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: Thirteen; Delirious

POV: Bella

AN: The usual thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, or otherwise contributes to this little fic, especially Jana who put up with my freaking out every step of this chapter :)

This is the first of several chapters a few of you have been waiting for. It's not quite as long as the last one, but pretty close. I hope it was worth the wait :) As always, I'd love to know what you think.

xx

It had been a week since Edward had turned me down. A long, hard, cold week.

After several dry weeks in Forks, the rain had returned full force. I welcomed the damp, bitter weather. It suited my mood just fine. I was mourning something I'd never really had to begin with.

I still saw Edward in the meadow just after three every day but something had shifted in our interactions. It might have been a product of my overactive imagination but swore that he no longer smiled at me in quite the same happy, innocent way he had before. He did his best to pretend nothing had happened but his laugh was just a little bit too forced and his eyes a little bit too tight. He was too guarded.

He was protecting himself from me, the idiot who had tried to take more than he was willing to give simply because it was what she wanted. I'd read too much into how he treated me that day in Port Angeles, desperate for him to care for me as much as I wanted him to.

I should've just asked him how he felt.

A vocal rejection would have hurt but it would have been tolerable. Anything would have been better than the stinging tears that had threatened to fall when he'd held me in gently place, refusing to even pretend that he wanted to kiss me.

Was I that repulsive?

Maybe if there had been some hesitation… if he'd waited just a few seconds, our lips could have done the talking and he could have seen that kissing me wasn't so bad and that maybe, just maybe, it was something he actually wanted. But it wasn't. And I knew it. And it sucked. A lot.

I glared out my classroom window at the rain splashing into the uneven, oil-slicked parking lot. My truck was situated right in the middle of a massive puddle. There was no way I would be getting into it without plodding through ankle deep water first.

I hated wet socks.

I was knocked rudely from my internal grumblings about almost everything under the non-existent-in-Forks sun by a balled up piece of paper hitting my shoulder.

I turned to see Jessica smirking at me from two chairs back. She nodded to the crumpled piece of paper that had bounced off my shoulder and onto the floor next to my desk.

With an irritated sigh I bent to pick it up. Hadn't this method of communication died in the late nineties with the invention and spread of the cellphone?

What did the parking lot ever do to you? You've been glaring out the window like you want to stab something. BTW, by not answering Mr. Mason's questions, you're forcing the rest of us to pretend like we've read these stupid books.

Trust Jess to be observant at a time when I least wanted anyone paying attention to me.

Nothing, Jess. The parking lot and I are on excellent terms. We always stop to say hi when we pass one another in the hallway, I scrawled hurriedly, unable to resist sarcasm.

I'd answered her stupid question. I wasn't going to volunteer anymore than that. Crumpling the paper again, I kicked it in her direction. Of course it went flying towards Eric Yorkie, who sat in the chair to Jess's left.

Jess scoffed at my aim but managed to retrieve the paper, anyway. A minute later the paper was back under my desk.

What's your problem? I'm just trying to help. You've been a total bitch lately. I was trying to offer you a shoulder to cry on or whatever. But if you don't want it, that's fine!

So much for entertaining her with my wit. She seemed annoyed. Great. Unless I wanted the school gossip on my bad side, I'd have to pretend to be thankful for her interfering.

Look, I appreciate the offer, Jess, it's just unnecessary. I've had a bad week. Thanks for trying.

Jess rolled her eyes as she read the message but didn't try to return the paper a third time.

The moment the bell rang, I sprinted out of the classroom towards the math building as quickly as my clumsy tendencies would allow, intent on avoiding a verbal intervention from Jessica. The notes were enough of Jessica to get me through the rest of the day and probably most of tomorrow, too.

In my haste to get away, I bumped into Alice. I bounced backward but managed to stay on my feet. I glanced at her apologetically, surprised to find her without Jasper.

"Crap, sorry Alice! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Is Jessica behind me, by any chance?" I winced, not daring to look for fear of confirming my suspicion that she had taken chase.

Alice stood on her toes to peek over my shoulder. "Nope, you're clear. She's going to head to the cafeteria. You'll be safe for the rest of lunch period."

