-Prologue-

Pain. It was surrounding her, filling every crevice of her body. All she wanted was the pain to stop. But, what she really wanted was to be in her loves arms once again. She knew neither would come true. She knew that she was already to far gone to be saved. Every drop of blood that flowed from her. Every ragged breath she took in hopes of surviving. Everything she was doing was futile. She was dying and she knew it. She wasn't going to try and pretend like she wasn't. She wasn't going to try and believe that she would somehow survive. She knew she wasn't going to. It wasn't a movie where the protagonist gets saved at the last minute, and lives happily ever after. It wasn't a warm and happy place where everything would end up okay. It was a thing called life, and it was cold and cruel. It said it was going one way, but decided halfway through to do a complete U-Turn. It was a complete bitch, and many people knew it.

She closed her eyes as another wave of pain wracked her body. She felt her blood run down onto the ground beside her. Creating a pool, and a great discomfort for her. The only other things her mind could really lock on was the night sky, and the cold ground beneath her. She had never really realized how beautiful the sky was. Especially the night sky with its hues of black and the twinkling stars within it. The Moon suspended in a timeless cycle stood guard. Its soft silvery glow illuminating everything around her. She felt her mind start to become foggy, and her heart start to slow down. The need to sleep overtaking her body, and extinguishing all other emotion even the pain. She knew she should panic, but she just didn't have any fight left within her. She had done everything she could to protect them, and now she could do nothing else. She could do nothing else, but wait for the inevitable end that awaited her. She could already feel her body start to shut down. It was like a process within her system. First it was the brain, and then it was the heart because it didn't have any instructions to keep pumping blood. Then one by one her arteries and organs would soon follow. Since they didn't have the life sustaining substance that kept them going. Which brought another thought to her muggy brain. The simple fact that her body was so codependent on one thing shocked and scared her. The simple truth was that if your brain got fucked up you were gone. Or you at least had serious problems afterwards.

She sighed softly to herself or what was considered between a gasp and a groan. She tried not to do the instinctive sucking in of the breath when pain wracked her body again. She knew her ribs had been messed up, and breathing deeply would only mess her up more. She closed her eyes tightly trying to ignore the pain that had just resurfaced, and the blood around her. She felt the darkness creep its way into her brain, and the icy cold grasp of death creep up her spine. She also ignored the tears that were running down her face. What for? She didn't know, and she didn't have enough energy to find out why. She just wished that before she died she could be with the love of her life again. Wished that she could be nestled in her arms again. Wished she could have the feeling of security and love that always came with it, but none of those things would come true. It wasn't how life worked and she knew it. It sometimes gave you treats, but it always had a master plan behind it. She just wished that things could have turned out differently, but she would never regret what she did.

She felt her body start to relax, and she allowed it. She couldn't fight the pain and darkness any more. She knew she was giving up, but she couldn't do anything else. She was to weak to get up and find help, and she couldn't yell or scream. There was nothing she could do. She leaned her head farther into the ground, and sighed softly. She would finally find peace away from the pain, and she was welcoming it. The darkness invaded her senses and gripped her mind. She felt her body plunge into its depth, and felt her body start to release its self from reality. But, as she was consumed she could faintly hear the call of her name. By the voice that would forever fill her heart with love. She just wished they had more time.

That was the last thought she had before total darkness descended on her.

2 Years Ago...

Isabella Marie Swan had never been more annoyed in her entire life. Not only was she supposed to move in with her dad, but she had to move from warm sunny Phoenix to wet and cold Forks, Washington. Forks was a desolate town in the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, the small town exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that her mother had been able to escape with her when she was only a few months old. It was in this town that she been compelled to spend a month every summer until she was fourteen. That was the year that she had finally put her foot down, and instead her father had visited her in California during the summers.

She was currently on a plane ride to Forks. Well Port Angeles to be exact since Forks didn't have an actual airport. The flying didn't get to her as much as the daunting fact of her having to be in the car with Charlie. Charlie had actually been pretty nice about the whole ordeal, and had actually been quite happy about her staying with him for any resemblance of permanence. She knew he had been pretty shocked like her mother at her decision of moving to Forks. Since she had made no secret of her distaste for the place, but she had wanted to give her mom and Phil space. Simply for the fact that they had just gotten married, and she really didn't want to know where that was going. She shuddered slightly at the image that appeared in her mind. She closed her eyes briefly trying to shake away the nightmarish image.

Once she was successful she opened her eyes, and stared out the window. The sky as they moved closer and closer to Forks had gradually darkened. She once again closed her eyes as the plane started to descend towards the small airport. After only about five minutes the plane touched down onto the ground, and Bella sighed softly. When the plane finally halted, and she was off board she realized it was raining. She sighed slightly to herself. She didn't see this as a bad omen she had long since said goodbye to the Sun. She saw Charlie standing beside his cruiser, but wasn't surprised. Since Charlie was the Chief of Police for the good people of Forks.

She walked towards him with her luggage, and he gave her an awkward one armed hug when she reached him. "It's good to see you Bells. How's Reneé?" He asked with a smile when he pulled back.

