A/n Thank you for your reviews and interest in my story. I do not own the rights to the Twilight Saga nor its characters as I am not Stephanie Meyers. I feel I must once again state that this story does contain some dark themes, but themes that pertain to the darker side of true life.

"I have to go, now," I said quickly. Every head shot my way.

"Bella, the storm is getting quite harsh out there. Maybe you should just spend the evening here. I will talk to your parents if need be," Carlisle said as he entered the room.

"No, I'm sorry that will not do, but I thank you for your hospitality. My mum was expecting me home hours ago." With that I let myself out the front door and rushed to my truck.

After a quite hasty departure, I found myself pushing my truck to its limits. It's funny how even though you already know you're late and you know another five minutes won't help your predicament, you can't help but race off to your destination to reach your consequences that much quicker. But there I was, racing to get home to my trashed and pissed off mother. She's going to be so angry… ok just calm down and keep your mouth shut. You've got this; you've done it before… no I really haven't. I've never missed her dinner for something as absurd as hanging out with friends… I've never even really had friends to hang out with. The storm was raging around me. I could barely see a few feet ahead of my, but at that point in time my safety from the storm did not seem important.

"UGH!" My internal monologue was driving me absolutely crazy. I finally pulled up to my house to see all the lights on. So much for getting out of this pickle. I stared up at the sky for a moment. Between the lightning and thunder the sky seemed so angry. Far off in the distance the cloud cover was breaking and the stars were out. For some reason the sky had always caught my interest. I hated learning about space; I think it was because I liked the mystery surrounding the stars. It was as if they told the stories of the world. I know it sounded like rubbish, but it made me feel connected to the world and all of her secrets. Vampire. The thought just popped into my head. I had no idea what it meant at the time, but I had more pressing matters at the moment. I walked inside to face my mum's wrath. Melodramatic, I knew, but who could blame me.

An hour or so later I finally pulled myself up to my room. After looking in the mirror I saw my entire chest was a huge bruise. She was always smart enough to make sure nothing would show. A sigh played on my lips, but experience told me sighing would just hurt my bruised ribs. I laid down on my bed and thought about my revelation from earlier. Cold skin, never eating, changing eye colors, calculating every move, lightning fast reflexes, absent from school every sunny day… vampires. Alice is a vampire. Oh snap. If it weren't for my previous success with coming up with these answers, I would have probably dismissed the idea. However, it all made sense to me in that exact second. I should have been more startled by the fact that my only friends in years were blood sucking vampires. Then again, I had always found myself in dangerous situations so it made little difference to me. My stomach was growling in protest. I usually snuck in some food while making my mum's dinner, but in all of the excitement I hadn't eaten since lunch. Curled up in a ball trying not to breathe too much, I fell asleep that night thinking about everything I figured out that evening.

The rest of the weekend was a jumble of pain, my mum screaming, and doing my homework. For once I could not wait until Monday came. The sun was hiding behind the clouds once again leaving us a dreary day; however it didn't seem as if it would rain. I'll take every positive thing life hands me. As she walked into English I wondered how I didn't see it before. Her perfection is blatantly inhumane.

"Hey Bella," her voice reached my ears like a perfect melody.

"Alice." My voice came out scratchy. I had not used it nearly all weekend. There was never any use trying to start conversation with my mum. Worry clouded Alice's vision. She tentatively looked me over.

"Are you ok? I hope your mum wasn't too upset about you getting home late the other night," she hesitantly responded. She knew. For some reason it bothered me. Embarrassment shaded my cheeks red. Before her I never cared who knew about my home life. I had let them think what they wanted to think. For some reason unknown to me, I cared about this girl in front of me. I cared about her more than I was willing to admit to myself. Caring meant getting hurt eventually and I couldn't take any more pain. I felt my shell starting to crack. I looked up to see we had a few more minutes until class started so, before I got my wits about me, I picked up my bag and left.

And with that I ran. I ran out the school and to my truck. I got in and drove away with the town slowly disappearing from the rear view mirror. The comfort in that small feat alone was astronomical. Finally I stopped a few miles out of town in my favorite spot. I got out and climbed up the path that had been worn in from years of me running here. Stepping out into the meadow, I felt myself crumble around me. My dad used to bring me to this meadow on the good days until he died a few years back. It was the beginning of the end as far as my family was concerned. You would think I would have felt angry or upset in a place like this, but it was one of the only places I felt I could just be myself. I ran all the way to the middle and just collapsed and laid on my back watching the clouds. I don't know how long I was there until I heard the grass behind me start to rustle.

