Love At First Sight

Chapter One

Claire

I walked through a familiar forest until I reached a clearing. It was the meadow Jasper and I loved.

My breath caught when I saw another version of myself sitting in the grass with a little boy no older than two.

The other me smiled down at him before looking up at me. Raising her hand, she motioned for me to step out of the shadows.

Slowly, cautiously, I walked into the sunlit meadow. The little boy turned, his face lighting up. "Mommy!" he shouted.

He ran toward me and leapt into my arms. I barely managed to catch him before he wrapped his tiny arms around my neck.

A laugh escaped me as I hugged him close. When I looked back toward the woman, she was gone. The scene suddenly shifted.

The boy in my arms began to fade. "No..." I whispered, clutching him tighter. But he disappeared anyway. The ache in my chest was immediate.

"Sad, isn't it?" I spun around at the familiar voice. Victoria stood a few feet away, a cruel smile on her face.

"It hurts when you lose what you love." Before I could react, she lunged. Her teeth sank into my neck.

I shot upright in bed, gasping for air. My hand immediately flew to my neck where I could have sworn she'd bitten me. The pain felt so real.

Before I could calm down, my bedroom door burst open. Dad stood there with a grin.

"Oh, you're awake. Come on, then. We have to wish your sister a happy birthday."

I forced a smile and nodded, taking a slow breath through my nose. "I'll be there in a second." "Don't take too long." He closed the door behind him.

The second he was gone, I released the breath I'd been holding and glanced down at my stomach, thinking about the dream.

Maybe I should check...

Shaking the thought away, I climbed out of bed and headed downstairs. Dad was already making his way toward Bella's room. "Let's go."

We stepped inside to find Bella awake. "Happy birthday, Bells," Dad said, handing her a wrapped present and a camera.

"Dad, we agreed. No gifts." "Mine isn't wrapped, so it doesn't count." Bella rolled her eyes.

"Well, I didn't get you anything cause you asked me not to. Do you want something?" Bella shook her head before looking down at the gifts.

The gift from Renée turned out to be an empty photo album. "Okay, this is actually kind of great. Thanks, Dad." She held up the camera.

"Goes with this one from your mom. We coordinated. Well... she coordinated me." Dad smiled.