I walked slowly towards my brother, the stranger eyeing me suspiciously the whole time. Here he was on our property and yet I felt like we were the ones in the wrong. I expected someone to say something, anything, but nobody would, or could for that matter. Finally the silent suspicions and accusations hanging in the air became too much for me. "Step away from my brother," I demanded to the strange boy who wa just staring at me with his piercing brown eyes. "I don't know who you are," I threatened, "but if you've hurt my brother in any way I won't hestistate to kill you with my own two hands." With that off my chest I held out my hand to Damien and helped him to his feet.

"Look," the stranger said in a soft alluring voice, "I didn't touch the boy, okay? I live up the hill with the rest of my family. I was just trying to get some fresh air when I heard the kid yell. I just wanted to help that's all."

I had pushed Damien behind me during the stranger's speech, and now turned to him. I didn't even have to ask him for verification becaused the embarassed look in his eyes said everything. Still he looked me square in the eye, straightened his broad shoulders, and said, "I don't know why he was out here, but he did show up after I yelled not before."

I smiled at how strong he was and said, "OK Dame, now go home and get some clothes on. You probably scarred the poor guy to death at the sight. We'll talk about what happened when I get there. Oh, and just so you know, you get to explain to Mom and Dad why you didn't stay inside like you were supposed to."

"But Kerrie..." he whined. He looked so pitifull I almost agreed to take the blame for him. Instead I just gave him a quick hug and ruffled his hair before gently pushing him in the direction of our house.

"No buts Dame, and don't think you can take your time either. I'm gonna be right behind you as soon as I finish talking to our new neighbor."

"Okay, but please hurry up. I don't wanna be alone for too long," he whispered to me reminding me of why I was so overprotective of him. He may be fourteen, but sometimes he still had moments where I could see the little boy that I had grown up with.

"I won't be long I promise, "I said softly smiling reasurringly at him. He nodded and headed back home. Almost as soon as he hit the tree line he vanished from sight. When I knew for sure that he was on his way home I turned to my latest problem and said cautiously, "So, I guess owe you an apology and a thank you..."

"Not really," he said in that musical voice of his, "If I hadn't been here you still would've reached him in time. I only got here right before you did." As he spoke a shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds overhead for a split second and caused his deathly pale skin to appear as if it were glowing with an inner light. "By the way, I'm Edward Cullen. My family and I live right down the way from here. I guess that makes us neighbors."

"I guess so Edward. I'm Kerrie, Kerrie Crowley. I was wondering if you saw anything that might help me figure out what happened without making Damien rehash it. Damien's the baby of the family, and if anything were to happen well... Its something I'd just rather not imagine."

"Not really. The only thing I noticed was that his clothes were ripped to shreds a couple of feet away in those bushes over there. Other than that I didn't see anything."

I looked to were he was pointing and saw that he was telling the truth. "Thanks again," I said as I turned to head home.

"No problem Kerrie I'll be seeing you around," he said in a low voice almost as if it were a threat and a promise all rolled into one.

Up until that point I had been playin it cool, as if he didn't completely unnerve me, but I couldn't hold myself together anymore. Grabbing Damien's torn clothes I ran home through the woods as fast I possibly could. The whole way home I could hear his lyrical voice laughing behind me as if he were following me on the wind. There was something about Edward Cullen that shook me to my very core. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, but I was determined to figure it out. Once I did I would make him mine in one way or another.

When we told our parents everything that had happened that day after dinner, with Damien filling in the blanks I hadn't been around for, our dad frowned thoughtfully. Finally he asked me, "This Edward boy, what did you say he looked like?"

"I don't know about six feet or so maybe, with dark brown eyes, light brown hair, and really pale skin."

"Did he, um, smell normal?"

I furrowed my brow in thought before I answered honestly. "Not really," I said in confusion, "he didn't have much of a smell at all now that I think about it."

My dad looked scared and said, "I want you to stay away from that boy as much as possible KerrBear. He could be very dangerous. Him and his family. I think they might be the Cold ONes my grandfather was always talking about."

At that I finally laughed. "You mean you think those stories Uncle Billy's always tellin us bout vampires that can walk in the daylight are true? You're losin your mind just like him Dad. Everyone knows that Vampires are purely nocturnal creatures." I laughed as I headed upstairs to my room. If that's tru K.C. then why didn't he have any scent, I thought to myself once I was alone behind my closed door, Even we have some kind of scent. Every living creature has a scent. Even with questions about his mortality going unanswered all I could think about was his parting statement. I'll be seeing you around. As I replayed those simple words in my mind over and over again a shiver of anticipation ripped through my bady at the same time that a gust of rainy wind slammed open my windows. I could swear I felt someone watching me but as soon as I leaned out the window to check the feeling disappeared. Brushing it off as my imagination I stripped from my velour sweats and stood staring at myself in my mirror. Standing there in my black lacy bra and matching boycut thong I knew I was physically attractive, but still I never quite fit in at any of my schools. I couldn't help but hope that here in this small podunk town things might just be different for me. I should have known better. As my mom was always telling me... Be carefull what you wish for. You just might get it.