—PREFACE—
august. 13. 2006.

——————

   JACLYN Harvelle was not happy, to say the least. The five-year-old child was currently sitting on one of the many long wooden benches placed in neat evenly spaced rows. She sat between her father and her mother, and just on the other side of her mother sat her auntie Renée Dwyer. Next to auntie Renée, at the very end of the long bench, was Jaclyn's ex-uncle Charlie Swan.

Around Jaclyn, the wedding decorations were woodsy and almost mystical, completely different from the scenery she was used to in her home state of Arizona. However, it was a nice change as little Jaclyn had never seen anything beyond the dirt, rocks, and cacti that were a constant in Mesa, Arizona. Not to mention it was rare that Mesa ever had a cloud in the sky, let alone a drop of rain, therefore the currently cloudy atmosphere was foreign to the five-year-old.

It was almost comical, the way her eyes lit up early in the morning and how loud she gleefully screamed when it began sprinkling during the mornings in Forks.

Despite this, the new surroundings were not enough to get Jaclyn out of her foul mood. The little girl was stuck wearing a frilly pink dress that was wrapped around her waist with a large bow. Her feet hurt from the way the white flats were squeezing her, and the tight updo her mother knotted her hair into tugged on the dark strands painfully.

She took after her much older cousin in the manner that she absolutely hated wearing anything other than jeans and t-shirts. It was not much of a surprise though, Jaclyn Harvelle adored her cousin Bella Swan who, up until just over a year ago, lived not that far away from Jaclyn and her parents in Arizona.

It was not a one-way street either, Jaclyn was more of a little sister to Bella than anything, and the older girl loved her dearly. She had ever since the day Jaclyn was born five years ago, back when Bella was merely twelve in middle school. She still remembered the day she walked into the hospital room of her aunt with her mother and laid eyes on the tiny baby.

Bella knew then that she would do anything for her little cousin, and that is exactly how it was growing up. Bella babysat and hung out with Jaclyn, watching the little girl grow every passing day. Herself, her mother, and her mother's new husband, Phil, would go to her Aunt Christine's house every Sunday for dinner. Those were the days that Jaclyn would practically hang herself over Bella and Bella, unlike most older cousins, had no issue with it.

That is why it had been so hard to leave Arizona, Jaclyn was three almost four at the time she left. Bella still remembers how hard the little girl sobbed and how she would talk to Bella on the phone practically every day after she left.

Well, it was every day until Bella started dating Edward Cullen. Since then, the phone calls between herself and Jaclyn were only about once a month. Despite this, Jaclyn still meant the world to Bella, even now as Bella stood with her big brown eyes deadset on the vampire who was to become her husband within a few minutes.

Jaclyn decided she disliked Edward for the childish and petty reason that she felt as though he had stolen Bella away from her. In fact, if Jaclyn could have it her way, the five-year-old would take Bella and march her straight back home to Arizona, while leaving Edward in the woods of the forests.

"Momma, why are you crying?" Jaclyn shook her mother, Christine who was dabbing her eyes next to an equally crying Renée.

"Because, sweetie," Christine sighed as Bella and her new husband Edward finished the vows and locked themselves in a passionate kiss, "your cousin just grew up."

After that, everything seemed to go extremely quickly. Everyone had flocked around Bella and Edward who were making their way down the aisle hand-in-hand, cheers and cries erupting from every corner of the wedding. Jaclyn wanted to go with Bella, but her mother and father both chided her, telling her that now was not the time. Yeah, Jaclyn already didn't like this, but being told she could not even walk around with Bella only increased her disdain for the situation.

She was already thinking of the many ways she could get Bella to divorce Edward as Renée had done with her ex-uncle Charlie.

Jaclyn's mood increased ten minutes later when her parents finally proclaimed they could go see Bella. Bella and her new red-haired husband were talking with a group of eerily stunning people, three blonde women, one dark-haired woman, and another dark-haired male. While Jaclyn paid no mind to their looks as she was too young to fully comprehend it, her parents, Christine and Samuel were shell-shocked at the pure perfectness.

From Bella's husband to all his family, Christine and Samuel swore they had never encountered such flawless people. Samuel assumed it was from being rich, he and his wife both worked blue-collar jobs, it wasn't often they were exposed to people of such wealth as Bella had married into.

As Jaclyn bounced up, the flawless people quickly took their leave deciding to go and speak with Carlisle and Esme.

"Bella!" Jaclyn cheered, ready to pounce in Bella's arms as she always did, but her mother was quick to stop her.

The last thing Christine wanted was for Jaclyn to ruin Bella's beautiful dress or pristine hair on her wedding day. Bella grinned at Jaclyn, she had not got to speak with the little girl today yet and as her relatives had only been in town for two days, Bella only went out to lunch with them once.

