Author's Note: Alright all, this is my first crack at a Twilight fic. I haven't decided how long it's going to be yet. I had this dream I couldn't shake this morning, SO I figured I may as well do something productive with it. James will be slightly AU. Here goes nothin'.

I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR
Music Credit: "Feel Good Drag" – Anberlin

Chapter One:

~*.*~
'I'm here for you.' She said and we can stay for a while.
My boyfriend's gone – we can just pretend.

Lips that need no introduction, now who's the greater sin?
Your drab eyes seem to invite, tell me darling, where do we begin?

Was it over before, before it ever began?
Your kiss, your calls, your crutch, like the Devil's got your hand…

Was it over before, before it ever began?
Your lips, your lies, your lust, like the Devil's got your hands…

Everyone in this town is seeing someone else.
Everybody's tired of someone – our eyes wander for help.

Prayers that need no answer now; I'm tired of who I am.
You were my greatest sin.
I fell in love with your sin, your littlest sin.'
~*.*~

I slammed my hand on top of my alarm clock. I'm not ready to get up and face the day yet. Last night was bad. I knew things were getting progressively worse and yet it still blindsided me. My mother's too busy laying in her drunken stupor to notice me or my sisters. It's not bad for them – it never is. He doesn't fancy them like he does me. I suppose it's both a gift and a curse. My mother's husband has taken a liking to coercing me into doing whatever he likes.

It started a few months ago. He wasn't always like this. It was the first time that they ever let me drink with them. I didn't realize that I had had too much to drink until it was too late. I don't get out much. I just wanted my mother to notice me and give a damn. I was too drunk to realize that he was putting his hands down my shirt. I tried to push him away but I couldn't. He wouldn't let me. His grip on me was too strong. I fell off the couch and crawled away. He got on top of me and slammed my face into the floor. I was frozen in fear. I can't remember all of the rest. He stopped before it got too far. Thank God my mother was in the next room.

Since that night, every day just gets worse. My mother does notice and she doesn't care. If I don't go along with it, he'll start on my sisters. His words, not mine. My father has been out of the picture for ages. He took off right after I was born. My sisters have a different dad. My mom was married to their dad for a long time. The first time she had an affair was with my father. She cheated on him again and they divorced about a year ago. He was a standup guy. He still comes to visit us. He's not an option. He's not my dad and I'm not his problem.

Eventually, things have to get better. I'm gone as much as possible. I hate coming back to the house. I never would have pictured my life turning out like this. I excel in school. I have to have a way out of this fucked up town. Everyone knows everyone here. My mother's new husband is an important man, here. He comes from old money. Even if they knew how sadistic he was, no one would do anything, because he employs half the town. He owns the local hospital and is close friends with the mayor.

If he's not careful I'm going to have no choice to walk my happy ass down to the ER and get checked out. Since last night, my ribs feel broken. It's harder to breathe than it should be. I can't go – I have no explanation for what happened other than the truth. If I tell anyone, he'll kill me. Something in my bones tells me that he's not lying.

I have no idea what he picked me. I don't even look like my mother. She's a beautiful, thin, blue-eyed, blonde woman. I'm her polar opposite in most respects. I have long dark hard, dark brown eyes; I'm a small like she is, with caramel skin. I never asked for her life, but it seems like I'm getting it for free. I don't know if he hits her, too. I don't have the courage to ask her.

I grabbed some clothes and ran to the bathroom. I took a two minute shower and brushed my teeth. It's fall so, I dressed in layers. No one will say anything. Layers make it harder for him to do anything. The more layers, the more time it takes to take off my clothes. Often times, that's my only saving grace. I washed my face and put on foundation to make it look like I actually get sleep at night. I put on lip balm and went to wake up my sisters.

Kelley is the youngest. She turned fifteen about a month ago. Kendra is a year older than I am but we're in the same grade. We're both seniors this year. Both of them are gorgeous. If you would have asked me a few months ago, I would have told you that all of us were pretty. Truth is… I don't feel Iike I'm anything anymore.

I did Kelley's hair while Kendra was in the shower. We used to be so close. I reminisced all the way to school. I can't wait to leave Forks.

We parted ways as soon as we were inside.

"Karson!" Emmett yelled behind me before picking me up. I squealed and tried to get down. Fuck, my ribs, I can't breathe. He seemed to realize that something was wrong because he put me down. I doubled over, taking strangled breaths. "My bad, you okay?" He asked, worried. I nodded.

"Yeah, I fell down some stairs yesterday. I've got made bruises. They hurt like a bitch." I told him. He smirked.

"Bruises are hot." He told me, grinning. I rolled my eyes.

"Where's Rose today?" I asked. He shrugged.

"We aren't married." He told me.

"Yeah, but she has a thing for you, everyone knows it." I told him. He shrugged, again.

"Can't I chill with my best girl without nagging?" He asked, slinging an arm around my shoulder. I nodded.

"Of course you can, I'm sorry."

