(Sorry if I accidentally sent you the teaser twice, my email went berserk on me). I understand some of you don't like Jasper's character, and I have a few reasons for that:

Jasper's character is one to think in war strategy, and he's also extremely passionate about the ones he loves; on the male side, it's all about survival of the fittest, and in Jasper's mind harboring a woman is a very unnecessary liability, and he believes they should get rid of her as soon as possible, but since Edward wants to keep her there, he can't do much about it, so he's brooding and whining. I'm thinking in terms of human Jasper.

And even with this, I never said he wouldn't have a change of heart, now did I? Have faith, my lovelies, have faith…

Chapter 9

As Edward went to do a double shift for missing the one before, I spent time with his brothers. Or Emmett, at least; Jasper never let up in his disdain.

Usually I appreciated such intelligent wit, however he just infuriated me. Sometimes I just wanted to punch him, but that was not very lady-like. He would just glare at me then move to stare at whatever else was in within a five foot radius of him, if I were so blessed as to catch the eye of his majesty himself.

How could he hate me so much? I got lucky when Edward found me— someone with at least the compassion of a plant, but Jasper seemed to not even have that much. Obviously, I wasn't not getting the entire picture, because Edward still thought the world of him. I, on the other hand, wouldn't mind if he got lost or got attacked by a bear on a raid or something. I knew the fantasy was wrong, but my imagination worked on its own accord.

Emmett was the polar opposite of his brother; he was genuine and funny, and easier to talk to than his two brothers. He didn't seem like an equal, he came off as a caring, happy-go-lucky friend.

Though he was understanding enough, I hoped there was a woman like him on my side to talk to, when I got back; when Jasper would give me his famous 'why don't you just go jump off a cliff?' look, he would stealthily place himself between us so I could continue telling whatever story I was telling. I swore, the creature was insatiable when it came to stories of the other side. Every miniscule word I uttered was like a breath of air for him.

What I noticed was, that around them I didn't get that feeling like I couldn't lose face, like their opinion didn't matter; why did I act differently around Edward? I figured it was a male thing, but apparently not. What was wrong with me? This wasn't like me, as Alice would say; I should get back to normal. Edward made my blood boil, but so did Jasper. The only difference is that anger can switch off in an instant around Edward, but that was permanent around Jasper.

That funny, fluttering feeling I got in my stomach when I looked at Edward sometimes, was still present. In fact, the times were my heart didn't beat faster when I looked into his eyes were shrinking in frequency. I hadn't even begun to explore that region, because in there laid a whole cornucopia of emotions that went straight over my head. They was best left undealt with.

Aside from that, my stay had gotten a lot more pleasant since I didn't have to hide from them anymore, and my head was healing more every day; the headaches becoming weaker and less frequent, making me more confident about my memory.

But with every glance in the mirror, I looked different, though my appearance remained the same; like I was going through a change. I brushed it off, all this stress was bound to screw with my head. I just had to keep grounded. However, that mission seemed to become more and more hopeless with each passing hour on this side.

The voice came often, disturbing me; yet I still pushed it to the back of my head. A lot of times, it was silent, merely watching.

Getting to know the house better, I would lead myself into the kitchen to get food when I grew hungry, becoming more independent—A helpful turn of events. It was good I wasn't completely helpless, though… was it a positive thing if I adjusted to the complexities of this side?

I sat on the couch, rereading the book Edward gave me, still jumping a bit whenever I thought Mother would round the corner.

I wasn't sure what I expected, maybe a simple 'hello' or 'I'm back', but Edward completely ignored my existence when he returned, disappearing into the basement (with new stairs I might add, it's a wonder how much Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle could do in one night of hard work).

Returning back up, he carried a few sacks, and pure black clothing; he started to the door.

"Hi." I muttered, rolling my eyes, trying to get back into the book. The shuffling of his feet stopped.

"Oh, hi." He said swiftly. "Still reading the book I see."

"Yes." I answered curtly. "Mind to tell me where you're going?" I asked, trying to come off as indifferent, but it bothered me he would just overlook me like that.

"On a short scavenge; I'll be back in an hour." He murmured.

And with that, he walked out of the door. My curiosity dragged me over to the window where I pulled back the curtain; I watched as he walked to the edge of the vegetation, where he transformed. From the Edward I'd known, into a hunter, ready to kill, and ran off into the forest. A warm tingle ran down my spine.

I decided to take advantage of my time and freshen up, meaning a nice, bitterly cold shower. Upon getting out, I went through the absolute pain of combing through my hair with my fingers; this hair was not meant for any other side but my own. It was down to my waist and that was definitely a no-no for this side.

When I came back to the room, Edward was back, relaxing on my bed…well couch. I stomped over to him; he didn't even look at me as he read.

