It was sunny again. Bella, Leah, Seth, Jacob and their friends were hanging out by the sea. Charlie, Billy, Harry and Sue were sitting on a bench next to a parking lot above the beach. Billy turned his face towards the sun, closed his eyes and smiled - every sunny day was a day when the Cullens had to hide. It was middle of autumn and everybody was enjoying last not-so-cold days they were going to get that year, temperature was going to only decrease afterwards.
Bella and Leah were walking a little distance away from the others. Bella was sharing an idea with Leah, "What about becoming a wolf and then tormenting the whole pack with images about what was between you two?"
"Yeah, and how would I became a wolf?" asked Leah.
"I don't know. By hanging around the Cullens on purpose?"
"No, thank you."
After a while, Leah continued, "I just don't know why it happened. Why did this imprinting bullshit had to upturn our lives?"
"You know, I've been thinking..." said Bella after another while.
"Yeah?"
"Would Sam ever meet Emily if he wasn't close to you first?"
"What a hell are you saying?"
"What if you two subconsciously felt that you need to stick together for the imprint to happen? I mean, you were supposed to be friends, not a couple. Or maybe he was simply able to smell that he needs to search among your relatives to find a genetically perfect counterpart."
"That's creepy."
"Maybe. But it's something worth observing in the future. And you are better off without him anyway - you two are distantly related."
Leah rolled her eyes and responded, "Oh come on. You and your phobia."
"If your parents were related, you would have a phobia as well!"
Later that day, Bella met with Sam. He told her about his shape-shifting ability and the lore connected to it. They analysed how it worked. At one point, Sam was unable to describe, in words, the process of the actual change - what was he feeling, how he initiated it and such.
"Sam, would you agree to show me instead? In your mind?" asked Bella.
Sam seemed to be uneasy with the idea.
"I'll just look at what you'll show me, honest," added Bella when she saw his hesitation.
"Very well," agreed Sam. Bella had told him some things about organising his mind before. Sam used it to push the required thoughts to the forefront of his mind. They looked each other in the eyes and Sam said, "I'm ready."
Bella watched as Sam replayed the whole process of shape-shifting in his mind. When they broke the eye connection, Bella voiced another idea, "That was interesting. But maybe I would get better readings if you actually changed."
Sam thought about it and replied, "Why not. But my thoughts are usually all over the place during that. Wait here."
Sam left the room and Bella heard him opening wardrobes and drawers. When he returned, he was loosely wrapped in a blanket.
Bella whistled when she saw him and remarked, "I wonder how it would look like to Emily if she walked in right now."
"Shut up," snapped Sam.
They made an eye contact and Sam phased. What Bella found out was more "colourful" than a mere memory but also much more confusing.
"Have you learned anything useful?" asked Sam when he returned, fully clothed again.
"Well, it differs from what's written in the book I've brought. It's far more natural for you. I'm sure you have some werewolf blood in you."
Bella had her theories about how it really was with Taha Aki but she knew better than to share them with the others.
"Why are we even discussing this? She is just another human!" exclaimed Rosalie.
Cullens were having a meeting. About Bella.
Carlisle dryly responded to that, "Rosalie, there are humans which can't be described as "just another"."
"Half the time I can't trust what I hear from her and Alice can't see her sometimes," added Edward.
Jasper nodded and the told the others, "Something is off about the girl. My gift works on her but I suspect that she can guard her feelings as well. Most of the time I get nothing unusual from her but sometimes... sometimes it almost feels as if she was playing with us. Not to mention that there were cases in which her feelings were very different from her behaviour and her alleged thoughts."
"Playing with us?" repeated Emmett amusedly.
"I know it sounds strange," replied Jasper.
"Maybe we should leave," proposed Edward.
"Aye," agreed Jasper.
Rosalie stood up and exclaimed, "No! I don't want to move again!"
"Rosalie, calm down," said Carlisle to her and then turned to Edward. "How are you handling your thirst?"
"I'm fine, she is still using that perfume. But she will run out one day and if she can't remember how she made it..."
"Have you tried to find out more from her?" asked Esme.
"Yes. I didn't learn anything though."
"Well, we could take a sample and analyse it," proposed Rosalie.
Carlisle considered it for a moment and then said, "Very well. Try to get in her bag or locker and take some of that solution. Make sure that you aren't seen."
Getting the sample proved to be more difficult than they expected. The perfume wasn't in her locker and there weren't many opportunities to get in her bag. Only Edward shared a class with her.
He made his move after that class. Bella turned her back to him when she was collecting her books. Edward quickly reached in her bag where he smelled the perfume but Bella suddenly turned back. He quickly pulled his hand back but she saw him nonetheless.
