Hello again! Long time no see! As I said before, I am planning to make it a multi-chaptered story. So, this is the first one.

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.

-o0…x…0o-

Chapter – 1

Her Tale

-o0…x…0o-

If something's is bound to happen, it will happen. Right time, right person, and for the best reason. – Aristotle

-o0…x…0o-

Charlie had always wondered if he had been doing a good job of raising his child. After the death of his wife when Bella was only three years old, he had been doing everything he could to take care of his daughter properly.

It wasn't easy to raise a child all by himself as he had never done things like that before. He was always busy with his work. René would take care of all the household chores and look after their precious daughter.

And when she died, it was like she had taken everything away from him. He had thought they were going to be together forever. But she had to leave him and their little princess behind. On her deathbed, she made Charlie promise, that he would give her daughter everything she needs, he would love her enough and more to fill the gap left by her mother.

To this day, he kept wondering about that promise. Had he failed, utterly and pathetically; or had he been able to fulfill even a little bit of his wife's wish.

Only time will tell.

But, his Bella turned out to be an excellent kid. He was very grateful to be able to have such a daughter. Surely, René would be proud.

Charlie knew her daughter didn't have many friends, and her social life was pretty much non-existent. To be honest, he was more relieved rather than be bothered by that. The way the kids were now-a-days, he didn't like them that much.

Well, who knew, maybe he indeed was biased, because, obviously it was his daughter. And, as long as she was happy, everything in his world was all right.

She was a high school student now, and she had yet to introduce a boy to him.

Hmm... Now, wouldn't that be hard? Not to mention... bad!

The worries of a father, huh?

-o0…x…0o-

Name – Isabella Marie Swan.

Age – 15.

Address – Forks, Washington

Blood group – O+

Occupation - Student of Forks High; and fulltime caretaker of her house.

Hobbies – Reading, listening to favorite bands.

…x…

Well, she didn't like to be called Isabella by any means. It seemed forced and very formal to be called by that name.

She was Bella, just Bella. But it was not like there were many people who called her by her full name, so she didn't have to correct each and every individual.

Uh, that was because of the obvious reason, she wasn't popular enough to be called by so many people in the first place.

But, that was good enough for her, precisely; it was for the best as she was the perfect example of a socially awkward person.

It was not like she needed a pack to play around.

She was far too busy with her novels and house chores.

Though she must admit that sounded a little pathetic for a teenage high school girl. Just a little bit pitiful.

As she lived in a small town it was only common to see the same old faces in her new school too. That very thought was enough to make her mood foul. Well, it's not like she had no one to call a friend at school. Angela would be there, and Alice too, so high school won't be a very bad experience for her, right?

Yeah, right.

Even she herself wasn't convinced.

-o0…x…0o-

The first day of school went as uneventful as it could have gone.

In the morning, after having breakfast together Charlie left for work, wishing her good luck for school.

"My little Bella is all grown up now." He said and patted her head, "I'm so proud to have you, kiddo."

His words hold the slightest bit of loneliness. Bella understood very well what her father could have been thinking.

Charlie cleared his throat, "Well, just don't forget about your old man, or he might feel lonely," and tried to make a lame joke.

Bella sighed, "Dad, what am I going to do with you? Like that could ever happen!"

She got up and hugged her father tight, he was everything to her – her mother, her father… everything. He had sacrificed so much for her already, and she would do anything to make him proud – to be a good daughter for her dad.

In response Charlie only could do was to hold his daughter tightly.

…x…

At school, together with Angela she took the schedule for the classes assigned for her. Thankfully she had three out of six classes with Angela. It would have been great to be together for all of the classes, but this was better than having none. So, she could accept that, totally.

Yes, be optimistic, Bella! And you know very well that she cannot watch over you always. You are already in high school for God's sake! Time to put on your big girl panties.

As expected, the day went uneventful, aside from hitting herself head on with the door of the locker and tripping over nothing at P.E. Well, it was nothing unusual of the sort.

So, the first day of Isabella Marie Swan at high school went pretty much uneventful.

And she sent a little prayer to the heaven; please let these three years pass smoothly.

-o0…x…0o-

It had been a month since high school had started, and it was pretty much boring according to Bella. Though she continued to face constant ridicule for her incredible clumsiness, it was normal to her. She was familiar with everybody and their behavior towards her as they had been classmates for as long as they started going to school.

Nothing much happened in this one month aside from occasional spats between the queen of the cheerleading team, Rosalie Hale and the girls who kept pursuing her boyfriend, Emmet McCarty, the star player of Forks High Soccer team.

Really, how desperate could those girls be? Let it go already! It was really annoying to watch.

But it's not like you can tell them to stop, Swan.

Yes, it was indeed true; and Bella could only watch them in spite of not wanting to.

High school, huh?

