Guess what everyone, I actually managed to finish this chapter on time. I'm so proud of my self for managing to actually meet a deadline. Oh and just as a heads up, there are spoiler in this chapter for Madoka for those of you who haven't watched it. I kept them all minimal though so it shouldn't be bad.

Chapter 54: Compromise

I was halfway through History when I realized that I did not like the effect that Edward had on me. We were supposed to be working on becoming friends again and only friends for now. He was supposed to be getting my trust back and that was it. Taking things slowly, much slower than last time. I didn't like that things had just started to seem normal between us and then he so easily left my fumbling. It shouldn't be that way, not so soon. It scared me that even after everything, I could still feel the same way for him, still feel the same when I was around him.

The whole point of him earning my trust back was so that we could take everything slow. This most definitely did not feel that way.

When the bell rung, I was almost hesitant to leave History, just because Edward was in my next class. The key word there was almost. Even the thought of being around Edward right now was better than sitting through that class again.

When I entered AP Lit, he was already in his seat, the same smile still plastered on his lips. This time I refused to acknowledge any reaction I might have as I took my seat. It was one of my most trying classes I've had in a while.

Despite my best efforts, the rest of the week was just as trying. I refused to acknowledge the feelings he was bringing up because I knew that I wasn't any where near ready to deal with them. I wanted to be friends for a while before I seriously thought about anything more. I needed to be able to do that, to trust him wholeheartedly before anything happened.

Alisha had also decided that she was going back to not talking to me at all. To be honest, that was fine by me at this point. I didn't want to pull another stunt like I had before and us avoided each other was one way to make that work.

Alice made a habit of commenting on Alisha and my own relationship everyday. I mostly ignored that as well. I would figure it out on Saturday when I didn't have to worry about classes with Edward or homework.

By the time Friday night had arrived, I was looking forward to it. I had the whole weekend that I didn't have to focus on school. On top of that, we were still going to be having a movie night like Dad had suggested.

After I picked Alisha up from school, we drove home to find Dad and Kathy already there and with Chinese take-out. It was a bit early supper but there was enough so that we would be able to munch on it through the night and maybe even have left-overs for tomorrow.

After we loaded up our plates, we made our way to the living room, discussing what we should watch for the night. It was at this point, that Alisha broke her silence, at least towards me, as we tried to figure it out. After a bit of debating, we did decide to find an anime to watch, that way we could get a good chunk of it over with in one sitting. After that Dad and Kathy left it up to Alisha and I to decide. They probably wouldn't continue to watch it with us after tonight so they didn't care what it ended up being.

Alisha and I pulled up Netflix on the Wii as we started to scroll through the anime section. We ignored any animes that had blood on the cover and at one point I even had to steer her away from Attack on Titan. It wasn't one I had watched yet but after looking it up quickly online, it became evident very quickly that there was a lot of gore. Something Alisha really didn't need to be seeing at her age.

"What about that one?" Alisha asked, pointing to one cover.

I glanced over it and it looked decent. There were four girls on the cover, one with blonde hair, one with blue hair, another with pink and the last one had an almost grayish-purple color. All four girls were sitting in front of a glass building. In pink bubble letters were the words "Puella Magi Madoka Magica." It was quite a mouthful.

I clicked on it, enlarging it as I skimmed the overview. A creature named Kyubey offers to grant Madoka one wish in exchange that she becomes a magical girl and fights witches. Homura, a magical girl tries to stop Madoka from making a contract.

Well, that didn't sound too bad not to mention that it actually sounded quite a bit like Sailor Moon. After I studied the cover for a second, I could even recognize the outfits they wore as magical girl ones.

"Okay, it looks good." I told her.

She grinned as she clicked it with the remote, the loading screen appearing. I took this time to get comfy on the floor in front of the couch. Dad, Kathy and Alisha were crowded onto it. There was always the chair but that meant whoever sat there would have to crane their neck to see the tv. I was better on the floor, especially after I stole one of the throw-pillow to stick under my butt.

