I'd like to give a big thanks to the awesome betas over at PTB: RaindropSoup and Angelz1114577.
I do not own Twilight, but I do own a newly broken big toe . . . such fun!
Chapter 3—Cornered
The Volvo took up most of my thoughts as we drove to Port Angeles. It was an easy drive, consisting of one highway, with nothing to distract me but green trees and pines and the occasional tiny town. When Karen wasn't asking me questions about school, I could only focus on that Volvo. It fit in with none of the students at Forks High School. Most of the cars in the parking lot were older, rusty, and in need of paint jobs. But that Volvo was so perfect and shiny, parked away from any of the other cars.
"Do you want to look for your own car?" Karen asked, drawing me out of my musing.
"Should I want my own car?" I asked, panic setting in. "I mean, I have a license, but I have no idea how to drive."
"If you don't want to drive, you don't have to drive." She shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "But if you do, I could always teach you."
"Okay, I think I'll keep away from sitting behind the wheel of a car." Not that it wasn't an interesting idea, getting to learn and drive myself; I just didn't like the lack of control. My first experience with a car had been when we drove to the airport from Volterra. Since then, every time I got in a car my stomach would flip with nerves.
"All right, but if you ever change your mind, tell me," she said as we pulled into the parking lot of large building.
"Where are we?" I asked, though I figured it would probably be a stupid question. We were supposed to go shopping, so I knew we were at some sort of place for that. I just didn't know the word for it.
"It's a department store. Pretty much anything you want to buy will be here. If they don't have it, we can always wander into the mall shops." She got out of the car, and I followed suit, walking beside her into the huge store. "I thought this would be a good place to start, but there's always online shopping, too."
"Uh . . ." I stammered, looking around the huge area after we entered through the glass doors. "Where do I start?"
"You need everything, so just start wherever you want." She shrugged as if it was the easiest thing to understand. "If you want to look at jeans, then that section is just around the escalator. If you want to look at tops or shoes, well, those sections are on either side of us."
"Oh." It seemed like such an easy notion, but I still had no idea what to do. I was shell-shocked, completely unsure of where to go first, what to buy, what I would need, even what size I was. I had never shopped for myself. I had never even dressed myself. It was all a foreign concept to me. For a moment, all I wanted was Heidi to be there to help me with everything.
"Okay . . . you like the clothes you're wearing, right?" She asked, before continuing when I nodded. "Then look for things that are like them. Start with colors. What's your favorite color?"
Again my eyes widened, my cheeks burning a deep tomato red. I thought it over for a moment, trying to think of a color I truly loved. "I love blue . . . and brown. I don't really know. I'm sick of pink, though."
Karen laughed, before saying, "Well, then go on that. You like the jeans you're in, so look in that section and just grab whatever you like. We have however long it takes, so don't worry about time. If you're worried about sizing, then try it on. If you need my help, I won't be far away."
"All right," I said, feeling a little more confident. I headed for the jeans section and stared at the large collection. There were so many colors, from dark blue to light grey. I just started picking the colors that appealed to me the most, leaving the department with a massive pile of jeans in every shade they provided. I handed them off to the enthusiastic sales associate, who had been watching us since we entered the store.
From the jeans section, I walked over to the tops, feeling a little more overwhelmed. There were so many different styles, colors, and patterns. I followed the advice that Karen had given me and started sorting through the different racks. I left the tops section with another pile of clothes that were taken away by the same sales associate.
Eventually, I made it through every section, from the pajama section to the handbag section. I had everything I thought I needed. I went into the lingerie section, thinking I only wanted the two basics: white and black, but left with every color of undergarment that appealed to me. I was having fun, choosing whatever I liked and not having to make anyone happy with how I looked.
I liked darker colors, which was good because it was fall and that was mostly what the store offered. I didn't pick out a single dress, skirt, or high heel. Tennis shoes and flats took place of the heels I had grown up wearing; I didn't think I would really miss having to dress up fancy. The year in Forks would be my vacation. Dressing up to Heidi's—and Aro's—specifications wasn't necessary anymore. I just had to like the way I looked.
I finished up in the final section—shoes—checking out after getting fitted for several pairs of Converse, Vans, and flats in a multitude of colors. I was happy with what I got and was ready to return home. I felt tired from all the shopping, anxious to check out and haul everything out to the car. Karen was easy to find. She hadn't strayed far from where we had started, though she was busy flirting with one of the male employees in the electronics section.
