Alice watched the girl walk away. She, Edward, and Jasper stood in silence for a few moments.

"So," Alice said. "She's a vampire, right?"

"What?" Jasper turned to her.

"Didn't you smell her?" Alice asked. "She smelled just like a vampire."

"No, she didn't!" Jasper snapped. Soon, the two of them were arguing.

Edward didn't say anything. He just stared at the place where the girl named Bella had been standing.

Something about her felt so familiar to him. He didn't notice Alice trying to get his attention until she waved her hand in his face.

"Where's your first class again?" Alice asked.

~E~

Edward hesitantly approached the table.

Bella Swan stared at him with penetrating eyes. Edward felt exposed under her gaze. She had dark circles under those eyes. Her black hair, still wet from the rain, stuck to her back.

Edward set his bag down and sat next to her.

"Hi," Edward said.

"Hey," Bella said.

"No talking!" Mr. Banner snapped. "Alright, we're picking up where we left off, the test is in a week!"

Edward tried to pay attention, but Mr. Banner's ranting quickly turned to gibberish in Edward's ears. He was lost in a wave of body parts and the like.

He held his pencil over his notebook paper, trying to copy what Mr. Banner wrote on the whiteboard. He could never finish Before Mr. Banner wiped it away and wrote something else.

Bella, on the other hand, was writing notes. She seemed to be having no trouble at all keeping up and comprehending what Mr. Banner was talking about.

Soon, Mr. Banner wiped the whiteboard and dismissed the class.

Edward put his things away and got up.

Bella was still in her seat.

"Hey," she said, looking up at Edward. "Question."

"Question?" Edward turned to Bella.

She gave him a strange look. "I want to ask you a question," She clarified.

"Oh," Edward said. "Go ahead, I suppose."

"Do you know how to write?"

Edward wasn't sure what to say to that. He swallowed, avoiding Bella's eyes. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Bella put away her notebook and pushed her hair out of her face. "I saw you, trying to write earlier," She said. She handwaved lazily at Edward. "It looked like you didn't know how to write, I guess."

"It's a bit difficult," Edward said honestly. "I'm still learning."

Bella's expression was unreadable. Her eyes were locked on him.

Edward smiled uncomfortably. "I should get going to my next class," he said after a moment. "Bye." Then, he walked away.

Edward's next class was gym.

Bella was there as well, and so were those sharp eyes of hers. They landed on him, and he immediately tensed.

The gym teacher, Emmett, was a vampire like Edward. He was the tallest person Edward had ever seen. He had short dark hair and bright gold eyes.

He and his wife, Rosalie, lived in the same house Edward did. They were the oldest vampires outside of Carlisle and Esme.

"Hey, Edward," Emmett patted Edward on the arm as he walked by. "We're running the mile today!" He called to the class. "Hope you're all ready!"

There were groans throughout the group.

Bella popped up beside Edward, she had a quizzical look on her face.

"Hey, Bella!" A boy called out. "It's me, Mike!" He was a blonde boy. Edward thought he looked far too young to be in high school.

"Oh, hey," Bella said.

"Oh, what's your name? You're Dr. Cullen's son, right?" Mike asked, looking Edward over.

"I'm Edward," Edward said.

"Get to the lockers!" Emmett yelled. "Let's go!"

Bella wandered off without a word. Edward caught a glimpse of her disappearing into the group of girls heading to their lockers.

"You gonna change?" Mike asked, patting Edward on the arm.

"Uh, yeah," Edward said. He started to follow Mike to the boy's lockers but Emmett caught his arm.

"I can tell you're not the kind of guy but just in case," Emmett said. "If you're gonna run, you don't need to show off."

"Oh, I know," Edward said. "I'll probably just jog."

Emmett smiled and let Edward go.

Edward followed the other boys to the lockers. He found an empty corner of the locker room to change into the clothes he'd brought. A white shirt and shorts.

He put his bag into a locker and headed out of the locker room. Most of the other kids were already wandering around the gymnasium.

Bella was lingering by the wall, wearing a black t-shirt and gym shorts.

Edward considered approaching her, then he noticed Mike beside her. The guy was talking and grinning.

"Anyone still getting changed?" Emmett asked. He waited a few moments and waved his hand. "Let's go!"

