Forks wasn't quite raining—it was just damp everywhere, the fog draping over mailboxes and turning ordinary streets into shadowy, secretive corridors. Alex walked with his hands in his pockets, boots wet from a patch of moss he'd misjudged. The town felt half-asleep, the air thicker than usual, but strangely comforting, like the promise of a familiar book waiting at home.
He breathed in the metallic tang of wet bark, glanced absently at the water gathered in neat beads along the edges of car windows. Forks was quiet, content to keep its mysteries tucked between pine needles and puddles. Alex liked that. At least he could hear himself think—even if his thoughts spun in circles.
What was he even doing here? He scoffed inwardly. There wasn't much point hoping for grand destiny or soulmates in a place like this. Canon endings and cliché twists weren't for him. Maybe one day he'd slip away to some other world, find something exciting—One Piece, Game of Thrones, who knows. But for now, it was just him and a sleepy town that didn't ask too many questions.
As he rounded the corner of a narrow street, heading for the wooded path that cut behind the town, he heard footsteps—soft, deliberate, too light to be a stray animal. For a second Alex tensed, then relaxed.
Someone wanted to be seen.
Under a drooping cedar, morning light shifting through branches, stood a girl.
Petite, pixie cropped hair, and a stillness that was anything but ordinary. Her eyes—amber and knowing—met his with a spark of humor Alex couldn't quite read.
His first thought: She's cute. The sort of cute that made him want to look twice.
His next, more muted: That's Alice Cullen, right? And if canon had anything to say about it, she was definitely off-limits. Her and Jasper were legendary. Alex shrugged off the thought, defaulting instead to his usual casual self.
He offered an awkward, crooked smile. "Morning."
Alice stepped forward, hands folded, her smile bright and open. "You're Alex, right? The new face in Forks. I've been hoping I'd bump into you."
That threw him a little. Alex raised a brow, more surprised by her directness than by the fact that she already knew his name. "That obvious, huh? Didn't realize I'd get famous just by showing up."
Her laugh was light, a little bell against the fog. "In Forks, everyone's famous—at least for a week. But you're special. People talk."
Alex grinned, relaxing into the rhythm of the moment. "Hope they're saying I can at least find my way around town."
Alice's eyes glinted. "You'd be surprised—making it here at all is half the battle. Adjusting okay?"
He shrugged, easy. "The city still feels strangely familiar—endless rain, packed sidewalks… but that little café on the corner makes it all worth it."
"You get used to the rain," Alice replied, voice dipping as if she meant more than she said. "It keeps the air clean, don't you think?"
Alex couldn't help the smile that pulled at his mouth. "Or maybe it's just another way for nature to remind us the sunshine's on borrowed time."
That startled another laugh from her—genuine and close, like they were in on the same secret. He noticed, for the first time, how warm her presence was, but also the strange restraint behind it. Like she knew something he didn't. His eyes lingered on hers—a flicker of gold in the gray morning—but he stopped himself. Look, she's canonically spoken for. Move along, man.
Without thinking, he teased, "You always check on the newcomers? Or am I just more interesting because I get lost three times a week?"
Alice tilted her head, expression playfully exaggerated. "You bring new flavor to the routine. Forks likes its puzzling arrivals. Keeps us on our toes."
He chuckled, shoulders easing up. "I'll try to be a good puzzle then."
For a moment, the fog thickened. The world went quieter, but the energy between them—light, almost fizzy with the possibility of more than words—remained.
"Have you made any other friends yet?" Alice asked, feigning casual but with real interest in her gaze.
"Just Bella and her dad a bit," Alex replied. "Charlie's the only sheriff I've met who offers coffee as a peace treaty."
Alice's smile softened, approval flickering in her eyes. "Bella's great. Quieter than most people guess. Braver too."
Alex nodded, thoughtful. "Yeah. She's…kind. Doesn't feel so alone when she's around. You two close?"
"We're getting there," Alice answered, a trace of pride in her voice. "She's still figuring things out."
There was something else in her expression—a searching, hopeful nervousness that made Alex glance away. He felt it then: a weird lurch, a flicker of déjà vu, like he was supposed to know her. Maybe just first-week jitters. He shook it off.
"So," Alex said, shifting topics. "You got family around here, or are you always flying solo under suspicious trees?"
Alice laughed again—so easy, so bright it cut through the fog. "Big family. Most of us prefer to keep to ourselves. Small town life makes mystery a lot more fun."
Alex grinned. "Guess I'm learning. Seems like everyone here's got secrets."
"Some secrets," Alice agreed, eyes sharp and warm, "are definitely worth keeping."
A car pulled up nearby, engine low and quiet. Through the haze, Alex recognized the driver: a blonde, coldly beautiful—another Cullen, he thought. Rosalie, that had to be her. From the look she fired his way, Alex figured his reputation was already in the works.
Alice gave him a final, searching look—something brimming with promise, or maybe warning. "I'll see you later, Alex."
He nodded, smirking slightly. "Count on it."
Alice walked away, somehow lighter than air, crossing the street and snapping the spell. Alex felt the pull of anticipation, an odd comfort curling in his chest. She was definitely more than she seemed. Maybe, in this monotone world, there was room for a few surprises after all.
He watched until the car disappeared into the mist, then shoved his hands back into his pockets and wandered on, heart beating a little quicker. He didn't believe in fate or soulmates, but Forks was teaching him that sometimes, the next chapter was just waiting on the other side of the fog.