A/N: OMG!!! Prey For Protection has been nominated for three Indies! How cool is that??? If you haven't already done so get on over there and VOTE! (there's a link on my profile.) Whether you vote for me or one of the many other awesome stories that got nominated. Vote.

Thanks to each and every one of you for reading and a HUGE thanks to my beta Twike! U Rock girl!
Here's something a lot of you have been waiting for... Mr. Edward Cullen's PoV :)
SM STILL owns all things Twilight... I know, it breaks my heart too...

Prey For Protection

Chapter Eleven:

Edward

She was up to something and while she may have perfected the art of keeping her thoughts from me, she could not hide the fact that she was hiding something. I tilted my rearview mirror and glared into the backseat at my annoying little pixie of a sister. She smirked back at me and even had the audacity to stick her tongue out like a petulant child. Her thoughts were focused on her plans for renovating her closet. She was mentally inventorying her wardrobe and categorizing the individual garments by designer, style and color.

Whatever she was hiding certainly had her worked up. She was so excited she was practically vibrating in her seat. Jasper sat next to her, smiling and reveling in the joy and excitement that seemed to ooze from her tiny body. He pulled her closer, and she nestled her face into the crook of his arm. I rolled my eyes at her reflection as I guided my beloved Volvo into the parking lot of Forks High School.

I parked and Rosalie pulled up alongside us with Emmett riding shotgun in her ostentatious red BMW. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I noticed the disgusting smell of wet dog heavy in the air. As my siblings and I gathered around the front of the Volvo, I distinctly heard a deep growling sound. The rest of my family obviously heard it as well, as they all looked around to find the source of the sound; their thoughts ranging from mere curiosity to fear of an impending attack of some sort.

I was scanning the thoughts of the nearby children, to assess whether or not the sound had been audible to human ears, when I discovered the source. Standing nearly halfway across the parking lot were two dark-haired, copper-skinned children that I immediately realized were Quileutes, one male and one female. Their presence was puzzling as I was certain that they had their own school back on their reservation. They weren't your typical Native American teenagers either. Their scents and their thoughts indicated that they were, in fact, werewolves.

From the female's thoughts, it was obvious that she knew what we were, and she automatically assumed that we were a threat to them. She had to be aware of the treaty, therefore she had to know that an attack within the neutral territory of Forks would be a direct violation of said treaty. She was trembling with rage, and her companion continued emitting that low growl.

The female was actually quite striking. Her long black hair and penetrating dark eyes led to a rather exotic sort of beauty, not commonly seen in Forks. Her beauty definitely appeared to only be skin-deep, as her thoughts were angry and vulgar enough to rival those of Emmett or Rosalie. She looked at each of us and she appeared to quickly recognize Alice. Apparently this was the 'smelly girl' that poor Alice had had a run in with in Seattle. I remember her being quite upset when we'd met up with her and Rosalie in front of one of Rose's favorite shops during our recent back-to-school shopping trip. She'd refused to say anything more than, 'some smelly girl' came running out of the boutique growling at her for no apparent reason. What troubled her most had been the fact that she hadn't seen it coming. She wondered if there was any connection between that fact and her hazy, indecipherable visions of late. Visions, she suspected, she was just beginning to understand. This of course sparked my own curiosity, as she'd never experienced anything like it before, but she immediately shifted her focus to alphabetizing and reciting the books of The Old Testament.

"Embry," the girl across the lot spoke in a hushed voice, "go to Jacob and Bella. Don't let either of them leave the woods yet. If anything happens, get'em the hell outta here. Once you're with them, give Sam a call." As she spoke, I saw an image of a large boy, apparently a third werewolf, and a dark-haired, fair-skinned, petite, human girl flash through her mind.

"Leah…" the boy started to object, his thoughts were warring between complying with her request to go guard the human, and his desire to stay and protect his friend.

