Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews and stuff - i got 20 alerts/faves/reviews!! YAAAAAAAY!! I made it a bit longer this time. Oh by the way, just to clear some things up - ALL THE CULLENS ARE VAMPIRES! And yes, that includes Alice. She's the only one going through school this year... Enjoy! And please please please pretty please review! It makes you feel happy :D

Disclaimer - i dont own anything

Chapter 2

Family

BPOV

I woke up with a bad feeling this morning. It was weird… I shrugged it off. I was probably just not used to having to get up early. I threw down some cornflakes and chugged a glass of milk. I wanted to be out of the house before Charlie ate – watching your father dribble soggy cereal down his chin isn't what I was really eager to see. Instead, when I was ready to leave, dressed in my favourite jeans, a creamy blue blouse and black flats, I yelled up at him.

"See ya dad! Have a good day at work." I listened but didn't hear a reply and assumed he was still asleep. I hopped into my ancient (by my reckoning anyway) truck and drove off to school.

I met Alice there and for once I joined in as she babbled on about this and that. I was anxious to shake the peculiar feeling I had. Suddenly I had a strange thought. In all my two years of knowing Alice, I had never met her family. Noticing the goldfishy expression on my face, she stopped talking and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, Bella? Could the mouth remain closed? Please?" I shook myself out of my reverie, taking the opportunity to glare and at Alice and shut my gaping mouth.

"Alice – do you have any brothers and sisters? And what about your parents? Who are they? Would Charlie know them? How come I don't know them? And where do you live? You know, I've known you for –" I trailed off as I saw Alice's face split with worry.

"Alice?" I questioned tentatively. She sighed and pursed her lips… There was an aging silence.

"Ah well. I might have known, you'd have noticed…" I saw her face was still full of worry, indecision and – fright? I didn't even notice the bell ring. I couldn't understand why such a simple question could cause such a bad reaction. Possibilities swam before my eyes with my tears – what is she had no family? What if she had to live on her own? Or what if something terrible had happened?

"Come on, Bells, let's get to class. We'll talk after school ok?" This sounded strange cause we talk all day long but in the circumstances it definitely had significance. I felt a thrill go through me – what could have possibly happened? Then I felt the guilt again.

"'Kay. Look – I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to pry." My worry for little Alice towered over my raging curiosity. "Don't feel you have to tell me. It's completely up to you. I mean it." I stared deep into her, my eyes full with conviction. She squeezed my hand and smiled a slow, sad smile.

"It's ok." And with those two small words, I knew that nothing was.

I watched Alice all day, to make sure she'd be ok. I tried not to make my anxious glances become too noticeable – too often. At lunch we sat with Angela again, and a few people from the old crowd of last year – Mike, Ben, Jess, Eric, Lauren and a couple of other faces I couldn't name. Alice chatted sociably with everyone, her usual bubbly self. I answered people when they talked, then quickly, but nicely, shunning them away with hasty smiles and pointed looks in the other direction in quick succession, but most of the time my eyes were fixed on Alice – even as I drank my caramel milk. I was staring at her so hard, so lost in thought, I didn't realize Mike speaking to me. He waved a hand in my face and I shot up like a startled rabbit. In that movement, the straw was flung out of my mouth and spilled my milk all over my beautiful…

"Dammit!" I cried as I examined the damage to my blouse. I scowled. It would get ruined on the one day I decided to wear it to school. I brushed off peoples hands, gestured to Alice that I was ok and, head hung low in hope no-one would see me, fled for the bathrooms. I didn't notice Angela following me until I stepped into the loos and began to wipe my shirt. I smiled at her vaguely as she waited for me. She replied with a small, tentative smile.

"Hello," I said my voice muffled – the wiping wasn't working, so I was trying to lick it off… Also not working…

"Hi…" She looked like she had something to say so I waited, washing my shirt quietly. This tactic seemed to work.

"Bella", she said quickly, abruptly. I glanced up.

"Hmm?"

"Bella, are you ok? Today you seem so… distant." I straightened, knowing the blouse was at it's best until I hit it with the washing machine. Her face was filled with concern. I noted with interest that there was no curiosity.

"I'm ok," I said cautiously. She forced a smile.

"Oh. Ok then. I'll see you back there." She turned to flee but I had a thought and yelled after her.

"Angela! Wait!" I jogged up to her. For some strange reason I had an urge to tell her everything. Even though Alice was my bestie, and we were as tight as anything, she was sometimes a little hard to talk to – her flaring personality sometimes left no room for me. So I desperately wanted to talk to Angela… but I knew I shouldn't. So I compromised.

"Angela, there is something wrong," I stated with vehemence, "It's Alice. I can't tell you exactly what it is – only Alice could do that – but I'm worried for her. I don't know why there was such a strange reaction! None of my guesses seem likely and… " I rambled on for about five minutes, most of it not story but my own confused thoughts all jumbled in together which would make no sense to her. But as I babbled on, she gently took my hand, put one arm around me and walked us over to a bench where she sat me down and stroked my palm soothingly. We sat there for the whole of lunch, even after I stopped talking. We thought in silence – and with Angela's touch I felt more confident. The bell rang and we both jumped. I sighed.

"Thanks Angela," I said warmly, with feeling. After that one hour I felt like I'd known Angela for a lifetime.

"Anytime," she promised, "I'll be here for a chat." I giggled.

"You sound like my marriage counselor." She laughed with me and we split as I went to geography and she went to biology.

But in geography, the weird feeling came back. It felt like ants crawling under my skin so I scratched and fidgeted, my breathing became shallow and my palms sweated. I could feel my hands shaking as I wiped them on my thighs. Alice, off in her own reverie, not needing to act in front of me, didn't notice. I was scared sick. What had happened?