My life changed forever the day I dropped to the floor during basketball practice. One minute I was up and running with the ball dribbling in my hand and the next I was unconscious and on the floor, surrounded with people calling my name.

"Izzie? Iz?" my coach called to me. As I opened my eyes I saw my whole team around me. Immediately one of my best friends Abby gave me her hand and helped me up. I dusted myself off and looked around. Coach Turner was already off calling my mom.

I was told to go and change. I was done for the day. Heading for the locker room, I sat on one of the benches and went over what happened. It was so sudden and random. I barely remember feeling this odd pain in my chest before I woke up and found everyone staring at me. What happened?

I stood up, spinning the dial of my combo lock. I knew tonight was going to be a long night. Renee was a great mom. She was fun, caring, easy going, but she was also a worrywart and a tad bit over dramatic. She had her moments, my dad would always say. I packed up my things and got changed.

I'm sure when we got home she would be at Phil's side telling him what happened. She would blab on about all of the possibilities of what it could be, and he would just look to me to help calm her down. Its not that I didn't like Phil, he seemed like a great guy. It was just weird that he was only 7 years older than me and 20 years younger than my mom. My besties Abby and Zoey would always tease me about it, but somehow they cheered me up at the same time.

"At least your mom is happy," Zoey would always say to me.

When my mom rushed into the gym, she found me sitting on the sidelines with my stuff packed up.

"Bella!" she said coming over to me with panic. Coach shouted some drills out to the other girls while she came over to talk with my mom. After everything was explained, I could tell my mom was in full alarm mode.

Chalking it up to not eating enough, I convinced Renee and my coach I would eat more before I came into the gym. I guess an apple and a sandwich wasn't good enough to last me through the rest of the day and practice. So, as the weeks passed, I brought a granola bar to eat with me after 6th period and had an extra bottle of water with me during practice.

It worked for a while. The chatter about my incident died down around the school and I led us to the next three wins. I was back on my game until my luck ran out again. I collapsed during choir/ dance rehearsal. It was like a flash. I was in a huddle with some girls dancing while people were singing one second and the next I was back on the floor in blackness.

My teacher called Renee back to the school and I pushed it to not getting enough sleep. My mom seemed a bit more skeptical with the answer, but my teacher thought it made sense. With all of the athletics and advanced classes I was taking, I was bound to wind up exhausting myself. So I cut back on the rehearsals and I tried to slow down my pace during basketball. Renee wanted me to consider dropping a few of the AP courses, but I just told her not to worry. I would be more careful.

I unfortunately became the talk of the school again. The Phoenix school paper had the front page headlined 'Our Superstar Collapses Again!'

The whole first front and back page was dedicated to talking about my first and second accident. Like it couldn't get any worse. The gossip became a nuisance and didn't die down for almost a month. Many people stared at me when I was at my locker or watched me when I was at lunch. Some people claimed that I was anorexic or bulimic, while others thought I was just trying too hard. Either way, I hated all of the attention I was getting.

When I collapsed at home, that seemed to be the last straw for Renee. She called me in immediately and went to see Dr. Hawthorn.

Renee quickly took over the conversation before Dr. Hawthorn could begin the questions. She told her about my first incident at basketball practice, and then during rehearsal. She even told her about my falling down the stairs at home. The doctor seemed very worried at what she was hearing, but I had to cut in.

Yes, it seemed very serious when it was coming from my mom. She practically turned my accidents into a soap opera. So I explained it to the doctor too, just adding in some reasonable details. I informed her how I had not eaten a lot during the day, which was probably why I fainted during practice- hence the first incident. I went on telling her I was overly exhausted when my second occurrence happened. Not only was I taking all AP courses, but I was also in basketball, dance, and choir, which was a lot for one girl to handle. On top of that, I wasn't getting a lot of sleep since I was busy every day- including weekends. I just needed a break.

Dr. Hawthorn seemed a bit more calmed, but wanted to do some testing to make sure. Renee hassled the poor woman. Every thing the doctor was going over with me, Renee had a question going along with it. I know she was worried, but man, my mom got a little crazy.

