Just as Jacob leaned toward me, his warm hands on my face and most likely detecting my extreme blush and racing heart, a door slammed open down the hall and both of us jumped. "Jacob!" Paul shouted, and there were groans and growls coming from the same direction. "Come help!"
Jacob looked angry and then worried in a millisecond, standing up swiftly while still holding me and then putting me gently back on the loveseat. "We'll pick up where we left off in a minute," he murmured, winking at me and then leaving the room.
I sighed and felt like I'd deflated, still exhausted but now keyed up from Jacob – I was almost positive he had been about to kiss me. Why else would he have asked permission and leaned in like that? Why else would his heartbeat have sped up when he'd gotten the idea?
I shivered, somehow having gone from overheated to freezing, and grabbed a blanket off the back of the loveseat, wrapping myself in it. It smelled like a mix of Jacob and tobacco, probably from Billy. That reminded me that Jacob had said I'd smelled like vampire, and I grabbed a lock of my hair, breathing it in. Nothing except my shampoo.
There were no more noises from the other side of the house, and I got too antsy just waiting, going outside and sitting on the damp front porch. It wasn't raining, somehow, but it was also too cloudy to determine where exactly in the sky the sun was. I figured it had to be around four or so, hating that I had spent so much of my day away from my Jacob and would have to continue doing that.
"Bella, what did you say about the vampires earlier?" Sam's voice asked from behind me, and I jumped, of course not having heard his silent approach. "Tell me what you said, they enrolled at your school?"
I wrinkled my brow and turned so I was halfway facing him, seeing he was scratchless like Jacob but still drawn. "Is Jacob okay? And Jared?"
"They're fine. The vampires, Bella, quickly."
I frowned. "Well, in the clearing with Edward, he wouldn't let me touch him when I passed him and covered his nose and mouth so he didn't breathe. At school today, he was in a lot of my classes, but still didn't seem like he was breathing in any of them. Alice and Rosalie, his sisters, are both seniors as well and they had no problems in the cafeteria at lunch surrounded by all the people, but Edward – still not breathing. I don't know if he's a threat or not." I could picture his beautiful, and angry, face so perfectly, the copper mess of hair bringing out the gold tones in his eyes. I remembered my suspicion of Edward having an ability he hadn't disclosed, but the idea wasn't developed enough for me to ask the wolves about it just yet. Especially if he really did have some mind-reading capabilities, as I suspected – you're so frustrating; I never know what you're thinking; context clues – then he didn't need to hear about them in the pack mind.
"Is that all?" Sam asked, the question mostly innocent; I tried not to look suspicious, nodding. He nodded in return and turned toward the house.
"Sam, wait," I said, stumbling to my feet. "Was Jacob okay today?"
Sam looked contemplative. "Bella, you can't worry about him like this. It's not good for you."
"I'm sure Emily worries about you." I knew that Emily and Sam had been together a lot longer than me and Jacob, but it was a similar situation.
"Yes, she does. But she understands that this is my duty to my tribe. You can't let this consume you. I can't speak for how you're feeling, but I promise it is healthier for you to just leave it to the wolves and to trust us. We won't let anything happen to him."
I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to bring up the fact that Jared had gotten hurt right under their noses, and just nodded stiffly. He seemed to know that there wasn't getting through to me, at least that easily, and went back inside the house. I slumped back to the ground, leaning my head against the banister and staring blindly out at the muddy front yard.
Shortly after, the phone rang, but I didn't pay attention to it, continuing my staring. In minutes there were several thundering footsteps, and the front door burst open. A silver wolf phased in midair directly above me, and Paul sped toward the trees, disappearing into them before I'd even registered it. Another, solid black wolf did the same, the wind from the jump ruffling my hair, and disappeared like the first wolf after a stern glance back at the doorway. I turned, seeing my Jacob standing nervously where Sam had looked.
"What's happened?" I asked, getting to my feet again quickly. Jacob looked worried, but I couldn't determine exactly what about. His dark chocolate eyes were wide, confused, like he was making a scary decision.
"Jacob, you can go with them if you have to," I said, my heart hurting at the words. It hurt more to see Jacob like this, though.
