Disclaimer:Now and in future chapters I own nothing.

Rating:M for later chapters, give it time.

Hello to everyone who decides to give my first story a try. You are awesome. I don't have a beta so I will do my best and try not to bore you all to death, I'm basically re-writing Bella's history and flipping the story around.

Bella never left Forks. Charlie raised her and she's always known Jake. She might seem a little OOC but that's mostly based on her familiarity with Forks. Let's see how that goes...

XXX

Have you ever loved someone so much, wanted someone so much that you wished you didn't? Have you ever questioned how sane you can be when your thoughts refuse to stray from one person? Have you ever desired someone so much that you wished you could disappear into them. Be with them forever, no matter how or what it might mean for your life?

I have.

BPOV

XXX

May 2005

Ugh, Monday. It was raining softly but determinedly on my home of Forks in Washington. Again. The dim light made the purple of my walls look washed out and grey. It would do pretty much the same thing to my skin. So what else was new? I swung my legs out of bed stretching out the shoulder I had apparently spent the night on top of. Only two more weeks of school; two more weeks of 6:35am wake up calls. I hated them with a passion.

Then summer would start and it would mean a couple of months of 6:45am wake up calls. I shouldn't complain, even to myself. My dad, Charlie Swan had gone far out of his way to help me get a job this summer. I was grateful. Jobs were few and far between in our very small town. I was lucky to have one at all. Being the police chief's daughter did have the occaisional perk. Like first refusal on summer jobs at the station. I would only be filing and organizing but it would be a change of scene.

Telling myself to be positive I got to my feet and dragged the bedding into a reasonable state. I stumbled down the stairs once I had washed and dressed in my favourite jeans to find a note from my father.

Bella-

Covering a night shift this evening. Deputy Karl's wife had her baby, a girl. So don't worry about dinner if you want to make plans with Jake or something.

See you later

Dad

Classic dad. He was the chief and as such he didn't really have to work the night shift anymore. But Andrew Karl was a hard worker and I suspected my dad would be working late a lot this week. He would want the man to have some time with his new baby. He really was just that kind of guy. Plus if anyone could understand a father wanting time with his daughter it was Charlie.

I rushed my breakfast and started to grab everything I would need today. I wasn't normally in such a hurry to get to school but I had a paper due that I wanted to tweak before class. I should have finished it last night but my boyfriend had come round and effectively distracted me. Very effectively. My insides shivered at the thought and I grabbed the jacket he had left behind on one of his visits. It smelled comfortingly of him and I pulled it tightly round me.

As fond as my dad was of Jacob Black, I knew that Charlie would quite happily castrate him if he ever discovered that Jake sometimes visited in the middle of the night. He'd be even angrier if he knew where Jake's hands had been last night. That was to say, everywhere. The shiver ran through me again and I left the house with a smile on my face. Nothing like catering to your hormones to put you in a better mood.

My truck was waiting for me, aiding my escape from the rain and I clambered in. It had been a sixteeth birthday present from Jake and Billy, his father. Dad had tried to top them by giving me a ring that had belonged to his mother. It was a close contest. The truck was more practical but less pretty. Thanks to Jake's skills I had never had any trouble with it. It ran as well as it had the day Billy had bought it. Still stable, still safe, still running loud enough to be heard in Seattle. My man was good with his hands in every way.

I started the engine and backed out of the driveway. I knew I looked strange in the cab. My truck looked way too big for a small girl to be driving it, but everyone was used to seeing the Beast now. When I'd first started my dad had gotten calls 'warning' him that his daughter was on the road in a bizarre looking vehicle. Jake had found it very funny. Charlie, less so.

I took the roads carefully, the heavy rain making me more cautious than usual but I had never been in an accident. I knew the route like the back of my hand. Only one more year to go. I couldn't wait to get out of Forks. It wasn't that I didn't love home. I did. I loved my town, it was beautiful and I loved my dad and my few friends. But I knew that there was a whole world out there and I felt like it was waiting for me. I wasn't planning on going far...yet. I wanted to be able to commute at the weekends so I could see Jake and Charlie. I couldn't just leave them here to cook for themselves.

