A/N Well, no one has reviewed my story yet, but someone has added me as a favourite story. Yay. Thank you so much italiansky. Even if you're the only one who's reading I have another chapter.

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BPOV

I had seen Alice sharing a table with her family at lunch and I could name them all from her descriptions. They all had the same pale beauty as Alice. Their skin was white, almost ghostly. They all seemed to share my new friend's rigidity but it couldn't obscure their almost ethereal good looks.

Rosalie, the blonde Hale had taken my breath away. I had seen far less beautiful women gracing the covers of up-market fashion catalogues. How had she not been snapped up by a modelling agency? Even sitting in a high school lunch room she was striking. As was the great big hulk of a man, man not boy, sitting beside her. His dark curly hair looked almost out of place. As though something soft and playful had been placed on top of a boulder. An attractive boulder, but a boulder none the less. That couldn't be anyone but Emmett Cullen.

The other blonde, Jasper, had his back to me. He seemed to be hunched over the table as though he might be reading something, but I couldn't see a book. I wasn't sure but it looked like he might have a stomach ache.

Then I had seen him and I could have sworn he was staring at me. I was too far away to be sure, but his eyes seemed to be fixed on me. He was as beautiful as Rosalie Hale, and I wouldn't have thought that was possible. He was leaner than the other two, but not thin, the grey shirt on his arms outlined them clearly. Just as I was realizing that this must be Edward, Alice had come bounding over, "Hi, Bella. So nice to see a familiar face. Who's this?"

Angela, who was standing beside me, blushed and held out her hand, "I'm Angela Weber, you must be Alice Cullen."

Alice had looked delighted, "Bella mentioned me?" she asked, but didn't let me answer, "Yes I'm Alice, it's nice to meet you."

I smiled at the surprised but pleased look on Angela's face. Even the shyest girl in the world couldn't resist Alice. I wondered if anyone could. Well at the moment I was coming pretty close to ignoring her. My eyes kept wanting to slip away from her and back to her brother. Edward. "So, what do you think Alice? Small enough for you?" I forced myself to listen to the question Angela was asking.

Alice shrugged and smiled mysteriously, "So far, so good. Are we still meeting later? Would you like to join us Angela?"

I nodded but Angela was shaking her head, "I have to get home tonight. I'm baby sitting. Sorry," she said.

Alice waved it off, "Another time. I'll see you later Bella."

She wandered back to her table throwing us a cheerful smile over her shoulder. My eyes followed her and then drifted back to her brother. Edward. He was still staring at me. Now I was almost sure of it and my stomach did something strange. I told myself to stop being ridiculous. One of the new students was staring at someone talking to his sister, he could just be curious. But the feeling in my stomach wouldn't go away. I didn't like it, it wasn't unfamiliar. It was a feeling I knew well but I had never felt it so strongly before. Never so randomly either. It was a feeling usually reserved for Jake.

I needed to get out of there, "Ang, library?"

My friend looked surprised but she nodded, "Sure," she said just as Eric came over to us. She pointed to the door and he nodded, his mouth full of apple.

I had glanced over at the table one more time. Everyone else was doing the same thing and it made me feel stupid. But I could swear Edward Cullen was still staring at me. I had waved to Alice to cover my glance and left the cafeteria.

Things had gotten even weirder in class. It hadn't occurred to me, but of course the only vacant seat in Biology was the one next to me. Edward Cullen would be joining our class. This meant that he would be sat next to me, almost every day.

That feeling again, that tightening in the pit of my stomach. Edward had seemed nice at first, once he stopped staring at me as though I was irritating him beyond all measure. He had introduced himself and talked to me. I could understand why he would become the focus of all the girls for a while. His eyes glowed with the same golden colour as Alice's and it stuck me as odd that they would have the same eye colour but not have any other similarity. Maybe they were blood siblings, adopted as a set. But other than the pale skin they had nothing else in common.

