I towel dried my hair roughly, only increasing the whirling my head was already doing.

"Relax," Jasper said, his hands behind his head. He was looking far too comfortable in my childhood bedroom. The pastel yellow walls almost made me feel embarrassed.

I threw the towel beside my bed. "How are we going to figure this out if we can't even trace a simple email address?"

Jasper frowned, propping a fluffy pillow behind his neck. "Good point."

I growled at him.

"The point is," he began, lifting my ipad from the bedside table, "I can trace people better than I can trace email addresses."

"Oh?"

He shrugged, handing me the ipad to unlock. "It's a talent of mine."

I had a fresh hoody half over my head when I froze. "Care to elaborate?"

He fixed me with his stare. "Come on, Bella. I know you know."

I pulled the hoody on fully, hiding my hands with the sleeves. "Know what?" I asked, leaning against my dresser.

He grinned slowly, looking back at the screen. "Cute, but not convincing. Alice already told me. I thought I'd save you the nervous build up."

I blinked. "I've never told Alice anything."

He sat up, patting the covers beside him. "Alice can see the future."

I dropped down onto my bed.

"Tell me you haven't noticed she's a little strange. She knows what you're going to say before you say it."

She knew what Angela and I were doing when we were asking her about Edward.

"But that doesn't necessarily mean she knows the meaning behind it, unless she's looked in to your future previously," he explained. "Or guessed."

"Great," I squeaked out. I was running over everything I'd said and done from the moment I'd laid eyes on them.

"She doesn't tell me anything."

"Great," I repeated.

He threw his head back, chuckling. "Stop worrying. Alice really likes you. She says you're going to be great friends." He rolled his eyes, as though he'd heard it one hundred times.

I gave a half-smie. "How can she say that knowing how I feel about her boyfriend?"

"Her husband." Jasper smirked. "They're married."

I shook my head slowly. "How did your parents allow that? They're seventeen."

Jasper fiddled with his ring, actually looking awkward. "Well, Edward hasn't been seventeen since 1918 and Alice isn't much younger."

I laughed. I did, but Jasper didn't. His eyes met mine, judging my reaction.

"If you think that's bad," he whistled, "you ain't going to like what else I have to tell you."

I paused, not giving anything away.

"I'm physically nineteen but my nineteenth birthday was in 1863."

I jumped off the bed like I'd been set on fire.

"What?" I screeched. "How?"

He gave me a knowing look. "I think Jacob Black covered that for me."

I swallowed thickly, dropping back on to the bed. "But how can it be true? Things like that just don't exist."

"It's right in front of you."

He was right. As usual.

"Can anyone else in your family do what Alice can?"

"Edward can read minds, I can feel emotions."

I swiveled so hard I almost came off my bed again. "You have got to be kidding me."

He grabbed my arm, planting me back in my spot. I could tell he was getting impatient with me.

"Edward can't read your mind. We don't know why. You could be some sort of shield, your power would manifest as a vampire. I can sense your emotions, I just don't know the reasons behind them. But I can guess." A knowing smile stretched his lips.

"I would have a power?"

He blinked. I focused on his full lips, which looked rosier than normal. "Don't get any ideas. Being a vampire isn't as easy as it sounds."

Who said it was easy? Vampires drink blood.

A tremor ran through my body when I remembered the man beside me probably wants to kill me more than help me.

"Don't panic," he said. "We don't drink from humans anymore."

"Do you want to drink my blood?"

He let out a deep sigh. "In theory? Yes. But it's not a life I choose for myself anymore."

I let out the breath I'd been holding.

"That doesn't mean it's not difficult."

I nodded, my eyes dropping to the floor. "What do you – you know?"

He smirked. "Animals."

Was this moment even happening? I felt like I would wake up any moment in Phoenix and it would be all one elaborate dream.

"Tell me." It was a small question but I knew it was a lot to ask.

He grinned, his straight, white teeth gleaming. He lay back into his previous comfortable position, pulling me with him.

He told me all about his human life, his change and what it was like before the Cullens. He told me about meeting Alice – I felt a twang of jealousy at the thought of them together – what it was like for her when she met Edward. That made me feel better.

He told me about Edward taking a liking to my blood on the first day, going into detail on what it's like to be a vampire.

