Hey everyone. This is my first time trying my hand at fanfiction and I'm proud of what I have so far and hope you all enjoy it.

CHAPTER 1

Port Angeles

Bella's POV

"Hey Bells, can you come down here?" I hear my father call from the kitchen.

I run downstairs to see what all the yelling is for. Charlie Swan is the Chief of Police in our small town, usually joking around but this one time he had a very worried tone to his voice. The man in question, unless it came to his daughter's safety or his job, was the type of guy that didn't worry about things but the extra time he's been putting in at work probably has to be taking its toll on him.

"Hey, what's up Dad," I asked him, a little confused as to why he sounded so worried even the look on his face slightly worried me.

"Just something from work has been on my mind." Charlie sighed. "But no need to worry everything is going to be ok."

I knew he wasn't telling me everything but I didn't pry if it's something important he'll tell me when he can. It wasn't clear why, But he had this look of sadness that seemed to be veiled by fear. Fear of what I had to ask myself.

"Anyway I just heard from your mother, That's why I called you down here," Charlie stated. I tensed, my mother and I haven't been close since the divorce three years ago when I decided to stay with my dad.

"A couple of Phil's teammates have been getting that flu that's been going around and have been sent home. Your mother says that Phil and the rest of his team are not ending their tour just yet and still plan on playing in Portland. She was wondering if you are still planning on driving out this weekend to see them?" Charlie asked, hurt flashing in his eyes at the mention of his ex-wife and her new husband.

Even though my dad had fully moved on from mom, now and then you could tell he was still hurting.

"Yes, I want to see my mom even if Phil has to be there," I say with a sneer on my face.

It has been two years since Mom and Phil got married. The moment she met Phil, I could tell she was happier than ever. Due to Phil's minor-league baseball status and my mom's love of traveling with him wherever he goes, this didn't leave much time for our relationship. In the end, I didn't want to stand in the way of her happiness, even if it meant that I moved in with my dad and let her travel with Phil. I rarely see or hear from them these days, other than the rare texts from my mom checking in on how I've been doing or wanting to talk about the boys that might be in my life.

I look at my dad who is staring at me like I have two heads. "You okay there Bells? I've been trying to get your attention for a bit, what's on your mind? Charlie asked, confused and slightly annoyed at my non-response.

When I realized I had been staring out the kitchen window for who knows how long I snapped out of it.

"What were you saying? I'm sorry I was just thinking." I replied a little sheepishly.

"You were thinking about your mother weren't you?" Charlie responded as he looked down at the old wedding ring on his finger. Dad always said he didn't care about the ring but in the three years since the divorce, he hasn't removed it once.

"Yeah, but it's not a big deal," I said as images of Mom and Phil flashed in my head wiping the smile off my face for a second before I put on a new smile and changed the subject.

"So what are your plans today?" I asked with a happier tone than before. Dad looked at the clock on the wall and sighed.

"Well, I was supposed to meet up with Waylon today, but he thinks he might have caught that superflu, so instead I'm going to the Black's for some hunting around 2:30. Who knows, maybe I'll bring home something nice." Charlie's eyes lit up as he told me his plans to go to the Black's but I knew he just wanted to see Sue again.

Sue Clearwater's husband Harry was a really good friend to Charlie before he passed away 6 years ago. He once promised Harry if anything were to happen to him that he would look after Sue and her children. She brings home-cooked meals over to our house once or twice a week. This has helped because neither my dad nor I are good at cooking so we tend to eat out at The Lodge most nights. I know Dad has a big crush on Sue but won't admit it to anyone let alone himself. I just want my dad to be happy.

Sue's children are helpful too. Seth chops a lot of wood for us so we can have a nice fire during the cold months. Leah is the quiet one that keeps Seth in line but that's all I know about her, she tends to keep to herself. Seth on the other hand is a good kid to have around, he's a little girl crazy and on more than one occasion has tried to ask me out, but I view him more as the little brother I wish I had.

"What do you have planned for today? Charlie asked me.

