Alright, he's the new chapter. Hope you enjoy it.


Questions and Answers; Unusual Tastes


Bella's Point of View


We were lucky that Mr. Banner wasn't in the room when we got there later than we should. Everyone watched as we walked in together to our lab table. When we sat down, I noticed that he didn't angle the chair to sit as away from me as the desk would allow; instead, he sat quite close to me, as close as school rules would allow.

The reason for Mr. Banner's lateness became clear when he entered dragging a tall metal frame on wheels that held an outdated TV and VCR. Apparently, it was a movie day; the class atmosphere lifted immediately. Mr. Banner shoved the tape into the VCR and walked to the wall to turn off the light.

I didn't pay attention to the film – the minute the light went off I was, for some odd reason, suddenly hyperactively aware of Edward. A rush of unexpected electricity – something that hadn't happened before – that seemed to originate somewhere in him also seemed to flow through me, seeming to make me more aware of him, something I had thought to be impossible.

I felt a crazy impulse to reach over and touch him, and it was only after seeing that was sitting with his hands in fists under his arms, as if stopping himself from doing the same. I started out small, just putting my hand, palm up, on the table. My hand was placed perfectly, close to him. He looked at my hand, and, very slowly, moved his hands from their position to place one in my own.

The electricity seemed to spark for a second, and then slow and disappear, though not completely. Once that was done, we pretended to pay attention to the film, though I still couldn't tell what it was about.

When Mr. Banner turned the lights back on, the electric feeling disappeared completely and we immediately released each others hands.

"Well," Edward said. "That was interesting."

I shrugged, though I had to admit that he was right.

"Shall we?" I asked as we stood up.

He walked me to my next class in silence, pausing when we got to the door. I turned to say goodbye, but I got a glimpse of his face – his expression was torn, almost pained and fiercely beautiful that I ached to touch him again – and my goodbye struck in throat as I raised my hand.

I was surprised to discover that he was copying the action as well, though he let his hand fall when he saw mine. I tentatively allowed my fingertips to touch his face, surprised as the fact that, though his skin was icy, my fingertips felt as if I'd touch something burning hot, but without feeling any pain. Amazed, my eyes followed my hand as I stroked downwards, letting my hand fall once I'd reached his chin, and turned to walk into gym, my heart pounding in my chest.

I still hadn't taken my eyes off of the hand that I'd just used.

Gym seemed to pass rather quickly, though I'd had to deal with Mike, who had been quick in claiming me as his teammate. I wasn't terribly upset when I accidentally hit Mike's shoulder trying to hit the birdy, though I'd still managed to hit the birdy as well. It was a good think that not being human had helped me improve in my gym class; I don't think I could stand taking it if I hadn't. Together, we won all four of our games.

"So," Mike said as we walked off the court to put our rackets away and towards the lockers. I quietly groaned.

:What?" I asked, bit rudely, if I was honest. However, I really didn't like Mike, who, even after going out with Jessica, was hoping I would give him some affection.

"You and Cullen, huh?" he asked, his one rather rebellious.

"Yeah? What about it? Not that it's any of your business." I muttered that last part.

"I don't like it," he said, as if he had a say in who I was with.

"You don't have to like it," I snapped. "It doesn't mean I'm going to ignore him to suit your needs."

"But," he protested. "But the way he looks at you…it's like your something to eat."

I couldn't help it; I snorted, choking back the hysterical laughter that threatened to explode from me. As it was, a small giggle managed to escape me as I fled to the locker room. Dressing quickly, I was glad when I tasted an increase of emotion that I had begun to equate with being near a vampire, and I was able to tell exactly whose emotions I was tasting – just like being around Angela had help me develop a knack for being able to almost pinpoint her in a crowd, the same thing was happening with Edward.

His emotions had a physical change the minute he saw me. I walked over to him, feeling a peculiar sense of release as I reached his side.

"Hi," I said, smiling.

"Hello." His answering smile was brilliant. "How was Gym?"

"You were watching, weren't you?" I demanded. I didn't need him to answer; I knew it was true.

His smile faltered.

"I'm not mad at you, you know?" I said. His smile returned and we began to walk towards the car. However, as we got closer to where we were parked, I realized that there was a crowd standing around the cars; well, the one car, anyways. Rosalie's red convertible was surrounded by what looked like every guy in school, desire rolling off of them in waves. I felt like panting, my tongue feeling as if it was on fire from the overdose of cinnamon.

Luckily, none of them noticed us, and we were able to get into Edward's car unnoticed.

"Ostentatious," Edward muttered as he carefully backed out, trying hard not to hit anyone.

"What kind of car is it?" I asked.

"An M3." I nodded, having heard of it before.

"So," I said conversationally, "want to tell me why you didn't tell your family anything we had discussed yesterday?"

He sighed, and didn't answer. I felt my anger beginning to build once again, but tampered it down.

"I mean, are you ashamed of me? Is that why you didn't say anything," I continued.