When the episode started, I dug into my chinese, thoroughly satisfied in that moment.

As the night wore on, Alisha became so enraptured by the show that she ended up sitting next to me, her eyes not leaving the tv for even a second. I couldn't really blame her though. The anime was pretty entertaining, even if it had started off a little weird. We were currently on the third episode and Madoka had just decided that she was going to become a magical girl so she could fight along side Mami. Even I had to admit that it was a touching moment.

The fight scene had just started up when I reached towards one of the chinese cartons. There wasn't much lo mein left in it so it would probably be fine if I just ate from it. That's what I told myself anyways as I dug out a bite.

There was two distinct gasps, one from Dad and one from Alisha as I glanced up to the tv. The sight I saw had my mouth falling open, the noodles falling back in the container I had just scooped them out of. The witch she had been fighting had literally just bit her head off.

"No! They can't do that to her!" Alisha cried out as the witch devoured the rest of her. On the screen, Madoka and Sayako stood frozen in fear.

"What the fuck?!" I couldn't help but agree with Alisha. I thought this was supposed to be a magical-girl show. No where had it mentioned horror and death.

It didn't take much longer for the episode to finish and when it did, Alisha hit the pause button before turning to me, eyes still wide and mouth still slack. I'm sure my own face mirrored hers.

"Perhaps we should find a different show to watch." Dad suggested after clearing his throat.

"What?" Alisha and I both asked, incredulously. We took a second to look at each other in surprise before turning back to dad.

"You can't suggest something like that after one of the main character just gotten eaten." I told him.

"Yeah," Alisha tacked on. "It's not fair. We have to know what happens."

"How about waiting a few years then." He said, his voice a bit more firm as he looked at Alisha. "You're not old enough to watch stuff like this yet."
Ashe huffed, her arms crossed over her chest. "But I watched Darien and all the scouts die in Sailor Moon," she pointed out.

"That was different. There was no blood or gore involved in that." Kathy pointed out.

"No, just guys that would transform into girls." I muttered and got a look from Dad.

He shook his head before standing. "I'm going to get a drink. Why don't you two pick out a movie to watch instead." He said before moving towards the kitchen.

Alisha glared after him, even after Kathy joined Dad in the kitchen.

I checked to make sure neither of them could hear before turning to Alisha. "Don't worry. We'll watch it tomorrow."

Her answering grin was almost blinding, especially seeming it was one that hadn't been directed towards me in the longest time. She quickly hid her smile though as Dad came back into view.

The rest of the night, Dad and Kathy had control of the remote. The movies that they picked out weren't bad but it definitely wasn't what Alisha and I were itching to see. After the movies were over, we spent a few minutes picking up the living room. Alisha was the first one to head up to her room and I managed to give her a wink as she was leaving. She turned her head away, but I could still see her uplifted cheeks that told me a smile was present.

I tried to make my escape soon after but I was stopped by Dad before I was able to leave the room.

"So about you being grounded," he started, "Alisha was right about the fact that it would be rather boring for you two to hang out if you are so let's make a deal."

This is what Alice must have seen when she told me I would be off soon. "And what does this deal entail?" I asked as I slid onto the chair.

"You've been grounded for a while now and you've handled it remarkably well. I haven't even heard any complaining from you about it. As such, I'm letting you off, as long as you two can resolve your issues tomorrow. It has gone on long enough."

I nodded in acceptance of his terms, especially because after tonight it seemed like we actually had a bit of a breakthrough. It gave me hope that we could figure some of this out tomorrow. Or at the very least, enough of it to meet his requirements.

"And if I don't see any improvement, you'll both be grounded until I do." He finished, his tones coming rather close to a warning.

Well, we better figure it out or Alisha really won't be happy with me. "Is that all then?"

After a second he nodded.

"Okay, I'm gonna head up to bed then. I'll see you guys when you get back from work tomorrow." I told them before going to my room.

