Chapter One

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     Jacob and I had known each other our whole lives. Our parents were close friends and I even grew up with Bella Swan. She hadn't had a Christmas in Forks since she was four, but our families got together a lot.

      She came around during summers and I teased Jake endlessly for having a crush on her. But eventually, we all started growing up and Bella didn't come back to Forks... Jacob and I started getting closer and somewhere along the way, we picked up Embry and Quil.

     I was the tom-boy and not many girls hung out with us. In junior high, I started to hang out with Kim Macomb. She had a big crush on Jared Cameron, who was a distant cousin of Jacob's. She was crazy about him.

      Leah and Seth Clearwater were my first cousins and we were very close. I remember we were always happy kids... Along with my father, Billy Black, Charlie Swan, and Harry Clearwater were like fathers to me. I would go and visit them all regularly. I would always ask Charlie about Bella, but they rarely talked.

     In eighth grade, Jake and I became more than friends; we started dating. I know what you're thinking: eighth graders can't actually date. We did the same things we had always done; cliff diving, worked on trucks, swam at the beach, and had bonfires.

     We had been dating for over a year when we started our freshman year in high school.

     I was still that lanky, skinny girl everyone grew up with and I was an only child. My father was on the tribal council and my mother worked long hours as a nurse at the hospital in Forks. We had plenty of money, more than we needed...

     We didn't live lavishly though; my parents owned a two-bedroom wood frame house on the reservation, just a few miles from school and a short walk through the forest from the beach. My mother drove a tan Karola and my dad had an old 1995 Chevrolet pickup truck.

      I would have to work for my own car in my tenth grade year, but I had done summer jobs since sixth grade to save money. My parents raised me in a loving, humble, and hardworking home with good morals and Christian, yet cultural, beliefs.

      It was different from most of the kids in our community, but I was accepted. A couple months after school started, my dad got a call from Charlie Swan. He asked to speak to me.

     "Aiyana! Phone call for you!" My name means 'Forever Flowering'. I wrapped my long hair in a towel and finished pulling on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I knew the call wasn't from Jake. He would have just called my cell phone. I jogged down the stairs and grabbed the phone, holding it to my ear.

     "Hello?"

     "Hey, Aiyana. It's Charlie," said the cheery voice on the other end of the line. My face brightened.

     "Hey, Uncle Charlie! How are you? I was actually getting ready to come see you. I remembered you said you needed some company. I figured I would cook dinner and visit for a while!"

      I smiled at my mom who was sitting on the sofa reading the paper. She smiled and nodded, giving her permission.

     "Well, I'll tell you the good news when you get here then. I'll see you in a little while."

     "Oh, can I bring Kim along?" He agreed and I hung up. I quickly texted Kim.

     "You two can take my car. I'm going with your dad to Seattle for a date and some shopping. Let Kim drive." Mom smiled again and I nodded.

      My parents were the calmest, kindest people in the world. I ran upstairs, throwing the towel in the clothes hamper and running a brush through my dark hair, which ended just above my hips.

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