"Bella, no. I'm not ashamed of you," he said, then sighed. "I…I just didn't want to deal with them. I know them pretty well, in fact, and – while Esme and Alice probably wouldn't care – I can't say that the others would share that care. Carlisle would probably want to study you, Jasper would be extremely wary, Emmett would probably think your crazy, and Rosalie wouldn't believe it unless she had proof, in which case she would probably want to kill you."

I raised an eyebrow at that. The way he spoke…it seemed that he had no illusions as to what his family would do. Yet, I still didn't think that it was a good reason for his silence on the matter, and told him so. The fact that I got the feeling that he was lying probably didn't help him out in any way.

Unfortunately for me, instead of answering me, he asked, "So how did Alice find out?"

I tasted a hint of jealousy when he said Alice's name, and realized the answer to my question.

"You want to keep me to yourself, don't you?" I said, looking at him wide-eyed. I hadn't expected him to want that, though, now I that I thought about it, it did make some sense. He had been angry when he had discovered that Alice knew before him, something that I know realized didn't really have anything to do with the fact that she had known what I was before him, but the fact that we had obviously been hanging out quite a bit was what had him angry earlier.

Having a feeling that he wasn't going to answer that question – not that he needed to, for a strong taste of strawberries coated my tongue – I answered his question instead.

"She saw my decision to spy on you the night after the van accident," I said. "She can't see me all that well, though. She can only see glimpses of things that have to do with you and your family when it comes to me."

His eyes furrowed. "So her power doesn't really work on you either…" he muttered quietly. I didn't think he meant for me to hear.

Deciding to go inside – though staying and talking to him was much more appealing – I said bye and opened the door, heading towards the house. However, before I got there, I turned and motioned for him to roll his window down.

"By the way, tomorrow, you and I, were going to play twenty questions, only, with a lot more questions, 'kay? Oh, and I want to see Alice tonight, could you tell her that? I haven't had much time with her ever since you started coming around."

"Only if I get to ask the first question," he said. I thought about it, decided that I honestly didn't care either way, and said okay.


Alice was slightly mad at me when I met her in the forest outside my house, and it didn't take long to discover the source of her ire.

"You just had to tell him that I'd known you before he did," she said the minute I stepped into the clearing she'd chosen to meet at. She was standing with her arms crossed and a pout on her face as she spoke.

"He's been giving me a headache by purposely being indecisive. I didn't know I could get a headache." She continued to complain, so I tuned her out, tasting around us. I wasn't sure if Edward would respect my decision to see Alice over him, but, luckily for him, Alice was the only vampire I could taste around me.

"You done," I asked once she'd stopped. She glared, but it didn't have much of an effect on me. I knew that she wouldn't do anything to me, just as she knew I wouldn't do anything to her.

"So, what's been going on at your house?" I asked. "Did he tell yet?"

"Yeah, and Carlisle was the only one who believed him at first, until he turned on me, and asked why I didn't tell him before. That got them to pay attention and believe. I inform then of our…experiments – Carlisle was especially interested in them – and now… well, Emmett's interested in testing you himself, Jasper's wary, and Rosalie want you dead. Of course, she can't kill you unless she wants to be kicked out of the family, and she's too comfortable for that, so…"

It was just like Edward had said would happen, though he hadn't mentioned that Emmett would want to test me. I wondered exactly how he wanted to test me. Did he want to fight me? Did he want to see if he could break the Draw? I wasn't really interested in doing either; the guy was build like a bear, I probably wouldn't have a chance against him. And I didn't want to risk it if he couldn't break the Draw on his own. Not only would Rosalie definitely attempt to kill me if we kissed, despite what she was told, but I still had no plan on feeding on Edward, much less any of his siblings.

"What about your mother?" I asked, noticing that she hadn't said anything about the matriarch of the family.

"Esme?" she clarified. I nodded.

"Oh, Esme's has no problem with you, trust me," she said. "In fact, she can't wait to meet you."

I furrowed my eye brow, confused on that end.

"Why?" I asked.

"Edward will tell you," she said. I knew with that, that she had no plan on saying anything more to me. I wondered what was so important about Edward being the one to tell me over her.

"So, are you going to let me help you this Saturday?" she asked. I was crafty in hiding my horror. While I had no delusions that she wouldn't be helpful, I preferred not to be a Barbie doll, and I could tell that she wouldn't be very helpful in this aspect. I got the feeling that she would be domineering instead – she did tell me, on one of the few moments we talked about ourselves in a rather normal way, that she was responsible for her family's clothes. I got the feeling that she was also responsible for deciding what they wore daily, at least, with the males of the house, and possibly Esme, as I got the feeling that Rosalie could take care of herself.

"No, I got it," I said, feeling a little ping of sadness when her face fell. If it wasn't for the rather devious emotions that I could taste coming from her underneath that sadness, I would have probably repented my previous statement. It was only the fact that I knew I would be alright on my own that helped as well.

"Are you going to go to the dance this Saturday?" I asked. She nodded.

"So is Rosalie," she said. "Oh, you should see the dress Rose got. It's nice, but a little too showy. She is going to have the boys drooling all over her at the dance."

