Chapter 1

2008

On a Friday in early March, when wet snow was falling in thick globs from the sky, a small town on the Olympic Peninsula was abuzz with the biggest news to hit for at least twenty years.

Today, Emmett and Isabella Swan would be starting school at Forks High. It was the only thing anyone in this town had talked about for weeks. The kids were seventeen and eighteen, coming from Phoenix where they lived with their mother the last few years.

I only had vague memories of the two of them, though I'd lived in Forks, in the same house, for my entire life. I know that they visited the every now and then over the summer, but from what I can remember, they spent most of their time with the Chief's fishing buddies out on the Quileute Reservation. For the last couple of years, Charlie disappeared for a couple of weeks to see them somewhere else, though I'm not sure where, or why.

Not that it matters to me. It annoyed me that the town was going on about these two like they were local celebrities. I guess two new residents was the most exciting thing that happened around here in a long time. The rumors were already flying, and I tried not to listen to them.

I think I was the only one not excited about their arrival. My mother was especially thrilled to have new blood around town, hoping that I would branch out and make new friends.

I had just finished getting ready for school when my bedroom door slammed open without so much as a knock. I knew who it was instantly, the only one I knew brazen enough to barge into one's room without the courtesy of announcing their presence.

"Alice," I grumbled in greeting, as I shoved the last of my heavy textbooks into my worn bookbag. Alice was my older sister's best friend in the world, and for some reason Alice felt that by extension, that made me her friend was well. I suppose she was really the closest thing I had to a friend. I was more of a loner; I preferred to keep to myself. Alice was a nice person, but too pushy for my liking. I could take her only in small doses, and only if I was in the right frame of mind.

"Hey, Eddie," she squealed, and I grimaced at the nickname. I was tired of reminding her that I preferred my given name of Edward. "I'm not going to have time to come by before the party tonight, so I thought I'd pick out your clothes now, that way when you get home you can just put them on."

"I don't need you to pick out my clothes," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration.

"Nonsense," she said, helping herself to my barely filled walk in closet. "Ugh!" she cried. "There is just nothing suitable in here. I'll just have to work in a shopping trip before the party."

"What party?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Duh, the welcome party for the new students. It's tonight!"

"They just got in yesterday," I pointed out. "Do they even know there's a party being thrown in their honor?"

"Doubt it, but they'll find out soon enough."

"It doesn't matter anyway. You don't need to go shopping. I probably won't go anyway. You know I don't do the whole party thing."

"Well, you don't really have much of a choice on going to this one. It's here."

Oh hell, I grumbled to myself. She was right. If the party was in this house, I had little chance of getting out of it. Of course I could spend the evening in my room, but Rosalie would just drag me out of there. Maybe I could just get out of the house, maybe visit my favorite meadow, which was just a few hundred yards from the wooded area in the back of our house.

Or I could suck it up, be a man, and endure a party for one night.

I shuddered. Beer, jocks, awful music, bodies crammed together. There wasn't a single teenager in all of Forks that would miss one of Rosalie's parties. I would just have to endure it.

Alice trailed on my heels, talking nonstop about the party as we made our way down to the kitchen. My mother was there plating breakfast, setting out an extra plate for Alice. "Good morning, dears. Alice, good to see you as always."

"Thanks for breakfast Mrs. C!" Alice exclaimed, sitting down and digging in as if she'd never had a proper breakfast before. My mother knew that Alice's parents weren't always around very much, and that whatever they weren't able to give her in love, they gave her in expensive gifts. For this reason, every time my mom caught a glimpse of her obnoxious yellow Porsche in the driveway, she always made sure to make extra food. At least it didn't go unappreciated.

"Where's your sister?" my mother asked me, as she set a glass of orange juice on the table in front of me. I shrugged in response.

"She was still in the shower when I came in," Alice explained. "You know how she is, always running late."

