A/N: So I have a problem with trying to move a story along at break-neck speed. I'm actually trying to slow this one down a little bit. Have mercy :)

Chapter 2:

After time caught up with me I spent the next several hours waiting for my heart to stop. It took a while and I had more than enough time to think. I wasn't stupid. I knew what was happening. I was going to be a vampire. I was going to be overwhelmed by bloodlust, and want to kill any human I came in contact with. Through the pain, as my mind grew stronger, ignoring the pain grew easier. I needed to use this time to come up with a plan. I couldn't go home. I couldn't risk being anywhere near my mother. Oh no, Renee. This was going to kill her. I would immediately have to find a phone. I had to let Charlie know that she wasn't going to have anyone. Charlie would be strong for the both of them. He would keep her together. I knew that I could never see either of them again. I pushed those thoughts away. I had an eternity to grieve over my family.

But I couldn't do this myself. No matter how Edward felt about me, Carlisle would never let another of his kind suffer. He would help me. I would have to find the Cullens. With that I had my plan. Now all that was left was for the pain to stop, and to wake up. I could handle this. Think logically. No emotion. Handle the pain. Be strong. I was going to be a vampire. I didn't have to deal with the hurt and anguish. I could just file it away like an unimportant piece of paper to be examined already. I was already aware that my mind had infinitely more space, and it became easier and easier to ignore the pain, physical and emotional as I reached the home-stretch of my transformation.

The pain receded. I knew I was able to move again. I decided not to risk it. There were many parts of my turning that I knew were out of the ordinary. Edward (it was wonderful to be able to think his name without feeling a hole tearing through my chest) had explained to me all of the different frightening things that happened during the change, but even as I was just about to come out of my burning coma, I wasn't experiencing them. I had heard about the scorching fire in my throat. I felt a little heat, but it wasn't even uncomfortable. It was as if it was just reminding me that I needed to drink something. Slightly dehydrated, even. I was told that all I could think about was killing people, but that thought didn't even enter my mind. I could smell human blood. Whether it was mine from being bitten and bleeding, or there was some very close by, I knew it was no more then a few feet away. It smelled good. Delicious even. But I wasn't ready to lash out and grab it. It wasn't even a normal thought.

I could feel that my transformation was complete. All the pain was gone. I felt normal, but different. I felt… powerful. Like I could do anything. I finally opened my eyes. It took me several moments to adjust. When I was ready I sat up to investigate. After a few deep breaths I could finally relax. I had been tensed for the strong urges I was promised to hit me like a brick wall. It became obvious very quickly that this wasn't going to happen. The entire world was new. I could see, smell, taste, and hear everything about life. Looking around I could tell I was in a cellar of some sort. I could hear the outside world. I could smell the salt in the air; there was water nearby. The cellar was dank and dark, but of course this didn't impede any efforts to interpret the space. I could see every particle, hear the air whooshing through the small window in front of where I sat.

I was sitting on a steel table. It was covered in my blood. An identical table was connected to the top where my head was laying. The only difference was it had no blood on it. These images should have bothered me, but I was still filing all of the information away until I was ready to deal with it. This was so convenient. I had no urge to drink the blood that was pooled around me, but I could still acknowledge that it smelled appetizing.

After taking it all in, I turned to address the small neat stack of items at the far end of the clean metal table. I jumped off the counter to go towards it, but stopped cold. Looking down, part of my brain registered that I looked awful, and that I was going to have to make myself more presentable before I was seen by the general public. The majority of my brain, however, was focused on the fact that my feet weren't touching the floor. I was just floating there. Three inches off the ground. It just felt like I was weightless, as if there wasn't anything but the air holding me up. I could see the gray cement floor below me and I wiggled my feet. I found that I could move almost as if I were swimming, but at a faster speed. More like zero-gravity, I suppose. I tried to focus on moving around. As if by instinct, the second I thought about sinking, I did. I had no trouble lowering or raising myself or even moving horizontally in any direction. The disturbing part wasn't that it was second nature and I felt like I could do it in my sleep. It wasn't even the fact that after a few minutes of experimentation, I found that I no longer had the ability to walk. I would have to glide along the ground and move my legs to appear as if I were walking. The most disturbing thing was that this cellar limited the act. I could raise myself higher until the ceiling stopped me. I could whiz in a circle at inhuman speed and stop on a dime. I never had to move my feet and this power acted in the back of my brain. It was as if I had been doing this my entire life. It felt normal. As normal as it could feel when I thought about the fact that I was actually….flying. Holy shit. I could fly. Not only did I already have control over the "Newborn Problems" but I actually got a gift. Flight! I did a couple of flips in the air before I had to refocus. Plenty of time for fun after I got a handle on everything else. Wow, was I easily distracted. This would take some getting used to.

My attention returned once again to the stack of stuff on the table. I shot over to it without a second thought, using my new ability. There were no people, human or otherwise, for me to worry about seeing, so decided I had no reason to be careful. I unstacked everything and laid them out neatly side by side. There was a dress, a pale yellow color that for some reason I actually thought was pretty. There was a small yellow metal lunchbox (Why all the yellow?) along with a sealed envelope. There was neat handwriting on the letter with only three words to read. Isabella. Read immediately. I could do that. I ripped open the note and read.

Dearest Isabella,

I hope very much that you are alive to read this. On the very real chance that this letter is laying next to your body, however, I must keep many things hidden. You must be very confused. There was a purpose for all of this. No doubt that if you are alive, you have discovered that you are special. You can do things that normal people, um, like us, can never even dream of doing. I have given you a little something extra other than our usual procedure for transformation. There is a small bathroom just up the stairs. I do ask that you use it quickly and leave, as I have told the upstairs residents that you would not be there any longer than you had to be. I do hate to threaten people, and you can never be sure if they will do something stupid out of fear. So be quick, My Dear. The lunch pail contains a little "help" to make sure that you don't get carried away, not that I think that will happen. I encourage you to travel to the location where James held you for those terrifying hours so long ago. I will leave your actual instructions there in case, again, that this is not in fact Isabella reading this. I look forward to seeing you again, though you will not see me. I do wish to tell you that through this adventure, you will never be placed in immediate harms way, nor will anyone around you. You have my word.

Until next,

Laurent

That was all very to the point. No beating around the bush, no threats, and no mention of Victoria. I was starting to like Laurant. I didn't trust him whatsoever, but it wasn't like I had a whole lot of options here. All of my confused feelings of pain and fear were still locked up tight for me to get to later, so I braced myself. I grabbed my lunchbox and brand new dress, being careful to keep all traces of blood off of it, and floated towards the door to the stairs across from the window. I wouldn't look back at the room behind. This will be the new Bella. A stronger Bella. Not the weak and frail little girl, but the invincible woman who would get anything who would get anything she asked for, because she had damned well earned it. And she would never again think of her relationship with Edward the same way. Laurent's letter told me that this was only the beginning, and I was going to stop taking no for an answer. I would shower and feel good about my appearance. I would leave my hair down and not cover anything up. I was going to have a little pride for once. And as soon as I was ready, I was going to go to Phoenix. To that little ballet studio that used to haunt my nightmares. And then I would find Laurent, even though he didn't want me to. I would thank him for his incredible gift, and then demand my answers. But one thing was more certain than the rest. I was going to love being a vampire.

A/N: The chapters are slowly getting longer and longer. Bear with me. R/R!