I know Angela isn't feeling well the second I step outside Tuesday morning. Her stereo volume is barely audible and her thoughts are sluggish where they're normally peppy. She is rubbing her eyes behind her glasses when I open the passenger door, causing her to jump. The surprise sends her into a coughing fit and I find myself pounding her back to help her.

When she's able to breathe again, she croaks, "Don't scare me like that!"

"You sound like shit." I check the time on my phone. "Why don't you head home and I'll ask Charlie to take me to school?"

She shakes her head and leans to see her reflection in the rear view mirror. She's doing her best to adjust her fly-away hairs, but gives up after a minute. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Your voice is a whole octave lower than it should be." I reach over to touch her forehead, but to be honest I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be feeling for and all I get are images of her up all night coughing instead of sleeping. "You need rest."

"Don't be such a mom," she says with a laugh that mysteriously sounds like she's trying to clear her throat. "I'm okay, really. You don't have to worry about me."

I feign annoyance. "It's not you I'm worried about. I don't want to catch whatever the hell you have."

"Oh, nice." She rolls her eyes but I see her smiling. "Good to know your feelings are altruistic."

We're silent most of the ride there. Mostly due to the fact that Angela is a high-functioning zombie, but I let her believe I want some quiet before having to deal with the crowding in the school parking lot.

When she pulls into the lot, Edward is the first person I see. He is leaning against his Volvo speaking with the small pixie-haired girl. It's like he can sense my gaze because he looks up almost immediately to watch Angela pull into a free space just a few cars down from his. Of course, I'm broken from my train of thought when Angela sneezes loud enough to wake the dead.

"Ew, snot-rocket!" I'm in hysterics as she glares at me over the napkin she's using to wipe her face. "Ang, please don't take this the wrong way, but you're absolutely disgusting."

"How am I not supposed to take that the wrong way?" she demands.

Giving her a sympathetic look, I say, "Please go home."

"Stop worrying, B." Angela unlocks the car and steps out. "Let's go."

I follow her out into the lot and I automatically grip onto her hand. We walk toward the building and I can't help but look as we pass by the Volvo.

Edward and the girl watch us intently as we walk by. Their amber eyes are filled with an emotion I can't read. Has he told her? How much does he know? Who else knows? Butterflies are fluttering in my stomach when Angela tugs on my hand to get my attention.

"Ignore him," she says curtly. Can't believe that kid.

Eternally grateful to have her support, I turn to smile at her and leave Edward Cullen behind.

Angela ends up sneezing and coughing her way through first and second period. Halfway through third period, I get a text from her saying she's been sent home with a fever. I'm happy she's finally going home to rest, but hate that I have to go through the rest of the day alone.

At lunch I'm prepared to spend it alone with music screaming in my ears when I see Edward at the table. He's waiting for me expectantly while he toys with his mashed potatoes and mystery meat. They are completely untouched.

I contemplate escaping outside, but of course the universe hates me. When I turn to look out the window, I see it is pelting rain outside and I sigh internally. What would Angela say?

"Face your problems head on," she had said. Fine.

I walk with a purpose and practically slam my bag down on the floor before taking my seat. Edward is peering up at me with concern written all over his face, but I'm determined not to let him distract me.

"Bella?"

"What?" It comes out more harshly than I intend it to, but I don't dwell on it. "You've made it very clear you don't want to be friends, so why are you here?"

Edward leans closer on his elbows and I have to avert my gaze before his charm dissuades me. "I said it'd be best not to be friends. Not that I didn't want to be."

I allow myself to meet his eyes and scowl at him. "What the hell does that even mean? You all but abandoned me in that hospital, making me feel like a monster out of a horror film!"

"Bella, I—"

"You promised you'd be there for me, but you weren't!" I have to take a breath when my voice gets too loud and people start to stare. Quieter, I continue, "You may not have said the words, but that's what friends do. They're there when you need them and you left."

"I'm sorry." His eyebrows are turned down into a soft V-like shape and I almost fall for it. "I never meant to hurt you."

Clenching my teeth, I shake my head. "You don't have to pretend. I'm giving you an out, okay? Just take it already."

"I'm not pretending." He reaches out to touch me and before I can react, his hand is on mine. The sound that comes after, or lack thereof, reminds me of submerging my head underwater. Everything is quiet. I can't hear anything around me. Only the sound of blood in my ears. His hands are freezing and I wonder if the temperature has suddenly dropped outside without my knowing.

