Chapter 2- The Cullens.

After driving for a couple of hours we stop at a diner that's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Jasper heads straight for the bathroom, but I sit uncomfortable in the booth with Carlisle and Esme.

"How are you feeling, Rosalie?" Carlisle asks, his voice taking on a professional note. "I've been in touch with your doctors in Rochester, and have had your medical records sent over. Everything healing?"

My whole body tenses and I stare at the table top. It's been wiped recently and I can see the trails of moisture on the formica. I can't believe he's bringing it up so casually, but of course he and Esme know all about it, and he's going to be my doctor here. I shove my arm below the level of the table so I don't have to look at the cast and without meaning to I find my other hand creeping up under my tank top to touch the newly healed scar on my belly. "I'm fine," I mutter.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Carlisle and Esme exchange glances. "That's good," Carlisle says easily. "I've made appointments for you at the hospital for Friday so we can x-ray and see how the fractures have healed, and assuming everything is looking good we can get that cast off. I thought you'd probably prefer to start school without it."

Jasper slides into the booth beside me and we order. The food comes quickly, but I'm not hungry anymore and most of my sandwich remains untouched on the plate. I listen to the others talk but I don't say anything until Esme mentions how excited her kids are that we're coming, and that they've been looking forward to meeting us.

"What did you tell them?" I ask abruptly. "What did you say about why we're coming to stay?" What do they know about what happened to me?

Once again Carlisle and Esme exchange glances.

"We didn't tell them the details," Carlisle says slowly. "They know that you were hurt, and that your father thought it might be better for you to do your senior year elsewhere. It's up to you what else you tell them and others, if and when you decide it's time."

"But Rosalie," Esme says softly. "You mustn't feel that this is anything shameful, what happened to you. It's not…"

"Excuse me," I mutter, pushing past Jasper so fast I nearly fall into his half eaten burger. "I'm going to the bathroom."

In the bathroom I lock myself in a stall and crouch on the toilet seat, bent forward with my head on my knees. My heart is thumping, and I wrap my hands over my head and shut my eyes, trying to breathe. Everyone says that to me, that I shouldn't be ashamed, it's not my fault…but fuck them all. I feel what I feel, and I don't want anyone in Forks knowing anything.

The others are just finishing up their lunch when I go back out to the table. Esme looks at me with concern, but I don't meet her eyes. I tell Jasper he can eat the rest of my sandwich and he swallows it down in about two bites. Carlisle asks if we want dessert, but before Jasper can say yes (he's never going to turn down pie) I shake my head. I don't want to sit here and make awkward conversation anymore, I just want to get where we're going and hide.

I put my headphones back on for the rest of the drive. The Cullens live just outside some small town in Washington called Forks, and the last part of our drive takes place in the Olympic National Park. I can't get over how dense and mysterious this forest looks, with its soaring trees and endless green. As we turn at their mailbox and bump down the long dirt driveway I wonder what it's going to be like to live out here, and if the isolation is going to feel reassuring or menacing.

"Home!" Esme announces, and I hear the note of relief in her tone.

I don't say anything as I step slowly out of the car and gaze up at the house. It's incredible, all timber and glass that reflects the forest around it and completely huge. Dad always said the Cullens have real money, and looking at this house and the car we've just been driving in I can easily believe it.

"You're here! Hello!" A girl bounds down the front steps and towards the car. She's tiny, short and thin, with spiky dark hair and sparkling blue eyes. She's wearing a black and white polka dotted dress that has a real 50s vintage look to it, and is beaming as she wraps an arm around Esme's waist and leans against her, looking over at me. "I'm Alice, and I've been so looking forward to meeting you!"

Is she for real? Who in the world is that perky? But I give her a small smile in return and say, "Hi, I'm Rosalie," before I head to the rear of the car, where Jasper is hauling our bags from the trunk. I sling my backpack over one shoulder and try and pick up my suitcase with my good hand.

