Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

A/N: So I've been thinking about writing this story for a while now, and after writing a few chapters I thought I'd just do it! I hope you enjoy the first chapter, and let me know what you think about it!

A creepy, eerie silence seemed to engulf the outside surroundings as the train crept onwards through rural Czech Republic. A thin layer of mist covered the fields as the sun begun its ascent, creating a faint orange haze across the horizon, a weird ghost like fog rolling across the surface of the fields.

There wasn't a soul in sight. Not a bird in the sky, not a cow in the fields. If it wasn't for the heavy breathing of one of the occupants of the train cabin behind me, I would have felt like the only person on the planet in this moment. My face was pressed up against the window, the glass cold from the night air outside, drinking in everything I could see with excitement and anticipation – another day, another new country. The Czech Republic was new territory to me, and I couldn't wait to see Prague, its capital. The pictures in my guidebook were enough to have me excited: beautiful old buildings and narrow streets soaked in sun in the summer, the ornate Astronomical clock that stood in the middle of the main square, and the Charles Bridge silhouetted on the horizon in the setting sun, all images that my eyes had been glued to for months, ever since I had received my European guidebook off my parents last Christmas.

My best friend Alice Brandon and I had been planning this trip for just under a year, ever since November, when we had sat down in a coffee shop after I had endured a particularly dull lecture on pre 1800th century literature, bemoaning everything about rainy Seattle and winter.

"Summer had better be amazing after we manage to get ourselves through this year Bella," Alice had said, chugging down her coffee.

Both of us were studying at the University of Seattle, and had met in the first year when we roomed together, Alice studying Fashion and Design, whereas I was doing English.

College was definitely a fun experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but without all the stress of the third year. Finals certainly weren't fun, but after sticking it out, Alice and I decided we needed something to look forward to to get us through the pain of exams and revision.

We had headed home after our coffee, off to go and do more work, but Alice's words were playing on my mind still. Later on that evening, whilst I was on Facebook (procrastinating, I admit), an advert on the side of the page caught my eye.

Eurail - a month long ticket giving access to nearly every train in Europe, allowing you to travel the entire continent. A month of sun, travelling and adventure.

"ALICE!" I had shouted, causing her to come sprinting in to my room from across the hall, looking slightly alarmed.

She had agreed to the idea as soon as I showed her, and our text books and revision lay forgotten for the rest of the evening as we poured over the map of Europe, browsed through hostel websites and squealed every time we found another place to add to the list of destinations we wanted to visit.

Eight months and our finals later, and here we were, two weeks in to our trip - which was just under two months long as we had bought a back-to-back Eurail pass – on a night train from Vienna to Prague.

Alice was still asleep in the train cabin, which we were sharing with four Spanish girls, but I was already awake. I found I didn't sleep well on night trains, and had instead gotten up once I saw dawn approaching through the window in the train corridor outside.

We had about half an hour until we would be arriving in Prague, and sure enough, the silhouettes of buildings were now visible in the distance as the train journeyed on through field after field, trees flitting past the windows.

I headed to the end of the carriage, sitting myself down against the wall and pulling out my guidebook, flicking to Czech Republic. There was a basic language introduction at the front section for each country, and although everyone had assured me most people would speak English, I still wanted to try out the language whilst I was here.

Hello – DOBRY' DEN

I tried speaking it out loud, only quietly, before moving on to the next word.

Please – PROSIM

I made my way down the list, struggling with some of the words, and skipping the more complicated ones that I wouldn't be needing anyway.

Sometime later, the door right at the end of the carriage opened, and out stepped the train conductor, straightening his waistcoat, a wad of papers in his hands. He nodded his head in my direction, before knocking and opening the second door at that end of the carriage.

This meant we would be arriving soon, no doubt. Excitement coursed through me, and I stood up, stepping in to the bathroom next to me to straighten out my appearance.

I certainly was not looking my best. My hair, which was a deep brown colour and long and wavy on a good day, was knotted, and hung slightly limp on my shoulders. I reached in to my day bag, which I had brought out of the cabin with me, rummaging around past my purse, camera, body spray, until I found my hairbrush. I ran it through my hair a couple of times until it looked slightly more presentable. I had faint dark circles under my eyes, which were also, like my hair, a dark brown, and cursed as I realised my make-up bag was buried at the bottom of my backpack somewhere, meaning there was no concealer to cover the circles up.

