Stephenie Meyer

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STEPHENIE MEYER

Megan Tingley Books LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY New York Boston Eclipse_HCtext3p.qxp 5/4/07 3:03 PM Page ii

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Copyright © 2007 by Stephenie Meyer All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, 13 no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in 14 any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 15 Little, Brown and Company 16 Hachette Book Group USA 17 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017 18 Visit our Web site at www.lb-teens.com 19 First Edition: September 2007 The characters and events portrayed in this book are ﬁctitious. Any similarity 20 to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. 21 ISBN-10: 0-316-16020-2 22 ISBN-13: 978-0-316-16020-9

23 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 24 Q-FF 25 Printed in the United States of America 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 To my husband, Pancho, 5 for your patience, love, friendship, humor, 6 and willingness to eat out. 7 8 And also to my children, Gabe, Seth, and Eli, 9 for letting me experience the kind of love 10 11 that people freely die for. 12

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CONTENTS 1

PREFACE 1 2

1. ULTIMATUM 3 3 4 2. EVASION 35 5 3. MOTIVES 65 6 4. NATURE 92 7 5. IMPRINT 113 8 6. SWITZERLAND 131 9 7. UNHAPPY ENDING 152 10 8. TEMPER 172 11

9. TARGET 196 12

10. SCENT 214 13

11. LEGENDS 239 14 15 12. TIME 267 16 13. NEWBORN 287 17 14. DECLARATION 310 18 15. WAGER 328 19 16. EPOCH 346 20 17. ALLIANCE 365 21 18. INSTRUCTION 383 22 19. SELFISH 410 23

20. COMPROMISE 434 24

21. TRAILS 461 25 26 22. FIRE AND ICE 487 27 23. MONSTER 506 28 24. SNAP DECISION 531 29 sh 25. MIRROR 554 30 reg 26. ETHICS 580

27. NEEDS 605

EPILOGUE — CHOICE 621

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1 2 3 Fire and Ice 4 5 6 Some say the world will end in fire, 7 Some say in ice. 8 From what I’ve tasted of desire 9 I hold with those who favor fire. 10 11 But if it had to perish twice, 12 I think I know enough of hate 13 To say that for destruction ice 14 Is also great 15 16 And would suffice. 17 18 Robert Frost 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 PREFACE 15 16 17 All our attempts at subterfuge had been in vain. 18 With ice in my heart, I watched him prepare to defend 19 me. His intense concentration betrayed no hint of doubt, 20 though he was outnumbered. I knew that we could expect 21 no help — at this moment, his family was fighting for 22 their lives just as surely as he was for ours. 23 Would I ever learn the outcome of that other fight? 24 Find out who the winners and the losers were? Would I 25 live long enough for that? 26 The odds of that didn’t look so great. 27 Black eyes, wild with their fierce craving for my 28 death, watched for the moment when my protector’s 29 sh 30 reg

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1 attention would be diverted. The moment when I would 2 surely die. 3 Somewhere, far, far away in the cold forest, a wolf 4 howled. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1. ULTIMATUM 15 16 17 Bella, 18 19 I don’t know why you’re making 20 Charlie carry notes to Billy like 21 we’re in second grade — if I wanted 22 to talk to you I would answer the 23 24 You made the choice here, okay? 25 You can’t have it both ways when 26 27 What part of ‘mortal enemies’ is too 28 complicated for you to 29 sh H P 30 reg

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1 Look, I know I’m being a jerk, but 2 there’s just no way around 3 E 4 We can’t be friends when you’re 5 spending all your time with a bunch of 6 7 It just makes it worse when I 8 think about you too much, so don’t 9 write anymore 10 11 Yeah, I miss you, too. A lot. 12 Doesn’t change anything. Sorry. 13 14 Jacob 15 16 I ran my ﬁngers across the page, feeling the dents where he 17 had pressed the pen to the paper so hard that it had nearly 18 broken through. I could picture him writing this — 19 scrawling the angry letters in his rough handwriting, 20 slashing through line after line when the words came out 21 wrong, maybe even snapping the pen in his too-big hand; 22 that would explain the ink splatters. I could imagine the 23 frustration pulling his black eyebrows together and crum- 24 pling his forehead. If I’d been there, I might have laughed. 25 Don’t give yourself a brain hemorrhage, Jacob, I would have 26 told him. Just spit it out. 27 Laughing was the last thing I felt like doing now as I 28 reread the words I’d already memorized. His answer to my sh 29 pleading note — passed from Charlie to Billy to him, just reg 30 like second grade, as he’d pointed out — was no surprise.

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I’d known the essence of what it would say before I’d 1 opened it. 2 What was surprising was how much each crossed-out 3 line wounded me — as if the points of the letters had cut- 4 ting edges. More than that, behind each angry beginning 5 lurked a vast pool of hurt; Jacob’s pain cut me deeper than 6 my own. 7 While I was pondering this, I caught the unmistakable 8 scent of a smoking burner rising from the kitchen. In an- 9 other house, the fact that someone besides myself was cook- 10 ing might not be a cause for panicking. 11 I shoved the wrinkled paper into my back pocket and 12 ran, making it downstairs in the nick of time. 13 The jar of spaghetti sauce Charlie’d stuck in the mi- 14 crowave was only on its first revolution when I yanked the 15 door open and pulled it out. 16 “What did I do wrong?” Charlie demanded. 17 “You’re supposed to take the lid off first, Dad. Metal’s 18 bad for microwaves.” I swiftly removed the lid as I spoke, 19 poured half the sauce into a bowl, and then put the bowl 20 inside the microwave and the jar back in the fridge; I fixed 21 the time and pressed start. 22 Charlie watched my adjustments with pursed lips. 23 “Did I get the noodles right?” 24 I looked in the pan on the stove — the source of the 25 smell that had alerted me. “Stirring helps,” I said mildly. 26 I found a spoon and tried to de-clump the mushy hunk 27 that was scalded to the bottom. 28 Charlie sighed. 29 sh “So what’s all this about?” I asked him. 30 reg

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1 He folded his arms across his chest and glared out the 2 back windows into the sheeting rain. “Don’t know what 3 you’re talking about,” he grumbled. 4 I was mystiﬁed. Charlie cooking? And what was with 5 the surly attitude? Edward wasn’t here yet; usually my dad 6 reserved this kind of behavior for my boyfriend’s beneﬁt, 7 doing his best to illustrate the theme of “unwelcome” 8 with every word and posture. Charlie’s efforts were unnec- 9 essary — Edward knew exactly what my dad was thinking 10 without the show. 11 The word boyfriend had me chewing on the inside of my 12 cheek with a familiar tension while I stirred. It wasn’t the 13 right word, not at all. I needed something more expressive 14 of eternal commitment....But words like destiny and fate 15 sounded hokey when you used them in casual conversation. 16 Edward had another word in mind, and that word was 17 the source of the tension I felt. It put my teeth on edge 18 just to think it to myself. 19 Fiancée. Ugh. I shuddered away from the thought. 20 “Did I miss something? Since when do you make din- 21 ner?” I asked Charlie. The pasta lump bobbed in the boiling 22 water as I poked it. “Or try to make dinner, I should say.” 23 Charlie shrugged. “There’s no law that says I can’t cook 24 in my own house.” 25 “You would know,” I replied, grinning as I eyed the 26 badge pinned to his leather jacket. 27 “Ha. Good one.” He shrugged out of the jacket as if my 28 glance had reminded him he still had it on, and hung it on sh 29 the peg reserved for his gear. His gun belt was already reg 30

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slung in place — he hadn’t felt the need to wear that to 1 the station for a few weeks. There had been no more dis- 2 turbing disappearances to trouble the small town of Forks, 3 Washington, no more sightings of the giant, mysterious 4 wolves in the ever-rainy woods.... 5 I prodded the noodles in silence, guessing that Charlie 6 would get around to talking about whatever was bother- 7 ing him in his own time. My dad was not a man of many 8 words, and the effort he had put into trying to orchestrate 9 a sit-down dinner with me made it clear there were an un- 10 characteristic number of words on his mind. 11 I glanced at the clock routinely — something I did 12 every few minutes around this time. Less than a half hour 13 to go now. 14 Afternoons were the hardest part of my day. Ever since 15 my former best friend (and werewolf ), Jacob Black, had 16 informed on me about the motorcycle I’d been riding on 17 the sly — a betrayal he had devised in order to get me 18 grounded so that I couldn’t spend time with my boyfriend 19 (and vampire), Edward Cullen — Edward had been al- 20 lowed to see me only from seven till nine-thirty p.m., 21 always inside the conﬁnes of my home and under the su- 22 pervision of my dad’s unfailingly crabby glare. 23 This was an escalation from the previous, slightly less 24 stringent grounding that I’d earned for an unexplained 25 three-day disappearance and one episode of cliff diving. 26 Of course, I still saw Edward at school, because there 27 wasn’t anything Charlie could do about that. And then, 28 Edward spent almost every night in my room, too, but 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Charlie wasn’t precisely aware of that. Edward’s ability 2 to climb easily and silently through my second-story 3 window was almost as useful as his ability to read Charlie’s 4 mind. 5 Though the afternoon was the only time I spent away 6 from Edward, it was enough to make me restless, and the 7 hours always dragged. Still, I endured my punishment 8 without complaining because — for one thing — I knew 9 I’d earned it, and — for another — because I couldn’t bear 10 to hurt my dad by moving out now, when a much more 11 permanent separation hovered, invisible to Charlie, so 12 close on my horizon. 13 My dad sat down at the table with a grunt and un- 14 folded the damp newspaper there; within seconds he was 15 clucking his tongue in disapproval. 16 “I don’t know why you read the news, Dad. It only 17 ticks you off.” 18 He ignored me, grumbling at the paper in his hands. 19 “This is why everyone wants to live in a small town! 20 Ridiculous.” 21 “What have big cities done wrong now?” 22 “Seattle’s making a run for murder capital of the coun- 23 try. Five unsolved homicides in the last two weeks. Can 24 you imagine living like that?” 25 “I think Phoenix is actually higher up the homicide 26 list, Dad. I have lived like that.” And I’d never come close 27 to being a murder victim until after I moved to his safe lit- 28 tle town. In fact, I was still on several hit lists....The sh 29 spoon shook in my hands, making the water tremble. reg 30 “Well, you couldn’t pay me enough,” Charlie said.

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I gave up on saving dinner and settled for serving it; I 1 had to use a steak knife to cut a portion of spaghetti for 2 Charlie and then myself, while he watched with a sheepish 3 expression. Charlie coated his helping with sauce and dug 4 in. I disguised my own clump as well as I could and fol- 5 lowed his example without much enthusiasm. We ate in 6 silence for a moment. Charlie was still scanning the news, 7 so I picked up my much-abused copy of Wuthering Heights 8 from where I’d left it this morning at breakfast, and tried 9 to lose myself in turn-of-the-century England while I 10 waited for him to start talking. 11 I was just to the part where Heathcliff returns when 12 Charlie cleared his throat and threw the paper to the ﬂoor. 13 “You’re right,” Charlie said. “I did have a reason for do- 14 ing this.” He waved his fork at the gluey spread. “I wanted 15 to talk to you.” 16 I laid the book aside; the binding was so destroyed that 17 it slumped ﬂat to the table. “You could have just asked.” 18 He nodded, his eyebrows pulling together. “Yeah. I’ll 19 remember that next time. I thought taking dinner off 20 your hands would soften you up.” 21 I laughed. “It worked — your cooking skills have me 22 soft as a marshmallow. What do you need, Dad?” 23 “Well, it’s about Jacob.” 24 I felt my face harden. “What about him?” I asked 25 through stiff lips. 26 “Easy, Bells. I know you’re still upset that he told on 27 you, but it was the right thing. He was being responsible.” 28 “Responsible,” I repeated scathingly, rolling my eyes. 29 sh “Right. So, what about Jacob?” 30 reg

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1 The careless question repeated inside my head, any- 2 thing but trivial. What about Jacob? What was I going to 3 do about him? My former best friend who was now... 4 what? My enemy? I cringed. 5 Charlie’s face was suddenly wary. “Don’t get mad at 6 me, okay?” 7 “Mad?” 8 “Well, it’s about Edward, too.” 9 My eyes narrowed. 10 Charlie’s voice got gruffer. “I let him in the house, 11 don’t I?” 12 “You do,” I admitted. “For brief periods of time. Of 13 course, you might let me out of the house for brief periods 14 now and then, too,” I continued — only jokingly; I knew 15 I was on lockdown for the duration of the school year. “I’ve 16 been pretty good lately.” 17 “Well, that’s kind of where I was heading with this. . . .” 18 And then Charlie’s face stretched into an unexpected eye- 19 crinkling grin; for a second he looked twenty years younger. 20 I saw a dim glimmer of possibility in that smile, but I 21 proceeded slowly. “I’m confused, Dad. Are we talking 22 about Jacob, or Edward, or me being grounded?” 23 The grin ﬂashed again. “Sort of all three.” 24 “And how do they relate?” I asked, cautious. 25 “Okay.” He sighed, raising his hands as if in surrender. 26 “So I’m thinking maybe you deserve a parole for good be- 27 havior. For a teenager, you’re amazingly non-whiney.” 28 My voice and eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? I’m free?” sh 29 Where was this coming from? I’d been positive I reg 30 would be under house arrest until I actually moved out,

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and Edward hadn’t picked up any wavering in Charlie’s 1 thoughts.... 2 Charlie held up one finger. “Conditionally.” 3 The enthusiasm vanished. “Fantastic,” I groaned. 4 “Bella, this is more of a request than a demand, okay? 5 You’re free. But I’m hoping you’ll use that freedom . . . 6 judiciously.” 7 “What does that mean?” 8 He sighed again. “I know you’re satisfied to spend all of 9 your time with Edward —” 10 “I spend time with Alice, too,” I interjected. Edward’s 11 sister had no hours of visitation; she came and went as she 12 pleased. Charlie was putty in her capable hands. 13 “That’s true,” he said. “But you have other friends be- 14 sides the Cullens, Bella. Or you used to.” 15 We stared at each other for a long moment. 16 “When was the last time you spoke to Angela Weber?” 17 he threw at me. 18 “Friday at lunch,” I answered immediately. 19 Before Edward’s return, my school friends had polar- 20 ized into two groups. I liked to think of those groups as 21 good vs. evil. Us and them worked, too. The good guys were 22 Angela, her steady boyfriend Ben Cheney, and Mike New- 23 ton; these three had all very generously forgiven me for 24 going crazy when Edward left. Lauren Mallory was the 25 evil core of the them side, and almost everyone else, includ- 26 ing my first friend in Forks, Jessica Stanley, seemed con- 27 tent to go along with her anti-Bella agenda. 28 With Edward back at school, the dividing line had 29 sh become even more distinct. 30 reg

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1 Edward’s return had taken its toll on Mike’s friendship, 2 but Angela was unswervingly loyal, and Ben followed 3 her lead. Despite the natural aversion most humans felt 4 toward the Cullens, Angela sat dutifully beside Alice 5 every day at lunch. After a few weeks, Angela even looked 6 comfortable there. It was difﬁcult not to be charmed by 7 the Cullens — once one gave them the chance to be 8 charming. 9 “Outside of school?” Charlie asked, calling my atten- 10 tion back. 11 “I haven’t seen anyone outside of school, Dad. Grounded, 12 remember? And Angela has a boyfriend, too. She’s always 13 with Ben. If I’m really free,” I added, heavy on the skepti- 14 cism, “maybe we could double.” 15 “Okay. But then . . .” He hesitated. “You and Jake used 16 to be joined at the hip, and now —” 17 I cut him off. “Can you get to the point, Dad? What’s 18 your condition — exactly?” 19 “I don’t think you should dump all your other friends 20 for your boyfriend, Bella,” he said in a stern voice. “It’s not 21 nice, and I think your life would be better balanced if 22 you kept some other people in it. What happened last Sep- 23 tember...” 24 I ﬂinched. 25 “Well,” he said defensively. “If you’d had more of a life 26 outside of Edward Cullen, it might not have been like that.” 27 “It would have been exactly like that,” I muttered. 28 “Maybe, maybe not.” sh 29 “The point?” I reminded him. reg 30

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“Use your new freedom to see your other friends, too. 1 Keep it balanced.” 2 I nodded slowly. “Balance is good. Do I have specific 3 time quotas to fill, though?” 4 He made a face, but shook his head. “I don’t want to 5 make this complicated. Just don’t forget your friends...” 6 It was a dilemma I was already struggling with. My 7 friends. People who, for their own safety, I would never be 8 able to see again after graduation. 9 So what was the better course of action? Spend time with 10 them while I could? Or start the separation now to make it 11 more gradual? I quailed at the idea of the second option. 12 “. . . particularly Jacob,” Charlie added before I could 13 think things through more than that. 14 A greater dilemma than the first. It took me a moment 15 to find the right words. “Jacob might be...difficult.” 16 “The Blacks are practically family, Bella,” he said, stern 17 and fatherly again. “And Jacob has been a very, very good 18 friend to you.” 19 “I know that.” 20 “Don’t you miss him at all?” Charlie asked, frustrated. 21 My throat suddenly felt swollen; I had to clear it twice 22 before I answered. “Yes, I do miss him,” I admitted, still 23 looking down. “I miss him a lot.” 24 “Then why is it difficult?” 25 It wasn’t something I was at liberty to explain. It was 26 against the rules for normal people — human people like 27 me and Charlie — to know about the clandestine world 28 full of myths and monsters that existed secretly around us. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I knew all about that world — and I was in no small 2 amount of trouble as a result. I wasn’t about to get Char- 3 lie in the same trouble. 4 “With Jacob there is a . . . conflict,” I said slowly. “A 5 conflict about the friendship thing, I mean. Friendship 6 doesn’t always seem to be enough for Jake.” I wound my 7 excuse out of details that were true but insignificant, 8 hardly crucial compared to the fact that Jacob’s werewolf 9 pack bitterly hated Edward’s vampire family — and there- 10 fore me, too, as I fully intended to join that family. It just 11 wasn’t something I could work out with him in a note, 12 and he wouldn’t answer my calls. But my plan to deal with 13 the werewolf in person had definitely not gone over well 14 with the vampires. 15 “Isn’t Edward up for a little healthy competition?” 16 Charlie’s voice was sarcastic now. 17 I leveled a dark look at him. “There’s no competition.” 18 “You’re hurting Jake’s feelings, avoiding him like this. 19 He’d rather be just friends than nothing.” 20 Oh, now I was avoiding him? 21 “I’m pretty sure Jake doesn’t want to be friends at all.” 22 The words burned in my mouth. “Where’d you get that 23 idea, anyway?” 24 Charlie looked embarrassed now. “The subject might 25 have come up today with Billy....” 26 “You and Billy gossip like old women,” I complained, 27 stabbing my fork viciously into the congealed spaghetti 28 on my plate. sh 29 “Billy’s worried about Jacob,” Charlie said. “Jake’s hav- reg 30 ing a hard time right now....He’s depressed.”

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I winced, but kept my eyes on the blob. 1 “And then you were always so happy after spending the 2 day with Jake.” Charlie sighed. 3 “I’m happy now,” I growled ﬁercely through my teeth. 4 The contrast between my words and tone broke through 5 the tension. Charlie burst into laughter, and I had to join in. 6 “Okay, okay,” I agreed. “Balance.” 7 “And Jacob,” he insisted. 8 “I’ll try.” 9 “Good. Find that balance, Bella. And, oh, yeah, you’ve 10 got some mail,” Charlie said, closing the subject with no 11 attempt at subtlety. “It’s by the stove.” 12 I didn’t move, my thoughts twisting into snarls around 13 Jacob’s name. It was most likely junk mail; I’d just gotten 14 a package from my mom yesterday and I wasn’t expecting 15 anything else. 16 Charlie shoved his chair away from the table and 17 stretched as he got to his feet. He took his plate to the 18 sink, but before he turned the water on to rinse it, he 19 paused to toss a thick envelope at me. The letter skidded 20 across the table and thunked into my elbow. 21 “Er, thanks,” I muttered, puzzled by his pushiness. 22 Then I saw the return address — the letter was from the 23 University of Alaska Southeast. “That was quick. I guess I 24 missed the deadline on that one, too.” 25 Charlie chuckled. 26 I ﬂipped the envelope over and then glared up at him. 27 “It’s open.” 28 “I was curious.” 29 sh “I’m shocked, Sheriff. That’s a federal crime.” 30 reg

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1 “Oh, just read it.” 2 I pulled out the letter, and a folded schedule of courses. 3 “Congratulations,” he said before I could read any- 4 thing. “Your first acceptance.” 5 “Thanks, Dad.” 6 “We should talk about tuition. I’ve got some money 7 saved up —” 8 “Hey, hey, none of that. I’m not touching your retire- 9 ment, Dad. I’ve got my college fund.” What was left of 10 it — and there hadn’t been much to begin with. 11 Charlie frowned. “Some of these places are pretty 12 pricey, Bells. I want to help. You don’t have to go to all the 13 way to Alaska just because it’s cheaper.” 14 It wasn’t cheaper, not at all. But it was far away, and 15 Juneau had an average of three hundred twenty-one over- 16 cast days per year. The first was my prerequisite, the sec- 17 ond was Edward’s. 18 “I’ve got it covered. Besides, there’s lots of financial aid 19 out there. It’s easy to get loans.” I hoped my bluff wasn’t 20 too obvious. I hadn’t actually done a lot of research on the 21 subject. 22 “So...,” Charlie began, and then he pursed his lips 23 and looked away. 24 “So what?” 25 “Nothing. I was just . . .” He frowned. “Just wonder- 26 ing what...Edward’s plans are for next year?” 27 “Oh.” 28 “Well?” sh 29 Three quick raps on the door saved me. Charlie rolled reg 30 his eyes and I jumped up.

