Note:
I need at least ten reviews before I make a third chapter, OK? Is that reasonable enough? Also, listen to this: I have changed Edward's and Jen's ages for reasons that you don't need to know…yet. He is sixteen and Jen is fifteen. Bella's age is not yet revealed. I'm going to go back in the first chapter and fix that. PLEASE tell your FanFic friends about this story! I am going to finish this one and possible re-write There Are Some Things You Can Never Forget chapter by chapter, so stay tuned! The writing quality is not good enough to suit me, so I MIGHT rewrite it bit by bit (or alter it - there's a difference).
I am planning on making this a four-FanFic series…maybe. The first three will be similar to the original…plot-line wise. However, if I get to a fourth story, it will obviously be completely different. I like originality. If you don't, then don't read this story. This series will have a big twist, and I'll give you a hint…Edward and Bella DO end up having biological kids, but Bella doesn't become a pregnant vampire - that would make no sense. Don't worry, you'll find out in the long run if need be!
I WILL NOT UPDATE UNLESS I GET AT LEAST TWELVE REVIEWS! THAT IS COMPLETELY FAIR CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT I HAVE HAD A TOTAL OF 659 HITS (INCLUDING MEMBERS AND VISITORS), BUT HAVE ONLY RECEIVED 17 REVIEWS! THAT'S SAD! IT TAKES ABOUT TEN SECONDS OF YOUR TIME. SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE.
Oh well - I guess I'll never be as popular as, say, Jayeliwood or an author like that. I'll survive. Any tips on becoming more popular? Let me know - I could use them! ;-)
Bella sighed. Another day of high school. Another day of purgatory, and another day of being alone.
OK…maybe she was being a little bit melodramatic. But when you can live forever, you need something to live for. Deep down, Bella knew that if it weren't for her family, she would've gone to Italy long ago. She did have a reason to live for many years ago, but it was gone. Life had become a dull monotony - if you could even call it that.
"It's time to leave, Bella," Esme called unnecessarily, her voice echoing around the house from downstairs. She could've whispered and the whole house would have heard her voice. "You only have two minutes to get to school."
Ah, Esme. She and Bella had formed a special bond ever since Bella's tragic transformation. Esme knew what it was like to lose a child, as her own son had died right after he was born. However, she was with the one that she loved - Carlisle. Bella was separated from her loved one for eternity.
She felt a small venomous tear slide down her cheek as she reminisced over the life that she'd once had. It was cruel fate that Bella had lost her whole family. Then again, life wasn't fair. Her entire existence was proof of that…the fact that they died but she was among the living dead.
Bella was quite thankful that Carlisle didn't have the power to read her mind. He loved her like his own daughter, and she did not want to cause him disappointment. No, Bella tried to keep her broken heart to herself. And she usually managed to hide it…barely. Even after sixteen long years, the pain of losing them was still an open wound that could not be healed.
Everyone, even Rosalie, understood Bella's distance and made no comment about it. How do you overcome such a tragedy? No one, including Carlisle, knew the answer. He said that it would take time. Sixteen years, and the pain still felt fresh and as if it had been caused only yesterday.
If only Bella could forget…but, then again, she didn't want to release all of those memories precious as gold…she was used to indecision. Sadly, this was the bitter truth of her life, and there was nothing she could do about it.
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Driving my new Volvo felt like second nature - it was as if I'd owned the car for years. The faster I drove, the calmer I felt until the peace I longed to have overcame me, and I couldn't resist a small smile.
Soon, the almost unnoticeable sign that read Forks High came up on my left, and I turned. Slightly more slower than my usual speed, I found a parking space and pulled in. My car stood out amid a variety of '90's and early 2000's vehicles such as Fords, Hondas, and Toyotas. There were only two other cars that shone brightly among the drab colors: a bright red convertible and a sleek light-blue Audi. While walking inside, I vaguely wondered who owned them.
I stepped inside the building and took a look around. The interior resembled the outside environment, the color scenario blending in with the overcast sky.