I wiped a hand dramatically across my brow. "Thank God. I don't think I could tolerate any more of Jessica trying to play nurse."

Alice's expression scrunched in concern. "Are you all right? You don't look sick."

"I'm fine. I guess I should have said psychiatrist, not nurse. Jessica thinks my mood needs an overhaul."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Since when has anything Jessica thought been important?"

I shrugged. "She's right, though. I've had a crappy week and I can't seem to snap out of it."

Alice's eyes lightened, the corners of her lips upturning mischievously. "I might not have the psychiatry skills of Jessica Stanley but I do have a feeling that your day is going to improve. Just… do what feels right. Don't doubt yourself. If your intuition tells you that you should do something… do it. Don't question it. Trust me."

I stared at Alice, an unattractive open-mouthed expression gracing my face. "What does that even mean? That advice sounds like something out of a fortune cookie."

"It means that you should listen to Bella and tell everyone and everything else to shut up."

I had no clue what to make of Alice's advice. Listen to myself? I didn't have anything important to say, I thought cynically. Last time I'd listened to myself, I'd tried to kiss Edward and had had a little piece of my heart crushed.

The rest of the day slogged by, the little black rain cloud that plagued the space above my head following diligently. By the time I got home from school – with wet socks, just as I'd predicted – I was no less confused.

I trudged up to my room, my wet shoes squelching. Kicking off my soaked through clothing, I quickly changed into something warm and dry before pulling on fresh socks. Wet or not, bad mood or not, Edward and I had a silent agreement I wasn't planning to disregard. I'd learned my lesson about the perils of bad communication the last time I'd tried brushing him off.

I was pulling on my raincoat when my cell phone started ringing, Jacob's face lighting up on the display.

As I'd promised Embry I would in Port Angeles, I'd called Jacob. Since then, we'd exchanged a couple short calls. I still hadn't seen him since the schoolyard incident with Alice. Remembering Alice's enigmatic advice to listen to my intuition, I pressed the accept call button. Ignoring Jake wouldn't help either of us get over this rough patch in our friendship. Edward could wait a few minutes.

"Hey Jake. What's up?" I answered, holding the phone between my ear and shoulder so I could pull on my rain boots.

His voice was tentative. "You aren't still mad at me, are you?"

"No," I said hesitantly. What kind of way was that to start a conversation?

"Good, because, um, I was hoping we could put this whole avoiding one another thing behind us and hang out tomorrow. My dad set up this Quileute campfire thingy to expose the younger generations to our history… you know the legends about werewolves and all that? Have you ever heard them? They're interesting."

I laughed. "No, I haven't. But you think they're 'interesting,' do you? I happen to remember you saying that you thought they were a load of superstitious bullshit not worth the time and energy it takes to tell them."

"That was before they happened to me," he said sheepishly. "When you know all the stupid myths aren't so stupid after all it makes you see them in a differently. I thought you might be interested in hearing them now, straight from the elders since you used to bother me about them and all."

I smiled, pleased that Jake had remembered my interest in his tribe's history. I'd always been fascinated with all sorts of mythology; I had once assumed it was related to my love of fiction.

"That sounds fun."

"Okay great. You want to hang out first? The guys and I are going to make a day of it and go hiking to see some of the old tribal cave artwork just off the rez. Dad said it's cool if we skip our last few classes of the day since it's 'educational.' I know how you are about school, though, so you can always meet us when you're out?"

I bit my lip. It would mean no Edward tomorrow. I didn't want it to seem like I was avoiding him but maybe a little distance from him was what I needed. I'd been living and breathing Edward for a month, since the moment I'd met him. Perhaps a day away from any reminders of him was exactly what I needed to forget my stupid feelings for him. Besides, I rationalized, it wasn't like I'd be avoiding him if I gave him advance warning.

"Yeah okay," I agreed. "I'll call you tomorrow after school for directions, okay?"

xx

"Are you all right?"

I nodded robotically in response to Edward's concern. "You're the fifth person who's asked me that this week and the fifth person who has been told I'm fine."

