Chapter 4

A week had passed since Bella had been taken into the care of Carlisle and his mysterious family and after many a conversation it had been decided that she would be enrolled into the same school as Edward and the others. A new false name had been given to her to adopt; Hayley Jones, so that she would be safe from the bad vampires that would surely be out to get her. She quite liked her new name and the freedom that it gave her to be able to carry out as normal a life as possible; well as normal as living with vampires could be. Tomorrow would be her first day at the school and she was naturally anxious but thankful at least that she knew a few people; who all had reassured her that they would be her minders and look out for her. She smiled at the mental image of five vampires leaping to her defense. Speaking of vampires…

"Boo!!!!"

"Aaaaaaah what the bloody hell!!!!" She yelled as she was shocked out her deep train of thought. She whirled around from her position by the window in her room to see Emmet howling with laughter at her reaction. Edward was also stood there grinning at her, obviously amused by Emmet's antics.

"That was just too funny…it had to be done" Emmet breathed through his laughter.

"I wholly agree Emmet" Edward said still grinning as he high fived his brother. Bella gave then both withering looks but laughed all the same at her misfortune. "You are so sad, you know that don't you!" She said as Emmet pulled a mocking apologetic face.

"Who's sad?" A chirrupy voice suddenly piped in. Alice came bounding into the room in her alice-esque way and settled onto Bella's bed looking at her and the boys questioningly. "Oh, just Emmet being Emmet you know" Edward laughed. "Frightening the crap out of Bella" Edward grinned at Bella before putting his arm casually round her shoulder and patting her head. "Oi, you" She said "I'm 17 not 5!" Alice, Edward and Emmet laughed at her. "Hey Bella, how are you feeling about tomorrow? Starting your new life!" Alice asked enthusiastically.

"Well I'm a bit apprehensive but I'm also excited to finally be going school with you guys. It will be nice to have a life and to have something to take my mind off of the past."

"Yes, it will be fantastic" Edward said as he smiled down at Bella, he looked genuinely pleased that she would be attending school with him. She had been thinking about Edward a lot since she'd first met him and after the day they had kissed. Although he'd only known her a short while he seemed to be very attached to her, protective almost and was always checking she was okay. She liked the attention she got from him as it was never imposing; he knew when she didn't want to talk and then he would simply sit with her quietly.

Truth be told she was very in love with Edward and only hoped he was too.

Alice brought her back to the real world with a shriek of excitement. Everyone looked at her. "Hey we should go out and celebrate Bella going to school tomorrow!"

"That sounds like a plan" Emmet grinned "Where should we go?"

"What about heading into London" Edward proposed and then added, when he saw the worried look on Bella's face, "and don't worry Bella you'll be safe with us and besides they won't bother looking for you here they won't think to look so close to your old home."

She felt more reassured now and smiled "it would be great to go out."

"Cool lets go let Rosalie and Jasper know" Alice shrilled happily speeding out of the door vampire fashion.

At seven they were all ready to head out of the door and were lingering in the hallway waiting for Edward who was conversing with Carlisle. He came through the living room door and joined the group as Alice opened the front door eagerly and headed to Jaspers car with Jasper. Rosalie and Emmet too coupled off into Emmet's car leaving Edward to guide Bella over to his sleek black car. Like the gentlemen he was he opened her door for her and she slid into the car onto the beautiful leather of the passenger seat. She turned to look to the driver's side to see Edward already sitting next to her and starting the engine. "I warn you now we drive quite fast" he said turning to her as he followed the others down the long driveway. "It's okay I'm sure I can handle it" she replied confidently but within a minute of Edward turning onto the main road she was willing to take back what she'd said. Edward wasn't joking about being fast; well fast was more of an understatement.

Edward began to laugh at the look on her face and he actually threw back his head to laugh more loudly. "Am I really that funny?" She questioned him. It took him a few moments to be able to answer without laughing in her face. "Yes, you really are, you should have seen your face."

They reached London in no time, no thanks to Edwards extravagant driving. She didn't recognize this part of London but London was big so there were a lot of areas that she hadn't seen. Edward parked in a car park at the back of a large multi storey building and they got out to see the others already collected together. They walked to a nearby restaurant and sat down at a table. The girls strung up a conversation with Bella and the boys went to get drinks.

"So Bella what do you think of Edward" Rosalie slyly slipped into the conversation. Alice perked up looking suddenly more alert than humanly possible; except of course she wasn't human. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently. "Don't pretend to not know what we're on about" Rosalie said. "Okay I can see your not gonna leave it; so well I like him. More than like him." Alice and Rosalie grinned at her, "We so knew it" they chimed together "and it's so obvious Edward is infatuated with you."

"Really, you think so?" "We know so."

At that moment the guys returned to the table with the drinks and so the conversation was ended; for the moment. Edward sat close to her all evening as they had their meal and chatted; sometimes absent mindedly playing with her hair. At one point Emmet ruined the romantic-ness of the evening by saying that Edward was grooming Bella "and not in the brushing way you think." He said whilst wiggling his eyebrows. There was uproar as the girls and Jasper burst into laughter and as Edward threw a breadstick at Emmet. Bella just sat there mortified.

Soon after the grooming incident they left the restaurant and began walking slowly to the cars. Bella suddenly felt something cold on her hand and realized that Edward was trying to hold her hand and so she loosened it so he could take it.

They walked hand in hand together back to the car. Bella saw a lit sign for public toilets in the distance and remembered that she needed the toilet. "Is it okay if I visit the toilet before we leave?" She asked Edward. 'Yes of course, I will be waiting right here for you."

She headed off towards the sign across the parking lot and then down a side alley and finally to the public toilets. It was dark in the toilets and there was horrible suppressing feeling about the air. She went into a cubicle quickly and then made sure to wash her hands fast. She hated being alone in the dark now and wished she'd asked Edward to walk with her. She stepped out into the alley way but then panicked when she couldn't remember which end she'd come from. It all looked the same in the dark. She set off to the left uncertain of the choice, turned round the corner and walk straight into a guy standing to the side. "S…s…sorry" She stammered. "No worries darling, now how's about you come with me?"

She went to scream but he had his hand on her mouth and then had her in a tight grip.

"Don't bother there's no-one around to hear you"

"Oh yes there is, now let her go" said a low threatening voice.

Edward had appeared from nowhere and was glaring threateningly at the man who had hold of her; he looked livid and was scary. The man released her immediately and began backing off with a stricken look on his sallow face. "Leave before I rip that disgusting head from your neck, and don't think I wouldn't" Edward snarled.

The man couldn't have left any faster, tripping over his own feet he legged it down the dark street.

"Come on Bella lets go, are you okay?" Edward asked in a soothing voice very different to the snarling one he had used for the guy. "Yes I'm fine, just a bit shaken" she admitted.

Edward wrapped an arm round her as they walked the right way to the car park and soon they were in the safety of the car.

"Bella" Edward said in a low voice as they drove back to the house.

"Yes" she said

"I think I may be in love with you."