Aiyanna Clearwater: all I'll say is next chapter hehe.

sansaxlannister: Tom Nook is an evil bastard, but can't keep me forever.

firstofhername: me neither aha!

BrookeWorm3: hell yeah she is!

guest: here's your update bb

OnceUponaDrearyDream: and I love you. Here you go!

Hinanui98: Thank you so much for giving me a chance! I hope this chapter keeps you going until the next :D

marsolino: hoo hoo I guess you'll see in this chapter :3

hanachaan: I'm not that evil haha

G. : Thank you so much! Honestly, while writing this, I've grown to love Edward so much more. My heart is so happy to hear your compliment, so thank you!

Gabbstterr: It's been a slow burn, for sure, hehe.

Ash: you're so sweet I'm literally about to cry. I'm so happy you've enjoyed my work, and hope you'll like this chapter too. Honestly, the highest praise is that you could tolerate this hellsite just for my writing.

Thank you all so much for your constant support. I know my writing rate has gotten slower, but I am determined to finish this story before I move on to other projects. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

...

It promised to be a fun night.

After a tough, but fun first year of university, Alia was determined to enjoy her summer break. Since they could only stay in university housing during the school year, she was sharing an apartment with her friends. Her parents offered to have her home in Forks for the summer, but that was something she definitely didn't want to do, even if it meant having to work to stay in the city.

But she liked to keep busy. She liked her routine, working at the coffee shop by the park, followed by an evening reading at the library, playing video games, or catching a movie with her friends. She liked how busy everything was, even without school. After spending all her life in a quiet town, she was still only beginning to enjoy how different things were in the city.

That Friday night was a game night. There were six of them piled into Freddie's tiny apartment living room on cheap Ikea couches. After their third game of Settlers of Catan was finished, May was ready to leave, citing an early shift the next morning as the reason. Alia agreed to go with her roommate instead of taking the couch Freddie offered. She didn't mind cutting the night short if it meant she could convince May to stop at the convenient store for some soda.

She got on behind May on her motorcycle, making sure her helmet was secure. After giving her friend a thumbs up to indicate she was ready, they were off.

Despite knowing that she'd probably never get a license of her own, since buying a vehicle was so infeasible, Alia loved riding on a motorcycle. The speed was exhilarating, especially on warmer nights like that one. It felt especially great as May expertly wove through the lanes, as if she could bypass the mundane traffic. She understood a little why people were obsessed with cars and bikes.

"Hey what time is it?!" May yelled over the hum of the bike.

With one hand still firmly on May's waist, Alia checked her watch. "9:40!"

"Nice! I can still catch that episode of Lost!"

Of course. She'd only wanted to leave to watch her favorite show. "Soda first!" Alia laughed, the sound getting drowned out as they were moving again, onto the highway. May waved her hand in acknowledgment. They'd still make it by 10 if Alia was quick to shop. Well, it wasn't as if there'd be many people in the convenience store so late.

Dreaming of her favorite cream soda, Alia didn't notice the blaring of headlights on the right as they passed an intersection until it was too late. She opened her mouth to scream, but only felt the lights get blinding. And then, the world stopped.

It didn't really hurt, getting hit by a truck. Alia had always dreamed of flying, and this was it, wasn't it? She was flying through the air, as if she were on a roller coaster. She could have been flying for minutes, or hours. But the landing had to come. A landing that proved to hurt a lot more, with her head making a sickening crack . The pain faded quickly with her vision, leaving everything a confusing dark mess.

She could sense red lights behind her closed eyes and the cold pavement beneath her. There were also voices, but they were so confusing, that she didn't bother trying to interpret them.

Soon, what little senses she had left were beginning to weaken. What was left of her was still able to feel fear at the nothingness her mind provided her with. She didn't like dreams like these, so blank, and everlasting. More than anything, she wanted to wake up. There were so many things she needed to do. She had to return her library books tomorrow, and make course lists for her second year. She wanted to watch a new movie in theatres. She wanted to see… someone… but she couldn't remember who.

