Prologue:

When she had been younger Ellie would have given anything to have been compared to her mother. After all she was the strongest and most independent women she knew, next to her aunt Diana. The way her mother held her ground anytime someone gave her a hard time, always seem to bring a smile to Ellie's face.

But, now that she was older, Ellie would give anything to stop the whispered and the stares. Ellie Blake was in every way shape and form her mother's twin, from her blond hair down to her freckled nose. They could have been sisters if it wasn't for the fact that Ellie had brown eyes instead of sapphire ones like her mother.

Her brother had been lucky in the looks department, having gotten his looks from their father.

Miles Blake was what anyone would expect a typical Conant child to look like. The dimpled chin, grey eyes, and dark brown hair made blending in with the other children of Chance Harbour easy for him.

But nope, here she was sitting in her family's Bar and Grill on a Thursday afternoon trying to look like she was reading her History Textbook, when really all she wanted to do was make the whispering stop.

Most of the time she could block it out, but on rainy days like these, she felt it hard to focus.

Most of the whispers had to do with her mother and what had happen to her and her friends 17 years earlier, when they had been on a sailing trip, but sometimes they were about her and how the Amazing Adam Conant could not have possibly helped in the creation of a blond haired child. Conant's were and had always had dark complexions.. And so she was the cause of much of her parent's fights over the years, when her father would get drunk and claim that her mother had slept with someone else.

She had grown use to her father's cold shoulder as she had grown up, and had felt relief when her brother had been born in hopes that her father would just forget about her entirely.

"Ellie? Eeeeeeelllllie?"

Ellie raised her eyes over the level of her book, and snapped out of her thoughts at the sight of her mother.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you want something to eat?" Cassie Conant replied setting the tray she had been carrying down on the table and placing her hand on her daughter's forehead, "You're not getting sick again are you?"

Ellie swatter her mother's hand away, "Mom I'm fine, I was just lost in my book that's should be more worried about Miles dropping that bin of glasses." She pointed across the room at her 10 year old brother struggling to carry a bin full of dishes to the kitchen.

Cassie sighed and picked up her tray, "I'll be right back." She then scurried off to relieve her son of the bin and remind him again that he mustn't carry things that are far too heavy for him.

Ellie turned her attention out the window to her right, catching sight of her best friend Meghan's car pulling into the parking lot.

Shoving her history book into her bag and pushing herself out of her seat, Ellie head for the door.

"Be safe." She heard her mother call from behind her as she pushed open the door to the bar.

A cool gust of wind sent her wavy blond hair into her face.

Juggling her backpack and purse in one hand, she used her other to move the blond strands behind her ear.

Not paying any attention to where she was going, or how close to the stair she actually was Ellie slipped on a puddle of rain and toppled forward, only to stop before falling down the stairs.

The person had however not caught her before her books went flying down the steps into a puddle of murky water.

Ellie let out a groan and looked up to see her rescuer.

At first it was like she was looking in the mirror at her own eyes, but after blinking she took in the rest of his features. Light sandy brown hair, square chin, small faded freckles under his eyes, and a scar across his left eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" his deep voice asked as he balanced her out on the deck.

Ellie just nodded as Cassie came running out of the Bar and Grill.

Pushing passed the stranger Cassie took her daughter into her arms and looked her over from head to toe, "Ellie? Are you okay, did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine mom." Ellie replied lowering her eyes away from the strangers.

Cassie hugged her then turned her attention to the man who had saved Ellie from a tumble down the stairs, "Than-"

The words stopped rolling off her tongue as she recognised the man before her. A man she had not seen in 17 years.

"Nick?" Cassie all but whispered.

"Cassie…" Nick looked surprised.

Without thinking Cassie took him in her arms, "It good to see you."

Nick encased Cassie in his strong arms, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

Ellie had found the sight before her a bit disturbing and cleared her throat.

Cassie having realized her daughter was still standing there, pulled away from Nick and turned to face her, "Ellie this is Nick Armstrong. Your father and I knew him back when we were in High School."

Ellie looked him over from head to toe. Something felt familiar about him, but she couldn't quite place it.

She didn't get a chance to ask, because before she knew it the door to the Bar was slammed close, and all three sets of eyes moved to look at Adam Conant standing in the doorway.

"Adam…." Cassie trailed off.

"I thought i told you never to show your face here again." came her father's roaring voice. And before anyone knew it Adam's fist was connecting with Nick's jaw sending him sailing back into her and pushing her over the railing of the porch.

The last thing she heard was her mother screaming before blackness took her.