This is part 2 of Chapter 2. In order to understand it, I beg you to please read the first part in Keira's perspective. Not everyone has to like her, but it would be nice to know what everyone thinks of her and the interaction of her and Edward and other characters.

Read on.

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September, 1945

Edward

Most if not all humans never interest me to the point of needing to avoid their presence in order to prevent an intensely awkward situation. And I like it that way. It makes life easier if I don't have to keep up the appearance that I'm not interested every time I'm within their presence. But this time, it was different. And I wasn't really certain why. Not yet. And it was difficult not to do what came to me naturally and find out for myself if my suspicions were correct. They almost always were, and this time, I'd managed to hit the mark on the first try.

This human, I believe her name was Keira, was unlike any of the other students attending the school we were both standing outside right now. And I was positive she was very aware of how much unlike everyone else she was. She dressed differently. She walked differently. She spoke differently. And it inevitably drew enough attention to her for me to gain the ability of not having to invade her thoughts every time I was around her. A girl in our Advanced Mathematics class stared at her all through class wondering what she did to keep her hair so smooth. And a boy in our French class made pathetic attempts at impressing her with his horrid ability to butcher the language we were there to learn. And she was never impressed.

Oh, for the Love of all things. French. What a terrible disaster I'd made of what should have been the easiest situation of my entire existence. I still have no clue what was wrong with me, but I'd come so far, and I wasn't taking a step back just to show her I wasn't the rude, uninvolved boy she thought me to be. But the instant she'd blushed and begun to speak with her soft voice, I'd felt all my restriction of reading thoughts fall away almost immediately. She was by far the strangest human I'd ever met, even when I'd been human, and those memories were getting cloudier every day that passed. And she refused to be deterred. I couldn't do or say anything to prevent her from thinking it was her duty to figure out what was going on in my head or my life. How was I supposed to avoid her when I had to sit next to her in every class where the teachers all seemed keen on seating us next to each other for the mere fact of us both being new to them? Was it that they simply couldn't treat us like normal students?

Standing in the parking lot after school with Rosalie and Emmett, I watched her walk to the car her oldest brother drove, listening to him mentally berate her for taking her time and then watching the other with her shoot a rather reproachful look in his direction. I really did not like her oldest brother. He was loud and obnoxious. Rosalie had already determined him to be haughty and full of contempt, and Emmett was telling me the other brother was the nicer of the two. Watching him settle into the passenger seat, I could agree with that. He was attentive to her to say the least, waiting for her at the end of class and sitting with her during study period even though it was clear he was older than her and had probably already made friends his own age. It was clear he loved her very much. And I knew why.

It wasn't something I was proud of, especially when I do have to make an effort to not read other people's minds without their consent, which for me is usually never, but I'd happened upon this piece of information rather accidently, and it was a little disconcerting. Listening to Mr. Jennings' speech this afternoon had stirred a strange set of thoughts in Keira's mind, and for the slightest of seconds, she'd agreed with him on several of his points. And knowing what she'd already been through in the last several months of her life made me wonder how she'd managed to cope. It was clear she'd loved her grandmother and had been saddened by her passing. The two of them, her and her older brother — the nice one — each seemed to have a set of memories the eldest either didn't have or didn't care about enough to think of most of the time. Knowing what I knew about him and his disdain for the mundane life he'd been dealt was not helping his cause, especially with the several teachers he'd already insulted by not taking their classes seriously. I'd learned not to do that quickly, but he didn't seem to care.

"Edward, she's barely fifteen years old," Rosalie informed me as I stood next to the car watching Keira leave with her brothers.

I glanced at her, sliding into the back seat as Emmett sat in the driver's seat. Having "just turned 18," he'd been settled in enough to drive me and Rosalie to school, and I knew he was listening. "Your point?" I asked her.

"She's fifteen," Rosalie repeated. "And you're not. We don't need to draw anymore attention to ourselves than we already have moving to this small, insignificant town. Even the teachers would dislike you pursuing her."

