Chapter One

2005

Bella Swan

Unbeknownst to tourists of the Denali National Park there was a family of vampires who lived further into the woods.

Instead of them hunting down humans, they instead drank from animals that traveled throughout the national park. The family consisted of Eleazar and Carmen, who were known as the mother and father of their ''children''. The said children were Tanya, Jasper, Irina, and Kate. Eleazar and Carmen were mates while Tanya and Jasper were mates also. Irina and Kate had yet to meet theirs, but they were content with finding men to have one-night stands with, which was part of the reason why they had decided to become what was known as vegetarian vampires.

Living with them was one of their numerous cousins, Bella.

She was different from them.

She wasn't a vampire with golden irises like them.

She was instead a human and was living with her cousins for two years while the rest of her immediate family were living away from Alaska in Forks, Washington. She was expected to come down from Alaska to Washington State to live the last of her junior year and her whole senior year with them.

She was currently on the balcony of her cousins' home, wrapped up in a heated blanket her family had insisted she wear whenever she was outside. Her long brown hair cascaded midway down her back and was slightly wavy. Her skin was naturally pale, she had quite large almond brown eyes she shared with her late biological father and was too skinny for her height and age. She was still wearing her pajamas since it was the weekend, and she wasn't having to deal with being homeschooled by her Aunt Carmen.

As much as she loved her aunt and uncle, she sometimes felt trapped here.

She only turned her head towards the sliding doors that led into the loft of the two-story cabin (if you didn't count the attic), noting how Tanya was coming out. She was Scandinavian, like her sisters, and had long blonde hair. She was never seen without her mate and husband. Said mate/husband was currently in the attic of the cabin, painting the landscapes. He didn't prefer to paint people and he was extremely talented throughout the years he had been a vampire.

"What are you doing out here, baby cousin?"

Tanya, just the rest of the vampire kind, had a melodic voice.

Part of her charm in order to lure humans into doing what she wanted.

She used it for good most of the time but sometimes she used it for handsome human men to do whatever she wanted, which sometimes resulted in Jasper staking his claim on his mate. Bella thought it was gross, she didn't need to see the obvious lust her cousin and cousin-in-law had with each other. She would rather they keep it for when they were behind closed doors.

"I am thinking about Mom and Dad. I miss them. I know they're busy a lot, and they can't come up as much as they could before but I'm also feeling guilty. I don't want you to think I don't care about you and the rest of our family. I know you put up with me whenever I am in my moods," Bella spilled out to her, blushing some and ducking her head.

Tanya scoffed, as if Bella was telling her about the dumbest thing in the world. She reached out and wrapped her arm around her cousin. She bent down and kissed her on the forehead before muttering something in her native tongue. Bella looked confused and Tanya rolled her golden eyes.

"You are such a nincompoop, Bells. You don't realize how much we love you. Even Jasper cares about you, despite him being nervous around you. We wouldn't trade you for anything in the world," Tanya promised. Bella smiled at this, and how her eldest cousin always had called her a nincompoop, it reminded her how much her family loved her.

"Did someone call my name?"

Bella almost jolted out of her skin when she heard the southern drawl of her cousin-in-law, Jasper Hale. He had been a Confederate soldier before he had been turned into a vampire by a Mexican vampire who was bent on destroying those who had taken her land. Jasper ended up having the ability of an empath, being able to manipulate emotions into what he wanted them to be. He never used his ability on Bella unless she was feeling really bad, and she had asked him to.

Jasper stood in the doorway of the sliding doors, dressed in a graphic t-shirt with no jacket on, worn out jeans and hiking boots. His canary hair was pulled in a low bun on the back of his head, and his strong features were soft when they looked at his dear cousin-in-law. He let his golden eyes flicker away from looking at Bella to Tanya.

"Nothing to worry about, babe. Bella is just feeling as if she's not supposed to be bothering us with her presence anymore. Hell, she could have stayed till she got her high school degree. She still can," Tanya remarked, but Bella shook her head, allowing them to know she would decide to go down to the lower forty-eight and stay with her immediate family.

"Alright, don't be stayn' out too long now. Carmen's set on makin' sure we have a big ol' dinner for ya. We got us some deer and she's fixin' up some stew for ya. Just try and appreciate it, she ain't much of a cook," Jasper added, his Texas accent still as smooth and thick like it had been. It was a comfort for Bella, and it was another odd detail of Jasper when it came to him living here in Alaska instead of in the lower forty-eight.