My clothes were slightly creased too, as I had worn them to bed – getting changed would be too much hassle. I was dressed in a pair of denim shorts (yeah, not comfortable to sleep in) and a floaty white, thin material vest, with a short pendant around my neck.

The worst bit about night trains? Having to get off the train and walk around the next city you arrive in in yesterday's panties. Oh, and sleeping in a bra. That sucked too.

I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste out of my day bag, having kept them in there for this morning, brushing my teeth and giving my face a splash of cold water before stepping out of the bathroom.

Several people were now stood in the train carriage outside of the cabins, their backpacks leaning against the walls as they chatted, stretching and yawning.

The train conductor was now at the end of the carriage, having woken up all of the cabins occupants, or attempted – I would put most of my money on guessing that he had little to no luck waking Alice up.

The conductor, who looked to be in his mid-fifties, smiled warmly at me, his grey moustache twitching. "Miss Swan?" He asked, his Austrian accent thick.

"Erm, yes?" I asked, slightly confused as to how he knew my name.

"Your pass and passport, Madam," he held out the last two documents he had in his hands, my Eurail pass and passport (which of course, had my name on it).

"Oh," I smiled, understanding. "Thankyou!"

He nodded, making his way back through the carriage as I turned to cabin F to try and wake Alice up myself.

Sure enough, she was still in her bed, the Spanish girls already awake and chattering excitedly.

"Ally, wake up!" I giggled, shaking her foot.

"Bella, not now."

I rolled my eyes. "We're arriving soon, don't you need to get your bag?"

A groan came from somewhere underneath the blanket where Alice was hiding, and then she sat up abruptly.

"Oh crap, what time is it?!"

I checked my wrist watch. "6.45 am."

Alice slid herself off the bed, her jet black hair, which was usually sleek and pristine, a mess.

She grabbed her day bag, which she had been using as a pillow, and rushed out of the cabin in the direction of the bathroom, no doubt to modify her appearance.

She arrived back several minutes later, looking positively angelic. Alice Brandon always looked perfect. It was just the law. She wouldn't step out in public looking anything less.

"Better?" I raised an eyebrow.

Alice just flipped me off.

She sat down next to me on the bottom bunk, bouncing with excitement. Alice's energy levels worked like one of those fancy race cars. She went from 0-60 in about two seconds.

"I can't wait to get to the hostel!" She squealed.

I grinned. "Do you want to nap first, or should we just go straight out and get breakfast?"

Alice looked at me like I was mad. "Breakfast, duh."

I sniggered, pulling my backpack out from underneath the bunk. It was a light green colour, and although Alice had rambled on about how ugly it was, I actually liked it. Her backpack, on the other hand, was a deep pink, and it was some miracle that she could actually carry it. Alice was the smallest person I knew (apart from my 12 year old cousin), standing at about 5" 3. I was genuinely concerned her backpack was going to topple her over the first time she had put the fully packed bag on. 19.5 kilos on her back, I kid you not. I had managed 13 kilos, and was considerably taller than Alice, being 5" 9.

"Mmm, can we find a café that does pancakes? Or waffles?" Alice was practically drooling.

"I could eat some pancakes right now." I nodded.

The train began to slow, and looking outside, I saw buildings flitting past, the sun blinding through the gaps between each apartment block or office.

"Nearly there," I nodded towards the window.

We grabbed our backpacks, pulling them out of the cabin, saying goodbye to the Spanish girls who were packing up their bags.

Waiting at the end of the carriage, the train finally ground to a halt as we entered the station, the signs reading 'PRAHA HVLANI NADRAZI'.

"Ready?" I asked Alice, as the train door slid open, the morning air and the smell of the station filling the carriage.

Alice nodded excitedly, her backpack strapped on around her waist, and the two of us stepped out of the train, making our way towards the steps that led downstairs in to the main part of the station.

The station itself was huge, and nicer than I had expected, and Alice pulled out her phone, the details of how to get to the hostel open on a web page.

"It says take the Main Exit," she said, scrolling through the page.

I nodded to where the Exit was signposted, and we set off in that direction.

