A/N: Sorry, I took so long to update, comment and curse me out ;--) Btw, Thanks for the reviews…Hearing what you think means a lot to me.

Here's more of Edward…..

~*~

If you want to study yourself -- look into the hearts of other people. If you want to study other people -- look into your own heart. - Friedrich von Schiller:

Chapter 4: Alive and Well

EPOV

I practically ran out of there like a bat straight out of hell. Could she be the demon we were looking for? I headed out of the building and towards the back of the school; I needed to get the hell out of there. Of course I wasn't alone for long.

"Edward, you okay?" Jasper asked, but his voice barely registered through my jagged breaths. "Breath Edward." I nodded, trying to willing slow my breathing.

I had to get my shit together; I couldn't let whatever she was control me. I had been trained for this – I am a Guardian, I reminded myself. Once I was calm enough to form a coherent thought, I began to pace. Who the hell was she? How was she appearing to me? Was she a witch? A warlock? A lycan? I quickly disregarded those notions knowing if she had been magical I would have been able to sense her. A power all guardians possess — the ability to sense magical begins; the stronger the sensation, the more powerful the creature. Being around her felt different, but it wasn't that kind of sensation. It felt like she was a magnet and I was an insufficient scrap of metal that was compelled to her force; I wanted to touch her and feel her skin against mine.

"Edward?" Jasper's voice snapped me back to the present. Could I tell him about this without him questioning my mental state? I doubted it. I scanned my head for some decent explanation as to why I had gone into full pansy mode for no damn reason.

"The girl. She just looked like someone...." I trailed off hoping he would understand.

"What ar-," he stopped realizing who I was speaking of. Jasper nodded once; there could only be one person who could do that to me.

I grinned, feeling the need to lighten the mood. "Don't go tellin' Emmett about this."

"Naw, the sight of cocky-ass Edward Masen hyperventilating is too big to pass-up." He joked back. I needed to calm the fuck down before I faced her again. Bella — her name is Bella; I guessed that suited her well. I had heard her friend call her by name. I took two deep breaths before heading in.

The warning bell sounded, but I didn't give a fuck. The students cleared the hall, but I remained fighting my natural fight or flight instinct. Eventually I found the blond from first period, along with her friend at their lockers. I scanned her body before her face, and the stir in my pants gave me a distraction. I whistled and few students in the hall turned, along with my new conquest. She smiled and tugged on the hem of her shirt, allowing her breasts to peak over the top. I took my time, walking over to her.

"I don't believe I caught your name?" I flashed her a come hitter smile. She twirled her hair around her finger, and I fought the urge to role my eyes. Typical blond.

"Laruen." She giggled. "This is Jessica." She gestured toward the brunette. I could have her when I was done.

"I'm Edward." I rushed wanting to get past the small talk.

"Well, Edward, nice to meet you." Jessica giggled. "I gotta go to class."

It took me twenty minutes, but I got Lauren into a utility closet. Her hand wrapped around my dick. I hissed as she pulled on my head. She was definitely a seasoned pro. I tried to clear my head and just feel the pleasure that coursed through me, but I didn't want her doing this to me. I pulled on her hair, signaling my release, and she thrust harder. With one final vigor, I came into her hand.

She giggled. "That was quick." I didn't care to reply; I'd had enough of her fucking giggles. "Wait," she called out to me as I quickly zipped up my pants and rushed out. She hadn't satisfied me at all. I waited for the post-climatic rush but it never came.

I couldn't for the life of me get my mind away from Bella. Even now, I could feel her attraction; I could find her with my freaking eyes closed.

I rushed out the back of the school, and left the keys in the Volvo; I didn't think I wanted to hear Rosalie bitch about having to run back to the house. I broke into a sprint once I hit the forest. This was just too much to handle right now. When I arrived home, I headed towards the stairs that lead up to my room, but stopped when I heard muffled whispers from the attic.

"What are you doing here?" I thought Carlisle would have been at his new job at a small clinic hospital in Forks. He jumped, successfully knocking the small black cauldron from the stand. Witchcraft? I wondered.

