BPOV
Being a teenager, it wasn't uncommon to awake late into the morning and sluggishly roll out of bed, but for me it was. It was almost unheard of for teenagers to get out of bed on their own accord before 7AM. Yet here I found myself, staring at the red digits on my alarm clock as time slowly dragged on. It was 5:03AM and once again, I found myself awake. Nothing physical had woken me; no loud noises or disturbances. It was something mental caused by something physical which had affected me. For as long as I could remember my family had been involved in a feud. A battle for power and strength. A fight to be at the top; the best, and I never heard the end of it. How I wished the fighting would cease, and my family would learn to live in harmony but no, no battle would be ended until a winner was announced. And no one was willing to back down yet.
My name is Isabella Swan, daughter of Charlie Swan. Heard of him? Thought so – owner of Swan Incorporated and rival of Carlisle Cullen. That's basically where the problem begins and ends. Carlisle Cullen, owner of Cullen International. My father's enemy, but most importantly biggest threat. Owning such similar companies, these two found it compulsory to dislike each other and always found one reason or another to start a brawl. Whether it was over who sold the most that month, who made the most profit or who had the most interesting and sought after things to sell, it didn't matter, they enjoyed the conflict. More than that even, they thrived off it. I don't know about Cullen but that's the way it is for my father. The harder he has to work, the more he enjoys it. To put it bluntly, Charlie Swan is a sore loser.
So here I was, awake at a ridiculous hour with nothing to do but worry about my father's well being. Carlisle Cullen and my father did more than just have heated discussions, hell, they had full-blown arguments. It was a rare occurrence when a fight wasn't started. And this happened on a monthly basis. Was it really so hard for their differences to be put aside? Well, it was more like similarities. Couldn't they learn to work together? I'd always thought that if they used their brains and actually thought about the concept of working together and sharing ideas, how much more money they would make. But that's men for you. All they care about is winning.
But anyway, back to the situation at hand. It was too early to get up and so I did the only thing I could think of. I switched the TV on and flicked through the channels, hoping to find something at least half decent. Luck didn't seem to be on my side today and so I settled with the news. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary occurring in the world today. I continued listening to newsreader.
"And now, for today's headlines," The newsreader began, "A woman aged 34 was found brutally injured and bleeding excessively at her apartment late last night, but it was too late for her to be saved. Find out how an 86 year old woman fought off a burglar with nothing but her walking stick. And the latest dispute between the Cullen's and the Swan's – which company is going to last?"
I momentarily blanked out whilst the newsreader went into detail of the other headlines mentioned. As intriguing as it sounded, I never found out about the 86 year old woman who fought off a burglar. All I could think was what had my father done now?
I was expecting to hear something about my father and the company but there was obviously something he had neglected telling me. Which was going to last? What was that supposed to mean? Yes my father wanted to be 'the best' with his company as the most well-known but would he really go to the extent as to completely destroy the Cullen Company. Or vice versa. Whatever was happening, I really hope it was worth it, to risk everything.
I listened eagerly, desperate to hear the new crisis.
"It seems that a new competition has sparked between Swan Incorporated and Cullen International. The clash between the two ever-growing companies has reached a boiling point when it was announced last night that whoever out of the two made the least profit over the next three months would back down."
This was so like my father. He really was stupid enough to risk everything he had worked for. He was stubborn; I knew I inherited that from him. But it was more than that. Once my father made a decision, he was obstinate, immovable, but most of all determined and adamant. He was not one to back down to anything. He prided himself in winning.
But right now I had other things to worry about. Like that masquerade ball my family was hosting tonight. I had promised my best friend Alice that she could do my hair and make up. As much as I hated to admit it, she really was good at it and so I might as well let her do it. I really would her rather do it than risk me making myself look abysmal.
