A/N: Hello there! I'm Ann, pleased to meet you! *bows* This is my first Twilight fic, and, as generic as it may sound, I hope you like it. Well, I really do hope you'll like it. Anyway, if you like drama slash angst slash tragedy with a hint of humor, then you've come to the right place. Welcome! (Wow, I sound like some kind of hostess). But, really, welcome.

Summary: Bella has been hunted by her past---all 17 years of it. She has kept a secret for as long as she can remember. For the past 11 years, her best friend Jacob has been her support. But can all that change in just 1 day of meeting a guy named Edward Cullen? (I can never do a good summary. If anyone out there is any good, PLEASE. Let me know. I mean it.) :D

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. But when I get rich … well, no. Not even then. :D

`Prologue

It's funny how when you're faced with a sudden calamity, like those in the movies, someone would suddenly yell "GET IN THE HOUSE!" or "No matter what happens, STAY INSIDE!"

It always strikes me odd how a pile of cement and wood could get in the way of a pursuer whose only motto in life is to banish you from the face of the earth. But when you're actually there, when you're actually in the situation where your nerves fail you and the soles of your feet feel like it's rooted to the ground, you realize that all that doesn't matter.

You lose all sense of time, of direction, of feelings. The small voice at the back of your brain would suddenly amplify a hundred times, yelling for you to move, to listen to your mom and run for shelter--anything. But another voice, a softer and warmer one, would tell you to stay. Stay and help your mother. Stay and help douse the fire. Use your puny strength to attack the pursuer. You have the ability to survive.

So you panic. Why, you're only six, you don't know what to do. The only ability you know is how to dress up a Barbie. It would take the pursuer 5 seconds to crush you. Maybe even less. You couldn't help, you'd only be a hindrance--a distraction. Something disrupts your thoughts. "WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?? RUN!!"

So you run.

You run into the house, past the living room, past the kitchen, and into the back door. You run like you've never run before, and for a fleeting moment you have the urge to retreat and go back, but the more aggressive voice in your brain tells you not to. So you run.

You don't know where you're going. When you look up, you see that high pine trees replace the familiar walls of your cabin home. You smell the fresh night air, see the almost full moon, oblivious to your suffering. You're alone. You're safe. But you're a coward.

And just when you think of returning, you hear the distant voice of your mom. Pleading, begging. "DON'T FOLLOW HER, PLEASE! WE FOLLOWED THE RULES! TAKE ME INSTEAD!" So you freeze. You hear the unmistakable sound of a gun shot, a low-pitched laugh, and then eerie silence.

11 years later you still wake up in cold sweat from the guilt and pain, yelling for your mom to make a run for it.

A/N: I decided to keep the Prologue short because the next chapter's going to be a long one. And, can you believe it? It's almost done! Lol. You know what to do. *wink*wink* You know … the button down there … er.