This seems to be my weekend for updates! Make this update number 2, and if you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, click on over to my profile and check out my other Twilight story.

We're still in Keira's perspective here, but a little bit of time goes by in this chapter, so if there's any confusion, just let me know.

I forgot this before, but I don't own Twilight, obviously, or else I wouldn't be writing fan-fiction.

If you're all still reading, don't let me hold you back. Read on!

Curiosity & Fascination

October, 1945

Keira

I've never been given detention in all my life! I thought as I walked out of school toward the parking lot where I was sure Kyle and Fisher were waiting for me. What was I thinking not paying attention? God, I'll never hear the end of this. I'm so stupid.

I was so mortified!

What was wrong with me?

How could I have allowed myself to be so distracted? I'd never been more embarrassed in my entire life, and it was all because of a boy! Edward was a nice-looking boy, but still, I was supposed to be learning in school, not becoming involved in a boy at school. My mother and father were going to be horrible to me when I got home.

Fisher and Kyle were where I expected them to be, but across the lot, I could see Emmett and Rosalie waiting with impatient looks on their faces. I didn't say anything as I moved to the car, and Kyle didn't say anything as he opened the back door for me. He barely gave me time to get into the car, slamming the door and then sliding into the driver's seat as Fisher followed him. I didn't want to look at either of them, and I didn't want either of them to look at me. If they didn't look at me, I didn't have to admit that I'd gotten into trouble because I'd been caught passing a note in class to Edward.

It only took a few minutes to get to the house, and when we pulled up, I could already see my mother on the front porch. I didn't want to say anything to her, but then Kyle opened my door and I had to get out of the car.

"Where have you been?" my mother demanded as Fisher came around to my side to walk me to where she was standing.

Though I had hoped to explain it to her myself, Kyle opened his mouth before I could.

"Keira got kept after school by one of her teachers," he quipped, glancing at me and eliciting a glare from Fisher. "I think she got in trouble," he mused.

I blushed, bowing my head even as Fisher walked me closer to her.

My mother gazed at me as I stepped in front of her, but I didn't know what to say to her, clutching my books to my chest.

"Keira," she said. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I was talking to Edward about our science project, and Mr. Jennings caught us. I didn't mean to. But Mr. Jennings gave us detention for the next three days."

She looked at Fisher, and I could see the disappointment in her eyes. Then she looked at me. "Get inside. And get your homework done before dinner."

I didn't say anything else to her, hurrying inside to my room and never wanting to leave again.

It wasn't that difficult to do my homework since it wasn't that much to do, and I was finished with most of it before my father was home. I looked through one of my journals the rest of the time, thinking about my grandmother and wondering what she would say if she knew what I was going through right now. I realized I needed so much to talk to her now, and I couldn't talk to anyone else about this — not even my mother. It was frustrating to have to wonder and not know.

My door opened at five-thirty, and my father stepped through with a small announcement.

"I heard you got into a little trouble at school today," he said, moving toward me and then sitting on the end of my bed to face me. I bowed my head. "Would you mind explaining to me how you got detention with this boy?"

I inhaled deeply, lifting my eyes to his. "It was just something stupid," I insisted.

He leaned closer. "You can do better than that," he pressed.

I swallowed carefully. "We were passing a note in class," I admitted. "About our science project. It was stupid and unnecessary. I shouldn't have done it. I don't know why I did it. But the teacher caught us. And he gave us detention for the next three days."

He listened for a minute, appearing to process what I was telling him, and I thought he was just going to get up and leave. Then he looked at me again.

"Was this boy responsible for getting you into trouble?" he asked seriously.

I sat up instantly. "No," I promised. "I could've not done it, but I did. It was my fault too. I mean, it's never happened before, I realize. But I'll take the consequences. It's only three days."

He leaned away, sitting up with his hands in front of him. "And I take it this detention is going to be served in the same classroom as . . . Edward."

I blushed again at the sound of his name. "I suppose so."

"And you'll be home every day afterward, with your homework done," he stipulated.

I nodded. "I will. I promise."

He stood up then, looking around the room and then leaving quietly. I didn't know what was worse. Having detention for three days with Edward, or watching my parents look at me with four different degrees of disappointment in their eyes.

