Chapter 4, Growing Suspicion

A whole weekend had gone by and I didn't see or hear from Tanya again. I shouldn't have been surprised, however, because I realized a day later that I never got her number or even asked her for her Facebook name. I tried typing in "Tanya Cullen" but nothing came up. She must have a different last name from Dr. Cullen. I went as far as to try just her first name and set the location to Alaska, but still I found nothing. It was probably just as well, I didn't want to come across as creepy. Still, the disappointment was there at the front of my mind.

On Monday morning I found myself in my parents' kitchen, looking at job openings again. This time I searched for openings in Seattle. There were writing positions open for The Seattle Times, as well as a position for a Human Resources representative, both nothing that was really up my alley. I bit my lip as I looked down the list of other jobs. They had a couple administrative assistant positions open in different departments and one in janitorial. I sighed and rubbed my face in frustration. After a moment I gave in and filled out an application for one of the admin positions and an application for one of the two writer positions. Just for the hell of it.

I sat back in my chair and bit my bottom lip again. I had a feeling there won't be anything open for me, but I really wanted to look up positions at National Geographic. Leaning forward, I typed in and brought up the website. The page that I was met with had an array of bright pictures of people, animals, and nature. I smiled a bit as I went to the very bottom where I found the "careers" button. An exceedingly long list appeared before me and it took me a few seconds to realize that I need to narrow the list by setting the location to just the United States. I leaned closer to the screen as I slowly scrolled through. The type of careers I found were Financial Manager, Partnerships Director, Project Manager, History and Culture Editor, Account Executive, and Software Engineer. Definitely not for me.

I sighed for what felt like the hundredth time this morning and leaned away. I knew I wouldn't find anything, so I wasn't surprised. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right places. As I sat there thinking about how to search for the job I wanted, my cellphone buzzed on the tabletop. It was a Port Angeles number.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello," Came the rough voice of an older man, "This is Bob Walker with the Port Angeles Tourist. I'm looking for Angela Weber."

I recognized the name of the magazine I applied to last week.

"Yes, this is her." I answered.

"Ms. Weber I'm the hiring manager and I received your resume from my assistant. Are you available to come in for an interview tomorrow?"

"Yes. Thank you. What time?"

"How's 10:30 am?"

"That's great."

"Do you need the address?"

"No, I have it. Thank you."

"We'll see you then."

I hung up the phone and set it back on the table feeling a little better than I did before the call. Well I had to start somewhere, and this was better than anything else I had applied to. I shut my laptop and gathered up my things to take upstairs. I wanted to layout the clothes I'd wear to this interview.

In my small closet I had a pair of black slacks and a purple blouse. I had a pair of black, basic flats that would work just fine with the outfit. As I laid the clothes over the back of my desk chair my phone started buzzing again. I looked at the caller ID and my eyes widened slightly. It was Mike Newton. I didn't even know I had his number still.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Angela!" Mike's voice greeted me happily. "How are you?"

"Hi Mike. Wow, you kept the same number since high school."

"Oh, yeah." He laughed nervously. "Just easier that way."

"How did you get my new number?" I asked, trying to remember if I gave it to him at Mr. Swan's wedding.

"Your mom gave it to my mom."

I stopped walking around my room and stared blankly at the window. It was weird talking to Mike on the phone. He had never called me before. Not once.

"So anyway," He continued, "I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat with me tomorrow night?"

"Um." Was all I could come up with. He wanted a date?

"Just as friends, of course." He added quickly, as if he read my mind. "Just hanging out and catching up some more. I've got morning shifts at the store, so I've got most nights free."

"Yeah, okay." I agreed. "I can meet up with you somewhere."

"Great! How about at the 50s diner here in Forks at 8:00 pm?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

I hung up the phone and stared at it for a minute. I couldn't believe Mike Newton just asked me to hang out with him. I couldn't believe I agreed to go. Sure he seemed different from the guy I knew in high school, but something told me we were still very different in too many ways. I shouldn't just assume though, I should go and see what this is about. I shoved my phone into my back pocket and went about my day.

…

My stomach was filled with nervous butterflies all morning and during my drive into Port Angeles. I kept checking my reflection in the rearview mirror as I drove. I had put my dark hair half up and used the curling iron to give it soft curls. For my makeup I went with a natural look and used black eyeliner to draw the winged look that was so popular now. I looked fine, I knew, but this was my first job interview after getting my degree and I was nervous.

