"I don't want you to come."...

"This will be the last time you ever see me." ...

"You're just not good for me."...

"I won't come back."...

"Goodbye."

Bella looked at Edward, feeling her heart tear in two. She pleaded with him, as he kept repeating those phrases over and over again. No matter what she did or said, it was like he couldn't hear her, he just kept speaking in that hushed tone. He darted back and forth, surrounding her yet keeping well out of her sight at the same time. She kept whipping her head around, desperate to look at him, until he stopped. The forest darkened, the light disappearing and a shroud of mist enclosing them. He finally stopped moving, looking down at her from a rock a few feet from her. His golden eyes bore into hers, slowly changing until they turned a deep, blood red.

"Edward, please…"

"I don't want you to come!" He screamed, inches from her face, a crazed look in his crimson eyes.

FLASH! He was gone from in front of her. Bella whipped her head around as his voice echoed around her.

"You're just not good for me." He sneered, looking down at her from the branches of a tree. "I'm sorry I let this go on so long."

FLASH! He moved again, out of her sight. Bella backed up until she smacked into him from behind.

"It will be like I never existed, I promise." He whispered in her ear, laughing as he backed away, vanishing into the mist.

FLASH! He was gone, leaving her all alone.

Bella collapsed onto her knees, breathless, when she saw a pair of gleaming red eyes from the forest. She heard branches snap as the figure emerged, and she silently hoped it was Edward returning. It wasn't Edward that emerged from the bushes, but it was James instead. He glared at her with a horrible smirk, before sprinting to her in a second and sinking his fangs into her neck. She screamed, yet no sound would come out as a hand wrapped around her throat, crushing her…

Bella snapped awake, her chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath. It was the same nightmare once again, horrible visions of Edward. They forced Bella to relive every moment of being abandoned, as well as the terrifying image of James. Even though James was long gone, he still haunted her dreams, but at least as he was exactly like she remembered him. Edward's dark transformation deeply unsettled her also. The words were always the same, but his tone would change and his eyes glowed a terrifying red...

After a moment to catch her breath, she realized her alarm was going off on her bedside table. Reaching over and shutting it off, Bella wiped a hand across her face to clear the sleep from her eyes. By some force of luck, she hadn't screamed out loud this time, as Charlie hadn't come in and shaken her awake. She groaned, realizing that today was her first day back at school following spring break. Bella wasn't looking forward to it, but she knew that she had to give it a shot. At least she had something to look forward to after school, and she could text Jacob throughout the day. Maybe if she was lucky, he would be available after school and she could go spend some time with him.

Filled with a new resolve, she rose from her bed and grabbed her robe, making her way into the bathroom. She wanted to get rid of all traces of her nightmare, and set herself up for a productive day. Bella knew she had been falling behind in school, neglecting her homework and letting her grades slip far below her average. Not only that, but she had let her friendships deteriorate as well.

Ever since the break up, Bella had kept to herself and ignored any attempts at conversation, and eventually her friends had given up trying. She had spent every day in class in the back row, head down and heart heavy with the loss of the Cullens. During lunch she'd sit alone at their old table, silently hoping every time she got there she'd see them all sitting around it chatting. It never happened though, and as foolish as she felt for wanting it, it hurt a little more each time she saw their empty chairs.

As the warm water ran through her hair, Bella considered the weekend she had just had. She had outdone herself with the worst possible first impression, slapping a member of the pack across the face, and she had managed to turn it around and make a few friends by the end of it all. If what Leah said was true, most of them probably had a poor image of her from the start due to her involvement with the Cullens, yet with Jacob by her side she had managed to come out of her shell and have a great time. Surely if she could change their minds in two days and go from disdain to friendship, she'd be able to repair the broken bridges between her and her old friends.

As she turned off the tap and wrapped herself in a towel, Bella felt almost hopeful about her day. She knew she couldn't turn it all around in one day, yet the prospect of things getting better one day at a time was a good start. She took a little extra time drying her hair off, actually taking the time to throw it into a braid behind her head.

After exiting the bathroom, she picked out a grey Henley shirt and a pair of blue jeans to wear. Putting on her clothing, she glanced at her left arm briefly. The scar from the cut she made was still a bright pink, but would hopefully fade over time, however the jagged half-circle of teeth marks were pale and raised. Every time she looked at it she shuddered, remembering James sinking his fangs into her arm and injecting her with his venom. She quickly pulled her sleeve down, choosing to ignore it. Nobody had commented on it besides Jacob, and with Washington's dreary weather it wasn't out of character to dress warmly. And on the off chance someone did say something, she could always claim she was bitten by a dog.

