My aunt had picked me up from school, it was agreed upon that she would drop me off and then we would leave right as the last bell rang.

She drove faster than anyone I had known, so we made it to Port Angeles by four. We talked about what we were going to get, she had plans to take up shop at a dress store and had given me free reign to do what I needed as long as I returned by dark or called her to let her know where I was.

Port Angeles was a beautiful little tourist trap, much more polished and quainter than Forks. My aunt drove straight to the one big department store in town, which was a few streets in from the bay area's visitor-friendly face.

Igot out of the car, making sure both my wallet and cellphone were in mybackpack before making the walk to the library.

The library was much like other building in town, small and old. But that was okay because what I was looking for was also old. Thankfully no one was here, so I had free reign to use the microforms.

The search was long, and I must have searched through hundreds of articles, but I stopped when I found one.

'Miracle Doctor'

It was an article about a new family, the Cullen's. They arrived after the great depression and the Doctor, Carlisle Cullen, took it upon himself to help even the poorest of families, helping with the plummeting death rates.

With the article was a picture, a damning one.

It was of Carlisle, not just the name but the face. But it wasn't just Carlisle, there were pictures of his family. Wife, Brother, and two children.

Esme, Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie.

Shaking my head, I printed the file before searching for another. Emmett McCarthy was indeed Emmett Cullen. Disappeared when hunting. Rosalie Hale, socialite, disappeared before her wedding. No one knew where or why, but there was a lot of skepticism. I didn't need to search more; I had already confirmed it.

All of it.

After getting my newspaper printings and shoving them into my backpack I went to the bookstore, I knew there would be books on the old legends, I could definitely find out more. The windows were full of crystals, dreamcatchers, and books about spiritual healing.

After a few minutes inside the store, I had two books, one on the old legends and one on the spirits. I wanted to seem inconspicuous, just a kid learning more. The cashier was a fifty-year-old woman with long, gray hair worn straight down her back, clad in a dress right out of the sixties, smiling welcomingly from behind the counter.

I made small talk, trying not to let on the fact that I was certain there were Vampires living in Forks.

I walked out of the bookstore just in time to run into Bella, literally.

"Sorry" I replied helping her stand "didn't see you there"

"that's okay, it's nice to not be the person running into someone else"

I chuckled "I could see how that could be something uplifting" I paused looking at her for a moment "what are you doing out here?"

"oh, I was dress shopping with Angela and Jess, then I decided to go to the bookstore." She glanced behind me, a grimace appearing on her face. I looked back and understood her response.

The woman was someone I could handle but for someone socially awkward like Bella, it would be too much. "there's another small bookshop, this one is more spiritual healing and Native Legends" I replied. "I can show you"

"I don't want to impose"

"trust me, my aunt is shopping for a dress, she won't be done for a while."

"So...?" Bella began "you just come down to help your aunt?"

I laughed "no, I went to the library"

"is it any good?"

I shook my head "not much better than Forks, but it has microforms." I glanced at her to see confusion "old newspaper machines. I had some... things I needed to print" I omitted; I didn't want to lead her to the same train of thought I was in.

I began leading Bella the right way, meandered through the streets, which were filling up with end-of-the-workday traffic. I tried to fill the silence, asking about how she handled all the guys asking her out.

"it's not too bad"

I raised an eyebrow, concealing a smirk.

"okay, it's bad... I'm thinking of running Tyler over with my truck so that we'll be even, and he'll stop"

I shook my head "that sucks"

"how'd you get out of it? I mean you don't seem to have the same kind of issues with the guys... and look at you" she gestured to me.

I shrugged, not really ready to divulge that secret "I don't know... none of them have asked. Maybe they're too intimidated by my mom" I joked. Bella chuckled.

"wish they were intimidated by Charlie"

"ha... he is the least intimidating person I've met." She nodded with me a small smile on her lips, it was clear she wasn't really into the conversation. I wondered if she too figured it out... if Jacob told her, if so it was probably good thing I was leading her away from the only store with a book that could give her the answers.

Actually, I bought the last book, so it wouldn't have done her any good.

I should have known to pay more attention; I should have paid better attention. But I was too busy trying to get Bella to talk and she was too busy thinking to talk much let alone pay attention.

I led us in a southerly direction, toward some glass-fronted shops, then turned us around a corner. I was going in the wrong direction, but I knew we could circle back, just needed to turn the next corner.

A group of four men turned around the corner we were heading for, dressed too casually to be heading home from the office, but they were too grimy to be tourists. As they approached me, I realized they weren't too many years older than I was. They were joking loudly among themselves, laughing raucously, and punching each other's arms. I stood on the outside putting Bella on the right side and scooted as far to the inside of the sidewalk as we could to give them room, walking swiftly, looking past them to the corner.

