A/N: Hi, chapter 8 is here! Again, this one follows the original book very closely but I promise the next one is going to be better. And again, all rights belong to S. Meyer and J.K Rowling.

And, as usual, thank you for reading and reviewing!

EDIT: 08/15/2018 Minor editing made.

Chapter eight

It was amazing how quickly the fear vanished, amazing how suddenly the feeling of security washed over me – even before I was off the street – as soon as I heard his voice. I stuck the half-pulled out wand back into my pocket and then jumped into the seat, slamming the door shut behind me.

It was dark in the car, no light had come on with the opening of the door, and I could barely see his face in the glow from the dashboard. The tires squealed as he spun around to face north, accelerating too quickly, swerving toward the shocked men on the street. I caught a glimpse of them diving for the pavement as we straightened out and sped toward the harbor.

"Put on your seat belt," Edward commanded, and I realised I was clutching the seat with both hands. I quickly obeyed; the snap as the belt connected was loud in the darkness. He took a sharp left, racing forward, blowing through several stop signs without a pause.

But I felt utterly safe and, for the moment, unconcerned about where we were going. I stared at his face in profound relief, relief that went beyond my sudden deliverance. I was glad I hadn't had to use magic even though I was slightly disappointed that they'd gotten away with it so easily. It would have been very satisfying if I had managed to stun at least one of them. I studied his face in the limited light, waiting for my breath to return to normal, until it occured to me that his expression was murderously angry.

"Are you okay?" I asked, surprised at how hoarse my voice sounded.

"No," he said curtly and his tone was livid.

I sat in silence, watching his face while his blazing eyes stared straight ahead, until the car came to a sudden stop. I glanced around, but it was too dark to see anything beside the vague outline of dark trees crowding the roadside. We weren't in town anymore.

"Bella?" he asked, his voice tight, controlled.

"Yes?" My voice was still rough. I tried to clear my throat quietly.

"Are you all right?" He still didn't look at me, but the fury was plain on his face.

"Yes," I croaked softly.

"Distract me, please," he ordered.

"I'm sorry, what?"

He exhaled sharply.

"Just prattle about something unimportant until I calm down," he clarified, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"Um," my brain felt suddenly empty so I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind without thinking. "What if we turned around, found those scumbags and I turned them into cockroaches? Or something else like flobberworms. They are pretty boring creatures so maybe that would be good for them." I started liking the idea so I went on, "You know, they wouldn't have the chance to hurt other people because all they would do would be laying on the ground and eating lettuce. If they were lucky, their mucus would be used in potions. But imagine drinking a potion with something from them." I made a face, disgusted by the thought.

When I turned back to Edward, I saw that he looked utterly confused.

"What on earth is a flobberworm?"

I didn't answer but smiled slightly, glad that it worked.

"Never mind. Better?"

"Not really," he said, but I knew a part of his brain was still wondering what I'd been talking about.

I waited, but he didn't speak again. He leaned his head back against the seat, staring at the ceiling of the car. His face was rigid.

"What's wrong?" My voice came out in a whisper.

"Sometimes I have a problem with my temper, Bella." He was whispering too and as he stared out the window, his eyes narrowed into slits. "But it wouldn't be helpful for me to turn around and hunt down those…" He didn't finish his sentence, looking away, struggling for a moment to control his anger again. "At least," he continued, "that's what I'm trying to convince myself."

"Oh." It wasn't the best reaction but I didn't care. We were clearly thinking about the same thing: how to pay back those bastards. Only his way seemed a bit more effective. I shuddered as I imagined what would happen to them if Edward decided to actually do it.

We sat in silence again. I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was past six-thirty.

"Jessica and Angela will be worried," I murmured. "I was supposed to meet them."

He started the engine without another word, turning around smoothly and speeding back toward town. Slowly I was beginning to wonder how he had found me. How had he known where I was? Well, he could have read the minds of the men, for sure, but how had he known that I was in Port Angeles in the first place? I frowned slightly. Did he follow me? Or was it only a coincidence?

Before I could think any further I noticed he'd already parked in front of the restaurant. I hadn't even told him where I was supposed to meet the girls.

Jess and Angela were just leaving, pacing anxiously away from us.

"How did you know where…?" I began, but then I just shook my head. I heard the door open and turned to see him getting out.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm taking you to dinner." He smiled slightly, but his eyes were hard. He stepped out of the car and slammed the door. Great, I thought. Since I knew I couldn't ignore him anymore, I sighed and got out of the car as well. He was waiting for me on the pavement.

He spoke before I could. „Go stop Jessica and Angela before I have to track them down, too. I don't think I could restrain myself if I ran into your other friends again."

I shivered at the thread in his voice.

"Jess! Angela!" I yelled after them, waving when they turned. They rushed back to me, the pronounced relief on both their faces simultaneously changing to surprise as they saw who I was standing next to. They hesitated a few feet from us.

"Where have you been?" Jessica's voice was suspicious. Angela's expression surprised me, though. She was staring at me and Edward, her mouth slightly open, eyes wide in shock.

