The ceremony had been nowhere near as unbearable as I had originally anticipated it would be. Every time I began to feel my smile wavering, or my resolve weakening, I simply stole a glance at the endlessly beaming Jessica, who seemed almost breathless from elated excitement. On the occasions where even Jessica was unable to provide me with the patience I required, I would simply search the crowd until my eyes landed upon Edward's complimentary gaze, or upon Angela, who stood beaming like a proud parent directly beside him. I truly hoped that they established a solid friendship. They had become two of the most important people in my life, and nothing would make me happier than for them to coexist amicably.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the room erupted into a massive applause and the moment it was acceptable, Jessica turned to trap me in her crushing embrace, pinning me to her with inescapable might.
"Oh Bella!" she cheered directly into my eardrum.
"Can't breathe," I huffed out, wheezing slightly. She ignored me entirely.
"It actually happened! We're really sisters! You know if you ever need anything from me at all, all you have to do is ask!" she said, her voice full of merriment. I suspected, of course, that Jessica's sudden outpouring of kindness was less of an actually usable promise, and rather was simply her current emotional state causing her to be overtly kind. Still, I accepted the gesture for what it was worth, and allowed her to continue her crushing embrace.
Over her shoulder I could see Edward's golden eyes watching me, a slight smile pulling upward at the edges of his mouth. I couldn't help but smile to myself at the thought of him, and suddenly felt anxious to escape Jessica's embrace so that I could go to him.
It immediately crossed my mind that perhaps that was not what I was supposed to do. After all, it would be in our best interest not to be seen together publicly, especially after our scare from earlier that night. But another glance at the admiring expression on Edward's face erased all of my willpower to fight my attraction to him, and the moment Jessica released me from her embrace, my feet began moving in his direction against my will.
I approached him cautiously, maintaining a distance from him appropriate for a professional relationship, though I desired nothing more than to wrap my arms around him and feel the entirety of his body pressed against me: powerful, warm, and comforting. He smiled downward at me, a tender expression complimenting his flawless features.
"Hello," he said, his voice as soft as velvet. His eyes burned brightly at me, and I realized that he too wished to close the gap between us. It was going to be difficult, I realized, to maintain the appearance of being mere acquaintances, when it was so obvious by our body language that we were far more.
"Hi," I replied meekly, turning my eyes towards the floor, unable to hedge the intensity of my gaze in any other way. I noticed in my periphery a blur of black hair and my eyes darted leftward to see Alice glaring towards us in disbelief, chastisement written clearly across her face, although I assumed the majority of it was directed at her brother and not me. Glancing upwards at Edward's face verified my suspicion, as he looked back at her with irritation. She made a small twirling motion with her fingers; a gesture that I assumed was an indication to make our exchange brief. Edward's brow furled slightly as he exhaled powerfully.
"Congratulations Miss Swan," he said, his gaze finding mine once again. I couldn't help but long for him as he pierced me with his golden eyes.
"Thank you Mister Cullen," I replied cordially, unemotionally, attempting to contain myself as best as I could. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, as though attempting to figure out what exactly he should do next. When he reopened them, vexation was written clearly across his face. I sighed.
"I'll see you in class then," I said in practically a whisper. His mouth pulled up slightly on the left side, although the gesture was only minimally enthusiastic.
"I'll look forward to it," He responded with a smirk, though defeat still lightly colored his tone. His eyes darted upward away from my face to gaze over my head. I turned, following his line of sight to see Jessica making her way through the crowd towards us, or more accurately, towards Edward, as she didn't appear to have noticed me yet. I felt my aggravation resurfacing intensely.
"I suppose it's time for you to play your part," I whispered, glancing away from him into the crowd. I felt the iron vice begin to tighten around my chest at the mere idea of Edward entertaining Jessica's fantasies. I understood the necessity of his actions, and I knew that I had given the idea my endorsement, but that did not make accepting it, or even being forced to witness the actions with my own eyes, any easier. I exhaled sharply, staring into space.
"I wish I didn't have too," He replied in a whisper, his voice thick with affection. I glanced up at him, to find his expression to be a battleground to between compassion and disinclination. I supposed he didn't desire this particular course of action any more than I did, or at least, that was what I felt content telling myself as my aggravation began to melt away beneath his gaze.
