Chapter one

Soft rays of early morning sunshine slanted in through my bedroom window, gently warming my face, beckoning me out of my slumber.
"Mmmm", I moaned, rolling over and struggling to sit up in the twisted mess of sheets on my bed. I could hear the sweet sound of birds chirping somewhere nearby in the forest surrounding my family's little cottage, and I smiled to myself. I loved these rare sunny days in my hometown of Forks, Washington, normally the rainiest town in the United States. My family and I had just returned here a month ago after several years of traveling abroad. We had last visited Brazil, where we had stayed with our friends Zafrina, Kachiri, and Senna for a few months. I was very happy to see my old South American friends again, including Huilen and her nephew, Nahuel, but I was homesick for Forks. I especially missed my grandpa Charlie and my Quileute friends, who lived in the small reservation of La Push, a few miles up the coast from Forks. I knew that leaving had been essential at the time, and that we would soon return, but that knowledge couldn't stop the ache in my chest whenever I thought of the place I considered my true home, the place where I had been born.

The reason it had been necessary for us to leave our home, if only for a span of a few short years, is because we are vampires. Correction: I myself am only half vampire, half human (my mother, Bella, had given birth to me while she was still human, right before my father, Edward, changed her into a vampire). Being what we are, we must strive to live in obscurity, to remain anonymous to humans. Therefore, we can't stay in any one place for too long, and can never reveal the secret of our true identities. It is the number one rule of being a vampire. There are a few humans in our lives that know the truth of what we are, but they are as bound to secrecy by their own natures as we. They are the people of the Quileute tribe, which includes quite a few people involved in the supernatural world as well: some of the Quileutes are shape shifters that have the ability to transform into wolves. My grandpa Charlie also knows that there is something not quite "normal" about us. My mother could not bear the thought of excluding her father from her new life after being transformed, so she imparted just enough knowledge to him to allow him to continue to see us. By his own request, he does not wish to know the entire truth. He's just happy to be able to be a part of our lives. Thinking of Grandpa made me anxious to see him again. It had only been a week since Mom and I had gone to visit him and my new grandmother Sue, whom Charlie had married just a few years ago. However, I'd missed him terribly in the years we'd been gone and craved his company immensely. While we'd been traveling, I'd kept in frequent contact with him through phone calls, letters and emails of course; but I knew he'd felt horrible about missing out on such a large chunk of my life, so when we'd first arrived back in Washington a few weeks ago, we'd visited him first thing. He'd grabbed me up in a tight hug and hadn't let go of me for what seemed like an eternity. He couldn't believe how much I'd grown and matured, even after all the photos I'd mailed him. It wasn't his style to show his emotions in front of others, but he'd let loose with an abandon I'd never seen in him before. We'd stayed at his house and visited for hours, catching up with each other, talking and laughing. It had seemed like he couldn't get enough of my mother and me. Maybe I'd ask Mom to take me to see him again today, when he got home from work. He's the police chief of Forks.
A brief tapping at my window startled me out of my reverie.

"Oh!" I jumped slightly, clutching my covers tight to my chest.
"Nessie? Open up, it's Jake." I rushed over to my window to unhook the latch and shove it open.
"Jake!" I was always filled with happiness at seeing my best friend in the whole world, the massive 6'7" Quileute Indian, Jacob Black. He grinned at me as he climbed agilely into my room, holding a square package wrapped in bright yellow paper with silver ribbons.
"Happy birthday, Nessie! I know I'm not supposed to be here right now, but I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy day and to give you your first present." Jake sat on my bed, pulling me down next to him. I smiled at him, eagerly holding out my hands to receive my gift. Jake was one of the most special people in my life, and fortunately, not one of those I'd had to live without for the past six years. He had come with us on our travels, refusing to be left behind in Washington, and, as he had told me, to be away from me for so long. He'd worked very hard his junior year of high school, completing as many senior courses as possible in the year before we'd left, and then done some correspondence work so he could earn his high school diploma. I didn't completely understand why Jake had been so willing to leave behind his family, his tribe, and his home but he had promised to explain it to me when I was a little older. All I knew was that he was my absolute best friend ever, and I was thrilled he'd decided to come with us. I didn't want to go a day without seeing him either. The special bond we shared was like nothing else I'd ever experienced before.

