The drive to the airport is long. The silence in the car is heavy with emotions and uncomfortable for Maria, who has always gotten on better with her father and is far more excited to be moving there than her sister, Bella. She isn't particularly excited about the weather, but it will be a nice change to live with their dad instead of just visiting him for the summer. She understands why Bella is upset about leaving Phoenix, though. Bella hasn't visited their father for years, and they've never had a very close bond. Both of them are too awkward to hold any decent conversations. Luckily for them, Maria is extremely outgoing, so on the rare occasions Bella and Charlie have seen each other, Maria has dominated the conversations.

"Girls," their mother, Renée, says quietly as they pull up to the airport. Her chocolate eyes, the same as Bella's, look at the twins through the rear-view mirror. "You don't have to do this."

"I want to go," Maria replies, shrugging her shoulders. "I haven't seen Dad for ages."

"Yeah, me too," Bella lies, a little more convincingly than her usual lies. 

"Well, tell Charlie I said hi, then," Renee tells them as they leave the car and unpack their luggage. Maria slings her rucksack over her shoulder and lifts her pink, four-wheeled suitcase out of the trunk and onto the floor.

"We will," Maria promises her, helping Bella, who struggles with the weight of her bags, pick up her suitcase. 

"I'll see you two soon," Renee insists. "You can come home whenever you want - I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

"Don't worry about me," Bella shakes her head, knowing that the offer from their mother is primarily aimed at her. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom."

"Yeah, goodbye, Mom," Maria waves at her mother, containing her building excitement until they are in the airport and checked in.

"You know it's cold in Forks, right?" Bella asks Maria, misery evident on her face. She glances down at Maria's exposed, tanned legs with a frown, and Maria shrugs her shoulders.

"Yeah, I know," Maria replies. "But it's warm here, and we'll only be outside for a little bit when we get there anyway. Dad is picking us up from the airport."

"Oh, great," Bella mumbles, clearly not pleased to hear that their father will be meeting them there.

"Oh, Bells, don't be too upset about leaving," Maria places her arm around her sister's shoulders and holds her close. Bella stiffens a little, and her frown deepens, but she doesn't pull away or object. "I know you will miss Mom and Phil, but it will be nice to stay with Dad for a bit, anyway. He misses us when we're gone."

The plane from Phoenix to Seattle is four hours, and Maria and Bella don't do much talking. Bella reads her book, silently sulking, and Maria opts to listen to music on her iPod instead, nodding her head along to the beat of the songs, which irritates Bella a little, but she doesn't say anything. The same goes for the smaller plane they catch to Port Angeles, where they don't utter a word to each other until they have landed, collected their luggage and left the airport.

"I told you it would be cold," Bella says with a smirk as Maria wraps her free arm around her torso and shivers violently from the harsh winds and rain in Port Angeles. She rolls her eyes at her sister but doesn't say anything to defend herself.

"Dad!" Maria calls out as she spots their father waiting for them with his cruiser. He's the Chief of Police in Forks, so they get to drive around in a Police car when they're in Forks. Bella hates it, but Maria thinks it's quite fun. She rushes to him, throws her arms around his torso and hugs him tightly. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Marie," Charlie says, hugging her back. "You must be freezing!"

When they break away from the hug, Charlie opens the passenger door, grabs one of his thick, plaid jackets from the seat and passes it to Maria, who thanks him as she covers herself with it.

"It's good to see you, Bells," Charlie smiles, catching Bella when she trips as she walks over and steadies her. "You haven't changed much," he muses, noting that she is just as clumsy as ever. "How's Renée?"

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad!" Bella replies plainly.

They get into the cruiser after Charlie loads the trunk up with their luggage, Maria in the passenger seat, Bella in the back, and Charlie drives them to their home in Forks.

"I found a good car for you, Bells. Really cheap," he announces.

"What kind of car?" Bella asks, her eyebrows raised.

"Well, it's a truck, actually, a Chevy."

"Where did you find it?"

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?"

"No."

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie reminds Bella, who still looks confused.

"I remember," Maria interjects, smiling. "Billy and Jacob? You and Jake used to make mud pies all the time."

"Yeah, he's in a wheelchair now," Charlie replies. "So he can't drive anymore and offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"Oh, what happened?" Maria asks, concerned for her father's closest friend.