I inhaled deeply, the action more reflexive than anything since I didn't actually need the oxygen anymore. "I'm not pursuing her, Rosalie," I assured her. "I'm just trying to figure her out. She's very complex — not at all like the other students here."

"Well, she's not from around here," Emmett said obviously. "Of course, she's complex. She's cute too."

Rosalie slapped his shoulder as we pulled out of the parking lot to get back to the house where Esme was no doubt waiting to hear about our day. "Emmett, that's completely inappropriate," she chastised. "And she's human. You know what Carlisle said about exposure. Whether Edward is lonely or not, he should know better than to risk the attraction of a girl who could very well expose us to the entire town. Then where would we go? We just got here!"

Emmett smiled devilishly even as he drove, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "Maybe we'd finally be able to get off on our own again," he suggested, and I could see and hear every salacious thought running through his head at that very moment.

"Will you please stop doing that?" I demanded, tempted to kick the back of his seat but denying myself the pleasure since he was driving. "I am still sitting back here. Thank you very much."

He laughed, but he knew I was serious, so he started thinking about when our next hunting trip would be.

"I'm serious, Edward," Rosalie pressed. "Carlisle can find you a nice female companion who doesn't live around here, and we can just live our lives like normal. Please don't do anything stupid."

I looked at her incredulously, especially since she and Emmett were the ones walking around the school like two idiotic lovers concealing their affair rather poorly. "I believe I'm old enough to know when I'm about to do something stupid," I argued. "And Carlisle can't find me a nice female companion. It's not as simple as it was with you and Esme. Those were chance, happenstance. This girl is just different, and I'm trying to understand why. That's all."

"Didn't you already, you know, read her mind and all?" Emmett asked, now speeding out of town toward our house.

I smirked. "I try not to do that without someone's permission. And it wouldn't help with her anyway. She has more complex thoughts than any fifteen-year-old girl I've ever met."

Rosalie tilted her head, sitting in hear seat sideways and partially facing me. "Are you saying she's not, um, well, a virgin?" she asked curiously.

"No, that is not what I'm saying," I exclaimed, unsure why the implication was enough to make me feel like I needed to defend this girl's honor despite not having spoken to her willingly since first meeting her. "I mean, she has more complicated thoughts than anyone else her age. She's been through enough by her age to be twice as old as she is now, and it's just not as easy as I thought it would be to understand her."

"So you can read her thoughts and the thoughts of everyone else around her," Emmett said, "and you've been doing it for the last two weeks, and you still don't have her figured out?"

I folded my arms over my chest, nodding curtly. "Yes, that is the general consensus," I acknowledged.

He smiled again, jovial at this new revelation I'd apparently afforded him. "Well, I think that makes her the first human to be completely immune to you — as far as the whole prospect of attraction."

In a way, he was right. Most of the girls in the school all thought about me at one point or another. It wasn't that I was overconfident. It was simply a statement of fact. And I had the proof right there in their thoughts. I barely had to do anything, and it was sometimes annoying to know someone was already obsessed with you before you even met them. But Keira was different. She acknowledged every attribute of my exterior — my eyes, my voice, even my body — but she refused to be swayed by them. For the last two weeks, she'd preferred to figure me out as much as I believe I wished to figure her out as well. It was an interesting and fascinating experience to say the least.

"Oh, please, Emmett," Rosalie chastised. "You make it sound like she finds him repulsive. No girl can look at Edward and not think he's the devil in sheep's clothing. All the girls talk about him. Even a lot of the older ones who are in my grade."

"Well, this girl can apparently resist his charms," he teased. "I'd kind of like to meet her. How does she smell?" he asked off-handedly.

I exhaled loudly, staring at him in the rear-view mirror, and Rosalie even gave him a scolding look. "Honestly? That's your most logical question? How does she smell?" I asked.

He lifted his eyebrows. "Well?"

"Emmett, that's rude!" Rosalie exclaimed. "What does it matter?"

I smirked again. "Well, after what happened last time."

