Dear Marissa— I was just thinking back to the day we met. Do you regret it— me saving you, I mean? I might, but then again, if it wasn't you it could have been someone else. Is it nice in heaven? I'm sure I won't be going.

&

"Hey princess, give me some money, I want to buy me and my girls some lunch," Olivia Green snorted in her signature nasally voice. The girl she was antagonizing screamed in pain as her hair braid was pulled down sharply by one of Green's cohorts. "Yeah, and give me a few extra bucks too. I think I'll go out and get some drinks after school."

"Ah!" the girl squealed. "I don't have any more money!" I clutched my bag lunch with a grimace; this kind of situation did not bode well for the girl.

Olivia pulled back a fist and smacked it against the girl's face, leaving behind a bright red mark. "Don't lie to me! Daddy's little girl always has enough money. Princess goes after school to buy her shoes," she spat on the girl's rather new looking sneakers. "-buy another hairbrush," in response the gang member holding the braid tugged harder. "-and buy your makeup." She slapped the girl's face with a loud smack. "All I want is a little lunch money."

"B-but," the girl blubbered. "I don't have any money today. S-stop!"

The other students in the lunchroom continued on with their conversations as if they didn't notice Green bullying her latest prey. Occasionally some would glance nervously behind them just in time to see the girl receive another hit as she pleaded to be left alone.

"This is your last chance, rich kid. Give me the money." Olivia threatened, armed cocked and ready to launch forward.

My hands tightened around my lunch until the pop can within burst from the pressure and the sandwich squished together.

"I d-don't have the m-money…"

I dashed forward and caught the fist as it soared through the air. The girl cringed behind me and Olivia stared in shock. "Here," I said angrily, opening her hand and placing my crushed bag lunch on her palm. "If you're hungry eat this."

Her two followers glared and the lunch was slapped away to the floor.

"Look what we have here," Olivia smirked. "It's Chief Black's daughter, Luna. Too bad the Blacks are only second best to the Uleys. Pretty lame, huh, girls?" Her minions laughed.

I could feel Sam Uley's sons twitch in their seats next to the one I had just abandoned, prepared to defend their leader. They got as far as standing before I raised a hand to wave them away.

"You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand," I hissed. Standing at an impressive 5'8'' I seemed a stronger opponent than Green followers could handle and yet the leader herself would not admit defeat.

Olivia squared her shoulders. "Ooh, look, high and mighty Miss Second-Best is actually talking to me."

"Livy…" the girl holding the braid mumbled. "I don't think you should mess with Luna."

Not taking the hint she aimed a punch for my jaw. I swung faster and socked her right in the gut making her keel over with a sharp exhale of breath. Tremors shook me, commanding me to take another swing while my scalp pulled upward and fingernails fought there way out of my skin.

"Luna!" Quince Uley yelled, his twin coming up behind him. His hand landed comfortingly on my shoulder. "Don't mind what was said; she doesn't understand your father's situation."

I nodded weakly as I took in deep breaths.

"Bitch!" Green wheezed. The lunch room was full of stares, guilty and terrified, some proud after witnessing what I had done.

My throat began to ache terribly like scratching down my inner walls with a steak knife. I clutched at it and swallowed causing sharp pains throughout my body. Following that sensation was my erratic heart as it overflowed with adrenaline.

"Th-thank you, Luna," she bullied girl said, coming over to where I was. She took my hand. "Thank you so much!" There were the beginnings of a bruise on her face and the tie had come out of her braid, setting the hairs loose. "I through no one would… Luna? L-Luna!"

My fingers slipped from her grasp and I felt my legs fall apart; it was happening again. I was so drained of energy and so sore so quickly that I just couldn't handle the pressure, like the pop can in my bag lunch that burst. Only that I wasn't bursting open. Apparently there was a hole put in me where my consciousness slowly oozed out.

"Bad stamina, eh?" a familiar nasally voice cackled. "Looks like I won after all."

"Luna!" screamed the twins. "Lu…"

&

I woke up amongst white shelves and heavy plastic curtains with a blistering headache that ebbed and flowed as I blinked. "Mmm," I grumbled and propped myself up. "Ack!" My throbbing head exploded like an active volcano.

"She's awake," I heard Quince sigh relieved.

The school nurse pushed back the curtain and placed a hand on my forehead. "Thank heavens you're up. What were your parents thinking sending you to school as sick as you are?" She picked up my hands and rubbed her fingers against their backs. "Seems as though your fever has gone down slightly…your hands are awfully cold…"

Quince and the other brother Liam leaned over her. "Your father's coming to pick you up. We called just a minute ago."

A soft snoring became evident in my ears. I looked to the corner of the room where a lone girl sat, head bent and deeply asleep.

"She wouldn't leave," Liam informed me, catching my gaze.

The nurse replaced the icepack on my head and taped over it to hold it in place. "That's Melissa, the superintendent's daughter. She told me all about what happened in lunch today. You're very brave, Luna, however you should think about your own health before you do something so brash."

"Is she alright? Not too many bruises, right?" My expression immediately turned worried.

"Just a black eye and a few missing hairs, nothing to get so upset about."

I shut my eyes and pressed my head against the plastic covered pillow for a moment of silence. My cargo shorts were riding up my ass and an eyelash was irritating my eye.

"Luna Elizabeth Black!" My father screamed. With one shove the door was open and he pushed past Quince and Liam, my mother trailing after him in awe; this was what- the thirtieth time she's been in this building? Mom had never been to a public high school before and the amazement of finally being here still hadn't worn out.

