(A/N): I don't think this chapter is the best particularly because I was debating with myself what kind of point-of-view I should do it in. After arguing with myself and my teddy bears for nearly 2-and-a-half days, I decided to stick to the prologue and do a third-person omniscient. I'm still trying to settle into the new pov, so most likely the first 2 or 3 chapters aren't going to be exceedingly good.
Chapter 1 – That Fateful Day
Even in a town as large as Forks, Washington, home of well over a thousand people, where ladies and lads lived a-plenty, the daughter of the sheriff was still the most sought-after girl in the entire settlement. Biggest town north of the Traveler's Road, surrounded by forests all around, the place was considered a Traveler's haven and Quest-taker's 'mandatory stop'. Gossip and stories were shared in all of the town's ten taverns; old little wise men roamed the streets telling fortunes and ancient tales; journeymen shopping around for supplies and rare tricks. But no matter how many ladies the men saw, catching one look of the sheriff's 'untouchable' daughter always sent their hearts a-beating and their mouths a-drooling.
She was not very pretty, at least when she judged herself. But by the eyes of others, she was the perfect woman. Her hair shined golden brown whenever the sun does shine; her large doe-like eyes sparkled with life and spoke volumes of her gentile upbringing; and her cheerful personality and sharp intellect made her well-respected and…sought-after. Well-raised and well-taught, the young girl could cook meals fit for a king, play beautiful songs on the piano, sing, and sew priceless tapestries. Add that to a well-developed body with well-defined curves, and you'd have the sheriff's daughter: Miss Isabella Swan, or Bella for short.
She, however, never really took a look at the love-sick men always staring hungrily at her. She hated the way they looked at her – as if she was a juicy piece of meat just waiting to be eaten. Their mindless matter and shallow personalities disgusted her more than stinky garbage. To escape them, she discovered the place where every one of them despised: the library. However, to the sheriff's daughter, it was one of the most wondrous places ever. There were thousands of ports available to teleport her into a whole different world.
But, on the way to and from her favorite haven, she had to suffer the hated company of these men. For example, Mister Jacob Black and Mister Mike. They thought themselves so smart and cute, but they were the most conceited, arrogant, and selfish fools she had ever met, and that was actually saying something. They followed her like dogs with their owners, praying that one day she could actually notice how wonderful they were, and agree to take one of their hand in marriage.
Thus, they followed her all the way to her home, often having to jog to keep up with her quick strides. Once she set foot on the sheriff's small estate, however, all of her followers scampered off. No one liked to get on the nerve of his daughter in his presence, for the last one did not fare so well, though it was rumored that the sheriff sent men after him all the way to Timbuktu.
However, that fateful day, the sheriff did not return from work at night. In hopes of waiting for her father, she read in the rocking chair by the fireplace, and fell asleep there. Unfortunately, even in the wee hours of the morning, Sheriff Charlie Swan of Forks did not return. Instead, the Sheriff's dog, Butter, was leaping frantically around the house.
"Butter! Where's Daddy?" Bella asked the insane-looking dog, who barked in return. "Why are you here? Is something wrong with Daddy?" The dog just panted loudly while wagging its tail, as if nodding yes. "Oh goodness! You're all muddy! Let me grab a cloak. Can you take me to Daddy?" The dog barked excitedly in return. Together, they left the house, searching for the lost sheriff.
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A few hours later, Edward's head suddenly snapped up as the minds of four grown men with disgusting thoughts came within range. Just the last night, he had his first full meal in what seemed like ages – a young male had stumbled onto Kimberley. Unlike most of his kind, this particular person had rich blood. So rich, in fact, that Edward felt very full after just that one person. A few minutes after he had finished his meal, another man had stumbled onto Kimberley. Deciding to keep him for a little while, he locked the newcomer into a room.
Now, almost a day later, there were four grown men coming to his territory. Their thoughts, however, were only focused on two things: following a young woman trekking through the forest on her own and how to get her without her dog knowing. Edward's lips curled down in a frown. The men's thoughts presented him with the fact that there should be five new minds he could hear, but there was not even the faintest murmur of the woman's mind.
Nevermind, he thought. His stomach hummed softly. His last meal had long gone. What a coincidence for more food!
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Butter was going faster and faster now that the forest path had widened. The trees all around were getting more ancient. Some seemed well over four hundred years old. Very few younglings had a chance competing against the vast root systems of the ancients. As she hacked through the forest, always alert, she developed a distinct feeling, as if she was being followed. Twice, she paused, trying to hear footsteps, but she could hear nothing except the lively calls of the birds and the rustling of leaves in the faint breeze.
Not long later, the trees thinned drastically. A sudden breaking of a branch alerted her of company – company she had suspected, but never proved. There was another crunch…and another, each louder than the last. Butter began growling, baring her long canine teeth at the unseen and unwanted stalkers. Bella was frozen – her mind scrambled for an answer, her body did not respond.
