p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I stared around the room in a strange mixture of awe, fury, and love. There were red and blue streamers hanging limply from the ceiling and a few lonely green balloons floating lazily around the room. On the well-aged wooden table in the middle of the room stood a proud snow-white frosted cake. I read the clumsy, smeared print off of the surface./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHappy Birthday Bella/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I had completely forgotten that today was my birthday, my 19th birthday. I stared at the cake but that was not what I was seeing- right in front of me, it seemed, was what had happened on my birthday last year. The day that changed everything./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I could feel the adrenaline pulsing through me as my imaginary Jasper hurled himself at me. I could feel the unbearable pain of Edward breaking my heart. I could feel the fear and horror, as I became something that I never planned on being. I could feel the love and cherish as my Jacob told me he loved me for the first time…/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella?" Jacob asked confusedly, "You ok?" I shook my head, clearing the fateful images from my mind. Then I looked at him and smiled./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Are you going to open up the presents?" Emily asked worriedly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Presents?" I asked in a voice that didn't seem to be mine. "You got me presents?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Well duh!" Embry shouted. "It's your birthday!" I looked over to the small pile of gifts that were on a small table to the side of the room. I was unnaturally excited to see what they had got me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Who's first?" my voice was small- almost afraid./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Ours," Sam spoke wrapping his arm around Emily's waist to elaborate the fact that it was both of them./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I plopped down on the couch and stretched out my arms as Seth handed me a long flat gift. I slowly ripped the paper open to reveal a large pan of blueberry muffins. I chewed on my lip, a smile playing at the corners of my mouth. I picked up one of the muffins and nibbled on the side. It was delicious./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Mhmm!" I savored the flavor in my mouth. "It's emso /emgood!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Emily smiled happily, "I'm glad you like them- I know that blueberry is your favorite." I nodded taking another monster bite, Emily giggled./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I heard Jared grunt with annoyance. "Here!" he spoke loudly shoving a clumsily wrapped gift into my face. "It's from Quil, Embry and I." I laughed softly and ripped away the silver paper to reveal a small light green iPod. My eyes widened in shock. "Dude!" I almost yelled, "I love it but you must have spent a fortune on this! You really shouldn't have!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Quil grinned slyly and whispered, "Just look on the back." I flipped the cool metal over in my hand and saw small words engraved onto the back./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHappy birthday to the white wolf/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emQuil, Embry, and Jared/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I sighed slowly wishing they hadn't spent so much money on me. "Jacob, did you spend money on me too?" He smiled, seeming relieved. "Nope." I stretched my arm out to him, gesturing for him to hand me his gift too. He dropped a very small blue gift bag into my palm./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I slowly took out the ocean colored stuffing and looked like a small silver bracelet on the bottom of the bag. Gingerly, I lifted it out and looked at the silver chain sporting a small, immensely detailed wooden wolf charm. I could feel my face slowly go hot./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob fidgeted next to the couch. "Well, do you like it?" he asked softly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Jacob," I whispered, "it's…it's beautiful."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"He laughed a little bit, "That's only part one of the present. Here's part two." I was about to object but my lips were suddenly very busy. All I could feel was Jacob. All I could think was Jacob. I loved Jacob so much. The kiss was long and dizzying. When he finally broke from me my head was spinning but I was still able to make out the uncomfortable faces of the rest of the pack./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Like my present?" Jacob panted./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I gasped for air for a moment before replying, "Love it."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"After opening a few more gifts and stuffing four pieces of the coconut-flavored cake in my mouth I shooed the rest of the pack out of the house, completely exhausted. I shut my eyes and sighed. "May I carry you to bed, ma'am?" Jacob spoke in a very regal tone, bowing slightly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Please," I whispered. He lifted me easily and carried me to his huge white bed. He kissed my head lightly and left the room, closing the door behind him. About half an hour later I was still awake thinking about the day's events. Then the door opened./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I smelled the abrupt stink of a vampire as Alice's bell voice chimed from the front room. "Bella?" she gasped urgently. Jacob groaned, "Not now, vamp, she's sleeping."