Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, its characters or its plot line; anything you do not recognize from the series, however, is mine. :)

Prologue

Scarlett's POV

When the sun sets in the western sky…

Feet pounding the pavement, I ran. I ran from everything. I ran from my father and the scent of stale scent of liquor on his breath, from the pain and heartache I'd suffered at his drunken hands. I ran from the broken, empty home I'd been aching to leave for years. I ran from my mistakes. I could have fixed this—I could have kept things from escalating this far…but I hadn't. I'd been too scared and too proud and too embarrassed to admit anything to anyone. And now I was paying for it.

…And darkness takes over…

Things had never gotten this bad before. I was a tough kid. I could take a beating or two, no problem. It was hardly a big deal anymore. But this…this was brutal. Never before had my father managed to piece together such a colorful string of insults and beat me senseless simultaneously. I wiped the blood from a stinging cut above my eye, and kept on running, ignoring the drunken shouts and the sound of gunfire behind me.

…I am left with just the chilly night…

My dad did real stupid shit when he'd had too much to drink. Sure, he could be real nice when he was sober, but I hadn't seen him sober since before my brother moved out. Since that was nearly a year ago…well. You can imagine my dilemma. This was, however, the most reckless thing my dad had ever pulled while drunk. I heard the gun going off behind me, and I knew that I was literally running for my life. I kept my feet propelling myself forward with strength and endurance I hadn't known I'd possessed.

You know those movies you see, where the hero manages to dodge bullet after bullet without getting hit? Yeah…well, it turns out that's not how it works in real life. I found this out when a bullet dug itself into my shoulder. I hissed, nearly tripping over my own feet and tumbling to the ground. It hurt like hell…but I knew I was going to get worse from my dad if I didn't keep moving. I knew exactly where I would go, too. I knew exactly who would protect me, exactly the right person to call when things with Dad got way too rough.

… And must rely on my memories of sunshine.

Dad's house was far behind me by now, and I was pretty sure he'd stopped chasing me—the thread of curses and threats had been getting fainter and fainter over the last three minutes, until they'd finally stopped altogether. I didn't stop, though. My father had incredible stamina for someone his age and in his condition. He'd probably tripped over a branch—we were in the forest by now, after all, and alcohol did have a way of messing with one's balance. Soon, he could very well be up and after me again, shotgun at the ready.

As I sped through the damp, dark forest, I let my mind wander for one crazy second to a day I'd spent with my mother, father, and brother in the woods, hiking. My brother had taken to the wilderness immediately, automatically clicking with something in nature that I couldn't quite identify with. I'd taken a little longer to warm up to the trees and the grass and the moss that clung to literally everything, but after a while I'd decided I liked the way everything smelled. So crisp and clean and fresh. It had been a good day—a happy day, a happy memory that I clung to like a drowning man to a life preserver.

Then the color fades away…

I shook my head. Snap out of it. Now was not the time to be getting caught up in my past. My past was exactly that—the past. It was over and done, and no matter how hard I wished I could, I was never, ever going to get that life back. My mother was dead, my father had fallen apart before my very eyes, and my brother had moved out the first chance he'd got—after my assurance that I could handle Dad on my own, of course. If there was a time where I needed to be firmly rooted in reality, it was now, with my shoulder drenched in blood and my heart ripped in half.

…And the world itself seems still and dull…

Finally, I reached the house. I paused for a moment, panting, out of breath. I raised my hand to knock on the wooden door of my brother's house, but it was already swinging open. Strong arms were pulling me into the house, and down onto a couch.

"Sam," I called out, my eyes searching the room for him. My vision was starting to get a little blurry, and my head hurt.

"I'm right here," Sam assured me, the palms of his huge hands resting tenderly on my bloody face. "You're safe now." I nodded. I knew I was always safe with Sam.

"Someone go and get Dr. Cullen," a soft, scared voice murmured from beside me. I felt Emily's gentle hands cover my own for a brief moment, and then she was gone, probably off to the kitchen to go get something.

"What happened, baby?" Sam asked gently, stroking my hair. "Tell me what happened."

…I am left with the cold neutrals of the night…

"It was my fault," I whispered, blinking rapidly as my vision swam in and out of focus. "So stupid…Dad…I just…I couldn't do it anymore, Sam," I whispered. "I just couldn't do it anymore, and I…I ran."

"Oh, Scar…you should have called me," Sam sighed. "You should have called me a long time ago."

"I know," I nodded. "I'm sorry, Sam. It's all my fault."

"Don't say that," he ordered. "I don't ever want to hear you say that, okay? It isn't true."

"Sam, it hurts," I whimpered, squeezing my eyes shut against the pain. My shoulder was throbbing, and the cuts and bruises all over my body were stinging sharply. I'd been beaten before, but not like this. Not with an effing knife. Something must have happened at work that made Dad truly pissed.

"Shit, Sam," I heard a breathless voice say above me. "Look at her shoulder."

Sam peeled back the torn, bloody fabric of my shirt from my shoulder and I hissed, squinting in pain. Suddenly, Sam jumped up, his hands shaking. "That asshole shot my sister!" he roared.

"Sam, calm down!" Emily ordered from the other room. When Sam sped out the door, growling as he went, she instructed, her voice deathly calm, "Jared, Jake, Paul—follow him. Don't let him get anywhere near his father." They jumped into action, speeding out the door after my brother.

…And my memories of a rainbow.

"Dr. Cullen, please," Emily was saying, ushering an unnaturally beautiful young man with stunningly golden eyes into the room.

"Officer Swan is on his way. He sent one of the officers down to Scarlett's house to pick up her dad," another voice called out from the kitchen, where Emily and Sam kept their phone.

The doctor knelt at my side, examining me. He caught my eye and smiled down at me. "You're going to be just fine," he assured me. He turned his gaze up toward Emily, explaining as he pulled out a syringe and a vial of liquid. "I'm going to give her a pain killer. Then I'll…do what needs to be done," he sighed. "She's had enough pain for one evening; she doesn't need to be awake for this." He caught my arm gently in his cool hands, turning it over and sticking the syringe expertly in one of the thick blue veins in the crook of my arm.

The last thing I saw was a set of sparkling, golden eyes, staring down at me with a sad sort of smile.

Okay...so this is my new Twilight fic:) I know it's got kind of a heavy theme, especially at the beginning...but believe me, I'm a sucker for a happy ending:) And isn't there some saying somewhere that says that things are always darkest before the dawn? :) If you want more, leave me a review! I've got nine more chapters ready for anyone who wants them:)

Penny for your thoughts?;)