The next day at school, it was clear that Alaina was still shaken up from the previous night's events. When she was dropped off, she ran upstairs, and spent the entire night reliving the exact event she was trying so desperately to escape. Her dreams were filled with nightmares of strange men and stale beer.

Even now before the school day even started, her hands were still shaking and she was still on edge. The first bell rang and she was so started she dropped her English book. Sighing, she closed her locker and went to grab it, but saw another pair of hands reaching for it.

"Wuthering Heights?" A cool, clean voice asked, although it sounded more like a statement. Her long, blonde hair was curled perfectly and she looked as if she just stepped off of a runway in Paris. "You're in English with my brother, Jasper. I'm Rosalie."

Alaina stared at her dumbfounded. Why the hell was Rosalie speaking to me? "Uhh, yeah. We sit next to each other," she said stupidly, too intimidated to even look her in the eyes for more than a few moments. Her beauty was indescribable, and Alaina felt wrong just standing next to her. "I'm Alaina."

"I know," she said simply. "To get to the point, my brothers told me about what happened last night. I'm sorry that happened to you."

Her voice sounded sad and sincere, and Alaina wasn't sure what to say. "Thank you," she said awkwardly, accepting the book that Rosalie was still holding.

"I'll see you around, I'm sure," she stated, turning on her heel and walking down the hall. Alaina could feel more than one set of eyes watching her, no doubt just as confused as she was. The second bell rang, which caused Alaina to jump out of her thoughts. She walked quickly to Mrs. Crawford's classroom and made it just in time before the final bell rang.

"Alaina," Mrs. Crawford said seriously, her giant glasses making her look like an eccentric bejeweled beatle. "You were almost late for one of the best days of the year!"

"I'm sure glad I didn't miss it then," Alaina said, holding back a laugh. She took her normal seat behind Jessica and next to Jasper, giving them both a small smile.

Turns out, the best day of the year was the Wuthering Heights movie from 1939, which caused the entire class to groan in unison, but Alaina didn't mind. She loved when teachers put on movies - it gave her time to think and her mind to wander.

The black and white movie shone throughout the dark classroom, but Alaina's mind was elsewhere. She couldn't stop the feeling of dread and fear in her stomach about last night. And the more she thought about it, the more questions she had. How did they find us? How did they know what was going on? What would have happened if they weren't there?

The thoughts were bubbling almost uncontrollably when a wave of calmness spread over her. She felt serene, even meditative… a far cry from how she felt just moments ago. She furrowed her brows and let her mind wander back to the terrifying men in Port Angeles, but the feeling spread over again. No matter how hard she tried, her brain physically would not let her think about something that caused her stress and anxiety. Okay, that's it. I'm officially going insane, she thought, giving up, and succumbing to the movie that was playing in the classroom.

Soon enough, the bell rang to signal that it was time to change classes. The rest of the morning, Alaina felt like a zombie, just moving from class to class and not retaining anything. All she wanted to do was make it through the day, go home, and sleep.

"Hey girl," Angela said when Alaina sat down at their lunch table. "I'm sorry we didn't meet up after dress shopping."

She shrugged in response. "It's no big deal. Did you get the red dress? I'm going to take it personally if you didn't."

A sly grin formed on Angela's face and Alaina couldn't help but be excited for her. "Honestly, Eric's not going to know what hit him."

"Oh stop it," Angela said blushing. Students began to file in around them and their lunch table filled up.

"Guys!" Jessica said dramatically, slamming her tray of food down next to Angela. Alaina looked at Jessica; she hadn't been this excited since Bella almost got hit by Tyler's van. "Look at the Cullen table. Rosalie is ripping into Emmett right now."

Their entire table turned to watch the scene. For once, Jessica wasn't dramaticized anything. Rosalie looked furious and was berating Emmett, who looked like a puppy with his tail between his legs. Edward tried to interject, but Rosalie instantly held out her hand to prompt him to stop talking.

"What's going on?" Bella asked, sitting down next to her.

Alaina looked at her in confusion. "I honestly have no idea… today has been like the 'Twilight Zone' for me."

While the rest of the lunch table was gossiping about the Cullens, Bella and Alaina quietly talked together. "Rosalie normally looks like she wants to kill me when we make eye contact," Bella mused as they filed out of the lunch room towards biology.

"I know, right?" Alaina said, confused. "I have no idea why she just came up to me like that. I wonder what it was about?"

"Honestly, I bet it was about whatever she was fighting about to day. Also, I see that you're avoiding Emmett," she said, changing the subject. "What are you going to do about gym?"

Alaina frowned. "Don't judge me, but I'm going to skip."

"Alaina," Bella groaned as they opened to door to the biology classroom. "Don't skip class!"

"Okay mom," she said, rolling her eyes. "And besides, didn't Edward say it was healthy to skip class sometimes? And Edward is always right." Smirking, she walked to her seat at the back of the classroom, leaving a blushing Bella to sit next to Edward.

