Bella

As I examined them, the youngest of the Cullens, looked up and met my gaze, this time with evident curiosity in his expression.

As I looked swiftly away, it seemed to me that his glance held some kind of unmet expectation.

"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" I asked.

I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, and he was still staring at me, but he wasn't gawking like the other students had today — he wore a slightly frustrated expression.

I looked down again.

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date.

Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him." She sniffed, a clear case of sour grapes. I wondered when he'd turned her down.

I bit my lip to hide my smile. I glanced at him again. His face was turned away, but I thought his cheek appeared lifted, as if he were smiling too.

Edward

Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were pretending to be seniors.

They all headed off for their next classes, as I headed off for my junior level biology class, preparing my mind for the monotony that was sure to come in the next hour.

I seriously doubted that Mr. Banner, a man of average intellect, would manage to pull anything out of his lecture that could surprise someone holding two graduate degrees in medicine.

I settled into my chair when I got to the classroom and I let my books spill across the table. Of course, the books were only props for they held no information I hadn't already known for decades.

I remained the only student in the class who still had a table to themselves. The humans didn't hold the intelligence to be conscious they were afraid of me, but hidden deep, their survival instincts told them to stay away.

Slowly, the room filled as they all scurried in from lunch. I leaned back in my chair as I waited for time to pass by. Again, I wished I were capable of sleep.

Bella

After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. They all were noticeably graceful — even the big, brawny one.

It was unsettling to watch. The one named Edward didn't look at me again.

I sat at the table with Jessica and her friends longer than I would have if I'd been sitting alone. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day.

One of my new acquaintances, who considerately reminded me that her name was Angela, had Biology II with me the next hour. We walked to class together in silence. She was shy too.

When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a black-topped lab table exactly like the ones I was used to. She already had a neighbour. In fact, all the tables were filled but one.

Next to the centre aisle, I recognized Edward Cullen by his unusual bronze hair, sitting next to that single open seat.

As I walked down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher and get my slip signed, I watched him surreptitiously.

Just as I passed, he suddenly went rigid in his seat and his gaze met mine with the strangest of expressions on his face — it was hostile, furious.

Edward

Because I'd been thinking about her, when Angela Weber escorted the new girl through the door, her name caught my attention.

Bella seems just as shy as me. I'll bet today is really hard for her. I wish I could say something...but it would probably just sound stupid...

Yes! Mike Newton thought, turning in his seat to watch the girls enter.

Still, from the place where Bella stood, nothing. The empty place where her thoughts should be irritated and unnerved me.

She came closer, walking down the aisle beside me to get to the teacher's desk. I pitied the poor girl; the seat next to me was the only one available. I automatically cleared my books, shoving them into a pile, from what was going to be her side of the desk.

I doubted she would feel very comfortable there. There was no question that she would be in for a long semester-in this class anyway. Though perhaps sitting beside her, I'd be able to decipher her secrets...not that I'd ever needed close proximity before now... not that I'd find anything worth listening to...

At that moment, Bella Swan walked straight into the flow of the heated air that blew directly toward me from the vent. The worst mistake of her life.

In that instant, her scent hit me like a ball of fire, an explosion of fireworks, like a battering ram. There was no image violent or destructive enough to encapsulate the force of what happened to me in that moment.

In that instant, I was no longer the human I'd shrouded myself as for so long, not a trace of the humanity I'd managed to grasp back remained.

I was a predator. She was my prey. There was nothing else in the whole world but that one truth. I was the lion, she was the lamb. Indestructible Vs extremely breakable. The room full of witnesses was long forgotten, the mystery of her silent thoughts meant nothing to me as she would not go on thinking them much longer.

I was a vampire and she had the sweetest blood I'd smelled in eighty years, if I had imagined that such a scent could exist, I would have gone looking for it long ago. I would have combed the planet for this one scent.

Her deep, wide, chocolate brown eyes would not see much longer, her soft, translucent skin would be too easy to penetrate with my venomous teeth. At this very second the only thing in the world that meant anything was how her blood would taste on my tongue and how it would soothe my burning throat.

My mouth was baked and desiccated, the fresh flow of venom did nothing to dispel that sensation. My stomach twisted with the hunger that was an echo of the thirst.

Not a full second had passed, she was still taking the same step that had put her downwind from me.

As her foot touched the ground, her eyes slid toward mine, and in that millisecond I made my decision.

As I leapt through the air I realised what I was about to do. I was about to end this poor girl's life in return for a few short seconds of pure ecstasy.

I landed less than a centimetre in front of her, and as I put my arms around her and started to lower my mouth to her neck, I realised that now I truly would be the monster Carlisle had tried to lead me to believe I wasn't for all these years.

I sunk my teeth into the soft, almost translucent skin of her neck, and my one thought before the taste of her magnificent blood reached my tongue was, at least she wouldn't feel much pain, this would all be over in seconds, she wouldn't even get the chance to realise what was going on, she probably wouldn't even realise it was me on her, me, Edward Cullen who ended her life when it had hardly begun.

I lost my train of thought as the fireworks hit my tongue, it was as if my whole life had been leading up to this moment, it was like I had never been complete before I'd tasted her blood and after it was gone I would never be complete again, but somehow it was worth it.

All of my hundred years of purgatory had been worth it just for this, for this one moment.

The blood was a million times better than the smell, though one second ago I wouldn't have thought that possible.

The fresh flow of blood was better than heaven, nothing in the world could ever possibly be worth missing this for, I didn't regret my decision and doubted I ever would, I was truly evil but it was worth being evil for this, I didn't think any force of goodness could resist becoming evil for a prize this wonderful.

Bella

Before I even had time to blush or look away, something extremely strange happened. Someone or something was holding me, while almost simultaneously something was sticking into my neck.