"I wondered when you were going to find me," I said to the person creeping up on me. My eyes were still closed, but I knew only one person would be able to find me out here.

"How'd you know it was me?" Her voice seemed to add to the serenity that the meadow offered me.

"Who else would be able to find me way out here?"

"I followed you," the auto response came. I turned on my stomach to see her petite figure standing behind me frozen in place.

"Yeah-huh. Sit down," I offered. She laid down next to me after I rolled back over so we were both watching the clouds.

"How bad is it?" I knew immediately what she was talking about.

"No worse than yesterday, nor tomorrow. Why must you know?" I had learned to give these responses when questioned about my mum. It made people think I was being open with them while not giving anything away.

"I care very greatly for you, Bella." She paused while scrutinizing me. "I'll trade you secrets." A small smile played on her lips.

"I already know yours Alice."

"What do you mean?... How?" She was quite cute when she was perplexed.

"I just know these things. I'm sure I don't know everything about it, but I know what you are."

"Say it."

"You're a vampire, as are your family members."

"Why aren't you running away from me?"

"Because I don't fear you. My trust for you aside, there are worse things than being killed, things I have faced before. What your presence threats me with does not scare me." I turn my head towards her and she mimicked me. We were eye to eye as she searched within mine for God knows what. Fear? Doubt? Falsehood? I watched her thoughts race behind her amber pools.

"I wish you didn't feel that way. I wish I was the most dangerous thing you had ever faced. I wish you would have the sense to walk away before this becomes risky for both of us," she finally whispered.

"What's done is done. All we have is the future. A man does not travel far if he has his head on backwards."

"Please, tell me. Tell me about you. Not about who you pretend to be, not who you feel you must be, tell me who you are. Tell me what has made you, you." Her eyes looked as if tears were begging to fall, but would never quite leave the confines of her eye lids.

"What is it you wish to know?"

"What happened when you went home Friday?" As soon as the question left her lips I sighed and closed my eyes. I wished I had the strength to keep hiding, but these constant secrets were begging to be released. I looked up at the clouds and asked the world what to do. Tell her. She can be trusted. Once again I trusted these words that came to me from somewhere unknown. Closing my eyes, I started my tale.

"My mum was drunk, as per usual. She wasn't too happy that I missed being home to make her dinner. It was my fault. I broke the rules. I should have known better. She came at me with a broom. Once I was down and couldn't get up she started kicking me. Eventually she lost interest. She always does once I stop fighting back." I tried to stay strong, but I felt my strength wavering. A lone tear broke free from my right eye and rolled down my cheek. Alice was absolutely silent next to me. I didn't open my eyes to be certain, but I didn't even hear her breathe. We sat in a slightly uncomfortable silence while she processed what she heard. I expected her to run or laugh or something. No one ever believed me.

"You shouldn't have to live like that," she finally choked out. "How long has it been like that?"

"My mum drank a lot when I was younger, but had been sober for nearly six years. That was until my father died two years back. That's when things got bad again. Before my father died it was as if I didn't exist. They often forgot I was around. That didn't bother me the slightest. I got into some things that even they would have frowned upon, but it was all I ever knew. Once it was just my mum and me, she focused all of her anger and hatred my way. I don't blame her."

"No," Alice growled, literally growled. I sighed for the millionth time and looked back at her. The tears were flowing quite regularly from my eyes by then. Her eyes had become nearly as black as the darkest night. "No. You do not deserve her shit. Don't you for a second believe that." I looked away from her. I had heard it all before. Before my last friends ditched me that's all they would say. Though I doubt they even knew what they were saying.

I felt a cold hand placed upon my cheek. As gentle and soft as it was I could feel the strength behind it. Alice turned my head back towards her. "Please open your eyes, my Bella." Tears of pain and tears of embarrassment were melding together down my face. "There we go. There're those beautiful eyes of yours. You are a wonderful person. The person lying next to me right now is kind and funny and intelligent and… and I care deeply for you Bella Swan. This means I won't hear anyone say anything negative about you. That includes you yourself, young lady. Do you hear me? You said yourself that there is only the future. I want to help you build that future." It was my turn to search her eyes for any clues that she could be lying. I found none. And I think that in its self scared me more than she could know.

