Chapter Eight: An Interesting Development
"Edward, shut up," Bella groaned. "I have to study... and if you keep distracting me I will kick you out." She flipped several pages in a book with such frustration that she nearly tore a sheet right out of the text. This annoyed her further and she let out a yowl and slammed the book shut.
He regarded her patiently. "You need a break."
"No, I need to study," she said frantically, pulling another book in front of her and opening it furiously.
"No. You want to study. And you'll be better able to do it if you when you aren't so raw. Take a break for half an hour. Relax. Your books will still be there when you return, and you'll be in better form to give them their due attention."
Bella stopped fidgeting and sighed before looking up at him. "Why do you talk like that?"
"What, sensibly?"
"Like from you're from another time," she clarified.
He stiffened imperceptibly. "Because I suppose logic has gone out of style..." he returned with a sneer, mentally cursing her for her perception and himself for his indiscretion.
"It's because you spend more time reading literature than talking to actual people," Bella surmised.
"Books make for better company."
Bella's chin rose. "Agreed. So leave so I can get back to mine."
Edward shrugged and put his hands in his pockets and ambled out of Bella's kitchen to the living room. He glanced over the television, the fish on the wall, the sofa and chairs. He continued through it, making his way into the hall. Down it and across was room, the door closed but unlocked. He'd seen it before, had looked in at the frightful mess within and left again. He entered now, more out of a lack for anything better to do than a genuine curiosity.
This was the room least frequented, that was obvious. This was the room where boxes were placed because they weren't fit to go anywhere else. Old chairs, paintings that weren't seen fit to hang in the house proper, pieces of junk and other things that were no doubt well meant Christmas or birthday gifts that simply weren't loved or appreciated enough to be cherished, but couldn't be thrown away. That seemed to be the theme of the entire room. Things that were to be kept, but not remembered. Everything was covered in a layer of dust, including the old piano, which was piled with more folders, boxes, old toys, and a broken tackle box. He cleared everything off the bench and sat, only to find that the pedals were blocked but yet more boxes. He shoved those aside too and opened the instrument, letting his fingers run over the keys without pressing down on them.
The silence was delectable. Apart from his own fingers over the keys and Bella's breathing in the next room, and of course the gentle patter of the ever present rain outside, there were no sounds. Her house was just far enough away from either town that he didn't hear anyone's thoughts. If he were to play, there would be nothing but music in his ears and mind. Music had always been a solace of sorts, but this... this was something extraordinary. Edward sincerely hoped the instrument was tuned.
In this room, in this house, he could play as slowly and softly as he wanted, and not have to use the piano itself to try to drown out everything else. Carefully, gingerly, he began the funereal beginning of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, pianissimo. As he continued his ears picked up Bella moving through the house, trying to tread silently. He remembered from the time he had spent in her head that this particular piece was one of her favourites. Strangely, the squeak of floorboards under her feet didn't bother him. Rather, it seemed to add something the tune.
When he finished he turned around to look at her. She didn't seem startled that he knew she was there. Her pulsing scent in the staid still room seemed all the sweeter for the utter stillness around her. She was the only edible within miles, and yet he couldn't eat her... yet. Edward thought he might be growing more sensitive to her scent. Through no merit of its own, it grew more delectable to him, simply because he was teasing himself with her.
"Nice one, maestro."
"Thank you," he replied courteously, standing up from the bench.
Bella hastily extended a hand, palm out and fingers splayed. "No!" She seemed to recover herself and looked down, a bit embarrassed. "Don't stop," she whispered.
"What about your precious studying?" he sneered mockingly. "I thought I was just distracting you from your books."
She looked up, an expression that was some bastard breed between a glare and a smile. "You know something Mr. Cullen, there is something seriously wanting in your people skills."
"You liked me better as your silent lunch time reading companion?" he asked in the exact same tone of voice as before, although secretly it was an earnest question.
Bella took a moment to consider him, but didn't answer. She simply raised an eyebrow.
He frowned at her. "Debussy or Liszt?" he asked sourly, and her mouth broke out into a full toothy smile.
.
"Bella you're driving me mad, sit down and relax!" Edward growled. "It's just an exam."
"Just an exam?!" she cried. "Edward, if I don't do well on this then how the hell am I supposed to get into college?"
His eyebrows rose slightly. Bella rarely swore aloud and her doing so now was causing a scene. They were waiting in the hallway to the room in which they'd take their only remaining exam, Biology. She'd made similar scenes before her other exams but this one, perhaps because it was the last of the lot, seemed to distress her most.
Thinking that saying 'Don't worry, you won't live to see college so really, these exams don't matter either way,' wouldn't soothe her any, he simply told her, "You know this stuff. I know you know it."
"What if I fail?" Her hands were trembling with worry and her eyes looked as they might soon fill with nervous tears. He ruthlessly gripped her by the shoulders, tired of her anxiety.
"Repeat after me, Isabella. I have studied well for this exam."
"I have studied well for this exam."
"I am prepared to take this exam." She shook her head but he glared and gripped harder. "Say it."
"I am prepared to take this exam," she repeated obediently.
