Hi, again. Once again thank you so much for the reviews, i seem to be on a role at the moment and your reviews just keep pushing me to write more. This is the third update in three days. Enjoy...

Pressing my lips together to hold back a scream my eyes swept around the room in blind panic. Sweat clung to every particle of my skin. Claire grumbled contentedly in her sleep, I narrowed my eyes at the sleeping figure of Quil on the rocking chair beside her bed side. Was she even safe next to him? Holding my breath I tried to shake off my most recent nightmare as I crept out of bed. A shiver ran down the length of my spine. My stomach rumbled loudly reminding me that I had skipped dinner. And lunch. Avoiding everyone had been my main goal in life.

The bedroom door opened with a high pitched squeal as I squeezed through the tiny space and into the hallway. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I shuffled past Emily and Sam's bedroom until I reached the stairs. Once in the kitchen I headed straight for the coffee determined never to have to fall asleep again.

Ever since I had stumbled across those stupid monstrous creeps in the forest I had been plagued with thoughts of them tearing my skin apart bite by bite until I was left a quivering wreck who begged for death. I had been through a lot of shit in my life, more than most people could even begin to comprehend, but the whole wolf thing had rendered me speechless. How the hell was the average person supposed to deal with that? I thought about running to Seattle again. But Paul had been right. What the hell was I going to do when I got there? Get a job? I had no qualifications and a hell of a lot of personality issues. No one in their right mind would ever hire me. Gee, even I wouldn't hire me.

"Anna?"

My breath came out in a rush as I grabbed the nearest thing to me and stumbled backwards into the counter. My stomach twisted as I gritted my teeth prepared to fight. I had never been jumpy, ever. La Push was seriously fucking with my nervous system as well as my emotions.

"You really think you would be able to hurt me with a wooden spoon?" Brady's childish laughter engulfed the surrounding kitchen and I immediately relaxed until he flicked the light on. He was just the same as all of them. His muscles and sarcastic smirk seemed to glare me in the face. I couldn't trust him, the thought seemed to cause an unexpected ache in my chest.

"I could try," I mumbled still branding my make shift weapon, "at least the spoon would break instead of my freeking hand." Of course. That was why they were all so hard. They had to be able to survive in the wilderness after all. I was stupid. So very, very stupid. I should have figured it out sooner.

"I've hardly seen you these past few days. Where have you been?" I hissed as Brady took a step closer to me his voice cautious. The icy wind coming in through the window seemed to chill me to the heart.

"Don't touch me," I spat as he took another step closer. Brady raised his eyebrows but took a small step backwards as he raised his eyebrows. I wondered briefly what his wolf form would look like. I couldn't imagine him running through the forest ripping animals apart limb by limb. He seemed far too kind. But then again looks could be deceiving, I had learnt that over the years. The world was more messed up than even I could comprehend.

"What is wrong with you? Where'd the bitchy Anna go?" His tone was almost mocking causing me to tighten my hands into fists. How dare he?

"Oh she's still in here," I snarled, "you pretentious asshole."

"There we go," he smirked heading towards the fridge with lazy strides, "that's the Anna I know and love." My breath caught in my throat at his relaxed voice. How could he pretend to be so normal? I knew how hard it was to live a lie, how hard it was to pretend to be someone you weren't, which was why I had turned into the bitch I had become. He just seemed so…normal. So friendly. So Brady.

"You wont love me when I find where to buy a shit load of silver bullets," I muttered under my breath. Brady stiffened before he turned to face me a curious expression painted upon his face. I dug my nails into the palm of my hands. I really had to learn to control the word vomit problem I seemed to have developed.

"What did you say?" he frowned taking another step towards me. I backed up against the counter wondering why the hell I hadn't just stayed in my warm, comfortable bed. At least I had been safe there. Well, partially safe despite the oversized wolf sleeping in the rocking chair beside my tiny niece.

"Nothing," I shrugged trying to smile slightly to cover up my stupid fears, "just that if you don't regard my personal space I will gouge your eyes out with the spoon that you don't seem to be afraid of."

"What is really wrong with you?" I tensed up as he reached to tuck one of my curls behind my ear. His warmth reminded me of the fleeting moments that Paul had touched me. My heart squeezed tightly in my chest. Paul was gone. Gone! Maybe Brady wasn't the only one having acceptance issues.

"Let's be honest?" I laughed dryly, "what is not wrong with me?"

"Very true," he muttered as I took yet another cautious step away from him, "but there's something else going on. Almost as if you know…" he trailed off suddenly as he reached up to run a hand through his hair. His face looked pained.

"Almost as if I know what?" I probed insistently. Was he going to tell me? I felt very alone and exposed in the cramped room. It would be so easy for him to snap my neck in half.

