River's POV

My dad goes to the door of the bathroom and tries to coax my mother out with no avail. I feel terrible. I know that no matter what my dad will always be on my side. I have never felt rejected or neglected despite my mother not living with us with little explanation while I was growing up. I always felt loved and taken care of.

Now I learn of Emma and I act like a … a person who is not good—for lack of a better word for it, though I am sure that Emma can think of a few. She grew up within the sheltered eyes of the Cullen's and treated like a dirty little secret. I almost attacked her tonight and thought of how good it'd feel to claw her to death but when I watched my mother slap her face I felt oddly protective and now I feel a little ashamed that I didn't stand up or say anything.

It's not like we're friendly or anything but I was always taught to never strike a lady… what are the rules on intervening on other women who strike each other? I stand up from the table and walk out the screen door and glance around the area… I don't have to pretend that I don't know where she went… where else would she go after being slapped? The forbidden boyfriend's house…

I sigh and drag my feet along to trail until I reach Jesse Uley's front door and walk up the drive and onto the porch. I am about to knock but can see that it is just Jesse and Emma in there. Jesse is gently holding ice to Emma's tear stained face as the two sit together on the couch. I open the screen door and walk in. Jesse immediately growls at my but I put my hands up submissively.

"I'm only here to make sure that Emma is alright," I admit.

"What do you care?" she mumbles… yeah I guess I deserve that.

"I don't… I mean… ugh… look, just because we're not best friends does not mean that I think it is cool that mom hit you like that. I'm sorry for how she reacted and I am sorry that I could have hurt you earlier," I reply and watch as she inspects me with here blue eyes as if she is searching for the sincerity in my voice and expression. "It would mean a lot to mom if you'd come home and work things out."

"Rover," Jesse mispronounces my name for the millionth time, "look, I don't know how things operate under your roof but when my girlfriend shows up on my doorstep in tears with a swollen face from being beaten by a parent, I don't send her back home to 'work things out' you know," he replies and I cock a brow… right. He is making it sound like mom went full on ape-shit of her and beat her to a pulp. Emma got slapped.

"Oh yeah… what do you do?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Call the police," he replies and my eyes bulge a bit in disbelief until I see the door swing open and a young man in uniform walks in. He isn't very tall compared to us and he has sandy blonde hair. He looks to Emma with a frown of concern.

"Emma, what happened?" he rushed to her and kneeled down in front of her.

"Jesse, I told you not to," Emma sighed, "I'm sorry, Frankie. Jesse should not have called you for this."

"My girlfriend gets hit and I am supposed to do nothing?" Jesse said. Frankie glanced back to Jesse.

"You two are dating?" He asks Jesse and then looks to Emma.

"Yeah… what's it to you?" Jesse glares.

"Nothing… just figured we've been friends long enough that you'd tell me you were seeing someone… never mind then, jeez," Frankie said and then looked back to Emma Longley… oh Jesus… this cop-kid has a thing for her to? I don't get it!

"I'm sorry that Jesse called you—I'm fine. I don't want to press charges," Emma replies as Jesse puts ice back to her face. "It's nothing serious."

"Are you sure?" Frankie asks and Emma nods quietly. "Alright, but I still have to write a report," he replied and took out a pen. "Explain what happened."

"It's nothing, I got into an argument with my… uh… my sister, Nessie," Emma maintains, masquerading our parents as our siblings is something that we often have to do when talking to outsiders. "I said some things, she said some things and I got slapped."

"You called me out here for a sibling squabble?" Frankie glances at Jesse.

"Dude, look at her face," Jesse said, carefully pulling the ice away from Emma's jaw to reveal red swollen flesh that was starting to form a deep purple colouring.

"Yours sister has a good right hand on her, doesn't she," Frankie said sympathetically. "Listen, Emma, if this happens again or if you are scared or if there is more to this story then you are letting on and you need someone to talk to… well, you know where I can be reached."

Emma nodded, "thank you Frankie, but really, I am fine," Emma said and I watched as the young cop closed his note pad and looked to Jesse.

"I'll walk you out," Jesse replied and headed out the door with Frankie. I stood in silence with Emma for a little bit until she finally spoke up.

"I'm okay, you can go now," she said softly and took the ice off of her face with a wince.

"Maybe we should just try and get along. We're twins… aren't we supposed to have some sort of connection?" I ask and watch her huff with a smirk.

"Other then deep hatred?" she asks. Ouch.

"I don't hate you."

"Well I hate you. You know, my life was going just fine until I found out about you. The only reason I don't know who you are is because everyone around here is repulsed by me. Everyone but Jesse. I see people looking at me and whispering."

If I were to tell her that she was exaggerating then I'd be lying. "Then I guess you cannot afford to make more enemies… truce?" I hold out my hand for her but she just looks at it. "Please don't make this harder then what it is," I groan at her stubbornness.

"Fine… but this doesn't mean that I am going back to that house to be with mom and Jacob. I have no desire to be one big happy family with those people," she said, taking my hand momentarily and then dropping it.

"Fair enough," I reply.

"Emma, are you okay?" Jesse asks, coming back into the house.

"Yeah, I'm fine. River was just leaving. It's okay that I stay the night, right Jesse?" She asks. I look to Jesse, his eyes become unfocussed for a moment and then he smiles at her and nods.

"Of course you can."

What the hell was that? Did she just put the voodoo on him? Dad had warned me that Emma had a gift that involved manipulating other's behaviour but I have never seen it in action before. I am a little big scared but mostly impressed.

Please comment! Let me know what you think of the direction the story is heading in… More to come soon.