Okay, before you read another word of this fanfic, a warning: This is not a fic about Edward and Bella. This is a story about entirely original characters in the Twilight world. Maybe Bella and the Cullens will make it into the sequel, but I can tell you right now they won't be in this story at all.

That said, I hope anyone who's still reading will enjoy this story. Just give the new characters a chance, okay:)

Fruitbat

Annabel Ruth Darling, born 1923, died 1939. I read it over and over again. After years of searching, I had finally found it. My grave. My feet prickled as I looked at the overgrown turf underneath them. I wondered what was buried there, if not me.

It said I had been born in 1923. That seemed right. I could remember a little- colors and sounds more than definite images, but still something nonetheless. I pulled out a crumpled photograph from the inner pocket of my jacket. It was faded and the edges were worn, but the people within the yellowed frame were still visible. I had taken the photo from the Archives of Philadelphia, along with several other documents that helped lead me to this cemetery.

On the back of the photo, scrawled lightly in ink, were the names of the portrait's occupants. My eyes found the familiar words for another countless time.

February 8, 1939. Mr. and Mrs. Robert James Darling, with children Joseph (age 14), William (age 12) and Anna Ruth (age 16).

I shook my head in confusion. I had come here looking for answers- but the lonely gravestone offered me nothing I didn't already know. My spirits sank. This had been my last chance, my last hope…

I stood still for a moment longer on the grave before tucking the photograph back into my jacket. As long as I had been pursuing my grave, I had had a goal, but now I was back where I started, with almost nothing. I was out of road to run on.

A cold wind whipped around my face and I needlessly pulled my jacket closer to my skin. The world gradually turned grey as dawn approached, leeching everything of its color. I scowled and kicked the gravestone. I had wasted weeks carefully tracking down my grave in search of answers, but I had learned nothing.

The stillness of the graveyard was shattered by the swift approach of light feet. I spun around, instinctively crouching lower to the ground. My eyes scanned the horizon blindly. I could not see anything unusual, but I had long since learned not to trust my fickle eyes. The tombstones stood in neat rows like solemn sentinels; some sharp and tall, others smooth, hunched by the wind and elements after watching the passing of too many days.

I breathed deeply, straining for any scent other than the aroma of cool, wet earth. A sound on my right, hardly more than a whisper of air, was all that alerted me to the man's approach. I dove out of the way just as the man's arm whipped sharply into the place where my head had been seconds before.

I rolled, my foot narrowly missing the razor edge of a fresh gravestone. I somersaulted clumsily to my feet and ran, each step more frenzied than the last. With an irritated snarl, the man gave chase, gaining on me quickly with inhuman speed. I dodged the tombstones narrowly, my feet flying out from under me as they gained momentum on the large hill.

I skidded to a halt at the gate, slamming into the iron bars. They bent on impact, but would not break. My arms strained as I shook the padlocked door desperately. The heavy chains rattled. It was no use, it was locked, and I was too weak to break through. I turned and jumped, scrambling to get over the fence skirting the cemetery. My stomach clenched, causing a fresh wave of adrenaline to course through my bloodless veins. My hands began to slide down the fence as the iron bars slipped through my grasp.

Desperately, I jumped forward, and my fumbling hands reached the top. With a heavy pull, I hoisted my body upward, ready to swing over to the other side.

An icy hand grasped my ankle like a vise. I bit back a yelp of horror as my silent heart jumped to my throat. The hand pulled me easily from the fence and lowered me to the ground.

The icy hands found my neck. In one dizzying motion, I was lifted up and slammed backwards. I found myself pinned against the fence, each iron bar digging excruciatingly into my back. My eyes were level with the eyes of my captor. The man's dark gaze was horrible, sending chills down my spine and making my hair stand on end.

I winced, but found I could not look away. "Well, look what we have here." He sneered.

I was terrified, but I snapped my teeth together, hoping to sound menacing. The man smirked, "Is the little kitty angry?"

I growled, but it was cut short by the appearance of another man. He was shrouded in a dark cloak, and for some reason this man scared me even more than my captor. He spoke, and his voice rang with authority. "Don't antagonize her. Our orders were to collect the girl and return her unharmed, nothing else." He spoke in my defense, but every hair on the back of my head still stood on end. Everything about the man screamed danger.

My captor quickly pulled off, obviously frightened to disobey the other man. As his hands left my throat, I inhaled sharply, relieved to be able to again rely on my sense of smell. The cloaked man advanced forward, removing a small vial from the folds of his cape. The man bent forward, forcing my chin upward with his icy hands. I clamped my mouth shut defiantly. I could not see his face from underneath the hood.

"You will drink." He ordered, prying my mouth open. As he tipped the vial forward, I abruptly snapped my mouth shut on his hand. He snarled in pain as I punctured his hard, brittle skin with my teeth. A wave of venom surged into my mouth, flooding the wound. He hissed and spat, leaping backwards.

Using his pain as a temporary distraction, I bolted. My original pursuer scrambled after me, but I was already halfway over the fence. I jumped and landed, catlike, ten feet away.

I didn't look back. I just kept running. Everything blurred together as I ran, and I didn't slow until I knew I was far out of my pursuers' reach. When I finally stopped, I was completely lost. I had somehow found my way deep into a forest. It was a rare sunny morning, and bits of yellow light fell in fragments through the tree branches.

I collapsed against the trunk of a tree, breathing hard out of habit. I was lightheaded and dizzy from the terror of the chase. My head swam with feverish images of the men, always so close behind me, forever in my pursuit. I turned and retched, sobbing a little as venom crept up my throat. I gripped a tree branch, breathing heavily. The silence of the forest bore over me, smothering me. The solitude was almost unbearable.

I closed my eyes and pressed my head against the tree. I feared company but abhorred loneliness. It appeared fate was destined to curse me into perpetual unhappiness.

I don't know how long I rested in the shade of the tree. It could have been hours, it could have been seconds. Nonetheless, experience told me I had to keep moving. The horrible men were never very far behind, and I still didn't have the strength to fight.

My stomach clenched with hunger. It occurred to me that it had been days since I had eaten. I needed to hunt. My eyes snapped open, and I peered around cautiously. I could spare twenty minutes. I knew I wouldn't be able to get very far without any more energy.

I sniffed the air experimentally, but nothing smelled particularly appetizing. I wondered around, occasionally bending down to examine a plant or jumping up to scale a tree. Eventually, the smell of blackberries wafted from a small thicket. Unnecessary venom trickled into my mouth. I frowned slightly. Blackberries were so messy and had so much waste with all the seeds. I would have much rather preferred something easy and large, positively gushing with juice, like an orange or a plum. Still, food was food and I needed the strength.

I plucked a large quantity of the berries in seconds, quickly discarding the ones that were damaged or rotten. I ate greedily, savoring the small bursts of delicious flavor with each bite. Eventually I had emptied the thicket's stores of berries. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and stood, licking the last bit of sticky juice from my palms. Suddenly I froze. Instinct told me another creature had entered the area.

I cocked my head to one side, listening intently. It was still a little early for the men to have caught up with me, but they were getting faster each time. Just to be safe, I leapt nimbly to the top of a tree, carefully surveying the ground below. A doe wandered in the clearing and I sighed in relief. I was safe- for the moment.

Okay, first chapter is done! I hope it was up to par. And I'm really sorry if it was confusing. It's supposed to be. (for the moment, anyway) Anyway, I bet the last three paragraphs threw some people off, but the story's called "Fruitbat" for a reason. So be patient, and the story will answer all your questions (hopefully…)

Aove