Part One

January 2004

Amelia,

I'm coming home early today. Don't forget to take a jacket to school and there's some money on the counter for lunch this week. I'll see you for dinner.

Love, Mom.

With a happy sigh, Amelia crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash can near the sink. She grabbed the money and stuffed it in her back pocket with no intention to use it just yet. There was food in the fridge and pantry, no need to eat out. The money on the table was probably her mother's way to alleviate some of the guilt she probably felt for being absent so much. Her mother was an ER nurse at the local hospital in Forks and worked long hours, leaving Amelia home alone a couple times a week. To her credit, they lived across the street from the Chief of Police's house and the probability of a break-in was highly unlikely. Unless the burglar was stupid, Amelia didn't see anything dangerous happening on their street. Technically, she could go out at night for a jog or walk and have the certainty that she was safe; a big change from Houston where only certain neighborhoods, the more expensive ones, were safe enough and even then it was better to be on the lookout. Ana and her mother could never afford to live in an expensive neighborhood like Bellaire or The Woodlands, though.

Forks was a small, boring rural town in Washington where rain was always falling, and winters felt unforgiving. Since Amelia moved to the quaint little town, she was always cold. Even during the summer when temperatures reached the 70s, the days were still gloomy, and wet several days out of the month. Amelia wasn't sure she would ever get used to those short days and long chilly nights. What she did get used to was being part of the community. It had only been a couple of months since she moved to the small town and already Amelia felt like she belonged, like she was part of something. Everyone knew everyone in town. Sometimes it was a bother because everyone could be quite nosy but most of the time Amelia relished knowing her life changed for the better when her mother moved them.

For one, now she was closer to her father and had the chance to get to know him. After the divorce, Aaron decided to move back to the town his parents grew up in. Amelia didn't know the whole story between her parents, the only explanation she received was that they were unhappy with their lives and wanted to go their separate ways. Just like that one day everything was fine and dandy, the next there was a quiet argument in their bedroom, and a couple of days later Aaron was packed and ready to go. There was no big dramatic fight, nothing was thrown at each other, and no fights over child custody or child support. As far as divorces go, theirs was disgustingly amicable. Amelia had a feeling it was her Dad's idea to separate and Ana accepted it with a quiet reluctance. Her mother was torn up about it for months after.

But no matter, her father never stopped seeing her every chance he got. He always went back down to Houston a couple of weeks over the summer, during holidays and her birthdays, always reminding her that he loved her no matter what. She just wished someone gave her more answers about what happened between them. Every time she broached the subject her parents came up with the same answer, they were unhappy with their lives and wanted different things. Doubtful. If she learned something from hours of watching the ID channel was that testimonies who matched down to a T were often rehearsed. They were hiding something.

"We just wish we'd realized it sooner." Ana would say nonchalantly with a pained look she couldn't hide and quickly change the subject.

One glance at the clock in the kitchen made Amelia realize she was running late for school. Cursing herself for obsessing so much over things she couldn't really change, she hurried to leave for school. Now wasn't the time to mope around. Not when she had a busy week ahead of her. And she wasn't a little girl anymore, she had better things to do than worry about her parents' business, however suspicious their relationship was.

The bigger news nowadays was the new family who moved to town recently, which had the entire Forks population abuzz with curious excitement. This was her second semester in Forks, she was old news by now. In a place where not much happened, new people were always a big deal that attracted the attention of many who claimed to have seen moving vans for about a week now. Amelia's mom told her the hospital hired a new doctor recently who was supposed to start soon. Everyone was gossiping already, with news trickling in through the vine from people who saw a few members of the new family around town. So far, no luck for her.

Honestly, Amelia was also a little curious. She wondered what the new kids would be like. Fresh meat at school could mean more business for her. Oddly enough, so far there was no funny feeling about them. Not a bleep. Even without meeting them, Amelia at least hoped to get a feel for them but every time she tried to concentrate, she came across an impenetrable mental wall. Not knowing what to make of that, she got even more interested in getting to know these new kids that were somehow cloaked. Could it be that they were like her? Or maybe something else? That would certainly make things interesting. Very few magical people lived in Forks.

