Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Eventually it was December. I had spent eight months in this place Steven calls "Our House" and still, I haven't fallen for him.

I hate it here so much. The sun never shines brightly enough to break through the clouds. It's always snowing outside. Not that it matters: I'm not allowed to set foot outside the house. Steven says that there's dangerous vampires in the area and that I'd be putting myself in harm's way.

My life had fallen into a daily routine: Every morning at seven I'd wake up to watch Steven leave for work. He still hasn't told me what his job is or why it takes him so long to do it. I suppose he's just a cop or something like that. Then for the entire thirteen hours he's gone I clean the house and prepare dinner. I was bought a book that tells me the basics of preparing food. I think I'm actually doing pretty well. The toughest thing I can make is enchiladas, which don't sound too hard, but they are. Then at eight at night, Steven would come home and we'd eat dinner while he told me about his day. He'd only tell me about what he did with Sam and the others, telling me they asked how I was or what I'm up to. They'd never really given an interest in me at all, so I just told Steven not to tell them anything, which he was perfectly fine with. Then on every Friday, Steven would rent a movie and I'd make some popcorn. We'd then snuggle on the couch together and watch it. Once it was over, we went into the room to have sex. I hated Fridays with every bone in my body.

Steven had bought me some textbooks so that I could continue with my studies. Whenever I had any free time (which I rarely ever got) I'd read some history or some English, pretending that I was in the story instead of this prison.

I had to learn that I had a place in the house and whenever I stepped out of line, Steven had to put me back in my place. I once said "shit" around him and he hit me across the face and said that he didn't want me using anymore vulgar language. I'm also not allowed to say anything that may be considered offensive to others, so I mostly keep my mouth shut now. I think that I only said a total forty sentences in July, most of them being "I love you too." If I didn't tell Steven that I loved him, I was hit.

But through it all I just smiled and went along with it. I never cried once during my entire stay here and Steven said that he didn't want me to start. I just bottled up my emotions and did as I was told.

Derek was now a distant memory. I couldn't remember all the details of his face anymore. It seemed very fuzzy. I even found myself wondering if he had really existed or was I just trying to create an imaginary companion to help me through all the pain I endure in this house? That's probably it.

Steven had imprinted on me.

Derek had never existed. He was just a figment of my imagination.

"Did you have a good day?" Steven asked me as he ate his third helping of my lasagna.

I had even tried my own cooking. It reminded me of my cousin's. What was her name?

I nodded, answering Steven's question.

"So I went to La Push today and Sam wanted to know if you could visit them tomorrow."

I looked up from my empty plate, a little shocked. Never before had Steven mentioned me going to La Push.

"May I?" I asked, desperate to see something besides these boring white walls.

Steven shook his head. "Told him you couldn't. You have to clean the bathroom tomorrow."

I hung my head. I don't know why I actually thought that he'd allow me.

"Come on," Steven said, getting up and putting his dish in the sink. "I rented a scary movie this time." He then dashed into the living room.

I got up and put my dish in the sink. I'd have to wash the dishes tomorrow, maybe I'd do them before I do the bathroom. I then walked over to the pantry and took out a package of microwave popcorn, which was ready in two minutes.

I then took the popcorn and walked into the living room, where Steven was already seated on the couch. I turned off the light and sat in my regular spot: the first cushion on the left. I then handed Steven the bag of popcorn and rested my head on his left shoulder. He put his arm around me, pulling me closer.

I didn't pay much attention to the movie. It was about a boy who cracked from all these kids at school who kept teasing him. Then the boy started dating the janitor and they killed all the kids who kept teasing the boy. Then the boy drowned in a pool and the janitor kept killing the kids, but only on a rainy day because he thought that since there was a lot of water around that the boy's spirit was near.

The movie seemed familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Once the movie was over, Steven picked me up in his arms and took me into the room.

"Have a nice day!" Steven said to me as he kissed my forehead. "Remember, do the dishes and clean the bathroom. Then I want you to read some English."

I nodded.

Steven smiled, kissed my forehead one more time, and went outside where he phased into a wolf and took off.

I walked into the kitchen to start on the dishes. I was a little happy that Steven was going to let me read today. Although I knew he meant it as a substitute to letting me go to La Push.

I took the clean dishes out of the dishwasher and put them away in their correct places. I then rinsed off the dishes in the sink and then loaded them into the dishwasher. Then I put some soap in the dishwasher and started it.

That was done, now on to the bathroom. Usually when I clean the bathroom, I wipe the mirror, wipe the sink, clean the tub, scrub the toilet, and mop the floor.

I went into the bathroom and grabbed the bleach from the cabinet under the sink. I put on yellow rubber gloves and grabbed a sponge. I then sprayed the bleach in the tub and used the sponge to scrub around the edges. It wasn't that hard to finish the tub. Steven had me clean the bathroom everyday. It keeps it clean and therefore easier to clean.

I then took the Windex out and was about to spray the mirror when I saw something: someone was in the house.

I saw a small, thin boy. He looked as if he was underweight. I could see the cheekbones in his face and he tried to cover up his thin body by wearing baggy cargo shorts and a large black hoodie. The boy was very pale as if he hadn't seen sunlight once in his life, and he really needed to. His bottom lip was trembling. It looked like he was cold, or frightened. By the look in his eyes, I'd say that he was scared to death of something or someone.

"Are you alright?" I asked him.

The boy didn't respond. He just mouthed the words I said.

Then I saw that the boy was wearing yellow rubber gloves and had Windex in his hand.

I was looking in a mirror.

