It was just a normal day. Fucking usual as every other day the past 3 years. And still, Rhine felt somehow anxious… as if she knew that something was about to happen. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she constantly had the urge to turn around and look behind her. But there never was something. Though she had the feeling of being watched.

You're imagine things again, Rhi, she told herself. She turned around to finally head home. As she opened the door a scent of roasted beef met her and she smiled to herself. Taking off her shoes and jacket she came to a stop in the kitchen and saw her adoptive father standing at the stove, cooking one of her favorite meals.

'Hey Dad,' she said while putting her bag on a chair and moving to his side.

'Hey there, sweetie pie' he answered and gave her a warm smile. 'How was school today?' She shrugged and made an indifferent sound.

'That bad, mh?' he turned to fully look at her. 'It was ok, I guess.' Rhine didn't want her father to worry, didn't want him to know how bad it really was at school.

'Tell me.' He simply said, not demanding just calmly asking, reassuring. Rhine sighed. She could never lie to her dad. Even if they weren't blood related, she loved him with her whole heart. He was always able to see through her, always, except one little thing… She pushed every thought about that from her mind, hard!

'Since Stephan isn't at school anymore, I … I just feel lonely.' Not completely a lie, she thought. Rhine was in her senior year at La Push High. Her older adoptive brother had graduated last year, beginning to work as a mechanic in Forks.

'What's with your friends?' her dad asked. She gave him a look that clearly said: Seriously?

He knew she had no friends, no one wanting to talk to her, because she was the freak. The pale outsider… just her brother had protected her from the bullying. Standing up for her, sitting with her through the lunch. Now that he was no longer there, Paul Lahote and his bastard friends thought it was oh so funny to push her against the lockers, throw her books down or her meal into her face and of course remind her every fucking time she was close, how less she belonged in there. How unwelcomed she was. And it was just 5 weeks into the term.

Since her brother and parents were Native Americans, with tanned skin and black hair she stood out on each and every family picture with her cream white skin, that looked too pale to be health and her dirty blond curls. Only the green eyes were similar to those of her dad. Maybe that was the reason why she loved him more than her mother, because they were as much alike as you could be without a blood relation. She didn't have such a close connection with her mother. They loved each other none the less.

'Maybe… if I could finish High school in Forks…?' She began, but seeing the steely look in her father's eyes, she suddenly stopped.

'Rhine Hayden Aurince, don't tell me you have been suffering at school so bad that you want to transfer and didn't say a word?!' It was always kind of scary seeing her dad moving into protective mode. He normally was a nice and loving person, 6'2" of warmness that only turned into a mass of brutally intimidating muscles when a family member got hurt. To be honest, she only had him seen like this when anyone tried to hurt her. She realized, if she didn't calm him down he would call the school, the teachers and there would be a nice talk with the ones included in this humiliation. So practically the whole fucking school, commented her mind.

'No dad,' she said calmly 'I just thought, that maybe I could find some friends at Forks High, not pricking out that much, you know…'

'Don't tell me they give you a hard time because of your skin color?' he asked incredulously.

Yes, because for a folk being treaded really badly in the past they are fucking racists!

'No, I'm just not getting along with them that well.' Her dad gave a disbelieving look.

'I just had a bad day, forget I asked, ok? So when can I eat this?' He was still not convinced, she could tell, and would probably watch her closely the next days. But he let it go for now. As he turned to the pans again Rhine let out a sigh.

Note to myself: act happy the next days!