Chapter 2

APOV

I watched Bella out of the corner of my eye as I sped down the highway. Rose was probably still in the middle of making dinner, but I knew that we had to hurry, if we were going to have her fed by the time the father came home from work. He would want to meet us then, I'd seen it.

"You should have told me you were so thirsty, I would have brought you earlier before we left for the Cullen's," I told her. I was concerned, something that I didn't feel unless I thought it was absolutely necessary.

"I'm fine, Alice," Bella spoke in a growl, her black eyes glaring out the window.

"I'll have to take you out hunting more often until you get used to them," I said, watching her. "I may be able to push you far, but I'm not stupid."

"Just drive," Bella growled back.

I sighed, looking ahead. "Esme seems really nice, Bella."

She growled at me, but I didn't stop. "She likes you, she really does. She looks like she can't wait for us to meet the rest of her family. She actually looked a bit put out when I told her I had to take you to go find a new pair of shoes."

"Luckily you already have some for me in the back." Her voice was like venom, which in truth it was. "You smell like that human."

"Which one?"

"The woman. Esme."

"Oh. Yeah, I gave her a hug. She's really nice, Bella. She wants to show you around after we get back."

"Great, so I can go screw something up tomorrow when I actually start working."

I sighed, shaking my head slightly as I weaved through traffic before breaking off to an exit and turning onto a forest path off the feeder road, speeding down the path.

I pulled to a stop, and Bella was instantly darting out of the car and out into the forest. I heard a deer screech, though the sound was quickly cut off, and then I heard her running again only seconds later.

I just stood by the car. Rose and I fed last night, so I was fine. I just waited for her to finish.

After hearing her catch and feed on two more deer, she began to come back towards me, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her shirt. Blood was spattered over the front of it, and I shook my head slightly as I began to dig in the back of the car, coming out with a shirt for her.

"Here," I whispered, and she ripped off the shirt she had on now, wiping her face and hands on it before she tossed it onto the floor of the car in the back, pulling on the shirt I handed her. As she did, I reached into the back and pulled out sandals for her, holding them out to her. She pulled off her tennis shoes and handed them to me, slipping the sandals on easily. "Better?"

She nodded. "Much," she whispered, and smiled over at me. "Thank you, Alice."

"No problem, Bells," I answered, and stood on my tip toes to kiss her forehead, a smile on my face. "Besides, your eyes are close to butterscotch now."

She smiled at me as she moved to get back into the car, and I did the same, starting it so I could turn around and go back towards the road.

"Sorry I was such an ass earlier," Bella told me.

I laughed, and she smiled at the sound. I grinned evilly. "You just have to make it up to Rose and I!" I smiled sweetly over at her, and her look suddenly turned horrified.

"Wh-what're you going to make me do?" she asked, her voice close to a squeak as I watched her, barely watching the road as I entered the highway, weaving with ease through traffic.

"We're going shopping with you! What else?" I asked her, becoming excited at just the idea of being able to go shopping with Bella again.

"Oh, no, Alice, please, – "

"Nope! You had it coming!" I trilled, humming happily in pleasure at realizing that I'd backed her into a corner.

She huffed and slumped in her seat, crossing her arms angrily over her chest, glaring darkly out the window with her now orange butterscotch eyes.

I lightly tapped my fingers along the steering wheel of my car as I sped down the highway before weaving to the exit, beginning to head towards the Cullen's household again.

As I turned onto the driveway, though, I suddenly saw something.

Bella was standing in a darkened room, her eyes scoring a very large collection of music with wide, hopeful eyes.

She was biting her lip like she always does when she's thinking hard about something, her nose scrunching up sometimes as she thought.

She reached for a cd, but before she picked it out she stopped and pulled her hand back, grimacing as the indecision flashed on her face. Behind her, bed sheets rustled in the dark, but Bella was so absorbed in what she was doing she didn't even hear…

I hummed again as I came out of the vision, looking over at Bella.

"I think I'm going to go find some music when we get there," she told me. "You know, listening to some music might calm me down."

I smiled. "That'll be good for you, Bells," I commented as I stopped in front of the garage, getting out. Bella followed my example.

"What's all the humming for?"

I smiled and just hummed again in a 'wouldn't you like to know?' sort of way as I went up to the front door, just walking right on in. I knew it would be unlocked.

I could hear a pot clattering in the kitchen a few feet away, and I still heard that video game playing somewhere upstairs. I heard a laugh, and then the dull thud of someone punching another playfully. A fresh wave of the scent I'd caught in the hallway earlier was right in front of me, as though the person had passed through while we were gone. The scent trail wasn't older than twenty minutes.

The scent was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It was so gentle, yet…so strong. So overpowering. If I wasn't so old in vampire years, I wouldn't have been able to control myself from finding the human and sucking them dry earlier. It was so strange, the way it pulled me in. I'd never smelt human blood like it before.