His hesitation did not go unnoticed, and it seemed to only further agitate the girl. "God damn it Embry!" she hissed. "Go. Keep Bella safe, or I will personally rip your throat out," and judging by her thoughts, she meant it.

The boy backed away, eyeing us cautiously until he'd nearly crossed the rest of the parking lot before turning and running into the woods. The girl continued to glare our way, her mind an angry mass of accusations and questions. She seemed especially concerned with Jasper. It appeared as though she thought he was someone named James; someone whom she feared meant to hurt the human girl she was hiding in the woods.

She stood there scowling and willing herself to remain in control. She was trying to memorize our faces so that she could describe us to someone named Sam. She decided she needed to get the girl to safety before she ripped us to shreds. I felt a low growl rumble through my chest in response to the implied threat and I took a step in her direction. Emmett and Jasper grabbed my arms, restraining me as I snarled at the raven-haired girl across the parking lot. She retreated toward the woods much like her companion had, not turning her back on us until she was well away from us.

"What the hell was that?" Emmett asked, staring after the girl.

"That," I said low enough that I needn't worry about being overheard, "was a werewolf."

"No way!" Jasper protested disbelievingly. "A werewolf at Forks High?"

"It would appear as though there are three werewolves at Forks High," I informed them. "And they seem to be protecting a human girl from a group of our kind."

"Great," Rosalie huffed, "so now we have to smell that all day?" She rolled her eyes and stormed off toward her class. The rest of us followed suit, deciding to go on about our day until we found out a little more about our visitors.

I caught Alice's eye and raised my brow, silently asking her if she saw any impending trouble.

She looked away and answered without words. 'I can't see much of anything right now. I do see us meeting with Carlisle about them tonight,' she glanced at me again and shrugged her tiny shoulders, 'so I gather from that that we'll all make it through the day.' We walked on toward our classes and parted company just outside of Building Two.

As I made my way through the crowded corridors, I realized that the new students, Isabella Swan and her Quileute friends, were on the minds of practically every child I passed. Small town living, I thought to myself, and wondered if they had any idea what a commotion their mere presence brought about.

When the bell rang, I walked to my first class at a human pace. I couldn't force myself to pay attention to the redundant lectures that made up the first day of school. I'd endured far too many first days of school to believe that I'd actually miss anything due to my distractedness.

I spent the remainder of the morning contemplating the appearance of the wolves. Carlisle needed to be made aware of the situation. I was quite certain he'd want to speak with one of the Quileute elders to ensure that the treaty was in fact still in effect. That train of thought kept bringing me back to the dark-haired girl I'd seen in the mind of the young wolves.

I'd seen her face several times throughout the day in the minds of our fellow students. It wasn't until lunchtime that I finally had the opportunity to see her for myself. The first thing that I noticed about her was the fact that I couldn't hear her mind, no matter how intently I listened. I was perplexed to say the very least. Could Alice's fuzzy visions have pertained to this girl? This human girl whose mind appeared to be unreachable by me? Perhaps she somehow repelled the gifts of our kind. I watched her from across the cafeteria, and from the corner of my eye I saw Alice, watching me watch the new girl, a knowing smile upon her face.

I watched as Jessica Stanley and her table full of cronies, fawned over their newest classmate. She looked uncomfortable, her cheeks were flush and she was nervously working her bottom lip with her teeth. Why couldn't I hear her?

I slumped down into my chair and stretched my legs out in front of me and closed my eyes. When I looked at her a moment later from under the cover of my lashes, it was as if I were seeing her through different eyes. She was lovely, in fact, there was no denying that she was downright beautiful. She was small, only a few inches taller than our tiny Alice. There was something especially fragile about her, something that made her seem even more breakable than the average human, something endearing about her – that made one want to ensure that she was kept safe. I was completely mesmerized. Her hair was a warm, chestnut brown that hung loosely around her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face beautifully, and her skin was nearly as pale as my own. However, nothing could have possibly prepared me for the moment she walked through the door of my Biology class.

