A/N: 10 reviews for the first chapter? Not bad. But I hope this chapter could earn more. :)

Now, it occured to me that some of you were totally lost on my introduction. And of course, as the author of this story, I have to explain for those who had a tough time figuring out the beginning. Basically, the introduction took place a year before the first chapter happened and the unnamed basketball guy who greeted Bella was Edward. The friendship that blossomed between the two in that one year wasn't detailed in this fic--I left that part for my readers' imagination. :) This is a very fast-paced story, I know. But I did mention it will be, right? Anyway, I faintly hope this clears up the confusion.

Q: Will you include the other Cullens in this story?
A: I probably will. :) Their roles aren't defined yet, though. I guess you just have to continue reading to find out.

Okay, so I'm done with the questions. Without further ado, I now present you the second chapter. Enjoy!

I'm in the room
It's a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like
And she'll never know your story like I do

It was a very tranquil evening. The bluish-dark clouds faintly glowed as little points of light gleamed across the horizon. The house itself was rather quiet when I came home. I found myself smiling as I recalled the crazy afternoon I had with Edward today. We laughed over the most insignificant things, talked about the most random stuff, and rallied with the most sarcastic remarks we could come up with. I could still vividly picture his amused face, could still hear his boisterous laughter ringing in my head. I don't have to worry much now; I was pretty certain he was himself again before we parted.

As I stood facing the front door, I grabbed the key from my back pocket and popped it into the key hole, twisting slightly just so the lock would open. As I heard it unbolt, I pushed the door ajar and reached my hand out for the light switch. I flicked it on, expecting the blinding light to hurt my eyes, but surprisingly, it didn't. I flicked it on for the second time, but still, darkness enveloped the whole house. I tried for a third but, just like the first and second attempts, it still failed.

My growing impatience over the freaking light switch turned into sudden fright as I heard someone behind me spoke, "I'm afraid we're having a blackout, Isabella."

I swiveled around to find a middle-aged lady standing not too far from me, a concerned look written on her face; it was Mrs. Newton. She doesn't exactly fall on my mentally-listed best neighbors in town, but times like this made me feel thankful that she lives only a few blocks away. At least someone had volunteered to break the news before I went nuts flicking that switch on and off.

"Do you know when will the electricity be back?"

She took a minute to glance at her watch and answered, "About an hour from now, dear. Could you manage being alone for that long? I mean, I could ask my son to—"

I promptly cut her off before she could even finish her statement; I know exactly what she was about to say. "That's not really necessary, Mrs. Newton. I'll be perfectly fine."

The words came out harshly from my lips, my tone sharper than I never thought it would be. I instantly regretted my earlier action as a new expression registered on her pale face—it was of embarrassment. Really, I should have kept my mouth shut. It's not like she's acting all matchmaker between me and her son, right? With a slight nod, Mrs. Newton shifted on her heels and took off towards the direction of her house.

I sighed dejectedly. Surely, I could've told her that in a nicer way.

I turned around to see the front door wide open, greeting me, welcoming me home, with the looming darkness as its only major setback. The dark and my clumsiness never sounded like a good combination, but the situation left me with no other choice. So with all the guts I could manage, I cautiously stepped inside, engulfing the pitch-black that dominated every corner of the house. My hands automatically held on to everything at an arm's reach—much like a reflex—to prevent myself from getting hurt. I made it past ten steps when I accidentally slipped and landed hard on my butt. Very typical, I bitterly thought. I could never go a day without bruising myself; that much is given.

I felt the throbbing pain on the lower part of my left arm as I tried to stand on my feet, my hands gripping the wooden railings of the staircase for support. I haplessly fought my way to find the couch—a place suitable for impeding any further damage on my part—and took a sit as I finally located its position. My fingertips grazed lightly over my left arm and I winced in pain as they came in contact with the suspected bruise.

I tried to focus my attention on other things to ignore the eminent proof of my fall, but the lingering pain won't let me have my way. I sat motionlessly for what felt like an hour, afraid that a simple movement would make matters worse. Relief flooded through me as the electricity returned, the lights illuminating the whole of the house. Immediately, I glanced down to examine the fruit of my clumsiness—a very sore wound, with blotches of dried blood surrounding it, came into view. I got up from my seat and sought for the emergency medical kit; I was sure Charlie kept one since I stayed here in Forks. I tended the wound with utmost care, my hands warily moving on its own, and then shoved the kit back on its place as I finished.

My stomach roared in protest as I realized how late it was for dinner. I steered towards the kitchen to grab the unconsumed sandwich in the refrigerator. This would do; I'm not really hungry, anyway. I ascended the stairs to get to my room, my personal sanctuary.

As soon as the door was closed, I sifted through my pile of books and snatched my withered copy of Pandora by Anne Rice. I badly needed something to occupy myself while I'm alone tonight and this book seemed to be the perfect distraction. Charlie never failed to work overtime every Tuesday and it's a guarantee today is no different

I opened my window to feel the cold breeze touching my skin, making me shiver from its soft and gentle blow. I held the book in my hand as I plopped down on the bed, readjusting myself to find a good reading position. It still felt oddly strange to be cocooned in too much silence, so I hastily stood up and reached for my radio to turn it on. I flipped through every station, hoping to stumble upon the right music that could satisfy my weird preference. I was not disappointed when I heard one of my favorite songs.

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,

You're paralyzed
'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight

You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination
Girl, But all the while you hear a creature creepin' up behind
You're out of time

I could not help but to dance along with the catchy tune of the song. I set the book down and planted my feet firmly on the floor, just in time as the chorus played next. I wiggled my hips from side to side, my body convulsing with the every beat of the music. My arms swayed wildly as though the wound from earlier does not exist.

