A/N: Hey guys! So, I've been getting a lot of reviews from people in Argentina who like the story and the fact that it details a dark part of their history - which is really pretty cool! I just wanted to say that I know some of my historic information isn't accurate, but that's mostly due to the fact that I wasn't taught the completely accurate information by my Drama teachers. Plus, when I researched it, not much could be found...

Anyway, I've decided that it doesn't matter much anyway, as this story is only INSPIRED by those events, and is a work of fiction, so in the end it doesn't matter if everything's not 100% accurate. But thank you for me reviewers for letting me know! I'll glad you like it.
Please carry on reviewing and letting other Twilight fans know!
I'm not sure how many more parts their are to this - maybe three, four? I wrote it as one whole piece, but am splitting it up, so we'll see. It all depends how many reviews I get... ;)
I have GCSE exams starting next week so I can't promise how often I update on this account with any of my stories. I promise I will try to finish posting this very soon!

PEACE & LOVE,
x x x STARSWalkBACKWARD x x x


God Bless The Broken Road

"Hey Mr. Pinochet,
You've sown a bitter crop.
It's foreign money that supports you,
One day the money's going to stop.
No wages for your torturers.
No budget for your guns.
Can you think of your own mother,
Dancin' with her invisible son?
They're dancing with the missing,
They're dancing with the dead.
They dance with the invisible ones,
They're anguish is unsaid.
They're dancing with their fathers,
They're dancing with their sons,
They're dancing with their husbands,
They dance alone,
They dance alone."

––'They Dance Alone' - Sting, 1987.
(For the Cold War victims of Argentina and Chile.)


Part II

There were so many questions circling me now I realised the mistake I had made. A horrible, ridiculous, stupid mistake. I kicked myself now knowing I had also endangered all those on the trip with us. How selfish I had been. I was sure that anyone associated with me would not be ignored; not if the brutal regime decided I was an American 'terrorist threat' or something else of the sort. The regime's propaganda would find some way of hiding my 'disappearance,' I was sure of that. But one thing I knew for sure in that moment of realisation, was that the Argentinean authorities would be coming after me. For some reason, I had no doubt about that. The only question now was when.

When I first came to the conclusion that they were going to come after me, I began hyperventilating slightly, and somehow Edward noticed this instantly. How that was, was beyond me. Maybe he could hear my thundering heart. After all, it was deafeningly loud in my ears. "Respira, Bella. Por favor. Relájese." I spoke enough primary Spanish to get the gist of what he was soothingly cooing in my ear, 'Breathe, Bella. Please. Relax.' Though, his body language as we walked closely past some of the red and black officials suggested soothing was the last thing he was feeling inside.

My breathing pace increased even more as we neared the regime official who still had his eyes on me; his calculating, cold eyes. I gripped Edward's marble hand hard, not caring if it hurt me or if I appeared ridiculous or desperate to Edward. I just wanted to feel supported, wanted, once in my life. I wanted to make the most of Edward before they took me away from him. That's all I cared for after that. Drinking him in.

As we neared the official, Edward turned from me and looked directly at him.

So he had noticed the staring too?

Before Edward could get himself into trouble, I gripped his arm with my other hand. "Edward," I said urgently. "Edward, we have to get out of here. They'll be waiting for us."

I looked from Edward to the officer, who's cold eyes I could now see were dark, much like mine in fact. And, just like mine, they were the complete opposite of Edward's.

The official looked at me as I spoke, looking as though he had hit the jackpot. Edward stiffened even more beside me, a low growling hiss rumbling from somewhere deep in his chest to the back of his throat. Somehow, this didn't startle me as much as it should have.

Nothing Edward could ever do would scare me off.

"Sigue caminando, señor," Edward said, his voice hard, yet somehow, still polite, saying, what I guessed meant, 'Walk on, Sir.' I could feel his hard arm tighten almost painfully around me. I wasn't afraid Edward would hurt me, not at all, I was just afraid of the uniformed man in front of us. Terrified. I knew that the pressure of Edward's tight hold may leave bruises on my skin because I bruised like a peach, but I didn't mind. I had Edward, for now, in whatever form he came. And that was enough; that was all I needed.

The official gave me one last intense look, causing me to shudder again, before he walked of, followed by another official. I swallowed hard, hiding me face as it pressed against the fabric of Edward's dress shirt.

People had suddenly began to gather around the regal balcony of The Casa Rosada, the Presidential Palace, where the regime liked to give speeches. Suddenly, lines of women holding photographs came out from the side streets and into the plaza, completely silent, and they sat and walked around, still silent, holding their photos. I looked at their faces; the sadness there was soul-crushing, and made me want to sob for them. They looked so sad, with such burdens and grief on their shoulders. I looked up to Edward's face questioningly, wanting to ask him what was going on, why they were silent, but he was still glaring after the official. I realised suddenly, sadly, that perhaps they were mourners...

Slowly, Edward guided me away, finally heading in the direction of where Angela and the others had gone, but not before I looked up to one of the lower balconies and saw a small women intensely staring at me.