"Well go ahead and open it!" Jake was almost bouncing up and down with excitement. I giggled, punching him on the arm, and began to tear into my present. Inside the wrapping was a cardboard box, taped shut. I deftly tore the top flaps open to reveal a bunch of yellow tissue paper. Nestled in the paper was a small wooden box. Pulling the box out into the light, I noticed dozens of intricate daisies and vines carved into the cherry wood, bordering a slightly upraised heart in the center of the lid. I very gently lifted the lid of the box. A soft tinkling emanated from inside, a beautiful melody that I instantly recognized as one that my father had composed especially for me when I was a baby.
"Oh, Jake. It's gorgeous! Daisies are my favorite and the carving...and the music..." I was rendered speechless by a lump in my throat and was slightly embarrassed that tears threatened to slide from my eyes. Seeing my reaction, Jake placed two fingers beneath my chin, tilting my face up so he could look into my eyes.
"Your dad wrote down the music to your special song and had the little mechanical part specially made in Germany. I carved the box myself. I know how much you love daisies, and the heart is supposed to represent us…our friendship." His cheeks flushed a slight pink, but he held my gaze. A small thrill of electricity shot through my body unexpectedly, and I could feel my own cheeks begin to redden. What was going on here? Jake had a look in his eyes that I couldn't quite comprehend, a look I was sure I'd never seen there before. What could it mean? There was definitely love in his gaze, of course we loved each other, we were best friends, but there was something else there too...something a little wild, that gave his eyes an unfamiliar sparkle. A vague premonition flashed through my mind as a small shudder rippled its way through my body: I knew in that moment that a change was coming. I had no idea how significant that change might be, but something had just passed between Jake and I that I was sure was going to change our relationship forever.

