The Cullen Project *Editing*

Chapter One~Flights

The pair looked very, very, similar in appearance. The mother had obviously passed down her flaming red hair, freckles, and clear blue eyes to her daughter. She had created a gorgeous look-a-like.

"Hello!" The very small girl greeted me bravely, climbing into the middle seat next to me as if we had been long-time friends. "My name is Eloise, what is yours?"

I looked to her mother, who gave me a small encouraging nod of approval, before looking back down at her. "My name is Elizabeth." I introduced myself. "It's very nice to meet you, Eloise."

"We're in an airplane, 'Lizbeth!" She screeched in excitement.

"We are." I agreed, laughing in spite of myself. "Have you ever been on an airplane before?"

"Nope!" Eloise laughed with me, not realizing I was laughing at her expense.

"Well, when we start to go up, it gets really fast and your ears might feel funny. So, when that happens, put your fingers in your ears and blow air out of your nose super fast, like this." I showed her how to pop her ears, making an absolute fool out of myself in order to earn a proper laugh from the tiny girl.

"Oh! How nice! Can you thank Elizabeth for showing you her special trick, Ellie?" Her mother smiled sweetly at me.

"Thanks, 'Lizbeth!" Eloise clapped happily as her mother buckled her in tightly.

"You're very good with kids. Do you have any nieces or nephews?" Eloise's mom asked me as her daughter began to flip through a little picture book.

"Oh, no, I'm an only child." I shook my head. "I just have a lot of experience babysitting. Children like me."

"Obviously!" She agreed laughingly with me.

We ascended then, Eloise and I popped our ears together as we reached cruising altitude, and I happily settled in for my flight to Washington. I put in my headphones and hit play, letting soothing piano melodies fill my head and soothe my growing nerves.

Eloise had drifted off an hour into our flight, and her mother had fallen asleep not long after her. They were snuggled up together, despite the awkward airplane armrest between them, and seemed to be quite content. It was a very sweet sight, seeing mother and daughter blissfuly happy together, and yet I couldn't help but feel jealous every time I peaked at them from the corner of my eyes.

My mother's name was Isabella Marie Swan, more affectionately known as Bella. Apparently, we only share a few similarities. We have the same heart-shaped face, pointed chin, and full lips. We also have the same eye shape, wide and doe-like, however, the color differs. She had beautiful chocolate-brown eyes while mine are green. Not the more typical soft greens and bright emeralds, more of a peridot green. Smoky green with a strange splattering of gold around my iris.

I have my fathers eyes.

At the age of seventeen, my mother decided to go and live with her father, my Grandpa Charlie, in her hometown of Forks, Washington. While in high school in Forks, my mother met my father, Edward Cullen, and fell in love fast. They were together for almost a year, but for some unknown reason, my father left Forks with his family unexpectedly. In turn, leaving my mother heartbroken and, much to her surprise, pregnant with me. My mother moved back to Jacksonville with Grandma, and Grandma helped her through the whole pregnancy. My mom was only eighteen, Grandma had my mother at the same age, and so there was a great support system in that shared experience.

Unexpectedly, a few short weeks after my mother's high school graduation, she received a check in the mail for a large sum of money. It was issued as a scholarship award with no requirements as to how to spend the money. For some unknown reason, my mother had a very large aversion to spending it, but the checks haven't stop coming. Twice a year we receive an unmarked piece of mail with a check inside worth a small fortune.