The drive was about an hour long, so I had some time to kill. First thing was first: I needed answers.

"Where are we going?" I asked. By this point Riley didn't see the necessity of denying me answers, so he was answering things simply.

"Forks." he said blandly. His answers were never much longer than that. It was like a game.

"What are we doing in…Forks?" What kind of town name is that?

"Collecting samples."

"Collecting samples from what?" I asked. He held back a goofy grin.

"From Forks." he said cheerfully. I gave him a look, but it was partially my fault; I needed to ask the right questions. I sighed.

"Okay," I said, "why are you bringing me? I'm the newest. Sure, I'm fast, but that's all I am: fast. My fighting skills aren't exactly…pristine."

He gave me a funny look at the word pristine. He was done with the short answers. He was in wise-knowing leader mode.

"Because that's what you are, Bree: fast. This thing doesn't require fighting; we just need to get in, take things, and get out as quick as possible. You're the advantage. Secondly, you're new. The police in Seattle are probably searching for you, but I doubt they're looking very far right now. They wouldn't be on constant watch outside the city just yet; they'll keep checking within the city at first. If anybody were to see us, they wouldn't recognize you."

All I could do was nod. It made sense.

"What about you, though? Would somebody recognize you?" I asked. Riley shook his head.

"I've been gone for so long that everybody's forgotten about me." he said simply. His face changed then, if only for a second. His eyes became softer somehow, and far away. It was only there for a moment, and then it was gone.

The rest of the ride was quiet. And green. I mean, the stuff was everywhere. It was constant moss and trees and leaves, just hanging down and covering every available surface.

Forks was a very small town, with I guessed about one supermarket and two gas stations. Less than four thousand people lived there. Growing up in such a large city, I could barely grasp how Forks could function properly.

Riley pulled the Prius into a parking lot of a diner. We both got out, and he started walking toward the street.

"Hold your breath again." he told me sternly. I did.

We were trying to be casual as we glided down the sidewalk. Don't mind those two kids with the red eyes, they're just tourists. I was trying not to make eye contact with people. I was also trying to make it look like I wasn't trying to not make eye contact with people. Risky business.

I think Riley could sense my uneasiness, so he leaned over and made light conversation as two people passed us, so we wouldn't get a bunch of stares.

"Forks," he said, "is one of the rainiest places in the U.S."

Just as he said that, it started to drizzle. The drizzle turned to a gushing downpour within seconds. Riley closed his eyes in frustration.

"Ew." he said, walking faster. I bit my lip, holding back laughter.

We ended up sprinting at vampire speed through a forest, and emerging in somebody's backyard. Nobody was home.

"Oh, so we're breaking into houses now?" I asked.

"Well, we are evil creatures of the night. I'm pretty sure crime is in the job description." He lifted himself up a tree in front of a second story window and glanced inside.

"Dumb bitch left the window open." he mumbled, sliding the glass up. He jumped inside, and I climbed and jumped in after him.

A wave of a flowery scent hit me, whether I was breathing or not, it was that strong. I coughed, and it helped a little bit. Riley was having a similar reaction, but not as blatant. I could tell he still felt uncomfortable.

"What is that?" I asked, covering my mouth and nose with my hands.

"I'm assuming she was here recently. Probably woke up not too long ago." He stiffly gestured to the unmade bed.

"Okay. What are we supposed to be grabbing?"

"Anything with her scent on it. The stronger, the better."

"You mean we have to take this smell with us?" I asked. Riley shrugged.

"That's what I was told to do, yeah," he said, "Nothing too obvious, though. Grab a shirt here, a sock there. Nothing she'll miss."

I immediately spotted a red button-down shirt lying across the desk chair. Snatching it up, I continued looking around. Riley grabbed a hair tie, two socks, and a pair of pajama shorts.

"Her smell will be on this stuff for weeks, at least." he said. We took a minute to go through the bedroom and see if there was anything else worth taking. I spied a picture on the dresser.

"Is this her?" I asked. Riley nodded.

She was pretty, by human standards, with dark eyes and soft skin. She didn't look particularly interesting, and judging by the open window, she most likely wasn't very smart, either. Then I noticed her hair. It was long, dark, and wavy.

It looked exactly like mine.

"What's her name?" I asked. Riley hesitated. Information meant thoughts, and in our fight, certain thoughts meant danger. He told me anyway.

"Her name's Bella." I wrinkled my nose on impulse. In my mind, Bella wasn't a long shot from Bree. I held up the picture to the mirror to compare. It was a little too similar for comfort. I grabbed a pair of scissors from the desk. Eden could help me cut it later. Riley chuckled. I gave him a look. Suddenly, we stopped, and stared at the door.

Someone was coming up the stairs.