I was interrupted from my reverie by a voice, growing louder and louder as it came closer. Almost immediately, a figure popped out of the hallway forking off of the main one. A boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and an over-eager face came to greet me.
"You must be Edward Masen," he said, sending a friendly smile my way. I found it not weird at all that I'd never seen the guy in my life, but he already knew my name.
"Hi," I replied weakly.
"Follow me - I'll show you around," he offered, stepping forward. I silently obeyed, inwardly groaning on the inside. Just my luck to accidentally arrive early today.
For ten long minutes, Mike Newton (he was so kind to introduce himself to me) pointed out every little crack in Forks High's walls. Well, not really - it just felt that way. I droned his chatter out and studied his expression, letting my imagination run wild. Mike could easily pass off as a boy-band fan…or a golden retriever - take your pick.
"Are you listening, Ed?"
"What?" Wait, what did he just call me? "Um, it's Edward. Yeah, I'll see you at lunch. Bye." I didn't want to be rude to the poor guy - he couldn't help it that I didn't feel like being social, so, discreetly as possible, I walked away, planning to keep my promise to make it up to him.
After taking a quick glance at the map Mrs. Cope from the office gave me, I headed off to my first class: literature. Most of the seats were already taken, so I sat in the back beside a short girl with wildly-curly, dark brown hair.
She turned towards me, a smile on her face that greatly resembled Mike's. "Hi - I'm Jessica. And you are…?"
"Edward. Edward Masen," I replied.
"I haven't seen you around before. Did you transfer schools or something?" Why did that first sentence sound so much like a badly-used pick up line? I thought guys were the ones who said that.
"No, I just moved here from Chicago."
She unconsciously moved forward an inch or two, and I began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Not to sound rude or anything, but I had a pretty good idea of what was going on in Jessica's head, and it wasn't pretty. I could practically hear the cogs whirring. "Chicago?! How interesting! Wow - you're a long way from home."
You think I didn't know that already? Talk about stating the obvious. "Yeah, I am. But I'll get used to it eventually." The teacher, Mr. Raleigh, began to talk, and Jessica turned to face the front. Therefore, she didn't hear me mutter 'I hope' under my breath.
First period was…interesting to put it lightly. In the middle of one of Mr. Raleigh's lectures, Jessica passed me a note reading Want to go out Friday night?
I inward groaned for what felt like the billionth time this week. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but I didn't exactly want to date Jessica, either. Trying to let her down gently, I wrote back: Sorry, but I'm busy this weekend.
Obviously embarrassed, Jessica ignored me for the rest of literature, trying to hide her mortification. So much for having a good first impression.
Trigonometry, history, and music appreciation (my personal favorite) surprisingly passed by in a blur. I met new people including a guy named Eric (not what I was used to, but pretty nice in general) and a girl named Angela (sweet and quiet).
The bell rang, and students stampeded to the cafeteria, eager to socialize and gossip. I didn't bother going through the lunch line, considering the fact that I hardly ever eat lunch at school anyway. (Strange, I know, but that's just me.) Mike waved to me from a table, beckoning me to join him and his ring of friends.
The table Mike sat at was crowded. I recognized Jessica, Eric, and Angela from the group of faces. Jessica kept her head down, probably still mad at me from this morning.
"Hey, Ed," Mike greeted me as I sat down. "Aren't you hungry?"
"It's Edward," I corrected him for the second time. "And no, not really. I don't eat lunch at school."
"Ha, don't blame you - not with this stuff." He gestured towards the food on his tray. "So, how do you like Forks?"
"So far, it's been…different," I answered truthfully. Honestly, I didn't really know what to think of good ole Forks. "It's certainly no Chicago."
"True. It must be tough to move such a long way," Mike said sympathetically.
"Yup." I didn't really want his pity, so I hurriedly tried to change the subject. I scanned the cafeteria with my eyes, searching for something to comment on, when I saw them. Five people were sitting in the back corner of the room, isolated from all of the other students. I studied their faces. Surely it was by choice - people that beautiful (there's no other word to describe these high-schoolers) certainly would not be shunned by others.
