Bella washes her hands, then looks up at the mirror, startled to find Rosalie and Alice behind her. They study Bella, Rosalie with chillingly cold eyes, Alice with curiosity. Bella, uneasy, hurries out.
The next day unknown to
Bella Edward was watching her, tracking her every move.
Bella slips and falls on a patch of ice -
Charlie climbs out of the truck, helps her up.
"You okay, Bells?"
"Ice doesn't help the uncoordinated."
"That's why I got you new tires. The other ones were nearly bald."
"You got me new tires. No one's ever done that before."
Charlie looks at her, confused.
"I mean... nothing. Hey is Bellamy gonna be home soon or is her friend still sick? What was his name... Sam?"
"sorry Bells I think she's going to be gone for couple more days. Sam got into a fight with his girlfriend and he doesn't have any other family it's just him and your sister doesn't want to leave him on his own when he's so under the weather."
"Well maybe I should stop by bring some soup or something, you know let her take a break for a little while?"
"Uhh yeah just call and give her a heads up and don't stay too long I don't want you getting sick too you still have school."
"Isn't Bellamy going to the community college over in Port Angeles?"
"Yeah but she decided to take a semester off. All right I got to go I'll see you later I love you kid."
"Uh yeah I um love you to Char- I mean, Dad."
At school Bella heads toward her seat, brushing the rain off her hair. But she freezes when she sees - Edward.
Bella straightens herself. Then strides to the table, and confidently drops her books down, ready to address him. But he looks up at her -
"Hello."
Bella stops. Stunned. He is direct, precise, as if every word is an effort for him.
"I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. My name is Edward Cullen."
She's too shocked that he's talking to her to answer.
... "You're Bella."
"I'm... yes."
Feeling like an idiot, she quickly sits. He abruptly moves to the extreme edge of his seat. She's even more baffled now.
"You've been gone."
"Out of town. For personal reasons."
Uncomfortable silence befell them. Edward tried to engage her in conversation again, he was hopping if he could get a handle on who she was as a person her mind might open up to him.
"Enjoying the rain?"
"Seriously? You're asking me about the weather?"
"It appears." Amused at this sassier side of her.
"No. I don't like the cold. Or the wet... Or the gray, Or parkas, Or turtle necks." Bella replied.
Is that a smile playing on his lips? She notices For the first time, he seems more intrigued than agonized. He studies her. She still can't tell if he despises her or not. It's infuriating.
"What?" She asks interrupting his gazing.
He shakes his head and turns to the microscope in front of them handing her the slide.
"If you hate cold and rain, why move to the wettest place in the continental U.S." he asks.
"It's complicated." She really wasn't making it easy to get to know her usually if you give girls the slightest opening they can talk about themselves for hours or at at least that was his experience.
"I think I can keep up."
She deduced he actually seems interested. But still not understanding why he was all the sudden talking to her so she decided while she would answer she would keep it brief, not wanting to annoy him or push him away.
"My mother remarried."
"Very complex. So you don't like him?"
"Phil is fine. Young for her, but nice enough."
"Why didn't you stay with your mom and stepdad?"
He waits for her answer, studying her, as if trying to decipher her. She's drawn in by his attention, oddly compelled by his beauty and intensity.
"Alright, Phil's a minor league baseball player, so he travels a lot. My mother stayed home with me but it made her unhappy. So I decided to spend time with my sister and father."
"But now you're unhappy."
"No... I - I just..." Bella turns away - embarrassed, vulnerable. Which endears her to Edward he couldn't help but think she was like something out of his own time.
"I'm just trying to figure you out. You're very hard to read." And very beautiful and beguiling he thinks.
"Do you at least like being here with your father and sister?"
"Yeah, they're amazing." She replied glowing a bit as she thinks about how great it's been reconnecting with her family.
"Well, what are they like?" Edward asked trying to get more information on the possible witch Carlisle postulates is here.
"Umm their amazing, I don't think I really knew what I was missing before." She admits.
"Did they not come visit you?"
"Umm my sister did, she spent every winter break with my mom and I and I would come back up here for my summer break but I stopped coming the last couple years, money was tight and I hated leaving my mom alone for so long still I wish I had tried harder now, especially seeing how much they both missed me."
"Who wouldn't miss you?"
That had Bella turning beet red... their eyes meet again. But now she looks more closely at him.
"Did you get contacts?"
"... no." Answers Edward confused at what brought on the question.
"Your eyes were black before, now they're this golden brown or -"
"It's just the fluorescents." Edward cut her off as the bell rung and then quickly got up leaving wondering what she had done this time.
