Modern Day

My suspicious of not being human were confirmed as each year passed. I wasn't surprised to see lack of change the first couple years, but at the decade mark, I began to grow suspicious. Well, skeptical about what was happening. Another decade progressed, and I wondered, shouldn't I have an extra 20 years, more wrinkles and gray hair? Any change really to show signs of age. Why was my skin still the same as the day I landed? I never grew. I never aged. I never changed. I was exactly the same. The cycle went on around me, but I wasn't a part of it. I saw the birth of wildlife, from pregnant mother to expectant mother to offspring to mother's death to offspring's death. Everything in between basically. I was screwed -one of the words I picked up along the last few decades, mainly this modern y2k. Royally screwed. My dreams of being a human, of possible becoming a vampire were shattered, with the odds of, never.

But of course, things just get worse. Sadly, I remembered nothing. Nothing before my falling. Slowly, I forgot everything about being up there. I know I use to be a guardian angel for centuries, maybe even thousands of centuries. But, I can't pinpoint anymore specific details, aside from the main, blatantly obvious facts: a) I'm not a guardian angel b) I'm not human c) I fell, from heaven d) I've never met Edward Cullen.

From myths, I heard angels were suppose to have white wings. But, the scars on my back proved otherwise. They were a bitter ashen gray shade, and no amount of covering could hide them. You could see their faint outline through my clothing. Were my wings always so gray? So disgusting? Or were they beautiful like the stain glass windows of churches depict?

Despite my hardships, I knew, and still know that I can't possibly, not even remotely, give up my shot on this Earth. Yeah, I wasn't human. No, I won't waste my time wishing that I was because no matter how hard I wish, nothing will change, nothing would ever change because I willed it to. I'll remain as I am, as I was, as I will be.

Edward Cullen was a beautiful vampire. He had that bedhead hair, and alluring eyes. They were red last I saw, but Carlisle's were different. Perhaps his would change in the same matter. However, I am just a plain looking, brown-haired, brown eyed fallen angel. I didn't even come close to the perfection of immortal vampires. I came with scars, and simplicity.

But, I knew I would see him, eventually, sometime in the next few days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries. I had forever, we had forever. Immortals were cast away from the cycle of life, one of the only plus sides to being a fallen angel. Scratch that, the only plus side. I'm me, but at the same time, I'm not quite me.

This lush, dangerous forest has been my home since the moment I became a part of the Earth. It's not in a well known city, it's in Forks, Washington -there's rarely any sunlight. While living in this city, I probably should start school, but I don't know, the wildlife, the simplicity of living here by myself is serenity. I can't go to school, what are they going to do? Enroll me from the very beginning? It's not likely that I can fake medical records, education levels, and residency.

I know what humans seem like though. I've walked to the city, to see human beings, to observe what I could never have. They look so much happier in person. I've talked to people, and they seem content living the lives they live. I want to be one of them. Is that so wrong?

"Hey!" a voice called out to me,a Native American looking teenage boy wearing cargo shorts, white v-neck, red vans and sunglasses. He was ridiculously tall, and his well defined muscles showed despite how his clothing covered him.

It was him. That boy. The one I would see with a group of his friends. He never noticed me though. I was always in the background, slowly observing him, and keeping out of sight. It wasn't like this forest was a popular spot, it was dangerous. Supposedly. I lived with these so-called risks though.

He kept walking towards me, and it felt like slow motion. Maybe if I sprinted hard enough, I could just gain the cover of the forest and hide from this stranger.

"Did you hear me?" he questioned, as he neared me. He was looking at me closely, with an expression that didn't look upset, or mad. It showed curiousity. Perhaps the white toga type dress and gladiator sandals I fell in don't fit in with these times. But, they were practical, and never did get too dirty.

"I heard you." I responded softly. "It's just strange seeing people around here." Darn, it was much too late to put my running into action. He was here already.

"I could say the same to you. It's not safe here Miss. If you want, I can walk you to your car -I don't think I could bring myself to leave you alone. You've seen the bears, the other , I don't think you'd be able to protect yourself against everything -no offense. I know you don't know me, and this may come off as creepy. I don't know why you're here, but I don't think you belong here.