Suddenly, the young women who was small and light blonde, dressed in black, and couldn't be older than sixteen or seventeen, was looking back at me with a small, wicked smile. Her eyes never left mine. The look in her eyes made me want to scream at the top of my lungs with fear and terror, even though I had no idea why that was...

I shook my head as I turned back to let Edward lead me away. I curled into him again, making the most of the time I had being held by him before he let me go, trying to rid my mind of the little woman's disturbing expression.

I decided that the roller-coaster of emotions I had been feeling in those last few minutes must have been playing with my mind. Either that or I was going mad, because I could have sworn in that second that the small young woman on the balcony had had red eyes...

–––ℬ&ℰ–––

"Bella! Edward! Oh my god, where were you?" Angela breathed, frantic.

I loved Angela since the first day I arrived in Forks. She was what my Gran would call 'Sweet as sugar,' and I instantly felt awfully guilty for causing her to worry.

"Edward is such a good tour guide, I guess we lost track of time," I said casually, making sure not to look directly at them.

Jessica and Mike noticed us then. "Whoopy. Finally, you've decided to join us. Can we please go now?"

We all didn't want to argue with Jessica, so we followed her back to the mini-bus.

Edward had let go of me as soon as we had left the plaza, dropping the couple facade. He apologised lowly for touching me, the look of self-loathing never leaving his eyes. I wanted to grab hold of him and shake him senseless. Why didn't he see that he didn't disgust me in the slightest?

As we got back to the mini-bus, Edward pulled open the door strongly and held it open for me. I ducked my head in thanks as I murmured a soft thank you. He climbed in after me as we took of seats at the back of the bus. The others climbed in after us, being loud, as usual.

Edward and I were silent. He sat on the seat across the aisle from me, staring down at his hands.

"Edward," I breathed almost silently, but he heard me. "Ed––"

He cut me off by moving to sit by me at an almost an impossible pace. How did he do that? "Bella," he said, almost in a whisper. His jaw tightened. "Don't do this.''

I searched his face questioningly, breathing through my mouth. "Do what?––"

"I shouldn't be doing this. But I can't help myself..."

"Shouldn't be doing what?"

He looked straight into my eyes, and suddenly they were liquid gold again. "Putting you in danger... Getting attached to you... Becoming addicted to you."

I tried desperately with his words to try and regulate my breathing. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. "I could say the same to you," I said.

He squinted disbelievingly, as though I couldn't possibly mean that.

"Your skin––" I started, almost whispering.

"––I know, I'm so sorry," he said, his voice full of regret. "I won't put you through that again."

"No!" I said loudly and too quickly. I ducked my head behind the seat and looked up at him. "Edward, I... There's nothing wrong with your skin. Well, I don't think so."

He scoffed, his eyes pained, and looked away. "Don't kid yourself, Bella. We both know its strength and temperature is...repulsive. The skin of a monster."

"Edward, no." I paused for a moment, making sure the others were still being loud and so, weren't listening. "For once, you're wrong. You're not a monster."

I shook his head, still not taking me seriously.

Suddenly, my stomach rumbled loudly.

"You haven't eaten since breakfast, have you?" he asked, all too concerned.

"I'm not hungry," I said, because I truly didn't feel it.

"Let me get you something to eat when we get back." he murmured. "I know a great place."

"Then will you explain how you stopped the van?"

"Yes... I suppose I will have to."

I took a moment. "Okay... I could use some food."

He smiled slightly, the first one I had seen since the incident in the plaza, amused by my words.

"Of course you could," he smiled. "We're almost back at the hotel now."

I nodded, turning to look out the window, suddenly nervous but anxious for the dinner to come. I couldn't wait to see if my theories were true; to unlock some of the mystery surrounding Edward Cullen.

It was seven o'clock in the evening, after all having a siesta, that someone knocked on our hotel room door. The others panicked about what on earth they looked like having just woken up, so I got up, not caring, and answered the door.

It was only then that I wished I'd been as reluctant to answer the door as the others.

There, stood in all his golden, pale glory, was Edward Cullen, dressed in a pale blue dress shirt with the top few buttons undone and dark bootleg jeans. His beautiful golden bronze hair was in its usual messed up yet quaffed fashion. His golden eyes were smiling.

"Are you hungry?" Edward asked, his voice almost musical.

I nodded, because suddenly I really was. I still hadn't eaten since my rather big breakfast...

"Yeah," I swallowed, suddenly conscious of Jessica and Angela hidden in the room behind me, listening intently. "I'll be two minutes, okay?"

He smiled, simply nodding before stepping back and letting me shut the door.

Instantly, I was ambushed.

"Edward Cullen?" Jessica asked incredulously.

Angela just smiled at me from under her glasses from where she sat on her bed. "Way to go, Bella."

"So, he's taking you out to dinner..." Jessica said, as though I was meant to fill in the details.

"Yeah, I guess," I said, rather curtly. I didn't mean to be vague, but I honestly didn't think it would lead to anything more entertaining than that anyway.

I quickly changed sweaters to my favourite light blue one, and grabbed some of the native currency from my bag and put it into my jean-shorts pocket.

"I'll see you guys later," I said, quickly, suddenly feeling nervous.

