Chapter Sixteen

Another Chance

Alice wasn't able to find a way to get Bella to warm up to her that day. When the last bell rang signaling the end of the school day, her steps weren't as light and airy as usual as she made her way to the tired looking brunette who was gathering her things from her locker. She knew Bella was about to turn down her offer to drive her back home, having heard her ask Mike for a ride afterschool during lunch. Of course the boy didn't hesitate in telling Bella yes, in fact he seemed quite happy that she had asked him. It didn't take a vampire's powers of observation to see that the teenage boy had a crush on Bella when his eyes lit up like Christmas morning at Bella's request. Alice knew the boy posed no serious threat for Bella's affections, but it still pricked her already worrisome thoughts that she had quickly found a replacement for a ride home. It took away what Alice hoped would be opportunity for her to start mending the rift between them since their early morning conversation.

Yet despite knowing what Bella's answer was going to be, she couldn't very well leave without at least making the offer. Even with the many years of playing the role of an ordinary human teenage girl whenever bound within the confines of a human setting, the weight of the mask she wore never felt as heavy as it did now.

Alice and all the rest of the Cullens had to make a daily show of acting like everyone else in order to blend in with the human world. They were a part of their world, yet apart from it, keeping just enough distance from people to protect their secret. Getting emotionally involved was just asking to be unmasked, and that was something all the Cullen's knew they could never afford to do. Until Bella came into the picture Alice never knew just how difficult playing the part could be, but this was the price to be paid as soon as she decided to get involved with the strangely alluring human girl. So she treaded gently but purposely towards the one girl the vampire found all the more beautiful with all her human strengths and weaknesses, laconically gathering her belongings from her locker, and set herself up to be shot down.

The smaller brunette leaned her back against the locker next to Bella's and offered her a tentative smile when she looked up and noticed her presence.

"Well we made it through another day of Forks High" she lightly spoke when Bella hadn't said anything as she put on her jacket.

"Yeah. Quite an achievement, considering", the taller brunette tiredly replied. She avoided meeting Alice's eyes and kept her gaze preoccupied on the inside of her locker.

"Bella, I know you're still rattled by what happened, and with good reason. I just hope that you'll give me a chance…"

Bella turned to face her as she interrupted, "Alice I don't know what to think anymore but for now I-I just need some time to think about some things. I like you…probably more than I should, but there are obviously some things you're not ready to tell me, and you have your reasons I suppose…but after what happened last night I would hope that you would…" she shook her head in irritation, struggling to find words, "I don't know…but things have been just too weird with your brother and everything. I just need some time, you know?" She unconsciously bit her lip and appeared more worn and weary than any girl her age should.

Alice gave her a silent subtle nod of understand while mentally cursing Edward again for his violation, as well as herself for not looking out for Bella better.

"So I guess this means my offer for a ride home wouldn't be acceptable right now" she uttered quietly.

Bella shifted her weight from one leg to the other while pulling her bag over her shoulders. She replied, "Not at the moment. I already have a ride home, thanks."

"Okay then. Well if there's anything you need I'm here for you Bella."

Bella looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it. She hated that she felt badly for the sad look she saw in Alice's eyes. She had every reason never to talk with her again, and she felt a sense of betrayal by her strange reaction when she told her what occurred the previous night. She pressed her lips in a tight line as if to prevent herself from saying anything further. She was actually relieved when Mike took the opportunity to show up at their side with an awkward grin on his face as he looked at her expectantly.

"Ready Bella?" He chirped, apparently oblivious of anything amiss between the girls.

She forced a quick smile on her face and nodded before closing her locker and turning to leave.

"See ya Alice!" Mike cheerfully waved before leaving to catch up with the taller brunette.

"Bye", Alice responded mechanically and without enthusiasm as she watched them leave.

She didn't even notice Rosalie and Emmett's approach and that they were now standing by her side until she heard the blonde vampire speak.

"Come on Alice. Let's go home."

Everyone at the Cullen home gathered in the living room as Carlisle began to speak.

After asking Alice if she's had any visions pertaining to Edward's whereabouts, she shook her head with a slight frown.

