e perfect serenity Sam
always exuded.

 Id forgotten how much this face bothered me. Though Id gotten to know Sam pretty well before the
Cullens had come back  to like him, even  Id never been able to completely shake the resentment I
felt when Jacob mimicked Sams expression. It was a strangers face. He wasnt my Jacob when he
wore it.

You jumped to the wrong conclusion last night, Edward murmured. He asked about school because
he knew that I would be where you were. He was looking for a safe place to talk to me. A place with
witnesses.

 So Id misinterpreted Jacobs motives last night. Missing information, that was the problem. Information
like why in the world Jacob would want to talk to Edward.

Im not staying in the car, I said.

Edward groaned quietly. Of course not. Well, lets get this over with.

Jacobs face hardened as we walked toward him, hand in hand.

 I noticed other faces, too  the faces of my classmates. I noticed how their eyes widened as they took
in all six foot seven inches of Jacobs long body, muscled up the way no normal
sixteen-and-a-half-year-old ever had been. I saw those eyes rake over his tight black t-shirt 
short-sleeved, though the day was unseasonably cool  his ragged, grease-smeared jeans, and the
glossy black bike he leaned against. Their eyes didnt linger on his face  something about his
expression had them glancing quickly away. And I noticed the wide berth everyone gave him, the bubble
of space that no one dared to encroach on.

With a sense of astonishment, I realized that Jacob lookeddangerous to them. How odd.

Edward stopped a few yards away from Jacob, and I could tell that he was uncomfortable having me so
close to a werewolf. He drew his hand back slightly, pulling me halfway behind his body.

You could have called us, Edward said in a steel-hard voice.

Sorry, Jacob answered, his face twisting into a sneer. I dont have any leeches on my speed dial.

You could have reached me at Bellas house, of course.

Jacobs jaw flexed, and his brows pulled together. He didnt answer.

This is hardly the place, Jacob. Could we discuss this later?

Sure, sure. Ill stop by your crypt after school. Jacob snorted. Whats wrong with now?

 Edward looked around pointedly, his eyes resting on the witnesses who were just barely out of hearing
range. A few people were hesitating on the sidewalk, their eyes bright with expectation. Like they were
hoping a fight might break out to alleviate the tedium of another Monday morning. I saw Tyler Crowley
nudge Austin Marks, and they both paused on their way to class.

I already know what you came to say, Edward reminded Jacob in voice so low thatI could barely
make it out. Message delivered. Consider us warned.

Edward glanced down at me for a fleeting second with worried eyes.

Warned? I asked blankly. What are you talking about?

You didnt tell her? Jacob asked, his eyes widening with disbelief. What, were you afraid shed take
our side?

Please drop it, Jacob, Edward said in an even voice.

Why? Jacob challenged.

I frowned in confusion. What dont I know? Edward?

Edward just glared at Jacob as if he hadnt heard me.

Jake?

Jacob raised his eyebrow at me. He didnt tell you that his big . . .brother crossed the line Saturday
night? he asked, his tone thickly layered with sarcasm. Then his eyes flickered back to Edward. Paul
was totally justified in 

It was no-mans land! Edward hissed.

Was not!

Jacob was fuming visibly. His hands trembled. He shook his head and sucked in two deep lungfuls of air.

 Emmett and Paul? I whispered. Paul was Jacobs most volatile pack brother. He was the one whod
lost control that day in the woods  the memory of the snarling gray wolf was suddenly vivid in my
head. What happened? Were they fighting? My voice strained higher in panic. Why? Did Paul get
hurt?

No one fought, Edward said quietly, only to me. No one got hurt. Dont be anxious.

Jacob was staring at us with incredulous eyes. You didnt tell her anything at all, did you? Is that why
you took her away? So she wouldnt know that ?

 Leave now. Edward cut him off mid-sentence, and his face was abruptly frightening  truly
frightening. For a second, he looked like . . . like avampire . He glared at Jacob with vicious, unveiled
loathing.

Jacob raised his eyebrows, but made no other move. Why havent you told her?

 They faced each other in silence for a long moment. More students gathered behind Tyler and Austin. I
saw Mike next to Ben  Mike had one hand on Bens shoulder, like he was holding him in place.

In the dead silence, all the details suddenly fell into place for me with a burst of intuition.

Something Edward didnt want me to know.

Something that Jacob wouldnt have kept from me.

 Something that had the Cullens and the wolves both in the woods, moving in hazardous proximity to
each other.