Emmett led all the kids out to the football field. There was a track that circled it.

"Four laps!" Emmett explained loudly. "You know the drill! Get in formation!"

He picked a starting spot, and everyone gathered along it in a few sloppy rows. A few kids were talking about their records and trying to beat them.

Edward noticed Bella at the back of the group. She was scratching her neck.

Emmett blew a whistle, and everyone started running. Mike and a girl with a ponytail were at the lead, quickly breaking off from the group.

Edward, Bella, and two other kids lingered at the start.

"What are you waiting for?" Emmett asked. "You can at least walk!"

"Fine!" Bella groaned. She started walking.

The other kids started jogging together.

Edward lingered for another moment before following Bella. He walked a few steps behind her for a while.

Mike and the other girl ran past them.

"Hey, Bella!" Mike yelled as he passed. "Look how fast I am!"

"Hey, Mike," Bella said quietly. She looked over her shoulder at Edward. "Oh, you're here."

"Don't feel like running," Edward said.

Bella slowed down, letting Edward catch up with her.

"I heard your brother is the gym teacher," She stuck a thumb out at Emmett.

"He's not exactly my brother," Edward said. "Our family is complicated."

"I get that," Bella said. She fell silent as a few other kids passed them. "Your father adopts a lot of kids?" She asked after another moment.

Edward wasn't sure how to feel about referring to the mysterious Carlisle figure as his father. But he nodded anyway.

"There's only three of us at this school," Edward said.

"I know," Bella said. A girl bumped her as she ran past. Bella stumbled but caught herself before Edward could.

"Stay out of my way!" The girl called.

"Jerk," Bella mumbled to herself. "Anyway, I saw them at the office, remember? Your sister introduced you."

Edward had forgotten about that. Alice had thought Bella was a vampire because of her strange scent. He wondered if that scent was why he was drawn to her.

"Sorry about her," Edward said. "She's unusual."

"You all seem pretty unusual," Bella said. She gave Edward a pointed look.

Edward laughed dryly as a few more kids passed. His mind started to wander, thinking of ways to keep the conversation going. Talking with this girl was pleasant.

"So," he said. "You're new too?"

He could see Bella tensing. He could almost see the walls coming up between them.

"Yeah," Bella said. "I moved in yesterday."

"Where are you from?"

Bella gave Edward a sidelong look. She seemed suspicious of him for a moment.

"Where are you from?" Bella asked. Her tone had changed. Was she annoyed?

"Here," Edward said simply.

"You were born on a football field?"

Edward laughed involuntarily. "No, I mean this town."

Bella was smiling at him. He couldn't help but smile back.

Mike ran past them again. He didn't say anything this time, he was a few steps behind the same girl with the ponytail.

Edward watched the two of them speeding along the track. The girl was slowly gaining distance on Mike.

"I'm from Arizona," Bella said. "My mom lives there, and my dad lives here."

"Where's that at?" Edward asked.

Bella's smile faded. "You don't know where Arizona is?"

"Is it a city?"

Bella narrowed her eyes.

The two of them were coming up on Emmett.

"You two are on track for a record," Emmett remarked as they walked past him. "Blowing my mind here."

"You're messing with me," Bella said, ignoring Emmett's comments. "I know you know my deal." She folded her arms. "Everyone knows."

The two of them were silent for a few minutes. Edward didn't know what to say.

"What deal?" Edward asked finally.

Bella stared at him in the corner of her eye. She started to respond when a girl collided with her. The two of them tumbled to the pavement in a pile of waving limbs.

~B~

"Get off me!" The girl shoved Bella away and got to her feet.

Bella groaned, watching the girl take off. She pushed off the pavement and wiped her face. She had a scrape on her arm. She sat up, looking her arm over.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked. He was kneeling beside Bella. "Let me see your arm."

Bella wasn't listening.

Edward said something else.

Bella got to her feet, ignoring his offer to help.

"That jerk!" Bella spat, stumbling a few steps.

"Bella wait," Edward started.

Bella wasn't listening. She was walking again, leaving Edward behind. She was a bit unsteady, there was a sharp pain in her ankle. It wasn't too painful. She picked up her pace, testing her ankle. Soon, she was jogging, slowly rounding the curve.

