Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight...I'm just playing.

OoOoO

I was born and raised in the dreary, small town of Forks, Washington. I was the only child of Charlie and Renee Swan. Charlie was the chief of police, keeping the good people of Forks safe. Renee was an elementary teacher, educating the future of Forks. Our world was simple, humble and happy.

My best friend growing up was a girl named Alice Cullen. Alice was a tiny girl, full of energy and lots of attitude. She may have been small in stature, but she was very frightening. I often got the feeling that her two older brothers were a bit scared of the injuries she might inflict upon them if they didn't give into her every whim.

Most of my free time was spent with the Cullen family; they became an extension of my own family and I loved them all dearly. Dr. Carlisle and his wife, Esme, always took good care of me when I was over. I always felt like I was home when I was in the Cullen house. Alice's brother, Emmett, was two years older than us. Emmett was fun, loud and very protective; I often wished that he were my big brother too. Edward was Alice's other brother; he was just one year older than we were. Edward was fun, but quiet and very sweet; I had a crush on him and swore I was going to marry him someday.

I think that it is human nature to take the most precious gifts in your life for granted. Most of the time we are all so arrogant about our lives that we don't stop to appreciate the things that can be taken away from us in the smallest margin of time. That's what happened to me. One day I was a happy-go-lucky twelve-year old with wonderful parents and amazing friends; the next they were all stripped from me in the blink of an eye.

It had been obvious enough to me that the universe hated me when Carlisle took a job with some fancy hospital in Chicago and moved then entire Cullen family to the Windy City; that turned out to be the tip of the iceberg. The universe imploded and threatened to crush me in its wake only a month later when my parents were killed in a car accident on their way home from a weekend trip to Seattle.

Suddenly, I was all alone.

Charlie and Renee were buried in a joint funeral on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. Forks shut down to grieve the loss of two of its favorite citizens. I was passed from one embrace to the next; the words meant to be comforting never really touched my ears enough to form any rational meanings. I sat by the gravesides during the burial and there was an overwhelming urge to thrust myself upon one of the mahogany caskets so that I could be lowered into the earth with my parents; we could be together again. My body failed me and I watched my parents descend to their final resting places; side by side in life and side by side in death.

The whispering voices of Forks were hard to miss, everyone wanted to know what was going to become of the youngest victim in the scenario. I didn't care because it didn't really matter. No matter where I ended up, it wouldn't change the fact that I was all alone. My only living relative was the younger brother of my mother, Phil. Phil Dwyer was an up and coming major league baseball player and he was now my legal guardian.

I moved to Phoenix, Arizona shortly after Charlie and Renee were laid to rest. Phil had a very nice house on the outskirts of the city; okay that was putting it mildly, the man lived in a mansion. He was young, single and making more money than he knew what to do with and all of the sudden he was responsible for his preteen niece.

Phil hired a nanny to help take care of me since he was gone a lot; he knew he wouldn't be able to be as hands on as Renee would have liked him to be. He always told me that he was trying to channel Renee's spirit whenever he was stuck and wasn't too sure what to do with me. Phil tried hard and I grew to love him more than I thought would be possible.

Since he was gone so much, I was lucky that Phil had great neighbors. Living next door was a family by the name of Hale. Mr. Hale was some big shot in banking; Mrs. Hale was a Phoenix socialite and they had a daughter who was the same age as me. Rosalie Hale was every boy's fantasy; tall, thin, silky blonde hair and impossibly beautiful. We shouldn't have been friends, she was social royalty and I was the orphan girl living with her ballplayer uncle. But we grew up to be great friends and I owed my life to Rose.

XXXX

"I'm telling you, Bella, you need to get your ass on a plane and come visit me." Rose has been bugging me for months to visit her in Chicago. She had just moved into a new apartment and was planning a housewarming party that she felt very strongly about me attending.

I've been slaving away in graduate school, trying to get a master's degree in art history. When Rose moved to Chicago, my social life moved with her. I rarely left my apartment, unless it was to go visit Phil or to take in the occasional baseball game. I don't even remember the last time I went on a date…yeah, I'm pathetic.

Being friends with Rosalie Hale broke me out of my fragile shell. When we met, I was shy and would cry without provocation. Rose offered a shoulder to cry on while at the same time telling me the secrets of getting boys to notice me for the right reasons. If it weren't for Rose, I'd be well on my way to becoming an old maid. Without Rose, I would be a twenty-four year old virgin locked away in some dark room, because I would have never taken the time to cultivate my self confidence enough to even look at a boy, let alone go out with one. Thank you, Rosalie.

I'm in my last week of grad school and graduation is looming on the horizon, maybe it's time to give myself a graduation gift in the form of a trip to Chi-Town.

"I'm packing my bags as we speak." Rosalie squealed into the phone and I had to pull it away from my ear for fear that my ear drum was in danger of bursting.

"Oh, Bella, I can't wait for you to meet Em! I'll bring him with me to pick you up at the airport."

She had been talking about this wonderful hunk of man for months. She always referred to him as 'Em'; he was tall and muscular with dark curls and dimples. She told me that she had met him at a club and it had been love at first sight. I really hoped that things worked out for her, I knew how desperately she wanted to find a good man to settle down and start a family with.

"I'll see you soon, Rose. I'm looking forward to a much needed break, you better not disappoint me."

I found a flight out of Phoenix late Friday afternoon; Rose's party was on Saturday night. Airports had always been a bane of my existence; I hated them with a passion. If I had my way, I'd drive everywhere; fast. But there are times when driving just isn't a viable option; like when I need to get to Chicago from Phoenix in time for an eight o'clock party. I hate the security process; I understand it and respect it, but I hate it.

