I had no idea how much time had passed, though I was aware that I had fallen asleep for some time. My face throbbed, my eyes stung and my lap was filled with used soggy tissues. I glanced over to see several of my small travel packs of tissues emptied and my cell phone flashing.

19 new Text Messages. 13 Missed Calls.

I flipped through the many attempts to reach me… alternating between Bella and Jacob, both concerned, begging me to come back so they could talk to me. Apparently there was something they needed to explain. I thought about ignoring them and going home and sulking in bed, however I realized I really didn't have anyone else to turn to. The reminder of the hollow spot Jude had left in my heart hit me like a ton of bricks. The weight was almost unbearable yet I did not give in. I went to start my car when a droning noise came from the engine. My car would not turn over, namely due to the dead battery. Fan-freaking-tastic.

I stepped out and noted the heavy grey clouds engulfing the sky. Rain was coming and I was not about to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere in it. I shuffled over to the hood and propped it open and played with my battery cables. No real method to my madness, just something to distract me from the fact I needed a jump and there was no car in sight. I crawled back in and pulled my large sweater from the backseat; after wrapping myself in it, I contemplated who I could call. Being so close to town, it was only logical that I call my Parents, however seeing them right now would be far worse than being trapped in my car. I figured Jacob and Bella would be the best option, though it would take them ages to get to me. I decided to wait it out for them and sent a simple text. 'Hey, stuck outside of town with a dead battery. Can you guys come get me?' I waited for what seemed liked forever before Bella replied, 'We're on our way. Don't move.' I glanced around outside and pondered where exactly I could "go" and rolled my eyes. I nestled back into my seat and closed my eyes. A few minutes later a light tapping came at my window.

Beautiful golden eyes stared back at me.

I stared, motionless as Alice smiled kindly at me and gestured for me to roll down the window.

"What are the odds?" she laughed as I inched the window down.

"Huh?"

"You need help?"

"Yeah, I need a jump, but I have someone coming."

Alice's nose wrinkled as though she caught the smell of something foul then smiled brightly, "Look, this may sound silly, but can I crawl in there and talk to you?"

"Uh…" I glanced over at the tissue covered seat and then back at her angelic face, "Sure." As she made her way around the front of the vehicle, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by her fluid motions. I quickly tossed the moist tissues into the backseat and unlocked the doors. She crawled in, effortlessly and smiled warmly at me, the hue of her eyes never seeming to dim from the lack of sun light.

"Thanks." She said, "I don't have long, but I need to tell you something."

"Should I be worried?"

Alice's face grew dark and I feared for what she'd say next… if she said anything. I may have just invited a serial killer into my car, with the way Jake talked about the Cullen's. Today was just turning into a bad horror movie, bit by bit…

"There's a lot that is going to happen… things I can't shield you from… things you'll notice, because now you are directly involved."

"What are you talking about?" I croaked.

"Have you seen a woman… red haired…"

"With red eyes?" I interrupted, my hands flying to my mouth, gently touching the aching bruises.

"Mhmm," Alice replied, her face softening as though she pitied me. "She's very dangerous. Extremely dangerous."

"Yeah, so I learned…" I struggled to speak, I could almost feel her ice could palm pressed firmly against my lips again. "What the hell did I do to her?"

"I am not sure. I can't see why…" Alice turned her gaze out the front window. I wondered if she had noticed that I caught on to the word 'see', but tried not to linger on it. "It's such a long story… but it seems as though you have been added to her list of obsessions."

Tears threatened to make an appearance once again, however I fought desperately to maintain a sense of calm. My voice quickly deceived me, "Why me?"

"Bella…"

I couldn't speak, I could only stare. Bella had done this? I wondered if it had been intentional. I couldn't fathom what I could've done to Bella to make her want to send someone insane after me.

"You are so hard to read…" Alice sighed, her words echoing from our last meeting.

I lowered my gaze to my shaking hands and whispered, "What do you mean?"

"Look… I have stayed too long as it is. Don't worry, Chrystine. We'll do our best to take care of you."

