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Genius- LSD

Nocturnes, Op. 9: No. 1 in B-Flat Minor- Frederic Chopin

The venom was pooling in my mouth as I unwrapped my hand from Edward's warm one and walked towards the small group of teenagers who I had previously called my friends. I could hear Edward's breath catch in his throat from behind me, but I was too focused on these pesky children who were causing my Edward even the slightest discomfort.

"Do you guys have a problem or something?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip and making deliberate eye contact with everyone. The only one who would meet my gaze was Angela, who I knew was not part of the snide comments and snickering coming from the group. Everyone was silent.

"I asked a question. Do you guys have a problem with that perfectly sweet boy over there? Did he run your mother over, or kill your cat or something?" I felt laser focused on them. The venom was flowing freely, and I could feel my eyes changing to pitch black. It was as if I was hunting, and they were my prey.

"There's no problem, Bella," Jessica whispered, her eyes cast down, fixed upon the ground. Her hands were stuffed in the pockets of her jacket, and she was rocking back and forth. I could smell the cortisol being secreted by her adrenal gland. In fact, the air was saturated with the fear hormone. I felt a rip in my chest, and there was something satisfying about scaring them away from Edward.

"If there's no problem, why are you all standing around talking about him?"

The only answer was six hearts rapidly beating. I felt my job done. I had scared the two biggest gossips in school, who would quickly spread around that Bella Cullen was not kidding around. They were all clearly scared of me, as nature intended, and would let everyone know that I could be just as intimidating as Emmett and Rosalie- if not more so.

Satisfied with my ability to behave according to my nature, I turned around to return to my beautiful Edward. He had looked so wonderful this morning in that green sweater that accentuated his viridescent eyes, I wanted to look at him all day long. For the rest of eternity.

He wasn't standing where I left him, though. I scanned the parking lot looking for that head of gorgeous bronze hair, but didn't see him anywhere, nor could I pick out his heartbeat in the throng of students making their way to homeroom.

If my heart was still functioning, it would have been pounding in my ears in this moment. I could only imagine what was happening. I had been so caught up in the moment that the unthinkable had happened- I had lost track of my mate. What if someone had kidnapped him somehow? Those awful people, Victoria and James, perhaps? Or maybe a human had taken him. What if he slipped and fell and cracked his head and was passed out somewhere?

I was so focused on trying to find Edward that it didn't even register that Alice had sidled up to me in the parking lot, looping her arm through mine and guiding me into the building. I just let her walk me into the bathroom while concentrating on hearts. I would have been searching, rushing from building to building and eventually into town and through streets, but Alice clearly had something to tell me. And in the short period we had known each other, I knew that Alice was someone who you listened to.

The bell rung the second we stepped into the restroom, and the rest of the girls in there filed out, headed to homeroom. Alice planted herself in front of me and placed her delicate little hands on my face, staring at me with eyes that reminded me of my beautiful Edward.

"Bella, breathe," She said. I hadn't realized, but I wasn't breathing at all, holding meaningless air in my dead lungs while I dedicated all my power into searching. I had never not known where Edward was at all times. I felt lost. Untethered. Alone, again.

"Do you know what happened?" Alice asked, never breaking eye contact, cradling my face with her warm hands. She didn't even seem kind of uncomfortable in such close quarters with me, not even when I wasn't even trying to be human.

"No," I rasped, my throat on fire with venom and fear. She let go of my head and turned around, wrapping her arms around herself. I studied her face in the bathroom mirror. She didn't look upset, but contemplative, trying to gather her thoughts.

"My brother is sensitive," Alice explained. I nodded, this was something I knew from the beginning. "He's also very intuitive. He knew what everyone was saying, thinking, even before this morning. And I'm not saying he was unbothered by it, but the judgement of some small town teenagers isn't something he's losing sleep over, if you know what I mean." She met my gaze in the mirror. Somehow, she knew that I had watched them sleep. Alice knew a lot more than she let on, I was sure.

"Where is he, Alice?" I needed to know, before I ripped my hair out. She sighed and turned around.

