A/N: Okay, so it's been a couple weeks. But this chapter just seemed to flow out of me. I hope you all like it. I also hope you all will see how I plan to integrate the TWILIGHT characters into my story. I think you will like the upcoming chapters, especially since the CULLENS begin making appearances. Please give this story a chance. I think it could be my best yet. This chapter should help explain a lot about what's happening and it foreshadows a lot. I hope you enjoy it.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not Stephenie Meyer, but I hope you like my story anyway.

MPOV

I can't believe I agreed to this. My poor parents… How was I supposed to leave them? Well, I guess this alternative was better than what some psycho stalker had in store. After going down to the precinct with both my parents, Tammy's and Susie's parents both hugged me and begged my parents to keep me safe. They were grieving their own children, and yet, they were more worried about keeping me alive than anything else. Tammy's parents, Susie's parents, and my parents all went down a small hallway towards where I knew Tammy's body would be.

I was left alone with dad's partner, Billy. Billy was nice and his children and I had always been friendly when we had to hang out. His son Jacob was a year younger than me. He had two daughters that were five and seven years older than me. Billy was sitting beside me feeding me chocolate and diet soda.

"Listen, Marissa… I'm about to say something that is going to probably come across as obvious." He looked at me for approval to continue. I nodded and waited for him to finish.

"Your parents love you. You are their world. They don't want anything tragic to happen to you. You need to be safe and alive."

I really was ready to tell him 'duh' but let him continue.

"Marissa… would you consider going into witness protection until we can catch this guy?" Billy's eyes were searching my own for my response. He was hoping that I would agree, it was obvious on his face.

"Um, what? What is witness protection exactly? I mean, we have people watching the house now, isn't that protection?" It sounded like I should know what witness protection was, especially since I was the police chief's daughter, but I was drawing a big blank. Then again, I had been through a lot in the last two weeks.

"Well, what you have right now is police protection. You're right, that does sound like we're protecting one of our witnesses, but witness protection is a little different. You would die…"

"WHOA! WHAT! You just said I had to do whatever it takes to stay alive. Now you want me to die. Are you nuts, Billy?" I stood up and was ready to go find my father.

"Let me finish, Marissa… to everyone here, it would appear that you die. Your friends from school, your family, they would all believe that you are dead. You can't tell your mom and dad. They need to believe that you are gone. If this guy is watching your house, your phone, he'll know you're really alive if your parents are grieving. I know that sounds cruel, but they will get to see you again. After you die, the police will place you somewhere safe. I started looking into somewhere, somewhere you can still go to school but have someone near you if you need help. Do you remember Cassie, my oldest daughter? She's 23 now."

I nodded. I was really starting to feel numb.

Billy continued. "Cassie lives in California. She's married now and has a baby on the way."

"Congratulations," I mumbled. I was getting confused. I had no idea what Billy was talking about.

"Cassie and her husband live near a private school. It's called Cullen Academy. I can pull some strings and get you in at that school. Cassie would be just down the street if you needed a friendly face to help you. Her husband is a teacher at the school. You'd get to stay in school while you waited for us to get this guy. The department would provide you with an allowance so you would have money for clothes and things. You can't take anything with you, obviously, but we will get you clothes, a makeover, everything you would need to start a new life. You get a new name, new look, a new identity."

I looked back at Billy. "What happens when this guy is caught? Do I just come back and knock on my parents' door and say, 'surprise, I'm not really dead' or do I stay buried and dead?"

"Well, we'd have the trial. Once your testimony puts this guy away for life, you would be free to return to your life here. Your parents will forgive the department for taking you away temporarily if it means that you can live a long, happy, and healthy life. What do you say?" Billy was like a second father to me. I trusted him with my life.

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Will I be able to call and check on my parents?" I wouldn't go if I couldn't at least hear from my family once in a while.

"Well… we could get it so Cassie would call me. I don't know if it'd work if you called, but I promise to send emails to Cassie and she can relate anything back to me, would that work?"

I knew he was trying to help me out, but it just seemed so helpless. I had no idea what to do. Before I knew what was happening I was nodding and Billy jumped onto the phone. He had called six people, including his daughter by the time my parents returned.