I opened the hotel room door, pushing my key card into my pocket. I closed it behind me, but not before I heard a soft, gleeful chorus of 'I knew it, I knew it!' from Angela.

I smiled to myself, momentarily forgetting Edward Cullen was metres away, waiting for me.

"You should smile like that more often," he suddenly said, bringing me back to the moment. I could feel a deep blush creep up my neck to my cheeks.

"Thanks," I mumbled. "I don't agree, but thanks."

"Are you ready to go?"

I smiled. Really smiled, or at least, tried to. For him. "Yeah," I said, shyly.

Once we were outside the hotel and away from the others, we began to walk along the colourful pavement. I was still jittery after the experience at the plaza, knowing that I could be taken by regime officials at any moment. I had come to the conclusion that they would wait until I was definitely alone and defenseless, because they could only attempt taking a person once. I knew that at this point my entire expanse of worries were all based on theories, but, at the moment, theories were all I had to go on.

The same could be said with my ever growing relationship with Edward Cullen.

It seemed he was beginning to give up trying to convince me I was delusional about his obvious inhuman abilities. There was no way I had been wrong now, I knew that. Edward had been stood on the other side of the parking lot, by his Volvo, yet somehow he was able to save me seconds later when Tyler's van came sliding towards me. He then proceeded to stop the van with his bare hands.

And now there was the strangely calming factor of his ice cold skin.

As I lay awake in our hotel room that late afternoon, counting down the hours until I could see Edward again, I began re-reading the Quiluete tribe book I had ordered from an old store in Port Angeles, and that was when it all began to click into place.

Edward Cullen was impossibly fast and strong. His eyes are sometimes gold, sometimes bronze, or black, (particularly when he was really cranky.) He didn't appear at school whenever the sun finally shined in Forks, neither did he appear until the second day of this trip, missing the first day, which had been the last day of real sun in Argentina for at least a week. Again, he hadn't been there. On the second day, the forecast of a week of overcast in Argentina began, and that was the day Edward turned up.

He was also beautifully pale.

All this began to link together under what the tribe book called 'The Cold One.'

This was something that, I realised, was an ancient name for something that still existed in stories today.

I looked over at Edward in the dark of the evening as he walked beside me, his pale skin glistening against the colourful lighting in the street. His eyes were golden, and continued to make my stomach turn excitedly, though his body language was still a little stiff. I resisted the even-growing urge to reach out and touch him; to feel his solid, icy skin that left a trail of tingles on mine. I had no doubt by now that he could kill me right then and there, just by lashing out with a slight bat of his hand.

I was almost completely sure of who he was, but I had to get answers from him; had to be sure.

A sudden bang from somewhere made me jump; the idea that regime officials could be lurking in the shadows, just waiting for me to be left alone, still circling my mind.

"You know," he said, noting the space behind us and my jumpy behaviour. "South America's not exactly known for its safety for young, white girls."

I knew from his tone he was teasing, but I shook my head, looking sideways at him. "You think you can scare me off by saying something like that?" He smiled. "Besides, I have you, so I'm sure I don't count as young white girl who needs saving. Maybe you could save one of these locals from oncoming traffic instead?"

He looked at my expression, which I made sure to be a smug one, just so he knew I wasn't going to drop the subject until I got answers. He thought, didn't seem so amused by my words.

"Bella, what if I'm not the hero? What if I'm...the bad guy here."

My theory was ever-closer of being confirmed.

"What do you mean?"

He shook his head, his tousled bronze hair, still perfect. "I mean, that you shouldn't be with me. If you were smart, you would stay away."

Now it was my turn to shake my head dismissively. "Yeah well, let's say for arguments sake that I'm not smart. Edward, I... I want to be around you, I––" He suddenly pulled me closer to him as some passersby were ambling towards us from the opposite direction. He linked my arm with his, protective, looking somewhat like a figure from a period movie with the way he held himself while he guided me. I could just imagine him in a high white collar and a high top hat.

"It shouldn't be that way," he ground, once the passersby were out of ear-shot.

"Well, it is," I said, rather indelicately, desperate for him to listen to me.

Edward suddenly held out an arm to the road and a taxi suddenly pulled up.

"We'll talk about this over dinner, Bella. Not here," he said, and for once I didn't even try to argue with him.

"Hola! My name is Claudia, and I will be your server today. You're from America, yes?" I couldn't help but feel ridiculous next to Edward as the waitress approached us at our private table in the corner of the rather fancy restaurant. She never once spoke to me, her eyes only ever on Edward. Though this irked me for reasons unknown to even myself, I couldn't help but identify with her. Of course she couldn't keep her eyes off him. What female could?

"," Edward answered, his eyes never once leaving me as I bashfully looked back at him. "We'll have two cokes, please."

I instantly wanted to protest, knowing full well by mere observation of Edward's eating habits that both cokes were intended for me. "Edward––"

"That is all for now." The waitress was really trying to get him to look at her again. I really couldn't blame her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, desperation evident even to me through her heavy Argentinean accent.

"Very sure. Gracias."

"De nada, Señor," she said, her elegance when speaking her native language made me feel ill. She was so attractive it practically hurt to look at her. I noted with this thought that I had once thought almost the exact same thing about Edward's sister, Rosalie, of whom this waitress in front of me was nothing in comparison to.