"Oh...Edward...your home early," he stammered. I rested against the doorframe. Was it just me or was nothing making sense anymore?

"Yeah."I nodded even though his back was turned. Something was definitely not right. Since when did Carlisle fuck with witchcraft?

I left him and continued to my room. I had too much to deal and couldn't worry about anything else at that point. The woman who had haunted me for the past seventeen years was practically two miles down the road. I kept hoping that she had been just an image like all the other times — but it felt so real. After all this time, I should have adapted to seeing her, but each time felt like the first; like I hadn't known her all these years. She had been there through good and bad, thick and thin. There wasn't a time she hadn't been a part of my life. I had to admit, I was grateful for her. She was the only thing that kept my grasp on humanity, especially all the shit that happened with Elizabeth.

How the fuck does a mother abandon her child, anyway? I was only a boy then, about eight, when my parents were taken from me. My father had been killed in a car accident by an intoxicated driver. I don't remember Phil much because there was too much bullshit going on in during that time — I guess I couldn't help but block half of it out. Our relationship was trivial, only skimming the surface.

The months following his death were tortuous. Elizabeth, the lighthearted passionate woman I had know as my mother had begun to dissipate before my very eyes. It started out with obsessive behavior, which turned into anger, and soon blistering rage. I shouldn't have seen the shit that I've had to bear witness to; the men that came through the house. I could hear the steady thump of her headboard rhythmically banging through my walls. The sounds seeped through the cracks in my door. Then after whatever boyfriend she had at the time left, I was forced to witness the raw agony of her sobs through the thin, paper-like walls of my bedroom. I've seen some scary shit in my life, but none of it held a candle to her expression as she emerged from her bedroom day after day. Even at age seven, I knew what she was.

Phil was the financial backbone of our little trio; he had worked as a corporate lawyer in his father's Chicago firm. This made it easy for Elizabeth to stay home with me and I enjoyed her company. She was soft and delicate and so intuitive. At eight, I was smart enough to know what insurance was. I had expected us to move away from the city and into one of the mansions we had visited a few weeks before Phil's death. Instead, we moved into a rundown shack in the most crime ridden part of the city. It was around this time when she began to withdraw. I'd suspected that she'd spent the money on alcohol or drugs, or other things I didn't want to know existed. God, how naïve could I have been?

It was years later after her death when I found out Phil and Elizabeth never married, and his money went to his first wife and kids somewhere in California. I had seen the signs of Elizabeth's demise and I had done nothing to stop it. She was like a bullet train speeding towards a dead end. I should have done something…tried harder. Maybe if I had, she'd still be here — alive and well.

What she did was beyond fucked up, not because of the spiritual 'that's sin' bullshit. It was wrong to leave me here, with no explanation of what I was to become. I spent a good portion of my life in disgust. I had come home from school one day and was only slightly alarmed when she hadn't been there. Sometimes she wouldn't come home until the late hours of the morning. Days turned into weeks, and weeks to months before anyone realized she had left. I was smart enough to figure out how to pay the bills, which had begun to pile up, until the money dwindled to nothing. She was filed as a missing person; tips had been flowing in at an alarming rate, none of them actually turning into anything. Eventually, the tips slowed and they stopped looking as well. I couldn't be positive that she was dead. Whether one of her 'clients' had killed her, or she had taken her own life, or just simply run away — in my mind she was dead.

Carlisle and Bella were the only two people I could count on to never leave. Months after Elizabeth left, I ran away with nothing but ten dollars and clothes on my back.

One week into my journey I knew something was wrong; my head hurt –pounded is a better word. I couldn't stand sounds around. Just hearing a mouse rustle through the bushes was enough to make me curl into a ball. That was the day my powers came and Carlisle found me. If it wasn't for him, I would probably be buried six feet under.

