First chapter.
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This story is rated M due to adult content, dark themes, dark humor, lemons, and a lot of language.

All-Human.
Cannon-Pairings.

READ SUMMARY BELOW BEFORE BEGINNING THE CHAPTER.
Trust me.

Events in the past have caused Edward to be broken. Both him and his makeshift family have enough pain to fill an entire lifetime. The call themselves "The Runaways." Whether it's a dark past, family issue, or simply the feeling of loneliness, they are all bonded in unexplainable ways. The only thing no one ever knew was how deep Edward Cullen really was. With secrets so forbidden, so deadly, he had locked himself up and distanced himself from the actual world. Bella's the "it" girl with everything she could ever want and more. She's got a future full of options, and many people that adore and love her. Getting mixed in with the Runaways was something she chose to do, but something she had been warned over and over not to. Brining Bella into his dark life wasn't something he wanted to do, and yet, somehow was unavoidable. As secrets of the past unravel, the killing games began to become more intense – threatening to tear the six of them apart forever.

--Justine(:

And so the journey begins. . .

Bella - Les Fugueurs

Fuck. Of course the one day I decide it's nice enough to walk home from school, happens to be the one day I get a group of stalkers following me. Since the last two blocks, they had been walking a pretty close distance behind me. Every time I tried speeding up my pace, they would come at me even faster.

I cursed silently to myself, wishing I was in the safe confines of my red Ferrari. I glanced up at the sky. It wasn't even that nice of a day out. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Never again would I ever walk to or from school. Never.

I continued walking, keeping my eyes on the alley ahead. Wait. Why the fuck was I in an alley? Great place to go when you've got people following you, really, Bella. My common sense was becoming pathetically weak. I figured keeping a good walking pace would be best; My dad taught me all about what to do in a situation like this. You struggle, they kill. Going on the act of keeping my life, I decided to walk. Of course, that'd probably end up being a mistake. Luck was most definitely not on my side today.

These guys were getting closer and closer. I glanced over my shoulder, counting four of them. I groaned quietly to myself. Wonderful. I think they were getting tired of following me, and just wanted to get the damn thing over with already. Here was the problem: I wasn't really okay with the idea of being raped. In fact, I hated it. Who wouldn't?

Suddenly, I had the courage to turn around and tell them off. Stupid or not, I should always have the right to speak my mind. You know what, fuck it. That's what I was going to do. "Stay the fuck away from me," I spun around, glaring at all of them. Never show weakness, I reminded myself. "Don't you dare lay a hand on me, I swear." I just noticed now that I was shaking. Shit.

They were very drunk, and the only response I got back was a bunch of mumbling and crap. Just because they were drunk, didn't mean they weren't dangerous, I reminded myself in the back of my mind. My channel heels suddenly weren't as appealing as they had been in the store window. Even if I wanted to, I knew I couldn't run with those suckers on. I sighed. This just wasn't my day.

They didn't stop, continuing to approach me. I took a deep breath. "You don't want to touch me," I told them sternly, "My dad's the head of security for the state," I warned, somehow keeping my voice steady. I wasn't lying either. He'd have these guys' balls once they were done with me. A shiver suddenly ran up my spine.

I was backing up into the wall of an old, abandoned shop. They were getting closer. I could almost smell the alcohol poisoning on their tongues. Fucking disgusting. That stuff was horrible, and I never understood why people even became so addicted to it in the first place. They inched closer. I wasn't feeling so brave anymore.

Suddenly, the door to the old shop swung open, and I heard a girl's anxious voice. "Hurry, come inside, quick!" She instructed. I didn't even think twice about it. I leaped towards that door, throwing myself inside. The girl who had yelled to me before, caught me before I could fall to the ground. Damn heels.

I glanced up at her face, realizing that she was probably around the same age as me. She was a small, pixie-like girl, with short spiky hair. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, as she held out her hand. "I'm Alice Cullen," She grinned, "Close call out there, huh?" Her voice was relieved. Why? I couldn't imagine. I mean, why would it have mattered to her if anything had happened to me? Not that I didn't appreciate her saving me, and all.

