That night, Charlie leads me to the unfinished laundry room and pushes two boxes from the back corner that are stacked on top of each other. They'd been there for so long, I'd forgotten they were even there.

He moves to lift the box on top, but he struggles with the weight. "Damn, this is heavy."

"Want some help?" I'm already moving toward him, but he holds out his hand.

"No, Bells. I don't want you hurting yourself. I can get it." He strains again, and I see a vein bulging in his forehead.

Maybe, I can help without him realizing, I think to myself. I'd done it before on command with Angela's car and Tyler's van. I can lift one stupid box. Focus, Bella.

Charlie squats a bit and grips the handles again. When he lifts, I put all of my energy on the bottom of the box. I push as hard as I can and suddenly, Charlie is lifting the weight and balances it on his chest. "See?" His voice is stiff with the labor, but he's pleased with himself.

"Good job," I tell him.

He places the box on the ground to where I'm standing in front of the dryer and crouches down to open it. "So, tell me more about this project you're working on."

Sitting down across from him, I cross my legs. "We need to recreate our family tree. I wanted to use any pictures I could find of our relatives." I pause to look at Charlie. He doesn't seem suspicious yet, so I continue. "I realized that I don't know much about Nana."

Charlie pulls out an old photo album that sits on top of some old fabric patterns. He traces the design on the front and I see him sifting through old memories of Grandma Swan. He has a lot of happy souvenirs of her, but he still has disapproved emotions about her "hoodoo crap" as he calls it. "She wasn't perfect, but she loved you."

"Do you miss her?" I ask.

"Of course." He opens the album and skips through to the middle. When he finds what he's looking for, he flips it around to show me. "Look at this."

I take the album into my lap as he points to the photo in the top left corner. It's a picture of Nana holding me as a baby in the hospital. Her hair is longer, just above her shoulders and her hair is a light brown instead of white.

"You were only a few days old there," Charlie says in a gentle tone. "She was ecstatic that day. Her first grandchild." He chuckles to himself and I see him replaying the day in his head.

"Oh, Charlie! Look at her!"

Charlie gently places the swaddled baby into her arms. Tiny movements from her arms and legs are visible under the blanket and he gently rubs his fingers over her small face to calm her. "It's alright, sweetheart."

"She is beautiful," she murmurs. "What did you name her?"

"Isabella Marie Swan," he answers proudly.

Nana's eyes go wide as she looks from her son to Renee. "You named her after me?"

"Of course, Marie," Renee says. "You've gone above and beyond for us. We can't thank you enough."

Charlie turns away when he sees the tears pooling in his mother's eyes. He'd never been great at dealing with emotions and didn't know how to react or respond. He catches Renee's attention as she lies down in the bed behind them. She must know he's struggling because she gives him an encouraging smile.

"Her eyes are blue!"

Charlie turns around toward his mother again to see his daughter has opened her eyes. She's cooing, trying hard to focus on what's in front of her. Her eyes are a deep cobalt blue. "Yes, aren't they gorgeous? The doctor says they may change later on."

The baby begins to fuss and Nana chuckles as she bounces the baby gently. "I think she wants her mamma."

"I wish I got to know her better," I say to bring Charlie out of his own head.

"You were young," he says. "There wasn't anything you could've done."

I place the album down on the floor and look back inside the box. "What is all this stuff anyway? Are there more of her things in here?"

"Not much," he answers. "Just some old junk I've been holding onto for too long. Some of your baby clothes are in here, some old fishing gear. I think I may still have one of her sewing machines."

I look at him incredulously. "You kept her sewing machine?"

Charlie scratches the back of his head, a nervous tell of his. "Well, your mom was real crafty back in the day. I thought maybe she'd want to use it, but that was before she um…" left.

"Yeah, I got it." I try not to get sucked into his emotions and focus on what's in front of me. "Do you mind if I go through this album?"

"Of course not." Charlie slowly moves back onto his feet, groaning the whole time. "Don't ever get old, Bella."

I smile at him as he heads toward the kitchen. "I'll do my best."

Friday afternoon, Angela meets me at our lunch table.

"Hey, B."

I hum around my mouthful of tomato soup.

"Where's Edward?" she asks.

I swallow. "He'll be here soon, probably." Edward had been sitting with us since Monday. We'd grown accustomed to his company again at our table. Angela was still having a hard time letting go of her reservations about him, but she never voiced them and was nothing but friendly to him.

"So, I found the perfect shoes to go with my dress," she begins. "I found them at the thrift store of all places. Isn't that crazy? They look brand new."

"That's great, Ang!" Homecoming is next weekend and I know she's excited about it. As much as she wants me to be there with her, she's thrilled to have a night alone with Ben. "You should try them on with your dress tonight. I want to see."

"Sure. Maybe you can help me with my make up."

Giving her a pointed look, I say, "You've got the wrong girl, sunshine."

"C'mon, please? At least help me find a nail color."

I'm about to give in when I see Edward walking toward our table. He shoots his crooked smile at me and I find my own grin pulling at the corners of my mouth. Why do I feel goosebumps running down my arms?

There's a girl walking next to him and I recognize her as his sister. She's tiny, only standing up to the middle of his rib cage. She's practically dancing with every step. "Hi, girls!"

"Angela, Bella," Edward starts, his voice soft, "this is my sister, Alice."

"Hi, Alice." Angela waves amicably and I do the same, a bit awkwardly. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"And you as well!" Alice sits in Edward's usual spot across from Angela and me while Edward snags the chair next to mine.

Suddenly very aware of his presence next to me, I scooch my chair to the left in an effort to make more space between us. I feel another wave of hairs rising on my skin and I fight a shiver. His left elbow is mere inches from my own and I'm working hard to refrain from reaching out and touching him. Instead, my hands busy themselves tapping an arrhythmic beat on the table.

Alice speaks again, filling the silence before it's too much to bear. "I hear you need help with some makeup for the dance?"

"Yeah, you know someone?"

"Yes!" Alice jumps in her seat and flashes a smile bright enough to make me want to squint. "Me! I'm really good with a brush. Edward can vouch for me."

"She's very talented, yes." The sound of his voice forces my eyes to look at him despite my endeavor. His eyes, as well as Alice's, are a bright gold. I'm left to wonder what it is exactly that makes them that color. I have so many questions about him that usually go unanswered. I have yet to tell him what I know, and I intend to keep it that way until he shows me he's ready to talk about it.

"What color are you and Ben wearing to the dance?" she asks.

"Peach." Angela removes her phone from the back pocket of her jeans to show her a picture of her dress.

"Oh, that is cute!" Alice snags the phone from Angela's hands and zooms in on the picture. "That's coral, though. Not peach."

Angela moves to look over her shoulder. "Yeah, but I think the lighting in my room gives it more of a pinkish color. You should see it in person."

Alice strokes her chin thoughtfully with her thumb and index finger. "Hm, good point."

I catch Edward shaking his head and have to bite back my amusement. He must not see the difference in colors either.

Alice hands back Angela's phone. "Let's meet up at your place tonight. You can show me the dress and I'll let you look at some of my color palettes."

Angela gasps slightly and I try not to giggle at her excitement. "Really? That'd be awesome."

"Bella?" Alice looks at me and I can't help but feel intimidated by her forwardness. "Will you come?"

I glance at Edward, wondering if he'll join us as well, and immediately regret it when we make eye contact. He's smiling faintly and I can only hope he was telling the truth when he said he can't read my mind. I hide my blush with my hair. "Y-Yeah, sure. I'll go."

"Great!" Alice claps her hands together and I'm surprised by how quickly she's made herself comfortable with us. Angela seems to really like her and I'm glad she finally gets to know someone who can make the distinction between coral and peach.

"Are you jealous?"

I jump when I hear his voice in my ear. He's got his head ducked down and he's speaking in a tone low enough that only I can hear. "What?"

Edward nods his head toward the two girls who are back to sharing a phone screen and discussing potential makeup looks. "That's just Alice. It's how she's always been. Very hands-on."

"I'm not jealous," I urge, but there's no mistaking this feeling of insecurity that weighs heavily in my chest. Angela made a lot of sacrifices to make sure I was happy. With Charlie keeping me on such a short leash, I very seldom made plans outside of my bedroom and it was never a question with Angela if she wanted to spend the time with me. She was always there. I wish I could offer her something to show my appreciation. Even if it were something as simple as applying her makeup.

"It's completely normal if you are," he says. He must detect my denial.

"Well, I'm not." I know my quick answer only proves my untruthfulness, but Edward doesn't push the subject and for that I'm grateful. "Do you want to come too?"

"Absolutely not, Bella!" Alice is staring at me sternly and arches a perfectly sculpted brow. "Girls only. No offense, Edward."

"None taken." Edward winks at me and I ignore the disappointment that washes over me.

Angela picks up on our silent banter and wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. I'd kick her under the table if I weren't worried about Edward and Alice noticing.

The bell rings shortly after that and Alice gets Angela's address, promising to meet us there after school. She bounces ahead of us and I laugh to myself when I hear Angela thinking what a ball of energy she is.

"I'll meet you after class," Angela says before continuing down the hall.

Edward follows me into Banner's lab and we take our seats at our table. Mr. Banner's already jumped straight into his lesson on the Punnett Square, giving Edward an opportunity to resume our conversation. "If Alice is coming on too strong, I can talk to her for you."

"No, no, she's fine," I assure him. "It's not her I'm worried about."

"What is it then?" He slides his chair closer so he can speak quietly and I admire his ability to make such a mundane action look so graceful. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"Nothing important," I respond.

He furrows his brows slightly. "You look upset. It must be important enough to bother you."

Shrugging, I say, "I guess I'm just worried I'm not a good enough friend to Angela."

Edward surprises me by chuckling and I make an effort to keep my frustration from showing in my face. "You know, for someone who can read minds, you're very uncertain of people's perception of you."

I cross my arms in front of my chest, clenching my teeth when the familiar sting erupts from behind my eyes. I silently wish I hadn't said anything at all. I'm not sure which makes me want to cry more, this feeling of inadequacy or Edward trying to make me feel better.

"From the outside looking in," Edward goes on, "Angela knows you love her. You don't need to do anything more to prove that to her."

I try to clear my throat around the hot lump that's formed there. "Thanks."

Edward seems to understand my need for a break and changes the subject. We spend the rest of the period talking quietly about nothing and everything. He's leaning his forearms on the table and his elbow is brushing gently against my own. His touch is just enough to drown out the room. I'm able to easily take notes on Mr. Banner's lesson while also casually listening to Edward speak.

When class is over, Edward bids me farewell, but not before telling me I have nothing to worry about. My noncommittal smile seems to be enough of a response for him as he nods and heads for his last class of the day.

The last hour of the day passes fairly quickly and I soon find myself sitting on Angela's bed while she carefully places her dress next to me on top of the comforter.

"What do you think, B? Honestly."

My fingers slide over the clear garment bag. It's a strapless dress, the torso covered in tiny, silver rhinestones with a long frilly skirt that resembles the color of a starfish. I had seen the dress in her head, but seeing with my own eyes makes it even more beautiful. "It's gorgeous, Ang. I can't wait to see you in it."

She squeals and throws herself onto the tiny space left on the bed behind me. I'm giggling at her excitement as she kicks her feet into the air while lying on her back. "Bella, you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this!"

"I have an inkling."

When there's a tiny knock on Angela's bedroom door, she sits up. "Come in!"

Alice pokes her head in, flashing us a wide grin before pushing the door all the way open, holding a very serious looking pink and black trunk behind her. "Hi, girls!"

"What is that?" Angela asks. "How much did you bring?"

With a mischievous smirk, she says, "I'm the real deal, baby." Alice points to the vanity table against the wall. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Angela answers.

Alice makes room on the table to place her trunk down and easily unlatched the clasps on the front. Angela stands by her side as she opens the trunk and drops her jaw at the sight.

The top half of the trunk is an LED lighted mirror while the bottom holds three shelves stacked on top of each other. One dedicated to brushes, one for eyeshadow and the rest for what I can only assume is foundation.

"Damn." I look over to Alice who's standing proudly between Angela and I. "You weren't kidding."

"Nope." Alice motions for Angela to sit in front of the mirror. "Okay, down to business. This is the dress?" She picks up the garment bag and holds it up under Angela's chin. "You're right, this is more of a peachy color."

I take a seat on the corner of the bed while Alice examines Angela's face through the reflection of the mirror.

"Show me some of your inspo shots."

Angela fishes out her phone and the two of them surf through pictures of what they think might go well with the dress. They finally agree on something and I watch attentively as she works.

She starts by applying some moisturizer onto her face. "Are you going to the dance, Bella? I'd be happy to do your makeup too."

I shake my head. "No, I'm not going. Thanks for the offer, though."

Alice pouts faintly and I find that she is the only adolescent person I've met who makes pouting look cute instead of annoying. "Why not?"

Angela and I share a look through the mirror and I make sure to choose my words carefully. "I'm epileptic. It's not smart for me to go."

"Oh." Alice pauses applying the foundation to meet my eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's not a big deal," I assure her. "Are you going with Jasper?"