I listened to the game for a moment, and smiled as I heard what I wanted to. A racing game.

"Oh, games!" I said excitedly, beginning to skip towards the stairs. Really, though, I was just following the scent.

"You're hopeless, Alice," I heard Bella say behind me as I began to go up the stairs at a fast human pace. I could just picture her rolling her eyes as I went.

BPOV

I sighed, standing there alone in the entrance hall after Alice was gone up the stairs. I could smell a lot of different scents in the air, and finally decided to follow Rose's, which brought me closer to the sound of her voice.

It didn't take me long to make it to the kitchen, and I stepped further in, watching as Rose stirred some mix in a bowl. It looked grotesque to me, but then again, I fancied having a raw, juicy deer, so I guess it was only natural.

She was laughing when I walked in, the woman sitting on a barstool on the other side of the counter. Her hazel eyes were watching what Rose was doing intently, but as soon as I had made it into the door, Rose stopped and looked over at me, and smiled.

Her eyes scanned my shirt for anything I might have to change, and then looked at my eyes, locking her gaze with mine. Slowly she nodded in approval and I smiled.

"Hey, Rose," I waved as I began to walk over to where Esme was sitting. I just leaned against the counter, not sitting. I wasn't planning on staying long. At least when I smelled the woman my throat didn't burn.

"Hi, Bells," she replied, smiling widely at me.

"Whatcha making?" I asked, looking into the bowl with faked interest.

"Potato salad," she told me, smiling. "Chicken's in the oven and steamed veggies are on the stove."

"Mmmn, sounds good," I smiled. We had to play this game every single time…we had to. To at least make it appear we were human.

"Yes, Rosalie is a good cook. I've already tasted some of the food; it's amazing!" Esme sounded impressed. "It's all so much better than mine. And I'm sure the boys and Carlisle will love it."

I'm sure that if Rose could blush, she would have. She smiled shyly. "It's not that big of a deal," she said, lightly toeing the ground with one of her feet as she stirred the contents of the bowl again.

"So how did the shoe shopping go?" Rose asked, and I blinked.

"Shoe shopping?" I repeated, sounding confused.

"Yeah, isn't that where you just went?" Rose pressed, and her gaze was pleading for just a split second. The human wouldn't catch it.

"Oh," I said, sudden realization coming to smack me upside the head. That was the cover story. I'd forgotten. "It was fine. I got these."

I stuck my foot out so she could 'see' my new sandals, which had a small heel on them. Alice knew that I hated heels, and I was grateful she hadn't forced me into them.

"Oh, those are pretty, Bells," she said with a smile as she looked down to them, then looked at me. She winked before looking back at Esme.

"Mrs. Cullen," I started, but she cut me off.

"Esme, please, Isabella," she said with a smile at me.

"Then if I have to call you Esme, you have to call me Bella," I said, and she chuckled.

"Of course, Bella."

"Anyway," I said, continuing as though I hadn't been interrupted, "do you have any music collections?" I tilted my head to side. "I like to listen to music while I clean, so I'd like to start looking…"

"Of course," Esme smiled. "However, it's up in my son's room. He's probably sleeping…he hasn't been feeling well as of late."

I nodded. "That's fine; I'll be really quiet."

"All right…it's the fourth room on the left on the second floor," she told me, and I smiled, nodding.

"Thank you, Esme."

"Not a problem at all, Bella."

"So, where are your other two sons?" Rose asked as I turned to walk out.

"Oh, Jasper doesn't like new people, especially men…he's probably up in his room playing a video game with Emmett," Esme's voice slowly began to fade as I went up the stairs faster than I probably should have.

"And why doesn't he like new people?"

Rose's words were the last I heard of their conversation as I made it to the second floor. I could smell Alice's sweet cotton candy scent and followed it slightly to the doorway of the room I was hearing the video game come from. The door was open now, and Emmett and a more slender, slightly taller boy was sitting beside him, both with controllers in their hands.

They were racing, and Alice was sitting on the bed right behind them, cheering both of them on.

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head as I turned to go down the hallway again. I counted the doorways, and stood in front of the fourth door on the left. I couldn't hear anything from inside, but I was careful anyway.

Slowly I opened the door and stepped in. What met me first was a large floor to ceiling window, and I gaped. It was beautiful. I could see the darkened forms of a bed, wardrobe, and a large tv, as well as a few cabinets and a desk.

I could see a form lying on the bed in the dark, and knew that they – whoever it was – were asleep.

An overpowering smell smacked me upside the head like a wrecking ball, and I staggered backwards slightly. My throat burned with thirst, and something in me told me that one little bite wouldn't hurt, but I pushed the monster back. It just wanted one little taste, but I knew I couldn't do it. I bit my lip. I hope Alice hadn't seen a vision from my split second decision to bite him.

