Chapter One

Ow!

It felt like someone had whacked me over the head with a big mallet. My skull was throbbing and I didn't even think that was possible since a skull is bone. I felt damp and cold and it took me a long moment to figure out that I was lying down on grass, dew covered grass.

Slowly like an old film flickering into life it came back to me; the car had hit me. Anger coursed through me as I started to lift my head. The driver hadn't even stuck around to make sure I was okay. Bastard! I couldn't remember what they'd looked like or even the car so there was no point reporting it. But at least I'd get the day off college since I was soaked through and I appeared to be missing a shoe as one of my feet felt extremely cold.

It was only when I was on all fours, dew soaking through the knees of my already soaked jeans moving carefully in case I'd broken something -though I didn't think that was the case as I was moving pretty well for someone with broken bones- that I started to panic.

Panic because I couldn't hear the sound of the cars, lorries and motorbikes thundering along the road. Panic because the air didn't smell of fumes but of wood and forests after the rain have been. And panic because instead of the morning light that I had been walking in on my way to college, it was dark, night time dark and bitterly cold.

Standing bolt upright I gasped loudly as my light eyes widened taking in the sight around me that I could barely see in the dim fading evening light. This wasn't my road at all. This was… But I couldn't even say it. Saying it, even thinking it would make me insane and I had worked hard to prove to my teachers at least, that I wasn't. But this. I closed my eyes tightly; counted to ten slowly in my head and then taking a deep breath opened them again.

The sight before my eyes hadn't changed. It was still a place it shouldn't be, couldn't be because not only would that mean I was in a fictional world, it also meant that I had travelled to a different continent and I was pretty sure that without a passport, that was illegal.

Okay Sadie, you've officially lost it. You spent so long longing to be part of this world your mind has had it and made you go crazy.

There were no streetlights around; I didn't appear to me on a main road of any kind. Shivering I looked around, gasping as I happened to glance up at the sky and see the stars twinkling above me. Back home - I refused to think back in the real world- I couldn't see the stars thanks to all the light pollution from the city centre which was a shame because the stars above me were so beautiful.

What are you going to do now? My brain asked me, you can't stand around here forever.

I was right of course. I wasn't sure what the crime rate was around here but I didn't want to find out, and if I found people they could explain where I was. I was close to freaking out as I clutched my arms around me, hugging myself to keep warm and so I didn't fall apart.

I had a horrible feeling I knew exactly where I was and why I was here because that car had hit me and this must be…

I closed my eyes again taking another shuddering breath that came out of my mouth like the steam from an old coal train. Looking down at the ground I saw my book bag was there as was my copy of Twilight and I knew in my bag, copies of New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. I didn't usually travel with all four but today I was supposed to be sitting down for a truly horrendous one on one with the headmaster of my school and since he never ever seemed to look up from his papers I had planned on placing the books in my lap and reading while he told me why I wasn't fitting in. With any luck I would have been able to finish New Moon before the mid-morning bell had rung. But all that was void now.

Gathering up my now damp copy of Twilight, I put into my bag and threw the strap over my shoulder wincing as it hurt. Heaven shouldn't hurt. Lifting the strap onto the other shoulder I warily touched my shoulder wincing again as pain shot though me. It definitely felt bruised. Heaven wouldn't have bruised people.

More confused that ever I went to take a step forward when I yelped as my foot made contact with the ground. My ankle was throbbing and as I rolled up the leg of my jean, I saw that beneath deathly pallor of my ankle it was swollen.

Fantastic! Bloody fantastic! I've probably died, ended up in a world that shouldn't exist and now I've got a sodding twisted ankle. Brilliant.

Grumbling I started to limp along the grassy verge, trying to keep my bag from banging against my injured leg. I had no idea how to explain my injuries but my main problem was that I had no insurance. Back home in England most hospitals didn't charge you for visiting them but I knew that in America you had to have insurance and for that you needed a social security number, something I lacked since technically I didn't exist, well not here anyway.

I'm going to have a nervous breakdown in a minute, I thought as I hobbled along willing a car to pass by me and give me a lift. It was no joke picking my way over bumpy ground with a swollen ankle, bruised shoulder and probably concussion and also a total lack of control on reality.

A wolf howled in the distance and I sped up, ignoring the twinges of pain in my foot as I tried to put as much space between myself and the howling animal. I'd had enough scares for one day.