"The second you walked away from him, he walked out of the parking lot. He's probably wandering the streets."

I turned almost inhumanly fast to get out of the bathroom and go find him.

"Bella, wait," Alice called. I turned again, impatient, to face the little fairy girl.

"Do you know why he left?" She asked. I did not, but I planned to find out from my mate himself.

"You embarrassed him," Alice called after me as I walked away from her. I scoffed, incredulous at the thought.

"What?"

"I know you're an expert on most things, but I'm an expert on my brother. He doesn't want attention. He doesn't want to be defended. He just wants to get through high school so he can move on with his life. And when you left him in the middle of the parking lot to go yell at some gossiping kids, he felt alone, he felt abandoned, and he felt embarrassed. What you did? It's just going to make people talk even more, put the spotlight on Edward even more. And that's the last thing he wants," Alice spoke so quickly she was out of breathe by the time she finished.

"I didn't mean-" Alice cut me off.

"I know. But when you go talk to him, keep what I said in mind. Going forward, keep what I said in mind. Now go," She gestured to the parking lot, towards Spartan Avenue, where Edward was likely walking, away from me.

I walked briskly out of the hallway and into the parking lot. I wasn't going to drive around looking for him, that would be too slow and cumbersome. Once I was sure that no one was looking at me, I darted into the woods surrounding the school and ran along the street, keeping my ears primed, searching for the heartbeat that was the sound of my life.

I heard it almost immediately. The thudding was like a sweet song, highlighting that my mate was alive, his lifeblood still rushing through his veins.

I expected to find him huddled under some tree, perhaps crying, his hands inside the sleeves of his sweater as they so often were when he was upset. Instead, he was walking briskly on the side of the road, his strong, square, lickable jaw set as his teeth ground together. He looked… sexy. He looked angry.

I made my way onto the street several yards behind him, almost relishing in his strong gait and surprisingly coordinated stomp away from school.

"Edward?" I called out softly, not wanting to startle him. He stopped dead in his tracks, but didn't turn around. His heart was already pounding, but I wasn't sure if it was from the exercise or an emotion.

"Edward, let me just say that I'm sorry. I should never have done that," I wanted to quickly explain myself before letting his anger at me build. Deep inside, though, I felt almost giddy. This was my first fight with my mate! An important milestone in every serious relationship, even Carlisle and Esme's, I was almost proud to have reached this with Edward.

"I don't know why I confronted Jess and Mike and them. I just got so angry, seeing everyone there, hearing them talk about us. You don't deserve that. And I wanted to put them in their place. But I know now that I should not have done that."

I heard him swallow and sigh, forking his strong, lithe hand through his gorgeous locks. I wanted to rake my hands through his hair and devour him.

"Okay," He whispered, voice cracking. He turned around and smiled in my general direction, but wouldn't make eye contact, and it felt like there was a chasm between us. I felt no relief at his acceptance. The whole thing was entirely anticlimactic.

When Esme and Carlisle had "creative discussions", there was always quick talking and slightly raised voices. When Rose and Emmett fought, there was always yelling and screaming and things being thrown. But when they made up, it was always joyous and there was an understanding between them, like they had learned from the experience and would always love each other.

This didn't feel like that. But it was far from my place to further prod Edward when our relationship was so new and we were in such a tender place. If he was saying "okay", I would be going with it.

"Do you want to go back to school?" I asked, secretly hoping he would say no. The place was basically useless, especially since I had alienated the humans I had once considered friends. And I thought, maybe, if I could spend time alone with Edward, he would eventually open up to me.

He nodded, though, and began walking back to school. I fell in step beside him, content to follow him to the ends of the earth. My Edward's heart beat at a steady rhythm, which was always a comfort, but his expression was blank and empty. He wasn't himself. I missed my mate, always so nervous and jittery. He was so alive.

Our walk was quiet. I was too nervous to say anything, lest it be wrong. It was a ridiculous situation. I was a powerful, gifted vampire who had been walking the earth for well over 500 years. And here I stumbled and fluttered about a teenage human who couldn't even confidently string together a sentence.

