Charlie got home at six and came into the kitchen, where I was setting the table.

He whistled, "Something smells good!"

I smiled at him, "It's lasagna. You had all of the ingredients around."

He asked, "Do you need any help?"

I shook my head and he sat down at the table.

I set the cooled-down dish on top of a potholder in the center of the table. I slid into my own chair and plopped a large rectangle on my plate.

As it was cooling down enough to be eaten, Charlie asked me, "How was your first day of school?"

I could hear the tension in his voice; he was worried it had been terrible.

I smiled, "It was really nice. I met some people."

He asked curiously, "Who?"

I tried to remember their names, "Jessica Stanley, Mike Newton, Angela Weber, and the rest of Alice's family."

He told me a little bit about Jessica, Mike, and Angela's parents.

I asked him, "So, what about the Cullens'?"

He began the story, "Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted them all. They are both really young themselves. At first I was worried, two inexperienced parents with all those teenagers. But they are very well behaved; I haven't had a scrap of trouble from the lot of them. The family is really close too, they go on a ton of hiking trips together."

I smiled, "I guessed that's why Alice said she'll be on one tomorrow. Her brother is picking me up for school."

He asked, "Which brother?"

I was caught off guard by the heavy interest in his tone.

I asked innocently, "Does it make a difference?"

After a second he smiled, "Of course not, not at all."

I was suspicious, but I answered his question, "Emmett, the big one."

He nodded, "He's a good kid. I've met him once, we talked about football."

So he knows Emmett and Alice. I wouldn't be surprised if he has met them all at least once before.

I tried to feign disinterest when I asked, "So, what about the other two? Edward and Jasper, anything I should know about them?"

He was thoughtful for a second, "Edward is very polite, he's around the hospital a lot, and I have to go there a lot so I see him frequently. He's a quiet kid, but really insightful when you talk to him."

Yeah, good for Edward. I wanted to know about Jasper!

Charlie frowned, "That other one is just… shy."

Shy.

Shy?

Well, maybe.

He had barely said 100 words to me, and a third of that was him explaining how to play volleyball without hurting someone.

But no shy boy would have wrapped himself around me like that to demonstrate it.

He wouldn't speak so firmly, or hold an unwavering contact with your eyes every time you are speaking, or he is speaking to you.

I know the difference.

No, he's not shy, just reserved and observant.

Like me.

We ate in silence for a while before I remembered, "Oh, Alice invited me to go to Seattle with her this weekend. Is that alright?"

He smiled, "Of course it is! It's good to do things with friends."

The rest of our dinner was a non-awkward silence. Neither of us were big talkers, you know.

The next day, school was pretty boring.

Emmett picked me up, and we talked and joked around on the drive to school.

In Spanish, I was talking to Angela about nothing in particular.

In Gym, I played with Mike, Jessica, and Angela again. I actually only hit one person with a ball!

At lunchtime I was able to fend everyone off, but only because Emmett and I sat at the same table as yesterday, and nobody seemed willing to approach that table.

It was during lunch that I had the chance to really talk to him.

I avoided his gaze and asked, "So, Edward is your brother?"

I remember him saying that yesterday.

Emmett smiled, "Yep. He's fifteen months younger."

So they were real brothers! That wasn't too hard to believe, though. They were both rather tall, had brownish hair, and they were both very pale.

I asked, hoping I wasn't about to sound really stupid, "And him and Alice, are they… together?"

It had certainly seemed like it, but some siblings are just really close.

Emmett nodded once, "Carlisle adopted us when we were really little, just six and seven. Jasper and Rose are Carlisle's sister's kids; they were ten when they moved in. Alice was thirteen, and her and Edward have been something ever since."

I asked, "Are you and Rosalie together?"

They certainly had seemed quite a lot of something yesterday morning when they were making out against the silver car.

Emmett grinned, "Nobody is getting her except me, I'll fight for her."

I glanced at his huge, muscular, arms and snorted, "I don't think anyone would be stupid enough to propose the challenge."

His laughter shook the table because he had propped an elbow on it.

Once he had calmed down he filled me in on the mysterious Jasper Hale. He sounded a little sorrowful.

"Jazz doesn't have anyone he's interested in yet. He's been looking for a while, naturally, he is eighteen. He just hasn't found what he needs yet."

I frowned, "What does he need?"

Emmett also frowned, "I wish I knew, I would help him."

The bell rang just then and Emmett smiled, "Well, have fun. I'll see you in the parking lot when school is over."

I nodded and he glided away.

The second I was alone Mike Newton pounced.

"Hey Bella, I'll walk to Biology with you."

He smiled and I forced one back, trying my best to pay attention as he talked; even though it was a battle I was loosing as my mind began to drift.