Chapter 3 – Realization

A/N Okay I got more reviews this chapter! Thank you!

They never came back. Bella stayed in the exact spot for three days, and none of the Cullen's came back, not once. They had moved on, without her. Bella relived their last conversation over and over, and she realized that they had not abandoned her. She had abandoned them the moment she left that house.

She was moving on now, or trying to. The realization that they had left was more than enough for her to force herself onwards and maybe, just maybe, she would find them one day.

She had changed her permanent lifestyle to a nomadic one. She moved around the country from place to place, never staying in one location long. After her encounter with the three people in Northern Canada, she had not hunted or thirsted, it had been one month and she would not murder again. She couldn't put herself through that again.

Bella's thirst was making her extraordinarily weak. She had never felt so desperate for anything in her entire life as she did the need to quench her thirst. She was pushing it, and she knew that. She sat on a log in the middle of a British Columbian forest one day and clung to it, forcing herself not to attack an innocent doe that was standing a few feet away.

Abruptly, the doe perked up and looked at Bella for a mere moment. Bella smiled gently at the kind, gentle deer – even Bella herself could not smell what was coming next.

A blur of speed attacked the doe, flinging it against a tree and breaking all of its ribs in one single strike. Bella's eyes grew wide with fury. She stood and marched over to the attacker who had just killed the doe. She gasped as the other vampire sunk it's fangs into the flesh of the deer's neck. Bella pursed her lips and snarled viciously. This caused the vampire to look up at her with its black eyes.

"What?" he snarled back. Bella was at a loss for words. The vampire dropped its head back down to the deer and continued its feast. Bella heard a snap of branches from behind her. She spun and yet another vampire, this one female, came out of the bushes.

"What's this?" the female vampire asked, looking at Bella and not the deer. "Malachi, you know mother will be upset if you bring home another female."

"I didn't find her, she found me," Malachi snarled.

"Oh you are so touchy when you don't eat!" the female rolled her eyes and then returned her gaze to Bella. "Who are you?"

Bella's words came out cold, uncaring. "Bella Cu- Swan," she felt her throat close as she tried to say "Cullen".

"You look thirsty," the female announced. "Come with me, I just found a small group of Elk," she took Bella by the wrist and pulled her along. "I'm sorry for my brother's rudeness."

"Oh, it's okay," Bella said softly. She had been alone so long that her voice sounded strange to her.

"No, it's really not. He should be more polite," the female said angrily. They came upon the Elk and she perked up. "Here they are!" she exclaimed happily. "Well take your pick!"

Bella looked at the "small" group of Elk. There were about fifteen of them all standing around grazing. Bella allowed her senses to guide her once more, unable to stop herself.

Once she and the other female had finished feeding, they followed the scent of the female's brother. The found him waiting at the edge of the forest.

"Oh so you can bring her home but I can't?" Malachi asked, angrily. "You know Tyko, you can be so hypocritical!"

Tyko merely shrugged and wandered over to a muddy truck. "I don't plan to sleep with her so yes, I can bring her home and Allura won't kill me."

Malachi mumbled something under his breath.

"Come on Bella!" Tyko called, starting the truck with a roar of the engine. Bella jumped at the rather familiar sound of the roaring engine and she felt rather ecstatic as she wandered over and climbed into the middle seat of the truck. They drove in partial silence – Malachi was still muttering things under his breath – and finally arrived at the house.

As Bella stepped out and saw it for the first time, she gasped. It reminded her so much of the Cullen's house in Forks that she wanted to cry. She took a step forward after Tyko and Malachi (who were still bickering) and wandered into the house. The inside was most definitely different from the Cullen's.

It looked more lived in, while the Cullen's house was always clean. Bella slid a piece of hair behind her ear and wandered forwards. Suddenly, a tall blonde woman walked out from the kitchen.

"No! No, no, no! Malachi you are not bringing yet another poor girl in here only to throw her out after you've finished with her!" the woman exclaimed, waving a spoon at Malachi.

"Don't blame me! This one's Tyko's!" he waved his arm at his sister, frustrated.

"Oh, well in that case," the woman's entire mood shifted and she beamed at Bella. "Welcome to our home, dear. My name is Allura, and I hope these two introduced themselves," she cocked an eyebrow skeptically.

"Not in so many words," Bella laughed. "But yes, they did. My name is Bella Swan. This is a lovely house you have here," she said, looking around her.

"Thank you," Allura laughed. "I believe in the "you make a mess you clean it up" philosophy so most of the time it's rather messy, but yes, it is home."

"Mom, why are you holding a spoon?" Tyko asked suddenly.

"Oh!" Allura chuckled. "I forgot. I bought new silverware today."

"Why would you do that?" Tyko looked baffled.

"Because we may have guests one day who actually do eat human food!" Allura exclaimed as if it were obvious.

"Oh yeah cause I'm going to ask any human that walks along if they wanna come to a house full of vampires for dinner," Tyko rolled her eyes.

"You never know!" Allura snapped defensively.

"I did," Bella whispered. They turned and looked at her. "Oh, um..." she continued, embarrassed. "I went to a house full of vampires for dinner, and my birthday actually," she chuckled uneasily.

"Bella how old are you?" Tyko asked suddenly. Allura whacked her over the head with the spoon. "Ow! Mom come on it's not like it's embarrassing for vampires to answer!" Allura simply rolled her eyes and tucked the spoon into her back pocket.

"I'm nineteen," Bella said, suddenly realizing it was the truth.

"How long have you been nineteen?" Tyko urged.

Bella laughed, she remembered asking Edward a question like that. Her throat closed up at the memory of him, so she cleared it. "A couple weeks."

"How long have you been a vampire, sweetheart?" Allura asked gently.

"I was changed on September first 2007," Bella said softly.

"So you're fairly new to this life?" Allura prodded.

"Yes," Bella nodded her head.

"Sweetie, having a new vampire in our house may be a little difficult..." Allura whispered.

"I lived with vampires before though!" Bella didn't want to be left on her own again.

"Oh?"

"Yes, they were "vegetarians". They only killed animals."

Allura chewed her bottom lip. "I'll tell you what, we'll give you a probation period okay? If you can make it through... three years without doing anything stupid, you can stick around."

"Thank you so much!" Bella exclaimed, hugging Allura immediately.

A/N Hmmm maybe Bella should just stay with these vampires and she wouldn't have to find Edward again? Again, it's up to you!! AND what do you think of the characters? I need to knowww pleeease!!

Kiss