"His diabetes. Anyway, it's a good truck, Bella."

"What year is it?"

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine—it's only a few years old, really."

"When did he buy it?"

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?"

"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties—or late fifties at the earliest," he admits sheepishly.

"Ch—Dad, I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic . . ."

"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."

"How cheap is cheap?"

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." Charlie peeks sideways at Bella with a hopeful expression.

"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car."

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

"I know loads of stuff about cars anyway, Bella, so I can help if it breaks down," Maria interjects, offering her help to Bella should she ever need it. "And dads right, older cars are good. Plus, they look cool."

"Well, I think it will take more than an old car to make me look cool," Bella mutters sarcastically, and Maria chuckles softly. Charlie laughs though he looks a little uncertain about whether he should, not wanting to offend her.

"Being cool is overrated, Bells," Maria shrugs. "You have no idea how awful it is."

"Oh yeah, having friends seems really awful," Bella muses.

"Total headache," Maria nods sincerely.

"She's right," Charlie agrees.

"See! You'd hate having loads of friends anyway, Bella. You're more of a lone wolf."

They're silent for the rest of the journey, and Maria spends most of her time gazing out of the rain-covered window, admiring the green landscape of Forks.

"The air is so clean here," Maria breathes in deeply, stepping out of the police cruiser after Charlie parks on the driveway of their home. "It's always so hazy in Phoenix."

"It's warm, though," Bella interrupts. "I love the sun."

"Well, we do get a little sunshine here, Bells," Charlie says, passing her one of her bags. "It's not always so gloomy."

Charlie carries most of their bags into the house, but as there are two of them, he can't manage all their luggage alone, so they grab whatever is left and follow him inside.

"Will you girls be okay sharing a room for a bit?" Charlie asks them as they drop their luggage on the floor in the west bedroom overlooking the yard. It's the biggest room in the house, so naturally, Bella and Maria will be sharing it as they need more space than Charlie. It's the same as it has always been, except, instead of two little cribs, there are two beds on opposite sides of the room. The walls are still painted baby blue - the colour Maria chose when they were little. Blue has always been Maria's favourite colour. Almost all of her possessions are blue, including her old Volkswagen Beetle, which she has left in Phoenix for the time being. There's a wooden desk, which has been there for years, but atop it sits a new pre-owned computer with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor. It was purchased at the request of their mother, so they could stay in touch with her, although Maria probably won't use it very often. "I know it's only small, but I'm friends with one of the local carpenters. He owes me a favour, so he's gonna convert the top floor to fit in another room eventually..."

"Oh, really? We don't mind sharing if it's too expensive," Maria says sincerely, and Charlie shakes his head.

"Don't be silly. You're too old to be sharing a room now, anyway," Charlie replies. "Besides, he said he'll do it cheap for me. It pays to know people, girls."

With that,  Charlie leaves the girls to unpack their things and settle in. Bella immediately starts unpacking, trying to distract herself, but Maria drops into the handmade armchair in the corner of the room, which has been there since they were babies.

"Are you nervous about school, Bells?" Maria asks, noticing  Bella fiddle and biting her lip with watery eyes as she unpacks her bags. Bella shrugs, not wishing to talk about it, and Maria sighs, leaving her to her thoughts. While she and Bella are quite close, they have never been best friends, and Bella doesn't like to talk about her feelings very often. Maria has learned over the years that it's best not to push her to talk when she doesn't want to because she ends up more agitated and upset. "I'm going to go and get something to eat."

"Hi, Dad," Maria smiles as she sits down next to Charlie on the sofa. She has a plate of toast she fixed for herself and hands him a new can of beer from the fridge.

"Hey, Marie," Charlie smiles at her, gratefully taking the beer. "You all unpacked then?"

"Yeah, of course," Maria nods, knowing full well that she hasn't even started unpacking her bags. "Thanks for picking us up from the airport."

"Don't worry about it," Charlie says, and they sit in comfortable silence and watch the Baseball game on the telly as Maria finishes her toast.

They don't talk until the game is finally over, and Maria excuses herself to go upstairs to bed, and Charlie calls out her name when she reaches the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm glad to have you back here, Marie," Charlie says seriously. A smile tugs at Maria's lips. It's not often that Charlie admits his feelings out loud. He's never been very good at it. "You and Bella."

