A/N: Hey guys, I know I have a ton of stories up that I haven't updated and I don't think I'm going to, to be honest. It's been way too long and I'm just not feeling them anymore. I know this stinks for all of you reading them but I hope that you take the time to read this new story. I was talking to this gal on in this livejournal community called theair_the sun and she gave me an idea for a Vamp!Bella/Jacob story. Really, that was all she wanted and I stemmed from there, thinking about how that would work with vampires and werewolves being so repulsed by each other. And well, here's my first chapter to show off! Thank you so much to majestamoniet on LJ for being my story inspiration provider and excellent beta! I hope you enjoy this story and please review on whether or not I should continue.
Why Forks? That was all I could wonder as I watched the large moving van pull into the very secluded area surrounding my new home, the place where I would be staying for the next four years, a town named after a kitchen utensil. Oh joy.
"Bel-la!" I heard a whiny voice behind me. Turning around I faced my sister Alice. Well, technically she wasn't my sister but really, it was easier to say that then try to explain to others that the new family moving into Forks was actually a clan of vampires.
Alice and I had found our way to Esme and Carlisle Cullen through one of her visions—the one gift vampirism had bestowed on her. I had been changed about a month before she found me because a fairly careless vampire hadn't finished his entire meal. I didn't remember much about what had happened, only the pain that was associated with my change and the vivid red eyes that I'd seen reflected back into my own the first time I had access to a mirror. That was what had creeped me out the most—seeing my usually chocolate brown eyes turned to a blood red.
The only other huge physical change had been that my pale white skin looked beautiful and not sickly pale. I still had a slender figure and mid back length brown hair. Unfortunately becoming a vampire hadn't helped with my height. While 5'4" was not a terrible height, it was short enough for my brothers to still call me 'shortie'.
After finding me, Alice had tracked down Jazz, the beautiful man who had haunted her human dreams and vampire visions. Those dreams were actually the only part of her human life she remembered. While my past may have been fuzzy, it was still there. All Alice remembered was black.
Jasper "Jazz" Whitlock had come with us to find the Cullens—a family filled with five vampires already. Esme and Carlisle, the "parents" of their group, had simulated their own family. Edward and Emmett Cullen were both changed at 17 like I was, while Rosalie Hale was 19 when she died. Rosalie and Emmett were together, as in they were a couple. I didn't know how Esme and Carlisle stood it but they did. Jasper and Alice were also inseparable, and my best friends.
Alice had once tried to set me up with Edward, reasoning that we were the last two in the family that were not together. But Edward and I would never really worked. While we both didn't find vampirism the shits, he had this "woe is me" complex that even I couldn't completely comprehend. But we were friends, the best of friends actually. We bonded over long nights of no sleep by reading the latest best sellers and arguing over the classics. Emmett's phrase "get a room" had an entirely new meaning for us.
I gave Alice my brightest smile when I saw what she was whining about. "What's the matter, dear sister?" I asked her sweetly.
"Why on earth would you keep these God awful curtains? I told you I'd get you new ones when we moved."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"They grew on me," I said, fingering the white and black checkerboard curtain Alice had pinched between her fingers. "It's a reminder of what we left behind."
"Bella, honey, your sentimentality is endearing, but of all the things you could've kept it had to be this?" Her perfect nose wrinkled in disgust.
"All the better reason to annoy you, my dear!" I smiled as she gave a small growl. "Jazz will you please tell your girlfriend she's being unreasonable?" I called, knowing that Jasper's vampire hearing would have caught it. He came out from the house and put an arm around Alice's shoulder.
"Can we at least get settled in before you start your nagging?" he teased. Alice had been about to protest but the very closeness of her empathetic vampire boyfriend calmed her almost immediately.
"I'm going to walk around the woods, scope out potential food sources," I said. Jasper nodded, and I headed towards the woods.
My family and I were "vegetarian" vampires, as we liked to call ourselves. We abstained from human blood and survived on the blood of animals. While it certainly wasn't the most efficient way for vampires to live, it brought us closer as a family, and we could stay in one place longer.
If I had been a human walking through those woods, I would have gotten lost. There was nothing but green everywhere. It was kind of sickening actually.
I was breezing over the width of a stream, when, out of nowhere, a low growling sound erupted from behind me. I turned around only to come face-to-face with a giant wolf. A werewolf.
Carlisle and Edward had warned us about them, about the treaty they'd made many years ago.
We just stood there, the wolf and I, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Neither of us would break the treaty, as I was certain he knew about. The wolf turned and ran back where he came from, allowing me to go home and inform the others.
