Twilight does not belong to me, but to Stephenie Meyer.

WARNING: kidnapping, mentions of child abuse, and antagonistic Carlisle (to an extent)

Edward Masen Jr.

By BriiDream

Chapter Six: A Perfectly Hidden Lie

Bella slipped out of her car and raced across the wet pavement after the Cullen family. Miraculously, she didn't slip or trip until she got to the girls. She slipped and reflexively reached out to steady herself. She grabbed Alice and Rosalie's arms; they all fell. Alice and Rosalie both shrieked and squealed.

"Ugh, the nerve," Rosalie practically snarled, her perfect face twisting in anger when she looked at Bella. Bella shuffled away-if looks could kill, she would have been burnt and chopped into a million pieces.

"I'm sure Bella didn't do it on purpose," Alice smiled cheerfully at Bella. The boys had returned to their side, and Jasper pulled Alice to her feet effortlessly. Alice offered Bella a hand up. "Right?"

"Of course not," Bella replied sincerely. "I slipped up-I didn't mean to bring you two down with me."

Rosalie Hale paid no attention to Bella's rambled apology. She threw one more dirty look at her before walking off with a snickering Emmett in tow. Right before they turned the corner around the gym, she gave him a solid punch in the ribs. Bella turned back to the other three Cullens. Alice's sincere smile reassured Bella that she hadn't worked herself back onto the Cullens' bad side. Not that it matter since she was about to do that right now.

"Can I talk to you in private," Bella asked Edward after taking a big breath. She was glad that not a hint of agitation showed in voice. Both she and Edward glanced at Jasper and Alice who hadn't moved. They continued to stand there.

"Ugh, come on," Edward groaned and pulled Bella away from his siblings. He glared over his shoulder at them once they stopped a few yards away. "Ignore them. So, what's the problem?"

"You first have to promise to be completely honest with me," Bella stared him straight in the eye. He wasn't suspicious yet; he nodded and stared down curiously at her. "Why did you really ask me out on a date?"

"Because I wanted to get close to you," Edward responded, confused. He smiled crookedly. "Isn't that why everyone asks someone out?"

"Why do you want to get close to me," Bella ignored his question, vowing to not allow him to lead her down anymore brainwashing activities. "You didn't seem particularly interested when I brought your family's history up last week."

Edward's eyes narrowed at her. He replied in a lowered, curt tone, "For your information, I was interested. Then you just had to go babbling like an idiot."

"I don't babble like an idiot," Bella hissed, affronted. The little nudge of pleasant surprise that she had appealed to him without a death sentence hanging over his family was ruthlessly squashed by her anger. "And if that was so, you should've just stayed away from me! Then you wouldn't need to listen to my incessant 'rambles'!"

Bella whirled around and stomped towards class. She could feel the tears leaking out of her eyes from her anger. She didn't swipe them away. Before she had gotten more than six yards, she was roughly grabbed by her arm. She gritted her teeth and tried to yank away without looking back. Edward grabbed her other arm and pulled her around to face him.

"Are you crying," Edward asked, shocked by the tears. Bella rubbed furiously at her wet cheeks. She didn't fully catch the remorse that skipped across his face. "I didn't mean what I said."

"Then you wouldn't have said it in the first place," Bella sniffed. She tried to pull away, but Edward kept a firm grip on her. She glanced around at the parking lot. There were a few late arrivals and lollygaggers-none had surprisingly noticed their dispute. "Let go of me, right now."

"I thought you wanted to talk," Edward countered, his hands keeping a firm grip on her arms. Bella struggled to pull away. He turned to pleading. "Please, Bella, let's just talk. Ignore my earlier rude comment. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I am not hurt," Bella snapped angrily. She looked at Edward's pleading, green eyes. She felt her anger dissolving, but she was stubborn. "I don't want to talk to you, Edward. I don't see why you even bothered asking me out."

"I already told you why," Edward started pulling her back toward the vehicles. "I'm sure that wasn't what you wanted to discuss earlier."

"Okay, fine," Bella dug her heels into the pavement to keep him from dragging her any farther from the few other people still outside. The office usually called the house or the police station when she didn't show up to school. If they called Charlie, he would be alerted by her absence. "Let's discuss your family and you."

Edward pulled a poker face on. He still hadn't released his hold on her. Bella's heart rate increased slightly. She hoped teen boys didn't have dog instincts and could smell fear. She heard the bell rang for first period. Edward didn't let go or look away from her. She knew her fighting was useless now. It was just her and Edward outside as the clouds begin drizzling on them.

"I never thought of you as a nosy person," Edward commented. "That always seemed like a Jessica Stanley thing."

"Is that why you always turned her down?" Bella knew she was letting Edward drag her down another conversation thread, but she wasn't sure how to approach the main issue.

"Jessica Stanley is a shallow girl who uses others to boost her popularity," Edward scoffed. Bella glared at him defensive of her first friend. "That was the only reason she was interested in my family-she wanted to be the special first one that got into the Cullens' circle. She's just using you, too."

"I seriously doubt that's the only reason," Bella said frostily. "You wouldn't want Jessica figuring out your family. She wouldn't be able to control herself from sharing that fact with the whole school and town."

"Would you?" Edward's green eyes stared intensely into her own muddy brown ones. She caught her breath, not replying. "We're going to get soaked out here. Let's sit in my car."

"No way," Bella burst indignantly, throwing her full weight into leaning away from him as he started to pull her again. Tinted windows, and likely all locks controlled from the driver's side-"How stupid do you think I am!"

"I would never hurt you, Bella," Edward insisted earnestly. Bella looked at his open, sincere face; she then glanced pointedly at his fingers wound around her arms. "You have a very bad habit of walking away from a conversation."

"Let go of me and I'll stay right here," Bella offered. She stopped twisting and turning. Edward reluctantly let go of her. "Still here."

"Look, someone is going to notice us standing here," Edward ran his fingers through his wet hair. "My car is drier. I really mean no harm to you, Bella."

"Not even for your family's sake," Bella questioned, remembering the Cullen showdown in the cafeteria a few days ago.

"It's the only way we'll get anywhere with this discussion," Edward informed her.

Bella hesitated. Every alert in her body was flashing danger and warning. But her insufferable curiosity and need for answers was hitting all the mute buttons on the alerts. She needed answers-he was sincere. She pushed her nightmare to the back of her mind. She let out a long sigh as her decision formed in her mind. She started walking towards the Volvo with Edward.

She didn't catch the smile of triumph on Edward's face at the sight of the defeat on hers.

This is on Hiatus for the rest of 2010. Right now, I'm trying to finish AD: Love and IHPS before I completely rewrite EMJr.