I finally finished this eighth chapter.

Thanks for all the reviews and hits...

Here it is... Enjoy...


Dusk and Dawn: Chapter 8

At Long Last

EPOV

It was six forty-nine in the morning when I knocked on Bella's cabin door. I'm guessing she would have been up by now.

"Morning, Edward", Alice whispered as she opened the door wider. "Bella's on her desk. She's writing some sort of composition." I looked inside; Bella was practicing on an electric keyboard.

I walked in and watched her fingers glide through the keys. Her face was calm and her breathing was well. The papers in front of her read Forever as the title.

"It sounds good", I said, clear enough for her to hear. "Is it yours?"

"Yeah", she smiled shyly as she grabbed the paper before I could actually read her lyrics. I sat in another chair and played the same notes she did. "Is that it?"

"Yes; except try pressing D instead of C during those last four counts."

I played the tune again, following the same instructions she just said.

"It's good, really good", I complimented.

"It's an old composition. I never got to finish it", she said. "I could never find the last few lines perfect for it."

"I'll help", I offered.

"Maybe later", she said hesitantly hid the papers away into a think and bulky notebook full of other papers.

Alice cleared her throat. I looked at my watch; breakfast would start any minute…

Bella was being silent. She was peculiarly silent this time. I just looked at her, scrutinizing her sudden emotion.

"Let's head to breakfast", I said, breaking the silence. As pleasant as it was, it crept me out.

Alice nodded as Rose closed the magazine she was reading. Bella silently walked up from her chair and motioned for the door. She suddenly became so quiet.

Fifteen minutes went by as we were finally walking to a table. Emmett and Jasper had already begun eating.

"Bella?" I called her. Everyone was already eating their lunch, besides Bella. She was moving the food around her plate. She looked at me with curious eyes but her hand didn't stop. I held it. "What's wrong?"

There were a lot of things that were probably wrong. I'm sure her mind was still preoccupied with what she found out last night. I wanted to ask her that but she might think that I was being too doubtful about her.

"Nothing", she grinned and pulled her hand away, then started to eat the vegetables on her plate.

"Will you tell me what it is?" It wasn't just a 'nothing' I could ignore.

"There's no problem, Edward", her voice was very perspicuous.

"You can tell me", I held her other hand which was under the table. Again, she snatched it away.

"There's no problem, okay?!" She was nearly yelling, she suddenly pushed her tray away. The others looked at her. Bella's mood was full of rage as she walked out of the cafeteria.

"What did you do, Edward?" Alice suddenly spoke. "What did you tell her this time?"

"She suddenly stormed out like that", Rosalie added.

I didn't know what I did. All I was doing was asking her what's wrong. That wasn't wrong.

"I don't know", my voice was soft. I wanted to run after her but seeing the condition, she might try to hide from me.

Jasper and I headed back to the cabin a few minutes before class. Emmett walked in.

"You know, Edward… Bella won't talk. She hasn't said a word to Alice or Rose."

"Seriously, it's frightening", Jasper said.

"I don't know what's up with her, guys", I was lying on my bed, tossing a basketball over my head.

"Well", Emmett headed out the door with his books. "You should go talk to her and fix everything."

How could I fix everything? I didn't even know what was broken. I didn't know anything at all, Bella wouldn't say anything.

Bella walked into Creative Workshop at the same time she usually walks in. There was no other seat left except the one beside me, which I purposely kept vacant for her. I'm hoping she would finally talk to me.

"Hey", I said when she took the seat. She didn't say anything; her arms were around her book, clutching them. Her face looked straight to the white board. "Are you okay?"

She sighed, her eyes still looking at the white board. "I'm here to learn", she simply said. "You don't have to ask me if I'm okay."

"I'm just worried." I didn't look at her though, I looked at the same direction she did.

"Don't be", her voice and face were phlegmatic.

Mr. Welsey walked in. "Good morning class. I'm assigning projects for all of you in our upcoming final show. You'll all be grouped into groups of four. But, the grouping will be random…" He trailed on, my eyes were back to Bella, she seemed like she was attentively listening to the announcement.

"… I'd like you all to pick a letter from this hat. All of you which will pick A will be in one group, all in B in one group and so on." He had a black hat full of small pieces of paper. He walked from each seat, by row. I put my hand in, C, it read.

Bella's turn was nearing; I crooked my head, trying to see what she picked.

The picking was over as Mr. Welsey put his hat on the table. "All in A please gather into this side of the room", he gestured. "B in that area; C, other there, and D, right here."

I walked over to the back side of the room, at the right corner as everyone moved their groups. Bella had just walked out of her seat; she approached the same corner I was in. We were in the same group, a coincidence.

"Alright, I'll give you all the rest of the class time to discuss about your performance while I write the schedules for me to meet up with each of the groups." I looked over at my other group mates—Jessica, Lance, Raquel and Chase.

The schedule on the white board said that we were going to meet up with him in two days.

"Okay", Chase said. "I was thinking we could all dance and sing at the same time, to an original song", he proposed.

"Great idea", Jessica said as she was filing her nails.

"And Lance is really great at dancing; he can teach us the choreography", Raquel added.

