Author's note: This is the sequel to my story "Solar Flare" (s/12085878/1/Solar-Flare), so please read that first – otherwise this won't make much sense!

(In some places, I've played around with reworking a scene directly from the books, so I've underlined Stephenie's words to distinguish them.)

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Prologue

April 2006

As nervous as I am for what comes after, our upcoming wedding thrills me every time I think about it—which is most of the time.

Bella is still keeping the news under wraps, though, which gives this period of limbo an undercurrent of anxiety. Alice's lack of understanding makes me especially grateful to have Carlisle and Esme to confide in. My fearless sister thinks her visions of Bella accepting the ring after graduation and our successful honeymoon should ease all my worries—overlooking the fact that she wouldn't see the fallout from any action on Jacob's part until it's too late.

As much as I believe in Bella's love for me, Seth's inside knowledge proves my worries are justified. It took Jacob two and a half weeks to accept not only that he's in love with her but also that he'll do all he can to make Bella accept it, too.

For that reason, I am immensely grateful that Bella shares my desire to spend as much of the day together as is physically possible. There is only one exception: when she is at work. After she decided (perhaps wisely) that it was best I didn't go with her again, I turned to my new friend to help ease my anxiety. Seth and I quickly got into a routine; I pick him up in the Vanquish from wherever he happens to be and we go cruising.

Passing the time with Seth makes the hours without Bella easier to bear, but his connection to Jacob means the mess of that rivalry often intrudes on our mutual cheer. Jacob hates that Seth tells me all his thoughts, and I hate that Seth is stuck in the middle, especially when he is so good at arguing my case. He has even tried to assert that I've imprinted on Bella—and she on me—but Jacob doesn't believe me (or any vampire) capable of such transformation.

Sam is also doing his best to convince Jacob that he's only making it worse for everyone—Bella included—but Jacob won't even listen to his alpha. So it causes tension within the pack, too, as he makes an effort to hide his thoughts and plans from them. And I can't entirely blame him for not giving up; after all, he has a strong argument. I am going to kill her. In fact, if I were him, I would be a lot more proactive (although the apology he carved into a dozen wooden sunflowers was irritatingly effective). His conviction that she would've been open to a relationship with him if I had stayed away—even if I'd not returned home till a couple of weeks later—hurts because it feels entirely plausible. If he ever found out that she speaks his name in her sleep… But thinking about that would drive me insane, so I focus on Bella's happiness and the exhilarating truth that she has chosen me.

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One: Pioneer

Five weeks after my return, as soon as the weather starts warming up, our classmates propose a trip to La Push Beach. Alice sees the discussion on our way to school and confirms that the weather will be overcast, so I confidently announce my attendance the moment the plan is raised. Bella glances between me and Alice, who is clearly frustrated that she can't come with us, then she smiles at me and pats Alice's leg consolingly.

Being able to go along this time—regardless of whether or not Jacob shows up—delights me for a number of reasons. Most importantly, Bella doesn't have to either stay behind with me or go without me, I can save her from the scratches she got last time, and the fact that I am now allowed on Quileute land still thrills me.

On the way to English, Bella teases me for my excitement.

"I can catch you before you fall," I explain, giving her the reason that means the most to me.

She smiles, and it's clear she's already thought of that. "We can explore the deeper pools," she enthuses.

I nod, looking forward to that, too. "It's been a long time since I explored rock pools. As you may have guessed, I don't visit many beaches."

"You don't just go at night?" she asks curiously.

I can't help chuckling. "I hadn't thought of that," I admit.

She makes a face. "You hadn't?"

"In my defence, I go underwater when I want to see sea creatures, so a beach is basically just bare sand, and even at night, it can be risky where there are people around."

She seems somewhat mollified by my apparent oversight, so I shift the topic slightly by describing the various, stunningly beautiful coral reefs I have explored around the world.

I wait until the evening before the trip to tell Seth about it, out of respect for Alice. Even so, the moment I tell him, the day disappears from her sight—and she wastes no time complaining about it. I let her vent, sympathetic to her frustration, because her complaints are not directed at me, or even at the wolves, but rather at the inexplicable failings in her otherwise "unrivalled" gift.

