{Preface}

The sun was slowly setting, travelling through the beautifully coloured sky as the day came to an end. It wasn't long before the light would disappear completely and the night could begin. Next to the soft chirping of the birds and the rushing of the nearby water, it was peacefully quiet.

Bella exhaled into the cold air, small clouds leaving her mouth and drifting upwards. She had been sitting in the snow for a few minutes now, and she was trying not to let the low temperature bother her. Soon she adapted and she found herself wandering off.

This had been her favourite place to go to when she needed some time alone, away from everyone and everything. She had discovered it not long after their move a few years back, when she had been very overwhelmed and came upon this spot, just a few feet off the path. The memory of sitting here, against the tree, near the water, for the first time was strong and laced with a feeling of peace. Since that day, she had often found herself going back; sometimes with friends, but mostly alone. This place had a calming effect on her; it helped her to clear her mind. Whether she read a book or just let her thoughts run wild didn't matter.

Her dad hadn't been too happy about it when he found out where she disappeared to so often. Luckily Bella got some help from her friends to change his opinion on the matter.

This afternoon she had forgone her homework and had instead searched through her closet for some warm clothes. With the addition of a winter coat, a pair of hiking boots, a beanie and some knitted mittens, she was ready to go on her way.

Well, that is after making herself a thermos full of tea, of course.

A book clamped under her arm, Bella made her way through the snow and onto the path that started right next to her house.

Now that book lay forgotten on the ground. She had honestly tried to read for a while, but had given up when she caught herself staring at the same page for ten minutes without taking in a single word. Sometimes her mind was simply too busy for her to be able to focus. Instead she watched her surroundings before closing her eyes and breathing in the sharp cold air.

It had already been a few hours since she had left the house, but she didn't feel like leaving just yet. In a while she would go back home to take a warm shower and listen to her dad giving a speech on the dangers of hypothermia. For now she simply sat back and enjoyed the calm. Here, in the middle of nowhere, she did not have to worry about what tomorrow would bring.

~()~

Snow slowly fell from the sky as Alice ran through the forest. It had been a while since she had last been alone and she was planning to take full advantage of this rare opportunity. Usually Edward or Jasper would join her on a run, but today she had felt like being on her own for a while. Privacy and 'me-time' were rare phenomena in a family of vampires with enhanced senses. She had grabbed the chance to sneak off when the others had been occupied. While she cared for all of them, some weird part of her had not wanted to try and explain why she was leaving on her own.

She had seen that no one would follow her.

Her mind slowly cleared of all her busy thoughts, the wonderfully fresh smells in the air helping her to focus and put all her energy into her movements. Even though she was not the fastest in the family, she could achieve quite the speed if she wanted to. With a grin she remembered when she had beaten Emmett in a race last year. Her big brother had, of course, claimed that she must have cheated, but his wink had shown her that even he did not believe that.

Her family was, quite literally, all she had and she loved them with her entire heart.

As Alice neared a stream of water, she slowed down until she came to a stop. Closing her eyes, she took in the sounds that surrounded her; birds screeching, flying high up into the sky, leaves rustling with the cold breeze. A herd of moose was grazing several miles away, but she had no need to feed and moved on.

It was a few seconds later that she happened upon a new sound. The familiar beating made her frown, a deep breath in confirming her suspicion. However, when she scanned through the near future nothing came up. She very briefly contemplated on what to do, but before long her curiosity got the best of her. Slowly she set off into the direction of the heartbeat that had caught her attention.

The closer she got, the more pronounced the sound got and she moved into the shadows to stay hidden. Finally she was close enough to see who had caught her attention and she inhaled sharply. A few feet away, across the water stream, a girl was seated in the snow. Her back leant against a tree and her eyes were closed, but Alice knew she was not asleep.

The girl seemed to be about as tall as Alice herself, and she guessed the girl was about the same physical age too. There was something about her that made Alice want to get to know her, to come closer.

The girl did not move at all when Alice slowly sat down in the snow. Instead of paying attention to the wetness of the snow that was seeping into her clothes, she glanced over at the beautiful girl across the water before closing her eyes once more.

Together they sat in undisturbed peace.

"Life is like a waterfall - it is constantly moving and there is always an uneven flow to it."

A/N: Hey! Please leave me a review, they make me very happy.

- Laura