"I am going to do well on this exam."
"I am going to do well on this exam."
He nodded and let her go, seeing that she was breathing steadily and a rational human being once again.
"Will you quiz me one more time?" she asked tentatively.
He sighed dramatically. "Yes, alright."
The exam was, of course, entirely simple and once they had finished, Bella was in much better spirits. They walked out to the parking lot arm in arm, her bouncing on her toes as she walked contrasting with his firm, sober stride. Clearly she was elated to have finished her junior year of high school. He'd finished his junior year a dozen times, and he'd found the experience dulled with repetition.
"Ah, Cullen!" someone thought. The mental voice was that of Daniel Orvis. Edward hoped to avoid the invitation, but unless he could convince Bella to bolt to his car, the quarterback would catch up with them.
"Iz! Cullen!" Bella stopped and turned around and Edward, perforce, did too. The boy noticed this but didn't jump to any conclusions as so many others had.
"Hey Dan," Bella greeted cheerfully.
"Hey guys. Glad I caught you. I'm having an after-prom party at my place, and you both should come."
"Oh. I'm not going to prom," Bella replied, sounding slightly sad, but perhaps it was just her feeling guilty at turning down such a well meant invitation.
"You can still come to the party," he persisted, positively glowing. No doubt he was glad to been finished with high school. Lucky bastard, thought Edward. He would never be finished with high school.
"Erm..." Bella looked at Edward with an uncertain pleading. Bet you wish I could read your mind now...
He gave it a go anyway, risking misinterpreting her. "Actually we were going to Seattle for the weekend," he remarked casually. "We're having our own anti-prom party."
'I guess the rumours are true. They are together then. Good for him. Never saw him as the romantic type.' "You really have no school spirit, do you Cullen?"
"Not one iota," he affirmed proudly, then added to Bella, "Shall we?" With that he led her away, walking her almost forcefully through the parking lot so that she could only crane her neck behind her to bid Orvis farewell.
"He was being nothing but nice to you, and yet you were so rude."
Edward smirked. "He likes me well enough. My insolence amuses him."
"You're talking like a book again."
He rolled his eyes and snatched her bag from her to fling it into the backseat of his Volvo. "Get in."
.
They didn't go to Seattle. Edward actually had to work that night and Bella, well, he had no idea what she may or may not have done. She didn't tell him and he had no other way of knowing. She'd called him a week later wondering if he was going to graduation. He wasn't, of course.
That had been three weeks ago. Only three weeks and yet he missed...
No.
He did not miss anyone. It wasn't the right word at all. He was... less amused without Bella. He didn't enjoy himself when she wasn't around to bother.
He was sitting on the wooden stool in front of the sorry excuse for a piano that was his electronic keyboard, wishing that he had a real instrument to play on when it occurred to him. Surely his inaction with Bella would retard the improvement he was making on that front. He shouldn't, therefore, allow himself to be away from her for too long.
Thinking he'd kill two birds with one stone, as the saying had it, he firmly decided to visit her... and not coincidentally, her piano as well.
He was more than half-way there when he remembered that she'd expect any visitor to arrive at her house, miles into nowhere, to come by car. So he had to backtrack and take the Volvo.
Edward was surprised when Bella shouted "Come on in!" upon hearing him knock and again, couldn't help but notice that the girl herself was her own biggest safety hazard. He strolled in, in any case.
"And what if you just welcomed a killer into your house?" he asked. Bella gasped and turned around on the couch where she was reading.
"Edward!"
"When you invite any and all people into your home without bothering to check who they are you can be guaranteed a few surprises," he told her reprovingly.
She blinked at him and shook her head quickly to clear away the stupefaction. "Sorry, I... I was expecting someone... else."
"Oh? Have I come at a bad time?" He asked needlessly. He could tell already from the thoughts of her approaching friend hat she was expecting company.
"No," was her immediate response but then she looked down at her feet guiltily. "Well actually..."
He held up a hand. "Say no more. I'll leave. Truth is, I just came by to beg a half hour with your piano."
Her face lightened. "Oh, well I was going to a movie but you are welcome to stay and play to your heart's content," she offered.
"Stay here while you're away? What if I rob the place?"
"I trust you."
He shook his head and made 'tsk'ing sounds. "You shouldn't."
She laughed as if this was some sort of joke. "No, I probably shouldn't. The offer still stands though."
"Bella!" came a deeply male voice from the door as it opened sans knock. The face was one Edward recognized, but only through Bella's memories. This was her friend Jacob. Her tall, dark skinned, dark haired, well featured friend Jacob.
The moment he and the boy laid eyes on each other he felt an immediate jolt of the strongest antipathy Edward had ever experienced. The newcomer's thoughts, which he had read several times in the past, were now not translatable in words of any language. It was like reading the mind of an animal or something. 'Raised hackles' was the closest thing he could think of that could accurately describe the boy's mind at that moment, and something ineffable told Edward it wasn't just simple jealousy. This was a deeply personal dislike that had little or nothing to do with Bella, and damned if he knew what it was. He could tell that the boy himself didn't know either.
