Good morning and happy Friday, everyone! I hope this chapter finds you all well and happy.

My undying thanks to My-Bella and Hope4More for all their help, I truly couldn't do this without them.

Okay, when you look at the beginning of this chapter, please don't get frustrated that it's still their first day. Lots of ground to cover getting them a little acquainted with one another. After this chapter time will begin to move faster.

Also I want to make it clear that I am in no way at all an expert on humanitarian relief efforts. I've done some research and used what information I could find. Unfortunately there isn't an instruction manual out there to tell you how to set up a camp or to guide you through the process, so I used what I could find to aid me in writing their time in the DR and did the best I could with the rest to make it seem realistic with what I wanted to happen in the story. I hope that I don't offend anyone along the way. Remember this is fiction and while I like to make things as realistic as I can, sometimes using a bit of artistic license is a must.

Disclaimer:

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Stephenie Meyer owns anything and everything relating to Twilight and its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

The original aspects of this story—all of the original characters, plot, names, nicknames are all the property of the author—eternally addicted. Unauthorized use of such material is plagiarism. In simple terms—it's theft. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise mentioned in this story. No reproduction, downloading, copying, reposting, or any other kind of redistribution of this story or its contents is permitted without my express written authorization.


Still same day.

*{Bella}*

As the bus came around a bend in the road, it ended at another highway. We made a left turn and began traveling along a stretch of highway that ran horizontal to the coast. It was amazing to see the contrasts in the scenery based on which side of the bus you choose to look out. To the right of us you would never guess that this country had recently been slammed by a hurricane. There was a spread of open beach with pristine white sands which led to the aquamarine colored waves that lazily caressed it as they gently rolled in. It was a sight that left you wondering how something so beautiful could become a monster storm that could cause destruction beyond imaginable belief.

To the left was what was left of a thriving coastal resort area. There was a stretch of hotels, restaurants, and local specialty shops all with varying degrees of damage. One building appeared as though it had been almost completely destroyed except for the shell of a structure that remained, while one a short distance away might only have a few boarded up windows.

The bus kept going for about another fifteen minutes until we came upon what appeared to be a tent city erected next to a high rise hotel. When the bus came to a stop we were told to bring our things and then where to go.

Stepping off the bus, I first realized how good it felt to be walking again. My legs had become restless due to the cramped leg space while riding on the bus and standing on them now I felt a little wobbly. Second, I looked around to take in my surroundings. There were tents in more sizes than I had ever dreamed there could be, more than I could begin to count, pallets stacked with supplies needing to be unloaded and a flurry of activity going on all around.

My mind was near overload from taking in all that I was seeing, all that Edward had told me about himself and his parents, and from the devastation we had seen as we entered the area that had been hit hardest by the storm system.

Roads partially washed away, huge trees toppled over, mudslides that had buried homes and small businesses—it was all just so overwhelming. I had known I was going into a situation unlike any I had ever been in before and I had seen pictures of the damage on TV. However, some of the scenes were so horrible you wondered how someone would ever recover from such a tremendous loss. It really made what I'd heard in countless news reports during previous coverage of similar natural disasters ring true. How what we saw on TV was never as shocking as what you actually saw by being at the location with the destruction right in front of you.

As soon as my legs felt steady under me, I tried to push the images from my mind and focus on all the questions I had for Edward about everything he'd told me on the bus. Even though I hadn't been able to help it, I still felt really bad for falling asleep on the plane while he had been telling me about himself and his parents.

"So how many years have your parents been doing this and do they ever go home?" I asked Edward.

We were walking across the parking lot of a large hotel that had sustained some moderate to heavy damage during the hurricane, and were now following the others to the area Peter had just directed us to.

Edward had spent the remainder of the ride across the island re-telling me about his parents—his father being a doctor and his mother a nurse— about himself and his own volunteer history and that he'd be entering med school this fall, having just finished up his pre-med requirements. He also filled me in on how his parents had made working for an organization which pairs up doctors and nurses to travel with the Red Cross as their permanent jobs.

"They come home for extended stays during the holidays and a couple of other times during the year," he replied.

I covered my eyes using my hand as a shade against the bright late afternoon sun as I asked my next question. "How did that work when you were younger?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, did they leave you at home with family? A nanny? Or were you homeschooled or something like that and they took you with them?"