Though, in all fairness, today should actually be an interesting one at Forks High School. We had new students starting today. The last new kid at school had been Mike Newton and that had been years ago. Mike was part of the furniture now. But new people, not just 'person' but 'people'. Well, the Pussy Posse (as Angela and I called them) would be on cloud nine. Oh God, Jessica Stanley was going to be so hyper.

I wondered if they were nervous; this unknown family. Charlie had told me a little, news had filtered to him through the usual channels. Official information, gossip from the hospital where the father, Carlisle, would be working, gossip from the realtor, gossip from the high school and gossip generally.

There were seven of them and all five of their children would be attending the high school. They were all adopted by Doctor Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme. Two of them had different last names. Hale. And they had recently purchased a house on the outskirts of town. The house had been in need of major renovation according to Charlie. It had been almost derelict, but the family hadn't minded. Now they were starting at school, with two weeks to go until summer. It seemed odd but maybe their old school had let out early or something. Not that I had given the matter much thought.

I supposed it would be easier to start a new school with siblings. Still, it was never fun being the oddities that everyone stared at. I knew something about that. I had about as much grace as Bambi on ice and as such I attracted some attention. Mostly people were used to it now though and I usually just got a chuckle at my expense. If someone nice was near me I got a hand up off the floor.

Maybe I could talk Angela into spending lunch in the library. We could grab something to eat and leave everyone else to take part in the circus. Okay, so maybe I wanted to see them, just a little but I didn't want to stare at them. I'd leave that to Lauren and Jessica and the rest of the Posse.

I steered my truck slowly into the lot. Almost no one else was here at this time so it was clear. There were four cars in the staff area but only three including my truck in the student lot. One of them belonged to Eric Yorkie one of my good friends, he sometimes came into school early to work, and there was a silver volvo I didn't recognise. I jumped out of my truck carefully and ran for the front doors, trying to avoid getting soaked. It didn't want to have to squirm my way through my morning classes in wet jeans.

I was giving thanks to God that I hadn't gone sprawling on my face as I dragged the door open. I had made it...almost. I caught my foot on the edge of the door as I stuggled to get inside...and I tripped. I saw the floor coming up to meet my face. My arms were full of books and I couldn't even put my hands out to break my fall.

I just had time to gasp and mentally brace myself for impact. Instead, white hands reached out of nowhere and gripped my forearms to steady me. The hands had appeared so fast; they were more of a shock than the fall would have been. It took me a moment to adjust to the fact that I wasn't on the floor. Then I looked up into a pair of golden eyes and was momentarily distracted by how unusual the colour was.

But soon I registered the face and the person attached. I was surprised that such a small girl could have supported my weight so easily, "Th-Thank you. I'm such a klutz." My face burned with embarassment. I'd be willing to bet that she didn't fall over her own feet. Her jeans put mine to shame and she was wearing a red silk top with black boots. Wow, if I spent a year working on it I could never pull that off.

The girl's face split into a truly beautiful grin. For a moment she didn't respond, her expression seemed suspended. Her eyes didn't seem focused on my face although she was looking right at me. It was though she was seeing something I wasn't, then she seemed to realise where she was, "Oh, it's no problem. I'm Alice. It's nice to meet you." She must be one of the new people. No one like this had ever been here before, even I would have noticed this girl. Her dark spiky hair bounced around her face and I realised she was almost jumping on her toes in excitement.

It occurred to me distantly that she hadn't met me. I hadn't technically introduced myself yet, but her clear enthusiasm made me smile. Even the embarassed blush on my face was fading, "My name's Bella Swan and I'm very pleased to meet you too. Are you a Cullen or a Hale?"

She looked delighted, "A Cullen. I take it you've all been expecting us then."

I nodded, the blush returning a little, "Yeah, not much goes on around here I'm afriad. You're pretty big news."

"Awesome," she said and clapped her hands, "I'd hate to think no-one noticed us."

