Disclaimer: I do not own twilight. If I did, I would be SM, but I'm not. So here goes. Things you need to know before you read it.

About 65% of the first chapter is from SM's new moon. I'm not making many changes there

From the second chapter onwards, there will be less of SM's lines and more of my work.

The incidents and dialogues in this story are from my imagination and criticism is always welcome

I'm trying hard to keep Bella and the other characters to be exactly how SM's described them, and how they would react and what they would say in the situations they're in.

I welcome any inputs and advise regarding the characters

I promise to update as often as I can

Please review after you read. I would very much appreciate it.

Embossed by the wolf.

Chapter one - The meadow

I waited in fear as I watched Laurent approach me. Any moment now, I would die. I kept chanting Edward's name, like a mantra. This was it. I was going to die.

Edward. I thought his name. This was the end. I was going to die now. I would never see him again. I loved Edward till my last breath, which I was sure I was taking right now. Just a few more minutes, and it would all be over. I only wished I could see him one last time before I died. It was my last wish to see him again, and I knew, it would never be fulfilled. I would depart this life, without seeing his beautiful face. It was the only regret I had. I tried to visualize his beautiful flawless face in my mind, his gorgeous topaz eyes, his crooked smile I loved so much, his smooth bronze hair, and his lovely musical voice.

"I love you" I whispered. Through my narrowed eyes, I watched as Laurent paused in the act of inhaling and whipped his head abruptly to the left. I was afraid to look away from him, to follow his glance, though he hardly needed a distraction or any other trick to overpower me. I was too amazed to feel relief when he started slowly backing away from me.

"I don't believe it," he said, his voice so low that I barely heard it.

Even though I was terrified, for a fraction of a second, I suddenly felt confused. I had to look then. My eyes scanned the meadow, searching for the interruption that had extended my life by a few seconds. At first, I saw nothing, and my gaze flickered back to Laurent. He was retreating more quickly now, his eyes boring into the forest. I felt relief wash over me, and a little hope too. My heart beat accelerated.

Then, I saw it; a huge black shape eased out of the trees, quiet as a shadow, and stalked deliberately toward the vampire. It was enormous—as tall as a horse, but thicker, much more muscular. The long muzzle grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between the teeth, rumbling across the clearing like a prolonged crack of thunder.

The bear. Only, it wasn't a bear at all. Still, this gigantic black monster had to be the creature causing all the alarm. From a distance, anyone would assume it was a bear. What else could be so vast, so powerfully built?

I wished I were lucky enough to see it from a distance. Instead, it padded silently through the grass a mere ten feet from where I stood. Now, I felt a new fear. A different fear. A fear much different from the one I felt from Laurent. My legs were rooted on the spot and I could feel my body tremble.

"Don't move an inch," Edward's voice whispered.

Even in that state of fear, I stared at the monstrous creature, my mind boggling as I tried to put a name to it. There was a distinctly canine cast to the shape of it, the way it moved. I could only think of one possibility, locked in horror as I was. Yet I'd never imagined that a wolf could get so big.

Another growl rumbled in its throat, and I shuddered away from the sound. My body shook more violently. My hands began to tremble, and I was sure my knees would give away anytime soon.

Laurent was backing toward the edge of the trees, and, under the freezing terror, confusion swept through me. Why was Laurent retreating? Granted, the wolf was monstrous in size, but it was just an animal. What reason would a vampire have for fearing an animal? And Laurent was afraid. His eyes were wide with horror, just like mine.

As if in answer to my question, suddenly the mammoth wolf was not alone. Flanking it on either side, another two gigantic beasts prowled silently into the meadow. One was a deep gray, the other brown, neither one quite as tall as the first. The gray wolf came through the trees only a few feet from me, its eyes locked on Laurent.

Before I could even react, two more wolves followed, lined up in a V, like geese flying south. Which meant that the rusty brown monster that shrugged through the brush last was close enough for me to touch?

