Yesterday was a dare to struggle. Today is a dare to win. ~ Fortune cookie!

A/N: I'm making a few changes, Bella is seventeen not eighteen…yet, She has blue eyes not brown. That is about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Vampire Diaries

Chapter 1: I hate surprises!

Like Eleanor Roosevelt said, "With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." Bella Swan just didn't know that was going to happen so soon. Sure new thoughts came to her everyday but the strength to move on was never what she comprehended. Edward had just broken up with her a month ago and now her mother was coming down for a visit, which made her morbidly suspicious. Though she promised herself to get over the pain of her first love it was harder then it seemed, no one told her of the numbing pain, that she tried to lock in an imaginary box, would bloom through her chest at the mere thought of something that reminded her of him. Everybody goes through it, she thought as she pulled a brush through her tangled brown hair.

She was meeting up with Angela, the only girl who tolerated her now, today to go to the mall, she was in desperate need of new clothes and she still had a decent amount of savings left over from when she was going to buy herself a new car. She was going to grab her phone when her elbow tipped her full book bag over and the remains spilled out. Great, she thought as she fell to her knees carelessly, just what I needed. She shoved everything in but stopped once her hand pick up a Titanium MasterCard in her hand. She remembered the day Alice gave it to her.

Flashback:

"Come on Bella just let me buy it for you!" she was holding an extremely short dress and a pair of black dangerous stilettos.

"You can buy it but I won't ever wear it." Bella put her hands on her hips. Before Alice she actually enjoyed shopping, at one point in life she believed she wanted to be a fashion designer, but the girl makes it torture and that made Bella tear up. She had so many ideas, it was unbelievable. But her passion changed to reading and writing. Now she had ideas for stories and lives of make-believe characters.

Alice gracefully walked towards her and held out the dress in front of her to see if she could get a clear picture of what it could possibly look like. She sighed once she saw the almost depressed look on Bella's face. Alice wrapped a timid arm around Bella, giving her a slight squeeze for reassurance.

"I was going to give this to you after the shopping trip but because I'm sure you'll love me after this again, I'll give it to you now." Alice pawed her hands in her Gucci purse for a second, literally, before pulling out a black plastic card with silver trim and handed it to Bella whose eyes were large in surprise, though she was dancing and screaming in joy on the inside. Alice gave it to Bella silently and laughed at her expression.

"You can use whenever you want, it won't make a dent in our account." Alice said joyfully when Bella took it as if it was a precious diamond.

End of Flashback

Yes, it was true, Bella loved to shop before she moved to Forks. She actually loved to do a lot of things. She was very social and never in her life has she ever been shy, she was actually popular at her old school and enjoyed the attention. No, she wasn't one of those conceited attention whores. She just knew that people respected her and would listen to what she would say. After meeting the Cullen's she just got really self-conscious, she felt stupid to ever think that she was that pretty or popular when she saw them all she thought was 'Wow, I'm not as cool as I think I am.' She thought then that all she ever was was a wannabe. She was a blue belt in martial arts, so she was athletic, and was most likely to get a full scholarship because she was the 2nd top in all her classes.

She had lied so much when she had gotten to Forks, she became the person she was pretending to be. Yes, she was a bookworm, liked the warm inviting sun and she did hate gym sometimes but other than that it was all a lie. Bella was going to come clean to Edward on her birthday but the "events" that occurred distracted her and then Edward broke her heart into many crystalized pieces. But that was pass her and she needed to move forward and that's what's going to happen; Step one: new identity.

Angela was surprised when Bella treated them to lunch and enthusiastically responded to the shopping trip. She would have thought the depressed girl would barely tribute but boy was she wrong. She bought everything that she liked and always asked Angela her opinion, and at some point asked the sweet girl if she could buy her a pair of shoes that she had admired in the store window. When she refused Bella just got them anyway and Angela was slightly happy that she had.

Once they were walking out of a store called FOSSIL Bella stopped at a hair salon. She had a longing look in her eyes and Angela, being the good friend she was, pushed her forward and said "I need a trim anyway." And Bella eagerly sat down in a salon chair as the girl started to run her fingers through her hair.

"Are you sure you want me to cut this beautiful hair." The girl, Sydney, asked.

"Yes, I want to get bangs and layers. Also if you could I'd like to darken my hair a bit?" The girl nodded and started to spray water on Bella's hair.

