The day was drawing to a warm close as the moon peeked into the sky, bringing bright balls of fire and darkness with it. Time seemed to drag on as the moment was suspended in midair.
Just as the sun cascaded over the now dark horizon, doors flew open in unison as women and men and children came from the houses, smiling and waving at neighbors. Shouts and laughter were heard as the children raced for the school bus, which was just pulling around the corner. Women gossiping could be heard from every direction. Men chatted back and forth as they headed for the forest to hunt.
Only one house remained silent and unopened. It wasn't until every man had disappeared, every child on their way to school, and every women in their own homes or that of a friend that the door of the old Cullen Mansion cracked open and a handsome face peered out.
Edward Cullen always waited for every vampire to be long gone before he exited his home. It wasn't because they weren't friendly, or looked down at him. Quite the opposite. He enjoyed the silence, revealed in the aloneness. He didn't need Katie Sanders telling him he should think about settling down with a nice vampire girl and have a family. Nor did he need Matt Vikens inviting him down to Blood and Beer for a couple of shots so they could 'pick out some hot chicks.'
He locked the door, cautious regardless of the street signs that claimed his neighborhood to be the safest. Placing his keys back in his hoodie's pocket, he strolled down the cracked and worn out steps and onto the silent street. His thoughts were still revolving around the 'family' factor.
Sure, he wouldn't mind a wife and a few kids, but he didn't want every one in Starlight Valley telling him he needed them. He was only nineteen, for heaven's sake. In physical form anyway. And he would stay that way forever. So what was a few more decades, really.
As he reached the trees, he turned back and looked at the rows of houses, yards full of toys and the sound of a quiet baby cry from four houses away, then looked at his mansion, at the end of the third street, looking cold, dark, lonely. Like a true vampire's home. "Yeah, who needs them?" He muttered, before chasing after the smell of a scared little deer.
Bella kicked the covers off her sweaty body and groaned. The moonlight was pouring into her barely covered window and stinging her eyes. A few more minutes, she thought, two more.
But, no matter how tired she was, her body refused to allow her to catch a few moments rest and she slowly climbed out of bed and to her feet. Eyes still closed, she sought blindly for the light switch and flinched when its sharp rays pierced the beloved darkness. God, she hated waking up.
Finally getting her eyes open and comfortable with the light, Bella dressed in a red tank top and jean shorts, feeling the warm night air brush against her pale skin. Black sneakers and ankles socks took two minutes to pull on, then she grabbed her iPod and left her house.
It was twenty till midnight and the sky was clear as crystal. Theory Of A Deadman – Not Meant To Be was playing in her ears at deafening levels, as she hummed along and her feet drummed against the pavement, matching the beat. She was so focused on the song, she didn't notice when the houses turned to trees and pavement turned to dirt.
The song slowly ended and Bella glanced around at her surroundings, slowing down to a stop. Placing the headphones around her neck, she sighed loudly and cussed under her breath, turning around to head for home. She glanced up, and froze.
A dark figure stood at the end of the cleared path, staring towards her. A flash of moonlight was a few inches in front of it and some bounced off the ground and shone on it's face.
He had shaggy bronze hair and pale skin. It was too dark to make out his eye color but it made him look dangerous and sexy. A black hoodie covered a tight brown Tee and dark skinny jeans barely fell over white Nike sneakers. He was. . . handsome, in a I'll-eat-you sort of way.
"Who are you?" His voice was like taking a bath in warm chocolate. It ran over me and down my spine, making me shiver.
"Bella Swan, and you?" She knew it was stupid to give her real name to a guy in the middle of the forest, but he was just so alluring, she had no control over her actions.
He hesitated, then looking reluctant, "Edward Cullen, why are you here? It's not safe for humans." Ah, so he was a vampire. That made sense.
"Jogging. Wasn't paying attention. You hunting?" She asked, tossing some brown curls over her shoulder.
Edward watched the strange beauty in wonder. What was she? Her scent wasn't human, but wasn't vampire either. Mystic brown eyes glittered at him and the chocolate tendrils that framed her pale face tempted him like no other. She was wearing a tighter-than-hell blood red tank with short, blue jean shorts that covered about five inches of skin. Her thin but muscled legs went on for days before dipping into black sneakers that looked worn and used. Human or not, she made his mouth water.
He opened his mouth to answer when a dart shot out of nowhere and hit her in the neck. She gasped, then fell to the ground, unconscious. He stared, surprised.
Jason Niles, one of his more closer acquaintances, came out of the trees and looked down at Bella. "How did she get here? And she's a beauty. Too bad she has to die." He began to take a knife out.
"NO!" Edward heard the shout and saw the movement, but he didn't realize it was from him, till he was standing over the fallen beauty's body, fangs bared, glaring at Jason.
Jason backed up, replacing his weapon and holding his hands up. "Alright, alright, man, chill out. Is she yours? Did you claim her?" Every vampire knew that to threaten a claimed human was to invoke an attack from the human's vampire.
Edward hesitated, looking again at Bella, retracting his fangs. "Not yet, no."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "Well, you better claim her before you bring her into the neighborhood. I'm sorry I shot her. Very sorry. Didn't know you knew her. See you later." He nodded once in goodbye and left the two alone.
Edward turned and kneeled next to Bella, gently pulling the dart from her neck, a small amount of blood pouring out of the wound, but it didn't tempt him at all. Strange. A quick suck and lick got the blood off her. He bit his wrist, dropping no more than a drop or two into her open mouth and making sure it went down her throat. He waited and waited. Slowly, ever so slowly, a faded mark appeared on the opposite side of her neck that the dart entered. And she was claimed.
He picked her up, gently so as not to wake her just yet. It took ten minutes to reach his house. He opened the door with one hand and kicked the door shut behind him. Entering the living room, he placed the girl on the white, plush couch, propping her head up on the pillow and draping a blanket over her body.
Edward bandaged up Bella's neck as time passed. Protectiveness settled into him, the Claim affecting him more and more as the minutes dragged on.
Just as the clock struck one in the morning, her eyes fluttered open and time stood still.