Disclaimer: Nope. Sorry, you've got the wrong number. Stephenie Meyer is over on the side where the grass is much greener.

Trick of the Minds' Eye

Bella's POV

I love how the colors of spring naturally mingle together and act completely oblivious to it.

The wind blew lightly across my features, whirling the strands of hair that had escaped from my ponytail. The ends of the tests that were being graded flapped up in unison to each other. I held them down with one hand and graded the one I had in front of me with the other.

In a distance, I heard a little girl squeal. I looked up from my paper work for a moment, loving the procrastination I had given myself, and watched as she ran from a girl who was similar in age. Both were an estimate of six or seven years old. I smiled faintly, remembering days when I had done the same with my friends. Days that seemed the Popsicles from the ice cream truck were a safe haven. I turned my head and observed a diminutive boy being pushed by his mother on a red, plastic swing. With each push, he went higher.

Memorial Park was a new addition to my life. I had just discovered it after Luke and I moved here about two months ago. The park fit the match of various personalities. It was a place for kids, pets, teens and adults. Somehow it calmed me just as the cemetery did, though they were complete polar opposites.

I leaned my head on my right hand, admiring the wedding ring on my left. Light danced on the diamonds in a waltz that would never end. I sighed, now averting my full attention to dissect the meaning of the ring. Was it love or marriage itself? Was it something to symbolize that another claimed this person? Maybe it was a combination of all these things. Maybe it was a combination of nothing at all.

No, of course it was something. The thought of looking the definition up on the Internet dawned on me. I was truly curious.

I looked back down at the tests I had to grade for 9th grade Communication Arts. Grading was not something I was fond of. Dare I say it; the outcome of teaching my students was substandard. It was almost unbearable. But of course, unbearable would have been bearable. Sure, I have a few teacher's pets. They give me apples and wish me a good pregnancy, but the vast majority of my class was boys who didn't know how to take care of their hygiene. Heck, they were always a step away from wrestling in the center of the classroom. It was my first semester of teaching without the assistance of a more experienced advisor. The adventure was scary, but enjoyable. I only taught the last hour of the day so I kept it easy on my pregnant self.

Focus, I thought to myself, turning back to the tests in the middle of the picnic table.

As if on cue, another draft of wind picked up. I would have welcomed it on different circumstances. Instead, I watched in slow motion as one by one, each of the tests that I had neatly stacked in a pile drift off in abyss. I could have cried.

With one leg at a time, I got up from the table and ran—no, rather wobbled—after the runaway tests. The dress I was wearing fluttered across my knees and my flip-flops nearly tripped me twice. Everything was a catastrophe, seeing as now the papers were already at the other end of the park. Various people helped me race after them.

Something about a pregnant woman in distress must be appealing, I figured, since most of the park occupants were in a line, handing me the papers they had already caught. I thanked all of them with my complete gratitude. Do people know how hard it is to bend down when you can't even see your toes?

"Having trouble?"

I turned around to a familiar voice and smiled. "How did you know I was here?"

Luke handed me the last of the tests and kissed my forehead. "Because you are the other half of my missing self. Therefore, wherever you go, I go."

"Aw, that's nice. Is that a quote from one of the picture books you continue to read?" I grinned.

"Funny," he said. "But I guess with that kind of comment, I'll just eat the sandwich I got for you at Subway." He held up the Subway bag he had hidden behind his back.

"I'm starving." Really, I was.

He winked and wrapped an arm around my waist. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Over there," I said, inclining towards the picnic table I was sitting at.

"How have you been feeling?" He asked.

"Other than the stretch marks, aching feet, constant bladder problem, ultimate clumsiness, uncontrollable cravings and the horrendous headaches I endure, I'm fine."

"Hmm, the symptoms of pregnancy. But the clumsiness factor is normal." He helped me over the bench of the picnic table and sat across from me, getting the sandwiches ready.

I looked over his head to notice a car that was parked on the other side of the road parallel to the park. It was a 911 Turbo--A yellow 911 Turbo. A masculine figure leaned against the door with his back to me. My heart skipped and suddenly I knew it had to be Emmett standing about two football fields away from me.

"Bella, Jesus Christ, what on earth…?" I looked back at Luke, awakened from my daze. He gestured to my hands.

I looked down and saw that my knuckles were white from holding on to the edge of the table like a lifeline. My breathing, as I began to notice, was gasping reverberated. I looked back up to see if I was delusional, and sure enough, I most likely was. The car was gone. There was no trace that the Cullens had been anywhere near me.

"Bella," This time, Luke grabbed my hands to enfold them in his own. "What's wrong?"

I looked at him, my fear subsiding. Was it fear? "Nothing, I just thought I… saw something. But it was nothing." Which was true. Maybe it was the distance. The heat might have tricked me. It wasn't a sunny day, though…

My stomach growled. Luke smiled and handed me the sandwich. I gladly took it, trying to rid the mind games.

We ate and I started to pack away my tests. "Do you have to go back to work?" I asked. Luke nodded. I sighed in response.

"I'm actually on graveyard shift tonight, too."

I looked up, my eyes pleading. "You wont get enough sleep! Who does Mark Hackney think he is, making you work two shifts?" I grumbled, now angrily stuffing my papers in the bag.

"My boss." Luke rounded the table and caught me in his arms. "Sweetie, I'll be home in time for breakfast. Just try not to trip up the steps."

"We don't have steps."

------

I began to shuffle the deck of cards again. I was playing my 20th game of solitaire, on a role, when the doorbell went off. I looked up at the clock. It was 8:32. There was about two more hours to kill before I would go to bed. It was spring break, but that didn't mean I had to be deprived of sleep.

I padded over to the front door and opened it without looking through the peephole.

Alice stood in front of me, her eyes lit with excitement. "Bella!" Her hands came up to caress my face on both sides. I was surprised by her actions. After all, we hadn't seen each other in seven or eight years.

Over her shoulder, I watched as Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Edward all file out of the car and make their way towards my house.

"We need to talk," Alice said, her smile defining her beauty to the maximum of its ability.

The other four vampires had already made it to my porch. "Yes," I said, staring at Edward, "we certainly do."

(A/N: Hope you enjoyed. There'll be more Edward and Bella stuff coming up. R & R.)