Dusk & Dawn Ch.1 (Twilight) - Early Access (Patreon)

All characters in this story are over the age of 18

In the state of Washington, under a near-constant cover of clouds and rain, there's a small town named Forks.

Population was 3,120 people. Eighteen-year-old Bella Swan was now adding to that number.

It was too late for her to feel any form of regret in her decision to leave Phoenix. The second she stepped on the plane to depart she was already missing the blistering heat and sprawling city. But, leaving was a choice that Bella believed was for the good of everyone involved. Her mother, Renée, would be looked after. The woman was almost a spitting image of Bella. Every time she would look in a mirror, she would now be reminded of her, and the sadness in her eyes when Bella told her that she wanted to leave. But, now that Renée had her new boyfriend, Phil, to help pay the bills and look after her, Bella felt that she would only become a nuisance if she stayed. Even after landing, Bella was still questioning if this was the right thing. She kept her feelings bottled inside.

She wore a smile and played the role of someone who understood what they were doing perfectly.

Bella wasn't throwing herself completely into the deep end. Forks was a town that she had become familiar with over the years. It was the town in which her parents got together. It was the town where Bella was born in. It was the town that her mother escaped from. She tried not to pry into the reasoning behind her mother's intentions. But, she had a few theories, none of which painted anyone in black or white. Her parents were smitten and only discovered they were incompatible a few months after Bella was born. Renée and Bella's father, Charlie, made things work to the best of their abilities. Every summer, Bella would spend a month in Forks with Charlie. This time was different. Bella had exiled herself to this gloomy town.

The flight didn't bother her. It was the hour-long drive in the car with Charlie that concerned her. Neither of them was what anyone would call verbose, but the lingering silence made the journey more awkward. Despite his confusion regarding Bella's decision, due to her distaste for Forks, he was still genuinely pleased that she was coming to live with him. Bella's chest warmed at the thought. They were distant. But, they still loved each other. Bella could never see anyone replacing him as her father. Yet, she could never bring herself to call him anything other than Charlie. It had become a habit. Charlie didn't seem to mind. He was a mellow individual.

''Your hair has grown longer,'' he said as they stopped at a set of traffic lights.

Bella glanced at him. ''It's grown since I last saw you.''

''Oh? Really?''

An awkward moment of silence followed. Charlie looked like he wanted to say more, but stumbled and focused on the road ahead. Bella wanted to strike up a conversation, but she was more concerned about keeping her head down. The last thing she needed was to be seen arriving in a new town in a police car. She was sure that most people in Forks knew that she was the daughter of the Police Chief. Still, Bella would rather avoid unwanted attention. She hoped that she could make friends without any pre-convinced first impressions. Charlie had already registered her in a school.

''I start at Forks High School tomorrow, right?'' she inquired.

''You do.''

''Good,'' Bella sighed with relief. ''The wait would have been agonizing.''

''You nervous about starting?''

She bit her bottom lip. ''There are fewer students in the entirety of this school than there were in just my class back home. Everyone already knows each other. I'll be the new kid on the block who's here for the final year.''

''There's still plenty of time to make friends, Bella. Once they get to know you, you won't be able to keep them away. That'll have to be my job.''

Bella's lip curled into a slight smile. Charlie was the only father who made dad jokes work despite being sincere with his playful threat. She brushed some of her hair over her face. ''By the way, it might best if you don't drive me to school tomorrow…''

Her tone was apologetic. Charlie glanced at her quickly. A twinkle glinted in his eye. ''I had a feeling you'd say that.''

Before Bella could question him further, she realized that they had arrived at their destination. Charlie's home was a quaint, two-bedroom house. It hadn't changed since the last time Bella saw it. The only thing that stood out was the truck parked at the front. She eyed it curiously as Charlie stopped nearby and retrieved Bella's belongings.

''Do you have company?'' Bella asked.

''What do you think?'' Charlie answered with a question of his own, staring at her with a hopeful expression.

''What?''

''Your homecoming present.''

Bella blinked twice. ''Are you serious?''

