Prologue

Never knowing this would happen, I felt compelled to regret this decision which unfortunately changed my existence forever. As I raced with time to save the one I loved, I couldn't help but wonder. Was this right? Should I save this poor, weak human from the evil and deception of our kind? Should I just let him die, and make my life simpler?

No.

Because I knew that deep inside my silent heart, this was right. This poor, unfortunate soul was the one I loved. How could I possibly go on without him? How could I possibly live?

Chapter 1

If there was anything in the life a vampire that was a big nuisance, it would be high school. Reliving the same four years without a pause was aggravating and boring, at some points. A vampire should not have to suffer in a building occupied with humans.

But that was the way us Cullens lived. Carlisle wanted us to blend with humans and interact with them to show we are different than other vampires.

But I didn't.

No, I wanted to roam the world, see brand new and exciting things I had never seen in all my seventy years.

Carlisle tried to reason with me, telling me there's nothing out there that would catch my attention. Lucky I thought. At least he had that experience before. His attempt at swaying me did no good. I was stubborn about my decision. But Alice doesn't see me leaving. I know the reason why.

Because no one else wanted to go. I wasn't about to go on my own without my family. The days would get even lonelier without my adopted family.

So I lived on… sort of, and suffered in the small city of Forks, Washington; a frightening little town in the middle of no where.

When Carlisle changed me in 1929, I accepted the fact that I would be a vampire the rest of eternity. I had no one left. But I didn't want to spend all eternity staying in the same little quaint town for the rest of it.

It was better, knowing I had others, others to help me through it… unlike Carlisle. He had been alone. All alone, ashamed of what he was. I would have gone savage if that was what it was like with me. Like Carlisle, like Alice.

Alice was different than anyone of us. When she woke up, she woke up alone. She didn't know who changed her, or why for that matter. She only knew that one day, she would find us, and that kept her from going crazy. She had premonitions that helped her calm herself.

We finally knew the truth when we ran into her pretender, James. He told us the very truth why he had left Alice alive. Her creator loved her, had feelings for her, a little human. James had been a tracker. He found Alice and she was the sweetest smelling human he had ever seen. He wanted her, but her creator wouldn't let him. James killed him but not before he had changed Alice himself. James left Alice alone but crushed the old vampire to extinction. He slipped out of our sight and we never caught sight of him again.

Most of us had been connected by blood. Carlisle had created: me, Rosalie, Esme and Emmett. Jasper and Alice were outside in a completely different family of vampires. But we took them in anyways as family.

Walking at an unbearably slow pace to match those of a human, we stepped to our lunch table with trays of food we never meant to eat. When you're a vampire, blood is the only food you'll eat. It's your breakfast, lunch and dinner. But we carried them around as props for the humans to see. I wouldn't eat it if I tried. It was very foul smelling.

We walked and talked, propping ourselves into our chairs, and scooting ourselves closer to the table. I heard Alice's tiny soprano laugh echoing through the lunchroom, but no one noticing. I also noticed Emmett's booming laugh. I wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. I was lost in thought. My thoughts abruptly vanished when I heard an intake of breath. I looked up to gaze at Alice. She had gasped, dropping her food to the floor, the metal dish cluttering to the ground, shimmering against the floor. She was frozen, her face still in the same distracted position. She held it long. Finally, after what seemed like ages, she looked up, her eyes full of despair and pure fear. I felt my shield stretching like a rubber band around our family, the faces of the people I loved: Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice. She finally spoke, quietly but full of torture.

"He's back," she whispered. I felt my dead stomach drop to the soles of my feet. Then it picked itself back up and venom churned in my mouth.

"Damn it," Emmett whispered back. Everyone had already forgotten their human charades, and we were still as statues, hovering over each other.

"James," we all replied simultaneously. We eyed each other nervously.

I knew he didn't quit, but I didn't think it would be so soon.

"We'll have to kill him this time," I said through my teeth. Automatically, four pairs of golden eyes looked up at me, questioning my sanity. I saw Rosalie's eyes sift reluctantly to me.

"Bella," she began. "He knows what to expect of us now. He knows how much our coven has grown in comparison to his one talent. We can't misjudge him." She paused, taking an unnecessary breath. "He can make friends."

My raw features sagged at the realization of those words. That was true, so very true. He could make friends, very powerful friends. There wouldn't be enough of us.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" I murmured. I began to loosen my stiff knuckles. Jasper was using his special gift of controlling the emotions in a room to calm things down before surrounding humans became suspicious. It was too late. Every person at the tables near us was staring at us, watching the solitary family tensing.

We all straightened up and began to look human again. After a long moment of silence, Jasper was the first to speak.

"Well, why don't we talk about this subject some other time? Maybe somewhere a little more private?" he muttered, rising from his chair. "Lunch is over, time for sixth period."

It was then when I realized, that the entire cafeteria was empty apart from our table. I was alarmed to see the vacant lunchroom. Our kind was easily distracted, and boy was I distracted.

Ignoring Jasper, I reached across the table to face Alice. "Alice, what exactly did you see?" I asked, my voice muffled. Even with the silent lunchroom, no one within two feet would hear me.

"He was crossing the border into Washington, his intentions on finding us. I don't really know what he's planning to do, because he hasn't even decided himself," Alice reviewed, louder than me, completely animated. Obviously, there was no danger of someone hearing.

I mulled over the facts and stood up fluidly to throw away my untouched food into the trash bin.

"I'll see you after school, Alice," I warned. She gave a slow nod. She knew which direction this conversation was headed.

Even being one of the last to leave the lunchroom, I was first to enter the classroom. Most of the kids stayed behind and chatted with each other so that gave me an advantage on the late factor. It also helped I had super sonic speed.

It wasn't long before other students began to enter the classroom. Mr. Banner sat at his desk, waiting impatiently for everyone to take their seats. When almost every seat was filled–apart from the one next to me-he began the lecture without another word. I took a perfect interpretation of the notes he intended us to write. I was able to do this and let my thoughts be far away from the mundane classroom. Vampires could think of many things at once and that came as an advantage to me. After his speech, he gave us 5 minutes to talk while he looked for the lesson plans.

That was when I saw him.