Hello readers!

WOW, almost 100 reviews so far! Thanks to everyone who's helped me get to this point.

Special thanks go to gutterxking & kerrionCCullen for adding this story to their favourites lists, and to madkins, "Guest", frostedglaze & jansails for their fantastic reviews. Without your support, I probably would have scraped this idea long ago.

Back to Edward now...

:-D

EPOV

"Quick, pack everything up. We have to leave now," I shout, ignoring the dark stain on my jeans as I stuff items back in my pack. When I glance up, I notice that no-one else has moved. "What are you waiting for?"

"It's still dark," Eric complains. "Why do we have to leave yet?"

"Because if we don't leave right this second, we won't make it back to the campsite before he does," I explain as patiently as I can given the urgency of the situation.

From the moment we told Jacob about the campsite, I had a horrible feeling that he was going to betray us. He came back here pretending to offer us help but really he just wanted to find out what we knew so that he could help himself. Sure, he gave us details about the future that we could possibly use to make a difference, but it's completely useless if we can't get back to our own time.

"And why do we have to do that?" Mike asks slowly as if I'm stupid.

But I'm not stupid. He is, and I've had enough of him and his stupid attitude.

"That's it!" I yell, slamming my pack down on the ground. "I've had it with everyone questioning every decision I make. Obviously Jacob thinks there's something at the campsite that allowed us to time travel. So if he gets there first and does actually find something, he could trap us here permanently. Is that what you all want? To be stuck here? If so, fine. I wish you luck. If not, then pack your things because I'm leaving with or without you guys!"

By the time I've finish my rant, I'm breathing heavily but I actually feel better. The rest of the however look completely stunned.

Except for Bella...

Who looks...violently angry?

Huh?

"What's your problem, Edward?" she hisses. "You're acting like a class-A jerk!"

"So...what? I'm allowed to stick up you but not myself?" I ask defensively. I know I sound rude but I'm more than a little hurt that she's not on my side.

She quickly jumps to her feet, her arms still crossed across her chest. Now that she's not covered by the sleeping bag, I'm more than a little distracted by the way her folded arms are practically pushing her boobs towards me. Thank god that the others have taken my advice and left us alone to start packing their things because I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from diving head-first into them.

Apparently Bella has other ideas though.

"Oh yeah, you really stood up for me," she says. "Where were you when that neanderthal Jacob was calling me woman and telling me to shut up? You really defended my honor then, didn't you?"

I don't understand what she's talking about, I didn't say any-...oh...

Sarcasm...got it.

"Okay, I know. I'm sorry," I say softly. "But to be fair, he is from a different time. So he migh-"

"Are you seriously defending him?" she shouts.

"No, no of course not. I'm sorry," I plead. "I should've said something, that was wrong of me. But I'm not apologising for snapping at everyone earlier. They chose me to be the leader so they should just do what I say."

"Really?" Bella asks incredulously before shaking her head. "You know what? Just forget it."

She turns away from me and stomps off towards the building that Alice and Jasper were staying in.

"Are you still angry with me?" I call after her. She said to forget it but she still doesn't seem very happy. She lets out a frustrated scream but doesn't turn around or stop walking.

Girls are so confusing.

I roll up our sleeping bag and mat, and by the time I've done a quick check of the area to make sure we didn't leave anything behind, everyone is waiting outside again.

"Edward?" Laurent begins hesitantly. "What about the Emmett and the others?"

"What about them?" I ask, hauling my pack onto my back.

"Are we going to go find them before we head to the campsite?"

His question makes me more than a little uncomfortable. If we leave them behind, there is a good chance that they won't survive in this time, but if we go looking for them now, we may all be stuck here.

There's really only one option.

"We don't have time," I sigh.

"We can't just leave them here!" Jessica shrieks. "They're our friends."

"No they're your friends, not mine," I snap. "And honestly, they didn't really put up much of a fight when you decided to come with us instead of them. So why do you really care?"

"Because they're going to die," she sobs.

"If we waste time looking for them, we're all going to die," I explain slowly. Why can't anyone understand how serious our situation is? "I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

"It's not fair," Jessica cries. "They're good people, they don't deserve this."

I laugh.

I can't help it. My new attitude has given me a new perspective on how I was treated by the jocks at school, Emmett in particular.

I wasn't part of their jokes, I was the joke.

And they weren't messing around, they were bullying me and my friends.

"They were not nice people," I laugh. Everyone stares at me with wide eyes and a few even gasp, probably shocked that I would speak out against the popular crowd. "They were bullies that made life a living hell for a lot of people. So if we have to sacrifice them to save ourselves, then so be it. I, for one, couldn't care less if I ever saw them again!"

"Nice to see you too, Cullen."