It was lucky how I had run into him. He had seen how confused and horrified I was, and saved me from a likely painful excruciating death. He brought me to magic school. I could remember the day I set foot on the dirt path up to the gate, I hadn't the slightest clue of the imperceptible world that I was soon to be a part of. As the years went on it had actually been...well- actually it was better than ok, I was excelling — surpassing all the expectations that had been set by past Guardians.

I sat on the edge of the bed, as if it didn't belong to me at all. I released the clip of my Baretta pistol. loaded. I snapped it in, then released. I repeated this process wordlessly. I had to seen her; there was no question about that. I had to have her, even if she wasn't angelus my aeternus. I let out a small yelp as someone cleared their throat.

"You're a little jumpy today." I sighed seeing it was just Emmett.

"No, why would I be?" I began to wonder if he suspected anything? Was it that obvious?

He laughed gruffly. "Whatever you say Eddie. Carlisle says he's got a little job for you and Jazz."

"Huh…Why me?" Yes, why poor innocent me? I asked myself.

"Rock-paper-scissors — Rose beat Jazz." I rolled my eyes. This was who the Elders chose to watch the mortal realm? I thought. A bunch of hormonal teenagers who make decisions with a fair game of rock-paper-scissors. I slid the gun into my back, and grabbed my jacket.

~*~

"Yes, I'm looking for a Mr. Arnold?" Jasper winked at the blond secretary. She blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Oh brother.

"Do you have an appointment?" she replied, making it sound like foreplay.

"No, see we're old buddies and we came to pay him a little visit…"

I got bored with them quickly glancing through the glass office. I couldn't see the guy from where we stood, but I could tell someone was in there. They get more and more creative each year; disguising themselves in normal human activity, I thought when someone walked into my line of sight. Bingo.

"Jasper," I interrupted his oh-so-interesting conversation. I gestured towards a man as he turned to meet our gaze. The man's eyes widened and he disappeared in the same second. Just great.

Jasper flipped his wrist and the blond stopped talking, frozen in time. Once second the man was by a bookcase and with a flicker he was perched on the windowsill, ready to jump. I was faster. I halted his movement before he could blink and disappear. I walked over to the window and flipped him onto his desk, grinning with satisfaction when it cracked in several places.

"Hey, there." I winked a little too satisfied. I tightened my mental hold on him, no need to make it comfortable.

"Hi Johnny, how's it going?" Jasper smirked generously. Way to kill a buzz. He wasted no time jumping into twenty-one questions. "Why did you run? Did you know we'd be here?" I rolled my eyes dramatically. This is why we never left the interrogation to Jasper, it always ended up more like a fucking tea party than hunting.

"Because I felt like it. What the fuck do you want?" he snapped at us.

"Easy, easy. We're just here to talk." I patronized him. Who doesn't love a pissed off warlock? I sat on the corner of the desk. "How's the wife and kids?" I held up the picture frame of him and a red headed woman with identical twin boys. If she only knew that the man she slept with at night wasn't her husband at all.

"Don't fuck with me Edward, what do you want?" he struggled to speak, as I constricted his airway even more.

"Well, you see, Johnny, seeing that you have a… bond with the demonic realm, I thought you might be able to help us out with a little issue. There was a fresh bounty put out on a mortal girl, Alice Brandon; we want to know by whom?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

My tongue hit the roof of my mouth; must this always be so damn difficult? Blood began to rush to his head, turning his skin a sickening shade of red. I paused momentarily then released, and he gasped for air.

"I don't know who sent out the bounty, just that he had forty-souls and a shitload of powers for her head." he choked.

"Why her?" Jasper inquired.

"We don't exactly ask questions. We follow orders, no questions asked."

"Who sent out the bounty, John?" Some things never change. I could sense his readiness to lie and I squeezed harder.

"Some demon, goes by the name of Aro. Seems like he's been causing quite the fuss in the underworld. Some say he's trying to organize the demonic realm with him as its source." It felt like the more I heard about this 'Aro' guy, the more I wanted to find this fucker. Who the hell was he to try and change the demonic? Chaos and turmoil, just the way it was supposed to be. How the fuck were we expected to get what we needed, if they were all working together? We had to find him, and fast.