"No Jaclyn," Christine chided, "you don't jump on your cousin like that, especially with her dress." Jaclyn shrank at her mother's tone, embarrassment eating at the little girl.

Bella rolled her eyes, ignoring her aunt and surprising everyone by picking Jaclyn up anyway. Edward smirked from his spot next to her, resting his hand on Bella's lower back as Bella herself grinned at an extremely happy Jaclyn who was babbling about how pretty Bella looked and how much she missed her.

Samuel and Christine sighed at Jaclyn's overexuberant behavior, they had made it clear to Bella that she was welcome to ignore the small child should Jaclyn prove to be too much, but Bella never did. Bella was always able to keep up with her kid cousin.

Turning toward Edward Cullen, Samuel held out his hand with a smile. "Samuel Harvelle, this is my wife Christine Harvelle, we're Bella's--" Samuel was cut off by Edward taking his hand.

"Bella's aunt and uncle, yes I know, Bella speaks highly of you two and, of course..." Edward arched a brow as he caught wind of Jaclyn's mental train of thought which was currently focused on plans of stealing Bella back from him, "...little Jaclyn here."

Samuel shivered at Edward's cold touch, but made no comment, simply smiling politely. While Edward was the utmost definition of polite and chivalrous, there was something about him that rubbed Samuel in an eery manner. Something off about Edward, in fact, it seemed there was somethig off about all of the Cullens, minus Bella, of course.

Samuel decided to leave it though, whatever it was obviously had nothing to do with him. Besides, he, Christine, and Jaclyn would be on a plane home to Arizona tomorrow afternoon.

"Hey, Aunt Christine," Bella looked to her aunt, "you mind if Jaclyn and I go over there? I want to show Jaclyn how pretty the river looks when it's twilight out." Bella explained while Christine waved her hand.

"Of course, in fact, I was just about to ask Samuel to dance--" Samuel swallowed thickly at the thought of dancing, instead he quickly turned back to Edward.

"Actually, Edward and I were just starting an interesting political conversation about how Bush is planning on--" Edward patted Samuel's shoulder, a small smile of amusement on his lips.

"No, no, there is plenty of time for conversation later, we're family now, after all. Go and dance," Edward nodded, Samuel not having any time to think of an excuse and Christine wasting no time in pulling her husband to an evergrowing crowd on the dance floor.

Bella and Edward were left alone with Jaclyn in Bella's arms. The sight of his wife holding a child stirred something inside Edward that the vampire quickly battled down, there was no use in dwelling on thoughts that could never be.

"I'm going to go talk to Carlisle," Edward murmured, kissing Bella's cheek before making his way to his adoptive father.

Jaclyn crinkled her nose at what Edward did to her cousin as Bella began walking off toward the side of the wedding where barely anyone was. However, the sight of a pink and blue sky with heavy rain clouds hanging over a glistening river was enough for Jaclyn to forget any negative thoughts toward Edward.

"Wow," Jaclyn giggled while Bella smiled.

Bella's heart ached when the thought of her nearing vampirism dawned on her. Once she was turned, Jaclyn, along with many other members in her life, were going to be nothing but a human memory in the length of forever.

Bella only made herself promise that no matter how old she would ever get as a vampire, the people like her mother and father and Jaclyn would never leave her memories.

"Jaclyn," the little girl hummed looking up at Bella who was staring at her with big brown eyes.

Jaclyn and Bella, though they were cousins, didn't look that much alike. Bella with doe brown eyes, light brown hair, and extremely pale skin. Jaclyn with much darker coconut hair and perfectly tanned skin.

While both girls did have brown eyes, the shades could not be more different, Jaclyn's was a brighter caramel to Bella's deep brown.

The difference in appearance did not change the fact that they were cousins by nature and sisters by soul. And Bella would remember that, always.

"I want you to know as you get older that even if I'm not always there," Jaclyn was staring at Bella hard, and Bella's throat was suddenly getting tighter as the fact that after this Bella would probably never see Jaclyn again caught up to her, "I always love you and I want you to have something."

Jaclyn tilted her head at the sad look in Bella's eyes. Suddenly, Bella pulled out a small bracelet band with metallic encryption of an odd-looking symbol and the word 'Cullen' engraved on it. It was a rather expensive-looking bracelet, but it was also small enough that one could wear it without it being too noticeable.

"Woah, what is it?" Jaclyn's eyes lit up with wonder as Bella easily tied the bracelet around the girl's wrist.

It was currently loose around her small wrist, but Bella knew Jaclyn would eventually grow into it. It was not much, but it was something to remember Bella and her newfound Cullen family.

"It's just a little something to remember me," Bella explained while Jaclyn admired the pretty bracelet.

Reaching forward, Jaclyn wrapped Bella in a hug, resting her head on Bella's chest.

"I'll never take it off, I promise."

And though the girls didn't know it then, it was a vow that would prove to serve them well many years in the future.