I never really wanted to move… I never really wanted half of the things that have happened to me happen, but they did anyways. It's almost as if fate has some score to settle with me. I can't complain… I am grateful for what I have… but I still am left to wonder what I could possibly have done to deserve what has happened to me so far.

I was a city girl by heart, I hate to admit it. I have always wished that I was a nature girl… don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the beauty of the earth… but I was better at roaming the busy cities of New York rather than hiking up the forgotten pathways of the mountains. I would have to change though, and I was prepared for it. Of all times, now was the best to change.

I used to live in New York… I loved it there, I had friends… and I had a family there. Sure… I might be a bit accident prone… and I wouldn't exactly call myself street savvy, but I loved it there. I loved how I could go out and hear the birds still singing through the bustle of the city. It represented hope in dire situations. I had to stay strong like the birds. I had to stay strong… If the birds could sing above the screams of the city then I could too.

I was moving to Forks Washington. I had never heard of it until now. I never would've imagined myself here… I wouldn't have told you that I would be here but… my parents were never nature people, they loved the city as well. But, when they died, I had no choice. I was put into an orphanage for about a month… which was odd, because I'm seventeen years old! It was torture knowing that I was only a year away from freedom, but I was stuck in an orphanage!

Anyways, after two months of surviving through the orphanage and the horrible food, a woman came in… I will never forget the day I saw Ms. Q. She was like a saint… her tan skin glowed through the sweat of the people around her. She was there because she needed water and was feeling faint… but her eyes caught on mine. Her hands flew to her mouth and she couldn't pull away her brown eyes from mine… neither could I.

She walked towards me, one arm outstretched. Her wrinkled hand touched my cheek as a tear leaked through my eye… it rolled down my cheek crashing against her palm. "What is your name?" asked Ms .Q. Her voice shook and crackled with old age.

"Melody…" My voice sounded as if it had many more years on it than it truly did. She took her hand away from my pale face and walked off towards the front room. I was left standing there, leaning against the dirty wall in a shadow. Half of my face glowed while the other half was shroud in darkness. I looked to the cracked mirror next to me and I saw the fire again.

My face was surrounded by fire again… I whipped my head away, more tears crashing down on my cheeks. My parents died in that fire… the same fire that left me with a scar on my arm that will never leave. I glanced down and I saw the pink puckered skin creeping up my arm like a disease. I shook my head, clearing it of the screaming that echoed through the flames of the fire.

So… now I am sitting in an old beat up car with Ms. And Mr. Q. They were from Forks and were Native Americans… I couldn't help but feel a bit awkward around them… it had been only a week since the day in the orphanage when I first met Ms. Q… and her husband wasn't too thrilled with her idea of adopting me. I could feel a bit of hatred seething from him towards me. I tried my best to ignore it as I listened to Ms. Q explain what was happening in her broken English. "You are going to live with us now… You will like it here. It is beautiful. We live in La Push reservation, and that is where you will live too. You will like it here." She kept on repeating how much I would like it… It made me a bit nervous. I nodded to what she said.

"You ain't gonna get into no trouble, are you? You one of those hooligans I see runn'n round here?" grunted Mr. Q. I shook my head no as he spoke. I was indebted to them for taking me out of the orphanage… I couldn't hear the birds in there anymore… it was such a sad place. Either way, I was never really the hooligan type. Even while my parents were alive and I lived in the most dangerous city in America I wasn't a partier. It hadn't appealed to me much… I would much rather stay home and paint…

I really do love to paint. It's so much easier than words. I've never been good with words… Never ever. My parent's death had made it that much harder to articulate what I was thinking and what I wanted. I wanted to thank Ms. Q, I wanted to crawl on the floor at her feet and cry to her about how much it hurt. How much it hurt to know that I will never see my parents again. And Mr. Q… I just wanted to ask why he hated me without knowing me… I doubted he even knew my full name. It was Melody Barber. I don't know what my name is anymore… Is it Melody Qua'an or is it Melody Barber?

We pulled into a nothing town… After the hours of driving and the hours of flying I was grateful that we had finally come to a civilization!!! I watched out of the glass window intently, taking in my new surroundings. I couldn't help but wonder if they had Chinese food here… probably not.

We passed through the town in about the equivalent of two minutes, where we came upon a small town. It actually didn't even constitute as a town. I watched curiously as men brought in fish from the ocean… and women were shopping and gossiping. There were a few children chasing each other around playfully. I sighed softly, I wasn't sure what to expect… I guess I knew now.