"I got lost," I admitted sheepishly, after I tore my eyes off Angela's face. "And then I ran into Edward." I gestured toward him.

"Would it be all right if I joined you?" he asked, looking directly into Jessica's eyes, for some reason avoiding looking at Angela.

"Er… sure," Jessica stammered.

"Um, actually, Bella, we already ate while we were waiting – sorry," Angela confessed, her expression composed now, though her eyes were wary.

"That's fine – I'm not hungry." I shrugged.

"I think you should eat something." Edward's voice was low, but full of authority. He looked up at Jessica and spoke slightly louder. "Do you mind if I drive Bella home tonight? That way you won't have to wait while she eats."

I could see that Angela wanted to protest, but Jessica spoke before she had the chance to say anything.

"Uh, no problem, I guess…" She bit her lip, trying to figure out from my expression whether that was what I wanted. Although I wasn't a hundred percent sure myself that it would be the best idea, I winked at her to show that it was okay.

Angela hesitated but Jessica said goodbye and with a last curious look at me pulled her toward her car. I waved at them, waiting for them to drive away before I turned back to him.

"What was wrong with Angela?" I said quietly, mostly to myself, though aware that he could hear me.

He just shrugged and walked to the door of the restaurant and held it open for me. I walked past him, shaking my head, still thinking about Angela's mysterious behaviour. Was it possible that she suspected Edward wasn't normal? But how could she possibly know? The Cullens kept to themselves at school, they rarely had any contact with other people, I'd noticed.

The restaurant wasn't crowded. The host was female, and I understood the look in her eyes as she assessed Edward. She welcomed him a little more warmly than necessary. She was several inches taller than I was, and unnaturally blond. I was surprised by how much that bothered me. I wanted to turn her into a toad or something. I frowned.

"A table for two?" His voice was alluring, whether he was aiming for that or not. I saw her eyes flicker to me and then away, satisfied by my obvious ordinariness, and by the cautious, no-contact space Edward kept between us. She led us to a table big enough for four in the center of the most crowded area of the dining floor.

I was about to sit, but Edward shook his head at me.

"Perhaps something more private?" he insisted quietly to the host. I wasn't sure, but it looked like he smoothly handed her a tip.

"Sure." She sounded surprised but she turned and led us around a partition to a small ring of booths – all of them empty. "How's this?"

"Perfect." He smiled at her, dazing her momentarily. It was funny how vampire's beauty affected humans. I thought the place was perfect too.

"Um…" The host shook her head, blinking. "Your server will be right out." She then walked away unsteadily.

"So," he started slowly after we sat down, "what is a flobberworm?"

I had to laugh.

"Something so incredibly boring that I'm not going to waste my time talking about it."

This answer didn't seem to satisfy his curiosity.

"Did you make it up to distract me?"

"No, they really exist. But there's not much more I could tell you about them than I already told you in the car." I shrugged, watching closely his reaction.

He was quiet for a while, looking at me thoughtfully. I waited for him to continue when our server arrived, her face expectant. The hostess had definitely dished behind the scenes and this new girl didn't look disappointed. She flipped a strand of short black hair behind one ear and smiled with unnecessary warmth.

"Hello. My name is Amber and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?" I didn't miss that she was speaking only to him. I shook my head impatiently.

He looked at me.

"I'll have a Coke," I said though what I really wanted now was a bottle of Butterbeer.

He ordered two Cokes and after she left, he continued watching me.

"What?" I asked.

His eyes stayed fixed on my face. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I replied, surprised by his intensity.

"You don't feel dizzy, sick, cold…?"

"Should I?" I was confused.

He chuckled at my puzzled tone.

"Well, I'm actually waiting for you to go into shock." His face twisted up into a perfect crooked smile.

"I'm not going into shock." I rolled my eyes. The four slimy bastards were hardly the most dangerous creatures in the world. He must have known that. He was a vampire.

"I'll still feel better when you have some sugar and food in you."

Right on cue, the waitress appeared with our drinks and a basket of breadsticks. She stood with her back to me as she placed them on the table.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked Edward.

"Bella?" he asked.

I ordered the first thing on the menu, which was mushroom ravioli and when Edward said he didn't want anything, she walked away.

"Drink," he ordered.

I sipped at my soda obediently and then drank more deeply, surprised by how thirsty I was. I realised I had finished the whole thing when he pushed his glass toward me.

"Thanks," I murmured, still thirsty. The cold from the icy soda was radiating through my chest and I shivered.

"Are you cold?"

"It's just the Coke," I explained, shivering again.

"Don't you have a jacket?" His voice was disapproving.

"Yes." I looked at the empty bench next to me. "Oh, I left it in Jessica's car," I realised.

He took off his jacket and handed it to me.

"Thanks," I said again, sliding my arms into his jacket. The sleeves were much too long; I shoved them back so I could free my hands.

"That color blue looks lovely with your skin," he said, watching me. I was surprised so I looked down, flushing. He'd never paid me a compliment before.

He pushed the bread basket toward me.

"I told you, I'm not going into shock," I protested.

