Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters.

Chapter 1

I couldn't see…

I couldn't breathe…

I couldn't speak…

I couldn't see…

It was so dark in there, even though I could feel a burning sensation on my skin like the sun was roasting it. Maybe it was too bright; I hoped my eyes would adjust soon.

I couldn't breathe…

I could feel oxygen filling my lungs, but the feeling was different. I thought I was suffocating…slowly but not painfully. I have been numb for so long now.

I couldn't speak…

I was moving my lips, shouting, but no sound comes out.

I couldn't even hear my voice in my head. My mind was too crowded.

Anybody! Help, HELP! Get me out of here!

"Bella,"

I could hear a voice, a distant far away voice, a familiar one, and I knew that I was saved, at least for now.

"Bella, sweetheart, wake up," Mom said "You are going to be late for school."

Slowly I opened my eyes. Mom was sitting at the edge of my bed, smiling cheerfully at me.

"Ohh Mom." I groaned and covered my head with the quilt." It's too early to be smiling like this."

"Wake up, sleepy head." she nudged my legs lightly. "And why shouldn't I be smiling? It's your first day as a senior in high school."

"Exactly!" I raised my head from under the quilt. Mom's eyes were shining with tears, and she was looking at me fondly.

"Oh, Mom," I got up so that I could hug her.

"My little girl is all grown-up, now," she said as she hugged me back.

I stayed in her arms for what felt like hours, but it was actually mere seconds. She then pushed me away to look at me and wiped her eyes. "Come on, you better get up and start getting ready. Alice called and said that she was coming to pick you."

I picked my toiletries and started heading to the bathroom, but then I remembered something.

"Is Dad off to work?" I asked

"Yeah..." her tone said it all. They had been fighting before he left. They were always fighting…

"Everything's okay?"

"Of course," She tried to sound cheerful but failed miserably." Nothing you need to worry about, just the usual."

The usual…

I stood staring at her for a second. She looked tired, older. Even though Mom was only thirty-six, she sometimes looked like she was so much older. Maybe it has something to do with having an eighteen year old daughter, or a troubled marriage, or the fact that her sisters had abandoned her after Grandma's death.

She stood suddenly from the bed and started pushing me toward the bathroom.

"Hurry up, you are wasting precious time." Mom said as she closed the bathroom door and went downstairs, probably to make breakfast for Alice and me.

I put my toiletries on the sink. When I raised my eyes, my reflection glared right at me.

I was a senior now!

Finally! The very last year that I am going to have to endure this.

Everyone said that they feel different on their senior year of high school, but I don't think I felt any difference. I looked the same, maybe thinner, but the same; the same boring limp hair, the same normal brown eyes, and the same deathly pale skin. I wished that I could say that I was different from the inside, but, truthfully, I wasn't. Maybe that was the effect of living in Forks. Feeling different or change, in general, was hard in a place like this. I was still Bella Swan, the police chief's daughter. I was still a little nerdy. I was still shy and uncomfortable around people (even though I tried so hard to hide that). And I was certainly still single.

"Bella, Alice is here," Mom shouted from downstairs, efficiently cutting my train of thought.

I quickly went through my morning routine. I pulled my hair up in a messy bun and left the bathroom.

"Please tell me that you aren't going to school like this," Alice said as soon as she saw me.

"Good morning to you, too, Alice," I said as I sat across her at the kitchen table.

"Isabella Marie Swan, answer me." she glared at me

"You didn't even ask a question,"

"Garr, don't be a smart-ass right now," she said, frustrated. "You know what I mean,"

"It's just a sweater, Alice." I rolled my eyes

"Exactly, that's what I was referring to," she said while glaring at the poor sweater in disgust. "You should have worn the blue blouse we bought together last time we went shopping,"

"I don't remember the last time we went shopping. You know me. My brain tends to delete painful memories." I teased her.

"Shopping is not a painful memory. It is fun," she said as she punched my arm playfully.

"Ouch!" I rubbed my arm while I laughed at her petulant pout.

"stop fighting, girls," mom said as she was putting in front of us," and start eating or you will be late."

Alice started devouring her plate as soon as mom set it in front of her. For someone so small she ate like a whale.

"Shanksh, Mishsh Shawn," she said with a mouthful

"You are welcome, sweetie."

"Sometimes I feel like you are only my friend because you want to eat the food mom cooks," I teased her while shaking my head at how quickly she ate.

She swallowed and then answered "Duh."

I couldn't blame Alice for that. Her mom couldn't cook even if her life depended on it. We both laughed at our silliness.

"Are you finished?" I said after a few minutes (I have probably said those words more than 10 times now)

"God, yes, you are so annoying," she said after she took a sip from her orange juice. "Why can't you just let me enjoy me food for once?"

