Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot is all mine.

It's been days since I had left Sam's house.

It's been days since my unpleasant run in with Emily; Sam's …. I don't know what she is to him. And frankly, I don't give a fuck.

It's been days since the sting of believing I could actually trust someone, only to have that trust shatter right before my very eyes – again and again and again.

It's been days since I finally recognized that perhaps I needed to start learning from my mistakes rather than repeat them.

It's been days … seven days to be exact, since I've been hiding at Embry's place.

And it wasn't as though I was counting the days, nor did I want to; which is what I kept telling myself. However, the calendar hanging on Embry's kitchen wall was practically a proverbial reminder of each day that came and went.

And maybe I couldn't help avoiding it when my eyes wandered over to that area from time to time. As I remained house bound for so long that I was starting to develop a case of cabin fever. These past days, there was absolutely no peace of mind to be had –

On that same day that I took off, dragging sweet and kind Embry with me. It wasn't until a few hours later that Sam showed up outside Embry's house. I locked myself in the bathroom and leaned down against the tub when I realized that the bathroom window was too small for me to jump through.

I begged Embry to tell Sam that I didn't want to talk to him, that I didn't want to see him, that I don't ever want to step foot in his house again.

Instead, he compressed all my grievances into a mumbled sentence when Sam questioned why I was avoiding him; "She is pretty upset…"

"This is ridiculous." Sam huffed. "Swan, come out here and talk to me!"

When I didn't answer back, he got mad. "Stop acting like a child, Swan!"

"If you don't come out, I will go in there and carry. you. OUT!" he growled.

My mind was reeling. He wouldn't … would he?

I quietly grimaced and rested my head on my knees.

Even if I did go out there to face him, what would I even say? In the heat of the moment when everything happened then and there with Emily; I didn't even think about it. Words just poured out of my mouth. Did I regret what I said? Oh hell no!

But now, all that's left there in my head is a jumbled mess that I need to sort out. There was a tiny fragment of my conscious that told me that if I did face Sam or if I said anything with the unstable way I felt at the moment, that I might actually regret it later.

"Swan!" My head jerked up. Sam's voice somehow seemed slightly closer. Shit! He was in the house now.

"Sam," Embry spoke softly. "She… she said she w-wants to be left alone,"

He spoke even quieter. "Let here s-stay here. I'm s-sure when she … calms down … she will reach out a-all on her own." He probably thought that my hearing wasn't as strong as their hearing. And I couldn't help as I smirked at how adorably cute but strong Embry was being, even if he was nervous. Standing up to his Alpha to defend me. I was so going to recompense him for it.

After several long seconds. "Fine." Sam proclaimed gruffly. And I could hear his feet shuffling away, until the front door swung shut, and the sound of his footsteps disappeared into the unseen distance.

A lighter set of feet padded to the sealed bathroom door, that I remained presently hidden on the other side of, and knocked gently. "Bella? ... you can come out. Sam already left."

I opened the door and, in the blink of an eye, had my arms around a startled Embry. He was stiff for a moment from the unexpected gesture, but did manage to relax somewhat. Even if he had to hold his breath.

I whispered a word of gratitude and then pulled the boy into the kitchen by the hand. His eyes twinkled with mirth when he knew what I was going to do in there –

In the days that followed; it was even much harder for me to leave the house or even sit outside because the pack kept dropping by more often for it to be normal. Which would have been suspicious in itself, if I wasn't able to listen in to what they were saying to Embry every time the boy would stand on the porch to meet them. He wasn't stupid, he also knew why suddenly he became the most popular wolf in the pack all out of the blue.

One thing that the pack had in common is that they all had the subtle eloquence of a monkey flinging feces. It didn't take a genius to realize why they came by each day. And each time, Embry told them the exact same thing I had told him when they finally got to the point and asked for me; "She wants to be left alone."

But did they get the message? No. Because they just kept coming back. Quil and Jared were the usual suspects. Eventually even Paul passed by once or twice. But Sam never came back since. It shouldn't have bothered me. But it did.