I scoffed. "I don't have a car." I stared him in the eye. "I live here. This is the only place I can call home. I have nothing aside from the clothes on my back. No money, no family, no education. So, what gives you the right to take me away from here?" Perhaps I spoke rashly, without thinking. Surely, he would try to persuade me away from this forest now.

"Where are your parents? Your family?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow as he studied me closely. Clearly, he questioned if I was lying to him. But, I wasn't.

I thought, making sure I didn't give too much away. "Didn't I tell you I had nothing?" I decided on. "And, I don't need your sympathy, or chivalry. I'm content here in this forest."

He grabbed my hand. What's with this guy? I just met him. "Come on, I'll take you to my dad, he'll know what to do."

"Why would I go with you? I don't even know you!"

He turned to face me, and looked at me in the eyes. It was hard, considering how high he towered above me. "I'm Jacob, Jacob Black. See, now we know each other. Please Miss, come with me."

"Bella." I whispered. "My name is Bella."

"Well Bella, let's go back to the Reserve, I'll introduce you to my dad, and we'll see what we can do from there."

I hopped onto the back of his motorcycle, and clutched onto him as he began driving towards his home. My dress flared against the wind, as my mind screamed that I was an idiot. He could try to rape me or something. But, my gut told me he was harmless, kind of. Well, I could trust him anyways. Who trusts their guts though? Against all of the odds, I managed to keep my internal battle on if this was okay, or not in my mind, and even though Jacob Black didn't turn around, if he did, he wouldn't see a conflicted face. No, not even. He'd see my face, my brown eyes, and a cool, calm, and collected facial structure. I was confident if he did look at me at any given moment, nothing could give away how I felt right now.

I closed my eyes and just relaxed as he continued towards his home.

We stopped in this area, it was secluded from the city I had visited. But, the people looked friendly -as close to friendly as I could muster myself to think anyways. They looked at me with eyes filled with questions, but said nothing as Jacob brought us to what I assumed was his home.

"Billy! Dad!" he called. Was he calling out two people?

"What Jake?" an older version of Jacob emerged from the house, he was in a wheel chair, but clearly was able to have a sense of authority to him regardless. His gaze fell on me.

"Jake, who is this?" he nodded in my direction, approval, dismissal?

"I am Isabella Swan." I spoke for myself, confidently.

"I don't know anything about her, but I saw her in the forest, alone. She said it was her home, but how could that be?" he added. "Oh, and Bella, this is my dad, Billy Black."

"Nice to meet you, Isabella. And, I have to agree with Jacob, how could the forest be your home?"

I didn't want to elaborate, but I felt like I should, I was imposing on their home -unwillingly, but I was still here. "I don't know." I replied. "I don't remember anything before the forest, it's all I've known as home." ... on Earth, I added silently in my head.

"How long have you lived there?" Billy pressed, boy he was nosy. Is my answering really his business? No.

"A while." I answered, simply, not trying to draw attention. I've probably been on Earth for longer than this man has been alive after all. So, being completely truthful would be absolutely pointless. The both of them would think I've gone insane -not that they probably don't think that already.

"Dad, I think Bella lost her memory..." Jacob whispered, as if it was such a huge, desperate secret that only a very special select few could hear. What's up with him? No, I didn't lose my memory. Well, yeah I guess in a way, I actually did lose my memory. Not by choice, but it's not a tragedy either, it's a new lifetime after all. But I didn't lose my Earth memories. I don't have to tell you the whole story Jacob, 'tis not your business to know my personal matters, you'll survive without it.

"I did?"

"That would be a logical explanation. Do you remember anything before the forest?" Jacob continued. "Like, anything at all really. Name of the place you lived, school, parents, whatever."

"I told you," I rolled my eyes. "I have nothing. No family, no school, no medical records. I have my name and the clothes on my back. That's about all I know, and all I've ever known."

"You don't even know how old you are," he started. "do you?"

"No, clearly I told you what I knew." Except, you know, the fact that I fell. From heaven. Literally.

They shared a look like they knew something. I wanted to scream that no, they didn't know anything. I told them the truth, and yet, they come up with such a ridiculous conclusion. Great, chances are they wouldn't give me the choice to leave now. Darn strangers.

