Authors Notes: If you need a refresher go check out my profile/avatar to see the photograph that inspired this story.

Again I want to give a shout out and say a big thank you to my very first beta, PHO3N1X 5ONG.

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything.

"Alice, I know we have been inseparable since we met, but my life before I met you was very different. I know I don't speak about it much and I am sorry for that, but I just don't like dredging up this girl," I pointed to myself in the picture, "anymore than necessary."

I looked at her apologetically, hoping she would understand. When she gave me a small smile and nodded, I continued.

I looked down at the picture again, really taking it all in as I tried to gather my thoughts.

"This," I said, holding up the picture, "is a Daguerreotype*. I can tell you about that later, but for now, it's…just…one of the ways that people made photos back in the 1800's. This guy, this Daguerrean photo vendor, came to camp every year and made a killing on these. People would get these photos taken and leave camp every summer with an authentic 1800's photo that in every way indicated that they were actually there…living in the 1800's, I mean."

"Think about it. If you didn't know me and saw this photo, you would have thought it was somebody's ancestor or something, right? You wouldn't have known this was a photo of some little girl from Arizona, born in 1991, playing 'old-time' at some camp?" I looked at her for confirmation and she nodded, totally engrossed. At this point, she had discarded the bowl and was eating the ice cream straight out of the container.

I looked down at the picture again. It was like looking at a stranger. Gone were my cute and fashionable clothes of the new millennium. In their place was a plain, oppressively modest, black dress and hat that had been appropriate for any young girl living in the 1800's. This was, of course, intended as this picture had been taken during one of my summers at Camp 50's…the 1850's that is.

"So yeah, this is me, dirty faced and scowling, standing with one of the deer from the paddock. I remember I called her PB because she looked like the color of peanut butter to me. I always filled this tin can up with pieces of carrots and apples when I went to visit PB," I said, pointing at the picture, "which was a lot."

"Anyway, I had been minding my own business with PB, as usual, when the Daguerreotype guy came along. He couldn't believe that I was able to get that close to a deer. He told me he wanted to make two pictures of PB and I and that I didn't have to pay or anything. He wanted one for his portfolio and he would give the other one to me."

"Well," I said, laughing, "I couldn't have cared less what he did with his camera. I just wanted to be left alone, so I just stood there, bored, and waited for him to finish and leave."

"So that explains the picture, yeah?" I said looking at her for confirmation.

Alice took the picture from me and laughed a little when she got a closer look at my steely glare.

"Okay, yes, I understand the picture. Now get to the lovey, dovey stuff already!" Alice gave the picture back to me and resumed eating the now melting ice cream.

"All right, all right!" I giggled.

"So, you kind of need to hear a little back story about me first to understand why Edward and I had the kind of relationship we did that first summer he showed up to camp."

I took a deep breath. I always hated seeing the pity on people's faces when I first told them this.

"Okay, you know my mother, Renee, but what you don't know is that a few years after my Dad died, she got married to a guy named Phil. Well…Phil molested me…a lot."

And there it was, that horrified pitiful look, the one that said people felt compelled to "do something for me". I held up my hands to stop her.

"Just chill out. I'm okay now. We can talk about that part later if you want, but just know that I've gotten that all worked out. Let's just get on with the story for now." She looked unconvinced, but she acquiesced after a few seconds and sat back again, using her fingers to make a mock zipping motion on her lips.

"To say that I was unhappy is an understatement, but nobody ever seemed to notice. After a while, I just tried to stay away from people altogether. The whole experience killed my trust. I mean, if I couldn't trust my own parents, who were supposed to love me the most, then who the hell could I trust?"

"Phil was major league baseball player, so he made plenty of money and Renee didn't have to work. Well, she was, is, obsessed with old-fashioned things. She found out about Camp 50's on some website when I was nine and decided that she absolutely must be in this environment. She sent in an application for a job that same day. She got the job and just like that, my next nine summers were spent at Camp 50's with my mother."

"Needless to say, and I'm sure you can tell from this photo, I absolutely hated it there." I laughed a little.

"I didn't hide it either. I made sure that nobody wanted to be around me. Like I said, I didn't trust people, especially adults, so I had no desire to make nice with any of the camp leaders. I just didn't have that sense of innocence that I saw in the other kids anymore. I remember feeling like an old person in a child's body." I shook my head, remembering the intense feelings of loneliness and isolation I felt at such a young age.

"I mean, what kid would want to spend their summers pretending to live in the 1800's?"

"Well, as it turns out, your brother did." I smirked, thinking about the first time I saw him.

Chapter End Notes: One chapter left guys. Hope you are enjoying it. Give me a review and tell me what you think.

* If you don't know what a Daguerreotype is, head on over to Google and check it out. People really went to a lot of trouble back in the day to make a photograph.