Disclaimer: Twilight was written and created by Stephanie Meyer.

BELLA

Everything was different when the pain stopped.

I groaned, trying to hide my eyes from the intense lighting in the room. It felt like the sun itself was in front of my eyes. A loud crack of thunder exploded in my ears, and I screamed, covering my ears from the noise. A woman rushed in then, and from the scent she carried in I could tell she was the one who would soothe me when the pain hit me.

She was stunning. She looked to be about my height, with a sweet heart-shaped face and golden-yellow eyes. Her svelte figure was clad in a warm mustard cable knit sweater and dark blue jeans. Her toffee-colored hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and she blinked rapidly, taking in my appearance. I gasped then, really looking at her. From where I was laying down, I could see the fibers of her sweater, tangled within each other. Every pore on her face was perfect. She had a thin translucent, crescent-shaped scar on the side of her neck, and I unconsciously felt my own neck, looking at her in confusion. I looked up, and I saw a strange, luminous purple color emitting from the ceiling lamp in the room. Was that…UV light? I blew out my breath, and then I felt it.

There was a horrific itch at the back of my throat, and it sang to me. I clawed at my neck, gasping and crying out. The woman suddenly appeared in front of me, and I jumped backward, hitting the headboard forcefully. I heard a crack, and I looked behind me to see a massive crack creeping upwards from where my body had landed. I stopped myself from screaming, but the scream was quickly replaced by the scratch in my throat. I pointed at my throat to the woman, doubling over in pain. I was so thirsty.

"Wa…water." I choked out. The woman looked at me sadly and had opened her mouth to say something when two more people walked in. My eyes widened. I knew them, but I had forgotten their names in my haze or where I had known them from. The girl was statuesque, and her thin face held more beauty than I had ever seen in my life. Her long, thick blonde hair reached her back, and she stared at me blankly. It was unnerving, and I switched my gaze to the blonde man standing next to her. His light blonde hair was either wavy or just messy, falling just past his jawline. He looked so alike to the girl that I was sure they were twins. He stared at me intensely, and I could feel my panic easing slightly. His fists were tight with tension, and I saw that he had crescent-shaped scars all over his arms, marring his perfect skin. I snuck a look back at the woman's scar on her neck, and she caught me looking. She smiled hesitantly. She looked like she was only a few years older than the other two, and yet she had such a maternal aura about her.

I gagged on the feeling at the back of my throat again. It felt like someone had stuffed sandpaper down my esophagus, and sanded down the sensitive track. I was in desperate need of water, anything to relieve myself of whatever was hurting me. I pointed at my throat, swallowing something thick and gooey that had built up in my mouth. I made a face, gagging again. All three of them looked at me curiously.

"Can…can I have some water?" I choked out slowly. My voice sounded hoarse, and yet to my ears, it sounded different somehow. I could hear the woman sitting in front of me fidgeting, and then she whispered something to the boy. Or at least tried to whisper, I suppose. It was clear as day what she was saying.

"Jasper…go get the packets." She said, looking at me with a wild concern. I already had the feeling that something was deeply wrong, but her demeanor was terrifying me.

"Wh-where am I?" I asked. None of them answered me, and panic crept up my spine. "Who are all of you?" Fear started to boil over within me.

"She doesn't remember us." The girl mumbles, turning her head towards the boy who was halfway out of the door.

"Please stop being so cryptic," I say, annoyed. The pain in my throat grows the more I talk, and I groan again. "What is happening to me?" I whisper, trying to conserve my voice. I hold my head in my hands, my long hair falling all around me. I can see how brilliant my hair shines with the light, and I look up, staring at the strands. My hair shone with such brilliance, and it was softer than any plush animal I had ever owned. I breathed shakily in disbelief and looked out the window beside me. I startled myself, standing on my knees as I brought both my hands to rest on the shining glass. I could see blades of grass, the green becoming more vibrant as the fat plumps of water dropped from the sky. The strong smell of roses wafted into the room we were in, and I moaned. It was so much more fragrant than anything I had ever smelled in my life. I stood up fluidly, surprising myself. The woman stands up with me, concerned. The girl inches her way closer to me, and she narrowed her light gold eyes at me. I moved back from them then as the anxiety crawled along my body.