"That's probably the effect she planned on," I said. I didn't need to have met Rosalie to know that she was vain and shallow, though I didn't doubt that she was protective of her family and that she had something good to her. The problem was the fact that she wanted to kill me that made it hard for me to see what the something may be. The vain and shallow part had been easy to see – or, rather taste – since she was the one who not only disapproved Edward's actions the most, but she was also very jealous of our interactions, something that puzzled me. I knew that I would have to bring that up to Edward to find out why.

Alice and I continued to chat about the dance and who was going with who, gossiping as if we were normal teens. Of course, normal teens didn't have a way to see exactly how the night would end for some of the people going. Alice was very informative in telling me the actions some of our peers were going to do, leaving the both of us laughing as we talked. I definitely couldn't wait to see these actions in real life, especially for some of the students whom I didn't like, aka, most of the school.

We said our goodbyes when the light began to brighten, her parting words being that Edward would be picking me up again, and that she'll see me at school.

I managed to make it back to the house before Charlie woke up, and was glad that I had taken a shower before I'd left as I dressed, pulling on a white tank top, throwing a dark red long-sleeved blouse with a wide neckline over it, jeans, and clunky boots. I made breakfast, setting it onto the table just as Charlie came down the stairs. It was a quiet event, and he didn't speak until he'd cleared his plate.

"So, what are your plans this Saturday?" he asked. "Are you still going to the dance? Who are you going with anyways? I mean, which boy asked you to go with them?"

I was careful not to allow him to see me roll my eyes. While he had been surprised when I said I was going to the dance as the reason why I was going to Port Angeles the other day, he hadn't said much more than an okay, and he was making up for it now. I was careful to compose my face as I told him half-truths.

"Oh, I'm going to go out for the day until it's nearing the time for the dance, which I am still going to. And I asked Edward Cullen to go with me," I said.

"Why did you ask?" he asked, about to go into a tirade about why didn't anyone ask me.

"It's a girl's choice dance, Dad," I explained.

"Oh." He frowned at his empty plate.

"What are you planning on doing?" I asked. I figured that it would be a good idea to know where he was Saturday, especially since I still had no plans on telling him about spending the day with him. I didn't want my Dad to get suspicious of Edward in case I didn't come home okay. While Edward and I had pretty okay control of our monsters, that didn't mean that nothing would happen on accident.

"It's supposed to be nice Saturday, so I'm going fishing," he said. Nice on Saturday, huh? I wondered if it would be sunny as well. Neither Alice nor Edward would tell me why they couldn't go out in sun while others were around, though they did tell me that it didn't kill them. Hopefully, I would finally be shone what the mystery was.

Once I finished eating, I stood up, grabbing both of our plates, and putting them into the sink with the other dirty dishes, while he grabbed his gun and keys, and left. I left them to soak as I hurried back upstairs to brush my teeth and grab my bag, peaking outside as I passed the window. I didn't need to see the car to know that he was already there, having tasted his emotions already, but I still checked.

I quickly clunked my way down the stairs and out the door, locking it behind me before walking over to his car, and getting in.

"Morning," I said brightly as I buckled myself in, throwing my bag in the back.

"Good morning." His voice was silky. "How are you today?"

"Good," I answered. "So, what's your first question?"

He thought for a moment, then asked, "What's your favorite color?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't have a set favorite color. It changes from day to day."

"What's your favorite color today?"

"I'll answer that, however, I get to ask two questions next, since it was my turn to ask this time," I said. "I guess my favorite color is…red today."

I could see he was about to ask another question, but held up my hand. "My turn," I said. "Why does Rosalie want to kill me so badly? I mean, I could understand if you had still kept that I'm a succubus, but that I knew what you are, but still… I would have thought she would have realized that I wouldn't tell and not want to kill me."

He winced.

"And please, tell me the truth. I can handle it," I said, when I realized that he seemed to be thinking of something to tell me that wasn't the full on truth. I made sure that my voice was threatening when I said that, telling him that he better tell the truth or else.

He sighed.

"Rosalie doesn't want you dead. She just wouldn't mourn you if you did die, nor would she have any guilt over not helping keep you alive if something was threatening you," he said. "And it's because I'm interested in you. She doesn't like you because I pay you more attention than her."

So, basically, it was a shallow reason. Somehow, I wasn't surprised. Rosalie struck me as the type of girl who had to have all attention on her. To have even one person not paying attention to her made her want to get rid of the competition. Yet, I had the feeling that I was missing something, especially since I had a feeling that, from the way everyone acted, that Edward hardly paid attention to anyone before I came along

"Okay, next question. Why can't Esme wait to meet me?" I asked. Edward tasted relieved that I didn't press on the Rosalie deal. However, I honestly didn't care about Rosalie; so long as she didn't attack me, she wasn't worth any energy to worry about. Plus, I have a feeling that either Edward or Alice would pick up on whether or not Rosalie changed her mind.

