That night at the cottage, after I tucked in Nessie and kissed her goodnight, I retreated to the living room. Edward was watching a movie on television, but I didn t know what it was. I sat down beside him, and he smiled at me. I smiled, but didn t speak up. Too many things were already on my mind. He must have read my expression and realized I didn t feel like talking at the moment, because he returned his attention to the movie.
I wished I knew what was on his mind. What was he not telling me about the Graysons? Did he know anything about them? I went over what my father had told me, which wasn t much to begin with. They had only recently moved into the city, and had probably once lived in Seattle. Charlie thought they were a pretty big family maybe bigger than the Cullens.
But the strangest thing out of everything was that he thought they were afraid of the dark. Was he right, or was there a reasonable explanation? Perhaps Charlie and the Graysons never crossed paths at night. My dad was known to stay at home during the evenings unless police duty called him in. Perhaps the family was just shy. Though that wouldn t explain why they were so active during the day. Perhaps they didn t trust many people. I assumed they had moved away from Seattle, and I couldn t blame them for their lack of trust, especially with the events of the previous year.
But why did it seem that Edward thought ill of them? I knew he wouldn t admit that, but I could tell it in his voice whenever the Graysons were brought up. As far as I knew, he hadn t met the Graysons yet or had he?
A sudden explosion on the television ripped me away from my thoughts. I looked up at the screen. A battle was going on in a war-torn city. One of the soldiers had a large gash on their forehead, and it was bleeding profusely.
What are you watching? I asked.
A war movie, Edward said, Based on a true story. It s pretty accurate, I must say.
You weren t in any war, I said, not recalling Edward s involvement in any human wars in any of his stories.
I still remember them, Edward said, still staring at the television.
Edward? I said, deciding I couldn t put this off any longer.
Yes? Edward asked.
Do you know the Graysons? I asked.
What? Edward asked, finally looking away from the television.
The Graysons, I repeated, Do you know them?
Of course not, Edward said, You know that.
Does your father know them? I asked, I mean has he met them?
You heard what I told Charlie, Edward said, Carlisle hasn t met them.
Did you ask him? I asked.
Edward sighed.
I didn t think there is a reason to, he said, Bella, why are you asking me this?
Something isn t right about them, I said.
You haven t even met them, Bella, Edward said, How could you possibly know?
Call it my sixth sense, I said.
Edward rolled his eyes.
I thought at least you would believe in that, I said.
I ve met hundreds upon hundreds of people in my existence, Edward said, And I haven t met one who could change my mind about the possibility of a sixth sense. Not even in vampires.
So you aren t worried about these Graysons? I asked.
I have no reason to worry about them, Edward said.
You haven t even met them, I retorted, echoing his earlier response, How could you possibly know?
All right, Edward said, I know you aren t going to let me win this. So how about I make you a deal. I won t make any final presumptions until I ve actually met the Graysons. When I meet them, I will read their minds, and I won t probably find a thing. Will that make you happy?
I couldn t argue with that. I smiled and nodded.
Good, he said, Oh, before I forget. Alice wants you and Nessie to stay away from the house tomorrow afternoon.
Why? I asked.
I ll give you three guesses, Edward said.
Party planning, I said, through my teeth.
Edward smiled.
If it makes you feel better, Edward said, I could always read her mind and let you know what she s planning.
Don t you think she ll think about that? I asked.
There are very few occasions, Edward said, that Alice has kept me out of her head. None of them were when she was really happy. And you know Alice when it comes to parties. You can t take the smile off of her face.
I don t know, I said, You know she will find out. She won t have a smile on her face then.
I ll be discreet, Edward said.
I smiled, then I kissed him, and he kissed me back. Though before I could enjoy the kiss, an explosion on the television broke us apart from our kiss.
Do you have to watch this? I asked, annoyed.
I m enjoying it, Edward said.
I can probably think of something you ll enjoy more, I said, flirtatiously.
Edward grinned.
You are so difficult to resist, he said, shaking his head and laughing.
I know, I said, grinning.
Edward picked up the remote and turned off the television. He stood up and looked at me.
Coming? he asked, grinning.
As you wish, I said, Let s just try to keep quiet, eh? Nessie s asleep.
I ll try my best, Edward said.
I grinned, then stood up. He took me by the hand and led me into our bedroom.
-
Alice kicked me and Nessie out of the house at noon, so we retreated to the cottage. Nessie went to go play in her room. I didn t feel like doing anything, so I sat down on the couch and turned on the television. I flipped through the channels looking for something good. I stopped when I noticed the Seattle news was on.
-- no word on how the mayor will celebrate his birthday, the news anchor said. In more troubling news, there has been a number of reports of missing pets over the past week. Many of the animals, mostly dogs and cats, have gone missing in, and around, the towns of Beaver and Sappho, Washington.
I raised my eyebrows. Beaver and Sappho were located nearly an hour north of Forks.
Because the two towns are so close to the Olympia Wildlife park, the news anchor continued, The police believe that predators in the park were responsible. We interviewed a woman in Beaver whose family dog had gone missing. Here s Howie with more.