She reached behind me, locking the door as the sounds of men's voices echoed through the alley way. I realized that I hadn't introduced myself yet. Really nice, Bella. I cleared my throat, sending her a warm smile. "I'm Bella Swan," I told her without skipping a beat. For some reason, I liked this Alice girl already.

My eyes wondered around the room, revealing that we weren't alone. Four other faces were staring at me, some friendly, some intimidating. I didn't know what to say. I was suddenly afraid that I had been intruding something important. They didn't look like they were up to much, so I relaxed momentarily.

"You guys," Alice announced happily, breaking the silence, "This is Bella."

They all stared at me. I glanced at the room around me. What had used to be an old convenient store, was now a completely lounge area. Sure, it was a little shabby, but for some reason, being inside, I felt comfort. There were two large couches, a small TV, some chairs, and even a futon. The look each had on there face was similar; What the hell? Who are you? I almost grinned.

Once again, Alice the life savior broke the silence. I was beginning to like her more and more. "Bella, this is Jasper Whitlock," I guess it was time for introductions. She pointed towards the tall boy, sitting on his couch and working on his laptop. He had light brown hair, messy, yet neat. He was smiling at me, confused, but friendly. I smiled back, waving at him.

She moved on to the beautiful blonde girl, sitting in front of the TV, looking incredibly bored. "This is Rosalie Hale," At the mention of her name, her eyes snapped up and met mine. Her glare made me cringe, causing me to instantly look away. I didn't wave, though I tried to smile. It was hard, the way she was looking at me, skeptically and judgmentally. I prayed that Alice would move onto the next person fast. She rolled her eyes and whispered into my ear, "She doesn't really care for anyone but us," She assured me, "Don't worry, it's not you." Oddly enough, I was slightly relieved.

Next, she moved to the big boy sitting on the recliner, grinning at me. I liked him already. "That's Emmett McCarty," She told me. Happily, I grinned and waved at him. I didn't let his size fool me, though it was frightening. It sort of seemed like he was just a big old teddy bear to me. I don't know, it just felt that way. My mother always told me I was good at figuring people out from first glance.

"Hey, Bella!" Emmett grinned at me, waving back. Alice rolled her eyes smiling.

Last but not least, she pointed to the quiet boy, sitting in the chair in the corner. He was staring at me intently, not glaring, but not exactly looking pleased. It was a start, I guess. "And that is Edward Cullen," She said, exchanging a meaningful glance with him. I stared at him, just now noticing the beauty his face held. It was sort of memorizing. His eyes, piercing green eyes. His hair, a bronze array of perfection. He had a certain edge to him though, and very cautiously, I sent him a small smile.

He gave me a little half-but-not-really smile, still looking at me like I had some unmet expectation to meet. Out of everyone, his reaction confused me the most. I didn't get the way he was so isolated from the rest of them. The way his eyes were closed off and shielded. That was beyond the point though, and I knew I was getting ahead of myself.

"No offense, really," Emmett assured me, still grinning, "But why are you here?" I didn't take that question offensively. It was perfectly fair for him to ask that. At least he was still being friendly.

Alice stepped in before I had the chance to say anything. Bless her heart. "Well, Bella here," She smiled at me, "Was basically just about to get raped." The only one looking surprised was Alice herself. It's not like this town didn't have a large population of fuck-ups. "I saved her." She stated proudly.

"Coolness," He said to the both of us. He was weird, but I liked him already too. Sort of like a big brother type, it appeared. "Well, Bella," He began, "I am glad that we can so graciously host you in your time of need."

Jasper looked up from his laptop and rolled his eyes. He sent me an apologetic glance. "Yeah," He sighed sadly, "He's always like this." And then, I had to laugh. Both buys laughed along with me. Hey, maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

I had some questions to ask, but I didn't know how to ask them without sounding like a fucking creeper. Which is exactly what I probably was. My father would be frowning on my behavior right now. I stood there, not knowing where to go from there. Nervously, I glanced at the door. I wondered if the men were gone.

For some reason, some odd part of me hoped they weren't. I wanted to stay here, and figure these guys out. Their reactions had me curious. Who were they? I had never seen them at school, or around the town. But, then again, Chicago was incredibly populated.

