Chapter One: Lost

I was burning.
There was no salvation to the fiery torture that ripped through my body, leaving only blackness and pain in its destruction. The raging flames tore through me relentlessly, and through the blackness I could hear detached screams. Could those possibly me mine? It didn't feel like I was moving, it didn't even feel like I was breathing. It didn't sound like it.
I knew I wasn't dead. Pain did not come with you when you died, it was supposed to fade; along with every other human feeling, leaving you empty and numb. I did not feel numb, but I did want to die. I wanted everyone to know that. But my body would not respond to my mind, and my lips would not form the words.
I could feel their eyes on me. I couldn't see anything, of course, but I could sense that there were others there, watching me suffer. Why wouldn't they kill me? Couldn't they hear the longing to perish in my screams, the wish that someone would just end me right then?
From time to time, I would feel pressure on my skin, and my hopes soared. They were going to end my suffering. However, each time, the hopes were crushed—along with a small fracture of my sanity. Everything faded from my mind, I didn't care where, when, what, or who these people were, I just wanted them to end my life. I couldn't even remember myself during the overwhelming pain.
Then at some point, everything escaped me. My memories flew from behind my eyes, and I was only able to grasp at very few precious things from where I lay in this dark abyss. I was Bella Swan. I lived in Forks Washington. My parents were Charlie and Renee. The rest fled too quickly before I could even glance at them. The pain dulled, and I found myself able to move, to feel different textures and temperatures. All of the heat receded, until I felt numb and empty. Absentmindedly, I moved my hand to my chest, where my heart thudded feebly. Once, twice, three times; and then it froze.
My eyes flew open, and I heard a few collective gasps from where I lay. I was not alone. Out of instinct, I let out a shrill scream of terror. Seven people came rushing toward me. Instinct took over again, and I leapt up—a lot more gracefully than normal, but I didn't have time to ponder that—and flew easily away from the faces. Something in the back of my mind stung as I saw a few of them.
The first was small and round, belonging to a girl that was at least a head shorter than me. Her hair was short and spiked, her golden eyes looking anxiously at me. She had very childish, almost pixie-like features. I narrowed my eyes at her, only then realizing how acute my vision was. Her voice was only a whisper, but I heard it, clear as a bell, as if she were right next to me. I tried to shrug the wonder of these new senses off; I had more pressing matters to focus on.
"Edward..." Her voice trembled as she gazed at another, a boy.
His face made my eyes sting uncomfortably—why did I feel like crying? He had perfect features; his face was angelic as he gazed at me with molten gold eyes. His hair was unruly and bronze, and I could see his face wrinkle with stress as he nodded once to the smaller girl, then looked back at me. His gaze was smoldering, and the stinging in my eyes grew stronger as he took a wary step toward me.
"Bella, love..." His voice was cautious and unsteady, almost as if he were about to cry too.
How did he know my name? And why did he call me love? It must be some new thing that kids these days were saying. I had to suppress an amused sigh. I was such an old lady sometimes. Oh, right, I had more important things to deal with right now than my horribly outdated slang and fashion. I glared at him, and he cringed.
"Who are you?" I asked, and I could feel the shock plainly on my face as I heard my voice. It was high and clear, like a beautiful soprano, but was still laced with an audible amount of suspicion. This was not my voice, though it may have come from my lips. I kept a wary eye at him, and almost winced when his face crumpled. What did I say? And why was I so worried about what happened to these strangers anyways? They had kidnapped me.
"Bella, it's me, Edward." He said in a silky velvet tone, and I felt a ripple of longing from the way he said our names, like they were fit to go together. But I didn't even know the guy, and everyone was making me feel like a fool for my ignorance. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, and I'm Bella Swan. That's not what I meant, smart-aleck." I said sarcastically, and I heard a snicker from somewhere in the crowd. My eyes zeroed in on the source, and I immediately felt a wave of fear crash through me. A huge, bear-like man was standing towards the back of the room, his thick muscles visible through the tight shirt he wore. I immediately felt intimidated. Were these people a gang?
"Emmett, you might not want to bring attention to yourself. She's pretty terrified." My eyes flickered to the next voice, a pale blond, with eyes the same color all the others seemed to have; liquid topaz. They must be related. A gang family. Huh.