"No, Bella – it's not – I'm not worried about that." He reached out and grabbed me, pulling him against his chest crushingly tight. I hugged him back as best as I could with my arms pinned under his, wondering what else could possibly be making him like this.
"Jacob, tell me what's wrong," I said after what felt like several minutes, and he loosened his arms, pulling back to look down at me.
"Someone joined the pack," he breathed, his eyes glassy with fear.
"What?" I asked, my voice nearly a shriek; he put his finger to my lips, shaking his head.
"I don't know if Sam wanted me to tell you or not, but if it had been that big of a deal he would have said something. Just don't – make sure that you don't say anything, to anyone."
I paused, registering his words. "Do you mean to the vampires?"
"No! Bella, no," he said quickly, shaking his head. "Sam's just – you're noticing a lot about Edward, I guess." Again, like before, the name seemed to leave a bad taste in Jacob's mouth. "He doesn't like how interested you are."
"The guy is in almost all of my classes now!" I said, too loudly once more, because he put his finger to my lips again. I muttered angrily against it. "I don't know why Sam doesn't trust me, I guess because we haven't known each other very long maybe. But if he really believes that the imprinting thing is genetic, that it means something about the relationship between us, then he's got to know I'm trustworthy. Why would you magically bond to someone who wasn't?" He didn't reply, looking torn between what was probably me and Sam, and I hugged him, my cheek to his chest. "Don't worry about that, Jacob. I'll keep my mouth shut."
"Thanks, Bells," he breathed, and he felt like he relaxed just slightly, but his heartbeat stayed steadily quicker than what was usual for him.
"Who joined the pack, Jake?" I murmured, and he tensed again.
"I shouldn't say," he whispered, and I looked up at him, too much pain marring his perfect face. "It's…he's my friend."
"Why did it happen? And how did you know?"
"He – something set him off. Sam said that he thinks being close to the vampires, with them back here and nearly in our territory, might cause a lot more of us to…change."
I shook my head, burying my face in his chest. "I'm sorry, Jake."
"Why are you sorry? Crazy," he said, and I looked up to see him shaking his head. "Don't you be sorry, it's not your fault. And it's not necessarily a bad thing, either. It's just very complicated. Scary, when you don't know what's happening."
"Was that what the phone call was?"
"Yeah, his mom called."
"Is she okay?" I remembered Emily, the thick pink lines twisting across her skin.
"Yeah, she's fine. Him, though." His eyes closed, and he shook his head, as if getting rid of the thought. "It's just really scary. I want to help."
"Help, then," I said, putting one hand over his heart. "Go after them."
"Someone has to stay and protect you and Embry. It'll be good to have more pack members, actually, more protection for everyone. I told Sam I want to transfer to your school, and he laughed."
I pretended not to notice his verbal mishap, recognizing the name instantly. Jacob had just been thinking about him, about how this new pack member was suffering, and was his friend. Embry, one of the boys I'd met my first night at Jacob's.
"Here, Jake, go inside and sit down," I said eventually, taking his hand and pulling him into the house. He still looked dazed, less agile than usual. I brought him to the living room and sat him down, putting one of my hands on his cheek briefly. He leaned into it, his terrified eyes closing.
"I'll go get you a drink or something," I whispered, and he shook his head, his eyes flashing open.
"No, Bella, stay with me," he said, his fingers closing around my wrist. It was somehow gentle and firm at the same time, knowing how fragile I was even in his state.
"Jake, honey, I'm not going to leave you."
"Stay with me," he pleaded, lines of worry etching themselves into his forehead, and I nodded, moving closer to him. He pulled me onto his lap swiftly and carefully, lying both of us down on the tiny loveseat. His legs hung off the end, tangled with mine.
"It'll be okay, Jake." I rested my chin on his chest so I could look at him, his jaw clenched with anxiety. I reached one hand out and touched his cheek again, and like before he leaned into it, drawing strength from my touch. "Don't worry anymore, it'll be okay."
I didn't know if he fell asleep, but I certainly did, waking up to the sounds of slow footsteps and low voices. I opened my eyes and Jake's were already scanning, his head turned to look behind us toward the doorway. He noticed I woke up and put his finger to my lips again, and I nodded, leaning my other cheek against his chest. The one I'd previously had against him was sweaty and warm.
