.
Dear Readers!
AS ALWAYS!
I am translating this story from Italian.
All characters/people are property of the book author Stephenie Meyer.
The story was not written by me, I only translated it. All credit goes to the author, without whom this story would not have existed.
Please forgive me for mistakes and probably wrong expressions, as my native language is not English.
Thoughts are written in italics as usual on these pages.
I thank you in advance for reading this story and hope you enjoy it.
I appreciate every review you write to me.
Luna Calante
Chapter 1
The First Look
Bella
It was a beautiful morning in May. The sun was shining warmly. The first really pleasant day that made me think of summer. Our university group was walking through the forest, led by our crazy literature professor. We were all armed with a writing pad and a pen.
Our professor said that the words would best find their way into our brains when we were outside in nature. We should write a spring poem.
Over the past few weeks we had edited, commented on and unraveled about two hundred spring poems by writers from all over the world and now we were to be creative for once and write ourselves.
The professor walked in front of us, whistling. He was in a great mood.
Spring fever. Mrs. Link, the history professor, had finally given in to his wooing. They were a couple now.
We were amused by this.
But I was also happy. They were really nice and cared about their students.
I was studying literature, English and Spanish.
And I hated walks in the woods. I liked being outside, it wasn't that. But I hated having to get to a certain destination quickly and still stumbling over roots and the like. But the weather today even improved my mood. I wasn't particularly happy. My studies were fun. But other than that, nothing was going well. My mother had separated from my father and also said goodbye to my life.
"You're too introverted for me," she had thrown at me when we parted.
Yes, I was focused on myself and very quiet. The opposite of my mother. But did that make me so unlovable that I was pushed away?
Daddy couldn't handle the separation. He started drinking and I had to watch helplessly. He lost his job with the police and sat at home staring at the TV and drinking. I had given up on him and had been living in student accommodation for three months. All alone in a tiny room. But now my savings had run out. I didn't know how I was going to pay the rent. I had already looked for a job in vain. I had found three private pupils, but the money was enough for food - nothing more. Nineteen years old and at the end. That's how it looked.
"Bad mood?" asked Mike next to me.
"No, not really," I said.
"What then?" he asked.
"Lots of thoughts and no end in sight," I said, giving him a smile.
He liked me, I felt that, but I had no desire for him. He was not the man I imagined. I had only had a boyfriend once, for a month, and he had been really hot. But unfortunately he had emigrated with his family. Well, I was grateful to him. He had been my first sex experience and I his and it was nice. But that didn't help me now either.
We had arrived at the destination of the professor's dreams, a clearing situated in the middle of the forest ... in the sunshine.
A bit away from it rippled.
The students settled down in the clearing, each to his own, because we weren't supposed to be chatting.
I followed the sound of water.
A small stream rippled out of the forest and back into the forest on the other side of the clearing. The sun glistened on the water.
I liked that.
I leaned against a tree stump - facing the water - and looked at the blank page of my writing pad.
Hmm ... I felt like a night poem. That was more my mood:
In the reflection of the stars,
through the clear moonlit night,
fluttered - I liked to see it,
a small butterfly, very light.
Hmm ...
The sun caressed my face. I took off my cardigan and sat there in my top.
That was so pleasant on the skin. Hmm ... lovely warm.
I closed my eyes and basked in the sun.
After a while, I heard noises in the clearing. I looked at my watch.
We had only been here thirty minutes. The professor had scheduled three hours. Why was there such a commotion?
Somewhat annoyed, I leaned forward and looked past the tree stump to the clearing.
My breath caught in my throat.
Four or five 'creatures' in black cloaks rushed across the meadow as if floating, grabbed one student after the other, pulled him to themselves, bit him in the neck and let him fall again shortly after each.
I suppressed a scream.
