Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight
Edward is gone.
The words, hollow and empty, are reduced to an unending mantra as I try to suppress the delusions of my teenage years. That golden-eyed dream has faded, leaving me alone in the dying ruins of reality.
Edward is gone.
My life, split easily into three parts, seems to mock me with every turn. With Renee, in Phoenix, I was reasonably happy. Of course, I would never have imagined myself as anything better than merely "content" at the time. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have lost sight of those early days, tossing them away so easily in the light of the Cullens.
Second would be Edward. Is there any other way to describe his unearthly charm? Their unearthly beauty? The Cullens, such a brief intrusion, yet one that would leave scars for the rest of my life, however short or long that would be.
Thirdly was the present. A spiralling void of darkness and pain, time floated idly by as I sat alone, drifting through the memories of the past. In my room, at night, I would watch the stars spin above, the haunting ghost of Claire De Lune whispering in my thoughts. And then I would see him, my angel, only for him to laugh and disappear in an instant, ripping open the healing wound.
Edward is gone.
I slid into the front seat of my truck, pushing away my darkest thoughts for the time being. They would do more harm than good, considering my destination this day. It was the first day of our Senior year and I was returning to the launch point. Forks High School.
Aro's POV
I sat, silent, upon my throne, watching the vampires feed before me. It had been more than a month since the Cullens had left Volterra, yet my thoughts continued to return to their visit, brief though it had been. Boiling in their fragile emotions, they had been wounded by the act of abandoning their human pet, an interesting turn of events.
For us, the walking dead, to feel such strong emotions, for us to rise above the tranquillity of our state, it was most curious. And yet the Cullens had achieved this near-human state, mentally at least, all because of a simple human girl. Perhaps it was some power of hers, inciting the passions of life where they had no reason to be. She would, I had no doubt, be a valuable asset, be it due to whatever power she had, or due to her hold over the Cullens.
A hand on my shoulder, firm, cold. Enshrouded as I had been in my thoughts, I had failed to notice the approach of Sulpicia. Or maybe that was simply me not wanting to recognise her presence. The years had changed us, changed her from fire to ice, and I from light to dark. No longer did we work in tandem with each other, drawing on the strength of the other to rise. Now it was a constant battle, a fight for supremacy where no such power struggle should exist.
I shrugged lightly, pushing my wife's hand away with the disdain of centuries. Turning to meet her gaze I stood, letting my cloak resettle itself on my shoulders. Her eyes, frozen granite, met mine and I knew she understood the motion. Change was coming.
Bella's POV
I strode into Biology, settling into my usual seat before most people had entered the room. Unthinkingly, I turned to glance over my left shoulder, only to be greeted by Edward's empty seat, a ghostly reminder of the past. In an attempt to distract myself I looked in the other direction, ignoring the gaping hole as my eyes slid over my classmates. Two tables over was Angela and Ben, their hands lightly meeting as they spoke in soft tones. Quickly, I tore my eyes from the couple and the memories of soft words shared with Edward, not dissimilar from their own scenario. At the table infront of them was Jess and her new boytoy, Alex or something similar. They existed in stark contrast to Angela and Ben, hands roaming all over each other. Again I looked away, my eyes involuntarily locking on Mike as he approached me.
"You don't mind if I take this seat, do you Bella?" Before I could reply he had taken the seat next to me, Edward's seat, and started informing me as to the details of his holidays in that bright, cheery voice of his. Determined to ignore him, I turned back to my books, waiting for the teacher to enter and stop him from rambling.
One hour later, I stalked out of the classroom, leaving my classmates behind in favour of solitude. Behind the school, I curled up beneath a convenient tree, my eyes lightly scanning my battered copy of Wuthering Heights. However, the peace afforded to me by virtue of my solitude was quickly stolen by the appearance of Mike Newton.
"I missed you over the holidays, Bella." He sat next to me, peering at me quizzically as I continued to read, hoping he would go away. "Last year was nice, or rather, it was nice being with you last year." I knew exactly what he was referring to. When, in the hopes of overcoming the loss of Edward and the Cullens I had turned to Mike, going out with him a couple times and other such things.
I closed my book, looking up to meet his eyes with my own. "I explained already Mike. That was nothing, a lack of foresight on my part." He frowned at my words, the warmth slowly leaking out of his gaze.
"It wasn't nothing Bella. You and I both know that it was anything but nothing. Sleeping with someone is most definitely not "nothing", especially not multiple times." I turned away from him, only for him to grasp my chin and turn me back to meet his steely gaze. "You are mine Bella, enough with these silly games."
He leaned in, pressing his lips roughly against mine as I struggled to back away from him. However, my resistance seemed to do nothing but encourage him as his hands slipped under my skirt, his weight holding me down under him.
"I always liked your fire, Bella. You play hard to get, but I know you like this, when you stop lying to yourself." Mike whispered as he continued to remove my clothing, the bulge in his pants growing with every one of my struggles. I tried to scream, to call for help, only for his lips to cover mine, swallowing my cry and shoving his tongue roughly into my mouth.
I went still as he pulled off my final piece of clothing, leaving me naked underneath him. Swallowing my own disgust I reached up to kiss him, distracting him long enough to grab the can of pepper spray Charlie had insisted I keep with me. Pulling away and spraying him right in the eyes, I managed to get out from under Mike, grabbing my coat and bag, running for my truck as fast as I could.
Locking the doors as soon as I could close them I sat for a moment, stilling my breath, only to turn at the sound of a voice. "I must say, Isabella, I hardly expected you to be so eager that you would come running for me in only a coat." The voice was familiar, though I couldn't place it exactly, with a faint accent.
I turned, only to meet the bloody eyes of Aro Volturi. I stared for a moment, my mind not comprehending what I was seeing. A vampire, a dangerous vampire, was sitting in my truck. The most dangerous vampire was sitting with a naked me, in my truck. I raised my hand in defence, unsure exactly how the action was going to help against a super-charged vampire. However, contrary to my expectation, he raised his own hand to meet mine in the faintest of touches.
My world stopped.
AN: Look guys! I'm actually doing it! This chapter has changed form quite a bit, but the content is still there, the actual story isn't changing.