A/N: The Cygnet and the Strigoi has made it to the final round of voting for the Indie Twific Awards. Voting opens July 22 and goes through July 26. You do not need to have nominated initially to vote now, and these are the small-time fics that NEED YOUR VOTES! The Cygnet and the Strigoi is up for Best Alternate Universe WIP, so, if you like it, go vote!

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Thanks to furious kitten and ShowTunesJesus, betas extraordinaire. You had me at hello, you complete me. And for all the lovely reviewers and thread playas, and favorite-ers and alert-ers… jump into my nightmare, the water is warm. ;-)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. In other words, I do not own Twilight.

Ch. 10: Best Served Cold

As I left the woods and entered my backyard, I felt chilled despite the sun beating down from above, making my skin glow. I was too distracted to even take notice of it, however, as I picked up Dad's mirror and the quilt from the grass.

Why had Edward run away from me? Had I said or done something to make him angry at me? Perhaps he just had plans and had to leave at that moment. Yeah, right. Judging by the look on his face when I opened my eyes and saw him, and the fact that he didn't even turn around when I called his name, I could pretty much rule out that his running away was nothing personal.

Once inside, I put away the mirror and the quilt and sat in the living room, wishing I wasn't alone, or at the very least had someone I could call about my problems. I doubted Jessica would want to listen to me complain about maybe turning Edward Cullen into a vampire in a past life.

I thought about calling Dad, but I thought it wouldn't be an appropriate conversation to have on the telephone while he was at work. I could just imagine calling the police station and telling Dad I might have killed someone. I'm sure it would go over oh-so-well. Also, I wasn't at all sure I should tell Dad about my vision. If he didn't know about Anthony, surely Issy had a reason not to tell him. If he did know, then he was purposefully keeping information from me, which just irritated the heck out of me.

Thane entered my mind as a possibility for a moment, but ever since he dismissed the idea that we could imprint like the Quileute did, I was doubtful that he was as much of an expert on our history as Dad seemed to think he was. Besides, I pictured him as being a stuffy, pretentious, tweed-wearing librarian, and I seriously doubted he could tell me what I really wanted to know, which was whether or not what I felt for Edward and what I believed he felt for me was just because of our past connection, whatever it was.

I only knew one person who could spend hours dissecting a man's every word and wouldn't be completely freaked out if I happened to mention any supernatural mumbo jumbo. Renee answered on the fourth ring and screeched my name in greeting. I laughed a little at her excitement, though I felt guilty for not calling her more often.

She immediately launched into a story about one of the other player's wives who was also travelling with Phil's team. She was left in the bathroom at a gas station, and an hour later, after someone realized she was missing and the bus turned around to fetch her, she was still in the bathroom and had no idea that she was left behind.

I laughed along with Renee, who always laughed at her own jokes, and relaxed as she began telling another story. She talked for an hour before she remembered that I had called her, and she finally asked if I had anything I wanted to talk about.

There didn't seem to be a point in talking to her about past lives and vampires, so I tried to focus on the normal, human aspects of the problem. I inhaled and then carefully phrased my question. "How do you know if a guy really likes you for you, and not for, you know, other stuff?"

"Your dad told me you're even prettier now than ever. Are you worried that some boy likes you because of your…" She hesitated before continuing. "Changes?"

I sighed, not knowing how else to explain it without her feeling the need to call Dad about it. "Yeah, something like that."

She sounded thoughtful when she responded. "Well, I'm sorry honey, but I really don't know what to tell you. I've always had a knack for knowing when someone is being honest with me and what their true intentions are, though not as good as your dad, of course. I thought he said you were getting better with all that…" Her voice became a whisper. "Mind reading."

"I'm still learning," I replied but she had given me an idea. If I could get Edward to give me a moment of his time, maybe I could ask some not too obvious questions while touching him and I could at least know his reactions.

"Well, sweetie, you're such a clever girl. Any boy with half a brain would like you for your wit and personality, and if this boy doesn't, than he's an idiot, and you wouldn't want an idiot to like you anyway, would you?" She barely breathed through her spiel of twisted logic, and I smiled at the phone. I could always count on Renee to be her same, eccentric self.

"I suppose you're right," I answered, still smiling. She might not have directly helped me solve my problems, but she helped me feel better able to handle them. Renee's tendency to talk in circles always forced me to focus on what I really wanted and needed, and I had missed her cock-eyed observations more than I realized.

