Bella

It had been one week since I'd run from VOLT, and I woke as I always did, at the crack of dawn, shivering under a pile of newspapers with my head resting on my lumpy school rucksack. I stretched and rubbed the back of my neck, feeling several kinks from sleeping on the dirty floor of an abandoned building, five miles north of the school. I couldn't afford to let VOLT find me; sleeping in obscure places was the best way to do it.

The cardboard I had collected insulated my body from the earth to a tolerable amount, but it didn't offer much for lumbar support--I rolled my shoulders back and heard a few cracking sounds as my body readjusted. I stared blankly at the dirty floors that were barely lit with the dimly lit sky.

Was this what you expected, "Bella"? You'll always be 1906. Either trapped in a cage or running from those hunting you... you'll never be free.

I began to straighten my uniform, and brush my teeth with the meager belongings I'd stolen from the campus drug store. I'd have to get a move on if I wanted to make it to school on time. I'd been sleeping in different places every few nights, and this place was the furthest for certain.

The walk to school was something I didn't mind; the roads, the occasional elderly person waking and the birds flitting in and out of trees were all still new to me and very fascinating, even if the stars were still out.

It was after school that I'd dread. From 3 o'clock to midnight was a lot of time for one person to pass on their own. I used an appropriate amount of time at the library, doing assignments and for the first time, reading for leisure. I wish I had more to do... The thought was laughable.

Yet the amount of time I had in a day was pathetic. I wish I didn't have to be in my head all day. Any time I heard a sound of tires against the ground, I popped my head up towards the window, checking for police or worse, VOLT.

I was lucky enough that Forks High never closed their locker rooms; I managed to make it in there to shower before class started. Aside from my uniform which was rather wrinkled from sleeping in it, I looked like any ordinary person. Not homeless at all.

Eating was the hard part. I hadn't eaten in three days. If I was lucky, I'd find someone's leftovers sitting on top of a trash can that I would swipe and eat later in private. Government services were out of the question, in case I were seen, but I knew I was getting desperate.

My stomach had rumbled loudly as I walked to my abandoned building last night, but I forced myself to think of other things. I drew in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out in a sigh. I looked up, at the stars. Though the moon was nowhere to be seen, the stars were such a comforting sight; so beautiful and omnipresent. I pushed open the door to the building, that squeaked loudly in protest.

I always stopped first before entering; listening for any noises--new inhabitants, animals, VOLT or otherwise.

I found that late at night, when I was shivering too much to sleep, I found myself wondering about Edward, as incessant as he was. I had to admit despite his tiring antics to "welcome" me, he was the only person who'd noticed me, and seemed to put me first.

As I shivered to retain body heat and was dosing in and out of sleep, my mind continually wandered back to yesterday, when we were in the car together, charged with a palpable tension because we were sitting so close to each other. The discomfort he caused my constant hunger hadn't ceased, but I was slowly becoming confident with my control near him.

I kept thinking of his viridescent eyes, how they lit up into a light green lake of empathy near me. I had carefully watched his interactions with others in suspicion; ensuring that he wasn't just a prop or a spy.

He seemed to be the opposite of someone with secrets; he appeared to be a popular student. His manners towards others were kind, genuine, and always friendly. He was even polite to school staff members, which couldn't be said for the majority of students.

I noticed he was especially amicable with two other seniors, who I noticed looked my way quite often, they were both pale, and from what I heard from the female population around me, handsome. When the three of them were walking together, most of the female students would lose the momentum in their conversation as their eyes wandered towards them.

The big one who always had drum sticks in his pocket was the class jokester. I had them both in my PE class which thankfully did not include Edward Cullen. His name was Emmett Brown; the teacher would always scowl at his dramatic antics but had no right to complain, as he was obidient to any physical activities the teacher demanded, even challenging him for more. He was unusually strong.

The curly haired one who always had a guitar strapped on his back was also alongside him in the athletic department. Though he wasn't built anywhere near as large as Emmett, his body seemed to push through the most difficult challenges with ease; he was the only one who could team up with Emmett.

