Chapter One

FIRST DAY

For Edward Cullen, life was simply a series of difficult choices set in front of him one after the other. With decisions ranging from the minutiae to the major, it was all about tiptoeing around an identity that he had worked over nine decades to conceal and deny. His self-control was not perfect, unlike what his adoptive father Carlisle had managed to achieve; then again the older vampire boasted exactly two hundred and fifty-five years of experience over him.

Today was Edward's first day bearing the full weight of the consequences of his most recent string of big choices. The choice to move back in with his "parents" at their home in Washington. The choice not to attend high school for what would have been the eleventh time, rejecting the usual strategy he and his sister Alice had been using ever since they started traveling in the same coven.

He was long past tired of pretending he was seventeen years old. He was sick of stifling his knowledge and experience within the confines of a classroom when—in reality—he already held a degree from Weill Cornell Medical College. He had even spent a few months working an internship at The New York Hospital… until an incident involving his then-newly adopted brother Jasper forced the entire family to leave Manhattan.

Today marked another fresh start for Edward using his new identity tailored to fit the bleary town of Forks. It was his first day at his new job as an ER nurse at Forks Community Hospital. More aptly put, it was his first night. Unlike the rest of his family, he had stopped trying to emulate the sleeping patterns of normal humans. He slept from dawn until about noon then dallied within the confines of their secluded property until the sun was low enough in the horizon to pose no threat. Only then did he feel free to go anywhere he chose. Twilight was his true waking hour.

From the moment he opened his eyes that Monday afternoon and lay awake in bed to relish the silence of the deserted house, Edward sensed that something of significance would happen that day. And this was a rare inkling for a hundred year old immortal who'd tasted nearly every experience the world had left to offer. Even so, he didn't dwell on the thought as he rose to begin his day with a warm shower. Living with a sister who could see into the future and enjoyed foisting her predictions on the concerned parties left him indifferent to—and often annoyed by—the concept of fate.

Last night's hunt and subsequent consumption caused him to fall asleep as soon as he arrived home, in what could only be described as a drunken stupor. Normally he practiced more temperance in feeding, but he wanted to be prepared for his foray back into a hospital environment where a constant barrage of temptation will push his restraint to its maximum limits.

After stepping out of the shower stall he took a few minutes to stand in front of the mirror and study the scars and bruises he'd gotten the previous night from one particularly ornery, two hundred pound cougar. Normally he hunted with a partner, usually Emmett. Unfortunately, his brother had been preoccupied with romancing this wife Rosalie in a week-long celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary. This was definitely not the sort of business he wanted to get in the middle of, so he chose to go solo on a trip to the forests of Colville.

Edward traced his finger over the faint outline of the only remaining scar, too deep to completely heal overnight. In a desperate attempt to save itself before he could snap its neck to end the fight, last night's prey managed to dig its canines into his left forearm, ripping through six inches of flesh before its final breath. Despite the pain and substantial blood loss, Edward had to admire his opponent's pluck. It made for a hunt story worth sharing with his family, but there would be no trace of the scar at all by the end of the day. Vampires never got to keep any evidence of their battle wounds.

After taking his leisurely time to dress in a cotton t-shirt and jeans, he grabbed the book on his nightstand and headed downstairs. Carlisle would be at the hospital, Esme around town, and Alice at school. He should have their cavernous home all to himself for a while longer, the silence of uninhabited forest surrounding it undisturbed.

Entering the kitchen, Edward set his book down on the center island and opened the door to their unnecessarily large refrigerator. The Cullen's kitchen, the most spacious and well-equipped room in the house, was a shrine to their secret identities. It was a struggle for Edward to keep his mouth shut on how much he loathed the irony of their well-stocked pantry, but being a part of Carlisle's coven meant he had to respect the family's ways. Esme liked to make their house appear like a normal, cozy home and it was in nobody's place to deny her that.

Three pint-sized bottles of cougar blood remained from last night's kill. Economy. That was the practice Edward introduced to the coven. Phlebotomized blood never tasted as good as the fresh stuff, but bleeding their catches dry minimized waste and the risk of drawing attention to their activities.