Edward had never felt anything so powerful before, save from the overpowering one-mindedness of thirst during a hunt. Apart from that, this was the purest, strongest emotion he'd ever felt. Everything else, the boredom and the annoyance of the little day to day things paled in comparison to this veritable fountain of hate that had seem to spring up in him.
Bella's voice broke them both out of their intense staring. "Erm... Edward this is my oldest friend in the world, Jacob. Jake, this is Edward Cullen. He goes to school with me."
Not willing to be openly (and what would doubtlessly seem unreasonably) hostile to one another, Jacob put out his hand and Edward, like a gentleman, shook it...
Only a second passed before they both hastily jerked their hands away. The boy was practically a furnace. Edward wouldn't have gone so far as to say it hurt, but the heat, the shocking heat of this human, was decidedly uncomfortable. It burned, not at all like how the sun burned, but the temperature was intense all the same. Much higher than the perfectly desirable 98.6 degrees. Perhaps had he been warned, had he been expecting it he wouldn't have reacted so instinctively and pulled away. But Jacob did too. No doubt Edward's coldness was just as unnerving to him.
Recovering himself before her friend could, Edward intoned, politely as he possibly could under the circumstances, "Nice to meet you, Jacob."
The boy clenched and then unclenched his jaw, nodding. "Edward."
Bella wasn't oblivious to the tension in the room and seemed to be in a hurry to end it.
"Well Jake, we'd better go," she said, taking his arm and leading him to the door.
"Wait, you're going to just leave him here?" he asked suspiciously, casting his eyes and aspersions towards Edward.
"Yeah. He's going to tune the piano while I'm gone," Bella answered, assuming that this was a better excuse than the truth.
"Why do you need someone to tune the piano, you don't even play anymore."
"I was thinking of taking it up again. Remember? I told you last week I might do music next year?"
Jacob's mistrusting glance didn't leave Edward's face. "Yeah... yeah I remember. Lucky you just happen to personally know a piano tuner when you suddenly decide yours needs tuning." His accusation was buried under a fake smile of large white powerful teeth, almost as powerful and white as Edwards'.
"Right," said Bella awkwardly, looking between both of them uncertainly. "Well we'd better go. Don't want to be late."
Jacob seemed to mentally growl at him, but eventually broke the eye contact and let Bella lead him out.
"Oh, and lock the door behind you if you leave before I get back," she called back to him.
"Will do," he assured. And with that the door slammed shut.
No longer in direct proximity, Edward could hear the boy's thoughts again.
"Who the hell was that?" he asked Bella.
"Edward. I told you."
"Who the hell is Edward?"
"He's the one who pushed me out of the way of the van."
"So he's the one who did this, then?" he asked heatedly, pointing to her brace and sling with one arm as he opened the car door with the other.
Bella frowned but got in, waiting until Jacob walked around and situated himself in the driver's seat. "He saved my life, Jake."
"I don't like him."
"You don't even know him."
"And I don't want to. He creeps me out."
"Just... stop. Stop insulting him, stop talking about him, stop thinking about him. Just put him out of your mind, think of something else," she said quickly. No doubt she was worried that he was eavesdropping on her friend's thoughts, and rightly so. If she was trying to spare Edward from hearing mean things about him, she needn't bother. He'd heard it all before.
"No, I'm serious. Something's really wrong with him."
"Jake, stop."
"And he's freakishly cold. Like a dead fish or something."
Bella growled. "Can we talk about something else please? I refuse to discuss it now," she said, then added in a whisper. "I still don't have any privacy, do I?" She rubbed her head exasperatedly, as if she had a headache.
Ah ha. So it's hers and her friend's privacy of mind she's trying to preserve. As if I actually care what he thinks. As she said, I saved her life, she owes me. And I will collect that debt one day...
"What do you mean, privacy? It's just us."
"Forget it. So what movie do you want to see?"
"That was a really pathetic attempt to change the topic, Bells," he pointed out.
"Humour me?" she asked hopefully.
Jacob rolled his eyes and sighed, but capitulated nonetheless. In words, if not in thought...
.
Once they drove out of range, he sat down at the piano. It wasn't out of tune, not really. Perhaps a tweak here and there wouldn't go amiss but on the whole it was an instrument in fine condition, for all that it was covered with dust. He did a bit of improvisation and composition. In fact, he was rather proud of the piece he'd been working on. He'd been so involved he lost track of time. Three hours he must have been at it, the sky had darkened slightly and he heard their thoughts approaching long before he heard the car. Time enough to pop in his Volvo and drive it a bit away so it wouldn't be seen by the house and then dash back in.
If the boy Jacob thought Edward wasn't around, he was more likely to leave.
He sat in what had once been her father's room, waiting until it was safe to descend. This was delayed because he wasn't expecting the new development the first words out of Jacob's mouth put forth.
"He's still here. I can smell him..."
He can smell me? What kind of freak is he? Edward was aware, but uncaring of the hypocrisy. Humans didn't have a good enough sense of smell to detect that sort of thing and the living boiler was unquestionably not a vampire. What else was left? Nothing he'd heard of before, that was for certain.
