 face.

Id planned to go alone, actually, Edward said, answering the unexpected question. And leave her
with the others.

Jacobs voice rose in pitch, and it sounded to me like he was trying to be persuasive.

Ill try to consider it objectively, Edward promised. As objectively as Im capable of.

The pause was shorter this time.

 Thats not a half-bad idea. When? . . . No, thats fine. Id like a chance to follow the trail personally,
anyway. Ten minutes . . . Certainly, Edward said. He held the phone out to me. Bella?

I took it slowly, feeling confused.

What was that all about? I asked Jacob, my voice peeved. I knew it was juvenile, but I felt excluded.

 A truce, I think. Hey, do me a favor, Jacob suggested. Try to convince your bloodsucker that the
safest place for you to be  especially when he leaves  is on the reservation. Were well able to
handle anything.

Is that what you were trying to sell him?

Yes. It makes sense. Charlies probably better off here, too. As much as possible.

 Get Billy on it, I agreed. I hated that I was putting Charlie within the range of the crosshairs that always
seemed to be centered on me. What else?

Just rearranging some boundaries, so we can catch anyone who gets too near Forks. Im not sure if
Sam will go for it, but until he comes around, Ill keep an eye on things.

What do you mean by keep an eye on things?

I mean that if you see a wolf running around your house, dont shoot at it.

Of course not. You really shouldnt do anything . . . risky, though.

He snorted. Dont be stupid. I can take care of myself.

I sighed.

 I also tried to convince him to let you visit. Hes prejudiced, so dont let him give you any crap about
safety. He knows as well as I do that youd be safe here.

Ill keep that in mind.

See you in a few, Jacob said.
Youre coming up?

Yeah. Im going to get the scent of your visitor so we can track him if he comes back.

Jake, I really dont like the idea of you tracking 

Ohplease, Bella, he interrupted. Jacob laughed, and then hung up.




10. SCENT

 IT WAS ALL VERY CHILDISH. WHY ON EARTH SHOULDEDward have to leave for Jacob to
come over? Werent we past this kind of immaturity?

 Its not that I feel any personal antagonism toward him, Bella, its just easier for both of us, Edward
told me at the door. I wont be far away. Youll be safe.

Im not worried aboutthat .

 He smiled, and then a sly look came into his eye. He pulled me close, burying his face in my hair. I could
feel his cool breath saturate the strands as he exhaled; it raised goose bumps on my neck.

Ill be right back, he said, and then he laughed aloud as if Id just told a good joke.

Whats so funny?

But Edward just grinned and loped off toward the trees without answering.

 Grumbling to myself, I went to clean up the kitchen. Before I even had the sink full of water, the doorbell
rang. It was hard to get used to how much faster Jacob waswithout his car. How everyone seemed to
be so much faster than me. . . .

Come in, Jake! I shouted.

I was concentrating on piling the dishes into the bubbly water, and Id forgotten that Jacob moved like a
ghost these days. So it made me jump when his voice was suddenly there behind me.

Should you really leave your door unlocked like that? Oh, sorry.

Id slopped myself with the dishwater when hed startled me.

Im not worried about anyone who would be deterred by a locked door, I said while I wiped the front
of my shirt with a dishtowel.

Good point, he agreed.

I turned to look at him, eyeing him critically. Is it really so impossible to wear clothes, Jacob? I asked.
Once again, Jacob was bare-chested, wearing nothing but a pair of old cut-off jeans. Secretly, I
wondered if he was just so proud of his new muscles that he couldnt stand to cover them up. I had to
admit, they were impressive  but Id never thought of him as vain. I mean, I know you dont get cold
anymore, but still.

He ran a hand through his wet hair; it was falling in his eyes.

Its just easier, he explained.

Whats easier?

 He smiled condescendingly. Its enough of a pain to carry the shorts around with me, let alone a
complete outfit. What do I look like, a pack mule?

I frowned. What are you talking about, Jacob?

His expression was superior, like I was missing something obvious. My clothes dont just pop in and
out of existence when I change  I have to carry them with me while I run. Pardon me for keeping my
burden light.

I changed color. I guess I didnt think about that, I muttered.

 He laughed and pointed to a black leather cord, thin as a strand of yarn, that was wound three times
below his left calf like an anklet. I hadnt noticed before that his feet were bare, too. Thats more than
just a fashion statement  it sucks to carry jeans in your mouth.

I didnt know what to say to that.