Edward shut the fridge after deciding he didn't need another meal just yet. Gauging his thirst was the first lesson Carlisle taught him with regards to mastering his bloodlust. From there he learned to adjust his feeding schedule in keeping with that thirst in order to prevent unexpected hunger pangs. And finally, the last, most important, and most difficult lesson: should they become struck by sudden bloodlust—they must never give in to it in the presence of humans. It took Edward decades to grasp all these skills, but his confidence in his self-control showed in his decision to get a job at the hospital.

He killed the next couple of hours on the living room wing chair, his feet propped up on the matching ottoman as he read through the fifth and sixth parts of Ben Hur. When his interest in the novel waned, he set it down and moved over to the bench behind the Steinway grand piano. His long, pale fingers hovered over the keys for a few seconds before he started to play, and a slow melancholic aria resonated against the high walls and ceilings.

He went on uninterrupted for a lengthy stretch, until he sensed the presence lingering at the archway that led from foyer. She hadn't made a sound when she entered and didn't say a word while she watched him. Edward smiled secretly but didn't look up as he brought the composition to a flourishing finish, lingering at the last note as his audience began clapping for him.

"I've never heard that one before," Esme said, tilting her head to the side. "Is it new?"

Nodding, Edward turned in his seat to face her. "Inspiration just struck," he said, pointing at the copy of Ben Hur on the coffee table. "The scene where Judah's mother and sister find him at last, but weep because they know they could never be together-"

"-because as lepers they are banished," Esme finished. "Explains why it sounds so heartbreaking." She moved closer to him and rested a delicate hand on his shoulder. "Your talent never ceases to amaze me."

Edward merely shrugged. His adoptive mother was always so full of the highest praises he could never figure out new ways to respond to them. "Thank you."

"I saw all the meat you stocked in the freezer this morning," she went on, slipping off her Onassis sunglasses and the patterned silk scarf that covered her rich honey-colored hair. "It must have been quite a catch."

"It was." He gave a nonchalant wave of his hand, knowing she was mentioning it mostly out of concern for the injuries he sustained. "Nothing too difficult though. I fed well."

"So you're feeling ready for tonight?"

"As ready as I could be."

"Good." She walked towards the picture window that gave a panoramic view of their front lawn. Edward flinched on reflex as she pulled the heavy drapes aside, even though Esme would never do such a thing without guaranteeing it was safe. "It's beautiful outside."

Edward ventured a closer look, peering at the cool mist that blanketed the sprawling yard and forest beyond. Though he couldn't see much of the sky through the thick canopy of cedar branches that spread over the central acre of the Cullen estate, he could tell that clouds were blocking out nearly all of the waning September sunlight. Forks was one of the few places left in America where they could count on this type of protection through most the year.

"And it doesn't look like it would clear up for the rest of the day." Esme patted his arm and flashed him a smile as though she were the mind reader between the two. And just like that, Edward's agenda for the rest of the afternoon was settled.

After a quick detour upstairs to grab his running shoes and pull on a hooded sweatshirt, he set off on his usual route—a set trail that he used for exercise. It followed the river that ran past the outer grounds of their property, snaking through the woods for miles. Edward ran this course for as far as he dared, before the risks of sparse trees, human contact, or the reservation borderline posed an issue.

He tackled the first leg of the journey in a full speed sprint, covering twenty miles well under five minutes. The cold air seared his nostrils and chilled the already icy skin of his face; his muscles pulsed with energy as though actual blood and adrenaline still coursed through his old veins. This was an exhilaration that all vampires craved but was problematic for those who turned their backs on the usual activities of their kind, in favor of a life of peace and total discretion.

Reaching the end point of his route, he took a seat on a fallen log to slow his breath as it issued from his lips in visible puffs. Propping his foot on his knee—right and then left—he checked the soles of his trainers to made sure they'd survived the trip. The bottoms were worn halfway through from the relentless workout he pushed on them, but he decided they would hold for at least a couple more runs.

Finally he got up and set out for the return trip, this time taking a leisurely pace more conducive to sightseeing than exercise.

