dose, this is my first story! I'm pretty excited… and I hope you like it! I take criticism, but flames are annoying. Read and review please! And I'm going to need a beta for this, so if anyone is offering tell me in a review or PM. I'm pretty good with grammar, but I might need help when I get writer's block.

I was running away. I was leaving and telling no one. It was easy. I woke up, grabbed the necessities, and headed out the door. He would never find out.

It was official. I had left Phoenix behind and was arriving in Forks, Washington. I only hoped Rosalie would be happy to see me.

Rosalie Hale was my best friend all through elementary school, middle school, and high school. We were inseparable. We drifted apart when we went to separate colleges. I went to Dartmouth while she went to Yale. I haven't talked to her in over a year. But right now, I needed her. I could only hope that she would understand. So, here I was, standing outside of her house. I climbed the creaking stairs and rang the doorbell. It was four a.m. so, I doubt she's up. She's going to be pissed.

I heard someone climbing down the steps and grumbling something unintelligible, but it sounded like a string of profanities. The person opened the door, but it wasn't Rosalie.

"Hi, who are you and what the hell do you want?" he asked. It was someone I had never met. He had brown curly hair and huge muscles. He looked like the Hulk, only not green.

"Um, hi, I'm Bella Swan. Does Rosalie Hale still live here?" I asked in a small voice. This guy could snap me in half if he wanted to.

"Yeah, how do you know her? Wait are you the Bella? The one who she was best friends with in school?"

"Yeah, and, um, I kind of need her right now. Can I come in? I'll wake her up, though. I don't want Rose to unleash her fury on you," I said and he chuckled as I walked by him, up the stairs, and into Rose's room. She was sleeping on her stomach and I knew the only way to get her up.

I grabbed the covers off of her, stole her pillow away, and rolled her onto her back.

"What the fu-," she was about to continue, but I covered her hand with my mouth. Comprehension dawned on her face.

"Bella?" she whispered.

"Yes," I whispered back.

"I missed you. But what are you doing here at four in the morning?"

"I had to leave, and I didn't no where to go. You are the only person I can trust right now. Please. I need you," I told her. Her face softened. She studied my face, then gasped.

"Bella," she said, her voice unsteady, "What the hell happened to you?" She started tracing the many scars on my face. The one above my eyebrow, the one along my jaw line, and the most painful, the large right under my hairline.

"I had to leave him," I said.

"Who did this to you," she asked, her voice fierce.

"My, now, ex-boyfriend."

"Why did you let him do this to you? He must have used you as a knife sharpener!" she exclaimed, getting up and pacing around the room, which she only did when she was extremely aggravated.

I looked down, ashamed. Rose was the first person I was telling this to. And I was scared as to what she would think.

"I tried," I started, "But whenever I tried to leave, he would hurt me worse. And then I just stopped caring."

"Who is this 'he' you keep referring to? And how long did this go on for?"

I ignored her first question. "We were together for three years, and he started being abusive in the last two," I said in the quietist voice humanly possible.

"WHAT!!" she screamed.

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" I asked. I just wanted to get this story over with and her interruptions were not helping. She nodded and I continued.

"He was great for the first year, but after that… the first time he hit me, he was drunk. So, I thought it would be a one time thing. But then he did it again, and again. And then he started using knives." I unconsciously started tracing the scar down my jaw. That was the first one he did.

"I tried to leave but he said he would kill me." Tears were streaming down my face at this point. "And I believed him because I knew that he could. So he kept abusing me. Last week I realized that I needed to get out, no matter what." I didn't plan on telling her what happened that made that decision very clear. I didn't plan on telling anyone.

"A couple days ago, I cleaned out my bank account and tried to think of a place to go. You were the first person that came to mind, so I got on the next flight to Seattle, and came here. I hope that's okay…" I trailed off. I was worried about her reaction.

"Of course! How long do you think you need to stay? We don't have an extra room here so you might have to sleep on the couch… oh I know! Hold on one second!" Rose got up and got the phone and started dialing. Who would be up at five in the morning? When she was done talking on the phone, she turned to me, grinning.

"We may not have an extra room, but our friends Alice and Edward do. They're brother and sister and live in this huge house their parents bought for them. They have, like, five extra rooms. Alice is already making plans to decorate your new room. Trust me, you'll love her. Edward… well he's moody. But, you get used to it. It's kind of like being around me when I'm PMSing."

"Okay, I was skeptic at first, but now I really don't want to go. I can't just force myself on them. The couch is fine, and I'm sure I'll be able to find an apartment in about a week-" I tried to tell Rose my plans, but she cut me off.

"Don't be ridiculous. Alice is excited and Edward will display no emotion… it's absolutely fine. I'm sure you and Alice will love each other. Don't worry about a thing. You'll be fine here. And I'm so excited to have you back!" she squealed and jumped on me, tackling me to the floor. We decided that I should go over to Alice's now, because she's so excited that her bouncing is shaking the house. When we went downstairs, Emmett was passed out on the couch. I went outside, and Rose drove me to Alice's because I didn't have a car yet. When we got there, Alice was waiting outside, jumping up and down on the porch steps, too excited to stay inside. (it's the same house as in twilight, do I have to describe it?)

