Copyright
Copyright 2013
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the author of this series and fans of Twilight and Edward Cullen.
Introduction
My name is Edward Cullen and I am a vampire. Carlisle took care of me when I was human and my mother died. When I was a teenager, he turned me into his own species. At first, when I started out with the blood of animals, I would sometimes cheat, feeding on humans that didn't deserve to live. The ones with minds of rape, murder, robbery, and etc. But now I am fully a "vegetarian" vampire. I was already a vampire when Carlisle turned Rosalie, and then, when she begged him to, Emmett. She was used to being wanted and admired, so she was hurt when I refused her. I was sorry that I hurt her feelings, but I wanted no one at my side. I didn't want a mate. Then came Alice and Jasper. This is my story.
1. New Girl
It's a gloomy day, as I walk into the cafeteria with Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. That's when I hear Jessica talking to the new girl. Bella Swan.
As I'm sitting at the table with my siblings, I see Bella look at me over her shoulder. I hear her ask who we are and Jessica tells her about what she knows about me.
"That's Edward Cullen. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently, none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him."
I keep listening in, as I crumble up my food to make it look like I ate. I'm a vampire, so I don't eat human food. As I listen to the conversation between Jessica and Bella, I try to hear Bella's thoughts. It's weird when I try. I can hear everyone's thoughts, apart from hers. With Bella, it's all silent. It's like there's an invisible force or wall, keeping me from entering her mind and hearing her thoughts.
Later, Bella sits next to me in Biology class. And the smell; her smell is mouthwatering in the hot room. Every essence of me wants to know what her blood tastes like. But I can't. I have to do the right thing. The only thing I can do is move as far towards the window as possible, cover my nose and mouth to ignore the smell, and try to work with her like a good student.
A second before the bell rings, I leave the classroom with my books. I can't stand her scent anymore. It's too much for me.
After class, I go to the office to ask for a different time for my class, but there seems to be nothing. So I leave.
2. Open Book
A week later, I return to class and this time I speak to her. It's not as warm today, so her scent isn't so strong.
"Hello. My name is Edward Cullen. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan," I say, looking at her with a friendly face.
"H-how do you know my name?" she stammers.
I laugh softly.
"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive."
"No. I meant, why did you call me Bella?"
"Do you prefer Isabella?" I ask, a little confused. It would be easier if I could read her mind.
"No, I like Bella. But I think Charlie-I mean my dad-must call me Isabella behind my back-that's what everyone here seems to know me as."
"Oh," I say, understanding now.
When the lab starts, I know I should be a gentleman. I smile at her as I ask, "Ladies first, partner?"
She stares at me.
I stop smiling when I say, " Or I could start, if you wish."
"No. I'll go ahead," she finally says, blushing. She starts, looking into the microscope and says, "Prophase."
"Do you mind if I look?" I ask, as she begins to remove the slide. My hand accidentally touches hers, as I go to take the microscope. She jerks her hand away and I say, "I'm sorry." I then take the microscope and examine it before saying, "Prophase," and writing it down.
I change the slide, examine it, and say, "Anaphase," before writing that down too.
"May I?" she asks.
I smirk and push the microscope to her.
She looks and then takes slide two out.
"Slide three?"
I hand it to her when she asks.
"Interphase," she says, after looking.
She passes me the microscope.
I take a swift peek before writing it down.
We finish and she must've seen how my eyes sometimes change color, because she asks, "Did you get contacts?"
"No," I reply.
"Oh. I thought there was something different about your eyes."
I shrug and look away.
She begins doodling in her notebook, when I look at her again and speak.
"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?"
"Not really," she replies.
"You don't like the cold," I state.
"Or the wet," she adds.
"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live."
"You have no idea."
"Why did you come here, then?"
"It's...complicated."
"I think I can keep up."
"My mother got remarried."
"That doesn't sound so complex. When did that happen?"
"Last September."
"And you don't like him."
"No, Phil is fine. Too young maybe, but nice enough."
"Why didn't you stay with them?"
"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living."
"Have I heard of him?"
"Probably not. He doesn't play well. Strictly minor league. He moves around a lot."
"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him."
"No, she did not send me here. I sent myself."
I raise my eyebrows.
"I don't understand."
She sighs.
"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made me unhappy...so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie."
"But now you're unhappy."
"And?" she challenges me.
"That doesn't seem fair."
I shrug.
She laughs humorously.
"Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair."
"I believe I have heard that somewhere before."
"So that's all," she finishes.
"You put on a good show, but I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."
She looks away from me.
