Chapter 1

I stared at the expensive cake with disdain. Oh, how I hated birthdays.

"Make a wish," Edward whispered in my ear.

Might as well. I closed my eyes and thought for a short moment. My mind conjured an odd wish; to meet Edward while he was still human. I quickly dismissed the idea. I loved him the way he was now, and, I knew it was impossible to turn back time. Intrigued, though, I almost wanted to know him as a human. I wondered idly if he'd be as perfect as he was now. It wouldn't surprise me if he were.

I blew out the candles and looked at the faces of my (hopefully) soon-to-be family. Esme was smiling and motioning for me to open the first present.

Edward handed it to me, having read her mind I assumed. I let my hand linger on his for the transaction. After he pulled away, I slid my finger under the wrapping paper. I felt a slight stinging in my index finger. I looked at it. There was a miniscule cut, and it was starting to bleed a little.

"Shoot," I muttered.

Suddenly, Edward jumped out of his seat. Jasper was leaping at me from the far end of the table. Panic shot through me instinctively. The last thing I remembered was crashing through clear glass plates.

* * *

I braced myself to hit hardwood flooring, but instead I landed softly on green grass. Disoriented, I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings

The sky was a muted orange, sunset. The air around me was very cold and very windy. I padded my sides for my jacket pockets, but found myself in a heavy dress.

"What on earth," I gasped.

Again, my hands clawed at my body. My hair was up, my neck covered.

Panic swept through me, as it had only moments ago. Which reminded me; where was I?

Furthermore, where was Edward?

I decided I should find a newspaper. That should give me some information.

I walked carefully- I was in heels now- across the street to a news stand. There wasn't anyone on the road, and I couldn't see any houses from where I was.

The young man operating the stand was short and dark-skinned. He had a big goofy smile plastered on for customers.

"Evenin', miss!" He greeted.

"Hello," I responded automatically. It then occured to me I should have some money to purchase the article I wanted. Fantastic.

"What can I help you with, m' lady?" he asked.

"Umm... just the local news." I requested lamely.

"Are you from out of town?" he asked.

Crap. I should've come up with some sort of story. "Indeed." I answered.

He smiled, and retrieved an issue of The Chicago Gazette. Chicago?! He held it out to me. I couldn't tell if he wanted me to pay or not, it could've been a free handout. I considered stealing it if I had to. I probably could; even if I fell down a lot, my legs were still a lot longer than his.

"How much do I owe you?" I asked, now holding the paper with one foot positioned to take off running.

"Not a dime, for a pretty lady like yourself," he said. I rolled my eyes as I turned.

"Good day!" he called at me as I walked away wordlessly.

I felt a bit guilty for not acknowledging his compliment, but I was simply to anxious! I needed to sit down, to open this thing up and know what was going on.

I walked a block, mostly to walk off some of my nerves. I could see some houses on the horizon; huge, beautiful homes. The wind stung my face. I let my hair down.

A gigantic willow was only a few yards away. I tripped over my skirt without falling a few times, and reached the tree unscathed.

I sat underneath the drooping leaves and opened the neatly packaged newspaper. The headline read: "Draftees increase". What could that mean? It probably had something to do with the war in the Middle East.

My eyes wandered to the upper corners of the page. March 12, 1918. Everything went black.

* * *

Someone's hand was on my forehead. Fingers were pressed into my wrist. A young man's voice was slightly panicked. "What's wrong with her? Get a doctor!" He whimpered. His voice cracked.

"Oh, calm down. She's fine. Her corset is a bit too taut, is all." a girl's voice. My eyelids fluttered open.

"See?" the girl said. She was about my age, maybe a year younger. She was very pretty, her face smug.

"Well! Well, get her some help.." said the nervous young man. He was fair skinned, just as the girl was, only she had a million light freckles adorning her beautiful face.

She sighed. "Miss," she began.

"Yes?" I answered.

"What is your name?"

"Bella," I blurted. She paused for a moment. Her head cocked to the side.

"What's your last name?"

"Uh... Swan." I answered. Which reminded me yet again: Where was I? Well, that wasn't so much the question, as I now knew I was in twentieth-century Illinois, but how did I get here?

I rummaged through my head for an answer until she invited me for dinner at her house.