I made sure my portfolio was put together last night. All the pictures inside were ones I had taken on my hike last week, so I knew they would be of interest to this particular magazine. I had spent hours last night editing, printing, and adding photos. It now sat nicely in the passenger seat of my SUV while my purse and umbrella Sat on the floor. Needless to say, I was pretty proud of it.

I arrived in Port Angeles at 10:15 am and quickly found a parking space in front of the building. I switched off my car and leaned forward to get a look. It was a narrow, brick office building with several floors. It was wedged between boutiques from the shopping district on one side and more brick office buildings on the other. I could see through the large glass window a woman sitting behind a reception desk.

Getting out of the car, I was glad to see that it was not raining yet. I left the umbrella and grabbed my purse and portfolio. I checked my reflection in the window and readjusted my blazer. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door and walked into the small reception area. Inside the room was set at a comfortable temperature, soft lighting came from a ceiling fan above, which gave off a low hum as it rotated. The floor was wood and looked like it hadn't been refinished in some years. There was a short row of waiting room chairs just inside the doors, a potted plant in each of the front corners, and in the center of everything sat a tall reception desk. The woman sitting behind the desk looked to be in her forties and was dressed smartly in a pencil skirt and blouse. Her eyes were tired, yet she still presented herself like she took her job seriously.

"Hello." I said in an unsure voice. "I'm Angela Weber. I have an interview with Mr. Bob Walker."

"Just a moment." She said professionally.

She picked up her desk phone and dialed an number. After a few seconds she said into the phone, "Mr. Walker, your 10:30 is here." A pause, then, "Alright."

She hung up the phone and looked back up at me to say, "He'll be right out."

"Okay, thank you." I replied and took a couple steps back from her desk.

Bob Walker was pretty much what I expected him to be. He was a heavy set, Caucasian man who looked to be in his early fifties. He seemed like a decent person, though he didn't seem like the type to joke around too often. He was business and I respected that. No job would be worth it if the boss's personality leaned too far to one side or the other.

The interview went well. Mr. Walker asked me about college, my major, my knowledge of cameras and photo editing, past jobs I held, and where I wanted to end up in the future. All quite common interview questions. He took his time looking over my portfolio and seemed happy with it. He asked me where I had taken the photos and when I told him he was surprised. He had no idea there was any trails off that highway. I was glad because this would help make me stand out more as a candidate. In the end he confirmed that he wanted to give me a shot at the position and invited me to come back tomorrow to train with and get to know the rest of the team.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked back out to my car an hour later. I got a job I think I may really enjoy, and I could soon start saving for a place of my own. I placed my portfolio and purse in the back of my SUV, but I slid my credit card into my pocket. I didn't have anything else to do until tonight and I really wanted to look for a few new novels. My mother had told me that a new locally owned bookstore had opened along the Port Angeles shopping district and I now had the perfect chance to go looking for it.

It only took me about ten minutes of walking until I found it. I smiled as I stopped to look through the window where the newest books in the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series sat on display. I walked in and found the atmosphere very cozy, very unlike the too bright and loud atmosphere of big chain bookstores. The young man at the register looked over and greeted me before returning to the magazines he was arranging. There were only a handful of shoppers strolling the aisles, which made it nice. Not too crowded.

Whenever I went into a bookstore, time seems to fly by me. Once, just a couple years ago, I spent three hours wandering around a bookstore. I hadn't realized, now, that an hour had already gone by. In the back of my mind I heard the door of the shop open and close a few times as the shoppers who were in here with me when I arrived had gone by now. I had one book picked out and was just deciding on another. I was reading the description on the back when a familiar feminine voice from directly behind me made me jump in surprise.

"So, you're a reader too then?"

I gasped and whirled around. Tanya stood there with a pleasant smile on her beautiful face. I was stunned into silence for a few seconds before getting ahold of myself and replying.

"Hi." I breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was shopping with Alice and thought I'd take a peek in here." She said and motioned with her slender hand at the bookstore we stood in. "And it's a good thing I did."

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. She smiled back and tossed her platinum blond curls over her shoulder. I was stunned once again, this time by the wonderful scent that hit me as she tossed her hair. The smell was a fresh floral type scent of jasmine, magnolia, and rose. I think the scent of pear was mixed in there too.

"So, what do you have?" She asked, breaking into my daze.

I blinked a few times and looked down at the two books in my hands. I held them up so she could read the titles. I felt my face blush as I showed her. I may be twenty-two years old, but I still enjoy a good Young Adult, fantasy novel. I wondered if she would think the second book was too young for someone our age.

