⋅˚₊‧ ☾ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ♡‧₊˚

The quick ride to the airport wasn't chatty the only noise in the car was the hip hop music my mom had blasting through the speakers. She constantly tried to keep up with what was considered "hip and cool" by us teens these days. She desperately wanted to be that cool mom that everyone loved, and she was- when she wasn't trying too hard to be. As mom tried to rap along with the artist, Bella sent me looks of despair, clearly embarrassed by mom's antics.

Instead of being embarrassed along with her, I added to her humiliation and sang along. This only caused Bella to throw a penny at me and pout. Bella and I were completely different, both in our personalities and physical appearances. She was quiet, introverted, and pale. She preferred to never be noticed, never to be spoken about, and to never be the center of attention. I, on the other hand, was outgoing, loud, and not as pale as her. My skin tone was almost the same shade as hers but mine had more tan to it.

We clashed more than we matched. My blonde hair reached down to my waist whereas her brown strands stopped at her shoulders. She was taller than me by a few inches, which meant she always used me as an armrest when she stood next to me.

Our dress styles were a lot different as well. Bella preferred to wear jeans and sneakers all the time while I loved wearing skirts, dresses, boots, heels, etc. I was girly and Bella was a tomboy. Sometimes, despite her protests, Bella and I would share clothes. We both wore the same size despite my curves being slightly more noticeable than hers.

We were different but we were sisters.

⋅˚₊‧ ☾ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ♡‧₊˚

"You know you both don't have to do this." Our mother, Renee, said to us as we stood in the airport. Every time the radio would play a commercial, she would turn to us and recite the same sentence. We would both assure her that we wanted to, though I could tell Bella was lying, we both knew she would just continue to ask no matter what our answer was.

Our mother shared her looks with Bella and I get mine from our dad Charlie. The only difference between Bella and our mother was that mom had shorter hair and she always smiled. Her hazel eyes were the only physical trait I inherited from her. Everything else was from my dad and his family.

"Mom, we want to go. It'll be nice to see Dad again." I stepped in for Bella. She had always been a bad liar and I knew if she responded, mom would notice.

"Well tell him I said hello." She sighed, placing a hand on each of our shoulders.

"We will." Bella smiled slightly at her. Though the smile was fake you could easily tell how relieved it made our mother feel.

"I'll see you both soon." She promised. "Whenever you want to come home, call me. I'll be on the first flight back to Phoenix all you have to do is let me know."

"Mom, we'll be fine." I smiled reassuringly at her. "It'll be great, don't worry."

"Clary's right. We love you, Mom." Bella agreed with me before wrapping her arms around our mother in a hug one last time.

"We'll call as soon as our flight lands," I promised, taking my turn and hugging mom. Without looking back, Bella and I both walked onto the plane, and just like that, Phoenix was behind us.

⋅˚₊‧ ☾ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ♡‧₊˚

It wasn't that long of a flight and the sweatpants and hoodie I wore only added to my comfort. We landed in Seattle only to transfer to another plane that would take us to Port Angeles. Bella and I didn't have a fear of heights so I knew that neither of us was worried about the plane rides, but I could tell her obvious discomfort was towards the car ride we'd have with our Dad.

Though I kept telling her to relax, she wouldn't. She had tried but failed as it only seemed to add to her nerves. I wasn't worried about seeing Charlie again, I was pretty ecstatic. Bella was closer to Mom and I was closer to Dad. It's always been that way. When I called him to tell him that we were going to stay with him in Forks for a while, he was excited, to say the least. He immediately enrolled us in high school and promised on buying a car for the both of us to share.

When our plane landed in Port Angeles, the rain was already drenching any dry surface in the town. I wasn't bothered by it, I left my hood down and enjoyed the feel of it as it drenched my hair. Bella didn't share my enjoyment, she immediately put her hood on her head and hugged her tiny little potted cactus closer to her.

The first thing I noticed after we left the plane was Charlie standing there by his police cruiser wearing a smile that only made mine grow wider. Charlie was the chief of the police department here in Forks and he always bragged about how much he loved his job in the emails he sent me. Charlie gave us each a hug as we approached him, taking our bags from us and sliding them into his trunk.

