Bella:

I wasn't always like this. I was excited, practically teetering on the edge of my seat. Normally, I was fairly calm, but tonight, I was going to see one of my favorite bands of all time play. Conor Oberst was coming to Port Angeles, and I was going to see him. I wouldn't miss this for the world. All day I had been wandering around without a thought in my head other than what it would be like to see this musician who had meant so much to me through the past couple of years. This was going to be incredible.

I called this girl Jessica who I had met at school when I moved to this godforsaken town a couple of months ago. She had reluctantly agreed to go to this show with me after a not insignificant amount of groveling and begging. I didn't like her very much, but my father, Charlie, wouldn't let me go to the show alone as there had been a few odd murders in Port Angeles recently. The police hadn't figured out who was behind them, but the hushed whispers around town were all about how gruesome the murders were. Being a policeman himself, Charlie was more than a little anxious about it. It also didn't help things that I hadn't lived with him for most of my life and since I moved here from Phoenix he had been severely overprotective of me.

So when Jessica picked up after the third ring, I breathed a little sigh of relief. "Hello?" like she didn't know who it was.

"Hey, it's me, Bella. I was wondering what time you would be ready. The show starts at 7:00, I was thinking I could pick you up around 5:30? That way we would be there when the doors open."

"Whatever," she said. She really could care less what time I picked her up as long as she got there. She was meeting up with this guy, Mike, there. She hadn't fully hopped on board with this plan until she heard Mike ask me if I was going. She immediately jumped into the conversation with an enthusiasm that had been absent when we had been discussing the plans. I was pretty sure that Jessica had a serious thing for Mike, and it was sort of annoying to see her throw herself at him repeatedly. But honestly, who cared? I just needed an accomplice on this little mission of mine.

"Alright, I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

I ran downstairs to grab my jacket and keys. Charlie was in the living room watching the Sox game. How a man from Washington became a Red Sox fan was beyond me. It didn't interest me very much and he knew that, so I got out of having to watch the games with him. We were pretty quiet around each other, but it was comfortable.

"You headed out?" You could always count on Charlie to state the obvious.

"Yeah, I'm going to pick up Jessica and then we're headed to Port Angeles."

"You're driving all the way there?" Who else, Charlie?

"Yeah…. Why?"

"You have your AAA card?"

"Yes, Dad. Anything else?"

"Have your phone on you. What is Jessica's number?"

"DAD. I will be fine. You do not need Jessica's number. I will be home as soon as the show is over. Stop worrying."

"Okay Sweetpea. Please just be careful. I wouldn't be able to take it if something happened to you. Love ya, Bells."

"I'll be home before you know it." Something was telling me to hug him. I walked over to his chair, gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Love you, too, Dad." I grabbed my keys off the hook by the door and walked out to my truck.

I grabbed the giant rust-eaten door on my ancient Chevy pick up. I had to punch the handle before it would work. My truck, in technical terms, was a heap of junk. I loved it though. It sort of reminded me of myself. A sturdy old soul with a beat up old exterior. The drive to Jessica's house was short and she ran outside wearing a frilly top with jeans and heels. I sort of gaped and made a face at her I suppose because she asked me what was wrong.

"You're going to wear heels to the show?" She had to be insane. We were going to be standing the entire time. You gotta love general admission.

"Yeah, I want to look really good in case I see any cute guys there." Meaning Mike, not that I would ever admit that I had noticed that particular situation. Whatever, there was no love lost between her and I. Let her figure it out for herself.

"Cool." I replied. The drive to Port Angeles seemed pretty short even though my truck could only go about 55 mph. Most of the time Jessica just chatted about what Mike thought about this or that while looking at herself in the mirror. As we pulled up to the venue, she checked her hair and makeup one last time. There wasn't much of a line outside. Good, we would be able to get really close.

The next half an hour was just a blur of sub par bands and stupid indie kids with nothing better to do than style their hair apparently. I never understood their obsession with their images. They all looked the same because they were trying to look different. Whatever, once Conor was on stage they were all just going to melt into the background anyway. As if that was his cue, he slowly walked out onto the stage carrying a guitar.

