(Edited 29/08/24) Hi Roses! Trigger warning for slight body checking behaviour and small mention of disordered eating habits and thoughts. Warnings are placed at the beginning (/TW) and end (TW/) of the triggering passage. Stay safe and enjoy!

–

"Hey Bella, have you met any of the Cullens yet?" Jessica turned to me; blue eyes wide as she toyed with a lock of curly, light brown hair. Jessica, I had learned, was a serial gossip.

"Hell yeah she has, Edward was being super weird with her yesterday. He looked at her like she was something to eat." Mike responded, scrunching his nose.

Jessica frowned and shot him a cold look. "I wasn't asking you."

"I barely spoke to him, and it seemed like he wanted to murder me or something,"

"You did trip over him." Tyler pointed out. He was a cocky and apparently popular guy with dark features and cropped brown hair.

"It was an accident!" I protested, "and besides, he grabbed me really roughly," I muttered. I rubbed the spot where his hands had burned into me, and it was still a little sore.

Tyler began teasing Mike about Jessica - from what I'd gathered, Jess had recently rejected him, and their friendship was currently a little frigid. The two boys left the conversation to chase each other around the cafeteria, play-fighting and disturbing the other tables.

Eric, the other boy at the table, was too engrossed in his graphic novel to pay attention to either conversation. He was an Asian boy, with jet black hair and brown eyes like his girlfriend, Angela.

She was also of Asian descent, with a thin face framed by big, cat-eye glasses. What Eric lacked in height, Angela made up for with her tall stature. Her face was currently creased in concern.

"Did he actually hurt you? Let me see."

I took off my coat and sweater, shivering slightly. Sure enough, finger shaped bruises bloomed under Angela's gentle exploration of my upper arm.

"You have to tell someone," Jessica told me sternly, "in case it gets worse."

"No!" I said immediately, hastily pulling my sweater back on. "I mean, no… It's no big deal. I bruise really easily, it's not his fault."

They both looked unconvinced, but thankfully Jessica's love of gossip won out. She leaned in conspiratorially.

"Okay, so you've met psycho Edward. But have you seen the rest? God, they'll all just as weird."

Angela rapped her playfully on the arm. "That's not nice. They're just… different. But drop-dead gorgeous, every one of them."

"Pfff, they may be pretty, Bella, but don't be fooled. There's something weird about that family and I'm sure of it."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to her, Jess has somewhat of a Nancy Drew complex." In reply, Jessica stuck her tongue out at her.

"They're all adopted by Dr. Cullen and his wife, Esme, who are super young. There's no way Dr. Cullen didn't lie about his age or something, he looks like 20."

"And," Angela supplied, "two of them are together. Alice and Jasper. She's the tiny one with the short, messy hair and Jasper's the one that looks like he's never slept a day in his life. He doesn't speak either."

"Then there's Emmet who looks like a frat boy on steroids, and Rosalie–"

"–Who's basically a supermodel?" I finished. They nodded sagely.

"It's nice of them, adopting so many kids at such a young age."

Jessica waved my comment away irritably. "Oh, they're super loaded. I doubt they do any parenting at all. I certainly wouldn't if I could afford not to." She rolled her eyes as if it was personal.

"Anyways, I'm going to get dessert. Coming Angie?" Angela shook her head politely and Jessica shrugged, heading towards the serving station. In her absence, Angela tucked a lock of silky black hair behind her ear and leaned in surreptitiously.

"Her mom died about a year ago. An animal attack. She's got her dad and brother to take care of now… It's been rough." Angela told me quietly.

"That's… awful." I managed. She nodded briefly.

"That's what got her started on her investigation thing. She thinks things in town are being covered up… I'm not sure about that, but if it keeps her busy, I'm all for it."

She smiled at me softly as Eric reached over and took her hand wordlessly. Perhaps he listened more than it seemed.

Jessica returned, strawberry cake and fork in hand. Cheekily, Angela stole the singular strawberry off the top, earning her a scolding from Jess. My stomach rolled at the sight of Jessica's dessert, so I rose and donned my khaki parka.

"I'm going to get some air. Thanks for hanging with me." I smiled at them, and they beamed back.

"Yeah, no problem. If we don't see you in class, see 'ya tomorrow!" Jess replied. A chorus of goodbyes followed, to my delight. It gave me hope that fitting in here would be easier than I expected.

