Changed, a twilight fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything related, it's all owned by SM. Sigh. Anyway, enjoy!

I was always told vampires never hurt. They never felt pain aside from the burning of thirst. With impenetrable skin and hearts of ice, vampires were protected from any and everything. They had now weaknesses. Mythical and immortal creatures of the night, they were virtually perfect and damn near unstoppable.

Oh, how wrong that was.

Since I'd discovered vampires were very real and could live among humans quite peacefully, I'd wanted to become one. I'd longed to be a part of their world, once in which I felt I truly belonged. I never thought that once I had it, I might actually regret it.

I met Edward Cullen and fell in love at the tender age of 17. He showed me who he was, what he was, and taught me things about myself I'd never known. He showed me a world where I belonged and where I wanted to be. he took my heart for his own.

And he crushed it.

My eighteenth birthday proved to be a disaster. I spent part of the day with the Cullens, only to get a stupid cut that ruined everything. The scent of my blood hit Jasper like a rock and he attacked. I couldn't blame him. If I had been more careful, paid more attention, been more cautious..

I sighed loudly. I had to let go of him and all the pain he had caused me. I couldn't let him control my life. I had to be my own person. I had to heal myself. My broken heart was the one thing vampire venom couldn't heal. I knew this personally.

My name is Bella Swan, and I'm a vampire.

I was born the day I met Edward, I lived while he loved me, and I died when he left me. He broke me and left me for death, although I supposed he couldn't have possibly known that Victoria would send Laurent for me. No one saw that coming, not even Alice. I can say without a doubt that if Alice had seen it coming, Edward have saved me. I also knew that it wouldn't be because he loved me, but because the idea of my being a vampire repulsed him. He never wanted me like I wanted him, and he certainly never wanted me to become like him, to be equals.

I stared at the mountain lion before me. I supposed you could consider today my 'birthday', being that it was the day I became a vampire. It's not exactly one of my fonder memories, but it's one I never wanted to forget. God forbid I ever meet Edward again, because if I do, I will be sure to give him a taste of my pain.

One hundred years ago to this day, Laurent bit me. One hundred years ago, Laurent died. One hundred years ago, I gained everything I thought I wanted, and I lost everything I never knew I needed. One hundred years ago, I was changed.

I quickly drained the lion for what it was worth before continuing my journey. I felt over stuffed, but I had be safe. I had to be sure I could deal with the scent of humans, should I run into one. It had been awhile since I'd been around humans, so I had to be prepared. I couldn't take the risk. I used the back of my hand to wipe the blood of my mouth before I took off running between the trees.

Today, I would free myself. Today, I would find the courage to live what life I had left. Today, I would let go of Edward and become my own person. I had returned to where it all started, where my life began, ended, and began again. I was back in Forks, where the pain never waned, and I was on a mission.

I found myself standing in front of the white Victorian house. I listened carefully to the steady flow of the river, the movements of the animals, the hearts beating to each one's own tune. The house looked just as I had remembered in my fuzzy human memories. It was no surprise it had been well kept over the last century. I imagined Esme had a lot to do with it. The thought brought a smile to my face. I knew it was never anyone's fault but Edward's for the Cullens leaving. I could never expect his family to stay with me because he stopped loving me. I knew where their loyalties stood, and it was with their family.

I slowly approached the house, careful to take in every scent and sound. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so I walked to the front door, but I couldn't bring myself to go inside. My cold, dead heart ached with the memories that flowed through my brain. I knew if I could, I would've thrown up. I swallowed hard, but I found no comfort in a simple gesture used only to keep up with human appearances. I reached my and out and twisted the door knob, pushing the door open. I let go of the knob and let the door swing open.

You can do this, I told myself over and over.

You have to do this, my brain repeated again and again.

My arms instinctively wrapped themselves around my torso, as if to hold my body together, the same way they did when I was human after Edward left. I walked inside, every step causing my heart to ache more and more. I went straight upstairs. The rest of the house could wait; I had to go to Edward's room first. I needed to focus what bravery I had left on making it through this one place.

I reached my destination in a matter of moments. Looking at his door was enough to break me. A tearless sob found it's way up my throat, but I couldn't cry. I couldn't show weakness. I had to let go. I let go of myself and opened his door, the memories hitting me like a thousand bricks, knocking me to my feet. I felt like my life passed before my eyes, and I knew that time with Edward wasn't even a fraction of my life. Sobs escaped my lips, but no tears could be created. It was a painful feeling, but one I was unfortunately used to. I sucked in deep breaths to calm myself, which worked rather quickly. I walked over to his stereo; his room was exactly the same, only new music had been added. I decided to see what was in his stereo system when a scent hit me hard. My nose flared and I whirled around in a crouching position, a hiss escaping me. I looked around quickly trying to determine the source of the invader.

My eyes widened when I discovered who was with me. I remained in my crouching position as the person approached me, hands held out in front defensively, as if gesturing for me to calm down.

"Bella?"

The voice confirmed my memories. I straightened myself quickly, debating on running while I had the chance.

I nodded in recognition.

"Sam."

Soo. What'd ya think? I whipped this up real quick. It's most certainly not a one shot. There's plenty more to come, but only on one condition: REVIEW, DANGIT.