Kyle was insufferable through dinner, making snide remarks about my impending detention and wondering how I was going to get home because he wasn't going to be waiting for me to get out of detention. Fisher tried to change the subject several times, talking about the basketball team holding trials and one of his teachers assigning a particularly difficult assignment. But my mother didn't say anything at all. She didn't look at me. She barely ate. My father tried to listen to Fisher and keep an eye on me, but he didn't do a very good job of paying attention to anything but me. Halfway through dinner, I'd had enough.

"May I be excused please?" I attempted not to demand looking at my father.

He looked at my mother, but she didn't say anything, and he looked at me. "Go on," he allowed, and I stood up without say anything to anyone as I hurried back upstairs to my room.

As soon as I was inside my room, I closed the door and looked around my room, sitting on my bed and wondering what I was going to do when I had to go to school in the morning. I didn't want to go even though I knew I couldn't convince my mother to let me stay home. I actually didn't know what I was going to say to her the next morning when I saw her again. She wouldn't even look at me.

I didn't leave my room the rest of the night except to take a bath, and I was in bed nearly an hour earlier than I normally did. Someone stepped into my room not long after I climbed into bed, but whoever it was never said anything to me. I thought it was my mother, but I didn't move, staying under my blanket and trying not to think about what was going to happen over the next three days.

If being in detention wasn't bad enough, I had to sit in a classroom with Edward for three days in a row with just him, me and Mr. Jennings. I couldn't look my mother in the eye for three whole days. My father checked on me every afternoon for three days. And Kyle was completely impossible for three days. It was mortifying to watch everyone else get up and leave while I had to sit there and wait. And what seemed to solidify my mortification was the fact that for three days, I didn't want to even look at Edward. It wasn't entirely his fault this had happened to either of us, but I was afraid that if I even thought about giving in to the fact that there were so many things we needed to do, our punishment would be even worse than it already was. If that was possible.

Fisher was the only one I could really talk to about all this without feeling like I was kneeling inside a confessional every time it was brought up. My father made a point of asking me at dinner every night what Mr. Jennings was having me do while I was in detention, and I tried to think up some plausible activity like grading papers or something. Fisher was really the only one who knew all I did while I was in there was sit and keep my head down. I'd told him that Mr. Jennings had apparently wanted Edward and I to have plenty of time to do our Science Project, but all we ended up doing was sitting at the back of the class waiting for him to let us leave.

Thursday afternoon, Mr. Jennings had actually looked a little sympathetic and allowed us to leave after half an hour. It was then that Edward spoke to me for the first time in three days.

"I wanted to apologize again for all of this," he told me as we left the school through the side entrance to the parking lot. "I should've been much more discreet. I'll understand completely if you wish to have another partner for the science project. I know we haven't had the opportunity to really start being here the last three days. I can talk to Mr. Fillmore if you'd like."

I listened to him start to almost grovel, and I spoke up. "No, it's all right," I insisted. "I'm to blame just as much as you are. And I don't want another partner. If we do that now, then it'll be like we're saying Mr. Jennings was right to keep us after school the last three days. And we have already started."

"Are you certain that's what you want?" he asked, and I looked at him. His eyes were bright green today, with more light in them than before, and the circles under his eyes were almost completely gone.

"I'm sure," I promised him.

A small, almost immeasurable grin tugged at the left corner of his mouth, and he opened the door to the parking lot. Kyle and Fisher were still waiting by the car, and Emmett and Rosalie were on the other side of the lot.

"So shall we start over then?" he inquired softly. "Tomorrow after school?"

I inhaled deeply, feeling a smile ease across my face. "That sounds good. Tomorrow after school. The library?"

"I actually already have a selection of books I was able to find in Carlisle's library for us to look through," he revealed. I looked at him, and I was surprised to see him really smiling now. "He's my brother-in-law," he explained "And I was hoping we would be able to move passed this. I wanted to make it up to you. I know how important this project is for you. So we can bypass the library for either your house or my house."

We arrived at the car where Kyle and Fisher were waiting, and I glanced at my older brothers before I looked across the parking lot at Emmett and Rosalie. I looked at Edward again. "Will it be a problem if we go to my house?" I asked. "My mother's still being a little . . ."

I couldn't finish the sentence, and he bowed his head. "Of course," he said. "We'll talk tomorrow at lunch then."

I nodded. "Okay."

He looked at Fisher and then Kyle before he moved across the parking lot to Emmett and Rosalie. I moved to the car and got in without saying anything, and my brothers followed me before Kyle backed out of his spot to leave the lot.

"So, you're finished right?" Fisher asked.