I made my way out to the benches on the fringe of the forest that marked the campus boundary. It wasn't a nice enough day to sit outside, really, but I needed the solitude the cloudy, oppressive day afforded me. I sat and breathed deeply, eyes closed, taking in the scent of the nearby pines. I shivered at the wind, but at least I was feeling better.

When I opened my eyes, a girl was sitting across from me, eyes wide as an owl's. "Hi!" she said with a chirp.

I rose in panic, falling backwards and twisting my ankle in the bench supports with a yelp of pain.

In a second, she was by my side, flinching. "Oh dear, are you okay?" She asked, grabbing my hand and pulling me up to a sitting position.

I scooted myself away from her. "Please don't- just don't - No touch please." I managed to squeak out.

The girl smacked her forehead. "Right, sorry, I forget we're not friends yet."

As I took in what she said, I suddenly realised who I was speaking to. This was Alice Cullen. True to Angela's description, her hair was incredibly messy, deep brown and effortlessly tousled into a spiky lob. Her features were delicate, pixie-like and for a second, I wondered why I was ever afraid of her, until I remembered how eerily quiet she had been, even to my sensitive ears.

She shook her head and held out a hand. "Let's just start again. I'm Alice."

Gingerly, I shook her hand. "Bella."

Alice beamed and straightened up. She was wearing a short, white, chemise-style dress with a royal blue ribbon tied at the back of the waist. She must be freezing, I thought. "Great to meet you Bella, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends. Can I help you up or do you want to do that yourself?"

I eyed her small frame. "I'm okay, thank you."

I untangled my ankle from the bench supports and rolled it gently, testing for any damage. While it was sore, I was certain that there was no major damage – I'd had far more than my fair share of sprains, fractures and broken bones.

I slowly got to my feet and sat on the bench. Alice plopped next to me, swinging her feet childishly. To my growing disbelief, she had no shoes or socks on.

"So…" She began, "You've met some of my family and I'm sure we've all made our own… Interesting impressions on you! And you probably have a lot of questions."

I opened my mouth to reply but she cut me off.

"I'd like to ask you to keep them locked up tight." She smiled at me. "You'll have all of the answers in time, more than you know. But for right now, get to know us. Keep the mystery going a while longer."

Her face morphed into a frown. "But be careful. Stay away from Edward as much as you can. It won't save you, but it may help. Sorry Bella."

With that, Alice hopped off the bench and waved goodbye before practically skipping into the forest. While it should have been the furthest from my first thought, I cringed as I imagined treading on pine needles barefoot. Then, I pinched myself. Ouch.

So, it wasn't a dream. But what else was I supposed to think of the information hurricane Alice had whirled my way? I replayed her words in my head several times. Don't ask questions, get to know the Cullens, stay away from Edward. That was possible, right? It wasn't much to ask of me, since I wanted to do most of those things, but I knew my natural curiosity would nibble away at my new mantra.

I had a few more seconds of blissful silence to digest her advice before the bell rang out. Grabbing my backpack, I broke into a very light jog to my next class – which was as fast as I dared to go at my level of pain and clumsiness; Despite being a Swann, I wasn't exactly blessed with the grace of my almost namesake.

This was further evidenced when I arrived at my English class, with a bang of course. I reached the battered blue door just as the second bell rang, signalling my lateness. While I paused a second to rehearse a rushed apology to Mrs. Peters, a similarly tardy Mike wheeled around the corner. Literally wheeled, thanks to his Heelys. In a cruel twist of fate, I attempted to leap out of his way at the exact second he swerved around me, which led to a nasty collision, me landing flat on my back and a very heavy Mike on top of me… And a possible concussion, but who's counting?

I chuckled darkly with a wheeze, "I never thought I'd die by Heelys."

A blustering Mrs. Peters burst through the door as Mike laughed in response, rolling off and freeing me from his crushing weight. Mrs. Peters was short and red-faced, with a broad chest encased in a red-brown cardigan. This elicited another wheezing giggle out of me – she looked like a puffed-up furious chicken.

"Mr. Newton! Miss Swann! What in the blazes are you doing?" She thundered, without pausing for an answer.

"Both of you! Up! Now! You Mike, I expected this, but Miss Swann – I am extremely disappointed in you. I'll see you both in detention at lunchtime tomorrow. Get off the floor, stop messing around and get yourselves to the nurse. Disgraceful! Both of you."

With that, she closed the door with a huff. Mike glanced at me. I knew my face was white as a sheet. I'd never gotten in trouble in school. Not ever. For anything.