It took about half an hour for us to find the hostel, which was right in the centre of the Old Town. The streets were winding, narrow and cobbled, the old buildings rising up high on either side. The hostel itself was down a small side street, and after buzzing the button outside, we were allowed in. After several flights of stairs, we made our way up to the reception area, where a young looking guy, probably about our age, was sat at the desk.

"Hey," he held up a hand in greeting. "You have a booking?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "It's under Bella Swan."

The man turned to the computer, scrolling through a page. "Bella, Bella…" he muttered, his eyes squinting at the screen.

Alice smirked at me as we waited awkwardly.

The man behind the desk grinned, having found my name on the system. "Bella Swan, booking for two people in a 10 bed?"

"That's us," I smiled.

We worked out the payment, which was only costing us about 15 Euros a night, and then the man behind the desk, who was called Tomas, called someone over to watch reception so he could show us to our dorm room. "You have a bar and terrace upstairs on the roof", he nodded as he took us past a flight of stairs heading upstairs. "Computers, common room and kitchen are through this door here," he nodded to a corridor on the right. "And this is your room," he smiled, stopping at a door labelled 19. "Here are your keys, there are bathrooms either side of the hall."

"Thank you," said Alice, taking the keys. He nodded, heading back towards reception as we turned to open the door.

The dorm was fairly large, with windows at the far side of the room looking out over Prague. There was a free bunk next to the windows, and Alice and I made a beeline for them, keeping quiet so as not to wake up those who were asleep in their beds. It was only quarter to 8 in the morning, and we had been lucky to be able to check in so early.

"I'm going to grab a shower and get changed," Alice whispered, rummaging in her backpack for some spare clothes.

I nodded, replying that I would do the same, and the two of us pulled out a set of fresh clothes and underwear, setting off for the direction of the bathrooms.

They were nice enough, and all the showers were free at this time of the morning.

The hot water was heaven on my joints, which ached slightly due to an uneasy rest on the night train. After washing my hair, drying off and getting dressed, I stepped out of the shower cubicle.

We took our time getting ready, not wanting to go out too early before everywhere opened. We decided to check our email before heading out, and I sent a quick note to my Mom, Renee, letting her know where I was and telling her about Vienna.

At ten 'o' clock, we were ready.

Prague was incredible. There was a sort of tranquillity about the place, even though it was packed out with tourists. After having breakfast out on a street café, Alice and I had a low-key day, wandering over to the main square to see the Astronomical clock strike on the hour along with dozens upon dozens of other people, as well as visiting the Jewish Cemetery and the Charles Bridge. We had skipped lunch, deciding to have dinner out instead, and headed back to the hostel at 9ish in the evening, deciding to grab a drink in the bar there.

The bar/terrace was incredible. On the roof of the hostel with an inside area and an outside, there was a stunning view of the city from the balcony. The bar itself was inside, where music was playing, the smell of beer strong. There were sliding glass doors leading to the wooden decked terrace outside, where there were long wooden tables and benches, hanging lanterns set up around the place.

We decided to sit outside seeing as the sun was only just setting and it was still warm, chatting away about our day as we each drank a local Czech beer.

As Alice breached the topic of what we wanted to do tomorrow, my eyes wandered over to the sliding glass doors that led inside.

The door slid open, a stunning blonde emerging outside. She was tall, probably about 5" 11, and her long legs were slim, toned and tanned. She wore a pair of battered denim shorts and a loose knitted thin jumper, her long, wavy blonde hair spilling over her shoulders down to mid chest.

It was hard to make out the features of her face in the twilight, but her lips looked full and pink, her cheek bones well defined. She laughed behind her, replying to someone inside the bar, before shutting the door and making her way over to the empty spot on our bench, pulling out a packet of cigarettes as she did so.

The girl sat down next to us, shooting us both a stunning smile.

"You don't mind, do you?" She gestured to her cigarette and lighter. Her accent was British.

I shook my head. "No, not at all."

The girl smiled again, lighting up and taking the cigarette between her full lips, her eyes fluttering closed momentarily.

"I'm Rosalie," she turned towards us. "What are your names?"

"Bella," I smiled. "And this is Alice," I gestured to Alice across the table.

"Hi," Alice waved.

"Hey," Rosalie grinned back. "So you're both from America? Where about's?"

"Washington," Alice answered. "We both studied at the same college, but we just graduated this year."

Rosalie nodded. "Congrats! So you're both, what, early twenties?"

"Yeah, 21," I smiled. "What about you?"

