Chapter Four

I was glad that Kiara had a chance to tell her story. I know it must have been incredibly hard for her to go through so much and not have anyone to talk to about it. So for the next hour or so, Kiara and I discussed her transformation and all the new things she had come to learn because of it.

"Ever since I stopped drinking human blood, I've been searching for an animal that doesn't taste absolutely awful," she stated, making a face. "I was never much for a diet, as you remember."

I had to smile at that. Kiara had always been the luckier of the two of us in that way. She could eat whatever she wanted and barely gain a pound. Having to curb her appetite now, especially after tasting the best this life could offer to her, must have been a challenge.

"Have you found something you like?" I asked.

"Well, so far the best I can find is mountain lion," she said, putting her forefinger to chin in thought. "They're bearable."

"Huh, that's funny," I said. "That's Edward's favorite, too."

I didn't catch my mistake until Kiara's head snapped up and her red eyes narrowed to small slits. I hadn't told Kiara Edward was a vampire yet. I hadn't even told her how I knew vampires existed, and now that she knew, she looked completely furious. A growl rumbled menacingly from her throat.

"Edward is the vampire you've met before? You're dating a vampire?" She rubbed her temples with her fingers. "Bella, you really attract danger, don't you?"

"Edward isn't dangerous," I insisted severely. "He never hurts me and I'm confident that he never will. He's no more dangerous to me than you are, Kiara."

She seemed to think that over for a minute, the anger on her face was fading and I could tell the worst was over. She thought for a few minutes. I couldn't tell if she was in acceptance or not.

"Okay. Okay, if you trust him…then I supposed I will, too." She said, calmer now. "But I still want to meet him. How old is he?"

"Do you mean technically, or in terms of actual growth?"

She rolled her eyes. "When was he born, Bella?"

"Sometime during World War I, I believe," I answered.

That made her relax quite a bit. "Okay, good. At least he's not a newborn."

"There's…a bit more to it." I might as well give it to her all at once. "Edward and the rest of his family are all vampires. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett." I counted each one off on my fingers. "They do the same thing you do, Kiara. They're…vegetarians, is what they call themselves."

I noticed the considerable amount of self control it cost her to keep up her calm expression as she processed that. "So, you haven't been hanging around vampires. You've been hanging around a family of vegetarian vampires?"

"That's correct," I said with attempted authority.

She shook her head and sighed. "Only you, Bella. Only you."

I felt myself blush. "Yeah, I know."

A sudden flash of excitement lit up Kiara's features, which was definitely not a good sign. She wandered over to the window and leaned her head outside into the recently fallen darkness. I lifted myself off the bed to stand next to her.

"You know what we should do, Bella?" She asked, her excitement almost tangible in her voice.

I raised my eyebrows. "What, Kiara?"

"We should go to La Push!" she exclaimed. "It would be so easy to sneak out now, and I haven't seen Jake in forever."

When she mentioned Jacob, I jumped slightly. I'd forgotten they'd been friends when she lived in Forks. She and Jake had been pretty close, according to Charlie. I wanted Kiara to be able to go to La Push, but there were certain complications with that plan. Kiara was a vampire now, and I wasn't sure if Jacob would be able to tell something was different about her. It hadn't been that long ago that she'd lived here, and certainly he was observant enough to notice her sudden paleness and extreme beauty.

"I don't know, Kiara. Don't you think Jake will be a little…suspicious once he sees how much you've changed?"

A sudden mask of sadness replaced the euphoric excitement on her face. "So I'll blame it on a growth spurt or something. Please, Bella, I really want to go," she pleaded.

"Okay, fine," I agreed reluctantly. "But if we get caught, I'm blaming you."

"Yes! Thank you, Bella. Thank you, thank you!" She clapped her hands and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back and sighed. I was seriously a sucker for guilt trips.

***

Because of my clumsiness (or because Kiara loves showing off her newly acquired speed) Kiara gathered me into her arms to escape out my bedroom window. It was still raining outside, but not as violently as before; it was more of a dull misting now.

As soon as Kiara set me back on my feet, my arms were around myself to warm them. I hadn't thought of how cold it would be outside when I'd dressed in a t-shirt. I shivered and it didn't escape Kiara's notice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bella, I forgot you'd be cold. Be right back," She smiled playfully and then she was gone before I could protest.

I was alone in the cold, damp darkness for only a few short seconds until she returned, holding out my jacket which I took gratefully. "Thanks," I said as I pulled the jacket on.

"No problem," Kiara replied, cheerfully.

We both climbed into Charlie's cruiser and Kiara took the driver's seat. I buckled my seatbelt and glanced at her anxiously. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm a good driver, Bella. Don't worry." And she shoved the key into the ignition.

If I wasn't afraid of Kiara before, I sure was now. As soon as her foot hit the pedal after we cleared the driveway, we were flying. She was going even faster than Edward normally drove, and that was saying something.

We sped through Forks in almost no time at all, and the familiar houses lining the outskirts of La Push came up on the horizon. I turned my focus to Kiara and nodded pointedly at the speedometer.

"We're in La Push now, Kiara," I hinted.

"Relax, Bella. I'm slowing down, see?" The tiny needle was inching toward sixty. I suppose it was the best I could hope for.

Neither of us was prepared for what happened next.

There was a loud thud from the top of the cruiser, which mixed with Kiara's shriek of surprise. She floored the brake and the cruiser squealed to stop just as I let out my own scream.

The cruiser spun to its side and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the street were a gang of five men were suddenly surrounding us. They all had similar hairstyles: cropped buzz cuts which enhanced their fierce features. They all looked at least twenty-one in age, and unbelievably tall and tan. None of them wore shirts or shoes and their muscles bulged even in darkness. They way they were positioned made it obvious they were no welcoming committee.

I heard the cause of the noise on the hood of the car hop off and stand in position with the rest of the gang. And I was completely shocked when I saw his face.

"Jacob," I whispered.

"Jacob? Bella what do you mean? What's going on?" Kiara's tone was panicked. She was a vampire, probably ten times stronger than Jake, and she was terrified.

I ignored her questions, mumbling a quick, "Stay here" before unbuckling my seatbelt and reaching for the door. She grabbed my wrist in an icy grasp to eliminate my possibility of escape. "Bella, what are you-"

The rest of her sentence was lost, for as soon as she touched me, Jacob jumped off the ground, and in an instant so quick if I'd blinked, I would have missed it, a giant wolf took his place. I felt Kiara's hand drop from my wrist.

I took advantage immediately. I opened the car door swiftly and stepped out of the cruiser. Of course, my awful coordination was against me, and I fell onto the moist street, shoving my hands in front of me on instinct.

"Bella!"

I froze. The voice I heard was definitely not one I had been expecting. I lifted my head to look down the street, the direction Kiara and I had come just moments before. I recognized again, the houses lining the street, signaling the morph from Forks into La Push. Standing just inside the general area where Forks ended, just outside the first house of La Push, was Edward.

Minor author's note: I wanted this chapter to be better than it turned out. I'm extremely irritated at how it turned out. I think I started speeding through it a bit at the end. I'm working on slowing my flow down, but it's a bit complicated. Especially when I have a fan of the story sitting right across from me, breathing down my neck to finish (AHEM Kristen…). Anyway, review please. :]