It was an hour or so when Sydney took the plastic cape off Bella's neck and spun her around to face the mirror. She was surprised at what she saw; her hair was now a dark medium brown. It wasn't much shorter landing mid-back, but it looked a lot healthier, and the layers made her look younger and the bangs, she just loved the bangs! It was reassuring; it made her feel as if she was safer. She knew her new look wouldn't stop them from recognizing her but it didn't mean she wouldn't hope for it to be able to make her invisible. Soon after her epiphany, Angela and Bella were in the car belching out the lyrics to I LIKE IT LIKE THAT by HOT CHELLE RAE.

Once Angela pulled up to Bella's known house she saw her mother's car in the driveway. Here goes nothing, she thought as she gave Angela a quick hug and thanked her for coming. She quickly got out of the car and walked up to the house that so many painfully loved memories started. Bella unlocked the door and stepped in. She put the bags by the stairs so she could come back later and put them away.

"Dad I'm home!" She screamed, not really knowing where her dad could be in the medium sized house.

"In here, Bells!" Charlie's voice sounded from the kitchen, Bella walked into the small yellow walled kitchen to see her mother sitting at the table, with her new hair cut Bella didn't really look like her parents anymore, there were small similarities but she looked like a niece or a distant cousin. Her mother looked up at her with teary eyes.

"What's going on?" She asked as she sat down in the only open chair of the three. Her mother took her hand in hers and started to rub soothing circles on it. She didn't like where this was going.

"Bella, we need to tell you something and I know this will be a lot to take in so please here us through?" Rene told her over anxious daughter, she didn't want to tell her this, she wanted to keep her all to herself but she knew this was the right thing; Renee just didn't want her daughter to be mad at her for keeping such a big secret from her.

"Honey, you know that we love you so much and that we do the things we do so you can be safe and happy," Bella nodded her head warily, is she going to tell me that she's sending me off to a psych ward, Bella thought as she saw more tears escape her mother's blue eyes, that looked like gems. They were the same color blue as Bella's, but because of the vibrant, almost sapphire, blue. Bella hid her natural eye color under contacts of a chocolate brown.

"We aren't your biological parents. You are adopted." Renee said, tears streaming down her face as she squeaked out the last part.

Bella was shocked as her mother cried, mumbling every often a "Sorry" or a "Please forgive us" Bella just hugged her as she cried and waited until she was done. I'm adopted, how is that even possible? I should've known I don't look a lot like them but still, there are similarities and no one has ever questioned them being her parents. Someone would've noticed, especially the Cullen's with their vampire sight they could have spotted anything to notify that Charlie and Rene were not my biological parents or maybe they did know but didn't tell me. Would they do that? Bella's thoughts were everywhere when her mother sat up and wiped away her tears.

"You're aren't mad, are you?" Charlie asked for the first time rubbing a hand on his neck.

"No, you guys may not be my "biological parents" but you are my parents you raised me, you loved me, you were there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on. So you guys are my real parents, OK?" Bella sat back in her chair after her little speech, but she wanted to meet the people her gave her life, maybe get to know them.

As if reading her mind Renee pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to her. Bella opened it and found all the information she needed, her parents name, address. Plus, it also had the address of her sister. Wow, everything's in here, Bella thought. Wait, I have a sister? She quickly mentally back tracked.

"I have a sister?" Bella asked looking at Charlie and Rene. They both nodded sheepishly.

"She's your twin sister actually." Charlie said.

"Bella your Aunt, Jenna, would love to get you and Elena together. She's going through a hard time right now. So if you want you and I could go stay in a distant relative's old house and stay there for a while so you can get to know Elena." Renée asked, Jacksonville was close to Virginia so it wasn't much to give up, but it still was a lot to give up for her sake. She wanted to say no, that she could just stay at a hotel or something but this was step two in her process; Do what you want every once and a while or be selfish.

"That'd be great mom, thanks." Bella said as she stood from her spot with the manila envelope in her hand as she went to the house phone. It said on a note in the paper to contact the Gilbert residence, Bella assumed that that was her birth parents last name. She quickly picked the phone from its cradle and typed in the number. It rang four times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" a woman's voice answered through the phone, she seemed young.

"Hi, is Jenna there?" Bella asked confidently, her old self slowly resurfacing.

"This is she; may I ask who is speaking?" Jenna questioned. Bella breathed in deeply, this is it. She thought, time to find myself.

"It's Isabella Swan, your niece." I heard an intake of breath and a door close.

"Hi happy birthday," Jenna said awkwardly, she was standing in her brother in laws old study, her back against the door. Hearing her long lost niece's voice was amazing, she had only been six months old when her sister and husband decided that two children were just too fast, sadly they handed her over to Johns sister, Renee. Renee was never really close to her family, all except her brother. So when they asked her if she was willing to take in her niece she took in the six month year old, as if it was hers.