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“Coming!” I called while Charlie mumbled something 1 that sounded like, “Go away.” I ignored him and went to 2 let Edward in. 3 I wrenched the door out of my way — ridiculously ea- 4 ger — and there he was, my personal miracle. 5 Time had not made me immune to the perfection of his 6 face, and I was sure that I would never take any aspect of 7 him for granted. My eyes traced over his pale white fea- 8 tures: the hard square of his jaw, the softer curve of his full 9 lips — twisted up into a smile now, the straight line of his 10 nose, the sharp angle of his cheekbones, the smooth mar- 11 ble span of his forehead — partially obscured by a tangle 12 of rain-darkened bronze hair.... 13 I saved his eyes for last, knowing that when I looked 14 into them I was likely to lose my train of thought. They 15 were wide, warm with liquid gold, and framed by a thick 16 fringe of black lashes. Staring into his eyes always made 17 me feel extraordinary — sort of like my bones were turn- 18 ing spongy. I was also a little lightheaded, but that could 19 have been because I’d forgotten to keep breathing. Again. 20 It was a face any male model in the world would trade 21 his soul for. Of course, that might be exactly the asking 22 price: one soul. 23 No. I didn’t believe that. I felt guilty for even thinking 24 it, and was glad — as I was often glad — that I was the 25 one person whose thoughts were a mystery to Edward. 26 I reached for his hand, and sighed when his cold ﬁngers 27 found mine. His touch brought with it the strangest sense 28 of relief — as if I’d been in pain and that pain had sud- 29 sh denly ceased. 30 reg

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1 “Hey.” I smiled a little at my anticlimactic greeting. 2 He raised our interlaced ﬁngers to brush my cheek 3 with the back of his hand. “How was your afternoon?” 4 “Slow.” 5 “For me, as well.” 6 He pulled my wrist up to his face, our hands still 7 twisted together. His eyes closed as his nose skimmed 8 along the skin there, and he smiled gently without open- 9 ing them. Enjoying the bouquet while resisting the wine, 10 as he’d once put it. 11 I knew that the scent of my blood — so much sweeter 12 to him than any other person’s blood, truly like wine beside 13 water to an alcoholic — caused him actual pain from the 14 burning thirst it engendered. But he didn’t seem to shy 15 away from it as much as he once had. I could only dimly 16 imagine the Herculean effort behind this simple gesture. 17 It made me sad that he had to try so hard. I comforted 18 myself with the knowledge that I wouldn’t be causing 19 him pain much longer. 20 I heard Charlie approaching then, stamping his feet on 21 the way to express his customary displeasure with our guest. 22 Edward’s eyes snapped open and he let our hands fall, 23 keeping them twined. 24 “Good evening, Charlie.” Edward was always ﬂawlessly 25 polite, though Charlie didn’t deserve it. 26 Charlie grunted at him, and then stood there with his 27 arms crossed over his chest. He was taking the idea of 28 parental supervision to extremes lately. sh 29 “I brought another set of applications,” Edward told me reg 30

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then, holding up a stuffed manila envelope. He was wear- 1 ing a roll of stamps like a ring around his littlest ﬁnger. 2 I groaned. How were there any colleges left that he 3 hadn’t forced me to apply to already? And how did he 4 keep ﬁnding these loophole openings? It was so late in the 5 year. 6 He smiled as if he could read my thoughts; they must 7 have been very obvious on my face. “There are still a few 8 open deadlines. And a few places willing to make excep- 9 tions.” 10 I could just imagine the motivations behind such ex- 11 ceptions. And the dollar amounts involved. 12 Edward laughed at my expression. 13 “Shall we?” he asked, towing me toward the kitchen 14 table. 15 Charlie huffed and followed behind, though he could 16 hardly complain about the activity on tonight’s agenda. 17 He’d been pestering me to make a decision about college 18 on a daily basis. 19 I cleared the table quickly while Edward organized an 20 intimidating stack of forms. When I moved Wuthering 21 Heights to the counter, Edward raised one eyebrow. I knew 22 what he was thinking, but Charlie interrupted before Ed- 23 ward could comment. 24 “Speaking of college applications, Edward,” Charlie said, 25 his tone even more sullen — he tried to avoid addressing 26 Edward directly, and when he had to, it exacerbated his 27 bad mood. “Bella and I were just talking about next year. 28 Have you decided where you’re going to school?” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Edward smiled up at Charlie and his voice was friendly. 2 “Not yet. I’ve received a few acceptance letters, but I’m 3 still weighing my options.” 4 “Where have you been accepted?” Charlie pressed. 5 “Syracuse...Harvard...Dartmouth...and I just 6 got accepted to the University of Alaska Southeast today.” 7 Edward turned his face slightly to the side so that he could 8 wink at me. I stiﬂed a giggle. 9 “Harvard? Dartmouth?” Charlie mumbled, unable to 10 conceal his awe. “Well that’s pretty...that’s something. 11 Yeah, but the University of Alaska...you wouldn’t really 12 consider that when you could go Ivy League. I mean, your 13 father would want you to...” 14 “Carlisle’s always ﬁne with whatever I choose to do,” 15 Edward told him serenely. 16 “Hmph.” 17 “Guess what, Edward?” I asked in a bright voice, play- 18 ing along. 19 “What, Bella?” 20 I pointed to the thick envelope on the counter. “I just 21 got my acceptance to the University of Alaska!” 22 “Congratulations!” He grinned. “What a coincidence.” 23 Charlie’s eyes narrowed and he glared back and forth 24 between the two of us. “Fine,” he muttered after a minute. 25 “I’m going to go watch the game, Bella. Nine-thirty.” 26 That was his usual parting command. 27 “Er, Dad? Remember the very recent discussion about 28 my freedom...?” sh 29 He sighed. “Right. Okay, ten-thirty. You still have a reg 30 curfew on school nights.”

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“Bella’s no longer grounded?” Edward asked. Though I 1 knew he wasn’t really surprised, I couldn’t detect any false 2 note to the sudden excitement in his voice. 3 “Conditionally,” Charlie corrected through his teeth. 4 “What’s it to you?” 5 I frowned at my dad, but he didn’t see. 6 “It’s just good to know,” Edward said. “Alice has been 7 itching for a shopping partner, and I’m sure Bella would 8 love to see some city lights.” He smiled at me. 9 But Charlie growled, “No!” and his face ﬂushed purple. 10 “Dad! What’s the problem?” 11 He made an effort to unclench his teeth. “I don’t want 12 you going to Seattle right now.” 13 “Huh?” 14 “I told you about that story in the paper — there’s 15 some kind of gang on a killing spree in Seattle and I want 16 you to steer clear, okay?” 17 I rolled my eyes. “Dad, there’s a better chance that I’ll 18 get struck by lightning than that the one day I’m in Se- 19 attle —” 20 “No, that’s ﬁne, Charlie,” Edward said, interrupting 21 me. “I didn’t mean Seattle. I was thinking Portland, actu- 22 ally. I wouldn’t have Bella in Seattle, either. Of course not.” 23 I looked at him in disbelief, but he had Charlie’s newspa- 24 per in his hands and he was reading the front page intently. 25 He must have been trying to appease my father. The idea 26 of being in danger from even the most deadly of humans 27 while I was with Alice or Edward was downright hilarious. 28 It worked. Charlie stared at Edward for one second 29 sh more, and then shrugged. “Fine.” He stalked off toward 30 reg

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1 the living room, in a bit of a hurry now — maybe he 2 didn’t want to miss tip-off. 3 I waited till the TV was on, so that Charlie wouldn’t be 4 able to hear me. 5 “What —,” I started to ask. 6 “Hold on,” Edward said without looking up from the 7 paper. His eyes stayed focused on the page as he pushed 8 the first application toward me across the table. “I think 9 you can recycle your essays for this one. Same questions.” 10 Charlie must still be listening. I sighed and started to 11 fill out the repetitive information: name, address, social. . . . 12 After a few minutes I glanced up, but Edward was now 13 staring pensively out the window. As I bent my head back 14 to my work, I noticed for the first time the name of the 15 school. 16 I snorted and shoved the papers aside. 17 “Bella?” 18 “Be serious, Edward. Dartmouth?” 19 Edward lifted the discarded application and laid it 20 gently in front of me again. “I think you’d like New 21 Hampshire,” he said. “There’s a full complement of night 22 courses for me, and the forests are very conveniently lo- 23 cated for the avid hiker. Plentiful wildlife.” He pulled out 24 the crooked smile he knew I couldn’t resist. 25 I took a deep breath through my nose. 26 “I’ll let you pay me back, if that makes you happy,” he 27 promised. “If you want, I can charge you interest.” 28 “Like I could even get in without some enormous bribe. sh 29 Or was that part of the loan? The new Cullen wing of the reg 30 library? Ugh. Why are we having this discussion again?”

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“Will you just fill out the application, please, Bella? It 1 won’t hurt you to apply.” 2 My jaw flexed. “You know what? I don’t think I will.” 3 I reached for the papers, planning to crumple them 4 into a suitable shape for lobbing at the trashcan, but they 5 were already gone. I stared at the empty table for a mo- 6 ment, and then at Edward. He didn’t appear to have 7 moved, but the application was probably already tucked 8 away in his jacket. 9 “What are you doing?” I demanded. 10 “I sign your name better than you do yourself. You’ve 11 already written the essays.” 12 “You’re going way overboard with this, you know.” I 13 whispered on the off chance that Charlie wasn’t com- 14 pletely lost in his game. “I really don’t need to apply any- 15 where else. I’ve been accepted in Alaska. I can almost 16 afford the first semester’s tuition. It’s as good an alibi as 17 any. There’s no need to throw away a bunch of money, no 18 matter whose it is.” 19 A pained looked tightened his face. “Bella —” 20 “Don’t start. I agree that I need to go through the mo- 21 tions for Charlie’s sake, but we both know I’m not going 22 to be in any condition to go to school next fall. To be any- 23 where near people.” 24 My knowledge of those first few years as a new vampire 25 was sketchy. Edward had never gone into details — it 26 wasn’t his favorite subject — but I knew it wasn’t pretty. 27 Self-control was apparently an acquired skill. Anything 28 more than correspondence school was out of the question. 29 sh “I thought the timing was still undecided,” Edward 30 reg

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1 reminded me softly. “You might enjoy a semester or two 2 of college. There are a lot of human experiences you’ve 3 never had.” 4 “I’ll get to those afterward.” 5 “They won’t be human experiences afterward. You don’t 6 get a second chance at humanity, Bella.” 7 I sighed. “You’ve got to be reasonable about the tim- 8 ing, Edward. It’s just too dangerous to mess around with.” 9 “There’s no danger yet,” he insisted. 10 I glared at him. No danger? Sure. I only had a sadistic 11 vampire trying to avenge her mate’s death with my own, 12 preferably through some slow and torturous method. Who 13 was worried about Victoria? And, oh yeah, the Volturi — 14 the vampire royal family with their small army of vampire 15 warriors — who insisted that my heart stop beating one 16 way or another in the near future, because humans weren’t 17 allowed to know they existed. Right. No reason at all to 18 panic. 19 Even with Alice keeping watch — Edward was relying 20 on her uncannily accurate visions of the future to give us 21 advance warning — it was insane to take chances. 22 Besides, I’d already won this argument. The date for 23 my transformation was tentatively set for shortly after my 24 graduation from high school, only a handful of weeks away. 25 A sharp jolt of unease pierced my stomach as I realized 26 how short the time really was. Of course this change was 27 necessary — and the key to what I wanted more than 28 everything else in the world put together — but I was sh 29 deeply conscious of Charlie sitting in the other room en- reg 30 joying his game, just like every other night. And my

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mother, Renée, far away in sunny Florida, still pleading 1 with me to spend the summer on the beach with her and 2 her new husband. And Jacob, who, unlike my parents, 3 would know exactly what was going on when I disap- 4 peared to some distant school. Even if my parents didn’t 5 grow suspicious for a long time, even if I could put off vis- 6 its with excuses about travel expenses or study loads or ill- 7 nesses, Jacob would know the truth. 8 For a moment, the idea of Jacob’s certain revulsion 9 overshadowed every other pain. 10 “Bella,” Edward murmured, his face twisting when he 11 read the distress in mine. “There’s no hurry. I won’t let 12 anyone hurt you. You can take all the time you need.” 13 “I want to hurry,” I whispered, smiling weakly, trying 14 to make a joke of it. “I want to be a monster, too.” 15 His teeth clenched; he spoke through them. “You have 16 no idea what you’re saying.” Abruptly, he ﬂung the damp 17 newspaper onto the table in between us. His ﬁnger stabbed 18 the headline on the front page: 19 20 DEATH TOLL ON THE RISE, 21 POLICE FEAR GANG ACTIVITY 22 23 “What does that have to do with anything?” 24 “Monsters are not a joke, Bella.” 25 I stared at the headline again, and then up to his hard 26 expression. “A...a vampire is doing this?” I whispered. 27 He smiled without humor. His voice was low and cold. 28 “You’d be surprised, Bella, at how often my kind are the 29 sh source behind the horrors in your human news. It’s easy to 30 reg

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1 recognize, when you know what to look for. The informa- 2 tion here indicates a newborn vampire is loose in Seattle. 3 Bloodthirsty, wild, out of control. The way we all were.” 4 I let my gaze drop to the paper again, avoiding his eyes. 5 “We’ve been monitoring the situation for a few weeks. 6 All the signs are there — the unlikely disappearances, al- 7 ways in the night, the poorly disposed-of corpses, the lack 8 of other evidence....Yes, someone brand-new. And no 9 one seems to be taking responsibility for the neo- 10 phyte. . . .” He took a deep breath. “Well, it’s not our 11 problem. We wouldn’t even pay attention to the situation 12 if wasn’t going on so close to home. Like I said, this hap- 13 pens all the time. The existence of monsters results in 14 monstrous consequences.” 15 I tried not to see the names on the page, but they 16 jumped out from the rest of the print like they were in 17 bold. The ﬁve people whose lives were over, whose families 18 were mourning now. It was different from considering mur- 19 der in the abstract, reading those names. Maureen Gardiner, 20 Geoffrey Campbell, Grace Razi, Michelle O’Connell, Ron- 21 ald Albrook. People who’d had parents and children and 22 friends and pets and jobs and hopes and plans and memo- 23 ries and futures.... 24 “It won’t be the same for me,” I whispered, half to my- 25 self. “You won’t let me be like that. We’ll live in Antarctica.” 26 Edward snorted, breaking the tension. “Penguins. 27 Lovely.” 28 I laughed a shaky laugh and knocked the paper off the sh 29 table so I wouldn’t have to see those names; it hit the reg 30 linoleum with a thud. Of course Edward would consider

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the hunting possibilities. He and his “vegetarian” family — 1 all committed to protecting human life — preferred the 2 flavor of large predators for satisfying their dietary needs. 3 “Alaska, then, as planned. Only somewhere much more 4 remote than Juneau — somewhere with grizzlies galore.” 5 “Better,” he allowed. “There are polar bears, too. Very 6 fierce. And the wolves get quite large.” 7 My mouth fell open and my breath blew out in a sharp 8 gust. 9 “What’s wrong?” he asked. Before I could recover, the 10 confusion vanished and his whole body seemed to harden. 11 “Oh. Never mind the wolves, then, if the idea is offensive 12 to you.” His voice was stiff, formal, his shoulders rigid. 13 “He was my best friend, Edward,” I muttered. It stung 14 to use the past tense. “Of course the idea offends me.” 15 “Please forgive my thoughtlessness,” he said, still very 16 formal. “I shouldn’t have suggested that.” 17 “Don’t worry about it.” I stared at my hands, clenched 18 into a double fist on the table. 19 We were both silent for a moment, and then his cool 20 finger was under my chin, coaxing my face up. His expres- 21 sion was much softer now. 22 “Sorry. Really.” 23 “I know. I know it’s not the same thing. I shouldn’t 24 have reacted that way. It’s just that...well, I was already 25 thinking about Jacob before you came over.” I hesitated. 26 His tawny eyes seemed to get a little bit darker whenever 27 I said Jacob’s name. My voice turned pleading in response. 28 “Charlie says Jake is having a hard time. He’s hurting 29 sh right now, and...it’s my fault.” 30 reg

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1 “You’ve done nothing wrong, Bella.” 2 I took a deep breath. “I need to make it better, Edward. 3 I owe him that. And it’s one of Charlie’s conditions, any- 4 way —” 5 His face changed while I spoke, turning hard again, 6 statue-like. 7 “You know it’s out of the question for you to be around 8 a werewolf unprotected, Bella. And it would break the 9 treaty if any of us cross over onto their land. Do you want 10 us to start a war?” 11 “Of course not!” 12 “Then there’s really no point in discussing the matter 13 further.” He dropped his hand and looked away, searching 14 for a subject change. His eyes paused on something be- 15 hind me, and he smiled, though his eyes stayed wary. 16 “I’m glad Charlie has decided to let you out — you’re 17 sadly in need of a visit to the bookstore. I can’t believe 18 you’re reading Wuthering Heights again. Don’t you know it 19 by heart yet?” 20 “Not all of us have photographic memories,” I said curtly. 21 “Photographic memory or not, I don’t understand why 22 you like it. The characters are ghastly people who ruin 23 each others’ lives. I don’t know how Heathcliff and Cathy 24 ended up being ranked with couples like Romeo and 25 Juliet or Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. It isn’t a love 26 story, it’s a hate story.” 27 “You have some serious issues with the classics,” I 28 snapped. sh 29 “Perhaps it’s because I’m not impressed by antiquity.” reg 30 He smiled, evidently satisﬁed that he’d distracted me.

