Bella the Witch (2021)

Chapter 1: Forks Home Comin'

 I sat back in my seat of the airplane, listening to music.  The woman who was sat next to me was already far gone, slightly snoring and her glasses sliding down her nose. The stewardess, came up to me asked if I needed anything in a soft voice. Gods, I could tell her customer service voice would be the death of her. Her blue eyes were brilliant but she had bags underneath them, all the concealer in the world couldn't hide her exhaustion. I took pity on her and told her I was fine. She nodded with a smile but has she walked back to check on the other passengers, her shoulders sagged a bit, relieved that one customer didn't need anything. 

Staring out of the window, I thought about what mom said. I had to be carful with my powers, which of course I already knew. But with my father who knew nothing of my powers or the magical world at all started to feel a little daunting. 

 As a witch, magic has been passed down for generations in my family. Mom was never motivated to use her powers like I was. Although my Grandmother did try but she was focused more on fitting in, acting more human than witch and only using her magical gifts for smaller things. Once I turned thirteen I dove head first into training, learning everything I could when she visited. They went back and forth over it of course, Mom wanting me to blend in but she saw how passionate I was about it and eventually allowed me to study with her blessing. 

My Grandmother spent most of her time in the world adjacent to ours called Itheria. She had always told me stories of the beautiful place where all creatures lived in different realms in harmony before I could  talk. They were still some who lived among humans but Itheria had always intrigued me. I was able to go a few times, once I got my key, I even met my best friend there. Magic and the magical world meant everything to me.

As I got lost in my thoughts, I clutched my key that I wore around my neck in my hand, and the pilot announced that we were  landing in Seattle. We touched down a few minutes later.  Walking off the plane with my messenger bag on over my shoulder, I immediately saw Charlie.   His brown eyes lit up a little when he saw me. 

"Hey Dad,"  We shared an awkward hug. Dad wasn't really one for showing emotion.

" Hey, kid."

He picked up my bags, while I dragged my trunk behind me. The immediate difference in temperature  was apparent.  And I shivered as he led me to his police cruiser. It wasn't surprising that he didn't have a regular car after all these years. Being the chief of police, he always figured he didn't need another one. I always thought he drove it to intimidate would be criminals even when he was off duty.

 We rode in the car for quite some way in complete silence. We stopped at a stoplight right before passing the "Welcome To Forks" sign.  It is a pretty small town in the the state of Washington. Here, everyone knew everyone and their business; Mom described them as busy bodies before I left. I couldn't attest to that, however I could imagine how people finding out about the supernatural in a tiny community would be dangerous.

 Dad tried to make conversation. "So, you look good Bells,"  I thanked him. Bless his heart, but small talk was not one of his strengths. The light turned green and we drove on. 

"What's with the nose ring and the blue in your hair?"  He asked. I wondered if he thought if I was knee deep in some form of teenage rebellion. 

I shrugged.   " I liked em'. "  I said as I  played with the ends of my long hair. Charlie nodded, keeping his eyes on the rode. The rest of the ride was silent. 

 Dad pulled into the drive way of the same two story house that was familiar to my childhood years, when I visited for the summer. Getting out of the car I saw a faded red truck with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. I instantly fell in love with it.

  Charlie came up to me and said " Do you like it?"  I nodded insanely. He laughed at my reaction. " I'm glad you like it because it's yours,"  I looked at him like I was crazy. I was ecstatic. 

"I bought it off my good friend, Billy Black who lives down at La Push. He and his son Jacob practically rebuilt the engine for you. Do you remember them?" 

 "A little," I followed Charlie into the house and was exactly as I remembered it. It even smelled the same. 

Upstairs, I followed the familiar path to my old bedroom. The door frame still had the markings of how tall I got during the years. The first one was for when I was two and the markings stopped when I turned thirteen. 

The single bed was replaced with a queen; the bedding was definitely new and the deep purple pillow cases to match the comforter still had crease lines from when it was folded up in the packaging. I had a blank desk pushed on the wall adjacent to the the bed. The rocking chair from when I was a baby, however still sat in the corner next to the window.   

Dad helped me carry in my massive suitcases and trunk into the room. He commented on how light they felt; little did he know that if I hadn't spelled them, we'd still be at the airport trying to lift them all.  He left me to unpack, closing the door behind him. I drew the  curtains for extra privacy and got to work.

With a wave of my hand all of my sweaters and jackets hung themselves up in the closet. All of my other clothes stacked themselves in the set of drawers. And my shoes walked themselves into the closet.

The string of lights I bought where too short so I lengthened them and they lined themselves nicely around the entirety of the seem between the ceiling and the walls. Once they blinked to life, I turned my attention to the vacant corner across from the rocking chair.

I decided to make it my mini art studio. I left my trunk at the foot of my bed and once I opened it, my easel knew just what to do. It set itself up right where I wanted it. Previous sketches, landscapes I've down plastered them shelves on the walls. A small cart with paints, pencils and other supplies sat neatly next to it.

To finish off for the night, I put my laptop and current sketch book on the vacant desk and some succulents for decoration.

Dad knocked on my door before pushing it open. "Bells, I orderd a pizza-." He said looking at my room. His widened at the work I had done. "Woah, you work fast."

"Just excited. It's not too much is it?"

"No, no, it's great." He was fully in the space, taking everything in. He was drawn my artwork on the wall.

"You've gotten really good, Bells."

"Thanks." We were silent again as he inspected my work. "Did you need anything?" I asked finally.

"Just wanted to check up on you and see if you needed any help but I guess not."

"No need to worry, I'm a big enough girl to handle unpacking by myself."

He nodded and gave me a small smile. "Well, I'll be downstairs and I'll let you know when the food gets here."

"Okay."

Before he left, he stopped at the door frame and looked at me. His brown eyes warm and vulnerable. For the first time all day, I really looked at my father, my twin. His hair was graying at his temples, his face which he usually kept shaven besides his mustache had some stubble along his cheeks and jaw. His skin had a subtle flush to it but he kept his small smile. 

"I'm glad you're here, Bells."

"Me too, Dad."