EPOV

I unlocked the door to my newly acquired rental home with low expectations. It was small, sparse, and unimpressive, even from the outside. Still, it was infinitely better than a motel. Motels were suspect. They screamed of impropriety, glared of failed attempts at discretion. A single man staying at a motel for more than an evening? If he was not a passing motorist, surely he was a philanderer or worse, a murderer. I threw my only bag of worldly belongings onto a misplaced chair and strode toward the back wall of the living room. Curtains? Maybe there would be a view. I pushed them aside, hoping for a grand vista, but there was only the dense thick of the forest. Trees, trees and trees. It seemed that trees were all that Forks had to offer. Well, trees and overcast skies. It was no wonder that the coven I pursued was willing to remain here. It was nothing like my home in Volterra.

I felt something when I thought of my home in Italy. I knew that it was not comfort or affection. Rather, it was something closer to detached appreciation. In Volterra, every surface available to the eye was polished and buffed and scrubbed to perfection. If you desired, you could see your reflection in every material: every inch of marble, every face of crystal, every pane of glass. The fabrics were sinfully luxurious, even to our sensitive touch: the smoothest silk, the creamiest satin, the finest velvet. The opulence was overwhelming, a trick to entice the naïve, but even I had some small gratitude for it. Life was tedious enough, better at least that I have something beautiful to look at. I ran a light finger along the length of the curtain, immediately revolted at the grainy texture of the cloth. I let the piece of synthetic material fall from my hand as I stared out the window. I was secluded here, so I felt no need to shift my weight or force the human tendency of blinking. I remained immobile, for what may have been hours. It was only when I saw the light begin to break in streaks across the tops of the evergreens that I moved to close the curtains. I would not take the chance of being found, not even here in the empty, wild forest.

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I wandered through the thicket of firs and cedars, careful not to touch more than was necessary. There was no trace of them yet; I had canvassed 20 square miles of forest. If they did not hunt close to their home, what was the point? I doubled my efforts and breathed in deeply. There was still no sign of them. If they had hunted here, it was long ago and any sign of them was surely washed away with the baptism of several rains. I turned toward the tamed side of the forest. It was closer to town and I was sure there was no game worth pursuing there, but I was out of options. I would venture further out tomorrow. I let myself travel naturally through the woodlands, smiling at the way my cold body responded to the speed, it was almost as if I was warm. I found fleeting satisfaction in the fact that I could always rely on the solitude and beauty of nature to save me from my own frustrations.

I paused at the trees' edge, a few hundred feet from where the sprawling, vibrant green died and the pallor of man's expansion began. There was a small cluster of buildings on the other side of the road. Forks Diner was carved into a sign that seemed to be hanging rather precariously from a wooden beam. I took a hesitant step toward the establishment, taking care to sift through the scents that mingled around me. Humans. Only humans. I walked toward the worn front door, already mimicking all the normal human behaviors that I had grown accustomed to. The door jingled as I forced it forward and I was met with the resounding enthusiasm of a small town welcome.

"Hello!"

"Welcome!"

"Come on it! Take a seat!"

I gave a small smile and did as I was told, taking a booth on the opposite side of the restaurant closest to the back door. It was better to be the forgettable, yet affable, newcomer rather than the unsettling and suspicious interloper. I slid into a booth near the back and tried to remain ignorant to the stares and the thoughts that were being thrown into my direction.

"Hiya, Honey! Can I get you something to drink?"

I looked up to see a rather gentle looking woman staring down at me with curiosity, her thoughts seemed to be of a relatively tame nature and I was immediately grateful. I could not say the same for the other women in the small restaurant. Some of the women were… particularly graphic in their thoughts of me.

I cleared my throat, "Just some water for now, please?"

"Sure thing," she smiled as she handed me a menu, "take a second to look it over and I'll be right back!"

I pretended to peruse the pages as I scanned the thoughts of the humans around me. Of course, there were the predictable questions: Who is he? Why is he here? Is school already out for the day? He looks so young. But there were other things, less predictable things, too: He looks just like those Cullens. Did Dr. Cullen adopt another kid?

Ahhhh, I practically groaned to myself in realization, so the coven pretended they were a family. They were 'The Cullens'. This time I really did sigh. How mundane! How dreadfully human… I knew so little about them, yet I was already unimpressed. Aro was willing to give me only the most basic facts. His old friend Carlisle had come to Forks and he and his new family were creating some problems for those of us that remained hidden in plain sight. He was adamant that I send word to Volterra the moment I found them. I had never seen him more insistent as he was then. I took the instructions to heart and interpreted his insistence as importance.