And then there was light, blissful light coming from the streetlamps that began to line the street and illuminated a sign that made me stop limping along and stare shocked at it, my heart beating so loudly it sounded as if it were in my ears.

"The City of Forks welcomes you." I read out loud, my voice sounding horribly strident in the darkening night. Beside these words was a picture of a snowy mountain, a bright green pine tree, a lorry carrying timber rolls and a little fish swimming in an icy cold river.

"The City of Forks welcomes you," I read again looking up at the illuminated sign, "The City of Forks welcomes you."

I read it again and again and again, each time unable to take in the words that greeted my ears. It was possible. It couldn't be possible. I was dead. I had to be dead. The car had hit me and killed me and I was now, well I had no idea, but wherever it was it had clearly taken the things in my brain and brought them in front of my eyes.

I was in Forks, Washington. It was then I collapsed onto the still damp grass face first.

~*~

"She's very cold. Lucky you found her when he did. How long do you think she'd been there?"

"A few hours at least Doctor. Clearly she's been in an accident of some kind, car it looks like. There was no-one around when I found her."

"Hit-and-run?"

"I can't say yet Doctor but it looks like. Poor kid. I don't recognise her though, not from town or the Rez."

"Well we'll get her back to health and then see what she can tell us. Her injuries aren't too severe luckily. She should be up and about before tomorrow morning."

"Thank you Doctor. I'll check back in on her later."

"Thank you Deputy Mark, if you hadn't found the girl I shudder to think what might have happened."

I could hear voices talking, one quite rough sounding, and the other like heaven on my ears. Footsteps pattered away from me, flat shoes on linoleum. I felt warm and comfortable and I breathed in deeply as I fluttered my eyes, opening them to see a movie star looking down at me.

"Carlisle." I breathed, my eyes widening as I clapped a hand to my mouth, yelping as it pulled on my shoulder.

"Gently now." He said in his remarkably appealing voice, it was really so very beautiful. His cool hands helped me sit up and work my arm back in place. I winced a couple of times but apart from that I made no more noise. He was just as I'd always pictured. Fiction allowed into reality. Or perhaps that was the other way around, reality allowed into fiction.

"Now." He said taking a seat on the stool beside me as I sat upright, comfortable against the pillows and in a gown that they'd obviously put on when I was out of it. God, I hope Carlisle didn't see me naked, I thought mortification heating my cheeks and turning my usually pale white skin red and warm. I was about to panic, remembering that blood usually equals hungry vampire but then I relaxed when I remember about Carlisle's complete detachment to human blood and the fact that doctors very rarely stood around to watch their patients get changed unless they wanted a lawsuit and within seconds I had returned to my original pallor.

Looking back at Carlisle and his golden eyes that were sparkling. They weren't too dark which meant he hadn't recently fed. He had noticed my preoccupation and had most likely noticed the quick changing colour of my face even more than I had but like the good vampire he was he didn't give anything away except a sunny disposition and a cheerful smile that put me instantly at ease.

"Shall we start over?" He asked and I tried not to concentrate too much on the sound of his voice, it was so distracting, "As you already seem to know I am Doctor Carlisle Cullen and you are…?"

"Sadie Prince." I said watching his eyes widen briefly as he noted my English accent. There was a tiny flicker of Englishness in the way he spoke too but it was deeply buried by living in America for so long. We had both been born in England though three centuries apart.

"Do you live in Forks?" He asked pleasantly picking up the metal chart from the end of my bed and writing my name in extremely neat handwriting on the top of my chart.

I shook my head, stopping quickly as that pulled on my bruised shoulder and when I realised that that was the wrong thing to say,

"Well not really yet," I amended trying to concentrate on anything than his face, it was very distracting talking to someone so beautiful, "I'm moving in with my aunt…Stephenie." I added hiding my smile.

"Stephenie," Carlisle mused, "I can't say that name rings a bell, what is her last name? We'll need to call her to inform her that her niece is safe."

Bugger. Of course they'd want to ring to let her know I was fine. I wasn't as good at this lying thing as I'd thought.

"She's out of town," I invented trying desperately not to look as if I were just making this all up as I went along, thank god Edward wasn't around, he'd see through my lies in an instant and my stomach did a little flip as I thought of him, it would stand to reason that if Carlisle existed in this world then he did too, "But she's due back tomorrow since I'm starting at the High School."

What the hell are you doing! My brain yelled at me. I hadn't meant to say that, it had just sort of slipped out. It was all the thinking about Edward. I needed to see him, all of them, just to prove to myself that they were real, or at least as real as Carlisle.

