Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except for Claire. ;)

A/N: This is my first Twilight fanfic, and even so, I'm making it more AU than possible. :D Ok, not totally true, but I'm adding in my own character(s), so yeah, it's pretty AU.

Summary: The story takes place a few weeks after New Moon ended. When life is just getting back to normal for Bella Swan and the Cullens, a new girl moves to Forks, who changes everything. Edward/Bella, Jacob/OC

Review please! I love reviews, they encourage me to write faster!!!!

Connections- Prologue

It was raining again.

Not that I expected any different. Winters back home were just as rainy. The only difference was that there was a lot less lightning here; which was just fine with me.

It'd been raining non-stop the past three days. I didn't mind: I didn't exactly have anywhere to go; I hadn't made any friends here yet. Usually I loved the rain. I was one of those strange people who were cheered up by the rain. But today it mattered because I had to drive to school. I'd only had my license a few months, and driving in the rain made me anxious.

"I hate driving in the rain." I muttered to myself at the breakfast counter.

"Would you rather walk?" Robert, my brother, joked annoyingly. Kicking a box aside as he sat down at the counter and pulled a bowl and box of cereal toward himself. I scowled and ate my Poptarts in silence.

Stupid rain. How am I supposed to play soccer in this? I haven't seen sun in a week. He stabbed at his cereal with his spoon. That's the other strange thing about me. I sort of…read minds.

Basically, I'm a freak. Whatever. I accept it. I embrace it. I'm sure there are others that are more unusual than me out there. I've gotten used to it in the last 10 years or so.

It all started when I was six, and (stupidly) ran on a wet floor and crashed through the window. And fell off the 2nd floor. I was six.

The doctors said I had a concussion and some cuts, and they sewed me back up. A few weeks later, I started to read minds. Being the naïve six-year-old I was, I didn't know that not everyone could do that. Later I "trained" myself how to control it, so as to not have fifty minds screaming in my head all at once.

"Claire, can I have a ride today?" Robert asked me, interrupting my train of thought.

"Mom's taking you," I absently replied, as I thought nervously of the approaching school day. We'd moved to Forks only a few days ago, after my mom was transferred. She persuaded my dad and brother into moving, and here we were. I had been completely against the idea. I was never any good at making friends or fitting in. The mind-reading thing didn't help. Other than my tight-knit group of friends back home, I was basically an outcast. And even my friends didn't know of my "special-skill."

I sighed, tossing my backpack over my shoulder. I was already in a slight-hunched position, ready to defend myself against the new day. I said my good-byes to my parents and brother, and quickly stepped out the door in fear of being late. As I stepped out, a soft breeze twirled my pale brown hair around in the wind. It was only lightly drizzling, which I was relieved in.

Weaving my way carefully through the streets, I arrived to Forks High School nearly late. I parked quickly and sprinted to what looked to be the front office. It was pouring now, and I'd forgotten to put up my hood.

I entered the office breathless and dripping water on the tile.

"Hi, I'm new here." I breathed quickly. "Claire Picardal?"

The woman gave a short smile and shuffled through some papers. Third one in two years. My they are flowing in fast.

I bit my knuckles in an attempt to stifle a laugh. I wondered if her thought was accurate. I knew the school had a tiny population of students, but could I really be the only new student here in so long?

The woman handed me my schedule with a smile, her thoughts wandering back to her work. I pulled up my hood, and hurried my way to the building closest to the front office, where a large number 2 was printed on the wall. My first class was there.

I walked quickly, my mind weaving in and out of kids thoughts absently, when I suddenly slammed into another girl. She had dark hair and a pale, heart-shaped face, a grumpy expression on her face. But that was all I got to see of her before we slammed to the ground, papers flying.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said, as we climbed to our feet and started to collect our things. I noticed her hands were scraped and bleeding, but she didn't seem to care. Then I noticed another thing.

I couldn't read her mind. It was as if there was no one standing in front of me. I blinked, staring at her as she picked up her books. She wasn't looking at me, but I caught her name from another kid's mind as a few people stopped to stare at the new girl. The rain was coming to a stop, the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. But I was still staring at "Bella" in frustration. Why couldn't I read her mind?

