~+~+~+~+~ Prologue ~+~+~+~+~

Bella

I awoke with a start. The dream… It seemed so real. I was walking in the familiar meadow, when a soft sound alerted me to the fact that I was not alone; Edward stepped from the trees, irises as black as pitch. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then crouched into a horrifically familiar stance. Just as he was about to pounce, to make me, his lover, a forgotten meal, I took a step backwards, tripped, and fell. "Of course," I thought to myself, "In my time of need, my feet betray me." Now I was defenceless, and Edward advanced, his eyes fixated upon me. He knelt down beside me, so that our eyes were level. He stared at me, but not in the romantic way he usually did, in a way were I was nothing to him. Like he was laughing at me. Humiliated.

He then stood on his feet with a look of contempt on his face, as if he had just won a bet. But all too suddenly, he grabbed a handful of my hair, picked me up by it, and threw me into a tree. I waited for the pain to come, but it never arrived.

I stood up, and I was shocked to discover that my hands were as pale as pearls, and as hard as marble. I felt my eyes fixate from my hands to Edward. I watched as he approached me, but it was as if he was moving in slow motion. His eyes changed from blackest night to a mossy green. His skin as well. It was no longer white, but tan. His expression changed from one of anger to fright. His paced slowed, eventually stopping. He then took two steps backwards, then turned and ran, But he was no match for me.

The tables had turned. The hunter has become the hunted. I ran through the scene again, still slumped against the tree. Some how, some way, I had become immortal, and Edward, a human. I began to follow him, revelling in the grace in which I ran. Before I was able to completely catch up to him, a blond boy stepped out from the trees, blocking my way.

"Where are you off to, down worlder?" He brandished a glowing knife at me. A growl rumbled in my throat. I bared my teeth at him, like a cat-like reflex. A breeze blew his scent in my direction. I have never smelt anything like it before. It was like a mixture of the sweetest honey, and the most expensive perfume. It smelt so good, I could only imagine what his blood would taste like.

I clumsily pounced at the boy's throat, but he was quick to dodge my attack. He quickly turned and stabbed the knife through my chest, its blade protruding through my shoulder blades. He quickly pulled it out, and I looked down to see a black liquid flow out of the wound. I quickly placed my hands over it, and fell into a heap on the ground. I looked at it again, but there was no more fluid, not even a wound. All that was there was a very odd scar. The mark was shaped like two circles with a line stabbing through the center. "Oh, so your one of them?" I looked up to see the boy staring down at me, torch in hand. "Were the hell did he get that?" I thought.

"Co-operate, or I'll set you alight."

Where's Edward? Why wasn't he helping me? I tried to stand up, but the boy just brought the torch closer to my face. I slumped back onto the ground before finally saying, "Fine, I'll co-operate." He chuckled. "I certainly hope so." He turned his back on me before returning into the woods. "Just remember, I'm not done with you just yet." He then disappeared into the trees.

I stood up, and immediately started to search for Edwards scent. I followed it for miles, running as quick as I could. After an hour or so, the smell quickly turned rank.

Werewolf.

The scent was fresh, just a few minutes old. A shout echoed out of the forest in front of me, and I ran faster. The trees suddenly ended, and I was brought to a horrific scene. Edward and Jacob were standing on either side of the field, the blond boy watching them both with a lazy sort of contempt on his face. Edward turned to me, his mortal eyes full of confusion and fear. "Bella? What's going on?"

"Oh, so she hasn't told you?" The blond drawled. He glanced to Edward, his eyes resting on his for a moment before turning back to me. "You and your friends are well over your head in things you shouldn't be involved with." He slowly strolled over to Jacob and whispered something into his ear. Jacobs face grew from fear to shock, and then his face relaxed. He actually chuckled. His eyes scanned across the clearing to meet mine, and then he bolted.

He phased half-way through his first and second steps. He was at me within seconds, threw me onto his back before going back for Edward. "Wait!" The blond boy yelled. "You don't know what your doing!"

He ran after us, but we were too fast. We charged into the surrounding woods, Edward; now back into his immortal form, running beside us. I could still here the boy behind us, yelling at us to wait, but it wasn't too soon before we couldn't hear him at all. Who was this boy? I've never met him before in my life? The wind blew past my face as I remained deep in thought, and I felt myself falling, except I never hit the ground.