Okay, this edit has been done for several days, but I haven't been up on this site for a while. While I have been working on this a bit, I have mostly been working on the fourth book to my CR of Harry Potter - anyone who reads that will be happy to know that it's going quickly, though it has slowed down a bit lately. I'm nearly done with the chapter where Harry finds himself having to compete in the Tournament, if you want an estimate of where I'm at on it.
Anyway, at the rate I'm going, I will most likely end up putting everything from here - edited, of course - up on my AO3 account because, frankly, I like it a whole lot more that I do this site. That said, I'll still keep the stories I have done up on here, and finish posting the chapters for stories that are incomplete on here as well. But I will not be putting up new stories on this site. If you want to read anything new from me, then you'll have to go to my AO3 profile to do so - I'm Strange_Hearts on there, and this story can be searched in order to fnd me.
Nighttime Conversations and Unwanted Interrogation
Bella's Point of View
I waited until his car had disappeared before continuing towards the door. I reached for the key mechanically, unlocking the door and stepping inside, my bags crinkling as I moved them.
"Bella?" Charlie called from the living room. I heard him shifting, and saw the top of his head as he leaned over to see who it was.
"Yeah, Dad, it's me," I said, walking in to see him, still holding my bags. He was watching a ball game, which was rather unsurprising to me, for he was usually watching some sort of sport. However, I was surprised when he shut off the television, and turned to me.
"You're home early," he commented.
I was? "Am I?" I said, surprised as I looked at a clock. My eyes widened as I realize it was only seven forty. Apparently, even with eating dinner, and a prolonged stop, I made it home earlier than I actually thought I would. No wonder he was questioning me about it; I'd question it as well, if I was him.
"It's not even eight yet," he said, though he'd seen me look at a clock. "Did you girls have fun?"
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "Angela and I found our dresses."
"And a new jacket," he said, motioning towards the garment that I was still wearing. My eyes almost widened – I'd forgotten that I was wearing it. I hope Edward didn't mind me keeping it, at least, until I could give it back to him. I doubted Charlie would really remember it once it was out of his sight. However, I could see that he was curious about it, so I shrugged. "I forgot to grab one before I left, since it was kind of warm, and it got cold. So, when I saw that this was on sale for a good price..." I trailed off, not needing to explain any more. He nodded, then turned the television back on, a sign that the conversation was over. It didn't disappoint me all that much, and I picked up my bags to head upstairs when the phone rang.
I walked to the kitchen, telling Charlie "I'll get it," as I passed him, motioning for him to sit back down. Setting the bags onto the table as the phone rang again, I pulled it from the hook.
"Hello, Swan residence," I said as I held it up to my ear.
"Bella?" I heard. The voice on the other end sounded completely surprised. I recognized it immediately, having heard it quite a bit today.
"Hello, Jessica To what do I own the honor of this call?" I asked sarcastically, while wondering why she'd called me, considering that the only other time she had done so was because of the dance. We weren't exactly friends, either, so calling just wasn't something I expected from her.
"You made it home already?" she asked. The way she sounded – both surprised and disappointed – sent bells ringing though my head. I got the feeling that she had been thinking, or hoping, that I wasn't there, which, again, made me wonder why she called.
"Yes, why?" I asked her, my mind still trying to figure out why she'd called.
"No reason, no reason," she said quickly. "I just...uh...I found a jacket in the backseat of Angela's car that I thought was yours." I knew immediately that it was a lie, cutting her off before she could say anything else.
"It's not mine. I didn't bring a jacket with me," I told her.
"Oh," she said, sounding very uncomfortable at the moment. "Well, I guess I'll have to ask Angela if it's actually hers or something. Bye."
She hung up quickly, before I could return the sentiment. Frowning as I placed the phone back in it's cradle, I grabbed my bags and walked to the stairs, heading up as I still wondered why she'd called. I knew the jacket was nothing more than an excuse – she'd known I hadn't brought one with me, had even commented about it before we'd left Forks. So I didn't know what she was thinking, asking me if I'd left a jacket in Angela's car. And the way she had been so surprised and disappointed to hear me answer the phone, why, you'd think that she had been thinking that someone else would...
Realization ran though me as I realized why she'd been calling. That little bitch I thought, my hands tightening into fists. It was obvious now, to see what it was that she was trying to do. She'd been trying to cause trouble between me and Charlie, calling in hopes that my father would answer and that she could tell him about the fact that I was with Edward. Not that it would have really mattered – between the dressing down I'd given Charlie and the fact that I'd given a reasonable way of having run into him – there was no reason why I wouldn't hang out with him.
Still, I did have to wonder what she would say to my father. I went though several scenarios in my mind, then shook my head. It wasn't like it had happened, so it didn't matter. Then, as I opened my door, I immediately stiffened, seeing my window opened, and realizing that we weren't the only ones in the house – or that, earlier, it wasn't just Charlie in the house. I tasted the emotions I could feel, thinking that, perhaps, Edward had snuck in while I was downstairs, though I didn't think he would have come over so fast after leaving me, since he usually came when I was 'asleep'. However, I could only taste those that my father were giving off. I frowned – did they already leave. It was then that I realized who it possibly was, and I looked towards my bed, my eyes immediately connecting with Ashanti's.
"So, have you changed your mind about not using that one vampire?" she asked. My fists tightened, the bags in my hand crinkling. I stepped fully into the room, closing the door and placing the bags down before I said anything.
"What are you doing back here?" I asked her, anger coursing through me. I would have thought that, after the last time we talked, she would have left. Plus, the fact that we were getting closer to my year mark as being what I was had me believing that it would soon be time for me to see the last of her.
