Chapter 1

The harsh drone of a 6:00 A.M. alarm sounded, breaking the silence of nighttime and heralding the beginning of Bella's day. A weary hand rose from the soft mattress to hover over the black plastic box. The slender hand dropped suddenly, slamming upon the snooze button.

A low, raspy groan emanated from beneath a large, fluffy, white pillow. The noise continued, eventually curling upwards into a squeak as the woman's limbs stretched. Her limbs extended as far as she could force them, and held them in tension for a moment before suddenly collapsing. It was a minute longer before Bella's palms finally planted flat against the mattress and she slowly, almost painfully, pushed herself up from the comfort of her bed.

Her deep brown hair fell in messy cascades down over her face. She eventually brought herself into a seated position, and with one hand pushed her locks back. Bella sat, silent, still in a half-sleep trance. Her eyes slowly blinked, and she turned her head to look at the time.

6:05 A.M.

Bella's head tossed back suddenly and she whimpered. Why did she do this to herself? She cursed the healthy living websites she had been hired to design and maintain. Who did those nuts think they were? Running? At this ungodly hour? How is that healthy? With a mighty effort she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Time for the day to begin.

As though she was undead, Bella rose from her bed and slowly stumbled out to the bathroom, grumbling the entire time.

"I'll tell... what'd be... sleep... healthy..." Bella mumbled to no one in particular. A dull thud caused her eyes to snap open then immediately shut as her toe banged into the door frame of the bathroom. She cried out loudly, following it up with a string of curses.

"There's nothing good about running!" She whimpered, rubbing her poor toe. Eventually she managed to compose herself and enter the bathroom to begin her morning routine.

Bella stepped out into the early morning mist. The sun was just about to rise, and the promise of its light peaked over the horizon, threatening to burn off the moisture hanging in the air. The young woman stepped from foot to foot, testing out the new running shoes her client had sent her. Her entire outfit, actually, was part of her first paycheck: crisp and clean white running shoes, form fitting black athletic leggings, a plain white T-shirt, and a thin, lilac hoodie.

The hours of a web developer offered Bella a significant amount of freedom to pursue the things that she enjoyed, which, recently, consisted of streaming movies and pretending at being creative. More the former than the latter, as a dozen started-but-unfinished projects lay in various states around her small bungalow home.

The latest such project? "Improving" herself.

Bella scoffed. She could not believe that she had talked herself into this. She did suppose that a run would help her become accustomed to her new home. She had moved to the small town of Forks only a week ago. Her worldly possessions were few, her job was not location-dependent, and she had had an urgent need for new surroundings, so the move had been rather painless.

Still, new surroundings meant new people, places, and things to become familiar with. The latter two Bella didn't have much trouble with, and actually looked forward to exploring. Recent events had left Bella sensitive to the former, however, and part of the reason for the early morning run was to hopefully avoid crossing paths with too many people.

The brunette stretched slowly, before bouncing from one foot to the other, "Okay, Bells, you can do this. Running." She spoke the final word with more than a little hint of disgust. She took out her phone from the pocket of her hoodie, untangled the headphones plugged into it, and placed them into her ears, "Okay, here we go." Still bouncing from one foot to the other, she flipped through her phone's music menu. She was going to think twice the next time she took advice from a healthy living site.

"Okay, here we go." She said, a third time. Her playlist begin its slow opening drawl into her ears, but she instead switched apps to the clock and timer. She knew she was stalling as she set the timer.

"Okay, here we go." She said, yet again. Bella did not want to run.

The woman glanced around her surroundings. Her home was situated at the end of a very small cul-de-sac at the top of a hill. The building was odd in that it sat alone. The tiny street had land enough for three homes the size of Bella's, however either the land had never been developed, or the homes that had been there were torn down years before the young woman ever set eyes on it. She had fallen in love with the location, as it was shielded by thick wooded lots on three sides. She was amazed that a house like this could even be built, as it essentially had free reign on the street, which was wide enough for just one vehicle to come through at a time. Such a home would have been really inconvenient for everyone who actually wanted interaction with people. As it so happened, it turned out to be perfect for Bella.