Something that would cause Edward to insist that I fly across the country.

Something that Alice had seen in a vision last week  a vision Edward had lied to me about.

 Something Id been waiting for anyway. Something I knew would happen again, as much as I might wish
it never would. It was never going to end, was it?

 I heard the quickgasp, gasp, gasp, gasp of the air dragging through my lips, but I couldnt stop it. It
looked like the school was shaking, like there was an earthquake, but I knew it was my own trembling
that caused the illusion.

She came back for me, I choked out.

 Victoria was never going to give up till I was dead. She would keep repeating the same pattern  feint
and run, feint and run  until she found a hole through my defenders.

Maybe Id get lucky. Maybe the Volturi would come for me first  theyd kill me quicker, at least.

 Edward held me tight to his side, angling his body so that he was still between me and Jacob, and
stroked my face with anxious hands. Its fine, he whispered to me. Its fine. Ill never let her get close
to you, its fine.

Then he glared at Jacob. Does that answer your question, mongrel?

You dont think Bella has a right to know? Jacob challenged. Its her life.
 Edward kept his voice muted; even Tyler, edging forward by inches, would be unable to hear. Why
should she be frightened when she was never in danger?

Better frightened than lied to.

 I tried to pull myself together, but my eyes were swimming in moisture. I could see it behind my lids  I
could see Victorias face, her lips pulled back over her teeth, her crimson eyes glowing with the
obsession of her vendetta; she held Edward responsible for the demise of her love, James. She wouldnt
stop until his love was taken from him, too.

Edward wiped the tears from my cheek with his fingertips.

Do you really think hurting her is better than protecting her? he murmured.

Shes tougher than you think, Jacob said. And shes been through worse.

Abruptly, Jacobs expression shifted, and he was staring at Edward with an odd, speculative expression.
His eyes narrowed like he was trying to do a difficult math problem in his head.

I felt Edward cringe. I glanced up at him, and his face was contorted in what could only be pain. For one
ghastly moment, I was reminded of our afternoon in Italy, in the macabre tower room of the Volturi,
where Jane had tortured Edward with her malignant gift, burning him with her thoughts alone. . . .

The memory snapped me out of my near hysteria and put everything in perspective. Because Id rather
Victoria killed me a hundred times over than watch Edward suffer that way again.

Thats funny, Jacob said, laughing as he watched Edwards face.

 Edward winced, but smoothed his expression with a little effort. He couldnt quite hide the agony in his
eyes.

I glanced, wide-eyed, from Edwards grimace to Jacobs sneer.

What are you doing to him? I demanded.

Its nothing, Bella, Edward told me quietly. Jacob just has a good memory, thats all.

Jacob grinned, and Edward winced again.

Stop it! Whatever youre doing.

Sure, if you want. Jacob shrugged. Its his own fault if he doesnt like the things I remember, though.

I glared at him, and he smiled back impishly  like a kid caught doing something he knows he shouldnt
by someone who he knows wont punish him.

The principals on his way to discourage loitering on school property, Edward murmured to me. Lets
get to English, Bella, so youre not involved.

Overprotective, isnt he? Jacob said, talking just to me. A little trouble makes life fun. Let me guess,
youre not allowed to have fun, are you?

Edward glowered, and his lips pulled back from his teeth ever so slightly.

Shut up, Jake, I said.

Jacob laughed. That sounds like ano . Hey, if you ever feel like having a life again, you could come see
me. Ive still got your motorcycle in my garage.

 This news distracted me. You were supposed to sell that. You promised Charlie you would. If I
hadnt begged on Jakes behalf  after all, hed put weeks of labor into both motorcycles, and he
deserved some kind of payback  Charlie would have thrown my bike in a Dumpster. And possibly set
that Dumpster on fire.

Yeah, right. Like I would do that. It belongs to you, not me. Anyway, Ill hold on to it until you want it
back.

A tiny hint of the smile I remembered was suddenly playing around the edges of his lips.

Jake . . .

He leaned forward, his face earnest now, the bitter sarcasm fading. I think I might have been wrong
before, you know, about not being able to be friends. Maybe we could manage it, on my side of the line.
Come see me.

 I was vividly conscious of Edward, his arms still wrapped protectively around me, motionless as a stone.
I shot a look at his face  it was calm, patient.

I, er, dont know about that, Jake.