"Oh, I haven't left yet. Not only is there still a few more months before your first year mark, I find this area vastly interesting. Turns out, vampires are not the only thing of interest around here, though they are certainly the most tempting," Ashanti said, sitting down on my bed. I growled at her. She wasn't going to touch Edward...or his family, but Edward was my main concern. He wasn't hers to touch.
As I thought that, I waited for my real anger at her – not the anger of her coming in unannounced or the anger of her thinking of Edward as tempting – to come to me. I waited for the anger I usually felt – the one that came from the fact that this woman had turned me, had stolen my real life from me – to fill me, but it didn't. The only anger I felt was from her unannounced visit and her words about Edward. In fact, because she had turned me, I was allowed to know Edward, which actually seemed to replace some of my anger with thankfulness. It didn't mean that I liked her, of course, but I wasn't as mad as I used to be.
"What do you mean, 'vampires are not the only think of interest around here'?" I asked her, walking over to my rocking chair, since she was at my bed. She studied me, suspicion on her face, probably wondering why I wasn't acting hostile to her. I didn't know what answer to that question she came up with, for she didn't share it.
"I've been feeding around Seattle, but I needed to move to somewhere else, and decided to try La Push, but, when I went to find someone to feed on, I realized that almost every one there, about your age and older, tasted...differently. If that wasn't enough to strike my curiosity, I notice several of the males eyeing me with curiosity, distrust, anger, and a few other negative emotions," she said. "And, for those who weren't acting like that, they still had a strange taste to them, all of their emotions mixed with anger. But there was something more to it...I'm not sure how to explain.
"But I do know this: the ones who kept a closer eye on me tasted even more different than the others. Not even those who eyed me with distrust tasted like these guys did," she said, her eyes wondering to the bags with interest evident in them.
"And what does that mean?" I asked her. "Why do they taste differently than others? And how was the taste different?"
"I don't know exactly, but I plan on finding out," she told me. "As for how the taste was different, I don't really know how to describe it I can only say that good emotions were dim, their hatred and anger the strongest, but mixed with something else, having an edge to them that I'd never run into before. If I'm honest, it actually made me feel sick when I was around them." She looked at me. "That's all I wanted to tell you. That, and the fact that I wanted to say that I think you should feed some more as well."
I bristled at the suggestion.
"Isabella, come on. Yes, your still strong, but that's no reason for you to ignore the fact that you're not as strong as you could be if you fed," she said. I opened my mouth to tell her what I had told her before about the suggestion, but she continued. "And, I don't know if you remember, but your vampire is the best person for you to feed from."
I looked at her, confused, and she rolled her eyes. "I knew you hadn't remembered," she muttered under her breath before speaking up. "Vampires are a succibi's dream, Isabella. They are an unlimited source of energy, never running out. You can feed and feed and feed until your full, and it wouldn't harm them. For someone like you, who would rather starve themselves instead of feeding properly – it's a dream. Hell, even a succubus like me would jump at the chance to have their own vampire." She looked at me with envious eyes. "Of course, you'll probably waste it, though I do hope you won't. After all, it would make your romance with him rather boring if it never got beyond hand holding.
"I can also guarantee that both of you will want to kiss each other at some point, if you don't already. And I don't mean that you want to kiss him for energy either, but to simply kiss him."
I frowned at her, but refused to look her in the eye at hearing that, my mind having made a new revelation that I hadn't thought about before. She was right – there was a part of me that did want to kiss him, not for the advantages that doing so would bring me, but because I wanted to. It was a human response, in a way. I wanted to actually feel his lips against mine, to know if they were soft like they looked...
She got my attention before I could fall to far into my thoughts. "If I find out more about those La Push people, I'll inform you," she said. She looked as though she was going to say something else, then shook her head, disappearing though my window. I walked over to my bed, my mind immediately going back to what I had been thinking before she had said those last words. My thoughts swirled around, not making much sense. I began to think about what she said, remembering the revelation I'd made when she said it.
I wanted to actually kiss him. I hadn't realized that before, though I'd looked at his lips quite a bit, particularly this very night. I was lucky that he hadn't noticed it, just as lucky as I was that he couldn't read my thoughts. Of course, I hadn't really thought it strange that I was looking at them – I'd been willing to look at his face, to gauge his reactions – but now I realized that the frequent glances to his lips were for a reason. More than that, when he'd left, I had actually been hoping he'd kiss me before letting me leave.
I didn't know what to think about this fact all that much.
Charlie came upstairs an hour hours later, clomping sleepily to his bed, and I pulled my shoes back on, planning on going out tonight, thinking that I might be able to see Alice. I had just finished tying them when the almost noiseless sound of my window opening caught my attention, and I looked over to see Edward climbing through. I bit my lip to keep from chuckling. I had completely forgotten about the fact that he had a habit of doing this the last few nights he was in town. I did wonder why he'd come without bothering to check if I was asleep beforehand.
I also wondered why he would come tonight. After all, I doubted he was coming to watch me sleep again, considering what I had told him tonight. Then I realized that, while I had mentioned that I had a few traits together with him, I hadn't actually mentioned all of them. I had only mentioned the attractiveness, strength, and speed. The factor of me sleeping, or my lack thereof, had actually never entered the conversation.
Fortunately, I wasn't angry with him – in fact, this actually gave me another chance to shock him. I made sure that I placed my foot down quietly before looking at him.
"Coming to spy on me again?" I asked. I did my best to keep from laughing out loud when turned towards me, shocked. "I mean," I continued, "I know that I didn't mention it straight up, but when I said that we shared quite a few traits, not having to sleep at night was on that list."
Blueberries began to coat my tongue.
