Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyer does.
Chapter Four
I arrived at Bella's house after school and we went up to her room. We sat down on her bed and did our homework. We took a break to go make dinner. After dinner, Bella and I returned to her room and sat back on her bed.
Bella was eyeing me curiously so I sighed and asked, "What is it, Bells?"
She looked down and took a shaky breath. "How do you know Carlisle, really?"
Crap. Why did she have to go there? "We're old friends." I told her calmly.
She looked my dead in the eyes and asked, "Why is your skin so warm?"
I shook my head. "Just born like this."
Technically it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, either. She accepted this for now and we returned to our homework.
I could see in her eyes she was determined to learn my secret, but I was just as determined to keep it from her.
I left her house sometime later after a brief, but pleasant, meeting with Chief Swan. When I got home, I phased to run around in wolf form for a bit in the Cullen's backyard. I went back inside and went to my room. I was about to go to sleep when my phone went off.
"Hello?" I asked timidly.
"Nadi, it's Carlisle."
I had never been so happy to hear this man's voice.
"Carlisle." I breathed and he laughed heartily.
"Happy to hear from me, are you?" He teased.
"Carlisle, you have no idea." I said, but before he could ask anything I asked, "Guess where I just was?"
He thought for a minute. "I give up, dear, where were you?"
"Bella Swan's house." I said, smugly.
I heard his sharp intake of breath and I quickly told him everything from meeting Bella, school, her crying in Edward's room and her asking why my skin was so hot.
He was quiet when I finished.
"Bella is quite perceptive. I imagine she's noticed more than she let on. Are you going to tell her your secret?" He asked softly.
I sighed. "I can't, Carlisle. I know you trusted her with your secret, only because Edward. I can keep this from her, trust me." I finished softer than I started.
"It's your choice, Nadi. But Bella wouldn't tell a soul if you confided in her. You are more human than us in more ways than one." He told me.
"I know. I'll try and figure something out and let you know." I said.
"Like I said, it's your choice. But good luck." He said.
We said our goodbyes and I went off to sleep.
I quickly fell into an easy routine, school, study with Bella, phase and sleep. I phased to make sure there weren't any vampires around.
It was about two weeks before Christmas when Bella and I were sitting at her house and she asked me what my Christmas plans were and I froze.
"I don't have any." I said simply, hoping she would drop it, but of course, she didn't.
"You and your mom could come over here. My dad would love having you guys over." She said.
"Actually, my mom is going to Alaska. Visiting Carlisle and all. I'm staying here so I'd love to come over." I told her, smiling. I couldn't very well tell her my mother died nearly five hundred years ago and the person who had registered me fro school was Kate Denali. So I had to lie.
She smiled slightly; Bella was still in a zombie-like state, but was slowly (very slowly) coming out of her shell.
"Okay, some over Christmas Eve around five. We're spending Christmas day with the Clearwater's. My dad goes down to La Push to fish with Harry and Billy all the time. You can come too if you don't want to be alone." Bella said.
My body froze again. Billy? Billy Black? I had to know but I couldn't just ask her, so I said, "Billy?"
Bella nodded and said, "Yeah, I grew up with his son Jacob Black. His daughters, Rachel and Rebecca were my childhood best friends."
Black. Billy Black was alive and well and still in La Push. I hadn't seen him since Levi Uley's funeral and Billy was about 17 then. I lived with the Billy and his family after Ephraim's funeral, but after Levi died, I left La Push.
Bella put a hand on my shoulder, drawing me from my thoughts. She looked concerned so I quickly said, "I uh, can't. I can't go to La Push." That wasn't a lie.
I wasn't ready to find out if there were still wolves in La Push and I most certainly wasn't ready to see anyone with the last name Black, Uley, Clearwater or Ateara for that matter.
Bella looked confused. And slid closer to me on the couch. "Why not?" She asked.
I thought quickly and said, "I'm a Cullen." She knew of the treaty so luckily I didn't have to explain that. That was a crap excuse and I knew it, the treaty was only in place so the Cullen vampires wouldn't harm a human.
She shook her head, not believing my excuse. "But you're not a vampire. Why should your last name matter?"
I shrugged and chuckled darkly. "I don't want to take that chance."
She eyed me, then turned fully to me. "You're not human. What are you?" She said, almost demanding me.
I looked at her and shook my head. "I am human."
She scoffed. "You're skin is too warm, you almost never wear a jacket or a sweater for that matter. You eat like a horse, you growled at my friends, you're abnormally tall, taller than anyone else at school, even most of the guys. I've seen you in gym class trying not to use all your strength or speed. You're not human. You're not a vampire. What are you?" She was full on demanding me now.
I felt a tremor run down my spine.
"Another inhuman thing: shaking when you're angry." She said.
Carlisle was right; she was far more perceptive than I gave her credit for. I stood suddenly and said, "I'm begging you to drop this, Bella. I'll leave if you don't."
She stood too. "No." She spat.
I turned and left the house. I got into Carlisle's Mercedes as Bella ran out of the house towards the car. I could hear her yelling for me to stop but of course I didn't. I peeled out of the driveway and towards the Cullen's house, shaking the whole time.
I was five hundred years old, and dammit, I should be able to control myself better. But Bella just couldn't leave well enough alone.
As soon as I stopped the car in front of the house I jumped out and ran into the woods, stripping my clothes as I ran. I phased with angry thoughts focused towards Bella. Why did she have to be so perceptive? Why did she have to know so damn much?
I didn't speak to Bella at school the next day. I tried to talk to her but she would only say, "Are you ready to tell me your secret?" When I didn't reply, she stormed off.
I still gave her all her Christmas gifts, though. I wove a basket for her and braided a leather bracelet. I learned a long time ago she didn't like when people bought her things. So I made her gifts for her. The only thing I bought for her was a stuffed wolf that had pure white fur, like me. She didn't know this but it made me feel better that she had it.
I gave it to Charlie to give to her. If Bella wasn't speaking to me, I was still going to watch over her.
Christmas was spent alone, reading the book Bella gave me. She had given me several of her favorite books. Including 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Jane Eyre' and a t-shirt of the band Stone Sour. I had found the band by accident. One day I was on the phone with Emmett and he was instructing me how to use the computer to look at videos on YouTube. I played around on the site a bit and found some very good bands. I came across Stone Sour and fell in love. Alice sent me their CD and I shared it with Bella. We had gone to see them in concert before Thanksgiving and it was unbelievable
New Years passed and school resumed. I continued to watch Bella well into January. Everything was fine until one day she didn't come straight home after work and I panicked. She finally made it home and I barely restrained myself from running and demanding to know where she had been.
The next day, I decided against asking Bella where she had been the day before. Instead, I followed her. I stopped as I realized she was heading to La Push. I smelled a wolf in the air. I immediately turned and ran back. I dived into the river to hide my scent. I ran back to the Cullen's and phased back human, hoping my feeble attempts to cover my scent worked.
Bella continued ignoring me and going to La Push. I stayed outside her house less and less as she didn't seem to need me.
A/N: Thanks to Feng Yue for the idea. Thanks to Aurore-Darrelle for letting my vent to her. And thanks to Ally and Aya for reviewing last chapter.
I wrote this chapter while listening to the Alice in Chains albulm "Dirt". So that is my "playlist." Thanks! ~Ever Uley~
