Chapter Five

The Encounter

September 2003. Forks, Washington.

Authors note: Thank you all for reading my story so far. We are back with Edward again now. Yes, he's still unhappy! I will get to Bella later, promise!

Special thanks to those who have reviewed. Would love some more though!

I headed off to my English lesson trying to ignore the stupid sickening thoughts that surrounded me. Life at Forks was every bit as bad as I had imagined it would be. I was expecting a torrent of flirtatious thoughts, but there was one girl in particular who I couldn't seem to shake off. I had never had this problem before. Normally I just ignored them and they gave up. If that didn't work, a cold glare was usually enough to send them scuttling in the opposite direction, but Jessica Stanley was most persistent.

She wasn't even pretty; she just thought she was, and the amount of perfume she was wearing to presumably try and attract me was utterly offensive. Ironic really though that she should think she needed to wear so much perfume. If only she knew the truth about how sensitive my sense of smell was. But, if she knew the truth she wouldn't even be trying. Maybe I should break the rules and tell her? That should do it! Or maybe I should break my father's rules and kill her? No, she was probably the most irritating female I had ever encountered but she was still a human, someone's daughter, and she didn't deserve to die, well not yet, anyway. Give it another couple of months though.

I had been completely rude to her at lunchtime and had told her in no uncertain terms that I would never go out with her, but still she followed me around, from a distance, of course, and I could still hear her sick fantasies. Was it right for a fifteen year old girl to be so explicitly promiscuous in her thoughts? Ugh, it made me feel nauseous.

At least English was the last lesson of the day, and, at least I would be with Alice. I looked forward to seeing her cheerful face. She was just about keeping me sane though this ordeal. Of course Alice didn't look fifteen any more than I did. It was no wonder we received so much attention.

I entered the classroom and to my relief Alice was already there waiting for me. Oh dear Edward. Has it been bad today?

I sat down next to her and got my books out ready for today's rendering of Macbeth. Not that I really needed books, I knew every Shakespeare play off by heart. They were just props. "Like you wouldn't believe!" I whispered to her.

Well, I really don't see any future in it so I guess she must give up soon.

"Well maybe you don't see a future because I am going to kill her if she keeps this up," I teased.

Alice sniggered. It was a good job she knew I was only joking, well, for the moment anyway.

Nope, I don't see you killing her.

I laughed. A couple of girls in the row in front of us turned around to see what I found so funny and realising it was me they fluttered their eyelashes at me and began drooling over me in their thoughts. I gave them one of my coldest glares and they turned away embarrassed.

Fortunately Miss Cross began calling the class to order so the thoughts in the classroom turned momentarily to the subject of the homework she was asking to be handed in. I had deliberately made a couple of small mistakes in my homework, not enough to mess up my grades, but enough to pass off as being human. Miss Cross was handing out the next assignment.

Alice was chastising me in her thoughts for being so rude to the girls but I ignored it. I was trying hard to ignore the thoughts of all the other girls in the room too now that they had wandered away from the homework assignment. Sometimes I really wished I didn't have this gift. The boys were quite annoying too, because all they were thinking about was the girls and some of them were angry that the particular objects of their desire were fixated with me.

Miss Cross was droning on and on about our next assignment. Why couldn't she just hand it out and let us figure it out for ourselves? I knew the humans weren't as smart as me, but they were quite capable of reading a set of instructions and if they couldn't, well it was just tough.

I stared out of the window at the edge of the trees, longing for our next hunting trip; a break from this monotony. We were supposed to have been going tomorrow but we had missed two days of school already this week due to the sunshine, and so Carlisle had postponed it until next weekend, insisting that we went to school today, and for the rest of the week to keep up appearances.

Today had not been baking hot and sunny, like yesterday, although it was still warm and muggy. The rain clouds were hanging overhead threatening a downpour. Tomorrow it would rain for sure. No chance of any more days off from the tedium this week. I had begun to pray for sunny days so we didn't have to go to school.