"Hey, move." I swatted his shoulder; he looked up at me innocently.

"Nope." He popped his lips on the 'p'.

I shoved at his shoulder and squeezed into the seat on the couch, he shoved against me, and I shoved back; soon we were both situated, quite closely, on the couch.

"I'm hungry." He stated bluntly, pushing me slightly to get up and going into the kitchen, I sighed, lying down across the whole length of the couch.

What was going on? He was acting very peculiarly.

As the clatter of metal echoed throughout the house, I played absently with the heart pendant, watching the candlelight bounce off the jewel in the center.

"Hey," He started carefully, hesitantly. "You want to see your father— right?" I stopped, not understanding.

"Why?" I muttered suspiciously, sitting upright and dropping the necklace.

He kept his back to me, refusing to meet my eyes, "Since your memory doesn't look like it's coming back anytime soon, I figured you'd might…you know, want to see him." He trailed off.

"You'd do that?" I exclaimed graciously, running up to where he stood and wrapping my arms around him in a quick and hard hug; I jumped up and down happily. I was about to ask how we would find him, but the thought of meeting him overjoyed me to the point of not even caring.

I was going to meet my father. Finally, I had no idea just how incredible I would feel in the knowledge that I would see him soon. To possibly have someone who cared about me on this alien side. The feeling was too strong to contain, if Edward changed his mind now, I felt I would have exploded.

I was the most fortunate woman in the world. To be able to meet my father when no other girl has ever been able to do that, ever. My opinion of the male side switched in an instant, if my memory came back this second, they'd have to kill me to get me to leave before meeting my father.

"Er…sure." He breathed as I released him from my grip.

"When do we go?" I asked boisterously, gripping his shoulders, leaping up and down. His eyes were downcast, and then he looked back up at me with hopefulness.

"Whenever." He shrugged, obviously surprised at my exuberance; my heart almost stopped. So soon? I never knew anyone could be so happy. My heart swelled in joy and I felt my lips pull back in a permanent beam.

It all seemed too perfect.

[The chapter was supposed to end here…but as I was going to post it, I saw it had only about 1,400 words. Which it insanity, so I'm combining the two shortest chapters (9 and 10) into one.]

Before we were to leave, I took a long shower because I would not be able to for a while. According to Edward's information gathering, he traced my last name through the villages and my father was well known. The village he lived in is about a three day trip by foot; when I heard this news, I could only groan. We would have to walk. Agonizing.

Physical education was never my strong suit in school; I used to believe I could win a race, but I would always finish near last with my heart about to jump of my chest. As I got older, I gave up and accepted the fact that I was athletically challenged. Alice always laughed at me as she passed me up in races, and received perfect scores.

As Edward gathered all he needed for our journey, I just sat there, feeling embarrassed because I had nothing to pack. I stroked my hair, absently, not wanting to look like an imbecile, doing nothing.

He paced over to the sword display, and took the longest, sharpest looking blade off the shelf from the very top, and placed it in a sheath.

"Why would you need that?" I asked gawking at its enormity; I thought it purely for show. He stared at me like I'd just commented on his shoes.

"Because it makes me look cool." He chuckled sarcastically, rolling his eyes, and then he got serious, meeting my gaze. "Things aren't as tame on this side; it's eat or be eaten." I gulped loudly; he chuckled lowly at my fear.

"It's best we start travelling at night, to get out of this town first." He started, moving to the window and pulling back the blanket to check where the sun was. "Once we're away from the familiar eyes of the men here, it should be relatively safe to travel in daylight." He recited like an experienced outdoorsman.

"What do I do about…me?" I asked, motioning to my body. I surely wouldn't blend in, in a male society—I'd stick out like a sore thumb.

"Um…" He moved quickly over to a trunk nestled in the corner, thrust it open and started rifling through it.

"What are you doing?"

"Here we go." He pulled out something long and dark; he smiled upon it proudly and shook it out. "Put this on over your clothes." He threw it at me. I held my arms out to block it, stupidly. He just sighed.

It was a long dark cloak with a hood. "Wouldn't this get hot during the day?"

"I guess." He shrugged. "Make sure you keep the hood on though, most men don't have long, flowing hair." 'Well obviously', I wanted to say, but I felt I'd exhibited enough lapses in common sense.

I looked at it quizzically; I couldn't put my finger on it, but I'd seen this cloak before…

"Alright." I swung it around my shoulders and tightened the rope; the fabric was smooth, like velvet. He brought his hand up to the curtain and moved it aside to reveal the setting sun.

