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When you leave a place after a long time of contemplation, one would assume that once you do so, you won't come back. Yet it wasn't the case for Madelline's father, and until now, he still refuses to answer Madelline why he left; eventually, she grew tired of constantly asking about it.
She stood in front of her opened window, welcoming the fresh breeze of Orlando with open arms. She propped up her arms on the windowsill as she peeked her head out. Her eyes immediately closed as the sun made contact with her face.
Oh, how much she would miss this.
She did her research last night, and apparently, Forks was one of the wettest places that could possibly exist. She doesn't dislike the rain or the gloomy skies and the cold winds that accompany them too much, but she would miss the warmth that often greets her the moment she wakes up.
Hopefully, Forks has one of their best days too.
"Maddy! Time to go!" her father's voice echoed around the house.
Her head turned, casting one last longing look around her room before a sigh escaped her lips. She picked up her duffle bag that sat by her door and left her room with several feelings that she couldn't identify or describe.
The entire journey was fleeting, quick, and silent—just like she liked it. The only thing she did to pass the time was to absentmindedly watch how their surroundings passed them by like a blur. Well, other than being in and out of sleep.
Before she knew it, Forks solemnly greeted her with a drizzle. Yet, beneath the gloomy ambience of the place, people around them seemed to greet them warmly; some ignored them, but she didn't mind. The only thing filling her mind was the house they were moving into and the desire to organize her room.
The car came to a halt in front of a cozy white house. Plants surrounded every corner, even the tangent path just by the back that led a direct path toward the forest.
"Where did you even see this, dad? It's pretty," she breathed out, her eyes scanning the exterior with amazement in her eyes.
Elijah shrugged as he took the liberty of unloading their bags. "I got it from an auction," he briefly answered.
"You know," she started as he walked up to her. "People in horror movies got their houses from an auction, and from then on, vengeful spirits haunted them," she said, sending him a pointed look.
He let out a scoff and rolled his eyes playfully. "Out of sight. Out of my mind," he stated before turning the handle of their front door.
Madelline stepped inside the house with hesitation and looked around. The interior was minimal, with neutral accents surrounding every corner. She noticed tons of windows as she entered further, making the house even more spacious than it really was.
"I'll just check out the rooms," she called out before ascending the stairs.
Choosing the first door on her left, she turned the knob to reveal a standard-sized bedroom. She flopped down on one of the chairs, her eyes scanning the entire room.
"You picked the nicest."
She snapped her head toward the direction of the door and saw her father leaning by the doorframe, a smile on his lips as he, too, scanned the room, nodding in approval. "Get changed, sweetheart, and come down when you're ready. We have neighbors to greet," he told her.
Madelline sprawled her entire body on the small chair, kicking the air aggressively with a whine. "Can't that wait until tomorrow?" she complained, meeting her father's eyes, who looked down at her with amusement.
"No." He gave her a knowing look before gesturing over her suitcase and back at her. He exited her room with a smug smirk, leaving a stomping Madelline behind.
Begrudgingly, she gathered decent clothes on her arms as her hair maintained a bird nest that came from her rebellious trashing a few minutes ago. She entered her bathroom, and almost immediately a sigh of relief escaped her lips when she tugged off her suffocating standing pants.
She descended the stairs and peeked out the window to see her dad standing on their doorstep with a man clad in his uniform. A girl stood shyly behind him and looked as if she would rather be anywhere than there with her arms tightly crossed against each other in front of her.
"You and me both, honey," she sighed as she turned the handle. "You and me both."
"Oh, here's my daughter." Elijah softly smiled as soon as he saw her coming out the door.
Madelline politely smiles at the two, extending her hand out for the man to shake. "Nice to meet you..." she trailed off, not knowing his name.
"Charlie, Charlie Swan. Nice to meet you, Madelline," he replied, firmly shaking her hand. "Elijah here just told us about you."
The girl playfully narrowed her eyes at her father as she wrapped an arm around him. "I hope it's all good things, Sir," she replied.
Charlie's eyebrow shot up in surprise at what she called him. "Charlie's fine. 'Sir' makes me feel old." He chuckled. Madelline pursed her lips in embarrassment before nodding.
"Elijah mentioned that you would be studying at Forks High School. It would be Bella's first day as well," he motioned over his daughter, who sent the girl a tight-lipped smile. "If you want, you and she can go to school together."
"It's alright with me." Bella sent her a soft, hesitant smile as if gauging her reaction.
Madelline couldn't help but smile back, surprised yet delighted that she was able to get even just a smile from the shy girl in front of her. Guiltily, she assumed that the girl would be cold and distant, seeing how she seemed to not be around them yet maybe she was just as adjusting to the new place as her. As a response, she nodded at her and returned the smile.
After talking a few more, she decided to excuse herself, bidding the Swan family a small smile and expressing how she looked forward to seeing Bella once again.
However, the moment her back made contact with the door as soon as she got inside, she could feel the jetlag sitting on her shoulders, gradually weighing her down. Her shoulders sagged as she dragged her feet up the stairs until she reached her room.
As her body made contact with the plush mattress, darkness enveloped her like an old friend.