"No, nothing since last night. Just the fleeting glimpse of him running through the forest. He could be anywhere by now." At the moment she really couldn't care less where Edward was, as long as he was far away and stayed away from Bella. She was still struggling with her anger and though Edward was a part of what she considered to be the only family she ever knew, a growing part of her wanted to be rid of him completely. Especially if he intended Bella any real harm. From what Bella told her she thought it was a serious possibility.

"Still can't believe what he did…" muttered Emmett.

"Never known him to do anything so careless and stupid" added Rosalie. "What the hell is it about this girl that turns two vampires into a pair of reckless, lovesick puppies?"

Alice shot her a cutting glare, which would have may have been enough to intimidate a stranger, especially if human, but barely affected an eyebrow raise from the blonde vampire. She had thought Rosalie understood more about her feelings then to make a remark like that.

"Sorry Alice. I know you have some kind of weird bond with the girl. I guess I'm having a hard time understanding just what it is about her that has gotten both of you so hot and bothered."

"She has a name – Bella, as you well know. And she's not just "the girl". Pointing a finger at Emmett she added, "Just like Emmett here isn't just "the boy" you turned when you found him."

All eyes went wide at Alice's retort. It was a still a sore enough subject that hadn't been spoken of in a long time and having it brought back up bristled at the blonde's cool demeanor.

She icily replied, "You know why I had to do that. And I didn't put the whole family at risk and it certainly wasn't because I had the hots for him."

Emmett frowned with a pouty expression, uncertain how to take Rosalie's response.

Carlisle clenched a fist over his mouth and made a soft coughing noise to bring everyone's attention back to the matters at hand.

"Today I made a call to Eleazar from the Denali coven, on the chance that Edward shows up there. They haven't seen or heard from him yet. Hopefully he'll soon come to his senses and we'll have word before long."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Though there were varying degrees of concern among them for Edward's wellbeing and whereabouts, his temporary disappearance at least gave the family a reprieve from all the recent drama within the family. Since it wasn't the first time he ran off to take some time away, it was mostly the after effects of his rash behavior that they were left to deal with which now concerned them. They all seemed to realize that Edward's disappearance wasn't such a bad thing. At least for a while it made things easier. As long as Edward was away he was less likely to be stalking a certain human teenage girl and putting the whole family at risk of exposure.

"Any chance the Denali coven will adopt Edward?" Rosalie couldn't help but ask.

Emmett let out a snort.

Carlisle sighed. One of the human habits he hasn't been able to totally shake, a side effect from having to interact with them given the nature of his job.

"Although I do think it best that Edward take some time away from us for a while, let's not forget that he is still a part of our family."

"For a while?" Alice's voice rose as she was struggling to keep her temper in check. "He could have hurt Bella. Maybe even killed her! If not intentionally, at least from fright!"

"How is Bella doing now?" Esme asked looking concerned.

"She's still badly shaken by what she saw, and from what she told me it looked like Edward really did want to kill her. And she doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with me for the moment. Not that I can blame her…" Alice looked down sadly as if she wanted to cry but couldn't. Aside from that one time in front of Rosalie, its not something she was capable of as a vampire.

Carlisle replied, "If Edward wanted to kill her I don't think she'd still be alive. He's obviously confused and going through somethi—

"Don't dare make excuses for what he did!"

"I'm not, but until we can talk with him we can't jump to any conclusions about his intent. Obviously it's too soon to talk about his return and we have to consider moving soon…"

"I can't leave Bella!" Alice squealed in alarm at the suggestion.

With a calming, motherly voice Esme answered, "Alice, we'll have to move eventually you know that."

"But we still have senior year to finish next year."

Carlisle continued, "Yes, we were planning on waiting until you all graduated. But given recent events, it may now just be too risky. We're lucky Bella hasn't told anyone yet about Edward, but it may be too much of a risk to stay much longer."

Alice wanted to argue that Bella would have reported Edward as her intruder if she wanted to by now, but since Bella was now distancing herself off from her, she couldn't guarantee how long Bella would keep her silence.

"Bella's meant to be with me…I…I can't leave her now" she whispered as if merely voicing her thoughts to herself.

Esme answered soothingly, "Honey, if she's meant to be yours then what is a little time and distance? Bella is quite young. You'll find your way back to her eventually."

Alice shook her head firmly. "Time may not matter as much to us, but it's everything to a human. And I don't know if I can live…be without her for that long."