I didn't think that would have been possible. The small girl in front of me was probably the most beautiful person I had ever seen. No, she definitely was. Her skin was perfect, her features delicate and elfin. She looked as though she had been carved from alabaster by someone very skilled with a chisel. Everytime her expression changed she looked like a different, equally beautiful statue. Though I had never seen a statue that could have compared to her.

But while this might have been unsettling, it was impossible not to be comforted by the light dancing in her eyes, "Oh, I'm sure you'll all be noticed and everything you do will be analysed for at least a month."

"A month?" Her beautiful face fell, "Well, maybe I'll have to do something to keep people interested." This girl was clearly the opposite of me then. I couldn't abide any attention. She moved to my side and we set off down the hall.

"Umm, I was just going to the library." I said and even I could hear the apology in my own voice. I didn't know why I felt the need to defend myself. It just seemed like this girl was something glamorous and exotic and that she would do more interesting things than me.

She linked her arm through mine as though she did it regularly, "Sounds fun, I haven't been there yet." For some reason I felt as though she did do it regularly; like walking down the hallway with her was perfectly normal.

She winked at me and irrarionationally I wanted to laugh and share her joke, "Did you come in early to get your schedule?"

She nodded, "Yeah, just to get our bearings you know." It seemed a reasonable answer but I got the feeling that there was more she could have said, "So, Bella what do you do for fun around here?"

"Ummmm..." oh yeah, great answer Bells. I felt another blush starting around my cheekbones. What could I say? Well, Alice, how do you feel about books? With pages and everything? "Well, there isn't a lot to do to be honest. We have to make our own fun."

Little Alice Cullen raised an eyebrow at me and grinned, the blush on my face deepened, "That's okay. I'm really good at that."

I grinned back at her automatically and then I was surprised anew by how easy she was to talk to, "What about the rest of your family, there's a few of them right? How are they with boring small towns?"

"Yes, there's a few of them and I'm sure we'll manage," her voice sounded like bells chiming, very softly. I was about to ask her about her family when she continued as though I had actually spoken, "Well, there's me of course. Then there's my brothers, Emmett and Edward. You'll spot them both. Emmett's the size of a mac truck and Edward has bronze hair. The Hale twins are Rosalie and Jasper. Both beautiful and both very blonde."

I nodded, committing everything she said to memory. Emmett, Edward, Jasper and Rosalie. And of course Alice. I wondered if they were all as friendly as her. I hoped so. I didn't have many close friends. I got on with everyone, I had no real enemies. I just kinda faded into the background. It didn't make me sad, at least not much as it was primarily by choice. I had a hard time bonding with people and I didn't fit into any of the school cliques.

My only two close friends were Angela and Eric, but then, they were great friends. Maybe it was a trade off. I could have lots of friends or good friends. I believed I had the better of the two. And of course I had Jacob Black. I had never felt like I needed anyone else. Maybe I could have Alice too? I would like that.

She was still bouncing as we got to the doors of the library, "Well, I'm sure you'll all be big news. You'll have dates coming out of your ears."

Alice smiled, but it was closed lipped now and she rolled her eyes, "Well, I'm afraid we wont be very interesting in that respect."

Well, that made some sense. No one as beautiful as Alice would be single for very long, "Is there a guy waiting for you back in...well wherever?" I knew it was Alaska but I didn't say so. I didn't want her to think all the locals were hopelessly nosy.

"Alaska," she said helpfully, "And no, no-one back in Alaska. I've been dating Jasper for...well a long time. We've always sort of known we were meant for each other."

That I could understand. I knew all about that. Sometimes you just knew. I had been friends with Jake my whole life. We had grown up in each other's houses and around each other's families. I had never dated anyone else, he was the one. We had fallen into our relationship easily and it was no harder than breathing, "Yeah, well that's good isn't it? Some people search for that for a long time." I pushed open one of the heavy double doors and Alice trotted in behind me.

She looked a little surprised and then ridiculously happy, "That's so great of you. Some people think it's weird. Us having the same adopted parents and all. Living in the same house."

I nodded, especially in small towns I guessed, "Well, I don't think it's weird."

