A/N: Thank you to the following who left reviews on my last chapter: Goldielover; Anntastic92; Rebadams7; Sandy2348; redhairdash; witchari; and "Guest" (you know who you are ;) ). I appreciate your comments so much and to know you are enjoying my story so far! And don't worry, you'll meet Professor Eddie sometime soon. He just hasn't gotten that far … yet. I do want to apologize for saying I'd upload on Sunday. I cut my thumb really badly on Saturday and I just couldn't type lol. That sounds so ridiculous but it WAS a bad cut. So, I appreciate your patience with that lmao.

This next chapter is from Bella's POV, and it is long so get comfy! I have some ideas for Bella's college experience… that Edward might not be completely happy about. Mwahaha. Sorry Eddie, you wanted her to be human. So, watch her!

Enjoy, loves!

The world was on fire, and no one could save me but you
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do
I'd never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you
I'd never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you

What a wicked game you played to make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do to let me dream of you
What a wicked thing to say you never felt this way
What a wicked thing to do to make me dream of you

~ Wicked Game – James Vincent McMorrow ~

3. Fresh Start

The rain pattered on the windows as I cleaned up mine and Charlie's dishes from dinner. I had, for the second time this week, served the remains of last week's lasagna I had frozen. From the living room, the sports game Charlie watched drifted into the kitchen. Once in a while, I'd hear his disgruntled comment whenever his team did something, I assumed, wrong. Not that I would know any better, I thought to myself as I began replacing the dishes in the cupboards. I turned, cloth in hand, ready to tackle the crumbs left on the kitchen table when the sight of the small kitchen stopped me. The approaching storm had dulled the usual six o'clock sun that shone across the kitchen. Behind the window, the trees looked even more green against the charcoal sky. I addressed the kitchen with a sort of melancholy as I began to wipe the table and counters. I remembered briefly of how when I had first come to Forks, everything around me had seemed so grey and muted. Only when my life had so drastically changed did I start to note the vibrance in deep forest greens and how much I loved when their colour stood out against a darkening sky. I had begun to look forward to sound of rain and thunderstorms.

So much had changed since then.

Though I had only lived in Forks for a short time, compared to the rest of my life in Phoenix, I had started to regard the small town as my true home. I no longer missed the warmth and sunny, blue skies of Phoenix. Of course, I missed my Renee, and some days I even missed the baseball conversations with Phil. But the cold drizzle that permanently blanketed Forks was no longer the burden it once was. The cold was comforting to me, something that held me safely in place here among the trees that encapsulated my existence. But these were also reminders of the pain I now felt whenever I wandered too far into the forests, or too close to the outskirts of Forks where I had forbidden myself to ever go. Forks had given me so much, despite its small, modest reality. At the same time, Forks had given me too much to miss and reminded me of the very real legends it held within its grasp. As the wind blew in through the window screen, I shivered and wound it shut.

"Storm's coming," Charlie grunted as he came into the kitchen. He crossed to the fridge where he opened it and got himself a beer. He cracked it open and gestured with it to the window. "You goin' out in that, Bells?"

"Well Jake said he'd pick me up," I said and added as I pointed to the beer, "I could have brought you that." Charlie shrugged and took a drink.

"You do enough for your old man, Bells." He walked to the window and turned his back to me as he watched the dark clouds move in. "You sure you don't want to just stop by tomorrow morning to say goodbye?" I shook my head.

"I'll be fine, Dad. Besides, the weather is sometimes different over on the beach."

Charlie grunted his displeasure at my insistence to go see Jacob. Tonight was my last night in Forks. Tomorrow, I would be moving. I could hardly consider it as such, considering when I moved from Arizona it had been more of an undertaking. The college I had decided to go to was a community college in Olympia, Washington. It was a mere three hours from Forks, and it was easy to do in a day. I hadn't even fully packed all my clothes and I had promised Charlie I would visit on the odd weekend.

