IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ!!! I changed the timeline a little and if you haven't read the last chapter you will not know that instead of 3 years, Jake was only gone one. I decided that 3 did not work with the plot at all. Anyways, disclaimer for today is that I am the one owning the characters, no Stephanie Meyer involved, however the Twilight series characters ARE hers and I take no credit for them, enjoy!!! Oh and RAEANNE is pronounced Ray-ann, her nickname is "Rae" (pronounced Ray).

5 months prior to last scene:

Both of my hands gripped the steering wheel, as we tore down the highway in her red 1992 Honda civic. I glanced over at my cousin in the passenger seat as she sat, curled in a ball face pressed against the window; I noticed the outline of a tear rolling down her cheek. Raeanne was always the tough one; if she were in pain from something she would not be the first to tell you. She never cried. Even as a little girl she would fall at the park, scrape her knee so bad it was gushing blood, and then sit there and laugh happily at the prospect of going back on the swings.

But I knew her too well, I had known her since I was born, we had grown up together. My parents had raised us both even though Raeanne was not really their child. Her actual parents were a train wreck, her mother was out at a party every night, her father, mad that he got stuck at home, would get drunk, and to say the least he was not pleasant when he was drunk. I remember the bruises that had run up and down her spine and her arms. Yet still she didn't cry. So as her aunt and uncle, my parents removed her from the situation, hoping to give her a better home. I was five at the time and she was six.

When she began living with us I started to notice things, even as a five year old. I didn't understand them at the time, but now I could read my cousin like a book. There were certain things she would do in response to emotions that made it seem like she was okay, but I knew better. Like the time she went to visit her parents when she was 8, she came home smiling even though when we had pulled up to the house her parents were yelling, and we had found her with a couple bruises around her shoulders. I noticed that time that she was constantly fiddling with her hair, first with her fingers and when we got home she would not stop brushing it. Although I could read her, my parents had no such luck, I knew they were thankful that she bruised so easily; it was the only way we knew what the situation really was.

Her parents made everything seem perfect, like they were the perfect family with the perfect daughter and the perfect house. But the bruises told us otherwise. As we got older Raeanne started to confide in me what really went on at her house. I remember her telling me about her parents always fighting, sometimes it got physical, then her mom coming up and yelling at Raeanne. The honest truth was that Raeanne is not supposed to be here. She was not planned, her parents hooked up one night when they were partying and Raeanne was the result. So they decided they should get married, they thought they were in love. Rae had told me that they fought over her mother having affairs all the time, so much for the love theory. By the time she was six her parents were both leaving the house and she would have to go to bed and get to school on her own. That's when my parents stepped in.

One night when we called her to see if she wanted to come over and play on the weekend she answered the phone, my mom asked to talk to her mom and she said she wasn't home. It took my mom about 5 seconds to decide that we were going to take in Raeanne, she moved in with us that night. I remember we were both so excited; Raeanne was brushing her hair like crazy that night.

It was 4 years later when it happened. I remember the night clearly, I was nine and Raeanne was ten. We were sitting down to watch a movie, my parents had quickly run out to the store to buy some snacks. Raeanne and I were fooling around on the couch fighting with the pillows, laughing our heads off when the phone rang. We stopped fighting and Raeanne answered the phone, "Hello?" I watched her smiling face, trying to figure out who was on the other end, " Wh-what?" she stammered into the phone, her facing looking shocked. "This is Raeanne, their niece." She answered all the questions they asked, "Benjamin? Yes, yes he's here with me. No. They were going to the store. 10. 9." Her face now looked grim. "Okay." Her voice turned to a fearful whisper, "Yes." I looked at her now horrified face as she pressed the phone to the receiver. "Benj?" her voice was a whisper, I nodded at her.

"What's going on Rae? Who was that on the phone?" She looked like she was going to cry, it must have been bad.

"Benj their gone." I didn't understand what she was saying.