She looked a little nervous, but the smile was still there, "I guess it seems weirder because Emmett and Rosalie have the same kind of relationship." She had an anxious look on her face, as though I might be about to tell her off. I wondered if people had done so before and somehow I doubted it. She seemed too...almost too perky to bring down.

I got the impression she didn't really care about other people's opinions. That was fair enough and not a bad way to live, I supposed. But she was still looking anxiously at me waiting for a response. Apparently she cared what I thought and I was ridiculously flattered.

But I was supposed to be having a reaction. I guessed that while it could seem strange; wasn't it just amazing luck? By the law of averages some sets of adopted siblings, somewhere in the world would probably be in love, "Well, I think your family might be upsetting statistics everywhere."

She laughed delightedly and the tinkling sound rang through the quiet library. I wondered where Eric was. Probably buried in the shelves somewhere searching for a random book. I walked over to the table and put down my bag, "Well, I guess I should go and find my family."

I nodded in agreement but was momentarily disappointed that she was leaving. Alice had really cheered me up the morning for me, "Of course, " I started to blush again, "I shouldn't have dragged you..."

Alice waved her hand,"Don't be silly. I've never made a new friend so quickly. I wanted to come with you."

Was I her friend? Oh yay, I hoped so, "Well, maybe I'll see you later?"

She nodded, "Are you busy after school? I'm sure I'll have homework. I could meet you here?"

She was asking me, but she didn't look like she needed to wait for my answer. She was nodding and there was a huge smile on her face. I didn't need to be home early. Charlie was working. It would be fun, and I really wanted to talk to Alice some more. So I nodded, "That would be great."

Alice was already half way to the door, "Yay, I'll see you about three."

I nodded happily but she had already bounced out of the door. Oops, maybe I should have thought that through. When I had a free evening I normally spent it with Jake. But then, I hadn't got any homework done last night because of my horny boyfriend. I would just have to make the sacrifice and work. If Alice was going to join me I suspected it would be fun.

I heard a shuffling behind me and Eric's head appeared from round the book case, "Hey Bells, did you say something?"

XXX

EPOV

Alice came bouncing over to us, giving very little thought to how fast she was moving. She was delighted. There were only a few people in the school and all of them were in hearing range...my hearing range that is. No one had noticed her. No one was thinking of her face specifically. She stopped in front of Jasper, slipping her hand into his and leant against the lockers. I automatically searched her head but it wasn't very coherent. I gathered that she had made a friend. "Already?"

She nodded, "Oh yes, but it's more than that."

Rosalie clucked her tongue, "I hate it when you guys do that, we all do and you know it."

Jasper had an amused smirk on his face. It didn't bother him. Alice would fill him in later, "Sorry, Alice has been making friends," I said to the others.

Jasper's smirk faded, "I thought we'd agreed not to do that. It can cause problems."

Alice was shaking her head, still looking thrilled, "Nope I checked." I searched her visions and she obligingly went though them slowly, "No problems visible."

She was with a girl with long brown hair and big brown eyes. The girl was laughing with Alice, struggling to get away while Alice painted her toe nails. They were in an unfamiliar room, old furnishings but comfortable. It was pleasantly familial. Then I saw Alice and the girl were shopping. She was forcing the girl...Bella, Isabella Swan...into something with lots of floaty layers. But even with Alice's co-operation the visions were spotty. The future sometimes looked that way when other decisions might intervene.

"Why so blotchy?"

Alice shrugged, "Not sure yet. But it doesn't seem to matter. Either way she's going to be my friend. Like, a real one." A real one? Which meant more than a shopping buddy which Alice had sometimes, it could help to blend in. That might not be a good thing. The closer we got to humans the more the risk that one would realise what we were different. I would have to monitor this 'new friend' closely.

Jasper looked down at her smiling sadly, "Don't go getting too attached. We'll only be here a few years." That was a sad truth of of lives. We couldn't stay anywhere for too long. We never changed.

Alice's face dropped, "I know, but it's just...I love her. I will love her. I already do I think. I really want to be her friend." Alice's thoughts were clear and I was surprised how much feeling there was. She knew that she was going to love this girl dearly, and so she was already on the road to doing so. I sighed mentally, it was a frequent debate in our family. How much choice did we have when we knew outcomes in advance?