"So. . ." I looked down at me feet, trying to phrase my question the best I could without sounding rude. "Who are you guys?" No one answered for a moment, and then, a voice I wasn't expecting to hear answered me.

"Les Fugueurs." Edward stated quietly and simply, staring directly into my eyes for a moment. His velvet voice sounding incredibly sexy as French words filled his mouth. Wait. I couldn't speak French. For all I knew, he could have been telling me to go and fuck myself.

Alice laughed at my confused expression, explaining for me. "The Runaways," She told me, sounding completely at ease. "That's what we call ourselves."

I noticed Rosalie become completely uneasy, and angry, at the fact that this Alice girl was telling me information that was clearly private to the five of them. I tried my best to ignore her though, focusing on the conversation I was having with Alice.

"Wait, so you guys like, ran away?" I asked, completely confused. I guess it made sense. Once again, I was getting ahead of myself though. I decided that keeping my mouth shut unless necessary would be the best option from now on.

"Not exactly," Alice began. She gestured towards the space on the couch, urging me to sit down. I sat a careful distance from Jasper, as Alice slid comfortably in the middle of us. She smiled at him with glowing affection, then turned back to me. "We call ourselves that, because we run away from our problems. Or, something like that I guess," She laughed quietly to herself. I still didn't understand.

"You see," She explained, "Each of us has our own set of problems." She paused, and I knew she was debating on whether or not she should even be telling me any of this in the first place. If I was her, I wouldn't be. I mean, they had no idea who I was. I had no idea who they were. This situation was getting weirder by the second. "Like me, for example."

Her expression wavered for a moment, becoming slightly sad. I frowned, not knowing if this was a story I wanted to hear. Suddenly, I felt very out of place. Here was this group of kids, ones who were probably very close and all, and then there was me. To them, I was probably just some crazy bitch. I asked myself silently why I was here. Maybe there was a reason. Everything happens for a reason. I had to convince myself that, at least.

Alice brought me back to focus, beginning her story. "From the moment I was born," She explained, "My parents couldn't afford me. They couldn't afford a child." Her eyes met mine. They were calm, but I could see the slight hurt in them. "You see, I was sort of an accident." She laughed quietly to herself, though I didn't know what at. "Anyways. They gave me away to the state, putting me in an orphanage."

I didn't know this girl, and yet here I was, feeling sorry for her. It was sort of hard not to like Alice though. I continued to listen contently, still feeling awkward being there. I played with my hands, fidgeted with my feet. Nothing felt comfortable.

"So the story's pretty self-explanatory from there," She sighed. "In Chicago alone, I've been through so many different adopted families, I can't even remember anymore." I wanted to ask her why she had been through so many, why all of her adopted parents hadn't kept her. She saw the question in my eyes, and answered it before I had to ask.

"I'm naturally an unlucky person," She pouted, her lip sticking out and everything. I grinned at her, easing the tension. She smiled back. "I guess none of them really worked. Either for me, or for them." Then, I felt sad for her again. "The older you get, the less of a chance you get to be adopted. I've been with the same orphanage now for two years."

"I'm sorry," I responded automatically, really meaning that. I couldn't imagine never having a mom and dad, or even someone to be there for me. She shook her head assuringly and smiled at me.

"Don't be. I spend most of my time with these guys anyways, my real family," She took her time, beaming at each one of them. "Besides, in a few months, I'll be 18, and won't have to worry about any legal crap anymore." She finished happily, smiling at me.

I knew the men were probably gone, but for some reason, I wanted to stay. Alice's earlier words had be completely curious. I wanted to know what the rest of their stories were, more about them, but I didn't want to pry. It wasn't fair to them. I tried to keep the frown off my face, but she noticed. In a low whisper she leaned towards my face, "Look, they'll tell you theirs in time. I would, but they're not my stories to tell." I nodded in understandment, sending her a grateful smile.

Then, the awkward silence came back. No one seemed to want to say anything. I darted my eyes around the room nervously, wondering what my next words would be. Rosalie quietly snorted at me from her chair. I tried to ignore her. Well excuse me for trying to make new friends, bitch.

