Twilight is the property of Stephanie Meyer.

Bella

I was tired, despite having slept full-eight hours. And that was after having a calm and relaxing evening without Edward around. I loved him, and it was nice that he wanted to spend time with me, but I had to admit that it was nice to have some time to myself, to do whatever I wanted without his watchful eyes on me. There was no one to criticize my choices at the supermarket. Or voice disapproval for what I chose to cook for dinner. Or chide me for reading a novel rather than a non-fiction or more educational book to expand my knowledge…

I stayed in the living room after dinner with a copy of Withering Heights and a cup of peppermint tea whilst Charlie watched the football game. Charlie was a bit surprised when I did not go upstairs after 30mins into the game. He did not know and I was also not going to tell him the truth that Edward was the one who insisted I come up to my room after 30mins so that we could spend some time together.

I exhaled loudly and slowly started to get myself ready. I have been feeling exhausted for a quite some time now; no amount of sleep seemed to be enough. I know that partially, the dreams were to be blamed. What happened in Phoenix was still affecting me - in my dream, James had Renne and I was too late to save her. Or Edward and his family came too late and James kept sucking my blood. Or one of his family - usually Alice or Esme, sometimes even Carlisle - would get killed by the hands of James. I would try to get to them, beg him to stop hurting them, but it would always fall on a deaf ear; I was just a weak human…

Charlie was already sitting with a cup of coffee in the kitchen when I came downstairs for breakfast. I was surprised as he was taking the late shift covering for his sick colleague today, I thought he would be waking up much later. My eyes got even bigger when I saw that he even prepared some breakfast. Just some toasted bread with butter and scrambled eggs, but proper hot meal anyway. One of the many things I learned since moving here is that he was not very good at cooking. The first time I cooked dinner, which was just a simple pasta with home-made Bolognese sauce, he was impressed. Maybe he was just being polite, but told me that it was the best one he had ever had.

"Happy Birthday, Bells."
Charlie stood up from his chair and gave me a hug. He was not a type of parent that gave out hugs or held hands. But he would still give me a hug when it was a special occasion, and I guess my birthday was one of them.

"Thank you dad. For the breakfast as well."

"Well, I cannot cook as well as you, but I hope it tastes alright." He looked away in embarrassment and I saw his cheeks get red. "Alright. Present. It's second-hand, but I was assured that it is a good one, and I know you need one, for your homework and stuff." He hurriedly continued and gave me a paper bag which was by the chair that he had been sitting on.

I opened the box that was inside the bag. My mouth opened in a shock when I saw that it was a laptop. In the beautiful shade of purple - I immediately fell in love with the color. But it must have cost a lot especially it was in a great condition, as if it had been hardly used by the previous owner.

"This is too much… must have been expensive!"

"Don't worry about it. I got it at a great price online. The person was very generous and said that she just wanted to give it to someone who's really going to need it. And be honest Bells, you need it for your study."

Charlie was right, it would be so nice to have it to do the homework, or the research project that we got yesterday… And he got it in a good deal secondhand - I knew we would not be able to afford a brand new laptop. I finally nodded slowly in agreement.

"Thank you so much. It would help me a lot." I decided to give him a hug. Like him, I was also not a hugger, but I thought this was a special occasion. He was very thoughtful, a quality that Renne sadly lacked. She probably did not even know that it was my birthday, just like any other year.

Before Charlie headed upstairs to rest more before his shift, he apologized for not being able to spend the evening with me but was looking forward to a day with me tomorrow. I thanked him again and started on the breakfast. For weeks, eating and keeping the food down was getting more and more difficult. But today, I felt like I could eat and was pleased when my stomach remained calm afterwards.

The gray sky with thick clouds greeted me as I got on my truck to drive to school. Once I asked Carlisle if the weather in England was similar to how it was here. I have never been there, but I heard that it was often dark, rainy and cold. He said it was a little similar, but Forks was much more 'airy' - apparently those historical buildings gave much solemn atmosphere. He then promised to take me to Britain one day so that I could really see for myself. Esme joined the conversation then, and expressed her joy at his comment. Apparently it had been several decades since their last visit to the country and there were some places that she wanted to visit, and she was convinced that I would also like them. I was stunned as they said it so casually as if it was the most natural thing to do, as if they were my parents and were going to take me to Disney Land on their next family trip. Though I knew it was unlikely that it would happen for real, my heart felt warm nonetheless.

"Happy birthday, Bella!"
Alice appeared out of nowhere and I almost lost my steps as I was getting out from my truck.

