The train hurtled through the darkness of the tunnel, a mere blur to bystanders. Da-dum, Da-dum, Da-dum dum, Da-dum; like a bullet it flew unevenly across the worn railway tracks. I nestled closer to the comforting presence of my mother beside me.
“Don’t worry Amelie, hon. It’ll be fine you see” she whispered, so only I could hear, kissing the top of my head.
Leaning into her firm shoulder I glanced around. Claustrophobia struggled against my will, in this enclosed tightly packed space. Commuters in smart neat uniforms, carrying leather briefcases stared distantly at nothing. Their sweaty palms firmly clutched the metal overhead as the train’s movements jostled the forlorn crowd. Packed in here we looked like caged animals, different types of people separated into their social crowds. The elderly, seated with their handbags and walking sticks clutched to their chests gave everyone weary looks, their eyes wide. A group of young students, dressed in vibrant colours and worn clothes, huddled by the door. With their heads bent they were glued to their phones and iPods, intent on their texting. Then there were the stragglers. The people who didn’t fit into any one social group. They all wore varying expressions of boredom or depression, shaking their heads as they scanned their newspapers or struggled with Sudoku puzzles.
That’s what caught my eye. A balding man with a thick grey moustache had a newspaper open in front of him. I could hear him muttering under his breath, shaking his head at the news. Squinting in the dim light I could read the back pages of the paper. Scientists ranting about the reality of global warming occupied much of the paper but in a tiny space in the bottom corner there was a small article. In bold there read: Vampires truly undead; but are they back for good?
I sighed, a smile on my face. Twilights incredible I thought. It’s everywhere you turn, I was in awe. How could one book have revolutionised the way a whole generation sees a legend? I couldn’t get enough of the whole phenomenon. To me Twilight was not just a book; it was a whole other world. One that you could go to in order to escape the confusion of reality. I realised, that’s exactly what I need; an escape. Reaching into my faded red rucksack I pulled the book out. I felt like it belonged there, not a heavy burden as anyone else would find such a big book but like a key to its world. With a smile lighting my face for the first time this weekend I opened the book.
...It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them...
That’s when it happened.

I felt like I was falling, in slow motion. For a second I felt weightless. I couldn’t feel my body at all; it was as if I was past feeling numb, now it was just nothing. I wanted to feel panic and fear but I couldn’t. My emotions were blocked, leaving me disorientated. Yet it passed as quickly as it had come. I was delirious and unaware of my surroundings. Blinking I tried to clear my vision and get a grip on my bearings. It was like waking up after sleep. Then, just like that the confusion stopped.
I found myself standing in a large, brightly lit room. I knew I had never been here before yet I felt, deep down, that I recognised it. Large, floor to ceiling windows occupied a whole wall at the far end of the room whilst hundreds of busy tables filled the floor space. My eyes widened as I took it all in. Teenagers of every height and size mingled in small groups, with trays of lunch food on the tables. I came to the conclusion that this was a cafeteria, probably in a school.
People rushed past me, running in all directions yet I remained oblivious to them. It was as if I wasn’t there, kids looked through me but never at me. Nothing on their faces told me that they registered I was there. I was no more than a ghost. I giggled nervously at that, thinking of all the power I held in this strange form I now possessed.
Still reeling from the enormity of my inexplicable situation I decided that the only way to find answers to my many burning questions would be to explore. A sly, mischievous grin on my face I walked further into this non-reality, taking in my surroundings as I went. It soon became apparent that I wasn’t in any school I’d ever seen; it was more like an American high school. Everything seemed on a grander scale. This cafeteria alone was the size of three dining rooms at my school. Scanning the room I kept catching recognisable features, but again I couldn’t figure out where I knew them from.
I had no control over where I was going; an undeniable force was pushing me forwards on a precise route. I came to the corner of the room, where the windowed wall met exposed brick. Through the windows I could see a dim, overcast sky. Thick, grey clouds hung low and a gentle drizzle hit the pavement. That’s peculiar, I thought. It was humid and dry whilst I was on the train. Then again, it was obvious that I was a million miles away from my mother and that cramped underground tube.
I sighed heavily; the reality of this was beginning to wear low. I was getting tired of the rationed adrenaline I was now running on. I just wanted answers and quick. Throwing my hood over my head I leaned against the wall, ready to breakdown from stress. I was brushing the dark straggly hair out of my eyes when I almost screamed from the revelation.
Sitting around a table, food untouched in silence a group of five undeniably recognisable figures sat. I froze. No way...it’s...it’s... impossible. Yet there they were. They were indisputably beautiful....devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful...I recalled.
“Vampires,” the sound rolled off my tongue, barely audible. I rubbed my eyes quickly, furious that they would play such a foul trick on me. Yet, opening my eyes, they were still there. Impossible though it seems, unexplainable as it was, they existed before my very eyes.
Emmett...muscled like a serious weightlifter, with dark, curly hair...Rosalie.... a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue....Jasper...tall, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond...Alice...pixielike, thin in the extreme, with small features... The last figure I laid my eyes on the longest. It was true for all of them, their descriptions paid little homage to the somewhat reality. Edward...lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-coloured hair...
None of these descriptions justified the image that presented itself to me now. They were all so pale, their features chiselled out of the smoothest marble. I wondered at how they could ever have existed so inconspicuously, it seemed childishly obvious to me that they were far more than human. My heart thumped in my chest, and my blood raced through my veins. My senses were screaming at me. Everything told me that this was impossible; that it was no more than an over indulgent dream. I gasped suddenly, unaware that I’d been holding my breath.
If they were here now, I realised, then she must be here, somewhere...so close. Reluctantly I pulled my vision away from the mesmerising beauty that had me transfixed. I desperately spun on the spot, my eyes eagerly searching the cafeteria for her. Everyone looked ordinary, the same as one another but I wouldn’t give up until I knew if she existed.

A figure caught my attention; she sat awkwardly within a large group. Nothing about her appearance jumped out at me, it was just her unrelenting staring in this direction that caught my attention. There was a strange beauty about her. She had soft, pale skin, though not as distinct as the Cullen’s. Long, dark brown hair flowed past her shoulders and her wide brown eyes had a startling intelligence hidden within them. I watched as she enquiringly turned towards a girl, I recognised Jessica, who sat on her right. I was just too far away to hear what was being asked, though a sudden eagerness engulfed me. I abruptly wanted to hear those words being spoken, to prove that this was real and happening before my eyes. Urgency gripped me in its solid iron grasp. I knew what she was saying to Jessica, like I knew which day of the week it was. It was an insignificant line, which I had read a thousand times in the book.
Then I succumbed to the excitement that was attempting to overthrow my shock and watched the scene play out before me. It seemed to happen in slow motion.