She approached her desk, looking for a few notebooks she would need for her classes. She had emptied out her backpack in a rush a few days back, needing the bag for a hiking trip to the meadow, and she hadn't thought to repack it. At least, not until 10 minutes before she had to leave. Frustrated with her own carelessness, she pushed random books, papers, and articles of clothing onto the floor until she recognized the stack of spiral notebooks. She grabbed them and crammed them into the Jansport backpack, along with a handful of loose pens and folders.

Zipping it up hastily, she crammed her shoes on and grabbed her keys, heading downstairs. Expecting him to already be gone, Bella was surprised to see Charlie sitting at the dining room table. There was a half eaten plate of scrambled eggs on the table, as well as a few coffee mugs and an array of newspapers, files, and reports, as well as his laptop. Charlie was wearing a pair of reading glasses, as well as the weary look of a man who hadn't slept in a while.

"Hey Bells," He said with a tired strain to his voice. "Have a good one."

"Jeez Dad, you look like you stayed up all night."

"I did," He responded, shuffling the papers in his hand. "We've been swamped with paperwork with all these hikers disappearing."

"I bet. Do you know what happened to them?" Bella asked, scanning the headlines of the papers scattered on the table.

"The station doesn't have any solid leads so far… It's too many to be accounted for because of weather conditions or getting lost. The boys are thinkin' anything from an aggressive bear to a cult."

"Oh my God…" Bella said, taken aback. "And...well, what do you think?"

"I don't know what to make of it all. I think this is too many people to be random. I hope I'm wrong, but I think it could be a serial killer. Just, do me a favor and stay out of the woods, ok Bells?"

"You got it, Dad…" She said, before ducking out the front door. Charlie was busy, and she didn't want to interrupt him any further. Opening the door to her truck, she tossed her backpack in the passenger's seat and put the key in the ignition. She turned the truck on, when a strange sound caught her attention. It must have been what Jacob mentioned yesterday, but for the first time she actually was able to pay attention to it. It was nice, being able to experience things with a different type of clarity after being lost in a fog for so long. It was like opening her eyes to a completely different world, although apparently it was a world where her truck was about to give up on her. Bella sighed, putting the truck into reverse and pulling out onto the street. She'd take it to Jacob's later on and he'd take a look…

Pulling into the school parking lot, she parked her truck towards the middle of the lot and stepped out. Instead of desperately looking around the parking lot for the Cullen's cars, she kept her head up and eyes focused on the group of kids standing next to a van. Grabbing her bag, she hopped out of the truck and started making her way over. Her nerves were a bit frazzled, but she knew it was better now than never. If she wanted to get back to how things used to be, she would have to be the one to make the changes. She neared Tyler's van, seeing Tyler, Eric, Mike, Angela, and Jessica huddled in a circle talking and laughing.

"Hey guys…" She said tentatively, stopping a few feet away.

"Oh, uhh… Hey, Bella. How...How you been?" It was Mike Newton that first acknowledged her, as all the others gazed at her with varied looks of confusion.

"Good," She said, swallowing her nervousness. "How was everyone's spring break?"

"Pretty good," Angela said, smiling at Bella for the first time in a while. "It'd be better if it would warm up so we can hit the beach."

Bella smiled to herself, grateful that Angela had acknowledged her. The rest of the group carried on with their conversations until the bell rang, signaling they only had minutes to get to class.

After a few hours, Bella found herself sigh with relief as she sank into the faux leather seat of her truck. Her backpack seemed to have doubled in weight through the day with the amount of assignments and books her teachers had given out. As she shut the door, she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and powered it on. Easily finding his number, she hit 'dial' and waited for Jacob to pick up. After a few rings, he answered.

"Hey Bells, how was school?"

"It was…alright, I guess. I can't believe how much homework they gave us on the first day back."

"Yeah, that sounds rough. I'd offer to help, but I don't think I'd be very useful."

"Well actually, that's kinda why I was calling. You remember what you said about my truck yesterday?"

"Yeah…" Jacob said, suspiciously. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, when I turn it on, it makes this weird noise. It keeps making it when I drive."

"What kind of noise?"

"Here, I'll turn it on. Is this what you heard yesterday?" Bella turned the ignition, and the same horrible knocking sound could be heard, before her truck wheezed to life.

"It's not… but that sounds a lot worse. I wouldn't drive it around like that. Can you bring it over to my place?"

"I was hoping you'd say that. Yeah, I'll head over."

"Sweet, I'll see you in a few then…" Jacob said, and the smile that could be heard in his voice made Bella smile in response.

"Hey, is that Bella?" She heard another voice over the phone.

"Shh!" Jacob said back sharply.

