Speak || A Twilight Fanfic

Chapter 1

It's difficult to step out of your sibling's spotlight, especially when your whole life has revolved around them. Gabriella Swan's experience was no different. It was no secret that Isabella had always been the family's favorite, and the younger girl was always stuck on the backburner. But once Renée and Phil Dwyer got married, and required a more nomadic lifestyle due to his job, Bella decided to move back in with their father and live a more stagnant life –a passion for adventure was not a trait the older Swan shared with Renée.

That very week, she had enrolled in online school –a requisite her mother had insisted on if the girl was to travel with her and Phil—as they traveled from state to state, creating new memories and enjoying the adventures they were a part of. It was a truly joyous time for Gabriella. Once Bella had gone, Gabriella finally had the attention she had always craved from her mother. Albeit, it wasn't much, but it was still a welcomed change.

Yet, all good things come to an end.

The family trio settled down in Jacksonville, Florida soon after making Gabriella miss the new cities and the never-ending stream of experiences. But, at the end of the day, she didn't mind. For the first time ever, she had her mother all to herself, and she could enjoy feeling like an only child. It was a dream she never spoke of. Not to Bella, her parents, or even a single one of her friends. She never felt the need to. Not when it wouldn't do much to change her life. She knew her parents would feel bad for a second but quickly fall back into their same patterns. She settled for having her mom for the time she did, and she was content.

Her sister would check in from time to time, updating the family on her new life in Forks –new friends, their old friends, and her new boyfriend. She kept her messages to Renée vague enough they wouldn't arouse follow-up questions, but the older Swan spared no details with her sister. She told Gabriella about how in love she was with a mysterious boy, how she had never felt that way before, and all that lovey-dovey crap. Bella related how she had found the love of her life and that she could never lose this Edward Cullen character.

So, it came as no surprise that she had become completely catatonic when his family left Forks, leaving her and their relationship behind.

"I'm going there, Charlie. End of discussion." Renée slammed the phone on the dining table as she ended the call, a look of frustration clouding her features. "Gabriella, honey, pack up. We're going to Forks."

"What's going on, mom?" Gabriella questioned, lifting my head from the book in my hands. "Did something else happen?"

"It's Bella. She... she's worse than we thought."

At first, Gabriella didn't question it. Traveling with her mom to Forks on the next flight out seemed like the best idea. But the girl knew her mother going back to the place she had left behind was not the solution. There was a reason Bella was immeasurably hurt, and it had something to do with the town and the secrets it held. Her sister would never go through what their mother had planned for her.

Two weeks, Gabriella thought. Forks, Washington would only take two weeks off her life. She would help Bella through this relationship hurdle, and she'd be back to humid and hot Jacksonville in no time. She never would have thought at that time that the decision she made that day would completely diverge the track of her life.

"Mom, she's not gonna wanna go back to Florida, and you're gonna take her away from dad now that he got her back."

"Gabi, it's not that simple," the woman sighed, dropping the shirt she was folding on top of the mess of her suitcase. "She's not eating, she barely moves, barely talks –she's not living. I really don't see any other way."

The girl rubbed her face in frustration and sighed. There was one way Bella would be allowed to stay, and it was purely up to her. "What if I move there and look after her?"