The doctor settled every worry. She explained some of the tests I had to have done, and told me not to be concerned.

"It could be nothing. I just want to make sure," she said patting my leg. We walked out of the examination room a few minutes later, both feeling a little bit better.

So a few days later, I went through the testing, stage one. They started off with simple things such as X-rays, MRI's, etc. But as the test results came back, so did I. I felt like I was spending more and more time at the hospital rather than the court. I missed more and more practices and soon, I was going through testing that actually hurt.

I was getting poked and prodded more than once a week, and my blood was being drawn almost every week. Along with that, I being hooked up to monitors and meeting a bunch of other medical staff I didn't know.

I found it odd when I was demanding answers and my mom was not. Each time the doctor would come back, he or she would pull Renee out telling her things that made her glance over at me. Never did they come talk to me and me alone.

Numerous times I would ask my mom what was going on, but she would just plaster on a smile and say everything was okay. I would go through rounds more of painful testing while she waited in the waiting room still telling me not to worry.

Finally one night when I was doing some homework in my room, Dr. Hawthorn called my cell and told me she wanted to meet with me. Telling Renee, she tagged along side me after basketball practice and we went to the hospital. We waited in the waiting area for the woman doctor for a while. While I sat there, I started thinking of all the things it could be. But then I also started thinking of all the things it probably couldn't be. Dr. Hawthorn was probably just trying to show my mom nothing was wrong with me. I'm sure Renee was pushing her to make sure I was fine, and I probably was. My name was called and I looked up. We followed the nurse into the exam room and waited some more. I felt a little bit better. Dr. Hawthorn was probably just here to tell me I was fine. Nothing was wrong and it was all in my head.

The doctor walked into the room, smiling at us both, and sat down on the stool to face us. She held out my file, which was now a few inches thick. It definitely grew, that was for sure. She first went over all the tests that I had gone through. She told us what they meant and how to read these things. Many of them I knew. I had studied it in school. She seemed impressed to how much I actually knew.

"Well Isabella," she started, "this seems to be more than nothing."

I cheered in my head and was about to say 'I told you so' to my mom, until I realized what she said.

"What?" I asked. She looked at me with a serious expression on her face. "We did some tests, and they all came back the same. You're being diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy."

"Excuse me?" I asked again. I felt my heart stop. It was supposed to be nothing. I was supposed to be fine.

"Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is when the heart muscle becomes thick. This then makes it harder for blood to leave the heart, so the heart has to work harder to pump blood."

"Will I be okay?" I wondered.

"You should be, but it can be dangerous. Usually this genetic disease can be more severe in younger people."

"Genetic?" I asked as I thought about her words. My mind flared. Renee knew about this? Did she have it?

"Mom?" I asked turning to Renee. I didn't want the doctor to tell me. This needed to come from her.

"Bella, it slipped my mind. I didn't know."

"You can't be serious?" I breathed. Dr. Hawthorn put a hand on my knee. She slowly began to talk more about what my other symptoms could be and what I could and couldn't do.

"No more basketball?" I asked with tears in my eyes.

"No more anything," the doctor said softly. After a little while, she left my mom and I to get used to the news.

I sat there on the table stunned. This wasn't happening. These things were my life. Choir, Dance, Basketball…they were all coming to an end.

Renee tried to comfort me, but I didn't listen. I honestly didn't care what she had to say. I felt so mad at her for giving me this, yet at the same time I knew it was just genetics that screwed me over.

The rest of the night went by with a flash. Renee informed Phil of what was going on, and he gave me pitiful eyes. Phil and I could always talk about sports. It was something we could really relate on. He may have been a minor league baseball player, but he was interested in what I did. He attended a lot of my games and cheered me on. That was something I loved about him. But now, we didn't share a connection. I couldn't have been father off base with him now.

I went straight to my room, ignoring what every Renee was saying to me about dinner.

"You need to be careful," Dr. Hawthorns voice rang out in my head, "you're condition is very serious. It can lead to death."

I laid on my bed staring at the ceiling. Why me?

