Chapter 10

EPOV

Bella, Bella, Bella…

No, stop it! The trees wisped behind me, the air separating as I passed through it. I had spent almost all night in the meadow. It was a personal record; I usually only stayed for 2 hours or less. Apparently my want for alone time to organize my thoughts had been an extreme emergency. I slowed down as the house materialized into its full ginormous size. I stood in the shadows of the night, just staring at the window in which Bella was sleeping in. I leaned against the tree, wondering what my true feelings for her were. Am I developing feelings for her? I don't deserve her anyway, so why should I like her?

The whole time in the forest, I had been an internal debate. I bet I'm going crazy after a century of existing. I mean, I was fighting with myself. How does that appear to someone? Well, I would know; I can read their thoughts. Ugh, I've got to get inside. If Alice catches me, she's going to make a big deal out of nothing; tell the whole family that they were right and I was wrong. Sorry, not going to happen.

I trotted to the backdoor and slid the door ajar. I could hear Emmett and Jasper's thoughts; they were playing an intense game of Mario Kart on the Wii. Well, what do you do at night when you're a vampire? It's not like we can sleep through it like humans can. We can't even stuff our faces with food.

Well, I probably look odd standing in the middle of a room, doing nothing but listening to the thoughts of my family. I looked at the stove clock; I'm getting really bored. I had a desire of studying Bella's sleeping form, but then they would notice. The bright numbers read 6:00. School commences at 8:00, but I could get there early at 7 or so. I glided to the game room to join my brothers. Both of them eyed me as I entered the wide room.

Hey, Edward. Jasper wasn't one to pry, thank goodness for that. His voice, however, sounded slightly mocking. That's just perfect.

Long time, no see Eddie boy! That was obviously Emmett. I winced slightly at the nickname. He smiled satisfied that he had annoyed me. I shot him a look, that he would hopefully interpret correctly; that I don't want to be called 'Eddie'. His smile widened. Great…

"Can I join you guys?" I want to pass the time somehow.

"Sure, sure", both of them chorused. They went to 'Home' on the remote to let me connect a third remote. Once I did that, I stuffed the remote in the steering wheel and sat on the couch. Jasper chooses a course and it was on. I was in game mode now! Bring it ON!

My player, Mario, bolted swiftly through the curves and obstacles in the race. I threw the items I acquired with accuracy, placing me in….SECOND? What? No way. I called a rematch. I did this for around 9 races. I always got second. Who keeps-?

"HA, I am the Master of Mario Kart! You can't beat me, Ed. Same to you, Jasper. You'll never win against the top dog, the pro, the champ!!" Emmett pointed at us, laughing and yelling in our faces. He jumped around, doing his little victory dance. I stared at him like he was 8 years old. Man, it was just a GAME!

"Emmett, quiet down. You'll wake up Bella." He was yelling loud enough to do that. Wait, no! Shoot, I did not just say that. That was like telling them that they were winning. Emmett stopped his prancing and both of my brothers smiled smugly at me. They completely knew what I was thinking. I've got to get out of here.

"You know, I'm going to go get ready." I darted out the game room, before they could say anything. I ran a hand through my hair as I climbed the stairs. That was stupid. I just showed some form of care towards Bella. I can't let them win or let them know that they were winning. Ugh, I'm losing. I reached my room and took out a towel and change of clothes. I'll just take a quick shower; I'm filthy after lying down in the squishy meadow grass of Forks. The shower took 30 seconds since the temperature didn't matter. I'm a vampire after all.

I dressed rapidly and walked back to my room, ruffling my hair with the towel to dry it. I got all of my materials for school set. I heard the rest of my sibling's light footsteps patter against the floor as the got ready for school. My stereo clock said 7:21. Time to go. I carried my backpack down the stairs, car keys in hand.

"Let's go", I ordered my brothers and siblings. "Bye Esme, Carlisle." The others said their good byes and then marched out of the house. Jasper and Alice joined me in my car while Emmett and Rosalie went in Rosalie's. We backed out of the driveway and were on our way to our most favorite place in the world, SCHOOL! Note the sarcasm.

When you're human, you learn new stuff in school, which can get boring. But, the thing with us is that we already know everything that they're teaching, so it's extra-boring. We only go to appear normal, or as normal as we can be, to the humans. We got to school in 8 minutes, but it would have been 15 or twenty had we been going at the speed limit. Vampires love going fast.

I parked my silver Volvo and got out. I leaned on my car, waiting for everyone else.

"So Edward how's your Bella?" Alice's voice rang, enough for the rest of my siblings. Everyone looked at me smiling mockingly, minus Rosalie, waiting for my answer. Their thoughts were all asking the same along with other teasing comments.

"Uh, I wouldn't know any more than you guys do. She was sleeping last time I saw her."

"Yeah. How are you guys getting along?"

"Fine. Just like you are getting along with her, Alice." I'm not telling them anything. "I'm going to head to class. See you guys." They murmured the same to me, still grinning. This is so annoying. And my school day isn't going to make it any better. I attended my classes, but I wasn't able to pay any attention to the teacher, not that I needed to. Anyway, no matter what I did, my thoughts would steer me to Bella. Her radiant hair, her small smile, her harmonic giggle, her heart-shaped face, and everything else would etch itself in all of my thoughts. How I yearned to see her.