My flight finally landed at O'Hare after a two hour delayed layover in Denver and an hour of circling Chicago; I was tired and extremely cranky. To make matters worse, my one suitcase that could not be classified as carry-on was lost when I had to switch planes in Denver. Why do the airlines do this? How hard is it to keep track of luggage? I've never tried, so I guess it could be rather difficult. I let it slide this time, but only because I was too exhausted to even care.

I left the warmth of Phoenix and traded it in for the chill of Chicago; hardly a fair trade if you ask me. The only good coming out of this was that I was going to be reunited with Rosalie; that thought put a bit more pep in my step. Another thought occurred to me while I sat suspended a couple thousand feet above the city; the Cullen's had moved to Chicago twelve years ago.

I wonder if any of them still live around here. Maybe I could do some harmless research and see if I can at least fine Carlisle and Esme. I made a mental note to Google Cullen: Chicago when I got a free moment.

O'Hare is HUGE! I am so glad I dressed for comfort today, heels would have killed me by now; not only the pain of discomfort, but I'm sure that I would have tripped or fallen at some point because I am doomed to be tragically uncoordinated for all of eternity. With my laptop currier bag slung across my body, I made my way to my destination with a giddy feeling in my stomach.

When was the last time I saw Rose? Has it been a year? Christ, that's a long time.

Rose's shiny blonde waves were bouncing around her shoulders; she looked like she had made too many trips to Starbucks. Our eyes locked and we both sprinted toward each other. I, of course, snagged the toe of my sneaker on the totally flat surface of the floor and stumbled, but I kept myself upright for the most part. We tackled each other with the force of a year's long absence.

"I'm so glad you're finally here!" Rose released me from her death grip and I could see silent tears tracing down her face.

My own tears were making their way down my cheeks, "Me too, I've missed you so much." I looked around and noticed that something was missing. "Where's your man?"

Rose's beautiful full lips turned down in a pout, "He couldn't make it, but he'll be over tomorrow."

We sped away from the airport in Rose's red Mercedes and I marveled at the city skyline lit up against the darkness of the night. "It's beautiful here, but a little too cold for my liking."

Rose snorted at my comment, "Broaden your horizons, Bella. There is more to life than warm weather of Arizona. This city holds a lot of treasures, but you need to have your eyes open to find them."

It sounded as if there was a hidden meaning behind her words, but I was too sleepy for solving puzzles.

"I'm going to have to go shopping first thing in the morning. I'm pretty much going to need a week's worth of clothes." My head lolled against the headrest as I watched the city lights pass.

"Oh, that gives me an idea!" Rose gasped and it made me jump. "I've got a friend who works on Michigan Avenue, she's a personal shopper! She's actually Em's sister. I'll send you to her in the morning while I get things ready for the party."

I groaned. "You can't come with me? I was hoping we could shop together." I didn't really like shopping, but was hoping for some quality time with Rose that would make it bearable.

"Sorry, hun, I've got a million things to do, but you'll be in good hands. Ali is the best in the business, I totally trust her."

Rosalie had hit the big time; her apartment was in a high-rise on Lake Shore Drive. We took the elevator from the garage level up to her space on the twelfth floor. She had floor to ceiling windows that opened up to the city; it was a breathtaking view at night. I was drawn to her gourmet kitchen, but I couldn't expect anything less from a big shot food critic. She was some kind of food critiquing prodigy at the age of twenty-four and was renowned for making or breaking some of the best restaurants in the country.

I slept in the guest room; it was bigger than my own bedroom back in Phoenix. Since my pajamas had been in my one and only suitcase, Rose loaned me something to sleep in. She wasn't known for her t-shirts and baggy shorts, so of course I had to spend my first night of Windy City slumber in a camisole and short set; which I liked and made a mental note to get one for myself.

The next morning found me entangled in the Egyptian cotton sheets of Rose's guest bed, which posed a serious health hazard to someone such as me; I practically sprained my ankle trying to free my leg from the mess. No harm was done, so I decided I would reward myself with a cup of hot something from Starbucks on my way to meet with Rose's personal shopper friend.

"I'll just drop you off on my way out." Rose was running around with a piece of paper between her teeth. She had been making a list of things that still needed to be done around the apartment, and she was now hopping on one foot while trying to slip the free foot into a red stiletto.

I showered and left my damp brown waves down to air dry over my shoulders. I didn't feel a need to fuss over my hair now since I would undoubtedly fuss over it later on tonight. Rose offered me a pair of her jeans, which were too long of course, but I pulled the look off with some big cuffs. I slipped back into the tiny tee I had worn under my blouse from the plane ride and once I had my Chuck Taylor sneakers laced up, I was good to go.

Rose left me outside of Neiman Marcus around nine o'clock. This Ali girl was expecting me, so all I had to do was go to the women's section and tell them I had an appointment with her. The girl at the guest service desk looked utterly bored; I envisioned her chewing bubble gum and smacking loudly as she studied her fingernails. In reality she was just drumming her fingers on the counter and watching me approach her station with something less than enthusiasm.

"Can I help you?" Her voice sounded as uninterested as she looked.

"Um, my name is Isabella; I have an appointment with Ali." I gave her a slight smile hoping it would offer her some small ray of sunshine. I don't think it worked.

The counter girl picked up the phone and dialed a number. She mumbled into the receiver and then barely looked up at me as she set the handset back down, "She'll be right with you."

I nodded and rocked back on my heels as I waited. I've never had a personal shopper before, I wasn't sure what to expect. It was hard enough going shopping by myself, the thought of having a total stranger help me was a bit intimidating. Rose assured me I would be in good hands, but I wasn't prepared for the hands that walked out and greeted me.