We said goodnight, and I promised to call more often with every intention of actually doing so. I went to bed having decided not to think about Edward, Anthony, Issy or the whole lot of them until I actually had a chance to let Edward explain what had happened in the woods. Jumping to conclusions would get me nowhere, as would dwelling on my visions. They weren't here now, and I needed to focus on myself, at least for a little while. As I faded into sleep, I couldn't help thinking that maybe I couldn't remember all of Issy's memories because I was meant to live my own life without her negative influence. After all, I told myself, she and Lyssa seemed to have screwed up their own lives as well as all of their loved ones' with their bitterness and intrigues, and I refused to make the same mistakes.

The sun was shining yet again when I woke up, but I shrugged off the creeping desire to complain and threw on my hoodie over my clothes before heading downstairs. Dad was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and sipping coffee in his pajamas, his hair still damp from his shower. I couldn't believe he was still up after his twelve-hour shift; I would certainly have passed out as soon as I was home. I greeted him cheerfully as I grabbed my own mug and filled it up, and he commented that I looked well-rested.

"Yep. Had a long and dreamless sleep." I sipped at my coffee with a smile.

"Good, I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I turned in."

He smiled sleepily at me, and I nodded and wished him a good rest. I told myself I was making the right decision by keeping my vision of Anthony to myself as I watched Dad slump off to bed. I just wanted to spend the day with my friends, to have fun and shop like a normal teenager, and I couldn't do that if my dad was worried about me, or worse, hauling me away from Edward in a panicked attempt to keep me from further exploring our connection.

Jessica spent the whole morning talking about her date with Mike, and I tried to contribute to the conversation. Really, I just agreed with her assessments in one syllable words, because that's all she would let me get out before she bounced to another observation. She sat by Mike at lunch though, so I talked to Angela instead and actually had to draw out her thoughts on what kind of dress she wanted to look for. The exchange was pleasant and relaxing, and if I had been normal, it would have completely taken my mind off everything in this life and the last, but since I'm a freak, the back of my mind kept track of Edward's movements. He was near the school, probably in the forest, and I felt relieved that he hadn't driven to Alaska and into the willing arms of his gorgeous friend.

After school I barely had time to drop off my backpack before Jess pulled into my driveway. I crawled into the backseat with a smile for Angela, who wanted to know if the music was okay with me. I got the distinct impression I was the deciding vote for whether we listened to Jess' pop music or not, so without a word I handed my mp3 player to Ang and let her pick out something better. Jess grumbled at first but soon even she was bobbing her head to The Maine with us.

We pulled up to the department store in Port Angeles, and Jess hopped out of the car excitedly and turned to me as I shut my door behind her. She groaned and clasped her hands in supplication. "Please, Bella, pleeease ditch the hoodie."

I glanced up at the light smoky clouds that had filled up the sky since noon. The sun was well and truly hidden, though I could spot it brightening up one particular cloud bank. I shrugged at Jess with a smile and pulled off the hoodie while she excessively rejoiced. Ang chuckled from the other side of the car, and I stuck my tongue out at the two of them before I tossed the sweatshirt into the car.

I looked at the shoes and jewelry as the girls looked through the dresses, but not finding anything special and knowing I would have more options in Seattle on Saturday anyway, I sat on the bench in the open area of the dressing rooms to wait for them. Jess came out first in a blue sequined number that was slit almost up to her hip and plunged at the bodice to her waist. I raised a brow and shook my head. "Your mom would murder you, Mike, and probably me as an unwilling accomplice."

She huffed but went back into the small room. Angela then walked out in a white dress that looked like it was supposed to be floor-length, but hit at an odd place on her shins due to her height. It had puffy little sleeves and spangles of cheap-looking beads around the waist. I grimaced and shook my head and she went back to change with a giggle. I wasn't exactly a fashionista, but were these chicks serious? I hoped their other picks were better.

Jess' next choice was made of dark purple velvet and had long pointed sleeves that covered her hands, an empire waist, and was short enough that I wondered if it was meant to be a shirt. I started laughing as soon as she walked out, and as she stood in front of the mirror next to me, she turned around and nearly mooned herself. I almost fell off my bench I was laughing so hard. She hastily ran back into the dressing room, holding down the front and back of the "dress" as she went.

Ang came back out in a navy and white striped knee length dress that had a small yoke around the neck and a short sailor's tie. I tilted my head at her before stating, "It's cute, Ang, but it's not exactly semi-formal."

She sighed. "I know. I just thought it was nice, and it's on clearance."

"Can you get it and a dress for the dance?" It really looked good on her, and it would be suitable for school with some flats and a cardigan when it got a little warmer outside.