The next day, I didn't go to school. Renee let me sleep in; giving me a day to relax. I didn't relax though. I laid in bed practically the whole day thinking about everything. I was nothing now. Nobody. I couldn't do anything.

The pit in my stomach grew and my chest hurt. What was I supposed to do with my life? Around dinnertime I walked down the stairs and grabbed some dinner. Renee and Phil talked happily, while I pushed some peas around on my plate.

I retreated to my room early, telling the couple I was tired and was off to bed. Again, I got away with not going to school. It worked for a week- moping and doing nothing. It felt somewhat good.

Abby and Zoey brought over my schoolwork for me. I told them my news, which they comforted me with pity. It made me feel helpless- even more so than I already felt. Their cheering up became a switch that made me even angrier. I pushed them both away, leaving myself to deal with the mess.

Renee let me bury myself in pity for a while until she had enough. She didn't like how I was brushing off my friends who called every night. And she didn't like how i wasn't opening up to her. So as her punishment to me, she woke me up early and finally made me go to school. It was the last few weeks before finals, which meant big games for basketball, were coming up.

Hearing those stupid words in my head from the doctor, I went to Coach Turner's office and told her I couldn't play anymore. I told her what I was diagnosed with and asked her to keep it between us. The last thing I wanted was another school newspaper exclusive on me. With a promise, she told me good luck for the future and went to go coach her team.

My self-pity continued. I had to tell my choir and dance teacher I could no longer be apart of their club/team. I told them each why and each time found pity in their eyes. It was like I couldn't escape. It made me sick.

Abby and Zoey would try and talk to me every so often, but I was hurting too badly that they didn't stick around long. Between their own basketball practices and life, they just didn't have much time to play 'pity with Iz'.

Weeks passed and I put my self on autopilot. I did my schoolwork, went home, got dinner ready, did my homework, and went to bed. It was repetitive and my mom and Phil could see it.

Finally my break came. Phil got an offer to go to Colorado for a while. There was some baseball thing there. So, we packed up our stuff, informed the school, and were off. From there, I was better.

"A new school, a fresh start," Renee smiled at me. And she was right. I became a bit more like my old self again. I found some people to talk to, took some more advanced classes and called it a day. It was great to feel more like me again.

While attending Colorado High, I met a certain family. The Cullen's to be exact. They were beyond gorgeous. I began to hang around them as life continued.

Edward and I were somewhat 'dating' I guess you could say. It was odd having a boyfriend. At Phoenix High, I was one of the popular ones. The girls and me didn't need a boyfriend, but now, with everything going on, it was like I needed Edward.

I wasn't exactly clingy, but I didn't want to let him go. Alice, Edward, and the rest of their family were extremely nice. Rosalie and I didn't really see eye to eye, but we got along for the most part.

Edward was a true gentleman. He would walk me to class carrying my books and my bag. We would sit together at lunch, along with the rest of his family, and we would hang out on weekends, occasionally going on 'dates'.

I felt like I was living a different life. There were no problems or issues. Edward and I had a pretty straightforward relationship. I did pick up on a few unusual things though. They all were super pale-pale enough to be classified as the walking dead (or at least that's what our school called them). They all had pretty fast reflexes, and had gold eyes. The eyes are what didn't make any sense to me. When I first asked Edward about it, he told me they all wore contacts. But then one day his eyes were back. So when I asked him again, he said he forgot to put them in. I felt something nagging at me, but I let it go. We all had secrets to hide.

I never joined the basketball team or anything like that, but with the Cullen's around, I didn't need to. Alice kept me busy with her shopping, and Renee adored them. She thought Edward was just what I needed to get over my 'problem'.

That was something I kept from Edward. It was actually something I kept from all of them. Before we left for Colorado, my mom and I had made a deal. She and Phil were to tell no one of my condition. It was, unless they had my permission, they could tell someone, and only that someone.

I didn't tell anyone. Not my aunt, not Alice or Edward, not even Charlie, my dad. I didn't want anyone to know. I wanted to be normal-live normally. One day this thing could kill me and I didn't want the people around me to worry about that.