But he was so beautiful and magnificent and smart. I stared at him as we walked slowly back to the campus, crunching along the wet sidewalk. His hair was so multitoned I counted at least two dozen individual colors in there. His jaw was sharp and strong and masculine, his nose that of a Greek god.

And that was just his face. He was tall, with broad shoulders. Though underfed, I could see the strength in his arms, the definition in his calves as he walked.

My mate was so smart, too. He knew history, music, the classics, and could easily keep up with my vampire family. Not only that, he fit in with them seamlessly, like that was where he belonged. At my side, listening to my siblings bicker and my parents dote, I felt at home for the first time in my existence.

No, this was definitely right. I had never heard of a vampire finding a mate in a human, but who better to be the first than myself. I had never partaken in the quenching of bloodlust, my control had been excellent since I was changed. I had always remained close to humans, and my relationship with Carlisle just strengthened my bond with society.

This was destiny. I was confident that whatever problems we had could be worked out. Edward's personal problems, though, his trauma, would have to be worked on, perhaps professionally. A problem for another moment, though, as Edward had finally made eye contact.

"Why a-a-are y-you s-s-staring at m-me?" There was an edge in his voice, a tone I was unfamiliar with. Was it anger?

It didn't matter. I had vowed to be honest with him always, especially when asked a direct question. I would never lie to my mate about anything.

"I was just thinking about you," I answered. He shifted his gaze back to look at the pavement and simply nodded. But his expression was still empty. It was as if he had shut down. I fell quiet too. Maybe it would be better if we simply went to class and focused on our issues, and his issues, later.

School was quiet and the halls were empty as we walked up. Edward has his hands in the pockets of his sweater, and he was hunched over. He hadn't taken his eyes off the ground throughout the entire walk back. I escorted him to Building 5, where he had his math class.

He reached his hand out to the door, but I caught it in my hand. I could feel his pulse throughout my entire body, the warmth of his blood rushing, carrying oxygen and waste through his precious body. I didn't want to drink his blood, I wanted to be it. I wanted to be inside him, to be with him at all times, keeping him alive. What psychotic thoughts I had since I found him.

"Edward," I whispered. He looked up, meeting my eyes. Instead of the blank, empty stare, he looked close to tears. I could see everything, his pain and his desperation. His verdant eyes were mesmerizing every time I looked into them, the most complex human eyes I had ever seen, deep and flecked with gold.

I squeezed his hand as softly as I could, as if touching a feather. After a moment of prolonged eye contact, Edward squeezed back, making my long-dead head jump and flutter. He dropped my hand, adjusted his bag over his shoulder, and walked into the classroom.

I stood outside Mr. Varner's room for a moment, listening to the teacher ask for an explanation for why Edward was late. I heard him shrug and just walk to his desk, dropping his bag and slouching in the chair.

I smiled to myself. No teacher would likely be able to get much out of him today. Or any day. He only seemed to be open around myself, my family, and his sister. I felt chosen, privileged to see the real Edward, who was sharp and witty.

Reluctantly, I pulled myself away from standing outside his room and made my way to Building 6, where my 2nd period Government class was. It was one that I had with Edward, but also with Tyler Crowley and Mike Newton. I was going to make sure they got my message this morning.

The bell rang just as I walked into the classroom, as expected. Our seats were assigned alphabetically, so Tyler sat directly in front of me, and Mike sat directly behind Edward in the back of the room.

For once in their life, Tyler and Mike were the first people in the room. The walked in laughing about a joke Mike had made about Jessica's incessant chatter sounding like a seagull from Finding Nemo, but the smiles were wiped from their faces the second they saw me. Tyler's hair stood on its end, and Mike's heartrate picked up.

It was exactly the reaction I had been hoping for. If they maintained their fear of me, I would never hear another word about my mate. I had made hundreds of human friends throughout the millennia, I would not miss the teenagers I met at Forks High School this time around. Maybe, 100 years from now, the new generation of Forks students would be less gossipy and cruel, but for now, I had no need for these people.

I had all I need in Edward.

