Who Will Save Your Soul

Rated MA for language, angst, and dark content. AU/AH, Bella/Edward.

A/N – I got two emails saying my story had been added to watches – I've sent you both a message, thanks guys :) I've not had any reviews yet – hint hint ;) This chapter is longer than the prologue, I hope you like it.

Disclaimer - I do not own the characters - a wonderful woman by the name of Stephanie Meyer does. Any and all song titles/lyrics are the property of the lyricists. I only own this version of the characters and the plot.

Chapter 1 – Stricken

As she walked down the hallway, she could hear them. All of them. They were never subtle about what they were saying and they always made sure she heard. She knew they knew she could hear them. Them, and all their bitchy false words.

"Did you hear why she ended up there? It was her fault."

"I know, it's gross, right? I mean come on, her fucking step-dad?!"

"She's sick, is what she is. She's totally fucked up. She deserves to be at that place."

They were the ones who were sick, deep down in her heart she knew that. But that never stopped her head agreeing with them. She walked past the current gossipers as fast as she could without tripping to the nearest girls bathroom. Once locked safely away in a stall, she let the tears come. It was her primary rule; never let anyone see her cry. Ever. She reached down and took her cigarettes and lighter from her coat. They never let her smoke. He was a hypocrite. They both were. She didn't care if she got caught. Part of her wanted to; she wouldn't have to go back to the place they tried to make her call home till later than usual. She twirled the cigarette between her fingers until the tears stopped. She tucked it behind her ear and pulled up her hood. Head down, she left the bathroom. She didn't care if she was found skipping class. Just another reason to stay here as long as possible. It was weird to other people why she liked being at school. School had places to hide, places she could sneak off to so she could have a smoke, school had books, but most importantly; school wasn't 'home'. She walked out the front doors, and ran round the corner to her usual hiding place, tripping over her feet as she ran.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" A pair of hands held her up. She nearly fell. Again. She looked up and saw who the voice belonged to. His name was Edward. Edward Masen, to be precise. She looked down at her feet and blushed.

"I came out here to have a smoke. I'm sorry, I'll leave." He held out an arm to stop her. She looked at him, puzzled. He shook his head.

"No, it's OK. I don't mind the company; I was just surprised to see someone else out here, that's all." He smiled gently at her, offering her his lighter. She took it gratefully, and lit her cigarette. Exhaling slowly, she closed her eyes.

"Thanks." She said quietly, handing the lighter back to him. He smiled again and nodded, putting it in his top coat pocket. Bella decided she liked his smile; it was slightly crooked and reached his eyes, making them shine. They stood in silence until they had both finished their cigarettes. Bella resolved that she felt better now she'd had a smoke. She made to leave as the bell rang for class.

"What have you got now?" Edward asked, his gaze in the direction of the parking lot. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow when she didn't respond. He coughed, startling her.

"W-What? Sorry, I-I-I was... sorry." She flushed furiously, tears forming at the corners. His eyes softened at the sight of her eyes moistening. She blinked, trying to get rid of the wetness. He knelt in front of her.

"I was asking what class you have now," he said quietly, "but if you want to skip this one too, I'll go tell the principal." Her eyes shot open and stared at him.

"No, no, please don't. I'll get in trouble, he'll know I was skipping. He'll t-tell..." She blushed again. He looked at her, puzzlement in his eyes.

"Tell who? What's wrong?" He was getting concerned now. He didn't like seeing anyone cry. He hated crying, period. Crying was weak in his eyes; showing the world how vulnerable you were, he just couldn't do it. She looked at him, and her eyes softened. She saw something in his face that made her feel better, she couldn't place it though. She slumped to the ground, leaning her back against the red brick of the building. She fished around for her cigarettes, cursing on realising she'd left the in the bathroom. Edward pulled out his packet and offered it to her. She took one with a shaky thank-you. He sat on the ground beside her, watching her unevenly exhale. She glanced at him for just a second, then turned her head back to stare at the ground.

"You don't want to be here," she whispered, "you should be inside. I'm sure you have some important party to talk about, or some nerds head to dunk down the toilet or some freak to gossip about or something." She mumbled the last part, silently thinking it would be her he wanted to gossip about. She seemed to be the scandal of the school year so far and it was only October. She sighed.

"Why would I want that?" He enquired, He couldn't understand why this girl couldn't make up her mind whether to cry, blush, or whisper things that made no sense to him. There was something about her, something he couldn't put his finger on. But there was something making him feel...different. She stood up without answering him. He went to stand to hold on to her, he wasn't done talking to her. She ran off before he could stop her. He shuffled his feet, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair. He tried remembering her name as he lit another cigarette. Then suddenly it came to him; Bella Swan. He collapsed back on the grass, putting his arm behind his head to support it. He remembered hearing about her when she started at Forks High the month before. They shared English and before today they'd never shared a word. But that fact didn't prevent him from knowing things about her. He knew she was 16 and that they'd skipped her a grade. She snuck out twice a day to have a smoke, thrice if she had a bad day. She'd only been at Forks High for a month and already was the subject of the Hussy Brigade's gossip. He knew she was hiding something, something big he wagered. She was shy, quiet, a loner. But from what she knew about her from English, she was as book smart as he was. He smiled at the thought of having a literary argument with her. He stubbed out his cigarette as the bell rang and students started to file out the front doors. He walked slowly to his Volvo, hoping he'd catch a glimpse of her leaving. He waited in his car for half an hour after the last students filtered out. Sighing loudly, he started his engine and left the parking lot.

"Edward, honey, are you OK?" He looked up at his mother, her face full of his concern.

"Yeah, mom, I'm fine. Just not hungry. I've got a headache." He mumbled, looking down at his plate. He'd barely touched his dinner, and his head had started to pound sometime between coming home from school and dinner. He uttered his excuses from the table and trudged upstairs to his bedroom.

He collapsed on his bed two hours later, unable to concentrate on studying. Usually he completed his Biology homework at break-neck speed. But tonight, he just couldn't focus. He decided to take a shower; hopefully it would clear his head.

He emerged an hour later, still as fuzzy headed as before. He changed into a clean t-shirt and boxers, smiling at the faded The Who logo on the front; it was his favourite shirt. He dug around in his backpack and pulled out his Ipod. He walked back over to his closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a hoodie – The Smiths; another favourite of his. He grabbed his jacket and shoes, and walked downstairs, flicking on the outdoor light. He stepped into his shoes and opened the door. One last smoke before bed, he thought. He shook his head at the time; another night of sleep would be eluding him. He lit his cigarette, enjoying the warm smoke filling his lungs. He slipped the earphones in, the sound of Disturbed filling his head. He finished his cigarette and went back upstairs. He unchanged and turned off his Ipod. He laid under his quilt in silence, images of Bella swimming in front if his eyes. After a while, he felt his eyes closing and eventually drifted off to a dreamful sleep.

That night, Edward Cullen dreamt of Bella Swan.

A/N – So they've met, and noticed each other. Is Bella as observant as Edward, though? Don't forget the not-so-subtle hint in my AN up there ;)