I thought nothing more of it at the time; I would not have given it a second thought were it not for their secrecy. They attempted to control their thoughts around me, to keep me from asking too many questions I suppose, but Caius had a moment of weakness. In that small faltering of resolve I saw that Aro had admitted this mission was too important to send a lesser vampire. Caius had argued with him ardently, claiming that I would be lost forever, but Aro was confident in my obedience. Aro knew me well too well, he knew that I would not come home without completing my task. Caius could not argue, I was the best that Volterra had seen in hundreds of years.

"Did you decide what you wanted, Hon?"

The woman with the genuine smile and the warm eyes was back at my side, placing a plastic cup filled with more ice than water in front of me.

"The meatloaf and mashed potatoes?"

I always opted for the food that I could dismantle and push around on my plate, it made it seem as if I ate more of it than I really did. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes had the added bonus of coming up more easily than some of the other choices on the menu.

"It's the house special! Made it myself!"

I smiled at the woman and mine was only slightly less genuine. I liked it when humans were easily pleased. It gave me faith that I was right in protecting them when I could.

"I'll take it."

"Meatloaf comin' up!"

I smirked at her unknowing play on my words. She didn't bother to scribble my order onto the pad of paper she held in her hand. She just gave me another grin and disappeared behind the counter to grab the handle of a coffee pot before yelling my order to someone in the kitchen. I had already learned more than I was expecting to, but I listened to the thoughts around me. The old men that seemed to be regulars in this place had already pushed me out of their minds, apparently they were used to seeing those who looked like me around the small town. It was odd, I had to admit, that these Cullens had worked their way into this town seamlessly enough that even my presence was unworthy of any particular concern. The men were already thinking of dinner and television programs, hunting season and nagging wives, all things that were inconsequential to me. I would not be getting any more information and I would not attempt to seek out any either, it was better that this small town think I was somehow affiliated with this coven. It would make it easier when we all disappeared.

I heard the scattering gravel outside and recognized it immediately as the sound of an arriving car. I tensed, prepared to vanish should the new visitors have tastes similar to mine. But why would they come here? It was doubtful that they would take their charade so far. The footsteps on the gravel of the driveway were uneven and quite unbalanced, it would have been strange yet ignorable were it not for the slightest beginnings of an ache in the back of my throat. I recognized that feeling; after all it was only a day since I had known the pain. I was stunned into stillness, bracing myself for the upcoming test on my emotions, cursing myself for my lack of foresight the entire time. I scanned the room for exits. There were several, but if I fled now it would only draw more attention, I would not be able to show myself in the town again. I drew up the collars of my coat, trying to hide myself, but it was already too late…

I gripped the edge of the chair, placing my hands under the constraints of my own thighs. My own personal straightjacket. I gulped down some air just as the front door flew open. I threw my eyes to the silverware on the table in front of me, trying desperately not to lose my composure.

"Hey Nadine!" the girl called out, "Is my order ready?"

"About 5 more minutes, Bells? Sorry," she apologized as she motioned toward the dining room, "we got a little busy…"

Stupid woman! I cursed, Why are you drawing her attention this way?!

I refused to look in the girl's direction as I remained immobile in my spot, maybe she had not seen me. Humans forgot things easily…

"No problem," she said nonchalantly as she took a seat at the counter, she seemed not to have noticed me, "I'll just…."

DAMNIT!

The way her voice trailed off into a whisper made me sure that she had seen me sitting here. Still, I could not look up at her to confirm my worst suspicions. I heard her push away from the counter as her unsteady feet tried to find the ground. In my peripheral vision I scanned every possible exit, but she was watching me now, were I to run there was no doubt in my mind it would only encourage her to pursue me further. I had no choice but to endure. It was torturous to simply wait for her arrival, slow even for a human's pace. She seemed to be deliberating with herself in every step. Yes, I urged her silently, do not come over here. You will be sorry if you keep testing me…

She reached my table despite my silent protests, though what she did next surprised me. She slid into the booth directly across from me, sliding her hands across the table and allowing them to fold in front of her. She seemed to be waiting for me to look up. I refused to make eye contact with her. Maybe she would get the hint. Every nerve ending on my body stood at full attention as she buzzed and vibrated all around me, her nervous energy was palpable. We remained there for a few moments, both of us completely aware of our mutual reluctance to acknowledge the other, and I shifted uncomfortably as the fire in my mouth scorched and licked at my lips. She cleared her throat and I could see her maneuver herself to get a better look at my face. She seemed to understand that I was studiously ignoring her.