"Am I wrong?" I ask, but she doesn't answer me and I say, "I didn't think so."
"Why does it matter to you?" she asks in irritation.
"That's a very good question," I mutter, unsure of it myself. "Am I annoying you?" I ask, when she sighs and looks at the blackboard.
"Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read-my mother always calls me her open book."
She frowns.
"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read."
"You must be a good reader then," she comments.
"Usually," I say, smiling.
After school, I lean against the Volvo and watch Bella from across the parking lot, as she walks to her Chevy truck.
3. Phenomenon
Before school starts, I watch from across the parking lot, as Bella gets out of her truck and looks at her tires. Then I hear a noise and see Tyler trying to control his truck. And as he tries, it heads towards where Bella is. And as it gets closer, she finally looks up and sees it.
She falls on the ground and I use my super speed, without anyone seeing, except my siblings, to get to her.
As the truck connects with Bella's truck, I stand by her. And just as it's an inch from her face, I put my hands out in front of her, stopping it from hitting her a foot away from her. Then I move my hands; one under the body of Tyler's truck; the other I use to gently drag her out of the way.622Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBw8wA06foC
I let go when Tyler's truck stops.
Once it stops, everyone starts screaming, yelling Bella's name. I ignore them, though.
I look at Bella.
"Bella? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
She tries to sit up.
"Be careful. I think you hit your head pretty hard," I warn.
"Ow," she says, feeling the pain. I can sense it.
"That's what I thought."
"How in the...How did you get over here so fast?" she asks me.
"I was standing right next to you, Bella," I lie.
"You were over there. You were by your car."
"No, I wasn't."
"I saw you."
"Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled you out of the way."
"No."
"Please, Bella."
"Why?"
"Trust me."
"Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"
"Fine," I snap.
"Fine," she says angrily.
After Bella is checked over and the verdict is that she's okay, Bella finds me in a hallway after Carlisle and I speak about what I did. I wasn't supposed to use any vampire abilities in public.
"Can I speak to you alone?" she asks.
My family leaves and I look at her.
"What do you want?" I ask.
"You owe me an explanation."
"I saved your life-I don't owe you anything."
"You promised."
"Bella, you hit your head, you don't know what you're talking about."
"There's nothing wrong with my head."
"What do you want from me, Bella?"
"I want to know the truth. I want to know why I'm lying for you."
"What do you think happened?"
"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me-Tyler didn't see you, either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. That car was going to crush us both-and it didn't, and your hands left dents in the side of it-and you left a dent in the other car, and you're not hurt at all-and the car should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up..."
"You think I lifted the van off you? Nobody will believe that, you know."
"I'm not going to tell anybody."
"Then why does it matter?"
"It matters to me. I don't like to lie-so there'd better be a good reason why I'm doing it."
"Can't you just thank me and get over it?"
"Thank you."
"You're not going to let it go, are you?"
"No."
"In that case...I hope you enjoy the disappointment."
"Why did you even bother?"
"I don't know."
I turn my back to her and walk away.
4. Saved
I'm in Port Angeles keeping an eye on Bella, but staying as far away as I can. But when darkness falls and she goes through an alley with a book in her hand, some guys start following her. That's when I hear what they're thinking.
I race my Volvo towards them and stop not far from her. I get out, leaving my door open.
"Get in," I order her, as I go to stand in front of my car, facing them.
She obeys.
"That wasn't cool man," one guy says.
I stand there silently and let my eyes flash, making myself scary, which makes them back off. And then I turn my eyes back to normal and get in, closing my door and racing out of the alley and down the road.
She uses both hands to clutch the seat.
"Distract me, please," I order.
"Put your seat belt on," she says.
I chuckle a little.
"You put yours on."
I'm a little calmer now.
I slow down a little and look at her, as I drive.
"I'm sorry. I was following, keeping as far away as I could, in case you needed me. And then I heard what those low lives were thinking. I should go back and rip their heads off, but that probably wouldn't be necessary for me to do."
"No, you shouldn't," she agrees.
"Are you cold?" I ask, sensing what she is feeling.
I turn the heater on, at the same time as she reaches to do so. Our fingers touch and I take my hand away.
I stop outside the restaurant where Jessica and Lauren are coming out of. We both get out of the car and walk towards them.
"Where have you been?" Jessica asks.
"I got lost. And then I ran into Edward," she lies.
"I'm sorry. We ran into each other and got to talking," I lie to them.
"Oh. That's okay. Everyone does that. It happens all the time. Right?" Jessica says.