Before leaving the house, Amelia grabbed her black jacket to put on over her long-sleeved grey sweater and a pair of warm gloves. It could get colder in the afternoon by the time she was out of school, or not. In any case, she learned not to underestimate the weather pretty early on since she moved to Forks. She slung her backpack over one shoulder as she left and locked the door one-handed so she wouldn't drop her coffee.

Across the street, Chief Swan was just pulling up in his cruiser when Amelia was unlocking her car door. He was a nice middle-aged man who seemed to spend a lot of time alone, only occasionally getting visits from Billy Black whom she learned was Chief of the Quileute tribe. His kind intrigued her. They weren't werewolves, yet that's the shape their ancestors chose, which made her wonder if maybe they could shift into something else, like a bear, but she never dared ask. It would be rude, and her mother would be furious if she caught her interrogating someone about their private magic. Apparently, it was bad manners to be curious even around here.

From a couple of times that Amelia interacted with Chief Swan, Amelia learned he had a teenage daughter about the same age as her who lived somewhere sunny with her mother. That girl probably had it so good living with the sun shining on her, Amelia was honestly a little jealous. After thinking about it for a moment, she remembered the name. Bella.

Chief Swan waved and offered an awkward smile when Amelia accidentally made eye contact. She waved back and drove off cautiously, feeling self-conscious behind the wheel every time there was a cop nearby.

By the time she got to school the rain was making its presence known with a light snowy drizzle. Amelia searched the area for a spot and found one just where she knew she would near the front of the school. Everyone knew Lori Jackson basically owned the spot, thanks to her uncle who was an assistant principal, and nobody dared park there for fear of retribution from the bitchy cheerleader. Now Amelia could enjoy the short walk up to the school and not get rained on thanks to one little favor she did for the stuck-up girl. There was no lost love between her and Lori. Amelia still thought she was insufferable, but now the girl owed her one and this is was the agreed-upon method of payment. Amelia could park her small beat-up car for the rest of the semester and Lori couldn't do a damn thing.

That blonde bimbo got what she wanted after all. A simple binding spell that wouldn't last more than a week had Sean West salivating after Lori and everyone was happy. At least for a little while. It was up to that scatter-brained girl to retain her boy toy after the week was up. If not, Amelia didn't accept returns. Lori was welcome to purchase another little spell if she wanted, but it would cost her actual money this time since she didn't have anything else of use for Amelia.

As she got out of her car, Amelia scanned the parking lot for her friend Rachel but couldn't spot her or her car anywhere. She did, however, find Lori parked a few rows down the line with a group of jocks flocking around her like thirsty vultures. Judging by the scowl on the cheerleader's face, she wasn't particularly pleased about having to give up her prime spot and continued to give Amelia the stink eye until she was out of sight after ascending the stairs to the front of the school building. Shaking her head in amusement, Amelia couldn't help feeling quite pleased with herself even if it meant having an angry Lori glaring daggers at her whenever they crossed paths.

"Morning!" Rachel surprised her by lacing their arms together as soon as Amelia entered the front double doors. "Are you excited?"

Rachel's beaming smile didn't dim in the slightest with Amelia's sarcastic eye roll.

"Morning," Amelia echoed back reluctantly, tilting her head down a little to look at her shorter friend. Rachel's red curls bounced with every step they took. Today, she wore her hair up in a messy bun, which framed her face in a way that made her seem younger. If Amelia didn't know better, she would have thought Rachel was still in middle school instead of a high school junior like her.

"Have you seen the Cullens yet?"

"Nope."

Rachel's expression fell into disapproval. "Are you serious?" She clucked her tongue. "There's a damn red convertible out in the parking lot that has every teenage boy imagining themselves making out with Lori in the back seat and you're gonna tell me you didn't see anybody?"

Amelia stopped at her locker to pick up her Spanish book and quickly stuffed it in her backpack, taking out the ginormous math one that weighed her down all the way from home. "Oh, sorry, I was too busy basking in the gloriousness of a front row parking spot where I didn't have to worry about ending up like a wet noodle by the time I make it to first period."

