Black Nebula

Moving In

Courtesy of the little pixie that sat in the front seat, the spoils of our little shopping trip were being FedEx'd to my new apartment in Portland. They would be arriving tomorrow afternoon after three, Alice assured me, so that left me with plenty of time to get back to Denali and get my car.

The three of us walked back into the house where we each said goodbye to the sisters and Eleazar and Carmen. Alice and Jasper both promised to visit again soon, while I ran back upstairs to grab my things. I had planned on staying longer, but Alice said I needed to start school right away.

I threw my bags in the car and made my way towards Portland. I found it amazing that I had no idea how to get there and yet it seemed I was going in the right direction. I guess my sense of direction improved just the same as my clumsiness. Thinking about my first night in Port Angeles and how I was almost attacked because I got turned around, made me want to turn the car around and find those guys. But I knew it wouldn't do any good, my human memories weren't as sharp as the few vampire ones I had, and as it was, I barely got a good look at them anyway.

I thought I was taking my time, but when I glanced at the speedometer, I was going 120 miles per hour. I slowed it down since, unlike Alice or Edward, I couldn't detect when a cop was going to pull me over. Within the hour, though, I was driving over the Hawthorne Bridge into downtown Portland. I got a kick as I drove by Mill Ends Park, which according to the pamphlet that I picked up at the visitor's center, was the world's smallest park. And indeed it was literally two feet wide and then I passed it by.

I found my apartment complex straightaway, and took the key from the manila envelope that Jasper had handed to me. The address on my license said 2005 Apple Circle, so I walked through the door, and was amazed that Alice found the time to fully decorate my new place. The color scheme was a delicate blend of sage green and beige. The windows were covered with really dark and heavy curtains which was great for keeping out the sun on days I needed to stay in. There really wasn't much to tour about the place since it was a one bedroom apartment. Out of habit I looked in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and noticed that Alice stocked it with contact lenses. For the first true moment, I noticed how beautiful I was. Completely flawless. It was cute for my first place. I saw a note on the kitchen counter from Alice that said the apartment was paid for the rest of the year. Thanks.

I unpacked my bags and placed what I had in the closets, even though Alice told me to throw them out. I took the envelope and emptied the contents once more. Leave it to Alice to purchase a new cell phone for me. I turned it on, and only her number was programmed in. I was glad she didn't put Edward's in, I might have been too tempted to call him. I dug out my wallet and replaced my old license with my new license. There were a few hundred dollar bills and an American Express Black Card, that I also stuffed into my wallet. I couldn't see any need for using them, but you never know. I filed away my passport in a cabinet in the kitchen.

Alice told me that my transcripts were faxed over to the new school, Madison High School, but Jenks, placed a copy in the folder as well. I opened the envelope to take a look at where I supposedly came from. The history of one Isabella Marie Anthony is originally from Seattle Washington, where at the high school I had a 3.9 GPA. Great. At least with my sharp vampire mind and not losing time for sleep, it would be easier to keep my grades up.

My schedule was also included with the transcripts. It was surprisingly pretty similar to what I was used to at Forks. I tensed up a bit when I saw I still had gym for fourth period, I couldn't believe that they forced kids to do gym for four years, it was like torture or something. I had to keep reminding myself that it was only for about six more months and then I graduate. At least that was something to look forward to. AP English first period, Trig during second, then Italian for third. After gym, was World History, lunch for sixth period and finally Chemistry was last. It seemed simple enough.

Thinking about school, I suddenly couldn't wait for Monday. It was only now Saturday, so that left me a day and a half to get acquainted with my new home. Since I knew I'd go stir crazy by myself all day, I grabbed my keys and my bag and walked out of the quaint little apartment. I drove all around Portland so that I could remember every road possible in the city. After learning my way, I drove a few cities over so that I could find a place to hunt. I soon found a trail that led deep into the forest, and quickly picked up on the scent of some deer. Even though I always found the blood of deer to be a bit gamey, I knew I could never go wrong with satisfying my thirst with a buck or two. When I pulled back into my apartment complex, I saw that I arrived just shortly after FedEx. I didn't realize I let Alice buy so much for me, until I noticed that the truck was filled completely of just my stuff. I quickly let them in and they finally finished up two hours later.

There were things that about being a vampire that I was extremely grateful for. Being graceful was definitely one of them, but the speed was excellent. Everything was unpacked and hung in the closet within minutes. I took the phone out of my pocket, and decided it was time to call Charlie. I dialed the number and he picked it up after the first ring, "Hello, Bella is that you?"

"Hi, dad. It's me." I could hear the sigh that he released over the phone and it was a mixture of anger and relief. "Dad, before you say anything, I'm fine. I just, I know I handled everything badly, but honestly I didn't know what to do. You know the Cullens left, then Jake was acting weirded out and was being mean. I couldn't be in Forks anymore. It's done nothing but bring me more bad than good."

"Honey, where are you? I'll come get you and we can talk this over. I don't want to lose you baby. I just got you Bells. Please?"

Listening to Charlie pleading with me, my dead heart was aching. "Dad, please. Don't. I'm in Arkansas. I think I'm going to travel the country for a bit. I'll come visit in a few months. I love you."

Before he could protest any further I hung up the phone. I knew this would be harder for him than for me, and there really was no manual on how to make a clean break, but I truly believed this had to be best for him.