Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. I don't own these characters.

AN: This story has been nominated for Top Ten Best Fanfics completed in June '17. You can vote for it up until July 31st at www. twifanfictionsrecs .com. Thank you for your support!

Summary:

Something is different about Bella. Edward thought his biggest problem would be keeping himself and his secret away from her, but instead he finds himself wrapped into the mystery of Bella. Who is she? What has she done? Where is she now? More than those questions keeps Edward pulled in, its the way she plays the game. Edward has met his match.

[This story takes place after Tyler Crowly crashed into Bella's truck and after the hospital fight with Edward.]

The Edge of Truth

Chapter One: Option 4

Edward meticulously avoided Bella after the accident. He only moved when needed. He only spoke when spoken to. He only looked where he allowed himself to look. Like a ghost, he wandered the school's halls unnoticed by nearly everyone. Even the teachers forgot about him and stopped calling on him in class. When was the last time he had talked to anyone? Days? Weeks? Since his decision to stay away from her? Yes. It all started there. Edward had become all but invisible.

But not to the person this was all for. Not to Bella. Try as she might to hide it, she couldn't stop noticing him. His shadowy silence beside her in class. The eye changes from golden honey to moonless night black. The way he flew out of biology each day when class was over.

She scrutinized every aspect she could of Edward Cullen. She knew he was something. . . other. A beautiful other. An other trying to hide. An other trying to blend in.

Bella memorized his patterns. In the world of shadows, there were always rules attached to it. Rules that when followed, may not seem out of place to the normal eye but could be explained away by the protective lie your brain tells you to keep you from the shadow world. But Bella didn't have normal eyes. And her brain protected her in other ways. There was no need to deceive herself.

Then one day, Edward wasn't in school. None of the Cullens or Hale's were. Their normal table in the corner of the lunch room was empty. To Bella, it looked abandoned. No one would go near it, still, despite their absence. The Cullens and Hales still owned that spot. Whether they were there to enforce their stake to the lunch table real estate or not, it was an unspoken agreement the students unanimously but subconsciously acknowledged: "Don't go near the Cullens." Whatever space they hold claim to, would be cursed to their unapproachable domain. This was a rule, Bella noticed. Not a rule for them. . . a rule for everyone else.

Bella tapped the edges of her can before opening it.

"Hey, Angela." Bella started thoughtfully while lightly sipping a can of soda. They had just sat down at the usual lunch table. Bella knew they weren't here today the moment she parked her car this morning. She couldn't voice her question until now, when it would be obvious.

"Yeah?" The sweet shy girl looked up a little startled to be singled out.

"Is it normal. . . " Bella chose her words carefully. "Do the Cullens and Hales miss school a lot?"

Last time any of them skipped school, it was only Edward. He had been gone for nearly a week after the first day she came to school. This absence was different.

"Oh. Um. Yeah." Angela tucked a strand of hair nervously behind her ear. She didn't like to gossip and wasn't sure if this constituted as such, but she trusted Bella. There was something about her that made her feel comfortable even though she only knew her for a few weeks. "The weather is nice. Dr. Cullen and his wife are like really into nature or something. His contract with the hospital. . . he's allowed to take off whenever the weather is nice." Her eyes shifted up and back down. "That's what I've heard." Angela hurried to cover up her words with as much honesty as possible. All she knew about them were rumors.

"So. They're out hiking or something?" Bella asked softly.

"Something like that." Angela chewed through a piece of lettuce. "Yeah. I think they go all the way to Mt. Rainier. They could be out a few days."

How coincidental. Bella would be out for a few days too. Would Edward come back tomorrow and wonder where Bella was? Or. . . perhaps their absence is for similar reasons? No. No. She was sure they were nothing like her. And she was nothing like them. It was only a coincidence of the timing. She knew what made her have to leave. Something entirely different was making them leave.

Another rule.

A smile crept onto Bella's face. She hid her smirk into the can of soda.

During biology at her empty desk, Bella began to hatch her plan. At first she was thrown by the absence of Edward's icy presence. But she needed this time to think. Instead of being downtrodden, this was a gift. A wrapped-up-in-blue-ribbon opportunity.

She waited until the classroom was empty before she walked over to the teacher.

"Mr. Mason." She greeted. His back was turned, wiping away the day's lessons on the whiteboard. "If it's alright with you. I can take Edward's homework to him."

"Edward?" The biology teacher rubbed his hands together after putting down the eraser. "Oh, right. He wasn't in class today, was he? Hmm." He stared finally into Bella's big brown doe eyes. He wasn't prepared for his reaction to them. He dropped his piece of chalk. "Er. Yes, of course. That's fine."

