The idea for this story, and the plot, belongs to gaara king of the sand. Thanks to them for letting me write this story!

I step nervously out of my father's car, looking up at the small two story house. Having hated this place for years, it's hard for me to admit that I might be happier here than I was in Phoenix. But it's the truth, and it's all because of my power.

As I think of it I nervously tug the sleeves of my shirt over my hands. In Phoenix it was always too hot for gloves to be acceptable, but here it might be cold enough to wear them most of the time. I just need to buy them first, or borrow a pair from my dad. "You okay Bella?" Charlie asks, spying my nervous movements.

I smile slightly in response. "I'm fine." He doesn't know about my power; no one does.

Looking back up at the house, I think of what drove me here in the first place...

"Bella!" My mother called, "Your friend is here!"

I ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. My friend, Louise, was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs with my mother. We were going to the local cafe to talk before school on Monday. "Hi," I greeted her, and she grinned, pulling me into a hug. Before I could tug the sleeves of my cardigan over my hands, my palms made contact with the bare skin of her back, digging into the thin straps of her vest. I bit back a whimper as her entire life flashed before my eyes.

For the next two years everything is fine, she goes through school and passes her exams with flying colours. At twenty years old she gets engaged to John Dawson, her current boyfriend. At twenty one her father dies of a heart attack. Just after she turns twenty two her mother kills herself. At twenty three she is diagnosed with lung cancer, and gets married a month later. She has one child just before she turns twenty four, and dies seven months later.

She has seven years left. I blinked back tears as she pulled out of the hug. "Are you okay?" Louise asked, looking at me with worry.

"Fine," I answered, wiping my eyes. "Allergies."

My mother gave me a questioning look; I didn't have allergies. "Hay fever," I said to her, and she nodded. I had that when I was little, so it's a plausible excuse. "Let's go," I said after a moment, turning to Louise. She smiled, and waved to my mother before following me out the front door.

From what I've noticed with my power, is that when I see someone dying of an illness, there future seldom changes after that. The last time I saw her future, which was roughly a year ago, she died old with great grandchildren living down the road. She still married John, and he died only a week before her. The future changes as people grow up, depending on decisions. Sometimes I wish it would stay the same. In fact, I wish it would stay the same most of the time. Louise's future was happy before.

"Bella?" Louise's voice pulled me out of my reverie. "What would you like?"

I looked up at her and found myself in Starbucks. I didn't remember entering, or walking up to the cashier (who was John), but I answered her anyway. "Uh, hot chocolate please. I'll go find a table."

Walking over to an empty table for two, I looked up at Louise talking to John. The place was practically empty, so they weren't holding anyone up by standing there and talking. After a few minutes he stood up properly and went to make her coffee and my hot chocolate.

I got up to collect my drink, thinking that they would want to continue talking. "Sorry Bella," Louise said as I approached. "I'll come and sit with you."

"No no," I replied, smiling as John made her coffee. "It's fine. You guys continue talking if you want; I brought my laptop so I'll just do some homework."

"One hot chocolate," John grinned, handing it to me. I smiled back, but that that smile froze as our hands brushed against each other.

His future is almost the same as Louise's. He finds out he's adopted, and then finds that both his parents killed themselves just after he was born. He comforts her through her ordeals, and looks after his son for months after he dies. But he can't live without her, so one day he drops his son off at his adoptive parents' house and then goes back home. He is found by his father a few hours later, hanging from the ceiling.

He had eight years left. Again I blinked back tears, but not even ten seconds had passed since our hands brushed.

I hate my power. I hate it.

I walked back over to my seat, sitting quietly and staring at the window, holding the cup in both my hands. It was almost unbearably hot, but I didn't put it down. Looking back at Louise and John, I smiled at the though that they'd have each other, at least, and that I know they will treat each other well. It's small moments like these that I am vaguely happy I was cursed with the power of seeing one's entire future with just one touch. At least it's contained to my palms.

My power is how I know my mother's new husband, Phil, is good for her. The first time I met him he shook my hand, and the way he died warmed my heart ever so slightly. He was lying in bed, asleep, with a picture of my mother on the table next to him. He was very old, and it was only because of that did he never wake up again.

But the picture of my mother worried me. In it, she didn't look much older than she does in the present. My mother's personality means that her future is ever changing. She changes her mind constantly, so hers and Phil's future flit between dying together, and dying very far apart.

"Hey Bella," Louise said as she sat in front of me. "Allergies?"

I wiped the tears away, nodding. "It's getting worse."