When the crunching footsteps grew very close, the faces of four foul-smelling, ugly-looking men swam into her view. Instinctively, she turned her heel and ran, Butter following her quickly, as if attempting to guard her mistress. In her fear, she stepped unknowingly onto the Kimberley estate. Before she knew it, she was scrambling inside the large Kimberley Castle, closing the door silently behind her.
Her raspy but deep breaths sounded very loud in the hollow castle. Butter's low growls seemed to echo throughout the dark place, being magnified with each bounce. Fearfully, Bella clutched Butter to her chest, trying to calm down her quick heart before standing up to explore. Butter yelped once, chasing some unknown creature down a dank hallway lit by only two candles, closely followed by the trepid girl.
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Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Bella, her four followers met the hungry vampire. Their heads snapped before they even had a chance to run, and their blood was completely drained before their bodies were even cold. The now-satisfied vampire dragged the four fresh bodies away, burying them and gave them his best wishes in their afterlife. It was the only sign of humanity other than his ability to feel misery in a very long time.
Done with his meal, Edward silently returned to his castle. The front doors creaked when he opened them. A sudden rush of air brought a faint sweet smell – the smell of two creatures. What confused him was the fact that one of them smelled very human, though he could not hear any new minds. He immediately thought back to the four men he recently killed – how every one of them were thinking of following a particular girl and her dog though he could not hear the girl-in-question's mind at all.
His senses perked up. Curiosity got the better of him as he followed their scent through familiar passages, his footsteps silent as the night. The smell of the human was stronger with each step. Voices came from the direction of the old man he had locked up just the previous day – the voice of the old man and that of a young girl. They were speaking very quietly. The vampire focused on the old man's thoughts. The same girl that the four bandits had seen came into view. She was his daughter, and in his eyes, she was his life, his soul. Where the girl was supposed to be, there was a void, as if she was just not there.
When he was just around the corner and could distinctly hear the two voices and a growling dog, he still could not 'hear' the mind of the girl. Edward opened up his mind. He heard Jasper and Alice scold Charles for eating a candle and spitting the chewed-up pieces on the carpet as well as Emmett being seduced by Rosalie…he shuddered at the last image. Esme and Carlisle were discussing about him again. His family seemed oblivious to the new visitors. He tried again on the girl – Bella was her name. Nothing. Not even an echo.
Sighing inwardly at his failure, he stepped out from his hiding. His eyes immediately fell on Bella. Her sweet scent which permeated the entire span of the hall would have killed her had not he just fed. Upon the sight of her, however, he almost felt as if a bolt of electricity zapped him, causing his long-dormant heart to twitch. Her beauty was more – much more than even how her father described her. The warm feeling she gave him was heavenly. Then, the moment was gone.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice cold and emotionless.
Bella gasped, her body shook slightly in fear. Her voice, however, showed no sign of it. "I came here to take the place of my father," she said. "Let me take his place. There's more people that need him."
Her words stunned Edward. Of all the different reactions he expected from her, this was not even on the list. He supposed it was fair – one life for another, but he also sorrowed for a possible snack being set free. His indecision made the halls silent for a long time – eerily silent. The girl twiddled with her fingers, sitting just outside the closed door of her father's room. That simple gesture caused his heart to twitch again. The feeling was so unexpected that he gasped. It had been so long since his heart last moved…
Before he knew what he was doing, Bella's father was released. "Go," he commanded, "before I change my mind and save you both for later."
He watched as several tears leaked from the Bella's eyes as she silently urged her father to go. Her father, Charlie Swan, left reluctantly, often glancing back for a last look of his brave daughter. He did not cry, but he was grieving and slowly dying on the inside. The dog followed him away, her tail drooping.
"You are free to roam the castle grounds. Do not get in my way unless you have a death wish," Edward said to Bella before leaving her to herself.
Silently cursing himself, he walked along the dark hallways of the castle. Why had he let her free to explore? What was wrong with him?
By that night, his entire family knew of the first guest in the castle since a century and the fact that the blood-red eyes of a monster without any humanity had shifted to the faint red-orange eyes of a monster with only a trace. Everyone was jolly. Everyone, except a quiet girl who found a nice room in the second floor and a vampire who sat cuddled in a dark corner in the first floor thinking about the events of the day.
Here you have it. I wanted to include some action...but I wasn't really expecting the entire first meeting to come in the first chapter...but then I didn't want to change it...so...yeah... Review! Your thoughts matter very much.
Just in case people are still very confused about Edward's family - they are like real animals, only they're not made of flesh and bones, but stone. They can move and talk and be understood and all that good stuff. The old woman did them a favor by letting the couples be the same animals...the couples could mate if they wanted to, like their respective flesh-made animals can...which explains why Emmett was being seduced by Rosalie ;).
--Cathy