Chapter 26 - Cameo

"Why are you leaving?" Alice asked with a frown.

"I have to go see Stephanie!" I gasped, grabbing Edward's hands. "We have to go!"

He didn't argue and led the way out of his house. I muttered apologies to his family for leaving so quickly, and promised to come back whenever they would have me.

"Do you want Charlie to see you with me?" Edward asked quietly as I drove the truck back into town.

"Um…maybe he shouldn't right now."

Edward slid into the seat until his head was under the window. "The author is here?"

"She has a one second cameo in the movie. In the diner," I said. "It's so quick, it's just filler."

"Why do we want to see her?"

"Maybe she knows something! Something…about me. I don't know."

"Bella, what are you going to do?" Edward asked, his voice anxious.

I gripped the steering wheel tight, "I don't know…talk to her, I guess."

"Why do you need to talk to her, when I can read her mind?"

"She created you! What makes you think you can read her mind?" I hissed.

I glanced at Edward, and froze. He looked furious, "I am not just a figment of someone's imagination, neither are you."

He reached up and grabbed the steering wheel before I could drive off the road, but I slowed and pulled over. I was shaking, trembling from head to toe. "Not knowing…its killing me. I'm sure I could live like this the rest of my life if I had to, if I couldn't go back, sometimes I don't want to go back, Edward!" I said, tears starting to fall. "But I don't know what is going to happen!"

He tried to hush me as I broke down in my truck, tried to comfort my crying, and I felt like an idiot. Here the most perfect being, the perfect man, was holding me, and all I could do was cry over a depressing life that I once had. But it wasn't just that. I wasn't lying when I told him I could live Bella's life without regret. I would miss some aspects of my real life, no doubt…but when I had a chance at this life? With him? I just needed a guarantee on how things would work out. If I was going to return to my real life in a few weeks…I had to distance myself from him immediately, or make the best of what time we had. If I was never to leave this world, I had a lot more to tell him.

"Bella, this is what I think we should do. Go to the diner, meet your dad and tell him you changed your mind. Meet Stephanie, and don't question her. I'll be outside, listening to her mind. Can you do that?"

He placed his cold hands on my red eyes, soothing them immediately. "I don't know," I muttered.

"Bella…"

"Okay…okay, I can do that…but, if there is something in there that…explains this?"

"Let me look for it, in a way she'll never know is happening. If she is just another…character…then we'll save you some embarrassment."

I sniffed loudly, "Do I look like I was crying?"

He removed his cold hands from my eyes, wiping away the last of the wetness. "No, are you going to start again?"

"Maybe," I said hoarsely.

He kissed me quickly, "I'll be right there."

"Hey, Dad!" I put on my best smile for Charlie. "Changed my mind."

"Ah, Bella! This is great!" Charlie grinned.

"Bella! Charlie ordered your usual to go, I'll bring it out now, though, if that's alright?" The waitress said.

"Yeah, thanks!" I nodded, wringing my hands together.

"How's that biology project?" Charlie asked.

"It's great," I answered, glancing at the redhead sitting across the diner and then back at the table. "My partner is Edward Cullen, he's a genius. I barely had to do any of the work."

"Oh?" Charlie said, he was looking at the redhead, too. "That's Stephanie, over there. Looks like she's busy, we'll catch her after we eat."

The waitress set my food in front of me…I had to eat first? Great, I was going to throw up on her.

The waitress walked over to Stephanie when I was halfway done, filling her coffee cup. Stephanie looked up from her laptop to thank the waitress, and saw me at Charlie's table. I looked away slowly, as if I was looking over all of the customers and not just her, and went back to my food.

"So what is your project on?" Charlie asked.

"Huh?" I looked back at him.

"Your Biology project, what's it on?"

"Oh…" I started…wondering what Biology project would require me to spend the afternoon at someone's house to complete.

The door opened, and I looked back to give myself more time. My eyes grew wide when Edward stepped in, and walked over. He had a confident smile on his face, "Hey, Bella. Sorry to interrupt…but my computer seems to have failed and we've lost our report. We're going to have to start all over."

"What?" I asked, confused.

Edward looked at Charlie, "Chief Swan, hello. I'm Edward Cullen. Um, Bella and I have this major report due for Biology, we spent most of our day working on it and…I'm afraid it's all gone." Edward looked back to me, his eyes full of silent pleading. "If we're going to finish it tonight, we're going to need to use your computer…soon."

"Oh, okay," I said, standing up.

"My printer is still good, I think. We can take your laptop over to my house."

"What time will you be home, Bella?" Charlie asked, looking at Edward.

"I'll call if it gets too late, Dad," I answered.

"Well, its Friday night, why don't you kids wait until tomorrow?"

"Dad, Edward has better things to do than be stuck with me on a Saturday," I mumbled. "Bye."

Edward was nearly carrying me to my truck to speed us up, ignoring me as I begged him to explain his actions. "Go, drive, now."

"What the hell, Edward?" I hissed. "You spent all that time calming me down and now you are freaking me out all over again!"

"I'm fairly freaked out myself, Bella. And I'm a vampire, do you want to know how hard that is? Drive, I'll explain, just drive."

"I had to get you out of there before Stephanie came to talk to you," he said once we were on the long stretch of road leading to his house.

"Why?"

"Because….she knows that you didn't belong. She could tell that…you weren't like the others." A shiver ran up my spine.

"Tell me everything," I said.