Author's Note: I apologize for pulling the rug out from under so many people! Those of you who have read chapters one and two, I decided to flop it a bit, starting with Twilight instead of New Moon. It made more sense since witch-Bella is a bit more.. just more than regular Bella and her interactions would be different. Hope you don't mind!

If you didn't reach this before now.. No worries, just enjoy!

Parents are supposed to support their children. They encourage them to be the best they can be, to be themselves. Renee had never been that way.

Renee was the kind of parent that wanted me to be who she thought I was, grounding me when I proved her wrong. I could at least always count on her relenting when she felt guilty.

This was not one of those times.

I was bent on being upset as she drove me to the airport, trying to tell me how good this experience would be for me. They were empty words; we both knew this was good for her. She was sending me to Washington, hoping it would 'fix' me. I had a condition she liked to call a disease, one I received from my father. This illness had never caused us such contention in the past—that was before I had changed my mind about it. It wasn't a curse. It was a blessing. An idea Renee could not stomach and I could not deny.

I pointedly ignored her as we walked into the airport, my entire life reduced to a duffle bag slung over my shoulder and a suitcase in tow. She never offered to help and I didn't expect her to. It wouldn't be the first time in my life that she refused to be a mother.

She pulled me to a stop, looking glassy eyed as she looked me over, memorizing my face. "Oh, I'm going to miss you so much!"

She wouldn't.

"I promise to call you every week."

Another promise to break.

"Let me know when you land, alright?"

I wouldn't.

She caught on to my attitude, her hands moving faster than they should have to her hips. "Isabella, don't make this any more difficult than it already is."

My mother was three inches shorter, allowing me to look down my nose at her. "Why, are you feeling guilty?"

She sputtered, getting red in the face. "I'm only doing what's best for you!"

"No, you're doing what's best for your future."

She glowered before pulling off a necklace I had never seen her remove—it was an orange stone, sunstone if I remembered correctly, wrapped in wire and held on a bronze chain—and shoving it into my hand.

That's all it took for me to feel as if she'd severed the last bond between us.

I stared down at the necklace, shocked and bewildered. I could remember when it was given to her, a sad and rainy day as I was being pulled away from my father some fifth teen years ago. My father had given it to her for protection, the last token of his affection that she had kept all these years.

Renee was dramatic—this would be how she showed she wanted nothing to do with the 'disease' we carry.

"You can keep it or give it to your father. Tell Charlie I said hello."

My fingers wrapped around the delicate chain as my jaw clenched. "Goodbye, Renee," I hissed through my teeth, doing everything I can to keep my energy contained. Who knew what I could do in such a crowded area.

It was easier than it should have been, walking away from her. I had no idea when I would see her again.. And frankly, I didn't care.

.

The feeling of coming home after years of wandering was how I felt when I stepped off that tiny plane that made me feel queasy and saw my father waiting for me with a hopeful look on his face.

He was just as I remembered, leather jacket, mustache, and large stature. His face broke out into a bright smile as I steadily made my way to him, right into his open arms that welcomed me home. The hug was awkward, overdue, and full of so much understanding that I could have cried right there if we weren't in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by a handful of people that neither of us knew.

Once he let me go, he quickly gathered up my bag and suitcase and dumped them into the back of his police cruiser before holding my door open for me.

I had forgotten this extreme difference between my mother and father—one standoffish and childish, the other a gentleman and caretaker. It made me wonder what kind of person I would've ended up being had he taken custody instead of my mother.

We were in the car and headed for his home—my new home—within minutes, the awkward silence stifling.

"..The necklace."

My head turned downwards, momentarily forgetting what necklace I was wearing, before my head snapped to him, hoping he wasn't too hurt by seeing it.

"I'm glad you have it."

His voice was gruff and full of emotion but I knew he meant it. There was no hidden mirrors with him, no reason to question his motives. Charlie just was. It was who I wanted to be like.

"Me too," I nodded.

"Your mom said some things.. Do you want to talk about it now or when we get home?"

He was giving me the option to prepare myself or sleep if I wanted, thinking about my well being.

I didn't.

"She doesn't want me to be.. me."

