Chapter 3: Tears and Smiles

"Where do you live?" I asked, exasperated. It had felt like we'd been driving forever. My tone caused Emmett to snigger. Which, coming from a boy of his size, was quite interesting.

"We're almost there, Bella," he answered, as we turned off the highway--finally!--and down a dirt road. Or a driveway, if the mailbox was any indication. I sighed and slumped against my seat after another few minutes.

"Patience," Alice chimed, a smile evident in her voice.

After another five or so minutes, I felt the driveway smooth out. I sat up and then noticed that it was because of the asphalt. Then I lifted my eyes and my breath came out in a whoosh.

"Oh. My. Gosh."

"Gorgeous, isn't it," Alice said, pride and love lacing her voice. All I could do was nod.

Their house was in the middle of the woods and seemed to meld with the surrounding foliage. Gorgeous, live trees practically sprung out around the house. Up until now, I had despised all the green stuff. But, the picture the house made with its natural counterpart made me reconsider. I could let go of my floral-prejudices.

The house itself was something I would see in one of my mother's Home and Garden magazines. It was a two-stories of what looked like natural wood siding. Columns were spaced across the porch, supporting the roof. Windows spread across the front of the bottom and top levels, with a picture window framing the middle of the second story.

"You live here?" I asked, the awe on my face now present in my voice. Emmett parked the car and turned in his seat, a huge smile on his face.

"You might want to close your mouth, Bella. Don't need you swallowing all of Washington's insect life."

I shut my mouth with a snap and opened my door. As I climbed out of the backseat, the front door opened and Edward walked out. Smile intact.

"Hi, Bella," he said as we approached the porch.

"Hey, Edward."

"Alive, I see." His voice held an observant, yet amused tone.

"That would be a matter of opinion. Because, I feel like I've died and gone to Heaven. If this place is anything to go on." I swiveled my head around at the scenery. And then pointedly swept my hand around, indicating the house and woods.

"Ahh. Heaven is what you make it." His smile widening.

I dropped my head, suddenly mortified by the heat of a blush. As I felt it recede, I risked lifting my face. Only to see Alice eyeing me.

"So. Allie. Ready to get started?" I asked, trying to refocus her attention. She held my eye for a second, before a smile spread across her face. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up the steps, causing me to stumble slightly.

"Let's go," she said as we walked in the door. I stopped immediately.

"Wow…"

The front room was exquisite. And furthered my H & G opinion. The foyer was open and well-lit. Even on an overcast day like today, it was illuminated. Which was a good thing. Because there weren't many sunny days in Forks. Directly across from the front door was the living room. Or what would be the living room, once it was furnished and decorated. Windows along the back wall contributed even more lighting.

To the left of the entrance was a staircase that curved in a L-shape up to the second floor. As my eyes traveled upwards, a lady who looked to be no more than thirty, glided down the stairs.

"Hey, Mom. This is Bella," Alice informed the lady, who was now at the bottom step. Alice's mother held out her hand. I took it and was gently gathered into an embrace. She then pulled back and held me at arm's length. A smile glowing on her face.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Mrs. Cullen. But, you may call me Esme." She instantly reminded me of June Cleaver. She dropped her hands from my arms. I stepped back to stand beside Alice.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Esme," I replied.

"So, Alice tells me that you'll be helping her with a little unpacking. And that you also recently to Forks," she said. Her voice held authority. But, it was mixed with an affection I could sense ran deep for her family and those she cared about. The smile on her face was infectious, and I couldn't help but smile also.

"Yes ma'am. I moved in with my dad about three weeks ago."

"Well, it's a pleasure to have you here. I know Alice appreciates the help."

"Uh-huh," Alice said. She then turned to me and grabbed my hand. As Esme walked through an archway to the right, I was dragged up the stairs, again. Causing me to trip. Again.

"Whoa Alice!" I said, as my knees slammed down on the middle of the stairs.

"Sorry," she said, grimacing. "I tend to get a little excited!" Her grimace now turning into a look of apology.

"No. No, it's okay. I'm just extremely clumsy," I said. I picked myself up and I heard a booming laugh.

"Careful there, Bella. Wouldn't want Alice to lose her new dress-up doll so early on," he said, stopping inside the door and looking up with a huge grin.

"What--"

Before I could say anything else, he was suddenly propelled forward in the same direction Esme had just gone. I froze, shocked at who could be strong enough to push someone of his size with such force. As Emmett experienced the first half of one of Newton's laws, Edward's shining face walked through the door.

"Yeah. Ignore him," was all he said as he continued pushing his brother towards what I believed to be the kitchen, judging by the sounds of metal-on-metal and simmering liquid.

A sudden jerk of my hand brought my attention back to Alice.

"C'mon, Bells!"

After reaching the top of the stairs, we came to a hallway that went both left and right. Turning left, I was dragged down the hall, which was perforated with entrances to various rooms. As we passed each one, Alice pointed each their functions.

"Guest rooms are back the other way."

"That's Emmett's room," she said about the first one on the right. I got an eyeshot of weights. No surprise there, I mentally snorted.

"Bathroom." About the room beside Emmett's.

"Edward's room," she said pointing at the room on the left, across from the bathroom. A passing glance just gave me a vision of books and something shiny. But, I was pulled along before I could lock on anything else.

"Dad's study." The room was beside Edward's. I caught bookshelves and a lot of boxes.

"Mom and Dad's room," she pointed out the room across from the study. I saw a blur of blue.

She then finally stopped in front of a closed door at the end of the hall. A white, wooden plaque, with pink and brown polka dots were scattered across it, was attached to the door. The word "ALICE" was written in curlicue script.

"And this is my room." She opened the door, dropped my hand and skipped in. "So, what do you think?"

