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The next day was better… and worse.

It was better because it wasn't raining, though the clouds were dense and opaque. It was easier because Bella and Angie knew what to expect of their day. Bella was shadowed by Mike and Eric who seemed to have taken an interest in her. People didn't look at them as much as they had the day before. Bella sat with a big group at lunch that included Mike, Eric, Jessica and several other people whose names and faces she now remembered. Angie ate with her classmate Emily. It was a relief to have found someone like Emily. She was quiet just like her and she didn't have a busy mind.

It was worse because they were tired; they still couldn't sleep with the wind echoing around the house. Edward Cullen kept both girls awake. Bella was still upset about what had happened and Angie still couldn't believe that she had finally met another telepath like her. It was worse because Mr. Varner called on Bella in Trig and she had the wrong answer. It was miserable because she had to play volleyball, and the one time she didn't cringe out of the way of the ball, she hit her teammate in the head with it. Angie was better at volleyball than her sister but she still hated it. And it was worse because Edward Cullen wasn't in school at all.

"Where is Edward?" Esme asked Carlisle, worried and panicked.

"He came to the hospital and took my car. He left."

"He left?" Emmett repeated, confused. "Why?"

"I don't know. He just needed to leave Forks."

"Could it be because of her?" Jasper asked.

"No," Rosalie shook her head. "If she had heard…if she knew what we were, Edward would have told us. It's not about the telepath."

"The telepath?" Carlisle asked, surprised.

"You know, the sheriff's daughters just arrived in town?" Emmett reminded him and he nodded.

"One of them is a telepath," Rosalie said.

"She's like us?" Esme asked.

"No," Alice answered. "They are both human. But the youngest one. She can read minds too."

"Did you see her in one of your vision?" Carlisle asked.

"I saw her coming. I just didn't know why it was interesting, that's why I didn't mention it."

"Could it be possible for her to find out what we are?" Carlisle asked.

"I suppose we should be careful about what we think around her," Jasper said.

"I doubt she'd tell anyone, though," Emmett chuckled. "Nobody would believe her."

"We should be careful, still," Carlisle told them.

"What about Edward?" Esme asked.

"He will be back," Carlisle said, calmly. "He just needs to figure out what to do."

All morning, Bella was dreading lunch, fearing his bizarre glares. Part of her wanted to confront him and demand to know what his problem was. While she was lying sleepless in her bed, she even imagined what she would say. But she knew herself too well to think she would really have the guts to do it.

But when she walked into the cafeteria with Jessica – trying to keep her eyes from sweeping the place for him, and failing entirely – she saw that his four siblings of sorts were sitting together at the same table, and he was not with them.

Angie was both relieved and disappointed at his absence. Relieved because at least he wouldn't try to talk to her. Disappointed because she did want to see him again. He who was just like her.

They both waited for him to arrive, even though they would never admit it. Bella had mixed feelings. She walked to Biology with more confidence when, by the end of lunch, he still hadn't showed. Mike was still following her, taking on the qualities of a golden retriever. She was going to have to do something about that but she needed to be diplomatic and she had never been enormously tactful.

She was relieved that she had the desk to herself, that Edward was absent. She told herself that repeatedly. But she couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that she was the reason he wasn't there. It was ridiculous, and egotistical to think that she could affect anyone that strongly. It was impossible. And yet she couldn't stop worrying that it was true.

When the school day was finally done, Angie was relieved. The voices hadn't been too loud and she did her best to ignore them. It was one of those rare days that went by smoothly, when she wouldn't be bothered by what she was hearing and she could easily chase the voices away just by pressing on her cuts. She hoped that, one day, she would be able to constantly keep her mind close and only open it at will. To be in total control of her abilities, like maybe Edward was.

The night before, the two sisters had discovered that their father couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon. Bella was used to cook and she requested that she be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of her stay. He was willing enough to hand over the keys to the banquet hall. They also found out that he had no food in the house. So Bella and Angie made a shopping list and took the cash from the jar in the cupboard labeled FOOD MONEY, and they were on their way to the Thriftway.

