Disclaimer: All hail Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight Series!

Author's Note: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed. Thank you to Kelly, the beta wonder!

Family Tree Chapter 10

BPOV

I was hurting inside. The confusion was getting to be overwhelming. I cared for Jacob, really and truly, but knew that he and I had no future. I could never love him the way that I loved Edward, even though I had tried to. It wasn't in me and for that, I felt like a failure. I'd let him down and in doing so, had let a part of myself down. I had to accept that there would always be an empty place inside. But I could go on. I could live with it.

If I were to give up Edward…I would cease to exist.

The cold made my teeth chatter. Jacob and I needed to talk. I needed to tell him that friendship was all there was for us, all that there would ever be. I would confess to him all the times that I had let things happen, simply because I was afraid to be completely alone. I would tell him everything, and I would hurt him. Hopefully the hurt would help him in some small way. I hoped that he would be able to move on and not hate me in the process. But if he did end up hating me; that was something I would have to live with. It was something that I deserved.

I thought then of Edward and how amazing he really was. He fought with himself so hard just to be close to me. He risked everything for me time and again, and I'd been acting as though his daily sacrifices didn't matter. Was I crazy?

I needed to tell Edward that he was the only one who would ever have my heart, if it wasn't too late.

I did the only thing I could.

I cried.

I let the heart wrenching sobs tear through me as I finally accepted that I couldn't have Jacob. I cried because I knew that I had hurt Edward, the one being on the entire planet that I cared the most about. I had been unfaithful to him. Once again I realized just how much better he was than me. How I didn't deserve him at all.

I lifted my head and scanned the forest. Something was there, I knew it.

"Edward?" I whispered.

Then his arms were around me.

"Don't cry." He urged as he rocked me back and forth. "Please don't cry Bella, please."

I felt an overwhelming guilt as he held me and I struggled to explain. "I'm so sorry Edward, I'm so stupid. I hurt you and I know that I don't deserve you at all and I can understand if you never…hiccup…want to see me again. But you…are…the…only…" I gasped for air as the pain gripped my throat.

"Shhh. It's ok Bella. We need to get you inside. You're getting hysterical."

He lifted me and I struggled to free myself. He set me down with a pained look in his eyes.

"Am I too late, then?" he asked quietly.

"What?" I asked, horror-struck.

"Jacob…is he…the one you want?" He was struggling as much as I was.

"No!" I shrieked.

"Bella?" I heard Charlie call out frantically.

A look of complete relief washed his stone features.

"I'll be in your room…" he said, and then he was gone.

"Bella!" Charlie wrenched open the door and I stood there awkwardly as he hugged me.

"Are you ok? What happened? You yelled, and I was scared. What the hell are you still doing out here!" He looked at me appraisingly.

I shuffled my feet and tried to hide the tears that were still on my face. He studied them and then hugged me.

It was an entirely new experience. I'd never let him hold me like this. I never realized that he wore Old Spice. It was disconcerting and comfortable at the same time. I could feel the frantic beating of his heart and I was truly sorry that I'd alarmed him.

"I'm sorry dad." I said.

He pulled away and looked into my eyes.

"Why were you yelling? And why are you crying?"

I let the age old excuse come to my lips, knowing that it was the only way he wouldn't question me further.

"I'm a little emotional because I'm on my period right now. I was just getting some frustration out."

He stared at me in horror. "Oh. Well. Ok." His face resembled a ripe tomato.

"It's all right; you don't have to have an aneurism." I joked.

"Well, come inside. You're as cold as ice." He complained.

"Ok. I'm going to go to bed." I said in reply.

"You do that, I'll lock up."

I walked into the house and willed myself to calmly walk up the stairs. I opened my bedroom door and flicked on the light. An aching sadness filled my heart as I saw that the room was empty. This was what I deserved. I closed the door behind me and rested my head against the door. I breathed in deeply and then turned around. My heart leaped into my throat.

