Author's Note: Thank you to those who've reviewed and added this story to your favorites and alerts. Your interest inspires me to keep writing. ~Dyxie

A Lapse In Control

My hand reached out in a wide swing, sending the alarm clock flying across the room as its discordant beeping finally brought me out of sleep. I winced slightly as I heard it hit the opposite wall and briefly considered opening my eyes to examine the damage, but decided against it. Until I saw it, I didn't have to deal with it, and I just wasn't in the mood. I idly wondered who'd come up with the oh so brilliant idea of the alarm clock as a pleasant way of waking up in the morning, and then spent the next few minutes coming up with appropriate tortures suitable for their crime. By the time I was done, my mind was beginning to clear and I was able to force myself out of the warm, comfortable bed to face the new day with some semblance of clarity. Full clarity was impossible without a heavy dosage of caffeine, but I'd get to that once I got my feet moving properly.

Several wide yawns and stretches later, I forced myself to face the inevitable and gathered my clothing before heading off to the shower. Charlie's hot water tank was small, perhaps even miniscule, so I hurried through my shower to ensure it didn't end with me receiving an ice bath. That had happened yesterday, and it was not an experience I cared to repeat. I rarely cursed, but that little trauma had brought new and interesting vocabulary to my normally sedate patterns of speech. Charlie had been frowning when I entered the kitchen, but the look on my face had halted whatever reprimand he'd been intending to deliver. He's pretty smart for a dad.

I didn't bother drying my hair, leaving it to hang in wet curls halfway down my back as I went downstairs to grab a cup of coffee and a pop-tart. Perhaps not the breakfast of Champions, but it worked for me. In the mornings, quick and easy was the way to go; getting complicated only ensured that some form of mishap would occur, and I liked to keep my life as simple as possible. Charlie wasn't at the table with the paper, so I peeked out the window, and sure enough his cruiser was gone, leaving me to enjoy my breakfast in peaceful solitude. The day was starting off rather well, and I felt my spirits lift despite the rain steadily coming down outside, its soft pitter-patter against the porch roof almost soothing in its rhythmic monotony.

I rinsed my cup out in the sink, then picked up my books and headed out to the truck, grabbing a rain slicker as I passed the hall closet. Locking the house carefully behind me, I quickly walked to the truck, grateful to get inside without a drenching, and even more grateful when it started right up at the first turn of the key. It was a red 1953 Chevy, with faded paint and a few dents to give it character, a present from Charlie to welcome me to Forks. I loved it, despite the loud backfires every time I tried to park it. Getting to school didn't take long at all, Forks wasn't big enough for that, and I arrived early, getting a parking space close to the campus, another thing to be grateful for. The only other car in the lot was a silver Volvo with tinted windows, so I couldn't tell whether or not anyone was sitting inside as I hurried into the school.

After grabbing my books for first period from my locker, I decided to head to the cafeteria and get in a little extra study time before school officially started for the day. As I entered the doors, I was struck immediately by the scent of lilac and sunshine and froze in place, my eyes swiftly searching the room for the source of that wondrous smell. I knew who it was going to be, of course, and it made perfect sense to me that the one person in all the world I wanted most to avoid would be the one other person standing in the cafeteria with me. Edward. I should have known that the good start to the day could only forebode a sudden pothole in the road of my life. That's how it worked. Every. Damn. Time. My survival instincts finally kicked in and I turned to head back out the door, but before I could even complete the turn, his voice stopped me in my tracks, the velvety-smooth words stroking me like a caress.

"Good morning, Bella," he said, leaving me no choice but to turn and continue further into the cafeteria. I was too polite to pretend I couldn't hear him when it was obvious that I could. Mom had drummed etiquette into my head for too many years for me to be able to ignore those lessons on a whim.

"Good morning, Edward," I replied, giving him a polite nod and moving across the cafeteria to take a seat at the table furthest away from where he was casually sitting, an open book spread before him.

I was just congratulating myself on how well I'd handled the impromptu meeting, no clumsy spells, no stuttering, when his unique scent became more distinct as his shadow fell across me. My heart did its usual stutter as I forced myself to quickly look up at him, avoiding a repeat of yesterday's staring marathon at his chest, and found myself ensnared within his eyes instead. My breath caught in my throat, and as a slow crooked smile widened his lips, I was sure I knew exactly how a canary would feel looking into the predatory face of a hungry feline. Every nerve in my body came to sudden life, and it felt like electricity was sizzling just beneath my skin. Half of me wanted to flee in terror, while the other half wanted nothing more than to be fully caught. Get a grip, Bella! I silently yelled at myself, trying unsuccessfully to tear my eyes away from his.

An odd look flickered deeply within his eyes, and then he chuckled softly, leaning closer to me and whispering, "Breathe, Bella," in a repeat of our encounter from yesterday. It felt like my entire body was flushing as I quickly released the breath I'd been holding in order to inhale once more, and a swirl of dizziness overcame me as his scent seemed to swell within my lungs, filling me completely. I watched one of his hands slowly rise, the back of it gently brushing down my cheek in a feather-light caress that had the impact of a sledgehammer, intensifying the electricity blazing beneath my skin until I wondered almost dreamily if my body was simply going to spontaneously combust. Luckily, it didn't, but I found myself leaning my face into the gentle touch, only barely noticing how cold his skin was against the warmth of mine.

