I didn't see a single vampire for the next two weeks. I knew they were in town, but they never approached me or Charlie. They stayed on the sidelines when we were near and only revealed themselves after we were gone. I didn't know if Tanya was trying to "prove" herself like she had said, or if they had simply decided to back off while the rest of the town suddenly grew interested in us.

My hair had started to fall off in large clumps not long after my second chemo session. The volume of my hair grew to be obviously patchy, and I had no choice but to use Charlie's clippers and shave it. If the sudden baldness hadn't been key enough, Charlie's coworkers had finally shared our backstory to someone in the diner. It had spread like wildfire fairly quick after that.

I didn't love the new attention, and I knew Charlie didn't either. I started to wear hats in public to keep my head warm and to hide the pale skin of my scalp. It took only one visit to town to get pretty tired of my head being stared at.

A few days after I had made my first appearance in town without my hair, I braved a trip to Stella's. Kate still had a discount implemented for me, but I had to admit I stopped caring after the third purchase. I decided it didn't hurt me any to get a few sweet treats for cheap.

As soon as I walked through the door, an old woman I had never met before told me she had heard about my condition. She had heard about it through someone I had also never met before, and she wanted me to know how sorry she was. I appreciated what she wanted to do, I really did, but the last thing I wanted was to be treated like I was dying. I already knew I was, and I didn't need to be reminded of it.

I smiled tightly through the interaction and excused myself as quickly as possible. I ordered a drink and another chocolate croissant from Max and tucked myself away in the corner. I turned my back to the rest of the café and tried to block it out.

Tried was the keyword.

I dragged my hands down my face and sighed. I knew it would be bad when everyone first started to talk—that was how it was back at home—but I had hoped it be different. I had wanted just a little bit of peace, and I knew I wouldn't get it for a while.

Ceramic clattered in front of me, and I dropped my hands. Max set the coffee mug and croissant on the table along with some napkins. "Nice and hot for ya."

"Thanks, Max."

He nodded and reached into the large pocket of his apron. He usually kept extra napkins and spoons in it for customers, but this time he pulled out a large and long rectangular packet and set it on the table. "My sister liked to use them when she lost her hair," he explained. "She said they made her feel pretty."

It was temporary tattoos—an entire booklet that had to be at least fifty sheets worth. It couldn't have been a cheap gift for him to buy, and I suddenly felt my throat tighten. I ran my fingers over the cover. "I…thank you."

He shoved his hands into the pocket. "If you need someone who gets it but isn't too close to it, I get thirty-minute lunches every day."

I nodded as tears burned my eyes. I felt his warm hand envelope mine, and I squeezed and hoped it showed even a fraction of my appreciation. I sucked in a breath between my teeth and slowly let released it. "Thank you, Max. Really."

"Anytime, Bella." He retreated back to the counter.

I took a moment to make sure I wasn't on the verge of tears. When my eyes didn't burn, and I could manage a few sips of coffee, I grabbed the packet and turned it over in my hands. It was still wrapped in the protective plastic, but I could see they were of good quality and appeared to be of various designs. In the bottom corner, the price tag had been scratched out. I smiled and looked towards Max at the counter.

He was in the middle of restocking the cups and lids near the machine. He turned to grab another stack when he caught my eye. I smiled and mouthed, Thank you.

His smile was warm and soft. Anytime.

I went through the packet as soon as I got home. I instantly fell in love with several of the tattoos. Some of the book was simple little line drawings such as hearts or smiley faces, but there were more intricate designs like geometric shapes and animals. A couple of the designs were clearly meant to be used as ankle or wrist tattoos, but it didn't dampen my excitement to use them.

I spent the next hour comparing and choosing the ones I wanted. When I had picked my favorites, I cut them out and went to the bathroom. I had four tattoos cut out altogether but only three were going to be visible on my head. The fourth was a tiny heart I wanted to put behind my left ear. I spent the next few minutes figuring out how I wanted to line them up, but it was a little difficult with no way to look at the back of my head.

Charlie found me trying to use a handheld mirror and adjust the paper at the same time. "What's this?"

