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Minutes passed before I decided to have my turn with the questions. I was done giving up all my secrets; I had already risked too much. Just keep your mouth shut! I chastised myself.

"Now it's your turn."

"Can I ask just one more?"

The pleading in her voice made me turn and my will crumbled to nothing the second I saw her beautiful face looking up at mine. Who was I kidding? I would give her anything she wanted. I sighed, hoping I wouldn't regret my next words.

"One." I conceded.

"Well…you said you knew I hadn't gone into the bookstore, and that I had gone south. I was just wondering how you knew that."

And regret I did; it was a hard answer to give without embarrassing her or giving away more information than I'd like to.

"I thought we were past all the evasiveness," she coaxed me.

"Fine, then. I followed your scent." Happy now, Bella?

She remained quiet and I thought she was done, finally.

"And then you didn't answer one of my first questions…"

I frowned at her, "Which one?"

"How does it work—the mind reading thing? Can you read anybody's mind, anywhere? How do you do it? Can the rest of your family…?"

"That's more than one," I noted as she trailed off. I watched as she folded her hands politely in her lap and gave me the look again; that wonderfully irresistible face that made my stomach tighten and my lungs constrict. She had no idea what she did to me. I answered again, without thinking.

"No, it's just me. And I can't hear anyone, anywhere. I have to be fairly close. The more familiar someone's… 'voice' is, the farther away I can hear them. But still, no more than a few miles." I tried to think of a good way to explain the process to her. "It's a little like being in a huge hall filled with people, everyone talking at once. It's just a hum—a buzzing of voices in the background. Until I focus on one voice, and then what they're thinking is clear. Most of the time I can tune it all out—it can be very distracting. And then it's easier to seem normal," I hated that word, "when I'm not accidentally answering someone's thoughts rather than their words."

"Why do you think you can't hear me?"

I wish I knew, you are like no other person in this world. "I don't know, the only guess is that your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM." I smiled at the analogy and then at her.

She didn't look as amused, "My mind doesn't work right? I'm a freak?"

"I hear voices in my mind and you're worried that you're the freak." I laughed at the absurdity of it all. "Don't worry, it's just a theory...which brings us back to you."

She sighed but didn't respond.

"Aren't we past all evasions now?"

She looked away from me and suddenly her heartbeat became erratic, "Holy crow, slow down!"

Flustered, I looked over to her, "What's wrong?"

"You're going a hundred miles an hour!"

"Relax Bella."

"Are you trying to kill us?" She was still shouting.

Of all the ridiculous… "We're not going to crash."

"Why are you in such a rush?"

"I always drive like this." I turned to her again to smile, hoping it would appease her.

"Keep your eyes on the road!"

Guess not.

"I've never been in an accident, Bella—I've never even gotten a ticket. Built in radar detector." I motioned to my head and smiled again.

"Very funny. Charlie's a cop, remember? I was raised to abide by traffic laws. Besides, if you turn us into a Volvo pretzel around a tree trunk, you can probably just walk away."

She made a good point.

"Probably," I conceded grimly, "but you can't." I let off the gas as the car slowed. "Happy?"

"Almost."

"I hate driving slow."

"This is slow?" She was incredulous as her eyes watched the speedometer linger on eighty.

"Enough commentary on my driving, I'm still waiting for your latest theory." I was desperate to know. "I won't laugh."

"I'm more afraid that you'll be angry with me?"

Oh no. "Is it that bad?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Go ahead."

"I don't know how to start."

"Why don't you start at the beginning…you said you didn't come up with on your own."

"No." Her hesitation was making me anxious now. Oh Bella, come on. Out with it!

"What got you started—a book? A movie?"

"No—it was Saturday, at the beach."

I was confused. How could a sunny day at First Beach with a hoard of teens give her an idea about me? Unless it was one of them who told her something, but even so, they knew nothing.

"I ran into an old family friend—Jacob Black. His dad and Charlie have been friends since I was baby."

I was still puzzled as I kept my eyes on the road. She continued slowly, "His dad is one of Quileute elders."

I barely noticed when her voice stopped; my thoughts in a tailspin now. I knew my face was giving me away; my expression stuck in place.

My heart was sinking as she began again, "We went for a walk and he was telling me some the old legends—trying to scare me, I think. He told me one…" she paused, as if unsure to keep going. I knew what was coming, I just knew it. She just had to confirm it.

