Kit sat at the kitchen table, eating a large caramel sundae with marshmallow fluff on top. She hadn't eaten much that day and Willa had gone home early in the afternoon, after they had finished their project with promises of a sleepover at her house. Kit had happily agreed.

Now, it was almost two in the morning and sleep failed her just as it had on Saturday night when she returned home from the beach. She had spent that night writing out Seth's story, trying to put things together so that she could read and make sense of it.

And then she had written down things that Emmett had told her to try and match it. She felt like an odd Sherlock Holmes as she tried to piece things together.

Was this all the little inside jokes Emmett had promised to tell her? Why he had laughed so oddly when Kit had said she was a vegetarian? Because he didn't give into his...eating standards? His skin was cold like ice, hard too and he was strong. He had made some comment about cars and indulging in them because of their speed, but vampires weren't known to be fast. Were they?

Kit shook her head frantically and took a large bite of ice cream, sucking on the spoon as she thought.

"Vampire," she whispered to herself, "Cold Ones. But if Dr. Cullen—and Emmett took me—Alice hugs me all the time and—they're all around humans."

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration, trying to think of a proper way to go about this. If it wasn't for how serious Seth's family seemed to take the story, she probably would have laughed. For a whole tribe to refuse medical attention because of a legend? If they were taking it that seriously, there had to be some truth behind it.

"Vampires," she whispered again. She made a face and dropped her spoon, covering her face with her hands, "I sound like a crazy person and I have school in five hours."

She removed her hands in favor of taking another bite of ice cream. There was a simple solution to her problem: ask. She would simply tell Emmett that she had heard a story about his family being a bunch of vampires…

"No," she groaned, resting her forehead against the table. She snorted, "That sounds worse."

The story itself had scared her, but Kit herself was not scared of the Cullens. She couldn't be. Alice, who was becoming a close friend, greeted her every morning with a hug and sometimes a kiss on the cheek, Emmett who—well, that was to be determined—Jasper, whom she hadn't talked to much, but he had asked if she was all right and honest concern had laced his Southern drawl.

What did that mean for them, though? Being around all those humans...all that blood? It had to be uncomfortable and Kit remembered a comment from Jessica on her first day of school: that Jasper constantly looked like he was in pain and that the Cullens were all weird and kept to themselves. Was that why? It certainly was a good reason.

Kit peered into her bowl of ice cream and took another bite. She supposed if vampires did exist, Forks was a great place to live, wasn't it? Not much sunlight and it was easy to blend it when almost everyone was pale.

"Kit?"

The kitchen lights flicked on and Kit turned her head to see her mother standing in the doorway wrapped in her fuzzy blue robe.

"Oh, hey, mom," Kit greeted casually, taking another bite of ice cream.

Everly blinked sleepily and then yawned as she rubbed her eyes.

"Honey," she yawned, shuffling to stand behind her daughter, "Do you know how late it is? What time did you get up?"

"Technically, yesterday," Kit mumbled, "When Willa and I woke up for breakfast."

"Honey," Everly gasped, more alert. She pulled out a chair, "What's been going on with you lately?"

"Nothing, mom," Kit promised with a tired smile, "Nervous about the project and you know, Willa and I keep talking about going to Julliard? School's just been a bit rough."

Everly tsked, "Sweetie, you're too hard on yourself," she moved to stroke Kit's hair, "I'm so sorry that we moved during the middle of the school year and I know that you've been rushing to keep up an-

"No, it's not your fault," Kit interrupted quietly, "I really like it here. I have friends and it's really pretty, nice and quiet. I-I like school, I guess."

"You guess?" Everly questioned, "What's that about?"

"Like you said," Kit began to play with her ice cream, not up for eating anymore, "I've just been rushing and it's stressful," her throat tightened and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and she tried to backpedal, "But it's fine! Only until June...and it's almost Spring Break! That'll be really nice."

"Mhm," Everly hummed, failing to mask her concern, "You look stressed out. Why don't you stay home, tomorrow? You're not going to be able to get any work done if your falling asleep at your desk."

Kit's heart fluttered. A break from school sounded like heaven. Even if it was just a day, that was a day of no glares, name-calling, pushing or shoving. She'd turn her phone off too and put it in one of her desk drawers.

She bit her lip harder to keep it from trembling and tears welled up in her eyes, "T-thanks, mom," she choked out, "You're the best."

"Kit, sweetheart," Everly sighed heavily, pulling Kit into her arms. She kissed the top of her head, "Talk to me, please. What's wrong?"