"I'm planning on going over to Alice's for a bit, Esme invited me over last night for a girl's day with her and Alice. I won't say no to a trip to Port Angeles. There is a new bookstore I wanted to check out and Alice wants to see if she can get this dress from Raven and Lily's that she's been obsessed with for weeks now." I replied, thinking about every time Alice has mentioned that blue dress over the last couple of weeks.

My dad looked at me questioningly "Okay, just please be safe I don't want anything to happen to you. Do you need any money for this bookstore?" Charlie asked as he raised an eyebrow at his last question and instinctively pulled out his wallet. For a second another odd look crossed his features this time out of fear and worry.

"Yeah, can I have $50 in case I find a book I like?" I asked. As if on queue he pulled out $100 and handed it to me. The look from a moment ago returned but this time staying longer than a second.

"Bella, you're 18 now so please be careful, get yourself something nice, and use the rest on dinner while you're out there as I might not be home before dinner," Charlie said as calmly as he could manage at that given moment. His tone and the odd looks he had been giving since I'd been downstairs were starting to make me uneasy, it was unlike Dad to act like this but I let the moment pass.

In the hour or so that followed, we just sat there talking back and forth. Dad and I don't usually have the time to chat during the day, because he's usually busy with work and I'm at school, but today being his day off and me graduating a few months ago gave us some time to talk. Something still seemed off about him today, maybe he's just overworked. I hoped that was the case.

At about 2 o'clock my dad got up from his seat at the dining table

"Well Bells, I hate to do this but I've got to head out I don't want to be late, and the Black's leave without me," Charlie said as he leaned down to kiss me on my forehead.

"Please for your old man's sake text me when you get home even if I'm not home yet but I will be home tonight." The worried look returned.

The last thing Dad said brought back the slight uneasiness from earlier so I chose to make a joke to break some of the tension.

"So what no sleepover at Sue's tonight then?" I joked.

I knew if it got late enough he would stay at Sue's claiming that he just crashed at Billy's after getting too drunk. I watched as his face turned scarlet red at the mention of Sue.

Clearing his throat from the tension and knowing that he'd been caught

"I don't stay at Sue Clearwater's house!" Charlie replied, trying not to show how correct I was. I couldn't help but chuckle as my dad reminded me of a preteen boy with a crush he didn't want anyone to know about.

"Please text me when you get home. I won't ask again, I just need to know you are safe." Charlie pleaded that look returning to his features one last time before leaving.

"Of course Dad, it's been drilled into my head for years to do so." I roll my eyes sarcastically but am still slightly worried at what my dad isn't telling me that has him so worried.

"Tell Jake I said Hey and tell him to text me more," I yelled to my dad who was just walking out the door and nodded. So I took that as he would pass along my message. I noticed he walked slightly faster than usual to his car. I hoped everything was okay, he was starting to scare me a little.

I miss talking to Jake. We don't see each other often due to him living on the reservation and I've been busy. I just wished he'd text me a bit more. We used to be super close when we were children before Alice and her family moved to Forks. Jacob and I grew apart after many years but my dad and Billy that's another story, I laughed to myself thinking about the duo.

I sighed and pulled out my phone to call Alice trying to push the questions going through my head aside, the phone rang twice and then I heard my best friend's cheery voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hello," Alice said over the phone in her usual melodic tune that almost could border on flirty depending on who she spoke to.

"Hey, what time do you want me to head over for our girl's day?" I asked as I started pulling out the clothes I was going to wear today. It was cold today so I wanted to dress warm.

I heard other voices in the background which is probably Alice asking Esme when is the best time when she responded."We're just getting ready now so give us about 45 minutes and then head over."

"Sounds good, do you want to grab some food while we're in Port Angeles," I ask after hearing a particularly loud grumble from my empty stomach as I haven't eaten yet today I got lost in my book and completely forgot.

"Absolutely." Alice nearly screamed through the phone.

"Plus any reason to get out and not have to see Thing 1 and Thing 2 try and swallow each other all day." Alice continued at a lower volume than before.

I chuckled as I knew she was referring to her brother and his Barbie doll

"Also don't forget we HAVE to go to Raven and Lily, I CANNOT live without that dress" Alice excitedly replied emphasizing the urgency for the simple blue dress.

