Unconditionally and Irrevocably

Interrogations

I yawned and leaned my head against the steering wheel, feeling exhausted. I had stayed up late with Jacob researching more about vampires. This time, it was specifically about their feeding habits and why some vampires may be more primitive than others.

In the early '70s, case studies on non-nomadic vampires were done to study the effect their diet had on them. Many of the studies found that more 'primitive' vampires, those with limited cognitive and physical abilities, were far more likely to live in places where blood supply was limited, such as deserts, high in mountains—places where most animals and people are much less likely to roam. The lack of a consistent blood source meant that their bodies had to ration what little it did get.

Along that vein, one particular study also talked about vampires that lived in the poorest areas of cities. What the study found was that while vampires in those areas had much better cognitive abilities than their more secluded counterparts, they did not do nearly as well compared to those that had a regular supply of nutrient-rich blood.

While the study didn't claim this to be true, Jacob and I concluded that these results were likely linked to humans and their ability to receive nutritious foods. Humans that can frequently access nutrient-rich foods were much more likely to perform better—physically, mentally, and emotionally, than those that live in a food desert. If a vampire had access to humans that were frequently eating nutritious food, the blood they were getting from those humans would be better for them to drink and thus, they were likely to perform better physically, mentally, and emotionally themselves.

It was all very interesting, and because of those case studies, we didn't go to bed until almost three in the morning.

"Are you okay?" I blinked heavily and turned my head to the side, looking out my dirty driver's side window. The hazy figures of Edward and Alice peered through it with worried eyes.

"Morning, guys," I said with a sleepy smile. I rubbed at my eyes with the side of my wrist and grabbed my bag from the passenger side before leaving the car. Edward closed the door for me and I leaned heavily against it, hiding an enormous yawn behind my hand.

I allowed Edward to take my bag and took the moment to stretch, feeling my body shiver as the wind and frosty fog snuck up the sweater I was wearing.

"Oh, Bella, what are you wearing?" Alice asked, scrunching up her nose while she eyed my outfit.

"Hm?"

I looked down to study my clothes with a frown. I was wearing black sweatpants, a fitted red camisole, and a black crop-top hoodie—all compliments of Rachel and Jacob's closets. It certainly wasn't my usual fashion, and if it hadn't been for the camisole, I'd have been blushing all day long, but it wasn't horrific. I think the pants and sweatshirt might even be name-brand. Although, the writing was much too faded to tell.

"I borrowed some clothes from Jacob's house. We wound up crashing late and I barely woke up in time to get here, let alone go home and change."

"Did you have fun?" Edward asked, as he shouldered my bag and took my hand in his. It felt almost warm in mine with how cold it was. We began to walk toward the school buildings, the fog from the last few days continued to hang around, suffocating everything in its path, so I had to trust that Edward wouldn't let me get hit by a car or a wayward biker.

"We did some math, ate some pizza, read some case studies on vampires—typical evening."

Edward chuckled darkly, "I bet."

I grinned up at him, turning to Alice when I noticed her stopping and pulling several things from her bag.

"What's wrong, Alice? Forget an assignment?"

Alice shook her head, "I need to go change my gym class." She pulled a yellow card from her bag and waved it in the air as she shoved the rest of the items back in her bag. It looked to be a doctor's excuse. "Due to certain medications I am on, I need to take my math, science, and language classes within the first three hours of school."

I shot a dubious look towards Edward, who was biting back a smile.

"Medication… right."

"I'll see you later!" She winked at me, waved, and made her way through the throng of students to Building One.

I stared after her with narrowed eyes, watching until the fog swallowed her, before turning on Edward. "Are you going to explain to me what exactly is going on or…?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

He began to pull me towards Building Three. "What medication does Alice take?" I asked finally, playing along, flipping my hair out of my eyes after a gust of wind blew it in my face. "I can't imagine any medication a human takes would have much of an effect on your kind." I paused for a minute, imagining Alice's extreme energy, "If it did, I imagine Alice could use a good healthy dose of Ritalin."

Edward snorted at that, "We can't take any medication. Well, not effectively from what we have been able to test. We have tried to give her Focalin to help with the energy and focus issues she tends to have; her and Emmett, because he is even worse than she is. You wouldn't believe the number of times Esme has been called to the school because of Emmett. The medication didn't make much of a difference.

"Alice got about an hour or two in before it was completely out of her system- even with the gradual release. Emmett was worse, he burned through it within forty minutes. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if, after the medication wore off, they were back to their normal levels of hyperactivity, but they were worse. Esme wouldn't even let them into the house until they regulated themselves. The experiment lasted barely a week before we pulled them off it."

"But in theory, certain medications could work on you then?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. Technically, the medication had worked, just not for as long as intended and with side effects.

"In theory, if we got the right dosage, and figured out a way to stop it from metabolizing so quickly, we could." Edward mused. "We do know that acetaminophen doesn't work on us, no matter the dosage. We tried when Alice was getting so many visions that it gave her massive headaches."

"What if the medication was an NSAID?"

"Hm," Edward said thoughtfully. "I can't say. We can try it the next time one of us gets a headache." He scowled as Jessica and Lauren whispered conspiringly while walking past us. "Although, that might happen sooner than one would think."

"I just don't think it's a good idea," I vaguely heard Jessica say, but I couldn't see her face clearly through the fog. "She could get hurt."

"Who cares," Lauren snapped. "It's not like she doesn't deserve it."

"She's a bit annoying, but that doesn't justify having that done to her." Jessica hissed.

"If you're too scared, then stay out of it," Lauren huffed as they walked into Building Three ahead of me and Edward.

I looked up at Edward, his eyes were dark and his hands were clenched into fists. "Is everything okay, Edward?"

He gritted his teeth before softening his features, "Everything will be just fine." He promised. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took several deep breaths before sending me a smile. "Something interesting that I bet you don't know."

My eyes widened, and I smiled. I loved to get new information. Even if he was using it to distract me.

"Sometimes we take blood supplements if we are desperate and need to get something in us before we attack humans, but can't leave suddenly. Jasper takes them more often than the rest of us do- at least once a month or so. We all have a pack of supplements with us at all times, just in case. They taste horrible because of the preservatives, but it takes the edge off until we can hunt."

I made an effort to remember that tidbit of information. Just like I would if someone told me they had an EpiPen—it was important to know. It might save someone's life.