 Jacob dropped the antagonistic fa?ade completely. It was like hed forgotten Edward was there, or at
least he was determined to act that way. I miss you every day, Bella. Its not the same without you.

I know and Im sorry, Jake, I just . . .

He shook his head, and sighed. I know. Doesnt matter, right? I guess Ill survive or something. Who
needs friends? He grimaced, trying to cover the pain with a thin attempt at bravado.

 Jacobs suffering had always triggered my protective side. It was not entirely rational  Jacob was
hardly in need of any physical protection I could offer. But my arms, pinned beneath Edwards, yearned
to reach out to him. To wrap around his big, warm waist in a silent promise of acceptance and comfort.

Edwards shielding arms had become restraints.

Okay, get to class, a stern voice sounded behind us. Move along, Mr. Crowley.

 Get to school, Jake, I whispered, anxious as soon as I recognized the principals voice. Jacob went to
the Quileute school, but he might still get in trouble for trespassing or the equivalent.

Edward released me, taking just my hand and pulling me behind his body again.
Mr. Greene pushed through the circle of spectators, his brows pressing down like ominous storm clouds
over his small eyes.

 I mean it, he was threatening. Detention for anyone whos still standing here when I turn around
again.

The audience melted away before he was finished with his sentence.

Ah, Mr. Cullen. Do we have a problem here?

Not at all, Mr. Greene. We were just on our way to class.

Excellent. I dont seem to recognize your friend. Mr. Greene turned his glower on Jacob. Are you a
new student here?

 Mr. Greenes eyes scrutinized Jacob, and I could see that hed come to the same conclusion everyone
else had: dangerous. A troublemaker.

Nope, Jacob answered, half a smirk on his broad lips.

Then I suggest you remove yourself from school property at once, young man, before I call the police.

 Jacobs little smirk became a full-blown grin, and I knew he was picturing Charlie showing up to arrest
him. This grin was too bitter, too full of mocking to satisfy me. This wasnt the smile Id been waiting to
see.

 Jacob said, Yes, sir, and snapped a military salute before he climbed on his bike and kicked it to a
start right there on the sidewalk. The engine snarled and then the tires squealed as he spun it sharply
around. In a matter of seconds, Jacob raced out of sight.

Mr. Greene gnashed his teeth together while he watched the performance.

Mr. Cullen, I expect you to ask your friend to refrain from trespassing again.

Hes no friend of mine, Mr. Greene, but Ill pass along the warning.

Mr. Greene pursed his lips. Edwards perfect grades and spotless record were clearly a factor in Mr.
Greenes assessment of the incident. I see. If youre worried about any trouble, Id be happy to 

Theres nothing to worry about, Mr. Greene. There wont be any trouble.

I hope thats correct. Well, then. On to class. You, too, Miss Swan.

Edward nodded, and pulled me quickly along toward the English building.

Do you feel well enough to go to class? he whispered when we were past the principal.

Yes, I whispered back, not quite sure if this was a lie.

 Whether I felt well or not was hardly the most important consideration. I needed to talk to Edward right
away, and English class wasnt the ideal place for the conversation I had in mind.
But with Mr. Greene right behind us, there werent a lot of other options.

We got to class a little late and took our seats quickly. Mr. Berty was reciting a Frost poem. He ignored
our entrance, refusing to let us break his rhythm.

I yanked a blank page out of my notebook and started writing, my handwriting more illegible than
normal thanks to my agitation.


What happened? Tell meeverything . And screw the protecting me crap, please.


I shoved the note at Edward. He sighed, and then began writing. It took him less time than me, though
he wrote an entire paragraph in his own personal calligraphy before he slipped the paper back.


 Alice saw that Victoria was coming back. I took you out of town merely as a precaution  there was
never a chance that she would have gotten anywhere close to you. Emmett and Jasper very nearly had
her, but Victoria seems to have some instinct for evasion. She escaped right down the Quileute boundary
line as if she were reading it from a map. It didnt help that Alices abilities were nullified by the
Quileutes involvement. To be fair, the Quileutes might have had her, too, if we hadnt gotten in the way.
The big gray one thought Emmett was over the line, and he got defensive. Of course Rosalie reacted to
that, and everyone left the chase to protect their companions. Carlisle and Jasper got things calmed down
before it got out of hand. But by then, Victoria had slipped away. Thats everything.


