A/N: Author's Note: So, this is my first stab at fanfiction. Obviously, I don't own Twilight or the characters that exist here. Some things in this story are canon, some are not, and some are of my own creation. I've kept most of the characters from the original Twilight, while working in some of the changes from Life and Death - I've chosen to use Edythe rather than Edward, since she's much more tolerable, and the wolf pack will be an even gender split. Anyway, enjoy!

(Also, I suck at proofreading, so I apologize for any grammatical errors.)

Chapter One - Not Yet

The move to Forks was an act that had filled me with dread, yet it was ultimately a necessity. My mother's desire to live on the road with her new husband left me as not more than a well-loved but frustrating pet. As such, I was always interfering with plans, always screwing up their evenings together, always getting in the way. I loved my mother, and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy, so I agreed to return to living with my father for my final 3 semesters of high school. This meant I was confined to the small, rain-soaked, dreary town that my mother had fled all those years ago.

Okay, so it's not just pure selflessness; my mother drives me insane. 17 years of me essentially raising her, and I was ready for a break. As such, my distracted, uninvolved father perfectly fit the bill; he cared for me, but he was not the constant source of exhaustion that was my mother. Besides, I did miss him, and he deserved some time with me. So I suppose the decision was 50% self-sacrifice, 50% pure selfishness. No human being is that impossibly selfless.

Charlie had, of course, been ecstatic to see me, and had gifted me a used truck as a "Welcome to Forks" present. It had been restored by Jacob Black, the son of my father's best friend, Bonnie Black, whom I vaguely remembered. My father seemed eager for me to "Reconnect" with Jacob, dropping subtle hints about how he had "really grown up" since I last saw him. My mother had clearly neglected to make a "your daughter is a lesbian" phone call to my father, but I suppose telling him was my job. I knew he'd take it well eventually; okay, I'm not sure what his personal reaction to it would be, but I know he's so glad to have me here that he won't outwardly express any distaste.

I had been hoping I would be able to put this conversation off until another time, yet I was feeling that the male population of Forks would render it necessary very soon. I was currently walking to lunch with a boy named Mike Newton, whose demeanor could best be compared to an overeager chihuahua. He seemed hyper, eager to introduce me to his friends and eager to "get to know me better." He seemed like a decent guy, but I could already tell that his interests were not just in "friendship."

"Hey! Bella!" I turned around and saw a girl I had met in Spanish class walking towards me, her eyes narrowing at Mike for a half second. I tried very quickly to remember her name.

"Hi…Jessica?" I half asked, hoping she wouldn't notice my hesitation.

"Will you be sitting with us at lunch?" she asked.

"Sure, if you don't mind." I said, half hoping she'd say she would so I could escape Mike.

"Not at all, you can sit right next to me." She plastered on a forced smile and linked arms with me, leading me away from Mike. Mike looked slightly annoyed but followed us.

We settled at a table that included Angela Weber, a friendly girl I had met earlier, who seemed to be much nicer than Jessica. Sitting with her with two boys who I had yet to meet, and two girls; one of the girls was smiling at me, while the other glared.

"Bella, this is Eric Yorkie, Angela Weber, Taylor Crowley, Ben Cheney and Lauren Mallory." Jessica seemed less than eager to introduce me to everyone, but I appreciated it, even if the effort wasn't genuine.

The rest of the lunch period went on without incident, until I noticed them. They were sitting at a table far away from everyone else, conversing amongst themselves. They were the five most beautiful people I had ever seen. There were three girls, and two boys. The two boys were both tall, and extremely intimidating; one was hugely muscular with curly brown hair, while the other was just as tall but leaner, with sandy blonde hair that went to his neck. The blonde boy set next to a very, very short girl with spiky black hair, who seemed to be bursting with energy. Next to the brunette was a girl with bronze colored hair, styled in a chic bob; something about her features seemed to evoke the jazz age and the roaring twenties.

However, the most beautiful one by far sat on the end, alone. She was easily one of the tallest girls in school, at least 5'11" to my 5'5"; her hair was a vibrant honey blonde, flowing down to the middle of her back. Her features were stunning, with perfectly angled cheekbones and a stunning jawline. Her eyes were a shimmering topaz, similar to her siblings. She looked like she would fit quite comfortably on the cover of a fashion magazine. She was the most incredible person I had ever seen. I could not stop staring. I began to feel a strange sensation in my chest, something like a cross between a magnetic pulling and an electric current, each leading directly to her.

"Ah, so you've spotted the Cullens." I broke from my reverie and looked at Angela, who was giving me a knowing smile.

"Who are they?" I asked, attempting to keep the awe from my voice.

"That's Edythe and Emmett Cullen, and Jasper and Rosalie Hale. The one who's leaving the room, looking like she's about to explode, is Alice Cullen." I looked and saw she was right; Alice was leaving the lunchroom with a massive smile on her face.

"They live with Dr. Carlisle Cullen, and his wife, Esme." I knew I should respond to Angela soon, but I couldn't stop staring at the blonde on the end. She was talking very quickly to girl with bronze hair, who was looking slightly apprehensive and nervous about something.

"Well they're all very…" I trailed, unsure of how to describe them.

"Inhumanly gorgeous? Yeah, I know. It's not fair at all," Jessica interrupted, scowling slightly.

