Chapter One: Tell Me A Lie
Can't ever get it right
No matter how hard I try
And I've tried
Well, I put up a good fight
But your words cut like knives
And I'm tired
As you break my heart this time.
Tell me I'm a screwed up mess
That I never listen, listen
Tell me you don't want my kiss
That you need your distance, distance
Tell me anything but don't say she's what you're missing baby
If she's the reason that you're leaving me tonight
Spare me what you think and
Tell me a lie.
-.- -.- -.- -.- -.- -.- -.- -.- -.- -.- -.-
I was pulled out of my thoughts for the third time today by a knock at the door, I opened it slowly, my thoughts going back to Edward and how distant he had been for the past few weeks. I automatically brushed the new scar that I had been given by James – a rogue vampire who wanted to kill me, I sighed and looked up to whoever was at the door, a smile creeping onto my face despite the look on his face as Edward stood on my porch.
"Hi" I said quietly, moving aside to let him in, I followed him into the lounge room and took a seat beside him.
"I apologise for turning up unannounced, but I needed to speak with you" Edward started, turning to face me. I nodded, and waited for him to continue. "There's no easy way to say this, so I will just come out with it…" I nodded, encouraging him, feeling my pulse quicken. "I can't be with you anymore."
I froze, feeling the colour drain from my face, "w-what?" I whispered.
"I don't want to be with you anymore" he repeated, his eyes and face emotionless.
"Why?" I asked, not being able to meet his eyes anymore, I stared at my hands that were folded neatly in my lap.
"Because you're not good for me, and I can't pretend any longer." He said clearly, and I could feel his gaze boring into me.
I didn't say anything back to him, my mind racing with thoughts of our whole relationship, trying to put the pieces together but I couldn't.
"No" I whispered, furrowing my eyebrows together.
"Excuse me?" Edward asked, leaning down slightly to catch my eye.
"No" I said stronger, "you're lying" I said, finally looking up at him.
I saw surprise cross his features before he recovered, "no Bella, I'm not lying."
"Yes you are!" I exclaimed, standing up to stand in front of him, "you're lying! You love me! You've told me countless times"
"I did love you, but I don't now, not in the same way." Edward answered in a detached voice.
"Stop lying! Why are you lying to me!" I yelled, angry tears stinging my eyes. I saw a flicker of something cross Edward's face but before I had time to dwell on what it could have been, he said something that froze me in place, to the point that I could feel the physical pain of his words.
"I'm not lying. I'm in love with someone else, Bella." He told me, his eyes searching mine for my reaction.
"You… love" I said slowly, but he cut me off, confirming it.
"Someone else, yes" I cast my eyes down to the floor, and felt myself sit back down on the couch – an unconscious movement.
"Who?" I asked, even though I really didn't want to know the answer.
'That-" I heard him stutter, "That is none of your concern"
I looked up at him, my eyes disbelieving but the look on his face told me all I needed to know, he was done with me and loved another woman. Someone more deserving of his love.
"Goodbye Bella, I'm sorry I let this go on for so long" I heard him say, "We're leaving tonight, so we won't intrude on your life any longer." I kept my eyes down but heard his footsteps as he walked to the door and let himself out.
I stayed in the same position that Edward had left me in until I heard Charlie walk through the front door.
"Bells, I'm home" he called out, but I didn't acknowledge him. Edward was gone, and now with someone else. I couldn't wrap my head around it. "Bella?" Charlie called once again, coming into the room, once he saw me he raced to my side and crouched down in front of me.
"Bella? Bella, what happened? Are you okay?" he asked, looking me over for any injuries.
"He's gone" I whispered, I moved my eyes to look at Charlie, confusion passed over his face first but then settled on understanding, I heard him sigh and his eyes looked apologetic. Tears prickled my eyes, "he's gone" I repeated.
"Bella, Bella what are you doing?" Charlie yelled after me, but I didn't pause, I opened the driver side to my Chevy and let the engine roar to life, pulling out of the driveway before Charlie had even gotten down the porch steps.
I tried not to think the whole drive to their house, just letting my reflexes take me to the familiar drive way. I stopped my car in front of the huge white mansion, slowly getting out and expecting one of them to meet me at the door as they always had – but no one came.
I felt my way up the stairs using the railing – it was too dark now to see anything in front of me, and knocked on the front door. No answer.
