Prologue I: Teen Dies in Forks

The small town of Forks, Wa. is in shock after police discovered the body of 17-year-old Isabella Swan, the daughter of the local chief of police. The body was found about six miles into the woods just off the main highway that leads from the Swan home to the high school.

The coroner estimated time of death around 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Cause of death has yet to be determined for sure, but officers on the scene said it was probably an animal attack.

Deputy chief Arnold Saunders said the girl had just moved to Forks from Phoenix, Ar., and was on the way home from her first day at the local high school when she disappeared.

"We found the truck Chief Swan got for her parked in a ditch on the side of the road. The back left tire was blown out and the keys weren't in the ignition."

Saunders went on to say he thought it likely that Swan had pulled over when the tire blew, gotten out of the vehicle, and gone in search of help.

"She wasn't from around here, she wasn't familiar with the terrain or the paths through the woods. She probably just got lost, and then the poor thing ran across a bear or a wolf."

Funeral announcements for Miss Swan have been postponed pending an investigation into the definite cause of her death. Police Chief Charlie Swan could not be reached for comment.

Prologue II: Off The Beaten Path

When I reached the truck, it was almost the last vehicle in the lot. It was like a haven, already the closest thing to a home I had on this green, alien planet. I sat inside, just staring out the windshield blankly, waiting for the rest of the cars to clear out. When they finally did, my teeth were chattering, and I wanted my truck's heater. I turned the key and the engine roared to life. I grimaced, glad I had waited until I was alone in the parking lot. I tried not to think about the day I'd just had as I drove out of the parking lot, down a short street, and onto the ramp leading to the highway. I was looking forward to losing my troubles in shopping for some food for the fridge. Living with a confirmed bachelor basically meant living off toast and TV dinners, and I didn't feel my life was quite pathetic enough for that yet. I had only been driving for a few minutes when I saw him.

Edward Cullen, standing on the side of the road in the rain. Anyone else would have looked morose, even miserable, standing in a drizzly rain with their hair plastered to their forehead and their thumb stuck out. But he looked…well, amazing. Like he was posing for an ad in a magazine. Without really thinking about it, I found myself taking my foot off the pedal, slowing down as I drew nearer to him. His chin was down, tucked into the collar of his designer jacket, but his black eyes peeked out at me from under his soaked hair, and a rueful smile lit his face. My heart did something strange in my chest even as my stomach clenched.

Out here beside the woods he looked—wild, somehow. But he seemed to have found my eyes through the rain and the windshield, and his eyes looked a little desperate for just a second. Again, without really thinking of it, my foot was stamping the break, and my poor truck came to a halt on the side of the road just a few feet from where he was standing. His grin broke into a laugh. He jogged toward me, and I leaned over to pop the lock up on the other door. I shoved it open for him, and he stuck his head inside, but he didn't get in. I saw his nostrils flare and I thought for a moment the look he'd had during biology was back, but it must have been my imagination, because his voice was friendly when he spoke.

"Hi, Bella. I'm glad you came along. I seem to have annoyed my sister Rosalie once too often. She told me I could walk home. Mind if I hang out with you for awhile?" His crooked grin was playing havoc with my thoughts—what was wrong with me?—but I still found his words a little strange.

"Your sister threw you out of the car? That wasn't very nice." I frowned at the thought of the beautiful blonde Jessica had pointed out as Rosalie earlier in the lunchroom. "What did you do to annoy her?"

"Well…this is kind of embarrassing." He didn't look embarrassed. He looked like a cat that had caught a canary, or like a prankster who had set up the perfect joke and was about to see it come to fruition. And something else…but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"See, Rosalie doesn't like for other people to get more attention that she does. Even if she's not interested. She's selfish that way. And she felt like maybe I was giving the new girl a bit too much of my attention." His voice was playful as he said it, but there was an intensity underneath it that made me blush furiously, and I thought his eyes almost looked hungry as he watched. Woah.

Woah. No way.

Was he saying what I thought he was saying? How was this even possible? I was Bella, the klutz, Bella, the bookworm. Bella, the average child of two people so average that even their marriage was a statistic. Isabella Swan, pale and thin, not particularly interesting or pretty. How was it possible that I had managed to catch this boy's attention on my first day of school? Or at all? Not just one of the isolated, beautiful Cullen family, but the most breathtaking member of it. My head was spinning as I looked into his face, but the more practical part of my mind was still trying to discern whether this was some kind of cruel joke. It wasn't like I hadn't had it happen to me before. Middle school boys think it's hilarious to feign interest just to see your face fall when they deliver the punch line. But Edward Cullen was staring back at me, eyes sincere, smile fading a little as I went longer and longer without saying anything back. Finally, he broke the awkward silence.

"I'm sorry," he said, and he did look really disappointed. "I didn't mean to come on so strong. I've probably scared you off for good now."