"Go on."

"About vampires," her voice was a whisper, but I heard it loud and clear. That word passing over her lips was sinful, like a curse. My hands contracted around the steering wheel. Maybe it was just one word to her, but to me it felt like a malicious accusation; a judgment. I had to say something; maybe I could make her doubt herself. I loathed the idea of her thinking of me in such a way.

"And you immediately thought of me?" It came out half-hearted at best. I was done for.

"No. He…mentioned your family."

God Damn It! I just stared straight ahead.

"He just thought it was a silly superstition. He didn't expect me to think anything of it." She sounded panicked. "It was my fault, I forced him to tell me."

"Why?" My voice hard.

"Lauren said something about you—she was trying to provoke me. And an older boy from the tribe said your family didn't come to the reservation, only it sounded like he meant something different. So I got Jacob alone and I tricked it out of him."

That distracted me as I laughed aloud. She tricked a Quileute? Little Bella Swan?

"Tricked him how?"

"I tried to flirt—it worked better than I thought it would."

"I'd like to have seen that," I had to laugh again, "and you accuse me of dazzling people—poor Jacob Black."

Bella turned to look out the window but I felt the heat of her blush in the small space, teasing me. My attention was diverted only momentarily.

"What did you do then?"

"I did some research on the Internet."

Ugh…she Googled vampires? This just gets better and better. "And did that convince you?" I kept my voice calm but I could not release the wheel from my tight grip.

"No. Nothing fit. Most of it was kind of silly. And then…"

I practically swore aloud in frustration. Why did she always trail off like that?

"What?" My tone was impatient.

"I decided it didn't matter." Her voice was very soft.

"It didn't matter?" I was dumbstruck; surely I'd heard that comment incorrectly. Either that, or Bella Swan was crazy, or she was lying. There was no way a human wouldn't care—absolutely impossible. I couldn't decide if I was more incredulous or mad right now.

"No, it doesn't matter to me what you are." She repeated.

Right, I'm sure. "You don't care if I'm a monster? If I'm not human?" I sneered.

"No." She stood her ground.

I said no more as I realized what had just happened.

Bella knew.

In some sort of twisted way I felt the most amazing sense of freedom, as if a heavy burden was lifted from me. But there was something else too, something stronger; the realization that my secret, the one I'd kept for decades, was revealed. It was terrifying and nauseating and infuriating all at once; I didn't want to lose her over this. I didn't want her in danger over this. And I didn't want to hurt my family over this.

"You're angry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, I'd rather know what you're thinking—even if what you're thinking is insane." It really was insane, she had no clue. If she understood, she would throw herself out of the car right this second.

"So I'm wrong again?"

"That's not what I was referring to. 'It doesn't matter'!" Just the idea of it made me mad again.

"I'm right?" Her wide eyes and sharp intake of air only strengthened my feelings.

It took a moment, but I finally realized why I was so upset. Even though the words should've been a comfort to me, they weren't. Instead they felt like a mockery; Bella didn't understand what she was dealing with. When she finally did, she would leave me and worse yet, be scared of me. She wouldn't see me anymore; only the monster. Maybe this was the punishment for my sins; to lose the one person I cared for deeply. The one person that I needed, that I wanted…

"Does it matter?" I challenged her, trying to defend myself from the inevitable.

She took a deep breath.

I held mine.

"Not really…but I am curious."

That was unexpected.

Suddenly the tension dissipated from my body when I realized she wasn't running yet. Maybe I had assumed incorrectly—for now.

"What are you curious about?" To hell with it…what else could I possibly say worse than the fact I'm a bloodsucking vampire?

"How old are you?"

Easy.

"Seventeen."

"And how long have you been seventeen?"

I fought a smile; she was no fool. "A while."

"Okay." I could hear the smile in her voice.

I looked down at her, trying to decide if she was possibly losing her mind right there in my passenger seat, but it seemed she was alright. Again she looked up at me with her big eyes and grinned even wider. My defenses shook at the sight her sincere expression.

"Don't laugh—but how can you come out during the daytime?"

I couldn't hold back the laugh, "Myth."

"Burned by the sun?"

"Myth."

"Sleeping in coffins?"