Anyways, one day I collapsed at the Cullen's mansion. Luckily, Edward caught me before I could do any damage to myself. He took me to Carlisle's office and Carlisle looked me over.

"Bella, I think you should go to the doctors," Carlisle said turning to look at me.

"I'm fine Carlisle," I told him with a smile. Edward stood in the corner looking at me worried and then glanced at the back of Carlisle's head. His eyes became wide and he looked a bit fearful.

"Edward?" I asked catching his expressions.

"Bella, you should go," he said looking to me. "It could be serious."

"I'm fine," I told the two of them. They both shook their heads and I sighed. Why did it have to come to this? I didn't want to tell them but I didn't want them to worry all the time. They did that enough.

We passed it off to me not eating enough. How ironic huh? Edward made sure to keep me healthy and eat as much as I could. Whenever I came over, Esme would have some big meal prepared for me to eat. I think she always knew I wouldn't have the heart to say no to her, so everyday when I went over there, I would eat bites of it.

As I hung around the Cullen's more and more, I picked up on some strange things. They never really ate at lunchtime, their skin was beyond cold, and they were pretty amazing. Edward knew the piano like a professional, their spendings were more than what a doctor would ever make, and their wall art was a little unusual (example #1: graduation caps).

Rumors started flying after a few years in Colorado. They were wondering how the Cullens could look so young and intelligent when they claimed they were older. My questions seemed to be getting to Edward, along with the rumors around the town. I kept pushing and pushing, looking for answers. As I became more curious to what they were hiding, I made it my personal vendetta to know what it was.

Finally, Edward sat me down with his family and told me. To say I was beyond shocked was an understatement. To know I had been dating a vampire for almost a year and a half now had me a bit…freaked out. When I was calm enough to listen, they told me all about themselves.

They were from the 1900's. Edward was over 100 years, just like the rest of them. Rosalie and Emmett, along with Jasper and Alice were actually married, not dating. Their family was not technically a family. A coven, they called themselves.

I stayed away from them for a few days. Everything I had to process took a while. It gave me a few complications with my heart and I passed out a few times at home. Renee was a bit suspicious, but I guess she had her own things to deal with, so she didn't ask very many questions.

Finally, I came to a point where I accepted it all. They were vegetarian vampires as funny as that sounded. They were immortal creatures whose only enemy was the wolf. Of course, the wolves weren't a threat to them since they had some pact with them, but it didn't really matter. I felt safe again with the Cullen's. Their big secret wasn't so bad after all.

I suddenly got very dizzy while at the Cullen's. My breaths were coming out short and Edward took me straight to Carlisle's office. Immediately Carlisle looked me over again. He pushed and pushed for me to see someone. He told me how serious he thinks my condition might be if I have what he thinks I have.

So, I let the cat out of the bag. Carlisle was right of course. He guessed it the day I fainted. I told him and his family about everything I had gone through and what I was still going through. Edward felt extremely guilty for laying his vampire secret on me, which I had to tell him time and time again it wasn't anything bad.

He didn't do anything wrong- I needed to know. I think it would have done more damage to me if I didn't know. So, there were only a few hitches in our relationship. I continued to go out with my vampire boyfriend and hang around his vampire family.

Unfortunately, now that I knew his secret, I wasn't as interested in him as I once was. I kept trying to put more effort in our relationship; it just didn't seem to be working. There was something about Edward and I- we didn't seem to click anymore. Somehow we lost our spark. We talked it over one day and came to the same conclusion. We needed to go back to being friends. He was too worried about my condition that he couldn't see past it. And I was just too uncomfortable with dating a vampire that we called it quits. Of course, we stayed best friends.

Then one day, when he told me he had to pack up and leave, so did I. Phil' job moved him to Texas, so now we were off there.

Alice fit me in for one more shopping trip (lucky me- much sarcasm added). We bought a ton of clothes for my trip to Texas, while we got her a few things for Rome. When it was time for our families to leave, I gave them all one last hug.

With a whispering promise, I told them I would keep their secret till the day I die. Emmett cracked a joke and we left like that. Renee, Phil and I hit the road to Texas, while the Cullen's super sped to Rome.