VII. The Note That Gives My Heart Rhythm

It was rare that Alice ever hid anything from me, but strangely enough, today happened to be one of those days.

"Perfect!" Alice trilled as soon as I had descended the staircase, dressed in the clothes she had set out for me.

For reasons unbeknownst to us, Alice had butted into every single one of our bedrooms in the early hours of the morning, sifting through our closets and picking out a few of the more lavish articles, having some of us dress nicer than we typically would for school. For myself, she had chosen one of my more expensive coats, a light gray garment with wide lapels that fell a few inches below my waist, combined with a wool scarf in a darker gray.

Alice and Rosalie were both sporting winter leggings, Alice in a pleated black skirt and cropped coat combination, and Rosalie in a blue winter dress that flared out at the waist, a matching Adelia cloche crowning her curls, and a scarf artfully coiled around her neck, while Jasper and Emmett had both been outfitted in brand new parkas, forest green for Jasper and navy for Emmett. The only commonality amongst us was that we all wore winter boots, specifically tall, low-heeled sets for Alice and Rosalie. This could be explained away by the heavy snowfall we had received a few hours prior, but regardless, I failed to understand Alice's goal in all this. The fact that she was singing obnoxious pop songs at full volume in her head kept me from catching even the smallest hint.

"What is happening."

"If she's not letting you read her thoughts, I don't know why you bother asking," Rosalie scoffed as we all filed into the garage and climbed into the Volvo.

"Learn to live like the rest of us," Emmett laughed.

I shot him a disparaging look over my shoulder, before turning and slipping into the driver's side.

When I looked to Jasper, who'd slid into the front passenger seat beside me, he shrugged. "Don't look at me. She hasn't said anything."

From the rear view mirror, Alice offered me a large, pearly white grin.

I shook my head in exasperation, but drove us to school without further complaint.

It wasn't until the middle of third period that I discovered the reason for Alice's strange behavior.

"Attention students and faculty," Principal Greene's voice crackled to life over the PA system, "due to worsening weather conditions, the rest of the school day will officially be canceled―"

The remainder of his announcement was effectively drowned out by the room's cheering, despite Mr. Varner's weak attempts to get everyone under control. None wasted any time, rushing to pack up their things and hightailing it out of the classroom before Principal Greene was even done speaking, advising everyone to head straight home to safely start the weekend early.

Of course, no one listened.

It was rare for Forks to receive such heavy and consistent snowfall. It was typically washed away by the rain, turning it to slush before becoming frozen overnight, but today the temperatures had remained low and the snowfall had persisted, with students breaking out into brief snowball fights in between periods. According to the weather report, it would only continue to worsen, but of course, no adolescent cared to heed Principal Greene's reasonable advice.

I moved at an unhurried pace so that by the time I had made it outside, the skies still a piercing white above, my family was already waiting for me.

"Come on, Edward!" Alice waved me over from one of the snow dusted pathways. "Everyone is going out to the field!"

I went to join them, falling into step between Alice and Emmett.

"This was your reason for dressing us up?" I asked sardonically, inhaling the crisp air and tucking my hands into the pockets of my coat.

"Jasper and Emmett are planning on involving themselves in that snowball battle with the rest of the boys," Alice huffed. "I didn't want them ruining their nice coats."

Emmett snorted a laugh. "This ought to be interesting."

"How hard do you have to throw a snowball in order to concuss someone?" Jasper wondered with passing curiosity.

I rolled my eyes. "And the rest of us?" I asked Alice pointedly.

"So everyone can admire our excellent sense of style," she declared gleefully.

"I, for one, am glad," Rosalie said, smoothing her hands over the wool fabric of her wide blue skirt. "This is one of my favorite dresses."

"I know," Alice said smugly.

We were some of the last to reach the football field, the previous untouched sea of glittering white snow now marred by the entirety of the student population. The snowball battle Alice had mentioned was currently being set up on the far side of the field as teams were being assigned, and Emmett slapped Jasper's arm, signaling him to follow.

I watched their closing approach with mild amusement, the minds of the human adolescents trembling with dread as soon they realized that Emmett Cullen and Jasper Hale were interested in joining them. For their sake, I hoped they thought to at least separate the two into opposing teams.