"Hm," I said, cocking my head to the side. "That's pretty genius. What are they like? Are they chalky, dried up animal blood? Or is it more like an Advil Liquid Gel, where there is liquid blood inside a capsule?"

"They are like Advil Liquid Gels, but a purplish-red color." He said with a forced smile.

"What is Alice up to then?" I asked suddenly, hoping that the quick change of subject would get him to answer before he realized what he was saying.

"You'll find out soon enough," Edward promised, stopping in front of Building Three. "I'll pick you up for lunch?"

I pouted and rolled my eyes. "You aren't going to tell me what is going on, are you?"

Edward shook his head and leaned down to kiss my cheek. "I promise you will know by the end of the day. I don't want you to worry about it," He handed over my bag and pulled away. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Have a good morning," I muttered, watching as he disappeared into the mist and fog. "Hmm," I murmured to myself as I turned and walked through the front door.

There was so much to ponder today. The Cullens take supplemental blood when they need to, Alice is up to something, and MACUSA hasn't shown up yet; which could either bode well for me or not. Why was this my life? Why did the Cullens need to be a puzzle wrapped in a riddle? Why the hell does Mike look like he went head-on with a semi-truck?

"Long night?" I asked him, sitting down beside him. He answered me with a tired groan, his head thrown over the back of the chair, hands scrubbing over his face.

I leaned forward to take the papers handed to me by Allison, a brunette cheerleader who sat in front of me. I tapped Mike on the arm with my hand several times before he took the papers from me. He took one for himself and handed it off to the person in front of him, Lauren, unfortunately. I couldn't stand being within a six-foot radius of her if I could help it. She was utterly miserable.

"I was up all night reading for the quiz in Government." He groaned while sitting up in his seat. He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled at his bangs, shuffling them back into their signature style before leaning heavily on the desk.

"We have a quiz in Government‽" I asked in alarm. Shoot, I forgot to study.

He shook his head, "No. A lot of the class hasn't been doing the readings, so now he gives us these close reading quizzes, once a week, to make sure the homework is being done."

I gave a hum of sympathy. Mr. Jefferson had done that to my class back in February. Barely anyone had passed the first one, but everyone passed the second. Thankfully, we hadn't needed to take another one.

I glanced down at the paper on my desk. It was an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet; AKA the cautionary tale about how everything would be better if you just chill the fuck out.

He was probably setting us up to write a compare and contrast essay on Romeo and Juliet and Wuthering Heights. I did something similar in my old English class.

I think it's on the USB Renee sent to the house with my old essays.

Mr. Mason banged his fist on the desk twice, and we all responded with a clap before falling completely silent.

"Good Morning, Class."

"Good Morning, Mr. Mason."

"Today, we are going to be working on an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet. First up, you will take ten minutes to read over the excerpt on your desk, and in three to four sentences explain what the scene was about."

Lauren raised her hand, "Mr. Mason. This is in Shakespearean English, we did the modern English version last year."

"You will find the modern translation on the back of the paper, Lauren." Mr. Mason said, exasperated.

I glanced over the excerpt while I tiredly ran a hand through my hair, looking for the pencil I used to make a bun this morning.

Oh, maybe that had been what Alice was commenting on earlier. My hair probably looked like a hot mess, I hadn't even bothered to brush it before I put it up.

I winced, pulling the pencil from a particularly vicious tangle, and huffed, jotting down my sentences. When I finished, I put my head in my folded arms and closed my eyes. The only way I was going to get through the day was to have small cat naps whenever I could.

After a few shared their description of the excerpts, Mr. Mason called on us to read the excerpt aloud. He wanted to choose two people to do it in front of the class. Noticing that no one was volunteering to read for Juliet, I raised my hand. It was better to get my participation points out of the way now, then I could sleep the rest of the period.

"Yes, Bella, thank you." I slid from my seat and walked to the front of the classroom, hiding a yawn behind the paper in my hand.

"Now who will be our Romeo?"

There were a few grumbles, but no one raised their hand. Had we not been tasked with reading the Shakespearian version in front of the class, I would have likely felt a bit offended, but I knew how difficult the language could be if you aren't used to it, and how embarrassing screwing up in front of the class was, so I didn't judge them too harshly.

Mr. Mason rolled his eyes. "You guys are unbelievable."

He went to his desk and pulled out a can that held sticks with our names on it. When no one volunteered, he would bring out the sticks. It made choosing someone random, so no one could claim he was targeting them—at least, that is what Renee told me. I am not quite sure of the validity of that.

He was digging in the can for a name when something outside the door caught his eyes. He hurried to the door and pried it open. "Edward!" he called.

I whipped my head around towards the door and watched with wide-eyes as I caught sight of Edward through the door's window—what was he doing here, wasn't he supposed to be in Calculus?

"Yes, Mr. Mason?" Edward asked in that hypnotizing voice of his.

"Show them how it's done. Read this passage with Bella."

Edward shrugged and took the book from Mr. Mason as he passed by him. He walked to stand beside me, flashing a mischievous smile. "Hello, Bella."

"Edward," I said tersely, narrowing my eyes at him suspiciously. What was he planning? "What are you doing here?" I whispered, low enough so only he could hear me.

His eyes had been scanning the class until he located Lauren. They narrowed at the girl who had a vicious scowl etched across her face. He must have heard something he didn't like in her mind because he growled low in his throat before he turned to me, his mischievous grin returning. "I had to use the bathroom."

I opened my mouth to retort, to demand answers for what was going on, but Mr. Mason interrupted. Right, I'm in class. No need to cause a scene. I can always get answers later.

"Start, Bella." Mr. Mason said from somewhere behind me.

I felt myself blush, finally noticing the twenty-three pairs of eyes watching us expectantly. "F—for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch and palm to palm is holy palmers kiss." I held my palm toward him and Edward placed his hand against mine.

"Have not saints lips and the holy palmers too?" He wasn't even bothering to look at the book. Showoff.

I met his eyes and my breath got caught in my chest. Concentrate, Bella! Don't make a fool of yourself! "Ay, Pilgrim, lips that they must use... in prayer." I tumbled out, unable to keep myself from staring into his eyes, and my blush deepened. I could feel the electricity running between us from the connection at our palms.

Angela fanned herself with a hand, sucking in a breath. "Oh, boy. Keep it, PG-13 kids." I wasn't the only one that could feel it.

