Title: Dhalia Swan: Vampire Slayer Extraordinaire

Author: Meissa6

Summary: My name is Dhalia Swan. I am the older sister of Isa - er, Bella - and I am one of the most powerful beings to ever walk the earth. Of course, I didn't always know I was powerful. In fact, up until I moved to Forks, Washington, I thought I was like you. Normal. Average. Then, I met the Cullens.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will ever, own Twilight, or any of its characters and plots.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. From that darkness crept them. Monsters who preyed upon the flesh and blood of innocents, whose teeth were sharper than any stone could be sharpened. Their skin was hard and impenetrable; their eyes as red as the blood they craved – except when thirst came upon them. Then, their eyes were as black as the night sky, minus the stars.

My name is Dhalia Swan, daughter of Charlie Swan and Renee Dwyer, older sister to Isabella – er, Bella Swan. I am eighteen years old, and I am a survivor of the aforementioned monsters. You see, when I was barely old enough to walk, he was there. His eyes glowed with the life source of his latest victim, a drop of said source still drying at the corner of his lips. His skin was colder than ice, as hard as the cement underneath my bare feet, and it shone. Oh, how it sparkled in the sun, like the shiniest diamond in existence!

I was too young, too ignorant, to realize the sort of danger he posed. Instead, when he reached for me, like a drunkard reaching for the last bottle he contained, I went willingly, feeling his fingers rake through my hair like ice picks. I don't know why he didn't kill me then; perhaps the chase? Perhaps the idea of knowing that now, even fourteen years later, the memory of that night would still creep into my consciousness on the verge of sleep? Or, maybe, just maybe, it was the sound of my mother's voice that startled him into action, leaving me standing at the edge of the Washington forest while he vanished into the darkness.

I never thought I'd return, but here I was, sitting in the back seat of Charlie's cruiser as he and Bella attempted – and failed, mind you – to make decent conversation. It wasn't that either of them were terrible to be around; quite the opposite, actually. It was just that they were both so introverted, subdued, it was difficult for them to choose a light topic that wouldn't immediately bring up the fact that Bella had basically refused to visit since her fourteenth birthday. Normally, I'd be comfortable enough to cut in, saving the day with my slightly over-developed social skills… but I was pensive.

Though I knew it was irrational, I kept imagining red eyes lurking behind the tree trunks, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to snatch me away to a world unknown. It was years ago, I had to remind myself, but the ominous feeling had already settled in. Forks, Washington was a small town in the uppermost cusp of Washington state, with a grand population of twelve hundred and fifty four – make that twelve hundred and fifty six, at least for another six months. I'd agreed to transfer schools in the middle of my senior year on one condition: I got to decide where I went afterwards, no question asked.

Mom was less than surprised at my desire to travel; I'd always expressed a love for the unknown, aka my obsession with the red eyes. But, Charlie on the other hand… He wanted me to settle down somewhere safe, marry some charming chap, and have a few kids – basically the life that he'd wanted but didn't quite work out the way he planned. Bella liked his idea, but she was more of the romantic type. Her small library said enough, composed of only the greats of the romantic era – Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, and, her upmost favorite, Wuthering Heights. Frankly, I'd never seen the point to romantic novels, but Bella was a romanticist at heart. If either of us were going to find love in a small town, it was bound to be her.

"So, Dhalia, any plans for after you graduate?" Charlie's voice, soft yet somehow stern at the same time, broke through my reverie, and I slowly lifted my forehead from the window, dreading the oncoming storm that was brewing overhead. It wasn't entirely metaphorical, either – the clouds really were darkening.

"Not really. Might just travel for a while, see the great sights, you know?" I replied in the most passive way I could muster, which, for me, was quite an accomplishment. Bella's curious glance in the rearview mirror outside her window told me I'd at least somewhat managed it.

Charlie grunted, and that was that. As much as I bemoaned his quietness, I couldn't help but to feel relieved. Don't get me wrong; Charlie certainly had a temper, as did Bella… but, they both had a way of stewing in silence that I could never do. It would be weeks before Charlie brought up the issue again, probably with a lecture about safety and 'being a woman out on her own,' but for now, the storm had passed. I only wished the literal storm had done the same.

By the time we pulled into the driveway of Charlie's modest, two-story home, I was wishing for Arizona's blazing sun on the back of my neck. Instead, I felt the cold drops of rain and the stickiness of humidity that clung to my skin even after running into the house. Bella looked less than amused, pushing her drenched hair from her forehead with a grimace. When Charlie suggested getting our things later, she agreed in relief, escaping upstairs before the tenseness of the car ride could follow us inside. I did the same.

"I don't know why he cares so much." I huffed, flopping down on the twin-size bed about two feet from Bella's, and closest to the door. "It's not like he was around most of our childhood, and now he wants to play daddy?"

Bella hummed noncommittedly, rummaging through the few boxes we'd previously sent up from Arizona once we knew we were moving here. I sat up in bed, pulling a few pillows up to function as a backrest as I watched her. She would never admit it, but I knew she had terrible OCD. Her room in Arizona was always perfectly spotless, everything deigned in one place, and rarely even a sock out of place. It would be interesting to see how well she coped living with me for the next few months – the girl who could barely bother to put pairs of shoes together, let alone in a perfectly straight line against the wall.

"Maybe he feels bad," I reasoned, mostly to myself, though she had the curtesy to shrug. "After all, it's not like he was a great Dad. At least he didn't abuse us, or neglect us… well, while we were here, anyways. And he always managed to send a birthday card on time, even that one year when Mom took us on that cruise."

Bella continued to flit around the room as I rambled, unbothered by my constant stream of words that had been built up since I stepped foot into Charlie's car. The sound of crashing thunder broke through, causing the window pane to shake in its frame with its intensity. I thought I was just being melodramatic, but I noticed the worried glance Bella gave it, almost like the same thought was going through her head – the glass shattering and a vortex sweeping us out into the raging storm.

"Ugh, this is going to be great." Sarcasm permeated her words so thickly, I could practically hear it dripping from her lips to the floor. "Tell me again, why did we move to Forks?"

I grinned. Why, indeed?

A/N: Will I ever return to the dozen unfinished stories I've left on this site? Will I ever learn not to go scouting in archived folders for lost stories? Who knows...