Hello All,

I have read through my stories multiple times since they have been published. I have not updated in a while, and I apologize for that; I have been giving some serious thought to rewriting my stories because they aren't as good as they can be, especially since my style and ideas have changed as the author. For that reason, I have stopped Lost Voices and returned to the beginning, the story that I first published: Unbreakable Bonds. I sincerely believe that I should rewrite this story, and here is a portion of the first chapter I have been playing with the last few weeks. I am trying to find motivation, and decided to release this in hopes of my followers giving me their honest feedback. How does a rewrite of this story sound? Keep in mind, there will be changes to the story, more detail, and hopefully more plot and character development. This story will become all that I wanted it to be when I first had the idea as a minor. PM me, or comment; I have no preference, though I do ask, as always, that all comments be respectful and kind. I hope you enjoy the small portion I have released.

Thank you,

Adriana

One

Bella POV

I bit my bottom lip to prevent myself from the fifth sigh that was about to escape my lips as I stared into kind, old eyes that were a thick brown puddle of warmth. My lips pulled up in a nervous smile as I dropped my gaze and nodded shyly in response to a stereotypical question regarding the natural color of my eyes. I stared at the papers splayed out in front of me and signed my name on every line with a sloppy "X" that must have taken years to perfect out of sheer impatience and unnecessary practice. I was sure she had done this before with countless amounts of students.

My eyebrows shot up when her voice met my ears, "We are so glad to see such a fine young woman who cares for her education. It is very admirable of you to pursue your enrollment despite your lack of legal guardians. For that, among other reasons, we warmly welcome you, Isabella. It isn't very often we get to see a new face."

Huh. She hadn't done this with very many students. I suppose in a town as small as Forks, it would be unlikely that someone…anyone…would willingly move to such a small speck on a map. By the animated gleam in her eye and enthusiastic smile, I knew she must have had a lot of experience with vampires; whether she knew it or not was irrelevant. Then again, there were the infamous Cullens, an interesting coven who posed as an adoptive family; their eyes resembled mine, and humans easily picked that up. I mused how long I would have before someone made the connection.

I smiled slightly, and shyly threw her a glance, "Thank you, Ms. Cope. I feel very welcomed, and really appreciate all that you have done for me. I understand that allowing a 17 year old with no parents to slip through the cracks like this must have taken a few pulled strings."

I internally flinched at my tone as well as my explanation. Teenage girls did not present themselves this way; teenage girls did not talk the way I was talking. My first day, and I was already failing miserably. Why it continued to bother me so strongly was beyond me. No matter how hard I tried, I always failed at fitting in. Yet, here I was, trying so vehemently to place myself into a static mold of a teenage girl in the hopes that for once in my entire immortal life, I would find where I belonged.

Ms. Cope waved her hand impatiently and shook her head, "Oh, no worries, dear. And I apologize for asking, but are you by any chance related to the Cullens?"

My eyes widened slightly, and I shook my head no. I noted her instant reaction to group the Cullens as one unit, one coven, one family despite their lack of common blood, so to speak. Again, my teeth found the same spot on my lower lip to tug on. It really hadn't taken long for the humans to notice. I had yet to meet the Cullens, apart from Carlisle, though they were well known for feeding on animal blood, and for being a coven of vampires to claim permanent residence and territory for a stable living environment.

"Cullen?" I asked smoothly. My eyes rolled around to focus on different objects in the room as if the answer to such a difficult question could be found. My theatrics irritated me, but humans had an inclination to mull over even the simplest of questions. I met her eyes once more, "No, I was an only child, and my parents didn't have much family. Thank you for all your help." I shot her a smile, and lifted the papers I intended to keep as I backed away from her desk.

"Isabella, I didn't mean to bring up any sore memories, and I apologize for my curiosity. You remind me of them, is all." Ms. Cope wrung her hands around, her smile faltering.

I wasn't sure why any type of interaction I made with anybody had to be so strenuous and awkward. Obviously, that wasn't the impression I gave, but it sure was the impression (of myself) that I received and accepted so quickly.

I sent her a softer smile this time, "No worries, Ms. Cope. If you'll excuse me, I think I only have a few minutes to find my first building."

I was out the door before she could thrust a poorly organized map into my hands and took in the hallway leading to the other buildings. The buildings were organized by thick black numbers on the sides, and they were more or less sequential. I quickly found the building marked with a fading "4" and walked down the hall, hyper aware of each classroom door that was open as I passed. Eventually, I found the room I needed to be in, and let one more sigh pass through my slightly parted lips before licking them out of nervous habit and pulled on the door slightly so as not to rip it from its hinges. Been there, done that, was not pretty.