I hugged my knees to my chest, wanting the interrogation about my well-being to be done with.

He glanced at my defensive posture, doubt and concern written all over his face.

"If you're fine, then why have so many people been wondering about your state of mind?"

I shrugged.

"I'm not trying to be intrusive, Bella, but you're worrying me. You're always so bright and you always have something to say. Is it something I said or did?" His voice was small, verging on timid.

"No," I said quickly. I didn't like lying, but I didn't want him to feel responsible for my stupidity. It wasn't his fault I'd tried to push our relationship too far.

His eyes were downcast and closed off. I knew I was hurting him with my inability to voice how I was feeling but I was hurt, too. I wasn't ready to put myself out there again. I needed a little recovery time to sit back and lick my wounds.

I attempted a smile. My meager effort was met with a beaming smile, which, coincidentally, made me feel a little better.

"I've just had a lot on my mind recently. Please don't let my crappy mood make you feel crappy too. You being happy makes me happy."

"Then I can assure you, I'll do everything in my power to be happy. I don't like to see you wallowing in gloom. Your smile could light up this town. Have you considered that the reason Forks has been so grey and depressing lately is because of you?" he teased gently.

"Doubtful," I countered, though I liked hearing him describe my smile as bright. That sounded complimentary. Maybe he didn't think I was the most repulsive thing ever to walk the earth. "Forks is usually grey."

"I'm not so sure. I really think this might be the answer. Allow me to test my hypothesis, please."

I quirked a brow. "Are we involved in a biology experiment I didn't know about?"

"Well, now that you mention it, the scientific method would be fitting in this case. Step one: ask a question. We've completed this. Why has the weather been so dismal in Forks lately?"

"Step two: do preliminary research," I listed the second step in the scientific method.

"Also done. I noted that since you've been upset the past week, the weather has been acting in conjunction. Which brings us to step three, forming a hypothesis. My hypothesis is that you control the weather with your moods."

I nodded, amused by his logical approach to everything. It was so Edward. "Step four: test hypothesis with an experiment," I quoted.

Edward's eyes sparkled mischievously. "I'm going to have to make you laugh and see if the weather reacts accordingly."

I carefully kept a straight-face, not wanting to ruin the "experiment" Edward was so meticulously conducting, even if I was the primary subject. "Okay, and how do you propose we do that?"

His lips twisted into a crooked smirk. "That is an awfully difficult thing to do, I must admit, however, I have an ideal solution: tickling."

There was no need to fake a straight face now; the mention of tickling sobered me immediately. "No way. Don't even think about it, Edward. Tickling is evil. It's the devil's work. I hate–"

It was too late. Edward and his beautifully long fingers had already descended upon me, nudging into my sides. I couldn't help it. I laughed, until my face was red and my eyes were scrunched so tightly a few tears escaped. I could hardly breathe through the giggles.

"Edward," I said warningly once he had finally pulled away and I could breathe again. My breathlessness and pink cheeks probably left the threat feeling empty but it was the thought that counted.

"I'm sorry, but admit it, you feel a better now, don't you? 'Laughter is the best medicine,' is the way the saying goes, isn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled dismissively, not about to admit he was right, even though he was.

"And by the way, in the interest of being thorough and completing my scientific endeavour… I have confirmed my hypothesis. While you were writhing around in the grass in hysterics, a ray of sun peeped through the clouds confirming that you do, in fact, have fantastical weather controlling moods."

"It did not!"

"It did. You just weren't paying attention. I was. I'm very observant, Ms. Swan. And that completes the scientific method: step five, analyze results and draw conclusions."

"You forgot step six: report results," I countered. "I'd love to see you draft that wacky experiment up on paper and see what a respected professional thinks of your so-called science."

Edward pouted adorably, his full lips twisting into an attractive frown. "You enjoy sucking all the fun out of things, don't you? And won't you look at that, the sky is grey again."

"Haha," I deadpanned, shoving his solid shoulder. Predictably, he didn't budge an inch. "If that's the way you conduct yourself in a science classroom, I have to admit I'm glad you're not my partner in biology."

