Dislclaimer: I own nothing except Saffron.... Sadly, Twilight still belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

AN: Hello, everyone! I just wanted to thank my two new reviewers, aquamewblast and Twit-Tard. Just as a side note to everyone: Saffron is definitely not Bella. Trust me. She isn't. Oh, and to Twit-Tard: my Saffron's nickname is also Saffy. Funny ol' world, innit? (What was the from again? Oh, yeah. Pirates of the Caribbean. xD) Anyway, enough of my banter. On with the story!

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Saffron's POV

I beat Sahara home—not surprisingly so, of course. She would probably stay out there forever if it weren't for me. Sitting on a high stool at the long counter top in the kitchen, I dutifully do my homework as I impatiently wait for my sister's return. I was uncommonly anxious for her to come home, I must admit. That weird connection I share with my twin causes us both to feel the emotions of the other, to somehow know how the other feels, whether they are safe or in some sort of danger. I know it's strange—but that's just the way we are.

I'm just finishing a difficult Trig problem when I hear a hard knock on the door. I jump, glancing towards the door curiously. No one knows where we live…. Pushing my stool back, I jump off the seat, my bare feet making barely a sound on the cold tile floor. On the other side of the door I find the grinning image of that annoying boy from the woods.

"Hi there," he says, his grin widening.

I barely manage to stop myself from slamming the door in his obnoxious face. "How the heck did you know where I live?" I demand hotly, clenching my teeth. I'm sometimes known to have a bad temper…

The boy shrugged. "You're the one that told me yours is the only house in ten miles." I narrow my eyes at him, but he seems unaffected. "So, are you gonna let me in?"

Instead of replying, I turn back to walk into the house, leaving the door open. He makes no effort to hide his hard footsteps as he follows me in. I return to my seat at the counter as he pulls himself up to sit on the counter top.

"You're going to break it," I mutter, glancing warily at the edge jutting over the main counter. He grins in response.

"Hey, what's your name anyway?" he asks suddenly.

My eyes narrow once more. "What's yours?"

"Jacob Black," he replies automatically.

"Saffron Winters," I answer, my tone frosty.

We both stare at each other for a few moments, an open curious look in his eyes, and an irritated look in mine. Couldn't he take a hint? "So…" he begins. I almost sigh in relief—at least someone has broken the silence. "Where are your parents? I only see one car in the driveway—and it's a sweet ride, by the way," Jacob adds with another grin. I roll my eyes.

"They're dead," I reply abruptly. He freezes, his face moving into shock.

"I'm sorry…" he begins.

"It was a long time ago…" I add, effectively hiding the pain and torment behind a nonchalant mask. Jacob seems horrified. My irritation fades, and I sigh. "It's okay, Jacob—really. Sahara and I live alone."

"No next of kin?" he asks quietly, all jubilance gone. It seems wrong, somehow.

"An uncle…but he doesn't really care. He set us up with a house here… He calls every week or so—to make sure we're not dead."

Jacob's eyebrows come together in surprise. "Is that legal?"

"Probably not," I reply, glancing down. I can feel the tears forming in my eyes as I remember the day I lost something so dear to me—the sense of family.

I am so absorbed with my unpleasant memories that it doesn't register as Jacob hesitantly moves his hand to gently cover mine. It was strangely hot, almost burning. Suddenly, I feel a pang of betrayal and hurt, and I glance over at the open door to see Sahara standing in the open entrance way, her eyes flaming but her face unreadable—even to me. I remove my hand as if it had been burned. Jacob looks slightly surprised until he manages to turn his head to follow my gaze, and realization finally hits his eyes.

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Third Person (AN: AKA no POV)

The girl hears Saffron tell Jacob their parents are dead. Her sister never even speaks of it to her. Sahara watches his hand cover hers comfortingly. Why can't she be the one to do that? How can her sister tell him her deepest and darkest thoughts, while she never confides in her? The youngest sister feels the other's pain and desperately wants to comfort her, yet her own pain is more intense. Her heart also constricts because she knows her sister misses the sense of family, something that should never be able to be taken away. Their uncle has no interest; they have only each other. Saffron is her only family. It is enough for Sahara, but Saffron longs for the past, and this is something Sahara cannot give her.

