BPOV

My name is Isabella Sophia Shephard, but I go by Bella. I'm 17 years old. With my 5' 3'' thin, curvy body, great boobs, waist-length mahogany hair, flawless skin, and perfectly manicured nails, I am considered beautiful. I live in Los Angeles with my mom, Renee, and my stepfather, Phil. My stepfather is very rich, and we live in a mansion with butlers, maids, chefs, and an assortment of other hired staff. My mom owns a very chic and expensive clothing store called Fitted, which is pretty cool for me because I get all my totally fabulous clothes for free! I have lots of great friends at my private school, I get perfect grades, I'm captain of the cheerleaders, and I have the most incredible boyfriend named Dylan. My life was near perfect until one day it all went to hell in a handbasket, as my grandma would say...

It started out as a normal day. After I took a shower in my private bathroom, I went into my attached walk-in closet and selected a pair of very flattering dark skinny jeans, a turquoise cashmere long-sleeved and low-necked minidress with a really cute leather belt that cinched it at the waist, and some knee high leather boots that went perfectly with the belt. Unconsciously, I had coordinated the outfit to match the bracelet that had been on my wrist since I was 12, the one that I tried hard not to think about, yet rarely succeeded, the one that consisted of rings all looped together and made purely of expensive silver with diamonds embedded in each of the ringlets, the one that was engraved with the letters "FIMT," the one that caused me pain every time I looked at it. Almost involuntarily, I found myself transported back in time to that awful event...

I was sitting on the swingset at the park with my two best friends, Jacob and Jasmine, who we called Jazz. We were all acting silly, singing Lady Gaga songs at the top of our lungs and laughing while we swung sideways, bumping into each other. Then it started raining, so we looked at each other, and then simultaneously leaped out of our swings and started spinning around together in the falling drops of rain. This was a tradition that we had honored together ever since we could walk. When it finally stopped we all plopped down on the ground, me with my head in Jacob's lap, and Jasmine with her head resting on my stomach.

"I'm tired," Jasmine sighed.

"Me, too," I remarked.

"Ditto," Jake laughed.

It had been like this since we had met each other. We weren't really three friends, but more of a whole being made up of three parts. The abandoned office building that we liked to hang out in was just a couple of blocks away, so we decided to go there. Jacob was complaining because Jazz didn't want to walk the whole way and had insisted that he carry her. I laughed, and then he told me that if I found it so amusing, I should carry her. After teasingly sticking my tongue out at him, I stood next to him as she slid from his back to mine. Once we were there, we decided to do some exploring, which led to climbing the stairs to the fifth floor. Jazz found a door that we soon discovered was an elevator. When the light above the doors came on, we were shocked to find that it still worked.

Jacob and I looked at each other and shouted, "LET'S DO IT!"

"What if it's dangerous?" Jazzy moaned.

"Oh, come on. It's just an elevator! What's it gonna do, swallow us up?" We were saying to her.

She finally consented, but we still had to practically drag her inside it. We pushed all of the buttons and squealed as the doors slid closed. We made it to the 12th floor before it happened. The elevator jerked violently and started plummeting downward. We all screamed our lungs out, but no help came. When we hit the bottom, the impact jarred the teeth in my skull and sent debris and pieces of the elevator's roof raining down on us. I whimpered and called out to Jazzy and Jacob.

"I'm okay," Jacob croaked. "Jazz?"

No reply.

"Jasmine! Are you okay?" I nearly yelled. Then I sucked in a shocked gasp when I forced myself up and saw that a large chunk of the elevator had crashed down on her head. She was still breathing, but not for long. "JACOB!"

"OH, MY GOD! JASMINE!" He screamed. "NO! You can't die! You can't leave us!"

"Don't worry. I'll see you again someday." She whispered hoarsely. "It's okay."

"No! Please don't die, Jasmine!" I wailed. "Just hang in there and we'll get an ambulance!" Even as I said this, I knew it would never make it in time, even if we could somehow make it up to the ground level.

"It's my time. I have to. I wish I didn't, but I have to. Just promise me one thing, both of you."

"Yes, anything!" We both cried.

"Just remember to live each day like it was your last. Remember that each day is a gift. And please, don't forget me." Jasmine spoke so softly I had to strain to hear her.

"Jasmine, we won't ever forget you as long as we live. I swear." Jacob lowered his head as he said this, but looked her right in the eye.

"Never! We couldn't! You are our best friend and you'll always be that. I love you." I whispered, with tears pouring down my face.

"Me, too," said Jacob.

"I love you both, and you'll always be my bestest friends, too." She replied. Then her breathing slowed and gradually came to a stop. Jacob and I hugged her blood-soaked body and cried. I don't know for how long, but when we eventually quieted, we both took deep breaths and started digging our way out of the horrible chamber of death that we had gotten trapped in.