Her explanation took a second to sink in, but when it did, Rachel's smile from earlier returned, followed by a peal of laughter. "You're kidding me!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement. "Lori actually paid up?" As a fellow magical person, Rachel knew of Amelia's extracurricular activities and kept her secret from their parents. Ana's reaction to finding out her daughter was swindling high school kids for money by showing off her talents would not have a happy ending. According to her mom, doing magic was supposed to be a private activity and kept a secret from run of the mill humans.

Amelia nodded with equal enthusiasm. "I know, I was just as surprised. I thought she would back out of our deal, but she just glared at me like she usually does. Sean must have made his move already." Unsurprisingly, of course. The jar spell she used usually worked pretty fast, even more so considering how fast Lori came up with Sean's sweaty undershirt to bind the spell specifically to the jock. Amelia didn't want to find out how that girl got a hold of it because gross. "So, in the grand scheme of things, prime real estate wins over new kids." For now.

Her spidey sense wasn't acting up; she didn't think there was any reason to perk up just yet.

Rachel conceded at the same time the bell for first period rang loudly, followed by several forceful clangs as everyone began to shuffle towards their respective classrooms. Their first class wasn't one they shared together, so they had to part ways pretty early without having the chance to go over their plans for that evening. Sadly, this semester they only shared two classes together, second and last period, which didn't give them enough time to plan any shenanigans. Unfortunately, Lori was in most of her classes. Amelia was not looking forward to that particular form of torture. Karma must have been getting back at her for something.

Before the tardy bell could ring, Amelia said goodbye and walked off in the opposite direction towards her Spanish class. It wasn't a long walk, and she made it there without being stopped by one of Lori's lackeys. She did get quite a few wary looks from underclassmen who already seemed to have heard she was someone who could help them get better grades. Word must have spread fast about her extracurricular services. So far, she only did small things like spell textbooks to help kids study and impress their parents. They thought she was giving them answers but really Amelia was giving them an extra push to concentrate on actually putting some effort in their work.

In reality, Amelia didn't have any special powers like her mother, who actually devoted years to learning her craft and now could use her powers without the need of crystals or symbols. Who knew how many spells Ana memorized over the years. Amelia didn't have the same extensive knowledge because she wasn't taught the craft since childhood. Her mother didn't think it was necessary when Amelia didn't show any signs of having the gift. Sometimes it skipped a generation or two and Ana wasn't surprised given that Amelia's father didn't have anyone in his family with the same gift. It was only in the last couple of years that Amelia's powers started to manifest. It was little things at first: a feeling of Deja vu here and there, pictures flashing before her eyes whenever she touched an object and learning how to cope with the visions that she didn't want to have. It wasn't often, but sometimes Amelia saw things she wished she never did.

"Buenos Dias, senorita Clark." Amelia smiled at Mrs. Kelley as she passed by her desk.

"Buenos Dias, como le va?" Good Morning, how do you do?

She replied. "Todo bien?"

"Muy bien, muchas gracias."

They greeted each other politely every morning the same way, it was a comforting routine for Amelia to freely speak her mother's language. She liked Mrs. Kelley, she was very sweet and patient with Amelia when she struggled to remember words or forgot to conjugate verbs in the correct tense. Despite being half Mexican, Amelia's command of the language wasn't one hundred percent correct, a constant source of shame for her. If she had a penny for every time someone gave her a hard time about it, she'd be rich, and her mother would be a big investor.

Amelia turned around to look for an empty desk near the back away from the pesky Lori Jackson who would no doubt be coming in soon. She took a seat and started taking out her workbook while everyone else settled down as well. The school year had just started and already Mrs. Kelley warned them they were gonna have to work hard on two major projects if any of them wanted to pass the class. Amelia thought she didn't have to worry about it too much. Spanish II here in Forks wasn't as challenging as it was back in Houston where the bar was set higher for kids who had passable command of the language or a drop of ethnic blood in them.

With everyone settled, the class was about to start when someone approached the door just as Mrs. Kelley was closing it to begin the lesson. A boy walked in. But not any boy.

Never in a million years did Amelia think she would have a reason to fear for life while on school grounds. How did she not feel it as soon as she stepped foot in that classroom? What was wrong with her today that she couldn't even sense the imminent danger to her person or the entire school building for that matter? There weren't any signs for her this morning. She should have known something was wrong when she didn't get any vibes.

