Chapter 1

I stepped off the plane into O'Hare airport. Bella followed close behind, with Alice bringing up the rear. It was nice to be in my home city again after all these years. Bella had insisted to come in visiting her friend before the wedding. She wants to see her friend before she officially becoming a Cullen, and I couldn't blame her. She would never be able to see the girl again after the wedding.

"Come on," Bella grabbed my hand and pulled me through the airport to get our bags. Her hair was slightly messy because we had taken an overnight flight and she had fallen asleep. It made her look a little devilish and crazy. Alice laughed slightly as she lengthened her stride to keep up with the excited Bella.

Before we stepped out of the airport into the sun, Alice and I made sure we were covered up properly. I had on a jacket that was a little long, so it covered my hands, pants and a baseball cap to shade my face. Alice wore a large brimmed sun hat with her dark jeans and a thin knit long sleeved shirt. We both had on dark sunglasses to hide our eyes. I had just finished pulling my hat on when Bella pulled us into a waiting cab.

She gave the driver an address and he took off. She leaned against me and I could still smell the smoke from the man who had sat behind us lingering in her hair.

The cab stopped in front of a town house, the one's that were tall and thin, and we got out. I paid the driver while Alice and Bella got the bags out of the trunk. Bella came up beside me, pulling the backpack she had used for her carry-on over her shoulder.

"Trust me, you both will love Anya," Bella said as we climbed the front steps. She rang the doorbell and stepped back. I could almost feel her excitement in the air around her.

The old wooden door opened and I looked right into a pair of dark green eyes I had known my whole life.