"Don't play it too well," I responded in a whisper, giving him a tender smile. He nodded at me, a magnificent smile breaking across his face, as I began to walk past him into the crowd. I couldn't help but ponder if he was aware of how entirely smitten I was with him, and I wasn't entirely sure that it would be a good thing if he were to discover how entirely enamored I was with him. I knew however, that as intuitive as he was, he had to have some inkling of the intensity of my affections, and it certainly did not seem to bother him, which was honestly almost inconceivable to me. Miraculous of course, but inconceivable nonetheless.
I was abruptly pulled from my introspection by the streak of Alice's jet black hair appearing before me almost instantaneously, as though she were but an apparition, causing me to abruptly jump in surprise. I stumbled backwards slightly, tripping over my own heel, and felt myself beginning to tumble backwards towards the ground before a hand suddenly grasped my arm, righting me. I saw Alice release my arm as she stood staring at me as though I were absolutely incredulous.
"Really Bella – you should be more careful," she said matter-of-factly, as though I had been intentionally graceless, which of course was an absurd notion.
"Maybe you shouldn't scare people to death then?" I suggested. Alice made a fanning motion with her hand as if to brush the idea off as preposterous. I couldn't help but chuckle at the spectacle of her, but my humor did not stay with me for long, as the thought of Edward with Jessica once again consumed my thoughts. I felt the hands of sorrow clench their way around my heart, and I seemed unable to shake them. I supposed it was possible after all that she could catch his eye. She was prettier than I was, at least in my opinion, and I hadn't the faintest idea what it was that drew him towards me. It seemed as inexplicable to me then as it had from the start.
Imprudently, I glanced over my shoulder in the direction of Edward and Jessica. Her left hand was adjusting his bowtie, a preposterous and unnecessary action, as Edward would never appear publicly with any portion of his attire even a fraction of an inch out of place, and her other hand was resting lightly upon the fabric concealing his flawlessly athletic chest. He was beaming down at her with a heart stopping smile, and in her expression I could see that she was as entirely blinded, as I often was, by his magnificence. I suddenly felt ablaze with venomous jealousy, and yet it also felt as though I had been submerged into a tub of freezing water, as the daggers of heartbreak punctured every inch of my skin. How could Jessica so willingly do this to me if she was truly my friend? Wasn't it as obvious to her as it had been to Angela that I was in love with him? A gentle hand landed itself on the exposed skin of my shoulder, and I swiveled my head quickly to see Alice gazing at me with obvious sympathy.
"Don't worry Bella. Nothing is going to happen between the two of them," Alice said with a gentle, soothing smile. I wished that I shared her confidence.
"I want to believe that Alice, I really do, but…" I began, feeling the frustration bubbling just beneath my skin.
"Trust me," Alice said with a warm smile, although I felt I could detect a certain edge of self-assuredness about it. My intuition flashed as I gazed at her. She was keeping something from me.
"How can you be so sure," I asked her, my voice edged with suspicion. She averted her gaze in a look of feigned innocence. I continued to glare at her until it became apparent to her that I was not simply going to allow her to get away with concealing her knowledge. After all, according to Alice, I was being inducted into her inner circle now. I could hold my weight in secrets. She sighed, resigning to answer my pondering.
"You don't hear the way he talks about you when you aren't around. It's a bit annoying actually, so believe me, you have nothing to worry about," she responded with a smirk. I meant to press her further, to find out exactly what she meant, but her determined expression told me that my prying would be a lost cause. Besides, based on what she had told me, it seemed that whatever he was telling her about me was positive, an indication of the strength of our relationship, and I could take comfort in that. I felt a smile pull up the corner of my lips, and again I glanced over my shoulder at Edward and Jessica, this time feeling far less jealousy for Jessica. No, this time I felt pity for her, watching her get molded like putty in the capable hands of my boyfriend. The word sent a rush of exhilaration through my body. It was a word I desired very much to use aloud, but decided it would be safer not to allow myself to even consider it a possibility. Things would certainly change if anyone found out about us. After all, our newly found enamorment was but a fragile flame. It was entirely possible that under scrutiny, it could burn out. It could suffocate. I shook the thought from my head, turning back to face Alice, exhaling deeply. Her smug smile melted into an expression of concern.