"Bella, you're welcome to stay here. I'll sleep on the couch until we figure out what else there is to know about you." Jacob offered.

"No thank you, I'll go back to the forest." I said, as I began walking in some direction. I really wasn't sure of our absolute location, but surely, if Jacob knew where the forest was, I could find my way. It's not like there was a time limit, that the forest would disappear if I didn't return in some absolute amount of time. "I wouldn't want to put you out of your room for my sake."

"Bella, please stay." Billy insisted. "I don't have the heart to let you go back to the forest when you've lost your memory. It's dangerous being there when you know what's happening, let alone when you can barely remember what's what. Being along doesn't help either. I don't know how long you were living there, but we'll get you a good meal, a nice shower, and a place to stay for as long as necessary."

"Thank you, but I don't want to intrude. It isn't my place to be a bother to you guys, we did just meet within the hour after all." I expressed, I really don't think I could stay here. Nor do I want to. Seriously, I don't want to. "It really isn't necessary."

"You're staying, that's final." Jacob said, as he placed an arm around my shoulder and began leading me into his home. Since he was stronger than I was, he was able to physically persuade me (unwillingly) inside."Oh, and call me Jake." Jake? We're on casual terms now? Oh right, he was calling me Bella.

He led me into his room, it was surprisingly clean for a guy's room. Well, kinda. The bed wasn't made, but you were able to see the floor, and that was an improvement over what I assumed a guy's room would look like. I don't know, they seem like they'd be messy. "I know it's not the best room ever, but it beats sleeping in the forest alone. Sorry if you don't like it, or if it's too messy."

I nodded my head. Oh, he wasn't expecting a response like that. "Thank you, Jake. It's just I don't expect hospitality. I've survived out there by myself, and yeah, I'm not use to showing much affection either." I said, honestly.

I kind of liked him. Like, even though I'm a stranger, he's willing to open up his home.

"Bella, it's not permanent or anything, I'll try to help you figure out your memory. I couldn't just leave a pretty girl in the forest though." he said with a wink, as he turned away and walked out of his room.

What did he want me to do? Follow him or something? It's kind of too early to go to sleep already. Yeah, I think I'm just going to follow him...

"Jake, I'm not exactly my cleanest at the moment. My teeth, my breath, overall, I guess I could be better. Sorry." What the heck was I saying?

"Yeah, I'll see if you can wear Leah's clothes. I can guess that she's around your size, but I actually really don't know if you'll fit. If not, I could always ask Emily if she has something for you to wear. Don't worry about it. We have extra tooth brushes, you can shower, and somehow, you'll manage with clothes. No big deal."

What's with his hospitality? Like, still, I'm a stranger. But, is this what it's like being cared for? Is this why humans are rarely isolated like I was? Funny, in the time I've been on Earth, I never really grasped the concept of being cared for, and caring. Sure, I saw it when I went to the city, but it's different having the feeling really aimed directly at you.

"Thank you Jacob. But, why would you help a stranger out? Is this something you do all the time?" I inquired. Really, this isn't an all the time thing for me either, obviously.

He laughs, oh I guess my question seemed stupid or something. "No Bella, this isn't something I do all the time. But, you have to admit, the situation is rather strange. How often do you find a pretty girl, in the forest, doesn't know anything about herself, yet manages to live there alone. Doesn't wanna leave, doesn't want to stay with people she just met -which is understandable." Oh, he nailed it. Except, I'm not pretty, I'm just plain, average looking.

"Oh." I could only respond so stupidly. "Well uh, thanks, but I'm not pretty."

"You are. And here's the bathroom, I promise there isn't mold or anything. You can shower, I'll be sure to find you clothes by then."

Shower? I've never had a proper one... Actually, I don't think I've done anything properly since I came to be. Since I fell, I hadn't eaten a proper meal, maybe just trying for the sake of experimentation, but really, eating wasn't big on my list. Surprisingly, I only smelled like the forest, I didn't create body odor -which is expected I guess. Oh, and my dress is only slightly dirty, it shows no signs of wear and tear that should have come with the decades. I've never brushed my teeth, but I still have teeth, well, they look like teeth, I'm not quite sure what actual teeth feel like. I've never been injured, no scrapes, cuts or bruises to my name. I don't know if that's normal, or if I just can't obtain any of them. I haven't even tried modern day appliances, what if people laugh at me because I don't know how to use something that most people learn at an early age? And, I don't think I blush. Or show any emotions. Well, I feel them, but it's different from having someone else read them.

