Prologue

J.K. Rowling once said: "We must try not to sink beneath our anguish... but battle on".

This had been Callie's mantra for the past two weeks.

She couldn't let the pain of her sister's death get to her, not right now at least. She had to keep running, if not for her own sake then for her two-year-old nieces'.

She continued driving up the winding road that would take her to Forks, Washington. Checking in her rear view mirror to make sure he wasn't following her, she found that she was still alone on the dark road.

Hearing a small movement from behind her, she looked into her rear view mirror once more to see her two-year-old niece shifting in her car seat, not once waking from her slumber. Little Brooklyn Avira had been quite the trooper throughout this unexpected trip. She hadn't questioned Callie when she awoke her from her slumber two weeks ago and put her in her car seat, where they began a long game of deceit. Taking an elongated trip from New York City, New York all the way to Forks, Washington. The many roads and stops should keep him busy for a while, at least hopefully.

Seeing the road that Callie knew would take her to her destination, she turned onto it and continued the journey.

After another hour of driving in absolute darkness and silence, she spotted the house that had been their destination for two weeks. The house itself was beautiful, a manor that was away from the hustle and bustle of the city, almost isolated by the woods surrounding it. From her understanding it sat on the exact line that divided Forks, Washington from La Push, Washington, which made the closest neighbor at least a mile away.

The red paint of the house stood out against the dark night, and seemed to almost invite travelers in. Callie pulled into the driveway and parked her red Ferrari behind a lime green mustang. She turned the car off and took the keys out of the ignition before opening the car door and stepping out into the misty August air. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she walked over to the other side of the car and opened the door, moved the front seat forward and reached in.

Carefully, she unbuckled Brook from her car seat and gently pulled her out of the car and into her arms as she remained in a deep sleep. Callie shut the door and started to walk towards the front door. When she reached it she hesitantly held up her hand and knocked twice.

Brook nuzzled her face into Callie's neck and took a deep breath as the door opened to reveal a slightly older woman. She took a long look at Callie and at the small child in her arms, taking in the bags that had taken a permanent home beneath Callie's gray eyes, and sighed quietly.

"Thank God you've finally made it, we've been expecting you for days," she said with relief evident in her voice as she motioned for Callie to come into the house.

She happily followed her into the warm house and let the front door shut behind her.