Stephenie Meyer owns all the rights.

"I told him you were planning to corrupt my youthful innocence."

New Moon

The next day, I walked to school rather slowly. It was a little slower than normal human speed. Once I had become a vampire, I saw what they meant. You just moved faster. It wasn't just because you could, it was just more natural. Suddenly, as a vampire, you could move quickly and not be clumsy about it. Why would you want to move snail's speed like a human? I didn't comprehend that.

But today, I wanted more than anything to be human.

It wasn't raining yet, though the over cast clouds did look rather promising for a big thunder storm. I idly wondered if that meant that the Cullen family was going to go and play another game of baseball. Ever since I had seen that one game so many years ago, I found it fascinating. I had never had enough vampires to get together with and play with, though. I guess that, in the long run, it was better to have a big family than to be by yourself.

"It's beautiful, really," I mused out loud as I stared up at the sky and kept walking. I pushed some of my brown hair out of my eyes before focusing them back on the sidewalk in front of me. Just because I was more graceful as a vampire didn't mean I wanted to chance tripping and falling. Even for being rather graceful, I still had moments where I couldn't help myself.

"That it is," said a chilling, deep voice from behind me.

I spun around quickly – that voice sounded a little too familiar. My golden eyes went wide with shock, but I quickly screwed up my face again as if I had no emotion to it at all. "Um, hello," I said shyly, as if I didn't know who I was talking to.

The young man glared at me. He knew that I knew very well who he was. He wanted me to acknowledge that fact, too. But, honestly... after so many years, was it really worth it? I didn't think so. Why should I cause myself any more pain and misery? Hadn't I suffered enough.

"Hello," he said curtly. "So, you're new to town."

I nodded my head to let him know that he was correct. "Yeah, I am..."

"What's your name?" The man asked me gently. I could tell that he wanted me to feel comfortable about this. He wanted me to open up to him and trust him and just start blabbering on about how I knew him all those years ago. But, honestly, I couldn't. And, honestly, I really, really wanted to. Perhaps if I did that then...

No, I mustn't think like that. I don't want to cause my heart any more pain. How many times can you stab a heart – beating or not – and expect the person who owns it to live? I thought that my heart had been stabbed too many times already; regardless of what had happened to Edward and I, and the rest of the Cullen Family, I had also had my own family ripped away from me. Victoria attacked me when I was least expecting it. It killed me to know the pain that Charlie and Renee went through due to her selfish attack. Sure, it would have happened eventually (or so I thought) had Edward stayed with me, but I would have been able to lie – say I was going to college or some other genius lie that Edward could have helped me come up with. Victoria, on the other hand, ruthlessly stole my human life from me.

It was Jacob who had to deliver the news to Charlie, in a sense.

"Charlie," Jacob's voice echoed in my memory. I had been hiding just out of Charlie's sight, but close enough that I could still hear what he was saying to my worried father. "We've searched everywhere for Bella – we're not giving up, but we've searched the whole Reservation and these surrounding woods. I don't know where she is... it's as if she just vanished..."

"No, I won't give up hope on her, Jacob! That boy..., you know, this all comes back to Cullen. It has to, Jacob. She was never one to get lost in the woods – this is the second time since he left!"

"I know, Charlie. We're trying our hardest... I promise you that I won't rest until she's found."

And Jacob never did really rest. He couldn't be around me for obvious reasons, but I knew that he was deeply hurt over my attack. Charlie, too. I had never seen my father look so broken. Not even on that fateful night when I hurled those angry words at him – claiming that I hated Forks and that I was going home to Phoenix... where I was attacked by James. Not even then did Charlie hold that defeated look in his body.

It took them forever to give up looking for me. The case, technically, is still open. There was never any body found, of course. There was a rather large reward offered for whomever could produce details, but no one ever came forward. It was as if I just vanished.

I opened my mouth to reply to the man when another young man came running up behind him. He gave him a pretty good whack on the back of the head before exclaiming, "Emmett! I told you to leave her alone - she's new. She doesn't need you of all people bothering her!"

Oh, Jasper. How I had missed him. Just because he took a chomp at me that one time... that didn't mean anything. I could never, ever forget how he treated me in Phoenix. I knew that just because he had trouble controlling his... vampire tendencies, he still cared about me. He just wasn't always able to show it out of fear that he could hurt me.

"I'm sorry about my brother, ma'am," Jasper apologized to me. He finally made eye contact with me, looking deep into my golden orbs. If I had the ability to blush, I would have. His eyes seemed to flash with recognition – perhaps he was thinking that his crazy brother was right about who I was.

