Disclaimer: Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

Title: Shades of Gray

Rating: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

Premise: Alternate Universe. Bella Swan begins to discover the dark mysterious underworld that lies beneath the veneer of the modern world when she's sent to live in Forks. Is love enough to save her from the dark evil that threatens her? Is Edward part of the evil? OCC ExB Lemons

Alternate Universe: Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

POV: BPOV (Bella), Bella starts the story. Edward and Alice may have a say later on.

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Author Notes:

Please note that this story is rated M for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Sorry this has been so long in coming. I started playing WoW again when the new expansion came out, and I haven't been putting as much time into my writing. I'm still working on all of my stories, and I have quite a bit of the next chapter of this story written. Actually it was all together as one extremely long chapter, but there were still things I needed to write and I knew I'd be breaking it up into smaller chapters. This seemed like a good break point, so I got this part ready to post.

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Chapter 12 Bowling

I must have dozed off on the trip back to Forks. I was surprised that we were home before my curfew. We actually made the trip home in less time than it took to drive down. I suspected that Alice must have just pushed the gas pedal down to the floor once I drifted off, but I was asleep so I wasn't sure.

I think Charlie was a little scared at how much we had to carry in from the car. He helped us unload and carry everything in. At least he seemed resigned to allowing Alice into the house now. It took the three of us a couple of trips up the stairs to haul it all up to my room. I had more clothes from this one shopping trip than I'd brought with me when I moved in.

Alice stayed to help me put it all in my closet and dresser. I was making a stack of the receipts on my desk as she bustled around the room putting things away where they belonged. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that she already knew where everything went. She didn't stay for long after we were done, and I sat down to total up the damage and see how much I owed Charlie and Alice.

That was when I figured out that a lot of the receipts were missing. I had let Alice charge a lot of the purchases, with the intention of paying her back later. She seemed to like it that way because I complained less about what she was buying me when I didn't see the total at the register. I got suspicious when there was no receipt for Victoria's Secret in the stack. There had been several bags of lingerie and underwear related things that were in my drawers now that I hadn't paid for. The other receipts didn't seem to add up either. Suddenly the amounts didn't seem too terribly unreasonable for a day long shopping trip, but there were simply more things in my room now than the receipts would account for. According to what I could tell, I didn't owe Alice anything, and Charlie probably wouldn't expect more than a couple of hundred dollars. I'd have to discuss this with Alice at school.

Alice never did give me the other receipts. I asked her for them, but she just smiled and told me no. I'd have to be more careful in the future. Charlie just accepted that I needed all of it, and didn't make me pay him back either. He seemed to feel that he owed it to me for missing the last seventeen years of buying me things. I didn't agree, but I couldn't really argue with him about it. I didn't know the details of my parent's custody arrangements, because it had never been an issue. There had never been fights over child support payments, so I assumed they were on time if there even were any. Renee had never complained about the arrangements so it was a non-issue. I simply accepted it and moved on.

Monday was the start of my first full week at Forks high school. It would be nice to say that the next couple of weeks flew by, but I'd be lying. School dragged for me. It wasn't at all difficult, but that simply added to my boredom. It seemed like I'd already studied most of the course material already. I really wished I could simply test out of the classes and move on, but that wasn't really an option if I was seriously considering college. A GED simply didn't carry the same weight a diploma did, so I was stuck sitting through boring classes I could have as easily taught.

Gym was less of an ordeal now that I knew how to handle the situation. There was no way I wanted to stand out from the crowd and suddenly become the star player on some team, but I took my time to work up to average. I wasn't afraid of the ball anymore, and I knew it couldn't hit me unless I let it. It was more fun to direct the game to turn out how I wanted it too. I think Haley and Michaela suspected what I was doing, but they just played along and we all laughed together about how lucky we were. After Monday, we were usually on the same team together.

I went to my counseling sessions with Mr. Reese on Wednesday afternoons, but nothing untoward had happened. We discussed how I was assimilating into school, and he seemed impressed with my grades. I still got the creeps being alone with him in his classroom. I felt like he was undressing me with his eyes and didn't like being alone with him. It was a totally different feeling than being with him in class with other students around. I was glad when we were done and I hurried out to meet up with the girls to leave on those days.

At least once the school day was over I was constantly busy and had little time to dwell on my endless days at school. My schedule for Newton's outfitters was pretty standard after that first short week when I started, and a pattern developed. I was scheduled to work Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday now with Tuesday taking the place of that previous Wednesday work day because of the holiday. I saw no reason for the schedule to change unless I needed a day off for some other commitment, but I could swap shifts with somebody else if the need ever arose.

When I wasn't at work, I spent my days after school with Sara. She helped me start my book of shadows, and we delved more into the theory and lore of practical magick. As she put it, I knew how to do some things, now I needed to learn why they worked, and what there was to learn. She said having a strong grounding in the fundamentals would pay off in the long run because it would help me to improvise and figure things out on my own.

We discussed my shielding talent at length. I wanted to know what I could do. The shield that James had used at the mall to defend against our attacks intrigued me, and I wanted to learn how to do it too. Sara cautioned me not to try and push too hard too fast, but I wanted to be able to be able to defend myself the next time we met. Besides, there were other dangers out there, and I knew I'd be a target for them.

Everyone in Forks that I'd met that could use magick had known I was special just by looking at me. Angela told me I stood out like a beacon. I either needed to figure out how to tone that down, or be ready to defend myself when the not so nice people noticed me. I knew the fundamentals and academic knowledge were important, but I still made sure we spent time with our combat practice as well. I'd made a pathetic showing that Sunday at the mall, and I knew I had to do better.

I was worried about Sara too after the way our night had ended on that day we went shopping. To say she was burning the candle at both ends was an understatement. I knew she was in Aberdeen or Seattle whenever she wasn't at school or with me. I didn't know where she found the energy to keep going, and I knew it couldn't be healthy for her. On the nights we trained together, she'd have me home by my curfew, but I could read her anxiety and desire to leave so she could run off to try and cultivate her new crowd of 'kindred' friends.

I hadn't actually come out and confronted her about what Alice had told me, but I could read the signs now as we studied. I could only guess at her motivation, but Sara seemed to truly idolize and embrace the supernatural world that we seemed to be skirting the edge of. She wanted to be part of it, and she seemed to consider being turned as part of the process. A kind of initiation that would truly make her a part of the world she wanted to belong to.

She'd been doing this a lot longer than I had, and I didn't really know what to think. Apparently there advantages to being a vampire, there were the obvious disadvantages to consider as well. I didn't know how I'd feel about this subject if I'd been studying for ten years instead of a couple of weeks. It would take an awful lot to make me want something like that. I was happy being human, but who was I to try and tell Sara what to do with her life?

Charlie tried to question me about the incident at the mall in Aberdeen. The story had made the papers, but the media didn't have all the details. I knew he was trying to be subtle as he asked his questions to see if I'd noticed anything when I was shopping with Alice and Sara. He seemed satisfied with my story about seeing the emergency vehicles in the parking lot while we were leaving, but I lied and told him I didn't know why they were there.

I took a chance and made another trip into the basement the morning after we talked. The mall incident had made it onto his wall of weird, and he had a lot more details than I had read in the newspaper. He had a copy of the official police report, but it made no mention of three girls running through the mall, although there was a detailed lab report on the vomit in the waste basket. There was conjecture that there might be more victims because it didn't match any of the known victims and was relatively fresh. There was an artist's rendition of James, and even some blurry surveillance camera stills that looked like him, but there was no mention of Victoria.

I wanted to find a way to get more information to Charlie, but if I passed it along through Alice, he'd worry that we'd been so close to what had happened. I was worried about Charlie, too. He was only human, and James was dangerous. I didn't know how he planned to hunt something like James, but I was scared that they might ever actually meet. James was too powerful and supernatural for Charlie to handle. I tried to push my fears to the back of my mind and take one day at a time and concentrate on the present. I didn't really have a lot of free time to sit worrying.

Between school, work, and my training with Sara I didn't really have time for a social life either, but I suppose that didn't really matter because there wasn't anybody to worry about on the dating front. Mike seemed to take the just friends theme to heart, and really was just my friend. I started to suspect that maybe Alice had been a little over zealous in what she made him forget, until I found myself accepting Mike's apology for being too forward when we were at his house that Saturday night. After that we were just friends, and Mike started going out with Jessica again.

I probably wouldn't have even noticed the situation with Mike if Jessica didn't seem so smug about the whole situation. She didn't try to hide the fact that she felt she had 'won him back', and seemed to take some satisfaction in the fact that she had 'beaten me out' for his affections. As far as I was concerned, she could have him if she wanted him, but her attitude irked me. I almost considered trying something with Mike to put her in her place until Alice asked me if that was really what I wanted to do. It wasn't so I just swallowed my pride and ignored the situation.

