Weekends suck.

Translation: I have no life and will, therefore, provide my lovely readers with another chapter.

Enjoy.

I groaned and rolled over on my side, twisting my face as far away from the offending glare of the sun as my neck would allow. I lay completely still, reveling in its warm embrace before jerking up.

'Sun?'

Blinking the sleep from my eyes I struggled free from the tangled knot of bed sheets before stumbling towards the window. The sun's friendly glow immediately greeted me and filtered lazily into my room, casting brilliant streaks of light along the sleek wooden panels of my floor. I groaned, knowing I wouldn't be seeing Edward until after school, where he and the rest of the Cullen's would be taking refuge in their white manor from the sun.

Sighing, I made my way downstairs to the bathroom. I glanced in the mirror while slipping free from the warmth of my baggy t-shirt and shorts. Dark brown eyes stared back at me, enclosed in a blanket of pale skin and waist-long, wavy, auburn hair.

My gaze was torn from the mirror when a sharp pain shot up my arms. I glanced down at my wrists in mild alarm to study the tender, bruises on my arms. They wrapped fully around my wrists, in the shape of a hand. I frowned, remembering Edward's pale hands clamping sharply around my wrists the night before, his inhuman strength inadvertently seeping into the action and almost breaking my frail human arms.

Really, it was my fault for trying to push Edward a little more, but that didn't stop him from having a feral meltdown and repeatedly blaming himself. I cradled my raw arms to my side while slipping carefully into the shower.

I washed the shampoo free from my hair, recalling the morbid silence Edward had fallen into that night. His expression was the same indifferent stare he had accumulated before he left last fall, blank and eerily emotionless, his posture rigid and his honey brown eyes refusing to meet my own.

Panic swelled in my chest and I winced, the hole in my chest expanding violently, ripping into my lungs and knocking the air out of me. I folded into myself in agony, forcing back the onslaught of tears.

'He promised.' I assured myself. 'He won't leave me. Not again. He promised me he wouldn't.'

The pain ebbed into a dull throb in my chest. I stood abruptly, slipped out of the shower, and hastily shrugged into a white t-shirt and faded denim jeans. I shoved my feet into a pair of socks, and then a pair of black and white converse before sprinting towards my ancient pickup. I gunned the engine, ignoring the load roar it emitted before peeling out of the driveway and speeding towards the Cullen's magnificent white house.

I swerved into the concealed driveway and skid to a stop in the vacant driveway. Blinking the tears out of my eyes, I sprinted towards the door and ripped it open. The elegant furniture and brilliant grand piano remained, however there were no Cullens' waiting to greet me at the doorway with their unearthly beauty.

I sucked in a breath and staggered up the winding staircase, slipping into the closest room. Everything was as I remembered it, a large queen sized bed dressed in soft, lavender sheets, belonging to Alice completely unused, sheer, billowing, white drapes concealing the full length window and a few other assortments of furniture.

I checked the remaining rooms, tears now flowing freely from my eyes, to find them in much the same condition: untouched and free of any Cullens. My breathing had turned into ragged gasps by the time I reached Edward's door.

A muffled shuffling leaked past the thick wooden door and my heart plummeted into my stomach before soaring back up. Relief overwhelmed me and small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

Hastily, my trembling hand extended to the doorknob and jerked it open. Eagerly stepping in, my eyes scanned the room and locked onto a pair of ruby orbs.

I froze in place, my heart beating erratically in my chest as the milky red eyes regarded me with unveiled interest. His black hair and powdery skin were all too familiar to me and I knew he was here for the Cullens'. But they were gone, and in their place Aro had stumbled upon me. Alone, and completely defenseless.

"Bella!" his soft voice cooed. I shuddered and took a timid step back my eyes locked on his face. Aro's smile faltered before quickly slipping back into place.

"How nice, that you dropped by," he started idly, "I knew Edward wouldn't have changed you, and I expected him to be a little sour at my visit." He smiled in a friendly manner that sent shivers spiraling down my spine.

