This is the longest chapter, by far. It's full of a bunch of dialogue and all that good stuff. I don't particularly care for it, and I had a tough time writing it. So, rather than do the right thing and rewrite it until I'm happy with it, I'm just gonna leave it here and keep moving forward. I think that's better than just staying stuck here.

I wasn't that surprised when Edward pulled up to the exact restaurant Jess, Angela, and I had been planning to go to without instruction. Rather than question him, I just grabbed my bags and got ready to thank him wholeheartedly for saving me once again. What surprised me was him turning off the car and getting out himself. I hadn't expected him to stay. I thought he was just dropping me off so I could go back home. Apparently not.

He was already at my door before I could process what was happening fully and grab the handle myself. Everything had been processing a bit slowly since I'd stopped crying. I started to get out with my bags, but he held out a hand to stop me. "Don't worry about taking that inside. They'll be fine while you eat." I couldn't even find it in myself to argue, just dropped my bags and stepped outside. He closed the door behind me and locked the car before slipping his keys into his pocket. Noticing my stare, he gestured his head somewhere behind me. "You should go explain to your friends that you won't be needing a ride home."

Turning around, I spotted Jess and Angela leaving the restaurant. I glanced back at Edward quickly before jogging over to my friends. They spotted me coming towards them, and let out relieved calls of my name. It came as a shock to me when Angela pulled me into a tight hug. "We were so worried about you!"

"Yeah, we tried calling you and everything, but your phone went straight to voicemail. I thought we were going to have to go to the police or something," Jess added, looking me over with a concern that I hadn't expected from her. Angela, maybe, but not Jessica Stanley. I decided not to tell her that she almost would have had to get the cops involved had Edward not come when he did.

"What happened?" Angela asked. My breath caught in my throat. That was exactly what my mind had been avoiding since I'd gotten into Edward's car. I had to try my hardest not to let the can of worms I'd been repressing open up again. If it did, I'd worry them even more.

Forcing a sheepish smile on my face, I rubbed my arm and pretended to be flustered. "Well, I was coming back from the bookstore I told you guys about when I bumped into Edward." The said boy moved to my side and sent them a dazzling smile. It seemed like we were both faking tonight because I could still see the anger simmering beneath the surface. "We got to talking and lost track of time. I was going to call you, but my phone died. Edward was nice enough to give me a ride." Hopefully, I didn't lay it on too thick. Giving too many details was just as unbelievable as giving too little.

"I was hoping I could get her some dinner since I was the cause of her missing out if that's alright with you? I'll drive her home myself." His voice was buttery smooth as he spoke, and had I been on the opposite side, I couldn't have even hoped to resist. I probably would have done anything he said.

Jess was completely sold, and even though Angela was blushing and avoiding eye contact, she still had some sense about her. "You're fine with that, Addison?" If I didn't love her before, I did now. She was such a sweet girl. My smile was genuine as I nodded.

"Yeah, thanks. Again, I'm sorry for ditching you earlier. That wasn't cool of me."

"No, we totally understand," Jess interrupted, barely taking her eyes off of Edward. "We'll just… go. Have fun." As she met eyes with mine, I could just tell that she was going to corner me at school tomorrow. Maybe I'd skip lunch.

Edward and I stood on the sidewalk for a while, watching them until they got into the car. "Shall we?"

"Sure." Side by side, we turned and headed inside. He stepped forward to hold the door for me, and I muttered a small thanks before walking into the restaurant. It was a warm little place with dim lights and soft music playing in the background. The low chatter added to the overall homey-feel of the place, and I felt myself relaxing slightly.

The man at the counter looked around my age, maybe a year or two older, and was staring down at a menu with a bored expression. He perked up when he noticed us, giving that same detached smile that all customer service workers had, at least, at first. He glanced at Edward before turning to me. His smile faltered, and I couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, how can I help you tonight?" Though he was addressing both of us, his eyes were trained on me.

