For the third time in thirty minutes, Bella had to pull off to the shoulder of the road. Her heart raced and her hands trembled as she talked herself through her breathing exercises, trying to calm down enough to keep driving; it wasn't working. She slammed the heel of her palm against the steering wheel, and immediately regretted it as pain radiated up her arm.
For nineteen years, she tried to forget that this world existed so Eliza would never get caught up as she had, but all it took was one knock on Charlie's door to undo it all. He promised! she seethed; he promised it would be like he never existed!
Well, now he'd broken that promise, and her daughter was paying the price, frightened, without her there, and about to learn every awful thing Bella knew and more.
If there had been one vampire in existence that she thought she could trust around any human, any time, it would be a tie between Carlisle and Edward. Their commitment to suppressing their urge for human blood was so strong that Edward had resisted hers, no matter how many opportunities there had been to succumb. But now she couldn't say for sure what he'd have done if Jacob hadn't shown up at the precise moment he had.
And Jacob! She wondered how she'd never pieced it together. She hadn't forgotten the stories he'd told her that day on the beach about his ancestors, who descended from wolves and were the Cold Ones' only true enemies. The way he'd grown so fast between her junior year and the next time she saw him should have sparked some recognition in her. And Seth, who went from cute kid to jacked-up giant between summer and Thanksgiving one year. Good genes and working out wouldn't cause dramatic changes like that or that quickly. Maybe she just hadn't wanted to see what was going on. She mentally kicked herself for her willful ignorance.
But Jacob was there with Eliza, and she was thankful for that. The thought helped her control her breathing again, and Seth was en route to meet her so long as she stayed on this road. As she sat on the dark stretch of highway, though, looking out toward the trees, she began to imagine every small movement as him—Edward—lurking in the shadows, watching her. Who was the girl who'd found that comforting? She certainly didn't exist anymore.
She imagined someone doing the same to Eliza – to her girl, barely out of childhood and so very, very young – and she felt sick to her stomach at the thought of it.
Bella was startled by the glare of oncoming high beams across her face before the driver switched to low beams and passed. Just as she began to recover, there was a knock on the passenger-side window. She jerked her head at the sound but was relieved to see a familiar, smiling face. She unlocked the door, and Seth jumped in and gave her a sweaty hug. He was holding a shirt, but only wearing a pair of basketball shorts and flip-flops.
"Bella! Glad you're finally here. Charlie will be so happy to see you. And Eliza, too."
"You scared me! My God. It's good to see you, too," she said as he loosened his grip. "Aren't you cold?"
"Never," he replied with a grin. "Perk of the whole wolf thing."
She shook her head, unsure if she would ever get used to this. Every sentence tonight seemed to cram even more impossible information into her already overloaded head.
"Can you–" she started. "Do you mind driving?"
"Not at all," he answered, still cheerful. If it was anyone else, she thought, it would be too much, but not from him.
They both got out, and she handed him the keys after they switched seats. They were off to Forks again. Seth drove defensively, but, Bella noted gratefully, only a fraction over the speed limit, and he always slowed down around curves and bends. She had a million questions fighting to get out, but she couldn't decide what to ask first. After the fourth time she breathed in to start talking but didn't, Seth spoke up.
"Let me help you out." He waited for her to nod and continued. "It's got nothing to do with the moon; we can control when we shift, and we're in control the whole time. We kill vampires. There are a few of us who can still do it, and we will keep you guys safe. That about cover it?"
She smiled. "For now, I think."
As they approached Charlie's, Seth cleared his throat and looked down at her knee. It was bouncing, and she was tapping an irregular rhythm on it with one hand; on the other, she was flicking her thumbnail with another nail. To her own surprise, she actually wished Seth would speed up already. It was almost as if she could feel her daughter's presence getting stronger and stronger. She sent a message to let her know they'd be there soon and got an immediate response.
Seth pulled the car up in front of the house and, in her rush to get out, Bella found herself tangled in the seatbelt, but she recovered and started toward the door. Before she was halfway across the yard, Eliza rushed out and crashed into her arms. She breathed in the scent of her coconut conditioner and caught faint hints of sweat and sanitizer. She was alive, safe, and here. Nothing mattered more than this.
