Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
Well, thanks to the overwhelming response I got (eleven reviews for the last chapter, woohoo!), I've decided to post the fourth (AND FINAL) story in this series: Coveted Girl! I'm very excited for this story, as there will be new characters and (hopefully) surprising plot twists.
So, without further ado, I present to you the first chapter…
prologue
It's funny how life can repeat itself.
Cruelty. Torture. Evil. It may go away for a short period of time…
But it's never truly gone.
I was back in a place that I hoped to never be in again, seeing people I hoped I'd never have to deal with again. The danger was just as great, and I was hoping to just be rid of this situation.
Life doesn't always work out, though.
My life was at stake, but when is it ever not? No one is really invincible to death, and I was no exception to that. I guess some things never change…
There were three options for me now, but it seems that the option I want will not come to me.
I'm not getting out of this the easy way.
Then there are the two other options: death or something that I found so terrible that I would be wishing I was dead. There is a part of me that is strong, and that part has some others wanting me so much that they will use whatever means to get me.
The rest of me isn't very strong, though. Physically… maybe. Otherwise, not so much. I'm not perfect. No one is. I have my flaws, and a sometimes big mouth that gets me in trouble with my enemies.
How I wish I didn't have to face all of this mess. I would be glad to be back where I belong with the people who love me for me and not just something I posses. Like I've said, life doesn't always work out, even though I've been extremely lucky in the past.
Now I realized that if I couldn't be with my loved ones, then I would do everything I could to protect them and to make sure that they didn't face my fate.
Even if it meant sacrificing myself.
"Fine, fine, I'll do what you want!" I shouted. "Just don't harm them, please."
I didn't dare look at the pained faces behind me. I only forced myself to look forward.
That same dastardly king smiled in my face.
"Excellent choice, my dear," he said to me, then turned to the people surrounding him. "Send the rest of them away."
Now I was just a pawn… His pawn.
Let the games begin.
chapter one
may 24th, 2013
"You're going to be fine. I looked at your future, and you strut on stage and get your diploma without a problem."
I looked over at my sister Alice Cullen, and took in her perfectly kept black hair and gold eyes that complemented her purple graduation cap and gown. Alice wasn't really my sister. None of my siblings are actually related to me by blood.
My name is Alex Cullen, and I am seventeen years old. If you wanted to be technical, you could call me Alex Parker-Cullen, using my old last name. At home though, I go by plain old Alex.
Alice is one of my seven adopted siblings. There's her, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Bella, and Parker. My adoptive parents are Carlisle and Esme Cullen, the greatest people I know. They adopted me back in the summer of two-thousand nine.
Now, Parker… He is my boyfriend. It may seem weird, but there is a reason behind that.
In reality, based on age, mostly everyone in my family, minus Bella and Parker, would be too old to be my grandparent.
That's because everyone in my family is a vampire.
Everyone except me. Well, and Nessie, but she's half-vampire. I guess that counts for something.
Carlisle is the oldest vampire in our family, and he created everyone in the family excepted for Alice, Jasper, and Bella. He doesn't believe in taking away anyone's mortality unless there is no other option.
Which is why my predicament is different. I now have to be turned into a vampire on the eighth of August this year. Why? Because I made it that way… Well, Aro, the leader of the Volturi, made the finalization.
When Esme and Carlisle's lives were on the line, because of me I might add, I had to find a way to save them. Due to the fact that Aro was sentencing them to death because of keeping me human while I knew they were vampires, why not give him what he wants?
My mortality.
So, here I am, sitting at my high school graduation with seventy-six more days as a human. Alice, posing as a senior like myself, sits beside me. Out in the audience, I know Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, and Parker are sitting there eagerly waiting for me to accept my diploma. Since this is my first time going through high school (but probably not my last), this is a big deal for them.
For me, it's just another day that passes by. Tomorrow, only seventy-five more days.
Another one of my fellow students was called up to the stage, which meant only one more student and then I would be called up.
"We're coming up…" Alice pointed out.
"Yes, Alice, I realize," I replied back.
