Chapter One,
The River Flows in You
(Edward POV)
My fingers brushed lightly over the surface of the smooth piano keys as I sat down on the long and elegant bench. The sheet music to my most recent composition was balanced on the make-shift music stand, so I began to play it out of spite.
I was rusty. I seemed like I hadn't played in over a hundred years, though I played just yesterday. The tune to the song was boring and badly written, casting awful sounding pitches and harmonies into the air. The rhythms were easy and I could play my song with ease, but my fingers were sloppy and cracked the song.
I hit the keys with more force than necessary on the last note, frustrated and tense. Could she really make me feel this way? Did I crave her blood so much that I couldn't concentrate – even on something that I loved to do? The callous contrast of the final notes rang quietly into the air while I shook the thoughts from my head. I pushed the music off the piano stand and heard it hit the ground with a muffled thud. The room silent again, but the annoying hum of thoughts still chattered in the back of my mind.
Taking in a breath of unneeded air, I closed my eyes and let my fingers sweep the keys with delicate strokes. When they landed on the correct keys for the chord, they pushed down lightly, and a sweet sounding melody started to fill the dead silence. Even the humming thoughts began to disintegrate as my mind melted away from the present and concentrated on playing the new and unfamiliar song.
After the beginning chord, I twisted in eighth notes which balanced effortlessly with the counter-melody. The gentle rhythm seemed silky and flawless, and relaxed every tensed muscle in my body. My fingers continued to move with subconscious grace as the song slowed to a near halt, but the image that the song gave me in my head made me continue even farther.
A lovely face, heart-shaped and awkward, stared at me through my heavy lids. Her long brown hair trailed behind her ears, and fell elegantly over her shoulders, framing her face. Her pale complexion didn't seem as outstanding as it once did, but it was normal for me. Her incredibly deep and chocolate brown eyes sparkled with a loving tint, but shyness twinkled with the most intensity.
And I finally knew were my new song came from.
"Bella," I whispered into the melting last note.
Her face disappeared and my mind returned to the awake and conscious state that I was most frequently in. The annoying hum started again, and I opened my eyes to a room full of poignant eyes – my family.