All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer
The hot water of the shower soothed my aching muscles. I hadn't realized how cold I was until I actually entered the shower. I shivered violently for the first few minutes as the hot water seeped into my skin.
I leaned forward resting my hands against the front of the shower allowing the water to run freely onto my head. Everything I had been working so hard to conceal had been destroyed in a matter of minutes, but I couldn't seem to be bothered by it. For reasons I did not understand I trusted Edward. He made me feel safe and secure. The way he had touched me and held me… I smiled as I remembered his icy skin against my tear stained cheek. He had been so gentle, and tender my stomach twisted at the memory.
He knew yet he had not run away. Never once did I see any trace of pity in his eyes. It was as if me being sick didn't matter to him. For so long being sick was simply who I was. It was strange having someone want to get to know me—for someone to treat me like a real person with thought, ideas, hopes and dreams. It felt so good to not have to hide from someone for once.
He had been right. There were many things I hid from my loved ones to protect them. It was bad enough they had to watch me suffer; they didn't need to know how awful it was for me sometimes. But somehow Edward did. He knew when I was in pain, even when I disguised it. He knew more than he should. He was an utter mystery to me. There was something off about him and his family. I didn't know what he was, but I was determined to find out.
I heard the front door open and shut, and I turned the water. I hadn't realized how late it was. I toweled dry and quickly got dressed.
"Hey dad." I called as I bounded down the stairs.
"Hey Bells. How was your day?" He asked as he sat in a kitchen chair removing his boots.
"Good. What do you want for dinner?" I opened the refrigerator to see what was available.
"Doesn't matter to me." He hung up his jacket and headed into the living room.
It was too late to make anything big so I decided on grill cheese sandwiches. They were quick and easy. I still had homework and wanted to go to bed early to get a good nights rest before tomorrow.
I was grateful for Charlie's unperceptive nature. He didn't seem to notice how early I excused myself for bed, nor how antsy I seemed to be during dinner.
I was extremely fidgety as finished up my homework. By 9:30 I was ready for bed. I tossed and turned most of the night, anxious to see Edward in the morning. Eventually, I fell asleep cursing my alarm when it went off in the morning. I sluggishly made my way to the bathroom to get ready, with my toiletry bag in hand.
I sighed as I looked at my reflection. I looked tired and pasty. I wondered if I would ever look healthy again. I rolled my eyes and got to work on the tangled mess that was my hair. I put on the final touches, choosing to wear part of it back in a barrette. I took one last look in the mirror, sighing at how pale I seemed and carefully made my way down the stairs so as not to trip.
It was getting late. I had taken longer than normal in the bathroom getting ready, not that it had helped. I quickly grabbed a granola bar and practically swallowed it whole washing it down with milk from the carton. I grabbed my bag deciding to wait for Edward outside.
I opened the front door and to my surprise I found him already in my driveway holding the passenger side door open for me. He was grinning as he waited for me.
I blushed smiling back weakly, turning to lock the door. Slowly, I made my way to the open door being extra careful with my footing. To my dismay it had snowed all night covering everything in a light layer of snow. It looked pretty, but to an accident-prone person like me, it was a slippery nightmare.
As soon as I was strapped in he closed my door and made his way to the driver's side door, and got in. He quickly turned the car on fiddling with the dials blasting heat throughout the car.
I nervously bit my bottom lip not sure of what to expect. After yesterday so much had changed between us. I didn't know what to say.
He stared at me for a moment. His eyes freely roamed my face. It was as if he were looking for something, what I was not sure of.
"Did you sleep well?"
I shrugged. There was no use in lying, and I did not want to explain why I had trouble sleeping to him.
"Did you?"
He smirked, chuckling once. "My night was pleasant."
I furrowed my brows at him in confusion. What was so funny about my question?
He grinned at my expression turning to look at the road as he pulled out of my driveway.
"It's great to finally have some snow." He said conversationally.
"Not really." I muttered honestly.
"You don't like the cold?" He sounded puzzled.
I shook my head. "Or the wet."
"This must be a difficult place for you to live." He surmised.
I shrugged. "It doesn't really matter."
"Why not?"
I sighed. "I'm not here for my enjoyment."
His eyebrows knit in confusion for a short moment then a trace of realization crossed his face. "Don't you think you should be able to decide how best to spend your time?" He demanded. His voice had a sharp edge to it I had not expected.
I suddenly realized that he thought my mother had sent me to Forks. Nothing could be further from the truth. I had to set him right.