"No, he doesn't really do well with crowds." She goes on more about her relationship with Jasper and I'm happy to have the spotlight off of me for a few minutes. Eventually, the conversation loops back around to Homecoming and we're talking about photos.

"I want pictures with Bella," Angela states.

"I'm not going, Ang," I say again. "I'll just be hanging out in sweats."

"So, what?" She turns to look at me, but Alice readjusts her face so she can keep applying eyeliner. "It's a special night and I want pictures with my girl."

With a shrug, I say, "Okay, sure."

"We'll meet up at your house before we go," she decides. "Ben won't mind."

Alice is making the last few touches as she sings, "Almost done! Just a little more highlighter and...finished!" She steps behind Angela and lets her see the finished product. "What do you think?"

"Omigod!" Angela smiles at Alice through the mirror. "This is amazing, thank you!"

Alice claps her hands and bounces on the balls of her feet! "Yay! I'm so glad you like it! Go try on your dress, I want to see you in it."

Angela rises from the chair and begins to unbutton her jeans. It wasn't the first time she'd undressed in front of me, but I wasn't expecting her to be so comfortable with Alice here with us.

I sneak a side-eyed glance toward Alice. She's focused on reorganizing her makeup case to pay any attention to the almost-naked-Angela reflecting in the mirror.

Angela steps into her dress and a sudden wave of awe comes over me. She's struggling with the zipper in the back, but even with her face all scrunched up and her casual stance, I can picture her walking down the stairs with the skirt bunched up in her fists and Ben waiting for her at the bottom with a bouquet of flowers.

"Bella, can you zip me u—are you crying?"

I'm not sure what pushed me over the edge, but I find myself damn near sobbing, tears coming so fast I can't see straight. "You're just so pretty!"

"Aw, Bella!" Angela pulls me into a hug, and I don't even care that she's touching me. I'm seeing images of Ben kissing her behind the stairs at school, the boutonnière she's planning on buying for him and I feel her enthusiasm for the dance. It should be enough to make me forget how guilty I feel, but I'm still crying.

I wipe my face when I remember we can't mess up the dress. Over Angela's shoulder, I see Alice sitting in the chair watching us. She's wearing a sympathetic expression and I recognize the pattern she's toeing into the carpet as an action of someone who doesn't really know what to do.

I beckon her to stand up. "Come here, Alice. You can get in on this too."

She jumps up, squealing. "I love group hugs!" And then charges at us. Her cold hands wrap around me and Angela and her touch, like Edward's, is enough to block Angela from me. I don't hear or feel anything except for what I'm supposed to and I make sure to relish this moment. The three of us are standing there giggling and sniffling with happy tears. We had only just met Alice and yet, she'd managed to wiggle her way into our hearts.

The night of Homecoming, Angela and Ben stand in my driveway while I take pictures with her phone. Ben is wearing a black tux with a peach vest and bow tie to match her gown. Angela stands a bit taller than Ben in her heels, but he doesn't seem to mind. He's just ecstatic to have her there.

I make them pose as she pins his boutonnière onto his jacket. I can see their matching promise rings on their fingers with the setting sun glinting off of the rhinestones.

Ben reaches up for a kiss and I make sure to capture that too, knowing they'll both love some candid shots.

"Alright, Bells." Charlie gently removes the phone from my hands. "Get in there, it's your turn."

A few pictures later,, Angela decides she's had enough and I wave as the two drive off in Ben's Kia.

"So," Charlie starts when it's just the two of us left, "what are you going to do for the rest of your night?"

"Homework, I guess." I turn to look at him. "You?"

"I think I'll turn in early. I uh, followed your advice." He scratches the back of his head and smiles sheepishly at me. "I'm going fishing tomorrow morning."

"Really?" I feign ignorance. I'd known since he called on Wednesday, but he'd been worrying about how to tell me. "Good for you, Dad."

"You think you'll be alright by yourself?"

I nod and follow him as he heads inside the house. "Yes, of course."

He doesn't question me further and settles down into his favorite spot on the couch to watch TV while I take the stairs to my room.

I breeze through my assignments quicker than I intend to. I was hoping it would keep me busy for most of the night, but it seems only an hour had passed. The sun had set, but there was still a fair amount of blue light left in the sky.

My thoughts travel back to Alice. I remember how cold her hands were, the same way Edward's are. I still hadn't spoken to him about what I know and it left me wondering about the missing pieces. What made them this way? When did he realize he could feed off of the animals? Where do they go to eat?

Remembering my dream of him hunting the deer, I'm brought back to a conversation Edward and I had in Biology. He told me that his father takes them hiking when the weather holds up.

