Anna's POV

I walk down the street to. . . actually, where am I?

I look around my surroundings and recognize the houses that are on both sides of the street that's covered in streetlight orange. . .

I'm in Seattle. . .

Looking down the street where I was raised, I see my old. . . home.

Not knowing the reason why, I walk towards the house that was, and sometimes still is, the nightmare of my life.

I stand at the edge of the lawn, still looking at the house. Looking up at the top, I see the attic room where I lived and survived through being abused in every sense of the word.

I still remember my constant pleadings for the Carters to stop hurting me, screaming 'I'm sorry!' for everything I didn't do. . .

Then, the sound of laughter comes from behind me and as I turn around, the street of my childhood melts away.

I walk into a. . . nursery room. A small room with light creme colored walls and a wooden crib, a small fire lit inside a small fireplace. There, I see a couple embracing each other as they look down into the crib, smiles on their faces.

The look of love in their faces and in their eyes makes me smile.

They look so happy to have each other. Something I wish I could have. Something I wish I will have. . . someday.

"What are we going to name her?" the man asks the woman in his arms, his voice is soft and kind. "You refused to let me name her while you were pregnant."

The woman lightly chuckles as she lays her head on his chest. "That's because I wanted to see her and give her the perfect name. I never objected to you giving her a middle name, though." she answers, her voice is gentle and calming.

"And have you decided her first name yet, my love?" he asks her as they both continue to look down at their daughter.

"Hmm. . . Not sure, though I do have one in mind." she says. "What of her middle names?"

"Well, I was thinking our mothers names. Starting with yours."

"Hmm. . . so it would be her first name Natalia Jane Wilhelm." the woman says carefully as she puts the beautiful names together and smiles at the result. "It's perfect."

The man smiles and kisses his wife's forehead. "I thought so. . . now for her first name. . ." he says as he puts his cheek on her forehead.

The woman lightly chuckles. But, I don't hear the name as I drift away from the nursery and my eyelids open.

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My eyes open as small rays of light stream on my face through glass doors. . .

I close my eyes again and relax. What a strange dream that was. . .

Suddenly, my eyes fly open as I remember what happened!

Holy Zeus, I'm dead!

Instantly, I sit up but regret it as pain shoots through my torso which causes me to groan.

"Whoa there, no need to get up so quickly." says a gentle, yet husky voice beside me.

I turn my head to see a. . . really good looking man sitting next to my bed.

My eyes take in all of him. His black hair that's cut short, his tan colored skin seems to be just perfect. He's wearing a white shirt and jeans. The best part are, without a doubt, his eyes.

Brown, dark brown. So dark, they almost look black. I could describe them as almost onyx black, if I'm completely honest. They're so mesmerizing, it almost feels like I'm drowning in them.

I find myself wondering how his dark eyes have so much light in them. . .

His eyes are filled with concern as he watches me. I feel. . . kind of safe under his gaze. Well, maybe a little uncomfortable with the intensity of his staring.

Feeling a little self conscious, I break the connection between our eyes and look down at where I'm laying.

A huge bed with white bedding and white comforter covering me. And. . . I'm wearing a white robe and. . . pajamas that don't belong to me.

"Who are you? Where am I?" I finally manage to say, my voice feels rough and foreign to me.

"Just take it easy, okay?" he says, softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Now, I can help you with what you want to know, but you need to help me, too."

He grabs a large cup of water off the small dresser beside the bed and offers it to me.

"Deal?"

I look at him then at the cup of water. Deciding that this was as good as it gets, I say, "Deal."

He gives me a small smile before giving me the glass of water. "Alright then. . ."

I feel the smooth, cool surface of the glass in my hand and bring the cup to my lips. The water is cold and feels wonderful as it runs smoothly down my throat.

"So, what's your name?" he asks, genuinely curious, as he leans a little bit more forward towards me.