I was convinced that Alice had done more than just make Mike forget, and had adjusted the relationship to something more to her liking, but I wasn't going to complain. I knew what Alice wanted, but that wasn't going anywhere either. Edward didn't return to school that first week and I sat alone in biology class everyday wondering what I'd say to him if he was there. We had both done and said things we regretted. I couldn't completely excuse Edward's actions, but I felt guilty for driving him from his home and family. I only felt worse the second week when his seat remained empty. I could feel the eyes of his family on me when I sat with my friends at lunch, but I never actually caught them looking when I look at his empty seat at their lunch table.

I had to admit, I had extremely little exposure to the whole supernatural thing when Edward and I were thrown together that day in Biology class. I could imagine an entirely different scenario unfolding if I hadn't already known what he was and something of what he was capable of doing. At the time, I was using my previous experience with James as my basis for expectations. I had had time to form a broader opinion of what to expect after spending so much time with Alice and learning more about her world. I had judged Edward too harshly, but that didn't excuse him trying to compel my actions to suit his desires.

I knew he couldn't compel me unless I let him now so it put us a slightly more even footing. Sara seemed to feel that Edward would be attracted to me, and Alice seemed to think that there would be something between us. Alice said that Edward hadn't been looking for love or a relationship for years now, and I had no intention of going out with him simply for snack time with Bella. Bella being the snack, but she had implied that there was more going on. I was willing to give him a second chance and see what happened now that I understood more of what he was capable of and had an idea what to expect. So far, I didn't exactly have a stellar track record with guys in the relationship department. If he was willing to take his chances, then I was willing to talk to him. At least he was slightly more durable than Mike.

Edward was incredibly handsome, but there should be more to a relationship than just good looks and animal attraction. I'd only seen him three times, and talked to him once, but Alice's campaign of innuendo and veiled comments was getting me curious. I wondered why she was trying to push us together so hard, but I knew she'd never tell me until I figured it out on my own. Of course I needed him to be here to find out if there was anything to this. It wouldn't do me any good to get my hopes up only to be disappointed, but I found myself staring at the Cullen's table at lunch everyday wondering if this was the day he'd return to school.

I hung out with Angela and the girls after work on the next couple of Saturday nights. Sara said she had a date on those nights, and maybe she did, but she wouldn't say with whom and I knew she was running down to Aberdeen to visit her new friends. I doubted I'd see much of her on the weekends for a while.

We drove out to the races and I cheered for Mike and Ben that first week. Jessica was hanging all over Mike, so I didn't even go say hi to him. Alice found a minute to come chat with me, but I still felt intimidated by her family. She won easily but we had to leave before I could go talk to her again. Edward still wasn't there with them and I wondered if he'd ever come back to Forks.

I went to the movies in Port Angeles with Haley and Michaela the next Saturday night, and we had fun on a nice normal girl's night out. Angela had a date with Ben, and Sara took off for Aberdeen on Friday night after she dropped me at home.

Angela invited had me to come over to her house and hang out on Sunday morning. She was going to be working on a project with Haley, Michaela and Ben downstairs and wanted to know if I felt like coming over to watch and learn. I didn't have anything else planned for the day, and even if Sara was home from Aberdeen, she needed to sleep sometime. I told Angela I'd be there Sunday morning.

I slept in a little later the next morning since it was Sunday and I'd told Angela I'd be over around ten. I got up and ran through my morning routine and showered, brushed my teeth, and got dressed for the day. It was around nine thirty when I finally went downstairs to grab a cup of coffee.

I was pleased to see Charlie had fallen back into his familiar routine. He'd been gone yesterday morning when I got up for work, and he was gone again today. I assumed he was out standing by a river somewhere with a fishing pole in his hand. I had a bowl of cereal and drank my coffee. Then I got the kitchen cleaned up before leaving for Angela's house.

I grabbed my new long coat out of the closet and bundled up to walk down the block to Angela's. It was in the mid-thirties out this morning, but it was supposed to warm up into the forties this afternoon. It still hadn't snowed yet this season, and I thanked god for small favors as I rubbed my hands together to get the circulation going. At least the drizzle and rain slick streets hadn't frozen over during the night. I lit my cigarette and stuffed my other hand into my pocket as I braved the elements to walk down the block.

I tossed my cigarette butt in the gutter before I walked through the gate and up onto the porch in front of the door. Angela greeted me at the door before I could knock. She let me in and took my coat, and then I followed her into the family room. Ben was already there, but Haley and Michaela hadn't shown up yet. I sat down on the couch and made myself comfortable. Angela sat down next to Ben while we waited for the other girls.

"So what's this project you have planned today?" I asked.

Angela just shrugged. "Something we do from time to time to help me in my research. We want to try scrying for that other group I told you were in this area."

"Scrying? What's that?" I asked, feeling a little uncomfortable. I had a pretty good idea that the 'other group' Angela was searching for were the Cullens.

Ben laughed. "I forget how new all of this is to you, Bella. It's a form of divination magick."

"Divination?" I asked apprehensively as my sense of discomfort with this line of discussion increased. That was what Alice did to know about things before they happened.

"Yes, it's the school of magick used to try and foretell the future or try and glean information through occult sources." Angela said. "We haven't had much luck with it in the past. We're hopeful that now that you're here we might have more success."

"What kind of information? Why would it work better with me here? I thought I blocked magick out? I'm not talented at divination. I'm a shield."

Angela seemed impressed with my knowledge, but I was worried I'd let something slip I wasn't supposed to say. I knew about the Cullen's, but the rest of Angela's group didn't except for Sara. We both had our own reasons for not saying anything.

Haley and Michaela had both dated some of the Cullen's in the past. I didn't know how they'd react to the knowledge that they were really vampires. I was sure if they knew about their compulsion ability; they'd put two and two together and figure out what was going on. I was upset just because Edward had tried to ask me out, and I knew what he was and what he was doing. They had actually gone out with one or more of the Cullens, and they'd have to assume that compulsion had played a part at some point. Alice said they didn't force people to do things, but would Haley and Michaela believe that? Would any of the girls they'd dated if they knew the truth?

"I guess Sara hasn't been slacking on the training. Yes, you act as a natural shield because your aura disrupts magick around you, but if you're part of the ritual, your energy will be directed into the magick and boost its effectiveness. We should be able to figure something out and get some answers with you helping."

"Ok, but isn't the use of divination magick supposed to be bad or something?"

"Divination has been considered evil by many religions and governments. It's the reason there are laws against witchcraft in many countries. The Catholic Church passed canon law against the use of it claiming anybody that used it to gain knowledge was in league with the devil. We aren't so you don't have to worry about that. We're simply seeking knowledge. How you use that knowledge determines if you're good or evil, not the knowledge itself."

There was a knock at the door, and Angela went to go let Haley and Michaela in. She took their coats and we chatted for a minute, and then she led us down to the room under the kitchen so we could get started. The room looked almost the same today, but there was a small round table set up in the center of the circle painted on the floor.

The center of the table was dominated by a large crystal sphere supported on an ornate golden colored metal stand. There were other items and paraphernalia laid out on the table as well. There was a folded map and what appeared to be some smaller crystals attached to a chain like you'd wear as a pendant or necklace.

Angela led us into the circle and began the ritual by casting the circle. We proceeded as we had before. They called the quarters next to finish up the preliminary preparation. Then Angela had us all gather around the table in the center of the circle.

"I think we're ready to start now," Angela said. "I'd like you all to join hands and just focus on the crystal sphere. Try to let your minds go blank and concentrate on directing your energy into the crystal. I'll direct the energy and attempt to scry for information about the other group I've been searching for."

"When you say focus on the crystal sphere, do you mean just stare at it?" Maybe it sounded stupid, but this was all new to me, and I wanted to do it right.

"Look at the crystal, but try and look past the surface like when you use your sight. Try and focus on the center of the crystal sphere."

I nodded and took Angela's and Michaela's hands as I gazed into the crystal sphere. The others seemed to relax and let their energy flow, but this whole process had me on edge. I knew things Angela didn't know, and I wasn't ready to share them, but this was her way of trying to find out about these things. Alice was my friend, and I didn't want to reveal her family's secret with out her permission. I knew it was what Angela was trying to learn; what she needed to know even if she didn't know that it had to do with Alice or even the Cullens in particular. That knowledge kept me from letting go and completely focusing on the ritual. I poured my energy into the sphere like the others but I didn't let go and let Angela direct the energy.

