"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Renée asked me for the trillionth time in the past three days. Why couldn't she just leave me alone and accept that I wanted to do this?

"Mom," I groaned, "I am sure. I want to live with Charlie for a bit." Maybe this time she'd get the hint.

"Edward. . ." She prodded my arm playfully. "Just let me go, mom. Trust me. I'll be fine." It had been difficult enough to convince her to get this far, and now I didn't need her to begin to change my mind.

"If you say so. Have fun!" Finally! I knew that Renée loved me, and just wanted the best, but you would have thought that. . .well, that she would trust me to look after myself.

After the plane landed, Charlie met me in the cruiser.

The cruiser was one problem with living with Charlie. I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue flashing lights on top, that would be one way to gain a reputation I didn't want.

When we got in the car, I told Charlie about my plans for buying a car. Before I was halfway through, Charlie interrupted me. "Um. . .actually Ed, I already organised you a car. Well, a truck, really. A Chevy."

"Where did you hire it?"

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is a tiny Indian reservation on the coast, and Billy has been his friend since... forever.

"Yeah." Not like I wanted to. Hanging around all day with Jacob and his sisters - those days had been spent in misery. Rebecca wasn't too bad, but sometimes Jacob was so annoying. "How is he?"

"He's in a wheelchair now, so he can't drive any more, and he offered to sell me his old truck cheap – for you."

"How old is it?" I could tell from his expression that this was the question he wanted to avoid. "Well, Billy's done some work with the engine – it's not that old, really." Yeah right was I going to believe that.

I hoped that he didn't really think that little of me to think that I would give in that easily. "When did he buy it?"

"Around 1984 time. . .?" He was obviously hoping that that would be the end of it - there was no way I'd leave it at that. "Did he buy it new?"

"Well, no. I think it was new in the late fifties. . ." He admitted sheepishly.

"Charlie, I'm not that into old cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if something went wrong, and I can't really afford a mechanic." As much as I appreciated the gesture, I was totally skint, and there was no way I'd feel comfortable relying on my dad for money.

"Really, Ed, it runs great. They don't build them like that any more." The older generations are all the same - they think that just because something is older, and 'not built like that any more' that that automatically makes them better.

"How cheap is 'cheap'?" This was going to be difficult.

Well, actually, I already brought it for you. As a homecoming gift. Charlie looked sideways at me hopefully. Wow. Free. "You didn't need to do that dad. You heard me earlier. I was going to buy myself one."

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." I was genuinely surprised, the limited contact I'd had with my dad before would have suggested that he wouldn't have done such a thing. "It's really nice of you dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it." No need to mention that being happy in Forks – not going to happen. He doesn't need to suffer with me. And I never looked a free truck in the engine.

"Well, you're welcome."

We made awkward small talk for the remainder of the journey, mainly comments based on observation. Eventually, we made it back to where Charlie lives - and in the drive in front of it was my 'new' truck. It was a faded red colour, with big round fenders and a bulbous cab.

To my surprise, I loved it. "Wow dad. I love it! Thanks!" Now the most dreaded day would be slightly less dreadful. I would have a third option to add to: 1)Walking nearly two miles, or 2)accepting a ride in the chief's cruiser.

"I'm glad you like it," Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed.

It only took one trip to get all my stuff upstairs. I got my old bedroom, the one facing the front yard. The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the darker blue curtains around the window – these were all part of my childhood, and very familiar. There were only ever two changes made to this room, Charlie added a desk and swapped the crib for a bed. On the desk there was a second hand computer and an old, simple phone. This was for my mothers' sake, so that we could keep in touch easily. There was still a rocking chair from my baby days in the corner.

When we got upstairs, Charlie went downstairs and left me to get on with packing, a feat that would have been impossible with Renée. It was nice to have some time alone, to organise my tangled thoughts about tomorrow.

Forks high school had a total of only three hundred and fifty-seven – now fifty-eight – pupils. There were more than that in my old sophomore year alone.

Everyone will have known each other for ages, and typically, I would be a stand out. Not because of looks, oh no, but because I'll be the new guy, fresh from the big city, a freak.

Maybe if I looked like a guy from Phoenix should, I could fit in better. But really, I'll never fit in anywhere. I should be tan, sporty and fit – a Football or Rugby player, prehaps – all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun.

Instead, I was Ivory skinned, without an excuse of green eyes or brown hair, despite the constant sunshine.

I've always been more indoorsy, not an athletic type at all. My hand-eye co-ordination isn't that good. I usually end up harming myself, and others that happen to be too close. This in part led to my inability to relate to men my age - I simply wasn't interested in the things they were. Tomorrow would be just the beginning of a new life that was socially the same as the old.

I didn't sleep well that night. After I was done plotting out what I would do to anyone who said ANYTHING bad about me, I fell asleep and had nightmares about school - I couldn't even escape it in my dreams.

In the morning, I got up and opened the curtains. It was foggy. Of Course. What other weather in Forks?

When I got downstairs, Charlie was sat at the table. "Did you have a good nights sleep, Ed?" I shrugged. To say yes would be a lie, and to say no would be offensive. "It would be OK if I left you?" I jumped. "Yeah. Sure."

Seemingly relieved, Charlie stood up and began to get his gear on. "Good luck at school!" Of course, his luck was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me. Bad luck was my usual company.

I got into the truck and started it up. The roar of it almost made me jump, but not quite. Good thing too, as Charlie was still in the cruiser next to me, fiddling with something and almost ready to go. He would have teased me about it for ages.

All the way along the highway, people were staring at me. Maybe the truck wasn't such a good present after all, I'd never done well in being the centre of attention.

By the time I got to the school, I was ready to just sink into the floor. Everyone was staring at me! I mean, it's not like they had an excuse! I'm not handsome or anything. . .Well, Renée always told me that I was, but that's moms for you.

I parked in the school parking lot, hoping that no-one would stop me on the way to the office. Unfortunately, my hopes were short lived. A small girl with curly dark hair came running over. Internally, I groaned. Today was going to be a devastating and bloody battle.