As a result, I took another look at the waitress and instantly retracted my overly-generous silent compliment.

The waitress, Claudia, watched him over her shoulder as she walked away, but he still had barely shifted his gaze from me. His eyes were warm, gold. That meant, if my theory was correct, that he was in a better mood than usual.

I took the opportunity to get started.

"Why the cokes?"

He smirked. "After the ordeal today, you need some sugar."

I gritted my teeth to refrain from arguing against him.

"So, can I ask the questions first?"

He looked down at the table, briefly. "If you must."

I swallowed, not quite sure where to start.

"You stopped Tyler's van. You were across the lot. I know that for sure."

He said nothing, so I continued, keeping my voice low.

"You stopped it from crushing me. You are never at school when the sun finally comes out. You were a day late for this trip, which just so happened to be the last day of direct, hot sun for a week according to the forecast. You're skin is...beautifully pale, and smooth, like marble."

"You forgot ice cold." He sounded disgusted when he mentioned his skin, but I ignored him, desperate to finally lay my theories on the table.

"That, too... You never eat or drink anything either. You order food in the cafeteria and never eat it. Neither you nor your siblings. And your eyes change colour, mostly they coincide with your mood."

He seemed unsurprised by all my theories, except for the last one. "Wait, what was that last one?"

"Well..." I said, slightly embarrassed. "When your eyes are golden, like now, you're generally in a better mood. You seem crankier whenever they're darker. Like the day I first met you; your eyes were black. It seemed like you hated me or something."

"I could never...ever hate you, Bella. I just simply...hated myself for not having more...control...around you."

I wanted to ask him more, but I carried on, worried he'd sidetrack me. "My theory is that your eyes are black when your...hungry."

He looked up into my eyes abruptly then. He had not expected that.

"After all, that seems to be a general fact for all males... Even, it seems, those who aren't...the same."

He sighed, about to speak, when the waitress came with the two cokes he had ordered. "Gracias," he said as she set them down.

Again, the waitress let her eyes wonder, and, again, he didn't seem to notice.

"What would you like to eat?" he asked me, intently.

"Ravioli please," I said quietly. It was an automatic, boring choice, but also one of the cheapest. I wasn't going to let Edward Cullen pay extortionately for me. He was lucky I was letting him pay at all.

"If you're sure," he said, his smile smug.

"I'm sure," I said, equally stubborn.

He smiled, amused at my choice, before turning back to Claudia.

"Bueño. Una ravioles, por favor."

I didn't hear what the waitress said then, as my gaze met Edward's again. Suddenly I crazed the feeling of his marble skin. Once I felt her presence leave, I swallowed, preparing to speak. "S-so," I paused. "Am I right?" I asked meekly, referring to my theories that I had finally voiced.

He seemed to swallow, his eyes blazing. "Indefinitely."

I breathed a triumphant sigh of relief. Finally I was getting somewhere.

"Your skin," I started again, burning through more topics before he shut down on me.

"Yes?" he asked, somewhat self-consciously. His hands were in tight fists.

"It's...well, beautiful." As soon as the word left my lips, I could feel a blush burning up my neck to my cheeks.

He was shaking his head then. "Bella, it is evident you are exceedingly intelligent for your age, but sometimes I really do worry about your conceptions of things."

I looked up at him, bemused. "I mean it," I said, leaning forward to touch his tight fist that lay on the table. My fingers touched the back of his beautifully pale marble hand before he could pull away and I smiled to myself. No, I hadn't imagined it. He really was like a remarkable greek statue. The temperature difference didn't shock me anymore, and though he was ice cold to the touch, his skin somehow still left a blazing trail in its wake. It was delicious.

I braved looking up at him, only to see him staring at my intently, questioningly. I swallowed, my trembling lips drawing up into a shy smile. "What are you thinking?" he asked, his voice low and beautifully soft, like velvet.

"That...I wish you could make you see how much I mean what I say..." I smiled, more strongly now. I ran my thumb bravely along his icy knuckle. "I'm not afraid."

Slowly, he smiled slightly, pulling his hand away uncomfortably. "Thank you," I said, before he could protest. "That's twice now."

He looked up at me. "Let's not make it a third, shall we?"

I swallowed, disappointed, but agreed.

I cast my eyes down to my coke, picking it up to swallow gulps of it, purely as a distraction. He must have sensed my disappointment, because he suddenly looked back at me softly again.

"Later, Bella," he vowed. I sensed his unspoken words; Later, not here. "Later."

I nodded once, satisfied in that moment that Edward Cullen was finally letting me in.

I ate my ravioli at a rapid pace, desperate to hear the rest of Edward's admissions about who he was. I was desperate to know if I was right. Edward asked me multiple times to slow down eating my food, but I simply denied knowing what he was talking about.

Edward didn't eat anything, as usual, and so just watched me eat instead, asking questions continually about my family, my life back in Fenix, and just about every other aspect of my life. We left swiftly after I had finished, both hoping to find a place we could talk. I was ever conscious of the fact that anyone could be listening, (even though no one appeared to be interested in us.