"No, Bella! Absolutely N-NO WAY! Sam will have my h-h-head presented on a p-plate at the next bonfire if … IF he so much as catches wind of this! No. No. Nope!" Embry was shaking his head so violently I was surprised he didn't give himself a headache.

I breathed calmly through my nose. "I'm not asking for permission, nor do I want you to get involved, Embry. I'm just telling you."

Embry dragged the kitchen chair, scrapping it loudly against the wooden floors, and sat in front of me. "But what if … someone sees you?" he whispered shiftily like it was some big conspiracy.

I tossed my hair over my shoulder and leaned forward, mock-mirroring his expression. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'll be going in the middle of the night."

For the past week I had been stuck in this house, I had a lot of thinking to do. Mostly useless crap that I wouldn't bother going into details. But another thing that kept coming back to me time and time again was how much I really wanted to see Charlie. It has been too long since I had last seen him, and I had no idea what he was doing, or if he really thought I was still missing somewhere. It pained me to think that he was still out there looking for me.

Even if I could catch at least a glimpse of him while he was sleeping, it would still be enough. The only image I had in my mind was a very blurry one from my human memories. I needed something clearer to hold onto.

And I needed to find some way to leave him a hint that I was alright. That he shouldn't waste his time looking for me. That I would eventually let him see me. I don't know when exactly that would be. But I had to have some hope that it will happen. Eventually.

Also I needed to get some of my own stuff. I was tired of living off of the pack's borrowed t-shirts.

Frowning, Embry folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned back. He seemed to be seriously considering what I was saying. "When are you going?"

"Tomorrow night." I answered smoothly, yet a little too fast.

A beat later and he said "I'm coming with you."

"Didn't you just say that Sam would hand you your ass?"

Embry winced, as if he truly forgotten about his Alpha. "I can't let you do this alone."

I shrugged. "I will do this alone. It won't sit well with me to know I'm dragging you into my … issues. You already have enough as is," I gestured to his sudden growth spurt and the entire reality and responsibility of the pack crashing down on him. I had to keep reminding myself that Embry was still younger than me, no matter how much older he looked due to the wolf gene – he was still a fifteen year old kid.

"No," he shook his head stubbornly. "I'm .. I'm coming with you, and that's that. If Sam finds out then we will deal with it. Together." He seemed to be talking to himself more than at me. As if he was trying to convince himself.

I stayed silent. I didn't object further. There was no need to.

Only because I knew that Sam wasn't going to be the only one who was going to be pissed with what I was about to do.

I should feel bad for what I was doing. But I decided to torture myself over the consequences of my actions when it was over. This was probably for the best – That's what I told myself, what I kept telling myself.

I lied to Embry. I lied and told him I was going tomorrow night. But secretly, I decided to go that very same night.

I wanted to go alone, pack what I can carry, leave Charlie a note wishing him well – because I wasn't planning on coming back to Forks; or the Reservation. I didn't know where I was going to go. I didn't think that far ahead. I'll cross that bridge when the time comes.

Sneaking past the Quileute boarder wasn't all that hard. I had already knew of the pack's scheduled rounds back when I used to stay at the little cottage. And if I stayed above the tree lines and traveled with the wind current rather than against it, then it will leave less of a scent trail. And tonight there was a lot of high winds, so that should carry my scent away from the Reservation line.

I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. Mysteriously, the odds were somehow in my favor, all I had to do was commit. There was no turning back.

I just didn't realize how easy it was going to be when, in relatively no time at all, I was standing in front of Charlie's house – My home.

My red truck was parked in its usual spot. Last time I saw it, I had ditched it on the other side of the forest when I was looking for Edward's meadow; the same day I was attacked by Laurent. Funny how I can think back on the day that I almost died and somehow feel absolutely little about it. I didn't know if this was a "vampire" thing, or maybe a piece of me did truly die on that day. Regardless, now wasn't the time to wax poetics.

The spot beside my truck was empty. Charlie's cruiser wasn't parked in the driveway. Working late at the station, perhaps. Maybe it's better this way; makes leaving a whole lot easier.