"Somebody's nervous…" she sang quietly.
"I am not nervous," I told her. I just wanted this to be over, but I wasn't telling her that.
"Sure you're not nervous," she said smugly, leaning back slightly in her chair.
I didn't respond to her.
The boy seated in front of me was called, and he walked towards the stage. I was on the end seat of the next row, and the pattern of students was like a zigzag through the chairs.
"Alex Cullen," the principal said into the microphone.
There was slight applause from the students, more in a polite manner since I wasn't all that popular, but I could hear Emmett cheering in the back.
I got up on stage and received my diploma with no issue, like Alice said, and shook the principal's hand. I hope that Esme was able to get a good photo out of that like she wanted to.
The rest of the students being awarded passed in a blur. Alice was called up, and that was all I really cared about. When she walked on stage she flashed a dazzling smile, and Jasper was whooping along with Emmett. The next thing I knew, Alice was whisking me through the crowd to our family.
I was greeted by Esme, whose smile could probably light up the whole room.
"Congratulations, sweetheart!" she said, giving me a hug.
"Thanks," I replied, trying to carry my voice over the noise in the room.
I gave everyone else a hug, and Carlisle gave me a kiss on the forehead while Emmett decided to pinch my cheek.
"Aww, look at our wittle high school graduate," he cooed.
"Haha, very funny," I sneered, shoving his hand away from my face.
"Always the jokester, Em," Rose said, rolling her eyes.
"Now, how about we go back to the house and celebrate?" Esme asked us excitedly.
"Sounds great!" Alice replied, equally excited.
I drove home in Carlisle's Mercedes with him and Esme, and when we got home we were greeted by Edward, Bella, and Nessie.
"Congrats, Alex!" Nessie said, giving me a hug as soon as I stepped out of the car.
Nessie's growth over the past few years has truly amazed me. Being a hybrid, she ages faster than any normal human being would. She is now six years old, but she looks my age, maybe even older. However, her growth has just about slowed down and now she will look like this forever.
"Thanks, Nessie," I replied.
"Grandma has a surprise inside for you," she whispered in my ear before walking back to Edward and Bella.
"Congratulations, Alex," Bella said, giving me a hug when I walked up on the porch.
"Thank you," I said, giving her a smile. I looked at Edward and he had a knowing look in his eye, knowing that I wasn't as excited about this as the rest of my family was.
"The excitement will die down, eventually," Edward told me as we walked inside.
"Hmm, I can only hope," I muttered.
Inside on the dining room table, Esme had a cake set up. It was a two layer cake with dark chocolate icing, and had a white rose sitting on the top.
"Surprise!" Esme said excitedly, gesturing toward the cake.
I smiled at her. "When did you make this?"
"Before I left for the ceremony," she said. "Besides, Alice had you preoccupied before you had to go."
"More like held me captive," I mumbled. Alice had made me try on five dresses before she finally found one that she thought would be good enough, and then she and Rose did my hair and make-up. It was almost a three-hour ordeal.
"Heard that!" Alice called from the living room.
Esme chuckled as she placed two plates on the table, which I assumed were for Nessie and me. As if on cue, Nessie walked into the kitchen and next to Esme.
"This cake looks amazing…" she murmured. "Is it chocolate cake?"
"Of course," Esme said with a smile.
"Ahh, chocolate cake with chocolate icing," Nessie sighed. "The best kind."
Esme cut us two slices and we took them into the living room so we could sit with everyone else. The two of us sat in front of the coffee table while everyone else sat in the armchairs and couches.
Well, except for Emmett, but who knows where he went off to?
"Wow, Alex, you're a high school graduate now, huh?" Rosalie said jokingly. "Such a grown up girl!"
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "But right now, I can only focus on eating this cake. Nothing else matters…" I heard Esme chuckle as she walked into the room.
I glanced at Alice, who was sitting on the couch, and saw her eyes glaze over. She was having a vision, and I was going to ask her what she saw…
When my plate of cake came flying into my face.
-oOo-
So, what did you think? Please review and let me know!