Chapter One:
Everything changes

Let me introduce myself.

My name is Isabella 'Bella' Swan and I should be dead.

No kidding there on the whole being dead thing. I'm one of a very small group of people who survived being attacked by a Cold One and remained human.

Pretty impressive, right?

Having survived that attack, I should be head-strong, independent and feisty.

That was me until Edward happened. Treated like an old car that simply doesn't make the cut anymore and stripped down to its' bare essence before being remodelled describes exactly how Edward and his family treated me.

They forced their way into my life and my heart then simply vanished.

And my way of coping?

To become a fucking zombie. To essentially become frozen in the moment and lose my fucking common sense and my sanity.

It took Charlie threatening to send me to Renee in Jacksonville for me to come to my senses. And come to my senses I did.

Charlie might have made it clear that I couldn't stay in Forks and that he wanted me to go to my mom but anyone with common sense would know that was a wasted endeavor. My mom couldn't handle her own life let alone a heartbroken teenager and herself. I packed my bags, taking the bare necessities and informed Charlie I was moving to Mystic Falls to live with his mother instead of my mother.

Charlie's face told an intriguing story. Fear, concern and anger all flashed across his face as I'd told him in no uncertain terms MY plans for my life.

''You're not going to Mystic Falls'' Charlie had thundered, slamming his coffee mug down on the table as he glared across it at me.

''I'm 18 years old and I'm going to Mystic Falls to live with Grandma. You don't want me here and I don't want to be in Jacksonville'' I'd countered, watching as Charlie turned a dangerous shade of purple and shook with anger. Before Charlie could reply, there was a knock at the door before it opened then closed again.

''This might be a closed door but I can still hear everything'' said a very familiar voice. Charlie and I both turned to see Grandma stood in the doorway, watching us both with raised eyebrows before placing a bag down on the floor.

''What are you doing here, Ma?'' Charlie spluttered, staring at Grandma with such genuine shock that she started laughing.

''Is it not clear? I came to pick my granddaughter up since she is coming to live with me. Bells has made that small matter very clear to you'' Grandma responded in a calm and even voice, daring my father to argue with her. Which he wouldn't. He might argue with me but Grandma Belle was one person he wouldn't cross no matter what. My Grandma might be in her last 50's but the woman carried herself with an air of 'you dare fuck with me' which no-one wanted to cross.

I've seen grown men cry because of Grandma and I wondered if my father would be the next on her list.

''Ma, this doesn't concern you. Isabella is going to her mother's and that is final,'' Dad snapped, shooting a glare at his mother who merely smiled. I found myself holding my breath and glancing between them, wondering if I'd done the right thing in calling Grandma.

''If you think that I am going to let my only granddaughter move back to her Mother's then clearly you have lost your mind, son. If you cannot see that woman for the flighty, irresponsible idiot that she is then clearly you are as much as an idiot as she is. I will not allow that woman to destroy my grandchild's life anymore then she already has. And that is final,'' she calmly asserted, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Daring a glance at Charlie, I was surprised to see all the fight leave his face in light of his mother's words. He merely nodded then stood, picking up his mug and taking it to the sink. With his back to us and unable to see his expression, his next few words played over and over in my head for the next few days.

''I trust you'll keep her safe in Mystic Falls. I took her away from Mystic Falls as a child for a reason'' he murmured, the words barely reaching my ears as quiet as they had been said.

''I understand the choices you made, Charles. I never agreed with them but Bella is an adult who needs to make the choice for herself. You can't protect her forever. And this is her choice. Respect her choices, son or you risk losing her forever. I love dear Bell as dearly as I love you, my darling but it's the job of every parent to hope they've raised their child to be strong enough to face anything. And it's time to put that to the test. You have my word through that I'll do my best to keep her safe and sound while she is with me,'' Grandma promised, the words holding a kind of power behind them.

Charlie stood to his full size, squaring his shoulders and resembling a man who had finally accepted that the weight of everything wasn't on his shoulders.

I found myself intrigued at the conversation that had played out in front of me. I knew my father had grown up in Mystic Falls and that was where he'd met my mom while she was staying with family, her senior year of school after the deaths of my grandparents. What I hadn't known was that Mystic Falls was my apparent birth place which I would be returning to.

Charlie had never really spoken about his childhood back in Mystic Falls or why he left. He'd always given me the impression that he left long before I was born with my mother as they wanted to attend school away from their families. As a child, I received 3 visits a year from my Grandma and the one year I dared to ask why we didn't visit her, my father told me she liked a change of scenery. My birthday, Christmas and Easter were when she'd visit, sharing stories from Mystic Falls which my Dad was always quick to dismiss. Too quick.

And now that I'd experienced the supernatural of Forks, I wondered what my home town was like. Mystic Falls. Even the name made it sound supernatural. I already knew of Cold Ones and Shapeshifters so perhaps it was time to start taking the stories my Grandma shared more seriously then I'd ever done before.

Author Note: This is my first time writing in over 2 years since I lost my Nan. My plan at the moment is for short chapters but that might change. Just bear with me.