I waved the paper excitedly. "Max gave me a whole book of them. His sister used them when she was in chemo, and he thought I might like them, too."

His eyes flicked down towards the other three on the sink and then back up. "Do you want help? I can hold the mirror, so you can move it where you want it."

"Yes, please!"

He took the mirror and dutifully kept it steady for me to use. Every once in a while, he would give an opinion of where to adjust the paper so it was more aligned. When I found the spot I wanted, he fetched a rag to wet and applied it to the paper for me. We repeated the process with the other three, and the neckline of my shirt was completely soaked by the time we were done.

Charlie patted my neck dry with a towel and examined his handy work. "I think it turned out pretty good for our first run at it. It might be a little wonky on the sun but not bad."

I turned my head left and right. A large black and white sun took up the left side of my skull. A crescent moon was on the right side, and a shooting star started on the back of my head and ran across the top. It was simple, but I liked it. It was a lot nicer to look at than my bald head.

"Yeah," I smiled, "I think it did."

He poked at the sun. "Maybe we can get you started on one of those sleeve things."

I laughed and took the towel from him to pat my head dry. "I don't think that's what it's called on a head," I said. "Plus, I didn't think you would want your kid to be covered in tattoos."

"I don't mind when I know they'll come off."

"You know that a sleeve is gonna be on my bucket list now, right? Just to tick you off?"

"I would be shocked if it wasn't." He bunched up the soaked pieces of waxy paper and tossed them in the trash. "So, Max gave these to you? That was pretty nice of him."

"Yeah, do you want to see the rest of them?" I left the bathroom before he responded to grab the book. I started to flip through the pages to show him all of the designs. "It has a lot of options in it. What do you think about this one as a hand tattoo?" I pointed to a small smiley face.

Charlie arched his brow. "I'd say don't use the entire book in one night but to enjoy yourself." His eyes flicked down to the book and then narrowed. "Is that a mustache?"

I put the smiley face on the back of my hand between my forefinger and thumb. Charlie put the mustache on the inside of his pointer finger to put under his nose in the mirror.

I swung by the café the next day, and Max grinned when he saw the lines that peaked out from under my beanie. I lifted it and did a full spin for him to see the entire creation—along with the heart behind my ear and the smiley face on my hand. He laughed when I told him about Charlie. "I'm glad you liked them. I can give you the website if you decide you want more."

"That would be great, Max, thank you!"

He slipped me a croissant for free when he brought out my drink, and I thanked him with a smile as I left. I decided a quick trip to the bookstore was next on my list. I didn't really need to buy anymore, but I hadn't been able to stop thinking about one I considered on my last visit. I could justify the purchase of one book.

I quickly ate the croissant on my way to the store and wiped my hand on the side of my jeans. I noticed Tanya's Mercedes out front, but chose to ignore it as I remembered the last two weeks of silence. I stepped in and smiled. "Hey, Jerry!"

"Bella! Good to see you in again." He pushed a comic book to the side and leaned on his forearms with a warm smile. "It's been a minute. How've you been? I've heard things, obviously, but I'd rather hear from the source how you're doing."

I shrugged. "As good as I can be," I said. "I'm not great, but I'm not bad, either. Today is a good day." I cocked my head. "What are people saying?"

"Exactly what you would expect of a small town."

"Fair enough."

"It's good to see you moving around, though," he said. "Charlie mentioned this last round took it out of you quite a bit."

I frowned. I had no idea he even knew Charlie, but I guessed they had probably run into each other at some point or another. "It did, yeah," I admitted. "I've been getting a lot of muscle fatigue this time. I haven't been able to carry a lot of weight for very long, but it's gotten better over the last several days."

His brows pinched just slightly, and he nodded slowly. "I wondered about that on your last visit, I'll admit. If you need help carrying stuff to your car again, though, let me know. I've been meaning to increase my step count every day."

"Thanks, Jerry," I smiled, "but I'm only getting one book today."

"You say that now."

I headed down the aisle where I knew the book I wanted was. It was located further back in the store near the reading tables. I picked it from the shelf, sipped my coffee, and flipped to the back cover to reread the summary one more time.