"Okay, here we go." She looked down the street, the music now blaring into her ears. Bella truly did not want to run.

"Arrrrgh... Screw it! Eye of the Tiger, here we go!" The young woman took her first step forward and began her early morning run. The sun was rising as she did so, and she could feel the warmth of its rays beaming down on the street.

One of the reasons Bella had chosen Forks to move to was just how different it was from the city where she had lived most of her life. There was a cycle of life to a small town that wasn't present among the steel and concrete towers. When the sun set, the town went to sleep where the city never truly stopped.

Part of her would always miss the breathing super-organism of urban development. She'd never find a speakeasy hidden behind a vandalized phone booth here, nor would she ever be able to fulfill a 3 A.M. pizza craving. But as she ran through a quiet park, unafraid of any interruption to her workout, she felt a sense of peace.

The air tasted different, which was an odd thing to realize, Bella believed. The web developer had never really thought of air as having a taste, but it certainly did. It was sharp, crisp. She relished the feel of the replenishing fluid quelling the burning of her lungs with each intake.

The small town was just being roused from its night rest as Bella made the final turn back into her street. Her breathing was heavy and ragged, and it had only been a few minutes into the workout before she realized that her initial goal of a 30 minute run was truly shooting for the stars.

Speaking of which, Bella had begun seeing them. The web developer had misjudged the need for hydration, and she was struggling for those final few strides. She could see her home, the finish line. The brunette had sworn off running and changed her mind a half dozen times during her excursion, and it was just at that point that she decided to never run another step ever again. All she had to do was get home.

20 yards.

15 yards.

10 yards.

Bella was only partially aware of the ground rushing up to meet her. She found it rather odd, but the world blacked out before she had too much time to think about it.

"Hey, you all right?"

Bella's eyes slowly slid open. Of course she was all right, that was a silly question. She was laying down. That was the best way to be. It'd be even better if she were in bed. Wait, she wasn't in bed. Her brow furrowed as her groggy mind attempted to make sense of the blurry mass above her. It took several blinks before the dark brown uniform came into focus.

"Hey, you're awake." This guy's none too bright. Bella could feel a hand supporting her head and neck. She soon became aware of another hand holding hers. It felt nice and soft. As her vision sharpened, she could distinguish features. High cheekbones, smooth skin, green eyes, strong chin. He was actually kind of cute, if kind of dumb. "You okay?"

Bella didn't want to look stupid in front of this handsome stranger, and so she replied promptly, "Whuh?"

"Well, that's an answer, at least. I'm gonna sit you up." The uniformed man pulled upwards, lifting Bella from the grass, into a seated position. Once there, he reached behind him and brought forward a bottle. When he was sure she could support herself he unscrewed the cap off the top and carefully held it to her. "Water. I think you're dehydrated."

Oh, dehydrated. Bella guessed that made sense. Maybe handsome wasn't as dumb as she thought. She took the bottle with both hands and fed it to her lips. The stranger held the bottle steady as she imbibed readily. All too soon the liquid ran out, and Bella took a deep, sharp inhale.

"That's it, how you feeling?" He asked.

"Ok." Bella responded, still not fully okay. Now that she was seated, her head felt like it was spinning.

"What's your name?"

"Bell...a,"

"That's a pretty name, Bella. I'm Edward." Edward. That was a nice name too, Bella thought. "I think you fainted, probably from dehydration. Is there anyone I can call to help? Do you need to see a doctor?"

Bella shook her head, and immediately regretted that decision as her head spun with more fervor, "No, I'm new," She pointed in the direction of her home, just yards away, "That's my house." She noticed for the first time a big brown-colored truck parked right in front of it.

"Huh, well that's lucky. Think you can stand?" Edward held out his hand, "Let's get you inside."