Blue Moon

Chapter One

Meeting

"Hey, Mandy! Check those two new 'uns out! Lovebirds." She smirked. That was just so Ginny… I sighed. I looked over to the said couple and stopped dead in my tracks. My eyes, I knew, filled with shock and fear. My best friend, Michelle, who had been walking a step behind me, bumped in to me.

Me and Michelle were commonly mistaken for as sisters. Our extremely white skins, topaz-colored – or, usually so… sometimes they were black – eyes, the constant dark circles under our eyes and the fact we were inseparable, were probably the reasons for such mistake.

"Oh, sorry Mandy!"

"No problem, Chelle. Listen…" I hesitated. " look at those two." I pointed out the newcomers.

Chelle's eyes widened in shock and fear, mingled with curiosity. Her food tray trembled in her hands. I held her hand warningly. She had never lost control and I wasn't about to let her have her first time now. We exanged a quick glance and headed confidently – or as confidently as we could – towards the table where the two had sat down. On our way over, we passed our usual table, and I caught Ginny and Sarah staring at us. I sighed. I'd have to do something about them. Later.

The two new ones were strikingly similar to me and Chelle. Same colored skin, same colored eyes and they even had circles under their eyes too. But the eyes were what called my attention. Topaz. Of course so. I frowned, but felt better. I half expected red.

Chelle looked up at me. I straightened my eyes and sighed.

"Both of them. Keep your thoughts to yourself close to him, though."

She nodded grimly. The boy's eyes widened in undisguised surprise. And fear. He feared us. Interesting…

"Hello. My name is Amanda Lee, and this is my friend, Michelle Morgan. But please… call us Mandy and Chelle." I smiled. "Would you mind…?," I asked pointedly, looking at the empty seats.

He was faster.

"Not at all." he said, answering my question. "I'm Edward Cullen, and this is my girlfriend," he flinched slightly at the word, "Bella Hale."

"Hello Edward and Bella." I said, sitting in front of Bella, while Chelle sat facing Edward.

"Are you two liking Little Rock?" Chelle inquired.

"Oh, yes!," Bella piped up "it's amazing! Many surprises," she smiled and eyed us.

"I'm glad you like it here. We don't get much sun, though," I replied. Just to make sure. Chelle looked at me as if I were crazy. I rolled my eyes at her, but Edward smiled.

"Yes… it was a surprise for us, too… meeting you two," he said, frowning. "How didn't Alice see this…?"

I frowned, confused. The reply was simple. But the question… I looked at Chelle and then at Bella. Bella seemed to be about our age. Eighteen. She must be very old, I thought. Her gaze didn't alter, no matter how close a human got to her. I was astonished. That was something I had never seen before. She was obviously at complete ease…

"Did I hear my name?"

"Yes, Alice," Bella said, speaking to someone behind her. It was a short girl. She was small, but as soon as my gaze fell on her, my eyes widened in complete amazement. I heard her gasp of surprise when she noticed me and Chelle.

I hardly noticed. I was shocked. This girl could see the future?

"Alice, these are Mandy and Chelle. Chelle, Mandy… this is Alice… Alice Cullen, Edward's sister," Bella presented us.

"Hi Mandy! Hi Chelle!" Alice greeted, as she took her seat next to Chelle. She seemed to have recovered from her initial shock pretty fast. I couldn't say the same about myself…

I looked at Alice warily.

Edward saw my gaze and laughed.

"We all know what all of us at this table are. And it just happens that our friend here, Mandy, has an amazing ability."

"Not that useful, usually. Not all of the time…" I mumbled. He nodded, thoughtful

"I guess not. But some…"

"I'm amazed" I looked at Alice, ignoring Edward's comment

He laughed again

"Yes. It can be extremely useful sometimes." He smiled. I nodded.

"I know all your powers…but hers." I pointed at Bella, sitting in front of me.

"Mine is immunity," she explained "I can block anyone's powers if I want."

I nodded. It explained things. All eyes then, turned to Chelle. She smiled. Then, Chelle looked at the table. I shot her a warning look and prodded her foot under the table. It worked. Her smiled faded and, instead, she resumed to staring at my plastic knife.

It moved to the other end of the table without anyone touching it.

All eyes diverted back to her again. Chelle smiled shyly. All three pairs of topaz eyes turned to face me.

"Well… what I can do, is a bit similar to what Edward can do, really… you see… I can… well, basically, I can do, see and hear almost anything that's going on, will go on, has gone on and even implant thoughts and ideas that people would have never had if left alone…"

Alice squealed happily.