"Yes," I said. "I'm finished with detention. But I still have to do my science project. So Edward will be coming to the house tomorrow. I would appreciate a little privacy, if that's at all possible."

Fisher didn't say anything, but Kyle allowed this especially devious smile cross his face, and I knew this wasn't going to be as easy as I'd initially hoped.

The next day, Friday, couldn't have started out more normal, or as normal as it could be since it was colder than it had been and started raining before second period. Edward was a gentleman all morning, opening a door for me if it was closed and walking with me and Fisher to our classes. I could tell Fisher liked him and didn't blame him for the detention. I hoped my mother and father saw it that way. Edward really was a nice boy, and it was obvious he felt badly about the whole thing.

At lunch, as promised, we talked about our project, and I asked him about the books from his brother-in-law's library. I was just amazed his brother-in-law had a library.

"Is it a very big library?" I asked, making an outline for our project.

"It might be as big as the library here it town," he mused. "Carlisle's been collecting books his whole life, and he inherited quite a lot from his father and grandfather. There's practically everything in there. I'll show you when we go to my house, unless you'd prefer to continue to work like this and at your house."

I blushed at the thought of being alone in his brother-in-law's library with him. "No, I would love see it."

"Excellent," he agreed, a natural smile crossing his face. "And I'll ask your parents to make for certain it's all right. Emmett can always take you home."

"Keira," Abigail said now standing at the table with her lunch. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she pleaded.

"Please," I insisted.

"Thank you," she breathed, sitting down quickly. "Ethan won't leave me alone, and Jennifer keeps trying to shove me into his lap."

"Then you'll sit with us from now on," Edward offered, looking off in Ethan's direction, and I could've sworn I saw him glare.

"That's not necessary," Abigail stated. "I can sit somewhere else tomorrow, and — "

"Nonsense," Edward stopped her. "It's not proper for a boy to ignore a girl's request. You'll sit here with us where you'll be safe."

The curious expression on Abigail's face was enough to show how grateful she was. "Thank you."

"And I'm sure we can ask Fisher to sit with us too," I added. "I think he likes you."

Abigail glanced over her shoulder, spotting my brother, and I watched him smile and nod before Abigail looked at me. "I couldn't ask him to do that. He has his own friends."

"Oh, I didn't say I'd ask. He's meant to follow my every command. I'll just tell him he has to sit with me from now on. Consider it done."

She blushed as her cheeks turned a darker shade, and I smiled, glancing at Edward to see him smiling again.

After lunch, Edward offered to walk Abigail to her next class since it was different from ours, and once she was safely inside her own Science class, he spoke to me on the way to French.

"That was a very brave move," he commented. "Offering to force your brother to sit with you at lunch despite the fact that he's a year older than you."

"I wasn't lying," I admitted. "Fisher usually does do everything I ask. He always has. Besides, that was a bold move on your part. Offering Abby a seat at the table with you when you've barely given any of the other girls the time of day."

He smiled again. "Well, I was defending her honor."

"And what about mine?" I teased.

He chuckled. "That will always be safe with me. It's a promise."

Even though he sounded serious, I couldn't help but laugh too. What a strange thing to say.

It had stopped raining by the time school ended even though it was still cloudy, and Edward insisted on riding to my house with me instead of his brother dropping him off. When I asked him how he would get home, he said Emmett and Rosalie would be coming into town later, and they would pick him up then. He had a satchel of books in the backseat of Emmett's car, and he retrieved those before following me to where Kyle and Fisher were waiting. While I'd hoped to do this as quietly as possible, Kyle took it up on himself to size Edward up in front of the whole school.

"So you're the juvenile delinquent who got my sister in detention," he assessed, staring down his nose at Edward despite them being the same height.

Edward didn't blink. "That would be me, I suppose."

"And you honestly think I'm going to leave you alone with her just because you've apologized?"

"Kyle, that's unnecessary," Fisher argued. "He said it was a misunderstanding. Just let it go."

"Please," I added.

He stood still a minute, looking at me and then Fisher before he moved to get into the driver's seat. "Whatever," he muttered.

I inhaled as deeply as I could, glancing at Fisher and silently thanking him before Edward opened the door for me. I scooted into the back seat, and he followed, closing the door as Kyle turned the engine on and proceeded to pull out of our parking spot.