For a brief moment, Amelia considered running away, which was crazy given that she was in a room full of people who didn't know what could happen to them pretty soon, like being torn apart by a hungry bloodsucker. And said bloodsucker was also blocking the only exit in the classroom. Amelia glanced at the rows of windows to her left, briefly wondering whether jumping out from a second story would impede her from running away, and then quickly dismissed the silly idea.

"Shit." Amelia at least had half a mind to whisper instead of shout. While detention didn't seem like a big deal, she was pretty sure the guilt of being responsible for the death of an entire classroom would weigh pretty heavily on her conscience. She was the only one who even had the remote chance to help her poor classmates if the bloodsucker decided he wanted a snack.

To everyone else, he probably looked like just another guy, albeit a very handsome one. He was quite tall, over six feet tall, with honey blonde hair that fell just above his collar and chiseled cheekbones above a strong jaw that could probably bite and snap any part of a human body as if it was a candy bar. For some reason he didn't have the red eyes she could have sworn was typical for any of them. His intense eyes were a golden brown. Maybe he had contacts?

"Mr. Hale, I presume?" The vampire nodded with a grimace. His jaw was tense, he looked almost as if he was in pain. And tired. The dark shadows under his eyes were the only flaw to his complexion, they made him look like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while. "You're late."

Oh, Mrs. Kelley, please don't scold the murderous vampire. Amelia wanted to face-palm. Mrs. Kelley did not listen to her instincts of self-preservation. She did seem a little perturbed by Hale's unnerving gaze, her tone lacking some of the usual confident authority, but of course, she still felt like she needed to prove herself since she was so young, barely out of college, and was unknowingly antagonizing a dangerous predator.

"Yes, ma'am. My apologies." Hale conceded, shuffling a little as if embarrassed with a completely sincere expression on his face.

Amelia's eyebrows shot up almost to her hairline. A polite vampire. Whoa. And southern, if she wasn't mistaken. She'd recognize that accent anywhere, however faint.

Mrs. Kelley gained some of her confidence back and motioned for her student to take a seat. "Make sure it doesn't happen again, Mr. Hale." Then she turned to the rest of the class and added an introduction. "Class, please welcome Jasper Hale."

Looking around, Amelia noticed the hungry looks most of the female population was directing at the vampire who didn't to give a damn. He looked rather peeved, yet everyone seemed hypnotized by his looks. Bunch of morons, all of them. They'd probably still gaze up at him with adoration as he tore their throats out with a smile and drank their blood. She half-heartedly welcomed Jasper with a quiet hello, unlike the rest of the girls who even craned their necks to follow him with their gaze. Lori's sparkly eyes followed Jasper every step of the way until he settled on the empty desk next to Amelia with uncanny grace.

It just so happened that Amelia was to be paired with the bloodsucker. Of course. And he was not happy about it. His handsome face contorted into something like pain again. It looked very out of place. If looks could kill, Amelia would be long dead. The next 45 minutes of class passed by excruciatingly slow. She was deeply aware of the vampire next to her and every small movement he made, every breath he pretended to take, elevated her stress levels. Would he really go after her or any other kid in such a public space? Vampires weren't known to cause scenes, they were supposed to be nomadic solitary beings, rarely venturing into society.

I'm gonna die. This is it. A fucking vampire is gonna kill me.

Today of all days she had to come to school so unprotected. She should have learned more defensive and offensive spells rather than how to make a stupid binding jar spell. What was she gonna do now, somehow make him get infatuated with her so he couldn't kill her? If that could even work. He would probably go all crazy and kill her anyway.

Mrs. Kelley's lesson went in one ear and out the other. Amelia couldn't recall a single thing her teacher said. As soon as the bell rang, she clumsily stuffed everything into her backpack and bolted out the door hoping she wouldn't become a meal. In her haste to leave, she didn't notice the vampire was doing the same. There was more traffic on his row, which apparently slowed him down. They both reached the door at the same time. He was faster and more agile than her, but even then, he couldn't avoid accidentally touching her arm as he attempted to shoulder past her, which triggered a series of scenes from his past.