After surviving the rest of the day, Alaina closed her locker door shut and sighed. She watched the Cullens walk out of the front door of the school, and Alaina purposefully waited a little longer than necessary to head out to the bus. She didn't want to face them after the weirdness of today. She didn't feel ready to face anything.

After waiting a few moments, she walked slowly to the door and walked out to the parking lot. She spotted her bus, and began to walk more quickly towards it, knowing it would be leaving any moment.

"Detroit!" she heard, instantly recognizing who that voice belonged to. She picked up her pace, ignoring him.

"Alaina, I need to talk to you," he said, running in front to stop her.

"How did you get here so fast," she asked slowly, but she then shook her head. "Emmett, I told you never to speak to me again and I meant that. Now excuse me while I try to go home."

She tried to move past him so she could continue walking towards the bus, but he blocked her, his large stature towering over hers. "I know what you said, but I want to talk to you about what happened last night."

"Cool," she said sarcastically. "I don't want to talk to you. Now you're going to make me miss the bus, so if you don't mind…"

She didn't finish her sentence. Before the words escaped her mouth, she saw the bus inching forward and the door closing firmly shut. "Are you kidding me?!" she yelled, louder than intended.

"Let me drive you home," he said simply, turning on his heel to walk to his car. "You get motion sick on the bus anyway."

"One," she said, turning to glare at him. "You're not going to drive me home. I'd rather ask Bella or literally anyone else. And two. How did you know I got car sick?"

He shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk. "It looks like Bella is leaving now. And Mike, Jessica, and Angela left too. I guess I'm your only option… unless you want to ask Lauren for a ride?"

Alaina's jaw dropped. "You stalled so I would be forced to ask you for a ride, didn't you."

"Maybe," he said, a sly grin on his face. "I just want to talk, okay? I drive the red Jeep, right over there." He pointed to a brand new, cherry red Jeep Wrangler. Despite herself, Alaina couldn't help but to admit that it was a beautiful car.

"Fine," she said, defeated. She walked over to his car and opened the door. She climbed in and furrowed her brow. "What is up with this seat belt - err, belts?"

The seat belts were numerous, and they almost looked like a harness. Emmett's laugh boomed throughout the car. "It's for off-roading. Here," he said, moving towards her, "let me help you."

"I can put my own seat belt on myself, thanks," she started, but he wasn't listening. He slid the harness over her shoulders and she heard a faint click on a belt buckle.

"So since you manipulated me into your car and I'm now literally strapped in," she said, while he turned the key in the Jeep's ignition, causing the car to roar to life. "When you murder me, please tell my parents I love them."

"Very funny," he said, pulling out of the parking lot. Turning right onto the main road, he began weaving in and out of traffic, just like Edward did the night before.

"Hey, you're going the wrong way. My house is south of here," Alaina said, turning to face him.

"I know," he stated, turning on his blinker and pulling into another parking lot. "We're getting ice cream."

"Oh my God, Emmett, just take me home!" She yelled, but Emmett was already helping her unstrap her harness.

"Just wait here, I'll be right back," he said, leaving her standing next to the red Jeep. Needless to say, she was absolutely furious. First, he's cruel. Then, he saves me. Next, he's an asshole. Now he's kidnapped me. His mood swings are giving me whiplash.

A few moments later, Emmett emerged from the ice cream store, holding a giant vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles - Alaina's favorite. "At least you have good takes in ice cream," she said, accepting the ice cream against her better judgement.

"I'm sorry for not being honest with you," he said, leaning against his car. "I just wanted to say that I know what you've been through and what I said last night was wrong."

"Emmett, you have no idea what I've been through," she spat, anger dripping on every word. She glared at him in animosity, expecting him to recoil from her words, but he stared at her blankly.

"Actually, I do," he said simply, shrugging. She whipped around quickly to face him, fire in her eyes. When she saw a smug grin on his face she clenched her fists. She could feel her temper rising.

"And tell me how exactly you could possibly know?" she said dangerously, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Let's walk," he said, walking past his Jeep. "There's a trail nearby."

Alaina scoffed. "Why would I want to go on a walk with you? I want you to take me home!"

"I'll explain everything if you walk with me," he said calmly. "If you still hate me after we talk, I promise that I will respect your wishes and never speak to you again. But please just give me a chance."

She stared at him and noticed a small hint of sadness in his golden eyes. She wanted to say "no." Hell, she wanted to slap his face. But against her better judgement, she heard the word, "Fine," come out of her mouth, and they were on their way to the woods.

"So, are you going to explain how you think you know everything about me?" she said angrily, licking her ice cream cone to try to cool down. She realized that she was alone in the woods with someone who looked like he could snap her in two, and she needed to try to control her temper.

"Edward told me," he said simply and he didn't elaborate further. She could tell he was enjoying this game of cat and mouse, which infuriated her even more.