The trunk closed behind them, and Seth passed by on his way inside, carrying the bags she'd struggled so much with as easily as if they were pillows. With a kiss to the top of Eliza's head, Bella led her to the house behind him.
Jacob Black stood up as they entered, and before she'd removed her shoes or coat, Bella rushed over and pulled him into the tightest hug she could muster.
"Jacob! Thank you so much!" Her words were muffled as her face was squished tight against his chest, and her voice was beginning to falter. "I can never repay you. I'll never be – just, thank you. Thank you."
She felt him squeeze back and gently let her go.
"Right place, right time," he said. His voice was lower than she remembered, though if she was honest, she hadn't noticed much about him for years now. "Just glad I was nearby and caught the scent."
Edward had mentioned being able to smell people and other vampires, she recalled. Maybe werewolves could do that, too? Jacob must have caught the look on her face as she tried to remember anything she could because he suggested that she settle in and have something to eat or drink before they got down to business.
Eliza accompanied her into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove while Bella pilfered an oatmeal raisin cookie from the sleeve out on the counter. She found she wasn't very hungry, after all, and that was enough for her.
"Have you eaten?" she asked her daughter.
"Yeah, Mr. Black and I had beans and toast earlier." Eliza hesitated for a moment. "Jacob and I. He said that 'Mister' made him feel old," she added with a shrug.
Bella glanced around the old kitchen. Everything was still kept in the same place it always had been. She was sure that if she opened the oven, she would find a stack of pans. The kitchen towel hanging from the oven handle looked new, at least; it was a cheerful red and white gingham, and the white was still bright. Then she noticed the cans on the floor.
"What's with that?"
"I started clearing Grandpa's cupboards out. Anything salty, processed, whatever, it's got to go." Then Eliza laughed. "You know, he did buy one tin of reduced-sodium beans. But it expired six years ago."
Bella shook her head and suppressed a smile as she took the whistling kettle off the stove and poured three mugs of water. She dunked tea bags into two for herself and Eliza, and took the canister of hot chocolate mix down from the cupboard for Seth.
"That incorrigible man," she sighed and then raised her voice. "Are you sure you're fine, Jacob? I can put on some coffee if you'd like!"
"Nah, thanks. I'm good with the beer," he answered from the living room.
She turned to Eliza again. "He can take those with him. Charlie isn't touching another one."
Eliza rolled her eyes. "He asked me to bring some to the hospital. He claimed it was a joke."
Bella pursed her lips, shaking her head in disappointment yet again. Gathering the drinks – and after Eliza snatched the cookies – they headed back to the living room to face the inevitable.
Jacob had claimed Charlie's recliner, though he was sitting hunched forward, elbows on his knees, staring at his beer on the coffee table in front of him. Seth was on the floor at the other end of the table, twisted into some impossible configuration of limbs but looking perfectly comfortable. The couch was free for Bella and Eliza.
"There's plenty of room for all of us," she said to Seth as she sat in the middle. Eliza took the end spot closest to him. He waved one hand dismissively and grabbed his hot chocolate.
Bella felt all three sets of eyes on her as she sat on the couch, staring at her hands and hoping someone else would start. She felt her face heat up and took a deep breath, but she still couldn't begin. Jacob cleared his throat.
"We can't really do this part, Bella. Pretty tightly bound," he said. She looked over, met his eyes, and watched them soften. "But you can say anything you want. Start wherever's comfortable."
She felt a wave of calm wash over her and took another breath as she steeled herself to begin. She turned to Eliza.
"I've kept a lot of things about the world from you, and I'm sorry that I'm bringing you in now. But things have changed, and I want you to be safe." Eliza looked skeptical, but she nodded slightly, and Bella continued. "The person who came here today, I think – we think…"
She looked over at Jacob, who gave a resigned nod.
"We know. We know that he's someone I used to know very well." She watched Eliza start to calculate things in her head. "He's older than he looks."
Jacob snorted.
"OK, so what was he doing here? He looked like he crawled down from the mountain where he buried the bodies. And he smelled me, Mom. I told you that, right? He sniffed me."
Bella's mind flashed with the memory of Edward holding her in bed at night, taking long, unnecessary breaths against her skin. In the moment, the shivers it had sent through her body ignited her senses with lust, but now it was only the cold edge of fear causing every inch of her skin to prick up. She swallowed down the bile that had risen in her throat.