"No, no nanny and they definitely didn't leave me with family," he said with a dark chuckle as if there was more to his statement than he was letting me in on.

"I don't understand," I told him. If they didn't do either, I didn't get how they traveled and did so much relief work and fulfilled their parental responsibilities too.

"My parents have only been doing this full time for the past four years. Before then it was only during their vacation time off from their jobs and eventually the entire summer once they had the ability to take that length of time off and not jeopardize their positions at the hospital where they worked. During all of their trips they took me with them."

"That must have been hard on you."

"How so?" he asked curiously.

"Well… I mean didn't you miss out on a lot having to spend your time away from school going with them instead of doing all of the fun things most kids did during their summer vacations and school breaks?"

"I might not have spent those times like most other kids, but I never felt as though I was missing out on anything. I was taught at a very young age to appreciate and be grateful for what I had and to help those who were less fortunate. You never know when it all could vanish and you might just find yourself walking in similar shoes."

"You say that like you are talking from real experiences."

"Not exactly," he said, but before I could ask him what he meant we were at the largest of the tents that had been erected on the parking lot. The tent must have been about twenty feet wide and fifty feet long. It appeared to be the headquarters for our volunteer group although I couldn't be sure since there was a wall of dividers going across the tent near its center and I couldn't tell what was on the other side.

We were about to enter it when I caught the sight of the area where the portable restrooms had been set up, as well as many rows of smaller tents several feet behind it which had clearly become the temporary homes to several of the island's residents.

I stopped next to the entrance and tried to imagine what these people must be feeling. The level of despair they must be going through.

I couldn't.

"I can't even comprehend how they must feel," I whispered to Edward.

"I know. When I talked to my dad yesterday he said that most of them were here due to their homes being washed away by the flooding rains or being buried by the mudslides. Most of them have lost everything but the clothes on their backs."

"But we're going to help them. Right?" I asked as I again shielded my eyes with my hands, so I could see his face as I peered up at him for his answer.

It was hard to read his expression as he squinted against the bright sun, but the heavy somber tone of his voice said it all. "That's why we're here. Let's get inside and see what needs to be done," he told me before nudging me inside where the other volunteers were waiting for our next set of instructions.

Peter came into the tent to join us a minute or two later. We all laughed when he joked for us all to pull up a comfy chair and have a seat when the only place available to sit was on the ground beneath us.

He remained quiet for a few seconds as everyone made their choice to sit or stand and then began to explain things. "I guess I should first start out by introducing a few key members of our staff."

First he reintroduced himself and asked that we all call him Peter, reiterating how we were all working together and being on a first name basis made everyone feel more like we were all on equal footing.

"This lovely lady next to me is my wife, Charlotte, and my assistant director," he told us introducing the pretty, tall blond woman next to him.

He went on as he introduced us to Edward's parents and told us that Carlisle was the head team doctor and Edward's mother, Esme, was the lead nurse. He introduced the remaining five people as another doctor, two nurses and two others whose jobs I didn't catch.

Next he said, "These two young ladies are not really staff members, they are here to work like the rest of you are. This is my daughter, Bree," he announced, while pointing to the dark haired girl standing next to his wife. "She is joining us for the second time this summer along with my niece," he then said, pointing to the girl at his daughter's side. "Tanya is a first timer like a few of you, but we are happy to have an extra pair of hands here to help."

Both girls appeared to be a little younger than me, possibly by a year or two. Bree was about medium height, had long dark hair, and didn't look too thrilled to be here. Especially when he had indicated that this was only her second time volunteering and that she was here to work like the rest of us. Peter's niece, Tanya, resembled her aunt Charlotte a lot which led me to believe that she was related on Mrs. Wilson's side.

After Peter was finished with his introductions he explained that any of the staff members would be happy to answer any questions any of us might have.

"Okay, before I get to our housing arrangements, I need to make you aware of one more person who might as well be an official staff member," Peter stated while glancing around as he looked for someone. I wasn't surprised when his gaze finally stopped on Edward who was standing next to me. "Edward Cullen," he said pointing to Edward and then waving him up there with the rest of them.

I was suddenly very curious as to whether or not Edward would normally be up there with his parents and if so why he hadn't joined them when we had first entered the tent.