"What are you doing?" snapped Bella.
"Excuse me?" asked Edward.
"You were taking something from my bag!"
"No, I was just shifting it out of my way."
Bella took the bag and looked inside. Everything seemed to be in place and nothing was added. She put her books in the bag and told Edward to stay out of her things. She glared at him and left.
And so, Edward and Alice found themselves in the part of the town where Bella lived that night. As they approached, Alice saw the fluctuation again. She had been seeing it during the evening ever since they had decided to break in Bella's house.
They approached the spot where it was supposed to take place and waited for a while. They glanced at each other and stepped forward. Both of them looked around but it seemed that nothing happened. Moreover, Alice's vision cleared. They just shrugged their shoulders and continued.
However, something did happen. Bella stirred in her sleep and then quickly woke up and jumped from her bed. "Shit, they are coming after all!" she thought.
"She's awake," thought Alice to Edward when they arrived to the house.
"I know, she needs to use a toilet," hissed Edward back. Then he asked, "Why didn't you see it earlier?"
"She wasn't awake before, nor was she going to wake up," answered Alice.
Inside, Bella waited for an attack. When it didn't came, she realized that she needed to live up to her thoughts and headed towards the bathroom. Not wanting to be caught while taking a leak, she just turned the water on and splashed her face.
In the meantime, Alice and Edward scaled the wall and got in Bella's room. They quickly located the perfume and took a sample. They were gone again in a few seconds.
Later, Bella carefully returned to her room. Then she looked around the house. She was somewhat confused and couldn't fathom why they came at all.
She went to her room again and quickly inspected it. Her "perfume" was one of the first things she checked and learned that there was less of it. She contemplated if it was going to be a problem. Then she found out that one of her dirty socks was missing. "Dammit! Now they have my scent," thought Bella and envisioned Edward giving the sock to a bunch of bloodthirsty vampires.
In the meantime, Alice and Edward ran back to the house.
"You took her sock!" exclaimed Alice as they were running.
"Yes, I need to desensitize myself to her scent," replied Edward and sniffed at it.
"Ugh! Not in front of me, it's thoroughly repulsive. And why you didn't take both of them? Do you know what a nuisance it is to have an odd sock?"
Edward laughed and answered, "That's the beauty of it - taking both socks would be suspicious since you don't loose a whole pair often. However, misplacing one of the pair isn't anything unusual."
They arrived home and handed Carlisle the sample.
"Why do I smell Bella here?" asked Rosalie.
"Edward stole her sock," answered Alice and ignored Edward's glare.
Emmett loudly laughed at that and said, "Way to go, Eddie-boy!"
"Shut it Emmett!" growled Edward and went to his room to sniff at his loot.
"Maybe you have a fetish for feet and socks? I guess there is something about it," continued Emmett and dropped to the floor to sniff at Rosalie's shoes.
In the meantime, Carlisle opened the vial with the sample and held it to his nose. He managed to detect some of the basic components and residual reagents but the majority of the composition remained unknown to him. Chemical tests did not reveal much more.
When Edward and Bella met the following day at school, he was able to tell that she was tense about something. When he asked, she answered, "I'm missing a sock. The thing is, I haven't misplaced it, it just disappeared. Almost as if somebody stole it."
"Don't be ridiculous Bella, why would anybody steal a sock from you?"
"To irritate me? I've been searching for it the whole morning and I'm going to keep searching for in the afternoon until I find it!"
Edward swallowed a little of venom and proposed, "You know, that's probably a waste of time..."
Bella interrupted him, "I'm just kidding. At least I'll have something to tell the girls at La Push today."
"Do you think they would find it interesting? Maybe..."
"Yes, definitely. Look at how worked up you got over that stupid sock."
When Billy heard what happened, he came with an idea, "Well, I think it's time to call Carlisle again." He chuckled at the idea of prodding him again.
Billy called the hospital again and asked for Dr. Cullen.
"Why the hell does he keep ambushing me here when I'm alone?" thought Carlisle and considered refusing the call but then he told the receptionist to patch it through.
"What do you want again?" asked Carlisle instead of a greeting.
"Why did you stole Bella Swan's sock? What do you need her scent for?" asked Billy in a threatening voice.
"I have no idea what are you talking about."
Carlisle was shocked, Edward had stolen the ruddy sock just previous night!
"Don't play with me. I heard that Bella Swan said that on of her socks disappeared and that somebody broke into her room. I know it was you."
Carlisle thought about a best way to solve the situation. Then he replied, "Mr. Black, we can't keep discussing such things over this line. We don't know who is listening here at the hospital. Could you give me your number?"
"Sure," replied Billy, dictated it and hung up.
