I couldn't leave this thing alone, and have come back.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter isn't going on straight from the last one. The same characters etc, just a huge time skip (3 or 4 years).

I had to be honest, watching The Ring late at night while you have the house all to yourself... yeah. Not a good idea.

I was currently sitting scared shitless on the couch, my paranoid eyes looking everywhere at once as if I was a chameleon, waiting for the zombie girl to spring from behind the kitchen bench, or the couch, or the TV, or to suddenly appear on the dining room chair, or to spring from the stairs...

Stop it! I chastised myself.

I breathed in deeply once again to calm myself, and braved running to the wall, turning my back to it as soon as I got there. With my palms touching the wall, I looked around once again to check there wasn't any movement in the house. I continued slowly making my way down the wall, the only sound in the house my frantic breathing and slow footsteps.

I made it to the hallway and reached for the light, my fingers finding the switch and flicking it. The second the light turned on, I nearly had a heart attack, as there was a figure staring back at me in the mirror.

Me.

I half wanted to laugh at the absolute absurdness of the situation, but I still felt like crying.

With the light turned on, I felt safer, but every door I passed I checked the room thoroughly out from the hallway, making sure not to look out the windows.

I finally got to my room – the last one in the hallway, naturally.

I slammed the door closed and breathed again, this time of relief. I decided to take refuge in my room for the rest of the night. I should have never convinced Charlie I would be all right in the house by myself. If I was a senior at high school, I could stay home alone.

Apparently not, though.

The sound of my ancient cell phone ringing broke the silence, and my heart started to pound. In The Ring, somebody would watch a video tape, and then get a phone call shortly after, saying they were going to die in seven days.

I eyed the screen and saw Edward on the display screen. I decided against the feeling that the murderer had taken Edwards cell phone in an attempt to reach me, and answered it.

"Bella?" My best friend's panicked voice rang through the phone.

"Edward? Are you all right?"

"You... didn't happen to watch the movie that was on Channel Two... did you?"

"You mean The Ring?"

He shushed me frantically, as if I was in Harry Potter and uttering Voldemort's name.

"Yes," he whispered.

"Um, well yeah."

"So how are you?" He squeaked, in the highest voice I had heard him in since puberty hit.

I looked around my room. "Not so great," I admitted.

"Can I come over?" He asked. He was home alone himself, as Esme and Carlisle were treating Charlie to an exuberant 40th birthday party.

"Uh, sure. But do me a favour and please come in through my window."

"Okay. Be there in five." The phone clicked off. He would understand why I wasn't downstairs, I guess.

In the four minutes it took him to gather a backpack of supplies from his house, drive here, and climb up to my window, I had cleaned my room to a presentable state.

I opened the window and let him in, shutting it quickly because of the rush of cold air that was getting inside the room.

"God, you must be freezing!"

"Yeah, well..." He chattered, taking his coat off, "It was horrible making my way across the front garden, and knowing what could be out in the forest."

"I shouldn't have watched the movie," I agreed.

"Ugh. Why do they always have to show horror movies late at night?" He whined. I decided against mocking him for sounding like a girl given present circumstances.

"Beats me."

The next one and a half hours were filled with small-talk... and algebra homework.

My old fashioned clock – passed down from Grandma Marie's grandmother – chimed twelve times to signal another day had arrived.

"Should I go?" Edward looked up from behind the ironically labelled 674 page "Algebra for Beginners" workbook.

I had closed the curtains some way through the impromptu evening, so didn't see any zombie girls when I looked outside. I really didn't want to be left by myself though. I bet this was Charlie's intention in the first place – a way to make me learn a lesson.

"You could always stay..." I drawled off.

"I guess I can sleep on the floor," Edward agreed quickly, as though relieved by my offer.

"There's not enough space for that," I motioned around my room. My double bed, desk, dresser, and book case left no room for anything else.

"I don't think Emmett would mind if I took his room." He was right, Emmett wouldn't mind. He hadn't stepped foot in that room in months, caught up in the high of university life.

"But think of what happened between Rosalie and Emmett in that bed." I argued, steering him clear of any solutions that would take him out of my room.

He screwed up his face in reaction to my answer. "Downstairs...?"

"The TV is downstairs." I deadpanned.

"Oh. Right." Edward awkwardly grabbed the hair on the back of his neck.

"You can sleep in my bed." I asked quietly.

"But where would you... Oh right."

"Well, I mean, it's not like anything's going to happen, right? It's just because you don't have anywhere else to sleep." I justified the situation.

He thought it over, and the look on my face must have convinced him. He nodded in agreement.

I grabbed my flannel winter pyjamas and headed towards the door. I was about to grab the knob when I realised I would have to face the dark hallway.

"Maybe you should just change in here." Edward suggested, glancing at my frozen stance.

"You have to turn around." I childishly suggested.

"Uh... all right... I'll just," he muttered to himself till he found a suitable place behind the bookcase. He started intently studying the poster of Paramore I had stuck up.

I turned around and changed as quickly as I could, trying to cover up what I could just in case he were to be looking.

Climbing quickly into my side of the bed, I announced he could turn around.

"I don't have any sleeping clothes with me." He answered.

"Just... sleep in your clothes or something." I mumbled, lying on my side and closing my eyes, waiting for him to make up his mind and get into bed. The evening's activities were finally getting to me, and my eyes were drooping.

A minute later I felt the other side of the bed dip down as Edward climbed into it. He seemed to take some time to get comfortable, so once he did get still I peeked one eye open at him.

Edward stared right into my eyes, his beautiful green colour connecting with my brown ones. I felt my face become red and I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

Of course, the first time a boy sleeps in your bed that isn't a) related to you, and b) below the age of ten, you can't get to sleep.

An hour later, I was still awake. I could tell by his breathing that Edward wasn't in dream world yet either.

As if reading my thoughts, Edward asked me softly whether I was sleeping.

"No," I whispered back quietly.

A minute later and still no answer, I thought he had fallen asleep. But I felt the bed shift and his hands grab my waist, pulling me to him. I squealed in surprise.

His arms encircled me and he rested his head just above mine on the pillow, conforming his body around my foetus position. His arm was so warm and comfortable, and I felt the pull of sleep coming.

Just before I entered dream world though, I was pretty sure I felt lips being pressed against my temple.

I slowly awoke to consciousness in a brightly lit room, and was aware of a warm body lying next to mine.

There were stomps coming down the hallway, and I heard my door open, but in my groggy state I didn't realise it was my father, looking upon a sight he probably wouldn't have liked to have seen... ever.

"What the hell is this!"

Thoughts please! Are you enjoying these at all like I am?