Title: You Found Me
Full Summary: Edward Masen has lived the life of a nomadic vampire, travelling with James and Victoria since he awoke as an immortal. His ability to read minds has had the unusual side effect of making him a vampire with a conscience. Despite the ridicule from his coven mates, he's confident he's making the best of his existence and doing what's morally right... until he stumbles upon a brown-eyed girl reading in a meadow in Forks. As he attempts to befriend her and learns more about the sleepy town of Forks, Edward finds there's a lot more to being a vampire than he ever thought possible.
Pairings: Canon
Rating: M, for language and future sexing.
Chapter: Eleven; Jealousy
POV: Edward
AN: All the usual thanks. Readers, reviewers, people who have me on alert, all of you are awesome and make me happy. I hope you enjoy this update. I know this chapter is again mostly fluff (which will please some of you), but for those of you who are getting restless with the slow pace, we're almost on top of the drama-filled portion of the story, I promise.
Once you're done reading this, I urge you to go check out Two Weeks, a fic by my friend and beta Jana. I convinced her to give the Twilight fandom a try and she has. If you like vampward, fluff and romance, you'll like her AU. Best of all, she's a speed writer, and had already finished writing the series, though she's still in the process of posting, updates should be quick.
xx
I grinned inwardly at Bella's shocked tone once she spotted my brand new Vanquish parked on the side of the road.
When I'd met Bella, I hadn't had a car that I actually drove in years. I had a small collection of vintage cars in storage out east. They were all in mint condition and I wasn't about to ruin one by driving it. I was a collector more than a driver, but driving the Vanquish reminded me how much I liked the speed. It was a lot like running, with a similar rush.
If it were necessary for James, Victoria or I to drive to keep up our human façade, we used James' sleek black viper. I got the impression he liked the name better than the actual vehicle. He viewed cars as an unnecessary and inherently human technology. We tended to run places more often than we drove as a result.
Even though James' car had been parked in front of the bed and breakfast, untouched since we had arrived in Forks, there was no way that I was going to ask him to borrow it to transport Bella. It was unwilling to bring him into contact with her in any way. He would smell her sweet scent and announce he had to have a taste. Her scent was more tempting to me than most, but she had unusually sweet blood for a human. There was no way that James would bother trying to resist, for her sake or mine. I wasn't planning to test him on it.
I was left with no choice but to buy a new car. I knew James wouldn't think much of me withdrawing a few hundred thousand dollars to purchase a new car. It would hardly make a dent in the account. James knew about my collection; one of his favourite pastimes was to mock me endlessly for being a human lover and adopting their "stupid habit of revering glorified hunks of metal." I didn't care. It was just one more thing on an already insanely long list of things for James to annoy me about.
As soon as I'd left Bella the night before, I'd gone to the nearest luxury car dealership. Even though it was already nearly ten o'clock at night, once I had made it clear I was purchasing, by way of a flash of bills, I'd been attended to immediately.
The human girl who'd served me had been stunned with my vehicular selection and my demand that I be able to drive the car off the lot that instant. It wasn't often you saw twenty-one-year-olds (or so my license said) making such grandiose demands.
Or perhaps what really shocked her was how I had promptly forked over well over a quarter of a million dollars in cash following my selection of the Vanquish. She was silenced when I'd smiled at her winningly and laid an additional stack of bills on the table between us. Three minutes later, I was speeding off the lot.
I'd considered buying something practical with a top of the line safety rating – like a Volvo, perhaps – to ensure Bella's safety, but vanity won out. I wanted to impress Bella with my car, and no one was impressed by Volvos. Even soccer moms liked them for their safety features, not their magnetic sex appeal. I was a perfect driver anyway, so the possibility of a crash was a non-existent. Bella would be perfectly safe with me behind the wheel.
So it was a great satisfaction to me when Bella slipped off my back and approached the car, reverently touching the sleek black hood. I fought back the instinctive cringe, refraining from the urge to tell her she was getting messy human fingerprints on my car.
"Edward, do you have any idea how… hot," she flushed at the description, "this car is? How the hell do you have a car like this? It looks brand new."
I grinned proudly, glossing over the fact the car was indeed new.
