I stared blankly at the diary. There had to be someone who knew about it and could tell me more. If only Bella were alive, and I could ask her…

Then it struck me. It was so obvious I had wondered how I hadn't seen it before.

Charlie.

I wasn't sure if Bella had told Charlie anything, but he might know. I ran down the stairs to the landline, and dialed the chief's number. I glanced out the window, then at the clock. It was already past nine PM. I hope it wasn't too late to call.

Charlie picked up on the seventh ring. "Hello?" he said gruffly.

"Hey, Charlie," I said. "It's Alice."

"Oh, hi, Alice," he said. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, you?" I said hurriedly, wanting to get to the point.

"Good, good. Did you need something?"

"Yes, I did, actually," I said. "Remember when you gave me that box with Bella's books in it?"

There was a slight pause. "Yeah."

"Did you notice a diary?" I asked. "A brown one? It was Bella's, and I wasn't sure if you knew about it…"

"Oh!" he said. "Yeah, I found that while packing that box. I didn't want to invade Bella's privacy, so I didn't read it, but I wasn't meaning to put in the box."

"Oh," I said. "Well, did Bella ever mention anything about…" About what?

"About?" pressed Charlie.

"Never mind," I said. "I was just wondering if I could keep the diary? It just...reminds me of her."

"Sure," said Charlie after a pause.

"Thanks," I said, and hung up.

I had purposely not mentioned what Bella had written to Charlie. It was unlikely he knew, anyway. There was no way he would let his only daughter date a vampire. I turned back to the diary.

Lucky for me, Billy didn't say anything to Charlie. I was safe- for now.

The next evening, I told Charlie I had changed my mind about going to Seattle. Of course, I hadn't really. I assured Charlie I would be fine, and that he should continue with his fishing plans.

Finally, Saturday morning arrived. As planned, Edward came to pick me up. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, and I started to get nervous as he told me we were hiking, not even on the trail.

Soon, we reached the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. It was a meadow, perfectly round, covered with wildflowers. The sun and nearby creek added to its beauty.

Edward stepped out into the sun, and I was at a loss of words. His skin reflected the light, like a diamond, throwing sparkling light everywhere.

He asked if I was afraid of him, and I said no more than usual. He said he wanted to know what I was thinking, seeing him like this. I told him that I wished that I wasn't afraid.

Then, something changed in Edward. He got up and showed me what he was truly capable of. His strength, his speed, his power…

He told me that he didn't want to hurt me. That he wouldn't hurt me, no matter what. That he should leave, but he couldn't. This made me happier than it should have.

We discussed his thirst for my blood, how it was like wine compared to water to an alcoholic.

He told me how he had left Forks to Alaska to escape it, the thirsty monster trying to escape. But I knew Edward wouldn't run away. He returned, fighting the thirst, getting to know me. And then...he realized that I meant more to him than I should. That I was the most important thing to him, ever. I admitted my feelings for him, too, embarrassed by the turn our conversation had taken.

We left the enchanting little meadow, and he showed me how he traveled through the forest. As I clung to his back, piggyback style, he dashed through the trees at a speed far beyond a normal human's.

My mind flicked back to a memory. Bella had been sitting next to me in Spanish, and she had told me about how she and Edward had gone to some meadow...I was positive she was referring to this one, by the dreamy way she had described it, as if it were a place in a fairytale.

I didn't sleep well that night, too busy trying to wrap my head around what I had read. It was past midnight when I finally fell asleep. As I woke up the next morning, I reached for the diary, anxious to read more. I realized it was a lot colder in my room than it should have been, but I didn't pay attention. As I saw it wasn't on my desk, where I had left it, I realized one thing.

The diary was gone.