That's when I heard his smug voice in the background.

"Why does she have to come here? I have Tanya over and don't want Bella's cooties around her. Why can you pick her up, Port Angeles is in the direction of her house anyway." Alice's brother Edward cried in the background, clearly upset over the thought of having me in his presence.

Edward Cullen is a narcissistic asshole that only cares about the current girl he's fucking at the time, which is currently Tanya. She was the mean girl at Forks High School, every guy was into her except that she only wanted Edward. The two of them have been inseparable since junior year of high school and I mean they did everything together.

Alice and I have been best friends since the third grade when her family moved here. Edward and I were never close but he didn't start his mean streak until high school. I don't know what I ever did to upset him but I'm not going to dwell on someone that doesn't want anything to do with me.

"Sounds good, I'll read my book until then and also tell Edward I don't have cooties, only gross boys have them, but with Tanya's airborne Chlamydia, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten it already. I mean, how many guys has she really been with?" I said with a smirk as I heard Alice trying to hold back her laughter and her brother and his girlfriend being offended by my statement in the background. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear what they were saying over Alice giggling.

It's no secret that Tanya has been with a lot of guys at Forks High, there were even rumors that the night of graduation she was seen with Embry, the head of security for the high school, l'm shocked she and Edward have stayed together so long.

I push those unwanted thoughts of Barbie and Ken out of my mind. As for now I set an alarm to let me know when to leave and settled into my bed to read the last couple chapters of my book that seemed to go by way too fast.

Forty-five minutes later

I put my book down just shy of finishing the last chapter so I decided to take it with me. Maybe I'll finish it in the car ride to Port Angeles, which will probably be about an hour's drive that should be plenty of time to finish it. I text Alice letting her know I'm heading out now and I'll be there in about 20 minutes. I grab my wallet and jacket as I'm locking my door, I get an alert on my phone that I ignore as it's probably a rough weather alert as it's currently raining. What else would you expect from this rainy state I call home?

I hop in my truck and pull out as I'm driving down the road I decide to stop to get some gas. I put $30 in my tank, aware that it's probably only enough to get to my destination and home before I run out. As I continue my drive out to the Cullen's, I have this nagging feeling to check that alert on my phone but just pass it off as nerves and the usual bad weather. However, as I'm getting closer to the Cullen's house that feeling did not go away and the thoughts of my dad's odd behavior from earlier flickered in my mind once again.

A few minutes later, I'm pulling up when I finally check my phone. The alert did not make me feel any better as I read the headline,

"All 50 States Infected With Super Flu."

As I continued reading what stood out specifically was "stay away from all people who may be sick, at this time we have no understanding of this specific flu." What made my heart sink was "We currently have NO vaccine or any way to treat this sickness and the death toll is rising by the minute."

With the severity of what I had just read, I wasn't sure how to cope. I had no idea what to do at that moment. Was this what Dad was so worried about earlier?

I wanted to cry but I couldn't do anything. Everything I just read was just too much for me to comprehend. I just sat there for who knows how long feeling numb. Is this the reason for Dad's strange behavior earlier? Or is something else going on that is weighing on him? Just then I heard someone knocking on my driver's side window, it was Alice.

"Hey," I said, rolling down my window a little shaken from what I just read.

"Are you ok? You've been sitting here for about 10 minutes just staring off into space so I came out to check on you." Alice questioned.

"I'm ok I was just in my thoughts." I smiled at her hoping she'd just take that as a valid answer, but Alice being my best friend knew something was up but didn't push.

"Well come on then let's go inside, my mom is just finishing up she'll be about 10 minutes, so that gives us enough time to mess with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb for a bit before we go," Alice replied with an excited look on her face.

I knew she had been talking about getting that blue dress from Raven and Lily's since our last girl's day last month and now is finally her chance to get it.

As Alice guided me into her beautiful home made of all glass, I heard one voice, in particular, dripping with his ego and narcissism. I knew exactly who was speaking. We couldn't resist when Edward and Tanya grew quiet we knew they were probably trying to eat each other so we thought now would be the best time to mess with them.