"Rosalie, leave that," Carlisle says. "The boys will get them for you. Emmett! Edward!" He raises his voice as he looks towards the house. "Some help please!"

I hear a muffled response from the house, and a moment later one of the boys comes down the steps. I wrap my arms around myself and tuck my hands into my armpits and look at him warily. He's wearing jeans and a button down shirt and has the lean build of a runner, and his reddish brown hair looks like it hasn't seen a comb since school ended, but he smiles easily and offers a hand to Jasper. "I'm Edward Cullen."

"Jasper Hale," Jasper answers. "And this is Rosalie."

Edward lifts a hand towards me, but when I don't make a move to respond he simply waves at me. "Hi Rosalie."

"Emmett!" Carlisle calls impatiently.

"Yeah, I'm coming!"

Someone who must be Emmett comes out of the house, the front door banging closed behind him. He pauses on the step for a moment and grins down at us, and I feel like someone's punched me right in the gut.

He's beautiful. I don't know the last time I looked at a person and felt this instinctive, overwhelming attraction to them, and it scares the hell out of me. Emmett scares the hell out of me. He's big, taller even than Jasper and broad to go with it, and as he jumps down the steps I can see the strength and power he has in that big body. He's wearing shorts and sneakers without socks, and a t-shirt with a football team logo on the front and his hair is dark like Alice's but curly. As he comes closer he smiles at me, and I see the deep dimples in his cheeks.

I back up until I'm pressed against the car. I can't smile back at Emmett as he picks up my two suitcases without effort, even though he's still looking at me.

"Are these both yours? I'll take them upstairs?"

"Yes thanks Emmett," Carlisle says. "Come inside everyone. Rosalie and Jasper, if you want to go with Alice and Edward they'll show you to your rooms. You can unpack and settle in, or if you're hungry you can come downstairs to the kitchen and get a snack."

"Thanks," Jasper said awkwardly, slinging his rucksack over his shoulder and lifting his camera bag. "We really appreciate it Dr Cullen…Carlisle."

"Come on Rosalie!" Alice chirps. Before I can move she seizes my backpack from my shoulder and heads towards the house. "I'll show you your room…it was the spare room but I did some decorating for you. I hope you like it, but if you don't it doesn't matter, we can redo it. That might be fun…"

Emmett's disappeared with my suitcases, so I follow Edward and Alice and Jasper in to the house. It's just as amazing inside, all light wood and steel and glass everywhere, decorated with rich looking rugs and modern, abstract art. There are professionally taken and framed family photographs lining the wall beside the staircase and I can't help staring at them at I pass by.

"This is your room," Alice pokes her head out of the open door and grins at me. "Come on in."

The room is bigger than my room at home in Rochester. It's carpeted in a plush cream carpet with cream painted walls. The curtains and the quilt cover are both dark forest green, with embroidered flowers in a riot of colour along the bottom edges. The furniture- a full sized bed with a nightstand, a desk, a bookshelf and a dresser with a mirror – is all made from a highly polished cherry wood and someone (I'm guessing Alice, who is bouncing on the end of the bed and looking at me hopefully) has strung fairy lights over the bedhead and put some flowers on the dresser and a couple of knick knacks on the shelves so that the room doesn't look so bare.

"Do you like it? We bought the curtains and the quilt cover specially for you," Alice says anxiously. "We can change it if you want…"

"Give it a rest, Alice." Emmett backs out of a door that I guess must lead to the closet. "Give her a chance to even look at it!" He flashes his dimples at me. "I put your cases in the closet."

"Thanks." I mutter. As he moves towards the door I move away, keeping my back to the wall until I hit the desk. I reach behind me and stroke the smooth, polished surface. "It's nice Alice, thank you."

She beams and jumps to her feet. "I knew you'd like it! We'll share this bathroom now." She flings open the other door beside the closet and I see the bathroom, all tiled in grey and white. It has a double vanity and a big corner tub and shower, with the toilet behind the door. "I put all my things in the drawers on the right hand side so you can have the left," Alice tells me. "The towels are in the cupboard under the sink, face washers and bathmats are in there too, just use whatever you need!" For a moment a fleeting look of doubt crosses her face. "I haven't shared a bathroom for a long time, so I'm not sure how we'll manage before school…we'll work it out!"

