A/N: Hello, everyone! I guess I have some fast talking to do about my absence… I ended up falling off the face of the civilized world for about two weeks when I went camping. I was far away from any and all technology above an I-Pod. Don't even ask me about testing either. So… yeah. I should've warned you people. –Feels bad-

Moving on. Thank you to all who gave me their input about the order of things. Your votes about who figures out what first were:

Vampire first:18 WINNER!

Deafness first:7

Same time:3

Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyers. I own nothing.

An Ode to Silence

No matter how I wished time would stop and let me rest and dwell, it continued marching on its merry way with no regard for me. No matter how I wished that time would rewind to yesteryear, it continued forward instead of back. No matter how I wished that time would hurry up a little and skip the boring parts like in a story that I can just flip the page, it continued its slow and steady pace.

They say time is a gift, that it is good that it doesn't pay any heed to our wishes of it. Maybe that's true…. But why doesn't it feel like that right now?

I must've stared at the answering machine for at least five minutes after the light indicating a call began flashing. Someone was calling us but I couldn't really pick up the stupid phone. Pesky contraption. Charlie and I had decided not to spring for a relay. There just weren't all that many people that I wanted to call who knew I was deaf.

Eventually, I sighed and stopped glaring at the little machine as I hurried to take out the biscuits I'd put in the oven. My eyes traveled their familiar path over the yellow cabinets that Renee had painted when she lived here. It had been her sad attempt to bring a little sunshine to the house in the town where the sun never shines.

The next morning, Jessica apparently had resumed her old habits and ambushed me the moment I stepped out of my truck. Her face was flushed with a bright smile on her face as I prepared myself for another Jess-babble. I learned to recognize and fear that face that she made just before she sucked in a breath for record breaking speed talking.

Right on cue, she sucked in a breath and I tried not to flinch as she launched into a blur of words (?) and gestures as I chewed on my lower lip.

"Whoa, slow down," I pleaded, holding up my hands. She stared at me, blinking a few times before she grudgingly complied. Though it really wasn't that much slower, at least it was semi-comprehensible. Eventually, I gathered that there was a dance coming up, it was girl's choice, and she wanted to ask Mike but had illusions that I might want to ask him.

"Don't worry, I'm not even going. Have fun with Mike," I said with a small smile. Mostly, I wanted the conversation to end as quickly as possible. I hated trying to talk to her when she was like this. It was impossible seeing as she could speed up and slow down at any given moment.

"Are you sure? I mean, it'd be fun for you to go and you shouldn't miss out…" she didn't seem to know how to stop talking when she's nervous but I took pity on her this time.

"I'll be fine. Look, there's Mike," I said, pointing across the parking lot where unsuspecting Mike was chatting with Tyler and Eric. Her eyes twinkled when she noticed him and she mumbled something I couldn't hope to catch before dashing off towards him.

As the day moved on its merry way, I noticed Jessica wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as she was this morning. She would've been practically glowing if things were fine. My worries were only substantiated when they both sat as far from each other as our table in the cafeteria allowed. The whole table was radiating awkward as they tried to converse normally without the ringleader Jessica fueling them with gossip.

This time, instead of stuffing my mouth and trying to make it through lunch without too many issues, I found myself staring off at the other tables of students prattling cheerily about one subject or another. Absently, I attempted to see how far a person could be while I could still read their lips. It wasn't very far but as I concentrated on one table, I felt like I was eavesdropping.

"-So, I was reading that new book that came out, you know the one about the vampire and werewolf romance? Ugh, it was sooo great. Anyway I-.." she turned her head so I couldn't catch the rest. Still, the idea about vampires and werewolves had wormed itself in my mind and made a little nest for itself as my thoughts turned to Edward.

Like always, he was sitting across the room with his siblings looking just the same as first saw him. Unfortunately, my thoughts tend to drift and I ended up comparing what I knew about the vampire myths to Edward. I'm glad to say that that train of thought didn't last when I suddenly felt very, very silly. Aren't vampires supposed to turn into bats, have fangs, sleep in coffins, be repelled be garlic, and unable to come out into the sun?