When she entered the room and approached Mr. Banner's desk, a contrasting mixture of scents immediately assaulted me. I pondered the smells, something absolutely wonderful, practically hidden behind the revolting stench of her furry friends. I sighed in frustration at her still silent mind, and noticed her glancing toward me from the corner of her eye.

She was startled when the Newton boy dropped our books on the table. There was something in the way her breath hitched and the blood rushed to her cheeks, turning them a faint rose color. When she turned to pass me one of the books, our eyes locked for a moment, and her blush deepened. In that moment I realized that I hadn't noticed her eyes before, although once I saw them I couldn't imagine how I'd missed them. They were like two melted chocolate orbs. Her gaze held me captive. When she looked into my eyes, I felt more exposed and vulnerable than I'd ever felt in my entire existence.

Who was this girl? I wondered. This human child that was somehow immune to our gifts. I decided I'd have to talk to Jasper to see if his empathic powers had any effect on her.

I reached out and lay my hand on the book that she was sliding toward me. I tried again, without success, to hear her thoughts, before I was finally able to tear my eyes from hers. I looked down at the book on the table and realized I'd yet to speak a single word to the poor girl. I slid the book directly in front of me and forced a friendly smile onto my face before speaking. "Thank you," I offered, "Bella, right?"

Her cheeks brightened to an impossibly darker shade of pink as she silently nodded in response. All of her blushing was causing the very alluring scent of her blood to overpower the wet dog-like smell that seemed to have rubbed off on her from her from her canine friends. I swallowed back the venom that suddenly pooled in my mouth and offered her another smile. "I'm Edward Cullen," I offered, before pretending to divert my attention to Mr. Banner's incessant babbling.

In reality, I continued to watch her from the corner of my eye. I found it strangely exciting that she was watching me as well. Her heartbeat had picked up and her cheeks and chest were flush. I wondered if perhaps her instincts were telling her to be afraid of the monster she'd inadvertently gotten too close to. When the bell rang, I was out of the classroom before anyone else.

The next hour crept by as I impatiently awaited the ringing of the bell. When it finally rang, I moved as quickly as possible without drawing unnecessary attention to myself. Alice and Jasper were already waiting by the Volvo when I arrived and Rose and Emmett were right behind me.

"We have to talk to Carlisle about this," Rosalie declared as she joined us. "That stinking female is in three of my classes. I cannot and will not tolerate being forced to breathe that horrible stench every day. Do you know what she did in US Government? She growled at me when I walked in the classroom. Fucking growled at me!" She huffed acrimoniously.

"They're no happier about our presence here than we are about theirs," Jasper informed her. "During the class I shared with the female, she was positively seething and putting off some serious protective vibes too. I couldn't tell where they were directed though."

"I think they're trying to protect that little human girl," Emmett added, "I saw the males with her several times today. The big one seemed especially taken with her. Maybe she's into double doggy-style…" He added wiggling his eyebrows and ducking the smack that Rose attempted to deliver to the back of his head. I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose and attempted to clear the filthy images from my mind that Emmett insisted on sharing.

Thankfully, the ridiculously loud sound of an engine begging for death interrupted his train of thought. We all watched as a dilapidated old VW Rabbit, carrying three glowering werewolves, drove by, headed for the exit. Right behind it was Isabella Swan in her ancient eyesore of a truck. I noticed her watching us from her rearview mirror until she exited the school grounds, pulling out onto the highway.

As I watched her pull out of sight, I wondered again after the fragile human girl who seemed immune to vampire powers and enjoyed the company of a vacillating group of young werewolves. I was certain she wasn't one of them. Was she even aware of their canine alter egos? And what had she done to require protection against a group of vampires? How had she even attracted their attention? Most of 'our kind' were only ever in the presence of a human long enough to feed from them. This train of thought reminded me that I had yet to ask Jasper about her.