I'd always hated the first day of school, and having to do so every four years was very frustrating. Especially when Alice decided that first impressions were key and dressed me up in ridiculous outfits.
But my sister just smiled at me, even as I gave her my fiercest growl. Id' never be scary; she'd told me so herself.
We arrived at the school a little early, allowing Carlisle and Esme a chance to sign us up for things we were more than capable of doing on our own. It was a charade for the humans, playing the impassive teenager role.
Unfortunately for Edward, this would be the second time he was in Forks. The first time was when they'd made the treaty with the wolves. Though I wouldn't be surprised if those treaty lines were broken. I hadn't even been a vampire when they were here last.
High school didn't even feel like a right of passage for us anymore, having been through high school many times over the years. We matriculate way too much.
My first period was English with Edward—great. At least I'd have someone to talk to, as I'd already read every single book on the syllabus Mr. Finnick, our teacher, had just handed us.
"Wuthering Heights," Edward said in a low voice. "This will be the one thousand and first time or..."
"Shut up," I retorted, giving him a small smile. Even Edward thought he could tease me.
The morning passed rather quickly and gave way into the afternoon—meaning lunch time. The lunch room had always been strange for us Cullens as we didn't eat, and keeping to ourselves probably didn't help with the stare factor.
Of course Edward was smirking as we walked into the lunchroom. Edward was a mind reader, gifted like Alice with her visions. I also had a power, but mine wasn't as impressive as theirs. I just happened to be very likable. When people saw me they couldn't help but want to be my friend. It did come in handy, however, if when we ever crossed some not-so-friendly vampires.
Carlisle thought that I must have been very compelling as a human, but I really had no idea for certain.
"We're the shiny new toy again," Edward joked. I rolled my eyes as I sat down.
"How many girls are drooling over you?" I asked.
"Three," he smirked. "But there are many guys contemplating hitting on you as well," I groaned and put my head down.
"Because, you know, I can totally date them." I mumbled. Just then I heard a low growl coming from everyone at the table. "What?" I asked, picking my head up.
"Werewolves," Emmett said. I stiffened.
"Here?" he nodded.
"We haven't been back for a long time. The lines must be redrawn," Edward said.
I looked in the direction my family's heads were turned. Five tall, dark skinned, muscular men were walking towards an empty table, their dark eyes glaring daggers into our eyes as they did. In my peripheral vision, I caught a sudden movement, and I caught Edward's arm before he could fully stand up.
"Edward, calm down." I hissed, watching as he grudgingly reclaimed his seat.
"I don't like what they're thinking." he said in a low growl.
"Well gee, Captain Obvious, why don't you tell me how you really feel?" Edward shot me a glare. "Mister Touchy." I sighed and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Alice asked.
"To talk to them. Everyone is staring. If we want to keep a low profile both sides need to calm down." I walked towards the table before anyone in my family had a chance to protest. A young boy, probably fifteen or sixteen, met me half way, his mouth pressed into a thin line.
I'd be lying if I sad he wasn't attractive. He had a natural muscular build that could be detected through his snug shirt. His shaggy black hair was long enough that it fell into his eyes, but not nearly as long as the way some boys had been wearing their hair the last few years. I looked up at him, as he was well over six feet tall, and gave him my best sneer. He needed to know I wasn't scared of him.
"We don't want to cause a scene," he said in a low voice. That was something I couldn't agree more with.
"I was just about to tell your litter over there the same thing."
His eyes narrowed.
"Look, we just need to go over some boundaries. There haven't been vampires in Forks in a long time."
I nodded. "I know."
He rolled his eyes.
"Would you mind going for a walk? Everyone is staring."
I looked around and noticed he was right. All of the humans were trying to be inconspicuous about it, but my family and the werwolves weren't being so discrete about their ogling.
"Sure," I said and muttered under my breath, "Shiny new toy indeed."
"What?" the werewolf asked.
"Nothing," I said. "Shall we?" I motioned for the door.
He nodded and we walked into the open air. I laughed when I saw that it was raining. Alice had warned me about all the rain.
"It rains an awful lot here doesn't it?" I asked.
The boy nodded. "Yeah, just about everyday."
I shook my head. That would take some getting used to.
"So... Vampires in Forks." he said. Great conversation starter.
"Yep."
"How long?"
"The usual, four years if we're lucky." he looked puzzled.
"Lucky?" I nodded my head.
"Sometimes humans get suspicious a little easier than others, and we have to leave before graduation." I rolled my eyes.
