WELCOME TO FORKS, I barely read the sign as I flew passed it. I glanced down at my speedometer and saw I was going over 90 miles per hour. It was just after midnight and I was enjoying my drive. Sinking further into the leather seat and turning up the volume on my car stereo. I loved driving my new Lexus ISC. I had chosen black with gray interior so that it looked good with everything—fashion is important to me. Driving like this was like a wearing your favorite sweater on a cold day. However, driving wasn't my passion…dancing was. I would miss that the most. I had decided to give dancing up for a while so that I could concentrate on other things, more important things, at least according to my Mamameir (grandmother).

Parasciva wasn't really my Mamameir but she had filled that role ever since I could remember. My mother had died shortly after my birth and Parasciva had raised me. Last year she had decided that it would be best if I went to live with my uncle Charlie and finish my high school education. She felt that I needed to have a positive male influence. So, since I always listened to her, I did what she asked.

Parasciva was from the old country, Romania to be specific, and was always telling me stories about the legends from her country. She reminded me that I, and that all of the women in my family, were special. That's the one area we disagreed on. I wasn't special; I was a freak of nature. I was nothing like the women in my family, for one I was somewhat alive—at least half of me was. That was my big secret, a secret that I had never shared with anyone. I was part vampire.

Parasciva had told me the story of how an evil vampire had placed a curse on my family many generations ago. She'd told me the story was hidden in ancient scrolls, in a language that no one had ever been able to translate. She told me she was certain I would be able to unlock the key and free my family from the curse.

I can't say that being part vampire is all that bad. I mean, I have amazing strength and hearing. I can smell things that normal humans can't. However, unlike the stories in books and movies, my skin isn't cold as ice but is still cooler than most humans. Sunlight does nothing to me, except that my vision is so sharp that I need some pretty dark sunglasses when the sun is out. I never worried about hiding my abilities, always playing the helpless, cute, popular girl. I never really worried about much at all, to be honest; things just seemed to happen for me.

I didn't worry about money or having friends. Anything I ever needed or wanted was always there. When I turned sixteen last year I told Parasciva I wanted my car and on my birthday it was in my driveway. Parasciva and I shopped a lot together and I was a true fashionista. Every month I was given a large allowance and my credit card was always paid, by whom I had no idea. Parasciva and I never discussed where the money came from, but I knew she was given a large amount of money to make sure I was housed and my dance lessons were given by the best.

Uncle Charlie wasn't expecting me until this afternoon, but since I don't require sleep or a restroom, I was several hours early. I hadn't spent time in Forks in a number of years, but it looked exactly the same. I continued driving through downtown, slowing down considerably since Uncle Charlie was the chief of police. The wind playing with my long, brown locks felt so good. It was March and the weather was cold, but it made no difference to me I never noticed the difference between ten or one-hundred degrees. Since I was so, early I decided to explore a little and maybe even get a quick hunt in before I made my way to Uncle Charlie's.

Just outside of the city limits, I found a bridge that was surrounded by woods on either side. At the end of the bridge was a dirt road that I proceeded to turn on to. Once on the road, I slowly made my way into the trees. It was so quiet and smelled of moss and bark. I came to the end of the road and shifted my car into first, before cutting the engine. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I slipped off my boots and clothes, and then got out of my car. The last thing I wanted was to ruin my clothes in the mud and the muck.

I made my way into the forest and quickly caught the scent of a few deer. I made my way towards the water, following their scent. It didn't take long to find the three deer, one male and two female. I was only allowed to drink from female animals, so without a second thought, I attacked and rapidly drained them both. Once I was sated, I sat on the ground just admiring the stillness of the forest and the smell of the clean air when the thought hit me. I quickly jumped to my feet and made my way back to my car. I retrieved my iPod from my bag and placed my ear buds in my ears. Not really caring what song came on, I just hit the play button. Like I Like You by Justin Timberlake began playing and I closed my eyes, letting the music take me away. I let everything go, my mind was free to stop thinking about everything and everyone. My body moved effortlessly to the music. Dancing was just something I did naturally and I never had to think about anything while I was doing it. As my time with Justin drew to a close, I anticipated what song would come next when I caught the hint of a new scent.

I slowed my movements and opened my eyes. I removed my ear buds and turned off my iPod, standing perfectly still. I waited, listened, and continued to breathe in the intoxication aroma. It was like nothing I have ever smelled before—cinnamon, sage and musky—just mouth watering. It wasn't a smell you would associate with an animal or predator, but I just couldn't place it and that caused me to crouch down and draw my lips away from my teeth. I was ready to confront whatever was responsible for that scent when it hit me. I was in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night, naked.

Whatever it was I wasn't going to confront it without my clothes on. I sprang to my feet and ran to my car. I hurriedly threw my clothes back on, got in my car, and got the hell out of there. I drove around for a few hours that smell still very present in my memory. I decided it would be in my best interests to head to Uncle Charlie's and get myself settled.