I was expecting Alice to appear around 2PM. She seemed to think that it took hours and hours of preparation to look good. For her, I highly doubted that. Alice was beautiful but not in the way that guys usually think. I thought I was short but compared to me, Alice was miniscule standing at barely 5 feet. Alice's eyes are a piercing blue which made my brown eyes seem completely dull in comparison. Her hair was cropped short and midnight black. It also stuck out in every direction but it was a look that looked great on her though on anyone else would seem a little odd. Alice was unique and she knew it. She used it as an advantage.
Then there was me. I was an average 5 feet 4. Nothing about me was spectacular or noticeable; the words average and ordinary pretty much summed me up. With long brown hair and brown eyes, I was the complete opposite of Alice. There was not an edge of individuality about me. But I was fine with that, I didn't want to stand out from the crowd and attention was not something I enjoyed. Not like the overly confident Alice.
I really did wonder why she was my friend. I'm sure even she was bored of my dull looks and most probably matching dull personality. And to top it off, we didn't even have much in common. Alice was obsessed with fashion, make-up, gossip and most importantly, boys. I on the other hand wasn't. I'd choose Jane Austen any day over the latest magazine. And as for boys….well, my love life was non-existent. It wasn't like Alice had an abundance of boyfriends, she could count them all on one hand but she always knew she was never with the right person. Yes, she went out with them for a while but she always told me how it was 'just for now' and that this wasn't her 'Mr Right.' At least she had that much. The one boyfriend I ever had was in 5th Grade, and that barely counted. Alice may not have found her 'Mr Right' yet but at least she was looking. I wish I could say I had at least tried.
Maybe that's why Alice and I were friends. We were so opposite. Everything about us said we shouldn't, even couldn't be friends and maybe that's exactly why we were.
But whatever anyone said, I could never doubt Alice's friendship. She was there for me throughout everything and I could depend on her. We shared out problems and I really don't know how I would have coped without her. She was my best friend.
Alice arrived at exactly 2PM as expected. She carried a huge box containing make-up, and another bag which I knew contained her hair products and electrical items. Her dress was already hanging in my closet where she placed previously in the week. Alice and I were both seniors at high school and I knew that when we moved on to college, Alice wanted to major in Fashion design. It had been her dream for years and it really was a wise choice for her. To say Alice was amazing at designing clothes was an understatement. That was exactly why I had let her create my dress for the masquerade ball.
"Hey Alice." I smiled as I yanked open the door for my best friend.
"Hey yourself," Alice grinned back. "Now come on Bella, we only have 5 hours to get ready, and I need to make you look perfect."
Alice spent a good hour deciding on how she was going to do each of our make-up and hair before instructing me to go take a shower while she chose the last few things which I apparently wasn't allowed to see.
I stepped into the shower letting the hot water calm me down. I don't know why, but I had a weird feeling about this ball tonight. My parents hosted hundreds of balls, dances and events but this one just seemed different.
I washed my hair and within 10 minutes I was out the shower and towelling myself dry. I knew Alice wouldn't want me to get dressed right now, so I had brought in some sweats and a t-shirt to put on whilst Alice did my make-up.
Whilst in the shower Alice had decided that I wasn't allowed to see myself until I was completely ready so she had angled my chair away from both the full length mirror that was hung on my wall, and the mirror placed on top of my dressing table.
I began to refuse and complain but I held my tongue, knowing that Alice was bound to win in the end. She was almost as bad as my father – Alice never lost or backed out.
After hours of preening and primping, Alice declared that I was ready and she pushed me into the bathroom to put my dress on. The dress was beautiful. It was made of a deep blue satin which clung to all the right places and flowed in others. It fit perfectly; like a glove. It had small straps which held it up as it clung to my upper body. There was a ribbon that ran around my waist and tied into an elegant bow at the back. The lower part of the dress then flowed gracefully to the floor. It was simple yet exquisite. I loved it. Alice had also managed to find a mask that matched so perfectly, it was almost as though it was made for the dress.
As I stepped out the bathroom, I noticed that Alice had changed and was almost finished with her make up. Her dress was a dark, jade green and seemed perfect for her personality. The dress was unique and different yet still attractive. And if anyone could pull it off it was Alice.