"I,"I stressed, "have. No one sent me here. I sent myself. I told you yesterday. I couldn't bear allowing my mother see me in the end…" I dropped my head and fiddled with a piece of my long hair. "No one should have to see that." I whispered.
It was quiet for a moment. I took a deep breath to prevent the tears that were forming in my eyes from falling down my face. I smiled and looked up. "This way I get to spend some time with Charlie, and get to know my father before it's too late. I know I'm not being exactly fair to him either."
I shrugged, "It's the best compromise I could think of."
"How old are you Bella?" He questioned with a hint of frustration for some reason in his tone.
"I'm seventeen." I answered automatically.
"You don't seem seventeen."
I shrugged and then smiled. "My mom always said that I was old for my age and that I got more middle aged each year." I sighed. "Someone had to be the adult, make sure the bills got paid, and put food in the house."
It was quiet for a moment and I noticed that we were parked in the school parking lot. It was mostly empty.
"Tell me about your mother." He finally asked. I looked over at him to find him staring at me with curious eyes.
"My mother…well she looks a lot like me, except she's prettier." He raised an eyebrow at me as I continued. "She's very young for her age. She's the total opposite from me in many ways. I guess that's why we seem to get along so well. She's outgoing and a lot braver than me. She can be irresponsible and somewhat eccentric at times." I chuckled once shaking my head remembering her odd tendencies.
I sighed. "She's my best friend." I added despondently. I missed her something terrible. I didn't want to talk about my family anymore it made me sad. I wanted to find out more about him. He was such a mystery to me.
"Tell me about your family, or more about you. I know your father is a doctor but that's about it."
I noticed his hands tense slightly on the steering wheel, and for a moment I wondered why. Did it bother him to talk about his life?
"What do you want to know?" He asked carefully. His voice sounded very guarded.
"Well I know you have four siblings and you were all adopted. What happened to your parents?"
"They died long ago." He answered casually
"Oh." I said embarrassedly. "I'm sorry." I whispered blushing.
I saw a small smile cross his lips. "It's ok. I hardly remember them. I was young when they passed, and I have been with Carlisle and Esme for so long now. They are all I really know, all I really need." He muttered seriously.
"You seem close to them." I stated. It was clear by his tone that he loved them very much.
"Yes." He smiled. "They are the best people I know."
"You're lucky to have them."
"I know."
"What about your siblings?"
"What about them?"
I looked around quickly and noticed the parking lot was almost full. I didn't have much time left. I was not going to be deterred. I could tell he was being evasive and I wanted to know what he was trying to hide from me.
"What's their story?"
"That's not for me to tell." He responded automatically.
I frowned. I opened my mouth to ask another question but was cut off.
"The first bell is going to ring soon we need to get to class." He announced.
I gathered my bag and opened my door, not bothering to look at the people in the parking lot. Edward walked me to my first class as he had the previous morning. I turned to say goodbye, but stopped short as I looked up at him. He was focusing on something behind me with narrowed eyes. I looked behind me to find Mike Newton walking down the hall towards me. I usually didn't see Mike until lunch. I turned to face him confused as to what he would want.
"Hey Bella."
"Hi Mike."
"I was wondering if I could ask you something."
"Um…" I glanced back over my shoulder at Edward. He stood frozen behind me, his face blank. "Sure Mike. What's up?"
"Alone?" He asked peering over my head.
I groaned inwardly. What could he possibly want that would require us being alone? This could not be good.
I followed him down the hallway a short ways away from Edward. I hoped he would wait for me.
"What is it Mike?" I asked growing impatient.
He smiled nervously. "Well there's this thing happening in a few weeks. There's a group of us heading down to First Beach. We're having a bonfire with food and everything."
"Sounds like fun."
"Yeah. It will be. I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to come along?"
I hesitated and bit my lip nervously. "Like a date?" I asked.
He blushed. "It doesn't have to be…I mean it's just a bunch of us getting together, like a group thing. Jessica will be there Angela too and Tyler, you know our lunch table."
I nodded. "Can I think about it?"
He smiled. "Sure, you can let me know later."
"Thanks Mike. I got to go the bells going to ring soon."
"See ya later Bella." He smiled as he walked towards his first class.
I turned back to my classroom and smiled. Edward was still there waiting for me. He smiled crookedly in return. "See you later?" I asked more than stated.
He nodded as he reached up and stroked my hair once with the back of his hand before turning on his heel and walking in the other direction.