We all stopped at a small house that looked more dead than alive. As if on cue, a piece of wood fell from the roof just as the engine was cut. I tried to keep myself from grimacing… "Here we are!" said Ms. Q cheerfully. I nodded slowly, a smile on my lips to reassure her. I opened the door and crawled out of the car wearily. I was all too aware of the stares I was getting.

People… didn't seem to welcome me… their eyes glared upon me. I glanced down at my clothes. I was wearing green gloves without fingers and I was wearing a tan jacket that was bought at a second hand shop. It couldn't be what I was wearing… could it? I ran my fingers through my auburn hair, it all seemed okay… sure, it wasn't perfect. But, in my defense I had been traveling for well over a day! My long wavy hair was pulled into a pony tail with a few bobby pins to keep it in place… they weren't working well.

What else could it possibly be!? I ran over myself once more… and then I stopped. I was white… Whites don't usually live on Indian Reservations… I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to block it all out. I couldn't change my skin so I would just have to grin and bear it. I turned around and Mr. Q practically threw my bag at me. I dodged it and he walked into the house without another word. I grabbed my single suitcase and followed them into the house. I stayed silent, it seemed like it would be for my own good.

A boy was standing a bit away from my new home… He was about seventeen from what I could tell… he had short black hair and a tattoo on his arm. I blushed and looked away because he wasn't wearing a shirt… Not that I was complaining… he certainly was in the position to not wear a shirt if he wished to. I thought I saw him grin at my embarrassment, but I hustled inside too quickly to see.

Inside the house it was comfy… a bit cramped… but as I smelt the tea boiling on the stove and I saw the pictures on the wall I relaxed. I took a moment to look at the pictures… most of them were pretty common pictures, but there was one that seemed out of place. It was of a girl that was about seven years old. She had long black hair and tan skin. She was on a swing laughing. It seemed so out of place for the couple's home. The place seemed like someone younger than thirty had never entered the home in many, many years.

Ms. Q led me into a basement. The steps were very steep and I took my time getting down them so that I didn't trip. At the end of the dark steps was a room… a room about the size of a bathroom in some homes. In the room was a bed with purple sheets on them. They were tucked in carefully, just like in a hospital. A dresser stood against the other side of the room leaving just enough space to walk around. Ms. Q looked so happy with it that I became happy too. It was far better than the orphanage… but I couldn't help but compare this new home with my old one… How ungrateful of me.

I gave Ms. Q an awkward hug, but she didn't seem to notice. She showed me how she had cleared out the drawers in the dresser and how the mirror was brand new. I thanked her repeatedly and she excused herself to give me some time… I placed my suitcase on the bed and it bounced unnaturally. I unzipped it and started to place things on my new dresser.

First came a picture of my parents. My mom and dad were both hugging and they both looked so genuinely happy. I had my mom's hair and my dad's eyes. The smiled at me from the picture and I smiled back at them, unconsciously raising my hand to hold my burn. Next, I had a picture of my friends. They were a bit odd… and I was sure that they would miss me for a while. For some strange reason though, I didn't think that they would put in too much effort to stay in contact with me. Next, I had a singed piece of clothe that I had kept. It was from my old bed.

I then took out my clothes. I had never been into style, so they were rather plain. A few blouses of different colors and a few sheer tops to cover them. A few pairs of jeans were also packed with them, along with some jackets. I had also packed mittens, scarves, socks, and underwear. I folded each article and placed them neatly into the dresser slowly. The last things to be unpacked were my toothbrush, my hairbrush, some perfume, and a stuffed animal of a rabbit.

I looked at my room, taking it in once more. I reminded myself to look for paintings to adorn the walls. It was too plain. I could paint something for it, but all I seemed to be able to paint were flames right now. It would end soon enough… just creative stifling.

I had lived here for about a month now. School was out for the summer, so I didn't have to worry about that anytime soon. People had gotten used to a "pale face" running around. I had even gotten a few kind people to say hello. That was on a good day. Ms. Q seemed happy with me, talking to me about the town gossip. It took everything in me to keep up with her chatter. Mr. Q hadn't warmed up to me yet… the only time we really spoke was when he asked me to pass him the salt at dinner time.

I was walking around… I had taken a liking to the beach. It was very inspiring. Too bad I couldn't see past the flames. I had grabbed a stick to walk with. I was using it to draw in the sand as I walked… it was chilly here, even in summer. The waves lapped up at my drawings, disintegrating the fact I had even been here. I hadn't seen that boy around much… every time I did all I could do was blush.