"Wow, Alice," I stuttered "your dress is seriously amazing."
"Thanks." Alice grinned at me.
It was then that I noticed that I didn't know what I looked like yet. Alice grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the full length mirror that hung in the wall of my bedroom.
I was shocked at what I saw. There was Alice, beautiful and stunning as always but then, who was that next to her? It couldn't be me. It looked so much like me but then so different. I recognised the brown hair and eyes but this girl looked pretty, maybe even beautiful. It couldn't be me. It just couldn't.
"See? You do scrub up pretty good." Alice mused.
"You don't look so bad yourself." I muttered, still in shock at my reflection.
"Seriously Bells, you always look good. When you put the effort in especially." But apparently never good enough, I thought to myself.
The ball was due to start in ten minutes but Alice had persuaded me that despite my family being the hosts, it was good to be 'fashionably late.'
I always wondered how Alice knew that she hadn't found her 'Mr Right'. Before she even took the time to get to know a guy she knew that he wasn't the one. How would she know when she had found him? How did she or anyone for that matter know when they had found the one that made their toes tingle and their heartbeat increase? More importantly, how was I going to know? I'm pretty sure that whoever the one I was destined to be with was didn't know he was waiting for me either. All I could hope is that he realised I was the one eventually. Whoever he is.
"Now Bella," Alice began. "I'm not entirely sure who is going to be at this ball, but don't get your hopes up. Don't be too unwilling either. If a decent, good looking man asks you to dance, do the right thing and say yes. And I'm only saying this because I love you. I want you to find him someday, sweetie." Alice smiled at me. Her little speech made her sound so much like my mother.
"Sure Alice." I chuckled, slightly amused.
As we exited the car, we linked arms and headed towards the ball. It was time to make our grand entrance.
We placed on our masks and grinned at each other. We were going to have fun tonight.
"Ready?" I asked Alice.
"Ready." She confirmed.
Alice and I made our way up the grand staircase and through the open door. It was nothing new for people to turn and stare at us but nevertheless, it was something I would never get used to. Despite having a pretty well-known family, I despised fame and attention. I'd much rather just be left on my own in a secluded area to live my life how I want, with no distractions, but that wasn't to be.
Alice stayed by my side as we circled the room and greeted the guests. As a family member of the host, I too was classed as a host at events like these. I was expected to welcome the guests and fortunately, Alice was more than willing to come with me.
People commented on our dresses, our hair and 'how much I had changed since they last saw me', even though the majority of people I had seen no less than a month ago at the last ball. I merely smiled and thanked the guests, several of whom I could not identify for their masks hid their appearances rather well.
I on the other hand was fairly recognisable. Well, rather Alice was. Who else had short black hair that stuck out in every direction? And everyone knew she was my best friend, so who else would she be with?
The evening moved on progressively and as music began to play, Alice and I were split up when we were both asked to dance. After dancing with six different people, I began to give up hope. As weird as this sounded, no-ones dance style suited me. I may be clumsy but dancing was something I enjoyed and I only ever got to do it at events like these. All the men I had danced with tonight were trying too hard. Some were sloppy, didn't know the steps and kept treading on my toes whilst others were a little too over-confident. Yes, they knew all the steps but perhaps a little too well. They threw me around the room and spun me vigorously. I was even more thankful when those dances ended and grateful that we hadn't yet eaten for I was sure my dance partners may have been covered in it.
I was making my way over to the seating area to wait for Alice while she finished her dance when someone tapped me on the shoulder. In all honesty, I nearly turned around and told whoever it was to leave me alone. I really was no longer in a dancing mood but my polite side got the better of me. I turned to face the mysterious person only to be cast deeper into the mystery. I didn't recognise him at all. The top part of his face was covered by a black, velvet mask but his piercing green eyes were still evident. He had a strong jawbone, a perfectly angular nose and wonderfully tousled bronze hair. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. And that was saying a lot – I had never in my life called a man beautiful but there was no other word to describe this man for he was far more than handsome.