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain't no second chance against the thing with forty eyes, girl
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight

Night creatures call
And the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There's no escapin' the jaws of the alien this time (they're open wide)
This is the end of your life

They're out to get you, there's demons closing in on every side
They will possess you unless you change that number on your dial
Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together, yeah
All through the night I'll save you from the terror on the screen,
I'll make you see

I turned the volume a little bit higher, forgetting the fact that almost everyone's in dreamland by now. Oh well, it doesn't matter; this dreary town could use some lightening up, anyway. I continued to exhaust myself as I danced my heart out, swinging and twirling as the song grew closer to an end. I swear Michael Jackson would be absolutely devastated when he sees me desperately trying a poor imitation of his popular moves.

That this is thriller, thriller night
'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would dare to try
Girl, this is thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, diller, chiller,
Thriller here tonight

Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize yawl's neighborhood
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse's shell

I'm gonna thrill you tonight
(Thriller, thriller)I'm gonna thrill you tonight
(Thriller night, thriller)
I'm gonna thrill you tonight
Ooh, babe, I'm gonna thrill you tonight
Thriller night, babe

The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller

I giggled as I realized my utter silliness tonight. I could actually enjoy dancing if it meant staying in a single place while acting crazy and wacky at the same time. My laughter eventually subsided as I heard a velvety voice from behind me. "Well, I think I've seen everything."

I whirled around to see a grinning Edward sitting atop the branch of a tree near my window. He looked godly even in the faint incandescence of the night. "Good gracious! You could've given me a heart attack!"

As much as I want to stare at his perfection all night, I couldn't; there were much more important questions to be asked. "Wait. Why are you sneaking up on my window like that?"

"I'm visiting you."

I scoffed. That is the most unbelievable answer I could get for this type of question. "Is that your new definition of visiting? Sneaking through a person's window?"

"Sneaking through your window is what I call visiting." He rolled his eyes as if that was an obvious fact I failed to know. Instantly, he jumped off of the tree and landed in my room with noticeable ease. Show-off.

He sat at my bed and continued speaking, "You know, if you told me you had those killer moves, I would've taken you to the dance last year."

"You would've gotten your worst rejection if you did."

"I could bet my life I won't." I could practically see the crooked smile lighting up his face.

It was my turn to roll my eyes at his statement. Edward could get really cocky sometimes; I had to resist the urge to chuck his ego on his face. "Don't be too sure, Romeo."

"Oh. Is that so, my dear Capulet?"

I ignored the hint of teasing in his voice; it was already late and I was sure Charlie will be back soon from work, but this guy needs some serious help. I just know something's wrong with him. He isn't really the type of person who randomly barges in just to visit. If I couldn't let him talk, then I'd forcefully pull the answers from him if I needed to. I crossed my arms and looked at him, straight into those emerald orbs, and exclaimed, "Edward! What are you really up to?"

He returned my gaze and I could see his eyes abruptly widen in horror. He then stood up and walked towards me, closing the little distance between us. Edward carefully grabbed my left arm, tracing the unscathed skin near my wound, and held it with his own. I couldn't deny the jolt that sprang from that simple contact. "What happened to your arm?"

He was stalling apparently, but I couldn't find the will in me to retract my arm from his grasp. Especially not after seeing the worry in his eyes. "I…tripped over something a while ago."

"I should have known." I couldn't help but feel relieved as I heard a carefree laugh escape his lips. "Does it still hurt?"

I shook my head for a response. Hesitantly, I pulled my arm back and stared at him, keeping a stern look on my face. This isn't good. It should be me interrogating him and not the other way around. I dragged Edward onto the bed and sat at the open space beside him; it was time for me to get the answers. "Tell me, what is really up?"

He tilted his head in my direction, a halfhearted smile marking itself on his face, and asked, "Am I really that obvious?"

I rolled my eyes and nodded. He really needs to practice some more if he intends to be discreet. "I needed to get away from all the shouting at home."

It was only five months ago when he told me that exact line and I knew what he meant by those words. His parents, Esme and Carlisle, were filing a divorce after twenty successful years of being married to each other. It would've been devastating news for another person but for Edward, along with his sister Alice, it wasn't really something unexpected. With the good show he always manages to put up in front of everyone, you would think he's living such a perfect, luxurious life, but truthfully, he isn't. Not many people know that of course. And Tanya isn't one of them. She's probably too busy maintaining her figure or polishing her nails to even care.

Right now, I longed to touch him, to comfort him, but I had to set a thin line for my actions; I couldn't let myself be easily swayed with my emotions now. Before I could even reach out, I heard Charlie pulling into the driveway as the engine hurled into a stop. I turned to look at Edward, whose expression was nowhere close to perturbation, and said, "We'll talk tomorrow."

He nodded and went straight to my open window while I inspected every single part of my room; Edward couldn't leave any traces that he's been here in this time of the day.

"Hey, Bells?"

I looked up to see Edward flashing his crooked grin at me. "Hmmm?"

"I'm glad I came here tonight."

With that, he jumped off from my window and I was left irrationally smiling at what he just said. So do I.

The chapter's a rollercoaster ride with the humor, the little drama, the fluff, and all that. :) LOL.

For those who aren't familiar with the song I included here, it's Thriller by Michael Jackson. It's an old 80's song but still popular nonetheless. I find it absolutely perfect to match Bella's taste in music since not a lot of girls her age could appreciate Michael Jackson's songs.

If you took the time to read or put this story on your alerts and favorites list, then please leave a review. I'll be sending a sneak preview of the third chapter for those who will. :)

P.S. You probably hate me for delaying the last chapter of 'A Shot at Failure', but the update's coming up next! Be a dear and check that story out if you haven't yet. Thanks! :)

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