He couldn't believe he was the one that ended up letting his guard down he knew Rosalie would be chewing him out for this.
Later that day in the parking lot the rain has stopped, but the parking lot is full of water and patches of black ice.
Shivering, Bella heads for her truck, carefully navigating the icy puddles. As she reaches her truck, she looks across the lot -
Edward stands by his silver Volvo with his siblings, about to climb in. A moment later their eyes meet... then he looks toward the sound of a high pitched SCREECH, that quickly grows LOUDER...
Bella turns to see a VAN - skidding on the ice, careening out of control, heading directly for her. TIME suddenly fractures, compressing to stillness, then exploding in bursts of speed the shocked faces of those witnessing the impending tragedy - THE VAN DRIVER, TYLER desperately trying to gain control, then shielding his face.
- EDWARD looks to Bella with horror... as THE VAN is about to hit Bella's truck, with her standing in between, when suddenly, something knocks Bella down, pinning her to the ground. She looks up - Edward is on top of her.
In the hospital Charlie and Bellamy rush to be by Bella's side both terrified at what could have happened.
They could have lost her.
"I heard the Chief's daughter was here." Carlisle enters Bella's room and sees a very anxious Charlie at the foot of her bed and who he assumes to be her sister in bed with her holding Bella close and she tries to assure them both she is fine.
They all look up as he approaches. Dr. Cullen reviews her chart, then feels the back of her head as...
Bellamy POV:
He was one of them, I could tell almost instantly by the magic that surrounded him. What the hell was a vampire doing working in a hospital!
"You have a nice knot growing back there, but your x-rays show no indication of concussion."
I hated he had his hands on her but I couldn't make a scene here with everyone right outside.
"It would have been a lot worse if Edward hadn't knocked me out of the way." Bella pipes in sounding like she's trying to feel the doctor out for something... could she know? she is a witch too she just doesn't have access to her powers right now but maybe she can still sense what they are.
Bella's POV:
"Edward? Your boy?" Charlie asks.
Both my Dad and sister are being ridiculous and suffocating and totally ruining any chance I have to get to the bottom of what just happened.
"It was amazing he got to me so fast. He was nowhere near me." I saying deciding to try and probe deeper.
I think I rattled dr Cullen he looks uncomfortable and is smiling awkwardly.
"As long as you're safe."
He says excusing himself as Dad also leaves to deal with paperwork.
"You know what I think I'm just gonna go to the bathroom quickly before we leave." Bellamy says quickly existing as well. Now that I think about it she was being a little weird around Dr. Cullen, maybe I should tell her what I saw.
Bellamy POV:
I leave Bella's room and quickly spot a group of Cullen's angrily whispering amongst themselves.
This is definitely a bad idea but I'm already walking towards them before I can think better of it.
"Dr. Cullen, may I have a word with you?" I look over to the rest of them and add "in private"
The one named Edward I think pipes in, "I don't think that's such a good idea." I give him a scrutinizing look and tries to quickly recover adding: "I'm sure Carlisle has a lot of other patients to see, maybe some other time."
"Edward, it's all right. of course miss Swan, please come this way." Carlisle motions for me to walk in front of him and after sending one more warning look to Edward I comply.
Edward POV:
I did not like the look Bella's sister, Bellamy, just gave me and was about to follow her in Carlisle to his office when Rosalie nudged me. Looking where Rosalie was trying to direct my attention I see Bella approaching us now looking way to curious and determined for her own good.
I try to develop a nonchalant air about myself to keep her at arms length as much as possible as she approaches.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?" She asks
I nod off Rosalie and turn back to her. Please let this go BELLA.
"How did you get over to me so quickly?" Lie.
"I was standing right next to you."
"You were next to your car, across the lot." Lie better.
I decide to take a Rosalie approach and step closer to her turning my expression icy and hard.
"No, I wasn't."
She quickly counters, "Yes. You were." And by the look in her eyes I've only worked her up more and I don't see her standing down anytime soon. So I try a softer more sympathetic approach.
"You're confused. You hit your head."
"I know what I saw."
"And what, exactly, was that?" I bait her a bit.
"You stopped it,
that van. You pushed it away."
I tell her no one will believe her. And her response surprises me.
"I wasn't planning to tell anyone."
I want to believe her but I decided to push her once more, "not even your sister?"
And to my disappointment she doesn't respond right away... I hate to even think it but I can't help it now I think Rosalie might have had a point. And now I just pray no harm comes to this curious kitten.