"Then again, if I was honest to begin with, you wouldn't have ever gotten the belief that I slept at night. And I really should have mentioned it to you in the car when I listed off they ways we were alike," I added, to show that he wasn't entirely at fault. While he should know better than to sneak into someone else's room, particularly a female's room, it wasn't like I had really discouraged him, or given him a reason not to. In fact, truthfully, I usually made sure that he could leave, grabbing and hanging onto his arm in order to keep him there as long as possible.
"Either way," I said, standing and walking over to him, "it kind of boils down to the same thing, which is, I, like you, don't sleep at night."
Indecision danced on my tongue. "You don't have to leave," I said. That seemed to be the magic words, for he straightened from the crouch he was by the window, standing to his full height before walking over and settling down in my rocking chair. "But I'm not sure I can," he finished.
"Well, since I don't want you to go, I'm not going to argue against you staying," I said, being honest. "Of course, I'm not sure about what we should talk about."
I wasn't sure he'd heard me, for he suddenly sniffed at the air, noticing that there was something different about it. He looked to me, a questioning expression on his face.
"Who else was in here?" he asked me, and I realized that he must've scented Ashanti's scent in the air..
"My maker. Why?" I asked. "Do you scent her?"
He nodded his head. "I didn't notice it when I first came into the room, but I do now" he said. "It's interesting. I can tell that she's not like you, in a way. I mean, I can scent the humanity in her scent, but the...I don't know... The main scent that shows what she, and you, are, it's stronger in her scent. If I really concentrate on you, I can tell that you have it in your scent as well, but it's so faint that it's easy to miss, though, now that I think about it, it was a bit stronger during the van accident..."
I knew that I went pale as I predicted his next question. I mean, I knew that I'd already admitted to it, but that didn't mean that I wanted to talk to him about it.
"Why is that?" he asked. "I mean, why is that little identifying feature of your scent so much weaker than that of your maker's? And why was it stronger that day?"
I cringed, contemplating evading that question, just as I had evaded him asking why it was harder for me to resist since meeting him – though, he hadn't actually manged to ask about it, as I'd cut him off. Still, I knew that it wouldn't take much for him to put two and two together himself, so avoiding the question just wasn't worth it.
"My scent is weaker than my maker's because I don't feed on my intended prey. Remember, when I told you earlier, how I don't have to feed so much, well, not feeding actually helps give me a more human scent. I'll always carry the little part of my scent that says what I truly am, but, so long as I don't feed, whether regularly or irregularly, my scent will resemble a human one," I said. I hoped that he would understand what I was saying without asking me about why my scent was stronger. Luckily, he did seem to get it.
"You said that you were responsible for the missing person in Port Angeles," Edward said slowly. "Did you...?"
"Yes," I said. "The day you came back, after we talked, I went out that night. I was mostly in control, but going a little stir crazy being cooped up in my room. And I was extremely hungry after having talked to you. I didn't actually plan on feeding on the guy, but, well, when I realized that going to that bar was a bad idea, and went to leave, he followed me...caught me off guard. He was kissing me before I knew it, and I just...I didn't let go until he was dead." I was looking down when I said this, waiting for the disgust I was sure to come, but I only tasted sympathy from him, and, looking up, I saw he didn't judge me for my actions.
"Apparently, as I found out at that time, not feeding on a regular basis will leave my body glowing – and I mean glowing – healthily for hours. It kind of freaky to experience," I said, the last bit more of a mutter than anything, then shook my head, continuing with what I was saying. "I really couldn't go to school like that, so I waited until the glow was gone before I did. I may have looked a lot more healthier and alluring when I did, but I wasn't glowing anymore, so it didn't matter. I know that, if I fed on a more regular basis, that wouldn't happen, but since I refuse to do that, the longer I go without feeding, the bigger the chance of that happening is."
"You still look pretty healthy right now, especially when I compare how you look now to how you first looked when you got here," he said.
"The first time around, it took about four months before I started looking unhealthy. In fact, it was also around that time that the first regular food hunger strike hit me," I said. "Even if I start getting hungry for more energy, the energy from a previous...victim takes months to dissipate, especially if I drain the person," I said. Biting my lip, I looked at him nervously, waiting for him to say something, anything. Instead, he seemed slightly frozen, as if he was taking in everything I'd just said.
"So, your non-feeding as a succubus is the reason for your scent changes," he clarified. I nodded. "And you look healthier – glowingly healthier, in fact – when you do feed properly." Another nod from me. "Well, that's good to know, though I don't like it. I happen to like you looking healthy, over the dull health look when you first arrived."
I smiled at him.
"Well, unfortunately, unless I find a way to feed without worrying that I'd kill the person, I'm out of luck," I said. I wasn't going to tell him that I could feed on him. I had a feeling he'd offer if I did, and I didn't want that.
"You know, you scent is much like our eyes," he said. I looked at him, confused until I remembered what it was that Ashanti had found interesting about the Cullens. Honestly, at this point, I found it strange to know that there were actually vampires that had red eyes.
"Do you mean the fact that your eyes are gold instead of red, or the fact that they slowly become black at times?" I asked. He looked surprised when I mention the eyes being red, then seemed to realized that my maker had probably mentioned it to me before. It wasn't actually untrue, though Alice had also mentioned it herself.
"Yes, that's exactly what I meant," he said. I didn't need to ask why his eyes changed colors, having already figured it out before.
"Why have I never seen your eyes red?" I asked, heading back to my bed, sitting down and getting comfortable there.
"You've never seen my eyes red because my family and I...we don't feed on humans at all," he said. "We're rather lucky; feeding on animals actually makes it easier for us to stay in such a large group without feeling threatened. We can also seem more human in some instances. We refer to ourselves as a family rather than a cover, and are able to stay in an area for a longer time that we would if we ate from humans."