"How was I supposed to know that was going to happen?" he shot back, and I glared at him in the mirror.

After another few seconds of him holding my gaze in the mirror, I gave in, recalling the scent I'd taken from Keira. "She smells nice," I told him. "And not just her blood. She smells almost like gardenia with a hint of rose. And I believe she uses sandal wood perfume. It was her grandmother's."

"That's expensive," Rosalie informed me, even though I was fairly certain she already knew I was aware of that fact. "I wonder if it was handed down to her."

I said nothing to her comment, opting to settle back into the seat and watch the world go by at nearly eighty miles per hour, which was well over the local speed limit. I couldn't wait to be able to drive myself to school, to be alone with my thoughts on the drive into town and to have no one to force their own opinions on me. I didn't want to wait until I was old enough, but I knew I would have to, so I simply endured it for the time being.

We were just pulling up the drive to our house when Rosalie spoke again, this time more informative than usual.

"We're going back into town later for a movie," she said, though her thoughts told me they were actually going to watch the local teenagers mingle for a few hours. "You should come with us. You need to get out of the house for a change."

Emmett parked in the driveway then, and I got out without saying anything to her. I moved through the side entrance to the house, bypassing Esme and Carlisle and making my way up to my room without saying anything to anyone. I knew I wouldn't be able to escape everyone's thoughts while I was in the house, but if Rosalie and Emmett were going back into town, she would be in her room getting ready so I wouldn't have to worry about anything inappropriate taking place during those few hours. It was after they got back in from town that I had to worry over. In an additional two weeks to the last time I'd spoken to Carlisle, they still couldn't keep their hands off each other, not even for the benefit of another person in the house.

I spent a few hours — the same few hours in which Rosalie primped herself for her night out — doing what the teachers at the school liked to call "homework," even though it barely took me a fourth of the time I sat there at the desk overlooking the side lawn, which also incidently overlooked the west side of the forest. For most of the rest of the time, I found myself thinking about Keira. I knew she was also far too young for me to even think of being friends with, and I was certain neither Carlisle nor Esme would really appreciate me exposing our family to her. But she wasn't like any of the girls in school. She was sad and lonely, and I still couldn't figure out exactly why. It wasn't only that she missed her grandmother or her old school or her friends there. There was something deeper going on inside her, and I wanted to know what is was.

The door to my room opened close to five-thirty, and Rosalie stepped inside without a word to me as she moved to the closet Esme had seen to filling with clothes for me to wear. She browsed for a minute or two, extracting a jacket and pants before she made her way to me and lifted me to my feet. She never said anything, holding the jacket up to me and then glancing over the shirt I was still wearing.

"You'll wear this," she informed me. "Hurry up. We're leaving in ten minutes."

She left then, and I stood still for a minute only to have her call back to me through the door.

"Get dressed. Esme wants you to go out, and you don't want to disappoint her, now do you?"

I inhaled deeply, moving away from my desk and proceeding to change into the clothes Rosalie had chosen for me. I realized then that I didn't want to disappoint Esme. She did want to see me happy, and if going into town every now and then made her happy, then I guess it was my place to oblige her.

I hadn't been into town with Rosalie and Emmett since we'd arrived four weeks earlier, and I wasn't looking forward to it now, but when I saw the look on Esme's face as I made my way downstairs, I decided not to let it show on my face that all I really wanted to do was go back to my room and mull for the night. She looked happier than she had since getting here, and it was nice to see her not worry about me for a change.

"You look handsome," she said with a smile. "Surely, you'll be able to make friends in a less formal setting than school. You will try to enjoy yourself, please?"

I smiled, stepping forward and kissing her cheek. "I will."

"All right now," Rosalie said impatiently. "We should go. It's Friday night, and everyone from school will be at the new drive-in."

She grabbed my arm, pulling me out the side door to the car where Emmett was already waiting. He was dressed up in the same color scheme as she was, and I noticed how my jacket somehow matched his. I realized then she wasn't going to let me out of this as easily as I'd hoped. The radio was silent as Emmett drove us into town, but I didn't need it. There was a woman playing a piano along the highway, and I zoned in on it easily, wondering exactly what Rosalie planned to accomplish by dragging me into town.