"School's been hard," Kit said honestly, a tear slipping down her face, "Like, really hard and...p-

She stopped when the all-too familiar feelings of shame and embarrassment made themselves known. She closed her eyes, bringing her hand up to wipe away stray tears before her mother could see.

Everly pulled back a little, "And?"

Kit sighed and shook her head, "Nothing, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Everly questioned, sighing at the abrupt halt, "Kit Kat, don't ever be afraid to tell me or your father how you feel. We want to know these things so that we can try to help or offer advice."

"Okay..." Kit mumbled. She was starting to feel sleepy, "I don't want to sound ungrateful."

"You won't," Everly promised, rubbing Kit's back, "Having negative feelings does not mean you're ungrateful. Now, you can have your break, tomorrow, we'll see how you feel Tuesday, and then in a few more days you'll get a whole week off. Think you can make it?"

"M-mhm," Kit yawned.

"C'mon," Everly encouraged, helping Kit to her feet, "Let's get you to bed. I'll leave your breakfast in the fridge and you can sleep in."

Kit yawned widely, grasping the handrail as she climbed the stairs, "That sounds amazing."

Everly chuckled quietly and she yawned herself, "Yes, it does," she led Kit into her room and pulled back the covers, "Into bed you go, Kit Kat."

"Thanks, mom," Kit sighed, allowing her mother to tuck her in, "I love you."

Everly smiled, kissing Kit's forehead, "I love you more, honey."

Kit closed her eyes, "N-not...possible."

"Yes, possible."

And with that said, Everly kissed Kit's forehead one last time before she left for her own room, allowing her daughter to get some much-needed rest.

The microwave beeped and Kit took her plate out, going to sit down at the table where a note was waiting. Scrawled in her mother's loopy cursive was a note that said Kit would be home alone for the day while Indigo was at school, Blake in Port Angeles, and Everly was going to talk to some woman named Tiffany Call about selling paintings in the First Beach gift shop.

Kit had awoken midday to a blinding light that shone directly in her face and she had bounced over to her window to pull the curtain back. The sun was bright yellow and the sky clear blue. Only a few wisps of white cloud hung in the air, but they were too thin to hold even a drop of rain.

She didn't have much of an appetite as she dug into her eggs and hash browns, but she ate anyway, her mood brighter thanks to the sun. She was excited to stay home to take a much needed break from the bullying that was starting to wear on her. In fact, her phone was shut off and at the bottom of her sock drawer and she had no plans to turn it on until the next day.

As she was washing her plate, Kit looked up at the kitchen window, the oxblood bass penny loafers not helping her leverage. She wasn't going to waste a rare sunny day inside and planned to take a walk before school was let out, or her parents returned. That would be nice.

Along with her loafers, she wore a two tone gray, salmon pink and sage green floral print cotton dress with a light pink floral sash belt tied around her waist in a giant bow.

She placed her plate in the dishwasher and grabbed her keys from the hook by the phone before she headed out the front door, locking it behind her.

The sun was warm on her skin and she tilted her face up, soaking up as much warmth as possible as she walked into the forest that made up her backyard. Sitka spruces and the hemlocks, the yews and the maples and pine trees surrounded Kit, smelling heavenly and clean from the rain that fell the night before.

She walked for fifteen minutes, keeping to the trail and being soothed by the sounds of nature. She breathed deeply, trying her best to keep her mind clear from the thoughts that wanted to burst forward. She just wanted to be alone with herself.

"Shoot," Kit huffed, turning her head to look behind her. She sighed, but continued walking, "I should have brought Nero with me."

She jumped up on a fallen tree, holding out her arms for balance. She wobbled a little then regained her footing, laughing at how ridiculous she was sure she looked.

"Ah!" she let out a loud gasp when the tip of her shoe caught and she fell, scraping her hand and knees against the rough bark.

"Are you kidding me?" she mumbled to herself, looking at herself. Her knees were dirty, but fine, her palms spotted with dirt and blood. She sighed and tried her best to shake off her hands, "That's what I get for messing around."

She went over to a patch of grass and rubbed her hands on the dew until most of the dirt was gone. She brushed off her knees and stretched, her joints cracking with satisfaction.

"Ah, that's so much better," she sighed pleasurably.

The sun still managed to peek through the large canopy of trees while Kit continued walking and she took another deep breath. Yes, she desperately needed this day off.

When she opened her eyes, a small scream left her lips and she stumbled back in surprise, almost walking into a tree.

Two people were in front of her hand-in-hand. One male and one female. The male was 6'3" tall, with long, white blonde hair and a lean body. His eyes were red. The color of blood.

The female was very petite and white blonde. Standing at only 5'0" with matching red eyes.