Bella stayed outside on the balcony for only a little while longer, before she got up from her comfortable spot on the designer outdoor sofa. She smiled some as she noticed her two other cousins come bounding into the open clearing the house had been built on and revealed themselves. Kate and Irina, the both of them were playing tag, Kate was maniacally laughing as she tried to touch her sister, while Irina was set on reaching the front door of the cabin. They were dressed in lightweight cotton blouses, ripped jeans and actually ended up being barefoot since the snow couldn't freeze them. They didn't see a point in wearing weather appropriate clothing.

Irina had the more animalistic aura around her, the one who was most Intune with being one of the famed succubae. She was the one with the highest number of notches on her bedposts. She was the quiet one who would leave and visit different countries more than the others, she would have an insatiable appetite for all different types of men ...with an occasional woman. She had cat eyeliner around her eyes, her white, blonde hair was her pride and joy. She always made sure it was perfectly maintained and claimed it was one of the things that caught the men's attention other than of course her golden irises which would look luminescent in the strobe lighting of clubs.

Kate on the other hand reminded Bella of Bubbles from Powderpuff Girls. She had this innocence still there in her, and she was the pacifist in the family. She only used her power in light, joking manners unless shit went down, and she had to incapacitate someone. She had her hair pulled up a high ponytail on her head, gathered together so it was pressed against her scalp. She was wearing light blue while Irina was wearing pure white.

Kate was the one who saw her first and rushed forward, jumping the rest of the distance so she could land on the railing of the balcony. Snow went flying around her from being disrupted on the wooden carved railing. This was a very old cabin, and everything ended up being one of the first cabins built on the property. In time it had gotten fixed up, modernized, and only the wealthy could own the cabin, but it still had solid bones to it still there. It was only a matter of time before Kate would end up breaking the railing or something else all due to her need to play tag with her sisters and sometimes even Aunt Carmen (Uncle Eleazar wasn't that kind of person, he was too serious).

"Little cousin! Little Cousin! I'm so glad that I caught you out here. I can sneak you out here and we can go find some good food for you before you have to deal with Carmen's deer stew," Kate offered, in her usual playful manner. Bella rolled her eyes and entered the loft of the cabin, the luxury carpet being stain proof and felt like a cloud on Bella's bare toes.

"I can't do that to Aunt Carmen. I'm not going to put her through that. She's always felt like she can't be as good as a mother to me as Mom has been," Bella reminded her, making Kate nod her head. They knew Carmen wasn't as natural when it came to maternal instinct towards an actual human. She was even more of an aunt towards the sisters than she was a mother figure.

The house was built in a triangle shape, with the top floor being the attic floor. To the left of the carpeted loft there was the hallway which had Aunt Carmen and Uncle Eleazar's bedroom, a guest bathroom, and Bella's bedroom. On the other side of the loft there was the hallway which had all three sisters' bedrooms along with a guest bathroom. High end foreign brand furniture was placed in specific angles in the loft, sending off a light gray, warm brown, and navy-blue tones. There was a couch which was up against the iron wrought loft railing, so one was sitting with their back to the open floor plan kitchen/dining room and living room.

Standing in front of the marble kitchen island, Aunt Carmen was ripping a deer in half with her bare hands, which in return sent blood out to hit her. Some of it hit her on the face and her hair, but she had done the wise thing and had made sure to cover up the rest of her. She focused her entire attention on it. She was the smallest vampire in the Denali Coven, with brown skin and soft curves along with a wild mane of black hair. Said hair was pulled up in a high bun on her head and she had a hair net over it to make sure none of her hair would fall down.

"It's good to see you, Bella Hun. I just got to get this deer meat out and we can get started on the stew. Your uncle went out to get some more of the spices and what not in order for the stew to be the best stew you ever tasted," Aunt Carmen explained, sending a warm smile at Bella even when she yanked a bone out of the way. A spurt of blood came shooting out and hit her on the cheekbone, she merely shrugged as if to say this was a hazard part of her job.

Slowly moving down the steps of the staircase, Bella glanced around the remainder of the open floor planned front room. The main walls of the cabin were made of the same logs as the exterior part of the cabin. Large black wrought iron windows were up against the wall that looked out to the creek in the distance, and there was antique leather furniture that was scattered in the living room section of the front room. A huge deep brown leather sofa with two matching recliners that were angled towards the fireplace (said fireplace was made of brick and said chimney face went all the way to the top of the ceiling), a fallen pine trunk was sitting in the middle of the living room section, with a fur rug made of a black bear's coat. Most likely one of them had decided to make it. Photographs and paintings lined the walls around the cabin, some being family paintings while others were paintings of the forest around them.

