Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, plot, setting, etc... belonging to Stephenie Meyer. I just like tweaking them.

Author's Note: Have fun.

The Autumn Effect

Chapter 1
The Beginning of the End

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The most intoxicating smell hit his nose as the new girl walked into the cafeteria. It wasn't the soft, soothing scent he had experienced throughout the day. It was stronger, much stronger, now that it was in the same room as him. He inhaled, burning his nose, but it was too heavenly. The sensation of alcohol burning down his throat began, just as a low growl sounded deep in his chest. She was standing in the lunch line. His eyes could focus only on her. He could smell her every inch, see her veins pulsing just under the skin, could almost feel her fast beating heart under his hands. Every part of her called to him. Shit, he thought.

"Edward."

His name snapped him back into reality. He looked over at his sister, Alice.

"Edward, what's wrong?" Alice was worried.

"What do you mean 'what's wrong'? I'm perfectly fine," he replied, moody that his trance was broken, upset that his sister had noticed his tension.

"You're lying." Edward turned to her, glaring. "Fine. Whatever." His other siblings went back to their other conversations; Alice wasn't quite ready.

Edward, she thought. He closed his eyes to a slit to send the message to leave him alone.

Edward please, just listen. He nods his head in understanding. He didn't want to listen to her, but if he wanted to get back to the new girl, he'd have to get rid of Alice.

What's wrong? You're acting different. Edward didn't understand. He raised his eyebrow just the slightest to show his confusion.

Your body is tense. You growled earlier.

"So what?" He whispered so fast to not let anyone else hear. "I'm having a bad day." He was hoping this lie would work. Alice looked at him disappointedly before turning her attention back to Jasper.

Your eyes are black.

Oh no, he thought to himself. Something wasn't right. He just fed a few days ago. He shouldn't have gotten hungry for another week or so. He looked back up to the new girl. Isabella. Bella. He'd never been so glued to a human. Something must not have been right.

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Bella had just sat down with the girl called Jessica. She didn't notice what she bought for food. She wasn't that hungry, she was too nervous.

"So Bella, what was it like in Phoenix?" Mike asked with a smile.

Bella laughed inwardly. "Phoenix was warm… and sunny, the complete opposite of here." Jessica started giggling, along with Angela. Mike smiled wider.

"Forks isn't all that bad. You make it seem horrid," Lauren replied bitterly. Bella turned to look at her, not understanding.

"No. I didn't mean that. Forks is great," she paused, lowering her voice, "if you like rain, green, and more rain." The table started laughing again, all except Lauren. She scoffed and turned her attention to the gossip magazine in her hand.

Bella went off into her mind as the table started discussing the new school year, the upcoming dance, and other such trivial things. Well, Bella considered them trivial. What a waste of time, were her thoughts. As she was taking in the entire cafeteria, her eyes froze on one specific table. Am I hallucinating? Is that possible? They were all too beautiful to bear. She wanted to look away, hide herself, but she couldn't stop staring. How can they be so beautiful and human?

"Bella?" Jessica was waving her hand in front of the new girl's face. Bella was startled out of her daydream.

"Huh? Oh sorry. What were you saying?"

Jessica smiled coyly. "What are you ogling at?"

Bella blushed before she replied, "Nothing." Jessica followed Bella's line of sight and laughed at where it ended.

"The Cullen's and Hale's?" Bella was confused. Jessica helped by pointing towards their table.

Bella mouthed an "o" and blushed again.

"Don't even think about it sweetie. It'll just be a waste of time. Jasper and Emmett are already taken, and Edward…" she paused, seemingly lost in her own reveries, "well, he doesn't date any girls here, at least he hasn't yet." Jessica said the last part icily.

Bella couldn't help but blush. Edward had been exactly the boy she was looking at. It was easy to see that the other two were taken; they were sitting and holding hands with females. Edward was the only boy sitting with distance between the other four, if boy is what you could call him. His skin was pale, like ivory; smooth like the best made marble, with a hint of silk, the way it glowed in the cafeteria lighting. His hair was auburn brown, with mixed highlights of blonde and gold; perfectly layered and placed on his head in a way to make it look purposely disheveled. His dark gray shirt was nicely fit on his arms and torso, pronouncing the dimension of his lean muscles. And his face… his face was hard to describe for Bella. His eyes were downcast, staring at his fists on the table; strands of hair trying to hide them. The eyes led down to his straight nose; then his thin, sad lips; his chin, precisely chiseled; his jaw, strong and hard, angled. Flawless. She wondered what it would feel like to touch him.

