Thank you to my beta, xx-twilight7-xx (Anita), for beta'ing the chapter.

Chapter 7

Edward Cullen

I felt light headed. His eyes were piercing green, strong but vulnerable, deep but lost, and my heart clenched again. I slowly lowered my hand and swallowed hard.

"Pardon me?" I squeaked. My voice was like a stick of chalk being scratched on a board, but Edward didn't seem to care.

"I just said you're beautiful," Edward repeated. His face was expressionless.

I chuckled nervously and put the washcloth in the basin. "I can understand if you were hallucinating. I know that by being locked up in this room, you probably can't think clearly."

"Do you think I'm lying to you?" he asked me. His eyes tightened.

I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Are you sure you're alright? Should I call Dr. Cullen?"

He scoffed. "I'm fine. This little wound won't make me paralyzed," he said flatly.

I nodded slowly. For a moment, I just stood there while Edward sat on the bed. The sound of the kids playing was heard from the medic room. I glanced at Edward's face and he was doing the same thing. I blushed slightly and quickly turned my head to the window.

"Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked me in a stern voice.

I smiled slightly. "I'm fine. Thank you once again for helping me. You don't have to do that-"

"Are you kidding me?" Edward interjected. From the corner of my eyes, I could see he clenched his fist. "I've been watching that guy since the first day. I know he chose you to become his target. I was asking Dr. Cullen to accompany me to the lunch room on your first day. And then I saw you there."

I shivered.

Edward looked at me deeply. "You are different now from them. I have known it since the first time I saw you from the window."

I gasped slightly.

Edward rose from the bed slowly and approached me. I couldn't move even though my head screamed at me to allow some distance from him. It seemed my body had its own will. His eyes softened and suddenly my heart twisted. There was another feeling that I felt from him. I could feel he was caring for me.

He slowly raised his hand and caressed my cheek. Again, I couldn't move. I just stared back at his green eyes.

"Isabella Swan, that is your name," he stated.

I nodded unconsciously.

"But, you prefer to be called Bella and you are a Psychology student," he continued and my heart turned erratic. How did he know?

"How…how did you-"

He smiled coyly. "Dr. Cullen, or you can say, my dad owned this place, Bella. I was looking through your application the moment I saw you for the first time."

I gulped.

And then his eyes tightened. "Why are you here?"

I blinked. "W-what?"

"I was just asking you why you are here," he repeated.

His tone was flat and there was a trace of anger there. Did he know about my intention here? Could he sense that I was here for my project?

"I…uh…just trying to help-"

"Help?" he chuckled darkly. He pulled his hand from my cheek and turned around. He leaned against the wall and looked at me. I realized how tall he was and he still looked handsome with his dark T-shirt and jeans. For a moment, I thought I could see his eyes darken.

"Is that truly your intention to be here? Or is this place was interesting enough to you?" he equipped.

I swallowed hard.

"A nice girl like you won't trap herself in this pathetic place for no reason," he stated again. "We are the abandoned ones. People avoid us. They think we are different. That was why they put us in this place because they think WE'RE DIFFERENT!"

My heart sped up when he suddenly shouted at me. Edward's breathing turned shallow and he closed his eyes briefly. I still stood there and couldn't move. I, myself, tried to remain calm. We didn't say anything, only the sound of our breathing was heard from the both of us. At the moment I pondered what he told me.

Actually that was also the thought that I had when I first came here. They are different, but I had spent no more than a week in this place and I could already tell they are no different. People around them thought they were different. They are smart kids with bright futures, but they were shut down because they were broken inside and this place can hopefully bring them back to normal. But I knew better. They were never truly normal. The wound will always be there, haunting them, and they were the only one who could erase the memory. No psychologist or psychiatrist could help them. This was a battle of the self.

I looked over to Edward and find him to already be looking at me. I took a deep breath. "Is that what you think, Edward?" I asked him while I gathered up my courage.

He looked at me, expressionless again.

"Do you think you are different or do you want other people to think that you are different?" I said again and I could see the change on his eyes. Reverse psychology always worked for these kinds of cases, although it was quite dangerous too. But, I didn't have much choice. I needed to get his attention.

