Delaney curled her fingers around the ruffles of her brick red dress as she walked towards the sound of the pumping music and the bright, multi-colored lights. The dress fit her curves perfectly and even she could admit to herself that she looked absolutely beautiful. She saw her classmates laughing and meandering over to the school's gymnasium. She was at prom.

"Delaney... "

She ran a finger through her soft, curled locks as she reached the entrance of the dance. "Laney!" A friend yelled, enveloping her into a tight embrace. "We've been waiting for you. Let's go!" He reeked of alcohol, but so did Delaney. The two drunkenly stumbled into the dance, gripping each other tightly.

"Delaney?"

One of her favorite songs blared through the speakers and the pair ran to the dance floor. Delaney kicked her heels off and started dancing crazily with her friend, letting the alcohol take control over her body. She started losing all inhibitions; as the music grew louder, she grew wilder.

"Laney!"

Delaney jolted awake at the sound of the voice and a gentle nudging. Her eyes shot open in panic and fear dripped through her veins as she looked around wildly, not recognizing her surroundings.

"Laney girl, wake up. We are about to land," a warm voice next to her whispered, putting an arm around her protectively. Delaney nodded, closing her eyes once again, uncomfortable with the unfamiliar surroundings. She tried to will her racing heart to relax and she slowly remembered where she was, where she was going, and why she was going there.

Delaney Rose Swan was on a plane to Sea-Tac AIrport in Washington state to start a new life with her father. Well, perhaps new life was a little overdramatic, but that's exactly what it felt like. A new life. A new state. A fresh start. A clean slate.

The recycled air in the old plane cabin felt suffocating to the girl and she gripped her arm rests tightly, causing a white tint to creep onto her knuckles. She could faintly hear the flight attendant's muffled voices over the intercom but she couldn't listen. Delaney would have rather walked the 2,500 miles it took from her previous home in Ohio to her new home in Forks, but her Dad shot that down. Delaney, we both know my shoes already have holes in them. A few thousand miles isn't going to help.

"Laney, we are going to be fine," he said, tightening his grip around his daughter's shoulders. "Trust me, I'm a cop."

She couldn't help but to allow a grin to spread across her face. "If I had a dollar for every time I've hear you say that, we both could have flown first class," she said chuckling, glancing at her father.

They locked eyes as he laughed. Jonathan Swan radiated warmth and kindness when you spoke with him and Delaney absolutely adored him. He had never led an easy life, and although he was getting older with gray peppering his dark hair and lines etched in his forehead, he never lost the boyish playfulness in his chocolate brown eyes and his overall love for life.

She could feel the plane descending and the pressure in her ears began to build. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Her father had always said that if your ears were about to pop that yawning would release some of the pressure. She opened her mouth and tried to yawn, but that only seemed to make it worse. She made a mental note to curse her dad and (many) his wives tale remedies.

The plane suddenly jolted and hit the ground hard, causing Delaney to yelp. She put both hands on the seat in front of her as the aircraft rapidly was slowing down. Once the plane was coasting, she sighed audibly in relief.

"You did good, kid. I know how hard flying is for ya'," her dad said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the flight attendant interrupted over the intercom. "Please remain seated and keep your seatbelts securely fastened until the plane reaches a complete stop." Her dad smiled apologetically, quietly buckling the metal seat belt back together. "The local time is 4:51PM on April 1st. And no, this is not an April Fool's joke."

Delaney forgot that it was April Fools day and she almost laughed at the irony of something so serious and solemn happening on a day that is supposed to be lighthearted and mischievous.

"The local weather is rainy and potentially stormy and it's currently 55 degrees fahrenheit," the flight attendant continued. As if on cue, a boom of thunder rang through the sky, shaking the plane. "Make that currently storming."

Storms. Something else that Delaney feared. For the first 10 years of her life, her parents hadn't had hardly any money, so they lived in a mobile home with a tin roof. Even if the rain was sprinkling, it sounded like hundreds of machine guns rocketing at the roof.

The passengers slowly started to file off of the place and into the airport. Delaney followed her father closely, itching to officially be back on solid ground. She made a promise to herself that she would never fly again unless it was a life or death situation. She didn't think she could make it otherwise.

Thunder continued to roll in the distance and she couldn't help but to shiver. She absolutely hated that it was storming; the first day of a new start shouldn't be storming and it sure as hell shouldn't be April Fool's Day.

"It's time little bear," her dad said as they walked out of the threshold of the walkway and into the airport. Delaney always resented time. It always moved too fast when she pleaded for life to slow down, or moved so lethargically when she yearned for the pain to be over quickly.

She followed her father closely through the airport, winding through through the other passengers. They followed the signs to the baggage claim, pushing against the other passengers, like salmon swimming upstream. Finally reaching the baggage, Delaney and her dad stood in silent exhaustion while she people watched.

She first spotted a young couple holding backpacks. The girl, a twenty something, stood in peaceful bliss with her head on her partner's chest. Her eyes closed and a small grin creeped over her lips as he wrapped a comforting arm around her small frame. He kissed her forehead and gently rested his head against hers.