She continued to examine herself in the mirror. "Hmmm, maybe. It just depends how much the other dress is." She sighed again and went to change.

Jess came out a couple of minutes later, biting her lip, pleading with her eyes for me to like the dress she had on. It was satin, fitted on top to the waist where it flared slightly down to a diagonal at the hem. There were dark green crystals that sparkled just enough to light up her face. It was truly a beautiful dress. Unfortunately it was a deep, burnished gold, and against Jess' pale skin it made her look jaundiced. Her face fell as she watched my examination.

"Give it to me, and I'll go find you something like it in a better color." She attempted a small smile before she walked back into the room. Soon, she handed the dress on its hanger to me over the door. I was still looking at it, trying to decide what color would be best on Jess, when Angela's door opened.

She stood in a dress almost identical to the one in my hands except it was hot pink, had purple crystals on the side of the bodice as well as the waist, and had a straight hem. The hot pink did nothing for her olive complexion, and her lips were pursed as she looked down at herself. She looked up at me, and then at the gold satin in my hands, and her jaw dropped.

"Trade ya," I said with a smirk. She snatched the dress from my hands with a nod and hastily shut the door. Less than a minute later the pink dress came flying over the door, and as soon as I caught it I yelled, "Jess, catch!"

A second later I heard Jess squeal and both doors flung open. The girls looked at me expectantly, and at my wide grin they looked at each other before pulling me into a group hug. We giggled and jumped and generally acted like idiots, but it was okay because we were genuinely happy. My giddiness only increased when my brain realized that Edward was less than twenty miles from the department store and was zeroing in quickly.

The girls went back into their rooms to change, and I tried not to fidget as I waited. I had already told them that I was going to the boardwalk while they ate dinner, with the excuse that I would eat at home since I had to make something for my Dad's lunch anyway. I could just track down Edward while they ate instead of going to the boardwalk. However, Angela inadvertently ruined my plans as she changed.

"Hey guys?" She called out, her voice muffled as she pulled her dress over her head. "It's too early to eat dinner yet. Why don't we all go down to the boardwalk now, and then you can at least come have dessert with us and eat some breadsticks or something, Bella."

Jess enthused over the new plan, and I mumbled my assent, secretly wondering why I ever liked Angela, before grudgingly telling myself that she meant well.

They made their purchases and put their bags in Jess' car, and then we all walked to the boardwalk. The fishy scent from the shore hit me particularly hard since I hadn't physically eaten in several days, and I had only sucked a little energy here and there at school. My stomach grumbled loudly and Ang looked at me with concern.

"Are you sure you can't just bring your dad some leftover pasta from the restaurant?" she asked, while still looking at me askance.

"Ummm, no, he just started a low-carb diet." Yeah, all meat, all the time.

Jess looked at me in surprise. "Why would the Chief need to diet? My mom and the other ladies at the bank all say he's the second hottest man in town, only just beat by Dr. Cullen."

It was my turn to look shocked. "Gross, Jess! That's my dad you're talking about!"

She giggled, "Hey, just saying what I heard."

I rolled my eyes and focused on Edward's location to distract myself from thinking of Jess' mom swooning over my dad. He was a little over a mile away now but seemed to be stationary, not coming any closer. I reluctantly accepted that he must not have come to Port Angeles just to see me, but it didn't stop me from wanting to find him.

We had passed the area where he would be on our way to the store, and I wondered which of the small stores he would be in, when I had an idea. "Oh! I saw a bookstore on our way in that I wanted to check out before it closes. I'll meet you at the restaurant when I'm done browsing."

Before they could say a word, I turned around and started jogging in the direction of Edward and the stores. "Wait!" Angela yelled out.

I turned but continued jogging backwards as she spoke. "Why don't we come with you? Then we can all go to the restaurant."

Seriously, Ang? Just play along! "You can come along if you really want to look at books with me, but I want to get there with plenty of time to look around."

Jess grimaced at the mention of looking at books, and she grabbed Angela's arm and glared at her to keep her quiet before turning back to me with a smile. "That's alright. You go on ahead, Bella. We'll see you at the restaurant in a little while."

I nodded to her and then turned back in the direction I was headed with a grin. Even jogging at a human pace, it didn't take me long to reach the boutique stores and new-age bookshop. I couldn't see Edward, though I could still sense him. Suddenly, the pull seemed to be rushing towards me, very quickly. I looked around the nearly empty sidewalks then groaned as a silver Volvo swiftly turned the corner.

