AN: HI! I really hope you like this story. Lots of Edward this Chapter. Review if I should continue!

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2.

"Mike Newton, just twelve years old, was found murdered last night. An Amber alert was put out at 10 pm after Mike did not return home. His body was discovered an hour later heavily mutilated a short while from his house. Police have no suspects at this time. Grief counselors will be the boy's school..."

The TV was blaring loudly. Too loudly.

I stared at my waffle until it completely absorbed the syrup. My appetite was gone. I had hated Mike. He had hurt me. But not enough for him to die. Death was...I pushed the mushy waffle from me and Renee starred.

"Honey, do you want me to wash that sweater?" she asked, and I frowned. I hadn't taken it off. It was my safety blanket.

"I need it today.." I whispered, and she nodded. Somehow, she understood.

Charlie picked me up for school, looking very sleep deprived and bothered. I sat down in the seat next to him, and could feel his unease. He drove in silence, his mouth fixed in a thin line. He must have been extremely stressed.

"Dad...I love you." I said quietly. And suddenly, he was at ease. His muscles relaxed, and his hand ruffled my lamb hood softly. His love for me was great, but he was never one for words. I was like him. I knew he loved me more than anyone, and I knew he'd never move on after my mother. We pulled up to the school to see countless news stations vans. The anchormen and woman looked like vultures, and once they saw the cruiser, they began to crowd. My dad exited first, opening my door for me and leading me to the front door. I barley said goodbye before they began to shout questions.

I walked to my classroom in silence, and the atmosphere was thick. No one looked at me when I entered the classroom, and all eyes were on Carlisle who was talking in front.

"Now, Mike was a good boy. He didn't deserve what happened to him, and the police will catch whoever did this to him. He will be brought to justice." Carlisle said, and I took my seat in the corner.

"I hope the cops don't find them. I hope someone else finds the person and blows there head off." a boy yelled from the back, and a murmur of agreement went through the classroom.

"Two wrongs don't make a right." Carlisle lectured, trying to meet all of our eyes. I was heavily focused on the spider crawling across my desktop.
"If we find him, we can carry out a punishment in a lawful way that will make him pay more than if we just killed him."

The spider stopped in the center of the desk, and I watched it closely. I wondered if it could sense the danger. If it could sense how easily I could crush it with my finger. I wondered if the spider could even feel fear. A white hand appeared over the spider, and I squeaked out a quick 'No!' before the hand came down on the spider. I looked up to meet Carlise's probing eyes, and looked down again quickly.

"Don't kill it.." I said softly, and the hand went away from the spider. I looked into Carlisle's eyes again, and saw an emotion I didn't expect. Understanding. But other than that, he looked just as exhausted as my dad.

"Mr. Cullen. I was wondering if I could talk to you again soon." I said quietly, once again looking down. I didn't tell him I needed to talk about the guilt I felt, or that I was the last one who saw Mike before he was murdered.

"Bella..I'm really busy.." he started, and I snapped my eyes shut. Of course he didn't have time to talk to me. Who would want to talk to me?
"But maybe Friday afternoon."

Tomorrow? Could this weight in my chest wait until tomorrow? I looked down to see the spider, only to find it was gone. I felt my hood being pulled down, and a hand pat my head gently. I looked to see the spider was in Carlisle's other hand, and a smile on his face. He walked out the door, and released the spider.

The day was spent mostly explaining Mike's death, and the teachers didn't make us do any work. They told us that we all grieve in our own ways, and that some of us would cry, while some of us would hold in in.

The end of the day came as a relief, and I walked up to my teacher to ask to use the phone. It rang twice before my mom picked up, her voice slurred slightly, and husky with a lust I didn't know.

"Hellooo?" she asked

"Mom? I was wondering if I could go to the library today?" I asked.

"Yeah yeah, sure." she paused, reasoning coming back to her.
"But only there Isabella. And call me or Charlie for a ride home." she said speedily. She must have been waiting for her date.

"Okay mom...I love you."

"Bye." she rushed.

I thanked my teacher before running out the doors of the school, and to the park. No one was outside, and the wind blew in a lonely howl through the empty streets. I arrived at the park to see no Edward again. I needed him today.

"Edward." I called softly, and I was only met with the wind's howl. I blushed, imagining how stupid I must have looked. I quickly turned to leave, only to see Edward smiling at me. His sweater had specks of brown on it, and looked significantly more dirty than it did the day before. However, Edward looked great. The dark circles under his eyes were almost non existent, and his pale skin glowed. His red eyes were even more pronounced.

"Edward. Why are your eyes red?" I asked, hoping he'd reply my question. His smile dissipated, and he stared at me with a hint of sadness.
"Were you born like that?" I tried again.

"Yeah. I was born like this." he said quietly, and looked down from me. I frowned.
"Does it scare you?" he asked.

I stepped forward, and encircled my arms around him, and he did the same. We held each other tightly.
"You can't scare me away." I whispered, and he held me even tighter. I leaned into his sweater, and inhaled his scent. He smelled like blood. I didn't bring it up.

We both made out way to the swings, and gently pumped out legs, I looked to the sky watching as I got closer and farther over and over again.

"Mike died yesterday." I said quietly, ignoring how Edward snapped his head to me.

"Mike was a bad kid." Edward stated simply.
"Aren't you happy he's gone?"

I shrugged, and looked to the dirt on the ground. Soon it would snow. The weather was getting colder and colder by the day.
"He was mean, but I don't know. I keep thinking how scared he must have been."

Edwards feet dragged in the dirt beneath his swing, hard enough to make holes in the ground. He ;looked over at me with caution. I raised an eyebrow, and stared back at him. He quickly looked away.