The moment finally arrived. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I got a weird quaking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was sort of odd, but I just attributed it to how excited I was. He opened the show with "True Blue", one of my favorites. The crowd hushed as the next notes rang through the air. A little shiver traveled it's way down my spine. This was going to be breath taking.

The fragile keep secrets gathered in pockets, they'll sell them for nothing. A cheap watch or locket. That kind of gold washes off.

"Arienette" was my absolute favorite song by Bright Eyes. It left you feeling sort of hollow and mysterious. Like this was the kind of night where anything could happen. I looked around me taking it all in as the plucking of the guitar strings reverberated throughout the old building we were all crammed into.

And the sad act like lepers. They stick to the shadows. They long to ring bells of warning to tell of their coming, so that the pure can shut their doors.

I searched the crowd at that moment. My eyes rested upon the back of a tawny head that had snapped around quickly at my perusal. The kid had been staring at me for sure. He was tall. His head clearly rose above those of nearly everyone around him. Except for the blonde guy standing next to him. He was about the same height, though much leaner.

It was at that moment that Jessica received a phone call. It was Charlie. There had been another murder in Port Angeles and he wanted me home NOW. Incredibly reluctant to leave, I told Jessica that I would go start the car so that she wouldn't have to walk as far. It wasn't that far and it was still relatively early. She told me that she was going to stay and look for Mike. I couldn't believe her. But whatever, I didn't need her to get home. I would be fine. I was sure of it. Other than the fact that I felt like bashing Charlie's head in, of course.

And the angry are animals. Senseless and savage. They act without order in logical lapses. They stain their mouths with blood.

As I walked out to the car, I had an odd sensation that I was being watched. I started walking a little faster at that moment. There was no need to panic I told myself. I didn't get to finish watching Bright Eyes play, but nothing worse was going to happen. At that precise moment, I felt a sharp tug on my hand and a crack in the bones of my arm. The strength of the hand that pulled me had just broken my arm. Before I could let the shock and pain register in my mind, I felt something quickly stab into my shoulder and that's when the burning started.

So take my hand this barren land is alive tonight and the corn has grown stalks that form a wall to hide.

I shut my eyes tight against the pain. The last thing I glimpsed before I slipped into oblivion were the stars from in between the brick buildings on either side of me. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I prayed it would end. I had to be dying. No one could go through this and come out alive on the other side.

But the wind carries sounds that I can't see from beyond that line. Then the stalks begin to sway. Oh, stay with me Arienette until the wolves are away.

Edward:

Being a vampire, especially when you are a vampire like me, is fairly easy. You get used to denying yourself that which most vampires find essential to their lives. But I can live without. I don't need a human beings blood to survive. I live off the blood of animals, and it is enough to keep me alive. Well, not alive, but … you know what I mean. So when Jasper suggested that we go to the Bright Eyes concert, I didn't think it would be a big deal. I didn't know how wrong I was.

The night started off as a normal evening for us vampires. My family was spending time with various hobbies. I say my family, but in reality, none of us were related by blood. My father, Carlisle, had "created" me. It wasn't as brutal as you might imagine it, but an act of mercy. I had been dying of influenza and Carlisle saved me. I was the first. After me, our family just kept growing. We now were a "coven" of seven vampires. All paired off into couples, with just one exception. Myself. The quietly intense Jasper had the vivacious and bubbly Alice. The cunning and exceptionally beautiful Rosalie had the brusque and energetic Emmett. And the superbly intelligent and caring Carlisle had Esme, our loving mother and heart of the family. I was alright alone. I always had been. It just meant I had more free time than the others. Vampires don't sleep, so I had to find some other way to occupy my time.

My life's passion has always been music. I can play just about any instrument you could possibly lay into my hands. But my favorite instrument has always been the piano. The piano is an instrument of infinite possibilities. Most contemporary pianists had no idea how to use the instrument, and I could easily out play them any day. But the necessity of keeping a low profile made it impossible for me to take the show on the road, so to speak. Whoever heard of a master pianist living for over a hundred years without aging?

One contemporary artist I do enjoy though is Conor Oberst. While I could easily show him up on any instrument he chose to use, it's his lyrics that speak to me. The hauntingly lovely words he uses to describe tragedies and love alike. That's why I was fairly excited to see them play this evening.