Checking out all my items wasn't too difficult, since every time I came out of a section, one of the sales associates took my stuff away and rang it up. I didn't pay too much attention to the total as I swiped the card, stuffing the receipt into one of the bags. After Karen and I finished carrying all the bags to the car—with the aid of two carts—we headed to the rental company where we got the car from.
Since Karen was pretty happy with the car in general, she went back to sign a more permanent lease. The agreement wouldn't last past a year, since that was the obligatory amount of time I would be spending in Forks. I stayed in the front lobby as Karen went in the back before shortly returning and finding me after she finished signing all the necessary paperwork.
"Do you want to get something to eat on the way back? I'm starving." She laughed, walking alongside me back to the car.
"You can get something for yourself. I'm not hungry," I said, lying through my teeth. I was starving, but I didn't want to go anywhere near any of the fast food places we had passed on our way to Port Angeles. I wasn't adjusting to food well, and I figured that skipping it for the time being was easier.
"Are you sure?" she asked, heading toward the freeway.
"I'm all right." I rested my head back against the seat. The trip to Port Angeles had taken longer than I thought. It was already starting to get dark as we passed the Forks city limits. Karen stopped to get food at a local drive-thru, and I ignored the greasy smell of it when she pulled away toward home.
Once we got back, I went upstairs with my things and sorted through them all. When I was done, I took a quick shower before changing into a brand new pair of pajamas. I loved the soft feel of them as I curled up in bed, delaying putting on the new comforter I had bought. Though it was dark outside, it wasn't late, but I ignored that fact and fell asleep, curled around one of my pillows.
The next morning, I woke up with a new feeling of excitement. For the first time, I was actually eager to go to school. I wasn't dreading the upcoming day, or hoping that it would go by quickly.
I jumped out of bed and hopped in the shower, enjoying the way the water woke me up fully. When I got back to my room, I took care in choosing what I was going to wear for school. For the first time ever, I cared about and noticed the clothes that I would wear. It was all my decision, and I couldn't fight the giddy grin that overtook my face.
I chose a pair of jeans, liking their dark color and the way they flared slightly at the ankles. A blue plaid tank top and a gray sweater finished everything.
I greeted Karen when I padded downstairs in my bright spotted socks. They didn't match my outfit at all, which was exactly why I picked them. They were neon-colored, standing out brightly against the floor.
Heidi's eyes would probably pop right out of her skull if she ever saw them.
I sat on the couch across from Karen and slipped on my new black converse, lacing them up the way I wanted them to be. It was all ridiculous, but there was no way I would take any of the small tasks for granted.
"What are you so happy about?" Karen asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"Oh," I said, not realizing that I had been smiling so much. "I guess I'm just impatient for school."
"All right, well, do you want to go now? Or do you want to have breakfast?" She stood up and carried her coffee mug into the kitchen. I finished lacing my shoes and followed her.
I caught sight of the clock on the oven, feeling my cheeks heat at the time. "I didn't realize it was that early. I just sort of got up and kept going. I'm not all that hungry."
"Oh, okay. Do you want to watch some TV?" she asked, pouring herself some more coffee. It smelled good, but I wasn't interested.
"Not really," I murmured. "I think I might go upstairs and read for a little bit. I'll be down when it's really time to go."
Rushing upstairs when she nodded, I found my new backpack right when I entered my room. In a fit of boredom, I had packed it after we had finished shopping. The book was inside it, tucked in between two notebooks as if I was trying to keep it hidden from prying eyes. There were thirty minutes until I had to leave for school, so I shrugged and grabbed the book, pulling it out and flipping through it.
I sat back on my bed, turned to the first chapter, and lost myself in the world of Shirley Jackson. I was halfway through the book and completely in love with it when Karen called up to me from downstairs, reminding me of what I had been so excited about earlier.
As we were driving to school, the book sort of felt like lead in my bag. I had been eager to go to school, but I hadn't thought completely ahead. I had smelled the same scent of the man from in the clearing the other day. It was strong, meaning he had been at the school at the same time as me. But I never saw him in any of my classes, or even in any of the busy halls. I knew that I needed to return his book, yet I had no idea how to do that.
The excitement that had been making my stomach flip-flop was now turning to panic.
Karen pulled into the parking lot, unaware of the fear that was setting in on me. I could see the silver Volvo from the day before in the back of the parking lot. Without a doubt, it was his car. I don't know how I actually knew that, but something deep inside me was telling me so.
"Do you want me to pick you up today?" Karen asked.
"I think I'm going to walk home again," I said, working some sort of smile onto my face. I could see Jessica in the front of the school, talking to some of the girls I met the other day.
"All right," Karen said. Her smile came out more genuine than mine ever could. "Just remember that it's Friday."
"Oh, yeah," I said, wrinkling my nose slightly as I finally got out of the car. I shut the door and waved, turning back toward the school just as she pulled out of the parking lot. Pushing back that growing sense of panic, I walked toward Jessica and her small group of friends.
She didn't exactly look happy to see me.
"Hi, Jessica," I murmured, smiling nervously. Humans were still completely odd to me.
"Where were you yesterday?" she asked, sounding a little put out with me. "I waited for you, but you never showed at lunch."
"I'm so sorry, Jess. My sister showed up out of the blue and called me out of class." It wasn't a lie—well, except for the sister part. When the bell rang, I walked down the hall beside Jessica, listening as she talked fervently about her plans for the weekend, before we settled in our seats for English.
It was quickly becoming my favorite subject.
We were assigned a new book, one that I had never read before: Wuthering Heights. I grabbed my assigned copy and started reading on my own, surprised that I had never read it before. Aro usually chose what was allowed inside the library at Volterra. I was addicted from the beginning of the book and ended up reading three more chapters than the two we were assigned.
In Spanish, I promised to sit with Jessica at lunch again. I really had nowhere else to sit, and Jessica was all right for a human, a tad bit talkative, but it kept me from having to speak up. I was quickly getting used to the rhythm of my new classes, enjoying some of the things that we were doing.
Jessica and Lauren walked beside me to the cafeteria, leading the way to a table in the middle of the large room. A girl was already sitting there and I remembered her to be Angela Weber. She was actually really nice. I placed my things down and grabbed a tray, covering it with another slice of pizza and a bottle of pink lemonade.
"So, Bella, what brought you to Forks?" Jessica asked as soon as I sat back down at the table. My eyebrows rose slightly in wonder, amazed with how blunt she was being. I had only really known her for a little over a day.
"My sister made the decision," I murmured, trying to appear upset. "Our parents died in a car accident a couple of years ago. I was a freshman in high school and she was in college. After she graduated she moved us here."
"Why Forks, though?" Jessica asked. Her head was resting on her hand as she looked at me.
"We used to camp here when we were little. She wanted to live somewhere with the good memories, not the sad ones." My eyes were glued to the pizza in front of me as I picked the slice apart.
"Oh, how sad!" Jessica murmured, before quickly turning away from me and starting up a conversation with Lauren. She was a fickle human.
"So how are you liking Forks?" Angela asked, drawing my attention away from the ripped up pizza on my tray.
"It's different, but I think I can like it," I said, being as honest as possible. I had been so strongly opposed to the whole idea of living in Forks, but now I was actually excited about the possibilities of it. It was hard to think that it had only been a few days since I had left Volterra.
"Cool. Are you thinking about joining—"
"Oh my God, Bella!" Jessica's hyper whisper cut off Angela. "Edward Cullen is staring at you!"
"What?" I turned to where her eyes were trying to direct me, and caught sight of him sitting at a table across the cafeteria. It was him, from the meadow, same messy bronze hair and oddly golden eyes. He was staring at me, but it wasn't the look of curiosity that Jessica thought. With his golden eyes under furrowed eyebrows, the look came across as open hostility.
Normally I would blush, but with the look he sent my way, all the color bleached from my face. Jessica was still whispering to me, and I was responding with the bare minimum, though I didn't hear anything she said. I knew that he could hear everything that was being said at the table, every giggle and sigh. I was painfully embarrassed over the fact that I was so unaware of my surroundings, completely missing when he and his group walked into the cafeteria.
I skimmed through the rest of lunch, not paying attention to anything other than the actions at his table. None of them spoke. The two girls and two guys who sat with him were completely silent. There was a growing tension that I tried to ignore while I answered anything Jessica asked me with clipped words and phrases. I was failing at being a human at the one moment it truly counted.
