I'm sorry I left you guys hanging plot-wise last time, but I hope this chapter compensates. Hope you guys enjoy.

Bella

When I open my eyes, it's like I'm seeing for the first time.

Everything around me is stunning in its sheer...clarity. My eyes catch every fibre in every speck of dust, every tightly compacted element of raw material that makes up the varied objects around the room. From the window, the hypnotising, flaming sun peaks from behind the grey, pearlescent clouds, above a bed of forestry stretching over the horizon. The view has so much highly defined detailing that it very nearly takes my breath away.

Not that I need to breathe. I can't help but notice that every pull of air into my lungs serves a different purpose, now. If I stopped breathing, it might feel a little uncomfortable but I don't need it, not in the vital way I did a few days ago. I feel more aware of my surroundings, fully utilising my senses.

The air smells and tastes so good, though, so complex. A million little flavours tantalise my senses, making my head swim. I can taste the dust motes on my tongue, the appealing fragrance of the other creatures around me filling my lungs.

Before I can bask in all the bounty of my senses fully, my throat bursts into flames. I sharply inhale and clasp my hand around my neck.

Ouch.

When someone touches my arm, it shouldn't shock me, but it does. As silken fingertips brush against my arm, a chill runs right up my spine, making me arch my back and shudder so quickly that I wonder whether it happened or not. Without a thought, I propel myself off of the couch, my body slapping against the bookcase, making the wood crack as the objects bash against each other on impact. A feral, menacing growl rips from deep inside my chest, resonating through the room as I crouch protectively.

It all happens so fast that Carlisle barely reacts, staring after me with nothing but understanding and patience in his astounding face. I breathe a quick sigh of relief when I realise that there is nothing to fear. Carlisle had been the one to touch my arm, merely in a comforting gesture, and I overreacted.

It's all so new.

It all happens in less than a millisecond, and when I stand upright, everyone breathes a little sigh of relief. I run my fingertips across my throat, feeling an echo of stinging venom flare inside.

"Are you alright, Bella?"

For a split second, his voice stuns me, so full of depth and clarity, like everything else.

I glance from Carlisle to the door. I can smell the others, all an amazing mixture of scents that I can't quite place. One scent that stands out reminds me of honeysuckle, lilac and...sunshine? I want to get closer, to examine all the intriguing smells with more proximity, individually.

The burning at the base of my neck protests. There are other priorities.

I nod at Carlisle, amazed at the sound of his voice, singing in my ears in a way that makes my heart throb. Who knew how much beauty I had been blind to? I think back to my human memories and am surprised by how fuzzy they are. I can remember my brutal change so vividly, yet I struggle through the haze of my weak human memories.

I am caught between thirst and wonderment, my attention pulling in all different directions countless times a second. When Carlisle speaks, I am delighted to learn that my attention is multifaceted and I can be examining the strange perfection of ceiling lamp above, whilst listening to what Carlisle is saying. I gasp quietly as my eyes are graced with all the colours of the rainbow, along with another that I can't put a name to. It's...dazzling.

"Could everyone give Bella some space, please?" Carlisle orders carefully, his eye on me, as if I might explode any moment. I feel fidgety, urgent. I need something to put out the fire in my throat. The more I acknowledge the scorching pain, the more it wholly occupies my focus.

I need to put it out. Soon.

When the others head down the stairs, I flinch and take a few cautious steps back, flush against the back window, running my hands over the smooth glass. My sensitive fingertips run over a few shallow, barely-there scratches. Sensation is everywhere, battling my thirst.

"Are you ready for your first hunt?" His voice is quiet, careful.

I think about it and the idea frightens me but the burning overrides my fear. I realize with complete surety that I need to quench this thirst, because the burning in my throat is verging on unbearable. Saying I'm ready for my first hunt would be a lie, though, so I filter my response more specifically.

"I'm very thirsty."

I'm startled by the undeniable beauty in my voice, high soprano, deeply angelic. It's frightening. I feel like I am reborn, a completely different person all together. The words pour out like a sweet song, stunning me into silence.

Carlisle smiles, recognising my wonder.

