Caught in the Cross Fire - Jared Cameron

Chapter 1

When dad said my sister was coming to live with us, I didn't quite believe him.

Bella had always hated Forks. Told me so on numerous occasions. She hated the always rainy weather and the coldness that stuck to the air. So when she stopped visiting us it didn't come to a surprise to me. To be honest, Bella and I didn't really have a close relationship expected of Twins. Mainly due to the fact that mom took Bella when we were young; leaving me with my dad; Charlie. I didn't mind, dad and I got along great and I loved Forks.

So when dad shoved me into his cruiser on a rare sunny afternoon, I was shell-shocked. It wasn't that I didn't want my sister there, because a part of me did want to get to know her better. It was just the fact that we barely even knew each other. She was just as awkward as my dad, so I knew the next few days were going to be taxing. It took a whole lot for my dad to open up; and even than, he was still a little shy around people. He had no problems embarrassing me and my friends (at least, the ones that always came around) but get him in a room with people he hardly knew, that was a different story. Bella was part of the people he hardly knew, sadly.

I sighed as I leaned against the Cruiser; waiting for Bella to appear in the crowd of people exiting the airport. I wasn't excited about her moving in with us. Sure, it would be nice to actually have my sister here and get to know her better. I just knew something was going to happen that would change everything that I had now.

I jumped a little when I felt a hand land on my shoulder, giving me a comforting squeeze. "Everything will be okay, Maya," my dad's gruff voice told me. I turned to him, giving him a small smile that I hoped was reassuring before I turned my head back towards the airport.

After a few moments of waiting we finally spotted her among the sea of people. My heart started pounding nervously when dad called her name. It had been a couple of years since I last seen her, and I had no idea how this would affect our family dynamic. I knew that a lot of things would change around the house, and while I liked to say I didn't mind change; it still scared me somewhat.

Bella smiled in our direction as she timidly made her way over. She still looked the same since the last time I saw her. Much too pale for a girl who lived most her life in Phoenix, Arizona. Her hair might have gotten shorter since the last time I saw her, but not by much.

I swallowed thickly as she stopped in front of us, giving her a small smile. She smiled back at me before looking over at dad, tucking a strain of hair behind one of her ears. "Hey Char-dad," she corrected immediately, her face reddening when she realized her mistake. Right, I forgot she called our parents by their names. I never understood why she did that, but I tried not to judge. She glanced over to me as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, "Amaya. It's good to see you both."

Glancing over at dad; I tried not to smirk when his face started to redden as well. He got easily embarrassed over the littlest of things. Personally, I made it my mission to make him embarrassed. After a while though, it just becomes a war to see who can embarrass each other the most so we end up embarrassing everyone around us. Dad cleared his throat, trying to clear away the blush that had crept upon his face. "Your hair got shorter," he commented offhandedly, causing me to roll my eyes. I wonder if there was a class that someone could take to make them more sociable? Probably not, but one can hope.

Bella cleared her throat, obviously getting uncomfortable as well as she fidgeted with the end of her shirt. "I got it trimmed since the last time I came down," she muttered softly, her eyes looking every other direction except us.

Silence engulfed us for a few minutes before I finally decided to clear away the tension, "lets go home, yeah?" I suggested, glancing over at Bella before I got into the back of the cruiser. I figured dad might want some daughter-father bonding time, so I'd let him have his moment with Bella.