I pressed my forehead against the glass, trying to find a way to make the drive less awkward. The Welcome to Forks sign flew by.
Joana flexed her fingers on the wheel. My aunt (that I never met-something to do with her being the 'black sheep' of the family) and I ran out of conversation topics about fifty minutes ago. By that I mean we said hi and that was it. Joana seemed to want to say more, but was probably wary to do so. It's fair, given the fact my parents just abandoned me.
My parents, Elizabeth and Edward Sr. Masen are both lawyers and were absentee parents. When I was a toddler my mom was caring and gave me her attention, but I became a latch-key kid once I hit the fourth grade.
Since that moment, I had nannies and once I could reach the stove, I cared for myself. My parents have finally reached the rung of the corporate ladder in their firm where one more promotion would mean basically owning the damn place. They would be up with the board and the overarching managers of the whole she-bang.
So, they did the logical thing to do: send their burden of a son to live with the one family member he never met. In all fairness, Joana seems like the best option. My grandpa from my dad's side is nearly deaf and cranky as fuck. He probably would send me to some hoity-toity private school and. . .I don't know make me drink a glass of wine when his friends came over. Nana and Pop were snobs and couldn't deal with a third wheel to ruin their image. Dad's a single child and so Joana was the only option.
The change in sound from tires on pavement to tires on gravel alerted me to the fact we were now in Joana's driveway. I snapped my head up and looked at my aunt. She was almost an exact replica of my mother. Her carmel locks were in low pigtails and their figure was almost copy and pasted. Same thing with the facial features. It's insane how they weren't twins. Joana is three years younger.
Joana sighed and tapped the steering wheel. "Look." She began, "I know this is a lot of change, but I'd like to get to know you. Your mom was very cryptic with why you were sent here, but I'm sure the abrupt change is a lot. I can give you a tour of the house and then we can get to know each other?" She peeked over at me with a wide but timid smile.
For the first time since. . .well, ever, I smiled too and we got out of the car. I have to say, Joana's 2004 gray expedition was actually pretty nice. Better than my mom's Lexus SC 430 that was wrapped in a dark hot pink and had red pleather. I shuddered the memory away and focused on the nice house in front of me. It was one story with a little porch, the cloudy gray siding and the bright yellow door giving it a craftsman vibe.
"It's not much." Joana tittered anxiously. I rolled my eyes, knowing she probably thought I was a spoiled snob like my grandparents.
"It's better than the house I used to live in." I snorted.
"How bad was it? Lizzie can have some weird tastes." Joana asked.
"Two story house, with a modern shell."
"That's not so bad." Joana interjected before I could get to the good part.
"It's not." I agreed. "But the roofing, exterior walls and everything else gave off a mix of spanish and tuscan." Joana wrinkled her nose.
"Exactly." I laughed. "To make matters worse, my dad decorated the interior so it looked like a minimalist bachelor pad." We both laughed at the image and Joana led me inside.
"Well thankfully I chose craftsman and rustic for my house. Much easier on the eyes." Joana pointed out. "The floorplan is simple. This-" She gestured to the open space. "Is the kitchen/dining and living room." I nodded as she stated the obvious. In the top right quadrant of the house was a yellow and brown kitchen area with a small dining table in the center of the tile floor. A border on the floor and a half wall separated the wood paneling and the tiles. Near us to the left was a small living room with leather sofas and red accents. On the other side of us were some bookshelves. All around the room were paintings of landscapes.
"The room in the corner is bathroom number one." Joana continued. I looked and saw a dark brown door leading to the room that formed a bump out to the space. "The room next to the bookshelves will be your room and the one next to the half wall is mine. There's a bathroom connecting ours, hidden behind the room in the middle, which is the laundry room. I'll use the bathroom in the corner so you can have your privacy."
"No. I'll use that one. You don't need to inconvenience yourself by moving your things from one bathroom to another." I objected, hating to be an actual burden. Joana shot me a grateful smile.
"Well, let's get you your bags and you can unpack."
I nodded and stopped when I saw a truck I hadn't noticed before. It was a shiny Chevy Silverado, with a light gray coat of paint. "I usually leave early for work." Joana explained, blushing. "I work as a nurse for the local hospital. I figured you'd need a means of transportation."
"Thank you." I said, getting emotional over the fact she got me a fucking truck to ensure I would be able to get around. Back home I had to drive in dads old Toyota Celica. "Really, it means a lot."
I unpacked in my room, which was square and had warm brown walls and the same wooden floor as the main room. The full bed had new blue sheets and a quilted blanket. There was a desk with a dated computer and a nice window, offering the perfect view. I really didn't miss the Arizona heat or dessert surroundings. Being here was comforting. The green was like a blanket, softly encasing you into a bubble of protection.
We ended up spending the rest of the night ordering chinese from Port Angeles and getting to know each other. Joana was down to earth and loved cars, pilates, yoga and dogs. She would have loved to take in rescues and care for them until they could be adopted but she doesn't have the time since she's a nurse.
When I told her why I came here, she got mad. It was nice to be near someone who cared. It was new for me. I took a shower and was drifting off, my sleep being held off due to Joana yelling at my mom for her actions over the phone. I smirked, knowing Lizzie deserved it.
So, due to a deal so I can enjoy an ongoing fanfic, I've decided to focus on this, not the three in one thing I was thinking of. I'm rewriting it because it seemed messy to me. This first chapter is more set in stone and I have the car models right! All of the models work for the 2005 timeline we've got going on. Yay! Anyway this actually was really fun and as much as I love the snarky Edward popping out, Bella deserves the second chapter for herself. So first day of school will be with her. I hope you have a nice day/night and @Ar1ana_xo please update soon! 🙃 😋
YOU ARE READING
Twilight Reimagined (Vampire Swap)
FanfictionEdward Masen had a pretty bad home life. When his parents ship him off to live with his aunt, he meets the complex Isabella Cullen.