"Are you new here?" She asked, standing up. Her expression changed from grumpy, to a polite one. She was looking at me just as curiously as I did at her. It was almost as if she understood my frustration of not being able to read her mind. But how many mind-readers could she know?

Shaking off her expression, she gave a small smile. "I'm Bella Swan."

I nodded. "Claire Picardal."

"Nice to meet you," Bella nodded. "I was new here last year. It's not so bad." She politely told me. "Sorry about knocking you over." She said after a pause.

"Don't worry, I do it all the time," I replied absently, still irritated over why I couldn't read her mind. This had never happened to me before. She smiled and said goodbye, walking off in another direction. I let out a frustrated sigh, and walked to my first class, mulling over this latest dilemma.

The day went by without much more excitement. Some people were pretty nice: one too many guys offered to show me around. I wasn't used to so much attention: it disconcerted me. Jessica, one of the girls in my computer typing class and Spanish was eager to hang around with me. Hearing her thoughts, it was obviously because of all the attention I was getting.

It was at lunch where I first saw them. Alice and Edward Cullen: Edward who was Bella's boyfriend. They sat at the same table as Jessica, Mike, Angela, and a few other kids I'd met today. The table was mixed with seniors mostly, and a few juniors like me. It was clear that Bella was the connector between these distinctly separate worlds.

Edward Cullen was godlike. He was like a sculpture come to life, a moving masterpiece. His bronze hair fell in his face gracefully, his skin so pale in was nearly white. He had dark shadows under his eyes, like he hadn't been sleeping well the past few days, but his eyes were an amazing topaz color, staring at Bella intensely.

Alice too was so beautiful it took your breath away, though their appearances were clear. She was about a foot shorter than him, with dark pixie-shaped hair and a pale face as well. She was as graceful as Edward, dark shadows under her eyes as well. Both of them had a tray in front of them, but neither was touching the food.

I sat at the table, across from Bella and near the Cullens. Bella gave me a nod and a grin, and then turned back to Edward as Jessica introduced me to everyone at the table, turning sullen as she pointed out Edward and Alice. Edward and Bella stared intensely at each other, as they and Alice were in a low conversation. I stared blankly at my food, listening once in a while to what both sides of the table were talking about. Unfortunately, most of thoughts on the other side were focused on me. I heard Bella say something about the upcoming senior graduation, giving a hint to something in her undertone. Edward's face grew serious, and I decided to listen in on his thoughts, as I couldn't hear Bella.

Why would you want to become a monster like me? He thought to himself, shaking his head. My mouth fell open and my eyes widened in surprise. What could he possibly be talking about?

His gaze suddenly turned to me, intense and fierce. And I knew from his expression. He could hear my thoughts too. No one else was paying attention to me other than Bella and Alice, who could sense something was wrong. I stared in fear, feeling myself flinch and hunch down, looking away quickly. He quickly closed his mind off so I could hear no more, and with a quick mutter to Alice so fast I nearly missed it, the three of them stood, walking away. Bella glanced back at me quickly, but their absence went unnoticed by the rest of the table, who had turned their attention back to me.

I wanted to get up and follow them, and figure out the bigger mystery that had unfolded just now. What did he mean by monster? There was something about both of them, all three of them were hiding something. I tried to pick something out of the other kids' minds, who had now noticed the disappearance of the trio. All I got was that the Cullens had kept to themselves the three years they had been here, and last year, Edward had unexpectedly begun to date Bella. Than, this year, in the beginning of the school year, the Cullens had suddenly up and left, leaving Bella in a zombie state. It was only just over a month ago that they'd returned, and everyone just getting used to them being around again.

I had a nagging feeling in my stomach, suddenly felt like I was in great danger. As it was only my first day, I couldn't walk out of school with everyone's attention on me.

Feeling sick, I struggled through the rest of the day, doing badly in PE. I was never one of the most graceful, tripping and stumbling over even the flattest of grounds. It was only required for one semester back in my old school, though I still hadn't taken it there either. I was only a junior.

Coming out of PE at last with only a few bruises on my arms and knee, I felt my chest tighten, my instincts telling me to run. But why? What danger was there around here? Feeling anxious, I walked to my small car, which stood out in a parking lot full of trucks and older cars. A silver Volvo caught my eye, and I looked at it with interest. I loved cars, and everything about them. My blue PT Cruiser wasn't my dream car, but it was my mom's old car, and I took it willingly rather than nothing at all. I'd left PE early on the excuse of being sick, but I suddenly had a feeling it was a bad choice.

