Experiment #2 - 'Twilight' - Chapter 1

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Twilight - Chapter 1
By Stephanie Meyer


Mina: Yes, Twilight, the new song by Gordon Lightfoot!
Lea: Tch, so why is it called Twilight anyway? Is this place supposed always slightly lit?
Mina: Isn't there a town called Twilight?
Lea: Twilight Town I think. Never been there though.

My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in
Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. I was wearing my favorite shirt — sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry-on item was a parka.

Lea: What's with this Phoenix place? I thought it was Twilight Town.
Mina: Is it legal to wear a shirt made of eyes?...
Galadriel: A better question would be is it sanitary.

In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America.

Mina: Oh, this is an issue of National Geographic!
Galadriel: About places named after eating utensils, no less.
Lea: Too many forks in the kitchen.

It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old. It was in this town that I'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my dad, Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead.

Galadriel: *in a little kid’s voice* California.

It was to Forks that I now exiled myself— an action that I took with great horror. I detested Forks.

Mina: Spoons, on the other hand, I embrace wholeheartedly!
Lea: I love spooning-Er spoons... Yea yea, that’s what I meant.
Mina: ...Pervert.
Lea: Am not!
Galadriel: Of course not, and I’m a dwarf.
Lea: You’re pretty tall for a dwar-... Oh ha ha.

I loved Phoenix. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city.

Lea: Sprawling with Unversed. UNVERSED!! Man, ya gotta get Ven on getting rid of those things man. Don’t want them attacking you while you’re getting your tan.

"Bella," my mom said to me — the last of a thousand times — before I got on the plane. "You don't have to do this."

Lea: She really said that a thousand times? Man, her throat must be getting numb.

My mom looks like me, except with short hair and laugh lines.

Mina: In other words, she doesn’t look a whole lot like me.

I felt a spasm of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained mother to fend for hersellf?

Mina: Her mother's Usagi? Wait, Chibi Usa?!

Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car, and someone to call when she got lost, but still…

"I want to go," I lied. I'd always been a bad liar, but I'd been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now.

Galadriel: *as Bella* Not as convincing as my John Wayne impression though.

"Tell Charlie I said hi."

Mina: *as Mom* And HAHA, she's your problem now!
Lea: *also as mom* Tell Charlie I don’t really care if you fail at life.
Mina: *again as Mom* And don’t forget to mail the check!

"I will."

"I'll see you soon," she insisted. "You can come home whenever you want — I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

Mina: *as Mom* And don't fall in love with creepy sparkling guys if you want to stay in the will, honey.

But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.

Mina: *as Mom’s eyes* Prepare the virgins for our daughter’s journey!
Lea: Tch, Don’t make promises Mary Sues can’t keep lady.

"Don't worry about me," I urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom."

She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane, and she was gone.

Galadriel: *as Bella* I never knew Mom could disappear like that.

It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. Flying doesn't bother me; the hour in the car with Charlie, though, I was a little worried about.

Lea: FORKS!! SO MANY FORKS!! Why are there always forks?!

Charlie had really been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten me registered for high school and was going to help me get a car.

Mina: *as Bella* And he promised to give me a tour of the chocolate factory!
Lea: *as Bella* Hope that chocolate doesn’t go straight to my thighs.

But it was sure to be awkward with Charlie. Neither of us was what anyone would call verbose, and I didn't know what there was to say regardless. I knew he was more than a little confused by my decision — like my mother before me, I hadn't made a secret of my distaste for Forks.

Galadriel: You aren’t supposed to eat the fork, dear. You eat the food on the fork.
Mina: Somehow I’m not surprised Bella would be dumb enough to do that.
Lea: She could use the spork... Nah, you’re right. Too stupid to think of that one.

When I landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I didn't see it as an omen — just unavoidable. I'd already said my goodbyes to the sun.

Lea: *as Bella* BYE SUN!! I HOPE YOU COME BACK OUT WHEN I WAKE UP TOMORROW, ‘CAUSE THAT WOULD SURE SUCK IF YA DIDN’T.
Mina: *as...Sun, sort of* Woah, dude, my ear!
Galadriel: Be careful, Lea. My ears are more acute than yours.
Lea: S’ok, just checking make sure you heard me loud and clear is all~.

Charlie was waiting for me with the cruiser. This I was expecting, too. Charlie is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks.

Mina: And to everyone else outside of Forks, he’s Officer Nastay~
Lea: *points to ceiling with a smirk, it starts playing “Bow Chika Wow Wow” music*

My primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top. Nothing slows down traffic like a cop.

Charlie gave me an awkward, one-armed hug when I stumbled my way off the plane.

Mina: Charlie: It's called a CHOKEHOLD, you idiot!

"It's good to see you, Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied me. "You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad." I wasn't allowed to call him Charlie to his face.

Lea: *as Bella* Respecting your parents is so overrated these days.

I had only a few bags. Most of my Arizona clothes were too permeable for Washington.

Mina: That’s why you don’t buy clothing made out of magnets!

My mom and I had pooled our resources to supplement my winter wardrobe, but it was still scanty.

Mina: ...and Kneesocks.
Lea: Now with fur coats.

It all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser.

"I found a good car for you, really cheap," he announced when we were strapped in.