I swallowed, deciding to leave the door open a crack before I tiptoed over to look at a long line of bookshelves, all filled with music. I began to browse, finding it easier in the room if I just didn't breathe.

I began to search through the music for something to listen to. I would start to pick out a cd, but then I would think against it and pull my hand back. I just couldn't decide what music to listen to…

I was halfway through the music collection and was actually about to pick up a cd when I jumped and jerked around, an angered voice ripping me from my thoughts.

"What're you doing in my room?"

EPOV

I was cranky. Someone was in my room, and they'd woken me up…and they were looking at my music, too. It was a woman, I realized, by her slim frame.

"What're you doing in my room?" I growled.

I watched as she gasped, whipping around. The room was dark, and I couldn't see any detail on her face. I could tell she was small, though.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" she stuttered after a few moments. I could hear fear, real fear, in her voice, and I instantly regretted my growl. "I-I'll just go…"

I watched after her as she nearly ran for my door, which was cracked open.

"Please excuse me!" She stumbled over her own two feet as she tried to get out of the room, catching herself on the door before she quickly went out of the room, the door shutting with a click behind her.

I sighed, reaching up to run a hand over my face, then began to rub at my eyes with a yawn. Great. If anything, I felt worse after the nap than I had before.

Well, after my interruption, though, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to sleep any longer, and stood, flicking on the light once crossing the room to the switch. I trudged my way to the adjoining bathroom to my room, splashing cold water over my face in an attempt to wake myself up a bit more.

The cold water felt good against my abnormally heated skin, and I stood there for a moment at the sink, the water dripping from my face as I watched myself in the mirror. I had bags under my eyes, making me look like I hadn't slept in a long while even though I had just woken up. I sighed, reaching for a towel to wipe the water from my face, leaving some on my forehead in the hopes that maybe I would feel better.

Who was that girl?

I sighed again, closing my green eyes for a moment. The girl had sounded terrified…I wondered why. Shrugging it off, I went back to my room, my eyes looking to the clock. It was going to be time to eat soon.

Had those girls gotten here yet? I wondered who would have let them in, because Esme was usually painting around this time…

My thoughts, even though I tried to distract them, went back to that girl. She had been hanging around my music shelves…was anything gone?

I strode over quickly, checking over the many cd's and albums, and was satisfied to find that they were all still in place and that they didn't even seem to be touched. She was just…looking. Why, though? Why was some girl I didn't even know in here looking at my music? In the dark, no less? It was just past sunset now, but still…

"Hey! Boys! It's time to eat!"

I groaned softly at hearing my mother's voice calling us, crossing to my closet to at least try and make myself presentable for dinner. I pulled out a button-up shirt, slipping it on over the grey t-shirt I wore. I didn't feel up to changing out of my pajama bottoms. The rest of the family would understand.

I walked out of my room, running a hand through my bronze hair, stretching slightly after a moment.

"Hey, Edward!" Emmett called as he walked out of his and Jasper's room.

I waved slightly, though I didn't answer.

"Good evening, sleeping beauty. I haven't seen you all day," he said, slapping his hand against my shoulder. I grimaced slightly. "Come to think of it, I didn't even see you much yesterday, either. What," he eyed my pajama bottoms, "planning on a sleep over?"

"Leave him be, Emmett…you still don't feel good, do you?"

I looked up at hearing my slightly older brother, and slowly shook my head.

"At least you're eating tonight," Jasper said quietly, coming to place a hand on my shoulder, gently patting it before we began to descend the chairs. "A few days ago you weren't even eating."

I nodded, sighing. I heard laughter, and blinked. It wasn't Esme's laughter.

"Who is that?" I asked.

"Those girls…the cleaning service girls. They got here a couple of hours ago. You've been sleeping since right after you told Esme around three that they were coming," Jasper explained quietly. His voice was subdued now, not anything like it had been only a year ago…though I couldn't really blame him…

"What time is it now?"

"Almost eight…Dad should be home really soon," Emmett answered for Jasper just as we walked into the dining room.

As I walked in, I looked around to try and find my mother. I wanted to ask her what we were having, because if it was going to be too hard on my stomach I would have to go make myself something else. When I found her, though, she was in the middle of an animated conversation with three girls, a brunette and a blonde sitting beside each other, their backs nearly to me, laughing as Esme spoke.

A girl sat beside Esme, her pixie-like hair sticking every which way. Her butterscotch eyes mesmerized me…she was beautiful. I wondered what her name was.

However, I didn't even get to ask, because the brunette stiffened only seconds after I had walked in.

She slowly turned, and I swallowed, suddenly feeling sick again. I felt like I was staring into the eyes of a hungry, starving animal. They were a dark, menacing shade of topaz, and I took a step backwards in shock.

