Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight, not me.

A/N: Sorry for the extremely long delay! Let me know what you guys think!

Days turned into weeks as we prepared for our 'holiday'. As soon as Edward and I got back to Foame HQ, Edward busied himself onto depending matters and then started working for our trip out of the country. I asked many times where we were going but he kept giving me cryptic replies. I believed we were going Scotland or Antarctica, as ridiculously as it seemed. Somewhere isolated and perfect for Vampires. His private phone calls unnerved me; I had to strain painfully my ears just to get an inkling on what he was saying, but as always he would walk out of the room or speak to the point where my human ears cannot process any sound coming from him. It was unfair. As selfish as it sounded, this trip was meant for me to live my life – I think I had a right to know about any details concerning the trip.

I sat in Edward's study, rather impatiently and rudely as I glared at him and huffed every minute or so. He was on the phone, and furiously typing on his laptop. I was relieved when his fifteen-minute conversation ended and dropped my glare. However, I picked it up again as someone knocked on the door and one of Edward's Vampires entered.

I was disappointed that I lost my moment in confronting Edward but I was slightly hopeful that I would be included in the conversation. Much to my dismay though, the Vampire whispered something in Edward's ears that made his eyes gleam in delight. A few more Vampires entered, some of whom I recognised, and carried out another conversation, excluding me.

As soon as they all starting laughing at something Edward said – Edward was in a good mood for reasons unknown to me – I snapped. Erupting out of my chair and marching towards the offending group, I exploded, "WILL ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?"

Before in my life, if anyone told me that I would be pissed at Vampires, swear at them, and scare a few in the process, I would absolutely with no doubt laugh my ass off at them. When I would have calmed down, I would have explained that I did not believe in Vampires, had a pretty good temper, did not want to get into the habit of swearing during the day as I worked in kindergarten during the day and that Jack Black could have scared more people with his looks alone than with my 'temper'.

A few Vamps inched away from me, their hands up in surrender. My mouth popped open as I stared at Edward, who perfectly managed to cock an eyebrow up. We stared for quite a bit until he said, "Language Isabella." I blushed and looked away; embarrassed that he was admonishing me whilst I should have been shouting at him. "And you," he referred to the Vamps, pointing a long, pale finger at them, "Keep cowering like that. I will make a bet with the others to see how long you last. Now GO!" I jumped up as they were gone in a second.

"Uhhh…." I muttered, unsure whether to say what I wanted or to make anything up.

"Stop hesitating, Isabella. I know you are not very pleased with me now, but when you see the place, I assure you, you will be satisfied. Good things happen to those who wait, remember. For the meanwhile, go to Phoenix. It will be a good distraction."

So Phoenix I went. Obviously, Edward sent eighteen Vampires and ten Familiars alongside with me, for 'protection' reasons. Ehh, I believed that he was doing it as a precaution so I would not run away again. In Phoenix, I slept in a hotel belonging to Foame and spent most of my days in my apartment, sorting everything into boxes and politely bossing around the help in transporting my parents' stuff, which was held in a storage room that I rented, back to Chicago. I guiltily brought the largest Familiar with me to my landlord, who was known for being hard and greedy, and hard to negotiate with. The presence of the Familiar paid off, as my landlord did not put up a fight with me, as he would have done with me on my own.

I also sent my resignation letter to my boss, the principal, and explained that I am moving out of Phoenix and living with my partner. Not exactly a lie, but it was not exactly the truth either. Nevertheless, my contract was terminated, l left my apartment, and I hauled all of my crap back to Chicago. For a week and a half in Phoenix, it proved to be a good distraction.

The moment I got back to Foame HQ, we set off to my new life – my home for six months. I also remembered during my time back, that I did not see Mr. Banner, Tanya or C.L.

We flew, using one of Foame's private planes, to Washington, to my bewilderment. I had many thoughts and suspicions as we landed: was Edward taking me to Humanity, or was he bringing them to me. None of them made much sense and things did not get any clearer as we boarded onto a huge boat.

"Are you taking me onto a cruise?" I asked. Edward pulled me towards him and chuckled into my hair. I took that as a no and enjoyed Edward's show of physical affection.