Lea: *as Charlie* I got it from some guy with a hundred cats and smells like urine. Is that ok?

"What kind of car?" I was suspicious of the way he said "good car for you" as opposed to just "good car."

Lea: *as Bella* Daddy! I want a GOLDEN and FABULOUS CAR! Not just any old good car~ It must be the BEST car, or I will hold my breath and count to three!
Mina: *as Charlie* You just go ahead and do that, honey. You’re not my real daughter anyhow.
Lea: *as Bella* I hate this family! And yooou! WAAAH!
Mina: *as Charlie* *turns up the radio*
Lea: *as Bella, getting drowned out by heavy metal*

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

Lea: We have Cheeeevys, C-H-E-V-Y. Got it memorized Bella?

"Where did you find it?"

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast.

Lea: Really? I thought that was just French for “The Push”. Seems to makes sense since most of these guys seem really pushy so far.
Mina: Or just really boring and lifeless.
Lea: Both I think.

"No."

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie prompted.

That would explain why I didn't remember him.

Mina: *as Bella* I never went fishing. Are you sure I'm your daughter?
Lea: *as Charlie* Ahhhh... No, actually, I think you were actually mistaken, sorry.

I do a good job of blocking painful, unnecessary things from my memory.

Mina: ...How is fishing painful...?
Lea: Guess the effort of using the fishing pole, waiting, staring into the abyss, never catching a bite.
Mina: --AAH! Having...flashback...!! GHHK!! Severe...trauma...overwhelming!!
Lea: See? Painful.

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued when I didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore,

Mina: Because who needs to drive when you can use a HOVER-ROUND!

and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it?" I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping I wouldn't ask.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine — it's only a few years old, really."

I hoped he didn't think so little of me as to believe I would give up that easily. "When did he buy it?"

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

Mina: *as Charlie* And you'll never believe me, but he got it from an animal farm!
Lea: *as Charlie* Run by a bunch of pigs for some reason. But we won’t question that!

"Did he buy it new?"

Lea: *as Bella* Oh it better have sparkles and be named Edward or I will just be SO mad!

"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties — or late fifties at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly.

"Ch — Dad, I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic…"

"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."

Lea: *as Charlie* Back in my day, our cars were from bedrock and we had to run with our feet all the time in order to get the car goin’!
Mina: *as Bella* WOW, dad, that’s what I call...a dinosaur! Ha ha hakill me now, dad.
Lea: *as Charlie* Gladly daughter~ AHAH HAH! *fakingly cocks up a shot gun* CHK CHK!

The thing, I thought to myself… it had possibilities — as a nickname, at the very least.

Mina: The car’s real name is Ben Grimm?
Galadriel: Does it have rock-like skin is the real question.

"How cheap is cheap?"

Galadriel: *as Bella* And don’t do that Tommy Wiseau chicken thing. That’s half the reason Mom divorced you.

After all, that was the part I couldn't compromise on.

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." Charlie peeked sideways at me with a hopeful expression.

Wow. Free.

Mina: *deadpan* I'm almost excited enough to care. Woo.
Lea: *also deadpan* That’s like almost a big deal for me.
Galadriel: Can this girl get any more bland?

"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car."

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He was looking ahead at the road when he said this. Charlie wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. I inherited that from him.

Mina: I also inherited giant ass dimples from him. But that’s the subject of a different crappy book!

So I was looking straight ahead as I responded.

"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it." No need to add that my being happy in Forks is an impossibility.

Mina: Then why did you agree to go to Forks in the first place!?

He didn't need to suffer along with me. And I never looked a free truck in the mouth — or engine.

Lea: *as Bella* Or in general. Looking at mechanic stuff hurts my brains.

"Well, now, you're welcome," he mumbled, embarrassed by my thanks.

We exchanged a few more comments on the weather, which was wet, and that was pretty much it for Conversation.

Mina: Why is that capitalized? Is it that Conversation they were having?

We stared out the windows in silence.

Lea: *as Charlie* Soooooo... How about a game of 99 Bottles on the wall?

It was beautiful, of course; I couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves.

It was too green — an alien planet.

Mina: 'Forest' is Martian in origin.
Lea: Yeesh, just imagine her reaction if everything was red.
Galadriel: Probably as lifeless and uninteresting as she is.

Eventually we made it to Charlie's. He still lived in the small, two-bedroom house that he'd bought with my mother in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had — the early ones.

Mina: They were always awake before six am as a couple!
Lea: And they slept in separate beds too!
Mina: I think that was actually later in the marriage.
Lea: Oh you mean, after they had Bella?
Mina: Well, you wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, would you?
Lea: Tch, no way.
Galadriel: Neither would I.

There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new — well, new to me — truck. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To my intense surprise, I loved it. I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in it.

Galadriel: I was under the impression that car bodies were made of steel.

Plus, it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged — the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed.

Mina: Because this car is FORD TOUGH!
Lea: TOUGH STRONG! BA-DAAH DAH DAAAAH~!
Mina: ….But really, I wonder how strong that car really is...hmmm...
Galadriel: *aside to Lea* I don’t like that look in her eyes.
Minako: *Indeed, there is an eerie gleam in her eyes as she exits the theater...*