The pain seared through my veins. I screamed out.

'Edward, I want you to change me today.'

'Why today, love? Why not wait?'

My throat was hoarse from screaming and I grasped the hand in mine harder.

'I want…to be able to…kiss…you…without the boundaries, you know?'

'No, love…not today.'

The pain came in waves, going from bad to worse to horrific. I didn't know how much longer I could stand this.

'Why not? How is today different from four days from now?'

'Exactly.'

I wanted to die. I wished someone would just kill me, just so that I wouldn't have to deal with the pain anymore.

'Come on, Edward. Please. You've already promised to change me.'

'Well, Bella, I've been thinking and…I'm not going to change you. Ever.'

I kept on having to remind myself that I had asked for this; this was what I wanted.

'What?! You promised!'

'Well, time changes the mind.'

My mom used to tell me that I had made my bed and now I had to sleep in it. That was what this seemed like. I had asked to become a vampire and was going to have to deal with the pain.

'That was three months ago.'

'Listen, Bella…I've realized I'd rather see you dead than…damned to this life.'

I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep. But I couldn't. The pain wouldn't let me. I hadn't slept in three days

'Fine! I'll get Carlisle to do it!'

'Don't bother trying. I've already got him to promise not to.'

I noticed that the pain was getting lighter. I wasn't screaming as much.

'Get away from me you…you…you monster!'

The pain had stopped. It had been abrupt. One second I was in the middle of screaming and the next I felt perfect, better than I had ever felt before. I opened my eyes and noticed that my vision was sharper than it had ever been as a human and I could hear everything within a mile.

I swung my feet off the bed I had been laying on. I felt weightless, like I was floating instead of standing on the ground. I moved forward a few steps and didn't even come close to falling. I looked down at my now pale white fingers and moved towards the full length mirror staring at me from across the room. I gasped when I saw my reflection.

"Edward," I called out, wondering where he was.

"Yes, Bella," a velvety voice said from behind me, but it wasn't the voice of my Edward. Someone appeared in the mirror me. It was a vampire, familiar, but still not Edward. His pale skin was transparent, almost like onion skins. His black hair hung limply from his head.

"Aro," I whispered.

***

"Were you sleeping?" someone asked. I sat up to find a pixie sitting on the end of my bed. Well, not a pixie, but a vampire who looked a bit pixie-ish.

"No, Alice," I said. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Alice asked. "You were screaming."

"Just a memory," I said softly. "A very vivid memory."

"Oh," Alice said, and then a smile stretched across her lips. "Guess who's coming today!"

The Cullens had been back for two weeks. When I had told Jacob, he had immediately started packing. He told me he was taking Jackson and they were moving somewhere south. Immediately.

"It's not because of you, Bella," he told me. "It's because of them. With even more vampires around it will be more likely that Jackson will change into a vampire. And I don't want to risk that. I'm sorry, Bella."

He had leaned down to kiss the top of my cold head before leaving with Jackson. I doubted I would ever see either of them again. I wasn't mad, though, or sad that I had become close with him again just to have him leave a few weeks later. I was just happy to know he was still alive and well.

"Who?" I grumbled, rubbing my temples. Remembering my transformation so vividly had really made my head hurt. But rubbing my temples hurt even worse because it shot another memory in front of my eyes. I remembered how Edward would always pinch the bridge of his nose when he was frustrated.

"Guess!" she said. "And no peeking."

Of course I didn't listen to her. I quickly tuned into her thoughts. She, of course, had known that I wouldn't listen, but she wasn't trying to hide her thoughts by translating the Dead Sea scrolls or something. Instead she was screaming on word at me over and over again.

"EDWARD!!!"