"It's hard to explain," Kiara told Rosalie as they sat in the library, their notes long forgotten as the conversation had progressed from science to Kiara's short temper. She had just finished apologising to Rosalie for snapping at her the week prior after receiving Jacob's text. Spending their study hall time together had become a regular thing since Kiara had suggested it the week before, and with every hour they spent together it became less about the work and more about getting to know each other.

"It's like... when things set me off they just really get under my skin. I used to think it was unnatural but my mom had always told me it was genetic and that it came from my father but I've never really seen him get the way I do."

Rosalie nodded as she continued flipping through the book in front of her although she was sure she hadn't read a word for the past fifteen pages that she had crossed over. Her focus was entirely on every word that Kiara was saying, even if she would deny it later on when Alice brought it up that evening.

"What does your mom think about you being moved to Forks?"

Rosalie sensed that it was a touchy subject as soon as Kiara's heart missed a beat. She looked up from the book to see that Kiara had paused a little on flipping through her own, toying with telling Rosalie the story. Just before the blonde could apologise, Kiara continued speaking.

"She um... she died when I was little," Kiara said gently, not really knowing what to say. "So my sisters moved out quite quickly after that which obviously didn't help with the anger and then my dad tried to help me but he always just related so much more to Jacob. I guess the partying and the drinking and the sleeping around was always just a way to blow off steam."

"Kiara... I'm so sorry," Rosalie said, her voice tighter than usual as she looked at the girl. She herself had known a lot of loss in her life - for herself more than others, since she had lost the ability to have everything she had ever dreamed about - but the way that Kiara held herself was admirable.

Kiara shrugged as they continued flicking through the textbooks. "It is what it is. Besides, others have it a lot harder in life than I do. I'm just glad I'm out of the reservation for now, and away from Sam and his little cult."

Rosalie couldn't help the small smug look on her face at that, knowing that if any of her family had less of a tolerance for the wolves it was her. She didn't know why she disliked them more than others typically did but she knew for a fact that it had something to do with the whole idea that they were able to stop ageing until they chose to stop shifting and then could live the normal human life. Just another reminder of something she wanted but could never have.

_____

"I'll send you over the rest of the research analysis tonight once I've finished typing it up," Rosalie told Kiara as they stood outside the vampire's locker. Kiara nodded in agreement, having already thanked Rosalie for being willing to type everything up. She only had one laptop in her house that was shared between herself, Billy and Jacob so Rosalie offering to do the typing for them both was a lifesaver.

Kiara would write her part down on paper and Rosalie would simply type it up - and while Kiara felt bad that she was doing extra work, the Hale had insured her that it wasn't a problem at all. She claimed it gave her an excuse to avoid spending too much time with her family, and while Kiara knew she was mostly joking, she understood where she was coming from.

"Yeah, that's ideal," Kiara told her as she watched Rosalie place her textbooks back into her locker. Her eyes trailed over Rosalie's shoulder and down the corridor before they widened slightly, a small scoff of surprise falling from her lips. "That's new."

Rosalie followed Kiara's eyeline, her smile instantly forming into a vicious frown as she noticed her brother walking and talking with Bella Swan. After taking a week away from Forks after constantly thinking about killing the human, Rosalie was furious to know that Edward was standing beside her and asking small talk questions about her move to Forks.

He was putting them all at risk by associating with his blood singer - and she knew for a fact if anything happened they would all need to be uprooted across the country. She hadn't liked Forks until recently and she didn't want to have to suddenly leave because Edward was testing his tolerance skills on a walking blood bank.

She slammed the locker shut, almost causing Kiara to jump in surprise at her sudden mood swing. Kiara was surprised at how quickly Edward's head turned around to look at them from across the corridor, but she had no intention of getting involved in whatever stare off the two Cullens were having with each other.

"I'll see you later," Rosalie muttered to Kiara as she stormed off in the opposite direction. Kiara stared after her in confusion before watching Edward breeze past her too in the same direction, leaving two human brunettes watching two vampires with complete and utter ignorance as to what they were.

______

"Hey, your dad asked my dad to give you a lift back to La Push," Bella told Kiara as the younger Black twin waited in the parking lot for her brother to turn up. "Apparently Jacob got detention so he'll not be here on time."

Kiara rolled her eyes a little before nodding at Bella. The Swan daughter had not really spent too much time with Kiara outside of school, only occasionally when Billy would send Jacob and herself over to make sure that the truck was still working fine for Bella. Charlie had apparently asked for weekly checkups over the next few weeks due to the winter weather and Jacob was in the process of making sure they had snow chains for Bella's tyres.

"Are you holding an onion?" Kiara asked as she looked at Bella's hands, noticing the girl had her iPod clutched in one and an onion in the other. She looked rather flustered as she tried to explain why and how she had an onion, Kiara just pretending she understood as she crouched down to tie her shoelace while Bella moved to the driver side of the truck.

Just as Kiara slowly stood up from tying her shoelace, loud tyre screeches caused her to jump around in fright as she noticed Tyler's black truck sliding across ice on the parking lot and heading straight for Bella's side of the truck. Kiara yelled out Bella's name, not noticing how the Cullen's all turned to look at them in panic but rather noticing how Bella crouched down.

As Tyler's truck slammed to a halt, knocking into the front of Bella's truck, Kiara ran around the back of the orange vehicle to see Edward and Bella crouched on the ground. She furrowed her eyebrows at seeing Edward moving away from the scene, having not realised he was near them at the time but knowing that adrenaline could make people move quicker anyway. He paused as he stared at Kiara for a moment but the girl didn't look back at him, instead rushing to Bella's side.

In the distance, Rosalie stared at Edward in nothing but resentment. She knew that Bella had just seen what he had done. She had seen how the black truck bended around his hand as if it was pure steel and how he hadn't even blinked while holding it back from crushing her. Bella had just seen Edward expose himself and their family as not human - and Rosalie knew from everything she had learned about Bella from Kiara that the girl wasn't the type to just leave it be.

They would have to leave Forks. Leave behind Forks High, including Kiara Black who was the first person in years to treat Rosalie Hale as if she was a normal teenage girl. The first person who didn't judge her based on her family and the first human that Rosalie had ever somewhat cared for.

Edward Cullen had just ruined Rosalie Hale's chance at finally feeling normal.

______

"Hey kiddo," Charlie Swan said to Kiara Black as she stood looking into the hospital vending machine. He was grateful for the girl for sticking around with Bella while they waited on Charlie to get to the hospital, and he was grateful that she had held him back from fighting with Tyler in the waiting room while Bella got checked over. "She's gonna be alright, Dr says her vitals are fine."

"Oh, good!" Kiara said as her eyes continued to scan the vending machine, unsure on what she wanted to get. She was feeling a little drained after the afternoon's dramatics and she knew that something sugary was what she needed. Just as she went to place her dollar bill into the machine, Charlie reached out and stopped her. He smiled as he awkwardly shuffled his own into the machine, nodding for her to go ahead.

"Consider it my thanks," he told her, ruffling her hair like he did when they were kids before he went to move away. She pressed a button and watched as the chocolate slowly started to move forward from its spot in the machine. "Oh, before I forget, your father told me to tell you that he's sent a ride for you."

Kiara nodded, aware that Jacob would have finished detention by now so it made sense for him to come and pick her up from the hospital anyway since it wasn't like Bella was in any fit state to drive. She said she was fine but Kiara was sure she was in shock or something as all she could talk about was Edward Cullen supposedly saving her.

She crouched down to pick up the chocolate bar from the flap of the vending machine, sighing as she thought about the events of the day. As she rose from her spot, she yelped in surprise as she noticed a figure's reflection in the machine showing them standing directly behind her. Spinning around, Kiara found herself taken aback by the tall man who was smiling at her warmly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to give you a fright," he apologised, his voice soft and gentle but also firm at the same time. Kiara didn't need to ask who he was - the eyes were so familiar to her that it was almost surprising in itself. She knew the Cullen's weren't related biologically minus Jasper, Beverly and Rosalie but they all seemed to have such similar shades of honey eyes. "I just wanted to check you were alright."

"Thanks, Dr..." she trailed off, not wanting to make any assumptions but the man finished it for her anyway.