"Then follow me, Bella. You have nothing to be afraid of."

When he goes to the door, I very nearly barrel into him, unused to the power of my speed. I smile apologetically, taking a tentative step back. As I follow him down the hall and down the curving staircase, I go unnaturally slowly, even though it takes us only a few seconds to descend.

I suppress a territorial hiss when I register the sight of the rest of the family – apart from Rosalie – all standing by the door, waiting for me, each one of them a thousand times more stunning than my weak, human eyes could've ever comprehended. My eyes fly to Edward's for an eighteenth of a second and I am startled by his golden stare, so full of unnamed emotions. I cast my eyes around the room, pouring over every beautiful detail. I spy a shining black grand piano, wondering who plays, before the ache in my throat pulls me back to the now.

Alice beams delightedly at me, her tawny eyes gloating. I push back the uncomfortable way the sight of her pearly teeth makes me feel, like I should be on guard.

"I knew you'd make a beautiful vampire," she whispers excitedly, very nearly bouncing with glee. I can do nothing but stare back stupidly, surprised. I'm scared to imagine what I must look like. Surely not anything close to the exquisite beauty of these creatures?

"We have more pressing matters," Carlisle informs her, carefully stepping by me very slowly, making sure I don't startle. Again, I take cautious steps back. I know I'm not really in danger, but my instincts refuse my mind's rationality. My muscled remain coiled, preparing to spring at a moment's notice.

"Emmett, Jasper and Alice," he starts. "You all must go to school as normal. Ordinarily, I would prefer to have you with us to assist with Bella, but I think it's more important that we don't arouse suspicion. Remember, you know nothing about her incident, or what happened to her. You all know your stance on this. Edward, considering you have already been absent from school, I feel that you should be here for Bella's first hunt, so you can monitor her thoughts and catch her if she goes astray."

"What?" I say, staring at the painfully attractive boy, whose butterscotch eyes tighten. Everyone looks at me and I unwillingly turn my gaze onto Carlisle, who appears chagrined.

"My apologies, Bella. I should have explained before. Some of our kind are known to have supernatural gifts. Edward is capable of reading the minds of everyone around him, something he brought into his next life."

My jaw drops and my gaze flickers to Edward's. Impossible.

Embarrassment follows. Edward Cullen has read my mind. Does he know how I have pathetically obsessed over his bewildering hatred towards me? Or how I have poured over his devastating beauty?

Well, he does now, I think stupidly.

I cast my eyes earthward at this horrifying realisation. Privacy has become a thing of the past, with a mind reader in the family and super hearing throughout the household. I almost wish I could be ignorant of his gift. How could I control my thoughts around him, when he makes me so nervous?

I glance at him furtively, surprised by the look in his eyes. It only lasts a fleeting moment, but I catch it. He appears...frustrated.

How curious. I sift through my bleary human memories, searching for the somewhat familiar expression. He had looked at me with that same bizarre frustration in the cafeteria on my first day, if memory serves. Except now, the frustration seems more acute.

"Is anyone else gifted?" I mumble, quickly looking into the mesmerising, topaz eyes of the group, taking in their perfect features.

Carlisle answers for them, proudly.

"They are all gifted, some more subtly than others. Emmett has physical strength that is unparalleled and you've probably noticed that Rosalie has exceptional beauty, even among our kind. Esme, my wife, has brought the innate ability to love passionately and unconditionally into this life. Alice has the ability to see coming events before they have actually taken place, allowing her to see our future based on the choices we make. Jasper empathises with the moods around him, experiencing emotions from the people in his company in a very intense way. He is also able to manipulate those emotions, making others able to fully feel what he wants them to. We believe that most of these extra abilities serve well instinctually, fitting ammunition against potential enemies, I suppose."

I am stunned into total silence. Amazing.

I look at Alice, stilling smiling welcomingly. I think back with clarity to when I was burning and suddenly all of the things she said about 'seeing things' make sense. She can see into the future, but she never saw me get bitten.

I think about the enormity of it all. I am no longer human. I have senses that I wasn't even vaguely aware a creature could possibly have the capacity for...and now I am going to have to live the rest of my life, feeding on animal blood.