As Edward called us a taxi and we travelled off into the rather light night, I was anxious to get the explanations over with, just in case I had less time left than I estimated until the regime officials came for me. All I knew then was that they would wait until I was alone, away from my strong, pale protector, and then they would strike. That could mean tonight was all I had left. That thought made the panic return, so I swallowed it down again.

As we pulled up at a beautiful rural woodland area after what was at least twenty minutes in the taxi, Edward held open the door for me and thanked the driver in his perfect spanish. He paid, of course, and refused to let me contribute, and then suddenly pulled me towards the cluster of trees and up a unmarked trekking path once the driver had left.

He smiled sideways at me. "Great thing about South America," he said, suddenly grinning. "There are barely any security cameras in the most beautiful of places."

I swallowed excitedly. "Is that great?"

His eyes glinted cheekily in the dark. "It is in my world."

And that's when he did it. Suddenly, somehow, he had picked me up and I was on his back before I could blink. I chose this moment to speak the words that were burning on my tongue.

"I know what you are," I said, my voice small as he walked slightly up the hill through the forgery, but somehow I knew he could hear me.

"Say it," he said, his voice emotionless. "Say it out loud."

I swallowed, taking a leap for once in my life. "Vampire." It sounded slightly ridiculous out loud, but now as I felt his strong marble arms hold me up as though I were weightless, I knew there was no other explanation.

"And are you afraid?" he asked, stopping behind a beautiful, large tree and looking over his shoulder at me.

I looked into his golden eyes, trying to remember to breathe. "No," I said, my voice low and soft, but as firm as I could manage, because I really did mean it.

Suddenly he laughed to himself, speaking dryly to me. "Well...you really shouldn't have said that."

And then, we were flying.

Well, it felt like flying, I wasn't sure at first because my reactions kicked in and my eyes scrunched up tight against the sudden gushing wind. I gripped Edward with my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist so hard that I could feel bruises already forming on my peach-like skin. I opened my eyes slightly, only to see the blur of tree branches. I instantly clenched up my face again and buried it between Edward's shoulder blades, suddenly feeling queasy.

Oh great, I conceded inwardly. Motion sickness.

Suddenly the wind stopped whooshing in my ears, and my hair fell flat around me. I couldn't tell whether or not we had stopped, as Edward's superhuman running was as smooth as standing perfectly still, until he reached around and smoothing my hair with his hand. The soft romantic gesture made me fainter still.

"Bella," he murmured questioningly when I didn't lessen my grip on him.

"Have we stopped?" I mumbled into his shirt, desperately willing the dizziness away.

I heard him laugh; such a beautiful sound. "Yes, Bella. You can let go."

I tried, but my joints were locked from the adrenaline that pulsed through me still. He seemed to realise this somehow, and so reached behind him to pull me down with his icy hands. "Bella, what's wrong? What is it?"

I held my head in my hands, trying not to look too sick. "Nothing. Fine," I lied, disjointedly. "Just," I wheezed, "dizzy."

He pressed an icy but beautifully refreshing fist to my forehead, seemingly checking for a feverish temperature. I was about to speak to tell him the dizziness was just due to motion sickness from the run, but his forehead suddenly creased. "You're warm."

I laughed out loud at that. "Edward," I smirked, my eyes still closed. "We're in South America. Of course I am!"

I saw him smile thinly as I peeked through my eyelids for a moment, he still looked worried. "I suppose," he said thoughtfully, withdrawing his hand. "I apologise if I'm being...over-cautious. It's just...sometimes, I forget..."

I realised his meaning, but I remained silent, slowly letting the dizziness pass. Once steadied again, I lifted my eyes back to Edward. It was only then that I realised our location; a deeply set forest edge. We were high up, at the edge of what appeared to be a mountain, with the most beautiful view of Buenos Aires' city lights. I couldn't help but smile in awe of it all.

"Want a better view?" he asked, his voice soft as he carried on looking at the view as I did.

I looked at him skeptically. "It gets better than this?"

He smiled, a stunning sight. "You have no idea."

Suddenly, he was holding me, and a millisecond later, I was on his back again, making me let out a shocked breath. His eyes glinted, looking over his shoulder at me. "You better hold on tight, spider-monkey."

I laughed out loud, not caring for once what I sounded like. Nothing like that seemed to matter when I was with him. I was giddy, careless, and free.

And it felt sublime.

Suddenly, we had stopped again, and Edward had curled me from his back, holding me over both his arms to his chest like you would a baby.

I suddenly realised that my eyes were closed tightly again, though I couldn't remembered closing them. I blinked twice as my eyes opened, realising that it was a lot darker now that it had been before. Edward's face was merely millimeters away, his golden eyes all I could make out in the near pitch darkness.

"Bella," he smiled, his voice surprisingly loud as I had expected him to whisper. I didn't move an inch. "Do you trust me?"

I nodded hastily.

"Then listen to me," he smiled, amused suddenly. "Don't look down."

I suddenly frowned, confused. "What? Why no––?" I went to look around me and felt pure dread and panic hit me when I couldn't see the ground, as well as a sudden feeling of falling. I prepared myself for the fall, but it never came.