Then, in a rush I recognised the bronze hair of Edward Cullen somewhere near me, while I took in the missing space where he should have been.

My brain finally clicked after about a second and I realised that it was Edward on me.

About 2 seconds had passed since my gaze had met Edward's, and now I was trying to comprehend several things at once, how had Edward gotten over here so fast, why was he over here and what was he doing to me.

My conclusion to these thoughts, as I felt something sharp piercing my neck was, he's biting me. Edward Cullen is biting my neck, what the- I got distracted mid thought as I started to notice a burning sensation where he was biting me.

In these few seconds I had not thought about trying to get away from him, his arms were like iron around me, and for some reason the thought of moving away from him didn't appeal to me very much, I felt happy and safe in his arms I felt I belonged here in this world, with Edward.

I felt Edward's lips on my neck , what was he doing, was he sucking my neck? Hmmm the burning sensation was starting to fade almost as soon as it had began.

I started to feel very light, hmmm what was going on I wondered idly, though gradually, this thought and all the questions I had seemed not to matter, they seemed to fade away.

A part of me seemed to register that Edward was supporting me now and that I would fall if he let go, but I was feeling very light, perhaps I would float.

Edward

As I sucked from her neck, the warmth of her sweet blood flowed from my mouth and satisfied the burning sensation which had never been fully lifted, I realised, for one hundred years. And I didn't think it would ever be lifted again after this moment.

As her magnificent blood fulfilled the desires unanswered in one hundred years, I felt Bella's heart thud. At that moment, all of a sudden the flow of blood seemed to thin and then stop.

In that second the world seemed to come crashing down on me, it was over, that was it, the highlight of my never ending life. Over. Just like that. I'd fooled myself into thinking those few seconds would go on forever. I could already feel the taste fading from my mouth.

Then the reality hit me that this was Bella's final heart beat, I moved my lips from her neck, I was supporting her weight now.

I looked down at her and realised her eyes were still open, I looked into her deep brown eyes and felt a sudden, unexplained wave of sadness take over me as I realised I would never look into these beautiful eyes again, why hadn't I realised how beautiful she was earlier?

I saw no trace of fear in her eyes, I thought I saw a trace of wonderment perhaps.

I wished now that I could read her mind. The thought of never deciphering her secrets was an unbearable thought. What was there left to live for now, I was a complete and utter monster, I'd killed this poor, innocent girl and I would never get a chance to decode her mysterious mind.

As I looked into her mysterious eyes, I saw them begin to shut,

and just before they closed for forever another unexplainable wave took hold of me.

I lowered my lips to hers and kissed her. I had thought nothing could be worse than never tasting Bella's blood again but the realisation of never kissing her again was a million times more dreadful than that.

I didn't quite understand why I felt this way, half a second ago I was absolutely positive I'd made the right decision, but as I pulled my lips away from Bella's soft lips, I realised I had not.

For as I kissed her, something seemed to change, I felt like I belonged in the world, belonged with Bella, and now that she was about to go forever, I would never belong again.

Why should I feel such strong feelings of remorse for this one girl whom I hadn't even known existed about an hour ago, why should I feel, all of a sudden that she belonged to me, I wondered.

Bella

Then Edward's face appeared and I gazed up into his midnight black eyes, he looked like an angel, he was so beautiful, but why was there such a tortured expression on that angel face, why couldn't he be happy, why- I lost my train of thought as everything started fading, I felt some pressure on my lips, ah it was Edward's lips.

At that moment I felt complete, I wanted to stay like this forever more, here with Edward, and wherever this blackness that was starting to take me over was bringing me, I longed for Edward to be there too. Wherever I was going wouldn't be so bad if I got to take my angel with me.

Then, as the pressure moved from my lips, the last image I saw was a pair of tortured black eyes,

for then the world seemed to fade away.

Edward

As I looked into Bella's eyes, I felt her heart thud once more, for truly the last time now, while simultaneously her eyes slowly shut.

I felt her go limp in my arms, and if I'd thought the world had been crashing down on me seconds ago, I had been wrong,

for now I truly felt the world being destroyed.

Then I heard the screaming. Though the whole ordeal felt like an eternity to me, it had actually taken roughly 7 seconds.

During those few seconds, I had been mentally blocking all the voices constantly in my head but I heard them all clearly now.

Most of the class were now beginning to comprehend that Bella was dead, most of them could see the mark on her neck. Everyone's thoughts were a mix of confusion and shock.

I had to get out of here now. The thought of killing them all seemed like a reasonable option for half a second, but I realised that either way my family would still all have to move somewhere far away, and having a room full of witnesses was better than having a room full of corpses.

I knew I would always be a monster now, but I still had enough humanity left in me to spare these 20 or so lives.

As I lowered Bella to the ground, I felt her body temperature dropping, and as I took one last look at her beautiful, too pale face, with the ghost of her last expression of wonderment fading from it, I knew this image would stay in my mind for forever more and haunt me for all of eternity.

As I leapt straight through the glass window(what was the point in even using the door, it would just slow me down, I didn't care less about it), someone had collected their thoughts and was calling an ambulance to the scene, while a few people were contemplating getting up and going over to Bella.

The teacher was in a state of complete shock, he couldn't seem to understand what had just happened.

I could hear Alice's thoughts as I sped away from the school grounds, of course she already knew what had just happened, she was going to fetch Emmett and Rosalie from class, so we would all be long gone by the time everyone in the school found out what had just happened.

Because I was reading Alice's thoughts, the second I made my decision, I saw it mirrored in her thoughts.

Alice stopped on the spot and whispered painfully, the words,

Edward, please don't go to Italy.