"A table for two, please," Edward said, directing the man's attention away from me. An awkward tension began to settle around the three of us, and I was glad when he began to lead Edward and I to a table.

Stopping at a table near the center of the room, I grimaced. That wouldn't give me the chance to question Edward as thoroughly as I liked. "Um, could we get somewhere closer to the back, please… if that's alright, that is?"

He blinked at me a few times in silence before suddenly realizing we were all just standing awkwardly. "Oh… oh, yeah, of course, anything you want." We were lead to a booth that was in the corner of the room, away from everyone else. "Is this alright?"

"Perfect, thank you," I replied, shooting him a small smile as Edward and I sat on opposite sides.

"No problem. Can I start you off with something to drink?" He pulled out a notepad and pen from the apron I only just noticed he was wearing. It was a bit odd for him to be the host and the waiter, but I didn't care enough to question it.

"An Arnold Palmer, please."

"I'll have the same," Edward added. Sitting across from him, I was acutely aware of the fact that his eyes never strayed from my own and shifted awkwardly. People had stared at me before, but never with the same intensity as him. It made me feel naked in a way. My eyes stayed trained on the menu, feigning interest in some of the pasta dishes they had available to avoid his gaze.

When our waiter left, I could hear Edward chuckling lightly to himself. The sound was melodic and made me glance up at him. There was a smile on his face that showed clear amusement. "What?" I asked.

"He was utterly infatuated by you, you know?"

I hummed. "That was pretty clear. He looked at you for all of three seconds the whole time. Guys are easy to figure out. Well, all guys besides you, that is. I hardly ever know how you're feeling or what you're thinking at any given moment." I paused. "Though, that must not be a problem for you... being a mind reader and all." Just like I thought it would, the smile fell from his face and was replaced with a tight-lipped expression.

"I never insinuated that I could read minds, Addison." There he goes with that same clueless act again. It was quickly getting old.

"Then why even bring up their thoughts in the first place, hm? The average person doesn't just say stuff like that. So, despite you not saying it specifically, I know that you can." Hearing footsteps coming towards us, I broke his intense gaze and thanked the waiter as he arrived with the two drinks.

"Are you ready to order?" He had his notepad and pen ready and looked at me expectantly.

Having not taken a good look at the menu, I simply called out the first pasta I'd seen on the list. Edward chose not to order anything, to my annoyance. It was going to be uncomfortable to eat in front of him while he just watched.

Only when the man was halfway across the restaurant did Edward speak. "You should drink something," he urged, pushing my drink closer to me with a single finger. I didn't argue because I actually was thirsty. The small itch in the back of my throat was slightly eased the moment the lemonade and tea mixture hit my throat. "How are you feeling?" I knew he was partially trying to change the subject, but there was also a genuine concern that made me answer.

"I'm alright, just shaken up. I'm sure I'll have a breakdown in my room later, but, for now, everything is under control." His eyebrows furrowed and he pushed his drink closer to me.

"You need more sugar. Drink more." I hadn't even realized I'd gulped down nearly all of the drink in the quest to calm my throat. I didn't decline. Sticking my straw into his glass, I gulped down half of that before deciding to slow down and get back on topic.

"So, you've been able to hear my thoughts since the beginning, I assume? That's pretty embarrassing." I was a hormone-filled teenage girl and Edward was a devastatingly attractive guy. Of course, my thoughts had roamed into forbidden territory. If he had heard all the thoughts I had about him, I wouldn't ever be able to look him in the eyes again.

There was a long silence. His eyes searched mine deeply, trying to find an answer to some question I didn't know. I could see the conflict behind his dark honey gaze, and knew he was debating on whether or not to confirm or deny my claim. Eventually, he sighed and began picking at a napkin on the table.

"No, not exactly." I leaned closer to him.

"Not exactly? What does that mean?"

He paused again before looking up from the shredded napkin and into my eyes. "I can read every single thought in this room with ease. Everything comes through as clearly as if it were spoken out loud. But with you… things become difficult. For the most part, I get a vague idea of what you're thinking and some snippets of thoughts, but they're never clear or complete. It's easier when you're emotional, but still never as clear as others.