Mike is almost crosser than Alice when I pull up outside Newton's Outfitters. We picked up Angela and Ben on the way and no one else dares to accept the last seat in the Volvo, so Jess, Conner, Tyler, Lauren, Eric, and Katie Marshall (a junior who lives around the corner from Bella) all pile into Mike's van.

Bella and Angela chat most of the way to La Push, and Ben and I contribute as required. It's a pleasant trip, and I'm in good spirits as I look forward to seeing Seth—even though Jacob is bound to be there, too—so it catches me a little off guard when Ben suddenly starts worrying about me fancying his girl, because of the lie I told to inspire jealousy and provoke him into asking Angela on a date. Through his eyes, I realise that Angela's watchfulness on Bella's behalf could be mistaken for the same sort of revived interest Lauren and Jess have displayed since I returned—and Angela and I have shared a number of smiles this morning, because both of us are particularly happy today (she likes the beach, too, and she's happy for Bella).

When I can't help smiling at her the next time she smiles at me, Ben clenches his fists and tries to figure out how he might fight me for her affections. I briefly debate ways to ease his needless jealousy—the obvious solution is to admit that I did it deliberately, but how can I explain knowing their feelings when they hadn't told a soul? If Ben realises that Bella is the "lab partner" whom I said told me of Angela's feelings, he might tell Angela, and I don't want her to think that Bella had been talking about her behind her back. Perhaps the simplest solution is the best one: being even more overt in my love for Bella.

And then I start hearing Seth's thoughts and stop worrying about everything—even before I realise that Jacob isn't with him. Bella eyes my broad smile with amusement, and then Angela notices it and is intrigued by my exceptional cheerfulness. She thinks she has never seen me look so genuinely happy—for the first time, the emotion in my eyes truly reflects the smile on my lips.

Seth is currently striding through town, with Emily, Paul, Rachel, Jared, and Kim straggling along behind him. Quil Ateara Jnr has just phased (which is why they weren't at the beach waiting for us), so Sam, Embry, and Jacob are helping him, otherwise the three of them would have come along as well.

It's interesting hearing both the change in Paul's thoughts since he imprinted on Rachel—his mellowness is extraordinary—and Rachel's and Kim's minds for the first time (although I've seen plenty of Kim from Jared, so she doesn't exactly feel like a stranger), but Seth's thoughts are still most captivating.

The main news is Quil joining the pack, but alongside that, Seth also shares some thoughts about Leah and his mother, who were smiling and even laughing together at breakfast this morning. Leah is getting better at controlling her phasing, and she's been spending more time with Sue. Seth is so happy that they're finding it as easy as they are to rebuild their relationship, which had been strained to breaking point after Sam's apparent betrayal (followed by Emily's) and their parents' defence of his 'choice'.

At the beach, Mike and Tyler lead the way to an already-assembled driftwood arena 30 yards from the surf. Bella and Angela gravitate to one of the larger logs, so I sit on Bella's left, just up from the end to leave a free space for Seth. As he draws near, he considers initiating a 'secret handshake'. I turn my head slightly to the side and back to say no, so he settles for a fist bump.

"'Sup, bro?" he says, grinning at me. Then he looks at Bella. "'Sup, Bells?" he says, with a jerk of his chin.

She repeats the gesture. "'Sup, Seth?" she replies, also grinning.

Our schoolmates are surprised to see me so smiley with someone other than Bella and my family, and intrigued by our easy familiarity. Mike is peeved. At the first opportunity—basically as soon as Seth introduces himself and then points out the others as they catch up—he asks after Jacob.

Bella tenses and Jared and Paul glance at me, exposing the awkwardness of the subject, but Seth fields the question almost effortlessly.

"He's off doing something," he says casually. "Didn't say what." (Because he didn't need to say anything.)

"So he won't come by later?" Mike presses, not letting it go.

"Doubt it," Seth retorts, before pointedly eyeing the suddenly uncomfortable boy. "Why? You come here specially to see him?"

Paul and Jared snort, and my lips twitch despite my ongoing discomfort. Mike is tempted to retaliate with something, but he's too afraid it'll backfire and make him look even stupider—and too afraid of Seth and his friends (and me, though he doesn't like to think that he fears me).