I told him about my run in with Jacob, mentioning that he smelled vampires around my house.

It was night time by the time we got through everything. Charlie would be home any minute.

"You want to see the note?" I peeked a glance at him, picking at a thread on my sweater.

I pulled it out of my purse where I had put it with my other receipts.

He took it gently, turning it over on each side. He even put it up to his nose.

"Is everything alright?"

He inhaled again. "I can smell the person who sent this."

I gasped. "You can?"

He put the note down. "I've never encountered them before but I'll know now when I'm around them."

I stared blankly, making his eyebrow raise.

OK, yeah, got it. His super senses would work it out.

He stared out of the window towards the lush green trees that were swaying frantically. The thunder rolled overhead.

"What is it?" I asked.

He was making me nervous. He always answers, even if it's to tell me to mind my own business.

I poked his hand, hoping to illicit a response. His lips twitched in an almost smile. "What's wrong?"

"It's just," he began, "why did Jacob say he could smell vampires around your house?"

This was precisely the thing that stopped me from ruling Edward out. If Jasper didn't know, how would I?

&TL&

Flyers littered the floor and the walls in school. I ripped one off of my locker taking a closer look. A massive pumpkin was stretched across the A4 paper making it look pixelated. It had black writing in the center.

'Harvest Festival: This Saturday 10am – 10pm'

Hay was littering the floor. Bales of it were bunged outside of each classroom, almost blocking the entrance.

It was already coming up to the end of September and I hadn't even noticed the time go by. It felt like just yesterday I was in the dry Arizona sun.

The rain beat against the high windows and I couldn't bring myself to miss the heat. I snuggled further into my fuzzy sweater feeling a slight ping of contentment. I folded the flyer into my back pocket.

An arm linked through mine. "Where have you been?" Angela asked.

I pulled the flyer out of my back pocket. "Are we going to this?"

"Um, yeah," she said.. "I go every year. Plus, you have to be there to hear all about my night with Ben."

"Oh my god. OK, I am definitely going."

"I'm so nervous. What if he doesn't like me like that?" The ends of her hair were going to be run ragged if she didn't stop chewing on them. I slapped her hand away, holding back a chuckle.

"Trust me, he likes you like that."

She glanced at me, unconvinced, lifting her hair again.

"Just trust me."

&TL&

I woke up on Saturday morning to grey clouds looming on the horizon. There was a touch of sun beating through my window, but it wasn't long until the clouds passed over it making it feel like it had never been there.

I smiled. The Cullens would be at the fair. Alice already told them they would of course, having predicted it.

We hadn't had any answers about what happened with my truck on the highway. We knew it was something supernatural. Jasper and his family hadn't had any run ins with other vampires in the area.

Which brought me back to Edward. According to him and Alice, he hadn't even left the school at that point. I felt bad for getting Jasper to ask, but I think even he was stumped as to who it could be.

Jasper made me swear that I wouldn't tell Angela anything. He said it was dangerous for humans to know. I wondered why I was the exception to this. Why wasn't it dangerous for me?

I put on my favorite jeans, belting them around my waist. I spent too much time fussing over my hair, knowing full well the wind would destroy it as soon as I stepped out into the elements.

I parked up at the school, finding Angela by the picnic tables. She was sitting on a checkered blanket drinking hot chocolate.

I plonked down beside her. "Hey. Who are you here with?"

"Bella," she choked, "you scared me." She set her hot chocolate down and pushed her hair behind her shoulders.

"Are you OK?" I asked. Her eyebrows were scrunched down in stress. This wasn't the normal carefree Angela I was used to seeing.

She met my curious gaze. "So you know I had my date yesterday?"

I nodded enthusiastically, but she shook her head.

"We were in my room doing homework, it was going great. Until my brother storms through my bedroom door and insists I can't keep it closed. Starts grilling Ben about people we know. He asked about you, the Cullens, Mike and Tyler. It was really weird."

Her face lowered. "He scared the shit out of Ben, and then this morning he came with me and my parents to the festival. He sat here with the grumpiest face on him. I was just so angry that he ruined my night with Ben that we got in to it." She rubbed at her eyes, pushing tears away.

"Oh, Ang," I soothed, rubbing her back.

