OK, that took a little longer than expected. I got caught up reading another fanfic by Cesca Marie. If you haven't read any of her stories, you are truly missing out. I highly recommend Dead on My Feet. So go read it, but don't forget about me.

Also, one reason it took so long to update is that I re-read my whole story and fixed a few incongruencies. So the last two chapters were tweaked minutely. I'm probably the only one who would notice the changes. Anywhodles,

Enjoy!

Chapter 16

A week had passed quietly by in Alaska. I was starting to get the hang of this college thing. I had made a friend in Amanda, the girl I sat next to in English. It was easy to get caught up in conversation with her. At least when I wasn't preoccupied with the rhythmic pulsing carotid artery just under the surface of her skin. Maybe it was that she reminded me so much of Angela Weber that endeared her to me. Unfortunately, hers was the only friendship I had embarked on. The awkward sideways glances from Trig girl had kept me from an attempt at conversation with her. That and the fact that I couldn't shake the idea that she knew what I was. I mean, how was I supposed to start that conversation? You don't think I'm a vampire, right?

Jacob and Renesmee had returned, bringing with them stories and pictures from home. Little Miss Sarah was a cutie pie with her shock of black hair and perfect little dimples. Paul beamed up from one picture as a proud father. It seemed that fatherhood had already softened his rough edges. The next picture was taken at night by the glow of a campfire. Rachel was holding the baby with a sea of russet faces around them. Some I recognized, but many I didn't. On the outskirts of the russet sea there were two pale faces. Renesmee and my father both smiling back at the camera. It must be wonderful to grow up with such a large extended family. The whole reservation celebrates a birth, and everyone is a part of nurturing that child as they grow. I was both grateful and terrified of Renesmee's connection to the Reservation. She was part of that extended family, and one day she would have children of her own to raise in that same community. I would try not to think of that now.

The scenery flew by outside my window as Jacob and I drove to school. This would be his first day; a week after classes had actually begun, and he was unusually quiet.

"Nervous?"

"Pfft, no." He was quick to respond.

"Then what is it?" I knew that there was something swimming around in his head that he wasn't sharing with me.

"Just…a little worried."

"About?"I prodded.

"Nessie. It's the first time since we've been back that she hasn't had more than one person with her. That vampire had you at my throat in a matter of seconds. I just don't want to think about what would happen if he got to Edward."

I had the same troublesome thought when we left the house this morning. The rule of threes had gone by the wayside with everyone except Renesmee. It was just too difficult on everyone's schedules to rearrange their lives while waiting for an encounter that may never happen.

"It's not that I don't think that Edward can hold his own, it's just with those mind games that guy can play..." His words drifted off with a look of concern playing on his face.

"Well at least Edward has the advantage of knowing this vampire's thoughts. Besides, he's being as careful as he can. They are going to spend the whole day in town and meet us at the campus later. Nessie can spend hours alone at the library, and then they'll head to the grocery to replenish your refrigerator. It's a good thing you have such a large appetite, Jake, it helps us keep up appearances at the grocery store. You eat enough for a family of four." Jake rolled his eyes.

"What? It's true. Look, we can't live our lives waiting for something to happen. I don't like taking risks either, especially when it comes to Nessie. Still, I think we have our bases covered as best we can."

He didn't respond, instead he just stared out of his window while deep in thought.

We arrived at the campus with ten minutes to spare before classes began. I directed Jake towards his first class and then trudged my way through the snow to English. Winter was already in full steam in Alaska, the snow covering every visible surface. The smell of salt lingered in the air and its gritty texture coated the sidewalks and streets. The colder the temperatures outside, the warmer they kept the thermostat inside. The heat heightened the smell of the blood of all those around me.

It brought back a memory of a trick I used to use to counteract smelly things. I would dab menthol chest rub right underneath my nose. All it took was a small amount to make my eyes water and drown out even the most foul of odors. I'd have to give that a try tomorrow and see if it might still work. Meanwhile, I'd have to deal with the ever-present intensifying flame in my throat.

Amber squeaked in right before the bell and took her seat to the right of me. And when I say squeaked, I mean that literally. Her wet boots squeaked along the linoleum tile floor like a pair of squeaky dog toys. The cuffs of her pants hung half-in half-out of her boots and her pony tail sat lopsided on her head with tendrils of hair spilling out everywhere. She sat down with a plop and turned to me.