Edward sat on my bed; his arms held wide open for me.

I walked toward him unsteadily and sank against him in blessed relief.

"I'm here Bella." He held me silently for several minutes.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. You know that, right?" I winced as I heard the desperation in my voice.

"I know you love me Bella. I was just worried that you might love someone else too."

"You're the only one." I whispered.

He hugged me tight and I wrapped my arms around him in turn.

"I'm so sorry…" I began.

"Don't be." He interrupted.

"But I am. I almost ruined everything between us." I shook with fear as I thought about it.

"There is nothing you could do that would ruin what we have. I told you once, and this time I expect you to believe it, that you are my life. You are everything to me. My world was dark before you came into it and there is absolutely nothing you could ever do that would cause me to not love you."

I stared at him, awed and humbled by his eloquent confession.

"When you came that night and saw us together…"

He winced.

"I'm sorry." I felt so awkward, not knowing what to say or what to do.

He pinched the top of his nose as he usually did when he was trying to calm himself down. "It was very difficult to see that. There was no way that I could completely control my actions at that point. I'm sorry that you saw what you did, that I acted so inappropriately, but it hurt me to see you together."

A throb of pure pain lashed through my chest.

"Oh Edward." I whispered and I traced the contours of his beautiful face.

"I have a hard time with jealousy Bella, more than I ever thought possible. The emotions are so strong and there are times when I feel defenseless against them. But I should have retained control, if for nothing else than to spare you the ugly truth of what I am." He grasped my hand and kissed the tiny crescent shaped scar.

I looked at his troubled face and wanted to smooth the lines that seemed so deeply etched into the perfection that was his skin.

"You reacted the same way any guy would have reacted, seeing his girlfriend being kissed by someone else." I tried to be consoling but the words sounded hollow, even to me.

"No. It's not the same. Perhaps the emotions on some base level are similar, but my feelings for you go far beyond what most people are even capable of feeling. My reaction was an inhuman one. It was pure instinct. I'm not human, though I often try to be…for you." He looked intently into my eyes and their golden glow seemed to warm my skin. The insecurity buried in those eyes was enough to bring tears to mine.

"You are the only one I will ever want Edward. You are the only thing I need in this world." The truth of that statement swam through my veins and I knew that this was eternal. No one could take this away.

He pulled me close and began to place tiny kisses along my jaw. I felt the coldness of his marble lips and the fiery trail he left burning in his wake. "You don't want him." He murmured.

I couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement, but I knew the answer to both.

"No." I instinctively tightened my stomach waiting for the pain, but there was none. I'd already made up my mind.

"Mmm…Isabella."

My heart thumped erratically. His hands smoothed my hair back and he leaned close, pressing his lips against mine. I willed myself to be steady and kissed him back, trying desperately to not ruin the moment. After a few long precious moments, he pulled back and looked deeply into my eyes.

"What about your heritage Bella? Do you want to go to La Push to learn about your ancestors?"

I was torn. I wanted to learn about that side of myself quite badly, but at the same time didn't want those desires to hurt Edward.

EPOV

I watched the emotions flicker across her face. She was trying to decide. I wanted it to be as easy for her as possible.

"I don't object to your learning their customs, you know."

Her eyes shot open. "You don't?"

The disbelief in her voice was nearly enough to make me laugh, but the seriousness of her decision kept me from taking it lightly. This was a major choice. It was one that could influence her in a considerable way. It was something that could take her away from me. Regardless of what she thought she knew; she had so much more to learn. I knew what humans were capable of, and how radically they could change their minds. I believed her when she said I was the only one for her, it was easy to, simply because I desired it to be the truth. But she was impressionable and the Quileutes would undoubtedly share things with her that would cause her to reconsider everything, including me.

"I mean it. You have every right to explore your ancestry. I won't take away that opportunity, if it's something you want to do." I forced myself to say.

