Okay, before you get happy or mad, I KNOW it's been too long since I updated Rome. My mind is FROZEN even though I have a plan. So instead, here's an entirely different story I accidentally started. I swear, I've not abandoned my other stories. Writers, you know you can't force it. Have fun!

Moving to Forks had never been in the plan. There was not a single person in the world who woke up one day and said, "You know what sounds awesome? I'm gonna move to the rainiest corner of the continental United States." Bella, however, fool that she was, was doing just that. She sat on the bed in her room, the only change that had been made to her childhood home in eighteen years. She had been born in this very town. She had grown up in this very room. Tomorrow she would get all the supplies she needed to remake this room. Tonight? Tonight, she would wallow in the misery of falling asleep under this oppressive, cold, rainy night.

Bella's nightmares involved dark woods where the rain never stopped, sunshiny beaches that she couldn't reach, and her mother crying as she left. She wasn't quite sure how they tied together, but there was one thing that was clear to her when she woke up: She was going to be miserable. Bella walked downstairs and wandered into the kitchen, hoping Charlie at least kept milk and cereal on hand. That hope was quickly dashed. The fridge contained old pizza, a six-pack of beer, a motley arrangement of sauces and a jar that contained one pickle. Bella shut the fridge and saw a note on the outside of it.

Held up by a magnet was a note that read:

Bella, I am so sorry I didn't manage to go shopping before you got here, and then I got called into work this morning. You mentioned you want to paint your room, so here's 300 bucks. Get what you need for your room and whatever groceries you think we need. Dad.

Pinned under the note were three hundred-dollar bills. Bella wondered if Charlie kept that kind of money in the house, knowing that as a small-town sheriff, he probably did. Bella pushed that thought from her mind and smiled at Charlie's thoughtfulness. She was sure he felt weird about having a teenage girl in the house, but he was clearly going to do his best. Bella walked to the front door to grab her jacket when she remembered that she had no way to get to the store. She held the jacket in her hand before she looked at the front door. There was a note taped there too.

Bella, I promise, I will not always communicate through notes. There's a surprise for you in the driveway. The key is on the back of this note. Have a good day!

Charlie didn't sign this note. Bella flipped it over. On the back, a small silver key. On one side it said 'Ford.' Bella pulled the key off the paper and flipped it over. There was a horse on the other side of it. Bella's heart started pounding as she wrenched the door open. Parked in the driveway was an old Mustang. It was poop brown and had rust spots over the rear wheel well. Bella looked into the window. The tan leather seats were old and cracked. The gear stick was missing the knob on top. It looked like someone had taken a large nut of some sort and twisted it on, making a makeshift handle. The car was a piece of shit. Bella got in, turned the key and listened to the engine start right up. She didn't like it.

She loved it.

Bella tried to open the glove compartment. The compartment stuck, so Bella had to hit it twice. It was still stuck, so for good measure, she kicked it. It dropped open aggressively. The papers in the compartment fell on the floor. Bella laughed as she grabbed them. There were receipts from its last inspection, a tattered manual that came with the car, a wrench and half a pack of cigarettes. Bella shoved everything back into the glove compartment, with the exception of the cigarettes. She shoved the cigarettes into her hoodie pocket to throw away. Her dad obviously didn't get the car from a dealer. She ran a hand over the steering wheel, the dashboard. She turned the key in the ignition and the car roared to life. Bella smiled at the sound, as loud as it was. She put the car in gear and headed for the nearest hardware store.

The store was easy to find. Everything in Forks was on the same main road. She pulled in to the parking lot, noting the way people turned and looked at the noise her car made. Her cheeks burned, so she hurried to shut the car off. Bella wasn't used to people looking at her. In Phoenix, she was painfully normal and incredibly unassuming. Nothing about Bella Swan screamed 'look at me' and that was by design. Bella didn't join teams. She didn't join clubs. She didn't share her stories, her art, or her music. Her plan to pass through high school unnoticed had been a resounding success so far, and she had no plans to change that. After a public fall out with her best friend in middle school, Bella was saving her best self for college. She hoped her beautiful, noisy Mustang wouldn't ruin that plan for her.

Bella got out of the car and gently patted the hood of the car. I'll name you later, she thought to herself as she made her way into the hardware store. A small bell announced her arrival to the man stocking shelves. He looked her up and down. "Charlie Swan's kid?" The man asked nicely.

Bella cleared her throat and nodded. "Bella Swan, that's me."

The man reached out and patted her shoulder. "I don't know if you remember me kid, but you used to hang out at my house all the time."

Bella thought about the sign on the door. 'Weber's Hardware.' "Mr. Weber?" He smiled widely, and Bella laughed a little. "Hi! How's Angela? She still running around with pigtails?"

The man laughed heartily. "Bella, it's been ten years. She's moved on to a ponytail. She's looking forward to seeing you!"

"Me too. I can't believe she remembers me."

"Bella, no one forgets their first best friend. Charlie bragged that his Phoenix genius was coming back. Angela fully expects you to join Science Olympiad, and you can blame your dad for that." Bella rolled her eyes and sighed. "Somehow, I knew you would react like that. So what are you here for?" Bella explained her need for a bedroom that wasn't purple. Mr. Weber pointed towards the back of his surprisingly huge store. "The paint and supplies are against the back wall. You'll find everything you need there. I'll give you the family and friends discount."

"Is there anyone who shops here that doesn't get the family and friends discount?"

"Nope!" He laughed and waved Bella off, returning to stocking while humming a song Bella didn't know.

