School proved as uneventful as Alice had predicted. I kept tabs on Bella Swan through the eyes of others but nothing out of the ordinary happened. The girl seemed unusually quiet. She largely ignored her classmates and seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. Occasionally a small smile would whisper about her lips as though she were laughing to herself. I wondered what was funny.

At lunch I almost killed Mike Newton. As usual, I was with my family at our table casually pretending to eat while really ease dropping on Bella. The conversation at her table was desultory at best and centered around some minor scandal that had occurred in gym. Bella seemed distracted. Or maybe she just thought the topic was as boring as I did. I stopped paying close attention, only jumping from mind to mind occasionally, which is how Mike Newton's intentions took me by surprise. Fortunately Jasper felt my emotional upheaval in time to grab me and hold me forcibly in my seat until I could calm down. I destroyed the chair I was sitting on but Alice came through for me and removed the evidence before anyone ever knew about it.

"I think it would be fun to get out of town tonight and go see a Movie in Port Angeles. I heard Mike ask the girl. We could get some dinner too...."

Mike had become newly emboldened by his meeting with Bella yesterday at the store. Enough to ask her out in front of all their friends. Inexplicably his invitation sparked a bizarre range of emotions in me. Anger? Shock? Despair? I couldn't define my own reaction but I definitely caught Jasper's attention with the intensity of it.

However, it was really the mental image accompanying the invitation that almost ended Mike Newton's life. Mike had more plans that he wasn't verbalizing for after the movie. Those plans he pictured vividly in his mind and they involved the backseat of his car. My anger spiraled out of control. How dare he think about her like that!? It was then that Jasper had clamped down on me. I was so distracted by Mike Newton that I hadn't even registered his intent. Jasper threw a virtual wall of calm my way and I was able to regain enough control to stop struggling. I realized that Jasper and I had attracted some attention so we tried to play the moment off as some friendly family horseplay. The entire group of freshman sitting at the table next to ours got up and left the lunch room anyway.

"That's a great idea Mike." I heard Bella reply. "Who all wants to go?"

I felt instantly better. Leave it to Mike Newton to word an invitation so awkwardly that the recipient didn't realize she was being asked out. Or did she I wondered? Bella was clever enough to take advantage of his mistake if she didn't want to go on a date with him. Again I wished I could read her mind.

What was that? Jasper demanded silently at my side. He was mentally going over the "incident" as he termed it, and cataloging the shocking array of emotions I had experienced in the last half minute.

"I'm sorry Jasper." I replied humbly. "And...thank you." I added awkwardly.

Bella's friends had become involved in discussing who could go and it seemed that there little trip was rapidly becoming something of an event. I listened overly interested as they decided all the details of the outing. I really hoped Jasper wasn't going to question me any further. I had no idea what had just happened to me. I didn't understand the primary emotion Jasper finally pinpointed in me either. Jealousy.

____

In science we were again given the last few minutes to work on our project. Bella and I were pretty much at the point that the only thing left to do was actually assemble the machine....which was pretty good considering we had over a month to complete the project. Bella had surprised me today by being openly friendly when I had came in. She had a look of suppressed laughter as she greeted me. Was she laughing at me? Why? I pondered the mystery throughout class.

"So how do you want to do this?" Bella asked me in her best down to business voice that I was becoming familiar with. "Did you bring the equipment?"

I smiled a little as I realized our odds and ends supplies had now been elevated to equipment. "No." I answered. "I think it would be better to build the machine outside of school."

Bella considered this for a moment. "Your right" she agreed, nodding seriously. "We are going to need more precise tools than any that will be available here."

That wasn't really my concern but I let the excuse stand. "Could we meet sometime at your house to finish the assignment?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure it was a good idea for me to be alone with the girl. I felt a little more in control everyday but I knew that wasn't saying much.

"I can't invite you to my house." Bella replied making an odd choking noise that sounded like she was trying to swallow laughter as she answered. "Charlie would kill me."

I was perplexed. I could tell that she was completely serious. But for some reason it was funny too. Why didn't Charlie want me in their home? Was it because I'm a boy? That certainly would have been unacceptable in my time but rules had relaxed a great deal since those days. "I could bring Alice." I offered. That was probably a good idea anyway.

Bella made the choking laugh noise again. She looked like she was strangling on the held back laughter and her eyes were twinkling like mad. "None of you are invited to my house." she said a bit unsteadily. "Gender is irrelevant."

"You aren't allowed to have friends over?" I asked feeling a little sorry for the girl and still confused about why it would be funny.

"You can't come to my house Edward." she replied a little more seriously, sidestepping my question. "Where else would you like to meet?"

I considered my home as a possibility but rejected the idea immediately. Come to think of it my family would probably kill me too if I brought Bella home. How ironic. "I'm not sure." I replied a little lamely.