He blew air out of the side of his mouth. "That was bad, huh?"

"Huh." I replied. He chuckled.

"Don't worry, it's not you she hates, it's me. I called her a batty hen once and she heard me – never forgiven me since."

I smiled shyly. "I called her a puffed-up furious chicken in my head."

"Hah, I'll have to go to you for my insults next time. Come on, let's get to the nurse. You smacked your head pretty hard, though she probably only wants us to go so she doesn't get sued for not getting us checked out."

Mike stood, dusting himself off and reaching out a hand to help me up. I snorted, taking the hand offered to me. We walked side by side as Mike showed me the way to the nurse's office, a place I was sure would quickly become my home from home. Mostly, we walked in comfortable silence, though occasionally Mike would crack a joke about how much of a goody-two-shoes I was, our detention tomorrow, or why Heelys should be banned. That one I agreed with.

My ankle was bothering me now; The twist, the jogging and then the collision had each taken their toll, and I was glad to sit down while the nurse, Miss Reed, examined me. Like most school nurses, she had a strong built-in bullshit detector, though unlike them, she was too young to have lost her compassion for her patients.

"Well, no major damage done," she concluded, "Given how out of it you feel, you may have a very minor concussion, but I think you'll live. I'd recommend you call someone to pick you up so you can get some rest – unfortunately I can't let you drive if there's a possibility you're concussed. If it gets worse while you're at home, see your doctor immediately, or go to the urgent care centre."

"I'll give you some paracetamol for the pain and headache, ibuprofen in case of a concussion and to bring down any swelling on that ankle. I'll be just a second, then I'll be with you Mr. Newton."

Once she left the room, I swore quietly under my breath. Charlie would have to pick me up, which meant that if I didn't time it right, everyone would see me picked up in a cop car – that would do wonders for Mrs. Parker's impression of me.

"Bella?" Mike asked, seriously, "Is it the pain? I'm really sorry for running into you. It was stupid of me to rush, it's not like I haven't been late before."

I smiled at him with genuine warmth. "No, no, it's not that. Thank you. I'm sorry for being in your way!"

He laughed. "Only you would apologise for that, Bella."

Miss Reed came back to examine Mike as I stepped outside to call Charlie. I decided not to tell him why I needed picking up, not yet anyway. If living with mom had taught me anything, it's that a parent's worry for their child was dangerous for their own wellbeing. While he wasn't happy with my lack of explanation, he was on his way and that was all that mattered.

A similar situation had once happened to me when mom was waiting in a parking lot for Phil to pick her up. While she was on the phone to the nurse, pacing and worrying herself sick over me, she failed to notice the car reversing in her path. In the end, she was more injured than I was, and I spent my recovery taking care of my mom instead. I wasn't about to let that happen to Charlie too.

When I returned to the office, Mike was declared blessedly concussion free, with only injuries to his hands and knees where he had caught his fall. With a quick clean-up and some band aids, he was free to go back to class, to my envy. I grumbled light-heartedly about favouritism as Mike said goodbye and made me promise to text him.

–

"What's she done now?" He asked the nurse gruffly, sounding largely resigned to my clumsiness. I looked up from my comfy spot in an old armchair, bleary eyed and half-asleep.

She half-shrugged and shook her head "Well, her ankle got twisted in a bench, then another student collided with her on roller shoes. If you ask me, she's had a rough day."

He sighed. "Sounds like it. Come on, Bells."

I was admittedly quite slow on the uptake, so before I managed to react, Charlie had already slung my backpack over his shoulder and scooped me up like I weighed nothing.

"Hey- Wait - I can walk! Dad, everyone will look! I can walk!" Charlie ignored my squirming and pleas, which were – I admit – pretty pathetic, while Miss Reed pointedly refused to meet my gaze. I eventually let him carry me, as long as he allowed me to get in the car by myself, which he agreed to.

Before long, he was slamming the door shut and clambering into the driver's seat next to me. As he drove, a stony silence filled the cab. As bad at reading the room I was, it still seemed like tension crackled between us.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked quietly.

"Mad at you? For getting injured? No. For not telling me? Yes." He answered gruffly, focusing on the road ahead.

"Dad, I just didn't want you to worry. Mom –"

Charlie suddenly jerked the wheel to the right, pulling slightly onto a grassy verge, and stopped the car dead. I yelped in surprise.

"What did you do that for?" I snapped.