Marissa woke with a shock and clutched her knees to her chest as her eyes widened in fear.

"I'm not in trouble, Dad, at least, I don't think." I assured him halfheartedly.

"You're not?" He sighed. "That's good. I thought you might've gotten in a fight again. Is it just…"

I laughed. "Well I did get in a fight, and yes, it's 'that'."

Mother rolled her eyes and pulled back on my father's arm. "Stop it, Jacob. She has your blood in her veins; of course that's why she's got such a record of fighting. But I'm sure it was for a good reason, right sweetie?"

"Yes, mum."

"Regardless!" My Dad growled. "In your condition you should know better than to be fighting at all. And with the Green's daughter, no less— have you no sense? You could have seriously hurt her!—"

"How are you, Luna?" My mother said, removed the icepack from my head and running her fingers through my dark hair. "It doesn't hurt much…?"

"No, it's fading, but I think it's getting worse. Maybe the Doc should check me out again," I smiled.

"Don't ignore me you two!"

"Um, excuse me…?" interrupted a small voice. "Luna, are you awake now? Well um, of c-course you are-re…"

The nurse look frazzled, my Dad surprised as his red face held back a shout. The twins looked bored, for lack of a better word. It was not the first time for them to see this happen. I was the most relaxed, despite the ache, and saying: "How's your eye?"

She blushed, clearly uncomfortable. "I-it's fine. I just wanted to thank y-you… ag-gain… I wasn't sure if you heard me earlier-r." I tilted my head thinking- she thanked me earlier? "S-s-sorry," She began, thinking she might've offended me. "I can't h-help it, m-m-m-my stuttering, I mean."

I shook my head. "You're welcome. If you ever need my help again I won't hesitate next time. No one deserves to be bullied by those three."

&

"I think I understand now…" Gee-gee Carlisle [means great-grandparent, pronounced like saying g] muttered, removing the stethoscope from my back. He produced a needle and I cringed away. He chuckled, "You have your grandmother's distaste for needles."

Without waiting for further complaint he slid the needle into my arm and took a free sample of my blood. I howled and gritted my teeth.

"Stop behaving like a child, Luna. I take pride in the fact that being an experienced doctor I know where to put the needle. And that did not hurt."

I stuck my tongue out. "I'm still only seven years old, Gee-gee Carlisle."

"And I'm nearing four hundred, so don't try and punk me, little girl."

He dropped a bit of my blood on a clean slide and slid on a cover before placing it under the microscope beside me on his office desk. What he saw made him frown. "There's venom in your blood…

"Just a very small amount though. And it seems as though…" He adjusted one of the knobs. "It seems like the venom is infecting your body's cells, only very slowly… You said you fainted after that little squabble in lunch, yes?"

"Mhm," I nodded.

"The adrenaline would have made your heart beat faster, therefore spreading the venom faster. Did you know that venom also reacts to adrenaline? It makes the venom cells reproduce about ten times as fast as it did before without infecting one of your cells to produce venom cells firstly." He grumbled, "Then again, it's not like you'd get into the 'medical mumbo-jumbo'." I scowled. Gee-gee Carlisle had apparently remembered the last time I'd asked him for help on one of my biology assignments.

"Can you translate that then?" My mother stepped into the room with my great-aunt Alice close behind her. The look on Alice's face was a mixture between excitement and horror as she bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"It means," he began. "That the venom in her blood spreads faster when she gets excited and can cause her pain or immobilization, sometimes exhaustion. When this isn't happening the venom is still active within her veins and will continue to affect the body, for the most part, painlessly. Either way, from genes passed down on our side of the family, your daughter will become a vampire."

"That dog isn't going to like this," Alice chimed.

"Notph goingt a like wthat?" My dad pushed the door open with his hip and held a huge platter of nachos aloft in the air, not to mention the stack of gooey chips he was munching on sticking out of his mouth. Dad swallowed and asked: "What's wrong with my baby girl?"

"She's a vampire, darling," My mother smiled, clearly unaware of Alice's warning just then.

"Will be a vampire, mom. I'm still human. And this human is hungry." I leapt off the table and stepped forward to steal of chip."

"What the fu—?" Mom stuffed a handful of cheesy tortilla chips into his opened mouth and scolded: "Don't swear around our kid."

"Technically you're not a human, Luna," Carlisle started again, slapping my hand away from the platter. "Judging by the amount of venom in your blood I'm sure parts of your body are already affected by the vampirism. Trust me; those nachos will be the last thing you'll want to eat."

My stomach growled in protest. "But I'm hungry!"

"Go with your Aunt Alice, she'll get you something to eat." In response to the suggestion I looked over to Alice to find her licking her lips. I shuddered involuntarily. He must have seen the look on my face. "… Maybe later."

There was a loud gulping sound behind me. "Vampire? Then shouldn't you take Luna out of a school for a bit and cure her?"

"Oh, there's no curing her, Jacob, but taking her out of school would be key. She's as much a risk for hurting herself as she is for hurting her fellow students. We should start home-schooling her immediately."

"No!" My mother and I chorused together.

"I don't want to quit school!" I whined.

"I don't think Luna should be denied this fundamental experience." My mother glared at her grandfather furiously. "The venom is still minimal at this point, right? As long as we keep her well fed and make sure she doesn't get too excited nothing should be a problem."

"Please let me stay in school, Doc!" I pleaded.

He looked at my wide eyes and smiled. "You're even cuter than your mother was at this age." My mother's frown deepened. "Don't make me regret this decision then, Luna."