Honestly, I ended up listening to a lot of music and watching Lucky Star, South Park, Haruhi and Avatar xD Well, did get SOME math done xD

Uhm … I'm not really happy with this chapter, but … Well.

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THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL

It was snowing. Outside the earth was already covered in a layer of white, as if it had its own, personal coat. I hadn't ever liked snow, but as a vampire I knew that even the snow would be warmer than my skin – it felt just the tiniest bit warm.

Irina, Kate and I were hunting. It was different – wilder – to hunt in snow. Every move was shadowed by a bunch of snow, which would later be colored red.

"Nice," Kate complemented me after a fight with a bear that didn't like our intruding. "But I can do better!"

"Sure you can," Irina said and rolled her eyes. "Are we gonna take that, Bella?" she asked me, winking.

I laughed and crouched. "Definitely not!" I replied.

Kate winced as we launched for her. She reached for us, but then she remembered that I was immune to her gift. As she tried to touch Irina, I stepped in between, caught her at the shoulders and pushed her to the ground. As we laid there, I grinned at her. "That was too easy, Kate!"

She growled and pushed me off of her. Behind me, Irina was laughing.

"Why don't we just go back?" Kate asked grudgingly.

"I still have some hunting to do," I answered.

"I'll gladly stay behind," Irina said.

"Fine," Kate growled. "Later, then." Then she ran off. I turned to Irina, who smiled at me.

Then we ran on to find a new prey for me. Since I was still new, I had to hunt more than the average vampire. I hated it. It prevented me from training and had me hunting alone a lot – of course, that was before the Cullens came to visit. Now there was always at least one with me. I'd even been hunting with Esme, Alice and Rosalie at the same time, and I had really enjoyed the time being.

I had purposely decided not to hunt with Emmett. It seemed he liked to fight, and I didn't want to get on my new family's bad side. Still, I had the feeling Emmett wouldn't mind a duel.

The only one I wasn't getting along well with was Edward. He avoided me constantly, only spoke to me when absolutely needed, and he even rarer looked at me. And when he did, his eyes were cold. How could he have asked me not to think he hated me when he so clearly did?

"The Cullens really like you," Irina said with a kind voice. "It must be nice for you to fit in so easily. You're so self-conscious." She laughed.

I bit my lower lip and looked at the grey sky from which the snowflakes came from. "I wish it was all of the who liked me," I mumbled.

"Oh, you're talking about Edward, right?" she asked. I nodded. "Don't worry. He'll come around. That's just the way he is."

"I've noticed."

"I guess you have," she laughed.

"I doesn't make it easier that he can read minds."

"What does that matter? He can't read yours," she pointed out.

I shrugged. "Apparently, he's so used to it, he can't comprehend not hearing my thoughts. Maybe that's why he hates me so much."

"I must be something else. He can be rude, but I don't think it's that. And even if it was, he doesn't hate you. He would never dare; not when Alice likes you so much." I smiled at her joke, but I didn't really feel comforted. "Really, Bella, everything will work out."

I nodded and sighed.

"Are you filled?" she asked.

"Yea."

"Then let's go home."

"No, I want to run a little more."

She looked incredulously at me, but then she nodded, turned and ran away.

It was pure freedom to run through the woods, and it calmed me down. I knew that calm would vanish as soon as I saw him, but it was nice while it lasted.

-

I was about three hundred meters from the house, and I had slowed down to try to prolong the calming moment. Then I froze. In front of me, he stood as s tone figure leaned against a tree. He didn't say anything, and for a moment, I just stood and stared. Then I decided to just go on as if I hadn't seen him.

"Emmett is waiting for you," he said and began to close the space between us. I froze again immediately.

"So?" I asked.

"He's bored," he answered, shrugging. He looked at me with his golden eyes, and since I didn't have the guts to meet them, I stared at his cheek.

"So?" I repeated.

"He's looking for a fight. You're the last one he needs to ask."

"I'll just say no," I said. I didn't understand why he was here.

"Emmett is very firm when it comes to these playful fights, especially when he hasn't fought a real one for a while. You're newborn. He doesn't think it'll be hard to trigger you into a fight."

"Well, it will," I snapped.

He smiled, and I could read the words in the set of his lips: 'it won't'.

I took a deep breath. "Even if so, why do you care?" I asked.

He shook his head. "You really do think I hate you, don't you?"

"What else should I think?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

He shrugged. "You can think what you want to." He looked at the sky. "I just wish I could know what it was."

I dropped my hard posture and relaxed. I couldn't figure him out. He was a mystery, and I needed to find out. I looked at his hair that moved in the wind. Snowflakes caught in it and made it glimmer.

"You're fast, aren't you?" I asked. He raised his eyebrows. "Alice said you were the fastest. Do you think you're faster than me?" He shrugged. "Wanna try and see?" I asked. He hesitated, then he smiled that crooked smile.

"Fine. But I'll give you half a second in advantage. To the house?" I nodded. He grinned. "You'll be surprised."

I grinned back. "So will you." Then I ran off at all my speed, and half a second later I could hear him coming. He quickly came closer, as if he was moving with the speed of light. Jeez, he was fast!

Despite my best effort, he caught up with me and got to the house one eight of a second before me.

"Wow! That was …" I shook my head. "That was something!"

He grinned. "Thanks."

"Bella!" a booming voice called from inside, and Emmett, followed by Jasper, Alice and Rosalie, came out.

I sighed. "No, Emmett! I won't fight you!"

"Aw, Bella, don't be so boring!" he teased.

"I'm not bored, you just have a too big need for things to be moving on," I stated.

"She's right," Rosalie noted.

Emmett growled. "We'll see!" he just answered, and then he launched for me; as he did, I heard Jasper say: "What does that even mean?"

I didn't have time enough to react before he did. He moved from beside me and in front of me, grabbed out to meet Emmett, and then slung him to the ground.

"Hey!" Emmett yelled and looked up.

Edward shrugged and crossed his arms. "She said no."

"Come on, Edward, you're –"

"No."

The way Edward pronounced the word put it clear to anyone that he was serious. I just stared at him, feeling self-conscious again. I couldn't bear to look at Alice and the others to see how they reacted.

"You're no fun," Emmett muttered darkly as he moved inside again. He looked like a little child, and I couldn't help wearing a little smug smirk on my lips.

I saw Alice peer at me from the corner of her eyes as she and Rosalie moved inside, too. Jasper stayed just a second longer, then he turned, too.

"What was that about?" I asked when we were alone. I said it with a low voice as I was sure the others would hear if I didn't.

He shrugged. "You're a newborn," he just said.

"I could handle it!" I snapped.

He shrugged. Then his eyes wore that troubled look again. "Will you promise me something?" My eyes narrowed, and he tried to smile. "As a price because I won."

"What?" I asked.

He went serious. "Please don't fight Emmett."

"Why?" I asked.

"Please promise me."

I looked warily at him before answering. "I can't promise something like that!" I snapped.

"Please," he breathed, and I felt my head swim. Those eyes …

"I'll try, but why?" I whispered. I weren't able to bring out more sound.

He'd already turned and was on his way back into the house. I didn't get my answer.

The next day, everything was back to normal. Everything.