Chapter 1: Annalise Gray

It was another cold, dreary morning in Forks. I pushed my dark red hair out of my face, the waves rippling down my back softly. I desperately missed the soft heat of my childhood home In Wisconsin on days like these, even though I hadn't been there in nine years. I had been in Forks since I was seven. I swung my legs out of my bed, shivering as my bare feet touched the icy floor. I hurried over to my closet, grabbing my gray wool skirt, which ended a few inches above my knees, tights, and a dark blue sweater. The only reason for the skirt was that my English class was going on a field trip to a museum to look at the Jane Austen exhibit. I was reasonably excited by the prospect of getting out of Forks, but the fact that it was below zero outside was going to dampen the experience.

I glanced in the mirror as I straightened out my sweater. My eyes looked dark in the light, their usual cinnamon color dulled to a dark brown. The freckles that formed constellations on my face seemed like a birthright to most red heads. My dark scarlet strands had tangles at the ends, the loose curls colliding into a mess of hair near my waist. I swiftly brushed them out before darting down the creaky stairs. I entered the small kitchen, greeting my older brother with a small smile. I grabbed a yogurt cup out of the fridge and plunked down into a rickety chair at the table.

"Hi, Damon." My brother, with his light red hair and eyes the same shade as mine, glanced up at me. He set down his book on forensic psychology, looking exhausted like he had been the past few months.

"Hey Annalise. You have that field trip today right?"

I nodded, swallowing a spoonful of blueberry yogurt.

"When should I pick you up, then?"

I thought for a moment, tapping my spoon against the side of the yogurt container. "I'll probably be back around four at the latest. I'm going to go to the library while I'm at it. You can pick me up there, I guess." I told Damon, scraping the last of the yogurt from the cup. I stood up, tossing the remains of my breakfast in the trash. Damon stood up as well, putting on his old wool jacket. I did the same, shrugging on my leather bomber and pulling on my mittens. I yanked on my combat boots as Damon left the house to start our single old car. It was a pattern I was used to, a pattern I was familiar with. I grabbed my backpack and dashed out the door, trying to keep my exposure to the cold to a bare minimum.

I hopped into the car, shivering and rubbing my hands together. Almost immediately, Damon pulled out of the driveway, and I turned the knob on the radio, trying to find a good station. After a minute of tinkering with no avail, I gave up and instead amused myself by watching my house, a pale blue, slightly shabby, ancient building fade from my vision. I looked over at Damon. He looked sleep deprived, aging even though he was only 19. It must be the strain of the night classes.

We arrived at Forks High School with a few minutes to spare. I exited the car without a word from Damon. It was, once again, something I was used to. I glanced behind me as an old truck drove into the school parking lot. I recognized the girl driving it- Bella Swan. She had moved here from Arizona a few days ago. I got the sense that she was a loner, just like I was. Bella exited her car, running a hand through her loose dark brown curls. I hesitated, then walked towards her. She glanced up at me in surprise.

"Hi, Bella. I'm Annalise." I said softly.

Bella smiled tentatively. "Oh. Yeah, hi." She seemed distracted. Her gaze was trapped on a group of five individuals. I glanced at the Cullens. They weren't looking at each other, or anyone in particular. Their eyes were fixed elsewhere, staring at nothing. Each and every one was captivating and aesthetically appealing- it wasn't odd that Bella was as entranced as I had been.

"Have you spoken to them?" I probed, trying to make conversation. Bella glanced at me, startled.

"No. Have you?" She asked, and I paused for a moment. I had known the Cullens since sophomore year, and I hadn't spoken to them often. They kept to themselves and rarely spoke to anyone outside of their little group. On occasion, though, Alice would speak to me, and Edward would sometimes stare at me in class. It wasn't a crush, though. His gaze seemed to hold more interest and thoughtfulness than romantic emotion when he looked at me.

"Only Alice, and that was a few times. Questions about homework, and stuff." I didn't mention the time she spoke to me after I lost my father to an animal in the woods. I tried not to think about that.

"Oh. I have a class with Edward." Bella said, not really paying attention. She was watching them enter the school.

"Biology, right? I'm in that class as well." I said, recalling Bella's first entrance into the classroom.

"Yeah." Bella murmured. She started walking towards the school, her head down. I walked with her, shooting her quick glances every now and then. As soon as we escaped the chill, Mike and a few others bore down on Bella. They glanced at me with mild disinterest. I left Bella's side with a small wave that she returned before Mike recaptured her attention.

I walked towards my locker, pondering the Cullens. I had thought of them every now and then, wondering what made them so different from everyone else... I had met Carlisle Cullen only a few times, the first being when I had gotten a deep laceration on my arm and the next being when my father had been found dead in the woods, leaving Damon and I to fend for ourselves. I had had to stay in the hospital for two nights, the shock completely freezing me. He had treated me then. He was kind, yet reserved, and he never struck up a real conversation with me. Not one long enough for me to get to know him. Though he had never had a chance, as I had been in a catatonic state for the time I had been in the hospital.