He beamed. "You would love it if I was in your class, don't lie." He was right. I'd love nothing more than to have him come to school with me every day. "With my intelligence and your looks, we'd rule the school."

I had to laugh at that comment and the way it was stated so straight-forwardly that it was apparent he truly believed what he was saying.

"I think you got that one backwards," I corrected. "I'm a plain Jane and you're an Adonis handcrafted by God, whereas I'm awesomely smart and your worldly knowledge is subpar at best."

"Would it be too much to suggest we're both attractive and brilliant?" he joked.

"It might seem a tad immodest."

"It's not immodest if it's the truth," he replied, smiling directly into my eyes. My heart flopped erratically, protesting under the warm intensity of his gaze. I looked down, reminding myself not to repeat my stupidity from last week.

"Oh, um, hey, there was something I wanted to tell you," I blurted out. "Tomorrow I'm going to be hanging out on the La Push rez. They're having a campfire to share their histories and Jake – my father's best friend's son – invited me, and I said I'd come. So I won't be able to hang out after school."

That had been harder to say than I had expected. I knew, realistically, he shouldn't be upset – it was only normal for us to have other friends we needed to dedicate time to – but I was wary of hurting him, anyway. He was new in town and home-schooled. He didn't have the opportunity to make friends like I did.

"Oh." The single syllable seemed to be infused with more meaning than I was able to gather in the moment it took him to say.

He sounded upset, distressed, worried, confused – all emotional downers. I didn't detect any anger in the mix, which only made me feel worse. I wanted him to yell at me and tell me I couldn't leave him to fend for himself with next to no warning. It was ridiculous. He'd probably hardly notice I was gone. What was a day in the grand scheme of life, anyway?

"So, yeah, sorry for not telling you earlier, but I just got the call today."

"Bella, it's fine. You don't need to be so apologetic. I want you to have fun with your friends. Make the most of the human experience while you have the opportunity to do so."

I nodded stiffly. "Okay, thanks. I will. Promise me that you won't miss me too much?" I teased, trying to lighten the atmosphere a bit.

"I won't make you any promises that I can't keep," he replied solemnly.

xx

"Okay, jeez! I'm almost there. I've been on La Push Road for ten minutes, now. I've got to be almost there. I'm going slowly so I don't drive right past you. Grow some patience, would you, Jake?" I growled at the impatient werewolf on the other end of the line.

I'd been on the line with Jake for the past ten minutes, trying to figure out exactly where off of La Push Road they were hiking and blatantly ignoring my father's warnings against the dangers of "talking and driving." It was a necessity since the road was one big long trek through wooded areas, all of which looked exactly the same.

Jake told me I should be able to recognize Paul's beat up old Toyota Corolla. How the pack of oafs that I called my friends had all fit in that tiny little thing, I'd never know. I imagined a lot of knees, elbows and other body parts poking in unfortunate places.

"Chill out, would you? We're supposed to be having fun. I told you I'll let you know when I see you, so cool it. I won't let you drive by."

"Yeah," I grumbled, "but that means I have to stay on the line with you the whole time. I'm getting a little sick of your voice, Jake."

"Haha. Come on, you know you've missed me. As much as I annoy you, you love me. And you're like a sponge for weird historical crap, so you wouldn't miss this, even if it means you have to deal with me for hours. You're gonna love the caves by the way. They're creeptastic. Just up your alley."

"Wow, Jake, I love your dismissal of my interests as weird and creeptastic. Why exactly am I talking to you again?"

"Hey! I think I just saw your truck! Unless a really freaky, oddly-shaped, red moose happened to be passing by."

I snorted at Jacob's description of my truck, but slowed, peering in the rearview mirror. Sure enough, just behind me was Paul's ugly brown corolla parked off of the shoulder. The thing virtually blended in with the decaying trees it was parked in front of. Good thing Jake had been paying attention because I doubted I would have spotted it.

"Yeah, I see Paul's car. I'm parking now. I'll seeya in a minute." Jake's affirmative response barely had a chance to register before I disconnected the call.