She was wrapped up in her description of him when his head flew up and looked her straight in the eye.

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Hands. Focus on your hands. It was so, so very difficult not to look up at her. He realized what was happening now. Her blood, her blood was tempting him. He was craving it, every drop of it. It didn't help that she was absolutely beautiful. The way her face lit up when she smiled, or the way her hair fell over her shoulder, the way she fiddled with her hands when she was nervous. Stop. Focus. Hands. His hands were latched onto the edge of the table, the tops of his knuckles snow white from the pressure of the grip. The way her nose crinkled up when she was confused. He could see all these images of her from the day through the other students around her. Just one look. Just one. He told himself one would help to settle him. He looked up, hoping for just a quick glance. He didn't know she was already staring at him. And…

…And he couldn't look away, again. He was stuck. She had him stuck. He tried reading her mind to find something, anything, about her. It came up blank. Edward started getting angry. Why can't I read her mind? His eyes grew darker and Bella was surprised. She blushed and flung her hair over her right shoulder, looking to her left to talk with Jessica again. With that came a rush of her scent. It was overwhelming. He could feel the venom leaking off of his teeth, urging him to feast. No! Stop! His body was in pain. He wanted it, he needed it. He had to have it. Edward turned away, shutting his eyes, and squeezing the upper bridge of his nose. No. You can't. Think of how hard you've worked to get to this point. You don't drink them. You don't. Think of Carlisle. His mind held onto the idea of Carlisle. Edward looked up to him. He didn't want to disappoint his father.

He stole another glance at the being who was threatening his way of life. She was conversing with Jessica. All of a sudden her head bent back, revealing all of her throat, her veins, the blood pulsing, and the sound of her laugh echoed through his head. The way her chest bounced in tune with her hard breathing from the laughing; he could hear it, her heart beat, the blood being brought in, and pumped back out, circulating through her body. I bet she tastes better than she smells, he thought. He glared before looking away, bringing his hands up to rub his temples. What is wrong with me?

He couldn't stand it anymore. He stood up and quickly left the cafeteria, opting for some fresh air outside, away from the girl.

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"Yeah, that teacher Molesky is so weird. I mean, think about it. If you say her last name fast it sounds like 'molest me' and that," Mike paused a second for emphasis, "is just nasty." The table went into another round of laughter. Bella couldn't hold it in this time. It was so mean, but too funny. Her voice traveled from her chest and erupted out of her throat. She threw her head back in joy. Maybe Forks isn't that bad after all. When she brought her face back down she caught the sight of Edward from the corner of her eye, glaring. She jutted her head to see him better, see what was receiving his anger. It was her. Her smile faded into a frown as she dropped her gaze. What had she done wrong? She never insulted him. Does he freak out like that if he sees someone looking at him? How rude. Bella thought he was acting very much the jerk, but that didn't take away from his beauty, not at all.

She looked once more, just to see if she had misinterpreted. No. She hadn't. He had stood up and was already leaving the cafeteria. Bella decided to put it in the back of her mind for another time. She convinced herself she should enjoy her lunch, and she did.

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Edward was pacing. That's what he always did when he couldn't think straight; when he needed to think straight, to organize the mess of his thoughts. How could one girl, one stupid, simple, petty girl do this to him? confuse him? ruin everything that he's worked for? One more breath of her could destroy the best of him. No, he told himself, you will not cave in. You can take this. It's just a girl. You only have another two classes left and you can leave. You can convince Carlisle to let you head up to Alaska for a bit. You'll be fine. Control yourself. His little pep talk was starting to work, or so he thought.

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Her schedule read that Biology was next. Well, she thought, it can't get any worse than lunch was. As she exited the cafeteria, she noticed the skies had begun to rain. She was grateful for the covering over the walkway. She didn't like getting soaked. Sprinkles were okay, but not a downpour, which is exactly what this was. She frowned, though. She remembered hearing it was supposed to be sunny this afternoon. What a bummer. Maybe it'll clear up later.