Except their beauty. Edward was indescribable. His hair wasn't styled but it didn't need it. The colour was very unusual and the little light there was in the room played over it, bringing out copper highlights. They didn't look like they were done in a salon. His cheekbones were high and sharp and they made his eyes look even more piercing. His lips were full and when he gave me a small smile, it was crooked. It made me want to smile back at him. I guessed that was another thing he and Alice had in common. He was the most beautiful male I had ever seen.

Just as I was starting to think that he was as nice to talk to as Alice, he had clammed up. His lips had pressed together in a tight line and he had mumbled some excuse about a headache. I had snuck glances at him all the way through class.

For some reason I couldn't fathom I was having difficulty keeping my eyes off him. His face stayed the same all through the lesson so it wasn't as though I was watching his changing expressions. He just...drew my eyes. I wanted to look at him, as though I was memorizing him.

I kept hoping that he would look at me again, maybe even ask me a question about the lesson. I would even take a random question; something about the school or the town. He didn't ask me anything. Edward didn't look at me for the rest of the class. When the bell rang he nodded in my direction. I think the gesture was meant for me and then he almost ran from the room.

XXX

I was setting my books out on the table when Alice came and joined me. I had managed to finish the essay due this morning just in time. I had literally pressed print as the first bell rang. Now I had a few bits and pieces that I needed to finish before the end of school. Alice bounced into the room and headed straight for me, "Hi Bella, it's good to see you. Did you have a good day? Mine was kinda boring."

I laughed, muffling the sound with the sleeve of Jake's coat. The librarian looked over but she smiled indulgently. Everyone was happier with the end of school near, plus no one else was here tonight. It wasn't like we could be disturbing anyone, "Hi Alice, it's good to see you too. My day was fine, normal. Why was yours boring? I would have thought the jackals would have found you by now." Was I teasing her? I was. I was teasing a girl I barely knew and I felt confident of her friendly response. Most people in Forks would attest that athough I was always polite, I was very rarely playful.

She looked delighted and she sank elegantly into the chair next to me, "Well, once everyone found out about our romantic unavailability Edward became the popular one."

That 'something' in my stomach tightened, but I ignored it. "Yeah, I met him today. He's in my biology class."

"Really?" said Alice.

I nodded, "Yep." I tried to make my voice sound calm.

I couldn't think of anything else to say but Alice's eyes were scanning me, "Is something wrong? Did he say something to you?"

I shook my head fixing a smile on my face, "No, he just asked me about the rain."

"The weather? He asked you about the weather?" Alice was incredulous.

I nodded, "Yeah, that was about it."

Alice's eyes seemed to glaze over; as though she was looking as something far away. But it was only for a second, "Well, um...Edward's moods can be a bit strange. He's shy."

Shy? He hadn't seemed shy. He had seemed a little rude maybe, but not shy. He had seemed gorgeous and charming, but not shy. Still, sometimes shy people, when they didn't know what to say, said nothing. I had learned that much from Angela. I shrugged it off, "Well, I don't really care. Maybe he'll be different tomorrow."

I tried to make my voice sound off-hand and I was pretty sure I had been successful until I looked at Alice and saw her eyebrow raised again, "What?"

"Nothing Bella. Really nothing. I just know that look."

I was momentarily confused at her expression and then I realised. She was on to me, "Oh Alice, don't be silly. I have a boyfriend." The blush I had been fighting was creeping over my face. There, you see Bella. You have a boyfriend. Remember him? You shouldn't be thinking about your friend's brother.

"You do?" She seemed more surprised than she ought to be.

I nodded, "I do. We've been together for...well a long time. His name is Jacob Black. We grew up together. Like you and Jasper."

Alice looked confused again, her eyes were drifting over the table as though the grain of the wood was fascinating, "Oh, I guess...I just didn't picture you with a boyfriend."

I was hurt, "Thanks very much." I knew I wasn't as beautiful as the Cullens or the Hale's but I didn't think I was that unattractive. Well, I wasn't hideous and Jake loved me.

"Oh Bella, no. I'm sorry. I didnt mean that. it's just that I'm usually really good at reading people and you don't seem the boyfriend type. I didn't mean to offend you." Her eyes widened in concern reading my reaction, "Plus, I was mentally seeing you with Edward. I didn't mean to offend you," she said again.