"Don't scare her," The boy warns, shooting a warning glance at the girl. She pays no attention to him however, and she moves somewhat closer to me. It looked as if she was holding herself back, being mindful of her movements so as not to scare me. I stare up at her with wide eyes as she joins hands with the woman.

Something was most certainly wrong. "What is this?" I ask quietly. "What do you all want with me?"

"Bella-" The woman starts, holding her free hand out to me.

"How do you know my name?" I ask, panicked. I look at each of them again, their intense stares making me nervous. I was still in desperate need of water or at the very least a cough drop. I saw an opening past the girl's right side, and I made to go to it, but the boy appeared in front of me first. I yelp, jumping backward. He looks remorseful, but ultimately his face hardens. I feel a sudden wave of calm that tried to take me, but I fight against it. If I was going to get out of this, I needed all of my wits with me, and my intuition was invaluable. I needed to get the hell out of here.

I felt so cold as well. Was I fighting a terrible flu? It would be just my luck to catch something like the Spanish Influenza or God knows whatever else bacteria floated around during this time of year. A small cynical part of my mind reminded me however that I wouldn't be able to see UV light from a particularly nasty illness though.

"Let me through," I demand, deciding to stand my ground.

"We can't do that." The girl responds, looming over me.

"Why. Not." I say through gritted teeth. The itch at the back of my throat was an ever-present reminder that I needed to get something into my system right away, or I might burn with hot desire. I look around the room for an escape, and then I catch my reflection in a floor length mirror handing inside a closet door. I fight for breath then, horrified at my image and the memories rushing back to my mind. My eyes were bright red. A collage of memories flood back to me, and I see my father on the floor, white as a ghost as three strangers with eyes as red as mine corner me in the hallway. A man sinks his teeth into my neck and I scream. I shriek with horror, pressing my hands over my mouth as I try to put together the puzzle pieces. My skin was a translucent ivory, and much paler than I was before when I was attacked. I spy a large crescent moon on my neck, and I wail with terror, remembering what happened in its entirety.

"Here we go." The girl murmurs sarcastically as the boy tried to move closer to me.

"Bella," He says gently. "I need you to calm down, and we can explain what's going on." I don't comply with his request, staring at my reflection in the mirror. He tries to take my arm, and I immediately take it back from him, glaring at him. The burn in my throat reminds me that it's still there, waiting. The girl makes a move for me, and I push her out of the way, sending her tumbling into the bed behind me. She grunts, and then looks up at me with malice. She shares a look with the boy behind me, and the woman starts to protest.

"Jasper wait-"

All of a sudden, I'm on the floor fighting against the twins. I scream as they try their hardest to pin me down, but I'm surprisingly putting up a good fight. I wrestle with the girl, trying to stop her nails from digging into my arms. She was so much stronger than she looked, but a sudden burst of energy from me sends her flying. I scream for help as the woman flies out of the room, her caramel hair flying behind her as she raced down the stairs, calling for a man named Carlisle. I briefly heard the sound of car doors shutting, and feet racing up the stairs. The girl yells for help as she once again grabs hold of me while the boy twists my arm back behind me, and he looked tense with panic, panting heavily. I briefly thought I looked the same but I was still screaming for someone to help me when he crashed into the room.

Edward Cullen.

The girl was trying to hold down my legs as a giant, brawny man joined the struggle, holding me by my waist. He struggled as I tried to push him off me, and he grunted as he put more work into stopping my panic attack. I looked towards Edward, who was staring at me in horror.

"Edward," I cry out, and he freezes in place. The girl who was holding my legs looks at me in surprise, her eyes widening as she looks to the man holding me by my waist in alarm. I was still struggling to put up a fight against him, but he seemed to be taken aback as well. "Edward, please help me." I sob. You saved me once, please save me again, I thought desperately. I wriggled my arm away from the blonde boy finally, but that sends everyone back into fighting mode again. I scream for Edward, throwing my free hand into his direction. He was still frozen in place as I wailed for him. I needed his help badly.