Despite his eagerness at my going to college, it had taken a lot of convincing to get Charlie to agree to one in Washington. He had insisted that I try to go home to Arizona or closer to Renee in Florida. When I insisted that Washington was my home, Charlie wasn't fully convinced but had seemed to enjoy the idea of my weekend visits too much. I had even tried buttering him up by telling him I would miss him.

This was true, of course. I would miss Charlie during the time I was at school. And telling him this had worked, plus adding in the fact that he would have a few days a month where he wouldn't have to cook for himself. My cooking seemed to always cheer Charlie up. I liked to think that maybe my dad would have missed me too. A lot had happened in between the time I had moved in with him to me going to college. It felt wrong to leave our relationship with each other behind again. But I couldn't lie to myself either. The past year of my life had been difficult, if not the hardest of my life. As I reminded myself this, my gaze fell from the growing storm to the kitchen tile. I felt guilty hiding this from Charlie – that my dad, who was there for me each night during the worst months, only thought it was homesickness that kept me in Washington. In reality, I hung onto a tiny sliver of hope that the sunless skies and chilly weather might welcome back its most reticent habitants. But as the months had carried on through the summer, and now at the end of August, this hope was slowly slipping away from me. As the summer had slipped into an early August fall, and one full year had almost passed without any sign, I had begun to accept this fully, though the admission felt like a dagger in my chest. He was never coming back. None of them were.

"It will be as if I'd never existed." The cool voice floated into my memory, more distant than it had been previous times. I frowned at the square tiles on the floor. Whenever I thought about him too much, too hard, I sometimes began feeling as if I were insane. Had he existed? Had any of that even been real? I remembered him briefly in the forest, promising me that my humanness would make me forget eventually as time moved forward. Everything had gone so quickly and often I wondered if it had been a very vivid dream. From the time the Cullen's had left, not a whisper about them passed at school. Of course, for the first week or two, there had been the occasional "poor Bella" whispered amongst the halls. But these slowly fell silent, and I wondered if I had made those up, too.

And then there was Jake. He was really the only thing that reminded me I hadn't conjured up this wild imaginative story in my mind. He was about as unreal as He had been. Jacob and his pack members were the only tangible connection I felt I had to the supernatural underbelly of Forks – or the rest of the world. And of course, there had been Laurent that day in the forest. In that moment, I hadn't felt fear so quickly as I had disbelief. Surely, I was dreaming – I had to convince myself he was real and in front of me before I really realized what was going to happen. And then Edward had appeared beside me. These apparitions were the things that truly worried me, though they comforted me just as much. Despite my efforts in the last few months to pull through my pain, I had tried in vain to keep them nearby. My visions of Edward happened less often now. My guess was it was the time he had spoken of.

"Bella?" As I pulled myself from my thoughts, Charlie's voice became closer. "Bella?"

"Oh!" I blinked and looked at him, his face full of the usual concern he had. I shook my head. "Sorry, Dad. I spaced out. What did you say?"

"I thought maybe you were getting better at focusing again, Bells," he sighed. "I was just asking when you were going to be leaving tomorrow morning?"

"Angela is going to meet me here at ten," I said. Charlie frowned and then spoke again.

"And you're sure you want to go to this college? You're sure you don't want some place … warmer?"

"I'm used to the gloominess now, Dad," I said, nodding my head to the swirling skies outside. He frowned and sipped his drink. "Besides, it's a little late to change it now."

"You're just really interested in the rest of Washington, huh."

"Sure," I said, shrugging. "I don't know, Dad. I wasn't going to get into Harvard. This one is closer, and less money. I'll save more by not moving as far, too." This had been my fallback argument every time. I had managed to save up quite a bit of money while working for Mike Newton's parents. They were very accommodating and understood I wanted to save for college. But for me, it had simply been a distraction. The faded voice was suddenly in my head again, smooth and convincing.

"My kind … we're very easily distracted."

I often thought this statement was funny after some time. Probably because I had gotten so good at distracting myself, rather than completely forgetting. I'm good at it, too, I thought back.