"Ok now we're going to go back to my house, clean up, and I'm going to have Carlisle look over you to make sure you weren't hurt too badly, ok?" Her question was left in the air as if she was really leaving it up to me.

"No, no, no. Carlisle can't know. No one can know. He'll tell someone and my mum will find out I told. I can't do that. Alice you have to promise me you won't tell anyone. Promise me Alice," my voice was an octave higher out of hysteria.

Sighing Alice responded, "Ok, ok. But I will not let you go scot-free. I have a few medical degrees, I will look you over. C'mon, let's go home now Bella."

I looked down at my muddy clothes and saw no way to avoid showering before going home. Alice stood up and carefully helped me up. After wiping my eyes she whispers, "I wish you knew how beautiful you really are Bella. I will help you see, I promise that as well." All I could do was blush and look away as she grabbed my hand and led me back down the path to my truck. We got in my truck when it hit me.

"Alice, uh… where's your car?" I asked.

"I just ran silly," she giggled.

"Oh, obviously. Who wouldn't run eleven odd miles through woods," a small smile tugged at my lips at hearing Alice's giggle. Alice drove us back to her house and I was quite relieved not to see anyone there.

"C'mon Bella. We can go up to my room."

"See I knew you wouldn't sleep on the couch," I smiled as we entered her room. "Where're the coffins?" My voice held a joking tone but I was mildly curious as to some of the aspects of her life.

"We don't sleep, so no coffins," she laughed.

"Well that's mildly disappointing."

"Sorry. I wish I could sleep."

"So what else should I know about it all?"

"Well… my family and I drink from animals as opposed to humans. Not that human blood isn't extremely enticing, but we abstain to try to be more civilized. Jazz is the newest to our lifestyle so he tends to stay away from humans, but he has taken a liking to you so you are safer than most humans around him. Some vampires have special gifts, I suppose you could say. Jasper can sense and manipulate emotions and I can see the future."

"Well that's convenient."

"Sorta. The future is always changing. I can see which path it is on with every decision that is made. As soon as a decision has changed so is the future."

"I see. How old are you all?"

"Carlisle was the first of us by far. He was born in 1643, turned in 1666.

"Next was Esme. She was born in 1895 and turned in 1921.

"Rosalie was born in 1915 and turned in 1933.

"Rosalie found Emmett and had Carlisle turn him two years later. He was also born in 1915.

"And as for me I am not completely certain. I don't remember my human life at all. I know I was turned in 1920 and I believe I was born in 1901. After I was turned I had a vision of Jasper. I met him in Philadelphia in 1948. He was born in 1843 and turned in 1863. I knew I had to meet him and had a vision of us meeting the Cullens. And here we all are."

"Wow. You're all kinda old," I smiled at her to let her know I was joking with her.

"I'm hurt by your insinuations," she mocked with her hand laid over her chest. After a moment of silence she started again. "So the shower is through there I'll grab you some towels and clothes."

In the shower I started stalling. I was dreading Alice making good on her promise of making sure I wasn't hurt. I got out and looked myself in the mirror. The bruise was starting to fade to an ugly green color. It encompassed my entire torso. That wasn't what I was concerned about. The scars littering my entire body would not be missed. To me they are just a part of who I was. They each had a story of a battle that I had faced and won; won in the sense that I was still standing here today. I saw the scars from the cigarette burns, from the belts, from the occasional knives when things really got out of hand, from the pure self loathing scars on my arms. They were who I was. And now they'd be exposed. I sighed and put on the pajama pants and cami Alice gave me and my hoodie that I never left home without, and walked out of the bathroom.

Alice was already showered. When I walked in the room she was sitting on her window sill looking out at the forest. I slowly walked up to her until I was right next to her. She was so peaceful I almost didn't want to disturb her. She looked up into my eyes after a moment and stood up. She was just a few inches away from me. The top of her head only reached my mouth. She exhaled and sent my mind into a frenzy. The moment was so inexplicitly sensual that I felt nothing could break us free.

"Are you ready for me to check your ribs?" She was on her tip toes whispering in my ear. All I could do was nod. "I'm going to have to take your shirt off. Is that ok?" I took an unnecessary breath which came out ragged. After nodding again I felt Alice's hands slowly take my sweatshirt off while still looking me in the eyes. When she went back for my cami I felt her cold hands across the bottom of my stomach. Her nails lightly raked against my sides as she pulled it over my head. I bit my lip at the sensation as to not moan.