I braced myself and jumped onto the branch that was close to my window. And tried not to think about how many times a certain someone used to utilize that exact same tree to sneak into my room in the past.

The window to my room wasn't locked. Which seriously disturbed me, now that I think back to how lax my perception of safety was back then. Ordinary humans might not be able to get that high up. But now that I knew that vampires, wolves, and probably more supernatural things existed in this world … seriously, could I have been any more of an idiot!

I stood in the middle of the room and surveyed the entire bedroom. It looked exactly the same as when I had last been in it. Aside from a thin layer of dust that had settled over the surface, nothing seemed to have been touched or moved. Even the bedsheets looked rumpled from the last restless night I had.

I sighed and mentally banished away those thoughts; this certainly wasn't a time to reminisce on pathetic memories from another life; a fragile life.

I remembered the duffle bag I had in my closet. I took it out and stuffed as much clothes as I could fit into it. Even though I liked walking around barefoot, I realized that when I eventually decide to go out in public that I might attract more attention if I walked around absent shoes. I picked the first set that caught my eyes, a pair of white trainers, and shoved them in the bag. I took whatever cash I had left, and then zipped up the bag. Ready to leave.

I looked around the room one last time, trying to see if there was anything else I needed to take with me, and sadly conceded that I had no practical use for the majority of my possessions. They had sentimental values, sure. But taking anything that would be a constant reminder of what I was about to leave behind would only make the task that much harder. Its better this way.

One last thing I needed to do was leave Charlie a note. I had to write something that would give him some form of closure. That I was fine, and that someday we might see each other again.

I walked over to my desk. Ripped an empty page from my notebook and took a random pen from the many I had on my study desk.

I felt a heavy lump in my throat as I started writing:

Dad
I'm sorry I caused you so much worry. I'm sorry for all the trouble you had to go through because of me.
I'm sorry I couldn't be the perfect daughter. You deserved better.
I'm safe. Please don't look for me anymore. I needed to leave.
I'll come back when I am ready.

I love you.
Bella

I placed the note on my bed, knowing he would eventually find it, and opened the door to my room to catch his attention.

I picked up my duffle bag, and headed towards the window – However as I was walking across the room, one of the floorboards gave a very odd sound … a hollow sound.

I raised and pressed the heel of my foot on the wooden floor several times, realizing that that particular plank directly beneath my foot was quite loose. I was sure, as sure as the sun rises from the east and sets in the west, that even through the murky fog of my human memories that I never once stepped on a loose floorboard in this entire house.

It's probably nothing. I'm was overthinking things, is all. I was probably fixating on something so randomly insignificant that I was most certainly, and subconsciously, prolonging my inevitable departure – That's what I kept telling myself as I dropped my bag to the floor, crouched on my knees, and tossed the ugly striped carpet that partially concealed the floor, completely ignoring the incessant motion of the rocking chair as I pulled the rug from under it.

With the edge of my nails I easily lifted the loose wooden slat as it seemed to be the only one that wasn't nailed down. I looked inside, and with my enhanced vision, I could definitely see something hidden there. Had I been human, I probably would have had to blindly feel around for it. But with my agile fingers I plucked the object out with ease.

It was a box. A nice looking smooth box, with a reddish tint wood, sealed with a varnished glaze. It did not look old, like it's been there for years. Aside from the dust that coated the surface, from being concealed in such a stale area, it looked polished and very new … and expensive. I gently shook it once. There was something inside. I flipped it and noticed it had a tiny keyhole that unlocked the strange case.

Somehow, I highly doubted I'd find the key around next where I had fished the box. No one stupid enough would seal and hide such an item, only to place the key right beside.

And technically, since it was placed in my room … well … finders keepers. I pressed my fingers against the keyhole until the simple locking mechanism broke with the pressure and the top part of the box unbolted.

As soon as I pried the lid open, I unintentionally inhaled. There was a smell sealed inside that made me physically stagger and fall right on my ass.