I wanted to bury my head in shame at such a ludicrous notion but before I could do any burying at all, everyone suddenly started standing up and gathering their plates. I hurried to do the same.

As Mike walked with me to Biology, we were both absorbed in our own thoughts. My thoughts remained fixated on the drama between Mike and Jessica. They would be so easy to tease if things worked out. Neither of us spoke till I had taken my seat beside Edward and Mike had rooted himself near me.

"So, um… Jessica asked me to the spring dance…" he 'broke' the silence. Instantly, I decided on my game plan and made myself smile hugely.

"That's wonderful! I wondered how long it'd take Jessica to ask you. You two will have fun," I gushed while silently cursing myself and promising to bang my head against something hard later for sounding so stupid. I would've done it then but that'd ruin the ecstatic and exuberant appearance I was trying to put on. Mike looked taken aback by my response as well for he struggled with his words for a couple more seconds before responding.

"I um… told her I had to think about it," he mumbled while glancing nervously at the floor like the tiles were much more interesting (and less threatening) then my face which I'd molded into one of disapproval with narrowed eyes.

"Did one of the other girls ask you? Or do you not like her?" I questioned, enjoying watching the emotions play across his face before he just flushed fire truck red. He might be competition for me in the blushing contest. Ah, if only…

"I, err… well, you see…" he stuttered, "I was wondering if you-"

"I'm not going," I cut him off quickly and efficiently. Was I cruel if I was enjoying this just a twiddle bit? I was distracted away from my thoughts of cruelty when I saw Edward's head tilt a little in our direction. He was paying some attention too. How interesting…

"Why not?" he demanded.

"I'm going to Seattle that Saturday and it simply can't be delayed to another time." What a shame, I added in my thoughts sarcastically but felt a tiny twinge of guilt as I looked at his sad puppy face. I quickly squashed it though. It really wasn't a good idea for me to go to the dance anyway and I had no interest in Mike that way.

"But-" he began to protest weakly but I cut him off again with a shake of my head.

"You shouldn't make Jessica wait any longer. She might think the wrong thing," I said with a small smile. To my gratification, he returned it and turned to go towards his seat. Thank goodness that's over. I usually prefer to keep conversations between classmates somewhat short or to let them do all the talking but I was still somehow popular. Those kids in Phoenix wouldn't have believed it.

Edward was staring at me. Though we'd said a few words to each others, he never once had seemed to take any more interest in me again other then he would a stranger on the street. He was using the same stare he had used once before with that strange curiosity and frustration ever more prominent in his dark eyes. I stared back with a blank expression but when he continued to gaze at me, I swallowed.

Like a predator before his meal, don't look away. My mind screamed at me. I wouldn't even be able to look away from him in our staring contest. Carefully, I controlled my expression until, his lips moved.

"The Krebs Cycle," he said as he finally released me. Blinking, I turned my head to watch Mr. Banner instead. I wouldn't like to have another staring sequence now but I also couldn't let him know that. Social games were the worst but I was well versed in them after all the watching I've done over time. Never give them any info they can use against you. Never start out with a secret that could ruin you if found out. Too late for that last one.

When everyone began gathering their stuff, I fully expected Edward to make his retreat like he always did. Instead, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Reluctantly, I turned to face his inhumanly perfect face plastered with an unreadable expression. He didn't say anything. Why did he tap my shoulder then?!

"What do you want?" I asked cautiously, perfectly ready to move on and forget this encounter happened. In fact, I might be eager to do that.

"I'm sorry," his lips always moved more precisely then anyone I'd ever met, "I'm being very rude, I know. But it's better this way, really." I stared at him uncomprehendingly. He must've seen the question in my eyes though, so he continued.

"It's better if we're not friends," he elaborated, "Trust me." Oh no he didn't, I'd heard that way too often. Jerks, all of them. My eyes narrowed angrily but it wasn't all because of him. He just brought it up again.