"Stop being dramatic. You can't smell him," Bella put in reasonably.
"He's. Here," the who-knew-what repeated.
"You're being ridiculous."
It took another few minutes for them to wind down their argument and get the thing to leave, but eventually she managed. The front door closed again, and he heard Bella sigh from the kitchen, then fill up a cup of water from the sink.
"He was right you know," he remarked from the doorway.
She let out a short shrill shriek of surprise, dropping her glass, which shattered on the tiles, spreading shards and water across the floor. After clutching her heart and taking several deep breaths calmed down again. Edward rolled his eyes.
"Oh hell, Belle, now he's coming back. He heard that. Tell him... I don't know. Tell him you saw an insect that startled you or something." He disappeared up the stairs again.
"Bella! You alright?" Jacob called from the front door as he barreled in.
"It's nothing," she replied. "Saw a spider. I'm fine. Sorry to worry you. I'll see you later Jake."
Another minor squabble later and the boy left the house again, hopefully for good.
"Your friend is an odd one," he told her.
"I don't need to tell you he feels the same way."
"No, indeed you don't. But what I don't know is why. Obviously he knew something was off about me, but we both know what that is," he lied. Let her think he only had one abnormality. "But we don't know what his defect is." He looked at her speculatively. "Or do we?"
"I don't know anything."
"Nothing? Nothing about..." He affected what he considered a 'Bella-like' voice. "'My oldest friend in the world Jacob,'?"
Edward's mind was half in the conversation, half following the topic of their conversation as he left Bella's house. 'I can still smell him. He's around here somewhere. Can I change?' Jacob looked around making sure no one could see and then...
Edward, who wasn't even human himself, had difficulty believing what he saw. The boy stripped down, tied up his clothes to a cloth round his leg and transformed into some sort of over-large canine and sprinted off towards where his car was parked.
And I thought I was the freak, Edward thought, amused.
"Edward? Edward what is it?"
Edward snapped back into his own body, which was standing in Bella's kitchen next to the girl herself. "Sorry," he apologized. "Lost in thought."
"Yours? Or someone else's?" she asked wryly, though the disapproval was plain. He grinned back.
"I just learned his secret. Want to know what it is?"
"No!" she said loudly, but she was only able to mask her curiosity for a few seconds before it began to make itself visible on her face.
His wheedling only made her more resolute. "No," she repeated firmly. "If he wants to tell me he will. Everyone should be allowed to have their secrets..." There was an obvious point there that didn't even need making, so she didn't.
He couldn't stop smiling, which unnerved Bella to the point where she almost started crying.
"This is just too delicious. I have to tell you. If you thought I had an interesting ability..."
"No! Edward, I swear if you tell me his secret, I'm telling him yours."
But you don't know the half of it, my sweet.
"Fine. Suit yourself. I'll see you later. I... I've got to see a man about a dog."
"Leave Jacob alone!"
How could he possibly leave him alone? This was the best thing that ever happened to him. Some part of him, something deep within him knew that he, and whatever creature this boy was, were fundamental enemies. Up until that point, he'd had none. He was the top of the food chain, no question. The only natural predator of humans, immortal, unbeatable. Now... now he might have a challenge. Not some silly self-imposed one either.
It was all arrogance than made him think that he would still be the victor. All that he'd seen was that the boy could change into an animal. Even with those advantages of heightened senses and speed, Edward should have no trouble defeating him. But he wouldn't be too hasty. He'd observe for a while, find out as much about his new-found enemy as he could before we went for the kill. And she wanted him to leave this wonderful discovery alone?
"As you wish, of course," he told her, his face a solemn and sincere as could be.
"Thanks Edward," she said. Trying, but not succeeding to smile at him.
He nodded his head and left, locking the door behind him.
Now where has the beastie gone?
.
The following week, Edward and Black tracked each other, dancing around where the other had been but never actually meeting face to face, or face to muzzle, rather. Both knew that the other was following him. Edward had sat on the wolf's roof, watched his friends and family go about on the reservation. Their scents were all diluted versions of his, of that disgusting, nearly undrinkable smelling blood. Jacob followed Edward too, watching where he went, where he lived, even inspected his car. Edward had been careful to take his car wherever he went, even if it was a short distance of a few miles. Nor did he hunt at all that week, because he suspected Big Furry would pick up on it, even if it was out of town and beyond his territory. Finally, Edward decided to make the first move, a strategic but, alas, non-violent maneuver that would, he hoped, put him one up over the mutt.
He knew that Black could smell him approach, and was therefore prepared when he appeared in the shop.
"I come in peace," he said sarcastically as he strolled into the dingy car repair garage where the boy worked.
Black snorted. "Right. I take it you aren't here for parts for that shiny Volvo?"
"You'd know that can't be it. You've already peeked under the hood."
"Your oil is getting low."
"Get a quart then."
He nodded curtly and took three strides to cross the tiny shop, plucked a bottle off the shelf and came back with it.
"Anything else?" Still the only thing he got while in the presence of the wolf-boy was that 'raised hackles' vibe. Jacob might be acting calm and insolently polite, but Edward could tell he was on guard.
