Chapter One
Tuesday morning, Samantha Reall woke up gazing into the face of her boyfriend. The whole of last night rushed back into her memory as she sat up in his arms and hugged him close to her. "Good morning", she sighed. He kissed her hair, running his hands down her face. "I've got something to show you." Smiling wonderfully, he slid off the bed and opened her window. A small flurry of air and snow combined rushed in to circulate around her room. "It did snow!" She laughed. "I told you it would", he grinned. She flew off the bed and skipped to the window beside him, throwing her small arms around his muscular waist. If Sam could have a special 'skill' the way Alec did, their relationship would be exactly perfect, but she was only a mere human and he was different. He was a vampire.
Alec had the ability to predict changes. If it was a weather change, stock market change, change of plans, he could predict it. His being a vampire made things slightly complex considering he wanted her blood whenever they were together, but he had gotten the urge under control and now Samantha's blood rarely bothered him. Alec was a true vampire, though. He hunted humans every few months with his sister Renésme or Nessie, but not with his father Edward or mother Isabella who were considered 'vegetarians' by vampire standards, meaning that they fed on animals, not humans. Samantha's parents Marie and Karl knew all about the Cullen's family and were always at ease in their dominating vampire presence, which made Sam and Alec able to express their love without hiding anything.
That morning, Alec took Samantha to Forks, Washington High School as usual. They walked into the school with haste. It was not like them to be late. Alec very much disliked rushing, but the snow and ice covering Forks made his generally fast and furious driving cautious. At the end of the hall he turned to her. "I'll call you at lunchtime, so be outside when you're ready", he smiled. It was ritual for them to have lunch together outside during lunch no matter the weather. Of course, he never ate, but it was the only time during school they had to see each other because he was a grade higher than her in eleventh grade. He being seventeen and her being sixteen made school a little more unpleasant than it had to be.
"Okay, Alec. I'll be waiting." I hesitated to kiss him on the cheek before whispering, "I love you"
"Same to you, Samantha." As they parted, her eyes lingered on his, taking in the deep red and gold beauty of his eyes. The beauty that was present right after he had hunted. Sam loved his perfection with her whole being and her heart thudded painfully as he let go of her warm hand. She knew that they would see each other very soon, but that did not stop her from counting the minutes on the clock, wishing they would go by quicker.
Soon half the classes were over, though, and she raced to the door to get to him as soon as possible. Every day it felt like this: anticipating his arrival at the cafeteria bench, heart quickening as she laid eyes on him, touching him and finally hearing his ever present voice again. He sat down beside her with a greeting kiss. The icy cold of his lips woke her up fully and made her ever present to what he was saying.
"Nessie called me a second ago. She wants you to know that your parents are coming over tonight for dinner." He chuckled, and I smiled knowingly. Only my parents and I would actually be participating in the meal. They had long talked about becoming vampires themselves, but it wasn't that simple. My family and I weren't going to be changed anytime soon, if at all. "My father has gone hunting tonight though, so I don't know if Karl will really want to come. There is no one to keep him company really." "Yes," I agreed," But my mother won't want to come alone." Everyone had already established that my parents always went everywhere together. They were inseparable in a good way. They shared a true love that I had only ever seen in Alec's own parents. The way they looked at each other, their eyes smiling in understanding and love, was exactly the way it was for Alec and I, and our mother and father's. It must run in our families or something strange like that. As far as I knew, Alec's grandfather Carlisle and grandmother Esmé were still as head over heals in love as they were hundreds of years ago. The love in our families was hard to bend or break.
The soft touch of soft icy skin against my arm brought me back to reality.
"Sam, there is some bad news that Edward has brought to my attention," he started, "My mother's friend is coming for a visit from Quileute County. His name is Jacob Black." Alec didn't look happy anymore.
"So what does that have to do with me?" I asked, curious.
"Jacob is our mortal enemy. He is every vampire's mortal enemy." Alec lowered his voice, leaning toward Sam quickly. "He's a werewolf."