Rosalie took another puff of her cigarette, puffing the smoke out in rings. "I'm 22, I finished uni last year so I've been working for the past 12 months," she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, what is it you do?" I asked, curious.

Rosalie shrugged. "I do modelling."

I raised my eyebrows. "No kidding." It didn't surprise me in the slightest. How could someone like Rosalie not be a model?

Rosalie smiled meekly, tapping the cigarette butt in to the ash tray on the table. "Well, yeah… So I thought I'd just keep my summer months free of work and give myself a break, I'm travelling until the end of July."

"On your own?!" Alice, asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rosalie shook her head. "Oh no, with three of my friends – well, I'm dating one of them actually, but I've known them all since high school. They're coming outside in a minute, they're just getting drinks."

"So where in England are you from?" I asked, taking a sip of my beer. I shifted on the bench, lifting my legs up so I could sit cross-legged on the bench. I was wearing a sleeveless patterned playsuit which was pretty short, so I pulled at the material so it didn't ride too high up around the top of my legs.

"We're all from London, around Kensington, I don't know if you know it?"

I shook my head, no.

Rosalie grinned. "It's a bit of a snob fest, to be honest. It's nice to get away. Edward and I just bought a flat in central London for when we get back, actually."

"Is Edward the one you're dating?" I asked, trying to keep up.

Rosalie shook her head. "No, that's Emmett, but Edward and I are like that," she held her hand up, crossing her fingers. "Jasper – that's the other guy I'm with – he lives with Emmett at the moment."

Alice nodded. "So you're travelling with three guys? How's that going for you?" She asked, her tone teasing.

Rosalie laughed. "It's actually pretty good. I mean, sometimes there's too much testosterone, but I've always got on better with guys – does that sound really slutty?"

I giggled. "No, I get you. A lot of the girls at college were just full of it, it's a lot to handle when you're not in the mood."

"Rosie's never in the mood, are you babe?"

I looked up to see a guy stood at the end of our table, a grin on his face. He was tall, broad and muscular, his skin tanned. He was also attractive, with short brown curls and a gleaming smile. His tone was teasing, his accent also British.

Rosalie groaned, shifting along the bench as the newcomer made to sit down next to her, placing to beers on the table and wrapping an arm around her.

"This is Emmett," she rolled her eyes, taking a drink from her beer as she let Emmett pull her in to his side. "Em, this is Alice and Bella," she gestured to each of us in turn, as we both said our hello's.

"Nice to meet you ladies," he grinned, leaning across the table to shake both our hands.

"Likewise," Alice smiled. "We were just hearing about you."

Emmett raised an eyebrow, turning to look quizzically at Rosalie. "Nothing bad I hope? I wouldn't put it past her." He nodded at Rose.

We shook our heads.

"Have some faith in me Em, jeez!"

It didn't take long to notice that Emmett and Rosalie were a couple full of banter and bickering, yet their communication was full of affectionate gestures; quick kisses, constant contact (Emmett hadn't removed his arm from around Rosalie) and smirks every time they made eye contact.

Emmett explained that their two other friends were inside playing pool, before asking us more about where we were from and answering questions in return.

"I'm in sport, actually. I've just finished doing an internship as a Physio at Chelsea Football Club, you know it?"

Alice shook her head as I nodded. My father was massively in to sport, especially football, or 'soccer' as it was in the States.

"That's huge!" I raised my eyebrows, impressed.

Emmett grinned, his face lit up by red light. The sun had now set completely, the different coloured lanterns around the terrace the main source of light.

"They might have me back in September, it went pretty well."

"I wish I had a plan for when I get back home," I rolled my eyes. "The last thing I want to do is have to move back in with my parents, can you imagine?"

Rosalie laughed. "I couldn't imagine anything worse. Living in the same part of London as my parents is bad enough."

Emmett sniggered. "Yeah, but you get Cullen instead. You'll have half of the female population of London traipsing through your flat if you're not careful."

Rosalie gave him a scathing look. "We'll see about that." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, before turning back to Alice and I. "So, are either of you seeing anybody right now?" She asked, leaning forward in interest.

Alice shot me a meaningful look as we exchanged glances, before I shook my head.

"I was, I broke it off just before graduating though, I didn't really see it going anywhere."