"You know how I told you that my father was a lawyer? Well, he was a really good one. All my father's money has been invested wisely. My family is also very lucky; high stakes blackjack tables have treated us well. James really enjoys going to the casino."
That was all true at face value. My father's money had been invested well, decades ago. And my family did rake in money at various casinos, but that had more to do with vampire senses and my gift than luck.
"But this car must have cost, what, a hundred thousand?"
I smiled. "Something like that."
It was clear Bella knew nothing about cars. I wasn't about to explain it was actually more like three times that price. I had a feeling she would be horrified.
"It's just so cool," she gushed. "I had no idea that you had a car like this. You must think my truck is a piece of garbage."
I led her to the passenger side door, a hand on the small of her back. I could feel her warmth, even through the layers of clothes.
"Well, yes, but that has less to do with my car than the fact that your truck actually truly is a piece of garbage. How you feel safe driving that wretched thing, I don't think I'll ever know. I worry on your behalf."
She crossed her arms defensively, pouting at my insulting the integrity of her car, as I guided her into her cushiony leather seat.
"My truck has never let me down… except that one time it broke down on the highway. Or the time that it stalled in the school parking lot. Or wait, the time it got stuck in that pothole. But that's it."
"Yes," I drawled, "I can see why you defend it. I love it when my car breaks down. Oh, wait, that's never happened to me, because my car actually is reliable."
She stuck out her bottom lip. I badly wanted to touch it with mine. I didn't trust myself to yet. I was handling her scent well, able to touch her without causing her any harm, but I wasn't sure I was ready for more. I tugged on her ponytail affectionately instead, reveling in the feeling of the smooth strands beneath my fingertips.
My rule about not touching her had gone completely to hell the night before. I wasn't sorry about it in the least. Now I couldn't stop touching her. I might not be able to kiss her, but I needed to touch her now. It went beyond a simple want. It was necessary. I closed the door, putting a barrier between us before I could be tempted any further. I wasn't ready and neither was she. Kissing would be something better saved for when she knew. Who knew how horrified she might be to learn she had kissed a vampire?
I slid into the driver's side seat, my thoughts still ruminating.
Bella glanced at me curiously. "How did you get there so fast? You're always so fast. It's kind of freaky. It's like you teleport sometimes or something. I've noticed it in the meadow before. That time we heard the noises. You were right behind me on the path but when I turned around, you were gone."
I shifted uncomfortably, the smooth leather squeaking beneath me. I cursed myself for being so careless and easily distracted. "I'm just fast, I suppose." It was a standard non-answer. It was true I was faster than most people, because I was a vampire. Hell, I was faster than most vampires, too.
She returned my half-hearted smile with a genuine one, touching my hand, which was gripping the steering wheel uncomfortably. No doubt there would be indents.
"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just something I noticed."
I wasn't sure whether I was relieved that she was beginning to piece everything together on her own or terrified that she was that much closer to possibly banishing me from her life. Even though it had been a couple of days since that one sunny day, my burst of courage had never reappeared. After being thwarted by circumstance once, I couldn't help but think of the entire prospect of telling her in a pessimistic light. I'd been naive and downright idiotic to be so hasty. She would need time to trust me.
"So," she said, slightly louder than necessary, obviously trying to erase the tension by changing the subject. "Do you know what movie you want to see?"
I shrugged, putting the car in gear and reversing in a U-turn, heading towards Port Angeles. "To be honest, I don't know what movies are playing right now. I haven't been to the movies in a while. I don't have much opportunity to go. I don't have anyone to go with."
"Then I'm glad I could go with you. It's not fair that your sister moves you around all the time and you don't get to have normal teenage experiences, even ones as simple as going to high school."
"I went to high school once," I corrected, because it was true. Granted, it had been ninety years ago.
"Did you like it?" she asked, curiously. "Would you go back, if you could? If you didn't move so much?"
I shrugged "I don't know. Perhaps. I suppose it would depend on the circumstances. I wouldn't mind going to school with you."
She blushed. "It would be cool to have you in my classes. English especially. I've never met anyone else as well read as me. None of the kids at school really read. Angela tries to take an interest in books for my sake, but it's obvious it's not something that she cares much about. Photography is more her thing."
I grinned. "Well, then feel free to consider me your books-related confidant."