"I pointed him out," Peter continued, "because unlike my daughter and niece who are not as well acquainted with this type of work, Edward has been volunteering alongside his parents for many years." He smiled while gesturing to Carlisle and Esme. "Edward is extremely familiar with how these relief efforts work and you can also ask him questions if the rest of us are unavailable. With that being said, any questions before we continue?" he asked.

"Where are we setting up the housing camp?" one of the guys asked.

"That was the next bit of information I was about to explain," Peter stated. "I am sure those of you who have worked with me before or have done any similar volunteer work are aware that tents are our usual housing accommodations."

I looked around and saw several members of our group nodding their heads. Edward was one of them. He then leaned over and whispered something to his father and then came back over next to me.

"However we have been very fortunate this time around. The owners of the hotel you saw as you arrived have very generously offered us a few of their rooms."

Most everyone began to chatter amongst themselves upon hearing this news. I could hear a few of them whispering to one another about how awesome it would be to have a room to retire to at night instead of the hard cots and tents they usually had.

"Not so fast, folks," Peter's voice carried over the voices of the group. "Before anyone gets any preconceived notions or false expectations, let me just clarify exactly what is available to us."

Everyone turned their attention back to Peter, most with very curious expressions on their faces. Others were resigned, as if they knew the reality of the situation that was about to be told.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" I whispered to Edward.

"No," he said glancing from me to the hotel outside the tent. I followed his gaze, turning my head to see what he was looking at and noticed how dark it looked inside the hotel and the fact that several of the windows were boarded up. "But I could guess that those that were excited weren't taking into account there's no electricity."

"Oh," I said softly as it dawned on me what the looks of resignation had meant. They knew.

Clearing his throat, Peter began again. "While the hotel has donated some of their rooms, there is no furniture in most of the rooms, some don't even have carpeting at this time and none of them have electricity as the entire area is still without power."

"So what Peter is saying," Carlisle jumped in to help explain. "You have a more solid roof over your head, but none of the modern conveniences that most of you are used to. While there is running water in the showers and sinks we must caution you against drinking it. It's fine for bathing, but remember that it's cold water only as no electricity means no hot water."

"How many of us will be in each room?" a voice from the back asked.

"My rough guess, based on the number of people we have in our group, is that there will be three or four to a room. I would like to use as few of them as possible," Peter replied. "Okay," he then said looking around at everyone." In addition to the rooms the hotel has offered some other amenities to us as well. They have offered for us to use things like shampoo, soap and a small supply of linens. However since all of you were instructed to bring your own supply of these items, I would prefer that you use your own and only use the hotels if you happen to run out. It is very generous of them to offer these things to us, but it also still costs them for these items and right now I am certain they need to save every penny they can. I would also like to remind you to use any supplies, whether those you brought yourself or get here, sparingly. There is no running to the store to get more like you would do back in the states."

I looked around to see everyone's reaction to Peter's statement and most were simply nodding their heads in understanding.

"Does anyone have anything else at this time?" Peter asked. When no one spoke, he continued. "Fine then while we still have a few hours of daylight left, what I would like for everyone to do is to put your belongings over in the corner by the tent entrance. We have some supplies that arrived today which still need to be unloaded. Once that is completed, we will all meet back here for our evening meal and during that time I will split the group up for our room assignments."

We all did as he asked and then made our way back over to him for further instructions. He asked half of us to go with Carlisle to unload medical supplies and the other half to go with him. I noticed as our group was sort of separating down the middle, I was standing on somewhat of an imaginary line right between the two sides. Before I had time to react and go in either direction with either group, Edward was tugging on my arm and pulling me along with him.

"Come on, Rookie," he said. "Let the pro show you how it's done." He flashed me the same grin that had nearly melted me on the plane as his hand slid down my arm to my hand. My gaze shifted from where his hand was holding mine, to his green eyes that were sparkling with laughter and some other emotion that I couldn't identify.

Unable to resist, I smiled back at him. "Why of course. Lord knows it would be terribly wrong of me to refuse you the opportunity to boost your ego, Mr. Pro."

His smile widened as he pulled me behind him over to where his parents and the other doctor and nurses were.

Maybe it was the long day beginning to wear on me, but I could have sworn I had seen Edward's mother's gaze focus briefly on my and Edward's joined hands before it flitted between myself and Edward and then to her husband as she leaned closer and whispered something to him.

