I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA.

Alex's P.O.V.

"You're not going," Jared says to me later that night as I pour a cup of orange juice. The party is now over and only my parents, siblings, and my brother's friends, and I remain in my house. I had been in a happy mood up until Jared spoke because of two things. One: I have a date with Brady Fuller; and two: my parents had gone ahead and bought me a Border Terrier puppy whom I have named Dexter. Now that Jared has ruined my mood, I'm exhausted. I roll my eyes at my brother as I take a sip of my drink.

"Jared, the last time I checked you aren't my father. I don't have to do anything you tell me to do," I tell him.

"You can go out with anyone you want to. Anyone but Brady; my friends are off limits," he says angrily. He starts to shake with anger and frustration, which scares me for a second.

"Are you okay? You look like you're having a seizure or something," I say, truly concerned; even if he's a pain in the ass, he's still my big brother and I care about him. Kim, Jared's Fiancée- I had just learned about their engagement about a half an hour ago- put her hand on his arm, as if that will calm him down. He stops shaking and sighs.

"You're not going out with Brady and that's final," he says. I groan.

"Come on, Jared! No one, not even Justin, is complaining about my date with Brady! So why are you so determined to keep me away from him? What? Do you have something against him?" I question. He doesn't speak. "That's what I thought. So, please, stay out of my love life. Okay. Because the only way you'll stop me from going out with Brady is if you kill me." I'm gasping for breath by the time I'm finished speaking; I had been so caught up in my rant that I forgot to breathe. Jared stands there for a second, then he storms out the front door. I take a sip of my juice and sit down at the kitchen table. I hope that he's not too mad at me, but he has to understand that I'm not going to cancel my date just because he doesn't want me to go.

"Damn!" Quil says. He is holding Emily's niece, Claire, on his lap. She's about six years old and has thick brown-black hair, and big dark brown eyes. "You told him." A small smile forms on my lips as I think about what just happened.

"Alex?" Kim asks all of a sudden. I turn my attention towards her. Kim is a moderately pretty girl with the popular—well, popular in La Push— brownish-bronze skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes.

"Yeah?" I say to show her that she has my full attention.

"Well, since my wedding is in October, I was wondering if you would go with Cheyenne, Leah, Emily, my mom, Leona, Claire and I to pick out my wedding dress?" she asks hesitantly. Huh, do I want to go dress shopping? I'm not really a fan of shopping—and that's really saying something considering that I just woke up from a two-month coma and don't remember anything about my life. "And the others will be getting dresses as well. Leona, Cheyenne, and Leah will be my bride's maids. Claire will be my flower girl. And… well… I was wondering if you would be my maid of honor." I don't, of course, want to be a part of the wedding party; but the look of hopefulness on her face just makes my heart melt, and I know that I won't be able to say no to her. I take a deep breath and force a smile on to my face.

"Sure. When are we going?" I ask. Kim seems surprised that I said yes but she keeps calm.

"Um… this Sunday. We'll be going to Port Angeles," she says. I nod, dreading the trip. That's when a wave of fatigue overcomes me and I find that I can barely keep my eyes open. I yawn loudly.

"You're tired," Mom states. I nod. "Well, I'll see you in the morning Sweetie." I say goodnight to everyone, grab Dexter, and go upstairs to my room. It is pretty easy to find, considering it has a big wooden A hanging from the door. I change into old sweat pants and a t-shirt, then I take off my hearing aids. I put Dexter in the bed that Mom must have bought for her, and apparently she had put it in my room, and climb into bed; falling asleep instantly.

~Memory/Dream~

I don't know where I am at first, but after a second I realize that I'm in my house. But the house is different somehow, I can't put my finger on it. Everything is hazy around the edges, like the walls or in the distance. I walk into the living room and look around to see what has changed in the place I call home. For one thing, there is no flat screen TV or Play Station 3. There is a Nintendo entertainment system sitting on the old wooden coffee table. The couches, instead of being leather, are cloth. It's only then do I see the crying little girl. She is sitting on the couch, her black hair in a messy braid. She looks to be about five years old with black hair, tan skin, and a slim frame. It takes me a second to realize that the little girl is me. I, of course, don't remember why I was crying but it must have been over nothing; because, from the stories my parents told me, I was a very dramatic kid. A little boy, around the age of eight, walks in at that moment and sits next to the younger version of me. I realize that this must be a younger version of Jared.

"What's wrong, Alex?" he asks younger me. He's rubbing my back, and seems concerned, which is surprising considering how annoying and bossy he has been towards me lately. My younger self has eyes that are bloodshot and I am gasping for breath. Memory, I then realize. This is a memory. Five- year-old me looks up, her lip quivering.

"Vivian Locke told the teacher that I said a bad word and I got in trouble" she says.

"Well, did you?" Jared asks, he honestly looks amused. Gee thanks for being sympathetic in my time of need, Jared.

"N-n-no. B-but the teacher didn't b-believe me. And now Mommy says I'm punished."

"Listen Alex, in school you are gonna meet all kinds of people who will want to make you feel bad, and will want to get you in trouble. But you have to learn to not pay attention to them. Because if you do, it will only get worse. Just kill them with kindness."

"What does that mean?" she asks. She has calmed down a little.

"It means that people only make fun of you or tease you because they like seeing you get mad. If you show them that it doesn't bother you, then that'll take the fun out of being mean. So you see? Kill them with kindness" he says. I nod, then he helps me clean up my face in the sink in the kitchen, then we make chocolate milk and play Candy Land until my dad comes home. Then Jared explains the situation to my parents, who then talk to Vivian's parents who talk to the teacher. Vivian is the one who gets punished, and she had to apologize to me.

~End Memory/Dream~

I jolt awake with my heart racing and my breath coming fast. Which I don't understand because the dream I just had wasn't a scary dream or anything. I stare at the ceiling for a few moments, trying to slow my heart rate. From what the memory showed me, Jared and I used to be really close. So what happened between us that he seems to be distant and controlling towards me? I guess I'm gonna have to find out. I look over at the clock and see that it's a little after two in the morning. I take a deep breath and fling the covers off of me and then Dexter and I go down stairs. I then grab a cup and fill it with water while Dexter eats out of his food bowl. While I drink my water, I stand in front of the sink, trying to calm down and get my stuff together. All of a sudden I feel a hand on my shoulder. I almost jump out of my skin and turn around… only to see Jared behind me.

Jared then starts talking, but since I don't have my hearing aids in I can't really hear what he's saying. I make a motion around my ears with my hands, trying to tell him that I can't hear him. Finally, he gets the hint, sighs, and walks away.

A/N: What did you guys think? Please review!

~Gina