"I know sweetheart. That's why I'm saying anything." Jasper was still concerned. He didn't want Alice to get hurt. I didn't want that either.

Emmett punched her on the shoulder and grinned. The force of the punch would have knocked a hole in the wall but Alice barely felt it, "Come on people, it's our first day. Do we have to be worrying already?"

Rosalie shook out her hair, "Nope. I'm not worried. It'll be fine. Alice says so." She was thinking that if there turned out to be danger we would have to leave. Rosalie would do so in a second for Alice. She was very easy to love.

She smirked at Alice who grinned again, "Thanks. At least someone has some faith in me."

Jasper immediately began to defend himself, but the corridors were starting to fill with students. I looked around at my family, "Well, here we go. Think 'human' everyone."

XXX

Well, this was nothing new. Absolutely nothing new. I had expected as much but it still depressed me more than it should. There were the popular kids, the jock kids, the smart kids, the invisible kids. The usual. The cliques were the same, maybe a little smaller but that was just due to a lack of students.

Half the student popluation had decided they were in love with one or the other of us. It was just a reaction to our newness. They would get over it. After all, I was the only single one and I was skilled at discouraging unwanted attention.

Emmett and Rosalie were staring into space, their hands joined beneath the table. Jasper was gritting his teeth. He sometimes got to be very uncomfortable when surrounded by humans. His thirst was firmly under control though. I could tell. He was just concentrating.

Alice, however, was scanning the lunch room and I knew she was looking for Bella Swan. I had been checking in with my siblings thoughts randomly all day, (something I swore I never did no matter how bored I was), and hers had been constantly returning to the brown-haired, brown-eyed girl. Her new best friend apparently.

Somewhat oddly, I had not been able to locate this girl's thoughts. I had assumed that after meeting Alice, and making plans to meet up with her again later, the her mind would have drifted to my sister. We were difficult to forget once you had met us. That was why we worked so hard to make people ignore us. So I was on the lookout, but if Bella Swan was thinking about Alice I didn't notice. It didn't concern me too much. Her mind was, as yet, unfamiliar. I would be able to locate her more easily once I'd met her.

I was more concerned than I was letting on. Alice was more excited than I had seen her in some time and although I knew she was careful, there really were risks. If this girl got suspicious we would have to leave. Again.

My attention swivelled across the room when I saw a pair of brown eyes mirrored in someone else's mind. Someone had seen Bella Swan. She was here. My eyes scanned the room and stopped when I found her. She was nearly at the front of the queue; waiting to pay for her lunch. Her hair was a different shade of brown that I had expected. It was a chocolate colour I found oddly pleasant.

I was alerted to change when Alice tensed and then she moved across the room, at a barely acceptable speed. I saw her approach the girl, Bella, as she walked towards the doors out of the cafeteria. She was saying hi, being asked about her first day, confirming plans for this afternoon.

I stared, what was she thinking? Nothing?

Her mind was a total blank, I couldn't read anything from her. Alice was coming back towards us now and I could hear that she was leaving plenty of active minds in her wake.

One of the new kids...she's hot...was she really talking to Bella? Maybe I should clue her in...wonder if she's single...wonder which way she swings?...the blonde's hotter...wonder if she could introduce me to her brothers, any of them...talking to Swan? Gotta fix that...

Most of the thoughts were childish, some were nasty, one or two of the minds were kind. That was a nice surprise. I had lived in towns where almost every thought had a malicious edge. It made reading people's minds really tiring. Especially teenagers.

None of these thoughts could really hold my interest though. I focused on Bella Swan again. Still, there was nothing coming from her mind. It was...frustrating. I waited for her to sit down, I wanted more time to focus. But she didn't. Bella looked straight over at my table and I felt my breath hitch.

There was something strange about her huge brown eyes. They seemed open. They were without guile or malice. I suddenly didn't know whether to look away or not, but then I realised she was looking for Alice.