There was a moment of silence as they all felt the power behind her words. Though they were well aware of the potential danger of her pursuing a relationship with Bella could bring to them, it was becoming clear to them that it would really break Alice's spirit if she was forced to part from the human now.

Rosalie finally broke the silence, "At this point what's the worst that can happen? I mean sure if she tells her father, we'll get a visit from him, especially since he's the chief of police. They'll accuse Edward of trespassing and being an all-around creepy perv who likes to break into people's homes and ogle one of his classmates while she sleeps. Who is also underage by their standards so it's not like they can haul him off to jail. It's not like they can pin anything on him anyway, unless he left any incriminating evidence. Even he wouldn't be that stupid…well…hopefully not anyway."

Carlisle replied with a serious tone, "I don't want it to come to that. We don't want the eyes of the police on us. Remember, we can only live among humans by staying under their radar, not doing anything to bring unnecessary attention to us."

Esme took Carlisle's hand and they briefly exchanged glances. When you've been with someone you love as long as they have words weren't always necessary. She turned to everyone and added, "We'll keep this open for discussion. Let's wait until we hear from Edward, or at least find out where he is. Maybe by then we can come to a better decision. In any case I think it best if Edward stays with the Denali coven until everyone else here graduates if we do decide to stay for that long."

Alice wanted to jump up and hug Esme for saying that. But she knew it was too soon to feel complete relief. At least for now it seemed like everyone agreed to keep their options open.

Carlisle concluded the family meeting with a final announcement. "There's one more thing that I want everyone to be aware of… Eleazar mentioned to me that there were a few roamers that's been spotted heading south of them. They're transient vampires that feed off of humans and not exactly known for their discretion. They may be nowhere near this area, but keep your eyes and ears open just in case."

Later that night as Bella was finishing her homework her phone chirped alerting her to a text message. She hated how her heart skipped a beat seeing it was from Alice, as she had all but decided that she was going to do her best to avoid any further interaction with her. She opened the text still wanting to see what Alice wanted to say to her.

I know you're not ready to talk with me just yet, but I just wanted to let you know that E is still out of town and is likely transferring to another school far from Forks.

Again, I'm sorry for what happened. Hope you have a good night. XxA

Well at least she took the time to spell everything out this time. Bella could see this was an attempt to set her mind at ease, but she still had only questions and no real answers. Though she was relieved at the news she just received she was still too tired and unsettled about the matter to give much of a reply. She considered whether or not she should send a text back to her. The news about Edward was good and she was relieved that she wouldn't have to see him at school tomorrow. But after telling Alice she needed time away from her it may not be a good idea to send her a message right now. After deliberating for several minutes she typed out a quick reply.

That's good to know. – B

That was all she could manage at the moment. At least she let Alice know the message was received. With a sigh she tossed the phone on the bed and got ready to turn in for the night.

However tired she was though, that night and the ones following sleep proved to be difficult to achieve. She was lucky if she managed 3, maybe 4 hours at best. This caused her to feel irritable and depressed. Charlie did what he could to set her mind at ease and help her sleep better at night. In addition to installing a new security system he also got her a small night light since she could no longer sleep with all the lights off, but too much light wasn't conducive to a really good night's rest either. He hoped the small light in the shape of a whimsical fairy would be just enough light in the darkness to offer her some small relief. It bathed her room with enough light to prevent a total darkness from blanketing her room. It did help a little but wasn't enough to vanquish her insomnia. She would obsessively check to make sure her windows were closed and locked numerous times before she went to bed. It wasn't like they were dealing with a burglar who went in and out of homes in a typical fashion. What good is an alarm system against someone who could vanish before her very eyes?

It was only when she was at school and surrounded by many people that some of the tension she felt alleviated enough to relax a little, and her body seemed to want to shut down and sleep. There were a few occasions when her eyelids closed from heaviness and she jerked awake only to find that many minutes had passed. She worried that it would start to affect her school work and hoped that by the weekend she would be able to catch up on all hours of sleep she's missed.

By Friday she had dark circles under her eyes and she felt like a zombie. During the week she went through the motions of going to class, returning home and doing all that was required to maintain her schoolwork and some chores. She made no effort to speak to Alice and though there were moments when she could feel the girl's eyes on her and felt her wanting to reach out for her, she had respected her request and maintained her distance.