"But it seems the Cullens' are no longer here…" Though his voice was sympathetic, it did little to stop the abrupt ripping at my chest.

I didn't reply, just blinked and grasped at the doorframe for support.

"I admit, I would have liked to see Carlisle," he continued casually, "but it really is so much easier this way. For me, that is."

"W-what is?" I squeaked.

He chuckled and stepped forward, his posture suddenly lacking its regal poise and shifting into a predatory hunch. He studied me, his gaze calculating before disappearing.

I blinked, astonished, before feeling a pair of cold hands clamp down on my shoulders, securing me in place. My knees buckled under me, but Aro's marble hands held me in place.

I felt him shift behind me, his smooth black hair falling over his shoulder to tickle my cheek. He brought his face next to mine, so the tip of his pale nose trailed delicately along my jaw. I stiffened, feeling his small inhale then cool sigh of breath on my neck.

I wanted to tear myself out of his grip, to hear Edward's enraged snarl and to be back safely in his arms and away from Aro's own colder ones.

Aro's lips had made their way to my pulse and suddenly he was whispering against my skin.

"This is what you wanted… wasn't it Bella? To be turned? Now, now," he continued, before I could protest, "don't be afraid. It will only hurt for a moment."

His razor sharp teeth sank slowly into the skin of my neck, piercing the skin and emitting a steady flow of venom in my veins.

I threw my head back and screamed, feeling fire erupt in my neck, rapidly spreading throughout my body. My arms flew up to my neck to claw the venom out, only to have Aro push them gently to my sides and haul me onto Edward's couch.

I writhed pathetically on the black leather, eyes clamped shut and gasping for breath. My mind vaguely registered Aro's soothing voice over my agonized screams, before an abrupt streak of pain shot through my body and wracked my frame in trembling convulsions.

And then a cold hand forced me down on the couch and I slipped into a trembling unconsciousness.

"What the hell happened?"

"I don't know."

"Why is she still warm Aro? How is her heart still beating? How the hell did…"

"Look, I. Don't. Know."

I frowned and stirred slightly, finding myself tucked snugly under a warm blanket. The bickering voices hushed abruptly, though I could still hear their breathing, much louder than it should have been. An assortment of smells assaulted my senses and memories of Aro and the Cullens' came flooding back.

I gasped and forced my eyes open. Two hazy faces loomed over me. I blinked and propped myself up unsteadily.

The blurry faces morphed into the defined features of Aro, and another vampire I didn't recognize. Both were starring, eyes wide and emitting an air of astonishment.

I frowned, confused, and dimly surprised that I felt not even a speck of fear.

The two continued to regard me with something akin to dazed interest, before I broke the silence.

"What…" I paused, unsure, before continuing, "happened to me?"

Aro and the stranger glanced at each other quickly before turning their ruby gazes back towards me.

"We're…" Aro started, his brow furrowed in thought, "not entirely sure ourselves."

I blinked, before frowning in confusion. "I don't understand."

"Well, to put it bluntly, you should be dead."

I turned to the second vampire, who had spoken, studying for him for the first time. His mane of dirty blond hair reached his eyes and was swept messily to one side, reminding me of Edward's own disheveled hair. His skin, like all of his kind, was a creamy pale, his features delicate and well-sculptured. Our gazes locked and he smirked.

"But…" I prompted.

He frowned. "You're not. Well, not entirely."

My calm façade wavered and I stared at him, uncomprehendingly. "What do you mean?"

Aro sighed and grasped my shoulders, ignoring my sudden tension and guided me off the bed I had been occupying. I blinked, suddenly aware that I had no idea where I was, before stopping in front of a full-length mirror.

The girl in the mirror stared back at me with wide, burgundy eyes. Her hair was a dark mahogany, a subtle red prominent in the glossy tresses; it cascaded down her back in rich waves stopping just about her slim waist. Her features were sharp, with high cheekbones, and a flawless, ivory complexion.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered the girl in the mirror was me.

Woo.

Thanks, very much, to my lovely reviewers.