I gazed into the crystal like the others, but I was aware of what was going on around me. Angela was completely focused on the crystal sphere, and her eyes seemed to glaze over as gazed into the crystal. I started to become aware of energy flowing in through the circle gathering around the crystal. It was amorphous and tenuous, constantly changing shape and form, but it seemed to focus as it flowed into the crystal sphere. Angela was reaching out to it, willing it to come to her. It seemed to be the purpose of the ritual, and this focused energy beginning to flow out the crystal sphere was the goal we were seeking.

I could feel that this energy held the answers Angela was seeking. I concentrated on it, and it started to spread and flow more towards me instead of Angela. I took control of the flow and I felt it connect with my aura. Time became meaningless as I drifted away and let the energy flow into me and through me.

The room became fuzzy but new images started to fill my head. It was almost like being in a dream state or recalling memories, but I knew they were things that had never happened to me. They didn't seem to be complete scenes, but random images that flashed through my mind briefly and left me wondering what they meant.

I was at school talking to Edward. He seemed angry and then he stormed off and walked away…

I was at school talking to Edward. It was the same scene repeated, but different. This time he was smiling. He held my hand and we walked away together...

I was driving a red car I'd never seen before, but I knew it was mine...

I was at the bowling alley talking to Edward as Jasper bowled a strike, again. Alice cheered and then it was my turn…

I was standing in front of a small red house on the edge of the forest. There was a man with long black hair in a wheelchair on the porch, and I could smell the ocean in the distance…

I was standing in an alley with my back pressed to the wall as a staccato burst of automatic weapon fire spanged and ricocheted of the bricks over my head…

I was looking into the mirror, but a different Bella looked back at me. She was too pretty and her eyes were a dark orange shade of topaz…

I was in Aberdeen outside Julian's arguing with Sara…

Edward was standing in the center of a circle performing a ritual and a dark shape coalesced out of the air before him…

I was in a club with Sara and we were laughing as Edward came back to the table with our drinks…

Alice's family was sitting around a large white living room and we seemed to be having a serious conversation, but everyone seemed happy…

I was embroiled in a deeply passionate kiss. I was naked in Edward's bed and I pulled away to stretch languorously as he reached for me again…

I was in the forest running. I was in a panic as something chased me…

Blood, there was so much blood, but it didn't make me sick – I was drawn to it with an almost irresistible craving…

The images kept flashing through my head faster and faster and I felt like I was spinning out of control as I whirled through an endless stream of possibilities.

Suddenly the images sharpened and my reality shifted. I knew intellectually that it was only a vision but it seemed so vivid, so real… like I was there while it happened.

I was in a ruined building lying naked on my back. There was excruciating pain in my hands, and I knew they were spiked to the platform above my head. I was bound to the hard surface and it felt rough under my back but was covered with a silk cloth. I struggled but I couldn't move. I could feel the coruscating flow of dark energy swirling around me and I knew this was part of some kind of ritual. I heard laughter, and I knew instantly that it was James. He dropped his robe as he moved into my field of view and stood naked at the foot of the altar staring at me with a lascivious smirk. I looked past him, and there was a huge dark malevolent man-like shape with glowing red eyes that seemed to be composed of smoke and darkness behind him.

"It's time, Isabel," James said with a lewd smirk as he started to climb onto the altar with me. I screamed when I felt his hands on me pushing my knees apart and he moved between them over my body. I could feel his weight settle on me pressing my body down onto the rough surface of the altar. His hands gripped my breasts and his tongue was pushing into my mouth as I felt the head of his cock at my opening starting to push into me.

I was back in Angela's basement and I was still screaming for real as my skin crawled from the feel of James' touch on my skin, but the sense of dread and panic started to fade when the vision abruptly ended. My jaw snapped shut with a click as I cut it off but everyone was staring at me.

"Bella, are you all right?" Angela asked with real concern in her voice as she gathered me into her arms and held me.

"What… Did you… What happened, Angela? Did you see that too? It was so real… It was like I was there and it was happening…"

"No, I was getting flashes, but nothing concrete. I saw Edward and Alice Cullen. They seemed to be in a lot of the images, but it was like something was blocking me from making a solid connection. What did you see?"

"Most of it didn't make sense…" I lied. "I saw James again. I was on a table or altar and he was performing some kind of dark ritual. There was a smoky dark shape with glowing red eyes in the background and I could feel the darkness rolling off of it…"

"This isn't good at all. What were you doing on the altar? What was your part in the ritual?"

I looked down and I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks as I turned red. I couldn't meet Angela's eyes, and I knew everyone was looking at me waiting for my response.

"I think… James was about to rape me when I screamed and broke out of the vision… I could see and feel everything, but I couldn't move or stop him…" Haley and Michaela gasped, and Ben made an angry sound almost like a growl. I felt Angela nod, but she held me tighter and rubbed my back.

"You were the sacrifice. That sounds like a dark ritual to open a portal to one of the outer planes. I think James wants to bring something through into our world."

"The sacrifice…? He was going to kill me?" I hugged her for a minute, and then she let me go when I stepped back.

"Not exactly… Your body wouldn't die, but you wouldn't be Bella anymore, and releasing enough of your energy to open a portal like that would bring you close to death. The entity that came through would use your body as a host to exist in our plane of reality. You'd probably pray for death if you were still sane enough to understand what was happening to you. Chances are you'd still be in there somewhere, but the dark entity would be in control of your body, your power and your abilities."

"Ok… So we're talking a fate worse than death…"

"Yeah, pretty much. I would be an eternity of hell on earth as you were witness to the depravity it wrought in our world. The only way to stop it would kill both of you."

"But this hasn't happened yet… How do we stop it from happening? Can we stop it? Is this my fate?"

"No, Bella. There is no fate. This is a path that you're on, but the future isn't set in stone. We determine our own destinies."

"Alright. How do I get off this path and control my destiny? I didn't ask for James to be part of my life. I'll admit the last time was partly my own fault, but how do I get him out of my life now?"

"Umm… You control your destiny and make good decisions, although this James appears to have his own agenda, and you seem to be a part of it. I hate to say this, but he probably wants you because of how powerful you are. It'll take a lot of energy to open a gate like that and bring this entity through. He needs you to make it work. It probably wouldn't work with anyone else."

"So he isn't going to stop or leave me alone." Angela knew we'd seen James at the mall in Aberdeen. We hadn't told her we fought him.

"I think the only way this will end well for you is to take James out of the equation. I think… It's the only way you'll ever have any peace…" Angela seemed apprehensive, and I knew she was uncomfortable with this topic.

"…take him out of the equation… You mean kill him."

"I don't condone the taking of any life, Bella, but I know James is evil. I can research our options, but maybe this is a conversation you need to be having with Sara."

"Ok, thanks Ang."

"Now about the other visions… Why were the Cullens in so many of them? I saw a flash of what looked like a ritual."

"Yeah… About that…" I stuttered. Angela suspected something now, but how much should I tell her?

"Do you know something, Bella?" Angela asked.

"Uhh… Yeah, I know about some things…"

"What things?" Haley asked, curious now to know what I'd been holding back.

"I promised Alice I wouldn't say anything…"

"Alice Cullen? You've been hanging out with her a lot." Michaela said.

"Yeah, Alice is cool. Look you guys, I'll tell you what I know, but you can't say anything. Ok?"

"Alright, Bella, you know we don't spread rumors or talk out of turn. If you say this stays between us, you know we'll honor that."

"Ok… Well, the first couple of days I was here, I figured out Alice was using a glamour to alter her appearance. It was nothing big, and I didn't even know what was going on until Angela explained about glamours."

"So… They know about magick?" Ben asked. The girls seemed shocked.

"Umm… Yeah? You know after we set my lights and I learned to use the sight I can see auras now. Edward and his father are at least as powerful as Angela and Sara. I only talked to Edward that one time in class, and I haven't met Alice's father yet, but he has a brilliant bright green aura."

"I knew they were all too good looking for it to be real." Michaela said, perturbed. "So it's all just glamours?"

"Umm… Edward doesn't use any glamours to change his looks. He really is that gorgeous…"

"Is that why Edward is in so much of your future?" Haley asked with a smirk.

"Did you see all of that too?" I asked shocked.

"No, I didn't see anything. You just seem to get this dreamy look when you say Edward's name, and you're the one who said he was gorgeous. So you dumped Mike for a Cullen?"

"Hey, I didn't dump anyone! Mike and I are just friends. Besides, Edward's been gone for two weeks. I only even talked to him one time."

"Uh huh. Maybe he'll be back tomorrow. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens if he comes back to school." I knew I was bright red, but Haley just smirked at the silly grin on my face.

