Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Author's note: Who needs sleep when there's a cliffy that needs an update? Yawn, I hope you reward me for the fast update.

When she was very small, Bella took to playing hide and seek with herself. She favored small closets, and would hide in there for hours...ironic now that Bella could no longer stand such enclosed spaces. But little Bella thought nothing then of sitting in the dark for hours on end. Unbeknownst to her mother and father, she didn't just daydream or read by flashlight in there. She lit sparks. In the darkness, her heart whooped in joy every time the interior of the closet shone from the brightness of her fire, however briefly. Among those shadows, she knew she did something special. She knew that she was special.

It had to be the smell. That was the first thing Bella noticed when she came out of unconsciousness. The smell hit her like a prickly train, so strong and so strange that Bella concluded it was what woke her up. And so the question she asked herself over and over as she drifted back to awareness wasn't how she ended up here, why she couldn't see anything, or who did this to her, but instead what on earth that horrible smell was.

That question, and all other questions ringing in the back of her mind disappeared as soon as she tried to move.

Shit! She thought.

Bella bit back a whimper as she spent the next five minutes learning how to breathe all over again. Her chest felt as though it had been sat upon by an elephant. When she tried to move her left arm, she concluded the hypothetical elephant must have pierced it with its tusk too, that's how much it hurt. Definitely broken, she thought, and bleeding heavily too judging by how wet the floor was beneath her.

After the initial shock of the pain, she calmed down enough to take visual stock of her surroundings...only she couldn't see a damn thing. It was dark. Not pitch black but close. Wherever she was, it was cluttered to the hilt too. She could make out big shapes of what looked like boxes, though there were some odd shapes here and there too. Beyond that, Bella couldn't tell anything else. She had no idea where she was, except that she was clearly inside, and wherever this was it smelled awful.

Then she remembered.

Charlie!

Was he in here? Was he even alive? The memory of him tied up and unconscious on the ground in his own home overrode all caution for her body's condition and she sat up, ignored the pain, and tried to stand. It was excruciating work, but after huffing and puffing for a good solid minute she managed to stand upright and lean back onto something. Ok, she thought, now let's see about brightening up this place.

Since training with Carlisle, Bella had gotten accustomed to particular hand movements she employed to call on her fire. It wasn't actually necessary, especially now that she'd mastered it. But back then it helped to assign a command to a certain hand movement. For example when she wanted to create a ball of fire in her hand, she'd ball up the fist in question before opening up her palm quickly. When she wanted to push a bit of fire away from her, it helped to actually push her hand out as well as if the fire was a physical object she was manipulating. None of this was required anymore of course but old habits die hard.

Without thinking, she put her hand out, balled her fist and was about to open it when-

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Bella froze. In the silence of this still room, the man's voice sounded so crystal clear it may well be an inch from her ear. She inched her head from side to side, her eyes scanning the dark expanse before her. But no...the voice stayed disembodied.

Light. She needed to see! Again, she shifted, preparing to light a spark.

"I strongly advise you not to start a fire. The result would be...not to your liking, I'm afraid," said the voice. She was struck by the courtesy in this man's voice. Despite her knowing instinctively that she was in a very bad situation, Bella still felt a strange calm as the man spoke.

"Who are you?" She asked. "And why can't I start a fire?"

She couldn't see him, but his voice took on such a quality that he had to be smiling.

"I'm a great admirer of yours, Bella," he said. "A great admirer. As for why you can't start a fire...well so you can't hurt me for once, though, I expect you won't be bothered by that. More importantly however, because I've doused the room in gasoline."

Bella paused. But this man was right. The smell...of course...She brought her arm to her face and winced. What she had thought was blood before was in fact an obscene amount of gasoline. Bella was saturated in it. So was the floor. So was whatever she was leaning on. She suspected the entire room and every object in it was swimming in the flammable liquid.

Clever, but rather futile. A fire in this room would do great damage, but not to her. What was the point of this? Charlie, she reminded herself. If this man hurt Charlie…

"What have to you done to my father?" She asked, anger rising in her voice.

