My father followed me out after the meeting ended, hot on my heels like I knew he would be. 

Sam gave me a concerned look before he took off into the night, most likely to find my sister.

I took a deep breath before turning to my dad. "I'll be fine." I assured him before he could say anything. Frankly he looked like he was fixing to be sick. I took his hand in mine and squeezed. "It's not an ideal situation, but I can handle this." I tried not to let my anxiousness show. I was both nervous at the unknown and liberated.

"I know you can but that doesn't make it any easier to accept. I don't like you being alone there with them."

"Don't worry so much. I doubt if the Cullen's are going to attack someone that they will do it in broad daylight in front of the entire school as a witness. I'll be safe. Besides, I don't plan on getting close, I'm just observing and I can do that from afar."

My dad swung our interlocked hands between us as we walked the short distance home. "I'm glad you are so sure about this. I'm not nearly as convinced." But he had agreed. 

I wasn't either but I didn't want him to know that. I wanted this chance to make decisions for myself where I wasn't ruled by Elders and Alpha's or supernatural rules and legends that dictated my life when I didn't even believe in them. Forks offered me freedom to just be me, to be Bella and not a freak of nature, female werewolf that didn't really fit in.

Was this dangerous? Sure, but that wasn't going to stop me.

The front door ricocheted off the front of the house as it was thrown open. My fifteen year old brother came barreling out. "Seth!" My mother scolded.

"Is it true? " Seth huffed, out of breath. My brows raised in confusion. "You're not going to school on the Res this year." 

I crossed my arms. Man, word traveled fast. Sam had probably told Leah when he raced out of the meeting minutes ago and Seth had overheard. 

"Seth....." I breathed. 

"You promised. You said we would be attending school together. It's my first year of high school. You were going to show me around like Leah did for you. It's tradition." Crap, I had said that. Leah had shown me around my first day of high school and I had promised to Seth to do the same because I could tell he was nervous about it. I had been too.

And with how upset he was now, it was obvious he was relying on us attending together, had even been looking forward to it. My dad watched on with a calculated expression.

Seth was my baby brother. I adored him, except when we were annoying one another, which was all the time. I mean, what are siblings for if not to get on your nerves.

I nodded. "You're right. I did promise that. I'm sorry. I completely forgot." And I did feel awful about it. Especially when his cheeks flushed showing how upset he was. His reddish brown hair looked like flames under the moonlight. 

I was protective of him because I worried the wolf gene in his blood would ignite damning him to this life like me. He hadn't shown any signs yet but the worry over it ate at me. And since I turned I had been pretty busy training or patrolling. I had been selfish, lost in my own turmoil over what I had become that I hadn't spent as much time with Seth. I missed riding our dirt bikes on the weekends together or kicking his but at video games.

I missed being normal. And now I was going to miss his first day of High School after I promised I would be there with him.

This night just got worse and worse.

"So, that's it I guess." He whispered, digging his bare foot into the grass. 

I cleared my throat to clear the emotion but my dad spoke up before I could. "Well actually...." He paused gaining our attention. "He could go with...." I cut him off in a panic. He could not be insinuating what I thought he was.

"Don't even think about it." I screeched as my dad walked toward the front door. A stumped Seth struggled to keep pace with us. How could you say that?" The anxiety was evident in my tone.

"What about the danger?" I asked. My dad turned fully to face me now.

"I thought you said it would all be fine. If it is not too dangerous for you to go to school there, then it is not too dangerous for him. Besides, I feel a whole lot better about this now. The two of you will have each other to look after one another. I'll go make the arrangements. " He winked at me. "I have connections." He teased. I bet. Being the Chief of Police did have its perks.

As my dad stepped inside I saw his ashen face warm up with color. He was feeling remarkably better but now I was the one who felt sick to my stomach.

I turned to my brother who stood beside me looking as confused as I felt about what just transpired. 

"So, how do you feel about Forks High?" I asked.

Seth paused to stare at me for a minute before he smiled.

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I was full of worry for my first day, or should I say our first day. Seth was ecstatic. And seemed to share my early on excitement to get off the Res even if it was only to go to school. It was a chance at something different and to see how the other people lived, you know the normal ones.

