WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN

≪•◦ CHAPTER ONE .... PERMANENT MOVE ◦•≫

••●••

Colby slowly walked out of her high school, which was situated in the middle of nowhere in Maryland. She didn't bother remembering exactly where it was; she knew it wasn't smart to forget since she drove to school every day, but frankly, she didn't care. Muscle memory did the job for her.

Chloe and Jaxson, the twins, along with the youngest, Talia, were already waiting for their sister by her car, impatiently. "Hurry up! Mom and Dad said they want us home earlier than seven like we've been getting home. Plus, Jason and Grace are already there," Jaxson said, getting into the passenger seat while Chloe and Talia climbed into the back. Chloe sat behind her twin brother, and Talia took the seat behind Colby once the eldest unlocked the car.

"Chill, Jax. It's only four fifty. You don't hear Chloe or Talia complaining. Plus, Jason is out of a job right now; he's always home," Colby said as she threw her volleyball bag in the back between her two little sisters, started the car, and backed out of her parking spot in the almost empty school lot.

"It's probably another 'we're moving' talk, which is always why they want us home earlier," Talia said. Chloe nodded in agreement.

"Exactly, and you like to drive slower than the speed limit or 'get us lost' on the way home to get food or talk about volleyball practice and how much Lilianne pissed you off," Jaxson said, giving his sister a blank look.

Colby rolled her eyes at her little brother, then chuckled. "Okay, and why are you complaining? I get you guys food too when you ride with me. Plus, she is a bitch, and you know that." Colby sped up to meet the speed limit.

"I know, but still," Jaxson said with a small laugh.

"A little paranoid, J?" Chloe asked from the back.

"No, I just want to get this talk over with so I can get a head start on packing," Jaxson said with a laugh.

"What if it's a 'we're having a baby!' surprise?" Colby said, laughing at the look on her brother's face. She knew that wasn't what their parents were going to tell them, especially since she overheard them the night before talking about how amazing the new house was and that it was in Washington. She just couldn't hear the name of the town because her parents left the living room and went to their room while Colby was eavesdropping from the kitchen.

"Anyone down for McDonald's, I'll buy?" Jaxson said with a nervous laugh. "With what money?" Chloe asked as the three girls in the car burst into laughter as Colby continued to drive home. The rest of the drive was in comfortable silence, other than the soft pop music playing in the background. Colby pulled into the driveway of their two-story home, already spotting the For Sale sign hammered into their newly cut grass.

"What a surprise," Colby, Talia, Chloe, and Jaxson said simultaneously.

"So no new baby, thank God!" Jaxson celebrated as they walked into their house, seeing Jason, Grace, and their parents already waiting for them.

"I got home on time. It's only five thirty," Colby said as she sat between Grace and Jason. Talia, Chloe, and Jaxson sat on the floor beside each other, leaning back onto their older siblings.

The rest of the Salvatore family laughed along with Colby before the conversation started. "Okay, now let me tell you guys why we called this family meeting," their mom, Heather, began.

"Not going to lie, we probably already know. I've seen this setting before, plus the For Sale sign is up on the front lawn," Colby said, and the family laughed.

"Well, that's right, we're moving again!" their dad, Christopher, said excitedly.

The six kids looked at each other, then towards their father. "We know but where?" they asked simultaneously.

"I know you guys already know, but this move will be different," Heather continued.

"You said that last time," Grace butted in.

"Let me finish," Heather demanded, and all of her kids raised their hands in mock surrender.

"This move is permanent." All their jaws dropped to the floor. 'Permanent? This is going to be interesting,' Colby thought, her mind racing with possibilities.

"You're lying," Jaxson said, looking around the room with wide eyes. "You're pranking us, I swear," he added, sitting up straighter. "That's never been a thing."

"No, we're not pranking you. We're being serious," Christopher told his kids, his tone firm yet gentle. He could see the skepticism in their eyes, the way they were waiting for the catch. "There's no catch, and you know what else?" Christopher said, raising a brow and sharing a knowing glance with his wife.

"What?" Talia asked, her curiosity piqued.

"You all get your own rooms, meaning girls, you don't have to share a room anymore," Heather said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at the two older girls and the two younger girls, who were now smiling at one another with excitement.

"Deal!" they all said in unison, their voices filled with enthusiasm.

"But, like, one more small question," Colby said, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"What is it, Colb?" Christopher asked, his eyes softening as he looked at his daughter.

"Where are we even going?" Christopher smiled at his kids, then at Heather, a sense of anticipation building in the room.

"It's a small town in Washington called Forks," Christopher answered. Colby's hazel eyes widened with happiness. Forks was a place she had always bugged her parents about visiting. She loved the rain and small towns, and Forks had both of those in abundance.

"When are we leaving?!" Colby asked excitedly, her heart pounding with excitement.

"A week and a half from today. With all eight of us packing, it won't take long. We already have new furniture waiting for us at the house, and the couch and kitchen table will be thrown out. So really, we just need to pack the rooms, living room, and kitchen," Heather said, snapping her fingers and making boxes appear out of thin air. "Not to mention, we may or may not be witches, but still." Heather laughed, and soon the rest of the family joined in before rushing to their rooms to start packing.

────── ☽ ──────

Colby was now sitting on the floor of her now box-filled side of her and Grace's bedroom, looking through an old scrapbook she found under her bed. The room was a mess of half-packed boxes and scattered belongings, a testament to the whirlwind of activity that had taken over their lives.

Flipping through the pages, she smiled at the pictures of her and her family on vacations they took every other summer. Last summer, the Salvatore family went to Las Vegas for Jason's twenty-first birthday. She laughed at the drunken pictures of her older brother and herself. Her parents had let Colby and Grace drink with Jason. At seventeen, Colby was a lightweight; she got drunk off of three margaritas, while it took four for Grace and Jason.

Colby yawned and looked at her watch on her left wrist, reading two am. Even as a witch, it took her hours to pack, probably because she got distracted too easily. The rest of her siblings and parents had finished packing around seven thirty pm. By then, Colby was barely half done. Then her parents ordered pizza, and she didn't start packing again until ten pm.

Colby put the scrapbook carefully into the last box and taped it up, careful not to wake her sleeping older sister. She looked around their room at all the boxes, the week and a half worth of clothes, and her bed. She wasn't going to lie to herself; she was going to miss Maryland. Even though the Salvatore family only lived there for about nine months, they made a lot of memories. But she was ready to make new ones in Forks, Washington.

Colby stripped down, put on her sleep shorts and an old oversized shirt, and climbed into bed with a content sigh. The room was quiet, except for the soft breathing of her older sister and the distant hum of the night. She closed her eyes, ready for this week and a half to be over so her family could start their new lives.