"Hello?" I called, trying to open the door but it was locked. I gulped shakily and went to the side of the porch where I would be able to see through the window.
I let out a gasp at what I saw, everything covered in white sheets – the couch, the coffee table, the dining table, in the corner… Edward's piano. I spun around, almost losing my footing and trudged down the steps, my eyes blurring my vision but I managed to make it back to my truck and slam the door behind me. I sat with my hands on the steering wheel until the realisation dawned on me, Edward was gone and he was never coming back. The Cullens had left town and were starting a new life now with Edwards new mate. The tears started slowly, but soon enough I was sobbing loudly on the seat of my truck, with my face pressed against the steering wheel.
Eventually, I felt my cell phone ringing – I jumped slightly, completely forgetting that I'd had it in my pocket. When I checked the caller ID I saw that it was Home calling, I sighed and answered it.
"Hello?" I croaked, my throat hoarse from hours of crying I realised as I looked at the dashboard clock.
"Bella!" Charlie exclaimed into the receiver so loudly that I had to pull my cell phone away from my ear. "Thank god you're okay!"
I tried clearing my throat before I spoke again "sorry" my voice was a little clearer, but Charlie would still be able to hear the strain that it's under.
"Please come home now! It's midnight and you have school tomorrow" School. I'd completely forgotten about school, how was I supposed to face that place alone, without my boyfriend and my best friend. I felt my throat constrict painfully and whispered a quick okay to Charlie before hanging up. I held myself together as best as I could in order to get home safely, and I managed to get past my dad without incident but the moment I closed my bedroom door, I broke down for the second time. I just couldn't comprehend that Edward had abandoned me, and that Alice had abandoned me – without even saying good bye.
I felt asleep with puffy eyes and slept restlessly the whole night, nightmares of Edward leaving me all over again, in many different scenarios. I woke up for the third time at about 3:30 in the morning and gave up on sleep altogether, yawning, I went downstairs to get myself a glass of water and to watch some television.
I froze in the threshold of the lounge room when I heard a loud bang outside, I paused, trying to listen for any other noises, but I could hear none, shrugging it off I went into the lounge room but stifled a scream when I saw that there was already someone in here.
"Do not be afraid" the woman spoke softly, gently. Her smile kind and her blood red eyes soft. I knew instantly what she was, it would have been hard to miss, her skin was the shade of pale that was unnatural on anyone human, and her eyes showed that she was a predator – that I should be scared of her regardless of her words, and I knew that behind her smile were razor sharp teeth. But aside from the obvious features of the vampire, she had a slender build and curly brown hair, she might have been a few inches taller than me but still looked my age.
I stared at her, unable to speak, slowly I started backing towards the doorway but remembered Charlie slept soundly upstairs and stopped.
"Please" she continued, "I'm not here to hurt you."
"Who are you?" I asked looking around the room quickly to make sure that she was in fact alone.
"My name is Natalia, what is your name?" the woman asked politely.
"Bella" I said cautiously, "what are you doing in my house?"
"I assume you know what I am?" I nodded. "I'm afraid I have bad news for you… I'm not too sure how to address this…" she trailed off, chewing her bottom lip and staring at the floor in concentration. I just continued to stare at her, waiting for Natalia to say whatever it was that she'd broken into my house to tell me.
"You're in grave danger," she whispered, loudly enough for me to hear.
"What?" I said sharply, "what danger?"
"I have been watching you for some time, but there was always another coven protecting you." She started, "I'm afraid that there is a vampire tracking you."
"tracking me?" I repeated, stunned.
She nodded, slowly pacing the room, "it's difficult to explain, but there is a vampire that stalks the woods outside, waiting for an opportunity to attack you." She said simply.
"I'm sorry, attack me?" I said, I'd only just recovered from James attacking me, and now there's another one?
"Vampire's live long existences," she explained, "when one of us find something as potent as your…" she trailed off, gulping, "well… this vampire has been following your scent all around town, she had been watching your house for 2 days and was waiting for that coven of yours to leave – you're just lucky that she was driven away before she discovered that they left."
"I don't understand" I spoke quietly, trying to ignore her talk of them, Natalia gave me a sympathetic smile, trying to ease my frustration.
"It's... very, very bad when a human is tracked." she told me, and I heard the slightest hint of a Spanish accent in her voice.
