Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue. Twilight's not mine, so please don't sue!

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X Chapter One: The Creature X

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BellaPOV:

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

"Bella!"

I flipped my book down on my stomach, glaring at my bedroom door. This was not the time I wanted to be disrupted. Mr. Darcy was just about to purpose to Elizabeth! This was a critical part in the story and I hated being interrupted by my father, Charlie. I thought he'd keep that hollering voice for when he was chasing crooks around town. Oh wait, there are no crooks in Forks, Washington. Why? Maybe because absolutely nothing close to excitement comes close to this dreary little town. Whereas Phoenix which was my real home always had something happening. Not to mention the blistering heat of the lovely sun to which Forks was again absent of. I felt like I was in a prison when I looked outside my bedroom window and saw those dark clouds, low over the green landscape. I hated it here.

I grumbled, closing my book and putting it on my bedside table before rolling off my bed and meandering towards the staircase. I took my time coming down, not wanting to trip and become even clumsier than before. I was already practically handicapped. I was surprised Charlie hadn't strapped pillows to my body.

I came safely down the stairs and turned to see Charlie standing by the doorway. He was smiling at me; probably still glad I had decided to live with him. I hadn't had a lot time with my father as I had with my mother, Renee. She had escaped Forks when I was still a baby, taking me with her to live in Phoenix. But I had returned to my personal hell on earth so Renee could start her new life with her husband Phil, a minor league baseball player. I didn't want to ruin their happily ever after. So here I was now.

He was holding the door open so I saw a very tired and disgruntled Angela Weber; one of my friends I actually thought was nice. The rest of the kids just found me a curiosity and it made me feel embarrassed that I was such a freak and an interest to these people. I wasn't a science experiment! But Angela was one that actually treated me like a real person. I was always a little happier to see her, although I could never truly be happy in Forks. Her brown hair was in a messy ponytail and her little twin brothers occupied both her hands. Andy and Arty were pulling on her arms as they tried to escape her grasp. If I thought about it, it was pretty funny that all of the Weber children's names started with A's. I smiled warmly at her before I remembered.

"Oh jeez, Angela! I'm so sorry! I forgot." I answered with a shake of my head.

"It's okay Bella," she said in a strained voice.

I pulled on my jacket, something I didn't even need in Phoenix, and my shoes. "I'll be back before dinner, Dad," I said opting to use the 'Dad' word instead of calling him by his name.

"Not to late Bells," he answered as I brushed past him, taking Arty's hand tightly.

"Don't worry," I said with as much of a smile I could muster up. "I won't let you go hungry so don't send the whole station after me, okay?" The whole police chief meant that he could get everyone rallied together to find me, not that any of them would disagree.

He chuckled, waving as we walked down the driveway, past his police cruiser and my old rusty, red truck. I loved that old thing. Defiantly the one to cause the accident then be the victim.

"Thanks for your help Bella," Angela said as we stopped at the side of the house to grab my bike. "You don't know how much you're helping me out."

"It's no problem Angela," I said with a smile. "What else is there to do?"

She grinned back before Andy tugged on her sleeve. "Where are we going Angy?" he asked.

"A nature ride," she announced as both boys smiled. "And no mud!" They disappeared. "Mom went all out on me when you came home with dirty clothes."

They grimaced as we let go of their hands, letting them run to their bikes at the end of the driveway. Angela walked with me as I pulled my own bicycle beside me, stopping as we reached hers. I didn't even understand why I had a bike. Angela had asked me one day if I had one and then I remembered. A few years ago I asked Charlie for a bike for Christmas. I had no idea why he got one for me since I was clumsier than any blind bat and I'd crack my skull when I fell off it. With my luck, the helmet wouldn't do a thing.

The two boys were pushing at each other as Angela broke them apart, telling them to put their helmets on. "But I don't wanna!" Andy cried as his sister strapped it on his head anyway.

"Mom says," she countered. They grimaced before looking at each other. I'd have to be vigilant. These two were known for their schemes.

"So how's Ben?" I asked, talking about her new boyfriend as I put on my own helmet.

She immediately lit up. "Oh he's great! We're going to the prom together. Are you going with anyone?"

