Author's Note: Hello again! Hope you're all enjoying the backstories I have been providing. I know a decent amount of these have been expressed in the books/films, but I wanted to embellish on them and add some further explanation. Thanks for the lovely reviews!

The next week proved to be very difficult for me. Though somehow, I did exactly what Carlisle said. I forced myself to go to school and pay attention in class. With the others' help, I was able to complete homework and raise my grades above failing. My teachers were pretty lenient considering what happened, which helped. I cleaned myself up and ate with Charlie, and even resumed simple cooking duties. I called Renee. I even saw a movie with Angela, Mike, and Eric after classes one night. Everyone called me strong and brave, but I didn't really feel like it. Every time I forced a smile, I told myself it was only getting me that much closer to Edward.

I told everyone why I had a broken hand when Angela asked me about it at lunch that first Monday. They thought it was funny, especially Eric. Angela was more understanding. Mike called Jacob an asshole. He seemed to be much more on my side after Jessica's death. Since her death, Mike acted worse than me, but he seemed to feed off of my "recovery" and became much more like his normal self. His sympathy warmed my heart. It also crushed me deep inside.

Of course, they all thought Edward and I broke up.

That weekend, Carlisle came by the house to check up on my hand. After making sure it was healing properly, he chatted with Charlie while I cooked some spaghetti. He mentioned the trip to Italy, and I found myself wincing at his words. Charlie asked why the Cullen family was being so nice to me since Edward and I broke up, and Carlisle said something about be being like an addition to the family regardless. Alice regarded me as a sister and desperately wanted me to come to Italy with them. Charlie expectantly asked about Edward out of curiosity. Carlisle gave some lies about how he's been very busy with orchestra and studies. At one point Charlie asked me if it was okay for me to travel, knowing Edward would be with us. I told him I was over it and would rather be friends than nothing at all, with an added thought that the trip away from home may be a good idea. Carlisle backed me up, advising that the different surroundings would be good for me to clear my head. So with little to protest, Charlie said he had no problem with it as long as I was careful.

So everything was set. The day after my last final, Alice, Jasper, and I were going to board a plane and fly across the world. With their magical skills and finances, they got me an up-to-date passport and Alice provided me with luggage for the trip. I spent the rest of my free time up until finals studying with Alice. She told me that she had been through high school and college dozens of times, so everything was a piece of cake to her. I appreciated the help. Without her, I definitely faced failure.

I didn't hear from Jacob again. I grew irritated with his lack of facing the truth about us, but I let him deal with it on his own (rather, let the others in the pack deal with it for me). I kept my attention on the tasks at hand. If I survived Volterra, I would approach Jacob and have a serious talk with him. While I was studying with Alice the Sunday before finals, I caught myself laughing at an image of Edward's face when I'd tell him what I did to get my broken hand. He would probably smirk, cock an eyebrow and bare his perfect teeth as he laughed. He'd make a snarky remark about how I at least tried, and then would take my hand and kiss it gently.

Edward…

"What's so funny?" Alice asked me, looking up from her calculus textbook.

"Oh nothing. Just thinking about stuff," I said with a cough. I glared back down at my chemistry notes and shrugged. I didn't look forward to that final exam at all. I only had four exams this semester, which made it somewhat easier. One of my professors sympathized enough to let me write a paper instead, which I pumped out with ease. "I'm going to get something to drink. I'll be right back," I said as I got up from my crossed-legged position on her bed and made my way downstairs. The rest of the house seemed empty. Well, it was, really. Esme, Jasper, and Emmett were hunting, and Carlisle was at work. When I walked into the kitchen, I noticed Rosalie was standing by the doors that led out into the backyard. She was staring out into the night. I immediately tensed up; trying not to disturb her while I passed her gorgeous frame. As I opened the fridge to get a bottle of water, I heard her scoff in my direction.

"Something the matter?" I asked, sensing that the noise was because of me. Her face was still hidden, and I took mental note of how flawless her long locks of blonde hair were as they sat against her simple blue dress.

"Tch. You wouldn't understand," she responded arrogantly. "You're too naive."

That was it. The tone in her voice set me off. I placed the bottle on the counter and walked towards her.

"Okay, that's enough. I'm sick of this bullshit between you and me. Why do you hate me so much, Rosalie? I haven't done a damn thing to you, ever." My voice shook some, but I ignored the fear that I had.

"I don't hate you," Rosalie replied, throwing me off. She was silent for a minute. I noticed her shoulders lower and the muscles in her naked back tense. "I'm envious."

Wait…you're envious…of ME? I held my breath. Did she really just confess to me that she was jealous of me? Why?

"What?" I couldn't find any other words. Rosalie sighed coolly.

"I'm envious. You have a choice that I didn't have. And you want to throw it away."

"I…I don't understand…"

She turned her body and I saw the burning in her golden eyes. Her face was smooth but I could see how tense her jaw was.