"Alice! You almost gave me a heart attack… And don't say it so loud! I don't want people to know it's my birthday!" I whispered the last part so that no one could hear it, well no human, at least.

I thought I saw Alice share a glance with Jasper, but before I could really think about it, I found myself in the air, and squeezed tightly to a big, hard and cold body.

"Bellaaaaaa!"

"Hi Emmett." My face was squashed against his body, but I was certain that he heard me as I felt him increase his hold on me. It was good to be hugged. Despite the pain from the bruises across my body which I got from Edward, I couldn't stop myself from holding onto him. He was like a big brother to me. He would keep me safe, right?

"Emmett, don't squeeze too much, you're gonna hurt her."

I was shocked to hear Rosalie. As far as I know, she detested me. And here, she was trying to make sure I would not die from suffocation. I felt Emmett slowly release me and I turned to look at her to say thanks.

She actually gave me a small smile and I was really confused. She made it crystal clear that she didn't like me from the very first moment I got introduced to her. When it became apparent that James was tracking me, she even bluntly suggested to just give me up to him like a meat on a silver plate. After returning from Phoenix, she was no longer so vocal about her opinion on me, and she became rather indifferent towards me, as if she chose to believe I did not exist at all. Maybe something really really good happened to her today.

"Hi Bella. Are you okay? Did Emmett squeeze you too tight? I felt your p-"

I interrupted Jasper, trying to explain. "No, he didn't hurt me! I have a fresh bruise from last night, and that hurt a bit, but that's all. I lost my balance when I was trying to put some groceries away. You know how I am."

I prayed that Jasper would drop it. If anyone found out the truth, Charlie would be the receiving end of Edward's punishment. I could not let that happen.

Emmett was the only one laughing out loud, and the others were smiling though they were looking at me in concern. I felt tightness around my chest as I realized my lie was not convincing enough. Bella, pull yourself together. You have to protect Charlie.

Suddenly, I felt the gentle calming wave, and the heavy feeling on my chest slowly disappeared. For a moment, I felt alarmed as I thought Jasper might have picked up on something, but that feeling was also replaced with calm.

"Bella," I saw Jasper was standing in front of me, and lifting my chin so that he could look at my eyes. "what are you so scared about?"

I sucked in a sharp breath. He cannot know. I silently begged him to let it go. I closed my eyes as I could not hold his concerning gaze anymore, and I did not also want to see his disappointment - is he going to hurt me like Edward when he's not happy?

The bell rang, and Jasper let go of my chin.

I muttered a quick sorry as I practically ran to my first class of the day - History. When I got to my seat, I tried to take deep breaths, to calm myself. I was feeling too much emotions that I could not understand - I wanted to tell him what I was afraid of, but I was afraid that he would not believe me. Who would believe the words from a human against his own brother? Even if he did believe me, I would be tearing apart a family…

I saw a packet of tissue papers suddenly appear on my desk, along with a folded note. I did not even notice that I was crying. I felt embarrassed that my emotion was on display, but I was also very grateful for the act of kindness. I took a piece from the packet, and hurriedly wiped my face. Bella, get it together, now is not the time.

Mr. Hamilton started the class, and it seemed like no one except this kind stranger noticed that I was a mess. I opened the note and more tears escaped from my eyes.

Bella, are you okay? I know you probably don't feel so comfortable sharing what's troubling you lately, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm here, if you ever want somebody to talk to. I don't know what Edward told you but, I still think you are my dear friend.

Feel better soon! And Happy Birthday. I know you don't like the attention, and your secret is safe with me ;) Angela

I turned to my right and mouthed her "thank you", to which she smiled and nodded. She was so kind, too kind. I didn't deserve a friend like that. I have not been around her, as Edward told me that I was too plain and boring to be her friend. It was hard to believe him, as Angela was not that kind of person to say such things. When I voiced my doubt, he got angry for not believing him, a mind-reader. I got a bad bruise on my wrist that were painful for weeks.

I shifted my attention to what Mr. Hamilton was saying and try to take some notes. I felt myself further clam down as I focused on the class. I actually enjoyed learning, especially when I was not under constant scrutiny. I even felt a small excitement as I heard Mr. Hamilton announce we were to do some independent research and submit an essay on how the lives of the ordinary people were affected by the civil war. Though I did not have a laptop of my own, and I had to admit, I did want one - just imagine how much more through research I could conduct! - I still enjoyed gathering information the classic way, with books. I briefly wondered if Jasper or Carlisle would let me use their libraries to get some books…

Before I knew it, it was lunch time. The others around me were rushing to the cafeteria. As I was packing my stuff into the backpack, I realized that I was still full from breakfast. I had a party to attend this afternoon and I did not want to have an upset stomach by pushing too much now, when Esme probably had some food ready for me.