Billy told me the only thing we had to do was plan my death, and we'd be all set. Charlie said he wasn't letting me out of his sights until we caught this guy. He was planning on coming to school with me tomorrow. After school, we would be coming to the precinct so he could get a little work done. Billy made a comment about having Jacob come by and keep me company. I knew better. I would be spending time with Billy planning my demise… If it were anyone else, it might be exciting, but in all honesty, I was as close to crying as I could get.

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School the next day was worse than after Susie's death. No one would leave me alone. Add the fact that my father was following me around, well let's just say, if I was trying to get a boyfriend, it wasn't going to happen. People either avoided me like the plague or swarmed around me to offer their condolences. The people who swarmed around me included Tammy's boyfriend, Kyle.

Kyle was taking Tammy's death as hard as me and her parents. I knew that he had loved Tammy, but having your true love taken from you had to be like shooting someone directly in their heart. Part of me was thankful that I had never fallen in love with anyone. I don't know how I would leave someone I loved besides my family. Honestly, I had never even had a serious crush on a boy before. Jacob and I had dated for about two weeks, but that was the extent of my history with boys. I wasn't really interested, and apparently, neither were they.

I hated keeping this secret from my parents. The car ride from school to the police station was excruciating. Even though my father and I didn't really talk, I had this secret that I couldn't tell him. I had this secret and I wanted more than anything to shout it to him. But I kept my mouth shut. I knew that Billy had been right when he said my parents would forgive me for deceiving them if it meant I was alive in the end. That short ride seemed to last an hour, but eventually we were pulling into the parking lot.

I walked in with my father's arm firmly around my waist. He never walked that way with me, even when I was little and even more clumsy than I am now. He sat me down beside his desk and Billy's. Billy was sitting there, so he left me to go find his boss. Once he was far enough away, Billy leaned close to me to tell me the plan.

"You're going to go with me and Jacob for doughnuts and coffee. In about an hour, I'm going to go to the store to buy doughnuts and coffee for the guys. While we're in there, one of our men will come in. He's going to act like a robber. He'll end up shooting you. You're going to have a safety vest on underneath your shirt. He's going to shoot you in your stomach. When the bullet hits the vest, it'll puncture a blood packet. The blood packet will show up for everyone to witness. The momentum of the bullet should knock you over and possibly bruise your stomach. You'll need to make your breathing shallow for Jacob and everyone to see. I'll call for an ambulance and once inside, send Jake back here to your father. He'll tell your father that you were shot, and get him to get to the hospital. Inside the ambulance will be a body that looks just like you. That body will be taken inside the hospital. The driver will drop you off at the airport. Your flight leaves in five hours. Cassie and her husband will pick you up. She will call me by one to let me know you have arrived. Tomorrow, she's taking you to get your hair changed. She even talked about taking you shopping. Any questions?"

My head was spinning. I would never get to say goodbye to my parents. I was scared, but knew that Billy had worked hard on this plan. I trusted him. I felt bad for lying to people, including Jacob, but especially my parents. I just hoped this wouldn't kill them.

My dad returned shortly after that. I had to get into the bathroom and put on the vest. My dad insisted that someone go with me in case the guy had managed to slip into the station and hide in the bathroom. Of course, Billy offered to go with me since my dad had to catch up on work.

I changed quickly. And Billy checked to make sure I was wearing everything correctly and that I was protected thoroughly. I returned to my seat near Billy and Dad's desks. Jacob was there by the time I returned. We chatted for a while and he seemed genuinely concerned for my safety. I was going to miss Jake, he was a good friend.

Like an alarm clock, Billy stood up and said loudly that he was hungry. He asked the other guys if they wanted some coffee and doughnuts, which went over pretty well. I guess it's true what they say about cops and doughnuts. Dad even was in the mood for the sugar. Billy asked dad if it was okay for me to get out of the station for a while and ride with him and Jake.

I thought dad was about to say no when Jake came to my rescue. "Come on, Mr. Jenkins. Marissa needs to get out with only friends around her. Besides, do you think anything will happen if she sticks with me and dad?"

"All right, Jake, but if she comes back with so much as a hair out of place, I don't think I will be able to forgive you son."

I almost panicked and backed out of the plan. I didn't want my father blaming Jake or Billy for this. Billy seemed to sense this and spoke up. "Don't worry, Charlie. I'll make sure that your daughter is safe and has a long healthy life. She's like my little girl too." He smiled down at me and I knew those words were sincere.

