Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter. Just to let you guys know, I decided to genderswap all of the Cullens. After all, that's what the title is, haha. So I edited the past few chapters to adjust to the change.

Now then, onward!

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When I woke up the next morning, I can already tell that something was different. Probably because it was colder than normal.

When I opened my eyes, I jumped out of bed and walked to the window. And to my horror, everything was covered in a fine layer of snow.

The truck, luckily, was only resting in a small pile of snow. But from here, I can see patches of ice scattered around the driveway and parts of the street. I already had enough problems with being clumsy and falling down at random times. I don't think I'll be able to make it through school without embarrassing myself. I'd rather get hit by a van.

I went downstairs and threw a quick breakfast together. Charlie already left for the station, so I had the house to myself for now.

I nearly slammed my head into the window of the truck when I tried to get in, but I managed to survive. I had to pour every ounce of concentration I had to back out of the driveway alive.

On my way to school, my mind wandered to the puzzle that is Ella Cullen. I was real suspicious of the situation with her eye color. Did she lie about getting contacts? If so, then why? She seemed to get pretty agitated whenever I brought the subject up. I'm pretty sure that I should be avoiding her. But for some reason, I've been doing the exact opposite, and I can't figure out why.

The rest of the ride to school went surprisingly smooth, considering the ice that was covering the roads. when I got out of the truck at school, I saw that there were chains wrapped around the back tires for better grip on the icy roads. Charlie most likely put those on so that I didn't have any accidents; it must've taken her hours to put those on. I had to remember to thank her later.

I was standing at the tail light of the truck when I heard a strange screeching sound. From what I can tell, it was fast and headed towards my direction. When I looked up, I can tell that I was in a really bad situation.

Ella Cullen was standing a few cars down at her Volvo, her face contorted into complete and utter horror as the van speeded towards me.

So this is how I die, I thought solemnly, as I closed my eyes as I waited of the inevitable.

Just before the van hit me, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction of the van. I opened my eyes as my head cracked against the blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pin me to the ground. Two long white hands shot out protectively in front of me as the van continued to travel closer to my face. I heard a voice reassuring me that things would be fine, a voice that's impossible to forget.

Then her hands moved faster than I could fully process. One was pressing up against the side of the van, bringing it to a sudden halt. The other pulled me against her, protecting me from the crash. I then heard the scratching of metal against metal, and the cracking of glass.

Everything went silent for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few seconds. I started to hear the blurred voices of people frantically calling my name. But I was able to hear Ella Cullen's panicking voice as clear as day in my ear.

"Ben!. Are you alright?!"

"I think so," I groaned. I tried to sit up, but then realized that she was pressing the entire length of her body against me. I would've been blushing furiously, if not for the situation I was in.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice heavy with concern. "Does anything hurt?"

I was at that moment I realized the dull throbbing at the back of my head, causing me to rub it instinctually.

"That's what I thought." Her voiced still laced with worry.

I shook my head to gain my bearings, but the I remembered something. "How the hell did you get over here so fast? You were standing by your car…" I trailed off.

Her face morphed into a passive expression, but her eyes exposed her nervousness. "Ben, I've been standing near you the entire time. I pulled you out of the way before you got hit." The gold in her eyes seemed to glow as she whispered to me. "Trust me Ben. Please."

I heard sirens from what was most likely an ambulance coming closer. "Do you promise to explain everything to me later?"

"Yes, I promise," she said quickly.

"Okay," I sighed.

A couple of students nearby helped move the van to the side to get the driver out, while the paramedics worked frantically to get me onto the stretcher. I almost died of humiliation when they put a brace around my neck. It looked like the entire school was here to see me off. It was ridiculous. At least Ella got to sit next to the stretcher I was laying on in the ambulance, still staring at me with concern.

Charlie arrived in her cruiser in panic and ran over to me as I was lifted onto the stretcher, asking me if I was hurt. "Mom, I'm alright," I sighed. "Nothing's wrong with me."

She left me and asked the nearest paramedic for their professional opinion on me. When I was placed on the stretcher, I was able to the the deep dents in the crashed car's bumper and the side of the van - a very distinct distance that fit the width of Ella's shoulders...as if she had braced against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame. I didn't know how any of this was humanely possible, but there was one thing for sure that I did know.

Ella Cullen was not what she seemed.

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After I was settled into the back of the ambulance, with Ella sitting next to the stretcher, still staring at me with worry, Charlie gave the ambulance a police escort. The nurses rushed me into the ER when we arrived, Ella still following behind as they pushed me in. A nurse placed a pressure cuff around my bicep and a thermometer under my tongue.

A few minutes after they finished with me, another stretcher was brought to the bed next to me. I recognised Taylor Crowley from my Government class beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around her head.

Why the hell is everyone fussing over me? Taylor looks a thousand times worse than I do!

"Ben, I am so sorry!" she yelled frantically.