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“Honestly, though, why do you read it over and over?” His 1 eyes were vivid with real interest now, trying — again — 2 to unravel the convoluted workings of my mind. He 3 reached across the table to cradle my face in his hand. 4 “What is it that appeals to you?” 5 His sincere curiosity disarmed me. “I’m not sure,” I 6 said, scrambling for coherency while his gaze uninten- 7 tionally scattered my thoughts. “I think it’s something 8 about the inevitability. How nothing can keep them 9 apart — not her selﬁshness, or his evil, or even death, in 10 the end....” 11 His face was thoughtful as he considered my words. Af- 12 ter a moment he smiled a teasing smile. “I still think it 13 would be a better story if either of them had one redeem- 14 ing quality.” 15 “I think that may be the point,” I disagreed. “Their 16 love is their only redeeming quality.” 17 “I hope you have better sense than that — to fall in 18 love with someone so...malignant.” 19 “It’s a bit late for me to worry about who I fall in love 20 with,” I pointed out. “But even without the warning, I 21 seem to have managed fairly well.” 22 He laughed quietly. “I’m glad you think so.” 23 “Well, I hope you’re smart enough to stay away from 24 someone so selﬁsh. Catherine is really the source of all the 25 trouble, not Heathcliff.” 26 “I’ll be on my guard,” he promised. 27 I sighed. He was so good at distractions. 28 I put my hand over his to hold it to my face. “I need to 29 sh see Jacob.” 30 reg

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1 His eyes closed. “No.” 2 “It’s truly not dangerous at all,” I said, pleading again. 3 “I used to spend all day in La Push with the whole lot of 4 them, and nothing ever happened.” 5 But I made a slip; my voice faltered at the end because 6 I realized as I was saying the words that they were a lie. It 7 was not true that nothing had ever happened. A brief flash 8 of memory — an enormous gray wolf crouched to spring, 9 baring his dagger-like teeth at me — had my palms sweat- 10 ing with an echo of remembered panic. 11 Edward heard my heart accelerate and nodded as if I’d 12 acknowledged the lie aloud. “Werewolves are unstable. 13 Sometimes, the people near them get hurt. Sometimes, 14 they get killed.” 15 I wanted to deny it, but another image slowed my re- 16 buttal. I saw in my head the once beautiful face of Emily 17 Young, now marred by a trio of dark scars that dragged 18 down the corner of her right eye and left her mouth 19 warped forever into a lopsided scowl. 20 He waited, grimly triumphant, for me to find my voice. 21 “You don’t know them,” I whispered. 22 “I know them better than you think, Bella. I was here 23 the last time.” 24 “The last time?” 25 “We started crossing paths with the wolves about sev- 26 enty years ago....We had just settled near Hoquiam. 27 That was before Alice and Jasper were with us. We out- 28 numbered them, but that wouldn’t have stopped it from sh 29 turning into a fight if not for Carlisle. He managed to con- reg 30

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vince Ephraim Black that coexisting was possible, and 1 eventually we made the truce.” 2 Jacob’s great-grandfather’s name startled me. 3 “We thought the line had died out with Ephraim,” Ed- 4 ward muttered; it sounded like he was talking to himself 5 now. “That the genetic quirk which allowed the transmu- 6 tation had been lost. . . .” He broke off and stared at me 7 accusingly. “Your bad luck seems to get more potent every 8 day. Do you realize that your insatiable pull for all things 9 deadly was strong enough to recover a pack of mutant ca- 10 nines from extinction? If we could bottle your luck, we’d 11 have a weapon of mass destruction on our hands.” 12 I ignored the ribbing, my attention caught by his as- 13 sumption — was he serious? “But I didn’t bring them 14 back. Don’t you know?” 15 “Know what?” 16 “My bad luck had nothing to do with it. The were- 17 wolves came back because the vampires did.” 18 Edward stared at me, his body motionless with surprise. 19 “Jacob told me that your family being here set things 20 in motion. I thought you would already know....” 21 His eyes narrowed. “Is that what they think?” 22 “Edward, look at the facts. Seventy years ago, you came 23 here, and the werewolves showed up. You come back now, 24 and the werewolves show up again. Do you think that’s a 25 coincidence?” 26 He blinked and his glare relaxed. “Carlisle will be in- 27 terested in that theory.” 28 “Theory,” I scoffed. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 He was silent for a moment, staring out the window into 2 the rain; I imagined he was contemplating the fact that his 3 family’s presence was turning the locals into giant dogs. 4 “Interesting, but not exactly relevant,” he murmured 5 after a moment. “The situation remains the same.” 6 I could translate that easily enough: no werewolf friends. 7 I knew I must be patient with Edward. It wasn’t that 8 he was unreasonable, it was just that he didn’t understand. 9 He had no idea how very much I owed Jacob Black — my 10 life many times over, and possibly my sanity, too. 11 I didn’t like to talk about that barren time with any- 12 one, and especially not Edward. He had only been trying 13 to save me when he’d left, trying to save my soul. I didn’t 14 hold him responsible for all the stupid things I’d done in 15 his absence, or the pain I had suffered. 16 He did. 17 So I would have to word my explanation very carefully. 18 I got up and walked around the table. He opened his 19 arms for me and I sat on his lap, nestling into his cool 20 stone embrace. I looked at his hands while I spoke. 21 “Please just listen for a minute. This is so much more 22 important than some whim to drop in on an old friend. 23 Jacob is in pain.” My voice distorted around the word. “I 24 can’t not try to help him — I can’t give up on him now, 25 when he needs me. Just because he’s not human all the 26 time....Well, he was there for me when I was...not so 27 human myself. You don’t know what it was like....” I 28 hesitated. Edward’s arms were rigid around me; his hands sh 29 were in ﬁsts now, the tendons standing out. “If Jacob reg 30

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hadn’t helped me...I’m not sure what you would have 1 come home to. I owe him better than this, Edward.” 2 I looked up at his face warily. His eyes were closed, and 3 his jaw was strained. 4 “I’ll never forgive myself for leaving you,” he whis- 5 pered. “Not if I live a hundred thousand years.” 6 I put my hand against his cold face and waited until he 7 sighed and opened his eyes. 8 “You were just trying to do the right thing. And I’m 9 sure it would have worked with anyone less mental than 10 me. Besides, you’re here now. That’s the part that matters.” 11 “If I’d never left, you wouldn’t feel the need to go risk 12 your life to comfort a dog.” 13 I ﬂinched. I was used to Jacob and all his derogatory 14 slurs — bloodsucker, leech, parasite....Somehow it sounded 15 harsher in Edward’s velvet voice. 16 “I don’t know how to phrase this properly,” Edward 17 said, and his tone was bleak. “It’s going to sound cruel, I 18 suppose. But I’ve come too close to losing you in the past. 19 I know what it feels like to think I have. I am not going to 20 tolerate anything dangerous.” 21 “You have to trust me on this. I’ll be ﬁne.” 22 His face was pained again. “Please, Bella,” he whis- 23 pered. 24 I stared into his suddenly burning golden eyes. “Please 25 what?” 26 “Please, for me. Please make a conscious effort to keep 27 yourself safe. I’ll do everything I can, but I would appreci- 28 ate a little help.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “I’ll work on it,” I murmured. 2 “Do you really have any idea how important you are to 3 me? Any concept at all of how much I love you?” He 4 pulled me tighter against his hard chest, tucking my head 5 under his chin. 6 I pressed my lips against his snow-cold neck. “I know 7 how much I love you,” I answered. 8 “You compare one small tree to the entire forest.” 9 I rolled my eyes, but he couldn’t see. “Impossible.” 10 He kissed the top of my head and sighed. 11 “No werewolves.” 12 “I’m not going along with that. I have to see Jacob.” 13 “Then I’ll have to stop you.” 14 He sounded utterly conﬁdent that this wouldn’t be a 15 problem. 16 I was sure he was right. 17 “We’ll see about that,” I bluffed anyway. “He’s still my 18 friend.” 19 I could feel Jacob’s note in my pocket, like it suddenly 20 weighed ten pounds. I could hear the words in his voice, 21 and he seemed to be agreeing with Edward — something 22 that would never happen in reality. 23 Doesn’t change anything. Sorry. 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 2. EVASION 15 16 17 I felt oddly buoyant as I walked from Spanish 18 toward the cafeteria, and it wasn’t just because I was hold- 19 ing hands with the most perfect person on the planet, 20 though that was certainly part of it. 21 Maybe it was the knowledge that my sentence was 22 served and I was a free woman again. 23 Or maybe it wasn’t anything to do with me speciﬁcally. 24 Maybe it was the atmosphere of freedom that hung over 25 the entire campus. School was winding down, and, for the 26 senior class especially, there was a perceptible thrill in 27 the air. 28 Freedom was so close it was touchable, taste-able. Signs 29 sh of it were everywhere. Posters crowded together on the 30 reg

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1 cafeteria walls, and the trashcans wore a colorful skirt of 2 spilled-over fliers: reminders to buy yearbooks, class rings, 3 and announcements; deadlines to order graduation gowns, 4 hats, and tassels; neon-bright sales pitches — the juniors 5 campaigning for class office; ominous, rose-wreathed ad- 6 vertisements for this year’s prom. The big dance was this 7 coming weekend, but I had an ironclad promise from Ed- 8 ward that I would not be subjected to that again. After all, 9 I’d already had that human experience. 10 No, it must be my personal freedom that lightened me 11 today. The ending of the school year did not give me the 12 pleasure it seemed to give the other students. Actually, I 13 felt nervous to the point of nausea whenever I thought of 14 it. I tried to not think of it. 15 But it was hard to escape such an omnipresent topic as 16 graduation. 17 “Have you sent your announcements, yet?” Angela 18 asked when Edward and I sat down at our table. She had 19 her light brown hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail in- 20 stead of her usual smooth hairdo, and there was a slightly 21 frantic look about her eyes. 22 Alice and Ben were already there, too, on either side of 23 Angela. Ben was intent over a comic book, his glasses 24 sliding down his narrow nose. Alice was scrutinizing my 25 boring jeans-and-a-t-shirt outfit in a way that made me 26 self-conscious. Probably plotting another makeover. I 27 sighed. My indifferent attitude to fashion was a constant 28 thorn in her side. If I’d allow it, she’d love to dress me sh 29 every day — perhaps several times a day — like some over- reg 30 sized three-dimensional paper doll.

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“No,” I answered Angela. “There’s no point, really. 1 Renée knows when I’m graduating. Who else is there?” 2 “How about you, Alice?” 3 Alice smiled. “All done.” 4 “Lucky you.” Angela sighed. “My mother has a thou- 5 sand cousins and she expects me to hand-address one to 6 everybody. I’m going to get carpal tunnel. I can’t put it off 7 any longer and I’m just dreading it.” 8 “I’ll help you,” I volunteered. “If you don’t mind my 9 awful handwriting.” 10 Charlie would like that. From the corner of my eye, I 11 saw Edward smile. He must like that, too — me fulﬁlling 12 Charlie’s conditions without involving werewolves. 13 Angela looked relieved. “That’s so nice of you. I’ll come 14 over any time you want.” 15 “Actually, I’d rather go to your house if that’s okay — 16 I’m sick of mine. Charlie un-grounded me last night.” I 17 grinned as I announced my good news. 18 “Really?” Angela asked, mild excitement lighting her 19 always-gentle brown eyes. “I thought you said you were in 20 for life.” 21 “I’m more surprised than you are. I was sure I would at 22 least have ﬁnished high school before he set me free.” 23 “Well, this is great, Bella! We’ll have to go out to cel- 24 ebrate.” 25 “You have no idea how good that sounds.” 26 “What should we do?” Alice mused, her face lighting 27 up at the possibilities. Alice’s ideas were usually a little 28 grandiose for me, and I could see it in her eyes now — the 29 sh tendency to take things too far kicking into action. 30 reg

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1 “Whatever you’re thinking, Alice, I doubt I’m that 2 free.” 3 “Free is free, right?” she insisted. 4 “I’m sure I still have boundaries — like the continen- 5 tal U.S., for example.” 6 Angela and Ben laughed, but Alice grimaced in real 7 disappointment. 8 “So what are we doing tonight?” she persisted. 9 “Nothing. Look, let’s give it a couple of days to make 10 sure he wasn’t joking. It’s a school night, anyway.” 11 “We’ll celebrate this weekend, then.” Alice’s enthusi- 12 asm was impossible to repress. 13 “Sure,” I said, hoping to placate her. I knew I wasn’t 14 going to do anything too outlandish; it would be safer to 15 take it slow with Charlie. Give him a chance to appreciate 16 how trustworthy and mature I was before I asked for any 17 favors. 18 Angela and Alice started talking about options; Ben 19 joined the conversation, setting his comics aside. My 20 attention drifted. I was surprised to ﬁnd that the subject 21 of my freedom was suddenly not as gratifying as it had 22 been just a moment ago. While they discussed things to 23 do in Port Angeles or maybe Hoquiam, I began to feel dis- 24 gruntled. 25 It didn’t take long to determine where my restlessness 26 stemmed from. 27 Ever since I’d said goodbye to Jacob Black in the forest 28 outside my home, I’d been plagued by a persistent, un- sh 29 comfortable intrusion of a speciﬁc mental picture. It popped reg 30 into my thoughts at regular intervals like some annoying

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alarm clock set to sound every half hour, ﬁlling my head 1 with the image of Jacob’s face crumpled in pain. This was 2 the last memory I had of him. 3 As the disturbing vision struck again, I knew exactly 4 why I was dissatisﬁed with my liberty. Because it was in- 5 complete. 6 Sure, I was free to go to anywhere I wanted — except 7 La Push; free to do anything I wanted — except see Jacob. 8 I frowned at the table. There had to be some kind of mid- 9 dle ground. 10 “Alice? Alice!” 11 Angela’s voice yanked me from my reverie. She was 12 waving her hand back and forth in front of Alice’s blank, 13 staring face. Alice’s expression was something I recog- 14 nized — an expression that sent an automatic shock of 15 panic through my body. The vacant look in her eyes told 16 me that she was seeing something very different from the 17 mundane lunchroom scene that surrounded us, but some- 18 thing that was every bit as real in its own way. Something 19 that was coming, something that would happen soon. I 20 felt the blood slither from my face. 21 Then Edward laughed, a very natural, relaxed sound. 22 Angela and Ben looked toward him, but my eyes were 23 locked on Alice. She jumped suddenly, as if someone had 24 kicked her under the table. 25 “Is it naptime already, Alice?” Edward teased. 26 Alice was herself again. “Sorry, I was daydreaming, I 27 guess.” 28 “Daydreaming’s better than facing two more hours of 29 sh school,” Ben said. 30 reg

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1 Alice threw herself back into the conversation with 2 more animation than before — just a little bit too much. 3 Once I saw her eyes lock with Edward’s, only for a mo- 4 ment, and then she looked back to Angela before anyone 5 else noticed. Edward was quiet, playing absentmindedly 6 with a strand of my hair. 7 I waited anxiously for a chance to ask Edward what Al- 8 ice had seen in her vision, but the afternoon passed with- 9 out one minute of alone time. 10 It felt odd to me, almost deliberate. After lunch, Ed- 11 ward slowed his pace to match Ben’s, talking about some 12 assignment I knew he’d already finished. Then there was 13 always someone else there between classes, though we usu- 14 ally had a few minutes to ourselves. When the final bell 15 rang, Edward struck up a conversation with Mike Newton 16 of all people, falling into step beside him as Mike headed 17 for the parking lot. I trailed behind, letting Edward tow 18 me along. 19 I listened, confused, while Mike answered Edward’s 20 unusually friendly queries. It seemed Mike was having car 21 troubles. 22 “. . . but I just replaced the battery,” Mike was saying. 23 His eyes darted ahead and then back to Edward warily. 24 Mystified, just like I was. 25 “Perhaps it’s the cables?” Edward offered. 26 “Maybe. I really don’t know anything about cars,” 27 Mike admitted. “I need to have someone look at it, but I 28 can’t afford to take it to Dowling’s.” sh 29 I opened my mouth to suggest my mechanic, and then reg 30

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snapped it shut again. My mechanic was busy these 1 days — busy running around as a giant wolf. 2 “I know a few things — I could take a look, if you 3 like,” Edward offered. “Just let me drop Alice and Bella at 4 home.” 5 Mike and I both stared at Edward with our mouths 6 hanging open. 7 “Er...thanks,” Mike mumbled when he recovered. 8 “But I have to get to work. Maybe some other time.” 9 “Absolutely.” 10 “See ya.” Mike climbed into his car, shaking his head in 11 disbelief. 12 Edward’s Volvo, with Alice already inside, was just two 13 cars away. 14 “What was that about?” I muttered as Edward held the 15 passenger door for me. 16 “Just being helpful,” Edward answered. 17 And then Alice, waiting in the backseat, was babbling 18 at top speed. 19 “You’re really not that good a mechanic, Edward. 20 Maybe you should have Rosalie take a look at it tonight, 21 just so you look good if Mike decides to let you help, you 22 know. Not that it wouldn’t be fun to watch his face if 23 Rosalie showed up to help. But since Rosalie is supposed to 24 be across the country attending college, I guess that’s not 25 the best idea. Too bad. Though I suppose, for Mike’s car, 26 you’ll do. It’s only within the ﬁner tunings of a good Ital- 27 ian sports car that you’re out of your depth. And speaking 28 of Italy and sports cars that I stole there, you still owe me 29 sh 30 reg

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1 a yellow Porsche. I don’t know that I want to wait for 2 Christmas....” 3 I stopped listening after a minute, letting her quick 4 voice become just a hum in the background as I settled 5 into my patient mode. 6 It looked to me like Edward was trying to avoid my 7 questions. Fine. He would have to be alone with me soon 8 enough. It was only a matter of time. 9 Edward seemed to realize that, too. He dropped Alice 10 at the mouth of the Cullens’ drive as usual, though by this 11 point I half expected him to drive her to the door and walk 12 her in. 13 As she got out, Alice threw a sharp look at his face. Ed- 14 ward seemed completely at ease. 15 “See you later,” he said. And then, ever so slightly, he 16 nodded. 17 Alice turned to disappear into the trees. 18 He was quiet as he turned the car around and headed 19 back to Forks. I waited, wondering if he would bring it up 20 himself. He didn’t, and this made me tense. What had Al- 21 ice seen today at lunch? Something he didn’t want to tell 22 me, and I tried to think of a reason why he would keep se- 23 crets. Maybe it would be better to prepare myself before I 24 asked. I didn’t want to freak out and have him think I 25 couldn’t handle it, whatever it was. 26 So we were both silent until we got to back to Charlie’s 27 house. 28 “Light homework load tonight,” he commented. sh 29 “Mmm,” I assented. reg 30 “Do you suppose I’m allowed inside again?”

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“Charlie didn’t throw a fit when you picked me up for 1 school.” 2 But I was sure Charlie was going to turn sulky fast 3 when he got home and found Edward here. Maybe I 4 should make something extra-special for dinner. 5 Inside, I headed up the stairs, and Edward followed. He 6 lounged on my bed and gazed out the window, seeming 7 oblivious to my edginess. 8 I stowed my bag and turned the computer on. There 9 was an unanswered e-mail from my mom to attend to, 10 and she got panicky when I took too long. I drummed 11 my fingers as I waited for my decrepit computer to 12 wheeze awake; they snapped against the desk, staccato and 13 anxious. 14 And then his fingers were on mine, holding them still. 15 “Are we a little impatient today?” he murmured. 16 I looked up, intending to make a sarcastic remark, but 17 his face was closer than I’d expected. His golden eyes were 18 smoldering, just inches away, and his breath was cool 19 against my open lips. I could taste his scent on my tongue. 20 I couldn’t remember the witty response I’d been about 21 to make. I couldn’t remember my name. 22 He didn’t give me a chance to recover. 23 If I had my way, I would spend the majority of my time 24 kissing Edward. There wasn’t anything I’d experienced in 25 my life that compared to the feeling of his cool lips, mar- 26 ble hard but always so gentle, moving with mine. 27 I didn’t often get my way. 28 So it surprised me a little when his fingers braided 29 sh themselves into my hair, securing my face to his. My arms 30 reg

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1 locked behind his neck, and I wished I was stronger — 2 strong enough to keep him prisoner here. One hand slid 3 down my back, pressing me tighter against his stone 4 chest. Even through his sweater, his skin was cold enough 5 to make me shiver — it was a shiver of pleasure, of happi- 6 ness, but his hands began to loosen in response. 7 I knew I had about three seconds before he would sigh 8 and slide me deftly away, saying something about how 9 we’d risked my life enough for one afternoon. Making the 10 most of my last seconds, I crushed myself closer, molding 11 myself to the shape of him. The tip of my tongue traced 12 the curve of his lower lip; it was as ﬂawlessly smooth as if 13 it had been polished, and the taste — 14 He pulled my face away from his, breaking my hold 15 with ease — he probably didn’t even realize that I was us- 16 ing all my strength. 17 He chuckled once, a low, throaty sound. His eyes were 18 bright with the excitement he so rigidly disciplined. 19 “Ah, Bella.” He sighed. 20 “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.” 21 “And I should feel sorry that you’re not sorry, but I 22 don’t. Maybe I should go sit on the bed.” 23 I exhaled a little dizzily. “If you think that’s neces- 24 sary....” 25 He smiled crookedly and disentangled himself. 26 I shook my head a few times, trying to clear it, and 27 turned back to my computer. It was all warmed up and 28 humming now. Well, not as much humming as groaning. sh 29 “Tell Renée I said hello.” reg 30 “Sure thing.”