I recognized Billy Black's voice, and another deeper authoritative one that belonged to Sam; there were also women's voices, Emily's and someone new. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but their conversation was swift, and the unknown woman was crying.
The voices slowed and then stopped, and just as I was wondering whose footsteps I'd heard, they sounded again, people leaving the kitchen. Jake covered my face with his hand and slowed his breathing, and I tried to mimic him, pretending I was still asleep.
"Bella will need to get home, Charlie's going to worry," Billy said. "Jake said he wants to spend the night over there again, but I doubt Charlie knows about it."
"Let him, we have everything taken care of," Sam murmured, and their voices traveled down the hall toward Jake's room. I peeked through Jake's fingers and saw he was smiling, although his long black lashes still cast shadows over his cheeks, eyes closed.
The sound of a door opening accompanied a pained groan from who I assumed was Jared, and I lifted my head, looking at Jacob. His smile was gone, worry returning to his features. I smoothed them out, my fingertips lingering on his lips a beat too long. Man, I wished he'd kissed me.
Did I even know how to kiss? It couldn't be that hard, I'd seen some movies; you just turned your head the opposite way of the person you were kissing, and that was that. Maybe move your lips a little? I didn't know, but it wasn't really an art you could study. You just had to go for it.
Jacob stirred, opening his eyes and grinning at me before turning to look toward the doorway again. I couldn't help but continue my staring, and he seemed to notice, his grin turning a little smug as he sat both of us up.
"I think we'll be okay," he murmured, appearing distracted.
"You can go check on them, if you want," I whispered in reply, shifting off of his lap. I wondered who the woman crying had been; maybe Jared's mom, worried about her son's harm? Or perhaps Embry's mom, whose son had likely just transformed into a wolf right in front of her eyes? I knew how she probably felt, although it hadn't been my son whose change I had witnessed.
"Give me five seconds," he said, kissing my forehead quickly before jumping up and disappearing from my view. I was starting to get a headache, and my stomach growled. What time even was it? I stood and wobbled toward the blinds, peeking through them. The sun was starting to set, so it must be past five already. Billy was right; I needed to get home and make Charlie's dinner.
I attempted to gather myself, pulling my sweatshirt off the couch and grimacing at the dried mud on the elbows and also the same on the fronts of my jeans. I really hadn't wanted to do laundry until the weekend.
Jacob came back into the room and grinned at me again, seemingly his natural reaction upon the sight of me. "Jared's healing great, the breaks were really clean so they're basically back together. He should be fine in a couple days, a week maybe."
I wrinkled my brow, confused. "How fast is he healing?"
"The wolves heal really, really fast." He grinned again at my expression, stepping forward and touching my bottom lip. "Are you okay? With all of this? I know it's been kind of hectic, I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, I'm just glad you're okay," I breathed honestly, leaning against him. "I really do need to get back to my house, though."
"Oh, I think you mean 'we,'" Jacob corrected with a smirk, and glanced around, probably looking for a shirt. Finding nothing, he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward his bedroom, letting go of my hand in the hallway in front of his door. "Another five seconds."
"Yes, sir."
He rolled his eyes, still smirking, and opened the door as little as he could while still fitting through it, which was actually pretty wide. I didn't see anything except a long brown leg hanging off Jacob's tiny bed before the door closed again.
Staying true to his promise, he reemerged with a thermal shirt for himself already halfway pulled over his body and a sweatshirt over one arm, which I pondered the reason for while we walked toward the front door. He was a million degrees all the time – why would he need a sweatshirt?
We climbed into my truck after Jacob spoke a couple brief, low words to Sam, whose Alpha expression never failed to irritate me. I drove, and Jacob sat as close to me as possible, like we had the day before. I was so used to his heat that it didn't bother me at all, and I had a feeling that the next time I had to spend away from Jacob would feel very cold.
Out of paranoia that we'd be overheard, mostly, I waited until we'd been on the road for ten minutes before asking. "Jacob, who was the woman crying in there?"
"Oh, uh – I can't tell you."
"I figured." I didn't say anything, and his arm tightened around me, his lips pressing to my forehead.
"Don't be mad," he pleaded, and I shook my head, turning quickly and kissing the part of him closest to me, which was the side of his chest.