Short of jumping out in front of him, I didn't know what to do to get Edward's attention. He was staring straight ahead and seemed to be intently focused on something, though when I looked in the direction he was staring, I didn't see anything interesting. I tried to wave without drawing too much attention to myself as he passed, but he didn't notice.

He sped past me, and I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk with my hands on my hips, frustrated that I wouldn't get to talk to him, though I didn't honestly know what I would say to him anyway. My stomach roared, and a girl walking by jumped in surprise and stared at me. I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," I muttered before I started walking again.

If I couldn't talk to Edward, at least I could find some populated place so I could feed on excess energy. The quiet Italian place where the girls wanted to eat didn't seem like it would have enough rowdy patrons to really satisfy my hunger, and besides, I didn't want to try to concentrate on not draining any one person enough to harm them while Jess and Ang tried to carry on a conversation with me.

I wandered in the direction of what I thought to be downtown, already mentally probing and sensing a cluster of buildings where people were congregating. I thought one of the places might be a bar or club, since several of the people inside seemed to be percolating with emotion. I walked determinedly in its direction, not caring that I was leaving the tourist-trap part of town.

I was still about a half mile away from the bar in an empty, run-down, warehouse district, when a group of men came around a corner headed towards me on the sidewalk. I kept my head down as they approached, sensing that their energy was riled up. I thought about feeding from them, but when I tasted their emotions, the man in the front of the group had a distinct tar-like impression that put me off, so I ignored them.

Unfortunately, they didn't ignore me. The group parted before me, and as I walked between them the tar man called out, "Hey, there!" I rolled my eyes while still facing the ground but he was persistent. "Hey, wait!" he shouted behind me.

I sped up a little, because quite frankly I had no intention of playing whatever immature game he was starting. They laughed behind me, and I turned a corner so they couldn't even have the pleasure of staring at my ass as I walked away.

At the next street running parallel to the one I had previously been on, I turned back in the direction I had been heading before I was interrupted. Before long, however, I realized that I heard two sets of footsteps a couple of blocks behind me. I concentrated and realized that they were two of the men from the group I passed, though neither was the man who spoke.

I tried to tell myself that they were probably just headed back to the bars, but I couldn't keep my hackles from being raised. I wouldn't be in any danger from them, unless of course they were vampires, but I quickly dismissed the thought. The Cullens' energy was sturdily attached to them, whereas humans' energy, such as these men's, was fragilely held to them. It was like the difference between the sewing on a top quality garment and that of a dress from a discount superstore.

I ignored them and continued walking to the stop sign up ahead, where I would need to turn right and walk just a couple more blocks to reach the bar. Then I could just stand across the street and feast to my heart's content.

I turned the corner with a bounce in my step at the thought of the meal to come, until I realized that the one way street was between the backs of two warehouses where two men stood, waiting, halfway between me and the next street over. I quickly discerned that they weren't just any two men; the tar man leaned smugly against a wall on one side of the street while his companion shuffled his feet nervously near him.

I wanted to sigh in annoyance, but I had a feeling they would be delighted to get any kind of rise out of me, so I silently scooted to the other side of the street and continued walking, hoping to pass them without a hassle.

"There you are!" the squat tar man shouted to his friend behind me.

"Yeah, we just took a little detour," his friend responded, quietly in comparison. As I approached the waiting men, I looked up from beneath my eyelashes to see the tar man pushing off the wall and walking towards me. I stopped and looked fully in his face for the first time, hoping if I glared he would have enough of a self-preservation instinct to back off. His flat, beady eyes glimmered in the dark as he continued to approach me, and the idiot grinned even wider.

I raised my hand to point a finger at him as I gave him a verbal warning in an exasperated voice. "Stay away from me." His lack of intuition was almost humorous.

"Don't be like that, sugar," he responded as he grabbed the wrist of my lifted hand. The emotions that flowed from him disgusted me. He was a swirling mix of desire, both sexual and sadistic. In the wake of his emotions though, something flowed from him I had never received from a normal human: images of women, crying, screaming, bloody, beaten, and even dead. A list of names whispered to me from his mind accompanied the scenes, and horror washed over me as I realized these were his memories.

Just as soon as the wave of horror passed, though, it was replaced with a vengeful rage. He thought he could make me into another of his helpless victims, in front of witnesses no less? A hot wind swirled up my legs from below, rustling the refuse in the alley and causing it to scatter away from me, though the vermin still held tightly to my arm.