This was true. I had been seeing someone, Jacob Black. However, he was too full on, and I had decided that that wasn't what I wanted at 21, breaking things off to most people's surprise. Jake hadn't stopped harassing me since.

"Ouch," Emmett raised his eyebrows. "Sounds brutal."

I laughed. "Maybe it was, but I just wasn't feeling it."

He shrugged, taking a drink from his beer as I downed the rest of mine. "What about you, Alice?" Rosalie asked.

Alice shook her head too. "Nope, I'm free as a bird. I don't think anyone could have put up with me during the last semester, I bit the head off of most people just for talking to me."

Emmett and Rosalie laughed.

"I'm going to get another drink, anyone want one?" I asked, moving to stand up.

Alice nodded. "Yeah, will you get me another?" She asked, handing me some money.

"Sure! Emmett, Rose?"

They both shook their heads, no. "I'm good, but thanks!" Emmett held his beer up.

I made my way back towards the bar, weaving through the tight spaces as the terrace was now full of people.

The sound of music exploded as I opened the door in to the bar, some Euro song that I didn't know.

Making my way to the bar, I waited to be served, casting my eye over the room in interest.

That was when I saw him.

My awareness of the rest of the room seemed to slip away as my attention fell solely on to him. The way he ran a hand through his scruffy, copper coloured hair, biting his lip as he leant forward to take a shot at the pool table. His face was perfectly sculpted, a light layer of stubble gracing his cheekbones as he laughed openly at something his friend had just told him, showing a set of perfectly white teeth as he grinned. He was tall and lean, dressed in a dark grey t-shirt and shorts, and I was mesmerized by every little thing that he did- he was beautiful.

Suddenly, without warning, he looked straight at me, his green eyes boring in to mine. I blushed, looking away quickly as the man at the bar called for my attention.

I ordered two more beers, laughing lamely at the flirtatious remarks made by the bartender, all the while my heart pounding in my chest. Had he felt me staring at him? Embarrassment coursed through me at the thought.

I snatched the tray from the bar in a rush to get out of the room that was suddenly too hot, thanking the bartender for the two free shots he had for some reason placed on the tray. As soon as I had everything, I bolted for the exit, breathing a sigh of relief as soon as I made it outside, and also a pang of disappointment at being away from the bronze haired stranger. No one had ever affected me so much with just a glance.

"Here she is," Rosalie smiled as I made it back to the table.

I handed Alice her beer and the free shot. She looked at me questioningly. "It was free," I explained. She shrugged, clinking it to my glass as we both downed it together, grimacing at the strength of the liquor.

"Fuck," I groaned, "what the hell was that?"

Emmett picked up Alice's empty shot glass, taking a sniff before grinning. "Absinthe."

Alice let out a small whimper, reaching for her beer to wash away the taste.

"That bartender wants to get you druuuunk," Emmett teased, dragging the word out as Rosalie whacked him in the stomach.

"If I'm getting drunk, you're going down with me," I laughed, pointing at Emmett.

He saluted me. "With pleasure."

Rosalie laughed. "You should save yourself for tomorrow, we're planning on going on the pub crawl, were you two going to do it?"

Alice and I nodded. "Yeah, for sure!"

"Good," Rosalie grinned. "It'll be nice to have some female company. Emmett spends too much time wing-manning for Jasper and Edward, not that they need it."

Emmett chuckled, grinning at something behind me.

"About time you two, how long does a game of pool take?!"

I felt a weird sort of sensation swoop in my stomach as I felt someone behind me, my hairs standing on end as a body leant down on the table next to me, my mind starting to put two and two together. Emmett had said their friends were playing pool, and I had only seen one pool table inside. The boy with the bronze hair had bit his lip, concentrating on his shot at the pool table back inside and –

"So impatient," a male voice chuckled, his British accent causing butterflies in my stomach.

Emmett tutted. "Anyway, Edward, Jas, this is Bella and Alice."

I turned to look at the person leaning on the table next to me who had just spoken, knowing exactly who it would be. Sure enough, there he was, bronze hair looking like he had just stumbled out of bed, green eyes alight.

His eyes looked over at Alice briefly before landing on me, a crooked smile spreading across his angelic face.

"Evening ladies."

A/N: Thanks for reading! I'd really appreciate it if you have time to let me know what you thought, and I'll try and get the next chapter up ASAP!

Anna

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