"These caught my attention." I shrugged, still blushing. "They were published just last year, so they're still being recommended by a lot of readers."

Tanya looked at both for a fraction of a second.

"Well, I haven't read this one," She touched her finger to the cover of the first book I picked out, then she moved it to the dark cover of the second book, "But I have read this one and I enjoyed it."

"Oh." I breathed in relief that she also seemed to like these books. "Great! I have a better feeling about this one then."

"If you really enjoy that genre, then you may like…" She trailed off as she turned and gracefully walked to the other end of the aisle.

I followed her; curiosity of her recommendation raised in me. She stopped, plucked a book from the shelf, and showed me. I took it from her and read the title.

"Oh, I've heard about this one too." I said and looked back into her golden eyes. "I'll definitely read it then."

"Would you like a coffee?" She asked and I felt my lips part slightly in surprise to her question. "Or do you have to get going?"

"Coffee sounds great." I said a bit too quickly.

"Alright." She smiled and motioned to the front of the store. "After you."

She followed me to the front and stood off to the side as I paid for my three books. I was confident that these would keep me entertained on days when I wasn't working and I sat alone in my parent's house. I already knew I would start with the book she recommended before the other two. The cashier placed the books in a paper bag and handed me the receipt. He seemed distracted by Tanya and I really didn't blame him. She paid him no mind, however, as she held open the door for me and followed me out.

"Thank you." I mumbled as I blushed again.

We found a trendy little coffee shop just a few doors down from the bookstore. I ordered a small iced coffee and she ordered the same. When I tried to pay for mine, she shook her head and insisted on paying for both of us. I felt another small smile on my lips when she did this. Since it had started to sprinkle while I was in the bookstore, we decided to sit at a table inside, next to the big window. We were silent as we sat down across from each other and put the straws in our drinks. I sipped mine right away, but I noticed that she simply set hers on the table and didn't even taste it.

"So," She started as she leaned back in her chair and looked at me. "Tell me about yourself, Angela."

I gulped and set my drink down. "What do you want know?"

"I know you went to high school with Bella." She stated, then asked. "Were you born in Forks?"

"Yes. Both my parents were born here too."

"But not your grandparents?" She guessed.

"No. My mother's parents came here from Mexico, but my father's parents were from California." I answered, then I remembered that I was unable to find her online. "What about you? Were you born in Alaska."

Her smile turned sad. She looked away out the window for a second before looking back at me.

"No. I was born in Slovakia, but I…" She trailed off for a moment, then finished. "Grew up in Alaska."

"Oh. I thought I recognized a little bit of an accent. Do you miss it?"

"No." She answered simply, and the sadness seemed to fade away. "I don't really remember much about that place. My sister and I haven't even traveled there in a long time."

I suddenly noticed that when she spoke about her family, she swapped between "sisters" plural and "sister" singular. I wondered about that, but I wouldn't dare ask because it would be incredibly rude. Instead, I asked her more about the countries she mentioned that she had traveled to.

We sat in that coffee shop for over an hour trading questions back and forth. I learned that we have similar taste in music, we both find the rain to be calming, neither of us were big sports fans, we both preferred books to movies, and we both found journaling to be therapeutic. Some differences were that she is a bit more into fashion than I am, and she does not have any favorite food, while I love Asian foods. I also told her about my new job, which she smiled to and congratulated me on. By the end of our time together I noticed she hadn't drank much of her coffee. Actually, I didn't remember her drinking it at all.

We tossed out the cups and went back outside. The sprinkling had stopped, but it was still very cloudy. I was glad it stopped though because I left my umbrella in the car.

"I'll walk you to your car." Tanya offered.

"Thank you, but isn't Alice wondering where you've been?" I completely forgot about her being in town with Alice until just then.

"I texted her when you were paying for your books." She answered simply as we started walking side by side. "She brought her own car anyway, so she's fine."

"Okay. Are you all going to be leaving back to Alaska soon?" I asked, trying not to sound sad about the thought of her leaving.

"Hmm. Well, Bella and Edward have already taken Renesmee back. They left over the weekend." She answered, almost shyly. "It's just me, Alice, and Jasper. They may leave soon, but I think I need a longer break from everyone."

"Oh?" I tried not to sound overly happy about her staying longer, even though that's exactly how I felt.

"Yes." She sighed, "As much as I love them all, it can get to be too much sometimes. So, I'm going to stay at my cousin's house in Forks for a while."

"They didn't sell it?" I asked in confusion.

