Dearest One,

I am greatly humbled and honoured to be considered your friend. I suppose as you have granted me with such a gift, the least I can do is answer such a basic question. I always thought of my favourite colour as a deep, rusted red. But since gazing upon the multitude of colours in your hair whilst bathed in sunlight; I think i may have changed my mind. So, shall we say that my favourite colour is chestnut brown mixed with the slightest tints of red and deep gold, would that suffice?

Or perhaps it is the colour of your cheeks when they flush whilst reading my compliments to you. Or even the deep cocoa colour of your eyes as they shine, full of secrets.

I am afraid my dear, that I have not one favourite colour; but many. It would seem that I have failed spectacularly in answering your question, so I shall grant you another. Consider it a boon, if you will.

It pains me to hear that you have been frightened and witnessed things that cause your fear. May I ask what, or is that too personal of a question for such newly fledged friends? If it were in my power to do so I would ensure that you were never frightened again.

No little one, I am not American. I will not tell you where I call home, but you are welcome to try and guess.

Yours Eternally.

I let out a soft sigh as I re-read my letter, when someone wrote letters like this how could you not feel something for them? I didn't even know the person behind the pen but I felt like I did, It felt like we had been friends for eternity.

I recognised the feelings in my gut and tried to dampen them. I needed to stop being such a naive child, I had made these mistakes all too often and I wouldn't let myself get swept away by a few pretty words… At least that's what I told myself to try and make myself feel better.

The haste with which I penned my reply made my attempt at mental distance laughable.

To… you really are going to have to give me something to call you by.

Deep red sounds nice… It reminds me too much of blood now though, so i'm not very fond of it. I don't know what to say about your compliments, I don't know what you look like so I can hardly return the favor. Thank you for making me feel special, It is always nice to be complimented and as we are friends I can take such compliments seriously without feeling mocked.

I am happy to be allowed another question, thank you for granting me one!

Are you watching me?

I paused as I wrote this, chewing on the tip of my new pen as I re-read my sentence. Was It too bold and outright to ask such a thing? After all he had promised in his first letter that he wouldn't do such a thing, but now time had passed and letters were being exchanged so quickly. The things he said made me think I was being watched, It didn't frighten me… After all my first boyfriend used to stalk me in my bedroom whilst I was sleeping, at least my pen-pal had respect enough not to break into my home. It just frustrated me that he could be so close and yet I hadn't spotted him. I continued writing, feeling like I had to be honest and so left my question unchanged.

The things that have frightened me are acts of darkness and depravity. The things that some… types of men and woman can do without remorse or guilt. I have witnessed far more suffering in my life than I would have wished to and believe me, if you could take it all away I would be grateful beyond measure.

Judging by the way you write I would say European, you spell certain words differently. I would take a guess at British? Do you have an accent?

Will I ever get to meet you?

Yours,

Bella.

I frowned at my signature. I had never signed myself off that way and I knew it was only polite, but somehow to him it felt more personal than it should. It felt more like a promise.

-o-

I had continued with the rest of my day after leaving the letter in its usual place, still not seeing Edward and instead I managed to get Jacob to talk to me again. Now that I had spoken to him and he knew that I was distancing myself from Edward, he felt more inclined to be my friend again.

I had to admit it felt good being among the pack again, their easy laughter and warmth made everything feel like home, no matter where they were.

By the time I made it home the sky was darkening as the sun slipped away to make room for the moon among the stars. I parked my truck and stepped out, wincing as the door slammed closed behind me. There was no quiet way to shut the door of my rusty old truck, but I loved it.

As I approached the steps I couldn't help but smile as i saw what awaited me. He had replaced my letter with his own again and so I turned and sat on the steps to read it, making sure to unfold it carefully.

Dearest One,

I'm afraid I cannot divulge my real name, for it is quite uncommon and I fear you would begin the search to discover my true identity if I gave it to you. Is 'My Friend' not address enough? I feel it is a worthy and honourable title and I would be delighted to be called such.

I apologise for giving you unpleasant thoughts, that was not my intention. Have you seen much bloodshed, for you to be so appalled at the colour of it? As for making you feel special, you are special little one. So special that your greatest gift and downfall is not realising your worth.

You are welcome for the extra question but you do not need to thank me. I would grant you the world and anything in it, if it was what you desired. I do not think you are aware of the power you hold over men, for now I shall be grateful for when you discover it I am sure to be doomed.

Hm, how to answer your question. It is not my wish to frighten you but my perspective since writing my first letter has changed somewhat. I had originally intended to just be a distant guardian and friend, I had sworn to you I wouldn't watch you and so refrained for as long as I could. When I discovered you weren't receiving my letters I began to watch and wait to see who was taking them, which then lead to my watching you. Forgive me.

I find it so easy to get lost in observing you, your beauty is such that I cannot tear myself away now that I have gazed upon it again.

I don't think I could stop if you asked it of me, though I would of course try.

I hope you are not afraid, I would never wish for you to fear me. Especially after discovering you already fear so much. I could take it all away, if you truly wished it. But that is a conversation for another time perhaps, when you are ready.

You are half correct, but I am not British.

I do not believe I have an accent, but then who ever believes that of themselves? I think you have an accent because you do not originate from the same part of the world as I.

In answer to your question, to your delicate American ears; yes I would have an accent.

Yours Eternally.

P.S- I am greatly appreciative of the new stationary. A gift perhaps?

I laughed and shook my head as I read the last line. It had to have been him at the store! I couldn't believe how blatant he was, to approach Charlie like that. The things he was saying though, it made me feel like I was missing an important clue to his identity. 'I could take it all away, if you truly wished it. But that is a conversation for another time perhaps, when you are ready.'

I frowned, ready for what?

I briefly glanced up at the tree line, more out of habit than anything before I stopped dead, sure I had seen something. I squinted and scanned again.

There!

A flash of white in the darkness, barely visible behind the trees.

My heart rate sped up as I stood, the letter dangling from my fingertips as my feet carried me forward almost without permission.

Bella what are you doing, it's almost dark and you're wandering into the woods on the chance he's in there?

It has to be him, he said that he had been watching me, that he couldn't stop. He clearly waited to watch me receive the letter. I had to know who it was.

My legs propelled me forward at a run and as I reached the tree line I stopped and gazed in. It looked so dark in there and I swallowed thickly as fear crept up my throat and made it tighten.

I was sure I was being watched, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end, but it was so dark now that I could barely see past the first few trees in front of me. I let out a huff of annoyance and turned on my heel to head back toward the house, irritated at myself for being a coward.

I had never been afraid of the woods before I had met Edward Cullen.

I didn't think I was afraid of what lay within the trees though, I think I was afraid of truly discovering my pen pal's identity. The way he spoke and the language he used made me think of someone else whose identity I had once been trying to discover.

I couldn't help but keep hearing the first thought that had echoed through my head once i'd glimpsed that flash of white within the trees and I didn't want to think about it, because that made it real.

That thought was the one thing I was afraid of and yet longed for.

It whispered around my head traitorously.

'Vampire.'