The rest of the Cullens... I had never spoken to any of them except for Alice. Jasper, Emmett, Edward, and Rosalie unnerved me, and though Alice was just as equally terrifying, she had always seemed more... Human than the others. Maybe that was why I had enough courage to only meet her gaze.

I turned a corner, and as I did, I walked right into someone. The smack was loud, and I stumbled backward, slightly dazed. I looked up to see Jasper Hale staring down at me, nostrils flared.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." I said quickly, fear overtaking me. Jasper had always seen the most frightening of the bunch, and right now, it looked as if my suspicion was correct.

A small, lithe body appeared next to Jasper. Alice. She smiled at me.

"It's alright, Annalise. Right, Jasper?" She tugged on Jasper's sleeve. He forced a smile. With a slight nod, he moved away down the hall. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, only to be distracted by the unmoving girl before me. I swiftly turned my attention back to Alice.

"Annalise, I was wondering if you remember the homework for Pre-Calculus. I'm afraid I can't recall what Mr. Harris wrote on the board." She smiled. I nodded, and told her what pages we had to do for tomorrow.

"Thanks. I'll see you later, I suppose." Alice flashed me a small, dazzling grin before bouncing off. I stood there for a second, bewildered by what had transpired. Jasper had seemed so stiff, angry, and tense, just from me bumping into him. I shook my head, trying to clear it, as I reached my locker. I stuffed my bag inside, save for a notebook and pen, and continued on to English. I entered the classroom. It was drafty inside, but the majority of the students were still as loud and bubbly as usual. I took my seat near the back of the class, and watched the scene before me.

Mike, Jessica, Angela, Eric, and Bella were all joking around in front of me. Other students were chasing each other around the room. Emmett, Alice, and Jasper walked in, silent. I stiffened, remembering what had happened less than ten minutes ago. But they didn't even offer me a a fleeting look as they strode through the classroom until they settled into a cluster of desks ten feet away. I looked back down at my notebook and flipped open to a blank page. I began to draw a picture of a girl. I became so immersed in my task that I almost didn't notice Jasper Hale staring at me. I had just glanced up, seeing if the teacher was here yet, to see him staring at me. I immediately refocused my gaze back on my notebook until it was time to go to the buses.

Even then, I looked down, not wanting to unintentionally meet a gaze from one of them. They shouldn't have this much power over me, but they intrigued me in a way no one else did. I stepped up onto one of the buses, and walked through the crowded seats until I found a solitary one. Only when I had safely sat down did I allow myself to survey my surroundings. And I immediately regretted it.

Jasper, Alice, and Emmett were breezing down the aisle smoothly, finishing off the line of students clamoring to be let onto the bus. Jasper and Alice took a seat behind me, while Emmett plunked down in the seat across from me. My eyes widened and I turned quickly. My head lowered and my dark red hair swung in front of my face. I tugged my ratty notebook and ballpoint pen out of my backpack and turned to a crisp, fresh new page.

I was sketching a drawing of a pelican when the bus halted to a stop. I glanced up, less self conscious than before. We had stopped suddenly at a red light, and I looked out the window at the dark forest next to me. It was dripping with the fading ice that had previously donned its branches, and the soft snow that littered the ground was turning an unappealing gray.

"That's pretty." I spun around swiftly to see Alice leaning over the edge of my whseat, eyes intent as she looked at the pelican. I blushed, and mumbled a thanks. But Alice didn't go away.

"Are you excited for the museum?" She persisted, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah, I am." I nodded. I shifted to face Alice, but as I did, my notebook fell with a dull clatter to the ground. I sighed, and bent down to grab it, still holding Alice's gaze.

My finger pierced a sharp object and I gasped in surprise, my eyes flashing down to my hand, where bright red blood flooded over my finger.

I cursed, wringing my hand slightly as the pain took over. I turned back to Alice, and she was already holding a tissue, like she knew it was going to happen. The bus jolted back and forth, the dirty sheet of metal underneath my boots rattling. As the light from outside flickered on and off because of the tall, looming pine trees, I could see a piece of the metal spiral that bound my notebook standing jagged and shaking. I sighed.

I turned back around again to Alice, but something was different. She was no longer looking at me, but she was looking at Jasper, who looked like he was in immense pain. His beautiful face wasn't deformed in a mask of agony, but it was frozen in an blank expression. He was stiff, unmoving, like his life depended on it. His mysterious golden eyes had appeared to have turned darker, and the pain and longing in them shocked me. What had happened?

Alice was staring at Jasper, meeting his gaze, looking reassuring. Her hand lightly touched his shoulder, and I again remembered that they were a couple. I heard a movement, and turned to see Emmett staring at me, something intangible in his gaze. I was speechless, unsure of what to say and what to do. Apparently, I was just as socially inept as I was accident prone.

I realized that the bus was slowing down with jarring halt, each bump shaking me and making me grip the edge of my seat with my fingers. Eventually, we stopped, and everyone stood up. Grabbing my notebook, careful of the metal spear on the end, I stood up as well. Alice and Jasper breezed past me, blowing my hair into my face. I was stunned for a moment as Emmett stalked past me without a word or a glance. I followed, pondering what I could have done wrong.