I heard a bark from behind and I saw a small mutt run towards me. He had a bum eye that was closed permanently. I liked him. He was different, just like me. We both had the scars to prove it. I hadn't been brave enough to wear a short sleeved shirt out yet, I was too self conscious. "What shall we do today?" Asked I to the dog. He seemed puzzled over my question. "What do you say we explore today!?" The dog nipped at my jacket as if to say yes. "Let's explore the woods. They look like they could be fun."

I walked off, deserting my stick in the sand along with my aimless drawings. I started to walk through the overgrown plants, trying not to trip on them. It was harder than it looked. I hummed a tune to myself, nothing particular. I was trying to cheer myself up, not that I was terribly unhappy… I wasn't sure how to feel in a time like this. I reminded myself to start using words soon; otherwise I would forget their meanings. Talking to a dog did not count.

I hummed some more, and then I heard rustling behind me. I turned around, but nothing was there. I continued on my way. It made me a bit nervous… I hadn't taken into account that there would be other things exploring too. I could only hope that they weren't looking for someone like me. I shuddered, but pushed that thought out of my mind. The rustling started again and I glanced behind me. I had stopped humming by now. The cold had reached my bones by now. The dog had stopped as well, the hair on its back standing up a bit.

I grabbed a nearby stick tentatively. If I was going to get killed, I wasn't going down without a fight! "Whoever's there, you'd better come out now!" I tried to sound convincing. I didn't know if it worked… I was rather tiny and not really intimidating. I prayed that a miracle would happen and I wouldn't be put on the missing persons list any time soon.

Another bit of rustling and that boy stepped out of some bushes. He wasn't wearing a shirt… again. I blushed but I didn't lower my weapon. I was ready to fight. He was grinning and he seemed to be enjoying this immensely. "Don't take another step!" I warned. "I will… hit you!" I gripped at the stick with sweaty palms. He took another step towards me and I swung blindly. I heard something crack and I opened my eyes. I was only holding half of a stick. "What!?" I stood there in shock holding the half of a stick. My eyes rose to his in awe.

"I don't think that worked…" said the boy. I tried to focus on his eyes, but his body was a bit… distracting. I could feel heat rush to my cheeks. He got a bit closer to me and I was left with nothing but my fists to defend myself. I put up both fists like I had seen in boxing movies. "I wouldn't try that one either…"

"Why are you here!?" My voice shook, unfortunately making me sound even feebler.

"You were the one who said that I had better come out." He shrugged his muscular shoulders. "Just taking orders." I didn't lower my fists. I wasn't sure about him. I couldn't be sure…

"What's your name?"

"Jacob. Yours?"

I debated in my mind whether to answer or not. I wasn't thinking straight as I answered. "Melody." He started to take another step, and before I could even tell if it was towards or away from me, I swung my fists which crashed down upon his chest as if they didn't affect him. He caught up my hands in his own where they were disabled immediately.

"Don't test me." His voice had changed from a playful tone to a serious one. My breathing quickened as did my heartbeat. I was standing there alone with a boy that had me at his will. The dog had run off a while back, traitor. How had the tables turned from me holding a stick to him holding me!?

"Try me." I spat in his face, if I was going to go down… I might as well do it in flames. All of a sudden his grip tightened on my hands and then they were on my shoulders, shoving me against a tree.

"I said don't test me! God damn it, how hard would it be to listen!?" His nose was inches away from mine. My green eyes bore into his. His muscles pressed into my body, but I ignored it. He seemed to be going through some internal conflict. My sleeve had drooped around my elbow exposing my forearm. His eyes caught on my burn and he grabbed my arm, examining it. Had he never heard of personal space!? "How'd it happen?"

"How'd what happen?" I let bitterness flood my voice. How dare he look at my burn… I had spent my entire stay here trying to hide it.

"The burn." He seemed curious now. He had some real mood swings…

"It happened in fire…" I wanted to stop there, but the words didn't stop there… they kept on going. "My parents died in it. I nearly died in it." He grasped the still fragile burn a bit too hard and I let out a gasp. He didn't hear me as his grip got tighter and tighter on my arm. I yelped and finally he looked up, he had gotten out of his trance.