When he doesn't reply, the latecomers refocus on finding somewhere to sit. Seth decides that the space beside me isn't enough (and he wants to tease us), so he encourages Bella to sit on my lap and then shoves me along as he sits down. She flushes a little, embarrassed, but obliges him. I wrap my arms loosely around her and she drapes an arm over my shoulder. I wish we were both wearing warmer clothes—she will get cold before long—but I can always suggest we go for a walk, so it's not really a problem. And having her in my arms is as nice as it is useful; our classmates have never seen us look so comfortable with each other.

I am loath to find anything good out of my senseless departure, but it has certainly cured me of my thirst for Bella's blood.

Seth and I are too intriguing for the others to start up their own conversations, so we can't say what we want to (even though Seth is eager to know if I could hear him before he left home—he thinks I should be able to hear him from anywhere in La Push). But he has a ready-prepared, ordinary question about something he is curious about.

"You ever been surfing?" he asks me, knowing Bella hasn't. When I shake my head, he is a little surprised, despite half-expecting that. "It's fun!" I should've brought my surfboard.

"I don't go to beaches very often," I say, indulging the kids who think my freakish paleness is proof enough that I don't surf (or spend time in the sun).

Seth laughs. "This summer, I'm teaching you to surf." He loves the thought of teaching me something (even though he guesses I'll be a fast learner), and I can't help sharing his enthusiasm.

I waggle an eyebrow at Bella. "You in?"

Seth and I both laugh at her aghast expression—but she quickly gets her own back. "I will be next year," she says smugly. "After college."

Seth laughs again (because he knows she can't wait for the physical prowess that comes with being a vampire), but I can't. He sees my sadness and raises a different topic. "How about a hike this summer, then?" he suggests. "I want to explore the headwaters of the Quillayute—you ever been up there?"

I shake my head. "I don't think I've ever been anywhere near there," I say, subtly reminding him that until a few weeks ago, I was banned from that area.

He picks up on it almost immediately (only a fraction slower than his pack-brothers), then laughs, his thoughts immediately running to all the other beautiful places I have never seen. "We should make a proper trip out of it," he enthuses, picturing a week or so of exploring the remote wilderness—where he can be wolf or human.

"You mean camping?"

"Yes! I remember Bella coming with us, too."

Bella scoffs. "Years ago," she says, "and not by choice." She shares a grin with Rachel, who remembers the camping better than Seth; she and Bella were both unwilling participants, but too shy even to bond over it.

I smile at Bella. "I can't imagine you camping," I joke; Seth and Rachel both know I'm seeing their memories right now, but only Seth realises that I mean I'm enjoying them (Rachel thinks I'm just saying it for our audience).

"You go camping all the time," he tells me, undeterred. "You must have all the gear to keep us in luxury—big tent, foldaway stove, camp stretchers—"

I laugh. "Tent, yes," I confirm, because we do have one (bought as a prop), "but we don't have a fancy stove or camp stretchers."

He scoffs. "I can't picture you on an airbed on the ground."

"Airbed," I retort. "We have camping mats."

Seth laughs. "No! I want luxury! Back me up, Bella."

Bella nods, grinning. "I have done all the sleeping on the ground I'm ever going to do," she jokes, seeming not to realise that her words will remind us of Sam's memory of her curled up on the wet ground.

I hold my smile in place with effort, trying to focus on Seth. He knows we can't sleep (when he asked me about it a couple of weeks ago, I'd been a little surprised that Bella hadn't shared that fact), so he's trying to convince me that buying camp beds is a good investment.

"If I were to acquire a camp stretcher or two," I say to Bella, "does that mean you'd be interested?"

She eyes my face intently, gauging my seriousness—until Seth's eager nodding becomes too distracting to ignore. She shoves him playfully. "This is your fault," she complains.

He grins, sensing weakness. "It won't be like it was," he points out. "It'll be fun, and we'll have proper food."

She sighs heavily, then her lips twitch at the corners. "I suppose I could be persuaded," she concedes.

Seth immediately starts planning how to sell the trip to his mother; the other wolves and Emily wonder if she will agree to such a lengthy sojourn, while Jared is also wondering if Kim would like to go—if the invitation extends to them. I smile at him to let him know they would be welcome (though I'm not sure how comfortable Kim will feel in the dark when I'm nearby).