The realization hit her, and, full of guilt and panic, she shared her next thought: "I think he came looking for me but found you instead."
Bella told her the story of the strange, pale boy she'd met at seventeen and his strange, pale family. She told her all the uncanny and unbelievable things she'd noticed about him and how it had all come together after a walk with Jacob, who shared sacred stories with her that he didn't fully realize he shouldn't have.
With more shame than she'd known she still carried, she admitted to knowing that this boy, Edward, was no boy at all. That he was a Cold One, a vampire, and that, while he claimed to drink only from animals, this had not always been true. Despite knowing this – and despite stern warnings from Billy Black, who also knew what they were – she pursued a relationship with Edward. She had considered herself to be "unconditionally and irrevocably in love" with him and wanted him to turn her into a vampire, too.
After she finished this part of the story, she watched Eliza, looking for any sign of what she was thinking. Bella could tell that she was processing the information, and it wasn't computing, but she couldn't figure out what she was feeling.
"So, I believe you," Eliza started. "I do believe you."
Bella smiled softly, knowing exactly what was coming next.
"He's obviously a weird guy, and the stories aren't quite as protected as they should be." Bella heard Jacob inhale sharply. "Are you sure he wasn't just, you know, really committed to the bit?"
Here is where she reached the part of the story that only she knew. Neither Seth, Jacob, nor any of the other werewolves knew exactly what happened to her in Phoenix, even if they had suspicions later. She lifted her sleeve and held out her palm. She knew that Eliza had seen her scar and felt how much colder it was than the rest of her skin; she also knew that since there had never been a time without it, it had never seemed odd to her.
Eliza furrowed her brow as she observed it again, and the meaning of the crescent shape began to reveal itself. Without any hesitation, she grabbed Bella's hand and ran her finger over the ridges.
"Teeth," she whispered.
Seth sat bolt upright, eyes wide and wild. She heard Jacob stand behind her and saw him step around the table for a better view.
"That's why it's cold." Eliza was laser-focused on the scar as she grazed it; she blinked and looked back into Bella's eyes. "Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore."
Jacob's breaths were coming fast and hard as he hovered closer.
"How?" he asked, his voice ragged and confused. "How are you alive?"
"Edward sucked the venom out, like a snake bite."
"Is he the one that bit you in the first place?" His nostrils flared, and Bella reached out, placing a hand on his arm. He seemed to settle a little bit, and she removed it.
She told them about encountering the nomads, leaving Forks, and being tracked to Phoenix and tricked into meeting with James. For Eliza's sake, she skipped many details of James' torture and her injuries, but when she met Jacob's eye again, she could tell that he knew there was more. They shared a brief nod, and he sat down in the recliner again.
Her heart broke when she saw the tears welling up in her daughter's eyes. She knew that mix of concern, empathy, and naked fear very well, so she pulled Eliza in close, nestled into her side like she was a small child again. Having her daughter leaning against her increased her own courage, too, and she continued to speak.
"And so after I recovered and we spent the summer together, he left town. The whole family did. I never saw or heard from them again; I never thought I would." She contemplated whether to share the reason they left and decided to lay it all out. "Um, it was my birthday, and they threw a party. I didn't want a party, but I went along with it anyway; I didn't want to disappoint anyone, and Alice – his sister – could be very persuasive. I got a paper cut. In a room full of vampires. Nobody bit me, but one of them, Jasper, was going to. The family stopped him, and three days later, they were all gone."
"They put you in danger multiple times and then ghosted you on your birthday? Mom, I'm so sorry."
She took another steeling breath. "Edward didn't ghost me. He took me on a walk into the trees out back and told me there. Then he took off. I tried to follow him, but I got lost in the woods for a few hours."
"And then Sam found you!" Seth interjected.
"Yeah, he did. I still don't know how." Bella still didn't remember too much from that time, but she did remember being picked up and cradled like a baby and the feeling of warmth seeping into her bones after so long on the cold ground. She even had some vague memory of his skin, like he hadn't been wearing a shirt. At night. In September. Her eyes went wide. "Oh, my God. Sam, too?"
