Chapter Four

Bella

"I'm going to find Charlie and tell him I want to go home Jake"

"Don't Bells, stay for the evening. If you go I'll never see you".

"Maybe you shouldn't Jake. I don't feel the same way about you that you feel about me. I love Edward". "How can you love someone who isn't even alive Bells? You don't know what love is"

"Well I know what it isn't Jake, so back off".

"If you want to go home I'll take you" he offered.

I'd had enough but I knew Charlie wouldn't let me go alone so I agreed reluctantly. Charlie beamed, I think he thought Jake and I wanted to make out.

Jake drew up in his truck and I climbed in. "Home Jake".

"Sure Bells, home".

He drove out of the Reservation and just as I thought I might be going home he pulled up in among the trees.

"Jake please".

He scooted over, "Bells give me a chance. I'm much better for you than he us. Just give me a chance".

I tried to grab the door handle, "Take me home or let me out, and get your hands off me".

I raised my voice in anger then slapped his face. Bad move! It was like hitting a wall. As I screamed in pain and cradled my hand in the other there was a terrible crunching noise and the roof of the truck caved in.

Jake looked startled then put the truck into gear again and stomped on the gas.

"Shit! Bella put your seatbelt on".

I grabbed it and rammed the clip in. He drove straight to Charlies and insisted on coming in with me. When we got out of the truck I looked at the roof, it had been crushed down with great force.

"What did that?" I asked mystified. Jake's face was thunderous

"Who you mean. Tell your boyfriend I owe him".

"Edward? You think he did that?"

He looked at me, "You don't?

I marched past him and struggled with the key desperately wanting to get away from Jake. He tried to muscle his way in but I held the door fast.

"Go away Jake. Just go".

I slammed the door and ran upstairs to put my hand under cold water. It stung and I could see a bruise developing on the palm. God I couldn't even manage a slap on the face without hurting myself! My bedroom was empty although I'd expected Edward to be there. As I pulled my window shut I noticed a drawing on my computer screen. It was a really good one of me in the school hall, Laurent standing over me but with a pair of hands around his throat. As I watched it disappeared and try as I might I couldn't get it back. What did it mean? Whose hands were they? As I got showered for bed I thought about it. Someone had drawn that picture and either sent it to my computer or uploaded it onto the memory with a timer so it would disappear. None of it made any sense except that I'd thought I'd seen or heard someone other than Laurent, and the picture seemed to bear that out. I heard a tapping on my window later but I ignored it. I wasn't happy about Edward trashing Jake's truck, so he could explain tomorrow. The tapping stopped and it went quiet as I drifted off to sleep.

The Major

I had no idea why I was still here, why I had come back. Who she was or why I was interested in her. She was with a vampire, a strange one I'd heard of, one of the vegetarian vampire coven. Why Laurent had fixated on her I had no idea, nor why I stopped him, not once but twice. What was she to me? A meal, nothing more, why couldn't I just leave? Why did I stop the wolf from molesting her? Something was happening to me and I had no idea what or why. I watched as she looked at the picture I'd drawn for her. Did she understand it? Did she remember me? Was she frightened by me? Stupid question, who wasn't? Then he turned up, Edward Cullen, but she didn't let him in. Interesting.

Bella

Edward was waiting outside the house for me when I left for school the next morning. As I locked the door he opened the passenger side for me,

"Bella. Have I done something to upset you? I know I didn't want you to go to the Reservation but I thought we were OK. Why did you shut your window?"

"Edward, I'm too old to be playing games. I didn't like the way you trashed Jake's truck, it was juvenile".

He looked at me confused, "What?"

"Oh don't act so innocent. There's a great dent in the roof of his truck Edward and it wasn't funny. I could have handled him on my own".

"Oh, and why would you need to handle him? What went on?"

"Acting innocent are we? OK, then I'll drive myself to school".

He took my arm, "Bella I'm sorry but I don't know what you are talking about. I went hunting with Emmett and Rose last night".

"Really? Then who tap danced on the roof of Jake's truck? Alice?"

I saw him thinking about that,

"Well if she did she hasn't told me about it. What were you doing in his truck anyway? I thought Charlie was taking you?"

"He did but I wanted to go home early".

"Why?"

"Edward it doesn't matter, I just did. And someone trashed Jake's truck"

"Why?"

"He stopped to talk to me".

In the woods? Alone?"

"Yes Edward, in the woods alone. It's not a crime"

"Well it should be. He's a wolf and he's dangerous".

"Yes well, so far I've only been hurt by vampires so that's a moot point".

"That's not the same Bella".

"No it's not. I haven't been attacked by a wolf, had bones broken, lost blood...does any of that sound familiar?"

He frowned, "Yes but you are still here".

"Oh yes so I see and I'm still here after a ride with Jake so lets just forget it".

He opened the passenger door again and I reluctantly slid in. As he started the engine I continued the conversation.

"Edward I don't like being spied on and I want to know who jumped up and down on his truck".

"You aren't safe with the wolves Bella. I don't want you going go the Res and I don't want you in the confines of a truck with Jake".

I'd had enough,

"Well I don't like you following me and getting Alice to watch my moves so we have an impasse don't we? I will, if you will".

He took my hand in his cold one but there wasn't the same feeling as usual. Instead I remembered vividly the hand on my leg in Phoenix. It was cold too, but larger and it felt different.

"Bella, please don't be difficult. Everything I do, I do for your safety".

"Well I'm a big girl now and I can look after myself Edward".

As I got out of the car at school I tripped and nearly fell.

"You can look after yourself you say" he remarked as he put a hand out to catch me. I pulled away.

"Yes thank you" and I stormed away to my first class, luckily I had no classes with him this morning.