Before I could press Alice for more information – information that would make sense to me – she was shutting the car door and vanishing into the forest beyond the opposite side of the street. My brain struggled to absorb her words, but the logic within my mind fought hard to reject it. Nothing made sense – had I entered a world of hit men and lies? Was Bella secretly out to get me? Who the hell was this Alice character and was she stalking me? Before I knew it, I was sobbing into my steering wheel again.

All sense of time had escaped me – I found myself dreaming of her glowing crimson eyes when a loud thud on my window caused me to scream.

Jacob stood staring at me, his face full of worry.

"Pop the hood!" He yelled through the glass. I did as I was told, still trying to gather my bearings on my reality as I watched Jacob walk around to the front of my car. I could see beyond his broad shoulders Bella behind the wheel of her large truck. Her eyes, full of fear, remained fixed on mine. Even when Jacob lifted both our hoods, obscuring our view of each other, I could still feel her eyes.

The car quickly turned over and I allowed it to idle for a moment before stepping out.

"Thanks." I yawned.

"No prob." Jake shrugged, "Bella is gonna ride with you, and I'll follow. She needs to talk to you about some… stuff."

No more. I couldn't handle any more insane chatter. My brain would go into overload and I would surely need to be hospitalized, restrained, and medicated. I couldn't manage a proper response; I simply turned to my car and got back in. Moments later, Bella joined me.

"I've got a lot to say, and I hope you hear me out."

Was this the explanation as to why she wanted me dead? I swallowed hard and said nothing, my eyes fixed on the shadows of the forest.

"Head back to Jacob's." I cringed a bit, fearing I might lose a limb or two if I agreed. Before I could protest, Jacob honked the robust horn – urging me on.

Damn it. I was cornered. I hated being cornered. I put the car in drive and made a sharp u-turn and made my way back to the Quileute Reservation.

"None of this is going to make sense, but hear me out." Bella cleared her throat and her lips moved briefly, as though she was rehearsing what she was going to say. "Her name is Victoria. The woman you saw." My eyes darted over to Bella's face then back to the road and I felt a sudden lump in my throat. "She's dangerous, and not in a 'riding your bike without a helmet' kind of way. She is dangerous as in… kills you and leaves no evidence kind of way."

At least she didn't beat around the bush…

Bella continued, her voice weak, as though she was afraid to even talk about the situation. "She's been after me… for a long time. It's a long story – I'm not sure why she's going after you now… Jacob think's it's because the amount of time we spent together, our closeness makes you a gate to me, but that doesn't make sense to me… at all." Bella glanced over to me and I tried to hide the nauseated feeling from my face, "There's a lot about Forks you don't know… or me…"

Uh, no shit Captain Obvious.

"There's this thing… with well… things you thought were stories… myths… aren't really just something people write about. They're real." I couldn't wrap my brain around what she was saying. "You won't want to believe it… at first. Things won't make sense…"

"Say something that makes sense then." I ordered -the assertiveness in my voice replaced by fear.

"Jacob's kind of a werewolf."

My car swerved suddenly, as though someone had yanked the wheel – however it was simply my hands falling into my lap. The car came to a violent stop just several yards from a large redwood.

"What the hell, Chrystine!" Bella screamed, her hands placed firmly on the dashboard her feet grounded against the floorboard.

Moments later, Jacob was banging on my window demanding to know if we were okay.

I sat, staring out into the darkening forest and found a strange sensation building in my chest. Jacob yanked my door open and was talking, though I could not make out the words. The sensation moved from my chest to my throat. This was it, I was going to vomit…

Laughter. Hysterical laughter spewed from my mouth and echoed around us. My sides began to burn and I struggled to breath as my eyes blurred with tears – but the laughter continued. Jacob and Bella gawked at me in horror. I clutched at my sides as I rocked back and forth, my laughter growing louder and louder before it finally calmed… only coming in random spurts. After I had been quiet for several long moments, I finally looked at Jacob, a taunting expression on my face. "You're a bit bald for a Werewolf."