"Not mad at all," I said. "I'd rather you tell me I can't know than for you to lie, so this works perfect." I smiled up at him as quickly as I could, and he chuckled.
"You're such a focused driver."
"Although you could heal in about five minutes if we got in an accident, I am a fragile human, and wouldn't be as lucky. In fact, I am generally unlucky."
He laughed. "This monster truck would suffocate any car that came near it."
I pondered it, nodding eventually. "You're probably right. Of all the vehicles that I could have, this is a pretty safe one."
It was the same story as yesterday when we got to my house; Charlie came out the front door to meet us, looking suspicious. He saw the mud on my clothing and didn't even question it, more curious about Jacob's appearance, it seemed.
"So what you kids been up to?" he asked, looking us over.
"Nothing fancy. Just hung out at my house for a while, and then Bella needed to come home and make dinner."
"Oh." Finding nothing wrong with that, Charlie stomped off to the living room, and I went straight to the kitchen, remembering yesterday's predicament of there being nothing for dinner. As soon as we walked through the doorway, dropping our things on the table, the phone blared.
"Seriously?" I asked, answering it before Jake could. "Hello?"
"Hi, Bella, can I speak with Jacob?" Sam asked, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, handing the phone to Jake wordlessly. He took it, looking confused by my reaction, and I shrugged, shaking my head. He didn't need to worry about me not liking Sam much.
"Yeah," Jake said into the phone, leaning against the counter and playing with a piece of my hair. He was quiet for a long time, his brows drawing closer and closer together, until he glanced at me, his face a mask of worry again. I moved closer to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, and his free arm responded, circling me tightly.
"I guess," Jacob finally said, putting the phone on its hook and dropping his gaze to meet mine. "Something else has happened."
I sighed. "Okay, do we have to leave now?"
"No – no, Bella, I have to leave. Sam said to tell you to stay here." He looked panicked, like I was going to be mad, but I only let myself be surprised for a second. Emily had to let Sam go all the time.
"When will you be back?"
"I'm spending the night, I promise. I'm gunna be here every night I said I would, if it kills me."
"Don't say that," I said, jokingly stern, and he smiled down at me, but it didn't touch his eyes.
"I'll see you in a little bit, Bella."
"Be safe."
"I'll try." He leaned down and kissed my forehead, and then moved to the front door way too quickly, leaning in to say bye to Charlie. I waved at him, and he gave me another weak smile before leaving.
I really hated this.
I was distracted making dinner again, deciding I needed to run to the store really fast and notifying Charlie. I scanned the trees the whole way there and back, checking for wolves or vampires, but found none.
Dinner was simple, just homemade pizza, and I made a whole one for Jacob, slicing it up and saving the pieces in a Tupperware for him when he got back. If he gets back at all, I thought worriedly, and stifled the thought before it could lead to any others.
I wanted to wait up for Jacob, and did homework and laundry to distract myself, but it only worked for so long before I had nothing else to do. I cleaned the house, but couldn't stop worrying; there had been no calls, no signs of any wolves, nothing to ease my mind. Jacob could be as hurt as Jared, or worse, for all I knew.
I showered and went to bed around ten-thirty, lying wide awake on my mattress, and glanced next to my bed, at the sweatshirt Jacob had left on the kitchen table that I'd brought up with me. I finally realized why he had brought it with him – he had never intended to wear it. He was leaving it with me, a piece of him. Maybe he had seen that my other jacket had mud on the elbows.
Whatever the case was, I grabbed the sweatshirt, tugging it down over my head and lying back down. It smelled just like him, and the smell allowed me to finally sleep, but only briefly. A scratching on my window woke me up, and I covered my mouth to stifle my scream, scrambling backwards so my bed was between me and the window.
The window slid open, and I waited for Edward or the vampire woman to come through it, but it was my Jacob, falling onto the ground soundlessly. He straightened out, and I saw his hair was wet, sticking to his bare chest.
"Jacob," I nearly shouted, leaping over my bed and throwing myself onto him.
