Chapter 1

I was running through the airport in Bangkok trying to make it to a flight that was going to be shutting the doors any moment. When I reached the gate I tossed my backpack down the gangplank and collapsed breathlessly on the check in counter.

"Did I miss it?" I gasped.

The women looked at me with a confused expression and then turned to look at the awaiting plane. It was half the size I was expecting so I pointed and said, "Is that the flight?"

She nodded and I stuck out my hand and clicked my fingers for a boarding pass as I tried to steady my breathing. She hesitantly handed me a card and I ran for the plane door, grabbing my backpack as I rushed by. The stewardess was a gorgeous blonde who looked at me with shock.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I'm taking this plane to Chili," I said, and pushed my way past her. The plane only had about 60 passengers but the back was filled with large crates secured into the floor and ceiling. I saw an empty seat next to a gorgeous guy and suddenly wished I wasn't sweating from my rush. "Excuse me," I said and he stood and allowed me to sit.

His manner was tense and he sat back down without looking at me. He looked official and I subtly looked around and noticed two clean cut men sitting with a real loser between them. They were also staring straight forward. The greasy guy between them had a blanket on his lap despite the warmth. I chuckled with the realization they were some sort of officers transporting a man in custody. He must be pretty dangerous to require three escorts.

My father spent his entire life in law enforcement and I learned a thing or two along the way. I even considered it as a career once or twice. I couldn't restrain myself and whispered to my neighbor, "Relax, your posture is making it obvious."

His head spun around to look at me with pure astonishment. I shrugged and smiled as I nodded my head toward the other men. He looked over his shoulder and then back at my face. I made him angry and I could tell by his expression. I expected some sort of conversation but he slowly turned his head and went back to staring forward.

Another flight attendant approached me with a pixie cut and way too much enthusiasm. "Do you have your boarding pass?"

I handed her the card and she bit her lip for a moment as if trying to determine what to say or do. A large Native American man tapped her so she turned away from me. "Are we leaving soon?" he asked.

I looked over to hear the answer for myself and saw he was traveling with a very good looking younger man. He had long hair pulled into a ponytail and his dark eyes practically twinkled as he winked at me. I smiled and then quickly looked away.

"Talk about obvious," the man next to me said under his breath.

"Wow, Wyatt Earp speaks," I said just as quietly. I wanted the guy to know I knew he was a federal agent but I didn't want to clue in any clueless people.

The plane began to back away from the gate and the tension that filled the aircraft began to wane immediately. I found it odd because it usually worked the other way around. I took a moment to rise a bit in my seat and looked around. The passengers had nothing in common. It was almost like they tried to find the most varied people they could for this one flight. Once we were safely in the air I asked for a pillow and went right to sleep.

Commotion on the plane woke me up and it took me a moment to realize where I was. The pilot came over the intercom and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen. This is Captain Cullen. We are experiencing mechanical problems and are looking for the first available place to land. Remain calm and stay buckled into your seats."

"What's going on?" I asked to no one specifically.

The girl in front of me peeked between the seats and said, "Something's wrong with the plane." She was on the verge of hysteria so I refrained from asking anything else. I looked out my window and saw nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see.

I knew karma would catch up to me eventually. My parents had no idea where I was and wouldn't even know to look for me if I turned up missing at sea. I purposely stayed away from them, finding it easier to live my life of irresponsibility without their questions or disappointed coaxing. It wasn't like they hadn't disappointed me along the way. My father wouldn't leave Washington for my mother and she wasn't willing to live in the rain to keep our family together. They were selfish so raising a selfish daughter should have been expected.

I felt an overwhelming need to talk so I turned to my seatmate and said, "Did you ever see that movie where they plane crashes in the ocean and they sink to the bottom like sardines stuck in a can?"

He nodded toward the cockpit and said, "I've flown with the Cullens many times. They are excellent pilots."

"Cullens?"

"Yes, Carlisle and Esme. They are our pilot and copilot."

My eyes followed his toward the front and then I said very softly, "They're with you guys, aren't they?" I was now very worried about the man being escorted. He must be a really hardened criminal to demand this much caution. My neighbor wouldn't confirm my suspicions and remained silent. "Come on," I said angrily. "I'm going to die so it isn't like I'll tell anyone."

"You are not going to die," he said forcefully.

I glanced out the window again and then said, "So are you telling me this plane morphs into a boat? Because if we go down we are going down in the water and sinking."

He gave me a half smile and tried to reassure me by saying, "If we land in the ocean I promise we'll get out of this plane. I'll even open the door for you."

"Great," I said and threw up my hands, "Being eaten by sharks, sounds so much better."

He leaned over my lap and looked out the window. I could smell his cologne and it smelled expensive and delicious. His hair was shortly cut but it had just the hint of curl. His brow furrowed and he said, "Yeah, we are right over shark infested waters."

I wanted to smile and flirt with him, but the realization I was going to die had my mind a bit preoccupied. I took a jagged breath and said seriously. "I'm not ready to die."

"No?" he asked softly. "What is it you have left to do?"

"I….I…."

He reached out to take my hand and I felt tears form in my eyes. I couldn't tell him that I had to accomplish something….anything. I needed to apologize to so many people and I needed to find a purpose. I stopped trying to speak and he knew there were things I couldn't tell a stranger even if it was moments from death.