"You don't think I've heard you whine about wanting to die? About how everything would be so much easier for you if you were like me? You have no idea. I wouldn't have chosen this life." Her voice was dripping with regret and sadness, making me shiver.

"Why are you so bitter about becoming a vampire?" I asked. Her lips parted slightly and she turned back to the glass door.

"When I was a little girl, I dreamed about having the perfect life. I came from a banker's family in upstate New York. I'd see all the beautiful women with their glamorous lives with perfect husbands and children. My mother and father wanted me to marry into a wealthy family. And of course, I agreed. But by the time I became a teenager, the Great Depression hit. And it hit my father hard. We lost almost everything. I went from being a socialite to a nobody. Until I met Royce King. He was the most handsome man I had ever met. His family was the richest before and during the Great Depression, and my father desperately wanted to pair me up with him. I remember going to an elaborate party, having gotten in by the good graces of my appearance. My hair was up in curls and I wore a revealing red dress with gold trim. It was the last nice dress I had left.

"I saw him at the bar, ordering a drink. He was in a gorgeous black suit. His hair was slick back enough that I could lose myself in his eyes. I was instantly smitten when he turned and looked at me with his cocky, yet charming smile. He asked me to dance with him, and I obliged. Not long after that night, we were engaged. He knew who I was, of course. And I realized later that he only wanted me for my beauty. His newest trophy. But at the time, I was naïve and believed he loved me. I was absorbed with my dream finally coming true. I'd get out of the depression with a wonderful husband and start a new life."

Rosalie placed a hand on the glass door and took a deep breath. I stood in silence, taking in everything she was saying.

"The week before we were to be married, I was visiting a close friend. I was walking back to my home when I heard Royce calling out to me from an alley. I rushed over to him, and was disappointed to find him sloppily drunk with his friends from his firm. The smell of whiskey was so strong, I can still remember how sick it made me feel. He wanted to show me off to his friends, but I refused to stay another minute. I told him to come find me the next day, and I heard one of his friends tell me that the next day wouldn't matter. I tried to walk away from them, but Royce pulled at my jacket, tearing it down my shoulder. He said 'Don't you think she's a real looker?' His friends all whistled and howled at me. I struggled against his drunken hold over me, even biting his hand at one point. But he didn't give up.

"He threw me to the ground in that alleyway. His friends circled around me, unbuckling their belts and tossing their bottles aside. I was held down by two of his friends as Royce was the first. My first. I was saving myself for the honeymoon but…"

"Oh, Rosalie…" I whispered in horror. I imagined seeing her elegant outfit being torn off like garbage as the brutes attacked her. I thought about how her blonde hair covered in mud; her makeup smeared by tears. I remembered how that could've been me back at the Lexicon, if it wasn't for Edward.

"Carlisle found me in the middle of the alley later on. I recognized him as the local doctor. He told me that he could smell all the blood from miles away. I was begging for death. The man I loved betrayed me. There was nothing left. But he told me otherwise. That there was much more to the world. That no one, especially one as beautiful and sweet as me, deserved this death. So he changed me. At the time, he and Esme believed me to be a potential mate for Edward, which I disregarded."

Picturing Rosalie with Edward made me want to gag, but I stilled myself. A small smile appeared across her face.

"I got my revenge, though. One by one, I attacked the men who took me. I did it slowly, by haunting them as a ghastly-looking bride. I was much more theatrical then. I made each and every one of them stare into my new eyes before I killed them. So they could see what I had become. What they made me. See the hatred. I saved Royce for last. Made sure he knew I was coming for him. He had been put under suspicion for my murder, but he thought money could buy him freedom. He was wrong. So very wrong. He put himself under high guard, even keeping an arsenal of guns in his mansion. But it didn't matter. I broke through all of it.

"I wore the dress I planned to wear at our wedding. I appeared to him like a blushing bride. He was crying in the corner of his master bedroom. What was to be our master bedroom. He tried to beg for mercy. That his friends put him up to it. That he loved me. That he was sorry. But I didn't listen. And as I approached him, he shot at me. Over and over, until all the bullets were gone. The look of pure horror on his face was something I certainly relished in. I did grant him one shred of mercy. I made his death quick, unlike mine. But believe me; even though it was fast, it was painful. After that, I resented Carlisle for what he made me. I didn't want to haunt the world for eternity, seeing everything I lost."

"But…what about Emmett? You love him, don't you?" I asked. Rosalie lowered her hand and nodded.

"Emmett…was someone I didn't expect to find. After I turned, I felt as though I would be alone forever. I caught him hunting one day in Tennessee sometime in the 40s, after the Second World War. I followed him back to his home and realized that he had been a soldier. That he already had a wife, and a sick one at that. I was devastated, but continued to watch him for a while, thinking she would die off soon. I was captivated by his strength and tough exterior. And I saw how much he cared for his wife. He did all that he could for her. I was incredibly jealous. It took a great part of me to not take him for my own. After a couple months, I decided to leave him be. I didn't want to take him away from his wife. I accepted that I would be alone.