"No, that's it. I've promised Bella I'd leave you alone, see." He slid some cash onto the counter.
Black's eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'If that were true then why has he been following me?' he thought. Edward answered this unvoiced question with casual indifference.
"I've come to tell you it's over."
"With Bella?" the boy asked hopefully. Edward frowned.
"With you, you lack-wit," he said, taking the paper sack with the quart of oil. "Keep the change. You won't be seeing me again."
Black snorted, and pushed his long hair behind his ear in an over-dramatic 'whatever' gesture. Edward looked up in feigned shock.
"Why grandma, what big ears you have!" he said, then snorted in amusement. "All the better to hear me with, is it?" Edward simply couldn't resist the big bad wolf reference, though he was hardly a defenseless little girl in a red cape.
With a triumphant swagger, he turned around and left the shop.
Yes, that felt good. What added to the beautiful victory was Black's panicked thoughts after he left. They were along the lines of 'He knows what I am, and I have no idea what the hell he might be.'
Edward wanted to throw his head back in laughter. Yes, that was a delicious victory indeed and he knew just what to do to celebrate. It had been a week, after all. He was positively parched.
.
He went to Canada for the hunt, and what a lovely hunt it had been, too. Quite amusing and even educational for Edward's part.
Edward liked to hear his prey scream first, if it was possible, though sometimes, of course, if it was in too crowded an area that option wasn't always feasible, but in the forests where no one else was around to hear, he was free to enjoy the terrified shouts of his two victims.
See, if he went about it too quickly, as he sometimes had to do, his food wasn't even aware they were in danger before he'd already clamped his jaws around their throat. But now he could take satisfaction in slowly stalking up to his prey, letting them know what was about to happen, and watch them panic. That wonderful dilation of the eyes, the delicious quickening of that heartbeat, the intoxicating smell of fear.
Times two.
There was a pair of human men, that actually thought themselves hunters. Edward observed them for a long while, watching them sit in their silly camouflage pants and shirts, as if that somehow concealed them in anyway. They sat in camp chairs, holding their rifles, and sipped beer from cans as they waited for prey to simply come up to them. Edward snorted at them as he descended upon them.
"Having those little contraptions that kill hardly makes you hunters," he remarked.
They gasped and turned to him. "Where did you come from?" one asked.
Edward grinned and shook his head making 'tsk'ing sounds. They definitely seemed more like prey to him.
"Tell me, what exactly are you hunting, this evening, gentlemen?"
The other man, less disturbed than his companion, replied easily. "White-tail deer. Tis the season," he said, and chuckled at his own lame joke that he had no doubt made countless times before.
"Right," replied Edward. "What are you going to do with it, if you manage to kill one?"
"We eat it, of course. No sense in killing it otherwise."
"So you aren't in it for the sport?" he asked, amused by the conversation.
"Well, of course we are. Otherwise we'd just do our grocery shopping the normal way. We've been hunting buddies for… what's it been Ned, 8 years?"
Ned was definitely the smarter of the two. Ned was properly afraid. Ned would be the first to die.
"I'll tell you something," Edward said. "There are three does and one buck, not a hundred yards south of here."
"Ah, I was wondering where you left your things. Not safe to leave your rifle unattended, buddy."
"Right… follow me."
It was slightly annoying, having to walk along the forest floor at such a drudging pace, but this might be worth it in the end. From behind, he heard the thoughts of the two men and couldn't help think how different they were. Ned, the clever mistrustful one, had his rifle carefully at the ready, not actually pointing at Edward, but ready to use if necessary. The other, Frank, as Edward gleaned from his mental eavesdropping, was only thinking about trying to get the buck for himself.
"Quietly!" Edward hissed. Stupid people would scare aware the beasts and wouldn't see his brilliant performance. The men moved more quietly, but also more slowly, causing Edward to roll his eyes. Finally when the bunch of deer were finally visible, he whispered again, "Now this is hunting," and shot off after his non-human prey. He made sure to go slowly enough so that the humans could see his movements, but quickly enough so that the deer had no chance of escape. The tackle was easy, but the bite into the animals neck was appallingly furry and the blood that spurted out was a travesty of what he really wanted. All the while he listened in on the men's thoughts, and was pleased that they were blank with shock.
He quickly returned to them with the carcass, and flopped it down unceremoniously at their feet.
"Who's next?" he asked, wiping the blood away from his mouth and eying to two men hungrily.
Ned screamed and fired openly at him. Edward had never been shot before but was pleased to see that it did nothing but ruin his clothing. Of course, the bullets burned hot against his skin, but didn't damage his flesh at all.
'Still undead!' he thought cheerfully after he inspected himself, and looked up, grinning at the two men. Ned threw the gun down and began to sprint away. Cute, Edward thought. Despite the fact that they had both just witnessed how fast he could go, he still thought to try to outrun him. Of course, fight or flight was human instinct. Since the fighting hadn't worked, he'd reverted to the other remaining option. Too bad for him flight wouldn't work either.
And yes, Ned was screaming when Edward finally made the bite, and was rewarded by that wonderful gurgling sound blood made as it was sucked out of the neck.