Kit remained silent, but she was shaking from both fright and realization. Their skin was pale, but had a glow to it and the couple's frame reminded Kit of Alice and Jasper.

They were Cold Ones. Vampires.

Emmett pushed himself to run faster, Jasper and Alice at his flank. He had known that Jasper's companions were coming for a visit, but he hadn't known that Kit would run into them. Alice struggled to see Kit's future. Even the one Alice had seen with Kit as a vampire had started to turn blurry.

"Do you think they'll mind?" came Peter's Southern twang.

Whatever Charlotte had been planned to say was cut off by Emmett's loud snarl as he stopped in front of Kit, blocking her from view.

"Like hell we will!" he growled.

Peter looked appalled by Emmett's protective stance, "Emmett? What are you-

Emmett growled again, cutting Peter off.

"Emmett, it's okay," Alice spoke up, "They're weren't going to hurt her. I had a vision, it's going to be fine."

Emmett swore he could see red. He was going to rip these two apart, "She's. Bleeding," he managed to choke out.

"I-I f-f-fell."

It was Kit who spoke up, her voice meek and shaking. Hearing it, Emmett turned his head a fraction to look her over. Her eyes were wide with fright and her hands were clenched into fists at her chest, preventing him from seeing the injury, though he could smell it.

"Jasper?" Charlotte turned to the other blonde, looking at him with worry.

"Peter, Charlotte," Jasper greeted them with a curt nod, "This is Kit Algren, Emmett's mate."

Realization slammed into the two and they watched as Alice wrapped her arms around Kit in a soothing manner, giving a gentle and amusing laugh.

Peter winced, remembering how he felt all those years ago when Charlotte had been seconds away from being destroyed.

"My apologies, Emmett," he said sincerely, "I was not aware. I will not harm the girl—neither of us will. You have my word."

"Come on, Kit," Alice began to lead the girl away, "Let's-

Emmett growled and Alice raised her hands, slowly placing one on Jasper's shoulder when the blonde growled himself.

"You're the one scaring her," Jasper informed his brother.

Making sure that he was still between Jasper's comrades and Kit, Emmett turned to face his mate, his face uncharacteristically serious as he addressed her, "Let me see your hands."

"I-it's fine," Kit whispered, jumping when he growled again.

Emmett shook his head. He had to be sure, "Let me see," he repeated with forced gentleness.

"I'm b-bleeding," Kit reminded him, "I-I know—I-I don't want to...h-hurt you, if it's uncomfortable—t-the blood."

"Carlisle's home," Alice said slowly, "I'll take her to him, have him look her over, okay, Emmett?"

Emmett nodded curtly and after briefly touching Kit's cheek, he let Alice lead Kit away. Once the two were far enough, he turned back around to face the blood-eyed vampires.

"A human girl?" Charlotte asked, unable to keep the pure disbelief out of her voice, "This is quite a shock."

Jasper nodded, "It was a shock to us as well."

"And she knows?" Peter asked, looking at the spot where Kit once stood.

Emmett sighed, his tense posture relaxing a bit as Jasper pushed waves of calm at him "It seems that she knows, now."

"You plan to add her to your coven, then?" Peter was addressing Jasper.

Jasper folded his arms across his chest, glancing at Emmett before he answered, "That is up to her."

Peter's eyes widened and then he nodded, put off by Emmett's protectiveness over a measly human girl. He was also surprised at Jasper's words. The girl was going to be given a choice on whether or not she was turned?

"The Volturi know about this?" Charlotte asked.

"No," Emmett said, not mentioning Bella, "And there's no reason for them to. Not yet."

Charlotte nodded in understanding of Emmett's words, "We would never tell."

Emmett relaxed even more, "Thank you. I apologize for my earlier behavior."

"That's quite all right," Peter held a hand out, shaking Emmett's hand, "I understand."

"Are we still welcome in your home?" Charlotte asked hopefully. They had already been planning on stopping by for a visit, "We would love to see the others and hear about how you...found this human. She will remained unharmed as Peter said."

Emmett looked at Jasper who gave a curt nod.

"Sure," Emmett said, "If you'd like to run with us back to the house."

Peter nodded in agreement and then he and his mate embraced their former comrade—their brother, eager to know how this had come about.

Carlisle Cullen resembled a male model more than he resembled a doctor with his well-toned medium frame and collar-length blond hair. He stood 6'2" and had gentle eyes with light circles underneath them, all the Cullens seemed to share this trait.

"These are minor abrasions," Carlisle said in his slight British lilt. He looked at Kit and smiled, "I'm sorry that we had to meet this way."