He grinned. Does my being half-naked bother you?

No.

Jacob laughed again, and I turned my back on him to focus on the dishes. I hoped he realized my blush
was left over from embarrassment at my own stupidity, and had nothing to do with his question.

 Well, I suppose I should get to work. He sighed. I wouldnt want to give him an excuse to say Im
slacking on my side.

Jacob, its not your job 

 He raised a hand to cut me off. Im working on a volunteer basis here. Now, where is the intruders
scent the worst?

My bedroom, I think.

His eyes narrowed. He didnt like that any more than Edward had.

Ill just be a minute.

 I methodically scrubbed the plate I was holding. The only sound was the brushs plastic bristles scraping
round and round on the ceramic. I listened for something from above, a creak of the floorboard, the click
of a door. There was nothing. I realized Id been cleaning the same plate far longer than necessary, and I
tried to pay attention to what I was doing.

Whew! Jacob said, inches behind me, scaring me again.

Yeesh, Jake, cut that out!

 Sorry. Here  Jacob took the towel and mopped up my new spill. Ill make it up to you. You wash,
Ill rinse and dry.

Fine. I gave him the plate.

Well, the scent was easy enough to catch. By the way, your room reeks.

Ill buy some air freshener.

He laughed.

I washed and he dried in companionable silence for a few minutes.

Can I ask you something?

I handed him another plate. That depends on what you want to know.

Im not trying to be a jerk or anything  Im honestly curious, Jacob assured me.

Fine. Go ahead.

He paused for half a second. Whats it like  having a vampire for a boyfriend?

I rolled my eyes. Its the best.

Im serious. The idea doesnt bother you  it never creeps you out?

Never.

 He was silent as he reached for the bowl in my hands. I peeked up at his face  he was frowning, his
lower lip jutting out.

Anything else? I asked.

He wrinkled his nose again. Well . . . I was wondering . . . do you . . . yknow,kiss him?

I laughed. Yes.

He shuddered. Ugh.

To each her own, I murmured.

You dont worry about the fangs?

I smacked his arm, splashing him with dishwater. Shut up, Jacob! You know he doesnt have fangs!
Close enough, he muttered.

I gritted my teeth and scrubbed a boning knife with more force than necessary.

Can I ask another one? he asked softly when I passed the knife to him. Just curious, again.

Fine, I snapped.

He turned the knife over and over in his hands under the stream of water. When he spoke, it was only a
whisper. You said a few weeks. . . . When, exactly . . . ? He couldnt finish.

Graduation, I whispered back, watching his face warily. Would this set him off again?

So soon, he breathed, his eyes closing. It didnt sound like a question. It sounded like a lament. The
muscles in his arms tightened and his shoulders were stiff.

OW! he shouted; it had gotten so still in the room that I jumped a foot in the air at his outburst.

 His right hand had curled into a tense fist around the blade of the knife  he unclenched his hand and
the knife clattered onto the counter. Across his palm was a long, deep gash. The blood streamed down
his fingers and dripped on the floor.

Damn it! Ouch! he complained.

 My head spun and my stomach rolled. I clung to the countertop with one hand, took a deep breath
through my mouth, and forced myself to get a grip so that I could take care of him.

Oh, no, Jacob! Oh, crap! Here, wrap this around it! I shoved the dish towel at him, reaching for his
hand. He shrugged away from me.

Its nothing, Bella, dont worry about it.

The room started to shimmer a little around the edges.

I took another deep breath. Dont worry?! You sliced your hand open!

 He ignored the dish towel I pushed at him. He put his hand under the faucet and let the water wash over
the wound. The water ran red. My head whirled.

Bella, he said.

I looked away from the wound, up to his face. He was frowning, but his expression was calm.

What?

You look like youre going to pass out, and youre biting your lip off. Stop it. Relax. Breathe. Im fine.

I inhaled through my mouth and removed my teeth from my lower lip. Dont be brave.

He rolled his eyes.
 Lets go. Ill drive you to the ER. I was pretty sure I would be okay to drive. The walls were holding
steady now, at least.

 Not necessary. Jake turned off the water and took the towel from my hand. He twisted it loosely
around his palm.

Wait, I protested. Let me look at it. I clutched the counter more firmly, to hold myself upright if the
wound made me woozy again.

Do you have a medical degree that you never told me about?

Just give me the chance to decide whether or not Im going to throw a fit over taking you to the
hospital.

He made a face of mock horror. Please, not a fit!