"Who's that?" Bella asked, putting the truck into drive.

"A couple of the guys, we just got back from a run."

"Hey Bella, you better hurry and get over here! Jake here won't shut up about you!"

"Get outta here, Embry!" Jacob said in response, making Bella laugh.

"Hey, maybe he'll hang around and help. I should be there soon."

"I'm not babysitting him," Jacob said in response. "See you in a few."

Ending the call, Bella turned onto the main road, praying that her truck would make it in one piece.

Jacob ended the call, slipping his phone into his back pocket. Embry and Jared sat around the garage with smug looks on their faces.

"Don't start," Jacob said, cutting off whatever the two were about to say. "It isn't like that."

"Don't worry, buddy," Embry said, words laced with sarcasm. "We know what it's like."

"Maybe we should go, give the lovebirds some alooooone time." Jared winked, giving Embry a playful nudge with his elbow.

"Actually, it sounds like Bella's truck is having some issues. If you help me fix them, maybe I'll forget those comments."

"Fair enough." Jared said with a shrug, grabbing a box of old tools from the workbench behind them. "So when are you gonna actually ask her out?"

"I thought I made it clear I didn't want to discuss it," Jacob spoke without looking at him, gathering his rusty old mechanic's creeper and some torn rags.

"Do you remember him "making it clear", Embry?" Jared looked to Embry.

"Uh…nope, can't say that I do. Come ON, Jake! We're your bros, just tell us what's going on!"

"That's because there is nothing "going on". She's not… not ready for that, yet. I'm just trying to be there for her, and if right now that's as a friend, that's fine with me. I don't want to put any pressure on her."

For once, neither of the boys had a sarcastic response, rather they just sat and processed his words.

"Man, the Cullens must have really messed her up…" Embry said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, they did." Jacob said quietly, trying to repress the sudden anger rising in his chest.

"I thought the pretty boy just broke up with her and left." Jared pondered. "Was it really that bad?"

"There's more to it than that. One of them lost control…it came way too close. She could have died."

"Damn…" Jared spoke, taken aback. "If I never see one of those filthy bloodsuckers again it'll be too soon."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Jacob said, rising from his spot on the ground. The distinct rumble of Bella's engine became louder as her truck came into view.

"Alright, that's her. You two be on your best behavior." He said, giving them a pretend glare. Jared and Embry looked at each other with mischievous grins on their faces.

Bella stopped just in front of the garage, leaving the truck running as she hopped out of the cab.

"Hey guys, thanks for agreeing to look at it. The last thing I need is for my truck to die on me."

"No worries, Bella." Embry said. "We'll get this hunk of junk running right in no time."

"Hey, be nice. It's not the truck's fault." She said, placing a hand on her hip and giving him a stern look.

Putting his hands up in surrender, Embry sidestepped her and hopped into the cab. Bella made her way inside the garage, finding a stool to sit on towards the workbench. Within a few hours, they had managed to fix the truck and get it back into driving condition. It turned out that there was a hole in the oil pan, and her truck had been running without oil for who knows how long. There was no shortage of jokes at Bella's expense, but after some newer parts and a quart of oil, she was grateful it had been a relatively easy fix.

"Thanks for all your help, guys." Bella said to the three as she hopped in the driver's seat, thankful she didn't have to listen to that awful sound.

"No problem, Bella!" Embry responded, finished putting away the various tools. "You two coming or what?"

"Be right there." Jacob responded, grabbing Bella's backpack for her and tossing it into the passenger seat. Jared nodded, and after a brief goodbye to Bella, jogged after Embry towards the trees.

"Where are you guys headed off to?" Bella asked as Jacob leaned on the side of the truck.

"Nothing too crazy, just some training exercises Sam wants us to do."

"What kind of training? Like…house training?" Bella teased, earning her a small chuckle from Jacob.

"Real funny, Bella. I'll have to remember that one." He chided. "No, we're doing some combat exercises and scent tracing. As much as I'd rather hang out with you, I have to admit these trainings are pretty important."

"Hey, I get it. I've got that pile of homework waiting for me anyways." Bella said, gesturing to her backpack.

"I've got a bunch of pack stuff to do this week, but maybe we can hang out this weekend?" Jacob offered, making Bella smile at the thought.

"I'd like that. Maybe we can catch a movie or something?"

"Sounds good… but this time, I get to pick." Jacob quipped.

"You got it. Text me later!" Bella said, before putting her truck into reverse and heading back home, watching Jacob's form retreat in the rear view mirror. She smiled to herself, taking joy in knowing this new relationship felt so easy…so right. She only had a week to go before they could spend some quality time together, and she couldn't wait for it to be over.