I wasn't sure what to make of the look that came across her face. I couldn't tell if she was annoyed, or if it was one of confusion, concern, or curiousness. But whatever it was it suddenly made me feel awkward and like I was being observed under a microscope.

I loosened my grip on Edward's hand and let my fingers slip from between his. If his mother's gaze hadn't frazzled me enough, the sudden sense of loss I felt once my hand was no longer in contact with his was more than enough to confuse me. I didn't know why I felt that way or why I had this intense urge to reach out and take hold of his hand again. And for a brief second I dared to think that maybe he felt the same way when his head jerked down to watch his fingers twitch like they were itching to hold something or had just dropped something and couldn't believe it.

*{Edward}*

I smiled to myself as the look Bella had had on her face when I called her a rookie passed through my mind again. Teasing her was something I was quickly learning was fun to do. And not only did she not get all huffy and put off by it like most of other the girls I knew would, she gave back as good as she got. Her eyes had lit up brighter than the sun in the sky when she replied back to my comment. I was certain the molten chocolate color they had been earlier now looked as if they had golden flecks in them. They were shining so brightly, making them look more like a swirl of chocolate and caramel. They were gorgeous.

Knowing I would most likely be helping my father, I pulled Bella along with me so that she would be helping us too. I didn't know why I felt the need to keep her close, but I did. I think part of it was wanting to show her that I really did know what I was talking about, which made her comment about my ego not too far off the mark, but there was something more and I couldn't explain it. I was just about to lead her to the front of the crowd and introduce her to my mother when I felt her hand slip from my grasp. In that instant the strangest sensation came over me. It was as if I missed her hand being in mine. Like I physically felt the loss of the contact between us, but not just in the way that her small hand was gone from mine. It was something else and I couldn't explain it and I wanted to take her hand back in mine and not let go.

My gaze darted down to my now empty hand and then up at her face. Her expression was one of being overwhelmed and confused. Had my holding her hand bothered her? I wondered to myself.

Before I'd even had the chance to think about what I was going to say the words were spilling from my mouth. "Are you okay?"

"Huh," was her response. She was definitely overwhelmed.

"Are you okay?" I asked her again.

She nodded slowly. "Um. Yeah, sorry."

"It's okay." I told her then nodded my head towards my parents and said, "Come on."

We made our way through the small crowd and I couldn't help glancing over my shoulder a time or two to make sure she was still right behind me as we did. Once we reached my parents, my father nodded and smiled at the two of us.

"Edward, Bella. The two of you ready to work?" he asked.

"Yes," we both answered in near perfect harmony causing my dad to laugh.

"Good," he replied with a half smirk on his face that I didn't get the meaning of.

"Where do you want me to start? I thought I could show Bella the ropes," I added.

"Hello, Son," my mother said interjecting herself into the conversation.

"Hi, Mom," I returned as she pulled me into a hug.

"Did you have a good flight?" she asked glancing over at Bella quickly and then back to me.

"Yes I did," I told her while feeling a smile spread across my face.

As if she knew I was thinking of Bella as I smiled, she asked, "Who is this you've brought over with you?"

"Mom, this is Bella. She's a first time volunteer this summer. We met on the plane."

"Hi, Mrs. Cullen," Bella said with a shaky smile.

"Oh please, call me Esme, dear," my mother said reaching up and patting Bella on the arm and giving it a gentle squeeze to try and ease the nervousness that was clear on the pretty brunette's face. "You will have to fill me in later on what led you to volunteer with us. Right now we have work to do."

"Okay," Bella replied softly before looking up to me, as if to silently question me about what we were supposed to do next.

My father led us all around the wall of dividers near the center of the tent. As head doctor and in charge of the medical supplies of our unit, he was in charge of setting up the treatment area. He sent most of our group out under the supervision of the other doctor to bring the supplies in so we could begin setting up a triage clinic where those needing care could be evaluated and treated.

Then he instructed Bella, my mother, myself, and the other nurses stay to inside with him to begin organizing the area and begin putting the supplies where he wanted them as they were brought in.

Bella and I opened boxes of bandages, medical tape, gauze, betadine solution, rubbing alcohol and other sterilizing solutions and items for cleaning and treating cuts and small wounds. My mother and the nurses handled the more delicate items like syringes, IV bags, suture kits and stuff like that. We also set up cots and unpacked boxes of things like rubber gloves, and waste containers used for disposing of the bio-waste supplies that would have to be handled in very strict ways.

