Disclaimer: Still not mine…

If I've overlooked grammatical errors and such, I apologize. I was kind of too tired to read through this whole thing again. Anyways, I know I've still left a lot of questions unanswered, and believe me, I want to answer them. But try to be patient, and all will become clear soon. ( :

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I had spent most of my first school night restlessly pacing my room, racking my brain for reasons as to why my half-dreams were changing. All I could come up with was that they were different ever since I moved to Forks, they did not appear to have a specific trigger, and I couldn't snap out of them until they were over. Pathetic. Leave it to me to still have nightmares when I physically couldn't sleep any more.

The second day of school went by remarkably slowly – class went by in a daze and the human voices around me seemed to fade to a dull whisper. I kept my head down as much as possible, in the hopes I would attract less attention than yesterday. Sometimes I wished that, instead of getting amazing self-control as a newborn gift, I had gotten the power of invisibility. It seemed as though the harder I tried to avoid the scrutiny of the public eye, the easier I got myself noticed. But I guess that's what happens when you're a seventeen-year-old newborn vampire who desperately wants to ignore the human race and get ignored by them. You can't have your cake and avoid eating it, too.

And so the staring and whispers behind my back – and sometimes in front of it – began. Walking down the hallway, I often caught a few "creep"'s and the occasional "freak show". Oh, how lovely it is to be blessed with supernatural hearing. Somehow, in the 48 hours since I had first stepped onto this campus, I had accumulated both a fan club in the male department and an enemy in the girl's section. Apparently, I had crossed the line the moment I became "friends" with Mike Newton. Lauren and Jessica had probably congregated with a huge angry female mob in the girl's locker room, plotting my assassination as I trudged, disgruntled, to my locker to meet Angela. If only they knew I could rip their heads off whenever I damn well pleased – that would really shut them up.

I remembered with a sudden pique of interest that lunchtime meant we would go to the cafeteria, and the cafeteria meant I would once again see – and smell – the mysterious Cullen family, which would hopefully lead me to draw more conclusions as to why their scent both calmed and infuriated me. Since yesterday, my urge to discover the truth behind their beautiful, porcelain exterior had only grown stronger. I began walking beside Angela across the quad with a new vigor, anxious to see them again.

To my utter disappointment, their table was empty and their scent was gone. They were all gone. The excited fire that had burned through my senses was extinguished at once, leaving only a charred remnant that could only be described as frustration. I needed them to be here. An inexplicable level of anger started to boil in the pit of my stomach. I wanted that scent back. As much as I despised it, I suddenly realized I was beginning to feel attached to the smell. Which meant I was beginning to feel attached to the Cullens. My nostrils flared with my suppressed fury, vision going a blazing shade of red. Including that gorgeous, hateful Edward Cullen.

Later that night, I had padded down the staircase of Charlie's home and walked by the kitchen door in search for my copy of Wuthering Heights. I paused at the doorway when I heard my name being whispered by Charlie. I pressed my ear to the closed door to the kitchen and listened. He sounded to be on the phone with someone, and it was clear he was making an effort to speak quietly, so I only caught pieces of his conversation.

"Yes, Billy, I am aware… no, I realized that… I hardly think she would… as long as she stays out of La Push for the time being, I don't think… okay… okay, I'll see to it that she does. Goodnight, Billy."

I darted silently from the door back up to my room as Charlie hung up the phone. Shutting the door behind me, I sat on the edge of my bed and rubbed my temples with my eyes shut. I couldn't imagine why Billy wanted me away from La Push. Maybe he thought I was a threat after all. But why had he specifically told Charlie that I was to stay out of La Push?

A pounding headache began to throb through my brain and I decided it was high time I got outside to clear my head. I jumped up from my bed, and in one swift movement, had opened my unlocked window and landed outside in the cool late-night air. I ran into the dark forest, not stopping to for a breath until I had cleared a few miles. I stopped and leaned against the rough bark of a tall oak, sighing deeply and sliding my back down to its base. And then I froze. And inhaled again.

There it was. The smell. It had returned to me, seeping through the still air of the night and capturing my senses once again. I became instantly alert due to two things: one, the presence of the scent, and two, the strange feeling that I was being watched. My golden eyes, devoid of the contacts I routinely wore to school every day, darted from left to right, searching through the dark and surrounding trees. I yearned with every fiber of my body to lunge forward and chase down the scent until I had found its owner. But I didn't, in fear that if I did, it would be gone as quickly as it had come.