"What food are you exactly talking about?!" I asked incredulously. "Eggs and bacon! You eat almost them every day."

Even though Alice was so small and tiny, she ate a lot (and I do mean A LOT). She was a fast eater, but a slow chewer (did that even make sense?!).

"Come on, let's go," she said and then turned toward my mother. "Thanks again for breakfast, Mrs. Swan."

"It's nothing, Honey."

The sight of Alice's yellow canary porche greeted us as soon as we got out of my house.

"I really don't know what you were thinking when you picked that color," I said shaking my head.

"Shut up, it's a beautiful color," she said." You just can't see that because you don't have the eyes of an artist like me."

"Neither does the rest of the world, believe me. And I sincerely thank God for that." I muttered.

"At least it's better than that century old truck!" she scoffed

"Hey, don't hate on The Truck. It's an original vehicle and a loyal friend," I said as I opened the passenger door of her car and got in.

"Whatever." She replied while buckling her seatbelt.

We didn't take a long time to arrive to school since Alice drove like she was racing. Alice was actually enthusiastic to arrive to school, but I was the complete opposite. I dreaded going to school especially the first day of every year. That was always the thing with Alice and me; we completed each other. I always thought that a best friend is the person that truly completes you, not a lover. We all have that one person who we rely on and we are never afraid that she or he is going to abandon us; because it wasn't working or the spark was gone or they just got bored…etc. Alice was that person for me.

"Come on, Bells, time to get out," she encouraged softly knowing that I hate this situation.

"I hate this." I groaned and banged my head backward on the head rest.

"Come on, it's not so bad," she said soothingly. "I got your back."

And I know that she did. I took a deep breath. In…out.

"Let's get this over with." As soon as I opened the cool air hit my body. Hundreds of familiar faces greeted my eyes. It's hard to find new people at a small town like this. Everybody knew everybody, literally

"Hey, let's go look for Angela and Rose," she said. She was already searching for them with her eyes.

"They are probably waiting by Angela's van,"

I roamed the parking lot with my eyes looking for a black minivan.

"Here they are," I said as I waved back to Rose.

Unfortunately the car parked next to Angela's minivan was none other than the silver Volvo of a certain disgusting creature, aka Edward Masen.

He was standing in the middle of a group of girls, and next to him was his best friend Emmett McCarthy. Emmet was a decent guy and fun to be around. He sat next to me in Spanish, and he had most of his classes with Rose, which is why she has this huge crush on him. It must be so painful for her to watch him surrounded by those girls even though he wasn't paying attention to them. They were mostly there for Edward.

When Emmett noticed us, he waved and made his way over to me and Alice.

"Hi, girls." he grinned at us, showing his cute dimples." How are you?"

"We are fine," Alice answered and we stopped when we reached Angela's minivan.

"Good morning, Rose." he grinned at her." How are you?"

"Fine," she said softly and blushed.

"How was your summer?"

"It was good," her face almost resembled a tomato now and she answered him in such a voice, it was almost a whisper. I was surprised that he could hear her.

"That's great," he said

He kept staring at her for a few minutes. God, it was getting so awkward in here.

"Emmett!" I heard a male voice shout, probably Edward.

"I gotta go. See ya later." He winked at Rose.

"Oh My God, what did just happen?!" Alice exclaimed

"Nothing, he was probably doing this to make me blush," Rose said and she was still blushing

"Really! Cause it didn't look like that to me," Angela said," he didn't even say hi to me and just kept talking to you."

"It doesn't mean anything!" she said, "He's being nice. Emmett is always nice. And charming. And cute."

"Ok, stop. You are making us all uncomfortable here." We laughed as she blushed.

"I didn't realize I was gushing," she defended herself

I was going to say something, when we suddenly heard a booming laugh combined with a sultry squeal or a laugh (you really wouldn't be able to tell)

We turned to look at the source of the sound and we saw the following; Emmett was laughing at something Edward had said and the group of girls around them were giggling, one of the girls-Tanya Denali- was leaning against Emmett's shoulder as she laughed, his arm was around her waist to steady her.

"See, I told you. He's nice to everybody," she said. She looked heartbroken and sad.

" Oh, Rose," I hugged her," you are so much prettier and smarter and fun to be around than this plastic thing."

Rose was really so much more beautiful than any girl in Forks High, but she had really low self-esteem. Those low self-esteem issues probably came from the years she spent after her parents' divorce with her mother and her much younger boyfriend, Royce. She doesn't like to talk about these days and always gives us the same answer when we asked her. 'He was just a jerk to me.' And she would start to get tearful so we would change the subject.

"She's right," Angela and Alice said agreeing to what I said to her.

