Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, from the Twilight series are the property of their respective owners, mainly Stephanie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of the authors. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Hope

Chapter 2 – Changes

Trying to get back to normal, or even trying to pretend, was harder than it seemed. Of course it was easy to get up, go to school, come home and sleep, but I knew that wasn't convincing Charlie. I couldn't, however, bring myself to be any more enthusiastic. It hurt too much. School was a nightmare, everyone whispering about me behind my back, and the only friend that stayed true was Angela. She made it somewhat bearable. My grades stayed top of the class, homework gave me something to do in order to escape my thoughts, if only for a little while.

I was currently laid on my bed, trying so hard to imagine that he was laid beside me; the way he used to once Charlie had gone to bed. I missed how fascinated he used to be with me, missed the fact that he made me feel as though I was the most important person in the world. It had all been a lie of course, and even thinking back on it now, at the time I could never understand why he would love me. I guessed I had just been an experiment for him, something that fascinated him for a while before he got bored.

I was broken out of my musings by Charlie. Without me even realising he had come up the stairs and was not perched on the edge of the bed looking extremely wary. He opened and closed his mouth for a while before eventually finding the right words.

"Bella... I've had enough" a stab of guilt shot through me in this moment, but it was drowned out by the anger I felt.

"I can't stand seeing you like this, it breaks my heart" he whispered, staring my in the face.

"Hold on a moment Charlie" I spat "I've done everything you and my mother asked of me, I go to school, my grades are excellent, what more do you want from me?"

His eyes suddenly became hard, as he tried to fight off the anger that had him shouting at me the moment I finished my words.

"But that's just it Bella, yes you go to school, your grades are brilliant, but you're not living. It's almost as if you're the living dead, and I can't stand to see you like this. So... and I am sorry Bella... but unless you start to live again, I will send you to your mother"

My jaw dropped open at his words, unable to believe that he would do that to me. Somewhere in the back of my mind a little voice tried to argue that he was right, and I was like the living dead, but I pushed that thought away from me as I stood up off my bed and stalked to my door, ripping it open and flinging myself down the stairs.

"Bella... BELLA!"

I could hear Charlie shouting my name over and over as I wrenched the door to my truck open and started the engine. I swung out of the driveway and shot off down the street.

Now that I had left the house, I had no idea where to go. I just knew that I had to get as far away from my house as I could in that moment. I wanted to go somewhere that reminded me of him, and although their house was the safer, I did not have the strength to go there.

I turned on the freeway, heading to the one place that was ours. Mine and his. The only problem was finding it. Last time I had been there it was with a vampire that knew the route like the back of his hand, but I knew that I had to try and at least find it.

I pulled up at the end of the track and jumped out of the cab. I looked around me and a small part of me that acknowledged that this may be a bad idea. I dismissed that thought as soon as it appeared and set of hesitantly towards the beginning of the trail.

I turned in the direction I knew we had gone last time, turning away from the path and setting off into the dense trees. I stumbled and grazed my knees more times than I could count, it seemed like I had been walking for hours. Just as my desperation to find the clearing nearly reached hysteria I glimpsed a small patch of sunlight shining through the trees. I ran towards it feeling, for the first time in ages, something other than numbness and guilt. I felt excited and giddy; I had been able to find the place myself.

I stepped out from the trees, lifting my face up to the sunlight, letting it wash over me. I then opened my eyes, a small smile on my face, as I took in the meadow. Our meadow. Simply by being in this place I felt closer to him.

I don't know how long I stood there, simply basking in the sunlight and appreciating the fact that I was here, when a sudden movement caught my eye. A dark haired man had walked out of the forest to my left but he had yet to realise I was there, but what scared me the most was the fact that he was shimmering, his skin was like diamonds. I knew then I was in trouble, he was a vampire, and apart from the Cullen's and their friends in Denali, there were no other vampires that fed off animal blood.

As I started to panic, I looked up again at him and realised he was staring right at me. Recognition flowed through us both in an instant and I felt myself starting to relax. I knew this vampire, and I knew that he meant me no harm.

"Laurent" I breathed "I thought you were up in Denali with the other coven?"

He didn't say a word, simply moving towards me. The hairs on the back of my neck started to stand on end, and a look of shock and finality settled on my face when I finally saw the colour of his eyes. They were blood red. Laurent saw my resignation and smiled softly.

"You could say I had a slight disagreement with them" he murmured, "They didn't like the fact that I kept in contact with my past life, in more ways than one"

It all clicked into place in that moment, his words having multiple meaning. Yes, he still drank human blood, the main point he was trying to convey but he also meant that he had not given up contact with his former coven, and as one of them was already dead, it only left one possibility.

"Victoria..." her name tasted foul on my tongue. Laurent smirked as he saw I had figured it out.

"Yes... you see, I'm supposed to bring you to her, but the smell of your blood is far too appealing to me..." his eyes darkened as he spoke "so I think we'll have a party of our own, what do you think Bella?"

I could not answer. Laurent had come to Forks, hell bent on killing me, and Victoria was behind it. I couldn't stop the tears that betrayed me, flowing down my cheeks. I knew in that moment that no matter how dead I had felt inside for these past months I did not want to die. If I was dead then there was no chance on this earth that I would ever see my family again, both human and vampire. Worst of all, I would never, even by chance, see Edward again.

I closed my eyes in that moment, determined not to let Laurent see how scared and utterly terrified I was. I suddenly felt his teeth rip into my neck and an unbearable pain tore through my body, but even worse was the fiery venom that now seeped through my veins. I could feel my life slipping away from me, but I fought the urge to scream and cry out. I would not give him the satisfaction.

Just when I thought all hope was lost Laurent was ripped away from me, and I could hear the loud growls of some unknown creature. Lifting my head I was able to squint my eyes enough to see that they seemed to be huge wolves and, judging by the horrible screams, they were killing Laurent.

Moments later, although it seemed like hours to me, the pain tore through me with a new force and I was unable to keep myself from crying out. I could vaguely hear human voices around me before the pain became too much and I blacked out.

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There's the second chapter guys! Bit of a cliffy I know, but let me know what you think and I'll update soon!

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