She lowered her eyelids and parted her lips. She was on the verge of saying something, but was obviously editing her natural response.

"Bella. Don't edit. Just tell me. I can handle it."

"I'm afraid." She confessed.

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of what I don't know."

I wondered if she could read my mind. I had to know what she was thinking.

"Why are you afraid of the unknown?"

"I'm afraid that it will hurt you. I'm afraid that you'll be angry with me."

The truth.

It stung.

She had made her decision without even knowing it.

"So you're going." I stated.

She looked at me warily. "No, I'm not."

"Yes you are. You want to. The only thing holding you back is me, and that's something I can't allow. I want you to go. I want you to know everything. Then, if you still want me…I'll know its forever."

There were times when my inner logic went against my self interest, and this was definitely one of those times. But I owed it to her.

She shook her head. The scent coming off of her hair blew around me and dazed me momentarily. What were we talking about?

"If that's the only way to prove to you how much I love you, I'll go." She extricated herself from me and I could breathe again. She started pacing and I watched her warily. Her face was screwed up in concentration. I cursed my inability to read her mind. I wanted to soothe her, to let her know that I stood by her, regardless of my own feelings on the matter. She was obviously concerned.

I wanted to correct her, to tell her that I didn't doubt her love, but a tiny part of me did. I still couldn't come to grips with my being a monster, and if I couldn't, who could? But I knew that I wouldn't lie to her, even if it was to spare her feelings. The results of doing that once were unbearably painful and I would never forgive myself for hurting her the way I had. I promised her that I would always be truthful and I was going to stick to that promise. It was one thing for me to be miserable, another entirely for her to be so worried.

"Ok. Just promise me one thing." I paused gauging her reaction. "Be safe."

A tiny smile flickered from the corner of her mouth and I smiled in turn, remembering the note I'd once left for her. But I meant it when I said it. She was going to be in La Push, and I was not allowed on their land. I couldn't watch over her there. I desperately wished that I could take back all the things I'd said, wished that I'd allowed her to deny her feelings, but I knew that it would be selfish and wrong of me to do so. Who was I to deny her anything?

An hour later, and she had drifted off to sleep. I watched her breathing in and out and I was soothed. It was hypnotic, watching her eyelids twitch as she began to dream. I held her close, enjoying the warmth of her skin. She was close to the talking part, I could tell. I waited anxiously.

That night she said four distinct things.

"Edward."

"Where am I?"

"Why?"

"Please don't hurt me."

It was disturbing. Then again, dreams, from what little I could remember about them, were illogical. They were a random twisting of thoughts, worries, love, and fear. I hoped that I wasn't the one hurting her in her dream. Yet I knew it was entirely possible. Perhaps her unconscious mind had a bit of self-preservation after all.

BPOV

The last four nights I'd had the same stupid dream. Emerging from the lake, realizing I was dead. Waking up screaming. Having Edward calm me down. It was more than just a little embarrassing, and I had a sneaking suspicion that Edward thought he was the problem, that he was the villain in my nightmare. How could I explain that there was no monster? That I was dead and alone?

What was more disturbing was that I couldn't seem to get anywhere. I never saw anyone hurting me. It was as if I was oblivious until I realized I was in the middle of the lake.

I let the hot spray of the shower massage my aching muscles. I'd been unusually tense lately. I was glad that Edward and I had worked through a lot of our issues, but the most important ones were still lurking right beneath the surface. I knew he was worried about my going to La Push, but he had no reason to be. I was only nervous about seeing Jacob. I knew that I had to have a talk with him. It was only fair.

I took my time getting ready. I knew Edward wasn't going to be taking me to school today. He had to see Alice and he had to hunt. Supposedly the new vampires coming to town were going to arrive today. Edward promised he'd be back at lunch time. I was nervous…more than I should have been. Alice had seen everything working out fine. Nothing bad was supposed to happen. But I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened the last time.