"It's good to see you too Dad. Mom's doing good," She replied as she put her luggage in the trunk. She saw Charlie smile at her response as he walked towards the passenger side and opened the door for her. She closed the trunk with a clank and walked towards her seat. She slid into the cruiser, and waited as Charlie rounded it and got in. They were soon on the road and heading towards her new home. The conversation towards Forks mostly consisted of small talk about the weather. The rest of it was in relative silence. She looked at Forks as the entered it. It was beautiful, of course; she couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves.

It was too green – an alien planet. They soon reached Charlie's house. He still lived in the small, two-bedroom house that he'd bought with her mother in the early days of their marriage. Which was was really only days of their marriage- the early ones. Bella sighed once again, and grabbed her luggage from the trunk. It took only one trip to get all of it up, and she was currently standing in the middle of her room. The room was familiar; it had belonged to her since she was born. The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window – these were all a part of her childhood. The only changes Charlie had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as she grew. The desk now held a second-hand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from her mother, so that they could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from her baby days was still in the corner.

Luckily for her the best thing about Charlie was that he didn't hover. He allowed her to get packed and settled without interrupting. A feat that would be near impossible for her mother. It was nice not having to put on a mask, and let a few tears slip. She wasn't ready to really all out cry she would save that for bed. She sighed softly to herself and decided to take a shower. Soon she was standing under the hot blaze of water. Her heard was leaning against the tiled wall. She was trying to not let tomorrow get to her, but she wasn't succeeding in the slightest. Forks high school was a horrifying three hundred and fifty-seven - now fifty-eight- students. There was seven hundred kids in her junior class alone. All the kids that went to Forks grew up together. Their grandparents were toddlers together. She would be the curiosity, the freak from a big city.

With a sigh she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and dried herself off. Once she was as dry as she could get. She changed into her pajamas and started brushing her damp and tangled hair. Bella stared at her reflection in the mirror, and sighed heavily. Maybe if she had looked like a girl from Phoenix she wouldn't be as much of a freak. But, instead she had ivory skin that could be considered as pretty, and long mahogany brown hair. She didn't even have an athletic body. No matter what she always had a slender body, and was soft, and she wouldn't be lying when she said she couldn't play sports. It would be better for everyone and herself if she didn't get close. She knew that it wasn't just her appearance that she was freaking out about. It was her personality as well. If she couldn't find a niche in a population of more than three thousand. What were her chances here?

The thought plagued her mind as she got into bed forgoing dinner, and as the night grew on many tears slipped from her eyes, but that question still remained; How would she fit into a place, that was so guarded?

The next morning Bella was all ready for school. The thick fog outside caused a slight concern for her, but she ignored it. Charlie had already left for work, and she was glad her mother and Phil had gotten her a car before she left. She would rather die than have to sit in a car with flashing red, white, and blue lights on it. She just finished up putting her needed supplies in her bag, and walked towards the garage. When she entered it she was shocked to a beautiful 1967 Chevy Impala in a beautiful black color. She looked beside the door and saw the keys. With a smile she walked towards the beauty and entered it.

The nice leather made the seats so comfortable. Bella had never loved a gift more, and she again couldn't help but grin. She pulled out of the garage, and closed the door behind her. She was soon heading down the road towards Forks High School. Finding the school wasn't difficult, though she'd never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the Forks High School, made her stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with marooncolored bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs she couldn't see its size at first. Where was the feel of the institution? She wondered nostalgically. Where were the chain-link fences, the metal detectors?

She stopped in front of a building with a small signed saying; FRONT OFFICE. There was no one else parked there but she would rather get in trouble than circle around in the rain like an idiot. She got out rather hesitantly from the warm car, and started walking down the stone path lined with dark hedges.

Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than she'd hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, which immediately made her feel overdressed.

The red haired woman looked up, and her eyebrow shot up. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm Isabella Swan," She informed the woman and saw immediate awareness enter the woman's eyes. She had expected it, in such a small town gossip was sure to fly around that the Chief's daughter was finally returning.

"Of course," The woman said and started sifting through a precariously stacked pile of documents. Finally after a couple moments the woman held out a document to her. "I have your schedule right here, and a school map." She said and Bella took the offered documents. She saw the all the best routes to the classes were highlighted, and Bella smiled slightly at her.

"Thanks," She said with a soft smile, and the woman returned it. When she went back out to her Impala, other students were starting to arrive. She drove around the school, following the line of traffic. She was glad that not many people were staring at her yet, but she was still in her car. Bella stepped out of the car and pulled her jacket closer to her body. The rain was still a light drizzle, but she wanted to get out of it as fast as she could. She remembered from her schedule that she should be heading to Building 3. She started walking to the building, and ignored the stares that followed. She saw out of the corner of eye a beautiful silver Volvo with five teens standing around it. One of them a beautiful blonde was staring at her. Bella simply ignored her and continued walking to her class. The classroom was small. The people in front of her stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. She copied them. They were two girls, one a porcelain-colored blonde, the other also pale, with light brown hair. At least her skin wouldn't be a standout here.