We stood there for a few seconds, until Rose said in her normal much less sad voice, " come on, girls, let's go or we are going to be late to class."

"That's the Rose I love and know," Alice said while clapping her tiny hands together." Let's get this show on the road."

"I will just pretend I didn't hear that," I said as I hurried in front of her.

"what?!" she exclaimed." That was a great line, wasn't it, Rose, Angela?"

"Actually, I agree with Bella," Angela said.

"Me, too," Rose said as she laughed with us.

I turned around to look at her fully. I was about to tease her more, when I bumped into something warm and hard.

"Sorry," I murmured while blushing

"It's okay." I knew that voice. It was the perfect combination of rough and soft, like music. And that person smelled like smoke- cigarettes smoke- and musk and a delicious cinnamon like perfume. No, this just can't be true. This must be a nightmare. I couldn't have bumped into Edward Masen, of all the people I could bump into. I could feel dirty and violated already.

I pushed away from him quickly and started walking away as fast as I could without looking that I actually was running.

"Hey, slow down, Bella," Alice called after me.

I was already at my locker. The damn thing refused to be opened even as I banged and tried to pull it open with all my might.

"Whoa, calm down, Bells," Angela said as she approached me carefully.

"I just…just…" I said; I didn't know if I was frustrated or embarrassed or just flat out angry.

I was angry at myself for not paying attention. I was angry at my clumsy nature. And I was furious at the universe for allowing Edward Masen to exist.

"I don't understand the reason you hate him so much!" Alice exclaimed

"I don't hate him," I clarified," I loathe him."

"But why?" she said "he is always polite with us and never once try to overstep his boundaries."

"'Cause…" I stopped for a second to take a deep breath to calm myself," 'Cause he represents every bad and horrible things in a human being. He deceives girls and discards them after he gets what he wants. He thinks he owns them. Ughh, I. Hate. Him."

"He's not that bad," Angela said carefully probably knowing my reaction to her next words, "most of the girls that he hangs out with already know his intentions,"

"That is not an excuse for his behavior and you know it," I said pointedly

"He wasn't always like this," Rose said in a soft voice seeping with compassion and sympathy, "She Who We Don't Say Her Name did this to him. He was broken,"

"I know that," I said my voice losing the aggressive edge that it had a few moments ago.

And I did know and understand what he went through. Everybody in Forks High knew; because there was a huge difference between Edward Masen Before & After. Edward Masen was the grandson of Elizabeth Masen. Elizabeth Masen was possibly the most kind and compassionate person on earth or at least Forks. When she was young, she used to teach at Forks kindergarten for free. She always organized parties for every occasion in the year and invited everybody to them. Everybody loved her.

His sister Esme had just graduated from medical school just before what happen and moved back to Forks so she could work in Forks local hospital. She is now engaged to the surgeon of the hospital Dr. Carlisle Cullen.

His father was Edward Sr. Masen, but nobody knew anything his mother. Some people said that his father married a woman against his grandfather's well, so his grandfather disowned him. Some said that he didn't want to live in the small town anymore and that he sent his kids to live with his parents because he and his wife were busy working.

But the only absolute fact that we were all sure of: is that the Masens never answered anybody when they asked about them, even their grandmother. It was the most mysterious thing in Forks at the time, still is, but people just stop asking.

He was a straight A student and every one said that he had a very bright future ahead of him. Almost most of the girls in Forks had a crush on him. But he never showed any interest in them and always tried to stay polite and a complete gentleman with them.

Even though I didn't have a crush on him, but I respected his intelligence and personality. At the time I was extremely shy to even approach him and talk to him as a friend or as a fellow student since we almost had every class together.

Then everything changed She arrived and everything turned upside down. She was-

The sound of the bell ringing startled me back to reality.

I was surprised to find myself next to Rose at our English classroom.

"How did I come here?" I asked surprised

"You kinda zoned out, so I had to drag you so we wouldn't be late," Rose whispered back. "You know how Mr. Mason gets when we are late."

"Yeah…" I said my mind drifting again to where it was previously before it was interrupted by the ringing of the bell.

"Miss Swan!" Mr. Mason said, almost shouted.

"Yes, sir?!" I answered shocked by his outburst.

"Please pay attention to the lecture," he ordered and that made me blush.

I nodded slightly while blushing. I tried to pay attention and shoved anything else to the corner of my mind.

Author's note:so what do you think? What do you expect will happen next? Please review and tell me your initial opinion to the story and what do you want to happen next and what do you think is going to really happen?

The person who is going to guess it write will get a preview from the next chapter ;)

Hope you enjoyed reading it.

Thanks a lot to my wonderful Beta HogwartsDreamer113 :)