"Bella," he breathed, shaking his head. I pulled away, wondering what he was talking about, and he moved so swiftly he was almost a blur, disappearing behind my closet door. I stood still, watching after him, and then realized he must have heard Charlie; I had some time, since my father had stayed in the living room when I'd gone upstairs, and I hastily closed my window without slamming it, climbing back into my bed. I had just shut my eyes when Charlie's quiet knock sounded on the door and he pushed it open, looking around.
"You sleeping, Bells?" he asked, and I shifted, blinking slowly.
"Almost," I grumbled, sighing. He chuckled and closed the door after looking around again, and as soon as his steps receded, I sat up again, waiting.
Jacob came out when he knew it was safe, and his grin was incredible, light from the moon and streetlights glinting off his perfect smile in the darkness. He slid into my bed next to me, and I could see in his face as he came closer that he was exhausted. Whatever he'd been called away for had taken a lot out of him.
"Are you okay, Jake?" I asked, lying down and snuggling into his side when he had lay down. He tugged on one of the strings from his sweatshirt, smiling.
"Sure, sure," he murmured, kissing my forehead again. "Busy day. You should take this off, you'll burn up."
"I'll say." Sitting up and yanking the sweatshirt over my head, I tossed it on the nightstand and then lay back down. I reached up and touched a piece of his wet hair, able to smell that he'd showered before coming over. "Wouldn't your fur have mostly dried on your run over here?"
He laughed quietly, finally having remembered our need for secrecy. "You'd think. The mystery of the wolf."
I smiled up at him and sighed again, leaning my head against his heart so I could feel its swift and steady beating. "So what happened?"
"Well, Sam said I can tell you that it was Embry who joined the pack. Like I said earlier, I guess the Cullens being closer is going to start activating a lot of us."
"Oh, no," I breathed, and he nodded.
"Some of the guys like it, like Paul and Jared both kind of have fun with it. Me and Sam aren't huge on the whole thing. It'll be interesting to see how Embry copes."
"You don't know how he's coping yet?"
"No, he's still a wolf. It's taking a lot of work to calm him down. Paul and Sam have been taking turns just running with him, taking turns sleeping or phasing to be with him. That's mostly what I was doing, just running with him. He's not even thinking anything right now, all instinct."
"That's horrible."
"Yeah. I guess it took Sam a super long time to turn back into a human, too."
"Yours was fast, though?"
"Yeah, apparently I'm a natural." I didn't like the tone of his voice, and looked up to see disgust on his face. "I don't want to be a wolf, I didn't ask for this."
I brought my hand up to his cheek, wishing I could help him. "I'm so sorry, Jake."
"Don't be, Bella. You're the only good part about all of this."
I smiled sadly, lying back down on him. He took that as a cue to keep talking.
"I guess Embry got home from school, hung out for a while, and then called Quil to go somewhere. When he said he couldn't, Embry freaked out and phased."
"So he was just really mad?"
"Normally, that's what causes the first change, some really strong emotion. Mine was just because of the vampire right in front of me." He laughed dryly. "Embry's mom was home when it happened, so she didn't see it but she heard it. She ran around the house, looking for Embry to keep him safe from the giant freaking wolf in their living room. I guess by then, Embry was just terrified, so he got outside and started running."
"Holy cow," I said, stunned.
"Yeah," he agreed, knowing how I must feel. "That's who was at the house, his mom had no idea what was happening. It was like two werewolf tragedies in a row. Paul told you what happened to Jared?"
"Yeah, he did. It's all so scary."
Instead of defending the situation or trying to tell me it was easy, he nodded slowly, fear in his eyes. "I know."
I couldn't bear seeing him like that, and flung myself higher up so I was splayed across his chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his immediately circled me tightly, his face buried in my neck. "I'm sorry you're scared, Jake."
"Just stay with me, Bella," he murmured, and I pulled back to look at him in confusion; he kept saying that. He shook his head and pushed mine back into his shoulder, kissing the side of my neck. "I just mean, don't… Please just stay with me, and I just feel like as long as I have you, everything's gunna be okay." He sounded guilty to be saying it, and I wondered why briefly before I figured it out. He didn't want me to only stay because he'd asked. He wanted me to want to stay.
"I'm never going to leave you, Jake," I whispered into his skin, and I felt him tense up. "Don't ever, ever worry about that. You have enough to think about."
