A/N: Long time no see! Sorry about the wait, let's get back into it shall we?

Chapter 6: All Good Things

"I can't believe we're doing something so simplistic as making a volcano for this project…" Annalise grumbled for what seemed to be the upteenth time today. She was latched to Emmett's arm as they made their way to the lunchroom at school. Feeling Emmett rumble in laughter she mustered up the fiercest scowl on her face, letting her friends know her discontent.

"Aw, come on Anna, we were the first to announce what we were doing. I think you broke our teacher when you started to critique the education system and flaws found in his teachings."

Annalise scoffed, letting Emmett guide her to her seat. She could hear the others laughing at her disgruntled expression. "If the youth cannot learn what needs to be taught then there's no hope for the future." She waves her hand around and continues. "There's so much more interesting things to learn about than how the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell!"

To her right, Edward hums. "You seem passionate about science."

Turning her head in his direction, Annalise musters a look of shock and indignation on her face. "Of course I'm passionate Edward! Just look at the advances humankind has made in the past century! Yet, in high school we squander limitless potential on frog discecions." She sighed and rested her chin on her hand, ignoring Alice's mirthful giggles.

"Regardless," Emmett chirps. "It's gonna be the best damn volcano the teach is ever gonna see."

Annalise did have to agree with that, they were going to go all out on this simple project. Maybe she could replicate the effect of the petrifying hot ash with household items ...a Pompeii model perhaps? Her mind wandered and as one part of her mind bombarded her with over the top ideas for a makeshift volcano, the other kept tabs on the apparently 'starving' Cullens. Once again not once did her friends raise a fork to their mouths, nor the sound of chewing graced her ears. Just the scraping of plastic again the trays, food untouched and unwanted.

Annalise did not want to jump to conclusions. Not without more evidence on her plate. Although, the lack of heartbeat from Emmett always seemed to jump at the forefront of her mind. It just wasn't scientifically possible. A lack of heartbeat meant lack of blood, and lack of blood meat no oxygen to the brain, no oxygen to the brain meant that you were dead. She couldn't wrap her head around it. Even with her malady and enchanted senses she could explain the how and why. Testing of all sorts during her younger years had her know exactly how she was able to do the things she did. It was simply through the mutation in her DNA caused from the accident among with trace amounts of forced human evolution due to adaptation and lord knows what other chemicals that damn company pumped her full with.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a cool digit press against her furrowed brow. Annalise blinked at the sudden contact as Edward's voice speaks up once more. "You're thinking too hard, surely how to make a homemade volcano can't take up one-hundered percent of your brain capacity."

"Har, har." Annalise drawls and playfully swats his hand away. "Trust me, you would know if I was using my brain to its full limits."

"Ooo," Alice started, bouncing in her seat. "Would you become a mad scientist to take over the world?"

At this Annalise laughs undoubtedly turning a few heads to give more attention to the Cullens and herself. "Oh yeah, for sure. In fact when that day comes all of you can be my minions."

"How merciful of you." Rosalie states.

Later in the evening at the dinner table, Annalise felt that something was off with her father. He had rarely taken a bite of his food nor talked to her other than give her a few short answers to questions about his day. When another round of tense silence made its way around the table, Annalsie huffs and slams her fork down.

"Papa, what's wrong?"

She feels her father start and curse as he jumped at the sudden noise and his knees hit underneath the table, letting the plates rattle in response. He clears his throat as he composes himself. "Why would you think anything is wrong mija?"

"You've barely eaten anything off your plate, and I haven't heard you gush about your crush that is the chief of police today."

"Annalise!"

The girl takes a bite out of her broccoli, and with impeccable manners, speaks with her mouth full. "Whaft? 'T's dru Papa."

"It's nothing Anna, just some trouble at work." He sighs.

Annalise can hear the hitch in his breath and a waver in his voice at the evasive answer. At this she narrows her eyes. "Please don't lie to me dad. We promised no secrets."