"Bella, you do not come into my care, into the house we now share, and keep secrets from me. Your mom, she… parents… one way, but I am your father, I'm the adult here, and it's for me to decide what needs worrying about, not you. Are we clear?"

"Yes," I mumbled tearfully.

He sighed. "Look, I didn't mean to scare you Bells, but I didn't know how else to get it through to you." He paused, "I know you're almost an adult now, I do, but I think you always have been, and that isn't fair."

Charlie rubbed his hands up and down his thighs for a second – a nervous tick of his I share – before continuing.

"I want you to like it here, I don't want you being afraid to tell me if another kid's being a bastard to 'ya and I don't want you to be afraid of disappointing me for not being too damn helpful. I want you to be a kid, Bella, my kid."

My cheeks flushed and I looked down. Dad really cared. "I… I don't know what to say to that."

He chuckled darkly. "How about you tell me what's going on at school? You're clumsy, but two days in a row you've come home either upset or injured? Not a coincidence, Bells."

I sighed. "You're right, it's not a coincidence." I proceeded to tell him how Edward had grabbed me, how I freaked out when I saw him after school and how both of his sisters had apologised to me for his behaviour.

"Alice just surprised me; she came out of nowhere and I twisted my ankle in the bench. It really wasn't her fault. And the bump," I said, touching the back of my head gingerly, "that really was just a clumsy Bella moment."

Charlie let me finish my story before responding. "So, the Cullens, they're the ones bothering ya?"

"Just Edward really," I supplied.

"Right," He paused, deep in thought for a few moments, "I know his dad, Carlisle. Now, before you say anything, I won't get him involved unless I need to. But if his sisters are smart, they'll go to him. He's a good man so I'm sure he'd sort Edward out, tell him how to treat a girl, you know. That's the best-case scenario, but Bella, if he bothers you again, call me and we'll look at our options. I won't let this go any further than it has done – you're safe here, and it'll stay that way."

"Thanks dad," I murmured gratefully, "I mean it."

Charlie waved me off and checked his watch. "Almost 2pm. Want to go for lunch?" He asked me.

I shrugged, which Charlie took as approval. I suppose in normal grouchy teen language, it was. Instead of driving to one of the big food chains, like I expected, we drove past several on the way out of town. I looked at him quizzically along the way, which he eventually decided to answer as we started taking a rough path through the woods.

"I'm takin' you to one of my fishing spots. It's a pretty little lake fed by the Quillayute river. Sue Clearwater runs a little café there, owns some lodges too, mostly for local campers. Not many folks know about it though, and that's more than fine by me." He crinkled his eyes at me in a smile.

"Sounds peaceful. And Sue Clearwater is?"

"Other than old Billy, Harry Clearwater's the next best fishing buddy I've had. Sue's his wife. Good lady, keeps him on his toes. Then again, so do his kids."

"There's two of them, Leah's around your age, Seth's a little younger than Jacob. Way I hear it, she's a bit troubled and he's a pure ball of energy."

Troubled, I thought. That word could mean anything from your average angsty teen to… well, anything really. But I kept my mouth shut; I didn't feel like prying into the problems of kids I hadn't even met yet, though I imagined I would before long.

"Here we are," Charlie announced. I refocused my eyes as we emerged from the forest, the living canopy above us giving way to bright, grey, cottony clouds. Charlie pulled forwards into the makeshift parking lot, which was a patch of gravel bordered by a shabby wooden fence marking the edge of a drop, presumably down to the lake.

I fidgeted impatiently as I waited for Charlie to help me out of the car – at his insistence of course. Thankfully, our heart to heart clearly had him feeling more generous than earlier, since he allowed me to shamble my way to the fence so I could get my first glimpse of the lake.

The shore to the left was natural, stony and sandy, home to the inlet of the lake, while the right shore rose into a wooden dock that snaked its way around the curves of the water's edge, occasionally with outcroppings for fishing pegs.

The water itself was a dark steel blue, lapping at its surroundings languidly, but with unintentional power. To reach it, there was a wooden ramp and a wide set of large stone stairs, visibly worn by countless fishermen's boots over the years. Both sat to the right of the parking lot, and to the left of a small log cabin that overlooked the docks.

The log cabin had a black shingle roof, and a crooked little clay chimney that was currently puffing out dark grey smoke against the lighter coloured sky. Outdoor benches were strewn around the lawn in front of the cabin, though no one was sitting there today.