It wasn't much longer that I heard them both climbing the stairs.

When I woke up the next morning, it was to the sun shinning in a cloudless sky and a quite house. Dad and Kathy had left and Alisha was still asleep. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep so instead I went downstairs, opening all the windows in the kitchen to let the warm breeze flow through as I started on breakfast.

I was mostly done with the pancakes when Alisha walked into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Why don't you go and get Netflix ready while I finish up. We can have breakfast in the living room." I told her as I flipped one of the last pancakes.

Her head shot up in excitement, her eyes practically sparkling as she turned and ran. Well, apparently she was awake now.

It took two trips to get everything set up in the living room. Alisha had drawn the curtains and tacked blankets on top of them so the whole room was enveloped in darkness. The only light came from the doorway, which Alisha was working on covering, and the loading screen on the t.v.

"Why don't we eat before covering that. We do need some light to see," I suggested to her as I took a seat on the couch.

She paused, sighing deeply, before climbing down and taking the seat next to me.

By the time episode 4 started, we were so engrossed in what was going on that our breakfasts were left half-eaten.

With each episode being a little over twenty minutes long and there only being twelve episodes in the entire season, it didn't take long for us to complete the series. By episode 8, Alisha was tearing up and by episode 10, we were both flat out bawling at the what was happening. The opening song made so much more sense now. By the time that episode twelve was over, my eyes were still running, granted at a much slower pace now.

Next to me, Alisha sniffled before blowing her nose on a tissue. She had a small heap in front of her though I couldn't say much. My pile was just as big as hers.

"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked, trying to make my voice sound normal.

"Re-watch the whole thing again," was her immediate answer.

I laughed, though it sounded a bit choked. "Come on, we need to get something for lunch." I told her before glancing at our left-overs from breakfast. The half of the pancakes that were left had soaked up the syrup and kind of just looked like a blob. "How about we reheat the left-overs from last night and then we can figure out what to do with the rest of the day."

Alisha nodded before she started cleaning up the mess we had made. She puts all the tissue in a bag before throwing them away. The pancakes went with them. Next she worked to take all the blankets down and put the blinds back up. Meanwhile, I headed to the kitchen and divided what was left of the food between us. When that was done, I popped one of the plates into the microwave. Alisha walked in right as it started beeping so I set the plate down in front of her before putting mine in.

When my food was done, I sat down across from Alisha as I dug in. I was almost desperately hungry but that wasn't surprising seeming how little we had actually eaten this morning. I glanced up at Alisha just in time to see her stuff her mouth full of rice. After a few bites, she resembled a chipmunks with her cheeks puffed as they were.

I waited until she had swallowed her food before asking my question again. "So what do you want to do this afternoon?"

She shrugged, taking another bite.

I glanced out the window, noticing that it was still a beautiful day out. We should probably spend it outside not to mention I really needed to see Sam. "Do you want to head down to La Push? We could visit everyone and maybe go down to the beach if we have enough time."

Her eyes immediately brightened.

"Well then finish up and we'll get going." I told her.

We were both done with our meal in record time. It only took a matter of minutes to take care of everything and get a small bag around for if we did have time to go swimming. After that, we were locking the door behind us and racing to the truck.

The drive to the reservation was utterly amazing, especially as we rolled down the windows and cranked up the music. The air was blissfully warm as it streamed into the cab and the sun was bright. The only thing that could have made this better was if I had been able to take the bike. With my permit for it though, I wasn't allowed to drive passengers yet. Oh well, we're stuck with the truck for now. About halfway there, Alisha stuck her hand out the window and started trying to catch the wind.

When we were approaching the edges of the reservation, I handed Alisha my cellphone and had her call Jake's house to see where he was. If he was home, he could meet us at Sam's and if he wasn't, well, he probably was already there.

Billy ended up answering the phone. He gave us the confirmation that Jake wasn't home. He wasn't sure though, whether Jake would be running right now or not.

