A/n - This chapter and chapter one are edited verisions by my beta! Red20881 from is awesome! she is an awesome beta! She rocks! Luv you red!

Chapter 2

*Bella Swan*

*Flashback*

The closet door opened and I screamed, kicking and pulling at the person who grabbed me. I was dragged out of the closet, my eye blinded by fear.
"Bella!" someone yelled, and I stopped kicking and screaming long enough to realize who had a hold of me. It was one of my daddy's deputies. He held me close, wrapping his arms securely around my shaking body, and carried me down the stairs. He laid me in the back seat of the police cruiser. I didn't want to leave the safety of his arms. I was so scared. Resigning, I curled up into a ball on the back seat. My mommy and daddy - they were killed by monsters. I thought monsters were fictional creatures only living in myths and horror stories told around camp fires. Tears fell from my eyes, burning in hot, wet trails down my cheeks. I took deep breath and gathered enough courage to look out the car window. I leaned on the door watching as police men, firemen, and reporters moved about my front yard. So many people. I wiped my eyes and looked over at my house, praying my mommy and daddy would walk out and be ok. Maybe they fought the monsters. They can't be…

The stretcher came out. No! Not my daddy! I yanked on the cruiser door trying to make it open but it had one of those child proof locks on it.

"No! Let me out of here! Monsters killed my mommy and daddy! I saw them! Let me out please!" I yelled through my tears.

One of the officers opened the door and I jumped out. He grabbed me before I had a chance to get away! He held me tightly as the other stretcher came out with my mommy's body on it!

"NO! I WANT MY MOMMY! NO! THE MONSTERS KILLED MY MOMMY!"

*Present*

I jump up not realizing I had fallen asleep in class.

"Miss Swan, is there something you would like to share with the class?" The teacher asks.

"Sorry, no," I say quickly.

"Then please pay attention," he says, turning back to the chalk board.
Paying attention isn't on my agenda right now. The bell finally rings and I jump out of my seat. I've had enough of school. I don't need this right now. I walk down the hall and out the front door. I need to get away - far away from everyone and everything. I walk across the parking lot toward the vast Forks, Washington forest that inhabits the school and town.

It seems like I am walking forever before I come to a cliff that leads out into the water. I throw my backpack down and step closer to the edge of the cliff.

*Edward Cullen*

I'm going mad - mad with desire and thirst. Thinking about her makes it difficult to even function. Jasper and Emmett are hunting and I am tagging along hoping maybe animal blood will curb my thirst. I'm just not into it. I only want one thing...

Her.

Thoughts of her are driving me mad. I have to get these thoughts out of my head.

Emmett and Jasper wander off and I take my own path. I come across the scent of a deer, but it doesn't affect me like it should. The memory of her scent overpowers even the scent immediately before me.

Suddenly, the wind picks up and...

No way!

The smell - the sweet, delicious scent of her blood fills my senses.

Is she near? I follow the scent. It's intoxicating...mouthwatering. My throat starts to burn. I've been imagining what her blood would taste like - my mouth on her pale, beautiful throat, her warm skin touching my mine as her delicious blood flows in hot streams down my throat. The thoughts are making me delirious.

I come to the edge of the wood and finally find the source of the delicious scent.

There she is, standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down into the water. I keep the monster inside of me from lunging at her.

"Cliff diving is dangerous," I say softly.

I startle her and she nearly falls. I quickly run and grab her before she can tumble over the edge.

"Let go of me!" she yells, pushing herself out of my arms.

"Sorry, I was just trying to keep you from falling to your death," I say as I back away.

"I don't need you to save me," she says as she turns and walks away.

I follow her. I know she's irritated by it, but sometimes I like irritating her.

"Stop following me," she growls.

"I'm not following you," I say.

"Well then, what do you call it?"

I honestly don't know what to call this infatuation of mine. All I know is I have to be near her. I have to protect her. But I feel if I'm too close I might end up killing her.

The monster in me wants to take over. He wants to taste her warm, intoxicating blood. The blood draws me in and drives me nearly insane. It's to the point that I don't know how I can stand here without killing her right now. I close my eyes, trying desperately to push back the monster in me.

"I don't know what this is," I murmur.

She stops and turns to me."What?"

"I want to protect to you, but I don't know how I can keep myself from killing you," I say. The monster is rising again. She is like a drug, and I'm the addict.

"Then stay away from me!" she yells.

"I cant. Do you realize what you do to me?" I ask.

She doesn't say anything. She just stands there, staring at me.

Her heart is racing now. Her lips part, and she's about to say something but I cut her off.

"You bring out the monster out in me. A monster I can't control, yet I can't seem to stay away from you because, I…." I stop myself.

"Because you what?" she asks.