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I scanned through Renée’s e-mail, shaking my head 1 now and then at some of the dippier things she’d done. I 2 was just as entertained and horriﬁed as the ﬁrst time I’d 3 read this. It was so like my mother to forget exactly how 4 paralyzed she was by heights until she was already strapped 5 to a parachute and a dive instructor. I felt a little frustrated 6 with Phil, her husband of almost two years, for allowing 7 that one. I would have taken better care of her. I knew her 8 so much better. 9 You have to let them go their own way eventually, I re- 10 minded myself. You have to let them have their own 11 life.... 12 I’d spent most of my life taking care of Renée, pa- 13 tiently guiding her away from her craziest plans, good- 14 naturedly enduring the ones I couldn’t talk her out of. 15 I’d always been indulgent with my mom, amused by her, 16 even a little condescending to her. I saw her cornucopia of 17 mistakes and laughed privately to myself. Scatterbrained 18 Renée. 19 I was a very different person from my mother. Someone 20 thoughtful and cautious. The responsible one, the grown- 21 up. That’s how I saw myself. That was the person I knew. 22 With the blood still pounding in my head from Ed- 23 ward’s kiss, I couldn’t help but think of my mother’s most 24 life-altering mistake. Silly and romantic, getting married 25 fresh out of high school to a man she barely knew, then 26 producing me a year later. She’d always promised me 27 that she had no regrets, that I was the best gift her life 28 had ever given her. And yet she’d drilled it into me over 29 sh and over — smart people took marriage seriously. Mature 30 reg

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1 people went to college and started careers before they got 2 deeply involved in a relationship. She knew I would never 3 be as thoughtless and goofy and small-town as she’d been.... 4 I gritted my teeth and tried to concentrate as I an- 5 swered her letter. 6 Then I hit her parting line and remembered why I’d 7 neglected to write sooner. 8 You haven’t said anything about Jacob in a long time, she’d 9 written. What’s he up to these days? 10 Charlie was prompting her, I was sure. 11 I sighed and typed quickly, tucking the answer to her 12 question between two less sensitive paragraphs. 13 14 Jacob is ﬁne, I guess. I don’t see him 15 much; he spends most of his time with a 16 pack of his friends down at La Push these 17 days. 18 19 Smiling wryly to myself, I added Edward’s greeting and 20 hit “send.” 21 I didn’t realize that Edward was standing silently be- 22 hind me again until after I’d turned off the computer and 23 shoved away from the desk. I was about to scold him for 24 reading over my shoulder when I realized that he wasn’t 25 paying any attention to me. He was examining a ﬂat black 26 box with wires curling crookedly away from the main 27 square in a way that didn’t look healthy for whatever it 28 was. After a second, I recognized the car stereo Emmett, sh 29 Rosalie, and Jasper had given me for my last birthday. I’d reg 30

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forgotten about the birthday presents hiding under a 1 growing pile of dust on the ﬂoor of my closet. 2 “What did you do to this?” he asked in a horrorstruck 3 voice. 4 “It didn’t want to come out of the dashboard.” 5 “So you felt the need to torture it?” 6 “You know how I am with tools. No pain was inﬂicted 7 intentionally.” 8 He shook his head, his face a mask of faux tragedy. 9 “You killed it.” 10 I shrugged. “Oh, well.” 11 “It would hurt their feelings if they saw this,” he said. 12 “I guess it’s a good thing that you’ve been on house arrest. 13 I’ll have to get another one in place before they notice.” 14 “Thanks, but I don’t need a fancy stereo.” 15 “It’s not for your sake that I’m going to replace it.” 16 I sighed. 17 “You didn’t get much good out of your birthday pres- 18 ents last year,” he said in a disgruntled voice. Suddenly, he 19 was fanning himself with a stiff rectangle of paper. 20 I didn’t answer, for fear my voice would shake. My 21 disastrous eighteenth birthday — with all its far-reaching 22 consequences — wasn’t something I cared to remember, 23 and I was surprised that he would bring it up. He was 24 even more sensitive about it than I was. 25 “Do you realize these are about to expire?” he asked, 26 holding the paper out to me. It was another present — the 27 voucher for airplane tickets that Esme and Carlisle had 28 given me so that I could visit Renée in Florida. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I took a deep breath and answered in a flat voice. “No. 2 I’d forgotten all about them, actually.” 3 His expression was carefully bright and positive; there 4 was no trace of any deep emotion as he continued. “Well, 5 we still have a little time. You’ve been liberated...and 6 we have no plans this weekend, as you refuse to go to the 7 prom with me.” He grinned. “Why not celebrate your 8 freedom this way?” 9 I gasped. “By going to Florida?” 10 “You did say something about the continental U.S. be- 11 ing allowable.” 12 I glared at him, suspicious, trying to understand where 13 this had come from. 14 “Well?” he demanded. “Are we going to see Renée 15 or not?” 16 “Charlie will never allow it.” 17 “Charlie can’t keep you from visiting your mother. She 18 still has primary custody.” 19 “Nobody has custody of me. I’m an adult.” 20 He flashed a brilliant smile. “Exactly.” 21 I thought it over for a short minute before deciding 22 that it wasn’t worth the fight. Charlie would be furious — 23 not that I was going to see Renée, but that Edward was 24 going with me. Charlie wouldn’t speak to me for months, 25 and I’d probably end up grounded again. It was definitely 26 smarter not to even bring it up. Maybe in a few weeks, as 27 a graduation favor or something. 28 But the idea of seeing my mother now, not weeks from sh 29 now, was hard to resist. It had been so long since I’d seen reg 30 Renée. And even longer since I’d seen her under pleasant

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circumstances. The last time I’d been with her in Phoenix, 1 I’d spent the whole time in a hospital bed. The last time 2 she’d come here, I’d been more or less catatonic. Not ex- 3 actly the best memories to leave her with. 4 And maybe, if she saw how happy I was with Edward, 5 she would tell Charlie to ease up. 6 Edward scrutinized my face while I deliberated. 7 I sighed. “Not this weekend.” 8 “Why not?” 9 “I don’t want to ﬁght with Charlie. Not so soon after 10 he’s forgiven me.” 11 His eyebrows pulled together. “I think this weekend is 12 perfect,” he muttered. 13 I shook my head. “Another time.” 14 “You aren’t the only one who’s been trapped in this 15 house, you know.” He frowned at me. 16 Suspicion returned. This kind of behavior was unlike 17 him. He was always so impossibly selﬂess; I knew it was 18 making me spoiled. 19 “You can go anywhere you want,” I pointed out. 20 “The outside world holds no interest for me with- 21 out you.” 22 I rolled my eyes at the hyperbole. 23 “I’m serious,” he said. 24 “Let’s take the outside world slowly, all right? For ex- 25 ample, we could start with a movie in Port Angeles....” 26 He groaned. “Never mind. We’ll talk about it later.” 27 “There’s nothing left to talk about.” 28 He shrugged. 29 sh “Okay, then, new subject,” I said. I’d almost forgotten 30 reg

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1 my worries about this afternoon — had that been his in- 2 tention? “What did Alice see today at lunch?” 3 My eyes were fixed on his face as I spoke, measuring his 4 reaction. 5 His expression was composed; there was only the 6 slightest hardening of his topaz eyes. “She’s been seeing 7 Jasper in a strange place, somewhere in the southwest, she 8 thinks, near his former...family. But he has no conscious 9 intentions to go back.” He sighed. “It’s got her worried.” 10 “Oh.” That was nothing close to what I’d been expect- 11 ing. But of course it made sense that Alice would be 12 watching out for Jasper’s future. He was her soul mate, 13 her true other half, though they weren’t as flamboyant 14 about their relationship as Rosalie and Emmett were. 15 “Why didn’t you tell me before?” 16 “I didn’t realize you’d noticed,” he said. “It’s probably 17 nothing important, in any case.” 18 My imagination was sadly out of control. I’d taken a 19 perfectly normal afternoon and twisted it until it looked 20 like Edward was going out of his way to keep things from 21 me. I needed therapy. 22 We went downstairs to work on our homework, just in 23 case Charlie showed up early. Edward finished in minutes; 24 I slogged laboriously through my calculus until I decided 25 it was time to fix Charlie’s dinner. Edward helped, making 26 faces every so often at the raw ingredients — human food 27 was mildly repulsive to him. I made stroganoff from 28 Grandma Swan’s recipe, because I was sucking up. It sh 29 wasn’t one of my favorites, but it would please Charlie. reg 30

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Charlie seemed to already be in a good mood when he 1 got home. He didn’t even go out of his way to be rude to 2 Edward. Edward excused himself from eating with us, as 3 usual. The sound of the nightly news drifted from the 4 front room, but I doubted Edward was really watching. 5 After forcing down three helpings, Charlie kicked his 6 feet up on the spare chair and folded his hands contentedly 7 across his distended stomach. 8 “That was great, Bells.” 9 “I’m glad you liked it. How was work?” He’d been eat- 10 ing with too much concentration for me to make conver- 11 sation before. 12 “Sort of slow. Well, dead slow really. Mark and I played 13 cards for a good part of the afternoon,” he admitted with a 14 grin. “I won, nineteen hands to seven. And then I was on 15 the phone with Billy for a while.” 16 I tried to keep my expression the same. “How is he?” 17 “Good, good. His joints are bothering him a little.” 18 “Oh. That’s too bad.” 19 “Yeah. He invited us down to visit this weekend. He 20 was thinking of having the Clearwaters and the Uleys over 21 too. Sort of a playoff party....” 22 “Huh,” was my genius response. But what could I say? 23 I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to hit a werewolf party, even 24 with parental supervision. I wondered if Edward would 25 have a problem with Charlie hanging out in La Push. Or 26 would he suppose that, since Charlie was mostly spending 27 time with Billy, who was only human, my father wouldn’t 28 be in danger? 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I got up and piled the dishes together without looking 2 at Charlie. I dumped them into the sink and started the 3 water. Edward appeared silently and grabbed a dishtowel. 4 Charlie sighed and gave up for the moment, though I 5 imagined he would revisit the subject when we were alone 6 again. He heaved himself to his feet and headed for the 7 TV, just like every other night. 8 “Charlie,” Edward said in a conversational tone. 9 Charlie stopped in the middle of his little kitchen. 10 “Yeah?” 11 “Did Bella ever tell you that my parents gave her air- 12 plane tickets on her last birthday, so that she could visit 13 Renée?” 14 I dropped the plate I was scrubbing. It glanced off the 15 counter and clattered noisily to the ﬂoor. It didn’t break, 16 but it spattered the room, and all three of us, with soapy 17 water. Charlie didn’t even seem to notice. 18 “Bella?” he asked in a stunned voice. 19 I kept my eyes on the plate as I retrieved it. “Yeah, 20 they did.” 21 Charlie swallowed loudly, and then his eyes narrowed 22 as he turned back to Edward. “No, she never mentioned it.” 23 “Hmm,” Edward murmured. 24 “Was there a reason you brought it up?” Charlie asked 25 in a hard voice. 26 Edward shrugged. “They’re about to expire. I think it 27 might hurt Esme’s feelings if Bella doesn’t use her gift. 28 Not that she’d say anything.” sh 29 I stared at Edward in disbelief. reg 30 Charlie thought for a minute. “It’s probably a good

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idea for you to visit your mom, Bella. She’d love that. I’m 1 surprised you didn’t say anything about this, though.” 2 “I forgot,” I admitted. 3 He frowned. “You forgot that someone gave you plane 4 tickets?” 5 “Mmm,” I murmured vaguely, and turned back to the 6 sink. 7 “I noticed that you said they’re about to expire, Ed- 8 ward,” Charlie went on. “How many tickets did your par- 9 ents give her?” 10 “Just one for her...and one for me.” 11 The plate I dropped this time landed in the sink, so it 12 didn’t make as much noise. I could easily hear the sharp 13 huff as my father exhaled. The blood rushed into my face, 14 fueled by irritation and chagrin. Why was Edward doing 15 this? I glared at the bubbles in the sink, panicking. 16 “That’s out of the question!” Charlie was abruptly in a 17 rage, shouting the words. 18 “Why?” Edward asked, his voice saturated with inno- 19 cent surprise. “You just said it was a good idea for her to 20 see her mother.” 21 Charlie ignored him. “You’re not going anywhere with 22 him, young lady!” he yelled. I spun around and he was 23 jabbing a ﬁnger at me. 24 Anger pulsed through me automatically, an instinctive 25 reaction to his tone. 26 “I’m not a child, Dad. And I’m not grounded anymore, 27 remember?” 28 “Oh yes, you are. Starting now.” 29 sh “For what?!” 30 reg

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1 “Because I said so.” 2 “Do I need to remind you that I’m a legal adult, 3 Charlie?” 4 “This is my house — you follow my rules!” 5 My glare turned icy. “If that’s how you want it. Do you 6 want me to move out tonight? Or can I have a few days to 7 pack?” 8 Charlie’s face went bright red. I instantly felt horrible 9 for playing the move-out card. 10 I took a deep breath and tried to make my tone more 11 reasonable. “I’ll do my time without complaining when 12 I’ve done something wrong, Dad, but I’m not going to 13 put up with your prejudices.” 14 He sputtered, but managed nothing coherent. 15 “Now, I know that you know that I have every right to 16 see Mom for the weekend. You can’t honestly tell me you’d 17 object to the plan if I was going with Alice or Angela.” 18 “Girls,” he grunted, with a nod. 19 “Would it bother you if I took Jacob?” 20 I’d only picked the name because I knew of my father’s 21 preference for Jacob, but I quickly wished I hadn’t; Ed- 22 ward’s teeth clenched together with an audible snap. 23 My father struggled to compose himself before he an- 24 swered. “Yes,” he said in an unconvincing voice. “That 25 would bother me.” 26 “You’re a rotten liar, Dad.” 27 “Bella —” 28 “It’s not like I’m headed off to Vegas to be a showgirl sh 29 or anything. I’m going to see Mom,” I reminded him. reg 30 “She’s just as much my parental authority as you are.”

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He threw me a withering look. 1 “Are you implying something about Mom’s ability to 2 look after me?” 3 Charlie flinched at the threat implicit in my question. 4 “You’d better hope I don’t mention this to her,” I said. 5 “You’d better not,” he warned. “I’m not happy about 6 this, Bella.” 7 “There’s no reason for you to be upset.” 8 He rolled his eyes, but I could tell the storm was over. 9 I turned to pull the plug out of the sink. “So my home- 10 work is done, your dinner is done, the dishes are done, and 11 I’m not grounded. I’m going out. I’ll be back before ten- 12 thirty.” 13 “Where are you going?” His face, almost back to nor- 14 mal, flushed light red again. 15 “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’ll keep it within a ten- 16 mile radius, though. Okay?” 17 He grunted something that did not sound like ap- 18 proval, and stalked out of the room. Naturally, as soon as 19 I’d won the fight, I began to feel guilty. 20 “We’re going out?” Edward asked, his voice low but 21 enthusiastic. 22 I turned to glower at him. “Yes. I think I’d like to 23 speak to you alone.” 24 He didn’t look as apprehensive as I thought he should. 25 I waited to begin until we were safely in his car. 26 “What was that?” I demanded. 27 “I know you want to see your mother, Bella — you’ve 28 been talking about her in your sleep. Worrying actually.” 29 sh “I have?” 30 reg

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1 He nodded. “But, clearly, you were too much of a cow- 2 ard to deal with Charlie, so I interceded on your behalf.” 3 “Interceded? You threw me to the sharks!” 4 He rolled his eyes. “I don’t think you were in any 5 danger.” 6 “I told you I didn’t want to fight with Charlie.” 7 “Nobody said that you had to.” 8 I glowered at him. “I can’t help myself when he gets 9 all bossy like that — my natural teenage instincts over- 10 power me.” 11 He chuckled. “Well, that’s not my fault.” 12 I stared at him, speculating. He didn’t seem to notice. 13 His face was serene as he gazed out the windshield. Some- 14 thing was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Or maybe 15 it was just my imagination again, running wild like it had 16 this afternoon. 17 “Does this sudden urge to see Florida have anything to 18 do with the party at Billy’s place?” 19 His jaw flexed. “Nothing at all. It wouldn’t matter if 20 you were here or on the other side of the world, you still 21 wouldn’t be going.” 22 It was just like with Charlie before — just like being 23 treated as a misbehaving child. I gritted my teeth together 24 so I wouldn’t start shouting. I didn’t want to fight with 25 Edward, too. 26 Edward sighed, and when he spoke his voice was warm 27 and velvet again. “So what do you want to do tonight?” he 28 asked. sh 29 “Can we go to your house? I haven’t seen Esme in so reg 30 long.”

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He smiled. “She’ll like that. Especially when she hears 1 what we’re doing this weekend.” 2 I groaned in defeat. 3 4 We didn’t stay out late, as I’d promised. I was not sur- 5 prised to see the lights still on when we pulled up in front 6 of the house — I knew Charlie would be waiting to yell at 7 me some more. 8 “You’d better not come inside,” I said. “It will only 9 make things worse.” 10 “His thoughts are relatively calm,” Edward teased. His 11 expression made me wonder if there was some additional 12 joke I was missing. The corners of his mouth twitched, 13 fighting a smile. 14 “I’ll see you later,” I muttered glumly. 15 He laughed and kissed the top of my head. “I’ll be back 16 when Charlie’s snoring.” 17 The TV was loud when I got inside. I briefly consid- 18 ered trying to sneak past him. 19 “Could you come in here, Bella?” Charlie called, sink- 20 ing that plan. 21 My feet dragged as I took the five necessary steps. 22 “What’s up, Dad?” 23 “Did you have a nice time tonight?” he asked. He 24 seemed ill at ease. I looked for hidden meanings in his 25 words before I answered. 26 “Yes,” I said hesitantly. 27 “What did you do?” 28 I shrugged. “Hung out with Alice and Jasper. Edward 29 sh beat Alice at chess, and then I played Jasper. He buried me.” 30 reg

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1 I smiled. Edward and Alice playing chess was one of 2 the funniest things I’d ever seen. They’d sat there nearly 3 motionless, staring at the board, while Alice foresaw the 4 moves he would make and he picked the moves she would 5 make in return out of her head. They played most of the 6 game in their minds; I think they’d each moved two 7 pawns when Alice suddenly flicked her king over and sur- 8 rendered. It took all of three minutes. 9 Charlie hit the mute button — an unusual action. 10 “Look, there’s something I need to say.” He frowned, 11 looking very uncomfortable. 12 I sat still, waiting. He met my gaze for a second before 13 shifting his eyes to the floor. He didn’t say anything more. 14 “What is it, Dad?” 15 He sighed. “I’m not good at this kind of thing. I don’t 16 know how to start....” 17 I waited again. 18 “Okay, Bella. Here’s the thing.” He got up from the 19 couch and started pacing back and forth across the room, 20 looking as his feet all the time. “You and Edward seem 21 pretty serious, and there are some things that you need to 22 be careful about. I know you’re an adult now, but you’re 23 still young, Bella, and there are a lot of important things 24 you need to know when you...well, when you’re physi- 25 cally involved with —” 26 “Oh, please, please no!” I begged, jumping to my feet. 27 “Please tell me you are not trying to have a sex talk with 28 me, Charlie.” sh 29 He glared at the floor. “I am your father. I have respon- reg 30 sibilities. Remember, I’m just as embarrassed as you are.”

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“I don’t think that’s humanly possible. Anyway, Mom 1 beat you to the punch about ten years ago. You’re off the 2 hook.” 3 “Ten years ago you didn’t have a boyfriend,” he mut- 4 tered unwillingly. I could tell he was battling with his 5 desire to drop the subject. We were both standing up, 6 looking at the ﬂoor, and facing away from each other. 7 “I don’t think the essentials have changed that much,” 8 I mumbled, and my face had to be as red as his. This was 9 beyond the seventh circle of Hades; even worse was realiz- 10 ing that Edward had known this was coming. No wonder 11 he’d seemed so smug in the car. 12 “Just tell me that you two are being responsible,” 13 Charlie pled, obviously wishing a pit would open in the 14 ﬂoor so that he could fall in. 15 “Don’t worry about it, Dad, it’s not like that.” 16 “Not that I don’t trust you, Bella, but I know you don’t 17 want to tell me anything about this, and you know I don’t 18 really want to hear it. I will try to be open-minded, 19 though. I know the times have changed.” 20 I laughed awkwardly. “Maybe the times have, but Ed- 21 ward is very old-fashioned. You have nothing to worry 22 about.” 23 Charlie sighed. “Sure he is,” he muttered. 24 “Ugh!” I groaned. “I really wish you were not forcing 25 me to say this out loud, Dad. Really. But...I am a... 26 virgin, and I have no immediate plans to change that 27 status.” 28 We both cringed, but then Charlie’s face smoothed out. 29 sh He seemed to believe me. 30 reg

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1 “Can I go to bed, now? Please.” 2 “In a minute,” he said. 3 “Aw, please, Dad? I’m begging you.” 4 “The embarrassing part’s over, I promise,” he assured me. 5 I shot a glance at him, and was grateful to see that he 6 looked more relaxed, that his face was back to its regular 7 color. He sank down onto the sofa, sighing with relief that 8 he was past the sex speech. 9 “What now?” 10 “I just wanted to know how the balance thing is com- 11 ing along.” 12 “Oh. Good, I guess. I made plans with Angela today. 13 I’m going to help her with her graduation announce- 14 ments. Just us girls.” 15 “That’s nice. And what about Jake?” 16 I sighed. “I haven’t ﬁgured that one out yet, Dad.” 17 “Keep trying, Bella. I know you’ll do the right thing. 18 You’re a good person.” 19 Nice. So if I didn’t ﬁgure out some way to make things 20 right with Jacob, then I was a bad person? That was below 21 the belt. 22 “Sure, sure,” I agreed. The automatic response almost 23 made me smile — it was something I’d picked up from 24 Jacob. I even said it in the same patronizing tone he used 25 with his own father. 26 Charlie grinned and turned the sound back on. He 27 slumped lower into the cushions, pleased with his night’s 28 work. I could tell he would be up with the game for a while. sh 29 “’Night, Bells.” reg 30 “See you in the morning!” I sprinted for the stairs.