I gave an involuntary gasp and jumped back—which was the most stupid thing I could have done right now. I froze again, waiting for the wolves to turn on me, the much weaker of the available prey. I wished briefly that Laurent would get on with it and crush the wolf pack—it should be so simple for him. I guessed that, between the two choices before me, being eaten by wolves was almost certainly the worse option. Earlier I was terrified, now, I was petrified. For the second time in my life, I was scared to death. I was scared for myself.

I stared at the wolves, unsure of what they would do. I caught the gaze of this particular russet wolf. The wolf's eyes were dark, nearly black. It gazed at me for a second, then, for some strange reason, turned its head around properly, and kept on staring. Those deep eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild animal. My gaze locked with its intent gaze. Suddenly, I felt a tremor rock through me and I had the urge to fall down, as though an earthquake was erupting underground. I almost felt dizzy for a second. I gazed into the eyes of the wolf unable to look away. There was a strange sensation all over my body. I forgot that a blood thirsty vampire was trying to drink my blood, and that a pack of wolves would have me for dinner, if they got to me first.

As it stared at me, I suddenly thought of Jacob—again, with gratitude. It was a brief moment of distraction for me. I felt relieved. At least I'd come here alone, to this fairytale meadow filled with dark monsters. At least Jacob wasn't going to die, too. At least I wouldn't have his death on my hands. I realized, the animal was still staring at me, with wonder and elation in its eyes, and strangely, I wanted to look into this russet wolf's eyes too, in the same way it was looking at me. I felt a strange connection towards this untamed beast.

Then, another low growl from the leader caused the russet wolf to whip his head around, back toward Laurent. This growl brought me back to reality. Laurent was staring at the pack of monster wolves with unconcealed shock and fear. The first I could understand. But I was stunned when, without warning, he spun and disappeared into the trees. He ran away. The wolves were after him in a second, sprinting across the open grass with a few powerful bounds, snarling and snapping so loudly that my hands flew up instinctively to cover my ears. The sound faded with surprising swiftness once they disappeared into the woods.

And then I was alone again.

My knees buckled under me, and I fell onto my hands, sobs building in my throat. I had the urge to throw up. I knew I needed to leave, and leave now. How long would the wolves chase Laurent before they doubled back for me? Or would Laurent turn on them? Would he be the one that came looking? I couldn't move at first, though; my arms and legs were still shaking, and I didn't know how to get back to my feet. My mind couldn't move past the fear, the horror or the confusion. I didn't understand what I'd just witnessed. My head began to ache, and I had odd sensations over my body.

A vampire should not have run from overgrown dogs like that. What good would their teeth be against his granite skin? It wouldn't have made a difference to him. Just a few swipes and they would good as fresh, raw meat to him. He would have fun killing them and playing with them, since they were so gigantic. I was sure it wouldn't take him more than ten minutes to finish them off and come for me. Then why did he back off and run away in fear? He was the world's strongest predator, what could be stronger than him? He had nothing to fear. Especially from a pack of wolves. What seemed so dreadful and scary about these wolves to an immortal being?

And the wolves should have given Laurent a wide berth. Even if their extraordinary size had taught them to fear nothing, it still made no sense that they would pursue him. I doubted his icy marble skin would smell anything like food. Why would they pass up something warm-blooded and weak like me to chase after Laurent? It didn't make any sense. Why did they want him?

I couldn't make it add up.

A cold breeze whipped through the meadow, swaying the grass like something was moving through it.

I scrambled to my feet, backing away even though the wind brushed harmlessly past me. Stumbling in panic, I turned and ran headlong into the trees. The next few hours were pure agony. Every time I thought of Laurent, I would start panicking, and run faster. It took me three times as long to escape the trees as it had to get to the meadow. At first I paid no attention to where I was headed, focused only on what I was running from the meadow, and far away as possible.