He squeezed my hand and said, "Sometimes life surprises us by giving us something we never thought we wanted or needed. The important part of that sentence is the word 'life'. You are not going to die….um…"

"Bella," I automatically answered.

He smiled and nodded before saying, "I'm Edward Masen. Nice to meet you, Bella."

The small perky attendant informed us they were turning out the lights and we were to place our head on our laps with our fingers interlocked for protection. Edward removed his hand from mine and we both took the appropriate position. I wanted to pray, but I felt it was too audacious since I had vocally denied belief in a deity. I could hear several other people praying so I concentrated on their words.

A woman's voice came over the intercom and spoke in a confident tone. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are going to make a very risky landing on a small island. It is important to remain calm and listen to the captain's instruction as soon as we land. God be with us all."

"Shit," I mumbled, angry at myself for rushing to make the flight. I was supposed to be on a different flight but I willingly got off when it was overbooked in order to be rewarded with a free flight.

We were heading down at a steep angle and several women began to cry. The engines were protesting and the wings rocked back and forth as if the pilots were struggling to control our descent. I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the crushing end I was sure was heading right for me. The nose of the plane suddenly rose sharply and then we hit the ground with such force we bounced back into the air. The sound of metal crunching was deafening and the air was filled with screams. We came to sudden stop that sent us all into the back of the seats in front of us as the seatbelts dug into our flesh to keep us attached to our seats.

Suddenly everything went silent. Nobody moved out of fear it was only a temporary stillness. Slowly people began to sit up and look around. One of the wings was bent at a weird angle but aside from that the plane was still intact. Everyone began to cheer so I looked out my window. I could see sand and gentle waves on my side. I looked across the aisle and saw only green, thick jungle out the window.

The cockpit door opened and a tall, handsome man stepped out, followed by an equally stunning woman. Whatever government agency they worked for believed in hiring beautiful people. He quieted the cheers and then picked two men to accompany him to make sure it was a safe place to unload the plane. Anything was better than the prospect of drowning.

The woman pilot pointed at Edward and said, "Can you come up here, please?"

I was a little offended she took my soothing partner. Just because I wasn't collapsed in shock didn't mean I was fine with our situation. My hand automatically reached out and grabbed his slacks. He looked back and pried my hand off of the fabric and said calmly. "I'll be right back. It's okay."

He was asked to act as the leader of those still on the plane and began dividing us up into groups. We were told to remain with our groups and it concerned me when a pretty redhead was paired with the psycho and his two watchers. It made me think his crime wasn't violent in nature.

I was assigned to stay with the two Native American men. They younger one stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Jake. This is my father Billy Black."

"Hi," I managed to say, "I'm Bella."

"Can you believe how tropical Chili is?" he said sarcastically.

"I'm just grateful for dry ground," I said, trying to be optimistic. My destination wasn't Chili. I was only planning on making a connecting flight.

At that moment Captain Cullen returned and asked us all to disembark in our groups and gather at a specific spot on the beach. When I made my way to the sand I noticed how damaged the plane was on the outside. There was no way it was going to fly again, not that I would get on board if it would.

I noticed the prisoner was now walking freely without restraints. I guess they realized there wasn't anywhere he could run away if he wanted. One escort was large with bulging muscles. The other was tall with a studious look. My attention was turned to the woman in their group and how she seemed to gravitate toward the man who obviously lived a hard life.

The two captain Cullen's stood in front of the group and tried to talk honestly about our situation. They introduced our flight attendants as Alice and Rosalie, then introduced themselves as Carlisle and Esme.

"Listen up," Carlisle shouted. "Okay, we have some things in our favor and some things that are quite detrimental. The radio is out and this plane doesn't have a working transponder."

A murmur spread through the crowd and he took a moment before continuing. "Fortunately, this plane was loaded with supplies going to build a village in Patagonia and people with specific expertise. Unfortunately, we strayed from the normal air path and we are far from any shipping lanes. This island isn't even on our maps. Dr. Banner is a botanist and is transporting several varieties of plants that we can use to grow more food."

I gasped loudly and everyone turned to look at me. I stood in anger and looked right at the two captains. "Are you kidding me?" I yelled. "This isn't Gilligan's Island. We haven't even been here an hour and you're talking about planting crops. Shouldn't we make a signal fire or something? Doesn't your plane have some homing device?"

I was quickly reaching a hysterical level and the only person nodding his head in agreement was Jake. Mrs. Cullen put out her hands to calm me and said, "Honey, we are only looking at the worst case scenario and saying our situation isn't a dire as it could be."

Her husband interrupted and continued on with his speech. "The homing device is the transponder and this particular plane was due for a refit. We don't have one right now. But, as we came down on this island we saw a waterfall somewhere near that peak. It could mean fresh water, so we need to arrange a scouting group."

I looked around at the group and realized they all had loved ones who would be searching for them. My parents would have no idea I was missing, but surely these people had better relationships. My eyes moved to Edward and he was staring right back at me. He looked like he was trying to reassure me or possibly tell me something without actually saying it. I raised my eyebrows and he looked away.