Bella backed carefully in the line of cars that were waiting to exit the parking lot. As she waited, trying to pretend that the earsplitting rumble was coming from someone else's car, she saw the two Cullens and the Hale twins getting into their car. It was the shiny Volvo. Of course.

She hadn't noticed their clothes before – she had been too mesmerized by their faces. Now that she looked, it was obvious that they were all dressed exceptionally well; simply, but in clothes that subtly hinted at designer origins.

"Some people have everything," Bella mused. Angie looked up and followed her sister's gaze.

"Doesn't look like it helped them much here," Angie replied, when she understood what she was talking about.

"They probably prefer it this way. Good looks and money open every door."

The Thriftway was not far from the school, just a few streets south, off the highway. They enjoyed being inside the supermarket. It felt normal. Bella did the shopping in Phoenix and she fell into the pattern of the familiar task gladly.

"Did you see him today?"

"Who?" Bella asked, knowing exactly who her sister was talking about.

"You know who."

Bella sighed. "No."

"I wonder why…" Angie mused.

Her sister didn't reply.

They drove back home. Angie let her sister unload the groceries alone. She walked up to her room and went straight to the bathroom. She changed into more comfortable clothes and changed her bandages. She sat on her bed, cross legged, and opened her laptop and started to focus on her homework. Her phone kept buzzing. She sighed, knowing exactly who it was. Her mother kept sending her emails and when she received no answer to those emails she started to send text messages.

Angie replied to her mother, asking her to calm down, assuring her that everything was ok.

When she was done with her homework she went downstairs. Bella was cooking. She set the table in silence and she was almost done when Charlie arrived.

"Hey, Dad, welcome home," Angie smiled.

"Thanks," he smiled back. "What's for dinner?" he asked warily. Renée was an imaginative cook, and her experiments weren't always edible.

"Steak and potatoes," Bella answered and she smiled, amused, when he looked relieved.

"Smells good, Bell."

"Thanks."

They ate wordlessly. They weren't bothered by the silence.

"Do you know the Cullen family?" Bella asked her father hesitantly, breaking the silence.

Angie glanced at her father, curious too.

"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."

"They… the kids… are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school."

Charlie surprised her daughters by looking angry.

"People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him – lucky that his sister and the children wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature – I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should – camping trips every other weekend… Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."

It was the longest speech they'd ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.

Angie tried to calm him. "They seemed nice to me. We just noticed they kept to themselves."

Bella nodded. "They're all very attractive," she added, trying to be more complimentary.

"You should see the doctor," Charlie said, laughing. "I can't imagine what he's going through, being single and looking the way he does surrounded by the nurses at the hospital. They have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."

They lapsed back into silence as they finished eating.

That night, it was finally quiet and both girls fell asleep quickly, exhausted.

The rest of the week went uneventful. Edward never showed up. Bella made new friends and Mike kept inviting her to a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks. Bella accepted his invitation out of politeness. Beaches should be hot and dry.

Angie wasn't too bothered by the voices which were gone as soon as she felt a little pain.

Their first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie worked most of the weekend. Bella cleaned the house, got ahead on her homework, talked with her mother and read. Angie read too and texted her mother. She drew – finished some old drawings she had started in Phoenix and started some new ones. She took her guitar out and played a little. She missed playing music, especially the piano.

During lunch of the last couple of days, Angie had tried to read the Cullens's minds. But they were all thinking about school. Some homework they had to finish, a book they had to read… It was like a broken record that repeated again and again in their head. They never thought about anything else. When she realized they might be doing it on purpose, because they knew she could hear their thoughts, she looked up and met with Alice's eyes. The small girl smiled and winked at her confirming her fears. They knew.

Angie blushed, looked down and rapidly left the cafeteria.

She had never told anyone about what she could do. It was a secret she had always kept and she didn't know how she felt about it. The Cullens knew her secret and one of them had the exact same one.

Monday morning was colder. It wasn't raining. It was much worse. It was snowing.

Bella was in a terrible mood. Snow meant snow fights. People will be throwing wet snow balls at them all day.

At lunch, Bella glanced at the table in the corner out of habit. And she froze where she stood. There were five people at the table.

"Are you going to talk to him?" Angie asked her sister.