"Let's try and stick to one topic at a time," Angela said. "So the Cullens can use magick, and some of them are powerful too." Angela said. "That explains a lot. Maybe I should talk to them about this…"

"No! I mean… How would you explain how you know? I promised Alice I wouldn't say anything. They know about all of you… Alice asked me if I was part of your coven, but wouldn't they have talked to you by now if they wanted you to know?"

"How do they know about us?" Angela asked. I wasn't really sure, but I had a good idea. Either Sara had told Edward, or Alice had seen them. I was betting on Alice.

"Alice has a talent for divination. She sees visions of things before they happen kind of like how Sara is talented at psychometry. She didn't actually come out and tell me, but I'll bet she had a vision about you guys."

"Ok. I won't try to contact them for now. If they've known about us and didn't approach us, then they must have their reasons. I'll monitor this situation, and keep an eye on them, but this doesn't really change anything. Most groups of awakened that can use magick are relatively secretive these days for their own good. It's a matter of survival in this day and age."

"Thanks, Ang, for understanding. I like Alice, and I don't want her to be mad at me. She'll probably see this anyhow. I'll talk to her about it."

"I doubt it. The circle should effectively shield us from most divination magick. I don't know how powerful her ability is, but I doubt she'll see this unless her ability is incredibly powerful."

"Ok, well I'll still try to bring this up somehow."

"Thank you, Bella. That's probably the best way to handle this. If they want to talk, I'd be more than willing to meet with them, but this still leaves the other matter I was hoping to find out about. I guess we'll have to try again another day."

It didn't feel like we'd been working for very long. There weren't any clocks in the room and none of us wore a watch, but suddenly I got a sense how long we'd really been down here. My muscles were stiff from standing still for so long, and I was hungry. I realized it must have been hours since we started. The conversation ended so Angela could conclude the ritual. They went through the process of releasing the quarters, and then Angela dismantled the circle.

We went back up to the kitchen, and I was surprised to see it was already late afternoon. We hung out for a while in Angela's family room, but I said my goodbyes and then left to go home to fix dinner. I didn't really have any plans for the night besides cooking dinner for Charlie. Maybe I'd call Sara after I got Charlie fed to see if she wanted to do something. Assuming she was awake or even in town.

I was going to have to have Sara show me how to create a portal. My one and only experience stood out in my mind as something to avoid at all costs, but it sure seemed like a convenient way to travel. I knew it was how Sara was getting back and forth between Aberdeen, Seattle and Forks without having to spend hours on the road driving back and forth. Sara said it wasn't nearly such a bad experience when you controlled the portal yourself. Apparently it was a lot worse on the passengers, if there were any. She said it also depended on your ability to shield yourself from the negative effects, so I had high hopes that it would be something I was good at once I learned how to do it myself.

Charlie's cruiser was still gone when I got home so I unlocked the door and let myself in. I was thinking about the day's events and my questions for Sara as I ran upstairs to put away my things and wash up before I started dinner. I pushed open my door to hang my purse on the back of the chair at my desk and change my shoes before I went down the hall to the bathroom.

"You just had to say something, didn't you?"

I skidded to a stop and literally squeaked in surprise. My head snapped around, and I stared at the pixie lying on her stomach on my bed with her head propped up on her elbows.

"Jeez, Alice! Give me a heart attack why don't you! You could have waited downstairs for me. How did you get in, anyhow? The door was locked…"

"You know, hiding the key to the front door on the porch eve isn't exactly high tech security, and you did invite me in. That doesn't go away."

"I'm curious, can I take it back?"

Alice sighed. "Yes, you can rescind the invitation, but only the person who made it can take it back. You can tell me to leave, but I can come and go until you do. Charlie can't take back your invitation, so he can't kick me out unless you want me to leave. Are you throwing me out?" Alice asked with a pout.

"No, I was just curious…"

"Good. Did you know your house is warded? I burned myself when I tried to open your window. I actually had to use the front door to get in."

"Yeah, I know about the wards, but I don't know who set them…"

"Huh… My guess is one of your dad's buddies down at the rez. He sure seems to spend a lot of time out there with them."

"So it wasn't anyone in your family then? I wondered…"

"No, he doesn't trust us that much. The house is warded to keep vampires out and possibly something else in?"

"You mean something like teenaged werewolves?"

"God, nobody has any secrets around here anymore since you came to town! So now Angela and her coven know about us too?"

"Only that you can use magick. I didn't say anything about you being vampires. They think you're just another coven of awakened like her group. She seemed to accept my explanation, but she's going to keep looking. She wanted to meet with your family and talk, but she agreed to wait until you guys made the first move."

"Well, that's something at least. Carlisle will want to know about this. He can decide what we need to do."

"So did you see the rest of what happened today?"

"You mean a bunch of half trained amateurs messing around with looking into the great unknown?"

"I suppose. At least that's true for me, and I'd hardly say I'm even half trained. Did you see the visions?"

"I've probably seen all of the visions you saw today at some point, and in greater detail I might add."

"A lot of what I saw was kind of disturbing…"

"Looking into the future usually is. You're safer just waiting for it to happen. You'll sleep better at night."

"You're probably right, but there was one vision in particular…"

"Your father is going to be home soon. Why don't you go wash up like you were planning, and get dinner started? We can have this discussion after you've had something to eat. I have a feeling this is going to take more than a couple of minutes."

"Alright. Are you staying for dinner?"

"That depends… Are you still having fish?" Alice didn't try to hide the look of distaste, possibly disgust that colored her features.

"I'm open to suggestions if you have a menu preference…"

"Good! I left some fresh venison steaks in the fridge. I'll have mine very rare."

"How rare?"

"Well I'm sure Charlie would suspect something if you served it raw. Just warm it up and brown it on both sides. I not much of a fan of burnt meat, but I'll suffer through. I don't really see why you humans feel you have to cook everything. It ruins the natural taste and textures."

"Ok… Green salad ok with you?"

"Yes, the salad I had the other day was quite pleasant, although I can't see why people try to smother the taste with all that goop and dressings."

I chuckled as I walked out of the room. I changed out of my boots into my slippers and went down to the bathroom and washed up. Alice followed me down to the kitchen and sat at the table as I prepared dinner. We chatted as I worked. I could tell she was very interested in everything I did, but didn't want to get in my way as I fixed dinner.

"Alice, I doubt we're going to sit around the table and discuss what happened today with Charlie home. Do we have plans tonight?"

"I thought maybe we'd get out of here for a while. You know, hang out, have a couple of drinks, maybe go bowling. It's early, and Sara is out of town. It's not like you have any homework to get caught up on for tomorrow."

"Just the two of us?"

"I can invite Jazz if you're lonely. I think he's getting jealous of all the time I've been spending with you."

"Just Jasper? You're not trying to set something up?"

"God! I am so going to smash that damn crystal ball of Angela's! Knowing the future is my shtick. Fine, I won't invite them if you don't want me too."

"No, I don't mind. I just want to have some time to talk to you with just the two of us first. I don't mind if they come. Just don't try and make it seem like we just happened to run into them. And this isn't a date. We can hang out as a group, but I'm not ready for that yet, Alice. It's going to take some time before I trust him." Alice literally squealed, and was practically bouncing in her seat.

"Jeez, Alice! Don't break the furniture! I said we'd hang out… That's all."

"Ok, ok… Finish dinner. Charlie's pulling into the drive in about ten seconds. Act human."

"Umm… I am human."

"Oh, you know what I mean. No hocus pocus. Finish setting the table."

"Fine. Bossy much?" I smiled so Alice would know I was just kidding. I was pretty much done anyhow. It wasn't an elaborate meal. I was more concerned with how Charlie would react to Alice staying for dinner.

The front door opened, and I heard Charlie come in. I could hear him going through his nightly routine of putting his gear away in the front closet. Alice wrinkled her nose, and I assumed that meant he'd been lucky today and was bringing home more fish.

"Hey, Bells. That smells good. Are we having venison tonight? How did you manage that? I didn't think there was any left in the freezer." I could hear his voice get closer as he approached the kitchen, and then he froze in the doorway.

"Hey, Charlie." Alice greeted him from her seat at the table.

"Hi, dad. You don't mind if Alice stays for dinner, do you? She brought us some fresh venison steaks."

"Fresh? How fresh? The last legal deer season ended on December thirty-first. This is the end of January. I don't hold with poaching. There are game management laws for a reason."

"This wasn't taken on public land, and people need to eat. Besides, we didn't use any of the weapons listed in the game regulations. Would you prefer another alternative?" Alice asked.

Charlie shuddered and walked into the kitchen. He dropped his string of fish in the sink and got to work preparing them for the freezer.