James, Victoria, Laurent. All three had tried to kill me. The Cullen's had saved me from James, the wolves had saved me from Laurent, and both Jacob and Edward had saved me from Victoria. Why was trouble so attracted to me? It was as if I was denying fate and narrowly escaping my death time and again. It would catch up to me eventually.

With great reluctance I turned off the water and got out. The water always seemed to get cold just as it was beginning to work its magic. I towel dried my hair and took my time getting ready. I rarely wore makeup but applied just a little bit to my eyes. Sometimes it was nice to look good for Edward; not that he really cared one way or the other.

The usual breakfast of Captain Crunch seemed strangely unappetizing. Perhaps it was because I missed a certain set of eyes watching me as I ate?

Leaving the house took some effort. It was incredibly warm inside because Charlie had left the heater on for me. The dreary drizzle outside my window beckoned unforgivingly, and groaning I knew I didn't have a choice. With the door locked behind me, I sprinted to the truck but nearly fell on the driveway. Somehow I managed to stay upright. Hurtling open the door, I nearly dove in as always when a flash of red caught my eye. A lovely red rose was on the driver's side seat and had a tiny white note card attached to it with a satin ribbon. I picked it up and inhaled deeply not caring that the rain was falling down the back of my shirt. Nonchalantly I flipped open the tiny card and was greeted by Edward's elegant script:

Dare I dream of forever's blush?

Or compare thy voice to that of a thrush?

Your lips are delicate, ripe and lush

Like silken strokes of an artists' brush.

The familiar blush crept into my cheeks. I felt as though I was being courted. There were honestly times when I wondered how it might have been if I'd lived in a different century.

I carefully placed the flower on the dashboard and took off slowly into the driving rain.

It was coming down in sheets and I had to be careful so that I wouldn't end up in a ditch somewhere. With my luck, it was more than possible, it was probable.

Twenty minutes later I was at school. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Thirty minutes later, I was sitting at my desk in my first period class. Then, two new students walked in and were introduced to the class. I stared unabashedly.

"Listen up people. We have two new arrivals. I'd like you all to meet Julian and Dahlia Rousseau. They recently moved here from Alaska."

The buzz of the students had stopped and everyone was staring in awe.

I gaped at them, totally mesmerized. Just as I always was when I saw one of them.

Beauty beyond beauty.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the male, tall, Godlike. Raven black hair, ice white skin with those tell-tale golden eyes. His eyebrows were thick and collinear. His teeth were blinding in their brilliance. His lips were sumptuous. The cut of his square jaw was both tapered and extremely masculine at the same time. I looked on unabashedly at the lovely hint of a purplish shadow just below his hypnotic eyes. He moved stealthily with ease and elegance, gliding along the floor toward his desk. Every female in the room was focused on him. How could they not be?

Only after a few minutes was I able to stop ogling him and notice the girl. She was seated in front of me and to the left. I eyed her and felt familiar pangs of envy. Why couldn't I look like that?

She was the same or similar height to Alice but with deep chocolate brown hair. It was fine like silk and tiny rivulets of it fell down her back in lush waves. Her skin was pale, but had a creamy quality to it that I hadn't seen before. She looked back at me curiously and I hitched my breath. She stared at me, cocking her head to the side, trying to read me, or so it seemed. I looked into her dark eyes and cringed. Was it my imagination or did they have a reddish tint?

I tore my eyes from hers with great strength and found myself nearly hyperventilating. I hadn't realized that I'd been holding my breath. Her beauty was unsurpassed, though her expression was a little hostile. I never thought I'd meet someone that could rival Rosalie, but here she was.

I tapped my foot nervously, wishing fervently that class was over. I was dying to call Edward, to find out where the hell he was, where Alice was. As much as I didn't want to be, I was frightened. Was Edward ok? Was Alice?

APOV

Damn it! I should have known! Why didn't I see them there?

"Where Alice, where are they?" Edward asked, a hint of panic creeping into his voice.