"Your father?" The man laughed. "After everything he's put you through, you still refer to him as your father? Curious...you are quite curious."

"What have you done to him?!" She shouted.

"He hasn't been harmed," he said calmly. "Not permanently, anyway. It was difficult, I admit. The urge to take his life was so strong. You have no idea how strong…" He paused as if reminiscing on something. Bella had a bad feeling about what. "But you're my prize, young Bella, not he. If there's one thing I can do, it's maintain my focus. And you, my dear, have been my focus for quite some time."

Charlie's all right. She had no reason to trust this man, but her instincts told her he was telling the truth. Her father was most likely still at home where she left him.

"That said," he continued. "His life still hangs in the balance I'm afraid. He could go back to work tomorrow…or he could end up in a mortician's freezer. That will be up to you."

Inside herself, Bella felt a great anger stirring. She felt it rise from her battered chest and reach her fingers and toes until she was buzzing with a great sense of rage. "It's you, isn't it?" Her voice shook with hatred. "You're the arsonist."

"I am," he smiled again, his voice full of sickening glee. "Oh it was such great fun. Not my usual style. In fact it was my first time resorting to such...barbaric...tactics. But it couldn't be helped, could it? You're such an unusual find. It was inevitable now that I think of it...How else could I get your attention without attracting your...fascinating friends?"

He knew about the Cullens. Oh god, Bella thought, her blood freezing in her veins. This man knew...somehow, he knew who and what they were. How?! How had they not seen this? How had Alice not seen?

"Who are you?" Bella felt real fear for the first time. The damage this man could do…

"A great admirer," he said again. "But I think it is fair for us to meet, at last, face to face."

A barely audible sound 10, maybe 15 feet in front of her. Odd that other than his voice, she had yet to hear him move, even breathe before this moment. But Bella had no time to ponder on this because a moment later a familiar sound filled the room. A zippo lighter lit. Though it was a small light it was still bright, and Bella's eyes had to adjust despite its short reach. The man stepped closer and closer until she could finally see his face.

Her heart pounded as the fear overflowed in her gut.

The man in front of her wasn't a man at all. He was a vampire. One second was all Bella needed to know he wasn't of the same stock as the Cullens. While her family always struck as her as more than human, this man, this vampire was decidedly less. His sallow skin, burgundy eyes, and even the smooth feral way he walked screamed danger. It screamed 'killer.'

"Bella Swan," he bowed slightly. "My name is James."

Don't show him you're afraid. Don't show him you're afraid.

But of course he could see she was afraid. Her body betrayed her. The heart, the sweat, the shivering...these things were obvious to the observant human. What chance did she have to preserve her dignity in front of this vampire who could hear her escalating heartbeat from a mile away? Not a chance in hell that's what.

"Where's Charlie?" She whispered, for now she wasn't so sure that he really was safe.

"You have my word he'll remain safe as long as you cooperate," James said softly. "But...I must warn you. And you'll only receive one warning, Bella. Your father is not alone. Should you decide to be foolish and use those wonderful gifts on me, I'm afraid your father's life will be forfeit. See this phone?" He lifted his hand to show her. "If for any reason I'm not able to send a message to my friends who are keeping dear Charlie company, he'll be their next meal. They're so hungry, you see. It would only be fair…"

Friends. More vampires. Vampires who were watching and listening to Charlie's strong heartbeat right this second. How on earth would she get out of this mess?

"Seems strange to gamble your life like that," Bella feigned confidence. "What if I decide I don't care about Charlie? You'd burn in seconds."

James smiled and walked closer until he was only inches from her face. "You won't."

Oh yes I will, Bella thought. Get rid of that cretin and run as fast as she could back home...They may be deadly, but so is she.

As if reading the determination in her eyes, James suddenly backed away with vampire speed. It was so quick Bella couldn't see where he'd gone, only where he'd been. The lighter's faint light too went out of sight.

