Chapter One:
Early Bird Gets the Worm

three years after Breaking Dawn

For years Caroline tried to train herself to be an early riser like her father, but she could never wake up early without the assistance of an alarm clock with no fewer than three alarms set every five minutes.

By the third alarm at 7:15 she was finally ready to roll out of bed.

Caroline slipped on a pair of leggings and a long sleeved shirt with a weathered and cracked logo from her high school track team. She ran her fingers through her long, black hair and pulled the ends forward and up to her face for inspection. The split ends she was greeted with didn't do much to lift her spirits. Sue would already be at work and she could hear Charlie in his room snoring so she decided to take a quick run before showering and preparing herself for another day in Forks, Washington. Sue had planned a welcome dinner for her that night on the rez and she was going to need all of the time preparing she could get.

Her long days of isolation were coming to an end as those around her started to push her out of the house and into civilization. Into soft, pitying eyes and sympathetic, but otherwise non-encouraging recycled phrases.

She grabbed her iPod and was untangling the headphones when she turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs and nearly ran into someone.

"I'm sorry," the girl said awkwardly in a breathy voice. "I didn't mean to come so early but I wanted to make breakfast for dad before he got up. We're leaving today - and - yeah. I-I'm Bella. You must be Caroline." She gave her a thin-lipped smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She was beautiful, Caroline couldn't help but notice. Plain, brown hair but she had good bone structure. Her eyes were intriguing, an almost copper color. Bella, Charlie's daughter, seemed to notice her interest in her eyes and she looked away. She didn't inherit much from Charlie when it came to looks.

Caroline nodded and plastered a smile on her face. Easier than she thought it would be. She's had a month to practice her smiles, and as the age-old saying goes: time heals all wounds. Allegedly. "That's me!" Caroline agreed. "Where are you headed - if you don't mind me asking?"

Bella bit her lip and hesitated. "My husband, Edward... His father is a doctor. There's been some attacks - bear ones, bear attacks - and he was the doctor in Forks for a decade and they asked him to come back for a bit to see if there was any correlation..." She trailed off.

"Any correlation," Caroline started to ask and the girl flinched. "Sorry, I'm sure if you did know, it's confidential. Patient/Doctor confidentiality and all that." Bella visibly relaxed but Caroline's mind was whirling.

Bear attacks in correlation to what? Aunt Sue had told Caroline about Dr Carlisle Cullen - even Emily knew him. He was a well known, beloved doctor who had moved on to go somewhere bigger and better. So what could possibly be so alarming or intriguing that would bring him back? Certainly not just bear attacks. If it was even bears at all. The way Charlie's daughter fumbled through that explanation made her think that this girl was someone who knew enough that she should be a practiced liar but wasn't. She smiled at Bella. "Well I'm sure it was great to be home. I hope everything is alright."

Before Bella had the chance to fumble her way through another sentence, a new, velvety voice sounded from the living room. "Hello Caroline, I'm Edward." Caroline jumped, pulled from her thoughts abruptly. She whirled around to face a tall, equally pale man.

Caroline couldn't help but size them both up as he walked over to stand next to his wife. They were both attractive. Almost other-worldly beautiful, really. Both incredibly pale, almost translucent but she attributed that to the rainy, cloud-covered weather of Washington. But they had moved away from Washington, hadn't they?

Edward reached out his hand to her, "I'm sorry we had to meet under such circumstances."

Caroline was momentarily taken aback. The circumstances being her father's murder. She let his hand hang in the air for a moment before she took it, steeling herself to the hollow feeling in her gut. His hand was cold in hers. Winter was coming to an end but Spring in Forks was never exceptionally warm, at least this early in the year so she decided to forgive him for it, but she wasn't as willing to forgive him for bringing up the circumstances.

He continued speaking and she realized she hadn't said anything. "But the weather today is nice, we'll be sure to save some breakfast for you after your run." She almost asked him how she knew she was going for a run when he motioned to her outfit.

Right. He moved to stand somewhat behind Bella, like a shadow. A little possessive, Caroline added to her mental note of his overall gentlemanly-awkwardness. She gave them a small smile. "Thank you, I can't promise I'll be quick. I want to meander a bit this morning, try to find a nice route."

Bella and Edward returned her smile while heading towards the small kitchen, walking in tandem. Creepy, Caroline thought. "There are some paths through the forest that will be nice once it warms up. But there have been some animal attacks - bear attacks - so I would stick with the roads for now," Bella added.

Caroline tied her long, black hair into a ponytail. Bears. "I'll keep that in mind."