I mentally shook myself, put a smile on my face, and planted a quick kiss on Jake's cheek. The strange feeling of electricity had left my body as quickly as it had come. I put it down to still feeling strange about coming home after being gone for so long.
"I really do love my music box Jake. Thank you so much! It's beautiful, I'll treasure it always." I got up to put my gift on the bedside table. Jake got up from the bed, stretched, and leaned down to briefly wrap his arms around my waist. The strange light in his eyes had disappeared for the time being, and he was back to being the old Jake that I knew and loved.
"I'm glad you like it, Nessie. Happy birthday." He kissed my forehead tenderly. There was a brief flash of heat on my skin where his lips touched.
"Wait a second," I said, trying to distract myself. "Why did you feel the need to climb through my bedroom window anyway? Why didn't you just come through the front door, like a normal person?" I laughed as I swatted at his massive chest.
He dodged me easily, grabbing my wrist and giving me a quick twirl. When I was facing him again, he shrugged. "I came over just before dawn, to run a little routine surveillance around the cottage. Your mom and dad were on their way out, and Edward asked me to keep an eye on you," We rolled our eyes at the same time as he said this," until they get back. I phased so I could come in and give you your present, which I'd hidden in the forest so your mom and dad wouldn't see. I figured they'd come back the front way, so climbing in your window seemed like a good idea," he said, giving me a devilish wink. "Of course, I couldn't think about it either, you know how your dad is. He'd probably be ticked if he knew I'd given you a birthday present before he could." He laughed mischievously, and I smacked at him again. "Jake, why do you insist on trying to one-up my dad all the time? You are both so incorrigible!" It exasperated me when Jake and Daddy got competitive with each other, especially when it revolved around me. Of course, I supposed that all fathers feel competitive as well as extra protective of their daughters when there are boys around. Not that Daddy had anything to worry about where Jake was concerned. He was my best friend, nothing more. Well, I better go. I gotta phase before Bells and Edward come back." Jake turned for my window, giving me another quick, devilish wink before ducking out. I threw one of my pillows at the window, missing my target of course. Jake was unbelievably fast for as big as he was.
I wondered where Mom and Dad had gotten off to. Maybe they'd gone out to buy me a birthday gift. I couldn't contain my excitement, squealing a little as I rummaged through my closet for something to wear. Today was my seventh birthday. Well, technically anyway. I'd been alive for 7 years, but I didn't exactly look or act much like your average 7 year old. Since half human, half vampires grow and mature at an extraordinary rate, my physical appearance and mental capacity were more closely matched to that of an 18 to 22 year old human, which is another reason why we'd had to leave Forks. It's kind of hard to explain a rapid growth spurt such as mine. So now I was a fully grown, fully mature person. Well, maybe not fully mature, I thought to myself with a grin, thinking of some of the crazier exploits Jake and I had gotten ourselves into. He sure was a blast to hang out with. Sometimes I would get a little sad when I thought about how different my life was, sometimes wishing I could go to a normal public school, and have normal, human friends. You know, go to school dances, hang out at the mall, that sort of thing, just like I'd seen on TV. But only sometimes. Jake and my family more than made up for anything I might be missing out on in the human world. Spending time with Jake was the highlight of my day, a welcome break from the often exhausting routine of home schooling. My mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and grandparents each took turns teaching me everything I needed to know: from the basics such as literature, mathematics and science, to music, architecture, and even fashion design. Jake was my outlet for fun, always ready to do something exciting. Of course, we had to hide a lot of our little adventures from my parents, but since my father can read minds, that's not always an easy thing to do. He usually always knows what we've been up to, but he never stays mad at me or Jake for very long. He knows Jake would never allow any harm to come to me. As a matter of fact, sometimes Jake can be just as stubborn and overbearing as Daddy when it comes to my safety. After changing out of my pajamas and into some suitable clothes, I went into the small living room to grab a book to read. My mom has a pretty decent collection, including a book of poetry by Tennyson, whom I love. I grabbed that one and headed out to the little garden in the back of our cottage, my favorite place to read. On a normal day, I would already be heading to the main house for my daily lessons, but surely my parents wouldn't make me do schoolwork today? I decided that they most likely would not, and settled into one of our comfy garden chairs with my book. I smiled a little as I heard the sound of Jake's paws hitting the earth close by in the forest, his sharp nails digging into the dirt as he gathered speed. I paused in my reading and cocked an ear to the side, listening harder. I can't hear quite as well as the average vampire, but I can sure hear a lot better than the average human. Hmmm. It seemed to me that another wolf had joined Jacob in his run. What does little birdie say in her nest at peep of day?
Let me fly, says little birdie,
Mother, let me fly away,
Birdie, rest a little longer,
Til thy little wings are stronger.
So she rests a little longer, then she flies away."
"Great!" My trilling phone killed my Tennyson buzz. I didn't even have to look to see who was calling. I knew it would be my mother.
"Good Afternoon Nessie." Mom said in her bell-like voice. Confused, I looked up and noticed that the sun was higher in the sky than I would have anticipated. Where did the time go? I figured I had only been reading an hour or so, definitely not for as long as I apparently had been.
"Good afternoon Mom." I replied.
"Nessie, your father and I would like you to come to the main house in about a half an hour. Oh, and do me a favor and wear something nice so we won't have to hear complaints from your Aunt Alice," she laughed. "See you soon, honey."
"Ok Mom, soon," I said, snapping my phone shut. I knew something important must be going on, since she and Dad had been gone all morning. A spike of pure adrenaline rushed through me as I danced to my room to put on one of the many new outfits Alice had bought me while on her recent trip to L. A. with Jasper. I decided on a light blue sun dress and a white knitted sweater with yellow daisies on it.
I headed out the front door of the cottage. I decided to pluck a daisy and stick it in my hair. Alice would surely approve of my fashion choices, I said to myself. I was the total opposite of my mother when it came to the subject of clothing and style. She preferred to keep it simple, while I liked dressier clothes. Alice was thrilled by this, to say the least.
It was such a nice day in Forks, and a dry one at that. I decided to take it slow; I figured the walk would do me some good and give me a chance to think about this morning's events with Jake. The sweet, warm breeze brushing my skin brought back the memory of Jake's lips on my forehead and the sparkling gaze he'd had in his eyes. I sighed in frustration, trying to understand what it all might mean.