"For instance, I know that you're thinking about how I can read minds, but that's where it ends. I can't tell whether you're afraid or if you find it weird. I can only assume from your body language and facial expressions, and that's very frustrating." His voice was a low whisper, but I still managed to hear it clearly. I could tell he was waiting on me to freak out, and, honestly, I wasn't sure how to feel about the information he'd just given me. He could actually, genuinely read minds. How crazy is that?

"I'm not afraid or anything like that. I'll admit, it's hard to believe that you can do something like that, but it's also… pretty interesting. I'm curious about how it works and why I'm an exception. Is there anyone else you can't hear clearly?"

He looked really frustrated now. "Your sister is completely silent to me. No matter how hard I try to listen out for her thoughts, I always end up with nothing." Well, wasn't Bella lucky? I'd give anything to not have him in my head, but I guess I'd gotten the shorter end of the stick. "She's the only other anomaly. Despite not hearing her thoughts at all, I still find myself more frustrated when it comes to not being able to hear yours fully."

I found myself playfully rolling my eyes. "Oh no, you have to actually get to know me like everyone else on the planet. How ever will you do it?" He cracked a small smile. "Why do you want to know what's going on in my head anyway?"

"I find you very interesting, Addison, more so than anyone I've ever met." His gaze was intense again, and I tore my eyes away from him as my cheeks began to fill with color. He somehow always managed to say or do things that sent my heart into a fit, and I was helpless to control it. When a cute guy says that he finds you interesting, you're gonna have a reaction.

"I find you very interesting as well," I admitted sheepishly, staring down at my drink as I swirled the ice with a straw. There was no way I could give him the same intense eye contact he had given me while saying something like that. It was too embarrassing.

Not hearing a response, I flustered and began twisting my drink around anxiously. "Well, I mean, you're always so secretive about one thing or another and your attitude changes so quickly that I hardly know what you're thinking at one given time. Of course, I'd find you interesting and confusing… very confusing."

He hummed, and I glanced up to see that he was staring at me with a small grin on his face. It made heat flood my cheeks as I began shifting in the seat once more. Thankfully, the waiter was coming back with my food and disrupted the tension between the two of us. "Here is your shrimp scampi. Is there anything else I can do for you?" I could feel his eyes on me but decided to focus on the delicious-looking food instead.

"No, we're fine. Thank you." Edward said, dismissing the man. I probably would have asked for a refill on my drink, but decided it was for the best that he left. It would offer us an opportunity to talk about all the weird things that had been going on with him. If I was lucky, he'd indulge me and answer my questions truthfully.

Unwrapping my silverware, I fixed Edward with a serious stare. His grin became tenser as he leaned forward, his stare just as serious as my own. "I'm sure you know exactly where I'm going to go with this conversation."

"I do, and I'd prefer it if you didn't. You should eat instead." He gestured to my plate, and I stuffed a forkful of pasta into my mouth, swallowing quickly.

"Well, I was hoping you'd be the main one talking. I can eat and listen at the same time," I partially joked, stabbing a shrimp with my fork and popping it into my mouth.

"It's better for you if you don't know anything."

"But the thing is, I already do know things, Edward. I've seen you do things that are just outside of the spectrum of human possibility. You-" I glanced around to check if anyone was looking and leaned forward as well- "you can read minds and lift cars with one hand for God's sake. If there were any doubts about you not being 100% human, they're already long gone."

His eyes turned hard. "Why are you so interested in finding out, Addison?"

"Because I've not too long ago realized that there are beings on this Earth other than humans, and I'm curious, okay? I'm super curious and want to know all I can."

His eyebrows shot up. "What kind of beings?"

I paused only for a moment, considering. Since the chances of Edward being human were slim, he probably already knew, and there would be no reason to hide it from him. "Okay, this is going to sound weird, but I'm about 98% sure that the Quileutes-or, at least, some of them-can turn into werewolves. That's one of the main reasons I came to Port Angeles: to get a book on their legends."

The expression on his face was one of shock. "And how did you figure that out?" This is something harder to explain. I couldn't exactly prove what I was saying by telling him that it just came to me. People usually wanted proof for wild claims like the one I'd just made.

"Well, when I went to the beach with some friends, there were two guys there who gave off a different vibe than everyone else. I could just feel something was off about them. Then, Bella told me about how Jacob told her some of the Quileute legends about how they can turn into wolves and hunt the cold ones which is just a fancy way to say vampire."

As soon as the word left my lips, Edward stiffened in his seat noticeably. It was almost like he was buffering and couldn't process the words I'd said. I was debating waving a hand in front of his face to see if he was still alive when he suddenly started blinking again. He'd had me worried for a second there. "And that was enough to make you believe?"

"Let's just say that certain circumstances have led to me believing in the supernatural and leave it at that." I ate another forkful of my pasta. "So, since I know you're going to be tight-lipped about what you are, how about we start off simpler? How did you know where I was?"

"I could hear what they were thinking." The anger quickly returned to his voice and his eyes were narrowed dangerously.

"I got that part. I want to know how you knew I was in Port Angeles in the first place." His mouth stayed shut as he simply stared at me. I sighed. "Come on, if this friendship is going to grow, we need to be more transparent with each other. I've answered all the questions you've asked me."

"Which hasn't been many," he pointed out.

"And who's fault is that? Yours. If you'd asked me more and been nice to me, I'd probably answer them all too, but you haven't, so here we are."

He regarded me silently for a while, and I took the time to take a few more bites of my rapidly cooling pasta. "I followed you." My eyes widened as I looked up to meet his eyes. "I just wanted to make sure that you were safe and nothing bad happened, and it was a good thing I did."

I nodded slowly, taking in the information. "See, that wasn't so hard. Under any other circumstances, I probably would have been super creeped out, but considering you saved me from… yeah, I'm glad you did too. Just, don't do it again. That's not okay."

"And if something like this happens again? What then? I won't be there to save you." He looked anxious just talking about it.

"I'll handle it myself. I won't hesitate again like I did today. I'll just have to move past my reservations and do what's necessary." Even if I end up hating myself for it. My appetite was suddenly gone, and I pushed the plate away from me in favor of my drink. "Next question: what's your favorite color? You left me hanging a few days ago, and I'm curious."

As I hoped, his lips quirked up in a crooked smile. "Blue; specifically the same shade of blue as your eyes." A noise of surprise left my throat as I quickly broke eye contact with him. My blush was so obvious that I was sure even the people across the room could see it. "You're too easy to fluster," he said, laughing.

"I'm glad I amuse you," I huffed, aggressively sipping my drink. It was gone faster than I would have liked. "Speaking of eye color, why does yours change? I've seen them switch between black and gold with variations in-between." Once again, his expression became more guarded, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm gonna assume that it has something to do with what you are and move on. How does your mind-reading work? Can you hear everyone all the time, or can you, like, switch it on and off, or is there a range limit?"

He let out a short breath. "I can't turn it off. I can push it to the back of my mind, but there's always a buzz. And yes, there is a range limit. It's no more than a few miles, but that's only for people I know well enough. Strangers have a much shorter distance."

"Three miles? That's crazy. Does it get annoying, having people's voices constantly in your head?"

He nodded. "Very. If I had the luxury of turning it off, I would, especially in school."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I'd bet hearing the thoughts of hundreds of hormonal teenagers gets a bit annoying after a while."

He hummed and a grin spread across his face. "Yes. The boys who hang around you are some of the worst. I'm forced to listen to their fantasies about you day in and day out."

I blushed and shook my head to try and get rid of the second-hand awkwardness. "Oh gosh! I can't even imagine."

