Chapter 1

Charlie, in his typical flannel-and-tan-coat garb stands by his daughter and best friend, Billy Black. They wait in the airport to meet Charlie's younger daughter, Mia. He is all but giddy, but they also see the nervousness in his face. He holds a large, handmade sign that says "MIA SWAN" in thin, black Sharpie letters. Billy breaks the silence.

"'Bout slid back down that damn wheelchair ramp like three times. I'll be reporting that to management," he jokes. Failing to diffuse the tension, he assures Charlie, "It's going to be great, friend."

"What if she doesn't like her room? We've never even met her and we just assumed she wanted a big pink blanket on her bed. She might not even like pink," Charlie babbles.

"She's going to love her room, Dad," Bella says. Of course she will, Alice saw it.

"Well what if she can't make friends at school? She could fall in with some weirdos and...no offense, Bells," he stops. She fake smiles.

"I haven't seen you this crazy since this one came around," Billy pokes Bella's thigh, "You've done this all before man, you can handle it."

Mia is the only person left on the plane. A flight attendant approaches.

"Ma'am, unfortunately I'm going to have to ask you to exit the flight."

"Right, sorry," she grabs her carry-on and debarks. Heading to the baggage claiming area, Mia spots a sign from the corner of her eye.

"MIA SWAN"

A dopey-looking man stands with a young woman, and an older man in a wheelchair. An attendant helps Mia to load her luggage onto a cart, and she pulls it toward her father. Mia notes that the woman must be her sister. They have the same dark hair and facial features, but Bella is much paler, almost like paper. She also appears to have amber-colored eyes, far-removed from Mia's own hazel irises. She wonders who the man in the wheelchair is, his skin almost matches Mia's dark complexion. This leads her to believe he may be Native American. Her mother used to tell her stories about the nearby tribe in La Push.

Finally, Mia reaches them. Her suddenly silent father shakes her hand and smiles wide. Mia struggles to hold back her tears.

"Oh, this is Bella, your sister," Charlie says. Bella gives her a half-smile and nods her direction. "Alright, and this is my main dude, Billy." He makes a funny face, realizing his attempt at being hip has fallen flat, "You ready to go?"

Mia nods as Charlie pushes the cart with her luggage toward the exit, entourage in tow. When they reach the parking lot, Bella says goodbye to Billy and Charlie, and walks to her own car. They continue toward a light blue truck, where Charlie helps a boy get Billy into the passenger side. Mia notices the boy's appearance is self-contrasting. He is easily double her weight and at least a foot taller than her, yet he still somehow looks so young. She decides he can't be more than a couple of years older than her when Charlie finally walks toward her, the boy following behind.

"Mia, this is Jacob, Billy's boy." Jacob's boiling-hot skin engulfs her hand. Jacob holds the handshake for much too long, almost frozen into place. They stare deeply into each other. Mia knows she should be scared, but only feels comfortable and safe. Jacob knows what's happening. He's felt this before.

"Come on, Jake!" Billy shouts from the truck. Jacob releases Mia's hand, turns his head down, and rushes to his truck without saying goodbye.

"Okay, that was strange," Charlie says, leading her to his cruiser. They load her bags into the trunk and drive away.