I spent the rest of the day listening to loud music, droning out everything in my mind.

I didn't want to think about the Cullens, or Julian's family, or the war that was due to happen. I just wanted to escape into the wild waves out sound rolling out of the stereo.

The day had been sunny, but the clouds had started to roll in around 8. I left my apartment, clad in skinny jeans and a black cap sleeved shirt and made my way to the edge of the city. Whether the fight take place tonight or tomorrow, I needed to feed so I was a strong as I could be. I sprinted out a few miles when I felt someone running after me, and whoever it was ran fast.

Instinctively I turned crouched to spring when Sarah came to a graceful halt in front of me. "Quick, Julian things the southerners are gathering, we have to go now!"

"But, I haven't fed in almost three days, I need blood!"

"No time!" She yelled, grabbing my hand and pulling me east of where I had been running.

I ran beside her, worried about the situation I had put myself in. I wasn't weak with hunger, but I definitely wasn't as strong as I should have been for this fight.

We ran for about half an hour when we came to the northern most tip of the city. The area looked like it had been undergoing some major construction. Partial buildings and old office spaces lined one half of the empty streets. The smell hit me then, the sweet smell of blood, human blood. My hunger was hard to keep under control, but I stopped breathing and followed Sarah to the edge of the largest construction zone.

She turned to me with an odd leer in her eyes "Julian and Gavril have the others stationed around this zone. This is where we are expecting them. Stay hidden in this entrance until you see us make our move." And before I could even reply she ran blindingly fast up the side of the closest office building.

This was wrong. I knew it was wrong. And as I waited, the inkling to run became stronger and stronger.

I waited longer, hidden I the shadows of the metal beams of the building. My instincts were exceptionally keen as I listened for every sound, every movement.

I had waited for nearly an hour…when suddenly I was surrounded.

I don't know how they did it, and I'm not sure why my sharp ears hadn't picked up the sound of their approach, but suddenly I was completely surrounded. Ten or more vampires circled me, all ranging in skin tones and distinctiveness. I darted quickly to the center of the construction zone, but their circle around me never broke. I glanced around the pack, hurriedly looking for any sort of escape. Surely the others would come…surely they would see my situation and come to help.

I saw a figure dart across the top of a building, but then nothing else. A few choking moments passed, surrounded by the imposing vampires when I finally understood.

. Julian's words suddenly surfaced in my mind, "We would do anything to protect our land". Anything, including offering me up as a distraction.

I was invading this enemy clan's territory. I was considered the threat. It was perfectly natural for these vampires to want to defend their land.

Betrayal washed through me. I wasn't family, I was convenient. I was expendable. I was just a piece in their big war strategy. The whole in my chest ripped anew and I almost cried out from the hurt.

The first vampire fell into the circle around me, and grinned. Dark skinned and red eyed, he was menacing. He feinted to the left, then the right. I watched his every move, mirroring him. The other jeered in earnest. He smiled again. "Muy bien," he whispered. And then he lunged.

I duplicated the move I had used on Gavril. I twisted with dizzying speed and landed on his back. In one fluid movement, my arm went to his neck and I pulled. In one sickening tug, I decapitated the vampire. His body fell to the ground and I was falling back in the center of now nine very angry vampires.

They were on me before my feet hit the ground. They pinned me, keeping me held tight. I felt slashing at my arms and legs, and I screamed – they were biting me! Their sharp teeth slashed into my stone skin as if it were butter, ripping.

I wasn't dying but I was almost frozen in pain. I couldn't move, and for several seconds, I was pinned and there was nothing I could do. I felt my arm splinter, and bone break, but they didn't try to kill me. Not yet. This was torture.

I heard the rushing of the wind as Julian and his family landed in the center of the construction zone. One by one, they picked off the vampires who were all still angrily shredding my arms and legs. As the last vampire was pulled off me and I heard the sickening snap of his neck as Gavril decapitated him, Julian bent over me.

His face was remorseful. His eyes drawn focused on my untouched face to my ragged arms.

"I am sorry, Bella. There was no other way. But like I said, I would do anything to protect my family and our land. We might have stood a chance if they had not killed our two others. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

He stood and simply started to walk away. I looked down to my arms and legs, they were already healing over. The skin folded over itself and sealed shut, but with hundreds of criss-crossed scars. The bone in my arm straightened and mended with a sickening crackling noise.

I stood, and I crouched. I would take one of them out if they killed me. The others were burning the pieces as I stood, but only a few looked my way with any wariness in their eyes.

Julian turned and gave me a look. "It's not worth getting yourself killed over."

I stayed crouched, growls ripping through my throat, my healing arms felt strong enough to kill him.

He continued to glare at me, waiting to see my next move. There was none. I stood motionless, trying to will myself to run at them, to tear them to pieces for their betrayal, but I didn't. Julian realized this, and turned away. He watched the others burning the pieces of the rival clan, and then called over his shoulder. "A deal's a deal; the apartment is yours if you want it, forever."

I didn't reply, I didn't leap, and I didn't do anything. I watched them continue to burn the pieces.

Wrong place at the wrong time…it was nothing personal – nothing at all. They hadn't wanted me for their family. I was a strategy. I had been used.

Betrayed

Realization hit me like slap to the face. Yes, I wanted them to kill me. I would beg if that's what it took, anything to just end this useless life. Tear me to pieces, just whatever you do, help me to get out of this hurt! I would attack them if that's what it took. Killing one of them seemed a small price to pay for what they had done to me.

No love, no family, no home. I had nothing to exist for anyway.

I took half a step toward the growing fire when something fell from my neck. There on the ground was Anne's necklace. The chain had broken at the latch, but the cross was in perfect condition.

Time froze. The fire flames licked the air and then stopped moving all together. Julian and his family, their faces lit up wickedly from the glowing pit of burnt corpses stood in mid motion, not paying any attention to the girl behind them.

…

How long ago had it been…years…the first night I had stayed in Anne's house.

I had been broken, just like I was now. Betrayal, hurt, sorrow, it all seemed so familiar. I had been through all of this before.

The hole in my chest had hurt, just like it did now. Her eyes had pierced me, understanding.

"How did you survive?" I had asked.

"The same way you will - one awful day at a time. Sometimes, people that hurt so deeply run. They run away from their past, from the hurt. You can sit and stare, and wonder what you did wrong; what you did to deserve losing everything you loved most. Or you can pick yourself up and learn to live one day at a time for them. You can make your feet move, make your heart beat, because you do it for them. It gets easier, this living thing. The pain never goes away, but you learn to carry it differently, because in the end, that's what they'd want you to do: live."

I remembered the crashing black waves that had tried to drag me down, peaceful and empty, and I felt the same lift as a second comprehension hit me. No, I didn't want death. Yes, I had something to live for.

I stared at the cross in my hand. Anne had known I would reach another junction like this, another turning point. She had passed on all the advice she had for when I reached this crucial moment.

I didn't belong here. Not here in this city, watching a clan of vampires burn the corpses of their enemies. Not hiding in the country, watching the world go by.

I had done everything I could: I had lived on, pushed forward, not succumbing to the endless pain like I once had. I had been strong when I felt weak, persevered when I thought I couldn't go on, all along moving towards this fork in the road.

I could stay in this city and burrow myself into whatever was left of me; just another hiding place in another city. Alone: living each day feeling nothing, hearing nothing, seeing nothing; alone with my memories. As good as dead.

Or I could go back to where I truly belonged: with Edward.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .

A/N

So, did anyone see that coming?

A little dark though, but don't worry, it can only be happier form here on out!

This was kind of a blah chapter, but it helped the story along.