By the time I collected myself enough to remember the compass, I was deep in the unfamiliar and menacing forest. My hands were shaking so violently that I had to set the compass on the muddy ground to be able to read it.

Every few minutes I would stop to put the compass down and check that I was still heading northwest, hearing—when the sounds weren't hidden behind the frantic squelching of my footsteps—the quiet whisper of unseen things moving in the leaves.

The call of a jaybird made me leap back and fall into a thick stand of young spruce, scraping up my arms and tangling my hair with sap. The sudden rush of a squirrel up a hemlock made me scream so loud it hurt my own ears. I tumbled and fell down many times, hurting myself, but I didn't care. I wanted to go home.

At last there was a break in the trees ahead. I came out onto the empty road a mile or so south of where I'd left the truck. Exhausted as I was, I jogged up the lane until I found it. By the time I pulled myself into the cab, I was sobbing again. I fiercely shoved down both stiff locks before I dug my keys out of my pocket. My hands shook so violently that I couldn't put the key in the ignition, and I accidently dropped it. I scrambled down, grabbed the key, and after several attempts, finally started the truck. I was constantly whimpering and small screams escaped my lips. The roar of the engine was comforting and sane. It helped me control the tears as I sped as fast as my truck would allow toward the main highway.

I was calmer, but still a mess when I got home. Charlie's cruiser was in the driveway—I hadn't realized how late it was. The sky was already dusky.

"Bella?" Charlie asked when I slammed the front door behind me and hastily turned the locks.

I didn't reply at first. It took me sometime to calm myself and swallow the lump in my throat."Yeah, it's me." My voice was shaky and small.

"Where have you been?" he thundered, appearing through the kitchen doorway with an ominous expression. I jumped out of my skin, hearing his tone. I quickly calmed down.

I hesitated. But I was too terrified to think of an excuse. My mind had stopped working. I'd better stick to the truth.

"I was hiking," I admitted, in a small voice.

His eyes were tight. "What happened to going to Jessica's?"

"I didn't feel like Calculus today."

Charlie folded his arms across his chest. "I thought I asked you to stay out of the forest."

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I won't do it again." I shuddered and my knees began shaking uncontrollably again, as the memories of the encounter replayed itself in my mind.

Charlie seemed to really look at me for the first time. I remembered that I had spent some time on the forest floor today; I must be a mess.

"What happened?" Charlie demanded.

Again, I decided that the truth, or part of it anyway, which was the best option. I was too shaken to pretend that I'd spent an uneventful day with the flora and fauna.

"I saw the bear." I tried to say it calmly, but my voice came out as though I was in pain. "It's not a bear, though—it's some kind of wolf. And there are five of them. A big black one, and gray, and reddish-brown…" Charlie's eyes grew round with horror. He strode quickly to me and grabbed the tops of my arms.

"Are you okay?"

My head bobbed in a weak nod. But both us knew that I wasn't in, what you would exactly call a coherent condition.

"Tell me what happened."

"They didn't pay any attention to me. But after they were gone, I ran away and I fell down a lot."

He let go of my shoulders and wrapped his arms around me. For a long moment, he didn't say anything. The aftershock of the encounter was still visible, which didn't go unnoticed by Charlie.

"Wolves," he murmured.

"What?"

"The rangers said the tracks were wrong for a bear—but wolves just don't get that big…"

"These were huge."

"How many did you say you saw?"

"Five."

Charlie shook his head, frowning with anxiety. He finally spoke in a tone that allowed no argument. "No more hiking."

"No problem," I promised fervently, in a small voice.

Charlie called the station to report what I'd seen. I fudged a little bit about where exactly I'd seen the wolves—claiming I'd been on the trail that led to the north. I didn't want my dad to know how deep I'd gone into the forest against his wishes, and, more importantly, I didn't want anyone wandering near where Laurent might be searching for me. The thought of it made me feel sick. Sicker than I already felt.

"Are you hungry?" he asked me when he hung up the phone.