She took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gawked at her when he saw her name – not an encouraging response – and of course she flushed tomato red. But at least he sent her to an empty desk at the back without introducing her to the class. It was harder for her new classmates to stare at her in the back, but somehow, they managed. She kept her eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given her. It was fairly basic: Brontë, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. she'd already read everything. That was comforting… and boring. She wondered if her mom would send her folder of old essays, or if she would think that was cheating. Bella went through different arguments with her in her head while the teacher droned on.

When the bell finally rang she had to resist the urge of sighing in relief. She was gathering her things when a gangly boy with skin problems and hair as black as oil leaned across the aisle to talk to her.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" He asked and Bella got the feeling of an over helpful chess club type, but she decided to be nice.

"Bella," She corrected and she couldn't look anywhere without meeting curious eyes.

"Where's your next class?" He asked.

"Ummm... Government with Jefferson in Building Six," She replied.

"I'm headed towards Building Four, I can show you the way..." He said and Bella knew she was right about the over helpful personality. "I'm Eric," he added.

She smiled tentatively at him. "Thanks."

They got their jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up. She could have sworn several people behind them were walking close enough to eavesdrop. She just hoped that she wasn't getting paranoid. The walk towards Building Six was spent in silence. Since Bella had no idea what to actually say. They walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Eric walked her right to the door, though it was clearly marked.

"Well, good luck," he said as she touched the handle. "Maybe we'll have some other classes together." He sounded hopeful.

She simply smiled at him vaguely and went inside. The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. Her Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, who she would have hated anyway just because of the subject he taught, was the only one who made her stand in front of the class and introduce herself. She had stammered, blushed, and tripped over her own boots on the way to her seat.

After two classes, she started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask her questions about how shr was liking Forks. She tried to be diplomatic, but mostly she just lied a lot. At least she never needed the map. Once the lunch bell went off Bella was walking beside a talkative girl with curly black hair. Since she didn't remember her name Bella simply nodded her head to everything the girl was saying. Once she was seated at a table with seven curious strangers, Bella noticed a table more peculiar than hers. They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big – muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.

The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. The short girl was pixielike, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.

And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. Paler than me, the albino. They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes – purplish, bruiselike shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular. The blonde she noticed look up and their eyes met, and she saw her eyes light up. Bella frowned slightly and turned her attention back to the others at the table. She saw out of her peripheral vision that the blonde was arguing with the pixie like girl. Bella once again turned her attention to the girl who's name she couldn't remember.

"Who are they?" Bella asked indicating the table of teens. The girl turned her gaze for a split second before looking back at her.

"The two dark haired boys are Edward and Emmet Cullen. While the blond haired one is Jasper Hale with his twin Rosalie Hale. The short pixie like girl is Alice Cullen," She explained and Bella nodded absent mindedly. It was good to finally have a name to the mysterious people. Bella was slightly glad when the bell rang signalling the end of lunch.

Bella walked towards exit and felt her shoulder accidentally hit something. She glanced to the side and saw Rosalie Hale standing there. The beautiful blonde seemed shocked that she was there, and Bella smiled embarrassed at her.

"Sorry," She said softly and quickly left the room. Not aware that Rosalie was looking at her retreating form wanting her to come back.

The rest of the day passed quickly to her, and the only other class she had a problem with besides Trigonometry was Gym. She absolutely loathed it, and wished it didn't have to be required to graduate. Luckily she hadn't bumped into any of the Cullen's or Hale's again. She didn't want them to get mad at her. She had been told countless times how lucky she was that Rosalie A.K.A The Ice Queen hadn't yelled at her. So she was pretty much keeping to herself although some people did talk to her.

She was glad when the final bell rung signalling the end of the day. Bella quickly gathered her supplies and headed out towards her car. Luckily it had stopped raining but there was still a heavy forecast. She walked towards her Impala while pulling her keys from her bag. She unlocked her car and looked up, and saw that Rosalie and the others were looking at her. Edward she believed was staring at her with a curious expression. Alice seemed to be bouncing with excitement and she was tugging at Rosalie's arm whispering something to her. With a sigh and a shake of her head Bella got into her car.

She saw that Alice was tugging much harder on Rosalie's arm, and that Rosalie had a look of slight panic on her features. Once again Bella sighed and started her car. She saw that Alice was starting to drag Rosalie towards her car, but Rosalie was resisting slightly. Bella frowned slightly but decided that it probably didn't concern her. She shifted her car into drive and pulled out of her spot and starting driving towards the road. As she reached the road, out of her rearview mirror she saw Alice hit Rosalie in the back of the head. Bella again frowned but decided not to dwell on it. As she drove towards her house she couldn't help, but wonder what that was all about. With a sigh Bella knew her stay at Forks just got a lot more interesting.

A/N: I hope you liked the First Chapter of Ascending Darkness. I am sorry about all the misspelled/missing words. And the rating is M for later chapters.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight.

- DarknessIncarcerated