She shot her gaze over to Jacob, who confirmed it with a nod. Eliza sat up straight.
"Wait, something is missing. If there are vampires, and they're super dangerous and powerful, and your – your vampire ex-boyfriend was here, then why did he run away when Jacob pulled in?" She pointed at Jacob. "And how did you get back alive?!"
He looked at Bella. "Go ahead. You have to be the one."
"You're sure this is OK?" She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she waited for permission, and Jacob gave her a gentle smile.
"Of course." He turned to Eliza. "Brace yourself, kid."
"Jacob and Seth are werewolves," she said, faster than she'd said anything else that night. Something about what he'd said inspired her to rip the band-aid off, she guessed.
Eliza didn't say anything.
"And Leah, too," Bella added.
She still didn't speak. Bella looked at Seth and Jacob; Seth shrugged.
Jacob looked like he was thinking, and then he said it: "And Paul Lahote."
That worked. Eliza's mouth opened and shut; she blinked, then pressed her fingers against her eyeballs and took a breath.
"That's how he always finds us! Mr. Lahote is a fucking werewolf."
After more questions and answers – some pretty uncomfortable – Bella, Jacob, and Seth started to talk about the practical stuff. Jacob admitted that he hadn't been able to catch up with Edward and lost his trail at Dickey Lake; Seth said he hadn't picked up any sign of him on his way to meet Bella or coming back. He was out there somewhere, and they had no idea why he was there or what his next move would be. For tonight, Seth needed to get home, and Leah would likely return home as well or stay with her mother. Jacob offered to stay at Charlie's in case Edward came back during the night.
After Seth said his goodbyes, Bella asked Eliza what she wanted to do.
"Honestly? I just want to watch something stupid and feel normal for a while," she answered. Bella grabbed a blanket for her and popped her a bag of popcorn. They sat for a bit while the surreal cartoon Eliza chose played, and then Bella felt Jacob turn to look at her. When she caught his eye, he nodded his head toward the kitchen and got up. She followed, leaving Eliza to her show.
Once they were in the kitchen, Bella leaned against the counter while Jacob opened the fridge and held up a cold beer. Beer wasn't her favorite by any means, especially Ranier, but after adding the day's events on top of everything else, she accepted it, and they slipped out the back door and sat on the step. She opened her beer, appreciating the satisfying crack and fizz sounds, but was immediately hit with the yeasty smell she never cared for. Still, the first sip was cold and a pleasant mixture of relaxing and refreshing, especially out here.
She breathed in the damp, earthy autumn air. It was strange how everything could seem so peaceful at night, the only light coming from the window behind her, when evil things were slithering out there in the dark the whole time. She looked at Jacob again. And people who give up so much to fight them, too, she thought.
"I wanted to thank you again," she finally said. Jacob shrugged. "Don't downplay it. You probably saved my daughter's life."
"It's not that. It's just that when Megs and I found out she was going to have Will, I stopped phasing." She watched him take a long sip of his beer and assumed that was what they called shifting back and forth but didn't interrupt to clarify. "Don't get me wrong, Bella, I don't regret going after that fucker. It's just something I thought I was done with, you know?"
She thought she caught a hint of sadness and disappointment in his voice, which she understood well. This was a world she thought she was done with, too, but it was obvious that re-entering it was costing him much more than it was costing her. She gave him a sympathetic nod, and he continued.
"I just wish I'd caught him, and this could be a one-and-done thing." Bella sucked in a breath; despite everything, something about the thought of Edward dying still pulled at a spot in her chest, even as the rest of it would tear him apart herself just for scaring her girl. Jacob's jaw clenched. "Let me guess: you'd spare it?"
She felt a pang of guilt, mostly because he wasn't wrong; she probably would spare him, even if she weren't sure that was the right decision. As strong as the instinct to justify herself felt right now, she recognized how ridiculous it was, hearing it out loud. She took a few breaths to compose herself and organize her thoughts before answering.
"I don't think I would," she began slowly. Jacob's jaw twitched, and she could tell he was biting his tongue. "That's really the first time I've actually thought of him dying. Until today, I thought they could only kill each other. I thought I knew everything there was to know. I thought he was good. Now, well." She paused. "Now I don't know shit."
Jacob snorted and shook his head.