"Alice wants to throw a graduation party," I say, "but otherwise, I think our summer is pretty open, isn't it, Bella?"

She gives me a rather pointed little glare, so most of our audience realise I'm making some private joke. Seth is curious, but lets it go; he thinks I will tell him when Bella and I have agreed to whatever it is—so I feel especially guilty for keeping it from him.

"Who's invited?" Tyler asks.

For a fraction of a second, I forget he's referring to the graduation party; if I couldn't hear his thoughts, I'm sure I would've been stunned silent. Fortunately, I see the fuller thought attached to the question, so no one, not even the wolves, picks up on my hesitation. "Probably everyone," I say casually, as if I am oblivious to their curiosity about our house.

Bella groans softly, and I can't help grinning at her; I've seen her reaction to Alice's preferred outfit for her. In her distraction, she lets out a shiver. She tenses immediately, but it's too late—I know now that I've let her get too cold.

She expects me to move her onto the driftwood beside me, so she clings tight to me—but I want to stand up. I can't resist the opportunity to tease her, so I lift her as I stand. With her arm around my neck, it's easy to slide her higher. For a second, her bottom is higher than her head, but I put her down even before she starts to squeak out an indignant complaint.

I chuckle at her adorable frowny face; I'm tempted to say something like you're sexy when you're angry, but I'm not sure she'll take it the right way and Lauren at least will find some way to twist it. "Rock pools?" I suggest instead.

"I wish I could pick you up," Bella grouses, ignoring my question.

Seth grins at her as he pictures throwing me over his shoulder.

"No," I tell him firmly, before he even opens his mouth, but I can get away with it because everyone else knows what he was thinking, too.

He isn't deterred, and Bella eggs him on, so I start running before he can grab me. Seth laughs and races after me.

"You can't outrun me!" he cries. Not in front of all these witnesses.

I laugh and head towards the water. Seth dares to run a little faster than he really should, so he is soon on my heels. I veer aside twice, then let him grab me. We wrestle for a moment and then he knocks me into the water. I wasn't planning to get wet—stupidly, I didn't bring a change of clothing—but it's too late now. So I grab Seth and pull him in after me.

He laughs and almost gets a mouthful of saltwater, but I knock the water aside before he can breathe it in. The darting movement of my hand by his face startles him a little but he isn't the least bit afraid; I knew he wouldn't be (otherwise I would've done something else), but it's still a pleasant reminder of how much he trusts me.

When I stand up, dripping wet, all the girls eye me with interest. Only Kim averts her gaze; even Rachel, who knows of my mind-reading ability and has a well-built man of her own, can't help enjoying the sight. I regret not running a little further so that their human eyes wouldn't see me as well.

Bella smirks, too, and her pleasure is a huge consolation. When she beckons to me as she walks over, I wade through the surf to meet her at the water's edge, wondering what she has in mind. Meanwhile, Seth splashes about in the waves, wishing he could phase.

Bella strokes my abs through the wet t-shirt. "Better take that off before you catch a chill," she teases.

I can't help smiling, but I don't move to obey just yet. "I make a point of keeping my shirt on in front of our classmates…"

She slides her fingers beneath the hem of my shirt. "Even when I ask you to take it off?"

"I suppose not," I allow hesitantly; Seth chuckles at my tone. "I'm just not sure you quite comprehend the hideous fantasies I'll be subjected to."

"What I want isn't worth that?"

"I take my top off for you all the time."

"Well, I want to make a point." She starts rolling up the shirt front, exposing my abs, and I let her undress me for another moment before sliding my fingers around hers and then pulling the shirt over my head.

It's hard to ignore the audible gasps as Jess and Lauren gawp at my body then immediately start imagining their hands stroking me where Bella's are. But Bella does a good job of distracting me. She slides her hands up my chest, over my shoulders, and around the back of my neck, burying one hand in my hair, and then pulls my lips down to meet hers.

I cup her face in one hand and kiss back, shifting slightly so that her body screens mine from view, while also limiting the amount of water I'm dripping on her.

Seth strides out of the water. "Are we not going for a walk now?" he jokes.

Bella pulls back a little without letting me go. "Yeah, we're still walking," she says, smirking a little.