"No, I guess this is for the best. Just make sure your family keeps it discrete. People would talk if there was a lot of out of season venison floating around. It would attract attention from fish and game."

"We know how to keep a low profile, Charlie. We've been doing this for a long time. I can keep you supplied if you enjoy it."

"I'm partial to fresh venison if you have extra. Just try to keep it on the down low. There's enough going on with raising red flags at fish and game." Alice nodded, and I assumed our freezer would be stocked with fresh game from now on.

Charlie glanced back at me, and I quickly looked away and busied myself with getting dinner on the table. I could almost hear the wheels going round in his head as he tried to figure out how much I knew and how much Alice had told me. Thankfully he didn't say anything and finished up with his fish to put them in the freezer.

He washed up in the sink, and sat down at the table with us. I served dinner, and made sure I gave Alice the right steak. I'd stuck hers in under the broiler at the last minute to give it the appearance of being cooked but it was still very very rare. I wasn't a big fan of raw meat, and venison tartar didn't seem at all appealing to me. She seemed to enjoy it though, and Charlie appeared to be intrigued by watching her eat food with us.

"You really seem to be enjoying that." Charlie said to Alice with an obvious note of surprise in his voice. I wasn't sure if he could tell just how rare that steak was. "I thought your family was 'vegetarians'?" his voice held a note of accusation, as though watching her eat with us was giving the lie to something he'd been told.

"We call ourselves vegetarians, but it's kind of an inside joke because we have a very strict diet. We restrain ourselves from eating foods that we crave to maintain it. I suppose I'm the oddball at home. I like trying a lot of different things that none of the rest of my family will eat."

"What kinds of things do you like to try?" he asked, and I could feel his eyes flicking over to glance in my direction before he looked pointedly back at Alice. I knew what he was really asking.

"Oh, nothing I'm not allowed to try." Alice said nonchalantly between bites of her steak. I saw her eyes meet Charlie's, and he nodded in understanding. "We had Chinese food on New Years, and I actually got Jasper to try it with me. Bella has been getting me to try a lot of different foods lately."

"Hmm… Well, I guess that's a good thing. So what do you girls have planned for tonight?" Charlie asked.

"Alice asked me if I wanted to go bowling tonight, downtown." I chimed in, joining the conversation.

"Bowling, huh? Is that safe? There'll be other people around. You still have to throw the bowling ball down the alley at the pins don't you?" Charlie asked with a big grin on his face.

He was obviously recalling the last time he'd taken me bowling when we were on vacation in California two years ago. I knew I was blushing bright red as I considered the incident. I'd done a good job of repressing the memory until now. The people around us had cleared out and run for cover as the ball went back behind us in the wrong direction as often as it made it onto the lane in front of me. The attendant had to come and put the tubes in the gutters that they used for little kids so I even had a chance to knock down some of the pins. It had been fun, but it was obvious that I had no talent for the game. I had a feeling I would do better tonight.

"I think I can handle bowling." I said a little indignantly. "I'm not as clumsy as I used to be when I was little. I can control the ball now." I didn't elaborate on how I could control the ball.

"I'm sure that will be a relief to the rest of the people at the bowling alley. Ok, you girls have fun. Remember; tomorrow is a school day. So you'll be home by curfew, right?"

"Have I been later than we agreed or missed my curfew since I've been living here?"

"One night." Charlie said as his expression darkened and he glared at me.

"Yeah, by five minutes, and you knew where I was. You made me late."

"Ok, that one was on me, but you were the one that was where you shouldn't have been. You were lucky it was me."

"Fine. I'll be home on time."

I didn't want to argue with Charlie, and he seemed happier now that I hadn't seen Mike at all for a couple of weeks except for work. Charlie excused himself and got up from the table. He went out and turned on the TV, effectively ending the conversation. Alice helped me clear the table and dried while I washed the dishes.

I went up to my room to change my shirt, and then we left. I hadn't noticed Alice's car earlier when I came home. It was parked a little ways down the street behind the neighbor's pickup truck. I got into the passenger seat and Alice pulled away from the curb.

"So are you trying to tell Charlie that I know about you?" I asked once we were in the car. "I told you I don't want to have that conversation with him yet, Alice. Was that why you decided to bring venison for dinner?"

"Honestly, Bella, it never occurred to me that it was out of season. We eat a lot of venison, year round. We just don't always bring the meat home with us. I'm the only one that eats any of it. Usually we just leave it for the natural scavengers. You know, deer are really kind of boring. They're overpopulated in most of the United States with the decline in natural predators and they destroy a lot of crops. We are natural predators and fill a gap in the ecosystem. You wouldn't object if a mountain lion brought venison over for dinner."

"I wouldn't be inviting a mountain lion over for dinner."

"Same difference. I just have more interesting conversation skills."

"Ok… I still would prefer that Charlie doesn't know that I know about your family for now. That would lead to even more awkward conversations."

"He's going to figure it out eventually, Bella. He is a cop after all. He isn't stupid either."

"Maybe, but I'd prefer to wait for that day, preferably at some date in the distant future."

"Don't hold your breath. I have a feeling it'll be sooner than later. Besides, you were the one that said he'd freak out if you started to date Edward."

"I'm not dating Edward. I haven't even talked to him except for that one day he was at school. I assume he's returned home? I mean it would be hard to hang out with him if he's still in Alaska."

"Yes, he's home. He'll be at school tomorrow. He'll be at the bowling alley tonight with Jasper."

"And we're just going to conveniently show up too. Nice. Why are you trying to throw us together, Alice?"

"You saw those visions today. You too are just so right together. I think you're the one. He's been so sad for so long. You both looked happy. I'm not trying to do anything that you won't enjoy or that you don't want too."

"Alright, but we take this slow. I'm not saying I'm opposed to anything I saw happen with Edward in the visions, but I'm not jumping into anything right away…"

"That's fine. Take as much time as you need. Edward will need time too."

"Ok. You stopped me from asking you earlier. I still want to talk about what I was asking you when I got home today. There was one vision in particular…"

"The ritual with James?"

"No… I was looking into a mirror, but I didn't see myself. A different Bella was looking back at me. She was too pretty and her eyes were a dark orange shade of topaz. What did that mean?"

"You saw that…?" Alice glanced over at me a little apprehensively and then turned back to watch the road. She turned into the parking lot at the bowling alley and parked the car before she replied. "You already know what it means. What do you want me to say?"

"I was a vampire in that vision, Alice. Will it happen? When?"

"The future is subjective, Bella. It's constantly in motion and changes depending on thousands of individual decisions. If you decide you want it, it will happen. That's all I can say."

"Ok. I'm not saying I want it. I don't know what to think. I want to know more about it, I guess."

"Does it scare you? You know we'd never force you into anything, right?"

"No, it doesn't scare me, but it is a major life decision. It's not something you just jump into blindly."

"You'd be surprised. Most of us didn't have a choice, and it just happened."

"How can something that major not be a choice, Alice?"

"I told you about Carlisle's accident. Most of my family was turned like that. They were already dying, and Carlisle made the choice to save them like this instead of letting them die. I was born this way so I had no choice. Jasper was forced. He was recruited as a soldier to fight for his maker. It took him a long time to finally break away and escape to live on his own. He was living as a nomad before we met and I brought him home with me. Those of us that had a choice in the matter of their turning are a rarity among my kind."

"Oh…"

"Choice is a rare gift to be cherished. We will honor your decision, whatever it is, but one word of warning. Edward is a little touchy on the subject. Don't bring it up with him."

"Ok." I wondered why it was a touchy subject with him, but I knew it had driven a wedge between Edward and Sara. I'd leave it alone for now.

"Did you have any other questions before we go inside?"

"Just one. Edward was in a lot of the visions I saw today. I didn't see any other boys."

"That doesn't sound like a question, Bella." Alice said with a big grin on her face. "Apparently Edward will play a big part in your future. Whether you see any other boys is up to the two of you. It doesn't appear that you want to go out with any other boys. Do you?"

"No… I don't know. I haven't really given it much thought… I'm not looking for a relationship, Alice. I'm not getting stuck in Forks. I'm going to college after I graduate. I don't know if I'll even stay in Forks past my birthday…"

"John Lennon said 'Life is what happens to you while you're making plans to do something else'. You know we lived someplace else before we came to Forks too. We'll live someplace else after we leave. Don't over think it and just see what happens. I've been to college before, too, and I'm sure we'll go again. C'mon, let's go inside and embrace the future."

Alice got out of the car and she went around and got something out of the trunk. I sat for a minute thinking about what she'd said while she was busy, and then I opened my door and got out to follow her into the bowling alley. Why did her plans always have to match what I wanted to do anyhow?