I was slightly surprised to know what he fed on. I hadn't been expecting that he feeding habits would have made that much of a difference, though I figured that I should have realized the last part would have been true. I had already figured out that they didn't feed on humans, since I think people would have noticed if a lot of people would suddenly go missing, or be found bloodless. And I was slightly jealous about the fact that he had another option for a diet. Then, of course, had me remembering what it was that he had said in the car earlier.
"So, your eyes must've gone red when you went off of Dr. Cullen's diet," I said, then tilted my head. "Why did you leave?" I asked, curious.
"I...I had a typical bout of adolescent rebellion, about ten years after my creation. I wasn't completely sold on his life of abstinence, and I also resented him for curbing my appetite," he said, a bit reluctant and wary. It seemed that he was afraid that I would judge him as I was that he would judge me.
"That sounds reasonable, given your age," I said, which wasn't what he had expected. He was surprised, and barked out a laugh, one that sounded more relieved than anything. "Plus, since you can read minds, you probably were able to skip over those who were truly innocent and only go after those who were purely evil," I added, somehow just knowing that it was true the moment I said it. It wasn't just because of the emotions from him that coated my tongue, but the fact that it just fit in with his character. The man who didn't want to be a monster...
I could see it in my mind: the alley, a young frightened girl, the dark man behind her. And Edward, terrible but glorious like a young god, unstoppable as he hunted. I had to wonder, would she – the girl – have been thankful straight away? Or would the thanks come later, after the frightfulness ended? There was no doubt in my mind, though, that the girl would be thankful in some form or another. Considering what the alternative would have been, only a fool wouldn't have been thankful of Edward.
"It only took me a few years to recommit to his vision. I had thought that knowing the mind of the one whom I hunted would have exempted me from the... depression that accompanies a conscious. I was wrong, though, for, as time went on, I began to see the monster I was in my eyes. I couldn't escape the debt of so much human life taken, no matter how justified it was. I went back to Carlisle, and Esme, for she'd joined us about four years after I'd been turned. They welcomed me back like the prodigal. It was more than I deserved," he said. I couldn't agree with him on that. Had he not been hunting murderers and rapist – the filth of the human world, as it were – then maybe I would, but, as he hadn't... Well, I felt that he shouldn't wallow in his guilt about it as he was.
"So, tell me about the rest of your family members," I said, hoping that he would be willing to tell me more than what Alice had. While I got what Alice knew of her history, and how she had found Jasper and then the Cullens, that was all she really said about it. She never told me any of the stories of how they came to be.
Unfortunately, it seemed that I would have to wait even longer, for we both heard my father's alarm go off and jumped slightly – we had completely forgotten about the world around us, an amazing feat for creatures such as us, especially him when one considered his extra talent. We listened, silently, as Charlie went into the bathroom, and I was relieved that I was smart enough to turn off my light before I started getting dressed to leave, for he didn't find anything strange about my room, and, therefore, left me alone. We waited until the shower started before moving and speaking again, though quietly.
"I guess that's my signal to leave," Edward said, standing up. I frowned, but didn't say anything. While still early, I wouldn't stay like that for long, and we'd already proven that we couldn't keep track of the time. I knew that if he stayed, that would definitely happen once again.
"See you at school," I said softly. He gave me a last smile, then jumped out of my window. I waked over to see that he was looking upwards toward my window, and I waved at him. He returned it before turning and, within half a second, he was gone, his body blurring as he took off into the forest. I sighed, walking over to my closet to chose something to wear. I eventually settled on a dark purple blouse with dark blue jeans. I pulled on a pair of boots, and grabbed Edward's jacket, throwing it on before shouldering my bag. A quick glance outside showed a cloudy sky.
I hurried downstairs, pausing for a second when I tasted Edward's emotions, and then hurried to the door, wondering why I was tasting them now while I was at home and it was daytime. It was quite foggy outside, but I had no trouble seeing Edward's car parked behind my own, him inside it. Since I didn't need anything else, I quickly locked the door, hurrying to the passengers side of the car and opening the door, a puzzled look on my face.
"Do you want to ride to school with me today?" he asked. I smiled, hopping into the car and shutting the door once I was in.
"You know, of you were planning to drive me to school, you could have asked before you left," I said, keeping my eyes away from the speedometer. I could tell that we were going fast, faster than I may have liked, but, so long as I didn't look at the speedometer, I was fine.
"So, I have another question," I said, suddenly curious as I hadn't thought about it before. "What happens when someone non-vampire, or human, I guess I should say, finds out about vampires?"
I was honestly curious about that, though Ashanti hadn't said anything about vampire rules. She had only let me know about the succubi rule, which pretty much don't draw attention to ourselves in a bad way, which basically translated to: Don't kill to many people in the same area. Although, it's not advisable to let others know what you are either, but it's actually not a rule.
"Well, we're technically supposed to kill them, though Carlisle would never do that," Edward said, and I remembered the argument I overheard after that one van accident. He looked over to me. "See, we only really have one rule, which is keep the secret, but that can break down to who knows how many facets. One of those is, of course, the fact that humans can't know what we are. To know would either mean that we have to turn them or kill them, with killing them being there preferred term for many, or the usual outcome that happens either way. Of course, that's only humans, as another in the factors say that other supernatural creatures can know about vampires."
"Particularly when it's probably pretty easy to figure it out when your a different type of supernatural creature," I said. "Still, that has to suck, having to hide who you are from everyone, with no exceptions."
"What about succubi?" he asked. "Are there any rules you have to follow?"
"Yeah," I said. "Don't draw attention to yourself in a bad way, which basically means don't kill to many people in the same area in the same amount of time."
"What about if someone find out what you are?" he asked.
"Considering that quite a few of the older, more experienced succubi actually allow some humans to know what they are, and entered deals with them, it's not actually all that forbidden," I said. "Only those who might try to kill us or lead a mob need not know."
