Disclaimer: All Twilight characters and some of the settings, ideas for action, are owned by S. Meyer. I just play with them. No infringements intended. Megan Harris is my own invention. Bella doesn't exist in this universe, some things are not canon and English is not my mother tongue. If you find any errors – I'm up to corrections.
Alternating POVs marked M=Megan or E=Edward. Mental conversation is marked in '…'.
Chapter 4 - Dissonances (M POV)
"Good morning! How do you feel? Is your stomach better?" Janice was truly a morning person. She looked so cheerful when I got into the office the next day. I was tired to death, plus I was having a major headache. "Bad – and, yes," I answered as I put my jacket on the hanger and tossed my bag under my desk. "You look like you have stayed up all night," she teased. I sat down and put my head into my hands. "I didn't sleep well, give me a few seconds, will ya?" I started to do some breathing exercises which I knew would help me. I could feel the tension in my head release slowly. "Oh, by the way, there was a freshman looking for you yesterday afternoon." Janice said. My head came up. "Tall, brown hair, lean figure?" I asked. "Yes, exactly. He looked gorgeous, if I may say that. Do you know him?" she inquired. "Not really, just some acquaintance." I evaded her questioning gaze. "I need more coffee," I muttered. I got up and walked behind the big filing shelf which separated a small kitchenette from our desks. Janice had made coffee this morning and I knew that hers was always very strong. Normally, my stomach would only allow me a tiny little cup, but this time I pulled one of the big mugs from the shelf. I filled it with coffee and put some more sugar into it than usual. I added some milk from the fridge and went back to my desk.
I spent the whole morning being pretty quiet and checking all freshmen files. Sometimes there were errors regarding the books that had been requested for classes. With the semester proceeding, it would be almost impossible to retrieve the books. The newbies would give them to other students who needed them and so on. We had a lot of senior citizens using this college for further education, but there were also the yearly alumni from the local high school. They either preferred to stay here at their home town or took classes in preparation for one of the bigger colleges or universities throughout Washington. It was 11:45 a.m. when the bell rang for lunch break. I sighed. I had come half way through the files and already found 3 students with wrong books. I would have to write a list to be posted at the bulletin board in the cafeteria. Janice came up to me. "Are you well enough to come to cafeteria with me?" My head snapped up. This reminded me of something. "Um, no thank you. I would rather stay here, if you don't mind. But could you do me the favor and hang up this list?" I gave her my printed version and smiled at her. "Okay, no problem. See you later, Megan!" I looked after her. I thought about going outside or staying here at the library. I didn't look forward to meeting Edward again within a crowd of students. Too many thoughts would disturb my concentration and I needed a clear head. I decided to stay here. If he really wanted to talk to me, he could as well meet me here. I continued with my file checking.
About half an hour later, I suddenly felt a tingle inside my head. It grew stronger each second. I knew what this was - Edward. I had felt the same thing last night. I got up and walked to my counter. We had sliding glass doors at the main entrance, so I saw him coming in. He walked down the short hallway towards our lobby and looked as if he was in turmoil. He had a grim look on his face. 'What's going on here?' I thought to myself. I took two steps back from the counter and looked around to see if I was alone. There was nobody except for me which made my heartbeat increasing rapidly and my breathing faster. It must have been my flight instinct. The way he was sliding up to me scared me a little, but I decided to face whatever came next, so I squared my shoulders. "Are you here because you've decided I do present a threat?" I said. "No, you said you would be at the cafeteria today," he answered. "I didn't," I returned. "I agreed to come to campus today, that's all. Remember?" I made a circling move with my index finger in the air next to my temple. "I was worried when you didn't show up!" he snapped at me. My eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry, but I don't think you have a reason." He sighed with exasperation. "Listen, I don't want to fight, okay?" He pinched the back of his nose. "I don't mean to control you, but I need to know you're safe," he blurted. 'I bet that came out unexpected,' I thought to myself. "Wow, you know, I have worked here for almost a year now, but I never recognized that this college was a dangerous place, until I met you!" I didn't let go, "So, what did you decide yesterday?" He tried a different approach. "I would like to get to know you better." I stared at him, "Please?" I rolled my eyes. "Does this mean you are going to follow me around like a puppy or what?" He grinned. "Yeah, I think I'll stick close and see what happens." I pondered on it for a moment. "Okay, I tell you something. I cannot keep you here without giving my colleagues a good reason. Let's pretend you have been ordered to help me by some teacher as a sort of punishment. That will sound reasonable, okay?" I hoped he would play along. "Agreed," he nodded. I grabbed a stack of books with the corresponding list and asked him to do the same. "Let's go then," I said. He followed me into the bookshelf jungle. When we finally reached the shelves I was looking for, we started stacking the books into their right places.
