3 Chapter 3. The arrival and unexpected

I lived my life normally for the most part. Well normal for someone like me. Which is sadly boring. I didn't receive my all my wishes immediately. I received my system, lived unexpectedly with my new family. (A.N. I bet you can guess who my family is here can't you) Yes you guessed it right. I'm Isabella Marie Swans brother. Yea I had the same thought so cliché. Well I had to get past that and I did after a while. I lived a normal life the things that I did were to name my system Alice. I named my system after my grandmother in my past life.

In this new life I was names Jay Nova Swan. And today is the day the story starts. I couldn't change anything that I knew about. It felt like the world forced its will on me until this moment. The moment that Bella an I met our dad. I can tell you that I never wanted to leave Forks. I didn't get a choice in the matter. The court's decision was that being a single father with a job as a cop was too risky and awarded custody to our mother.

So it's time to begin.

Our mother drove us to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. I was dressed in my usual denim jeans with a nice fitting shirt, that accentuates my muscles. My carry-on item was the parka that out mom bought for us so we wouldn't freeze when we got there.

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. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother

escaped with me and my sister when we were only a few months old. It was in this town that we were being compelled to spend a month every summer until we were fourteen.

That was the year my Bella put her foot down and refused to go back; these past three summers, Charlie, vacationed with us in California for two weeks instead.

It was to Forks that Bella felt that she was now exiled herself— an action that I laughed at her for. She detested Forks. I on the other hand was looking forward to it. And excitement was evident with how I acted.

I loved Phoenix but I was told by my system that I would have access after the story began. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city. It always felt I was being swaddled by the sun.

"Kids." my mom called to us. — the last of a thousand times — before we got on the plane. "You don't have to do this."

My mom looks like Bella, except with short hair and laugh lines. I felt a dissatisfaction as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained mother to fend for herself? 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…

"We want to go. It will be fine," I told her with determination. Bella could not lie to save her life. That is why I answered when Bella lowered her head.

"Tell Charlie I said hi."

"I'll say hi to dad for you." I replied with exasperation

"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."

But the sacrifice in her eyes was poorly concealed behind the promise.

"Don't worry about us," I urged. "I will protect Bella like I always have."

She hugged us tightly for a minute, and then we got on the plane, and the we were off.

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 dad, though, I was a little worried about.

Dad had really been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that we were coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten us registered for high school and was going to help Bella get a car. I would have mine when it arrived in a couple of days. I have a 1967 Chevrolet impala just like the Winchester's in supernatural. I pretty much got it for free, had to rebuild everything inside and under the hood. My friend Sebas Tian, an elderly gentleman helped me rebuild it and get it roaring back to life.

This was sure to be awkward with Bella and dad. I was the more outdoorsy guy that was into exploring new places. Where Bella was silent and always trying to stay out of the limelight. I knew dad was more than a little confused by Bella's decision, she hadn't even tried to made a secret of her distaste for Forks.

When we landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I was expecting that, didn't see it as an omen — just unavoidable.

Dad was waiting for us with his cruiser. This I was expecting, too. Charlie is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks. This was Bella's primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of her funds, was that she refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top. Nothing slows down traffic like a cop. I could not agree more.

Charlie gave us an awkward, group hug when we were stumbled our way off the plane.

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

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad." We were not allowed to call him Charlie to his face. I had to agree with this. We only had only a few bags. Most of my clothes were too permeable for Washington. Mom had pooled our resources to supplement our winter wardrobe, but it was still minuscule at best. It all fit easily

into the trunk of the cruiser.

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

"What kind of car?" I asked as I would most likely have to find someway to fix it if it ever broke down. When Bella was suspicious of the way he said "good car for you" as opposed to just "good

car."

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy." Charley answered looking sheepish.

"Where did you find it?" Bella interrupted before I could ask anything else. I just looked out the window enjoying the foliage.

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

"No."

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

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued when she didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

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

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

Unsatisfied with that answer Bella asked "When did he buy it?"

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?"

"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…"

"I can always get ahold of Sebas he helped me fix my car up." I interjected before she could say more. Trying to relieve the tension that was building. It didn't work, and they kept talking as if they didn't hear me

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

Irradiated I just scoffed and went back to looking out the window.

"How cheap is cheap?" Bella questioned.

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

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

"I don't mind. I want you both 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. We inherited that from him.

"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it." Bella answered trying and failing to hide her acceptance and disappointment.

"Well, now, you're welcome," dad mumbled, embarrassed by Bella's thanks.

The rest of the ride was silent. Which I enjoyed. Because I could enjoy the scenery which 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.

Eventually we made it to Charlie's house. He still lived in the small, three -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. There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was an old truck. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To my intense surprise, it was unique. 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.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Bella answered with actual happiness in her tone. Thinking that the horrific day tomorrow would be just that much less dreadful.

