All characters, except Bianca, belong to Stephenie Meyers.
When she was older, Bella always thought it was strange that she didn't remember much about that day, the day it happened. She didn't remember what she'd had for dinner, or what she was wearing, or who had won the softball game that afternoon.
But that night-that she remembered perfectly. Too perfectly. Sometimes, when she closed her eyes, she could still see him sitting next to her bed, reading out of their favorite book of fairy tales.
"And the beautiful Princess and her handsome Prince rode off to his castle and lived happily ever after," he'd read. Then he closed the book and leaned over to kiss her goodnight.
"Do fairy tales come true, Dad?" Bella had asked.
Her father smiled. "No, but dreams come true," he told her. "If there's something you really want, if it's your dream, you can make it happen."
"Do you have a dream?" she asked.
"My dream is that you'll grow up, go to college, and maybe someday build your own castle," he said.
But Bella wasn't ready to go to bed, so she came up with another very important question. "Where do princesses go to college?"
She'd almost stumped him with that one, Bella remembered. He paused for a long moment, and then began, "Why, they go to…they go to this place where there's a…" He paused again, then grinned. "A place where there's a ton of young princes. Princeton."
"Should I go to Princeton?" Bella asked. She didn't actually know what Princeton was, but if her dad wanted her to go there, it sounded like a good idea. Plus, what princess wouldn't want to go to a land full of princes?
"Nothing would make me happier," her father said. "But Bella, fairy tales aren't just about meeting handsome princes." He gestured toward the fairy tale book, from which they read a story every night. "They're about fulfilling dreams and standing up for what you believe in."
Bella looked confused (she was, after all, only eight years old).
"It's like I always say," her father continued, trying to help her understand. "Never let the fear of striking out…"
"…keep you from playing the game!" Bella finished for him. She'd heard it a million times before, but it never got old.
Her father handed her the book of fairy tales. "Just remember," he told her, "if you look carefully, this book contains important things that you may need to know later in life."
Bella nodded-he didn't need to tell her. She already knew that life was a fairy tale and that her favorite book had all the information she needed to get by in the world.
And then, before her father could tuck her in, her world began to fall apart. Literally. Her bed, her nightstand, her book, her entire house felt like it was shaking itself to pieces. Earthquake!
"Quick, under the doorway!" Bella cried, knowing that was the safest place to be until the quake ended. She grabbed her father's hand and they ran to the doorway, to safety.
Then they heard it. Bianca's voice.
"Help!" she shrieked. "My cat! My cat!"
Bella's father moved toward the hallway, but Bella clung to his hand.
"Don't go," she pleaded, pulling him toward her. But although she was holding him as tightly as she could, he pulled away, racing down the hall to rescue Bianca's darling pet.
"I'll be back," he promised Bella, who was hugging the doorway, tears streaming down her face.
And then he disappeared down the hall.
Just like that, he was gone.
"I'll be back," he'd said.
It was the first time he'd ever broken a promise.