I rest the bottom of the glass on my lap while keeping my left hand around the glass. "Anna. Anna Phillips." I answer, my voice recovering slowly.

The stranger smiles more as I say my name. "That's a beautiful name," he compliments me.

I manage to give a small smile back. "Thanks,. . . What's your name?" I ask him, a little timidly.

"My name is Malakai King," he says, confidently but soft at the same time. "How old are you?"

"21, and yourself?" I ask, feeling slightly more comfortable with answering his questions.

"25," he tells me, without hesitation. "Where are you from?"

"I was raised in Seattle, but after I graduated high school, I came to Forks." I say, tensing a little as I say 'Seattle', as usual.

"Why the move?" Malakai asks me, his curiosity rising.

Swallowing an uncomfortable lump in my throat, I manage to say, "Change of scenery."

He senses that I'm guarded about this and decides to drop it.

Smart move. . .

"So, . . ." he starts, gently, which causes me to think that he wants to talk about the accident. "Do you remember what happened to you last night?"

Flashes of the previous night run through my mind.

The crash. . . the weight of the car door crushing me into the pavement. . . the crimson eyes pouring into mine. . . the shape of the wolves that stared at me from the opposite side of the road. . .

Malakai sees that I'm stuck in a trance as I just stare into the glass of water. His hand slowly reaches over and engulfs my free hand.

"Anna?" he calls, softly.

Finally escaping the trap of my own memories, I look up from the glass and into Malakai's eyes.

Feeling the warmth of his hand on mine and the soft glow of his eyes, my emotions return to a state of comfort and safety.

I don't know him very well, but Malakai has a way of making me feel safer than I've ever felt before. . .

"I'm okay," I reassure him as I give his hand a small squeeze. "Just. . . lost in thought."

With his hand still on mine, I tell him everything that happened from the time I closed the cafe to when I fell unconscious.

After telling him everything, I realized how crazy it sounded. A huge wolf caused me to crash my car and tried to kill me?

Somebody check this girl into the loony house.

Looking at Malakai, who's face is expressionless as his eyes fall upon the comforter that covers me, I quickly say, "I know I sound crazy, but that's what happened."

Malakai's eyes come back to me and he smiles at me. "I don't think you're crazy at all, Anna," he tells me, kindly. "I'm the one who brought you here from the road."

This shocks me a bit. He found me?

"So, . . . where is here, exactly?" I ask

Smiling more now, Malakai stands up out of his chair and offers me his hand. "I plan on answering that in a moment."

Meaning he wants me to go with him. Tempting. . .

"I'm. . . not exactly dressed to go sight seeing," I respond, shyly, glancing at my appearance.

Malakai gives a small laugh; a good laugh, low and heartfelt. "I'm not saying I'll show you right this second," he consoles, humor still in his voice. "I meant to lead you to the kitchen. You look like you could use some food."

At the mention of food, my stomach decided to voice it's approval of Malakai's thoughts. At the low, rumbly sound, I feel my cheeks grow warm.

"I. . . guess I am a little hungry," I admit, sheepishly.

Setting the glass of water on the dresser, I peel the warm comforter off. Slowly, I swing my legs to hover above the floor.

I feel Malakai's eyes on me, but I pretend to ignore him as I slowly get off the bed.

Feeling the cool, wooden flooring, I try to make my body stand up straight. Unfortunately, as soon as I do, my sides burn and my legs suddenly turn into Jell-O, and I start to fall.

But, as soon as I start to fall, Malakai wraps his arms around my torso and stops me from injuring myself again.

My left side is pressed against his chest, but I slowly turn in his arms and I'm once again greeted with those dazzling eyes of his.

My hands find their way to land on his chest and for a little bit, you could hear a pin drop.

The warmth from his arms seep through the robe and shirt and seem to go straight to me. His arms are strong, but hold me gently, as if I could break just by being held too tightly.

I would be just fine if we just stayed here, like this.

"Thanks, . . . again," I say, breaking the silence.