I will never, ever be able to talk to my parents again.

I bite my lip, doing my best to push the heartbreak back for now. I can't reveal myself so brazenly, to these other unyielding creatures. I will have to weep in private, away from their abnormal hearing.

Away from the mind reader.

I look at him, trying to gauge his reaction, but he just looks back at me in even more burning curiosity. I try to understand why.

"Edward and I will keep an eye on her," Esme assures her husband, smiling. "You must go to work. We don't want people wondering about your absence."

"Indeed," he agrees, seeming pensive. "Call me if there are any problems. I will return immediately."

"Of course," she says, very slowly approaching him, glancing at me. I step back again, my ankles touching the stairs as Esme reaches forward to kiss his cheek.

As I watch the tender exchange, I wonder to myself how I could have thought of them as monsters. I've never seen so much love in one chaste kiss, in one glance. I look away, weirdly affected by the scene.

When I glance up, Edward's eyes are boring into mine. I want to smile, but my lips won't be commanded. Everything about him, his outrageously beautiful appearance, his demeanour, makes my still heart tug in a way that can't be explained.

I know that it is very, very stupid to feel this way about an almost-stranger. From what I remember, he wasn't exactly friendly in our first meeting, if you could call it that.

I realise that our gazes have been connected a second too long when Emmett coughs, very obviously. I rip my gaze away, feeling my cheeks tingle with the ghost of a blush. What a strange sensation.

I can tell that this new life is going to take a lot of adjustment.

I try to understand the meaning of his intensity as the others bid me goodbye. Alice approaches me, with a little secret smile on her lips, a horrified Edward staring after her. I stiffen as she leans in close, planting a sweet little kiss on my cheek.

Taken aback, I give her a small smile, my eyes wide.

"I can see that we're going to be good friends, Bella," she smiles, before turning on her heal and gracefully dancing after the others out the open door. I listen as they go into another part of the house and flinch when I hear an engine purr to life. I watch the red, shiny car drive away, amazed.

There is so much to see, so much to explore.

I lean forward on the balls of my feet as a magnificent scent pulls me forward. It's a combination of a thousand different components, a floral, pollen cocktail. I'm about to follow the scent when Esme speaks, pulling my attention back to the two remaining Cullens behind me, abnormally attractive.

"Edward," Esme instructs, using his name with the tenderness of a real mother, rather than a woman posing as one. "I feel it would be best if I were to first demonstrate the hunt for Bella, while you keep an eye on her. Edward's the fastest," Esme explains to me, turning away from her son. "It's not likely that you'll catch the scent of a human out here, but if it were to happen then Edward would be the one to catch you. You must be aware of that, and be mindful that none of us are going to hurt you, but we would have to restrain you if something like that did happen, dear." She sounded apologetic.

"I understand," I mumble, looking down, letting my hair fall around my face. I notice that the colour is quite different. Still dark chestnut but with more dimension, body and richer in colour. It flows like chocolate, distracting me for a moment.

"Shall we start, then?"

My head snaps up at the unfamiliar sound of Edward's voice. I feel my still heart flutter again, as the sound settles in my mind, the words replaying over and over. I've never heard his voice before now and it is captivating, low and husky, soft and clear all at the same time, even more beautiful than any others my new ears have heard.

I barely manage a nod in affirmation.

Edward glances back at Esme, who nods her assent. I meekly follow as they spring ahead, out into the stretching lawn.

I feel a strange excitement rising in my chest as I follow them through the looming trees. My legs carry me forward so quickly, with so much ease, making it feel like the most natural thing in the world.

Only a few days ago, running had been repellent to me. I could barely walk without tripping over my own feet.

Now, as we approach that same wide, flowing river that Sam carried me over, I pause nervously, watching in amazement as Edward and Esme leap over it with amazing ease and inhuman grace. They both turn toward me expectantly. Esme smiles, encouraging.

I feel like I'm flying as I soar above the bubbling water, landing on the balls of my feet perfectly. I giggle, but the frighteningly sweet sound is short lived. Momentary pleasure cannot cure my loss. I bite my lip, desperately trying not to think about my parents, about what could have been.