"Myth." I wish it weren't—"I can't sleep."

"At all?"

"Never."

I turned to her with a desperate look. Her lips parted slightly as she comprehended my words and I caught her eyes for a long moment until finally breaking eye contact.

"You haven't asked me the most important question yet." I couldn't help the edge that accompanied my comment. If everything so far didn't scare her, this surely would. I could feel my expression harden again at the thought.

"Which one is that?" She asked, confused.

"You aren't concerned about my diet?" The sarcasm in my voice was heavy.

"Oh, that."

"Yes, that. Don't you want to know if I drink blood?"

She shuddered slightly. "Well, Jacob said something about that."

Great. I was really starting to dislike Jacob Black."What did Jacob say?"

"He said you didn't…hunt people. He said your family wasn't supposed to be dangerous because you only hunted animals."

"He said we weren't dangerous?" I highly doubted such a thing.

"Not exactly. He said you weren't supposed to be dangerous. But the Quiletues still didn't want you on their land, just in case."

I couldn't believe what Bella knew already, and found it even more amazing that she knew this and still went to dinner with me. Was it possible that she really didn't care? Could I dare to hope it? Her voice broke through my thoughts.

"So was he right? About not hunting people?" There was a slight concern detectable in her voice.

"The Quileutes have a long memory," I spoke softly, "Don't let that make you complacent, though. They're right to keep their distance from us. We are still dangerous."

"I don't understand."

"We try. We're usually very good at what we do. Sometimes we make mistakes. Me, for example, allowing myself to be alone with you." I had to be honest with her, needing her to understand the import of this point.

"This is a mistake?"

The sadness in her voice tugged at my hollow heart.

"A very dangerous one," I spoke softly, hoping it would sound less harsh, but she had to understand the risk.

She quickly looked straight ahead and sat in complete silence, her expression unreadable. I wondered what she thought, what she was feeling. Did she want to leave? Would she see me again? If she never spoke to me again after this night I would be crushed.

"Tell me more." She begged.

There was intensity to her voice that sent a shock through me, like she was clinging onto my words for dear life. I turned and looked at her stricken expression.

"What more do you want to know?" Anything for you Bella.

"Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people?" Her eyes glistened as she spoke, unshed tears danced on her lids.

"I don't want to be a monster." I whispered.

"But animals aren't enough?"

I spoke with absolute, unabashed honesty. She had stripped me bare and I could hide nothing from her now. There was a depth, an unspoken emotion, to our conversation now that was all new to me.

"I can't be sure, of course, but I'd compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians, our little inside joke. It doesn't completely satiate the hunger—or rather thirst. But it keeps us strong enough to resist. Most of the time," I paused, contemplating how close her exquisite blood was to me right now, "Sometimes it's more difficult than others."

"Is it very difficult now?" Her voice was concerned.

"Yes." You don't even know.

"But you're not hungry now."

"Why do you think that?"

"Your eyes. I told you I had a theory. I've noticed that people—men in particular—are crabbier when they're hungry."

"You are observant, aren't you?" I laughed at her simple logic; it was quite true.

"Were you hunting this weekend, with Emmett?"

"Yes." I wanted to continue, but I wasn't sure. Should tell her I thought of her every second? "I didn't want to leave, but it was necessary. It's a bit easier to be around you when I'm not thirsty."

"Why did you not want to leave?"

Because I care for you more than I have for anyone else. Because I'm falling for you despite the fact it's wrong, and selfish and dangerous…

I looked at her, my eyes burning, trying to find words less intense than what I felt.

"It makes me…anxious…to be away from you. I wasn't joking when I asked you not to fall in the ocean or get run over last Thursday. I was distracted all weekend, worrying about you. After what happened tonight, I'm surprised that you did make it through a whole weekend unscathed." It was then I noticed the scrapes healing on her delicate hands. "Well, not totally unscathed."

"What?"

"Your hands." I pointed.

"I fell."

"That's what I thought," I felt a smile creep across my lips, "I suppose, being you, it could've been so much worse—that possibility tormented me the entire time I was away. It was a very long three days. I really got on Emmett's nerves."

"Three days? Didn't you just get back today?"

"No, we got back Sunday."

"Then why weren't any of you in school?" She frowned.

I was surprised by the anger in her voice, not understanding why it was there.