Taking my hand back, I immediately regret it as the voices come back full force. I have to close my eyes and breathe before I speak again. "Have you told anyone? About what you saw?"

"Of course not."

I narrow my eyes. "Why don't I believe you?"

"I know you have no reason to trust me," he starts.

"Correct."

"But it is the truth. I have not said a word." Edward exhales quietly and I watch him as he rakes his hand through his auburn hair. "Where is Angela?"

Scoffing at the sudden change of subject, I jab, "What do you care?"

"Do you need a ride home this afternoon?"

"No," I answer immediately. "She's home sick, by the way. Not that you care about anyone's well-being except yours."

Unfazed by my anger, he replies calmly, "Let me drive you. It is the very least I could do."

"No dice."

"Please." I balk at his plea and wish I had Angela here to guide me on what to do next. "Let me make it up to you." He's leaning in close to me and I realize that I've been doing the same. Propping myself on the table with my elbows and moving my head closer to his. This close up, I can see specks of dark brown among his golden irises and I almost tell him yes. Then the thunder claps and I'm broken from my reverie and stand from my seat abruptly.

"I don't trust you, Edward." Spinning on my heels, I leave the cafeteria.

I end up skipping Biology, spending the class hiding in the library. I'm trying to work on my history assignment, but I'm not retaining any of the words that I'm supposed to be reading from the text.

Face your problems head on. Angela's words echo in my head. So much for that. It could've been raining acid and I'd take that over confronting Edward. What's his problem anyway? That kid flips from hot and cold so fast, I swear I'm getting whiplash. I wish he would just pick one already. Not that I'd forgive him for his behavior last week. He's no better than any of these stuck up snobs in this school.

The end of the day comes quicker than expected. I wasn't intending to ditch all of my afternoon classes, but when I heard the final bell ring, I had nothing to do but scramble to get my things together.

It's still raining outside, but it's much lighter than it was before. I'm scrambling for my phone for a solid minute before I pull it out from the very depths of my unorganized bag. "Aha!"

I'm clicking the power button repeatedly, but it's unresponsive. "No, no, no…" The damn thing is dead. "Shit!" How was I supposed to call Charlie now? I'm considering walking to the main office and asking to use the phone when a silver Volvo swerves to a stop in front of me.

I watch the passenger side window roll down. "Still need a ride?" Edward freaking Cullen. Of course. "Get in."

I take a moment to sulk in my misery before biting the bullet and opening the passenger door. "Not. One. Word."

With a crooked grin, he nods. "You got it."

Edward stays true to his word and keeps his mouth shut. The only words spoken are my directions to my house. Once he pulls up next to the driveway, I'm out of the car and racing to the front door. I'm blushing a deep red when I stumble over the porch step and bite my tongue to keep from groaning aloud.

"Was that one of your friends?" Charlie asks as I make my way up the stairs.

"No." Then I'm in my room and shut the door.

Angela doesn't come back to school until Friday. We're sitting at our lunch table as she drones on about shopping for an outfit for the Homecoming dance coming next week. I entertain the conversation as a means to avoid telling her about my confrontation with Edward.

"We should go to Port Angeles tonight!"

"For a dress?" I give her an incredulous look. "I think you're taking this dance way too seriously. You know everything up there is ridiculously overpriced?"

"It's not that bad," she insists. "You can find some great deals if you know where to look. You need a dress too."

"No way, Ang. Charlie will never allow it."

I see her slump in her seat. "You're not still worried about triggers, are you?"

"The heat, the flashing lights, loud music? I won't risk it."

B, you're not epileptic anymore.

"We don't know that," I say quietly. "Not for sure. The last thing I need is for one of these episodes to catch me off guard."

Angela sighs, but I know she understands. "Will you still come shopping with me?"

"Of course, I will." I'm smiling but there's a cold chill that runs down my spine. When Angela's distracted by a text from Ben, I spin around in my seat.

From the table behind me, Edward is studying me. I want to be angry. I want to demand what the hell it is that he wants from me. All I'm capable of doing is matching his gaze and wishing I could hear the thoughts in his head.

After lunch, I skip Biology again and hide in the library until the end of the day. I promise myself it will be the last time I skip class. Monday morning I'm going to stop by the main office to ask to have my schedule changed.

Angela meets me at my locker as usual and we walk together out of the building and to her car. She's deciding what kind of snacks we should buy for our trip while I call Charlie to let him know I'll be home late.