If you dont let me see your hand, a fit is guaranteed.

He inhaled deeply, and then let out a gusty sigh. Fine.

He unwound the towel and, when I reached out to take the cloth, he laid his hand in mine.

It took me a few seconds. I even flipped his hand over, though I was sure hed cut his palm. I turned his
hand back up, finally realizing that the angry pink, puckered line was all that was left of his wound.

But . . . you were bleeding . . . so much.

He pulled his hand back, his eyes steady and somber on mine.

I heal fast.

Ill say, I mouthed.

 Id seen the long gash clearly, seen the blood that flowed into the sink. The rust-and-salt smell of it had
almost pulled me under. It should have needed stitches. It should have taken days to scab over and then
weeks to fade into the shiny pink scar that marked his skin now.

 He screwed his mouth up into half a smile and thumped his fist once against his chest. Werewolf,
remember?

His eyes held mine for an immeasurable moment.

Right, I finally said.

He laughed at my expression. I told you this. You saw Pauls scar.

I shook my head to clear it. Its a little different, seeing the action sequence firsthand.

 I kneeled down and dug the bleach out of the cabinet under the sink. Then I poured some on a dusting
rag and started scrubbing the floor. The burning scent of the bleach cleared the last of the dizziness from
my head.

Let me clean up, Jacob said.

I got this. Throw that towel in the wash, will you?

When I was sure the floor smelled of nothing but bleach, I got up and rinsed the right side of the sink
with bleach, too. Then I went to the laundry closet beside the pantry, and poured a cupful into the
washing machine before starting it. Jacob watched me with a disapproving look on his face.

Do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder? he asked when I was done.

 Huh. Maybe. But at least I had a good excuse this time. Were a bit sensitive to blood around here. Im
sure you can understand that.

Oh. He wrinkled his nose again.

Why not make it as easy as possible for him? What hes doing is hard enough.

Sure, sure. Why not?

I pulled the plug, and let the dirty water drain from the sink.

Can I ask you something, Bella?

I sighed.

Whats it like  having a werewolf for a best friend?

The question caught me off guard. I laughed out loud.

Does it creep you out? he pressed before I could answer.

No. When the werewolf is being nice, I qualified, its the best.

He grinned widely, his teeth bright against his russet skin. Thanks, Bella, he said, and then he grabbed
my hand and wrenched me into one of his bone-crushing hugs.

Before I had time to react, he dropped his arms and stepped away.

Ugh, he said, his nose wrinkling. Your hair stinks worse than your room.

Sorry, I muttered. I suddenly understood what Edward had been laughing about earlier, after breathing
on me.

One of the many hazards of socializing with vampires, Jacob said, shrugging. It makes you smell bad.
A minor hazard, comparatively.

I glared at him. I only smell bad to you, Jake.

He grinned. See you around, Bells.
Are you leaving?

Hes waiting for me to go. I can hear him outside.

Oh.

 Ill go out the back, he said, and then he paused. Hold up a sec  hey, do you think you can come
to La Push tonight? Were having a bonfire party. Emily will be there, and you could meet Kim . . . And I
know Quil wants to see you, too. Hes pretty peeved that you found out before he did.

 I grinned at that. I could just imagine how that would have irked Quil  Jacobs little human gal pal
down with the werewolves while he was still clueless. And then I sighed. Yeah, Jake, I dont know
about that. See, its a little tense right now. . . .

Cmon, you think somebodys going to get past all  all six of us?

 There was a strange pause as he stuttered over the end of his question. I wondered if he had trouble
saying the wordwerewolf aloud, the way I often had difficulty withvampire .

His big dark eyes were full of unashamed pleading.

Ill ask, I said doubtfully.

 He made a noise in the back of his throat. Is he your warden, now, too? You know, I saw this story on
the news last week about controlling, abusive teenage relationships and 

Okay! I cut him off, and then shoved his arm. Time for the werewolf to get out!

He grinned. Bye, Bells. Be sure you askpermission .

 He ducked out the back door before I could find something to throw at him. I growled incoherently at
the empty room.

 Seconds after he was gone, Edward walked slowly into the kitchen, raindrops glistening like diamonds
set into the bronze of his hair. His eyes were wary.

Did you two get into a fight? he asked.

Edward! I sang, throwing myself at him.

Hi, there. He laughed and wrapped his arms around me. Are you trying to distract me? Its working.

No, I didnt fight with Jacob. Much. Why?