Finally, he breaks out of his trance. "Stop. STOP." He yells, coming to my aide. The people holding me down stop on his orders, and he appears next to me suddenly, kneeling by my side. I embrace him, taking him off guard as I sob into his shirt. His hands are held just inches away from my back, unsure of whether he should comfort me. I'm sobbing, but I notice that no tears are flowing from my eyes. This only serves to make me panic again, and the burn in my throat becomes stronger. I try to force it down as I fist Edward's shirt into small balls in my palms. Finally, he wraps his arms around me, cocooning me away from the world. It was strange, and yet a gesture of safety.

"Bella," He whispers, rubbing my back as I try to calm down. "Bella, you're safe now." He brings his head down to whisper into my ear, and I shiver from his proximity to me. "You're safe."

I feel another wave of calm wash over me, and I freely let it take me. I was at peace finally, on my knees and embracing Edward Cullen. If someone had told me that a month ago that I'd be in this position with Edward, I would have rolled my eyes and told them to stop smoking. Feeling calmer, I look up at him, watching his face harden as he realizes I'm staring at him. I look back down immediately, suddenly feeling self-conscious about my behavior. I thought I might blush, but I didn't feel the familiar rush of blood to my cheeks.

I feel a presence behind me, and I turn, nervous. Edward's hands tighten in reflex to my movement, and I felt much better. Having a familiar face was a big help in whatever was going, even if said familiar face didn't particularly like me. It was the woman from before, kneeling on her knees as I was doing. She had taken off her sweater, revealing just a plain grey t-shirt. She tilted her head to look at me curiously and then glanced at Edward, her pink lips slighting partly in question. She glanced at me again, noticing my stare. She tried to put me at ease by smiling, and I'll admit that it did help in calming me down. I glanced upwards at Edward, noticing that his face had lost the hardness when he looked at the woman, and I decided then I could trust her.

"Bella? How are you feeling?" She asked kindly.

I swallowed, trying to keep the tenacious burn in my throat at bay. I loosen my grip on Edward, slowing retreating away from him. I can feel his dark gaze on me, but I don't look up, ashamed of my actions. I end up collapsing on the floor, expelling a soft 'oof'. A tight, cold grip encloses around my bicep, and I see that Edward helped steady me. I look up at his blank face and mouth 'thank you'. He nods; his tips turning into a tight line before letting my arm go. I sense all eyes on our interaction with each other, and I turn to the group. Two more people had joined the room. A petite young woman stood in the corner with the blonde boy, holding his hand. She gazed at me intently, as if she could see right through me. Her short, inky black hair was a stark contrast to the white of her skin, and her gold eyes shone like a doe's in the moonlight. I spied a small charm bracelet on her left wrist, the only charm an ever seeing gold eye with long eyelashes. I shivered as she grinned at me.

I recognized the other man who had been the last to join. His short blonde hair was combed back and parted nicely. I remembered the feel of his cold arms as he carried me away to safety and the look of his tawny eyes as he gazed back at me through his rearview mirror. I sat in shock as Dr. Carlisle Cullen made his way towards me, resting on his haunches next to the woman. They shared a look, and he regarded me. I looked myself up and down, realizing I was still wearing the same old cotton pajamas with sheep bleating as I was when I was attacked. They were extremely tattered from my clawing at them. I looked down at my shirt, noticing that it was also fairly worn out, one sleeve almost completely torn from the shoulder, exposing my pale skin and from the belly down the fabric was shredded. I might have been embarrassed at my appearance, but I craved answers. Dr. Cullen must have noticed my desperation and smiled sadly.

"Do you remember much of what happened to you, Bella?" He asks quietly. He looks back at the strangers near the doorway and motions for them to go get something. The blonde boy nods tersely and disappears.

I shake my head. "S-somewhat," I swallowed. "There was a man…" I trailed off. He nodded, waiting for me to continue. "…and two others. They all had red eyes…like mine I suppose."

Dr. Cullen clenches his jaw, and I can feel Edward tense up even though he's behind me. I want to glance back at him, but I force myself to look ahead. The woman next to Dr. Cullen places her pale hand on top of his, giving it a small squeeze.