I frowned and shook my head. She stopped at that, not wanting to pry into my personal life. I wasn't going to any dances. I'd fall flat on my butt if I even tried to dance but it didn't mean nobody asked me. On the contrary, three guys asked me and I turned them all down. It got really annoying after a while but they'd hopefully get the point. No guy in Forks was one I liked.

We both swung our legs over the bikes and Angela took off after her brothers who had already raced ahead. I took my sweet time, trying desperately not to fall off. I'd rather not add head trauma to my list of hospital visits.

"Angy!" Andy cried, as he came to a halt just outside the forest. "Arty says that there is a scary house around here with vampires in it!" Arty, who had stopped beside his brother, stifled a laugh.

Angela sighed, shaking her head. "There are no vampires in Forks, Andy," she said as if she had told him this story a million times. "It's just a story some people made up. Nothing real."

"But what if they are real?" he asked with wide eyes.

"We'll protect you," I said with a warm smile as he looked up at me.

"But you're just girls!" he cried in fear.

"Strong girls," I corrected him as Angela giggled. "Nothing's going to get through us."

"Well I'm gonna go find the house!" Arty declared starting to pedal away but not before Angela caught him by his shirt.

"No you're not!" Angela said. "What if you got lost?"

"I wouldn't!" he said, digging in his pocket to pull out a compass. "I got this."

"Arty!" Angela cried, grabbing it from his hand. "This is Dad's! You know you're not supposed to touch his things!"

He frowned and looked at his shoes. "I wanna be able to know where I'm going."

She sighed and stuffed it in her pocket. "Let's go," she declared before the boys raced ahead and both of us trailed after them, Angela keeping pace with me. Before the silence took us over again.

The forest was green everywhere. Green rocks, green trees, green leaves. It was like an alien planet. So different from the landscape I was used to. The trees hung over us, their leafy branches extending to cover the whole cloudy sky. The sun couldn't be seen and a slight fog covered the ground as she continued along the trail. Charlie said it was going to rain this afternoon. Maybe the weather reporters were right.

"I spy, with my little eye," Angela called, looking around. "Something that is…tall."

The boys pondered this for a moment before Andy shouted out, "A tree!"

"Good," we both said with a laugh as the game continued.

We continued with the game as we went deeper and deeper into the woods. It was getting darker and spookier by the second. I shivered as a cold wind blew down the trail, ruffling the leaves and making howling noises.

"We should get back soon," I called. "My Dad said it's going to rain cats and dogs."

"Yeah," Angela said as she stopped. I stopped beside her with a little difficulty. "Thanks for coming with me Bella. You really didn't have to-"

"Like I said. It's something to do."

There was a small scream as both our heads shot up. Angela took off without hesitation, standing up as she pedalled like any Olympic athlete would around the trail and out of sight. I followed at a slower pace, keeping my behind firmly on the seat as I went as fast as I could go without falling off. I turned the corner and kept biking around another corner until the sound of a stream was heard. Looking ahead I saw Andy and Angela's discarded bikes on the bank of the stream. I stopped, hopping on one foot as I tried to get my other leg over the bike before running over to the waters edge.

Andy was lying in the stream off the river, soaked to the core. His lip was jutted out and trembling as Angela stood beside him, her hands on her hips and ankle deep in water.

"Andrew Weber!" Angela said, bending down to grab his shoulders. "What did you do?"

"Arty pushed me!" he sniffed as she lifted him up, shaking the water off his jeans.

She sighed before holding him in her arms like a mother would do her own child. I held out my hand to help her out. She took it and thanked me as she stepped out, Andy hiding his face against his sister's shoulder as quite whimpers escaped his mouth.

She hushed him before looking around and freezing. "Where's Arty?" she asked, absolutely terrified as we looked around. He was no where in sight. "Arty! Arty! Arthur John Weber you get over here right now!"

There was no answer, only the wind whispering through the trees made a sound.

"Andrew, where did your brother go," she asked him as he sat in her arms.

He lifted his head to look at her, his eyes red and blood shot from crying. "To – to the scary house," he sniffled, starting to shiver.

"Don't worry Ang," I said, rubbing Andy's wet back. "I'll go get him. Take Andy home and I'll be back."

"I can't let you do that Bella!" she cried in horror. "What if you get lost?"

"I won't and I'll be careful," I promised. "Just get your brother into dry clothes and I'll get your other one, 'kay?"

She stared at me for a moment before reaching into her pocket. "Here," she murmured, holding out her fathers compass. "You'll need this."