"How old are you, Edward?" I inquired with a hushed voice. "Well, at the moment I'm 19," he smiled. "That's a bit too young for my liking," I snipped playfully and turned to the other side of the shelf, stacking some books away. Suddenly I could feel him close behind me. My heartbeat thrummed loudly and I had to breathe faster. "Why does this happen every time you are close to me?" I murmured. The air between us seemed to be filled with electricity. "It's a natural instinct. Your body knows that I am a predator, Megan," he whispered into my ear. A shiver went down my spine. "How old would you like me to be?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "Mid-twenties?" I answered. He chuckled, "I am much older than that." I could feel goose bumps rising on my neck just below the hairline. I felt the cool air from his mouth blowing slightly over that spot and I had the overwhelmingly strong urge to be kissed by him. Never before had I felt so gravitated to a man. He pulled away from me. "I think, I got to go now," he whispered. "Can I meet you later tonight?" I shook my head and turned to him. His eyes were dark pools of golden orange. "I have an appointment tonight, I'm sorry," I whispered. "You are having a date?" he looked surprised. "Yes," I answered. "Who is it?" he demanded. The fierceness in his voice shocked me a little. "I think that's none of your business," I replied. I could see him clenching his fists. Why was he so upset? "I take it you don't need me here anymore?" he raised an eyebrow at me. "Edward, don't do this," I hesitated. "Do what?" he whispered. We heard voices and footsteps and looked towards my desk. The delicate tension between us faded. "You're right," I could hear my disappointment showing. "I don't need you here at the library anymore," I nodded and my face surely showed my frustration. He turned around and left me standing there.
I had gotten a phone call yesterday from a former college fellow named Joshua Banks. He was on vacation hiking through Olympic national forest, and had found my name on the college's website. We had decided to go out for dinner at Forks' Chinese restaurant tonight. When I was finished working, I left the library and got into my car. The restaurant was not far away and I could see Joshua standing in front of it. After parking my car I went to greet him. "Hey Joshua, how are you doing? You look great!" I hugged him quickly. "It's good to see you, Megan. What are you doing here in this remote area?" he asked. "Let's go inside," I suggested, "I'm hungry." When I followed him I looked around quickly. I had a strange feeling, as if someone was behind me, but I shook it off. When we had selected our meals, we talked about a lot of things. Who had gone where after college, who got married, who got which job and so on. Joshua was going for a teacher degree, so he had stayed longer than anyone else in Seattle and switched from community college to university. "Why did you move out here, Megan?" he asked. I took a deep breath, I knew I had to persuade him. "The surroundings are pretty, as you may have noticed on your trip, and I've always liked nature and wild animals as you may remember. It's quiet, the infrastructure is good and it's not crowded. It was an experiment and I decided to make it my permanent residence." He nodded. "Yeah, I wish I could be so bold. It was quite a risk with our economy going the way it does." I shook my head. "People will always need books and teachers, so we are both on the safe side, right?" He laughed, "Right!" We raised our glasses for a toast.
It was getting late and we had been the last guests at the restaurant. When we left, I asked him if I should drive him to his hotel, but Joshua declined. "It's only a few minutes away. I would like to walk there." I agreed, "Okay, but the next time you come here, you are staying at my home. Just give me a call, you know?" "That's very generous, Megan. Take care!" he said and hugged me once more. "Take care yourself, Joshua!" I returned the embrace. I watched him walk away before I got into my car again. I started it, but nothing happened. I tried it again, but there was no sound from the engine. I swore loudly. Damn that car! How was I supposed to find a cab that late at night? Suddenly I felt a tingle in my head. Edward? He sauntered around the corner as if he was completely unaware of his surroundings and I got out of my car. I could see he pretended to be surprised to see me. "Hi Edward, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" I asked. "I'm taking a walk through town," he replied, but I didn't buy his explanation. "Did you follow me?" I looked at him with disbelief. He raised his hands as if to fend something off. "Of course not," he played being indignant. "But you seem to be stuck here. How about I give you a ride home?" he added. I hesitated for a moment. I didn't like it, but it was a chance to get home without waiting for a cab or playing hitchhiker. I dove into my car and grabbed my stuff. I locked it and turned to him. "Okay, but to tell you the truth: I don't believe you." He shrugged and led me to his car. It was parked quite a few streets away. We walked in complete silence and I decided to keep my walls shut.
As he pulled into my drive, I started to dart out of the car. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Megan, for heaven's sake, would you please listen to me for a second?" he pleaded. My anger was bubbling under the surface. "I am sorry that I followed you, it was a stupid idea," he said. "I can't really explain it, but I have the urge to protect you. I know this sounds daft, but it's how I feel." I fought with my anger, he could see it. "Edward, I appreciate your attention, but I do not tolerate stalking. Is that clear?" I put a determined look on my face. He looked at me and nodded. "Yes, I got it. But I want to clarify something, too, Megan: Whenever I feel that a situation is dangerous to you and you assess it wrong, I will be there and I will not ask for permission." I wasn't surprised. He wouldn't give in easily, I knew that, so I contemplated on his answer. I knew he was going overboard but it was nice to know that he would be my guardian – if I ever needed one. I had made my point clear, so I could as well give in a little to calm the waves. I decide to surprise him and smiled impishly. "I can live with that," I said and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. The look on his face was priceless. I hopped out of the car and vanished into my house. I could see through the window that he was still sitting in his car, shaking his head. I had to chuckle at the sight.