"What is it about you, Bella, that draws me so?" he murmured, a speculative gleam entering his eyes as he watched my face intently. "What spell have you cast upon me that I cannot get you out of my thoughts?" He bent down, slowly moving his face closer to mine until only mere inches separated us. He inhaled deeply and the focus on his face intensified further, a faint look of wonder mixing with the speculation in his eyes as he whispered almost inaudibly, "What are you?"

Ice trickled through my veins as his questions brought the nightmare of the night before rushing back to my mind in all its painful detail. Could he possibly know? I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't force the words out; all I could do was stare into his eyes as the panic slowly rose within me. Run! My mind shouted at me. Stay! My heart countered, equally as loudly. The conflicting feelings battling each other threatened to shake me apart, and I could feel the reactive trembling of my body. I could tell he noticed it as well by the slight narrowing of his eyes, and my heartbeat picked up speed; it was racing as if all the hounds of hell were in hot pursuit. A strange glitter entered his eyes and I could almost swear I heard him snarl softly before he leaned closer just long enough to whisper his final words directly into my ear, then turned and quickly left the cafeteria, the doors slamming behind him. Those last words, however, were enough to leave me shaking and terrified. "I will know your secrets."

**********

Edward

She was so damned frustrating! And her smell! God, it was driving me mad! If she'd been my singer, her smell alone would have ensured her death, despite my abstinence of the last seventy years or so. She was calling to me, but at least it wasn't in tune with the dinner bell. She didn't smell like food, just... Just like the most appealing, exotic, beautiful creature in existence. I didn't want to eat her, I wanted to... to devour her in every other way possible. I wanted to wrap myself around her, protect her, cherish her, love her. And I didn't even know her! Even worse, why of all the people in the world whose minds I could read as easily as picking up a newspaper, was hers the only one completely closed off to me when I needed to read it most of all? What in the blazes was going on?

She was an enigma and I knew only three things for certain. First, she wasn't human. Second, she had secrets, lots of them. And third, I wanted her far more intensely than I'd ever wanted anything in my entire existence. Oh, and there's one more thing I know. I will have her. Count on it.

**********

After Edward left the cafeteria, I let my eyes fall closed, taking several deep breaths in an effort to regain my composure. It didn't help much, I was still shaking like a leaf. With a muttered groan, I opened my eyes only to gaze in horror at the golden glow pulsing softly around me. No! My aura had escaped the rigid control I normally kept around it, and had surrounded my body completely, extending outward for about three inches in every direction as it pulsed in time with my racing heartbeat. This couldn't be happening, not here. Not now. Not when a school full of kids was going to come bursting through those doors at any moment and bear witness to the freak show that was me. I could feel the panic rising, but there was no time for it. I had only minutes, maybe less, before exposure would be certain, and I had to act quickly.

I looked around to be sure no one was in sight, then slid the chair back, kneeling on the floor and balling my right hand into a tight fist. This was going to hurt. I focused my mind as I muttered the few necessary words in the ancient tongue, then drew my arm back before thrusting it through the floor and into the earth beneath with far more strength than my body alone possessed. I couldn't silence the cry of pain that escaped me when I felt the bones in my hand shatter as they went through the tiles, but I ignored it and sent the excess energy of the aura surging back into the earth where it belonged. It took almost a minute for the aura to completely drain from around me, but I wasted no time. The moment it had faded, I stood and grabbed my books with my other arm, running out the doors of the cafeteria and straight into the girl's washroom as quickly as I could, despite the red haze flickering across my vision from the pain.

Rushing into the first stall I saw, I slammed the door, heaving a sigh of relief as I pressed my back against it. I'd made it. No one had seen, and my secrets were safe for awhile longer at least. My hand was a broken mass of agony and I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks from the pain, but I'd take care of it in a minute, as soon as I was able to concentrate fully on the task. The ancient tongue was difficult, and even one minor mistake with a single syllable of it could be enough to let loose a backlash of energy. That would be a bad thing, a lesson I'd learned in the worst way possible in the recent past.

I began forcing myself to take deep, calming breaths, concentrating on the simple act of inhaling and exhaling until I felt the rhythm of my heart slow into a more natural steady beat. Ignoring the pain was difficult, but I'd had years of practice by now, and it didn't take me more than five minutes or so to calm myself to the point where I could focus properly. Once I had, I glanced down at my hand, wincing at the sight of it. Sighing softly, I cradled it against my chest and used my left hand to draw complex patterns along the back of it as I began murmuring once more in the ancient tongue. The words of healing took awhile to take effect due to the amount of damage I'd done, and by the time my hand was fully repaired, the bell for first period had come and gone by several minutes. Great, I was going to be late for class. Just what I needed right now, another excuse to draw attention to myself.

Rolling my eyes in disgust, I experimentally flexed the fingers of my right hand a few times to ensure all was well, then picked up my books and stopped only to briefly splash some water on my face and wash my hands before heading off to first period. Luckily, the teacher was preoccupied writing on the board and I managed to slip into my seat unnoticed by her. I got a few curious glances from the students, though, and figured I must look a mess. For once, I didn't care. I had far too much on my mind to worry about my appearance.

Edward was a serious problem. A very serious one. It had been years since I'd lost control of my aura that way, and yet he'd been able to rattle me so badly in just a few minutes that I'd sprung an energy leak. I opened my book and pretended to follow along with the lecture while my mind raced. What was I going to do? I still had to face him at lunch, not to mention Biology, and his physical presence alone was enough to scramble my brain. I knew, I just knew, that he wasn't going to give up, and I had no idea how I was going to prevent myself from being exposed. What a mess.

School had just started, and it had already been one hell of a day.