Rose and Emmett were already pulling out as I slid in behind the wheel of the Volvo. Alice and Jasper were already settled into the backseat. "Jasper," I asked as I inserted the key causing the Volvo to purr to life. "Were you able to get a read on Isabella Swan at any point today?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Yeah, in the cafeteria she was incredibly nervous, curious and a little excited. Why?"

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Really," he affirmed. "Why do you ask?"

I blew out a frustrated huff before replying. "Well, it would appear as though Alice can't see her and I find myself unable to hear her thoughts. I'd assumed that she was simply immune to our gifts.

"I can see her just fine, thank you very much." Alice informed me indignantly. "It's those stinky dogs I can't seem to see. She's just with them all the flippin' time so they prevent me from-" She then gasped as she took note of the rest of my words. "Edward! You can't hear her?" She asked in astonishment.

I shook my head dejectedly and continued out of the parking lot and toward our home. Neither Alice nor Jasper spoke again for the duration of the trip. Both of their thoughts were occupied with my admission. They were both aware of the fact that I'd never, in all of my existence, encountered a mind that was closed to me.

We were all sitting around our seldom-used dining room table when Carlisle arrived home from work. We learned that he'd already spoken with Ephraim Black's grandson, Billy Black. He'd called Carlisle at the hospital, and they'd set up a meeting at the treaty line.

"We should all go," Rosalie insisted as Carlisle and I stood to leave. "Safety in numbers and all…"

"Yeah why should you two have all the fun?" Emmett chimed in. "Do you know how many they're bringing? What are ya gonna do if they start foaming at the mouth and go all mad-dog on you?"

"Carlisle," Jasper interjected, "perhaps, at the very least, I should accompany the two of you. Young werewolves are notoriously unstable and temperamental; my gift may well come in handy."

Carlisle immediately saw the wisdom in Jasper's words and nodded in agreement. In the end we decided that Jasper, Emmett and I would accompany Carlisle to the treaty line. Between Carlisle's natural charisma and diplomacy, my ability to read their thoughts and Jasper's ability to gauge and manipulate their emotions, we hoped there'd be no need for Emmett's brawn.

As we approached the designated location, the first thoughts I picked up on seemed to be those of the alpha wolf. His primary concern was that we would feel that they were overstepping their boundaries by having a presence at Forks High. The treaty however, clearly noted the town of Forks as neutral territory, meaning that they had just as much of a right to be there as we did. They could not come onto Cullen property, and we could not cross onto their reservation or take the life of a human. In all reality, that was all the treaty entailed.

A moment later I heard the familiar 'voices' of the male wolves that we'd spotted at school. The one called Embry was preoccupied with some rather disturbing thoughts involving one Jessica Stanley. Having experienced the crass vulgarity of Jessica's mind first hand, I realized just how compatible the two of them were. If he could prevent her from having those wretched fantasies about me, I would be forever indebted to the mutt.

The other male, Jacob, was the one that had been hiding Bella in the woods behind the school. He was obviously very taken with the human girl, not that I could blame him. However, it appeared as though she had already 'set him straight' so to speak. She'd professed to loving him, but not in the way that he wanted her too. She'd referred to him as 'like a brother' and that statement had pained him greatly. He was convinced that she only needed more time and was scheming to try and make her jealous in the process.

I, on the other hand, was positively ecstatic to know that she didn't return his feelings. I had no idea why it made me so happy, but there was no denying the immense satisfaction and oddly enough, the surge of hope, I felt at that moment. Jasper felt it too and cast me a questioning look, which I chose to ignore.

It wasn't until we stepped into the clearing, less than a hundred yards from the treaty line, that I noticed the forth internal dialogue. Billy Black, descendant of Ephraim Black, was sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of the wolves. His thoughts were calm and his purpose was clear. He was only here to ensure that the treaty remained intact. Charles Swan was a very close personal friend of the tribal elder's and Billy took the threat to Bella as if it were to one of his own daughters.

