Yeah, yeah, I own nothing…

"Well," I began hesitantly,

"Go on, dear. It's alright," Peter encouraged with a smile on his face. This simple action reminded my so much of Carlisle, and it nearly broke my heart… again. I tried not to sob. He instantly was beside me, rubbing my back. This only hurt me more.

"I'm sorry," I cried. "You remind me of someone I used to know. He was like a father to me."

"I try to bring a fatherly countenance to people in my family. Speaking of which-" he began, and then cut off as he looked at Matthew oddly. He nodded. Then Matthew nodded at Bryan.

"Please don't keep me out of the loop." I asked quietly. "I know one of you can read minds. Is it Matthew?" He looked shocked.

"Uh… Yes, I can. How did you know?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Just another person I used to know. But that's over. So…"

"Why don't you continue with your story?" Peter asked, trying to distract me.

"Yeah, I'll- I'll do that." My shudders had almost completely stopped. Bryan stared at me with wide eyes. "What?" I whispered.

"I don't like it when people cry. It makes me uncomfortable. Especially girls- well, women. I don't know why. Maybe some human memory left over that I have no idea I had." He smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to bring you down." He told me.

"You aren't." I smiled, and Matthew gasped theatrically. "What?" I mused.

"You smiled!" He gasped. "I never thought I'd live to see the day!" He pretended to faint in shock. I giggled. It felt wonderful.

"Anyway…" I took another deep breath and continued.

"My name is Bella. I am eighteen years old. Um," I paused. "I don't really know what to say. Nothing interesting ever happened to me before I came to Forks. Uh… I guess I'll start there." I paused once more and then began.

"My mother was remarried a while ago, and she wanted to travel with her husband, but she stayed home with me. So I moved to Forks to make her happy--- so she could travel with Phil. After I got there, I met this coven, the… Cullens. The youngest, Edward, and I fell in love. Then, this other vampire, James and his mate Victoria and another member, Laurent, found us, well, them , really, playing baseball, and James decided to make a game out killing me. Edward didn't like that, so he and his family set out to kill him, but James tricked me into meeting him at an old ballet studio, where he very nearly killed me. The Cullens showed literally in the nick of time." I could feel my face moving to project my story more. My eyebrows shot up and down, my hands moved, my voice broke. Peter's hand kept a slow, rhythmic pattern on my back.

"Then came my birthday. See, the Cullens are 'vegetarians'," making finger quotes around the word, "just like you. But Jasper, well, he was fairly new to this way of life. I got a paper cut, and he attacked me. Edward," the ghost of his name burned as it exited my mouth, "saved me again, but then he decided he didn't love me, and left. That was about three months ago, a few days after my birthday." I shook my head to clear it.

"But, uh- it's over. There's nothing left to tell. That's it." I knew I was receiving looks of pity from all of them.

"I-I – I just, I just loved him so much, you know?" I looked at the ground once more, and nostalgically scratched my head.

Peter looked at me. "Bella, you should probably go hunting. I don't want you to be uncomfortable. Matthew, Bryan, why don't we all go."

I straightened up. "I want to hear your stories." I said. "Please?" I didn't want to beg, but neither did I want to seem impolite.

Peter looked at me again. "Of course!" He said. "But I would strongly suggest that you go hunting first. Honestly, it would help the pain in your throat." As soon as he said that, I realized why I was still uncomfortable. My throat was burning. It was nothing compared to the pain of the change, though.

"I don't know how to…" I said, trailing off. Bryan laughed out loud. "What?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

"A vampire who doesn't know how to hunt! The thought of it!" He guffawed, and Matthew started chuckling. Peter smiled.

"Don't worry, little sis. You'll fu=figure it out."

Little sis? I thought to myself. I could get used to that.

"Alright, let's go!" I jumped up from the table. I was dumbfounded when I didn't trip. I realized my hair had grown out a little from the change. The deep, rich, mahogany color filled my vision as my hair cascaded over my shoulders. It neatly reached the top of my hips. When I saw my hands, they too had changed. The nails where perfectly rounded, and reached three millimeters behind my fingertips.

I finally took a good look in the mirror. I gasped at what I saw. I was truly beautiful. The thing I couldn't look away from was my eyes. They were a bright red, so bright it nearly scared me.

"You'll get used to them," Matthew said quietly. "And in a few months, it'll be gone."

I chuckled once, and answered, "Good."

* * *

I sank into a feral crouch as I smelled the dark scent of the herd of elk in front of me. I leapt, power coursing through my legs as I landed lightly on the back of this running beast. I knew the three members of the family I hoped to join were watching. Then a bewildering thought hit me as I gracefully snapped its neck and bit cleanly through the skin of its neck. Did I truly want to be part of a coven? After what…they… did to me? The answer was yes. I did.

The animal snorted and in fear as it realized it could no longer run, and that it was dying as I quickly drained it flowing life-source. I repeated this action twice, then once more, bringing down a total of four elk.

I then instantly back to the men as they watched incredulously. "What?" I asked, wiping my mouth on the back my hand and sucked at my teeth, trying to get every last drop out of my mouth.

"You-" began Matthew

"Damn…" Bryan said.

"Incredible," Peter breathed.

"Did I do it wrong?" I asked, alarmed.

"You never lost control. That's an unheard of quality. I've…" Peter trailed off. Then he caught himself. "Bella, while you were hunting, we were talking." I nodded for him to continue as he paused. "Would you care to join with us? Be part of the family? Live and travel with us?"

I gasped.

Next chapter will be Peter's story, and maybe Matthew. Bryan's too if I can fit it in. *crosses fingers*