"Well, you asked if the sun hurt me, and it doesn't. But I can't go out in the sunlight—at least, not where anyone can see."

"Why?"

"I'll show you sometime."

"You might have called me." She offered finally.

"But I knew you were safe."

"But I didn't know where you were. I—" she stopped again, her eyes averted mine.

"What?"

"I didn't like it. Not seeing you. It makes anxious, too," her voice soft as the most delicate pink blanketed her cheeks.

Something unfamiliar rippled through my gut at her words, I was torn between the thrill of her confession and the direness of the situation.

"Ah," my voice was pained, "this is wrong."

"What did I say?"

"Don't you see Bella? It's one thing for me to make myself miserable, but a wholly other thing for you to be so involved." My eyes moved back to road as I pleaded with her. "I don't want to hear you feel that way. It's wrong. It's not safe. I'm dangerous, Bella—please, grasp that."

"No," she whined.

"I'm serious," my voice was harsh, straining for her to listen to me.

"So am I. I told you, it doesn't matter what you are. It's too late." She argued defensively.

"Never say that." The words rushed out before I could calm myself and I instantly regretted how cold they sounded.

Next to me, Bella was silent. I slowly turned to look at her, trying to will the thoughts from her head.

"What are you thinking?" My voice was strained.

She did not respond. Suddenly the smell of her scent mixed with salt filled the car.

Oh no. Please don't.

"Are you crying?" I was horrified at myself, feeling more like a true monster in this moment than I ever had in my life. I wanted so badly to comfort her, to take it all back. My hand slowly moved to touch her but I stopped myself. I just couldn't trust myself that way, not in such close proximity to her. Her weeping only concentrated her scent around me and if she reciprocated the touch, it would be too much for me to bear.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, pained.

A minute passed between us before I spoke again. I had to change the subject.

"Tell me something," I tried to shake the tension from my voice.

"Yes."

"What were you thinking tonight, just before I came around the corner? I couldn't understand your expression—you didn't look that scared, you looked like you were concentrating very hard on something."

She shrugged slightly, "I was trying to remember how to incapacitate an attacker—you know, self-defense. I was going to smash his nose into his brain."

I was quite disturbed by this piece of information, "You were going to fight them? Didn't you think about running?"

"I fall down a lot when I run."

"What about screaming for help?"

"I was getting to that part."

Oh Bella, what am I going to do you with you?

"You were right—I'm definitely fighting fate trying to keep you alive."

She didn't argue with that but instead turned to me quickly.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Her tone left no question as to the answer she wanted from me.

I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Yes—I have a paper due, too. I'll save you a seat at lunch."

We were nearing her home now. The drive took longer than I expected due to the speed enforcement by Bella. We stopped in front her home. Charlie's thoughts were instantaneous.

Bella must be back. Early too. She's such a good girl.

I couldn't disagree, although I would use much stronger words than 'good'. I looked at her as her hand stopped at the door handle.

"Do you promise to be there tomorrow?" She pressed. Her persistence thrilled me.

"I promise," my tone was serious.

She started to pull off my jacket and inhaled again deeply, barely hiding it this time.

"You can keep it—you don't have a jacket for tomorrow."

She handed it to me anyway.

"I don't want to have to explain to Charlie."

"Oh, right."

She turned back to the door.

"Bella?"

"Yes."

"Will you promise me something?"

"Yes," she responded quickly.

I thought of the day I watched her alone in the forest. She didn't realize the dangers that lurked there.

"Don't go into the woods alone."

Confusion flashed across her face. "Why?"

My gaze moved away from her to the darkness beyond. "I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there. Let's leave it at that."

"Whatever you say."

I wonder what's taking so long. Probably girl talk…

"I'll see you tomorrow." She had to leave or else Charlie would start getting suspicious I was sure.

"Tomorrow, then."

As she turned to open the door I leaned towards her, as close I dared.

"Bella?"

Her exquisite face turned back to face mine. We were mere inches apart. I couldn't breathe as I looked into her eyes.

"Sleep well," I spoke in my softest tone.

Her expression lost focus for a moment and she blinked rapidly before stepping out awkwardly. I laughed softly at the sight her stumbling around, finally making it to her front door.

I definitely got her.

I smiled the whole way home.