Chapter One- I'm A Survivor

Broken Hearts and Rodeo Dreams

I'm A Survivor

Bella

Growing up in the country by Phoenix, Arizona was one of the best parts of my life, that and the horses. My mother said I was always wanting a horse growing up, and begged her until I got one. My mother was always a free-spirit so when she finally decided that I could get one, we went out the same day and bought a beautiful bay gelding. Sunny became my best friend besides my mother and we grew together. I started to take riding lessons to learn how to ride, and once I was able to ride with out any help, I started to show Sunny. When I turned sixteen I got a brand new Chevy truck, and a new horse trailer and started traveling around Arizona to shows.

Soon I was interested in trying timed events and got into barrel racing. No one every really noticed plain Isabella Swan with my brown hair and chocolate colored eyes. My body was slim but I had muscles. Like I said plain, nothing to really look at or enough to get anyones attention. That soon changed when I started climbing the ranks in barrel racing. My name became known as part of the top ten barrel racers in the state of Arizona. Along with being top ten in the state, guys started to notice me.

It came to a quick halt when my mother met Phil and got serious. Phil was playing baseball for some team that traveled and couldn't stand to be around horses. He traveled a lot and I could tell my mother wanted to go with him. So here I am on my last road trip with my mother on my way to the land of green, Forks Washington. Charlie, my father, is the Chief of Police there and lives on the edge of town. He found a farm that I will be able to board Sunny, and I'll still be able to rodeo. The worse part about starting over in a new state is just that, starting over. I will have to build my name back up to get to where I want to be, but if I've done it once I can do it again.

We left Phoenix at 5 a.m. on Friday morning, and decided we would stop a couple of places along the way.

"Mom! Mom, wake up were gonna stop outside of Los Angeles and let Sunny out." Wow she's really out and she's not even driving! I pulled my truck and trailer over by a park, and got out to let Sunny out. As I backed him out of the trailer, I could tell he was stiff from the six hours he just spent in the trailer. Poor guy, I'm gonna have to give him a couple days off after this long drive. I grabbed my lunge rope and asked him to do a couple circles in both directions doing a walk, trot, lope, trot, walk pattern. Then I tied him up and gave him a hay net full of hay and grain.

"Hey mom, I think we should go ahead and grab something to eat so Sunny can eat and get some fresh air." My horse was always my first concern, and my best friend so he always got the best I could give him. After I was done eating my ham sandwich, chips and pepsi, I grabbed Sunny and his water bucket and led him over to a faucet to get some water before loading him back in the trailer. We finally pulled into San Francisco around 7 p.m. after a long drive, where I found a horse park and pulled off.

"Ungh!" Ok so jumping out of my truck probably was not the best idea to mix in with my clumsiness! I finally pulled myself up and heard my Renee laughing behind me, and I just glared at her.

"Sorry... honey, that... was just... a pure Bella moment!" She finally chocked out in breathes of laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Will you help me with the panels and make a fence?" Since my trailer had a living quarters we didn't have a need to stay at a hotel, so we could just stay in the same place as Sunny. My mother wasn't the strongest, but she helped me set the panels up into a round pen. Finally after ten minutes of setting it up Sunny was rolling around in his pen, so I went ahead and got his hay and grain in there containers. I found a water faucet and filled his bucket, which I knew I'd have to fill it a couple times before I went to bed for the night.

I went inside to eat and get ready for bed, I'd have a lot of driving again tomorrow. After filling Sunny's water again, I was able to head to bed, only to hear my alarm at 5 a.m. waking me up. I threw on my wranglers and blue tank top with my boots and headed out to check on Sunny.

"Morning boy, how are you this morning?" I asked, and as a reply I got a nudge in the shoulder. I got everything for travel again and put hay in the trailer, and tied Sunny up to put the panels away.

"Mom, time to wake up!" I swear sometimes I'm the parent, the responsible one. Renee finally got up and helped me put the panels away. Once that was done I loaded Sunny up and we were finally on the road that lead us to Forks Washington.