I push my grief aside, moving along. I consciously make the effort to keep a careful distance behind Esme and Edward, which is uncomfortable. I long to run as fast as my body is able, but I know that I must remain behind. I find my eyes wandering upon Edward, who runs so gracefully in leaps and bounds that I find myself unable to look away.

He can read your mind, idiot!

My thoughts are chagrined as I glue my gaze straight ahead intead, focusing intently on the hunt. I listen as the little creatures of the woods scuttle away from us, burrowing under the roots of trees and deeply under soil, sensing our impending presence.

Then I smell it.

I turn my nose up higher, inhaling deeply, expanding my lungs to full capacity. It smells hot and wet...almost appealing. My stomach contracts in a vague echo of hunger, yet I don't feel particularly infatuated with the scent. I could take it or leave it, really.

"Do you smell that, Bella?" Esme smiles over her shoulder, her pace remaining steady.

"Yes," I reply quietly, knowing she'll hear me just fine. I can hear them now, too. A gentle throbbing, coupled with the sound of rapid galloping against the firm forest soil.

A herd.

"It sounds like a herd of deer. We'll follow that scent," she murmurs, sounding focused. I let my instincts lead the way, following the two Cullens to the distracting pumping hearts not far from us.

A feeling of pure anticipation rolls over me when we spot them. My feet begin to propel me forward until Edward's voice calmly captures my attention.

"You and I will stop here, Bella, and watch as Esme hunts. You can get a feel for it, then."

I slow to a stop with him, keeping my eyes forward so I don't get distracted by his deep, appealing voice, his allure. My new eyes follow Esme with immense precision. I know she should appear a blur to my eyes, yet they catch every movement perfectly.

Every muscle in my body is coiled in anticipation as I watch her close in on one of the deer, her arms smoothly closing around its form as she calmly envelopes the creature in a fatal embrace. I feel my mouth fill with a metallic liquid and when I swallow it down, my throat flames.

I am entranced as she snaps its neck quickly, presumably to be humane. She then slips her lips back over her teeth, before piercing the deer's neck, sucking steadily.

"Amazing," I whisper in wonder.

In the corner of my eye, I see Edward turn to gaze at me. When I meet his golden eyes, they are wide. If I had a living heart, it would be thrumming.

"What?" My voice is tiny. I can't help being a little afraid of him.

"Nothing," he mutters quickly. "I'm just waiting for you to run, screaming."

A small smile lifts the corners of my lips. I look back at Esme, who drops the drained creature with grace, wiping the corners of her mouth like she's just finished eating something as mundane as soup.

"There's still time," I respond, my voice steady. I don't look back at him, but I can see in my peripheral that Edward's face is still poised in my direction.

Esme's satin voice captures my attention and I am grateful.

"Okay, sweetie, are you ready to hunt for yourself?"

I smile shyly at Esme, nodding quickly. She smiles warmly, before turning on her heal and taking off. Edward and I follow closely behind. I wait for him to overtake me, but I am surprised as he runs beside me, keeping his pace synced with mine.

I want to look at him, but every time I catch my chin trailing my gaze in his direction, I force myself back, eyeing Esme in front of me, focusing.

When we catch the scent of a small herd of caribou, we zero in on it. It feels natural, pleasurable even, to wrap myself around a creature and to bite. I am momentarily reminded of my half-death, when my teeth slice through the animal's flesh like a knife through butter, just as my attacker's had through mine.

I suck the blood in, soothed by its comfortable, warm wetness. The fire in my throat dims until it's almost unnoticeable and I feel...rejuvenated.

As I pull in gulp after gulp, I find my eyes fluttering open, meeting two gold globes.

Edward, having drained his creature, stays crouched over the carcass. He's not looking at it, though. His eyes are on me.

When he registers my returned stare, he immediately straightens himself, glancing elsewhere, having been caught.

How confusing he is.

