Renee squealed with excitement, nearly bouncing out of the driver's seat as they made their way down the 10 freeway. A sign had just passed above that said "New Orleans 1 Mile."
Bella smiled indulgently, an odd role reversal between mother and daughter. They were taking turns driving from Phoenix all the way to Jacksonville, Florida, and she was wondering if she should've taken this driving shift. It had been two days on the road already, a slower progression than Bella would have preferred, but Renee was afraid to miss out on any of the sites.
It had been an impulsive decision, as decisions usually went with Renee, to turn their move into a road trip. Renee's new husband, Phil, had needed to fly out immediately, but Renee had insisted that it would give her and Bella some much needed "girl time."
The more practical reason to Bella was that it would allow her to finish her junior year of high school before moving, something Renee didn't seem as concerned about.
So, a couple months after Phil had already left, they shipped most of their belongings with a moving company, piled the rest into the back of Renee's car, and hit the road.
"We should stop for gas." Bella pointed at a gas station sign, lit against the darkening sky.
"We still have a quarter of a tank, we'll be fine," Renee replied.
Bella knew her mother was eager to make it into the city as soon as possible, with thoughts of indulgence and dinner and that certain uniqueness promised by New Orleans.
"Trust me, Mom, we probably aren't going to want to stop tomorrow morning. Besides, that means we can sleep in that much longer."
Bella had said the magic words. Renee pulled off at the next exit and found the closest gas station, a little two-pump station that looked like it had been around when gas had cost 19 cents a gallon.
Only one other car was there, an old hatchback parked by the out-of-order air compressor.
Renee parked at the one open pump and pulled out two twenty-dollar bills, handing them to Bella, saying, "Get some snacks for us, too, hon."
Bella took the cash and made her way into the tiny convenience mart, a tinny bell announcing her entrance.
No one was manning the counter, but Bella browsed the shelves anyway, picking up a couple bags of chips and some candy bars. It wasn't the healthiest of choices, but one was limited when shopping at an ancient gas station's convenience mart. Plus, they were on vacation, and what were vacations for if not for fat and salt and chocolate?
Bella was smiling internally at her own musings when she walked up to the counter. It took her a second to notice two things: one, she was no longer alone, and two, the other person was not the attendant.
She jumped in surprise at the sight of a young man—no, he was barely a man—leaning casually against the counter. He couldn't be more than 15 or 16. He had a tall, lanky frame and an open, kind face. His skin had an olive hue underneath what appeared to be a severe lack of sun exposure. It created an odd complexion. A crown of thick, glossy brown curls completed the look. Despite his youth and pallor, Bella had to admit he was beautiful.
He smiled at her, making his youthful face appear even more innocent and open.
"Hello, lovely girl." His voice was deeper than she expected it would be, and soft as butter.
Bella bristled at being called "girl" by someone younger than herself, but realized that she had been staring at him stupidly, her handful of junk food suddenly a little embarrassing.
She smiled nervously, dumping the chips and chocolate onto the counter. Finding her voice, she pointed vaguely behind the counter and said, "Do you know when the attendant will be back?"
The boy's grin grew, and his eyes—which Bella just realized with a jolt were unbelievably dark—sparkled as he said, "I do not think he'll be coming back anytime soon."
Bella's eyes shifted between the smirking boy and the vacant register, thinking she was missing some kind of joke. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, though nothing had changed other than the boy smiling at her, and she wished for nothing more than to be back in the car with Renee and speeding to another, more populated gas station. Preferably one with an employee or two.
"Will you come with me a moment?" He crooned, still smiling.
Bella hesitated a second, then moved to the door while keeping as much space between herself and the stranger. "I'm sorry, my mother is waiting-"
She caught her breath mid-sentence when the boy reached out and grabbed her wrist. His grip was incredibly strong, but the most shocking thing was how cold he was. Bella felt her heart rate speed up, and almost couldn't catch her breath through the sudden panic.
She looked up into the stranger's face; his eyes were still wide, but he wasn't smiling anymore.
"Please," his voice was lower and smoother, if possible. "Come with me, lovely girl."
His eyes seemed to be boring into her, and she drew back, as if she could evade his piercing gaze.
"No," she gave up the pretense of politeness and tried to shake his hand off.
His eyes shifted to the door, as if something had caught his attention, but Bella hadn't heard anything.
"Fine." There was more venom in his voice and his eyes narrowed in annoyance, but Bella let out a breath of relief when he released her.
She hurried out the door, jumping at the bell, which sounded louder than it had earlier.
She didn't make it far.
Halfway to the car, she stopped short, the panic back fiercer than ever.
Her mother was gone, the gas pump laying on the ground as if it had been dropped.
"Mom?" she whispered, torn between wanting to run screaming for her mother and not wanting to draw the unnerving stranger's attention.
"Lose something?"
Bella turned, sure her heart would beat straight through her chest. She could feel herself shaking, the clammy sweat of her palms.
It wasn't the stranger, but someone who looked eerily like him.
A young man approached her, a young man who was breathtakingly beautiful. He shared odd qualities with the other one, unnaturally pale and possessing a very otherness.
The eyes, though. They were not black, but a blazing burgundy. That undid her, and Bella felt an involuntary scream rising in her chest.
She had no chance to release it; in the next second, everything went black.
A/N:
The first few chapters are Cullen-free, but bear with me! They'll be around soon.
this is a very (very!) old story I wrote a few years ago and never posted. I am doing some cursory edits as I post, but please forgive anything I miss. It was beta'd by Rubberduckiez-I'm not sure if she is still around, but I am infinitely grateful for her time and effort back when I was writing this.