"Well," Charlie said, breaking my thoughts. "If you're sure. All I know is I'm proud of you, Bells." He came over and put a large hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. I gave him a small smile as he continued, "I know you've been through a lot in the last while. I think a fresh start somewhere will do you some good, even if it's in the same climate."

"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot." It did, truly. Charlie had been a good support through it, putting up with my mood swings and night terrors. It had been almost as hard to go through them as it did to watch Charlie go through with dealing with me.

"I know you'll be okay here," I said, trying to convince myself that the guilt I felt for leaving him was not as strong as it really was. I worried about Charlie and how long he had gone through life without my mother or me. He laughed and nodded.

"I survived for fourteen years, Bella," he reminded me. "I'll just look forward to your visits." He hugged me then and gave me a light squeeze. "Anything you need, you know where to find me." I hugged him back and nodded against his shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad. Really."

As I said this, I heard the crunch of gravel outside as Jacob's Rabbit pulled up alongside the house. I saw him through the window, grinning at me as he honked his horn.

"Doesn't anyone come to the door anymore?" Charlie grumbled as he let me go and waved at Jacob through the window. I frowned as I thought of the exact person who would have indeed come to the door.

"It's fine, Dad," I said, forcing a laugh. I grabbed my coat from the back of the chair and shrugged it on, flipping up my hood as I glanced at the onslaught of rain now steadily drumming against the window. "I won't be gone too late," I said and waved as I turned to leave.

"Just be careful of the storm!" He called as I let the front door slam behind me.

I bent my head as I ran to Jake's card, trying to avoid getting soaked. He leaned over from the driver's side and opened the door for me. As I hopped in, he laughed, the sound deep in his chest. I glanced at him, surprised at how different he seemed each time I saw him.

"I was worried you might slip or something," he said, laughing still. "You're not too good on your feet even when the ground is drive." I rolled my eyes and buckled my seat belt.

"Ha-ha," I said dryly. "I've heard that one before – you need some new content." I smirked at him as he shifted the card and started towards the reservation.

"I'll get on it," he replied. It fell silent for a minute and there was nothing between us but the sound of the rain hitting the windshield in large droplets. I shifted to see Jacob clearly.

"So," I started. "What are we doing tonight? I assume there's no bonfire." I gestured to the storm outside, and Jacob laughed in agreement.

"Nope. No fire," he agreed. "I thought maybe we could just hang out, you know? Who knows when you'll be here again? College girl." He grinned at me.

"You're right – college. I'm probably too old for you to be hanging out with." I had meant for it to sound like a joke, but it came out sounding darker than I intended. Jacob groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Bella. You should be excited about this. College will be awesome. Think of the freedom."

I paused for a moment and considered it. It would be different, just living with Angela. She had also gotten into the community college. I had thought she may have loftier goals - something Ivy League - considering how seriously she took high school. But I had forgotten how close she was to her family – and then there was also Ben, who had probably impacted her decision the most. He was taking on a family business endeavour in Olympia with an uncle. Even though we were roommates right now, I knew I'd need to explore options after my first year; Ben had asked Angela to move in with him once he had saved up enough.

Freedom. Freedom from … from what? I supposed it would be nice to have freedom from Charlie, but he never infringed on my rights unless I really deserved it. I tried to consider getting out of Forks as a freedom, but as I no longer felt trapped in the small town, I only really felt a dull ache at the thought of leaving. I couldn't really find a reason to be enthused at thought of "newfound freedom". I had grown up mostly independent, so there was no stress there. I consider the fact that I already had a lot of freedom – even more so over the last year. I frowned at the rain outside. I wasn't even sure I liked how much freedom I had lately.

Of course, I knew there were threats. I knew, deep down, that it was dangerous for a human like myself to be involved with so much fantasy. I glanced at Jake as he continued to grin at me. This boy that seemed so human to me all the time, who understood the most human emotions and struggles, was even a danger in the seat next to me.