Malakai smiles again, and this time, there's a small bubbly feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Anytime."

He pulls back a bit, now he just has his hands on my waist. My hands fall on his biceps as I steady myself.

Should have taken it slowly. . . Nice job, Anna. . .

"You think you'll be okay to walk?" Malakai asks, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah. . . I'll probably need a little bit of help, though," I reply, standing up just fine now.

"Okay then," he says as he takes my right hand in his left.

Feeling his warm and rough fingers intertwine with my cold ones, I hold his hand tightly and my left hand wraps itself around his bicep.

Slowly, he leads me across the room and out the door. We walk down large and beautiful hallways, although I'm pretty sure without Malakai, I would definitely be lost.

Finally, we arrive in a beautiful kitchen with granite counter tops and light brown cupboards and drawers and silver appliances.

"Here you go," Malakai says, gently, as he leads me to a large table and helps me sit in the chair closest to the kitchen.

He quickly walks to the fridge and opens the door. "Um. . . any requests?" he asks, looking at me.

"Surprise me," I respond with a small shrug.

Malakai smiles and pulls out some bacon and eggs. The next thing he pulls out is a cast iron pan.

Handsome, sweet, strong, AND a cook? Are you even real?

"Morning, Mal," says a voice that definitely belongs to a girl.

I turn around and, sure enough, see a beautiful girl with medium length hair, gorgeous light tan skin, and stunningly bright hazel eyes. She looks like she's my age, too.

Malakai slightly groans as he continues to cook. "Hi, Rena. . ." he drawls, but there's love and playfulness in his voice.

The girl looks at me and smiles widely.

"Oh good, you're awake," she says, sweetly. "I was worried about you."

"Oh. . ." I trail off, really unsure how to respond to this girl.

"This is my little sister, Serena," Malakai explains as he starts frying bacon. "Serena, this is Anna. Anna Philips."

At hearing that Serena is his sister, I feel. . . a bit of relief, I guess I would call it. I don't know why, though. . .

Serena sits in the chair beside me and smiles. "I'm so happy that you're doing okay. After last night. . ." she trails off and shakes her head. "Well, you had us worried."

Us? Who else lives here? What is this place?

My thoughts are interrupted as the smell of bacon hits my nose. I turn and see Malakai taking the bacon off of the pan and onto a plate, before cracking two eggs and cooks them as well.

He's quiet as he moves with ease and sprinkles some salt and pepper onto the eggs.

There's no way he's single. . . Life could not be that cruel. . .

He's absolutely perfect, so his girlfriend or wife or whatever is probably just as perfect. . .

He grabs the plate, takes the eggs out of the pan, and puts them alongside the strips of bacon.

Then, he makes his way to me and places the plate and a fork in front of me.

"Bon Appétit!" he says, cheerfully, as a smile spreads across his face.

Instantly, my face creates a smile as a reaction to his. His perfect smile fills me with warmth and more comfort.

"Thank you so much, Malakai," I thank him, genuinely.

This is so nice of him to do for me. . .

"You're very welcome, Anna," he responds, kindly.

I take the fork and start eating. The warm and familiar flavors flood my mouth as I swallow each delightful bite. I eat quickly, but I hardly notice how quiet the room is.

When I finish the food, I finally look up and see Malakai looking at me and Serena looking at Malachi. Both have small smiles on their faces and in a way, I can see the resemblance.

"Anything wrong?" I ask, a little nervous due to the silence and the looks.

Malakai shakes his head, slightly, and responds, "No, just happy that you seem to be feeling better. Did you like the food?"

"I did," I tell him with a nod. "Thank you, it was delicious."

Malakai smiles more. "Anytime."

Silence falls again as Malakai and I look at each other. And for a moment. . . I'm not nervous about his gaze or the silence that accompanies it.

Serena clears her throat, breaking the silence of the room. "So, Mal, have you shown Anna around yet?"

