A/N: This premise came about when a Twilight marathon was on TV (that I got sucked into), and I started rewatching TVD from the beginning and got to thinking, how different would it have been if say, Elena's father had an older half-brother who wanted to take in his orphaned niece and nephew? If she had a change of pace, but one that still pulled her into the supernatural world?

This will be set in Twilight, but I've taken liberty with the timeline (2006) to have it sync with TVD (2009). I've also taken the creative liberty of altering all the Twi-verse humans' ages so they correspond accordingly. The vamps' ages will remain the same.

That being said; there will be two different species of vampires, and the supernatural aspects of TVD will also be added to the Twi-verse. So witches exist, and since there is no official info (that I know of) on the Children of the Moon—true werewolves will take after those in TVD. Now if any of those characters make appearances is yet to be seen. Though I must say that I did take some creative liberty with the Gilbert family history and some supernatural aspects of TVD-universe which you'll undoubtedly notice as the story goes on. Some things will be similar; others will be completely different—but hopefully within a somewhat believable context.

I hope you guys enjoy the story. Please feel free to leave me your thoughts!

Jade

Disclaimer: Twilight and the Vampire Diaries belong to their respective owners. Neither belong to me. That is all.

The Gilbert Legacy

Chapter 1: Help, I'm Alive

ELENA

Today's the day. Moving day.

I thought that I was going to be sadder than I am. I mean it's only natural, right? To be upset at the fact that I'm leaving the only home I've ever known. But it doesn't really matter.

At least, not anymore.

It's been five weeks since mom and dad died, and while I can talk about them now without bursting into tears every five minutes, the pain is just as unbearable as it was the day I woke up alone in the hospital...

We're going to live with Uncle Charlie in some small town in Washington. It's supposed to be the rainiest place in the continental U.S., which is fine by me. I don't want beautiful days to bring back painful memories. It's one of the reasons I haven't put up a fuss about moving despite Bonnie and Caroline begging me not to go.

I need to get away from Mystic Falls and all the memories that come with being there.

For a while Aunt Jenna wanted to become our guardian, but after a few weeks of going back and forth, Uncle Charlie finally put his foot down. I agreed with him. How was Jenna supposed to deal with two moody teenagers on top of finishing school? She hasn't even had time to properly grieve either, considering Jer and I had been in her temporary custody for the weeks following the accident.

Another reason for moving is the fact that Jeremy's turned to drugs to cope with the loss, and there's no better way to get him to quit than living with the Chief of Police—

I'm pulled from my writing as an overhead announcement declared boarding time. I looked over towards Jeremy, who's slouching in his chair with rock pulsing from his ear buds, and nudge him with my elbow to get his attention before I start to gather my things. Making sure my diary is tucked safely away in my carry-on, I waited for Jeremy to get his stuff before we walked over to the attendant and handed our boarding passes.

Once we were waved through, we went through the painstaking process of finding our seats and putting away our luggage. Jeremy was quiet the whole time; the permanent scowl that took residence on his face four weeks ago was still there. He took the window seat that was supposed to be mine, but I didn't have it in me to argue over it.

It's funny how the death of a loved one changes you. How things that we would have easily bickered over, like who got to sit by the window during a flight, were inconsequential now.

I guess it comes with the territory.

I spent the majority of the seven hour flight to Seattle trying to read, but gave up when I barely made it past the first five pages of my book. I eventually took out my diary and continued where I'd left off.

…I can't say that I blame Jer for reacting the way he is. I probably would have done the same if I wasn't so wracked with guilt. But I am, just as I should be.

Because they wouldn't be dead if I hadn't skipped out on Family Night. They wouldn't be dead if I hadn't made them come pick me up after arguing with Matt.

.

.

.

If I had just stayed home, none of this would have happened.

I stopped writing when my vision glazed over with hot tears. Blinking them back furiously, I took a deep breath and looked past Jeremy at the sea of clouds.

I didn't touch my diary for the rest of the flight.

Once we landed in Seattle, we had to take the connecting flight that would fly us out to Port Angeles. It wasn't long before we touched down onto a singular runway that housed only a handful of planes—none of which were anywhere near the size of commercial ones we saw in Seattle.

