:::Author's Notes:::: Twilight characters DO NOT belong to me (Although I DO wish Edward did ;)

oOo

Chapter 2

Renee's POV

I stood in my room, feeling nasty like I always felt when he was home. I hated this place but I had no choice to be here. I was in a foster home. My wonderful mother had passed away when I was six. Well she was murdered when I was six. I don't think they ever caught the person that killed her. After she died I had no family left. Grandparents were gone, don't know if I had any aunts or uncles. If so they never stepped up. So I was here. In a foster home where they beat me, and he… He did things that weren't right. I couldn't go to the cops because they knew everyone here and had pull. I found that out the hard way.

I quickly got a shower and got dressed. A couple of my friends were coming to get me. I was spending this week with them. They were my life savers. Max pounded on the door. He was a year or two younger than me. He was the McCarty's biological son. Him and his twin sister Amy. They didn't like me much. But right now I didn't like me much. I ran out of the bathroom and went back to my room saying "It's all yours Max." as I passed by him.

I heard a knock on the door and jumped for joy. I heard my foster mother answer it. And then my best friend say "Hello Mrs. McCarty. We're here to get Renee. You said she could come spend the week with us this summer."

Nancy, my foster mother started to protest but Lanett said quickly. "We are really looking forward to having Renee this week. She keeps our girls occupied." She laughed quietly.

"Renee! Your friends are here!" She yelled from the door. She wouldn't let them in. She never did.

"I'm coming!" I yelled as I zipped up my bag. I then ran out of my room and hugged Lanett and then my friend's Lucy and Ashley. They were also foster kid's but they had decent foster parents. At least a great foster mom. "Bye Nancy. I said not looking at her then ran to the Jeep with Ashley and Lucy. We hopped in and waited for Lanett to come.

"Was he home?" Lucy asked me quietly. They both knew about what he did to me.

I nodded and kept my head down. Lucy, who was sitting in the back with me, reached over and hugged me tight. "It'll be ok Nay." She said quietly. I just wanted to cry, but I held it in.

Lanett was back now and looked back at me. "You ok Nay?" She asked and I just nodded. She and her husband also knew but everything they tried also failed. I was doomed to be with the McCarty's.

We drove to their house and me, Ashley, and Lucy immediately went to their bedroom. I was going to be able to spend a whole week with them this summer and if Jason could talk my foster parents into it, then all summer. I always looked forward to school because then they wouldn't beat me. They didn't want to leave any marks on me so teachers could see, not that they could do anything anyway.

"Hey have you heard about the new people in town?" Ashley asked me.

"No. I don't hear much when I'm not in school." I said quietly.

"Well there is a new family in town. They moved in to one of Jason's old rent houses. They one we had all been working on last year. Well they bought it. A doctor and his wife bought it. They have like seven kids. Plus an Indian that moved with them. He's apparently a really close friend. As soon as they bought the place they also bought all the land that surrounded it, then started adding onto it." She said.

"They don't get out much. Well they do but they seem to like it back there. I see them leave often in these really nice cars. The oldest two boys and one of the girls is always driving. The others must not have drivers license yet. But I never see them around Benton. So I'm not sure where they go." Lucy added.

"Maybe going to Cleveland or Chattanooga." I said. We sat and talked about them most of the night. The strange new family that moved in. All the kids were adopted or were foster kids.

oOo

Well the week was over. Lanett is still trying to convince my foster parents to let me spend the rest of the summer with them. I sat outside on the porch waiting for her to get off the phone. Ashley and Lucy sat beside me. A few minutes later Lanett stepped outside. She sat down on the step behind us. "Jason has convinced them to let you stay. We'll go get you some clothes and come back. It won't take long. Just enough time to grab you more clothes." She said and placed her hand on my back.

The tears finally came. I was so relieved that I wouldn't be there during the summer. It was always worse then. When no one could see the bruises they left on me. I turned then and hugged Lanett tightly. They have been my life saver since I met Lucy in elementary school.

After I controlled myself and stopped crying we all jumped in in the jeep. As we were heading out we passed another large jeep. There were four people in it. A man and a woman in front. The guy was driving. He was huge, pale and had dark hair, the woman in the passenger seat looked like she came straight off the run way, with her long curly blonde hair blowing in the wind. And the two in the back seat, also a man and a woman, both pale, the guy had short messy hair that was an odd copper color, and the woman had long hair that was a mahogany color. She was lend over kissing the guys cheek. The guy had a crooked smile on his face. They must be the Cullen's I've been hearing about. Boy are they lucky to have such great foster parents. The guy in the back seat started to frown as I thought of my foster parents but then they passed. I couldn't help but look back and saw that he was looking back at me too. They girl glanced back and had a worried look on her face.

I shrugged and turned back around. We didn't have to drive far. My foster home was only a few miles from Lanett's. I got out and grabbed my bag. All the clothes were clean, Lanett always made sure of that. Last time I had spent the week with them and came back with dirty clothes, my foster father almost put me in the hospital. I went straight to my room and put away my clothes and grabbed some clean ones. When I was finished I ran back outside only to be blocked by Max and Amy. "Excuse me." I said and started to go around them. They blocked me again.

"Where you going Renee?" Max asked with a sneer. He was just like his father.

"I'm going back to Lanett's. They are waiting for me." I said motioning to Lanett's jeep.

Max glanced back and almost growled. He hated the Lambs. "Who said you could go? I thought Mom and Dad said you could only spend one week." He said when he looked back at me.

"Lanett asked Nancy if I could spend the rest of the summer with them and they said I could. I just came to get some of my clothes." I said then tried to go around them, only to be blocked again. I looked up and saw Lanett getting out of the jeep. "Max please move." I said quietly.

"Why should I?" He asked.

"Because she's coming with me and we are running on a tight schedule. We're going to be late for church." Lanett said and reached her hand out for mine. I quickly took it and she led me away from them and to the jeep. "Sorry Renee." She said quietly.

"It's ok. Let's just get out of here." I said as she backed up her jeep and pulled out of the driveway. Everything is going to be ok. I told myself, even though I had a feeling something terrible was going to happen.