As a jaded immortal that'd already travelled through roughly a fourth of the world's countries, Edward was rarely impressed by scenery anymore. He'd viewed the monolithic architecture and artwork of the masters in Rome, Paris, Moscow. He'd explored ancient ruins in Peru and visited tribal lands in Angola. He'd experienced the diverse lifestyles of both technologically advanced Japan and impoverished Laos. There was just nothing novel enough left to bring him any genuine excitement.

Thankfully, nature's small wonders and landscapes still managed to break Edward's ennui on occasion. The forests of the Olympic Peninsula ranked high in his list of most beautiful spots in the world that were also feasible as places of residence. The vibrant evergreen trees, growing densely enough to blanket mountains that quartered herds and packs of fauna, created a hauntingly serene playground that never stopped changing. Clallam County was one of the least densely populated areas in western United States, and yet at the same time it teemed with life that shifted in a constant flurry of activity. It offered all the things Edward and the rest of his coven required, and less of the temptations they avoided in order to sustain their lifestyle.

Just when Edward thought his trek back home would pass without incident, his ears detected movement plodding through the undergrowth, heading in his direction. Before the humans had a chance to cross his path, he scrambled up the nearest spruce tree. From his vantage point of nearly a hundred feet above the ground, he watched and waited while they marched by—a small hunting party of three men and one elkhound. Edward hardly ever worried about human hunters. Often their senses were far too dull to notice his presence when he didn't wish to be found. Animal companions with noses just as keen as those of vampires were the ones to watch out for.

But by the time the elkhound picked up on his scent and started barking to alert its oblivious masters, Edward had already hopped from one neighboring tree to another until he was a couple more miles further off.

He stopped a second time to rest, but just as he was about to sit on the mossy branch he noticed that the fog thinned drastically at that height. The late afternoon rays that managed to pierce the overhanging clouds trickled through the mist to strike the only area of his skin that remained exposed—his face.

"Argh!" Edward hissed as a scalding pain swept across his forehead, nose, and cheeks, spreading down to his neck. His lips had already cracked and bled in the millisecond before he turned his back and pulled the hood closer around his head. He quickly jumped and dropped several feet lower down the tree, skirting around the wide trunk until he was certain he was back under safe cover from the sunlight.

Panting and gritting his teeth against the noxious burns he knew now marred his skin, Edward struggled not to dwell on his moment of carelessness. One downside to the freedom Forks permitted was that it also gave an illusion of normalcy. And no matter how much he craved to experience a normal life close to what humans enjoyed, it could literally kill him the same way flames hypnotized moths into their fiery deaths.

Though he was fairly certain that the burns had already completely healed by the time he arrived home, Edward didn't want to risk raising Esme or Carlisle's worries over his bout of clumsiness. He entered the house by the back way, passing through the garage. He checked his reflection on his Volvo's side mirror; no trace of injury was visible. He noted the three other cars parked around his: Carlisle's Mercedes, Esme's Audi and Alice's Infiniti. The entire family was home.

He undid the laces of his trainers and pulled them off before stepping a foot on Esme's meticulously polished hardwood floors. Shoes still in hand, he entered the kitchen with the intention of finishing his leftover stock of cougar blood. The physical exertion did its job in stoking his hunger, which was in perfect timing. He had a few hours left to sate that thirst before leaving for work.

Physical exertion was also to blame for his failure in detecting the stranger's presence, until he was in the same room and she stood right in front of him. Edward froze at the same moment the girl raised her head. Their gazes met over the kitchen island before he could recover from the shock.

There was a human in their house.

Her cheeks flushed with obvious embarrassment but not nervousness. Casting a quick glance around her, she got up from her chair and walked around the barrier that separated them. A voice in the back of Edward's mind shouted at him to maintain his distance. He was not ready for this which meant it was not safe. For either of them.

Edward staggered a single step backward, but found that he could do no more. The teenage girl tugged on her ponytail, pulling the long brown tresses over her shoulder. Her warm eyes focused directly on him and she smiled to reveal a set of even white teeth.

"Are you Edward?"

Without waiting for an answer she stuck out her hand to him.

"I'm a classmate of Alice. My name's Bella."

End of Chapter One

Playlist recommendation:

"Meant to Live" [Switchfoot]

Fumbling his confidence
And wond'ring why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he's meant for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside