Bella

The next morning I found myself once again staring at my alarm clock, wide awake waiting for it to go off. At this rate I was going to become a full-blown insomniac before the end of school. Only this time, I was eager to get to school rather than dreading it. The anger from yesterday's argument with Evie had cooled, replaced by a deep sense of gratitude. Something had driven her to help me yesterday, even though her actions had jeopardized herself. I had to find a way to let her know that her risk was not in vain: I was going to keep her secret- whatever it was- no matter what.

But when I arrived that day- early as usual- she was nowhere to be seen. Probably sensing that I would harangue her with more questions the first chance I got, she made sure we were never left any opportunities to converse. The first four classes she sat in her chair staring up at the ceiling, and at lunch her family sat without her. That afternoon she arrived to biology seconds before the final tone of the bell. Her eyes never met mine, but sometimes I could feel her gaze on the side of my head like she was trying to bore her way in. Those moments made my skin tingle and burn.

The days following the accident crept by. I felt like a spectacle. The entire school wanted to know what had happened, and everyone kept reliving what they had seen in ever increasing hyperbole. Luckily, no one had noticed Evie's miraculous appearance- and even faster disappearance- so that saved me from having to lie to anyone. Even so, I still felt dishonest when people told me how lucky I had been. Luck had had nothing to do with it.

Tyler Crowley, the driver of the van, returned to school the following week. He seemed to have taken an interest in me after our shared brush with death, and joined our group at lunch. I liked being around him, his bright smile flashed against his dark skin and his eyes were always full of laughter. I hoped we could be friends, but knew that I could never return his apparent affection. I had no idea how to even broach the subject with him. I'd never had this problem in Phoenix. The weeks flew by and still no solution presented itself.

Even worse, Jessica had been gushing about the upcoming Sadie Hawkin's dance. She had already invited Mike to go with her of course, and had now made it her mission to convince Angela to ask Eric and me to ask Tyler. This was exactly the type of situation I had been dreading all of my life. Sure, I could go to the dance with Tyler and have a great time, but I knew it would be a lie. It wouldn't be fair to him at all. But what could I say? Tyler you're a great guy but I can't date you because, well, you're a guy? My nerves went cold just thinking about it. I wished more than anything that I could go back to being invisible like I was in Phoenix.

I set out to come up with a great excuse to get me out of the dance. One that wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings and would not be an obvious cop-out. I had zero options so far when Tyler and I walked to biology after lunch. To my surprise, Evie had arrived before we had. I did my best to ignore her, trying to focus on what Tyler was saying. Apparently I had failed, because he was looking at me expectantly.

"I'm sorry Tyler, what did you just say?" I felt my face flush with embarrassment.

"I was wondering if you would ask me to the dance?" He grinned with confidence.

"I thought it was girl's choice?" I blurted, all plans of diplomatically excusing myself gone after he had caught me by surprise.

"It is, I just thought that maybe you had been planning to ask me, but since you're shy you just hadn't done it yet." His grin faltered. "If you're going with someone else…"

"No! No, it's not that. I just, I don't really.." I was floundering. Thinking on my feet had never be something I could do. "It's just that I'm going to Seattle that weekend." I finally told him, cringing inside at having to lie to him.

"Well, can't you go some other weekend?" He persisted.

"Uh, no. No I can't, it's already set in stone." My tone was flat now. How was I supposed to let him know I was never going to be available for any dances without hurting his feelings?

"Oh well," he replied, the cheer back in his voice. "There's always prom!" And with that the bell rang and he jumped off my desk to take his seat.

I blew out the breath I'd been holding and put my face in my hands. My skin was hot to the touch and I just knew I was still a blotchy tomato-red color. With my elbows on the desk I could feel the table shaking. Curious, I dared a peek to my left and saw Evie looking right at me, shaking with laughter as she leaned against the blacktop.

"Is something funny?" I snapped, too humiliated to remember I wasn't angry with her anymore.

"Poor Tyler," she laughed. "The guy had no idea what he was walking into just now."

"And I suppose you knew what he was going to ask?" She nodded, still laughing. "Then why didn't you at least warn me?" I hissed, anger rising quickly to the surface again.

"I wanted to hear what you would say to him." She sat back in her seat, clearly amused by my discomfiture. "You know, you are an exceptionally terrible liar." She added. She had stopped laughing, but a smile still remained on her lips. It reminded me of the first day I had talked to her. The beauty of her smile was enthralling, and I found myself once again staring at her stupidly. Finally her smile began to fade. The silence stretched and I felt I needed to say something- anything. But the second bell sounded and Mr. Banner began the class. I reluctantly turned away from her to give my attention to the lesson.

I had trouble concentrating on what Mr. Banner was saying this class. I was uncomfortably aware of Evie's closeness. This was the first time she had spoken to me in weeks. What had changed? And how could someone so infuriating be some sort of superhero? After over-analyzing everything that had happened since I met Evie Cullen, that was the only conclusion I had come to. She must be a superhero with superpowers. It sounded stupid even in my head. But what other explanation was there? The curiosity was overwhelming. I had to figure out a way to gain her trust, to thank her again and let her know she could trust me with whatever secret it was that made her so afraid of telling me the truth. I couldn't believe I had gotten so tongue-tied. How was I ever going to express my gratitude if I couldn't even speak coherently to her? I might not get a chance again for weeks!

Before I had come up with anything even remotely resembling a plan, Evie bolted out of class just as the bell began to chime. I stared at the empty door frame until Mike came over and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Earth to Bella!" He called, and I shook my head to clear it before gathering up my things and following him out the door.

That night I made my dad his favorite meal- steak and potatoes. I was about to call in a huge favor and wanted him to be in a good mood. As we sat together relishing the delicious food, I finally broached the subject.

"Hey dad," I started.

"Yeah Bells?"

"I was wondering if maybe I could borrow the old truck sometime? More specifically, the Saturday after next?" My dad had this archaic red Chevy truck that he only used for his weekend fishing trips up to Lake Pleasant with his best friend Billy Black. It looked like a road hazard but had never broken down.

"Oh yeah?" Charlie replied in between bites. "What for? Wait, I know. It's for that dance isn't it?"

I groaned inwardly. Did everyone in town know about that stupid dance? "Actually, no. I was hoping to drive up to Seattle to check out some bookstores." It was a viable excuse. He knew my prolific reading habit, and in truth I had already blown through all the books I'd brought with me. Sadly, the town of Forks was too small to have its own bookstore. It would be the perfect getaway.

"I'll have to think about it." He answered. "You know, you should give this dance idea another shot. Didn't you say you've made some friends since you came?" I stopped chewing mid-bite. I knew this was a big favor, but I hadn't counted on him saying no. I wanted to be as far away from Forks as possible the day of this accursed dance.

"Well yeah, but they're all going with dates." was all I could come up with.

"Didn't anybody ask you?" He pressed. This was going from bad to worse.

"It's a girl's choice dance, Dad." I told him. He mulled that over a bit.

"I know you're shy Bells, but if you give people a chance you might be surprised. Who knows, you might even have fun." He looked at me with large brown eyes full of hope, the same eyes I had gotten from him. I knew he wanted me to be happy here. But I couldn't bring myself to tell him the real reason why I wasn't going to the dance. "How bout this: you agree to think about going to the dance, and I will think about letting you borrow the truck. Deal?"

Now it was my turn to mull. I guessed this was the best offer I was going to get tonight, so I agreed. "Thanks Dad." I said warmly, hoping to convey through my tone just how much I did appreciate the fact that he wanted me to be happy here. He smiled back at me, and we finished dinner in companionable silence.

Evie

Since the accident, I had been tasked with monitoring the girl to make sure she wasn't revealing any of what she saw me do- or 'thought' she saw, as we would tell people. We had agreed not to move away unless absolutely necessary, and it was my responsibility to determine if and when this necessity arose. They were placing a great deal of trust in my ability to control myself. I complained to my siblings that this was a punishment unfit to my crime, but secretly I was elated to have an excuse to watch her and listen in on her conversations. I had become her happy vampire stalker. In truth, I hoped that listening to a constant stream of meaningless drivel would help me to realize that her thoughts- no matter how hidden from me- were no different than that of her peers. Then I would be rid of this damn curiosity that was infiltrating all aspects of my life.

I had also hoped that over time, the continuous exposure to her fragrance would lessen the bloodlust in me. I could not have been more wrong. Each breath of the air around her was fire in my lungs and blood in my vision. I was maintaining control, but just barely. I knew that if I had not had centuries of work on controlling my darker appetites, she would already be dead. I hadn't been responsible for the death of a human in hundreds of years, and I wasn't about to start now. I would not let her break me.

It seemed I was wrong on the first count as well. Since I could not hear her thoughts, I was forced to observe her through the minds of others. I generally abhorred the minds of humans- so petty and frivolous- so this was indeed my own personal retribution for saving the girl's life. But the more I listened, the more curious I became. Her responses to normal conversation from her friends were never what I expected. After years of listening unwillingly to every depraved thought the human mind could come up with, I felt I had heard it all. It was easy to predict the turns a conversation would take. I had also learned early on how to differentiate the sound of a lie, since i could always(until now) hear the truth behind it. It seemed to me, her silent observer, that she was often giving the responses that she thought her classmates wanted to hear, rather than the truth. It was as if she were playing a part, and the real Bella was still hidden within. It also struck me that she was much like my family in this way: playing the part of normal high school student. But why would she do this, considering she is in fact a normal high school student and not a blood-crazy vampire? It was maddening.

Then on an unremarkable day I reached my limit of curiosity containment. The students had been buzzing about an upcoming formal- yawn- and of course Bella had been included in the conversations. She had given mildly interested commentary when the topic had come up about her friends finding dates, but the moment a girl suggested that she invite someone as well everything changed. Her heart rate sped up, along with her breathing, and her cheeks warmed with delectable blood just below the surface of her skin. I was amazed that no one around her was able to hear her heart pounding- to me it blocked out every other sound. Her reaction was similar to that of a person having a panic attack.

In spite of being shy, Bella was usually calm and collected. Nothing much seemed to bother her until today. The final straw was when Tyler requested she invite him to the dance, and she lied to him. In the past month of observations I had never once heard her give an outright lie. She omitted the truth often, that much was clear, and since none of her peers had thought to press her further she had gotten away with it so far. But now, with her heartbeat thundering in my ears, one thing became clear: my curiosity had overcome the bloodlust.

The expression on her face when Tyler asked her to the dance was so comical I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing out loud. She looked as if he had asked her to turn herself into a goat. I could smell the sweat on her palms and hear the catch in her breath. She was more terrified in that moment than she had been when I spoke to her that day at the hospital. Even more than the day she saw my face in the bathroom mirror. What was it about the dance that could possibly be more terrifying than a vampire's reflection? I simply had to know what she was thinking. I decided then and there that I would be the one to find out what made her tick. This puzzle was just too good to pass by, no matter how sweet she smelled.

That night I glutted myself on not just one but five deer. I had to be ready for tomorrow, when I would talk to the girl. Just because curiosity had won out didn't mean the desire for her blood was any less than it had been. I couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

The next morning I arrived at school before any of the students. I felt anticipation grow inside me and wondered at it. I hadn't felt this strongly about anything in decades. What was it about this girl that had me waiting, eager to speak to her? How would she receive me? I started to worry, remembering her fear at the hospital and her anger yesterday. She probably wouldn't want to speak to me at all. I would have to come up with a way to earn her trust, let her know that I wasn't going to hurt her. Well, that I was going to do my best not to hurt her. It was an impossible task, but I had to try.

Finally, I spotted her trudging her way toward the school, hood drawn up and shoulders hunched against the cold. She really didn't like it here. I replayed our brief conversation in yesterday's biology class while I waited for her to approach, and that gave me sudden inspiration. All the students were talking about this dance, so that's what I would do. Like a normal teenager. And try not to make her mad this time.

She was looking down at the ground when she finally reached me. I would have to do something to catch her attention. I looked around to make sure no other students were around, then I quickly and silently pulled the zipper on her backpack as she walked past me, so that her books spilled out onto the pavement.