"Thanks, um, well this is really awkward." Bella said, biting down on her bottom lip nervously.

"Yeah it is, let's start over. Hi, I'm your Aunt Jenna."

"Hey, I've heard nothing about you." Bella said sarcastically and she heard her unknown aunt laugh on the other side of the phone.

"Well you were only six months old. So, am I ever going to meet you?" Jenna asked anxiously.

"Yep, one week Renee and I'll be down. We'll be staying at a distant relative's house." Jenna held back a snort; she knew exactly where Renee and Bella would be staying. John's grandparents' house it was beautiful, it originally belonged to the founding family. If she recalled correctly, there is even some old dresses from the 1800's, perfect for the Founders Festival, maybe Belle will be in it. That'd be really nice. Jenna thought as Bella went on and on about how her flight will be in on Friday at quarter to five…P.M.

"Well, I'll get Elena to come with me to come pick you up. Only if that's OK with you, I mean we would understand if you didn't. You did just find out that you were adopted." Jenna stammered, not wanting the girl on the other end of the line to feel uncomfortable.

"That's fine, I'd love to meet my other half, and soon we will be so annoying you'll be prying us apart." Bella responded, secretly wishing and hoping it would be like that with her stranger sister. Jenna laughed, relief clouding her head at Bella's theory.

"That could never happen."

"Passengers for flight B-13 can now board the plane; Passengers for flight B-13 can now board the plane." The annoying voice of god knows who ran through the terminal, reaching a calm Bella but and anxious and jumpy Renée. Bella laughed at Renée's jumpiness, as she got up and brushed of nonexistent dirt from her new dress and readjusted her hat. She had made sure she would look nice when she got to see her sister and aunt. Bella wanted to make a good first impression, so she put on a dress that had a coral colored skirt and off white bodice that had lace covering the under fabric. It was actually really comfy and, because she woke up today with a really bad hair day, she put on a straw fedora hat with a white flower sown onto the side that Renée had bought her in Phoenix, she just had never worn it until now. Her feet were clad in bow-accent flats that she bought to match the dress.

"Come on mom, the plane won't eat us." Bella teased as her mom stood in the entry way of the plane. Renée had a serious fear of planes so Bella may have slipped some melatonin in her water Renée had bought, so she knew that Renée would be passing out once they took off.

"OK, I'm coming." Renée said as she made a noticeable swallow and stepped on the plane, quickly making it around until she found their seats and stuffed her carry on in the storage case above their seat. Bella just laughed and sat down next to her mother taking out her new Journal and ink pen, the fancy kind.

Soon enough Renée was snoring softly while Bella wrote down everything that has been going on in her messed up life. Starting with Edward, to finding out she was adopted, then to going to Mystic Falls, Virginia.

Dear Diary,

First off, I'm new at writing down my feelings, I usually hold them in for the sake of others up until recent events, but we'll get to that later. Right now I'm on a plane to go to a place called Mystic Falls. Very cryptic name if you ask me, but original nonetheless. If I'm going to have to kill time it will be by telling my story. And trust me this will be a story you'll want to hear.

It all started when I moved to Forks, Washington, and the rainiest place known to man. My mom had remarried and her husband, Phil, traveled a lot. She wasn't happy staying behind with her sixteen year old daughter so I told her I'd move in with my father, Charlie. I thought moving there until school ended would be easy since I had skipped a grade and that meant I'd be off to College way faster, but then I met them, The Cullens. They were all inhumanly beautiful, so I suspected something was off with them once I laid eyes on their beautiful faces, and when the youngest but oldest (I'll explain that later) Cullen, Edward, took an interest to me I soon found out that my suspicions were true. They were vampires, not the kind that burned in the sun, or slept in coffins. No, not at all, they sparkled in the sun and didn't sleep at all and they didn't need to be invited in to cross your threshold.

Soon things took a turn while I was out watching them play a game of friendly "Baseball". A clan of rouge vampires came across us, the leader, James, decided it be "fun" to chase me out of my home and think that he took my mom, Renée, hostage, when actually he was just waiting at my old ballet studio with a bunch of home videos. Soon I was trapped and that turned out to be the most horrible experience of my life. James had broken my leg and bit me, and that bite made his venom start to run through my veins and that venom burned like fire. After that Edward had sucked the venom out and I was good as new. Loving him more than ever, which I shouldn't have done because from the beginning I knew it would end in disaster and I was right.