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Edward was long gone and he wouldn’t be back until 1 Charlie was asleep — he was probably out hunting or 2 something to pass the time — so I was in no hurry to un- 3 dress for bed. I wasn’t in the mood to be alone, but I cer- 4 tainly wasn’t going to go back downstairs to hang out 5 with my Dad, just in case he thought of some topic of sex 6 education that he hadn’t touched on before; I shuddered. 7 So, thanks to Charlie, I was wound up and anxious. My 8 homework was done and I didn’t feel mellow enough for 9 reading or just listening to music. I considered calling 10 Renée with the news of my visit, but then I realized that 11 it was three hours later in Florida, and she would be asleep. 12 I could call Angela, I supposed. 13 But suddenly I knew that it wasn’t Angela that I 14 wanted to talk to. That I needed to talk to. 15 I stared at the blank black window, biting my lip. I 16 don’t know how long I stood there weighing the pros 17 against the cons — doing the right thing by Jacob, seeing 18 my closest friend again, being a good person, versus mak- 19 ing Edward furious with me. Ten minutes maybe. Long 20 enough to decide that the pros were valid while the cons 21 were not. Edward was only concerned about my safety, and 22 I knew that there was really no problem on that count. 23 The phone wasn’t any help; Jacob had refused to an- 24 swer my phone calls since Edward’s return. Besides, I 25 needed to see him — see him smiling again the way he 26 used to. I needed to replace that awful last memory of his 27 face warped and twisted by pain if I was ever going to have 28 any peace of mind. 29 sh I had an hour probably. I could make a quick run down 30 reg

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1 to La Push and be back before Edward realized I had gone. 2 It was past my curfew, but would Charlie really care about 3 that when Edward wasn’t involved? One way to ﬁnd out. 4 I grabbed my jacket and shoved my arms through the 5 sleeves as I ran down the stairs. 6 Charlie looked up from the game, instantly suspicious. 7 “You care if I go see Jake tonight?” I asked breathlessly. 8 “I won’t stay long.” 9 As soon as I said Jake’s name, Charlie’s expression re- 10 laxed into a smug smile. He didn’t seem surprised at all 11 that his lecture had taken effect so quickly. “Sure, kid. No 12 problem. Stay as long as you like.” 13 “Thanks, Dad,” I said as I darted out the door. 14 Like any fugitive, I couldn’t help looking over my 15 shoulder a few times while I jogged to my truck, but the 16 night was so black that there really was no point. I had to 17 feel my way along the side of the truck to the handle. 18 My eyes were just beginning to adjust as I shoved my 19 keys in the ignition. I twisted them hard to the left, but 20 instead of roaring deafeningly to life, the engine just 21 clicked. I tried it again with the same results. 22 And then a small motion in my peripheral vision made 23 me jump. 24 “Gah!” I gasped in shock when I saw that I was not 25 alone in the cab. 26 Edward sat very still, a faint bright spot in the dark- 27 ness, only his hands moving as he turned a mysterious 28 black object around and around. He stared at the object as sh 29 he spoke. reg 30 “Alice called,” he murmured.

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Alice! Damn. I’d forgotten to account for her in my 1 plans. He must have her watching me. 2 “She got nervous when your future rather abruptly dis- 3 appeared ﬁve minutes ago.” 4 My eyes, already wide with surprise, popped wider. 5 “Because she can’t see the wolves, you know,” he ex- 6 plained in the same low murmur. “Had you forgotten 7 that? When you decide to mingle your fate with theirs, 8 you disappear, too. You couldn’t know that part, I realize 9 that. But can you understand why that might make me a 10 little...anxious? Alice saw you disappear, and she couldn’t 11 even tell if you’d come home or not. Your future got lost, 12 just like theirs. 13 “We’re not sure why this is. Some natural defense 14 they’re born with?” He spoke as if he were talking to him- 15 self now, still looking at the piece of my truck’s engine as he 16 twirled it in his hands. “That doesn’t seem entirely likely, 17 since I haven’t had any trouble reading their thoughts. The 18 Blacks’ at least. Carlisle theorizes that it’s because their 19 lives are so ruled by their transformations. It’s more an in- 20 voluntary reaction than a decision. Utterly unpredictable, 21 and it changes everything about them. In that instant 22 when they shift from one form to the other, they don’t really 23 even exist. The future can’t hold them....” 24 I listened to his musing in stony silence. 25 “I’ll put your car back together in time for school, in 26 case you’d like to drive yourself,” he assured me after a 27 minute. 28 With my lips mashed together, I retrieved my keys and 29 sh stifﬂy climbed out of the truck. 30 reg

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1 “Shut your window if you want me to stay away 2 tonight. I’ll understand,” he whispered just before I 3 slammed the door. 4 I stomped into the house, slamming that door, too. 5 “What’s wrong?” Charlie demanded from the couch. 6 “Truck won’t start,” I growled. 7 “Want me to look at it?” 8 “No. I’ll try it in the morning.” 9 “Want to use my car?” 10 I wasn’t supposed to drive his police cruiser. Charlie 11 must be really desperate to get me to La Push. Nearly as 12 desperate as I was. 13 “No. I’m tired,” I grumbled. “’Night.” 14 I stamped my way up the stairs, and went straight 15 to my window. I shoved the metal frame roughly — it 16 crashed shut and the glass trembled. 17 I stared at the shivering black glass for a long moment, 18 until it was still. Then I sighed, and opened the window as 19 wide as it would go. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 3. MOTIVES 15 16 17 The sun was so deeply buried behind the clouds 18 that there was no way to tell if it had set or not. After the 19 long ﬂight — chasing the sun westward so that it seemed 20 unmoving in the sky — it was especially disorienting; 21 time seemed oddly variable. It took me by surprise when 22 the forest gave way to the ﬁrst buildings, signaling that 23 we were nearly home. 24 “You’ve been very quiet,” Edward observed. “Did the 25 plane make you sick?” 26 “No, I’m okay.” 27 “Are you sad to leave?” 28 “More relieved than sad, I think.” 29 sh He raised one eyebrow at me. I knew it was useless 30 reg

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1 and — much as I hated to admit it — unnecessary to ask 2 him to keep his eyes on the road. 3 “Renée is so much more...perceptive than Charlie in 4 some ways. It was making me jumpy.” 5 Edward laughed. “Your mother has a very interesting 6 mind. Almost childlike, but very insightful. She sees things 7 differently than other people.” 8 Insightful. It was a good description of my mother — 9 when she was paying attention. Most of the time Renée 10 was so bewildered by her own life that she didn’t notice 11 much else. But this weekend she’d been paying plenty of 12 attention to me. 13 Phil was busy — the high school baseball team he 14 coached was in the playoffs — and being alone with Ed- 15 ward and me had only sharpened Renée’s focus. As soon as 16 the hugs and squeals of delight were out of the way, Renée 17 began to watch. And as she’d watched, her wide blue eyes 18 had become ﬁrst confused and then concerned. 19 This morning we’d gone for a walk along the beach. She 20 wanted to show off all the beauties of her new home, still 21 hoping, I think, that the sun might lure me away from 22 Forks. She’d also wanted to talk with me alone, and that 23 was easily arranged. Edward had fabricated a term paper 24 to give himself an excuse to stay indoors during the day. 25 In my head, I went through the conversation again.... 26 Renée and I ambled along the sidewalk, trying to stay 27 in the range of the infrequent palm tree shadows. Though 28 it was early, the heat was smothering. The air was so heavy sh 29 with moisture that just breathing in and out was giving reg 30 my lungs a workout.

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“Bella?” my mother asked, looking out past the sand to 1 the lightly crashing waves as she spoke. 2 “What is it, Mom?” 3 She sighed, not meeting my gaze. “I’m worried....” 4 “What’s wrong?” I asked, anxious at once. “What can 5 I do?” 6 “It’s not me.” She shook her head. “I’m worried about 7 you...and Edward.” 8 Renée ﬁnally looked at me when she said his name, her 9 face apologetic. 10 “Oh,” I mumbled, ﬁxing my eyes on a pair of joggers as 11 they passed us, drenched with sweat. 12 “You two are more serious than I’d been thinking,” she 13 went on. 14 I frowned, quickly reviewing the last two days in my 15 head. Edward and I had barely touched — in front of her, 16 at least. I wondered if Renée was about to give me a lec- 17 ture on responsibility, too. I didn’t mind that the way I 18 had with Charlie. It wasn’t embarrassing with my mom. 19 After all, I’d been the one giving her that lecture time and 20 time again in the last ten years. 21 “There’s something...strange about the way you two 22 are together,” she murmured, her forehead creasing over 23 her troubled eyes. “The way he watches you — it’s so... 24 protective. Like he’s about to throw himself in front of a 25 bullet to save you or something.” 26 I laughed, though I was still not able to meet her gaze. 27 “That’s a bad thing?” 28 “No.” She frowned as she struggled for the words. “It’s 29 sh just different. He’s very intense about you...and very 30 reg

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1 careful. I feel like I don’t really understand your relation- 2 ship. Like there’s some secret I’m missing....” 3 “I think you’re imagining things, Mom,” I said 4 quickly, struggling to keep my voice light. There was a 5 flutter in my stomach. I’d forgotten how much my mother 6 saw. Something about her simple view of the world cut 7 through all the distractions and pierced right to the truth 8 of things. This had never been a problem before. Until 9 now, there had never been a secret I couldn’t tell her. 10 “It’s not just him.” She set her lips defensively. “I wish 11 you could see how you move around him.” 12 “What do you mean?” 13 “The way you move — you orient yourself around him 14 without even thinking about it. When he moves, even a 15 little bit, you adjust your position at the same time. Like 16 magnets...or gravity. You’re like a ...satellite, or some- 17 thing. I’ve never seen anything like it.” 18 She pursed her lips and stared down. 19 “Don’t tell me,” I teased, forcing a smile. “You’re read- 20 ing mysteries again, aren’t you? Or is it sci-fi this time?” 21 Renée flushed a delicate pink. “That’s beside the 22 point.” 23 “Found anything good?” 24 “Well, there was one — but that doesn’t matter. We’re 25 talking about you right now.” 26 “You should stick to romance, Mom. You know how 27 you freak yourself out.” 28 Her lips turned up at the corners. “I’m being silly, sh 29 aren’t I?” reg 30 For half a second I couldn’t answer. Renée was so easily

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swayed. Sometimes it was a good thing, because not all 1 of her ideas were practical. But it pained me to see how 2 quickly she caved in to my trivializing, especially since 3 she was dead right this time. 4 She looked up, and I controlled my expression. 5 “Not silly — just being a mom.” 6 She laughed and then gestured grandly toward the 7 white sands stretching to the blue water. 8 “And all this isn’t enough to get you to move back in 9 with your silly mom?” 10 I wiped my hand dramatically across my forehead, and 11 then pretended to wring my hair out. 12 “You get used to the humidity,” she promised. 13 “You can get used to rain, too,” I countered. 14 She elbowed me playfully and then took my hand as we 15 walked back to her car. 16 Other than her worries about me, she seemed happy 17 enough. Content. She still looked at Phil with goo-goo 18 eyes, and that was comforting. Surely her life was full and 19 satisfying. Surely she didn’t miss me that much, even 20 now.... 21 Edward’s icy ﬁngers brushed my cheek. I looked up, 22 blinking, coming back to the present. He leaned down 23 and kissed my forehead. 24 “We’re home, Sleeping Beauty. Time to awake.” 25 We were stopped in front of Charlie’s house. The porch 26 light was on and the cruiser was parked in the driveway. 27 As I examined the house, I saw the curtain twitch in the 28 living room window, ﬂashing a line of yellow light across 29 sh the dark lawn. 30 reg

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1 I sighed. Of course Charlie was waiting to pounce. 2 Edward must have been thinking the same thing, be- 3 cause his expression was stiff and his eyes remote as he 4 came to get my door for me. 5 “How bad?” I asked. 6 “Charlie’s not going to be difficult,” Edward promised, 7 his voice level with no hint of humor. “He missed you.” 8 My eyes narrowed in doubt. If that was the case, then 9 why was Edward tensed as if for a battle? 10 My bag was small, but he insisted on carrying it into 11 the house. Charlie held the door open for us. 12 “Welcome home, kid!” Charlie shouted like he really 13 meant it. “How was Jacksonville?” 14 “Moist. And buggy.” 15 “So Renée didn’t sell you on the University of Florida?” 16 “She tried. But I’d rather drink water than inhale it.” 17 Charlie’s eyes flickered unwillingly to Edward. “Did you 18 have a nice time?” 19 “Yes,” Edward answered in a serene voice. “Renée was 20 very hospitable.” 21 “That’s ...um, good. Glad you had fun.” Charlie 22 turned away from Edward and pulled me in for an unex- 23 pected hug. 24 “Impressive,” I whispered in his ear. 25 He rumbled a laugh. “I really missed you, Bells. The 26 food around here sucks when you’re gone.” 27 “I’ll get on it,” I said as he let me go. 28 “Would you call Jacob first? He’s been bugging me sh 29 every five minutes since six o’clock this morning. I prom- reg 30 ised I’d have you call him before you even unpacked.”

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I didn’t have to look at Edward to feel that he was 1 too still, too cold beside me. So this was the cause of his 2 tension. 3 “Jacob wants to talk to me?” 4 “Pretty bad, I’d say. He wouldn’t tell me what it was 5 about — just said it was important.” 6 The phone rang then, shrill and demanding. 7 “That’s him again, I’d bet my next paycheck,” Charlie 8 muttered. 9 “I got it.” I hurried to the kitchen. 10 Edward followed after me while Charlie disappeared 11 into the living room. 12 I grabbed the phone mid-ring, and twisted around so 13 that I was facing the wall. “Hello?” 14 “You’re back,” Jacob said. 15 His familiar husky voice sent a wave of wistfulness 16 through me. A thousand memories spun in my head, tan- 17 gling together — a rocky beach strewn with driftwood 18 trees, a garage made of plastic sheds, warm sodas in a pa- 19 per bag, a tiny room with one too-small shabby loveseat. 20 The laughter in his deep-set black eyes, the feverish heat 21 of his big hand around mine, the ﬂash of his white teeth 22 against his dark skin, his face stretching into the wide 23 smile that had always been like a key to a secret door 24 where only kindred spirits could enter. 25 It felt sort of like homesickness, this longing for the 26 place and person who had sheltered me through my dark- 27 est night. 28 I cleared the lump from my throat. “Yes,” I answered. 29 sh “Why didn’t you call me?” Jacob demanded. 30 reg

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1 His angry tone instantly got my back up. “Because I’ve 2 been in the house for exactly four seconds and your call in- 3 terrupted Charlie telling me that you’d called.” 4 “Oh. Sorry.” 5 “Sure. Now, why are you harassing Charlie?” 6 “I need to talk to you.” 7 “Yeah, I ﬁgured out that part all by myself. Go ahead.” 8 There was a short pause. 9 “You going to school tomorrow?” 10 I frowned to myself, unable to make sense of this ques- 11 tion. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?” 12 “I dunno. Just curious.” 13 Another pause. 14 “So what did you want to talk about, Jake?” 15 He hesitated. “Nothing really, I guess. I...wanted to 16 hear your voice.” 17 “Yeah, I know. I’m so glad you called me, Jake. I...” 18 But I didn’t know what more to say. I wanted to tell him 19 I was on my way to La Push right now. And I couldn’t tell 20 him that. 21 “I have to go,” he said abruptly. 22 “What?” 23 “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” 24 “But Jake —” 25 He was already gone. I listened to the dial tone with 26 disbelief. 27 “That was short,” I muttered. 28 “Is everything all right?” Edward asked. His voice was sh 29 low and careful. reg 30

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I turned slowly to face him. His expression was per- 1 fectly smooth — impossible to read. 2 “I don’t know. I wonder what that was about.” It didn’t 3 make sense that Jacob had been hounding Charlie all day 4 just to ask me if I was going to school. And if he’d wanted 5 to hear my voice, then why did he hang up so quickly? 6 “Your guess is probably better than mine,” Edward said, 7 the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. 8 “Mmm,” I murmured. That was true. I knew Jake in- 9 side and out. It shouldn’t be that complicated to figure out 10 his motivations. 11 With my thoughts miles away — about fifteen miles 12 away, up the road to La Push — I started combing through 13 the fridge, assembling ingredients for Charlie’s dinner. Ed- 14 ward leaned against the counter, and I was distantly aware 15 that his eyes were on my face, but too preoccupied to 16 worry about what he saw there. 17 The school thing seemed like the key to me. That was 18 the only real question Jake had asked. And he had to be af- 19 ter an answer to something, or he wouldn’t have been bug- 20 ging Charlie so persistently. 21 Why would my attendance record matter to him, 22 though? 23 I tried to think about it in a logical way. So, if I hadn’t 24 been going to school tomorrow, what would be the problem 25 with that, from Jacob’s perspective? Charlie had given me 26 a little grief about missing a day of school so close to fi- 27 nals, but I’d convinced him that one Friday wasn’t going 28 to derail my studies. Jake would hardly care about that. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 My brain refused to come up with any brilliant in- 2 sights. Maybe I was missing some vital piece of infor- 3 mation. 4 What could have changed in the past three days that 5 was so important that Jacob would break his long streak of 6 refusing to answer my phone calls and contact me? What 7 difference could three days make? 8 I froze in the middle of the kitchen. The package of icy 9 hamburger in my hands slipped through my numb ﬁn- 10 gers. It took me a slow second to miss the thud it should 11 have made against the ﬂoor. 12 Edward had caught it and thrown it onto the counter. 13 His arms were already around me, his lips at my ear. 14 “What’s wrong?” 15 I shook my head, dazed. 16 Three days could change everything. 17 Hadn’t I just been thinking about how impossible col- 18 lege was? How I couldn’t be anywhere near people after I’d 19 gone through the painful three-day conversion that would 20 set me free from mortality, so that I could spend eternity 21 with Edward? The conversion that would make me forever 22 a prisoner to my own thirst.... 23 Had Charlie told Billy that I’d vanished for three days? 24 Had Billy jumped to conclusions? Had Jacob really been 25 asking me if I was still human? Making sure that the 26 werewolves’ treaty was unbroken — that none of the Cul- 27 lens had dared to bite a human...bite, not kill...? 28 But did he honestly think I would come home to Char- sh 29 lie if that was the case? reg 30 Edward shook me. “Bella?” he asked, truly anxious now.

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“I think...I think he was checking,” I mumbled. 1 “Checking to make sure. That I’m human, I mean.” 2 Edward stiffened, and a low hiss sounded in my ear. 3 “We’ll have to leave,” I whispered. “Before. So that it 4 doesn’t break the treaty. We won’t ever be able to come 5 back.” 6 His arms tightened around me. “I know.” 7 “Ahem.” Charlie cleared his voice loudly behind us. 8 I jumped, and then pulled free of Edward’s arms, my 9 face getting hot. Edward leaned back against the counter. 10 His eyes were tight. I could see worry in them, and anger. 11 “If you don’t want to make dinner, I can call for a 12 pizza,” Charlie hinted. 13 “No, that’s okay, I’m already started.” 14 “Okay,” Charlie said. He propped himself against the 15 doorframe, folding his arms. 16 I sighed and got to work, trying to ignore my audience. 17 18 “If I asked you to do something, would you trust me?” Ed- 19 ward asked, an edge to his soft voice. 20 We were almost to school. Edward had been relaxed 21 and joking just a moment ago, and now suddenly his hands 22 were clenched tight on the steering wheel, his knuckles 23 straining in an effort not to snap it into pieces. 24 I stared at his anxious expression — his eyes were far 25 away, like he was listening to distant voices. 26 My pulse sped in response to his stress, but I answered 27 carefully. “That depends.” 28 We pulled into the school lot. 29 sh “I was afraid you would say that.” 30 reg

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1 “What do you want me to do, Edward?” 2 “I want you to stay in the car.” He pulled into his usual 3 spot and turned the engine off as he spoke. “I want you to 4 wait here until I come back for you.” 5 “But...why?” 6 That was when I saw him. He would have been hard to 7 miss, towering over the students the way he did, even if he 8 hadn’t been leaning against his black motorcycle, parked 9 illegally on the sidewalk. 10 “Oh.” 11 Jacob’s face was a calm mask that I recognized well. It 12 was the face he used when he was determined to keep his 13 emotions in check, to keep himself under control. It made 14 him look like Sam, the oldest of the wolves, the leader of 15 the Quileute pack. But Jacob could never quite manage 16 the perfect serenity Sam always exuded. 17 I’d forgotten how much this face bothered me. Though 18 I’d gotten to know Sam pretty well before the Cullens had 19 come back — to like him, even — I’d never been able to 20 completely shake the resentment I felt when Jacob mim- 21 icked Sam’s expression. It was a stranger’s face. He wasn’t 22 my Jacob when he wore it. 23 “You jumped to the wrong conclusion last night,” Ed- 24 ward murmured. “He asked about school because he knew 25 that I would be where you were. He was looking for a safe 26 place to talk to me. A place with witnesses.” 27 So I’d misinterpreted Jacob’s motives last night. Miss- 28 ing information, that was the problem. Information like sh 29 why in the world Jacob would want to talk to Edward. reg 30 “I’m not staying in the car,” I said.