Usually, Amelia only saw a few frames at a timely speed, enough to piece together a coherent picture, and was rarely capable of tuning in enough to feel or hear part of her visions, but connecting to vampire radio was much different. A wave of emotion came over her along with a brief flash of what looked like a scene from some gory zombie movie. Bodies were strewn everywhere, they were bloodied, missing limbs and some entire chunks of their bodies and lying about in odd positions. Some had their eyes closed, others were staring up at the sky, unseeing, with gaping mouths and an expression of horror on their bloated faces. It was a sea of bodies dressed in outdated clothes on the side of an otherwise unremarkable road where the earth had darkened with blood. Death hadn't been kind. The worst part was the stench permeating the whole area; a mix of rotting flesh and smoke that made Amelia gag and run for the nearest bathroom where she lost her small breakfast in the toilet.

Throughout the rest of the day, Amelia was nauseous. Her bad mood increased every time she heard anyone talk about the Cullen family. Whispers ran rampant about the kids who looked like models but didn't mingle with anyone outside of their family, a fatal mistake on their part if they wanted to be left alone. The entire high school population was now relentless in their pursuit to find out more gossip about the new kids. Almost every girl in the school was raving about the handsome Cullen boys, and every guy imagined himself scoring dates with the girls. Hormones were running wild in those human kids and Amelia was sick of it by lunch. So sick she completely skipped it.

Jasper Hale ended up in History with her and his siblings Emmett and Rosalie shared English with her. Amelia didn't know which one of the Cullen kids was worse, Rosalie who practically oozed anger and annoyance or that burly guy Emmett who was built like a big muscular bear yet still had an almost angelic childish appearance. So far, Amelia was able to stay as far away from them as possible even during the classes they had together and planned to keep it that way for the rest of the semester. The last thing she wanted was a peek behind their curtains when Jasper Hale's was traumatizing enough. Where the hell were those people, his snacks?

Rachel, bless her heart, caught up on the vampire situation fairly quickly and also avoided them like the plague. It wouldn't bode well for her to get anywhere near vampires just in case her glamour slipped and enticed one of them towards her. The risk was too great, and Rachel wouldn't be able to defend herself against a thirsty vampire.

Amelia's last period was study hall in the library. On any other day she wouldn't mind, but today she was nervous and scared to be cornered in a fairly secluded part of the school by one of the Cullens, so she remained near the front desk where Mrs. Boyd could see her instead of venturing on her own to look for something to read. Mrs. Boyd was too busy on her computer to notice Amelia was acting weird and jumping at every little noise, scared of being approached even by regular students.

The bell finally rang, and Amelia basically sprinted towards her car, sending a quick text to her mother. A 911 type of message to meet her at home telling her there was an emergency. Ana would know what to do. In the parking lot, she spotted the shiny red convertible Rachel told her about earlier that day parked by a blue jeep and surrounded by the all the Cullens. Their heavy stares stunned her momentarily. Alice was the only one who seemed rather curious, even smiling for a second, only looking away when Jasper sent her a weird serious look. He was the one who seemed like he wanted to approach Amelia the most. She took off before any of them could catch up with her and drove off.

She drove home in a daze, scared and paranoid that they would follow her. So far her mother hadn't replied, not a peep. For someone who always stressed the importance of taking a 911 text seriously, Ana was being awfully negligent. To her surprise, there was another car parked in front of her house. Luxury cars weren't common around Forks, Amelia wondered who it could be. Her mother's grey Honda was also there, allowing Amelia to relax a little bit as she parked. Not a second after she got out of the car, she heard the screeching of tires rounding up the curve down the street. The red convertible was making its way toward her house followed closely by a blue jeep.

"Fuck me!" She exclaimed in surprise and ran inside her house yelling for her mom like a helpless duck for the first time since she was a little kid. "Mom! Mom, there's a bunch of blood…" Amelia trailed off as she entered her living room and froze at the sight of two more vampires sitting on the couch.

Thank you JohnGreenGirl for helping me edit this chapter! Hope you guys enjoy. Let me know what you think.