Carlisle looked to Jasper, who nodded that the emotional climate seemed peaceful enough to continue. He then glanced at me and silently asked, 'Do they pose a threat to us?' I looked to the right and then quickly to the left, wordlessly answering him. He gave a curt nod before taking a step forward to speak.

"Good evening Chief Black," Carlisle began. "Please allow me to introduce you to my sons. This is Emmett, Jasper and Edward." He gestured to each of us as he said our names, and we each nodded our greetings."

"Dr. Cullen," Billy replied, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, especially on such short notice. This is Sam Uley, the pack's alpha; my son, Jacob; and his friend, Embry Call. He pointed to each of them as he made the introductions. I'd wanted to introduce you to Leah as well, she is attending Forks High School this year also, but it seems she had a previous engagement," he explained apologetically.

In truth, his thoughts betrayed the fact that the female had vehemently refused to accompany the others. She'd insisted that they shouldn't leave the girl unprotected, but Billy was convinced that she simply wanted no part in a meeting with their immortal, mortal enemies. Remembering her reaction to us at school, I couldn't help thinking she was wise to stay away.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances," Carlisle said with a warm smile and a half bow. "On the telephone you mentioned a problem with some of our kind? What exactly can we do for you Chief Black?"

"We ask nothing of you," the chief explained, "we just wanted you to be aware of why we are suddenly sending some of our young ones into your school. I will spare you the details as they are not your concern, and it is not my story to tell. In short, we believe Chief Swan's daughter is being hunted by group of cold ones, unlike you and yours they choose to sustain themselves on human blood. We rather expected them to come for her by now, but we are certain that they will come. When they do, we will deal with them in the only way we know how. We will rip them to shreds and burn the pieces. However, we have no desire to disrupt the peace that exists between us and we wanted to make that clear to you and your coven."

"My family," Carlisle responded emphasizing the word, "and I appreciate that immensely. Why do you think the human is being hunted?"

"One of the vampires was recently changed, during his human life he and Isabella were… very close. He has sent her several threatening letters- all declaring that he will come for her."

"I see," replied Carlisle, his heart went out to the young girl and the horrors she must've experienced by being thrown into our world. "You should know that her mere knowledge of 'our kind' could prove to be dangerous. We are governed by a very old, very powerful coven of vampires that reside in Italy. They are called the Volturi and should they hear of her knowledge, they will come for her to ensure her silence and the safety of 'our kind'."

"She knows only that her ex-boyfriend was stalking her in Phoenix. She doesn't know that he is no longer human and she doesn't believe that he would follow her here. However if our legends hold merit, and we believe they do, if he wants her for his mate he will stop at nothing to claim her for his own."

At those words, the previously distracted young Jacob began to tremble and growl. 'Over my dead body,' the pup thought. The alpha quickly moved to put a hand on Jacob's arm and cast him a meaningful look, silently demanding that he control himself.

Billy sighed deeply, trying to hide his frustration with his son's display. "We felt it necessary to enlighten her father. Once we realized what we were facing it seemed wise that Charlie understand what they were up against. He insisted that Bella be kept unaware until it becomes necessary to do otherwise. He didn't want her time in Forks to be riddled with nightmares and paranoia… she had enough of that in Arizona."

"I see," Carlisle replied thoughtfully. "I still think it wise that you inform them both of the dire need to keep their knowledge a secret. Should the Volturi come for them, it would be detrimental to all of us. They would just as soon kill us all and ask questions later," he warned. "I'll ask my children to stay alert; should they come across any others we will let you know."

"I'll make sure Charlie understands the urgency of the secret he keeps," Billy assured us. "Thank you for understanding, we wouldn't send our young ones off of the reservation if it weren't necessary. We prefer to keep them close to home; it's easier to keep them safe that way."