"Hey, Lonnie?" one of his friends whispered. "Just leave her alone, we should go."

Lonnie's eyes were locked on mine, and I could see my face reflected in them. My pupils were blown solid black, nary a glimpse of brown to be seen anymore. He was becoming physically excited at the thought that I might run from him, that he might get to chase me. He longed for a chase, and his grip began to loosen.

A predatory grin spread across my own face and I could see my molars glinting in Lonnie's eyes. "Yes, you should go."

His friends began to back away, leaving the small street, unsure of exactly what was happening in their quickly sobering minds. Lonnie's expression became confused and a little nervous, and he started to move away from me, but I was having none of it. I twisted my hand around to grab his wrist as he started to move away, and his anger flared. "Not you, Lonnie. No, you need to stay," I whispered maliciously, still grinning.

"What the…" he tried to pull away from me, and then he balled his other fist to strike at me when I wouldn't let him go.

Of course, I was faster. My hand whipped out, fingers curled into claws as they raked across his cheek, gouging ribbons of his flesh from his face that peeled down and flapped against his chin as I pulled my hand away. He squealed like a skewered boar and jerked against the arm that still held him, falling to the ground in his efforts. I ignored him, knowing he couldn't break my hold, and examined the crimson liquid on my fingers, gleaming from the dingy light of the streetlamp.

I wondered if it would taste sweet like Anthony's did in my vision, so I slipped all three fingers in my mouth to suck them dry. His blood tasted vaguely rat-like, with just a hint of pork, but it still served to tempt my hunger. I looked at Lonnie on the ground where he whined and cried over a few measly scratches.

I rolled my eyes as I stepped over him, my feet on either side of his legs as I squatted to bring my face to his level as if I was chastising an unruly child. "Lonnie, Lonnie, you've been a very naughty boy."

I put my left hand on his shoulder to keep him still as I began to drain his energy. At first he enjoyed it slightly, despite the pain in his face, but they always enjoy it at first. I dug my fingers into his shoulder blade, and his bones gave way like butter. His mouth opened to scream, and I sucked faster so he wouldn't have enough energy to make it worthwhile.

A car roared down the street behind me and a door opened, but I ignored it. They would only see a pretty, small girl kneeling over a much larger man who seemed to have drunkenly fallen. They wouldn't be able to see his bloody face around my body.

"Bella," a deep, familiar voice called out from the car. It resonated through me, calling to me, and the pull was so strong at his nearness that, without thinking, I let go of Lonnie as he slumped to the ground. "Get in the car."

I wanted to obey the voice, I wanted to follow the pull, but at the same time I was annoyed that my meal had been interrupted. In just another minute or so, I would have all of Lonnie's energy, and then I could feed on his dead flesh. I looked behind me at Edward, and though his face was calm, his eyes were furious, and the weight of my actions fell on me.

I was killing someone, a human, and it didn't matter that he was the scum of the earth, he was still a person. I looked back at Lonnie's maimed and unconscious face in shock, before standing and backing up into the open door of the Volvo. I sank onto the leather seat and closed the door, but I only looked away from the body on the ground after Edward drove us away.

I buckled my seatbelt out of habit as I faced forward while we raced back to the boardwalk. "Did he hurt you?" Edward quietly asked next to me, and I was too ashamed to look at him, knowing the man had technically done nothing to me to warrant my actions.

I looked down at my folded hands as I whispered, "No." A single tear started to slide down my face, and then I shivered as a cool finger caught it before it could drop off my chin.

"Say something to distract me, to calm me down," Edward gritted out between clenched teeth.

I looked at him in shame and tried to blink back the tears that were attempting to escape. Why did he always seem to make me cry? "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

He glanced at me, confused, before turning his eyes back to the street. "Why would you be sorry?"

I sniffled, my tears drying up in my confusion. "Because I tried to kill someone?"

He chuckled darkly, "Oh, he deserved anything you could have possibly done to him and so much more."

I supposed he didn't know exactly what I could have done, but before I could explain, we pulled up in the parking lot of the quaint Italian restaurant where Ang and Jess wanted to eat. As we parked, the girls walked out the door. Angela looked concerned, and Jessica was animatedly waving her hands as she spoke, which she tended to do when she was agitated.

Edward sighed in frustration. "You better go stop your friends before they too wander off to places they do not belong."

I opened the door and walked up to the restaurant, calling to the girls. They both turned to me in relief, but Jess still looked upset as she asked, "Where on Earth have you been?"

