{

I drove like mad, cringing each time I went through a stoplight as the other cars honked at me. It didn't slow me down, though; I had to keep going. She had to be OK.

The radio talked of nothing but the attack. The host was speculating as to what happened, but it was obvious no details were being released to the public. I let out a sob as I thought of what could have happened to her.

A terrorist attack!

I hadn't had time for denial when I watched the announcement; I simply reacted. Now, all I could think about was how she was going to be OK. She was fine; she probably left already by the time all this started. She would be home, wondering where I was and why I was so hysterical.

I gripped the wheel and drove faster. I had to know for sure; I couldn't leave this to chance.

}

-Chapter 4: Back in Black-

World History and Chemistry passed quickly and without incident. Angela had been in the history class with me, but she avoided eye contact whenever I glanced at her. I could feel her looking at me as I stared at the front of the class, but I tried to ignore the stares. The large Cullen, Emmett, was in my Chemistry class. He wasn't so shy – nor was he standoffish like Edward had been.

He seemed to be…intensely happy or excited as he looked at me from the back of the classroom – I hadn't been partnered with him, thank goodness. I tried to pay attention to the lesson as best as I could, but every chance I had to bend to get a pencil from my backpack or pass a worksheet behind me, I would look at him. My eyes always flickered across his face and neck, the smoothness of his skin completely, inhumanly perfect.

Jessica had filled me in on the Cullens during the bottom half of the lunch period. They were all seniors, though Edward and Alice had been pushed up a grade before they moved to Forks from Alaska. Alice and Edward were assumed to have been dating one another, like their siblings were, until Angela started seeing Edward. This hadn't stopped Jessica from asking the mean-spirited Edward out on several dates, though. She was confident he would tire of Angela eventually.

When the bell rang, I allowed Emmett to pass beside me and leave first as I pretended to fumble with my books. He walked smoothly – much differently than the lumbering gait I had imagined – and slowed as he went past. The muscles of his back bunched under his shirt as he turned to look at me, smiling with a television-worthy white smile. I didn't miss the way the light glinted off the very sharp edges of each tooth.

My last class of the day was Gym, and I cringed just thinking about it. Before…this had happened, I had been a klutz – always tripping and hurting myself. I could hurt myself just walking across a flat floor, and it was worse when obstacles were involved. I didn't have to worry about hurting myself anymore, but I had to concentrate on containing my strength.

It had taken me several weeks before I didn't break everything I touched, and even then it still happened occasionally. I didn't know exactly how strong I was; just that it was enough to lift a car over my head one-handed. If I kicked a ball too hard or bumped into someone, I could seriously hurt a classmate or even kill them.

Of course, another part of me thought my concern was idiotic. I killed people almost twice a month, and here I was worrying about hitting some kid too hard with a dodge ball. I pushed the thought away and focused on not hurting anyone here, where I lived. There was no sense in needless murder if I wasn't feeding.

"Who're you?" a voice asked. I turned to look at an overweight man who was obviously the coach, if his shorts and the whistle that was around his neck was anything to go by.

"Bella Swan," I said, walking closer to the coach as students walked around me and headed for the locker room. "It's my first day." The man grunted and nodded to himself.

"I'm Coach Clapp," the man introduced himself. "You'll sit out today, but you'll need shorts and a plain t-shirt to dress out tomorrow. You can sit on the bleachers until the class is over with." He nodded toward the single set of retractable bleachers that were extended and I headed toward them without comment.

I perched on the highest bench of the bleacher set, both to distance myself physically from the other students, who were already beginning to trickle out of the locker room doors, as well as to give me a better view of the gym. The students – mostly dressed in grey tones – sat against the collapsed bleachers on the other end of the gym, apparently waiting for class to start.

Emmett Cullen walked out as well, making the others look like dwarfs as he followed the flow and took his place among the students as well. I cocked my head to the side as I noticed the students shying away from him. It didn't look like a conscious action – it was more of a subtle discomfort. I didn't know if it had to do with his size, or whatever linked himself and the other members of his family, but I watched regardless.

Suddenly, another Cullen came out of one of the locker room doors. If I hadn't had remembered her from her spiky hair cut or small stature, I would have recognized the strange way all of them seemed to move. The phrase 'economy of motion' came to mind, but it was an entirely different story with this girl – Alice, I remembered her name from lunch.

She seemed to skip and dance across the wood-paneled gym floor instead of gliding or walking. While she was small, her presence was as large as Emmett's. Suddenly, she turned as she was on her way to join her brother, and I was able to see her face for the first time.