My voice remained steady though, as I decided telling them about myself would be best. Who knew. Maybe if I told them about me, they'd tell me about them. "I go to school at Tech High, what about you guys?" I hoped I wasn't crossing any lines. It seemed like a friendly enough question to ask, I thought.

It didn't surprise me that it was Alice who was the first to answer. "I go to North View," She told me. Oh, that explains it. It was a small, private school on the edge of town. I don't think I knew anyone who went there. "I'm graduating this year, because I skipped sixth grade," She beamed proudly at me.

"Rub it in a little more why don't you, shorty?" I heard Emmett mutter under his breath. I held in another giggle, trying not to offend anyone here. I didn't want them to hate me. For some reason, I wanted them to like me. Alice heard, and stuck her tongue out at him.

"You see, young Bella," He began. Good lord. I smirked at him as he continued on, "I didn't have the opportunity to finish all of my academic curriculum. School became less of a priority, and more of a hassle. I'm nineteen. I dropped out two years ago." I instantly wonder what he did consider a priority then. Emmett seemed smart. I wondered what had urged him to drop out. Again, I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to pry.

"I got to North View, as well, Bella," Jasper told me. It was the first time I had heard him speak, and I about died. His accent held a very southern draw, almost making me giggle. It was damn cute. I wondered if he was from the South.

I nodded at him, grinning. "Where are you from, Jasper?" I asked, knowing that he wouldn't get offended by my questioning. He was sort of a sweetheart, I could tell. There was something about him that was very honest. His eyes and face looked like more of small boy, rather than a grown teenager. And again, I had to smile at him.

"I'm from the South," He responded, confirming my suspicions.

Neither Edward nor Blondie seemed like they wanted to say anything, or talk to me for that matter, so I stuck with these three. Although, I couldn't help but continue to glance at Edward from across the room. He had a notebook, and was writing in it. Sometimes, when I'd look at him, he'd look back. Like he knew that that's where my eyes were. I'd always blush and look away quickly whenever he caught me, feeling really stupid.

The three of us talked for a little while, about small, unimportant things. The whole time, the whole conversation, I was always fighting the urge to ask more. Not that I didn't enjoy the nice small talk we were having; The curiosity was just eating me alive. Fuck off, curiosity, I instructed myself, Normality is here.

After more time went by, Emmett sigh and stood up. "Well, I better go and check on the mother," Emmett told us, walking to the door. I glanced at the clock, and out the window. I hadn't even noticed I'd been staying that late. Shit. Well, guess I should say my goodbyes then as well.

Rosalie stood up from her chair – the first I had seen her move – and walked over to Emmett. She surprised me by embracing him in a tight, caring hug. Huh, I guess Blondie did have a heart. When they pulled away from each other, I noticed the same emotion showing on both of their faces. Pain. At least, I think that's what it was. Weird.

I guess Rosalie was leaving too, because she slipped on a pair of shoes, and walked out the door before him. Before she left, I heard him whisper very quietly, "Be careful, Rosie." I wished I hadn't heard that. It really wasn't helping my curiosity level go down at all.

Emmett opened the door and step outside, and turned back to me. He called over his shoulder, "Where's your set of wheels?" He asked me curiously.

Without thinking, I called back, "The Ferrari's at home." Shit, shit, shit. I had been doing so well not sounding like a superficial bitch. Before I could worry about their might-be skeptical opinions, Emmett broke the silence.

"Well, well, well." He cackled, sounding impressed and letting out a low whistle. "New Meat's got a Ferrari. Wouldn't have guessed that." I rolled my eyes and giggled quietly as he walked out the door.

Jasper stood up as well. "Well, Al," He turned to Alice, holding out his hand. "It's a perfect night, what do you say to getting out of here?" She laughed, looking delighted. The sparkle in each of their eyes as they looked at one another clearly showed love. I kind of envied them. Of all the boyfriends I had had, none of them looked at me like that.

He helped her up off the couch, and she paused, turning to look at me with hesitance. "Is that okay, Bella?" She titled her head to the side, questioning me. "If we leave, I mean."