"You embrace the future. I'll just bowl," I said and we walked inside.

I followed Alice to the counter and I rented bowling shoes. I expected her to put up more of a fuss until I realized she was carrying a bowling bag and didn't rent shoes of her own. It wasn't very crowded and she got us a lane. We walked down the three steps to the lanes and walked to the one we'd been assigned to at the counter.

I took off my coat and sat down to change into my bowling shoes. Alice opened her bag and of course she had her own designer bowling shoes to wear. She took her ball out of the bag, and polished it with a cloth before setting it on the ball return. I had a feeling this was going to be an interesting night.

"So, do you bowl much?" I asked.

She glanced around before answering, but there wasn't anyone around us, and she seemed to relax.

"Not so much in the last couple of decades. This was a lot more popular back in the forties and fifties. Jasper and I played on leagues back then and the boys got really competitive for a while. It kind of dropped out of vogue in the sixties and seventies. We still go out for fun every now and then, but we haven't joined a league in ages."

"Alice! You bowled on a league? I don't even know how to keep score! All I know is you try to knock down pins with the ball. I'm gonna look like a fool next to you guys."

"Just relax and breath, Bella. You didn't come here to prove how good you are at bowling. We're just hanging out and having fun, remember? Besides, I think you'll be able to keep up. Just take it easy and try not to smash the pins. Oh, and don't let the boys give you any grief about cheating. They all use all their advantages, so there's no reason you should hold back either."

"Fine. Let me see if I can find a ball to use…"

I got up and walked back to the racks of bowling ball across the back of the lanes and started to look for a ball that felt comfortable to my grip. Alice got up to warm up while I was looking. She held the ball confidently in front of her as she looked down the lane at the pins. She glanced down at her feet to see where she was standing, and then she danced forward toward the foul line with supreme grace. Her foot swept around behind her as her arm gracefully swept up into her follow through, and the ball flashed down the alley. It seemed to skim down the edge of the lane, and I was sure it was going to miss, but then it started to curve in toward the pins. It connected perfectly in the gap between the first and second pin and crashed through the formation scattering the pins as it drove into the back of the lane. Her first warm up shot of the night, and she was already throwing strikes.

I found a ball that didn't seem to terribly heavy and felt comfortable enough to my hand. I started back across the bowling alley when I saw Alice perk up and smile as she turned towards the door. I looked in that direction, and Jasper and Edward had just walked in. Jasper looked like he was in a good mood, but Edward seemed somewhat morose and brooding as he followed Jasper to the counter. Jasper was carrying a bag that matched Alice's, but Edward was renting shoes. They turned to head over to Alice about the time I got back to place my ball on the ball return.

Edward looked up as they approached, and seemed to notice my presence for the first time since they walked in. He caught my eye and we looked at each other for a minute as he froze in place. He turned to speak to Jasper for a second, and they seemed to briefly exchange some heated words. Then he turned on his heel and stormed off into the lounge. Jasper turned to watch him walk away, and then turned back to us and shrugged. He continued over to where we were waiting, and pulled Alice into his arms.

"I'm sorry darlin'. I tried, but you know how he is."

"I know. He'll get over it."

"What's wrong with Edward?" I asked. "Is he upset because I'm here? I can leave if you guys want to enjoy your evening out together…"

"No, he isn't upset because you're here." Jasper said. "He doesn't want to offend you again. We talked him into coming home, but now he feels that he needs to avoid you to prevent himself from making another mistake like the last one."

"He's just going to sit in there alone and avoid us all night?"

"That's his plan." Alice said.

"And what's he going to do at school? Pretend I don't exist and just sit there in silence and brood?"

"Are you sure you haven't met Edward before?" Jasper asked. "You seem to understand him pretty well for having just met. That's exactly what he'll do."

"Huh. We'll see about that." I got up and walked across the bowling alley toward the lounge.

I glanced back, and Alice had a huge grin on her face. Jasper just smiled at me encouragingly. I didn't really know what I was going to say, but I wasn't going to let this go on. It was bad enough that I had driven Edward away from his family. I wasn't going to let him sit and brood and play the martyr on my account. I walked back into the lounge and Edward was sitting at the same booth Alice and I had shared the last time we were here.

I slid into the booth on the seat opposite him, and at first he looked startled that I had come to find him, but then a look of resignation stole across his features. I could tell he was expecting a repeat of our previous encounter, and he was steeling himself for my rebuke of his behavior. Perhaps he thought I was angry with him for entering my presence after he had promised to stay away.

"I'm not mad at you, Edward," I said and his expression dissolved into surprise. "I just wanted to apologize to you. I didn't mean to drive you from your home and family. You didn't have to leave on my account."

"You have nothing to apologize for Bella, and you had every right to be incensed and furious over my actions. I am the one that should be begging for your forgiveness…"

"But you thought it would be better to just avoid the issue and pretend I didn't exist."

"I am the one that should not exist…"

"Look, Edward, we both said and did things in the heat of the moment that we both regret. I understand what happened better now, and I'm in a better place. Why don't we just put that day behind us and start over, ok?"

"You would be willing to overlook what I did? You can forgive me that most heinous transgression?"

"I can forgive, but I don't forget easily. As long as it doesn't happen again, I'd like to move past this. Alice is my friend, and I get along rather well with Jasper. I'd like to get to know you better if you'll allow that."

"I'd like to know you better as well. Thank you for offering me a second chance… Does this mean you'd be willing to go out with me now?"

"Let's take this one step at a time and work up to that. Ok? I'll let you buy me a drink if you'd like, but I'm going to go out and give this bowling thing a try. Alice seems to think I'll have fun. Why don't you join us, and we can all hang out for a while?"

"Alright. Let's bowl. I'll get you that drink, and meet you back with the others?"

"Sounds like a plan, Edward."

"What are you drinking?"

"I'd take a beer, but I doubt that would go over too well here. Surprise me. I'm willing to experiment."

Edward nodded and I got up and went back out to rejoin Alice and Jasper. Jasper just gave a resigned sigh when I came back alone, but Alice had a knowing smile pasted onto her face. Alice had been busy getting setup, and she had all of our names programmed into the automatic score keeper computer. I wasn't sure if it was her talent or an optimistic attitude that had lead her to include Edward's name as well.

"I talked to him. He's going to join us in a minute." I said.

"Really? That fast and you just talked to him? You must have some powerful magic darlin'. I've been talking to him for years, and I never broke him out of one of these moods that fast."

"Oh it's a powerful magic alright." Alice said. "It's as old as men and women and more powerful than any spell you'll ever cast."

I just shrugged, but I could feel the blush spread across my cheeks as I turned red and smiled.

"Bella, why don't you warm up and try a couple of practice throws while we wait?" Alice said. "Remember, don't smash the pins. This is more about finesse than power."

I nodded and walked over to the ball return and stood by the ball I'd selected for a minute. Alice had said not to hold back, and I knew I could do this with a little help. It couldn't be too much different from gym class, and I could dominate there if I wanted to. I closed my eyes and concentrated for a second as I willed the field into existence around my legs and feet that helped me to move more gracefully without falling down. I reached out for the ball, and it jumped the last half inch into my hand.

I glided onto the hardwood surface of the lane, and my feet barely skimmed the surface as I pretended to walk. I wasn't really sure where to stand to start my approach. There was a row of arrows and dots inlaid into the wooden surface in a darker wood, and now I knew what Alice had looked down at to pick her spot where she stood. I held the ball in front of me, and tried to imitate the graceful approach to the foul line that Alice had used to throw her strike, but I knew it a shoddy parody compared to her graceful dance to the line.

My timing was off, and the ball wouldn't have even made it to the pins without wobbling into the gutter if I didn't take control of the situation. I was used to a much lighter ball that was flying through the air. I'd never tried to control a ball rolling on a surface before. It felt stiff and lethargic, and I think I over compensated. The ball had only moved a couple of feet away from my hand when I started to move it. I accelerated the spin and injected some energy into ball as I tried to guide it.

The ball took off and flashed down the lane much faster than I expected. I only had a second to direct it, and then it collided squarely with the lead pin. There was a crash of splintering wood as the pin exploded into flying shards of wood and the ball smashed through the formation followed by a metallic crash as it slammed through the ball return machinery. I felt the building shake as the ball slammed into the cinder block back wall of the bowling alley. At least it didn't appear to have punched a hole through the wall to keep going into the lot behind the building.

"Oops…" I squeaked, embarrassed as I blushed past my ears and turned back to look at Alice and Jasper.

Alice was shaking her head, and Jasper looked at me in awe. I'd been getting that a lot lately.