"It's only an hour's drive," I remind her. "We should be fine if you want to head straight there."

"Yeah, but road trips are more fun with snacks," she says.

"I'm not sure Port Angeles counts as a road trip, but sure."

Just after four o'clock, Angela stops at a traffic light right before the mall's entrance. Across the street is a store I've never seen before.

"What is that?"

She turns to follow my gaze. "Haven's Corner," she reads aloud. "Must be new."

It's too far away for me to see the inside, but looking at the sign in front of the store, I can't help but think I've seen it somewhere before. Why does this seem so familiar? There's an image of a man holding a staff with an infinity symbol above his head. I've seen this picture before, but where?

A flash of an empty tea cup and a slim, golden card appears behind my eyes. The Magician. It was on the face of one of the tarot cards I'd seen my mother give to Grandma Swan.

"We can stop by later if you want," Angela says as she turns into the mall and searches for a space.

"That'd be great."

I grip onto Angela's hand as we go inside. The weekend crowd proves to be a special kind of debilitating that I'm unprepared for and I'm desperate to drown them out.

"Just hang onto me," she says, sensing my tension. "If it gets to be too much, we'll go home. Okay?"

I nod my head as I follow her. "I'll be fine."

She takes us to an outlet toward the east side of the building and I recognize Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley as we pass them on the way to the clearance section. They don't see us but Angela ushers us past them and I silently thank her.

Angela lets go of my hand to surf through dresses hanging on the rack in front of her. After a moment she holds up two side by side. "What do you think? Periwinkle or lavender?"

I choke back a laugh. "You mean they're not the same color?"

She lowers them enough to give me an irritated look. "You're worse than Ben."

I shove her gently toward the fitting room. "Just go try them on already, and I'll tell you what I think."

With a roll of her eyes, she turns and heads inside the stall. Soon after modeling both choices, she puts them both back on the rack for being too "boob-y."

I help her find a few more things to try on, but when we don't come up with anything she really likes, Angela ends up asking one of the employees for help.

Now, I find myself sitting on the lounge chair next to the dressing room as the stylist hands Angela three more options to try on. We've been at this for the better part of two hours and I know I'd be asleep by now if it weren't for everyone's inner monologuing.

"Let me know if you need anything else," the young retailer says before sauntering back to the front of the store.

Itching to get some fresh air, I stand and knock on the door. "Ang?"

"What's up, B?"

I fight the urge to laugh as I get a flash of her pushing her boobs together, trying to make them bigger. "I'm gonna head out to that store we saw across the street."

"Want me to come with you? I can finish up here." She's about to unzip her dress when I interrupt her.

"No, no, keep looking. I'll only be a minute. If you want, I can meet you back at that Italian place you like up the road?"

I see her eyes roll into the back of her head as she moans. "That sounds delicious. I'm starving."

Chuckling, I turn to shoulder my bag. "Okay, I'll see you in a bit."

I make it out of the building unscathed and head toward the crosswalk just ahead of me. The sun is beginning to set behind dark gray clouds and I regret not bringing a jacket with me as the air chills. I can feel goosebumps forming on my arms, but I tell myself if I'm quick, I can make it back indoors before I get too cold.

The light turns and I'm able to cross the street safely, rubbing my arms in an attempt to stay warm. It's not far now. As I get closer, I'm able to see the shop better and I almost groan aloud when I see what the sign in front of the store is advertising.

Psychic Faire! I read. Featuring Spirit Mediumship, Magic Circles and More!

I look back at the mall and consider walking back, but decide against it. Wandering inside a quacky tourist shop sounds more entertaining than waiting for Angela to decide what she's going to wear.

Through the glass door, I see a girl with long and wavy black hair cascading down her back. When I step inside, it triggers a small bell that hangs just below the doorframe. Her attention is averted from her magazine to me and I try not to balk when she comes to view.

"Welcome!" Her overgrown bangs cover nearly the entirety of the right side of her face. She's also wearing a ridiculously neon green leotard with a dark brown lip color only on her top lip. After hearing her thoughts, I realize she's cosplaying as some character named Shego. Whoever that is. "What brings you in?"

Her animated greeting doesn't seem to match her goth-like appearance, but I mumble something about browsing and she goes back to her magazine.

There are candles on the wall, each one supposedly able to enhance certain attributes. I pass one that promotes sex magic and I contemplate buying it as a joke for Angela and Ben's anniversary.

Maybe she wants a palm reading.