"Oh then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do." Edward slowly leaned towards me and I did the same, our breath mingling between us. We were mere millimeters apart. My heart was thundering in my chest. It was our first kiss, and it was about to happen in front of the entire first period, English IV class.

"Brava, very good!" Mr. Mason interrupted.

I breathed a sigh of relief and pulled away from Edward, throwing my head down so that my tangled hair could hide my face. I felt like I was going to internally combust.

"It was about to be great!" Jessica protested, standing up from her seat. "Their lips were about to do what hands do!" She clapped her hands to emphasize her point. Lauren rolled her eyes and violently pulled Jessica down into her seat, causing the other girl to scowl and rub her backside.

The class laughed, and I couldn't help the bubble of laughter that escaped my throat at the comment. I peeked up at Edward and saw that he, too, was laughing, his hand running through the back of his hair. At that moment, he looked more seventeen than I had ever seen him.

o0o

The rest of the morning went by without incident and I pretty much slept through lunch. Edward walked me to the Volvo and put on a CD and the heat, while I curled up in the passenger side. He began describing other little experiments he and his family have done over the years, but I had dozed off within a few minutes. I'd need to have him repeat them some other time.

When Edward woke me up for Biology, something seemed off about him, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I hoped I hadn't said anything in my sleep that might have upset him.

We walked to Bio in silence, and I could feel the tension between us that had not been there before I fell asleep. It put me on edge.

I nervously ran a hand through my hair as I took my seat beside Edward, throwing my bag onto the desk. I swallowed a sigh and willed myself to pull out my binder and homework. I tried to remember what I had been dreaming about, but all I remember was that it had been very pleasant. Too pleasant, perhaps? Oh Merlin, did I moan his name in my sleep? My eyes widened and I felt my face burst with heat. Did I say or do something worse than that‽

I peered over at him through my tangled mess of hair and studied him, seeing if his face held any clues as to what had transpired.

It didn't. His face held his usual mask of indifference that he had perfected over the last eighty plus years. He was sitting much further away from me than he had been the past few classes. I would have to reach across the desk to be able to touch his arm. The first time he had done that, it was because my scent bothered him. Was it doing the same thing now?

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and forced myself to focus on the board in front of me. There was nothing I could do about it right now, so I might as well focus on class and talk to him about it after.

"To review," Mr. Banner said forty minutes later. "Bone is composed entirely of what?"

I groaned and plopped my head into my folded arms. Silence met his question despite the answer being on the board behind him. A glance around told me that almost no one had been paying attention. Some, like myself, had their heads on the desks, others were playing with their cellphones under the desk; even Angela seemed to be doing homework for another class.

I glanced over at Edward, and he too seemed to be lost in his own little world. Usually, he was the one who would answer if no one else would, but he didn't seem up for it either. I frowned at that.

"Come on, it's written on the board behind me!"

Crickets met his outburst.

Mr. Banner slapped his hand against the board, "Calcium! I just told you guys five minutes ago, don't you listen?"

"No," Edward muttered, causing me to snort. That is a little more like it.

Before Mr. Banner could lose his cool any more, the bell rang signaling the end of the period.

Great, time for gym class.

"That you hear. For homework, read chapter fifteen and reread chapter fourteen. It's for your own good!"

Everyone around us jumped up and put their binders in their bags. Edward was already finished and had grabbed my bag to help me with mine. Knowing he would take the bag for me, I pushed my chair in and stood before Mr. Mason's desk. "Mr. Mason?"

"What is it, Bella?"

"A bone's hardness is derived mainly from calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate with small amounts of fluorides, sulfates, and chlorides."

"You listened to what I said, why didn't you raise your hand?" He sighed, looking just about done with the world.

"It's never enough for you, is it?" I said with a small smile and a shake of my head.

He rolled his eyes at me and waved me off. "Have a good day, Bella, Edward." I waved before allowing Edward to push me out of the classroom and into the crowded corridor.

"Are you going to tell me what's up?" I asked, pulling on Edward's hand to get his attention.

He looked down at me. "Hmm?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," He denied, holding open the door for me.

I sighed heavily and walked out into the fog. "Edward, aren't we supposed to be honest with each other?" I asked him with a raise of my eyebrow.

"It's me being ridiculous," he muttered.

"If it bothers you, it isn't ridiculous," I told him softly.

"I'm jealous," he admitted, whisper-soft. I almost didn't catch it. There was a very slight blush on his cheeks; I wouldn't have caught it had I not spent so much time staring at his face. Before this, I hadn't even been aware that blushing was a possibility for him. The more you know.

"...of?" I asked, feeling the need to push him to answer.

"Jacob," he admitted before he dropped my hand and began walking towards Building Five, where his next class was.

I blinked once, twice, three times before I took off after him. He wasn't leaving me just standing there after dropping that tidbit on me. "Edward!" He stopped suddenly, causing me to run into his back. I winced, my forehead hitting his shoulder blades.

I scowled and rubbed my forehead while he turned around to look at me wearily. "You can't just leave me after dropping that bombshell!"

"It's stupid, I shouldn't be jealous of a child."

"Hey now, I'm technically a child compared to you," I scolded as I crossed my arms over my chest. "What on Earth are you jealous about?"

He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You wear his clothes and sleep in bed with him without thinking about it."

"Of course, Jake is like a brother to me. We've done those things for years," I shrugged.

"I don't like it," Edward admitted. "It—it puts his scent all over you."

Realization of just how sensitive his sense of smell was, to be able to smell something like that, hit me.

I mulled over the information for a few moments. Jacob's scent probably didn't bother him this morning because the wind was blowing and I stood downwind from him. But, at lunch, he sat in a small enclosed space with me, plenty close to smell Jacob on me and no wind or fans or thirty other peoples' scents to make it less potent. Vampires were territorial, and certain scents, especially ones that they aren't too familiar with, would make them uneasy.

"I understand why, with your sensitive sense of smell, that may bother you," I said gently. "But Jake's like a brother to me, I could never drop him." I didn't think that was what he was trying to say but decided it was better to make my stance on this known immediately.

"I'm not asking you to!" Edward snapped, clearly frustrated. "That's exactly why I didn't want to tell you. I know it's ridiculous and this is a completely different time, and nothing is happening between you two, but I can't help but feel anxious when I smell him on you." His voice was low enough for no one around us to hear, but his tone made it obvious how angry he was—not at me, but himself.