Dear God, is there anyone who can change this boring, and circular days of high school?

…x…

At the very last something had happened to Forks. Something very interesting and gossip-worthy.

A week ago a family had moved in to the gloomy town of Forks, which was undoubtedly the most entertaining thing that had ever happened to this town.

All of a sudden there was chattering and whispering about the new arrivals in the neighborhood. The Cullens.

Even Bella, who could be labeled as a nearly shut-in girl, had caught the breeze of the gossip around the town.

Dr. Cullen turned out to be an eminent surgeon and his wife was also a well known interior designer, and they had a teenage son. There was also the fact that both Dr. and Mrs. Cullen were strikingly good looking, so naturally it all was up to the town peoples' imagination what 'the son' looked like.

And without any doubt, the question was thrown across back and forth—why would a family like that move into this no good town from Seattle?

The big house that had been practically hidden all this time behind the huge canopy of evergreens seemed to be waiting for their arrival. For whom else would a house as majestic as that suit?

Both Dr. and Mrs. Cullen had blended with their neighbors as well as the other residents of the town so easily in this short time, that it was hard to tell that they were newcomers.

The good doctor had taken a job in the local hospital, where someone like him was needed—desperately. And all those who had the chance of meeting Mrs. Cullen were blown away by the woman's warm and friendly nature.

As is bound to happen everywhere, some people—specifically two horridly envious women, the ever popular Mrs. Stanley and Mrs. Mallory—could not stand the happy family. To this day they still sneer and every opportunity they get, they do their best to flirt with Dr. Cullen and make bitch faces behind Mrs. Cullen's back. But those poor, poor unrelenting women still have not understood that Dr. Cullen is devoted to the love of his life, his wife.

But aside from all this, it could have been seen as bright as the day that Forks High had gone insane; from sophomore to senior, there was no girl in school who did not go through a makeover. Well, perhaps that was not entirely true, for girls like Bella Swan and Angela Webber and a few others couldn't care less. Their number was countable with the digits of one hand, and they all had their own reasons.

Rosalie Hale finally got to spend every moment at school with Emmett McCarty, instead of chasing away and glaring at the hoard of drooling bitches off her boyfriend's back and well, for that matter… front too.

She could not have been more thankful.

Alice Brandon had finally let out a relieved sigh when the girls all got distracted and averted their (nasty) gazes and proposals and countless 'love notes' from Jasper Whitlock, whom she is certain of marrying someday.

Also, she could not wait to befriend her savior.

Then there was Angela Webber, with her polite smile and big nerdy glasses; who was totally in love with the closet nerd Ben Cheney, who in spite of being a couple of inches shorter than her, had totally bewitched her. At present, they are happily dating.

So, that girl too did not care.

Lastly, the infamous Bella Swan—the epitome of clumsiness and shyness. Nobody had ever tried to look under those dark brown bangs, into her soulful brown eyes. She had always been rejected by the popular kids at the very first glance. And when the majority of kids treat themselves as popular, there is no way anybody is going to notice a person they labeled as 'not their type'. But it did not matter then, just like it does not matter now. As she was content with her life, with Angela as her only friend and Alice occasionally dropping by.

Nothing had changed since she started high school.

As naive was Bella Swan, she never even thought about her awkward life to get better. Because it simply did not matter to her. Why should she busy herself with something as insignificant as that?

So, she too remained as she always had been, wearing the same old comfortable clothes, which to others seemed baggy and outdated.

Well, that suited her just fine. She had no one to look good for.

The rumors about the new student may have had the whole of Forks High in frenzy, but she did not feel even an ounce of excitement about him, 'the latest addition'.

And today was the supposed 'Big Day'.

Even though she had nothing to worry about, before locking the front door of her house, a sudden chill ran down her spine. It almost felt like someone was mocking her behind her back.

Bella shook her head and headed to school. It's all inside her head. She was thinking too much.

After all, rumors were rumors, right?

But boy was she wrong, the moment he first set his foot on the school premises and everyone saw with their own eyes that the rumors were indeed very true.

Throughout the whole morning she heard hushed and not-so-hushed whispers about his dashing entry. Those who could not witness the historical event were heartbroken and grieving for their lost opportunity.

And there she was, getting fed up with all the talking. How could they not get tired of constant gossiping over just one subject? She wondered how he was dealing with all this. Maybe he was enjoying all the attention.

But Bella Swan did not know what was going to hit her. She did not know that the little world she had created around herself would just explode, and only little fragments of it would be left behind.

That same day at lunch, she chanced a look across the cafeteria, and lost everything she most valued.

Who knew a fifteen year old girl like her, who hesitated to show even a small flicker of emotion would feel her blood-pumping organ beating against her ribcage that crazily?

Who knew she would flush a deep red and hide her face deeper than ever under her curls?