"It's only a few minutes from here, and my mother would just love your company." she smiled in persuasion. I nodded hesitantly; I didn't want to take advantage of her kindness.

She and the boy- his name was William, she told me- were on their way back from a dance. It would have been very cute, except my mind was still stressed. I had no idea how I got here! Unless it was a dream. Yes, that must be it! An exceptionally odd dream. I wondered how long it could last.

All three of us reached her house, a gigantic, beautiful building. The design was as old fashioned as the lace on my dress.

William told Audrey he'd walk himself home. They exchanged a quick kiss, and he strode away towards his home, ruffling his black hair. Audrey giggled.

"Sorry about that," she said, in apology for their public display of affection. I had to remind myself this was a stodgy time, and such things were practically forbidden.

Audrey lifted the hem of her skirt to retrieve a key stashed in the sole of her shoe. She unlocked the door and motioned to come inside.

"Did you have a nice time, Audrey?" someone in the house addressed the her.

"Yes, mother," said Audrey, leading me into the living room. There was no dust in the sunbeams, and the fading light outside illuminated her reddish hair. Her mother looked similar; something about their green eyes. She took one look at me and gasped.

"Who is this?" she asked excitedly.

"Bella, this is my mother Elizabeth. Mother, this is miss Bella Swan." she introduced us.

She shook my hand. She was a short woman, perhaps an inch less than me. She smiled at me sweetly.

"Hello! Do you have anywhere to stay, sweetheart?" she asked innocently.

Why did I always pick awful times to plan things out? I should've thought of something on the walk here...

Elizabeth was still waiting for an answer, so I simply blurted "No."

"Well, you could stay with us," -her face lit up- "if you wish."

I nodded. What else could I do? Sleep in the windy streets? Check into a hotel- without money? These people's hospitality was all I had now..

Audrey led me up the curved staircase to the guest bedroom. Seeing I didn't have any extra clothes with me (not that I could've worn my clothes anyway, seeing as jeans and tennis shoes were not exactly for ladies at this time), she let me have some of her extra dresses. I didn't fit too well in them, though, because she was probably four inches taller than me. She said I haven't to fret, her mother would sew the hems up for me. We talked about basic things, but I had to fudge a bit when she asked me questions like "when were you born?" and "what school do you go to?". She sat on the edge of my bed as I set out tomorrow's clothes. It then occurred to me I should at least thank her for being so kind-hearted.

"Audrey," I started.

"Yes, Bella? Or did you prefer Isabella?" she said.

"Bella's fine. I just wanted to thank you for being so... hospitable. I don't know many people who would take in a complete stranger."

She became very fascinated in her cuticles for a moment.

"Well," she said in a whispered tone.

"My mother... she really enjoys company. I know you're cheering her up.

Especially after my father passed away." My throat felt choked.

"I'm.... So sorry," I whispered.

"Don't be! We're all fine, really. It's just tough beans." I could see water gathering in her emerald eyes. Before I knew it, I was already holding her in a friendly embrace.

"I'm pretty sure we're going to get along." I said. She laughed.

"I think so, as well. So, considering you're new in town, you'll be at school tomorrow?"

"I'm pretty sure. I'll need to be enrolled."

"My mother will most certainly register you tomorrow. Oh, we'll have fun together, won't we!" she exclaimed happily. She reminded me of Alice.

Alice. My heart felt heavy all of a sudden. Would I ever find my way back to my beloved vampires? Well, of course I would! This was all a dream, and soon I would wake up from it in Edward's cool arms and life would go on.

Perhaps my subconscious mind was treating me with a nice dream.

Just then, Elizabeth called us two down for dinner. Audrey led me back down the stairs, advising me to hold the rail. I'd already informed her of my klutziness.

Appealing scents lingered from the kitchen. Elizabeth sat at the head of the table. She encouraged us to take as much food as we pleased. I took little; although it looked delicious, I wanted to make sure I would finish every last bit of what I took.

So there I sat, next to Audrey, with a plate of lamb over rice and peppers. I didn't dare take one bite before anyone else did.

"We're waiting for my brother," Audrey informed me. She twiddled her thumbs under the table. I sat straight and complimented Elizabeth, as a lady of this time should.

There was a clicking sound signaling that someone was unlocking the door. We all readied our forks.