"Hey, there!" one of them called as they passed, and he had to be talking to Bella and I since no one else was around. I glanced up automatically. Two of them had paused, the other two were slowing.

The closest, a heavyset, dark-haired man in his early twenties, seemed to be the one who had spoken. He was wearing a flannel shirt open over a dirty t-shirt, cut-off jeans, and sandals. He took half a step toward us. I grabbed Bella's wrist the moment she replied.

"Hello," she mumbled, then look down quickly. I pulled her along with me, trying to get her to move as fast as possible while still not falling. I could hear them laughing at full volume behind us.

"Hey, wait!" one of them called after us again, but I kept my head down and rounded the corner with a sigh of relief. I could still hear them chortling behind us.

I found myself on a sidewalk leading past the backs of several somber-colored warehouses, each with large bay doors for unloading trucks, padlocked for the night. The south side of the street had no sidewalk, only a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire protecting some kind of engine parts storage yard.

I'd wandered far past the part of Port Angeles that I, as a guest, was intended to see. Far past where I had ever hoped to end up or knew how to get back.

It was getting dark, I realized, the clouds finally returning, piling up on the western horizon, creating an early sunset. The eastern sky was still clear, but graying, shot through with streaks of pink and orange. I'd left my jacket in the car, and a sudden shiver made me cross my arms tightly across my chest. I was cursing the fact that I was wearing a tank top and joggers. A single van passed, and then the road was empty.

I kept walking straight ahead but paused when Bella grabbed my wrist giving it a squeeze. I followed her line of sight and saw, with shock, that two men were walking quietly twenty feet behind us.

They were from the same group we'd passed at the corner, though neither was the dark one who'd spoken to me. I turned my head forward at once, quickening my pace.

A chill that had nothing to do with the weather made me shiver again. Briefly I wondered what the men could want but thought that was stupid. They weren't planning on robbing us, there was no guarantee we would have anything worthwhile, not for a group of men.

If it had been one or two, I would have believed it, I'd heard too many stories, watched to many real crime to not have any inclination of what these men wanted. I wanted to vomit at the thought, but right now getting Bella and I to safety was the most important thing. Or at the very least keeping Bella safe, this was my fault, I led her down this way.

I listened intently to their quiet footsteps, which were much too quiet when compared to the boisterous noise they'd been making earlier, and it didn't sound like they were speeding up, or getting any closer. Breathe, I had to remind myself. You don't know they're following you. I continued to walk as quickly as I could without actually running, focusing on the right-hand turn that was only a few yards away from us now.

I could hear them, staying as far back as they'd been before. A blue car turned onto the street from the south and drove quickly past me. I thought of jumping out in front of it, but I hesitated, inhibited, unsure that we were really being pursued, it could have been a coincidence, we were heading to the center of town.

And then it was too late.

I reached the corner, but a swift glance revealed that it was only a blind drive to the back of another building. No, I thought. In my haste to get away from the men I backed Bella and I into a corner.

I was half-turned in anticipation; I had to hurriedly correct and dash across the narrow drive, back to the sidewalk. The street ended at the next corner, where there was a stop sign. I concentrated on the faint footsteps behind me, deciding whether or not to run. They sounded farther back, though, and I knew they could outrun us in any case.

And I wasn't sure if I could trust Bella not to fall.

The footfalls were definitely farther back. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder, and they were maybe forty feet back now, I saw with relief. But they were both staring at us.

It seemed to take forever for us to get to the corner. I kept our pace steady, the men behind us falling ever so slightly farther behind with every step. Maybe they realized they had scared us and were sorry. I saw two cars going north pass the intersection we were heading for, and I exhaled in relief.

Finally, I was able to get us back on track.

There would be more people around once we got off this deserted street. Bella skipped around the corner with a grateful sigh. And skidded to a stop. Causing me to bump into her.

The street was lined on both sides by blank, doorless, windowless walls. I could see in the distance, two intersections down, streetlamps, cars, and more pedestrians, but they were all too far away.

Because lounging against the western building, midway down the street, were the other two men from the group, both watching with excited smiles as Bella, and I froze dead on the sidewalk.

I realized then that we weren't being followed. We were being herded. I paused for only a second, but it felt like a very long time. I turned grabbing Bella's hand and tried to dart to the other side of the road. I had a sinking feeling that it was a wasted attempt.

The footsteps behind us were louder now.

