* I am obviously not Stephanie Meyer. I wish I were so talented.

* I searched and searched for someone to Beta read to tell me if there were any mistakes in canon and to give me feedback on what I could do better and no one responded. So if you feel like helping me out, please let me know.

Chapter One

It's amazing I survived my abbreviated childhood.

I've heard the story of my mom's pregnancy with me. Everyone has been honest enough to confess they didn't think it was a good idea. I know my dad and Carlisle would have ripped me from the womb if they could have. My mom saved me through pure stubbornness and willpower and some help from Rosalie. Everyone was happy with that decision in the end.

But my first memory of true danger was in the first few minutes after my birth. Rosalie was holding me, soothing me, when Jacob Black came into sight. If I had been able to understand fear at the time, I would have been crying and screaming in her arms. In my mind's eye, I can see the hatred and need to kill me on his face. Just as quickly, though, I watched him fall to his knees behind the sofa and his face transformed into something wholly different. Obviously, I didn't understand imprinting yet, but my connection with Jacob was there from that moment on.

A few months after my birth, strange vampires from Italy wanted to do me in, too. My dad always said mom was a magnet for trouble when she was a human. I think I inherited her problem.

I know normal kids don't remember every detail of their early childhood, especially not from birth. I do. Sometimes it is an uncomfortable talent to have.

The showdown with the Volturi is etched in my brain forever because of it. The memory is clear and vivid, and I will always believe it is my fault. At that young age, the human equivalent of maybe two, I understood that fact already. They came because I was born, and I needed to be dealt with. I was wracked with more guilt and worry than any child should have to deal with. It's a testament to my parents and the rest of my family that I came away from the experience mentally and emotionally stable. They tried their best to shelter me from it and to convince me it wasn't my fault, but I heard them when they were explaining everything to the assembled witnesses. I met each new group that appeared and heard the explanations over and over. So many of the witnesses reacted badly toward me. It was hard not to believe there was something wrong with me despite all the reassurances.

That day stands out in my mind for so many reasons. My dreams the night before the confrontation were horrible. Evil things haunted me all night in my sleep. The only thing that helped was Jacob curled up as a wolf at my back protecting me as only he could. The most incredible thing, however, was my mom's abilities. No one knew what she could do until that day, including herself. My dad's amazement and wonder were beautiful things to behold. He looked so happy and stunned. My mom, on the other hand, wanted to sink into the ground when she realized everyone thought she was a hero; attention is not her favorite thing.

"Mommy, you're special," I had told her.

My dad laughed at her discomfort. "If you could still blush, you would spend your days bright red, love," he told her.

Unfortunately, all that pleasure in my mom was marred by the specters in black who invaded my dreams then and now. Aro and Caius and Jane, lurked in the background of my subconscious. I've grown up with the knowledge that they hate us for beating them in the clearing and that Aro does not like being thwarted when he wants something. And what he wants most of all are Alice, my mom, my dad...and me.

The months and even years after the Volturi defeat were joyful, though. Alice and Jasper were back. My mom and dad stopped looking like they were carved from stone and started smiling. Our family was happy and healthy. No one was worrying about my growth rate anymore and that winter was carefree. We had snowball fights with Jasper and Emmett. They were desperate to beat my mom and dad. Unfortunately for them, my mom still had newborn blood in her system, and my dad could hear their thoughts, of course. They got clobbered severely and often, while Jacob and I chuckled from nearby. The spring and summer that followed were unparalleled weather-wise. Jacob played hide and seek with me in the woods when we finished our hunting trips. We explored the area around the house. Jacob would teach me about the trees and the animals we saw. Washington state experienced a bizarre, extended period of sunshine, which my mom soaked up like a sponge.

As it turned to fall, my waking hours were spent with each member of my large family in turn. All of them had something they wanted to teach me. My mom and I read classics novels together. She had to let me read every other chapter or I would not sit with her. Dad started teaching me about music. My lessons with him at the piano were some of my favorite times. Although I didn't have his same aptitude, he gave me an appreciation for music. Jasper liked to tell me about history, especially military. He left out the bloodier chapters until I was older. Carlisle introduced me to science and medicine; Esme architecture and design. Rosalie took me to the garage behind the house to work on cars. Emmett liked to show me how to fight and defend myself, much to my parents' dismay. He was always mindful of how much bigger and stronger he was than me and often let me win. Alice, of course, had to teach me about clothing. She said it was her mission in life that I would learn to appreciate style from an early age. I think she was fighting a losing battle. I tended to agree with my mom on clothes. I always wanted to wear something comfortable rather than fashionable.