Confidence suits her; she is undeniably sexy—even more than usual. She gives me another little kiss on the lips and then lets go of my hair. I flick my fringe off my face, and then stifle a groan as Lauren and Jess have a physical reaction to the movement.

"Please can we go now?" I murmur.

Bella nods and takes my hand. Seth pulls his t-shirt off, too—to give the girls something else to ogle, and I'm grateful for how well it works—and then we set off towards the pathway that leads to the rock pools.

Lauren barely waits until we're properly out of earshot before giving voice to her nastiness. "What's so special about Bella Swan?" she says snidely.

She isn't expecting a straight reply, so when Paul retorts, "She's cool," she gapes stupidly for a moment—but only for a moment, because she is sure there's no defence for Bella's behaviour where I'm concerned.

"Seems pretty pathetic to me—the way she lost it when he left and now she's acting like nothing happened."

Paul just shrugs. "I'd curl up into a ball and never move again if Rach left me."

Rachel kisses his shoulder. "Remember that next time we disagree," she teases.

He chuckles. "When have I ever disagreed with you?"

"Good boy."

Jared and Paul laugh. Lauren is shocked by how badly she has been beaten down.

"I didn't know you were friends with any of the Cullens," Tyler says, steering the conversation in the direction he's most interested in.

Jared speaks up this time. "Seth's sister was in an accident, and Doctor Cullen saved her life. Seth and Edward hit it off, and it turns out Edward's not the stiff we thought he was."

I laugh at Jared's subtle joke (as do Paul and Rachel), so of course Bella and Seth want to know what I've heard.

While I explain, Paul adds, "He's still not as cool as Bella—she's badass."

Jared laughs as he agrees.

Seth is very satisfied by his pack-brothers' defence of Bella, and Bella looks more pleased than embarrassed, but I change the topic before we end up dwelling on our schoolmates' jealousy.

"I could hear your thoughts clearly from half a mile further away," I tell him, "so that's almost six miles now."

He is moderately impressed, but he still expects considerable improvement—ten miles is his minimum target for me. I slap my wet t-shirt lightly against his side. "It's going to take a while to get to ten miles."

"I've got a while," he jokes.

"I'm glad," I reply, not letting it go unsaid.

He rolls his eyes at my earnestness, though it pleases him. I know, he tells me. No imprinting on a mortal chick.

"Not funny," I mutter; when we hopefully have an eternity of life ahead of us, he's bound to find his soulmate eventually. And it's selfish of me to hope his happiness is delayed for the sake of my happiness.

He throws an arm around my shoulder. I'm not going anywhere, bro. "Talk," he says, changing the subject; he is thinking about a number of things, but all related to his camping idea.

"All right," I agree. "I like the idea of going camping—" I pause to gauge Bella's honest feeling, and she raises an eyebrow, which I take to mean convince me. "You can walk when you want or I can carry you." Seth wonders if she'd like a wolfback ride, but I don't make the offer in case Jacob tags along, too. "We can explore the waterfalls and caves, which are incredible—"

"I'm convinced," Seth says.

Bella smiles. "Me, too," she concedes.

Seth whoops and then adds some further ideas—swimming, climbing trees, hunting.

While I guide Bella over a jumble of tree roots at the entrance to the forest, I listen to his memories from the pack; Sam's favourite hunt is wild boar, but the pack recently discovered that feral goats make good sport, too. I laugh as he shows me their chase, and the goats managing to evade them all. "Goats one, wolf pack zero."

Bella's primary focus is the uneven ground, but she glances up at me quizzically, while Seth asks if I've ever hunted goats.

"No, never," I reply, laughing at the thought.

"What about cows?" Bella asks curiously.

"No. Just deer, bear, mountain lion, feral horse—"

"Horse?" she interrupts, shocked; I have to catch her before she loses her footing. I wonder if this will be the moment she finally sees the monster—when I've finally stopped waiting for it—but then she simply says, "There are feral horses in America?"

"You've heard of mustangs?" I reply, relieved. She nods, so I tailor my explanation to suit; perhaps she thought of mustangs as wild horses and that caused the confusion. "They're the main type of feral horse in America—technically, they're not wild because they descend from domesticated horses. Most of them are in Nevada. Horse tastes better than deer, but not that much better, and they live in more open areas, which limits the opportunities for hunting."

