CHAPTER 1
I was driving home with my daughter Renesmee when I saw the first sign that our lives were going to be thrown off the normality, even more so than usual. It was the first Sunday of the month. First and third Sundays of the month were the time for our visit to Charlie's house. Usually. Renesmee, Jacob and I went on the trip, sometimes accompanied by Edward. But this time, Jacob had decided to skip the trip as he had grown tired of Charlie's house.
We were enjoying a peaceful afternoon with Charlie when Renesmee had opted to go shopping in Seattle. "It's been weeks since we last went shopping, and last time, I didn't even get to give you makeover,"she'd said. I'd grimaced at the bad influence Alice was on her niece. "I don't think so." had been my reply. "I don't a makeover, and you don't need any more clothes either. Have you forgotten that your closet is overflowing and Alice is trying to convince Esme to expand?" She'd looked disgruntled, so I'd added,"Besides, Alice isn't here and she's far more enthusiastic company than I am, where shopping is concerned." Charlie had grinned. So, we'd said goodbye to Charlie after tea and had progressed home.
We hadn't been twenty minutes into our drive when we saw a jet of green light emerge from the forest on our right side. It reached the sky where it exploded like fireworks, emitting green sparks of light. The sparks assembled into a weird shape. It took me a moment to identify it as a skull with a snake emerging from its mouth. It almost seemed animated. I was surprised because May was an unusual month for fireworks, and what was even more unusual was that I'd never seen fireworks with that particular shape.
"Look at that. If we'd gone shopping, we'd have missed that firework display for 't it magnificent?" I said, though I felt a chill creep up my spine, looking at the creepy shape. I was so transfixed on the sign that I failed to notice a small figure stumble out of the forest and directly into the path of our car. It was only when I heard Renesmee gasp that my eyes fell on the figure in the middle of the road, illuminated by the headlamps. Just before I slammed the brakes, I caught sight of a pale face surmounted by a messy mop of jet black hair, and bright green eyes framed by a pair of round glasses. I heard a loud thump when the car hit his fragile body, throwing him two feet away, where he landed in a heap and lay still.
I was in shock. I turned and looked at Renesmee to see if she was alright. She was breathing hard, and she turned to look at me with wide, frightened eyes. I turned back to look at the mangled body. The green light gave him an eerie glow. The little silver phone in my purse rang, shattering the ear - deafening silence. I started, and the reality of what had happened - no, what I'd done - crashed down upon me. With trembling hands, I picked up the phone and flipped it open, knowing who it would be.
"Bella," came Alice's voice,"Edward and Carlisle are on their way. Don't leave the car, he's bleeding." I knew what would happen if I left the car. The scent of his fresh blood would draw me in. "Will he be okay?" I asked. "Yes," said Alice, though there was something in her voice that I couldn't recognize. "And?" I prompted. "He's going to be fine, Bella," Alice assured me. "They'll be there in exactly thirteen seconds."
Those thirteen seconds seconds seemed to be the longest and hardest in my life. I held Renesmee close and comforted her, and myself. Sure enough, just as Alice said, they arrived in a few seconds. Carlisle knelt next to the boy, hiding him from my view. Edward appeared at my window. He gestured to me and Renesmee to get down holding our noses. I slowly opened the door and got out. It was very hard. Though I pinched my nose tightly with my fingers, the knowledge that there was fresh blood out in the open, made me want to breathe in deeply. Venom filled my mouth and my throat burned. With great difficulty, I turned my back to Carlisle tending to the boy.
Edward took Renesmee from me. She buried her face into his chest. I wished I could do the same. Edward murmured,"Don't look in his direction. Carlisle's taking him to the hospital. He'll need the car. We're running home." He squeezed my hand. I didn't let go. "Let's go." We ran, not looking back. I wished I listened to Renesmee and gone shopping.