"Dr Cullen," he said, holding a hand out for her to shake. She almost gasped at how cold his skin felt against hers and she noted that Rosalie's had felt the same before too. They must just not have the heating on often and had gotten used to the cold - besides, they were from Alaska which was typically colder than Forks anyway. "I've heard a lot about you, Kiara Black."

"All good things I hope," Kiara joked, her eyes finally noticing Edward and Rosalie at the end of the corridor arguing with each other. She felt her smile falter a little as she remembered her previous argument with Jacob after he hadn't picked her up from school and she couldn't help but find herself comparing Rosalie and Edward with her and her twin.

"Oh, of course," Carlisle replied, noticing how her attention had shifted to Rosalie. "Rosalie speaks nothing but wonders about your lab skills."

Kiara shuffled a little awkwardly after hearing that information, unsure what to actually do with it. She'd never been the best at receiving compliments but she knew that Rosalie had obvious exaggerated her abilities since she was pretty useless in the lab anyway.

"Thanks, I do try..." Kiara trailed off as she noticed another figure enter the corridor, Rosalie and Edward having stopped their argument to glower at the man as he pushed past them. Kiara almost noticed Carlisle tense up too as the man approached but she was sure she had just imagined that. "You've got to be kidding me."

Strolling towards her on some sort of unstoppable mission was the last person she could have wanted her dad to send to pick her up from the hospital. She decided in that moment that she was definitely being punished for something, and if not by her father, it was certainly by the universe.

Sam Uley almost puffed out his chest as he stopped beside the young girl, his eyes barely leaving Carlisle Cullen's as he slowed to a halt. They glowered at each other for a moment before Kiara moved between her feet uncomfortably, causing the two older men to snap out of it and remember they had a human witness with them.

"Your father sent me to pick you up, Kiara," Sam spoke, his tone gruff and commanding as he positioned himself in between the girl and the doctor. "Now."

She couldn't do much else but follow him silently, glaring at his back as she tightened the straps on her backpack. She hated the man more than anyone else in the word but she knew arguing with him and her father was going to get her nowhere - and she didn't want to cause a scene in the hospital of all places.

As they got into Sam's car, Kiara was sure she could see the three Cullen's stares from across the parking lot.

______

"This isn't the route to my house," Kiara eventually said, breaking the silence after fifteen minutes of awkward tension. Sam sighed, knowing that she was going to have caught on to the fact he wasn't taking her home but rather to somewhere else that he and Billy had agreed on.

They were aware that Kiara had been given a lift from one of the Cullens the previous week. Gossip from Forks High had managed to reach La Push High which then reached Paul and Jared who in turn told Sam who relayed the information to Billy. It was safe to say that the elder had been less than pleased to find out that his daughter was becoming close friends with leeches, knowing that the risk it put her at was one he was not willing to take.

Therefore, Billy and Sam had agreed that one solution to getting Kiara to spend less time with them was to give her back her previous friends that she hung around with in the hopes she would feel less inclined to spend time with the leeches. That being said, they had also tried to get La Push High to allow her to transfer back but since the Principal had already done Sam an ill-fated favour by expelling her to begin with, their request was promptly refused.

"Your father thought it would be good for you to spend some time at my house until he and Jacob get back from Port Angeles. They went to pick up some parts for the car your brother has been working on," Sam answered with little emotion, causing Kiara to scowl as she slumped further into her seat. She knew there was no point arguing with the man because A) he was driving the car and B) she didn't have house keys to even get into her house if she tried to.

"I feel obliged to tell you I'd rather be anywhere else but here," Kiara told him as they pulled up in front of his little cabin, her eyes not missing the clothes on the washing line nor the familiar hoodies that she had seen previously. She noticed the extra pairs of shoes outside on the porch and a slight feeling of dread built up in her stomach as she realised who else was here.

The front door opened before they had even shut the car doors, a woman with long hair and a welcoming aura standing with a smile on her face. Kiara stood awkwardly as Sam moved quickly from the car and into her outstretched arms, kissing her gently and smiling at her as if his life depended on it. Kiara suddenly felt like she was intruding on something - not understanding how a man who was running a cult had a fiancee as kind and gentle looking as she did.

