Disclaimer: S. Myer and K. Brian have published works...I just have fun with their ideas. (:

Prologue

"Bella, can we talk to you for a sec, hon?"

I froze, snapping my book shut and thrusting it halfway across the room. With one sheepish look over my shoulder, I knew I'd been caught. Better not try and deny it now.

"It was, um, for English. Yeah! I swear, mom, the teacher is totally—"

Renee just rolled her eyes at me, cocking her hip in the way that mothers do when they know you're lying to them, albeit badly. Her hair had a reddish tint to it after a trip to the salon and her eyes crinkled in amusement and excitement. She knew my weakness for books and had started a book-allowance: I was only allowed to stay inside reading for thirty minutes every day. What a scam.

"Don't lie to me. Anyway, that wasn't what we wanted to talk to you about."

I caught the plural this time, surprise coloring my tone. "We?"

"Phil and I, sweetheart."

"Oh."

Phil was a minor league baseball player. Renee had married him almost four months ago and he'd been living with us ever since. He wasn't all that bad, and if it weren't for Charlie I would have accepted him as a father almost instantly. But the guilt that I was sort of cheating the man who gave me life out of having a daughter always nagged at the back of my mind.

Renee turned to leave the room, her frosty clothing following along with her. My mother never had much taste in fashion, but I was beginning to wonder if she really needed me to go shopping for her now, too.

When I walked downstairs, Phil was sitting on the loveseat, my mother perched on the arms. He looked comfortable there, and I couldn't deny that he'd made my mom extremely happy. I just didn't get the whole, "step-father bonding" thing that everyone saw in the movies type of vibe from him.

"Hey, Bella," he greeted me, smiling awkwardly. We still weren't much past stage one: meet the daughter.

"Hey, Phil."

"So," Renee cut in quickly, sensing the escalating silence, "we're moving."

Shock pressed into my stomach and I was sure it showed on my face. Not that I had a lot of friends here, but I had definitely put down a few roots. It was my Junior year and I didn't feel like having to move when college was so close on the horizon. I knew everything here; it was familiar; I didn't want to be the new girl.

"What?" I choked out past a block of ice in my throat.

"Yes!" she exclaimed with glee, clapping her hands in delight, "Phil is getting drafted for the professionals. Of course, it's just tryouts, but still!" I could tell this meant a lot to both of them. But at that moment, I really couldn't care less.

"Where?"

"Near Tokyo," Phil coughed out, trying to hide his smile, "It will probably be for a few years, but then you can go back to the states and start college. I heard they have an amazing writer's program there."

There were baiting me with promises of writer's programs? Now that was just unfair. Frowning, I stood up and started pacing, biting on my lip the way that I do when I'm frustrated at something.

Renee obviously noticed that I was less than happy.

"Don't you think it will be fun, Bella? We've never been out of America before," she said wistfully, "and I know that you've been looking for a change of scenery."

I had. But not for two whole years! This was beyond "a change of scenery." This went to the very last straw of my patience with my mother; it would not have been the first time that I felt like the adult and she the child. I loved my mom, no doubt about it; but when it came to making rash decisions that included my future, I had to put a stop on her whims.

"No, I don't think it will be fun," I said finally.

Renee looked at Phil nervously. Phil avoided any eye contact with me.

"I want to stay here, mom. I only have two years and then I'm gone for college. Living in Japan so close to that time isn't going to help me do what I need to."

When mom's eyes started tearing up, I knew I'd hit a nerve. She'd given up most of her dreams when she'd had me, marrying Charlie, my dad, without a second thought. Then, when they did pop up (the second thoughts, I mean), she dashed away with me into the desert, sending me on to my father during the summers that I would later recall as torture. But this was my future at stake, here. Risking that because Renee wanted to be with Phil wasn't on my To Do List.

"Why can't I stay with Charlie?" The words came out of my mouth before I had the chance to stop them. Living with my dad in the most dull and depressing place on earth wasn't exactly my idea of fun.

Mom hesitated and Phil slapped one hand to her knee to take over for her. "Your father expressed a desire to have you come stay with him…it's just that, well, he's not really able to put you up through the rest of your two years in high school." He looked up at my mom. Renee sniffed daintily at him, as though this upset her greatly. "However, we did get in touch with one of his old colleagues—in case you did want to stay behind, after all."

I sighed; they weren't making my decision any easier with the guilt trip they were laying on me. They loved me, I knew that; but I also knew that Renee hadn't had much time with her new husband that much and I was just holding her back. Living in a foreign country with her hubby would be good for her. I hope.

"They'd be glad to take you in. In fact, Ms. Cullen seems delighted to have another girl in the house."

"Wait—did you just say Cullen?"

Flashes of little boys, muddy and snot-ridden flew through my brain. Years of torture by the same little brats flitted through my mind, one scene after another. They had to be the most annoying little kids in the world, always moving and never listening to orders from parents…

"Yes. I believe Renee was friends with Esme. Is that right?" He looked to her for confirmation.

She nodded happily now. "Oh, yes, Esme was wonderful. Her little boys were always rugrats, though," she chuckled, "But I suppose they're all grown up now, Bella. Possibly your age."

That's right; I'd been their age when most of those visits had happened. If I were to go live with them, I'd be spending the remainder of my high school life in a house of teenage boys…men, really. Gulp.

"How many were there, again?"

"I think five was the last count, I think," Renee said, her eyes taking on that distant look when she was remembering something. "Esme did love being pregnant. Of course, I wouldn't mind either if I was mar—" Cutting herself off, she flushed down at her husband, who sat there unawares that my mom had a crush on Dr. Cullen.

I vaguely remembered him: tall and blonde, almost smiling. That was about it, though.

Sighing, I scratched my head, stopping my insistent pacing. One look and my mom knew.

The tears started up again.

"You'll call or e-mail every day, right?"

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at Renee's antics, but being slightly touched by them, I smiled slightly. "Of course. And you'll tell me all about what it's like to live in a country that speaks a different language."

--

My laptop blinked at me, registering that Alice was messaging through the network she'd set up in the house. Never doubt Alice could do anything, even if it didn't require the use of nail polish.

shopferl1fe: u'll write me evry day rt?

Smiling sadly at the idea of leaving my best friend, I type back, annoyed at the chatspeak that everyone seemed to use on the internet.

bookgrl17: Of course. And you'll call me, right?

The response was almost instant.

shopferl1fe: so how many boyz will b there? (:

bookgrl17: Five. And they'll probably be all out to kill me for invading their manly territory.

shopferl1fe: no way. do u understand what haz just been givn 2 u?

bookgrl17: No, not really. Please, enlighten me, oh wise one.

shopferl1fe: n ahmazin thing. ur gonna b in a house of boyz!

bookgrl17: And that's relevant because…?

shopferl1fe: B…

I could almost hear her eyes rolling as her fingers typed furiously across her keyboard, ready to explain what I was most obviously not seeing.

shopferl1fe: u r goin to b w/ boyz. they will act like boyz. men! ur gonna b in the middle of grounds no grl haz gone b4. n they're not. Related. 2. u.

Alice must have lost her mind. She thought that because I was going to be living with these boys that I'd met when we were in diapers that I'd just magically find them into me. As if. The only thing I could see them being remotely interested in was the fact that I was a girl, and the only other female presence at the house was Esme, the mother. No doubt she had gone crazy from all the testosterone a long time ago.

bookgrl17: I'll keep you updated.

shopferl1fe: u bttr. ooooooh! this is wayyyyy xiting. ((((:

bookgrl17: Don't hold your breath. I have to survive first.

Fact #1: Thus began the longest two years that I have ever lived.