"Esme wants to meet you badly because of the fact that I've never paid attention to anyone, much less a girl outside of family before. She ecstatic over the fact, and wants to meet the girl whom I lo-," he stopped right there, but I didn't need him to continue, as I knew what he was going to say, and I wasn't ready to hear it yet. Partially because I thought it was a bit too soon, and partially because I wasn't ready. I knew how I felt about him; I definitely liked him, no question. And I was close to feeling love for him, at least, I think I am. I just wasn't ready to hear or say it at the moment.

"What's your favorite book?" he asked once he got his composure back. Back and forth, we asked and answered. Since I had asked the two questions I really wanted to know, I started on the favorites and least favorites questions as well, leaning about him outside of anything vampire related – though, of course, some of his favorites definitely weren't from this era.

The psychoanalysis continued throughout the day, only stopping during our separate classes and Biology, where we continued the movie, holding hands to keep the electric feeling in control. And, just like yesterday, he walked me to Gym, only this time, instead of my hand on his face, it was his hand on my face, and, just as my fingertips had felt burnt, so did the path his fingertips made on mine.

We continued to talk well into the night as well, stopping when it came closer to Charlie to get home, and picking up once he'd gone to sleep, though in quiet whispers. I had to admit that it was interesting to discover that some of my favorite things had changed, such as my favorite gemstone, which, up until I met him, had been garnet. It wasn't hard to figure out the reason for the change, as it now shifted between topaz and onyx, and I was glad that he didn't realize this. It would have been a bit embarrassing to admit it, if I was honest.

I was surprised with how many questions we still had as it got light outside – though we had just moved from the favorites and why section, and had just begun to talk about books we'd read and what we liked and hated about them – and how we still found things to talk about throughout this day as well. In fact, it wasn't until he mentioned that Charlie would be home soon that we stopped. I looked out at the rain darkened sky, trying to discover what time it was.

"It's twilight," he said thoughtfully. I turned towards him, noticing that he himself was gazing outside. I studied him, but dropped my eyes when he turned back towards me.

"It's the safest time of day for us vampires," he said, "the easiest time, but the saddest, as well. The end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so predictable, don't you think?"

"I like night. I love seeing the stars," I said, looking out again. "Of course, it's kind of hard to do that here, what with all the clouds and rain."

He laughed, and the mood lightened.

"Charlie's going to be here in a few minutes," he said. "Did you tell him…"

"I told him that you're my date, but I didn't mention anything about spending the day with you as well, and I have no plan on adding that last part, so save your breath. It's one thing for him to know I'm going to a dance with you, but it's another if I'm with you all day as well."

I grabbed my bag.

"So, you coming back here tonight after Charlie's asleep again?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll see you then," he said. He reached across to open the door for me, but his hand froze on the handle just as my body froze as well. He was too close!

"Not good," he muttered.

"What is it?" I asked, speaking through clenched teeth as my hands gripped my bag.

"A complication," he said glumly. That's when I tasted it, and my face screwed up in disgust as it became stronger. Someone was coming, someone whose emotions…I didn't know what to say about them. They weren't…right. They had a...bitterness to them that I'd never tasted mixed in the actual taste of the emotion, like food gone sour after it hadn't been eaten before it expired. Plus, if the bitterness wasn't bad enough, there was the taste of ashes and acid mixed in as well.

It was making me feel ill.

I stepped out of the car, quickly heading towards the house as Edward pulled out. I could see him illuminated in the glare of a new car that I hadn't noticed headlights, his gaze locked on someone I couldn't see. His expression was a mix of frustration and defiance. Then, he revved the engine, and tires squealed against the wet pavement as the Volvo tore out of sight within seconds.

The unknown to me car, a truck, pulled up to the house, and I stayed where I was standing as the driver side door opened. The driver – who looked around my age – went to the back, got a wheelchair out, and went to the passenger side. That was about the time Charlie's cruiser pulled up. Charlie was quick in walking towards the truck, though I didn't move as I watched him help whoever the passenger was.

Then, they came towards the house, and I turned, opened the door, and walked in, turning on the lights, and waited, carefully schooling my face out of its distaste. I knew that Charlie would most likely ask questions if I showed it towards our guests. I walked into the kitchen, beginning Charlie's dinner. I wasn't going to be eating anything at the moment; the strange emotions from our guests made me want to run. I knew that I would definitely be ill if I ate anything.

I made Charlie a quick yet loaded sandwich, put it and some chips on the plate, and walked into the living room, my face carefully schooled into a look of indifference just as the three entered the house.

I didn't recognize the young boy, the driver of the truck. I realized quickly that I had overestimated his age; he couldn't have been more than fourteen, fifteen at most. He had long, glossy black hair, russet-colored skin, dark eyes, and just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin. An alright face, but nothing really special.

I turned towards the other person, and was immediately struck with recognition. I knew exactly who it was as I took in the memorable face – a face that overflowed, with cheeks resting against his shoulders, creases running through the russet skin like an old leather jacket. The surprisingly familiar black eyes that seemed young and old at the same time were wide as Charlie reintroduced me to Billy Black.

