Heyy, this is my first fanfic tell me what you think! If you're new I'm re writing but not going off plot now that I have a beta. I'll leave little notes on chapters that've been updated.

Summary: Bella is able to see the energies/life force of humans and vampires after being bitten by James, but never told anyone except Renee. 3 years after the Cullen family leaves, being the danger magnet she is Bella faces a familiar enemy. In hopes to get Bella killed, she's brought to the Volturi only to find her true mate in Marcus and is the solution in solving a mystery that's plagued the Volturi kings. Now with a new life in store, a chance of new love, and discovering new secrets Bella has been placed under a time crunch to solve Didyme's supposed murder, and Carlisle's involvement with it. Will Bella be able complete this task with her special gift, or will time swallow the life she's trying to make.

I don't own anything, Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

(updated chapter)

Bella POV

I opened my eyes but closed them after seeing the rare sunshine pouring into my room. Golden rays of light danced with specks of dust in the air, coaxing me to get up and look outside. On days like these, I like to think that my mom didn't ditch me to live in the wettest and cloudiest corner of the country. Sadly, I knew that with the next grey sky it would take to bring me back to a reality that didn't hold the slightest spark of hope.

Reluctantly my feet brought me out of my bed and into the bathroom where I was greeted by a stranger in the mirror. Her long, dark lifeless hair fell in no particular way around her sickly looking pale face. Malnutrition was very evident as I saw her remove baggy clothes that hid the bones painfully sticking out. I couldn't find the courage to even look her in the eyes but I wanted... no needed to know what secrets they held. With a small amount of bravery I made eye contact.

Dark circles surrounded murky orbs that looked like they were trying to get a message across to me, but even I didn't know how to decipher her wordless views. Giving a small sigh I stepped into the shower, after giving my reflection a silent goodbye. I turned the water on and listened to the droplets hitting the floor beneath for a moment, and found it to be soothing. Once I was underneath the stream the water enveloped me in a warm embrace. The trickles distracted me from the aches my body held, most likely from laying in bed so long. But at least I got up on my own, that was definitely a win for the day.

When the water went cold I turned off the water and forgot all about the warmth I knew just moments ago. Afterwards, I dressed into some sweatpants and a t-shirt while thinking about what to do with the day. The clock showed it was just past three so there was some time left to be outside at least. Gazing out into the forest from my window I grabbed some old sneakers and made my way down stairs. Charlie was long gone for work by now, but I was surprised that he didn't leave any of his breakfast mess in the sink. I would usually always find dirty dishes in the morning and something burning lingering in the air, but maybe he just went to the diner this time. My father wasn't one to talk similarly like me, but he always did try to let me know he loved me in his awkward, quiet way.

I made sure to grab my keys and phone before making sure the doors were locked once outside. Of course no one would actually try to break into my home, but in my world you could never be too safe. It's not like a vampire would respect a locked door...or window. I smirked at the thought but when Edwards face came to mind I felt my expression change into my usual apathetic mask. The void in my chest seemed to cry out at the memories that tried to surface but I pushed them aside, just like I always do.

I put on my sneakers, placed the keys in my pocket, and left through the back door of my home with an apple and water in hand. An almost hidden pathway into the forest was in front of me. It was a warn down dirt path with grass growing above it, slowly hiding any proof the any steps were ever taken here. Sometimes I think about the people before who have walked this path, and how much trust they unknowingly had that the used earth beneath their feet would lead and guide them to a safe dwelling or short adventure with parameters. But who am I to judge anyways, when I am also following the lead of someone who had the determination to be the first to travel into the unknown. Perhaps it's just my fate to be a follower in the shadows.

As I started my journey I felt something flutter in the deepest part of my mind, like it was trying to remind me of something tucked away in my memories. Quickly ignoring the feeling I continued on my way. It was a warm spring day and the trees were singing in the wind. There were still blossoms on some but most have already withered away or fallen to the ground. Song birds were calling each other back and forth, and if I was lucky maybe I'd see a deer in the distance. I wasn't particularly a nature person since I grew up in a major town in Arizona, but something about the greenery against a clear blue sky brought a sense of contentment. I started nibbling on my apple and sat down in a small meadow. Butterflies were dancing amongst the wildflowers, and bumble bees were buzzing away.