The bell rang sharply through the crowd of students, causing many to start talking more wildly. My few belongings that I had taken out over the course of the lunch were jammed back in to my bag haphazardly. Papers were crinkled and bent as I jumped from my seat, practically running from the room. I left a wide berth around their table, not raising my eyes from the ground.
I was an idiot—a complete fool to think I could act human, after spending my entire life in the presence of vampires. I was thrown off my game, my stomach sinking down to my toes. All I wanted to do was leave the suddenly cramped school. I had thought that it was a possibility that he went to the high school, but I had never gone into what I would do if he actually did. Now I was screwed and actually thinking of begging Aro to let me come home.
I was one of the first students to arrive in my Biology class, leaving me a little time to collect myself. I probably looked completely panicked. My cheeks were stained a painful red, and I was gasping for breath.
I found the seat I had claimed my first day of school and settled in to calm myself down, breathing slowly and working myself out of the frenzy I had been caught up in. The more students that came into the room, the calmer I became, regulating my breathing and getting my blush down to a more normal shade.
"Hey, Bella!" a boy named Mike said, smiling brightly at me.
He was the boy I had accidently dropped my pizza onto, staining his expensive-looking lettermen jacket. I smiled at him, not quite sure why he was just standing there, shifting from foot to foot.
"Oh, yeah, I was just dropping these off from yesterday." He set a small stack of papers in front of me. "They're the notes that you missed. I thought I'd just let you borrow them for however long you need." He smiled nervously. "If you, uh, need any help understanding, I'd love to help you out."
"Oh," I murmured, my hand moving away from where they had been touching the sheets of paper. I had no idea how to deal with teenage boys. I had no idea how to deal with boys in general. "Thank you."
"Well, I'm sitting over—"
"Newton." My head snapped up at the sound of his voice. It was velvet and sent a shiver down my spine. Though he had addressed Mike, his eyes were on me.
"Cullen," Mike said, probably trying to sound fierce but failing miserably. He left quickly after that, leaving the chair beside me open for Edward to sit down.
The next hour was probably the worst hell I had endured since suffering through the effects of venom.
I was tense through the entire class, sitting on the very edge of my seat. I didn't want to speak or move until the class was truly over and I could hide away in Gym. Edward seemed just as tense as I was; his hands were clenching the fabric of his jeans by his knees, his fingers looking like they were about to rip through. At least I wasn't the only one affected.
Just before the bell was set to ring, I reached inside my backpack, panicked over the idea of what I was about to do. I gripped his book and placed it in front of him just as the bell rang and echoed loudly in the classroom.
I was gone in an instant, not looking at him until just before I left the room. My last view was of him sitting at the table, one hand clenched in his hair and the other softly touching his book. His slightly darkened eyes had risen to mine at the last instant.
I didn't even have a prayer at cooling the heat in my cheeks as I finally found my way toward Gym.
I was being watched.
Though I was sure that I wasn't supposed to be aware of it.
The vampire in question reminded me of Heidi in a way, though I wasn't sure why. She was outrageously beautiful and didn't fit in with any of the students who surrounded her. She stood at the back of the court, none of her fellow group members paying her any attention or going out of their way to include her in the game of volleyball.
I was in the court beside hers, struggling not to hit the ball too hard. Mike was playing beside me, barely letting me get a hit in edgewise after my last two failed attempts at launching the ball over the cursed net. The first attempt the ball went sailing twenty feet into the concrete gym wall, popping on impact. I had struggled to pass it off as some odd accident. The second attempt ended with the ball rolling under the net after my rather sad hit.
Mike was showing off, and I was covertly regarding the blonde vampire in the same way she was with me. I had the upper hand though; I knew exactly what she was and she had no idea what I could be.
I clued back in on the game, watching as a ball came fluidly over the net and straight toward me. I readied my stance, balling my hands into one fist, and thought I was ready to hit it. What I wasn't ready for was Mike to make an ass out of himself.
Seeing the ball coming toward me, he had decided to cut me off and knock it back over. What he hadn't counted on was his untied shoe laces. He lunged forward, catching me off guard, and made a pass for the ball. His feet tangled in his loose lace, sending him right into the ground, knocking me over in the process. I landed on my ass, and he landed on his knee, slamming the bare flesh into the hard gym floor.