Almost all the traffic in town was moving in the direction of the sole film theater in town, and despite the cloudy and bleak weather the day had provided, no one seemed to be in a dreary mood. As a matter of fact, nearly everyone parked inside the drive-in theater near the north side of time appeared to be in a rather happy mood. I knew I would have to simulate being happy for the next few hours, and I knew Rosalie wouldn't have it any other way, especially when she snuggled up next to Emmett and gave me a look that told me to get out of the car. I happily obliged her.

There were more people here than there were in the entire school, so it was clear more people had ventured here than just the young population in town. There was a sitting area near the concession, and I made my way there slowly, looking around to see what film was going to play. Love Letters. I'd never seen it before, even though I was more of a book man myself, but I sat at one of the tables there quietly with the complete intent of minding my own business. Less than ten minutes after I sat down, however, my attention was drawn away by the sound of girls giggling behind me from less than twenty feet away.

"Surely, he's not too new for him to have met a girl," one of them whispered. I recognized her voice for obvious reasons. Jennifer Davis, the most popular sophomore in school according to most of the other boys in my gym class. "Keira, go talk to him." He's an absolute dreamboat, even if he is a little off.

I fought temptation to look over my shoulder, staring unfocused at the film screen as the black and white images blurred together seamlessly. My brain betrayed me as her thoughts came to my attention.

He obviously wants to be left alone. "I didn't come here to flirt, Jennifer," she said politely. "I came with Abigail and Fisher. You go talk to him."

The overpowering sensation to turn my head won out, and I unwillingly snuck a peek at her with her group of friends. She was standing between her brother Fisher and Abigail from my Advanced Mathematics class. She looked friendly and sympathetic tonight, but Jennifer appeared to be relentless, eyeing me curiously and still thinking some of the most inappropriate things for a girl her age.

"He doesn't stare at me during lunch," Jennifer informed Keira softly, giggling again. "And I know you want to talk to him. Here's your chance."

While standing next to Keira, Abigail took her hands and pulled her along about ten seconds before Fisher followed them. "I'll come with you," she said to Keira.

After a few more seconds, Abigail whispered softly. "It's okay. He's nice. At least when I talk to him, he is," she said glancing in Jennifer's direction.

From the distance, I took notice to what they were wearing and realizing their dresses were different from their usual attire at school. Keira's dress was green from what my keen eyes told me, with white trim along her collar and the hem of her skirt, and her blond hair was pulled up into an elegant bun, leaving enough room between her collar and the strands of her hair already fallen around her face for a simple chain that held a small locket. She blushed as soon as she within a few feet of where I was sitting, but she remained curious, almost like she could read my mind even though I knew that was impossible.

Fisher seemed able to take the initiative, sitting across the table from me and extending his hand as he'd done in study period earlier when introducing himself. "Nice to see you again," he said cordially, smiling and then lifting his eyes I noticed were actually blue-green to Keira and Abigail as they stood there hesitantly.

"You as well," I nodded, shaking his hand. I liked him. He was a good person, and it didn't seem to bother him that I kept to myself. It would have been rather annoying if he weren't so pleasant to listen to — which I wasn't doing on purpose, and that's a promise.

Abigail took his lead, pushing Keira into the chair next to mine before resigning to the chair beside Fisher.

"Did you get dragged here too?" Fisher asked me, and I looked at him.

I studied him for barely half a second, remembering Esme and Rosalie and deciding to err on the side of caution. "Of course," I confirmed.

"And you would much rather be at home doing something else worth your time?" he continued, reminding me of the conversation I'd listened to him have with his sister in study period. I got the feeling he was testing me, and it was interesting to see the challenge in his eyes.

"Well, I, um, finished all of my school work," I admitted, feeling a small smile crease my right cheek. "And Rosalie insisted. Apparently, she doesn't want me to become a recluse."