Finally after two days of driving, six stops to stretch we finally pulled into Forks Washington. I decided to call Charlie and he gave me directions to Cullen Farms, and said he would meet us out there. Pulling onto the drive to Cullen Farms almost took my breath away. They had a beautiful barn, with turn out pens and a hay shed. It was one of the most beautiful barns I have ever seen let alone been to, and to think Sunny will be staying here! I could feel the excitement building up. I heard a car pulling up behind me and turned to see Charlie getting out of his police cruiser. Renee had already gotten out, so I decided to get out as well.

"Hey there kiddo, what do you think?" Charlie asked, and I just stared at him, as a younger looking man walked up to us. He had beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes, a very handsome man.

"Hey Charlie, this must be your daughter Isabella?" He asked Charlie, and I finally snapped out of it.

"Yes, but please call me Bella. You have a beautiful farm here, thank you for letting me board my horse here," I was barely able to spit that out.

"It's no problem Bella, call me Carlisle. Shall we get your horse out and put him in a pasture? I'm sure he'll enjoy that," he asked looking at me. I unloaded Sunny and led him to the pasture everyone was waiting for me at. After I put Sunny in and closed the gate he was running around enjoying his new home.

"Bella would you like a tour of the farm?" Carlisle asked me. I just nodded and followed behind him. "This is the indoor arena, you'll be able to ride in here, just let us know when you would like to, I have an understanding that you compete in barrel racing?" Again I could only nod taking everything in. The arena was the nicest indoor arena I had ever been in. It had wood trim around the entire arena with windows to see out of, and at the end it had doors that could be open up to let fresh air in. I saw a couple people riding in there, they looked pretty young. " The people riding in here, I'm sure you'll get to know well, that's my son and daughter along with some of their friends, they also do rodeo."

Carlisle led us threw some doors at the end of the arena and into the stall area. He walked to the end and stopped in front of a stall and said "This will be Sunny's stall when he is not outside. You are responsible for feeding and cleaning out his stall unless you have made arrangements before hand." The stalls had wood doors with bars and had the horses name plates on the stalls. Carlisle finished the tour and we walked back to my truck. He told me where I could drop my trailer and leave it there while I'm not using it since Charlie wouldn't have room at his house for it. After all I did have a huge trailer, and I wouldn't trade for anything. That is until I backed up beside another trailer that had the words "Cullen Farms" on it and it made my trailer look like nothing, damn, it was a really nice trailer!

We said our good byes and followed Charlie back to his house, and then he got in the truck with Renee and I to head to Seattle. Since Renee drove with me up to Forks, she was going to catch a plane to where Phil was waiting for her. We said our good-byes and Charlie and I headed back to his house. That's when it finally hit me. Forks Washington was my new home, I no longer lived with my mother, nor in Phoenix. A song by Reba McEntire entered my head and it took all I could do to hold back the tears and frustration.

I was born 3 months too early

The doctor gave me 30 days

but I must of had my momma's will

And God's amazing grace

I guess I'll keep on livin'

Even if this loves to die for

Cause your bags are packed and I ain't cryin'

Your walking out and I'm not tryin' to change your mind

Cause I was born to be...

Chorus:

The baby girl without a chance

A victim of the circumstance

The one who oughta give up

But she's just to hard headed

A single mom who works two jobs

Who loves her kids and never stops

With gentle hands and a heart of a fighter

I'm a survivor...

I don't believe in self-pity

It only brings you down

Maybe the queen of broken hearts

But I don't hide behind the crown

When the deck is stacked against me

I just play a different game

My roots are planted in the past

And though my life is changing' fast

Who I am is who I wanna be

Chorus:

The baby girl without a chance

A victim of circumstance

The one who oughta give up

But she's just to hard headed

A single mom who works two jobs

Who loves her kids and never stops

With gentle hands and a heart of a fighter

I'm a survivor...

oh...A single mom who works two jobs

Who loves her kids and never stops

With gentle hands and a heart of a fighter

I'm a survivor...

But I must of had my momma's will

And God's amazing grace

I'm a survivor...(say once then hum)

You can do this Isabella. You are Isabella Marie Swan that lives in Forks Washington. Suck it up and deal, you will continue with rodeo and rebuild your name!