"Mike, in particular, can get very vulgar. He's-"

"Okay! That's enough of hearing about that. I think I get the idea." He was laughing again, and I found myself smiling along with him. The sound made me oddly happy and warm inside.

When he calmed down, he gestured to the plate I'd pushed away from me. "Are you ready to leave?" I nodded, and he flagged down our waiter. He pulled the bill from his apron and placed it on the table between us. Edward was putting a single bill in the black folder and handing it back to him before he could walk away. "Keep the change."

As the man left, I shot Edward a disapproving frown. "I'm paying you back."

He waved me off as we both stood and made our way to the exit. "Don't worry about it. I said I was treating you to dinner."

"But you didn't even eat or drink anything. I feel bad just letting you pay for everything."

"How about as payment you let me ask the questions on the way to your house? You've made me realize I haven't asked nearly enough." He held the door to the passenger seat open for me as he spoke, and I paused on the other side of it.

"I still don't think that's a fair enough trade, but if that's all you want, sure." After I got inside, he closed the door softly behind me and walked around to the driver's seat. The engine purred to life and we were pulling away from the curb seconds after.

He didn't waste any time in starting the interrogation. "What's your family like? I've heard from Bella that your parents are divorced, but that's all."

I hadn't been expecting him to start with a question like that. "Um, yeah. Charlie and Renee got divorced when I was around 5, and Bella and I lived with Mom until she got remarried to Phil, he's a baseball player."

"Have I heard of him?" he interjected, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

I shook my head. "Nah, he's little league. Anyways, me and Bella wanted to give them some time to themselves since it was obvious Mom wanted to travel with him. So, we decided to stay with Dad for a while. They're almost polar opposites, Mom and Dad."

"How so?"

"Well, Mom is eccentric and scatterbrained. It's hard to get her to sit in one place for too long. She acts more like a fun aunt than a mom, but I love her. I can't imagine her any other way. Dad, on the other hand, likes small-town living and stability. He's a man of routine. Their personalities just clash, and it's a miracle they stayed together for as long as they did after they had me and Bells."

"Which parent do you take after the most?"

I hummed thoughtfully. "Well, physically I'm kind of a mixture of them both. I've got Mom's eyes and nose, and I've got Dad's hair and smile. I think I take a bit more after Mom, personality-wise. She's the more outgoing of the two, and I have always wanted to travel. I mean, I can stay in one place for a while, but occasionally I need to just get away."

"Where do you want to travel?"

"A little bit of everywhere, honestly."

He wasn't satisfied. "If you had to name a place?"

"Uh, maybe Paris… or Brazil. Brazil seems pretty cool."

"Have you thought about going after you graduate?"

I shook my head. "Not really. I still have to figure out what college-" I glanced at the speedometer- "holy crap!"

He looked startled. "What?"

"You're going over 100, that's what!"

"I like to drive fast."

"Fast is 80, maybe 85 of you're feeling risky. 100 is an accident waiting to happen!" And here I'd thought that I was one who liked to drive fast. Edward outclassed me by a long shot. He also had the balls to not be focused completely on the road while speeding! He was living life on an edge I wasn't willing to go to.

I didn't stop looking at the speedometer until it hit 85 and settled there. Only then did I look up to give him a disapproving frown. "I hate going slow," he grumbled, looking all the part of a pouty child.

"Humor me. I survived one accident; I don't think I'll be so lucky next time."

"I'd never crash." He turned to me and showed off a proud little smile that made me roll my eyes.

"I don't doubt that, but let's not tempt fate, please." I took his steady speed as his agreement.

His questions continued the entire drive home, and I answered them as honestly as I could, enjoying how attentive he was. There were a few of his questions that were a bit too invasive, and I made sure to avoid them as obviously as possible just to get under his skin. His exasperation was just too fun.

Sooner than I thought, he was pulling up to the curb in front of my house and turning off the engine. With the new silence, I realized that I'd been having more fun with Edward than I thought I would. He seemed to be pulling out the stick up his ass, and he was cool to be around. I fiddled with my bags to stall for time. I didn't want to leave yet.

