Can I ask you a question?" Edward asked, unable to look at Bella.

"Sure," Bella replied, tightening her grip on the steering wheel. "Why not?"

She was so tired of answering questions. No, she'd never been romantically involved with Mike. Yes, Mike had bullied Edward. No, she didn't see Mike after school. Thank goodness Carlilse had come to school and signed them out early. She didn't think she could deal with high school drama after spending the morning playing 20 questions.

"By any chance did you go to see Mike last night?" Edward asked.

So that's why the police were so quick to separate them. They much have been hoping one of them would slip up and implicate the other.

"No," Bella said.

Voluntarily subject herself to the company of Forks High's golden boy? Never. She'd rather spend the night allowing Alice to play Bella barbie.

"Did you go to see Mike last night?" Bella asked.

"While the thought did cross my mind, I had far larger problems to deal with last night than a foul-mouthed teenager."

Bella didn't think so. Edward was a lot of things, but she didn't think he was the type to make people disappear. He was, however, the type who didn't know how to keep his mouth shut.

"You didn't say the police that, did you?" Bella asked.

Of course not," Edward said." This isn't my first time being questioned by the enemy. I didn't provide any more information than what I deemed necessary."

"And what did you deem necessary?"

"The facts."

"Which are?"

Edward's idea of facts tended to differ dramatically from that of any sane person.

"Mike and I had a disagreement during class," Edward said. " He touched me with a dead frog and I fainted."

So far so good.

"You took me to your father's house to calm down." Edward continued. "We drank tea and talked until I felt better. You took me home and we stayed there until it was time to leave for school."

Edward sticking to his cover story? It seemed too good to be true.

"You didn't mention the vampire?" Bella asked.

"No," Edward replied, shrugging. "They wouldn't have believed me."

"Do you think they believed your story?" Bella asked.

They'd been lucky this time, but what about next time? Would Edward crack under the pressure of further questioning?

"I doubt it," Edward said. "While their suspicions are unfounded, I understand why they think that my arrival in town and Mike's disappearance are connected. I'm honestly surprised that they let us leave."

"I'm not."

. Hell hath no fury like Carlisle Cullen. The police were probably still shaking in their boots after the tongue lashing they received for questioning two minors without their guardian's approval. Bella imagined that Alice, Jasper, and Emmett would have much easier times in the interrogation chair with their foster father watching on like a hawk.

Bella pulled into the driveway. She was surprised to find Jake waiting by the front door. What was he doing at her house? It was the middle of the day. Should he be at school? How had he grown another six inches since she'd seen him less than a week ago?

"I'll distract him," Edward hissed. "You make a run for the house. Lock the door behind you."

Bella rolled her eyes and hopped out of the truck. It was just Jacob. Why was Edward acting like he was some sort of monster?

"Bella!" Edward cried. "What are you doing? Come back!"

Ignoring Edward's pleas, Bella jogged up to Jake. In spite of everything that had happened, she was happy to see her friend alive and well. She hoped he'd finally come to his senses and kicked Sam to the curb.

Bella was about to wrap her arms around Jake when he stuck out his hand. "Stop." He took a few steps back. " Don't come any closer."

"What are you doing here?" Bella asked, tone flat.

Why had he bothered to show up at her house if he didn't want to come anywhere near her?

"I came to warn you," Jake said.

"Warn me about what?" Bella asked.

To stay away from La Push? She wasn't going to show up and beg for his attention. She had more self-worth than that.

"You need to stay away from the woods, especially at night," Jake said.

"I trip over my own feet in broad daylight," Bella said, forcing a laugh. "Do you really think I'm the kind of person who would go on a midnight hike? I'd probably break my neck."

Bella didn't swat Edward away when he placed his hand on her shoulder. While she'd never admit it, she found his presence reassuring. The way Jake was talking was starting to scare her.

"This is serious," Jake exclaimed. "People are going missing!"

"Mike is probably just sleeping off a hangover somewhere in La Push or Port Angeles," Bella said.

What if he wasn't? What if something awful had happened to him?

"It's not just Mike," Jake said. "There are 24 teenagers missing from towns between here and Seattle."