Mike shuffled into his seat at the front of the room, his pulse still racing. The bell rang just as Edward slouched in, meeting my gaze for a fleeting moment as he focused on walking to his seat without tripping, as he was inclined to do.

It was as if the following minute happened in slow motion. I heard as one of the girls who sat two seats behind me slid her leg out. I turned my head as quickly as possible while still appearing human and watched as Edward's foot hooked under the girl's ankle.

He fell forward, landing on his knees, his bag swinging and books spilling out of them. His skin was flushed as he attempted to get up. But the giggles started.

The girl who had tripped him was laughing, and so followed the rest of the room.

My body began to tremble, and I felt a growl begin to rip through my chest. I stood up from my chair, feeling the venom pouring into my mouth.

This child had dared to hurt my mate, humiliate him, in front of me. After my warning this morning, I was outraged that anyone would even attempt to cross me. And to do it in front of me, this was a direct insult.

She would be punished.

As I moved forward to get to the insolent child, I felt a hand wrap around my arm, pulling me back. The room had fallen silent.

It was Emmett, who had materialized behind me without my noticing. He gripped my arm tightly, so that I couldn't move to the girl, or to help Edward up.

He was still collecting his books on the ground, seemingly oblivious to the laughter and the tension around him. Mr. Jefferson, too, was at his desk grading papers, and hadn't even bothered to look up.

Emmett's grip on my arm tightened even more. He could easily rip my arm off in this room of children. I allowed him to pull me away from the girl, away from my Edward, who had picked up his books and stumbled into his seat.

He hadn't even looked in our direction, he just sat in his seat and stared at the desk. His hand snaked under the sleeve of his sweatshirt, and I heard the scratching as he began a new scar. It wouldn't be long before he drew blood.

Too quickly, though, I was pulled away from Edward and into the hallway. The venom was still flowing freely, and I had to swallow quickly to keep from basically foaming at the mouth.

Seconds after the door closed behind us, the snickering inside the room started again.

"What a freak," one of the stupid little boys said.

"Just like her boyfriend," laughed the girl who had started this whole incident. The laughing erupted, and I could hear Edward's heart pound in my ears, almost as loud as the sound of the venom pumping through my veins. Just then, Jefferson quieted the room to begin some asinine lecture on the US Constitution.

A growl ripped through my chest. The scent of my mate's blood wafted through the air, and I moved to go to him, to hold him and to kiss away his pain.

But Emmett wrapped his arms around my shoulders tightly, so tightly that there was even a slight tear in the tissue of my arm.

"Sorry," he grinned, "But we need to get out of here." He lifted me off the ground and carried me out the school, still hugging me.

I struggled. Everything within me was screaming to be with my mate. He was in pain, he was hurting, and I needed to be there. Every step further was a stab in my cold heart, so intense it felt like physical pain. Another growl ripped through my chest, an uncontrollable reaction to my helplessness. Even if I couldn't tear all of those insignificant children apart, limb from limb, I could at the very least wipe away the blood and tears.

Emmett carried me directly to the forest line and the moment we were under the cover of the dense green foliage, he ran, still holding me.

Emmett was far and away stronger than me. Amongst vampires, I was neither exceptionally strong nor fast, and Emmett was probably one of the strongest mature vampires in the world, rivalling Felix in the Volturi. There was nothing I could do to get away and run back to my mate.

Emmett ran and held on to me for a few more minutes, no longer gripping me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and let him hug me, a comfort as I felt my heart rip out the further away we got.

We stopped at the house. I knew everyone would be inside, waiting to confront me over my indiscretions. Rosalie would yell, Esme would be compassionate and understanding, and Carlisle would give me a stern look and a logical lecture.

I just felt so exhausted. It had been one of the longest days in my existence. Edward and I fought and were on shaky ground, I almost killed an entire room of teenagers. Never had I wished so hard that I could just lay down and go to sleep.

I closed my eyes and imagined it. I would be laying down on my side in a soft bed, Edward's arm wrapped around me. The room would be quiet except for the sound of our hearts, beating as one. I could dream about our future together, growing old as if I were human. We would sit on rocking chairs on a front porch, our hair grey and laugh lines creasing our skin. Grandchildren would be running around, their bronze hair glistening in the sun and the sound of their laughter filling the air. It was a wish, a dream, a future that could never come true. Not for me, at least.

