Book 1 - Chapter 1: Intro – Forks
I never understood what happened. I can't remember anything like how I came to be this way. But all I do remember is waking up, and remembering my mother, Phil and Charlie. I went missing for a week and came back in a different form. Almost like a different body. I've never given much thought to moving to Forks, Washington. But now it seems like a good idea. Barely any sunny days, most of them are over cast.
"So… Are you going to tell me what happened to you?" Charlie asks and I frown.
"I've already told you. I can't remember" I snap and he frowns. He sighs as he pulls into the house. "I'm going to unpack then go for a walk" I say and he nods before jumping out the car. I rush my bags upstairs and unpack them with the advantage of inhumanly speed. By the time Charlie comes up to check on me I'm already done.
"That was quick. I only just got inside…I'm going to get lunch. Want any?" he asks he and I laugh.
"You know well and truly what I have to eat to survive Dad. I can't eat any human food" I say and he frowns.
"Yeah well… I was being polite" he grumbles and I grin. I walk down the stairs before walking to the back door.
"I'm going to go hunt. I may as well be prepared for tomorrow" I say and he nods and grins.
"Don't take too long" he says and I grin before leaving and running into the forest. I take down a few deer before exploring the bushes around the town. A few miles from the house, I sit up in a tree and think about life, what I remember, before I was like this. A few minutes later I hear the lonely footsteps of another and hide behind a tree.
"I know someone's there" a man with reddish brown hair and golden eyes says and I quickly hide back behind the trunk. "I can hear you. Come on out" he says and I suck in a breath to stop breathing. I hear him sigh and jump up to the tree with ease. "Hi" he says and I take another peak. "It's overwhelming, I know" he says softly as he holds out his hand and I place my hand in his, to my surprise, find it warm.
"Who…" I start and he looks at me intensely. "I should go" I squeak and he frowns.
"Don't go" he says and I frown back at him. "I'm Edward Cullen. I'll tell you anything you need to know" he says and I frown and nod.
"What am I? How did I get to be like this? Why are my eyes red? Why do I have to kill animals to survive? Or even worse, why do I feel a burning pain in my throat when I'm around my parents and family, and when I think about it" I ask him and he grins.
"First off, it would make this much easier if I knew your name" he says and I frown.
"Isabella…Bella Swan" I say and he grins.
"Well Bella, you're a vampire. And you've already made me curious even if we only have just met. Alice told me we would meet here, so I came at the direct time to make that happen" he says and I frown.
"How did you know I'd be here?" I ask him and he grins.
"My Sister… kind off anyway. She has the ability to see the future. Jasper can read and alter emotions. I can read minds…all but yours. It's extremely fascinating" he says and I laugh.
"What so you think something's wrong with my head?" I ask him and he frowns.
"No…I think that you keep everyone out of your head. So a type of shield maybe. So I think you have a gift Bella" he says and I look down at my shoes "You were created. How long have you been like this?" he asks me and I frown.
"A month maybe" I say and he nods.
"Your eyes are red because when Newborns are created, their human blood is in their tissue, which is why newborns are generally stronger." He says and I nod. "You've been killing animals instead of humans?" he asks me and I nod, not wanting to think about it. "Interesting. Super self-control. Why did you hunt animals instead of humans?" he asks me and I frown.
"Well I wasn't going to kill my father, was i?" I ask him and he grins.
"Well no, that would be a bad idea. And for the burning, that's normal. Just don't think about it and well, you'll be able to push it away from your mind and system. The need for human blood is always there, we just have to encase it and control it before we can go out into public" he says and I nod.
"Is there anything else you would like to tell me, so I don't have the surprise of finding out myself or Charlie finding out" I ask him shyly as I sit on the ground. He nods and joins me in the clearing.
"So you already know that you're extremely graceful and have incredible, inhuman speed. You probably already know that your sense of smell, touch, hearing and sight is inhuman too. By the way, I have something for you" Edward says as he pulls out a large, black container. "It's contacts, there is a week's worth in there. Alice saw your eyes and decided that you may as well look at least human" he says as I take it and place it in my pocket.
"Tell her I said thanks" I tell him and I grin.
"She may already know" he says and I laugh before falling onto the soft grass. "So tell me a little more about yourself. It's hard not being able to read your mind" he says with a smile and I sit up and look at the strings of green, grass below us.
"My Mother and Father divorced when I was only three months old. My mother, Renee took me with her to Phoenix, while Charlie stayed in forks. After a few years, she started dating Phil and not long ago she married him. I can't remember anything but that" I say and he nods before frowning.
"It must be hard…not remembering anything but that" he says and I frown and nod before a sob escaped my mouth. I buried my head between my hands while his hand rubbed my back. Once I stopped, I rubbed my eyes and he frowns before hesitantly pulling me to his chest. "It's ok" he whispers and I smile as I bury my head closer to his chest.
"Tell me more about yourself" I ask him and he smiles before nodding.