"No, they kept it because Esme and Carlisle couldn't stand to sell it. They may live there again someday."

"Oh." Was all I could think of to say.

We walked in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes before arriving at my SUV. I shifted the bag containing my books to my other hand and dug my keys out of my blazer pocket. As I turned to say goodbye, I found she was closer than I expected. I automatically took a step back and felt my foot slide off the curb. Quicker than I thought was humanly possible, Tanya reached out and wrapped an arm around my waist. She pulled up straight before I could fall and for a second the side of my body was pressed against hers. I could feel her freezing cold hand through the fabric of my blazer and her arm felt slender, yet hard. More like incredibly strong. I held back a shiver, but it had nothing to do with the coldness. I stared, breathless and heart beating too fast, into her eyes. She let me go as soon as she righted me.

"Be careful." She said softly and smiled.

I couldn't find my voice, but she didn't seem to notice. She took out her cell phone and tapped on the screen a couple times. Looking back up at me she asked,

"Would it be okay for me to call or text you sometime?"

"Uh- yeah, sure." I was shocked yet pleased.

"What's your number?"

I gave her my number and she sent me a quick text so I could save her number too. My heartbeat hadn't slowed down yet from the nervous excitement that coursed through me.

"Drive safe." She said as I opened the car door.

"Thanks. I'll uh, talk to you soon?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes." She confirmed and then she leaned in close enough that I could smell that pleasant perfume scent again. "And I like your eyeliner, by the way. Very pretty."

And then she was walking away down the street. I stood there watching her in a daze for a moment before mentally shaking myself and getting into the car. This had to be the best day I've had since arriving back home. I kept replaying our conversations in my head while I drove, I especially thought about her arm around me a few times. I couldn't stop smiling to myself.

Even though my crush on her was fairly obvious at this point, there was still some things I wondered about. The temperature of her skin, for one, was very odd. It was cold out, but she felt like she had her hands in the freezer. Her strength was another mystery. How can a woman as thin as I am be that physically strong? It surprised me. I also wondered about her eyes, which made me think of Bella's eyes. All of the Cullens in fact, related and not related, had the exact same gold colored eyes. How? Why? They also had the same beautiful and pale features. There was definitely something more going on behind the scenes, and I wondered if Tanya would ever tell me about it.

That evening I almost forgot about my plans with Mike. I was standing in the kitchen looking into the refrigerator, still thinking about earlier, when I realized I was supposed to eat with Mike at the diner. I looked up at the clock and saw that I had 30 minutes. I ran up the stairs to change into jeans and a long sleeve V-neck top. I put on my converse and jacket and made it out the door in time.

Mike was waiting in the parking lot, but he must have been early because I knew I made it on time. I decided not to tell him that I almost forgot about our plans. I didn't want to make him feel bad. He smiled at me in a way he hadn't before and it gave me the feeling that this was supposed to be a date.

"Hi!" He greeted me happily.

"Hey, Mike." I replied kindly, "How are you?"

"Oh great. I'm ready to eat."

We walked in and found that only one person was waiting ahead of us. We hung back by the door while the hostess spoke to the man and grabbed menus. The door behind me suddenly swung open and my shoulder was bumped hard by a brunette with a large purse. She pierced me with the meanest look that it made me take a step back. She was not a good person in any way and it only took me one look to know. She strutted over to the guy waiting with the hostess who showed them to a table.

"Some people are just rude." Mike muttered next to me.

"Definitely." I agreed, knowing she was so many more words than just rude.

As soon as we sat down we both ordered cokes before looking at the menus. He decided to go with a burger and fries, while I went with the chicken club sandwich. When the waitress left there was an awkward silence.

"So," Mike finally spoke. "What did you do today?"

"Uh, I went to a job interview this morning in Port Angeles."

"Really? How did that go?"

"Great actually. I start tomorrow. I'll be taking photos and writing small columns about Forks and Port Angeles. It's for the local magazine."

"Congrats!" Mike said as he reached across the table to pat my hand.

"Thank you." I say with a smile as I move my hand to grab my soda. I took a sip and asked, "What about you? How's the manager training going?"

"Oh, it's alright. I'm learning financing, auditing, ordering supplies, and things like that. My dad is getting more excited everyday about retirement."