I tried to look sheepish as I answered, "I bumped into Edward at the stores, and we started talking and lost track of time." I jerked my thumb in his direction as I looked at him striding up to us from his car, and he waved at my friends.

They smiled back at him but still seemed perturbed with me. I smiled beguilingly. "It was an accident, I promise."

Ang smiled back with a raised eyebrow, and Jess rolled her eyes before smirking. "Okay, all's forgiven. Are you ready to head back home?"

I glanced back at Edward before responding. "Actually, we need to finish our conversation. Is it cool with you if I just catch a ride with him?"

Ang smiled and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "See you tomorrow, Bella."

Jess giggled and then whispered, "And you better be willing to talk, and I want details!"

Edward stepped up beside me as Jess got into her car. They drove away before he spoke. "Is this really such a good idea? Won't your dad be mad if I drive you home?"

I shook my head. "No, he won't be home until the morning, and since I already rode in your car tonight, I'm going to have to shower and wash my clothes as soon as I get home anyway, so he won't smell you."

He nodded in acceptance, and my stomach grumbled. "Do you want to go in and eat?" He jerked his head toward the restaurant, and I grimaced.

"No, thanks. Pasta isn't exactly my thing."

He chuckled. "Yeah, mine either." He winked at me, and my stomach fluttered, but this time I didn't think it had to do with my hunger.

I sighed. "Too bad there isn't a sushi place close by."

He looked curious. "Really? Would that make do for you?"

I shrugged. "It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be better than nothing. Why, do you know of one?"

"In Port Angeles?" He laughed, his lips twisted into his smirk. "Not unless you want to go down to the pier and catch something yourself."

The idea wasn't half bad. I smiled at him, and then I started walking to the harbor.

He laughed under his breath and then started following me. "Bella, you don't even have a reel."

"So, I've got hands, don't I?" I laughed too, and stooped to roll my jeans up above my knees as we reached the small boat ramp leading into the water. I kicked off my shoes and socks and walked into the frigid water until it almost reached my knees.

"I have got to see this," he called after me.

"Oh, you will! Now be quiet and stop scaring away the fish!" I yelled back.

I stood still in the water, and after a couple of minutes, the fish started swimming around me again. I waited until a foot long salmon swam within easy reach. My hand darted out and caught it, and then I flung it up to the top of the boat ramp near Edward. He laughed as it flopped next to him. I caught two more and carried the last one up the ramp by the tail as I left the water.

I sat down next to my catch, slamming a fist against each of their heads to make them stop moving. I looked up at Edward who was still laughing at me, and suddenly felt self-conscious about eating the raw fish in front of him. He'd probably seen worse, but I was pretty sure to be messy since I had never tried it in human form before. "Do you think you could go get me a Diet Coke from the soda machine we passed?"

He looked at me thoughtfully before nodding. "Sure."

He tucked his hands in his pockets and turned back up the street. I managed to eat fairly cleanly and I was rinsing my hands off in the water when he came back with my soda.

I smiled my thanks and tried not to scowl when I realized it was lukewarm. Edward must have seen my facial contortions though because he started to explain, "Oh, sorry. The machine was old. I would have gone to a convenience store if I had known it would be warm. I still can if you want…"

I interrupted, embarrassed to seem ungrateful. "No, no, this is fine. They don't really taste very good to me anymore. I just like the caffeine boost."

He smiled, curious, but willing to let it drop. We walked silently for a while and were almost back to the car when I stopped. He looked back at me in question, and I breathed deeply to gather my gumption. I figured now was as good a time as any to start asking questions, while we were alone and he wasn't on guard.

"Why did you run away from me?" I blurted out. He looked chagrined, then smiled and looked away.

"I had to help Esme, my mom, with some laundry." I got the distinct impression that he was lying, but he didn't seem angry, so I pressed on.

"Edward, tell me the truth. Did I turn you into a vampire?" His head snapped to face me, and he was quite obviously astonished, his mouth hanging open and his eyebrows almost touching his hairline. He became as still as only someone who doesn't need to breathe can, and I stared back, waiting.

We stood for what seemed like an eternity before the door of the restaurant opened and a family walked out. I blinked, and he looked away. "We'll discuss this in the car," he said shakily and walked to the Volvo.

E/N: Cliffie? Argh! I know, I'll try to be speedy w/ Ch. 11. REVIEW PLEASE! It makes me oh so happy to read reviews, even if they just say one word, or leave a smiley or something, I read every one, and might even respond! Seriously, I love it, brings a little light to my foggy, dreary day.

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