"Sorry…" He backed away. "Forget that ever happened. He then disappeared into the woods, leaving me standing there clueless. The dog had come back, now that he was sure the danger had left. I looked down at him and said, "Wimp." He seemed to understand what I was saying because he averted my gaze. I looked back into the woods, "Jacob… You're really odd. You might even be odder than I." It was more of a question than a statement, as if I thought he could still hear me. I shook my head and started to head back home.

I made a mental note not to tell anyone about what had happened. No need to worry Ms. Q and no need to enforce the fact that I had the potential to be a hooligan to Mr. Q. That, and the fact that what had happened felt private in a way… as if I had shared something that no one else had ever shared. I shook my head, I was going crazy.

Dinner time was always a bit awkward… Mr. Q refused to acknowledge me and Ms. Q tried desperately to make it all normal for me. I really appreciated all of this, but why would she adopt me if she knew her husband would hate me? It didn't make sense… I tried not to think about it, I just tried to stay out of the way. This was one of those times I wished I could speak… If I could, I would spark up a conversation that would enthrall both Mr. Q and Mr. Q. Too bad the only things I had to talk about what the little dog that followed me (of whom I decided to name Rocky) or the fact that the boy named Jacob had assaulted me in the woods.

I slumped in my chair a bit and took a deep breath. I might as well talk about something. I don't know why I said this, but it slipped out in my desperate attempt for conversation, "I met a boy named Jacob a few days ago…" The clink of silverware stopped.

"Jacob Black?" asked Mr. Q in a grave voice. I nodded. "You are to stay away from those no good hooligans. You hear me? You will just end up getting hurt." I thought I heard him mutter something else under his breath.

"Why?" I almost had to kick myself for continuing the conversation. I must've lost some serious logic and reasoning skills…

"Why!? Because, they… they are… Just do as I say!" What wasn't he telling me!?

Ms. Q said something to him in a language I didn't understand, but her tone was a bit wary while it warned him… I sat there dumfounded. "Why can't I talk to him!?" I slammed my fork down. Why was I defending him? Most likely so that I still had something to defend. I clung onto the fact that I had something to actually fight about now. "I am a good girl. I haven't done anything wrong! Why can't I speak to him!?"

"Because, you will just end up in a coffin!"

"A coffin!?" I shook my head. "I am not going to die! I've already escaped that one!" I stood up, angry. I pulled on my jacket and glared at them before barging out of the door. "Why can't I make friends here!? He's the only one that didn't glare at me because I'm a pale face!" And with that, I slammed the door. I got outside and it was already darkening considerably.

I wanted to cry, but I couldn't cry there… I could never cry in public. The tears would never come. I walked to the beach again, letting the tears soak my face. I brought my shaking hands up to my eyes, to attempt to dry them. Oddly, I hadn't cried since I had moved here. Everything just came rushing back to me so quickly…

The burning… that smell of smoke filled my nostrils once again as I sat there on the beach sobbing. I heard my mom screaming for me to run! I did what she said, but I got caught somewhere… And I must've fainted because the last thing I remember is the blinding light and the screams of my mother telling me to get out. The next thing I knew I was in the back of an ambulance speeding to the hospital. My lungs felt like they had been burnt to a crisp and they made a funny noise when I tried to breathe.

I stared out at the beach, trying to catch my breath. I felt Rocky at my feet, nudging my hand. I smiled hopelessly and I scratched him between the ears. His eyes grinned at me happily. I stared back out at the setting sun slipping beneath the waves. It was really dark… I wish I had brought a light or something, I would have a tough time getting home.

I could hear the waves lapping up at my feet… I kicked off my shoes and welcomed the cool water. My entire body burned with anger. I heard something besides me. I turned and Jacob was standing there, without a shirt. I was sure that I was the only person alive that would complain about him being half naked… with a body like that, I must've lost quite a few brain cells. "What do you want?"

"Just saying hi…" He sat himself besides me without an invitation. I didn't dare let my eyes look at him.

"Well, hi, what now?" I was so bitter. How dare he interrupt this!? I had just finished defending him and I wanted to cry…

"Why are you crying?"

"Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't." I paused and let myself glance at him. His gorgeous body was lit up by the moons reflection on the water. He looked very in tune with the earth. I pictured myself… I was sitting there, my pale skin lit up by the even paler light, making me look translucent. My green eyes would be nearly incomprehensible in the darkness. My hair was let loose and it hung around my face in auburn waves.

"I just got finished fighting with my new parents…" I wasn't going to tell him that I was fighting about him. The word "new" felt horrible on my tongue. I wanted my old parents. Another tear slid down my face.

