One.                    Take Care of Her
Love Like Ghosts             Act One.

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Car rides in her father's beat-up station wagon were never at the top of Judith's list of favorite things. Softball? Dancing? Those made the cut. The bumpy roads, the cramped seats, and the way his aftershave seemed to suffocate the air? Not so much. So, when she realized this would be her last ride in Baby for a while, it wasn't exactly a tear-jerker moment.

Wind whipped through the open windows, sending her blonde hair into a frenzy, strands slapping against her face and blurring her vision. The broken hand crank was only the cherry on top. And the seatbelt? Don't even get her started. It refused to lock whenever Phil slammed on the breaks. The AC? Yeah, if it could even be called that. It was more of a hazard than a help.

Naturally, the rest of the women in the family opted for the van, but not Phil. He never went anywhere without his prized Led Zeppelin CD. That thing was practically holy in his eyes. No one could touch it — not even to move it from one car to another. It was too delicate.

Judith fumbled around for a hair tie to tame the chaos her hair had become. Her heart sank as her wrist came up empty, the familiar band of tie nowhere to be found. Frustrated, she leaned forward and rifled through the backseat pocket, letting out a small groan when she found nothing.

Then, it clicked.

Her hair tie was buried in the trunk, hidden under her sister's suitcase and her dad's baseball bag. There was no way he was pulling over for something as trivial as a hair tie — not with the airport being so close. She sighed, resigned. "You'll get one when we stop at the terminal," she muttered to herself.

Once they reached the airport, Judith breathed a little easier. The gusty winds had died down, and the oppressive freeway air had turned into gentle breezes. Bella and Judith were flying up to Washington to stay with Bella's father, Charlie, until she finished high school. Judith, only a junior, had decided to tag along. It was her idea to come in the first place. She'd overheard a conversation between her mom and dad one night and, like a lightbulb turning on, she'd stayed up, crafting a convincing argument. She figured it would be good for Bella, good for her, and maybe even good for Charlie — though she'd never met him, the thought of him being alone in that cold, rainy world tugged at her heart.

At the terminal, as they made their way inside, Judith saw her mom trailing behind, shoulders slumped, tears welling in her eyes. "You don't have to do this, you know?" Renée said, her voice trembling.

Judith frowned. "Mom, we said we weren't going to do this."

"I know," Renée sniffled, wiping her eyes but only making the tears fall faster. "It's just ... look at the two of you. You're growing up so fast. It used to be just the three of us on our adventures, remember? Sightseeing, eating bad station food— our girls' trips." She let out a soft laugh, her face a mixture of pride and sorrow as memories of those simpler days danced in her mind.

Judith's heart clenched. "Mom," she started, but the words were hard to find. "You and Dad will have your own trips this time. That can be your adventure."

Renée nodded, but the sadness didn't leave her eyes. It wasn't going to be the same. "Are you sure you don't want to come to Florida with us?" She asked, her voice light, as though trying to convince herself. "They have beaches and amusement parks, and— oh! You and Dad could battle it out on the field. He needs the practice, you know."

Judith winced at the hopeful look in her mom's eyes. "Mom—"

"We want to go," Bella interrupted, her voice firm, taking the decision out of their hands.

Renée sighed in relief. "Okay. Okay." She pulled them both into a hug, pressing soft kisses to the tops of their heads. "Call me as soon as you land, okay? I need to be able to reach you both on the road." She hummed. "That sounds nice."

Judith laughed softly, pulling away from the hug. "See?"

Bella gave Phil a quick glance, who was sitting with a pack of Skittles, tossing the candy in the air before catching them in his mouth. She approached him, and he cleared his throat, wiping his sticky hands before pulling her into a loose hug.

"Take care of her," Phill muttered into her neck, his voice low and serious.

Bella pulled away, her brow furrowing before she blinked it away. "Uh, yeah. Take care of Mom."

Phil nodded, his face sincere. "I will."

Judith, not wanting to be left out, skipped over to her dad and wrapped her arms around him. "Bye, Daddy."

"Bye, Baby Girl." He smiled softly as she pulled away.

With their suitcases in tow, the two girls walked toward their terminal. As they made their way to the gates, Judith glanced back over her shoulder, waving at their parents.