"Jasper?" Alice said.

"Right, I'm on it," and he jumped up and strode purposefully toward the door into the back of the lanes. He disappeared through the door, and I had to assume he was going back there trying to cover up the damage I had caused.

"Ok, that was a good start. You've definitely got the power thing down. Now you just need to work on control. Don't worry, it'll go better now that you know what to expect."

"You want me to do that again?" I asked incredulously. "Shouldn't we be running for the door or something?"

"Don't worry so much, Bella. Jasper has it under control. It isn't like we haven't been here before. We did teach Emmett how to bowl, after all. We had to buy a bowling alley for that project. You can't imagine how much machinery and bowling pins he destroyed before he got the hang of it. You won't be anywhere near as difficult."

The pinsetter cycled as she spoke setting up the next frame of pins, and my ball came rolling back up onto the ball return. It didn't look too much the worse for wear, but it had been pretty scarred up before I got a hold of it.

"Go ahead and try it again. A little less power this time, and don't try and hit the first pin dead on. Aim for the pocket between the first pin and the second row. Remember; finesse, not power."

I looked at her, and she was serious. I sighed and picked up the ball to try it again. I didn't pour as much power into the ball this time, and it rolled a little slower giving me more time to direct it. I aimed for the pocket like Alice had suggested, but it hit too far back, and a couple of pins didn't fall down.

"I did it! Did you see that, Alice?" I was so excited I was bouncing up and down like Alice.

"That's excellent, Bella, but calm down before somebody notices."

Alice seemed a little excited as she looked back and forth to see if anyone was watching us, and I took stock of what I was doing. I realized in my excitement I was floating three inches off the ground from where I'd stopped when I was jumping up and down. I quickly slid over to the seats by Alice and made sure my feet were on the ground before I sat down.

"Sorry. I was excited…"

"It's ok. Nobody saw."

"Nobody saw what?" Edward asked as he walked up behind us carrying a tray with drinks.

His previous demeanor had changed, and he was smiling now as he handed me a tall glass. I had to admit I was a little disappointed as I accepted the frosty glass. I had expected something different from him as I took the tall glass that looked like iced tea. I was thirsty after my display on the bowling alley and I took a big drink of the seemingly innocent looking beverage.

"Bella was excited about her new bowling prowess," Alice informed him as he sat down in the seat next to me, and I fought to keep from spraying my drink onto everyone.

I guess I should have known better. There was very little tea in that iced tea and it took a supreme effort of will to keep from sputtering and gagging as I tried to catch my breath. I took a smaller sip, and it was really rather good after I was over my first initial shock. I set the glass down in a cup holder on the scoring table, and reached for my purse to get out a cigarette.

I was trying to decide if it was safe to just light it with my finger tips when Edward reached over with a lighter and offered me a light. I let him light my cigarette for me, and I took a big drag as I sat back to relax and blow out the smoke.

"There isn't much tea in that drink, is there? What is it?" I asked. Alice chucked, and Edward smiled at my naiveté. I wasn't disappointed anymore. He had been kind of creative and had risen to the challenge. I had been expecting another rum and coke but this was different and better.

"There isn't any tea in it actually," he said. "It's called a long island iced tea, but it's actually a mixture of vodka, tequila, rum, gin, triple sec, some sweet and sour mix, and a splash of coke. It does look like an iced tea, and I've been told it tastes a bit like one too. Maybe that's from the lemon wedge."

Ok, that was a potent mix. I knew I'd better make it last, or we'd have silly Bella and irate Charlie to deal with. I took another small sip, and it did go down rather smooth. I hardly noticed the alcohol, and it tasted good. Definitely a keeper, but it would sneak up on you if you weren't careful.

Jasper came back to the seats at the head of the lane with us, and we started a real game. Somehow I ended up teamed up with Edward as we all took our turns. I honestly didn't care about the score and just tried to concentrate on how I was bowling, but it was still a close game. I could feel the competitiveness between Edward and Jasper as they each tried to out do the other.

We laughed and had fun. I was starting to get the hang of this by the second game. I could see what Alice meant about finesse as I focused on keeping my feet on the ground and not driving the ball through the back wall of the bowling alley. My aim was improving, and Edward came out with me and explained about what the marks on the lane meant. He showed me where to stand to aim for different areas of the pin formation, and it helped my game even though I was directing the ball for most of the throw.

I had to admit, I felt a thrill and my heart was racing when Edward placed his hands on my hips and showed me where to stand. I felt an electric buzz shoot down my spine and goose bumps broke out on my skin as he stood behind me and held my wrist to show me a better way to move and release the ball more smoothly. My mind wasn't on bowling at all while I stood so close to him with his hands showing me how to move and his cool sweet breathe on my neck as he spoke softly into my ear.

There was no funny business this time, and he was honestly trying to be helpful. I wasn't sure how much it improved my game, as distracted as I was just being close to him, but it was definitely an enjoyable experience letting him help me. The night seemed to fly by, and all too soon Alice was changing out of her shoes, and telling me I needed to go and turn mine back in. I looked at the clock on the wall, and I wondered where the night had gone.

"Can I drive you home, Bella?" Edward was asking me as I stood at the counter with Alice. I wanted to say yes, but Alice spoke up before I could respond.

"Not tonight, Edward. We have to take this one step at a time. Charlie will be waiting up for her, and he won't react well if you drop her off. He's just starting to accept me."

Damn. Alice was right. Charlie would go ballistic if I showed up at home with Edward tonight. We went outside and walked toward the cars. Edward's silver Volvo was parked next to Alice's yellow Porsche.

"I sure you're correct, Alice. I'm sorry, Bella. I spoke out of turn…"

"No, it's alright, Edward… I would have said yes, but Alice is right. I'll see you in school tomorrow?"

"As long as you want me to be there, then I will be."

"Ok, then I'll see you in Biology tomorrow. Good night, Edward." I stood there wondering if he'd try to kiss me, but it was too soon, and we were just being friends right now. He held the door for me and I got into Alice's car.

I watched as Edward and Jasper got into the Volvo, and then we were driving away. I stared at their car until they were out of sight, and then leaned back against the seat with a heavy sigh. I was disappointed that he was gone, but I was smiling, and I felt good about the night. I actually missed him, and was looking forward to seeing him in school tomorrow.

"So, maybe he's not such an ogre, after all? Hmm…? You had fun, right?"

"Ok… I'll admit it. I had fun tonight."

"And you'll go out with him again?"

"I haven't gone out with him yet. This wasn't a date, Alice. We were just hanging out having fun…"

"But if he asked you, you'd say yes?"

"Maybe…"

"Bella!" Alice whined. "You know you want too!"

"Alright, Alice. He was nice tonight, and I had fun. I think Edward can be a nice guy when he tries, but he certainly doesn't have much going for him in the commitment department, and I'm not looking for a couple of random hookups…"

"Then what the hell was that you were doing with Mike?"

"That was different. You and I both know it wouldn't be like that with Edward. I'm not saying we can't have some fun, but I'm not going to be the next set of notches on his bed post before he moves on to the next girl. He can't make me forget what we do or compel my mind and besides, what am I going to do about Charlie? He knows, Alice. I can't start dating Edward without Charlie going ape shit. What do I do about that?"

"If you like Edward enough, then you sit down and tell your dad you know too."

"Alice, are you nuts? He'd lock me in my room and nail the door shut! He wouldn't let me out again until I'm thirty-five!"

"Could that keep you in if you didn't want it to?"

"No…"

"Then you have to tell him everything…"

"I am so not ready to have that talk with Charlie…"

"So you can talk to your dad about your sex life and have him pick up your birth control pills for you, but you're afraid to tell him you're a witch, and you want to date a vampire?"

I winced just listening to Alice say it like that. I really didn't like that particular description for what I did. I knew there were people out there that did consider themselves to be witches, but I didn't think that term truly applied to me or what I could do.

"Excuse me, but I don't have a sex life yet. Still a virgin over here, and can we use the word mage, Alice? Witch has a lot of religious overtones, and it doesn't really apply to what I do."

"Semantics. So you're a technical virgin. You've done everything but go all the way, and how long can that last? Fooling around is still fooling around. You kiss boys while you're naked and get off, then you're having sex. You're lying to yourself if you think you aren't. And what's wrong with the word witch? You both channel energy to work magick. Besides, I don't mind if you call me a vampire, although in my world that just applies to dangerous nomads that eat people."

"I know, Alice. That word just bothers me…"

"Stick to the subject, Bella. Why don't you want to tell your father? Is he going to throw you out, or think less of you? He seems to be pretty accepting of the supernatural world, all things considered. It's not like he hasn't worked with people that use magick before. Your house does have some pretty hefty wards around it. That doesn't happen without him knowing about it."