Before I could blink, I felt two hands tighten around my arms, spinning me around so fast I lost my breath.

"Who are you?" A fierce voice I faintly recognized asked. Why are you here?

Looking at my persecutor's face, I realized it was Edward Cullen. And he knew my secret. I took in a deep breath, gasping in pain as his hands were too tight around my arms. He realized this and released it a bit more. Now I was sure. He could read my mind as well.

"I'm not here for you, or your family." I responded to his concerns. "I just moved here, I didn't know anything about you." But what could he possibly fear I'd discover? I knew his mind-reading secret, as we both shared it, but why was he so concerned for Bella and his family? What was it about them?

Nothing you should know, he replied in his mind, letting my arms go as his tight expression relaxed a little more now that he knew I wasn't there specifically for him.

You're different. More than this mind-reading thing. I thought, looking at him curiously. I tried to delve further in his mind as he tried to close it off, but it wasn't working: I was digging into his thoughts, past his worries for his family, past his stronger than life feelings for Bella, trying to find what he was hiding-

"STOP." Stop! Edward thought and said it aloud simultaneously. I'd never experienced it for myself, but I could understand how he felt right now. Being a mind-reader, he was the one in charge who knew what was going on, no one else going into his mind. He didn't like me going through his thoughts. I flinched at his voice, suddenly knowing what he was hiding.

"I won't tell." I softly said, nervously looking at him, his face fierce and angry. But could his secret be true? Vampires were a thing of stories and nightmares. How could he be standing here, under the daylight sky, when supposedly vampires couldn't come out in the day? Shouldn't I feel more in danger, with no one else around?

I won't hurt you, he thought, falling back into a more relaxed stance as he saw from both my thoughts and expression that I wouldn't betray his secret. So quickly I didn't realize it, Alice was standing at his side, and she gave Edward a nod at something.

"You have to come with us." Edward said in a serious tone as he walked toward the silver Volvo and climbed in. I stared after him for a moment in shock, then turned to Alice as she started to follow after him.

"Don't worry," she smiled, her voice light and musical, "we're vegetarians." She walked to the car and I followed, climbing into the back with her, somehow feeling more at ease. They definitely didn't seem like they were going to hurt me.

I noticed Edward talking low to someone in the front seat, their voices hushed and anxious. The person turned around, and of course, it was Bella. She gave me a small, worried smile, and Edward sped off, driving down the streets at the fastest speed the car would drive. The car was silent, and I didn't try to read any minds, feeling still a little worried.

We pulled up at a large, beautiful house, hidden among the woods. Everyone got out of the car, and I followed the graceful Cullens to the door, tripping over a root and nearly knocking Bella over again.

As we entered what appeared to be the living room, Alice and Edward had a low argument about leaving Bella out of the "family meeting" or something.

"She's not the vampire Edward. Bella will be fine." Alice said with finality, as they entered another room. I sat in silence, the house was quiet, though I knew there was a low, possibly angry, conversation going on about me in the next room. I felt like I was being tried for murder, rocking back and forth anxiously in my seat. Bella stared in the direction of the other room thoughtfully, neither of us knowing what to say. I wondered what she was thinking, and wondered if Edward could read her thoughts or not. Bella certainly didn't look like the others: she wasn't one of them, though for some reason, she knew their secret.

I blinked and the next thing I knew, five people were standing around me. I nearly fell out of my seat in surprise.

"So…you know our secret." The man who seemed to be the head of the family stated. I stared around at the others, all of them looked like they belonged on a runway, and it was a shock to me. I gave a nod, unable to speak.

"But you're not going to tell anyone." I gathered from his mind that his name was Carlisle. He was still a little suspicious, but his expression was calm and gathered. If the rest of his family knew I could read minds, they were probably only speaking aloud for Bella's benefit.

"I told you, I had a vision. You can trust her." Alice added.

"You can trust me." I said, my voice stronger than I'd thought.

No one said anything for a moment, than the small, light-haired woman who stood next to Carlisle spoke. "Well than, maybe she should get to know who we are than. I'm Esme." She smiled good-naturedly.