I was so in awe by him that I hadn't realised I had been staring. "Urm, sorry. Did you want something?" I asked in a sweet voice.
"Yes actually." The beautiful man spoke. "Would you care to dance?"
Even he must have heard my sharp intake of breath. Me dance with him?
"With you?" I asked, slightly shocked.
"With me." He confirmed whilst taking my hand and leading me back to the dance section.
The music began and I instantly recognised it as the slow and sweet tune of my childhood. Clair de Lune by Debussy. The man placed one hand on my waist and with his other hand, raised one of mine into the air. I placed my remaining hand on his shoulder and we began to glide around the room.
This man was the definition of perfect, not just appearance wise but in everything he did. Well, that I had seen him do. He danced gracefully, neither too sloppy or too fast and harsh. He was the dancing partner I had been waiting for all night.
About halfway through the music, he began to speak. "I was only admiring before but after seeing you struggle with your previous six dance partners, I thought I would step in and save you. I didn't think it was you who had the problem with the dancing and it seemed I was right." He smiled at me and I couldn't help but notice how his voice sounded like smooth velvet.
"Thank you." was all I managed to reply with. Then I realised I needed to be slightly more specific. "For the comment and for saving me. I don't think I could have coped dancing with anyone else." This man had drawn me in and I was curious about him. I'm sure that if I had seen those eyes or that hair before I would have remembered him.
The beautiful man replied with 'My pleasure." And never once did he eyes leave mine.
I was silently praying that I didn't make an idiot out of myself and do something stupid and Bella-ish like tread on his foot. It looked like luck seemed to be on my side for now and for the remainder of the dance, we flowed across the dance floor gracefully
There were no words to describe how the dance was. It was beyond amazing, flawless. I would do it a million times over if I was given the opportunity.
The dance was nearing an end and I didn't want to leave this beautiful man just yet but all too soon, the peaceful music ceased.
The man lifted my hand slowly to his lips and kissed it.
"Goodbye, my love." He spoke and with that he left.
I was too stunned to move and run after him, however much my heart told me to. All I could do was watch him walk further and further away from me.
I didn't even know his name.
EPOV
I never used to have a problem with sleep but recently, it has become increasingly difficult. It takes me hours to finally drift off but then the slightest thing can wake me up. My body is so tired it is begging for sleep but it never comes. However much it is wanted and needed, it is not given.
To begin with, I never really knew why I struggled to sleep but the answer is sort of obvious now. My father, Carlisle Cullen had asked me that because his 'successful business' had taken off so well if I would want to help him and have my own stake in the business. After all, when my father's time came, Cullen International would be mine and I would need to know how to run it. Everything would depend on me. My father simply wanted me to be ready for it.
Yet at now 18, my father was placing a lot more responsibility on me. I knew everything that went on at the company. Every decision that was made, I was aware of. My father relied on me and I did not want to fail him and his trust in me.
So of course, it was only natural that my father consulted in me before he made any choices. He wanted to know what I thought to check that his company would be in good hands. Not saying that my father would pass away any time soon, he was only 37 – he married my mother young and he was 19 when I was born.
Thus when I found myself awake and watching the news at 5:10AM, I wasn't the slightest bit surprised to hear of the latest news about my father and his rival, Charlie Swan. It was well known that the two enjoyed an argument just for the sake of it rather than for an actual reason. Though as shocked as I was when my father first told me of the new competition that had sparked between him and Swan, I still found myself in awe that he was completely serious about the topic.
My father was not a stupid man. He knew what he was doing. At least, I hoped he did. He wouldn't risk everything he had ever worked for, would he?
I knew I really shouldn't go tonight but I really couldn't help it. It was Emmett's idea. Blame my stupid cousin. He had spotted a girl named Rosalie a few weeks ago and ever since, would stop at nothing to guarantee the chance to see her. Yet, as always there was a slight hitch. Rosalie was a distant relation of Charlie Swan and any relation of a Swan was an enemy to us Cullen's.