He laughed dryly again, completely without humor, and I just tightened my arms. Sometimes it was hard for people to trust just words. Well, I'd show Jacob with my actions that I was his, and I wasn't leaving.
The next morning was as hard as the first, except impossibly worse. Jacob still had that tinge of fear in his eyes, worry in his expression, and I couldn't hug him long enough before he had to leap from my window. It was a struggle to eat breakfast, and a shock I'd totally forgotten about when I walked into second period and saw Edward Cullen again.
It just felt like with everything else I had to think about, I certainly didn't need a vampire stalker added to the list.
"Good morning, Bella," Edward said kindly, none of his usual anger on his face. He was breathing, surprisingly – I watched him closely, noting the wrinkle of his nose whenever he inhaled. I still couldn't figure out if he thought I smelled good or bad, or if it was just me or any humans.
That reminded me of yesterday's suspicion – wow, was it only yesterday? – and I decided that I needed to figure out some ways to test his possible mind-reading skills.
"Morning, Edward," I grunted, deciding on my first test swiftly. I was going to be fake upset with him, tell Angela about it, and see if he would reference or attempt to amend it at any point.
He looked slightly confused but didn't say anything else, and I figured my seeming mad at him wouldn't be too difficult, considering I kind of always was anyway. Especially now that he'd caused another wolf's change, a young boy so much like my Jacob. I made a mental note to ask how Embry was handling it.
"Bella?" someone asked behind me, and I was shocked to be acknowledged, turning to see Jessica and Lauren both looking distressed.
"Yeah?"
"Whose jacket are you wearing?" Lauren burst out, her angry eyes thoroughly disgruntled. I figured they were upset that they hadn't gotten the latest gossip yet.
I glanced down at the sweatshirt, plain black and adorned with a faded logo for the La Push high school's basketball team, and then back at the curious girls. "My friend's," I answered, not really in the mood to discuss my Jacob with them. "He let me borrow it." Crap, I'd said he!
"He?" Jessica asked, catching on immediately. "Is it your boyfriend?"
"I don't have a boyfriend, Jessica," I growled, clenching my hand on the edge of my chair. "It's none of your business, anyway." And I turned back around, tucking my fists into the front pocket of the sweatshirt and glaring toward the whiteboard.
"You know, you really shouldn't let people get on your nerves like that," Edward whispered from next to me, and I was appalled, turning to him with a look so incredulous it made him chuckle.
"It was a joke," he said, grinning. His smile was just too gorgeous, and I looked away quickly, fighting the blush in my cheeks.
"I knew that."
"Mmhm."
Before I could debate with him, the teacher called the class to quiet and started the lesson.
I was away from Edward for the next two class periods, and used that time to lay the foundation of my plan. While I was aware that if he could read my mind the plan would be pointless, I felt it was worth a shot.
First, in third period, I gave the story to Angela. I knew she wouldn't tell anyone, which was a good way to test if Edward would somehow miraculously know about it.
We were working as partners, and our desks were near the back of the room. When the class was loud, so I could guarantee nobody would overhear, I spoke. "So what do you think about Edward?"
I didn't have to say his last name for Angela to know who I was talking about. "He seems – a little strange, I guess." She blushed, like she'd said something mean. "I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, though. Lots of people have hard times being the new kid."
"You're right," I replied, trying my hardest to seem nonchalant. "It's just – well, I don't know if I should say this, I'm really going to sound rude."
Angela looked contemplative, and I kept going. "Don't take this rude at all, I'm just kind of observing. But Edward seems a little, um…stiff."
She chuckled. "Stiff?"
"Yeah, like he's angry or really unrelaxed all the time. I don't know, I feel like it would be easier for people to like him if he acted a little more laid back. But like you said, people have a hard time being the new kid." I quickly changed my plan from being upset with Edward to my just being made uncomfortable by him, which he kind of already knew.
"You didn't sound mean at all. I understand what you're saying."
"Thanks," I breathed, making myself look relieved.
So the plan was laid.
At lunch, I didn't even have to turn the topic to Edward for someone to bring him up. Jessica was giving me the cold shoulder after my rude remark to her this morning, so I just listened to her talk about how Edward seemed like a shy sort of person. I met Angela's eyes and half-smiled, knowing she would remember our conversation earlier. She smiled back and nodded slightly.