"Ahhh Bella! You're so pretty!" she ran up to me and hugged me, "We are going to be best friends, I can tell!" she was about to continue, but a gorgeous guy walked out of the house. He had the most interesting shade of bronze hair, and piercing green eyes that I could see, even though I was across the yard. He was rubbing his neck and in basketball shorts and a t-shirt.

"Um, why are you out here squealing at," he checked his watch, "Five fifteen in the morning? And who are you?" he asked, addressing me.

"I'm Bella, and, apparently, I'm going to be staying with you for awhile," I told him and he looked shocked. He was about to speak but Alice cut him off.

"And don't you dare throw a temper tantrum! She is Rose's friend from high school and she needs her help, so she is staying here," Alice said, crossly. I turned to Rosalie, eyes widened. Did she tell Alice what he did to me? She shook her head and I breathed out a sigh of relief. I didn't want her to know.

"Fine," Edward huffed, and walked in the house. I felt bad, but not enough to leave. I needed a place to stay, and this was it.

"Don't worry about him. He gets into his funks, but he'll get over it. I'm sure he'll grow to like you," Alice said with a knowing smile.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, but she just smiled and invited me in. The first thing I saw was the beautiful grand piano. I automatically walked over to it and started playing. I had taken lessons since I was five. (I know, it's not in twilight, but get over it!)

"You play piano?" Alice asked and I turned to look at her.

"Yeah, my mom put me through lessons and I loved it," I told her, smiling. I loved my mom and I missed her.

"Does she play?"

"She did. She died a year ago. Car accident," I said, hoping she would drop it. I don't think she took the hint, though…

"Yeah, me and Edward's parents died in a car crash when I was little. I can't remember them though, but Edward can. We were adopted by Carlisle and Esme, and they're great." I was still playing and Edward came down.

"You play?" he asked me.

"No, I just sat down, and I don't know, the notes just started to flow…" I said sarcastically. I could handle his mood with my sarcasm.

"Well, you're good. Almost as good as me," he said.

"Almost?! Sure, keep dreaming," I said to him, just to aggravate him. But, surprisingly, Alice jumped in.

"I don't know, Edward's really good… he's wrote dozens of songs. They're amazing."

"I've written songs, too. I know most of them by heart, but I didn't have time to grab my compositions when I left, so I guess they're gone," I said, realizing my mistake too late. I did just what I didn't want to do. I brought up my past. Lovely.

"Why did you leave in such a hurry?" Edward asked. Ugh, time for a subject change.

"So which room is mine?" I asked them and Edward looked suspicious, but Alice was just too excited to show me my room.

"Okay, there are two to pick from. You can have the one downstairs, which is bigger, but the one on the third floor has a great view."

"I'll have the one with the view, if that's alright," I said, uncertain. I really didn't want to impose on them.

"Yeah, it's fine. But, you'll have to deal with Edward's depressing music. Why do you listen to that stuff?" she asked Edward, turning to him.

"Linkin Park is not depressive!" he yelled.

"He's right, I love Linkin Park. Maybe a little too much screaming, but I love them," I said and Alice tried to mask her shock.

"See! Other people do listen to them! I'm not the only one! What other bands do you listen to? (These are just my favorite bands, so I think you should listen to them!)

"Hmmm, Taking Back Sunday, Flyleaf, Quietdrive, Hidden In Plain View, 30 Seconds to Mars, Param-" Edward cut me off.

"PARAMORE?! As in 'Misery Business?' And just when I thought you had good taste…"

"Hey, have you ever heard any of their other songs? How about 'Emergency?' 'Pressure?' 'That's What You Get?' Hmm? Didn't think so," I said and he looked surprised that I would talk to him like that.

"Oooohhh you just got schooled!" Alice yelled. The stairs started to creak and I nearly jumped out of my skin, thinking it was him.

"Bella? I forgot to tell you! This is my boyfriend, Japser!" she yelled and I looked up and saw a blonde haired guy smiling at me.

"Hi. Should I know you…?"

"No, I'm Rosalie's old friend. I'm staying here for awhile.

"Oh, alright." I liked Jasper. He seemed like he went with the flow. It was nice.

"Alright, let me take you up to your room." She lead me up the steps and to the door. I opened it and the room was gorgeous. It was large and had a huge bed with a seat by the window that looked out onto a forest.

"Thanks, Alice, it's beautiful. I would stay here and talk, but it was a long plane ride and I'm pretty tired."

"Okay, we'll see you later!"

I laid down in the bed, and was instantly asleep. But my nightmares didn't let me rest. It was distorted versions of Jacob, who kept flashing between a human and a wolf, beating me and then he started hurting Edward. And that was, for some reason, more painful than my pain. The wolf-Jacob was about to attack Edward, when dream-me screamed. All of a sudden, I was being shaken. I thought it was Jacob, so I screamed again. Then I heard Edward's voice.

"Bella?! Bella! It's me, Edward! Wake up!" he whisper yelled. I woke up and tears were streaming down my face.

"Are you alright?" he asked and his face looked genuinely worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry, did I wake you up? I didn't mean to, I just had this nightmare…" I trailed off.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, and I tensed up. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and tried to fix my hair.

"No, no," I mumbled, "I'm just gonna go back to sleep.

"Okay…" he said skeptically.

He left and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

There you have it! I should be updating soon, I won't take too long. Please review so I know what you think! And don't forget the beta offer!