She smiled shyly at the offer. "Thanks."
The rest of the ride to Port Angeles we talked about simple, boring things. I'd never been more pleased to simply talk to someone. For once, it felt like someone was listening to what I had to say and actually wanted to hear it.
xx
"The 40-year-old Virgin? You have got to be kidding me." I muttered under my breath, in distaste.
We were staring up at the "Now Playing" list at the small movie theatre in Port Angeles. What the fuck kinds of movies was this theatre showing? Had we actually stumbled into some kind of adult themed theatre without knowing it?
"So," Bella asked cheerfully, a bright smile glued to her face as she bounced on her toes. Her cheeks were flushed, her happiness all but oozing from her. Because she was with me. My ego swelled a little. "What do you want to see?"
"I want to see whatever you want to see."
It was the truth. I wanted her to be happy. I knew I'd watch her more than the movie, anyway. She was infinitely more fascinating.
She rolled her eyes, apparently not happy with that response. "What if I wanted to see what you wanted to see?"
"Well, because I am much more patient than you, we'd end up seeing what you wanted to see. I can and will wait for you to choose."
She stared me down for a few seconds before she cracked a small smile. "And you have the nerve to call me stubborn? I have nothing on you."
"There's a difference between being stubborn and being determined," I countered primly. "If one is stubborn, they are being mulish for no discernable reason. I have a perfectly justified reason for my tenacity; I am determined that you have fun today."
She raised an eyebrow at me, blinking slightly. "Well. Your dad was definitely a lawyer. Swallow a dictionary lately or something?"
I ignored her. "What is it going to be?" I tapped my foot, capturing her hand in one of mine. I gestured to the backlit billboard with my other.
She shook her head. "Stubborn," she grinned.
I nodded to the billboard pointedly.
Sighing in defeat, she perused her options which included Just Like Heaven, The Corpse Bride and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Port Angeles' theatre really seemed to have a morbid, dead people theme going on. Then of course there was the option to see a movie about a middle-aged virgin, which didn't sound all that appealing either. I felt guilty for making Bella pick.
Bella hemmed and hawed for a few minutes as if it was actually a difficult decision. Perhaps she was trying to pick the least of several evils.
"The Corpse Bride?" she said hesitantly, as if she was asking me whether her choice was okay.
"You want to watch a film about a man marrying a dead woman?" I found this slightly ironic. As a vampire, I was a kind of living corpse and I wasn't opposed to the idea of being with Bella, a living person. However, The Corpse Groom didn't sound quite as marketable. We'd need to come up with a different title for our story.
"Did you want to pick?" I could practically hear her smugness.
"I'll get our tickets."
I hadn't even taken a step toward the booth when Bella stopped me, though not for the reason I expected.
"Wait! You shouldn't have to pay, Edward. I can get my own ticket. It's fine, really. We're not on a… date." She whispered the final word like it was forbidden. My ego deflated.
"I'll go get our tickets. I'll be right back." I looked steadily into her eyes, daring her to challenge me again. Let her make of that what she would. If she assumed we were on a date because I was buying her ticket, it wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen.
I made a beeline towards the clerk before she could protest. When I asked for two tickets, handing over a twenty dollar bill, the boy at the counter winked at me.
"Dude, the chick you're with is hot. Check out all that hair and those big eyes. Are you guys, like, going out? Tell me you're all up in that. Because, dude, if you're not, I'll gladly take your place–"
I glared at him. What had ever happened to tact? I was obviously buying for two people. Propositioning the girl I was buying a ticket for was clearly not a good idea. Were I not in the practice of not harming innocents (I used the term loosely in this case) I would have shown him what a black eye felt like.
"I am well aware how my girlfriend looks, thank you." I couldn't help but growl at him as I spun on my heel, not bothering to collect my change, fisting the tickets in my hand. To my satisfaction, he looked on the verge of needing a change of pants.
Bella looked at me with big concerned eyes once I returned to her side. "What happened? Did the ticket guy say something to you? You guys looked like you were arguing." She peered around me at the boy. "He looks terrified. What did you say to him?"
"He was making inappropriate comments about you," I explained innocently, wrapping an arm around her shoulder possessively and glaring over my shoulder at the idiot. "You couldn't expect me to let him be so vulgar and do nothing."