"I lived in Chicago, my birth place where I was to fight in the war. I was seventeen at the time, born on June the 20th, 1901. I caught the Spanish Influenza, then my mother caught it, then my father. We were a wealthy family, and I was the only child in my family. My mother died and asked Carlisle to save me, he did it at the time, on her wishes and to create a companion because he was lonely. Then I lived with Carlisle for a while. After a few decades I left and rebelled against him before realising what I was, I came back. It turned out that he was to marry another one of our kind. He saved Esme after she jumped off a cliff in 1921. He created her and married her. The Carlisle turned Rosalie in 1933. Then Rosalie saved Emmett in 1935 after he was being mauled by a bear. Alice was turned in 1920, she joined not long after Emmett, with her mate Jasper who was turned in 1863 during the civil war. Carlisle was turned in 1663 by the way. He took over his father while hunting vampires, a vampire attacked him and he was turned. Carlisle and Rosalie are the only ones that haven't killed a human. And there you go" Edward finishes and I frown.
"That's a long family history" I say and he laughs.
"Yes it is" he says and I smile and lean into his embrace. "Would you like to do a little Q and A about each other?" he asks me and I smile and nod. "You start" he says and I smile.
"Favourite Colour?"
"I don't have one" he says with a shrug.
"You're going to be impossible" I groan and he laughs.
"What 'bout you?" he asks me and I laugh.
"Green" I spill out and I frown. "What were the colour of your eyes before you were turned?" I ask him and he grins.
"Carlisle tells me Green" he says and he laughs. "Why is your favourite colour green?" he asks me and I frown.
"It's just so naturey like" I say with a shrug and he grins. "Animal? And I don't care If you kill it or not. May as well answer both. What's your favourite snackand animal that you don't eat" I laugh and he smirks.
"I like to hunt Mountain lions. And on the animals that I don't eat, I don't have a favourite" he says with a smirk before ending with a shrug. "What about you?" he asks me and grin.
"Deer, they're innocent but so easy to catch, and if you find a deer, you'll most likely find another animal nearby" I say and he smiles. "Favourite sibling?" I ask him and he frowns.
"Tough one" he mumbles and I laugh. "Alice gets me, we have our own way of communication as well. Jasper just likes to toy with my emotions left and right. Emmett likes to try and beat my ass in a fucking race, which he always loses. Rosalie's just annoying" he says and I smile. "Alice probably, but she can be very irritating at times." He mumbles and I grin.
"It's nearly dark… you know where Charlie Swan lives right?" I ask him and he grins.
"Don't worry, if I don't I can always ask Alice. But do you want me to come visit?" he asks me and I grin and nod.
"Yeah, when Charlie goes to sleep. And tag Alice along if you want" I say and he laughs. I stand up and start walking away when he stops me.
"Bella I forgot to tell you something about our species" he says and I stop and frown. "We mate for life. Once we find that mate, it's impossible to be apart from then for a short or even long amount of time. Just keep it in mind in case you find yours" he says and I grin before frowning.
"You seem to know a lot about Mates" I say disappointingly and he frowns.
"I don't have one. Well I don't think I do. Direct access to their minds remember" he says before tapping his head with a grin. I smile gently and nod before I come up with an idea.
"Send Alice over first…I want to talk to her privately anyway…could you like stay at the house until she sends you a text?" I ask him and he smiles and nods.
"Ok" he says with a soft concerned smile.
"Well… Cya" I say and he nods as I run away. As I run away, I feel a pain in my chest, telling me to turn back. But I ignore it.
"Bells…you're back early" Charlie says as I walk through the door. "What did you catch?" he asks me with a grin and I shrug.
"A few deer, one mountain lion." I say as I sit at the table and lay my head in my hands.
"Hey…what's up?" Charlie asks and I frown and shrug.
"It's a boy…" I say and he raises his eyebrows. "Dad, I'm not even human. I'm a vampire" I hiss and he frowns.
"And is this boy you speak of human?" he asks me and I shake my head. "So he's like you then" he assumes and I nod. "Then what's got you down? You've met a boy Bella…it's no big deal." He says with a shrug and I frown.
"No it's not that dad…it's just that…my species… we mate for life…like Swans and penguins…once we find that mate, there's no turning back" I start and he frowns.
"So your saying is that this boy is your mate…so were you worrying about brining your five second boyfriend into the house or something and that I might shoot him" he says with his eyebrows raised.
"No…I just think that… he can describe the effects of a mate so…easily…like he already has a girlfriend and I'm nothing but a friend to him." I say, feeling the urge to cry…well not really cry, but sob.
"Well…does it work one sided or something?" he asks me and I shrug.
"He never got that far. He probably already has a mate and I'm just crushing on him like a little girl" I say and he frowns.
"I don't think so Bella…" he says but his tone agrees with me. I nod and make my way upstairs to find a girl with short, black hair and a small body on my bed.
"So you think you're crushing on my brother like a little girl?" she asks me and I frown.
"How much did you hear?" I ask her and she grins.
"I'm Alice by the way" she says as she hugs me and I grin.