"It's okay," I replied softly. Before I could resume walking towards the school, a pixie like girl came running up to Jasper and Emmett. I knew that it was Alice at once. She looked the same, not surprisingly. She was as beautiful and pixie like as ever. I fought rather hard to not reach out and touch her – I wanted so badly to embrace in one of those rib breaking hugs that she used to treat me to when I saw her. Had it really been 50 years since she had walked out of my life? Oh, how time flies when you're immortal.

"Jazz, Emmett, what are you do–" Alice caught a glimpse of me and gasped. Her mouth hung open for a second before she closed it promptly. Her tawny-gold eyes took the sight of me in. I wondered what she was thinking, but I didn't have to wait long to find out. It was never in Alice's character to beat around the bush – she had always been one of the frank ones (without being too rude. Rose came off as rude, Alice came off as curious.).

"No," she murmured to herself, "That vision couldn't have been right..."

"You and Emmett are both deranged," Jasper muttered, though I could hear the betrayal in his voice. He didn't truly believe that. All three of them had come to the conclusion that I was, in fact, Bella Swan. Yet, here I stood; I hadn't confirmed their unasked question yet, and I was unsure of how I could.

"Bella?" Alice's voice was full of mirth and wonder. I could see her eyes twinkling with happiness. It was as if she found her long lost best friend or something. Not to discredit what Alice and I had 50 years prior to this date, but she couldn't possibly still feel that way about me, could she?

Unsure of if my voice would work, I nodded my head slowly.

"Bella Swan?" It was Jasper's turn to be mirthful.

"Yes," I murmured, my eyes downcast. I held my hands in front of me, playing with them ever so slightly. It was a nervous habit from my human life that I had carried into this existence. Without warning, I felt a force slam against me. Reaching up to catch it, I realized that it was Alice's small body.

"Oh, Bella," she cried as she hugged me close. "It's been so long... yet you're the same. You're one of us!"

"Yes," I agreed. I wasn't sure what else I could say.

"Oh, wait until Edward sees you! He'll simply die!" Alice exclaimed, holding me out from her so that she could get a good look at me. I felt her finger trace down my cheek happily. When she mentioned Edward's name, though, panic built in my body. I couldn't handle Edward. Not now, not ever. It wasn't possible that he cared about me anymore. I knew that. I don't know why Alice didn't comprehend that completely. It was very important to me that she comprehended that because it was very important that she knew that Edward didn't care about me at all. Along with the mounting panic came mounting anxiety and a wave of mild depression. I could be one moody vampire, I'll have you know!

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Jasper said and I felt waves of calm spread over me. I sighed in relief. Finally, someone who understood my feelings on the matter!

"What?!" Emmett snapped at his brother. "You know Edward would simply be thrilled to know that we don't drag his sorry ass around with us because she's dead – Edward would love to know that Bella is alive... and changed! Just think, Jazz! We could make him happy again. It's been far too long."

I wasn't completely following the conversation. If I was following it correctly, Emmett was saying that Edward wasn't happy. I didn't understand what I, simple Bella, had to do with Edward's happiness, but Emmett seemed to think I had something to do with it. I needed to set him straight, because obviously Edward never told them the extent of what he said to me. Someone needed to let him know... once I found my voice, that was.

"I don't think telling Edward would be the wisest idea. We'd have to tell him gently. And, I'm not quite sure the easiest way to tell him," Jasper said. He was taking into account all of Edwards feelings, I supposed. And that was quite natural for Jasper. He really was the most empathetic person that I ever knew. Well, most empathetic vampire I ever knew.

"I need to get to school," I mumbled softly, trying to yank myself from Alice's iron grip. She was still staring at Jasper like he had said something horrible when he mentioned that he didn't think that they should tell Edward that I was around. However, at my words, her attention snapped back to me.

"Oh, no. We've lost you once, Bella... we're not going to lose you again. Where do you live? Are you staying with any other vampires?"

"No...," I said softly before giving her the name of the half-way house I was staying at.

"What!?" Emmett asked, getting a little too excited in my opinion. He was always so passionate about things.

"Well, I'm not old enough, really, to buy my own place. And I'm not as good as forging passports and birth certificates and drives licences as you are. I have to pose as I can. Right now, that's a run away teen, okay? I'm doing the best I can," I said defensively. I didn't need Emmett's help. I didn't want his help. I didn't need anyone's help.

I had done this on my own for 50 years. I could continue to do it on my own for as long as I needed to. For as long as it took me to find a mate... or someone who cared about me. I knew that it wouldn't be Edward for obvious reasons. But I had never really put my time or effort into finding one, either. It would come in time, I supposed.

"What do you say about ditching school today, Bella?" Alice asked me in a soothing tone. "We have a lot of catching up to do!"

And with that, she grabbed my hand and Jasper's hand and headed back in the direction that they had come from.