Her cheeks flooded with colour. "What did he say?"
"I wont repeat such impolite words. Trust me, he won't be saying them again. Come on, we have a movie to see." Lowering my arm to her waist, I guided her towards the concession, pulling another bill out of my pocket. "What do you want to eat?"
"Edward, you just bought our tickets. You can't get the snacks, too." She stuffed her hand in her own pocket, trying to pass me a ten.
"Bella," I said patiently, tugging her ponytail again, trying to convey that I wanted to do this for her. "I want to treat you. It was my idea to come to the movies. It's only fair that I pay. Besides, you need to start saving for college. It's less than a year away now. You've said yourself your Dad's only got so much invested for your education. I wouldn't feel right reducing your savings."
She rolled her eyes. "It's ten bucks, Edward. It won't make or break me going to college. My savings are a drop in the bucket, anyway. I'd have to save until I was thirty to go anywhere decent. There's no way I'm going next year unless I get some sizable scholarships."
"You will be going to college, Bella," I said firmly. I knew she would, one way or another. She was intelligent enough to secure a scholarship. Even if she wasn't, there were ways of arranging funding. There was no way I was going to let her stand by and miss out on her dreams because of something as stupid as finances.
"Thanks for your faith." She smiled at me, the spark still in her eyes. "You're still taking this ten, though." She pressed the bill against my chest with one finger, so it was poised to fall to the ground unless I took it. I considered letting it, but I decided that would be stubborn, and after my lecture earlier, I figured that would be hypocritical.
I rolled my eyes, taking the proffered bill, tucking it into my pocket. I'd put it back into her bag later.
"So you never said. What do you want?"
She grinned at me. "Cotton candy and popcorn?" she asked, an innocent lilt to her voice, like a child asking for a toy. Of course I could deny her nothing. Especially not when she spontaneously kissed my cheek after I nodded in response .
I could still feel the burning outline of her lips against my skin. She didn't even complain I was cold. I wondered if, on some level, she knew I was different and had accepted it.
We loaded up our arms with her preferred treats and a giant plastic cup of Diet Coke, which looked disgusting and syrupy and smelled even worse. I almost enjoyed the smell of the cotton candy. It was sweet, and brought to mind a vague memory of attending a small travelling fair when I was still human. I remembered the smell of sweetness in the air. My father had refused to let me try some, claiming it would rot my teeth, despite of my mother's protests that we were at the fair and it would be a one time thing.
Watching Bella eat the stuff was downright erotic, though. How she made something that looked like dyed cotton balls appealing was a mystery. I could hardly pay attention to the movie on screen. Instead, all my focus was on the girl beside me and the way she melted blue fluff on her tongue.
She offered me some several times, her fingers sticky and sweet with sugar but I always refused, more than content to watch her indulge. I'd paid my penance the night before by drinking half a cup of the putrid stuff that humans liked to call tea. It tasted earthy, like dirt flavoured water. I could stand that because, as a liquid, it would pass through my system eventually. Solid foods were a different matter entirely.
I knew, if push came to shove, I'd eat it though, simply because Bella asked me to. That was precisely what happened with the popcorn. I was beginning to realize I'd do just about anything for her. No matter how painful or unappealing the task, her unhappiness was exponentially worse.
She insisted I have some, because she'd eaten all the cotton candy and I deserved my share. Try as I might, I couldn't even pretend to like it. I'm sure my blatant dislike for the revolting squishy texture of the food showed in my face, because Bella's face fell when she looked at me.
"You hate it don't you? You don't have to eat it. I'm sorry I'm being so pushy." She frowned into the half-eaten bag of popcorn.
I gently raised her chin with the tip of my finger. "Remember how I said I was on a liquid diet?" I whispered, conscientious of the movie still reeling in the background. "I don't usually eat things like that. I don't digest them well. I've got a… condition."
"Condition?" she whispered back, her forehead creasing. "You're not dying are you?"
"No. I'd rather not talk about it now, if you don't mind. Eventually I'll tell you everything, I promise. Patience, beautiful." Her heart rate spiked at the term of endearment, a tiny smile lifting her mouth.
"Is this the thing that you can't tell me? The secret? It's your condition, isn't it?"