Sahara can also detect some unidentifiable feeling as she sees Jacob's hand covering her sister's. She's confused, and oddly hurt. Her sister's eyes are confused as well. This is most likely due to the expression upon the younger sibling's face. Sahara doesn't even know what she's feeling, and therefore is certain Saffron can't understand it either.

Saffron pulls her hand back, and Sahara sees Jacob's eyes drift to her figure. She blushes, looking at her hands. It's hard to hide her pain. The girl feels Saffron's pang of guilt at the simple touch.

"Sahara…" the sister begins, not certain of what to say.

"I'll be in my room," the younger one murmurs, brushing past the two of them to the basement stairs.

"You should go," Sahara says quietly to the boy.

"Can I try to talk to her?"

Saffron shrugs. "Be my guest."

Jacob walks down the stairs, glancing at the artwork on the walls. They really have a nice set-up here. He wonders who decorated the space, doubting the uncle cared enough. The teen comes to the landing, looking around. The hallway is lit every few steps by a separate light. Talk about rich.

A faint noise draws him to the end of the long hallway. As he grows near, Jacob recognizes the sound of a popular artist. Sahara sings the words of "Fallen" by Sarah Mclachlan as she plays the tune softly upon the piano. As she finishes the last chords, Jacob claps, impressed.

The girl froze. Saffron never claps for her playing. She spins around, gasping as the unbelievably muscular teenager saunters into the room, a softer expression on his face then she would have expected. He smiles, and she stares at him in return, confused. He's never this nice, or this quiet. It seems out of character.

"That was nice," he complements, moving closer towards Sahara.

She blushes, looking down at the sketchbook open in her lap. Her eyes widen as she realizes what—or whom—she had drawn. The book shuts with a snap, and she places it on top of the piano.

"Um…thank you," she replies hastily, blushing more furiously than before as she looks down once again.

He sits beside her on the edge of the bench, and she scoots away from him.

"I'm sorry," he begins sincerely. "About your parents."

"It's okay," Sahara replies, glancing up at him. He grins at her, and she starts to feel more at ease with him. She doesn't want to be sad, and his presence is comforting, despite the fact it still terrifies her. "Is there something…you wanted?" she asks, genuinely confused.

Jacob turns to face her on the bench, and she leans back away from him. With a slight smirk, he questions, "Is something wrong?"

"N-no," is her stuttered reply.

"C'mon, Sahara. What's bugging you?"

"Nothing," she mutters, glaring fiercely down at her hands. She doesn't seem to notices as her vision begins to blur until a single tear runs down her cheek. She turns her face away, wiping the tear away with a clammy hand.

"I was kind of a jerk this afternoon, wasn't I?" Jacob admits grudgingly, for some reason choosing to ignore Sahara's emotional response. "I was so busy blabbing on and on about Saffron, but I wasn't even paying attention to you."

Sahara shakes her head, biting her lip so that no more tears might fall.

"I'm sorry. Would you still mind being my friend?"

She shifts her eyes over to him, her face unmoving. "As long as you don't ignore me," the girl declares finally, speaking as her sister would. "It gets annoying."

"Sure, sure," is his only reply.

"You guys good now?" a voice demands, and they glance up to see Saffron standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed over her chest.

Sahara smiles gently at her sister in reply, but Jacob says flippantly, "Yeah, we're good," flashing her yet another obnoxious smile.

Saffron rolls her eyes.

A loud howl comes from outside the house, startlingly close. Both girls jump at the sound, but Jacob suddenly changes. His smile turns into a grimace, and he stands swiftly, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Don't worry: they won't bother you as long as you don't bother them," he explains, his demeanor strangely serious. "I have to go now. Goodbye." He rushes from the room with more speed than the two of them could ever muster.

They stare after him, shocked, until they glance at each other. A smile creeps to both of their faces, and then for some reason they both burst out laughing.

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AN: Okay, there it is - the third chapter! I hope you guys liked it. And remember: you read it, you review it! (That's kind of catchy...)