She groaned, staring down at the wet books as if it almost wasn't worth it to pick them up. I bent to help her and she started.

"How do you do that?" she asked me, a little breathless.

I handed her her books, neatly stacked in order. "Do what?" I asked innocently, though I knew perfectly well what she was referring to.

"Appear out of thin air." Her eyes narrowed, and I knew she was remembering the accident. It might be better for me to avoid reminding her of that in the future. I decided to tease her rather than acknowledge her question.

"Honestly Bella, it's not my fault that you are exceptionally unobservant." I laughed, knowing that she was in fact the opposite.

"And here I thought I was just an exceptionally bad liar." She spat, and turned to walk away from me.

"Wait," I called after her. When she did not stop I hurried to catch up. Was I really running after a human? I shook my head at the absurdity of my situation. "I'm sorry," I told her. "That was rude. Not that it isn't true, but it was rude of me to say it."

"Oh really?" She snapped. "Which time?" This was not going at all the way I'd planned.

"Both times." I admitted. "I've been very rude to you, and I feel badly about that. Do you think we could start over?"

She hesitated, and her silence was impossibly frustrating. What was she thinking?

"I would like that, yes." She finally answered, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Excellent!" I grinned, and she seemed taken aback. Too much enthusiasm? I tried to tone it down. I was floundering without being able to hear her thoughts to prompt me how to respond. I was out of my element, but rather than worried I found it to be thrilling. "So," I started again as we turned to walk into the building. "Why do you hate dances so much?" This probably shouldn't have been my first question, but then I had never been known for my patience.

"I don't," she replied, a little confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, Tyler asked you to ask him to the Sadie Hawkin's dance, and you lied to him about being out of town that weekend." I'd decided upfront honesty was the way to go. I knew I was on the right track as I listened to her heart rate accelerate. Was she about to lie to me too?

"Oh, that." She mumbled, ducking her head. I could still see the blood swirling under her skin as she blushed, even though she was trying to hide behind her hair. An unfathomable urge to take my hand and tuck her hair back behind her ear swept over me. I pushed the feeling away, now a little confused myself. "I am going to Seattle that weekend." There was a false note to her statement, but it wasn't really a lie.

"What's so important in Seattle?" I pressed.

"Books," she replied, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of visiting one of the nation's most well-read cities. I suddenly recalled that many of the books that had spilled out of her bag were classic novels, not just school texts. I jumped on the chance to get her talking, sensing this was a favorite topic of hers.

"Of course! No bookstores in Forks." I commiserated with her about that for a few moments, letting her warm to the discussion. "Anything in particular you are looking for?"

"Something I haven't read yet. Any suggestions?"

My mind quickly flipped through the extensive list of books I'd read in my lifetime. I'd have to narrow this down. "What's your favorite genre?"

"Historical fiction." She answered, and I almost laughed out loud. My entire life was an historical fiction. The list in my head narrowed and rearranged. I started offering my suggestions, many of which she had read but some she hadn't even heard of.

"Thanks for the help," her gratitude was genuine and heartfelt, and I found myself looking into her deep brown eyes. I felt as if I could almost read her thoughts just by looking into her eyes. Almost. Her eyes told me there was more to her words than she let on, but I couldn't fathom what it could be. Then the moment was gone.

"Now if only you could help me convince my dad to let me borrow his truck so I can get up there," she said.

"I could give you a ride," I offered without thinking. I instantly regretted it, imagining sitting in a small enclosed space filled with her scent for over an hour. She would never make it.

She was hesitating over her answer again, and I could see intrigue combined with fear in her eyes. Of course. She was still afraid of me, afraid of the unknown.

"Thank you for the offer," she said, "but I like to shop on my own." Another half-truth, but this time I understood.

"No problem," I shrugged, trying to seem casual. We were saved from having to recover from the awkward turn our conversation had taken when the first bell rang. We walked to class together and then took our separate seats. I felt I was finally beginning to get a sense of her character, but once again she had left me with more questions than answers.