"Yes." I nodded slightly, even though it was a gross simplification of the matter. "But you don't need to worry about me. It's nothing that can hurt me. It's just frustrating more than anything else."
A man an aisle over glared at us and shushed us. Apparently our hushed voices weren't hushed enough. Bella returned his glare before turning back to me. I could read the questions in her eyes, but now was not the time.
I stopped her before she could voice any of them. "Later," I mouthed.
She wasn't pleased, but turned her attention back to the movie, anyway. After a moment of silent watching, she pointedly lifted the armrest so that she could lean against my shoulder. I lifted my arm so she could rest her head against me in a slightly less awkward position. I liked that she wanted to be close to me, even if it was just so she could comfort me about my so-called condition.
I kissed the top of her head, carefully bracing myself against the temptation of her scent. I wondered if she had even the slightest idea how much she'd changed me in the span of mere weeks. Three weeks ago, this kind of closeness would have been impossible. But it wasn't just that. She'd changed me as a person, too. The Edward from three weeks ago didn't exist any longer.
And to think I had thought change was a thing of the past since I turned seventeen.
I didn't know what this bright, beautiful, amazing human girl had done to me but I supposed it was some kind of minor miracle.
xx
"Are you going to tell me now?" Bella asked, turning the full force of her brown eyes on me the moment our feet hit the pavement outside the theatre.
"Are you hungry? We should stop for lunch." I was asking mostly as a distraction but I was genuinely worried.
It was after one and I knew Bella had to be getting hungry. I'd gathered from the buzz of thoughts over the years that humans usually ate around noon. We were an hour late. The junk food she'd eaten couldn't really stand in for a substantial, nutritious meal. I didn't pay much attention to about human diets but even I knew that popcorn and cotton candy weren't a healthy meal.
She rolled her eyes, the previous line of questioning forgotten. "You worry about me to much. Bella, are you getting enough sleep? Bella, are you eating enough? Bella, are your meals well-balanced? Bella, when was the last time you visited your family physician?" she mocked me, deepening her voice in a way that sounded nothing like mine but made me laugh anyway. "My parents worry less."
"Sorry. In my defense, you made up the last two questions." Though it would be a lie to say I hadn't thought about asking similar ones. "I just wanted to make sure that you're taking care of yourself. Sleep and a rounded diet are important for your health."
"Says the guy who just bought a jumbo size of everything at the concession stand. Most of which he insisted I eat."
I ignored her sarcastic tone, leading her down the small downtown street in search of a restaurant where the servers would not ask if "I wanted fries with that."
"I wanted to make sure that you didn't run out. Besides, that's precisely why you should let me take you out for lunch; snack foods aren't a substitute for a good meal and by going to the movies with me, you missed lunch. You don't have to be home for another three or four hours, at least. Don't you want to spend that time together?"
She grinned. "Hmm, well, when you put it like that, I guess I'd be crazy to say no."
"Because you want to spend more time with me?"
"No," she countered, a teasing gleam in her smile. "You said you were paying, right?"
I scoffed. "As if that would matter to you. You practically forced a ten dollar bill down my pants when I tried to pay for our snacks."
"Okay, fine," she backtracked, "I love spending time with you, even if it means you spending money on me."
"Bella," I sighed in a long-suffering way. "I am well off financially. My parents left me a sizable amount of money; money that will be impossible for me to spend in a single lifetime. Please indulge me and let me spend, what is to my bank statement, the equivalent of pennies on you."
"Gee, Edward, you sure know how to make a girl feel special."
I ignored her, more focused on a small Italian bistro I'd spotted just past the next intersection. "Stop being such a grump. There's a place, right up there."
I grabbed her hand, pulling her easily down the street, even though she was purposely trying to drag her feet. I would have carried her if need be.
The hostess, a girl who couldn't be more than a few years older than Bella, greeted us warmly. She smiled at me adoringly with nauseating thoughts to match. I ignored her flirty tone, focusing all my attention on Bella, hoping she would take the hint.
How can someone like him be interested in someone like her? She's not even wearing any makeup. I wonder if she's ever been shopping in her life. Her jeans look older than she is… /She's probably just an unfortunate looking cousin his mom is forcing him to spend time with.