Jeremy and I made our way through security and walked over towards baggage claim. After getting our bags, I turned my phone back on and noticed I had a voicemail from Uncle Charlie. He'd called some forty-five minutes earlier stating that he was running a bit behind and if we were to arrive before him that we should wait near the main entrance that led to the parking lot.

Before I had the chance to tell Jeremy, my phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey Elena, you guys just land?"

"Nope, got here about twenty minutes ago. We just got our bags from baggage claim. I just finished listening to your voicemail."

"Great, I can meet you outside the front entrance. I just parked the cruiser." Uncle Charlie said.

"Sounds good, we'll be there in a few." The line went dead as I hung up.

I turned to let Jeremy know. "Hey Jer, Uncle Charlie said—"

"I heard." He interrupted with a roll of his eyes before stalking off towards the exit. I bit the inside of my cheek in an attempt to rein in my temper. It didn't work as well as I hoped.

Without another word, I followed Jeremy out of the airport to the crisp air outside. I immediately spotted Uncle Charlie making his way to us. His hair was a little grayer, and the smile lines around his eyes that I remembered from visits as a kid had deepened a bit. In all though, he looked much the same as he had a few short weeks ago at the funeral. He had a striking resemblance to my dad. Something that made me both happy and sad.

"Hey Ellie—Jer," Uncle Charlie greeted, smiling slightly despite the sadness in his eyes. I figured I looked much the same.

"Hi Uncle Charlie." I replied for the both of us as I stepped forward to give him a hug hello. He gave me a one-armed squeeze for a moment before letting go and taking my suitcase despite my protests. Jeremy merely muttered his greeting. Together the three of us made our way across the small parking lot and towards the police cruiser.

We spent the majority of the hour-long drive from the town of Port Angeles to Forks in silence, with only Charlie's occasional commentary on the local wildlife and towns filling the car. I didn't mind; I was soaking up the sights outside.

Huge trees crept towards the sky and the forest seemed endless. The stark gray sky made the green hues of the plants more vibrant, and there was a crispness in the air despite it still being summer that I couldn't help but enjoy. I wasn't sure what I had been expecting when I got here—I didn't bother to research anything about the town, or the surrounding area, that would be our new home aside from Bonnie's helpful tidbits that Seattle was notoriously rainy—but I was pleasantly surprised.

Before long, the cruiser pulled up to a small two-story house. I felt a familiar prick in my eyes when I caught sight of the Escape my parents had gotten me for my sixteenth birthday in the driveway. Uncle Charlie seemed to pick up on my sadness as he quickly explained.

"All of your stuff got here the day before last, and I've already taken it up to the spare bedroom and placed Jeremy's downstairs." His words made me pause long enough to remember that Uncle Charlie only had a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house. Jeremy was going to sleep in the newly remodeled basement while I was to have my cousin Bella's old room. I just nodded as we headed inside. I immediately made my way upstairs, following my uncle's directions on getting to my new room.

The room itself was small, but cozy. The bed looked to be recently made if the purple sheets were anything to go by. A rocking chair sat beside a desk that was home to an old dinosaur of a computer. Upon closer inspection, I could see that an area of the paint on the wall closest to the window was not as faded as the rest, probably from where Uncle Charlie had hung some of Bella's artwork from over the years. Two large boxes with my name on them sat on the floor, housing the few things I bothered to pack and bring with me to Forks.

Letting out a sigh, I heaved my suitcase onto the bed and started unpacking.

Monday came in the blink of an eye, and I found myself sitting in my car, alone, following Uncle Charlie and Jeremy in the police cruiser to Forks High.

It wasn't a long drive, but I could see why Uncle Charlie insisted on having the car sent to Forks. Walking two miles to and from school in the constant drizzle of rain would've sucked. And as painful as it was to take my car—I had found my mom's favorite scarf I'd stolen from her closet stuffed carelessly under the passenger seat—it was also a source of comfort as butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

I'd never been the new kid anywhere. Jer and I had lived in Mystic Falls all our lives; we knew all the names of the kids we went to school with. We grew up with them. But here in Forks, we were the new kids—fresh meat. Add to that the reason why we moved here in the first place, and we were guaranteed to be in the spotlight. Something I was not looking forward to.