Alice's mind had wandered off to Carlisle at the hospital. I followed her thought pattern. He was going to meet someone in his office. He had asked the receptionist to make the young man wait outside until he had finished his rounds. Carlisle was on edge about something, which was unusual.

"What do you think it means?" I whispered to her.

She shrugged. Maybe we should go over there and find out when school finishes? I can't see who it is he is meeting, it's just a blur.

I nodded.

Alice was hoping we got there before the meeting started and was making plans to let the others know. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were in the other building. They were officially a year older than us. They may want to join us, but more than likely they would want to go home. Jasper and Emmett were in the middle of a mammoth game of chess and Rosalie was still helping Esme with aspects of the redecoration. Most of the work had been done before we moved back in, but the finishing touches were being applied and this was Esme's forte, although Rosalie would like to take the credit for it, no doubt.

The bell finally rang and Alice and I were the first to leave the classroom, being careful not to move too quickly. It was annoying having to walk at human pace when we had somewhere we needed to be in a hurry. Even moving at human pace we had attracted attention. I could hear it in the thoughts of the others as we exited the classroom a little bit too swiftly. Humans were clumsy and banged into things when they tried to move too quickly. Remembering this, I accidently caught my bag on the door-frame for effect, making a loud noise.

We caught up with the others near the parking lot and Alice explained briefly what she had seen. As I suspected, the others were not particularly interested, having better things to do, so Alice urged them to go home, telling them that we would get a ride with Carlisle when he finished at the hospital. Presumably his meeting with the young man would be the last thing on his agenda for the day.

Fortunately the hospital wasn't too far away from the school and even at human pace we were there within five minutes. We made our way to Carlisle's office and were relieved to find the young man still waiting patiently in the small ante-room. He looked up when we entered and something struck me immediately about him. I hadn't ever seen this young man before but there was something very familiar about him. His dark tanned skin, his black hair, long and sleek but tied up in a pony-tail; his smell was the most significant pointer to his identity though. I recognised this scent from the past, from long ago. He was, without a doubt, one of the Quileutes.

Our presence seemed to unsettle him too. I watched his nostrils taking in our scent and his expression changed from nervousness to disgust, although he was doing his best to disguise it. I'll give him credit for that, at least, but I knew the signs. I had seen it all before. It was new to Alice though. She hadn't been with us the last time we had been in Forks, but I also knew Alice well enough to know she was smelling something a little offensive to our kind.

Rather than spend any more time than was necessary in the small ante-room with the unpleasant smelling young man we headed into Carlisle's office. The young secretary didn't try to stop us, knowing who we were. I nodded at the young man from the doorway so as not to appear rude.

"Is that Dr Cullen?" the young man asked the secretary after we had gone inside Carlisle's office and closed the door behind us.

"No, that's his son and his daughter, well, his foster children anyway," she explained.

"Oh, ok. I thought he seemed a bit too young," the young man added.

"Well Dr Cullen is also quite young, but very charming. I am sure he will be here soon."

Alice was asking me a hundred questions all at once in her head. Fortunately I didn't need to be able hear her jumbled mind clearly to know what she would be asking.

"Yes," I whispered. "Quileute, definitely. I recognise the odour."

Alice nodded. I thought so, an unusual smell. Wolf?

"No, not a wolf, but definitely one with the potential to become a wolf. They have a distinct aura about them."

Ewwww yes, I noticed. What do you suppose he wants? Why couldn't I see him in my visions?

I shrugged, I didn't know the answer to those last questions.

Well, Carlisle is coming now so I guess we will find out soon enough.

Sure enough I heard the secretary announce his arrival to the waiting young man.

"Ah, Dr Cullen. This is the Mr Uley that has been waiting for you. Er, Dr Cullen, your son and daughter are waiting for you in your office too, they arrived a few minutes ago. I didn't get the chance to ask...

"That's ok, Catherine, thank you. Mr Uley, would you come this way please," Carlisle was saying in his polite soothing but formal voice.