"Ah Ang!" I cried, shaking my head. "I can't take that."

"Yes you can," she said, pushing it into my hands. "Follow north to get back home." I nodded as she turned to her brother. "Which way did he go Andy?"

He looked at her, then at me and then finally lifted his tiny finger and pointed at the place the trail continued down.

"Okay," I muttered, stuffing the compass in my jacket pocket. "I'll see you later."

"Be careful Bella!" she called as I grabbed my bike. "Don't get lost! Keep to the trail!"

"I got it."

I smiled, waving to her before riding deeper into the woods. The trees became denser so you couldn't even see the cloudy sky. The air was thick and muggy so that it weighed me down as I pedalled down the trail, my eyes scanning the surrounding woods. In the confines of the forest it was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Only the sound of my breathing and the wheels against the dirt made a noise. It was something that made me overly anxious, like the growing suspense in a horror film. I could just see myself taking the wrong road and the viewer screaming "NO! Don't go down there!" Then something would jump out of the shadows and push me screaming into the dirt.

I had the breath knocked out of me as my wheel hit a dent in the dirt road, throwing my chest against the handlebars. OW! That really hurt! I rubbed my sore spot, cringing. Yup, there was going to be a bruise there. I cursed under my breath, glaring at the hole. That's when I noticed the tire wheels that weren't mine. They led off the trail and to my left, into the dark forest. What has this little troublemaker got himself into?

I jumped off my bike, not wanting to try and ride through that terrain and decided to pull it along side me. I pushed it over the hole and into the leaf covered ground. The sounds changed from before. Now there was the crunching from the ground and the wheels slowly turning. My breathing was becoming more rapid the further I got into the forest. Would I be able to find my way out again? I turned around to see my tracks were clear although I could no longer see the trail. Gulping I continued on wards.

The air was becoming even thicker than I thought possible. I began to sweat and my breathing was raspy. Who knew Forks could get so muggy? I thought it was all about the northerly winds, cold as ice? But here is felt like the Amazon rainforest, not that I knew what it felt like.

I was out of breath by the time my tire hit something else entirely. I looked upwards, dumbfounded at what I saw. It was a large hedge, larger than I had ever seen. It almost reached the height of the surrounding trees so you would never see what was behind it. I looked to my right and then my left to see it carried on for some time before turning off at each corner. It was defiantly hiding something. My eyes returned to the hedge in front of me and that's when I spotted the little red bike propped up against a near by tree and the hole leading into the property. He'd climbed through and he was going to get himself in trouble, again.

I sighed; tossing my bike to the ground and kneeling down to look through the hole. I couldn't see him; all I saw was the green of grass no matter how low I went. Grumbling I went down on my hands and knees and crawled through the tiny available space. It took some time and some manoeuvres but at this point I was glad I was small. Finally I pulled myself through and fell with a "humph" on the grass. Well that was very lady like. I grimaced before standing up, rubbing the dirt off my jeans and elbows.

I raised my head and gaped at what I saw. The huge white mansion stood proud and majestic against the forest background. Although it was tall it was overgrown, like no one lived in it. The grass was growing from under the porch and there were vines of some kind sneaking up the side of the house. A few of the black shutters were hanging off their hinges, threatening to fall at any moment. Although the windows were clean there was nothing to see in the darkness of its insides. There were four windows on both the top and the bottom floor so I wondered why it was so dark inside. I looked up and answered my own question. The large trees above the house grew so huge and long that their branches shaded the house property so it looked even gloomier with the small amount of cloudy sky you could see. I suddenly felt like this was more of a prison than my house was. I looked back to see an old fountain in the middle of a round-a-bout, cobbled driveway, but a few of the bricks were missing or moved. There was no water in the dirty, moss filled fountain. Although it could be beautiful it was hidden with the foliage. The drive led up to the porch and then down to meet the hedge where a large iron gate, as tall as the hedges, stood. It was locked tightly and the black spikes at the top made me gulp.

My eyes followed the drive back up to the porch and I froze where I was. Arty was standing at the foot of the stairs, staring up at the house in complete awe. He hadn't noticed me so I groaned as I walked closer to him. There was probably an old couple that lived here with shotguns to scare kids away. I furrowed my brow as I stared at the little boy. Did he understand how much trouble I had been through to get here? So he ignores me! I hissed his name once but he didn't turn around.

