Huge thanks to Kitty & Pretty Flour for prereading :D I own nothing.

Chapter 10

I opened my eyes, completely expecting to be in my bed, waking up from a terrifying nightmare. At first I thought this was indeed the case. I was in a bed—my bed, my head was on my pillow, and the room was indeed my own. However, I saw three people staring at me and I immediately felt the pain in my chest again and my head, too, was pounding.

"Oh, Isabella, sweetheart, are you okay?" My mother was at my side, with Ms. Cope standing behind her, looking on at me in relief. "I've been so worried."

"What happened?" I asked, not daring to mention the events I remembered.

"You took a fall in the woods," she told me. "Dr. Cullen and his daughter, Alice were out walking and found you dazed and alone. You're fine though, darling, don't worry."

"What about…" I began to ask panic-stricken about Edward. But, despite my worries, I stopped myself. Phil had made it clear I was to stay away from him and I didn't want to get Edward into any more trouble. "I tripped on a branch I think."

"All is well, Isabella, I promise." Dr. Cullen stepped forward with a kind smile on his face, and I understood he wasn't referring to only me. I took a relaxing breath as he continued, "I think it was the shock of the fall that made you faint. You have a cut on your head and likely some bruised ribs, Isabella. The cut was quite deep and I needed to put in a few stitches I'm afraid, there's a dressing in place to keep it sterile."

I reached up and pulled a face as I felt the thick bandage on my forehead.

"Don't worry about the scar," my mother told me. "Your hair will disguise it, I promise."

"Okay," I croaked. "What time is it?"

"A little after three in the afternoon," my mother said and then turned to Dr. Cullen. "We are supposed to be taking her out for the evening, it's her birthday today you see. Will that have to be rearranged?"

"No!" I said quickly, remembering Edward and his family would also be there and I desperately needed to see him. "It was such a special gift, Dr. Cullen. I really don't want to miss that opportunity, please?"

"If the girl wants to go, then the girl can go." Phil appeared in the doorway to my room. "She's fine. Thank you for your help, Dr. Cullen, but we can take care of her now."

"Of course. Just keep the dressing clean," Dr. Cullen said quietly, almost sadly. "Goodbye, Isabella, and happy birthday. It's such a shame it had to happen like this."

I frowned as I watched him leave the room, thinking it an odd thing to say. Nobody else seemed concerned with it, but it left a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach and I had no idea why.

"May I rest for a little while?" I asked my mother. "Just for half an hour or so and then Ms. Cope can help me get ready for our evening out?"

"Of course, darling. I'll be just downstairs if you need me." My mother squeezed my hand and walked over to Phil. "What are we going to do with you, Isabella? You are so accident prone, it's almost concerning."

I nodded and closed my eyes, waiting until I heard the door close before reopening them. I listened until I heard nothing outside my door and quickly looked under my pillow, but there was nothing there.

"Are you looking for this?" I jumped and saw Ms. Cope standing in the now open doorway. She was holding a small box in her hand. "I came upstairs to get your bed ready when Dr. Cullen first brought you home and found this under your pillow. A gift from young Edward?"

I nodded and she brought it over to me. "I didn't open it of course, but I thought it best that your mother not find it."

"Thank you," I said and took it from her.

"What on earth happened, Isabella?" she asked. "I thought the worst when Dr. Cullen arrived and I saw you like that."

"I met Edward in the woods and took a fall. You know me, Ms. Cope, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. I assume Edward took me to his house and then Dr. Cullen brought me here so I wouldn't get into more trouble for spending time with him." I hoped I sounded convincing.

"You need to be more careful," she scolded. "I shudder to think what might have happened."

So do I.

I smiled and opened the box slowly and inside was a beautiful heart-shaped crystal. The light in my room immediately reflected on the stone, casting shimmers onto the walls of my room. I saw a folded piece of paper in the box and opened it.

Bella

Like mine, this heart is cold and hard but your love brings warmth to me that words cannot describe. Now and always, they both belong to you and you alone.

Happy birthday.

Always yours,

Edward

I folded the paper quickly and held it to my chest. "Isn't it beautiful?" I said and turned the box around to show Ms. Cope.

"That is rather special," she said.

"I just wish I had something to put it on, so I could wear it." I sighed. "It seems a waste to keep it hidden in a box."

"I have just the thing for you," Ms. Cope said and left my room for a minute before coming back with an entwined leather band in her hand. "I made this for my husband while he was away and never got to give it to him. Here, I want you to have it."

"I couldn't possibly take this-" I began to say and she shook her head.

"Nonsense. What good is it sitting unused? Take it, please, Isabella." She helped me put the heart onto the strap and then tied it on my wrist. "There, see. Beautiful. Should your parents ask where it came from, you can tell them I gave it to you. It's only a small deviation from the truth."

"Thank you," I said and gave her a hug. "Ms. Cope?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Edward and his family are going to the Royal tonight. Dr. Cullen knows the owner just like Phil, and managed to secure an invitation." I smiled sheepishly and Ms. Cope laughed. "Will you help me hide this awful thing?" I pointed to the dressing on my head and she nodded. "I want it to be perfect."