A very short lived smile came to my face just as memories I believed to be locked away came up. I could audibly hear the I love yous and sweet nothings I used to crave like a drug sounding in the distance. Sensations of being touched affectionately made my skin crawl and then the lullaby came and continued to play like a broken record. Not knowing what to do I ran away. I was headed in the direction of home but knew even those walls couldn't hide me from the pain. My breathing was uneven and the fire in my lungs made me feel so weak. Tears were running freely down my face but no one would see. At least that was what I thought.

Tripping on most likely my feet I fell face first into a muddy puddle, and started spewing mud from my mouth. I brought my water out to clean my mouth out and wash my face and hands, but before I could pour any into my hand a chuckle sounded near by. I was frantically looking around to see if I could find a source of the sound but there was no one around that I could see. Getting up quickly I tripped again and the laughter seemed to get closer. It's just in my head I thought as I ran back to my house, while trying to escape the sense of newfound paranoia. With shaky hands, I unlocked the back door, and frantically locked it back up. Taking my time to slow my breathing, I sat at the foot of my stairs, and tried to calm down enough for another shower. When I was ready I made my way up the bathroom to check for any wounds, and cursed when I felt the tops of my knees and elbows throb.

Why did I have to be so clumsy all the time?

My friend in the mirror had dried mud on her face and hair, there were some scratches here and there, and her knees were bloodied from tripping. I started the water and put it to a scalding temperature, before stepping in. The water burned me as I watched dirt and blood go down the drain in a swirling motion. Deciding to actually use soap and shampoo I started washing away the dirt and sweat from my sore body. When the water got cold I used the frigid sensation to bring myself back to a state of numbness.

I shouldn't have gone outside.

The safe haven I had tried to build for myself was crumbling, and hiding was no longer an option. But a girl can dream. When my teeth started to chatter I got out and started drying myself. Glancing at the mirror my reflection was blurred from the condensation. Something about not being able to see who was on the other side made me think about what I would want her to hear. I wanted to apologize to her for ruining our chance for some sort of stability in this life even though we both knew that nothing could last forever. Feeling very low in spirit I looked away from the mirror, put on my bathrobe, and started to brush my teeth. Spitting out the frothy contents in my mouth, I saw small specks of dirt in it from my previous fall.

After finishing up in the bathroom, I went downstairs for a drink and decided to wait for Charlie to come home. I clicked on the TV and saw people in boats talk about fishing. Not really wanting to channel surf I settled back into the couch and just stared at the screen in front of me. What Charlie found so appealing about fishing I would never know, but it made for good background noise to dissassociate to. At some point I finally had enough and looked at the clock. I was shocked to see it was almost midnight.

Had I really been watching for that long? Charlie should have been home by now but he wasn't. Now that I really think of it, I didn't think he called today. Looking at the call history on the home phone, my hunch was correct; the only call was from the reservation. I decided to call the number back and someone picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?" Came a deep raspy voice that I knew belonged to Billy.

"Hi Billy, it's Bella. I was wondering if you've heard from Charlie today?" I asked.

"Sorry kiddo, but not today. The last time we talked was almost 2 days ago about doing another fishing trip for today actually. He never responded to my call this afternoon either... is everything alright? Should I send one of the boys to you?"

"Everything's fine. He may have just decided to take another case or something. Thank you though."

"Well, call if you need anything and tell your old man to call me back."

"I will Billy, also how is Jacob?"

"...you know how young adult men can be. He just turned 20 and thinks he knows what it means to be a man. He's probably busy working on another old car. Anyway, I don't want to hold you for too long since it's getting late. Have a good night Bella." He said in a rush.

"Bye Billy." I replied and hung up.