In the background of each of these lessons was Jacob. He'd help, encourage, and support me whenever I got frustrated for not learning fast enough. Then he'd whisk me away to play in the woods or at the beach. He was always reminding everyone that despite all my extraordinary abilities, I was still a young kid who needed to romp. And who wouldn't want to romp with a wolf pack? They were carefree, athletic, and fun. I loved watching the ways they all teased each other and played. They were much different from my family who were often serious. It made for an enjoyable contrast.

We also celebrated my birthday a couple of times that first year. Even though no one but Jacob and the wolves ate the cake, Alice and Rosalie made sure that I had one each time. We had a picture of me blowing out candles on a succession of them decorated with the correct number of candles. We were always estimating my current age. During my first four years, we celebrated twelve birthdays. I made sure everyone knew I didn't want presents. Jacob liked to give me small carved wolves representing him and his pack, and my dad composed things for me. Mostly, I just wanted to spend time with my family and friends so presents were unnecessary. Alice teased me that I was too much like my mother in this regard and that normal people should be excited about birthdays. Calling me normal just made me laugh at her. When had I, or any member of the Cullen family, been normal? I knew we weren't, even at age three.

Despite all of these good times, there were problems that had to be dealt with. They caused much family and wolf pack drama, and many meetings occurred around the dining table.

We had to figure out new living arrangements. Sticking around Washington was not an option. Carlisle was not aging and needed to move before it became too obvious. My mom could not risk being seen in Forks by any of her old friends or acquaintances with her new vampire enhancements. However, it wasn't just the Cullen clan's wants that needed to be considered anymore. Jacob could not and would not be separated from me, but he also had a pack to consider that was tied to La Push. Plus Charlie would not take kindly to being separated from me or my mom. The ties we had created in Forks could not be broken easily. Moving on had never been particularly hard for my family before, except maybe when it came to starting high school again. Now there were far more repercussions and opinions to consider.

The adults were always tossing around new plans. Rose was ready to move on as soon as possible. My dad would say that was typically selfish of Rose. The wolf pack was not her favorite and moving away from them would not be a hardship for her. Emmett, too, wanted to move, mostly because he wanted different hunting grounds, new animals to test his skills on. Alice was more content having seen visions of us somewhere new sometime soon. Her vision firmed up one night when my dad suggested something that ended up working the best for everyone.

"What if we stay for another two years and let Jake finish high school?" my dad asked while he played chess with my mom. "He could graduate with his tribe members from the school in La Push. That gives us time to consider where the best place to move would be."

"Carlisle could probably pull off another two years at the hospital without raising too many eyebrows," Esme added, hopefully. She loved the house outside Forks and the cottage she had renovated for my parents and me. She was not eager to move, despite knowing it was necessary.

"Charlie will be thrilled if we stayed for a while longer. He was starting to get downright angry every time leaving was mentioned," my mom added.

Jacob was happy with any decision that kept him near his dad and the pack longer, although finishing school wasn't something he was excited about.

For me, a move now or later wouldn't really matter. Wherever we lived, I had to stay in hiding. Until my growth slowed down, I couldn't go out among humans without causing comment and I certainly couldn't enroll in any of Forks' schools without people wondering where the Cullens had gotten another child from.

I continued instead with the home schooling that had started from my birth. With vampires who had lived for hundreds of years as teachers, my lessons were varied and exciting and my curiosity was insatiable. My parents said I would be bored by high school when I got to it, but I was looking forward to meeting kids my own age and trying to fit in. My life was so abnormal I knew it would be a challenge. Carlisle estimated that sometime around my fifth year on the planet, I would look about 15 years old and my growth would have tapered sufficiently that I could blend in to the normal world.

There were problems with staying in Forks for two more years, too. My mom could not leave the house in any normal way for risk of being seen. Nor could any of the Cullen siblings for that matter. Carlisle and Esme had spread the rumor that they had all moved on to various colleges around the country. In actuality, everyone was living at home, happy to be together and safe again. Thankfully, with Charlie in on our secret world, he could visit and spend as much time as he could with us.

The boundary lines between La Push and Cullen land became much looser now. Eventually, the Quileute elders had to share the truth with the whole tribe about the ever growing number of wolves in their woods. It was an unfortunate side effect of our family continuing in the area. But, because of Jacob's imprint on me, it enabled us to spend time with Sam's pack. It was an uneasy truce at first, but over time, the lines between our vampires and the Quileutes had relaxed considerably. Seth was the biggest help there. No one could dislike him and his easy-going nature made everyone want to be with him.