Wait, don't yearn. You don't like her Edward! I told myself. She doesn't know me, and neither do I know her. But I would love to. You know, spend time with her and protecting her when she needs it, and help her and-

"Edward!" Emmett was waving his hand in front my face. "Yo, dude, wake up! The bell rang!"

I snapped my attention back to the present. I took in my surroundings; the cafeteria, that's where I am. There are only two more periods of class left.

"Daydreaming, Edward? I wonder about what." Alice teased.

Now, cue the three smug smiles and one menacing glare. And…there they are!

"Nothing, Alice. I just zoned out. I'm going to class." I headed to my locker to gather my books and material for biology. I later found myself in biology, the first one in, besides the teacher. I sat at my assigned table gazed out the window. My peaceful state didn't last long as the rest of my classmates clamored into the room. Rowdy teens.

I heard their thoughts speak at a quick pace. There was gossip and sports somewhere in there and I heard around five or six girls squeal in their minds. I recognized clearly two of them; Jessica Stanley and Lauren Maloroy. They always did that when they see me. Both of them want to 'hook up', as they say it, with me. Not in all eternity, ladies.

There he is, Edward Cullen. He is so HOT! Oh he looked at me! Yes, he totally wants me. But, who wouldn't? I am totally awesome in, like, every single way. That's Jessica's thoughts.

Edward Cullen. Oh, what a sexy beast! He looked at me! I know he wants me. Ha. There's Lauren. I winced at the small pet name she thought of. Yeah, once someone calls me something like that, I tune out completely.

You know, I wasn't looking at either of them actually. I was looking at the microscope on my table that happened to be in their directions. They are completely hopeless.

The teacher, Mr. Banner, entered the room. He told everyone to settle down and listen. He declared the instructions and we began our task. I looked at each glass and wrote down the description of each. There were around five. I finished halfway through class so the teacher skimmed through my notes. There weren't any more assignments left for him to give me, so I just sat there. See how fun school is here? There's more sarcasm.

I organized my materials and daydreamed some more about Bella. It's ok right now. No one is watching so there's no way that they are going to find out. Ha Ha!

The bell rang and I went to my last class, English. The teacher gave the class enough work to last the whole period. I finished the assignment with five minutes to spare. The bell rang and I sprinted out, eager to arrive home. I took the necessary books to my car and I waited anxiously for Alice and Jasper. They turned up after a while, but I was rushing them into the car. Alice raised her eyebrow at my odd actions and attitude. Jasper was telling me to calm down since it was influencing his mood. A gentle wave of calmness overcame me, forcing me to relax. I reached the house and all of us filed into the house.

Emmett's megaphone voice alerted our arrival to those in the house.

"Hi, Bella," Alice greeted. I moved my eyes to rest upon Bella. She was standing, nervous and magnificent, at the foot of the staircase. Everyone seemed to fade into the background as I took her in. Her actual presence was so much better than the memories and thoughts. Her in front of me tells me that a beautiful creature like herself truly exists. Emmett suddenly gasped sharply and took slow steps towards her.

"Furbie!!" What the hell? What is he talking about? I watched him pick up the small kitten and held her up really high, an idiotic grin spread across his face. Bella and Emmett exchanged some few words about the cat. I found out that the 'furbie' was the name of the kitten. He named her Furbie? Only Emmett can do that.

Although it was annoying, Bella seemed amused, but nervous. It also looked like she didn't want to upset anyone. She is so caring. Bella caught my eye and I was probably looking at her weird. I gave her a short nod and headed upstairs. I hadn't been able to say anything to her; it was like I froze. Unbelievable. I heard Alice tell Bella that she was taking her shopping for a new wardrobe. Bella quickly agreed and went to her room. I went back downstairs.

"Alice," I said to her. "Go easy on her, Alice. She's still hurt and you shouldn't overwhelm her."

"Don't worry Edward. Carlisle already told me. I'll take of your Bella." She responded. I rolled my eyes at her, "Just be careful, please."

"I got it." I looked at her, doubtfully. Alice is usually very kind, but she can underestimate her energy and force. She shooed me away and I climbed back up the stairs.

I was on the second staircase when I heard the guest room door open. I paused and looked down at Bella. She was wobbling quickly to the stairs. On the first step, she trips. I ran inhumanly fast to catch. I wrapped my arm around her to keep her from somersaulting down the long stairs. I steadied her on the floor her back slightly touching my chest.

"Are you okay, Bella?" I was able to form a sentence. She was standing against me, my arm around her. It's quite a distraction, but a pleasurable one.

"I'm sorry," she blurted.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I can be very clumsy sometimes. You didn't have to do that, Edward." I loved how she said my name. But, what does she mean I didn't have to dot that?