I followed Charlie as far as what I assumed to be the student parking lot. I killed the engine once I was parked and looked around the quickly-filling lot. Already my car seemed to have garnered some attention as several of the students that arrived looked my way. It was unquestionably a newer model compared to the others that occupied the lot.

Taking a deep breath, I gathered my stuff and got out, making sure to lock the doors before I made my way to where Uncle Charlie and Jeremy waited for me. My fears of being in the spotlight were confirmed the moment people started whispering at my appearance. I self-consciously tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and quickly met up with my uncle and brother.

As we entered the office, I was assaulted by the glare of the fluorescent lights and the musty smell from the carpet—probably from having countless shoes track water inside. The office itself looked a lot like the one back home; standard office carpet, front desk with a secretary, bookshelves lined with student records, and offices nestled behind the reception area. They even had those cheesy motivational posters and the fake potted plants sitting beside the three chairs that made up their designated waiting area.

"Good morning Chief Swan, what can I do for you?" came the secretary's pleasant voice. There was no disguising her curious gaze when she caught sight of Jeremy and me.

"Morning Shelly," Uncle Charlie greeted. "I'm just here to drop off my niece and nephew for their first day."

"Of course, they must be Elena and Jeremy Gilbert." She said as she quickly pulled out two small files from a stack. "I'm so sorry to hear about your parents."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jeremy flinch. Secretary Shelly seemed to have caught it too because she looked ready to say something else; whether it was an apology or not, I didn't know. Regardless of which, I stepped forward before she could. There was no need to make Jeremy more reclusive than he's already been.

"Thanks Mrs. Cope," I said after a quick glance at her nameplate.

That seemed to divert her attention as she gave me one of those small pitiful smiles I'd grown to hate in the weeks following my parents' deaths. "Of course dear, if there's anything we can do for you at all, please feel free to stop by."

I nodded, "We'll keep that in mind."

Uncle Charlie cleared his throat then and spoke with Ms. Cope for a few more minutes. After signing the last of our forms, the secretary handed us our schedules and maps of the school. Letting Charlie keep her occupied, I steered Jeremy to the chairs and compared our schedules.

"Nothing," I murmured as I looked over the papers.

Jeremy let out a derisive snort as he snatched his schedule from my grip. "What did you expect? You're a junior and I'm a sophomore. I never expected us to share any classes."

Irritation flashed through me at his tone. "I figured we'd maybe have lunch or something. The school is small enough for it to happen."

My irritation grew as Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Whatever, let's just get this day over with." He stood and walked out the door without another word.

Just as the door slammed closed Charlie finished talking to Mrs. Cope and walked over to where I was. "What was that about?" he nodded at Jeremy's escape.

"Sorry Uncle Charlie, he's not in the best mood."

Guilt settled in the pit of my stomach as I saw the brief flash of pain in Charlie's eyes. "I didn't think he'd have the easiest time adjusting to Forks, given the circumstances." He let out a long sigh before addressing me. "Regardless, we'll keep an eye on him. I hope you have a good day Ellie."

I managed a small smile for him. "Thanks Uncle C, I'm sure I will. See you when you get home."

With that, we left the office and I made my way further into campus.

English was easy enough to find. Even though the school was broken up into separate buildings, the map was easy to follow and the large letters painted on each one made it simple to maneuver. I walked determinedly into my English class and ignored the automatic whispers that erupted at my arrival. Making sure to not look at the gawking masses, I walked towards the teacher's desk and handed in my slip to be signed.

The hour passed by quickly enough. I'd made sure to pay close attention to the teacher and constantly looked over the class syllabus in hopes of looking busy. I only spoke when I was spoken to, which was unfortunately quite often, but I managed to keep my answers short, sweet, and to the point. Hopefully my classmates will take the hint and give me some space, though I wasn't counting on it. By the time the bell rang, I was in such a rush to leave the other students' probing questions, that I was up and out of my seat before they'd so much as slung their backpacks over their shoulders.