I nodded but stayed quiet. There wasn't anything I could say to that. I didn't have anything to apologize for and he already knew nothing was happening between Jacob and me. Anything I said would just be a needless reiteration. In the back of my mind, I wondered if perhaps Jacob having werewolf genes might be the reason Edward felt so anxious.

Was he be able to sense it? Jacob and he were technically natural-born enemies, after all.

Jacob's fascination with the Cullens, or even the fact that he hasn't changed yet, could be why Edward's scent on me didn't bother him.

I frowned at that revelation.

When Jacob did have the change, would that cause issues? I hoped not, but we will have to cross that bridge when we got to it.

"You're not mad?" Edward asked hopefully after we had both been silent for almost a full minute.

I shook my head. "It's normal in relationships to be jealous sometimes," I thought about how I might feel if I saw Edward with a girl that wasn't one of his sisters. I would probably feel a little jealous myself, and admittedly, it wouldn't be one of my most shining moments. "Jealousy is a normal human emotion," I continued. "It can tell us about ourselves and our needs. As long as you don't let it get out of hand, it can wind up being a good thing," I assured him.

"You don't think it makes me insecure?"

"Oh, it definitely makes you insecure," I said lightly. "But I feel insecure as well at times. We are both new to this and need to be able to learn how to deal with these types of emotions. It's a part of growing up—of maturing and learning who we are."

"I should have gone through this a century ago." He was almost whining.

I shrugged. "So, you're a little stunted. You are going through it now, and that's good. We can go through it together." I smiled a bit at that. His being emotionally stunted put us on a more even playing ground, for now anyway. He may have lived an entire lifetime longer than I, but he still had a lot to learn about emotions and relationships. "It's not always going to feel good, but sometimes growth is uncomfortable. It's just a part of life."

Edward pulled me into a hug and buried his face in my hair. "Thank you." His voice was lighter, sincere.

I closed my eyes and allowed him to hold me for a moment before leaning back. I looked up and studied his eyes before leaning forward and pressing my lips against his cheek. "Just an FYI, it will not be good if I have to choose between you and Jake," I whispered in his ear.

Edward shook his head, "I would never make you choose."

"Then you will have nothing to worry about."

I tweaked his nose and pulled away from him. We continued to walk towards Building Five and the gym in companionable silence before something suddenly dawned on me. "Say, Edward. How did you know Jacob and I share a bed during sleepovers?"

Edward huffed out a laugh and leaned down to kiss my forehead before rocketing off. "Look at the time! Class is starting!"

"Edward!" I screeched after him, but he didn't turn around and was swiftly becoming less and less visible in the fog. "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, you get back here this instant!"

"Have an excellent class!" He called over his shoulder before hurrying down the pavement, his body engulfed by the fog surrounding the grounds.

I puffed out a breath of annoyance and rolled my eyes. That boy would be the death of me.

o0o

When I walked into the locker room, I had to stop and take a minute to comprehend what I was seeing. Standing beside my locker was a half-naked Alice Cullen, pulling on her gym shirt.

"What are you planning?" I asked her, throwing my bag on the bench and quickly reaching over to open my locker, only to see that Alice already had. Her bag was sitting at the bottom, taking up the entire space where I normally would place mine, and I sighed. I guess we were sharing then.

"I have no idea what you mean," she denied, bending down to tie her sneakers.

"Mmhm," I responded, pulling off my sweater and replacing it with my gym shirt. I left on my sweatpants. I doubted Coach Clapp would complain. "But really."

"Can't I just want to spend time with my friend?" She huffed, pulling her phone from her bag, typing out a quick text, and placing it in her bra. She pouted and folded her arms across her chest, leaning heavily against the lockers as she waited for me to lock up our belongings.

"Of course," I said enthusiastically, slamming the locker shut and twisting the lock.

I pushed her shoulder so that she would begin to move ahead of me. "I just think you have more of a motivation to change gym classes than just that."

"I'll never be able to get much past you," she said with a sigh, but her brilliant smile betrayed her words of disappointment. "There is another reason, but it's nothing you need to worry about. A huge silver lining is I get to hang out with you. Edward takes up much too much of your time. You need girls for friends too," She frowned darkly as Lauren and Jessica cut in front of us to walk out the door. "Better friends."

"Angela is extremely nice, and Jessica isn't that bad."

Alice shook her head, holding the door for me and leading me over to the badminton equipment. "Angela is the sweetest person in the world, I think we should invite her out when we go somewhere. I don't like that Jessica hangs out with Lauren— Lauren is trouble."

I scoffed, "She's just a pretty, popular girl. She's hardly dangerous."

Alice's eyes darkened, "You didn't see what I did."

I raised my eyebrows and took a racket from her. "What did you see?"

She shook her head and began to lead me to the net furthest away from the others. A good decision on her part, and not just because we could talk more privately. "Everything is fine now that I am here, so let's not worry about it, okay?"

Alice looked over her shoulder and glared at what she saw. I followed her gaze, my eyes landing on Lauren, who had a twisted smirk on her face as she stared at us. What on Earth is that about?

Before I could worry about Lauren anymore, Alice sent a shuttlecock right at my head. "Alice!" I squeaked indignantly.

"Get your head in the game, Swan!" She said teasingly, sending another one my way.

Twenty minutes later, and much to my embarrassment, I found myself surrounded by evidence of my failure littered across the floor and caught in the net.

"Okay, here it goes," I said, for what had to be the fifteenth time, throwing a shuttlecock into the air and swishing the racket at it. The shuttlecock went straight to the floor.

"Ergh!" I threw my hands in the air. I was exhausted, and it was doing nothing for my frustration levels.

"You're getting better," Alice said encouragingly. She still refused to tell me why, but she kept looking over at Lauren.

"I stink!"

"But you're getting better!" How this vampire had the patience to deal with my slow, uncoordinated ass, I would never know. But I guess to her, we were all slow and uncoordinated. Maybe she didn't see much of a difference. "Just try to hit a little higher, a little straighter, and a little further..."

I sighed wearily, but tossed another shuttlecock into the air and got two swishes in before it hit the ground. My racket flew out of my hand. Alice had dodged it, but poor Mike, who was playing in his square with Jessica behind her, had not been so lucky.

"...or any of those." she continued. "On second thought, maybe we should just focus on keeping your racket in your hand."

Jessica, who had checked to make sure Mike was okay, walked my racket back over to me, shaking her head. "How can someone from Arizona be so bad at everything that has to do with athletics?"