"That's all right," Kit whispered. She watched Carlisle's face as he cleaned the scrapes on her hands, "Are you okay?"

Carlisle made a sound of amusement and gave a nod, "Yes, I am fine. Why do you ask?"

Kit's eyes flicked over to Alice who stood in the corner of Carlisle's office. The room itself was beautiful and high-ceilinged with tall, west-facing windows. The walls were paneled in a dark wood. Most of the wall space was taken up by towering bookshelves that reached the ceiling. Another wall was crowded with framed pictures of all sizes, some in vibrant colors, others dull monochromes.

Kit shifted in her spot on the huge mahogany desk and she bit her lip for a moment.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" she asked, her tone soft and nonjudgmental, "The Cold Ones?"

Carlisle chuckled again, placing a bandage over each of Kit's palms, "Yes," he said without hesitation, "That is an old name for what I am, but I shouldn't be surprised. From what I've heard you're very old-fashioned."

Kit smiled and nodded, "That, I am."

"You don't need to worry," Carlisle promised her, "I am all right and you will be as well. No harm will come to you while you are here."

"Thank you," Kit said quietly.

"How long have you known?" Alice asked, gliding to Kit's side.

"Since Saturday," Kit said, "Well, kind of. Um, someone was telling me a scary story about the Quileuetes and a treaty they made with the Cold Ones, your family," she quickly corrected herself, "But you're different. You don't hurt humans."

"Yes," Carlisle helped Kit off the desk, "We have a certain value for human life. Though, I'd save your questions for Emmett. No doubt he wants to be the one to tell you of this."

Kit nodded obediently and then a thought struck her, "Oh, Dr. Culle-

"Carlisle," he corrected gently.

"Carlisle," Kit repeated, "Thank you very much for your help," she looked at her palms, "How much do I owe you?"

Carlisle looked surprised and he shook his head, "You don't owe me anything."

Kit pursed her lips, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he gave her chin a small pinch and offered a gentle smile, "Alice, why don't you take Kit to the living room? Otherwise, Emmett will destroy the house looking for her."

Alice laughed, "Yes, Carlisle. Come on, Kit."

Kit let Alice take her hand and she was led down the massive curving staircase that dominated the west side of the first room, her hand trailing along the satin-smooth rail.

The interior of the house was very bright, very open and very large. There must have originally been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most of the first floor to create one wide space.

The back, south-facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass, and, beyond the shade of the cedars, the lawn stretched bare to the wide river. The walls, the high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were all varying shades of white. On a raised portion of the floor by a the door stood a spectacular grand piano that Kit assumed to be Edward's from what Emmett had told her.

The outside of the house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration.

"This house is beautiful," Kit commented, looking around the room.

"Thank you," Alice smiled widely, "Esme and I did most of the renovations. Esme studies architecture and she's always working on some sort of blueprint. We all love living here."

"Yes, it's one of our favorite places where we have lived. We were happy to return."

From a room off to the right, came a woman who was 5'6" tall, with billows of gently waving, caramel-colored hair. Her face was heart-shaped with dimples, and her figure was slender but rounded. Her golden eyes held nothing but warmth and kindness.

And Kit, being the bubble of sunshine that she was, grinned widely and bounced forward, holding a hand out.

"Hi!" she greeted, "I'm Kit. You must be Esme."

"Yes," Esme smiled warmly, as she took Kit's hand, "It's very nice to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you."

"Have you?" Kit reclaimed her seat on one of the luxury sofas next to Alice.

Esme chuckled, standing by the couch, "Yes. Very good things."

The front door slammed shut and a slight breeze was the only indication that Kit received that someone was in the house. She had gathered that vampires were very fast and she blinked, smiling widely at the person in front of her.

"Emmett!" she cried happily.

Emmett smiled, the back of his hand going to run down his cheek, "Hey, you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kit replied with no hesitation, "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," he snorted.

Kit smiled dryly, "I have questions for you."

Emmett laughed and kissed Kit's cheek, "I figured you might. This is definitely not how I wanted you to find out."

"I don't mind," Kit promised, her hand going to touch Emmett's cheek, "You promised not to hurt me and your family has been kind."

Emmett stared at Kit for a moment, then nodded before he gestured to her hands, "Are you going to let me see now? No growling, I promise."

Kit chuckled and held out her hands, letting Emmett take them and observe the simple plastic strips that went across each of her palms.

"I think I'll live," she joked, noticing how intense his face was.

"She's fine, Emmett," Carlisle was suddenly beside Esme, his arm around her shoulders, "No harm done."