A complication, as Edward had said.

I immediately knew that this man knew what the Cullens were. It was in his expression, in his emotions, that he had recognized Edward. I inwardly moaned as I realized that I had already known that this was a chance, remembering the book I'd gotten while I was in Port Angeles. I had glanced through it last night as I'd waited for Edward to arrive, and I'd read about the cold ones legend. It was easy to see that they had been talking about vampires – the drinking the blood of its victims had been a clear point of that.

And it was easy, very easy, to see that Billy believed in those legends. I wondered if Billy would try to tell my father about what Edward was if it came up.

I said hi, then turned around back towards the kitchen as my stomach turned as well. I needed to get out of the room as the ill feeling that Billy's and the boy's emotions had caused returned, as I had been distracted from them by the easy way I had remembered Billy.

I mentally groaned as one of the bodies followed me into the kitchen, the one with the stronger bitter taste to his emotions. I turned towards the boy.

"Hi, Isabella," he said. I frowned.

"Hi. Who are you?" I asked. Disappointment ran through him at that.

"Jacob. Billy's son. We used to make mud pies together," he said. I drew a blank, but nodded all the same. It seemed to reassure him. I turned back to the sink, cleaning the few dishes I'd dirtied making Charlie's sandwich, as well as the ones from that morning.

"Is there something wrong with the truck?" he suddenly asked. I looked over my shoulder to see him sitting at the table, another frown on my face.

"No," I said. "Why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering why you weren't driving it," he said.

"I got a ride with my boyfriend," I said. Another hit of disappointment ran through him.

"Nice ride," he said, a bit glumly. "I didn't recognize the driver, though. I thought I knew all of the kids around here."

I nodded, pretending that I was interested. I didn't answer though; it wasn't really any of his business.

"My dad seemed to know him from somewhere, though," he pressed. I rolled my eyes. Could he not take a hint?

"So who was it?" Apparently not I thought, sighing.

"It was Edward Cullen." You nosy bastard. I didn't say the last part out loud.

To my surprise, he became contemplative as dislike ran through him. I put the last dish in the rack to dry, dried my hands, and turned around, curious as to what he was contemplating. It seemed to only take him a few seconds to decide.

"Bella, do you know any of our legends? The Quileute legends, I mean," he asked. I raised an eyebrow and shook my head no, though it wasn't true. I wanted to know what he was going to say.

"Well there are a lot of them, some dating back to the Flood – supposedly the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive, like Noah and the ark.

"Another legend claims that we descended from wolves, and that the wolves are our brothers still," he said. I tuned him out after that as what he just said rolled around in my mind. Descended from wolves? I wondered if that was true. I mean, it would explain why his emotions tasted wrong to me; he wasn't a complete human, but a part animal. I couldn't taste animal emotions at all, so I couldn't say if it was true or not. But it did make sense.

I could hear him telling me about the cold ones, and turned back around so that he couldn't see me roll my eyes. Of course. This is what he had been contemplating. He thought I didn't know what Edward was. Or, at least, what his legends said Edward was; I could tell he didn't believe them. He was just trying to make me change my mind about Edward, to make me doubt Edward.

I wanted to tell him that his attempts were wasted, that I already knew what Edward was, but that would be a confirmation to what he was for Jacob, and I wasn't going to betray his trust.

"Nice story, Black," I said vaguely as he finished. I saw him make a face, disappointed with the lack of action from me, and he quickly chanced his tone, mentioning that he didn't believe in what he was saying, but his dad did, and that he would appreciate it if I didn't mention them to anyone, especially my father, since his dad had convinced a lot of the La Push people to boycott the hospital since Carlisle worked there.

I promised not to mention anything, lying through my teeth, of course, and walked out of the kitchen.

"I'm going upstairs to work on my homework. Night, Dad, Jacob, Billy." I walked up the stairs, making it clear that it wasn't an open invitation for Jacob to join me, though he did try. I shut the door him his face, and locked it, rolling my eyes when he tried to open it.

"Go away, Black," I said, just loud enough for him to hear. Sighing, I walked over to my open window, quietly jumping out and running off, just far away enough so that I was no longer tasting their emotions. My stomach settled down once I was away from them.

"What was that about?" I whispered to myself.

"I take it you've met the Quileutes, and know what I was talking about now."

I turned towards Ashanti.

"Have you figured out what they are?" I asked. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I wasn't imagining it," she said. At my rather clueless look, she added, "Usually, your so cold and want to get rid of me, and tell me to leave, but last time I visited, you didn't say a think. Same with this time, too. Your not as bitter as you used to be. It seems love agrees with you."

She sounded a little sad at that last part, and her face reflected that, but she cleared her throat, and that sadness was gone. I opened my mouth – to ask what she meant about me being bitter or to say that I wasn't in love, I wasn't sure which – but she shook her head at me, and stilled my tongue.

"As for your question, no, I haven't figured out what they are, though I do have some ideas. What about you? Do you have an idea?" she asked.