"This is so much fun! I never thought… well… it's a surprise meeting you two. Do you live together?"

"No."

"Oh…" she seemed surprised

"We live with our boyfriends," I explained

"Oh! Are they also vampires?"

Edward looked at her warningly when she said the word vampires. But no one was paying attention at us.

"Yes. Recent ones, though."

"How recent?" It was Edward this time.

"Five years now."

Bella's eyes widened.

"I'm five too!"

"What?!?!?" I chocked. I was truly shocked. And here was me, thinking she was old… she seemed so at ease… "how do you manage…?"

I looked at her eyes again. Topaz.

She smiled ruefully

"It took me less than two years to control myself well enough. I wanted this. It was easier than I thought it would be…"

I knew I was staring, but this was incredible! The way she talked about it…! I swayed a bit. She said she had wanted this… how very strange…

"Oh! Here they come! Took them long enough! I thought they had run off! Mandy, Chelle… these are Rosalie and Jasper Hale and Emmett Cullen. Rose, Jasper, Emmett… these are Mandy and Chelle." Alice presented us.

I looked ahead, diverting my shocked gaze from Bella to look at the newcomers. Rosalie and Jasper were blond. By their surnames, they must be Bella's siblings… Emmett was big and muscular. He was a Cullen, indicating he was Edward's and Alice's brother. It was all so confusing. Were all the Hale as young as Bella…?

Edward saw my thoughts and explained.

"These are the names we use for human people. We actually aren't blood related at all."

I noticed how he said blood related. I raised my eyebrows.

"Me and Bella are married," he explained my silent question, "and so are Rose and Emmett and Alice and Jasper."

I nodded, understandingly.

Chelle was deep in conversation with Alice, and I wanted to ask Bella something, but she was talking in urgent whispers with the blonde one, Rosalie, and by the looks of it, that conversation wasn't going very well. I turned to Edward, instead.

"Bella said she had wanted this… I don't get it…"

Edward looked pained, but he wasn't the one to answer. As soon as the words left my mouth, I noticed Rosalie stiffen.

"Yes… Bella chose to be immortal." She gave a forced smile, her tone icy.

I frowned. Bella looked upset about something. Edward was looking reprovingly at Rosalie. Then it all clicked in place.

"You… you asked to become a vampire?" I asked, horrified.

She nodded slowly.

"But… but… why?" I couldn't understand. A normal person… why on earth would they want to become one of us…?

She looked at Edward before she started

"I… I had to make a… choice…" she whispered "between two kinds of deaths. I chose the least painful one for me."

I must have looked confused, because she said

"I had a… choice. Or I could become a vampire… or… I could go on… live a normal" her voice cracked "life… without my soul… without my air, without my sky… without Edward… I wasn't going to last for long. And, I knew that, once I was gone, he'd also go… so I chose the best for the two of us… although Rosalie thinks I should have sticked with the second option. "She grimaced.

I then, understood what the two of them had been arguing. I then understood why Rosalie's voice had seemed so cold and controlled when she had told me of Bella's decision. It was all clear to me now. All but one thing.

"But surely… did Edward want you to be a vampire?"

"No," she smiled, "but we made a bargain."

I frowned, confused with her answer. She went on

"I wanted it to be Edward to change me, but he wouldn't hear of it. Carlisle had already promised to do it after graduation, but I wanted it to be Edward the one. I knew it was going to be hard, but I still had hopes." Edward frowned at her choice of words."Then, one fine day, Edward did a bargain: he'd change me at that moment. All I had to do was marry him." She sighed and went on, "he'd hit the point. He didn't want me to be changed so soon. And with that bargain, he was offering me what I wanted the most. But the price was high. Not that I didn't want to marry him, don't get me wrong. It's just that my parents are separated parents. They married too soon. When they were too young, just out of college. I knew there would be no way my mother would allow me to get married that early…"

She sighed and a smile lighted her features.

"I ended giving in and accepting to marry him, after a few months. One week after honeymoon, Edward changed me."

I took some time to absorb her story. It made sense, so I nodded my comprehension.

Bella then, turned to talk to Jasper and Chelle, and I was left to my thoughts. I had never encountered a vampire who had chosen this lifestyle before. I never thought I would encounter another "vegetarian" vampire and, however, I had met Chelle. And now these six. We had so much in common, and yet, so many differences.

I heard Alice call my name and turned to talk to her.