She was just as beautiful as Rosalie, her wide eyes alive and sparkling above a button nose and coral lips. Her expression was the polar opposite of Rosalie, though; it was friendly and open, without a hit of malice or perpetual anger. I found myself unable to look away as I absorbed her features and watched her move.

And then, out of nowhere, her golden eyes met mine. She froze in place and flickered through several facial expressions at such a speed that if I were normal I wouldn't have caught them. Shock, eyes wide, eyebrows peaked, and mouth open. Confusion…or concentration, her mouth curling into a puckered frown as her brow fell nearly to her eyes. And finally a sort of contained excitement, a well-crafted smile on her pale face.

Admittedly, I watched her throughout the class period. It was some sort of 'free day' in gym, and everyone was either walking around the perimeter of the gym floor or grouping together with others to play basketball. Alice grouped with Emmett, unsurprisingly, and a few other brave students to play a game.

When the coach called everyone back into the locker rooms, I noticed the dripping sweat beading on most of the student's brows and turning their grey t-shirts darker as they moistened. Neither Emmett nor Alice seemed to be sweating or fatigued at all, though. They glided into the locker rooms just as poised and composed as they were at the beginning of the class.

In the back of my mind, I wondered if they were something like me as I glanced at my own arm, the pale imitation of flesh and skin completely different from the Cullens' – and yet just as different from a normal person's. I stopped my internal comparisons as the bell rang, stepping down from the bleachers and heading for my truck. I would have plenty of time to think everything over tonight.

On my way out to the parking lot, a few of the kids I had sat at lunch with waved and told me goodbye as they headed for their own cars. I nodded and waved back, ducking my head and continuing to my parking spot. I opened the door to my truck and tossed in my backpack before I climbed inside the cab and closed the door behind me.

I sat in the semi-isolation of the cab for a few moments with my hands on the steering wheel as I leaned back in the cushioned seat and closed my eyes. I could still hear students talking in the lot, as well as the hustle and bustle of a multitude of footsteps hitting the pavement, but the truck's enclosure muted them enough that I began to feel slightly normal.

A strange hissing sound forced me to open my eyes, and I looked around the thinning parking lot for the source. My eyes ran across the rear-view mirror and I caught sight of what I knew was where the sound was coming from. The Cullens plus Angela stood around two new-looking cars – one an enormous red jeep, and the other a sleek, silver car.

They were arranged similarly to how they sat in the cafeteria; Angela and Edward were paired up, as were Rosalie and Emmett. Alice stood with her back directly facing me, waving her hands about like she was angry – and maybe she was. The others all wore various masks of concern, their brows pulled down and frowns framing their faces.

I strained my ears to listen in, but their hushed whispers coupled with the cab's enclosure prevented me from making out more than the tones of their voices. I huffed out a breath of annoyance, somehow instinctually knowing they were talking about me. The way Angela would glance at my truck every ten seconds only made my assumption more concrete.

Deciding there was nothing I could do at the moment, I started my truck and rolled out of the parking lot, only partially considering ramming into their vehicles out of anger. I smirked at the mental image of their expressions in my head, but conceded my fantasy would have to be enough. I didn't think Charlie would like it very much if I crushed two cars on my first day of school.

After I got home, I headed upstairs and did what little homework had been assigned. The calculus problems took the longest, but I was finished with everything sooner than I had imagined – only about an hour of work. Since I had the time right now, I dug through the old clothes in my closet, pulling out an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I tucked them into the second compartment in my backpack for gym and put it beside my bed.

I went into the bathroom as I replayed Alice's face in my mind. My reflection gazed back at me in a daze, a half-smile starting to crack up my face at how smoothly she seemed to dance around the gymnasium. I focused on my face and let my more primitive brain take control, directing its focus to my eyes.

Immediately, my chocolate brown irises lightened and morphed into a stunning golden hue. I chuckled at the color, blinking a few times and tilting my head to get a better look. After a few minutes of vanity, I rolled my eyes at myself and switched back to my normal appearance. I thought the gold looked amazing; it was too bad I had already introduced myself with brown eyes.

I couldn't stand to be upstairs any more, especially since it would be where I would lie immobile for eight hours or so, so I went downstairs and into the kitchen. I opened up the cabinets and drawers, taking stock of what few cooking items Charlie actually had in his kitchen. It was obvious he ate out a lot. I scrunched my nose as I thought about what I could make for his dinner. I might not need to eat real food, but Charlie sure did.