"What else have you had?" Seth asks.

"Emmett dared me to drink rat blood once," I admit.

Seth roars with laughter, and Bella chuckles despite wrinkling her nose.

"It wasn't bad," I say, indulging them, "just a lot of effort for little reward."

Seth laughs harder, then his amusement eases off as he wonders what human blood tastes like, in comparison.

"I'm biased," I murmur, reluctant to follow this path; Seth hasn't asked about my murdering rampage before.

Try?, he asks.

"Pig is the closest we know of—none of us has had chimpanzee or gorilla, so I can't say if their blood is more like human or not. Rosalie and Emmett were going to try ape blood the first time they went to Africa, but they changed their minds." I picture the massive silverback gorilla's wise eyes as he stood between them and his troop, ready to die to protect his family, and seeming to know he probably would. Even self-absorbed Rosalie had been moved by the beast's courage.

Bella looks intrigued. "You like mountain lion more than pig?" she asks softly.

"It's hard to explain…"

"We've got all day," Seth points out.

I smile at them both, grateful for their compassion, and take a deep breath. What words can possibly describe the most primal part of me? I decide to make it as simple as possible. "Pig is more similar to human, but it still doesn't fully satisfy the craving. Mountain lion has more flavour, if that makes sense—it has an extra kick."

Seth understands, so I look at Bella to gauge how much she followed my explanation. She nods and squeezes my hand.

"Not so hard," Seth teases—before suddenly wondering if thinking about the taste of human blood makes the craving worse.

"That part of me is always hungry," I confess. "Talking about it doesn't change anything. If I were less disciplined, it would affect me, but right now, it makes no difference."

That sucks, Seth murmurs, thinking about the constant craving; he glances at Bella and sees her seriousness.

"What if you were hungrier?" Bella asks softly.

"If I were a lot hungrier, eventually, I'd reach a point where I wouldn't be able to think about much else." (I've never got to that point myself, so I'm basing the conclusion on Carlisle's experience—before he'd stumbled across the deer, he'd been reduced to one thought only: Life is worth this pain.)

She makes a face, and I'm not sure if it's guilt or worry troubling her; Seth sees the worry more strongly.

"You'll handle it, too," he tells her confidently. He has absolute faith that she won't ever hurt anyone.

Bella smiles at him, appreciating his reassurance as much as I do. "Thanks, Seth," she murmurs. "That means a lot."

He smiles back. "Billy will let you enter our lands, too," he says.

"You can't promise that," I point out.

He just shrugs. "Mum and Billy care as much about Charlie as they do our tribe—if Bella stays in Forks, they'll let her into La Push as well."

I sigh. "That's a big if…"

"Charlie can deal with it."

"We're not telling Charlie!" Bella exclaims, stomping her foot down awkwardly as she comes to an abrupt halt.

Seth holds up a hand in apology. "I didn't mean tell him about vampires. You could just say you got sick and Doctor Cullen saved your life, and let Charlie think what he likes."

The simple idea is highly appealing. "That could work," I allow, though the curiosity of the rest of the town won't be as easy to settle. "But we can't predict how long it will be before Bella can stand to be around humans again."

Seth laughs. "The next day, I bet!"

Bella flushes, but I don't know if she is gratified by his supreme confidence in her or anxious about this great unknown. I squeeze her hand. "One day or one year, it's irrelevant—you will learn to control your thirst, and I'm sure you'll be at least as fast as I was."

"How fast?" Seth asks.

"Seven and a half months."

"You could hear people's thoughts, though," Bella points out, implying that my gift aided my self-control.

"You don't need to hear people's thoughts to feel compassion for them."

"Some people's thoughts must make it harder," Seth suggests, thinking of a kid in his class whose very presence gets on his nerves.

"I didn't know you disliked anyone," I tease.

He laughs. "You wouldn't like him either."

"I don't," I agree, basing it on my faith in Seth's judgement—which is further reinforced when I realise he shakes off the boy's verbal attacks as soon as they happen, not wanting to waste his life thinking about it.

"Thanks, bro." He considers inviting me to his school one day to frighten the horrid kid, and I am sorely tempted—but anything so overt would probably backfire on us both.