"Are you Bella?"

My attention turned towards the tables. An older man sat at the closest one with a book in front of him. The intensity of his gaze made the familiar sense of dread start to flutter in my chest as I answered, "I am."

He nodded. "Thought that might be you cause of the…" He trailed off and motioned towards my beanie; I couldn't help but notice he had a terrible combover. "You've been the talk of the town as of late, you know? Heard you got cancer."

"I do."

He sighed so loud I wanted to pull my hat over my ears. "It's a real shame someone as young as you has got to deal with it," he said. "You should be able to go out and live your life, you know? Shouldn't be having to worry about the medical stuff, yet. That's for us old folks."

No shit.

I nodded stiffly and turned back to the book. "Yep."

"A buddy of mine got prostate cancer a couple years back." I had to swallow the groan that nearly ripped out of me. "He had a pretty brutal time with it. That medicine they give you doesn't seem to do much to help you, does it? He sadly didn't make it."

"Sorry."

"Yeah, but he was a good guy. Had a lot of life left in him, that was for sure. Ah, but you can't really help those things, can you?" He leaned forward in his seat. "What about you? What ya got?"

I shook my head. "No offense, but I don't really like talking about my condition." Certainly not with strangers who for some reason always feel compelled to tell me about every person they knew that had cancer and died.

"It ain't a bad thing to talk about, you know?"

"It makes me uncomfortable."

"Well, surely you gotta talk to someone about it?"

I clenched my jaw. "I have plenty."

"Ah, that's good, then. You can't just let that stuff fester, you know. Not good for ya."

"Yeah, well, neither is cancer." I put the book back on the shelf with a huff. I truly didn't understand why people felt the need to talk about what was good for me when they didn't know single fucking thing about me. Oh, but I was dying, so I needed the help, right?

No, I didn't.

He chuckled and raised his hands. "Hey, now, there's no reason to get offended. I'm just trying to—"

"That's enough, Glenn." I nearly jumped when Tanya appeared at my side. I felt the coldness of her body seep through my shirt she stood so close. She casted me the smallest glance from the corner of her eye before she focused on the man and frowned. "Bella's business is none of your concern."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, come on, Tanya, I'm just trying to get to know the gal. Everyone is talking about her, after all."

"The town being full of bored gossips is not an excuse for you to be one," she said firmly. "You are being invasive and making her uncomfortable. Unless you want me to remove you from my store you still stop. Understood?"

Glenn blushed and looked away bashfully like a boy scolded by his teacher. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and buried his nose into his book. He grumbled under his breath. "Alright, alright. No need to get all up in arms about it."

A hand gently fell on the small of my back and guided me towards another section of the store. I felt the tension in my shoulders bleed out as I followed her. "I'm sorry about him," she said lowly. "He has been an insufferable gossip since he was a child. Never learned to keep his nose out of other people's business. Or how to read a room."

I sighed and shook my head. "It's fine."

We stopped in the mystery section. It was along the furthest wall of the store and tucked away from both the register and the tables. She frowned. "No, it's not. Your private life should be respected."

The seriousness in her tone took me by surprise. "I…thank you?"

"Of course, Bella. You deserve basic decency."

"Thanks…"

Her eyes roamed over me, and I suddenly felt the need to check if my clothes were wonky. I dug my nails into my palm instead. She smiled and jerked her chin upwards. "What's under your hat? You have some lines here…" She tapped the skin just behind her ear.

My hand shot up to the beanie. "Oh, uh…just some press on tattoos. Max gave them to me."

Tanya smiled. "That was really sweet of him. His sister, Monica, used to run around with them on her head. Of course, she was more excited about unicorns and pigs since she was ten at the time."

I blinked in surprise. "I…didn't know that." I knew about his sister, of course, but I hadn't realized she was that young. It made my heart hurt a little more that Max had thought about it for me.

She nodded. "She's been in remission for years now, but it was hard on the family. The town did a wonderful job of supporting them, though." Her eyes flicked down to the lines under the hat again. "Can I see them?"

