Chapter 1.

POV: Carlie

I followed my phones GPS through the winding beach city roads. I had asked dad to please not go over the top on my location this time. Granted his arguments in the past had been that mom and him would also be living in the house too. This time was my first time living all by myself. It only took me a full five years and a promise to call them weekly on fridays. Of course with that agreement it also meant that at least for the first month the rest of my family would be expecting updates too.

It was going to be weird not living with them all. Coming from a good family and now here I am. Driving alone through a California town. I felt my stomach in my throat. Maybe I am not old enough to be on my own. Maybe my dad was right. I do grow faster but I am still really young. Especially when you look at my projected life span.

I was distracted and missed a turn. Damit. I need to focus on the road. It would prove my dad right if I could not even find my house. I needed to hear my family's voice. Not one of the ones that would blow it all out of proportion. I am just feeling anxious about living on my own for the first time. Surly that is normal.

I pulled my phone out of the holder on the dash of my fathers volvo. He gave it to me so I would feel connected to home every time I drove to school. I felt closer to him right now as I dialed the one number of the person who would make me feel better.

"Hello?" a male voice came through the speaker of the car.

"Hi" I said. My voice sounded closer to tears than I would have liked.

"Give me a moment" I heard him speak into the phone before he hung up.

I followed my GPS I was about fifteen minutes away from my destination. I knew it would not take him that long to get back to me.

My phone rang loud over the speaker.

"Hey baby girl whats going on" Uncle Jasper asked.

"I'm nervous. My stomach is in my throat. Maybe dad was right maybe I am not ready to live on my own" I cried out.

"Take a deep breath. What you are feeling is totally natural. Everyone feels that way when they are taking the first step into independence" His voice sounded calm.

I breathed deeply listening to my Uncle trying to soothe me. He was always the one helping me through my anxiety growing up. He was the one I told when my first boyfriend broke my heart.

My parents had been out hunting that weekend with the rest of my family. Uncle Jasper stayed behind to supervise that I made it home safe and sound. He had let me walk into the house belly flopping on the couch. I broke into tears. I was not invested in the boy. He was not my one true love. It was just something for me to do because I was bored. I knew that. I had let myself be on this pedestal where I believed that he would not break up with me. So I might have not been heart broken. I had just hurt my pride.

Anyway Uncle Jasper had brought out Ice cream with Blood sauce. Handing it to me we turned on a sappy romantic comedy. I curled into my uncle and we stayed that way until my parents came home. Uncle Jasper had always been a safe place to fall for me.

"Have you made it to the house yet?" He asked.

"No. I am turning the corner to it now" I told him. Already feeling better.

"You will love it. Aunty Alice set up your closets. Yes plural. Aunty Rose made sure you had a flashy car in the garage for when you want to be a show off. Uncle Emmett overhauled the entertainment system. Your mother put family pictures on the wall. Your father oh gosh he has a world class security system in place. Grandma put a phenomenal kitchen. Grandpa made sure you have all the medical supplies you may need at your fingertips. And I got you a gym in your spare room" Uncle Jasper's voice calms me down further. I think he knew that. He used to do this to me when I was younger just though his voice he would settle me.

"Ok. I think I am brave enough to do this" I told him.

"You are brave enough. You are number one in my army kido. I would not give that position to just anyone" His southern drawl really came out with that sentence.

"Thank you" I told him.

"You are very welcome. Call anytime. For anything. I love you"

"Love you too" I said and we both hung up the phone.

I parked in the driveway of a house that could not scream more Cullen's house if it tried. The front of the house was a gray. With a big mint green door. Instantly I knew my father had gotten that door painted specifically for me. I had fallen in love with mint green a few years ago. The nice thing about being a Cullen is the fact that my family made sure that everything I could possibly want would already be here.

I clicked the garage door button on my keychain revealing the car Aunty Rose decided to give me. Oh my gosh. A mint green Mazda MX-5 Miata. I would need to call her and say thank you. This car is so pretty. Climbing out of the Volvo I grabbed my backpack. I touched the flashy car. Oh gosh I will have to name you. My mind went blank. I will name you on our first joy ride. I smiled as I saw the note on the windshield in Aunty Rose's writing.

Enjoy the car. Remember it is okay to stand out every once in a while. ;)

I picked up the note. This was going to go in a scrapbook.

The garage door entered into the kitchen. Huge white and bright with state of the art appliances. There was a note on the fridge. It was in my Grandmothers writing.

I want you to enjoy this time in your life. I remember being a young human and loving to cook with friends. I hope you find friends that make you want to let them in. Do not be afraid to make a mess and learn to cook.

PS. I have set up a meal service to deliver you meals on monday.

PPS. What a Grandmother worries.