"You didn't see him hovering over her. I thought I wasn't gonna–" He blew out a hard breath, his cheeks puffing out as he did. "I really thought I wasn't going to make it in time. The thought of telling Charlie or you…" He trailed off. "I just – if you were there, you wouldn't even consider sparing him. Trust me."
He tossed his can into a box of empties beside the house and rubbed his hands over his face. Jacob's disappointment in himself was palpable. Bella's heart clenched at the thought that even after risking his life and jumping back into danger to save her family, he worried it hadn't been good enough just because Edward had been faster. She leaned back against the doorframe and stretched her legs out a little closer to him.
"I do trust you," she said. He turned his head to face her again, and she noted the exhaustion and worry in his eyes. "We might not be close like that, but I've never seen a reason not to. And Charlie trusts you, which is a pretty strong endorsement; I'm not sure he even trusts me yet."
They both chuckled.
"He trusts your kid; I'd say that says a lot about you."
The thought of Eliza and the warmth in his tone as he said that sent a familiar heat to Bella's cheeks and fullness to her throat. Her eyes burned as the tears formed.
"Crap, you're gonna make me cry!" she protested. "She's so amazing. She's everything I'm not, you know? I mean, look how she took all this stuff! I would be a mess."
"Bella, you also took in a lot of crazy stuff today, too, and you're handling it like a pro. The way you told her about everything was amazing. You could write a book."
"Yeah, right. 'How to Talk to Your Teens About Vampires: Ten Tips for Tough Conversations!'" Bella scoffed, and Jacob laughed.
She had never realized how infectious Jacob's laugh was before. Had she heard him laugh? Of course, she had – she thought back to times their families had been together over the years, and she could picture it again. Still, this time, it reached in and slammed the door on the anxiety for a while, and she was happy to allow it.
"See? Limited appeal, but you could do it. Really, though. She's a great kid, and I know how much work it takes; there's no way that was a fluke." He grinned at her. "I've seen you trip on air; you're not that lucky."
She gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. "I'll have you know, young man, that the only time my lotto pool at work won anything, I chose the numbers. I'm kind of a good luck charm."
"Young man? We're the same age. Of course, if you go around calling people stuff like 'young man,' you might be older than you look."
"It's not my fault you got these insane muscle-man genes that have you running around looking like a twenty-five year old."
Jacob's shoulders shook as he chuckled again. "You like my genes, huh?"
She rolled her eyes, but it didn't stop the stupid blush taking over her cheeks. "Oh, shut up!"
"Don't sell yourself short on the genetics there, Swan." His smile dropped and his expression turned serious. Bella took a sharp breath. "I bet you could grow the most luscious, luxuriant moustache in the world if you wanted to."
He stood up fast, laughing at his own cleverness and asked if she wanted another beer as he went back inside.
"I'm still working on this one," she answered. Taking a steadying breath, she pulled her legs in, tucked her knees to her chest, and rested her chin in one hand. It was quiet again, and she could make out the sounds of rustling leaves and crickets in the trees. Scanning the tree line, she noticed something scattered on the lawn and got up to see what it was. She bent down to pick up a piece of what she assumed was grey fabric.
"I'll get that all tomorrow," she heard from directly behind her. She jumped up, her back collided with something hard, and she felt liquid on her shoulder. "Shit! Sorry!"
"Jacob!" She spun around, and he stepped back. She couldn't see his features, just his silhouette against the house. "You scared me; I didn't even hear you."
"Yeah, you were pretty focused. I even said, 'Hey,'" he told her with a smile in his voice. "I think you'll need to change."
"That's probably my cue to shower and get to bed, anyway."
She started to walk back to the house, and he followed but stopped at the steps.
"I'm gonna finish this out here before I head in."
She headed through the kitchen and out into the living room. As she passed, Eliza's head popped up over the back of the couch. They said their goodnights, and Bella headed upstairs.
Charlie had never had the plumbing redone, and Bella said a silent thanks for the water pressure. After today – covering part of a coworker's shift early that morning, flights and driving, and everything with Edward, Eliza, Jacob, wolves! – the streams of hot water pounding against her skin felt like a sorely needed massage. The minutes passed by as her muscles relaxed and the tension slipped from her body. When she went to grab her shampoo and was greeted only by her father's 3-in-1, she realized that she'd left her bags downstairs.
