A/N: Hey guys. I can hear it now. "You updated so soon! Wow." But really, I'm kinda pissed. I finally got a chapter posted, and over 200 people read it, and I only get two new reviews. Really? *sigh* Anyway, I know some of you who normally review might not have noticed I updated yet, but I'm going to update again anyways. Here's the next chapter.

Chapter Three

Bella

It happened again. Not even a full week had passed before I was in my skin again, contentedly following the light path of raspberries and sunshine through the trees, wary of walking into that wretched odor and returning my mind to the beast.

The trail led through the trees, often crossing two other sweet scents, albeit sickeningly so, that made the beast within me edgy and nervous. It did not like the thought of the beings whose scents those belonged to being around the girl who smelled of raspberries.

I wonder how she is still alive. Since the first time I saw her, it has been nearly a century. Surely she would've passed by now. No matter, I'm glad she still lives. I get the chance to step back into myself, to be in control of the body that was returned to me.

I stopped walking when a large house came into view. All three scents saturated the home and made it difficult to distinguish just hers alone. It appeared that no one was home, but I knew she would soon appear. I sat down in the shelter of a large tree, hidden behind a bush, and waited.

xxx

The sun had sunk low into the sky by the time she returned.

There were two others that walked with her. They appeared to be the ones with the stinging scents. The beast stirred within me at the sight of them so close to her, but they seemed friendly. I did not understand the reason for its worry.

The girl was still young, not at all what I was expecting. She had short, dark hair that floated about her face in a soft halo. She was small and very pale. She was beautiful.

I ached to reach out to her, to gently caress her cheek, but my beast refused to show itself to the other two. It wouldn't reveal itself, except to protect her if need be. Although she didn't appear human in her beauty, I knew that when she ran, when she leapt through the forest, when she tracked and chased her prey, she was something else. But the beast knew, and I was beginning to recognize it too, she was mine.

Alice

Returning to school on Monday was torture. It just reminded me that this was never going to happen again. No more boring lectures, no more homework. Hell, I was even going to miss all the hormonal boys. Wait, no, I take that back. I'm not going to miss them.

On the bright side, there hadn't been anymore murders. Perhaps the Monster had moved away? It was doubtful, but it's the only thing I can hope for at this point. If the Monster isn't near us, the Volturi will revoke the draft they used on my coven. Maybe.

I sighed, pushing the disgusting cafeteria food around my tray. I also wouldn't be missing this.

Jasper and Nash weren't doing much better than I was. Our coven had all started out sticking together like glue, relishing what might be our last moments together. This of course didn't help Jasper at all, seeing as he absorbed all of our depression, which in turn made Nash extremely sad, so they ran off together for the rest of the week, leaving me to sulk alone in my misery.

I lifted my glass of water up to my mouth, faking a sip.

And it happened again. All of a sudden, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I whipped my head around as I looked out the window, desperately searching for anything. All this week, something's been watching me. Or it feels like something has. I'd occasionally feel the back of my neck tingle, only to look around and see nothing. And it only got worse after Jasper and Nash left on their little trip.

I heard footsteps approach my table.

"Hey Alice, -"

I turned around sharply, glaring at the boy. "Go away."

I smiled a little as he immediately turned around and practically sprinted away from my table. Annoying freshman. And my bad mood was back.

Ah hell, might as well enjoy what might be my last couple days to live.

I stood up, walking out of the cafeteria and into the parking lot. Once I was out of the sight of the doors, I ran to my car, smiling slightly when I saw it. I loved my car.

Wait, what was that? I saw a flash of white and brown out of the corner of my eye, but by the time I managed to turn, all that greeted my eyes was the green of the forest. Damn, I was closer that time. Someone was definitely watching me. Weird.

I drove home in silence. Something supernatural was watching me. Why though? Maybe it was one of those stupid mutts. Although, I haven't smelled anything like wet garbage in the woods lately. In fact, the only other scent I've come across besides animals is that strange hiker's powder sugar smell. It's all over the woods, so I guess whoever it was wasn't mauled by the Monster. They sure do cover a lot of ground though.

I pulled up into our driveway, parking my car by the garage. Stepping out of the vehicle, I noticed the hiker's scent was all over the yard. Narrowing my eyes, I went into the house, looking to see if anything was stolen. After assuring myself that the person hadn't come in, I sat down in my room. What was that person doing? I mean sure, they can hike all they want, but do they ever sleep? For a huma-

That's it! I jumped off my bed in excitement. The hiker isn't human. The hiker isn't even hiking. He, or she, is following me, or watching me.

Why am I so excited about that? I sat back down, confused. Why does it make me happy that this person is following me? I glanced out my window and froze.

Standing just inside the tree line was a girl. She looked to be around 20, probably a little bit older. She had long brown hair and she was beautiful. She was also naked.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I looked her over, but I couldn't help it. My eyes met her deep brown ones and I smiled. Then she was gone.

One second she was there, standing on the edge of our yard, and then she was gone, vanished before my very eyes.

I jumped off my bed, zooming to the spot she had been standing at not two seconds ago. I glanced around frantically, before inhaling, intending to track her down, but what I smelled brought me to my knees.

She smelled like powdered sugar, but more. There were subtle nuances of lilies and chocolate, combined with sweet sugar into a fragrance that made my eyes roll into the back of my head. She smelled absolutely wonderful. The old scents on the trails she left were dull in comparison. I had to find her.

As I stood, only one question ran through my head. Who was she?

A/N: Well, there you go. Another chapter two days after the previous one. And for someone who updates one story every couple months that's pretty good, if I do say so myself. Well, I hope y'all like it. Leave me a review and let me know what you think. Until next time.

-Ally