We were pulling up to Sam's five minutes later.

Embry stuck his head out the door before disappearing back inside. Alisha basically jumped out of the truck before running after him. I followed at a much more sedate pace. I did almost get run over by Quil though, who was leaving to go switch with Jake. It seems that he was on patrol. Still, they wouldn't deny him the chance to hang out with Alisha.

As I entered, I had to stop to take a deep breath at the delicious smell that was wafting through the air. Emily was baking. I glanced over, seeing her pulling out a tray of cinnamon rolls, Alisha standing next to her and practically drooling.

The pig, we just finished eating lunch. Still, I couldn't help but grin.

"Nice to see you." Sam said from his spot at the kitchen table.

"You as well." I said, trying to sound polite. "I would have been down sooner but what with being grounded and all..."

He nodded before falling silent.

"So what have you been up to?" I asked, directing the question towards Emily.

She shrugged, starting to work on glaze for the cinnamon rolls. Alisha was hot on her heels. "Same old, same old. I've been kept busy with everything going on. It's been a little hectic since Harry's passing."

Oh, that's right. It seems like so long ago that Dad and Kathy came home telling us about it. "How has every one been doing?"

"Some have taken it harder than others. Sue has been amazing though. Lately she has taken Harry's spot on the council so she's been very involved in everything going on. I think it helps, keeps her busy and everything." Emily said.

"Well, that's good." I said after a second. Did that mean she knew about everything that was going on with the wolves or that she was just getting more involved in tribal matters? Where they both considered the same thing?

After a second, I brushed the thought away. If Sue was involved with the pack, I was sure I would see her sooner or later.

Before I could say anything else, Jake appeared in the doorway, wearing nothing more than a pair of running shoes and basketball shorts.

Alisha managed to tear herself away from the treats to run towards Jake. He reached down, throwing her up in the air and catching her before settling her onto his hip. Huh, I thought she had gotten too big for that, but then again this was Jake who was now freakishly strong.

"Jakey! Can we go down to the beach? Anna said that we can and we even brought stuff. It would be a lot more fun if you came too." She said before continuing her spiel, talking so fast that it was almost hard to keep up with her words.

Eventually Jake laughed as he nodded. "As long as your sister says it's okay."

"Of course it is. If you two want to start heading down now, I'll be there in a little bit." I informed them.

Alisha paused, her lips pulling down in a frown before she looked to me. "But you said we could all go and that means you too."

I grinned as warmth flowed through my chest. At least Alisha actually wanted me around now. "I'll be there. I promise but I got to talk to Sam first. Why don't you tell Jake all about Madoka and I'm sure I'll be there before you are done."

She brightened considerably, meanwhile, Jake gave me a funny look, probably at the name. Oh well, he would know soon enough.

In the following seconds, Alisha was leading Jake out the door and soon even their voices had faded.

When I was sure that not even Jake would be able to hear any words that were said, I turned back to Sam.

He gestured to the seat across from him as he spoke. "I'll try and keep this short." He promised.

I nodded, sitting in the chair. "So what can I help you with?"

He didn't say anything for a moment but when he did, his words seemed surprisingly heavy. "So the Cullens are back."

He didn't say it like a question so I didn't nod, just waited for him to continue.

"Jacob has informed me about the relationship between Rosalie and Alisha. Although I can't say I like it, I realize that is not up to me. Just know that with Alisha being Jacob's imprint, he will seek revenge if anything ever happens to her."

I bristled at his wording, for more reasons than one. The first because it implied that Alisha was Jake's, a possession of his and that was not how it worked. Second because none of the Cullens would ever hurt Alisha in that way. They had already proved that at her birthday party.

"What I am interested in is what is your relationship with the Cullens?"

For a second, I thought about not answering him at all. Sam was completely in his role as leader of his pack but he needed to realize that neither Alisha or I were part of it. Just because there was a connection between Jake and Alisha didn't mean he had any authority. I took a breath though, letting my anger go. I was down here for a reason and I had to stay cooperative when it came to them. I couldn't have them shutting me out, not when Alisha was so thickly intertwined with what was going on.