I bit my lip, trying to block my thoughts, but Edward was skilled and bypassed me with ease.

"THEY ARE AT SCHOOL WITH BELLA?"

He roared and I winced as the sound ricocheted through my head.

Edward please calm down. She's going to be ok.

"You thought that they weren't going to enroll in school. You were wrong!" he accused.

I'M NOT PERFECT EDWARD. YOU KNOW THAT.

I mentally shouted at him. I didn't want to admit it, but I was concerned.

"I don't have time for this. We're leaving, now." He ordered.

Jasper heard the commotion. He met us at the car and exchanged a knowing look with me.

"Do you want me to drive you there?" Jasper asked calmly.

"No. Get in Alice" Edward's voice was deadly. I complied and slid into the backseat. It was obvious that Jasper was not going to leave either one of us and sat in the front passenger seat.

"Don't talk to me." Edward clipped.

I rolled my eyes. What kind of order was that? Even for Edward, he was being a little melodramatic. He was acting as if he couldn't hear every thought running through our minds all the time.

"Not helpful Alice." He glared at me through the reflection of the rear view mirror.

Do you want me to stop thinking too? Easier said than done.

He growled, low and menacing. The car was flying at an unreal speed; the tires were barely keeping traction with the wet road.

Are you trying to crash?

He didn't humor me with a response. Not five minutes after we left the house, we were pulling into the school parking lot. He whipped the car into a parking space and was out the door before he'd pulled the keys from the ignition.

"Can you believe him?" I asked Jasper in disbelief.

"His emotions are so intense, it bothers me sometimes. He may not show it, but he was scared, really scared." Jasper looked at me through worried eyes. "If anything happened to her…there would be hell to pay."

Didn't I know it.

EPOV

I ran to get to her, not caring who saw me. I flew into the classroom and stopped abruptly when I saw that she was ok. Her eyes were wide in shock, it was apparent that I'd totally disrupted the lecture, but I didn't care.

It took a fraction of a second for me to notice the location of both the male and the female (who was sitting far too close to Bella for my peace of mind) and I took the last empty seat in the room.

"Mr. Cullen? Hello? Do you realize you're 49 minutes late?" The instructor was baiting me but I didn't care. I stared at him with calm eyes.

"I apologize. I ran into some car trouble." I replied smoothly.

"Well, the next time you decide to grace us with your presence, would you please stop by the office first and get a tardy slip?" Rotten kid. Probably was lazy and overslept. I wish it was like the old days, when I could punish disobedience myself.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance. He was on such a petty power trip.

"Of course sir. The only reason I failed to retrieve said tardy slip, was because I feared missing your class entirely. The information you teach us is invaluable. I apologize for the disruption." I laid it on thick and heard a few of the other students giggle.

A look of sheer amazement crossed his face but he chose to ignore me for the time being. I snuck a glance at Bella. She was staring at me incredulously. I winked at her, hoping my nonchalant attitude would convey some kind of calm. I wished I could borrow Jasper's gift.

I berated myself for being so foolish as to leave her alone. Alice pegged the correct date but had failed miserably on the location. We'd been expecting to run into them later in the morning, near the Addison house. Alice had seen the two of them hunting deer near a stream that ran close to the historic home. They must have abruptly changed their minds, though for what purpose, I had no idea.

I reached out with my mind, feeling for theirs. The tenor of the male struck me immediately.

His thoughts were slippery, racing away from me so that I was left with only echoes. It was entirely new and rather odd. I concentrated and from years of practice zoned in on his "voice".

You're reading my mind even now, aren't you? Your friends in Denali told me about your gift. It's delightful. I simply must get to know you. My name is Julian Rousseau. My sister is Dahlia. From what we've learned, we thought that we would come down and get to know all of you. It would be wonderful fun to be able to settle down for a few decades as you have and live in civilized society.