I frowned at the letters on the page. All of them had been in on it  Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and
Carlisle. Maybe even Esme, though he hadnt mentioned her. And then Paul and the rest of the Quileute
pack. It might so easily have turned into a fight, pitting my future family and my old friends against each
other. Any one of them could have been hurt. I imagined the wolves would be in the most danger, but
picturing tiny Alice next to one of the huge werewolves,fighting . . .

I shuddered.

Carefully, I scrubbed out the entire paragraph with my eraser and then I wrote over the top:


What about Charlie? She could have been after him.


Edward was shaking his head before I finished, obviously going to downplay any danger on Charlies
behalf. He held a hand out, but I ignored that and started again.


You cant know that she wasnt thinking that, because you werent here. Florida was a bad idea.


He took the paper from underneath my hand.
I wasnt about to send you off alone. With your luck, not even the black box would survive.


 That wasnt what Id meant at all; I hadnt thought of going without him. Id meant that we should have
stayed here together. But I was sidetracked by his response, and a little miffed. Like I couldnt fly cross
country without bringing the plane down. Very funny.


So lets say my bad luck did crash the plane. What exactly were you going to do about it?

Why is the plane crashing?


He was trying to hide a smile now.


The pilots are passed out drunk.

Easy. Id fly the plane.


Of course. I pursed my lips and tried again.


Both engines have exploded and were falling in a death spiral toward the earth.

 Id wait till we were close enough to the ground, get a good grip on you, kick out the wall, and jump.
Then Id run you back to the scene of the accident, and wed stumble around like the two luckiest
survivors in history.


I stared at him wordlessly.

What? he whispered.

I shook my head in awe. Nothing, I mouthed.

I scrubbed out the disconcerting conversation and wrote one more line.


You will tell me next time.


I knew there would be a next time. The pattern would continue until someone lost.

 Edward stared into my eyes for a long moment. I wondered what my face looked like  it felt cold, so
the blood hadnt returned to my cheeks. My eyelashes were still wet.

He sighed and then nodded once.
Thanks.


The paper disappeared from under my hand. I looked up, blinking in surprise, just as Mr. Berty came
down the aisle.

Is that something youd like to share there, Mr. Cullen?

 Edward looked up innocently and held out the sheet of paper on top of his folder. My notes? he
asked, sounding confused.

 Mr. Berty scanned the notes  no doubt a perfect transcription of his lecture  and then walked away
frowning.

It was later, in Calculus  my one class without Edward  that I heard the gossip.

My moneys on the big Indian, someone was saying.

 I peeked up to see that Tyler, Mike, Austin, and Ben had their heads bent together, deep in
conversation.

Yeah, Mike whispered. Did you see thesize of that Jacob kid? I think he could take Cullen down.
Mike sounded pleased by the idea.

I dont think so, Ben disagreed. Theres something about Edward. Hes always so . . . confident. I
have a feeling he can take care of himself.

Im with Ben, Tyler agreed. Besides, if that other kid messed Edward up, you know those big
brothers of his would get involved.

Have you been down to La Push lately? Mike asked. Lauren and I went to the beach a couple of
weeks ago, and believe me, Jacobs friends are all just as big as he is.

 Huh, Tyler said. Too bad it didnt turn into anything. Guess well never know how it would have
turned out.

It didnt look over to me, Austin said. Maybe well get to see.

Mike grinned. Anyone in the mood for a bet?

Ten on Jacob, Austin said at once.

Ten on Cullen, Tyler chimed in.

Ten on Edward, Ben agreed.

Jacob, Mike said.

Hey, do you guys know what it was about? Austin wondered. That might affect the odds.

I can guess, Mike said, and then he shot a glance at me at the same time that Ben and Tyler did.
From their expressions, none of them had realized I was in easy hearing distance. They all looked away
quickly, shuffling the papers on their desks.

I still say Jacob, Mike muttered under his breath.




4. NATURE

IWAS HAVING A BAD WEEK.

 I knew that essentially nothing had changed. Okay, so Victoria had not given up, but had I ever dreamed
for one moment that she had? Her reappearance had only confirmed what Id already known. No reason
for fresh panic.

In theory. Not panicking was easier said than done.

 Graduation was only a few weeks away, but I wondered if it wasnt a little foolish to sit around, weak
and tasty, waiting for the next disaster. It seemed too dangerous to be human  just begging for trouble.
Someone like me shouldntbe human. Someone with my luck ought to be a little less helpless.

But no one would listen to me.