The drive to the house was quiet, and I glanced at Edward, noticing how he was staring at the back of Kyle's head almost like he wanted to bore a hole into it. Somehow I could relate to that, and it was nice to have one more person to agree with me that Kyle's behavior was starting to get out of hand. Sure, sometimes, he actually had a conscience and tried to fill in when my father and Fisher argued. But other times, he was completely intolerable. It was confusing to know whether he was still grieving, or if he was just bring mean.

My mother was waiting on the porch in a thick cardigan, and when she saw Edward help me out of the back of the car, the restrained look on her face turned intrigued. I figured she hadn't expected Edward to come to the house, and she looked curious. Kyle bypassed her completely, entering the house without a word, and Fisher led the way to the porch where our mother was waiting as Edward walked beside me.

"How was your day?" she asked, looking at Fisher and glancing at me.

"It was good," he promised. "I"ve got to get ready to go."

"Not too late," she told him, allowing him to go inside before she turned to me. "Honey, how was your day?"

"Better," I nodded, looking at Edward. "Mom, this is — "

"Edward," she said, extending her hand to take his. "You must be the science project partner."

He took her hand in his, and even though she shivered a little, she smiled. "Yes, ma'am. I wanted to take this opportunity to apologize for causing Keira to get into trouble. It was partially my fault as well, and I promise not to let it happen again. It was my haste that was the culprit, but I'll be keeping that in check from now on."

"Well, that's very kind of you. And I'm Annabeth. Keira's mother. Please come in. Walter will be home at five-thirty."

She stepped aside, allowing us onto the porch, and Edward gestured for me to go first. He held the door for my mother and me, and once we were in the foyer, my mother gestured to the parlor as it set empty.

"You should be able to work in here," she offered. "I'll leave the doors cracked in case you need anything. Edward, would you like something to eat or drink?"

"No, thank you, ma'am, I'm fine."

"Please call me Annabeth."

"Thank you," he nodded.

She smiled, glancing at me and then moving back into the dining room where I guessed she was working on something for the kitchen.

I glanced around the parlor, noticing the drapes open to let in a little light, and I sat on the couch to lay my books over the table there. Edward sat down with me, pulling out the books he'd mentioned and allowing me to look at them as he went through what we'd done so far even if it wasn't much.

The first book I picked up looked practically brand new, and I wondered how Edward's brother-in-law could've collected it. The front cover was a picture of London, England, and the letters were embossed heavily into the binding. It had to be an expensive book, however old it was, but what shocked me most was exactly how old it was. I looked over the inside cover and discovered it to be printed in 1889.

"When did your brother-in-law come by this book?" I asked Edward. "It looks brand new."

"Oh, my sister's somewhat of a restorer of things," he explained quite smoothly. "And Carlisle's also gotten extremely good at storing the books in a warm room. You know that keeps the paper from turning brittle."

"I can see that. So," I said, setting the book down. "Where do you want to start?"

"Well, the way I see it," he began, laying out the several sheets of paper we'd already been able to generate over lunch, "we can do a paper project or a practical one — where we go out into the local wilderness and actually get a look at the subject of our project. I know you've probably lived here in Washington all your life, but this place is new to me, so I would very much like to do a practical project and learn about the land that way."

A gentle set of chills shook down my spine as I listened to him talk. It just wasn't normal for him to sound that way. I was sure of it. And what was odd about it was that his brother and sister, whom I'd actually only heard a few times, had the same tenor in their voices. Though Emmett was thick and burly, he was gentle and supportive, and even though Rosalie was a little brisk and annoyed half the time, she was still beautiful and behaved like she was well aware of it. It was so odd that they were family. I remembered my father had said Emmett and Rosalie were adopted, but still. They acted like they'd been together forever. I still hadn't met Edward's sister or her husband, but I had this strange feeling they would have this effect on me too. And it was clear he'd been able to charm my mother instantly. He was obviously used to it.

"A practical project sounds nice," I said softly, but he still heard me.

He smiled again, appearing to have made it a habit by now. "Then you'll definitely need to see Carlisle's library. He'll have everything we need, and I live outside town, so we could perhaps take samples of the area around my house for Mr. Fillmore. He won't be expecting that."

"Then that's what we'll do," I agreed.

And then he laughed, nodding and still spreading out papers over the table in front of us.