The kitchen section of the front room had white marble counters and countertops, matching the same white marble kitchen island (which at the current moment had a deer carcass sprawled out on it as though this was some horror movie), and black wrought iron curved handles on the top and bottom kitchen cabinets. There was an old school stove that had been around since the cabin had been built, but one of the latest models of fridges was a few counters away. There was a floor to ceiling section of the left side of the kitchen, the same wall that had the fireplace, which was made of all different moss to create a more organic look in the modern but antique-like cabin. A golden antler chandelier was above the kitchen island with light up natural crystals resting at the ends of the antler arms. A sign once again the Denali's were old blood.

A long oak dining table a local Carpender had created for the family was in the middle of the open floor with antique carved oak dining chairs around it (around ten chairs). There was an Persian rug in blues and grays that was underneath the dining table and a simple black wrought iron chandelier above it. There was no center piece.

Uncle Eleazar came from the only hallway of the first floor, where there was the office both he and Aunt Carmen shared. He was of Spanish descent with the typical warm skin (though as a vampire it had a tinge of bluish white) and short black hair. He had the ability to sense abilities and once had been a part of the head coven in the vampiric world: the Volturi. Within time he had left and eventually like the rest of the Denali's had met Bella's dad, Carlisle.

"There's my niece. I apologize for Aunt Carmen; it's been a while since she has made food for you. Usually, we get pre-made meals for you. I hope you enjoy the meal," Uncle Eleazar commented, before he came forward to where his niece was. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead, his golden irises showing nothing more than warmth.

Aunt Carmen shot a look towards her husband, before she picked up the remains of the deer and swept out of the cabin so she could dispose of the carcass. The doors of the back of the house were already open so she wouldn't have to ask anyone to open them for her. The doors were shut automatically, Kate having gone over to the doors and shut them. Thankfully the fireplace was lit so Bella wasn't completely freezing from the back doors being open.

"Thank you for being understanding of me deciding to go down to Forks. I know Aunt Carmen has been happy to homeschool me, but it's been two years since I've been with Mom and Dad. I miss them," Bella admitted, ducking her head down in shame. She hated feeling guilty all the time when it came to matters such as speaking about Mom and Dad and her siblings, but her extended family had assured her it was natural for her to miss them.

"Do not apologize to me, my dear. I know I would miss my daughters and wife if I were in your predicament. Now go upstairs and change into some proper clothes before dinner. You can't stay in your pajamas all day," Uncle Eleazar commanded, which in return made Bella nod her head before she went up the stairs towards her bedroom.

Bella's bedroom was made up of her favorite colors: different shades of pink.

There was rose gold, blush pink.

The room was quite smug but not too smug. The walls were a blush pink, there was one window in the room with white wrought iron curtain rods and white curtains that framed the sides of the black framed window. A rose gold beanie bag was in the corner of the back wall, angled to the side and imprinted quite a bit since she spent most of her time sprawled out in it while reading her classic literature (she had been raised with multiple languages so she often read the original language that the author would write in). A full-sized bed with rose gold bed sheets and comforter had white pillows and decorative pillows that had been of multiple sizes and fabrics. The headboard was velveteen square, the color of a deep pink. A vanity table, whitewashed wood, had a golden antique mirror hanging above it. There were multiple original perfumes from centuries ago, along with makeup and nail polishes.

There was a white fuzzy rug in the middle of the room, while the floor was of oak floorboards.

Overall, she had loved the room, and it was her haven. She had loved the colors she had, it was the same colors her eldest sister had loved, whom she called Mamma Rose even though her name was Rosalie since she was like a second mother to her despite only being two years ahead of her in appearance.

Dinner was spent with Bella eating the deer stew, where it was average and nothing special.

She had to admit she loved the flavor of deer; it was a sweetmeat and the spices her aunt had put into it had only highlighted the taste. She eagerly ate it, though, since she was stressed about her parents coming to pick her up tomorrow (she also had the bad habit of stress eating, it was a good thing she had a fast metabolism or else she would have been quite big in weight by now).

She didn't really pay attention to her cousins and her aunt and uncle as they talked about the current tourists of the national park. They quietly owned part of the national park, through paperwork and Uncle Eleazar being a national park ranger. He didn't look like he would be one and it amused the family every time they thought too much about it, but it worked when it came to living here. Aunt Carmen on the other hand was a middle school teacher in the town and happened to win multiple awards over the years due to her dedication and adoration of the students.

"You know as much as I understand you leaving, I wish you would stay. Who else can pull pranks with me when it comes to the rest of these people?" Kate probed, pouting some even though her mother and father shot her pointed looks, reminding her how Bella was already feeling guilty enough with leaving them after being here for many years.

"Kate Denali, you better apologize. It was her decision in the end to go back to her parents and siblings. You know we all would do the same thing if we were in her spot," Uncle Eleazar demanded, which in return made his youngest daughter do exactly that.