I learned from eavesdropping in the locker room that as "dreamy" as both men were, they were both taken. By some Rosalie Hale, who was a model, and Mary Alice, the peppy cheerleader. This was the reason gossip about Edward flourished instead; he was the only one out of the three who was not taken.

I learned many things about him that were interesting; and slowly made me question my judgement on him being a spy.

Edward was a skilled piano player; several music colleges had offered scholarships for him to continue his education and he worked at the music shop on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday's. I heard Jessica Stanley brag that during her beginner piano lesson he had touched her hands; that it was intentional and riddled with chemistry. I nearly rolled my eyes at that one.

According to a Mike Newton, who seemed rather spiteful of his accomplishment, "Cullen" was also the captain of the baseball team, along with Emmett and Jasper as his co-captains. "Those threefuckers run this school" I heard him grumble.

His father was a surgeon at Forks' only hospital and he volunteered at the hospital on his free time. I overheard Angela Webber gratefully explain how he had saved her life in the ER after a severe car accident.

As much as I wanted to find a reason to suspect him, I couldn't find one.

He was simply a kind person with many ambitions.

Perhaps I was simply envious.

My mind drifted off and I'd found myself in his car again, from yesterday, floating in the soft piano music and the sunlight that made his eyes glow an iridescent shade.

I thought about the way my name sounded when his mouth was curved into a charmingly crooked smile.

Bella.

He'd abbreviated my name endearingly, despite not knowing who I was, and worse, what I was. I was made to destroy him, yet he nicknamed me and tried to nurse me back to health.

I thought of his hand that turned my eyes to him, grazing my cheek...

I snapped out of it immediately.

What are you doing? Did you not hear what everyone else has to say about him? He's a nice guy: you're no different that anyone else he encounters!

Edward is kind to you out of courtesy; he knows you're a new student from out of town. Of course he wouldn't ruin his reputation by treating you badly. Has one week of living in a normal world turned you into a human of vanity?

On the flip side, if he isn't what I hope he is, he could be earning my trust to simply catch me off guard, poison me. I told myself warily, but didn't want to admit it to myself that I had hoped my suspicions were a delusion.

My stomach growled, reminding me of a much more important matter: survival.

I was going to die of starvation if I didn't figure out a steady food source soon.

Edward.

I woke up from a restless sleep with a start, sucking in breaths that weren't deep enough as I tried to calm myself. I glanced at my phone, cringing when I saw the time was just past 3 am.

Not this shit again... I'd gotten exactly 2 hours of sleep but it was not at all restful.

My dream was so vivid... it was like it was happening in real life.

Bella was in my bedroom, sitting on my bed as I entered my doorway. My mouth fell agape. This ethereal girl is casually sitting on my bed?

"What are you doing here?" I asked incredulously. She shrugged, but she seemed sad, perhaps sick. I approached her from the doorway, but even from afar I could see her shoulders were so thin under the thin white camisole she wore. They looked as if they could be hospital issued. Had she come from a hospital?

"I had to see you," she said, weakly.

"I'm always here for you, Bella. You know that."

She smiled at me kindly, it was a breathtaking sight.

That was when I realized even in my sleeping state that this had to be a dream--the real Bella never smiled at me.

In the few sentences we'd spoken, she grew paler before my eyes, the shadows beneath her cheeks and eyes grew darker. She shuddered after taking a shallow breath and her eyes closed.

Is she ill? I instinctively placed a hand on her forehead and retreated in shock.

"Oh my god. You're burning up." I took off my jacket, and immediately wrapped it around her with an urgency. The motion of me touching her shoulder was enough to send her falling.

I caught her carefully and placed her head onto my pillows as I covered her up to the chin with my blanket. She seemed to quake even harder, and was white as snow now, as if there were no blood left in her.

"Tell me what you need," I said, taking her hand in mine. It was ice cold.

"You." She whispered, but it sounded threatening, not romantic. A sinking feeling of dread filled the pit of my stomach.