"Why would I do that?" she mumbled.

"You deserve an explanation," she said. She was speaking so low she didn't know how Bella could hear her with all the noise of the crowded cafeteria.

"You're eating with us, Bella?" Jessica asked them, suddenly. Making the sisters turn around toward their red-haired friend.

Bella looked down at her sister, who was a little smaller than her, silently asking her if she wanted to eat with them.

"I'm good," she replied, shyly, walking away. She found an empty table where she hoped people would leave her alone.

She glanced at Edward who gave her a small smile. She saw Alice was also smiling at her. A bright, happy smile, as if she was happy to see her for some reason. She blushed and looked away.

"Hello, Angie."

Angie jumped, startled by the musical voice that she guessed belonged to Edward. She wondered why she had heard him when she had successfully manage to chase all the other voices in her head. Maybe she did want to talk to him after all.

"H- hi." She blushed, embarrassed. She couldn't even speak without stuttering in her mind. She heard him laugh and his laugh was contagious. She chuckled, amused. She shyly looked back up. She saw Edward and Alice were still smiling. Edward nodded at her. Angie discreetly waved at him, so no one else would see.

Bella saw Edward and Alice smiling at her sister and wondered what was going on. She was certain they didn't know each other.

"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following her stare.

At that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet hers. She dropped her head, letting her hair fall to conceal her face. She was sure, though, in the instant their eyes met, that he didn't look harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time she'd seen him. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica giggled in her ear.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?"

"No," she said, sounding confused by the question. "Should he be?"

"I don't think he likes me," Bella confided.

"The Cullens don't like anybody…well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you."

"Stop looking at him!" Bella hissed. Jessica snickered, but looked away.

Lunch was interesting. Angie learnt that Edward couldn't hear her sister's thoughts either.

On their way to Biology, Bella noticed it was raining. She never thought she'd be happy about that. Mike kept up a string of complaints about the snow on the way to building four.

When Bella walked in the classroom she was relieved to see her table was empty. Mr. Banner, her teacher, was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box slides to each table. She kept her eyes away from the door, doodling idly on the cover of her notebook. She heard very clearly when the chair next to her moved, but her eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern she was drawing.

"Hello," said a quiet, musical voice. She looked up, stunned that he was speaking to her. He was sitting as far away from her as the desk allowed, but his chair was angled toward her. "My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan."

Bella's mind was spinning with confusion. Had she made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now.

She wondered why he called her Bella and not Isabella like everyone else had.

Mr. Banner started class, explaining the lab they would be doing today.

"Ladies first, partner?" Edward asked. "Or I could start, if you wish."

"No," she said. "I'll go ahead."

She was showing off just a little, she had already done this lab in Phoenix. They were done within minutes.

"So, Edward, didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Bella," Edward corrected automatically. "Actually, she identified three of the five."

"Have you done this lab before?" he asked, skeptical.

"Not with onion root."

"Whitefish blastula?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you two are lab partners," he said before walking away.

After he left, she began doodling on her notebook again.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked. She had the feeling he was forcing himself to make small talk with her.

"Not really," she answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else.

"You don't like the cold," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Or the wet."

"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live."

"You have no idea," she muttered darkly.

He looked fascinated by her answer. "Why did you come here, then?"

"It's… complicated."

"I think I can keep up."

Bella sighed. She made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His dark gold eyes confused her, and she answered without thinking.

"My mother got remarried."

"That doesn't sound so complex," he disagreed. "When did that happen?"

"Last September."

"And you don't like him," he supposed.

"No, Phil is fine. Too young maybe, but nice enough."

"Why didn't you stay with them?"

She didn't understand why he was interested but he continued to stare at her with penetrating eyes, as if her dull life's story was somehow vitally important.

"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living."

"Have I heard of him?" he asked, smiling in response.

"Probably not. He doesn't play well. Strictly minor league. He moves around a lot."

"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him," he assumed.

Bella frowned. "No, she did not send me here. I sent myself."

"I don't understand."

Bella sighed.

"She stayed with us at first, but it made her unhappy, she missed him. So I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie."

"But now you're unhappy."

"And?"

"That doesn't seem fair."

