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IT FELT LIKE WE'D BEEN DRIVING FOR HOURS. Maybe days. The endless blur of gray sky and rain-washed trees made time feel slippery, like it didn't matter anymore. My legs ached from sitting still too long, and my nerves buzzed with a mix of excitement and uncertainty.
A new home. A new town. A new beginning.
"Are we almost there?" I asked, my voice breaking through the hum of the car engine.
"For the millionth time, no," my mom said, half-laughing, half-exasperated. "Just a few more minutes."
I leaned my forehead against the cool glass, watching the road twist through the trees like a ribbon of silver. The sky was the color of wet concrete, heavy and low. Then I saw it faded white letters on a green sign:
THE CITY OF FORKS WELCOMES YOU.
My dad smiled in the driver's seat. "We're here."
The tires crunched over gravel as we pulled into a long driveway. A two-story house appeared from behind a row of pines, modest but warm-looking, its windows reflecting the dull, gray light. Mist coiled through the air, soft and cold against my skin when I stepped out of the car.
This was it. Our new home.
The three of us carried boxes inside, the sound of footsteps and muffled laughter filling the empty rooms. I ran upstairs and chose the first bedroom I saw. It wasn't much just four walls and a window but the view stopped me cold. The forest stretched endlessly beyond the glass, green and shadowed and secretive. And right below the window, a narrow seat built into the wall, like it was waiting for me.
I was still staring when a soft knock pulled me back. My mom stood in the doorway, holding a cake wrapped in plastic.
"Hey, honey. I picked this up from the grocery store. Why don't you take it next door? I think they have a daughter about your age."
I sighed. "Do I have to?"
"Yes," she said firmly, a teasing smile in her voice. "It'll be good for you. You could use a friend before school starts tomorrow."
She held the cake out to me like I didn't have a choice.
So I grabbed it, muttered a quick "fine," and headed downstairs. The air outside was damp and cold, smelling faintly of rain and pine. I crossed the lawn to the house next door and knocked gently.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
She was pale, with long brown hair and deep brown eyes that seemed both shy and knowing at once.
"Hi," I said, clutching the cake. "I'm Delilah. My family just moved in next door."
Her lips curved into a small smile. "I'm Bella. I just moved in yesterday."
"Oh...no way," I said, my nerves easing a little. "Where from?"
"Phoenix," she said softly. "Big change, huh?"
I laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. Are you going to Forks High tomorrow?"
She nodded. "I am. If you want, we could ride together. I don't really know anyone here yet."
"That'd be great," I said, smiling. "Thanks." I handed her the cake.
"Tell your mom thank you," she said, her voice quiet but kind. "I'll see you in the morning, Delilah."
I nodded and turned away, the cold biting through my sleeves. My breath came out in small white clouds. I should've brought a jacket.
Back inside, my room had begun to look like mine my comforter on the bed, pictures on the wall, a small lamp casting golden light against the fading gray outside. By the time I finished unpacking, night had fallen completely.
I sat on the window seat, gazing into the forest. It was beautiful and unsettling all at once. The kind of beauty that hid things.
My mom's voice broke the silence. "Dinner!"
I went downstairs to find my dad holding a pizza box.
"There better be pepperoni," I teased.
"You know me," he said with a grin.
We ate together, laughing about small things Dad's new job at the hospital, Mom's plans to fix up the house, my nerves about starting school. It felt normal, almost comforting, despite the rain that tapped against the windows like it was trying to get in.
Later, after a hot shower, I curled into bed and stared at the ceiling. The wind outside whispered through the trees, and the house creaked softly, as if it were breathing.
Tomorrow, everything would change.
I didn't know how yet. But somehow, I could feel it.