"Excuse me?"

Apparently, ignoring her did not give her the message that I meant to convey. She seemed resolute in her mission to torture me.

"Yes?" I growled into the table, still refusing to look at her.

"Are you following me?"

My head shot up at a questionable speed, but if she noticed she did not show it. I could feel my features crunch in disbelief, yet I could not control my expression. All of my control was focused on not leaping across this measly table and killing her and everyone else in this restaurant.

"Follow you?!" I boomed, glaring at her finally, "Why would I do that?!"

I hoped that my eyes would burn into her at my first glance, but there was a small smirk on her face. At my growing irritation, the smirk seemed to grow into a small smile, then practically a grin. I grew more and more irate as finally the most delicate giggle escaped her lips. She was teasing me!! This ridiculous, infuriating, bothersome human girl was teasing me?!

The last breaths of her giggle ended with a smile on her lips, "I'm just kidding. But it is quite a coincidence that we're running into each other again. Forks isn't exactly a booming metropolis or anything…"

She hesitated as her voice began to rise into the familiar pitch of human nervousness, it was only in the silence that I heard the unconscious growling rumbling from my throat. I quickly stopped myself and she let herself continue, clearly more cautious and noticeably less cheery this time.

"… Well, I just wanted to come over and to thank you."

My head shot up again, this human girl was not reacting at all the way she should! It was so frustrating!

" I don't know how you knew or why you knew, but you were right and that guy in the alley in Port Angeles really did look like bad news…. And I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there…"

As she continued on in her rambling speech of gratitude I tried to force my way into her thoughts, but it seemed impossible. Was her mind really that blank? It seemed impossible; she seemed far too introspective, much too emotive…. Even the most dimwitted creatures had an errant thought or two. Then it dawned on me and suddenly it was I who was the dimwit. I could not hear her. Of course! I wanted to slam my head into the table at my own stupidity. It was not her panic or my overwhelming desire to kill her that distracted me from her thoughts before. I was simply deaf to her! I looked to her face and suddenly I was the inquisitive one, this had never happened before. I had always been able to hear the thoughts of whomever I wished.

"… But I really am glad that you were. And you just ran off the other day before I had a chance to thank you… And…"

She stopped mid-sentence again, obviously noticing the change in my demeanor. I stared at her as she sat there in front of me, now she was the silent one, and my eyes were not kind. They were not feral as they had been before, but they were not welcoming either. I tried again to penetrate her mind, just to make certain, and again there was nothing. We sat staring at one another, trying to ascertain what the other was thinking, though clearly neither of us would find any answers. I fought off the burning desire to have her and tried to analyze her face as if it would give me some kind of insight into why she was silent. Maybe she was not human… I felt the muted burning sensation mingle with the air trapped in my lungs and immediately disregarded that hypothesis. If she was not human, how could she possibly tempt me this way. She chanced a small smile at me again and I could not bear it. Why did she keep smiling at me? Why was she unafraid? Why couldn't I hear her? Why do our paths keep crossing? All questions with no hope for an answer.

The insistence of a car's horn sounded as the waitress, Nadine apparently, called to the girl.

"Bells, you're order is ready!"

The girl scooted out of the booth, her gaze still holding mine, her mouth still tight with a small smile.

"Will I see you again….?"

She trailed off one final time as she waited for me to say my name. And again, for what felt like the millionth time when it came to this girl, I did what I should not have done. My mouth answered automatically, as if it had no choice.

"Edward." I said succinctly, though the confusion was surely written all over my face.

"Edward," she repeated, nodding to herself.

She turned her back to me as she grabbed a few rumpled bills from her back pocket. She handed them to the woman behind the counter and reached for the paper bags waiting for her. I traced her lithe figure after I noted there was enough food for two. I looked to the honking car outside as she made her way to the door. Forks Police, the side of the car read. The man behind the steering wheel was staring at me inquisitively. I nodded to him, not quite with a smile but not a grimace. He nodded back and something must have caught his attention then because he was bringing the mouthpiece of a two-way radio to his face.

"I guess I'll see you around then, Edward?" She was staring at me again, waiting.

I shrugged, still confused by this girl and her strange behavior.

She nodded at me in the way that the man in the police cruiser had. So they did have similarities then, he must have been her father. The horn sounded again as she waited for my response and when it was clear that I would not give her one to her liking, she gave an odd huff of impatience.

"Well," she finished, "I'm sure I will if you plan on staying. Forks is a small town."