Checking to make sure no one was coming behind me, I reversed, parking behind the corolla, just as Jake ran up, emerging from a barely visible hiking trail. The sight of the obscured path made me wonder what Edward was doing. Was he in the meadow without me?

He grinned at me widely, happy to see me. "You made it! Finally. Come on," he said, grabbing my hand, his skin hot to the touch, "the guys hiked up a bit and left me behind to get you. We've gotta catch up."

"You know that you're bringing me along, right?" I joked. "We're more likely to fall behind further than to gain any ground."

Jake shrugged. "The guys said they'd keep it slow. Besides, all the trails lead back this way, so we'll find them one way or another. The guys are on trail C, where the caves are."

Sure enough, within a couple minutes, Jake and I caught a flash of a bright colour that had no place in the woods of Washington State.

"I see Embry's shirt," Jake commented, noticing the same thing I was. "What kind of lame-ass wears a bright yellow shirt on a nature hike, anyway? Aren't you supposed to try and blend in with your surroundings to optimize animal sightings and shit?"

"The kind who's acting as a helpful guide to his lagging friends," I countered. "Think of him as Hanzel, but without the bread crumbs."

Jake rolled his eyes. "You and your literary references."

I laughed. "I hardly think Hanzel and Gretel is above your head, Jake. Most five-year-olds would get that one."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, didn't I? Let's just hope there's no one planning on eating us at the end of the trail," he grumbled, shooting an undecipherable look at me, before abruptly turning to holler at his friends. "Hey, guys! I've found Bella! Wait up!" He presented me to his friends, like he had done some great honour for them all by retrieving me.

I was greeted by a cacophony of welcomes from Jared, Paul and Embry. Sam, they explained, had opted out of the excursion because his fiance, Emily, was having a difficult time with her pregnancy and needed him at home.

"You caught up just in time!" Jared said brightly. "We're only a minute away from the caves. Has Jake ever shown them to you before? They're pretty fucking cool!"

"Nope. Jacob has never indulged my desire to see anything historical whatsoever. His idea of showing me a good time is letting me hang out in his garage and pass him whatever wrench he needs next," I teased, shoulder bumping Jake, who rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Dude," Paul laughed, "Way to show a lady a good time. You should write a book on your methods. I'm sure it'd be an instant bestseller."

"And you know how much Bella loves books," Embry chimed in. "Imagine the impression you'd make as Jacob Black, New York Times bestselling author?"

"Shut up," Jacob growled, a slight flush rising through the deep tones of his russet skin. "Look, the fucking caves are right there. If you want to talk about getting all educational and shit, let's go see some art."

Paul laughed and slapped Jacob on the back brusquely. "Nice diversion, Romeo."

I squeezed his forearm consolingly, even though my hand barely spanned half its circumference. Despite the effort to soothe him, his muscles remained tense.

The others surged forward to go examine the caves they'd probably seen dozens of times. Even though they were a new experience for me, Jake was radiating unhappiness. I wasn't going to let him stew in it, so I lingered behind with him.

"Don't let them get to you, Jake. You know you're rising to the bait."

"I know," he sighed, making an effort to unball his fists. "It's just easy for them to say. Most of them have already found their soulmates. Soulmates who adore them, with no effort on their part. I'm hanging out here on a limb, still. What if I never find mine? What if I need to actually work at finding love because it won't happen for me otherwise? I don't want to hang all my hopes on imprinting."

I shrugged, sitting on a fallen log next to the tree Jacob was leaning against. "Life's unfair, you know? Sometimes the things we want don't come easy."

He snickered. "Right. I think you owe royalties to some cheesy romcom for stealing their lines, Swan."

"I wouldn't have to quote lame chick flicks to try to cheer you up if you'd stop being such a downer, and come ooh and ahh at ancient cave paintings with me like the rest of your friends."

"Yeah, okay, come on," he pulled me up from the log like I was nothing more than a twig and dragged me into the caves the others had already infiltrated with their rowdy laughter.