My father arrived home promptly at five-thirty while Edward and I were still sitting in the parlor with our papers. In two hours, we'd actually been able to find a lot of information about the area from his books and our textbooks. We'd also worked out a schedule to go on a few "field" trips as he liked to call them to so we could collect samples from the woods around town for a visual of what we planned to turn in for our project. I knew it would be getting colder before the end of the month, and I told him it would be important for us to get most of our samples before the first snow. He agreed with me even though it didn't seem very important to him that we collect our samples right away.

The doors to the parlor opened wider then, and I looked up to see my father there in his jacket and tie from work with a stern look on his face. Edward stood up immediately, and I sighed heavily, rising with him as my father spoke.

"Annabeth tells me you two are working on your science project," he said, eyeing me and then looking at Edward.

"That's right, sir," Edward nodded. He moved forward. "I'm Edward, sir," he said, extending his hand. "Edward Masen. Please allow me to apologize for what happened earlier this week. It was partially my fault it happened, and I still believe the punishment was quite severe."

My father stared at him a few seconds with his hands high on his waist. "Well, nonetheless, it happened."

Edward bowed his head. "Yes, sir. And again, I apologize."

I watched my father ponder Edward's behavior and the fact that he'd been alone in the parlor with me the last couple of hours, and I was afraid he wouldn't accept Edward's apology. My father wasn't one to hold a grudge, but sometimes, it took him a while to accept a situation for what it was. The truth was that I would have to work with Edward on our science project for the next two and a half months, and if I had to get used to it, then so did my family. It would be extremely embarrassing if both my parents didn't at least try to be okay with this for the time being.

"So, how are things going in here?" my father asked, still scrutinizing Edward with his eyes.

"We're actually almost finished for the day," I said, moving to Edward's side while holding our trip schedule. "We're going to go out to Edward's house tomorrow to look for samples for our project."

"I see," my father nodded. He paused, looking behind him and then half turning to the entrance of the room. "Edward, do you need a ride home?" he asked, and almost on cue, a heavy knock came at the door.

My mother answered the door then, calling out to Edward after a couple of seconds. "Edward, your brother is here for you."

I sighed deeply, and Edward grinned slightly. "I supposed I should be leaving," he said, turning to me. "Would it be all right if I left our material here for in the morning?"

I glanced at my father then, seeing that he'd moved into the foyer where my mother was standing with Emmett as he wore a dark tweed jacket and pants. "That would be just fine," I told Edward.

He bowed his head and moved to collect his satchel, and I followed him to the foyer where my parents were waiting. Emmett smiled at me, and I blushed unconsciously, folding my arms over my chest. I'd since put on one of the grandmother's sweaters, and even though it kept my warm, I still shivered when Edward looked at me.

"Emmett's probably taking Rosalie to the drive-in restaurant before we get on our way home," Edward said with a grin, "but I should be back bright and early. Eight o'clock?"

"I'll be ready," I agreed.

"Oh, honey, you should go with Edward," my mother chimed in. "Fisher's probably already there."

"Annabeth, I think our daughter's had enough excitement for one week," my father argued. "If they're going to be out all day tomorrow, then she'll need all of her rest. Besides, I — "

"Walter, he's a nice boy," she informed him. "He's apologized for doing anything wrong, and Fisher's going to be there. He'll bring her home."

My father sighed softly, looking at me. "Are you okay?" he asked me. "I mean, you haven't had a rough day, have you?"

"Actually, I had a nice day," I insisted.

He rolled his eyes, something he only did when me and my mother worked against him over anything. "Then I suppose it would all right for you to go," he conceded.

Despite the fact that I hadn't initially wanted to go out, I stepped closer to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, kissing his cheek and squeezing him tightly. "Thank you, daddy," I whispered. I stepped back and glanced at Edward. "Let me just go change."

"Change?" Emmett argued. "You look great. Let's go." He looked at my mother. "It was nice to meet you, ma'am."

"You too, and please, call me Annabeth," she insisted.

I stepped closer to Edward, and Emmett graciously took my hand before we all left slowly.

It was windy and a little damp when we stepped outside, and I held the sweater I was wearing tighter around me as I walked toward Emmett's car. Rosalie was already in the front seat, dressed in a stylish dress with her hair done up in an elegant twist. My own hair was still pulled back from how I'd fixed it that morning for school, and I immediately felt completely inadequate.

Edward opened the back passenger door for me, walking around to the other side to slide in, and Emmett pulled out of the driveway with a big smile on his face. A few times while we were on our way, Edward sighed softly or groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was fighting a headache. Rosalie glanced at me a few times, but she didn't say hello or anything. I tried not to notice. I didn't even know what I was doing here, and I wondered silently if an opportunity like this would come up again. I knew we would be working on our project until Winter Break, but would I really be spending time with his family like this?

