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I stayed away from everyone for two days, hunting in the forests. By the time I was back at home, I could feel the sloshing of the warm blood circulating through me. I felt well-fed. The circles under my eyes were completely gone. For one instant, without the haunting purple bruises under my eyes, I almost looked human. I appreciated what I saw in the mirror before driving to school.

I didn't speak to Edward for two weeks. The situation completely shattered me and I couldn't stand forcing myself to look at him, and see his healing scar running diagonally across his forehead. Never would it be as smooth and flawless as before. I felt that same sickness as I had two weeks before.

My family noticed the abrupt change in my behavior. Most were concerned, other than, of course, Rosalie who sat there, amused at my pain over Edward. And I had to say, that didn't matter right now. I didn't care. I was too depressed to think of Rosalie's hatred towards me, or James on his way to kill us.

Edward didn't try to talk to me either. At this moment, more than ever, I wanted to know what he thought of me now. What was he thinking? It was driving me crazy.

I had moved back to my old table with my family. They didn't mention Edward, and I didn't bring him up. There was only Rosalie who enjoyed the silence. I guess she took this strange behavior as defeat. She had won.

Right before the sixth period bell rang, Edward turned to me for the first time in over two weeks.

"Can you stay after school?" he asked, uncomfortably. How bizarre…

"Um… why?" I asked, trying to interpret what he would need to talk about.

He wasn't very patient today. "Can you?" he asked roughly, still managing his voice to be velvety.

"Yes," I answered mutely. This wasn't his usual self. What could he have realized in these last two weeks that he hadn't known before?

"Thank you," he replied reluctantly. Then, he turned back to the board and not another word was spoken the entire period.

I was jittery throughout gym class. I had to concentrate extremely hard not to kick the soccer ball across the entire city. During gym, it was always harder to remain conspicuous.

Finally, the end of the day came with no more warning then the last bell of the day. I came outside to wait for Edward, but where would he be? My best bet was to look for his silver Volvo. I was busy scanning the parking lot when I heard footsteps approach me. I snapped my head in the other direction to see if I guessed right at who it was. I did.

He stood there, looking more pleasant than he did in Biology. He had his bag strapped over his right arm and his hand netted in his back pocket. There was nothing more beautiful than Edward in his khaki pants.

"Hi," he said shyly. I found my voice.

"Hi," I replied, my fingers tapping impatiently at my side.

"Can we walk?" he asked in a low voice. I was baffled.

"Sure."

As soon as we were beyond the school grounds, Edward turned to me. There was a frantic look in his eyes but his composure remained serene. He hesitated before telling me, "I figured it out."

I felt a lump in my throat.

"What?" I asked a pointless question. Of course I knew what.

"Everything. Why you don't eat. Why your appearance looks so pale. Why your eyes change color…" he added softly, timidly. My eyes widened. I didn't know he realized so much.

"And what have you concluded?" I asked, too formal to act casual.

There was growing silence splitting my ears in two. My breathing faltered in between every silent gesture he made with his eyes, or his lips…

I heard his heart picking up speed before he said the word that would change everything from this point on. My secluded life would be no more because of this simple word.

"Vampire."

I stopped breathing, and never began again.

He watched my reaction carefully, analyzing what would be my response.

"You figured this out all on your own?" I asked, my cracking voice breaking.

"Well… no. A couple days ago, the Quileute kids were telling stories around the fire down at La Push Beach. I was invited. They started telling of these creatures called the 'cold ones.'

"They mentioned your family and that got me thinking. I went home to research it on the computer."

"And?" I interjected.

"Well, a lot of the info was stupid. None of it fit."

"So?" I prodded, intensely interested now.

"So… I don't care what you are. I don't care if you're a vampire or a monster or whatever you call it. All I care about is… you."

My head began to flutter with this last word but the feeling didn't last.

I began laughing softly. He watched me with a quizzical expression.

"Why are you laughing?" he wondered.

My laughter cut off so I could answer his absurd question. "Do you value your life?"

"I don't understand," he answered flatly.

"You've seen all the movies right? What do you think vampires eat?"

I caught him there. He froze his stance.