"And I believe," Jasper came into the house, Peter and Charlotte trailing slowly behind him, "Someone owes someone else an apology."

Kit's body tensed and Emmett placed a hand on her shoulder, taking a seat next to her when Alice moved to stand beside Charlotte. He pulled Kit close, his arm wrapped around her waist.

"We will not hurt you," Peter dipped his head, "And I am sorry for our earlier encounter."

Kit beamed, "That's all right!" she promised them. She got up and walked forward, holding out her hand as she always did when meeting new people, "I'm Kit!"

Emmett snorted in disbelief and Kit turned to him, frowning.

"What?" she asked, confused by his reaction.

"Only you would forgive someone who had plans to kill you," Emmett snickered, "That's so you."

Kit let her hand fall from Charlotte's grasp and her frown deepened, "Well, aren't they supposed to?"

"Supposed to…?" Emmett asked.

"Kill me?" Kit clarified.

Emmett winced at her bluntness, but Jasper chuckled, gesturing for Peter and Charlotte to sit. Oh, yes. He liked this girl.

"I...suppose," Emmett mumbled as Kit made his way back over to him, sitting close. He wondered if she was putting on an act? No one was this brave and he could hear her heart accelerate with anxiety.

Brushing off the thought, he pressed his lips into a thin line and then kissed Kit's hair, "I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm fine," Kit repeated quietly. Another breeze and she looked over to see Rosalie. Had the blonde been here the whole time?

Everyone fell silent and the sudden tension in the room caused Kit to purse her lips, recrossing her legs at her knees instead of her ankles, but Rosalie said nothing, looking Kit up and down before she went to join Peter and Charlotte, sitting on the arm of the loveseat they occupied.

Emmett looked at Rosalie in surprise, but she shot him a look daring him to say something.

"Are you going to tell us how you...acquired this human?" Peter asked.

"Kit," she corrected, unable to look into his blood red eyes. Yes, she understood that they drank human blood—it was apart of their natural diet, but that fact still made a part of her uneasy.

Emmett squeezed her shoulder in comfort and Kit smiled, leaning into his touch, her head resting on his broad shoulder. She had missed him more than she thought.

"Kit, then," Peter said with a chuckle, "How did you meet?"

"We met at school," Kit answered simply, "I bumped into him in the hallway and Alice and I became fast friends."

"What are you even doing here?" Rosalie cut in, her tone harsh, "Aren't you supposed to be at school, now?"

"Aren't you?" Kit countered, before she could stop herself.

Emmett's booming laugh eased the tension that surely would have set, but Kit bit her lip, feeling bad about the snappy remark.

"I'm sorry, Rosalie," she said, "Um, yes, I should be at school, but I skipped, today."

"Why?" Rosalie asked.

Kit pursed her lips and she tried to think of a response, "Why not? It's good to have a day off once in awhile."

Rosalie nodded slowly, "I suppose," she mumbled.

Kit looked up at Emmett, "If you don't burn, what happens if you go out in the sun?"

Emmett frowned at that, "How do you know we don't burn?"

Kit glanced at Peter and Charlotte before returning her gaze to Emmett's, "I saw them when I was taking my walk, you too when we went swimming."

Emmett nodded, "Burned by the sun is a stupid myth that mortals come up with to make themselves feel safe. Like they have a chance."

"They don't?" Kit asked.

Emmett pulled gently on a lock of Kit's hair, "No more questions. Later."

Kit sighed impatiently, but nodded, "Can you at least tell me what you do eat if it's not human blood?"

"Animals," he told her shortly, "We're vegetarians."

To his surprise, Kit laughed.

"Yes, I suppose you are," she said through her giggles, "In a very odd way. Huh," she said thoughtfully, "That's fascinating."

"I'll tell you more about it," Emmett promised, "You'll finally get to know my inside jokes."

Kit laughed again, running her hand up and down Emmett's arm, "I missed you," she told him softly.

And those words caused a jolt of some unknown emotion to go through Rosalie's body and the glare that she wore softened into a look of confusion and irateness. Confusion because Kit was being honest when she said that she missed Emmett and irateness because she couldn't hate the girl no matter how much she wanted to. Unlike Bella, but that was different. That was personal.

After some more small talk, Peter and Charlotte dove into a tale about their travels and time they spent in Mexico. Jasper mentioned something about someone named Maria, but Kit didn't ask questions, noticing the tenseness in his posture and the strain in his voice when he said her name.

Kit wasn't frightened, anymore. At least, not of these vampires. It was clear that they wouldn't hurt her, but it made her wonder if there were others out there who would.