I stared at my shoes with each careful step I took, my black converse silent against the tiled floor until I reached the teacher's desk, my white laces so new they shined brightly enough to call attention from a mile away. I could do nothing but silently curse at them. Yet another difference that distinguished me from them.

I handed him my papers, trying to squash the nerves into the pit of my stomach. I had been to hundreds of high schools (the amount was a reflection of just how much I struggled in the beginning of my strict diet), and I still managed to get nervous about finding my place, not that I ever did. My medium length brown hair and golden eyes were part of the reason for that. The strands were too perfect, the curls were too perfect, the volume was too perfect. If that were to go unnoticed, my eyes screamed out to the humans for different reasons: too gold, too beautiful, too deep, too intimidating, too light, too dark, too different. The lists never ended.

Still, the one thing that helped me establish my sense of identity, my individuality, my humanity was my name. Though I never managed to find many companions, my name was always my own. Isabella Swan. Strange, yet fitting. It sounded like any other teenager, woman, person, human. At the same time, it didn't hide my personality or my identity. It was me. No matter how hard I tried to disguise who I really was from them, I never once denied that part of myself. Even if I didn't know where I would fit in, I at least knew who I was.

Despite my trying to fit in and my strong belief of not denying who I was, I was attempting to be shy this time around; it would allow me to keep a safe distance from the humans and avoid being exposed.

A used textbook with torn edges and a dirty cover was handed to me, pulling my attention from the soulful monologue that my mind had devoted all thought to, as it did with every new start.

I was given my slips back and was told to take a seat where I could find one. I turned to find the entire class focused on me, and once again, the sigh was suppressed, and my stomach flip-flopped. I spotted an empty chair in the back row.

Not the best choice for someone who genuinely wanted to make some friends.

But, it was the perfect choice for a lone vampire attempting to be a shy teenage girl. They had their similarities…

Right?

I quickly made my way back until I was able to set my things on the table and gracefully sit down. My head was down almost immediately; I wasn't even sure what class I was in. I peeked at the book on my desk for some indication. I hadn't looked at the subjects I was taking, only the teachers and room numbers. I was in trigonometry. Easy enough, though I detested the very thought of manipulating numbers to find more numbers. It just wasn't me. And I didn't think I'd ever be able to find solace in equations and calculations.

My eyes were fixed on the board, and my hand neatly recorded all that was written during lecture once I managed to pull out some paper from my bag. Halfway into the class and two pages later, I felt it.

There was a sharp stab in the back of my head, and I bit down into my lower lip hard enough to draw blood, had I been alive. Someone was trying to get past my shield, and by the location of the growing pain, I knew he or she was trying to look into my mind. It didn't immediately hurt, but it was incredibly overwhelming.

My thoughts quickly scanned my discussion with Aro, a leader of The Volturi. He had said there were three gifted vampires in the Cullen coven. One could see visions, one could feel emotions…and one could read minds. Carlisle had mentioned about as much to me when we had met a few years back, when I had first began working with The Volturi. I focused intently on the stabbing that grew more and more urgent, and carefully used my shield to lower the mental wall that kept my mind safe from gifted attacks.

I saw his face instantly, startled and cautious as he took in mine, which was full of curiosity and annoyance with his persistence to get past my shield. His messy bronze colored hair and topaz eyes burned in my memory, confusion and caution coloring his features until I felt his thoughts begin to blend with my own. I shoved him out quickly once he tried to get past other barriers that protected my thoughts, plans, memories; but still, it wasn't quick enough. I hadn't processed his thoughts, and I hadn't heard his voice, or his voice echo throughout my mind. However, I had felt him.

I felt his concern, his urgency, his probing, his curiosity, his thoughts swarming through my mind as they worked to lower the walls that kept me safe from powers such as his.

Most of all, I felt the spark that accompanied his attempts to access my thoughts. His spark. The stabbing at the back of my head turned into a sizzling that managed to become a low vibration that slid down the nape of my neck and through my spine, forcing me to sit up impossibly straighter in both alarm and…excitement? I licked my lips and stifled a small shiver that threatened to spread throughout my body; small yet strong enough to be noticed, by him. The spark vanished and was replaced with a low throbbing that was both uncomfortable and distracting.

It did not hurt, and it did not tingle. It served as a reminder of the vampire who had pulled such a strong reaction from me by the simple drop of a mental wall. I swallowed the venom that had spilled into my mouth from the almost adrenaline rush, and tried to get over the sudden thoughts that my mind began to drift into. I didn't need to venture into such dangerous territory.

My reaction was mortifying, not because he pulled it from me, not because I had never experienced a mind reader before, not because I had never felt such a potent feeling as a result from an interaction with someone; it was because I knew he felt it to.

And that scared me.

I didn't know what to make of it.