Bella gave me an appraising look. "Well lets both think about it. I would like to get this thing done."

The bell rang ending class. Bella shot me a swift smile, a slight wave, and was out the door. I wondered how watching her leave could both relieve me and depress me so much at the same time. I hate attending school. How ridiculous that the highlight of my day was quickly becoming my physical science class.

I watched Bella during her last class through the medium of Mike Newton's mind. She and Newton were partnered together playing badminton. Newton was spending a lot more of his time watching Bella than the birdie. I laughed out loud at one point when it hit him squarely in the forehead. Emmet who was sitting next to me in Spanish raised an eyebrow but fortunately didn't question me any further. Towards the end of class Mike began considering how he might put some of his less appropriate plans for his evening with Bell into action, despite the crowd going with them to Port Angeles. This made me angry but I didn't loose control again. Instead, I decided to go to the movies that night myself. Someone needed to keep an eye on that deviant.

Driving home I realized that Alice had seen my decision and was now considering one of her own. Can I come? She asked excited.

I looked into the rear-view mirror and slowly lowered my eyes signaling to Alice that I would take her with me. She then decided to ask Jasper to come as well. I rolled my eyes at her. This was escalating as quickly as Newton's "date" had. But why not? In reality I preferred going with my family over going by myself. It didn't feel so...weird.

_______________________________

I was surprised by the movie choice until I heard the rationalization for it in Mike Newton's head. He had chosen a monster flick claiming that he should get to pick the movie because it had been his idea to come in the first place. He was secretly hopping that Bella would be scared during the show and turn to him for comfort. Really was that the best he could come up with? How cliché.

Alice, Jasper and I sat in the very back of the theater. Alice grumbled a little about this complaining that you only heard the best acoustics when sitting in the middle, but I was adamant. If possible, I preferred not to be seen by Bella or any of her friends.

The movie was terrible. Laughable even. Or it would have been if I wasn't having to endure the sight of Mike Newton trying to cozy up to Bella Swan. The ridiculous child had used every trick in the book. He had even tried stretching and then placing his arm over her shoulders. Bella herself was cringed to the far corner edge of her chair. I was certain that if she moved so much as an inch she was going to fall off her seat all together. I desperately wanted to take this boy outback and show him what a real monster looked like. I would love to watch him cringe back the same way he had Bella doing.

The movie was about half over. Newton was trying another lame trick when Bella finally decided that she had had enough. "I need to go to the restroom" she announced and rushed out of the theater.

Twenty minutes later she hadn't come back...and I was getting agitated. "I will go check on her." Alice finally offered. She had a mental image of Bella in the bathroom sobbing. I was horrified by the idea that Mike could have done that to her but after thinking about it I decided the image was off. I imagined it more likely that Bella would be in the bathroom raging. That thought made me smile.

I tuned out of Alice's mind as she entered the ladies room feeling it would be ungentlemanly of me to follow her in there---so I was surprised a minute later to hear her calling me from outdoors. Edward she practically yelled in my head. Shes left. She isn't in the building and her scent leads outside. I motioned for Jasper to follow me and we silently left quickly joining Alice in the parking lot.

After a quick discussion (mostly to fill Jasper in) the three of us began tracking Bella. The theater was located at the end of the downtown area of Port Angeles. The quaint tourist trap quickly melded into a dirty industrial area on this side of town. It seemed unlikely that anything could have happened to the girl. Port Angeles is a relatively safe community. Most likely blowing off steam I imagined – but still I was anxious to find her. I was surprised by how far Bella had been able to get in such a short time. Had she been running?

The streets were mostly deserted. It was cold, and late for a week night. I was sweeping the few minds I did come in contact with, but none of them had noticed the girl. It was then that I heard it and I felt chilled to the bone. There were four men and they had herded her into a back street and were prepared to attack. Three of them were drunk. Their minds were muddled and they were a little confused about what was happening. They were blindly following the fourth man who had promised them a little fun. The fourth mans mind was on par with the ones that I had hunted during my rebellious years. It was vile. A cess pool. Bella wasn't his first victim either, I could see in his mind the broken bodies of other girls he had done this to. Were going to be too late I thought frantically as one of the men grabbed at her arm ripping her sleeve. I didn't bother to explain the situation to Alice and Jasper. No. Not her I thought as I put on a burst of speed leaving Alice and Jasper behind.

Something had happened. I wasn't getting any coherent thoughts anymore just blinding pain. I was horrified to think that after wishing all week that I could hear the girls thoughts that the first thoughts of hers I may be privy to were the ones proceeding her death. I sped even faster focusing all my energy on running. Bella's trail led about two miles away into a dimly lit dead-end alley. I ran the distance in a matter of seconds--record time even for me. When I got to Bella I stopped dead. I was definitely not seeing the sight I had been dreading. While I stood there gaping Jasper and Alice caught up with me.