"Yes, actually. While I was in there talking to the boy, he thought it was a good idea to tell me some of their legends – trying to make me change my mind about dating Edward – and mentioned something about being descended from wolves," I said. I could see that she was having the same idea as I was.

"That's why…" she muttered.

"Why what?" I asked.

"You remember how I told you that some of them had been following me?" I nodded. "Well, earlier, I noticed that one of the ones that had been following me enter the forest, and, curious, I followed him. I didn't find him, but I did see a wolf roaming around not long after I'd lost him. I have to wonder if that's was really him."

"So, wait, are you telling me that werewolves are real?" I said in disbelief, though I didn't know why I was surprised. I should have realized that, after finding out vampires were real, that there were a lot more supernatural creatures that were real as well. However, I was surprised when she shook her head.

"No, I've seen a real child of the moon, and there not it," she said. "I think their shape shifters, actually, and that the wolf is the preferred form. If I remember the shifter legends correctly, the first shift is the most important, as it decides which animal you'll be able to turn into. However, I don't know if the shifting form is genetic or if they just choose the wolf subconsciously because of their legends."

She adopted a thinking face.

"Well, honestly, I don't care, so long as they don't come near me often," I said, looking in the direction of my house. "I think their gone now. Bye."

I didn't know if she heard me or not, but, when I looked back to see if she was still there as I headed home, she was gone.


Edward didn't arrive until an hour after Charlie fell asleep. I spent that hour reading the Quileute Legends book I had in a more in depth way. I took everything in, from the Flood legend to the Spirit Warriors to how they first began shifting. I was just nearing when the first legend about the cold ones came into play when Edward arrived.

"What are you reading?" he asked me. I bookmarked my page, and set it down.

"Quileute legends," I said. I watched as his smile became rather fixed at that.

"Jacob Black decided, upon learning that I'm dating you, that he needed to inform me about their legends, specifically the one about your family," I said. I tilted my head. "I didn't know you had a treaty with them that banned you from ever going onto La Push Reservation. Is that why you said no to the field trip Mike invited me on? Because you can't go there?"

"Yes," he said, and I could hear the anger I tasted from him in his voice. "So long was we don't go there or bite someone, they can't attack us. At least, that's what we agreed on with when we made it. Not that it really matters now; there are no more wolves to worry about –"

"You mean you don't know?" I said, shocked.

"Know what?" he asked.

"There are still wolves there. My maker just informed me earlier, after Billy Black and his son visited. Their emotions taste disgusting, by the way. She didn't see one actually change in front of her, but she did see a wolf just moments after one of the guys who had been trying to follow her disappeared out of her sight. She said it was too close for it to be anything but a shifter."

I will never get tired of shocking him. I had to admit that it was majorly appealing.

"So, you didn't know?" I asked again. He shook his head. I frowned, wondering why they didn't know, and what had caused the shifting in the first place. Then, I remembered something else Jacob had mentioned.

"Oh, is Carlisle aware that the La Push people are boycotting the hospital, and refusing to go in for treatment because he works there?" I asked. Another shake of the head.

"He's not going to like that," Edward said. "If someone dies because they didn't go in for treatment…"

"Then it's the Quileutes fault, not Carlisle's," I said firmly. "As mean as this may sound, they deserve any and all heartache they may receive because their prejudices are more important to them than a person's life. They don't have to listen to the people telling them to boycott the hospital, yet they do. Anything that happens to them is their own fault."

I could tell that Edward thought this was cruel – the fact that he did warmed my heart, in truth, since it was a sign of what a good person he was – but I wasn't going to take it back. It was true, after all. I wasn't going to hide it simply because it was cruel to say, and I knew that, if Billy attempted to butt in on my relationship with Edward and the Cullens, that I would say this to him as well.

It wasn't right to gamble on a persons life simply because they couldn't get pass their prejudices. It just wasn't right.

"So, anyways, on a more cheerful topic, what's your stand on books made into movies?" I asked.


I found myself whistling as I skipped down the stairs the next morning, something Charlie noticed.

"You're cheerful this morning," he commented over breakfast.

"Of course I am," I said. "It's Friday. Plus, while I'm nervous about the dance, I still know I'm going to have a good time, and there's no school next week, since its Spring Break. What's there not to be cheerful about?"

I was ready almost ready to leave right away – only having my teeth left to brush – and Edward pulled up just seconds before I opened the door. I didn't bother locking the door this time, sprinting down towards the car. I opened the car door, hopped in, and immediately began talking more about the books versus movies subject I had started last night. We had gone through the classics, including Dracula – in which I admitted I liked the nineteen ninety-two version of the films, though it wasn't a close to the book movie – and had then moved onto more modern books, and then we began to talk about all things Harry Potter.

We were still talking about the Harry Potter series when we pulled up to the school. Surprisingly, while we agreed on a lot of things, we weren't in agreement with many things about the HP series. Specifically, we weren't in agreement on the whole pairings thing.

We finally decided to leave the subject alone after we had spent the entire morning, and the walk to lunch arguing about it.