I fought back a growl at the insolent and completely unwarranted commentary. Vapid girls like this were the reason I had no desire to return to high school. Outer beauty always triumphed inner beauty with those types. Not that they had much of either.
Bella for all her simplicity, was stunning. How could this girl, or anyone, be oblivious to how gorgeous she was? How was it possible to go from the boy at the theatre who had liked Bella to the point of inappropriateness to this girl who could see nothing but negativity? I would never understand teenagers, even if I was eternally doomed to be one.
"We'd like a table for two, please?" Bella said with a friendly smile, completely oblivious to the girl's cruel thoughts. "A quiet booth would be nice… maybe somewhere in the back?"
The hostess eyed her before returning her gaze to me. "I'll see what I can do." Her tone was sickly sweet.
A quiet booth? Whatever. She should consider herself lucky to be seen with him at all. What are they gonna do with a quiet booth, anyway? Make out? Yeah, right.
We were immediately led to a table in the middle of the floor, where I had no doubt the white noise of clinking silverware was the loudest.
"Excuse me," I said with forced courtesy, "my… Bella asked for a quieter table… if you don't mind?"
I ducked my head, embarrassed that I had almost called her my girlfriend. It was one thing to say it to a snotty sixteen-year-old cashier when Bella was out of hearing distance. It was another to say it in front of her when I had no claim to her besides in my own delusions.
I bet she made him say that, just to make me look incompetent. What a bitch.
"Of course, sir," the girl sneered under a thin veil of politeness. "You and your Bella can come right this way." Bella's heartbeat stuttered erratically. Whether it was because of the girl's repetition of my slip, or her venomous tone, I wasn't sure.
Once we were seated in a quieter booth, I apologized for spurring the hostess's surly attitude. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to."
"Call me your Bella, you mean?" she asked in a deceptively light tone. "Or were you talking about bringing me into a restaurant where the waitress won't stop making googly eyes at you?"
Shit. Clearly I was worse at this than I thought.
Girls were more complicated than I remembered them being. When I was human, if you told them they looked pretty and invited them in for a glass of iced tea, you were in their good books. Clearly the twenty-first century had brought some changes in the fairer sex that I hadn't adequately prepared myself for.
I'd apologized for one thing but apparently there were two other things that I should potentially be apologizing for. To make matters worse she wanted me to pick one and I had no idea which was the better answer.
"Both?" I asked hesitantly, dragging the word into two syllables. Somehow I knew this wouldn't be adequate.
To my surprise, Bella merely sighed. "I'm sorry, too. It's not your fault that the waitress was hitting on you. You probably get that a lot, huh?"
This time I had the intelligence to keep my mouth shut.
"Look," she continued, saving me from having to answer. "You're just so perfect. It's easy for a girl to get self-conscious around you. You could hang out with anyone you want to. That waitress is easily twenty and probably in college. Why would you want to hang out with boring, plain Bella Swan when you could have that instead?"
"Because, you're not boring or plain at all," I said, carefully treading on the eggshells that were the entirety of this conversation. "You're fun and beautiful. And you get me. I feel comfortable around you. That's not something that happens to me very often."
Bella cracked a smile. "How do you do that? I was feeling like complete and utter crap and you just swooped in and made me feel better in an instant."
"It's a gift," I teased, glad to have our light banter back. I handed her one of the leather-bound menus. "Now what do you want?"
She scanned the menu, quickly settling on the mushroom ravioli. She looked to me for my order.
"Diet," I reminded her. I was thankful for the distraction when the waitress came to take our drink orders. I was even more thankful that she wasn't nearly as openly flirtatious as the hostess.
"So," I said brightly once she'd left. "What do you want to do after lunch?"
xx
I watched with affection as Bella scanned the columns upon columns of books, her big brown eyes glowing with happiness.
When she had casually thrown out the idea that we stop at the bookstore next door to Bella Italia, so she could pick up some new reading material before we continued on with our day, I immediately knew that we were going to spend the rest of the day in the eclectic little shop.
It was small but packed to the brim with books from all sorts of genres. It looked like one of those old, traditional libraries, with its rolling ladders and bookshelves as high as the ceilings on three of the four walls. I understood immediately why Bella loved it. I wasn't surprised when she loaded herself up with a stack of books as high as her chin and curled into one of the red velvet arm chairs in the little reading nook in the back corner of the store.