"He stormed off, pushing stuff off the tables. I don't know where he's gone."

I looked around, noticing there was a lot of food overflowing the bins already.

"Anyway," she continued. "I'm not going to let it ruin my day. I'm going to drink my chocolate, eat candy apples and put myself in a food coma."

I smiled softly at her. "Agreed."

"Bella, there you are!"

My mind stood still for a moment as I tried to place the heavily familiar voice.

"Honey, I've missed you so much! You wouldn't believe. Haven't we, Phil?"

Shock raced through my veins. "Mom?"

Surprisingly strong fingers gripped my upper arms turning me in to a warm embrace. For a second I melted in to it, yearning for the comfort I desperately wanted. I rested my head on her chest, smelling her fruity perfume.

Medium length brown hair tickled my face and I wrinkled my nose against it. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

She pulled me back by my shoulders, using her thumb to wipe the tears away from my eyes.

"Oh, sweetie," she said. "We were in Seattle. Phil's on loan for another club. I called your dad and he told me about the harvest festival and I just had to come see you."

She was browner than the last time I'd saw her and her brunette hair had caramel highlights through it. I threw my arms around her again, nuzzling her neck.

"Hi, Mrs Dwyer." I heard Angela say sweetly behind me.

I pulled back to allow my mom a chance at a polite response. I stood sniffling while she hugged Angela.

"How long have you been in Seattle?" I asked.

"Well," she started tentatively. "Phil got the call before you left. It was pretty much instantly after you went."

I scrunched my eyebrows confused.

"Phil!" My mom called.

I watched him walk over feeling the frown take place. I was confused by how much hostility I held for him.

Did I think he'd taken my mom from me?

No, that wasn't true. I'd had enough of Renee, I didn't even call her mom at home. Phil was a welcome reprieve for me.

Was I jealous that they'd been an hour away this whole time and I didn't know?

I stood back, feeling overwhelmed.

A hand clapped my shoulder.

"There she is," Phil said.

He didn't look any different. Still the same creepy step dad.

"Hey, Phil," I deadpanned. Realizing my dismissive tone might hurt my mother, I plastered a forced smile on to sweeten it.

He grabbed me similar to how Renee had, gripping both shoulders. Except he made a point of looking me up and down and whistling.

"Bella, how can you have grown so much in a month?"

I glanced at Angela who was looking at Phil with barely concealed disgust. Not dissimilar to how most kids look at their parents when they're being embarrassing. I caught her eye, giving her a small nod to say yeah, he's creepy, right?

"I've been eating a lot of vegetables," I responded.

He gave one short laugh. "Right," he said, his smile dropping, as though he was unsure if I was being sarcastic.

"There's your dad and Sue," Renee said. "We're going to go catch up. Come on, Phil."

My mom held my cheek for a second before dragging Phil away.

Angela stepped in front of me. "He's so weird," she said, shivering with disgust.

"I know, right?" I agreed, nodding.

I watched Renee hug Charlie from a distance and then he gave Phil the cop stare and what looked like a very firm handshake.

"Are the Cullens coming today?" Angela asked.

I shrugged. I hoped so.

"Want to go in the corn maze? Ooo, candy apples. Be right back."

I giggled and walked to the corn maze entrance.

I found them sitting at a picnic table. All of the Cullens were there including the two I presumed were their parents.

I don't know why I let their beauty shock me. Of course they were going to be stunning. Now I know that it's a product of vampirism, but somehow I couldn't see how they could be any less beautiful as humans.

Carlisle had shining, slicked back blond hair, lighter than Jasper's honey locks. Esme had flowing caramel hair, perfectly coiffed like a 1940's housewife.

Alice caught me staring and gave me an enthusiastic wave. I waved back, feeling shy. Edward gave me a small smile, but looked down like a submissive animal.

I bit my lip, unsure if I'd been too cruel to him.

Jasper was leaning his back and forearms on the table. His legs were spread out and his face was tilted towards the clouds. I wanted him to open his eyes and look at me. I know he knew I was there. Yet, he continued to face the hiding sun.

Angela handed me a chocolate apple with sprinkles.

"You know me so well," I grinned.

I took a bite and moaned at the chocolatey taste. "Sexual," I said.