Charlie glanced from the road to me before looking back. "No, I didn't think she ever would. And making you deny who you are can be.. detrimental."

"Can you train me?"

His lips twisted as he thought of that. "I would be a hypocrite to say no, sweetheart."

I smiled up at him, leaning over the console to hug his arm. "Thank you, Dad."

I could feel his discomfort in the contact as he tightened up, but he also craved the show of affection with how his energy reached out to wrap around my shoulders tentatively. It had been so long since anyone had offered him a simple act of kindness and it showed.

I stayed like that for awhile, leaning against him as he drove in silence, my energy settling comfortably against his. This was what I had been missing—the undeniable feeling of belonging, of being with someone like me.

"You have poor control," Charlie rumbled quietly after a time, startling me. "Your energy keeps jabbing me in the side." He glances at me from the corner of his eye, lip quirked upwards in a smirk.

I instantly went red, pulling myself upright immediately. "I—Sorry! It's got a mind of it's own!"

He lets out a soft laugh and I could feel his energy smoothing my frayed edges. "It comes with time. Don't worry so much, Bells."

I sat on my hands as if it would stop the energy from moving around, eyes pointed downwards as my hair falls around me. "Sorry," I muttered again before squeezing my eyes shut. I was used to Renee blowing up about it—every time I touched her, my energy would reach out for reassurance. It was a reassurance that was always denied, something that would make her shove me away in an effort to get away. I had forgotten that it can start to poke and prod when it wanted more.

Charlie's arm settled around my shoulders, pulling me in and shutting me down before I could even put the decorations up for my pity party. "Kiddo, don't be so hard on yourself. It'll pass."

I wanted to believe him—desperately.

I didn't want to deal with making new friends. Not that I really ever had friends, but I didn't want to put up the effort to pretend to make friends. Even if my dad was the chief of police, I didn't care to attempt. I had hoped that it wouldn't give me any special status or anything, but I was wrong.

The curiosity of a human can be a fickle thing. When you are intimately aware of the energy surrounding you and the energy of others—no matter how weak—and you're encased in a crowd of curious humans shoving their attention at you, you know. You know like you're a kid again and you peeked into all the Christmas presents, but you didn't get anything you wanted. That feeling sucks. It was a feeling it would take some time to get used to—Charlie had kept me at home for a few weeks before registering me for classes, going over the basics, teaching me about our heritage, and making sure I knew how to not crash my truck. Luckily, I could do that much.

Those two weeks had been a much needed vacation—no displeased looks, no words being muttered under their breath, no negative energy being lobbed my way. I was happy.

And then I stepped foot into Forks High School and felt something distinctly wrong. Wrong, as in someone was in your living room, smoking pot and watching porn while you were trying to sleep. The feeling struck me, making it impossible for me to even take a step forward and becoming the entire school's roadblock in the courtyard as the bell tolled to announce an end of first period.

Eyes were stuck on me, but I wasn't moving because the source of the wrong feeling was moving closer and then came into view.

There was a movie aspect to it—like any scene where the main character was introduced with a Hollywood ranked actor among regular kids. And there were two of them, making it even more unrealistic. The two of them were both blond, tall, and very pale.

It literally took me two seconds to profile them, my particular brand of magic propelling me forward and shoving my head towards the ground so I wouldn't make eye contact.

I would have been fine.. had one of them not reached out to me with their own energy and tried to soothe my emotions.

There was an audible slap as my magic rejected the contact—loud enough for everyone around us to pause and turn to stare because to them.. it sounded like I just slapped the blond god.

Aw, shit.

The two of them were staring at me in a way that I knew meant their super-fast brains were trying to decide what to do to cover up everything—ignore and walk away? I knew they were—because so was I.

The female blond goddess decided on another option, letting out a Hollywood-worthy gasp. (Really, what were these people doing here?) "Jasper, are you okay?"

The way she looked at me made me wonder if she was secretly proud of my rejection or if she wanted to murder me. I really hoped for the former.

"How dare you!" I hissed, hoping to cover up my blunder as I finally looked up at the taller male, his golden hair falling into his eyes as he looked down at me in shock. His eyes, gray and blue, seemed to swirl for a moment as his mouth slowly closed and he swallowed loudly.