"Nothing," Brady stared openly at me, "Just one minute I think I have you figured out and then you go all weird and freaky again."

"Weird. Freaky," I pondered the words in my head, "I've been called much worse by nicer people. Don't flatter yourself by thinking your opinion matters to me. And maybe, just maybe I don't want to be an open book like the majority of the La Push population. Maybe I like giving people a challenge."

"Your definitely a challenge," he muttered under his breath as he took a swig of orange juice straight from the carton. I wrinkled my nose up in disgust.

"Why do you care so much?" I wondered aloud, "why do you all care so much?"

I was used to being watched, to being under surveillance. But I wasn't used to being cared for. To people trying to get me to communicate with them instead of giving up like most of my old friends had. It was unsettling. Honestly I much preferred the role of the quiet, damaged bitch that the unruly little girl. People in La Push were too observant for their own good. I felt unusually exposed. I didn't like it. I didn't like it one little bit.

"Because," Brady shrugged, "it may shock you to actually hear this. But I like you when your not avoiding me or glaring at me. And as for the other guys we always protect our own."

"But I am nothing like you," I threw my hands up with exasperation, "I am nothing like you and your creepy friends. I don't want to be like you. Why is that so hard to drum into your thick skull? As soon as my mother returns from her trip I am gone. I don't belong here."

"We both know that's not true," Brady looked down at me almost pityingly, "However much you want to deny it you feel some attachment to this place. To us-"

"Are you high?" I interrupted shrilly, "Or clinically insane?"

"I thought that was you," Brady muttered under his breath. But I heard him. I felt like I had been punched repeatedly in the stomach. The kitchen seemed to blur around me.

"I'd rather be clinically insane than an ass," I grumbled trying to push by him. He caught my hand in his as I drove it towards him in anger. He had pushed me too far.

"Don't," his voice was soft, "you'll hurt yourself."

"I. Don't. Care," I spoke through gritted teeth trying to detangle myself from his grasp. Upstairs I heard someone move around but I ignored them, all I saw was red. A dangerous, bloody red. I had never been so angry, ever. Betrayal drowned my blood.

"I didn't mean it," Brady's voice was almost frantic as he tried to calm me down, "That was totally out of line. I am so sorry."

"Stop lying!" I cried out in surprise as Brady let go of my hand and allowed me to drive my fists into his chest over and over again. Tears stung at the corner of my eyes but I pushed them backwards. I hated him. I hated them all. Insistent I kept driving my hands into his chest ignoring the stinging sensation in my fists.

"Anna. Anna!"

Warm hands grabbed me from behind pulling me off a trembling Brady. I lashed out at the surrounding air as arms snaked around my waist.

"Stop it!"

I would have recognised that stupid, heart wrenching voice anywhere. My thoughts flashed back to the slam of the truck door as he left me. Alone. Turning I glared up into his stormy black eyes. I cursed inwardly as I noticed how tired he looked. Good. He deserved to be tired.

"You told them all," I seethed. He glanced down at me his face seeming to break under the weight of my words.

"I tried not to," his voice was so careful. I didn't want him to be careful. I wanted him to shout back. I wanted him to hate me. I wanted back the Paul I knew.

"You told them all," I repeated all of the strength fading from my voice. Paul let me hit him. He let me hit him over and over again. I sucked in a shocked breath as he smoothed down my hair while I continued to hit him. I remembered the sensation of my heart crippling only a few days earlier.

"I hate you," I told him honestly.

"I know," his familiar voice seeped into my bloodstream until I wasn't able to think clearly. I really did hate him, I wasn't lying. But with the feel of his warmth so close to me and the sensation of his calloused hand in my hair I lost grip on the tiny amount of composure that I had desperately been trying to hold onto.

Paul stiffened as I threw myself into his arms my tears soaking his bare chest. I just wanted him to hold me.

"Sssh," he soothed, "everything is going to be okay. I promise."

"Don't lie to me," I whispered looking up at him through my tears. I had never noticed how beautiful he was before. My breath came out in a rush as he pulled me carefully up into his arms as if I was a breakable china doll.

"I'm working on it," Paul pressed his lips into a line as he pressed them to my hair, "I promise. I'm working on it. But this trust thing works both ways."

"I don't trust anymore," I whispered into his chest realising we had an audience. Brady's shallow breaths seemed suddenly loud. And I could hear Sam and Emily's muttered conversation from the doorway.

"I promise to change that too," Paul's voice was so sincere that I almost believed him. But then I remembered what he was. What they all were. I swallowed the bile in my throat.

"Don't keep promises you cant keep Paul," I whispered softly letting my eyes flutter closed as I lay in the arms of a monster. My monster. That was my last thought as I fell asleep for the first time in what seemed like days.

I was lost.

Thoughts?