Twilight sandbox: hers. This little castle: mine.

Thanks to my betas JenRar and Jules Lovestoread-you guys are awesome!

Thanks also to my pre‑readers: drotuno (for giving me just what I needed just when I needed it), Beffers87 (for my lovely banners and for being my biggest cheerleader), and OcSickGirl (for moral support, story ideas, and kicks in the ass as needed)!

A/N: This is my first fic of any real length, so be gentle. Reviews are awesome, but if you don't have anything nice or constructive to say, I'd prefer you not say anything at all, mmkay?

Prologue

I was on the ground, my cheek mashed into the forest floor, the scent of decaying leaves assaulting my nose. My chest was on fire, and I gasped as white hot agony shot through me as I tried to draw a shallow breath. I couldn't see him, but I knew he was still standing over me, waiting for my answer. I tried to roll onto my back, but my right knee exploded in pain the moment I tried to push my weight over. I fell back to the ground, the leaves crunching under my face.

"Who is it, Edward?" he yelled. "Tell me now, and I'll make this quick and painless … well, quick anyway," he finished, savagely kicking my already broken ribs.

I howled in pain, but I wasn't broken … yet.

"Fuck you, I'm not telling you anything!" I wheezed out between hitching breaths, with as much defiance as I could muster.

Another voice called out from farther away. "If he won't tell us, maybe she will."

The sound of a woman struggling made my blood run cold.

"Leave her alone! She doesn't know anything!" I pleaded, opening my eyes and squirming to try to see her. It was dark as pitch, so I didn't have a prayer of seeing much, but I hoped she was close enough that I could make eye contact with her, and try to figure a way out of this mess.

A boot came down on the side of my head, hard enough to make me see stars, and to still me.

"Well, she knows about you, and about us, and that's enough to punch her ticket to hell," he replied, obviously taking great satisfaction in what he was about to do.

Then, I heard the sounds of a struggle, followed by a muffled curse and someone crashing through the underbrush.

"Fuck! " the man above me swore, and the boot was quickly removed from my head. "How did you manage to let her go?"

"The bitch bit me!" the other man roared.

I heard shots ring out from just a few feet away, then her screams filled the night air.

"Noooooo!" I heard myself scream as I forced my arms to hold my weight, trying with everything I had to stand. Suddenly, the back of my head exploded in pain …

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I floated in a haze, just barely aware I even existed. It was warm and comfortable. I could stay here forever. But someone was calling me … Where were they?

"Sir. Sir, wake up."

It suddenly got very bright, and I squeezed my eyes shut against the light. I raised my arm to try to block it out, but I gasped halfway through the motion as pain seared across my chest.

"No, don't try to move, sir. Please, stay still," said the voice.

My eyes seemed to have adjusted a bit, so I opened them, blinking blearily.

I was clearly in a hospital. The white walls and constant whirr and beep of machinery were a dead giveaway. A short, dark-haired woman with a pixie haircut stood over me, concern written all over her face. Behind her stood a taller woman with almost the same hair color, but hers was drawn in a ponytail and her face was framed by horn-rimmed glasses. I stared at them both, wondering where the hell I was.

"Sir," the taller one said, "can you tell me your name?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but I quickly realized that I had no answer. What was my name? It was a simple question, but it seemed I didn't know who I was. Panic gripped me and I tried to sit up, latching my right hand onto the IV in my left and pulling at the same time. The women before me sprang into action immediately, the taller one moving to restrain me and the shorter one injecting a needle directly into my arm.

"Noooooo!" I wailed as the drug took me under.

My last thought was that this must be hell …

A/N: Don't fear the WIP! This story is already complete and in beta-will post twice a week-ish. Hope you're enjoying it so far!