"There isn't much to do in such a small town, is there?" he agreed.

The lone resident of the town we were currently occupying who happened to be sitting at our table spoke up then. "Being from a big city and then moving to such a small town must be strange," Abigail commented, glancing at Keira and nodding in my direction. Talk to him.

Keira inhaled deeply, glancing at me and smiling politely. "Vous avez déplacé ici de Rochester?" she inquired, blushing even more deeply and inadvertently causing a reaction I wasn't expecting as she stirred my thirst unknowingly.

I felt my chest constrict slightly, and I had to look away, attempting to recover as quickly as possible and unwillingly coughing softly.

"Hey, are you all right?" Fisher asked, lightly touching my back.

I had trouble finding my voice, moving his hand away. "I'm — I'm fine. Please excuse me," I whispered, rising quickly and leaving the table without thinking about where I was going to go. I didn't care. And I wasn't expecting her to follow me, but she did. I was halfway across the car lot when I heard her voice and then her thoughts.

"Edward," she called. I'm such an idiot. Why is he so strange? All I did was talk to him.

I stopped reluctantly, turning to face her as she arrived at where I was. "Please don't," I whispered, holding my hand to her for her to stay away.

"I don't understand," she said to me. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," I insisted. "It's nothing you've done. But I can't stay here. I apologize for my behavior, but I must go."

I started to walk away, unconsciously listening to what she was thinking.

Of course. Why would I expect anything else from him at this point?

I wanted to stop, to prove to her it had nothing to do with her, but I couldn't give in. Despite my inability to understand her completely, I couldn't allow that to rule my actions. It was just better this way. And then I remembered that I would have to sit next to her in all of my classes on Monday, and I realized the more avoided her, the worse this would get. She would never stop trying to figure me out, and I couldn't avoid her forever — well, not literally. I couldn't risk causing trouble for Carlisle and Esme by not going to school when they'd worked so hard to enroll me.

My feet froze in place, causing me to glance over my shoulder to see that she was still standing there in between cars with other occupants watching the film playing. Without knowing what I was going to say, I moved closer to her slowly, gauging her reaction to me as she folded her arms over her slim chest. She stood up straighter the closer I got, lifting her eyes to mine as I stopped in front of her.

"That was . . . rude of me," I said softly. "And I am truly sorry for making you feel as though you've done anything to warrant my behavior. This is a new place for me as well, and I suppose I'm still adjusting. I didn't mean to offend you. I swear."

Her face was unreadable, even though her thoughts told an interesting story. That was different.

"Shh," a voice behind me hissed, and I turned around, realizing where I was standing.

I looked at her. "Perhaps we should sit back down," I suggested.

She looked around also, and with another glance in my direction, she bowed her head, leading the way back to the sitting area where Fisher and Abigail were now eating food from the concession attached to the drive-in.

Fisher rose as we arrived, allowing me and his sister to sit before he sat back down. "You all right now?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," I assured him. "Please allow me to apologize for leaving. There's no excuse, so perhaps we can simply forget it happened."

He looked at Keira, and she looked at me. For a moment, I thought she would tell him something different. But she smiled and looked at Abigail.

"Yes, please," she said softly. "We should forget it." And then she did something no one had done — other than her brother earlier that day — when she extended her hand to take mine. "Clean slate?"

I extended my hand to hers slowly, taking it in mine gently and feeling her shiver as our skin made contact. A confused looked eased over her face, but she said nothing, instead thinking something no one else in their right mind would ever consider.

He's so cold.

She certainly was a curious fifteen-year-old girl, much more than I'd expected anyone her age to be, and she didn't mind a challenge. Apparently to her, I was it. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but for the first time in a long time, I don't think I minded as much as I should have. Esme would be pleased, though I wasn't so certain Rosalie would approve.

It was after ten o'clock before Rosalie, Emmett and I returned to the house after a night out, and they almost immediately ran to their room and shut the door to have what they only perceived to be privacy. Of course, to a house full of vampires, there really was no such thing, and I was able to hear every little sound they made on the way and even after the door was closed. I was definitely looking forward to the time when they would "cool down" and give me a little peace.