I got to sit up front with Billy while Jake got in the back of Billy's cruiser. I laughed when he started playing around. "I'm innocent I tell you. I swear I didn't do it. I was framed. Please Ms. Jenkins, don't arrest me." By the time Billy had started the engine I was laughing so hard that I was crying. And then I couldn't stop crying.

I think Billy was seriously worried, as was Jake. I didn't want to say goodbye to my life. I may be in a serious situation right now, but I didn't want this to be the last day I was Marissa Jenkins. Jake assumed I was crying for Susie and Tammy and tried to touch me through the cage. Billy knew better and whispered in my ear, "It'll be okay Marissa. You'll be safe. I'll make sure that everything and everyone here is safe as well. You just worry about you."

I nodded and pulled away from him. I calmed myself and soon we were arriving at the doughnut shop. I took a deep breath as I got out of the car. This was it. I was about to die with two friendly faces around me.

"I'd like six large coffees with extra sugar and creamers in a bag. Then I'd like two dozen doughnuts.'' Billy paid for his order and we moved over while we waited for the employees to get it ready for us.

The bell rang over the door and I held my breath. A woman and her young daughter came in laughing. They got in line to place their order. The next bell was the one I dreaded. The guy that came in looked like a homeless man. I knew better, especially when he locked eyes with Billy. Billy squeezed my arm slightly. It was enough to let me know that he was here, and that we were really about to do this.

The man shot a bullet up in the air and the screaming started. Billy went into cop mode, but not before the guy grabbed me. "Everyone on the floor, that includes you copper!"

I knew my face was white. Jacob's face was horror-struck, but Billy forced him to get down on the ground. Billy's voice was the next thing I heard. "Now, let's be calm about this. Let's not do anything we'll regret."

"Regret! You want me to show you regret. I'll start shooting people. I bet you would regret it if innocent people died here today. Now, fill this bag with money." The lady behind the counter filled a bag with money and handed it to me. He pulled me out the front door, keeping himself shielded from Billy. Once outside he got near the cars and turned me to face him.

"Marissa, you have the vest on right?" I nodded, still unbelieving that this was happening. I handed the moneybag over to the man and closed my eyes.

I felt the gunshots rather than heard them. I felt my body being pushed backwards as I fell to the pavement. My hands instinctively went to my stomach where red liquid was coming out. I could barely breathe. I knew the wind had just been knocked out of me, but I couldn't have prepared myself for what happened next.

Billy ran to me and was already on his walkie talkie calling for an ambulance. One must have been waiting for his call, because it didn't seem like I was on the pavement very long. I looked around at the people of Orlando as they screamed and cried. Jacob had tears coming down his face as he tried to hold my hand. Billy was trying to reassure me that I would be okay.

Once the ambulance showed up, I saw Billy send Jacob back to the precinct to tell my father. He looked back at me once before running as fast as I've ever seen him run. I was quickly loaded onto a stretcher and gauze pads we placed on my "wound" while they moved me to the ambulance. Once the doors were shut, Billy was ripping my shirt off of me. He started taking the vest off of me. He handed me a wash cloth to wipe the remnants of the blood from my stomach. I had to change in the back of the moving vehicle into a sweat shirt and pants. I was given a hat to put my hair up in. The body that looked like me was loaded onto the stretcher as we made our way towards the hospital. Billy handed me a picture of Cassie, an airline ticket, and $75.00.

"Take this. I know it's not much, but it will get you started until you can get on your feet. Cassie has clothes and everything for you there. All you have to do is make your flight and find Cassie near baggage claim. She'll be looking for you. I will make sure your parents are okay. And I WILL be seeing you again, so don't you dare say goodbye to me." He hugged me once before pushing me towards the seats up front.

The back doors flew open and the body was unloaded and rushed inside. The driver returned a few moments later. He sighed and shook his head. "Well, kid… I guess you need a ride to the airport. Let's get going then."

And with that, I was done being Marissa Jenkins. According to my ticket in my hand, I was now Isabella Marie Swan. I cried silent tears as I saw my father's cruiser and my mother's car pull into the parking lot as we were pulling out onto the road. I cried when I thought of how they were going to bury me like Tammy and Susie. I just hoped this crazy plan worked.