The time flew by and once the sun was near setting we had a great start to getting the clinic area ready. We had three separate areas designated for treatments depending on the level of care someone would need. There was more to do tomorrow, but things were organized enough that patients could begin to be seen tomorrow and we would continue working around those that received treatment as best as we could.

While we had worked I had filled Bella in on one thing that was a huge benefit to us. My dad had informed me that we had a helicopter on standby to transport anyone needing emergency care beyond what we were capable here or anyone needing surgery to the other side of the island where their hospitals were fully functional. The southern side of the island had been virtually unscathed by the hurricane and had only suffered some minor flooding on low lying areas due to the heavy rains they had received. It was a short chopper ride down there so we were optimistic about having that advantage.

*{Bella}*

It was nearly dark as I listened to Edward fill me in on some of the details his father had given him yesterday on the phone, and about how this mission was fairly tame compared to some of the ones they had gone on in the past. I was also touched by his commitment when he said that just because it was less serious based on the magnitude of the disaster they were dealing with, didn't make it any less important. It was easy to see just how important helping these people was to him. I felt lucky to be privy to all the information he had as well as all the experience he had in dealing with this type of situation.

We had just finished helping Carlisle get the two small refrigerator units that were strictly for a small supply of blood and medicines that had to be kept cold set up and running on the small gasoline run generators when Peter came around the divider and asked if we were all ready to grab some food and get our room assignments.

We got in line behind the other volunteers and took our canned meal that came with a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. I knew I'd never survive here if I was a picky eater and followed Edward over to a space where we could sit on the grassy floor of the tent.

As everyone sat down to eat I noticed how several of the volunteers seemed to already be separating into small groups. They were chatting and becoming acquainted with one another as they sat together and ate. It left me wondering how the pairing off would go and where it would leave me since I was fairly certain Edward would stay with his parents. I fought a shiver that wanted to surge through me at the thought of possibly rooming with Peter's daughter and niece since the three of us were close in age. I was pretty sure by the looks of disdain I had seen on their faces when Peter had introduced them to us that they weren't here by choice. They had the same look of the spoiled rich girl that I had seen so often back home on the faces of the girls I went to school with.

I scanned the room looking for them and saw them across the tent by Peter's wife. Bree seemed to be forcing herself to eat her food, while Tanya was just staring in the can as if she could will it to turn into a filet mignon. I wanted to stay as far away from the duo as possible. I had come here to get away from their kind this summer and to do something worthwhile with my time. So as I bit into my apple, I said a silent prayer that I didn't get stuck with them.

"I'll be back. I need to use the bathroom," I told Edward as I swallowed the last bite of my apples and stood to go use the portable bathrooms before it was completely dark. It wasn't that I was afraid of the dark I just knew it would be a lot easier to do so now. Besides I was exhausted and once I was wherever it was I would be sleeping, I didn't want to have to trek back down here to use it later.

"Okay," he said while raising his bottle of water to his mouth and finishing it off.

"Want me to take that for you on my way?" I asked, pointing to his trash from his food.

"Sure. Thanks." He smiled and handed me the stuff to get rid of.

After a quick stop at the trash can, I made my way outside of the tent only to realize that the portable restrooms were a bit further away than I had thought. However the call of nature was no longer going to let me put it off. I had to go now.

Dreading what the inside of the small plastic stall would smell like, I took a couple of long deeps breaths before I opened the door and held the last one as I entered the space.

Taking care of business as fast as I could, I was able to hold my breath until just before I exited the stall. Unfortunately that was long enough for me to get a whiff of the stench that filled it. I grabbed one of the packets of hand wipes that were stuffed in a basket attached to the plastic wall and got out gulping for fresh air as I did.

"Ugh," I groaned softly as I sucked in the fresh air.

Remember, you signed up for this, Bella. You wanted this. I scolded myself internally.

As I reentered the tent, I heard Peter call out, "Okay, is that everyone? If I've missed anyone, let me know now."

Suddenly feeling as though a giant spotlight had been directed at me I cursed myself for not being able to wait just a little longer before needing to go to the bathroom.