On September 13th, the worst day of my life, it was my 17th birthday and the day when things took a turn for the worst. The Cullens decided to throw me a birthday party.

From then on Bella described everything that happened to her in great detail and once she was done she tucked the leather journal into her carryon bag. She silently got up a slid past the third woman who looked about 25 who, thankfully, was asleep right when they took off and to the vacant bathroom. Bella locked the door behind her and stared at herself in the restroom mirror. Her dark hair was hanging around her face, the curls more defined because of her new haircut. They were still soft though, but looking into her own blue covered eyes shed didn't remember the last time she really saw her own eyes. Uncertain, Bella took out the first colored contact, then the other one. Now if she lifted her head she'd be able to see her own eyes staring at her. She always thought her blue eyes looked weird against her muddy brown hair. Bella always thought that her blue eyes were to dark but bright at the same time, looking almost like sapphires. But this was the new Bella, the one that loved everything about her; she could start a revolution or a riot! She laughed at herself in the mirror; all of it will be alright. Bella Sighed and walked out of the restroom and back to her sleeping mother, only two hours and twenty-three minutes to go.

(~-~-~-~-~)

"Bella, wake up. The plane landed, we're in Virginia." Bella heard her mother's voice in her ear and a hand prodded my shoulder lightly.

"Ugh, I hate naps!" I said grouchily as I got up from the irritating plane chair grabbing my bag from the ground making sure everything was in there and not out of place, no need for anyone to read my diary. That would be catastrophic, for the person who read it and for Bella, because of the Volturi and all the research she did.

"Come on Bella, I need to go to the restroom." Renée said, Bella didn't know why her mother always averred that she always come with her when she needed to use the bathroom, but she complied. It was her mother, what was she supposed to do? She followed Renée towards the off-white door. She laughed when Renée told her to turn the water on so Bella wouldn't be able to hear her; she did as she was told, fixing her hair and cleaning up any slip ups on her makeup (A/N: Lot of "up's"). Once her mother was done with the bathroom and they walked out the door and towards the airport exit.

Once they were outside and the sun was beaming on Bella and Renée, Bella was instantly glad she wore a dress and a hat. She waved a hand on her face trying to cool down and not succeeding at all. When she heard a gasp her hand dropped and she turned around to see, who she assumed was, Aunt Jenna. She had strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes. Bella started to smile shyly and wave but instead she smiled brightly and waved enthusiastically. Jenna smiled back warmly and walked quickly up to Bella, wrapping her arms around her shoulders tightly.

"Hi, Aunt Jenna, how are b you?" Bella asked as if they've known each other for her whole life. Though they didn't and they never will.

"I am fantastic; did your flight go well?" She asked back grabbing her bags and hosting them up to her minivan. Then a girl with medium brown hair stepped out of the car and faced Bella.

"Hi, I'm Elena?" Elena stuck out her hand to the girl that almost looks exactly like her, except the few differences like Bella's face was heart shaped and her eyes were more round then Elena's also there height was different. Elena was 5'6" and Bella was 5'4".

"Are you sure about that?" Bella joked, even though she was just as scared. It was creepy, almost like looking in the mirror.

"I don't know." Elena smiled at Bella; I need someone to cheer me up. Elena thought as she talked to Bella on the way to drop her off at Gram and Pops house. I haven't been to this place in ages, since they both had died. Elena sighed once they stepped into the old house, breathing in her grandma's old perfume and grandpa's cigar smoke.

"Come on Belle, I'll show you to your room." Elena quickly gripped the suitcase lugging it up the wooden staircase that creaked on the fourth step. Bella eagerly followed, ready to get a move on with packing. She had to go to school tomorrow, first day. Elena opened the 3rd door on the left of the staircase and when she opened it. Bella was shocked; it felt as though she'd been here before Déjà vu. There was a white plush bed in the middle of the room up against the bed. Right of the bed were two arm chairs, the backs were facing away from the fireplace which had an old mirror hanging over it. Next to the fireplace was a wooden bookshelf that was calling to be filled.

"Whoa, it's, um, E 'una bellissima camera"(Translating: It's a beautiful room.) Bella spoke out clearly shocking herself, considering she didn't know any Italian. Bella rubbed the bite mark on her wrist nervously, noting the sting imminent from it.

"You know Italian?" Elena asked shocked that she didn't know this from there 21 questions in the car, which was way more than 21 questions.

"No." Something is going on, and it is not natural.