"Bella" I say while we hug. "So you're the favourite sibling" I tease her and she grins proudly.
"That's me" she says and I grin as I sit on my bed that is no longer needed. "So you believe that mating is one sided? Well you're not the only one" she says and I frown.
"What do you mean?" I ask her and she smiles brightly before showing me a grin.
"So tell me Bella…what do you feel right now?" She asks me and I frown. The physical and emotional pain that is slightly consuming me. The need to run around the woods until I find someone…Edward…but we've only known each other for a couple of hours.
"That's…classified" I say and she frowns. "Fine! Fine! Just don't tell anyone" I say and then I take a breath. "The pain…not thirst…"I start to say as my throat burns up. "Another really weird pain…I feel the need to run to find something" I say and she smiles.
"I'll try not to tell him" She says tapping her head. Dam.
"What have you seen?" I ask her and she grins.
"I can tell you because he can't read your mind but…I've been seeing flashes…of you in a…"she trails off and her eyes go blank and unfocused and she stops blinking. "Sorry…another…Vision" she says while grinning.
"Alice what did you see?" I ask her and she grins. "Tell me what you saw before, and what you saw now" I ask her while grabbing her hands roughly.
"Um Ow" she say and I remove my hands from her. "I saw you in a wedding dress Bella… and I saw a flash of Edward waiting at the Alter for someone…obviously you but…Bella you need to take this relationship slowly though. You need to try and be human ok" she says and I freeze. Edward and I…Married for all Eternity.
"But that can't be possible. He explains having a mate so easily…he has to have a secret girlfriend or wife somewhere" I say and she shakes her head.
"In his world…you're the only thing he's now worth living for. I've heard him talking to Carlisle a few years back. And I can quote him for you if you want" she say and I frown as she starts to begin her bad impression of Edward. "Carlisle you need to understand that If I find my mate and they die…I have to follow along so quickly that your thoughts won't even occur in my head before I go. It's something I have to do. If they die, I die. I can't live in a world without them" she finishes with a smile. "Edward will be here soon. I should go and tell Carlisle and Esme that he's found a mate" she says before hugging me and walking to the window. "And if Charlie comes in…say that you might go hunting in the night. He'll go to bed at nine thirty" she says with a smile before jumping out the window. The door opens after a minute and I find Charlie at the door.
"What are you going to do since you can't sleep?" he asks me and I smile and stand up.
"I might go hunting instead. Are you going to bed?" I ask him as I check the clock as it reads, exactly nine thirty.
"Uh yeah…night" he says before shutting the door. A few minutes later, I hear him snoring in the next room. I quickly turn off the main light and switch on my two lamps before picking up from the last place in the book.
"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more; that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds." (The Notebook)
I hear feet landing in from my window but continue reading. I feel his presence next to me on the bed and him breathing in deeply next to me. "The notebook? Really? I thought you were an action and mystery type of girl" he says and I frown.
"It's sweet, and beautiful" I say and he raises his eyebrows at me before snatching the book out my arms.
"The scariest thing about distance is you don't know whether they'll miss you, or forget you" He reads aloud and I shrug and remember the conversation between Alice and me.
"So tell me Bella…what do you feel right now?" She asks me and I frown. The physical and emotional pain that is slightly consuming me. The need to run around the woods until I find someone…Edward…but we've only known each other for a couple of hours.
"That's…classified" I say and she frowns. "Fine! Fine! Just don't tell anyone" I say and then I take a breath. "The pain…not thirst…"I start to say as my throat burns up. "Another really weird pain…I feel the need to run to find something" I say and she smiles.
"I'll try not to tell him" She says tapping her head.
"So Bella, what do you feel when we're away?" he asks me and I frown.
"You already know" I say. "You've already read Alice's mind. You know what I felt" I say, harsher than intended.
"I do…but I want to hear it from you" he says and I frown.
"I don't know… how to explain it" I say with a shrug. "You probably have a secret girlfriend hidden away somewhere" I say with a shrug.
"I don't. And when I take you over to meet my Family, you'll see" he says with a grin. I frown and he sighs before smiling. "Read for me" he says as he throws me a book from my shelf. I catch it and open to the first page.
"Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
(Robert Frost)" I finish and he grins before holding my face in his hands.
"Bella…would you do the extraordinary honour and be my girlfriend?" He asks me and I freeze. Me? His girlfriend? What is this a cover story for his secret girlfriend?
"What? You trying to prove that you don't have a secret girlfriend?" I ask with a laugh and he frowns.
"No…I'm being serious" he says with a frown before standing up and walking towards the window.
"Oh…are you going?" I ask him and he nods.
"Bella…One way mates have never existed. So if your mine, I'm yours. We chose each other, from that very meeting in the woods." He says and I nod. "I'm going home" he says as his hands touch the windowsill.
"No!" I say and he stops. "Wait" I say and he turns to me.
"What? Are you going to laugh about how mates are stupid?" he snaps and I frown.
"Never mind" I mumble as I sink into the bed I lay down and I hear him jump out the window. A few seconds later, I start to sob.