And then there was him. But not just him – there were others. Like Laurent, who had come so close recently on the orders of Victoria. I understood that while I felt free, there were forces at be that threatened this freedom. I looked at Jacob as I thought about this, grateful for once that my life seemed as abnormal as it ever could be. I was grateful for the reminder that he was – he was something that shouldn't be real, but it was. He was a tangible proof that He had been real. He had, at one point, existed in the same space and still did, somewhere. Jacob was proof that I hadn't deluded myself into some fantasy. Even though He no longer existed where I did, the very idea that He was just real had become enough for me.

"You're right," I sighed. "I do think I'll enjoy it. At least I'll have Angela and Ben." I grinned. Angela had become a very close friend in recent months. When I had tried to integrate myself back into my friend group, Jessica had made it difficult. I could admit that I had acted recklessly on our movie night, but I had forgiven myself purely because Jessica just didn't understand. At the same time, I didn't blame the cold shoulder I had gotten for the rest of high school.

Angel had become a constant in my life. She was a kind friend and someone that I relied on. Combined, Angela and Jacob had pulled me through when I realized that things were never going to go back to normal. Angela had taken to organizing Friday night movies at her place, which usually ended in a sleep over, something I had never experienced much even in Arizona. She invited me for study sessions after school to help restore my good grades and had even suggested I learn a hobby to occupy my time at home. She had taught me how to crochet and I was surprised at how well this could occupy my thoughts.

It was a good distraction. Everyone around me had done their part in thoroughly distracting me to the point where I felt I could stand again. It was usually when I was alone that I felt the gaping hole in my chest throb. Smaller now, but it still held its terrible grip over me, threatening to burst open whenever I had too much time to think. Jacob's voice brought me back to the car.

"She's a good friend for you, Bella." He turned onto the reservation now and winked at me. "We're all good for you." I smiled at him lightly punched his arm.

"Sure, sure," I said as he pulled into a small dirt parking lot. In front of us, Sam, Leah, Seth, and the rest of the pack smiled at waved from an open garage door. Through the rain and light thunder, I could hear the pounding of music. Some had drinks in their hands, and some – like Seth – had a large helping of snacks.

"We took the party inside," Jacob said. "You don't think we'd let you go without saying goodbye, do you?"

"Jake!" I laughed as we got out of the car. When we got into the open detached garage, I felt overwhelmed with the warmth from all of them. Outside, the wind and rain were chilly in the late August air. But inside, the pack acted as their own heater.

"Congratulations, Bella!" Emily approached and threw her arms around me, smiling widely. "You're going to have such a good time when you get there. But don't think you can just forget about us…."

I was swept up into a large group conversation, and the party commenced. The boys were wild as ever, howling along with the music. I couldn't believe how much food Emily had cooked up. "Enough to feed a pack of wolves," she said, grinning at our private joke. Outside, the thunder was barely audible over the din of the gathering and for a moment, I found that I felt content for the first time in a long time. As I looked around my group of friends – the people that had welcomed me into their lives even though I had fraternized with their enemy – and felt an overwhelming sense of appreciation for them and all they had done for me. I felt the hole inside grow a little smaller, my chest feeling warm.

As the night continued, people slowly started to settle down. The music slowed and switched to a quieter, folk genre that lilted through the air. Instead of dancing and fooling around, everyone had taken their places in the circles of camping chairs set up. Sam had taken to telling old legends and stories. I listened closely, captivated by his storytelling and the intrigue brought by the tales. I hadn't even noticed when I had slumped against Jacob as the night grew old, falling asleep. I only woke when I felt him strapping me into his car, having carried me away from the party.

"Wha-hey!" I protested, trying to undo the buckle. "I wasn't ready to go."

"Bella, you were passed out," Jacob laughed. And pointed to the rest of the group. Emily and Same leaned on each other, resting their eyes while the rest talked quietly amongst themselves.

"Everyone will go home soon, anyway," Jacob carried on.