The room was painted a light pink with vertical cocoa-colored stripes spaced along the walls. Her bedroom suite was a crème color. A sleigh bed stood on the opposite wall of the door and to the left. A mocha and crème striped bedspread donned it. Inside to the left of the door was an entertainment center with a flat-screen LCD television. Windows were situated at the left and right of her bed, showing the backyard. Night stands flanked the bed--a lamp on one and picture frames on the other. The far left wall was lined with bookshelves. The right wall contained a dresser and a door that possibly led to a closet.

I was in awe.

"Allie. This room is incredible," I gasped as I walked all the way in.

She smiled and walked over to the TV, kneeled down and opened a pair of doors below it. She worked on something for a few seconds and then Paramore's "Misery Business" filled the room. She straightened back up and walked over to the bookshelf. As she bent down to a box, I joined her. We worked in silence, arranging the books on the shelves. It then occurred to me that the normal, buoyant Alice had been strangely quiet. I wondered what could possibly deflate her so quickly. After about another minute, I got my answer.

Alice broke the silence, pausing in her unpacking.

"I miss my friends," she said softly, her eyes latched onto the floor. I couldn't tell if she spoke so quietly because she thought her saying that would offend me. Or because she couldn't trust her voice to speak any louder.

"Me, too." After a few breaths, I asked, "Have you talked to them?" She nodded.

"Yeah, we caught up," she paused, snorting. "As if I've been gone long enough to gain a lot of things to tell them." She looked up and caught my eyes, hers glistening from unshed tears. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I know moving here is great for Dad. He can finally be Chief of Staff. But, I hate that it completely uprooted us. I hate that I had to change my whole life." She stopped, scoffing. "Gods, that's selfish, isn't it?"

I leaned forward and hugged her. I stood up and helped her to her feet, and led her over to the bed. As we settled down, sitting across from each other, I thought for a few moments. What could I say to comfort my new friend? And then very familiar emotions assaulted me. I thought on how I felt over the past few weeks. How it felt to leave my mother and friends. And then of how I felt now. I could only hope it would help Alice. I closed my eyes and then opened them, focusing on Alice, who was staring at the stripes on her bed.

"Moving to Forks was really hard for me. I never liked coming here. Don't get me wrong. I love Charlie. I love my dad. But, there's a reason why I only spent summers here. When I was about three months old, my mom left with me and fled southwest. We moved around a bit. But, we eventually landed in Phoenix because of her mom. She couldn't stand this life in Forks. And for the last five years or so, I started resenting it myself. I thought, 'Why should I completely give up my summer to come here? Why should I give up time with my friends to come to a place where it's cold and rainy, even in the supposedly warmer months?' And then I started taking it out on Charlie. It was wrong. But, I was angry. And he was the closest thing during those months.

"So, then my mom said I should spend my high school years with my father. I felt like I was being exiled. We argued so much. She told me I would grow to love it here. I had thought she was being such a hypocrite to say that. Considering her track record. But I eventually gave in. And coming here, to a totally different region of the country, away from everything I knew, gave me a mental shock."

I paused and took her hand. She looked up from the pillow she was cradling to her chest.

"The first few nights were really hard. I talked to my friends. But, it wasn't the same. They told me about all that had gone on as they started school. And, I ached to be with them. Then I started school, myself. The kids spoke to me, but they never made a big effort to befriend me. And I had never felt more alone."

I dropped my head, a few tears that been threatening, finally sliding from the corners of my eyes. I glanced back up at her. She was looking at me with anticipation. And such sadness. I had to get rid of that second part.

"But…it got better. You know when?"

Her mouth pulled into a small smile, knowing where this was going.

"Today," she answered in a small voice. I smiled.

"Yeah. You were the first person to truly talk to me in what felt like months. Today, I realized something. That though I miss my friends back in Arizona, I've been given a chance to be happy. You and your brothers are that chance. And for the first time since leaving the only home I've ever really known, I didn't feel alone. I know you miss your friends. No one could understand that more than me. But, now you're not alone either. Not if you don't want to be. So, whaddya say? Best friends?" I finished, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

She looked down and then back up. Her smile grew, and her face split into a huge grin. She squeezed my hand back.

"Uh-uh. Sisters."

"Sisters." I moved over and sat by her, pulling her to me in an embrace.

"Thank you, Bella. Thank you so much," she said into my shoulder. She pulled back and started swiping at the corners of her eyes. After a few moments of comfortable silence, I sat up straight and sighed in contentment.

"Okay. So, you wanna finish that bookshelf?" I asked. She nodded and we went back over to the boxes.

As we continued sorting and shelving the books, I glanced over at Alice. She was sporadically brushing at her eyes. But, I could tell she was a little more at peace. I thought about what I had told her. It still really hurt not to be able to be with the friends I'd had since pre-school. And not seeing my hair-brained, loving mother was torturous. But for the first time, a weight seemed to lift off my heart. I smiled as I realized that I had something for the first time in my life. I had a sister.

I wanted to say THANK YOU! to all those who have reviewed this story, and added it to your alerts and favorites. That is more of a motivation than you could imagine.

So, an extra thank you to my reviewers: Signal the Escape, CathyD, CalistoLexx, ObeyThyHeart, lil dazza, R.L., chlark4, soxmuchxmorexx3, Nace, BlueBanana-94, 4everbellaxedward, Skatergurl101, geekyguirl, my bleeding tears of agony, edwards brunette, Twilighter 24, sugarhigh123, ILoveEdwardCullen1, dare2beDAZZLED, MellaIsi, bloodiLove, MyFireAngel, SilverEmber282, MyLionMyLamb,
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Hope you enjoy the story thus far. See you next chapter!