We wouldn't be faced with the choice of either walking two miles in the rain to school or accepting a ride in the Chief's cruiser.

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

It took only one trip to get all of our clothing upstairs. Bella got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard. I walked into my room that was facing towards the back yard. It was a nice view.

The room was familiar; it had been belonged to me since I was born. The wooden floor, the light blue

walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window — these were all a part of my

childhood. The only changes Charlie had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as I grew. The desk now held a secondhand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from my baby days was still in the corner.

There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which all three of us would have to share.

I was trying not to dwell too much on that fact.

One of the best things about dad is he doesn't hover. He left me alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother. It was nice to be alone; a relief from trying to find something to talk about. Staring out the window at the sheeting rain.

Forks High School had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty-seven — now fifty-nine students; there were more than seven hundred people in my junior class alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together — their grandparents had been toddlers together.

We would be the new kids from the big city, a curiosity, an enigma, or a puzzle to solve.

Maybe, if Bella looked like a girl from Phoenix should, she could work this to her advantage. But physically, she never fit in anywhere. Me on the other hand I was short for my age, at only 5 feet 6 inches. I was athletic and muscular but not to an extreme extent. More of a swimmers body, nice toned muscles that were built for power and speed.

When I finished putting my clothes in the old pine dresser, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the communal bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel. I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed my teeth.

Facing my tanned reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I was looking good.

That was when Bella entered and asked "Are you done gawking at yourself, I need the bathroom for a bit."

I left heading downstairs to relax in the living room. Waiting for dinner, and we learned that dad couldn't cook. 'What the hell, living alone you should know how to cook. We ended up ordering pizza.

I didn't sleep well that night, I was excited about finally starting my journey and growing stronger. The constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof didn't fade into the background.

Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning. You could never see the sky here; it was like a gentle embrace.

Breakfast with Charlie was a quiet event. He wished us good luck at school. We thanked him, knowing his wishes was wasted. Charlie left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. After he left, we sat at the old square oak table in one of the three unmatching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, ugly bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor.

Nothing was changed. My mother had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house, which failed spectacularly. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief-sized family room

was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Charlie and my mom in Las Vegas, then one of the four of us in the on the front porch of the house, taken by the previous owners, followed by the procession of our school pictures up to last year's. Those were embarrassing to look at.

It was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that Charlie had never gotten over Renée . It made Bella uncomfortable and wanted to leave.

I didn't want to be too early to school, but I couldn't say no as Bella was my ride for now. Dawning our jackets —

which had the feel of a biohazard suit — and headed out into the rain.

It was just drizzling, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eaves by the door, and locked up. The sloshing of the new waterproof boots was irritating. I actually missed the normal crunch of gravel as I walk. We were in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around us.

Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Either Billy or Charlie had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. The engine started quickly, to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume.

Finding the school wasn't difficult, though we have never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the Forks High School, made Bella stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first. The one thing I appreciated most. No more feeling like I was in a prison. No chain fences no metal detectors, no guards on every door.

Bella parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked here, so I was sure it was off limits for students, but I decided I would get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like an idiot. Stepping out of the truck unwillingly, and walking down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. Taking a calming breath before opening the door.

Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a toad like, red-haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, that pretty much told everyone that she thought she was the best looking woman in town.

The red-haired woman looked up. "Can I help you?"

"We are Jay and Isabella Swan" I informed her, and saw the immediate awareness light her eyes. I was expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. Children of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, come home at last.

"Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule's right here, and a map of the school." She

brought several sheets to the counter to show us.

She went through our classes for us, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave me a slip to have each teacher sign, which we had to bring back at the end of the day. She smiled at us and hoped, like Charlie, that I would like it here in Forks.

When we went back out to the truck, other students were starting to arrive. Driving around the school, following the line of traffic. Bella looked glad to see that most of the cars were older like hers, nothing flashy. The nicest car here was a shiny Volvo, and it stood out. Still, Bella cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to her.

I looked at the map in the truck. 'Alice can you help with this' slightly shaking the paper

'Of course Jay, I would be happy to help.' Alice

I kept my face pulled back into my hood as I walked to the sidewalk, crowded with teenagers. My plain black jacket didn't stand out, I noticed with relief.

(A.N. School classes I am skipping.)

Lunchtime came around and I was entering the cafeteria for lunch. I noticed Bella being surrounded by people and was acting socially awkward as always. I sat at an empty table by the window just planing everything out. That was then that I first saw them, the disco balls.

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, not far from me.

*Ding*

*'Plot has started unlocking wishes.'

*'prepare for unsealing'

*'unsealing in progress'

*'unsealed. Unleashing stored power from birth to now.'