"H-hello?" I breathed into the deadened hush of the forest. No answer.

I almost at once felt both embarrassed and furious at my rash behavior. What was I even doing out here? I came out here to clear my head, and now I'm freaking talking to myself. Nice going, Bella. I got up abruptly and sped back to Charlie's, my vision in an enraged haze of red, not sparing the night's events another thought until I was safely back into my room, window locked firmly behind me. It took me several minutes to minimally calm down from my second flash of temper of the day. The red in my line of sight was draining even slower than last time.

What is going on with me? Why am I getting so angry at such stupid things? First I get pissed because I couldn't smell it, and now I'm irate because I did. This didn't make any sense. And where the hell did that scent come from?

I threw myself facedown onto my bed and tugged at my hair with frustration. I was too confused and angry to even begin to question what had just happened. For the rest of the night I paced my room back and forth, never shaking the feeling that I was still being watched.

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By the time Wednesday rolled around, I was exhausted already. It had been another long morning and I was feeling pretty crappy. I hadn't been able to concentrate on anything since my encounter in the woods last night, and it was taking a serious drain on my patience. Sitting down at my desk fourth period, I lowered my head to its cold wooden surface with a disgruntled sigh. One more period and then it would be lunch, and I could find those damned Cullens and their damn smell that drew me in like an insect to a spider web. God, I felt like shit today.

I hadn't gotten a moment's peace when I felt a rough tap on my head. I looked up sharply into the grinning face of Mike Newton, who had taken his seat in front of me, swiveled around in his chair to face me. I grumbled a little under my breath. Today was just not my day.

"Didn't catch any Z's last night, Bella?" Mike chuckled. I smiled bitterly at the very notion and laughed in spite of myself. Ha. Z's. As if.

Pleased that he had gotten some form of emotion out of me, he straightened up in his seat and leaned closer to me with confidence. "So, Bella. Me and a bunch of people in our grade, and some of the La Push kids are going to have a small get-together on Friday down at the La Push beach. A bonfire, if you will," he added with a mischievous grin. "You in or are you in?"

La Push. The very place Charlie and Billy Black did not want me to go. I tapped my pencil against my chin thoughtfully. If I went, Jacob Black would most likely be there, and maybe I could get some answers about why I wasn't wanted there out of him. And maybe, just maybe, the Cullens would be there too and I'd get some real answers.

Mike took note of my thoughtful expression. "Angela, Jessica, and Lauren will be there too," he chided. "Come on, Bella, it's going to be a great time."

I nodded slowly. "All right, Mike. I'll go."

He gave me a wide grin before turning back around. "Fantastic. We'll pick you up at six."

By the time Angela and I had walked into the cafeteria, I was nearly bouncing with anticipation to find the smell again, but was effectively shut down when I saw that the Cullens weren't at their table. Again. I took a deep breath to swallow the oncoming anger and sat down in a huff at the table. I made a point glower at the Cullens' empty table again before I turned to talk with Angela.

She must have seen my death glare towards it, because she glanced once at their table before looking at me with light amusement in her eyes. "They miss a lot of school, especially on days with nice weather like today. I think their dad takes them backpacking up in the mountains or something." I shrugged, trying to look indifferent. I didn't want Angela to suspect I had a weird crush on one of the Cullens. Especially not that Edward jerk.

I sulked for the rest of the day, trying to push thoughts of La Push and the Cullens out of my head. I was lying flat on my back on my bed when Charlie got home.

"How's school going, Bells?" he asked, leaning against my doorframe. I groaned and rolled to the side, staring through my closed window into the dark of night. "'S fine," I mumbled.

"You got any plans for Friday?" he tried to ask casually, a hint of anxiety underlying in his tone. I was attuned to this tone by now. Billy must have told him about the bonfire on Friday.

"I think I'm going to Port Angeles with my friend Angela to catch a movie or something," I said nonchalantly. "She's going to come by and pick me up at… oh, probably around six."

Charlie looked relieved. "That sounds fun. Just don't plan on coming home too late, all right? I don't want you roaming about after dark."