Once inside, they were hit with the busy hum of people rushing to get home. Bella asked if Judith wanted anything. "Just some gum," Judith shrugged, not wanting to deal with her ears popping during the flight.

"Good morning, passengers. This is the final boarding call for Flight 182. We are now inviting remaining passengers to begin boarding."

As they shuffled down the narrow aisle, Bella grabbed a middle seat, while Judith settled in the back, near the bathroom. The last days of summer meant the flight was packed, and she couldn't help but replay the scenes from Final Destination in her head. She'd feel much better if she were sitting next to Bella. Bella would have told her to relax — after all, it was just a movie.

With a deep breath, Judith leaned back in her seat and opened the window to distract herself. "Goodbye, Phoenix. Hello, Forks."

The ride in the squad car to their new home was suffocating in its silence. Judith could practically hear the ringing in her ears, the space between them thick with unspoken words. No one knew what to say, not when they hadn't seen each other in so long, not when they were practically strangers.

"I didn't expect it to rain this much," Judith spoke up, trying to break the tension. She glanced at Charlie through the rearview mirror.

"Yeah, well, one thing about this place is that it's predictable," he said, his voice steady. "Expect a lot of rain."

Judith nodded, the thought of her thin jacket making her realize she would need to make a stop for something warmer. "Your hair's longer," he added, quickly glancing over at Bella in the passenger seat.

"I cut it since the last time I saw you," Bella answered, tugging at her ends. They were rough. The cut wasn't a fresh one, but it was considered new to him.

The drive to their new house was long, and when they arrived, Judith couldn't help but notice how different it looked from home. It was a two-story, with no garden in sight, and she was pretty sure there wasn't a pool, not with all the predictable rain.

Charlie grabbed their suitcases and led the girls inside. Judith stopped at the threshold, her eyes scanning the living room. She recognized the couch from a photo, the wallpaper that felt strangely familiar. As she walked further in, she saw only two photos hanging on the walls. One was of her and Bella at ballet class, a reminder of their mother's attempts to get them out of the house, though it hadn't quite worked for Judith. The other photo, of Renée and Charlie, took her by surprise. It was old — before Bella, maybe even before Renée was pregnant with her.

They looked happy.

"Alright," Charlie clapped his hands, snapping Judith out of her thoughts. "Bella, I put Grandpa's desk in your room, and Judith, I cleaned out the guest room for you. I also cleared off some shelves in the bathroom."

Bella grimaced. "Oh, right. One bathroom."

"Thanks," Judith smiled politely.

Just as they were about to settle in, a honk sounded from right outside. Charlie's face lit up with a smile — genuine and quick. The sisters exchanged a glance and followed him out to see what had caused the change in his demeanor.

"Bella, you remember Billy Black?" Charlie called out to the man coming up the driveway in a wheelchair, a boy trailing behind him with a wide grin. "This is Judith, Bella's younger sister."

Judith smiled as she shook their hands.

"Hey, I'm Jacob," the boy said, his grin widening.

"Glad you two are finally here," Billy said to them. "Charlie's here hasn't been able to stop talking about it since you told him you were coming."

Charlie tried to brush it off. "Alright. Keep exaggerating or I'll roll you in the mud."

"Right after I ram you in the ankles," Billy shot back.

As the dads playfully bickered, Jacob stepped closer to Bella. "Hey, I don't know if you remember this, but we used to make mud pies when we were little."

"Yeah, no," she laughed. "I remember." She turned to their dads, "Are they always like this?"

"Oh, yeah. It's getting worse with old age." Jacob joked, and Judith let out a snort.

Charlie and Billy stopped their playing as Charlie patted the tailgate of a truck. "So, what do you think of your homecoming present?"

Bella's eyes grew wide. "Wait, this?" She rushed over to the truck before Charlie gave her a nod, running her hands over the rusted metal. "Oh, my gosh!" She squealed, practically bouncing as she slid into the driver's seat. "Judith, come on."

Judith didn't need to be told twice. She hopped in, the seatbelt clicking in place. "You better buckle up," Bella teased, surprising Charlie.

Judith shook her head, grinning. "We're going to have so much fun here."

🐥 instead of studying for my exam, i'm editing chapters??
you better believe it