"What's wrong," she inquired. I felt as though I could admit anything to her golden stare. Perhaps it was a bad thing that she shared such a similar eye color to her brother.
"It's nothing," I said shaking my head. She cocked an eyebrow at me tilting her head, clearly not satisfied with my obvious lie. "I mean – It's just that it feels like there are always people watching," I sighed, shaking my head gently. "Is it too much for me to ask for some time alone with him?" I cringed beneath the sound of my own desperation, but Alice did not seemed troubled by my admission at all. On the contrary, she moved her hand gently on my shoulder, rubbing it back and forth beneath her palm.
"Bella, don't worry about that. Like I told you earlier, you'll have plenty of time together this weekend at the Halloween party. I'll make sure of it," she said, an excited smile illuminating her features. I looked at her skeptically, firstly because I was still unsure what Halloween party she was referring too, and secondly because a party certainly did not sound like an atmosphere of exclusivity, but rather like a place to continue to be forced to hide.
"Um – Alice, you do realize that I have absolutely no idea what party you are talking about right?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her in befuddlement.
"Hmm," she mumbled. "I was certain that Edward would have mentioned it. Perhaps he was distracted by other, far less becoming activities," she said, rolling her eyes. Clearly she was referring to our earlier encounter in her bedroom, although I did not believe those activities to be unbecoming in the slightest. I stared back at her, trying my best to convey my lack of understanding in my expression.
"Well, next weekend is the annual Cullen Halloween party. Every year Edward and I throw a massive Halloween party at our home off campus. All of the Kappa's will be in attendance of course, as well as all the socialites, and noteworthy people of Lakefront," Alice said with conviction as my stomach twisted uncomfortably around her words. I felt as though I were going to crumble beneath my own weight.
"So I get to have the honor of being the bottom of the barrel," I practically sighted, gazing absently towards the floor.
"You will be nothing of the sort," Alice said resolutely. I glanced back up at her with an eyebrow raised.
"Why, because I'm with Edward?" I asked skeptically. "Because I should remind you that nobody actually knows that I'm with him. You of all people should realize that Alice!" I said, exasperation seeping into my tone.
"Of course not," she replied, clearly perplexed. "You aren't noteworthy because you are my brother's plus one. You're noteworthy because you're Bella Swan. A kappa! A head turning beauty. People notice you when you enter a room Bella, even if you don't notice them. Nobody in attendance will be above you," she said with a proud, triumphant grin. Her words worked their way through my head slowly, disbelief gripping my chest firmly. I wasn't an illustrious person, or even a person of moderate interest. I was simply a quiet girl, who kept to herself as much as she possibly could. This would certainly be no place for me, no matter what opinion of me Alice had gathered in her mind.
"Whatever you say Alice," I sighed, shaking my head at her lunacy.
"Don't sell yourself short Bella. You don't see yourself for what you're worth," she replied warmly. I could see this conversation was leading nowhere useful as she didn't seem to understand the folly of her own words, so I felt content to circle back to the problem at hand.
"But I still don't understand how a party is going to help grant me any time alone with Edward," I said, my expression conveying a measure of perplexity.
"Bella - Isn't it obvious?" she asked me, with a look of mock condescension. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Not really," I replied.
"You're staying the night at our house Bella," she said as though it were the most obvious conclusion in the world. I felt my heart thud in my chest. I would have an entire evening to spend with Edward. I would fall asleep in the same dwelling as him and awake the next morning to his charming smile. I could not have concocted a more perfect scenario myself. Alice as always was a genius. But suddenly, the reality of what it would take to pull such a feat off began to dawn upon me, and my curiosity got the better of me.
"But – how?" I asked, full of true hope for the first time in days.
"Here's the plan," she began, slapping her hand down upon her palm like the edge of a knife, "On Friday morning, pack everything you're going to need for the night into your backpack. You might have to carry your books," she said apologetically. "Take the backpack with you to your Journalism class. That should…"
"How did you know I have Journalism on Friday?" I asked in astonishment, interrupting her speech in its tracks. She simply rolled her eyes at me.
"You of all people should know better than to ask me that question," she replied. I shrugged my shoulders, contenting to release the mystery to the universe.
"As I was saying," she continued impatiently, "Take the backpack with you to your Journalism class. I'll be waiting for you in the corridor outside of the classroom. I'll have it hidden away, waiting for you when you arrive at my house that night. That evening I'll send a car to pick you up from your dorm while Jessica is in class," she said intently. My eyes widened.