Then, her eyes drifted to what looked like a small family. A beautiful mother held a small child close to her chest, and the father raced around trying to catch a toddler. The amount of love radiated from the both of them was completely overwhelming and Delaney felt her heart clench. But before she could dwell on the sight, her father interrupted her thoughts.

"Here we go," he said, grabbing their checked luggage. "Let's get out of here. I'm sure Charlie's outside."

They walked out of the airport together and she breathed in the cool washington air. She spotted a police cruiser and smiled seeing a familiar face.

"Hey little brother. Long time no see!" Her dad said, walking over to his brother and giving him a quick hug. They were only a few years apart in age and had always been very close growing up. When her father married and moved to Ohio, the only saw each other a few times during holidays and funerals. Delaney could tell the two brothers were incredibly happy to see each other, even under the less than ideal circumstances.

Charlie turned to face Delaney and smiled. "And here is little bear," he said, also giving her a quick hug. She groaned at her childhood nickname.

"Little bear is never going to die, is it?" Delaney said, returning the hug. Charlie grabbed their luggage and tossed it into the trunk of the police cruiser.

"Absolutely not," he said with a smile, slamming the trunk. "Hop in. I know it looks like you're being arrested, but just ignore that."

She glanced back at the airport and noticed that more than a few faces were watching the trio closely with concerned glances. "Dad, do you want to push my head down for effect?"

Jonathan laughed loudly, shaking his head. The two got into the car, closely followed by Charlie. He turned the key in the ignition and the police cruiser roared to life. The ride was silent as he pulled on the the expressway.

"Sorry Bella couldn't come," he said, glancing at Delaney in the rearview mirror. "She, uh, broke her leg."

Laney raised her eyebrows. "How did she manage to do that?"

Charlie paused. "She fell out of a window."

"No way!"

"That's what I said," he grumbled under his breath. She could tell there was a story there, but she didn't press it. She figured she would get more information from Bella.

"So," her dad interrupted, changing the subject. "How are things at the station?"

"Not too good, to be honest. The whole town is glad you're here."

"Swan brothers, back in action!" Her dad said, punching his brother in the shoulder.

"Hey, not when I'm driving," he said grumpily, but Delaney could still see a smile on her uncle's face.

Delaney rested her face on the cool glass window and watched the scenery as they drove through the winding roads of Washington. She tried to block out the conversation her dad and uncle were having; she didn't want to be reminded of the terrible reason that they moved across the country.

Like his little brother, Jonathan was a police officer (he liked to think Charlie followed in his footsteps). Waylon Forge, a Forks deputy, was murdered a few weeks ago by an unidentified animal, and Forks has been mourning and on edge ever since. Charlie had called his brother to tell him the news and offhandedly said that he wished he lived closer. Jonathan said if he was offering him a job, he'd take it. One week later, Delaney was uprooted from her life in southern Ohio and was about to start a new life in Washington.

"Here we are!" Charlie said a little too cheerfully, which Delaney knew was for her sake. Although Charlie didn't like to hover and wasn't very emotional, he had always been great at reading people, even when she was a child. The police cruiser pulled into a gravel driveway in front of an old, gray house. She couldn't help but think that the color of the house matched everything else in this town: gray. Dull. Sad. "Just a few houses down from me and Bells."

"Thanks, brother," Jonathan said, getting out of the police cruiser, Delaney following behind him. Charlie popped the trunk and grabbed their luggage for them.

"What time is the moving truck getting here tomorrow?" Charlie asked, carrying their luggage to the porch.

"Should be here around 10 in the morning or so," Jonathan said, stretching his arms above his head, stiff from the long journey.

"Good deal. I'm sure you remember Billy Black?"

Jonathan nodded. "Of course I do. He came to me and Liz's wedding. He's a good guy."

"Sure is. I let him know that you were moving back here so he'll be over tomorrow. He's also going to bring his kid, Jacob, to help unload the U-Haul, so it shouldn't take too much time with an extra set of hands."

Delaney could almost see the anxiety that was radiating from her father dissipate. Jonathan patted his older brother on the back. "I appreciate that."

"I need to go check on Bella. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Charlie said, walking back to his police cruiser.

"Is Bella going to come over tomorrow?" Delaney asked. Although she didn't know her cousin very well, she always liked Bella, and it would make her feel more comfortable knowing someone going into a new school.

Charlie nodded. "She won't be much use with her leg in a cast, but it will be good for her to get out of the house. Have a good night."

Jonathan turned to look at his daughter and gave her a warm smile. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she responded and he put the key into the lock. He opened the door and fumbled for the light switch.

"I could have sworn there was a light switch here... A-ha!" He said, and the house was lit into life.

"It's not much," her dad said apologetically, closing the door behind them. With nothing in the home, his words echoed emptily around the living room space.

"Dad," Delaney smiled, dropping her bag on the ground and looking around the empty space. "It's absolutely perfect." And it was. There was something so refreshing to feel like you were starting over and Delaney didn't want to waste this opportunity to leave everything negative in Ohio and start fresh in Washington with her father.

"I love you kiddo," he said, grateful that his only child genuinely loved their new home. "I'm excited to start living again."

"Me too, Dad. Me too."