He entered the office and gestured for Mr Uley to be seated in the guest chair on the other side of his large mahogany desk and he took his usual place behind the desk. He then turned to Alice and myself who were hovering in the corner by the enormous bookcase full of medical journals dating back to the seventeenth century.

"My son and daughter, Edward, and Alice. This is Mr Uley, from the La Push Reservation who has come to talk with me."

"Sam, please," the young man seemed nervous again now.

I remembered my manners "Would you like us to leave? We were just waiting for our father to finish work so we could get a ride home."

"No, no, that's fine. This won't take long and it concerns you all."

"So, what can we do for you Mr Uley, er Sam," Carlisle began, leaning back in his chair trying to appear relaxed.

"Well, I'll cut to the chase. We all know who and what we are, and I have been sent by the tribe to ask if you remember the treaty, and that you intend to honour it."

"Yes, of course, in fact I am relieved you have come here." Carlisle replied. His tone was formal but not unfriendly. "We were a little afraid you may not remember. We assume the old Elders are no longer with us and there was an element of doubt as to whether the details of the treaty would have been passed on."

Sam nodded. "I think some of the finer details may have been lost over the years but we are all aware of its existence."

"Well good, that's settled then. Nothing has changed as far as we are concerned. Our diet remains strictly animal, and of course, we still wish to remain anonymous. Exposure would be fatal for us."

"And you will keep off our land?"

Carlisle nodded. "I have already pointed out the boundaries of your land to the two additions to our family since our last stay. Alice here is one of them, although Edward was here before."

Alice nodded to confirm Carlisle's story.

"Thank you, Dr Cullen. It seems everything is in order. I'll report back to the Tribe. Hopefully there will be no need for a further visit." Sam stood up and reached out his hand which Carlisle shook firmly. I had to give the young man credit; he didn't flinch at Carlisle's cold touch. No doubt he had been warned what to expect.

"Thank you Sam. It can't have been easy for you to come here. Just before you go, I am curious, are any of your tribe actually wolves. Forgive me, this probably seems very rude, but you don't smell quite the same, similar yes, but not as potent somehow."

Sam seemed a little shaken by the directness of Carlisle's questioning but he managed a smile and replied, "No, although I am informed it will happen. It is not something we can control. There haven't been wolves at La Push since the last time you were here."

"Yes, I thought so. Well, I am sorry if my family's arrival causes you any trouble. We don't intend to make a nuisance of ourselves. We are what we are, and that is something we have no control over either. However, I cannot see any reason why we shouldn't be able to live alongside one other. We will keep out of your way as much as possible and hopefully avoid any necessity for your tribe to be inconvenienced."

Sam was already heading for the door, smiling and nodding at Carlisle and then glancing a nod in the direction of Alice and myself. As I was nearest I opened it for him and offered my hand too, which he took, thanking me as he headed out to the ante-room. I shut the door behind him as he seemed eager to get away. I imagined it had taken a lot of courage to come here. I doubted he was any older than me and it seemed strange that they would send someone so young.

Carlisle was thinking along similar lines, and then he switched his line of thought to question the lineage of the representative. Uley, I remember a Uley, Levi Uley, but he wasn't the Chief. Ephraim Black was the Chief. Oh well, maybe the Blacks have died out.

"Well," Carlisle announced as he swapped his white coat for his leather jacket, "That went rather well. What did you two really want by the way?"

"Alice saw something which concerned us." I replied.

"Yes," Alice added, "And it still concerns me. I was unable to see him clearly in my vision. I still can't see him, even though I know what he looks like now. It is like I have forgotten his appearance already. I don't like it."

"Now you know what it is like for the rest of us." I told her, laughing a little as I said it.

She scowled at me. "It's not funny Edward. How can I monitor what they are doing if I can't see them?"

Carlisle gestured towards the door. "Come on you two, let's get home. There will be no need to monitor anything. They are not going to bother us if we don't bother them. Anyway, Sam seems like a very pleasant young man, well, for a wolf. Open the window would you Alice? The cleaners will close it later. I don't want the smell to linger. It's most unpleasant."