Pleased but unsurprised, Bella grinned and grabbed the extra paperwork. "Oh, and one more thing. . ." Bella straightened up and grabbed something from her backpack.

"I'll actually be out tomorrow as well. I've already done the assignments." She handed him the sheets. "I think you'll find them to your satisfaction."

"I'm sure I will." Mr. Mason sighed. Between Bella and Edward, there was nothing he could actually teach them.

He had forgotten that he didn't post the homework until today. He didn't catch there was no way for Bella to know what to do. His brain, like everyone else's, lied to him.

The groundwork had been laid. Bella climbed into the red truck. She confidently turned the key in the ignition. For the first time since she arrived, Bella felt exhilarated.

xoxoxo

Alice froze in the middle of her turn playing Jenga. The wooden blocks were perfectly still only hanging on by a single layer. They were trying to beat their last record.

"Alice?" Jasper cocked his head to the side. He knew this look. There was a vision. One that had surprised Alice. It was hard to surprise Alice.

Her eyebrows puckered. "Why didn't I see it sooner?"

"See what sooner?" Esme laid a hand on Alice's shoulder. Rosalie ran in from the garage then with Emmett at her heels.

"We need to hide." Alice's voice was low and fast. Her eyebrows were still forming a confused 'v' shape, but a wiry smile bloomed on her lips. Jasper could feel the range of emotions Alice felt, but he couldn't make sense of them. "Now." Alice commanded.

"Hide from what?" Jasper tensed up, his mind was already making up the best strategy for incoming attacks.

But Alice was already on her feet leading their family up the stairs. She keyed in the password for the security shutters on the back glass wall to close. The light streaming inside was shut off instantly by the hard metal gates. Their glimmering skin mellowed in the shadows.

"Alice?" Carlisle narrowed his eyes. "Hide from what?"

Just then the loud sound of an old chevy truck could be heard rumbling on the road. It was hesitating on the other end of the their driveway. The sound was unmistakable, even at such a distance.

"Her." Alice bit back a grin.

"Bella?" Emmett spat. "She's coming here?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Why?"

"I don't know." Alice shrugged. "But someone needs to warn Edward."

As usual, he was running like he did whenever he wasn't at school. Ever since the accident, Edward was wound up so tight, running was his only release from the shackles he had put on himself. They were all worried that something would happen to make him snap.

The others eyed one another warily. No one wanted to be the one to give the news that despite his best efforts, Bella still wasn't letting go.

What would he do? Would this push him over the edge? If so what direction? Which of the visions Alice saw would come true. Would he fall in love or would he destroy her?

"Fine. I'll do it." Alice sighed while flipping her phone out and punching in Edward's number.

"What?" Edward greeted coldly on the first ring.

"One, watch the attitude." Alice rolled her eyes. "Two, Bella is about to be at our house. Just thought you should know."

"What?" This time Edward said it with actual concern. "What is she doing there? What is she going to do?"

"I have no earthly idea." Alice said with unhidden irritation. "But it's not as if she can get into the hou-."

Edward stared at his phone as it gave off the dial tone of a disconnected call. His feet were already turning him around.

Xoxoxo

The sound of the truck door closing behind Bella clanged loudly and sharply. She didn't wince at the noise because she was too enamored by the beauty of the house in front of her. It was large, but that's not why it was beautiful. It was designed carefully. Not for someone who just wanted a big proud house. Not like those big mansions that someone just threw money into. No, Dr. Cullen's residence went beyond that into a personal zone. It was designed with art in mind. From the roof to the shutters on the window, there was a mix of old and new. A fusion of architecture that worked together to make something outstanding, something beyond nails and wood. The house breathed its own personality like the ocean. Bella took a brief moment to appreciate it, and another moment to add it her mental file of observations.

As if she had done so a hundred times, Bella hopped onto the porch. Completely at ease. What did she have to worry about? No one was home. They were out hiking.

Bella pulled out the homework and rang the doorbell. The more time passed, the wider Bella's grin grew. After a minute had gone by, she set the paper onto the porch. As she was straightening back up, she glanced up through the side windows.

Her eyes transfixed on the large white piano in the corner of a large living room. There was a whooshing sound that surprised Bella until she realized it was her breath escaping through her lips. She tilted her head and continued to stare at the piano. It called to her.

Bella had to do it now. She couldn't talk herself out of it even if she wanted to.

Kneeling by the doorknob, Bella twisted her hand around it. Locked. With steady fingers Bella pulled the bobby pin from her hair and slid it into the keyhole. This was not the first time she had to get in through a front door. She shimmied the bobby pin around for a moment to no avail, but she kept trying. Then finally she muttered something that sounded like a curse word under her breath. The door opened and Bella fell through over the threshold.