"Hey Bella! Wait up!" Mike shouted from behind. Bella stopped walking and turned, waiting for Mike to catch up. "Hey. You have Bio, right?"

"M-hm," she mumbled in agreement. He smiled.

"Good. Me too. I'll help you get there."

Bella smiled in return, "Thanks."

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Edward kept telling the demon inside him to settle. It wouldn't be long before he could leave. He was praying that Bella would be on the far side of the building. The less intensity of her, the better. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to slow his thoughts. With it came her scent. No. It was strong, incredibly strong. She was walking this way, he could hear her steady breathing. He opened his eyes, rushing through his thoughts to find a way to get out of this situation. It was too late. He saw her standing in the doorway, staring at him, intimidated.

Bella walked to the front desk, asking the teacher to sign her slip of paper. He did. "Class, if you haven't already heard, this is our new student, Isabella Swan."

"It's Bella," she said quietly.

"Oh. Okay, Bella. You can sit, um," he paused, looking about the classroom for an empty seat, "right next to Edward." Edward froze. This couldn't be happening; his own personal hell. He knew it, God was punishing him. God was letting him know that he was going to suffer for what he was… a monster.

Bella looked mortified as she slowly made her way towards Edward's double desk. She kept mumbling under her breath, "Don't trip…don't trip…" He smiled at this. Not only did she look fragile, she actually was. He observed her movement. He was intrigued, to say the least. Her clumsy progress down the aisle was almost graceful, like a façade of ungainliness, but full of elegance. How odd.

Edward held his breath as she took her seat next to him.

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Bella held her breath as she lowered herself into the seat to the left of Edward. She slowly exhaled, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat. It was pounding in her ears. How is he going to act now? She was uneasy, but she convinced herself to start introductions.

"Hi. I'm Bella. Well, obviously, I'm sure you already knew that…" she babbled.

Edward interrupted her before she finished, "I know," he said in a deep voice.

She was taken back by his mood. "Listen, I don't remember ever doing anything to you," she continued, a bit angered by his attitude. Her mind went blank when he turned his face to her and she saw his eyes. They were dark, but had a hint of butterscotch in them. They were endless pits of beauty. She didn't stop staring until he spoke.

"You're right," he said, putting on a hint of a smile, "you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just having a bad day. I'm Edward Cullen, but I'm sure you already knew that since the teacher pointed me out." Bella had to control herself from shutting her eyes and falling asleep. Her mind was slipping away, but her nerves were on end. The closeness of him was… she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Exciting. Alluring. God, she didn't even know him! But his voice, liquid silk on fire encompassing her entire body, was too amazing. It in itself was a lullaby, not caring about meters, or rhyming, just images. That's what his voice did for her. It created images in her head.

"Bella?" She snapped back. "Are you alright?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," she tried to speak calmly, but it came out shaken. She laughed out loud to get rid of her tension, quickly patting his arm, "Of course I'm fine." She smiled wide, hoping that he would smile back. He did, but it wasn't right. It was forced.

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Dear God, please let me make it through this class. Please, he begged, please. She had touched him. The feel of her skin, her pulsing blood on top of his was unbelievable. It was a lightning storm in a bottled second. It was exhilarating. His teeth were oozing venom again. His nostrils were on fire, with the scent of her so strong. He was in physical and mental turmoil. How could he last 45 minutes of this?

Edward grabbed a hold of his pencil after attempting to smile back. He was relieved and upset when she focused on her notebook. He took another deep breath. His body shivered in delight. She smelled so good. She would taste so good. The pencil snapped in half. No. She wouldn't taste good. Stop it. Focus. But the demon knew he was lying. He looked over at Bella while she was taking down notes. He glanced up and down her body, seeing and hearing the most easily accessible points of blood; her ankles, small and porcelain; the inside of her thighs, pulsing with warm, thick blood; her wrists; and last, her neck. Oh, her neck, exquisitely shaped, perfect for the release of blood, veins just under the skin, mere inches from where he sat.

And that is the exact moment the demon was unleashed.

Author's Note: Mwahaha. I'm evil. You may hate me for how I changed the story. But you don't know what happens after the last line, or do you? You may like it, you may not. Review, and let me know!

Sincerely,
Melantha Nyx