"Of course. First of all you need to wash up and clean those scrapes on your hands. Let me go and draw you a bath. I'll call you when it's ready." She scurried from the room and I lay back on the bed, ignoring the dull ache of my ribs.

I still had no idea what happened in the woods or what the beast actually was. I tried not to give too much thought to the Edward I saw in the moments before I fell for the second time. There was such darkness to him and that same feeling of dread ran through me again. Carlisle had given me word that Edward was safe, and I assumed that Carlisle had not been alone in the woods when he came to my rescue.

Last time I was in trouble, Alice had foreseen what would happen and sent Emmett and Jasper along with Carlisle to help. But what had she seen exactly?

"Time for your bath," Ms. Cope called out and I tried to clear my mind of the afternoon's events for now. I would have plenty of time to discuss them with Edward later.

*SIFY*

Ms. Cope did manage to hide the ugly dressing on my head and the new dress my mother had bought me was very pretty and despite the pain from my ribs, I was happy. Ms Cope thought I looked much older than my seventeen years but I thought that was most certainly a good thing.

I pretended to sleep on the drive to Chicago, telling my mother I still felt a little drowsy. It gave me time to rehearse in my mind how I would react when Edward and his family appeared at the theater. I almost laughed out loud when I pictured Phil's face. He would not be happy at all.

I kept quiet for the most part during dinner. I heard my mother tell the other guests an elaborate version of my accident earlier. A simple stumble in the forest had turned into an almost fatal fall had it not been for a family friend who also happened to be a doctor.

As was always the case with friends of my parents, the conversation was dull. It seemed more like an attempt by Phil to boast about his wealth and the number of successful businesses the Dwyer family now owned.

I did my best to drown out the incessant chatter, but time passed by much slower than I would have liked. Finally, it was time to enter the theater and feelings of both fear and excitement stirred in me as the prospect of seeing Edward again drew closer.

We were escorted into the screening room and took our seats near to the front. My mother played the adoring wife as she was introduced to the director and several of the actors. I smiled politely, but none of it interested me. I kept my eyes on the doorway, waiting for Edward to make his appearance. The minutes ticked by and soon the preview was about to begin and there was no sign of him or any of his family. I could see seven empty seats just two rows behind us so I assumed they would try to slip in quietly to avoid any scene with Phil, but much to my disappointment they were still empty when the credits began to roll at the end of the movie.

I feigned enthusiasm for the production, when in honesty I paid no attention at all. I stood quietly as we mingled with the other guests. When midnight came, I told my mother I was starting to feel unwell again, and she immediately insisted to Phil that we leave. He seemed more than happy and spent the entire journey home reiterating his earlier point that if you succeeded in life the world was your oyster.

As soon as we arrived home, Ms. Cope was waiting and my mother told her I was feeling tired again and she ushered me straight upstairs. I changed obediently into my nightdress and slipped into bed, but I knew sleep was not coming. There was something else I needed to do.

I crept out of bed as soon as she left the room and redressed. I waited patiently for my parents to retire to their bedroom and then snuck downstairs and out of the house. It was pitch black and eerily quiet but I wasn't afraid. The fear at creeping around town at such a late hour paled in comparison to the events of this afternoon.

It took me much longer than when I was with Edward, but eventually the Cullen house came into view and I began to run up to the front door. Unnecessary as it was, because the entire family would have heard my arrival, I knocked several times and even called out Edward's name but I heard and saw nothing. There were no lights on, no curtains drawn or blinds closed and even the car belonging to Carlisle was not in its usual spot outside the garage.

The earlier feeling of dread multiplied tenfold and I ran around to the back of the house looking in every window I passed. The furniture had been covered with drapes, some of the artwork had been removed from the walls and the kitchen utensils kept out for appearance sake were gone, leaving the kitchen a barren space.

"No," I cried, tears pouring down my face. "You can't have just left. You can't."

I banged on the back door loudly, crying out Edward's name over and over, begging him to answer me, but it was all in vain because really I knew they were long gone.

"Please, please, please," I wailed and sank to my knees. "I don't understand."

What had really happened in the woods? Had something terrible happened to Edward and the entire family had left as a result? I couldn't fathom why or how they could just up and leave like that. Why had Edward not told me? Why had he not taken me with him?

I stumbled onto the lawn and picked up a decorative rock used in Esme's garden, then in a move completely out of character I threw it at the glass panel on the door and jumped as it shattered. I reached through the jagged shards of glass and opened the door from the inside.

What I thought to achieve I had no idea, but I walked into the kitchen and through every single room in the house looking for something… anything to give me a clue what had really happened. I could barely see, my eyes were still full of tears, but I continued to Edward's bedroom; it was almost exactly the same as when I'd last been here. A few of the books from his collection were missing, but that was all. Even the cushions were still in place on his window seat and I curled up on it, with no idea what to do now.