"So, tell me about the guys you dated back in Phoenix," he said.

"I didn't date," I said. He looked surprised.

"You mean you never met anyone you wanted?" he asked in a serious tone that made me wonder what he was thinking.

"Not in Phoenix." I was being very honest with that. His lips pressed in a hard line, giving me the illusion that he wasn't happy with my words, but his emotions – which had exploded on my tongue in caramel waves – ruined the attempt.

As we sat down, he began to ask about the people in my life, such as school friends, the one grandmother I could remember, and Renee. He seemed to have forgotten our whole back and forth deal, but I let it slide; it just meant that I got to ask as many questions I wanted next.

It was as lunch was ending when he announced, "I should have let you drive yourself today."

"Why?" I immediately demanded.

"I'm leaving with Alice after lunch," he said.

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll be running home today then," I said.

"Bella, I'm not going to make you walk or run anywhere. We'll go get your truck and leave it here for you."

I raised an eyebrow. "No, your not. One, I have my key, and I am not giving it to you, so don't ask for it. Two, you can't get it here without breaking in, hotwiring, or using your supernatural strength or speed to get it here. And three, I can run home faster than I can drive. Just because I don't like to drive anywhere fast doesn't mean I don't like to run."

He looked displeased, but didn't argue.

"Where are you going, anyway?" I asked.

"Hunting. I probably don't need to do so, but I'd rather be safe than sorry," he said.

"And Alice is the most supportive," I said, knowing it to be true. He nodded.

"What time are you going to be back?"

"I don't think I'll be back tonight. What time do you want me tomorrow?"

"Seven-thirty. Charlie will be gone by then, and it should still be cloudy at that time, so there's no worried about the sun making an appearance at that time," I said.

Alice came over then, coming to stand behind Edward.

"Ready to go?" she asked after giving me a smile.

"Nearly. I'll meet you at the car." His voice was aloof.

She felt without another word, though I could taste her displeasure, and I knew that she was most likely yelling at Edward in her mind.

"Should I say 'have fun' or is that the wrong sentiment?" I asked.

"'Have fun' works with pretty much anything," he said.

"Have fun, then." I sounded glum, unable to help it. I didn't want him to leave, desiring his continued company.

"I'll try," he said. He didn't move, though. I knew my face showed my pleasure that he hadn't moved yet.

"It's seems long, doesn't it?" he asked. I nodded; it did seem long, especially since he was talking my usual night time buddy with him.

"I'll be back by tomorrow," he promised, standing up. I stood up as well, and walked out of the cafeteria with him.

"See you tomorrow," I said as I headed towards Biology. It was an ordinary class, no longer filled with the electricity it had been the pass two days. I still didn't pay attention to the movie; instead, I planned on how I was going to get away from school without someone offering me a ride. Unfortunately for me, Mike – who had obviously decided that he needed to take a more active attempt to make me his – had noticed Edward leaving, and I could hear him whispering plans on how to approach me to offer a ride without allowing me to decline.

I wouldn't be able to run if he was watching me.

Thankfully, I made it to Gym without talking to him, and, thankfully, Coach made everyone change partners for this round, so Mike couldn't ask me then. It was as I was walking back to the locker room that he managed to grab my arm and gain my attention.

"Hey, Bella, I saw that Edward left, and I was wondering of you would like a ride," he said, not stating where he wanted to drive me. I wrenched my arm away as I said no, but he once again blocked me, stepping front of me as he said, "But it' going to rain soon. You don't want to walk in the rain, do you?"

"Mike, what makes you think I'm walking in the rain?" I asked. "How do you know I don't already have a ride?"

"Uh…Sorry. I didn't realize…" He stumbled over those words as he scratched the back of his head, but he still didn't move out of my way.

"Are you coming to the dance tomorrow?" he asked in a desperate bid to keep my attention.

"Yes, I'm going with Edward," I said, trying to side-step around him. He matched my every move.

"But you said that you had no plans on going," he said, sounding indignant that I dared to go, and with someone other than him. I rolled my eyes.

"That's because, at the time, I didn't plan on going. Then, I asked Edward after our date, since I found a guy actually worth going to the dance with. He said yes," I said, explaining it slowly, as if I was talking to a small child. "Plus, if you remember, I said that I would not go with you either way. And, before you even attempt to suggest it, I will not dance a single dance with you, either."

I finally made my way around him, cursing at him under my breath as I dressed back into my regular clothes. I hurried out of the gym, not even waiting for the bell to ring, though it did just moments after I'd pushed my way out. Thankfully, I had made it to the trees before that happened, and I ran quickly out of sight before anyone could see me.

It was rather boring sitting at home alone. I had gotten used to Edward's presence after school, and it was rather unsettling not to have him here with me. I used the time to do the rather massive amount of homework we'd been assigned for spring break, though it didn't take me all that much to finish it. I then checked my e-mail, seeing that my mother had sent two within the last few hours, and opened the one that had been sent first.