Emmett, lounging against the doorframe, laughs at her. "You'll just have to spend less time fussing over your hair, pipsqueak."

"Oh, ha ha ha," Alice pokes her tongue out at him. "Go away. Rosalie and I are going to unpack her things and we don't need you around."

Emmett grins at her amiably and vanishes, and I relax slightly.

"I share a bathroom with Jasper at home," I say awkwardly. "It works out." Most people look at me and think I must spend hours in the bathroom doing my hair and my face, but I really don't. I can, if I'm going out or want to look special, but I rarely wear make up on ordinary days and my hair doesn't take a lot of maintenance.

"Want me to help unpack your things?" Alice offers.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine." Honestly I just want her to go away. I need to get used to this place. "Where's Jasper?"

"Oh, down the hall," Alice says. "My room's on the other side of the bathroom obviously, and Emmett and Edward and Jasper have the rooms on the opposite side and will share that bathroom." She stands up and smooths down her dress. "I'll leave you to sort out your things, but just call out if you need something."

Once she's done I shut the door and take a deep breath. The bed looks so inviting with the fluffy quilt and multiple pillows, and I fight the urge to just crawl into it and shut my eyes. If I thought I might fall asleep I'd probably do it, but I know that there's no way I'll be able to relax enough to sleep in a strange house, with strange noises and smells. Instead I go into the walk in closet and start unpacking my suitcases, putting my clothes away neatly on the hangers and shelves and in the drawers, putting my laptop on the desk and the few books I'd bought with me on the shelves. I leave the bag with my makeup and bathroom things on the vanity for the time being.

The manilla envelope is in the bottom of the suitcase, under my shoes. I put it there yesterday when I was packing to leave, but seeing it still gives me a shock and I feel my heart start to pound. Why did I bring it with me? Why do I even have it…what's the point in torturing myself? But like I can't help myself I open it and fight against the growing nausea as I look at the photographs that are never going to have a place in my modelling portfolio.

"Rose? What are you doing?"

I jump a mile and shove the envelope back in the suitcase, snapping it shut and trying to swing it up onto the top shelf. I can't do it with one hand and I swear as the case falls back, narrowly missing my head.

"What are you doing? Here, let me." Jasper takes the case from me and easily slides it to the back of the top shelf, pushing the other one up after it and then looking at me. "You settled in then?"

I shrug. "I guess so. What about you?"

A ghost of a smile drifts across Jasper's face. "I'm unpacked, at least." We go back into my bedroom and he pokes around, pulling open the empty desk drawers and prowling over to look out the window. "This is nice."

"Yeah." I join him at the window and look outside. There's a few feet of cleared grass surrounding the house before the forest looms up, looking thick and impenetrable. Even though I'm on the second floor and there's no way anyone could get up to it, I find myself automatically checking the window lock.

Jasper sees what I'm doing. "I'm just down the hall," he tells me softly. "If you need me I can be right here. Come on, I'll show you."

Silently I follow him down the hall. It's easy to tell whose room is whose as I pass them. Alice's door has an elaborate decorative panel with her name in painted wooden letters and glittery butterflies arranged on it, there's a small woodcut with Edward's name on it on the next door, and then the one beside it has a Forks high athletic pennant tacked up that I guess is Emmett's. Then there's a discreet sign on the bathroom door, and then the final door is Jasper's room.

Jasper's room is smaller than mine and painted a muted grey, but it's got the same kind of furniture. I wonder if they went out and purchased it new for us and I feel another stab of guilt about how much the Cullens are doing for me.

Jasper is looking at me carefully. "It's going to be okay here Rosalie."

I nod bleakly. It has to be okay here…what other choice do I have but to make it so?