With a sigh, she picked herself back up and glanced around the white living room. It felt open and inviting with a three story high ceiling. A large spiraling staircase was centered in the room leading to three different levels, that all overlooked the living room. Two 'u' shaped hallways were separated by the space of the living room by height and a metal iron banister. It looked more like the courtyard of a very elegant hotel than a house. But 100x more intimate than a hotel.

"Wow." Bella muttered, taking in her surroundings. She took a deep breath and focused. Tucking her hair behind her ear with the bobby pin still in her hand, Bella marched over to her goal: The white baby grand piano.

With delicate fingers, she traced along the edges of the back as she walked further up to the keys. Gently, like someone dipping their toes into a body of water before plunging in, Bella played a few notes. The sound rung through the space so purely. The echoes of the note bounced around the different levels of the room. Satisfied, Bella sat down on the bench and positioned her hands in the starting chords of a song that had been on her mind. She closed her eyes as her fingers flew across the keys. A smile ripened on her face while music flowed under her command. It had been too long. The music was calling to her as it always does. How could she have neglected it for so long?

She forgot where she was. She forgot whose house she was in. She forgot that her body took up space at all. She was just a floating melody and a thrumming bass line. She existed only in the music. Then she opened her eyes and the room filled with silence and she fell back down into the piano bench. Her hands had completed the song and an understated sadness swept through Bella, starting with her hands and working its way to her toes.

Bella blinked and leaned back against the piano bench. Her brow furrowed as she stared at her hands. Something was off. She couldn't figure out what it was, but decided it was time to leave. She barely scooted the bench back to leave when-

"Breaking and entering is a criminal offense." Edward appeared with his back leaning against one of the columns holding up the staircase. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his eyes were fierce with indignation.

Despite herself, Bella grinned wickedly. "There was no breaking. And there wasn't anything stolen either." She said smoothly.

Edward's eyes narrowed. "Whether or not that's true, you still entered uninvited. Trespassing is also a serious offense. I could call the cops."

"Yes." Bella murmured as she rose to her feet. "Yes. You could." She tilted her head, tauntingly. This was the first time since the fight in the hospital that Edward looked in her direction. She soaked it up and stared deeply back into his eyes.

"Tell me." Edward sputtered after a moment of an uncomfortable stare down. "Is this something you do often? Do you make a habit of breaking into people's homes?"

Bella laughed freely. "Well. I wouldn't say that."

If Edward's eyes could narrow anymore, they would just be slits in his flesh, too small to pass a coin through. "What would you say, then?"

"I have a terrible habit of being where I shouldn't be." She laughed again and pulled her hand through her hair.

Edward's features softened suddenly. "We can agree on that. You do end up where you don't belong."

"Normally I don't get caught." Bella muttered under her breath. She was so sure she was alone. Bella glanced up in time to see new questions forming in Edward's expression.

The brewing questions competed for admission. "Why did you come here?" Edward asked angrily. The red tone in his voice didn't seem to phase Bella.

"I saw the piano and I wanted to play it." Bella answered honestly.

Edward shook his head. "No. Why did you come here to begin with."

"You weren't at school today." Bella said slowly. "I was dropping off your homework."With a slow hand she pointed towards the open door to the homework laying under the mat.

Edward blinked. "Oh."

"I thought you'd be out hiking. That's what everyone said you did."

"Oh, so. If no one is home it's okay to break into someone's house? That's flawed logic."

"I'm sorry." Bella pleaded. "I really didn't mean to offend anyone coming in here. I truly am sorry. It was bad judgement. I just saw the piano and had to hear it. I can't explain." She shook her head and sighed. "Sorry."

Edward never moved from his position on the post. "I can still call the cops you know."

"I know." Bella admitted. She waited a moment. When Edward didn't move she continued. "Your secret is safe with me." A toothy grin spread across her face.

Edward's face darkened. "What secret?"

"That you're playing hooky." Bella cocked her head, trying to imagine what other secrets he had. He would tell her soon enough. "It's fine, you know. Everyone does it. Skipping school from time to time can be healthy. I won't be at school tomorrow either. I'll be out for a few days actually."

"Where will you be?" Edward straightened up. He didn't expect that. He didn't expect his metaphorical heart to drop knowing he wouldn't see her and not knowing where she would be.

"Oh." Bella sighed then laughed casually. "Somewhere I shouldn't be."

She grabbed her backpack and headed towards the open front door. In the distance she could hear small crickets and birds in the thicket outside.