"You should be – a normal person would be. You don't even look shaken." He seemed unsettled. He stared into my eyes, and I saw how light his eyes were, lighter than I'd ever seen them.

"I would have taken care of myself," I said, sounding more confident than I'd felt when facing the men on the street.

"How? By turning them into flobberworms?" His voice was full of sarcasm but his eyes were wary and curious at the same time.

"I was rather thinking about stunning them," I admitted, looking right into his eyes, which were confused.

When I didn't say anything else and started nibbling on the end of a breadstick, he exhaled impatiently. I decided changing the topic of conversation for now because I had a few questions for him too.

But then the waitress strode around the partition with my food. I realised we'd been unconsciously leaning toward each other across the table, because we both straightened up as she approached. She set the dish in front of me – it looked pretty good – and after Edward reassured her that he wouldn't eat she left.

"So," I said, picking up my fork, "I have a few questions."

"Well, go ahead." He sighed.

"Why are you in Port Angeles?" I really needed to know.

He looked down for a few seconds and then slowly shook his head.

"Next."

I frowned. I wasn't ready to give up.

"How did you find me?" I thought I knew the answer but I wanted to hear it from him.

He looked into my eyes with a torn expression.

"Next," he whispered, looking slightly ashamed.

My patience was wearing off. I put the fork down, leaned back and folded my arms across my chest.

"Okay, then." I glared at him and continued slowly. "For some time I've been suspecting that you can read minds. It sounds crazy but I've learned in my life, that nothing is impossible. I know that you can't read my mind so tell me, how did you know where to find me? Did you, for some reason, follow me? Or was it just a coincidence that you were nearby when it happened, and when you saw minds of the men you hurried to save me?"

He stared at me with wide eyes. It took a whole minute before he finally spoke.

"How do you know?" Then I could see that something dawned on him because he closed his eyes and shortly shook his head.

"I'll tell you in the car. But now, please, answer my questions," I said quickly before he could start asking more questions.

"Yes, I can read minds of most people," he started explaining, his eyes avoiding me. "And yes, I followed you to Port Angeles." He paused, looking up at me sheepishly.

"Why?" I whispered, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Promise you won't be angry," he pleaded anxiously.

"Okay." I nodded warily.

"Then eat, I'll talk," he said, suddenly stern, pointing at my still almost full plate.

I quickly picked up my fork again and showed a ravioli into my mouth. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly and then he started speaking.

"Since the day of the accident I became very anxious that something might happen to you again. You look very vulnerable and I started to feel very protective about you. And it was obvious that you had a secret you didn't want me or anyone else to know about and it didn't help that I couldn't read your mind. I had a theory about it, but I wasn't sure and I couldn't ask you because there were other people around."

I stopped eating, staring at him. Maybe I wouldn't have to tell him anything if he already guessed it himself. He went on.

"I could have waited for you after school or something but I didn't want you to think that I'm too obtrusive. Then you stopped talking to me and it was driving me crazy. I tried to convince myself that I should ignore you too but it just didn't work. Then we had to leave for the weekend because of the sun…" he paused, watching my face. I'd resumed my eating and when I didn't show any reaction, he went on.

"I hated not seeing you for so long so when we got back from our… trip," he said the last word carefuly, "I went to your house. I stayed outside in the woods, watching your window," he added quickly after seeing my alarmed expression.

"We couldn't go to school on Monday and today, so I kept my distance, still following you." His voice was getting more and more quiet, so I had to lean closer to hear him. I tried not to think what his words really meant.

"Then I heard that you were going to Port Angeles and I just followed you. I couldn't get out of the car because of the sun so I listened to Jessica's mind. But I wasn't listening properly and I didn't notice when you took off on your own. Then, when I realized that you weren't with her anymore, I went looking for you at the bookstore I saw in her head. I could tell that you hadn't gone in and that you'd gone south… and I knew you would have to turn around soon. So I was just waiting for you, randomly searching through the thoughts of people on the street – to see if anyone had noticed you so I would know where you were. I had no reason to be worried… but again, I was strangely anxious…" He was lost in thoughts, staring past me.

"I started to drive in circles, still… listening. The sun was finally setting and I was about to get out and follow you on foot. And then I heard them." He growled the last few words and he looked as furious as in the car before. I shivered. I could imagine what exactly he'd heard but I tried not to think about it.

"It was very hard – you can't imagine how hard – for me to simply take you away and leave them… alive. I could have let you go with Jessica and Angela but I was afraid if you left me alone, I would go looking for them," he admitted in a whisper.

I sat there, leaning against the back of the seat, the unfinished meal laid in front of me. I didn't know what to say to calm him down. He looked very upset, his eyes staring at the table in front of him. I leaned closer and slowly stretched my hand to touch his cold arm.

"Thank you for saving my life. It's twice now," I whispered.

He looked up at me and smiled slightly, though the smile didn't touch his eyes.

"So, what is your theory about my secret?" I asked slowly, desperate to distract him from his angry thoughts.

He looked around and sighed.

"I'll tell you in the car," he said and waved to call the waitress.