The girl was halfway around the track now. Her brown ponytail bounced as she ran.

Bella passed a blonde boy as she broke into a dash. Her feet were already screaming in pain. Her shoes weren't made for this. She was worried they were coming apart around her feet.

Her effort was paying off, though. Bella was catching up to the ponytail.

Unfortunately, Bella couldn't breathe. She was gasping like a fish by the time she caught up to the girl.

Both were coming around to the gym teacher. He was watching them with a frown.

The girl made a face at Bella. She seemed perfectly fine. Was she even sweating?

Bella felt like a heart attack on stilts. Her chest was on fire. Her legs felt like heavy logs under her. She was going to fall. Bella staggered, falling out of pace with ponytail.

The gym teacher was right there, just a meter ahead.

Bella recovered and broke into a wild charge, heaving and grunting like a mad woman. She had barely managed to overtake ponytail as they passed the gym teacher.

Bella stumbled to a stop, nearly falling on her face.

"Yes!" She yelled with a shrill voice. The world seemed to spin around her. "Take that, jerk!" Bella wiped sweat off out of her eyes, trying to catch her breath.

Ponytail hadn't stopped. She kept going at the same pace, passing a few kids and rounding the curve.

Bella huffed and collapsed all at once. She landed on her butt with a grunt.

"Give me your arm," The gym teacher said. He knelt in front of Bella as a few kids ran past them.

"What?" Bella didn't have the strength to resist. She didn't realize how much the scrape on her arm was bleeding.

The gym teacher produced some kind of ointment. It stung a bit as he applied it to Bella's arm. He then wrapped a bandage around it.

Bella winced as the gym teacher tied the bandage off. She noticed he wasn't looking at her. He was looking past her. She turned her head.

Edward was standing stock still a few meters down the track. He was staring at them. The look in his eyes sank deep into Bella.

She felt vulnerable sitting there. As if she was staring down a monster. He wasn't human. Bella knew it. She couldn't explain why. It was setting off every alarm in her body. Danger.

"Hey," The gym teacher called with a loud but cool voice. "Focus."

Edward took a few steps toward the two of them.

Bella's throat was dry. Why couldn't she move? Was she that worn out? She tried to pry her eyes off Edward, but she couldn't. She felt as if the moment she looked away, she'd be killed.

"Hey!" The gym teacher yelled this time. His voice startled Bella. A few kids stopped, staring at him.

Edward blinked a few times. His eyes widened and he took a step back, shaking his head. Then he just ran away.

Bella watched him run, crossing the parking lot as he headed back to the school grounds.

"Shit," The gym teacher murmured.

"What?" Bella said. It was all she could muster. She took a few deep breaths to regain her composure. It wasn't helping.

The gym teacher gave her an annoyed look and stood up. "You proud of yourself?" He asked with a frown.

The man's annoyed tone sparked indignation in Bella. "Little bit," She remarked. "What was that all about?"

"Keep running!" The gym teacher yelled to the nearby students. "I'm still timing the lot of you!" He returned his attention to Bella. "You don't understand what you saw."

Bella picked at her bandage, pursing her lips at the gym teacher. Her mind was racing a mile a minute.

"What was that all about?" She asked again. "You guys are family, right? He a cannibal or something?" She met the man's eyes.

The gym teacher had an empty expression. "Go to the nurse's office."

"I want an answer!" Bella snapped.

"You're being hysterical," The gym teacher said.

Bella chewed on the inside of her lip, trembling. She wasn't seeing the coach anymore.

She was seeing a boy. His blonde hair hung on his shoulders. He was standing outside Bella's car. Julie was unconscious in the passenger seat.

"You're being hysterical."

Bella got to her feet and stormed off the track. She needed to leave this stupid school. She'd already had enough.

Soon, Bella found herself in the bathroom again. She was sitting in the same spot, crying.

She hated to cry. She hated the feeling of weakness. Once she'd start, there'd be no stopping it. She'd cry until she wore herself out.

Bella didn't know what time it was when she stopped crying. Luckily no one had come into the bathroom.

She sat there in silence, considering her options.