"Arty!" I hissed again. "Arthur Weber!"

He slowly turned to face me, his eyes large when he saw it was me. "Come here," I whispered harshly so he could hear. He turned, sighing as his shoulders slumped. I glared at his fallen face. Annoying little…

But I stopped thinking that suddenly, my eyes shooting up to the porch. I couldn't make out what it was but it was moving. It was too dark to understand what it was but I knew it meant trouble. It was sort of crouched down, hunched over and still as stone as soon as I caught it. My hands shot up to stop Arty from moving towards me. I hushed him as his eyes got wider, staying still. My eyes were on the shadow again and it suddenly moved forward, very slowly like it was taking each step with care. Its movements were like a cat. Like a lion stalking it's kill, but this was no cat. It wasn't a bear or any other animal I could think of. While staring at its movements and shadow it almost looked…human. But that's impossible. No human I knew acted like that, but this was Forks…

Arty's whimpering caught my attention. As soon as my eyes left the creature, it pounced. Faster than even possible it was off the porch and beside little Arty, grabbing him by the back of his shirt. His screams echoed off the trees as I stumbled backwards shocked by how close it was. Arty flailed around as he tried to get out of its clutches but it made no move to let him go. It was a bit lighter so I could see a few more details of what it was.

It was a man, a human; I could see that now. He was very tall, much taller than Arty who reached just above his knee. But he was also very lean, reminding me of a lion again. His black jacket covered most of his body from me and his face was turned down so I couldn't see his features clearly. It was even too dark to see what colour his hair was although I could see how messy it was. My eyes looked at his face again to gasp at the gold staring back at me. It was darker than actual gold and couldn't help but wonder why his eyes were that colour.

Arty screamed again, knocking me out of my thoughts. He still had a tight grip on him and I was beginning to panic. What do I do? I would never be able to live with myself if Arty got hurt! What would he do to him? Would he beat him up? Would he…I gasped again. Was he some kind of cannibal? My eyes widened at that thought. What should I do?

The man lifted Arty up as the little boy started to cry, the tears running down his red cheeks. His eyes left mine for a moment to look at Arty curiously almost.

"Wait!" I found myself calling and his golden eyes flashed back to me. His stare was penetrating, like he was seeing right through me. "Please…" I took a breath. "Don't…don't hurt him. Please."

He stared at me for a while, his eyebrows hiding part of his eyes as he glared at me. I gulped under his intense gaze. He looked slowly over at Arty again and his whimpers were turned to screams. I noticed that the man's fingers were curled around Arty's wrist and squeezed.

"Please!" I cried, feeling the tears coming to my eyes. "I'll give you anything! Just leave him alone, please!" I immediately regretted my words after they came out of my mouth.

His head shot up to look at me. They were narrowed as if he was contemplating what I had said. I couldn't open my mouth to take back my offer but I knew I wouldn't even if I could speak. I bit my lip as he stared me down. I could feel myself shrinking back from him as the sudden look of frustration flashed in his golden eyes. What had I done?

Suddenly there was a small breeze from the approaching storm, the thunder booming loudly above as Arty cried out in fear. He hated thunderstorms, Angela had told me that. Angela! What happened to her and Andy? Would she even notice if Arty and I didn't come home? She'd notice if her brother wasn't home but would she notice if I had mysteriously disappeared? I whimpered at the thought.

As the wind blew it ruffled my hair. I immediately caught the strands and held them away from my face as the wind decreased. I looked up to see the man's eyes were closed. His chest expanded as he inhaled a large gulp of air, looking like it was an amazing fragrance. I stared at him in confusion as his eyes opened again, connecting with my own. They were even darker, close to black than gold. There was a flash in them that made me shiver and take an involuntary step back. They narrowed before a low hiss was heard. Did he do that?

Suddenly there was another short wind, making me blink. When I opened my eyes, they were gone. Gasping I flipped around to look behind me where I saw them. Arty was standing outside of the gate, the tears pouring down his face as he stared at me while the man finished with the lock. I knew what was happening. He was taking me up on my offer and he didn't want something…he wanted me.