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Edward groaned quietly. “Of course not. Well, let’s get 1 this over with.” 2 Jacob’s face hardened as we walked toward him, hand 3 in hand. 4 I noticed other faces, too — the faces of my classmates. 5 I noticed how their eyes widened as they took in all six 6 foot seven inches of Jacob’s long body, muscled up the way 7 no normal sixteen-and-a-half-year-old ever had been. I saw 8 those eyes rake over his tight black t-shirt — short-sleeved, 9 though the day was unseasonably cool — his ragged, grease- 10 smeared jeans, and the glossy black bike he leaned against. 11 Their eyes didn’t linger on his face — something about his 12 expression had them glancing quickly away. And I noticed 13 the wide berth everyone gave him, the bubble of space that 14 no one dared to encroach on. 15 With a sense of astonishment, I realized that Jacob 16 looked dangerous to them. How odd. 17 Edward stopped a few yards away from Jacob, and I 18 could tell that he was uncomfortable having me so close to 19 a werewolf. He drew his hand back slightly, pulling me 20 halfway behind his body. 21 “You could have called us,” Edward said in a steel-hard 22 voice. 23 “Sorry,” Jacob answered, his face twisting into a sneer. 24 “I don’t have any leeches on my speed dial.” 25 “You could have reached me at Bella’s house, of course.” 26 Jacob’s jaw ﬂexed, and his brows pulled together. He 27 didn’t answer. 28 “This is hardly the place, Jacob. Could we discuss this 29 sh later?” 30 reg

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1 “Sure, sure. I’ll stop by your crypt after school.” Jacob 2 snorted. “What’s wrong with now?” 3 Edward looked around pointedly, his eyes resting on 4 the witnesses who were just barely out of hearing range. A 5 few people were hesitating on the sidewalk, their eyes 6 bright with expectation. Like they were hoping a fight 7 might break out to alleviate the tedium of another Mon- 8 day morning. I saw Tyler Crowley nudge Austin Marks, 9 and they both paused on their way to class. 10 “I already know what you came to say,” Edward re- 11 minded Jacob in voice so low that I could barely make it 12 out. “Message delivered. Consider us warned.” 13 Edward glanced down at me for a fleeting second with 14 worried eyes. 15 “Warned?” I asked blankly. “What are you talking 16 about?” 17 “You didn’t tell her?” Jacob asked, his eyes widening 18 with disbelief. “What, were you afraid she’d take our side?” 19 “Please drop it, Jacob,” Edward said in an even voice. 20 “Why?” Jacob challenged. 21 I frowned in confusion. “What don’t I know? Edward?” 22 Edward just glared at Jacob as if he hadn’t heard me. 23 “Jake?” 24 Jacob raised his eyebrow at me. “He didn’t tell you that 25 his big...brother crossed the line Saturday night?” he 26 asked, his tone thickly layered with sarcasm. Then his eyes 27 flickered back to Edward. “Paul was totally justified in —” 28 “It was no-man’s land!” Edward hissed. sh 29 “Was not!” reg 30

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Jacob was fuming visibly. His hands trembled. He 1 shook his head and sucked in two deep lungfuls of air. 2 “Emmett and Paul?” I whispered. Paul was Jacob’s 3 most volatile pack brother. He was the one who’d lost con- 4 trol that day in the woods — the memory of the snarling 5 gray wolf was suddenly vivid in my head. “What hap- 6 pened? Were they ﬁghting?” My voice strained higher in 7 panic. “Why? Did Paul get hurt?” 8 “No one fought,” Edward said quietly, only to me. “No 9 one got hurt. Don’t be anxious.” 10 Jacob was staring at us with incredulous eyes. “You 11 didn’t tell her anything at all, did you? Is that why you 12 took her away? So she wouldn’t know that —?” 13 “Leave now.” Edward cut him off mid-sentence, and his 14 face was abruptly frightening — truly frightening. For a 15 second, he looked like...like a vampire. He glared at Ja- 16 cob with vicious, unveiled loathing. 17 Jacob raised his eyebrows, but made no other move. 18 “Why haven’t you told her?” 19 They faced each other in silence for a long moment. 20 More students gathered behind Tyler and Austin. I saw 21 Mike next to Ben — Mike had one hand on Ben’s shoul- 22 der, like he was holding him in place. 23 In the dead silence, all the details suddenly fell into 24 place for me with a burst of intuition. 25 Something Edward didn’t want me to know. 26 Something that Jacob wouldn’t have kept from me. 27 Something that had the Cullens and the wolves both in 28 the woods, moving in hazardous proximity to each other. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Something that would cause Edward to insist that I fly 2 across the country. 3 Something that Alice had seen in a vision last week — 4 a vision Edward had lied to me about. 5 Something I’d been waiting for anyway. Something I 6 knew would happen again, as much as I might wish it 7 never would. It was never going to end, was it? 8 I heard the quick gasp, gasp, gasp, gasp of the air drag- 9 ging through my lips, but I couldn’t stop it. It looked like 10 the school was shaking, like there was an earthquake, but 11 I knew it was my own trembling that caused the illusion. 12 “She came back for me,” I choked out. 13 Victoria was never going to give up till I was dead. She 14 would keep repeating the same pattern — feint and run, 15 feint and run — until she found a hole through my de- 16 fenders. 17 Maybe I’d get lucky. Maybe the Volturi would come 18 for me first — they’d kill me quicker, at least. 19 Edward held me tight to his side, angling his body so 20 that he was still between me and Jacob, and stroked my 21 face with anxious hands. “It’s fine,” he whispered to me. 22 “It’s fine. I’ll never let her get close to you, it’s fine.” 23 Then he glared at Jacob. “Does that answer your ques- 24 tion, mongrel?” 25 “You don’t think Bella has a right to know?” Jacob 26 challenged. “It’s her life.” 27 Edward kept his voice muted; even Tyler, edging for- 28 ward by inches, would be unable to hear. “Why should she sh 29 be frightened when she was never in danger?” reg 30

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“Better frightened than lied to.” 1 I tried to pull myself together, but my eyes were swim- 2 ming in moisture. I could see it behind my lids — I could 3 see Victoria’s face, her lips pulled back over her teeth, her 4 crimson eyes glowing with the obsession of her vendetta; she 5 held Edward responsible for the demise of her love, James. 6 She wouldn’t stop until his love was taken from him, too. 7 Edward wiped the tears from my cheek with his ﬁnger- 8 tips. 9 “Do you really think hurting her is better than protect- 10 ing her?” he murmured. 11 “She’s tougher than you think,” Jacob said. “And she’s 12 been through worse.” 13 Abruptly, Jacob’s expression shifted, and he was staring 14 at Edward with an odd, speculative expression. His eyes 15 narrowed like he was trying to do a difﬁcult math problem 16 in his head. 17 I felt Edward cringe. I glanced up at him, and his face 18 was contorted in what could only be pain. For one ghastly 19 moment, I was reminded of our afternoon in Italy, in the 20 macabre tower room of the Volturi, where Jane had tor- 21 tured Edward with her malignant gift, burning him with 22 her thoughts alone.... 23 The memory snapped me out of my near hysteria and 24 put everything in perspective. Because I’d rather Victoria 25 killed me a hundred times over than watch Edward suffer 26 that way again. 27 “That’s funny,” Jacob said, laughing as he watched Ed- 28 ward’s face. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Edward winced, but smoothed his expression with a 2 little effort. He couldn’t quite hide the agony in his eyes. 3 I glanced, wide-eyed, from Edward’s grimace to Jacob’s 4 sneer. 5 “What are you doing to him?” I demanded. 6 “It’s nothing, Bella,” Edward told me quietly. “Jacob 7 just has a good memory, that’s all.” 8 Jacob grinned, and Edward winced again. 9 “Stop it! Whatever you’re doing.” 10 “Sure, if you want.” Jacob shrugged. “It’s his own fault 11 if he doesn’t like the things I remember, though.” 12 I glared at him, and he smiled back impishly — like a 13 kid caught doing something he knows he shouldn’t by 14 someone who he knows won’t punish him. 15 “The principal’s on his way to discourage loitering on 16 school property,” Edward murmured to me. “Let’s get to 17 English, Bella, so you’re not involved.” 18 “Overprotective, isn’t he?” Jacob said, talking just to 19 me. “A little trouble makes life fun. Let me guess, you’re 20 not allowed to have fun, are you?” 21 Edward glowered, and his lips pulled back from his 22 teeth ever so slightly. 23 “Shut up, Jake,” I said. 24 Jacob laughed. “That sounds like a no. Hey, if you ever 25 feel like having a life again, you could come see me. I’ve 26 still got your motorcycle in my garage.” 27 This news distracted me. “You were supposed to sell 28 that. You promised Charlie you would.” If I hadn’t begged sh 29 on Jake’s behalf — after all, he’d put weeks of labor into reg 30 both motorcycles, and he deserved some kind of payback —

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Charlie would have thrown my bike in a Dumpster. And 1 possibly set that Dumpster on ﬁre. 2 “Yeah, right. Like I would do that. It belongs to you, 3 not me. Anyway, I’ll hold on to it until you want it back.” 4 A tiny hint of the smile I remembered was suddenly 5 playing around the edges of his lips. 6 “Jake...” 7 He leaned forward, his face earnest now, the bitter sar- 8 casm fading. “I think I might have been wrong before, you 9 know, about not being able to be friends. Maybe we could 10 manage it, on my side of the line. Come see me.” 11 I was vividly conscious of Edward, his arms still 12 wrapped protectively around me, motionless as a stone. I 13 shot a look at his face — it was calm, patient. 14 “I, er, don’t know about that, Jake.” 15 Jacob dropped the antagonistic façade completely. It 16 was like he’d forgotten Edward was there, or at least he 17 was determined to act that way. “I miss you every day, 18 Bella. It’s not the same without you.” 19 “I know and I’m sorry, Jake, I just...” 20 He shook his head, and sighed. “I know. Doesn’t mat- 21 ter, right? I guess I’ll survive or something. Who needs 22 friends?” He grimaced, trying to cover the pain with a thin 23 attempt at bravado. 24 Jacob’s suffering had always triggered my protective 25 side. It was not entirely rational — Jacob was hardly in 26 need of any physical protection I could offer. But my arms, 27 pinned beneath Edward’s, yearned to reach out to him. To 28 wrap around his big, warm waist in a silent promise of ac- 29 sh ceptance and comfort. 30 reg

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1 Edward’s shielding arms had become restraints. 2 “Okay, get to class,” a stern voice sounded behind us. 3 “Move along, Mr. Crowley.” 4 “Get to school, Jake,” I whispered, anxious as soon as I 5 recognized the principal’s voice. Jacob went to the Quileute 6 school, but he might still get in trouble for trespassing or 7 the equivalent. 8 Edward released me, taking just my hand and pulling 9 me behind his body again. 10 Mr. Greene pushed through the circle of spectators, his 11 brows pressing down like ominous storm clouds over his 12 small eyes. 13 “I mean it,” he was threatening. “Detention for anyone 14 who’s still standing here when I turn around again.” 15 The audience melted away before he was ﬁnished with 16 his sentence. 17 “Ah, Mr. Cullen. Do we have a problem here?” 18 “Not at all, Mr. Greene. We were just on our way to 19 class.” 20 “Excellent. I don’t seem to recognize your friend.” Mr. 21 Greene turned his glower on Jacob. “Are you a new stu- 22 dent here?” 23 Mr. Greene’s eyes scrutinized Jacob, and I could see 24 that he’d come to the same conclusion everyone else had: 25 dangerous. A troublemaker. 26 “Nope,” Jacob answered, half a smirk on his broad lips. 27 “Then I suggest you remove yourself from school prop- 28 erty at once, young man, before I call the police.” sh 29 Jacob’s little smirk became a full-blown grin, and I reg 30

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knew he was picturing Charlie showing up to arrest him. 1 This grin was too bitter, too full of mocking to satisfy me. 2 This wasn’t the smile I’d been waiting to see. 3 Jacob said, “Yes, sir,” and snapped a military salute be- 4 fore he climbed on his bike and kicked it to a start right 5 there on the sidewalk. The engine snarled and then the 6 tires squealed as he spun it sharply around. In a matter of 7 seconds, Jacob raced out of sight. 8 Mr. Greene gnashed his teeth together while he watched 9 the performance. 10 “Mr. Cullen, I expect you to ask your friend to refrain 11 from trespassing again.” 12 “He’s no friend of mine, Mr. Greene, but I’ll pass along 13 the warning.” 14 Mr. Greene pursed his lips. Edward’s perfect grades and 15 spotless record were clearly a factor in Mr. Greene’s assess- 16 ment of the incident. “I see. If you’re worried about any 17 trouble, I’d be happy to —” 18 “There’s nothing to worry about, Mr. Greene. There 19 won’t be any trouble.” 20 “I hope that’s correct. Well, then. On to class. You, too, 21 Miss Swan.” 22 Edward nodded, and pulled me quickly along toward 23 the English building. 24 “Do you feel well enough to go to class?” he whispered 25 when we were past the principal. 26 “Yes,” I whispered back, not quite sure if this was a lie. 27 Whether I felt well or not was hardly the most impor- 28 tant consideration. I needed to talk to Edward right away, 29 sh 30 reg

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1 and English class wasn’t the ideal place for the conversa- 2 tion I had in mind. 3 But with Mr. Greene right behind us, there weren’t a 4 lot of other options. 5 We got to class a little late and took our seats quickly. 6 Mr. Berty was reciting a Frost poem. He ignored our en- 7 trance, refusing to let us break his rhythm. 8 I yanked a blank page out of my notebook and started 9 writing, my handwriting more illegible than normal 10 thanks to my agitation. 11 12 What happened? Tell me everything. And 13 screw the protecting me crap, please. 14 15 I shoved the note at Edward. He sighed, and then be- 16 gan writing. It took him less time than me, though he 17 wrote an entire paragraph in his own personal calligraphy 18 before he slipped the paper back. 19 20 Alice saw that Victoria was coming back. I took you 21 out of town merely as a precaution — there was never a 22 chance that she would have gotten anywhere close to you. 23 Emmett and Jasper very nearly had her, but Victoria 24 seems to have some instinct for evasion. She escaped 25 right down the Quileute boundary line as if she were 26 reading it from a map. It didn’t help that Alice’s 27 abilities were nullified by the Quileutes’ involvement. To 28 be fair, the Quileutes might have had her, too, if we sh 29 hadn’t gotten in the way. The big gray one thought reg 30

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1 Emmett was over the line, and he got defensive. Of 2 course Rosalie reacted to that, and everyone left the chase 3 to protect their companions. Carlisle and Jasper got 4 things calmed down before it got out of hand. But by 5 then, Victoria had slipped away. That’s everything. 6 7 I frowned at the letters on the page. All of them had been 8 in on it — Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Carlisle. 9 Maybe even Esme, though he hadn’t mentioned her. And 10 then Paul and the rest of the Quileute pack. It might so 11 easily have turned into a fight, pitting my future family 12 and my old friends against each other. Any one of them 13 could have been hurt. I imagined the wolves would be in 14 the most danger, but picturing tiny Alice next to one of 15 the huge werewolves, fighting ... 16 I shuddered. 17 Carefully, I scrubbed out the entire paragraph with my 18 eraser and then I wrote over the top: 19 20 What about Charlie? She could have been 21 after him. 22 23 Edward was shaking his head before I finished, obvi- 24 ously going to downplay any danger on Charlie’s behalf. 25 He held a hand out, but I ignored that and started again. 26 27 You can’t know that she wasn’t thinking that, 28 because you weren’t here. Florida was a bad idea. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 He took the paper from underneath my hand. 2 3 I wasn’t about to send you off alone. With your luck, 4 not even the black box would survive. 5 6 That wasn’t what I’d meant at all; I hadn’t thought of 7 going without him. I’d meant that we should have stayed 8 here together. But I was sidetracked by his response, and 9 a little miffed. Like I couldn’t ﬂy cross country without 10 bringing the plane down. Very funny. 11 12 So let’s say my bad luck did crash the plane. 13 What exactly were you going to do about it? 14 15 Why is the plane crashing? 16 17 He was trying to hide a smile now. 18 19 20 The pilots are passed out drunk. 21 22 Easy. I ’d fly the plane. 23 24 Of course. I pursed my lips and tried again. 25 26 Both engines have exploded and we’re falling in 27 a death spiral toward the earth. 28 sh 29 I ’d wait till we were close enough to the ground, get a reg 30 good grip on you, kick out the wall, and jump. Then

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1 I ’d run you back to the scene of the accident, and we’d 2 stumble around like the two luckiest survivors in history. 3 4 I stared at him wordlessly. 5 “What?” he whispered. 6 I shook my head in awe. “Nothing,” I mouthed. 7 I scrubbed out the disconcerting conversation and wrote 8 one more line. 9 10 You will tell me next time. 11 12 I knew there would be a next time. The pattern would 13 continue until someone lost. 14 Edward stared into my eyes for a long moment. I won- 15 dered what my face looked like — it felt cold, so the blood 16 hadn’t returned to my cheeks. My eyelashes were still wet. 17 He sighed and then nodded once. 18 19 Thanks. 20 21 The paper disappeared from under my hand. I looked up, 22 blinking in surprise, just as Mr. Berty came down the aisle. 23 “Is that something you’d like to share there, Mr. Cullen?” 24 Edward looked up innocently and held out the sheet of 25 paper on top of his folder. “My notes?” he asked, sounding 26 confused. 27 Mr. Berty scanned the notes — no doubt a perfect 28 transcription of his lecture — and then walked away 29 sh frowning. 30 reg

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1 *** 2 It was later, in Calculus — my one class without Edward — 3 that I heard the gossip. 4 “My money’s on the big Indian,” someone was saying. 5 I peeked up to see that Tyler, Mike, Austin, and Ben 6 had their heads bent together, deep in conversation. 7 “Yeah,” Mike whispered. “Did you see the size of that 8 Jacob kid? I think he could take Cullen down.” Mike 9 sounded pleased by the idea. 10 “I don’t think so,” Ben disagreed. “There’s something 11 about Edward. He’s always so...conﬁdent. I have a feel- 12 ing he can take care of himself.” 13 “I’m with Ben,” Tyler agreed. “Besides, if that other 14 kid messed Edward up, you know those big brothers of his 15 would get involved.” 16 “Have you been down to La Push lately?” Mike asked. 17 “Lauren and I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago, and 18 believe me, Jacob’s friends are all just as big as he is.” 19 “Huh,” Tyler said. “Too bad it didn’t turn into anything. 20 Guess we’ll never know how it would have turned out.” 21 “It didn’t look over to me,” Austin said. “Maybe we’ll 22 get to see.” 23 Mike grinned. “Anyone in the mood for a bet?” 24 “Ten on Jacob,” Austin said at once. 25 “Ten on Cullen,” Tyler chimed in. 26 “Ten on Edward,” Ben agreed. 27 “Jacob,” Mike said. 28 “Hey, do you guys know what it was about?” Austin sh 29 wondered. “That might affect the odds.” reg 30

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“I can guess,” Mike said, and then he shot a glance at 1 me at the same time that Ben and Tyler did. 2 From their expressions, none of them had realized I was 3 in easy hearing distance. They all looked away quickly, 4 shufﬂing the papers on their desks. 5 “I still say Jacob,” Mike muttered under his breath. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 4. NATURE 16 17 18 I was having a bad week. 19 I knew that essentially nothing had changed. Okay, so 20 Victoria had not given up, but had I ever dreamed for one 21 moment that she had? Her reappearance had only con- 22 ﬁrmed what I’d already known. No reason for fresh panic. 23 In theory. Not panicking was easier said than done. 24 Graduation was only a few weeks away, but I wondered 25 if it wasn’t a little foolish to sit around, weak and tasty, 26 waiting for the next disaster. It seemed too dangerous to 27 be human — just begging for trouble. Someone like me 28 shouldn’t be human. Someone with my luck ought to be a sh 29 little less helpless. reg 30 But no one would listen to me.

