We looked at each other for a few moments longer before he cleared his throat and smiled at me light-heartedly.

"It seems I'm not the only spy here though, doesn't it?" he asked, his facial expression split between humour and curiosity.

"What do you mean?" I looked around, looking for the other 'spy'.

He simply laughed at me and answered my question with one of his own. "What was so interesting about that house you have been watching for hours on end? Are you planning to rob the place or something?" He joked. I blushed at that, so I was the other 'spy' was I?

"How do you know that I was there for hours?" I asked, suddenly weary, he hadn't been watching me all that time had he? I raised an eyebrow at him as he smiled nervously at me, still looking impossibly good looking.

"I was board" he shrugged dismissively, clearly stating that the topic was to be dropped. I glared at him for a second longer before I introduced myself.

"I'm Bella" I told me, smiling timidly. I couldn't stop admiring his features, even through the caking of mud.

"Edward." He smiled. An unusual name, I thought to myself, sort of old fashioned. It suited him though, I won't deny that.

I looked down at myself once again, groaning at the thought of having to try again tomorrow. Then I thought about the state I was in now; I couldn't walk into the house looking like this could I? They'd demand to know where I was, they'd guess I hadn't been to school, maybe they'd even search my bag and then I'd be done for. I shuddered at the thought of all the beatings that lay ahead of me.

"Are you cold?" Edward asked, his voice bringing me out of my thoughts with a start. I'd forgotten I wasn't alone. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you" he said gently, sensing my discomfort. I looked up at him, my eyes stinging with tears that were threatening to spill onto my face. The moment he noticed my water eyes a sudden panicked look overtook his features, I turned away immediately, not wanting him to think of me as crazy. "Bella?" I could tell he was trying to conceal the worry in his voice. So he defiantly thought I was crazy now!

I was about to apologise and try to find my way back to the path when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder, sending an electric current through my body. Edward turned me around to face his mud covered self and lowered himself so he could look me directly in the eye.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned. I was shocked, not only did he not seen to think I was crazy, but he actually seemed to care that I was upset about something. I shook my head, looking down. I'd only just met the guy for Smarties sakes! I was hardly going to tell him things even my friends never new about! He grabbed my chin, gentle but forceful, and made me look him in the eye once again. "Bella, what's wrong?" He asked again, this time I knew from his voice that he wasn't going to let this one slide.

I sighed, well I didn't have to tell him everything, just enough to appease him.

"I'm caked in mud" I said quietly, slightly nervously, hoping he didn't see there was more to it than that. He laughed at me then, he looked me up and down mockingly and folded his arms across his chest.

"Well, I didn't have you down as the kind of girl who started crying over a little mud" he joked, amusement playing on his perfect features.

"A little mud?" I asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow at him "Besides, what made you think that I wasn't the type of girl to freak about a lot of mud?"

He smiled down at me; playing along "Well, you've been covered in mud for about 10 minutes now and this is the first you've mentioned of it" The smug expression he wore now was infuriating, he seemed to know he'd won the debate.

"Well… I… I…" I trailed off, glaring at him playfully. He smiled at me cheekily for a second before his features softened and he took hold of my face again, making my eyes meet his.

"Are you sure that's all?" He seemed to know it wasn't but he wasn't going to get much more out of me. I was very stubborn when I wanted to be.

I wasn't planning on telling him anything but as my silence continued he changed his expression to a heartbreakingly beautiful pleading look, and my resolve wavered.

"Fine" I sighed "I won't be able to sneak into the house like this; they'll know I haven't been to school, they'll want to know why and then I'm done for." I looked down at the floor. Edward was quiet for a moment and I wondered if he thought I was being silly. He moved to sit on a tree stump not far from the mud patch me had fallen in and gestured for me to sit next to him. I sat down, nervously, not really knowing what to say, hoping he would be the one to break the silence first.

"This house you want to sneak into? I take it this is the house you've been watching all day?" He said finally, I nodded at him chewing my lip. "And whose house is this?" He seemed very serious all of a sudden, all evidence of his playful behaviour previously gone.

"Mine" I whispered, I don't know why I whispered, for some reason I felt exactly like a kid getting into trouble at school; he was so serious. "Well, it belongs to my step parents, but I live there" I corrected. Well I used to I thought to myself?

"You used to? What does that mean?" He looked at me, curiosity burning in his eyes. Damn it, did I just say that aloud? I could feel myself blushing bright red, I let my hair flop down from my shoulders, creating a curtain between the two of us.