I snorted at the last part. Not like I have anything to be afraid of now. I'm a vampire, for god's sake.

Charlie went downstairs and I went to go to the bathroom to wash my face and get ready for bed. Not that I really needed to, of course, but purely out of habit. Five minutes later, I came back and sat in my desk, cross-legged in my chair, and flicked through a few pages of my Biology textbook. As I scanned through them with disinterest, I noticed my copy of Wuthering Heights was sitting beside it. I was wondering where that went. Charlie must have found it and put it here, I figured. I shivered a little as a gust of air breezed through my window, so I got up and shut it – I could've sworn this thing was closed before. I growled and mentally slapped myself for being so paranoid. I was beginning to feel like I really did deserve my "freak show" label at school after all.

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Thursday: No Cullens. Again. I was furious.

Friday morning I had a strange feeling as I went to the bathroom to put in my stupid blue contacts. I almost felt it coming as my finger was poised over my eye, contact in hand, when the trance hit.

I was in a different part of the woods this time, unfamiliar, but not the same as the woods by the white house. And this time I was walking slowly down a trail in the blackest hour of the night. I felt my way down the path, tripping on roots and rocks, following a scent I had caught what seemed like years ago. And then I found its owner – a beautiful, white owl perched on a tree towering above me. It fluttered down close to me, its silky feathers nearly grazing my skin as I took off in a full sprint, trying to put as much distance between myself and that owl as I could. But as I strained every muscle in my body to run as fast as I could, the owl got impossibly closer and then swooped down in front of me, rendering me frozen as I stared into its deep, golden eyes…

I fell back against the tile of the bathroom wall, scrabbling for balance as I came out of my dizzy half-dream. Surprisingly, I did not feel frightened or upset as I scrabbled to pick up my blue contact off the floor. Because although I knew it wasn't really there, the scent emanated in my memory and made me calm. I got up to put both contacts in, and smoothed the hair out of my face. Today was going to be different. I already knew.

I went through the first four periods of school in silent anticipation of seeing the Cullens again. During third period I had spoken with Angela about the La Push bonfire scheduled for later and how I was a little nervous to be around all the new people. She nodded with understanding, and said she thought I would really like the La Push group, and how much she liked them, describing them as "friendly, loyal, and good-hearted people." She giggled a little as she spoke of how her friend Seth Clearwater was no exception, although he tended to follow his friends around closely, as if they were some sort of pack. I laughed at this, picturing Jacob Black being this way as well. I could definitely see that.

I was giddy with excitement when the bell finally rang to go to lunch. I managed to suppress most of my overflowing energy as I walked towards the cafeteria with Angela. I gave up on even trying to mask my excitement when I caught the smell, and I practically ran inside.

And there they were. The Cullens sat huddled in their corner table, talking amongst themselves as I sat down in my usual seat, hands almost shaking as I set down a few of my books. I breathed in their scent deeply and turned to glance in their direction. I wasn't surprised that he was staring, but I was absolutely taken aback when I realized Edward Cullen's eyes were not the angry charcoal they had been on Monday. They were, without a doubt, the same shade of liquid topaz that mine were, minus the slight red undertone I had not quite shaken from my newborn appearance. I was completely frozen. Is that a normal eye color for humans?

What was even more shocking, however, was that the icy glare he had so hatefully cast towards me on Monday was also gone. It was replaced by a bright, curious gaze that didn't break when I returned it with my own wide-eyed stare. And for a second, the scent, the humans, and everything around me just dissolved. Staring into each other's eyes, it was electric. Had it been beating, my heart would have spontaneously combusted right then and there. With his smoldering golden eyes boring into my own, I simply… melted.

The rest of the cafeteria atmosphere all but disappeared as I reveled in the scent and presence of the Cullens. It was entirely different this time – I had no desire to eliminate them, and I didn't feel angry or even particularly calm. I was simply drawn to them. But before I knew it, the bell rang and everyone got up to return to class. Dazedly, I gathered my things and nearly floated to Biology.

To my disdain, Mike Newton approached my table within ten seconds of me walking into the classroom. Taking the empty seat next to me, he began babbling enthusiastically and I stared aimlessly past him out the window, willing him to go away as soon as humanly possible. And like magic, a velvety voice behind me addressed Mike.