That smell … I knew it so well! I wouldn't be able to forget that smell for a thousand years!

… vanilla … honey … and lilacs … Edward?

Even though it hasn't been that long, it still felt like a whole entire life ago that I experienced this type of overwhelming panic. I looked inside the box, desperate to know what it contained. Feeling too anxious, I tipped all the contents onto the floor. I was almost paralyzed into silence when I spread everything around in front of me.

There were photos, so many photos. I immediately recognized, with much dread, they were photos that I had taken – Photos of Edward; and there were plenty of Edward holding me in his arms, Edward embracing me from behind, Edward kissing me on the cheek, on the lips! … my stomach twisted with phantom nausea, and I pushed those aside to look at the other pictures. There were also some of Alice and I; at school, in my living room, in her walk-in closet during one of our slumber parties at the Cullen's house.

I swallowed the venom of resentment pooling in my mouth. All these photos were once decorating the walls above my desk, I looked over at the current state of said forsaken wall, it only had a few pictures here and there of my classmates; Jessica, Angela, Mike, Eric, and Ben. A couple of pictures of Renée. And one of Charlie; which was nearly an impossible feat to convince him to pose for even just one.

I sifted through some more and I discovered several papers that weren't pictures. They were some mementoes I had kept. A symphony concert ticket from a time Edward and I went to Seattle. The flower corsage from last year's dance that I had pressed dried and laminated into a bookmark. The first note Edward ever wrote to me in his elegant script; "Be Safe." And then the many upon many love notes he wrote to me during class, poems he left in my room, in my truck, scattered for me to find – like my own personal treasures of love and adoration … and lies.

"It will be as if I never existed."

What a goddamn fucking liar! Was this how he was planning to erase his existence in my life? By taking every shred I had of our relationship and hiding it right beneath where I had slept, screamed, cried, sobbed, and had countless trauma-inducing nightmares of being left in that ghastly forest in complete heart crushing agony?

If I wasn't so sure before; now, I can say with unequivocal truth, and with every fiber of my being, that I hate Edward Cullen with every fragment of my heart and soul. And if I ever come across his worthless face, I'll will get justice for all the pain he committed against me.

Breathing through my nose in an effort to calm my frantic heart, I hastily picked up all the photos and papers strewn across the floor and placed them back in the box. I tucked the box in my duffle bag and placed the loose floor board back to where it was, and pulled the carpet over to its original placement. I also made sure to position the rocking chair facing the window, as if the entire area was never disturbed.

I crawled back out of the same window I had entered from and landed gracefully on the soft grass. One of the perks of living in such a small town was that our neighbors didn't live so close to us. So safe to say, there would be no witnesses to spot me sneaking in and out of Charlie's house.

"Swan!" I froze at the mention of my surname. Only one person called me by that name. I looked over at the tree line and saw Sam emerging from behind the trees, running towards me until he stood inches away from where I was.

He reached out and grabbed me by my arms. I hissed slightly, it has been awhile since his scorching hands touched my icy skin. If Sam noticed the change in my expression then he didn't seem to care as he appeared extremely furious.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Haven't I told you time and time again that its dangerous to leave the Reservation!" His grip tightened on my arms. And had I been human, I was sure there would be hand-shaped bruises left behind.

"I'm perfectly fine, Sam! As you can see with your own eyes; that no humans have been harmed!" I snarled.

His eyes flashed at my words, but I didn't know which part triggered him. "What you are is stubborn and childish! And you have absolutely no regard to the fact that you could very easily get yourself killed!"

I scowled at him, roughly pulling myself away from his grip. "I'm still a fucking vampire, Sam! I think I can protect myself from a deranged human or even a wild animal!"

Sam shook his head exasperatedly. "You don't understand… There is a vampire that's been running all across our boarders. And I can't focus when I have you running into town, putting yourself at risk of being exposed!"

It took me all of a second to realize that when Sam said 'vampire' that he wasn't referring to me.

There was another vampire in town?

I updated the RWTW's pinterest board. Link is in the bio.