Angela giggled, taking a bite of her own caramel one.

The crunching of our apples was all that could be heard as we tried to make our way through the winding path.

Kids were giggling some bales away. Another was crying ferociously while his mother shushed him.

"This is eerie, right?"

Angela nodded. "Definitely."

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I didn't want my apple anymore.

A bale moved beside us making us shriek with fright. Angela grabbed my arm, giggling. I tried to join in but I just felt sick. Something didn't feel right.

"Come on, let's get to the end of this thing," she said.

The exit was right beside the entrance, meaning we had to go through the whole maze before we could leave. I wanted to turn back but I couldn't remember what way we'd gone.

A bunch of seniors ran past us, knocking us out of the way. Angela yelped as she got bashed in the opposite direction as me.

"Ang?" I called.

No answer.

I swallowed thickly, keeping my eyes peeled for a promising exit.

The wind whistling was the only noise. It was whispering words in my ear as it made pieces of my hair fly in all directions.

I swear it said my name.

A ferocious gust hit me from behind, blowing me forward.

"Bella."

I whipped around frantically looking for the faceless speaker.

"Ang? Is that you?" I asked into the eerily quiet air.

I knew it wasn't. The voice was too deep to be her.

"Bella," the voice spat. It was getting closer and angrier.

I backed in to a hay bale, trying to cover all of my bases. I pushed further back blocking any air behind me.

Something rustled in my ear. I pushed off from the bale, turning slowly as I walked backwards. What looked like gruesome, gray fingers wiggled through where I'd just been standing.

Fear squeezed my heart. I screamed and sprinted, pushing bales out of the way as I clawed desperately tried to find the exit.

I turned a sharp corner and finally saw it. Bright, open light.

I pushed harder, hearing the whispers of the hay beckoning me to stay. They were closing in behind me, squeezing my shoulders, trying to trap me.

I was almost there.

"Bella!" The voice shouted from the left turn beside the exit.

I wailed as it snagged me around the waist, my legs flailing in the air. I used the half eaten apple in my hand to batter the person on the head.

They dropped me in favor of clutching their head.

I scampered away as far as I could crawl. Voices from the exit were getting louder and Jasper was beside me in an instant.

"Bella?" He kneeled down to my level.

I was openly sobbing. I grappled up his body, trying to escape the person behind me. I stuttered but the words weren't there.

"You're alright," he said just above a whisper, restraining my arms in front of me.

I looked at the apple in my hand which had a bit of blood on it and I swiveled to look at the person on the ground.

It was Phil. People were surrounding him shining the flash on their cell in to his face.

"Somebody call an ambulance," an unknown voice cried.

"Oh, my god," I choked out, registering what I had done. "Someone was chasing me, Jasper, I swear," I blubbered.

He stood up, pulling me with him. He turned towards the exit were Angela came bounding in.

She wrapped her arms around me. "Are you OK?"

I shook my head, crying in to her shoulder. "Someone was chasing me and then he jumped out and grabbed me." I pointed at Phil. "I thought it was him, I didn't think, I just hit him."

"What's going on?" I heard my mom ask.

I hid further in to Angela's shoulder, moving backwards so Jasper's large body was hiding us.

"Phil? Oh, my god. Sweetie, are you OK?" she asked, rushing over to him. Her voice was a high-pitched squeak. "What the hell happened?"

He pointed in my direction. "Your daughter hit me with an apple! Repeatedly!"

Renee gasped, turning in my direction. "Bella?"

I swallowed and dragged my eyes up.

Phil's eye was already bruising and blood was dripping down his cheek.

Carlisle entered the maze. His presence made everyone part like the red sea. He leaned down to look at Phil's eye.

"Is he going to be OK, doctor?" Renee asked, smoothing her skirt before grabbing on to his forearm.

Typical. Just the same old Renee.

"He needs to come down to the hospital for stitches, but I think he'll live."

Phil glared at me, making me shrink behind Jasper whose back went impossibly straighter as he shielded me.

Carlisle helped Phil up and walked him out of the maze.

When Phil's glare went to the hospital, I was left with my mothers.

Omg, does Bella ever get a normal day?

Where do we think this is going? Who's looking suspicious?