"You could've hurt yourself further than you already are. Don't apologize." It would have been an incredibly nasty spill. I gave a reassuring crooked smile, but my conscience bumped in. I'm still holding her close to me. I shouldn't like this. I abruptly let go of her and stepped back. "I have to go." I retreated to my room. That was so rude, leaving her standing there. I should have led her all the way down, just in case she fell again. I listened for her and knew she was fine when Alice spoke. Good luck, Bella. You're going to need it.

I did my homework in a daze. I took longer than usual; I was finding it very difficult to concentrate for more than a certain amount of time. I kept drifting off into space. I almost slapped myself to keep from wandering. I finished my homework in an hour and a half. That is so weird. It's usually not even an hour, but I made it to one and a half. I'm losing it, really. I am.

I ran a hand through my hair and then down my face. I got up and started walking with no particular destination. I found myself at my piano on the second floor. The sun's rays were bathing the room with glorious light upon the obsidian black piano. It was almost beckoning my to play. I closed the door behind me and sat down on the matching black seat. The white keys lay there, waiting for me to play them. I stared from the first to eighth octave on the instrument. I gently placed my fingers on the keys and shut my eyes.

A melody suddenly filled the room, stunning me. It started so broken and just sad. My eyebrows furrowed, creating an unhappy expression. The speed increased slightly and fast paced staccatos were heard devising a suspenseful like theme. It slowed down just a tad to a sweet tune, but it didn't last long. It went back to the subtle staccatos except much more great. The speed went down and a calming rate. Then, it stopped, just like that.

Wow. That was me doing that. I have never made a song like that before. It held much passion and emotion. It was just, well, Wow. I stood up slightly and opened the top of the seat. I took out some music sheets and a pencil. I began writing. I began jotting down the notes of my song. This is my best yet.

All too soon, a car pulled into the driveway. Bella is back from the shopping expedition with Alice. I just sat on the seat, listening to them come upstairs to Bella's room. Bella's foots sounded lethargic and heavy. If Alice overwhelmed her…

Alice left and Bella soon did the same. She went upstairs to Carlisle's office. I guess she's all right now. I brought myself up and began trudging back to my room. Bella's scent was strong on the staircase to the third flood so I took my sweet time going up.

"Are you all right?" Carlisle's voice sounded concerned. I paused at my room's door. I really started listening intently.

"No, no. I'm fine." Bella's voice quivered. Something's not right. What's wrong? I barely registered the fact that everyone in the house had stopped whatever they were doing and was listening.

"May I?" Carlisle asked her. "Bella, what happened?"

"I…fell." She should really stop lying. She really can't do it right so why try?

Where'd she get these? What the heck happened to her? This is just… Carlisle's mind was jumbled. His thoughts were confused and they held pity and sadness. Damn it, what's wrong?!

"Bella, what was the 'trouble' you had when you were at your home…really?" There's the golden question. She cleared her throat nervously and began her story. The only sound in the house was her voice. No one dared to move or breath. We all just stood and listened to this girl's tragic story. I sprinted into Carlisle's office at the end of her tale and held her against me. I pressed my cheek against her mahogany hair and stroked her cheeks. I couldn't take it.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry that that happened to you." If I were human, I might have been crying with her. I can't believe it. I never knew about this and I wasn't able to protect her because of my lack of knowledge. Had I known, I would have taken her far away from that wretched hell to a perfect place where she would be happy. But I didn't. I somehow feel responsible for her sorrow.

She slowly started to calm down and she was half asleep. I looked at Carlisle, sorrowfully. He nudged his head in the direction of the door. I returned a nod and gently picked Bella up. She's really light for a human. I took her to my room and softly set her down. Her eyes were closed, but her hands still gripped my shirt. I attempted to pry her hands from it, but she tightened her grip.

"No", she managed to murmur. I scrunched my face into a confused grimace. Should I? Whatever, fine. I let a sigh escape my lips and I lied down next to her.

Bella scooted closer to me and pressed herself to me, her warmth running through me. There's that spark again, but it was consistent this time. I brought her a tad closer once I slithered my arm around her waist. I found myself humming that same song that I made today softly. I heard her breath even out so I figured that she must be unconscious. I brought my lips close to her ear to whisper:

"Good night, my Bella."

That's the second time I've done that. I was automatic, almost. I couldn't help myself from saying that.

I gazed at Bella, watching her sleep so peacefully. She was such a sweetheart. I can't understand how she went through that for so long. She is definitely strong. But why, in this world, her? What had she ever done to deserve that fate? It's so unfair, unjust.

I caressed her rosy cheek again. She began murmuring incoherently. I froze, frightened that I might have awakened. Bella just fisted her hand around again and brought herself higher to rest her head in the crook of my neck. I widened my eyes slightly but I slowly loosened up. I hugged her against me and I rested my head on the top of hers.

Then, I watched my angel sleep.

Finally! Chapter 10. I know, it's crap, but it's important. I know I said I was going to update another chapter with this one, but it came out longer than I expected. So, the next will be next weekend.

Yeah. I've nothing much else to say. All that's going on is the regular: you know, life. Just one tiny little thing:

!!ReMeMbEr, ReAd AnD ReViEw!!