Carlisle nodded his agreement and we bade our farewells. We set off for home at vampire speed, each of us pondering what lay on the horizon for the oblivious human girl and her canine friends.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Bella

The remainder of the week passed by in a blur of homework assignments, new faces and names I knew I'd never remember. By the time Friday rolled around I wasn't sure I would be able to make it another day.

The ready-made support system I thought I had in Jake, Embry and Leah wasn't quite working out the way I thought it would. One or both of the guys escorted me to each and every class, but that only served to further annoy me. It wasn't like walking to class with your friends; it felt more like being babysat.

We decided to eat our lunch at one of the outdoor tables as long as the weather permitted. While I have to admit I was a little sad to give up my Cullen gazing time, I was more comfortable outside of the endless stares in the crowded cafeteria.

Jessica Stanley joined us every afternoon. Her nonstop babbling was driving me absolutely crazy. She mooned over Embry and every little thing he did. Leah pointedly ignored both of them. I tried to follow suit but they made it very difficult not to notice them. By Thursday they'd progressed from merely being attached at the hip, to being attached at the lips, which was something of an improvement, in that not even 'Jabber-jaws' Jessica Stanley could run her mouth while involved in a lip lock.

Jacob seemed to prefer playing the field. He was thoroughly enjoying all of the attention. He'd had a different lunch companion every day so far. All of them struck me as brainless bimbos, and for some reason it bothered me that he would be interested in 'that kind' of girl.

Leah… She was there as much as she could be, but she was a year ahead of me so we didn't have any classes together. During the school day I only saw her at lunch. Granted, she was practically living at Charlie's, and outside of school we were practically inseparable.

Having heard Embry invite Jessica out to La Push Saturday afternoon, Leah had decided to spend the weekend at Charlie's also. We decided we'd skip their nauseating PDA in favor of getting ahead on some of our schoolwork.

My one bright point during the school day came right after lunch. Biology was quickly becoming my new favorite subject. Of course, it had nothing to do with Biology or Mr. Banner's charismatic way of addressing it. No, it was my charming and inhumanly beautiful lab partner that caused fifth period to be the class worth getting up and going to school for.

When I joined him at our lab table on Tuesday he seemed much more relaxed than he had the day before. He smiled at me as I took my seat and my knees immediately buckled. It was a good thing I was already in the process of sitting.

I'd just started taking notes on Mr. Banner's lecture on cell division when a spiral notebook slid across the table. I glanced at Edward, who appeared to be listening to Mr. Banner as well, before looking down at the notebook. It was folded open and on the first line in elegant script were the words,

So how was your first day at Forks High?

I stole another glance at Edward and he gave me a breath-taking, crooked grin and nodded at the paper in encouragement. My heart immediately started hammering away in my chest. He wanted to talk to me! I took a deep, steadying breath and leaned my head forward in an effort to hide my burning cheeks behind the curtain of hair that fell past my shoulders. I said a silent prayer that my hand wouldn't be visibly shaking as I reached over to write on the next line.

I made it through the day and even avoided any and all potential personal injuries. That makes for a pretty good day in my book.

My messy scrawl looked like chicken scratching under his perfectly formed lettering. The contrast wasn't wasted on me as I realized the two of us sitting at the lab table looked very similar to the words on the page in front of us. He was the very epitome of perfection. He was beautiful, elegant and every movement he made was done with a natural grace. His clothes, a pair of dark washed jeans and navy blue oxford over a white under shirt, were simple but obviously expensive and they draped across his gorgeous frame like they were custom-fitted for him. His eyes seemed brighter and lighter than I remembered them. They reminded me of the topaz in the tennis bracelet Phil had given Renee a couple of Christmases ago. Even his messy copper-colored hair seemed to be artfully mussed into perfection.