With a sigh, she shut off the water and yelled for Eliza to bring her stuff up to the bathroom. Then, she turned the shower on again. She melted back into the heat and tried to imagine that it was dissolving all her worries and sending them down the drain until there was a knock on the door.
"Thanks, sweetie! Could you grab my shampoo and conditioner out of the small green bag and hand it to me?"
She figured Eliza must be really tired. Normally, she would have come in already, without knocking, and probably hopped up on the counter to tell her some story about her show or talk about plans for the next day.
"Uh…sorry." With a loud yip, she almost slipped when Jacob's voice came through the closed door. She caught herself but managed to send the bottle of Charlie's Pert Plus crashing to the shower floor, where it hit her big toe. She hissed.
"Yeah, Eliza crashed pretty hard, so – uh, yeah." He paused. "Are you OK in there?"
"No, yeah, I'm good." Her toe throbbed in protest. "Um, just leave it there – outside the door, thanks."
She heard a light chuckle. "Sure, sure. I mean, I can come in if you really want."
Before she could respond, her cheeks were already burning again, and she wasn't sure if it was indignation, amusement, embarrassment, or all three.
"I'm kidding. Bad joke. I'm going, I promise."
"I'll let it slide this time, Black," she answered, trying to keep her tone light and unflustered. She chose to believe she was successful even though she could hear him laughing to himself as he walked away. After waiting for much longer than necessary, she slipped out of the shower, opened the door, and snatched her things.
The sun streaming in on her face sent Bella into a minor panic when she awoke, before she got her bearings and realized where she was – and why. With a groan, she turned over in her old bed to look at the clock. 9:47 AM. She was always sore all day if she slept too well, and she'd had the longest, deepest sleep she could recall in years. The smell of coffee made its way upstairs, and she shuffled her way downstairs, following its siren song.
Nobody was in the living room, but she noted that the blanket Eliza used was folded neatly at the end of the couch. What a sweet girl, she thought to herself with a smile. Even with everything she was going through, she was still considerate and responsible. She was so proud of that girl.
The kitchen, however, was abuzz. Leah and Eliza were seated at the table with their own coffees and mostly empty plates, and Eliza was enraptured as Leah told a story; Bella made out something about chasing a leech down a river. Jacob was standing at the stove, managing pans with bacon, ham, eggs, and frozen hashbrowns like he was born to do it – flipping things, transferring to plates, stacking extras onto sheet pans in the oven. She didn't realize she'd been watching him until everything went quiet, and Leah snorted.
"Trying to catch flies, Swan?" she deadpanned.
Bella shot her hand to her mouth before it registered that Leah was teasing her. She glanced at Jacob and saw his slightly smug and very amused expression, then turned away to hide her blush as she made her way to the coffee pot, faking a yawn on the way. "I'm just not awake yet, sorry."
"Uh-huh."
"Come on, Leah, give her a break," Jacob said with almost paternal authority, which Leah, of course, bristled at.
"Anyway," she said, turning to Bella at the counter. "Now that you're up, we have shit to figure out."
Bella stirred the sugar into her coffee and slid into an empty chair at the table. She was definitely still exhausted, but that didn't matter.
"Thanks for letting me sleep," she said to everyone, and then she focused on Leah and gave her a sleepy smile. "And thanks for all you're doing for Eliza."
Leah actually smiled back. "She's alright. We like having her around." That might have been the most warmth Bella had ever felt from her.
Eliza gave a cheesy grin and posed with her hands under her chin, prompting a chuckle from both women.
"It's really appreciated, though, Leah. All your help last night, too."
"Don't sweat it." Leah sighed. "Alright, brass tacks. I'm not leaving Steph alone with that thing roaming around out there, and when this one," she pointed at Eliza, "is ready to get back to classes – which she really should soon – she'll be on campus or around me until this is taken care of. Jeff owes me big, so I'll move some shifts around."
Bella cringed at the thought of sending Eliza back to Port Angeles, so far away from the protection of the main group, and they noticed.
"Mom, she's right. Grandpa's recovering on track, and PA's not far anyway. Plus, I can't let one weird guy derail my future when we don't even know he'll be back. We don't even know what he wants."