I gave her a confused look. Why wouldn't it be okay? It's not like she had to stay here and keep me company. It was probably time I left too anyways. "Yeah, go ahead." I assured her quickly, smiling.

"Okay," She grinned, pulling me into a friendly hug. "It was really nice meeting you, by the way. I hope we see you again soon." Her eyes were hopeful. I knew I'd be back. For some reason, this place intrigued me. I had seen too much city life lately, apparently.

"You can count on that," I assured her, sounding enthused. "Oh, and thanks again for, you know, saving me." I couldn't help but laugh a little, and so did she. What a ridiculous way to meet someone new.

"You staying here tonight, Ed?" Jasper asked him. His eyes shot up from his notebook and he nodded. "Alright, remember to lock the door," He joked. Edward rolled his eyes. "I'll be here later tomorrow afternoon." Then, they left.

It was just Edward and I now. I should have left, that would have been a good idea, but my feet just wouldn't carry me anywhere. I felt oddly obliged to find out more about this boy. Why was he so quiet? His green eyes rose from his papers once again, catching me looking at him. God, I had to stop doing that. Leave now, Bella, I thought angrily, You're only embarrassing yourself.

"What are you doing?" I suddenly blurted out, not being able to help myself.

He stared at me for a few moments in silence. It seemed like he was debating with himself whether or not he should answer me. I walked over to the side of the couch, closest to the chair he was sitting on. I think I was really pissing him off, though I couldn't tell. Maybe he was just naturally an irritated person. Maybe it was PMS. It took everything in me to hold back a loud chuckle.

It was more than that though. His stare, as I had noticed before, was deeper than it appeared. It's like he was closing himself off, hiding all of the emotions he didn't want others to see. I mentally gave myself a high five. I was being pretty fucking perceptive today, and I liked it.

"Just writing," He finally answered, dropping his eyes back to whatever the hell it was that he was writing. This boy really didn't like to talk, did he? Well, I wasn't leaving until I finally got something decent out of his mouth. Anything.

"Oh." I answered flatly. "Cool." The disappointment in my voice was strong; I could hear it, and knew he could too. I was really starting to worry that I was making him angry. God knows what kind of 'problems' he had that Alice was referring to. Who knew. Maybe it was an incident with some crazy bitch girlfriend in the past. Ah-hah. That was definitely it. That was definitely the reason he wasn't talking to me.

I was starting to confuse myself.

"So. . ." I started lamely, hoping that he could be the one providing the conversation. He sighed loudly, setting his pen down and closing his notebook. I grimaced a little at his annoyed face.

"You just love to talk, don't you?" He asked me, running a hand through his messy hair. I wanted to touch that hair. I bet it felt as amazing as it looked. I didn't even think that was possible though, because it looked fucking fantastic. I had to stop ogling poor Edward before I got carried away.

"I'm sorry," I bit my lip and looked down.

"Don't worry about it," He sighed again, sounding more. . .relaxed? I hoped so. We both just kind of sat there, and I decided that unless one of us said something soon, this was a potential for the awkwardest moments of my life.

All of a sudden, I remembered something. "You sleep here?" I asked, not helping myself but to sound amazed. I mean, don't get me wrong, it seemed like a great place, I was just confused. What about his home? His parents?

Something flashed in his eyes for a moment after I asked him this. It seemed like remorse, but I couldn't tell. Once again, he was closing himself off. I wished he wouldn't do that. I was trying really hard to figure him out, whether he liked it or not.

"Yeah," He answered grimly, "I live here most of the time too." He seemed uncomfortable with where this conversation was going. "I stay at the guys' places sometimes, but mostly I like it here. It's quiet." And there I was, thinking I would never get something decent from his mouth. He hadn't realized it, but he had just given me way more information than I had been expecting to get in the first place.

If he lived here, I was going on the assumption that his parents were either dead, or he didn't like them very much. I hoped it was the second one. Just like Alice, no one deserved to not have parents, no matter who you were. This was way too deep of a subject to get into after just meeting though, so I decided not to ask much more of him.