Carlisle called him from his cellphone right away and said, "I admit, my son stole the sock. Bella sits next to him at school. When a human is that close to one of us due to circumstances and smells good, it's more comfortable for us to get used to his or her scent."
"Very well. Remember that we are watching you. Except when you are on a toilet. No, wait a minute - you don't need..." said Billy but Carlisle pressed the cancel button.
Bella and Billy looked at each other and Bella said, "So, if what he said can be trusted, I smell better then others for some reason. But only to Edward, since others don't have such a reaction to me."
"What are you going to do?" asked Billy.
"Well, I've decided to meet then halfway since they already have my sock and can take a chair I've been sitting at from the school any time they want for that matter."
"How?"
"I'll give Edward another piece of clothing. But this time, I'm going to track it. At least for a week."
Carlisle and others continued with more advanced analysis of the stolen sample that day but with no results.
Next day after their shared class, Bella gave Edward a plastic bag.
"I've got something for you," she told him.
Inside was an old, big shirt. Edward raised an eyebrow in a question.
"Somebody at La Push advised me to give it you when I told them that you have a problem with my scent. And yes, I do realize that it's a bit creepy."
"You told them about the whole smell thing? That will only feed their paranoia."
"Relax, they don't take it seriously, they just like pushing you. I think."
Bella collected her books and told Edward before she left, "I expect the shirt and the sock back. And I expect no more of my clothing to disappear."
Edward was left staring after her, dumbfounded. When he and his siblings got home from school that day, he went to his room right away and took Bella's shirt from the bag. After a while of sniffing at it, he took his own off and replaced it with Bella's.
Edward was so distracted that he didn't even notice Emmett approaching until he stuck his head in his room and teased him, "So you're switching clothes with each other now?"
Rosalie did not take the whole thing with such mirth. She was furious because Edward had generated so much heat and attention with his stunt. The fact that they used up the whole sample of Bella's perfume and did not became any wiser about it's composition not to mention production didn't raise her mood.
There was some tension between Bella and Edward for the rest of the week. It was relaxed though at the beginning of next week when Edward brought Bella's things back and she gave him something new. She also started to apply the perfume less than before. Edward couldn't believe that Bella didn't find the whole arrangement weird. Jasper detected some suspicions at first but those dissipated soon.
When things settled, Bella started to plot a new way to rattle Edward's cage. She got a great idea after some time but she needed Quileutes' approval first. She drove to La Push at the first opportunity and told them about her plan.
"What kind of dumb idea is this? Why should we do this at all?" asked Billy sternly.
"Because I'm bored and I want to amuse myself by perplexing the Cullens?" answered Bella innocently.
That wasn't true - Bella never did anything without a reason. Her statement raised a series of shouts from the others.
Bella sighed and pleaded with them, "Oh come on. It might speed things up for the candidates that aren't changing yet. And it will be a chance to learn more about them and what they want. Like they say: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
"And who says that we want to speed up anything?" snapped Harry.
Billy didn't second that, it would fill him with great pride if his son phased, and so he just said, "Also, the mind reader could uncover us."
"I would teach you how to prevent that. And those who would have problems would go somewhere away for a while."
Billy smirked. He thought that if Bella wanted to teach them, then they were talking about something that was half a year away - a half a year in which Bella would surely forget about the whole thing or possibly leave. However, when he voiced this, Bella corrected his estimate.
"One month at max, probably sooner," she said.
"What?" shouted several people at once.
"How much could you possible teach us in that time-frame?" asked Harry.
"Oh come on, I've already explained the basics to you and his talent isn't very powerful. On a side note, I'm glad that you are accepting my plan on a principle, now I just need to convince you that it can be done so soon," replied Bella.
Others were slightly dumbfounded at how they got sidetracked and told Bella once again to forget the whole thing. That was however something that Bella wasn't willing to do. If she succeeded, the Cullens' reaction would be interesting to watch and it would be a great opportunity to bring Edward out of his shell. Also, as a side effect, she would do something healthy for Charlie.
Bella started her plan the following week by subtly asking Charlie about his diet while he was at work. She wanted to know where and what he was having for a lunch and what snacks was he eating.
"Oh come on Bella! Do I control what do you eat at school?" exclaimed Charlie.
"No, because there's no need to. When did you have your cholesterol checked the last time?" opposed Bella.
She already suspected the answer - Billy told her that Charlie wasn't taking a very good care about himself in the past seventeen years.
"That's my business. Why do you want to know?"
"Because I'm your daughter?" hissed Bella in reply. That stopped her in her tracks for a moment and she went upstairs. She herself didn't know what actually angered her - Charlie's stubbornness or the fact that she slipped and called herself his daughter.