Who knew she would find it hard, very hard to breath and would choke on her bite of sandwich, thus coughing and gasping for air nearly to her death?

And who in this whole universe knew at that moment he would look at her way, only to see her as a snotty, coughing mess?

If someone had warned her, she might not have shown up at school that day. But of course no one could have predicted what happened.

For her, meeting him was more than a life altering incident.

With his furrowed brows and somewhat concerned expression, she noticed that he never laughed at her like the others.

No, she would not change a single thing.

-o0…x…0o-

After calming down somewhat, she fled from the cafeteria too embarrassed to answer Angela's concerned questions.

The cold weather outside did very little to decrease the blood flow in her cheeks as she continued down the path towards the woods behind the school. Nobody usually took this route. Why would someone go wandering in the woods in this weather, leaving behind the warmth of the building, their friends and all the gossip? No one but her had any reason to flee that purgatory in search for some desperately needed relief.

And no way in hell was she going back in there anytime soon. The rest of the classes could carry on without her.

In those three or four terrible minutes, she had humiliated herself enough for a lifetime and more. Why did it have to happen to her right at that moment; and not to mention it happened in front of him!

With that thought, she stopped short, the heels of her sneakers digging in the dirty moist leaves covering the trail she was walking through mindlessly.

What?

What on earth she was thinking? Incidents like almost choking to death back in the cafeteria or any other similarly embarrassing occurrences had never bothered her much before.

Not when she tripped and kissed the ground—well it was a puddle of mud to be exact—the other day. It had entertained almost everyone around her so much that when she made herself presentable after a mad dash towards the restroom, all she got were a few pitiful stares for her gracelessness and not-so-few questions regarding the taste of mud, amid snickers and giggles.

On top of that Angela had chosen that of all days to get sick and skip classes, so she was practically alone. When Alice showed up, it was too late for consolation and bitching about everyone.

It didn't bother her that much back then.

She clenched her fists even more, her blunt nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms. Why was this happening to her? She had always lived an isolated life at school. She had never been good with crowds—always the awkward, clumsy girl.

She had always been different from the others and she liked it that way. She always felt that it was good to be alone with fewer things to burden your mind. But maybe she thought that because she never had a bunch of buddies to connect with, to talk and listen about anything and everything.

Why was she questioning herself so much? Why wonder about something like this?

Was it because of what happened back there in the cafeteria? Was it because of him?

Suddenly she became aware of her surroundings; she had been standing in the middle of the forest, for God alone knew how long. The pain in her hands made her unclench the fists, and she saw the dark imprint of her nails on both of her palms. Hissing at her carelessness she rubbed her sore palms together. What was happening?

She had completely lost track of time and had wandered deep into the forest, so she decided it would be wise to go back to school. Slowly, she started back along the path she had come from.

She was relieved that no one saw her coming here all alone—not that anyone would care. Not that she expected someone to follow her when she wanted nothing to do with anybody.

But when she neared the edge of the forest, she saw a lean form casually leaning against a tree with both of his hands in his pockets, his head tilted upward with eyes closed—looking like he owned this universe.

She was startled to see that particular person of all people, standing there. And then it began again—the ridiculous beating of her heart, the color rising in her cheeks, the mind numbing hum of electricity.

What on this earth was he doing here? She wanted to ask. But she couldn't move even one inch. She had no control over her body.

"So, you are done wandering alone in the woods?" he asked in a musical voice.

She stared wide eyed, her breath coming out of her trembling lips in a gasp. His voice sent shivers down her spine.

Danger!

He pushed himself away from the tree; hands still buried in his pockets, and faced her—looking directly into her eyes.

NO, don't come closer for God's sake!

"What? Aren't you going to answer my question?"

Holy crap! Green. All she could see was live, sparkling green. Her knees wobbled. Her ears were ringing. Bella was certain that she was going to fall and embarrass herself once again in front of this creature.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" The owner of the concerned voice came forward and put his hands on both of her shoulders. And that did it.

She fainted.

-o0…x…0o-

When she regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was two mesmerizing green eyes staring back at her. Bella blinked once, twice; then with a startled gasp she realized where and in what condition she was in. Her face burned red in utter embarrassment as she closed her eyes tightly, hoping to become unconscious once again—maybe then he would leave her be.

A musical chuckle had her peeking through one eye.

"You sure are strange. But a lot more interesting too," he mused.

She snapped her eye shut once again. Oh God, did that boy not understand how badly his voice and presence was affecting her? Either way, she was sure that was to be the last day of her life.

"Oh, by the way, it is getting late. Shouldn't you be on your way back home?" she heard him asking and blinked open her eyes.

Huh? What was he talking about?