"If this was any other class, I'd be in bed. But Mrs. Attendance-whore says 'class participation is essential to your grade.'" She mocked in a nasally voice from a head cold. She looked worse off than I did, and I was the one that was technically dead.

"Oh God. I hate to say it, but you look like Hell. Please tell me you're going home after this class." I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Even though it seemed like decades ago the way my memory worked now, I could still remember how she felt.

"Mmm, hmm." She muttered with her head on the desk.

The rest of the class period drug on and on and on. I really wished the subject matter was something worth paying attention to. I had to come up with other things to keep me distracted from the blood: counting the ceiling tiles and every speck of dust on the overhead projector, or focusing on the sound of the filaments vibrating in the light bulbs. Finally class was over. One down, four to go.

Speech was… interesting. Public speaking wasn't as mortifying as I thought it would be. As it turns out, people seem to listen more to the sound of my voice than to what I'm actually saying. I pulled my speech completely out of my ass and almost got a standing-o.

History was boring as usual. If only it were Carlisle up there instead of my professor, recounting history from his own memoirs. Fleshing out boring battles and turning-point treaties with actual first-hand accounts. If only.

Thankfully Government and Biology flew by, leaving only my dreaded trig class. It wasn't so much the subject matter that I dreaded, even though math was definitely not my strong suit. It was the reaction that I received from one of my classmates. A reaction that I should be able to just blow off and not let it get to me. But for some reason, it kept nagging at my insides. I found myself staring at her, out of the corner of my eye. My field of vision far exceeded a normal human's so there was no way for her to tell I was even looking in her direction.

She had seemed to be paying attention to the lecture, until her face noticeably glazed over. She continued to stare straight ahead, but her eyes were unseeing. She seemed to be in a dream with her eyes wide open. Her shoulders hunched, relaxing slightly. Her eyelids and head drooped. Her arm, perched on her textbook, began to slide. She must have actually dosed off with her eyes open! I could see quickly where this was going. I had several moments in high school where I was rudely awakened by my face slamming into my desk, soon followed by a chorus of laughter from the students and a stern reprimand from the teacher. It took some restraint not to intervene to save her from the embarrassment. Sure enough, her book began to slide off the too-small desktop and I just hoped that she would snap to before her chin collided with the desk. The moment came where she finally snapped back to reality, her elbow jerked to the left, propelling her book off the small desktop. As she righted herself, the laws of physics seemed to break right before my eyes. Her elbow lurched down while her trig book appeared to leap back up onto the table by its own volition. I couldn't believe my eyes.

The girl began canvassing the room with quick-darting eyes. She started to let out a sigh that got hitched in her throat when she noticed my eyes were on her. If this were any other circumstance, I would have attempted to hide my apparent shock. I gawked at her as others had gawked at me; like she was something other than human. Her freckled cheeks flushed red before she looked away, pulling her hair over her shoulder. I could see through the thin curtain her hair provided. The expression on her face was odd. She looked like a kid who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

I glanced at the clock, noticing class was almost over. I began to gather my books and papers and shove them in my backpack. She and I were overdue for our first conversation. She took note of my behavior and started to gather her things. Unfortunately for her, she had no hope of sneaking away from me.

The second the bell began to ring, I was up and out of my seat heading for the only exit. The first one through the door, I waited in the hallway. I watched student after student walk by. Finally she rounded the corner, a full minute after the last student. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she saw me waiting there. She paused briefly, then clutched her bag tighter and attempted to just walk past me.

"Wait." She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"What?" Her voice was exasperated.

"I saw what you did."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I took a step toward her.

"How did you do it?"

"Look, I said I don't know what you're talking about so just leave me alone." I caught her arm to stop her from leaving. She glared at me like I killed her puppy. I let go of her, realizing I wasn't making her feel all warm and friendly.

"I'm sorry; I'm not going about this the right way. My name is Bella." I tried using the quality of my voice to my advantage. I guess it doesn't work like it does on men.

"Bella, how fitting. Look, whatever you think you saw, you didn't. So don't worry your pretty little head about it." She sneered. Well she wasn't making this any easier.

"So I didn't see you somehow stop your book mid fall and bring it back up onto your desk without touching it?" Her reaction was almost believable; except for the split second of recognition she gave before telling me I was a nut job. She had a point though; I would have to make her prove my point.