The paintings were covered by Plexiglas shields screwed to the rock facings, though I couldn't imagine why anyone would try to damage them. They were gorgeous and much more intricate than I would have thought possible given the artists' canvas was made of stone. They were surprisingly well preserved for art created a couple thousand years ago.

"Wow, you guys," I murmured, tracing an elaborate depiction of a howling wolf through the plastic barrier. It was surprisingly realistic given the tools that had been at the disposal of the artist. "These are so amazing. I don't know why I was expecting something more… primitive. These should be on display in a museum somewhere."

"Yeah, kinda hard to lug a big slab of rock around, though. The elders don't really want them removed, anyway. They think it ruins the experience of them, if they're not viewed in context," Jacob explained. "So they just slapped a 'historical site' label on the area, made it part of a nature trail and put up some signage to explain the history behind them."

Noticing where my attention was directed, he added, "Supposedly, that's Kaheleha. He was the first of the great Spirit Chiefs. He was the first to harness the power within our blood that links us to the wolves. Dad'll probably mention him tonight when we're at the campfire."

He pointed to another piece, a much larger portrait of a rust coloured wolf. "And this is Taha Aki. He looks kinda like I do in my wolf form. He was the last of the great spirit warriors and also a chief. His legend is also one of Dad's favourites."

"Oh yeah," Paul butted in, "Chief Black loves telling everyone about the Cold Lady. I swear, he warns anyone who'll listen."

"And this over here is an old-school canoe." Embry explained, jabbing a finger at another image. "They used to make these things out of birch bark and sap. Who knew that shit would hold up in water, right? Canoes are kinda important to Quileute history, too. Supposedly the Quileute used to bury their dead in canoes as a symbol of their passage into the next life."

"Do you even know how to paddle a canoe?" I teased.

"Of course," Embry joked back, "what kind of Quileute do you think I am? I might not be able to construct a canoe out of paper and maple syrup, but I do have some native pride!"

"Ya know," Jared commented, "once on an episode of Mythbusters they made a working boat out of wire and duct tape."

"You're a dork, just for knowing that," Paul countered. "Why the hell would anyone waste their time doing that, let alone film a TV show about it?"

"Um, because it's awesome," Embry countered defending his friend. "I saw that episode, it was pretty fucking cool."

I laughed. Being around Paul, Jared, Embry and Jake was like hanging around a bunch of annoying brothers. I was touched by their desire to include me and share their tribe's history with me.

"This is all so cool. Thanks for sharing this with me, Jake. I know you didn't have to include me in all this tribal business."

Jake shrugged. "I wanted to and my dad was all for it. He loves the tribe like nothing else and he loves it when people take an interest in our stories. You've probably taken more of an interest than all of us combined."

Paul scoffed. "Like that's such a hard thing to do. Bella bean is probably just too nice to tell us to shut the fuck up about it, so she comes off as interested."

"No," I protested, "it's really fascinating. You guys take it for granted. Do you have any idea how freaking cool it is that you guys are actual real life 'spirit warriors?' That doesn't happen to everyone. Someone could write a book about you guys. My life is barely exciting enough for my own journal."

"Yeah, we are pretty awesome," Paul said smugly. "Did Jakey ever tell you why our tribe needs spirit warriors? The Chief doesn't want outsiders knowing too much about us, but I think that kind of went out the window, in your case, when Jake transformed in front of you last year."

Jake growled, his eyes shooting lasers in Paul's direction.

"No," I admitted. It seemed strange to me that I'd never asked why my friends were werewolves, but I hadn't. I suppose I'd never considered that they needed a reason to be. I'd always assumed they simply were.

Paul tapped one of the diagrams on the wall; it was a picture of a tall, pale woman with crimson eyes and clawed hands, dressed in lush black robes. She didn't look like anything I'd associate with the Quileute boys.

"This is the Cold Lady. She gets her name because her skin is cold as ice. She's a pure evil, bloodsucker. That's not all she'll take from you. Given the chance, she'll suck your soul from you without a second thought. There are lots of them; the Cold Ones. Werewolves are their only known predator, though they're dangerous to us as well. Anyway, according to legend, when they're near, the magic of the spirit warriors that has been passed down through our bloodlines is reawakened in the most recent generation."