Frank was no hero. He left his friend and pelted away. Of course, Edward had time enough to drink dry Ned before coming after Frank. They had parked their car too far away to make any kind of escape. Edward could taste the alcohol in the second man's system and grimaced a bit. Beer. Not worth it. He simply ripped into the body to make it look like an animal attack, then returned to Ned, whom he shot in the neck with Frank's rifle, then threw the rifle back to its dead owner.
"Let the authorities solve that one," he thought with amusement, and turned around to go home. He'd stop somewhere along the way, if only to get the nasty beer tinted blood taste out of his mouth. He wanted something pure, something clean. He thought of Bella and a fresh flow of venom filled his mouth.
"No," he shook his head forcefully, trying to push away that tantalizing image. "Not yet."
.
On his way back home he caught the scent of another vampire. Really, the area must be accumulating more of them, or so it seemed to Edward. This man's mind was so entirely focused on the hunt, it was a passion. Edward couldn't help but think how fun it would be to make the kill first, and deprive the man the object of his obsession. He still wanted something to cleanse his pallet, and the blood this vampire had in mind would surely do it.
The woman knew she was being hunted. Edward saw images of the vampire taunting her, telling her to try and run. He'd given her a day's head start. In his current location, Edward was in a perfect place to intercept her, being closer to the young woman now than his rival. James, Edward discovered with loathing, putting it down as coincidence.
He wouldn't have the advantage long; James was making some serious speed.
Edward had only just finished devouring her when James arrived, enraged that his prize had been taken from him. Edward was right, it had been amusing.
"She was mine!" James yelled angrily.
Edward shrugged. "How was I supposed to know that?" he asked.
James growled and looked like he would attack. Edward crouched defensively. "No need to get so worked up over it. She has a sister," he said with a smirk, and dashed off.
.
He relaxed on the roof of his apartment complex, looking out over the small town which shut down at ten o'clock in the evening, save the few bars which stayed open until two. Night time wasn't as bad as the day, though it was certainly more disconcerting if he tried to actively listen to dreaming minds, which he was currently doing. Fewer people were awake at this hour, and their conscious thoughts were louder. Sleeping minds were subtler, but stranger if he took the trouble to listen. It could prove amusing sometimes, though not always. Not tonight, for example.
Knowing that his fun for the day was over, Edward reluctantly went to work.
.
The following weeks proved that Jacob Black had stopped dogging him, but the same couldn't be said for his newly made enemy, James, who occasionally hovered on the outskirts of town. He'd even followed Edward out on a hunting trip or two, but hadn't done anything. Edward could read in his thoughts that he didn't intend on trying to take his food from him in retaliation, only learn more about him as a hunter, in hopes that one day he might be able to use that to his advantage against him.
That man could certainly hold a grudge. And for what? For one little human? Alright, she hadn't been that little. Rather shapely, as far as females went, but still, nothing to upset himself over. Granted, James had set his sights on her and he, Edward had robbed him of that goal. With great relish...
He grinned at the memory. If James wanted revenge he was more than welcome to come and get it, but he didn't, alas. It might have made things more interesting. While James wasn't as fast as he was, he had excellent senses. He'd never really had an all out fight with another vampire. It might prove interesting. Again, the thought that he might lose never crossed his mind. He imagined that was a common way of thinking, to someone who never died. One simply began to discount it as a possibility.
Although Edward wasn't one for sympathy, he could almost understand James' resentment towards him. If someone killed and ate Bella instead of him, he'd be furious. He might want some revenge.
Bella!
He'd actually almost forgotten about her in light of more pleasurable distractions. It had been about a month since he'd seen her. He wondered what she was doing to occupy herself and decided to call.
She didn't answer.
"Perhaps out with the pup?" he wondered aloud, but searching Jacob Black's mind he found that she wasn't with him. "Hmm."
Edward had resigned himself to yet another boring afternoon, which would no doubt turn into a boring evening and yet another boring night at work.
He began absentmindedly scanning through the familiar minds of the small town as was his habit that he couldn't seem to shake, no matter how hard he tried.
And then he saw her. Well, he didn't actually see her, but found her through the mind of someone else. Kevin, formerly of their biology class, as it so happened. Bella was back at work at a local grocery store. She no longer wore her sling. And he could tell that Kevin had gone out of his way to this particular store with the express purpose of seeing her, though of course, ostensibly doing a bit of shopping for his mother.
Edward was there before the pair's conversation even ended.
"Hello," he greeted, unwilling to call her Bella around other people. He didn't want it to catch on. Who knew what the fangirls would do with that development? He shuddered to think.
"Edward," she greeted, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I suppose the usual is response is 'grocery shopping' but would be untrue in my case. Just came by for a visit, actually. Life's been dull."
She smiled at this, something Kevin didn't miss. 'Damn, I should have said that I came just for her.'
"I got the brace off," she told him needlessly.
"I noticed. Congratulations. Did Jacob take you?"
She stiffened slightly. "Yes, he did. Edward, are you—? "
"No no. I've been good. Did he tell you yet?"
Bella frowned. "No, but—well… no. He hasn't even hinted at it."