Carlisle had said, There are seven of us, Bella. And with Alice on our side, I dont think Victorias
going to catch us off guard. I think its important, for Charlies sake, that we stick with the original plan.

Esme had said, Wed never allow anything to happen to you, sweetheart. You know that. Please dont
be anxious. And then shed kissed my forehead.

 Emmett had said, Im really glad Edward didnt kill you. Everythings so much more fun with you
around.

Rosalie had glared at him.

Alice had rolled her eyes and said, Im offended. Youre not honestlyworried about this, are you?

If its no big deal, then why did Edward drag me to Florida? Id demanded.

Havent you noticed yet, Bella, that Edward is just the teeniest bit prone to overreaction?

 Jasper had silently erased all the panic and tension in my body with his curious talent of controlling
emotional atmospheres. Id felt reassured, and let them talk me out of my desperate pleading.

Of course, that calm had worn off as soon as Edward and I had walked out of the room.

So the consensus was that I was just supposed to forget that a deranged vampire was stalking me, intent
on my death. Go about my business.

I did try. And surprisingly, therewere other things almost as stressful to dwell on besides my status on
the endangered species list. . . .

Because Edwards response had been the most frustrating of them all.

Thats between you and Carlisle, hed said. Of course, you know that Im willing to make it between
you and me at any time that you wish. You know my condition. And he had smiled angelically.

Ugh. I did know his condition. Edward had promised that he would change me himself whenever I
wanted . . . just as long as I wasmarried to him first.

Sometimes I wondered if he was only pretending that he couldnt read my mind. How else had he struck
upon the one condition that I would have trouble accepting? The one condition that would slow me
down.

All in all, a very bad week. And today was the worst day in it.

It was always a bad day when Edward was away. Alice had foreseen nothing out of the ordinary this
weekend, and so Id insisted that he take the opportunity to go hunting with his brothers. I knew how it
bored him to hunt the easy, nearby prey.

Go have fun, Id told him. Bag a few mountain lions for me.

 I would never admit to him how hard it was for me when he was gone  how it brought back the
abandonment nightmares. If he knew that, it would make him feel horrible and he would be afraid to ever
leave me, even for the most necessary reasons. It had been like that in the beginning, when hed first
returned from Italy. His golden eyes had turned black and hed suffered from his thirst more than it was
already necessary that he suffer. So I put on a brave face and all but kicked him out the door whenever
Emmett and Jasper wanted to go.

I think he saw through me, though. A little. This morning there had been a note left on my pillow:


Ill be back so soon you wont have time to miss me. Look after my heart  Ive left it with you.


So now I had a big empty Saturday with nothing but my morning shift at Newtons Olympic Outfitters to
distract me. And, of course, the oh-so-comforting promise from Alice.

 Im staying close to home to hunt. Ill only be fifteen minutes away if you need me. Ill keep an eye out
for trouble.

Translation: dont try anything funny just because Edward is gone.

Alice was certainly just as capable of crippling my truck as Edward was.

I tried to look on the bright side. After work, I had plans to help Angela with her announcements, so that
would be a distraction. And Charlie was in an excellent mood due to Edwards absence, so I might as
well enjoy that while it lasted. Alice would spend the night with me if I was pathetic enough to ask her to.
And then tomorrow, Edward would be home. I would survive.

Not wanting to be ridiculously early for work, I ate my breakfast slowly, one Cheerio at a time. Then,
when Id washed the dishes, I arranged the magnets on the fridge into a perfect line. Maybe I was
developing obsessive-compulsive disorder.

 The last two magnets  round black utilitarian pieces that were my favorites because they could hold
ten sheets of paper to the fridge without breaking a sweat  did not want to cooperate with my fixation.
Their polarities were reversed; every time I tried to line the last one up, the other jumped out of place.

 For some reason  impending mania, perhaps  this really irritated me. Why couldnt they just play
nice? Stupid with stubbornness, I kept shoving them together as if I was expecting them to suddenly give
up. I could have flipped one over, but that felt like losing. Finally, exasperated at myself more than the
magnets, I pulled them from the fridge and held them together with two hands. It took a little effort 
they were strong enough to put up a fight  but I forced them to coexist side-by-side.

 See, I said out loud  talking to inanimate objects, never a good sign  Thats not so horrible, is
it?

 I stood there like an idiot for a second, not quite able to admit that I wasnt having any lasting effect
against scientific principles. Then, with a sigh, I put the magnets bac