I shook my head, though I must have been starving. I hadn't eaten all day. I was sure my stomach couldn't digest anything, besides; I was too tired to eat. All I wanted was to lie down and rest.

"Just tired," I told him. I turned for the stairs.

"Hey," Charlie said his voice suddenly suspicious again. "Didn't you say Jacob was gone for the day?"

"That's what Billy said," I told him, confused by his question.

He studied my expression for a minute, and seemed satisfied with what he saw there.

"Huh."

"Why?" I asked, momentarily distracted. It sounded like he was implying that I'd been lying to him this morning. About something besides studying with Jessica.

"Well, it's just that when I went to pick up Harry, I saw Jacob out in front of the store down there with some of his friends. I waved hi, but he… well, I guess I don't know if he saw me. I think maybe he was arguing with his friends. He looked strange, like he was upset about something. And… different. It's like you can watch that kid growing! He gets bigger every time I see him."

"Billy said Jake and his friends were going up to Port Angeles to see some movies. They were probably just waiting for someone to meet them."

"Oh." Charlie nodded and headed for the kitchen.

I stood in the hall, thinking about Jacob arguing with his friends. I wondered if he had confronted Embry. I was glad he had. I paused to check the locks again, before I went to my room. It was a silly thing to do, what difference what locks make to any of the monsters I'd seen this afternoon. It would probably keep the wolves out, since it would take some time to figure out the locks. But if Laurent came here…

Or… Victoria.

I lay down on my bed, but I was shaking too hard to hope for sleep. I curled into a cramped ball under my quilt, and faced the horrifying facts.

There was nothing I could do. There were no precautions I could take. There was no place I could hide. I couldn't get away no matter how hard I tried. Escape was inevitable. In my case, there was no way out. All roads to safety were blocked. The end would come soon.

There was no one who could help me. I realized, with a nauseous roll of my stomach, that the situation was worse than even that. Because all those facts applied to Charlie, too. My father, sleeping one room away from me, was just a hairsbreadth off the heart of the target that was centred on me. My scent would lead them here, whether I was here or not.

The tremors of fear rocked me until my teeth chattered. I was helpless. I would be a cadaver for sure.

To calm myself, I fantasized the impossible: I imagined the big wolves catching up to Laurent in the woods and massacring the indestructible immortal the way they would any normal person. Despite the absurdity of such a vision, the idea comforted me. If the wolves got him, then he couldn't tell Victoria I was here all alone. If he didn't return, maybe she'd think the Cullens were still protecting me. If only the wolves could win such a fight…

My good vampires were never coming back; but how soothing it was to imagine that the other kind could also disappear. It was only a wild fantasy. Such a thing could never happen. I couldn't delude myself about something which was so impossible. But I fervently hoped by some miracle that everything would be alright. At the same time, I was aware that it was just a false hope.

How could I save my miserable life? How could I escape my predestined fate? Would Laurent or Victoria ever give up? How many more days would I have to live? How long would it take them to find me? Not very long. My scent, which was strong and mouth watering as every vampire who smelt it claimed, would easily lead them to me one way or another.

I squeezed my eyes tight together and waited for unconsciousness—almost eager for my nightmare to start. Better that than the pale, beautiful face that smiled at me now from behind my lids.

In my imagination, Victoria's eyes were black with thirst, bright with anticipation, and her lips curled back from her gleaming teeth in pleasure. Her red hair was brilliant as fire; it blew chaotically around her wild face. Laurent's words repeated in my head. If you knew what she had planned for you…

Then, I heard wolves howling loudly. All of their faces looking at me menacingly. I was in the same situation as I was this afternoon. There was no way out. I was going to die soon.

I pressed my fist against my mouth to keep from screaming. From now on, I was certain my nightmares were going to get worse, and this was just the beginning. The worst was yet to come. One thing I was sure of, there would be no distinction between my nightmares and the harsh reality. My life would be a living nightmare.