Edward frowned. "Then maybe you shouldn't go."

Bella stopped and raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"The thing about bad habits," Edward tried to keep the desperation out of his voice. "Is that they can be changed. They can be broken."

"It really bothers you, doesn't it?" Bella turned around. "That you don't know."

"Where are you going?" Edward asked again. This time, she could hear it. She could hear how badly he wanted this information.

"Why do you want to know?" Bella asked and Edward was just as mystified as she was. Why did he want to know? Why did he care so much? He was doing so well. He was avoiding her like he planned. Why couldn't he walk away now? For one, Bella was in his house. She would be the one that would have to walk away. He didn't want her to, but she should. She was right. She did go to places she should not. Next to Edward. . . This house. . . Forks in general.

She hummed at his silence. "And what would you do if I told you? Stop me? Follow me?" She arched her eyebrows and Edward was nearly taken aback by her bravery.

"I," Edward started and his voice fell into a whisper. "I just want to know you'll be okay. That you'll be safe." Why did he care so much? How had he let her do this to him? He had risked his family's well being by keeping her alive. He wouldn't let that go to waste.

The honest consideration hung in the air, but Bella broke it with a peel of laughter.

"Safe? Edward," Her heart curved the name possessively. Was this the first time she had spoken it aloud? "I can't make such promises."

"And why not?" Edward's anger rose again. If something happened to Bella. . . he would. . . he would. What? He needed to know where she would be, especially if she couldn't promise to be safe. He promised to stay away from her. . . but he couldn't let her walk into danger. Not alone.

"Nothing is safe. That's a false promise no one can give." She shrugged.

"Then will you tell me where you are going?" Edward pushed off from the column and stepped towards her. He stopped himself before he got too close. Her scent was heavy and still tempted her like the first day. He almost forgot about the monster lurking inside him. "Please." He added through his teeth.

Bella narrowed her eyes and gazed at Edward thoughtfully. He looked pained, but from what, she could only guess. Humming, Bella placed a hand to her chin.

"Would you tell me where you went after the first day I arrived?" Bella positioned. Would he give her what he wanted from her?

Edward's silence answered her question more than his words could.

"Interesting." She murmured.

Edward watched her like a hawk.

"As I see it, I have a few options." She began to pace in a slow small circle. "Option 1: I could say nothing. It's a strong option. One of your favorites, I see." Edward bristled under the judgement. "Option 2:" Bella continued. " I could lie to you." She said as if talking to herself.

Edward stopped a hiss from escaping him. He made himself wait patiently. She had more to say.

"But I don't stoop to your level."

Edward raised his eyebrows. She was talking about the lie he gave her to explain away his ability to save her during the car accident. She had spoken so effortlessly about the story he gave her to everyone, he thought maybe she had come to accept it as fact herself. Obviously not.

"Option 3." Bella continued. "I could tell you the truth." She stopped pacing and looked dead on at Edward. "But you don't deserve that."

She hadn't forgotten his promise to tell her what really happened. She knew he wasn't standing beside her when Tyler's van barrledd towards her that fateful day. She saw him across the parking lot. A broken promise. A promise he could never come through on. No. Edward didn't deserve her honesty. He could admit that. It hurt that he couldn't be deserving of it, but it was necessary to keep her safe.

Bella started pacing again. "There's a fourth option. Most people don't see it. It's right on the edge between truth and deceit." She stopped again. "Option 4:" Her voice mellowed out and softened as if she were speaking in a place of reverence. "I could give you doubt." Her eyes roamed over to Edward's face, to gauge his reaction.

Doubt? Edward's eyebrows furrowed. If only he could read her mind. How frustrating that she of all people was outside of his grasp of mind reading. This was not the problem he was used to. What was it that kept her thoughts from him? She was practically flaunting this exception in front of him.

"What do you mean by doubt?"

"Do you like puzzles, Edward?" Bella's tone oozed out absolutely wicked.

"That didn't answer my question." Edward growled.

"If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that I did." Bella crossed her arms triumphantly. "I'm not going to tell you the truth of where I'm going. I'm not going to lie about where I'm going either. I'm not going to tell you at all."

"Then why-" Edward started.

"Before you can figure out what I'll be doing this weekend," Bella interrupted with a fiery passion. "You need to know who I was. I'm going to tell you who I used to be."

"Who you were?" Edward clarified. "Why would you do that?"

"Well, if you want to know where I'm going so desperately, I thought you would like to know who I was before I came to Forks, Washington." She built up to the question as her eyebrow raised. "Was I wrong?"

