WHERE I BELONG [P. LAHOTE]

The perpetual drizzle of Forks, Washington, had become a comforting constant for Skylar Swan. Two years ago, she'd traded the Arizona sun for this verdant gloom, finding an unexpected peace in the quiet rhythm of the town. Now, as she sat in the passenger seat of Charlie's patrol car, the silence was heavy, broken only by the rhythmic thud of the windshield wipers.

Beside her, Bella, her twin by a mere twelve minutes, fidgeted. Bella’s arrival, a reluctant transplant from Phoenix, had stirred the calm of their small world. Skylar glanced at her sister, a small smile playing on her lips. “He won’t say it out loud, but Charlie really is glad to have you here.”

Later, in the chaotic energy of the Forks High School cafeteria, Skylar watched Bella's eyes fix on the new arrivals – the Cullens. “Who are they?” Bella whispered, a new, unfamiliar fascination in her voice. Skylar snorted, discreetly hiding it with a cough as Jessica Stanley launched into her usual gossip. “Besides,” Skylar muttered to Bella, nudging her gently, “he’s just a boy. What could happen?” The words, innocent at the time, would soon echo with an ominous irony.