"Would you hurt me?" he asked calmly.

"If I didn't have complete control of myself," I answered. This wasn't entirely true. I have been managing better, but at least it's better safe than sorry.

"Then you wouldn't," he translated.

"Don't have so much faith in me. I could slip," I said in a weak voice.

"I trust you," he added simply.

"Don't." I was furious.

"Can we change the subject to a more pleasant matter?" he asked with an unsteady heart rate.

"Like what," I answered, still angry.

"Like… about vampires."

What was so great about damn vampires? I was one. "What do you need to know?"

"Is it true that you only come out at night?"

"Not necessarily," I answered, my arms fold across my chest. "Most carnivorous vampires do."

"What do you mean by carnivorous?" he asked completely confused.

"Oh." It was different having someone outside that didn't know any of this. "Well, our family is considered vegetarians because we don't drink human blood."

"Then what do you drink?" he inquired.

"Animal blood," I said, smiling a large, white-toothed grin. This sent him shivering. I could see it clear. He shook off his sudden chills.

"So wait… when do you sleep if not in the day?"

I rolled my eyes. "Hollywood's version doesn't get it much right."

He waited for further explanation.

"I don't sleep," I summarized.

"Never?"

"No, not at all."

"Then what is your coffin used for?"

There was a lot of explaining to be told to this poor, clueless boy. Finally… explaining!

I smiled at him and shook my head back and forth.

***

After I convinced Edward that NO vampire had a coffin, he began to pick things up more easily.

"Why don't you go out into the sunlight then, if you won't get burned?" he asked as he stared out into the gray, churning sky. We were walking by the cliffs now.

"We can't because if we did, people would see us for what we truly are," I said, kicking a pebble lightly off the cliff.

"What do you mean?" he asked, as if he had given up on whatever my answer could mean.

I pondered over this for a minute. "I'll show you sometime."

He considered this and just shrugged his shoulders.

"So, other than that, you are just a regular person?" he tried.

"Hardly!" I laughed, "There is nothing human about me."

"I believed you were human," he protested, suddenly serious.

"It's easy to believe what the mind could calm. You don't want to look too closely," I answered, shrugging.

He looked down and didn't say anything for a while as we walked down the pebbled road.

"What else can you do?" he finally asked, after a period of silence.

I contemplated this for a minute. "I can run with immense speed," I started a list.

He interrupted, "Really? Can… you show me?"

I smiled to myself. "Sure."

At that second, I ran twenty feet westward and stopped at a tree where he could see me. I climbed up on it and then jumped two feet out and landed lightly on the balls of my feet. I had a big, goofy grin on my face. He was speechless. Then, without any warning, I ran back to his side and tapped his shoulder. In response, he jumped, and I laughed lightly. This happened in the matter of three seconds. He laughed nervously after me. My smile suddenly vanished.

"Am I scaring you?" I asked, serious now.

"No, no. It's just a little shocking. I never imagined you so… powerful," he struggled to find the right word.

It made sense. "Well, around you, I'm not as powerful as I seem."

He chuckled. "That's okay with me," he laughed.

We began to head back, towards the parking lot of the school. On the way back, Edward was silent. This silence was not content silence; not natural. Something was wrong. It made me nervous.

Behind the trees of the school, he finally turned to me. His heart seemed to be increasing speed.

I asked, "Why is your heart racing like it is?"

He became distracted by my comment. "How did you know?"

"My hearing is very acute as well," I answered sheepishly.

He didn't answer. Instead he started the words that would have made my heart explode from the excitement I responded with.

"What would happen if I… tried to kiss you?" he questioned, pain in his eyes.

There were so many things I wanted to tell him. I want to, too. That would be amazing.

"I'm sorry," I answered, croaking out the words. His face fell.

"Oh, that's fine. I was just asking." My dead heart cracked in two. Why did I say that? I can't take it back now. "I guess I should get back home."

I didn't answer him.

He raced away in his Volvo while I stood there, not moving an inch. The rain had already begun and was pelting against my skin, leaving me thoroughly wet. That didn't matter to me. I stood in the never ending rain, waiting for the weakened sun to shine through the clouds.

It never did.