"Almost time to get going. Ready?" I was about to answer 'yes', but I was about to venture out into the vast, unknown world, known as the male side; was I truly ready to leave what little stability I had here? I would be walking amongst men, trying to appear as one, and one tiny slip up and I would be discovered. And even Edward would not be able to protect me then.

Was I ready? My eyes trailed down to my hair I was currently combing through with my fingers. My heart sank as I discovered just what exactly I must do.

"Bella," Edward's voice broke through my thoughts. "Are you ready?" He asked once more.

Could I really do this? I had to, even though Edward never made me I knew it was an inevitable conclusion I'd needed to face. Could I really sever my last tie to my side in an effort to stay as hidden as possible? Was I strong enough?

"Not quite." I muttered softly, getting one last look at my long locks. "Can I see that sword?" His head shot up, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Why?"

"It'll make me look cool." I mimicked, as I took it from his hand. "Trust me; I need to do this alone." I turned away from him.

"Do what?"

"You'll see." I smiled weakly and sent him away.

My feet, which held the weight of lead now, dragged across the floor and to a lone mirror that hung on a wall in the living room, I passively brought up a box to sit on.

I stared at myself in the reflective glass. My eyes were crazed and it looked as though I hadn't slept in days, yet I could see the tides had changed within me. Something not visible was changing in me. I wasn't sure if it was good.

Getting rid of the dress had seemed like a stretch at first, letting go of a tie to my side; clinging to the rules and orders of my side, the last remnants of where I live. Lived. But this, this was much larger.

If I were to take this sword and cut away the thing that defined me on that side, then what would become of me? Would I be able to retain who I was? I was afraid. Afraid of losing myself; afraid of what I would become. If I ever did get back to my side, questions would arise about where my hair went, unnaturally short hair was frowned upon in Hollow Wood.

But if I kept it, and by accident I was discovered sometime on the journey, the social standards of my side wouldn't be relevant; I would be dead anyway.

Common Sense and Pride were once again at war.

My hair was my signature, it was the only thing Alice could not have, although she had everything else; it was the only thing Mother was truly proud of in me. But, in order to survive, it had to go. Eat or be eaten. Plus if I was found out because of it, Edward could be in danger, and he'd been so hospitable to me. I would never be able to forgive myself if I were to let that happen.

And what if my memory never came back? I'd pondered this before, but it never seemed to be as real as it did now. Now, as we planned to leave the safety of his home, into the wilderness of this side, the concept seemed too real. Then, my hair would be useless to me, except to get tangled up, and have more to clean.

My hands went to the wrap around my head, I pressed down on it; it didn't hurt very much, just a mild pain. I decided to take it off; I unwrapped the gauze and set it down. I was sick of always having to change it out and put on a new one after a shower.

My eyes raked over my lengthy, brown hair for the last time; I let out a shaky breath before I collected all of my hair in a ponytail at the top of my head with my left hand. My hair protested at the roots from being pulled so forcefully; my eyes grew red at the rims, but I refused to let any tears slip. The feel of my hair in my hands almost made me drop it back; maybe I could keep it all up in a bun, but somehow I knew that wouldn't work. It could easily be pulled out. It was too high of a risk.

I wiped the moistness off my right palm on the cloak before picking up the sword with it. It glistened in the candle light— deadly and swift; my face reflected back at me. Its length and sharpness, taunted me, mocked my reason. My hand shakily brought it behind my head and tucked it, readily, under my ponytail.

Last chance… the voice said softly, as if it were in my ear. Instead of telling me not to, it seemed to encourage my will to do it.

And with one last breath, and a quick push of my wrist, the sharp blade sliced through the insignificant tendrils of hair all at once. Suddenly, I was holding a handful of my very own locks.

Bringing it away from my head, what was left of my hair fell sloppily above my ears, in pieces, not neat like Alice's. I could only gasp and shut my eyes as I stared at the whole length of my hair resting in my hands.

With a trembling sob, I let it fall to the ground; my legs shoved my body away from it, as if it were a sickness, and my hands made their way up to my head, feeling it in new form; my mind hadn't registered yet— but it was already done.

My hair was gone, and it couldn't be reversed.

When the initial alarm wore off, and I found myself finally settled and stabilized; I took the first look at myself.

I looked utterly pathetic. I looked like I'd been mauled by an animal.

I took the sword and cut the front of my hair. I might as well go all the way, I thought, perhaps a little irrationally. The rest of hair fell to the floor until I cut it, crudely.

With each cut, I felt a slice at my heart; like I was not only cutting my hair, but I was cutting something much deeper. Like this held much more meaning than I could see, as if I were cutting away my ties to my home. I kept chopping madly until I came from my high.

I stole another glance; it was better (and worse) than before. It was all short, but it was uneven and shaggy.