I shrugged helplessly, taking the racket from her, "I wish I knew. Thanks, Jess."

"Don't thank me," she said with a small smirk. "It'd probably have been better if I confiscated it."

I chuckled and pushed her back towards Mike, to whom I gave an apologetic wave. He waved me off and met Jessica halfway so that they can get lost in whatever they had been talking about before I almost smashed his head open.

"Let's try this again," Alice said encouragingly.

"Let's not," I groaned, throwing myself on the ground. I patted the spot next to me, showing that I wanted her to sit with me. "C'mon, let's just talk."

Alice sat down gracefully beside me. She pulled her knees against her chest and leaned her chin against them.

I breathed through my nose for a moment. There were so many things I could ask, but I went with the safest. "How do your premonitions work?"

"My type of premonitions are known as subjective precognition."

"Subjective, as in they can change?"

Alice nodded. "All premonitions can change, but what I see is specifically based on decisions being made. I have to wait for a decision to be firmly decided or acted on before I can see the result."

"Can you have them at will or is it more like Phoebe from Charmed, where they randomly hit you?"

Alice giggled at that, hiding her face in her knees. "I guess, kind of like Phoebe in the early seasons. If I concentrate very hard, I could perhaps force one, but I haven't tried much," She pressed a hand to her head, "It causes headaches." Rolling her eyes, she gave me a wry smile. "I think Edward and I are the only two vampires in the world that can get headaches."

"Are your powers like Edward's? Where the closer you are to a person, the more powerful your visions are?"

"It depends, but the vast majority tend to be about people I have a connection to, or will have a connection to."

"What about limitations?"

"Well, they are subjective, and some visions are more certain than others. If someone hasn't made a firm decision my vision will be very unclear, fuzzy even. Remember those analog TVs where you needed to use an antenna on?"

"The bunny ears? Those were the worst! You could never get a clear picture."

"That's what a vision that is unclear is like; pictures will flicker in and out until a decision is made."

I scrunched up my nose. I could see why she got headaches. I could hardly imagine something like that going on in my head.

Several of our classmates walked past us and Alice stood, brushing herself off before offering her hand to me. I took it and allowed her to pull me up and help me stay upright when I overcompensated by leaning forward too far.

She grabbed our rackets and twined her arm in mine, pulling me opposite the girl's locker room to put the rackets and my various shuttlecock victims away. The boys of the class hurried around, pulling down the nets and putting them away in the various closets that peppered the gym.

When we put away our things Alice stayed where we were and watched Lauren from over my shoulder as if waiting for something to happen. She gasped, her eyes going blank for a moment before she blinked and came to herself.

"Are you okay?" I asked, eyebrows knitting together. I had never seen her eyes go blank like that before.

Alice rubbed at her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, it was just a vision." She pulled on my arm and we started towards the girls' locker room. "C'mon. Edward is waiting for us."

And sure enough, as soon as we exited the gym, Edward was there leaning against the brick wall outside, a scowl on his face. He leaned down to hug me. After a moment, I heard a strange buzzing in my ear and pulled back to see Alice and Edward having a conversation. I pulled away and pursed my lips, trying to hear what they were saying, but I heard little more than 'worse' and 'blood everywhere'.

I cleared my throat to get their attention. "Is anyone going to tell me what is going on?"

They both fell silent and stared at me. I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes. "Right. Well, I need to go home." I turned and stalked away from them.

"Bella!" Edward called.

"Call me when you are ready to talk," I called over my shoulder and hurried to my car, making sure to listen for cars that might be around. The fog was worse than this morning, and it was difficult to see more than a few feet in front of me.

I made it to my car and quickly opened the driver's side before throwing my bag in and following it inside. I slammed the door behind me.

I threw my head back and leaned against the headrest, not quite seeing or hearing anything in around me. I needed to take a bath and go to sleep; it has been such a long day.

o0o

Unfortunately, a bath and sleep were not meant to be, for when I got home MACUSA officials were waiting for me on the front porch.

When I had first approached the house and saw just their outlines in the thick fog, I was worried that something had happened to Charlie. He was working in Seattle on a series of mass murders that looked to be the work of one person. When a serial killer might be involved, they would pull from whatever police were around the area.

I wasn't thrilled that he had gone. He might be the Police Chief, but it was of a tiny town where the most they saw were rowdy kids and the occasional lost hiker—maybe a half-eaten body. In a place like Seattle, who knew what awaited him? And that was ignoring the possibility of vampires, or anything supernatural. I was sure it wasn't as bad as Detroit or Camden, but that didn't mean Seattle didn't hold it's own dangers.

"May I help you?" I asked as I made my way up the porch steps.

The closer I got to the people, the clearer they became, and I was grateful for the fog when I could finally see them. At the top of the stairs stood a witch and wizard in Auror robes. That would have been difficult to explain to the neighbors.

"Ms. Swan, I am Auror Parker and this is my partner, Auror Wildes," The short red-haired woman stated, pointing to herself then her partner. "We are here to talk about the incident that happened in Port Angeles."

"Of course," I walked past them and opened the front door, letting them in. "May I get you anything to drink?"

I dropped my bag at the foot of the stairs and lead them into the kitchen. "We have tea or water," I offered.

"Tea would be lovely," Agent Parker said, sitting down in the seat as I motioned to her, her partner sitting beside her.

I took a moment to make them their tea, and waved my wand, allowing the mugs, sugar, and cream to land in the middle of the table.

I sat down across from them, taking a mug from the middle of the table for myself to sip on. I busied myself by adding cream and a small cube of sugar to my tea while they pulled out their notebooks and enchanted pens.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Auror Parker said, taking a sip of tea.

I nodded, wrapping my hand around my mug and allowing the warmth to wash over me. "I went with some of my muggle friends to Port Angeles so that they could find dresses for our school dance."

"And you didn't get a dress for yourself?"

I shook my head. "I can barely stand without falling," I took a sip of tea, "We had separated after going to the department store. I wanted to go to the magical bookstore in the area, but I couldn't take them along."

"Why did you want to go to the bookstore?" Auror Wildes inquired.

"I had a report due on vampires, and I needed some material to write my essay." I nodded upstairs, "The books and essay are upstairs if you wish to look at them. I even have the receipt—it has the date and time I was there."

Agent Parker nodded. "We would like a copy of the receipt before we go. Please continue."

