This isn't beta'd, so any spelling mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Disclaimer for the entire story: I DO NOT OWN Twilight!

BPOV

Everything happened so fast, I couldn't even process it all. It was a big blur playing over and over again in my head.

I wondered if it was the same for Nessie.

Looking down at my sister, only seven years old, running along beside me to keep up with my fast pace and long strides, I wondered what was going through her mind.

Was she scared?

Did she want to go home? We couldn't go back home… not after the things I did.

Was she scared of me? She shouldn't be scared of me… I hoped she wasn't.

I inhaled deeply, letting the air fill my lungs, expecting to find some sort of relief, but the anxiety, fear, anger… all of it was still there.

"Get in the car." I told Nessie, opening the passenger side door to the inconspicuous looking silver Volvo, that had once belonged to our mom.

I took my place in the drivers seat, starting up the engine and listening to the low rumble before taking off, the tires squealing on the wet pavement.

"Bella…" Nessie muttered worriedly behind me. I put on a fake smile and looked back at her in the rearview mirror.

"It's gonna be okay, sweetie. I'll figure something out… I promise." I tried to reassure her, and myself if I was being honest.

"I know Bella. You always make things better." She said, her big brown eyes, so much like my own, shown back at me with such trust.

I choked up a little, trying not to cry as I drove mindlessly away from… that place.

"Yeah… I'll make it better again, baby." I said through the lump in my throat.

Concentrating on the road, I tried to think of places to go… to hide. The country… we had to get out of the country. I knew that much. But where to go? I had some money in my bank account, enough to buy a couple plane tickets or something and get us started in someplace new.

Trying to make this as least stressful as possible on Nessie, I smiled and tried to make my voice light.

"We're going to go on vacation, Ness. So, do you have any place in mind?" I asked, glancing at her in the mirror.

She thought for a minute, her forehead scrunching up and her lips puckering adorably.

"I wanna go on a boat." She finally said.

"A boat? Like a cruise?" I asked.

"Yeah! That's it!" She got excited, bouncing up and down in the seat. "Can we go on a cruise, Bella? Please?"

Could we escape with a cruise?

I knew that most cruises docked in at least one or two places along the way. Maybe we could enjoy a few days out a sea, Nessie getting what she wants while I'm able to plan our next move, then just slip away from everyone on one of the little islands.

I'd have to pretty much empty my bank account, first… but a cruise would work out perfectly. I smiled the first genuine smile in days at her in the mirror.

"We can do a cruise, baby. Now, where do you want to go?"

AN:

Confused? Well stick around, I promise things will be explained better later. I can't give it all away in the first chapter.

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