I thought I would be thrust into another panic attack. Yet, I was alright. The world didn't end like I thought it would.

Like in a dream, I felt as I was detached from myself as I raised the hood up and over my head.

I marched to the front door, holding the sword out toward Edward; who stood at the doorway.

"Here," I said shortly, looking down. "This is yours." Edward turned around, and jumped a little when he saw it was pointed at him.

"You're not supposed to point the blade at anyone." He chuckled, and reached around to grab it by the handle, but his laughter died quickly as he closely examined the blade. His eyebrows knit together in confusion. He brought his fingers down to pluck a piece of my hair off.

"Is this hair?" He asked, mutedly, observing it. His eyes came back up to meet my half hidden ones.

"What did you do to yourself?" He rushed, alarmed.

His hand ripped down the hood to reveal my new appearance.

I could only stare, silently, awaiting his response. He took an involuntary step back at first, and blinked his eyes twice; he then started staring at it weirdly, not being able to meet my gaze. Scratching the back of his head he started.

"Um…" His eyes grazed it again, refusing to meet my eyes. "Wow." He breathed nervously, looking at his feet. "That's an interesting…um…wow." He gawked at it openly now, then he seemed to finally see I was getting annoyed with his gaze. "I'm sorry, I—"

"Shut up." I silenced the torment of watching him stumble and trip over himself, bumping his shoulder roughly as I walked past him; I was offended by his lack of composure. I knew it was horrifying to look at, but he didn't have to show it.

"You sure do have a temper." He murmured as he straggled behind, I stopped and, subconsciously, I threw my hands on my hips.

"What did you say?" I whipped around, my face beat red. He caught my expression and gulped.

"Nothing." He stiffened and his eyes held fear in them, I internally smiled. I nodded and began turning away.

"I thought so." I pointed my finger at him as I turned; he laughed quietly, and jogged to catch up with me.

I reached back and roughly pulled the hood back over my head, embarrassed; after a few seconds of wallowing in my humiliation, I peeked up at the outside.

It hit me harder than I thought it would.

I turned to the left and saw The Wall; I stumbled back, and my breathing hitched. I couldn't even believe it was the same wall I'd known for my whole life.

I turned away from it; the houses were shabby, the trees were enormous, and the roads were overgrown with grass and the street was deserted. It was so different, yet I felt the same breeze I felt this time of year, the soil was the same color, the grass was the same texture, and the clouds were still fluffy. The only difference was the unnaturally built things, like buildings. Take those away, and our sides looked the same.

I raised my head to glance at Edward, who was currently engrossed in the map he held, and for the first time, I could imagine our two races living together. A long time ago, not today though. A long time ago, it was possible. And for once— I understood what the Crazies had been saying in their stories, but, they were no longer just tales. I was living it right now.

"Okay, I might regret asking this again, you might go cut something else, but are you ready?" He finished, trying to be humorous.

"Yeah." I threw a halfway angry glance at him; my feet dragged against the smooth stones of the pathway, floating behind him, now.

"Why'd you do it?" He whispered in my ear, as we came to the fringe of towering trees.

"I couldn't risk being caught, and it's not a big deal, hair grows back." I had to pinch myself to seethe that last line out; his eyes were studying me, he had obviously seen through me.

"You think I can't protect you?" He asked, playfully, but I saw real offense under his act.

"If my hair were to fall out in a village, I wouldn't let you even try to protect me against that." I chuckled, trying to lighten the weight of the conversation, he seemed to relax only a little at that.

"But I could if I had to." He pushed; I rolled my eyes, laughing. His determination to convince me of something so impossible was comical to me. I didn't understand it. I'm sure nobody would act like that on my side. Oh well, I'm learning all the time, I concluded.

"Sure you can." I patted his shoulder patronizingly, he grunted unhappily.

"But I can." He pushed, in all seriousness. I covered my mouth to stifle another laugh.

"I never said you couldn't." I rebutted. "Now can we start walking so we get there before the sun comes back up?" I said mordantly.

"Fine, but I still can."

Another note: Edward stubbornly loved to have the last word.

Woot! They're going places! The next few chapters are full of excitement and thrills.

Review for the rest of the teaser:

As he yanked back my hood, it fell from my head, and my full feminine face was revealed.

"Hey!" Edward shouted. "Leave her alone!"

Her. Her.

Edward, you idiot,

His eyes widened when he realized what he'd said. My fuller lips, my longer eyelashes, my cleaner skin (that wasn't from genetics, it was only proof. I hadn't lived here my whole life), and my heart pendant (which conveniently decided to fall out right then). All ties connecting to that one resounding 'her'.

All the men, except for Edward, huffed in shock; the man holding me dropped me out of surprise and I fell to the ground with a resounding thud.