"Oh you're starting school there tomorrow?" Carlisle enquired as he lent over to check the machine I was attached too, "Chief Swan's daughter is starting there tomorrow as well. He's the police chief here." Carlisle added catching my blank look and thinking that I didn't know who he was talking about but that wasn't it. Tomorrow would be the first day Edward and Bella met.

Suddenly I felt excited and anxious to get out of the hospital. I wanted to see it all first hand. I would get to literally see the book play out in front of my eyes.

Carlisle's gold eyes narrowed as he checked the readout on my chart; clearly he'd noticed the sudden loud beating of my heart and the erratic spiking of the line on the machine and wondered what was wrong.

"So what's the diagnosis Doc?" I asked and he smiled at my gentle teasing. What I was really doing was trying to take his mind off looking too closely at my charts and story.

"You'll need to keep weight off the ankle for a few days but apart from that you were very lucky. Do you remember how you ended up out there?" Carlisle sat back down on the stool and fixed me with those impenetrable eyes and I found myself unable to look away.

"I honestly don't remember," I answered truthfully, "One minute I was walking along the road and the next thing I knew I was waking up and it is night time. Do you think I got clipped by a car?" I asked trying to make my eyes as wide as possible and also as innocent as I could.

"It's probable." Carlisle said still looking at me but I didn't feel anxious or worried, being in his presence was surprisingly relaxing, waves of serenity were washing over me and I struggled to keep my eyes on his beautiful pale face.

"Sorry," I apologised sleepily my words running together with my fatigue, "I feel so tired."

Carlisle smiled gently as he stood up,

"We'll talk more when you wake up." He said pulling the curtains around me in one sharp moment.

"Whatever you say Doc." I slurred and even though my eyelids were closed and I was drifting off I could have sworn I heard him chuckle.

~*~

It was hours later when I awoke, throat dry and burning but feeling better than I had before, even my shoulder only gave a little twinge when I sat up.

The robin's egg blue curtains were still pulled round my cubicle so I took the time to look around. My bag was in the hard backed chair next to me, untouched if a little muddy in the early morning light. Wondering about the time I shook back my sleeve to check my watch. It was just after six. School began at 8:15, with the first lesson starting at 8:25.

I had no idea how I was going to pull this off. I had no home, no clean clothes, no money, no transportation, no-one knew who I was and I had no proof I even existed. But I had to try. If this was a dream I was going to see it through, although I was already pretty sure it wasn't since I had been asleep in my dream which seemed highly unlikely to me.

"Morning." Dr Cullen said as he pulled back the curtains looking happier as he examined my charts. Clearly I was doing better.

"The prognosis?" I asked tensely as a pretty nurse came in carrying in a tray of breakfast and placed it on my lap. She last one longing look at Carlisle who appeared not to notice and then left sighing softly. I chuckled causing Carlisle to look up sharply, his face going kind when he saw me smiling.

"You seem very well liked here." I commented teasingly as I looked down at the tray in front of me. I had never had American food before, having never even left England before. But I was pleased to notice my tray contained yellow Jell-O, something I'd heard and seen on American teen dramas I happened to catch when I was eating lunch or doing my homework. Carefully I took the cup and held it above my nose smelling it. I hadn't been able to tell from sight if it was lemon or pineapple but after a quick sniff I deduced it was pineapple and tucked in with the plastic spoon provided. It wasn't half bad.

"You seem hungry." Carlisle commented noticing my appetite. As I wolfed down the yellow jelly and started on the banana I could feel his eyes on me, annoying when you're trying to eat. I hadn't realised how hungry I was. I guess entering a fictional reality can do that to you.

I shrugged as I demolished the banana quicker than I had the Jell-O and started on the toast, buttering it carefully with the plastic little knife they'd given me.

"So Miss Prince, we had trouble locating your aunt. I asked around while you were asleep but nobody seemed to know a Stephenie."

I knew he was looking at me but I get my eyes on my toast pretending that it wasn't bothering me but it was, quite a bit actually.

"She doesn't get out much," I said before taking a bite of my toast and chewing it slowly, "She's very busy with her business and everything and she was sort of forced into taking me in after my parents died last year."

