Bella POV

"Mom? Where's the salt?" I asked, as I frantically searched the cabinets.

"Oh, Gosh Darn! I used the end of it today! I was going to get more when I went to the store tomorrow. I forgot we would need it for the stew!" she answered, slapping her forehead. I laughed. It was just like my mother to be so clueless and forget that salt was pretty much a basic ingredient in every meal, let alone stew.

"It's okay, I'll just run to the store real quick." I said as I grabbed my house keys and threw on my coat.

"It's raining, I'll drive." Edward said as he jumped from the kitchen chair he was occupying. I looked at him and laughed.

"It's only drizzling, you're that eager to drive, huh?" I giggled. He smiled my favorite crooked smile as he knew I was right. Edward had just gotten a new Volvo and it was his new favorite toy. I laughed at his eagerness, but actually welcomed the offer, as my truck was currently in the shop. Edward was my best friend, and honestly my soon to be boyfriend. He, his twin sister Alice, and I hung out every single night.

"You know Bella, you could at least say thank you!" he joked.

"Thank you." I smiled at him, as we rushed out to his car. Edward and I were so comfortable together- I could tell him anything. I often tried with Alice, but she wasn't as good a listener as her twin. He and I just really understood each other. It was for this reason that I was absolutely terrified when he had asked me out on a date. We had been friends since preschool, and I couldn't imagine doing something that might ruin the friendship. However after much convincing from Alice, and even Rosalie, I finally agreed. Now, things were better than ever, and I was happier than I had ever been. We had only been on three dates and nothing was official, but we were both very happy with the thought of a possible romance. I still didn't understand how I got so lucky. Edward was the definition of perfect. He was tall and muscular, and pretty pale like everyone in this tiny town. He had a mess of perfect bronze hair atop his head, and his green eyes sparkled like emeralds. Not only was he beautiful on the outside, but he was even more beautiful on the inside, and I was truly falling for him.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" he asked in his velvet voice as we pulled up to the store.

"Nah I'll only be a few minutes. You can time me. I bet you a dollar I will be back within 6 minutes?" I challenged. He smiled.

"Oh you're on. I know how you get with grocery shopping- you always try to find the best deal."

"It's only salt, what kind of deals are even possible?" I laughed as I leaned over to peck him on the cheek. Then I got out of the car and carefully jogged to the door, as I wasn't the most coordinated person on the planet. As I walked into the store I was thankful that Edward drove because the rain was starting to fall a bit harder. I smiled again at the sheer thought of Edward as I grabbed the salt and started heading for the cashier. As I got in line behind an older woman, I remembered we were also out of my yogurt I ate for breakfast. I looked at my watch- only two minutes had passed so I still had time. I sighed, and went to get it.

"Hello." said a raspy voice beside me as I debated on which flavor to buy. I looked up into flat blue eyes in a tan face, so clearly someone not from around here. The man was tall, most likely above 6 feet, and had longer wavy blonde hair, tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was very well built and very attractive, and I guessed somewhere in his early twenties.

"Hi." I squeaked, simply out of politeness.

"You know, the strawberry mango is the best." He said. I nodded, not wanting to talk, even though he was wrong as the best flavor was definitely pomegranate. I quickly grabbed the first few yogurts I saw and walked away, relaxing when he was out of my sight. I didn't know what, but something really seemed off about the guy. I made my way back to the checkout, and found myself behind two other people. I sighed and looked at my watch- I only had a two minutes, surely I would lose the bet now. Luckily however the people in front of me only had one thing each, so the line moved fast, and I still had 36 seconds left. I smiled and quickly headed for the door.

Suddenly, after I hadn't even taken five steps outside the door, a rough hand clasped over my mouth. I wanted to scream, but I had no idea what was even happening. I quickly realized that I was being dragged to a car- a car in the opposite direction from Edward's. I glanced up from under my hood to peer at my captor, and a sinking feeling spread throughout me as I realized it was the blonde man from before. Tears began to fall from my eyes as I was thrown into the back on a black car, hitting my head. Everything was blurry for a moment, but I regained sight in time to see the man handcuff my wrist to the seat and slam my door. I tried to scream as his hand was no longer over my mouth, but no sound came out of my mouth. I watched as he quickly jogged around the car to the driver's seat, but just as he was about to get in another form jumped on him. I quickly realized that it was Edward, coming to my rescue. More tears began to fall at the thrill of seeing him, but as the two began to fight I knew I needed to do something. I began to frantically search for something to break the handcuffs, but I found nothing. I was gasping with fright and I looked up from my search to check on the fight outside the window. Suddenly, the blonde man pulled something from his pocket, and shoved it into Edward's side- a knife. I screamed bloody murder as I watched him slowly pull the knife out, it thickly coated in a red liquid. Edward screamed too, as he fell towards the ground, clutching at his abdomen. The man then jumped into the car and began driving away. I turned in my seat, screaming and thrashing wildly, to look back at Edward lying still on the ground. The blood was pouring out of him, mixing with the water from the now heavy rain. I sent out a silent prayer that no matter what happened to me, Edward would be okay. As the man turned a corner I lost sight of Edward, and a part of me was ripped away. That part was left lying the on the ground, bleeding, next to Edward. I cried harder than I ever had, and screamed bloody murder, shouting profanities that I never used at my captor. He simply chuckled darkly, before turning in his seat to slap my across the face. The force from the blow caused my head to knock against the window, and slowly sleep came over me. Edward was the last thing on my mind as I welcomed the darkness.