Another round of silence graced the table, Annalise could sense her father reach up to rub his face, as if to compose himself before answering her.

"They called."

Annalise felt her heart freeze for a split moment, no she wouldn't jump to conclusions. There was a sudden lump in her throat, perspiration immediately gathered on her palms, making the utensils in her hand weak in her grasp. "Who called?" She responded.

"You know mija."

"Papa, you said that we were done with them. We have given everything they asked for, what more could they want?"

"They said they wanted to check on your progress to-"

"Progress?!" Annalise snapped, her composure broken. "What progress? I have been the same since we left that damn place! The reports are the same, I am simply a blind adolescent female with enhanced human abilities to cope with my shortcomings. 'There is no need for further testing.'" At the end of her sentence her voice shifted into a monotonous, almost robotic like voice.

She could feel her father's frustration coming to fruition, his voice becoming a deep growl. "Annalise-" he begins.

She shakes her head rapidly. "You promised papa." the happiness she has found here in Forks, the safety blanket she'd assure herself with has been torn away so quickly. "You promised that they wouldn't touch me again." her voice was thick and-no she was not going to cry.

Her father sighs. "I know." He states forlornly.

His voice is hollow, empty almost. Annalise closes her eyes as the anger bleeds out of her as quickly as it came. She knew her father has always done all he could to keep her safe and secure and yet.

"When are they coming?" she asks.

"In a month's time."

"How long?"

"A week."

A week, she shudders. A week in darkness and no human contact. "I don't want to go."

"I know. I'm sorry."

When Annalise awakes the next morning for school her depression is palpable. She knows for sure there are bags under her bloodshot eyes, and the dull pulse of a headache isn't going to give her relief anytime soon. Truthfully she didn't think this day could start off any worse, until it did.

Her dad was still downstairs, which was odd, usually he would've left by now as she waited for one of her close group of friends to pick her up.

"Dad?" she asked as she maneuvered around the kitchen counter to grab breakfast. "Why are you still here?"

There was a newspaper in his hands, most likely only there to try and hide the shame in his face from the results of their conversation from last night. Annalise didn't know why he bothered knowing she could still tell by hearing his voice, not needing to see his expression.

"Mrs. Cullen called and apologized, but the Cullens won't be at school today. Apparently whenever it's sunny, their family takes advantage of the weather and they go hiking. I'm dropping you off today mija."

She just had to jinx it, didn't she.

Even more disgruntled now that her friends would not be at school, added with the fact that her headache was somewhat clouding her 'vision', Annalise was set for her worst day ever. In a way she could also consider the reprieve from the Cullen clan a blessing. There was no doubt that they would notice her bad mood, and that would lead to questions. Questions meant answers, and those answers in turn could cause bad things to happen.

Miraculously in the lunchroom, she was able to snag the Cullen's usual table, now voided with only a party of one. Annalise believed that she would be able to eat her lunch in peace, but apparently when her friends weren't present in the student body it let others know that she was apparently free to talk to.

"Hey! Did you want to sit with us?"

The voice was feminine, holding a pretentious tone to it. Annalise turned her head towards the source and gave the girl a kind smile. "No thank you," She responds. "I think I'm fine on my own, besides I've almost finished my lunch." She raises the last quarter of her sandwich in a mock salute.

"Are you sure? We're sorry if we're intruding, it just looks like you could use some company." This voice was different, softer and more genuine. They weren't necessarily wrong with that statement. Without anyone to talk to, Annalise's mind has been running rampant with worse case scenarios of what will happen to her next month. Some distraction might do her some good.

Annalise shrugs and pats the table with her free hand. "Well, you're not wrong." She muses. "How about you guys sit here instead today? If it isn't too much trouble."

The softer speaking voice spoke up. "Not at all! My name's Angela by the way."

The voice next to Angelica spoke again as well. "And I'm Lauren."