"Bella, I'm going to give you some information." Dr. Cullen clears his throat. "It's…its very heavy information, Bella."

At this point, I knew that something was amiss, but I clenched my body anyways. I nod my head at him. "I just want to know," I say, trying my best to stay confident. He gazes at me with sorrow.

"The people that broke into your house weren't human. They were vampires."

I look at him for a beat before realizing he was serious. I try to look at the others for confirmation but they all gave me blank looks. I turn my head back towards Edward, watching as he stared at me with sad eyes.

"That's not true," I whisper, not taking my eyes off of Edward. "Tell me that's not true." I refuse to look away from him, watching as he starts to fidget under my desperate gaze. I trusted Edward. As backward as it was and as for awful he treated me at school, deep down I knew I could trust him. Finally, he gathers the courage, looking me in the eye and says the words that would completely shatter my world.

"It's true, Bella."

I close my eyes, pained. I don't mean to, but I let out a small series of whimpers. "So," I start off, trying to get footing of what my next question would be. "When he sank his teeth into my neck, he was trying to…drink my blood?" My voice, while still hoarse with the burn, went up a few pitches. I felt ridiculous even asking.

He nodded slowly. "He didn't get to finish."

"That's when you came in," I murmur. Edward raises an eyebrow.

"You remember that?"

"Kind of," I answer quietly. "I could see bits and pieces. I felt like I was burning up at that point. Someone stayed near me and kept me cool."

I knew what this conversation was eventually going to turn into. I had read the stories when I was a little girl. I saw the red eyes glaring back at me in the mirror just moments ago. Renee even had me dress up as one for Halloween one year. I closed my eyes, and finally realized I couldn't feel my heart thumping in my chest like it usually would. I try to discreetly feel my wrist with two fingers, and I choke out a laugh when there was no beat. They all look at me curiously.

"So I'm a vampire now then," I state sadly. The others looked shocked at my abrasiveness, but Dr. Cullen only nods.

"You figured it out fairly quickly."

I only nod, trying not to seem shattered. "So all the pain and burning…"

"That was your transformation."

I dared to take a glance behind at me Edward. He looked away from me as soon as our eyes met. His gold eyes flickered back to mine after a minute, but he looked away again when he saw that I was still watching him. I narrowed my eyes. How would the Cullen's know so much about vampires if they didn't have red eyes?

"How do you know so much about vampires?" I ask.

"We are vampires." The blonde girl says, annoyed. I throw her an annoyed look and she purses her lips.

"Your eyes are gold," I state matter-of-factly.

"We don't drink blood from humans." The woman next to Carlisle says. I glance at her, and she smiles shyly at me. "We drink the blood of animals."

"We're vegetarians." The large, brawny boy joked, a smirk forming on his face. The blonde boy walks in then, holding a few bags of liquid. The stench coming from them hits me suddenly, and I'm ravenous. The burn in my throat flares, and my mouth waters. I nearly tackle the boy, but Edward grabs hold of both my arms and pulls me back hard, sitting me on my butt. Dr. Cullen and the woman stand up, blocking my view of the blonde boy. I try to fight Edward off, but he holds me to his chest, and snakes his arms around my waist, just under my breasts. Being in this position brought me back to reality, and I was suddenly ashamed of what I'd nearly done. I was trying to come to terms with what was happening, but everything was too overwhelming for me. I started to feel the familiar motions of an anxiety attack, and my chest felt like heaving. I felt a sob escape me, and I put my head between my legs to help me breathe.

"What is going on?" I whispered desperately. I closed my eyes, telling myself to wake up from this nightmare. If only I could wake up, and bury this nightmare in the far depths of my mind for the rest of my life.

Dr. Cullen and the woman part away from me, allowing the blonde one to approach me. He leans back on his haunches as he appraises me, and I look back at him, weary. My eyes glance to what he was holding in his hands, and I gasp.

IV bags full of blood.