I chuckled, the idea of being with someone like Edward Cullen was enough to make me laugh. He was the most perfect thing I had ever seen. Though I couldn't deny it boosted my ego that his sister would suggest it. I decided to ignore the strange sensation in my stomach at her words. I should have had something more substantial for lunch. That was all it was. "You didn't offend me Alice, I promise. It's just that everyone around here knows about me and Jake. It's weird meeting someone who doesn't know that we've been joined at the hip since infancy."

I took the seat next to her. She still looked concerned about having hurt my feelings but I just plunged into the books in front of me.

We sat and chatted, I told her about Charlie, about Renee, and about Jake and Billy. I was surprised by how quickly I was plowing through the homework. Alice was a good study partner. She kept the conversation going at the right times and kept me focused at others.

I found myself telling her things about myself. Just little things, but she seemed so interested and she was so easy to talk to. I decided not to over think my strange connection with this girl, I would just enjoy it. When I checked my watch for the first and only time it was almost six o'clock.

"Wow, I really have to be getting home. Jake normally calls around seven."

Alice nodded, still as cheerful as ever, "Sure, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait, don't you need a ride home or something?" Surely Alice didn't think I would let her walk home? Forks was a pretty safe place to live but even so, we'd had three people go missing last year. We stayed safe by being careful.

"No I'm fine, Jasper's coming to pick me up soon." Ah, the benefits of a large family. Always someone to be your taxi. Particularly if you were dating them I guessed. I understood. Both Jake and Charlie had a pretty serious aversion to letting me go anywhere alone at night.

I started to gather up my books and pens, all of which seemed to have scattered quite widely since we'd started. It suddenly occured to me that Alice had been helping me with my outline but we hadn't gotten around to hers, "Sorry Alice, I've been a bit selfish with the studying here. Do you want to meet in the morning or tomorrow night and we could work on your stuff?"

She shook her head, her hair skimming over her shoudlers, "I haven't really got anything to do. The teachers don't want to assign us anything major so close to summer."

My mouth dropped open in shock, "But...but you didn't have to be here then."

"Yes, I know that Bella. I just wanted to hang out. Get to know you better," she was being honest, I could tell. She had just wanted to spend some girl-time with me.

This was new, and surprisingly pleasant, "Well, we could have done something else. You didn't have to spend the whole afternoon cooped up in here with me studying." It was this girl's first day at Forks High School and she wanted to study in the library so she could talk to me. I felt so flattered and the blush crept over my face again. Other than Angela and Eric, no one had bothered to try to get to know me in years.

Alice shrugged and bounced to her feet elegantly. I wondered if she ever just walked anywhere, "It was nothing Bella, it was nice to have a quiet place to hang out. My house is always so busy. Someone's always doing something."

I supposed that would be true. Four siblings must make for cramped living quarters. God there must be momumental fights over the bathroom. Charlie had built a second one under the stairs when I'd hit puberty. As open as he tried to be, finding boxes of tampons by the sink was a little too much for my father. "Well, okay. But next time we do something fun okay?"

Alice was already heading for the door, "Whatever you say, but Bells?"

"Yeah?"

"I did have fun." Alice danced out of the door with a wave and it swung shut behind her.

I was halfway to my car before I realised she had called me 'Bells'...and that she hadn't made a phone call to Jasper to ask for a ride. There was no sign of her or any other car in the parking lot when I got there however. Huh. That was weird.

XXX

I got home and headed straight upstairs. I had spent the day getting rained on and then drying off again. My clothes felt stiff and I felt dirty. Only my surprising affection for Alice had stopped me from going straight home after school and washing the day off me.

It had been more interesting than I had anticipated. I had acquired a new friend and that part thrilled me. But...my encounter with Edward Cullen had unsettled me. As I pulled my shirt over my head I saw his eyes. Their strange gold colour seemed to be right there in front of me. I unbuttoned by jeans and stepped out of them. I saw the way his lips quirked up into that smile. I had only seen it briefly, but I was finding it hard to deny that I would like to see it again.