"I'm happy to be back, Dad," Maria replies before rushing up the stairs. She tells Bella what Charlie had told her as she searches for her wash bag and pyjamas from her unpacked bags and then gets herself ready for bed. The sound of the wind rushing past the house and disturbing the tree line behind the house and the rain hitting the roof and windows quickly lulls Maria into a deep sleep, and she doesn't wake until the morning, blissfully unaware of Bella, who struggles to sleep as she weeps silently into her pillow.

"Bella," Maria gently shakes her sister, whose head is covered by a pillow and quilt. Maria is dressed in a pair of low-waisted blue jeans and a long-sleeved, ribbed top with lace trim. It's dark green and brings out the swirls of emerald within her ocean-coloured eyes. "You need to wake up. I've made everyone breakfast, and you need to get ready."

Bella mumbles incoherently as she sits up, and Maria disappears downstairs to start eating her breakfast. She doesn't usually make a cooked breakfast before school, but she is excited to start Forks High School and wakes up with plenty of time to spare. She's finished her breakfast by the time Bella appears downstairs. Bella's wearing a thick blue undershirt and an oversized green bowling shirt over the top with a pair of jeans. She's dressed far more modestly than Maria has.

"You're going to get cold," Bella says simply as she sits at the table and tucks into her plate.

"Yeah, you will," Charlie says. "And should you really wear that to school, Maria?"

"Why? What's wrong with it?" Maria asks, frowning as she looks down at her outfit. "I thought it looked good."

"It looks good, Maria," Bella assures her. "It's just a bit booby."

Charlie turns beet red at Bella's words, but Maria seems relieved, and she shrugs her shoulders.

"It's not too booby," she shakes her head. "It hardly shows anything. You guys are such prudes. Anyway, I'm going to put a jacket on so nobody will see."

"Good," Charlie says, clearing his throat. Maria stands up and leaves the table then, walking over to the fireplace and admiring the row of pictures. The first is their parents on their wedding day in Vegas. Her mother looks practically the same, but Charlie has aged a lot since then, and his expression is far more gloomy. Maria only hopes she can see him that happy again one day. There's a picture of the four of them in a hospital room from the day they were born. Charlie is holding her in his arms, staring down at her with a big smile, and Renee waves Bella's hand at the camera, beaming. The rest are a procession of her and Bella's school photos all the way up until last year. Maria giggles at the one when she was around seven years old with all four of her front teeth missing and her hair in pigtails, grinning at the camera despite the gaps in her mouth.

"Look at this one," she exclaims, turning to Bella and Charlie. Bella laughs at the gummy smile on her face, and Charlie smiles fondly.

"That one's my favourite," Charlie tells them. "Oh, and that one of you from Eighth Grade, Bella. You can tell how much you hated having your picture taken in that one."

"She still does," Maria muses, looking at the photo of Eighth Grade Bella glaring at the camera. Bella is embarrassed at the mention of the pictures and focuses on eating her breakfast. "Bella, can I get a lift to school with you?"

"Of course," Bella nods. "I'm leaving early, though. I don't want to be late."

"That's cool. I've been ready for ages."

The truck is much nicer than Charlie had made it out to be the day before. It's a little worn down and weathered, but it's absolutely perfect for Bella, and she's delighted with it. The interior is freshly clean, although the smell of tobacco, peppermint and gasoline still lingers in the leather interior. The engine starts quickly, and although it's quite loud as it roars to life, it's drowned out by the antique radio, which surprisingly still works.

"The truck is so cool, Bella," Maria gushes. "I'm jealous. I miss my baby."

"Well, you'll eventually save enough money to have your car shipped here... you can always borrow my truck if you need it, though," Bella offers kindly, and Maria smiles.

"Thank you, that would be really nice," Maria replies, and they drive off down the street towards their new school.

They park at the front office, but nobody else parks there, so they know they need to find somewhere else to park after they speak to the receptionist.

The office is small and made up of a small waiting room with a furry orange carpet and folded chairs, and every corner was bursting with bright green plants in plastic pots.

"Can I help you?" a redheaded woman asks from behind one of the three desks, looking up at the pair over her glasses.

"Hi, I'm Maria Swan, and this is Isabella Swan," Maria answers for the both of them, smiling widely. "It's our first day here."