Bella was beginning to think that she was going to manage to make it through the rest of the day without any further incident to ruin her week. As she sat in her American history class where she had a seat at the back of the room she felt herself start to relax and closed her eyes during a particularly boring lecture about the War of 1812. The next thing she was aware of was hearing her name loudly called out.

"Bella Swan!" Ms. Griffith's loud shrill voice startled her and she bolted upright in her chair. She couldn't remember how she got into the position of leaning her head across her arms on top of the desk.

"Mmpfh…Huh? What?" Her eyes had popped open and she was startled to hear the sound of laughter from her classmates surrounding her as well as a very stern looking woman standing over her next to her desk.

"This is the 3rd time this week I've seen you nodding off during my class. And while the Battle of Tippecanoe may not be the most riveting subject, this is neither the time nor the place for a nap!" Mrs. Griffith spoke sharply with a pinched faced expression on her already wrinkled face.

Bella was now fully awake and narrowed her eyes in irritation. True, she fell asleep but the teacher was looking at her like she committed some kind of criminal offense. Now everyone in the entire class was looking at her and she felt her face heat up in embarrassment at being the sole focus of attention. Embarrassment was quickly turning into agitation as the teacher continued to glower at her, as if expecting some sort of response from her. Bella was usually a soft spoken, polite person but something about the woman got under her skin in a bad way and she felt the apology she normally would have uttered by now shrivel away as she took in the intense scrutiny she was now under.

"Well I'm awake now, so you may continue on with the class Mrs. Griffith", Bella said calmly, trying to keep the irritation from sounding in her voice.

"Well thank you Miss Swan, for your kind permission to do my job to try and teach you students something. For a moment there I thought I was in charge of daycare, not a history class for high school students!"

Something snapped within Bella and she quickly answered back with, "You can barely teach high school, never mind daycare."

Mrs. Griffith was clearly taken by surprise and a stunned look flashed across her face. Aside from Bella's recent difficulties in staying awake during class she was usually the perfect example of a model student, one the teacher never suspected would tell her off in front of the whole class. A few students gasped in surprise while others cackled in amusement. A small inner voice chided Bella for her rash words, but mostly she felt the affront at the teacher's lack of tact and overbearing attitude.

The teacher momentarily recovered from the blow and sat back down behind her desk. She coolly replied, "You just earned yourself detention today. Make sure to report to Mr. Saunders immediately after last period."

When Bella sat down at her usual table during lunch she was immediately greeted with questioning looks. Jessica was the first to chime in with, "So I heard you really told off Mrs. G in class today."

Bella sighed then decided she didn't care enough to offer her a response. She took a sip from her water and ignored her.

Angela who sat next to her leaned slightly towards her and quietly asked in a sympathetic tone, "Did you get detention?"

Bella nodded, "Yeah." She picked up her fork and started moving the food around on her plate. It never looked more unappetizing.

"You okay Bella? You haven't seemed like yourself lately?" Angela reached out and gently put a hand on her shoulder. Bella was mildly surprised how much the small gesture lifted her spirits, it felt good to have at least one person at the table show genuine concern for her wellbeing, instead of just looking for more gossip material. She smiled softly as she looked at her friend.

"Just haven't been sleeping well lately. I'll be fine though."

"There must be a bug going around", Ben offered. "Anyone else notice that one of the Cullen's has been out all week?"

"Well the Cullens always seem to make a habit of ditching. Its like they can make up their own rules and won't bother coming to school whenever the mood hits them. Though Edward is the only one that's been missing lately" Jessica huffed.

Angela noticed the way Bella tensed at the mention of the weird boy. She veered the topic in another direction and decided not to pry into why Bella looked like she hadn't slept in days, at least not at the moment. She suddenly felt a little tired herself. Maybe Ben was right and there was some kind of flu bug going around. She hoped if she did get it that it would at least wait until Monday. She really was looking forward to their date this weekend. They had been planning on going to see that movie that Bella had mentioned.

Bella grudgingly made her way to detention, which this week was being held in the room where Mr. Saunders taught Spanish. Though Bella didn't take any of his classes she found out during lunch that he was known as one of the nicer teachers at school and with any luck she wouldn't have to sit through the full 45 minute sentence of detention. She found the room unoccupied except for the sandy haired teacher who greeted her with a nod and a smile before telling her to sit wherever she liked. She took a seat a few rows back next to the window, deciding that she'd try to avoid falling asleep and use the time to do homework.