It was at that moment that I heard Charlie's cruiser pull into the drive, the car door opening and shutting before the front door was opened and Charlie stepped inside the house. He was carrying a case of beer in one hand and his keys in the other as he walked into the kitchen, setting both of the items down on the counter and turning to me.

"Hey, Bells," he greeted. I smiled and nodded.

"Hi, dad," I replied. "What did you want to do for dinner? You don't exactly have a lot of cooking options here." Charlie snorted a laugh and nodded as he opened the case of beer and put a few in the refrigerator.

"Yeah, I know. I actually invited Billy and Jacob over to watch the game, so…" he trailed off.

"Let me guess," I rolled my eyes. "Beer and pizza? You know, you can't be eating like that all the time, dad." Charlie considered what I said for a moment and reached into one of the overhead cabinets, pulling out a jar.

"Tell you what," he said, as he unscrewed the cap and dumped a roll of ten and five dollar bills on the counter. "How about you be in charge of the food stuff? Go out and get some food tomorrow. I'll leave it entirely in your hands." He handed me the roll of cash and I took it with a smile on my face.

"That's probably one of the smartest ideas you've ever had," I jested, eliciting a small huff of a laugh from Charlie as he finished unpacking and putting away his badge and gun. "Any requests?"

"No," Charlie shook his head. "Just…no food experiments, OK? I know your mother used to…" he cut off as he saw my face undoubtedly fall. "Oh hell, I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to bring it up…" I shook my head and put on what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

"It's alright," I told him. "I can't expect it to never come up. It just took me by surprise, that's all – don't worry about it." Charlie grunted and nodded, clearly uncomfortable, and shuffled into the living room to probably watch some television.

Jake and Billy showed up about ninety minutes later, the former pushing the latter in a wheelchair as they arrived at the door. Billy looked ancient compared to my father, though I knew they were close in age. His wide, rust-colored face was lined with wrinkles that made him seem like some sort of native wise-man, but his infectious smile as he thanked Charlie for the hospitality contradicted the 'stoic' personality I had imagined.

His son, Jacob, was enormous. He was tall – over six-and-a-half feet, I was sure. He had the same dark copper tone of skin and his black hair was buzzed short. Underneath the t-shirt he wore, I could see the bulges and ridges of well-toned muscle. Unlike his father, though, Jacob wasn't smiling.

His nose was flared and he wore a look of confusion as his dark eyes flitted around the room several times before they settled on me. His chest rose as he took in a deep breath, causing him to freeze as his eyes narrowed at me minutely. A low-pitched rumbling came from his chest, the vibrations visible in the threads of his t-shirt. His fists clenched and my eyes widened in confusion and…fear.

"Jacob," Charlie greeted the giant, seemingly unaware of the silent exchange. "You remember Bella, right?"

Jacob blinked and shook his head, appearing to come out of some sort of trance or daydream as he looked at my father. He nodded and looked back at me again, this time with less anger and more…curiosity?

"Yeah, I remember," he said, his voice deep and friendly. "We used to get dumped together while the two of you went fishing." He smirked at the two adults, who both chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah," Charlie said. "Hey, Billy, you wanna beer?"

"Sure, sure," Billy replied, his voice an even deeper, more grizzled version of Jacob's.

Billy wheeled further into the living room, settling next to one of the reclining chairs, while Charlie ducked into the kitchen to get the beers. I followed him in and leaned against the counter, not quite comfortable alone with two people I really didn't remember. I chuckled lowly – as if I would be in any danger against a paraplegic and his too-tall son.

Jacob meandered into the kitchen a few minutes after Charlie left; I could hear the beer cans cracking open and the announcer speaking on the TV. He took a spot on the counter that ran perpendicular to the one I was leaning against and gave me that strange look again. Not the aggressive one – he looked like he was trying to solve some sort of a puzzle.

"Are you…" he started, but cut himself off.

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

It was a strange question. I would have expected a 'how are you doing' or a 'so, how have you been;' but not 'are you alright.' I cocked an eyebrow at him and considered whether or not to just ignore him and go suffer through a sports event with the parental units. Jacob must have seen the look on my face, because he clarified.

"It's just…you…are you sick?" he finally managed to ask. I furrowed my brow in response before I locked down my expression.

Are you sick?

Yes. You could say I was incredibly sick. I wondered if he could see my face blanch as much as I felt it, and I was suddenly lucky I could no longer lose the color in my face. Jacob moved closer to me, concern and regret painting his face as he reached for one of my hands. I was too stunned to move, and both of us gasped as his hand clasped mine.