"Deals?" he said.
"Basically, in exchange for succubi feeding from them regularly, said succubi would take care of them, like pay and house them, maybe even be a patron to them if needed," I explained. "And, of course, for the feedings, it's usually done through sex. Prolong kissing is usually the leading cause of a human's death when it comes to feeding, as it's harder to stop since the energy is sucked out faster that way. As for how long a deal exists, some usually leave it up to the discretion of one side or the other. More often than not, though, the donor usually just walks away when they're done, with a promise that they won't divulge information about said succubus. But, that's the more experienced ones, who have not only lived for a long time, but also don't care much for finding a new toy every night. They're less likely to kill someone than I am, having more practice as it than I do.
"Of course, I'm kind of confused about it on the long term, and, since it still comes down to me having to feed on humans, I've shot down the idea of doing it," I added. "Yet, I will admit, it is nice to have that as an option for the future, just in case I lose control but am able to find the strength to pull back and keep from killing the human."
He nodded, though I could taste his surprise at the information. Once I finished speaking, we were pulling into the parking lot, and that was when I realized something that I should have realized moments before.
"Hey, where are your siblings?" I asked. I had forgotten that Edward usually drove them to school, and yet, none of them were actually in the car right now. However, somehow, my answer was immediately answered when I saw that there was a car I'd never seen before in the lot, one that was a whole lot newer than any of the others. The glossy red convertible immediately grabbed my attention, just as it did to everyone else who was arriving or was already there.
"They drove Rosalie's car today," he said, shrugging it off like it was no big deal. I rolled my eyes.
"It's kind of flashy," I said. "Does your sister like attention or something?"
"She does," he said. I nodded, looking at the car again. While it was a nice one, I knew that I would never want one like it. I hated attention, and usually preferred to be in the background, something that was mostly impossible with my succubi traits and being the new girl here in Forks. Both tended to put me in the spotlight. And, as I opened the door, I discovered a third thing that would be putting me in the spotlight as well.
Everyone froze when they saw me get out of Edward's car, shock dominating them. Even though he had sat at my table for lunch, I had gone on a date with him, and we were going to the dance together, us being together like this was still surprising to most of the people at the school. I sighed, hating that I would be dominating the spotlight once more, having done my best to shake it off. However, I couldn't bring myself to regret having it on me this time, since Edward was right by my side. Together, we walked towards the school.
"Everyone's staring," I muttered towards him, my eyes looking around. Their emotions were dancing on my tongue. Once the shock began to disappear, varying tones of jealousy took it's place, some stronger than others. My eyes easily found the two who were the most jealous of me; Lauren and Jessica stood, side by side, ugly looks on their faces.
"No, not everyone," Edward murmured in my ear. "That guy...no, he just looked."
I rolled my eyes playfully. "You're not going to find anyone whose not looking at us," I said. He smiled at me, just as I tasted someone's determination. I was a bit surprised when Jessica walked up to me. I noticed that Lauren was looking at her angrily, her emotions making me think that she thought Jessica had betrayed her in some way. Lauren turned as stalked away as Jessica came closer to me, stopping once she was in front of us. I saw and tasted the lust from her when she looked at Edward, and the jealousy towards me as her eyes flitted away from him.
"Hey, Bella," she said, trying to sound friendly as she pasted a fake smile on her face. I raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what her motive for coming to me was.
"Hi," I said, sounding suspicious, waiting for her to say something. What she did talk about, though, wasn't what I was suspecting from her. In fact, she didn't really talk about anything, other than asking if I wanted to sit next to her in our shared Trig and Spanish classes. I told her that I'd think about it, already pretty much deciding not to if I could get away with it. Once she had my answer, she walked away.
"So, what do you plan on telling her?" Edward asked once she was gone.
"What makes you think I plan on telling her anything?" I asked. "I didn't say if I would sit by her, after all."
"She's planning on making sure you don't have a choice but to sit next to her. She wants to ambush you with some questions," he told me.
"What questions does she plan to ask?" I said, my tone making it clear that I wouldn't accept him hiding what she was thinking from me.
"Oh, just the basics," Edward said, sensing that I wouldn't appreciate him hiding, "Did we make plans to meet, are we secretly dating, how do you feel about me, and how I feel about you. She also wants to know what happened after they left, like if we really had dinner or not." He looked slightly confused as he said the next bit. "Apparently, she's wondering how you got back before them considering that they left Port Angeles first."
"She called my house last night, under the pretense that I'd left a jacket in the car. Truthfully, she was actually trying to get me into trouble with Charlie, as if it would have worked," I said, the last part being said more quietly than the rest of the sentence. He grew stiff with anger at hearing that, and growled. I frowned at him. As much fun as it would be to watch Edward do whatever it was that he was planning – assuming he was planning anything – it wouldn't be good if he attacked or did something to her with so many people around to witness it, particularly after learning what their fate would be if he did. Getting so many of my classmates killed isn't something I want to do.
"So, what should I say?" I asked him, getting him back on track to what we were actually talking about. He looked at me, confused as to what I was talking about since he was plotting something. "Should I say that we've been secretly dating, or that we decided to officially date on our date last Saturday, or something else. And what should I say about how you feel about me and vice versa." I waited patiently for his answer.
He thought for a moment. "I would say that we were thinking about making ourselves officially boyfriend and girlfriend on our date, but that you hadn't decided yet – by the way, you'll have to fill me in on the details of what we did that day – and that we only truly made it official last night. As for feelings, well, I know you can already tell how I feel about you without me saying it to you," he said. I smiled, knowing that he was in love with me. "As for how you feel about me..." He leaned in close to my ear, his lips brushing against it and sending sparks through me. "Well, I'll be waiting to hear that for myself."