"What...?" Bella smiled and then she was gone. Something else had taken over; something that could only be seen as demonic. With her eyes that were so black, it looked as if her pupils had swallowed her irises, she sat up straight as I'd propped like a puppet.

She suddenly roared an animal sound, and gripped my hand with an iron strength, pulling me towards her faster than I could recognize. I crashed into her body and she held in me in place with her hands crushing into me. I felt ten sharp knives cut through my clothes, into my back. I was pinned under her knife-like fingernails as if she were a spider and I was wrapped alive in her web. I exclaimed in pain, and realized I couldn't move—I was paralyzed.

"You don't know what you're dealing with." She whispered into my ear, before I'd woken up. I gasped, sitting up straight.

What in the blue hell was that about. Bella in my dream was like an animal, hunting for her prey. I sighed and scrubbed my face with my palms. I laid back down in bed, as if to go to sleep, but my eyes were wide open, as I knew they would be for the next five hours. I slapped my alarm off before it could even ring.

The school day passed by in a blur, 3 McCafes and a hundred yawns. Until I got to biology, that was when I couldn't sit still for the life of me. My heart was beating so quickly, and not because of the caffeine.

I had a plan.

A text message popped up, and another one followed suit.

"Good luck man, you got this!" Jasper

"BREATHE EDWARD!" -Emmett.

Not bad advice. I took in a deep breath and let it iut.

Bella sat there at her usual table, in the back. She looked more tired than usual; the circles under her eyes looked almost like a bruise. I could've sworn even her eyes looked darker. Her eyes made contact with mine as soon as I stepped in the room. Her eyes widened and brows arched but I didn't allow myself to be derailed.

I took a seat beside her. My heart pounded in my chest. I could practically feel her leaning away now, as if it were an extension of my arm. Her eyes darted around the classroom, likely seeking another person she could trade seats with.

"Hey Bella, how are you feeling today?" I addressed her before she could approach them with her favor. She stopped her frenzied search and sighed defeatedly.

"Fine." Both her arms and legs were crossed. Not the best body language, but her response alone was more than I expected.

"Good, I'm glad." I tried to infuse as much warmth into my words as I could. I desperately wished she could sense my sincerity.

"I know trust is out of the question, but I at least wanted to know if we could be friends." I unzipped my rucksack and pushed the McDonald's happy meal I'd bought along with my coffee in front of her. Her brows arched intensely.

"What is this?"

"It's a peace treaty. Well, a bribe, really." I grinned as I gestured towards the brightly colored box of fast food. I'd noticed yet again she didn't eat anything at lunch when I'd passed by her at the library. "I noticed you hadn't eaten before biology yesterday, and wondered if that's why you were faint. Didn't want to have to rescue you, again." I joked lightheartedly. Bella stared, bewildered at me, seemingly at a loss for words. I decided to continue. "And if it's all the same to you, I really do want to earn your trust. Whenever you are ready for it." I added seriously. I don't care how long it takes, I know we have a connection together. Did she not feel the sparks I was feeling yesterday, when we touched?

"I didn't need you to 'save' me." She murmured quietly, making air quotes with her slim fingers.

"I know. I wanted to." I said, hoping I didn't sound redundant. She opened the box, but stared without eating it. "I got you chicken McNuggets but in case you had a preference, I got you a cheeseburger and fries too. And an apple pie. Which you don't have to eat, of course, if you don't want to." I finished lamely.

Nice job: Hi, I'm Edward, and I'm a spazz. Her wide eyes moved from the fries to me, back to the fries.

"It's not poisoned, geez." I said exasperatedly with a roll of my eyes, as I took a fry from her box and placed it in my mouth. I chewed and swallowed dramatically. She barely cracked a smirk at that.

"Thank you..." she said, locking our eyes in with a strange intensity. I casually waved her off, as if I wasn't affected by it. As if my heart was having a heart attack meanwhile.

"Don't worry about it. As long as I'm forgiven, that is." She frowned as she took a few fries and began to chew vigorously.