"Rosalie, do you want to build a snowman?" Alice chirped.

"I assume you brought what we need?" Rosalie asked dryly, already knowing the answer to her question.

"Of course," Alice assured her, patting the bulky bag at her side, strap slung over her shoulder.

"Fine," Rosalie said. "Let's pick a place where everyone can see us."

"Duh," Alice said, and began leading her towards a spot in the middle of the field, opposite of where the snowball battle would be taking place.

I lingered behind as I sought Nadia amongst the hundreds of students. But unlike those playing in the snow, I spotted her sitting in the lower levels of the bleachers in the far distance, dressed warmly in a puffy white jacket, and sandwiched between Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley.

Curious, I tuned into their conversation as I headed their way, snow crunching sharply underneath the soles of my boots.

"―is it true that Edward is taking you out tomorrow?" Jessica was asking, thoughts racing with unexpected enthusiasm.

I frowned marginally, concerned with how Nadia would respond. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day, but of course, we were not dating. I had prepared a gift for Nadia in celebration because Alice had warned me that she had done the same for me, but I did not intend to give her the wrong impression.

"No," Nadia answered easily. "We're not going out."

"Yeah, what is up with that?" Lauren demanded. "You two have been dancing around each other all year now. Pucker up already."

"Oh my God, are you two going to kiss?!" Jessica demanded, much to my shock.

Unlike me, Nadia kept a calm composure, hardly batting an eye at Jessica's invasive questioning. "Of course not. He's not even my boyfriend. Why would we kiss?"

"Uh, because you guys spend, like, every waking moment together," Lauren scoffed.

"You're exaggerating. We've only hung out a few times."

"Which, for Edward Cullen, is practically the same thing!" Jessica gushed. "He's totally obsessed with you! You're so lucky!"

Nadia stared at her, bewildered. "Uh, thanks?"

"I'm serious!" Jessica continued. "You're like, so pretty. You look like Stacey Dash with those contact lenses."

While Lauren reluctantly agreed with Jessica's assessment, she failed to disclose her thoughts aloud. Instead, she bit out, "You should be careful. He's probably stringing you along."

"Why? Because he isn't interested in dating?" Nadia asked, hardly appearing bothered by Lauren's venomous words.

"Exactly. Don't hold out, hoping he'll change his mind. It's pathetic."

"Lauren, you and Tyler break up every other week," Nadia easily countered. "At least I know where I stand with Edward."

Lauren shot her an insulted glare.

"But don't you want to date him?" Jessica insisted.

Nadia shrugged, but before she could respond, she caught sight of my approaching figure and waved at me.

"I guess that's our cue," Lauren said acidically, jumping to her feet. "Come on, Jessica. Let's give the platonic lovebirds some alone time."

I climbed the slick metal stairs up to the platform, and then up to the benches a few rows above, briefly bypassing the pair on the stairway. Lauren resolutely ignored me and Jessica was too flustered to offer any kind of greeting.

"I didn't realize you were friends with them," I said as I slid into Jessica's previous spot beside Nadia.

"Well, it's like you said," Nadia reminded me with a cheeky grin, "I've known them since elementary school."

"It's good that you're adapting," I said, shrugging off the strap of my backpack and setting it down by my feet.

"I'm kidding," Nadia said with a wry smile. "As soon as Eric roped Katie into joining the snowball fight, they ambushed me," she explained, gesturing towards where the massive snowball fight had already broken out, combined shouts of laughter and cries of outrage sweeping the field.

I recalled the first time I had sought to prevent that exact scenario. "That doesn't surprise me in the least."

For a while, we fell into a companionable silence, leaning against the metal row behind us as we watched the student council kids spread across the football field, determined in their mission to safely deliver every carnation that had been purchased in celebration of the holiday tomorrow. Already, Rosalie was unable to assist Alice in her endeavor to build a snowman, laden as she was with red carnations, easily the envy of every girl at Forks High.

"How many flowers do you think she'll get?" Nadia wondered, admiring the mass of carnations cradled in Rosalie's arms, her lovely face just barely visible above the bright red petals.

"How many male students attend this school?" I asked, sarcastic.

