Important A.N: This chapter is narrated by an original character. However, I want to make several things clear: this character is here to advance a plotline; she is not going to be one of the most major characters in the story, though she will play an important part in a plot point; she is not special in any way, besides some clinical depression, and she is not, in any way, shape, or form, modeled after me. And, most importantly, she is not now or ever going to fall for a major character, nor will a major character fall for her, and she will have minimal interaction with the other characters.

Chapter III

I was feeling pretty good about things on Wednesday. Had been since I'd decided what I was going to do. For the first time in months, I felt peaceful. It would all be over this Saturday. No more worrying.

I just had to get through this week first.

I was going to do it on Saturday; my dad was going to Anchorage for the weekend, and I wanted to make sure he would be out of the house when I did it. I didn't want to leave anything to chance.

I hadn't felt this content to be at school in over a year. The sooner I was done with my classes, the sooner I could go home and prepare. I had a lot to do: I didn't want to leave any loose ends around, and I wanted to make this as painless for my parents as possible.

First, I had to tackle my locker. I went to school half an hour early just to do so. I hadn't cleaned it in weeks, and there were several peanut butter sandwiches stuffed in the back. I hadn't been eating well for a while, but I'd never bothered to throw them out, and I didn't want my dad to have to have to get my books or anything. That would be cruel.

I had no illusions about the pain that this would cause my father, at least in the short term. I knew he would be hurt deeply. But this way, things would be better in the long run for everyone involved.

I was scrubbing some mold off my locker when I heard them walking down the hall. I recognized their voices right away; I don't think there was any girl (or most guys, for that matter) that wouldn't have. The Cullen kids were demigods in little-town Tok high school. Impossibly good-looking and smart and suave like you wouldn't believe, though they were kind of standoffish, even cold, to anyone with a different last name. They were like the Brady Bunch of supermodel families. Everyone spent half their time wondering where Carlisle found these kids and the other half wishing the Cullens were single.

There were only two of them this time, walking down the hall adjacent to the lockers. I could hear them, but they couldn't see me. It was two of the boys – Emmett and Jasper. Emmett had a deep, booming voice, and Jasper's slow but subtle drawl was distinctive. Supposedly, Jasper and Rosalie had been taken in by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen only a year ago, but I found their story kind of suspicious. Maybe it was my dad's curiosity coming out in me, but I had heard Jasper talking the other day when that girlfriend of his – Alice – spazzed out, and his accent was thicker than an Alaskan snowdrift, but normally, you had to be paying attention to make it out at all, and Rosalie sounded more like my cousin from Pennsylvania than anything else. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn that they'd grown up on opposite ends of the country.

Well, it was none of my business, and there was probably a good and boring explanation for it. They'd probably all had screwed up childhoods anyway. Look at Alice Cullen. She seemed normal, but yesterday she'd just gone mental. We'd heard her screaming in the next class – sounded like she was being killed or something. Jasper and Edward had been out the door before I could even blink. I'd never seen anyone run that fast. Alice had been really messed up. Usually she was this ϋber-happy, bouncy little thing – hell, I'd once seen her and Jasper doing what looked like the twist in an empty hall during homeroom – but yesterday she'd been completely different. She was screaming and crying and didn't know where she was, and she was flailing like she was trying to fight someone off. She didn't look strong, but she kicked one of the lab stools so hard it slammed against the wall and broke. Jasper wrestled her to the ground and held her down, and it looked like he was having a hard time of it, even though he was so much bigger than her. He kept talking to her really slowly to calm her down, but she'd kept screaming his name, her eyes rolling around like she was in the Exorcist. She'd finally stopped, but it had been really freaky.

And speaking of freaky: Emmett and Bella had gotten to the lab half a minute after me, and I'd heard Emmett tell Mr. Koots that he'd heard Alice screaming, but I knew they couldn't have. He and Bella were taking sex ed – that is, 'Health and Humanity' – in one of the portables (I'd heard Mr. Chapman tell Ms. Valladolie that they were constantly passing notes, but he could never catch them at it and they always knew exactly what he was talking about). I knew they couldn't have heard Alice over there – Bryn Corbie was in there with them, and he'd had no idea what was going on. I'd heard him talking with Sally Checora after class. He said Emmett and Bella had just suddenly stood up and said they were going to the nurse. Maybe they just had really good hearing or Alice had a panic button or something. Hell if I knew.