"Yeah," Lauren agrees.
"We'll see you tomorrow," Jessica tells Bella.
"I think I should make sure Bella gets something to eat," I say.
So her two friends walk away, laughing as they go to their car.
I open the door for Bella and we walk in.
We sit at a little table for two.
As she eats, we talk.
"I have two questions. Why are you in Port Angeles?"
"I followed you to Port Angeles. I've never tried to keep a specific person alive before, and it's much more troublesome then I would have believed. But that's probably just because it's you. Ordinary people seem to make it through the day without so many catastrophes."
She then asks about mind reading and I tell her how I found her; by reading minds and searching, when I realized she had gone off on her own.
"You said you read minds?" she asks.
"I can read everyone's mind in this room, apart from yours."
I look at a woman a distance away. "Cat." I look at a guy a foot away. "Money." I look at another woman. "Dog."
Soon after, she finishes and we leave. I then take her home.
5. Catastrophe
The next day, I follow her into the trees, until she stops, back facing me, me standing a distance away, watching her.
"I know what you are. You don't eat, you don't go out in the sunlight, your eyes change color, and you're pale and ice-cold," she says. "How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"How long have you been seventeen?"
"A while."
She's silent.
I start to walk towards her.
"Say it. Out loud," I say.
"Vampire."
"Are you afraid?"
"No."
"You should be."
She turns around to face me.
"I'm a monster, Bella," I add.
At top speed, I run to the top of a hill and yell, "See if you can outrun me!" I throw a log and yell, "See if you can fight me off!" I sit in a tree on a low branch, looking at her. "I'm designed to kill. I'm the world's best predator, Bella. Everything about me invites you in. My voice, my face, even my smell. My family and I are different from others of our kind. We only prey on animals. We call ourselves vegetarians. It's an inside family joke."
"There are others?"
"Yes. We run into them from time to time." I then go to explain our gifts.
The next day, I take Bella to meet my family. It turns out rather well. They all like her, but Rose doesn't like letting a human into our world. Alice absolutely adores Bella.
A few days later, when I take Bella to watch us play baseball in the middle of a storm, we have to stop. Three vampires visit. Victoria, James, and Laurent. They leave and then we do the same. I read their minds. James is a tracker. He won't stop until he finds Bella again. And then he'll kill her.
A few nights later, we fight against James. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and I work together and kill him. Jasper and Emmett put his body on fire, while I stand by and watch Carlisle and Alice take care of Bella. And then he tells me I have to suck the poison out. And so, not wanting to lose her, I do so. And it's almost impossible for me to stop. But I do.622Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEx57m4IvS
Later, I stay with Bella at the hospital and take her home afterward.
6. Prom
It's a dark night, as Bella and I slowly dance. We talk as we do so.
"You must have some other theory...I'm curious-what did you think I was dressing you up for?" I ask her.
"I don't want to tell you. I think it'll make you mad-or sad."
"I still want to know. Please?"
She sighs.
I wait.
"Well...I assumed it was some kind of...occasion. But I didn't think it would be some trite human thing...prom!" she scoffs.
"Human?"
"Okay. So I was hoping that you might have changed your mind...that you were going to change me after all."
"You thought that would be a black tie occasion, did you?" I tease.
"I don't know how these things work. To me, at least, it seems more rational than prom does."
I grin.
"It's not funny."
"No, you're right, it's not. I'd rather treat it like a joke, though, than believe you're serious."
"But I am serious."
"I know. And you're really that willing?"
She bites her lip and nods.
"So ready for this to be the end. For this to be the twilight of your life, though your life has barely started. You're ready to give up everything."
"It's not the end, it's the beginning," she disagrees.
"I'm not worth it."
"Do you remember when you told me that I didn't see myself very clearly? You obviously have the same blindness," she says.
"I know what I am."
She sighs.
"You're ready now, then?" I ask her.
I smile, and incline my head slowly until my lips brush against the skin just under the corner of her jaw.
"Right now?" I whisper, my breath blowing on her neck.
"Yes," she whispers.
I chuckle darkly, and lean away.
"You can't really believe that I would give in so easily."
"A girl can dream."
I raise my eyebrows.
"Is that what you dream about? Being a monster?"
"Not exactly. Mostly I dream about being with you forever."
"Bella. I will stay with you. Isn't that enough?"
"Enough for now."
She touches my face.
"Look, I love you more than everything else in the world combined. Isn't that enough?" she says.
"Yes, it is enough. Enough for forever," I say, smiling.
I lean down and press my lips to her throat gently.
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