Without thinking, I inhaled sharply, causing her scent to overwhelm me. My muscles tensed, ready to spring towards the girl in front of me and sink my teeth into her fleshy neck. What if I allowed myself to kiss her warm skin before my teeth pierced her flesh? I would start at the hollow beneath her ear and trail my lips down her neck, stopping at her collarbone. To my chagrin, I wasn't imagining the delectable flavor of her blood- I was fantasizing about the sweet, yet salty taste of her skin on my lips. How absolutely ridiculous! I despised the human girl with every bone in my body. I was fully convinced of that. The feeling was mutual on her end as well. We harbored nothing but dislike for one another. She was a constant reminder of what was lost to me for eternity- who was lost to me, I should say. She was nothing more than a tribute of the heartbreak I had spent two decades running from. Still, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get the thought of her out of my head. *** After Bella chose to live out a human life with Jacob Black, Edward was left with a gaping hole in his chest where his heart used to be. In the throes of heartbreak, he had forsaken the ways of his family, just as he had done many years ago. He chose to live out the past two decades in solitude. Until now. He had finally found his way back to his chosen family and just in time to assist with the move from Minnesota to a quaint town in Maine known as Gray. Upon returning, he was a man of few words, speaking only when spoken to. He was numb to the world- He was Hollow. What happens when he stumbles upon a golden-haired girl sleeping in a cemetery whose blood sings to him in an all-too-familiar fashion; whose chaotic yet hushed mind taunts him; whose piercing blue eyes peer straight into his nonexistent soul? Why- He develops a strong hatred for the girl. He loathes her. And the feeling is absolutely mutual. Or at least that's what they tell themselves.