"Hasn't anyone told you?" she chuckled. "Life isn't fair."

"I believe I have heard that somewhere before," he said, dryly. "What about your sister?"

"What about her?" Bella frowned.

"Does she dislike Forks as much as you do?"

"No," she shook her head. "She doesn't mind."

He looked like he was trying to say something but he didn't know if he should.

"Have you talked to her?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head. "Why? Has she said something?"

"No," she shrugged. "Should she have?"

"No."

"So, that's all," Bella insisted, wondering why he was still staring at her.

"You put on a good show," he said, slowly. "But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."

She grimaced at him.

"Am I wrong?"

She didn't answer and tried to ignore him.

"I didn't think so," he murmured, smugly.

"Why does it matter to you?" she asked, irritated.

"That's a very good question," he muttered, so quietly that she wondered if he was talking to himself. "You're not close with your sister, are you?"

Bella sighed.

"Am I annoying you?" he asked. He sounded amused.

"Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read – my mother calls me her open book," she frowned.

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read."

Bella was surprised. Why would he try anyway?

When the bell finally rang, Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully as he had the week before. And, like the week before, she stared after him in amazement.

She was distracted the rest of the day.

It was drizzling when she walked to the parking lot. She got into her truck and waited for her sister.

Evangeline walked to the parking lot with haste.

"Hey, Angie!"

She heard a female voice say. She gasped and stopped and looked around. She saw Alice Cullen was smiling at her. Angie quickly looked away and pressed on her old wounds. But nothing happened. She took a deep breath and quickly got in the truck.

"You okay?" her sister asked.

"Yeah, sorry," she lied.

Bella frowned but didn't ask any more questions. She drove away from the school.

"Edward Cullen talked to me today."

Angie looked up, surprised. "He did?"

"Yeah."

"What did he say?"

"He introduced himself…talked about the weather…he asked about you…"

She frowned. "What did he want?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "He asked if we were close."

"Oh," is all Angie could say. "Was he nice?"

"He was," Bella said, surprise clear in her voice.

"And…that's it?"

"That's it."

"I wonder what got into him last Monday…"

"Me too," Bella admitted.

Angie wasn't a happy person. She was different from the others and she always had been. She never had any close friends and she wasn't close with her sister. There were some days, when she wasn't tired or hungry and that nothing in particular ruined her mood, she could ignore other people's thoughts. Some other days, she heard everything but she managed to ignore it. It was like being in a very noisy room, she couldn't understand what people were really thinking. Worst days were when people were talking about her. She heard everything. When someone thought of her, she'd hear her name and see herself in that person's eyes. Sometimes, what they were saying – or picturing – was hurtful and that was when she really needed to be able to stop it all. It was surprising that none of her new classmates had made fun of her in anyway, yet. She stayed discreet and people didn't see her. That's why they didn't think of her. She figured it was the reason why she heard Alice Cullen calling her name in the parking lot. She wanted her to hear. But Angie was terrified of not being in control.

The best way to make it all stop was pain.

The next morning, Angie was ready to face the day. She wouldn't be bothered by any voices. To Bella's horror, the ground was covered with snow. She was careful on the road and drove very slowly, the last thing she wanted to do was to carve a path of destruction through Main Street. But she was distracted, she couldn't stop thinking about Edward Cullen, as much as she wished she wouldn't. The truck seemed to have no problem with the ice.

When they got out of the truck at school, something silver caught Angie's eyes.

"What is that?" Angie asked her sister.

Bella walked around the vehicle – carefully holding the side for support – to examine the tires. There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. Angie smiled thinking of her father who must have gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on the truck. Her mother would have never thought about it. Bella's throat felt suddenly tight. She wasn't used to being taken care of, and Charlie's unspoken concern caught her by surprise.

"Angie!"

Angie jumped, startled once again by Alice Cullen's voice. But this time was different. She wasn't saying hello like the day before. There was clear panic in her voice.

Followed an odd sound. It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. The two sisters looked up, startled. They saw Alice and Edward Cullen standing four cars down from them, staring at them in horror. Then, they saw the van that was skidding, tired locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of the red truck and Bella and Angie were standing between them.