Jacob drove me home and stopped in my driveway. He walked me to my doorstep and then turned to me.

"Well, don't be a stranger, Bella," he said. "Really. Come back and visit."

"I will, don't be dumb," I said, shoving him playfully. He shook his head at me, grinning.

"Well, I just want to make sure you don't forget about us with all your cool college friends." I sighed and shook my head.

"I have to come and check on Charlie at some point," I said. "I'll be back, don't worry."

"Will you write to me, Bella?" Jacob asked dramatically, his arm outstretched like a damsel in an old romance film, his other fist against his chest. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"Every day," I said, playing along.

"Thank God," Jacob said.

"I'll visit at least once a month," I said seriously. "And then there's Thanksgiving, and Christmas…." I trailed off, looking past Jake's shoulder as the ever-growing passage of time dawned on me again. Another Thanksgiving. Another Christmas. All without…. I shook my head. Fresh start, Bella, I tried to remind myself.

"Well, as long as you come hang out when you're here, I'll be as happy as a dog." Jacob grinned too widely at his joke, but I laughed in spite of myself. I was still feeling the fuzzy, warm glow of my goodbye party.

"You can count on it," I said. Jacob smiled and opened his arms. I went into them and relished in the warmth against the cold, wet air.

"Bye Bells," he said and ruffled my hair gently. As we pulled away, Jacob's face hovered close to mine for a second before he pulled back automatically. I almost frowned, remembering the multiple conversations we had had about our friendship being purely platonic.

"Bye Jake," I said. I awkwardly let go and then grabbed the front door handle. Don't mess up a good night, please, Jacob, I begged in my head. I wasn't sure that the hole was small enough for anyone else to fill its place, yet.

As I entered the house, I turned to watch Jacob walk to his car and driveway. Once inside, I hung up my jacket and climbed the stairs to my room. Though I knew this was no permanent goodbye, I couldn't help looking around the small space somewhat sadly. I began saying a mental goodbye – in part to the coziness of my bedroom I had come to appreciate, and to the memories that clung to the walls like dust.

Sitting on my bed, I glanced around. The closet door stood open, revealing my unorganized ways that I usually tried to hide from the world. I remembered how, months ago, I refused to leave the closet open. I could remember all too clearly the way He had left it slightly ajar whenever hiding from Charlie. How I'd wake, screaming, convinced he was still there, in the depths of night that hung across my room. I shivered as I recalled my night terrors – how frequently they involved Edward, but not the same kind and concerned one I knew so well. This one was different. In my dreams, he was ravenous and wild, his eyes a scorching black that always gave way to a bright angry crimson. Every time, his calm and charming demeanour changed, and he looked angry. This Edward scared me – truly. The only time I had felt fear in his presence was when I was never truly with him at all. He would descend upon me, in his meadow. The shining sun that glinted off his skin would hide behind the clouds. The surrounding forest, which was usually comforting to me, caged me in as Edward would crouch into his hunting stance. I imagined this was the version of himself he had feared in real life, thirsty and unrelenting as he would pin me down against the forest floor – a hunter and his prey. I was always all too willing, wishing I could believe this Edward was my Edward. I'd watch, paralyzed as his unruly auburn hair morphed with the rest of him to form vibrant ginger curls. Almost always did this dream end with Victoria sinking her teeth into the skin at my neck, my scream filling my head as she laughed and laughed.

A crack of thunder outside my house made me jump and I crossed the room to slam the closet door shut. I shuddered and shook my head.

"You're okay," I whispered to myself. I knew Jacob and his pack were always on high alert for Victoria. They could tell if there was a vampire in Forks just by the smell. Right now, they were confident I would be safe. Jacob claimed them killing Laurent had scared her off for some time. I hugged my arms as the cool stormy wind wafted towards me, reminding me I had left my window open. This too, had become a bad habit since that day in September. Despite my best efforts at proving to myself, and others, that I was better – that I was healing – there was a tiny piece inside me that held onto the hope. I had always left my window cracked. Just in case, I had always told myself, knowing more each day I woke to my empty room that I was fooling myself. Each night, the window closed a little more each time.