After dinner Bella took a long, warm bubble bath and wondered what Forks High would be like.

She had been sheltered too much, since the Volturi were not fond of humans knowing of the existence of vampires. They would not be too pleased at the fact her family had raised her, and if anything hadn't changed her into a vampire already since she had gotten past the age of an Immortal Child. They were discouraged and often were sent to Volterra so they could live in the castle; the queens were quite fond of the children since they didn't ask to be turned.

She tossed and turned that night, despite the fact she had taken some sleeping medication. She groaned and pushed her head into the comfortable pillows and sometimes threw her blankets off of her or would wrap herself in them again. The house had the heater on, so she wouldn't be freezing. Her bedspread and under sheets were all light weight or else she would have been sweating up a storm. The last thing she wanted and needed was to smell of sweat.

She got up when the beginning of the sunrise arrived, and went over to where her walk in closet was to pick out her outfit. She wanted to look her best when she would see her mom and dad again. She knew they couldn't care less what she would wear. She could walk out in one of her numerous hoodies and her sweatpants and they would still be happy to see her. Still though, she wanted to look her best when she would see them again.

She changed into a coco brown turtleneck cashmere sweater, ankle length tan and warm brown plaid skirt, white ankle boots and paired the outfit with one of the designer tan purses her cousins had bought online for her on her last birthday. A dark brown peacoat was draped over her shoulders, the designer bow would be easy for her to replicate since her fashionable female relatives had made sure to teach her how to replicate the fashionable bow look.

Bounding downstairs after she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and brushed out her hair with her antique hair brush, Bella had a bounce to her step. Her cousins were lounging on the sofa and were watching some random movie that was on the flat screen television above the fireplace mantel. They perked up when they saw her, even Irina had a look of relief at how her youngest cousin would come downstairs with a happier look on her face.

Once she had gotten rid of the taste of toothpaste in her mouth, she went over to where the kitchen was and made a small breakfast of eggs and toast. She put her bread in the toaster and after it was cooked, she put on some butter and some grape jelly. She put some cheese onto the scrambled eggs along with salt and pepper. She sat down at the kitchen island, where the black wrought iron backless island stools her. She had made sure not to cook meat around them, since they often thought that cooked meat smells horrible around them. Must have been something to do with the whole blood and fresh animal kill, and the last thing they needed to smell was it cooked.

Putting the empty plate into the dishwasher, Bella went over to the fireplace, which was lit for her and leant back against the tree trunk coffee table after one of her cousins handed her a pillow to lean back against. She barely paid attention to the movie, it had been from the 20's and was in black and white. It was also a foreign film, most likely it was soap opera worthy. She loved her cousins but sometimes she was concerned about how much they loved everything dramatic.

Aunt Carmen brought her head up from focusing on the quilt she was making, her features brightening even more as she seemed to hear something in the distance. Even the rest of the family members seemed to perk up when they heard something. Uncle Eleazar often dismissed everyone when he was reading one of his psychology books, but he closed the book once he had placed the built in silk fabric bookmark in the proper spot of the book.

"Your mom and dad just entered the park enough for us to hear them. They are really excited to see you again. Esme is non stop talking about how she had fixed up a bedroom at the house. She's also saying how Rosalie has been cranky lately since she's been waiting for her daughter to come home too," Aunt Carmen stated, amusement at how even Mamma Rose had claimed Bella as her daughter instead of her sister.

For all intents and purposes in the public they had to be sisters.

When they got close enough the family got up from their spots in the front room and went over to where the front door was. Uncle Eleazar opened the door and stepped out, Bella could hear him welcoming her mom and dad and Bella had to stop tapping her foot against the wooden floorboards to make sure she wasn't imagining the whole incident.

The moment her parents came through the front door she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around them. They bent their heads down and kissed her on the forehead and hugged her as tight as they could without hurting her due to their inhuman strength. Tears gathered in all of their eyes, one pair of brown human eyes and two pairs of vampiric eyes.

"I missed you Mom and Dad," Bella confessed, sniffling some and kind of hating how she was breaking down at this. She needed to be better with her emotions, but she had always been a sensitive person no matter how hard she tried to control them.

"We missed you too," they both said at the same time, sending each other amused looks at how attuned they were with each other. None of them cared though, they instead savored the feeling of their arms around each other.

For the first time in two years Bella and her parents felt complete. She was coming home.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Bella would call Rosalie Mamma Rose if she was raised by the Cullens and you can't tell me otherwise.

Anway, I hope you enjoyed the first official chapter.

as always: Twilight doesn't belong to me.

-it'semmynotemma