Kevin slipped away, mentally grumbling that he had been completely ignored and shut out of the conversation. Bella hadn't even noticed. Edward decided to take this opportunity to drive a bigger wedge between her and 'her oldest friend in the world.'
"Perhaps he doesn't trust you," Edward suggested.
"But I'm his best friend! Shouldn't you be able to trust your best friend?"
"Considering his secret? Probably not. And considering how poorly you'd react, it's probably all for the better."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked angrily.
"You reacted badly when you learned mine."
"I didn't react badly!"
Edward raised his eyebrows. "Oh no? If my memory serves you said, and I quote, 'I'd rather take my chances with possible rapists,' than be with me. Even when I was trying to help you. That's not very understanding now is it? I think Jacob is right not to tell you."
She flinched, but he didn't give her time to do anything else because he added, "I shouldn't keep you from your work. I'll see you later," and left.
He couldn't read her thoughts, but he suspected, hoped, that this parting shot made her feel guilty, and that he had left because he was displeased with her. Of course he wasn't. He thought it was a miracle she didn't still hate him for that. Any normal person would, but Bella wasn't normal.
.
The phone rang. It was either his boss, or Mr. Sykes, who owned the building. They were the only ones who ever called.
"Hello?" he said unenthusiastically.
"I'm sorry!"
He frowned. "Bella?"
"Yes, and I'm sorry."
"Sorry?"
"You saved my life with the van thing, and yet when I found out your secret I didn't even try to understand. I just assumed the worst of you and treated you so horribly and I'm just… sorry. And I'm sorry for not having apologized sooner."
Ah, there was the Bella he first met. The one that was constantly either apologizing or saying thank you.
"Edward?"
He realized he hadn't said anything in response and that the silence had stretch an uncomfortable length. "Yes?"
"Say something."
"What do you want me to say?" he asked.
"Say that you forgive me."
"Alright I forgive you."
"Yes, but do you mean it?"
"Do I mean what?"
"Do you really forgive me?"
"Bella, you are being ridiculous."
"Do you?"
Edward rolled his eyes, not that she could have seen. "What do you think?"
"Well, you seem angry so…"
"That's because I get annoyed by stupid questions."
"What's a stupid question?" she asked.
"That one, for starters."
"Edward…" she whined, sounding as exasperated by the conversation as he was. "Do you or do you not—"
"Want to go to a movie?" he asked, cutting her off and hopefully distracting her from her inane line of questioning.
"Erm. Well I guess, but—"
"I'll pick you up in half an hour." With that he slammed the receiver down, almost breaking the phone. What a singularly annoying woman.
And to think he found her more tolerable than most.
A disparaging sex, nay, species, if she were the best it had.
.
"I refuse to take that travesty of a vehicle," Edward stated firmly, when she hopped in her truck and indicated he should do the same.
"I refuse to let you drive like a madman all the way there," she replied, not getting out.
"Separate cars then?" he suggested.
"And waste gas?" she asked, scandalized.
"Then what do you suggest? We seem to be at an impasse."
"I don't know."
"I don't want to have to go through this every time we have to go somewhere, Bella," he said disapprovingly, crossing his arms across his chest and looking down at her, despite the fact that sitting in her truck she was higher up.
In the end, Bella drove the Volvo there. As they passed city limits, he felt James' presence. He was still sticking around town then. Edward hoped he didn't make any too public killings in the town, people would notice and he didn't want the suspicion to fall on him. Perhaps he ought to confront him.
Remembering the size and frightful disposition of the other vampire, he decided against it. He'd save that for a particularly boring day. He wasn't quite so desperate for distraction now as to search out a vampire who wanted to kill him. Yes, he could tell quite clearly that's what James wanted, vindictive thing that he was. Edward had a movie to see, and a Bella to irritate. That was distraction enough for now.
Trouble was, she was growing harder and harder to annoy. Yes, there were certain topics that could always get her going, like driving too quickly, but that felt like cheating. In the coming weeks he wondered why he was trying to constantly provoke Bella. The only reason he could come up with is that he liked being the one who transformed her from that sweet diminutive, thankful school girl, into the angry, sarcastic, fiery, spitting mad creature when her temper got the better of her. He liked her that way and wanted to convert her, if not to his level of evil, at least in a malevolent direction.
But time proved this a difficult undertaking. She only acted that way with him, and only when provoked, which was becoming less and less frequent.
"I know what you are trying to do, Edward," she said not looking up from the book she was reading. They were in the woods near her house, and she, having decided she wanted a break from walking, had perched herself on a mossy boulder to read.
"What?"
"You're trying to goad me into an argument and I'm going to tell you right now it's not going to work. I will not be bated. Find something else to amuse yourself this time. I'm busy."
This would have put Edward in a foul mood for the rest of the afternoon, but the small drizzle chose that time to turn into a heavily rain, forcing Bella to put her book away and pay attention to him. She growled as she placed it carefully back into her purse and found him smirking when she looked up at him.
"Oh, shut up," she snapped.
"I didn't say anything," he said, smiling broadly.
