Chapter 1

I am nobody. I am nobody and I have nothing, nothing to lose. I've already lost it all. So I left all the reminders of pain in Texas and moved to Portland. I know it's running away, but at this point, it's all I can do. Running is the only thing that will keep me alive. If I surround myself in the grief, I won't be able to make it.

CatPOV

I felt something cold and wet on my face. It was such a rude awakening. What was more irritating is that it happened 15 minutes before my alarm went off.

"Dammit Chance! I had 15 more minutes, you couldn't wait until then?" I asked the dog with sleep dripped in my voice. He had placed his face directly in front of mine and was wagging his tail impatiently. I would have been able to ignore him, but there is no stamina in the world that can ignore that horrendous dog breath. He nudged me one more time, and I knew I would have to get up at this very moment.

"Fine," I grumbled as I rolled out of bed. Chance wagged his tail furiously and ran to the front door to wait on me. I rolled out of bed and attempted to smooth down my hair. The frigidness of the atmosphere took me off guard and a violent shiver ran down my spine. I shuffled to my closet and pulled out a thick jacket. I pulled on some slippers and ran to the door to take out the dog.

I still couldn't wrap my mind around how cold it was in Portland. Sure, it got cold in Texas, but I never feared for my health and safety when I went outside. This was downright hazardous! Chance seemed to enjoy it though. His yellow hair was short, as it was on all Labs, but he was still very uncomfortable in the Texas heat. Christy did as much as she could for him to try to keep him content, but there wasn't a whole lot that she could do other than let him play with ice cubes and keep his water bowl filled.

Christy. The name made my heart stop. I tried not to think about her much, ever since the fire. It was especially hard because I had Chance around and he was hers. He even acted like her; he was a complete spaz but sweet to the core. It's true what they say about dogs and their owners.

"Hurry it up, Chance! It's freezing!" I yelled. He looked at me, and then continued to sniff the ground in defiance. I knew he was finished, he just wanted to play outside a little bit longer. But, I had a few tricks up my sleeve.

"Are you hungry? You hungry, Chance?!" That caught his attention. He immediately ran towards me, and we raced up the stairs into my apartment.

I tried to keep my nerves low as I got ready for my first day at school. I had never been out of Texas, and to be starting the English Literature program in a state with a completely different curriculum was scary for me. I finished all my basics in Texas, and was ready to start on all the tough stuff. The university in Portland had a wonderful program, and I was very excited. Still, I couldn't shake the nerves. Chance could sense my unease and was by my side every second of the morning. Or maybe it was because he had become especially clingy to me after what happened in Texas. I couldn't tell.

My hair was frustrating me. I had hoped that getting out of the humid weather would help my brown, frizzy curls. My hope was lost after arriving here. It was still defiant, and I had to settle with throwing it into a messy bun. Stray curls fell around my face, but I wasn't going to bother with them today. I couldn't justify putting on any makeup. Makeup would only draw an attention that I didn't want. I was just going to do the bare minimum in terms of my looks. I couldn't risk it.

After I had finished my morning routine, I glanced at the clock. I had plenty of time to get to school, so I decided to take a minute and calm down. I sat on the couch and turned on the news. Immediately, flashes of a house fire in the area flashed across the screen. I quickly turned it off, and held back a sob. The images took me off guard. I turned to Chance who definitely sensed my sadness. He rested his head lightly on my lap and whimpered. I lightly touched his ear, well, what was left of it. I ran my hands down the length of his body, patches of fur missing here and there, replaced by scar tissue. I was so lucky to have him. I hoped he felt the same.

"Okay, Chance, I have to go now," I said with as much forced cheer as possible. Christy always spoke to him happily, and I tried to keep up that routine. He immediately lay down in front of the door and sulked. I tried hard to maneuver around him to make my way out, but he was making it difficult. "Chance," I said with very little authority in my voice. He didn't budge.

I sighed with resignation. Carefully, I scooted his body far enough away from the door so that I could slip by. "Be good. I'll be home in a few hours, and then I'll take you on a nice long walk. We'll get to know the city!"

As I ran out the door, I peeked behind me. He was still sulking in the same spot, and he would be there until I got home.