I caught the scent instantly because I was so close to him, and lost control of myself. The blood smelled so perfect, something I had been missing the last few days. The smell reminded my long-empty stomach that I was hungry, and the burning began in my throat instantly. I pulled myself on my hands, moving closer to him when she approached.
She was close, too close to my prey. I was starving and completely willing to fight her over him. In less than a second, she knelt down to my level and met my eyes with her own dark ones. I let loose a growl, the hair on my neck standing up.
I would fight her over him. I knew exactly how. There was no way I would lose. The growl ripped from my throat, my eyes dilating from the honeyed scent of the blood. There were too many threats to my meal, too many pounding hearts.
She knelt down beside me, her eyebrow arching in challenge. I continued the low growling, watching the bright liquid leak over his pale skin. I couldn't fight it anymore. I was hungry, and there was no way she would stop me. I pressed forward, only to have something collide with the side of my head, cutting me off from my intended course. Black spots clouded my vision, blinding me from the sight of the blood, but not the smell.
The only sound I could make was a pained whimper as I crumpled to the side. The cold wood of the gym floor rested against my warm cheek as I lost my self to the overwhelming darkness, wanting so badly to fight for that wonderful scent.
"Damn it, Rosalie! Did you have to hit her so hard? What if she was really human? You could have killed her!" His voice echoed in my ears, weaving its way through the increasing pounding in my head. I struggled to hold on to his voice, having it pull me out of the dark.
"Oh, stop your hissing, Edward. I took a chance, and look, she's fine. Besides, no human would ever react that way! She was already in hunting mode, and if I hadn't done something, she would have killed Newton in the middle of the gym!" I heard her speaking and wanted to hiss at her. My damn head hurt, and I wondered what the hell she had hit me with.
"You got lucky," Edward hissed.
"Edward, once you got there, I showed you exactly what I saw. There was nothing else I could do. I did exactly what I had to in order to stop her." She spat. She left the room soon after, only the rustle of her clothes giving away her movements.
I opened my eyes, wincing from the overhead lights and the crackling of the paper beneath my back. Edward was sitting across from me, taking up the small bed on the other side of the room. I assumed that I was in the nurse's office based on the subtle smell of peroxide and cleaning fluids.
"What the hell did she do to me?" I asked, my hands reaching up to cup the side of my aching head. It felt like I was trying to hold it on. I tried to think on what the vampire, Rosalie, had said about showing Edward what she saw, but put it out of my mind, the pain dulling down my thought process.
"She elbowed you in the temple." I just stared at him after he spoke, not sure how to respond exactly. He still looked tense, but not as tense as he had been in Biology. "She thought you were going to eat Newton."
"Oh," I murmured, my face heating to a bright tomato red. I wanted to hide, feeling too exposed to him with the red stain on my cheeks. Edward seemed to take it in, his eyes moving over every inch of my face, only making me turn a deeper shade of red.
"The whole exchange was only twelve seconds long; none of your classmates noticed anything. In case you were worried," he said, answering my unspoken question.
"Thank you," I whispered, letting my hair fall forward over the sides of my face. The blush just seemed to be getting worse the longer I was near him.
"How can you blush so deeply when—" He stopped himself abruptly just before the nurse walked into the small space.
"Hi, Miss Swan. Can you tell me what exactly happened today?" she asked, smiling at me in a way that was meant to be encouraging.
"I don't handle blood well . . . it sort of makes me faint." I looked over at Edward before continuing. "When I saw Mike start bleeding, I just couldn't handle it."
"Oh, well, Mr. Newton is just fine, only a few minor scrapes. Your sister should be here soon. We called her just after you came in," she said, taking a seat at the small desk in the room. "Mr. Cullen, can you take Miss Swan to the gym to collect her belongings?"
"I'm all right, really. I can do it on my own," I stammered, feeling completely ridiculous.
"Yes, ma'am," Edward said, smiling brightly at the woman.
I had never seen him smile before, and it left me a bit dumbfounded. I got up, grumbling slightly when it felt like my head was going to roll right off my neck, and left the office completely. I could hear Edward behind me, but didn't pay him any mind. I was flustered, confused in a way that I had never felt before. Even with Felix and all his constant tactics.
"Do you plan on freaking out any human that stumbles upon us? If not, then you might want to slow down." His voice traveled from behind me, not loud in the empty halls.