"Um…I'm sorry…I had to uh… use the bathroom. I don't know where to...uh…room yet," I stammered, slightly embarrassed and feeling like I had misbehaved or something and had been singled out.

"Someone likes to be late," I heard muttered lowly off to my side. I hadn't remembered seeing either of the girls at the airport, but that didn't mean they weren't.

"Oh, don't worry, Bella," Peter said reassuringly. "It won't be a problem to put you in with one of the other groups. Now let's see if we have one smaller than the rest."

He began to case the room with his eyes in search of a spot for me. I followed his gaze as he did and was about to cringe when his eyes stopped off to my right. If I'd had any doubts about who the snide comment about me being late had come from, they were washed away quickly when I saw him looking at his daughter. I could have sworn I'd seen her start to shake her head at him trying to sway his mind.

"Well, I suppose you can—" Peter's words were cut off by Edward's mother cutting in and interrupting him.

"She can stay with us. Everyone else has four to a room already and we've only got three."

"Alright then, dilemma solved," Peter sighed. A wave a relief washed over his face as he did. "Now we have a lot of work to do tomorrow so I suggest everyone make their way to their rooms and get as much rest as you can. We will be up at the first sign of dawn so I wouldn't procrastinate if I were you."

Wanting to do exactly as Peter had said, I glanced around for Edward. He was no longer in the spot where we had been sitting before I'd gone to the bathroom; I found him over by the wall of dividers in what looked like a serious conversation with his father. As I stood there trying to decide whether or not to go over to him and see what the room number was so I could go up to it, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I spun slowly to find Esme standing next to me. "The room number is 813. It's not locked due to the lack of electricity so you can go on up if you like."

"Oh, okay. Um…thank you for offering me a spot in your room."

She smiled softly at me and gently squeezed my shoulder. "It's quite alright. We had the space. And besides," she whispered leaning closer to me. "I wouldn't subject anyone to living with those two."

She moved her eyes to indicate Peter's daughter and niece. I couldn't help the soft snort and giggle that escaped me as she smiled even wider and winked at me.

"Yeah, thanks again for that," I told her.

"Now you go on and get some rest. They just brought in a young woman from one of the tents in labor so it will probably be a bit before Carlisle, Edward, or I make it up to the room since Edward has offered to stay and help his father."

"Nothing like hands-on training I suppose," I replied thinking of the fact that Edward was about to begin med school.

"No there really isn't." A loud moan and some words that sounded like curse words in Spanish came from the other side of the tent. "Okay, dear, I really must go."

With that she was off to assist her husband. Edward and his father were no longer in sight, and were busy helping the woman having her baby I guessed as I made my way over to where my stuff was stashed next to Edward's.

I thought briefly back to the look I'd seen on Esme's face when she'd noticed Edward holding my hand and found myself slightly confused by it as I compared it to how nice and sweet she'd just been to me. It had worried me that she'd be annoyed by something as simple as her son holding my hand, but her actions just now made me wonder if I had been overreacting to the whole thing and maybe she was just curious or surprised by it.

Too tired to think any more of it now, I let it go and headed up to the room. Armed with the flashlight I'd brought with me, it didn't take me long to find the room. As I entered it I saw that it had been slightly restored from the damage it had sustained. The walls were freshly painted, with a faint hint of the smell still lingering in the air and the window had been replaced—the stickers on the new glass giving it away.

I picked a spot against the wall across from the window and set my things down. I was so tired from being up late chatting with Alice last night, getting up earlier than I wanted for my flight, and then the rest of the day's events that I argued with myself over whether to shower before crashing on my sleeping bag or just giving in to my fatigue and going straight to sleep.

Finally settling on a compromise with myself, I dug out a wash cloth I had brought with me and wiped myself down as best as I could before changing into a tank top and some soft cotton shorts to sleep in.

After tossing my dirty clothes into the laundry bag I had, I rolled out my sleeping bag onto the plywood covered floor and sat down on it. Digging through my bag, I pulled out my brush and then pulled my suitcase open and found the can of nuts and large bottle of water I'd packed.

I popped a small handful of the nuts into my mouth and pulled the elastic band from my hair. It was too warm to sleep with it loose so after brushing through it I braided it. I then ate a few more nuts and washed them down with a few big gulps of water. I wanted to make them both last as long as I could so I put them away and got out the sheet I had to use as a blanket. I didn't really think I'd need it, but had brought it anyway. I spread it over the top of my sleeping bag and laid down on it.