"Forgiven? For what?" She asked through a mouth full of fries. I scratched my head awkwardly.

"Uhh I don't know, whatever I did to offend you that first day, I guess."

She stayed silent at that, but finished her fries ravenously before class started.

I kept sneaking glances at her all class. She was eating without a pause, taking notes with her right hand and taking bites of a cheeseburger with the other. I smiled a little at her appetite.

Maybe she was just hungry. It gave me a few ideas for ways we could bond, and finally fix whatever miscommunication we had. Maybe there was hope after all.

The bell rang and I turned to Bella, she looked sated. Her box—now empty, save for the crumpled wrapper and an empty box of nuggets—sat on her desk. Wait a minute. I noticed something strange; it made me take a double look at her face. Are her eyes lighter? They appeared a warm brown color. Maybe even hazel, or gold?

It must be a trick of the light. I tried not to stare.

"Was the food up to standards madame?" I asked, with the same terrible French accent Jasper and I used to annoy each other. She barely smiled, again, but it was watery. Somehow sad.

"The truth is... you never offended me, Edward." She said quietly, before adding a quiet "thank you very much for the food. I appreciate it." She gathered her things quickly and left the room. I was left grinning to myself at my desk.

I whipped open my phone, and opened the group chat labeled "BROS BEFORE HOES" to type one word. "SCORE." Instantaneously two messages popped up.

"No way. You're a wizard, 'Arry. " from Jasper.

"That McDonalds shit worked?" Emmett.

"Guys. She even said I never offended her."

"HFS. HFS DUDE!!"

"SEE I TOLD YOU!!!! NO ONE CAN HATE YOU."

"THX GUYS. SEE YOU AT THE SHOP?"

"K!"

"Fuck yeah"

Fuck yeah indeed.

Two classes later and I was still sailing on cloud 9.

Bella said I never offended her. There was hope. The sun seemed to shine brighter today and I was so excited to meet with the guys at old man Mac's music shop.

I was ready to leave school, and pulled my helmet and gloves out of my locker. I didn't have work today but I promised Emmett I'd hang out with him until his drum lesson arrived. I was focused on the music I was listening to as I left the steps from the school, there was a bounce to my step today, I was so gleeful.

Then I saw her. And I stopped in my tracks.

It was Bella. She walked through the crowd as if she didn't see them; was heading towards the woods.

Huh. That is weird. I suppose you can get to town that way; but that's a long and dangerous trek, especially for a small girl.

I glanced at my bike, at Bella, my bike again and Bella.

Ugh. I groaned to myself. Don't be creepy Edward.

I shuffled towards my bike, until I noticed the oddest thing. A large white vanwith pitch black windows was parked beside me. No one at this school drove that van; I was certain of it. What was it doing parked here?

I squinted to see through the front window; I could barely see a huge man; bald and wearing dark sunglasses. He was dressed in a suit.

What the fuck is this about.

I turned and caught the last glimpse of Bella, before she disappeared through the woods. I sighed in dismay.

You hesitated and now she's gone.

I dejectedly turned back to my bike; and I froze in my tracks. The entire van was gone. I looked past the parking lot, and I saw it speeding West.

Wasn't Bella going west?

Then I put two and two together.

Someone was following Bella.

Bella was in danger.

"Heyyyyy Edward!" Emmett boomed, snapping me out of my reverie, clapping my shoulder with a glove-like hand. I whirled around to face him, with as much urgency as I could muster.

"Emmett, I think Bella is in trouble." His eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that.

"What?"

"This weird van is following her. Please, Emmett, trade with me. Take my bike today so I can take your car." His mouth was agape. Did he think I was crazy?

"Please, now, Emmett!" He didn't ask any questions, but dropped his keys into my hand in lieu of my explanation. "Thank you." I pushed my helmet and keys into his hands and took off towards his Volvo. I unlocked it as I sprinted towards it. As soon as I got in, I shifted into reverse and heard the wheels squeal under the asphalt in resistant.

There was no time to waste.