Either I stopped noticing how much time was passing by or I fell asleep, because when I next opened my eyes light was pouring into the room. The cushion was wet from my tears and I sat up, ignoring the pain in my ribs, which was so much more intense than it had been yesterday.

I looked quickly around the room, praying I had imagined the awful version of events of last night, but of course I was alone in the same cold, empty room.

Edward is really gone.

I stood up and walked over to the closet. Surprisingly there were still clothes hanging, but I could see some had been removed. I rifled through the shirts that remained and pulled one out, one he'd worn on the day I first saw him on stage at the club. I brought it to my face and inhaled, it smelled of him… what it was I had no idea, but it was all Edward.

Once again, I searched the entire house, hoping to find a clue of some sort that gave me an answer as to what was happening or where they had gone. All I found was emptiness, a few remaining items of clothing but nothing of any personal significance. To anyone else, the house would surely resemble one that had been empty for years.

I sat on the porch steps, holding the shirt over my face. "Where are you?" I chanted over and over, rocking back and forth. I had never felt so alone, so desolate and I had no idea what to do.

"They left last night before you arrived."

I looked up quickly, hoping to see a familiar face but instantly I was disappointed. Instead of seeing Edward, Alice, Carlisle, or Esme, I saw Quil Artera. The man from the beach who had tried to warn me away from Edward.

"After what happened in the forest yesterday, they left. After my fight with the young one, it seems finally they understood I was serious about protecting you." He took step closer but I jumped up and backed towards the door. "I didn't hurt him. His brothers intervened and we both escaped unscathed."

"What are you talking about? What do you know about what happened in the forest?"

"I was there to protect you," he said, stopping his approach and holding up his hands. "You don't need to fear me, they can't hurt you now."

"Who can't hurt me?" I asked. "Edward? He never once hurt me, none of them did. It was the monster, the beast that caused all of this."

"I was there to protect you, I've been watching… making sure you were safe," he said slowly. "I saw you together… I could see he was losing control and so I helped."

"You… you're lyingI There was no man in that forest yesterday," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

"I never meant for you to get hurt, I just see in you a fragile child needing help—help that no one gave to my sister when she needed it. When you fell and cut your head, I knew what that meant for you. I knew the boy would not be able to resist and I was right. He attacked you… he tried to kill you. In trying to stop him I knocked you over and for that I am sorry, but I had to keep you safe."

He sounded genuine, but the man standing in front of me was exactly that, just a man. I was sure with every part of me, that I had not imagined the animal yesterday.

"I told you already, there was no man in the forest yesterday. That… thing was a monster!" I cried and he shook his head.

"I told you about my family history when we first talked. That is what we do… we change forms when it is needed to protect others. We hurt no one; we only hunt the cold ones."

I shook my head, none of this made any sense. Edward would never hurt me, never and yet this man insisted on it.

"I know you don't believe me now," he said softly. "I know you had feelings for the boy, but I lie not. He may have had good intentions but he is the monster and had I not intervened you would not have survived. Think about it, you saw him… I saw the fear on your face as you looked at him."

"No," I said, weakly. "He wouldn't…"

"It was the blood, as soon as he smelled the blood his instincts took over. Why else do you think they left? They realized the risks they were taking and left."

"They wanted to keep me safe? Is that why they left?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Of course not. They knew suspicions were high in this town anyway. I made sure of that when I spoke to your father. I explained that the Cullen's were surrounded by scandal and he believed me, passing word onto everyone he could."

"You told Phil… that is why he forbade me from seeing Edward?" I seethed. "Why couldn't you leave well enough alone? It was none of your business."

"Do you not remember what happened to my sister?" he asked angrily. "I make it my business that no one else suffers at their hands. They did not leave to keep you safe, they left to save themselves. They knew the second he tried to hurt you that they could not stay. Cold ones are incapable of love, don't try and convince yourself otherwise."

"Get off this property," I shouted. "Leave this instant or I will tell the police you broke into the house. I am the daughter of Philip Dwyer; I think my word will have more influence than yours. Now leave."

He nodded once and turned and walked away, and as soon as he was out of sight, I fell to the floor.

Edward and his family had left and not for me. Was every word and touch a lie? I looked at my wrist and saw the crystal heart dangling and I resisted the urge to snap it off.

Had I been a fool to believe that someone like Edward Cullen could ever be satisfied with an ordinary human girl like me? Had I been nothing more than a distraction to him during their spell in Winnetka? Did the man speak the truth about the events that took place yesterday? Had Edward really attacked me?

The questions went around and around in my head and I had no answers. I was still sitting on the porch hours later, no closer to resolution. The only thing I knew without doubt, whatever the reasons behind the time we spent together I would not sacrifice a second of it. The only things I knew were real and true now were my feelings for him. I had never felt more comfortable with who I was then when I was with Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen, the boy who in a matter of weeks turned my whole universe upside down. Loving Edward had forever changed me and now there was no going back.

I know I pulled a New Moon on you… sorry! I know what I'm doing though I swear.

Thanks for reading guys, love you to bits!

Bye,

Katy

xxx