The low hum of tires on wet asphalt was the first thing Bella Swan noticed when she opened her eyes. The dim, gray light filtering through the windows told her it was overcast—a typical day in Forks. Her stomach churned, and for a moment, she thought she might be sick.

Then came the memories.

She wasn't just Bella Swan, the awkward teenager moving to Forks to live with her dad. She was someone else, too—someone who had lived in a different world, read books, and watched movies about vampires and shifters. A world where the Cullens were more than just an odd family of beautiful recluses and the Quileutes weren't merely legends.

Her fingers clenched the fabric of her jeans as her breath hitched. This was real. She was real.

"You okay back there, kiddo?" Charlie's gruff voice startled her, pulling her from the swirl of thoughts.

Bella glanced up, catching his concerned eyes in the rearview mirror. "Yeah," she murmured, her voice hoarse. "Just tired."

He nodded, accepting her answer without prying, though the furrow in his brow remained.

Bella turned her gaze back to the window, the passing trees a blur of green and gray. Her mind raced. She remembered how the story unfolded—how she'd meet the Cullens at school, how Edward would save her from a van, how their romance would dominate everything. But that wasn't what caught her attention now.

Rosalie Hale.

Even thinking her name sent a shiver through Bella's body. She had admired Rosalie's strength, her beauty, her defiance, even in another life. But the idea of seeing her now, up close and real, sent a thrill of anticipation and trepidation through her.

It wasn't just admiration anymore. Bella couldn't explain the pull she felt, but it was there—intense and unrelenting.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus. She needed a plan. Charlie's house would be her sanctuary for now, a place to gather her thoughts and prepare for the challenges ahead. She couldn't let on that she knew too much, especially not to the Cullens.

And she definitely couldn't let Rosalie know how she felt.

The car pulled to a stop in front of Charlie's house. It looked just as she remembered: small, modest, and surrounded by looming trees.

"Home sweet home," Charlie said, his voice tinged with awkwardness.

Bella mustered a smile as she stepped out of the car. The cool, damp air enveloped her, grounding her in the moment. This was her reality now.

She would navigate it one step at a time.

As she followed Charlie inside, her resolve solidified. She wasn't the same Bella Swan this world expected her to be. She had knowledge, instincts, and a determination to forge her own path.

And if fate had brought her here for a reason, she'd find out what it was.