I settled on the carpet near her feet, not wanting to distance myself from her any more than was absolutely necessary. The matching armchair was too far away.
Curious, I scanned the titles she'd dumped next to her chair, amused to see that she'd brought everything from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall to The Importance of Being Earnest to Madame Bovary. I could discern no pattern in her literary tastes, other than she seemed to enjoy the classics. Nothing in her collection was written earlier than a century ago. I vaguely recalled many of the titles from my own school days.
"A fan of the classics, are you?" I asked, tugging on her pant leg.
"Yep," she grinned, flashing the book she was holding at me, which happened to be The Turn of the Screw. "Classic. Who doesn't love a good ghost story, right?"
I smiled. "James is great." There was a phrase I never thought I'd say.
"I love the is it or isn't it real element," she added. "Personally, I like to think it was. The governess wasn't crazy. Ghosts could exist."
I nodded mutely, the topic a little too close to my reality for comfort. I tried to smile but it fell flat.
After a few beats of silence, she asked, "Are you going to read, too, or just sit there and stare at me?"
"Watching you is fascinating to me."
"Yeah, fascinating," she scoffed. "Watching me sit here like a rock must be enthralling."
"You're more interesting than you think. You have the most unusual taste of any teenager I've ever met. You would think my parents had chosen those," I tapped the gargantuan stack of books, several of which I knew I'd end up buying for her. I'd seen her relatively meager collection in her room. She had admitted that she'd had to leave most of her books behind with her mother in Florida, since transporting them across the country wasn't practical.
She sniffed, faking indignation. I could see she wasn't really offended by the humour in her eyes.
"I just happen to have more refined tastes than you. Why don't you go pick some boy books? I think I saw Treasure Island back in that aisle, there," she pointed the furthermost shelf. "Or maybe you'd prefer Gulliver's Travels. Or wait, those might be too classic for you. I think I saw a bunch of The Hardy Boys around somewhere." She snickered.
"Ha ha," I deadpanned, still sorting through her stack of books. It pleased me to know that I'd read most of her selections.
James scoffed at my habit of reading books to pass the time. Though at the speed I could process words, it didn't pass much. As usual, his most common insult was that it was a human activity and therefore beneath vampires. He assumed that by indulging in books I was futilely trying to hang onto my human past. Well, someone should. He and Victoria retained their humanity only as far as it could get them things they wanted.
I couldn't help but chuckle when I noticed Dracula in amongst Bella's stack. "Dracula, Bella? Really?"
In retrospect, I realized that drawing attention to the book and making fun of it was probably a method of preemptive self-protection.
"What's wrong with Dracula?" she frowned, looking up from the book in her lap, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "Vampires are one of the most awesome monsters out there."
I fought back a cringe at the use of the word monster. It confirmed everything I'd been worried about.
"Good thing they're not real then, huh?" I asked lightly.
She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know… I've taught myself to always expect the unexpected. It's not fair to write off vampires as unreal. People still believe in ghosts and aliens. Why should vampires be discounted?"
"Do you really want to imagine the possibility of something so horrific being real?"
"Things aren't always as they seem," she said quietly. "Trust me, I'd know."
"What do you mean?" I asked, thoroughly confused. How was it that this human girl could so easily confound me? Was I really that reliant on my ability to read minds?
"Nevermind, I can't say anything, anyway. It's not my story to tell."
"But–"
My protest was cut off by a dark-skinned boy with short, dark hair calling Bella's name. "Bella? Is that you? I thought I saw you from the window."
A wide grin spread across her face as she turned to face the boy. I didn't like it at all. A possessive part of me didn't like that she was smiling at someone other than me. Even though I knew that it was ridiculous, I couldn't help the way I felt.
"Hey, Embry! What are you doing here?"
xx
AN: I think this is my first real cliffhanger. I've held out an entire eleven chapters… I'm much nicer than I originally thought.
The movies listed in this chapter are actually the movies that were playing the last week of September in 2005... odd selection, no?
I'm considering doing the next chapter in EPOV, even though it'll break the pattern I've set up. Edward is pushy (and stubborn, despite what he says) and is campaigning more than his fair share of speaking time.