"Because, I've never wanted to be near someone as much as I want to be near you. I've never wanted someone as much as I want you. Your scent is intoxicating. Your skin is so…warm and inviting." I touch her face and she blushes.

She looks down like she's embarrassed or nervous by my touch.
If she believes I'm a blood sucking monster, why isn't she running from me yet?

Her thoughts are jumbled. I'm making her nervous. I smile and laugh softly. I'm driving her insane.

Her thoughts are hilarious at times. She hates me with a passion but can't stop thinking about me.

"I hate you," she says softly.

"I hate you for making me feel this way," I whisper as I lean in and brush my lips against hers. She doesn't hesitate this time. In fact, she presses her lips firmly against mine in response.

*Bella Swan*

His lips are cold and hard against mine, but this time I don't push him away. I find myself wanting more, pushing my mouth against his.

Seriously, what am I doing? I'm kissing a vampire! I can't be kissing something I hate with a passion!

I battle with these thoughts as I realize how perfect the kiss is. Beyond perfect, actually. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him in closer, feeling his body against mine.

Oh god, what am I doing? This is crazy! Jacob is going to kill me if he finds out about this!

He suddenly pulls away."My brothers are coming," he whispers against my lips.

"So this is what you've been keeping from us?" Someone asks, coming toward us.

I pull away from Edward and quickly run away as fast as I can. I don't know why I am running when there is no danger.

I'm not watching where I'm going and run smack into what seems like a really large tree, but then I realize who it is.

"Sam?"

"We've been looking all over the place for you, Bella," Sam says as he walks with me.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"Your aunt has been worried about you since you never came home, and she got a phone call from school saying you skipped some classes. What were you doing out here in the woods?" he asks curiously.

Oh! How am I going to explain this one? Oh, just making out with a blood sucking vampire!

"Well…I…was hiking and got lost." Yeah, that explains it.

"So, you felt the need to skip school to take a walk in the woods? You know Jacob has been freaking out?"

"Oh yeah? Well let him freak just a little bit longer. He needs to stop being so overprotective of me."

"I'd better get you home before your aunt gets really worried."

I smile at him. Like I really want to go home and deal with her right now.

We finally make it to my house and Jacob runs up and scoops me into his arms.

"Where the hell were you? I was worried sick!" he yells.

"I'm fine. Can you put me down please?" I ask.

He sets me down. I looked behind him and see the glare my aunt is giving me.

"House. Now," is all she says.

I walk in and plop down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

"Explain to me why you skipped half your classes today?" she asks as she paces back and fourth.

I don't answer her. My mind is on other things.

"Bella," she says, waiting for me to answer.

"What?"

"I asked you a question!"

"Aunt Lucy, I'm tired and don't want to talk about it. Ok? I'm fine. Nothing happened to me. I just went hiking because I didn't want to deal with school. So let's just leave it at that."

"Is this about the vampire thing? Bella, what happened to your parents was tragic, but its nonsense to think vampires did it."

Is she really saying this?

"How would you know? You weren't there! You weren't in that closet! You didn't see what I saw!" Suddenly I'm having a flashback.

*Flashback*

"Please!" My mommy screamed. He grabbed her by the hair and she cried out in pain.

"I love it when humans beg," the girl with the red hair said. Her hair was so red it reminded me of fire, like her head was ablaze. Her eyes - they were pure evil. I closed my eyes hoping it was all a nightmare. I couldn't get her wicked glare out of my head.

I watched as she bit down on my daddy's neck, sucking the life out of him. She pulled away and his body fell limp to the ground. Blood dripped down her chin.

Her friend came over to her and smiled. He then leaned in and kissed the blood off her lips and licked her chin clean.

I wanted to scream but couldn't. I was afraid they would find me and hurt me too. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I curled up in the corner of the closet and closed my eyes hoping it was all a nightmare and I would wake up soon.

*Present*

"Vampires didn't kill your parents sweetheart. It was a break in that went wrong," Aunt Lucy says.

I wipe the tears from my eyes."Yeah," is all I can manage to say.

"Go upstairs," she says as she tries to hug me.

I push her away and rush upstairs, slamming the door and sliding down until I hit the floor.

I cover my eyes and cry. I'm not sure how long I'm on the floor before I have the feeling I'm not alone. I look up and am startled by the presence in my room.

"Edward?" I manage to whisper.

He comes to my side and pulls me into him, holding me close. He doesn't say anything. He just holds me.

I continue to cry on his shoulder, and it's funny, because I'm crying on the shoulder of the same kind of monster who killed my family.

Hours must have gone by. I must have fallen asleep, because I wake up and find myself in my bed. It is still dark. I try to see through the darkness, wondering if he is still with me, but he isn't.

I turn on the lamp and curl up in my blankets. Could it be possible that I have feelings for a vampire? Could it be possible he has feelings for me? Could I be in love with Edward Cullen?