I hear Shego approaching behind me and roll my eyes as I impatiently wait for her to spit the words out.

"Would you like a—"

"No thanks."

She shifts her weight onto her left foot and gives me a mischievous smirk. "How did you know what I was going to say?"

Knowing all too well where this conversation is going, I snag the first thing I see off the shelf, a book, because I know if I ask to purchase it, she'll drop the subject. "I want to buy this."

"Interesting find!" She turns and beckons me to follow her back up to the front.

After fumbling awkwardly for change in my pocket, she gives me a receipt and I shove the book in my bag and dip out of the shop as fast as I can.

It's drizzling out now and the sun is gone. Streetlights come to life one by one down the road and I follow them to the right, praying I'm going in the right direction.

There's some light foot traffic that I'm able to avoid easily by taking an alley behind the strip of businesses and loop back around to the sidewalk. However, the further down I go, the glass-door shops turn into warehouses and vacant spots.

I realize that I've gone too far and return back down the alley to get back to where I was.

Halfway up the narrow street, I can hear four men rounding the corner behind me. I don't need my ability to tell me they'd been drinking. I can see them stumbling up the way and one of the stooges sees me watching and waves lazily.

Rolling my eyes, I keep walking forward, but I can hear them following me.

Just breathe, Bella. You're fine.

Two of them duck to the left and I can hear them trying to take a shortcut out to where the alley opens up and I push myself to move faster.

"She's real pretty," I hear one say to his friend. "Wonder if she'll stop to talk."

Over my dead body, I think. Then I realize that may be a possibility and curse myself for not letting Charlie give me that can of pepper spray on my sixteenth birthday.

I emerge back out to the sidewalk and I almost let myself relax when I see the other two boys appear on the other side of the walkway.

Found you.

Never seen her around here before…

Look at her tiny little frame.

I push their voices out of my head and take a shaky breath. Which way now? Stay calm, Bella. Just cross the street.

Without thinking, I'm off the sidewalk and into the street when a car horn startles me back off of the pavement.

The driver narrowly misses me and despite the lack of sunlight, I can see her flipping me off as she passes by.

By now the two boys behind me are practically on my heels and I have no option other than to move forward. Maybe I can just shove my way past them or take one down to make an opening. Something.

I'm out of time when I see two pairs of feet in front of me.

"Hey there, little lady." One of the two up front is smiling creepily at me. His teeth are yellow from tobacco and I can see a hint of a sleeve tattoo under his sweatshirt. "Where are you off to this late?"

I say nothing as I ram my shoulder into his side and successfully make my opening. I'm praising myself when I feel his hand wrap around my forearm, spinning me backward.

His touch shows me what he's picturing under my clothes and I'm so pissed I spit right in his face. "Leave me alone!"

He blinks a few times, slowly, and I'm curious if he's even aware of the offending saliva dripping off of his nose. "Sorry, have a nice night."

I can hear the rest of the group questioning his decision when an all too familiar car screeches to a stop in front of me.

The driver side door opens and out comes an unruly haired, bright-eyed Edward Cullen, seething. "Get in the car."

There are so many things happening at once, I can't work out what step to take next. I see one of the other men moving toward me as well as Edward around the front of the car. Suddenly the passenger door is open, but it couldn't have been Edward's doing as he is standing beside me now. Did I do that?

"Get in the car, Bella," he repeats. "Now."

"What's your problem?" It's the wrong thing to ask, but nothing is making sense in my head. Why is he here?

"Yeah man." It's one of the thugs, taking an arrogant stance. "What's your problem?"

The man I spit on still looks dazed, but at least he's wiped his face clean. What's wrong with him?

I turn to Edward and I feel my heart jump in my throat when I see his amber eyes fizzle from their golden brown to a color as black as tar. I've seen people's eyes change color before, but never like this. He looks downright dangerous and I contemplate escaping from Edward and these street kids as possible.

"Hey, girl." One of the drunkards who'd waved to me from the alley steps forward. "You don't gotta go nowhere if you—" I see his hand move to touch me again and before I can even react, Edward is in front of me, shoving the man full force.

Like a rag doll, he flies over his group of friends and I wince as I watch him land painfully almost ten feet away from where he was standing.

"Bella, get in the damn car!"

Eyes still cold and black, I hurry to the Volvo, not wanting to anger him more. No sooner as I shut the passenger door, Edward is speeding down the road and I grip onto the dashboard to steady myself.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?