It's not true. I don't have hay fever anymore. My power is getting worse. I can't avoid the future anymore. The problem is, I can't see my own future, so it constantly feels like I'm too trapped in the futures of others to concentrate on my own. Maybe I need to set a new path for myself.

Living in a city didn't help. There were so many ways for someone to die. Drugs, alcohol, guns, gangs, murder, suicide... I needed to escape. "Hey Louise," I murmured, and my friend turned from the window. "I was thinking of moving in with my dad for a little while. I haven't seen him since the summer."

"Doesn't your dad live in Washington?"

"Yes."

"But it's so far away!"

"I know," I answered. "But he's my dad." I refrained from thinking about how she will only have her dad for about four more years at most. "I don't get to see him much anymore."

"That's not exactly your fault, Bella," Louise reminded me, and I barely contained a flinch. "You're the one who refused to visit him because you hate that place."

But I hate my power more, and I hate what I know about you. "I know," I repeated, my tone holding no emotion. "I know."

"Have you spoken to your mother about this?" She asked, and her eyes widened when I shook my head. "Why not?"

"I just thought of it," I replied truthfully. "Just because I hate where he lives, it doesn't mean I hate him."

She sighed, looking at like I was mad. "But you understand that living with him means you have to live where he does? He's the chief of police, as much as I know he loves you, he can't just drop everything and live here with you."

"I know," I repeated for what felt like the tenth time. "I know I'd have to live there. But I don't see him much anymore, and I'd like to before senior year."

"So you're actually going to live there?" She leaned forward, but didn't lower her voice. John seemed to be staring at us. "Like, move schools and everything? In the middle of the year? You're going to leave your life, and your childhood behind you?"

"Yes," I answered with conviction. It would be worth it, if I could escape so many horrific deaths. In a small town, there can't be so many ways that someone could die. Hopefully there will be less gangs and drugs, especially with a chief of police looking after me. "I think it's worth it. He's getting old, who knows how much longer he'll be around."

Eleven years, to be exact. He dies of cancer. These things seldom change.

Louise paused for a moment. I waited for her answer. "Is this something you've been thinking about for a while?"

No. "Yes."

"Then I'll miss you," She whispered, tears in her eyes. "I'll really miss my crazy, selfless best friend who does my homework for me."

I laughed, wiping my own tears away. "It's not allergies this time," I told her. She grinned.

"I should hope you'd cry over leaving your life behind, you robot," Louise accused.

Laughing, I took her hand in mine. "If that's your way of telling me not to go, then it's not working."

"Damn," She said, in a sarcastic tone, chuckling through the tears. I stood and so did she. We hugged, and not a week later, we were saying goodbye.

When I spoke to my mother about it, she didn't understand. She hated Forks more than me, and considering she left Charlie because of that place, she didn't understand my desire to go there and see him, let alone live with him. Over and over again she tried to convince me not to go, only conceding when I said I would use my college fund to buy a plane ticket to get there. She wouldn't let that happen, so she bought the ticket for me. I would still have to spend my college fund on a car once I got there, but I didn't mention that.

"I'll miss you," She cried once we were in the airport, pulling me into a hug. I was still undecided, so when my palms made contact with the bare skin of her back I saw two different futures. If I stayed, I would witness her death as she fell down the stairs, as she's be staying at home with me while Phil was travelling. If I left, she would be travelling with Phil, and he would keep her safe.

That made my decision for me.

"I'll miss you too," I murmured into her shoulder, clinging onto her now that I had seen her future. "I'll really miss you."

"Then don't go," She tried to convince me again. I groaned, pulling out of the hug so I could look her in the eye.

"I miss dad too," I said forcefully. My mother frowned.

"But he hasn't been much of a father to you, Bella," She replied.

I was angry at that; as much as she wanted me to stay, that was hitting below the belt. "That's not his fault," I growled out, staring at her in defiance. "That's on us. You for leaving him, and me for not going back." My gate number sounded overhead, telling passengers for the ten past twelve flight to Seattle to please bored their flight. "Bye," I said again. "I love you."

"I love you too," She whispered, waving to me as I walked away. Tears streamed down my face as I did. Maybe it wasn't worth it.

"Here you go," Charlie says, and I look up to find him holding my bags and holding the front door open for me. "Welcome home."

No one has ever said that to me before. Because of my mother's many different boyfriends, her house always felt more like a Bed and Breakfast rather than a home. "Home sounds nice," I said to my father, my voice truthful. I smiled, and stepped inside.

Welcome to Forks, I thought to myself.