Tonight, I glared in its direction as it taunted me. I had been so sure that the small part inside of me that hoped would win, that someday I would wake and the rocking chair in the corner wouldn't stand empty. How I had dreamed, amongst my night terrors, of Edward's crooked smile meeting my eyes when I would wake.

I had stopped checking the rocking chair in the mornings weeks ago. Despite my stubborn nature, I decided that Charlie and Angela and Jacob were right. I was only making things harder on myself. I knew I needed to be honest with myself. In the past two months since graduation, I had felt a peculiar sense of resentment. It had taken my a while to figure out who I resented, exactly. For a long time, I thought it was even myself. I had cursed my human existence for thwarting the one thing in my life that I felt gave it meaning. And when I felt that it was meaningless, I had truly hated what I was. A human. Just a small, fragile human who caused too many issues for those superior. It was the sudden realization that Edward would have hated these thoughts that allowed me to dispel them finally, and it was there that I figured it out. I did resent Edward, in the tiniest bit. For leaving me because of what he was. For taking himself, my happiness, away from me. For the dreams. For the ache in my heart and the gaping hole he had ripped into my chest. It took me a long time to understand that I was angry at him. I knew, though doubtful if I ever saw him again, I would make this his problem.

I sighed and pushed the raging emotions I suddenly felt back into their hole where they stayed put, neatly tucked inside. I glanced at the clock on my night table and resigned myself to the need to sleep. I would be leaving with Angela in a mere six hours.

A fresh start, I chanted in my head as I drifted off to sleep. This became my mantra as I tried to convince myself leaving Forks wasn't a mistake. After all, I wasn't going far….

I drifted into a sound sleep. It felt as though this was the first I had had in many nights. If I dreamed, I didn't remember.

Angela had been right on time the next morning, her mom's SUV parked behind her car, filled with everything she was bringing. Of course, there was room enough for my things, but it was a miracle I packed so light. We had started our three-hour journey to Olympia feeling light and optimistic. I had enjoyed the drive – it reminded me of road trips with Renee, which were always nice to remember. Angela had curated a collection of the best 90s and current pop hits for us to listen to and she talked endlessly about her hopes for the next year of school. She had also reminded me of why I was going and that I better have intentions of having the greatest first year of college ever "You better not disappoint me, Bella Swan!" she had said, laughing.

Angela's mom was extremely helpful when unpacking our things. Angela and I had made sure we would get a shared residence on campus together. Angela had suggested it would make the transition easier to make sure we were together. With glee, she had pointed out how we had even scored a small, extra room if anyone ever needed to stay. The third girl that was supposed to be rooming with us had abruptly been unable to attend college, though neither of us were informed of why.

We took to settling in together by ordering pizza for our first dinner in our dorm. Angela had already begun unpacking her favourite pictures and posters and began decorating her room. I thought, as I watched her, that I should really invest in some decorative art for my own walls. For now, the mountain of books I had brought with me would have suffice. They filled the small bookcase the college provided adequately. The following first few days were spent venturing out into the city, exploring the campus as much as we could, and getting comfortable in our new surroundings. It was the night before our first "official" day as college students – as Angela liked to call it – that she came bursting into my room.

"Well, we have our first day tomorrow!" Angela had said excitedly later in the evening. I was already in my pjs, sitting on my bed and trying to read to pass some time when she bounded in.

"Are you excited?" She almost squealed, clasping her hands together and she plopped onto my bed.

"I think so?" She laughed at my question, and I grinned at her. "I thought this was a community college – the campus building looks huge."

"I know," she whispered. "But I have a map for each of us. And tomorrow is just orientation day anyway," she said, shrugging. "So, it shouldn't really be that bad." I nodded my agreement.

"I'll have to get one of those from you."

"Sure," she said. "We can just start together tomorrow and go from there. Classes don't start until Tuesday, anyway."