"Who's gone where?" My question triggered the tears, the first tears I had ever seen her cry. "Rae, Rae! Why are you crying, what's wrong?" I was so concerned, why was she crying? Did her parents want her back? Had mom called and yelled at her for something?

"Ben, your mom and dad they…." Her sentence trailed off, I still didn't understand, I tried to encourage her to go on,

"They what?" When she spoke next her voice was a small squeak.

"Died." I felt the horror fill me, the world spun around me. Blood rushed to my head, my parents were not dead. She was wrong. What kind of sick joke did she think she was playing on me? "The cops are coming to pick us up." Her voice was monotone now the tears were gone; "We have to go live with my parents." I looked at her in shock.

I remember details from the next 7 years; living with her parents was hell. I wasn't even raised by her parents I was raised by her. I hated them, her dad would hurt us and her mom would yell. A couple years ago I started doing this thing that whenever I got angry with him or her mom (which was very often), I would go to the gym, it was the only way I could get my anger out it seemed. I would always drag Raeanne with me so that she wasn't alone with either of them; she usually sat quietly in the corner and read.

A kind lady who was probably in her 50's worked at the front desk, and was always there when we went, her name was Mrs. Dawson. She was always so kind to us, she didn't question why we were always there or why Raeanne just sat and read. After awhile she started showing Raeanne how everything worked at the desk and slowly I could see Rae's smile coming back, she hadn't smiled like that since before by parents died. Mrs. Dawson offered Raeanne a job there, she accepted of course and started stashing all the money she earned away. One day when we came in Mrs. Dawson was smiling even bigger than usual.

"I have some great news for you two!" She was almost bouncing up and down in her seat. I stood beside Raeanne, I was 5'9 and almost 16 now and she was 16 and 5'7. Raeanne's voice was the next to be heard.

"What's the news Mrs. Dawson?"

"I found you a car!" Raeanne looked excited now too, she had just got her permit and she had been looking for a car.

"You did? Really? What kind? How old is it? How much is it?" Her questions were flying out, her voice in its normal tone rather than the whispery soft one she had been using. Mrs. Dawson laughed, and I smiled at the excited flurry they were both in.

"Yes I really did, it's a 1992 Honda Civic it's red," I smiled knowing that red was Rae's favourite colour, she would be happy about that, "It's listed at $3,500," Raeanne's grin slowly faded, she had not wanted to spend that much, "Just wait to frown young lady!" I chuckled at the scene. "I know the owners though and I asked them if they were willing to cut a deal, they said they could move it down to $2,100. Before you complain about that though I already told them I was willing to pay $500 of that price and I would check with you to see if you would pay the rest." That was the second time I saw Raeanne cry, thankfully this time it was with joy.

"Mrs. Dawson how will I ever thank you? Or repay you for that matter." Mrs. Dawson's responding smile lit up the room. It was truly heart warming.

"Rae dear, you know I have no children to spoil, and therefore no grandchildren either. You two have been coming here for almost 2 years now and I love you like my own. Not once have I ever seen you smile like you did today, that is payment enough. So please, let me pay for part of the car, consider it a birthday present or something." Raeanne laughed through her tears,

"Thank you Mrs. Dawson, I really don't know where we would be without you." She then looked up at me and smiled, "Guess what Benj, we're getting a car!" and then Mrs. Dawson pulled her into a tight hug and they were both laughing and crying. That memory was so clear in my head, I doubted I could ever forget it. I also would remember why we were in this car now forever too. It had happened only hours ago but I knew it was burned into my brain.

Raeanne was cleaning up the dishes from supper when she accidentally dropped one of the plates. It had shattered on the kitchen floor and her parents had both come storming downstairs from their bedroom, from the looks of it they were doing things I didn't even want to think about. They started yelling at her and it got me really frustrated, what a stupid thing to get mad about. Rae kept telling them she was sorry. That's when her father hit her, hard, across the face "You stupid bitch!" That pulled the last string for me. I stormed over to him pulling Rae behind me so that I was blocking any future blows. I started yelling at him.