Jake frowned, his brows furrowing deeply. "Usually only two or three warriors emerge in an active generation. But we've already got a pack of five, and others are showing preliminary signs of transformation as well. It's distressing and suggests more of our enemies are close than we'd like."

I shook my head, slightly bewildered by the fantasy world that surrounded me… only it wasn't fantasy at all. It was mind-bogglingly real.

I blinked several times as I stared at the drawing of the Cold Lady, trying to make sense of it all.

"And here I thought you guys were just gonna show me some pretty pictures on walls and then we'd eat marshmallows around a campfire while Billy told cool stories. I think I need a break from Quileute stuff. My brain is still trying to wrap itself around this new information."

"Yeah, okay, why don't we head back to the trails?" Embry suggested. "We were planning to go hiking, anyway. We just made a stop to appease the chief's educational requirements."

Sparing a last glance at the paintings, I turned to follow Jake out of the slightly darkened crevice into the afternoon light. We fell into step together a few paces behind the others, who were in the midst of play-fighting over God-knows what. I could make out a few words… something about a stench. An imaginary one, I supposed, because I couldn't smell a thing.

"So…" I hummed, my mind too full to think of a better conversation starter.

"So," Jake repeated, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His face was twisted into an uncomfortable mask of curiosity and desperation. "Did, um, anything Paul said in there remind you of something?"

It was clear he was looking for a specific answer but I had no idea what it was.

I shook my head. "No? Why would it?"

"Think, Bella, please. It's important. I can't say it myself. Not without creating more problems. I need you to think, hard. Did the legends mean anything to you?"

Jake's irritated tone was starting to grate on my nerves but I forced my response to remain neutral, not wanting to inadvertently start another fight. Not when we were on the cusp of recovering from a previous one.

"I'm sorry that this is troubling you but I have no idea what you're talking about. The cave paintings? Why would they remind me of anything? It's your history, not mine."

He let loose a frustrated growl. "Bella, be serious please. This isn't a game. It's real. For all of us. It's life and death we're talking about."

"I am being serious, Jacob," I growled back. "I have no freaking clue what you're going on about! Maybe if you would stop talking in circles, I'd have a better chance of actually understanding whatever the hell it is that you're trying to say!"

"I just told you," he snapped, "I can't tell you! Sam made sure I couldn't say anything to you. Alpha's orders have to be followed. So when I say I can't, I really can't! It's not that I don't want to! It's that I can't. So you're going to have to think harder! This is on you, not me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "This is just like you. Always whining about how unfair everything is without putting any effort in yourself. It's not my fault I can't make sense of your stupid hints. If you want me to solve whatever puzzle you're trying to force feed me, give me some clue what you're talking about. Surely you can do that?"

Jacob smashed his fist against a nearby tree trunk, irate. "I'm trying to tell you something that's crucial to both of our lives! I don't need your sarcasm!"

"Well, maybe I don't need your mind games!" I countered. "Is it so much to ask for a friend who won't pick a fight with me every time I see him?"

Jacob scoffed. "I don't think anyone would trust your taste in friends, Isabella. The people you've been hanging out with lately leave a fucking lot to be desired. Alice Cullen? Edward Masen? You know nothing about them! They're a couple of soulless leeches!"

I took a deep breath in an effort to calm myself. Jacob was not helping his case by insulting my friends. People whom he hardly knew, at that. Where did he get off insulting Edward and Alice because he was mad at me?

"What are you talking about?" I gritted out.

"That's right. I know you spend all your afternoons with Edward Masen. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about," he griped, eyeing my jacket distastefully. "You reek of them."

I didn't know whether I was mad, defeated or insulted. I did, however, know that I was done squabbling with someone who clearly wasn't interested in listening to anything I had to say.

"You know what, Jacob, I'm done talking to you. First you act like I'm an idiot for not playing along with your word games, then you insult my friends and now you're telling me I smell? Well you can go to hell, too! I'm going home. Tell Billy I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the campfire. Call me when you grow the hell up!"

