This is my very first fanfiction, so I would love it if you would review! Tell me what you think, but no flames, please!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and probably never, ever will unless some miracle occurs.

Chapter 1

I sat on the bench outside the shop, watching the gradually darkening clouds. I could hear the tinkle and squeak of the shopkeeper behind me as he dusted and mopped, cleaning up his pathetic little store. This was not a part of town that many people saw. Now that the sun was disappearing, all sorts of shady characters were appearing to lurk in the shadows. Bored and restless, I listened to the whispered conversation of two men across the street. Obviously, they didn't think that anyone could hear them. If I was them, I would have thought that too. The conversation, however, could not keep my interest for long. They were discussing the selling of drugs and cigarettes. Stupid men. I didn't want their blood, it was probably polluted with all sorts of disgusting, if not lethal, things.

I looked around, sniffed the air, and sighed. There were no delicious- smelling humans tonight. I would have to search. Reluctantly, I stood and began to reach out with my mind. As I passed my eyes over each person in the alleyway, a vivid picture flashed across my vision. This one showed a young man of about 17 walking in the forest, his raven black hair shining in the green light filtering through the trees. He was hiking, with a backpack on his back and a walking stick in his hand. Suddenly, a bear lunged out of the underbrush. There was a scream… With a jerk, I was wrenched back to reality in time to see the same boy walk out of a backpacking store. That one wasn't meant for me. I kept looking. That girl would choke on a bagel. That man would drown in a huge river. The bartender over there would die tomorrow of alcohol poisoning. Finally, my eyes rested on a young group of men standing near the opening of the alleyway. Beer bottles clinked in their hands as they laughed raucously. They watched young girls passing, yelling vulgar comments. As my mind reached them, I saw a picture of myself, me leading them into a dark alley, lunging… These ones were mine.

My throat was suddenly ablaze with thirst, and I moved toward them in a daze. My senses were sharpened with the hunt. Slowly, I ducked into a crouch and slipped through the shadows toward the men. I stopped right behind them, straightened and smiled a dazzling smile.

"Hello." I said calmly. All their shouting ceased. Each man turned his disbelieving eyes in my direction.

"Well, hello there." One of the men, obviously the leader, spoke to me, regaining his composure. "Would you care for a drink?"

"No thank you." I smiled at him. "But I'd like to take you fellas somewhere special." I beckoned and, like a flock of sheep, they followed me away from the comparative safety of the dimly lit street and into a dark, dingy street. There was no one near. We were surrounded by long-abandoned warehouses. One by one, the men filed after me until I stopped in the middle of the path. I stood perfectly still, listening to the stillness. There was no sound other than the guffaws of the men. Finally, the leader got tired.

"Hey, beautiful," he yelled, swaying slightly, "why are we here? There's nothing to do. Let's go to a place where we can have some real fun!" He smiled drunkenly at him. I threw him my most angelic smile, and then I lunged for his throat.

*****

My thirst satisfied, I crept out of the alley. My bright crimson, knee length dress had stayed perfectly clean. I wandered through the streets of Portland, not bothering to hurry anymore. I had nothing to fear. My cheeks were flushed with excitement and satisfaction. I walked past a dark store window and paused for a moment, catching a glimpse of my reflection in the glass. My raven hair framed my face like a dark curtain. My icy blue eyes glared out of the glass. My porcelain skin was the only thing that might have given away what I was, if the men had been informed enough to know. In the glass, you couldn't tell that my cheeks were flushed. You couldn't see my pumping, racing heart. But they were there. Definitely there.

I sighed. I needed to find a place to spend the night. Maybe somewhere in the woods farther north. I began to turn and head down the street that I knew led to the train station, walking more quickly now. The streets of Portland were relatively safe for me, but still, I didn't want a fight. However, when I took a step, still staring at the ground, I ran into a hard, solid object in my path. Looking up with trepidation, I found myself staring at a full-blown vampire, pale skin almost luminous in the moonlight, scarlet eyes glaring down at me. His hair was a dark, dark brown, and his skin had an olive tone under the chalky pale features. He had hit me fairly hard; apparently neither of us had been paying attention. However, I was as indestructible as he was and he seemed surprised that I hadn't been hurt.

