THE ASSUMPTION
Edward smiled at me from across the cafeteria as he came to sit beside me. I smiled back as convincingly as I could. I was utterly besotted, even though I did not show it. His bronze coloured hair stood out, but not as much as his wonderful eyes. It still seemed a mystery to me though; what was it about him and his contacts? And he had purposefully changed the subject about it yesterday in class. I shrugged my shoulders. Oh well. I guess I might never find out.
I shuffled over, still feeling a bit awkward about sitting with Edward at lunch. I could feel Mike's eyes boring into my back from the opposite table. I cleared my throat absent-mindedly.
"So, Bella. Are you enjoying Forks so far?" Edward asked casually. I had to pause before answering his question. My honest answer would have been, "No, I absolutely hate it here and would like to go back home to Phoenix with all my other friends where the weather is always sunny." But of course, I didn't want to sound like a whiner in front of Edward. I shivered. Even thinking about him made me shudder, but in a sort of delightful way. He was too good to be true.
"It's...okay, I guess. I'll grow to like Forks more, though," was my reply. I decided it was time to change the subject.
"Umm...I've heard that you and your family have just moved to Forks quite recently?"
Edward looked uneasy. He didn't appear to want to answer my question with much interest. "Well, yes we have. I'm guessing Charlie or Jessica over there told you all this?" We turned towards her, just in time to see her twist around in her seat to avoid eye contact. It was evident that she had been staring at us for quite some time now. I nodded silently, oblivious to the fact that Edward had expected me to answer his so-called question by saying who had in fact told me in the first place. Turning back to face my lunch, I began to pick at my P&J sandwich, thinking all the while why it was that Edward seemed so uncomfortable when talking about his family.
***
That night, I had another strange dream. The darkness was very eerie, and I could see Edward from across the room beckoning me forward. No matter how many steps I tried to walk towards him, he appeared to be moving farther and farther away from me every time. I called out his name, and that was when he finally turned to face me. In my absolute horror, his coal black eyes swiftly changed to a piercing red colour, then to the dark gold shade I had often seen before in school. I woke up to the sound of my scream vibrating in my ears.
In the morning, I had a quick breakfast with Charlie in the kitchen and then headed off to my bedroom with no time to waste. It was a perfectly fine Saturday, with clear skies and no sign of bad weather. I was in a reasonably good mood, and that was why I had chosen this day to investigate farther into my dream. It was also because I wanted to get it over and done with. Little did I know that what I was about to find out was going to change my whole life...
***
I was terrified with my discovery, but could not seem to find another theory which suited the Cullens. All the clues pointed straight to them. It was their strange beauty that was apparent in their being vampires; and also their pale skin, graceful actions, eye colour and..(at this I shuddered)...strength. I thought back immediately to the day I had seen Alice *glide out of the cafeteria with a dash that belonged on a runway*. It had to be true.
Could it be possible that they were...vampires? I trembled, recalling the coal black eyes I had seen in my dream, altering to red, then to gold. It was eerily strange, and the thought didn't escape me as I headed over to the Black's house in La Push. It was time to discover the truth, and Jacob was the one who had all the answers. After all, he had told the scary stories about the "Cold Ones" and the werewolves. I was certain that he had meant the Cullens all along. It suddenly hit me that that had been exactly what Jacob had said. Urgh...how could I have been so stupid? He had said "they are the same ones", after all!
I met Jacob at the front of his garage, after saying a quick 'Hello' to Billy who was resting in his wheelchair. Jacob greeted me with his usual mile wide grin.
"Bella! What a surprise to see you here so nice and early." I smiled at Jacob, happy to see him in such high spirits. I took a deep breath. Now was the time to switch to more serious issues.
"Listen Jacob, can we talk privately? I want to ask you something that's been on my mind since...well, since this morning really." I was feeling anxious, but it had to be done.
"Yeah, sure. Anything you wanna ask, you can ask me Bella," Jacob said cheerfully. He stood up, packing away his tools. I felt extraordinarily short in front of him as he stretched to his full height. It was hard to believe he was still...what, fifteen?
I cleared my throat before starting. It was a bothersome habit of mine, something I did all the time.
"Uh, just to warn you beforehand, this does involve the Cullens." Jacob's grin vanished. He didn't necessarily enjoy this topic.
"Okay..." he said, unsure of what was coming next.
"Well, this morning I was looking on the Internet, and I actually found some...interesting theories. It's leading from the scary stories you told me last time." I shuffled my feet, staring at an empty space on the wall.
"Yeah, so I always knew that the Cullens were kind of strange, how their skin was pale and they were so beautiful and all that." I was speeding up. "Well, I sort of maybe thought that they could be....vampires?" There, I stopped. My gaze drifted back to Jacob.
He looked as uncomfortable as I felt. "I know it sounds silly, but-,"
"Don't worry, Bella – you're right." I stared at Jacob. He began to pace around the garage, talking all the while. "I knew that you would have to find out some time or another. After all, I did sort of give you a few hints last time, didn't I?" I nodded sheepishly.
A moment or two of uncomfortable silence drifted by. Jacob continued on.
"Um well, yeah. I always hoped that you would eventually find out on your own. I mean, it would have been weird to have to actually explain everything." He cleared his throat. "Well, is that all you came to ask me?" I nodded again. I still couldn't seem to locate my voice.
"Soooo um, you wanna stay and watch me fix up these cars? Oh and by the way, remember not to tell Charlie about all this vampire nonsense, ok? He won't know what hit you." Jacob chuckled. I smiled, and seated myself down in a crouch to watch Jake. However, I didn't exactly stay for very long. Thankfully, I found my voice just in time to say 'good-bye' to Jake. On my way out, I waved to Billy who was watching TV, and then headed for my Chevy.
After getting into the car and doing up my seatbelt, I just didn't feel like driving home to endure the uninviting silence that awaited me. Charlie was still at work, and wouldn't be home until late afternoon. My hands clutched the wheel, sweat pouring over my forehead. I just needed some time alone.
And with that thought, I drove noisily out of La Push and into the dense forest to rid my mind of all assumptions, leaving all thoughts containing 'vampires' and 'Edward' behind in the dust. I didn't care to look back. That could wait for later.
THE END
*quote similar to line from "Twilight" book by Stephenie Meyer