Rosalie wandered sleepily into the kitchen then. Bleary-eyed, she reached in the cabinet over the sink for her favorite coffee mug. It wasn't until she was settled and had several sips of coffee in her that she acknowledged anyone else at the table. "Morning," she mumbled, yawning.

Rosalie was the queen bee of Forks High and she knew it. As her coffee mug so proudly stated, she was 'so not a morning person', but once she stepped foot onto campus, people would literally be fawning all over her, and she ate that shit up. She was a good person, though, and I loved her a lot. She and Alice never excluded me from anything, always trying to get me to hang out with their friends and go out with them after school, but I always refused.

They just couldn't seem to comprehend that I'd rather talk to my left foot than those automatons they called friends.

I'd tried before to "fit in", when I first started high school. It didn't take long for me to figure out that I was just the butt of everyone's jokes. I became the victim of one too many pranks, and people always talked behind my back about Rosalie's "poor little geeky brother." I didn't really care. It was better to be alone than to be ridiculed constantly for being a little different. Besides, my self-imposed isolation from society gave me more time to focus on the things that were important to me- my music and my studies.

Rosalie and Alice finished their breakfast and left for school a few minutes before I did. They liked to socialize before class. I, on the other hand, preferred to just get there before the first bell, as long as I was on time. They drove off in Alice's Porsche, which only sat two. I always thought it was a little ridiculous that three people going to the place had to leave in two separate cars, but neither of them would be caught dead in my silver Volvo.

My father, who was the town doctor, actually laughed when he took me to the dealership on my sixteenth birthday. As a reward for my consistently good grades, he told me I could have my pick of any car on the lot. Instead of a fast Mustang or a shiny red BMW like Rosalie had picked out the year before, I chose a modest, middle of the line Volvo, my choice based solely on the safety ratings. When I asked why my father was laughing, he just smiled and patted me on the back and said, "That car is just so… you."

As I was making my way out the door, my mother caught me by the arm. "Edward?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes?"

"I heard there are new kids starting school today. It would be just lovely if you would make them feel welcome? Maybe make a couple of new friends?"

My dear, sweet mother was always worried about me. "I'll try," I told her to ease her mind, though I had no real intention of going out of my way.

"You know I just worry about you," she continued. "Just try to open up a little, okay?"

"Okay," I sighed, shuffling my feet impatiently. She gave me a hug and I returned it awkwardly, then made my way out the door.

As usual, I arrived at school just before the first bell, and thankfully missed the grand entrance of Isabella and Emmett. I did notice a huge red pickup truck in the parking lot that I'd never seen before; it was a beast, and it was old. I figured that belonged to the Swan kids. Even though I missed their arrival, I didn't miss the gossip, and I tried to tune out how "hot" the girls all thought Emmett was, or how clumsy the new girl was.

I heard, though I wasn't trying to listen, that she tripped up the steps on the way to the front office first thing that morning. Poor girl.

It wasn't until fourth period that I saw either one of them. Emmett, even though a grade ahead of me, was in my Algebra II class. I was one of only two Juniors in that class. The other was Angela Weber, a shy, sweet girl who always wore cat-eye glasses. People always tried to hook us up, thinking that we'd be the perfect geeky couple, but she was with Ben Cheney, and the pair was inseparable. I did like Angela, although I wouldn't exactly classify us as friends.

Emmett already seemed to fit right in. He was built like a brick house, at least six feet four inches of solid muscle. People seemed to flock to him, much like they did to Rosalie. I was sure he would try out for football or something. He would no doubt fit in with the "in" crowd, so I made no effort to try to speak to him. He looked like he had enough friends already.

I skipped lunch entirely, which was not uncommon for me. I chose to spend my free hour in the library, cloaked by a stack of books, focusing on my Physics homework. Biology was next, then Spanish, and then thankfully I could go home.

I arrived to Biology early, and took my usual seat in the back. I didn't have a lab partner, but I was usually able to handle the labs alone anyway. Science was always my best subject. While Biology was required, I took Physics as my elective, trying to pack as many science courses under my belt in preparation for college, where I planned to major in Theoretical Physics.