I grabbed a towel from the cupboard and shivered. What was I doing? Oh yes, I knew what I was doing. I was standing in my bedroom naked thinking about Edward Cullen. That could not lead anywhere good.

I dragged myself into the bathroom, deciding that I wouldn't spend anymore time thinking about the new guy. It was too 'after-school-special' for words.

I stepped into the shower under the hot water and let it wash away any remnants of the day. I reached for my shower gel, definitely not thinking about Edward Cullen. But what was it about him that fascinated me? Why did he make my stomach do...whatever it was that it did?

Well, he was beautiful. It could be as simple as that. Maybe it was my turn. Maybe after years of escape I was finally going to be a victim to a mindless crush. I could live with that. I knew people who had a different one each week. I would get over it.

That didn't seem like enough. It wasn't just his looks. When he smiled the beauty of it had caught me off guard, that much was true. But it was the way he smiled. Like it wasn't something he did often. When he'd smiled at me, so warmly, I felt special. But then he'd frozen; it was like he hadn't realised who he was talking to, and I wasn't who he had expected.

I just felt drawn to him. In a similar way I felt drawn to Alice. Though not quite the same way obviously. I might as well admit it. My head knew he was odd, a little bit rude, and possibly had some sort of split personality.

But my body, well my body was saying something else. I was attracted to Edward Cullen. I groaned and leaned forward so my face was under the water.

XXX

EPOV

When Alice got home, I heard her slam the car door hard.

Edward, we need to talk.

I guessed that Bella Swan had mentioned my strange reaction to her in class. Alice would not be pleased if she thought I was being rude to her new friend. I headed through the house to meet Alice in the foyer, "Look I'm sorry but you don't understand."

"Oh don't I? You want Bella, you want her blood," my sister's face was livid but I barely saw her.

I felt as though I had been hit in the stomach. Alice knew, and if she knew it meant that she had looked into the future. "Do I...do I take it? Is that what you've seen?"

Alice shook her head, "I don't know. You don't know yet. But I saw you..." Alice's voice trailed off and I saw me too. I was with Bella, it was dark. The air was dusty and I was behind a book shelf. Bella couldn't see me. I was bent double, one hand on my chest. I seemed to be in a lot of pain. I was trying to resist her, "Oh Edward, please don't hurt her. I care about her."

My voice was a whisper. I knew everyone else was listening and I didn't care, "Do I? Alice is that what happens?" I was suddenly desperate for her to use her gift. As a family we tried to minimize our intrusions on each other's lives. This time I didn't care.

The anger on her face had faded, she just looked sad, "I just don't know."

Rosalie stamped her foot, "Oh for God's sake what is going on?"

Alice sighed and looked up to the top of the stairs where Rosalie and Emmett stood, "Apparently Edward has an...unhealthy appreciation for my new friend." What a delicate way to put it.

Carlisle instantly looked concerned, "When you say 'appreciation'?" He sounded reluctant to believe the worst, but he knew what Alice meant. They all did. Esme was staring at me intently.

I groaned and turned to meet my father's eyes, "I have never smelled anything like her Carlisle. Her scent was...almost irresistible. It took everything in me not to attack her then and there."

Carlisle's concern blossomed instantly into worry, "But you didn't do anything to her, correct?" There he went again; always hoping for the best. Despite my current personal torment I was immensely grateful I wasn't about to let him down. I hadn't actually done anything after all. Not yet anyways. If I had actually harmed her I didn't know how I would have been able to face him; or any of them.

"No, I didn't do anything. But I wanted to. The smell of the wolves helped," it had helped more than I cared to admit. If it hadn't been for the sheer hideousness of it I wasn't sure what would have happened. What if there had been no wolves and I had been thirsty? I shuddered.

"The wolves?" I had finally said something shocking enough to get Emmett to join in, "You mean the Quiluetes? They're still around?"

"The shapeshifters you met last time? I thought they had died out. You mean they're still here?" Jasper asked. If we were discussing potential adversaries he would want to be in on the conversation.

Carlisle shrugged, "We didn't think that they did exist anymore. Apparently we were wrong?"