I shook my head and walked out into the kitchen. I threw the gloves in the sink and threw the Windex against a wall, making it shatter and spill all over the floor. I then grabbed some paper towels and began to clean up the mess I made.

"What the hell are you doing?" a voice asked from behind me.

I turned around to see the boy again. This time, he didn't look so sick. He had a little tan to his skin and he wasn't deathly thin. His eyes weren't full of fear anymore. They had something else: disgust, hatred, anger.

This was the old me. Old Myren.

He asked me again: "What the hell are you doing?"

"I have to clean this up before it stains the floor," I replied.

"Why?"

"Steven likes a clean house."

"Screw Steven!"

I shot up and turned in shock at what Old Myren had said. "Don't let him hear you," I whimpered.

Old Myren scoffed. "You disgust me!" he said. "Look what you're doing! You shouldn't be living in fear!"

"You're not real," I said.

"Like hell I'm not! You're not real either! Pretending to be in love with someone when you really hate everything about them. You're afraid of your own shadow now, thanks to that loser Steven! Whatever happened to Derek?-"

"Shut up!" I screamed. I threw the paper towel roll at where Old Myren was standing. He disappeared and the roll crashed into the sink. "Derek isn't real!" I hissed. "Old Myren isn't real!"

"Yes I am!"

I turned around to see Old Myren sitting on the table in the dining room.

"What do you want?" I asked him.

"We need to leave that loser Steven before he hits us again."

"It doesn't hurt."

"What!" Old Myren shot up off the table. "He's got you totally brainwashed! We need to get out of here now!"

"Where do I even go?"

"To La Push."

"Where is that?"

"I don't know."

"What good are you?"

"Hey, you're the one who's technically talking to himself, okay?"

Old Myren's kind of pushy. How could someone be that mean and insensitive?

"Before you think that I'm just some worthless memory," Old Myren began, "let me ask you one thing: 'Does Steven ever lock the sliding glass door he uses to leave the house every time he goes to work?'"

"I-I don't know," I stammered. I never gave it too much thought. I was just so relieved to know that Steven would be gone for a few hours.

I walked into the living room and approached the sliding glass door. I grabbed the handle and slowly began to slide the door to the left. It had opened! A cold wind rushed into the house and stunned me. It had been so long since I felt the wind.

I stared out into the open. There was a thick blanket of snow all over the ground. The house was about maybe fifty yards away from the forest. The forest was full of those Christmas-looking trees, evergreens? If I made it into the forest and just continued in a certain direction, then in a couple of hours, I'll reach La Push. Once I'm there, I'll ask Jacob to call Bella, who will drive me to Charlie's house, where Charlie will put me on a plane back to Boston with Uncle Henry where Steven will never find me!

I ran into the bedroom and went to the closet where all my clothes were. I put on a black long-sleeved shirt, long cargo pants, and my red hoodie. I then put on my shoes. None of these were meant to go traveling in the snow, but they were the warmest clothes Steven had bought for me. Whenever I got cold, I just turned on the heater.

I then dashed back into the living room and ran outside.

I nearly fell down when I was hit with the dramatic drop in temperature. I wrapped my arms around myself and wished that Old Myren was real so that he could give me his hoodie.

"Which way do I go?" I asked him.

"If you don't know, then I don't know!" he snapped and rolled his eyes.

I decided to just run forward. Hopefully I'd reach a road that would lead me into town.

I took off into the forest. I found it easier to run in the forest because the branches of the trees have reduced the amount of snow on the ground.

I ran for about half an hour when I had to stop to rest.

"I'm surprised," Old Myren said. "We usually can't run even for five consecutive minutes."

"Amazing," I panted.

"Don't stop now!"

I got up and took off, a little slower this time. I was jogging for ten minutes until I reached a small gap in the forest. The gap was covered in snow and only was about thirty feet wide. I looked to left and right. The gap extended all the way to where I couldn't even see it anymore.

"A river?" Old Myren asked.

"I don't know."

"At least you have lost a lot of weight, so don't worry about breaking the ice."

"Thanks. Can't you go first?"

"What good would that do?"

Oh yea. I keep having a little trouble remembering that Old Myren isn't real.

"Just run fast," he told me.

I rolled my eyes. I remember seeing on this movie that the character had to walk over some thin ice, and they did it nice and slow, and they made it.

I took one step forward and put it on the snow-covered ice. Nothing happened.

I took another step and everything seemed to be fine.

"Hurry up!" Old Myren whined.

I tuned him out and continued slowly inching forward.

"I think I'm going to make it!" I cheered.

Then the ice under my feet gave way. I fell on the hard ice, my feet in the hole and my torso on the ice. The cold river took my feet and began to slowly drag me into the hole.

"Well you're dead," Old Myren said as he disappeared into the air.

I clawed at the ice, digging my fingernails into the cold snow. The river kept dragging me more and more.

"Somebody help!" I yelled, hoping that one of the vampires Steven told me about would hear.

My feet were now numb, and all of my legs were in the water now.

"Help!"

My fingernail on my left pinky got torn off by the ice. The pain shocked me, causing me to let go of the ice and get sucked all the way underwater.

I was able to see the ice above me as I was carried downstream in the freezing water. My whole body was going numb and I was needing the air so badly. I was even swallowing some of the cold water, making me even colder.

Then a paw crashed into the ice ahead of me.

A bear?

Then a snout was shoved into the water. As I went under the snout, it lurched forward and grabbed the hood of my hoodie. It then slowly pulled me out of the water and onto the snow.

I blacked out.