After he finally released the woman, he turned to motion to the teenage girl who was still looking at him with disgust. He knew it was going to be a while before she would stop that but he hoped that this afternoon outing was going to help.

"Emily, this is Kiara Black. Billy Black's daughter," Sam told the woman before looking at Kiara with a welcoming smile. "Kiara, this is Emily, my fiancee."

Kiara tried not to stare, she really did. But the three long scars on Emily's face reminded her of the threat of bears in the woods that her father kept telling her about and suddenly she felt on edge again. Realising that she had done just that, she dropped her eyes to the ground as Emily reassured her that it was okay to stare - although Sam's thunderous look towards her told the girl that he did not agree with that sentiment.

"I was wondering when you'd end up here," Emily told the girl, making Kiara look up from where her dirty converse had been kicking dirt awkwardly. "The boys never shut up about how much they miss having you around."

She felt that familiar heat rise up her neck. She didn't want to snap, she didn't mean to snap - but the anger consumed her for a second as she let out a hollow laugh that caused the two adults to both stop smiling a little.

"If they miss having me around that much then maybe they shouldn't have joined a cult," Kiara spat, watching as Emily and Sam both seemed to share a look between themselves. Before either of them could say anything else, they were almost pushed aside as another familiar face came towards her, a scowl on their face too.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Paul Lahote said, standing shirtless and wearing nothing but a pair of joggers as he stared Kiara down. Sam went to move forward from where he was standing on the porch but another hand was on his shoulder - Jared Cameron - as he reassured the man that Paul wouldn't attack Kiara.

Kiara rolled her eyes as she looked around Paul's shoulder (since he had grown so much that she couldn't look over it anymore) at Sam. He was looking at them with a concern that she didn't understand, while Emily was looking almost panicked. She knew Paul was a hot-head like herself and it didn't bother her at all. What bothered her was seeing the tattoo on his arm and the short, cropped hair.

Paul had never had hair long like Jacob, Embry or Quill but it had always rested just shaggily below his ears. Now, it was so short that Kiara was sure it was one step away from almost being a buzz cut. She could see the slight loose hairs on his shoulders that told her he had just been getting it cut before she arrived and the sudden towel in Emily's hands made sense to her.

"Calm it, Paul," Jared called out as he bounded down the steps and past Paul, his arms reaching out and pulling Kiara into a hug. She didn't initially accept it, leaving her hands to hand at her sides for a second but eventually she tucked her head in to his chest and allowed her arms to wrap around his midriff like they always used to.

She was almost angry at herself for allowing her mind to think about how this was just like old times - because everything had changed. They weren't friends anymore. They didn't even know each other like friends did anymore. But when she stood there, tucked into Jared's chest with Paul standing beside them - it almost felt like nothing at all had changed.

As she pulled back from Jared eventually, the hug having given herself and Paul enough time to relax slightly, she noticed Paul and Jared send Sam a look before the man and his fiancé turned around and headed back into the cabin. Unlike Paul, Jared was wearing a simple t-shirt although Kiara was still confused as to how they could wear shorts when it was so cold out.

"Take a walk with us?" Paul asked after a moment, reaching out and hugging her the same way Jared had hugged her.

Everything in her body told her to say no. They had left her to join a cult. They had left her all alone for Sam Uley just like everyone else in her life seemed to.

But she found herself unable to say no as she looked between them both. Sure they had gained a lot of muscle and a significant few inches of height, but deep down she could see that they were the same old Paul and Jared that they had always been.

So she nodded, accepting their offer as they turned away from the cabin and began to walk into the sheltered woodlands area. She knew there were bear attacks but with the boys she felt safe, even though she knew the three of them would be no match for a bear. If she had turned around, she would have seen Sam and Emily watching nervously from the kitchen window.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Emily asked Sam as the trio disappeared from sight. She had her fair share of experience with the wolf pack as noted by the three scars on her face, and she wasn't sure if their idea was a good one.

"Kiara is a good kid," Sam reminded her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "But we can't tell her the truth just yet and we can't have her running around with the Cullens when Jacob's due to change eventually. This fabricated version of the truth - it might just save her life."