Bella followed the aisle to the back of the store. She saw the darker colors directly ahead of her, so she turned right and ran directly into a brick wall. Bella hit the ground, something falling out of her pocket as she tried to figure out what happened. She looked up at the brick wall. It spoke. "You know, you could watch where you're going." The woman looked down at Bella with a small sneer on her face. She was the most beautiful woman Bella had ever seen. She was tall, blonde, and perfect in every way. Her skin looked like it had been carefully carved from marble by every renaissance artist in breathtaking detail. Bella tried to respond, but she hadn't breathed since the breath had been knocked out of her.

The woman rolled her eyes and reached down. Bella took the offered hand. It was surprisingly cool, like she had just her hands in cold water. The girl hauled Bella up with no effort. She pulled a little too hard and Bella, who wasn't ready, stumbled forward into the girl again. The girl caught her, steadying Bella before taking a small step away. The girl eyed Bella, like she was waiting for Bella to say something.

Bella finally found her voice. "Hello."

"Hello."

"I'm Bella." Bella stuck her hand out this time and waited.

The girl looked surprised, like Bella had done something unexpected. She took Bella's hand. Her hand seemed warmer this time. Bella looked at the woman's eyes, surprised by what she found there. Her eyes were a color Bella had never seen before. They were a fiery, striking bronze, leaning more towards varnished gold. The strange girl maintained eye contact with Bella, looking more and more put off. Finally, she simply said, "I'm Rosalie."

"Nice to meet you, Rosalie."

The girl released Bella's hand after holding it a moment too long. Something on the floor caught her eye. Bella followed her gaze to the pack of cigarettes. She groaned. "You know, Bella, smoking will kill you."

"Yeah, well so will running into beautiful brick walls in the hardware store." Rosalie arched an eyebrow at Bella. Bella cleared her throat. "They're not mine anyways. I don't smoke."

Rosalie folded her arms across her chest. "They fell out of your pocket."

"They did."

"But they're not yours."

"No, they are not."

"Care to explain?"

"Not really." Bella smiled at Rosalie, who was clearly frustrated. The girl seemed torn between asking Bella who owned the cigarettes and walking away when another beautiful woman laden with plastic bags came to the end of the aisle.

"Rosalie, I have everything paid for if you're ready to-" The woman saw Bella. "Oh, hello there!" She smiled warmly. She was slightly shorter than Rosalie, with long brunette hair and bright eyes. Her eyes were also golden, but somehow not as vivid as Rosalie's. "Are you one of Rosalie's friends?"

Rosalie glared down at the woman. Bella smiled and responded, "Not yet." Rosalie looked back at Bella. "We'll get there though. I'm Bella Swan."

"Oh, the chief's daughter! Chief Swan is a kind man. I'm Esme Cullen. Rosalie's mom."

"No way! You've got to be her sister, right?" Bella looked back and forth between them. There is no way.

"I'm adopted." Rosalie shrugged.

Bella smiled and pointed between them. "Now, that makes more sense."

Esme smiled even wider at Bella if that was at all possible. "Do you attend the high school?"

"I start there on Monday."

"Fantastic! You'll get to meet our whole family."

"I look forward to it."

Esme looked over the moon. "Good! Now we have a few more stops to make, so we're going to go."

"It was nice to meet you, Esme Cullen." Bella looked at Rosalie, who hadn't spoken for a few moments. Esme looked at them with curiosity.

"You too. I'll see you at the car." She turned and left the two girls standing alone.

"It was nice to meet you too, Rosalie Cullen." Bella reached out to shake Rosalie's hand one more time.

Rosalie took Bella's hand and cocked her head the smallest bit. "It was nice to meet you, Bella Swan." Rosalie dropped Bella's hand and started to the front of the store, shaking her head and leaving Bella behind her. Bella watched her go. Rosalie stopped and turned back. "And Bella?"

"Hm?"

"It's Hale."

"What?"

"Rosalie Hale."

Bella smiled. "Nice to meet you, Rosalie Hale." Bella waved her fingers at the girl. Rosalie rolled her eyes one more time before turning to walk out the door. Before she turned though, Bella caught the smallest smile gracing the girl's lips.

Rosalie sat gracefully in the seat of her cherry-red BMW. Esme looked out the windshield, saying nothing. Rosalie pushed the button that started the car. It quietly purred to life. Rosalie backed out of the parking lot. Before she turned around entirely, she caught sight of an old, shit brown Mustang. Oh my god, that's what she drives. Rosalie wrinkled her nose at the idea that such an interesting girl would drive such a horrible car. Rosalie slammed the gas pedal, ripping into the street and spraying a few loose rocks behind the car as she left Forks in a hurry.

The silence in the car finally got to Rosalie. "What?"

"Nothing."

Rosalie looked over at her mother and took in the look on her face. Esme looked like she had just seen an alien for the first time. "What?"

"I've never seen you be," Esme paused, looking for the right word, "nice to a stranger."

"I'm always nice to strangers."

"No, you're always polite to strangers, as I expect from a child of mine. But you know nice and polite are different things." Esme continued to watch her.

Rosalie shrugged. "I'm turning over a new leaf."

"Why is that?"

"Too many leaves go unturned," Rosalie smirked. She gestured at the forest they were speeding by. "See all those leaves? Unturned."

Esme put a hand to her forehead. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"You turned the wrong leaves over."

"Okay, sure. We don't have to talk about it. Wait until I tell your father." Esme clapped once. "He's going to be so happy you made a new friend." Rosalie groaned, and her mother launched into a description of the furniture she was building. Rosalie was happy for the sudden change of topic. She only hoped Esme would forget to mention the girl. Bella Swan. How interesting.

I keep coming back for more. She's just the girl I'm looking for.

As always, reviews are welcome. Peace, love, and early 2000's music!