It switched to the reporter. He was standing in front of a house.
Thank you, Diane, Howie said, The family in the house behind me are very unhappy this afternoon. Their German shepherd, Spook, went missing sometime during the night. I spoke with the lady of the house who had this to say
It switched to a woman in her late twenties or early thirties. She looked very stressed. She had her arms around her two small boys.
My boys are so upset, she said, a frown across her face, Spook has been in the family since before my youngest son was born. We got him for my oldest son s third birthday. Spook is a big dog and he protects us, so I can t imagine that he was hurt by some animal. He was probably scared by something and he just ran off. If you see him, please notify the police. We would give a reward of some kind. We just want Spook back.
Please, both of the young boys said, Find Spook for us.
It switched back to the reporter.
Heart-breaking, he said, We also talked to a neighbor who says they thought they saw a large furry animal last night.
Did they say what they thought it looked like? the news anchor asked off-screen.
Er yes, the reporter said, They said they only saw the outline of it, but it might have resembled a bear or something similar. Sort of reminds you of those reported attacks in the forests
The reporter continued, but a sudden thought in my head drowned it out. A large furry animal? A bear possibly. Or could it have been a ? I shook my head. No. No way. It couldn t have been. I looked back at the screen. It had switched back to the news anchor.
It certainly does, she said.
She suddenly put two fingers to her ear.
Yes? she said, to no one in particular, Oh my. Um, folks, we have some breaking news. A body has been discovered in Kalaloch.
I gasped. Kalaloch was south of Forks.
Err hold on, the news anchor said, Folks, I urge you to get your kids to leave if they are in the room. This could frighten them.
She paused for a moment before she continued.
Reports say, she said, that the body s gender has yet to be decided because it was so mangled. They only recently could decide the time of death, and say that it was sometime last night. No word on exactly where the body was found. Um this is indeed troubling news. My thoughts are out for the family of the individual and --.
I changed the channel. I didn t want to hear anymore. First, reports of missing pets and a possible large, furry animal seen in the vicinity. And now a mangled body found in Kalaloch. That town was only a little more than an hour away from here.
I picked up the telephone and called Charlie. He answered straight away.
Hello? he said.
Dad, I said, It s me, Bella.
Bella, Charlie said, How are you? What s wrong?
I nothing, I said, Have you been watching the news?
I heard an audible sigh at his end.
Yes, he said, I have.
So you heard about the missing pets, I said, And now
The discovery in Kalaloch, Charlie interrupted, Yes, Bella. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?
Well, the report, I said. It said that a large, furry animal was seen in the vicinity. You don't think that would mean...?"
I trailed off, but Charlie knew what I was talking about.
"I don't know," Charlie said, "I could see what Billy has to say."
"No," I said quickly, "I want to talk to Jacob about this."
"Be careful," Charlie warned.
"Dad," I said, annoyed, "He's my best friend."
"He is also a werewolf!" Charlie exclaimed.
I sighed. I could tell Charlie still hadn't gotten over finding out about Jacob's little secret.
"Look, Charlie," I said, "I need to go."
"Bella," Charlie said, quickly, "Bella --!"
I hung up the phone. I couldn't tell my dad that Jacob and the rest of his pack weren't actually werewolves, but shape-shifters who had chosen to become wolves. I told myself it probably wasn't on the "need to know" list, but it was one of those things that he didn't need to know right now.
Nessie walked over to me and put her hand on my cheek. I knew she was worried about me.
"I'm fine, sweetheart," I said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Hey... do you want to visit Jacob again?"
Nessie nodded happily.
-
I didn t bother telling Edward or anyone else that I was going to La Push. It would have caused questions that I didn t want to answer at the moment. I had to know the truth. I had to know if Jacob was involved in the stuff I had heard on the news. I took one of Edward s cars, and strapped Nessie into the backseat.
A half-an-hour later, I arrived at Jacob s house. I honked on the horn, and stepped out of the car. A few moments later, the door opened, and Billy rolled out onto the porch in his wheelchair.
Hey, Bella! Billy said, Jacob isn t here at the moment.
I tried my best to keep my face clean of any expression.
Did you need something? Billy asked.
I really need to talk to him, I said, Do you know when he ll be back.
He said he was going to meet with the pack, Billy said, He should be back before too long. Do you want to come inside?
I don t know, I said, I got Nessie with me.
Come on, Billy said, I d love to see Nessie. Besides, I haven t talked to you in a long time. We could catch up on current events.
I nodded and decided there wasn t anything wrong with that.
Come on, Nessie, I said, We ll wait for Jacob.
Nessie got out of the car, and we headed into the house. Billy was sitting in the living room. The moment Nessie and I walked in, Billy turned off the television. But before he could, I could see that he was watching the news.
Would you like anything? Billy asked.
No, I said, politely, sitting down with Nessie on the couch.
All right, Billy said, Hi, Nessie! How are you?
