It wasn't long until we reached the bonfire. Seth took off my seat beat and then lifted me out of his car, again carrying me as if I was extremely light. This time while he was carrying me, I noticed that he did in fact have really big muscles. Maybe that was how he was able to carry me.

"Seth, put me down," I whispered as the sounds from the bonfire grew louder.

"We're in the trees now," Seth whispered. "They won't see us here."

"Weren't you going to introduce me?"

"Not yet," Seth said and the next thing I knew, I was set down on the ground, only my back was up against a tree. I could hear Seth's heavy breathing and more than that, he felt really close.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Before we go out, mind giving me another kiss sweetheart?"

I must've blushed because this time when his hand touched my cheek it didn't feel as hot as usual. It was still warm though. I didn't even have to shift my position to sense that his arms were on either side of me. It felt like I was trapped, but I didn't care.

I leaned forward as much as I could, willing my lips to find Seth's. They did almost instantly and that familiar warmth coursed through my lips and into the depths of my body it seemed. I didn't want to let go; I wanted it to last longer this time.

Don't let go, I thought, almost as if I was sending the message to Seth. Although he didn't hear me, I almost felt as if he was responding back by pressing his lips harder against mine. But it just wasn't enough. Before I knew it, I reached my tongue forward until it came to contact with Seth's lip. He hesitated, surprised for a second but then opened his mouth to me.

The kiss was deeper this time; more passionate. I enjoyed every second of it as Seth's tongue danced around with my own. His hands were just beginning to wander from the tree to my upper body when somebody yelled "Hey!"

Seth instantly pulled away from me and gave a playful laugh.

"Relax Paul, it's just me!" Seth laughed. The next moment I felt my hand being pulled forward and I followed Seth out of the trees into some kind of clearing. I didn't sense any new light around us so maybe the bonfire hadn't started yet.

"Yo, what were you doing in there?" the same voice asked. Seth had addressed him as Paul so I assumed that they were friends.

"Just parking the car," Seth said. "Where is everyone?"

"Off with their girls," Paul sniffed.

"Where's Rachel?" Seth laughed.

"Preparing for the bonfire with her father. Jake and Nessie are also helping out."

"Great!"

There was a pause and then Paul spoke again. "Who's that?" he asked in a low voice, but I could still hear him. I never thought too much on it before, but one of the advantages of being blind was better hearing.

"Charlotte, a friend of the Cullens'," Seth said. "But she wants to hear some tales of our tribe."

"Oh what so now every outsider that happens to come along and hook up with the Cullens automatically gets to hang around at our bonfires?" Paul sounded annoyed.

Seth sighed. "I'll explain it another time, ok? Where's Leah?"

"By the bay. Sam and Emily were headed the other way so she wanted to be as far away from them as possible."

"Yeah that sounds like Leah..."

"You gonna introduce me?" Paul suddenly asked, his voice reaching a normal volume.

"Charlotte, this is Paul, one of my friends. Paul, Charlotte."

"Nice to meet you," I said, for once not raising my hand out as a greeting.

"Hey," Paul said and then I heard his footsteps slowly fade away.

I turned towards Seth. "He...doesn't want me here, does he?"

"It's not you he has a problem with," Seth said, trying to soothe me but I could read between the lines.

"The Cullens?"

"The Cullens."

I sighed. Yet another unknown mystery about them no doubt.

It only took me five minutes this time to memorize who was who, although this time there were way more people. There was Sam and his wife Emily, Jared and his wife Kim, Paul and his girlfriend Rachel, Jacob and his wife Nessie, Colin, Brady, Embry, Quil, a little girl named Claire, Leah, Billy Black and a couple of other elders. Everyone took to me quite normally, with the exception of Nessie and Leah.

Nessie for one thing seemed more interested in what I had to say about the Cullens rather than anything else. While she was asking me questions, both Jacob and Seth laughed. By her voice she sounded like a teenage girl and yet she and Jacob were married. Actually, almost everyone else who was married sounded mature, but Jacob and Nessie didn't. It was almost as if they'd gotten married early. More than that, now that I thought about it, even Carlisle and Esme from the Cullens seemed young. I was told that they adopted but just how old were they all?

Leah's reaction to me was slightly different. I didn't quite catch what she said, but the tone of her voice suggested that I'd be soaked in acid or something if I got too close to her brother. It was kind of late for that though...

After the bonfire, Jacob, Nessie and Leah were the ones to see me and Seth off.

"We'll be over at the beach tomorrow," Jacob said. "Why don't you come with us, Charlotte?"

I sensed Seth smiling. "That'd be great!"

"Uh, no it wouldn't," Leah said, and I felt her glare at me. "If I could just point out the obvious, she probably can't swim!"

I nodded. "That's true. I was never allowed near big water. I don't know what it'd be like."

"Relax, I'll keep her from drowning, but thanks so much for your concern, sis. I'd better take her home now."

"Bye bye Charlotte!" Nessie sang.

"Bye!" I called and then Seth and I climbed into his car and drove off. I waited a while before I spoke to him. "Actually I'm not sure that I want to go swimming."

"Hm? Oh that was just a joke. We'll just stay on the beach if you want."

"But don't you want to swim?"

"It'd rather be on the beach if you'll come." He wasn't lying either.

I cleared my throat. "So, the bonfire was nice."

"Yeah. Didn't need an extinguisher. Should I consider that as being lucky?"

"More or less."

"Did you like the tales of our tribe?"

I smiled. "I loved them. It was as if I was reading, only it was better and clearer to imagine than when I read in Braille. Thanks for bringing me."

"No regrets?"

I shook my head. "None." And I wasn't talking just about the bonfire. "Leah seems...passionate, by the way." It was hard to sort of give her a compliment and I wanted to remain as honest as possible.

Seth sniffed. "Yeah, a real charmer."

"I just don't get why she hates me though. Is she really that protective of you?"

"That's an understatement. Overprotective is what she is."

"What does she think I can do?" I asked, confused. "I couldn't hurt anyone if I even tried." I sometimes really felt pathetic being blind. It wasn't often, but sometimes I realized that no matter what made me angry and how much I maybe wanted to hit something, I'd only miss and probably end up hurting myself more.

Seth suddenly stopped the car, but we couldn't possibly have reached my house yet. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Seth chuckled slightly and I heard him unfasten his seat-belt. "You honestly think that you can't hurt anyone? That you can't hurt me?" I was about to protest that I didn't want to hurt him, but he covered my lips with his fingertips. "Charlotte, you're the one who can hurt me most," he said. "And even then I wouldn't change how I feel about you. You probably can't ever understand just how much I do feel for you."

I removed his fingertips from my lips, but kept his hand in mine. "How could you honestly feel like that? You haven't known me for that long and yet you..." I tilted my head up, trying to make it seem as if I was looking at him. "Ever since the day we met actually, it seems like you've been treating me as if I was worth more to you than anything." It sounded stupid and unrealistic the way I said it, but how else could I describe it? I waited for him to tell me that I was wrong and that it was just my imagination. I would believe him if he corrected me. But he never did.

"Charlotte, it's something that can't be explained. You know about love at first sight, right? Well this is deeper than that. Way deeper."

I didn't know whether or not his words were intended to scare me or anything because it was something that I wasn't used to. Instead I responded by putting his hand to my cheek.

"I don't want to hurt you," I whispered.

Seth pulled my face closer to his and was about to kiss me when suddenly we heard a yell and I sensed a strong light when I turned my head.

"Seth! Get her out of there!" came a yell.

I gasped. Oh my god...Adrian...