Ok, so this is my new story, I'll update as fast as I can but my main priority at the moment is Help for the Hunted.

Hope you all enjoy, let me know what you think either way. Good or bad! :)

Not So Wonderful Life

My alarm went off, a high pitched shriek, waking me from a deep sleep and dragging me back to reality. A not so great reality at that. For the last two months every morning I'd woke with the same feeling. The feeling that something was missing from my life. At first I'd attributed this to my ex-boyfriend and his families disappearance from my life. But recently I wasn't so sure, sure I missed them, that however was lessening it's hold on me slightly everyday.

The Cullens had been gone for two months and although I ached to see them again, felt there absence everyday that they were gone, I didn't think they were the reason for my deep set feeling of loss. I didn't even think it was the lost opportunity of forever living with them. Of finally belonging. It was something deeper, something that was coming from my soul. I was just confused as to what it was exactly.

I did as I did every morning, got up, got showered, got dressed and tried to tame my unruly brown locks. I did it all with the feeling that I was missing something, something so important that it would kill me not to find it, or at least remember it.

I climbed into my rusty Chevy and drove towards the dismal place that proved to be my daily prison; Forks High School.

Maybe hanging out with hundred year old drama queen vampires was making me melodramatic. I reasoned with myself as I pulled into the school parking lot. My life wasn't too bad, and if I was missing something that important then I was bound to one day find it.

I climbed out of my truck with a small sigh. Here it went another day of pretending. Of playing normal, faking fitting in, of pretending I gave a crap.

At Forks I had a small group of friends, smaller still since the Cullens had disappeared, but everyday was getting harder to be around them. They were good people, mostly, but there was just something missing. I felt bad for thinking this, but it was like they were missing a bigger picture, like there immaturity was driving a wall that was of my own making between us but which I couldn't break down. What was wrong with me? I mused, I mean I'd always got on with these people before, enjoyed their company, laughed at their jokes. But something in me had changed, had shifted. And I wasn't feeling the same connection with my friends that I had before. I was still there with them, but apart from them, finding myself detached from them despite being just there.

I shook of these deep and disturbing thoughts and went about my day pretending.

XcXaXsXsX

The day passed agonisingly slowly, just as the others had recently. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for that final bell, to be free, to be out of here. To what I have no idea, it wasn't like I had a roaring social life outside of school. But at least I didn't have to be someone I wasn't out of that place, or at least not totally anyway.

Finally the day was over and I was on my way home. Where for the three or so hours that I was alone I could be completely myself.

I got changed into different clothes, cranked up the music and danced around the house eating junk food. Still feeling I was missing something but feeling closer to whatever it was.

When it was time I turned the music down, got dressed back into my school clothes and pulled out some homework. Just in time for Charlie's cruiser to make it's appearance on the driveway.

"Bella?" Charlie called out as he did every night when he got home.

And like I did every night I shouted back. "Here dad!"

My dad came through to the kitchen, hanging up his gun as normal. He was a good man, reliable, kind and caring, if not exactly verbose. He was tall with dark hair that matched my own and a thick moustache which though would look stupid on most men actually suited my dad, the chief of police.

Charlie sank onto a kitchen chair opposite me with a sigh of relief. "Long day?" I asked sympathetically, I so knew that feeling.

"Yeah, sightings of those wolves coming in again. Been out setting traps." Charlie shrugged out of his work boots and sighed again. "We've been invited out to the Blacks tonight if you want to go Bells?" The Blacks were Billy and Jacob, friends of the family for years. Billy was my dads closest friend, and Jacob was a friend of mine despite being a year or two younger. They were good, friendly and welcoming people. And best of all they were cool, they accepted you no matter how you came. Around the Blacks I didn't feel as thought I had to pretend as hard.

"Yeah sure, just let me get changed dad." I said jumping up from the table and grabbing my uninspiring homework before dashing up the stairs. How I managed to not injure myself I'll never work out.

Soon we were pulling up outside the small ramshackle house that Jacob and Billy called home. The two men came out of the house to greet us.

I was shocked speechless when I saw Jacob. I'd seen him less than two weeks ago when he was your average sixteen year old guy. A bit gangly, yet to grow into his skin, kind of cute and with long dark hair. But wow, two weeks had been kind to my friend, that was for sure. He looked liked he'd been on steroids, he'd bulked out hugely, massive muscles straining his plain black t-shirt. He'd also grown at least a foot in the time I'd not seen him.

As impressive as that was, and it was impressive, and as hot as this made Jacob look, something didn't sit right with me. A weary feeling, almost like a warning settled over me as Jake came rushing to give me one of his bear hugs.

I hugged him back as usual but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as his skin came into contact with mine. Something niggled me at the back of my brain but I didn't have time to investigate it, so I kept it to the back of my thoughts for evaluation at a later point.

"Hey Bella, how ya been? How's school? You haven't been to see me in ages! The bikes are almost ready." The last bit was added in a whisper. Together we'd secretly been building two motor bikes that I'd found going to scrap. Watching Jake put them together made me really happy, and I couldn't wait to ride mine. I'd helped out a very small amount with the rebuilding of the bikes, having a knack of knowing which tools he needed before he asked for them. Unfortunately that was about as much contribution as I could offer.

Billy and Charlie headed off into the house, already deep in animated conversation about a baseball team. The sight made me smile, when they were together it was easy to see the young men they both must have once been.

Jake towed me around to his makeshift garage by the hand. To call it a garage may have been overly generous, it was more of a lean to. But it was all Jakes and out here we were alone. Here we could make the bikes, chat, laugh and generally be ourselves without fear of being caught or found out.

We spent a good hour or two on the bikes, Jake was right they were almost finished, I thought. Probably only needed another three hours worth of work. The thought excited me, I could not wait to have a go on the shiny red machine that was soon to be all mine.

All too soon we were being called in for food. I felt a small pang of disappointment, we were so close. But that soon disappeared when I smelt the ribs that Billy had cooked up for us. Mouthwatering was the only fitting adjective. Billy was a darn good cook that was for sure.

It was a good night, we talked ate and generally had fun. For the first time in a long time I let the guard down, the one I didn't even know I had around me.

We left around eleven tired but happy. And when I went to bed that night it wasn't with as much of a downcast heart as I'd recently had. Even better tomorrow was the weekend, I could go back to Jakes. I could ride my bike which I was sure would be ready tomorrow.

Ok tiny little introduction there, chaps normally will be longer.

Hope you enjoyed it so far :)

Tametiger x