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Carlisle had said, “There are seven of us, Bella. And 1 with Alice on our side, I don’t think Victoria’s going to 2 catch us off guard. I think it’s important, for Charlie’s 3 sake, that we stick with the original plan.” 4 Esme had said, “We’d never allow anything to happen 5 to you, sweetheart. You know that. Please don’t be anx- 6 ious.” And then she’d kissed my forehead. 7 Emmett had said, “I’m really glad Edward didn’t kill 8 you. Everything’s so much more fun with you around.” 9 Rosalie had glared at him. 10 Alice had rolled her eyes and said, “I’m offended. 11 You’re not honestly worried about this, are you?” 12 “If it’s no big deal, then why did Edward drag me to 13 Florida?” I’d demanded. 14 “Haven’t you noticed yet, Bella, that Edward is just the 15 teeniest bit prone to overreaction?” 16 Jasper had silently erased all the panic and tension in 17 my body with his curious talent of controlling emotional 18 atmospheres. I’d felt reassured, and let them talk me out 19 of my desperate pleading. 20 Of course, that calm had worn off as soon as Edward 21 and I had walked out of the room. 22 So the consensus was that I was just supposed to forget 23 that a deranged vampire was stalking me, intent on my 24 death. Go about my business. 25 I did try. And surprisingly, there were other things al- 26 most as stressful to dwell on besides my status on the en- 27 dangered species list.... 28 Because Edward’s response had been the most frustrat- 29 sh ing of them all. 30 reg

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1 “That’s between you and Carlisle,” he’d said. “Of 2 course, you know that I’m willing to make it between you 3 and me at any time that you wish. You know my condi- 4 tion.” And he had smiled angelically. 5 Ugh. I did know his condition. Edward had promised 6 that he would change me himself whenever I wanted... 7 just as long as I was married to him ﬁrst. 8 Sometimes I wondered if he was only pretending that 9 he couldn’t read my mind. How else had he struck upon 10 the one condition that I would have trouble accepting? 11 The one condition that would slow me down. 12 All in all, a very bad week. And today was the worst 13 day in it. 14 It was always a bad day when Edward was away. Alice 15 had foreseen nothing out of the ordinary this weekend, 16 and so I’d insisted that he take the opportunity to go 17 hunting with his brothers. I knew how it bored him to 18 hunt the easy, nearby prey. 19 “Go have fun,” I’d told him. “Bag a few mountain lions 20 for me.” 21 I would never admit to him how hard it was for me 22 when he was gone — how it brought back the abandon- 23 ment nightmares. If he knew that, it would make him feel 24 horrible and he would be afraid to ever leave me, even for 25 the most necessary reasons. It had been like that in the be- 26 ginning, when he’d ﬁrst returned from Italy. His golden 27 eyes had turned black and he’d suffered from his thirst 28 more than it was already necessary that he suffer. So I put sh 29 on a brave face and all but kicked him out the door when- reg 30 ever Emmett and Jasper wanted to go.

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I think he saw through me, though. A little. This 1 morning there had been a note left on my pillow: 2 3 I ’ll be back so soon you won’t have time to miss me. 4 Look after my heart — I ’ve left it with you. 5 6 So now I had a big empty Saturday with nothing but 7 my morning shift at Newton’s Olympic Outﬁtters to dis- 8 tract me. And, of course, the oh-so-comforting promise 9 from Alice. 10 “I’m staying close to home to hunt. I’ll only be ﬁfteen 11 minutes away if you need me. I’ll keep an eye out for 12 trouble.” 13 Translation: don’t try anything funny just because Ed- 14 ward is gone. 15 Alice was certainly just as capable of crippling my 16 truck as Edward was. 17 I tried to look on the bright side. After work, I had 18 plans to help Angela with her announcements, so that 19 would be a distraction. And Charlie was in an excellent 20 mood due to Edward’s absence, so I might as well enjoy 21 that while it lasted. Alice would spend the night with me 22 if I was pathetic enough to ask her to. And then tomorrow, 23 Edward would be home. I would survive. 24 Not wanting to be ridiculously early for work, I ate my 25 breakfast slowly, one Cheerio at a time. Then, when I’d 26 washed the dishes, I arranged the magnets on the fridge 27 into a perfect line. Maybe I was developing obsessive- 28 compulsive disorder. 29 sh The last two magnets — round black utilitarian pieces 30 reg

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1 that were my favorites because they could hold ten sheets 2 of paper to the fridge without breaking a sweat — did not 3 want to cooperate with my fixation. Their polarities were 4 reversed; every time I tried to line the last one up, the 5 other jumped out of place. 6 For some reason — impending mania, perhaps — this 7 really irritated me. Why couldn’t they just play nice? Stu- 8 pid with stubbornness, I kept shoving them together as if 9 I was expecting them to suddenly give up. I could have 10 flipped one over, but that felt like losing. Finally, exasper- 11 ated at myself more than the magnets, I pulled them from 12 the fridge and held them together with two hands. It took 13 a little effort — they were strong enough to put up a 14 fight — but I forced them to coexist side-by-side. 15 “See,” I said out loud — talking to inanimate objects, 16 never a good sign — “That’s not so horrible, is it?” 17 I stood there like an idiot for a second, not quite able to 18 admit that I wasn’t having any lasting effect against scien- 19 tific principles. Then, with a sigh, I put the magnets back 20 on the fridge, a foot apart. 21 “There’s no need to be so inflexible,” I muttered. 22 It was still too early, but I decided I’d better get out 23 of the house before the inanimate objects started talking 24 back. 25 When I got to Newton’s, Mike was methodically dry 26 mopping the aisles while his mom arranged a new counter 27 display. I caught them in the middle of an argument, un- 28 aware that I had arrived. sh 29 “But it’s the only time that Tyler can go,” Mike com- reg 30 plained. “You said after graduation —”

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“You’re just going to have to wait,” Mrs. Newton 1 snapped. “You and Tyler can think of something else to 2 do. You are not going to Seattle until the police stop what- 3 ever it is that is going on there. I know Beth Crowley has 4 told Tyler the same thing, so don’t act like I’m the bad 5 guy — oh, good morning, Bella,” she said when she caught 6 sight of me, brightening her tone quickly. “You’re early.” 7 Karen Newton was the last person I’d think to ask for 8 help in an outdoor sports equipment store. Her perfectly 9 highlighted blond hair was always smoothed into an ele- 10 gant twist on the back of her neck, her fingernails were 11 polished by professionals, as were her toenails — visible 12 through the strappy high heels that didn’t resemble any- 13 thing Newton’s offered on the long row of hiking boots. 14 “Light traffic,” I joked as I grabbed my hideous fluores- 15 cent orange vest out from under the counter. I was sur- 16 prised that Mrs. Newton was as worked up about this 17 Seattle thing as Charlie. I’d thought he was going to ex- 18 tremes. 19 “Well, er . . .” Mrs. Newton hesitated for a moment, 20 playing uncomfortably with a stack of flyers she was ar- 21 ranging by the register. 22 I stopped with one arm in my vest. I knew that look. 23 When I’d let the Newtons know that I wouldn’t be 24 working here this summer — abandoning them in their 25 busiest season, in effect — they’d started training Katie 26 Marshall to take my place. They couldn’t really afford both 27 of us on the payroll at the same time, so when it looked 28 like a slow day... 29 sh “I was going to call,” Mrs. Newton continued. “I don’t 30 reg

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1 think we’re expecting a ton of business today. Mike and I 2 can probably handle things. I’m sorry you got up and 3 drove out....” 4 On a normal day, I would be ecstatic with this turn of 5 events. Today...not so much. 6 “Okay,” I sighed. My shoulders slumped. What was I 7 going to do now? 8 “That’s not fair, Mom,” Mike said. “If Bella wants to 9 work —” 10 “No, it’s okay, Mrs. Newton. Really, Mike. I’ve got fi- 11 nals to study for and stuff. . . .” I didn’t want to be a source 12 of familial discord when they were already arguing. 13 “Thanks, Bella. Mike, you missed aisle four. Um, Bella, 14 do you mind throwing these flyers in a Dumpster on the 15 way out? I told the girl who left them here that I’d put 16 them on the counter, but I really don’t have the room.” 17 “Sure, no problem.” I put my vest away, and then 18 tucked the flyers under my arm and headed out into the 19 misty rain. 20 The Dumpster was around the side of Newton’s, next 21 to where we employees were supposed to park. I shuffled 22 along, kicking pebbles petulantly on my way. I was about 23 to fling the stack of bright yellow papers into the trash 24 when the heading printed in bold across the top caught 25 my eye. One word in particular seized my attention. 26 I clutched the papers in both hands as I stared at the 27 picture beneath the caption. A lump rose in my throat. 28 sh 29 SAVE THE OLYMPIC WOLF reg 30

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Under the words, there was a detailed drawing of a 1 wolf in front of a fir tree, its head thrown back in the act of 2 baying at the moon. It was a disconcerting picture; some- 3 thing about the wolf’s plaintive posture made him look 4 forlorn. Like he was howling in grief. 5 And then I was running to my truck, the flyers still 6 locked in my grip. 7 Fifteen minutes — that’s all I had. But it should be 8 long enough. It was only fifteen minutes to La Push, and 9 surely I would cross the boundary line a few minutes be- 10 fore I hit the town. 11 My truck roared to life without any difficulty. 12 Alice couldn’t have seen me doing this, because I 13 hadn’t been planning it. A snap decision, that was the key! 14 And as long as I moved fast enough, I should be able to 15 capitalize on it. 16 I’d thrown the damp flyers in my haste and they were 17 scattered in a bright mess across the passenger seat — a 18 hundred bolded captions, a hundred dark howling wolves 19 outlined against the yellow background. 20 I barreled down the wet highway, turning the wind- 21 shield wipers on high and ignoring the groan of the an- 22 cient engine. Fifty-five was the most I could coax out of 23 my truck, and I prayed it would be enough. 24 I had no clue where the boundary line was, but I began 25 to feel safer as I passed the first houses outside La Push. 26 This must be beyond where Alice was allowed to follow. 27 I’d call her when I got to Angela’s this afternoon, I rea- 28 soned, so that she’d know I was fine. There was no reason 29 sh 30 reg

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1 for her to get worked up. She didn’t need to be mad at 2 me — Edward would be angry enough for two when he 3 got back. 4 My truck was positively wheezing by the time it grated 5 to a stop in front of the familiar faded red house. The lump 6 came back to my throat as I stared at the little place that 7 had once been my refuge. It had been so long since I’d 8 been here. 9 Before I could cut the engine, Jacob was standing in 10 the door, his face blank with shock. 11 In the sudden silence when the truck-roar died, I heard 12 him gasp. 13 “Bella?” 14 “Hey, Jake!” 15 “Bella!” he yelled back, and the smile I’d been waiting 16 for stretched across his face like the sun breaking free of 17 the clouds. His teeth gleamed bright against his russet 18 skin. “I can’t believe it!” 19 He ran to the truck and half-yanked me through the 20 open door, and then we were both jumping up and down 21 like kids. 22 “How did you get here?” 23 “I snuck out!” 24 “Awesome!” 25 “Hey, Bella!” Billy had rolled himself into the doorway 26 to see what all the commotion was about. 27 “Hey, Bil —!” 28 Just then my air choked off — Jacob grabbed me up in sh 29 a bear hug too tight to breathe and swung me around in a reg 30 circle.

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“Wow, it’s good to see you here!” 1 “Can’t . . . breathe,” I gasped. 2 He laughed and put me down. 3 “Welcome back, Bella,” he said, grinning. And the way 4 he said the words made it sound like welcome home. 5 6 We started walking, too keyed up to sit still in the house. 7 Jacob was practically bouncing as he moved, and I had to 8 remind him a few times that my legs weren’t ten feet long. 9 As we walked, I felt myself settling into another ver- 10 sion of myself, the self I had been with Jacob. A little 11 younger, a little less responsible. Someone who might, on 12 occasion, do something really stupid for no good reason. 13 Our exuberance lasted through the ﬁrst few topics of 14 conversation: how we were doing, what we were up to, how 15 long I had, and what had brought me here. When I hesi- 16 tantly told him about the wolf ﬂyer, his bellowing laugh 17 echoed back from the trees. 18 But then, as we ambled past the back of the store and 19 shoved through the thick scrub that ringed the far edge of 20 First Beach, we got to the hard parts. All too soon we had 21 to talk about the reasons behind our long separation, and 22 I watched as the face of my friend hardened into the bitter 23 mask that was already too familiar. 24 “So what’s the story, anyway?” Jacob asked me, kicking 25 a piece of driftwood out of his way with too much force. It 26 sailed over the sand and then clattered against the rocks. 27 “I mean, since the last time we...well, before, you 28 know . . .” He struggled for the words. He took a deep 29 sh breath and tried again. “What I’m asking is . . . everything 30 reg

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1 is just back to the way it was before he left? You forgave 2 him for all of that?” 3 I took a deep breath. “There was nothing to forgive.” 4 I wanted to skip past this part, the betrayals, the accu- 5 sations, but I knew that we had to talk it through before 6 we’d be able to move on to anything else. 7 Jacob’s face puckered up like he’d just licked a lemon. 8 “I wish Sam had taken a picture when he found you that 9 night last September. It would be exhibit A.” 10 “Nobody’s on trial.” 11 “Maybe somebody should be.” 12 “Not even you would blame him for leaving, if you 13 knew the reason why.” 14 He glared at me for a few seconds. “Okay,” he chal- 15 lenged acidly. “Amaze me.” 16 His hostility was wearing on me — chaﬁng against the 17 raw; it hurt to have him angry with me. It reminded me of 18 the bleak afternoon, long ago, when — under orders from 19 Sam — he’d told me we couldn’t be friends. I took a sec- 20 ond to compose myself. 21 “Edward left me last fall because he didn’t think I 22 should be hanging out with vampires. He thought it 23 would be healthier for me if he left.” 24 Jacob did a double take. He had to scramble for a 25 minute. Whatever he’d been planning to say, it clearly no 26 longer applied. I was glad he didn’t know the catalyst be- 27 hind Edward’s decision. I could only imagine what he’d 28 think if he knew Jasper had tried to kill me. sh 29 “He came back, though, didn’t he?” Jacob muttered. reg 30 “Too bad he can’t stick to a decision.”

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“If you remember, I went and got him.” 1 Jacob stared at me for a moment, and then he backed 2 off. His face relaxed, and his voice was calmer when he 3 spoke. 4 “That’s true. So I never did get the story. What hap- 5 pened?” 6 I hesitated, biting my lip. 7 “Is it a secret?” His voice took on a taunting edge. “Are 8 you not allowed to tell me?” 9 “No,” I snapped. “It’s just a really long story.” 10 Jacob smiled, arrogant, and turned to walk up the 11 beach, expecting me to follow. 12 It was no fun being with Jacob if he was going to act 13 like this. I trailed behind him automatically, not sure if I 14 shouldn’t turn around and leave. I was going to have to 15 face Alice, though, when I got home....I supposed I 16 wasn’t in any rush. 17 Jacob walked to a huge, familiar piece of driftwood — 18 an entire tree, roots and all, bleached white and beached 19 deep in the sand; it was our tree, in a way. 20 Jacob sat down on the natural bench, and patted the 21 space next to him. 22 “I don’t mind long stories. Is there any action?” 23 I rolled my eyes as I sat next to him. “There’s some ac- 24 tion,” I allowed. 25 “It wouldn’t be real horror without action.” 26 “Horror!” I scoffed. “Can you listen, or will you be in- 27 terrupting me with rude comments about my friends?” 28 He pretended to lock his lips and then threw the invis- 29 sh ible key over his shoulder. I tried not to smile, and failed. 30 reg

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1 “I’ll have to start with the stuff you were already there 2 for,” I decided, working to organize the stories in my head 3 before I began. 4 Jacob raised his hand. 5 “Go ahead.” 6 “That’s good,” he said. “I didn’t understand much that 7 was going on at the time.” 8 “Yeah, well, it gets complicated, so pay attention. You 9 know how Alice sees things?” 10 I took his scowl — the wolves weren’t thrilled that the 11 legends of vampires possessing supernatural gifts were 12 true — for a yes, and proceeded with the account of my 13 race through Italy to rescue Edward. 14 I kept it as succinct as possible — leaving out anything 15 that wasn’t essential. I tried to read Jacob’s reactions, but 16 his face was enigmatic as I explained how Alice had seen 17 Edward plan to kill himself when he’d heard that I 18 was dead. Sometimes Jacob seemed so deep in thought, I 19 wasn’t sure if he was listening. He only interrupted one 20 time. 21 “The fortune-telling bloodsucker can’t see us?” he 22 echoed, his face both ﬁerce and gleeful. “Seriously? That’s 23 excellent!” 24 I clenched my teeth together, and we sat in silence, his 25 face expectant as he waited for me to continue. I glared at 26 him until he realized his mistake. 27 “Oops!” he said. “Sorry.” He locked his lips again. 28 His response was easier to read when I got to the part sh 29 about the Volturi. His teeth clenched together, goose reg 30 bumps rose on his arms, and his nostrils ﬂared. I didn’t go

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into specifics, I just told him that Edward had talked us 1 out of trouble, without revealing the promise we’d had to 2 make, or the visit we were anticipating. Jacob didn’t need 3 to have my nightmares. 4 “Now you know the whole story,” I concluded. “So it’s 5 your turn to talk. What happened while I was with my 6 mom this weekend?” I knew Jacob would give me more 7 details than Edward had. He wasn’t afraid of scaring me. 8 Jacob leaned forward, instantly animated. “So Embry 9 and Quil and I were running patrol on Saturday night, 10 just routine stuff, when out of nowhere — bam!” He 11 threw his arms out, impersonating an explosion. “There it 12 is — a fresh trail, not fifteen minutes old. Sam wanted us 13 to wait for him, but I didn’t know you were gone, and I 14 didn’t know if your bloodsuckers were keeping an eye on 15 you or not. So we took off after her at full speed, but she’d 16 crossed the treaty line before we caught up. We spread out 17 along the line, hoping she’d cross back over. It was frus- 18 trating, let me tell you.” He wagged his head and his 19 hair — growing out from the short crop he’d adopted 20 when he’d joined the pack — flopped into his eyes. “We 21 ended up too far south. The Cullens chased her back to our 22 side just a few miles north of us. Would have been the per- 23 fect ambush if we’d known where to wait.” 24 He shook his head, grimacing now. “That’s when it got 25 dicey. Sam and the others caught up to her before we did, 26 but she was dancing right along the line, and the whole 27 coven was right there on the other side. The big one, 28 what’s-his-name —” 29 sh “Emmett.” 30 reg

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1 “Yeah, him. He made a lunge for her, but that redhead 2 is fast! He flew right behind her and almost rammed into 3 Paul. So, Paul...well, you know Paul.” 4 “Yeah.” 5 “Lost his focus. Can’t say that I blame him — the big 6 bloodsucker was right on top of him. He sprang — hey, 7 don’t give me that look. The vampire was on our land.” 8 I tried to compose my face so that he would go on. My 9 nails were digging into my palms with the stress of the 10 story, even though I knew it had turned out fine. 11 “Anyway, Paul missed, and the big one got back on his 12 side. But by then the, er, well the, uh, blonde . . .” Jacob’s 13 expression was a comical mix of disgust and unwilling ad- 14 miration as he tried to come up with a word to describe 15 Edward’s sister. 16 “Rosalie.” 17 “Whatever. She got real territorial, so Sam and I fell 18 back to get Paul’s flanks. Then their leader and the other 19 blond male —” 20 “Carlisle and Jasper.” 21 He gave me an exasperated look. “You know I don’t 22 really care. Anyway, so Carlisle spoke to Sam, trying to 23 calm things down. Then it was weird, because everyone 24 got really calm really fast. It was that other one you told 25 me about, messing with our heads. But even though we 26 knew what he was doing, we couldn’t not be calm.” 27 “Yeah, I know how it feels.” 28 “Really annoying, that’s how it feels. Only you can’t be sh 29 annoyed until afterwards.” He shook his head angrily. “So reg 30 Sam and the head vamp agreed that Victoria was the pri-

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ority, and we started after her again. Carlisle gave us the 1 line, so that we could follow the scent properly, but then 2 she hit the cliffs just north of Makah country, right where 3 the line hugs the coast for a few miles. She took off into 4 the water again. The big one and the calm one wanted per- 5 mission to cross the line to go after her, but of course we 6 said no.” 7 “Good. I mean, you were being stupid, but I’m glad. 8 Emmett’s never cautious enough. He could have gotten 9 hurt.” 10 Jacob snorted. “So did your vampire tell you we at- 11 tacked for no reason and his totally innocent coven —” 12 “No,” I interrupted. “Edward told me the same story, 13 just without quite as many details.” 14 “Huh,” Jacob said under his breath, and he bent over to 15 pick up a rock from among the millions of pebbles at our 16 feet. With a casual ﬂick, he sent it ﬂying a good hundred 17 meters out into the bay. “Well, she’ll be back, I guess. 18 We’ll get another shot at her.” 19 I shuddered; of course she would be back. Would Ed- 20 ward really tell me next time? I wasn’t sure. I’d have to 21 keep an eye on Alice, to look for the signs that the pattern 22 was about to repeat.... 23 Jacob didn’t seem to notice my reaction. He was star- 24 ing across the waves with a thoughtful expression on his 25 face, his broad lips pursed. 26 “What are you thinking about?” I asked after a long, 27 quiet time. 28 “I’m thinking about what you told me. About when 29 sh the fortune-teller saw you cliff jumping and thought you’d 30 reg