That was a bit suspicious but I decided not to try to dig any deeper, now was not the time. Feeling hungry I went to the kitchen to force an apple and a protein shake down before going up to my room. Where was my dad? After some thought I decided that I was going to have to break my promise and track him. Best case scenario he could be at the diner and just having a merry old time.

Taking a deep breath I sat down and closed my eyes and imagined the face of my father and memories I had of him. I had started thinking of the homecoming he gave me when I arrived back to Forks, and dwelled on times I fell as a child and how he always comforted me while putting on a bandaid. When I felt something snap in place I opened my eyes and a cobalt blue strain of light illuminated in front of my eyes. Got him.

I quickly got up from the floor and put on some black jeans and a dark hood, anticipating whatever was to come. I prayed to whatever god was there that Charlie was going to be okay when I found him, and that we could go back to the life we created for ourselves. My movements were a bit frantic as I left through the front door slamming it shut behind me and getting into my truck. The truck roared to life as I turned the key in the ignition, and I pulled out of my driveway.

A great thing about my tracking was that the trail always went along with the geography or roads my eyes saw, almost like a virtual reality GPS but that didn't take away from how reckless my driving was now. Car horns were honking at me as I drove, and I ran a few red lights but I payed no mind to my surroundings. Some time went by before I saw a Welcome to Seattle sign, and I started to feel fear for what was waiting on Charlie's end.

My truck started to slow down and eventually came to a stop in the middle of a road and I was forced to go by foot. I probably looked like a lunatic running in the middle of the night but when Charlie's strain was starting to dim a little, it prompted me to run even quicker. I came up to A rusty old fence that was separating an old looking warehouse from the rest of the city. Taking a deep breath, I walked towards the fence, and opened the gate while noticing a broken chain on the ground. I saw that the front door was slightly ajar and stepped inside. There were dim lights on and some were flickering. I could hear water dripping somewhere and got goosebumps when I saw a slumped figure tied to a large pipe.

"Dad?" I said and rushed to his side.

He weakly lifted his face and I saw one of his eyes was swollen shut. The smell of his blood permeated the air causing me to feel nauseated, but I swallowed down the bile. I started untying him and when the rope was loose his body fell forward.

"Bells... run... not safe." He said weakly.

I saw that there was blood leaking out of his neck, and knew instantly that there was a vampire behind this.

"We're gonna get out of here, let me help you up dad." I said.

I put myself underneath an arm and when I had an arm secure around his waist I used all my strength to push us off the ground. I quickly got out my cell phone and dialed 911. Charlie fell to his knees and started coughing violently.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"My dad is really hurt and I don't know where I am. We're in an old warehouse in Seattle, can you track my location?" I say frantically.

"Yes, just give me a minute and help will be on the way. Who am I speaking to?"

"Isabella Swan, and my dad's name is Charles Swan." I say.

A familiar chuckle sounded behind me and I turned to see a blonde vampire standing there. He had shaggy hair that framed the sharp features of his face, his bright crimson eyes looked into my fear filled ones with a humored look.

"I must say Isabella, for a clumsy little thing you are very good at hiding, hiding in your own town too, I bet Aro would love to see for himself what an amazing tracker you are."

"Bella...run." Charlie whimpered before going limp.

"Isabella are you still there? Is there someone there with you? Police and an ambulance are on their way"

"Looks like we better go, I'm sure Victoria would love to have a reunion with you." He said and stalked towards me.

Victoria had found me and used my own father for bait. I was frozen with fear and the bile I tried so hard to keep down started to come up from the pit of my stomach. Dark spots started to intrude in my vision as I fought to stay alert and piece things together. Charlie never made it home, because he had been here for god knows how long. He wasn't there this morning to make his attempt at breakfast, or to call Billy back, or even to call me to see if I was okay. I felt cold arms wrap around my torso, just as I witnessed my father start to stretch towards me. His blue aura was dimming into nothing, until it looked like a string ready to snap. I wanted nothing more than to just disappear into the darkness that was quickly coming, and when it arrived I let myself go and didn't want to come out of it.

