Chapter 1: Catalyst

As always, it started with Bella. She was the great catalyst in his life.

Never in his life had he ever questioned the extent of his telepathy. Only Bella's mind challenged him. It was an unlockable fortress: the one mind he might never read.

But maybe he could do more than merely read thoughts.

His telepathy might be boundless, extending to the rest of the mind and its memories. Edward wondered if he could even create and destroy those memories. He might be able to implant memories and entire lives into someone's mind. The mind could be something to be shaped and controlled. Edward didn't wonder if it was right or wrong; he simply craved pushing his abilities. The thrill of the chase pushed away any reservations.

He would soon test the limits of his telepathy. Mike Newton would no longer feel anything towards Bella.

Edward arrived earlier at school, taking care to avoid coming at the same time as Bella. She would stop him if she knew. Any sane person would, but a thirst drove Edward to find Mike Newton.

Edward had once thirsted for human blood, but now he hungered for controlling the human mind. He didn't know which was worse.

Mike was shuffling through his locker, putting away some notebooks in his backpack. The blonde seemed innocent…so utterly human under Edward's stare. The vampire was truly a predator to Mike.

"Mike," Edward whispered as he strolled over to Mike. The human shifted, slightly startled.

"Hey…" He spoke awkwardly. Mike's mind raced with questions why Edward was talking to him.

Edward concentrated on Mike's thoughts. The human was easy to read. He was jealous of Edward, both hating him for taking Bella and afraid of why he was talking to him. Mike expected Edward to fight him. Edward tried cutting deeper into Mike's mind, past those feelings…

This might not work. Edward felt a dark nothingness in Mike's mind, but he kept trying. Eventually, he hit something.

Mike's memories flooded though his mind.

Edward could see everything: the vastness of Mike's memories was intoxicating. Memories of Mike as a child, growing up, and even meeting Bella flashed into view. Edward was almost too amazed to remember why he was here. He wanted to study these memories and catalogue them.

He regained focus, returning to his journey in Mike's mind. Mike was far more interesting than he had expected. Mike didn't just long for Bella. Underneath his hatred and jealousy for Edward, there was a subtle hint of longing.

Mike desired Edward, however small that desire may be. That wish was locked away under the pressures of society and his family. Mike would probably never have realized it.

Impulsively, Edward focused on all of Mike's memories of Bella. Edward's telepathy pushed itself again, cutting into these memories and erasing the image of Bella. In her place, he put the image of himself.

Bella had been the focus of Mike's desire for years. Now, with altered memories, Edward took her place. It was like a bad cut-and-paste job, but Edward was still proud of his work.

What had been a subtle, repressed attraction to Edward now sprang forth as years of longing.

He exited Mike's mind, watching the sense of bliss in Mike's eyes. Mike no longer hated him. His mind was clouded with lust.

Edward laughed, not caring about how odd his whole interaction with Mike would look to anyone around them. It could only get stranger.

"Edward…" Mike drawled.

"Yes, Mike?" The control he had over the human made him swell with a sick sense of pride. This was something he could never have with Bella.

"Mmm…" Mike looked at him somewhat nervously, "Are you still seeing Bella?"

That question stopped the high Edward was reeling in. Bella would graduate this year and soon be turned. He had left her and she had fought for him to come back. He should want to be with her instead of toying with Mike.

Despite that, he wondered why he had allowed himself to date her again. Bella's mind was a puzzle that he could never solve. Even with the recent developments in his telepathic abilities, he doubted he could ever enter Bella's mind.

Edward surely wasn't interested in Mike, but the control over one's mind was something he couldn't give up. It felt too good. I was like a newfound thirst: something even sweeter than blood.

"No…" He quickly replied. "It's complicated."

"Maybe you need some help figuring things out." Mike rested his hand on Edward's shoulder, drawing the vampire closer towards him.

Edward looked around, suddenly aware of the other students around them. He could see Bella far away, entering the school. She would soon find him.

"I'm sorry, Mike." Edward spoke, not sure what he was apologizing for. There were a multitude of wrongs he had done against Mike even before this moment. He didn't even know if he really wanted to apologize. This entire conversation would soon cease to exist to Mike.

He once again concentrated on Mike's mind, correcting his memories and erasing his attraction towards Edward. Mike's hand left Edward's shoulder as his eyes glazed over. Edward quickly darted away, leaving Mike in the same state as he had found him.

Mike wouldn't remember their meeting, but Edward would forever bask in the sense of power he had felt. Ultimate control over the mind was possible. He just needed to try his telepathy on more people than Mike.

He could also try more than one person at the same time. Humans were suddenly so much more interesting than ever before.

Lunch was dull.

Edward didn't like thinking badly about Alice and Bella, but they were a little too predictable. Lunch with them was a monotonous affair. He wished that he could just rewrite their memories during lunch and see how much more exciting they could become. They could be entirely different people, not even remembering their names.