As Alia dwelt in her dark dreamland, even her desires and fears began to fade, until all she knew was cold and darkness. Was this to be her tomb? She had no choice but to accept it, as she didn't know how to fight for her weakening body.

But then… then something flickered in the darkness. A flicker of warmth that felt like it came from her throat. Was it her voice, aching to cry out? No, that was clear as the warm feeling moved downward. It was comforting at first, the warmth as it lit up her chest and reminded her that her heart was still beating, that there was still life in her.

And then it began to burn.

The fire started in her heart, and as it spread through her veins, burning everything in its path, Alia felt fear for the first time that night. Every time she felt minor pain, when she stubbed her toe, or got a headache, she had the tendency to declare it the worst pain of her life.

What a joke life had been playing on her. It was nothing compared to the way that fucking fire burned through every cell in her body. The worst part was that the weakness and confusion was fading. Her mind was becoming sharper, allowing her to feel everything. Death wasn't supposed to be like this, was it? The worst was supposed to be the actual impact of the accident, not the dying part.

She wondered, as she began to shriek in agony against a cool hand covering her mouth, if Christians had been right about the afterlife and she was being sent down into a fiery pit of hell. Or maybe her parents' religion was right and this was what reincarnation felt like. Alia didn't want to think about it. She didn't want any of them to be right, she just wanted it to be over. She focused her energy instead on thrashing and screaming, hoping that her body would give out on her and it would be over sooner.

Soon, as she got the strength to open her eyes amidst the agony, she vaguely registered soft voices around her, a hand stroking her hair. She couldn't understand anything she was seeing or hearing but felt that she was moving. Was she in an ambulance? Ambulances weren't so dark normally, were they? And weren't there typically sirens? It was a vehicle of some sort, that was clear, as during a particularly strong fit, her hand shattered what must have been glass. She was restrained again, and could only vent out her frustration by screeching.

Alia felt like she must have screamed her throat raw, but could still hear the sharp shrieks. She never would have thought herself capable of such volume. She really had been living a sheltered, soft life, with no real hardships before that day. At the very least, as she felt herself being moved (kicking and screaming all the while), she realised that she was not dead or dying. It was something else, even if she didn't know what that something else was.

After what felt like years of torment, of every cell in her body being burned, Alia began to notice. Maybe she was hallucinating, to try and distract herself from the pain, but it felt like she could hear and smell everything around her intensely. Distinctive, impossible voices from her past that felt like from a dream from how familiar they were. Footsteps of different people, around different parts of what must have been a house, from the way the noise was concentrated. So many scents, that it was confusing to try and put them all in order. The most confusing detail of all was something cool clutching her inflamed hand, steadfast. It must have been a hand, but the person it was attached to was completely silent. Alia was only sure, from the scent and the occasional movement in response to particularly violent cries of pain.

The part of her that was still self conscious was mortified at how she was reacting to the pain. A larger part of her couldn't be bothered to care and hoped that the people forced to listen to her felt even a sliver of the frustration she did. Screaming helped. It was the only thing she could do to struggle against the pain, when her body wouldn't respond the way she wanted it to.

Soon, the different footsteps around the house made their way to surround her. She soon understood why. The fire that had been consuming her began to change. Alia could have wept with relief, if it weren't for the fire instead concentrating in her chest. She clutched at where her heart was with a strangled gasp, as she felt it searing. It beat a few times, feebly, before stopping.

But… she wasn't dead. She was very much alive. She wasn't even free from pain entirely, as some lingered in her throat. Alia, after a moment of hesitation, opened her eyes.

The first thing Alia saw was the white ceiling. She gasped in amazement and had to blink a few times as she shot up in the bed she was in. She looked around the room hurriedly. Even though her head whipped around, she got a sense of everything more clearly than she had ever observed before in her life. Had Alia's prescription been wrong this entire time, and only now was given proper glasses? She felt for her face, but there were no glasses there.

