A/N: ok, I had put this chapter up earlier but I hated it so much that I rewrote it. Some parts I kept and others I completely trashed. This is the revised (and hopefully better) version

BPOV:

I knew Edward was with me only because I could hear his voice. The excruciating pain overpowered any touch from his cold comforting arms. Bright flashes of light and color danced behind my closed eyes. Occasionally I was allowed a moment of rest between the waves of fire. It was in these moments I would gasp to Edward, "How much longer?" The relief from the pain was so brief that I wasn't always able to finish the question. He had been right. The transformation was hell. For three days I was separated from the world and from Edward. I felt nothing but the raging heat that ran like molten lava through my veins and the gut wrenching pain of the venom that would stop my heart. Though I couldn't feel Edward's embrace I knew he was there. His voice whispered in my ear, as he alternated between humming my lullaby and counting down the hours, seventy-two to one.

Edward whispered "Just two more" I felt his lips brush against my ear. It would seem a small occurrence to any one else, but I had been unable to feel anything for seventy hours. That small sensation gave me hope and let me know the end was near. From that moment on the pain continued to subside; the wild dance of color behind my eyes slowed and gave way to darkness. The heat drained from my body, leaving me relieved and slightly shaky. Brief spasms of pain still shot through my body but the worst was over.

I awoke alone.

He had stayed with me throughout the transformation why had he left now? "Edward?" There was no answer or movement anywhere. "Edward!" I was yelling now and panicking. Where was he? I heard footsteps coming closer but I didn't care. They were much too light to belong to him. Alice poked her head in the door "Come on in" I sighed.

At least someone remembered I was alive. Or dead rather. I tried to fix the statement in my head so it would work out for me before I decided that I really didn't care. Alice was across the room before I could blink and squeezed me in a hug that would have crushed the bones of a human. I returned her embrace briefly and ignored the questions that she was firing at me. I took a step back and managed to trip over the rug. Dang. I had hoped my clumsiness would be nothing more than a memory from now on. Alice's eyes sparkled with amusement that promptly died as I asked her about Edward. Her eyes and expression betrayed nothing as she answered. "He's just gone hunting, he stayed with you through the three days but he needed to feed as soon as possible. He'll be back soon." she promised. She was lying to me. I turned toward the open window as I contemplated.

Nothing in her manner had suggested a lie but I knew better. 'Perceptive' I remembered Edward's whispered comment from one of our first conversations. He had picked up on it early and it made sense to me now. Was this my gift? I tested myself by focusing in on Alice. I could sense her discomfort as well as her desire to change the subject. She wanted to keep me from thinking about Edward and why he had disappeared. It occurred to me that she didn't know where he was either and the thought scared me.

I turned back to her, pleased with that I had managed to discover my gift so early by myself and anxious to know the truth. One look at her face told me I would learn nothing from her now. "Bella?" Oops. She was waiting for the answer and I had no idea what the question had been. "Huh?" Becoming a vampire had certainly not enhanced my verbal skills. "I asked how you were feeling." "Oh." I grinned at her, "I'm doing fantastically well considering I just died." I frowned, there was something else too. I tried to locate the nagging desire, to give it a name. "And thirsty." I finally admitted. The back of my throat tingled and the subtly sweet taste of venom rose in my mouth. I must have been making strange faces because Alice burst out laughing. "Come downstairs and then we'll go hunt."

"Alright, wait just a minute though." I remembered Edward saying I would change if I was ever to become a vampire. I wanted to see for myself. I raced out of the room to find a mirror and I stopped short at the sight that met my eyes. The girl in the mirror looked like me but it was as if an artist had taken her features and sculpted them, making them more defined. My nose was straighter, so was my hair. My hair had a sheen to it I had never been able to achieve before, even with the help of a flat iron. My lips were fuller. I was unprepared for the change in my eyes, though Carlisle had mentioned what would happen. The irises were a brilliant crimson and were framed by lashes I thought only existed in mascara commercials. It was a little disconcerting. I forced myself to take in my entire image, trying to forget about my eyes. Everything was about me was thinner. My waist, legs and even my face had become trimmer. I now had the washboard abs of a model. I could get used to that, I decided contentedly.