Maybe it wasn't me. Maybe Jasper got a really bad headache, or he was just hungry. But even those excuses couldn't explain the amount of pain and longing in his eyes, and how Alice seemed calm even though her boyfriend was in obvious discomfort. Something was odd, but maybe I was just missing something incredibly obvious, like I was known to do.

I was yanked from the speculative thoughts as Mrs. Nelson called the class together, putting us into groups of four. I was with Kaitlin, Mike, and Jessica. The Cullens were in the solitary group of three.

The trip breezed by, and though I was a little upset about not paying much attention, I was so captivated by my thoughts and wonderings of the Cullens that I wondered if there was something seriously wrong with me.

It had begun to rain outside, the soft drizzle from this morning turning into a fully blown downpour. I was vaguely upset that I had no raincoat, only my leather jacket, but I was more focused on the Cullens. I felt like a kid at a candy store as I watched them move around, gliding in grace and speaking in a song-like voice. There was something so utterly different about them that I couldn't comprehend. It felt like they were of something other worldly, something no one would even imagine- but then, it must be my overactive imagination taking over that was spurring on this train of thought.

We walked out the glass doors that streamed with water and made a stunted dash for the bus. Mrs. Nelson had instructed us not to run, but I could see Mike going too fast to be walking.

I sighed at his ignorance as he fell onto his back. After he had gotten up sheepishly, we continued on to the buses that were still a good fifty feet away. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were walking together, having a heated discussion. Emmett seemed angry at Alice, and Jasper appeared to be defending her. Why were they angry? It seemed like every thought of the Cullens ended in a question that I couldn't answer, no matter how hard I tried.

The bus doors creaked open, and I turned my head to see Alice, Jasper, and Emmett getting into the other bus. I turned back around and made my way back to the cold vehicle.

The rest of the day passed by in a flow of notes, quizzes, and mindless chatter from classmates. I had gotten an A on my Biology test, to my surprise, and I couldn't help but notice that Bella was lab partners with Edward Cullen. They were talking this time, compared to a few classes previously were he had seemed almost angry at her. It was odd, but none of my business, I reminded myself.

The bell rang, and I scurried out of the classroom and to my locker. I glanced outside at the rain, and desperately wished I could just call Damon and ask him to bring me home from the school. But that couldn't happen, because he was in his daytime college class and I couldn't just ask him to pick me up. I slammed my locker door with a sigh, and threw my jacket on. I exited the school, the noisy parade of students crashing around me, and began the two mile walk to the library.

Most days the long trip to the library was worth it, since I could pick up a much loved book that I couldn't afford to have. But today I knew the library would be dull and boring, and with less homework than usual, I would be fishing for something to do.

The first mile passed in silence, my thoughts nothing deeper than character analyses in Pride and Prejudice. As I was shivering from the cold, I spotted the trail that lead directly into town from across the wet, glistening street. Maybe if I took that, it may be faster than my usual route along the road. I glanced at the pavement- no cars were coming. I crossed quickly, and set out into the woods.

I was on edge, nervous as the light that came from where I had begun faded and I was left to travel the worn path along in the dark forest. This may not have been the most sensible of ideas. Ten minutes passed, and I felt as if I was just going deeper into the woods when I heard a menacing crack behind me. I spun around. Nothing was there, but I wasn't going to take any chances.

I sped up, my feet slick on the wet leaves. I slipped and stumbled a little, but I still heard the sound of branches being stepped on by feet behind me. I began to run as footsteps pounded on the floor, and I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going when I crashed out of driving bushes and onto the dark gray pavement. I heard a squeal of tires that was too, too close to my ears and I spun around to see a blue car coming at me at an impossible speed. A flash of red disappeared into the trees, and my eyes fixated on the car again. My legs moved, but not fast enough as the metal of the car slammed into my waist, flipping me up into the air.

I gasped as I was flung through the air, panic induced thoughts flowing through my head in an endless stream of fear. I was coming back towards the ground, the air crackling and shimmering as my body began to hurt beyond reason. I slammed onto the ground, hearing two sharp cracks that elicited a shriek of pain. My vision was blurred, and all I could see was the blood that seemed to pool from my abdomen. A jagged, milky edge of a bone stuck out of my sweater, and wool began to be stained a dark red. A metallic scent flooded my mouth, and I knew I was about to lose consciousness. A thousand thoughts flooded rough my head, each more depressing than the first.

My breath shook, and fear, fear beyond anything I had ever felt filled me from head to toe. I was trembling, my body feeling like an earthquake. A haze of terror filled my head, and I could only catch glimpses of what was going on around me. My hand was shaking violently, my fingers drenched in burgundy. The light gray sky, the raindrops falling softly. I felt the hard unevenness of the gravel my arm, pressing into my skin, making imprints.

Everything was out of place, spinning and contorting into strange shapes before my eyes. The wail of a siren attacked my eardrums, causing another fluttering heartbeat. At this point my vision was fading, and I could feel myself falling back. Someone was right next to me, and I could feel them catch my shoulders as I collapsed. Everything was fading, disappearing…

Terror racked my body one last time, causing a jarring shudder that racked my spine. My last thoughts were of my own mortality, and if heaven did exist.