"Wait, if werewolves are enemies of vampires, then how is Bella his friend?"
"They became friends before either of them was changed. They're best friends." He put his arm around my shoulders. I felt safe and protected. Any contact with him was glorious.
"So, to get to the point, Sam, Nessie and I would like to stay at your place while he's here. You know, to prevent any accidents," he added.
"Of course you can stay at my house. I really want to see Nes again, too. She just got out of college again didn't she?"
"Yes, again"
"Okay, so when is Jacob coming?' I inquired.
"Huh", he laughed, "Sorry for the really short notice, but he's coming tomorrow." Alec looked uncomfortable all of a sudden, as if the mention of Jacob had struck a wrong note with him.
"Okay, that's fine Alec. So you need to go home and get your stuff, and Nessie has to also." I knew he would appreciate it that I understood. I smiled with pleasure at the thought of him being there with me for days. Not that he did anything else. Neither of us did any extracurricular or recreational activities we had to do. I was, however, applying for jobs in town.
He grinned down at me, his brilliant face lit up. "Now I cannot wait for him to come, so I can be with you at all hours." Alec squeezed my warm hand with his own icy, smooth one. "I know exactly what you mean", I smiled slyly, standing up and leaning against him with my forehead to his. Right on cue, he took my face in his hands and kissed my lips, making my heart skip a beat and my lips tingle. I held onto moments like this when I missed him, whenever he was gone.
In the distance, the annoyingly shrill school bell rang and broke off our kiss. I groaned. Why did we have to separate yet again and so soon? It wasn't fair, I thought smugly, like a spoiled brat. I had so much to love, yet I was missing it all the time. "Let's go. Since we both have tests we should probably get there prepared and on time", he wrapped his right arm around my waist as he stood up and directed me into the building. The rest of the day flew by and soon we Alec and I were sitting in the car, driving home to his house. I stared out after him as he flew up to his house, literally. I loved him so deeply it made me sad to think about it possibly ending someday when I grew too old and wrinkly for him. He was all packed and ready in a mere five minutes, with Nessie at his side. They slipped into the car and Nessie greeted me with a kiss on my cheek and a smile.
"Sammie! Wow, I cannot even believe how long it's been. School is totally taking up all my spare time. How are you?" Her bright attitude was catching. I felt my mood lift. I saw Alec smile slightly out the side of my eyes. He knew how much I loved Nessie's optimistic personality.
"Nes, I am so glad to see you. I am doing really great, considering my brother just got married and moved to Italy." Thinking about him brought the clouds back over my head. I missed him so much. I decided to change the conversation. "You must be glad for the chance to rest and enjoy yourself." I laughed as realistically as I could manage, knowing that she was never tired and never had the need to sleep or rest, just like the rest of her family. "Hah! I just want some alone time with you two. I haven't gotten a break like this since last summer." Nessie said.
Eventually we were at my house. The small white ranch looked so cozy with the snow drifts and bright colored Christmas light hanging from the roof and around the few small trees in the front yard. We walked carefully over the slippery driveway and were greeted at the front door by Karl and Marie.
"Come in. Hurry up. It's cold out!" My mother took our coats and scarf's and quickly hung them in the closet. She seemed very excited as she hustled us all into the living room where a huge, warm fire welcomed us. Alec and Nessie stopped still, their faces turning a whiter shade than they already naturally were. I suddenly realized and bit my lip. This would turn messy if they were anywhere near a fire because of the highly flammable venom in their veins, the vampires would burst into flames immediately if they neared any flames, big or small.