EmPOV

"Are you sure you don't want to give it a shot, Rose?" I had to make sure one last time. We had never done separate things in a new city. If she went to school, so did I. If she didn't, then I didn't. But this year was different. She wanted to work, which completely took me off guard, as well as the rest of the family. Rose never wanted to work.

"Yes, I'm sure, Emmett. I want to try something different. I'm allowed to do that, aren't I?" I didn't miss the sarcasm and irritation in her voice. I decided not to push it.

"Okay, Rose. I'll see you when I get home from school." I lifted up my bag and headed towards the door. I heard Rose clear her throat and draw in a sharp breath. When I turned, I swear I saw fire in her eyes.

"Forgetting something?"

I smiled. She knew I never forgot, but I still wanted to test her. I ran up to her and kissed her fiercely. Our hands ran over each other, and I was happy to see that our excitement for one another hadn't changed.

"Have a good day," I said with lust in my voice.

"You, too," she said softly. She always knew what drove me wild. I love this girl!

I ran down the stairs. My sisters, Alice and Bella were waiting for me. I could see Jasper hovering near the door and deduced that Edward was already in the car. I couldn't read minds like Edward, but I knew exactly what Jasper was thinking.

"Shotgun!" I yelled with my booming voice. Jasper took off towards the car. The house shuddered as I booked it towards the door. I knew Jasper was ahead of me, but he couldn't outrun this. I jumped, not as graceful as the others, but still incredibly effective. Jasper could sense my exhilaration and turned, but his reaction was a tenth of a second too late. I landed hard on his body. He growled as we rolled on the lawn. We landed a few feet from each other, but as Jasper tried to stand, I pushed him deep into the earth. I heard Alice yelling about something, but I was too excited about my win to fully listen to her. I could only guess that it was about the new outfit she bought Jasper.

I laughed as I got to my feet and continued running. My heart sank as I reached the car. Bella, taking advantage of the distraction between myself and Jasper, had raced passed us and made herself comfortable in the front seat.

"No fair! I called Shotgun!"

By this time, Alice and Jasper joined me at the car. Jasper was snickering as he changed his shirt. I guess Alice foresaw that Jasper would need it, so she brought him an extra. She silently scowled at me for the ruined shirt. I paid her no attention. My full and undivided attention was now towards the sneak who stole the front seat.

Bella turned towards me with amusement in her eyes. "I beat you Emmett, fair and square."

I knew she did, but I couldn't let it go. But before I could argue, I saw Alice getting into the car behind Bella. I knew what was happening, but it was too late. Jasper swiftly jumped in behind her.

"Aw, dammit! Now I have to sit behind Edward!" The car shook with laughter as I tried to squeeze in the backseat behind Edward. My enormous body barely had any room in the silver Volvo as is, let alone having to squeeze in behind Edward. I swear he moved in chair all the way back just to make it that much more uncomfortable for me. "You're such a traitor, Bella."

"Ah, but you still love me!"

"Yeah, yeah, favorite little sister." I glanced at Alice who was glaring at me. "What?" I demanded.

"Why am I not your favorite?" she asked with fake hurt in her voice.

"Because you are making me wear this ridiculous shirt, that's why. Any sister that loved me would know that I hate wearing polo shirts."

"Only a sister that loves you would buy you nice clothes and insist you make a good impression for the first day of the semester," she declared.

Edward flashed a glance at me in the rearview mirror. He didn't need to say it, but I knew what he was thinking. Okay, okay, I told him with my mind.

"Thank you for the shirt, Alice. It really is very nice."

She beamed at me. I agreed with Edward in wondering how something so annoying could fit in something so little. She nodded, accepting my half attempt at an apology.

We pulled up to the school in record timing, but it could have never been fast enough for me. I practically threw myself out of the car before Edward had even come to a complete stop. The rest of my family exited the car with grace and laughter.

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

"Oh, this thought that ran through Alice's mind," Edward said with a chuckle in his voice. "She thought that it looked like the car was giving birth to you, what with your struggle and all."

My family burst into an even louder laughter. I tried to look as mean as possible. Anyone else, human and vampire included, would have cowered once they saw the look on my face. It just made my family giggle even more. Even Jasper, who is so serious it sometimes makes my heart break, chuckled a little. I grabbed my bag and walked away, fuming. Oh they would pay. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but someday, they would pay.

Aw hell, it had to be today.