:D Yall know the drill! 3 much love to everyone who has reviewed.

"There's some cyclone fencing over there," Ben Newton said, pointing in the direction of where Sarah Newton had placed wooden planks. Bella nodded as she turned to get a large roll and glanced behind her to see Mike's father walking to the back of the store. To say that chaos had enveloped the town was an understatement: those that had guns slept with them at night. Charlie had taken Bella to the Newton's camping store and the two families had been trying to fortify the building and their vehicles to the best of their ability.

Bella gently placed the bundle of cyclone fencing on the ground as Mike took a pair of wire cutters and snipped the wire holding the fencing together. It sprang apart and Bella struggled to hold the fencing together before she just let it drop. Mike gave her a thin lipped smile as he took one end of the outermost layer. "Are you ok Mike?" Bella asked, knowing full well the question was stupid. Her classmate was unnaturally pale, sickly looking really. He had been since the massacre and had acquired a trembling in his hands.

Mike dropped the wire cutters and picked up a hammer, reaching into his pocket to pull out a nail. "I can't sleep," Mike confessed as Bella held the fence against the window. Mike placed the nail against the beam to which the front door's hinges were attached.

Bella watched him hammer the nail in: his whacks were half hearted at best and every now and then the two of them would stop what they were doing to peer out the front window at the forest across the street. They had finished covering the one window with the chain link fence before Bella handed Mike a plank. The windows were to be sealed inside with fencing, and then wood under that. One store window had already been done and the two of them were working on the last one.

"Do you sleep Bella?" Mike asked as he hammered one plank into place.

Bella bit her lip. "No," she whispered and it was true. She had seen people she walked by with in the halls: throats slashed, bodies covered in stab wounds. Some of the bodies were even missing limbs and heads. Every time she closed her eyes at night, she would see those people strewn about, the soldiers she killed with her truck…Bella awoke with her breath caught in her throat, her heart beating wildly, wishing someone was with her.

Mike took a deep shuddering breath before he reached in his pocket for another nail. Bella handed him a fresh plank. "When can we leave you think?" Bella asked, watching as he hammered the nail into the topmost part of the plank.

"Soon I hope," Mike whispered. He looked at her and cleared his throat. His cheeks took on a pink hue as he glanced down at his feet. "Bella, can I ask you something?"

Please don't ask me out, she thought because in truth she couldn't handle any more surprises. "What?" she asked and winced. The question had sounded harsh, even to her own ears. "Sorry," Bella murmured with a shrug. "On edge."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, that's …understandable. Anyway," Mike paused for a moment, as if trying to word what he was going to say. He nodded to himself before he asked: "Bella…did you break up with Edward because of…I mean did you know what he was?"

A vampire? "Different?" Bella supplied and the shudder that Mike gave was a clear indication of what he thought of the Cullens. She shook her head. "No I broke up with him because he tried to control me. Everything Mike. He even watched me in my sleep without my knowing and disabled my truck because he felt I wouldn't be safe."

An influx of emotions danced across the youth's face before anger finally settled over his features. "What the fuck?" Mike hissed, taking Bella by surprise. In the time she had known Mike Newton, he was not one to curse. "And you didn't leave him sooner?"

His voice had taken on a high edge. "I did leave him!" Bella snapped back. "I was scared!"

"Bella you could have gone to your father! You could have gone to me or the teachers or anyone about this. Did he hurt you?"

My feelings. Bella took a deep, shuddering breath of her own, nostrils flaring. "Mike I don't want to talk about this," she replied. Mike dropped the hammer; the tool hit the ground with a clank, making her jump.

"That fucking bastard," Mike hissed. "He did didn't he?"

"No he didn't! I swear Mike!"

Mike snorted, a look of disgust on his face. "No? No? Bella you're different ever since you hooked up with him. He won't let you breathe; he had you twisted around his little finger. Hell, you can't even look me in the eye right now!"

"Mike just because you like me-"

"That's not the point Bella," Mike yelled, cutting her off. "It's the principal of the matter Bella. Yes I like you. Yes I want to date you. But any guy who does all those things to the girl he claims to love is a peaice of shit Bella. Do you understand me?" He was speaking the words with such vehemence that Bella found herself taking a step back, biting her lip so hard she could taste blood.

"I-I'm sorry-" Bella began.

Mike looked away, curling his hands into fists. "Why are you even apologizing?" he asked, looking away from her. Bella had the feeling it was taking all he had not to scream. "I just wish you had told someone sooner."

Bella said nothing; she brought up one finger and pressed it against the small, tender part of her lip that she had bit. She pulled away the finger to see a small splotch of blood on her lip. "I'll be back," she whispered as she turned around to go to the back where the restrooms were.

Mike simply nodded before Bella turned around and walked to the back, listening to the sound of his hammering. It was at a time like this that she wanted someone here; someone to hug her and tell her it would be alright. She slipped inside the bathroom, letting the door close behind her before she walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet.

Running water washed over her finger as Bella stared at herself in the mirror, taking note of her own red rimmed eyes, of the light shadows that were under her eyes. Bella licked her lips, wincing at the spot of which she bit before she turned the faucet off. She could feel her cell phone in her pocket and pulled it out.

Bella had the cell numbers of all the Cullens: at first Edward had demanded she have only his but Alice had pointed out the logic of having every member's, just in case something went wrong. Bella was glad that she had listened to Alice. Bella thought about calling Alice, she truly did. But after a few minutes of thinking, Bella decided against it. Alice would probably be busy with her visions. And Bella sure as hell wasn't going to call Edward. She scrolled through the address list before she found Jasper's number and clicked the little green call button.

He won't answer, a voice whispered inside her head. If Jasper is smart, he would have left with his family at best.

One ring.

Maybe he still is home? Bella snorted. But he can't come here. The entire town is on lockdown from them, from La Push as well.

Two rings.

Where are you?

"Hello?" The voice was almost breathless and not at all like the calm and collected vampire Bella knew, but it was unmistakably Jasper's voice.

"Jazz?" Bella whispered, oddly relieved to hear his voice.

"Are you being attacked?"

"No no," Bella said quickly and leaned against the tiled wall of the restroom. "I-I'm just glad to hear your voice," she confessed. "It's so…creepy out there. Quiet. Ah …" Bella trailed off, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I just want someone to talk too. Are you busy at the moment?"

There was silence on the other end so heavy that for a moment Bella wasn't even sure Jasper had heard her. "Jasper?" she thought she heard someone whispering before his voice answered the phone again. Someone in the background was practically growling at him but the words were so smashed together Bella could hardly make sense of them.

"Here. I'm coming."

Bella nodded. "I'm Newton's Olympic Outfitt-" the dial tone cut her off, leaving Bella blinking owlishly at the phone in her hand. "Ok then?"