During the cruise, as I liked to call it, I would spend half of my day walking around the boat and enjoying the view and the other half with my Vampire boyfriend who could not be exposed to the sun for obvious reasons. When the sun would set, Edward would come out and watch me eat my dinner, and then I would feel Edward eat his dinner. I have gotten more used to Edward drinking from me, and became somewhat proud when Edward explained that my blood gave him more strength and energy.

As much as I enjoyed the cruise, as the days went on, I became more and more confused on where we were going. I finally asked Edward when I stopped thinking of the possible places we were travelling to, "I've had it. Where are we going?"

We were in our cabin, both of us lying together in the bed. Unfortunately for me, sleeping was the only action this bed ever witnessed – me during the night and Edward the day. I was not ever sure if I wanted any action going on; for Christ's sake I was a virgin! I only knew the basic mechanics of sex, like how a kid knew the basic features of a car.

"Somewhere," Edward replied cryptically. The way he stroked my hair proved to be a distraction. Only for a while, though.

"I don't like that answer," I pushed, once I came back to my senses.

"I'm afraid that is the closest to the right answer, of which I can supply."

"Please?" I asked.

"I promise you will know everything you want to know once we get there." He kissed my forehead and I sighed internally as his cool lips relieved my warm skin.

"How do I know you won't back out of your promise?" That was a big mistake on my part… I watched as Edward's eyes darken.

"Vampires never back out of their promise. We have to stick to the Code."

The Code was a bunch of rules that all Vampires had to abide to. They believed it would prevent major conflicts between Vampires and keep their secret safe from non-associated Humans – that meant people who were not Familiars, or Singers in my case. Edward explained everything about them one evening. Ironically, Edward made some of the rules as he was on the Council, and the Council created the Code and made sure that Vamps were following it. Most of the rules were silly, and unnecessary in my opinion. Obviously, I did not voice out my opinions on the whole matter to Edward.

"When I turn…will I have to stick to the Code? I mean, I'll only be a Half Vampire." I asked.

"Not all of the rules will apply to you, nevertheless you are expected to follow the ones that do, or otherwise it is the axe for you." Edward also explained the punishments for breaking the Code, and I cringed as I remembered some of the worst ones.

"You sound like Henry VIII," I joked, trying to change the topic. The punishments reminded me of Jake, and those thoughts depressed me.

"And who can you be? Two of Henry's wives were divorced, two were beheaded, one died and one survived. The Code strictly forbids leaving your mate for another, or cheating."

"Looks like the Code forbids a lot of things," I muttered under my breath.

"Isabella," he warned. Damn, I kept forgetting he had super hearing abilities. "The Code does a lot of good. Without it, Vampires would easily expose themselves to Humans and cause many other problems. We see no future with every Human in the world; it is just them, and us, and will stay that way."

"Where do Singers fit in?" I asked, trying to be cheeky.

"With us," he answered. "Now Bella, there will be a time when you have to pledge your alliance with the Council. Keep your poisonous thoughts of the Council away from your mind and heart, and they will accept you."

"And if they don't?"

"It is part of the Code to accept a Singer or potentially important figure into the Council, but they may not accept you into the tight circle. Then you will have no allies outside your family."

"It doesn't matter; I have you," I stated honestly.

Edward grinned at me. "You won't in Foame."

I was confused. I thought Edward would always belong in Foame.

Edward's grin grew larger at my puzzled face. "We are currently approaching an island, which is 207 miles west of Costa Rica. The island is called Foame, and is as huge as four big towns."

I laughed at his joke. "Really, Edward, where are we going?"

"To Foame," his voice was calm and serious.

My eyes widened. "I've never seen an island called Foame on the map."

"We own the governments. The governments hide many things from the public, including small islands on maps."

"Is that where we are really going?"

"Yes. The House of Foame owns the island. Technically, it was a present from me to Jasper and Alice for their mating process. Since I was the Leader, I had to come up with something spectacular, something that no one else could rival. I thought a private island fits that description perfectly."

"Wow. So when you found the island, did you also find people?" I asked, intrigued.

"No; it was deserted when we found it and completely inadequate for Humans to live in. It literally took decades to prepare the island for Alice and Jasper - we took down plenty of trees in the centre of the island and built homes and other buildings. We brought in other animals and birds, and grew crops. And then we searched for our residents - prostitutes, the homeless, anyone that no one would miss. Before transporting them to the island, we made sure that they were healthy in all aspects and taught them basic manners and the expectations we had for them. It was hard at first; they defied us and refused to co-operate. Although that was when they thought we were corrupted humans….I cannot forget the fear I saw in their eyes when they witnessed us kill; those people have seen the worst acts the Human kind has done and realised it was child's play compared to the mere things we can do. Then they co-operated."

"It's wrong, though," I commented quietly. Without meeting Edward's eyes I quickly muttered, "These people who you kidnapped had lives, and by kidnapping them you stole them of their lives. They had no choice in the matter, no say-"

"Bella, are you talking about these people or about yourself?" He rested his hand upon mine and my face turned red. "Does it still bother you about being my Singer?"

"It's not that but the fact that I didn't get a choice. This is my last shot at freedom, in like forever. And that is it. After that I'll be living a completely different existence."

"This island, Foame, represents the freedom that I am giving to you, the freedom and the chance to live your life which you requested. You will be living and interacting with Humans and you will be protected just like every other resident. This is what you asked for. This is your last chance at having a normal life. Bella, not everyone can have a choice in everything. Some things are inevitable or solid; say the world is ending very soon. You have the choice to die before or during the catastrophes but no one would have the choice to stay alive because then it would contradict the ending of the whole world. Now back to your situation, you do however have the choice to be an awful mate or a good mate."

"Hmmm," was my feeble reply.

"Also, before we took those people, they did not have lives. Begging, having sex with strangers for money or starving on cold, windy nights is not living – they merely existed. These people may have never experienced love or affection, or know what it is like living for others. When we took them, we gave them a chance to live. We gave them money, clothes, food and shelter. We taught them how to live independently without our help on that island. And now, after countless generations, we have a happy island."

As I processed what Edward said, I thought about the Code. "Doesn't the island breach the Code? I mean aren't the residents non-associated Humans?"

"Anything in Foame belongs to the House of Foame. So technically those humans are our property and since contact with the rest of the world is forbidden and impossible, the Council believe that the residents do not pose as a threat to our existence."

"Oh," I muttered. "How come they're not allowed contact with the rest of the word?" I asked.

"First, so the Council are at ease at the Code not being violated. Secondly, this island is private for a reason. The island was not actually the present – the island is the extra accessory or the make-up bag to hold the make-up products. The real gift was to let Alice and Jasper rule over the Humans of the island. This way they would have a home, a form of entertainment and prove that the House of Foame does not lack in anything. Thirdly, we get to see how Humans would cope with Vampires everyday."

"With Vampires, it always looks like there are intentions behind everything," I remarked.

"Just think of us as immortal politicians with fangs," he quipped. I laughed, enjoying the light atmosphere surrounding us and the good mood Edward was in. "Are you excited, Bella? We're really close now."

"How do you keep this island private from planes or boats?" I questioned, everything seemed unreal to me. I could not wait to the see the island now.

"With boats, it's pretty simple; we have Vampires deep down in the water to patrol the area and if a boat gets within the boundaries, the Vampires simply drag that boat from under the water to another route. We can't hide ourselves from planes because of the radar but we are listed as 'private' and most of the pilots who do fly over us are Familiars."

"Will our boat be dragged away?"

Edward chuckled and stood up. He took my hand to help me get up and wrapped himself around me with his head on my shoulder as we both looked out towards the beautiful view. I sighed contently – I could get used to this.

Foame, the island, was absolutely like nothing I expected. In my mind, Foame was like the island from The Blue Lagoon, with beautiful gold sand and palm trees scattered around. In reality, Foame was green.