And with Emmett being a Cullen, this was just a disaster waiting to happen.
Despite me listing to Emmett all the reasons we shouldn't go, he still managed to force me, like most other things I didn't want to do but in the end, did.
We didn't want to appear suspicious by arriving bang on time as the doors were opened, so we opted for making our entrance a little under an hour after the started start time.
As expected, as soon as Emmett set his eyes on Rosalie, he left me alone. Another reason I didn't really want to come. I just knew that I would end up alone, hiding in the corner, hoping not be spotted by one of the Swan's.
Thank God this was a masquerade ball.
Well, I was thankful until I saw her. And at that moment I really wished that I could see her face. From what I could see, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
She had rich dark brown hair and wide, innocent looking brown eyes. She was wearing an elegant navy dress and I couldn't help but admire her as she danced with many other men.
The more I watched her the more I had to hide my laughter. Was it possible that she was dancing with all the weird guys who couldn't dance to save their lives? It seemed that way.
And as hard as they tried, none of the men could keep up with her. None of them matched the way she moved.
And certainly none of the women in the room matched her beauty.
And as the clock hands were ticking and the ball was approaching its end I decided to intervene. Yes, this girl was incredibly beautiful but what were the chances I was ever going to see her again?
I took a risk.
After all, that's what we Cullen's are known for.
After she finished a dance, I walked up to her and was once again struck by her beauty. All I could do was stare. It wasn't until she spoke that I realised what a fool I had been. "Urm, sorry. Did you want something?" she asked in a sweet and entrancing voice.
"Yes actually." I managed to reply. "Would you care to dance?"
I heard her take a sharp breath which led to curiosity? Was it such a shock that I wanted to dance with someone as beautiful as her?
"With you?" She asked, seeming slightly shocked.
"With me." I confirmed whilst taking her hand and leading her to the dance section.
The music began and I instantly recognised it. Clair de Lune by Debussy. It was one of the many pieces I had memorised and could play on the piano easily. I placed one hand on her waist and with my other hand, raised one of hers into the air. She placed her remaining hand on my shoulder and we began to drift around the room.
This young woman was amazing in every shape and form. And not only that but she danced like an angel. Never before had I been gracd with the presence of someone so wonderful. Everything about her was breathtaking and how I wished she were mine to tell her so. But a girl as perfect as this couldn't be single. It just couldn't be possible.
About halfway through the music, I decided to speak to her. "I was only admiring before but after seeing you struggle with your previous six dance partners, I thought I would step in and save you. I didn't think it was you who had the problem with the dancing and it seemed I was right." I smiled at her gently.
"Thank you." She replied and it came out like a delicate whisper. A look of confusion spread across her face until she spoke again. "For the comment and for saving me. I don't think I could have coped dancing with anyone else." I was stunned into silence by this woman. How had I not met her before?
I replied with 'My pleasure." And from that moment on her eyes never left mine.
My mother had insisted on dancing lessons when I was a child and at this moment in time, I was secretly thanking her. At least I knew I wouldn't mess up and that I could hopefully impress the girl.
There were no words to describe how the dance was. It was beyond amazing, flawless. I would do it a million times over if I was given the opportunity.
The dance was nearing an end and I didn't want to leave this beautiful woman just yet but all too soon, the peaceful music ceased.
I intended to ask her for another dance until I saw Emmett waving at me and signalling it was time for us to leave. Darn that cousin and his stupid timing.
I lifted her hand to my lips and gently kissed it.
"Goodbye, my love." I spoke and turned to leave.
However much I wanted to turn around and ask her for her name, I knew I couldn't. it would just bring on the waves of disappointment at how I could never have her.
Well, I started to right this story on my own but got pretty stuck for ideas. I was searching around on FanFiction a couple of days ago when Oxygen . and . Cucumber answered a request I made to write a joint story. We decided to continue writing this story together. We will write a chapter each - the first chapter is mine but the next chapter is all courtesy of Oxygen . and . Cucumber.