I smiled. This was purely my Grandmother. Her biggest complaint to me leaving was the fact that I had not learned to cook. My idea of cooking was making spaghetti with my friends. She had been teaching me to cook for the last two years. When it seemed inevitable that I would be allowed to live on my own for the first time. Gosh I was so happy she did that now. I could not wait to make blood brownies.

The kitchen opened up to the living room and a set of stairs. I could not help it I ran up the stairs to see the closets. The entire top floor was my bedroom. The bed was huge and placed against one wall the sheets where a soft gray. I already knew without touching them that the you be the softest possible. I did not have time to look at the space I ran head first into the huge walk in closet. Aunty Alice had outdone herself. I had more clothing than I could count. Everything was categorized. Shirts, Skirts, Pants, Jeans, T-Shirts, Prom, Date, Party, Lingerie. All labeled around the room. I paused at the mention of Lingerie opening that drawer. Aunty had placed a note there in her elegant scowl that just said:

YOU GO GIRL

I laughed. Walking into my bathroom I saw all the makeup and beauty products I could ever want layed out on the huge marble countertop. A huge glass shower stood in one corner. A deep bathtub next to it. The toilet was so fancy it had a warming option. Okay someone went overboard in this bathroom.

I changed quickly into sweats and a t-shirt and ran downstairs my socked feet finding traction on the light wood flooring.

The living room was the next thing I saw. The TV was huge. Bigger than the one at my families house. My eyes bugged. Uncle Emmett had found a way to make this room better than the theatre in our last house. I knew without testing it that the sound would be spectacular. The couch was just as awesome. It was huge. Almost bigger than my bed upstairs. I might have been hinting to Uncle Emmett that the best couches where the ones that sunk into the floor and covered a big space with cushions. I knew he was the right person to tell that too! This is fantastic!

A dark gray door was leading off the the far wall of the room. Opening it I found the gym Uncle Jasper promised. It was state of the art. A treadmill, rowing machine, free weights, motorized climbing wall, and a yoga space. Uncle Jasper has done it again! A note was taped to the mirrors on the far wall of the gym:

You Got This!

~Uncle Jasper

I left the note right there. You never know when you have a hard workout and need a bit of motivation from my ex-trainer.

I walked back into the living room and walked outside onto the back yard deck. There was a hot tub! Oh my gosh. This is amazing. There was even an orange tree! I was so excited I have always wanted an orange tree but, my family never could live somewhere sunny enough. I ran up to the tree. Noticing only as I got closer that there was a letter attached to the tree by a multi coloured ribbon. I pulled the ribbon off the tree holding the letter with both hands I saw my dads handwriting.

I walked slowly back into the house. Landing softly on Uncle Emmetts sunken couch. I curled in to read my parents letter.

My Dearest Daughter,

When you told me you wanted to leave. My heart broke a little bit. I wanted you to stay my little girl for a longer time. I wanted to keep you safe and with me until you turned one hundred and then decided to keep you for another thousand years. That offer still stands. You will always be my little girl. You learned to, stand, walk, and dance faster than any other child. I will remember those moments for the rest of my life. You came into my life as a surprise. You changed me in ways you would never truly understand. Your heart is so full of love and acceptance. Over the course of the last ten years you have been a light in my life.

I understand the need you are feeling to step out of your comfort zone and embrace the world. To understand what this world has in store for you. I would never want to hold you back from something that you wanted to do. I know that your Uncles have trained you to fight better than anyone else could fight. I know you are a strong individual. Please know that if you ever need to talk or need your mom and I there. We will be there in a heartbeat. Even in the sun.

I love you my daughter.

I love you my friend

I love you my miracle.

Love,

Dad.

Gosh dad always knew how to make me cry. I got up grabbing a tissue from a box of the entertainment system. Grabbing the remote I sat down on the couch. I needed to tune out and enjoy some mindless television. That is not what I recieved.

Uncle Emmetts face appeared on the tv.

"BOO!" he yelled. "Do not worry I can not see you. Everyone told me to write a note.. Notes where never our thing. Movies are our thing! So I thought I would just tell you through a recording what I would have put in the note." Emmett took a step back from the camera. Yelling at the top of his lungs "Go Kick Some ASS!" He winked and the screen went black.

I love my uncle.

I watched tv until the sun started setting. Walking to the kitchen I grabbed bread and cheese and made myself a grilled cheese sandwich. Plating it with a side of blood ketchup. I ate quickly. Tomorrow would be my first day at my new school. My first day at my new life. Oh my gosh I can not wait! I curled into bed touching a piece of paper. I pulled out the small note. In my moms handwriting.

Have a great night sleep sweetheart. I love you.

~Mom

I held the note to my chest. Feeling her love washing through me I fell asleep.