"Ok… So how much does Charlie really know about you guys? I mean I know he knows you're vampires. I know he thinks you hunt animals to survive. Does he know you need human blood to survive too? When we talk about you guys, he just keeps telling me that he doesn't approve of your dating habits. Does he know what happens on your dates?"

"Charlie's a big boy, Bella. He knows what happens when two people are alone in the dark…"

"Don't avoid the subject, Alice. Does he know about the biting and what you need to do to survive?"

"The subject hasn't come up. I think he suspects, but we've been helpful, and he's starting to believe we aren't as dangerous as the nomads we've help him hunt down. He knows that there are 'civilized vampires' now that live around people without eating them. Carlisle has explained a little about some of the urges that we try to suppress, and how our sex drive affects us. He knows that everything is voluntary, and we don't force anyone to do anything."

"Great, so if I start dating Edward, Charlie is going to assume I'm having sex with him."

"Well, isn't that kind of the whole point of going out with him in the first place? He assumed that was what you were doing with Mike…"

"And I set him straight too. This is a big step for me Alice… You might be seventy-five in an eighteen year olds body… hell, you're a married woman, but this is all new to me. It scares me to think about having to talk to Charlie about these things. I know he just wants to keep me safe and do what's right for me… I know I'm probably just trying to put off talking to him because I'm a coward at heart when it comes to my dad, but I need some time…"

"You've been pretty brave every other time you had something important to discuss with him. You just need to get it over with. It's like ripping off a band aid. Picking at it a little at a time and dragging it out just makes it worse. Just do it and get it over with, and you'll feel better."

"Maybe… I keep hoping he'll bring the subject up, and say something or let something slip. Every other time we talked, we had common experiences that we were sharing. It was easy to not let him get away with 'do what I say, not what I did.' I wasn't going to accept a double standard for my behavior. I was only doing the same things him and my mom had done when they were my age. This is new territory. He hasn't done any of this. We don't have a common frame of reference besides him thinking you're dangerous and me knowing you aren't."

"We are dangerous, Bella…"

"Yeah, but not so much to me. I'd prefer to wait to talk to him about this until I have too."

"I can keep dropping hints if you like, but I really think it would be better if you two just sat down and had an honest conversation. What are you going to do, wait until Edward asks you out again, and then spring it on your dad five minutes before he comes to pick you up?"

Alice pulled up to the curb in front of Charlie's house and parked, but she didn't shut off the motor.

"I don't even know if I am going to go out with Edward, Alice…"

"You will. Trust me, it's going to happen. Just don't let this thing with your dad drag everything out forever. The sooner you get it over with, the better."

"I know… I'm just not ready to bring it up yet. I'll see you in school tomorrow, g'night Alice."

I got out of the car and closed the door before she could say anymore. Alice pulled away from the curb and I walked up to the house. The porch light was on, and I could see the front curtains flutter as I reached for the doorknob. I walked into the house and Charlie was sitting in his chair trying to pretend he'd been watching TV all along, but I knew better.

"G'night, dad." I said as I closed the door behind me and turned toward the stairs. I'm really tired…" I tried to make it to the stairs and dash up to my room, but I didn't quite make it.

"Hold on, Bella. Let's talk to you for a minute. I haven't seen you all day. Did you have fun tonight?"

"Sure, it was great… I told you I'd be home before my curfew…" I said from the foot of the stairs so he wouldn't smell my breath. He said he was cool with it, but that didn't mean I wanted to flaunt it in front of him. Part of the deal was not getting caught.

"I worry about you when you're out with Alice. You know, you have other friends here now too."

I knew why he worried when I was with Alice, but I wasn't about to step into that minefield. I sidestepped the issue, and simply told the truth.

"I spent all day with Angela, Haley and Michaela, dad. I was with them at Ang's house until I came home to fix dinner. Alice met me here right before you got home. Sara had plans tonight so I decided to tag along with Alice."

"Oh… I didn't know."

"It was really fun. I think I'm finally coming out of my shell and leaving clumsy Bella in the past. I haven't even been to the emergency room yet since I moved here. This is a record for me." I knocked on the wooden banister rail so I wouldn't jinx myself. It was kind of nice not falling down all the time and hurting myself for once in my life.

"Ok. I thought you were with Alice all day. I guess it's good that you've made some friends here. I like Angela."

"She's a good friend, but she has a steady boyfriend. She spends most of her time with him."

"Doesn't Alice have a boyfriend too? She seems to spend an awful lot of time with you."

"Umm… Jasper met us at the bowling alley. Alice and Jasper used to bowl on a league. I learned a lot from them tonight. I really need to hit the sack, dad. I'll see you in the morning. Ok?"

"Fine, Bella. I'm bushed too. I'm heading up as soon as this show is over. I'll see you in the morning. Good night." Charlie turned back to the sports news show he was watching.

I took that as my cue, and dashed up the stairs before he could ask me anymore questions about my night. I ducked into my room and grabbed my things to get ready for bed, and then dashed into the bathroom to brush my teeth and change into my pajamas. I went back to my room and got my cell phone out of my purse so I could plug it into the charger for the night.

I pulled back the covers and sat down on the edge of the bed as I reached for the end of the charger cord. I was about to plug it in when the phone rang. I could think of only one person who would have such perfect timing, and I didn't even look at the caller ID as I flipped the phone open to answer it.

"Hello, Alice. Yes, I had fun tonight. What's so important that it won't wait until morning?"

"Good evening, Bella. I'm glad you had fun tonight. I can get Alice for you, if you'd prefer to talk to her…"

"Oh… Hello, Edward. No, I don't need Alice… How did you get this number?"

"I got it from Alice. Actually she programmed it into all of our phones, just as I'm sure you must have all of our numbers in your contacts as well by now. I'm sorry I startled you. I can call back if this isn't a good time."

"No, it's alright. I was just surprised at the coincidence. I happened to have my phone in my hand. I figured it was Alice calling to talk about tonight."

"She does have a tendency to call at opportune times like that. In fact she seems to be amused by the coincidence from the laughter down the hall. Then again, that could be Jasper's fault. Uhgg… yes, definitely Jasper's fault. She's clearly not thinking about either of us right now."

I didn't even want to know what she was thinking about. Just hearing about it was too much information.

"So, Edward, what did you have on your mind?"

"When we were talking earlier this evening we both agreed that we'd like to get to know each other better. Our time together at the bowling alley seemed to fly by too fast. I didn't want to let you go, but I knew I had too. I thought maybe we could talk for a while. You don't have to if you'd prefer to get to sleep. I just didn't want to wait until tomorrow to talk to you again."

"Oh… Ok. I'd like that. What would you like to talk about?"

"Why don't you tell me some more about yourself? You grew up in Phoenix? What was that like?"

"Sunny, hot and dry."

"As opposed to Forks, which is cloudy, cold and wet?"

I lay back in bed and pulled up the covers as we chatted. I didn't normally feel comfortable talking about myself, but Edward had a way of putting me at ease and drawing information out of me that I probably wouldn't have simply volunteered. I don't know why I was telling him the story of my life, but it seemed natural to share stories with him.

I was glad we were having this conversation over the phone. It would have been too easy to simply melt in his arms if we were together trying to talk like this. I imagined there would have been a lot less talking involved.

We discussed the years I had spent in Phoenix, and the earlier years of my life when I was a small child and we had lived with my grandparents in California. I asked him about his life and he shared some stories about some of the places he'd lived over the years. We talked about movies we both liked, and some we didn't like. He asked me about the books I'd read, and was able to easily discuss all of them with me in exhaustive detail. We talked about our music preferences, and all the little things that people want to find out when they're getting to know each other.

I had turned out the light on my night stand when I heard Charlie come upstairs so he wouldn't peek in and check on me, but I knew he had to have long since gone to sleep. I lost track of time as we talked for hours. It seemed natural, and I laughed quietly at the stories Edward told. He laughed at some of my stories too, but I didn't mind. I knew he was truly touched by the humor in the situations and wasn't laughing at me.

Eventually the hours caught up with me and I must have started to nod off.

"Bella? Are you still there?" I heard Edward ask.

"Yes, I'm still here… I'm sorry, what were you asking?" Even I could tell how tired I sounded, but I didn't want to let him go.

"I asked what kind of car you wanted to buy, and how your search was going. I sorry, it's getting late. Perhaps we can continue this conversation another time? I should let you get some sleep before school starts."

"Ok… Good night, Edward. I'll see you at school…" I mumbled as I drifted off to sleep

"Good night, Bella," was the last thing I remembered hearing as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.