I felt a tear trickle down my face before I could stop it. I felt so guilty! If I just hadn't pressured Jazzy into getting in the elevator, she would be alive today. I knew Jacob felt the same. He had the male version of the same bracelet I was wearing, and neither of us had taken it off since we got them. They made us feel more like we were honoring our promise to never forget her, though I didn't really need it, as I thought about her nearly every day. Jacob and I had slit our wrists together and swore that we would never forget her, ever. After giving that blood oath, the scar that remained marked us physically and ensured that she was always in our thoughts.

"Pull yourself together, Bella!" I hissed at myself. Then I turned to finish getting ready for school.

8 Hours Later

I stepped out of my silver Porsche Carrera GT. It was a 16th birthday present from my parents, and I absolutely loved it! I was at Starbucks, and desperately needed a large fat-free cappuccino with extra foam. After ordering, I grabbed my drink, threw some money on the counter, and then took a long, wonderful sip of it. The cashier, Melinda, laughed. I knew all the staff here because I was a regular, and they all knew how I was practically addicted to coffee. I smiled at her, and then picked my way through all the college kids to get to the door.

When I was outside, I glanced around and noticed a man that I had seen several times in the past few weeks. He was about 6' 4'' and he had short, dirty blonde hair, plus he was majorly ripped. He was wearing clothes that looked casual, but were obviously expensive. He was incredibly pale, and his eyes were red. I'll admit, he kind of scared me. It wasn't just his appearance, but more the way that he looked at me, and how his gaze was filled with lust and desire. I shuddered slightly, then started towards my car, but he beat me to it.

"Hi, I'm James." He said to me as he blatantly looked me over, his eyes lingering on my chest.

"Nice to meet you, James." I was proud that I was able to keep the fear out of my voice.

"What's yours?"

"Bella."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, too, Bella." The way he said it just creeped me out! The clouds over the sun cast shadows all over, which made him look even more creepy.

"I was wondering if I could interest you in a lunch together. I know I'm hungry," James said. There was a cruel glint in his eyes when he said that.

"Oh, no, thanks. I already ate. I had lunch with my boyfriend." I emphasized the word "boyfriend" slightly so that he would get the message. All of a sudden, he was standing right next to me! I was startled and stumbled back a little.

"I think you'll find that what I have in mind is a little different..." James trailed off, leaving me to visualize fearfully the kind of things he wanted to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm no virgin, but he was really scaring me!

"I'm good, but thanks for the offer. I should probably get home now...my parents will be wondering where I am."

When I said that, he actually growled! It didn't sound human at all. Without a word, he just picked me up like I weighed nothing and threw me into the back of his SUV. I was so shocked I didn't even scream. He was so hard and cold, and SO fast! One minute I'm standing there, and then I blinked and found myself in his arms. He shoved the gas pedal down and started speeding away, all of this happening in less than 10 seconds. Scared as I was, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was...

I couldn't see out the windows, so I had no idea where we were going. After about 10 minutes, we finally stopped and he got out, only to appear in front of me a second later. I was terrified! My cell was in my purse, which was in my car where I had put it right before he introduced himself. I found myself being lifted and 5 seconds later, I had been carried into a bedroom inside a 2-story brick building.

"Now, then. It's always nice when they cooperate, so how about you just do what I tell you to do?" James said with a sinister smile. I couldn't believe this was happening, but my mind was going full speed.

"Fuck you!" I responded defiantly.

"Ah, well, then we'll just do this the hard way," he snarled.

As he stalked closer to me, I started backing up, but he soon had me cornered. There was no way out. He licked his lips, and then with one hand held me against the wall with his super-strength. I tried to kick and scream but he just laughed and watched me struggle.

"These walls are soundproof. No one can hear you."

He flipped me over easily and started unzipping the back of my minidress. James slid it down my body, then removed my shoes, then my jeans. Tears were running down my face, but he seemed to like it when I struggled and cried, so I forced myself to stop. I had had lots of practice with doing that in my life. Crying wouldn't help, anyway. James slid down my lacy panties and smiled evilly. Then he undid my matching bra. I stood there naked, and then he suddenly brought out rope from his pocket and tied my arms to two posts sticking out of the brick floor, and my legs to two more, so that I was laying in an "X."

He did this before I could really comprehend it, and I wondered again what the hell he was. I didn't figure I was going to last long, so I asked him.

Smirking, he replied, "I am a vampire."

Disbelief was written across my face, but as I thought about it, it made sense, with his otherworldly good looks, strength, coldness, hardness, and speed. He noticed my expression and punched the solid wall, which crumbled, then ran around the room so fast I couldn't see him. He smiled, pleased with his demonstration. He told me about his kind, how red eyes meant human-drinkers while gold eyes meant animal-drinkers.

"I can't see much harm in allowing you to know, as you won't be alive for much longer." He mused.

