The sun was just setting as we pulled into the driveway of our new home. It was outside of the city, though not as isolated as the house in Forks had been, a huge change from the house in Alaska where we had spent the last three years. It wasn't nearly as extravagant as the other homes either, and matched many of the homes we had passed on our way through the neighbourhood. The siding was a pale green and the shutters a cream colour. I stood outside the car for a few minutes, looking it over. It had originally been a simple bungalow - possibly a starter home with three bedrooms and an unfinished basement. When Esme first set eyes on it, the owners had already raised it and finished the basement with two bedrooms and a large living space. In the months since then an addition had been built on one side giving us three more rooms. It wasn't huge, but would give us each plenty of space for all of our various interests as well as some privacy as needed. Esme had done a wonderful job ensuring it would blend in with the other houses - it was nice, but not fancy. Something that a handful of college students could theoretically afford to buy together.

As I was looking over the house, the door opened and Emmet bounded down the stairs, Rosalie standing in the doorway shaking her head behind him as he picked me up and spun me around. "Welcome home Bella!" he laughed into my ear. "Come check it out, I got the electronics all set up, the downstairs room is a theater, you'll love it!"

Rose joined us in the driveway and promptly smacked her husband in the back of the head. "Not so loud Emmet! And I think Bella could manage getting inside if you'd just put her down first."

"Oh yeah?" Emmet looked at her and before I caught the mischievous look in his eye I was swung over his shoulder and carried up the front steps. Esme and Carlisle greeted me inside, laughing as Emmet carried me through the house, showing me different rooms as they popped into his head rather than following any logical order. There was the theater, a library, and a bedroom for each of us. In the addition was Alic's wardrobe room, which house not only her clothes but also any clothing she picked up for the rest of us for special occasions and a games room that included a pool table, air hockey and a large table for chess. Lastly, Emmet brought me to the kitchen, where I was finally put on my feet.

"Hey, it looks even better right side up!" I laughed as I looked from the kitchen into the front sitting room. "Esme, you've done an awesome job, it's beautiful, but still simple."

She smiled at me. "Well, I didn't want to go too fancy this time. Need to keep up appearances, right? I think this is the first time we've all been students and had no obvious source of income."

In no time at all everything was unpacked and we were settled in to our new home. We had a week to get settled and get to know the city before registration and classes. As often as we could, Alice and I would go into the city. Riding the train, browsing different malls, all to build my confidence being around people. The first few times I made Jasper come with us, just in case. Alice always said it was unnecessary, but I knew how quickly decisions could be made and things could change. While Alice's predictions were helpful for the stock market and the weather, with people there were always too many variables.

I could honestly say that in my three years with the Cullens I had never slipped up, never been in a dangerous position, never almost made a mistake. On the other hand, I had also been very cautious. Even after adjusting to this lifestyle I kept my distance from the world at large. The consequences of a bad choice, of a person being in the wrong place at the wrong time, were still fresh in my mind.

I was hesitant about moving to Chicago to go to school, but when Alice brought it up, I couldn't say no. While the others had all gotten degrees before, they had never gone to school all at once, as friends rather than posing as a family. I also felt they all wanted to do this for me - to give me as close to the experience I would have had as possible. I didn't get a high school graduation, or a prom, but I would get to go away to school with a group of friends at least. It made me feel so special that little things like this were important to them, made me realize we're not so far from human after all.

Time passed quickly, and we were all standing in various lines registering for classes at the University of Chicago. I found myself continuously swallowing as people swarmed around me. Staying close to Jasper and Alice, I embraced the fire in my throat. I chose to see it as proof of who I was, of the power of choice, rather than proof of the evil I could have been. Now and then Alice would smile at me, whispering words of pride too quiet for those around us to hear. I knew if I could handle this - being bumped, pressed against, run into - sitting in classes would be easy in comparison.

"Oh, Bella," Alice turned to me suddenly. "Don't forget you're using Cullen here, not Swan."

I smiled at her and nodded, grateful for the reminder. It had been long enough since I had regularly used a last name that I could have easily defaulted to Swan. As soon as I responded her face looked more relaxed and she smiled.

"Much better. I wasn't sure how you'd manage to cover the slip up, so better to just avoid it."

"Thanks Alice. Anything else I should be aware of?"

She shook her head, but something in her eyes was mischievous. "You'll figure it out. No one else gets hints." she teased.

The entire day was overwhelming, full of people and directions and forms to sign and things to see. While I had no problem understanding, processing or holding on to any of the information, that inner part of me that was still a 17 year old girl was completely caught up in the newness and excitement of the experience.

I spent the time between registration and the first day of classes pouring over my textbooks. While Esme praised me for my diligence, Emmet took every chance he could to make a crack about me being the teacher's pet.

"Careful Em, get her mad and she might not want to tutor you." Rose said to him the day before classes as I was packing my book bag.

"Nah, Bells would do anything for me." He paused a moment, then blinked "Hey wait, why would I need Bella to tutor me? She's not even a high school graduate, and I've been a senior six times!"

"Not something to brag about husband." Rosalie mumbled back flatly.

"Are you nervous Bella?" Jasper asked me quietly. I looked up at him, head titled like a confused puppy for a moment. "What," he continued, giving me a grin. "it's polite to ask, isn't it?"

We spent the rest of the night together talking, the others sharing stories of their times in University. As dawn grew closer I could barely hold in my excitement. I couldn't remember ever being excited like this over school. In my old life, it was always just what I did, something to fill the time, something that was expected. Now, it was something I was choosing, something I was working for.

I sat in the bio lab looking over the syllabus, tuning out the chatter of the students around me. I hadn't finished biology in High School thanks to James, but the course work shouldn't be too challenging, especially with a couple of doctors at the house to help me. The professor was running through basic procedures when he stopped suddenly. I looked up, a student was stumbling into the room, obviously flustered over being late. Just as I was about to turn my attention back to the papers in front of me, I caught a whiff of something in the air.