Bella raised her hand in a wave which my sister returned. Then she and two other students, a boy and girl, left the room. Alice was sat comfortably again, beaming at Jasper. He took her hand and raised it to kiss her knuckles. Her expression changed as she took in the tension around his eyes. Her thoughts were worried and she was instantly scanning the future, looking for any problems that might be arising soon for her love. Nothing so far, but Alice would keep looking to be sure. I grew to wish she had been looking for mine. A little warning might have been useful.

XXX

I was already sat at the desk when she came through the door. I stared hard at her face, trying to understand; trying to force her mind to open. It was no good. She was inscrutable and I was so distracted by her blank mind that I almost didn't realise she was walking towards me. I instantly assessed her. She seemed normal. There had been a worrying number of girls running around dressed in a way I considered inappropriate. They thought very highly of themselves, but no one else seemed to. If this girl was to be Alice's friend I was glad she didn't belong in that category. If anything this girl was over dressed; her shape hidden beneath a bulky blue jacket

I wondered if she was going to introduce herself to me and try to flirt. I was curious to see what her expression would show; what her big brown eyes would show when she flirted. A lot of human girls did try to catch my interest, whatever type they were.

My thoughts were cut short. She put her bag down on the table next to my arm and slid the jacket off her. As she did so her hair swung around her face and I almost snarled out loud. Something delicous, something with a scent so intoxicating it was almost blurring my vision...I wanted it. It was as strong as though I had been hit in the face with it.

The venom welled almost choking me and every muscle in my body tensed in anticipation. No one would have seen me move, as a predator my prey doesn't see me coming. Maybe I should just spirit her out of here. I could deal with the consequences later. That scent...I had to have it now. It was mine. MINE.

But...as I inhaled there was something else and my eyes snapped into focus. It was so unpleasant that the red that had been clouding my vision receded, not completely. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But recede it did and I was able to think, a little. Hazard. Maybe danger.

That was impossible, other than the danger she posed to herself, smelling the way she did and sitting next to a vampire. There could be no danger in her. But the scent I had noticed was familiar and it took me a second to place it; dazed as I was by the venom flooding my mouth. Quiluetes. Wolves. Suddenly I made the connection and continued to stare at the girl. Twice in as many minutes she had managed to shock the hell out of me. That made three times today.

She was getting her book out of her bag as she sat down, searching for something else. What? A pen, her phone? I had no idea. I still couldn't get a read on her.

How could this young girl smell so strongly of the Quiluete wolves? It made no sense. We had been sure the gene had died out since we had last been here. That couldn't be the case if this scent was so strong. And this girl was clearly not a member of the tribe. Why would the scent be on her? It was everywhere, all over her...and it hit me. The scent was all over her. It wasn't her scent. Her boyfriend? It would have to be. The awful smell was literally coating every inch of her skin. Every inch.

The tension was back. It seemed wrong, almost grotesque. The smell coming from this girl was the purest, most delicious thing I had ever experienced. Yet it was marred and obscured by this disgusting smell of wet dog. I shuddered and an over-riding sense of relief came through all the other feelings.

Why was I sorry? My brain was functioning more clearly now. I could still smell her and I could force my senses past the smell of the wolves if I wanted to. I didn't want to. Instead I concentrated on how little appeal the overlying scent had.

My thought process had only taken a few seconds, but I had been staring intently at the now perplexed Bella Swan the whole time. She was looking at me uncertainly. Apparently I was to be her lab partner. She was last in the alphabet in this class and as such she had not had a partner all year. This much I read from the teacher. I wondered how she felt about having one now? Was she worried I would be dead weight? Or was she not the academic type, maybe she was worried I would nag her to work?

I realised that my staring was making her intensely uncomfortable, she stumbled as she made to get onto her chair and I automatically reached out to steady her. I pulled my hand back as soon as I realised what I was doing, then momentarily panicked as I knew I had probably moved too fast. Bella Swan had a small frown on her face; but I couldn't tell if she had noticed anything strange. Colour was rising fast in her cheeks. She was blushing...but why?