Annalise nods at the introduction and gives one of her own. "Annalise, it's nice to meet you two." She takes the last bite of her lunch and hums in content. Annalise feels Angela and Lauren shift in their seats as they get comfortable.

"So," Lauren begins. "How are you liking Forks so far?"

The blind girl shrugs and runs a hand through her hair. "So far it's nice! It's a change of pace for sure."

"Where were you from originally?"

Ah, so this is what it was. An interrogation, seemingly more on Lauren's part than Angela's if Angela's frantic movements and not so quiet hisses to Lauren were to go by. Annalise leans forward on the table, letting her forearms rest on the surface. "Believe it or not, I lived in Alaska when I was younger. Then moved around frequently between the provinces of Canada and northern United States."

"Really? That's so interesting!" Angela spoke up.

Annalise nodded and gave the two of them a smile in their direction. "Mhm, my parent's old jobs had them move around a lot."

"Wow," Lauren mused. "Well, it's great that you were able to make new friends so quickly. Especially with the Cullens, I don't know if you've noticed but like you, they've been an enigma at our school."

At this Annalise laughs, mainly out of confusion. "An enigma? It's only been about two months. We're just transfer students."

Lauren scoffs and by the sudden shift of the air in front of her, Annalise could tell the girl was waving her hand. "Yeah sure, but from what I've been hearing is that the Cullens are filthy rich and pretty special. Having their parents take them out to hike on a school day? They're lucky!"

"Lauren….don't start." Angela's voice is annoyed now. "You can't go judging people based off silly rumors."

Annalise finds herself nodding, her friends are kind and caring. Nowhere near the type of stuck up pretentious rich teens who flaunt their wealth. The camping trip could be explained well enough too. Mr. Cullen always seemed to be working at the hospital, so when an opportunity presented itself to spend a day with his family, Annalise wouldn't blame him for taking it.

"Well what do you think of them?" Lauren's voice startles Annalise out of her thoughts. "You have been hanging out with them since day one it seems."

Annalise gives Lauren a raised brow, her blind gaze undoubtedly distant and unfocused at the direction of the nosey teen's face. She could tell she was making Lauren uncomfortable by the way she squirmed in her seat. "I think they're wonderful people. I'm not sure what you've heard about them, but I'm sure if you, I don't know, took the time to talk to them instead of gossip you would know them better."

Lauren grumbles to herself at being served the truth and Annalise heard Angela sigh in exasperation.

"Sorry about her." she says. "I try to rein her in, but her mind can go off on its own sometimes."

"I'm right here you know."

At the exchange between the two girls, Annalie laughs. She finds her day go by quickly after that, with two potential new friends. It helps her keep her mind things to talk to them, and as she waits outside for her father to pick her up from school, Annalise steels herself.

She cannot blame her father for the broken promise that now lay between them. Her father is not a superhero or a knight in shining armor, hoping to rescue his princess. He is human, fearful of what will happen to his only remaining family if he does not comply with a higher authority. Annalise closes her eyes and breathes out a harsh, frustrated breath. One day these people will be done with them. Moving on to whatever god-forsaken breakthrough they found next, but for now…

The familiar rumble of her her father's truck reaches her ears and the outlines of the remaining students and cars in the parking lot reverb in her mind. When her father reaches her, stepping outside the car, Annalise does not hesitate to give him a tight embrace. Broken promise or not, he is her anchor in this insane world, just as she is his. Whatever trials they faced, they would get through it together.

Codex: EvolCorp Is Expanding!

*The newspaper article reads the date of July 10th, 2003*

You heard right! The well hidden but successful gem of the scientific world have expanded their borders! EvolCorp has decided to open new facilities in [REDACTED].

Such a project has turned many investors to place their money in the pot for this growing business. We have an exclusive interview with Tod Baro and his thoughts on this himself. See A4.

*Page A4 is nowhere to be found.*