"Not yet," Malakai replies to his sister before redirecting his attention to me. "Do you think you're up to going around the place?"

The question is filled with concern and sincerity. And I find myself going out on a limb.

"Yeah, I'm up for it," I assure him. "I should probably get changed first, though."

"I can help with that," Serena says, standing up.

I stand up as well, but slowly. Serena takes my arm and helps me walk out of the kitchen.

As we start walking through the many hallways, she strikes up a conversation.

"So, Anna, tell me about yourself," she says, genuinely interested.

"Well, I don't know if there's anything to tell, really," I tell her, honestly.

"Oh come on," she whines at me as she veers me towards a door that she opens and helps me walk through. "What are some of your favorite things in life?"

I sit down on her bed while she goes into her huge walk-in closet and starts to find clothes.

Her room is huge, it's at least two times the size of my room. On the walls are pictures of Serena and several people. Some with Malakai, others with people that look like they can be related to Serena.

She has twinkle lights that hang on the headboard of the bed and the outline of the ceiling. The room is really beautiful, as it is complimented by a balcony with French doors and even a cozy looking reading nook.

"Well . . . I love the ocean," I say, thinking of other things I love. "Music. . . Mountains and forests. . . I love books. . . A warm fire when it's cold. . . Sunsets and sunrises. . ."

I trail off because all of a sudden, my mind goes blank and I can't think of any more.

Serena comes back with clothes and shoes in her arms. "I love those things, too," she says with a bright smile. "I can tell we're going to be good friends."

I smile at her words. "Nice to have a friend, for once. Never really had one before." I admit, timidly.

She smiles more. "Well, I'm honored to be your friend."

She hands me the clothes and I start getting changed as she turns around to give me some privacy.

She gave me jeans, a loose dark gray tank top, an oversized white hoodie, socks, and black Vans. I put them on slowly, since I still ache in my sides.

"What are some of your favorite things, Serena?" I ask as I'm almost done getting ready, I start to put on the socks and shoes.

"Well, . . . My family is, without a doubt, my most favorite. Even though they do drive me crazy," she answers and slightly laughs.

I smile at this as I pull the hoodie on. I can hear the love for her family in her voice.

"I also love looking at the stars at night, flowers, and helping people," she concluded.

"That's great," I say, liking her a lot. "You can turn around now, Serena."

She turns around and smiles at me. "Well, I'm glad everything fits nicely," she says as she grabs a hair brush off of her vanity and walks towards me.

"Thank you so much," I say, truly grateful at her kindness.

"Of course, Anna," she replies as she starts brushing my hair.

I stay silent as she slowly pulls the brush through my hair in a repetitive way.

I've never really had anyone brush my hair for me before. . . I kind of like it.

When she finishes, Serena walks to the front of me. She's still smiling at me.

"All done," she says, happily. "Now, you can go around the place with Mal."

I raise an eyebrow at the nickname and she chuckles.

"He hates it when I call him that," she explains. "I used to bug him with that name when we were kids, and it kinda stuck. Most everyone else calls him 'Kai', though."

"'Kai'?" I inquire this new nickname.

I think I like that better. Malakai sounds too formal now.

She nods as she helps me stand up off the bed. Together, we walk towards the door.

Perfectly timed, too, because as soon as we get to the door, someone knocks on it. Serena opens it and reveals Kai standing in the doorway.

Seeing me, he smiles and that makes me smile. "Well, hello there," he says, cheekily.

"Hi," I reply, slightly chuckling.

"You ready?" Kai asks as he offers his hand to me.

I take his hand and slowly walk towards him. "Ready as I'll ever be."

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Hello, my lovelies!

I know that it's been forever, and I'm sorry about that.

But, my senior year finally ended and I graduated!!

So, I'll have more time these days to write. And I promise to keep writing while I go to college.

Bear with me, please! And yes, I changed the cast a little, but that's all!

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