Hey LCBD readers! Here is the next chapter! Not much to say, really, except sorry to my beta. I'm certain if I upload any more chapters without her reading over it she's going to attack me with an umbrella… xD And, I know what a lot of people are thinking by now (including Leah... xD) don't let anything mislead you. Do you see the pairing that I have set for this story? Do you see the pairing that is in the summary? Well, that's exactly what it'll be. No worries. :] Oh, and for any Ron lovers, I WILL be making an alt. ending, as well.

Disclaimer: Sorries, I don't own Twilight, Paramore, or any of the books mentioned in this chapter. :]

Anyways, without further adieu...


Previously: "I knew what Ron was brought to me for, and that he was going to help heal me. He held me gently, and I fell asleep in his arms, dreaming, for the first time, of my arch angel."


Chapter 9: Distant

Being mid-March, it had been a month and a half since Ron and Alice have joined in on the high school escapades. Attention towards the Cullen 'cousins' has finally started to settle down, and Ron has settled into his surroundings comfortably. Very quickly, the three of us fell into a comfortable daily routine. In Ron and my case, it always involved innocent bonding between all of us. In Alice's case, it always involved shopping, which, to her, was "the PERFECT form of bonding!"

Very quickly, Ron, Alice and my bond was strengthened, or restored in Alice and Ron's case. Ron and I became the best of friends. I just wasn't ready for a relationship yet, nor could I trust enough yet, and Ron understood that. He never tried pushing our relationship. Neither of us ever brought up the awkward declaration of love he had showed me that afternoon after school, and for that I was relieved. Not that it wasn't sweet, oh no, it was just overwhelming and too much to take in at that point. Like mentioned before, I am just not ready for that yet.

Shaking myself out of my memories of the last several weeks, I got back to work stocking the shelves of the Newton's shop. I was off in about ten minutes and, according to Alice, I was to meet her and Ron at my house at that time. As usual, Alice probably had something planned for the three of us to do for the remainder of Saturday.

"Have a nice afternoon, Bella." Mrs. Newton said pleasantly.

"You too, Mrs. Newton." I smiled politely before leaving the shop.

Hopping in my truck, I quickly shrugged off the bright orange vest and shoved it into the glove compartment. Hearing the comforting roar of my truck, I headed off toward home, driving down the rainy streets. Alice and Ron were already waiting, the Volvo parked in the driveway.

As soon as I stepped out of the truck, I ran for the house, Alice and Ron already following behind me. Quickly entering the house, we sat down on the sofa, Alice perched on the arm of the couch.

"So…" I pondered curiously.

"Alright Alice, we both know you've got something planned for today, so just spit it out. As long as it's not-"

"-SHOPPING!" Alice said enthusiastically, interrupting Ron. Ron and I collectively groaned, exchanging glances. We both knew what was coming, but we reluctantly agreed anyways.

"Oh, come on, you two! Cheer up!" Alice moaned as we drove to the mall. "There is also a book store there, called Pages - or Chapters, or something like that. I know you two both love that kind of crap!" she explained. Ron grunted and I continued to stare out the window at the dismal surroundings. Trees flew by at surreal speeds, turning them into dark green blobs. Groaning, Alice moved her eyes from the road and looked at the two of us. "You know, you two are almost so alike it's freaky!" she complained.

"Just keep your eyes on the road, Alice." I muttered, rolling my eyes. Ron snickered at my comment, but other than that, he kept quiet. The three of us stayed quiet until we reached the mall. Alice swiftly pulled into a parking spot, and the three of us entered the mall.

Ron and I entered the bookstore Alice had pointed out, leaving her to her own personal heaven. We browsed the classics before heading towards the other genres. Ron's hand skimmed across many titles before coming to stop at one. He swiftly pulled it out, hiding the title from me.

"Look," he began, "I know you're a fan of the classics, but why don't you try something new?" he held out the book, showing me the title.

Lord of the Flies

Shrugging, I took it from his hands and added it to my small collection. "Okay." Ron had already picked out The Warden's Niece and To Kill a Mockingbird for himself. We bought our books and exited the bookstore, where Alice was surprisingly already waiting for us, her own bags in her hands. Another shocker, she didn't have too many bags.

Before heading home, the three of us stopped off at a local fast food joint. "Hey, Alice?" I asked once I was finished eating.

"Hey, Bella?" she responded jokingly, mimicking my actions.

"Alright, ha-ha, now, have you seen anything more on the mystery vampire?" I asked nervously. All humorous pretences were dropped and Alice frowned deeply.

"Unfortunately, no. But there's no need to be worried. We're on it." She said, and Ron nodded in agreement.

"No one is going to hurt you with us here, Bella." Ron assured me, his brown eyes smoldering. I nodded without saying a word. "Well, we'd better get back. We do have a bit of a drive ahead of us, and it is getting late." Alice informed us, getting up. Ron was already standing before Alice had finished speaking, and the three of us exited the fast food joint.