"Yes, they're gorgeous, but they're all…together. Like, together together." Lauren had joined in, with a look of repulsion on her face.

"Together?" I asked.

"Yeah, Edythe and Emmett are a couple, and so are Alice and Jasper. They all seem very happy together," said Angela. It was very clear, from the glare Lauren gave her, that she did not care that they seemed happy.

"Angela, they live together, legally they're siblings; don't tell me you're okay with…incest," whispered Lauren, shuddering.

"It's not incest if they're not related, Lauren," said Angela, rolling her eyes.

"Either way, it's still weird. And they don't talk to anyone else in the school, anyway, like they think they're better than us," snapped Lauren.

"Yes, I can't imagine why they wouldn't talk to you," I muttered under my breath. Angela heard and stifled a laugh, smiling at me. I looked back to the blonde Cullen on the end of the table, who was fiddling with her food while muttering something.

"Who's the girl on the end? The blonde?" I asked, trying to keep the attraction out of my voice.

"Oh, that's Rosalie. The single one," sighed Mike. "She keeps to herself the most. She doesn't date at all. I guess none of the guys here are good enough." He sounded oddly bitter about that. I looked at Angela and mouthed "She rejected him, didn't she?" She giggled and nodded. Mike looked confused and then turned back to his food.

I turned back to Rosalie, and saw she was looking at me, curiosity evident in her face. Our eyes locked, and the pull seemed to become stronger as we stared at each other. All confusion left her face, and it was replaced with an intensity so strong that I blushed scarlet and looked away. I was so…confused. I had never felt anything like this before, yet it was so strange, and new. Electric currents and magnetic pulls, none of that was real, it can't be; it must be all in my head. Things like that, that level of intensity, it didn't exist in the real world, did it?

Still, I couldn't help but wonder. If none of the guys are good enough for her, maybe she doesn't like guys…but that was just wishful thinking on my part. Besides, even if I was straight, I'd still turn down Mike.

I turned back to the Cullen table, and gave them each a closer look. They all had the same golden eyes, in various hues; they were each extremely, almost inhumanly pale, except for the purple dark circles under their eyes. The two males seemed to be muttering in a serious tone, while the blonde goddess stared very deliberately at her plate; she wasn't eating, of course, none of them were. I turned away, but then turned back when I realized the bronze haired girl, Edythe, was glaring at me. Her eyes were a much darker amber than her siblings, and they were now staring deeply into mine; she looked frustrated, as though she was trying to do something but it wasn't working. She whispered something to Rosalie, and she too looked at me, alarm and surprise evident in her features. I blushed again and looked away, wondering what I could have done to attract so much attention from a group of people who, according to those around me, kept to themselves.

With that thought, I noticed lunch was ending, and I headed to my next class, biology. Mike followed me, chattering away while I mostly ignored him, and I hoped he would take the hint. He didn't. I sighed, and I entered the classroom. The teacher, Mr. Banner, smiled and beckoned me to him.

"Isabella Swan, welcome."

"I prefer just Bella, actually."

"Ah, well, in that case - Bella, welcome. You can take the empty seat next to Miss Hale."

I turned and saw Rosalie at a table in the back of the room. She was looking very determinedly out the window. I took a shallow breath, and walked up the table. I sat down, and took another look at her. She was even more stunning up close, if that were even possible.

"Hi, I'm Bella." She looked at me once, nodded, and looked away immediately. Nothing at all from her, no acknowledgement - just an uncomfortable glance from her onyx-colored eyes. I could have sworn in the cafeteria that her eyes were golden, like those of her siblings. I made no further attempt at speaking to her, and then looked away. I felt a flash of instinct then, like I often did - instincts that came to me out of nowhere, like a whispering voice in my ear, telling me things I couldn't possibly know. It was not exactly clairvoyance, but rather like a useful satellite, picking up important information and sending it to my brain only when I need it - this time, the voice said "Not yet - she's startled and confused. Don't push it."

I sighed like I often did when I received these warnings - I had been receiving them since I was little. At first, I thought I was being followed by ghosts. Yet because this voice was always right, I decided this couldn't possibly be true. The voice turned out to be useful, and I began to view them with less fear and more affection. I decided to call them instincts, as I didn't have a better explanation for it. I tried very hard to find evidence of something similar ever happening to anyone else, yet the internet was not very helpful. In middle school, I almost told a counselor, hoping for some guidance - luckily, the instincts kicked in again and told me that telling her would end with me in a psych ward. I am used to them now, even if I don't understand them - they'd never steered me wrong before, and I wasn't going to stop listening to them now. However, I was confused by the significance of "Not yet;" was this the voice's way of telling me that eventually I will talk to this girl? What was she to me? As though my instincts heard my confusion, they responded "She's important, but she's not ready yet. Not yet." Hmm. Important.

I tried to focus and avoid staring, but I did sneak glances at her; she was resolutely focused on the teacher in the front of the room, yet occasionally I thought I saw her eyes drift over to me. I made sure to stop, and not say anything to her. I tried not to think of the intensity in her eyes. When the bell rang, she sprinted out of the room, at an unusually fast pace, and I had to fight the urge to call after her. There was just something about Rosalie Hale, something perfect, something…inhuman. I could hear the instinct's voice in my head, telling me "You will find out."