Bella's POV

Reina, who I was very surprised could even pass for legal driving age, dropped me off at school the next morning in a burgundy colored BMW. I had to admit, it very much seemed like a car she would drive. She apparently took great pride in it, too, as it was customized to her liking, and immaculately clean.

She had lent me some clothes and let me use her bathroom to shower and get changed, but I was sort of embarrassed by them. She, much like Alice, was pretty fashion-conscious. After looking for something casual for nearly fifteen minutes, she hesitantly handed me a white, lacy romper with long sleeves and short pants. I didn't even remember the last time I had showed my legs willingly (that is to say, outside of gym class). It was probably in Arizona, where you had to wear shorts by the time summer came around unless you had a death wish. Thankfully, the one thing that did make me feel a little more human was shaving, and all of that extra stuff, so it wouldn't be the worst thing ever to wear this. I hoped...

"Sorry..." she'd said. "This totally isn't your style at all, is it?"

It most definitely was not. But, seeing as I was already almost late for school, I didn't have much of a choice. Shockingly, even though it looked far too extravagant for my tastes, and was probably more expensive than a good chunk of my wardrobe, it was pretty comfortable. That made me feel a little better about it.

Reina pulled into the school's driveway and unlocked the passenger door. Even though I hadn't liked...his extravagant Volvo too much, not being terribly interested in cars, and freaking out when I thought about how much it must have cost, I almost saw the benefits of having a nice car when the threat of buying one for me wasn't consistently being shoved in my face. Still, I preferred practicality over all. If I somehow managed to make enough money, maybe I could get some things to work on my sweet old truck…Jake would help, even if he was mad at me right now. He couldn't pass up an opportunity to mess with a car.

Reina laughed suddenly, shocking me out of my reverie. "You really must love those seat warmers. Believe me, I do, too. Feel free to catch a ride with me anytime. I love taking this baby out and driving people around. Have a good day, Bella."

I did love the seat warmers, since it was a rare freezing cold day in Forks, but in all honesty I just didn't want to deal with school today. Though Angela and Ben were always good friends, even when I was anti-social and—frankly—a little unkind, everyone else was another story. Mike thought that this was his chance to get in my pants, even though he was 'dating' Jessica, if you could even call it that. And, of course, Lauren never missed a chance to make a passive aggressive (or just plain old aggressive) comment about me, and how weak I was for acting this way. I was still the most non-confrontational person I knew, so needless to say, she hadn't been put in her place. Besides, what was I supposed to do? Pull a MTV show move, and insinuate that was so bitchy because her father didn't love her? Tell on her like I was in Kindergarten? The best thing I could do was ignore her, but the comments still ate at me over time.

As I expected, my outfit garnered some unwanted attention from Mike. I was very glad that Ben wasn't an unfaithful horndog. Maybe there was hope for some of the men at Forks High yet.

The day passed uneventfully, for the most part. The only bit of excitement I got was Layla sending me a text message in Mr. Berty's class. It was a picture of a honey bee, with a threatening caption: REMEMBER.

Needless to say, he decided not to read that one out loud.

With a bit of embarrassment, I remembered that I had no way to get home today, unless I walked. But, just as I started to take the walk of shame two miles back home and alone, the burgundy BMW pulled back up to the front of the school. I heard Lauren scoff behind me.

"Guess she found another rich family to mooch off until they leave her," she snickered. "Well, I guess we all have to have some kind of talent. That's definitely hers."

I sighed softly. I could feel my chest start to burn, but before I could wrap my arms around my middle and hold myself together, Reina opened the car door, and climbed out. Had she heard Lauren?

"Good afternoon, Bella," she chirped, and then looked at Lauren and Jessica behind me for a moment. "Are these your friends?"

Lauren's immediate disgust was almost palpable in the air around us. I couldn't even think of a response.

Reina shrugged. "Thought not. Figured you had better taste than that, anyway."

Before either of them could respond to that, Reina laughed loudly and pulled me into the car, taking off like a maniac. I had a lot of questions, but I had to revel a little in the fact that someone had finally stood up to Lauren. Even if it was a little petty.

"That outfit suits you, really," Reina said eventually, slowly down the car to a normal pace and allowing me time to buckle myself in. "But I definitely understand the whole comfort thing...I think. I'll have to get some more sweatshirts and jeans in my collection. Couldn't hurt, right?"

I nodded, but I was already zoning out. I vaguely registered that Reina was pulling into the driveway at my place instead of the apartment.

The police cruiser was in the driveway...Charlie was home early?