Nadia smiled. "So you're saying she'll be getting nearly two-hundred flowers?"

"No," I said. "I certainly did not buy her any."

Across the field, Rosalie shot me a brief glare. I heard that you ass!

I rolled my eyes at her. As if she cared whether I got her anything. Then again, she was vain enough that she just might.

"Really?" Nadia asked, appearing amused by my exasperation. "That's funny, because I did."

I turned to her with an incredulous look. "Why on earth would you?"

Nadia giggled, but much to my consternation, did not reply.

Hah! Even your pet human admires me. You could learn a thing or two, Rosalie thought snidely, before turning away to respond out loud to something Alice had asked her.

I shot Nadia another look from the corner of my eye and sighed.

"Don't look so bothered," Nadia admonished me with a laugh. "I got you something too."

I angled myself to better face her, curiosity piqued. While Alice had warned me well ahead of time, she had never actually deigned to reveal what Nadia's gift was.

Nadia leaned down to unzip her backpack, pulling out a thin white gift box, sealed closed by a red ribbon. "Happy Valentine's Day, Edward," she said, handing me her gift with care.

"Thank you, Nadia," I said warmly. "I've got something for you as well."

"Really? You didn't have to," she assured me, but perked up all the same, impatiently watching as I pulled a similar white box out from within my backpack.

Nadia received my gift with sparkling eyes. "Ooh! What is it?"

"Why don't you try opening it?" I teased.

"Okay!" Nadia agreed, my sarcasm going completely over her head as she cautiously tugged the lid loose and lifted it, revealing a CD case nestled between folds of red tissue paper. With reverent fingers, Nadia took the clear case into her hands and set aside the box, examining the simple blue cardstock I had slipped inside the case, Starlight written in inked calligraphy. "What is 'Starlight'?"

"Do you remember that song I was composing when you were at my house?"

Nadia gasped. "Oh, is this it? Did you record it?"

"Yes," I said, warmed by her enthusiasm. "I hope you'll like it. You did inspire it, after all."

"I did?" Nadia gazed up at me, the surface of her blue eyes gently glossing over with tears.

"You did," I said, my frozen heart squeezing painfully with unexpected emotion. "Thank you."

Nadia shook her head, speechless as she peered down at the CD case still cradled between her hands.

Finally, I moved to untie the ribbon of the gift she had given me, pulling it loose and opening the box.

"This is…" I trailed off, unable to fully express my awe.

Enclosed in a thin black frame was a flawless depiction of myself. To date, Nadia was the only person whose eyes I had not been able to perceive myself through. But now, I saw myself as she had seen me, the morning she had been in my bedroom.

With strokes of white charcoal diffused across a black surface, Nadia had carefully depicted me lounging in the corner of my couch, pen a moving blur across the surface of my notebook and a concentrated look upon my face, hair flopping slightly against my forehead. She had traced every single one of my features in a way that enhanced my humanity, rather than detracted from it, capturing a softness that no longer existed across my stone-like exterior.

"Do you like it?"

I lifted my eyes and met Nadia's shy gaze.

"It's extraordinary," I expressed with visible sincerity. "I didn't realize you were so talented." I had occasionally caught glimpses of her doodles when she grew bored in our shared class, but truly, her skill far exceeded any expectations I might've held.

Nadia beamed. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it."

"I do," I assured her one last time as she moved to carefully tuck her CD case back into the gift box I had given her.

I meant to do the same, but caught the edge of a note hidden underneath the framed illustration. I tugged it free, unfolding the small piece of paper to reveal a brief, but sweet note from Nadia.

"Edward, is something wrong?"

I blinked and quickly worked to transform my features back into a pleasant expression, only now realizing that I had been frowning. "No, of course not," I said to her, "I merely hope you'll be as pleased with my gift, as I am with yours."

"I already know I'll love it," she said with a kind smile. "I'll listen to it as soon as I get home!"

"I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it," I said, tucking the note away and enclosing my gift, being careful as I placed it inside my backpack.

Edward!

I glanced in the direction of Alice, who was busy shaping her snowman's head.

You two should join us! Her suggestion was followed by a flurry of visions, revealing that Rosalie was in a good enough mood to not mind Nadia's intrusion.