"No sweat. You wanna come over and chill after school? Esme and Carlisle want to meet you."

"Sounds good, are you gonna feed me, too?" I asked. His smile dropped.

"Are things bad with your mom, again, Kar?" He asked. I didn't say anything. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry. It's nothing that I can't handle. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." I told him. He didn't say anything. I've known Emmett for about a year. He and his foster family moved to Forks about a year ago. We hit it off. A lot of people assume he's a dumb jock. Yeah, he has his moments, but no one gives him enough credit. He's one of the smartest people I know.

"You don't have to go it all, alone. You know? How's Jeff treating you?" He asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Did he do something?" He pressed, pulling me to a stop. I can't look him in the eye.

"Nothing that he doesn't done before, okay? It's fine. He's just worse than my mom sometimes." I told him.

"That doesn't sound okay."

"I have to do the best I can with what I've got, Emmett. Okay? We can talk about it later, just let it go, please." I asked. He nodded.

"Walk you to class?"

"It's your class, too."

"Technicalities," he shrugged. I laughed and we linked arms. It's gonna be a long day. We took our seats and waited for our English teacher.

"Good morning class," Mr. Vice smiled. Someone walked into class. He stared at me as he walked to the teacher. He has long blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, smoldering eyes. He looks dangerous and sexy. Wow. He winked at me. "We have a new student joining us, this is James Strong."

"Hey," he introduced himself.

"Why don't you a seat next to Miss Jenkins." He motioned to the empty seat next to me. James took his time walking over to me. Emmett was eyeing him. What's his deal?

"So, you're the infamous Karson that we've been hearing so much about." Esme smiled and pulled me into a hug. They're must be an affectionate family.

"It's nice to meet you." I told her.

"I'm Esme. My husband Carlisle will be home soon. He had a last minute patient to attend to." She told me. I nodded. "This is Alice, Jasper, and Edward."

"I've seen you around school before, but it's nice to formally meet you." Alice smiled. I gave her a small smile.

"Fascinating," Jasper said. I never could get a read on him, before.

"Be polite, Jasper." Alice pressed him.

"I'm Jasper." He told me, stiffly.

"He grows on you." Emmett teased.

"I gotcha. So, you must be Edward, then?" I asked. He nodded with a smirk. Well, good to know this really will be awkward, then. We went up to Emmett's room and watched movies. I sprawled out on top of him as 300 started.

"We can watch something else, Kar." He told me.

"Hell no, I love this movie. The Spartans are such badasses. And, it's Gerard Butler, hey now." I told him. He laughed and we sunk into a comfortable silence.

"Karson, wake up." Someone was shaking me. I jumped up.

"Don't touch me." I mumbled, trying to place my surroundings. I'm at Emmett's. I must have fallen asleep. "Sorry, I haven't been getting much sleep lately. I didn't mean to pass out on top of you." I apologized.

"If I minded, I would have pushed your ass onto the floor. A pretty girl can use me as a pillow anytime." He pushed my shoulder, smiling. I rolled my eyes. "Dinner is ready." He helped me up. I followed him downstairs.

"It smells great." I told him. He smiled. "Normally it's me or Kendra cooking." I told him.

"It's your day off, enjoy it." He pulled out my chair for me. This is nice. It's always nice not being home. It doesn't take much to top it.

"You must be Karson." Carlisle leaned down and gave me a hug. I nodded.

"I think I've met you before. You know my mother's husband, Jeff Gold." I told him.

"Ah, yes, most of us do know him. How is your mother doing?" He asked.

"She's alright."

"Glad to hear it." He took his seat. Dinner was amazing. I stayed at the Cullen's for a little longer then Emmett walked me home. I don't live too far from his house, maybe a couple of miles or so.

"Karson, you know you can tell me if something is going on, right?" He said. I nodded. "Then talk to me. I know that there's something you're not telling me." He told me. I shrugged.

"Look, you know I love you, Em, but there's just some things that better that you don't know. Okay? You can't do anything about what's going on. Don't burden yourself. I have my sisters to think about, okay? If I could tell anyone, it would be you. If things get bad… Really bad… You'll be the first to know. I promise." I squeezed his hand. He dropped my hand.

"That's not good enough. I know he's hurting you. It's killing me watching you suffer like this. Let me do something." He pleaded. I shook my head.

"And what are you going to do?" I asked.

"Get you out. You could stay with me." He offered.

"What about Kelley? She's only fifteen. She can't. It'd be kidnapping. You know that." I told him. He didn't say anything. "If you think of something that would work, let me know. I'll see you later." I kept walking without him. I still have a good fifteen minutes left until I'll be home. I'm tired of always being the victim. I can't stand it. Sometimes, being brave gets you killed. That's something that I can't afford to be right now. Tears started burning my eyes. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve and kept walking. I walked head first into someone. "Shit, I'm sorry." I said, trying to make out who I hit.

"Pretty girls shouldn't cry." James eyed me, closely. "You should be careful who you run into. They could be dangerous." He told me, quietly. It gave me chills.