"Claire." I nodded, still feeling a bit nervous. Had I just been accepted by a group of vampires? The idea seemed unrealistic to me.

"You know me and Edward by now," Alice flashed a smile at me. "This is Jasper," she gave him an encouraging look. He gave a nod at me and I suddenly felt much calmer.

"Emmett and Rosalie, our other siblings, aren't here right now." Alice said, and I nodded, having heard the names from some other kids' thoughts.

The room emptied, leaving only Bella and Edward. I stood awkwardly by the window.

"So, you read minds?" Bella asked curiously.

"Yeah…but for some reason not yours…" I replied, looking at Bella in confusion. Did Edward run into this problem?

"No one has been able to yet." Edward replied. "Forgive me if I hurt you earlier," he apologized.

"It's fine," I shook my head, giving him a small smile. It was still strange to be around people who looked like models. Vampires. Vampires. Vampires. The word was still strange in my head.

"Have you always been able to read minds?" Edward asked curiously.

"Erm, no…not really. I had an…accident when I was a kid." I bit my lip, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

A light smile grew on his face. "You fell out a second-floor window?"

"I was six!" I emphasized, scowling at the fact that he could read my mind as well.

"Excuse me, you claimed once I fell down 3 flights of stairs and out the window," Bella pouted at some memory. Edward frowned.

"The situation called for it." His mind recalled memories of Bella on the floor of some building, crying in pain. I shuddered.

"Sorry. I'm used to listening in on people's thoughts without them knowing." I explained, shifting from foot to foot.

Years of practice help. Edward thought in his mind and I heard it.

And how old are you, exactly? I questioned. He smiled.

Nearly 110. He said with a wry grin. It was probably difficult for him to explain his darkest secret to a person he just met. I said nothing, swallowing as I tried to let it sink it.

"Are you guys having a conversation in your minds?" Bella asked with slight annoyance.

"Why, is it bothering you?" Edward turned to her with a smug smile.

"And you always complain about how torturous it is to not hear my thoughts," Bella replied, rolling her eyes as Edward let out a soft laugh.

"Silly Bella," he chuckled, and I turned, looking out the window and letting them have their moment. The view outside was beautiful, looking right into the woods. The sky was dark and gloomy, crowded with clouds.

"Would you like a tour of the house?" A voice asked behind me, and I recognized it as Alice's.

"S-sure." I replied shakily, than cursed myself for not holding it together. Alice smiled and motioned for Edward and Bella to follow.

As we took a quick tour of the rooms, I wasn't too surprised to find that there were no beds in any of the bedrooms. So, did they sleep? Coffins? Probably not.

"No coffins," Edward said from behind me. I frowned, unused to other people hearing my thoughts. It was usually the other way around.

"Yes, well, I could say the same thing for myself." He replied to my thoughts again, and I sighed.

"Could you not do that? Reply to my thoughts? It's still a bit unnerving for me." I said.

"He does that whether or not he's listening to your thoughts," Bella added in. I laughed, feeling a little better that I wasn't alone in knowing their secret.

After we headed back down, I stood, not knowing what to do.

"Maybe it's time to go home?" Edward suggested, looking at the clock that read 6:04. School had ended about 3 hours ago, so that was probably right. I'd still have to explain to my parents where I was. Though they'd be glad to know I'd made friends so fast. I laughed dryly in my head, thinking of the method I had of acquiring them.

"Yeah, probably," I bit my lip, nodding.

" Alice has already gotten your car, it's parked in the driveway," Carlisle added as he came in to the room.

"How did she-?" I shook my head. There was a lot I'd have to learn about them.

Getting into my car, I took a last glance at the Cullen house, where Edward and Bella watched from the window and Alice waved me off with a smile. I'd seen her have one vision, where apparently we were shopping and having fun. So maybe we'd be good friends. I hoped this would turn out ok. And who knows, maybe it could be for the best?

I turned out onto the road, following Alice's instructions on how to get back to the main road. I opened my windows and let in the drizzle come in and wash my face refreshingly. This could be the start of something good.

A/N: Finally, I finished it! XD I'm so glad! I already have Chapter 1 written, so I'd love to hear what you think. Be critical: I can take it. I only want to improve. So, you want more? REVIEW!