''You remember Billy Black down at La Push?'' Charlie asked. Bella felt crushed under a wave of nostalgia. La Push is a tiny Quileute Reservation on the coast. She remembered all the times she would visit when Charlie and Billy hung out to watch the football or prepare for their next big fishing trip. When she nodded in response, Charlie continued. ''Well, since he can't drive anymore, he was about to ship this off to be made into scrap. But, I haggled a good deal out of him. It's yours now. If you want it?''

The sheepish way he asked tugged at Bella's heart. She wasn't one to show outwardly enthusiasm for gifts. But, this one had caught her completely off-guard. The red had faded. It would hardly compete with the flashier vehicles that Bella expected to see other students driving. Still, it was small and could get the job done. The kind gesture was not lost on her.

''This is perfect!'' Bella inspected the rounded fenders and bulbous cab. ''You didn't have to do this.''

''I don't mind. I want you to be happy here.''

He couldn't look Bella in the eyes. He wasn't the type who was comfortable expressing his emotions openly. A trait that Bella had inherited from him.

''It's great. I really appreciate it.''

''Well, now, why don't you have a look inside while I take care of your bags?'' Charlie mumbled. ''If you're going to be driving, I want you to know that truck like it's the back of your hand.''

''I can help with the bags…''

''Don't worry about it, Bells. You just…take your time with everything.''

He was already rushing back to the car before Bella could argue. He was incredibly thankful that Bella was a light traveller. As he grabbed her items, Bella returned her fixation to her new truck. The longer she gazed at it, the more Bella could see herself in something like this. She hoped that it would still run. Charlie was taking the bags into the house as Bella opened the door to the truck and sat inside. The interior was nice and dry. It had obviously been cleaned up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline and peppermint. Bella tested the engine. It started quickly, much to her relief. But, it was quite loud. The roar made Bella cringe. It was a flaw that would draw unwanted attention in her direction.

Still, she would never fault the gift as it was given to her out of the kindness of Charlie's heart.

As she watched her father, Bella sighed. This was what she expected to happen. They would keep their distance and trudge through the days aimlessly. She appreciated Charlie for not being the type of father who would hover. But, she couldn't help but feel that something was missing from their relationship. She didn't know what it was or how to get it. She drummed her fingers against the steering wheel before adjusting the rearview mirror above.

Bella's dejected expression slowly disappeared when she spotted something interesting in the mirror. On the other side of the road behind her was a girl.

Bella looked over her shoulder so that she could get a better view. The girl looked to be around the same age as her. Short and pixielike with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction. It was a striking look that most certainly caught Bella's eye. She felt heat rising in her cheeks. Women were both frustrating and fascinating for Bella. She had known for quite a while that she was gay. One VHS viewing of Jumanji with Kirsten Dunst was all it took for Bella to realize that she wanted a girlfriend when she grew up. However, being born Intersex made her second guess her chances. She believed that going against gender norms and having a penis wasn't going to help her chances. Despite insistence from her mother and Charlie that if she found the right person, they would love Bella regardless of how her body looked.

At the time, Bella was hopeful.

Since then, she had come to appreciate her own space. Being tied down into a relationship with someone seemed like too much of a hassle. Her parent's doomed marriage was the example she used. But, that didn't mean Bella was one to completely shield herself from the opportunity to get to know a woman better. Especially when they triggered something in her. Bella wasn't sure if her gaydar was working. But, it seemed to be going off the longer she stared at this mysterious woman.

She sighed and threaded her hand through her hair sheepishly. ''Well, let's see if I ruin my new life on the first day.''

Exiting the vehicle, Bella made her way over to the woman. She glanced over her shoulder to check on Charlie. Her father hadn't come out of the house yet. Bella was somewhat relieved. The last thing she needed was him coming over to try and potentially embarrass her. Well, more so than what Bella believed she could do herself.

As she approached the woman, she noticed that she was sketching. Bella couldn't see what it was until she was near enough for the other woman to notice her presence. She lifted her head and flinched when she saw Bella as if she wasn't expecting someone to see her.

''Hi,'' Bella squeaked.

Failed at step one. Great.

''Hello,'' the woman smiled brightly. ''I've never seen you before.''