And the plan was ago.
As I walked into my after-lunch class, Edward was already at his seat – relaxing. His fingers were tangled behind his head as he reclined in his chair, and he stayed that way as I approached.
"Hi, Edward," I said, acting wary of his attitude. He grinned lazily, and I almost wanted to laugh. Was he really giving into my plan this easily?
"Bella," he replied, sitting up after a few seconds. "How's your day been?" I noted the informal grammar of his sentence and tried to recall a time when he had ever spoken like this. I couldn't.
"Good so far." I got out my notebook and pen, laying them on my desk and glancing at him. Like before, he was actually breathing, albeit lightly. Was he getting used to the scents of the humans all around him? Or was he just getting used to my scent?
"Glad to hear it." He seemed to have forgotten to get out his notebook, and reached down into his backpack now to get it. I saw a strip of skin on his side when he bent over, and averted my eyes quickly, blush rising in my cheeks as always.
"You know, Edward," I said, absentmindedly doodling in the margin of my notebook. "There's something a little different about you today."
He smiled, dropping his pen on his desk and then halfway zipping his backpack up. "What do you mean?"
"You seem a little more…carefree."
His smile widened. "That, Bella, is also something I'm glad to hear."
He acted the same for the rest of the day, overly relaxed, and walked me to my truck again after class, still smiling. It was strange to see that expression on his face, after so much negativity, and the beauty of it was disconcerting. He waited next to my door for me to unlock it, leaning against the old paint like a model in a vintage magazine.
"Did you have a good day, Bella?" he asked, and I raised my brows, confused by his forwardness.
"Yeah? What about you?"
"I did, actually." He straightened out as I slid my backpack across the seat. "I'm guessing you're going to La Push."
"Always." I grinned at him, the thought of seeing my Jacob exciting, and pondered the expression that crossed his face: surprised, disrupted, confused.
"Well, see you tomorrow," he said, turning and stalking off toward his car like he had yesterday. I watched the stiffness return to his body as he walked away, and I decided it was a result of his bloodlust. Always in control of every movement, so he didn't slip.
I jumped into my truck and slammed the door, sitting there for a little while before I started it. I thought over the day, starting from the beginning.
I had told Angela that Edward would benefit from being less "stiff." As a response of her thinking about it at lunch, when he had been in earshot of her mind, he had become visibly more relaxed in the classes I shared with him.
Not only did this ultimately prove Plan A successful, it did bring up several questions. The main one, of course, being why on earth Edward Cullen would care what I thought of him.
Why did we have several classes together? Why had he walked me to my truck? What was his obsession with me, if he really did have one? It was hard for me to believe that he could be obsessed with me, considering I wasn't at all interesting and hadn't been kind to him; besides, I did not want a vampire to be obsessed with me. No matter how vegetarian he claimed to be.
And one more question: what had been different today that had allowed him to breathe around me? No students had been absent who had attended our classes the day before, nor had any instructors; I had showered and was just as clean as usual, and had brushed my teeth at the same time both days; I wasn't wearing any kind of new perfume or using a different scent.
But wasn't I?
I looked down at the faded logo on my Jacob's sweatshirt, wondering.
Could it be that Edward had a problem with my scent in any normal circumstance, except when it had been masked by the overwhelming scent of werewolf? The legends claimed that vampire scent burned the noses of the wolves. Did the wolves' scents have similar negative effects on vampires?
I grabbed a sheet of notebook paper out of my backpack and looked around, seeing the silver Volvo had left the parking lot. I didn't underestimate Edward's ability to see what I was writing, even from how far away he would have been.
On the first line, I scribbled "Likely he can read minds; read my request from Angela's mind and behaved accordingly." The second line began with "Could breathe easier around me when my scent was masked by werewolf. This could mean 1) that my scent affects him and he could breathe because it was covered, or 2) that the werewolf smell was strong enough to help block out the scents of all the humans, suggesting that Edward's control around large groups of humans regularly is questionable." I folded up the paper and shoved it to the bottom of my backpack, not sure if the information was ready to present to Jacob just yet. This way, I wouldn't forget it, and could add more information as I found it.
Starting my engine finally, I left the parking lot and headed toward La Push.