Then he crouched down and straddled me, and took of his t-shirt and cargo shorts. I whimpered, but quickly silenced myself. He grinned sadistically as he began running his hands down my body. I knew there was no use in struggling. James lowered his head and started sucking on my breast, while playing with the other one with his hands. He was visibly aroused, and when he noticed my pierced navel, it intensified. I was in pure Hell. But the thing is, I deserved this. All of it, the rape, the torture, the death. I was the one who got Jasmine killed when she was so young, had so much life left to live. So I just lay there and took it. Not that I could do anything different anyway. The pain I felt when he entered me was excruciating. He pounded in and out and I just closed my eyes and whimpered. When he was finally done, I was so relieved.

"I'll be back in a few hours, Bella. Don't miss me too much, now!" He called as he went out the door of the building.

While he was abusing me, the knots that he had tied had come slightly loose. When I realized this, I felt hope blossom inside me! After about two hours, I had my left hand free! I undid the knot on my right hand as quickly as I could, not knowing when James would be back. As soon as my hands were free, I quickly got my feet free. I dressed in record time, not caring that my jeans were wrinkled, unbuttoned, and sagged, or that my dress was inside out, or that my boots weren't zipped. All I cared about was getting the hell out of there! I ran and ran and ran once I was outside. I thought it a little careless of James to have left the doors unlocked, but I wasn't complaining! I realized that I could see my car now, and, spurred on, I ran even faster. I leaped in shoved the key in and made it to my house in 30 seconds. I was so happy that I cried! My parents came running out and started shouting at me about what had happened and how worried they were, but I just cried harder and threw myself into their arms.

24 Hours Later

My parents were so freaked, but they actually acted surprisingly well; I doubted someone with less experience with them would have been able to tell that they were actually on the verge of a meltdown. I didn't tell them the part about him being a vampire, they would just have me committed. But I did tell them about how I was dead sure that he would come after me, so my maid packed me several large suitcases, and the next thing I knew, I was on a flight to Forks, Washington, the tiny little hard-to-find town where my dad lived. I slept the whole flight, and felt relieved when the plane finally touched down in Port Angeles, a little city near Forks. Charlie picked me up, and said nothing the whole ride, for which I was grateful. He had been appraised of the situation already. He knew that I wouldn't want to talk about it, and I loved him for that. We got to his house, which was pretty big, especially compared to some of the other houses around here. I hadn't been here since I was 6, when I had last visited, but not much had changed. My room was the same lime green color that I loved, and there was still a rocking chair. However, he had gotten me a queen-sized bed and a large desk, with some lamps and rugs and stuff. After Charlie left to go to the station where he was Police Chief, I made my bed with the cool bedspread and sheets that had been packed for me, and spent the rest of the night unpacking all my clothes, which barely fit in the closet/dresser. Charlie and I had dinner, and then he watched the game while I had a shower and went to bed. One thing I love about him: he knows that I don't like hovering, meaningless smalltalk, or awkward time spent together that neither person enjoys.

The next day, I was somewhat excited about school, but not for the reasons one would think. Honestly, I was anxious to make sure that James wasn't here, though I knew that he couldn't be. My parents were so worried (I told them that James told me he would track me to the ends of the earth, because I knew he would.) that they gave me a new drivers license with the name Sapphire Swan, and all new credit cards. I took a shower, then put on a lacy lingerie set that my mom had given me for my birthday one year (She's a little out there, but I love her.). Over that I wore a baby blue tank top with satin straps, dark blue skinny jeans, and black leather above-the-knee stiletto boots. As far as accessories go, I wore aquamarine studs and white gold hoop earrings, a simple silver heart locket on a short chain so that it rested in the hollow base of my throat, and, of course, my silver navel piercing, though no one could see it. I put all my cash, credit cards, drivers license, makeup, iPhone, and other necessities in a matching purse and grabbed my car keys. Thankfully, my car had arrived before me, so I didn't have to depend on Charlie for a ride.

When I got to the school, everyone was staring at my car. I looked around the parking lot and realized that most of the other cars were at least twenty years old. I felt self-conscious but confident as I stepped out and all the eyes went from my car to me. I knew I probably had dressed to expensively, but I couldn't bear to not wear designer, as shallow as that sounds.

A boy came up to me and introduced himself as Eric. "You're going to be the front page of the school paper!" He exclaimed.

"What? Thanks, but I really would prefer if you didn't!" Normally attention didn't bother me too much, but here I was all too aware that if my face ended up on any paper, even if just a school paper, James could find me.

"But-"

"I really don't want to be in the paper, so please don't."

He sighed, defeated, and looked down. "I guess I'll just do a piece on the lunch ladies' new hairnets, then." He started to slowly walk away.

I sighed. I really didn't want to be in the paper, but I didn't want to make him sad. "Fine! You can put me in the paper, but no picture!"

"Really? Thanks so much!"

"Sure, sure."

Eric ran off then, presumably to go to class. Everyone was still staring at me and my car. The girls were glaring at me, while the guys were practically drooling. Ugh. It was going to be a long day.