I, on the other hand, was just plain old, clumsy Bella. I'd whined to Leah for almost an hour about imaginary cramps in an effort to play hooky from school, not giving up until she threatened to call Charlie and tell him he needed to find me a gynecologist. Leah definitely didn't fight fair. With barely enough time to get to school before the bell rang, I'd thrown on the first pair of jeans and the first t-shirt I'd come across. The jeans were old, light blue, a tad too snug and beyond distressed; the seams at all of the pockets were frayed as well as the hem at the ankles. There was an 'almost hole' worn in both knees. The t-shirt turned out to be an old one that Renee had bought me but I'd never worn to school in Phoenix. It was off white with orange ribbing at the neckline and around the cap sleeves. It had a picture of an owl holding a tootsie pop and the words 'How many licks does it take?' below it. My hair was twisted up into a messy bun on top of my head. I tried to reign in the groan as I realized just how awful I must look.

Yes, Edward Cullen was perfection and I was his antonym. I was abruptly brought back from my inner self-loathing at the sound of him clearing his throat. I realized he'd written something new as he nudged the notebook closer to me.

Surely it takes more than survival and a lack of injury to constitute a good day?

I chuckled to myself as I scribbled my response.

Not when you're as accident-prone as I am. Truth is I'm a total klutz. I tend to know the pharmacists and the ER staff at the local hospital on a first name basis.

I heard him snicker as his pen flew across the paper.

Perhaps you've met my father then, Dr. Carlisle Cullen? He works at Forks General, spends a lot of his time in the emergency room.

I immediately wondered if Dr. Cullen was half as beautiful as any of his adopted children. Maybe making it the summer without a trip to the ER hadn't been such a great thing after all.

Actually, much to the shock and general disbelief of my friends and family, I've been in Forks for three months and haven't visited the hospital yet. I expect the insurance company will be calling Charlie soon to find out what's going on.

We continued like that for the rest of the hour and then for the rest of the week. If we could do so without getting into trouble we'd talk quietly, otherwise he'd pull out the notebook. We had it almost half filled by the end of that first week. He asked me hundreds of questions, ranging from what brought me here to how I liked living with Charlie vs. Renee, and he really listened to my answers, whether they were verbal or written responses.

Leah wasn't exactly supportive of my budding friendship with Edward. It was Saturday morning and we'd just finished breakfast and decided to sit out back and enjoy the last of the rare sunshine. It was supposed to rain later and we secretly hoped it ruined Embry and Jessica's trip to First Beach. Leah was rifling through a plastic tub of nail polish that we shared. I'd told her about our conversations and about how he seemed to be as curious about me as I was about him. I even told her about the feeling I got whenever he was near. She handed me a purplish color without looking up and continued digging until she found what she was looking for.

"All I'm saying is that everybody seems to steer clear of the whole family Bells. You have to admit they seem… different. I get that you really like him. I just don't wanna see you get hurt." She pulled her long raven black hair up into a ponytail and turned to face me with an odd look on her face. "It's not like he's the only guy at school that's interested in you, and you said yourself that he probably doesn't like you 'that way' anyway. What about that Mike guy? Jake said he obviously has it bad for you, or that guy Eric that Embry was telling me about?"

She took my hand and led me down the stairs and out the back door. She led me to one of the two rattan lawn chairs and pulled the other one directly in front of me. She busied herself putting a coat of paint on my stubby fingernails.

"Why are you even bothering?" I asked in a frustrated huff. "You know I'm just gonna chew it back off."

Leah looked up at me just long enough for me to see her roll her eyes before returning her attention to my fingers. "I keep hoping that you'll stop biting them Bella. Do you know what a disgusting habit that is?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Yes mom," I teased her.

The rain came a little sooner than we expected and chased us inside as soon as Leah finished painting her own nails. We went to Forks Diner for lunch and stopped at the video store on the way back to Charlie's. We spent the remainder of the weekend on Charlie's couch with junk food, a box of tissues and a stack of our favorite chic flicks.

But, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep my mind off Edward Cullen.

A/N2: Remember reviews are love, and get rewarded with teasers!
What'd ya think?
~Sonia