He headed to his class then, leaving me feeling like I'd been melted into a puddle where we'd stopped. It took me a while to get myself back together, but when I did, I realized that he hadn't helped me out that much. He had left me with what I considered to be the hardest question to answer: how I felt about him. I couldn't blame him, though. It wasn't something he could answer himself. He could hope about how I felt, but only I could answer it. I thought about it. Other than deciding to tell him my secret, I hadn't given much thought about how I may or may not feel about him. The only thing I knew was that I cared for him a great deal, enough to not want any secrets between us.
I walked into my English class, my mind still on trying to figure out my feelings towards Edward. Before I could do so, though, Mike popped out of seemingly no where.
"Morning, Bella," he said, sitting in the desk next to me. He ignored my look towards him, and I frowned when I tasted the usual desire from him. Thankfully, it wasn't as strong as it usually was. "How was Port Angeles?"
"Fine," I said. "Why?"
"Oh, well... I was wondering if Jessica... Never mind," he suddenly said, as I rolled my eyes. I had the feeling that he was looking for information on Jessica, to see if she talked about their date. More than that, though, I had the feeling that he was hoping for some reaction from me that would indicate that what I heard had made me jealous. He would be so disappointed to learn that it hadn't even interested me.
"Jessica didn't get a dress, yet, if that's what your wondering," I said. "She plans on going today with Lauren."
"Did she...say anything about Monday night?" he asked, still hoping for some signs of jealousy from me. It was just a sign of how little he knew me. Still, I told him what I remembered Jessica saying in the car, and was kind of delighted when he became downtrodden from my lack of any sign of jealousy. I was glad, though, when Mr. Mason called the class to order, cutting his inquiries off before he could finish them.
My classes before Trig went by rather quickly, and all to soon I was walking into that class. Jessica, apparently, decided not to give me any opportunity to ignore her; she waited right next to the door for me, and quickly followed me as I sat down, taking the seat next to me immediately, before someone else could have it. I frowned at the blatant move – someone else was actually about to sit down when she came by, and I watched as the student she stole the seat from walked away with a frown on their face.
"So, what happened last night? Tell me everything!" Jessica commanded, as if I was nothing more than a servant to her. I turned my head towards her so that she could see me roll my eyes before looking towards the front of the class. I didn't have to tell her anything, and I didn't have anything to say to her, either.
Unfortunately, she wasn't used to being denied access to something gossip worthy, and kept badgering me until the end of class. Mr. Varner actually pissed me off during that time as well, even more so that my first day of class, for he didn't call her out for speaking during class, despite the fact that there was no way he couldn't hear her. When the bell rang, I practically sprang up from my seat, hurrying to my next class in hopes of getting away from her. I even purposely made sure that all seats next to me were about to be taken. Unfortunately, once again, I underestimated how much she wanted her gossip, for, like in the previous class, she stole one of the seats from someone else and continued to badger me. Finally, before I was driven to actually murder her, I gave in, of only to shut her up. Of course, at the same time, I was cursing the ineffective teacher for not making her shut up as well, though she was being much quieter about talking in this class than the previous one.
"Jessica, what do you want to know?" I asked. I didn't bother adding anything else to that – I wasn't going to tell her everything. She'd find out pretty quickly that just because she wanted to know didn't mean she'd get anything exciting from me. In fact, what she'd learn wouldn't even allow her the chance to gossip about it – after all, everyone already knew that we'd gone on one date. Doing another one after accidentally running into each other – and it would be easy to tell, as there was no way we could have prearranged it beforehand, despite what Jessica might think. Of course, that didn't mean that the more idiotic people would realized that, but then, they really didn't matter.
"What happened last night?" she asked, sounding as if she expected there to be something scandalous to tell. I rolled my eyes; even if she wasn't there, the fact that I'd gotten home before she thought I had should have told her that there was nothing strange to report. Then again, she wasn't all too bright.
"He bought me dinner, and then drove me home," I said, giving no other details other than that. She glared at me, her expression stiff with skepticism.
"How did you get home so fast?" she asked, her tone suggesting that she doubted we actually ate.
"He drives like a maniac," I said. I felt no need to tell her just how terrifying his driving was – most teenagers drove faster than the speed limit, anyway, so it wasn't something unusual.
"Was it a date? Did you tell him to meet you there?" she asked.
I shook my head. "I was very surprise to see him there. We just ran into each other at he bookstore, and got to talking. It did become a date, though, after you and Angela left," I said.
The disappointment at my almost completely honest response was evident on her face. It disappeared and was replaced by anger and jealousy at my words, though. I smiled at her, innocently, having known that the statement would inspire such a response.
"So, did you make plans for him to pick you up today?" she probed once more, after getting her emotions in order as to try and hide what she was really feeling towards me. It wouldn't do for her to be revealed as actually hating me, after all.
"No," I said, disappointing her once again from the sheer honesty of my answer. "That was a a surprise as well."
"Are you guys going out again?" she asked.
"No, not before the dance this Saturday," I said, then I felt like slapping myself for saying that, as it caught her attention. Apparently, she hadn't realized who my date would be, though I hadn't really hidden it. I just also hadn't bragged about it a whole lot, either, and, truthfully, Angela was the only one who really knew who my date was before this.
"You're going to the dance with Edward?" she asked, sounding very surprised, and more than a little jealous. I nodded.
"Yeah, I asked him after our date Saturday," I said, lying a little bit.
"What did you do Saturday?" she asked.
"Oh, we went to Seattle, visited a music store and a bookstore. We have pretty similar tastes," I said. Again, I was lying, as I wasn't actually positive that our tastes were similar. Sure, we both like Clare de Lune, but that didn't automatically mean that all of our tastes were the same.