"I know plenty of dangerous; I think I'll be just fine, thanks." I told him, walking away. He grabbed my arm, lightly, to stop me. I turned around and faced him.

"And maybe you like it." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"Not likely." I told him.

"Maybe you haven't met the right kind of dangerous yet." He told me. I stared at him.

"And you're the right kind?" I asked.

"You tell me." He stepped closer to me.

"Why have you been watching me? And don't play dumb. I've seen you."

"Maybe you're the only thing in this town worth watching." He countered.

"Hardly," I told him.

"Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Don't tell me what to do." I told him. He smirked.

"There's your fire. Do I scare you?" He asked.

"No. Should you?"

"Probably." He shrugged, still watching me. "What are you doing right now?" He asked.

"Walking home," I told him.

"Can I come?" He asked. I shrugged.

"It's your funeral." I told him.

"I'm good with parents." He told me. I laughed.

"Good luck." I didn't say anything else the rest of the way. I have no idea why he wanted to come home with me. I'm not sure it really matters. He's got muscle. I can see it outlined through his clothes. Maybe Jeff will leave me along tonight. Maybe, just maybe. Here's to hoping.

I unlocked the front door and I let him in after me. I locked it and I headed upstairs. I was stopped by a very sober mother. This is a first.

"Hey mom, this is James." I introduced. She smiled.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Lauren." She gave him a hug. "You're late." She told me. "I texted you to tell you that I was having dinner with the Cullens. Did you not get it?" I asked. She pulled out her phone and frowned.

"I must not have seen it earlier. Well, it's nice to meet you James." She smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine." He assured, smiling.

"Where's your husband?" I asked. She turned her attention back on me.

"Jeff is spending a couple of weeks out of town on business. He'll be back by the end of the month." She told me. I beamed. That's fantastic news.

"Karson offered to help me catch up in English. I've missed a little bit of school. Is that alright?" James asked her.

"I don't see why not. I'm going to bed. Stay as long as you like. Goodnight." She went to the fridge to grab a bottle of wine before retiring to her room. Now, that's more like it.

"Let's get to my room before she changes her mind." I told him. He followed me with a hand on my back. We got into my room and I locked the locks on my door. I have three deadbolts and a chain. He looked at me, questioningly.

"Trouble in paradise?" He asked.

"Her husband is an ass." I left it at that. He nodded. "Tell me why you're really here." I sat down on my bed.

"I want to get to know you better." I told me. His stare is intense.

"Why?"

"You fascinate me."

"Okay… What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Truth or dare," he smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, you first." I told him.

"Truth or dare?" He asked.

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss me." He smirked.

"How original." I walked over to him and planted my lips firmly on his. He kissed me back. He's so cold. Hm. I pulled away. "Truth or dare?" I asked him.

"Truth," he said.

"Were you following me?" I asked him. He chuckled.

"I live around here. It was mostly coincidence that we ran into each other. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"How long has your mother been an alcoholic?" He asked. I shrugged.

"A few years now, I guess. Your turn."

"Dare."

"Okay, I dare you to tell me why I fascinate you." I told him. He made a face.

"I want to figure out who broke you." He answered. My face fell. I didn't say anything. "Was it Lauren or Jeff?"

"Both," I told him. "Is it that obvious?" I asked.

"Not really, but I know what to look for. You're trying so hard to be okay. I think it took an outsider to see it." He told me. "Truth or dare?" He asked.

"Truth."

"How long has he been hitting you?" He asked. I didn't say anything. "Okay, dare then. Show me your bruises." He tried again. I looked at him, for a second. I stood up and shed some layers and let him see the ones on my arms and legs. "What about your stomach?" I lifted up my shirt so he could see my purple stomach.

"Truth or dare?" I asked, putting on pajama pants. I don't know why I started talking to him but I can't bring myself to stop.

"Truth."

"How do you know what to look for? Who hit you?" I asked. He looked at me for a minute before cracking a disturbing smile.

"My mother," he answered. "Your turn."

"Truth."

"Do you want to learn how to defend yourself?" He asked. I nodded.

"Please." He started showing me easy ways to defend myself. It's something so obvious that never even occurred to me. Learn self-defense. It will come in handy. We didn't talk too much but he ended up staying the night in my bed with me. I don't know why but I feel safer with him here. For the first time in a long time, I had dreamless sleep and I didn't wake up scared.

Jeff will be back soon. Luck can't keep him away forever.

~*.*~
'Failure is your disease – I want my outline drawn.
You were my greatest failure; discourse your saving song.

Was it over before, before it ever began?
Your kiss, your calls, your crutch, like the Devil's got your hand.

Was it over before, before it ever began?
Your lips, your lies, your lust, like the Devil's got your hand.'
~*.*~

Author's Note: Alright, more drama next chapter. Jeff will be back soon. James will show more of his true colors next chapter. Reviews would be lovely.

Xo Xo
Anneryn