Eternal soulmates

Pt 1

**Title: When Forever Ends**

**Chapter 1: Beginnings**

**Eliza's POV:**

I walked down the hallway hand in hand with Edward, savoring the warmth of his skin against mine. The world seemed to blur around us, a background noise to our quiet, shared eternity. School was just another routine, a part of our masquerade, but it was the little moments that made everything worthwhile. Edward squeezed my hand, pulling me back from my thoughts.

"Okay, I've got a joke," he said, his voice low and teasing.

I glanced up at him, already smiling. "Do I even want to hear this?"

He smirked, his golden eyes gleaming. "What does a tick and the Eiffel Tower have in common?"

I rolled my eyes, unable to help the grin spreading across my face. "Alright, I'll bite. What?"

"They're both Paris sites," he said, his grin widening.

I couldn't help it—I burst into laughter. His jokes were terrible, but it was his delivery, his enjoyment in making me laugh, that always got to me. I leaned into him slightly, still chuckling. "You know, you might be beautiful, but your jokes need serious work."

He pretended to look offended, then broke into a smile. "I'll try harder next time."

As we reached the cafeteria, the familiar buzz of student chatter greeted us. The instant we stepped inside, heads turned our way. It was always like this. Decades of blending in, and still, we drew attention wherever we went. I had grown used to it, the way people's eyes would trail after us, their conversations shifting as we walked by. But today, something felt different. It was subtle, a small undercurrent in the room's energy. I shrugged it off, following Edward's lead as we made our way to our usual table.

I caught snippets of a conversation as we walked past one of the tables. A girl's voice, filled with the thrill of gossip, drifted over the noise. "That's Edward Cullen and Eliza Carter," she said. "They're together. I mean, Dr. Cullen's like this foster dad slash matchmaker."

I rolled my eyes but kept walking. After all these years, humans still loved to speculate. Nothing changed. But then, the girl continued, her voice dripping with longing, "Maybe he'll adopt me."

Edward and I exchanged a quick look. I couldn't help but smirk at the ridiculousness of it. We paused, almost instinctively, glancing over to the table where the voices had come from. I saw Jessica Stanley and Angela Weber, but it was the new girl sitting with them that caught my attention. She had long brown hair, pale skin, and an air of awkwardness about her. I could tell immediately she was new to town—she didn't have the normal look most Forks residents had. But it wasn't her appearance that caught me; it was the way Edward froze next to me.

His gaze was locked on the girl, a look of confusion crossing his features. I frowned slightly, nudging him. "Edward?"

He didn't respond immediately, his eyes still fixed on the girl. I followed his gaze, noticing how she quickly looked away, hiding behind her hair. Something twisted in my gut, a sensation I hadn't felt in a long time: unease.

"Edward," I said again, more firmly this time.

Finally, he seemed to snap out of it, shaking his head as if clearing his thoughts. "Sorry," he muttered, turning to follow me to our table. But even as we sat down, I could feel him stealing glances in the new girl's direction, his brow furrowed in concentration.

I forced myself to act normal, taking my seat next to Rosalie and across from Jasper and Alice. But my thoughts were a whirlwind. Who was this girl, and why did she have such an effect on Edward? As the others began their usual conversations, I remained silent, my eyes occasionally drifting back to the new girl, Bella Swan.

Something told me that this girl was about to change everything.