I kept my head ducked down as I made my way to U.S. History, making sure that the hood of my coat covered my features well enough from the throngs of students that shuffled to their next class. It wasn't long before I spotted the building that (according to my map) housed the government and history classes. I slipped inside and was pleased to find that the halls were still pretty empty. I quickly pulled out my schedule and started scanning the numbers on the doors for my classroom—hoping to beat at least a good chunk of my fellow classmates there.

Double-checking to make sure I hadn't misread the numbers, I rounded the corner and crashed painfully into something solid. My bag slipped from my shoulder as I fell backwards, sending pens and notebooks skittering over the freshly waxed linoleum. I, however, didn't share their fate as a pale hand shot forward and took hold of my arm before I landed on my ass.

The first thing I saw when I looked up were strange amber eyes—almost golden in their lightness. The peculiar eyes were set upon a handsome face that looked as startled as I felt. As soon as I regained my footing, the boy snatched his hand back and looked at me uncomfortably.

"I'm so sorry!" I quickly apologized, embarrassed that I'd been so caught up in revising my schedule that I hadn't even noticed the poor guy. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

I bent to pick up my scattered belongings and jammed them back into my bag. The boy continued to look at me quizzically, his dark brows pulled together in confusion as he stared at me somewhat intensely.

Great. I broke him.

"I'll just get going," I hedged carefully, hooking my thumb over my shoulder towards where I assumed my class was. I turned around and had taken no more than a handful of steps when a soft voice broke the silence.

"Wait."

I turned around to find him walking over to me, and regarded him carefully. "I'm sorry," he offered. "That was incredibly rude of me."

"No worries," I brushed it off. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I should be the one apologizing for bumping into you."

The boy frowned somewhat at my words. "I wasn't paying much attention either."

"Then we're both at fault." I stated with a shrug and a polite smile. "But thanks for saving me from hitting the linoleum. That would've sucked."

He let out a soft huff of amusement before he extended his hand out. "I'm Edward Cullen." He introduced.

"Elena Gilbert," I replied as I accepted his handshake. His hand was quite cold, but unsurprisingly so. The school actually had their air conditioning units running despite the temperature outside being in the low seventies. My own fingers had turned into frozen popsicles during first period. But I figured that was bound to happen since I was used to the balmy southern heat instead of the cool, drizzling climate of the pacific northwest.

At the mention of my name, I could practically see the realization dawn on him, and I wondered briefly if he was going to start pestering me incessantly like all my other classmates had earlier. But he surprised me instead by making a passing remark on my status as new kid before politely asking if I needed help maneuvering my way around. Feeling less wary, I handed over my schedule for him to look over. I was somewhat pleased to find that we shared US History, study hall, lunch, and Biology classes. At least I might have someone to speak to during the day that wouldn't constantly grill me for details on my life before I came here.

I was pulled from my thoughts when the two-minute warning bell rang. Cursing under my breath, I quickly followed Edward to our history class. Fortunately, it wasn't as far off as I'd thought it had been, however my subsequent meeting with Edward had eaten up a good chunk of time and as such, the majority of our class had already arrived. The moment the other students saw the pair of us walk in together, the whispers returned with a new level of ferocity that took me by surprise.

It seemed that along with my status as new kid, Edward was quite a popular topic in the gossip mill.

Flustered, I pointedly walked away from him without a word as I headed over to the teacher standing at the chalkboard and handed him my slip to be signed. Edward seemed to have taken the hint because he shot me a polite smile before taking a seat at the far end of the classroom.

I wanted to thank him, but the final bell rang and instead I took a seat beside the large window on the right side of the room, though I vowed to thank him once class was dismissed.

Like English, second period flew by and before long the bell rang. Despite being once again bombarded by questions from my classmates in this period, I didn't take the same hasty retreat as I had in English. Instead, I hung back to catch Edward and apologize for rudely walking away from him without so much as a by-your-leave, but as I slung my bag over my shoulder and turned to walk towards his desk, he'd already gone.

