EPOV

"Edward, what is your problem?" Isolde asked when my lips had suddenly stopped moving on hers.

I looked at her innocently as if I didn't know what she was talking about, but I sure as heck did. For some reason Alice's mind was on Bella. I thought she knew I could read minds. Apparently she forgot. I was trying to read her exact thoughts, but all I could make out was that it was about Bella. I shuddered as I thought of her, though it was rare when I didn't think about the most perfect face in the world. I felt a little guilty, thinking about Bella, when I was with Isolde.

We had me in the only American school in Brazil. Isolde was amazing, and she deserved much better than me, but I was too selfish to let her go. She was sweet, kind, funny…just not my sweet Bella. I knew that Bella was dead by now, and if not she would be extremely old. I couldn't imagine her in another man's arms, though I knew she would have moved on by now. Bella was not a girl that could live out her years alone. I often wondered about whom she had ended up with, hoping with all my non-beating heart that it was not that vile Mike Newton.

"Really, Edward," Isolde whispered, bringing my thoughts back to her angelic face, "you seem so distracted." She sighed. I said nothing, afraid that my voice would break. She looked down, a hurt look in her eyes. I reached out for her face, but she shoved my hand away.

We were in my room at my family's new house. For years after breaking up with her I had lived alone. Well, lived was not the right definition. More like…wallowing, dying, and breaking by myself. Alone.

I repeated the word in my head that no longer applied to me. I had moved back in my family and Alice and I went to school again. It was hard, going out in public. I would see a girl with the same color of hair as Bella and my heart would lift, but then she would turn around and it was never her. After I would spend hours dry sobbing in Alice's arms.

That was how Isolde and I had met. Alice had gone hunting for a day, while I stayed behind. I had amazing control after having to resist the sweetest blood I had ever smelt for over a year, and I didn't need to go hunting often, as my other family members did. I had been sobbing in the hallway during class and Isolde had been late for class, but she stopped to ask if I was okay. I seemed to dazzle her, even though I probably looked like hell.

We spent the whole day talking and just after a couple weeks of us dating, I told her that I loved her and that I was a vampire. She was scared and almost ran away the first time, but she got used to the idea. I could take our kissing much further than I had done with her but it wasn't the same. Every time I touched Isolde no electronic spark shot through me, like it had with my other love, who probably hated me.

Isolde ran downstairs and I ran behind her, but suddenly she stopped when she got to the front porch. I ran to her to see what had made her gasp in shock and stop in her tracks. My family was out there too, on the porch. I was too busy looking at my family's faces to notice that three members of the Volturi were in front of me.

I recognized the two males, but the female was a new face. I gasped when I saw her. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She had mahogany hair and big crimson eyes. All the angles that made up her emotionless face were perfect, angel-like in fact. She was amazing, and for some reason I just wanted to hold her, but she was not a good vampire, and there was really only one reason they would be all the way out here.

They had found out about Isolde and me.

BPOV

I ran through the forest with Damien by my side. I smiled at him the whole way. I just couldn't take my eyes off of his perfect face.

When I approached that average size wooden house, I was surprised to see who was staring back at me. I could see in Alice's eyes that she didn't know who I was.

I almost let my real emotions break through the cold mask that concealed my face, but luckily I kept my emotions hidden. She stared back with knowing eyes. She must have seen us coming. I smiled and evil smirk at her and she glared at me.

We were in the middle of nowhere. The closest thing to civilization was an American school eighteen miles from their house. Their house was about half the size of their old one. It was made of all wood, and seemed very old. But it was as charming as ever, thanks to the creatures that inhabited it.

Alice was not the only one on the porch then. Emmett and Jasper came out. Jasper was staring at me, his eyes wide in shock. Emmett was glaring at Damien, and I suddenly wanted to throttle him. For once, I hated one of the Cullen family members. Anyway, they weren't my family anymore, they never really were. Damien and Demetri were pat of my family now, so any threat to them was hated by me. Though Emmett wasn't really a threat, just the look he was giving my boyfriend made me angry.

"What do you want?" Emmett growled, never taking his eyes off Damien. I laughed and he turned to glare at me. I smiled at him evilly and his glare deepened. That made me giggle again, and Damien laughed along with me.

Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme were out there then. I was happy to see them, underneath all of my fake emotions, the ones I had created in the last seventy years or so. I really wanted to hug Emmett as tightly as I could. I wanted to hold them all, be part of their family again. But I kept my face blank and cold as they stared back at me.

I was the first one to speak, "One of the members of your family had broken one—actually two—of our laws." I told them, my voice venomous as I imagined him in the arms of another girl. I smiled again in a horrible way as I continued, "I need to speak with him." The gender I mentioned seemed to catch their attention. They knew I had found out about him and his girl. I spat the word. I hated him. I hated her. I just wanted to wring all of their necks, but I contained myself.

Jasper could feel my confusing emotions and stared at me and I raised my eyebrows, challenging him. He looked away, his gaze directed at nothing in particular. He just wanted to see anything but me. I couldn't blame him.

Then suddenly a girl was on the porch. She was human. I suddenly jumped forward toward her, but Damien put his hand on my shoulder. I looked at him, pleading for him to let me go, to let me kill that little insolent girl. She had long blonde hair. It was way and it hung over her shoulders. She was in a short mini skirt and a belly shirt. I smirked and the girl glared at me.

Then suddenly the love of my life was on the porch. My memory had not done him justice. He was perfect. The way his hair fell did not change, but something I couldn't detect did. It was beneath the surface. If I hadn't known him so well I wouldn't have seen it. But then I questioned myself. How well did I know Edward Cullen?

For the first time I was able to say his name, even if it was only in my mind.

I must have let my true emotions show—the recognition at least—because Damien asked, "Do you know them?" His voice was low and a whisper, so I knew the human couldn't have heard me, but the vampires sure did. I nodded at Damien's question and glared at the girl again. Then my eyes flickered to Edward. His eyes were pained almost as he put his hand on Isolde's shoulder. At their contact I suddenly wanted to kill her.

I smirked at them, instead, covering my emotion, "Funny, Edward." His face froze when he realized I knew his name, "You said you preferred brunettes."

His eyes widened and he gasped as he realized who I was.

"Bella." He breathed.