"DON'T YOU EVER CALL RAEANNE A STUPID BITCH! YOU ARE THE ASSHOLE WHO BEATS HIS OWN DAUGHTER! HAVE YOU SEEN THE BRUISES YOU GIVE HER? AND IF ANYONE IN THIS HOUSE IS A STUPID BITCH IT WOULD BE THE WOMAN YOU WERE JUST FUCKING, I BET YOU WOULDN'T EVEN WANT TO KNOW WHO ELSE HAS BEEN STICKING HIS TOUNGE DOWN HER THROAT! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU TWO ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER…" He had punched me right in the face. So I hit him back with all the strength I had, which was a considerable amount seeing as I was always at the gym, I tackled him to the ground.

Raeanne's mom was screaming, I felt a hand grab my shoulder, I pulled it off and turned to see Raeanne's horrified face, I ran out of the kitchen and headed to my room Raeanne followed. "Go get your stuff." My voice was low and fierce; she nodded looking very worn out. I rushed to my room and pulled all my clothes out of my drawers and shoved them into my duffle bag as well as all my bathroom stuff and the photo album that featured my mom, dad, Rae and I. When I rushed out into the hall Rae was there with a duffle bag and a backpack they booth looked extremely full.

I grabbed her duffle bag from her, and she swung the backpack over her shoulder. As we stormed through the kitchen I looked at her parents, "I hope you both have really nice fucking lives!" Raeanne raced outside ahead of me rushing to the car, she went for the drivers seat. Although I knew she needed sleep I decided it was probably a good idea she was driving, my anger always made me feel sick afterwards. I swung all the bags into the back seat slamming the door and hopped into the passenger's side. She pushed her foot against the gas pedal and the car raced down the street away from her house. It wasn't long till we pulled over, the tears pouring out of her eyes, and we switched so she didn't have to drive. This was the third time I had seen her cry.

I was pulled back to the present time when Rae spoke, her voice so quiet I could hardly hear it, "Benjamin where are we going?" I looked at her, her face so full of sadness, her hair a mess from sleeping in the car. I felt horrified, what if I had pulled her away from the little life she had left.

"Rae are you okay with this, I never even asked." She looked at me,

"Benj, I could have never done this without you. It's what I've been trying to do my whole life. I am so glad you were there with me, and you fought off my dad because I just would not be able to do that." Her voice was shaking now, "Thank you." I looked at her eyes and knew she spoke the truth.

"I'm glad that we got out of that hell hole. I don't think I could have taken another minute of it." She nodded, and then horror filled her expression.

"What about Mrs. Dawson, we never said goodbye!" Her eyes were filling with tears again, "Benj she has done so much for us, how could we just leave? Oh no, oh no, oh no! What have we done?"

"It's okay, calm down! We can't go back Rae, you know that." She sighed.

"I do."

"We can stop at the next place with a phone and you can call her and let her know we left for awhile, and make sure to tell her thank you."

"What would I ever do without you?" I smiled at her, or at least attempted to. Neither of us was really in the mood to give a real smile. "Benj?"

"Mhm?"

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know Rae, I don't know."

A/N

Thanks for sticking with me another chapter. I thought it was about time to introduce some new characters, so this chapter was from Benjamin's point of view and it was basically to get some background on him and Rae. I'm about to start another chapter so it should be up soon. Oh yeah and they are BOTH important, not just Rae. Sorry for any errors! If there is anything you don't like about it let me know and I will fix it right up! Oh and please let me know what you think, good or bad!

Just curious, does anyone want me to write the fight scene in the end from Raeanne's point of view? Because I can't decide between continuing or revisiting this as her.

P.s. I posted some pictures of characters and stuff on my page if you want to check them out :)

XOXOXOXOXOX, Starshinesbrightly