"How did you know that…" she shot me a questioning look and I threw my hands up, backing away from the question. "Alright, Alright. I won't ask. I have to admit Alice, it sounds like a solid plan," I confessed reluctantly. Alice smiled smugly at me. I suddenly realized something she likely hadn't thought through however.
"But Alice, this is a Halloween party right?" I asked. Alice looked at me quizzically.
"Yes?" she asked clearly unsure of where I was headed with my line of questioning.
"Alice, I don't have a costume," I informed her, unsure of where to even find something of the sort or what I should attend as. Alice scoffed at me.
"Oh please Bella. What kind of friend do you think I am?" she asked feigning insult. "Your costume will be waiting for you at my house. You can change when you arrive. I've also gone to great lengths to ensure Edward has no idea what it is, so you can have the satisfaction of seeing his surprise," she said with a devious grin. I had to admit, there seemed to be nothing beyond Alice's capabilities, and I felt rather certain that she was aware of that fact.
"I have to hand it to you Alice, you've really outdone yourself this time," I said with an expression of disbelief mixed with admiration.
"Oh please, it's a trifle," she said waving her hands as if to brush the compliment away from her. Her gaze was suddenly fixed on something over my shoulder, before she rapidly glanced back at me, her gaze intent.
"Bella, just remember my instructions and stick to the plan," she began, speaking very rapidly. "Jessica is coming back over this way. Remember, don't let her get under your skin, she doesn't hold a candle to you," Alice said with an endearing smile before dashing away from me lithely, clearly wanting to make herself scarce before Jessica noticed her. I supposed that was only fair. Only one Cullen per evening should have to fall upon their sword for Jessica I supposed. I felt a finger tap excitedly on my shoulder.
"Bella!" Jessica squealed with excitement, and I inhaled deeply, plastering the grandest, most enthusiastic smile I could muster across my face.
"Hey Jess. Are you ready to go?" I asked with a masquerade of civility. She nodded excitedly and I hardened my heart to what I knew I was about to have to endure.
"You are never going to believe who I just talked to!" she began excitedly. This was going to be insufferable.
"Who?" I asked with feigned excitement.
"Edward Cullen!" she practically squealed as we made our way down the stone steps out front of Kappa house, walking away from the veil of light into the darkness of the night.
"No way," I gasped, knowing fully that she desired to do far more than talk with him. I quickly reeled in my venomous thoughts.
"Yes way. He seemed really excited to see me too. He told me my dress looked really pretty! And oh my god, he looked so gorgeous. You should smell his cologne too. It's really masculine and kind of smells like hiking and…" I was all too familiar with his scent and in no way needed Jessica's description of it, for it still swam through my head every time I was alone. I did however, find it interesting that he had not called Jessica beautiful, but rather her dress. I couldn't help but smile at that.
"… his body. I bet it must be incredible! Just look at all of that muscle! And his lips - Ugh! I bet he is an incredible kisser! I bet that he…" I found myself fighting hard to stifle an irritated chuckle as I listened to Jessica's wildest fantasies about being with Edward, most of which consisted of things that I had already had the pleasure of experiencing, like the exceptional, heart stopping power of his lips meshing firmly with mine, and the mesmerizing comfort of his powerful embrace. Still, even though I had had the satisfaction of partaking in many of the actions that Jessica now set forward for me, I couldn't help but feel the fiery rage of jealousy filling me inside, knowing that all she desired was the man with whom I was smitten, the man with whom I wished to spend all of my time. It was more than moderately infuriating.
"… said that he would! What do you think that means? Do you think he likes me?" she asked as we walked through the door into our dormitory. I held in a sigh, attempting to maintain my composure. I too had a part to play now it seemed, and I needed to perform it with as much skill as Edward apparently had. I would have to have a chat with him later about his dedication to the role.
"I guess so Jessica," I said with a smile, attempting to keep my acidic thoughts from tarnishing the expression. She beamed at me gleefully as I grabbed my pajamas and darted into the bathroom to shower, mostly so that I could finally release the deep sigh I had been holding in for the last ten minutes of our conversation. I did not want to see Jessica again for the rest of the night. I turned the faucet on, and allowed the steamy water to wash my woes away into oblivion.