"Of course," the woman says, immediately aware of who the two girls are in front of them. Maria had expected this - being the chief of police's daughter comes with a reputation. She flicks through a large pile of documents on her desk and picks out two slips of paper. She reads the names on the top and gives them the sheets. "These are your class schedules... and here are some maps."

She quickly talks through the girl's schedules with them and highlights the best routes on their maps for each class, and Maria thanks her warmly as they head out to Bella's truck.

"Oh, look," Maria points to the short queue of students' cars which wraps around the school. "We can just follow them into the car park."

"Yeah."

Maria is glad when they pull into the car park, and while Bella walks in slowly with her face hidden in her hood, she marches ahead with a big smile. The difference between Maria and Bella is striking. If they didn't have the same surname and birthday, you'd never guess they were siblings, let alone twins. Everything about them is different. Maria is outgoing, bold, courageous and fun-loving, and she goes out of her way to make people happy. Bella is the opposite, extremely introverted, with a tendency to shy away from people. They had been more similar when they were younger, Maria was always a shy child, but when she was twelve, she was nearly killed in an accident, and since then, she decided to never waste another moment of her life being too shy or nervous to speak to someone or join in with something. She believes that you only get to live once. That is what makes life so special, and she doesn't intend on wasting her life.

So, when an overly excited boy approaches her with curiosity flooding his eyes, she greets him with a big smile.

"Hi, I'm Eric," he introduces himself.

"Hi, Eric," she replies. "I'm Maria."

"Cool, what's your next class?"

Maria reaches into the pocket of her grey zip-up hoodie, which she put on before leaving the house and pulls out her schedule with furrowed eyebrows. "Um... Government with Mr Jefferson. Building Six."

"Ah, you must be Isabella Swan," Eric says loudly when Bella appears beside them, her hood down now that they are inside.

"Bella," Bella corrects him quietly.

"Right," Eric nods. "What class do you have?"

"Government with Mr Jefferson... in Building Six."

"You're in the same class," Eric states, still smiling. "I'm headed toward Building Four. I could show you the way...?"

"That would be great," Maria accepts his offer, placing her timetable back in her pocket. "Thank you, Eric."

"Anytime, Maria," Eric tells her with a smile as they step outside to walk to Building Six. The rain has picked up a lot since they parked the truck, so Maria covers her blond curls with her hood, protecting them from the water droplets.

"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?"

"Very," Maria laughs. "But it's nice."

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"

"Hardly ever... maybe three or four times a year at most!"

"Wow, what must that be like?" He wonders, and Bella answers him with a single word.

"Sunny."

"You don't look very tan. Not like Maria."

"Well, our mother is part Albino... Maria didn't inherit the genes, though," Bella tells him, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Maria laughs at this, and Eric is silent for a moment before he laughs, although he looks like he doesn't understand the humour in what Bella said.

"Well... good luck," Eric says after he walks them both to the door of the classroom. "Maybe we'll have some other classes together?"

"I hope so! It will be nice to have a friendly face in class," Maria says before they retreat into their classroom and start their first day at Forks High School.

Maria sits next to the same girl for a few of her morning classes. Her name is Alice Cullen, she's short with dark hair that sticks out in every direction, but Maria thinks that she looks very pretty. They talk throughout their classes, and she's a little eccentric, but Maria likes that about her. She's glad that the pixie-like girl is able to express herself how she likes, and Alice seems to like her well enough. Maria is a little disappointed that Alice doesn't invite her to spend lunch with her, but she gets over it quickly when she finds Bella and sits at the table with her and a girl with thick, dark curls.

"Hey, Bells, can I sit with you?"

"Sure," Bella answers reluctantly, letting her twin sister sit beside her.

"Hi, I'm Maria," Maria introduces herself to the other girl at the table, who smiles back at her.

"I'm Jessica Stanley," she replies. She looks between Bella and Maria with a raised eyebrow. "I heard that you two are twins. You look nothing alike."

"Yeah, we're dizygotic twins," Bella answers plainly, and Jessica's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"It means we're not identical," Maria informs her. Jessica nods and then starts to ask Maria and Bella a list of questions about Forks and Phoenix and being twins before Bella rather abruptly interrupts the conversation, her eyes focused on a table on the other side of the lunch hall.

"Who are they?"