Two or three missing teens could be written off as a coincidence. Two dozen however was an epidemic. Why was Jake the first one to tell her? Shouldn't the police be warning people of a potential serial killer?

Bella took a deep breath. "Jacob, what's going on?"

What if whatever was going on started in La Push? Could Jake somehow be involved?

"I can't tell you that," Jake said, wincing.

"Why not?" Bella asked.

"I just can't," Jake said, groaning. "Sam won't let me."

What else wouldn't Sam let him do? See his friends? Go to school? Manage his own money? Sam was starting to remind Bella of Phil.

"But I don't understand," Bella cried. "Why can't I go to Forks?"

Why did that have to change just because her mom got married?

"Because Phil wants you to stay here for Christmas," Renee said.

Why did she have to spend Christmas in boring old Arizona? It wasn't even cold outside.

"But what about what I want?" Bella asked.

She wanted to go sledding at the park, sing carols at St. John's, and eat dinner with the Black family. She wanted snowmen, hot chocolate, and movies made before she was born. She wanted Christmas with her dad.

"Aren't you curious about all those presents?" Renee asked, gesturing to the mountain of gifts under the tree. "And the party. Wouldn't want to miss that, would you?"

Tears formed in Bella's eyes. She didn't care about the gifts or Phil's stupid Christmas party.

"Phil knows best," Renee said, crouching down to Bella's level. "I'm sure we'll all have a wonderful time. You can see your dad next summer."

She didn't see her dad that summer or the following Christmas. What Phil wanted was law. What Bella wanted didn't matter.

A dark thought popped into Bella's mind. "Jake, does Sam have something to do with the disappearances?"

Could Sam be killing people and hiding their bodies somewhere in La Push? Could that be why Jacob had warned her to stay away?

"No!" Jake exclaimed, shaking. "Of course not! He'd never hurt anyone!"

Bella didn't believe that for a second. The thought of defying Sam's orders seemed to cause physical pain.

Edward moved his hand from Bella's shoulder to her upper arm. "Bella, I think we should go inside."

"Not until I know what's going on." Bella pulled her arm away and refocused her attention on Jake. "Jake, you need to tell me what's going on. Are you in trouble?"

What if Jake was Sam's next victim? Bella would never be able to forgive herself if she turned her back on Jake in his time of need.

"The bonfire," Jake said, wincing. "Do you remember what happened at the bonfire?"

"Yes," Bella said. "You weren't feeling well."

In spite of Edward's shouts and the alarm bells blaring in her head, Bella walked up to Jake and touched his cheek.

"Jake!" Bella exclaimed. "You're burning up!"

Jake's skin felt like an open flame. He clearly wasn't over whatever mystery illness he came down with at the bonfire. Maybe his warning was nothing more than a fever-induced delusion.

"I'm fine," Jake snapped.

Fine? Fall in Forks was time for coats and wool socks weather, not cut off shorts and bare feet. Just looking at him made her cold. He needed to be inside by a warm fire before it was too late.

"You should come inside," Bella said. Carlisle will be home soon. He can help you."

Unlike Sam, Carlisle wouldn't let Jake wander around town delirious with fever. He'd take him to the hospital and make sure whatever was going on didn't turn fatal.

"He can't help me," Jake exclaimed, shaking. "No one can help me!"

Edward wrapped his arms around Bella's waist and started dragging her towards the house. "We need to get inside, now!"

"Let me go!" Bella exclaimed, elbowing Edward in the ribs.

Couldn't Edward see that Jake was sick? They couldn't just abandon him.

"Let me go!" Bella screamed, kicking Edward in the knee. "Jake needs me!"

Edward grunted. "No!"

Bella struggled, but Edward's arms were like iron bars around her midsection. When had he gotten so strong?

"Hey!" Jake growled. "Let her go!"

Jake's growl made Bella stop struggling. That deep, guttural roar wasn't a sound she'd ever heard a human make.

What happened next, Bella didn't know. Jake was shaking and blurry, like a broken TV screen.

Edward let go of Bella. "Run!"

Run? What did that mean? Bella's mind was too overwhelmed to process the three-letter word.

Jake lunged for Edward's throat. Bella squeezed her eyes shut. There was a sound like two semis colliding. Then there was silence.