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Wake her up!" Alice whispered without delay. When Jacob didn't reply she continued. "It's important!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob still didn't speak. I could hear the swish of Alice's clothes move past him to hastily for him to stop her. She opened the door to Jacob's room and walked up to the bed. My eyebrows pulled down as I pretended to be asleep. I didn't want to be bothered./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella wake up now!" she almost yelled shaking my shoulder brusquely./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I rolled over and growled in annoyance. "What do you want Alice?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""It's Edward! He's gone! To the Volturi! I think he's going to try to get them to kill him!" I immediately shot up out of the book and looked at Alice very seriously./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob threw his hand in the air. "Hooray!" he mocked with a bit of real celebration in his voice. "Finally we will be rid of that leach! Why aren't you rejoicing too?" Alice spun around and gracefully gave him a high-velocity punch to the face sending him hurdling into the wall but not breaking through it. If any punch could ever be referred to as graceful it would be that one./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I was in outrage but I knew that Jacob sort of deserved what he got. I jumped out of the bed over to him then looked back to Alice. Her hair was not shiny and neat like it usually was; it was sticking out in odd places and ruffled up. Her eyes were a shimmering black and drenched in worry. Her face was bleached by the glow of the moon, casting a silver shadow on her making her look more menacing as usual. Her joints were rigid and scared./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""We have to do something! emI /emhave to do something! This is all my fault! This morning…I…I was talking to him…" my voice began to choke up, my face grew hot and boiling tears began to brew in my eyes./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella, you're the only one that can convince him to come back!" I knew that already but apparently Jacob disagreed. He staggered up from the ground and snarled at Alice./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Get out! She's not going anywhere to save that menace!" I looked fiercely back and forth at both of them not knowing who to side with. I remembered faintly about what Edward had said about the Volturi exactly one year ago…/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Edward's life was in my hands and I had the power to leave him or keep him alive. The decision was mine to make./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHappy Birthday Bella/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I had completely forgotten that today was my birthday, my 19th birthday. I stared at the cake but that was not what I was seeing- right in front of me, it seemed, was what had happened on my birthday last year. The day that changed everything./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I could feel the adrenaline pulsing through me as my imaginary Jasper hurled himself at me. I could feel the unbearable pain of Edward breaking my heart. I could feel the fear and horror, as I became something that I never planned on being. I could feel the love and cherish as my Jacob told me he loved me for the first time…/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella?" Jacob asked confusedly, "You ok?" I shook my head, clearing the fateful images from my mind. Then I looked at him and smiled./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Are you going to open up the presents?" Emily asked worriedly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Presents?" I asked in a voice that didn't seem to be mine. "You got me presents?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Well duh!" Embry shouted. "It's your birthday!" I looked over to the small pile of gifts that were on a small table to the side of the room. I was unnaturally excited to see what they had got me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Who's first?" my voice was small- almost afraid./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Ours," Sam spoke wrapping his arm around Emily's waist to elaborate the fact that it was both of them./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I plopped down on the couch and stretched out my arms as Seth handed me a long flat gift. I slowly ripped the paper open to reveal a large pan of blueberry muffins. I chewed on my lip, a smile playing at the corners of my mouth. I picked up one of the muffins and nibbled on the side. It was delicious./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Mhmm!" I savored the flavor in my mouth. "It's emso /emgood!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Emily smiled happily, "I'm glad you like them- I know that blueberry is your favorite." I nodded taking another monster bite, Emily giggled./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I heard Jared grunt with annoyance. "Here!" he spoke loudly shoving a clumsily wrapped gift into my face. "It's from Quil, Embry and I." I laughed softly and ripped away the silver paper to reveal a small light green iPod. My eyes widened in shock. "Dude!" I almost yelled, "I love it but you must have spent a fortune on this! You really shouldn't have!