As she shut the door of the house she let out a long sigh. Small talk with them wasn't the worst, but she wasn't sure she had the energy to do it all day. Charlie mentioned to her last night that more of the Cullen family would be coming over for lunch before they left, and his pained expression when he had said it didn't give her a lot of hope. They seemed to think they needed to introduce themselves to her since her relationship with Bella was now on the borderline of being cousins. Earlier, Caroline would have hoped they didn't show up at all, but with this new information about the bear attacks, she wishes she had introduced herself to them sooner instead of waiting until the end of their trip. Edward would be tight lipped, but Bella - she could get Bella to talk.

She had no way to know if the bear attacks had anything even remotely in connection with her father's murder, but the time to grieve was coming to an end. Now she wanted answers.

She headed out from the house at an easy jog. She put her headphones in but didn't play any music, electing to just let the soft sounds of the forest behind the houses in the neighborhood fill her mind instead. She did that often, headphones in meant she presumably couldn't hear anything another passerby was saying so there was no point in trying to talk to her.

She weaved her way in and out of neighborhoods, following the cracked sidewalks until she found herself jogging into town. The cool air was crisp on her skin, making her shiver. She checked her iPod at 8:35. She had been out a lot longer than she had planned. She cursed herself for zoning out and losing her place in her mental navigation. For a town of a little over 4,000, Forks, Washington was more confusing than one would think.

Caroline walked into the hospital in the center of town, hoping it was the same one her Aunt Sue was working in today. Her Aunt had said she traded shifts between Forks and La Push regularly so there was no guarantee that she would be in but Caroline just needed quick directions home before she worried anyone.

Charlie Swan didn't seem like one to hover, and she was nineteen, but she didn't know him well enough to know if he would call the calvary to get her if he suspected his girlfriend's niece would do something rash in her current state. A fair response considering it had only been a month since her father's unexplained passing.

As she made her way through the sliding glass doors she sighed at the familiar sight. Hospitals all looked the same, it was pleasant and eerie at the same time. Tall walls in a pristine and clean white shade, glass windows and closed curtains. She passed a bell labeled "CANCER-FREE BELL" and smiled. Across from the bell is the nurse's station but Aunt Sue is nowhere in sight.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Is Sue Clearwater in today?" Caroline smiled down at the young nurse behind the counter.

"She is in surgery right now, she will be out shortly. You can leave a message, just tell me who it's from," the woman's voice was kind but she didn't look up from her paperwork.

"It's okay, I'm her niece. I'm just looking for the way home -"

"Her niece? I did not expect to see you here!" She looked up at Caroline, taking her in and looking for similarities between her co-worker and the girl in front of her. "Yes, well she should be out soon if you want to just wait in the waiting room. I'll send her right over."

Caroline nodded, suddenly wishing she had just tried to find the way back herself. Hospital waiting rooms were full of too many emotions and she wasn't sure how she would handle them. She elected to keep her eyes down, not wanting to see any forlorned faces when a voice called out to her.

"Care!"

Her eyes snapped up to meet her half-sister. "Emily? What are you doing here?" She searched her face for any signs of distress as she moved towards her. "I didn't think I would see you until dinner." When she hugged Emily, Caroline made sure to maneuver herself around her swelling baby bump.

"Dr. Cullen had some concerns he wished to address, but it should be a relatively routine check-up." Emily smiled brightly at her, the unscarred side of her face as beautiful as ever in her pregnancy glow.

"Dr. Cullen?" Caroline quirked an eyebrow at her, not missing the irritation in her voice when she said his name. "I thought he was here to help with some bear attack cases?"

While Emily is a much more practiced liar than Bella, Caroline knows her half sister well enough to detect the hesitation.

"Who were you talking with about that?" Emily smiled, trying to hide the look of minor alarm in her eyes. "Aunt Sue wouldn't have -"

"No, no," Caroline waved her hand dismissively. "Aunt Sue didn't say anything. I ran into Bella this morning and she mentioned why she came. Something about bear attacks? Anyways, must be all figured out if they're leaving." Caroline smiled disarmingly at her sister.

There is something to be said about sisters and their ability to lie to each other. Emily could never lie to Caroline. But Caroline, the bastard child of two married adults that ruined her father's marriage and nearly destroyed her mother's, has had some tough lessons that required fine tuning of the skill.

Either Emily knew something Caroline didn't know or she was paranoid. Maybe she was both.

"Yes, the Cullens will be leaving but I have a feeling it won't be the last we see of them." The way Emily said it made it seem almost an insult - or about as close as she would get to one. "Well, regardless of family ties, Dr. Cullen is a good doctor - the best in the area… But that's not important, I am glad I got to see you before tonight. I was planning on stopping by after my appointment but it looks like you saved me a trip." She reached over and pulled Caroline into another hug and Caroline could already feel where this was going. "I know you don't want to talk about it, surely not here," she gestured to the waiting room, "but I am always ready and willing to lend an ear."