The door opened and when she looked up to see who else had been sentenced to high school incarceration she was very surprised to find Alice lightly stepping in, looking beautiful as usual.

"Hello Mr. Saunders", she politely spoke to the teacher sitting at his desk.

He looked at her with a bemused expression, "Hi…its Alice right? Are you here for detention?"

She nodded and smiled, making the teacher wonder why she seemed pleased at the notion. Usually students dragged themselves into detention, sometimes looking a little abashed, but more often than not looking sullen and put out. He looked down at the list on his desk. "Funny…I don't have your name on the detention list for today."

"Well Mr. Keller must have forgotten."

Mr. Saunders merely nodded with a knowing look on his face. Paul Keller was known as being Forks High's version of the "absent minded professor", and it was rumored around town that he had a drinking problem which only intensified when his wife of 20 years suddenly left him for another woman. It was totally plausible that he had merely forgotten to hand in any names for today's detention roster.

"Okay, have a seat then. There was only one other name on today's detention list." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "And it looks like he may be a no show…again. Well that will just earn Cory Fields another one."

Alice stepped lightly towards all the student desks and Bella avoided eye contact by quickly looking down and pretending to be engrossed with her trigonometry book. Unlike the Spanish teacher, she didn't fall for her story about getting detention and the forgetful teacher. She was feeling some irritation by this, at the same time a part of her was delighted at the girl's ruse just to be close to her. But she would never admit to the latter. From her peripheral vision she could see Alice take the seat next to hers, pretty much confirming her suspicions as to Alice's presence. Her close proximity felt like a jolt of caffeine awakening all her senses, sensitive to every small sound and motion she made as she took her seat with smooth graceful ease. Her sweet vanilla scent gently wafted across her. She could actually feel her nearness, as if her aura was attempting to embrace her. Her heart pumped harder from all this sensory overload.

"Hi Bella", the girls soft voice seem to caress her right ear and sent tingles all over her skin. She didn't want to turn and look at her, afraid that if she did she'd swoon at the sight of her golden amber eyes.

It took all her will power not to look up and keep her eyes focused on the book.

"Hi Alice", she muttered quietly, forcing herself not to move a muscle.

The voice of the teacher did finally make her lift her head when he said, "You two can spend the time as you wish, although I suggest making it productive by doing homework. But this isn't social hour. So please refrain from talking during this time."

Bella silently nodded, while Alice gave no response. She may not be able to talk with Bella right now, but she didn't fake her way into detention only to not communicate with her somehow.

She opened her notebook and wrote a message. When the teacher was preoccupied with grading his class papers she deftly slipped a note on Bella's book.

What can I do to get you to talk with me again?

When Bella read the note she forgot not to look at Alice. She glanced at her side and saw the hopeful look on her stunningly gorgeous face and the effect on her was potent. With effort she pulled her eyes away and looked back down at the note, then glanced up at the teacher, making sure he was still preoccupied.

She scribbled her response.

Other than to give me the time apart like I asked?

I want you to be honest with me.

Alice's keen vision read the note before it was slipped in front of her and she was already writing her response.

Please understand, I want to be honest with you. But some things take time.

The note was in front of Bella almost as soon as she gave her own. She took a long minute just staring at it, and Alice was beginning to think she wouldn't get a response when she saw her writing again.

I want to give you the time. But after what happened I think I have a right know something - anything that is truthful. At least something more than you trying to convince me I was just imagining things.

Instead of putting the note on Alice's desk she gently nudged her notebook to the edge of the table allowing her to see. The smaller brunette acknowledged the gesture and waited a few seconds more than was needed before forming her response.

You're right. I was scared. I don't want to lose what we have when we've barely even had a chance to get to know one another. Please give me a chance to try and better explain.

After we leave here come with me so we can really talk.

Bella bit her lip as she finished reading the final note. She was fed up with all the evasiveness and denial she's already received, and didn't want to set herself up for only more disappointment. But she thought it only fair to give her one more chance to give her some real honest answers. If she still refused to do so then she could in good conscience fully commit herself to not talking to the girl again.

She turned to look at Alice and gave her a barely perceptible single nod of her chin.