"That's great, because we obviously aren't. You should've figured that out earlier though. You could've saved yourself all this regret," I spat. By now, I was all out glaring at him. He seemed surprised. He wasn't expecting me to take that approach.

"Regret? Regret for what?" His black eyes were no longer hard but stripped of their guard. This was a little better.

"For not letting that van squish me. You're much less grumpy looking when I'm not near you. That and you obviously don't really like me. You weren't near enough to me that anyone would condemn you. I guess you really didn't consider how much I'd irk you later, did you?" I finished in a huff. He stared at me in disbelief, his mouth slightly open like he was about to make a retort. Finally, he gathered himself enough to be angry.

"You think I regret saving your life?" his mouth was moving in faster, clipped movements that almost made me stop and back up but I held firm.

"If you didn't, you could've fooled me," I said softly before turning quickly and leaving the room leaving him staring after me. Not a bad ending if I do say so myself and I do. I thought as I walked briskly down the hall toward the dreaded gym class.

When I finally arrived home, I was exhausted. Both Eric and Tyler asked me to the dance after that conversation with Edward. What happened to girl's choice?! It's not like I was flirting with them or trying to lead them on. How to deal with overly friendly boys? If I'm not careful, I could eventually get charged with assault.

As I walked into the house with a heavy sigh, I saw the light on the answering machine flashing again. Someone was calling again. They really should wait till Charlie comes home or learn their lesson about calling me. I concentrated on making dinner but my mind began to wander back to Edward's words. I was now prohibited from even becoming friends with him.

I wasn't interesting enough... but it's better then being too interesting. The first week of school was almost unbearable because of being so darn new and interesting to these kids whose grandparents grew up together. Also, this is home to several chatty people that I figured that everyone knows something about everyone else that they weren't supposed to know.

Before my thoughts could take on a much more mellow tenor, I sliced the skin between my thumb and pointer finger as I was dicing the chicken. With a cry of pain, I quickly abandoned the meal and snatched a rag to put pressure on the cut before it bled all over the counter. As the scent of salt and rust reached my nostrils, sweat began to glisten on my forehead as I reached for the sink to wash off the odor.

The cold, running water did the trick and I was able to bandage the wound tightly in sterile, white gauze. It throbbed demandingly for a little while longer as I moved to sit down. Chicken was no longer on the menu for tonight.

Instead, when Charlie arrived home, we ordered a tasty, hot, and safe pizza. While we waited for the pizza to arrive, we settled down to talk about the Saturday or the dance and me going to Seattle. I was only hoping that this would be painless.

"Will you be back in time for the dance?" he predictably asked. I stared at him for a minute before resting my chin on the backs of both hands. We didn't say anything for a moment before he blushed. I didn't have to explain to him that a dance would have people dancing in rhythm to music that I couldn't hear. Plus, I was a complete klutz. I wouldn't get out of that experience without further damaging myself and/or others.

He smiled and we were on the same page once again until he got up, responding to a doorbell as a light on the wall flashed six times. The light was my doorbell. I also had one in my room and the living room just for me. My excuse for not going to the dance was a go. I would never attend a dance if I could help it. Just then, Charlie returned with a box in his hand just the right size for our dinner for the night.

The following morning, I just barely managed to avoid the temptation of scratching the paint job on that pretty silver Volvo of Edward's as I found a parking space at school. As I got out of the car, there stood Edward Cullen leaning against my truck. I had to remind myself about his speed (though I still wasn't sure of the reason) before I put myself at ease.

"Hello, Edward," I said with no real warmth in my tone. He just smiled and then suddenly stiffened. His formerly honey golden eyes darkened to almost black in an instant as they zeroed in on my bandaged hand.

A/N: I'm just oodles of fun aren't I? I decided to leave you guys with this just because A) I can. And B) I didn't feel like writing anything else today.

Toodle-loo!