"I'm okay, Taylor," I assured her. "What about you? You look pretty hurt."

She ignored me and kept babbling on how sorry she was and how she promised to make it up to me. I reassured her, saying that she missed me.

"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there and then you were gone…"

"I pulled him out of the way."

I jumped a bit. I totally forgot that she was still in the room. She stood at the foot of my bed with an amused smirk on her lips. Apparently she noticed my little scare.

"How? I didn't see you...wow, it all happened so fast, I guess. Are you okay?"

"No blood, no foul," she said, flashing her beautiful smile.

The nurses wheeled me away to get an X-ray of my head. I told them that I was fine, and I was right. Not even a concussion, besides the slight bruising on the back of my head. I wanted to leave after that, but I was told by the nurse that I had to speak to a doctor before I was able to leave. So I'm stuck here.

I was brought back to the ER, with Taylor throwing endless apologies, even though I kept on saying that everything was ok. Ella was sitting next to my bed when I got back.

"How many days do you have left?" she joked.

"Haha," I laughed sarcastically. "Nothing's wrong with me, but I have to talk to a doctor before they let me go."

"That's good to hear," she sighed quietly, sounding relieved.

At that moment, a doctor walked in and approached me, and my mouth fell open. She was young, had short platinum-blonde...and was more beautiful than any model I've ever seen. Her skin was pale, though. And she looked pretty tired, with dark circles under her eyes. From Charlie's description, this had to be Ella's adopted mother, Karliah Cullen.

"So Mister Swan," she said in a remarkably attractive voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," I said, trying to ignore the urge to rub my bruise.

"Well, your X-rays look good," she said, looking at the lightboard above my head. "Does your head hurt at all? Ella told me you took quite the hit."

"I'm alright," I repeated, throwing a small glare at Ella. She smiled in response.

"Very well. If you ever feel dizzy or have any trouble with eyesight, make sure to come back."

"I will, but I'm fine. Really," I reassured her again.

"Sounds to me that you were pretty lucky you didn't get hit," Dr. Cullen said, smiling as she signed my medical chart with elegance, reminding me of Ella's handwriting.

"Yeah. Its a good thing that Ella was standing by to pull me out of the way. she was pretty fast." I threw a questioning glance at the subject of my statement.

"Indeed," Dr. Cullen agreed, suddenly interested in Taylor's condition, and walked over to her. She's in on it, I realized.

When the doctor's back was turned, I got up and went to Ella's side.

"Can we talk for a minute? I need to ask you a few things, if you don't mind," I pressed, wanting some answers.

She stared at me with no expression for a moment, and then turned her back and crossed the room, out the door. She was a pretty fast walker, because I nearly had to run to keep up with her. As soon as we turned the corner into a short hallway, she spun on her heel to face me.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, sounding annoyed. She stared down at her feet.

"You owe me an explanation," I reminded her.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, her head tilted to the side.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'? I want to know how the hell you stopped a speeding van from flattening me!" I whispered furiously.

She stared at me incredulously at me. "You think I stopped that van?" Her tone was exasperated, which only made me more suspicious of her.

"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me - Taylor didn't see you, either, so don't try and tell me that I hit my head too hard. That van was going to crush us both. But it didn't. Your hand left a dent in the side of it, and you left another dent in the other car. The crash should have killed us both, but you're not hurt at all." I can hear how crazy all that sounds, but I know what I saw.

"You know that nobody will believe you, right?" she said, her voice calm, which only confirmed my suspicions. She knows that all happened.

"I was never going to tell anyone," I said slowly.

Surprise flitted across her face. "Then why does it matter?"

"It matters to me," I insisted. "I just want to know what happened out there."

"I wish I could tell you..." she trailed off.

We stared at each other in silence. I was the first to speak, trying to keep myself focused. I was in danger of being distracted by her calm, gorgeous face. It was like trying to stare down a piece of art.

"Why did you save me?" I asked calmly.

She paused, and for a brief moment, her face showed complete shock.

"I don't know," she whispered. "I feel...protective of you. I just don't know why"

And then she turned her back on me and walked away.

I was so stunned by what she said, it took me a few minutes until I was able to move. When I could walk, I made my way slowly to the exit down at the end of the hallway.

I met up with Charlie, who led me to the exit of the hospital. It was a huge relief to get into her cruiser.

We drove in silence. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely knew Charlie was there. I still couldn't believe what Ella said. Why was she feeling protective of me? We didn't even really know each other! Plus she still didn't explain the whole van thing. All I got was more questions, and it frustrated me!

When we pulled up to the house, I decided I might as well go to bed early tonight. Charlie continued to watch me anxiously, and it was getting on my nerves. I stopped on my way to grab three Tylenol from the bathroom to ease the pain in my head. That, in turn, helped me fall to sleep.

That was the first night I dreamed of Ella Cullen.

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Hope you enjoyed it! I'll have another chapter in a day or two.