"I am sorry, ma'am," he rumbled quietly, his brows furrowing just a bit. He looked genuinely remorse, though, and it made something in my chest tighten. "It was an accident."

The girl looked between the two of us, her eyes quickly glancing around the milling students that wanted the gossip from this encounter. They returned quickly to Jasper's face, as if checking him over.

"..It's okay," I muttered quietly, forcing myself to look away from his eyes when they stirred more emotion. "I probably ended up swerving just a little when I walked. I'm clumsy."

There was a slight pause as I felt him look me over, his head shaking. "..Not clumsy. Just something else."

I took a breath, jaw clenching before backing away—once more propelled by my magic. "Well, no harm done. I need to head to class."

I sped walked out of there faster than a sinner running from a clergyman.

I did not go to class. Instead, I ran all the way to my truck, which I had dubbed 'Beast', and got the hell out of dodge. I didn't stop until I crossed town, reached the police station, and had cornered my father in his office, slamming the door shut.

"Bells, what are you—"

"Did you know?" I questioned, cutting him off.

His brows rose as his lips turned downwards. "Young lady, you have three seconds to tell me why you are not at school."

"Charlie." He blinked up at me, seeing me for the first time.

"Bella, what happened?"

"Did you know?"

He let out a huff, shaking his head. "Did I know what?"

"That there are—!" I cut myself off, looking around the room. Would anyone hear? Just to be safe, I lowered the blinds the lined the windows of his office. "Vampires," I whispered. "Did you know they were here?"

Charlie let out a large sigh in response, hand raising to rub his face. "I should have known you'd figure it out on your first day. I had never thought you'd even seen one."

I could feel a glare pulling at my features, making them sharper. If I wasn't so upset, I might have softened my expression. "You knew and didn't tell me?!"

"They aren't the kind you think they are."

"Oh, what, they sparkle in the sun?"

"You and I both know those are faeries, Bella."

"Then what do you mean?!" I could feel myself becoming shriller and I made an effort to calm myself a bit.

"They are... vegan."

The anger I had worn like a fur coat hit the ground. "..What?" I couldn't even think about how that was possible.

"They eat animals, Bells," he sighed. "They go hunting a few times a month or so. They keep to their own and haven't harmed any humans. Trust me, I've been watching."

I looked down at the fake tiled floor, toe scuffing against the corner of one. "..You still sent me to school with dangerous creatures," I grumbled, ever the errant child.

"Bells, pat your clothing down."

I looked up at him, frowning. "What?"

"Just do it."

I did so, dust falling from the fabric and coating my hands. I looked up from it at him, questioning.

"Ashes. It covers your scent. It's a safety precaution, just like that amulet. I sent you to school with vampires, yes, but not without the necessary measures, sweetheart. Little trust, please?"

I let out a gush of air, letting myself drop into a chair at his desk. I felt entirely exhausted just by that little interaction.

"How many were there?" Charlie asked quietly as he went about doing the paperwork I barged in during.

"Two."

He clicked his tongue. "You're gonna have to toughen up, Bells. There's five Cullen kids there."

"What?" I hissed. "How do they think they can blend in?"

"Dunno, why don't you ask them? You're not very deceptive. They probably know you know." He let out another sign before pulling open a drawer and pulling something out. He quickly reached over and placed it in my hands. "This is to be used as a last resort, Isabella. Don't let me find out you did something stupid, got it?"

In my hands was a little vial. I recognized the liquid immediately. It was the same thing he drank just before my mother walked out on him.

My fingers wrapped around it and I quietly thanked him for the gift. He wouldn't let me take off the rest of the day—if the vampires knew I'd come here to the police station, they might be worried unless they could put two and two together.

"Vampires are an emotional species," he reminded me as he signed his name disinterestedly on a report. "They think they are extremely intelligent, but most times they're simply extremely childish. Don't let their age fool you—they're just whatever age they died at forever."

Author's Note: Tell me what you thought-reviews invigorate me to post more! I'll try to post on a weekly schedule. I'll decide on a day soon.

Evelyn