Mourning Doves • J.H

Chapter 1

WHEN YOU look at Dove Williams and Bella Swan, you wouldn't think they were related in any way due to their looks, good thing they were only cousins, related by their mothers being sisters. They're complete opposites in most retrospects. Dove, being the more outgoing in the pair and blond, opposing Bella's more introverted personality and her dark brown hair. Dove inherited her mothers and aunts light hair and want to travel and go to new places, as Bella inherited her fathers paleness and hair. Bella preferred to stay in Arizona though, instead of travelling to Fork, Washington to live with her father as her step-father and mother stayed in Arizona, doing small journeys here and there for Phil's minor league baseball.

And that's what they were doing at that moment; preparing for their journey to Forks. Dove was excited for the journey, enjoying the process of packing, going on a plane and then seeing new sites, but in her and Bella's case, it would be places they hadn't seen in years, due to Bella's parents splitting up and Bella not wanting to travel back and forth during the summer in the past few years. Even when Bella went over to Forks for the summer, Dove didn't go with her, preferring the warmth and sun during the summer break.

Bella stood further up the driveway as Phil placed the girls' suitcases in the trunk, she seemed to be in a world of her own until Phil called her name, getting her attention and letting her know that they needed to hurry up, to get to the airport in time for the flight. Bella sighed and carried the small cactus to the car, sitting next to Dove in the back, who was wearing sunglasses for what seemed like the last time; Forks wasn't known for being very sunny. At all.

"I'm going to miss the sun." Bella stated as she looked up at the sky, her head sticking out the window.

"You're paler than me, if you enjoyed the sun so much why didn't you tan a little?" Dove question, but Bella just shrugged, not giving her a verbal answer.

Renée cried a little when she hugged both the girls, but was all smiles by the time she left, she had a feeling that if not both, one of them would be back soon and stay permanently in Arizona again, like she had said before, Forks was boring and dreary, not a place for someone with a free spirit like herself, and even Dove.

Charlie was already waiting for the girls by the time they had gotten off the plane and through the checkouts, Dove thought it was adorable how he turned up in his police cruiser, Bella not so much, she hated anything that would bring attention, and that cruiser screamed "Look at me! Over here!"

After  quick hug from the pair, Charlie was quick so place them into the cruiser and drive to Forks, since the nearest airport was the one in Seattle, the drive would be a long one. There was silence for a majority of the ride, neither Bella or Charlie tried to make conversation, the both of them preferring the comfortable quiet.

"Your hair is longer." Charlie said to Bella, clearing his throat as he drove, glancing over to Bella every so often. Dove just listened to the awkward conversation.

"I cut it since the last time I saw you." Bella replied, looking down at the curled ends of her hair.

"Oh." Charlie said, unable to find anything else to say until, "Guess it grew out again." He looked back at Dove in the mirror, "You haven't changed a bit, Dove. Except from height of course." He commented, a small grin at his lips as he remembered the much smaller Dove, just barely reaching his shoulder.

"Can't be a tiny kid forever, Charlie." Dove joked.

"Tell me about it." Charlie mumbled just as the car reached the street in which the house was, pulling into the driveway. The three of then got out the cruiser, dragging the suitcases behind them, Dove looked around the neighbourhood, liking the vast amount of trees that surrounded them. She followed Bella and Charlie inside the house and up the stairs as Charlie lead them to Bella's room first.

"The sales lady picked out the bed stuff, for the both of you." Charlie stated, Bella's room was nice, neat. Her bed covers purple, "You like purple right?" He asked Bella.

"Purple's cool." Bella nodded as she looked around the room before looking at him, "Thanks."

"I've also cleared some shelves in the bathroom." He told the both of us, Bella nodded as if she just remembered something.

"Right, one bathroom." She stated, that was something that Dove had to get used to too. Charlie looked down at Dove.

"You're room is just the next one over." He said, moving slightly to the left and opening a door, showing a close to bare bedroom, a bed, desk and wardrobe inside, "I figured I'd leave it to you to decorate." Dove smiled up at the man she figured to be her father figure in her life, and hugged him briefly, causing him to clam up for a moment, not used to affection.

"Thanks, Charlie, it means a lot to me." She smiled at him once more and placed on her suitcases on the bed, looking around, thinking of all the possibilities that came with a close to empty room.

"You're welcome, kid." Charlie gruffly said. Charlie left the pair of them to unpack and settle, an hour or so later, the pair heard a honk outside and decided to head out and investigate, finding Charlie outside with two other people, native Americans, and an orange beaten truck, something that looked like it needed some serious TLC.

"Bells, you remember Billy Black." Charlie said, then looked over to Dove, "Billy, this is Dove, she's Renée's sisters daughter. Dove, this is my friend Billy and his son Jacob." He introduced the three of them to each other, Dove felt a pan of pain at the mention of her mother, even though it had been years since her fatal accident. She still couldn't hell but grieve through it to this day.

"You're looking good." Bella said to him, Dove just smiled at him.

"Well, I'm still dancing." Billy joked, letting out a laugh, "I'm glad the both of you are here, he's been talking about it nonstop since you told you him you were coming." He said to both Bella and Dove, who laughed at the flustered Charlie.

"Alright, keep exaggerating, I'll roll you into the mud." Charlie playfully threatened.

"After I ran you in the ankles." Billy laughed, moving his wheelchair to Charlie's direction, moving after him. Dove laughed at the pair as Jacob slinked over to them.

"Hi, I'm Jacob." He introduced himself, probably for Dove's sake.

"Hey." Bella said, Dove nodded at him with a smile.

"We, uh, used to make mud pies when we were little." Jacob directed at Bella, seeming a little awkward to being up the subject.

Bella nodded, "Right, no, I remember."  Their attention was brought back to Charlie and Billy, "Are they always like this?" Bella asked Jacob.

"It's getting worse with old age." Jacob joked, causing Bella to grin and Dove to snort. The men stop chasing each other around the yard and Charlie looks at Bella.

"So, what do you think?" He asks her, she furrows her eyebrows in confusion.

"Of what?"

"Your homecoming present." Charlie said, jerking his head at the truck.

"This?" She asked, surprised.

Charlie glanced over at Billy before looking back at Billy, "Just bought it off Billy here."

"Yep." Billy nodded, "He told me you passed your test."

"I totally rebuilt the engine for you." Jacob informed Bella. Bella grinned and rushed over to the drivers side, opening the door and hitting Jacob in the process.

"Come on, this is perfect! Are you joking me?" Bella continued to grin before looking over to Dove, "Maybe when you get your license you can drive this around?"

"Oh for definite." Dove smiled

"Great." Bella said but then listened to Jacob as he went over how to get the truck going properly, Dove turned to Charlie and Billy, but then overheard what Bella said.

"That's too bad, it would've been nice to know one person."

"I'm stood right here, Bella!" Dove exclaimed, making the others laugh at the fake shock on her face.

"You know what I mean." Bella rolled her eyes, but smiled at Dove's antics, at least she'll always have Dove.