He looked at me with his eyebrows raised and I nodded, "It's the only thing that makes sense. The scent was strong and very fresh." And very all-encompassing.

I was getting frustrated now, I wanted to discuss what I needed to do to keep Bella alive. Alice looked like someone had switched on a light over her head, "That was the scent on Bella? The one that wasn't her but was just...well everywhere."

"Yes I think so," I said, "I'm guessing she has a boyfriend who's a member of the tribe."

If we hadn't been vampires we wouldn't have heard it, but Alice said, "Jake. Jacob Black." For some reason the words sent a frission of annoyance through me. I had accepted that she had a boyfriend but I didn't like the idea that he had a name. Until that point he wasn't a person, he was an unknown. A foul smelling unknown. A foul smelling unknown who corrupted her scent with his. I didn't like it. I just wasn't sure why.

Carlisle was shaking his head in confusion, "If the wolves are still in existence why were there no trails? There was no scent of them in the woods. If they still existed they would be patrolling, it's their way."

"I don't know, I just know that the scent was distinctive," I made a face, "It's not the kind of thing you forget or mistake is it?"

Emmett laughed, "Hell, no." Even Rosalie in her state of irritation looked amused.

Alice's eyes were doing the usual thousand-yard-stare that accompanied her visions and I looked too. She was looking for Bella's future. It had dark patches that worried the hell out of me. What would I have to do to get her from one bright spot to the other?

Alice was shaking her head, "None of the things I can see include Jake. It's weird but maybe it's just cause of..." her voice drifted off and she looked at me apologetically. I knew what she was thinking, maybe until I made my decision her future was too volatile. It could be that Bella wouldn't see him until an occasion after that choice was made.

Jasper however was concerned, I could tell, "Maybe the one Edward smelled is alone, or perhaps he is too young to have shifted yet." He was still concentrating on the military implications. Of course, it was his way.

Alice was beside him, a hand on his shoudler, "Jazz, if we were going to have any trouble with them, any time soon I would know. RIght? So stop worrying about it. We have more immediate problems anyway." Her eyes swivelled back to me.

Suddenly they were all looking at me, but no one seemed to know what to say. The wolf distraction had been almost pleasant. But now we were back to dealing with the first problem. My desire to kill and drink an seventeen year old girl. I stared around at the pairs of eyes watching me.

Rosalie was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Emmet was relaxed, it figured. He was a simple creature; the epitome of Alice's advice to Jasper, he didn't worry until he had to. I envied him right now.

Jasper was still thinking about the wolves. He was wondering what the maximum size of a shape shifter's pack was. Alice was still trying to scan the future but it was murky. Too murky; worryingly murky.

Carlisle was just concerned, for me, for the family and for Bella Swan. He wanted an outcome that was good for everyone. I would like that too. Esme's thoughts were calmer. She would do whatever she had to do in order to keep her family together. If that meant moving on, so be it. She would do everything in her power to prevent us from being separated.

I couldn't be here right now, their thoughts were crowding in on me and I needed to get out. "I'll be back later." I needed to try and forget the scent. I could run as far as I needed to.

I hadn't walked two steps before I heard Alice's voice behind me, quiet but firm, "I don't think that's a good idea Edward."

She was seeing another future; one where I went out and went hunting. I drank until I couldn't drink anymore...and then I set off towards the Swan residence. Then Alice's vision went blank. There was nothing more to see. There was only one explanation either of us could think of. Alice couldn't know if I would kill her until I decided.

I wouldn't hurt her. I wouldn't, I wouldn't, I wouldn't. I was stronger than this and I refused to be weakened this way. This was my choice damn it. My choice not to murder an innocent. I looked at Alice again. She shook her head and showed me the same vision again.

God it was infuriating, but I knew it was true. If I was alone I wouldn't be able to help myself. I would want to go to the Swan residence. I would want to smell that girl again. Could she possibly smell as good as I remembered? Maybe I had just been caught off guard. Surely testing my own strength when I wasn't trapped in a room for an hour with her was better?

