Disclaimer: I do not own The Twilight Saga or any of its affiliates.
Prologue:
My life was falling apart. The edges of my world were fading to black. The strength in my being was no longer shining through. Something was holding me back, and I loathed it with all my heart and mind. I would say soul, but I do not have one. I never had one.
My hands shook with fear, with terror. The rising deaths on my behalf scared me. I had become the thing that I hated, that I never wished to become. I fought a battle against those not like me, and now, I was them. I was brainwashed, and I had become my worst nightmare.
But the power that coursed through my veins made me believe that maybe, just maybe, this life was not something to be ashamed of. Maybe I had something greater to look forward to. My strength slowly came back, but it was not the same as when I started. Physically, I was strong, but mentally, my world was crashing.
I stared at myself in the mirror, guilt taking over my mind. I touched the skin beneath my flaming eyes, taking in the sight of my new appearance. Then, I spun around and ran. I followed the gentle, sweet scent that enticed my taste buds. When I found it, I sunk my teeth into his neck and drank him dry.
Chapter 1:
I walked up slowly behind my prey. His golden hair was still, the wind not moving his scent. I crouched behind a tree, eyeing him. Carefully, he turned around and searched for me, but I was too fast. I sped up in front of him and pounced. He fell to the ground, a bewildered expression on his face.
"Gotcha," I said innocently as I nibbled on his neck.
Edward's hand slid down my back, pulling me closer to him. "You are the world's most dangerous predator." His scent swirled around in my head; I would never forget it.
I brought my lips up to his. "Fear me." I kissed him, never wanting to let go.
My mind flashed back to the time leading up to this. We had gone through so much to get to where we are now. We battled vampires and came out on top. I had never felt more alive than I did when I killed James. Victoria was gone as well. A weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.
I had visited my father immediately after Edward proposed. I did not want Charlie to spend more time alone; he deserved to see me. I walked up the faithful stairs of my long-lost home and was greeted by my loving father. He wrapped his arms around me, and I did not have to hold my breath; I fed before I came, and I felt perfect.
Edward and I sat down on my father's couch with open minds. We did not know what Charlie would say to my sudden engagement; he barely had time to get over my death. After catching up on things in his life, we sprung the news on him.
Against my assumptions, Charlie took the whole thing with ease. He smiled and said that he was happy for me. He did put in a jibe about how young I was, but he said that Edward looked like my soul mate from the moment he met him. Edward graciously shook my father's hand, and I gave him a big hug for his understanding and support.
There was one slight issue that came up: my mother. Charlie had brought up something about her visiting for the wedding. I immediately shot the idea down. My mother was too fragile; she was not like Charlie. Renée would surely break if she saw me.
Charlie persisted. I stood up and walked into the kitchen, fuming with anger. Edward followed me in, where he found me gripping the countertop with such force that it turned to dust. I shook off my anger and proceeded into the other room once more. I told my father one last time that I did not want to see my mother and left, but not before giving him a hug and a kiss.
And here was where we stood. Edward smiled graciously at me, putting his hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry, love. We have to go. We have things to go over at the house. Our wedding is tomorrow."
I rolled my eyes and got off of Edward. I had been hearing that for almost a week. We had so many things to plan and, supposedly to Alice, so little time to do it all. Edward grabbed onto my hand and pulled me towards the house. He knew that I was not too eager to do anything else that concerned the wedding.
When we got to the house, I saw a car in the driveway, one car too many. I took in a deep breath, getting ready to put on a smiling face. It was difficult to act like I was my old self around fragile family members; I could not tell them about my drastic change into a vampire.
The house was strangely quiet when Edward and I entered. There were flowers everywhere and seats filling the living room and hallway. I grinned at Alice's decorations; the wedding was going to be gorgeous.
Then, Esme walked out from the kitchen. My mother followed right behind her. "Hi, honey," Renée said, smiling. "I thought you were never going to bring her back, Edward." She grinned at Edward.
"I wouldn't do that. I promised to have her back." Edward spoke like a true gentleman to my mother.
I looked at Renée. "I thought you weren't coming here until tomorrow. I thought we said that you were gonna stay at home with Charlie until tomorrow."
She chuckled. "Oh, I changed my mind. I wanted to spend some time with Esme and touch up a few things. You can't blame a mother for wanting to spend some extra time with her daughter." I felt the sadness in her voice; she still could not get over the fact that I was alive.
I smiled at Renée. "Okay. I guess since you're already here that you can help. Don't be a burden to Esme." I made it a joke, and Esme laughed.
"I won't be. Promise." My mother walked away with Esme, heading over to the flowers by the window. Then, Esme put my mother to work.
I looked back at Edward, my eyes searching for someone who wanted to listen. "I don't know, Edward. I feel like I'm hurting my mother. I'm so unsteady anymore. I don't even know if we should have this reception dinner, if you even want to call it a dinner. I'm just really scared."
Edward wrapped his arm around me. "Don't be worried, love. I'm right here with you. I love you, and we will make it through this together. After tomorrow, we will be husband and wife, and nothing will stop us. I'm here for you, Bella, and I am never going to leave you."
I rested my head on his hard chest. "I love you, Edward."
He held me tighter. "I love you, too, Bella."
Just then, the door bell rang. Alice came out of nowhere, running down the stairs to the door. She slowed for my mother and opened the door. Emmett was standing behind it.
"I figured that I should wait to be let in since I am a guest to this dinner party." Emmett winked at me.
Alice hit him on the arm. "I thought you were someone important. Go away." Emmett looked flabbergasted. Rosalie walked up behind him and smiled at Alice. "Oh, Rose!" Alice said, happy again. "Please come in. Welcome."
Rose walked in and waved at me and Edward. Emmett stood in front of the door, completely confused. Alice walked away, and Emmett stayed frozen.
"Thank you for coming to our dinner reception, Emmett," I said, smiling at him. "Won't you please come in?" I gestured for him to enter.
Emmett bowed. "Thank you, Bella. At least someone has manners." He spoke that in Alice's direction. She ignored his comment.
I laughed at my confused and hilarious family. I was glad to marrying into something so amazing. In a matter of seconds, Jasper knocked on the door and walked inside. Alice was immediately by his side, a smile on her face.
Then, Charlie showed up. His dates were Billy Black and Jacob. Charlie wheeled Billy into the house, and they were all laughs and smiles. I hugged them both and gave Charlie a kiss. They went over to Renée and started talking. I gave a little wave in Jacob's direction; he smiled and went over to talk to Emmett.
Carlisle joined the group, and then, I had my whole family under one roof. I stayed by Edward's side the whole night, and that was all I needed. I saw the positive mood in the air and smiled. Even if it was caused by Jasper, I was as happy as could be.
Everything was working out perfectly. My future looked extremely bright. I had an eternity ahead of me with Edward by my side, and there was no stopping me.