Seeing where I was looking, a girl who had earlier introduced herself as Angela Weber during class piped up. "Don't mind Edward. The Cullens usually tend to keep to themselves most of the time."

I merely nodded my thanks and gave her a small smile before I walked out. I glanced blankly at the schedule in my hand, trying to focus on the numbers for my French class, but my mind inadvertently kept floating back to Edward Cullen and his odd demeanor.

And why exactly am I hung-up on the fact that he left class suddenly? I griped at myself. I don't even know the guy!

Irritated at my hung-up attitude over a boy I'd just met, I banished all thoughts of Edward Cullen and made my way to French III.

The day seemed to fly by and before long it was lunch time. I walked from my study hall to the cafeteria with Angela Weber and a group of her friends. They all were friendly enough, and I shared a few classes with each of them.

I stood in line to pay for my meal when I felt my cellphone buzz in my pocket. Quickly pulling it out, I read Bonnie's fourth text she'd sent me asking about my first day at Forks High. I was about to reply when the blond boy—Mike Newton, if I recalled correctly—who had been rather flirty with me placed a hand on my arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned, his tone serious but there was a hint of flirtatious mischief in his eyes that I was not keen on reciprocating. "Any of the staff catch you with that and they'll confiscate it until the end of the day."

"Oh," I said dumbly as I slid the device back into my jean pocket. "I'll probably go have lunch outside then so I can call my friend."

Mike looked unnecessarily disappointed, but I ignored it. As sweet as he seemed, I was not up for being the male population's new fixation. I said goodbye to Angela and the rest of her friends before exiting the cafeteria through the doors that led out to the parking lot.

I quickly made my way over to my car, and once I got inside, scarfed down half of the club sandwich I bought and chased it down with some water. Checking the time, I saw that I still had at least twenty-five minutes before the bell was going to ring for us to head to class. It was plenty of time for a quick call to my best friend.

Fishing my cell back out, I hit the speed dial for Bon's number and brought the phone up to my ear. After a few rings, she answered.

"Elena! What the hell girl, I've been texting you all day!"

"Sorry Bon, the new school seems to have a pretty strict no cellphone policy. I came out to eat lunch in my car so I could call you."

"I forgot about the time change." Bonnie murmured. "Never mind that, why are you eating lunch in your car?! Are people being jerks over there? Do you need me to fly over and kick someone's ass?"

Her fierce tone brought out a laugh from me, causing Bonnie to erupt into her own giggles.

"Nah Bon, everyone's pretty ok. A little nosy, but hey, that's small-town life for ya."

I could hear Bonnie hum in agreement with me. "It's true. We'd probably be just as bad in Mystic Falls if we had any new comers. Which, speaking of, we totally have one!"

The news piqued my interest. Hardly anyone ever moved to Mystic Falls. The last time it happened was Kasey Johnson in third grade. "Really? Who are they?"

"His name is Stefan Salvatore, yes Salvatore like the boarding house, and he is a hawt-e with a capital H!"

I smiled at Bonnie's antics and allowed myself to fall into a familiar step with her as she gushed about the cute new boy back home and how all the girls seemed to trip over themselves for a chance to talk to him, Caroline included. Apparently with everything she'd managed to learn, they were slated to have a June wedding.

We talked for a few minutes after that, her explaining all the crazy hoodoo her Grams was trying to convince her of now, and had, albeit regretfully, brought up how Matt was doing. Apparently, my ex-boyfriend of two years still felt as shitty as I did over the entire ordeal of our fight that had led to my parents' deaths and the breakup that followed. For the umpteenth time, I made sure to let Bonnie know that I didn't blame Matt for any of it, knowing that she'd talk to him for me even when I didn't have the courage to do it myself.

Pretty soon, lunchtime was over; a fact that was punctuated by the sharp bell that rang and signaled for me to get off my ass and head over to Biology.

"Alright Bon, lunch is over. I've gotta head back now."

"Ok Elena. Take care of yourself, and call me tonight! I'm off to cheer practice with Caroline—pray for me!"