I stared down at my tea, swirling it around as I spoke. "I left the bookstore and noticed I had some more time to spare, so I was going to walk around the shops. However, I took a wrong turn and ended up in the warehouse district."

"And you didn't' realize where you were going?" Agent Wiles said dubiously. "I find that hard to believe."

"You find it hard to believe that someone who hasn't been to Port Angeles since they were five could get lost?" I said with a raise of an eyebrow. "I took a wrong turn, it happens all the time."

"Go on, Ms. Swan," Auror Parker encouraged.

"When I realized I had been going opposite the foot traffic, I tried to find my way back, deciding that I could head East and try to loop around. That was when I first saw them."

"Who?"

"The men that attacked me," I leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs. I made sure to just lay my hands in my lap and not cross them over my chest, as that was a sign I was feeling uncomfortable. I didn't want them to read too much into my behavior.

"One of them called out to me, and I stupidly looked up—my mother taught me to never react in those situations. They had slowed down and kept a bit behind me, and I walked away from the scene as quickly as I could.

"I wasn't paying as much attention as I should and wound up at a dead-end. I had been thinking of how to best drop my bag and then cast a disillusionment charm on myself, but they had gotten too close at that point and I didn't know at the time that they were squibs. I assumed they had been muggles going by their attire. But I wouldn't have been able to cast the spell anyway, because the point was to hide and they would have seen me cast it.

"Anyway I turned a corner and there was the blond wizard." I leaned over and took my mug, taking a sip of tea.

"How were you certain he was a wizard?"

"I saw him in the wizard bookstore. We talked a bit about vampires and he showed me the vampire encyclopedia."

"He could have been a squib," Auror Wildes stated.

I shook my head. "He mentioned going to Hogwarts. It was after I told him I had been homeschooled."

"Do you think you were targeted for that reason?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't presume to know I was targeted. It could have easily been a crime of chance and I happened to be someone with powers."

"Go on, Ms. Swan."

"When I saw the blond wizard, that was when I noticed that they essentially had herded me. The closest group of people were over 500 feet away, and because they were likely muggles, I didn't want to get them involved in what would happen."

"Because you didn't want to get in trouble for exposing magic?"

I looked at Auror Wildes in disbelief. "Because I didn't want any muggles to get hurt! If I had known for sure that there were only other wizards and witches about, I would have amplified my voice and gotten their attention."

Auror Parker nodded her head, her magicked pen writing a mile a minute. "What happened next?"

"I told them to stay away from me, warning them that they didn't want to mess with me."

"You mean you threatened them?" Auror Wildes accused.

What the fuck was this dude's issue?

"No," I said firmly. "They were closing in on me and I felt unsafe. I was merely warning them that I would be forced to protect myself if need be."

"Did it work?"

I shook my head and laughed darkly. "They laughed at me and asked if I thought a 'stick' would protect me from the four of them."

"Who attacked first?"

I winced at that; this wouldn't help my 'self-defense' argument. While technically, it was not the most common of defenses in cases like this, hitting a person before they harm you was a valid legal defense if the reason for the defense was the belief that one was in danger from the person they struck. However, it was difficult to prove in court and was thoroughly questioned. "I did, I used Expelliarmus on the man closest to me—the chubbiest of the four."

I took a deep breath and thought back to the event. Had it really only been a few days ago?

"Then the blond threw a spell at me- Corde something or other—I don't remember, it wasn't a spell I had heard of before."

"And then what happened?"

"We exchanged spells for a while. He burned my cheek and my hair, but I took some potions after the fight to hide them. I didn't want to freak out my dad- he's a muggle cop."

"So, you are telling me that you have no evidence that the men attacked you."

I opened my mouth to argue but snapped it shut. Fuck, I hadn't thought to take pictures before I healed myself. I stood and walked over to the living room mirror and studied my cheek. There was still a very slight pink mark from where one of the guy's spells had hit me, but nothing that really proved anything.

"I still have a little bit of the burn left on my face," I said coming back into the room and rubbing a hand against it. "I'm afraid the rest of the evidence is gone."

"So then, the case is your word against theirs," Auror Wildes said.

I shrugged helplessly. "I guess."

"Anything else, Ms. Swan?" Auror Parker asked.

"After a few minutes of going back and forth, a Taxi had turned the corner. I quickly flagged it down and got in, leaving them."

"You put potential muggles in danger?" Auror Wilde asked, looking outraged.

"I was trying to get myself out of a dangerous situation, I wasn't thinking clearly at that point. I just needed to get away." I hissed.

"I am going to be honest with you, Ms. Swan the odds aren't in your favor," Auror Wildes stated after a moment.

"Excuse me?"

"We have evidence that you were in a dangerous part of town—of your own volition, that you attacked first and that you potentially put muggles in danger."

"What part of 'got lost' did you not understand? It was hardly of my own volition!" I shouted at him angrily.

"You decided to split from your friends. Had you stayed with them none of this would have happened."

"I had to get books for school! And that is neither here nor there, I should be able to walk alone by myself and not be harassed by four random men!"

"There is no evidence you were in any danger before you attacked them."

"Right, four men following a girl down dark backstreets— they probably wanted a spot of tea."

"Maybe. Or perhaps they were lost and needed instructions."

I stared at Auror Wildes in disbelief. Was this guy for real?

"They called me things like 'sugar' and laughed at me, telling me that 'you think that stick is going to save you against the four of us.' If they weren't planning anything bad, why was that said?"

"If they said that."

I was completely dumbfounded at this point.

"Why didn't you try to defend yourself without magic if you were so scared, why did you automatically go for your wand?"

"You wanted me to go wandless against a wizard and three squibs—all of whom were bigger than me? Unlikely."

"Your wandless magic would have kicked in to protect you if there were any real danger."

I stared at him in utter disbelief before I turned to his partner, a female. "How are you letting him say these types of things to me?"

"Answer the question, Ms. Swan," She said quietly.

"There wasn't one," I snarled.

"You can defend yourself without magic, correct?"

"Not well," I shook my head. "Mom focused on defensive magic. My father taught me some defense - like what to do if I was kidnapped and stuck in a car, but it was all very elementary, and it wouldn't have done any good against four males." Ignoring the fact that I would probably fall flat on my face trying to get away.

"And what about the vampire, could he not protect you?"

And there was the question they truly wanted to be answered; The reason Auror Wildes was riling me up. They likely hoped I would slip and reveal to them that I do know the identity of the vampire they haven't been able to trace.