I stared at the back of his head and he turned to give me a half smile. It was disturbing, how he'd known about my gift, had known who I was without an introduction. I wondered about his "gift". Could he read minds as well?

JULIAN! Can you read my mind? I pushed my thoughts as strongly as I could in his direction. He didn't seem to notice. His mind was on something entirely different.

How strange it must be to sit in a class full of ignorant children day in and day out, pretending to be one of them. When I heard you all had enrolled in the local high school, I simply had to see what all the fun was about.

It was clear that he didn't share the same gift that I did…but at the same time, his observations were obvious. He thought the same way Jasper had when he'd first come to Forks High School. I didn't like the condescending attitude but I could understand it. I'd felt that way many times.

I pulled back from him and let the inane chatter of thirty students fill my head like the buzz from a hive of angry bees. I reveled in the anonymity of their thoughts and then zeroed in on another, distinctly alien voice.

Dahlia.

I concentrated hard, it was as though I had to break through some kind of force field.

A million shattered fragments of thoughts and pictures exploded and swam in front of my eyes. I tried to make sense of the tilting madness that was her brain, the capsules and frozen images that were completely disjointed whirling like a tornado through the plane of her mind. Jagged, swirling flashes of color with no pattern or rhyme or reason. I desperately tried to hold on to an image, but before I could even grasp what it was it was out of reach, growing dim, crackling like static. It was lightning, thunder, chaos. It was an earthquake, a flood, a hurricane amidst a field of shredded flowers, broken mirrors, dismembered bodies and innocent children smiling stupidly. It was deepest midnight and noonday sun in a vortex like a black hole.

I pulled back, terrified and exhilarated at the same time. How could anyone make sense of that?

I wondered if I was going mad. Instinctually I reached for Alice's mind and found it. Unfortunately, she was caught in a vision and I was involuntarily sucked in.

I watched from above as though I was a bird.

I saw our family running in the woods through deep forest. I saw myself running ahead of the others. The wind whipped through my hair and suddenly I broke into a clearing. There was a lake, still as glass shining eerily up at me. I was unfamiliar with the location and hesitated, not knowing where to go. The rest of them caught up to me and were speaking in hushed voices.

"We need to find her." I heard myself say.

"We will. You need to use your sense of smell now Edward." Carlisle urged.

I saw myself sniffing the air…and then I was off like a shot.

The others trailed after me and I wound my way across the lake to the edge of the water on the other side.

I lost her scent.

"No!" I yelled in frustration. I fell to my knees and beat the ground with my fists.

"Edward!" Alice cried out, pointing out to the middle of the lake, her face a mask of horror.

Something was floating on the surface of the water…it looked like a rag doll.

I jumped in and was swimming through the water. Any second and I would be there…

The bell rang and my mind was forcibly removed. I looked around the classroom, completely disoriented. People were filing out of their seats, rushing to get to their next class. I couldn't make myself move.

"Edward? Edward? What's wrong?" Bella was looking down at me with concern.

I realized that my hands were clenched on the sides of the desk and my fingers had sunk into the wood. I pulled back and hastily made a few more dents, so that there was no discernable outline.

I looked up at Bella again and her eyes were clouded with worry. My face must have reflected hers.

"Where were you?" she whispered urgently. "They came in and you weren't here. I was so worried."

"I'm sorry Bella. We thought that they would be hunting this morning. They changed their minds at the last minute and Alice saw them here in school with you. I got here as fast as I could."

I thought briefly of the mad car ride here. I shuddered. If anything had happened to her, I would never have forgiven myself.

"I was so worried about you. Thank God you're all right." Her eyes shone with sincerity.

I was flabbergasted. "You were worried about me? When will you learn that I can take care of myself? You should have been worried about your safety. Honestly Bella." I shook my head in disbelief.

She looked down at her feet.

"Do you need assistance finding your next class Mr. Cullen, Ms. Swan?"

We both jumped at our teacher's voice. I got up and placed my hand at the small of her back, and steered her from the classroom.