"Edward," Alice's voice broke into my rationalizing, "Stop this now. I can't see what will happen, but you going there is getting clearer. Why take the risk?"

Esme put her hand gently on my shoudler, I had been so caught up my thoughts I hadn't heard her approach, "Maybe she's right Edward. Why put yourself through this?"

"Because I can't escape her," I said through gritted teeth, "She goes to the school and sits next to me in a class. Plus Alice wants her to be her friend." For a moment I hated Bella Swan. I knew it was not rational but that didn't matter in my rage. This young woman was on course to ruin my life and...well it just wasn't fair. I had thought I was beyond expecting fairness from life but this seemed like too much.

"I would rather avoid her too than have her die," Alice said in a small voice, "She's...she's a good person. She is sweet and kind and there are too few people like that."

I felt the guilt again, strong and fresh. Why was I so drawn to her blood? Alice was a good judge of character so I trusted her opinion of Bella Swan. She clearly didn't deserve to be prey to a vampire with no self-control. I had to control this. I had never taken the life of an innocent before.

That was not who I wanted to be. That was not who I was. Rosalie let out a frustrated sigh, "Are we going to have to move? Just tell me now and I wont finish unpacking everthing else."

The rest of us had already unpacked, she just procrastinated every task. Carlisle was looking at me questioningly, "Well, Edward? Only you can really answer that one for us?"

He was asking me if I could handle this. If I could not kill Bella Swan. I didn't know the answer to that question. I wanted to answer that I could. That I would never do something like that to an innocent girl. Part of me believed it. It was simple, I would just...not. But what if I lost control?

"Edward, you don't need to put yourself through this. We can just go. We'll say it wasn't a good fit and we'll disappear. We've all needed it for one reason of another," Esme's voice was soothing but her eyes rested on Rosalie's pout for a second and she looked disapproving. She looked very maternal actually. She was subtly reminding Rosalie that she had once done things which has necessitated quick moves on our part; things she had enjoyed.

Rosalie's face cleared a little and Emmett clasped her hand with a grin, "Of course. Needs must right?" I looked at the faces of my family. They all looked disappointed, to one degree or another, but they all looked resigned. They would leave without a complaint if I needed them to. Well, Rosalie might complain a little but I would buy her a new toy for her workshop and she would forgive me.

But did I want to do that? Should I allow myself and all our lives to be ruled by my base impulses? We had all chosen to spend our lives trying to be better. If I ran now wasn't I just catering to a side of myself I should be fighting? I had fought. I had distracted myself and I had sat in that hot, moist classroom for an hour.

I shook my head, "No, I will do this. I won't hurt her. I won't."

"She isn't suspicious or anything is she? I mean, you didn't growl at her did you?" Rosalie wouldn't put any act of stupidity past me. She should have been the older sibling.

"No, I didn't growl at her," I said sharply, "But I wouldn't know even if she was supicious."

"How's that?" Emmett looked puzzled.

"I can't hear her thoughts. I don't know why. She's a complete blank."

"Oh wonderful. Just perfect," Rosalie threw up her hands and sat down on the stairs.

Carlisle was intrigued though he was trying to hide it,"Well, that's unfortunate but it doesn't change anything at the moment.

Esme looked concerned, as did Jasper, but they were eclipsed by Alice, "Edward, is it really worth..."

"Alice, if it was hopeless you would know. Please have a little faith in me." If she did, maybe I would too.

She was instantly contrite, "Oh Edward, you know it's not that. I'm just worried; and a little biased."

"I know, you care for her." Alice nodded and I saw Bella Swan's eyes clearly in front of me. The looked at me defiantly, just as they had in class. I knew it was impossible, but I felt almost as though she was daring me to see her again. I could handle it. If Alice couldn't see, it meant the decision hadn't yet been made. All that mattered was that I made the right one when it came down to it.

I decided to do it then and there. I would not hurt Isabella Swan. I made the decision and I vowed to stick to it. I would believe in myself and I would not hurt her. A few hours later I asked Alice to look into the future again.

If I left the house that night I would go to the Swan house. When I did that the future went black. I couldn't help but feel that was a bad omen.