Prologue

BPOV

I was five at the time. My parents, Charlie and Renee had decided to split up. I was old enough to understand what divorce was, but I'm not sure I had really processed exactly what it would mean until I watched my mom drag my suitcase out of my closet and begin to pack up my clothes.

It had been the worst fight yet, the yelling still pounding inside my head. It had happened so often I had grown used to it; I never cried any more, just sat and waited until it stopped.

That rainy day I just sat on my bed as Renee folded everything quickly and shoved it inside the blue hard-backed suitcase. She looked up at me, a small smile on her tear streaked face. "Don't worry, baby,' she crooned," you'll see Charlie every summer and on the holidays; it's not forever." I nodded silently. Finally I found the nerve to speak up. "Where are we going to go?" my tiny voice cracked just a bit.

Renee looked thoughtful for a while, then turned once again to face me. "Somewhere where the sun always shines, baby. What do you think about Los Angeles?" I nodded again. I liked the sun. You never saw much of it here in Forks. Renee continued needlessly," In LA you can swim every day if you want; it hardly ever rains, it's always warm, like an endless summer!"

She finished packing and grabbed my hand gently. We walked down the stairs to where Charlie was waiting for us. "At least let me drive you to where you're going." He said in his defeated tone. " No need to waste money on an airplane."

Renee hesitated for a moment and seemed to see the logic of the idea. "All right." she conceded. We all headed out the door, Charlie helping Renee with her bags and suitcases. After loading everything into the back end we got into Charlie's brown suburban and settled in for the long ride to California.

Along the way my attention faded in and out between Renee and Charlie discussing finding us a temporary place of residence to how Charlie would get Billy to drive my mom's blue 1985 Pontiac Grand Am to us. I was day dreaming of Renee and I living in an apartment building with a pool out front that I could swim in daily. I could almost see myself in my little red one piece learning to jump off the diving board into Renee's waiting arms.

After what seemed endless days of driving Charlie turned his head to look at me in the backseat and announced," Almost there, kiddo. We're in LA now, just got to stop for a minute to get gas at the next station and then we're on to the hotel."

We pulled in to an old looking Conoco station and Charlie got out to pay for the gas. My mom announced that she and I were going to visit the 'little girls room' and would be ready to go in just a few minutes. Charlie told her to take her time since he'd have to find the boys room himself before pulling out of the station. We turned to head around the side of the building where the restrooms were located.

In southern California there's very little twilight. Once the sun sets it gets dark pretty quickly. Renee and I walked quickly during the very little time between the end of the afternoon and the beginning of the evening… just as the last lights faded from the sky.

As we entered the one stalled 'room' for ladies, Renee barely got to the sink as I flipped the switch to the 'on' position when the door slammed shut behind us. We never even had time to turn; things seemed to be happening so quickly and I simply couldn't comprehend all of them at once. My memory is still so jumbled, but this I am sure of, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen appeared so suddenly in front of the grimy bathroom door, an evil smile spreading slowly across her exquisite face. The sound of the door locking registered somewhere in my mind but I would not comprehend it's full meaning for several minutes. The woman had flowing fiery red hair that seemed to flicker around her very much like flames. She moved so quickly toward my mother, embracing her so quickly and quietly, I'd have assumed they were old friends but for the fact that my mother's eyes were wide with fear, a tiny scream trying to escape her throat. Renee's wide terror filled eyes searching for me as she gasped her last breaths. Her long slender arms struggling to reach for me, but they never raised more than half the height of her body before they went totally limp. Her whole body slowly relaxed into the beautiful woman's embrace. Slowly, gracefully, almost lovingly, the woman seemed to lower my mother's now motionless body to the floor. I will never forget the small thud Renee's lifeless body made as the woman's grasp released her only two feet from the floor.

A gasp of realization escaped my lips as I realized that my mother was dead. The woman, who seemed not to have noticed me before now turned her dark crimson eyes to my face. She inhaled deeply. "My what an aroma you have, little one." She said as she slowly, gracefully stalked toward me. Her movements reminded me of that of a cat slyly approaching it's next meal. Her movements were interrupted by a light tap at the door.

"Charlie." I whispered, fearful that my father would be her next victim, but it was not Charlie's voice that floated musically from the other side of the ladies room door. "Victoria," the voice crooned softly," are you nearly done?"

In one swift movement, much to fast for me to see, Victoria had crossed the space between me and the door and had opened it to reveal the owner of the beautiful voice I had heard only seconds before. The man stepped in. His eyes the same color crimson as Victoria's, but harder, full of immeasurable cruelty. His smile, menacing and cold, did not reach his eyes as he gazed down upon me. His skin, I noted, was the palest I had ever seen. His shoulder length blond hair tied back into a neat but rather loose ponytail.

"Well, well. What is this?" he murmured softly. His nostrils flared slightly as he sniffed the air. "So small and yet, so strong." His words confused me. Somehow I knew he was talking about me, but my five year old mind reeled with terror did not yet comprehend his meaning.

"She's not very big, James." Victoria sneered. "Not big enough to share at least." she said, the sound of hope in her voice evident as she looked back down at me.

"Indeed, my dear." James breathed. "But I would not be so quick to give up one so delicious…even to you." He stood, lost in thought though his wicked red eyes never left mine. "We will wait." he announced after what seemed decades of nothing but his gaze locked to mine. "They do not take very long to grow. Besides, I believe she will provide an excellent source of entertainment during our wait."

Obviously not trusting his mate, James snatched me from the tiny bathroom floor. And soon we were flying through the streets of the city at a speed I had never known. I shut my eyes unable to think, unable to cry. I was in shock of what had transpired in what had seemed like years since I'd left the safety of Charlie's suburban, but had been only moments.

When my eyes opened I was in a warehouse of some sort. I barely had time to take in my surroundings before I was thrown into a small enclosed room. Another bathroom. But if I'd thought the one before was in slight need of maintenance I now thought of it as a grand palace compared to the one I was now in.

I looked up to see James staring down at me, one pale hand on the door frame, the other holding the door, his body blocking any hope of escape. I felt the tears well up in my eyes though I could not seem to make them fall. Some part of me knew, even then, that pleading was futile. James' jaw seemed to clench and unclench as he decided what he was going to say.

"This door has no lock. But I can smell if you even attempt to touch the knob. If I ever smell your scent there, you will wish you had died back there with your pitiful parents." He sneered at me. "There is no way out of this place that is not watched at all times. I will know if you try to leave." he paused thoughtfully, "And even if you were fortunate enough to get out of the building, it would take nothing to find you; your scent is as strong as if you were bleeding a trail of breadcrumbs."

My mind only half registered what he had said. Instead I was focused on only one word. 'Parents.' So Charlie was dead too. He must have been James' meal as my mother was Victoria's. My little heart shattered. I was alone. There was no hope. I was intended to die as my parents had, only they were lucky; they'd had no warning, no idea that their breaths were numbered. I did. I knew that as soon as I was big enough, and I wasn't sure exactly how big was enough, I would die too.

A/N: Thanks for reading! R&R please! (Be gentle; it's my very first Fanfic ever!)