Emmett let me down in the driveway. He reached his hand out and clapped it on my shoulder, his eyes, as always, always smiling.

"Esme's inside," He said before running off. I was surprised. I had imagined Rose would be the first person here, ready to chew me out for almost exposing us. The few times that Emmett had slipped in the past, Rose had been so angry and frustrated that she went off by herself to Alaska for a few weeks, leaving Carlisle, Esme, and me to clean up the mess and move us to a new place. And that was her own mate.

I waited until I was sure Emmett was entirely out of earshot and went inside. Esme was sitting in the living room holding a cup of tea. She smiled at me, and I felt a little less tense and tired. Esme tended to have that effect on everyone she came in contact with. I went to sit in the loveseat adjacent to her place on the couch, and picked up my own cup of piping hot tea.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked. I really didn't, but I knew that wasn't an option. I sighed and smelled the rich herbs of the tea.

"It's just been a very long, dramatic day," I said. Esme gave me a sad smile and nodded, prompting me to tell her all about it.

"Well, the morning was fine. It was more than fine, it was great. Edward and I held hands the entire drive to school, and he was so sweet and wonderful, just as it had been all weekend," I then told her about the gossiping, and going to confront my high school friends. Esme shook her head, her caramel tresses dropping from her bun.

"Bella, that was not the wisest choice you could have made," As maternal as she was, I was not exactly used to motherly talks with Esme. Being far older than anyone in my family, I considering Carlisle a confidant, and everyone else a very dear friend. Never had one of my personal decisions been criticized since we became a family. Though, I supposed, I had never made a rash decision or been so emotional ever before, so there was never anything to comment on.

Now, I was constantly doing things I never would have imagined, like sneaking into a house and watching a teenager sleep, or almost killing fifteen children because they were being cruel.

"I first met Carlisle when I was only sixteen. It's one of my only human memories that I can clearly remember," Esme sighed, a far off look in her golden eyes as she thought about meeting her mate. "When I fell out of that tree and broke my arm, I didn't need a mate or a love. I was too young, not ready for a mature relationship. I needed a doctor. So that's what Carlisle was. He knew who I was the second he saw me, but he treated me and let me go. Because that's what I needed."

Esme got up and sat down next to me in the loveseat, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and looking straight into my soul.

"Now, Bella, I'm not saying you should leave Edward alone, or let him go. I'm saying that you need to be what he needs, and do what he needs. And, though I don't know him very well, I don't think he needs a lot of attention draw to him. He needs constant love and reassurance, and he needs someone he can trust and talk to."

Esme wrapped me in a warm hug, and I wanted to have her hold me there and just cry. I had never missed being human so much. But never before had I realized how much I was missing.

The world felt more in perspective, though. Carlisle had been repeating to me constantly, 'be what Edward needs'. I understood what that truly meant now. I would be quiet and fly under the radar, listen to him, and support him. I would do whatever he was most comfortable with.

Just then, the door slammed, and my sister stormed into the living room looking like an angry and vengeful goddess, her golden hair whipping through the air as she stared daggers in my direction. Esme positioned herself in front of me on the loveseat as if she could protect me from Rosalie's glare.

"Don't you ever do anything like that again," She growled, pointing a finger at me. Then, as quickly as she came in, she stormed out again, flying upstairs and slamming the door to her room.

It was much quicker than I had expected. I had expected yelling, maybe some throwing of glassware or ceramic, and a very long lecture from a vampire who put herself on a pedestal. I was almost disappointed, and Esme and I shared a small smile of relief that Rosalie had not turned violent.

Emmett appeared in the doorway, a huge grin on his face. He looked too happy for someone whose mate was furious and slamming doors.

"C'mon," He nodded his head at me, "let's go for a hunt, you bloodthirsty beast." I couldn't help but laugh, and got up to run after him, into the darkening forest.

And that was when the truth came out.

It's all over the place, sorry.