Disappointment ranged on her face once again. She seemed indecisive about what to ask next, before a new question occurred to her. Her face lit up a bit, and her emotions tasted as if she'd hit the jackpot with whatever question she had in mind. I had the feeling that, no matter what question she asked, she'd probably get some gossip from it, though I also had the feeling that she'd be hoping for me to say something specific.
"Has he kissed you yet?" she asked, sounding almost desperate. It was kind of pathetic to hear, if I was being honest.
"No," I said, and her disappointment disappeared for a moment as glee ran through her; she liked that I hadn't kissed him, probably thinking that it might mean something. "We haven't gotten to that stage, yet," I added, and her glee disappeared. I didn't mention that there was a good chance that we might never get there, not just because if how she'd most likely act if I did, but because what Ashanti had said was running constantly though my head. And, I also knew that, if Edward decided to kiss me without urging to do so from the Draw, I wouldn't protest or stop him from doing so.
"Do you think Saturday... ?" she began to ask, trailing off as she raised her eyebrows. I shrugged. I was going to be leaving such details like that up to him for now.
"So, what did you talk about?" she asked, pushing for more information, not bothering to be quiet. It wasn't like the teacher was competent, and would actually stop her from speaking, after all. Jessica wasn't even the only one talking at this point.
"Music, books, things like that," I said, fibbing. I wasn't going to be telling her about what we'd really talked about, especially knowing that telling her that he was a vampire would be the stupidest thing ever. Not only would it result in her death, but it would result in the death of anyone she told – basically, the whole town, and any friends she may have outside of it.
"Please, Bella," she begged, unhappy with what I'd given her. "Give me some details."
I said the fist thing that came to my mind. "You should have seen the waitress flirting with him last night," I said. She looked interested. "It was over the top. But, he didn't pay her any attention at all. His eyes never strayed from me."
Those words were a recipe for instant jealousy, more than really needed from her. It gave me the feeling that Mike must've done the exact opposite on their little date.
"That's a very good sigh," she said through her teeth. It was obvious that she was saying it with great reluctance, and she wasn't quite able to keep the bitterness at the fact that she even had to say it out of her voice. I pretended not to notice. "Was she pretty?"
"Very," I said, "and she was probably about nineteen or twenty."
"Even better. He must like you," she told me. She was also reluctant to say that, gritting her teeth slightly
"Yes, he does," I said. I wasn't trying to brag about it, just stating a simple fact, though I did enjoy how her jealousy and anger rose at the unwavering honesty in my voice. The fact that I had showed no sigh of it being anything true – that the words hadn't seemed to originate from my mouth, but his, saying that he had said it himself – pissed her off.
"What about you?" she asked, her voice dark with hate. I raised an eyebrow at her for the tone, and she seemed to realize that she'd broken out of her character of acting like my friend. She cleared her throat, composing herself, then repeated the question in a more friendly tone.
"What about me?" I asked back, having a feeling on what it was that she wanted. That, however, wasn't something I was going to willingly give information about my feelings. After all, they weren't any of her business.
"Do you share the same feelings?" she asked. Luckily for me, the teacher called on her to answer a question – like Mr. Varner, this teacher was pretty much ignoring the talking going on, though she did spring surprise questions at people about what she was telling them. I quite enjoyed the reaction that Jessica had when called on, though I doubted it would keep her from continuing to badger me as she'd been doing. While she was distracted, I quickly cast my mind to try and think of something to distract her with. It didn't take me long to come up with the perfect subject.
"In English, Mike asked him if her had said anything about Monday night," I told her, once she was free from the teacher's attention, and had focused her attention back on me. It completely sidetracked her from her interrogation of me, and she spend the rest of the period – all fifteen minutes – grilling me on what he said, what I'd told him, and his expression over what I said. I was more than thankful when the bell rang, keeping her from realizing that she'd gotten distracted and returning the topic back to me. Standing up, I quickly shoved my books into my bag roughly, more than ready to get to lunch, more than ready to see Edward. Something in my expression and the haste in which I preformed my task seemed to alert Jessica about my lunch plans.
"Can I sit at your table today?" she asked me, acting once again like she was one of my friends. I shook my head at her, having a hard time holding back my laughter at her disgruntled expression. I turned from her, about to hurry out the door when the taste of Edward's emotions gave me a small pause. They were much closer than I was expecting, and, as I finally moved and left the classroom, I found out the answer to why: Edward was waiting for me outside the door, leaning against the wall next to it. The urge to laugh at Jessica's expression disappeared as I went to stand next to him, no longer bothering to even think about her anymore.
"Hello," he said, his voice amused and irritated at the same time. Clearly, he'd been listening, which wasn't all that surprising, since he'd pretty much said that he would. I wondered what it was that had him irritated, since I'd said nothing incriminating. Then, I realized that it might not have been what I said, but what I didn't that had him like that, since he'd said that he would be waiting to hear my answer on how I felt about him just like she was. Since I didn't answer her, he was left wondering about it.
We walked in silence to the cafeteria, his arm around my shoulders; like in the parking lot, those in the hallway stared at us, while everyone went silent in the cafeteria when we entered, staring at us as well. I rolled my eyes as he steered us to the line, still not speaking. His eyes kept flashing towards my face, though. He stepped up to the counter, and went to fill the tray, starting to grab the first thing available.
"What are you doing?" I objected. Surely he couldn't have forgotten that I didn't need to eat, and, even if I did, what he was grabbing for didn't seem to be too appealing.
"I was going to fill the tray. I have to eat as well, you know," he said, amused. I narrowed my eyes at him, not really feeling up to having to deal with him grabbing a lot of food that would just end up being wasted for the most part.