I entered the school library, and I smiled at Mrs. Tate, our school librarian. I had been acquainted with her even before I moved to Forks, as she was working at the Port Angeles Public Library beforehand. Every summer, as I visited Charlie, he would try to take as much vacation days as possible to spend time with me. However, there were some days he had to work, and he would ask Mrs. Tate - or aunt Debbie, as he calls her - to take me with her to the library so that I could spend the day there and not get bored at home.

She was like a grandmother that I have never had. My grandma Mary, Charlie's mum, passed away as I was just a baby, and I sadly had no memory of her. But I always imagined that she would be like aunt Debbie. She would bring some pieces of home-baked cake with her that she would share with me on her break time. She would also buy me a cup of hot chocolate - she would say that it was not a break if you did not have a cup of hot chocolate with a slice of cake.

I asked Charlie why he called her aunt Debbie. He told me that she was my grandma Mary's best friend. Grandma Mary was a very strict parent, but aunt Debbie was always on his side, and would spoil him so much that grandma Mary would get upset at aunt Debbie and would refuse to talk with her. But no one could get upset with aunt Debbie - a few days later, they were back being inseparable as if nothing came between them.

"Bella, how are you doing, my dear?"

Aunt Debbie had a big smile on her face as she came over from behind the desk and gave me a hug. She smelled of cinnamon and pumpkin.

"I'm okay, aunt Debbie. Sorry I couldn't visit you for a while."

"Of course it's okay. You're young, and you need to have fun with friends your age, not with an old-timer like me. Anyways, I'm happy that you're here today. Happy birthday, my beautiful girl."

Her hands were on my cheek and I blushed under her gaze. It has been a while since I received such a compliment.

"Thank you."

"I know you don't like gifts, so I'll not give you any for now. But, be prepared to receive one on Saturday. I'm only giving you a heads up so that you'll get used to the idea."

"I know… thank you for the heads up." I sighed and heard her chuckle. I gave up a long time ago on disagreeing with her. She was very good at persuading me, and she always found a way. And I was actually looking forward to spending time with her - with constant scrutiny from Edward, and as he did not like her so much, it has been difficult to visit her. My birthday was a perfect excuse for me to spend the afternoon with just her and Charlie, without Edward.

I gave her a hug and told her that I was going to find some books for my project. It was against the policy to spend lunch time inside any room at school - something about security, as it was easier for the school to keep an eye on the students if they were not scattered across the building. But aunt Debbie made an exception with me. She knows that I would not do anything but read by myself here.

She looked concerned when she learned that I was not eating anything, but thankfully, she did not make any comments and I hurried to the back of the library, to the section marked "History."

I scanned through the titles and picked up a couple of them to see if they would be useful for me. As I was skimming through them, a flash of blonde hair appeared at the corner of my eyes. I got distracted and looked up as I had never seen aunt Debbie allow any other student except me to the library.

"Jasper? What are you doing here?"

"Ah Bella." As soon as I heard him say my name, I felt his usual greeting.

"I'm looking for a book for my biology project." I was surprised to hear that. For me, Cullens finished their assignments quickly and effortlessly; who would not, if you have been to high school so many times? I raised my eyebrows.

"Don't mind me, I just needed to get this particular book that was published this year. Mr. Banner insisted that I read this. What about you?"

"Okay…" I was not fully convinced, but let it go. "I'm looking for some books for my history project."

"Did you find anything? You know you can come to our house and look for them - we do have a massive collection of books. You know how Carlisle is." He gave me a wink and grinned at the last part.

I had to agree with his comment. Carlisle was always hungry for knowledge, and I saw him come back to the house after work carrying new books on several occasions.

"Bella… I'm sorry about earlier. It was none of my business to pry."

I frowned at the sudden change of the topic and his tone. "It's okay."

"I hope you're not too upset. Alice and Esme will kill me if you decide not to come over today because of me. Probably Emmett will also join the party." I had to smile at that. They could get really scary.

"I'm sure you'll survive. It must not be the first time you upset them."

"Ouch." A laugh escaped from my mouth at his expression, and upon hearing it, his face broke into a big smile. I got stunned at the beauty.

"Jokes aside, I'm really sorry, and I'll not ask the question again. But if you do want to talk, I'm here."

I felt him wrap me with security, sincerity and calm. I nodded at him. Beneath the good feelings that Jasper was sending me, my mind was wondering if he would still want to be around when he learns how I was just a silly human.

***Chapter End***

Thank you for reading! :)