"How was the drive-in?" Carlisle asked, coming out of his study as I stood in the foyer of the house alone.

"It was fine," I said confidently, wondering if he could hear the subtle difference in my voice since I knew I certainly could.

"Rose wasn't too persistent?" he pleaded, smiling gently.

"Of course she was," I admitted, "but that is her way. It was fine," I said again.

He stepped closer to me, his smile widening as he came to be less than a couple feet away from me. "You've met someone," he said. "I can see a change in you. She's human?"

I bowed my head, but I didn't say anything, knowing I wouldn't need to. Despite his inability to read my mind, we'd been together for nearly 30 years, so he knew me inside and out. Esme and Rosalie were quickly on their way, but Emmett simply didn't care at the moment.

"Is she a nice girl?" he asked, somewhat teasingly.

"She is," I said softly. "She's just a friend. But she's curious. Interestingly so."

"And you know to be careful about what we discussed when we first arrived here," he insisted, his thoughts centering around how we were all supposed to be careful about exposure as though I weren't already aware of what was expected of me.

"I'm being careful," I assured him. "You wanted me to make a friend, and I've done that. It will help me fit in to have normal people to be around."

He nodded and smiled again, his thoughts changing slightly as he remembered the principal and the secretary at the school. "Did you meet her at school?" he asked, moving to the stairs and prompting me to follow him. "Or did you just meet her tonight?"

"I met her at school," I revealed. "She belongs to the other new family in town. Her father is Walter Jones."

"The new legal advisor at the police station?" Carlisle asked, intrigued.

I nodded. "The same. But they moved here from Seattle. I believe she was enrolled in one of the preparatory schools there. Her family is actually quite wealthy."

"Is she attractive?" he asked, and if I'd been able, I'm certain would have blushed, especially since Keira was attractive despite her curiosity.

I thought of her blond hair which was shorter than Rosalie's but somehow looked more lively with highlights from time in the sun no doubt, and I remembered her vibrant blue eyes along with her friendly smile. She always had a gentle blush in her cheeks, and in contrast to the smell on her skin, her blood gave her away every time I was near her. I didn't know if it was due to my presence or not, but I'd already decided not to avoid her anymore. It was easier not to anyway.

I didn't need to say anything for Carlisle to know my answer to his question.

"Well, I know it would be customary for you to bring her over for us to meet her," he said, "but we should wait a little while longer before we take that step. And then after a short while, you can bring her here some time when it's safe. As long as it isn't without a chaperone. Esme would be more than happy to accommodate you and your new friend."

I bowed my head, aware of his precaution and accepting it as he released me to my room while returning to his. Down the hall, I could already hear Rosalie and Emmett, and I was slightly mortified when I realized what they were doing. I knew no matter how much I tried, I wasn't going to be able to concentrate on anything else all night.

It was after midnight and the moon was high before Emmett and Rosalie quieted down despite their well-padded room, and I was able to lay on the small lounge chair by my window and thinking of what my life had been like that morning before French Class. It wasn't only the fact that I'd come to a decision about Keira. In the last thirty years, I hadn't really had a friend outside of Rosalie and Emmett, and I wondered what it would feel like to have friends I could at least attempt to appear normal with — without all the jostling and competition for attention.

Again, thank you for reading, and I hope you liked it! And I hope this makes it easier to read for you all. Tell me what you think!

A few things before we part:

Translations:

Vous avez déplacé ici de Rochester - You moved here from Rochester

Et vous - And you

And a word on sandal wood - It's a very rare commodity, so rare in fact that only extremely wealthy people were able to afford it. This should say something about Keira's family, I hope.

And without Alice there, someone had to dress Edward, but I didn't want Rosalie to be nice about it, so until Alice shows up, consider her his personal attire coordinator. *snicker*

Until next time, Keep Calm & Carry On!