I was just wondering why you stabbed him. Not that I object. With his chin, he gestured to the knife
on the counter.

Dang! I thought I got everything.

I pulled away from him and ran to put the knife in the sink before I doused it with bleach.
I didnt stab him, I explained as I worked. He forgot he had a knife in his hand.

Edward chuckled. Thats not nearly as fun as the way I imagined it.

Be nice.

He took a big envelope from his jacket pocket and tossed it on the counter. I got your mail.

Anything good?

Ithink so.

My eyes narrowed suspiciously at his tone. I went to investigate.

Hed folded the legal-sized envelope in half. I smoothed it open, surprised at the weight of the expensive
paper, and read the return address.

Dartmouth? Is this a joke?

Im sure its an acceptance. It looks exactly like mine.

Good grief, Edward  what did youdo ?

I sent in your application, thats all.

I may not be Dartmouth material, but Im not stupid enough to believethat .

Dartmouth seems to think that youre Dartmouth material.

 I took a deep breath and counted slowly to ten. Thats very generous of them, I finally said.
However, accepted or not, there is still the minor matter of tuition. I cant afford it, and Im not letting
you throw away enough money to buy yourself another sports car just so that I can pretend to go to
Dartmouth next year.

 I dont need another sports car. And you dont have to pretend anything, he murmured. One year of
college wouldnt kill you. Maybe youd even like it. Just think about it, Bella. Imagine how excited
Charlie and Ren?e would be. . . .

His velvet voice painted the picture in my head before I could block it. Of course Charlie would explode
with pride  no one in the town of Forks would be able to escape the fallout from his excitement. And
Ren?e would be hysterical with joy at my triumph  though shed swear she wasnt at all surprised. . . .

 I tried to shake the image out of my head. Edward. Im worried about living through graduation, let
alone this summer or next fall.

His arms wrapped around me again. No one is going to hurt you. You have all the time in the world.

 I sighed. Im mailing the contents of my bank account to Alaska tomorrow. Its all the alibi I need. Its
far enough away that Charlie wont expect a visit until Christmas at the earliest. And Im sure Ill think of
some excuse by then. You know, I teased halfheartedly, this whole secrecy and deception thing is kind
of a pain.

Edwards expression hardened. It gets easier. After a few decades, everyone you know is dead.
Problem solved.

I flinched.

Sorry, that was harsh.

I stared down at the big white envelope, not seeing it. But still true.

If I get this resolved, whatever it is were dealing with, will you pleaseconsider waiting?

Nope.

Always so stubborn.

Yep.

The washing machine thumped and stuttered to a halt.

Stupid piece of junk, I muttered as I pulled away from him. I moved the one small towel that had
unbalanced the otherwise empty machine, and started it again.

 This reminds me, I said. Could you ask Alice what she did with my stuff when she cleaned my room?
I cant find it anywhere.

He looked at me with confused eyes. Alice cleaned your room?

Yeah, I guess thats what she was doing. When she came to get my pajamas and pillow and stuff to
hold me hostage. I glowered at him briefly. She picked up everything that was lying around, my shirts,
my socks, and I dont know where she put them.

Edward continued to look confused for one short moment, and then, abruptly, he was rigid.

When did you notice your things were missing?

When I got back from the fake slumber party. Why?

I dont think Alice took anything. Not your clothes, or your pillow. The things that were taken, these
were things youd worn . . . and touched . . . and slept on?

Yes. What is it, Edward?

His expression was strained. Things with your scent.

Oh!

We stared into each others eyes for a long moment.

My visitor, I muttered.
He was gathering traces . . . evidence. To prove that hed found you?

Why? I whispered.

I dont know. But, Bella, I swear Iwill find out. I will.

I know you will, I said, laying my head against his chest. Leaning there, I felt his phone vibrate in his
pocket.

 He pulled out his phone and glanced at the number. Just the person I need to talk to, he murmured,
and then he flipped it open. Carlisle, I  He broke off and listened, his face taut with concentration for
a few minutes. Ill check it out. Listen . . .

 He explained about my missing things, but from the side I was hearing, it sounded like Carlisle had no
insights for us.

 Maybe Ill go . . . , Edward said, trailing off as his eyes drifted toward me. Maybe not. Dont let
Emmett go alone, you know how he gets. At least ask Alice keep an eye on things. Well figure this out
later.

He snapped the phone shut. Wheres the paper? he asked me.

Um, Im not sure. Why?