His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

I smiled slightly. I had his attention!

"What exactly do you feel now, Edward? Do you feel comfortable with all the kids here avoiding you and being scared of you? Do you enjoy being marked as someone who is so dangerous that even you can't be touched? Do you-"

"STOP IT!" he shouted at me. His body was trembling and he clenched his fists. "Don't make me angry, Bella," he threatened me.

I shook my head slowly. "It's never my intention to make you angry. You are angry because I was right. You believed that you are dangerous. People around you make you do that. If only you could have courage to break your shell, they will see you are still the charming boy you once were."

Edward snorted. "You've heard lots of rumors about me."

I shrugged and pretending his words didn't intimidate me, even deep inside I was scared too. Being a Psychology student, I know his temper had easily changed from our recent conversation. First he cared for me and now he built a wall to protect himself from me. But, I also know how confused he was.

"Rumors or not it was all about you," I said cautiously. "Or maybe you could tell me which one is true and which one is not." Again, I was using the reverse psychology.

Edward clenched his jaw. "I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" he shouted again.

I smiled tenderly. "Like it or not, I'm here to help although I'm not helping you."

He narrowed his eyes again.

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. "I think the lunch time is over and I haven't have my lunch yet. Thank you once again for helping me." And then I looked into his green eyes. "If you don't want anyone to help you, why did you help me?"

Edward blinked several times and he seemed in shock to hear what I said.

I smiled again. "Good day, Edward."

I quickly got out from the room and left Edward inside. Once I got outside, I could see Carlisle and Emmett already standing close enough to the medic room. Both men stood straight on their feet when they saw me. I took a deep breath and they approached me. Carlisle nodded sharply at me and he entered into the room I had just exited, shutting the door close behind him. I looked at the closed door for a moment until I heard Emmett clear his throat. I turned my head to see him.

Emmett grinned at me. "I see you haven't have your lunch yet. Do you want to have your lunch with me?"

I raised my eyebrows and he laughed lightly.

"No….that was not what I meant. Just as friends. What do you say?" he asked me again.

I bit my lip. I wasn't sure about that. What if his blond girlfriend caught us together? I've already had a hard time the first time we met. I didn't want to make it worse by getting caught having lunch with her boyfriend. From what I saw, the Hale woman was not one of the easiest people to be with. Why he could stand having a relationship with her was beyond me.

"Uh…what about-"

"Don't worry about the kids or Kate and Garrett. I'll tell them as we get out from here," Emmett said again.

I nodded slowly. "Okay."

I followed Emmett to see Kate and Garrett. I guess the news had already spread again among the kids because I saw some of them cast a glance at me, including Margaret. I smiled weakly while she smiled back. Emmett told them he was taking me for lunch and would probably be back one hour later to finish my schedule for the day. Both of them didn't say much and Kate gave me a gentle hug before I walked outside with Emmett.

My eyes widened when I saw his car. It was a very big white jeep and I was wondering why the police allowed this kind of car in town.

"Wow," I said to him. "Your car is….great."

Emmett chuckled and opened the passenger door. "Thank you, my lady."

I rolled my eyes and climbed in. Emmett revved the engine after we both wore our seat belt. The engine roared and I winced.

He drove from the parking lot and he took me to a café in town. We ordered our meal and sat in silence for a moment while I was enjoying the fresh air. The busy street filled with cars and people gave me a moment to calm my mood. Getting out from that place was indeed a good idea for now.

"Are you feeling better now?" Suddenly Emmett asked me.

I blinked and turned my head to see him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Emmett smiled. "I must say it was a good move back there with Edward. You are the first person who didn't feel afraid talking to him."

I chuckled and shook my head. If only he knew what I felt at that moment. I was just playing a bet. My chance was 50-50, either it will work or not.

"Believe me, Emmett, I was scare too. But, dealing with people like Edward indeed needs a risk and I have no choice but to take that risk." And then I made a face. How could he know about our conversation? "Wait! How did you-"

"How did I know?" Emmett continued the sentence for me.

