Bella P.O.V.

I stood outside of the Cemetery, watching my funeral under the cover of the surrounding trees. It seemed as though the whole town of Forks had come to pay their respects, which, considering the size of the town, was probably true. Even Lauren had come, although it was probably more for appearances' sake than anything else. I barely spared her a thought, however, as I continued to scan the crowd. Jake and his pack were there, towering above everyone else. My gaze lingered on my best friend for a moment before falling on Charlie. Chief Swan had seen better days, that was certain. His eyes were bloodshot and teary and it looked as though he hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days, weeks even. My heart broke as I watched the tears fall freely down his face.

They lowered the casket into the ground, and I knew, in that moment, that Bella Swan was dead, gone forever. The girl that everyone mourned was a zombie, for the past few months she had stumbled around, trapped in a never-ending nightmare. But that nightmare is over and I'm a different person. I'm the slayer. That's my life now. The first mass of soil was cast atop my empty coffin, sealing my fate.

I turned away from the somber scene that lay before me, away from everything I had ever known. I ran, savoring the sound of the wind whistling in my ears, my hair flying out behind me. I had the speed, the strength, and even the unnerving beauty of a vampire, although I was still rather clumsy at times. I didn't stop running for hours. I had no idea how far I had gone or where I was, but I knew, instinctively, that I was where I was supposed to be. I heard a 'snap' and whipped around, searching for the disturbance. My eyes fell upon a man who looked to be about 19 or 20. His blond hair blew slightly in the ocean breeze, his piercing blue eyes held me transfixed.

"Bella?" how had he known my name? I knew that I should have been worried, but, strangely, I felt at ease with this stranger. I nodded and the stranger smiled. "I'm Stephan, your watcher."