The ride home was a relatively quiet one. Ron appeared to be focused intensely on something, and that kept Alice and I quiet. With a small sigh, Alice flicked the radio on and Paramore's We Are Broken blared through the speakers. Though this was not the kind of music I used to listen to, the song caught my attention, I couldn't help but notice the irony. I sighed sadly as I paid attention to the lyrics.

Ron's eyes flashed to my face warily. "You okay?" he asked softly.

I nodded and flashed a small smile in his direction. "I'm alright." I responded just as quietly. Ron stared at me intensely with an unfathomable expression on his face, A few minutes passed before he nodded slowly, and looked away.

More minutes passed by slowly before we came to a stop in front of my house. "See you later, Bella!" Alice said cheerfully as I stepped out of the car. "Bye Alice, bye Ron." I responded. Alice smiled and Ron waved as they drove away. Turning around, I entered through the threshold and greeted Charlie.

"Hey Bells, where were you?" he asked with concern. I had left him with a small note, but it was a bit vague.

"Oh, I just went to the mall, out in Olympia." Charlie visibly relaxed and grinned.

"Okay. Did you have a good time with Alice and your boyfriend?" he asked casually.

I flinched before I replied. "Ron and I are just friends." I said quietly. Charlie frowned.

"I'm sorry, Bells, I just thought-" I interrupted him before he could go any further.

"Don't worry, Dad, it's okay. And I had a great time in Olympia. I picked up a few new books," I held up the bag in my hand, "that Ron suggested. I think I'm going to go upstairs and read for a bit before heading to bed. Night, Dad."

"Good night, Kiddo." I heard Charlie respond as I headed up the stairs and into my room.

Ron and Charlie had gotten along well, despite the fact that he was a male, and he was a Cullen. He was just pleased that Ron was helping me, and he approved of Ron the minute he realized this. It was expected that Charlie would jump to this conclusion…

I took a quick shower before changing into my pajama's and lied on my bed, book in hand. In all honesty, the book was actually pretty good, though the classics were still my favorite. I stopped on chapter three of The Warden's Niece, placing my bookmark in the book, before heading to sleep.

Sunday was spent hiking with Ron. Alice had something else to do. For some reason which I couldn't understand, Ron always wore his brown contacts even when we were out of school and away from civilization. Ron and I walked through the moss covered forest, Ron guiding me and holding me up by my elbow.

Our surroundings were a beautiful bright green, constantly fading back and forth to a darker shade. The clouds were thinner than they normally were, which allowed the sun to fade in and out of the clouds.

Though we did not come across the meadow, we did visit the open field that the Cullens had once played baseball in. It was at that time when James and his coven had come and set the wheels turning, before any of this had ever happened. The field was beautiful in its own little way - not as beautiful as the meadow, but still beautiful. We laid down in the soft grass and gazed at the sky. I smiled softly, remembering the times in Phoenix as a kid, just lying back, trying to pick shapes out of the clouds in the sky.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ron murmured from beside me. I turned my head to look at him. He had his arms crossed under his head, gazing wistfully at the sky. He had a faraway look in his eyes and the hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"Mhmm." I agreed softly, nodding my head. Ron suddenly hoisted himself up off the ground, offering my his hand. I took his hand and he helped me up. We started walking and he continued talking.

"You know, all of this is beautiful. Every single blade of grass, every single tree, every single leaf. So many people take it for granted." he murmured, holding up tree branches to clear the path for me. "They're always caught up worrying, usually about the trivial things in life, too." he paused now, looking into the forest, and all that could be heard was his even breathing. "They never noticed what's right in front of them, or how special it is, until it's gone." I had a feeling he wasn't talking about what's around us anymore.

He looked back at me, and his eyes held an insurmountable amount of pain. "And I pity them for that." he finished, whispering sadly. He cleared the last moss covered branch out of the way, revealing the side of the highway where he parked the car.

The ride back into Forks was once again quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the collective sound of our breathing. He pulled up in front of Charlie's house. "I enjoyed myself a lot today. I'll see you tomorrow, Bella." Ron said quietly with a small smile, the faraway look still in his eyes. "Bye, Ron." I responded, closing the door and heading inside.

Mystery Vampire POV

According to my plans, everything was going flawlessly. No annoying pixie or that stupid blondie of a vampire to interfere. He got all the attention when we were human, and took everything away from me, leaving me alone and on the cold streets. He was treated like the Prince of Egypt, while I was the street rat.

No worries… I reminded myself slyly.

He may have gotten everything when we were younger, but I am going to take away the one thing that he loves most, the one that means the world to him.

Those two will never know what hit them…

…or what BIT them, at least.


And, chapter nine is now finished. :] So, I know what questions are probably running through your heads right now. So, who is he? And, most importantly, who is our mysterious vampire? Who knows! Oh wait… I do! XD Review and you actually get a preview this time! XD

And remember, Looks Can Be Deceiving!

Till next time,

Kolored. :]