Isabella Swan flipped through the diary left behind by her former self, and the lines showed clear signs of mental trouble. Long periods of being pushed away had worn her down and left her deeply tired.
The words carried a sense of struggle that did not fade even after many pages.
To fit in, she tried hard to follow the pace of everyone around her, including teachers, classmates, her mother, and her mother's current husband. She joined clubs, went shopping with girls, watched boys play basketball, and awkwardly took part in debate teams.
On weekends she walked the streets to join strange volunteer events and talked about topics she did not care about, all to look less like a strange person.
Sadly, effort does not always bring results. The girl's clear face grew heavy, and her bright smile lost its light.
After all that work, she was still labeled strange, quiet, and unsociable.
In a prank that went too far, she was badly frightened, and that shock allowed a traveler to take her place. The body remained, but the mind had changed.
"What a simple kid. If someone dares to mess with you, you should hit back," Isabella Swan said to herself.
She took out the old makeup, chose a few items, and used primer, foundation, powder, eyebrow pencil, and lipstick to put on light makeup. The pale color faded a little, and she nodded while looking at her reflection.
This was the main reason the former self had been pushed away. Her looks were too striking for a quiet girl with poor social skills. Isabella Swan sighed and shook her head.
"I am just too beautiful."
She could have been a princess who ruled the scene, yet she had lived like a miserable maid. Isabella Swan felt it was a waste.
The dream of storming into school and forcing all the bullies to kneel and sing never came true.
Because of the former self's terrible social skills, her mother handled the transfer paperwork for her. The cold admission letter pulled Isabella Swan back from her loop of self praise. Reality returned fast and without mercy.
"Forks High School? Are you sure? This is not a joke, right?" she asked her mother to confirm.
A woman who could give birth to Isabella Swan could not be plain looking.
Not yet forty, Renee Dall still kept a high level of beauty, and her current husband was a strong and well built man. Anyone could understand the story behind that.
Renee gently stroked Isabella Swan's hair. "Baby, why such a big reaction? Didn't you always want to reunite with your dad? Go and stay for a while, relax. The climate in Washington is very comfortable, not as hot as Arizona."
The girl heard the hidden meaning clearly. It was telling her to leave and stay with her father as long as possible while they enjoyed their life here. She understood it without needing more words.
The next day, her mother and her husband went on their own trip. Washington State had nothing to do with Washington, D.C., and they were not even in the same direction. Washington State sat in the northwest of the country, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and Canada to the north.
Isabella Swan was moving from Arizona in the south to Washington State in the north for school. Her mother did not worry about trouble on the way or possible danger. In her words, Bella was already an adult and could handle such small things on her own.
Bella wanted to explain that she had only arrived in this world two days ago and knew nothing about Washington State. That thought stayed in her head. In the end, she still dragged her suitcase out the door early the next morning.
Broken light fell through gaps in the trees and painted the ground in gold. People moved through the city, busy with the lives of their families. The girl walked toward the station with a heart full of thoughts.
She was saying goodbye to this city. Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, sounded nice by name alone. Rising from fire and spreading wings sounded like a good meaning.
The truth was close enough. In her previous life, she had died suddenly at work, and when she opened her eyes, she had gained a new life. At first she felt lucky, but after learning that this world had Stark Industries and Osborn Industries, she felt unlucky instead.
After receiving the notice to attend Forks High School in Washington State, she felt even worse. Two layers of bad luck pressed down on her at once. It made her want to laugh at how cold fate could be.
Was this a Marvel world mixed with movies or novels from Twilight? Questions about the nature of the world were too big for her to handle. She did not bother thinking about them.
From what she remembered, Forks was not a safe place. To the north lived a group of werewolves, and to the south lived a family of vampires. From time to time, vampires from elsewhere passed through at high speed, making danger an understatement.
What could she do? The girl had no clear answer. Starting a company before finishing high school was beyond her ability and her funds, since she only had about a thousand dollars to her name.
She had no choice but to head to Forks and rely on her father. She would finish high school first. After that, she planned to apply to a university far away from the United States, the farther the better.
"Isabella Swan? Global Airlines wishes you a pleasant journey," the airport staff said while quickly checking her luggage. Everything went smoothly through security. Just then, her phone rang.
She took out her old flip phone, checked the number, and answered. "Hey, Mom."
"Hi, Bella, sweetheart. Are you at the airport already?" her mother asked.
With a mother like this, Bella felt her luck had been used up during her crossing. It was not that there was no affection between them, but it was not especially deep either. After the traveler arrived, the already fragile relationship became worse.
Her mother put most of her energy into her new husband and paid less attention to her daughter. For a long trip like this, a phone call was all she offered. Bella understood that clearly.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I can handle it. Have fun," Bella replied.
Her mother's concern was very American, and Bella's response matched that style. After a few lines, the call ended. Bella listened carefully to the airport announcements, afraid of missing any change.
Aside from beauty, the former self had left her nothing. Her English was in a strange state, with enough vocabulary but little real practice. When listening and speaking, she had to process everything in her head first, and conversations often moved on before she could finish forming a reply.
Because of that, she had learned to listen closely. Missing key information was not an option anymore.
Bella was careful again and again, checking everything twice, but she still failed to board the plane on time because the flight was delayed for a very ordinary reason. She collapsed into a seat, her face full of disbelief and annoyance. There was nothing she could do except wait, since she knew no one here and had nowhere to go.
"I can't believe this," she muttered, slumping back.
She did not want to sit around like an idiot, but in a strange place she had few options. After thinking it over, she decided to browse the shops inside the airport and maybe buy a small gift for her father, whom she had never met. It felt polite at least, and it gave her something to do.