"Are you quite all right, my dear? That's a very pretty dress. And you're so warm. Are you feeling fine?" The vampire stared at me, obviously attempting to woo me as I had wooed my prey a few minutes ago.

I decided to play along, and ran my eyes up and down his body. "Sure, handsome." I hoped to follow him and run for it, losing him. He wouldn't be able to track me like a normal human, because I had no scent. It was one of the few perks of being what I was- a freak.

He smiled, then began to walk away, toward a very dark alley, I noticed. "Follow me," he smiled at me.

"Sure." I said. As soon as he turned, I took flight. My black hair flew out behind me, and I was twenty miles away in a few minutes. I listened hard, and knew that he was chasing me, but I also knew that he couldn't find me. He was beginning to backtrack, looking this way and that, wondering where his human prey had gone. How had she gotten away so fast? I began to laugh as I ran.

*****

As I ran through the forest, I reflected on the vampire that I had seen in the city. What had he been doing? Was he hunting? It was a bit early for that. His glowing skin would have given him away in the shine of the streetlamps. I sighed. I had no glow to keep me in. For a while, the only thing to be heard was my own even breathing. The rhythm never faltered, and my muscles never began to burn. I settled into the beat of my bare feet hitting the forest floor; I had left my strappy heels far behind.

I began to wonder, not for the first time, what had really happened to me? Who was my creator and, more to the point, why was I like I was? What was wrong with me? Why was I a reject, a freak? A monster among monsters? I had learned enough in all my relatively few years to know that becoming a vampire was a painful process, and that the only way the process could occur was if I was bitten by a vampire and the venom was allowed to burn through my blood. In my waking moments, I couldn't recall the pain, but sometimes I dreamed about it at night. I always awoke gasping, clutching at my chest where my heart beat steadily on.

However, I also knew that I was very different from normal vampires. I snorted. Normal vampires. I could blush, and my heart was still beating. My skin was not cold as ice, but warm, like a hot spring. A few degrees hotter than humans, even. The vampires I had met had always believed me to be human, but they soon found that they were mistaken. Then, they had shunned me. However, I still had many typical vampire qualities. I was virtually indestructible, carried venom in my bite, and had pale skin, pale as the moon. Most importantly, I drank blood, and that was what made me the least freakish. Anyone who shared their diet was not exactly an enemy. Though my eyes stayed the same icy blue, no matter what I had drunk. I knew that other vampires had crimson eyes, or maroon, depending on how often they had last feasted, but mine never changed.

All this I thought while running, running, running, on and on, towards any city north of Portland. I didn't care where. I just wanted to get away. To find a place where I could be myself and not have to hide. A place where I could start anew. I also needed a place to spend the night. In the end, I decided that a nice, grassy knoll would serve me well. I lay on my side, and staring up at the moon, began to drift off. Before I lost consciousness, my last thought was of a very interesting difference between me and other vampires. I could sleep.

*****

I awoke to the dawn call of birds. After a quick look at my surroundings, I brushed off my dress and continued running. The wind soon swept my knotted hair out of my face and I kept running. I would keep running, I vowed to myself, until I found a small town where I wouldn't stick out. However, it would have to have a larger town nearby if I was to hunt… I kept running.

By noon, I had reached what I believed what was could be described as the outskirts of a small-almost-nonexistent town. Perfect. By two, the houses had become closer together and I had passed a general store. I was pleased. I didn't know where I was, but I had seen a map a few minutes earlier on the side of the road. The large city of Seattle was only a few miles away. Suddenly, I passed a large, purple sign with block, white letters. It was difficult to read through the thickets of underbrush in which I was running, but I could make it out with my keen eyes.

WELCOME TO FORKS

POPULATION: 2700

I smiled to myself. Really perfect.