"I don't think he was scared. I think someone killed him quickly." Edward said, not meeting my eye. I looked down at my feet, and closed my eyes.

"Edward, what's the point of living?" I whispered, and I heard footsteps slowly come to me. His icy hands gripped mine, and I looked up to see his red eyes. He smiled at me, a sad smile.

"Is that what you think about Bella? You think about death?" he asked. I nodded.

"I don't want to die. I don't know what happens when you die." I said, voice shaking. I felt his arms circle around me, and he laid a gentle kiss on my cheek. I blushed furiously, and looked into his eyes.

"Death is like...When you sleep but don't dream. It's nothing, not even black. It's the lack of something...." he trailed off, and held me tighter.
"But you won't have to worry about it. I'll never let you die."

I felt tears run down my cheeks, and a cold hand guided my face to Edwards lips. He kissed me softly, and I felt a spark of something, something pure.

"I love you Bella. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you." he whispered. My heart was pumping fast, and the blush on my cheeks grew even more.

"I love you too Edward."

We held each other for a few moments before I told him I had to go to the library. He insisted on walking me, and I agreed. We walked together hand in hand through the empty streets, until I got to the library. He kissed me on the cheek, and left me tingling with sensations I never knew existed before. I went into the library, and phoned Charlie, who was grateful for a reason to leave the office. He told me ten minutes. I went and waited outside, sitting on a bench swinging my legs for Charlie. A high school aged boy sat next to me, smiling as he looked me up and down.

"Don't you know it's dangerous to be outside alone, little girl?" the long blond haired man asked, and he scooted closer. I stopped swinging my legs and looked at him curiously.

"I'm waiting for my dad." I said softly, a bubble of fear forming in me. The man laughed, and extended his hand to me. I ignored it.

"I'm James. Why don't we both wait for your daddy in the Laundry mat? It's warm in there, and I think he'll be mad that you're waiting out here alone."

Charlie probably would be mad at me for waiting outside, as he was working on the case with the killer. He knew what could go wrong.

"Okay." I said, and got up. He followed behind me.

We entered the building to find it empty, which wasn't uncommon for the type of place in our small town. I turned to the man, only to feel an arm grabbing me, and dragging me to the bathroom. He threw me in, and I landed on my back with a thud. Things were moving too fast. I looked up to him, with betrayal in my eyes. He laughed, and blocked the exit, walking to me slowly.

"Do you know what can happen to little girls like you?" he asked, his voice sounding dirty. I breathed in a shaking breath, scrambling to get away from him.
"Big bad men come and make them little women."

He leaned down to me on the ground, and yanked my backpack from my body. I started to cry, kicking a him as his hands ran down my body. His touch burned, and wasn't like Edwards. I wanted him gone.

"EDWARD!" I screamed, and he hit me in the stomach to get me to shut up. I wheezed, out of breath when I heard the door hit the ceramic tile of the bathroom with a crash. James looked over to see a deadly looking Edward, with fury in his eyes.

"What the fuck? Who the fuck are you?" James yelled, and got off of me. I scrambled to the backpack, and head a snap. I turned to see James on the ground, holding his bleeding head.

"Bella. Your dad is outside." Edward said quietly, and calmly. I stood there for a second, starring at him. He looked so small compared to James.
"I'll be alright."

I ran out the door, and to Charlie's car without a second thought. My thoughts remained on Edward the whole drive home. I numbly thanked Charlie and made my way into the house quietly. There were two empty bottles of wine sitting on the counter, and I knew that meant I had to be quiet. Renee had been drinking again, and she demanded silence so she could sleep.

I couldn't do my homework. I couldn't even focus. I was shaking. I was numb. There was so much evil in the world. So much that I had to fear. I wanted to know if Edward was okay. I wanted to know if I would be okay. I heard the whining of ambulances, and police squad cars go by, and I knew something was wrong. I waited, looking out the window for hours. It had turned dark before I decided to call him again. I went to my window and called his name softly.

"Edward"

There was no reply. I turned around to see if maybe he was behind me, like he ended up being all the other times. He wasn't. I started to cry deeply, leaving my window open and walking to my bed. My body shook with sobs, and I cried for everything I had held in. I cried for my mom. I cried for Charlie. I cried for Mike. I cried for me. But mostly, I cried for Edward. Darkness took me, and I went to sleep. A sleep without a dream. A sleep where I was stuck in blackness, and it kept getting smaller and smaller.

"Bella." a voice whispered. Edward's voice. My eyes snapped open and I went to look to see him, but he covered my eyes with his hand. He was shaking.

"Don't look. I don't want you to be afraid." He said softly, and I put my fingers around his hand, trying to move it from my face.

"You can't scare me." I protested. He chuckled, and kissed my forehead softly. My heart fluttered.

"Promise?" he asked, and I nodded.

He uncovered my eyes to reveal the moonlight illuminating his figure. He was covered in blood, his sweater holding most of the mess. His hair was matted, and his chin and mouth covered. I couldn't tell if he was injured or not.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, and he nodded. I only then noticed how cold the room was, and shivered. He wrapped the blankets around me and smiled a sad smile.

"He was going to hurt you Bella. He was going to do bad things to you. He wanted to break you." he whispered, pulling me into a hug. I embraced his touch, and smiled at him.

"How do you know? It's not like you can read minds." I teased, but he only held me tighter.

"Bella...Don't think of me as a monster." he whispered, and I looked to his eyes in confusion.

" Why would I?" I asked. He frowned, but didn't reply.

"I love you Bella." he said.

" I loved you too Edward."

He held me until I fell asleep, my dreams no longer of darkness. My dreams were swirls of colors, only interrupted by the questions that probed my mind.

How did Edward get in my room? Who's blood was that? Why wasn't I afraid?