My excitement had dimmed some. Now the day had arrived and my confidence had shattered. I was worried for Seth and that this was putting him in danger. I was worried my self control wasn't going to be strong enough or worse, that Seth's wolf gene would activate and expose us.

I was worried what it would be like meeting the Cullen's. I had nothing to go by on what they were like. I had never met a vampire and the mystery of the unknown stressed me out more.

What would I think of them? What would they think of me? Would they catch my scent and know what I was. What I was there for? What would they do to Seth?

The only thing that eased my anxiety for him was knowing he would not have any classes with them as they were not in his grade. It was a small thing but I clutched onto the relief I felt like a lifeline.

I was up early. I couldn't sleep. My mom was already in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Good morning honey," My mom kissed my forehead as she handed me a plate of pancakes.

She was already dressed and ready for work. It was her first day too. She was going to be working at the hospital. I could see her buzzing with excitement and she deserved it. It looked like both of us had sought after new horizons that weren't here at Lapush beach.

I went to the coffee pot to pour myself a cup.

"Since when do you drink coffee?" My dad asked as he entered in his police uniform, dressed and ready to go.

"Since today." I said sitting down at the table. "Trust me, I need the caffeine." He looked at me for a long second before nodding.

"I don't think I need to tell you that you need to be careful today." He didn't but only because he had been telling it to me every second over the weekend.

I shook my head. "I know what I am doing." I assured. Lord, I hoped so.

I could see worry crinkle around my mother's eyes as she watched on. The same worry mirrored in my dad's eyes.

He huffed. "I am driving your mother to work so you can take her truck. This works better so you have transportation." Or something to escape in if needed was said unspoken between us.

"Have a good day sweetie. Make sure your brother eats before you leave." She said, squeezing my shoulder as she walked past.

My dad held open the door at her and spared me one last lingering look. "Be safe."

And with that I was alone with my thoughts and a still slumbering Seth. It would take the jaws of life to wake him.

My anxiety was getting the best of me alone in the silence. The worry of all the ways this could go wrong was potent in the air. In need of distraction I spent the next fifteen minutes trying to wake up Seth before going to get ready myself.

The car ride to school was quiet. The nerves gnawing at me the whole way through and Seth too I'm sure but for a different reason. As I pulled in amidst the full parking lot I realized we stuck out like a sore thumb. My mom's old beat up truck wasn't even in the same class as some of the rich and prestigious vehicles parked here. I saw a Volvo probably worth more than my home.

This was way different from school on the Res.

"Everyone is staring." Seth said.

I sighed. Unfortunately that was true. Great, we were supposed to blend in here but my truck was too old and Seth and I were too new to this school for them to let that happen.

Feeling flustered but not wanting to stress Seth out I smiled at him hoping my own worry wasn't etched into it. "Don't worry about it, they're curious because we are new. It will fade. You ready?" He nodded.

We got out and I met Seth at the back of the truck. Sure enough, everyone was staring, the entire school parking lot. Did they have to be so obvious about it?

I wanted to shrink inside myself at their gaze. Seth and I looked so different from them. Our skin was darker compared to their paleness. The Cullen's fit in well here and Seth and I did not.

This was a terrible idea.

I lightly bumped my shoulder into Seth's. "Come on," I gestured toward the front doors of the school. "Let's go get checked in." 

I could feel the stares even in the hallway caressing my back like an unwanted touch.

"So much for a fresh start." Seth grumbled.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I figured this was why you wanted to go to school off the Res was to get away from all this." He gestured around us. "All the stares." I looked on in confusion.

"You really didn't notice. Not even when I never brought my friends over to hang out. It's because they were obsessed with you..ugh..and Leah. I hated it." I held open the front office door for us to pass through. 

"I just assumed you never had any friends over because you didn't have any." He glared over his shoulder at me as I laughed at him.

As for the interest his friends or boys in general took to me. No I hadn't noticed because about that time my life was flipped upside down as I turned into a werewolf and the thought of boys, relationships, or flings went right out the window.

In a way Seth was right, this was a fresh start and I was going to milk it for all its worth.

Bidding a nervous Seth a quick goodbye and promising him I would see him at Lunch, I gave him a gentle nudge of encouragement in the direction of his first class as I went the other way toward mine. 

It was then that I saw them. All five of them. I gasped. My feet slowing beneath me. The vampires. And all of them had their eyes settled on me.

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