Caroline smiled in spite of herself. It was impossible to be irritated with Emily for bringing up the past she was more than happy to keep to herself, especially when she didn't think it was as crystal clear as the officers had told her. Emily was incredibly kind hearted and good natured, although she was never keen on Caroline's father, seeing as he almost destroyed the relationship between their mother and Emily's own father.

Despite that hiccup in their life, they grew up comfortably separate but relatively close. They hadn't been as close since Emily got together with Sam. Both girls were friends with their cousin, Leah, and it never sat right with Caroline, even after seeing them together. They were truly in love, it was undeniable, but Emily lost a good friend in Leah because of her love for Sam, and Caroline lost her by association.

Caroline had reached out to Leah on more than one occasion but had never gotten anything more than a few words. The most they spoke was when her father died. In a moment of emotional weakness, she told Leah her suspicions and vowed to the older girl that she would find her father's killer. Leah wasn't necessarily supportive but she never told Caroline she was in denial. That put them on good terms as far as she was concerned.

"Caroline! What are you doing here, is everything okay?" Sue Clearwater walked briskly up to her two nieces.

"Everything is good, Aunt Sue. I just got a little lost on my run and wanted some directions." Caroline reassured her, smiling so wide enough to make her cheeks hurt in an attempt to drive down the woman's anxiety.

Sue nodded after a quick inspection. "You scared me. I won't be off shift until tonight, but I'll draw you up a little map and send you on your way."

"If you wanted to wait," Emily said, "I could drive you."

"No, it's okay." Caroline smiled. Her cheeks were beginning to become sore. "I can just run back. I've been enjoying the quiet." And I have to come up with a plan to find out more about these bear attacks.

The look of hurt that flashed across her half-sister's face almost caused her to take it back but Emily nodded and gave her a sad smile. "I understand."

Aunt Sue returned with a map and handed it to Caroline. "I'm sure Charlie will be gone by the time you get there, I can't imagine Bella or her husband stayed either."

Caroline hoped her Aunt was wrong. She didn't think she could wait until lunch to catch Bella alone to question her. Maybe she didn't know anything about the attacks and was just that awkward. But from what she's heard, the Cullens are incredibly close. Could Carlisle have mentioned something to her? Or maybe to Edward, who undoubtedly shared everything with his wife.

Or maybe Caroline was grasping at straws. She doesn't know anything about these attacks and has no way to investigate them. She has literally no way to connect them to her father. All she knows from Bella is that there are some attacks in the area - not even if it extended to the Makah Reservation - and she knows that Emily knows something. Not exactly cold hard evidence.

But the logical part of her screaming this is overruled by whatever part of her emerged after her father's death.

"Would you like to ride with me and Charlie?"

Caroline realized she had zoned out. Ride with her and Charlie to dinner? She could only guess. "It's about an hour bike ride, isn't it?" She knew it was, she had already looked up the directions. "I could just bike."

"Along the freeway?" Sue blanched.

"Until I get a car I'll be doing a lot of biking." She pointed out. "Better start building those muscles now." Sue smiled at her joke and Caroline knew she hadn't convinced her but her aunt had yet to say no. Sue seemed to think she was walking on eggshells with her, and if she was going to act like that, Care was going to use it to her advantage. Can't say no to a sad niece who needs some time alone.

"Alright," Sue didn't usually bow out of a fight so quickly and Caroline knew she couldn't count on it forever. "Then I will see you - both of you - tonight." The women all said goodbye quickly and she made her escape.

Caroline didn't follow Sue's map immediately. She walked along the streets of Forks, peering inside buildings with "Help Wanted" signs. Working in retail or fast food wasn't high on her list but she went inside to grab applications anyways. Anything to burn time before tonight. She wasn't sure how she would fare sitting in her aunt and Charlie's house alone.

She had started walking home when a baby blue Volkswagen bug stopped alongside her. The window rolled down and a beautiful young woman with a pixie haircut beamed at her. "Are you Caroline Talltree?" Before she could answer the girl was opening her passenger side door. "I'm Alice Cullen. Bella and Edward are worried about you. You missed lunch."

Missed lunch? Caroline frowned, grabbing her iPod. One o'clock. There's no way she was out that long. Her stomach rumbled. She was starving.

This girl left absolutely no room for argument but it didn't stop Caroline from trying. After many attempts to convince the older girl that no, she didn't need a ride, and no, she wasn't very hungry she found herself getting into the passenger side door of a car she didn't know with a woman who was the sister to a man she had just met. Surely not her brightest moment, but after recent events, Caroline found herself more willing to throw caution to the wind. She got into the car and listened to the girl chatter endlessly. She thought back on when she was just as talkative. She supposed she would open up soon. She had to. But for now, she was thankful to have someone to listen to. Life went on.