Alice led the way and we quietly sat on the couch opposite them, when they still didn't notice us too busy trying to swallow each other. That's when I spoke up.

"Hey honey I'm home, I didn't know we had company. When do I get my turn?" I said as loud and flirty as I could and watched as their heads connected in a painful crash, the two of them looking around as fast as possible to Alice and I cackling with laughter.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry I was kind of hoping you'd leave and stay far away?" Edward said bitterly as Tanya just stared at us before cocking her head toward Edward when he didn't defend her.

"Mhmm, what about me? I don't want that slob to touch me" Tanya screeched loudly and gave Edward what almost looked like puppy dog eyes but just made her look constipated.

What was wrong with my clothes? Yeah, maybe they were old but why would I want to wear heels and dresses? I'll take my jeans and Converse any day over the other option. I decided to take offense at that.

"I wouldn't touch you with a 10-foot pole," I said under my breath, but Tanya just glared at me.

"Good, for all I know you'd turn me into a toad or something, you witch!" Tanya screeched at me in a pitch that would make dogs run away. She curled herself around Edward in a way that I didn't even think was possible. I swore I saw his face turn a little blue from her grip on him.

"I'm sorry babe, is there anything I can do to make it up to you," Edward said almost like an adult speaking to a child. I almost gagged just hearing him say that. Tanya sat there on his lap and acted like she was thinking before she started attacking his face. Alice and I sat there cringing at the sounds of their tongues and teeth clanking.

Just then we heard "You girls ready to go" Esme called from down the hall as she walked out putting on her earrings.

The sudden sound of Esme's voice caused Tanya and Edward to jump apart. Oh, how I wished she was a couple of minutes earlier to spare myself from having to witness the monkeys fighting each other with their tongues.

Alice and I jumped up eager to get out of this situation. As Alice ran to her room to grab her wallet, phone, and jacket the whole room echoed with the sound of everyone's phone alert. Everyone immediately looked at the headline on they're phones that only said "Be Careful on the Roads" and nothing else. So we all took it as just a rough weather alert as we do get a lot of ice on our roads due to the cold and rain. No one said a thing. While waiting on Alice, I got a text from my mom which changed my mood completely.

Mom
"Hey sweetie, I'm so sorry Phil has gotten sick with this flu that's going around, Phil's tour has been canceled and he has been sent home. Unfortunately, we won't be able to see each other this weekend. I hope you can forgive me and I'll make it up to you as soon as I can."

I didn't reply. I had no idea what I'd say.

I knew my mom wouldn't want me getting sick, it just seemed like an excuse but I have to remember the alert I got earlier. I just couldn't help the disappointment of planning to see her for months just for her to choose her husband over her only daughter.

I guess Edward saw my whole shift change right then and wouldn't stop giving me this unreadable look. It was the only time I wished I could read his mind, he didn't look angry or disgusted as usual, but almost worried. That was the first time I'd seen any sort of kindness toward me since we started high school. Did he care? I doubted he did, if he did he wouldn't be such an asshole.

"Okay I'm ready to go" Alice called out nearly jumping down the stairs to get to us faster. I couldn't help but laugh to myself.

A couple minutes later we were on the road to Port Angeles and I was explaining my mom's text and my dad's strange behavior from earlier. All of us agreed that it was odd and all had our theories on why. Esme and I agreed he was probably overworked but Alice theorized he might have a girlfriend and was scared to tell me. I'm pretty sure I'd know if my dad was seeing someone new, if he was seeing anyone it would be Sue.

I looked out the window just trying to clear my thoughts when I remembered I left my book in my truck, I guess I'm not reading during the ride. I had a lot going through my head today, I had more questions than answers. I decided after a couple minutes of thinking, when Dad gets home I'm going to talk to him about what's going on.

I went back to staring at the trees zooming past. We were in the middle of nowhere about 10 miles out from Port Angeles. It was calming, but that calm feeling didn't last long when I found myself questioning how there is a man just standing around in the middle of nowhere. There are no homes or businesses or anything in the area. He wasn't doing anything other than standing in the tree line off to the side of the road. I almost thought I imagined him until I noticed as soon as our car passed by he started moving almost as if he was following us. I couldn't lie it was kind of creepy, he seemed to only have the purpose to stand there but when we drove by he started moving.