The rest of my week seemed to crawl by more slowly than attempting to watch the grass grow, although the grass was doing very little growing at that point, as the campus was bathed in the vibrant golds, oranges, reds and browns of autumn. The days were cool, brisk, and pleasant, and everywhere about campus things seemed warm and earthen. Unfortunately it did very little to help pass the time, though at least a mild amount of progress had been made.
Edward seemed to have finally determined how to strike a balance with me in biology, acknowledging me each day upon entering the room, smiling warmly at me, and usually following it with a nod of gratitude towards the ever loyal Angela who had faithfully kept her vow of secrecy. She had even informed me in one of our biology classes that a floral arrangement had been delivered to her dormitory, with a card that simply read:
I am eternally in your debt.
With Gratitude,
E.C.
I had smiled warmly to myself upon discovering that Edward had sent her such a gift. Angela was one of the kindest, most loyal people I had ever met, and he seemed determined to reward her for that trait. I had truly found a chivalrous gentleman in Edward. I smiled even more brightly to myself at how grateful I was for his presence in my life. He was truly an angel.
The morning finally arrived when it was time for me to begin packing away my belongings, which were to be sent off to the Cullen house in an inconspicuous backpack. Jessica, as always, was out of our room early for her classes, leaving me alone with my thoughts, pondering what to store away in my backpack to deliver to Alice. I ended up settling on mostly simple things, trying to simply be the girl that I truly was. I eventually decided to bring a pair of sweatpants to sleep in, although they were in much better condition than most of my pairs, and a nightshirt made of soft, stretchy fabric. I also packed a spare outfit for the following morning, as well as a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, and some shampoo and conditioner, as I was certain that Edward would not wish to be in my presence if I was unhygienic. I folded all of my belongings neatly into the backpack, grabbed my textbook and binder and set off across the campus.
My heart pounded as I made my way across the expansive lawns, wondering if any onlookers would notice Alice awaiting my exchange. She was after all, extremely recognizable about campus, and I felt certain somebody would notice me handing her an entire book bag in such a conspicuous location as the exterior of a journalism classroom. However, upon entering the communications building, I found Alice to be nowhere in sight. I couldn't help but be miffed by her absence. I wondered if she had forgotten our arrangement, or if perhaps I had gotten the date confused, but I knew with certainty that it was Friday. Yet still, Alice was nowhere to be found. I had begun walking towards the door of the journalism classroom when a small figure in a hooded sweatshirt waved at me from beside the water fountain. It appeared to be a high school aged boy, with long jet black bangs dangling in front of his face. His hood obscured the rest of his outline so I was entirely unsure of what to make of him. He gestured frantically at me for me to walk in his direction, and I hesitantly obliged. It was only upon reaching him, seeing him push his black bangs away from his face to reveal his piercing golden eyes, that I realized that the person before me was not a teenage boy, but was in fact Alice. Her disguise was incredibly convincing and I couldn't help but stare at her in awe.
"Do you have everything you need," she whispered to me.
"I – I think so. Alice why are you…" I began, but she quickly snatched the backpack out of my hand.
"It's more advantageous for us if I'm not noticed. Trust me," she said throwing her bangs back over her face, her hood back on top of her head and spinning lithely in the opposite direction and prancing away.
"See you tonight," I called after her. She waved her hand in acknowledgement and briskly strolled out the door. I stood, staring dumbstruck for a few moments at where she had been. I wondered if Alice ever became any more predictable over time, or if I simply always needed to be on my toes in her presence. My pocket vibrated lightly, and I shifted my books into my left arm, and retrieved my cell phone carefully from my pocket. The following message was displayed brightly on my screen:
From: Alice Cullen
Remember! Stick to the plan. Xoxo
I sighed. She was nothing if not thorough. That much I had to give her.
I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts and turned to enter my journalism class. The room was rather bare, with brightly illuminated white walls in every direction, and a computer adorning every desk, although we had seldom been allowed to use them yet, as we were only in the introductory Journalism class. Still, every time I entered the classroom I felt warmer inside, as though I could see my future spelled out before me. One day I would be working in a room much like this one, only my name would be spelled out on a plaque across the front of the desk, with the word editor following it.