"Owch! Eddie, that's my foot!" I heard Emmett cry out, and I cringed away from the loud noise.

"Sorry," I grumbled, and quickly passed to my chair, my head down. I didn't want to see that girl's look again…

I heard the front door open, the chatter at the other end of the table ceasing with it.

"Esme?"

"In here, Carlisle! Dinner's ready, we were just waiting for you!" Esme called, and I watched as my father walked into the room, looking stiff.

"You didn't have to do that," Carlisle said as he moved to sit down at his spot at the end of the table.

"What're we having?" I mumbled quietly, not exactly looking up.

"Baked chicken, steamed vegetables and potato salad, Edward," I heard Esme say softly. "Is that too much for you?"

Just the thought of it all made me feel a bit green. I nodded.

"I'll make you something smaller."

I looked up at hearing a chair scrape quietly against the floor, and the blonde was standing, smiling over at me.

"Alice, Bells, if you'll just bring the plates in here for them, they can start eating."

The two girls nodded and they headed for the kitchen behind me. My head dropped as soon as the brunette passed. The girl came over to me and stood by my chair. I could feel her gaze boring slightly into my back.

"Do you want to come in there with me, or stay in here? It shouldn't take me long to make you something either way," she spoke finally as I heard the other two girls coming back out, placing plates on the table.

"In the kitchen," I said and began to stiffly stand. I could tell Carlisle was watching me as I turned to head into the kitchen, but I didn't look at him, nor anyone else. When the two of us made it into the kitchen, the blonde smiled at me.

"What would you like?"

"A peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be fine," I said quietly as I sat down on a barstool. She nodded and began to dig around in the pantry for the things she'd need. "I'm Edward, by the way. I didn't mean to be rude."

She laughed, and I smiled at the sound. "I'm Rosalie," she said as she turned to look at me with a smile.

"I'm such an ass, especially after you went to all the trouble to cook tonight and I ask for something else…"

I was slightly surprised to hear her laugh. "Don't worry," she said, "I was actually planning on making you something else, your mother told me you weren't feeling well."

I nodded, and rested an elbow on the bar in front of me, my chin settling on my hand.

As she made the sandwich, she looked up at me. "You're not really talkative, are you?"

"I usually don't talk unless I'm spoken to," I told her. "I'm usually good at telling what people are thinking, though; that's why I don't talk a lot."

"Really?" she asked me, her head tilted to the side. "What do you suppose I'm thinking now?"

I looked up at her and into her face, watching her.

"You're thinking its odd the way I'm speaking to you; that I'm so polite. You think that I'm very perceptive of people around me. You're worried about someone, too."

She laughed again. "Impressive, Edward," she told me. "Do you like it cut diagonal or across the middle?"

I hadn't even realized it, but she already had the entire sandwich made. I blinked. "Uh…diagonal," I told her, and she cut it, pushing it across the counter towards me. "I'd like to eat it in here, too, if you don't mind."

"That's fine," Rosalie nodded, leaning down on the counter slightly. "One of my friends is in a sour mood, too, so I think I'll just stick around in here."

"Oh really? Do you know what about?" I asked. Probably because of me.

"Not really. She wasn't talking." I watched her face as she seemed to stare off into nothing, picking at the sandwich she'd made for me. She was worried, and a bit perplexed. "So…Rosalie, tell me about you and the other girls."

She gave me a crooked smile, leaving me almost breathless at her beauty. "It's quite a long tale. I'll save it for another time."

I smiled. "All right," I nodded. "You better keep your word." She smiled with a nod.

"You have no idea how hard it will be not to," she whispered under her breath. I didn't comment because I didn't think I was supposed to hear. I wondered what her comment meant.

"Which one is the brunette, though?" I asked curiously.

"That's Bella. The pixie is Alice," she explained. "The two of them are really close, though. Alice, though, is a bit of a shopaholic…"

We began to slide into a bit of easy conversation as I finished off my sandwich, and even after I had finished we stayed in the kitchen. Finally, I stood and moved to place my plate in the sink to be washed later. Rosalie seemed to like talking to me. She thought I was interesting.

When I went to walk out of the kitchen, though, I bumped into someone. I looked up, my smile fading as though it were never there. I swallowed.

Bella was glaring at me, her darkened eyes watching me. Were they darker than earlier?

Before I realized it, the two of us were in a standstill in the doorway. I was frozen in both fear and shock, and she just continued to glare, a scowl forming on her face. Finally, she snarled, "Excuse me," before she gently pushed past me and into the kitchen. I stood there, blinking.

Alice came up to me, looking up into my face. "I'm sorry, Edward, for both her waking you up earlier and just now…" she said honestly before she ran off to go over to Bella.

I hadn't said anything about anyone waking me up, had I?

I blinked.

Wait…had I even told her my name?