"You've been?"
"No," she said quickly. "I just came across it on a walk. Back when I was trying to get a feel for the town. It's huge, glass walls— nothing like the other homes."
"You didn't mention anything about them in the car," I responded as we stepped into the office, seeking my schedule.
"They keep to themselves," she shrugged. "They want nothing to do with the rest of us, I guess. Not much to talk about."
I directed my energy to the woman at the front desk, a short, portly lady with thick purple glasses.
"Hey, I'm new. Evangeline Swan. I'm here for my schedule?"
"Ah, another Swan?"
I smiled awkwardly as she turned to the computer, clicking away silently before stepping out of her chair and approaching the printer.
Out popped a copy of my schedule, in my hands a few moments later.
"Thanks."
"No problem, dear. Welcome to Forks. Have a wonderful first day."
I nodded in acknowledgment, turning back out and leaving the small office.
"What do you have for first period?" Bella asked.
I looked down at the paper, face falling immediately.
"Gym..."
She bit back a laugh at my expense.
"Good luck. You're going to need it." She gestured for me to follow her, presumably to gym.
"How inspiring." I grumbled, tagging along.
The gym wasn't too far. Nothing was too far in a school this small. When we arrived, I found said gym- if you could even call it that- was just the same: small.
There were basketball hoops on either side of the room, some students gathered in the corner, and a bald man standing in the other with a clipboard.
After a quick goodbye to Bella, I braced myself and approached him.
"Hi, I'm Evangeline. I'm new."
He eyed me dryly.
"Evangeline?"
"Uh, yeah."
Silently, Mr. Vincent- according to his name-tag- turned back to the clipboard. I stood there for a moment before he looked back up.
"Why are you still standing here?"
I faltered. Rude?
"Oh. Uh, okay. My bad."
I hesitantly took a few steps backwards, unsure of where to go before finally settling on approaching the girls stretching in the back.
"Hi," I spoke, forcing a pip into my step and trying not to think about Mr. Vincent. "I'm Evangeline Swan. Bella's cousin. I'm new."
The girls looked up at me slightly awkwardly. It was clear they weren't used to many new students, let alone two in one month.
"Bella's cousin?" one piped up. "Like, Bella Swan?"
"The one and only."
"She didn't tell me you were coming..." the girl said, sounding slightly bitter.
"It was, uh, a sudden decision."
"Uh huh," she finally paused her stretching, standing up to face me. "I'm Jessica. This is Angela." The girl in question waved. "There's Mike, Tyler, Eric— and Lauren is the girl on her phone over there."
The boys perked up at the sounds of their names, but Lauren remained glued to the screen.
"She's like, in her own world," Jessica said dismissively. "Don't even bother with her."
"You're Bella's cousin?" Mike piped up. "You don't really look alike."
"Cousins, not twins."
He smiled, and I almost immediately felt Jessica's energy darken.
"So, how are you liking Forks?" she butted in.
"Uh, it's nice. I just got here yesterday, so I haven't really seen much."
"You should hang with us after school then," Erick offered. "Bella's coming too. We can show you around."
"I'd like that," I smiled. "I'm down for sure."
Before anyone else could speak, a blaring whistle cut through the air.
"Everyone! Center of the gym! NOW!"
Startled, I simply followed Jessica. It was clear she was the leader of sorts. I didn't realize Forks would have... "popular girls."
"We'll be continuing our soccer unit today. Get in your warmup pairs and grab a ball. Meet back at the middle."
I watched as the crowds around me dispersed into their own pairs. Jessica with Mike, Angela with Eric, Laura with Tyler.
Before I knew it, I was on my own.
I was about to approach Mr. Vincent— or at least try to get the courage to— when I spotted him.
Tall, pale as snow, dark auburn hair, and an air of total disinterest surrounding him, he stood a few feet to my right.
It seemed this perfect statue of a man too didn't have a partner— somehow. He watched solemnly as the rest of the class made their way to the ball bin in pairs before his eyes finally flickered to me, the last one standing on her own.
Before either of could make a move, Vincent was yelling again. I had a feeling that was a hobby of his.
"Edward! New girl! Pair up!"
Edward, then. That was the name of perfection personified.
Without even bothering to speak, he was off towards the balls. I followed, feeling like an ugly duck trotting to keep up with his long legs. He grabbed a ball, not even looking at it, before turning to me.
"Evangeline?"
The name emerged with such a biting disgust that I completely froze for a moment. Had he just growled at me? I stood, unblinking, silent for a long moment.
"Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you."
He eyed me coldly, turning his back to me and making his way back to the center with everyone else. No response.
As I followed him I realized I'd never even told him my name. But that thought was quickly dwarfed by Mr. Vincent's booming voice.
"Three minutes of passing," he called out "6 feet!"
Confused, I watched as the other pairs separated and began passing their balls to each other.
When I looked back to Edward, he was already several feet away, waiting for me to move as well. I quickly did so, and without further ado, he made his first kick.
The sound of his foot colliding with the ball echoed throughout the entire gym. Like a rocket, it flew— hitting me right in the face.
I fell to my knees immediately, legs giving out as I clutched my face- specifically my nose, heavily bleeding. Blood poured down onto the gym floor.
Reeling in shock and pain, I didn't even notice that Edward was suddenly gone. Even if he were to have stayed, I doubted I would have seen him through the thick crowd of people immediately surrounding me.
...
I spent the rest of first period in the nurses office.
At the end of the day, my only real injuries were to my nose and my pride. What an impression to make. As I laid on the bed, I wanted nothing more to do than to just fall asleep and never wake up, to never have to head back to class.
Until, of course, the bell rang.
"That's the bell," the nurse piped up. She was a short, homely woman. "Do you feel well enough to return to class?"
"Uh, yeah. I guess," I sat up. "Thanks."
With that, I was on my way to English. After painstakingly introducing myself at the front of the class, feeling everyone's eyes on the ice pack to my nose, I took a seat.
Luckily, Bella was here. I quickly sat down beside her. She stared at my nose quizzically.
"Don't even ask," I mumble.
"Too late. What happened?"
After a long pause, I sighed. "Ball plus my face... not a great combination."
"Ouch," she smiled.