I unconstrained my hold on his throat. "See, was that so hard?"

"Fuck you Masen," he mumbled, and I chuckled.

"We'll give you a call if we have any more questions. Or we can just give you another visit…" I trailed off.

"No, that won't be necessary. A call would be delightful," he hissed and I couldn't help but chuckle again.

We left and Jasper and I took our position in front of the secretary. He gave me a nod and time resumed. She continued her babbling and Jasper interrupted, "Oh, never mind, I could just give him a call later." I couldn't help notice the disappointment on her face as she watched Jasper walk away.

"You could have her you know…I could wait, seeing that it wouldn't take too long." I raised my eyebrows presumptuously. He didn't answer, just rolled his eyes for my enjoyment.

Outside, the rain had slowed to a drizzle, which would be the equivalent of the sun coming. I couldn't complain as I hit the throttle, riding through the already slick street.

~*~

Leo hadn't received any new information on Aro, just that he was causing quite a fuss with the Elders. It took a lot to get the Elders riled up, and everything seemed to be coming down on us to take this asshole out. We scanned Seattle for any magical beings that may have had any relevant information of Aro, which turned up no fucking help. After begging and pleading, Jasper finally let me call it a night, and we headed for magic school.

I made sure to pay Victoria a visit who was not too pleased to see me, seeing that I had left without so much as a note. But who the fuck cared; I was a free man and it was a free country. It took some probing and sweet talking (I even threw in a little Latin) before she finally caved. She fucked me hard and rough, just how I liked it. I groaned as she made me forget all the shit I would have to face, especially when she took me in her mouth. That bitch had a bottomless throat. I waited until she fell asleep before I slipped out.

Jasper woke me up bright an early the next day, claiming we needed to do some "research", whatever the fuck that meant. The library in magic school was actually endless, seriously. The shelves went on forever and ever. I remember my second form here, when myself and this chick, Riley, walked about five minutes into the shelves before she dropped to her knees and gave me my first blow-job.

Classes were in session and the students gawked at us as we explored the shelves. I couldn't blame them; it wasn't that long ago, maybe five years or so, I had been the one gawking. It was pretty fucking crazy how time, just flew by. I sat huffing and puffing because none of the books said anything about this demon or how to vanquish him — not that we had much to go on.

"Found anything?" Jasper sighed.

"Nope." I sighed and winked at a group of cute little first formers who stared and giggled at us.

"You're a pervert." I rolled my eyes and he picked up another book. All this magic in one fucking school and they couldn't figure out how to put the books onto an online search or some shit.

I watched as a small awkward blond kid entered the library, his head ducked low as some kids taunted him. One kid threw something and he finally looked up, his expression one of malice. The boy was a spitting image of James. However, with another glance, I realized it wasn't and I let out a small breath. He was one fucked up sociopath I did not want to reunite with anytime soon.


"Come on Edward, don't be such a little bitch," James called from the end of the narrow hall.

"We aren't supposed to be here," I whispered back. My hands were clammy and I wiped them on my old tattered shirt. The walls were shaking and I wondered if James could feel the vibrations too. "What if we get caught?" I pondered.

"Then we get caught, come on. What's the worst that can happen?" I gulped, a lot of things could happen. My magic theory teacher had explained the consequences of people who broke the rules.

"Mr. Dumbledore says that students aren't allowed in the restricted areas," I called to him as he fidgeted with the lock.

"Screw him! If you don't come down here right now, Masen…"

I sighed, rubbing my shoulder. "Okay, okay. I'm coming."

It was pitch black and all I had for light was the tiny pocket sized flashlight I held in my hand. I placed one hand on the cold stone wall, aiming the flashlight at the ground to keep my footing. It wasn't long before I stood in front of the massive door with James. I moved the light, sweeping up and down the hard exterior.

"What is it?" I asked.

James snorted. "A door, duh."

"No. I know what it is, but what's behind it?" I inquired.