I feel as though I should be blushing again as I rise, detaching myself from the caribou. I stare at its dead eyes, wondering what on earth I have become. So...barbaric, yet probably more humane to hunt an animal directly rather than through the business of factory farming. Perhaps being a 'vegetarian' vampire is a kinder way to eat.

Satiated, I look up at my new 'family', awaiting approval. Edward gazes at the forest floor, a frown pinching the marble skin between his perfectly sculpted brows. Esme smiles at me again, forever tender and sweet.

"Are you still thirsty? Or would you like to return home?"

"I'm ready to go back," I say, eager to get some time semi-alone.

"So...," I mumble as well slow to a stop as the Cullen mansion comes into view. "We don't eat normal food? Ever?"

"No, honey," Esme replies as she opens the wide, glass panelled door. We follow her inside and I breathe in the sweet scent of the house again. "We can, I suppose, but we cannot digest it nor can we retain nutrition from the food. Sometimes we find ourselves having to choke human food down, in public, but that always ends in us...well...having to bring it back up," she grimaces.

"Oh, I see," I reply, feeling once again overwhelmed by how bizarre this new life is. I think about what Charlie must be doing right now. He's so close, yet so far. I think about trying to sneak out, to at least spy on him a little. Then I look at Edward, remembering that we have a mind reader forever peering into our thoughts. Looks like I won't be seeing my father, or my mom, ever again.

My dead heart tugs.

"Bella, perhaps you would like a shower, or a bath? I can get you a change of clothes...Alice has a shopping addiction and has already got you stocked for pretty much every day of the month," Esme grins wryly. My eyes widen, before I glance down at myself. My ratty jeans and T-shirt are soaked in blood and torn, somehow rattier than before. I remember that I was cleaning Charlie's house before I was bitten by the female vampire. That's why I'm practically wearing rags.

I could definitely use a cleanup, as well as some time to myself, to collect.

"I would really appreciate that, Esme."

Edward

As I watch Bella follow my respective mom up the stairs, I all but sag in relief. Within moments I smell the soothing scents of lavender and jasmine oil, followed by the sound of running water. I look through Esme's mind as she lights a few candles in her and Carlisle's en suite, where Bella stands by the wide tub, now filling with water. Esme touches her arm in a comforting gesture, as she identifies Bella's expression as 'forlorn'.

I shut Esme out, feeling a tightening in my chest. I don't want to see the child's grief.

I stand at by the front door, my feet planted to the floor as I recover from possibly the most unsettling hunt of my existence.

Bella Swan is very different. I've known it on a very basic level, since I first became aware of her silence, as well as her ultra sweet blood. Now, after seeing her as a newborn, I know she is much more unique than I had anticipated. Not just that, but she seems totally unaware of it, unsure of herself, even.

I expected her to have a normal newborn reaction to hunting. I expected her to run from us in fear, in distrust. I expected her to refuse the possibility of our kind, even upon her brutal change. I expected her to break down, to at least try to attack us.

Bella didn't do any of those things, though. It's like she did the opposite of what I expected.

I was at first shocked when she so calmly dealt with our proximity before the others left for school and work. Then I was very surprised when she didn't request to see her father, when she looked upon our gifts in wonder and amazement. I was taken aback when she released a small, entrancing giggle from her full lips after leaping from one side of the river to the other, with the grace of a decade old vampire.

I was downright bewildered when she gazed upon Esme, draining a living animal of its life force, and breathed out an admission of amazement. She saw beauty in our atrocious nature, when I expected immense disgust and horror.

It only got more strange, though. Most newborns don't just slip into the way of our nature with such ease as she had. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head when I saw her grab hold of her prey, holding it with so much sureness and grace, sinking her teeth in as if it were the most natural thing in the world to her.

Of course, it is, but it is still shocking to me, to see an hour old newborn fitting her new role like a glove. It's almost as if she is made for this life.

I shove the thought out of my mind, disgusted. No one is designed for immortality. We are abominations, the very thing humankind unconsciously fears. We are the dark figures in the night who are created to stalk and murder innocent people, like something from a horror story. We are the cold consumers of lives, barely able to hang on to what's left of our humanity.

I can't believe that someone as innocent and delicate as Bella Swan could have been well suited for this creation for any reason. She is just different.