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. "Sure. Love you Bon, I"ll talk to you soon."

After her quick bye, I hung up the phone and grabbed my backpack before getting out of my SUV. Taking out the campus map and schedule, I quickly compared the two to find the quickest route to my Biology class. It seemed that the fastest way was to cut between the art building and cafeteria loading dock to make my way to the science labs that were nestled near the back of the campus.

I quickly darted between the buildings and found that my path seemed to be a rarely taken one considering there were only a few kids that walked the same route as me. Once I walked past the art building however, I found myself alone. I was halfway past the loading dock however, when I caught sight of a lone figure rounding the corner and straight towards me.

It was Jeremy, with his headphones on and watching his feet as he walked. He had a stupid grin on his face, and not the carefree one I'd grown up seeing. This smile was different, something that I had, unfortunately, familiarized myself with in the weeks following our parents' deaths. This was the dopey smile only a high could bring him. I'd given him a summer pass, but the fact that he was clearly still using and that it was the first day at a new school had me seeing red. I didn't want Uncle Charlie to be called on our first day to be told that Jeremy was high.

I determinedly marched up to him and knocked the headphones from his head.

He looked up, startled. The dopey grin replaced with a dark scowl as soon as he recognized his attacker.

"What the hell, Elena?!"

I ignored him as I stepped forward.

"Are you kidding me?" I hissed as I grabbed his chin and forced Jeremy to look me in the eye. He immediately slapped my hand away. "We live with the Police Chief and you're high as a kite on our first day at a new school!"

"I don't need your shit!" He hissed.

The warning bell rang but I paid it no mind; our argument was going uninterrupted and I was going to take full advantage of that.

"What are you on? Because I know it's not weed anymore. You wouldn't do it under Charlie's roof. Especially not with the smell."

"Like I'd tell you." Jeremy scoffed as he pushed past me. "Just go back to your little bubble and leave me the hell alone."

I stared at him, affronted. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He rounded on me in a second. "You've been so caught up with being Poor Elena, the Orphan Girl, that you seem to forget that I lost them too! You're not the only one they left behind! So don't come at me now with some high and mighty attitude when you've barely paid any mind to me in the last five weeks!"

"That's not true!" I started, but was cut off by Jeremy's harsh laugh.

"'Cause you've been there, right?! You were totally there for me when I found out about the accident. You totally saw my reaction to seeing you comatose for days, and knew that the last time I saw our parents they were telling me to get to bed as they headed out the door to get you."

He continued before I could get a word in. "No, of course you didn't. Why would you when you were so wrapped up in yourself? Like you were the only one heartbroken and upset. Like you were the only one who lost them."

"Jeremy, I—" I what? I had no idea?

Because I did; of course I did. But was he right? Had I been so caught up in myself and my pain and guilt at their loss that I hadn't even thought of him? That I'd completely overlooked his feelings?

"So spare me this bullshit. I don't need you getting on my case, Elena. I've been doing just fine without you." He turned and walked away just as the final bell rang, leaving me standing alone beside the loading dock as the faint mist in the sky turned to a soft drizzle.

I stood frozen for a moment before the tears came.

I brushed them away hastily as I took a deep breath and headed for my biology class. The wet rubber of my sneakers squeaked against the linoleum as I made my way through the science building. I made a pit stop in the girl's bathroom and splashed my face with cold water in the hopes of getting rid of any red splotches.

Taking a deep breath and glancing at my reflection one last time to make sure there was no evidence of my crying, I quickly left the bathroom and walked into my Biology class.

I had to fight back a cringe when my eyes landed on Mike Newton's overenthusiastic smile, offering him a meager one of my own. I'd forgotten that I shared this class with him.

I headed over to the teacher as he gathered this year's course syllabus into a stack to be passed out. "I'm sorry I'm late," I said as I handed him my slip to sign. He waved away my apology.

"Not a problem, Miss Gilbert. Just don't make a habit of it."

"I won't." I replied before I took back the form and placed it back into my bag.