I began to shake as Arty looked back up at him, taking a step backwards. His eye's shot to mine again and I nodded, mouthing "Go" to him. I wanted him safe and this was how I had to do it. He looked back at him before something I would call a growl was heard. Something low and throaty that again made me think of a lion and its prey. Arty jumped in the air and took off down the trail. I watched him as his little running form disappeared into the newly collected fog.

All hope was lost for me.

There was another slight breeze and I jumped when I found him beside me. But his quick movement was not the only thing that made me jump.

I could see him perfectly now, since he was so close to me I could reach out and touch his face. His perfect face. I sucked in a breath and bathed in the sweet scent that must have been coming off his pale skin. It glinted dully in the small amount of light but I couldn't help but gape. He stared down at me with his golden eyes, his eyebrows constricted together so his gaze looked more like a glare. I shrank back at the intensity but I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. My composure over my sight was slowly fading. Everything was perfect on him. From his chiselled jaw, high cheekbones and full lips to his strangely coloured bronze hair, it all made me want to touch his face.

My urge was so strong that my hand made it halfway up before his own hand shot out of no where, grabbing my wrist and stopping my brave move. His grip was so strong that I could almost feel the blood stopping from reaching my fingers. He lifted my hand, looking at it curiously before raising my wrist to his nose and inhaling deeply. His pale lids closed over his golden gaze as he took in the scent, his face expressionless.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open again, staring down at me with an unexplainable hunger burning in the shimmering colour of his iris. I caught myself shivering again as he stared down at me.

Almost as fast as his eyes had opened he was now tugging on my arm. It felt like it was coming right out it's socket. I squeaked in pain before stumbling after him, his stride never breaking. He didn't even give any movement that he noticed my protest. He just continued climbing the stairs as I tripped up after him, hitting my foot on the wood a dozen times. Each time I hurt myself I whimpered, pressing my lips together to keep back my scream of complete terror.

We cleared the white porch and went straight through the mahogany door and into a dark front hall. I could barely see anything in such gloom, only the shining of the tiled floor against the fire in the large room to my left. I didn't even have enough time to see what was inside that room as he again tugged me towards a wide curving staircase. I followed as closely as I could because I could tell he was getting impatient. I didn't want him to get any angrier with me.

We reached the top of the stairs faster than I ever could on my own. But he didn't stop dragging me along after him as he strode down the hall and into the darker part. I gulped the further we got into the dark. My eyes, of their own accord, shut tightly as he continued without even needing me to raising my feet off the floor.

He stopped abruptly and swung me around, letting go of my wrist and making me stumble backwards. It didn't take long for me to fall on my behind again, my eyes popping open in surprise. My eyes caught his vicious gaze just before the door shut, hiding him from view and the lock slid into place. I jumped to my feet and ran to the door, tugging desperately on the handle.

"Let me out!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, banging on the door. "Hey! Open the door!"

There was no answer as I kicked the wood, screaming in pain as I held on to my foot. I could feel the tears coming as I banged on the door again. "Let me out!" I sobbed, trying the knob again before slamming my hands against the door one last time. I had trouble breathing through the tears that were pouring down from my red eyes.

I backed away from the door before the back of my knees hit something soft. I fell back on to the bed, curling up into a little ball. Only the sound was my whimpering and the dropping of rain against the window was heard.

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X Author's Note X

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That right there was six pages long! So first chapter of my new story since I wanted to write it and get everyones opinion's on it. Good so far, no? Do we like DARK EDWARD?! It's different, right? I tried to include a lot of details but not so much to bore you. Are you seeing yourself as Bella? Hopefully. The quote at the beginning is from Pride and Prejudice, from Mr. Darcy (you can start giggling now Mum). Something new! On my YouTube page I have put up a playlist which has all the songs that inspire me to write each chapter. You can get the link to my channel on my profile page. Also, this story is based off Beauty and the Beast. Look, I just gave away the whole story! But bear with me since I've only seen the Disney movie. Lol BELLE ROCKS!! :D

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X Next Chapter X

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The next chapter will be in Edward's POV. I forgot if I did that in Sunrise or not. But anyway, it's my first REAL Edward POV chapter. Just to get inside his head and see what he see's in Bella. As his lunch, I mean. :D

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X Music X

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Weight of the World – Evanescence

Beat It – Fall Out Boy

Coming Undone – Korn

Crush Crush Crush – Paramore

It's Not My Time – Three Doors Down

Remedy - Seether

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