"Oh," Reina mumbled. "That's awkward. Do you suppose he'll think it's weird that that a random girl dropped his daughter off in a BMW, or…?"

"Maybe he hasn't noticed yet?" I wondered aloud. Truthfully, I had no idea how Charlie would react to something like that. My real worry was if he had invited Billy and Jake over. Jake would definitely be able to smell a vampire from this distance, and he would freak out. I wasn't ready for Jacob to know about my new friends yet, and I doubted sincerely they were prepared to be know by the pack. I looked around nervously for Jacob's bike, but it was thankfully nowhere to be seen. However, we had sat in the car long enough to gather Charlie's attention. He hesitantly closed the screen door behind him and walked outside. Reina froze in place, clearly frightened and unsure of how to act. That made me afraid for her, too...and me.

She took a deep breath, and rolled down the window.

Reina's POV

What do I do here...?

I'd worn out all my bravery for the day by attempting to confront the two girls who were harassing Bella. This was an entirely different story. My contacts were probably still good for another hour or two, making my eyes a diluted sea green instead of red. But I definitely had problems acting totally human from time to time. As far as I knew, Bella's father didn't know about vampires. I definitely did not need to change that by accident.

"Afternoon, Bells," Charlie began hesitantly. "Is this the friend you were staying with last night?"

Bella nodded quickly, and maybe a little too eagerly. "Yeah. Her name is Reina; she just moved here."

"Good afternoon, Chief Swan," I greeted, trying hard to sound polite. I made sure to blink, thankfully. "How are you?"

"Doing just fine," he answered casually. "It's nice to meet you. I think I heard about your family moving in to the apartment complex down the way. Casti...Casti..."

"Castiglione," I help him finish with a nervous smile. "We're Italian. Ciao."

"You moved from Italy?" he raised an eyebrow. "Your English is, um, great."

I guess it was nice of him to think so, since I definitely still had an accent I couldn't, for the life of me, get rid of. I could throw a boulder three times my size over a hundred feet, but I couldn't get rid of my tiny, little girl voice and Italian accent...figures.

"I moved from California, but I lived in Italy before that," I said, trying carefully to spin my slight lies so that I could remember them later. "Bella and I met yesterday. We've really hit it off. She's my first new friend in Forks. I was worried I wouldn't like it, but Bella's made me change my mind on a lot of things around here."

"That's...I'm really glad to hear you're finally making new friends, Bells," Charlie said softly. "You can come inside if you'd like, Reina. I won't be too entertaining, but I'm sure Bella would like the company for a little while. I can order you girls pizza or something."

I contemplated it for a moment. I would have to make a quick escape if someone like her werewolf friend decided to come make his presence known, but it was probably a good idea to get to know her family some. I thanked him for his hospitality and climbed out of the car. Bella came out a little after me, giving me a strange look. She probably thought I would have taken off instead. Still, I had hunted and had nothing else to do with my afternoon.

And boy was that strange. Layla had refused angrily, saying she could handle some werewolves, and went into a couple of cities over to hunt. Colette had to come with her, to make sure she behaved herself, but I wanted to give Bella's suggestion a try. I had gone into the forest in search of animals to hunt instead. I found three deer, and two bears. That had surprisingly been at least a little satisfying. Definitely more so than I expected, even if nothing would ever beat human blood, and I was definitely going to mourn not having had any to drink as the night wore on. Then again, I was the same vampire who had spent almost two hundred years training myself to enjoy human things like hot tea, coffee, and cake, even if I did still have to throw them up later. But, it had worked how I intended, for the most part. The smell of hot tea made me very happy, as I supposed it might have in my human life.

Maybe Layla wasn't the strange one after all.

Bella led me up to her room, setting her backpack down on the floor and stretching loudly.

"Do you mind if I change into something more comfortable?" Bella asked shyly. "Thank you for letting me borrow this, but it's so out of my comfort zone."

"No problem," I smiled, putting my hands over my eyes. "Tell me when you're done.+"

Bella laughed a little. "I'll actually get changed in the bathroom. No need."

If I were human, I probably would have blushed. I nodded quickly, and Bella pulled a T-shirt and sweatpants out of one of her drawers before exiting the room and heading into her bathroom. She was back a moment later, looking far more comfortable. She had pulled her hair back in a ponytail, which I had to admit looked really cute on her. I wanted one, too…

"Can you put my hair up like that?" I asked, fidgeting timidly. "I'm not too good with it. I don't usually do much with my hair but leave it down. And then Colette helps me with anything different..."

Bella blinked rapidly, seemingly surprised. "Er...sure, no problem. Come here."