"That reminds me," I said suddenly, closing my book and standing up. "I need to look at my schedule again. I can't remember what classes I have on Tuesday, and I want to get my books tomorrow."

"You're ahead of me," Angela laughed. "You must be excited!"

"Good to be prepared," I said, shrugging. In truth, I did feel a bit nervous. When I had started as a new student in Forks, I hadn't felt that nervous at all. For some reason, the large college building and thousands of other students had been buzzing. It felt like a mix of nerves and excitement – and disbelief that I had really made it here. The past few days had been busy settling from the move that it had kept me well distracted.

I grabbed my laptop from the top of desk and opened it. Angela had gone to get one of the large, folded campus maps and had returned, busying herself by marking off all the locations she needed to find the next day. I opened the internet browser and logged into my email, prepared to sift through ones I had already received weeks ago to see the attached document that would be my schedule. I noticed that I had a few unread emails and attended to them first. One was from Charlie – surprisingly. Usually, he would just call me on the cell phone he had given me shortly after He had left. Charlie's excuse was that I could call him if I ever got lost in the woods again. It had come with an extra can of pepper spray and an offer of a gun lesson.

Charlie's email confessed that he was just trying his hand it and suggested that he should get used to using it since his own daughter was in college now. I grinned and typed a reply back to him, but reminded me he wrote too many police reports at work and just calling would be a good break for his eyes. I had an email from Renee, which gave me a general update on Phil's ball training and the new teaching position she had scored. I was glad to know things were going well for her and joked that decided to complete an English degree probably meant I would follow in her career footsteps. I reminded her that she could also call anytime – but provided my class schedule to give her some boundaries.

When I was finished replying to my parents, I went through other emails I had. Most were spam, but there was one from the college registration that stood out. I read the subject line:

Impending Changes to ENGL 2201.

Frowning, I hovered my mouse over the bolded, unread email. The class code was for my intro-level Gothic Literature class, one that I had greatly been looking forward to. For a split second, I worried that the class was completely changed, or even cancelled.

"Great," I muttered as I clicked into the email. Angela looked up from her map.

"What's wrong?"

"I just got an email about my gothic lit class," I said. "It looks like something's been changed."

I skimmed the email and then read it more thoroughly once I relaxed. The class wasn't cancelled, thankfully. There had been a staffing issue over the summer and the original professor, a someone named M. Scheer, was no longer able to take on the class. There was a brief explanation that "unforeseen circumstances" had limited his course load. The email further explained that a new professor would be taking over, but the class would no longer start on Tuesday, but rather Wednesday to accommodate the new professor, who had provided additional times for the same class had the new schedule not been fitting for some.

"They just changed the instructor," I explained to Angela as I continued to read the information. There were instructions on how to go about switching classes if it was necessary, and that the same course would be offered in the Winter semester to accommodate anyone who could not meet the new schedule change. Thankfully, my schedule allowed for the change. "No concern there, I guess-"

"Bella?" My words had trailed off, alerting to Angela that there may actually be some concern.

And there was, but I couldn't explain it.

I frowned at the name typed out at the end of the email, informing me who the new professor would be. The familiarity of the name stirred something inside me, but I couldn't place what it was. Surely, it was just a common last name I had encountered. But it was the first initial that had my stomach uneasy and churning. The last two sentences in the email suddenly did not sit well with me.

We appreciate your understanding with this sudden change. If there is any confusion, do not hesitate to contact Admissions or Registration with your questions. Please enjoy your first week of classes and join Olympia College in welcoming a new, first-year professor: E. Masen.

A/N: Forgive me. I believe it would be about 2006 when Bella graduated and would have gone to college. I was literally 10 years old in 2006, so I honestly can't remember if you could log into a college website to check a schedule back then like you can these days. *Shrugs*. I just assumed it could have been sent in an email! And apologies for what was my attempt at a cliff hanger…. I hope you all enjoyed and look forward to the next bit on Wednesday…. Lots of love!