"If I knew that, do you think I'd be standing here trying to break this damn lock off?" I shook my head even though it was to dark for him to see. "Well, don't just stand there, help me." We placed one foot on either side of the door with the other on the floor. "On three we pull, okay?" I nodded that I understood. "One…Two…Three!" I pushed back against the lock and it groaned in protest. "Come one." James strained as we fought the handle with all our might. We released it, and I grabbed my knees panting profusely. "Let's give it another try." James pushed me towards the handle. The rust prickled the skin on my palms. "One…Two...Three!"

A shield of blue, like fire, flew off the door, throwing us more than twenty feet. My flashlight flickered and switched off. The two torches by the door suddenly lit, illuminating the area with a faint glow. Loud, horrible crashing noises began to escape from the opposite side of the medieval doors. I watched in horror as they moved apart and crashed together. Something was behind it. I panted heavily.

"James?" I called out, as fear began to well in the pit of my stomach. The noises grew in volume. Again the door thrashed against its frame. "James!" I shouted my eyes fixated on the crashing boom that was sure to burst out any moment. "Jam-," the name caught in my throat, and my body was yanked from the cold stone floor. Bella roughly tugged me to my feet.

"Edward! Move!" She thrust me towards the way we had come. We ran and I stumbled a bit, but let out a sigh when we shoved the restricted door shut. With our backs pressed against the door, I tilted my head to see her, but instead I stared into James' wide eyes.

He smiled wickedly and slanted his head slightly. "Well that was fun."



By the time we pulled into the driveway in Forks, we had gained nothing substantial in putting this puzzle together. It seemed like we ended up with more questions than answers. What could Aro want with Alice Brandon, a mere mortal? I had thought she was one of the last humans to complete his sick pentagram, but she didn't have any magic in her lineage — Jasper had made sure to check.

Carlisle called all of us into the dinning room for a meeting. He assigned Jasper and I to guard duty, never letting Alice out of out sights until we knew what was up. Oh great, a better reason to continue our mediocre education at Forks High, I grumbled to myself. Rosalie and Emmett were to get what ever information they could on any demons in the Forks area, which basically meant when they left for a 'lead' they were probably somewhere screwing like jack rabbits.

The next morning I awoke to a blaring alarm. I dragged my sorry ass out of bed and dressed quickly. I caught a glimpse of my reflection on the way out. The realization that I was going to see her today hit me for the first time. Not only could I do the sensible thing and stay clear of her, but I had to keep watch of her babbling pixie friend. Lucky me. I tried swatting my hair down because it looked like I had combed it with a pitch fork, but gave up when my efforts turned up futile.

I was antsy all through first period; I couldn't even manage to converse with the blond. All I could hear was the seconds on my watch ticking by agonizingly slow. You'd think God would have a heart, considering all the great humanitarian acts I'd done. But, no… I sat in class after class listening to the hands of time mocking me.

I let out a sigh when the last bell rang before lunch. I could feel eyes on Jasper and myself. Scorn from most of the boys and mixed reviews from the opposite sex. I sat impatiently in my chair, drumming my hands against the wood surface.

I couldn't pretend that my heart didn't skip a beat when I saw her, and of course she was with pixie. She held her books to her chest as if they were here life, and ducked her head as Brandon prattled on about something I didn't care enough to listen to. I willed her to look up, and when her eyes finally met mine I miserably failed at hiding my pleasure. I watched her intently as she walked over to a full table and Emmett clapped down three trays full of food.

"Hey, Edward, you want some of this?" he gestured. I shook my head no, but he slid a plate of stale pizza in front of me anyway. How the hell is anyone expected to eat this? I wondered taking a bite and it tasted pretty much how it looked — oil on cardboard.

"…Edward." My head snapped up in response, landing on Bella's table. I stared at her, thinking that it was her who had spoken my name. Did she know who I was? Was she waiting on me to approach her? I turned away fiercely when she dropped her gauze, her face burning. I couldn't deal with her right now; the task was protecting Brandon and that meant following as close as possible. It was going to be a long night.