I felt guilty about that lie but how else could I explain what a seventeen year old girl was doing all alone in the middle of a small town. I wondered how my parents were doing, knowing my mother she was probably freaking out. Was there a body? Was it like that series my mum had watched a couple of years ago with that guy from Doctor Who where he woke up in 1960 and was actually in a coma. Thinking about it made my head hurt so I didn't. Out of sight out of mind or at least that's what I told myself.

"I'm sorry." Carlisle said and his voice was so sincere I got a lump in my throat and couldn't swallow the pierce of toast I'd been chewing, instead having to spit it out on the plate, not a pretty sight at all.

"Sorry," I apologised pushing the tray away from me and away from Carlisle, "So can I go now?" I asked looking up at his face. Again he looked at me strangely. I probably looked awful; I hadn't had access to a mirror since I'd arrived. Then a thought struck me, what if I didn't look like me anymore. Maybe I looked like someone else. I was still deathly pale that much was obvious but maybe instead of grey eyes I had brown and instead of black hair I was blonde. Maybe I was another character instead of myself.

But I grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled it around my shoulder so I could see it; it was still black. I sighed heavily before looking back at Carlisle who looked a bit surprised. I wasn't surprised by that, I was acting like a crazy person.

I gave him my sweetest smile,

"Can I Doc?" I asked.

Carlisle sat on the end of my bed pointedly ignoring the hairball sized ball of toast I'd coughed up. It was actually making me feel a little queasy too. He had my chart in his hands again.

"Sadie," His voice was so appealing, Esme, Esme, Esme, Esme, I reminded myself, "Your tests came back all clear but…I'm hesitant to let you go without your aunt. I have a funny feeling you're the kind of person that attracts trouble." He tacked on after a moment's pause.

I smiled understandingly at him. Even though he didn't know he was protective of me. Such a Carlisle thing to care so much for his patients.

"Look," I said leaning forwards somewhat hesitantly, I kept my eyes on his face and when he didn't react I leaned closer and dropped my voice though I knew he could hear it perfectly well even though he didn't know I knew, "I'll level with you Doc. My aunt left to find work upstate but she enrolled me in the high school. She can't really take care of me herself, she's a free spirit but she wanted me to get a decent education and she said Forks was the best place for me to stay, a real community and everything."

God I was really getting good at this lying thing, which was probably going to be a problem. I needed to get a handle on it. Walk that line that Edward did trying to be as truthful as possible without lying.

"Anyway, she gave me enough money to rent someplace so I'll be okay. She's really not bad she just can't handle bringing up…well me." I smiled weakly at Carlisle who had listened to my little story without interrupting.

If he shopped me to the police or cops as they were here, I'd be finished. I could run of course but it would be on a bad ankle and I had nowhere to run too. For better or worse I was stuck here. Ironically exactly what I had wanted but in my own mind I'd had a family and a roof over my head.

"Look," Carlisle said standing up and dropping my chart into the shot at the end of the bed, "I tell you what I'll do. You can have a shower and get changed here using our facilities and then head on over to the school but as soon as the day is finished I'd like you back here and then we can sort out what to do."

He trusted me? I stared open mouthed at him for a second before I remembered myself and closed my mouth shutting off the goldfish look. Then I also remembered that I only had one set of clothes and they were dirty and wet.

"My clothes," I muttered embarrassed, "My suitcase got lost at the airport." I explained when he looked confused.

His expression brightened a moment later though and he smiled once more,

"Don't worry about that," He informed me taking a expensive looking mobile phone from his white jacket pocket, "My wife is about your size give or take, I'm sure she has something suitable for your first day. One moment." He held up his hand and was already dialling muttering quickly into the phone before he hung up turning back to face me, his smile making me want to smile too.

"That's all sorted, she'll be here in just a short while with some clothes and my daughter has about the same size feet as you appear to have so she'll bring some shoes with her as well. Between them you should find something that'll be acceptable."

"Thank you so much," I gushed, embarrassment for having to rely on the kindness of strangers warming my cheeks again, "It's really very kind of you."

"The clothes will act as the promise." Carlisle said tucking the little silver phone back into his pocket.

"Deal." I promised him before he left to check on his other patients. Where else was I going to go anyway? And the more time I spent with the Cullen's, the better. I couldn't wait to meet the rest of them, though how I was going to manage that I had no idea. Perhaps I could just watch them from afar like Bella had at first before Edward had fallen entranced by her. I could watch the story play out in front of me, well at least the parts that happened at school.

Somehow suddenly even the fog outside of the window seemed to look more appealing.

I was in Forks, WA.