"So you own a Ferrari, huh?" He asked, a small smile filtering across his lips. Wow. I got a smile out of him. Wasn't expecting that either. I knew that with this question, he was asking others as well. Once again, I tried my hardest not to sound like a superficial bitch. Deep down, I really wasn't one.

I gave him a small smile. "My dad's head of security for the state," I told him. "He gives all of his money to my mom and I, because he never uses it." I rolled my eyes. "They gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday. Though I'd never pick that as my first car."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why? It's a great car." He said it matter-of-factly, like I didn't already know that.

"You don't know me," I grimaced at him, "I'm a magnet for danger. Where I go, accidents follow. I mean, I'm surprised I've made it through a whole year with only a few scratches on it." I didn't know why I was telling him all of this. I was probably putting him to sleep.

I chanced a glance at his face, peeking up at him through my eyelashes. He was smirking, trying really hard not to laugh. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't laugh." I warned him sternly. He was shaking with silent laughter, trying to hide it from me.

I turned around completely so I was no longer facing him, crossing my arms and sticking my chin up in the air. "Bella, I'm sorry." I heard him chuckle, "I'm normally not an ass, I swear." Then, he began laughing again. "You just amuse me." I amuse you? Wonderful. I've known you for what, an hour? Two?

"Gee, Edward," I replied with heavy sarcasm in my voice, "You really do know a good apology." I also added, "Glad my unfortunate luck amuses you." He really had to stop laughing soon. Now I was the one getting pissed.

Actually, I was okay that he was laughing, despite the reason. I had this feeling that he really didn't laugh all that often. Somehow, I knew that this wasn't usual to him. I turned back around, suddenly finding him much closer than he was before.

"Sorry," His hot breath blew into my face. "Really, I am. I shouldn't have laughed at you like that." All I could do was gulp and nod, not being able to form a single coherent thought. Damn mind-processing.

"It's o-okay," I stuttered, blinking my vision back into focus, onto his eyes. Before even thinking about it, I blurted the first thing on my mind. "You have the prettiest eyes." Yeah, it was true. Did I want to admit it to him out loud? No. Looks like I had no choice now.

He furrowed his brows together. "Thanks?" He asked, looking at me like he was questioning my sanity. Awesome. He probably thought I was a pothead or on weed or some shit like that. Apparently, you couldn't give a compliment in the twenty-first century without being judged. I decided that as long as I was confessing, I might as well do it thoroughly.

"No really," I told him, fighting back the strong urge to touch his face. Just like his hair, I bet it felt amazing. "They're green. Really green. Did you know that's my favorite color?" What the hell are you doing, Bella? And no, green was not my favorite color. Maybe it was now though.

I was both surprised and relieved when he laughed quietly. He backed away from me, which was probably a good thing for my self-control, and sat back down in his chair. He picked up his notebook again, and began writing. I wasn't sure if this was my dismissal or not, so I just sat there.

"You know what, Bella Swan?" He asked, glancing up through his long lashes. I swear, my heart just skipped a beat. Stop that, I wanted to shout at him. He was doing it on purpose. "You're okay." He told me simply. His tone made it clear that he was not making fun of me.

I took that as my dismissal, deciding it was getting late anyways. There were so many more things I wanted to ask; so much I wanted to find out. I reminded myself that I'd most likely be back tomorrow. The thought made me smile.

I stood up, smiling genuinely at him. "Thanks," I said happily, making my way to the door. My house was only a little over a mile away – I knew I'd make it home before dark. Hopefully. I glanced down at my feet, silently cursing out my heels once again.

My hand turned the doorknob, ready to swing the door open when I heard Edward. "Bella?" He called quietly. I spun quickly around to face him. "For the record," He smiled at me, "You have pretty eyes too."

In that moment, I felt exactly like a thirteen year-old girl again. One who hadn't dumped her boyfriend a week ago; one who's heart skipped a beat whenever she saw a cute guy smile at her; one who still squealed like a fan girl when she saw her favorite actor on screen. I liked the feeling – I hadn't felt it in a long time. I held it in though, keeping my expression reasonable while I nodded goodbye.

I pushed open the door and was met by a cool, mid-April breeze. I smiled into the air, walking out of the small alley, onto a sidewalk, and towards my home.