It was when our eye contact was broken when I began feeling self-conscious standing before the perfection that is Alice in my bra. I bit my lip once more out of nervousness. Her eyes slowly took in my battered body. After a moment my embarrassment became overwhelming and I pulled my arms around me. Alice moved up to me again and took my face in her hands.

"Shh, shh Bella. Don't cry, honey." I hadn't noticed I was crying until I felt her thumbs wipe the tears off my face. "Why're you crying? Please talk to me."

"You wanted to know who I am, Alice? This is who I am. I am every scar on me. I am nothing. You are fucking perfect. Why are you even associating with me? Is this like your chance to dabble on the wrong side of the tracks before going home to your perfect world?" Anger seethed through every vein in me. I was angry at my mum, at my dad, at my life. Unfortunately I was taking it out on the last person I'd ever be angry out. I was self-conscious and a tad melodramatic.

"I'm sorry you feel that way about me," the hurt was rolling off of Alice in wave. Well there's a way to diffuse your anger pretty quickly.

"Oh my God, Alice I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of that, I'm not mad at you at all. I'm so sorry," I started, to put it lightly, bawling my eyes out. I collapsed into her couch and just cried. I hadn't ever remembered crying as hard as I was at that exact moment. I just let everything out that I had been holding onto for years. At some point Alice had put my sweatshirt on and had her arms around me. I started calming down to just the occasional sob, but I felt absolutely no need to move. I was still morbidly embarrassed by what Alice saw. I suppose that was what drew Jasper to Alice's room.

"What's wrong, sugar?" He asked when he came in the room. I quickly wiped my eyes and put my brave face on again.

"Hey Jas, nothing. How was school?" Alice and Jasper exchanged a look to which Alice nodded her head. I could swear I saw their lips moving, but my slight doubt kept me quiet.

"Boring, as usual," he grinned.

"I'd bet. Speaking of which, I'd better get home. I'll talk to you guys later."

"Bye Bella," they chimed. I could not ignore the fact that they started talking amongst themselves the second I walked to the door. I had come to get used to it.

After that afternoon I would be lying if I said I didn't try to avoid Alice at nearly all costs. I still sat with them at lunch and saw her in English, but once you open up to someone in such a profound way it becomes difficult to face them. This went on for over a week until Jasper finally confronted me about it.

"Hey, sugar. You know you're one of my best friends, yeah?" he asked on our way to history one day.

"Sure, you're one of mine as well. Why, what's up?"

"I love Alice with all my heart. I owe her more than I could ever pay her back and that's why I'm doing this, you know I don't like getting in the middle of things," he said awkwardly. Before I could say anything he interrupted me, "Listen, I know whatever happened last week embarrassed you greatly, but I can't stand to feel Alice so crushed anymore. She is always such a positive person, full of excitement and energy. But recently all I've been feeling from her is at best melancholy. It does not become her. I just wish you two could talk this through. I'm beginning to feel a bit worried about her." Jasper's eye brows were scrunched together displaying his sincerity to me.

"I'm sorry… it's just… I felt like I exposed a lot of myself to her the other day. And I don't know how to act around her now."

"I heard you know about our little secret as well. Would it interest you to know that you are the first non-vampire we have ever told in any of our existences? I believe that is exposing quite a bit of ourselves to you as well. I'm in no way downplaying what you told Alice, as I do not even know what it was myself. Just consider that Alice may feel quite exposed to you as well, and she very well may feel that you are running away from her because of what she told you."

"But I'm not."

"She is also not going to judge you." Jasper paused as he seemed to make a decision after looking me over. "Would you accompany me this afternoon for a walk?"

"A walk? Where?" I asked incredulously. It's not as if I had any problems with Jasper, he just did not seem the type that would often ask for others' company. He was a stereotypical introvert through and through.

"I feel I know what is bothering you. Where Alice has little to no experience with the matter, I have much. In essence, I wish to tell you my story and see if we have some sort of common ground," he said after a moment's consideration.

"Ok… Meet you by my truck after the bell."

The anticipation for what Jasper wanted to talk to me about was making me jittery throughout the rest of the day. I swore the clock's hands were moving backwards, yet sure enough, the end of the day came as promised. This should be interesting, I thought.