Nia rolled onto the other side of the bed and laid on her stomach. Even with her eyelids closed, the ridiculously bright light made her snuggle her face even more onto the pillow. It wasn't too soft that it would cost neck problems by the time she woke up, and it wasn't too hard that her head would feel like it was laying on metal. The pillow's firmness was just perfect, and so was the mattress. The blanket enveloping her body like a burrito was cold, so were her feet which were the only body parts exposed. Her toes wiggled a little. She smiled in her sleep. This was by far the best sleep Nia has ever had in her entire life, and she had a lot during her high school days. Maybe this is because she hadn't had a good night's sleep in the past couple of days, or this is just the sound of rain tapping on the roof seducing her to drift more into unconsciousness.

That is....

Wait.

The upper half of her body jolted up from the bed she once considered heaven. Where the hell am I? Her eyes scanned the unfamiliar room in a panic. Based on the slanting ceiling above her, it was noticeable that this bedroom was the attic. Two large windows on the ceiling or the roof drew natural lighting on her. Light brown wood were the walls of this room, it contrasted nicely with the green plants beside each side of the bed. Behind the bed was a whole wall dedicated to books. Nia looked at the collection in awe, looking at each title she noticed that they were her old books that should have been back at her dad's house. Odd, she furrowed her brows in confusion. She definitely has never been here before.

Her bare feet made contact with the cold wood as she stood up. She was stilling the same clothes she wore last night, she still wrapped the purple blanket around her to keep her warm. Before heading towards the wooden stairs leading to down, Nia walked towards the wall (which also was a gigantic window) and peered outside. There was no sign of civilization or any other buildings; it was all emerald green trees surrounding the house and a dark blue-green lake that was adjacent to the wooden A-framed house. It was so spectacular and so different from what Nia has seen in big lively London over the last two years. There were no crowds of people walking, no huge busses and cars honking and large skyscrapers in sight. But Nia shook any thoughts that had any hints of 'finally coming home'. She had a brand new life now, and she wasn't leaving from it.

The whole ground floor was exactly like the master bedroom which boasted the same rustic interior, except that this floor has a big wooden balcony. However, Nia did not wander off to it, the smell of freshly baked brownies lured her into the kitchen. The sounds of cabinets opening and footsteps pacing around the room made Nia's curiosity itch even more as she peered into the kitchen. Alas, the owner of the house was identified. Paul's back was maybe facing Nia, but she definitely remembered how he looked like even if he wasn't facing her. Her raced raised a little not knowing what to do. Should I cough to gain his attention? Smash a plate over his head? Hug him and say "Thank you for not letting me kill my dad. Sorry that I left you and your asshole-ish ways all those years ago?"  Nia chuckled at the last one. She danced with her right foot putting it one step closer to him, the moving back, then one step closer, then back. Her mind was at war whether she should approach the man who was placing the freshly baked goods in tupperwares. That's it, I have come to one logical and right conclusion, RUN! Nia's heels turned the opposite direction towards the living room until-and thank gosh for doing it so gracefully-she ran into a wall. The loud bang from her head colliding onto the hard surface made Paul turn back in surprise. He dropped what he was doing and ran by her side when she fell onto the floor.

"Aww!" She clutched her aching forehead.

"Nia, Nia are you okay?" Paul's worried voice filled her ears. Well, so much for discrete.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" She snapped.

He flinched a little not expecting the blow. "Sorry" he muttered as he helped her up. Their eyes met for a second until he looked down.

Damn it, now she felt guilty. "Hey um..thanks for last night. I don't know what I'd do if...if-" tears started brimming in her eyes as she imagined the continuous torment of regret if she actually killed her own father.

"-you don't have to finish that sentence." Paul stopped her. He placed his hand on top of hers in comfort, but she drew her hand back as fast as lightning. Another unintentional blow to Paul made the situation more awkward than it already has. Paul decided to switch the topic after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence had passed, "I made cookies while you were asleep." He got a tupperware from the counter and gave it to her.