"No!" I scream, and I try to fight Edward off. I almost throw his strong arms over me but he catches himself, grabbing me by my right shoulder. I try to wriggle out of his grasp but it's useless. Edward grunts, fighting me down. My shirt is further torn from the fight, and the straps of my sports bra could be seen. He's put in a lot of effort into keeping me on the ground. My discomfort grows by the minute, and my throat is aching for me to snatch the IV bags out of the boy's hands and rip them to shreds. "I'm not drinking that." I hiss.

The boy shakes his head at me. "You must. Your thirst is uncontrollable at this stage. We have to get a handle on it before it overtakes you."

"I won't drink blood from innocent people!" I cry. Edward tenses behind me, but otherwise keeps his grip tight. It's an uncomfortable position, but I know if I do end up forcing him off, I'll have all seven of them on me in seconds.

"This isn't human blood Bella, its animal blood." The woman soothes, but I shake my head refusing.

"I won't drink it." I refuse. "Can't I drink water?" I ask desperately, looking to Dr. Cullen. "Or eat something?"

He only shakes his head. "We can only survive on blood. I'm afraid you'll have to drink it, Bella."

"You don't have to survive on human blood, Bella," Edward says, his thumb rubbing small circles where it rests on my belly. I wait for the blush to rise to my cheeks, but nothing comes. "We only drink from animals so we don't harm humans." His velvet soft voice soothed me, and I was lulled into a future, imaging myself feasting on wild animals, and I shivered.

Suddenly my eyes widen and I realize my mistake. "What about my dad? Where's Charlie?" Here I was, arguing with the Cullen's about drinking blood when my father had been as much as a victim as I had. If Charlie was a vam…what I was now, this life wouldn't be so hard. I had always been independent of my parents, but having my father by my side wouldn't be so bad. We could figure this entire thing out, together. Everyone's faces dropped quickly. Dr. Cullen doesn't look at me, choosing instead to look at the floor.

"Charlie didn't make it, Bella." The short girl told me, and if it was possible for already dead hearts to stop, I'm sure mine did. My lips trembled slightly before I bit down on the bottom, pursing my lips tightly to keep the deep sobs that were bubbling in my chest from rising up. Flashes of Charlie pale and lifeless on the floor flew through my mind, and I rolled my eyes into the back of my head, trying to swallow the painful burn. I won't drink the blood, I won't drink the blood, I won't drink the blood, I tell myself. If I just think about not drinking the blood, I could distract myself from the pain of my father's death. How could have I not known? How did I lie on the floor for God-knows-how-long and not know my father was dead? I should have died with him. I don't realize I've been saying all of this out loud until I feel an icy hand through the remains of what left of my tattered shirt on my spine, bringing me back to Earth. I don't look up, not wanting to face my future life in the face any longer.

"How long do we live for?" I ask quietly.

"Forever," Dr. Cullen replies. "We are immortal beings." He adds on.

I take in a deep breath, still refusing to look up. I can feel the vibrations of someone walking over to me, and to my surprise, it's the short girl with the short black hair. I remember hearing her name at some point, but it was long gone from my memory now. She smiled as if she had read my mind. "I'm Alice," She introduces herself. I try my best not to be, but I'm enchanted with her musical-like voice. She sounded like wind chimes on a summer's day, and she tilted her head looking at me. Her small button nose, high cheekbones, and pixie-like hair made her look like she had come straight from an old book of fairy tales I had owned when I was a young girl. She smiles softly at me. She looks towards the others, raising an eyebrow at me when she turns back.

"Do you remember the others?" She asks me, and I shake my head slightly. "That's okay!" She brightens. "This is Jasper," She points to the boy holding the IV bags. He waves, still holding an IV bag. It must have been a delicate bag because some of the blood splatters in a wave pattern onto the floor, and he curses.

The brawny boy cackles once, before turning away to the window, his shoulders shaking with laughter. Alice rolls her eyes, exasperated turning back to me but stalling when she sees the look on my face. I'm frozen with tension, staring at the blood on the floor as my throat screams in agony. I will not drink it, I will not drink it, I will not drink it, I will not drink it.