"Until sometime later, while I was hunting. That year, there was a surge in the bear population surrounding his town. I was busy catching up to a deer at the time, but I heard a terrible noise in the distance and smelled human blood. When I got to him, he was lying in a contorted position while a large grizzly bear was roaring from a gunshot. I fended off the bear with ease and got to his side. The strong scent of his blood overwhelmed me, and I tried my best to fight off the urge. He called me an angel, and welcomed death. But knowing how he was in life, I couldn't bear to see it wasted like mine was. So I took him to Carlisle, pleading to change him. Carlisle could see my feelings, and since he had treated Emmett's dying wife beforehand and knew who he was, he permitted the change.

"I found out after he changed that his wife had lost her battle with her terminal illness not long before that. He was in the woods hunting, but was grief-stricken. Which was why he was alright with death. Until he met me. He had no issues with being one of us, and acclimated very quickly to our surprise. It wasn't until then that I came to the conclusion that Emmett was really the one I was supposed to be with. He could handle my theatrics and shallow personality. And in turn, I can handle his brute spontaneity."

"So why are you so upset with my choice? I feel the same way about Edward." Rosalie turned to face me after I spoke, and I saw the darkness in her eyes.

"You say that now because you're young and have the world in front of you. I thought Royce was all I would ever want. And yes, Emmett and I are a great couple. But he and I will never grow together. I'll never be able to have his children. He'll never become a grandfather. We will always be a young couple. Nothing more. I began to accept that until you came into the picture, Bella. Seeing your life and how free you were to make your own decisions about what you did…reminded me of what I lost. And when you started babbling about wanting to change, it infuriated me. Why abandon your human life for one of blood, death, and ice?"

"I'm really sorry for what you experienced, Rosalie. But I'm not the same as you. I never dreamed of getting married and having the kids and the house. I was happy knowing if I could just get a shabby apartment one day and make enough money doing something to support myself. I don't even know if I ever want kids. I can't see myself being a great mom. You may see my decision as a poor one. But I don't. I see it as a new chapter in my life. One where I can achieve more than I imagined as a human."

Rosalie and I stared at each other in silence after that. Her face smoothed out and became unreadable. But I sensed that the large wall built between us was breaking down slowly. She huffed gently to herself and opened the glass doors. Without another word, she left me in the kitchen, walking off into the dark yard. I took the bottle of water into my hand and walked back up to Alice's room. She noticed I wasn't the giggly self that was in there not long before, and she called me on it.

"Everything alright, Bella?" she asked.

"No, Alice. Everything is not alright," I said, getting back onto the bed and turning the page in my chemistry book. "But it's getting better."

I saw her smile knowingly at me, and I returned it with one of my own.

Finals came and went. I thought I even got above an 80 on my chemistry final. I had to thank Alice later about helping me out. But even with the exams, I had trouble concentrating. Before I knew it, I was standing at the airport with Alice and Jasper, getting cleared to board the first plane that would take me to find Edward.

Carlisle and Esme held each other after hugging me. Rosalie and Emmett stood to the side. Emmett gave me a thumb up with his trademark grin. Rosalie was stoic, but I noticed that her eyes seemed softer than usual. Since our "chat", she became a little nicer towards me. By a little, I mean that she didn't ridicule me as often. But Rosalie was Rosalie.

"Contact us as soon as you are finished," Carlisle said.

"We'll be careful. Don't you worry! I already have a good feeling about this," Alice said with a small smile. I wish I had her confidence!

"Good luck," Esme said. Alice took my hand and pulled me along with her and Jasper into the airport, directing me to the terminal we needed to go to. Would that be the last time I'd see the other Cullens again?

I already asked myself that question about Charlie that morning while I pulled together my entire luggage from my bedroom to put it in Alice's car. He seemed enthusiastic about my changes in behavior, and thought the vacation would do me some real good. He asked me again before I left if I would be alright being with Edward. I reassured him that I would be fine, and that I planned on rekindling our friendship on this trip (not entirely a lie…I did plan on rekindling something). I gave him a firm hug before leaving, telling him to take care of himself while I was gone. He promised not to eat too many TV dinners and wished me a safe trip. At least if I didn't come back for some reason, I knew he would be in good hands.

"Ready, Bella?" Alice asked as we got seated on the plane. My hands were shaking in my lap, over the folder of blueprints that Carlisle provided.

"As ready as I'll ever be, Alice," I replied. Jasper peered over from her side and flashed me a calming smile. I turned my gaze out the window and watched as the world around me shrunk into specs and clouds.

I'm coming for you, Edward.