I focused on him, and an instinctive hiss rolled from my chest. He was covered in white, crescent scars; he had to be a thug. I didn't have time to freak out about the weird noise I'd just made when the bronze-haired boy, Edward, spoke again. He seemed to be pointedly ignoring everyone else but me.
"Your name is Bella Cullen, dear. You're a vampire, just like me. Just like all of us." He said, and from the tone of his voice, he seemed to be hoping that I'd have some reaction to all of this. I snorted. Vampires? Please. The thoughts of them being a gang were gone, for sure—maybe a group of insane asylum escapees—but I still felt a little intimidated by the big beefy guy and that boy with a bunch of scars. The rest of them actually seemed very innocent; there was a motherly looking woman, another tall blonde man wearing a gentle expression, and (my jaw fell open when I saw her) what had to be the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. I struggled to regain my composure, and then turned my eyes to glare at Edward again.
"No, my name is Isabella SWAN, and I'm sane enough to not believe this gibberish, thank you very much." I replied, crossing my arms and turning for the exit.
Boy, they were fast. All seven of them were at the door before I moved an inch, and my jaw dropped open (again) in disbelief. The big guy, Emmett, chuckled. I cringed away. They stood there, watching me like I was about to attack. Were they scared of me? I thought of how I hissed at the scarred boy earlier, and suddenly 'vampire' took on a new meaning. Looking down at myself, and seeing the obvious changes in my body, I suddenly realized what I had become. I gritted my teeth together, trying to remember back when I was human. Foggy and broken memories filtered through my mind: the big guy and the scar boy voting against how many humans I would kill; the gorgeous blonde trying to persuade me to stay human (why on earth didn't I listen to her?); Edward telling me how much stronger I would be as a newborn... Edward... I blinked and gazed up at the bronze haired vampire. A strong feeling of desire exploded in my stomach, and I took an unsteady step forward. As a human, I was sure that I would have fallen flat on my face with dizziness by now. I stroked Edward's cheek softly with the palm of my hand. Everyone around him tensed, but he closed his eyes and smiled faintly. There were the memories, hiding behind a thick veil, just out of my reach. Me and Edward in a meadow, him sparkling like a diamond in the sun; watching in horror as Edward screamed in agony at my feet, a little raven haired girl smiling evilly at him; Edward standing at the altar, beaming radiantly as he slid a ring onto my finger; perfect, marble lips at my throat, pearl white teeth sinking into my pale skin, the fire burning everything else out... I gasped and stared up at him, terrified. His face, which had begun to look hopeful, fell instantly at my expression. He lifted his palm to brush it against my face, but I recoiled.
"You... It was you..." I whispered, my voice shaking.
Edward seemed to understand. He bit his lip, forehead crinkling in concern. "I'm so sorry, Bella..."
I shook my head. The fire, the pain; why would he do this to me? "Who do you think you are!?" I demanded, furious now.
Edward blinked, his expression hurt. "Your husband..." He said in a timid tone, inching forward slightly.
My eyes widened. "My… husband?" I repeated in a dazed tone, forcing the memory of him sliding an elegant ring onto my finger back.

Edward nodded slightly, and took my hand. I was frozen in place, unable to move a muscle. "Bella, I love you…" He tried, stepping closer.

A sudden wave of resent washed over me, and I glared at him. "If you love me like you say, why would you put me through that?!" I asked, horrified now.
Edward winced, but he did not reply. Someone behind him murmured "You asked for it." I didn't respond to them. Backing away several steps, I swept my gaze over the seven vampires staring at me, golden eyes strained with worry. My lower lip jutted out, and the sting returned to my eyes. "I hate you!" I shouted in a broken sob, then turned and burst through the window.