When we got to Port Angeles Alice grabbed me by the hand and practically ran down the street with me barely keeping up with her. She ran past many stores but I knew where she was going and what she wanted.

"Hey slow down" I called out, barely able to speak and breathe at the same time.

When we reached Raven and Lily's that's when Alice finally let go of my hand. I at last was able to take in a few deep breaths to try to calm my racing heart. I was no runner compared to Alice, probably because of her cross-country experience. When I thought about it Alice's whole family were pretty fast runners.

"Breathe Bella Breathe" I hear Alice chanting as if I was a child holding their breath.

"That's easy for you to say you weren't the one dragged here." I breathe out my body finally adjusting to breathing at a normal pace.

I had expected Alice to be at the counter paying by now given how excited she was about that dress, but instead, she stood there in front of the shop. It took me a second to notice the 'Closed Until Further Notice' sign in the window. There was no one in the area, which was also strange since Raven and Lily's is usually busy. It was very unsettling to find this area of the shopping center this quiet and lifeless.

"Well that's upsetting but I guess we can check back next week. Why don't we go to that new bookstore you wanted to check out, isn't that why you wanted to come here with us today?" Alice asked curiously but she knew it was the truth. I could see the disappointment on her face for not being able to get that dress today.

Ever since we were young I've loved reading and even wanted to write a book when I got older.

After walking for a couple of minutes in the direction of the bookstore I spoke up.

"Hey, let's get something to eat at Sage & Salt before we go to the bookstore." I watched as Alice's expression changed to excitement again.

"Absolutely" Alice nearly screamed. I couldn't help but laugh at my best friend.

As we were walking toward the restaurant we noticed that Port Angeles was a ghost town it seemed like we were the only few people there and most of the stores including the bookstore had 'Closed Until Further Notice' signs on them. I can't lie, I've been coming here since I was a kid and it had never even come close to the eeriness we were experiencing, that's when we heard the most blood-curdling scream, little did we know that that sound was about to become a new normal.

Alice and I took off in the direction of the car to see Esme freaking out in the driver's seat while a man or what I thought was a man was trying to get to her. Then we heard another scream in the direction of the dress shop that Alice and I were just at. Then many screams echoed from every direction of the shopping center. At that moment we noticed there was no one around but the three of us and the man. The screams seemed to distract him from his mission but just then he turned around toward us.

That's when I noticed, he was very pale almost deathly pale and his clothes were torn to shreds this man looked like he had just been hit by a car, but if he'd been hit surely he wouldn't be standing in that state. The man started to take small staggering steps toward us and let out a low animalistic growl. As he walked toward us, his leg looked broken as it dragged behind him with every step.

Thank the lord I hadn't eaten yet, I would have thrown up everywhere because of the smell the wind blowing in our direction was foul. The smell wafting through the air reminded me of the time my dad had found a very dead raccoon under our house. That smell has been permanently burned into my head and the man in front of us was the source of the offending scent floating in the breeze.

"We need to leave or at least get in the car. Something is wrong with him and I don't feel safe. Maybe we can come back and get him some help." Alice said, trying to stay calm but had a hint of fear in her tone.

"I agree" I replied and went to move, once I got in the car I took my phone out and snapped a photo to send to Carlisle or show to my dad later.

On our ride back to the Cullen's we watched as cars flew past us. I made a mental note that there were more cars on the road than usual and it seemed as if they were driving fast toward the exit of Forks.

Why were so many people leaving? Most of us are happy here in Forks and lived quite peaceful lives. Also, what was the rush for? Why did it seem like people were leaving as fast as possible? Is this why Port Angeles was so empty and not even to mention that guy that seemed adamant about getting to Esme? So many questions in my head and nothing made sense, just thinking about all of it was giving me a headache. Maybe my dad will have some answers to any of my questions, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew he probably was just as clueless as I am.

That's all for now folks. I will try to be consistent in my updates but please be patient with me I have other things going on in my life and this is going to be a longer story and I'm writing quite a bit. I'm sorry I'm a perfectionist.