Rosalie and Emmett and Jasper and Alice would take off on trips now and again to combat the boredom of being stuck in Forks. My mom and dad spent their days helping me adjust to my weird life. Jacob came and went from our house as if it were his own, running over when school was out to do his homework in sight of me. Carlisle spent his free time researching Ticuna legends now that he knew other vampire-human hybrids existed. He and Esme travelled to the Amazon once for a research trip. I couldn't wait to make that trip myself so I could see Zafrina again, but my parents and Jacob were hesitant for reasons they never shared with me. It was one of the few things they had ever denied me, though, and it seemed childish to argue.

And as my parents pointed out, I was never childish. Because even though I was a child in form, my behaviors and mannerisms weren't. I had a very difficult time playing with the children I came across in La Push. They had temper tantrums and took things from each other for no reason and always looked at me strangely when I didn't understand their games. I enjoyed myself more around adults.

Our two years in Forks seemed to go by fairly fast. A year and half into it, everyone started weighing in on where we should move and who would join us. Embry and Quil had joined Jacob's pack, along with Seth and Leah. Quil's imprint on Claire meant he would stay in La Push. Seth still needed another few years to finish high school. Leah was willing to leave to keep herself distanced from Sam and Emily who had started a family recently. She may not have been as bitter since joining Jacob's pack but she also wasn't willing to sit around watching Sam's new life close up.

One weekend afternoon, the family was gathered in the dining room again trying to hash out a plan.

"What about Alaska?" Jacob asked.

"We stayed with the Denalis not all that long ago. We attracted too much attention being all together like that, Jacob," my dad said.

"Alaska is huge, Edward," Jacob replied with an eye roll. "You don't have to move anywhere near the Denalis."

"I would think they need to consider moving on shortly themselves," said Jasper. "They've been there longer than we have been in Forks."

"Alaska wouldn't be that bad for the pack to travel to and from. It would take a day or two to run cross country to get back to Washington, but nothing too strenuous for us to handle," Jacob added.

After many more discussions like this, it was decided. The small town of Whittier, Alaska was about to get a new doctor. It was even smaller than Forks, but the Cullens could attend college in Anchorage. It was a two-hour road trip driving normal speed, but the Cullens could drive fast enough to knock that down to a reasonable time or run it if they chose. I would have to stay in hiding still and Jacob would stay with me, but the limitations didn't bother me much; I was used to living in seclusion. We could roam in the wild safely and hunt where we chose. The town was so small that it wasn't a draw anyway.

My mom was excited to start college. It was not something that she had been able to consider after high school. Her marriage, pregnancy with me, conversion to newborn and my rapidly changing needs consumed her so much that she had never allowed herself to dream about it. It took some convincing from the entire family that she should go. She wanted to be home with me. Her worries were alleviated somewhat by the knowledge that Jacob would be with me at all times. I think my dad reported Jacob's thoughts to her regularly, and they were safe in the knowledge that he was my brother and friend and would protect me with his life.

My mom decided to major in teaching and English Literature. Math certainly held no allure. Medicine was not her forte, nor any sciences. I heard her say with a laugh that maybe she could teach high school one day by pretending to be a young genius just graduated from college. My dad went back for a degree in philosophy. Everyone teased him that it was a good fit since he tended to over think everything. Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Emmett decided on majors as well. The six of them definitely attracted attention in Anchorage. They attended night courses, were known to be related or married to each other, and were beautiful to boot. They knew how to be forbidding enough, however, that no one bothered to find out more.

Carlisle practiced medicine in a hospital that was more like a small clinic but he dealt with a wide variety of cold-related illnesses like frostbite and hypothermia which kept him challenged enough. Esme spent her days mothering us all and working with contractors on enlarging the small house we had purchased. It was going to be a much larger, more comfortable space with several suites for the different families when she was finished.

My days passed much as they had in Forks, learning from my parents and relatives and spending much of my time with Jacob nearby. He was my playmate and friend. Although I tended not to be enamored with typical childhood things, he did his best to get me to play sometimes. He was the one who encouraged me to use my imagination and explore.

I will always love our time in Alaska because it is where I discovered art. It wasn't like I didn't know art and artists existed. All I had to do was walk into Carlisle's library to see a wide variety of paintings. But I had never liked coloring books and a pencil and paper never held my attention long. It all changed when I picked up a paintbrush. Alice had bought a small set of watercolors and a pad of paper one day fmany months before. She probably had a vision of me painting now that I think back on it, but she never tried to force me to fulfill her vision. It had to be my choice. And it truly was my choice. That paintbrush became an extension of my arm.