I'd been to so many graduations, it had never been a big deal to miss one.
"We matriculate a lot." Something seemed to change then, a sort of wall seemed to be lifted as the boy laughed.
"I'm sure you do," he said. He seemed to think of something for a minute, his brow furrowed as if he were trying to decide something. Then he looked at me. "Listen, there's really no reason for us to keep this tense wall up. We're going to have to go to the same school after all."
I was puzzled then, he wanted to be friendly?
"W-what?" I asked him.
"I think it's alright if we act normal,"
"Normal?"
"Okay," he amended. "Cordial. Think you can do that?" he asked, his lips twitching into a small grin.
I couldn't help but crack a smile at that. He actually thought it was okay to tease me. "Yeah, I think so." I said.
"I'm Jacob Black," he said as he held out his hand.
"Bella, Bella Swan," I said and shook his hand. It burned at the contact and I quickly took my hand away. It hadn't been unpleasant, just weird.
"Swan. I thought I heard the family moving here was the Cullens," he said. I nodded my head.
"You heard right. Technically we're the Cullens, Hales, and Swans. A couple of us kept our own last names. It helps with the foster parent story. And really, it was the last thing I could keep from my past, my old life." I watch Jacob run a few fingers through his hair.
"Are you always this honest with people you've just met?" he asked. Of course I probably shouldn't be sharing my personal information with a werewolf, but I couldn't help myself. I'd always spoken my mind; I was never one to beat around the proverbial bush.
"I just tell it like it is. When you've lived for as long as I have, you begin to realize there isn't any point to keeping things in. They come out eventually." Jake nodded his head. Though I don't think he understood as much as he wanted me to think.
"More people should be like that," he said.
"Maybe then werewolves and vampires could actually get along." I said.
"You're very different from what I expected," Jacob said in bewilderment. "I honestly didn't think I would like you, but I do. I honestly think that if we'd met as humans, we'd be really good friends."
I thought about that. He was a good guy, werewolf aside. I would've been friends with him, I decided.
"Sadly we aren't. And vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies. We even smell bad to each other. You guys smell like wet dog," I said, breathing in through my nose in preparation to crinkle it, to prove my point.
But I didn't smell anything. There was no wet dog smell.
"Well that was weird," I said.
He raised an eyebrow "What?"
"You don't smell to me," I said, puzzled. I felt him sniff at me, and I tensed.
"You don't smell to me either," he said. My shoulders relaxed.
"I wonder why?" I murmured thoughtfully. This had never happened before. Then again, I'd never been this close to a werewolf before.
"The rest of you smell, we got a big whiff of that sickly sweet vampire smell when we came into the cafeteria today."
I nodded my head. We'd smelled them too.
"There must be something wrong with us," I joked. "A vampire and werewolf that don't smell."
Jacob laughed and pushed at my shoulder, like an old pal. I hesitated for a second, and then pushed him back.
I could really have been friends with Jacob Black.
We talked throughout the lunch period, getting to really know each other, despite our differences. I wasn't just a vampire to him, and he wasn't just a werewolf to me. We were people, Jacob and Bella. Then the bell signaling for lunch to end sounded, and my eyes went wide.
"We just talked through the entire lunch period." I said, looking towards the cafeteria to see my family filing out, looking right at me. "Should we...?"
"Probably not," Jacob said. "Sam wouldn't see reason,"
"Neither would Edward."
He nodded his head, we'd given each other the run down of our families. And just as quickly as Jacob's face had turned friendly, his mouth was back to a thin line.
"Meet us at the boundary line around midnight," he said, acting as if he didn't like me. Even though I knew it was an act, it still kind of stung a little. But I knew we didn't really have a choice.
"Are you sure that's not too late for you and your puppies?" I asked. I saw his lip twist a little before he put on a scowl.
"Just be there."
I glared at him and nodded my head. I quickly looked at my approaching family before turning back to Jake.
"One more thing," I whispered. "Guard your thoughts around Edward."
"Why?" I just looked at him. Then it dawned on him. "Oh, how?"
"Think about anything, count to one hundred," he nodded his head and deliberately brushed past me to go back to the cafeteria.
I had just barely caught the bye he'd whispered in my ear.
I walked back towards my family. They all were waiting expectantly to hear what had happened. They knew just as much as I did that the boundary lines needed to be redrawn, vampires had been gone too long from Forks.
"Well?" Alice asked after a moment of silence.
"We've got ourselves a meeting," I said.