"The Cullens and I are just friends." I told him.

He raised in eyebrow in surprise.

"And only friends." I finished.

He seemed to approve of that if his smug look was anything to go by. My hand twitched with the urge to hit it off him. Hm, maybe it was just being down here that made me violent.

"And how does them being back affect your future?"

"It has not changed." I told him, trying not to lie but trying not to say the outright truth either. I did not want to see his reaction if he thought the 'cold ones' were endangering a human life.

His eyes narrowed at my wording, although he did not question it further. "I see. I just wanted to remind you then that our offer still stands if you do end up as one of them. If it was of your own free will, you will be given the same fate as them. If it was against your will, we can work something out."

I nodded, remember what he had told me before.

"I would also appreciate it if you kept our tribal matters separate from the Cullens. They do not need to know all that you do.

I almost snorted at that because, ironically, I was the only person who could to that. I hadn't said anything about Edward's gift, they didn't know what he could do, didn't know that he had probably already gleamed their secrets from their own heads at the competition.

"Is that all then?"

After a second he nodded.

"Okay, then I have to get headed. I need to catch up to my sister."

Nothing more was said as I exited the building, although I did catch Emily giving Sam a disproving look.

Instead of taking the path down to the beach like Alisha and Jake had, I climbed into the truck. The talk with Sam really hadn't taken that long, really only a few minutes, so hopefully I would arrive there about the same time they did.

The warm breeze helped to relax me a bit but I was still annoyed with Sam. He acted like Alisha was already a part of the pack, like she was a possession to be controlled and ordered around like the wolves that followed him. I didn't like it. Didn't like the implication that I had lost her already.

But, it was her choice to be here, her choice to hang out with Jake. I couldn't blame her for making a similar choice that I had, although I could lament that she had to make it so young.

I slumped further into my seat as I pulled into the parking lot. From here, I could just barely make out Alisha and Jake walking out the woods. They walked hand-in-hand, Jake swinging the bag we had packed earlier.

I climbed out, kicking off my shoes and leaving them in truck as I walked out on the sand. The top layer was warm, heated from the sun but the layers underneath were deliciously cool. The contrast felt wonderful on my bare feet.

"Anna!" Alisha called, waving her arms above her head.

I waved back, walking out to meet them about half way down the beach. Jake already had a few towels spread out and as I watched, Alisha stripped off her shirt and shorts to reveal her light green swimsuit beneath. Jake only had to take of his shoes to be ready.

"Aren't you going to come swimming with us?" Alisha asked.

"Maybe later, for now I'm just going to enjoy the sun."

She made a face but turned towards the water anyway. "I'll race you there!" She shouted towards Jake a split second before she started running towards the surf.

I sat on the towel, watching the two as a grin tugged at my lips. No matter what all this meant, at least Alisha was happy.

When they finally reached the water, Alisha dived in before coming up, screeching at the cold. Apparently the sun hadn't warmed up the water yet. Despite that, it did look inviting. The sun was flashing off the waves, turning the usual dark waters to an almost clear blue, at least where it was shallow.

After a second, I laid back, closing my eyes as I focused on the rays that were heating my skin. To be honest, I'm sure I dozed off, at least for a little bit because the next thing I was aware of was being bombarded by a cold spray.

I jerked into an upright position, wincing at the light to see both Jake and Alisha standing above me. They were both grinning, especially Alisha as she shook herself above me so that I got hit with the water that was coming off her.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Preparing you. It's time that you came and swam as well." She said, before reaching around and grabbing a fistful of her hair. It only took her a second to ring it out above me.

I couldn't help but screech in surprise, it was colder than I had expected, before they were both running away, back towards the water. I was up and following after them in a second. I had almost reached them when Jake grabbed Alisha around her waist and started running at his speed. There was no way I could keep up with that but I tried my best.