I hesitated before nudging my mom," Uhm mom there's something wrong with this picture." I nodded over to Alec and Nessie who still wore startled expressions, staring at the fire. Marie thought for a moment then gasped and grabbed my father's arm, telling him to put the fire out hastily. They both understood now and apologized profusely to Nessie and Alec. "It's really all right Marie", Nes assured her."You didn't remember." Her comforting smile rested the case and my parents retreated to the kitchen to finish the dinner they were preparing. Alec gathered me in his arms on the couch. Even without the warmth of the fire, I was plenty hot just being near the man of my dreams. His freeing skin didn't stand a chance against cooling me off once he was with me. We stayed that way for a little while, listening to the kitchen sounds and chatting this.
"Dinner is served!" called Karl from the dining room. We walked in and settled our selves in the chairs around the large oak table. The meal looked very appetizing and was elaborately portrayed on silver dishes and exquisite, expensive china. "Mom, this looks like the best meal I have ever seen. It's beautiful" I said kissing her cheek. Alec held my hand under the table, softly stroking my palm with his thumb. I felt so happy. I had the people I loved most, good food, comfort, warmth. When dinner was over, it was very late. I laid out Alec's mattress on one side of my bedroom floor and Nessie's on the other. They didn't sleep, but at least they would be comfortable. The entire night we spent talking. After I fell asleep, Alec and Nessie went to their house and visited Bella. The werewolf was gone with friends, so now was the best time to see their mother. The night passing quickly, so they returned to my house.
I crept out of a cellar. I had no idea where it was or why it was there. Leaving the comfort of the cellar, all I saw was black, in the middle of a world I was blindly wandering. Leaving the safety of the cellar, I walked timidly into the darkness, not knowing why I was making such a huge mistake. Fear ran up and down my spine, making cold sweat cover my shivering body. I walked with my hands stretched out in front of me, flailing to feel something. After what seemed like hours, a long blue road opened in front of me. I followed it, still shaking. Fright was taking over my judgment and I stumbled unconsciously off the road back into the unknown. Cold, mightily strong hands lifted my small frame back onto the road. I followed for a few more steps, and then veered off again. This time the hands held me and kept me on the right path. The person or things holding me was invisible. I struggled, screaming, against them. The hands were stuck to my arms with no avail. Tears started to rush in rivers from my eyes. I was screaming. Screaming...
Crash!
The hands shook me. Then I saw Alec and Nessies faces bent over me with concern shadowing their eyes. "Sam, what were you dreaming about?" asked Nessie quietly. Alec glared at her as if she were being a nuisance. My bed felt like stone. Looking around, my confused mind registered that I was on the floor. I sat up, dazed, pushing Alec's hands off me. My back was shooting with a mild pain. Wincing, I leaned on Alec for support so I could stand up. He pulled me up slowly.
"What hurts? What do you need, Sam?" his eyes looked sorrowful; like it had been his fault I had had a nightmare and fallen off my bed.
"No, I'm okay; I just need to get some Aspirin. Ouch!" the pain had swept down into my legs.
"No way are you getting up. Nessie, make her lie down on her bed. I'll get the Aspirin." He walked swiftly from the room. I lay on the bed for a while, thinking about the meaning of my dream. It was so strange, yet I thought I understood. I was just walking straight in darkness, and Alec would save me. I sighed and covered my head with my blanket. Right now I was too much in pain to think about it. Alec and Nes were downstairs with my parents, probably keeping them company during breakfast. I figured I should join them, so I stumbled across my bedroom and down the stairs, which al of a sudden seemed very wide, like there was nothing to hold onto. I lost my balance and fell the last few stairs, landing on my aching back. I groaned and to my dismay, a tear slid down my face. Wiping it away furiously, I ignored the pain to the best of my ability and scrambled up to my feet once more. I called for Alec, but he was already there, supporting me.
"Samantha! Don't try to get up without help, please. I can't have you breaking bones, or your parents would never forgive me." He lifted me effortlessly in his arms. Surprisingly, I felt no pain. "I am going to bring the TV up here for you, now. Don't move a muscle." He smiled handsomely. "Okay, but hurry. I've missed you" I said longingly. He waved his hand and flew down the stairs and back up with my only source of entertainment in seconds. And I wasn't talking about the TV.