"You humans are so simple-minded," he laughed. When he spoke again his voice came from another direction. "But I guess that's what makes you so fun to play with. You disappoint me, Bella. Where's your intellect? Where's your curiosity? Would you really rather destroy me now than hear what I have to say? Don't you want to know why you're here? How you came to my attention?"

"No," Bella growled. "I don't."

"Be careful," he whispered from yet another corner of the room. "Or I'll tire of this game and drain you before you have a chance to regret it. You're playing under my rules, Bella."

He was making it impossible for her to zero in on him, she realized. James was moving with dizzying, vampire speeds around the room so she couldn't light him up without burning the whole room. What is this place? The clutter. The darkness. A house? Someone's attic or basement? There was no noise though, or any signs of life that Bella could detect.

Listen! Bella could've kicked herself for forgetting what she could do. She extended her senses and listened. This was a big building. Not a home at all. Beyond these walls and many more, she came upon a large body of people. They were talking, shouting, screaming. A curious squeaking every few seconds. And they were right on top of the room.

James laughed again as realization dawned on her face. "My rules, Bella."

They were in the high school. All those people talking, shouting, the squeaky noises. The basketball game. And judging from the direction of the sounds…James had taken her to some sort of storage room...directly beneath the floor of the gymnasium.

"I wonder what would happen if this room gave way," James sang. "How many kiddies would burn away?"

How many...God, she felt sick. Don't lose control, don't lose control, she told herself. You cannot lose control.

"Fine," she said slowly. "What do you want?"

He sighed. Because of his erratic movements, the sound came from all around her. "You," he said simply. "I want you."

She gulped. "You want...to drink my blood, you mean?" Please let that be all, she thought.

"What else would I want from a human?" He giggled. "It'll be quite the chase once your piss-drinking coven figures it out. Oh I haven't had a good chase in a long time."

"You're doing this for the adrenaline rush?" Bella asked in disbelief. "There's seven of them."

"They're pathetic and weak," he said dismissively. "Especially your blondie and the little one."

Bella's anger flared. Inside her heart she felt what she knew was a spark of life, of fire, but her control, as always stayed true. "You're no match for them. Any of them."

"Really? Then how did I manage to slip by them? How did I manage to watch you for months and months without alerting any of those so-called vampires?"

Bella had no idea. "How did you hide your scent?" She asked, curious to know and eager to stop the frightening images of Esme or Rosalie in a fight to the death with this monster creeping in her mind.

"It's what I do," he said proudly. "I find my victims. I track them. I zero in on the kill. And I do it without attracting attention, even with that annoying mindreader and your seer. I'm the best hunter there is. I can sense, hear, see, feel my prey further and better than even your coven can imagine."

"So, what, you basically stayed downwind from the Cullens the whole time?" She asked, alarmed that anyone could get past a family of vampires like this.

"You're boooooring me! Let's talk about the reason I've brought you here! That'll be more fun!" He laughed like a maniac.

Two things happened then. The first: James re-lit his lighter and shone it over a spot a couple of yards to Bella's right...where Billy Black lay crumpled on his side. The second thing that happened: James stopped moving.

There wasn't going to be another chance, Bella knew this in her heart. She could control it. She knew she could control the flames. Bella was not and had never been the arsonist. She had tight, perfect grasp over her gift. Any flames in this room would stay in her control. This was the only opportunity.

"Go to hell," she whispered. And she focused everything she had on the monster in front of her. Burn, she thought. Burn!

Only...he didn't.

Burn! She mentally screamed, thinking briefly that time must have just slowed down, that that was why it was taking so long. But time ticked on. Her pulse quickened then raced as she realized with a crushing horror what she could never have discovered until now when her life, and possibly the lives of everyone she knew hung in the balance.

Bella's fire does not work on vampires.

Author's note II: Looking forward to your reviews! Reviews are my fuel...the more you fill me up the faster I'll update! Well no, I'll update as soon as I finish writing the chapter. But reviews make me sooooo damn happy!