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Quil grinned slyly and whispered, "Just look on the back." I flipped the cool metal over in my hand and saw small words engraved onto the back./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emHappy birthday to the white wolf/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"emQuil, Embry, and Jared/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I sighed slowly wishing they hadn't spent so much money on me. "Jacob, did you spend money on me too?" He smiled, seeming relieved. "Nope." I stretched my arm out to him, gesturing for him to hand me his gift too. He dropped a very small blue gift bag into my palm./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I slowly took out the ocean colored stuffing and looked like a small silver bracelet on the bottom of the bag. Gingerly, I lifted it out and looked at the silver chain sporting a small, immensely detailed wooden wolf charm. I could feel my face slowly go hot./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob fidgeted next to the couch. "Well, do you like it?" he asked softly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Jacob," I whispered, "it's…it's beautiful."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"He laughed a little bit, "That's only part one of the present. Here's part two." I was about to object but my lips were suddenly very busy. All I could feel was Jacob. All I could think was Jacob. I loved Jacob so much. The kiss was long and dizzying. When he finally broke from me my head was spinning but I was still able to make out the uncomfortable faces of the rest of the pack./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Like my present?" Jacob panted./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I gasped for air for a moment before replying, "Love it."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"After opening a few more gifts and stuffing four pieces of the coconut-flavored cake in my mouth I shooed the rest of the pack out of the house, completely exhausted. I shut my eyes and sighed. "May I carry you to bed, ma'am?" Jacob spoke in a very regal tone, bowing slightly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Please," I whispered. He lifted me easily and carried me to his huge white bed. He kissed my head lightly and left the room, closing the door behind him. About half an hour later I was still awake thinking about the day's events. Then the door opened./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I smelled the abrupt stink of a vampire as Alice's bell voice chimed from the front room. "Bella?" she gasped urgently. Jacob groaned, "Not now, vamp, she's sleeping."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Wake her up!" Alice whispered without delay. When Jacob didn't reply she continued. "It's important!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob still didn't speak. I could hear the swish of Alice's clothes move past him to hastily for him to stop her. She opened the door to Jacob's room and walked up to the bed. My eyebrows pulled down as I pretended to be asleep. I didn't want to be bothered./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella wake up now!" she almost yelled shaking my shoulder brusquely./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I rolled over and growled in annoyance. "What do you want Alice?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""It's Edward! He's gone! To the Volturi! I think he's going to try to get them to kill him!" I immediately shot up out of the book and looked at Alice very seriously./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob threw his hand in the air. "Hooray!" he mocked with a bit of real celebration in his voice. "Finally we will be rid of that leach! Why aren't you rejoicing too?" Alice spun around and gracefully gave him a high-velocity punch to the face sending him hurdling into the wall but not breaking through it. If any punch could ever be referred to as graceful it would be that one./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I was in outrage but I knew that Jacob sort of deserved what he got. I jumped out of the bed over to him then looked back to Alice. Her hair was not shiny and neat like it usually was; it was sticking out in odd places and ruffled up. Her eyes were a shimmering black and drenched in worry. Her face was bleached by the glow of the moon, casting a silver shadow on her making her look more menacing as usual. Her joints were rigid and scared./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""We have to do something! emI /emhave to do something! This is all my fault! This morning…I…I was talking to him…" my voice began to choke up, my face grew hot and boiling tears began to brew in my eyes./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella, you're the only one that can convince him to come back!" I knew that already but apparently Jacob disagreed. He staggered up from the ground and snarled at Alice./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Get out! She's not going anywhere to save that menace!" I looked fiercely back and forth at both of them not knowing who to side with. I remembered faintly about what Edward had said about the Volturi exactly one year ago…/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Edward's life was in my hands and I had the power to leave him or keep him alive. The decision was mine to make./p