I felt the heat of a blush start on my chest. I didn't know why I suddenly felt a wave of bashfulness. I had shown Max the tattoos I had chosen, and I had used them to avoid always wearing a hat. There was no reason for me to be self-conscious of what she thought.

"Uh, sure." I tugged the hat off and shifted uncertainly under her gaze.

She hummed and leaned closer. A warm smile pulled on her lips, and she stood on her tiptoes to glance at the top of my head—I leaned down just a little. "You chose really well. They're quite cute," she complimented. "I love the space theme."

The blush reached my cheeks. I quickly put the beanie back on and ignored the feeling in my stomach as I stepped back. "Thank you."

"You should leave it off," she said. "They're pretty."

My weight shifted between my feet. "Maybe later."

Tanya leaned on the bookshelf along the wall. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes examined me again, but her gaze wasn't as intense as before. "How are you?"

I stared at her. "You're making small talk?"

"Trying to," she chuckled. The smile faded as her lips pressed together uncertainly. Her hand ran through her strawberry curls. "I would also genuinely like to know. I heard you talk to Jerry earlier, but…how are you, Bella?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Please don't do that." Her head fell back against the shelves with a dull thud. "I promise there is no ulterior motive in me asking. I just want to know."

I wanted to deflect the question again just to annoy her, but there was something that made me hold my tongue. I wasn't quite sure what it was. It might have been the way she actually sounded defeated, or the way she looked tired from the upcoming argument already. It might have been both. Either way, I found myself answering honestly.

"Not great." I scratched at the back of my neck. "Today is the first day I haven't vomited since my second treatment. I have a lot of fatigue this time, too, and I'm not really loving the fact the entire town has decided to be as interested in me as you are since I shaved my head."

"Are those usual side effects for the drug?" she asked.

I nodded grimly. "Yeah, and I had them before when I was a kid, too. It's nothing…new-new, I guess. It all just sucks ass."

Her eyes widened. "I didn't know you were sick as a child."

I fell back against the bookshelf beside her. My head was just short of the next shelf, and the wood dug uncomfortably into the base of my skull. "Yeah. I had ovarian when I was seven. Chemo worked that time, but it came back when I was eighteen, so I had my ovaries removed." I snorted. "We should have guessed all of my reproductive organs were defective."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." A pained laugh wheezed in my throat, and I shook my head. "You know the funny thing, though? I got diagnosed the second time because one of your kind said I smelled funny."

Edward had actually been the first one to notice something was wrong. He hadn't known it was wrong at the time, of course. Vampires weren't trained to exactly detect cancer, but they could smell a difference in someone's scent based on the chemicals in their body. He had thought I simply brought a smell home with me, but it had bothered me enough I went to get tested, and lo and behold: cancer.

I guessed he could say he at least did me a final favor before he left.

I jumped when a hand touched my elbow. My head snapped to the side, and Tanya looked at me so gently my bones hurt from the weight of it. "You're a strong woman, Bella Swan. I admire you for that."

I believed her. I pulled my arm back and righted myself. "I should go."

"Would you like me to walk you out?"

"No."

She didn't protest the answer. Instead, she pushed off the bookshelf and tucked her hands into her pockets. "Come back soon. I really enjoyed seeing you today, Bella." She smiled and retreated to her office.

I was rooted in the spot as I watched her go, and I didn't move until she was out of sight. My lips pulled down as my feet carried me from the store. I vaguely waved my hand towards Jerry, but I was too focused on the calmness that had settled in my chest to hear his goodbye. I hadn't felt so normal since we had moved.

It reminded me of the peaceful moment in the park. Tanya had an air about her that made me feel grounded. Even when we argued, I never felt detached during the disagreements. It was odd how easily I fell into sync with her, and a part of me wondered if it possibly was a gift of her vampirism. Then, I remembered their gifts didn't work on me.

Perhaps I was simply lonely, or maybe it was something else, but I wasn't sure. It was a consistent occurrence with her, though, that had started to become hard to ignore. It made me question (to the slightest extent) if I had perhaps too quickly made a judgement about her.