"I thought I heard a pig shuffling around out here!" a female voice called out from behind us. The voice belonged to a slim, tanned woman with dark eyes and hair, which she had pulled back into a low messy bun.

The woman, presumably Sue Clearwater, stood holding a laundry basket to her hip and grinned ear to ear. "Lucky it's a domesticated one or I might've gotten my husband to shoot 'ya!"

Charlie chucked and went to give her a hug while I awkwardly leaned against the fence to support my ankle better.

He gestured to me. "Sue, meet my daughter Bella."

She smiled at me and crossed the distance, pulling me into a gentle hug.

"So nice to finally meet you, Bella! I hope you liked the covers I picked out for you!"

"Oh! I loved them, thank you! Purple's great." I responded sincerely.

"Good, good! You two hungry? Let's get you inside." She motioned for us to follow.

Charlie silently offered me his arm as a support, which I gratefully took. The adrenaline from our collision had long worn off and the meds were starting to follow.

Sue led us inside the cabin, which was completely furnished in the golden tones of fir wood, native to the region. The tables, chairs and benches were clearly handmade, crocheted tablecloths and brightly coloured woven tapestries decorated every surface. The interior was lit by the wall of windows at the front of the cabin, and fairy lights hung over the counter at the far end, bathing the room in a warm glow.

Sue led us to a corner bench at the front of the cabin, giving us a great view of the lake itself and the fork of the Quillayute river feeding it. Even inside, the honk of the geese on the shore reached our ears.

She gave us a rundown of the menu, with Charlie ordering a BLT and me ordering the tomato soup. To my surprise, I finished the whole bowl of creamy soup, even mopping up the dregs with the homemade bread it came with. I didn't usually have a big appetite, but the welcoming atmosphere of the cafe allowed me to feel comfortable enough to eat more than usual.

After we had finished lunch, Sue pulled up a chair to chat for a bit. She was surprised and delighted to discover that I was also a crocheter, though I admitted I often don't have the time to crochet. That was partially a lie. Crocheting busied my hands and stilled my world, but it wasn't always a mindless activity for me – often my thoughts would race as I pulled loop through loop.

"Next time you visit," she said kindly, "I'll give you some local yarn to work with. My welcome gift." She arose from her chair.

I flushed a deep red. "You've been so welcoming already… Thank you so much, Sue."

She grinned and left to finish her errands, leaving a steaming pot of coffee on the table for Charlie and me to share. Now that the veil of secrets between us had broken, I felt much more relaxed to chat about how things were going and the little group of friends I had seemingly joined. Charlie was incensed that I had received detention from Mrs. Peters for the accident, though I was adamant I would bear it without a fuss.

"She's more likely to respect me for accepting her punishment than if I try to get out of it," I reasoned.

"That may be true for Mrs. Peters, but in life, Bells, that isn't always how it works. The right lot would respect you for standing your ground and havin' some self-respect."

I nodded then continued our chat. Before I knew it, the pot of coffee was empty, and the early autumn night was beginning to darken the sky. We said our goodbyes to Sue and began to head home. I was loath to leave the lake cafe. It was beautiful there, and Sue and Charlie were good company, but I knew I'd be back soon enough – I had my truck now after all.

My truck, I inwardly groaned. My truck was back in the school parking lot, which meant another journey in the cruiser tomorrow. Just the start I needed, I thought sarcastically.

–

While Charlie parked himself in front of the TV for the night, I changed into my pyjamas and plonked into bed, resting my ankle on several pillows liberated from the couch. I booted up my laptop and logged into my email. Three messages from mom. Damn it. I took a deep breath and began to read.

Bella,

I miss you too honey! I wish you were here to give us a hand with the move. It's so beautiful here but we've been so busy I've barely had time to stop and think! A truck for your first car? Aww, how quirky. I just hope the other kids will see it that way… Friends already? Gasp! Who are you and what have you done with my daughter! You have to tell me everything – Is he hot? I bet he's hot. I hear wedding bells already! Just my goodness, do NOT make my mistake and stay in Forks – oh, and have safe sex!

I love you, byeee!

I sighed in frustration. Mom was fully aware I identified as a lesbian – and was fully convinced it was a phase I would grow out of. As always, I had to remind myself of her good intentions. She was so careless with her words; she simply wouldn't have noticed how insulting she was being. I clicked to the next email.

