I pushed on the acceleration, listening absently to the thoughts of Jessica Stanly. The Volvo slid through the streets, my hand guiding it effortlessly between impossible spaces.

I can't wait for the dance… I wonder if Mike…

I stopped listening and rolled my eyes. I felt like if I had to endure anymore of Jessica's simplistic mind and her ramblings about Mike Newton I'd go crazy. I took a deep breath and sighed.

I circled back around to the Main street, not going anywhere in particular.

The beach is so pretty…

So they went to the Bay, I thought to myself. I started working myself slowly that way through the traffic.

Where are we meeting up with Bella again? Oh… right, that one Italian Restaurant.

My hand froze on the steering wheel and I absently pulled over quickly and listened intently.

I can't believe she wanted to go to that stupid book store than here with us…

An image of the bookstore swam through Jessica's mind. I knew where that was.

Without pausing to listen to more I turned the Volvo around in a space I shouldn't have been able to and sped off to the bookstore.

I pulled up in front of it less than a minute later. Just by rolling down my window I could tell she hadn't gone inside.

I could distinctly smell her trail going down the sidewalk. A normal humans smell would have been covered up in minutes with all the people walking the streets, but her smell was so potent to me that I could pick it up among tens of others easily.

I followed the direction the smell was going, South, and keyed into random people's heads to see if they had seen her.

A feeling in the gut of my stomach was forming. It was a strange, alien feeling, and I wasn't sure how to react. I felt worried, but there didn't seem anything to be worried about. It was Port Angela's for heavens sake! What trouble could she possibly get into?

Check that out, oh… I can't wait to get her…

The thought jumped in my head, and a image of a scared Bella walking quickly down the street swam before my eyes.

My fingers tightened on the steering wheel and I had to consciously try not to break it.

Come here little chicky… Oh… I want that…

A growl ripped from the back of my throat and I hit the acceleration hard. I ran a red light and sped to the alleys of Port Angela's.

Look how scared she looks… Oh… I just can't wait…

I couldn't stand to listen, but I had to know what was happening…

"Don't be like that sugar" Damn she was sexy when she was scared.

The growl came louder as I rounded the last corner, a man had to jump out of the way of the nose of my car and I saw Bella in my headlights. She had a look of concentration on her face and I wondered briefly what she was thinking. Then she dove right in front of me, so I hit the brake and twisted the steering wheel, fishtailing the car around and opening the passenger door.

"Get in." I growled, left-over furry in my voice.

I could see the bastards, right there in my headlights. I could kill them so easily… with one flick of my wrist their life would be over… only a matter of seconds…

Instead I hit the gas and sped north, going fast out of habit. I smiled to myself grimly when I saw the men diving for the sidewalk as I sped right towards them and then past.

I glanced at her, "Put on your seatbelt." She obeyed silently.

My grip on the steering wheel didn't relax, every muscle in my body was tense with the effort not to kill them. Kill them…

"Are you okay?" her voice rang out in the silence, her voice hoarse.

I was honest, "No."

I decided to pull over, we were far from the city now, I had left it behind quickly with my speeding.

"Bella?"

"Yes?" her voice was still rough, and she cleared her throat.

I still couldn't relax, "Are you alright?"

"Yes,"

"Distract me please,"

"I'm sorry, what?"

I let out my breath in a sharp hiss, as I still struggled to keep the manacle tightly around my self-control.

"Just prattle about something unimportant until I calm down." I absently pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger, still scowling with my eyes closed.

"Um… I'm going to run over Tyler Crowley tomorrow before school…" the statement sounded like a question, she was wondering if that was what I meant by 'something unimportant'.

I had to almost smile at that, it was something that sounded so weird coming from her mouth that it was almost funny enough to distract me.

"Why?"

"He's telling everyone that he's taking me to prom- either he's insane or he's still trying to make up for almost killing me last…" she was babbling a bit now, "Well, you remember it, and he thinks prom" she said it like a swearword, making my mouth twitch again, "is somehow the correct way to do this. So I figure if I endanger his life, then we're even," strange reasoning… I was almost distracted now. "and he can't keep trying to make amends. I don't need enemies and maybe Lauren would back off if he left me alone. I might have to total his Sentra, though. If he doesn't have a ride he can't take anyone to prom…" that was random…

"I heard about that." I put in, I had, from Alice, who was up-to-date on all gossip, even if no one was quite gutsy enough to come up and talk to her about the going-ons of Forks High School.

She sounded appalled at this though, "you did?" she paused slightly, and I could feel the change of temperature around her face as she flushed angrily. "If he's paralyzed from the neck down, he can't go to the prom either," she muttered. I almost wanted to give her a skeptical look at that, but I was still fuming.

I sighed and opened my eyes.

"Better?" she asked.

I was truthful again, "Not really."