"It's good to see you girls." He smiled brightly. "You haven't changed much, though Clary it seems you might have shrunk a bit." He teases.

"Ha ha very funny." I stick my tongue out at him causing him to chuckle.

"How's Renee doing?" He asked politely.

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you too Dad." Bella shrugged. She would have called him by his first name but Mom made it clear to us that she wasn't allowed to do that.

After we got into the car and strapped ourselves in, Dad and Bella immediately started talking about the car, or truck, he bought for the both of us.

"Well actually Clary doesn't have her license yet but she kind of knows how to drive already." Bella points out. I nod at her words, but never look away from the green scenery we pass by.

I run out the rest of their conversation as I struggle to keep my eyes open. Bella kept asking Dad about the details on the truck and I tried desperately to tune her out as her inquisitive instincts kicked in. Bella had a bad habit of questioning everything- a habit I hated.

If my favorite color wasn't green before, it is now. Every single inch of this town was covered in green. I knew that if I loved it, Bella wouldn't. Bella loved color, but I don't think she loved this much of one specific color. As my eyes drifted closed but my brain stayed conscious, I listened to the country music playing on the radio and the sounds of Bella and Dad talking.

⋅˚₊‧ ☾ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ♡‧₊˚

     Eventually, we made it to Dad's house. I stumbled out of the car and blinked the sleep out of my eyes as I looked up at the small two-story, three-bedroom house that he lived in. From old pictures, I could tell that this was the same house that he and Mom bought together while they were married. But what drew my attention away from the house was the faded red truck that sat in the driveway- the one that was promised to Bella and me. Bella's face lit up in excitement as she sauntered over to it. A strange noise came out of her mouth, one that could easily be recognized as excitement.

"I love it! Thanks, Dad." She smiled. This one wasn't fake.

"I'm glad," Dad responds to her, a slight blush on his cheeks. I smiled gleefully at dad and have him a quick side hug before joining Bella at the truck. She climbed into the truck as I ran my hands over the smooth but faded surface.

After examining almost every inch of our new truck, Bella and I hauled our suitcases up to our rooms- which were across the hall from the other- and stated at the obvious changes the room held. I looked around my old room and noticed that it still looked the same as the baby pictures I spent most days looking at. The only change was the crib was replaced with a full-sized bed that was covered in a pink and navy blue bed set. The changing table was now replaced by a wooden desk with a lamp set on top of it. Next to the desk was a tall bookshelf that nearly reached the ceiling with some of the novels I had already sent over in the weeks leading up to our departure.

At our house in Phoenix, Bella and I shared a bathroom, so having to share the only bathroom in this house would be no problem. It would probably take some adjusting because not only did we have to share but with Dad as well. Bella didn't look too pleased as Dad explained this to us but once she was promised her little cabinet, she was fine.

As Dad left Bella and me alone to unpack, I savored the quietness the house held. It was nice- being alone and having the time to listen to my thoughts instead of the loud music Mom and Phil would blast through the house. I enjoyed it, loved it.

After I finished putting all of my things away, I sat on my bed and faced the window. My bedroom door was closed but I could easily hear Dad and Bella walk about as the floor creaked with every step they took. I watched the leaves on the moss-covered trees blow in the wind, and the occasional bird fly by, it was all amazing to me. It was peacefully surreal. I couldn't help but crave more.

My thoughts traveled away from the scenery outside and instead to the high school I would attend the next day. Forks High School was a small school, with a total of three hundred and something students. Bella and I would easily stand out as soon as we showed up. All these kids have known each other for years and here are Bella and I showing up new to the town, new to them, new to Forks. It would be hard but I have hope that we'll fit in perfectly fine.

Curling up into my warm bed, I took my glasses off and placed them on the bedside table before closing my eyes and trying to drift off to sleep. The creaking floors finally ceased, meaning Bella and Dad had already retired to their rooms for the night. When my eyes started to close on their own accord and my thoughts stopped racing through my mind, something occurred to me.

I forgot to call Mom when we landed.