Chapter 2

13 years later...

Isabella or, rather, Bella, grew up to be a beautiful person, inside and out. She grew up like a normal human being, never being associated with her kind. Although, despite her goodness, she never had a constant bestfriend in her life. The closest friend she had in her entire time on Earth was Angela Weber. Angela was like Bella, physically. Brown eyed, dark haired but she had a fairer skin tone. She met Bella in kindergarten but she had to leave Forks sooner than both of them had expected. Bella didn't also expect how she ended up that night.

It was the summer before they step onto the first year of highschool. It was their last time to be together as teens. Unknowingly, of course. They decided to swim in the lake about a block from Bella's house. The water was warm and nobody was around. It was the perfect place for them to bond.

The grass turned greener and the flowers brighter as Bella smiled at Angela. Angela loved being with her because it seems that the day is literally brighter when Bella was with her. It was always sunny, the grass was always fresh, the flowers were always blooming, the trees were always taller than they seem to be and the air was fresh. Nature seemed to be welcoming warmly.

"Angela, come on. You should try the water. It's warm." Bella called out before diving back into the deep.

Angela shook her head and took a deep breath, pushing away her thoughts on leaving. She didn't know how she'd stand to be away from such a great friend. They were too attached that 'goodbyes' weren't easy things to get by. But she had to. She was leaving soon.

Angela followed after Bella, stripping down into her blue bikini and then curling up into a ball as she jumped into the lake. They weren't afraid to be left alone in such a remote place. Because, somehow, they counted on Mother Earth to take care of them. Bella saw bubbles from underwater, making her aware that Angela has finally joined her. She swam up for air, seeing a pair of legs above her. Once they have reached the surface, they looked at each other for a second before laughing at nothing. They were crazy together, like that. They didn't need jokes or weird facial expressions. Each other's presence made them happy. And that was what they called friendship.

They enjoyed the warmth of the water for a couple more hours before deciding to go back to Bella's house to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It was their favorite treat. Truly, Bella felt like Angela was her long lost sister. Even Renee treated Angela like she was her very own daughter. And Angela saw what she was leaving behind. Her own sister. Her own second mother. She never thought it would be as difficult.

After they finished their snacks, Angela decided that it's finally time. She asked Bella, "Hey, come on, let's take a walk." She tilted her head towards the door. There was no sign of happiness in her face, only concealed pain and sorrow. And Bella wasn't numb to that. She knew right then and there that something was wrong but she couldn't bring herself to think of the worst. She nodded once before telling her mother that Angela wanted to head out. Renee said a temporary goodbye to Angela before cleaning up the dishes that the girls had used.

They walked slowly in the direction of Bella's backyard. Angela's house was to the other way.

Angela kept her hands behind her and she kept glancing, unsurely, towards Bella. And then she started, "Bella..."

Bella looked at her and waited nervously. Angela took a deep breath before continuing, "I...I'm sorry." She could feel her tears slowly running down her pinkish cheeks. "And thank you. You have been such a great friend to me, Bella. You are my world, right now. You know that, right? You're my bestfriend and this is so hard to do. Believe me when I say that this...this is taking all of my energy."

Bella panicked and her heart started racing, "Angela...why are you crying? What's wrong? What are you saying?"

"Bella, I'm leaving." Angela whispered. She couldn't say it out loud. She couldn't let go. She couldn't convince herself that this was their last goodbye. Bella shut her eyes and prayed that this was all a dream. That her only friend wasn't really leaving. She took deep breaths and ran her hands through her hair in hopes of waking up from this terrible nightmare. She opened them slowly but Angela was still there...looking down and murmuring 'sorry' again and again.

They were both hurt. The moment Angela said those words, Bella was already missing her. Bella felt like her world was breaking apart. Angela felt guilty, like this was all a mistake. But she had no choice. Her life wasn't in her hands yet.

The clouds grew dark and the thunder sounded through the heavens. They both looked up and then their eyes met. Blue and brown. Angela gasped at the mesmerizing sight and her eyes grew wider. Everything around them looked pale compared to Bella's new eyes. It was the first time that Angela had seen ethereal beauty. She felt power in her surroundings but wasn't sure where that was coming from. Bella's forehead creased in curiousity.

"What...?" She whipped her head around to see if anything was behind her. None. Angela must be looking at me, she thought. But what's wrong with me? "Angela? What?"

"Your eyes..." Angela whispered again. But this time it was of surprise.

"What about them?" Bella inquired. She never thought her brown eyes were special.

"They're blue."

Bella's countenance suddenly shifted. She was never blue eyed. She had plain, simple, brown eyes. But she knew Angela would never lie. Her hands went to cover her eyes. She rubbed them, "There? Is it gone?" Angela shook her head, "Come on, let's go back...I'll let you see." She took Bella's hand as they ran back to the house. It was empty. Renee left a note, stating that she went out to get dinner. They tiptoed in the bathroom to see in front of the mirror and Bella's gasp was a copy of Angela's recent one. She blinked a couple more times. She wanted to hide it. She wanted to make it go away. She was worried at how her parents might react to it.

"It won't go away!" She exclaimed as the rain started pouring heavily. "Why are they blue?" They both looked at each other before Angela spoke up, "They're beautiful, Bells." Bella didn't know what she was feeling. She was happy and sad at the same time. Happy that she had someone who accepted her for whoever she is. But sad that she was about to lose this someone.

The storm raged and she hugged Angela both in fear and gratefulness.

Bella looked at the reflection of her brown eyes. She had been waiting for them to turn blue again. The color lasted for about a month after Angela left. Her parents were intrigued by it but neither of them asked questions. They just waited for the answers to come. They've all been waiting.

The bell rang and Bella let out a heavy sigh. Another day of frustration, she thought as she headed out of the girl's toiletroom. It was gloomy outside...again. But that wasn't a surprise to anyone who lives in Forks. It was always gloomy. She sighed again as she walked to her locker. And just like any usual day, everybody stared at her. There was just something about that Bella Swan. She was wanted by every guy in her campus and she was envied by every girl.

"Have you seen the new students?" Jessica asked Lauren. Bella slipped a book in her locker.

"Yeah. I heard they're together as in, together together." Lauren whispered back. "But I also heard one of them is single. And I'd want to tap that." Jessica groaned.

Bella rolled her eyes in disgust. They were always gossiping, Lauren and Jessica. Everyday they always had something to talk about. It started with Mike having the cooties back in 1st grade. Bella chuckled at the absurdity of the two. She stacked two more books in her locker before running her fingers on a picture of her and Angela. She smiled a bit and then sighed. Angela only calls her every once in a while, now. Bella understands that Angela also has to attend to her own needs. Bella swinged the door of her locker, effectively closing it then started heading to her second to the last period.

Biology.

Bella settled into her usual seat at the table farthest to the back. She had already settled her bag on the empty seat next to her when the teacher called out her name.

"Miss Swan?" Her head shot up automatically. "From today on, a new student will be joining us and he will be your new lab partner." She smiled at the thought of having a new friend. She pulled her bag and placed it next to her, on the floor. And when she looked back up to see who it was, her eyes widened and they turned blue. But nobody saw that because nobody was looking at her. Everybody was looking at the guy. Her new lab partner.

"Hi. I'm Edward Cullen."