"Hey, hey," Edward cooed, noting my near-hyperventilation, tightening his marble hold on me. "Bella, it's okay. You're okay."

"How high are we?" I swallowed, taking a look around at the tree-top we were stood in.

"Oh, I'd say..." he paused, shrugging and smirking complacently. "Maybe...thirty feet?"

I was pretty sure I choked on my own saliva at that. "Thirty...feet?" I squeaked, barely breathing with sudden terror.

But Edward didn't share these emotions, of course. He just laughed at me as he still held me to his chest like an infant. "Maybe more." he teased and I whimpered pathetically. He laughed. "Bella, calm down. You're heartbeat is going a hundred miles an hour, and it's too dark for your human eyes to even see how high up we are, so I don't see what's scaring you so." He chuckled again, but then sobered. "I can't promise you complete safety as long as you're with me, Bella, you have to understand that."

I frowned, turning in his arms to grip his shoulders. "But I am safe with you. I mean god Edward, can't you see that? I'm in a thirty foot treetop because of you and I'm not dead yet, am I?"

He shook his head, almost to himself. "You could be, that's my point... At any minute... I am dangerous, Bella. Never underestimate that."

My eyes were becoming adjusted to the dark, making it easier to see his face as the distant city lights slightly lit our surroundings high up in the tree. His expression was conflicted.

"Are you trying to scare me away? Because it's not going to work," I warned, truthfully.

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You have no idea what you're saying."

I squinted more, defiant. "You're wrong."

A small frustrated growling sound escaped his lips as he pulled me into his chest and jumped from the top of the tree down the branches to the ground. I couldn't help but release a pathetic girly yelp or two as he did so.

We landed under the stars at the edge of the woodland, facing the view again. He dropped me, and then was suddenly in front of me, looking frustrated.

"Don't you see? I am designed to appear the opposite of what I am. This shell," he yelled, holding out his arms either side of him, signally to his body. "is exactly that. a shell; it's camouflage. Everything about me deliberately draws you in. My voice. My face. Even my smell." He looked at me, his face cold with stubborn frustration.

Suddenly he was two hundred meters away, seemingly disappearing and reappearing anywhere and everywhere. He then picked up a log twice his size from the edge of the trees and threw it at least 6 meters in the air over the nearby branches. He didn't even flinch. And then he was yelling.

"As if you could out-run me!" Suddenly he was right in front of me, and I fell backward in surprise, afraid. "As if you could fight me off." He growled, picking up a rock the size of his palm and closed his fingers around it tightly. When they loosened again, there was nothing but grey dust it it's place.

"I'm the world's most dangerous predator. I'm designed to kill," he said, his eyes burning through me as he moved closer, as though trying to change my mind about him.

I already knew my response, but I was suddenly breathless with temporary fear. "I don't care."

He looked unconvinced. "Then ask the most important question, if you will. What do we eat?"

I looked at him and swallowed, already determined to prove my faith in him. "You won't hurt me."

"I wanted to kill you, you know," he said lowly. "I met you, I first caught your scent, and I realised I had never wanted human's blood so much in my life..." He swallowed, suddenly drained of his anger, but he was still cautious, keeping away. "It would have been so easy. I sat there, in Biology, thinking through every possible way that I could...lure you away from the classroom long enough to..." He trailed off and looked into my eyes, and it was then that I could see the burning in the depths of his irises. "I could easily have killed you, and all the witnesses in the room, and would have seldom blinked an eyelid. It would have put an end to the...torture, but I would never be that selfish. I realised I could never do that to my family; to my father..."

I tried to regulate my breathing, watching his tortured expression.

"I'm not afraid of you," I said, my voice frustratingly quiet. I really wished I could shout just to get the message into his head. "You're incredibly fast and strong. Your skin is pale white and ice cold. You never eat or drink anything. You don't go out in direct sunlight, and you speak sometimes like you're from a completely different era... You're a vampire, but you don't drink human blood. You're loyal to your family..." I was breathless again. "Edward, really, I trust you."

He only spoke one word as the very tips of his fingers grazed my cheek for a second, leaving a burning trail on my skin. "Don't."

"Edward," I insisted, moving closer to him. "I'm here, for good. I trust you." He suddenly looked panicked as I moved seemingly too close, so he moved away from me before I could blink, towards the bases of two giant trees meters away, still overlooking the view. I followed him quickly.

"You believe the lie, Bella. You only see the camouflage. That's why you trust me so." He suddenly wasn't where I was looking anymore. I span round repeatedly, looking for him, desperately worried he'd disappeared for good. "Your scent," he said loudly, his voice suddenly coming from above me, where he was perched on a tree branch, leaning his body right over it––as though his body weight was nothing––his face inches from mine. "It's like a drug to me. I'm...nothing short of addicted to you."

I tried to smile to show my amusement. "So, I'm like...you're own personal brand of heroine or something?"

He tried to smile back, his eyes sparkled dangerously. "Precisely."

Suddenly that first day in Biology made sense. "So, that's why you hated me when we first met? Because I made you...crave my blood?"

"I never hated you like you thought, I could never...It's just, in my family, we're different from others of our kind. Our eyes are golden instead of red, which is not a natural characteristic, but they still turn black when we're thirsty like others of our kind. The golden irises only occur when our kind drink the blood of animals, which is what our family, and some of our friends also choose to do. We call ourselves 'vegetarians,' because of this lifestyle, sort of an inside joke." He smiled. "But when I met you, all I wanted was to break away from my family's ways so badly... I had to go away for a while, to gain some perspective..." He leaned in closer, and I could make out every contour on his beautiful marble face. "But I want you to know that I would never intentionally hurt you now that I know you, but I still don't know if I can control myself, even now."

I smiled softly at him, though he did not return it. "I know you can."

I leaned up to meet him, his cool breath brushing over my face, my lips. His breathing seemed to increase just as my thumping heart rate did, and all too quickly he moved away.

"I cannot take back the things I thought repeatedly over those few weeks when I wanted to kill you, because I did hate you then, but only for making me want you so badly. I cannot take back the fact I went away for those few weeks to try and get you out of my head... I left you alone." He was suddenly on the ground again, standing right in front of me, inches from my face. "I cannot take back the fact I'm subjecting you to life-threatening circumstances whenever you're with me.. but I also cannot help the fact I'm...not strong enough to stay away from you anymore."

I swallowed and let out a violent breath, his words shocking me to my core. Never in a thousand years would I have seen that coming.

Because it didn't make sense for Edward Cullen, such a beautiful being, to love me, and it never would.

"I apologise if I have scared you with my admission, and I completely understand that you could never feel the same for me. I could never blame you for that. Just say the word, Bella, and I won't ever bother you again. I'll leave and you will never have to see or hear from me again. I––"

"––No! You don't have to stay way from me. Please, don't." I pulled myself to him, desperate to stop him before he completely convinced himself that I shouldn't be with him.

He swallowed and moved away, pausing for at least a minute, staring at the view as we both leant against the giant tree. "I can read every single mind in this world, human or vampire, every single one," he turned to me, "except yours."

I felt a wave of relief and self-consciousness hit me, both at once, as I pulled my dark hair between us. "I always knew there was something wrong with me. My mind doesn't work right, then?"

I couldn't look at him, and so his laugh hit me by surprise. He was still laughing when he turned to me and spoke.

"I just told you I can read minds, and you think there is something wrong with you?"

I just nodded, bemused by his sudden humour.

"I really do worry about your conceptions of yourself, Miss Swan. They're terribly inaccurate."

I counted my breaths, in, out, in, out, trying to soak in all the information I had learned.

Edward was a vampire. Thanks to my Quilute tribe book and the internet, I had figured it out.

He only drank animal blood, but that didn't stop him from wanting my blood.

His eyes changed when he was hungry.

He didn't hate me.

But he didn't trust himself not to hurt me.

He could read minds, but not mine. Never mine.

So where did all this leave me?

One thing was for sure: I hadn't imagined the red eyes of the woman on the low balcony after all. Edward had just confirmed that by telling me about vampires. I was not going to let Edward know about...her. He was not going to know anything about the small young woman with terrifying eyes who had been watching us from that balcony. He had evidently not seen her, otherwise I doubted very much he would have allowed me to still be in Argentina. He would never know, and the officials would come for me before he could stop them; before he could get himself hurt, or put himself and his family in danger.

Somehow, I know that the young women vampire with the red eyes and blonde hair would have something to do with my disappearance. All I had to do was find a way to get away from Edward, so that he wouldn't know where I'd gone.

Then he'd be safe.

"Bella?" Edward asked, suddenly inches from me again. "I can't read your mind." He trapped me against the tree trunk, caging me in between both his cast iron arms. "You have to tell me what you're thinking. I'm not used to not knowing..."

I swallowed. "Now I'm afraid."

Edward looked disheartened, but also bitter towards himself at the same time. "Good."

"No," I whispered. "I'm not afraid of you. I'm only afraid of losing you. I'm afraid you're going to disappear." I willed myself to be quiet, to stop talking, as tomorrow I would have to push him away again. I was building him up to be broken down. I was being cruel, but somehow I knew it was the only way to get him to distance himself enough from me; the only way to keep him safe.

Today, I'd let myself have his heart and I'd give him have mine.

But by tomorrow, I would be gone. By tomorrow, I'd only have memories. So I made the most of the present.

"Bella... You have no idea how long I've waited for you," he murmured then, looking deep into my eyes, his irises burning a swirling, bright gold.

There was smouldering silence between us. Suddenly, a question I hadn't asked him sprung to mind. "How long? How old are you?"

He answered automatically. "Seventeen."

I smiled, breathing heavily. "How long have you been seventeen?"

His smile dropped. "A while."

I tried to hide my shock. "So... you're an old man?"

He smiled, thankfully getting my joke. "I suppose you could say that." Slowly, his flat palm pressed against the left side of my chest, over my thudding heart.

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb..." he murmured, his icy nose grazing mine as his ice cold hand stayed gently but heavily pressed on the hot skin over my heart.

I didn't smile, I was feeling far too awestruck. "What a stupid lamb," I whispered, as his lips ghosted against my cheek.

"What a sick, masochistic lion," he replied, dropping a kiss as light as a feather on my brow bone. I was slowly finding it hard to breathe all over again.

He then lowered me, letting my head roll back, and dropped his lips to my throat, kissing me there. The feeling of his lips on me made me feel like I was going to faint again. When he withdrew his icy lips from my neck, there was a look of liberation his face. "Amazing," he breathed, kissing along my jaw and up my cheek.

I had my eyes closed, unable to resist with the pleasure I was feeling. "Yeah," I breathed. My fingers slid up his arms and neck into his soft tousled hair, pulling onto the bronze tendrils as I drew him closer. He withdrew slightly, one hand over me heart, the other on my hip. He withdrew his lips from my cheek, staring into my eyes with an expression I couldn't read.

"Don't move," he said, his voice very soft, but authoritative. "I just...want to try something." I instantly froze as I was, stood against the tree trunk, and millimeter by millimeter, Edward leant his face toward mine. He had barely moved an inch after ten seconds. I counted my breaths...

...Two, three, four, five...

...twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two...

It was at twenty-five breaths when it finally happened.

Edward Cullen kissed me.

His icy lips touch mine, and as soon as they did, I could have sworn I was on fire. I was burning. My hands made their way to his hair, his tousled bronze locks were so irresistible I found myself tugging at them and kissing him back with everything I had. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, pounding, and could feel my lungs burning from lack of oxygen. My head began to spin, but luckily, Edward pulled away all too soon, preventing me from passing out completely.

He pushed me back against the tree, having already jumped back at least ten feet in a nano-second.

I winced at my own eagerness, realising I'd only made it more difficult for him. "I'm sorry," I stammered.

"I..." For once he seemed unable to find words. "I didn't realise I was that strong..."

I just smiled, covering how much I was feeling guilty for not displaying any control while Edward suffered so. "I wish I could say the same, quite honestly."

He stayed where he was, then turned away from me, his gaze disapproving.

"Don't go!" I exclaimed suddenly, the words bursting from my mouth before I had really thought them through. "I'm sorry. That was my fault."

Edward turned back toward me, and just smiled, happy lines appearing around his eyes. That's how I could tell that the smile was real. It touched every muscle in him, making him even more magnificent. "You humans," he conceded, walking back towards me and gently taking my hand. "Forever ruled by your hormones."

"I don't know whether to be offended," I joked as I followed him, and he laughed, but didn't speak again. He didn't need to. I felt so happy that I was sure I would float up into the sky like a helium balloon if it were for Edward holding me to the earth; to him.

I simply felt...light.

Slowly, Edward began to lead me back the way we came. I felt relieved at this, suddenly realising how tired I was. The more I thought about it, the more I began to stumble over my own feet as well as tree roots and the heavier my eyelids became. They were drooping as Edward continued to lead me. When I almost fell completely forward countless times, and each time, he caught me, smiling endearingly. He held me over his arms again after that, gripping me tightly to his chest. This I gladly accepted in my increasing state of fatigue, even though I hated the idea of being carried. His strong icy arms were very persuasive, and before I knew it I had forgotten how long I'd been there, that is, until he spoke.

"Keep your eyes closed, Bella. I don't want you to feel ill again."

I tried to reply, but not even the simplest response made it passed my lips other than a slurred 'hummm.'

I wouldn't have been able to tell whether or not he was running if I had wanted to, but after mere moments we already appeared to be in much busier surroundings. I could hear the distorted sound of cars engines mixed with Spanish language, so I knew Edward must be walking at human speed again as there were witnesses around. Suddenly, Edward whistled and moved me slightly in his arms, and after a few moments he was speaking Spanish someone I couldn't understand. We were in a much less humid all of a sudden, and then I could feel the vibrations of an engine. We were in a taxi, already, and to think only a minute or so before we had been up a mountain.

Amazing just didn't cover it.

I was fighting my fatigue then, but I wasn't winning. I suddenly began worrying what would happen when we returned to the hotel, stressing inwardly about how to explain my being carried by Edward Cullen to Jessica and Angela. After a moment, his voice stopped me.

"Shh," Edward soothed, his voice at my ear. He must have noted my increased heartbeat. "Sleep now, my Bella. I'm here..."

I gave in, and let a contented smile take over my face, as I didn't know if I would ever get the chance to feel this way again.

Just before slumber finally overtook me though, I held on, reluctant, not wanting to miss anything or any time I had with Edward. He began humming some unfamiliar tune that sounded like a lullaby, and then he whispered very quietly, as though to himself, but I heard, and it was these words that keep me going, even now.

"So many of us of this earth forget that today is the tomorrow we were so worried about yesterday... But I want you to know, my love, my Bella, that the days, the months, the years, they all mean nothing to me without you...

Bella. You are my life now. Never forget..."

He seemed to sigh.

"You're so wonderfully, beautifully unique and so endearingly...human; and so perfectly irreplaceable... Goodnight, my Bella; My sweet, sweet precious lamb..." The next words he uttered imprinted themselves into my mind for good.

"Look after my heart tonight, my Bella. It is my gift to you. Do with it what you will..."

I can still hear him now.

"It is yours."

–––ℬ&ℰ–––