Something in his voice made me think he was hoping that wasn't the case. Made me think he was telling the truth: he was really interested in me. In me! I had never really encountered this kind of thing before, but suddenly I completely understood where the phrase "butterflies in the stomach" came from. And the term "light-headed." My entire body felt like it might float away, and I looked up at Edward Cullen from behind a curtain of my hair and smiled a little, hopeful smile.

"Are you playing a joke on me?" I asked, trying to keep myself firmly anchored in reality. In reality, guys like Edward Cullen just didn't fall for girls like Bella Swan. In reality, guys like Edward Cullen only existed as glossy pictures in magazines, staring aloofly out at nothing and advertising distress-washed jeans. I wasn't going to put myself out there just to be laughed at. To my delight and immense surprise, he shook his head, and his eyes were so earnest as they bored into mine that I couldn't look away. Didn't want to.

"No joke. I don't know why, but you interest me. Maybe because you're not as easy to read as the other girls I've met. I always seem to know what they're thinking. You…mystify me."

I couldn't help it. I grinned like an idiot. But he was grinning back, beautiful white teeth framed by perfect lips, and in the back of my mind, some vague, unidentifiable warning bell sounded. I ignored it.

"So, Miss Bella Swan," he said. A different kind of ringing started when he said my name. "Will you accompany me on a stroll through the woods? Having declared myself so abruptly, I'd rather like to talk to you and get to know you a little. And I know a beautiful spot where we can rest before we come back."

"Um." I bit my lip. "I don't know. My dad will be expecting me home by five. And isn't it kind of…well, wet?"

"Not to worry," he said, and it struck me how formal his words always sounded, "I have my cell phone, and we both have jackets, and the trees are so dense along here that they keep out most of the rain anyway…as long as nothing shakes the leaves. Then you really get soaked." I couldn't help grinning. I didn't really even think about it. I got out of the truck, making sure to take the keys and lock both doors, and walked around the front to stand, a little awkwardly, beside him. He offered me his arm, and I took it, still blushing terribly.

We headed into the woods. His feet quickly found a path, although one of the fainter ones I'd seen, and before long most of the gloomy afternoon light was gone. It was very dark and green, and cold, and I couldn't tell whether the lack of light was from the trees or the early onset of twilight. Staying close to Edward didn't seem to keep me warm. If anything, I felt even colder, but at least safer. His eyes seemed able to see where mine failed. Twice, he kept me from tripping over a root protruding from the cold ground. We could only have been walking for a few minutes, mostly in silence, before he stopped so fast that I stumbled to keep from running right into him.

I looked around. It was very dark, and I realized I couldn't even see the road through the trees anymore. It made me nervous, and suddenly I realized several other scary things.

No one knew where I was.

I didn't even know this boy.

There probably wasn't anyone for miles who could see or hear me other than him.

The vague warning bells suddenly became very loud, making themselves heard at last, and too late, over the butterflies and my stupid floating head. I told myself I was being paranoid, but then I risked a look at Edward.

His face seemed completely different in the half-light, sharper and darker. The impression of wildness was more pronounced now. His eyes were black hollows, and his perfect lips seemed suddenly thin and predatory. His lips parted over his bared teeth, and I felt my stomach clench. I imagined the sudden death of a dozen butterflies. The predator-Edward spoke to me, his voice hissing through his bared teeth.

"I'm sorry, Bella Swan. I wrestled with myself all day, but I just can't resist it. You smell too appetizing. I'm sorry I couldn't make it even quicker…I wanted it to be so fast you'd never even know it was coming, so you wouldn't feel afraid. But I can see you are afraid, so all I can do is promise that it will be quick, and that you will feel very little pain."

With every word, my body had gone further and further into full-on panic mode. The words themselves didn't all register, but the word pain definitely made it through. My heart was racing, and a cold sweat was making me shiver. My eyes were so wide they hurt, but I couldn't seem to relax the muscles in my face. I thought of Charlie, coming home to an empty house, and looking for me, and finding my truck on the side of the road. I thought of Renee, checking her e-mail every half hour, waiting to hear about my first day at my new school. I thought, bizarrely, of Mike and Jessica, and what they would think if I didn't show up at school tomorrow. I set my jaw, and tried to make my footing even, and prepared to fight. I knew running would be useless; I'd fall on my face before I could even go five steps.

In seconds he was on me, slamming me into a tree so fast I couldn't even see him move, and my mouth opened in a scream. But no scream came out. The impact had knocked the wind out of me, and his hand had slammed over my mouth. The stab of pain told me my jaw had broken. I struggled against his grip, but I couldn't do anything, and through my shock other pains registered. Ribs were cracked. As I twisted my head in an attempt to free my mouth, it felt like my collarbone was splintering. I coughed against his hand, and tasted blood.

Then, just as abruptly as the pain had started, it was gone. I was getting cold, and everything was going numb. I could hear a sick, sucking sound from somewhere below my neck, and there was a faint burning sensation in my shoulder. I thought of Renee and Charlie…