The classroom was nearly full before she came in, turning my world upside down.

Isabella Swan walked into my classroom, and I stopped breathing for a moment as I took her in. She was beautiful- a goddess. I've never even noticed girls before, but something about her made my heart beat faster, and made me want to be near her. Her long brown hair shined under the fluorescent lights, and I itched to run my fingers through it. Her eyes were what really captured my attention though; they were wide and expressive and a beautiful shade of chocolate brown. She had a beautiful blush that filled her face as she looked timidly around the classroom. I could tell she was shy, and I instantly wanted to make her feel welcome.

She stepped in front of the large fan in the front of the classroom, which caused her hair to blow in my direction. Instantly, the delicious scent of strawberries and freesia invaded my senses, and I was a goner. My body responded traitorously, especially as I realized she was coming right towards me.

Embarrassed, I threw a notebook onto my lap to hide my… response… to her. I barely breathed as she sat next to me.

"Hello," she said timidly. "I'm Bella."

And I froze. I couldn't force myself to speak. So many different ways I could have handled our first introduction, and I was stuck frozen, with a painful erection and a grimace on my face, unable to form words. I could only grunt at her and force myself to focus on the lecture. Every time I thought I had myself under control, she would unconsciously fan her hair in my direction and I'd be lost again.

I wanted to hate her- because the thirty seconds it took her to walk into the room, get her slip signed, and sit next to me, she managed to dissolve my perfectly constructed walls.

As I tried to focus on the material, my mind kept shifting to the siren next to me. I wondered how soft her skin would feel under my hands, what it would feel like to press my lips against hers. I wondered what she tasted like. I couldn't ignore the hum of electricity I felt between us. These feelings were foreign to me; I'd never felt this way before.

That class was the longest hour of my life. When the bell finally sounded, I darted out of the classroom, not sparing her another glance. I spent seventh period in the restroom, ashamed of my inability to control myself around her.

When the final bell had sounded, I quickly made my way to my car, but forced myself to slow my pace when I saw Alice walking ahead of me. I didn't want to make idle conversation with anybody. I just wanted to go home.

I stopped short when I realized that Alice was talking to her. Still ashamed of my previous behavior, I quickly hid behind a tree when I realized they were stopping too. They were just close enough for me to hear, and I hoped that the tree concealed me completely.

"But it's a party in your honor!" Alice was busy whining. "You have to come. Emmett is going."

"Umm, yeah, okay," Bella said uncomfortably. "I guess if my brother is going I can come too. At least I'd know somebody there."

"You know me too, silly. Oh, and I simply must introduce you to Rosalie's brother Edward. I think you two would be perfect together!" My mouth dropped open in shock; I couldn't believe she was actually trying to set me up.

Bella blanched, and I could tell she was uncomfortable. "Which one is Edward?"

"He's the tall one with the most amazing shade of reddish-bronze hair and big green eyes. You can't miss him!"

It didn't escape my notice that Alice had failed to mention my less admirable attributes- the thick glasses, the acne, or the fact that I had the muscle mass of a teenage girl.

I tried to ignore the fact that I was acting like a complete stalker as I waited with my breath held for her response. I tensed as I imagined what other girls would, and have, said. "Eww, Edward Cullen, the geek?"

But she managed to surprise me.

She fumbled around awkwardly with the strap of her backpack for a few moments before she stammered, "I met him already. I don't think he really likes me that much."

My heart fell. Was that really the impression that I'd given her? I decided I needed to make it right, tonight, at the party.

It suddenly became my highest priority to get to know Bella Swan. I wouldn't fight these feelings coursing through me. I wanted to make her mine.

A/N- I can't thank you all enough for the awesome reviews I got from just the prologue. You all rock my world- thank you so much! The next couple of chapters will take place in the past, and then we'll head back to the prologue. Thanks for giving this story a chance!