I need to see something. Did Charlie already throw it out?

Maybe. . . .

Edward disappeared.

 He was back in half a second, new diamonds in his hair, a wet newspaper in his hands. He spread it out
on the table, his eyes scanning quickly across the headlines. He leaned in, intent on something he was
reading, one finger tracing passages that interested him most.

Carlisles right . . . yes . . . very sloppy. Young and crazed? Or a death wish? he muttered to himself.

I went to peek over his shoulder.

The headline of theSeattle Times read: Murder Epidemic Continues  Police Have No New Leads.

 It was almost the same story Charlie had been complaining about a few weeks ago  the big-city
violence that was pushing Seattle up the national murder hot-spot list. It wasnt exactly the same story,
though. The numbers were a lot higher.

Its getting worse, I murmured.

 He frowned. Altogether out of control. This cant be the work of justone newborn vampire. Whats
going on? Its as if theyve never heard of the Volturi. Which is possible, I guess. No one has explained
the rules to them . . . so who is creating them, then?
The Volturi? I repeated, shuddering.

 This is exactly the kind of thing they routinely wipe out  immortals who threaten to expose us. They
just cleaned up a mess like this a few years ago in Atlanta, and it hadnt gotten nearly this bad. They will
intervene soon, very soon, unless we can find some way to calm the situation. Id really rather they didnt
come to Seattle just now. As long as theyre this close . . . they might decide to check on you.

I shuddered again. What can we do?

 We need to know more before we can decide that. Perhaps if we can talk to these young ones, explain
the rules, it can be resolved peacefully. He frowned, like he didnt think the chances of that were good.
Well wait until Alice has an idea of whats going on. . . . We dont want to step in until its absolutely
necessary. After all, its not our responsibility. But its good we have Jasper, he added, almost to
himself. If we are dealing with newborns, hell be helpful.

Jasper? Why?

Edward smiled darkly. Jasper is sort of an expert on young vampires.

What do you mean, an expert?

Youll have to ask him  the story is involved.

What a mess, I mumbled.

 It does feel that way, doesnt it? Like its coming at us from all sides these days. He sighed. Do you
ever think that your life might be easier if you werent in love with me?

Maybe. It wouldnt be much of a life, though.

 For me, he amended quietly. And now, I suppose, he continued with a wry smile, you have
something you want to ask me?

I stared at him blankly. I do?

Or maybe not. He grinned. I was rather under the impression that youd promised to ask my
permission to go to some kind of werewolf soir?e tonight.

Eavesdropping again?

He grinned. Just a bit, at the very end.

Well, I wasnt going to ask you anyway. I figured you had enough to stress about.

He put his hand under my chin, and held my face so that he could read my eyes. Would you like to
go?

Its no big thing. Dont worry about it.

 You dont have to ask my permission, Bella. Im not your father  thank heaven forthat . Perhaps you
should ask Charlie, though.
But you know Charlie will say yes.

I do have a bit more insight into his probable answer than most people would, its true.

 I just stared at him, trying to understand what he wanted, and trying to put out of my mind the yearning I
felt to go to La Push so that I wouldnt be swayed by my own wishes. It was stupid to want to go hang
out with a bunch of big idiot wolf-boys right now when there was so much that was frightening and
unexplained going on. Of course, that wasexactly why I wanted to go. I wanted to escape the death
threats, for just a few hours . . . to be the less-mature, more-reckless Bella who could laugh it off with
Jacob, if only briefly. But that didnt matter.

 Bella, Edward said. I told you that I was going to be reasonable and trust your judgment. I meant
that. If you trust the werewolves, then Im not going to worry about them.

Wow, I said, as I had last night.

 And Jacobs right  about one thing, anyway  a pack of werewolves ought to be enough to protect
even you for one evening.

Are you sure?

Of course. Only . . .

I braced myself.

I hope you wont mind taking a few precautions? Allowing me to drive you to the boundary line, for
one. And then taking a cell phone, so that Ill know when to pick you up?

That sounds . . . very reasonable.

Excellent.

He smiled at me, and I could see no trace of apprehension in his jewel-like eyes.

 To no ones surprise, Charlie had no problem at all with me going to La Push for a bonfire. Jacob
crowed with undisguised exultation when I called to give him the news, and he seemed eager enough to
embrace Edwards safety measures. He promised to meet us at the line between territories at six.

 I had decided, after a short internal debate, that I would not sell my motorcycle. I would ta