"I don't understand why they would enroll in school so late in the semester." Bella said softly.

We walked down the hall together through the mist toward our next class. Thankfully this was one that Jasper and Alice shared with us.

"I don't know either. The only thing I can figure is that they're planning on staying awhile." I frowned.

"What were they thinking about?" Bella's curiosity got the best of her.

"Well, Julian knew I was reading him and was talking to me as though we were having a conversation. He didn't say anything of consequence though. It was a bit troubling. But I didn't hear anything that would give me serious cause for concern. The female on the other hand…her mind was unlike anything I've ever encountered before. It was a swirling of pictures, everything was disjointed. There were no words, no coherent thoughts at all."

"What does that mean Edward?"

"I really don't know. She's either absolutely mad, or she has some gift that I don't understand. We'll find out though Bella, never fear."

"I wonder if they'll be in our next class?" She bit her lip.

"We'll have to find out, won't we?" I mulled that over, hoping that they weren't going to be there, and yet wanting to touch their minds again. I was naturally curious. Dahlia was an enigma, one that I was going to figure out. Julian was interesting, but didn't seem harmful. However, I'd learned from many decades of observation that the ones who seemed the most normal on the surface often held dark secrets. I would be studying them both closely.

I thought of Alice's vision unhappily. I wasn't going to let Bella out of my sight. I could only hope that the girl in the water wasn't her. But on some instinctual level, I knew that I would never behave that way unless it was. I grimaced and looked down at her, healthy and alive. I vowed to keep her that way.

BPOV

I breathed a sigh of relief when we got to class and saw that they weren't there. Dahlia made me nervous. When she'd stared at me, her eyes had narrowed. Her lips had curled back slightly, exposing her sharp teeth. It reminded me a little of when Jane had been looking at me, trying to hurt me with her power, but not being able to.

I had little reason to fear Julian, but he reminded me a little of Laurent. He was too good looking for one thing and I'd felt a little uneasy feeling that way about someone other than Edward. Something told me that I should stay away from Julian.

I wanted to relax for a minute but something else was going on. I could sense it. Alice looked unhappy and Edward was acting strange. They were communicating to one another and I could only wonder what it was about. I hoped that Edward trusted me enough to tell me the truth about what the visitors had been thinking. I didn't need him to protect me from that.

I wanted to pout, as ridiculous as it was. I didn't like feeling left out of things. I was mature enough to handle it. I caught Alice looking at me and she smiled. My paranoia began to fade, perhaps everything really was ok.

I tried to read Alice, but she was no longer looking at me. Her face was expressionless. Her lips would twitch occasionally, but other than that, nothing. I decided to try and study Edward. He was a bit easier. His face was tight, his lips pursed in a controlled line. His eyes were darker than they had been when I'd first seen him, a murky brown rather than a light gold. His nostrils would flare and his face would grimace every few minutes. I wished that I could read minds too.

"Ms. Swan? Would you care to answer the question?" I tore my eyes away from Edward and realized that I didn't know what the question was.

"Can you please repeat the question?" I asked, blushing furiously. The others in the class snickered and I slid lower in my seat.

"In the future Ms. Swan, I would appreciate it if you paid attention. Turn around and face the board. Now, can anyone tell me what the quadratic formula is?"

I felt like such an idiot. I hated being called out in front of the class.

"It's negative B, plus or minus, the square root of B squared, minus four AC over 2A." Mike Newton answered.

I glanced over at him and he wore a smug smile.

"Very good, Mr. Newton. I can see that those tutoring sessions are paying off."

His smile faded. I looked over at Edward and he looked back at me and grinned. I wondered if he was amused at my getting caught, or Mike getting chastised. He cocked his head to the side, as if listening to something and stifled a laugh. I wondered what was so funny.

Mike glared at Edward and then looked at me. He shook his head as if to say "what do you see in that guy?"

If only he knew.