Please, she begged when I failed to come to an immediate decision.

I heaved a near-imperceptible sigh and asked Nadia, "Would you like to head down to the field? I fear Rosalie will tip over if they deliver any more flowers her way."

Nadia giggled and zipped her bag close. "Sure, let's go."

Shrugging on our backpack straps, we stood as one and navigated our way down the bleachers. I kept a close eye on Nadia, fearing that she might slip on the slick steps, but she kept a gloved hand firmly balanced along the metal railing until we hit the snow-capped ground below.

Crossing the distance to the spot Alice and Rosalie were occupying was slightly hazardous. While not everyone was involved in the snowball battle still taking place on one side of the field, which had become especially dangerous with Emmett and Jasper's involvement, there was still the occasional rogue snowball being flung amongst friends. Twice, I had to intercept a snowball before it could strike Nadia.

"Thank you," Nadia laughed. "I'm cold enough as it is."

"Didn't you say you liked the north?" I teased. "Surely that includes the weather."

"Yes, but from the comfort of my own home!"

"I suppose that's reasonable," I said, discretely observing her from the corner of my eye. Nadia was, by nature, oddly serene, but today she appeared to be exceedingly cheerful, a smile playing on her lips and crystal blue eyes alight with joy.

I was pleased to know that my gift had had some influence in that, and so, I had felt especially foolish once I'd read the note that accompanied her gift. While Nadia's words had been tender, she had also made it a point to refer to me as a 'good friend' and any concern Jessica and Lauren's talks might have inspired were instantly dashed.

Nadia had never once treated me as anything more than a good friend. She sought my company because she trusted only myself with her secrets, and I was the one who had been curious enough to seek out answers in the first place, so I was partially at fault for that. But it was clear to me now that I would not have to worry about Nadia developing dangerous affections for me. This was good; I was relieved.

(Resolutely, I ignored the inexplicable and cutting disappointment.)

"Edward, Nadia!" Alice beckoned us with a wave of her hand once we were near enough. "Come help us!"

"Hi, Alice," Nadia greeted her kindly, as easily as if they were old friends. "What do you need help with?"

"Can you construct the face?" Alice requested and handed over a clear plastic case filled with a variety of buttons. "I have to go scavenge a pair of arms for him!"

"I can do that," Nadia agreed, already picking through Alice's button collection.

"Thanks!" Alice chirped and flounced off in the direction of a small copse of bare spruces sprouting a little beyond the edge of the field, in search of fallen branches.

"What do you think, Rosalie?" Nadia asked, still sifting through the buttons. "Green or violet buttons for the eyes?"

"Violet," Rosalie decided, disguising her surprise at Nadia's direct question. Like most of us, she was accustomed to human adolescents being far too intimidated to casually interact with us.

"Here, Edward," Nadia said, dropping the buttons with the largest diameter into my hands. "You can do the coat."

For a moment, we worked in easy silence while Rosalie simply observed, resembling a porcelain doll in her stillness, arms overflowing with too many flowers to be of any help. By the time Alice returned, a pair of leafless branches balanced in her arms, Nadia had adorned the once-blank face of Alice's snowman with a pair of large violet buttons for eyes, and an array of small black ones for a smile, while I had fixed a perfect line of buttons down the middle of its torso to imitate a coat.

Unceremoniously dumping the branches into my arms, Alice skipped over to her previously abandoned bag to unveil a set of scarfs. "Which color should we pick?"

While Rosalie, Nadia, and Alice debated the merits of each colored scarf, I silently worked to insert a branch into each side of the snowman's torso, to resemble a pair of arms. The sight of Nadia casually interacting with my sisters was bewildering, to say the least, but it was also a relief. My family was important to me above all else, and having to justify my strange friendship with a human (without revealing Nadia's secrets) had grown cumbersome. If they could at least approve of Nadia's character, then perhaps they wouldn't be nearly so critical.