Caroline had barely gotten a few words in until they made it to the cafe on the far side of town. To her surprise, Bella and Edward were already seated, two mugs in front of them.

"Caroline! I'm glad you're okay," Bella said, standing to meet her. "Edward and I already ate at Charlie's for lunch but we wanted to join you since you missed it. Lunch - at Charlie's." she added awkwardly. "We're kind of cousins now, I guess."

Was every sentence this girl uttered just as painfully awkward, Caroline thought stifling a laugh "I guess we are. But I tried to tell Alice that I didn't bring my wallet -"

"And I told you," Alice said pointedly but not without a smile, "that it was on me today."

"I'm going to get you back then," Caroline matched Alice's bossy but friendly tone earning her a smile from the beautiful pale girl in front of her.

"I'm counting on it."

Lunch was surprisingly pleasant. Alice ordered a petite salad - vegetarian, she explained - and Caroline ordered a turkey sandwich. It wasn't the best she had tasted but she was hungrier than she had thought and she ate the entire sandwich, side salad and fruit cup.

Bella was just as stilted as she had always been but their exchanges weren't awful. Caroline hadn't found an opportunity to bring up why Dr Cullen had come back for the attacks - or even more detail on them and she was feeling a little restless. Brutal, backwoods animal killings weren't exactly pleasant table talk.

Until she could delve into darker topics, she decided to observe their family dynamic. It didn't seem like Bella had much to say in general and neither did Caroline so it was a welcome dynamic. Edward seemed glued to her hip, feeding off of everything she said but otherwise a gentleman. And Alice was friendly and pushy, but not unpleasant. All three of them were almost sickly pale but that alien beauty she noticed before. They weren't Caroline's usually crowd of boisterous and loud friends but she found she wasn't opposed to their company. It was nice to be in the presence of younger people, even if they were intimidatingly beautiful and drew unwanted attention to their table.

But she couldn't help feel that they were inserting themselves in her life for ulterior motives. Not that Caroline was exactly innocent, thinking they had answers to what were probably just freak bear attacks and not at all intertwined with her father's murder. They almost seemed to be manipulating her. But maybe she was projecting. Not everyone she spoke to knew the circumstances of her father's death and her plan to solve his murder. There was no way they could know and try to bring her guard down.

She pulled her thoughts away from that and tried to simply enjoy lunch when Alice asked her about home and what she usually did with her friends.

Her heart dropped at the thought of them. From the time her father died to the month leading up to her move to Forks she had hardly given them any time. She ignored their calls and concern. She was hurting them, she knew, but she found she hadn't noticed until now. Hurt people always seem to hurt people she thought.

A cold hand wrapped around her own and her eyes flew up to meet Alice's gold ones. An odd color, she thought. "Everything is going to be okay," Alice said with such absolute certainty that Caroline believed her. "I can see it."

No, they weren't like her old friends, but they were nice to have lunch with.

"You shouldn't bike to dinner tonight," Edward said as they were leaving. "It's going to rain," he added as an explanation. He was nearly as awkward as Bella. "And with those bear attacks, we can't be too careful."

Caroline froze, if only for a moment. "I-I thought that it was over. You and Dr Cullen are leaving right?"

Edward smiled at her in a way that should have been disarming but only caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. "Like I said, you just can't be too careful nowadays. Bears aren't the only animals running the woods."

Before Caroline could ask him what he meant by that, Bella coughed her way into the conversation.

"You can borrow my car," Bella said. "Edward got it for me, but it's a little too flashy for my taste. You're welcome to drive it until you get your own - your own car. I always preferred my truck anyways."

"Your death trap," Edward frowned but Bella didn't seem to notice.

"Just promise you'll say hi to Jacob for me." Bella made a pained expression when she said it, although her eyes lit up in what was hope?

Caroline quirked her brow at the odd request. Edward's face didn't give away anything but she didn't think he loved to hear that. "I'll do my best and I'll pay you back." Before Bella could interject she shook her head. "I owe you one and I won't take no for an answer."

She started her jog home with a promise from Edward that he would drop the car off at Charlie's house around four so she could take it to dinner. It didn't occur to her until she got home that she never mentioned biking to La Push to any of them.

AGES OF CHARACTERS:

Caroline Talltree-Young: 19 years old
Jacob Black: 21 years old
Embry Call: 20 years old
Quil Ateara: 21 years old
Jared Cameron: 21 years old
Paul Lahote: 22 years old
Bella Swan: 23 years old (technically)
Seth Clearwater: 19 years old
Emily Uley: 25 years old
Sam Uley: 25 years old
Leah Clearwater: 25 years old
Claire Young: 7 years old

to my old readers: thanks for stickin' with it. here is ur updated chapter one.

to my new readers: thanks for being here