Alice seems to see the resolve on my face, and though she seems apprehensive, she pats my knee, getting me to look at her. I hadn't even noticed that Edward had given up his hold on me, and was sitting patiently behind me Indian style. I share a terse look with him that has us both looking away in opposite directions. Alice chuckles slightly. "I believe you already know Edward."

She taps my hand lightly, pointing to the strangers in the corner. "That's Emmett and Rosalie." Emmett waves kindly, smiling somewhat to ease me, but Rosalie just stares at me. She gives me no look of disgust but makes no effort to try and ease me into the start of a new life as her family was doing. Her dark amber eyes flicker up and down, trying to take me in as I was with her. She wasn't as intimidating as she was when I was a human, but now that I was one of them, I was still taken back by her angelic beauty. She grabbed onto Emmett's hand, and my eyes flicker to him. It hadn't registered to me just how large Emmett was. He seemed to be the tallest in the family, and also the most athletic. As opposing as he seemed, I only saw a boy who liked to laugh and joke around as was apparent when Jasper had his little accident earlier.

Alice directs me to Dr. Cullen and the woman next to him. "Of course you know our dad, the esteemed Carlisle Cullen," Alice jokes, and Dr. Cullen smiles at her. "This is Esme, our mother."

Esme smiles me, and I try to smile back, but I knew I was failing miserably. If I was being honest, I was drawn to her. She approached me slowly, passing Jasper and kneeling down next to Alice, right in front of me. She gave her right hand, and her gleaming white palm was open for me to take. I looked up at her curiously, and she only smiled kindly. I tentatively took her hand, and she embraced it, closing it with her other hand. She gave me some comfort, and I relaxed some. Alice beamed at our interaction, looking back and forth between the two of us.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to you, Isabella." Esme murmurs. "But I must insist that you drink something."

"Please don't make me," I plead, my voice only coming out in a soft whisper. Esme's eyes sadden at my pathetic appearance, and she looks up towards Dr. Cullen. He only shakes his head, looking directly at me.

"I'm sorry, Bella. This really is the only way." He murmurs.

"We've all tried to starve ourselves out," Alice says then. She looks at me with her molten gold eyes. "It won't do you any good in the long run."

"They're all right Bella," Edward whispers behind me, and I turn suddenly, looking at him over my shoulder. He's looking at the floor, anywhere but me, and I narrow my eyes in annoyance. Could he really still hate me, even after all that's happened? It's not like I was begging for sympathy, but I just couldn't wrap my head around all of this. He looks up then, and I try not to gasp out loud. I had been blind as a human. Edward is truly one of the most beautiful men –nay, people – I'd ever seen. His messy auburn hair seemed even more of a mess tonight, and I nearly slapped my hand away to stop myself from impulsively running my fingers through his hair. Even if it refused to bend to my will, I wouldn't have minded. His defined jaw was clenched, and I could only see the side of his straight nose. Whereas anyone else might have appeared to have a chalky complexion, Edward looked like the white marble the Italian masters might have used. Michelangelo, Donatello, or Bernini – none of them would have been able to carve Edward's beauty.

I bite on the flesh on the inside of my cheek before speaking. "Give me the bag," My voice comes out dead. Jasper gives me a curious look before passing Alice one of the bags. Alice carefully opens the IV bag, careful not to spill any of the blood on her pristine white silk shirt. Even with my limited knowledge of fashion, I knew that would have been an unfortunate end.

"Have you ever eaten deer?" Alice asks me, peering at me slyly from the corner of her eye. I grimace and shake my head no. She makes a face and passes me the bag. I hesitate before grabbing onto it with both of my hands.

"Here's hoping you like roadkill," Alice mutters.

I give her a look. Referring to the poor animal whose blood I was about to drink wasn't helping in the slightest. The iron in the air overwhelmed me, and I almost gagged. I raise the opening of the bag to my mouth cautiously before sucking at the liquid.

I close my eyes in desire as the blood rushed down and cooled my burning throat.

AN: We're starting to get into the real meat of things. I hope you're enjoying where the story is headed so far – I would love to hear your theories.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please kindly leave a review, I love to go back and read them as I continue to write future chapters :)