"Do the people here swing from tree to tree, like Tarzan?" I sarcastically asked, referring to the trees. Edward didn't even know who Tarzan was, let alone know that I was sarcastic, so he answered that Foame's people lived deep inside the island, and that the huge forest of the island was another impossible barrier to overcome if anyone ever managed to escape.

It was evening when we got off the boat and a black limousine was waiting for us. The chauffeur carried an umbrella over Edward and opened the door for us.

"I've never been in a limo before," I explained when Edward saw me excitedly looking around the interior as I got in.

"Well, you will also be breaking another record: being in a limousine for three hours."

I stared at Edward. "Three hours? Isn't there a faster vehicle? Or something better suited to this environment?" I asked exasperatedly.

"Vampires in Foame are expected to be treated like royalty and to ride in style," Edward haughtily explained as he relaxed into his seat.

There was a moment of silence until I decided to break it, "So are we going to meet Alice and Jasper tonight?"

"Actually Alice and Jasper should be arriving at Foame HQ tonight," Edward replied. "We did a temporal swap; I control the island and they will control the HQ with Carlisle's help."

"B-b-but if you're taking over and I'm associated with you, then how can I-"

Edward interrupted me, "The plan was that the residents must not know you are associated with me, but to think you as the latest arrival from the outside world. That way the Humans will treat you 'normally'. For these six months I'm afraid, you will have to lie." My heart jumped at that.

I objected, "I can't lie! I'm rubbish at lying!"

"Well you have two hours and fifty minutes to improve then." Was he serious? I checked, and yes he was.

"What do I say?" I asked, trying to calm my nerves.

"You can keep your name – Isabella Swan – without the 'Cullen' and your age and birthday. The rest is up to you but you must lie about your whole involvement with us, especially the cause of Jacob Black's death and the fact that you are my Singer. You will have to hatch up a story on how you were taken by Vampires, and lie that you never knew about Vampires before this. And if you do not…then this wish of yours to 'live' for a final six months may not be fulfilled, and it will be on your hands."

I stared at him with my mouth agape. Brilliant motivation, I thought as I forced my mouth to close. Averting my gaze to the window, I began to think of the stories I could tell, only to be interrupted, "You will be dropped off at the Help Centre, which will prepare you for your life at this Island. Then I am afraid you are on your own."

For some strange reason, this annoyed me…and slightly hurt me. On one hand, I get an extra six months to finally live my life without any restrictions, and then on the other, I am not going to be able to spend these six months with Edward. Will I ever see him? Or will I see him but have to act as a distant stranger around him? I suspect I would not be able to handle if Edward treated me any differently to now – as his Singer. Gone will be the Edward I experienced with me in the last few weeks, and instead back to square one, to the Leader of the House of Foame. That Edward, who I spat on and forced me to drink Jake's blood. That Edward who killed Jake, and held a part in why I ran away to Forks and the House of Humanity. That Edward who simply blackmailed me into coming back to him, and held a deal with me in his own terms.

The insecure part of me worried – surely there was going to be prettier girls than me in Foame. It does not take much to beat my average looks. If I had to lie through all of this, then Edward had to as well, mainly about finding his Singer. What if he had to keep up with appearance's sake, meaning that he had to be surrounded by beautiful girls and show an interest in them? But there was the Code, my rational side argued, and Edward knew much better than to break it.

However, I could not shake the feeling I was going to be out of my depth at this island. Just so I could 'live' again.

Ultimately, isn't this what I asked for?

"This is your stop." Edward's silky and smooth voice did nothing but increased the conflict within myself, and break the two hour-long silence. Oh, and it also made me miss him a little, and I hadn't even left him yet. Why was this happening now? "Bella," Edward's fingers snapped me out of my pathetic musings.

"Okay, I'm going now," I muttered. If Edward noticed anything about my sour mood, he did not make any comments about it. The Sun had set, so I did not have to worry about opening the door and Edward bursting into flames. The chauffeur opened the door, and as I was about to get out, Edward grabbed my wrist.