His hands were hot.

Jacob seemed to come to the same conclusion, since my temperature tended to run high when I was 'full.' He didn't let go, though. His hand tightened in mine, to the point that were I a normal teenage girl, it would have seriously hurt. I flexed my fingers and pulled gently, trying to coax him to let go of his own accord. No such luck. I wrapped my other hand around his wrist and pulled away from him, breaking his grip effortlessly.

If I had blanched before, the look on Jacob's face was doubly so. He swallowed and took a step back, his eyes seeming to darken and that look of aggression swimming back onto his face. He turned abruptly and walked to the entrance to the living room, ducking around the corner so he was still halfway inside the kitchen with me.

"Hey, Bella and I are going to go catch up outside," Jacob told them, making my eyes narrow. My insides squirmed as my suspicion grew, my instincts preparing to fight him off even as I tried to calm down.

"Sure thing," Charlie said. "Just don't go in the woods; there was another animal attack last week. Stay close to the house." Jacob must have nodded, because he simply ducked back around the corner and went to the back door in the kitchen.

I followed him outside into the back yard, staying several yards behind him as he walked with clenched fists. The sun had long since gone down, though I had absolutely no trouble seeing at night. The lights from inside the house reached out and cast deep shadows as we walked. Once we were nearly to the tree line, he spun around and glared at me.

"What is this?" I asked before he opened his mouth. "What is your problem?" I clenched my fists as well to keep in control of my anger, even as Jacob sneered at me.

"What are you?" he asked. I gaped at him, unable to form words. How did he know? Certainly a fever isn't enough…

"What?" I immediately replied. "I don't…" I swallowed the lump in my throat as I stared at him, completely befuddled.

"You don't have a pulse," he said, looking at where my heart would be on my chest. "What are you?" he repeated.

My instinctual response was to rush him and kill him. We were near the tree line and I was sure I could snap his neck before he got a word out. My god, he knew! My more rational mind reeled, trying to find some alternative. I couldn't kill him; my dad knew his dad – we knew each other as kids!

Jacob moved closer as I was in my mental tailspin and I reacted, lashing out and slamming my hands into his chest. His body went sailing into the woods, snapping several of the trees as he hit each of them. I froze in place again, my hand still outstretched. Oh, no! I had killed him! I took a step toward the carnage I knew would be there, when a deep growl came from behind the cover of the trees.

An enormous russet-colored wolf stepped into my line of sight from inside the forest, his dark eyes nearly glowing as it bared its teeth and crouched. It was at least the size of a horse, though I wasn't sure how that was possible. I knew that wolves didn't get that big. Behind me, I could hear footsteps on linoleum and hushed voices. Charlie was coming outside to investigate the noise, I knew.

I gritted my teeth and blurred into the forest, bypassing the wolf and hoping it would follow me instead of going after Charlie. It wasn't even ten seconds of running before I was tackled by a blob of heat and fur, causing me to tumble into a few trees of my own, cracking the bark as I went. I flipped back onto my feet and crouched in a fighting position, letting my flesh reform and mould my hands into the all-too-familiar red and black claws.

It was in that moment, when I realized that no ordinary wolf could have followed me at the speeds I was running – nearly ninety miles-per-hour. The wolf hesitated too, taking a step back and letting its lips slip back across its razor-sharp teeth. I straightened out of my crouch, but kept my claws out in case it decided to attack.

I did not expect what happened next.

The wolf shuddered and instantly popped into Jacob. Literally. One second the wolf was there, and the next…Jacob Black was standing naked in place of the enormous animal. My mouth fell open in shock as my hands reformed on their own, and I knew if I had been a normal girl I would have fainted at the sight.

"So," Jacob said hesitantly, but with less animosity and more caution. "I guess we have a lot to talk about?"

I nodded; incapable of speaking.

End notes: So... I realized I sort of messed up, having Edward, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett in school at the same time if it was during the Senior year. I made it work out though, as you can tell. It didn't seem right to write out the oldest Cullen children just because they would have graduated already.

Thanks for the reviews and 'please update' messages. Those are great, too.

And I realize this story would fit inside the Twilight/Prototype crossover section, but I'm not going to add it. No characters from Prototype will appear; this story's not even taking place in the same 'universe.' The idea for the powers was borrowed (and that's why I gave props to Prototype), but I don't really think that's enough to call it a straight-up 'crossover.'

Alrighty, then.