And there were more pressing matters than how clearly she could see. The people in the room. She had to blink again as she noticed the first figure standing beside her bed. Golden, and more beautiful than she had ever realised. "Carlisle?" she asked, and clutched her throat in surprise at the voice that emerged. Hers, but somehow refined, like it had been autotuned. She looked back at Carlisle who was smiling at her kindly. Beside him was Esme, and behind her the rest of the Cullens. The rest of the Cullens save the one she ached to see the most. "I don't understand." she said, recoiling as Carlisle stepped closer. "What's happening to me? I had an accident— I— and I— where am I?"

"Alia." Carlisle's voice sounded different too, as if she had never heard it properly before. She jumped off the bed and was up against the wall in alarm. She should have been mortified at her behavior, but only felt panicked. Carlisle held up his hands in a gesture of peace and beside him, Esme gave her a sympathetic look. "I will explain everything, Alia." Carlisle said gently. "There's no need to be scared."

From behind, a tall figure stepped forward. It was Jasper. Alia should have recognised him and felt at ease, but she couldn't. Every visible inch of Jasper's face and neck was covered in scars. Bite marks. Involuntarily, she snarled at him, a warning for him to stay the hell away from her. That was enough for her to slap her hands over her mouth in horror. "Relax, Alia." Jasper said, apparently not deterred from her rude behavior. He put a hand on her elbow, which she flinched at, but let happen. As soon as Jasper touched her, Alia felt some of the fear vanish. She let herself be guided to sit back down on the bed.

Carlisle began to talk. Alia could only listen in mute surprise as he detailed the accident she was in. A truck driver had run a red light and hit the motorcycle she was on. Alia had been left in critical condition with several broken bones and bad head trauma. "What about May?" Alia asked, the distress returning. "Is she…"

It was Alice that spoke up. "She's in a coma. But she's going to be okay. She'll wake up in a month or so."

Alia could only stare at her. How could she know that? She was distracted from wondering by Carlisle. "Your wounds were quite serious. You were going to die, Alia, but Edward—" he paused as she shot up at the name. "—decided to turn you."

"Edward decided— but where is he? And turn me?" Alia looked at the faces in the room. "What the hell does that mean? Turn me into what?"

It was only Rosalie that stared at her unflinchingly. "Into one of us." she gestured around the room. "Into a vampire."

Alia laughed. "Yeah right." her laughter died as no one joined her, not even Alice, who looked the most solemn Alia had ever seen her. "No way. You can't be serious. Vampires aren't real."

"They're real." Emmett grinned weakly. "And you're one of them now. One of us." He echoed Rosalie's words.

"It will be easier to show you." Carlisle offered a hand, which Alia instinctively flinched at. But he kept it there, and Alia took it after some deliberation. Alice bolted off at a speed that had Alia staring with an open jaw. She was back in a mere second with a giant mirror that was comically large in her arms. Alice put it down, and Carlisle led her to it, where Alia caught a glimpse of her own reflection.

She could only stare at herself in horrified confusion. She slapped herself, the sound harsh, but when she looked back it was still the same. It was her… but like she was airbrushed. Her hair was somehow a darker black, the waves smoother than she could ever get them before. With her new vision, she should have been able to see every tiny flaw in her skin, every blemish and acne scar… but there were none on her now perfect brown skin. It was like she had undergone plastic surgery, although a plastic surgeon would have given her a nose job too. The tiniest surge of relief to see her nose still the same was undercut by the rest of her horror. Her cheeks were still round, but her jaw was different, more chiselled with her chin not being so weak anymore. She opened her mouth and saw why. It was like her jaw had realigned itself, so that she didn't have an overbite anymore with her teeth perfect and sparkling white, contrasting against her lips, which were now redder than ever.

All in all, Alia was objectively the most beautiful she had ever been.

It was terrifying.

Vampires… they had said. It was only when she looked at the feature she was avoiding that the word sank in. Her eyes kept their shape and weren't so different except for the fact that they were no longer a deep brown, but a startling, burning red. Like blood… she realised with despair.

She wanted to faint, but couldn't. She felt physically stronger than she ever had before. So, instead, Alia screamed and punched the mirror, shattering it and the wall behind it into a million tiny pieces.