I don't think I could ever perfectly describe how I feel when my skin comes into contact with Edward's. It's like a spark, which slowly spreads to the rest of my body. My insides melt, and an imprint of where he was touching me lingers heavily on my skin. And these feelings are intensified when he is drinking from me. This must be the bond between us two, between the Singer and her Pure Blood mate. The thought of not being able to feel his skin against mine depressed me, but I forced a smile on my face when I looked directly at him.

"There's a brown envelope in your handbag. It holds enough money for you to settle in, for a few months at best. The Help Centre also provides you with financial support, seeing as you are new here, but you will have to pay them back later and…I do not want you to be worried about anything. Look after yourself Bella, and follow the laws of this place. If you get into any trouble, other than life threatening, I will choose not to help you. That is the way it is, when we made this agreement. The Help Centre will be your guide on how to live here. Go, now. And stay out of trouble!"

He released my wrist instantly after he finished his little speech. I blinked in shock, my heart warming even further from our skin contact. Silently, I hopped out of the limousine, awkwardly waiting for the chauffeur to grab my entire luggage. I felt Edward's gaze on me, burning me right through to the core of my body, but I turned my back on him. Like that changed anything!

Looking around my surroundings, I was stunned to see that Foame did indeed resemble how a town looked – there were many buildings, and street ornaments, like benches and lampposts. If I had been really abducted and released here, I would not have known that I was on an Island. Despite the warmth of the evening and its transition into night, I felt the weather could be satisfactory and not hard to adjust to. However, where was everyone? Just my luck to live in a ghost town!

Then the limousine drove off, leaving me all alone in unknown territory. Looking around in more detail, I noted how the large building in front of me, which I assumed to be the Help Centre through the signs in front of the building, looked more like a Town Hall, than what I thought to be a small office. I sighed as I took in the steps leading to the Help Centre; dragging my luggage through all that will definitely be a struggle.

The Help Centre proved to be helpful; an employee called Jack explained possibly everything there was to know about the island and Vampires. He also explained the laws, which were not that different from what I already had to follow. He then helped me find a job, conveniently in a nursery, and gave me all sorts of leaflets on Vampires and Foame the island, and not to mention a map of the whole island. I paid extra attention to where Edward was staying at – the Royal House, which was pretty far from where I was. Jack also warned me from mentioning too much about my life outside the island, like the technology and current affairs, as the residents are always extremely interested in newcomers and their beliefs about the world are very different to reality. One example Jack gave me is that the people believe some 'crazy' inventor on the island invented the telephone, and had no idea on who Alexander Graham Bell was. It was ridiculous! I wondered how Jack knew this, until I saw his Familiar tattoo.

The history of the real world differed from the island's history. These people were not aware of the World Wars, or the deathly natural disasters that have killed millions of people in the thousands of years Humans have lived. It was sad, to be honest, and I was not allowed to change this situation. The people learnt history through studying their ancestors' texts – the 'undesirable' ones who were abducted by the House of Foame – and even those were edited by the Vamps to suit their own preferences.

Another major change was that Humans and Vampires on this island co-existed together, well actually it was more like the Humans lived here and the Vamps bossed them around. From what I was told, Familiars could not originate from here but chose to move here from the outside world, which is what Jack did to earn more credit. So far, he has been here for six years. Pointless, if I was asked.

Also, Humans in their families or household needed protection, from other Humans and Vampires, and so hired a Vampire to be their protector. Technically, since all Half Bloods had the same strength and good technique was required to bring another Vamp down, the status or rank of the Half Blood was what mattered into intimidating an opponent. If you were richer than most of the population in Foame, you could have hired one of the best Half Bloods to protect your family. It seemed like not much changed: money could potentially mean a better life.

Just as Jack was about to arrange my living accommodation and 'protection', his phone rang. Apparently, the call was important and time-consuming, so Jack told me to visit a café that was on the corner. He handed out a few notes to me and I nearly laughed at the currency – Foamans – that was exactly equivalent to Dollars. How original!

The moment I stepped into the café, the whole room silenced and I felt tons of eyes on me. Despite the embarrassment I was feeling, and hoping I would not trip over anything, I sat on a counter seat, my back facing most of the occupants of the café. Surprisingly, the café had many familiar options, but I opted for coffee.

