I walked into the bar with apprehension. This was the first time I had played and sang in public.

It was nerve-wracking. I started playing with my brunette and pink streaked hair, one of my nervous habits I had developed when he left.

I looked around the place, trying to scope out the crowd. I saw a few people but none that I recognized, until a glimpse of bronze hair made my heart stop. It turned out to just be a trick of the light. I sat down on the barstool and prepared my Epiphone Hummingbird Dreadnought acoustic guitar with the neck that was worn smooth with age.

I sat down, tuned the strings, played some chords to warm it up and was almost ready. It was then that I saw a man with short, raven black hair and glacier blue eyes. I noticed he was also tall. He was watching me intently. I nodded at him politely. Who knows, maybe he was a music producer, though he was dressed the exact opposite. . They did occasionally cruise this scene, looking for the next big thing. Black jeans with a black button-up shirt and a worn-in leather jacket that looked like it had seen better days.

I began to strum my guitar, which I called Felicia and a few moments later, began to sing.

"I would've given you all of my heart, but there's someone who's torn it apart. And he's taken just all that I have, but if you wanna try to love again. Baby, I'll try to love again but I know….."

I sang the lyrics with every emotion I could emit that reminded me of what I had, and then lost with Edward Cullen.

"The first cut is the deepest, baby I know….The first cut is the deepest…..when it comes to being lucky he's first, but when it comes to loving me, he's worst…."

I continued to sing and while I did, noticed that the man in black was still watching me, as intense as he was when I first took notice.

When the song ended, I gathered up my things and saw that the man was gone. I thought that was rather odd, so after speaking to some music executives (with their standard "don't call us, we'll call you"), I walked outside into the cool night air. I was just breathing it in, having enjoyed not throwing up onstage when I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and he was there.

"You know, you have a beautiful voice, but someone so young shouldn't be singing about being so bruised and broken. I just thought I'd tell you. Your performance was very…compelling."

I frowned at him. "Yeah well, let's just say that I've known love and then had it ripped away from me. I picked myself up and, mostly, moved on. That song was dedicated to him."

He considered that for a moment. "I see. I'm going to offer you something, and it's going to sound crazy. But first, let's play a little guessing game. What am I?"

I thought back to long-buried conversations with Edward. He once mentioned he'd met another race of vampires called Original Vampires. He explained that they were different in a few ways. For one, they didn't sparkle in the sun. They would burn up, unless they had a ring that allowed them to walk in the sunlight. He said it required a witch's spell. I was trying to comprehend that there was another race of vampires when he also said that the way they were killed was "traditional", a wooden stake through the heart.

I looked down and noticed he had a very ornate ring on. Then I looked back up and he was baring fangs. "Any guesses?" He smirked.

"You're an original vampire." He looked surprised that I had gotten it so quickly but rolled with it. "Right! The question is, how do you know?" This time, I looked down at my feet and shuffled. "My ex, he was a vampire, but not like you. He had golden eyes, pale skin that sparkled in the sun and had to work extremely hard to control his bloodlust. I was his la tua cantante, his singer. He told me about your kind."

He nodded his head. "So I see. What if I told you, I could make you like me? A vampire? Would you like a fresh start?" I looked into his eyes to see if he was joking. He was absolutely, 100 percent serious. "What's your name?"

"Damon Salvatore. And yours?"

"Isabella Swan."

"Isabella, would you like to spend an eternity with me? To be my mate and wife? I've been looking for someone like you for over 100 years. Will you accept my offer?"

I thought about it. Would I miss my human life? It wouldn't be as hard being an original vampire as it would to be like Edward. No red eyes, no out of control bloodlust, no saying goodbye to anyone. I could be happy.

He could sense my hesitation. "Here, I'll prove it to you. This ring was given to me when I was first turned by a witch named Emily Bennett. She said it would only fit the ring finger of my true mate. May I?" I nodded, mesmerized when I saw the ring. It was magnificent, yet simple in its beauty. A single blue topaz the color of his eyes was set in the middle. On the inside, there was an inscription in Italian. It read Il mio salvatore bella.

"It means my beautiful savior."

It was a perfect fit.

He kissed me with a fiery passion and asked once more.

"Will you join me in eternity?"

I no longer had any hesitation.

"Yes."

The last thing I remembered before he began the transformation process was Edward fading from memory, far into obscurity. I had a second chance, and would no longer waste it.

My real life had begun.

I would be a vampire.

And I would revel in it.