"There you are!" The booming voice of the stocky, dark-haired man shattered the intense quiet and made me jump. In the gathering darkness, it seemed like he was looking past me.

"We just took a little detour."

"Yeah," a voice called loudly from behind me, making me jump again as I tried to hurry down the street. Bella and I were matching each other's pace, Bella's hand was clutching onto my wrist. Our steps had to slow now, we were closing the distance between us and the lounging pair too quickly. I watched Bella, in a quick movement, slip the strap of her purse over her head.

The thickset man shrugged away from the wall, as we warily came to a stop, and walked slowly into the street, effectively blocking our path.

"Stay away from me," Bella warned in a voice that was, what I thought was supposed to sound strong and fearless. But it came out meek.

"Don't be like that, sugar," he called, and the raucous laughter started again behind me. I pushed Bella back behind me and tried to think of everything I could remember from fighting with the boys on the reservation. How many times had Sam tried to teach me how to defend myself... How could that just go out the window the moment I needed it the most.

The men got closer, too close I could smell the alcohol on their breath. I took a chance, the only option I had. I threw my left hand out and punched the guy closest to me.

Obviously, I punched him hard enough to hurt my hand, god it felt like it was broken. In the instance of confusion, I tried pushing Bella away so that we could run but the moment we moved one of the guys grabbed my wrist (the one I thought was broken) and shoved me against the wall. Bella unfortunately didn't get very far either.

The man I punched was looking down at me in a predatory way "you shouldn't have done that"

The man got closer, his body pinning me against the wall. I turned my head to look at Bella who wasn't fairing much better than I.

Headlights suddenly flew around the corner, the car almost hitting the stocky one, forcing him to jump back toward the sidewalk. Bella dove into the road, while the men who had cornered me looked on in shock. The car unexpectedly fishtailed around them nearly hitting the men surrounding me.

"Get in," a furious voice commanded. I watched Bella lunged for the door, I was weary but the moment I saw Edward behind the wheel I trusted him. At least far more than I trusted these men. Edward got out of the car and moved the seat for me to get into the back. I wasn't paying attention to what Edward was doing but I was feeling relieved in the safety of the car.

The tires squealed as he spun around to face north, accelerating too quickly, swerving toward the stunned men on the street. I caught a glimpse of them diving for the sidewalk as we straightened out and sped toward the harbor.

"Put on your seat belt," he commanded, and I realized I was clutching the seat. He took a sharp left, racing forward, blowing through several stop signs without a pause.

As the adrenaline started wearing off, I could feel the pain in my wrist and thumb. I couldn't pay attention to where we are going or to what Bella and Edward were talking about. I hadn't even realized they asked me something until I felt the car come to a sudden stop.

"Alex?" Bella asked, "are you okay?"

Taking a breath, I looked around "yeah, yeah nothing too bad, I'll be okay" I glanced at the clock on the dashboard, it was past 6:30 "my aunt's going to be worried." I quickly dug through my phone to see if she had texted, to my relief she hadn't, so I hope she got caught up in shopping.

Edward started the engine without another word, turning around smoothly and speeding back toward town. We were under the streetlights in no time at all, going too fast, weaving with ease through the cars slowly cruising the boardwalk. He parallel-parked against the curb in a space I would have thought much too small for the Volvo, but he slid in effortlessly in one try. I looked out the window to see Jess and Angela just leaving, pacing anxiously away from us. I looked over towards the department store where my aunts car was still parked. Thankful she was still there.

The three of us got out of the car, albeit a little wobbly on my part. But in my small lack of balance, I felt Edwards hand grab my arm gently.

I tried not to freak out, I really did. But the recent run in and the freezing cold hand caused me to involuntarily flinch.

"I think you should eat; you're going into shock" he replied. I shook my head and looked to see my aunt looking at me, she looked a little frantic. Great, I thought. I guess she was looking for me.

"no that's okay, I'll be with my aunt"

Edward looked over before back at me "just make sure you eat something"

I nodded "yeah," then I began walking to my aunt, but stopped and turned towards Edward "thanks... for, you know."

Once I got close to the car my aunt descended upon me "where have you been? I was worried sick"

I grimaced when I thought about it, then looked down at my hand. I knew I couldn't keep it a secret, my thumb was at the very least dislocated. "can we talk about it in the car? Where it's warm?" I asked a shiver running up my spine. Edward was right, I was going into shock, who wouldn't be, I was nearly... I couldn't even say the word.

My aunt looked me over and could immediately tell something was up, I saw her glance over towards Edward, I wish I could tell what she was thinking. "please?" I asked again, trying to get her to leave Port Angeles.

I didn't want to be here.