"What vampire?" I said innocently, cocking my head to the side. I hope I was convincing enough; I was such a crap liar. My heart was pounding against my chest, and I had to press my hands between my thighs to keep them from clenching.

"The vampire at the scene," the man insisted.

"Was one of the men a vampire? I couldn't even tell," I shrugged my shoulder.

"There was a vampire on the scene, we found faint traces. You were there, so we hoped you could shed some light on who they might be. As you know, allowing a dark creature to know about the wizarding world is an offense."

I huffed. "While I don't necessarily agree with that law, I have not broken it. I am sorry, but as far as I know, there wasn't a vampire on the scene."

"What about in the Taxi?"

My eyebrows knitted together. This was getting a little too close for comfort. "Was there a vampire in the Taxi?" I asked, with a shake of my head. "I mean, my mind was elsewhere, I hadn't paid attention to how pale the person driving the car was."

"We will need a description of the car and any information you might have to identify the driver."

I ran a hand through my hair. "Let me see..." I pursed my lips and thought back; was there a car I could claim to have seen? There was the blue one, but that would do no good. "It was white and had Northwest Cabs written across it in black, with two pine trees painted next to the words." I had described one of the cabs I saw in front of the restaurant when Edward and I had met up with Angela and Jessica. "It was very dark so I couldn't see much of the driver and I didn't get the plates—I'm sorry."

"That's what the four men had said, although they claimed the car to be silver and didn't mention anything about words on the side."

I merely shrugged. "A white car can look like silver in the dark. It was getting dark when the Taxi arrived."

The Aurors stood up from the table, and Auror Parker put their mugs in the sink. "I believe we got all that we need, Ms. Swan. If you wouldn't mind, just grab that receipt for us while we scan your house for traces of dark creatures."

I cocked my head to the side and pretended like I didn't know what the scan was for exactly. "A scan for dark creatures? What does that do?"

"It lets us know if any dark creatures have been on the premises or if you had come in heavy contact with one in the last week."

"Do the wolves from La Push count?" I asked. "We have several friends from the territory that come over quite often." I knew those from La Push didn't count, but if the trace did pick up something, I was hoping they would think that was the reason since, technically, shapeshifters were dark creatures. The scan they were doing was much less specific than I thought it would be, which was good news, but I couldn't quite let my guard down.

"We will make sure to make note that the La Push wolves have been in the house, however, it is unlikely they will show up on the scan unless they shifted in the house."

"Thank you," I said as pleasantly as I could before I hurried up the stairs, wincing as I hit my shins on the boards. When I was in my room I took several deep breaths to loosen up my chest. That had been intense. I had no idea if they believed me or not, but I stayed as close to the facts as I could without exposing Edward. I hoped it would be enough.

I quickly gathered the receipt from my bag and pulled over my essay that I was working on. I quickly waved my wand to make copies of both and made my way back downstairs.

The Aurors were still scanning the rooms. Thankfully, Jacob and I had removed every trace of Edward that had been in the house last night after we dropped some food off for Charlie.

I quietly handed over the papers to Auror Parker and stood out of their way while they scanned the house. Auror Wildes took upstairs while Auror Parker took the downstairs. In no more than five minutes, they had every inch of the house and the surrounding grounds scanned. From what I understood of the scan, it picked up nothing. Their wand was supposed to beep loudly when it came in contact with—my schoolbag!

FUCK! Edward touched my bag today, his vampire DNA would be all over it. As nonchalantly as possible, I made my way over to the stairs, the only place not scanned yet, and picked up my bookbag, shouldering it. Under the guise of getting something from the fridge, I shoved my bag into it, and quickly closed the door.

Auror Wildes looked up to see what the commotion had been about and narrowed his eyes at me, but quickly went back to the task of scanning the stairs- the last portion. I held my breath as his wand moved over the spot where my bag had been, slowly letting it out when nothing was detected.

Trouble avoided. For now anyway.

After that, they quickly left and I could do no more than take my bag from the fridge and go upstairs to throw myself on the bed. I didn't even have the energy to text Jacob, knowing he would want a full report.

Before I passed out I typed a quick message to Edward.

MACUSA was at the house when I arrived. It went… okay? The guy Auror was horrible, but I don't think they suspect me knowing anything about the vampire at the scene.

Do you need me to come over?

No, I appreciate it, but I just want to sleep for a bit. It's been a long day. Text you when I wake up?

I'm looking forward to it. Sleep well.

o0o

After dinner, under the cover of darkness, I took my broom out for a ride. It was the first time I had gone out since coming to Forks. I was grateful that it was a new moon; the best time to ride, because the sky was at its darkest, and darkness meant that I most likely wouldn't be seen by star-gazing muggle eyes.

I flew until all that I could see for miles were trees. In the middle of the forest, I could see lights—from a house or campers, I couldn't tell.

I absentmindedly rode over towards the light, swooping in and out of the trees, pretending to race against invisible people in the sky. I always felt free when I was on my broom. No one could bother me, there were no expectations, I couldn't trip and fall on my face—it was just me and the sky.

I made one final swoop under a large tree and was about to make my ascent again when a predatory growl caught my attention.

"Lumos," I muttered, flashing the light around to try to find the source of the growl.

I had only a second to react before something flew past me. I pushed upwards and was high above the treeline just in time to avoid whatever it was.

I could see it climbing the tree at immeasurable speed, so I made sure to stay where I was. "Aresto Momentum!"

I froze when I saw who it was making their way to the top of the tree at a much slower pace, "Emmett?" I asked incredulously, flicking my hair over my shoulder. Surely, I am seeing things.

As Emmett landed on the highest branch, he growled, before his face smoothed out into a sexy smirk. "Why hello, Bella," His voice was pure seduction, and had I not known any better, he would have pulled me right in.

I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end. His eyes, normally a beautiful gold, were pitch black. His usually open and smiling face hinted at the danger he and the Cullen's normally hid so well. Something was wrong with him.

"Evening, Emmett. Whatcha doing?" I asked casually, gripping my wand in my hand.

He cocked his head to the side, running his hand through his hair. "Why don't you come down here and we can talk about it, Babe?"

Correction. Something was very wrong with him.

"How stupid do you think I am?" I rolled my eyes at him and smiled. "Confundo," I murmured, hoping that the confusion would pull him out of his predatory trance.