I laughed over some of the things that my mother had done while in Florida, where Phil was trying to get signed, though it hadn't happened yet. They were apparently heading back to Phoenix if he didn't get signed while there.

The second e-mail had been sent just fifteen minutes ago, and my eyes widened as I read it.

Dear Bella,

Guess what? Phil's just been signed, and we're going
to be moving to Jacksonville, Florida! You're going to
love it here! It's so sunny, with open skies, and the
house we've put an offer for is near the beach.
You'll also be able to have your own bathroom.

We plan on heading back to Phoenix in a week, as we
should know if we will have the house or not by then.
I'll be calling Charlie to let him know tomorrow, so he
can help you pack up your stuff.

Can't wait to see you.

Love,
Mom

I quickly pressed reply.

Mom,

I'm not leaving Forks. I actually like it here, as strange
as it may seem to you. It's not that bad. I'll talk to Dad
when he gets home about going down to Phoenix to
get the rest of my things.

Sorry if this news disappoints you, but I do have to say
that I can't help it. I don't want to leave.

Oh, I'll be going to a dance tomorrow with my friend
Edward.

Bella

Sighing, I sent that, not offering much more than that, and turned off my computer, walking down the stairs to make Charlie something extra special so he would be more agreeable to letting me go down and get my things alone. Well, as alone as I could be without the Cullens; I planned on asking Edward if he would be will to help me out.

I quickly began the process to make Grandma Swan's beef stroganoff, Charlie's favorite dish. I usually avoided making it, as I didn't like it, but I figured it would be a good dish to butter Charlie up with. Of course, the fact that I wanted to stay here would probably get him to allow me what I wanted, but he would probably want to come with me as well, something I didn't want.

I'd rather be able to go alone than with him.

I was just finishing dinner when Charlie came home, and I could taste his appreciation in the form of surprise and happiness as he got a whiff of what I was cooking.

"Hey, Bells," he said as he pulled off his gun belt. "Smells good. Is it stroganoff?"

I nodded as I turned off the burner, and began dishing it out. He enjoyed it immensely, going back for seconds and thirds before he was full. That was when I began to talk.

"Ch-Dad," I said, gaining his attention. "I got an e-mail from mom today, saying that their moving, and I was wondering if, on Sunday, I could go down to Phoenix to pack up the rest of my stuff and bring it back here. I mean, next week is spring break, so I wouldn't be missing any school, and this way mom won't have to do all of the packing alone, as I could begin it, and…" I trailed off as I waited for his answer.

"I don't know, Bella. I mean, how are you planning getting down there, for one, and do you plan on bringing anything back with you? And is your mother going to meet you there, because I don't feel comfortable in it just being you alone there, and, while I could probably get some time" he said. I sighed, and thought for a moment.

"How about you think about it, and give me an answer Sunday; I can put off going down there until Monday if you let me go. I could probably also get someone to go with me by then, as well, if only ease your mind. I'm sure Alice would come with me…" The last part was said underneath my breath, and I could tell he didn't hear it.

It didn't matter if he said no, though, for I was still going to go down there, with or without his permission. There were a few things that I didn't want my mother running into in my room back at her house, things that wouldn't be good for her to see.

After putting away what was left of the dinner, and washing the dishes, I headed back up to my room, settling in for a very boring night. I was glad that I at least had something to read while waiting for the morning to come.


Alright, there you go. I hope you found the way the Quileutes taste to Bella - I made Billy also taste wrong to Bella because of the fact that the only reason why he's not a wolf is because of the fact that there was no vampires near him around the time they usually seem to change. Also, I know that it might seem like I made Bella seem mean during the Jacob interaction, but she has her reasons, the main being that his emotions are litterally making her feel sick. I'm sure you can figure out why. Also, I hope you do realize the reasons for Jacob telling Bella the legends; it's the reason why she discovers more about them in the third book. Of course, she wasn't listening to them all, just what little bit she needed in order to figure out why his emotions taste wrong.

Also, I hope that I didn't make Bella seem too mean about the part with the 'it'll be the Quileutes faults if anyone dies because they didn't get proper care'. As mean as it was to say, it's the truth. Their putting their prejudice above the safety of their people because they're being narrow-minded, and are unwilling to see that Carlisle isn't like the vampires from their legends. Sorry for those who are Jacob, wolves, and/or Quileute fans, but it is the truth.

Also, about the e-mail she gets from her mother, and her plans to go to Phoenix during spring break, well, in the book, Renee automatically believes that Bella will want to move back in with her when she mentions that their moving to Jacksonville, which is where that part come from, and the going to Phoenix part, well, one, I hated how that part was done in the book, and two, it gives Bella a better reason to go to Phoenix without making Charlie hate Edward. Of course, as you can see, Charlie isn't completely for allowing that plan.

Anyways, the next chapter will be the meadow, the dance, and there is a good possibility that it will also compose of Bella's first visit to the Cullen house. It depends on how long the meadow scene goes on for, as well as the dance.

Please Review, I want to know what you think.

Hearts In Strangeness