"You were thinking it—" She didn't manage to say the last word, having been dazed by his bared teeth. Unconsciously, she retreated a step away from him, but tripped and fell over, distracting her from whatever thoughts his pointed teeth had inspired.
"Bella. Bella, you alright?" he asked, sounding the exemplar of concern.
"Ouch. Yes," she said, holding out her hand in a request to her up. Edward hesitated for a moment. Skin to skin contact was not good, his was too cold. They'd briefly touched before but this was quite different. She was bound to notice or say something eventually, if those sorts of things kept happening.
And yet, he couldn't just turn away and leave her on the ground. That would make her angry at him, and not in the good way.
Making a quick decision, he grabbed her beneath both arms (which had a layer or two of fabric to separate them, dimming the cold sensation) and hoisted her up to her feet.
"Thanks," she said, steadying herself by putting her hands on his shoulders. He quickly, almost too quickly, drew back. If he could feel the heat of her hands, she could feel the cold of his chest. Bella looked slightly hurt at his obvious dislike of being touched but that was simply too bad. He did not want her to get in the habit of touching him. She had to know that it wasn't okay.
It seemed as if she got the message.
Not wanting her to think he was pushing her away entirely, he asked again, "Are you sure you're alright?"
She merely continued to look at him quizzically, her hair being weighed down by the rain, making her look rather pathetic. Slowly, he approached, lifting her hood to protect her head from the rain. "Come on, let's go back inside," he said, putting his hands in his pockets and turning around.
He heard her following, so he didn't turn back.
.
"Hungry?" she asked him after she'd changed into something dry. It was the first thing she'd said to him since after he'd picked her up off the forest floor.
"No."
"Of course not. You're never hungry," she said, rolling her eyes.
Edward couldn't help but think that was decidedly untrue. Actually, he was ravenous. Watching her pull her hair into a ponytail and exposing her neck did bad things to his self control. He swallowed his salivating venom and clenched his fists, forcing himself to do nothing but watch. Watch as she filled a glass with water, tipped her head back and drank down the whole thing. He couldn't take his eyes off her throat; it bobbed with each swallow. He didn't realize he'd moved toward her, but all of a sudden there he stood, directly behind her, his hands gripping her shoulders so that she couldn't escape, lowering his mouth to her neck and taking a deep preparatory sniff. Yes. She even moved her head to the side to accommodate him. Such an obliging meal…
"Your hands; they're freezing," she whispered, startling Edward out of his trance. He pulled away.
She turned around and stepped forward and took one of his hands in both of hers, rubbing it, looking up at him with those big brown eyes, searching for something, asking for something.
She looked like she wanted to be eaten.
And oh, how he wanted to eat her. He tongued his teeth, feeling their sharpness, imagining them piercing her skin. She closed her eyes and leaned in.
Yes. He could hear her heart beating rapidly, hear the blood coursing through her veins. Now. Why shouldn't he have her now? He'd lured her in, just like he'd planned. Made her trust him. Why shouldn't he take her now?
The same reason he never killed anyone in this small town. Because he didn't make a mess in his own nest. Because it was stupid and it would force him to leave a year earlier than planned, which was more hassle than this one girl was worth!
He shoved her away. He wouldn't let her ruin things by simply leaping into his arms with an exposed neck. There was some satisfaction in knowing that he'd completed his self-appointed task of getting her to trust him to that extent, but also frustration for being so weak as to almost let himself take her ahead of schedule. But, rather than get angry at himself for his weakness, he decided to get angry at her, for tempting him.
Scowling, he left. Not only did he leave her, her house, but left town all together. He drove East until he caught a decent scent and devoured him, taking the edge off his hunger and bad mood. Still, he didn't go back. He didn't have to work until Thursday; he could do whatever he wanted till then. Leaving his car in Montana, he continued on foot.
.
The first thing he did two days later as he returned home, was to check on the status of Mr. Vindictive. Edward's eyebrows shot up in outrage to find the bastard in his own apartment, waiting for him. The cheek!
'He's back' thought James triumphantly. 'Wait till he gets here…' James' senses were unparalleled, he could tell that Edward was already back in town just by scent alone.
Well, if ever there was an incentive not to go back to his home that was it. He scanned James' mind to find out what he was doing and found only Polaroid's, the images on them too blurred for Edward to see. James was using them to fan himself.
"Ooh, snapshots, how terrifying," he said to himself, rolling his eyes.
Edward was contemplating going home and showing James just what he thought of his invading his territory, when he heard someone call his name.
"Edward!"
He turned around for a moment trying to discern where that cry had come from before he realized he hadn't heard it with his ears, but in his mind. And yet they had called him directly. The only person who knew he could hear thoughts was Bella.
"Edward! Oh god, can he even hear me? Is he too far or am I just not doing this right? Oh god… Edward!!" It was definitely her voice, and she definitely sounded panicked, like she was in trouble.
She must have taken down her mental barriers specifically to contact him. Not wasting another moment he jumped into her mind.
Yes. Yes, she was definitely in trouble.
He pulled over and jumped out of his car, running as fast as he could. He would deal with James later… the bastard.