"So-" We both stopped as we realized we'd been speaking at the same time and laughed.

"Go ahead," he offered, smiling crookedly.

"Uh, I had fun today, despite… ya know. We should exchange numbers and hang out again sometime." His easy smile faltered, and I prepared myself for another one of his mood swings.

"That wouldn't be the best decision," he paused, searching my eyes (or thoughts) for something, before pulling out his phone and holding it out to me, "but I'd like that regardless." Reigning in the goofy smile threatening to take over my face, I gently took the phone from his hands and quickly put my number in under 'Addie'. Handing it back to him, I started to reach for my own before suddenly remembering it was dead.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow then," I said, pulling on the door handle and stepping out.

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow." I stared at him for a moment longer before closing the door and making my way to the house. I saw a blind slip closed quickly and rolled my eyes. No doubt, Charlie had been eavesdropping. I rolled my eyes before turning and sending a final wave to Edward as I went inside.

As I thought, Charlie was sitting in the living room and questioned how the girl's trip went. After a short recap and an explanation as to why I wasn't being dropped off by Jessica, he nodded and went back to watching the game. Heading upstairs, I peeked into Bella's room to see that she was busy with homework. We gave each other a nod of acknowledgment before I closed her door and went into my room.

Throwing my phone on the charger and carefully putting away my outfit for the dance, I changed into something more comfortable and settled on my bed to get started on the book of legends. Of course, most of it was centered on the shapeshifters, but I found the information to be extremely interesting. There were a few stories that seemed a bit too wild to even be remotely true, but most of them were reasonable. I found myself really into the story about imprinting. It was basically like love at first sight and fed the romantic side within me.

Eventually, I got to a section in the book focusing completely on the cold ones. As I already knew, they were the natural enemies to the shapeshifters and their only known enemies. The legends focused heavily on how dangerous and horrible they were, which was to be expected. The more I read, the more bored I got. It was basically saying that vampires could rot in hell over and over but with slightly different wording.

There was a bit of useful information inside though. Apparently, vampires were immortal and had something similar to imprints. They were many times faster and stronger than the average human and had much better senses. They made sure to include that the shapeshifters were said to be even stronger.

The enhanced strength and senses were something I'd already known, but the immortality was a shock. Of course, the popular myths said the same thing about vampires, but I was under the assumption that all the myths were false considering I didn't burn in the sun and I could still devour a pizza with garlic crust. Maybe they did hold some weight.

The knowledge that I wouldn't be dying of natural causes anytime soon was both relieving and extremely depressing. Theoretically, if I wasn't killed by a shapeshifter or another vampire, I'd live long enough to experience everything. I'd be able to learn every language, travel the world, and become an expert in every hobby and still have time left over for more. There would come a time where there was nothing left for me to do because I'd done it all. The joy of experiencing something new would be rare, if not gone completely. What would the meaning of life even be at that point? What purpose would I have? Was I damned to just spend the rest of my days stuck watching the world pass me by?

I closed the book and placed it on my bedside table, no longer having the same enthusiasm to read it. The familiar sting of tears filled my eyes, and I forcefully pushed my pals against my eye sockets until I was seeing stars. I couldn't even share my torment with anyone else besides another vampire, but that was out of the question. If all vampires were anything like the sadistic one who had changed me, I'd rather brood by myself.

Hearing a notification from my phone, I pulled myself out of my pity party to see where it was from. There was an unknown number with a short message that made me smile.

(xxx)-xxx-xxxx

Sleep well tonight, Addison. I'll be looking forward to your company at school tomorrow.

Knowing it was Edward, I saved his number in my contacts and sent him a quick goodnight before rereading his message.

Something told me that Edward would understand if I told him what was bothering me. He'd be there for me and wouldn't freak out just like he hadn't freaked out when I told him I thought shapeshifters existed. He'd listen to my worries and fears and comfort me through it all. He'd understand because he's a vampire too.