Chapter One - A Promise Is A Promise

I don't own Twilight

Bella's POV

I looked up at the sky; the day was dreary, doomed and dismal. The rain was sudden and shook me out of my reverie as my eyes descended down onto the grey headstone and they rested on that spot.

You are probably wondering why I am looking at a headstone, in case it's not obvious.

I am at a funeral

To be precise, my brother Marco's funeral.

My brother had been in the army and died when he diverted his route on his way back to base camp when he heard the sound of a soldier groaning for help amongst the sea of dead bodies that where littered at his feet, he went to go look for him and he stepped on an undetected bomb that blew him to smithereens instantaneously.

My mother and father consoled each other while I stared the funeral ushers as they came forward with my brothers casket, and all of a sudden, all the pent up emotions from the last week bubbled up and became a mad rage and I burst, spluttering in fury as I cried "You are holding a funeral without a body, burying an empty casket!" I screamed, my vision blinded in rage. My whole body buckled and I collapsed into tears that fell like torrential rain soaking my face and my mother and father huddled over me and I clung to them, mumbling incoherently as sobs wracked through my body as well as those of my parents. That, was the last thing I ever said.

We moved one month after Marco's funeral and I had become mute, only communicating by paper, my mum and dad were worried of course, but a promise is a promise and my brother had promised me one thing. One thing only, such a simple, day to day task, a phone call. Marco's exact words had been, "I will call you when I get to base camp, talk to you later sis" so I waited, but that phone call never came so now I will wait for my time, when we will meet again.

Tomorrow is the first day of school, well, the first day of sixth form after two years at this school St Catherine's Grammar School for Prestigious Boy and Girls, ugh…. prestigious, that describes the students at this school perfectly. They make my skin crawl, the girl's only care about their hair, makeup, clothes and how much money daddy owns. The boys are a lost cause; there brain only has a small section that isn't filled with childish jokes and stupid comments, and that contains personal looks and girls. Girls mostly because, instead of using the head on their shoulders, they insisted upon using the head….. uh hum.. between their legs.

I woke up in the morning, realised the day and groaned inwardly, reluctant to get up and get dressed for the new school day. The school loomed over the students that milled in, disappearing through the gates of hell that slid closed behind them, locking them in for all eternity (well until 3:30). Uh oh… I smell The Bitches, well if I'm being honest, I can't actually smell them but I can hear the annoying sound of their stiletto heels, clicking against the concrete. They shoved past me, pausing at the doors of the school to greet (if you can consider shoving your tongue down another person's throat repeatedly a greeting) their ever changing boyfriends, "Hey Bella" they sneered as I slouched past, I didn't answer, they knew I wouldn't and they consistently pestered me about it; "are you not going to say hello to us Bella?, that's incredibly rude of you" they chorused giggling like the little airheaded twits they were. I just squared my shoulders and walked past them, quite surprised that they even knew how to use such a big word like incredibly and the way they all spoke in unison it was like they rehearsed or something for crying out loud.

St Catherine's was buzzing and this buzzing wasn't coming from their stupid Blackberry's, repeatedly signalling them that they had a message.

My body moved like a ghost, always there but never seen as I made my way to the library, my personal sanctuary were I could immerse myself in the world of books, feeling the grainy paper beneath my fingertips, smelling the heavy musty aroma that clung to the books like a perfume. I could stay here forever, but at the same time I thought that, was the same time that the screeching school bell pierced throughout the silence like an arrow being released from a bow, jolting me out of me book induced daze.

I soon found out what the hype that morning had been about, to be precise it was lunch time and the halls were empty except for me, when an abrupt breeze flew through the hall. A piece of my hair was blown into her eyes in the sudden gust and the world temporarily became black, when the strand of hair returned to its place her vision cleared and she saw four boys enter the hall, their laughter replacing the silence in the hallway.

I knew most of the boys; Emmett McCarty, Jasper Hale and Sam Young, they were among the small population of decent boys in this hell hole. One of the boys I didn't know he was new, we haven't had a new student in 15 years, Huh, a new boy, of course that would get the students of this school going, students were only admitted into the school if there was some serious cash involved and he did look wealthy, but not as wealthy as most the kids. I don't mean to sound snobby because my family doesn't have that much money and I was only admitted out of sympathy, not that I wanted to be of course, I would have liked to be admitted because of my grades but obviously, grades do not matter in this school because if they did 95% of the student body wouldn't be here. Money talks as they say.

My eyes must have been boring holes into his head because he swiftly snapped his head up and his gaze met mine. A gasp bubbled out of my lips as I took in his face.

The new boy had eyes like grass after a rainy night, vibrant and gleaming that held my eyes in an intense, hypnotic trance, until I was able to tear my gaze away from his eyes and look at the rest of his face. His hair was a bronze that reflected red in the light and was tousled over his head and across the span of his forehead, his lips were pale pink that contrasted alluringly with the pale white colour of his smooth skin. He had a square jaw that was sculpted and chiseled like a Greek statue….he was stunning ( I think I was drooling a little bit just then)

Two fingers snapped in front of my eyes and my eyes were diverted from the picture perfect man in front of me, Ruby Clancy was the only person I could consider as a friend in this whole school and I was so grateful that she had stuck by me even though I didn't actually verbally communicate with her. "Hey Bella, I thought you were coming to meet me at our spot for lunch, but it seems you cannot tear your eyes away from the new boy Edward Cullen, I'll tell you all about him over lunch, come on" She said slyly.

Hmmmm….Edward Cullen, Bella Cullen. Wait? Hold the phone, what am I thinking, I hardly know this guy, I thought as Ruby drug me away but I couldn't help but look back over my shoulder and steal a glance at his sinful face. He looked at me again and I felt something twinge inside me, it told me that he was different and would change my world in ways I couldn't even begin to fathom.

Please R&R