"Excuse me, I believe you're in my seat."

We both turned around simultaneously and I had to make a conscious effort to keep my jaw from dropping. Edward Cullen stood two feet away from us, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he bored into Mike's eyes with an icy glare. Mike recoiled at that and mumbled a "Sorry, man" before slinking back to his seat.

Edward pulled up the stool beside me and sat down, turning to face me. "Hello, I'm Edward Cullen," his deep, musical voice resonating in my head as he offered me his hand. "I don't believe we've met."

I simply stared at him, dumbstruck. He was even more beautiful up close – if that was possible. His messy, bronze hair framed his perfectly chiseled features flawlessly, his full, almost red lips offsetting with his pale skin. His topaz eyes burned into mine as I barely choked out, "Bella Swan," and took his hand to shake it.

I gasped and pulled my hand back sharply, eyes widening as I stared at his hand. That was no typical human temperature. It was ice cold, just like mine. Could it be…?

No. No, that's impossible, I thought frantically as my faux-blue eyes searched his. He did not falter at my sudden gesture, merely smiling at me and returning his attention to the teacher.

I took a deep breath and did the same, gripping the undersides of my stool as I struggled to recompose myself. But of course, breathing was a mistake. Because he just smelled so different. Not appetizing, not repulsive, just different. And it drew me to him so strongly it was almost painful. I ground my teeth together and exhaled for what was hopefully the last time until I got the hell out of here.

My stool was probably suffering more than I was, and realizing my mistake, I quickly smoothed whatever was left of the wooden underside, kicking the splintered pieces under the desk. I tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying, but his voice was faint. My confusion was overriding all my senses.

"Bella?"

My head whipped up and I turned to see Edward standing up and looking at me with subtle amusement. I realized the bell must have rung, because mostly everyone had already left the classroom. If I had been able to, I would've blushed bright red. I hadn't even noticed everyone get up and go.

I bit my lip in embarrassment as he picked up my backpack from the floor and handed it to me. "Thanks," I muttered as I stuffed my books in and hastily got up and fled the classroom, not daring to look back.

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After school, I was still in a confused daze as I walked across the parking lot to my car.

There's got to be a logical explanation for all this.

I stared at my outstretched palm that Edward had touched what seemed like ages ago.

Maybe he had just been holding something really cold. Like a water bottle. With ice. Or maybe ice cream. Or an ice pack. Yeah, that must have been it. And maybe he smells so different because he's wearing some kind of incredibly strong cologne… or maybe he…

I didn't have time to complete that thought, because my sharpened senses instantly alerted me of danger. I heard it before I saw it. Tires screeched, right next to my ear and I whipped around and put my right hand protectively out in front of me. The truck's bumper came in contact with my raised palm, producing a big, hand-shaped dent in its silvery exterior. The weight of the car pushing me barely moved me back an inch, but I knew there were people who were watching, so I fell back with mock-impact. And then there were panicked voices all around me.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Tyler Crowley got out of his truck, his hand pressed against his bleeding forehead, and bounded towards me, stopping a foot away. "I'm so sorry, I was backing out and I didn't see you! Jesus Christ, are you hurt?"

I nodded slowly. "I'm fine." Tyler stared at me with shocked eyes. "Really, it's okay. I just... um, hit my head a little. I'll be fine." I glared at the handprint on his bumper and, in a movement only someone supernaturally gifted could see, I smoothed out the finger-like dents. I looked up to glower at the gathering crowd.

And then I saw him. Edward Cullen was leaning against his silver Volvo, across the parking lot, hands in his pockets, watching as people crowded around me. But he was staring right into my eyes again with the same, mesmerizing, golden force. And something told me he had seen the whole thing. And maybe I was just hallucinating and I had really hit my head after all, but I swear to god he was smiling.

I didn't have time to react, because some idiot called the paramedics and before I knew it, I was whisked away into an ambulance with Tyler and carted to the nearby hospital. Charlie was going to have a freaking ulcer when he hears about this.

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A/N: I know, this seemed like a bad place to end the chapter to me, too. But I kind of felt like it was getting too long. I have the next several chapters outlined and such and I will try to get another one up by tomorrow night.

Reviews make me write faster!