Chapter 1

October 13, 2012

Time was running out. Isabella had known the time would come when she would have to leave her home in Forks but she hadn't allowed herself to dwell on it, afraid the effect it would have on her already fragile state of mind. The weather was getting colder; a light frost clung to the window panes as morning sunlight filtered into the kitchen. Soon it would begin to snow. She used to love the winter, when the yard would be covered in fresh snow ready to be shaped into lopsided snowmen and dense snowballs. Isabella could almost hear Charlie's laughter as he was pelted with snowballs by his mischievous daughters and taste the frothy warmth of hot chocolate. Now, winter posed a dangerous threat. Isabella rummaged through the pantry, with glove covered fingers. A lump formed in Isabella's throat and her heart raced as she realized she was running out of food. In a week's time, it would all be gone. Opening a can of red, kidney beans, she dumped them on a plate, her stomach growling painfully as the salty odor hit her nose. Isabella shoved them into her mouth, barely tasting them and moaning at the sensation of food hitting her empty stomach.

Isabella had run out of food before, she had been on her own for nearly four months. When the pantry became empty, she would scour the neighborhood houses for anything and everything that she could stuff her face with. When Isabella had pilfered all the goods from the houses she went to the Stanley's Market, then the gas stations, the Diner and now Forks, Washington was fresh out of food. So today Isabella was going to the one place she had avoided at all cost, the Reservation.

After licking the contents of the can, careful not to cut her tongue on the rough edges, Isabella placed it in the sink. She went about her regular morning routine, checking the buckets she had left out to fill with rain water. Hopefully, she would be able to bathe soon, Isabella thought, fingering a piece of her limp, greasy hair. She folded up her sleeping bag from the living room floor and read the newspaper. Charlie used to save every newspaper he had ever received in moldy cardboard boxes in the basement. He always said it was like a time capsule, a glimpse into the past. So, she read the Forks Inquirer from October 13, 2002. She had been three at the time and Angie wasn't even born yet, she was only a whisper in the wind. It was too painful to think that her parents had still been in love, ten years ago. Not to mention still alive. Thrusting the paper aside, Isabella stood, forcing down the lump that had formed in her throat.

Grabbing a notepad, Isabella headed into the pantry. Ten cans, that was it enough for three days maybe five if she skipped some meals. As Isabella recorded her supply, her palms begin to sweat and she closed her eyes tight, breathing deeply down her nose. She wouldn't panic, not yet.

"Deep breathes, Isabella. No need to worry, hakuna matata and all that," she mumbled to herself, her voice ringing loudly in her ears and echoing across the room. She still wasn't used to the silence.

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Let me know, I live for reviews. The sooner I get reviews, the sooner I update and the sooner you get Edward! And before anyone asks this is not a Jacob/Bella fic. I just wanted to show some of Bella's past relationships to give a sense of the people she lost. I am team Edward all the way! So again REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

Lots of love,

Juliet