Chapter ONE:

Sound Effects and Over-dramatics

I stopped running long enough to take a breather. I looked to the left and saw a big drainpipe in a ditch and on the right there was a highway.

"Well since there's no one living around here…" I said to my cat, Serpentine.

Serpentine was a completely black cat, with the exception of the white "S" shaped mark on her forehead, and thus the name "Serpentine."

Serpentine sniffed around and then lay down approvingly. I got out my CD player, a blanket and a pillow and got set up for bed. I took out a few crackers and ate them as a sort of dinner. I hummed the tune of the song playing and drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

"Edward… EDWARD!" Alice yelled. Edward walked slowly to the kitchen. "You rang…?" he replied lazily, propping his arm up on the doorframe. "I already know what you're thinking… a road trip. It sounds nice." He said, a crooked smile crossing his face.

Alice smiled and nodded. "Yes. But Rose and Emmett won't be coming, they're at their-"

"-wedding rehearsal. I know." he finished for her, sighing. "So Jasper's coming too?"

"He said he has to gain some more self control before he feels comfortable with going out in public." She said, looking off to the side to the glass wall. Outside, Jasper was sitting as still as a statue. Alice sighed, wishing that Jasper didn't blame himself for everything that happened. It wasn't his fault!

Edward nodded in agreement. "Not his fault indeed… it was all mine." He said, and before Alice could protest put up his hand and asked quietly, "Will you go and get our stuff? We won't really need much. We'll probably just need a change of clothes or something."

With that, Alice took off up the stairs in her graceful step, practically skipping up the stairs. Edward heard the opening of drawers and the zip of a bag, so he smiled and turned for the door. He heard Alice behind him on the steps but she stopped, dropping the small bag. "Alice…" he breathed slowly. "What do you see?" he asked, and took a small step towards her. Of course, he thought to himself. She can't hear me; she's in trance mode. She started to sway, losing her balance. He ran forward and caught her, before she could topple onto the tile floor below, or atop his beloved piano. He set her down on one of the living room couches and she started to speak. "Ed… Edward…" she began, her eyes glazed over. "We'll meet a half-human… on the way there… in a drainpipe…"

"A drainpipe?" he interrupted. "Doesn't she have a home?" He shook his head. "Of course you don't know. You just see what you see." He stood up next to Alice and turned for the door. "Well? When are we going?" he asked, tapping his foot.

"Hold on! Geez Edward, you haven't been this anxious since we saw that one symphony orchestra!" she said, smiling playfully.

Edward smirked back. "So? It doesn't matter. I'm bored around here, that's all!" he said, rolling his eyes. "When Bella goes to visit her mom, I get bored, you know?"

Alice laughed lightly. "Yeah, I know!" she said, leaning on the doorframe. "It's the same when Emmett leaves me here. I get bored without armwrestling."

Edward sighed and walked out of the room. Alice came out after him, getting the car keys from the table.

* * * *

I woke up to the sound of Serpentine meowing loudly… Strange… I thought. She only does that when… Reality hit me almost as hard as the fact that I was sleeping in a cold, concrete drainpipe along the highway. I shot up immediately. I crouched down, my ears pricked up, and my cat senses kicked in fully. Looking up at the highway, I saw a jet-black car, a silhouette on the darkened blue sky. That means it's probably around 2 in the morning. But why would there be someone stopped on the highway this early? Unless…

My eyes were focused solely on that strange car, though my mind was still yearning for sleep.

Then one of the car doors opened and someone stepped out. A boy got out and looked over at me. My first instinct was to go and get his scent, but my human part said not to, and to stay put. Or maybe to run off, I thought. But I finally decided to stay put and see what this guy wanted. He stopped and looked like he was saying something, but no sound escaped his lips. He started to walk again, faster this time. He was in the entrance of the drainpipe in less time than I could register, looking me up and down. His pale skin seemed to reflect every bit of the moon. "Do I know you?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "No you don't. Nor I you, so we're pretty even there." He smiled at the shock that resulted his last comment. "But I had a… feeling that I'd meet you here." He smiled crookedly. Wow! I thought. He… wants to meet me! And he's cute!

I adjusted my hat as my ears began to twitch. "A feeling, hmm?" He raised an eyebrow and pulled off my hat, exposing my ears to the night's cold. "Hey!" I said, covering the two catlike oddities. But it was too late. He'd seen them. I stood up, facing him on eye level for the first time. He tried to suppress a laugh, pressing his lips together, with a light in his eyes. "A… a cat… So you're a cat.." he laughed, slightly shaking his head, again with little sound passing his pale lips, with the result of a glare from me.

I sat down and frowned, still glaring at the strange boy. "Who are you?" I growled, emphasizing each word.

He finally stopped laughing and looked down at me again. "I am Edward… Cullen." He raised an eyebrow and put his hand out towards me.

"Lucinda Blacken, Mister Premonition!" I said sort of mockingly. He took my hand and my heart skipped a beat. So cold… I thought. This feeling…The way his skin is… it's familiar… I slowly shook his hand, still thinking about the weirdness of all of this.

I pushed all those thoughts to the back of my mind, focusing now on the present. "So… why exactly did you come here?" I asked, putting my hat back over my ears, looking at him again. His eyes were a very light golden color, strikingly different than my plain blackish-blue ones.

