"Care to join us, Bella?" Carlisle asked from his position at the head of the table.

Bella shuttered. "I'm good."

Thanks to Emmett and an ill-advised game of indoor soccer, there were only two available seats at the twelve-person dining table. Bella had her choice of sitting next to Edward or taking her chances with Rose. Neither option seemed like a wise idea. It was best to remain curled up on the recliner where she'd have a few seconds' heads start should things go south as they often during family meetings.

Carlisle sighed but did not force Bella to join them at the table. "As I was saying, I have full confidence that this bear situation will soon be resolved. However, there will be some new rules in the meantime.

Bella wrapped her arms around her midsection. Carlisle had no idea what they were dealing with. There was a vampire snacking on local teenagers. All the new rules in the world couldn't save them should it pick one of them as its next target. Bella wondered how Carlilse would respond if she told him what was really going on? Would he believe her or recommend therapy?

From now on, we will be operating on a buddy system," Carlisle said. "No one is allowed to leave the house alone."

Bella watched each of her foster siblings make eye contact with their partners. It was times like these that made Bella feel like the odd man out. Everyone but her had a hand to hold and a shoulder to cry on. Bella froze when noticed Edward's golden eyes looking straight at her. A familiar warmth spread through her abdomen. If Edward really was a prince then did that mean she was his true love?

Bella was considering joining her family in the dining room when Edward scratched the scar on his neck. She recalled the stories her grandmother used to read her as a child. Snow White fell victim to a poisonous apple. Little Red Riding Hood was eaten by a wolf. Hansel and Gretel found themselves in a witch's cottage. Bella needed to keep her distance from Edward unless she wanted to end up playing the damsel in distress in some sort of demented fairy tale.

"I want you all to stick close to home," Carlisle said. "That means no leaving Forks unless absolutely necessary."

Stay in Forks? With the vampires, shapeshifters, and whatever else was running around in the woods? Why couldn't they go on vacation as they did during the flu outbreak and the great Forks flood? Bella didn't care where they went as long as it was far away from Forks.

"But what about football?" Emmett said. "Edward and I have an away game on Friday!"

Football? There was a vampire on the loose and Emmett was worried about some stupid game?

"Perhaps you could make an exception to the rules for us," Edward said. "I doubt any…bears would be brave enough to attack a stadium full of people."

Edward too? Bella thought he'd given up on the whole football thing. He hadn't said much about how tryouts went. She was under the impression he hadn't made the team.

"What if we take Alice with us?" Emmett asked. "She could keep an eye out for bears while we play."

Bella stared at Alice. Alice was barely over five feet tall. Why would Carlisle feel any better about the guy's safety if she was there?

"Alright," Carlisle said. "As long as long as Alice is okay with that."

"I don't know," Alice said. "All those games would really cut into my shopping time."

"Please, don't make me quit the team Ally bear," Emmett said, giving her his best puppy dog eyes. "'I'll give you my allowance for a month!"

"Didn't you already promise your allowance to Bella?"

Bella hoped Edward would never find out she'd only kissed him because of a stupid dare.

"How about this," Alice said. "You don't have to give me any money, but you will owe me a favor."

Emmett shook Alice's hand. "Deal!"

When would that fool learn? Never make a deal with the devil.

"You're coming too, right Bella?" Edward asked.

Bella knew she should say no. Every time she agreed to go somewhere with Edward it ended in disaster.

"Come on, Bells," Emmett said. "You love football games."

Bella liked watching NFL games at home wrapped up in a fluffy blanket. High School football was a completely different beast. Parking was a nightmare. It was freezing in the bleachers. The concessions were overpriced. The crowd's constant shouting gave her a headache.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Bella said to Emmett.

A few hours of discomfort was worth it to be there to support her brother.

Emmett lightly punched Edward's shoulder. "Told you she'd come, bro."

Had she not been sitting, Edward's smile would have made her knees give out.

Emmett. Bella told herself. You're going to support Emmett. Those breathtaking golden eyes have nothing to do with it.

"There will be no more hiking or camping," Carlisle said. "The police believe the bears are hiding out in the woods surrounding town."

Bella looked out the window at the trees surrounding their property. She wished it was just a bear lurking in the shadows. A bear could be stopped by traps or bullets. How did one get rid of a man-eating vampire? Garlic? Silver bullets? A stake to the heart?

"No more dirt and bugs," Rose said, feigning disappointment. "What a tragedy."

"This is no time to joke around," Emmett said. "We're all in real danger."

Bella paid no addition to Rose's snarky reply. She was too preoccupied thinking about the last time there was an animal attack in Forks. What if this wasn't the first time they'd been visited by vampires? Could something other than a cougar be responsible for her father's death?

It was Jasper's turn to kick up a fuss.

"What about our trip to the castle!" Jasper protested. "We were supposed to camp out there this weekend!"

With all the excitement of the past day, Bella had forgotten about their project. She could only imagine how their teacher would react if he knew she'd somehow managed to wake up a first-person source.

"You've been there plenty of times," Bella said to Jasper. "I'm sure there's not anything you don't already know about the castle."

It was true. Jasper knew everything there was to know about the history of Forks. Everything except that he was sitting across the table from a real prince.

"What if we take Alice with us," Jasper said.

"No," Alice said, shaking her head. "I don't want to run into any bears."

"Would it be better if we went during the day?" Edward asked.

"Yes," Alice said with a far-off look on her face. "You should go on Saturday afternoon. The bears don't attack large groups of people."

"It's settled then," Carlisle said. You're still free to visit the castle, but it has to be during the day."

Jasper pouted and crossed his arms. He knew better than to argue with Alice.

"Speaking of the castle," Rose said, looking at Edward with her brow furrowed. "You know who you look like?"

"Who?" Edward asked.

Bella held her breath. It would be all over if Rose made the connection between Edward and the guy in the coffin.

"Robert Pattinson," Emmett said. "The guy from that new Batman movie."

"I was going to say Prince Edward, but you're right," Rose said. "It's uncanny. They could be brothers."

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for Emmett's quick thinking.

Unfortunately, Jasper wasn't as easy to distract as Rose. He cared far more about historical figures than modern celebrities.

"Hey Edward," Jasper said, stroking his chin. "Where did you say you were from again?"

Please stick to the story, Edward. Bella thought.

"Amnesia, remember?" Edward said, tapping his head. "I don't remember anything about my past."

"You should try one of those ancestry tests," Jasper suggested. "Maybe you have some long-lost relatives out there."

Bella had considered testing Edward's DNA. She hoped to put an end to his delusion by finding his family. She purchased a kit on Amazon, but she never used it. Maybe there was a reason why Edward's family hadn't come forward. Maybe there was an evil stepfather lurking somewhere in his past.

Edward leaned forward. "There's a test that can tell me where my family is?"

"Yes," Carlisle replied. "The police did one while you were in the hospital. It's standard procedure with missing children. We should have the results in a few days."

Bella's blood ran cold. While Edward had passed Jake's sniff test, there was no telling what would happen if a scientist studied his DNA. At best, it would confirm that Edward had no living relatives. At worst, something in Edward's DNA would reveal there was more to him than what met the eye.

Carlisle's phone chirped. He glanced at it but left it lying face down on the table.

"You should go," Alice said. "They need you. Everything will be fine here."