It took about two seconds to reach the den where everyone was gathered. Scratch that. Where everyone except Edward was gathered. Waves of emotion hit me and I tried to process the information. I was able to perceive and tell what they were all feeling. Carlisle and Esme both seemed pleased that the change had finally taken place. Their worry threatened to overpower their pleasure and I realized that they too had no idea where my angel had fled. Jasper was also pleased and there was also a sense of contentment, though it stemmed from observing the still bubbly Alice rather than the present situation. Emmett was smug and self-righteous. I knew that he would be making sure Edward knew that Emmett had told him I would be changed eventually. Rosalie was indifferent. It didn't surprise or bother me; I preferred her inattention to her outright disdain and hatred.

I began to realize, as I absorbed all the emotion present, that there were two feelings that they all shared. The first was worry for Edward, in which I shared. It wasn't like him to leave me, especially without telling anyone where he had gone. The second was pleasure. It was all innocent enough with the exception of Rosalie. Something was off when I searched her feelings. Her pleasure stemmed from a darker and deeper source than that of the others.

We talked for several minutes and I was bombarded by questions that included everything from how I felt and other such medical inquiries to when I wanted to go shopping. I laughed off Emmett's suggestion of a race to see who could find the first grizzly. I knew that as a new vampire I was at the peak of my strength but I was still no match for Emmett. The thought of attacking a grizzly was still frightening to me...but maybe something smaller.

Alice guessed my thoughts and cut the questioning short. "Bella, you run upstairs and change into some jeans. Rosalie and I will be waiting in the car." We drove several miles out of town and into the forest. Emmett, Esme, Carlisle, and Jasper had insisted that they 'weren't really that thirsty' but I got the impression they would be searching for Edward while we were gone. Standing outside of the car Alice explained how they hunted. "Start by letting you senses, smell in particular, take over. It helps if you think about what exactly you want to feed on. The breeze shifted and carried a new scent towards us. "That?" my voice was strained and I trembled slightly with the effort that it took for me to wait for Alice's 'ok' to take what I desired. The fact that I wanted blood did not bother me as much as I had thought it would, nor did the smell make me nauseous. Alice stiffened. "Rosalie go!" she barked out. She shot off, pulling me after her. We had gone several miles before Rosalie would allow me to stop. "What happened?" Rosalie grinned at me mockingly. "That was a human you smelled, Bella. Alice is moving the car. We couldn't leave it unexplained in the woods like that and it's not safe for any of us to hunt when a human is near."

A human. I now understood why Edward referred to his family as vegetarians. I knew I would not be able to safely be around humans for a while. It was too tempting. The evil gleam remained in Rosalie's eyes. I decided to risk asking her about Edward. While the others feared that the truth would upset me, Rosalie enjoyed upsetting me. I knew she would tell me what I needed to know.

"Where did Edward go to hunt?" I inquired casually. She turned on me swiftly. "Hunt!" she scoffed. Her beautiful face twisted into a sneer and I recognized the dark pleasure I had sensed earlier. "He didn't want you like this!" she hissed. She nodded at Alice who was just emerging from the trees. "Why don't you ask her to tell you what happened and how you came to be stuck with us forever? Ask Alice who changed you Isabella!" An unnecessary breath caught in my throat and the thirst I felt was quickly pushed aside. She had to be lying. Please be lying. But I knew there was nothing in her statement that even hinted at a lie. Maybe it wasn't true. My gift was still new to me; maybe there were subtle intricacies I wasn't aware of.

Alice's sorrowful eyes met mine and I knew.

A/N 2: just an f.y.i. – Bella's gift is similar to Jasper's but while he is able to influence emotion Bella can only identify the emotion. She is able to recognize the source of the emotion in most cases as well. I have always thought of her as a good judge of character so I added in her ability to discern truth from lies.

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