I nodded slowly.

He laughed lightly. "Sorry, Bella, but we don't want to take any chances. My dad and I were in the hall the whole time."

I took a deep breath. Well, that made sense.

"What do you think about him, Bella?"

I looked at him. "Huh?"

Emmett smiled grimly. "What do you think about Edward? I mean you are a Psychology student. I'm sure you have another perspective about him."

I glanced to the busy street briefly before I looked again at Emmett. "He is confused. That's all I can say."

Emmett looked at me in disbelief. "Confused?"

I nodded again. I folded my arms over my chest. "There is conflict inside of him. He doesn't want to be like he is now, but he couldn't escape from what people think about him. It has torn him apart. You and Carlisle are his family. Don't you guys realize that?"

Emmett sighed. "We are dealing with so much since our mom trying to get herself killed and Edward turned violent. We never thought that close. Thank you for telling me, though." He smiled. "I'm sure you could be a great psychologist someday."

I chuckled. "It's still a long way to go, Emmett. I have to finish my project too."

"Ah, yes. The project," his eyes glinted and my stomach clenched. Emmett smirked. "Is that the reason for you taking the program at 'Our Hearts'?"

I smiled slightly. "At first it was, but then I saw something from those kids. I tried to be a fair student, but also a friend for them." Although it was hard for me because I didn't allow myself to get emotionally involved with them. I needed to stay objective and not get affected by them.

Emmett nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure you already found your subject, then."

I shrugged. "I did, but I was thinking of having Edward as my subject."

"You what?"

I chuckled nervously. "No, it was just a silly thought. Even though people told me he is dangerous, but he is not. He is just pretending to be dangerous, I guess."

"Do you really think so?" Emmett asked me. He sounded hopeful.

I looked at Emmett's eyes. "Do you know what happened between Edward and Jeremy? I guessed that was where everything started."

Emmett pursed his lips. "Well…."

Our conversation was interrupted by the waiter who came to our table with our orders. We ate our lunch and enjoying the soft music played at the café. After we were finished, Emmett took me back to 'Our Hearts' and I didn't get the chance to ask him about Edward because Carlisle asked Emmett to meet him at his room. I said thank you to him for buying me my lunch and he just shrugged it off. He said he was the one who should say thank you because I could tell what Edward's problem was.

I returned to Margaret after Emmett walked into the main building. As I predicted, some of the kids asked me about Edward and I told them the truth. They all didn't believe me when I told them that I talked with Edward privately. I guessed old habits die hard.

I didn't see Emmett again the next day and as much as I wanted to see Edward, I couldn't find him either. Sometimes I took a quick glance at the big window at second floor, but he was never there. Two days passed and I was getting worried. None of the staff here talked about Edward and when I asked Margaret about that, she couldn't give me answer either.

It was on Friday at lunch when I saw him again. Well, not exactly saw him in person. I was walking in the hall from the employee's room when I heard a beautiful melody playing from a piano. I looked around and followed the sound to a large room under the stairs. I've never see this room before and Kate didn't mention it to me when she gave me a tour.

I slowly pushed the half opened door and almost gasped when I saw that Edward was playing the piano. It was a black grand piano and my heart skipped a beat watching him playing. He looked so calm and peaceful. It seemed he was in his own world and I smiled unconsciously. Apparently Edward sensed my presence and he stopped playing. He raised his head and looked at me. Our gaze met and I smiled slightly before I turned around and continued to walk to the lunch room.

Psychology Dictionary

Reverse psychology is a persuasion technique involving the advocacy of a belief or behavior that is opposite to the one desired, with the expectation that this approach will encourage the subject of the persuasion to do what actually is desired: the opposite of what is suggested. This technique relies on the psychological phenomenon of reactance, in which a person has a negative emotional response in reaction to being persuaded, and thus chooses the option which is being advocated against. (...) Reverse psychology can also prey on a person's ego, as when it is used, it can make the target feel incompetent; effectively persuading the person to perform the desired action. (wikipedia)

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