I wasn't surprised at all to find Fisher at the drive-in with Abigail and a few other kids from school, especially after the day we'd all had. I knew Fisher liked Abigail even though he was older than she was, and I knew he'd probably come here with his own friends instead of having me drag him to the drive-in theater with Abigail the week before. I hoped it continued to be an ongoing thing, especially since being around Abigail helped Fisher think of things other than what he'd left behind. He gave her something to look forward to, and I liked seeing him that way.

We all stood between our cars and talked until it was well passed my bedtime even though I tried not to make it seem like I still had one of those. I ordered a coke, and Abigail and I shared it while Fisher and Emmett talked about their gym teacher. I noticed that Edward and Rosalie never really talked, even though he continued to sigh and groan, and I really hoped he wasn't feeling bad. He always seemed to have a perpetual headache, and I didn't want him to overwork himself for my benefit. By ten o'clock, he'd already promised me several times that he was all right and would still pick me up on time. I held him to that before I got into the car with Fisher and Abigail so we could all leave before it got too late.

The next morning, as promised, Edward knocked on my front door at eight o'clock wearing clothes fit for hiking in the woods, and I was dressed similarly with some of my grandmother's old gardening clothes. My mother made me wear a hat, and she packed me lunch before allowing us to leave in the car with Emmett since we would be driving to their house before setting out on our hike. I admitted to myself on the way out of town that I was a little excited to see the inside of Edward's house, especially the library his brother-in-law had.

For three weeks, Edward and I worked together on our science project like it was virtually the only thing we had to do for school. Most of the rest of our classes were easy to keep up with since I managed to get help from Fisher for just about everything else. Mr. Jennings gave us a new book report to do about mid-1800s English poetry, and I was forced to ask Kyle for assistance since it had been one of his best subjects in school in Seattle. He agreed to help me only if I stopped bringing Edward into the house, so we had to work on the porch.

I met Carlisle and Esme, Edward's sister and her husband, on my first visit to his house, and while I was a little nervous, they promised me I had nothing to worry about and that I was welcome there any time. Carlisle was incredibly good-looking, with light blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was extremely gentle and considerate. I could see that he and Edward were quite close, more like father and son instead of brothers-in-law. Carlisle showed me his library, and I discovered that it went up through all three floors of the house. There were literally thousands of books there, and I was immediately overwhelmed as I stood inside it.

Esme was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever met, with caramel colored hair and light brown eyes the color of creamed coffee. Her hair was wavy with soft billows that felt just passed her shoulders, and her smile was more friendly and loving than any smile I'd ever seen from anyone but my mother. She offered me tea and cake, which I found odd since neither Edward nor Emmett or Rosalie ever ate at school. It made me feel like she was doing it just for me. It made me feel kind of special.

Edward and I took a hike into the woods around his house every Saturday, and then every Tuesday, I would go to his house with him to set out all our samples to keep them catalogued. Carlisle accommodated us with space on the porch, and Esme kept up with how long we sat on the porch so I could get home before it was dark. Edward and Emmett always rode into town with me, and Edward walked me to my porch and inside the house to make sure I was inside and on time for dinner. It was flattering how much he wanted to keep me safe, and he impressed my parents every time he walked me inside and made sure I was home before six o'clock.

Emmett and Rosalie hardly ever interrupted us when we were working over our samples, although there were a few times when Rosalie would watch us through the doors on the porch that led into the parlor.

"Rosalie doesn't like me very much," I said to Edward on our fourth Saturday afternoon at his house three weeks after we started while we were going through our new samples which included rocks, wood and earth from the woods around his house. "I keep thinking I'm supposed to be wearing a mask around her or something."

"You shouldn't pay attention to Rosalie," he told me, looking over the list of samples we already had. "It's not up to her if you're here or not. And if Carlisle tells her you're going to be here, she'll just accept it."

I glanced behind me at the parlor doors, seeing her there again and then glancing at Edward to see him not paying attention before I looked back and discovered her gone. I sat back on my calves, looking at everything we'd collected so far and wondering how we were going to put all of it into a report to our teacher. There looked to be almost too much to pull together.

"You look overwhelmed," Edward said from across the span of samples on the porch. "Surely, you're not having second thoughts."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Just wondering how we're going to get all of it together."