I forced myself to blink and tried to re-arrange my face, God knows what emotions she had seen flash through my eyes. Was she afraid of me? She didn't look afraid. But I suposed that didn't mean she wasn't. The annoyance hit me afresh. Why couldn't I read her mind? I had never come across anything like this before. I was tempted to keep staring at her, but now she turned her face to me and met my eyes with defiance.

I wondered why she was feeling that emotion and was infuriated that I didn't know, "Hello," I said, "I'm Edward Cullen. I'm new here." I didn't want her to be afraid of me. Normally I wouldn't have minded. After all, if people were scared to be around you they kept their distance.

My voice didn't shake and I was proud of it. I was only breathing through my mouth at the moment. Wet dog smell or not, I wasn't sure I could handle the raw scent of her. My throat burned, more than it had in years, but I was pretty sure I could stand it. I hoped to God I could. I thought of my family, and of my father Carlisle. If I messed up in this classroom I would not be the only one to suffer. That mattered. Wet dog, wet dog, wet dog.

Clearly the sanity of my statement had surprised her. I realised she had felt intimidated by my staring and the defiant look was a form of defence. Maybe now she was wondering if she had been mistaken. Maybe she was wondering if I'd been thinking of something else. Maybe she was wondering what to have for dinner. I had no idea, "Yes, I know. I'm Bella, it's nice to meet you."

Clearly this girl's parents had believed in teaching manners. My crazy staring not with-standing she was being very polite. I found myself waiting to hear what she was going to say next. Her words were my only clue as to what might be going on in her head.

This was information I desperately wanted for some unkown reason, maybe it was simple. Maybe I wanted to hear her voice because I couldn't hear her mind. Then it dawned on me that she had replied to my greeting; it was my turn to speak, "Does it always rain here?" I asked her, trying for a bored teenage-type tone. I knew it always rained here. That was the reason we were back in Forks after so many years.

Bella nodded with a smile, a smile that changed her face. She looked suddenly both younger and older, "Oh yes. You get used to it though. I've forgotten how to function in sunlight."

I wanted to laugh. She was funny. A metaphorical vampire right next to a literal one; how ironic, "Well, it's nothing new. I'm already used to it."

She frowned sympathetically and nodded, "From one sunless town to another?"

I nodded, using the conversation as an excuse to look at her. All I needed was one glimpse of her mind, "Yes, the last place we lived was just like this. Small, quiet and damp."

"Well, it's not so bad here. We even have shoes for church and school."

I wondered if I had offended her, maybe she thought I was insulting her town. Then I saw the twinkle in her eye and I realised she was making a joke. The humour in her face made me want to laugh along with her. I accidentally took a deep breath as I registered this fact and her scent hit me again. I hadn't meant to do it. Her clothes had been dampened by the rain and now her body was warming them up. The scent was cloying, almost moist in my mouth and it staggered me again. The strongest source of wolf was the jacket she had slipped off.

I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on breathing through my mouth. The buring was getting worse, could I really handle this? Should I just make an excuse and get the hell out of here? It might be the safest option. Not just for me, or for the intrepid Bella Swan but my whole family.

"Ed...Edward, are you okay? I was only..."

I opened my eyes to see a pale hand approaching my arm and I jerked upright in my seat. This small human girl couldn't touch me. She would feel how unnaturally hard my skin was, she might become frightened. She might even become suspicious, it had happened once or twice. Someone had guessed the truth. It forced us to disappear instantly and completely. If this girl got suspicious, how would I know? It was better not to take any chances.

"Yes, I'm alright," I said through clenched teeth and she withdrew her hand, "Sorry, just a headache."

She nodded but the small frown was back on her face. It created a smal crease in the centre of her forehead and I wanted to smooth it away. I wondered whether or not she believed me about the headache. Fortunately the lesson began at that moment and I got a small reprieve. If I didn't have to speak, I didn't have to breath at all. I could still feel her warmth next to me and I was tempted to just catch that scent one more time. I didn't allow myself to do so. I stared fixedly at the teacher and pointedly ignored Bella Swan for the rest of the lesson.