That morning, Emmett and Jasper were talking quietly, like they didn't want to be overheard, but I was pretty sure they hadn't noticed me. At first I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but the conversation sounded intense.

I stopped scrubbing at my locker and tried to breathe quietly. It was definitely my dad coming out in me, but I was curious about the Cullens.

"-If they come anyway? I know he said he'd think about it, but Carlisle hates fighting more than anything. What if the Volturi-"

"They can't come before we've even figured out the chromosomes, bro. I know you're worried about Alice, but we've got a couple years to figure it out. We can figure this out – and if we get to kick some Volturi ass anyway, it's me they'll have to worry about first. You worry about Alice now."

"I know. But if Carlisle's wrong or if we don't make it in time- I'm going after them before they can kill Alice, whether or not you come with me."

"You know Rosalie'll kill me if she finds out."

"Yeah, and Bella – God, that'll be-"

I had gotten so caught up in listening to them that I hadn't noticed how close they were getting until they turned the corner and saw me. They stopped in their tracks; Emmett clenched his fist, and Jasper's eyes grew wide. I gaped at them, wondering what the hell was going on with them. Volturi? Chromosomes? Someone killing Alice? The whole family was freaking nuts. Maybe they were joking or something? Maybe it was part of a role-playing game. I'd once caught Brynn Corbie in a monologue about how he was going to rip off Michael something-or-other's head, only to find out that Michael was the name of a 'tremendous troll.' Yes. It was probably something stupid like that. Though it didn't explain why they were staring at me like that.

"H-hey," I said, picking up the wet rag. They looked… scary. Emmett looked like he had stopped breathing entirely, and Jasper had a strange gleam in his eye. "I- I thought I heard you, but…but I wasn't sure. H-how is your sis- Alice, right? How is Alice doing?"

Jasper's eyes widened just the tiniest bit, and, after a long look at him, Emmett took a deep breath and unclenched his fist.

"She's better," Jasper said shortly. He made as if to turn, but stopped suddenly. "Cleaning out your locker?"

I was surprised by the change in subject, but found myself blushing before I could think. What if they knew, what if they figured it out, crap what would I tell my dad – I calmed after a second; of course they had no idea what was going on. I'd been careful not to let anything slip. "It got… dirty."

"Huh." Emmett looked at Jasper out of the corner of his eye like they were having a private conversation, and I heard a low hissing noise, but I didn't see their lips moving. Probably a draft. The seniors always left the windows by their lockers open, even when it was freezing outside. "Oh. Huh. I – uh, I forgot to go turn in something. At the office. I'll – uh, I'll see you later, bro."

He walked away quickly, taking long strides down the hall. He was huge, but he still looked like a ballerina. I would have thought it a family trait, but Jasper and Rosalie looked every bit as graceful. Maybe Dr. Cullen had enrolled them in dancing classes?

I was so engrossed in watching Emmett walk away that I forgot Jasper was there until he took a few steps towards me and put his hand on me shoulder.

I looked at him in surprise; not only was his hand as freezing as his girlfriend's had been the other day, this was the first time I'd ever seen Jasper Hale voluntarily touch anyone he didn't live with.

Just as I was going to say something, he smiled at me and spoke. "Hang in there, hmm?"

I was going to ask him what he was doing, but suddenly I was overcome by a feeling of calmness and peace. It was so sudden I felt almost dizzy, and I leaned against the lockers heavily. Jasper's smile widened into a grin, and I caught a flash of bright white teeth before he backed away and folded his arms against his chest.

"Good afternoon, Nina," he said as he walked away.

I turned back to my locker and shook my head, but the strange bubbly feelings lingered. There was something very strange about the Cullens.


