Even though Forks was a town of only three thousand people and already tiny by this country's standards, her father was still the police chief. The position alone meant he was not an ordinary man, even if the town itself was small.
The former owner of this body never made use of that fact, but Bella understood it clearly, and building a better relationship could only help.
"Fifty, one hundred, fifty, one hundred," she whispered as she counted the cash in her wallet. It was March of 2000, and there was no mobile payment. The former self had no credit card either, so everything she had was in cash.
She walked while counting, her head down, when a girl wearing headphones came toward her from the opposite direction. Both of them were in a hurry, and neither saw the other in time. They collided hard without any warning.
There was a dull thud, and because Bella was taller, her chin slammed straight into the girl's forehead. She cried out and staggered back two steps, her chin numb and her head ringing. She grabbed the wall to steady herself and barely avoided falling.
The other girl looked just as miserable. Forgetting about appearances, the girl in a light purple knit sweater squatted on the floor and rubbed her forehead hard, clearly hit badly as well.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Sorry, that was my fault."
Bella and the girl spoke at the same time, both apologizing. Bella really had not been watching where she was going, and being away from home, she had no desire to cause trouble, so her apology was sincere.
The collision knocked Bella's wallet out of her hand. Ten and five dollar bills spilled everywhere, and while the total was not huge, the sheer number of notes made it look like a lot. The sight made the girl feel even more guilty.
While both of them kept apologizing, the girl's family hurried over to help gather the scattered money. A middle-aged man even asked whether Bella needed to go to the hospital. Unlike Bella, who was an only child, the other side was a family of five, a very typical American family.
There was a married couple with three children, two boys and one girl. The one who hit Bella was the daughter, and the young man beside her looked like an older brother. Farther away was a younger boy holding a toy box, his face full of unruly energy that made it obvious he was the youngest.
But the girl was really beautiful. Even Bella had to admit it. Her eyes seemed to carry a natural charm, her features neat and delicate, and her lips curved slightly upward.
Her face was full of youthful softness, and her figure was graceful. She did not look fully grown yet, probably one or two years younger than Bella. Despite the pain, she discreetly rubbed her forehead again, then looked up and was momentarily stunned by Bella's appearance.
Clear brows, fair skin, and a smooth glow that looked almost moisturized on its own filled her vision. Bella's lips were vivid, and there was a faint shine between her teeth when she spoke. Without any makeup at all, her beauty was already beyond what most people could reach, though the fatigue between her brows and the former owner's pale complexion slightly marred it.
Natural beauties were rare, and two of them colliding face to face was even rarer. They looked at each other, both a little embarrassed.
"I'm really very sorry," the girl said again.
"I should be the one apologizing. I wasn't watching where I was going," Bella replied.
They were strangers who met by chance, with no real need to get to know each other. With a head full of worries, Bella politely said goodbye to the family of five and prepared to leave. Before she could take more than a step, a loud shout rang out nearby.
"There they are! I see them, grab them!"
Everyone turned to look and saw four people, three men and one woman, charging at them from the east and west corridors. Their movements were aggressive, and their presence alone felt intimidating. Bella noticed the family of five freeze in shock, and she herself was momentarily confused.
What was going on? Robbers? In an airport, in broad daylight?
The husband instinctively reached for his phone to call the police, but before he could do anything, the four were already in front of them.
The lead man, with black hair and a thick face, reached out with a hand like a paddle and grabbed toward Bella's shoulder. Was he coming for her? She was not about to surrender when danger was right in front of her.
Ever since learning this was a Marvel world, she had kept her guard up and prepared herself. She pulled out her pepper spray and emptied nearly half the can straight into the man's eyes. Then she followed it with a kick aimed where it mattered most.
She was tall, so her legs were long, and she had been saving this kick. It was steady, accurate, and ruthless, without a hint of hesitation.
The black-haired man had no way to withstand that kind of blow and collapsed in agony, clutching himself and rolling on the ground with tears streaming down his face.
Bella had just taken him down when another thin man rushed at her. Without the element of surprise, she was just an ordinary person who had never trained in combat and had no special powers. Fortunately, the mother from the family of five looked tough and experienced, as if she had practiced fighting before.
She stepped in front of Bella, grabbed the thin man's fist, turned her body, and used her waist and back to throw him cleanly over her shoulder. It was a smooth and powerful move that slammed him to the floor.
In the same brief moment, the two men coming from the west corridor were also taken down one by one.
After realizing how dangerous this world could be, Bella had prepared herself mentally. Even if a few would-be robbers showed up, she would not be shocked. If aliens suddenly appeared, she felt she could accept that too.
The family of five reacted very differently. The husband looked timid, and though he seemed to want to say something after seeing his wife defeat the attackers, he stayed silent. The pretty girl who had collided with Bella looked excited, biting her lip with an obvious urge to join in.
The young man who was likely the brother showed no clear expression, as if he had been scared stiff. The youngest boy did not look like he was pretending at all, he was completely frozen. With the family, plus Bella, they had the numbers, and this was still an airport, where people were already starting to point and whisper.
The man and woman from the east corridor hesitated when they saw the situation. The woman shot her partner a look, and while he drew attention, she circled around and rushed toward the youngest boy behind Bella. She snatched the toy car from the child's hands and shouted without looking back.
"I've got it! Split up!"
She turned and ran as fast as she could. Bella stared in shock, completely stunned. They caused such a huge scene just to steal a child's toy car in an airport?
She could not understand Americans at all. More importantly, the man she had kicked earlier clearly had a handgun hidden on him. Even with bad public safety, it was not normal for someone to carry a gun everywhere.
Something about this was very wrong.
The girl's mother could not figure out why these people wanted to steal her son's toy car. As a sheriff herself, she felt something was wrong, even if the target made no sense. Still, it was just a toy, and with her husband and two children beside her, chasing them alone did not seem worth the risk.