"Sounds good, then", Lance nodded in approval. "We'll have to plan our rehearsals then."

Bella was still as quiet as ever. Her expression looked so blank. I put a hand on her shoulder, but she shoved it away. She was being really obstinate…

"Begin your programs now", Mr. Strauss said. He asked each one of us to make a new computer software program.

Bella was two seats away from me. Her eyes seemed glued to the screen, in a rush to finish her work. I was almost done, except for the fact that there was a link I couldn't fix.

I leaned back to my chair after finally succeeding my many countless attempts to fix the link. Bella was already finished but her eyes were now in a book.

The bell rang, she quickly walked out the classroom, and I quickened my pace so I could walk with her.

"Will you stop that?" She sounded like she was annoyed with me.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong, Bella." If she wanted to play obstinate, I would, too.

"You're being stubborn", she walked faster.

"So are you", I walked faster as well.

"Didn't I tell you that I didn't have a problem?"

"Yes, you did. But I didn't listen", I smiled.

"Well, that's not my problem anymore, now is it?"

"I guess not. But what's mine is yours. I think I'll share my problem with you"

She groaned. We walked into her cabin as she dropped her books on her desk. I grabbed her hand.

"Stop it!" She grabbed her hand away as she sat in her chair and took out a book to read.

"No, Bella." I said firmly. "I don't want to argue with you, so will you just talk to me?"

She kept her eyes on the book, completely ignoring me.

"Is it about what I told you last night?"

She read on.

"Are you upset about that? At least talk to Alice and Rose, they told me they missed you."

She still kept reading. I sighed. Though how much stubborn she was being, it seemed like I had all the patience in the world for her.

"Look, I know I should have told you about it earlier, but I was afraid I would loose you." I knew she was still listening to me. "I didn't want to loose someone else that I loved again." I finally said it; I finally said that I loved her. Not exactly, but it was close enough.

My please were not efficacious; her eyes were still glued to her book.

"I get it. You think I liked you because you looked like Emily", I saw her eyes stop for a while. "You think that I don't love you for who you really are", with this she turned her chair towards her table, holding her book with one hand.

I took her other hand. "I know you listening", this time she didn't pull it away. I saw here eyes soften, although they never left the book. I definitely knew she was listening; she's been on the same page for the whole time. "What else do you want me to do? I don't like having to quarrel with you." I didn't like seeing her like this at all.

"I'll shout it out to the whole camp if you want me to", I said, more like pleaded.

I stood up from my seat and walked towards the door.

I felt an unstoppable will for something; I walked to the front of their cabin, and stood on the bench. I didn't see how this could help me, but it seemed like I had to do it. If Bella wasn't going to budge then this might work.

"I LOVE BELLA SWAN! I LOVE BELLA SWAN!" I shouted, echoing it with both my hands. "I LO—", someone was grabbing me by my coat.

"Stop it; it's embarrassing." Finally, I just got her attention.

"There are only about twenty people here. Your right, maybe I can say it once there'll be more people around. Good idea." I smiled as I got off the bench.

She sighed heavily.

"You have to talk to me", I said.

"Alright, just don't do that." I laughed loudly. She sat on the bench.

"Promise" I sat next to her.

"You're not mad at me anymore?" I asked.

"I—I'm hardly there yet."

"Well, you shouldn't be. It's my turn today."

She didn't say anything.

"You're from Forks, right? So do I know you're dad?"

"My dad's name is Charlie." She said glumly, as if talking to me was so painful.

"Charlie Swan, police chief", I remembered. "He and my dad know each other. Carlisle Cullen", I added.

"Doctor, I see." Her mood began to lighten and her expression was calm.

"So, you're not living with you're mom?"

"No. She's with Phil, my step-dad."

"And you're okay with that?" I mused. Trading her happiness for her mother's happiness seemed like a rare situation.

"If she's happy, then I'm happy."

"You don't seem happy."

"Next question" She was still not looking at me, she looked straight to the other side of camp.

"Okay. I want to know what you think", I paused. "About me and Emily"

"What's there to think?"

"That's what I want to know, or why you haven't been talking to anyone."

"Next question"

"It's my last question."

"Nothing", she simply said.

"I trust you, Bella." I stood and started walking off.

"Wait, Edward", I heard her. "I—"

I stopped, not turning to look at her.

"I was confused, okay?" I stood still. "I was confused whether you saw Emily in me, or if you really did just see Bella." I looked at her.

"There are some times when both of you seem like one person. But if I could only turn back time, I'd rather be with you." I said. "Or I'd rather stop myself from coming here so I wouldn't be hurting you like this. I'm sorry, Bella."

"No, I'm sorry", she walked up to me. "I should have never thought of it that way in the first place." Alice was walking up to us with Jasper.

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. I—"

"So many apologies, will you two make up already?" Alice's perky voice chimed. "I've missed talking to Bella."

We embraced tightly as I kissed her forehead. Say it, Edward!

"I love you—"

"—too", Bella smiled. I finally said it, at long last.

How was it? Tell me! Review... and I actually left a lot of time to make this chapter...

You guys might not be seeing the next one until next weekend.

So keep reviewing...

-Kar