They hit the water a few seconds before I did but that didn't stop me from diving in after them. The water was rather cold, to the point that I came up spluttering. Alisha laughed as I wiped my eyes but it didn't stop me from grabbing her and throwing her deeper. She went under with a cry of delight before coming back up, still laughing.

"Throw me again!"

After teaching Jake how to do a basket-toss, we hurled Alisha up into the air, jumping backwards so that she could splash back down in the water. Each time we seemed to get a bit higher as we tried to beat our previous attempt. We only stopped when Alisha skin started to take on a red hue from the impact with the water.

It wasn't much later that she started shivering, her lips tinted purple. We headed back to the towels seeming she had been in the water for a quite a while. When we got back, I stretched back like I had been when I was dozing, allowing the sun to dry me. Alisha however, huddled into Jake's side, 'stealing his warmth' as she put it.

I listened to them chatter back and forth until we were all completely dry. At that point, she had even gotten a promise out of his that he would watch Madoka with her at some point. Apparently it was her new favorite.

Sighing, I glanced at my phone, realizing that it was getting to be later in the afternoon. Dad and Kathy would probably be getting home soon.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked, turning to her.

She gave me the best puppy-dog face she could muster but I shook my head.

"We have your competition to go to tomorrow and you need a good nights sleep."

She paused before sighing and turning to Jake. "Are you going tomorrow?" She asked.

After a second he shook his head. "I got some stuff I have to do but I'll be going to your one next week. Good luck."

"Okay," she sighed out.

Jake helped us pack up and get everything loaded into the truck, although all of a gear was just a bag, before saying goodbye. Alisha waved to him as we pulled out. He waved back before turning and disappearing into the woods.

Alisha was unusually silent and we were just exiting the reservation when I glanced over to her. She was staring out the window, her lips pulled down into a frown. It created a rather serious face that I didn't like seeing on her.

"Why does Jakey always go into the woods when he leaves instead of going in a car like a normal person?"

I almost slammed on the brakes at her question but I was able to stop the reaction and continue driving normally. I couldn't help sputtering though, not being prepared for her question.

"Is it the same reason he's always hot and why all his friends are just as big as he is?"

Shit. Why was she even asking this right now? I didn't know how to answer her questions, didn't know what to say to her. She was too young to know the truth.

She didn't say anything else but I could feel her gaze on me. After a second, I sighed before pulling over to the side of the road. It seemed like Alisha was determined to have this conversation and I would rather it be here than at home where Dad and Kathy might overhear, even if I wasn't going to tell her anything.

I turned so that I was facing her, leaning my back up against the door. Her blue eyes were hard and more serious than I had ever seen them before. It was a look that did not belong on a little girl.

"Does it matter?" I shot back at her.

"Yes," was her immediate answer.

"Why?"

"Because, whatever is different about him and Rosy, is the reason you left."

"What's different about the Cullens?" I asked, worried about how much she might have picked up.

It took Alisha a second to answer but when she did, a shiver traveled down my spine. "Rosy doesn't eat much and when she does, she hates whatever it is. I don't think she has a favorite food, or at least a favorite normal food. I don't know what she is supposed to eat. Jakey is always warm but Rosy is always cold and even though her skin is really soft, it's also hard. Her eyes change colors too, just like the rest of the Cullens. People's eyes aren't supposed to do that and her whole family have the same weird eye color. If they were all adopted, then that shouldn't happen."

Too much. She had noticed too much. I thought I had been being careful, that she wouldn't pick up on it but she was gathering information just like I had.

"Jakey's friends are weird too. Sam and Emily are nice but Sam is different. It's like he's the dad of everyone because they all do what he says. Not to mention they never wear anything but shorts. People aren't supposed to walk around half-naked."

I couldn't help but snort at her comment but it did nothing to make me feel better. She was only eight. She shouldn't have picked up on all of this, shouldn't have known any of it. She was too young and it was too dangerous.