Whatever she was able to do, it seemed to be an act of self-preservation. In a motion that was faster than she could react, I took her glasses off her face dropping them to the floor in front of her. Mid fall, they stopped and hovered in the air for a full second before she grasped them. She looked back up to me after replacing her glasses. She glared while I gloated.

"No one will believe you." She muttered under her breath, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I didn't plan on telling anyone. I just wanted to know the truth."

She looked around, taking notice of the other students loitering in the halls. Then she grabbed my elbow and hauled me around the corner.

"I don't know how I do it, it just happens. Most of the time I don't even have to concentrate on it. It's like an automatic reaction, like throwing your hands out in front of you when you fall."

"Can you move things when you do concentrate on them?"

"It depends on what it is." She started looking me over from head to toe, searching for something. Her gaze made me instantly self-conscious. The end of my knit scarf began to lift off my chest and float in front of me. I couldn't help but giggle. "That… is awesome." As soon as her focus broke my scarf fell back to my body.

"It's not as cool as you think." In that instant her face was full of anguish. "Well now that you've solved your riddle. I'll be going."

"I'm sorry, you probably have another class to get to."

"No, but I do need to get home."

She looked so downtrodden. "Hey, I didn't get you name. I've been meaning to introduce myself since the first day of class…but I'm not that good at talking to people." My admission made me realize that I had somehow been suppressing the smell of her blood. Unfortunately in that instant of recognition, I now became overwhelmed by it. I had to take a step back from her.

"I'm Shannon."

Just then my phone vibrated in my pocket. The phone was instantly at my ear.

"The dark-haired one is back in the area."Edward spoke. I took another step away from Shannon, turning away from her slightly.

"Who saw him?" I kept my voice low.

"Sam. He was in his apartment building on campus." My voice caught in my throat. "He's alright." Edward confirmed.

"When?"

"This morning."

"So he could still be…"

"Yes. We're in the parking lot. Keep an eye out on your way over here. If possible, try to stay with groups of people." The line went dead. I tried to make my face a mask for Shannon's benefit; a false smile plastered on my face.

"My husband." I gestured to my phone. The gears in my head just had a wrench thrown in them. Sam and Shannon; both humans with a powerful gift. Both humans who attended this university.

"You alright?" Shannon looked at me like my head was about to explode, and with this new revelation, it just might.

"Did you take Chem last semester?" I blurted out.

"Yeah…..why?"

"Who'd you have?"

"Mrs. Kvalheim." Crap, after all this time I had never caught Tanya's last name.

"What does she look like?"

Shannon sneered. "Gorgeous. Every guy's wet dream." Yup, that pretty much summed her up.

"Hold on a sec." I thought about calling Edward, having him and Jake come meet me. Bad idea, they would have Nessie with them and I didn't want her exposed like that.

"I'm going to miss my bus." Shannon looked annoyed.

"I'll give you a ride."

"No offence, Bella, but I don't really know you, so I need to go."

I fumbled for an excuse to make her stay with me.

"Do you have your notes…from Chem last semester?"

Shannon was already heading for the exit, so I had to keep pace with her.

"Ye-ah, but not with me." I could tell she wondered where I was going with this.

"Can I borrow them?"

"Sure…I guess. I'll give them to you next time I see you."

"But I need them now. I have a test tomorrow."

"Sorry, I guess you're S-O-L then."

"They're at your house, right? I'll take you home so you can get them."

She stopped dead in her tracks before opening the door that would let her outside; outside where he might be waiting for her. Her green eyes glowered at me from behind her glasses."You were right when you said you had trouble talking to people. If you just wanted my notes all along, why all the other bullshit? Forcing me to…show you…stuff. Stuff I don't want people to know." She glanced at her watch and threw her arms up in exasperation. "Great! Now I'm going to have to get a taxi 'cause Lord knows I'm not going anywhere with your crazy ass."

"You're right." I sighed in defeat. That got her attention. "Will you let me give you a ride if I promise to tell you the truth?"

"You're not an ax murderer, are you?"

"No." I'm much more dangerous, but not as dangerous as the alternative.

Hoped you liked this one. More revelations to come!

For those of you who stayed with my through the unbelievably long dry spell, I can't thank you enough!