I just wish I could hear the reasons behind the differences. I know that I will have to explain to everyone that her mind is a mystery to me, but when Carlisle mentioned it this morning, I couldn't force the words out. I'm ashamed that I felt...inadequate. I tried and tried to infiltrate her silent mind time and time again, all to no avail. I'll talk to Carlisle tonight and everyone will hear, much to my humiliation. At least I don't have to explain it individually.

That doesn't make me any less frustrated by her silence. I had hoped that her transformation would alter her mind block, but it hasn't. Her thoughts are completely shielded to me.

I am also no longer sure that her mind will be the mundane pool of human shallowness I had initially expected. She had none of the reactions I expected her to, after her change. I imagined someone in complete denial, someone unwilling to cooperate. Bella simply seemed overwhelmed by her new senses, pouring over the sights around her. It was astounding to see.

She was as thirsty and unsettled as I expected, yet she handled these feelings in such a strange way. I've never seen anything like it. She seemed bizarrely...accepting, after her initial shock at Carlisle's admission during her transformation, from what I heard in my family's memories of that period.

If anything, she is gracious. She confounds me, even after only having about an hour to get to know her, with her quiet demeanor and silent mind.

When I set about returning to Forks, I'd made the decision based on my denial of her inexplicable hold over me, but also because of that hold. Now, I know that her hold is keeping me here. I can't deny my curiosity with this strange creature and I can't deny my wonder. She is like no one else I have encountered in my existence, I'm sure of it.

Edward.

I raise my head, listening to my mother call me through her mind.

Come join me in Jasper and Alice's room. I need help.

I raise my eyebrows, peering through her mind's eye as I make my way to my siblings' room. Below her, on the mountainous four poster bed, is a vast selection of neatly folded garments. I gather from the tenor of her mind that she is undecided about what to pick out for Bella to wear.

When I join her, she glances back at me, remaining silent, obviously not wanting Bella to hear her deliberating over what she should select out of all the clothes Alice purchased for her. She gets the impression that our new addition might feel somewhat uncomfortable with the effort.

I agree.

I'm just not sure, Edward, she muses, gazing down at the expensive clothing in indecision. What she was wearing was casual, but I don't know if she'd prefer something a little more feminine...a dress maybe?

She picks up a knee length, pastel peach chiffon dress, with delicate lace trim. I shake my head, deciding it is maybe a little too brave of us to force on her. I think back to my first sight of the girl and decide she is more of a jeans and t shirt kind of girl.

I pick up a pair of light grey skinny jeans, scanning the tops. I find my eyes drawn to a deep blue, soft-knit, v-neck sweater. I hold it up to Esme and she grins.

Perfect.

I listen to water ripple as I pass Esme and Carlisle's room, aware that Bella will be sinking gracefully into the tub now. I push my focus elsewhere, giving her much needed privacy. I might find her fascinating, but I am no pervert. I'm just not that kind of monster.

When I'm in my bedroom, I immediately turn to the solace of music. I go to the glass wall after slipping Debussy into my CD player, letting the soft melody of Clair de Lune wash over me.

I look out at the forest, the sun beginning to melt the ice that has crystallised upon ever surface, every crevice of every leaf. I ponder this strange girl.

And then I hear it. The sound is soft, quiet and heart shattering in its beauty.

Bella is weeping. Not in the human way, not with salt infused tears, but in the immortal way. I listen as she gently sobs, her breath hitching.

I crumple, undeniably affected by her grief. It occurs to me that this soft, soulful music might not be helping her deal with her loss.

I want to say something, so I do. I pretend that Esme is not within earshot. I pretend that only Bella can hear. I fantasise that my words will mean something, that they will somehow be helpful.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I whisper. "Would you like me to turn it off?"

A moment passes before she replies, her clear, mesmerizing voice cleansing me more effectively than any amount of music ever could.

"No," she breathes. "I like it."

Sorry I took a little longer than usual to update, guys. I promise the next one won't take as long. Please review the chapter so you can let me know how you felt about it. Thank you!

Love, Kate. :)