"Let me fill it," I said, pushing his hand away from the food, knowing that he wasn't going to let us not get something. I grabbed a slice of the pizza they were serving, then an apple and a water bottle before pushing him to the area where it would be paid for before leading us to my table. I nodded to Angela when I saw that she had decided to sit with Ben today, at his normal table – he'd sat with us the previous day. I would admit, I was kind of glad that they'd decided to sit away from us; it gave Edward and I more freedom to speak.
Sitting down, I took the tray from him, glancing towards his siblings as I did so. I could tell, from the taste of their emotions that – save for Alice's – they were feeling pretty much the same way they had been the last time he'd sat with me. I wondered about that, having expected them to be feeling something else.
"So," I said when I finally turned away from them, grabbing the piece of pizza, "what's got you irritated?"
He scowled at me. "You didn't answer Jessica's last question," he said, a pout in his voice. I snorted.
"Seriously? Did you really expect me to tell the gossip queen something personal like that?" I asked. He looked properly abashed at that, realizing what it was that I was saying.
"Sorry," he said. I nodded, finishing the pizza before grabbing the apple, playing with it in my hands.
"It's okay," I told him. We were silent for a few moments.
"I have a question for you," he said after a while.
"Shoot," I said.
"Would you like to spend Saturday with me? I mean, before the dance, during the day," he said. I noticed that his siblings were shocked at hearing that, which confused me a bit.
"Why?" I asked.
"I would like to show you something," he said. The shock from his siblings changed slightly, becoming mixed with anger and worry.
"Sure, okay," I told him. "My turn now. What were you hunting at that Goat Rocks place last weekend?"
He was shocked at hearing the question, but that wasn't what really caught my attention. The shock I was tasting was stronger than it should be coming from one person. It didn't take me much to realize that it wasn't just Edward's shock I was tasting, but his siblings as well, save for Alice. I couldn't help but wonder what it was that they were shocked about, especially when they knew that I...
As realization entered me, I turned to glare at Edward, who was about to answer my question when he noticed my facial expression. My eyes flicked over to his siblings, whom I had a clear view of, and I believed that he realized that I knew something he was trying to hide.
"Bella?" he said tentatively.
"You didn't tell them?" I said, my words clipped with anger. He winced, looking behind him at his family, who, other than Alice, were now angrily glaring at him just as I was. Putting the apple in my bag, I stood up, schooling my features into a look of indifference so the others around us didn't wonder about it, knowing that it would be noticed if I got up from the table angrily. Edward following, wanting a chance to explain himself. I wasn't going to argue about it, though. Since what I was going to say wasn't exactly something that I wanted to be known in a crowded cafeteria, I was glad that he was with me.
Once we were out of sight of the cafeteria, I quickly headed to the forest, knowing that we'd most likely be left alone. Once we were somewhere somewhat private, I rounded on him.
"Why didn't you tell them?" I asked. "I even gave you permission to do so, so that they'd know that I was trustworthy, but you still didn't do it. Why?"
He winced, but didn't answer. I could tell that he didn't have a good reason for it.
"Did you even bother to think of what it would mean to them, since they don't know?" I asked, still incensed. "You even told me that humans are not supposed to know about you –"
He interrupted me here. "You're not human," he pointed out.
"They don't know that!" I snapped. "I wouldn't be angry if it did. That's why I told you to tell them. As far as they know, I'm human, and, that I now know what you are. Do you honestly think that they're going to accept that? I already know that some of them wanted me dead after the van accident. I wouldn't be surprised of they're making plans to kill me now that I know for sure. I mean, the only one I can be sure isn't doing that is Alice. Well, her and –"
He interrupted again. "What do you mean, you're sure that Alice isn't planning your demise?" he asked, summing up the words I'd just said into one easy to understand phrase. My anger deflated, though, as I realized that I hadn't mentioned the fact that Alice had known about me, especially before he did, and, for some reason, I shifted guiltily. I wasn't sure of how he would react to Alice knowing about me before he did, then realized that I had nothing to be ashamed of for being friends with her. Of course, that wasn't the only thing he'd caught in my rant.
"And how do you even know that Rosalie and Jasper wanted you dead after the van accident?" he asked as well. I took a breath, turning away from him.
"I know about the van accident because I spied on you. I was curious to know what you'd say, because I knew that some of your siblings, especially Rosalie, hadn't been happy about you saving me like you did," I said. "And, as for Alice, she's known about me ever since the night of the van accident." Disbelief coated my tongue as I plowed on. "She saw me out the window by chance, and chased after me when I ran away. Since then, we've met a few times. She told me about her visions, and a bit on how they worked, as well as the way she saw me in them.
"And don't you dare me angry with her," I added as his disbelief changed to such an emotion. "We both decided to keep it a secret, especially since I wasn't really ready for anyone to know, and her finding out was a complete accident, not because I'd actually wanted her to know. And she only ever told me about her relationship with Jasper, and her own ability, though she did hint that other vampires could have abilities as well. You really never came up in any of our conversations, except for the first one, but that's only because she wanted to warn me not to take it personally when you started acting weird after the van accident."
Once I said that, his anger cleared up quite a bit. The reminder of the way he'd treated me had him feeling a bit ashamed over his actions. However, he was still a bit miffed that Alice had known before he did.
"I"ll be having a talk with her after school," I heard him mutter under his breath. In the distance, the school bell buzzed.
"We'd better get going," I said, sighing as I shook my head, heading back there. I paused before I took more than a few steps. "Oh, and we will be finishing this conversation later."
I didn't wait to see if he agreed.
Okay, all done. I'm working on the next chapter for editing, and I should be done sooner rather than later.
Please review, I want to know what you think of this chapter.
Hearts In Strangeness