"They're good people…" said Jacob. I nodded. I couldn't deny it. "But, I doubt they make good substitutes for parents… they are a bit unorthodox when it comes to parenting." He leaned backwards. I sat there silent, listening to his breathing. I shivered a bit under my jacket. I felt him get a bit closer, but then retreat back to his original place on the sand.

All of a sudden, I became aware of where I was and with whom. I was sitting on a deserted beach with him again… I was putting myself in horrible situations. I stood up quickly, "I-I-I have to go." I whipped around and started walking aimlessly down the beach, trying to squint in the darkness so that I wouldn't trip.

A gust of wind sent me backwards, and when I squinted in the wind I saw a person towering above me. "Jacob? Is that you?" My eyes caught on a pair of eyes that shone in the darkness.

"Hey, Jake, you always do pick out pretty ones." His eyes hadn't connected with mine yet, but I knew it wasn't Jacob. His voice was lower and he seemed more threatening. I took a shaky step backwards. "Don't even think of running." Jacob had appeared next to me in moments. I could feel the heat from his body. I tried to stop shaking, but with both the cold and the boy in front of me weren't helping.

"What do you want Paul?" asked Jacob.

"You know why I'm here. The rest of the pack is too scared to tell you, but I can't just let you break the rules like this. You can't imprint on two girls."

"I haven't." Jacob seemed really tense… I didn't know who the person was in front of me, but I didn't like him much. I felt the odd need to protect Jacob once again.

"Sure you haven't, but remember I know what you're thinking. And to all of us it seems you've imprinted twice." His head cocked to me. "What's your name?"

"M-M-Melody." I tried to sound strong.

"Renesme and Melody. Come on man, you've gotta stop breaking rules. You have to have one imprint mate."

I stepped in between the two. "I don't know what you're talking about, but stop it! Why the heck are you both arguing!?"I felt the boy who's name was Paul grab my hand roughly.

"You really don't know what you've got yourself into." The bastard seemed to be enjoying watching me squirm under his grip.

"Paul, stop it!" yelled Jake who was there trying to break Paul's grip on my arm. I thanked god that it wasn't my burnt arm. I doubted even Jacob could stop what he was doing, his strength seemed like it had no end. As I thought that, my arm was released from his death grip.

I stalked towards Paul angrily. "Who do you think you are!?" I raised my hand to slap him and brought it down as hard as I could against his face. It didn't have any affect. "Oh my…" I muttered. An explosion happened in front of me and soon Paul wasn't the one standing in front of me anymore, it was a wolf. He pounced on top of me, the nails piercing my shoulders. I screamed and thrashed around trying to free myself.

I was going to die. I knew it… no one could get me away from this wolf. But, just as I thought that, yet another wolf pushed the grey one off of me. The new wolf was brown and his eyes were oddly familiar. The two wolves tore at each other. I couldn't see much, but the snarls were enough. I grasped my wounded shoulder and the blood soaked my fingers. I didn't know what to do… "Jacob…" I whispered out for help, but there was no way anyone would hear me over the snarling of the wolves.

I heard a small bark and I saw Rock advancing on the fight scene. He looked very determined as he ran straight into the brawl. I ran to him, trying to stop him but I was too late. The little dog was in that huge fight somewhere. I stood motionless for a moment before running straight into the fight.

"Rocky?" I cried out, desperately. If I was going to die, then let it be. I would much rather die early with cause than old by something as simple as old age. I grabbed the little dog that was shaking, I didn't know whether he had been hurt or not, my hands were already soaked with my own blood so I couldn't differentiate between the two. I threw him from the brawl and got caught under a heavy paw. I didn't know who to scream for…

Blood rushed into my mouth and I crumbled into a ball. I knew that there was more blood… I didn't know what was happening though. The paw disappeared and I was in the arms and I was really warm… really, really warm. It reminded me of the place I nearly died… the fire… but I wasn't afraid anymore, I was tired. So tired. I let my eyes drift close, but I couldn't fall asleep… I couldn't give up. I had to hear the birds again.

I looked up to see who was holding me. It was Jacob… Not him again… I thought back to what had happened… what did Paul mean about Jacob imprinting on two different people? Who was Renesme? All the thinking was giving me a throbbing headache so I stopped with the questions in my head. I saw Jake's eyes looking at me. Despite myself, I grinned up at him, blood trickling down my chin.

He smiled, but his smile was full of pain. I hoped that he wasn't hurt too. I could handle this. I could handle anything.