Bella looked at him with a longing expression that was too much like Mike's temporary love for him. It just seemed so hollow to Edward. He tried focusing on her mind, but once again, he couldn't read her. He could control and reshape the memories of his family and the rest of the school, but Bella would never be changed.

That scared him. He needed control.

He turned his attentions away from his family and focused on the minds of Bella's group of friends. They sat several tables away from the Cullens, but Edward could still pick on their thoughts. Mike stole quick glances at Bella, still obsessed and completely oblivious to his previous meeting with Edward. In fact, the whole table was obsessed with love. Jessica pined for Mike and Angela for Eric. They were all so ridiculous to Edward. He felt his true age compared to how silly their thoughts were.

Edward didn't have any reservations. His telepathy ripped into Jessica and Angela's minds, cataloguing their memories of wanting to date Mike and Eric. Once again, he felt a wicked sense of glee.

Love was the most interesting of all human emotions to Edward. It could make them act the most irrational. Humans would fight for love. Slightly changing some memories and redirecting the focus of that love was enthralling.

Jessica no longer remembered dating Mike. All of her conversations with Bella about Mike suddenly became about Angela in her mind. Edward then created fake memories of Jessica brushing up against her friend and almost kissing her.

But he could do better. Edward needn't just build up these feelings, he should create memories of them already being in a relationship. Edward pushed memories of them going on dates and having to hide their feelings. There were many times that they had almost slipped and revealed their relationship. Angela and Jessica's mind easily accepted these.

To set everything off, he threw in the memory of a conversation between the two where they decided that they would tell Mike and Eric about their relationship at lunch. They were tried of having to hide their feelings: the memories made Edward smile.

Edward left their minds, waiting for them to perform for him. They were like actors in the demented play of the mind that he had written.

"Guys..." Angela was the first to speak, reaching for Jessica's hand. Their relationship had existed only for a few seconds, but the fake memories made it seem like it had lasted for months.

Jessica continued for her, "We have something to tell you...Angela and I are dating."

"What?" Eric spoke. Mike just laughed, unable to believe them.

"We've been worried how you would take this..." Angela remained calm.

Mike looked between the two, somewhat stumbling over his words. "Are...you serious?" He wasn't angry, but still surprised.

"That's hot!" Eric exclaimed, deflating the tension at the table.

Edward expected this to be more interesting. Mike and Eric had learned about the secret relationship between Angela and Jessica, but only cared about how "hot" it was.

He blanked the fake memories he had created and tried a new approach. He also erased their memories of Angela and Jessica's declaration. Instead of memories of the two girls dating, Jessica now had memories of discovering that she was pregnant and that Eric was the father.

"I'm pregnant," Jessica began crying. Luckily, the other people at lunch were too busy to look over at her table and notice the wild change in her emotions.

"What?" This time, Matt screamed. "I thought you were using birth control."

Jessica trembled, but still spoke. "It's not yours."

Edward focused on Eric's mind, creating memories of him hooking up with Jessica while she was in a relationship with Mike. Manipulating their minds was only getting easier. It should have frightened him.

"I'm sorry, Mike..." Eric suddenly started sniveling after Edward's intrusion into his mind.

"What the hell, Eric?" Mike burst into anger, walking around the table to confront Eric. "Jessica is mine!"

"Stop it please," Jessica's tears only became more extreme, ever more comical to Edward. These fake memories actually made them interesting to watch.

Angela remained silent, shutting down in shock. She had wanted to date Eric: memories and emotions that Edward had allowed her to still have. Edward wondered if she would still try dating Eric despite the situation. The limits of the group's friendship were being tested.

It didn't take long for Mike to start punching Eric. The lunch room erupted around them. Everyone rushed to get closer to the fight. Bella ran to her friends while Edward only laughed.

If Edward wanted, he could erase everyone's memory of the fight and Jessica's fake pregnancy. Only Bella would remember the fight and he truly wondered if anyone would believe her.

In time, she might even forget that fight.

The possibilities of Edward's abilities seemed endless. Anyone could be reshaped to his whim and also be suddenly changed back. At this point, he wondered why he still needed to be with Bella.

Edward could dump Bella and find someone to date her. Throw in some memories of being attracted to Bella and she might actually have a boyfriend who could devote himself to her. Anyone could be chosen for her. Eric's mind could be rewritten to love Bella, but so could Angela, Jessica, and Mike. Even the older Billy Black could date her.

For a moment, Edward regretted that thought. There had to be a line that he was crossing. That feeling faded as he thought of the joy at manipulating minds. An art like telepathy seemed too beautiful to be wrong. It wasn't like he was truly hurting anyone...

Immortality was making him mad and Edward loved it.

AN: Is anyone interested in a darker version of Edward? Should Edward be redeemed? Anyways, this story will develop into Edward/Jacob.