I scooted over to her, turning around to my hair was facing her. In just a second, she had my hair in a similar style to hers. I ran my fingers through it appreciatively.

"Thank you, Bella."

"You're...you're welcome, Reina."

For the rest of the evening, I helped Bella with her Calculus homework and studying for an English test. She seemed so much lighter than she had when we met yesterday, that it almost seemed like she was becoming a new person. I even got a few laughs out of her as we struggled over math problems together. Math was never my strongest subject, even as much as Colette had tutored me in the past when I longed to learn. Still, we eventually got through it. Bella leaned back, letting out another Herculean yawn. Charlie eventually brought us in a small pizza, and coffee for me (once I quietly said some kind of a lie about being lactose intolerant).

"I think that's the first time I've got all my homework done in months," Bella commented as she swallowed a bite of pizza. "Thank you, by the way."

"I don't think either of us know what the hell a derivative is still," I laughed. "No problem. I hope we got the right answers, is all."

Bella shrugged. "It looks right."

"What would you want to do after high school, ideally?" I asked. "If I looked old enough to pass for a college student, I think I would have been a nurse. I like helping people, but the blood might have been a problem."

Bella flinched a little, but hid it quickly. "I did want to be a teacher, like my mom. Now, I just take things day by day. Or hour by hour, sometimes."

"What do you like to do?" I asked, hesitantly. It almost seemed like she didn't know who she was anymore. "You don't seem like the type to like kids. I mean, no offense if I'm wrong. Just an observation."

Bella made a face. "I'm neutral on them. I used to babysit back in Arizona, but I don't do it much here. You know, I used to like to write...how did I forget that? But my computer is so old now that I can't do much of anything with it. I like to read, too. I'll read anything pretty voraciously."

If I could help Bella rediscover a hobby, then she might start to feel even better. It could definitely help distract her from everything crazy going on in her life, so said Layla. Layla wrote all the time. Sometimes, it was plain old nonsense. But she still wrote. Every day.

"I could give you an old laptop of mine," I suggested. "I don't use it, promise. I got a better one now."

Bella blushed. "Oh, I couldn't take that. But I appreciate it, thanks."

I smiled a little. "Seriously, Bella, I don't use it. It's been sitting with the charger in a box in my closet. Besides, the end of your year senior is coming up soon. It'd be nice to have a better computer to take to college, right?"

Bella shifted back and forth. "I really do need one, but..."

"Consider it a gift for being my first friend in Forks," I winked. "Or I can just say I'm 'loaning' it to you, if it makes you feel better."

Bella stifled a small laugh. "It might, actually...I'm all about words and association."

"Bells?" Charlie called from downstairs. We both turned our attention to the door. "I invited Billy and Jake over to see the game tonight. Does Reina want to come downstairs and watch, too?"

Bella and I glanced at each other with wide eyes.

"You have to go..."

"Yes."

"How am I going to cover up your scent?"

"I really don't know. Maybe grab a shower and get it off of you, at least. It's not like Jacob's your boyfriend, maybe he'll stay out of your room."

Bella sighed. "I wish you didn't have to go."

I smiled nervously. "Me either. But I'll come take you to school tomorrow, too, if you'd like. Goodnight, Bella...you know my number if you need anything."

With that, I had to leave. I hated leaving her with that mangy wolf, but I had to. I wasn't ready to present myself to this 'pack'. I caught my reflection in Charlie's TV as I walked downstairs to say goodbye, and lowered my eyes in shock. They were orange. The animal blood was already starting to take some effect? That was pretty amazing. As I ran home, I really hoped that Bella could find a way to cover up my scent. What if he went off, turned into a wolf, and attacked her? I couldn't live with that kind of guilt. It was one thing to hurt and kill a human I did not have an emotional connection with, and that was more often than not a morally reprehensible person, but if I caused Bella to be attacked by that little stinky wolf…

I sighed. It was going to be a long night. As I ran, the wind and light rain whipping through my hair, I could see a full moon shining brightly above me. There weren't a lot of big, overly lit buildings here, so I could see some stars, too. That was definitely a big change from California. I couldn't see anything there but intense amounts of fog and unnatural, blinding lights. This was so much better. I took a deep breath of the much cleaner air, releasing it and watching it turn icy as it escaped my mouth. It was really getting cold.

I finally made it up to the apartment at a little after nine. Colette was sitting on the couch, watching re-runs of The Bachelor. Layla was laying on her belly on the floor below her, flipping through her binder of stamps and coins. They both looked at me as I walked in. My sister greeted me with a toothy smile, jumping up to pull me into a hug.

