Authors Note: All right, I will admit that cliffhanger was a little evil. So allow me to clear something up before people kill me:

Octavia is NOT an ex-girlfriend of Edward's. No offense, but how cliché would that be? Nah that has been done waaaay too many times before for my taste.

Okay, with that out of the way, the rest you will have to figure out about her. It would be silly for me to give away all the details about my vampire. Furthermore, I'd like to give a shout out to some of my favorite reviewers (who have reviewed more than once):

epona04 – I thoroughly enjoy your comments and I hope that you are enjoying the story!

Nayame – Thank you for reviewing and for your excellent questions and comments.

Bella07 – Your comments made me chuckle but in a good way :)

AmyGirl23 – I look forward to your future reviews!

And last but not least!

Teak (from the Lexicon) – I appreciate all of your pms and that you've been keeping up with the story! Thanks for reviewing!

And to all the other reviewers who are not mentioned: Thank you so much for encouraging me to continue.

Happy Birthday Edward!!! (Officially ;-) )

clears throat let us continue then…

A New Vampire

I had always prided myself on being a rational person. I could assess a situation and figure out a logical way to deal with it.

I was not thinking rationally at this moment.

Pure hatred flowed through my veins. Jealously. It was like a poison, seeping through my mind, more fervent than I had ever experienced. I wanted to leap at her and rip her throat out. My surprise at this intense loathing is probably what kept me from attacking her. That and the fact that she would probably kill me on the spot without any effort. The two of them let go of each other and stared at each other, surprise evident on their faces.

"How did--?" Edward began.

"This is—" Octavia said.

"Incredible, I know"

"Yeah, exactly!"

I was disgusted. It must have shown on my face, because Jasper was by my side in a moment. He put a hand on my shoulder, calming me down. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to be rational about the situation. Surely, Edward would explain.

"Bella?"

I opened my eyes at the sound of my name, forcing a smile on my face.

"Bella, this is Octavia," Edward said, gesturing to her.

"Pleasure to mee—"

Octavia's voice trailed off as a breeze blew my hair around. Clearly, she had caught hold of my scent.

"A human? Edward is it wise to have one of them among us?" she asked, shock covering her voice.

"She's not just any human," Edward said, putting an arm around me. "She's different…"

Octavia looked from my face to Edward's, as if trying to figure out his meaning.

"Very well, I trust you," she said finally.

"Octavia is a very good friend of mine," Edward continued, "During my…er… rebellious times she helped convince me to turn to animals for nourishment. She was a lone vampire at the time."

"I got lonely," Octavia said, shrugging. "I discovered the Denali's during a brief trip to Alaska. They convinced me to travel with them for a while. I've been with them for roughly six months now."

"And we're glad to have her," Tanya said, rejoining us. "She's been such a joy to have." She put an arm around Octavia, squeezing her lightly.

A joy. I couldn't imagine.

"But after Edward rejoined the Cullens, I went on my own again," she said. "I've convinced other vampires to join this lifestyle."

"She's been a real advocate for 'humanizing' vampires," Tanya said, with a chuckle.

I kept the smile frozen on my face. Gee, she was just so perfect. Edward studied my face, as if sensing that I was ill at ease.

"Could you excuse us for a moment?" he said, nodding towards Octavia and Tanya. He clearly read Jasper's thoughts, as Jasper had still not let go of my shoulder.

Octavia looked surprised, but nodded, "Of course, but then we have a lot to catch up on. Don't hog him too long Bella!"

She smiled kindly at me and I could not help but smile back. If we had met on better terms, I was sure that I would have liked her. She was just… likeable. Nevertheless, at the moment I still wanted to murder her.

Edward led me off into the house. We walked slowly to his room and I was dreading the conversation. He walked in and closed the door, turning to face me.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

I could feel the tears welling up, so I turned away from him.

"You should be down with the others," I said, my voice flat, "You have loads to catch up on."

"What?" he asked, clearly catching the implication in my voice. "Do you mean with Octavia?"

"Of course, I mean with her!" I said, turning to face him angrily. "Gee, did you just forget to tell me that you had a female 'best friend'? Or was this something that just slipped your mind? So how long did you two date?"

"We didn't! She's simply a good friend!"

"Yeah, maybe a good friend with benefits!"

I was shocked to find that Edward had pinned me up against the wall. He had done it gently, but roughly all the same. I felt dizzy being so close to his addicting smell.

"She and I did not date! There was never anything between us other than friendship. Octavia is like a sister to me!"

I felt my breath fly out of me. A sister? I looked into his golden eyes, seeing the honesty in them. A sister? I suddenly felt stupid. Of course, they would hug if they were close; didn't I hug Emmett whenever he and Rosalie came back from a trip? It made perfect sense… and yet… I couldn't help but feel that she felt more for him than that…

"Oh…"

Edward sighed, still keeping me up against the wall, "Bella…"

The tears were flowing freely now, I had thought of another point. I looked up at him angrily.

"If that's the case then why can't I be friends with Jacob?"

Edward stepped backwards as if I had given him a blow.

"That's… that's different!"

"How so?"

"He's… he's a werewolf… she and I are the same species…"

I was really angry now. I knew it was irrational to react this way, but the jealously and hatred I felt towards Octavia was spilling out in anger towards Edward.

"Oh, I see… if species are the issue than why are you still with me?"

I could see the hurt in his eyes. That was way below the belt, and I knew it. I needed to escape; I need to breathe. I walked towards the doorway, brushing past him as tears flew down my face

"Bella…" his voice cracked as he said my name.

"Don't follow me…" I whispered. "I need… time alone…"

I walked out the back door to avoid confrontation with his family. I had parked my truck a little ways down the road; I had told Charlie that I would drive myself so that Edward could stay later with his family. It would have been hard to explain that Edward needed no vehicle to get me from place to place. As I got in my truck, I let out a sob I had been holding in. I had never been in a fight like this with Edward before. I needed someone to talk to. Someone who wasn't a vampire; someone who wouldn't remind me of him. In a split second decision, I put the key in the ignition and started the truck.

I was going to talk to Jacob.

P.S. Edward and Bella are not breaking up, I would not do that. Just thought you would all like to know. Please please please R&R