"Elk Creek Park," I recall aloud. I'd never actually gone to investigate that trail. I desperately wanted to know if it looked anything like the forest I'd dreamt of a week ago. For every question I had for Edward and his family, I had two more about me. Was that a dream? A premonition? I need to understand.

Scrambling out of bed, I peek out into the hallway. All of the lights are turned off downstairs except for the small bulb on top of the stove, casting a soft, yellow glow onto the floor. I hear Charlie snoring down the hall and decide that I'll never get another chance like this.

I tiptoe down the stairs, skipping the third one from the top, knowing its creaking will announce my presence.

Making it to the bottom, I grab Angela's pullover I still had yet to return to her and my key to the front door. The park isn't far from here, so I'm confident in my capability to get there and back in a reasonable time.

Shoving headphones in my ears, I quietly step outside and lock the door behind me.

It only takes me about five songs to get to the park. It looks the same as it did on my birthday, the two empty swings swaying back and forth in the breeze and wood chips spread all over the ground.

I duck under the monkey bars and pass the slide before I stand in front of a small copse of pine trees. I recognize a thin dirt path as the trail and remove my headphones before following it into the forest.

There's a wooden bridge that's built over a small creek. The sound of the water splashing is soothing and I almost sit down just to listen to it. But I remember what my objective is and push on.

Past the bridge is a steep hill with tall grass that I have to climb. I realize how out of shape I am halfway up when I have to pause to catch my breath. Despite being able to see my breath, I'm sweating. So much that I take off Angela's sweater and tie it around my waist.

I continue up, steadying my pace like Angela always tells me to do when we go running. I'm almost to the top when my foot catches a well-hidden tree root and skin my knee on a particularly sharp rock.

Hissing, I carefully pull up the fabric of my leggings to assess the damage. It's a tiny abrasion, but it's enough that four tiny beads of blood rise to the surface and dribble down my calf.

The sight of it makes my stomach turn and I force myself to close my eyes and take deep breaths. "I'm okay," I whisper to myself. "I'm okay, I'm okay."

Images of a destroyed Chevy truck are flickering behind my eyes and I'm doing everything I can to keep my panic at bay. I grip a fistful of damp grass next to me and pull it up from the dirt. "Get it together."

Edward would tell you to let it run its course, I think to myself. But I don't have time to do that. It's pitch black outside now and I'm sitting in mud with my heart thumping dangerously fast in my chest.

"Get it together," I say again.

With a trembling hand, I wipe the blood away and pull my pant leg back down. Out of sight, out of mind.

Time to go home, Bella. Coming out here alone was a stupid idea. I need to get this cut taken care of before I have a full-blown panic attack.

I stand up on shaky legs, preparing to turn back down the hill when I hear something rustling in the trees across from me. The anxiety, which hadn't fully receded, flutters again in my stomach.

It's dark, and I can hardly see the trees in front of me. Probably how I tripped in the first place. I'm such an idiot.

Turning on the flashlight of my phone, I shine it in front of me. If there were anyone there I'd hear them, so I figure it must have been an animal. At least, that's what I tell myself to stop the panic from escalating. I'm just about to tell myself there's absolutely nothing there when someone steps out from behind the trees.

"Jesus!" I place my hand over my chest as if to keep my heart from beating out of my chest. "Don't scare me like that."

Edward stands there in the light of my phone, his shoulders stiff and square-shaped as he stills completely. His eyes are even blacker than the night sky and for a moment, I wonder if he's even breathing. "What are you doing out here?"

"Um…" I try to find words but nothing comes to mind that doesn't sound ridiculous. "I guess I could ask you the same thing."

I see his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallows audibly. Then he steps forward, very cautiously, making me realize what has him so tense.

I take a few steps back in an effort to give him some space. "Don't make yourself uncomfortable."

Edward stares at me a few seconds longer before responding. "What are you talking about?"

"I um…" I'm at a loss for words again. "I know blood makes you um...I just don't want to make you uncomfortable," I repeat stupidly.

He swallows again. "Bella, why are you looking at me like that?"

I shrug, but I can only imagine what my face looks like right now. Sweating, wide-eyed, wondering in the back of my head how hungry he is right now. "Like what?"

"Bella."

I feel more blood trickling down my leg and I take another deep breath to steady my racing heart. "Please don't be upset."

Edward holds his gaze, and for a split second I think I see him glance down at my knee.

"I know."

He takes another step forward. "You know what, Bella?"

"I know what you are."