As I was sipping my coffee and relaxing whilst the volume of the café increased, I began to notice a dark-haired girl slowly inching next to me, claiming the seat next to mine. She was quite pretty, with dark eyes and an olive complexion. This girl represented what I was insecure about a few hours ago, and I shifted uncomfortably on my seat as I thought of her with Edward. Or other pretty girls like her, with Edward. Although I was his Singer and had some status, I had no idea what his plans were for the next six months. I berated myself for not asking.

Plus, where would he drink blood from? Suddenly, I couldn't stand the thought of him going to somebody else, giving someone else the pleasure he gave me, and the intimacy of it all was astounding. Without knowing, I knocked over my half-empty coffee that nearly spilt on the girl next to me.

"Ohhh! I'm so sorry!" I shrieked in her ear, embarrassed as I picked my cup, and then dropped it again accidentally. I was such a fumbling, clumsy idiot.

"It's okay," the girl flashed me an amused smile. Great, she was nice too. "I'm Leah Clearwater."

"Bella Swan."

"I've never seen you before; that's odd. I'm usually good with remembering faces."

How was I going to break it down to her? "New. I-I'm new. Today. Yeah." Very eloquent, Bella!

Leah's eyes grew wider. "Are you effing serious?"

I nodded my head, and discreetly wiped my sweaty hands on my legs. She was making me nervous.

Leah leaned in closer to me. "I came a few years ago with my little brother Seth. My dad died from a heart attack and my mom…well I don't really talk about that bitch. She abandoned us and life was hard for us after that. Then we came here – against our will of course. It is a tradition – every ten years a small group of people from the outside join. They must have made an exception for you. What's your story?"

"Uhhh…My parents died when I was sixteen in a car accident, and I lived on and off with my Godfather and in a boarding school, and then one day I moved out. I lived in a huge city and made no friends, so it was an easy kidnap because there were no traces left behind."

"What 'bout your Godfather?"

I tried to block out the image of Billy, all alone and depressed after Jake's death. I wondered how he would cope with my disappearance. "He died of old age a year ago," I lied.

"So there was no-one at all there for you?" Her tone was sympathetic, and somehow I felt that this is what she and her brother went through. To be honest, it made me feel like a piece of shit.

"It sucks when you say it like that," I joked, trying to enlighten the conversation.

"Sorry, so where are you staying now?" Leah asked.

"I was about to have it organised at the Help Centre, but-"

"You could stay with my brother and I. I mean, you seem decent and I was in your position a few years ago, and I was helped out. It would be rude not to do the same, especially when I have the opportunity within touching distance."

I was surprised and secretly touched. "Are you sure? This is a huge decision to make!"

"Oh come on! It gets a bit lonely with just the two of us, and expensive. We live in a three-bedroom house, and I was going to put the third room for rent anyway. I'm a College student and Seth is in Elementary school. I was hoping that all household costs are split between us, 70:30, me and Seth obviously doing the 70."

"No, I don't mind having a 50:50 ratio. Seth is just a kid, right? Leah, you're giving me a roof to live under, I think it would be fair to pay equal amounts then." It was nowhere near a Martin Luther King or Adolf Hitler speech, but it was enough to persuade her.

"The thing is though…" Leah's face then changed to uncertainty. "We don't have a protector," she whispered worriedly.

I blinked, wondering why this seemed to be a big problem for her. "What's the problem? We'll find one," I reassured her.

She relaxed slightly. "So when do you want to move in?"

"Is now possible?" I asked sheepishly.

She smiled at me, "It's good timing. Where's all your stuff?"

"Back at the Help Centre," I replied.

"Okay, here's what we'll do: go to the Help Centre and get your stuff. We will drive home and I'll show you to your room where you can unpack. I'll pick Seth up from next door, and if you're hungry, I will fix you something to eat. Then it's off to bed."

"Sounds good to me," I smiled back at her. For the first time in a while, I was excited. This was what I wanted…Well that was what I thought until we left the café only to face a nightmare. It was then I knew why we needed a protector.

A/N: Hopefully the next chapter is soon...I hope. Thanks for reading!