We laughed and finally fell into a more comfortable atmosphere. We actually had some very good conversations during our meal, though most of the time he was the one talking. It was nothing like the getting to know one another conversation I had with Tanya, more like general chit-chat. I found out that Lauren and Tyler should be finding out the gender of their baby soon and Eric started dating a girl who worked as a barista. As I listened to him go on about our old friends, working at his family's store, and other drama around Forks, I found that still had Tanya at the front of my mind. Her voice replayed in my head and it made my heartbeat take off. By the end of our meal I had started zoning out a bit and I felt bad about it, but I couldn't help it. Thankfully, Mike didn't really seem to notice.

"I got this." Mike announce when the waitress dropped off the check.

"Oh no, you don't have to." I protested as I took my wallet out of my purse. "I can pay for my own."

"I'm the one who invited you out." He had already grabbed up the check before I could see it. "I really don't mind at all."

I felt a little annoyed at this. Always giving the benefit of the doubt, I had been in denial when I told myself this wasn't a date.

"Fine." I said calmly, then I pulled some bills out of my wallet and set them on the table. "But I'm leaving the tip then."

We gave a quick goodbye and to my discomfort, he went in for an awkward hug. As I drove out of the parking lot, I knew I would have to be very careful about any future plans with Mike. I knew what was going on now, and I wouldn't let it happen. Just because Mike Newton had matured since high school, it did not mean that we were suddenly right for each other. Mike's future was here in Forks. He would marry a local girl, have a perfect family who would be raised in Forks, and he would retire in Forks. As much as I loved my hometown, I didn't want to be stuck here forever. I wanted to go places, see new things, and learn about other cultures. Our lives were on different paths and I hoped he realizes this before he ruins the friendship we just started.

I sighed heavily as I walked through the door and hung up my jacket. My mother and father startled me when I walked past the living room. I gasped and jumped, not expecting them to still be awake.

"How was your date with Mike?" My mother asked right away.

"Mom," I groaned in annoyance, "It wasn't a date. We're friends."

"Oh come on." She pressed. "He's a nice boy with a promising job."

"Well that's good for him, but that doesn't make him right for me."

"But-"

"Dear, let's just let her sleep on it." My dad cut across her. "She just needs some time."

I rolled my eyes but did not say anything more to them. Turning away, I bolted upstairs to my room. I shut my door and locked it as I started getting ready for bed. I should have seen it coming, my parents meddling. They wanted me to be the girl who came home from college, got married, and gave them grandchildren. I may be shy sometimes, quiet, and kind, but that didn't mean I wanted the same life my parents had.

After about an hour of laying in bed, I realized I wasn't quite tired yet. I still had Tanya on my mind. The coldness and hardness of her skin still had me curious. I got up and brought my laptop over to my bed. I was not really sure what to search, so I typed in "hard cold skin" and hit search. Articles about frostbite popped up and I knew that wasn't what this was. I added in the words "with gold eyes" and articles about finding your right skin tone for makeup popped up this time. Next I researched common eye colors in humans and as I read through a couple articles, it seemed that amber colored eyes were possible, but those were nowhere near the color Tanya and the Cullens had. It was midnight when, after trying various word combinations related to the Cullen's looks, I arrived in the supernatural side of the internet. There were blogs and articles about physical appearances of supernaturals in our world. Apparently fairies could be identified by their violet colored eyes and mermaids by their blue-green colored eyes. Apparently, true werewolves were hard to identify since they look completely normal in their human form, but they are in their werewolf state their eyes glow gold. I laughed quietly to myself and I really wasn't sure why I kept looking, but I did. I soon came across an article about vampire eyes. It said vampires had either red or black eyes, however, there has been some debate on this recently. One commenter argued they had learned of vampires with yellow eyes and they really should pay attention to whether the accused vampire had cold skin, fangs, speed, strength, and was never seen in the sun. A couple of those words caught my attention and I stopped breathing for a second. Suddenly I felt stupid. I laughed at myself again a I rubbed my now tired eyes. I put my laptop away and got myself back in bed. Why did I waste on time on that? It was so silly.

….

Author Note: Thank you for the great reviews so far. I feel really anxious about writing this because it's my first fic with a same sex couple. I had read a comment one day on TikTok and this person wished to see Tanya and Angela as a couple. It stuck with me. I really liked the pairing and I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. Then I started thinking about Angela as a vampire; I thought about what power she might have as a vampire, and about how she might truly desire to break out of that small-town life. I hope you stick with me to the end and I hope I don't disappoint.

Fun Facts: The scent I described for Tanya was based off Britney Spears' perfume "Curious". I just really love that perfume.

The books Angela picked out were "Under the Dome" by Stephen King, and "Fallen" by Lauren Kate. The book Tanya recommended was "Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia.