B

Lauren stared longingly across the hallway as Angela babbled on about a fight she and Eric had last night over him joining the guard or not. Bella listened sympathetically knowing all too well how Angela felt, just thinking of James joining and being in constant danger when the school year ended made her insides turn.

"He is so damn dreamy," Their friend gushed not hearing a word of what Angela had said.

Bella swatted her and forced her to pay attention instead of daydreaming about their incredibly handsome English teacher who seemed to be in deep conversation with Leah the whore, Clearwater. At least that was what her reputation was, Bella though to herself looking away feeling somewhat jealous.

Angela rolled her eyes, "What can I do to convince him not to join?"

"Stop giving him the booty until her agrees not to," Lauren suggested crudely as she narrowed her eyes towards Leah's direction.

"Shut up, Lauren. That's a horrible idea. Maybe try giving him an ultimatum, that if he joins…" Bella stopped herself before she gave away too much information related to her own relationship. But it was too late, Lauren's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.

"You're going to break up with James if he joins?"

Putting her hand over Laurens mouth, Angela murmured for her to shut up as students walked passed the lockers they were standing in front of and headed to their next set of classes.

Secretly, Bella always hoped James' love for her would be stronger then his need for duty. At the same time she understood that he was also just trying to honor his best friend, and hopefully find out what happened to him. Sighing angrily, Bella began to stomp off as the bell rang. "We will talk about this later, not a word to anyone." Her finger wagged over Lauren.

The school week had surprisingly gone by fast, and it was finally Friday night, which meant the football game against Bowder. Scarburgh was divided by five sects, Bowder, Scarburgh City (The main sect where Bella resided), Delhit, Nuffolk, and Landen. Each sect consisted of a small population, Scarburgh City having the most people residing in it, and their own set of elementary, middle, and highschoool. The only football team that matched Scarburgh's city in skills was Bowder. If they defeated Bowder tonight the rest would be a breeze, and the school's team would be allowed to play outside the perimeter against civilian schools. Those schools believed all the schools from Scraburgh are extremely private schools that are impossible to get into, which works as a great cover.

A wet set of lips landed on Bella's forehead, as James planted her a kiss. "Missed you."

It had been all of three hours since Lunch, when they had last seen each other. The rest of the time, he and the team were allowed to miss class to practice. Being on the school's football team was no only extremely physically demanding, but a privilege. They had reasons to leave this hellhole every other weekend if they won. As did the cheerleaders, which instantly made Bella regret quitting. Their time had a great chance this year with James leading them every step of the way.

"Missed you to baby." She kissed his cheek as he grabbed her hand and they headed towards the parking lot. When they were in front of her car, he squared her shoulders. "Pick you up at 7?" Her head nodded in agreement and he ran off back to the school for more practice.

Turning and fumbling with her keys, she managed to drop them and they somehow managed to fall under her car.

"Shit." Her klutziness never seemed to fail her.

"Would you like some help?" A velvet voice spoke softly behind her making her neck shiver a bit in shock. She hadn't heard his footsteps approaching.

Facing him now, she smiled meekly too embarrassed to bend down and search under her car in the skirt she was wearing. "Please Mr. Cullen."

Swiftly, he leaned down on one knee, almost proposal style looked quickly under the car and retrieved her keys dangling them in front of her as if they were an engagement ring.

Embarrassed, and feeling her cheeks turn red she took them from his hand avoiding skin contact and whispered hoarsely, "Thank you."

He stood and gave her a curt nod, "You're very welcome Ms. Swan." His voice made her knees want to buckle, and when he was out of sight she rushed to get into her car and contain herself.

"Calm down. Relax. He's you're teacher. Think of James."

The entire drive home she said and repeated the same sentence over and over again.

At home, her mom greeted her with the only thing she really knew how to prepare. Sandwiches.

Turkey, Bacon, Cheddar, and Mayo.

Her phone buzzed a few times as she sat across the dining table from her mom and she fought the urge to check until her mom had finally walked away. Renee thought using you're cell phone at the dining table was cardinal sin. Even if you were just eating sandwiches.

I'm coming over. Angela too. You owe us a conversation.

Lauren did always have a flare for the dramatics, Bella didn't think what she had accidentally almost let slip out today was that big of a deal. Even if they had planned James and her wedding since grade school…

Ten minutes later, her mom called out. "You're friends are here, clean up the kitchen before you go off."

Sighing, Bella picked up her plate from the dining table and headed towards the kitchen where Lauren and Angela sat around the island giving her that "spill it out" look.

"Alright, anything I say cannot leave this kitchen. Got it?" She told them as she started tidying up the kitchen and doing dishes.

They booth nodded in eager agreement.

For some reason even though she knew she was making a mistake by telling Lauren, at the same time they were both her closest friends and someone needed to know. Other then Charlie.