I turned on my heel but not before I caught his expression crumpling in remorse.

Our raised voices had drawn the attention of the others, whom had moved to stand a few paces behind Jacob. The four of them standing in a row looked like a defensive line on a nonexistent football field. I'd only taken a couple steps when Jacob called my name, a pitiful note of apology in it. I tuned him out, not wanting to hear it and fall victim to the sad puppy voice.

Paul wisely suggested he shut the fuck up and leave me alone because there was no arguing with a woman scorned until at least twenty-four hours after the scorn-inducing incident. I think he meant it as a joke. I hoped Jacob took him seriously. He'd be lucky if I was ready to listen to him again in twenty-four hours.

I stumbled back in the direction we'd come from, quickly putting the boys behind me. It wasn't long before they were obscured from sight by trees, the low sounds of their voices disappearing.

It was eerie being alone in a strange forest. It didn't feel like home the way the meadow did. Nothing on the pathway was familiar to me but then I hadn't been paying much attention on the way to the caves, either. Jake had distracted me with his chatter.

I hoped I was heading in the right direction. I didn't think I could stand getting lost in the woods overnight. Just the thought of being here after dark was terrifying.

In retrospect, I probably should have been paying better attention to where I was going. Half of my mind was still reeling from the stupid fight with Jacob and trying to decipher whatever it was that had gotten him so stressed out. He had said he couldn't tell me because Sam had ordered him not to, so it had to be important enough to impose a strict gag order.

He had also specifically asked if anything Paul had said was significant to me. What legends exactly had Paul been the one to explain? They were all blurring together, mythical tales of spirit warriors and wolves. I remembered Jake had mentioned the spirit warrior chiefs – he had pointed out the fur coat of one of them resembled his… Jared and Embry mentioned the canoes, because they'd brought up the merits of the Mythbusters' duct tape canoe… Then Paul had mentioned the Cold Lady.

What did I know about the fantastical blood-sucking enemies of the Quileute? I'd never met a vampire in my life. Unless he was asking me to think about books I'd read? In Port Angeles, with Edward, I'd been reading Dracula… was that related somehow?

Mind-deep in my speculations, I somehow managed to trip on an exposed tree root and tumble head-first down the short incline on the uneven path.

My hands reflexively moved forward to catch my fall. A surreal moment that felt both excessively fast and excessively slow passed. Next thing I knew I was lying at the bottom of the small hill, my forearm positioned at an odd angle from my body.

It was pretty clear to me I'd broken it. That wasn't what alarmed me. I could smell the salty, coppery tang of blood, seeping from my arm. I felt my stomach clench and my vision turn hazy, my body revolting, even as I fought to remain conscious.

To make matters worse, I wasn't sure whether I was still on the path the boys were. It didn't seem possible that I could have wandered off the trail completely and into the thicker underbrush but I didn't recognize where I was. I was certain we'd never gone up an incline on the way to the caves. Had I wandered down one of the off-shooting trails by mistake?

When Jacob and the others found my truck, they'd come looking for me, but would it be soon enough? With that thought, my body won its quest for blackness.

xx

An agonizingly long stretch of time seemed to pass in the darkness before I was able to, by sheer force of will, force my eyes open. My body seemed detached from my mind.

The world around me was blurred, the trees nothing more than a myriad of green and brown.

It took me a moment to realize that my sight wasn't impaired because I was feeling dizzy.

It was because I was moving.

Fast.

Inhumanly fast.

Except it didn't feel like I was running.

Or dreaming for that matter.

My dreams were less… achy.

Something cold and solid was holding me.

It cradled me, considerate of my pain, as it pushed forward at breakneck speed.

My head felt heavy and hollow trying to process the simple thought. I wanted out of my own skin. I wanted my mind to function right.

I raised my head slowly, to minimize the pain movement brought.

I was met with concerned burgundy.

Eyes.

Burgundy eyes.

Red tinted irises.

Cold hands.

Like the Cold Lady.

"Edward," I murmured.

"You're safe."

Content that I was, the black returned.