Alaina scoffed. "Well, I sure as hell didn't tell him. I've barely said two words to the guy. How would he know?"

"He read your mind."

"Oh, okay. Sure Emmett," she said sarcastically. "Now that I know that I'm completely surrounded by lunatics, I'm going to go home before I'm murdered."

"I'm completely serious," he said, his eyes burning in to her. "How did you think we knew where you were in Port Angeles? Luck?"

Alaina contemplated that for a moment. "No, I didn't think it was luck. I think it's stalking."

Emmett groaned, "I know this sounds crazy, but I can prove it," he said, taking a step towards her. "His name is Bryce, isn't it?"

"How… how did you know that?" she said quietly, almost in a state of shock. "I didn't even tell Bella that…"

"Edward can read minds… and even though you tried to shut yours off that night, he still figured out what happened. We found you because we could hear the disgusting things those men were thinking about you and Bella. When people are drunk, they apparently think very loudly."

"I can't… I still don't…" Alaina said, taking a step backwards from him. How did he know his name? Was it in public record?

"And you should listen to Bella. Her theory is correct," he said, pausing. He looked at her expectantly.

If Emmett would have said that five minutes ago, Alaina would have laughed in his face. Vampires don't exist, she would have said before running back to civilization and calling Charlie to arrest him and take him to a psychiatric ward. But now… now she wasn't so sure. "Prove it," she said in a small voice, almost not wanting him to, afraid of what she will see.

"You read that we have extreme strength, right?" He asked. He walked over to an old log that was easily a several hundred pounds. Grabbing a knot in the tree, he picked it up one handed, no strain in his face. Alaina's jaw dropped, but she tried to convince herself that it was only because he was naturally strong.

"Not convinced?" he said, enjoying this game even more. "Speed. All of us have extreme speed and agility." In an instant, he sprinted so fast to the nearest tree to Alaina that he looked like a blur. In seconds he was at the top.

"What is happening…" Alaina whispered, frozen to where she was standing, afraid to move.

Emmett jumped off the branch that he was on and gracefully fell to the forest floor. "We also have unmatched hearing." He took another step towards her. "Take my hand."

She stared at him and lifted her arm to reach his. He gently grasped her palm and a gasp escaped her lips. "Ice cold," she breathed.

"Say it outloud, Alaina," he said, still holding her hand. "Say what you think I am."

She locked eyes with him and stared into his golden orbs for several seconds, to scared to speak. He didn't blink once. She tried to muster up the courage to speak. "Vampire," she murmured, barely making a sound.

"Now," he said seriously. "Ask me what we eat."

Alaina shook her head no, her eyebrows furrowed in fear.

"Our kind kills humans, and I need you to be aware of that," he said slowly, cautiously. "But you also need to know that our clan, my siblings and my adoptive parents, we don't. We hunt on animals. That's what makes our eyes this color."

She thought about this for a moment. The only thing they have in common is their pale skin and their golden eyes she remembered saying to Bella just days ago.

"Are you afraid?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes," she said instantly, barely above a whisper. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm," he started, pausing to find the right words. "I'm drawn to you. At first I was drawn to your blood. Please don't take this the wrong way, but you smell amazing… like coffee, vanilla, oranges and cedarwood. The moment you stepped into the the school, I could smell you. Alice can see the future and saw you were coming… if she hadn't warned me, my instincts would have taken over…"

"And you would have killed me?" she said casually, trying to break the tension of the heavy conversation, but Emmett was completely serious.

"It would have been hard not to," he admitted, still boring into her eyes. "Everything about us is appealing to humans: the way we look, the way we walk, even the way we smell. So I knew I needed to try to draw you away from me. That's why I was so mean to you in gym. I wanted you to hate me so it would have been easier for me to distance myself from you. But I won't hurt you. I'll never hurt you."

Alaina didn't know what she was expecting, but it surely wasn't that. Her mind flashed to her encounters with Emmett. He was needlessly cruel, dismissive, and knew exactly what to say to make her feel worthless. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she tried to will them away. She felt the ice cream come, forgotten in her hand, beginning to melt over her fingers.

"I'm sorry, Alaina," he said, heartache filling his features. "I thought it would be easier this way, but I was being selfish. I see that now. And I had no idea how much it would affect you. I'm so, so sorry. If you can't forgive me, I understand. But I… I hope you do."

A tear escaped Alaina's eyes, and she could have sworn Emmett's eyes followed that small drop of water hitting the ground. The ice cream, now almost completely melted, slid slowly off the cone and hit the ground sloppily. Without warning, a wave of emotions hit Alaina like a giant wave. Her assault, Emmett's cruelness, Emmett's explanation, the lost ice cream… everything washed over her and a sob escaped her lips.

In an instant, she found herself enveloped in a pair of cool, muscular arms, weeping into his chest, never wanting to let go.