A cold but soft hand swiftly pushed the hair aside and he knelt on the hard floor so he was facing me and I had no choice but to look him in the eye. "What do you mean you used to?" He seemed, once again, to be genuinely concerned.

Looking into his eyes I once again found it impossible to lie. "I ran away" I gulped. "Or at least I tried to. I left this morning and planned on sneaking back in when James and Victoria were at work to get my account card and cheque book. They keep it their room you see, and if they ever found out that I had been in there I would have hell to pay" The blush that had crept into my cheeks was really quite embarrassing, and it made me want to look away from Edward, but his eyes held me, I couldn't look away, even if his hand would let me.

He seemed to be digesting this information, his face an unreadable mask. I sat quietly, waiting for him to speak again all the time watching his face carefully, waiting for the mask to break and show me some sort of emotion. Then again, did I really want to know what he was feeling right now? Maybe he thought I was a psycho. Just the thought of him leaving made me even more anxious. How odd.

"Why?" He asked once he had found his voice again "Why did you leave? And why did your step parents not let you have access to your accounts? Why can't go into their room?" His string of questions confused me momentarily; I hadn't been expecting that response.

"Why?" I repeated. My throat dry, I was giving away more and more of my secrets by the second and if I wasn't careful he would know everything very soon. I cleared my throat, trying to remind myself not to tell all. I looked him in the eye once again and answered his questions.

"I left because I wasn't welcome, they didn't want me there, and I was just something to make the house look untidy. They make sure I don't have access to my accounts because in them is all the money my parents left to me when they died, including all the money that came from the house being sold after they died. If I had access to this money then they know I'd make a run for it, thus exposing them for what they really are" I said simply, scolding myself for letting too much information slip.

He stood, frozen, for a while, each second I was getting more and more scared that this time I really had said too much and he'd be running away soon enough. The fact that he knew this much about me scared me, nobody knew any of the stuff I had just told him. It wasn't so much that he knew me, because in reality he didn't, but he knew my past and he seemed to have an uncanny ability to break through my defences. I was too honest when he was around, far too honest. Something odd about him made me want to trust him, to want him to trust me. Strange, but true.

What he did next shocked me more than if he had turned and sprinted away, shouting insults behind him. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, as I sat there, struggling to breathe, I couldn't help but revel in the feel of him against me. Silly, I know, I mean I'd only just met the guy for goodness sakes! First I'd poured my, up until now, best kept secrets and now I was hoping, admittedly in vain, that he would feel the same way about me as I do him.

He released me, pulling me up so that we were both standing next to the stump and took my hand, pulling me in the direction we had come from.

"W-where are we going?" I stuttered, suddenly afraid, was he taking me home? Did he want me to get hurt? "Edward? Where are you taking me? I can't go home Edward! Please don't make me!" I begged like a silly young girl.

He turned abruptly, his face torn between anger and hurt. "Do you seriously think I would take you back there to them after what I've just heard?" he spat, I held my breath, suddenly terrified, out of nowhere he seemed suddenly dangerous and without thinking I tried to take my hand from his. As he realised what I was trying to do all the anger in his face disappeared, only to be replaced by more hurt. His sad expression was enough to halt me in my actions, now feeling incredibly guilty, not to mention stupid, I gripped his squeezed his hand and smiled at him, trying to lift his sad expression.

Nothing. "I'm sorry Edward, really I am. I just panicked that's all. I'm so stupid sometimes!" I added the last bit for my own benefit, as more of an afterthought for my ears only rather trying to seek attention. "I'm sorry" I added again, taking his face in my muddy hands, trying to make him look at me so he could see how truly sorry I was.

He looked at me, his sad eyes boring into mine, before he hugged me again, gently this time, and took my hand again, beginning to lead us along the path once again.

"Don't be sorry, I shouldn't have panicked you" he mumbled.

"Its okay" I said timidly, I smiled at him and tried to move the conversation on, trying to get back the light-hearted, funny Edward that had appeared earlier. "So, where are we going?" I asked, looking at him with curious eyes.

We were on the path by now and we were walking at a slow pace, despite the darkening skies.

"Well I was thinking we could get all your account details tomorrow, but until then we need to find somewhere to go, not to mention wash up. I don't know about you, but I don't think our appearances will go down very well" he grinned at me, swinging our arms between us.

"Okay, cool, just one question"

"Shoot"

"Where are we going to stay?"

……….

Leave me a thought?

Please?

XD