Nessie only smiled at him.
She s still shy? Billy asked.
I nodded.
That s all right, Billy said, So how have you been? How is life in New Hampshire?
Similar to life in Forks, I suppose, I said.
That sounds boring, to be honest, Billy said, laughing.
At least it isn t anything I have to get used to, I admitted, Billy, have Jacob and his friends seemed different lately. I mean more than usual?
I don t think so, Billy said, surprised at the question, Why?
Something I heard on the news, I said.
Oh, Billy said, and I knew he saw right through me, You heard about that too?
Er yeah, I said.
Jacob was in La Push all night, Bella, Billy said, roughly, You can tell your father that too.
I cringed at how frightening his voice had gotten.
And err his pack? I asked.
They would do nothing without Jacob, Billy said, Jacob s the Alpha now.
Yeah, he told me about that, I said, Why did Sam and Emily leave?
What did Jacob say about it? Billy asked.
He told me he didn t know, I said.
Billy sighed.
You know, don t you? I asked.
Ever since Jacob s pack learned about her, Billy said, nodding to Nessie, Most of them became more friendly with the Cullens. Maybe they see Nessie s potential. Maybe they know how much Jacob likes her. Anyway, Sam didn t approve, and when he realized he couldn t make the pack ignore the Cullens, he abandoned them. He moved to Wyoming with Emily a few months ago.
I frowned at how Billy talked about the Cullens. He only mentioned them by name. He didn t say your family or something similar.
Are you friends with them? I asked, My err extended family, I mean.
Billy shrugged.
I don t know, he said, I don t hate them if that is what you mean.
Before I could say anymore, I heard the front door open. I turned around. Jacob and Seth walked into the house. Both were half-naked.
Yeah, Leah couldn t find Louis anywhere yesterday, Seth was saying, It was like he disappeared or something. It was weird, because apparently he promised he d go out with Leah last night. Leah was --
Jakey! Nessie squealed.
Jacob and Seth looked at us. I could tell they were surprised Nessie and I were here. Nessie got up and ran over to Jacob and hugged him.
Nessie! Seth said, Bella!
I thought that was Edward s car! Jacob said, What brings you here, Bella?
Nessie wanted to see you, I said, half-lying.
Is that all? Jacob asked, looking from me, to Billy, then back to me.
I looked at Billy, who raised his eyebrows. I sighed and looked at Jacob.
Have you err been watching the news? I asked, cautiously.
Not recently, Jacob said, an eyebrow raised, Anything interesting?
I hesitated, but knew I had to tell the truth.
Over the past week, I said, A number of pets have gone missing in towns near here. Then last night, in Kalaloch, a person was brutally murdered. Mangled, really. In the town of Beaver, a dog went missing, and someone thought they saw a giant animal. It sounded as if they thought it was a bear or something, though they could only see it in the shadows.
What are you implying, Bella? Jacob asked.
N-nothing, I said, quickly.
No, Jacob said, You wouldn t be here if you didn t think --
I didn t think anything, Jacob! I lied.
Really? Seth asked, Because it sounds like --
Shut up, Seth, Jacob growled.
Jacob, I said, in a pleaded tone, Tell me the truth. Where were you last night?
Not in Kalaloch, if that is what you mean, Jacob scoffed.
What were you saying about Leah, Seth? I asked.
Seth looked at Jacob, who nodded.
We had another bonfire last night, Seth said, looking back at me, Leah wanted Louis to come again, but he didn t show up.
So you were at a bonfire all night? I asked.
Yes, Jacob said, We didn t do any hunting, if you want to know. There were plenty of witnesses too.
I sighed, relieved. I had to believe him.
Well, if it wasn t you, I said, What do you suppose it was that attacked those pets and the --?
A bear? Seth suggested, before I could finish, I mean, come on, Bella. Do you think all of the stories of bear attacks are actually us?
I guess not, I muttered, Sorry
If you need any more assurance, Bells, Jacob said, My pack hasn t attacked a single human since you left Forks. I promise.
Really? I asked.
Yes, Jacob said, My pack is a lot different now I am in charge. To be honest, we are afraid of the Volturi. We don t want them to return because they think your family broke the treaty.
Wow, I said.
Great, Seth muttered, The bloodsuckers now know we re afraid of some of their kind.
Seth, Jacob growled, Go home.
What? Seth asked, confused, Oh, I m sorry. I didn t mean to say --
Seth, Jacob ordered, Go. Home.
Bye Bella, Seth muttered in defeat, See you later, little Ness.
Seth turned and walked out of the room.
I guess you re going to leave again now that you have your answer? Jacob asked.
I sighed and looked at Nessie. She looked so happy now that she was with Jacob again. I didn t want to make her unhappy.
Well, I said, I guess we can stay for a little while.
I did want to go back to Forks, but I decided it could wait. I just wanted to tell Charlie that it wasn t Jacob or his pack. I called the house again, but Charlie wasn t there. I figured he must have gone to the police station. I made a mental note to go straight there when we were done here.