''Just flew into town this morning.''

Bella wanted to coax her confidence by attempting humor. But, she was far too distracted by the woman and the new features she had noticed now that they were face to face. Her skin was chalky pale. Bella knew that this was a sunless town, but she wasn't expecting the first local she met to be paler than her. She had dark shadows under her eyes as if she was suffering from a sleepless night or still recovering from a broken nose. Yet, her face was hypnotically beautiful. Inhumanly beautiful. Her eyes seemed to glimmer into a different shade of color in an instant.

''Oh, wait a minute…'' she hopped to her feet with grace. ''You must be Sheriff Swan's daughter. He's been talking about you. So excited to see you've finally arrived.''

''Really? He's been talking about me?'' Bella shuffled on her feet nervously.

''No details, I promise. Just enough to pique the interest of those who he happened to be conversing with. I'm Alice.''

''Bella, though you probably already knew that.''

Alice's nose twitched adorably, causing Bella to gulp. ''Actually, I didn't. Which is strange cause I tend to know most people before I meet them.''

''Is that so?'' Bella furrowed her brows. ''Aiming to be a private investigator?''

''In another life, perhaps.'' Alice snorted.

Somehow, Bella was able to tear her gaze away from Alice's gorgeous face and inspect the sketch she had been working on. It was Charlie's house. Bella suspected as much. However, what caught her off guard was the detail in the picture. It looked as if Alice had been creating the piece for hours; that she already had a vivid idea of what she wanted to create before she even started it. ''Wow, that's amazing.''

''Oh, thanks,'' Alice beamed. A look of interest flashed across her face. ''I promise that I don't make it a habit to draw stranger's houses. Inspiration just struck and I felt that I had to be here to capture it.''

''Capture a plain, normal-looking house?''

''Plain and normal is nice,'' Alice stated.

Bella chortled. ''Then I hope you're going to like me. I'm very plain and normal, I think. I…uh…''

Her joke did not even reach the landing strip. Bella bit her bottom lip and groaned. Much to her surprise, Alice responded with a sweet and genuine laugh. ''I may not be able to see it, but I feel like you're right. We're going to be good friends.''

Feeling her cheeks flush, Bella decided that now was the best time to retreat before she did something truly embarrassing. ''I start at Forks High tomorrow. Maybe I'll see you there?''

''You most certainly will.''

Alice glanced up at the sky as if checking to see if the clouds were still there before gliding down the road with an enthusiastic skip in her step. Bella was entranced as she watched Alice leave. Only then did she realize that her heart was racing. No girl had ever made her react like this before. To say that she was amazed would be an understatement. When she returned to the house, her lip curled upward into a faint smile.

''Hey, Bells,'' Charlie said as she walked through the front door. ''Where did you wander off to?''

''I was just talking with this girl. You don't happen to know someone named Alice?''

''Hmm, you'll need to be more specific. There are a few Alices in this town.''

''She had short hair. Really pale skin. Smiles a lot.'' Bella shut her lips after that last statement, fearing that she would say something that gave her father the impression that she had become a lovestruck puppy.

Charlie pondered for a moment. ''Oh, that might be Alice Cullen. She's Dr Cullen's daughter. Nice kid. I think you two will get along great.''

''We were just saying hi,'' Bella replied, marching up the stairs before Charlie had the chance to interrogate her. After travelling throughout most of the day, the last thing she needed was the 'girlfriend' talk from her father again.

Her bedroom had hardly changed since the last time she visited. Now, it was going to be her permanent residence for the foreseeable future. Bella recollected her childhood as she settled and placed her bags in their appropriate places. She was free to enjoy the solitude. The faint sound of rain gently patting against the window caught her attention. This was the kind of weather she would have to get used to. She stared out of it and found the spot where Alice was sitting. The girl was gone but remained in Bella's thoughts.

''Not even an hour here and I have a crush,'' Bella mumbled to herself. ''What have I gotten myself into?''

She was only half-serious. She knew next to nothing about Alice. It was too early to suggest that she had a crush.

Tomorrow, Bella would have a better understanding of where she fits in this town.