"I'm leaving Scarburgh when I graduate."

Angela didn't seem surprised at all, but Lauren's jaw seemed to literally drop and she may have even been close to tears.

"No, you cannot be serious. Stop lying Bella that's not funny."

She gave them a meek shrug as she dried her hands and sat across from them. "I'm sorry guys. I just cant take it here. The fear, the deaths, the secret, the patrols, lockdowns, and the curfew… its all so ridiculous."

"You do realize they're still out there." Angela spoke matter of factly. By they she meant the monsters. The undead. The military tried to collect as many as possible, but even they couldn't have found them all.

Bella nodded, "Yes but its different. No one out there knows. They don't live in fear of them."

"But, they should," Lauren whispered looking defeated. "If you go you wont be allowed back, ever…"

To her friends it seemed crazy to leave the life they knew and grew up with behind, but to Bella after seeing Charlie outside the gates and walls it seemed like the happiest way to live ones life.

"I know guys I'm sorry, but you can request visiting days outside the gates and we will meet close by," Bella said placing her hand on Lauren's.

The three of them sat their quietly, imagining a different life outside of what they lived and pictured being normal. Naivetes had it better.

"So you're going to tell James that if he joins you cant stay with him because you're leaving?" Angela probed most likely imagining having a similar conversation with her boyfriend.

Bella nodded sadly. "I love him, I do. But I want to experience a different life."

"What if he decided to still join Bells?" Lauren's voice seemed meek.

Cold seemed to rush through Bella's body as she thought about that question. To live without the person she loved, would that be a life at all?

Curfew was extended until 11 tonight due to the game, but it was normally 9:30 and the watchmen patrol and police enforced it diligently.

Her friends had left after their conversation and swearing to secrecy until she was ready to tell her mother, Phil, and James.

Promptly, at seven James had arrived in his jersey which was black and blue and jeans.

Phil took him in a hug and wished him luck.

Both he and Renée would be at the game before it started. In their government ran land, football was a great distraction from reality and a favorite pastime.

As they pulled up to the schools football stadium gates, a watcher stopped them.

"ID's"

James handed him both of their ID's which were government issued. Everyone was required to have theirs on their persona at all times. He scanned them on a portable tablet he held and let them pass. This way they knew who was at the game tonight and what time they showed up. So if god forbid someone went missing, they would know if they were at the game or not.

Everyone not attending tonight's game had to be home and behind closed doors by 9:30. It used to be sunset, but a petition was held years ago stating that the hours to be out and about were entirely too short. They just ended up recruiting more watchmen and police.

"Hope they don't put me on football game watch," James stated as he squeezed Bella's hand and eased into a parking spot.

She closed her eyes shut feeling a tinge of pain in her heart.

All five sectors would be at tonight's game, so the place was packed. It would be buffet city if a bloodsucker got out, Bella thought as she headed towards the concession stand making her way through crowds of people. A lot of them females wearing James' jersey number.

James had gone off to change in the locker rooms, so she also needed to find her friends.

"Bella!" Lauren seemed to cheer as she waved her towards her, a giant bucket of popcorn in hand.

As she approached she halted mid-step making contact with golden eyes that seemed to pierce through her.

Beautiful eyes.

"Mr. Cullen has never been to a Scarburgh football game before," Lauren elaborated as she shoved the popcorn in her hands. "So he is going to sit with us." And she paced ahead as if leading the way.

He followed her gracefully as Bella scrambled to collect herself and trudged after them. The last thing she needed was the distraction of her English teacher sitting beside her at her boyfriends most important football game of the year.

Avoiding skin contact of any sort, Bella sat beside her English teacher awaiting patiently as the game begun. Thankfully, Lauren talked enough for the both of them.

The crowd cheered as James and his team ran out into the field and she smiled absentmindedly at how athletic and amazing he looked in his uniform.

From the corner of her eyes, gold bore into her and she caught a sly crooked smile; making her heart race. Gulping, she held up the big bucket of butter and fatness and offered, "Popcorn?"

"Not exactly my cup of tea," He said slyly in that musical voice of his.

On the opposite side, Lauren took the tub from her hand without saying a word and began to chump away.

By the last quarter they were winning, and Bella had avoided all skin to skin contact despite her burning desire to touch him. And this made her feel guilty.

The game was 15:11

Only a few minutes left.

Suddenly, the Scarburgh alarms wailed. Bella's face fell and her hands began to get clammy.

She looked frantically onto the stadium as the game came to a halt and James looked up into the stadium's audience as if looking for her.

People were walking, some running frantically to get to the safety of their heavily fortified homes.

The alarms were only sounded when one thing happened.

Something had gotten out from inside.

No, not something… A vampire. And it was most likely hungry.