What kind of creatures are these, I thought in horror, and yet I could not look away. It seemed as if they drank the blood of the humans. Didn't only vampires do that in feature films? It happened so fast that no one had time to scream. All that could be heard was rustling and moaning. Shortly after, the clearing was covered with dead bodies. The creatures looked around, began to collect the bodies and pile them in the middle of the clearing. Relax, Bella! Lean back, maybe they won't spot you, I thought desperately.
And just at that moment, one of the black figures looked in my direction.
I couldn't make out the face, but I saw the eyes shining red at me.
Red like blood. Cold shivers ran down my spine.
The figure came toward me.
Oh shit.
My body stiffened.
I could not run away. But I was scared. Very scared. It was a man. The closer he came, the more of his face I could make out. He had fair skin. All smooth and silky. Beautiful but striking facial features. I had never seen such a handsome man. Only the terrifying red of his eyes frightened me. It didn't fit in with his beautiful overall appearance. He was very tall and powerfully built.
You're about to be dead, Bella, I thought.
Uninterruptedly he looked at me.
My pride won out. I did not avert my gaze and stared back cheekily.
If I was going to die, I wasn't going to die a wimp, I was going to die with dignity! Right!
He stopped in front of my feet and slowly sank into a crouch, without separating himself from my gaze.
I saw the corners of his mouth twitch.
"Aren't you afraid?" he asked.
His voice was deep and clear and terribly erotic. I was under a spell. Oh God, Bella, pull yourself together. This is your killer!
"No," I said clearly and distinctly.
He looked astonished.
"Why not?" he asked, genuinely interested.
I examined his beautiful face.
"My life is over right now anyway. So at least it's a success to be killed by such a beautiful creature!", I said, marveling at my spontaneity. Well done, Bella. That impressed him.
He smiled ... and the smile was genuine.
I saw that he was thinking.
"Edward?" shouted one of the other black ghosts.
"I'll be right there!" he called back, without taking his eyes off me.
Out of the corner of my eye I perceived that they were burning the corpses. I saw flames, smoke and also smelled burnt flesh.
I looked at him.
His gaze burned into my eyes. I thought he could see into my soul. It was simply fascinating. How could this be? How could I like someone in a situation like this? It was as if I liked him. Strange. He looked at my face, my hair, let his gaze travel lower over my body. He paused at my bosom and then looked even lower and again at my face. I wonder if he liked what he saw. Never mind. Your last chance, Bella.
I brazenly raised my hand and stroked his cheek.
He did not flinch, but was completely irritated.
His skin felt smooth and very cold, but still it was like he was spreading electric shocks across it, shooting straight into me and landing in my abdomen.
I quickly pulled my hand back, but he grabbed it in a flash and held it tight. He guided my hand back to his face, sniffed my wrist and then kissed it.
Now I was completely irritated. A gentle little tender kiss.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
I sat very still and did not move. Not a bit.
He held my hand.
Then he opened his eyes and said, "I'm going to take you with me!"
"Why? Where?" I asked, horrified.
"Keep it down before I change my mind!" he said.
He rose and pulled me up from the floor by my hand. My notepad and fountain pen fell to the floor and I reflexively looked after them, startled.
"Pick it up," he whispered.
I picked up both and quickly took my cardigan.
"Come with me," he ordered, and I walked behind him.
As I did so, I quickly pulled on my jacket and pressed the block against my chest.
The other black guys looked over at us with interest.
"I'll take her with me," Edward said, his tone allowing no argument.
All were men, all tall and strong and handsome. The tallest grinned once, the others turned and ran towards the forest.
Edward turned to me, pulled me into his arms, picked me up like a toddler, and ran after with me.
It happened so fast that I felt dizzy. I clung to his cloak and closed my eyes, pressing my face against his chest.
Oh, he smelled damn good. My senses almost faded. Wow! So Edward was his name. Why hadn't he killed me? What was he going to do to me? Rape me? Then kill me? That seemed obvious to me at the moment. Well, then I would just die in the arms of a damn good-looking fragrant man. More pleasant than there in the clearing, I thought.