Thus far, Esme and Alice were my only source of support. Carlisle had yet to meet Nadia, but all the same, insisted that he trusted my judgement. Emmett thought the whole thing was one big joke, while Rosalie and Jasper remained appropriately wary. I had made a promise to Nadia that I would guard her secret, but all the same, I owed it to my family to remain loyal to them first and foremost. Already, I was threatening to compromise their trust in me by keeping secrets, but I could not find it in myself to betray Nadia without cause. Her secrets were harmless to us, after all.

Finally, the three agreed that the red scarf was the most festive, and draped the fabric around the snowman accordingly, further adorning its face with a carrot for a nose, and gracing its head with a short top hat.

"Not bad," Rosalie complimented. "Hey!"

"You can live without one flower," I laughed and stuck the carnation stem between the smaller branches at the end of the snowman's arm, resembling fingers.

"He still needs something," Nadia insisted, examining the snowman with a critical eye. "Alice, do you have any bobby pins?"

"Of course!" Alice said, and dug a pair out from her bag.

Nadia took them into her hand and moved to fix them above the snowman's violet button eyes, in imitation of eyebrows, angling them in a way that gave its expression a vaguely surprised look. "Perfect."

"Aww, it's so cute," Alice decided. "We should make more when we get home!"

"Too bad it'll be raining again by the end of the weekend," Nadia lamented, patting the side of the snowman's head. "Do you guys have any big plans for tomorrow?"

"No," Alice said as she crouched down beside her bag, neatly folding up her remaining scarves and tucking them away. "I'll probably hang out with Jazz, but we don't have anything special planned."

Alice and Jasper had never been as enthusiastic about celebrating human holidays. Christmas was the main exception, as it meant Alice could shop for us to her heart's content, with the added bonus of making it the centerpoint of our entire winter break. For Alice, gift giving was the true meaning of Christmas, much to Carlisle's fond exasperation. Father and Mother's day were the other exceptions, as it gave us all a special opportunity to express how much we appreciated Carlisle and Esme.

Otherwise, unless prompted by the rest of the family, Alice and Jasper had little interest in participating in traditional celebrations, making their disconnect from humanity all the more evident.

"Emmett's taking me out," Rosalie revealed with a pleased smile.

"Really? Where to?" Nadia asked, turning to Rosalie with an attentive expression.

That was truly all Rosalie needed to openly launch into a discussion on their elaborate plans for the holiday. While my sister was fiercely private in most aspects of her life, Emmett was the one subject she was never fully able to keep close to her chest, the depth of her adoration for him irrepressible. No one human quite ever gave her the chance to speak at length on it, but Nadia remained considerate, taking in every single one of Rosalie's words with open interest.

I told you, Alice sang at me as she sprung back to her feet.

"Meddlesome imp," I mouthed at her. But truthfully, I would have to find a way to repay her. Alice hadn't the slightest understanding regarding my interest in Nadia, solely supporting me for my sake alone. I could always count on her to be in my corner.

Alice merely grinned, unrepentant, and leaned down to scoop up a fistful of snow before flinging it my way with human swiftness, telegraphing her every move. For a vampire, it was the very definition of sluggish, and it was difficult to imagine how Emmett and Jasper could derive any sort of joy from participating in the snowball fight still active across the field from us.

Nonetheless, I remained in place, allowing the snowball to shatter against the shoulder of my coat, dusting my arm in glittering drops of ice.

Play along, Alice ordered imperiously.

I rolled my eyes at her, but retaliated with equivalent speed.

Not the head! You'll ruin my hair! Alice admonished me, diving out of the way of its trajectory.

I laughed as we continued to play. Truly, the one advantage of moving with such dull speed was that Alice wasn't allowed to dodge every hit, and I made the most of it, much to Alice's consternation. But to the wonder of our classmates, we did not appear very different from them in this moment, playing as we were. Especially when Alice and I both ended up on the receiving end of less than kind hits, sometimes taking snowballs directly to the face with undignified yelps.

But Alice bore it with minimal threats, more interested in allowing Rose a moment longer with Nadia, in hopes that she would warm up to her by even the slightest degree, for my sake. And if the rest of Forks High saw us as more human for it, then all the better.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading, and I hope the update was well enjoyed by all of you! If you're able to, please be sure to let me know your thoughts on the chapter! And (fingers crossed) hopefully I can update soon. Until next time!