Maybe I'm over-thinking, Jacob, er Jake, is staring at me. "Are you afraid of the bathroom or something?"

"No," I started walking in the wrong direction. Ugh. "Sorry, wrong way, I'm going. Thanks again!" I scurried away, and turned slightly to see Jake walking out of the house. Oh, he doesn't waste time. He's actually going to go get clothes quickly.

I was in the shower, I think. It was a glass box basically. With a bunch of silver knobs. I tampered with one, and water began to gush from this device above my head. It was cold, really cold. I moved the other knob and the water began to slowly warm up. It actually felt pretty good, and relaxing.

I don't know how to shower. Seriously. I just stood there and let the water rush down my body. It felt good, but I felt like I was doing something wrong. There were bottles labeled shampoo, and conditioner on this rack thing. I opened the condition bottle out of curiousity, and I poured some onto my hand. I can't describe the feeling, it felt weird, and I just wanted it off my hand. I put it on my face. It didn't do much. But, some of it dripped onto my hair, and my hair seemed to get softer. Oh, that's what conditioner was for. What about shampoo? I poured some onto my hand, and onto my hair. It made my hair smell good, but I prefer conditioner, so I put more on my hair.

When I felt clean, I ran my fingers through my hair. It felt the same, but at the same time, it felt smoother. I grabbed the scrap of cloth hanging on the wall to rub the water off of me. I don't know if it's used or not, but clearly, it's better to be dry than wet.

I heard a knock on the door. Well, multiple knocks. "Bella, I'll leave the clothes and a fresh towel on the door handle, and I'll turn away so you can grab the two."

I opened the door and wrapped myself in the cloth, er, towel that was already in the bathroom. Jake didn't walk away at first, so as I opened the door, he was staring right at me. "You're using my towel." he stated. Oh, so it was used.

It's not that bad, it dried me.

"Is that a bad thing?" I questioned. Because, I don't think it matters if it's used. I don't need something new.

"I thought you'd prefer a fresh towel." he awkwardly muttered. So it isn't normal to use someone else's towel -I'll keep that in mind. "But, when you're done, I'll just throw my towel in the wash." It's definitely not customary to use someone else's towel.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Here's Leah's clothes. If you'll hand me your dress, I'll wash that too. As awkward as it is, I had to ask her for an extra..." he paused, then spoke quieter. "Bra and panties..." he trailed off. Were the words really that awkward? "Oh, they're new. Promise. I didn't exactly want to give you Leah's used ... unmentionables."

"Oh, thanks." Thankfully, I did know what these unmentionables were, I did fall in them.

I scooped my dirty clothes out of the sink, I put them there when I went to shower. "I know washing my clothes might be awkward, so I can wash them myself if you prefer."

He held out his hands, and I put my clothes in them. "No, I'll do it. It's fine." He grabbed my clothes quickly, and walked away.

I changed into the clothes Leah had. Tan shorts and white v-neck, similar to what Jacob had on. Then, there was this long necklace with a charm at the end, and I could wear my gladiators. I guess I looked more modern day than before?

"Jake?" I called out, as I closed the door to the bathroom behind me.

He walked towards me. "Yeah? I've got your clothes in the wash, I guess I'll take you around and introduce you to people."

"Oh, it's fine. You don't have to, I'm sure you have better things to do."

"Don't worry about it, I'll introduce you to the pack."

"Jake, it's fine. I'd like to just hang out with you if that's okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. We can just talk if you feel uncomfortable about meeting my friends. But, you'll meet them eventually, I promise. Because, they know about you, and no they aren't unfriendly. They genuinely want to meet you."

"I'll meet them later. Yeah, I feel a bit uncomfortable, but it's alright." I blinked, that's what he was concerned about? Not that I'm some random chick?

Billy rolled into the room, accompanied by some man in a police uniform.

"Bella Swan, meet Charlie Swan. Maybe you two are related somehow." Billy introduced as I waved hi.

"Swan? Another one?" Charlie laughed. "I haven't met another in these parts."