Edward sighed. "No." Despite his decision to stay away he wanted to know everything about her.

"Good." Bella smiled. "Now hand me your phone."

"What?"

"You seem confused a lot, Edward. Is something wrong with your hearing?"

"My hearing is fine." Edward rolled his eyes. If only she knew how well he could hear. "Why do you need my phone?" He persisted.

"So I can hack into your entire life and figure out what you are." Bella paused and watched Edward's face tighten. "I'm kidding. God, Edward. You need to relax. Trust me, I've given up on the mystery of Edward Cullen. You've made it clear that your case is closed."

Relief washed over him. At least she would stop trying to find the dark monster of Edward's existence. His family would find that acceptable. He could hear their thoughts, but he shoved them away. Especially Esme's. He didn't like the way she nearly burst with glee when Bella asked for his phone. This was a dangerous situation already. His family was no help but he wanted to talk to her alone.

"I'm just going to text my phone so I have your number." Bella held out her hand and enjoyed his hesitation. "I'm not going to call you five times a day, if that's what you're worried about."

Edward wouldn't have minded that he realized in shame. He was just shocked at the turn of events.

"Then what are you planning to do with my phone number? I thought you were going to tell me about your past?" Edward wasn't used to being behind in the conversation. He didn't like waiting for the person to speak to know what they had to say. Still, he handed over his phone and watched with amusement as Bella adeptly pulled up his contacts, entered her phone number and sent a message to her own phone. It buzzed in her pocket a moment later. Message received. She had his phone number. This was definitely not how Edward saw this interaction going. Everything was flipped upside down. Somehow she had changed the conversation from her breaking into his house and now she controlled the room as if it were hers all along. Was this how every human interacted? Surely not. No, Bella was different. What was it? Edward had no choice but to find out now. Bella counted on it. She wouldn't have to jump through hoops to get to Edward's secret. Edward was going to jump through her own hoops to get to hers.

"There, that wasn't too painful, was it?" Bella handed the phone back. He was impressed that she didn't try to look at the other names in his phone. There were only 9 contacts. A small list of people. A suspiciously small list of people. Perhaps if she noticed that, he could explain that away by how reserved he was. This was the least of his troubles.

Now that Bella had his phone number what would she do with it? Edward had her number too, but he felt like he wasn't allowed to use it unless he was approached first. An unspoken rule.

Bella slung her backpack on and turned once more for the door.

"What a second." Edward lunged after her. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Bella thought for a second. "No." She shrugged.

"You're supposed to tell me about yourself." Edward crossed his arms again.

"Oh." Bella breathed sarcastically. "Right, you don't like it when I promise to tell you something and then. . . I don't. How frustrating that must be."

Edward rolled his eyes. Where did she get off to talk to him like this? Wasn't she afraid? Could she not sense how deadly he was?

"Oh, I'll tell you." Bella said clearly. "You have my word."

Edward furrowed his brows trying to keep track. "But you're not going to make this easy." He guessed.

"Ah, you catch on quickly." A light hit Bella's eye. "I'm going to tell you three things about me."

"Three?" Edward cocked his head. That seemed oddly generous.

"Two of them will be lies, and only one of them will be the truth." Bella held his gaze. "I will be gone three days and on each day I'll send you a message." She nodded towards the phone still in Edward's hand. "A story that may contain a clue to my whereabouts this weekend. Or it may be made up horseshit." Bella shrugged. "Pardon my language. One truth and two lies."

"Doubt." Edward mused on what Bella said option 4 would contain. He almost laughed. "You're very clever."

"Are you suprised?"

"Not at all." Edward said softly. There it was. The line that he just jumped over. Alice was right, he couldn't stay away from her. Not now. He was hopelessly woven under her spell.

They stared at each other briefly, sizing each other up.

"Well." Bella sighed. "This all really depends though, doesn't it." She adjusted the straps on her shoulder.

"On what?" Edward played into her hand dully.

"If you're going to call the cops or not. You have every right to." She tapped her feet together guiltily.

Leaning back, Edward smiled. "Oh Bella. You know I'm not going to."

"You're right." She nodded. "You're not. For the same reason I'm doing this whole thing." Bella walked once more to the door and grabbed the handle.

"And what reason is that?" Edward cocked his head.

"You want to see what happens next." Bella stated confidently and then closed the door behind her.

AN: If you got here, thanks for reading! Leave me a review if you want more. I have lots in store and can't wait to get to it.

If you followed me after "Moonlight," I know. I know. It's not my Beau and Edward. Sorry!

If you are a new or old reader to me. Hello! I hope you enjoy this story.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

- Rosalie