"Well, I thought…" after that I was drowned in all of the questions building up in the cavity behind my eyes. The first one to slip out was the last one. "Why are your eyes so weird?" I blurted out, covering my mouth as soon as I spoke.

Apparently I had struck a nerve, for his eyes were now focused on mine, and it was as if he were trying to see into my soul! Creepy… I thought. "What?" he asked, his eyes boring into mine now, burning my brain and any remaining brain cells.

"What did I… what did I say?" I asked, my voice muffled through my hands. "I'm sorry, I-"

He just looked away, not taking even a second glance in my direction. "Never mind. Do you have anywhere to go? Or is runaway more on the right track?" It was as if he'd read my mind.

I felt a twitch of fear flicker across my face and into my eyes. I looked away, saying nothing, as I was a little afraid to do so. "Runaway, I take it. Now, do you need a place to stay? Because I've got a couple places for you." How did he… I thought. Who is this guy? I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about anything anymore.

He put his hand under my chin, pulling my head up to face him, my eyelids squeezing closer together. "Open your eyes." He said softly, barely loud enough for me to hear.

I shook my head and replied firmly, "No." His hands were like ice against my skin. I shivered at his touch.

He cupped his hands around my face, making a shudder run through my body. "Why won't you open your eyes?" The strange boy asked soothingly, his icy exhaled breath just barely touching at my face.

His breath was something peculiar, like the breath of an angelic demon. It was out of the ordinary for sure, but it was absolutely intoxicating. It was sickly sweet and smelled delicious and dangerous. But at the same time, it was like a drug; I wanted more, and I was addicted to it.

I leaned in the slightest bit to inhale the heavenly demonic scent, but he pursed his lips and stood completely still, like a statue. I dared myself not to open my eyes.

He sighed, and I held my breath, afraid of what he might do if I smelled his breath again… But I was more afraid of what I might do.

"Why won't you open your eyes, Lucinda?" he asked, being careful not to breathe on me again.

Repeating myself, I said nothing, but I shook my head in a firm no. I held my breath as his pressed itself against my face again. He… He wants me to look… But why? What does he want me to see?

"Hmmm mmm!" I tried to shake my head, but his cold, iron cast grip stopped me in my tracks.

Suddenly I felt something hard and cold at my chin. The chilling sensation moved up and down my jaw once… then again, and I gasped. My eyes shot open just in time to see his index finger moving away from my jaw. "Ha! That worked better than I would have thought!" Edward said, triumph clear both on his face and in his eyes. "This," he said, his finger waved in my face. "Is all it took!"

Damn! I realized that this what he wanted.

While he'd been messing with me, he'd dropped his hands from the sides of my face. I took this to my advantage. I ran out of the drainpipe, dropping to all fours for speed. Past him, there was still his car. Ha! Easy… I thought. I'd jumped over cars in Midnight's training, right? This won't be any different. I couldn't have been MORE wrong.

I jumped on the roof in a second and I felt something whiz past my ear. Edward was waiting for me on the other side of the car! This is extremely weird! I thought. Does he have some sort of specialty about himself as well?

Edward caught me and restrained me, asking for the last time, "Do you want to come with me?"

I nodded and he chortled, stuffing me in the back seat of the car. "Hey! Easy, kay? Geez…" I said a little louder than I should've.

He just shrugged. "Sorry. Just keep it down, no one needs to think you're being raped, right?" he grinned, obviously joking. But nonetheless, I nodded and kept quiet. Thanks, then. I thought. I really needed someplace to go.

"Hmmm…" I mumbled. "It's later than I thought. It's almost time for the sun to rise."

"I suppose you're right… Alice?" Edward whispered, looking over at the mere glow of the rising sun as if it were his mortal enemy. What's his deal? I wondered. I wonder if he's allergic to the sun… He's pale enough to be, that's for sure!

"I have some questions, and I want some answers. Good?" I asked, extending my hand toward him. "Good…" he said. "But I'll only answer 3." I nodded in agreement and started thinking. He shook my hand and again, icy recognition hit me, but from where?

I thought about a couple of the questions, randomly picking some. "Okay," I finally stated. "Here's question 1. Where's my stuff?" I looked at his face to read his answer.

"It's in the front passenger seat." He said, looking towards me.

"Okay… Umm, question 2: How did you know where I was?"

This result was different than I would have thought. A laugh was what I got at first. And then came his reply. "I already told you! I had a feeling, remember?" He looked over at me, but my face stayed straight. "No, that's not why you came. I can see it on your face, I read people." I crossed my arms and looked him square in the face and told him, "Tell me. I… I wouldn't tell anyone. I promise."

He sighed. "Okay. My sister Alice-" he motioned to the front seat, "-is a psychic. She can see into the future."

I gasped. "Oh, really?! I can see into the past… well not all the time, but at random times during the day, I would get these visions. That's why I had to be moved into the boarding school, because my grades were dropping and stuff…"

"Well, well! You have some talent after all!" he patted my head, which ruffled my hair.

My seatbelt was buckled now, and Edward was sitting still as stone beside me. The cool night air rushing through the windows soothed me, and I fell asleep quickly into a dreamless sleep.