It hadn't worked. I wasn't too surprised. Vampires were immune to some spells. It was one of the reasons why they made many in the wizarding world nervous. The issue was… I didn't know which spells would work. The one time I didn't read ahead…

"Homorphus!" The spell was one designed to return animagi and objects to their original state. Emmett was neither, but he wasn't in his usual state either— was he? What was his normal state? Shit, I hope I didn't turn him back into a human.

The spell didn't have any effect on him and continued hunting me. In calculated jumps, he went from tree to tree, slow enough for me to catch his movement—a predator toying with its prey. Emmett made to jump to the tree closest to me, so I flew higher and aimed another spell at him.

"Immobulus!"

I breathed a sigh of relief as he froze, half in the air—mid-jump. I took the moment of peace to pull out my phone and call Edward. Pick up, pick up, pick up!

While I was busy on the phone, the spell had worn off. The next thing I knew, Emmett had finished his jump and had wrapped a massive hand around my broom. I heard a sickening CRACK! and I was catapulting to the forest floor. My phone fell from my hand into the brush below.

I landed hard on my shoulder, the breath knocked out of me. I couldn't find my wand- it must have fallen out of my hand. "Accio wand!" I screamed through gritted teeth, holding out my hand and willing my wand to fly into it.

It didn't, but I saw the flash of it not too far away. Weakly, I scooted towards it, trying to keep my eyes and ears open for any sign of Emmett in the darkness.

"That was foolish, Bella," he whispered in my ear, suddenly at my side.

I gasped and turned, but he was no longer there.

"Try again," he chuckled darkly.

I whipped around, wincing at the pain in my shoulder. It felt limp and dislocated. "Emmett, you don't want to hurt me," I said, holding my shoulder in my good hand, watching him from where he crouched about seven feet away. He was barely visible under the shadow of night. "You're good, I know you don't want to hurt me," I bit my lip, I didn't think it would work but it was worth a try. "Please, I need Emmett back. I'm hurt, I need help. Please come back."

I slowly scooted myself back as he stalked towards me, his eyes light only on the edges, the rest of his eye blown black. He was five feet away now.

He smiled, flashing his perfect teeth. "C'mon, Bella, we could have so much fun together," His voice was sweet as honey, trying to lure me into his trap. I ignored him as I struggled towards my wand. "I would be so much better than Edward."

Got it!

"Levicorpus!" I cried, whipping my wand out in front of me and shooting him in the chest with the spell.

Emmett yelped as he was flipped upside down and pulled into the air. He growled, moving back and forth to try and free himself from the hold.

"This isn't you, you need to snap out of it!" I scrambled to my feet, holding my arm close to my body. I had precious seconds before he would likely break free of the restraints. If I could get to my broom, and find the Cullens, I could help him.

I blindly looked around in the brush for my broom, but it was no use. It was too dark to find anything hidden in the tangle of weeds

I could hear him growling and fighting against the restraints of the spell. "Bella, let me go. All work and no play will make you a very dull girl."

I growled and whipped around to him. "You are fucking insufferable like this." My foot hit the side of something. I squinted down and sighed in relief. My broom.

I slowly leaned down, not taking my eyes off Emmett, and picked it up. It seemed off... Much lighter than…

"You broke my broom!" I screamed, chastising him. I shouldn't have been so careless around him.. He was going to rip me apart as soon as the spell broke, but I was pissed. The broom had been my grandmother's.

"You won't need a broom when I am done with you," He was done playing around apparently. Thankfully, the spell seemed to be…

Nevermind.

The spell released Emmett from its confines and he gracefully fell to his feet.

"C'mon, Bella," I threw the remains of my broom to the ground and put my wand in my good hand, making sure to cradle my injured arm against my body.

"This. Isn't. You." I said firmly, making sure to keep my breaths even. He would be able to sense my fear and that would likely entice his predator instincts more.

"I'm a vampire. Of course, it's me." He denied, walking towards me.

I backed away until my back was pressed against the trunk of a tree behind me. Emmett stood three feet before me. I was trapped. Without my broom, I wouldn't be able to get away, and even with it, the odds weren't good.

But maybe, I could keep him talking until someone showed up.

"It's only a part of you," I said. "You are so much more than a vampire. You are kind and funny. Edward talks about you all the time!" I laughed a little bit, feeling the tension in my body coil, "Don't tell Jasper, but I think you are his favorite."

Emmett's eyes widened slightly and his face twisted.

"I know there is a part of you that doesn't want to kill me and that's the part I need to come out right now." I tried, noticing his hesitation. "Please, Emmett."

His eyes lightened more, and his facial expressions changed rapidly as if he were fighting with himself. In a way, I guess he was.

"Bella?" He breathed. "Y—you need to get away. I can't hold it back for too long."

"What's happening?" I asked him urgently as I reached a hand toward him, pulling it back when he began to growl.

."Stay away!" He warned.

I nodded and held up my hand to show him I wouldn't touch him.

"Okay, okay," I said calmly. My foot knocked against something and suddenly light shined in my eyes. My phone.

Not taking my eyes off him I bent down and picked it up. I glanced down and called the first person on my call list. I didn't wait to see if they picked up, just left it open in my hand. "Emmett, are you okay now?" I asked softly.

"You need to leave."

I shook my head. "I can't just leave you here like this. Where are the others?"

"I don't care about where they are, I care about hurting you!" He growled.

"I'm not leaving you here and running the risk that you'll go off and attack humans!" I argued back. "Trust me, I'd love to leave—despite what Edward thinks, I don't have a death wish. But neither you nor I want that on our conscience."

"Emmett! Bella!"

To be continued

Hello, Everyone!

First, a huge thanks to my beta, Seygen Belial, for looking and talking over this chapter with me. I was really nervous about it and I felt much better after talking to her.

Still, it's kind of exciting. I got to put my criminology and teaching degrees to good use in this chapter xD.

Make sure to check out her newly completed story: Suspended in Dusk, right here on FFN! 10/10 would recommend. It is amazing. The prologue to the sequel is also up, and I promise, it is set to be even more amazing! So check her out! The synopsis for 'Suspended in Dusk' is below.

Bella jumps off the cliff in La Push, but she never hits the water. Now, in a desperate race against an enemy that can't be captured, Bella learns that even the invincible have their vulnerabilities, and that the wicked will always go straight for the throat... Canon, AU, NM. Heavy Angst, Violence, HEA but not without a price!

Happy Holidays!

Keep it classy, make good choices and I hope to see you soon.

Chandlure