I shrugged noncommittally as the waitress brought my order and placed it in front of me, but not before glancing between this Bella girl and I with a strange look.

The girl waited with her hand on the door for another split-second, "The meatloaf's good here. You'll like it. Bye Edward."

"Goodbye, Bella."

A flash of satisfaction swept across her face and just as smoothly she was out the door, her step slightly more buoyant than it had been when she arrived.

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It was well into night when I finished my reconnaissance mission into town, I waited until I was sure the people of Forks would be tucked into bed. I must have been searching for hours before I finally found traces of the Cullens on the South side of the forest, closest to the high school. After being tipped off earlier in the day at the diner, the high school seemed the most logical place to search for confirmation that they did actually reside in this town. The smell of another vampire was strong for our kind, more potent than the smell of any particular human. Well, except for the girl…

That damn girl again! All day I could not force her out of my head. And it was not just the idea of tasting her either! It was everything: Her odd behavior, her lack of fear, the way she carried herself, her blank mind. The vast nothingness of her thoughts was the worst part of it all! After the initial confusion of being unable to hear her wore off, I was angry. Angry that my gift, the gift that made me the most special in Volterra and nearly invincible in battle, was useless when it came to this girl. This fact coupled with the unbridled desire for her was nearly enough to shunt my self-imposed dietary restrictions and feed on her, if only to give myself a final answer to all the questions I would never be able to ask her.

I felt restless and without the distractions that Volterra could offer, I had no other choice but to run. I knew that I could not exhaust myself this way, but at the very least I would allow myself some small pleasure. I pulled open a window in the back room of my temporary home, not bothering with the door. After all, who could possibly see me?

The branches of hundred-year-old trees folded and cracked against my body as I ran as fast as I could, but I could barely feel the brush of them as I passed. I let the cool air fill my lungs and listened to the forest as I ran, the sound of my even breath and my light footsteps on the untouched earth being the only breaks in the silence. I ran in the direction that I had not already surveyed. I had not bothered before as it seemed to be close enough to the main roads while still being out of the way. The other vampires that lived the way the Cullens did never chose to live so close to humans, I had to assume this coven was the same.

I reached a corner of the forest, it could not have been more than 2 or 3 miles, and I was surprised at the proximity to my own 'home'. I was told that it would be secluded. Well, I mused, I suppose 2 or 3 miles is secluded in human terms. Through the break in the trees I could see the stark white that was unnatural in the forest. Humans. I took tentative steps forward, instantly more cautious though I knew nobody would be watching. Satisfied with the stillness of the houses around me, just a small street of 5, I inched even closer still. Partially hidden behind a tree, I took in the row of houses just across the small residential road. I always envied the humans that chose to have quiet lives the way the people in these houses must have had, why else would they chose to remain in this small town? The people that lived here must have had an appreciation for simplicity. Most humans always seemed to over-complicate things. I never understood it. Did they not understand the transience of their own existence? That their lives were simply a stitch or a knot in the vast fabric of humanity? The way that most panicked and fretted over every minute detail was nearly laughable. So, yes, I envied the ones that took life as it came. The ones that spent their lives loving completely and appreciating the small things, it was a perspective I knew I would never be able have.

I was a moment from turning back into the forest when the small tingle of desire scratched at the back of my throat. My hand clenched around the tree at my side and flecks of sawdust floated past me through the air. The girl. It was the only logical explanation for that too familiar sensation. I inhaled and exhaled carefully, knowing that she was too far from me safely tucked away in one of those houses, but still wanting to be cautious. I could not fathom why the universe kept throwing us together in this way! It was infuriating! I ran and ran and ran from her and still there she was! Everywhere I went! But it was all intriguing... Too intriguing.

I walked along the short block, safely hidden across the street in the trees. I stopped at the first house and inhaled. No this was not it, the irritation remained the same. I walked a little more quickly to the second, begging my feet to stop. No, not this one. Then the third, and now I was begging myself to go faster. I was at the fourth now and the scent was still weak. So it was the fifth then. The girl with the siren's blood and the blank mind lived in the last house on the sleepy country street, away from the town, with only one house of neighbors to hear her scream…I leapt into a tree that framed the far side of the yard, it was partially obscured from the other houses and it hung perfectly over the second-floor windows. Hers was the first room I looked into. I flung myself from the tree onto the roof, and was still able to land with nearly no sound.

"Bella…" her name came out in a whisper as I reached toward her open window.

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I hate this chapter. Read and review, please? Hopefully it'll get better? Sigh.