Due to my content mood, and determination not to get stalked for a second time that night, I made it home in a little less than twenty minutes. I was eager to talk to my mom; She was never home. Always traveling to exotic places. I knew for sure that Charlie wouldn't be home – He was always working. I still loved him the same though.

I went through our large front doors, greeted by Laurent as I entered. He was our chef, and family friend. He was more of an uncle to me than anything. I smiled widely at him, heading straight towards the dining room. I hadn't realized it before, but I was pretty damn hungry.

I walked into the spacious room, stopping in the doorway when I realized that it was empty. My face fell slightly. I heard Laurent approach me, and turned to meet his grim face. I already knew what was coming. He handed me a neat, folded note. "Your mother wanted me to give you this."

I quickly unfolded it, already braced for what her words would be. In my mother's messy hand-writing, it read – Bella, Sorry I couldn't make it home tonight. Shelly had a last minute decision to fly to Maui for a few days. You know how much I love Hawaii. I'll be home by Friday; Stay out of trouble and say hi to Jake for me. Lots of love, Renee.

I sat down at the table by myself, letting the disappointment wash over me. She was always gone. All of the time. She hadn't even been home long enough for me to tell her that I had broken up with Jake a week ago. She would be sad; She had liked Jacob.

This wasn't anything knew though. There were always "last minute trips" or "sudden opportunities" that she needed to take. When she had made the decision to become a traveler, she knew that it would mean less family time. It was her choice though, and her life. I couldn't be bitter about it for too long. After all, she took me with her sometimes. It was with Shelly though, most of the time. Her only sister, my only aunt.

I had almost forgotten that I wasn't alone. I heard Laurent clear his throat. "What would you like for dinner tonight, Miss Bella?" He asked in a kind tone.

I gave him a small smile. "Nothing tonight," I told him, hiding the sadness in my tone. I'd rather not eat at all than eat alone. "I'm not that hungry tonight." Without another word, I got up and headed for my bedroom.

I walked over to my phone, and checked my messages. It flashed that I had three new ones. I pressed playing, listening to the first. "Bella! Where are you? We were suppose to meet at the mall, remember? Get your ass over here! Love ya bitch, bye." Jess's loud voice screamed at me. I sighed, already being able to guess who the next two were from.

I didn't really feel sorry though. Lately, she had been getting on my nerves. She was my best friend, but I knew we were starting to fade. I felt a little bad for not meeting her there though, and having our plans completely slip my memory. I decided not to call her, knowing she probably found some guy to make-out with instead.

The next message began to play, and after only hearing the first syllable, I groaned loudly to myself. "Hey baby, we need to talk. I miss you a lot, and want you–" I stopped the message before listening to anymore of it. Jacob could just sit and rot for all I cared. I didn't want him back. I never would. What was the point in calling and telling him that? He was a shallow bastard. Simple as that.

I went on to the final message. "Hi Sweetie, it's your mom. In case Laurent didn't give you my note, I'll be gone until Friday. I miss you! I love you!" My mother was far too enthusiastic for her own good. She often told me I was young and naïve, and that I'd make many mistakes in life, but I always knew it was the other way around.

After a long shower, shaved legs, and nice-smelling lotion later, I sat in the middle of my bed. I knew it'd be a few hours before my dad got home, and that there was no point in waiting up for him. He'd just crash as soon as he got home anyways. I heard the quiet vacuuming downstairs as Emily cleaned our house. I wondered why we had a maid. I was home so often, it would be stupid not for me to clean.

Deciding to turn in early, I pulled back the covers and crawled snuggly under them, cozying up to my pillow. I million thoughts ran through my mind as I shut my eyes. Alleys, dark men, pixie-like girls, teddy-bear boys, green eyes. . .My dreams would be vivid tonight, that was for sure.

"Les Fugueurs," I whispered silently to myself, remembering their words. The Runaways.

CHAPTER SONG: Go – Boys Like Girls

FRENCH TRANSLATION: Les Fugueurs – "The Runaways"

Reviews are better than having Jacob Black as your stalking ex.