"That's easy," he said, picking up one of our samples and moving around to my side. "Look at this," he said, showing me the rust-colored clay we'd laid on a sheet of paper. "This clay is used by the local Native American Indian tribe for rain dance ceremonies. They sometimes also use it for tribal meetings with other tribes in the area."

I smiled as he rubbed his finger in the clay and came at me with it. I backed away, almost missing him dabbing it on my cheek, and he laughed before realizing how close we were. His smile faded almost completely, and his eyes became heavy-lidded. He opened his mouth to speak just as the door opened to allow Emmett onto the porch.

"It's almost five-thirty," he announced. "You two ready to get going?"

Edward glanced at him, looking at me and then helping me to my feet so we could follow Emmett into the house.

"Do you have something on your face?" Emmett asked, and I immediately tried to wipe off the clay on my cheek.

"Is it almost five-thirty?" Carlisle asked, now standing in the foyer as we arrived there to get my coat.

"We'll be back," Emmett promised.

"Well, Keira," Carlisle said moving forward to take my hand. "It was lovely to have you here today. We'll have everything ready for you when you come back."

I blushed easily, bowing my head as Edward helped me with my coat. "All right. Thank you."

Emmett led the way out to the car then, and Edward opened the passenger door for me so I could slide in between him and Emmett. The ride home was quiet as I sat between them, and about halfway into town, Edward reached out and touched my face where the clay he'd dabbed onto my cheek was smeared. I looked at him, and he moved his hand away. Emmett snickered softly, and Edward bowed his head, shaking it slightly.

My porch light was on when Emmett pulled up into my driveway, and Edward got out to walk me inside.

"We got a lot done today," I said as we walked. "We'll have a lot to do on Tuesday."

"About that," he said. "My family and I are going camping with the weather clearing up, so we'll have to do our cataloguing later in the week."

"Camping," I repeated, easing up the steps to the porch. "In the middle of the week?"

"Carlisle talked to the principal, and the teachers will keep up with our work for when we get back."

"Where are you going camping?"

"Near Olympic National Park. We'll be back on Thursday," he assured me.

He opened the front door then, allowing me inside as he followed, and my mother came out of the dining room slowly.

"Oh, hello, Edward," she said with a wide smile.

"Good evening, Annabeth," he nodded, and she blushed. He looked at me. "I'll see you Thursday."

I nodded. "Okay."

He left quietly, and my mother stepped closer to me.

"Thursday?" she asked. "Is he not going to see you at school?"

"He said they're all going camping. It'll be strange for him to not be there, but it's normal, I guess. He said his brother-in-law talked to the principal, so I guess I'll see him Thursday. I'm going to go clean up."

She released me then, and I hurried up to the bathroom to clean my face and hands so I could change clothes for dinner. I was tired and ready for bed, and I was surprised that I wasn't really that hungry. But I figured I'd eat enough to make my mother happy before I turned in for the night. When I got to the bathroom to pull off the overalls I'd worn, I looked in the mirror to take my hair down, and I was surprised to see how dirty my face was. Edward hadn't said anything about how incredibly messy I'd looked.

I made it to dinner with Fisher and Kyle, and I tried to eat while listening to everyone talk about what they'd done all day since they all knew what I'd done all day. But about halfway through dinner, Kyle spoke up, causing me to look at him.

"Are we boring you with our mundaneness, Keira?" he asked. "You seem awfully distracted."

"Honey, are you okay?" my mother asked.

I looked at Fisher and then my father. "I'm sorry," I said softly. "I'm just really tired. And I'm not really hungry."

"Well, then, sweetheart, if you're tired, why don't you just go on up to bed," my father suggested. "You've probably had a productive day."

"Okay," I agreed, scooting back from the table and then slowly walking up to my room.

I laid in my bed almost as soon as I was inside the silent space of my room, and I was asleep within seconds, thinking about what Edward had said and wondering how Carlisle had managed to get all three of them out of school for camping. My parents certainly would've never tried to do that for any of us, no matter how great the weather was going to be. But it was getting cold, and I supposed they wanted to go on one last camping trip before it got any colder.

Things will start moving in a different direction over the next few chapters. And you'll see what I mean if you read it.

Until then, I hope you all liked this one, for those of you still reading, and if there's anything you want to know, don't hesitate to leave me a message or a review.

One chapter put to bed, another one on the way!

Good night!