His criticism irked me, but I ignored him. I slowed to a more human pace, irritated that he had somehow gotten under my skin. Edward caught up, not so much walking, but strolling alongside me. I didn't speak to him, too worried over what might come out of my mouth. He just stayed beside me, right until we got to the girls' locker room.
"You can probably go now," I murmured, but he just stayed in front of me. "I'll be fine."
"The nurse said to take you to get your belongings," he said, speaking slowly as if I was easily confused. I wanted to stomp my foot and hit him in the stomach, but I didn't.
"Well, I'm at the gym, so you did your job." I rolled my eyes slightly, shifting nervously. He still didn't budge, but stayed standing over me.
"Yes, but what if you get hurt again?" he asked, managing to look innocent, like he just wanted to make sure I was okay.
"I won't, I promise. Now, can you please just go?" I asked, hoping he would finally leave.
He didn't. He just stayed there, raising an eyebrow to me. I huffed loudly before continuing, "Fine, I'll be out in a minute."
I disappeared inside the locker room, refusing to look at his smug face. I didn't know him. I barely even talked to him, but he got under my skin. I changed out of my gym clothes quickly, pulling on my regular clothes before stomping out of the locker room and right past Edward.
"So what are you?" he asked. It was a blunt question; one I wasn't sure how to answer.
"Human?" I said, though it came out as more of a question. I hadn't thought into what exactly to do in a situation like this. I wasn't even supposed to be around any vampires. I didn't know how to dodge him, so I just continued to walk.
"Not exactly," he murmured, looking frustrated. I peeked over at him, fascinated with the way his eyebrows furrowed over his butterscotch eyes. They had been golden the day before, but since then they had darkened slightly. They were so oddly different.
"Well, I am." I probably sounded a little petulant, but he put me on edge.
"What's your favorite food?" he asked out of the blue, throwing me off guard again. I stopped walking for a moment, unsure how to respond.
"I don't really have one," I mumbled, struggling to sound confident.
"Do you eat food?" He wasn't beside me anymore, but in front of me again, blocking my view of the rest of the hall.
"Yes."
"Then name a favorite." He continued, refusing to let go of the subject despite how much I tried to plead with my eyes.
"I—uh, I don't know." I stopped staring at him and glared at the floor, focusing on the white linoleum under my feet.
"What do you love to do?" he asked. He felt so close, despite the two feet of space between us.
"I love to run." I spoke honestly; it was my favorite thing to do since coming to Forks.
"What's your favorite color?" he asked, moving forward a quarter of an inch.
"I don't have one." His questions were pissing me off.
"Where did you grow up?" His voice was still coming out in a lazy drawl, not worried at all over the confusion they were bringing out in me.
"I—uh, well . . . " I had learned the answer to that question, but was too confused to say it. He had moved forward another two and a half inches, taking up too much space for my liking.
"What's your favorite music?" he asked, sounding more determined than before.
"Stop," I gasped, feeling as if I was suffocating on his smell the closer he got to me.
"What do you do in your free time?" While before his voice had been determined, now it just seemed softer, warmer. It confused the hell out of me.
"Stop it," I snapped, finally bringing my eyes up to his.
"What's your favorite show on TV?" He moved forward some more, but I refused to step back. We had a foot of space between us, but it felt like even less.
"Isabella!" Karen's voice was a thankful interruption.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, taking my eyes from his and focusing on Karen.
"A human would know these things." His voice had no edge at all now, and he turned with me to look at Karen. I remembered Rosalie's words from earlier, and it all clicked for me—he could hear thoughts, or something to that affect.
"I am human." I spat, at the same time reaching out with my shield and covering Karen, hoping he hadn't heard anything too incriminating. I took in his reaction once my shield snapped into place over Karen, cutting her off from him. His eyes widened for a moment before looking back over at me.
"Not completely." He had hit the nail on the head, and the blush that stained my cheeks was my tell. He gave me one last look before leaving, nodding to Karen on his way into the parking lot.
"Who was that?" Karen asked, her voice coming out breathy. She had lived around vampires for a while; she must have had some clue as to what he was.
I thought over what she said for a moment, replaying everything he had said to me, the way he had crowded in on me. "I have no idea."
Whatever he was, I was completely lost on him.