Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me apart from the plot.

Ok, here is a little explaining.

Bella is the same as in Twilight, but she lives in Phoenix and has never met her father, Charlie, who left her mother when Bella was young. Her mother Renee hates Bella, and beats her. She lives in Phoenix, and has never heard of Forks.

Edward is a vampire, in case you can't figure it out.

Enjoy !!

…

The earliest memories I had of my childhood were at the age of three. They have faded slightly, for which I am thankful, but I can still remember in clarity, the glances of hate my mother Renee gave me every time I spilt my food or knocked over my juice. She had always hated me- I was her biggest mistake, as she told me almost every day. I was never allowed to forget that I was the reason her husband had left her.

Growing up in the slums and dirt of America, I spent most of my childhood working my skin to the bone to impress my mother. Often after a long day's work, where I had cleaned the house to spotlessness, she only gave me a passing glance before retreating to her drinks cupboard. She often got very drunk, so it was no surprise to me that night would be any different.

By the age of fourteen, I was almost a skeleton, thin and with a pinched look to my face. I had no friends, and was still forced to work at home while my mother beat me or went out for the night with her passing boyfriends. I was her slave. Every day I longed to get away from her, and many times, I thought of suicide.

Despite my longing for death, I managed to reach my seventeenth birthday. Obviously, my mother had 'forgotten' that today was my birthday, and had not bothered to even give me a card. I knew no children of my age, so I received absolutely nothing from anyone. The day passed like any other- get up at six, shower under cold water because my mother had used all of the hot water, wash the dishes, scrub the basins and bath, clean the car, make breakfast, go to school, sit through another day, come home from school, do homework, more chores, then retreat to my bedroom.

I put my head in my hands as I sat on my bed, and rubbed my temples. Another headache. No, today was nothing special. I meant nothing to anyone. I was dirt.

Do I really want to live like this? I thought, rubbing the scars on my wrists where I had tried to kill myself. No. I don't. I'm sick of this life, sick of everything. No one would even miss me if I died.

I went over to my desk and took out a pen and paper.

Dear Mother,

I know you wish I had never been born, so you shall get your wish. Goodbye.

From Bella.

I didn't even put a kiss, because I had never loved my mother, and she had never loved me.

All that remains is how to do the deed. I'm going to kill myself. I really am. This time, there is no backing out. I'm going to be free from this life!

I trudged downstairs and left the note on my mother's kitchen table. She was out tonight, and would come back tomorrow night, after spending the days away partying and gambling in New York. At least she would get a nice surprise when she came home.

I went out of the front door, and grabbed a kitchen knife, hiding it in the pocket of my hoodie. I didn't want to kill myself in the house, because that would be boring. No, I wanted something more original.

I walked for two hours before I got to where I wanted to be, and finally slid down the back alley, the place I had chosen to die.

This had been where my mother had conceived me, and I knew that this was the place she would think of first, when the police looked for my body.

There was no one around, and I thanked god for that. No one would be able to stop me. It was almost dark, and the sun was sinking below the skyline of office blocks and flats. The moon was beginning its rise into the sky, and little bars of moonlight draped across the city. Ah, Phoenix. My home, I thought bitterly. I had never liked this city, because constantly it reminded me of my bitter existence.

I walked towards the back of the alley, where a brick wall stood. Pushing past overflowing dustbins, I made my way to the back of the alley. Rain began to fall- unusual for Phoenix- and began to sink into my clothes, chilling me to the bone. I shivered, and pulled my hoodie closer to my neck.

Taking the knife out of my pocket, I ran my fingers over the edge of it, careful not to cut myself. The metal was cold, and goose bumps began appear on my pale skin. I swept my brown hair into a ponytail, and put the knife's edge against my neck, wrapping my hands around the handle.

I can do this!

One little movement, and it will all be over.

One little cut, and I'll be free.

I prepared myself for it mentally, and was just about to stick the knife into my neck when I felt something hard and solid slam into me, knocking my head back against the wall.

"STOP!" it was a boy's voice- his body was pressed close to mine and he was staring at me urgently. "DON'T KILL YOURSELF!"

"What… ar-are… you talking… about?" I spluttered, my eyesight going shaky and black blobs popping up in front of my eyes. That wall had been pretty hard, and my head felt like it had been split open. My eyes began to water.

"DON'T KILL YOURSELF!" the boy repeated, pressing himself against me and prising the knife from my hands. What he did next amazed me- he snapped the knife in half with only a twitch of his fingers.

I studied this boy closely as well as my blurry eyesight would let me. He looked about seventeen, like me, and his skin was deathly pale. He had a mop of messy bronze hair, and topaz eyes, which drew me in. They were very deep. His teeth were very white and shined when he spoke, and his body was muscular and toned.

A normal girl would have thought, Bloody hell, he's fit! When she saw him, but I just thought, what the hell?

"How did you find me? Who are you?" I asked, but I didn't hear his reply, because at that moment I collapsed.

So here is the first chappie of a new story, and if you want more, review and say so! Unlike Edward I can't tell just by reading your thoughts… sniff, sniff.

CullenLove x