"No," I told her, shaking my head "I don't understand why you're telling me. I can't protect myself against a vampire"
"I've heard stories about humans defending themselves against trackers," Natalia started, "It's... painful" she spoke carefully, stopping to sit down on the couch and motioned for me to join her, but I shook my head and stayed by the stairs.
"How?" I asked, I'd always been told that vampires were invincible, and the only thing I'd seen that could hurt one, was another vampire.
"Be changed into a vampire before the tracker can get to you." She answered slowly, watching my reaction.
"I'm sorry?" I stuttered, raising my eyebrows at her.
"It's a lot to take in, I know" Natalia sympathised, "But it is the only way that you will survive." I disbelievingly shook my head at her, even though I knew her words were true. "I will do it myself, if that comforts you," she gave me a gentle smile, but all I saw was the colour of her eyes.
"Your eyes," I mumbled, uncertainly.
"I have great self-control, I know when to stop." she told me, an involuntary shudder shook through my body.
"I'm sorry" I told her eventually, "But I just can't" I cast my eyes down to the floor, finally feeling the tiredness of the conversation.
"I know that it is a big decision, so if you would like some time…" I cut off what Natalia was saying, by shaking my head at her.
"No, I don't need time, I'm sorry, but I will deal with this my own." I took a deep breath and leant against the door frame.
"Victoria won't stop until she gets what she wants." Natalia argued, I felt my pulse quicken and the blood drain from my face.
"V-victoria?" I whispered
"Yes," she nodded her head, "the vampire that is tracking you"
"Victoria's stalking me." I mumbled, trying to comprehend what I'd just been told.
"Do you know her?" Natalia asked, seeing my reaction to her name, I just nodded my head, feeling the scar that James had left on my wrist.
Natalia gasped, seeing what I was doing and was at my side in a second, I jumped, not expecting her to be so close to me.
"Victoria did this?" she asked, gently holding my arm up to inspect the bite.
"No," I told her, taking my arm back, "James did, her mate."
"Then why?" she asked quietly, more to herself than to me, but I answered anyway.
"The family that were protecting me destroyed him, and…" I trailed off, furrowing my eyebrows in concentration, "I think Victoria blames me, and is now coming back for revenge"
"Even more reason to consider my offer" Natalia told me, crossing her arms and standing back to assess me.
I shook my head, still not trusting the woman in front of me.
"Are you sure?" she asked again, to which I nodded. "Okay, this is your choice. But I will be in town for a few more days, this is my contact number." She said, handing me a cell phone number written on a piece of paper, "if you change your mind." She added.
I gave her a small smile, but otherwise did not say anything else.
"Well… good bye Bella" she said rather awkwardly, and turned to climb back out the window that she'd used to break into.
When Natalia finally left I sighed a breath that I didn't know I'd been holding and rushed forward to lock the window, even though I knew that wouldn't keep her out if she needed to get back in.
I slowly trudged back up to my room, suddenly exhausted and fell into another restless sleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. Dreams of Natalia, Victoria and him filled my mind all night, the worst of all the dreams – including one that was filled with Victoria torturing me in many different ways and Natalia forcing me into vampirism, was him leaving me again, telling me again and again that I was nothing to him and that I had never deserved his love in the first place, just like the dreams I had before I had woken to find Natalia in my house.
I rolled over in my bed when I heard Charlie get up for work at about 6:00, he clanged around downstairs until it was 7:23 according to my alarm clock.
"Bells, time for school" he called, making his way up the stairs, there was a knock on my door as Charlie checked to see if I had heard him. "Bella?" he called again, softer this time and opened my door.
I gave him a sheepish smile as I sat up in my bed, "how are you feeling?" he asked, looking me over.
I just shrugged, trying to give him another smile but I could feel it falter.
"did you get much sleep?" he asked, coming to sit on my bed, "you don't look like you did" I shook my head, stifling a yawn and rubbing my eyes.
"Okay" he said softly, "try and get some more sleep, and go to school a bit later if you're feeling better"
"Thank you" I whispered, laying back down in my sheets.
"It'll get easier, kiddo" Charlie told me, kissing my forehead and standing up from my bed.
When I heard Charlie close the front door, I got out of my bed and went down to the kitchen in search of a glass of water. I made a stop on the way back to my bed to get one of Charlie's sleeping pills, and almost dropped both the pill and water when I saw that there was a neatly folded note on my pillow.
Please consider it Natalia
[Author note: New Story! Please review! And check out my other stories! xx]