She could go back to Charlie's house. Tell him she didn't want to go to school anymore. He wouldn't accept that.

She could run away. Live in the woods for the rest of her life. The only survival knowledge Bella had, though, was to avoid bears.

Bella considered, for a few moments, dying. She couldn't kill herself. Could she?

Bella kept her eyes on the floor. She knew full well if she raised her head, she'd see Julie there.

Julie would be watching her, with empty eyes. She always was.

~E~

Edward buried his face in his hands. His thoughts were jumbled. He couldn't focus. The world was spinning around him.

Where was he?

He barely recognized a wall when he walked into it. He slapped the wall and stumbled away.

What was wrong with him?

He'd been fine the entire day. The hunger came so suddenly.

The slightest amount of blood on Bella's arm. He almost attacked her.

Edward's head ached. He needed to feed. He needed to find the bathroom. Find privacy. He had a few packs of blood in his bag. He wandered into a room, shoving a door open.

He thought he could control this.

Alice and Jasper had tested him. They'd tempted him with fake blood. They said it was basically the same thing.

Those idiots. Of course, it wasn't the same thing! He shouldn't have come here. Why did he let them convince him?

Edward wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and eat everything around him. Were there people nearby? His sense of smell was going crazy. He couldn't tell if that human scent was a mile away or five feet.

Edward ripped his bag open. A few things fell to the floor as He searched for his blood packs. He found one and sucked it dry in moments.

It wasn't enough.

Edward held up the second blood pack with a trembling hand.

Jasper had said it was just as good as real blood.

Why wasn't it working?

Edward threw the pack. It splattered on the floor at someone's feet.

Edward couldn't make out the person's face. It didn't matter. He took a step for the person. For the food.

It didn't move as Edward approached. He grabbed it with both hands and pulled it to him. Finally. He would be satiated.

"Edward?"

Edward paused. His mouth lingered above the person's shoulder.

"If you're going to do it, get it over with."

Edward's mind was cleared all of a sudden. He was clinging to Bella Swan, gripping both of her arms. His mouth was gaping open, hovering above her shoulder.

Bella was staring at the floor. Tears streamed down her face. Her hands were trembling.

The two of them were in a bathroom.

"Really?" A girl yelled.

Edward spun.

A girl was standing in the doorway, pointing a finger dramatically at the two of them.

"Get a room!" The girl yelled. "Geez!" She turned and left, slamming the bathroom door.

"You're hurting me." Bella's voice was small.

Edward let go of her arm and backed away. His voice failed him.

Bella still wouldn't look at him. She wiped her eyes and sank to the floor. Her pants and shoes were splattered with blood.

"Bella," Edward started. "I'm sorry."

The bathroom door opened again.

Alice was there, humming as she walked in. She paused, staring at them.

"Shit."

~X~

Jacob waited in his truck. He was parked outside the Forks High School office building.

He'd been waiting for half an hour.

"Where is she?" He muttered. He took out his phone and called Charlie.

Charlie picked up, but he was talking to someone else.

"Yes, I understand," Charlie said. "I'll give him a stern talking to."

"Thank you so much, Sheriff," A woman's muffled voice came through.

"Please, Mrs. Lovich, call me Charlie. Also, I ain't a sheriff."

Jacob waited until Charlie was done before speaking.

Charlie did that a lot. He would answer the phone but continue whatever he was doing. It was his way of saying give me a minute. Jacob thought it was silly. Why couldn't he just call back when he was ready?

"What's wrong, Jacob?" Charlie said finally.

"I don't know where Bella is," Jacob said. "School let out half an hour ago, I'm going to check the grounds, I'll call you again when I'm done."

Charlie muttered something.

"You be respectful," Charlie said. "If I hear you're being rude to Bella again."

"I know, Mr. Swan," Jacob said. "She's probably just with some friends or something."

"We can't take that risk," Charlie said. "Her situation is very delicate. The court wants her to be constantly monitored. If I mess this up, they'll lock her up again."

"Why is she being treated like that?" Jacob asked. He turned his truck off and hopped out of it. "She just—"

"Just find her, Jacob," Charlie said. "I'll get a few of my guys to keep an eye out."

"Alright, Mr. Swan." Jacob hung up as he approached the school grounds.