Jasper and I decided to run to the venue. Oh, another perk of being a vampire, we're able to run incredible distances at incredible speeds. And since it was fairly warm out for an October evening, no one would think it was that odd that we were walking home. But once we got into the forest, we would take off at breakneck speed and be home in a matter of moments.

When we got there we went into the old magnificent building. Wait, who am I to be calling anything old? It was probably built after I was born, judging from the architecture. I caught a whiff of all the people in the crowd. This was going to be tough for Jasper. He was newest to our way of life and sometimes found it difficult to control himself. He had probably asked me to come to keep an eye on him. I was faster than the others. Oh and did I mention I can read minds? So, yes, that's also another perk of being a vampire. Some of us, not all, but some, are endowed with some superhero-esque qualities. As if we need them. Jasper could sense what people were feeling and even control it to an extent. He could change the entire atmosphere in a room if he wanted to. Jasper was a good person to have around in stressful situations. But Alice, well, she had visions of the future. These though, were hardly reliable. People have free will, and that can change everything.

Alice had looked at the concert for us, to foresee how Jasper would handle being in a crowd of humans. She foresaw him handling everything pretty well. She said he would have to step out for a moment or two, but that he would be fine. And besides, I would be there to hear any treacherous thoughts he might have.

Jasper and I decided to wait in the hall off of the main venue until Bright Eyes began to play. No need to tempt fate. At that moment, two girls walked towards us. One of them looked rather ridiculous wearing something more appropriate for a dance club. The other was so quietly beautiful that it made my breath pause. Not that I actually needed to breathe anymore. She had a magnificent curtain of warm brown hair swinging down her back. She was dressed rather simply. Wearing a fitted white t-shirt, with jeans, and old sneakers, she looked so soft and vulnerable. I almost imagined her as a woodland fairy. She would look at home in a forest, I thought.

I started to listen to their thoughts. Some trivial thoughts about what someone named Mike would think of her outfit from the trollop. Again, my breath stopped. I heard nothing coming from my little woodland fairy. I tried to concentrate on her and only her. And still nothing. My extra sense had never failed me before. This was new and extremely irritating. The annoying girl's thoughts rang through my head as I struggled to listen.

There is no way Mike will think Bella looks better than me tonight. What a slob.

Bella. Italian for beautiful. It suited her well. At that moment, Bella reached for the door into the main hall of the venue. A gust of air blew out into the hall where we were standing and blew Bella's hair out behind her. As the air hit me, I felt as though I had been hit by a wrecking ball.

The thirst burned in me in a way I had never before experienced. I could feel the venom pooling in my mouth. What was this? This was absolutely insane. I had not hungered for a human this way in my entire vampire existence. It was the most delicious scent I had ever encountered, human or vampire. I suddenly had to have her, I was ravenous. But I couldn't ruin life for my family. That was important.

Surely, they wouldn't be too upset with me if I explained to them why this beautiful creature had to die. They would understand. I just had to do this quietly. I couldn't let Jasper talk me out of what I was about to do and I offered a silent prayer of thanks to whoever would be listening to my thoughts that Jasper couldn't read minds as I could. I would wait until she and her friend were leaving. If I had to kill both of them so be it. I was sure that it wouldn't be considered too odd with the recent "crime wave" in Port Angeles. All the odd deaths were the work of vampires, no doubt. But the vampires in question had since moved on. Vampires who fed on humans were forced to be nomads. They couldn't stay in one place too long in order to keep our existence secret.

"Hey Jas, do you want to go inside now? I want to get a good spot." Good, Edward. Stay calm. He won't know anything is up if you're calm.

"Alright." Jasper said. I searched his thoughts. He was just hoping this wasn't going to be too difficult for him to handle. He had absolutely no idea. So far things were going perfectly. When I needed to follow Bella… the girl, I corrected myself. I didn't like to name my food. When I needed to follow the girl, I would simply tell Jasper I needed some fresh air. During the second song, I honestly couldn't even tell you what it was I was so preoccupied with staring at the girl, she looked at me. I felt the wrecking ball coming towards me again, and turned around before she could realize I was looking at her.