The conversation at the table continued, and I commented on and off as a vice to keep my thoughts from roaming to Bella, which they did often. After minutes of debating, I finally came down to the following conclusions: One, I could not continue to ignore her. Two, Bella, or whoever, was definitely not who she seemed. Three, I would have to approach her — and soon.

"Edward, you coming?" Jasper called and I was surprised to see the cafeteria half empty. I scanned the rest of the students for Bella. Shit — I missed her.

My last period was gym, the least boring but by far the most frustrating. If I didn't have to sit for forty-five minutes of crap fest, but it was beyond frustrating completing the physical regiment without drawing too much attention, which Emmett seemed to accomplish just by walking into a room.

Class hadn't even started ten minutes, when some kid named Newton challenged Emmett to a push up competition. "sixty-one… sixty-two… sixty-three…," they counted off. The girls screamed from the bleachers and some boys shouted and hollered. I rolled my eyes at Emmett and hissed; he was always trying to show off and shit. Newton had long given up at around forty-something, but Emmett better fucking stop soon before I made his muscles cramp up. The blond, Lauren, and some other chick's name I couldn't remember, were practically screeching in my ear.

"Hey Edward." She purred. Before I could respond she not-so-subtly "tripped" into my lap. Annoyed, I rolled my eyes and pushed her off. That is why you didn't mix business with pleasure. "What the hell? Are you ignoring me?" she snorted, actually stunned. Before I could think of something smart to throw at her, the teacher, Coach Clapp blew his whistle.

"Alright, settle down!" he yelled and I almost covered my ears.

I drowned them all out my mind and focused on one thing. I closed my eyes, as he prattled on about expectation, and I concentrated on thing alone. I wondered if I could sense her? Well, it was worth a try. I hadn't actually practiced in a while so I doubted I could all of a sudden successfully sense a human. But hell, it was worth a try.

It took a while to drown out all of the other unnecessary things, like the sounds of soles against the floor, or the screeching of everyone around me. I continued to clear my head just as I had been taught until I could hear a pin drop inside me head. I thought her name a few times and then waited, but nothing felt different. Then I tried stringing images of her together but I still couldn't sense her. It was getting harder and harder to keep my focus. When I stopped, the sounds came crashing in on me and I was back to square one.

It didn't take long to find her as I rounded the corner by her locker. I should have been accustomed to seeing her, but my breath caught in my throat and I hardened the second my eyes trailed her body. She bit her lips as she shifted through her things. I battled with myself not to attack her in the hallway filled with students, innocents at that. I decided I would simply introduce myself, and then I could judge her reaction and decide whether or not she was what I'd suspected. My plan was cut short when the blond from biology purposely bumped into Bella successfully knocking the wind out of her. She landed on her ass while her books went flying. The blond snarled a comment. I could have sworn she called her a "Freak," but why the hell would anyone call her that? As beautiful as she was, and don't get me started on her…The blond scampered away and I made my move. I grabbed a text book and held it out to her.

"I think this belongs to you." I glared at her waiting for a reaction, but she wouldn't even look up to meet my eyes.

"Uh, thanks," her voice was small and soft. I still couldn't see her damn face because she wouldn't look up.

"Oh, I'm being rude, let me help you." I pushed her farther. Why the hell won't she look at me? I wondered.

I reached for the black folder the same time she did. To say that her touch electrocuted me would be like calling a bullet wound unpleasant . It fried every nerve in my body, overloading all my senses. I blinked, numbed by the moment. Her head snapped up, where I met her wide brown eyes. What - The - Hell? I stared at her dumfounded for a few seconds. Say something, I thought but the words got caught in my throat before they were even spoken. I was about to apologize before someone cleared their throat interrupting.

The tiny girl from English stood behind me. Stupid human and her superb timing. I stood and nodded once to her, still unable to find my voice. For the second time this week, I took off like a bat out of hell. It took a while for my head to start up again, and that's when I knew. There was no way she was a human…and tonight, I was going to find out.

~*~

WHAT do ya think?