"Shall I pick you up in the Vanquish after school on Tuesday?" I suggest.

Seth imagines the boy (and everyone else) hearing me roar up in the expensive car, then seeing me waiting, casually leaning against the driver's door, and wondering who I'm there for, until Seth strolls over and gets in. He likes the idea, but it won't stop the boy's nasty taunts. "He'll probably start a rumour that I'm gay or something."

"Let him."

Seth winks at me. "You hoping that'll keep the girls away?"

We all laugh at that. "That is a definite plus," I shoot back. "But I was thinking you can tell him he's an ugly, jealous loser."

I'll tell him you're my boyfriend, too, shall I?, he teases.

"Only if you think it'll make him jealous," I tease back. "Does that mean you want picked up, then?"

"By you? Anytime," he jokes. Then he realises there's a problem. "If you can't get there before school finishes, no one will see."

"Edward can charm his way out early," Bella says teasingly, her gaze raking across my bare chest, before seeming to realise she's ogling me and dragging her gaze back up to my face. "And I can drive Alice home."

I have to laugh at that. "I think Alice would rather walk."

Bella pouts, but she can't maintain a frown through Seth's laughter.

"You'd be okay with me leaving early?" I ask her, wanting to be clear on this point before I commit to anything.

"Only because there's such a good reason for it," she replies, grinning.

Seth grins and thanks her, then changes the subject back to his proposed camping trip as he waves us forwards again. "We can go look at some camping gear after you pick me up—and take advantage of Bella's staff discount."

Bella laughs, and I let myself picture Mike's face if I pull up in the Vanquish, but I know I shouldn't—Bella does have to work there for another couple of months, after all.

"We'll have to get the Volvo first," I say.

Seth shrugs. "Sure—we'll need the space anyway, won't we?"

I chuckle. "Sounds like it. But at least you've sold the luxury angle, so Mike shouldn't be suspicious if we buy a lot of new gear."

"What do you have?" Seth asks, already drawing up a wish list.

"A ten-person tent, camping mats, and a few pots and pans. We've never used any of it," I add as he starts to wonder. "Alice put up the tent once, for fun, but that's it."

In wolf form, he doesn't need a tent or bed either, but he prefers to sleep in human form, so he absolutely wants a big tent and a comfortable camp bed. The comparison leads him to ponder the wolves' need for sleep in contrast to vampires' inability to sleep. It makes sense for vampires (which doesn't lessen the unpleasantness of having an enemy that truly doesn't need rest)—our bodies don't need to repair themselves the way humans' do—but the reason why he and his fellow wolves still sleep (on average) as much as humans, despite their supernatural advantages, is less obvious.

"Why is it that we can get by on half an hour if we have to," he asks, "but we'd all sleep for days if we could get away with it?"

While Bella laughs at the apt question, I consider the potential physiological drivers.

"Sleep is important for mental wellbeing as well as physical repair," I say. "Perhaps sleeping for longer helps you process all the extra thoughts you hear from each other."

He likes the sound of that, and thinks it fits with his experience (which is what I based it on). "I sleep a lot deeper on the days we all run together," he comments, even as he ponders my point about sleep being important for mental wellbeing. "Do vampires go crazy? And what about people who are already crazy before they're changed?"

"Vampires do go crazy from time to time—there are all sorts of triggers, but I suppose lack of sleep certainly helps a vampire lose perspective more quickly. For a human, whether the transformation can heal the mind or not depends on what caused the mental illness. If it's a physical issue—something neurological or hormonal, say—the vampire usually turns out sane, but is still severely traumatised. If it's something else, something metaphysical, the transformation usually exacerbates the problem."

"Supercrazy," Seth remarks with an exaggerated shudder.

I nod. "They don't survive long, though—they risk our exposure, so other vampires take them out pretty quickly." I don't mention that the one who usually takes out a rogue newborn is the one who made the newborn in the first place (because no one wants the Volturi for an enemy).

Once we arrive at the shore, Seth and Bella immediately focus on the rock pools. They start pointing out the various creatures—to me and to each other, showing off their knowledge. I only chime in when they can't agree on the species, or they don't know it. I love experiencing their excitement when they see a rare creature or a behaviour they've never seen before.

Hours like this make me glad our lives never have to end.