–/TW–

Bellaaaaaa,

How was your first day at school? Answer meee. How's your father? Has he cooked you a decent meal yet? You're so skinny! Three square meals a day, you hear me? We've been having so much fun redecorating that I've barely eaten ONE meal a day! Fingers crossed I can push off the pounds with this! My goodness there's a lot to do… Wish you were here!

Love, mom.

Reflexively, I encircled my wrist with my hand, a body checking behaviour I learned from my weight-obsessed mother. While neither of us had an eating disorder as such, mom had the disordered thoughts and I the disordered eating, (mostly from anxiety,) so I privately joked we shared one between us. It was dark, but if I didn't laugh, I'd cry. I opened her latest email, dated a few hours ago.

–TW/–

Bella.

I'm not happy with you and you know it. I always make time for you; can't you make time for me for once? You should be grateful I have the time to chase after you! Bella, please call me when you get this, or at the very least email me. I expect you'll have lots to tell me after all this time! I miss your voice honey.

Your worried mother.

I slammed the lid down and carelessly tossed my laptop next to me on the bed before turning over and groaning into the pillow. I don't want to answer, I don't want to answer! I repeated to myself. But the more I ignored her, the more desperate mom would be to get in touch. The emails and calls would quickly mount up and I would have to have a damn good excuse ready for not answering…

But I felt so suffocated. I just wanted space to breathe on my own without having to breathe for her too. Before I could convince myself it was a bad idea, I sat back up, typed and sent her a quick message.

Hey mom,

Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll tell you all about it when I can, okay? I'm just getting settled in, so I really don't have much to tell you yet. I love you and I miss you, but it's only been 3 days! Relax and enjoy Florida 3

Love,

Bella.

After hitting send, my hands were shaking. Addressed to anyone else, my email would sound like any other. But Renee Dwyer wasn't accustomed to being told 'no,' especially by her daughter. Coming from me, then, the email would read as complete defiance. I was suddenly immensely glad that I wasn't around to deal with her tantrum.

More than anything, I had always hated disappointing my mom. Her very being attracted others to pity her, to love her, and to serve her. I was thankful for two things regarding my mom's 'superpower;' That she was unaware of it, and that her accidental influence over me had become less effective as I grew up. If she ever realised the power she held over others, it could be a scary thing indeed.

I took some deep breaths and got up, placing my laptop on the desk and plugging it in. I gathered my crochet supplies from the drawer, choosing a cream-coloured yarn which reminded me of the alabaster colour and silky touch of Rosalie's skin… I selected my hook size and sat in the window seat, legs tucked in front of me and a lacy pillow on my lap. I began a pattern I'd written specifically for moving to Forks – a neck warmer. Soon, the repetitive stitches lulled me into a sense of peace. Yarn over, insert, yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through two, yarn over, pull through two… and repeat.

I found myself quickly nodding off and looked out at the darkened treetops to wake myself up. As I did so, I thought I caught a glimpse of a crouched figure in a nearby tree, though as I blinked and leaned closer to look, it was gone. Must have been a bird, I thought. The sight still disturbed me, as I suddenly realised that anyone, or anything out there could see me clearer than they could see themselves, thanks to the bright light at my back.

I attached a stitch marker and tidied away my project. After getting in bed, I was asleep the moment my head touched the pillow. On any other night, I'd be thankful, but perhaps due to my late-night window sitting, my night was plagued with disturbing dreams.

It was twilight at the high school, the trees strung with glowing paper lanterns, the air humming with music and conversation. I was running across a manicured lawn towards the treeline of pines where Alice disappeared earlier today. Except I wasn't chasing Alice, someone or something was chasing me.

I entered the forest and immediately I was swallowed by the darkness. The high school disappeared from behind me, the noise drifting across the field stopped. I wasn't at the edge of the treeline anymore, but a clearing, deep within the forest. I stopped to catch my breath, falling on sore, bare knees. My dress was a royal blue, with a sweetheart neckline and chiffon skirt, ripped to ribbons by the wicked briars that had whipped at my skin as I ran.

A low growl resounded through the clearing, originating from behind me. I wept because I couldn't run anymore, and because my only protection was with him. Edward stepped forward into the clearing now, arm around Rosalie's neck as she cried softly. A smirk played on his lips. I was a sight for sore eyes, crumpled at his feet like a flightless bird – and he was the cat who got the cream.

The moment he broke her neck, a tremendous weight on my back pushed me forward, forcing my face into the damp earth. I screamed, dirt filling my throat, and awoke in the blackness of my own room.