Ms. Cope, our journalism professor, stood from her desk and walked to the podium at the center of the room, facing all of our puzzled expressions, for unlike when we typically entered the classroom, there was no class agenda written across the whiteboard.
"In today's class there will be no lecture," she began, brushing her strawberry blonde curls from her face absently with her hand. "Instead I will only be giving you an assignment. You may either use the rest of class to work on it, or if you wish, you may leave, and complete it on your own time," she said, her eyes drifting about the room, scanning over us. "Each of you will be writing a human interest piece of the type you would normally see in the Lakefront Gazette. It needs to be between one thousand to two thousand words long, and can be about any human interest story you wish, whether it be about a friend, a member of the community, a teacher, or a loved one. The student who has the best piece, will find their story in the mid November edition of the Lakefront Gazette," she said with an exacting smile. "That student will also be given additional opportunities to write at the paper after their piece has been published. Of course, winning the contest is not required for a passing grade. That only requires an adequate piece of writing, but it certainly will open many opportunities to the student who receives it," she said, nodding at us purposefully. "The piece needs to be submitted to the drop box two weeks from today by midnight, so I wouldn't recommend delaying for too long. You may begin."
I felt myself freeze in shock of the stupendous opportunity that had been presented to me: the chance to author a piece for a real newspaper, to have my piece read by the entire student body. It was unequaled in scope to any opportunity I had ever received, and I felt passion burn brightly within me. I wanted to be the winner. I wanted my piece in the gazette. There was only one minor issue. I had absolutely no Idea what on earth to write about. I had no interesting stories, no interesting family life, and no friends who were currently doing anything noteworthy, or at least nothing noteworthy that I was at liberty to discuss, seeing as how both Edward and Alice were not permissible topics of writing, both for their own privacy, and because nobody was allowed to know that Edward and I were romantically involved.
I stared blankly at the computer screen before me, willing an interesting topic into my head, and becoming increasingly frustrated when nothing presented itself. After staring blankly at the monitor for an indeterminable amount of time, I finally collected my belongings and stomped out of the room in exasperation. I was finally given an opportunity to do something that I felt confident I could actually do well, and I found myself stricken with an incurable case of writer's block. To say it was inconvenient would have been a vast understatement. I emerged from the journalism lab into the brightly lit hallway of the communication building to see Angela looking down the hallway at me from a bench. The moment she saw me emerge from the room, she stood instantly and dashed over towards me in haste, closing the distance quickly. I stared at her bewildered. What on earth was she doing?
"Bella. Are you alright?" She asked me frantically. I was admittedly confused.
"…Yes?" I responded, bewildered and still frustrated from my efforts in the lab. Angela assessed my expression carefully.
"You seem – upset," she replied. I had absolutely no idea where she was going with her line of questioning but since she had asked, I figured that I might as well vent about my frustrations in journalism class.
"Well – yes – I am. We just got an opportunity to write a human interest piece for the Lakefront Gazette, which is incredible." I said, my eyebrows shooting upwards. "My only dilemma is that I have absolutely nothing to write about. I'm coming up completely blank. But this is an incredible opportunity. I have to win the contest Angela! How am I supposed to do that if I have nothing to write about?" I asked, frustration pouring forth from me. Angela smiled at me timidly, something else clearly preoccupying her mind.
"I'm sure you'll think of something Bella," she said, somewhat reassuringly. I exhaled deeply.
"I know. I suppose I could have far greater problems to deal with," I said with another sigh, surveying Angela's worried expression.
"Bella," she began cautiously, "I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid that you already do have a far greater problem to deal with," she said, her eyes solemn. I felt something grip me internally, as though something had frozen me from the inside.
"A problem like what," I almost whispered, dreading whatever news Angela was about to deliver. She gulped.
"A problem like this," she whispered, holding up the periodical before me. My breathing immediately ceased, and my heart fell through my chest clear to my toes. I suddenly felt lightheaded as panic clutched at me with incredible strength, as I saw the photo of Edward sprawled across the front page of the Shoreline Inquirer, with his hand running through my hair. I almost couldn't see the headline through my tunnel vision. I didn't need to read the words sprawled across the page to understand what was happening.
WHO IS EDWARD CULLEN'S MYSTERY GIRL?
There was only one thing of which I was certain. This was how my perfect world would come to an end.