I could feel her eyes on the back of my head. And then they stopped. I turned back towards her and heard her friend's whiny thoughts.

Now? I haven't even seen Mike yet. Ugh, I should have known better than to come here with the police chief's daughter. Screw this. I'm just going to stay here and tell Mike she left me here to run off with some dude. Ha, we'll see what Mike thinks of precious Bella then.

I felt a sudden surge of hatred for this girl who would so easily lie about someone else to make herself look better. But more importantly, my prey was leaving.

"Hey Jas, I really need to step out for a minute." He gave me a strange look but nodded. I needed to leave before he realized something was wrong.

I walked outside and hung around the other side of the building. I waited until I felt her scent wash over me on the night breeze. My throat burned and the intensity of it shocked me. Here, outside, without the taint of other humans' scent, she smelled like the most delicious thing I could ever imagine. It was unreal. She would taste heavenly.

She walked towards the alley I was waiting in and I suddenly wondered what I was doing. I couldn't kill this lovely creature. She was innocent. I had never before killed an innocent, I couldn't start now. Just then I noticed the blush on her cheeks and thought of the blood swirling there and all rational thought was lost. I was the predator and she was the prey. And there was nothing that would deter me now.

I grabbed her by her hand and pulled her into the alley with enough force to easily break her arm. I heard the bones crack and the monster in me grinned savagely at the satisfying sound. I swiftly pushed her hair to the side of her neck and bit into the soft flesh that connected her neck to her shoulder.

She gasped, but that only fueled my hunger. The taste of her was incredible, beyond anything I could have hoped or dreamed of. As I greedily drank from her, I decided there was no reason I shouldn't look at this beautiful creature as I enjoyed her taste. I turned her to face me, and the pain of her unseeing eyes stopped me in my tracks.

Her face had turned pale and her beautiful, warm brown eyes were clouded over with pain. I was a monster. I had done this to her. What had I been thinking? I needed to figure out some way to save her. I had to. I couldn't believe I had actually plotted this, imagined it, and went through with it. The disgust I felt with myself was stronger than my thirst for this magnificent girl had been. I felt my eyes start to burn. Vampires couldn't cry however, so the burning continued, not being comforted by any tears. Good, I deserved the worst. I was a vile, despicable creature.

My first though was Carlisle. He would know what to do. I picked the girl up in my arms. She was still soft and warm. I hadn't killed her, then. I needed to get her back to my house. I made sure no one was around before I took off at full speed with her in my arms.

The girl gasped, panted and moaned in pain. At one point, she lay completely still and I thought that she had passed. I stopped for a moment and she let out an ear piercing shriek of pain. If my heart had still been beating, it would have stopped then. I had done this to her. I was causing her this much pain and I vowed that I would do everything in my power to make this right. Or at least as right as it could be. I didn't know what damage had been done to her, or what was going to happen, but I prayed that she would come out of this incident with little more than a foggy memory of what happened.

I picked up my feet again and began to blaze a trail to the big white house in the middle of the forest. I thanked my lucky stars that I was fast, even by vampire standards. We made it there in no more than 5 minutes. I knocked in the front door with my foot. You had to love excellent vampire hearing. My family, with the exception of Jasper was already waiting in the foyer. They had heard the scream and my rapid, frantic approach. They wore identical expressions of worry and concern.

"Edward, what happened?" Esme gasped at the sight of Bella, covered in her own blood. "Where is Jasper?" I hadn't even thought of Jasper. Naturally, they would think he had done this. Jasper, who was so easy to lose control. Not calm, cool, collected Edward. Never Edward.

"I did this. I did this." I don't know if I was trying to convince them, or myself. I couldn't look at them, but I knew that some of them gulped. For the first time, I couldn't hear their thoughts. I was blind to everything but her, but Bella. The remorse was already becoming far stronger than the monster inside me had ever been. "Carlisle" his name was a raspy sound out of my throat that I didn't even recognize as my own. "Please, please." Unable to say anything else, I whispered one last time. "Please."

Carlisle snapped out of his momentary shock and was at her side in less than a second. He put his ear down to her chest. The look on his face told me what was going to happen before he could mouth the words.

"Edward, your venom has reached her heart. The beat of it is already slowing. This girl is going to become one of us."