"Home? Your home?" He lifted an eyebrow when he got no answer. "Maybe she has gone into shock," she heard him mumbling. He was getting more and more concerned about this girl with every passing moment.

He had every intention of shaking the girl out of her stupor, but before his hand could touch her the girl suddenly stood up, startling even him. He also stood up with his hands held out as though to say, okay.

Before he could even say a word, though, she was gone from in front of him in a flash.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

That girl! She did not answer even one of his questions! But damn it, she was acting as if he was some kind of lunatic! And he was not going to tolerate it a moment longer.

If that girl thought she could escape him that easily, she was very, very mistaken.

He followed her to the school parking lot. Everybody else had gone home and only two cars were still parked there.

Bella could feel him following her. Her heart stuttered. Her face was still bright red and head all fuzzy. "Damn stalker," she mumbled under her breath as she continued to walk carefully to her truck. It would be just her luck to trip right in front of him now. It was bad enough that she had fainted on him and not said a word to him even when she had the chance.

-o0…x…0o-

Edward wanted to know her name. That girl was the total opposite of the kind he was used to. He really, really wanted to know her. If he could not talk to her now, he would definitely corner her later. Hmm. Maybe that would be the best thing to do, because he did not want her to freak out again or even worse, faint on him again.

He stopped and stared at the girl, picking her way carefully along the pavement. How long had he been keeping an eye on that girl? Yeah, since the cafeteria incident at lunch break. He saw how she had nearly died of suffocation. God, the girl couldn't even eat lunch without nearly killing herself.

He had followed after her, making up some lame excuse to his new bunch of friends. He watched her entering the woods. He thought it would not be very wise to follow her all the way in, even though he was concerned. Truly, that girl seemed to have no sense when it came to self preservation. Who willingly would go inside those woods alone when no one was watching?

So he figured it would be best to wait for her to come out. Damn, it was just his first day of school, and he had gone through terribly boring classes the whole morning. It was time for biology class and he was not ready to sit beside some overfriendly girl or boy again. Yes, it would be better to spend the remaining time there. It was so peaceful here, no more chattering students and shrieking girls. No wonder she had gone there.

He wondered if that made him a stalker. Even if it did, damn it, he was not going to leave her alone. She seemed so fragile; when she had fainted, he had been terrified. She was so small. He knew he was tall and well built, but she was small even compared to others. He felt the insane urge to protect her from everything.

And all of a sudden his eyes widened in alarm, as he saw her tripping and rushed towards her—and at the very last moment managed to catch her by the waist. His heart thundered against his ribcage. This girl was impossible!

…x…

Oh God! What had just happened? She was trying to be so careful not to fall and hit the ground again. But she still managed to trip because her wobbly legs wouldn't cooperate! She was sure the impact was going to hurt—more than physically, she was sure to bruise her dignity, well, what was left of it after all these embarrassing events. But, when she was dangerously close to face-planting, two strong arms wrapped around her mid-section and held her steady.

"S-sorry!" she blurted out. "I am so sorry. Forgive me, please!" Bella clutched at her bag strap tightly. Her already red face became even redder if possible and she could hear her heart beating frantically.

He released her and took a step back. He had never thought the first words he would hear from her would be an apology.

"It's okay. It would not happen if you would talk to me like a normal person and not run away like I was out to kidnap you," he chuckled, bewildered.

"Sorry, I did not get the chance to introduce myself back there. I'm Edward Cullen and you are…?" He held out his hand towards her for a handshake.

"Bella Swan," she replied. "And sorry f-for bothering you." She took his hand hesitantly, her body immediately breaking out in goose-bumps.

"Now, that's better—much, much better." He smiled at her and she felt herself smiling in return. "So, friends?" Bella nodded her head. He was the first person to behave so differently towards her and she wanted to know him better. Even it meant that she would only ever get to be his friend.

"Best friends," she replied.

Edward Cullen, with his glorious appearance and bright smile, and timid Bella Swan with her blushing face, warm heart and a sweet smile on her lips started a new chapter of their lives that day.

Yes, everything was changing.

-o0…x…0o-

When she came back home from school, she was surprisingly in a good mood. And the reason behind the improvement of her mood was obviously that person. He was somewhat annoying, but on the other hand too good to be real.

Hmm, maybe she was hallucinating after all.

But that cannot be true, right? She could still feel the lingering affect of his touch.

Bella blushed bright red and covered her face with both hands. Her heart started beating faster. Calm down, calm down, and CALM DOWN!

Whatever, she unlocked the front door of her house with shaky hands. Her dad would be home soon so she better start preparing for the dinner.

And most of all, some passerby might call the police if they saw a strange girl standing in front of a house, face palming for so long.

If he continued to do what he did today, that Edward Cullen was going to be the death of her one of these days. She was sure of it.

-o0…x…0o-

A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed. See you in the next update!