"Ah, I see you've already seen the Cullens," said Eric, following my gaze.
"Who are they?" I asked, sincerely curious. Although they each had a tray of food, all five picked at it, none of them eating anything.
"Dr. Carlisle Cullen's kids. He adopted all of them some years back at separate times, of course. As you can tell, they're all extremely good looking, but don't get your hopes up," Mike added secretively.
"What do you mean?"
"They're together. You know - dating," Erik cut in, his voice disgusted at the 'scandalous' story.
"What are their names?" Normally, I would find it weird that I'd be so inquisitive about a family that I'd never met before, but the Cullens…somehow, I had a feeling that they were far from normal.
"The big one is Emmett. He's dating the blond girl, Rosalie. Then there's her twin, Jasper, the other blond one. He's with Alice, the tiny girl with the dark hair. And then there is Bella, the only single one among them. Apparently, none of the guys around here are good enough for her." Jealousy penetrated Mike's words. Someone had obviously been turned down and hadn't taken it too well.
No guesses why. Bella Cullen was, in my opinion, the most gorgeous out of the bunch. Long mahogany hair cascaded down her back like a chocolate waterfall. Her skin was pale as moonlight and her features were flawless. It was hard to imagine that any human could be so perfect. And her eyes - they stood out against her almost stark-white complexion - mysterious, sparkling, and as black as onyx.
She had been staring at her uneaten food when, all of sudden, she looked up, and our eyes met. Unable to break away from her gaze, I watched Bella's eyes, if possible, darken even further. Something changed in her expression: pain, anger, and some other fiery emotion entered her eyes, and she looked away.
Hurt, I did the same. What could I have done to make her react that way? Surely it was not because of something I'd done or said. I hadn't even met Bella - she didn't know me at all.
Something was different about her. And, as cheesy as this may sound, it's true: Bella was unlike any other girl I'd ever seen. I didn't know how or why, but I had a feeling that there was more to her than meets the eye.
If only I knew how much more there was.
Note: OK. I lied, once again. I may give sneak peeks IF I feel like it. Sorry to be that way, but sometimes I just can't come up with anything while, on the other hand, sometimes I have a great idea. Now, don't be disappointed if you don't see these exact words in the next chapter. These are just glimpses, not quotes. The future is not set in stone. If you don't believe me, believe Alice, the vampire who it would be unwise to bet against. P.S. I have decided this, however: Edward will be first person POV while Bella will be third person POV.
In case I haven't mentioned it, you may find Edward a bit more sarcastic than the original. Remember, he is a teenager growing up in the 21st century. He will be different. Bella may seem kind of pessimistic. Why? If you haven't already figured it out, you will as the story progresses. Never skip my author notes - they are never insignificant. I wouldn't waste your time.
Sneak Peek: Her day had been like any other day: repetitive with an uncanny resemblance to purgatory…until she saw him. Bella had never seen such a beautiful human or, to put it simply, a human that so resembled a vampire. The boy had perfectly-mussed brown hair, tinted with red. His skin was smooth, flawless, and almost as pale as her own. His features were slim and angular, but with just the right amount of lean, strong muscle lurking underneath. Despite the boy's unique hair color, his deep emerald-green eyes, framed by long black eyelashes and sparkling brightly, stood out the most. She watched him, frozen. The boy looked so much like…no. Bella closed her own eyes for a moment, attempting to stop the flow of memories in her mind. She couldn't say his name even in her thoughts. Although it had been sixteen long years since Bella had seen his face - and, more specifically, since he had been alive and she had been human - it still hurt whenever she thought about her fallen angel and the life that they almost had together.
Bella stood there, staring without seeing, completely lost in her reminiscences…until the breathtaking boy walked past her still figure. The wind blowing in gently from the open door caressed a strand of his bronze hair. Bella's eyes immediately darkened, turning from gold to black (once again) in a single second. Her dry veins and scorching throat burned mercilessly. It was as if a wildfire had erupted in Bella's body. She thirsted for the sweet flow of his warm blood against her teeth. No, she hungered for this stranger's blood, and she wanted it. Now.