Mr. Banner gave me a warm smile. "Very well. Everyone's already chosen a lab partner, but it looks like there's an open spot beside Mr. Cullen. Please have a seat." He instructed before motioning me towards the only student without a partner.

Perhaps it was the frustration and guilt that raged through me after my encounter with Jeremy, or the way that Mike's eyes followed my every move in a way that made my skin crawl, but as I made my way towards the blacktop table I was to share with Edward Cullen, I couldn't help the words that escaped my mouth in a quiet hiss as I set my backpack down.

"So did you purposefully not find a partner knowing that we share this class?"

Edward, who had regarded my approach with a polite smile, seemed mildly surprised by my frankness. The smile faded and was replaced by a stony demeanor which I was sure mirrored my own.

"No," he answered apathetically. "I don't normally partner up in classes. Did the possibility of us being lab partners cross my mind? Considering that we share this class and the fact that I didn't have a partner, and accounting for your tardiness… Yes, it did; but it wasn't planned."

I could feel my face flush with embarrassment and immediately felt even more guilty for making assumptions. He was honestly one of the only people to have noticed my wanting to be left alone, while remaining polite and friendly in a manner that wasn't as suffocating as that of our peers. It wasn't his fault that Jeremy had gotten under my skin, and I had no right to take it out on him.

I slowly blew out a gust of air through my nose, all the fight in me leaving with it. I turned to him apologetically. "I'm sorry, that wasn't fair. I've just had a really crappy first day."

Before either of us had a chance to say anything else, the teacher, Mr. Banner, told the class to settle down as he began handing out stacks of papers for us to pass around the room.

"Welcome to Biology," he greeted. "I'm Mr. Banner, as many of you know…"

My attention was diverted from his introduction when a small slip of paper slid towards me. I looked down at Edward's incredibly neat handwriting and smiled softly at the words.

It's alright.

Neither of us said anything else for the rest of the period.

Thankfully, the rest of the class had gone by fast and with it came a vast improvement to my mood. No one had pestered me at all during Biology, though Mike had been a tad obnoxious in his waving me over to his desk once Mr. Banner gave us the last twenty minutes of class to chat. I chose to ignore him and buried my head in my arms instead—once again thankful that Edward seemed to get that I wanted to be left alone.

P.E. was an easy class. The only thing we did was get our gym lockers assigned and uniforms handed out. The rest of the time was spent hanging out on the bleachers. Unfortunately, I also shared this class with Mike, and he was determined to talk to me this period and introduced me to some of his friends. So I spent the majority of class getting to know him and a girl named Jessica Stanley, one of the girls that I had met previously during study hall. Jessica was a bit of a chatterbox and reminded me of Caroline though not as bubbly, but she seemed pleasant enough.

Once the final bell rang, I bid them goodbye and made my way out towards the student parking lot. I wasn't sure if I was still giving Jeremy a ride. He was angry and stubborn enough to go walking, and I couldn't say I'd be surprised if he skipped the last two periods altogether. I gave him a call that instantly went to voicemail.

Heaving I sigh, I left him a message to at least let me know if he needed a ride home before putting my phone away and continued my trek out to my car. I was halfway across the parking lot when I saw it from the corner of my eye. The flash of silver and familiar car model.

I stopped in my tracks at the sight of the Volvo—the exact same model that my mom and dad had bought a few months prior to the accident—and suddenly I felt like I was on Wickery Bridge all over again.

I could hear the sound of screeching tires as they skidded over the pavement, remembered the feeling of my head as it ricocheted off the window when the car broke through the guardrail and plummeted into the water. The helplessness that overcame me as I couldn't undo my seatbelt, and the burning in my lungs when I couldn't breathe.

—The apology in my dad's eyes before darkness took me, not knowing that that would be the last time I'd ever see him again.

Immediately my body began to lock up, my airway closing, and I could hear my heartbeat thundering in my ears. The world spun as I fell to my hands and knees and vomited the meager bit of lunch I'd managed to eat. People cried out as my vision blurred, and I think I heard my name but I couldn't be sure.

All I knew was the darkness that beckoned me back to its familiar abode, and then, nothing.