Nia had her mouth open. Since when does Paul Lahote bake? But she stayed silent accepting the gift. "Thanks" she eyed the strange marking on his shoulder which she had never seen before. It looked like veins but it was a striking shade of violet. Paul noticed what she was looking at and adjusted his shirt to cover the mark.

He pulled out a chair, "I made breakfast while you were asleep."

"I'm not that hungry."

"Are you sure? Because the ba-"

"-Can you just bring me home." Nia didn't intend for her tone to sound sharp. But she bit her tongue from an apology. Paul's face fell, he drew the wooden chair back and got his car keys from the counter without saying another word.

The whole ride to forks was dead silent, but their thoughts were as loud as a lion's roar. Paul looked at Nia. A lot seemed to have changed over the years, from her clothes to her hair, and her sudden confidence. It killed him how much he had missed with her. He desperately wanted to hear her laugh again, see her smile and watch her eyes gleam as she used to stare at him before. What he would give just to touch her, and hug her again. Being a responsible driver, his eyes averted to the road. Things will never be the same.

Nia was scared of glancing at Paul who was driving, or even make contact with him. She still couldn't forgive him for cheating. Anger and sadness were still tearing her heart open. And she knows she shouldn't feel that because that meant......that meant....that meant that there are still certain feelings left unresolved. But no, she was in love with her boyfriend. Right? She wouldn't betray Nathan in any way (that is if he will take her back.) Nia was no longer looking at the tress but at Paul's reflection on the window. She inwardly sighed, things will never be the same.

Paul waited until she got out of the door to cry. Nia just left, closing the door shut before walking away without ever turning back and seeing his broken face. Paul drove away with tears flowing down his cheeks. He gripped the steering wheel (occasionally banging it) and pressed the accelerator. Paul felt so weak, so lost, so tortured without her. He could only compare this feeling to the night Nia left his life.

The rain. The lightning. The howls of pain.

Paul ran in through woods, the rain poured mercilessly on him. He was freezing, he had just phased into human form, so he was only wearing jeans. His bare feet stepped on the muddy ground and carried his way into the Swan property.

It was only a couple hours ago that he brought a drunken Julia Myers home, she confessed her feelings and kissed him passionately. Paul, however, didn't return the kiss. His mind only had one girl in mind. That was when he walked out of Julia's house realizing that he would do anything for Nia's happiness. He had been looking for his girl for hours now until he received a chilling phone call from Bella.

"NIA! NIA!" He banged furiously on the wooden door. "NIA!" He screamed from the top of his lungs. The mighty sound of rain and thunder made him barely audible to himself. He banged some more on the door before peering into the window. The house was dark, nobody was coming. His eyes squinted to shield himself from the hard rain as he looked up at her bedroom. Pitch black too. He was about to climb up, a thing he had done to get into her house so many times before, until, the door swung open. Charlie, who had woken up from his sleep because of the sound of banging now stood in front of the crying boy.

"What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night." He said to Paul. He noticed his puffy eyes, his face fell, "She didn't tell you didn't she?"

"Please tell me I wasn't too late Mr. Swan. Please tell me she hasn't left." He begged Charlie whose eyes wouldn't make eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry Paul...She boarded the plane two hours ago."

Paul's whole world turned upside down. A strong and painful pounding in his head started to make him feel dizzy. His feet felt shakey. He ran into the woods without uttering another word. Paul ran like there was no tomorrow. He didn't seem to care that his feet were bleeding because of the thorns he had stepped on. He felt himself phase into a wolf, he stopped at the edge of a cliff. Paul's chest rose and fell fastly staring at the deadly fall. A howl escaped his lips. People who lived nearby woke up to the sounds of a crying wolf. Thunder and lightning followed after, rain hit the crying wolf as he surrendered to his emotions of pain.