A/N: This is a major rewrite. I love this story but I really need to go back and do it right. What I have written is really shoddy work. The basic story will be the same and it will have more of what happened to Bella between cannon and this story. So yeah, stay tuned.

PS. Bella will be 17 when Edward dumps her, for reasons. So New Moon will take place in her junior year.

In the Beginning

Bella's eyes snapped open. It was the first time that the dream hadn't ended with her lost in the woods. This time she'd come home. She'd come home and been alright. That was how she'd woken up. It had been a long time since she had felt so comfortable in her own skin. There wasn't any pain in her chest. Downstairs Charlie was getting ready for work. He couldn't handle her anymore. Thinking about it, she couldn't handle herself anymore. She pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. It was her first conscious action in nearly two months. And it showed.

Her eyes were sullen and she was bonier than she remembered. Had she really let Edward do that to her? To hell with that. She jumped into the shower and pulled on decent clothing. Her jeans were looser than she remembered but she'd didn't let that stop her. Right now she needed to get out of Forks. The old red truck waited for her in the drive way the same way it had been for days. Before she knew it she was taking the exit into Port Angeles. There was a cheap dinner off the main road and she stopped there.

"Hello miss, can I get you something to drink?" a waitress asked.

"Coffee, black."

The food was greasy but Bella needed the fat, she'd lost too much weight from not eating enough. As she ate she considered what she was doing out of the house. True, she had needed to escape but why had she come to Port Angeles? There was nothing here. Seattle was another two hours away and there was more there. Charlie was working late everyday so that gave her plenty of time. Still, what was she going to do in Seattle? Because of her catatonic state she hadn't been working so she didn't really have cash to burn through.

"Here's your check miss, have a nice day."

"Thank you."

Bella threw down enough cash to cover her bill and the tip and left. The grey sky before her gave weight to the world. It was then that she knew that she would be leaving Forks and Washington as soon as she could. The only real question was where she would go. She wasn't running away, no, but she needed a break. Needed to be somewhere where no one knew what had happened. Seattle, big city, a lot of stuff, and it was exactly what she needed.

Less than a half hour later she was wandering around Seattle with another cup of coffee and window shopping for clothes she would never wear. Not like she had the money for them. Not working had really put a dent in her cash flow. Even if the job was still open she had no desire to return to working for the Newtons. That was when I found it, a little night club with a hiring sign taped to the door. I crossed the street and pushed the door open. The bar back nodded me to the back hallway. The Manager's office door was partially open.

At her knock a man's voice answered. "Hello. You must be here about the job."

"What is it exactly?" She asked.

"Waitress, bartender, an extra hand. Though you seem a little young to be applying." The man said sitting back in his chair.

"So I take it I should leave then."

"No, not yet. My customers are…unusual to say the least. The laws of mankind don't necessary apply here. If you can handle that kind of situation then I will gladly consider you." He raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

"You said your customers were unusual. Are we talking strange rich or strange as in inhuman?" Bella hedged.

"I see you know something about the world." He smiled. "I can't help but wonder what you know. But I won't pry. You seem to be confident in your knowledge. I assume you need a job, considering. Do you want it?"

"I've got nothing better to do. When do I start?"

"Next Monday, Miss..?"

"Bella, Bella Swan."

"Well Ms. Swan, you can call me David. I'll see you Monday at six sharp. Wear black."

She nodded and headed out of the club. She had a new job, not even out of the old one, and it felt good. She picked up some new clothes with the last of the cash she had on her. Namely she picked up a pair of black skinny jeans and a black v-neck. She had been right that morning, she had lost weight since Edward left. It definitely wasn't healthy. She could gain it back if she started eating a steady diet again. She would. It would be another step on the path of undoing Edward's influence on her life.

As she drove back into Forks she stopped off at the Newton's store. Mike would still be at school hanging out in the parking lot with his friends. She could just tell his mother that she had found a new job without him trying to be helpful or hitting on her. His mother was understanding. They had hired someone new anyway while she'd been…ill. Bella wasn't going to argue with her about it. There wasn't a better description for sitting in bed for nearly two months with no will to live. Bella thanked her and headed home. To her surprise Charlie was already home and Jake's Rabbit in the driveway. It took her a minute to realize just how late she was. It didn't matter how she snuck back in, Charlie would know she'd been out and not in school.

Jake opened the door for her when she got to the porch. "She's back!" he called in. "We were worried," he whispered to her.

"Sorry, I needed out of the house." She worked a sheepish smile on to her face.

"I get it. How are you feeling?"

"Better," she said stepping into the house. "I mean, I feel a lot better than I have in a long time."

He smiled at her as Charlie rounded the corner. "Bella, where have you been? I've been extremely worried."

"Sorry, I felt a bit better so I went for a drive. Picked up some new clothes since mine are a little big right now."

"Well, we're about to order pizza. Got a preference?"

"Supreme, please."

She took her things upstairs and put them away. She could hear Billy and Charlie talking about my life for the past month. Surprisingly enough Jake was silent. There was no way he wasn't cursing Edward for leaving her like this. Not that she would blame Jake for the sentiment. Apart of her hated Edward for it but she wasn't going to dwell on it. Dwelling on it gave Edward power and influence over her life and she was done giving hat to him.

Suddenly there was a knock at her door. "Hey." Jake said leaning against the door frame.

"Hey, yourself." She said sitting on the corner of her bed.

"So how are you really feeling?"

"You know, I'm actually feeling really good." She said with a nod. "I woke up this morning feeling like a new person. I just…I need to wash him away, like Edward Cullen has no more influence on my life. I'm starting over and I'm getting out of Forks as soon as possible."

He sat down next to her and took her hand. "If that's what you need. I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Jake. Could you not tell Charlie though? About me leaving, I mean. I'm not ready for him to know about that."

"Sure." He pushed himself up and offered her his hand. "Now let's get back downstairs before Charlie gets worried."

She laughed. With Jake it was always so easy and she had forgotten that. Maybe they would stay the way they were but just being around him made everything easier. When they got back downstairs Charlie was grabbing two beers from the fridge. From the living room Bella could hear the distinct voice of a hockey announcer. Right, she'd missed almost every other sports season and they'd moved on to hockey. She figured she might as well try to care about it for Charlie's sake.

"Everything ok?" Charlie asked when he noticed her staring off.

"Yeah. When is the pizza getting here?"

"About twenty minutes," he said walking over to hand Billy his beer.

"So Bella, what are your plans for the rest of the semester?" Billy asked.

She knew he was being as polite about it but it only served to remind her of her previous condition. "Well, I'm probably going to spend every moment at the library trying to make up for everything I've missed and see if I can't save my grade. Which means I probably won't be able keep working at the Newton's store."

"That's ok, I heard that Mrs. Newton hired a new person a week or two ago." Charlie said. "Maybe you can find a new job after you feel better about your grades. Until then I'll set up an allowance for you, I'm sure we can work this out."

"Thanks."

She smiled. Things were going better than she'd expected. With a little more luck she could hide her new job and her plans until she was ready to leave Forks.