"Alisha, you need to listen to me. What you just said, you can't tell that to anyone, okay?"

She huffed, glancing away. "I'm not stupid. I know that whatever the answer is, it's a secret. But whatever it is, that's why you left." She continued to argue.

After a second, I sighed. "It is the reason I had to leave for a little bit. You know I'm really sorry I missed your competition, but what I did, it was very important."
"I know."
I couldn't help blinking at her in surprise. "But if you knew that, why have you been mad all this time?"
"Because you lied." She said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Granted to an eight-year-old it might be. "I know that whatever you did was more important then going to my competition, even if I was mad that you didn't go to begin with. But I know that what Rosy told Dad, it was a lie. It wasn't why you left, wasn't why you couldn't go. I've been mad because you haven't told me the truth."

In that moment, I felt tears prickling my eyes because no matter how you look at it, her words were true. I had lied to keep her safe but she had still picked up on things. We done our best to keep her out of the loop but she had still seen. But it didn't do any good. Even if she knew all this, it still didn't matter. She still couldn't know the truth. Some day, but not now.

"I'm sorry but I can't tell you." My words came out slow and with a weight that I didn't know they could carry.

She glared, her lips pushing out into a pout. "But it's not fair. I'm friends with all of them just like you are. I should be able to know what is going on."

"Yes, you should." I told her. She was involved with it, she should be able to know. "But it's dangerous. There are people out there that would kill me for knowing their secret."

At this point, I didn't bother to sugarcoat it. She knew enough that she needed to know how serious this was, how dangerous.

She paused before her mouth softened. "Does Kathy now what is going on?"

I shook my head.

"Does Dad?"
Another shake.

"Well who does?"

"The Cullens, Jake's and his friends, and me."

Her face scrunched up in concentration for a second. "Does that mean you are the only normal person who knows?"

I almost wanted to laugh at that. I wouldn't classify myself as normal anymore. "Yes," I told her instead. "Everyone else who knows what's going on, knows because they are involved in it. I'm the only one that's not like them."

"Then why do you get to know?"

I bit my lip. Although I was no longer being as careful, I still couldn't tell her what Alice saw, that I would be like the Cullens, and soon. "Because they didn't tell me about it. I guessed it and I guessed right."

"So, if I guess right then can I know?"

"Sure," I said, for lack of anything else.

"What if I can't? Will I get to know eventually?"

"I can promise you that if you get older and still don't know, then someone will tell you, either me or Jake." I hoped that she didn't pick up on the fact that I didn't specify an age. Maybe then I could stretch this out as long as I could, keep her at least partly innocent if things turned towards the worst.

She didn't say anything for a little bit before she nodded. "Okay, I can deal with that."

Relief washed through me. She wouldn't demand the answer right now and I wouldn't have to continue to deny her. She would work to find it though, just like I did and hopefully it would take her a lot longer to figure out what was going on.

"Does this mean that we are better?" I asked, cautiously.

"As long as you promise that I can know at some point, then I forgive you for not telling me the truth." She said, nodding resolutely.

This time, I couldn't help but crack a smile at the face she made. "Well, that's good because if you didn't we would both be grounded from now on."

Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened. "What?! But I didn't do anything wrong!" She said.

"Other than being a little brat." This time the word was playful and although her eyes flashed, it was only with mirth rather than hurt.

"If you want to see a brat, I can show you one." She promised.

I pretended to deliberate for a second before shaking my head. "Nah, I've dealt with you for long enough."

"Hey!"

I chuckled at her, starting the truck back up and pulling back out into the road.

"Just wait until I tell Rosy what you said."

"Oooh, I'm so scared."

Okay, I hope you all liked it and for those of you who have free time, I highly suggest that you go and look up Madoka and watch the show. I literally bawled my eyes out on episode ten. If you did enjoy the chapter, leave a review down below so I know and I'll see you all next week. Let's see if I can make it two weeks in a row that I'm actually on time.