"Fuckin' A!" Jacob interrupted, carrying two plates and setting one in front of Bella before he sat down with his own, piled impossibly high with food. "That's the spirit, kid."
Bella's eyebrows raised at his language, and he rolled his eyes before digging in. She followed suit with a few bites. The eggs were a little overcooked, but all in all, he'd done a great job, and she was happy to see the less healthy options getting cleared out of Charlie's fridge.
"I need to go see Dad," she said after swallowing. "I don't want to put anyone out or–"
Jacob was already shaking his head before he interrupted her. "Nobody is put out. I've talked to the other guys, and there are more than enough of us to keep an eye on you guys and Charlie without too much trouble." He paused for a moment with a thoughtful look. "If you want, of course."
"Definitely for Eliza," she answered, nodding. "And Charlie. And if we're apart, and it's not too much, I would feel better with someone around. At least until we know more."
"Well, that part's settled, then." He picked up a slice of bacon, and turned to Eliza. "What are you thinking? You wanna go back with Leah today or stay here a few more days, and we'll find someone to drive up with you?"
"I can drive on my own," she answered.
"No!" Bella blurted out, and Eliza's eyebrows shot up in response. She took a breath. "A – a car isn't safe." She felt everyone watching her again. "It just – it won't stop him, if he wants to get at you. They're fast and strong, and he'll know where you're going even if you can lose him."
The table was silent, and she noticed Jacob and Leah exchanging glances. Eliza looked confused, but also like she was trying to work something out in her head. Bella waited for someone else to say something, but nobody would. She swallowed hard.
"He can read minds," she finally said.
Jacob set his fork down slowly and puffed out a breath. "That complicates things."
"Can they all do that?" Leah asked.
Bella shook her head. "No, just Edward. As far as I know, at least. I mean, there might be other ones out there who can. I only knew the Cullens and the ones who attacked me."
She heard Leah's loud breath and looked over at her; she was staring at the tabletop, lips pursed, and eyes a million miles away. After a moment, she looked back up at Bella.
"Anything else you care to share with the class?" she asked, a hint of acid in her tone. Jacob shot her a warning glare.
Bella's breath wavered, but she wasn't mad. Leah had every right to be upset; she should have brought this all up last night. Eliza slipped a hand onto her forearm, so she put her own hand on top and squeezed.
"I wasn't trying to hide anything," she said, taking extra care to keep her tone even. "I just didn't even think of it last night, with everything else going on. All I know is what they told me and what I saw myself.
"The ones with powers were Edward, Alice, and Jasper. He can read minds, she can see the future, and Jasper can manipulate moods, and emotions, too, I think. Alice gets visions of the future, but they aren't always what happens; I don't completely understand, but the choices people make affect the outcome, so it can change, and I don't think she can see anything she wants, or at least as solidly as she wants. The others were just normal vampires, but Emmett always bragged about being the strongest of them, and Edward was the fastest."
She took another deep breath and tried to remember if she was missing anything.
"And their eyes turn red if they drink a human." She chewed her lip, trying to remember something she knew she was forgetting. "Oh! There's a ruling group in Italy that enforces their laws; Carlisle had a portrait in his study. He lived with them a couple centuries ago." Another deep breath. "That's all I can think of right now. Sorry."
Author's Note:
Hey! I'm so happy that people are enjoying something I've written. It's a really cool feeling.
I've got a pretty decent idea of the major plot points and where this story will end, but how the characters will get there and interact with one another along the way is something I'm just sort of letting happen naturally. So far, it hasn't set me super far off the initial path I outlined, but I can't guarantee that it won't go thoroughly off-course if the ADHD yanks me that way. But I'll try to update the summary, genre, etc., if it does.
I hadn't written fiction for a long, long time before I started again last year, and this is my first crack at sharing something longer with multiple chapters since I was about twelve years old and using silent reading time to write. Back then, it was a ridiculous and age-inappropriate teen romance full of "Clueless" quotes and characters named after my friends, then passed around to classmates as I finished the page.
So, even though it's not great, I'm having fun doing it anyway. Writing it is helping me hang on to some sanity, and I'll keep telling myself that someone, somewhere, will like it ?
Thanks again!