Art became almost as necessary as air. My relations encouraged me in every way possible. Esme's plans for the house now included a garret with windows perfect for an art studio. Books appeared on artist after artist from Carlisle, and I devoured them. My favorites were many and varied. I was a spoiled vampire hybrid. Whenever I would show interest in a particular person's work, a post card or print appeared for me to hang in my room. I had covered the walls. Alice bought me some of Degas' dancers. My favorite one was called "The Rehearsal of the Ballet on Stage." Rosalie appeared with some of Georgia O'Keefe's flowers. Every family member contributed something. The curvy, wavy lines of Thomas Hart Benton. The graphic Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth. Oleanders by Van Gogh. The pointillism of Seurat. I loved the Storm by Pierre-Auguste Cot depicting two young people caught in an unexpected rain storm. Anything and everything inspired me. I loved playing with color.

With my first set of oil paints and canvases given to me sometime between my third and fourth year, I produced graphic, realistic portraits of my family in their various pursuits. No one would have believed they were a child's paintings.

One time a memory of the Volturis in the clearing crept into my work. I had finished it only the day before when Esme wandered into the garret to see what I was working on. She made a choking sound when she saw it. The painting was of a menacing Jane and an angry Aro in the background of a beautiful portrait of Alice.

"Sweetie, why did you decide to paint Alice like this?" Esme asked me.

Something in her voice must have sent red flags up around the house. The rest of my family flitted into the room in a matter of seconds.

I was a little shy about answering. Telling someone why I painted something did not come easy. I expressed my emotions through painting and couldn't always articulate them.

"I can't get out of my head the way Aro looked at Alice when he realized she was there in the clearing that day. The way Jane stared at Dad was awful," I said. I couldn't contain my shudder, and my mom put her arm around me.

I knew Carlisle was saying something to my dad from the looks on their faces, but neither bothered to enlighten the rest of us.

"Aro is a bully that was beaten," Jasper said. "I wouldn't look for him in shadows. He doesn't want to be humiliated again."

I know they were all trying to soothe me, and Jasper worked on making me feel calmer as only he could, but it wasn't going to work for long. I knew Aro would be back for Alice.

The evil in the picture was apparent and too much for my family who sent me out to play with Jacob in the woods shortly after. No one knew how to talk to me about it.

"You know they are in there discussing you, little one," Jacob said, once we were out of earshot of the house.

"They don't want me to be scared, but that's not possible. I remember that day too clearly," I answered.

"Why are you so convinced the Volturi will be back? We scared them that day." Jacob said.

"That's exactly why they'll be back. My dad has said it himself several times. The Volturi had never fought a fair fight and weren't used to being so well opposed. They are going to want revenge."

"Has this been bothering you all this time, Ness?" He seemed shocked.

Jacob was my best friend and brother, but I had never even told him about this.

"Can I show you?" I asked. He leaned forward and let me put my hands on his tanned face. As my memories of the day rushed over him, his face began to look grimmer. By the time I got to the dream of a few nights ago that had inspired the painting, he was almost as still as a vampire. I had focused on how I thought they were going to want me too. That was something Jacob couldn't even allow himself to consider.

"You know that with your family's gifts, the chances that something is going to happen to you are very remote. You also have an entire wolf pack to guard you. You are possibly the world's safest vampire-human hybrid," Jacob smiled, trying to lighten my mood.

He eventually succeeded. He always seemed to know what to say to me, even when no one else did.

When we came back to the house from hunting, the picture had been stored away in Carlisle's office. I didn't mention it again and neither did any of my family. After that, I was careful. If I felt the need to draw anything dark or scary, I kept it in my sketchbooks which were never looked at by anyone else. I had been proud of that painting despite the dark undertones and would probably revisit it one day. In the meantime, I tried to pretend like they had all calmed my fears. I was sure Jacob knew better.

As the years passed in Alaska, my mom and I often locked ourselves away in my studio. She would write her papers and do her homework while I painted or read. She had decided to pursue her Master's degree at Anchorage after she finished up her Bachelor's. Dad would play the piano in the living room and the music would float up to us over the happy sounds of Jacob snoring or Alice talking to Jasper. Life seemed about as idyllic to me as a fairy tale. There may have been an ogre or witch in the background of my story, but we seemed to be living a happily ever after.