Bella was standing calmly in the center of the four men who were strung about her on the road in various unnatural positions. She seemed unconcerned with the men but was instead examining the tear on her shirt sleeve with an irritated crease between her eyebrows. Three of the men were moaning. They were in pain, but not seriously injured. The other man, the ring leader, was completely still. I knew he wasn't dead. I could hear his heartbeat....but it was faint. His body lay twisted and limp on the street and he was covered in his own blood. In fact there was blood everywhere. None of it was Bella's though. I would have known that instantly. It was surreal to see the attacker lying so broken in the street. He looked almost exactly like one of his own victims did when he was finished with them.

"We need to get out of here." Alice gasped beside me. Jasper was quickly becoming overwhelmed by all the blood.

"Go." I commanded seeing Jasper's plight. Alice wheeled and half drug Jasper away. She headed directly out of town into the forest. She wasn't taking any chances with Jasper being near humans until he had hunted. See you at home she thought as they disappeared.

I melted into the side of the building out of sight but still watching. I was surprised that the blood wasn't affecting me more—but even free-flowing the mans blood had nothing on Bella's. Bella gingerly stepped over the men. She looked for a moment as though she was going to leave but instead stood with her eyes closed muttering to herself. Finally she took out her cell phone and I listened as she dialed 911 and gave the authorities directions to the men. She then began a gentle loping jog back to the theater. I followed covertly behind assuring that she made it back safe. I really wasn't sure what it was I was keeping her safe from. My mind felt fuzzy, vacant. It refused to think about what I had just witnessed. Could a vampire go into shock? It seemed that I was more likely to at the moment than Bella was.

Bella joined her friends outside the theater. The movie had let out about ten minutes before and her friends had been looking for her. I quickly ducked into my car and jerked out of the parking lot jumping to full speed within minutes. I drove home on auto-pilot.

--------------

Just outside of Forks another first for me occurred. I had wanted to meet Chief Swan--Bella's uncle. Find out what I could from him about his niece. But I hadn't planned on getting pulled over by him. Or anyone else for that matter. Ever.

I had been doing about 120 down the highway. I never worry about speeding. Mind reading works like a built in radar system, I hear cops long before I get anywhere near them. But I didn't hear anything from Charlie's mind which is why the flashing lights from behind took me completely by surprise.

"Whats the hurry?" Chief Swan asked shining a flashlight into my eyes. "Do you know how fast you were going?"

"Pretty fast Sir." I said in my best straight A, honor role, upstanding citizen voice while hanging my head in a show of humility and shame.

"Will you please step out of the car?" He asked unimpressed.

For a moment I considered flooring it, but instead I did as he asked. Almost everyone in my family had had an indiscretion at some point and we had moved for just about everyone (except Carlisle) at least once. My family accepted these moves and dealt with them as best they could. However, if I forced my family to move over a speeding violation there was a good chance Rosalie would rip my head off. Besides I didn't want to make any worse an impression on Chief Swan than I already had.

Chief Swan proceeded to give me a sobriety test. I walked a straight line in pinpoint precision back and forth twice, recited the alphabet backwards flawlessly, and touched fingertip to nose perfectly and repeatedly before Fork's finest allowed me to quit. I realized that Chief Swan was much like his niece in another way besides the quiet mind. He was playing with me and enjoying it immensely.

Chief Swan handcuffed me and placed me gently in the back of his cruiser. I was being arrested for going 55 miles over the speed limit. A felony. I wondered what the Chief would think if I shredded the handcuffs and disappeared into the night as I longed to. I didn't though. I acted my part. I stayed put...and fuming. I wondered with dark humor...if he knew...would chief Swan be sufficiently honored to be the first human in history to successfully arrest a vampire?

At the station I was given my obligatory phone call and Carlisle assured me he would be there to pick me up soon. He manfully held back the laughter. While sitting in my cell I angrily wondered why Alice hadn't called and saved me from this experience but then I realized that since I couldn't hear Chief Swan there was a good chance Alice couldn't see him either. Carlisle was good to his word and came for me quickly. About a mile off I could hear him as he mused on the fact that he should probably be grateful to me for providing him with this experience. It was the most like a human father he had ever felt. Unfortunately Emmet was with him too. He was already plotting how to make my life miserable for the next decade or so. I pinched the bridge of my nose. I was having a very human day as well. I had been jealous. I had felt like I was having a heart attack when I had heard what those men wanted to do to Bella. I had almost gone into shock when I had seen what Bella had done to those men. And now I felt like I might get a migraine.