"What's the occasion? Am I dying?" I wondered aloud, patting her on the back gently. "Good evening to you too, sister."

"She misses you when you're out all evening," Colette reprimanded me gently. "And so do I. Were you with Bella?"

I nodded. "Sorry. I was spending the evening with her and her father. But I had to leave when he was going to invite that werewolf boy and his father over...if he catches my scent, Bella is going to be in big trouble."

Colette sighed. "I thought about that all day. I've been thinking deeply about everything, and we do need to work things out with that group if we intend to stay here for long. Dear...how did hunting go? Your eyes are a strange color. Is that normal, you think?"

"I should think," I replied cheerily, running my hands over my face and blinking. "Bella told me yesterday that those who stay on the animal diet for a long time end up with gold eyes. Isn't that fascinating?"

"Layla and I will come with you next time," Colette assured me, and Layla made a face. "You know how it is with her...but I think we all need to make this change. God help us, I would like to at least have a chance at Heaven one day, if it is out there. I can't keep this lifestyle up."

"We'll probably never die anyway," Layla chirped, returning to her book. "More stamps for me...I wonder if there will ever come a day that they won't be used?"

Layla would always just be her wonderful self, completely lacking the fear of death. I smiled, laying down next to her and turning to my favorite page. She had a stamp there from Italy with the Leaning Tower of Pisa on it that I really liked. Sometimes, when Layla was gone, I would look at it for hours. I didn't know what enthralled me about it, but I often imagined myself looking up at it. It was a nice thought.

Bella's POV

I was on edge from the minute Jacob walked through the door.

At first, everything seemed to be going okay. We sat on the couch, Charlie pulled out the leftover pizza, and we ate and watched the baseball game on. However, the longer Jacob was there, I could tell he was starting to become tense, as well. He took glances upstairs several times. Did he know? I had showered, but that was not enough, apparently. What was I going to do to protect them from his wrath? Or him from their wrath? I ran my fingers across my opposite arm nervously, which Jacob noticed immediately.

"Hey, Bells?" he asked, his voice slightly tense. "Can I talk to you upstairs for just a second? We'll come right back down."

I nodded slowly, defeated. I followed Jacob upstairs, and right into my room. Immediately, he made a noise that almost sounded like a snarl. I jumped back, my blood running cold.

"That is not the red head's scent, and it's not the Cullen assholes' scents, either," he growled. "Is that what that whole weird conversation was about yesterday, Bella? Do you somehow manage to invite more bloodsuckers into Forks?"

"They're my friends!" I sputtered out weakly. Dammit. If I had any chance of getting them out of this before, it was gone now.

He turned his head away in an almost inhuman fashion. I started to shake, and I could feel tears threatening to form at the corners of my eyes. "Friends? Like the same friends who up and left you in the middle of the forest for DEAD? You do realize I have to report this to Sam. If they kill on this land, we have no choice but to end their lives. Don't think I don't know how. I know everything about those nasty, blood sucking..."

"Fine!" I snapped, cursing him to hell for opening the hole in my chest up until it felt like a black hole, sucking up every good memory from today. "Report it to your cult leader! I'll just leave Forks; we all will!"

It was, of course, an empty threat. But I was tired of the needless feuding. Even if I promsied him that they wouldn't kill in Forks, even if I told him how hard they tried to kill immoral beings, and even if I told them how they didn't want this life thrust upon them like it was, it would make no difference. He didn't care. He hated so blindly that it hurt. He would hate me, too, when I was changed.

"Are you kidding me, Bella?" he spat. "I was there to pick up the pieces when that bloodsucker left you, and this is how you treat me?"

"Yes. Because this is how you treat me," I came right back. "What if Victoria changed me instead of killing me by accident? Huh? Would you still hate me, would you still try to kill me? Tell me, best friend."

My scathing tone made him shake, and I backed up even further. The door handle hit me in the back, and I groaned.

"Bella, that's not fair..."

"Think about it, Jacob. Because it could very well happen."

With that, Jacob pushed me aside, opened my door, and stomped downstairs. I could hear him talking to Billy for a moment, him and Charlie going back and forth, and then the front door slam. I flinched. I hadn't wanted to talk to Jacob like that, but what choice did he leave me? He could never just open his mind and little, and he never would. Before Charlie could come confront me about what had just happened, I crawled into bed and forced my eyes shut.

Even though I knew tonight would be back to the sleepless nights I'd been having since he left me.

A/N: Well, that's that. Reina and Bella are getting closer, and it put a wedge in between Jacob and Bella. And now he's off to tell Sam about the Castigliones…

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-PatchyVoile