I had the oddest feeling that I was sharing my mental space with someone else, almost as if someone was trying to reach me here. Growing tired of the gloom I opened my eyes, but darkness was still surrounding me. It was like I woke up into a starless night. Time seemed to stop and I imagined this was probably how things were before the universe was born. In a distance I saw a figure; a woman I think. When they saw me they slowly made their way in my direction and eventually started sprinting to me. With fear in my bones I turned around and started to run, but I couldn't tell if I was even going anywhere. It felt like I was running on a smooth surface and when I looked down that was when I noticed my reflection rippling underneath me. Am I running on water?

A hand grabbed my shoulder and a violent shaking brought me out of my trance and into the light.

Just a dream.

I looked up from where I lay and locked eyes with the familiar crimson gaze of Victoria.

"Isabella Swan, what an enigma you are and a puzzling one at that. It's been almost three years since you've disappeared from my radar. What have you done to hide so well and at the first place we searched, too?" She asked.

Looking around I noticed that I was on a jet, but was quickly brought back to the attention by a sharp pain on my left cheek.

"It's rude to ignore people you know. Now answer my question, how did you hide in your own house for three years?" She snarled.

"..." I couldn't find the strength or even the willpower to open my mouth to answer her. I had tried so hard to protect Charlie from the dangers in the supernatural world that I let into our lives, and I failed him. Was he even alive?

Victoria was in my face and had her hand around my neck and started to squeeze, until I was sure my face was blue from the lack of oxygen. When she let go I doubled over and started gasping for air, and coughed madly.

"Stay silent then, but you certainly won't keep your secret hidden for long. The kings in Italy will bring me justice and you're going to pay for getting James killed!" She smirked.

Well this was actually very anti-climatic. She used my father to draw me out, just to have another vampire bring me onto a plane to Italy. I thought she would try to torture me or something, and I may not be great at math but things weren't adding up. James came after me, an ordinary 17 year old human, and was killed by a coven of other vampires.

"I'm not the one who killed him, why am I going to Italy?" I asked.

"Obviously you haven't caught on that I want you dead, and I want to avenge my James's death. The Cullens broke the law, and bringing you there will ensure that they will die. When the leaders see that you have a gift they'll make sure to turn you and force you to join them. And you'll have all of eternity to live with the sorrow of your sad little family's death." She said.

"So you want someone else to do your dirty work?" I said incredulously.

"I can have you killed right now no doubt, but you're the only evidence that this upcoming trial needs." She said, and disappeared to the pilot's side.

I rubbed my sore neck and leaned back in my seat trying to figure out what to make of this situation. I remember times when I would beg to be turned and now that the chance was in front of me I didn't know what to think. It was clear that Victoria didn't know that I was left behind, but one thing was for certain. I couldn't let Victoria win. I needed to confront my misery and sometimes the only way out is through. Like ripping off a bandaid I embraced the vault of memories I had with the Cullens and felt the pain. I started crying and worked very hard to keep my breathing steady. I remembered how happy I used to be, and how everything felt like I was on cloud nine.

I remembered Emmett's antics and ability to keep me smiling, I remembered Alice dragging me into her shopping addiction and the Bella Barbie days, I remembered Esme showing me what it was like to be loved wholeheartedly by a mother, I remembered Rosalie's loyal devotion to her family, I remembered the way Carlisle would nurture me back to health and offer his fatherly wisdom, and I remembered how Jasper's stoic front would intimidate me but always caught him keeping watch over my well being. And then there was Edward, there was so much to think on but when I thought about it my infatuation with him hid so many red flags...

The constant need to know where I was or what I was thinking, the subtle gaze of a predator ready to pounce, and even him keeping me away from everyone but his family. The horror I started to feel pushed away any good reminiscing I was having. Now I understood the concern that Charlie, Jake, and some of my classmates had for me. How could I not have realized that we weren't mates? What happened to me?

I continued to be deep in thought until I eventually drifted off to a dreamless sleep. I didn't know what the future held for me but one thing was for certain. I wouldn't be hiding from it.

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