Sleep didn't come as fast as I'd thought it would. Checking my watch I saw I had been lying there nearly an hour. I was used to being alone a lot so I knew that wasn't an issue. In fact after all of the commotion of the day, the silence was a welcome thing. Thinking maybe it was the warmth and stuffiness of the room I got up and opened the window along with using one of my shoes to prop open the door to the room a few inches. I didn't see what the harm was having it open since none of them locked anyways due to the locks being electronic and I knew having the door slightly ajar it would create a means for the cooler outside air to circulate throughout the room better.

Hoping that would help I took another drink of water and laid back down. With thoughts of what Edward and his parents must be doing, and a soft breeze now filtering in through the window, I felt my eyelids drooping and soon I was asleep.

However my slumber was interrupted by the sounds of slamming doors in the building. You'd think everyone would be quiet, not wanting to wake those of us sleeping, but apparently there were several people in the building still awake. Pushing the button on my watch to light the face, I saw that I had been out for a couple of hours and it was nearing midnight.

Glancing around the room, there was nothing to indicate that Edward or his parents had been here at all, but remembering what I'd learned in the mandatory family planning and heath classes I'd taken this past year in school, I knew that the delivery of a baby could take several hours so it could be morning or later before they were finished.

Stretching and releasing a long yawn, I knew I had to try and clear my head and get back to sleep. The Cullens were experienced volunteers and were probably used to little or no sleep, but I was not and didn't want to be dragging on my first full day.

After tossing and turning for another hour I was frustrated. Each time I found a comfortable position and relaxed long enough to cool off and start to drift back to sleep, my mind was flooded with images of vibrant green eyes, sexy lopsided grins and full red lips edging closer and then touching mine. When my almost-dream reached the point where our lips where touching, the spark of whatever it was I'd felt with Edward would surge through me all over again and jolt me awake. By the time I'd repeated this cycle a few times, I was hot and sweaty all over again, having tossed and turned like a flopping fish out of water. I'd gone from being warm and stuffy to being flustered, hot, and sweaty—I felt gross.

Not knowing what else to do I gave in and got up. I turned on my flashlight and rummaged through my suitcase until I found my towel. Making my way into the bathroom, I stood the flashlight up on the vanity so that it reflected straight up in the air, softly illuminating the room.

Sighing, I leaned against the vanity and rubbed my eyes. I didn't know what to make of my situation. I'd never had a boy affect me in such a way. Okay so maybe Edward wasn't like any of the boys back home, he was older, wiser, more mature, and certainly much better looking. In fact he'd surely be put in Alice's 'fucking hot' category if she could see him. But that still didn't explain why he had my mind so boggled and why I couldn't get the images of our almost kiss out of my head. I'd been kissed before and I'd enjoyed it. Well except that Mike guy Alice had set me up with that one time in eleventh grade. He had kissed me like he'd been trying to swallow my whole face. It had been so disgusting.

"Ugh," I groaned in frustration. Get a friggin' grip, Isabella. So he almost kissed you. It didn't happen and it probably won't ever happen again, so just let it go.

"Right," I mumbled to myself. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be that simple to forget.

Praying that a cool shower would help me unwind and clear my head, I slipped out of my clothes and turned on the water. However as much as I had been thinking a cold shower would help and allow me to sleep I wasn't anywhere prepared for just how cold the water was. Somewhere in my mind I had been thinking cool swimming pool water that you eventually got used to, but this was like a sheet of ice raining down on me.

Being totally unprepared for the temperature of the water I was startled from the shock of it hitting my naked skin. I jumped and then slipped on the wet tub bottom which set into motion a chain reaction of me gripping the shower curtain, me screaming as I realized it was ripping from the bar due to me pulling on it and then me landing on the hard bathroom floor with a loud thud.

And if all that weren't bad enough, before I could gather my wits and get myself up, the bathroom door was flung open.

"Bella! Are you okay? I heard a scream and…"

There was Edward standing in the doorway staring down at my very naked self.


Oh what will happen next? I can't wait to hear your thoughts. Don't forget to check out the blog for cast pictures and other goodies I post along the way.

Thanks for reading! See you in two weeks!

EA