I was still feeling upbeat at lunch. I had known that I was having a 'good' day today – it only made sense, knowing as I did that all of my life's problems would be resolved so soon – but this was just strange. I still felt vaguely depressed and exhausted, but flitting at the edge of my consciousness all morning long was a sense of hope. Peace. The feeling that I could make it through this weekend alive – and the weekend after that, and the one after that.

Were these just normal second thoughts, or were they something more? Maybe, I thought, I had been wrong to decide on – but no, I couldn't go that far. My feelings of loneliness and desolation were still deeply entrenched in my heart. I had decided on this course of action, and I was going to do it.

But, I thought, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to put it off a bit. Just for another weekend.

I was debating this while I got my lunch and sat down at my table. My best friend, Rebecca, was visiting some relatives this week, so I sat with a couple of acquaintances who didn't really expect me to join in the conversation. I certainly didn't mind.

I was so deep in thought that I wouldn't have noticed the Cullens if Sally – one of the girls at my table – hadn't pointed them out to me. Jasper was gone – probably gone home to Alice – but Emmett and Edward were staring at me and talking to each other. It was only for a split second before they turned and looked at each other (I could have sworn I saw Rosalie hiss at them), so quick I wouldn't have believed my eyes if I hadn't had that strange conversation with Emmett and Jasper earlier that day. But I knew. They were looking at me, and they had been talking about me.

They knew.

I froze up until Sally accidentally dropped her fork next to my chair. I took another quick glance at the Cullens, but they were chuckling and talking to each other. It looked like Bella was telling a joke. There was something strange about them, though, something unnatural about the way they were laughing. It looked forced. Emmett was sitting straight up in his chair, Rosalie looked like she was going to spring out of her chair, and Edward, though he was laughing, looked like he wasn't really paying attention.

Maybe I had been wrong, I decided. Maybe they didn't know about my plans, but they were worried that I had overheard them earlier. Which meant that their conversation had been serious.

I hadn't paid it much attention; I'd been thinking of my own problems. But now, the more I thought it over, the more it seemed to me like they had been talking in earnest. But that was silly: who on earth would want to kill the Cullens? And I had never heard of any sort of organization called the Volturi. Maybe they were in the witness protection program? But that wouldn't explain 'the chromosomes' they had mentioned. Or maybe they were fugitives of some sort… but no, I knew that was stupid. The hospital would have done a serious background check on Dr. Cullen. Hmm, maybe my dad would know something about the Volturi. As editor of the Tok Gazette, he was a fountain of useless trivia.

I was wrapped up in my thoughts until Sally nudged me in the side with her elbow. I looked at her, but she pointed up as the intercom system blared up again.

"Nina Soto to the counselor's office. Nina Soto to the counselor's office."

I shrugged at Sally's questions and told her I'd see her later. As I walked out of the cafeteria, I walked past the Cullens' table and took a good look at them, but they were studiously avoiding looking away from their table. Strange.

I knew something was wrong when I reached the counselor's offices and saw my dad sitting in one of the inner offices. He knew. They knew. Oh God, they knew.

Jasper Hale was standing at the receptionist's desk in the outer office when I walked in. I barely noticed him, but I suddenly felt a burst of courage and walked straight into Mrs. Saroyan's office.

"Nina, please sit down," she said, and she looked at me with pitying eyes. I couldn't look at my dad, but he squeezed my shoulder as I sat down.

"We recently received an anonymous tip, and we're worried about how you're doing."

I hardly remember the rest of that meeting; I'd had the rug pulled out from under my feet, and it was like all the emotions I'd bottled up inside me were finally spilling over. But there was one thing that I would remember later, when I had a bit of time to think things over.

Jasper Hale had been deep in conversation with the receptionist when I walked in, but as I sat down I saw him out of the corner of my eye: the receptionist pointed at me, and I saw him nod his head affirmatively.

Jasper Hale had been the one who had sent in the anonymous tip. Jasper Hale had known I was planning on killing myself that weekend.

But today had only been the second time I'd ever talked to him, and I knew for a fact that no one on earth knew what I was going to do.

I didn't think anything of it at the time, but two weeks later, as I was walking out of the hospital in Anchorange, I had a new plan:

I was going to find out exactly who the Cullens were.