* The Twilight Universe belongs to the amazing Stephenie Meyer, I'm just playing around with it.

Chapter 1: Turning 18

13 September 2005

"Oh come on Bella! Stop being such a party pooper! Just wear it please?"

I grimaced at Alice's pout. Well, Alice was Alice. She knew that no one could possibly deny her anything when she put on such a pitiful face. I was used to being Bella Barbie to Alice, but this off-shoulder dress seemed much too extravagant for plain Jane me, even when it was for my 18th birthday. 'You only turn 18 once', that was Alice's excuse to spoil me. I just prayed that she wouldn't go over the top. I would rather have a simple birthday party at our home room in T-shirt and jeans.

18 years ago, I had been born. I knew nothing about my parents, except that I had been left outside the church. Sometimes, I wondered if they had ever thought of me, if they had ever wondered how their daughter would turn out after 18 years growing alone in the orphanage. Oh well, I guess not. They had left me with nothing outside the church on that autumn day, except two ivory crescent scars on my left wrist. Every time I stared at them, I felt a sharp pain in my heart. The scars would never fade; they would constantly remind me the bitterness I had tried to forget, I was simply unwanted.

Lucky enough for me, I had found a great friend, Alice, after leaving the orphanage. I had been sharing a dorm room with Alice for almost a year. She was an energy ball bouncing nonstop. It was such a nice change from the stone-cold faces of the sisters at the orphanage home that had haunted me for ages. Alice was like a sister I had never had. Her boyfriend, Jasper was so understanding to me; and it was a good thing that his sister Rosalie and her fiancée Emmett were equally accepting. I no longer felt like the little girl in the orphanage, crying myself to sleep because of the loneliness. Here I had a family.

"Bella, Bella are you done? Jasper is here already! And Rose and Emmett are already at the place! You can't be late for your own party!!!" Alice's scream cut me from my trail of thoughts. Knowing better not to cross with Alice, I slipped in the silver heels that Alice had left out for me and ran towards the door. If I tripped tonight, Alice was so going to pay.

I took the passenger's seat in Jasper's car. Alice had wanted to sit with me in the back, but I had convinced her to take the front seat. She was kind enough to try to make me not feel like a third wheel, but I knew better that she wanted to sit with her boyfriend. They had not been able to spend a lot of time together lately, with the heavy school work and what not. Leaning back to the seat, I watched Alice and Jasper holding hands and smiling with each other the whole time. It had been so natural for them; Alice had told me that the moment she saw Jasper, she knew immediately that he was the one. Alice had been so lucky to have found her half, but would I ever find mine?

***

"A night club! Alice are you out of your mind?"

"No Bella, it is a night club. It is the place where you are spending your birthday." Alice looked at me, her eyes full of persuasion such that all my doubts vanished. "It is your 18th birthday, and the first day you can legally enter a night club", she smirked, "not that I wouldn't sneak you in before if you wanted, but I think it is a good way to celebrate. Loosen yourself a bit. Just relax okay?"

At a loss of words after her speech, I simply nodded. Alice came back to her bubbly self, and took me in. We made it through the flood of people, and arrived at our table, where Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper were already waiting.

"Here is my favourite klutz!" Exclaimed Emmett as he gave me a hug so tight I could barely breathe. Rosalie was much gentler; her "Happy Birthday!" was muffled by the crazy loudness of the surrounding.

"Here are our drinks!" The velvety voice startled me. I looked up only to find a bronze-haired guy approaching our table with a tray of drinks on his hand. I found myself drowning in his incredible emerald eyes, and I was kicked out of my own bubble only when I heard Emmett cleared his throat with a cough. Apparently, the mysterious guy chuckled.

"Aww it's about damn time Bella start looking for a boyfriend. She is old enough." Jasper whistled, and I playfully kicked his leg under the table. It was unfair to be teased like that, all the time.

"Not to be rude, but who is your friend here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

"Edward Cullen, pleasure to meet you." The guy, Edward, introduced, his velvety voice filling my ears again.

"Oh, so you are Emmett's and Alice's brother? Wow, finally I get to meet you. I'm Bella."

"He already knew that dear, since he insisted on attending your birthday party." Rosalie said, jokingly. Wait, Edward knew about me and wanted to see me? That was strange. And insanely incredible.

"Well, since you insisted on attending my birthday party," I looked at Edward, trying to sound casual, but my voice failed me completely, "where is my present?"

Edward let out a chuckle. "Well, I have it already, but I believe you would want Alice's one first."

His answer surprised me. He actually prepared one for me? Probably I was the only girl in the world who detested presents. But again, how could I ever escape Alice?

"Yep, it's time birthday girl get some presents!" Alice squealed and tossed a small pink box at me. "Open it, it's from me and Jazz."

"Tell me it doesn't cost a lot." I frowned at the little pixie, trying to look serious. I floundered a bit as I tried to keep the wrapping paper intact. Underneath was a small box, inside a beautiful silver bangle bracelet. Gingerly, I touched the delicate jewelry with my finger tip. The oval turquoise on the bracelet made it look so antique, and yet so beautiful. I looked at Alice questioningly; Alice wouldn't be able to lie; this must have cost a fortune, not to mention that she knew perfectly I was not a fan of jewelry.

"Look, Bella, before you say anything, I know you don't wear bangle and stuff, but just hear me out." Some psychic she was to guess my reaction. "I want you to wear it, it's so pretty! And it can hide your scar perfectly…"

Alice stopped talking as she seemed to realize how tense I suddenly got. The scar. Instinctively I looked down at my left wrist. They were the key to my history, the only link I had to my birth parents. What could my life have been, if they had never left me? Granted that my parents had never wanted me, would I be able to forget about them and move on with my life?

"Bella," Rosalie spoke up for the first time, her voice so gentle and kind. "Alice doesn't mean for you to forget who you are, but it's time you move on from it. Whoever you are, whoever your parents are, it doesn't matter. Now you are 18, it's your life to live. Don't let the scar pull you back, you know?"

I was at a loss for words. I was simply touched by Rosalie's words. But could I give up this part of me, and move on? My fingers were absentmindedly tracing the crescent scars. Who was I? Why had my parents left me? What had happened to me?

"Bella."

"Bella, come back!"

"Bella, don't scare us, wake up!"

"Bella!"

Suddenly, there were so many voices calling my name, drowning out the craziness of the night club. Alice's, Jasper's, Rosalie's, Emmett's. They were all calling me, asking me to come back, but where? Wasn't I already here?

"Bella, are you okay?"

I startled, and looked up at the sound of the velvety voice calling my name. Immediately I was drowning in the emerald greenness of Edward's eyes. They were so deep that I felt like there was a story behind them, begging me to discover.

It was so strange. I had never seen him in my life, but I felt as if I had known Edward all along, as if he had been a piece in the puzzle of my life that I had never been able to solve.

I kept staring into his eyes. I couldn't even utter a word.

Flickers of images appeared in my vision, but I could hardly focus.

Edward's eyes.

The ivory scars.

The turquoise bangle.

Was this what you called 'being hypnotized', when you could hardly tell where you move when voices started filling your head and images started blinding your eyes?

Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice.

The bangle. The scars.

Edward.

And darkness.