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1 committed suicide, and how it all got out of control.... 2 Do you realize that if you had just waited for me like you 3 were supposed to, then the bl — Alice wouldn’t have been 4 able to see you jump? Nothing would have changed. We’d 5 probably be in my garage right now, like any other Satur- 6 day. There wouldn’t be any vampires in Forks, and you and 7 me . . .” He trailed off, deep in thought. 8 It was disconcerting the way he said this, like it would 9 be a good thing to have no vampires in Forks. My heart 10 thumped unevenly at the emptiness of the picture he 11 painted. 12 “Edward would have come back anyway.” 13 “Are you sure about that?” he asked, belligerent again 14 as soon as I spoke Edward’s name. 15 “Being apart...It didn’t work out so well for either 16 of us.” 17 He started to say something, something angry from his 18 expression, but he stopped himself, took a breath, and be- 19 gan again. 20 “Did you know Sam is mad at you?” 21 “Me?” It took me a second. “Oh. I see. He thinks they 22 would have stayed away if I wasn’t here.” 23 “No. That’s not it.” 24 “What’s his problem then?” 25 Jacob leaned down to scoop up another rock. He turned 26 it over and over in his ﬁngers; his eyes were riveted on the 27 black stone while he spoke in a low voice. 28 “When Sam saw...how you were in the beginning, sh 29 when Billy told them how Charlie worried when you didn’t reg 30

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get better, and then when you started jumping off 1 cliffs...” 2 I made a face. No one was ever going to let me forget 3 that. 4 Jacob’s eyes flashed up to mine. “He thought you were 5 the one person in the world with as much reason to hate 6 the Cullens as he does. Sam feels sort of...betrayed that 7 you would just let them back into your life like they never 8 hurt you.” 9 I didn’t believe for a second that Sam was the only one 10 who felt that way. And the acid in my voice now was for 11 both of them. 12 “You can tell Sam to go right to —” 13 “Look at that,” Jacob interrupted me, pointing to an 14 eagle in the act of plummeting down toward the ocean 15 from an incredible height. It checked itself at the last 16 minute, only its talons breaking the surface of the waves, 17 just for an instant. Then it flapped away, its wings strain- 18 ing against the load of the huge fish it had snagged. 19 “You see it everywhere,” Jacob said, his voice suddenly 20 distant. “Nature taking its course — hunter and prey, the 21 endless cycle of life and death.” 22 I didn’t understand the point of the nature lecture; I 23 guessed that he was just trying to change the subject. But 24 then he looked down at me with dark humor in his eyes. 25 “And yet, you don’t see the fish trying to plant a kiss on 26 the eagle. You never see that.” He grinned a mocking grin. 27 I grinned back tightly, though the acid taste was still 28 in my mouth. “Maybe the fish was trying,” I suggested. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “It’s hard to tell what a fish is thinking. Eagles are good- 2 looking birds, you know.” 3 “Is that what it comes down to?” His voice was 4 abruptly sharper. “Good looks?” 5 “Don’t be stupid, Jacob.” 6 “Is it the money, then?” he persisted. 7 “That’s nice,” I muttered, getting up from the tree. 8 “I’m flattered that you think so much of me.” I turned my 9 back on him and paced away. 10 “Aw, don’t get mad.” He was right behind me; he 11 caught my wrist and spun me around. “I’m serious! I’m 12 trying to understand here, and I’m coming up blank.” 13 His eyebrows pushed together angrily, and his eyes 14 were black in their deep shadow. 15 “I love him. Not because he’s beautiful or because he’s 16 rich!” I spat the word at Jacob. “I’d much rather he weren’t 17 either one. It would even out the gap between us just a lit- 18 tle bit — because he’d still be the most loving and un- 19 selfish and brilliant and decent person I’ve ever met. Of 20 course I love him. How hard is that to understand?” 21 “It’s impossible to understand.” 22 “Please enlighten me, then, Jacob.” I let the sarcasm 23 flow thick. “What is a valid reason for someone to love 24 someone else? Since apparently I’m doing it wrong.” 25 “I think the best place to start would be to look within 26 your own species. That usually works.” 27 “Well, that just sucks!” I snapped. “I guess I’m stuck 28 with Mike Newton after all.” sh 29 Jacob flinched back and bit his lip. I could see that my reg 30 words had hurt him, but I was too mad to feel bad about

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that yet. He dropped my wrist and folded his arms across 1 his chest, turning from me to glare toward the ocean. 2 “I’m human,” he muttered, his voice almost inaudible. 3 “You’re not as human as Mike,” I continued ruthlessly. 4 “Do you still think that’s the most important consider- 5 ation?” 6 “It’s not the same thing.” Jacob didn’t look away from 7 the gray waves. “I didn’t choose this.” 8 I laughed once in disbelief. “Do you think Edward did? 9 He didn’t know what was happening to him any more 10 than you did. He didn’t exactly sign up for this.” 11 Jacob was shaking his head back and forth with a small, 12 quick movement. 13 “You know, Jacob, you’re awfully self-righteous — 14 considering that you’re a werewolf and all.” 15 “It’s not the same,” Jacob repeated, glowering at me. 16 “I don’t see why not. You could be a bit more under- 17 standing about the Cullens. You have no idea how truly 18 good they are — to the core, Jacob.” 19 He frowned more deeply. “They shouldn’t exist. Their 20 existence goes against nature.” 21 I stared at him for a long moment with one eyebrow 22 raised incredulously. It was a while before he noticed. 23 “What?” 24 “Speaking of unnatural...,” I hinted. 25 “Bella,” he said, his voice slow and different. Aged. I 26 realized that he sounded suddenly older than me — like a 27 parent or a teacher. “What I am was born in me. It’s a part 28 of who I am, who my family is, who we all are as a tribe — 29 sh it’s the reason why we’re still here. 30 reg

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1 “Besides that” — he looked down at me, his black eyes 2 unreadable — “I am still human.” 3 He picked up my hand and pressed it to his fever-warm 4 chest. Through his t-shirt, I could feel the steady beating 5 of his heart under my palm. 6 “Normal humans can’t throw motorcycles around the 7 way you can.” 8 He smiled a faint, half-smile. “Normal humans run 9 away from monsters, Bella. And I never claimed to be nor- 10 mal. Just human.” 11 Staying angry with Jacob was too much work. I started 12 to smile as I pulled my hand away from his chest. 13 “You look plenty human to me,” I allowed. “At the 14 moment.” 15 “I feel human.” He stared past me, his face far away. 16 His lower lip trembled, and he bit down on it hard. 17 “Oh, Jake,” I whispered, reaching for his hand. 18 This was why I was here. This was why I would take 19 whatever reception waited for me when I got back. Be- 20 cause, underneath all the anger and the sarcasm, Jacob was 21 in pain. Right now, it was very clear in his eyes. I didn’t 22 know how to help him, but I knew I had to try. It was 23 more than that I owed him. It was because his pain hurt 24 me, too. Jacob had become a part of me, and there was no 25 changing that now. 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5. IMPRINT 15 16 17 “Are you okay, Jake? Charlie said you were having 18 a hard time....Isn’t it getting any better?” 19 His warm hand curled around mine. “’S not so bad,” he 20 said, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. 21 He walked slowly back to the driftwood bench, staring 22 at the rainbow-colored pebbles, and pulling me along at 23 his side. I sat back down on our tree, but he sat on the wet, 24 rocky ground rather than next to me. I wondered if it was 25 so that he could hide his face more easily. He kept my 26 hand. 27 I started babbling to ﬁll the silence. “It’s been so long 28 since I was here. I’ve probably missed a ton of things. How 29 sh are Sam and Emily? And Embry? Did Quil —?” 30 reg

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1 I broke off mid-sentence, remembering that Jacob’s 2 friend Quil had been a sensitive subject. 3 “Ah, Quil,” Jacob sighed. 4 So then it must have happened — Quil must have 5 joined the pack. 6 “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. 7 To my surprise, Jacob snorted. “Don’t say that to him.” 8 “What do you mean?” 9 “Quil’s not looking for pity. Just the opposite — he’s 10 jazzed. Totally thrilled.” 11 This made no sense to me. All the other wolves had 12 been so depressed at the idea of their friend sharing their 13 fate. “Huh?” 14 Jacob tilted his head back to look at me. He smiled and 15 rolled his eyes. 16 “Quil thinks it’s the coolest thing that’s ever happened 17 to him. Part of it is ﬁnally knowing what’s going on. And 18 he’s excited to have his friends back — to be part of the ‘in 19 crowd.’” Jacob snorted again. “Shouldn’t be surprised, I 20 guess. It’s so Quil.” 21 “He likes it?” 22 “Honestly...most of them do,” Jacob admitted 23 slowly. “There are deﬁnitely good sides to this — the 24 speed, the freedom, the strength...the sense of — of 25 family....Sam and I are the only ones who ever felt really 26 bitter. And Sam got past that a long time ago. So I’m the 27 crybaby now.” Jacob laughed at himself. 28 There were so many things I wanted to know. “Why sh 29 are you and Sam different? What happened to Sam reg 30

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anyway? What’s his problem?” The questions tumbled 1 out without room to answer them, and Jacob laughed 2 again. 3 “That’s a long story.” 4 “I told you a long story. Besides, I’m not in any hurry 5 to get back,” I said, and then I grimaced as I thought of 6 the trouble I would be in. 7 He looked up at me swiftly, hearing the double edge in 8 my words. “Will he be mad at you?” 9 “Yes,” I admitted. “He really hates it when I do things 10 he considers...risky.” 11 “Like hanging out with werewolves.” 12 “Yeah.” 13 Jacob shrugged. “So don’t go back. I’ll sleep on the 14 couch.” 15 “That’s a great idea,” I grumbled. “Because then he 16 would come looking for me.” 17 Jacob stiffened, and then smiled bleakly. “Would he?” 18 “If he was afraid I was hurt or something — probably.” 19 “My idea’s sounding better all the time.” 20 “Please, Jake. That really bugs me.” 21 “What does?” 22 “That you two are so ready to kill each other!” I com- 23 plained. “It makes me crazy. Why can’t you both just be 24 civilized?” 25 “Is he ready to kill me?” Jacob asked with a grim smile, 26 unconcerned by my anger. 27 “Not like you seem to be!” I realized I was yelling. “At 28 least he can be a grown-up about this. He knows that 29 sh 30 reg

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1 hurting you would hurt me — and so he never would. 2 You don’t seem to care about that at all!” 3 “Yeah, right,” Jacob muttered. “I’m sure he’s quite the 4 pacifist.” 5 “Ugh!” I ripped my hand out of his and shoved his 6 head away. Then I pulled my knees up to my chest and 7 wrapped my arms tightly around them. 8 I glared out toward the horizon, fuming. 9 Jacob was quiet for a few minutes. Finally, he got up off 10 the ground and sat beside me, putting his arm around my 11 shoulders. I shook it off. 12 “Sorry,” he said quietly. “I’ll try to behave myself.” 13 I didn’t answer. 14 “Do you still want to hear about Sam?” he offered. 15 I shrugged. 16 “Like I said, it’s a long story. And very...strange. 17 There’re so many strange things about this new life. I 18 haven’t had time to tell you the half of it. And this thing 19 with Sam — well, I don’t know if I’ll even be able to ex- 20 plain it right.” 21 His words pricked my curiosity in spite of my irritation. 22 “I’m listening,” I said stiffly. 23 Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the side of his face 24 pull up in a smile. 25 “Sam had it so much harder than the rest of us. Because 26 he was the first, and he was alone, and he didn’t have any- 27 one to tell him what was happening. Sam’s grandfather 28 died before he was born, and his father has never been sh 29 around. There was no one there to recognize the signs. The reg 30 first time it happened — the first time he phased — he

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thought he’d gone insane. It took him two weeks to calm 1 down enough to change back. 2 “This was before you came to Forks, so you wouldn’t 3 remember. Sam’s mother and Leah Clearwater had the for- 4 est rangers searching for him, the police. People thought 5 there had been an accident or something....” 6 “Leah?” I asked, surprised. Leah was Harry’s daughter. 7 Hearing her name sent an automatic surge of pity through 8 me. Harry Clearwater, Charlie’s life-long friend, had died 9 of a heart attack this past spring. 10 His voice changed, became heavier. “Yeah. Leah and 11 Sam were high school sweethearts. They started dating 12 when she was just a freshman. She was frantic when he dis- 13 appeared.” 14 “But he and Emily —” 15 “I’ll get to that — it’s part of the story,” he said. He in- 16 haled slowly, and then exhaled in a gust. 17 I supposed it was silly for me to imagine that Sam had 18 never loved anyone before Emily. Most people fall in and 19 out of love many times in their lives. It was just that I’d 20 seen Sam with Emily, and I couldn’t imagine him with 21 someone else. The way he looked at her...well, it re- 22 minded me of a look I’d seen sometimes in Edward’s 23 eyes — when he was looking at me. 24 “Sam came back,” Jacob said, “but he wouldn’t talk to 25 anyone about where he’d been. Rumors ﬂew — that he 26 was up to no good, mostly. And then Sam happened to run 27 in to Quil’s grandfather one afternoon when Old Quil 28 Ateara came to visit Mrs. Uley. Sam shook his hand. Old 29 sh Quil just about had a stroke.” Jacob paused to laugh. 30 reg

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1 “Why?” 2 Jacob put his hand on my cheek and pulled my face 3 around to look at him — he was leaning toward me, his 4 face was just a few inches away. His palm burned my skin, 5 like he had a fever. 6 “Oh, right,” I said. It was uncomfortable, having my 7 face so close to his with his hand hot against my skin. 8 “Sam was running a temperature.” 9 Jacob laughed again. “Sam’s hand felt like he’d left it 10 sitting on a hot stovetop.” 11 He was so close, I could feel his warm breath. I reached 12 up casually, to take his hand away and free my face, but 13 wound my ﬁngers through his so that I wouldn’t hurt his 14 feelings. He smiled and leaned back, undeceived by my at- 15 tempt at nonchalance. 16 “So Mr. Ateara went straight to the other elders,” Jacob 17 went on. “They were the only ones left who still knew, 18 who remembered. Mr. Ateara, Billy, and Harry had actu- 19 ally seen their grandfathers make the change. When Old 20 Quil told them, they met with Sam secretly and explained. 21 “It was easier when he understood — when he wasn’t 22 alone anymore. They knew he wouldn’t be the only one af- 23 fected by the Cullens’ return” — he pronounced the name 24 with unconscious bitterness — “but no one else was old 25 enough. So Sam waited for the rest of us to join him....” 26 “The Cullens had no idea,” I said in a whisper. “They 27 didn’t think that werewolves still existed here. They didn’t 28 know that coming here would change you.” sh 29 “It doesn’t change the fact that it did.” reg 30 “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

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“You think I should be as forgiving as you are? We 1 can’t all be saints and martyrs.” 2 “Grow up, Jacob.” 3 “I wish I could,” he murmured quietly. 4 I stared at him, trying to make sense of his response. 5 “What?” 6 Jacob chuckled. “One of those many strange things I 7 mentioned.” 8 “You...can’t . . . grow up?” I said blankly. “You’re 9 what? Not...aging? Is that a joke?” 10 “Nope.” He popped his lips on the P. 11 I felt blood flood my face. Tears — tears of rage — 12 filled my eyes. My teeth mashed together with an audible 13 grinding sound. 14 “Bella? What did I say?” 15 I was on my feet again, my hands balled up into fists, 16 my whole frame shaking. 17 “You. Are. Not. Aging,” I growled through my teeth. 18 Jacob tugged my arm gently, trying to make me sit. 19 “None of us are. What’s wrong with you?” 20 “Am I the only one who has to get old? I get older every 21 stinking day!” I nearly shrieked, throwing my hands in 22 the air. Some little part of me recognized that I was throw- 23 ing a Charlie-esque fit, but that rational part was greatly 24 overshadowed by the irrational part. “Damn it! What kind 25 of world is this? Where’s the justice?” 26 “Take it easy, Bella.” 27 “Shut up, Jacob. Just shut up! This is so unfair!” 28 “Did you seriously just stamp your foot? I thought 29 sh girls only did that on TV.” 30 reg

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1 I growled unimpressively. 2 “It’s not as bad as you seem to think it is. Sit down and 3 I’ll explain.” 4 “I’ll stand.” 5 He rolled his eyes. “Okay. Whatever you want. But lis- 6 ten, I will get older...someday.” 7 “Explain.” 8 He patted the tree. I glowered for a second, but then 9 sat; my temper had burned out as suddenly as it had ﬂared 10 and I’d calmed down enough to realize that I was making 11 a fool of myself. 12 “When we get enough control to quit...,” Jacob said. 13 “When we stop phasing for a solid length of time, we age 14 again. It’s not easy.” He shook his head, abruptly doubtful. 15 “It’s gonna take a really long time to learn that kind of 16 restraint, I think. Even Sam’s not there yet. ’Course it 17 doesn’t help that there’s a huge coven of vampires right 18 down the road. We can’t even think about quitting when 19 the tribe needs protectors. But you shouldn’t get all bent 20 out of shape about it, anyway, because I’m already older 21 than you, physically at least.” 22 “What are you talking about?” 23 “Look at me, Bells. Do I look sixteen?” 24 I glanced up and down his mammoth frame, trying to 25 be unbiased. “Not exactly, I guess.” 26 “Not at all. Because we reach full growth inside of a 27 few months when the werewolf gene gets triggered. It’s 28 one hell of a growth spurt.” He made a face. “Physically, sh 29 I’m probably twenty-ﬁve or something. So there’s no need reg 30

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for you to freak out about being too old for me for at least 1 another seven years.” 2 Twenty-five or something. The idea messed with my head. 3 But I remembered that growth spurt — I remembered 4 watching him shoot up and fill out right before my eyes. I 5 remembered how he would look different from one day to 6 the next....I shook my head, feeling dizzy. 7 “So, did you want to hear about Sam, or did you want 8 to scream at me some more for things that are out of my 9 control?” 10 I took a deep breath. “Sorry. Age is a touchy subject for 11 me. That hit a nerve.” 12 Jacob’s eyes tightened, and he looked as if he were try- 13 ing to decide how to word something. 14 Since I didn’t want to talk about the truly touchy 15 stuff — my plans for the future, or treaties that might be 16 broken by said plans, I prompted him. “So once Sam un- 17 derstood what was going on, once he had Billy and Harry 18 and Mr. Ateara, you said it wasn’t so hard anymore. And, 19 like you also said, there are the cool parts. . . .” I hesitated 20 briefly. “Why does Sam hate them so much? Why does he 21 wish I would hate them?” 22 Jacob sighed. “This is the really weird part.” 23 “I’m a pro at weird.” 24 “Yeah, I know.” He grinned before he continued. “So, 25 you’re right. Sam knew what was going on, and every- 26 thing was almost okay. In most ways, his life was back 27 to, well, not normal. But better.” Then Jacob’s expres- 28 sion tightened, like something painful was coming. “Sam 29 sh 30 reg

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1 couldn’t tell Leah. We aren’t supposed to tell anyone who 2 doesn’t have to know. And it wasn’t really safe for him to 3 be around her — but he cheated, just like I did with you. 4 Leah was furious that he wouldn’t tell her what was going 5 on — where he’d been, where he went at night, why he 6 was always so exhausted — but they were working it out. 7 They were trying. They really loved each other.” 8 “Did she ﬁnd out? Is that what happened?” 9 He shook his head. “No, that wasn’t the problem. Her 10 cousin, Emily Young, came down from the Makah reserva- 11 tion to visit her one weekend.” 12 I gasped. “Emily is Leah’s cousin?” 13 “Second cousins. They’re close, though. They were like 14 sisters when they were kids.” 15 “That’s . . . horrible. How could Sam...?” I trailed 16 off, shaking my head. 17 “Don’t judge him just yet. Did anyone ever tell you... 18 Have you ever heard of imprinting?” 19 “Imprinting?” I repeated the unfamiliar word. “No. 20 What’s that mean?” 21 “It’s one of those bizarre things we have to deal with. It 22 doesn’t happen to everyone. In fact, it’s the rare exception, 23 not the rule. Sam had heard all the stories by then, the sto- 24 ries we all used to think were legends. He’d heard of im- 25 printing, but he never dreamed...” 26 “What is it?” I prodded. 27 Jacob’s eyes strayed to the ocean. “Sam did love Leah. 28 But when he saw Emily, that didn’t matter anymore. sh 29 Sometimes...we don’t exactly know why...we ﬁnd reg 30

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our mates that way.” His eyes flashed back to me, his face 1 reddening. “I mean...our soul mates.” 2 “What way? Love at first sight?” I snickered. 3 Jacob wasn’t smiling. His dark eyes were critical of my 4 reaction. “It’s a little bit more powerful than that. More 5 absolute.” 6 “Sorry,” I muttered. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” 7 “Yeah, I am.” 8 “Love at first sight? But more powerful?” My voice still 9 sounded dubious, and he could hear that. 10 “It’s not easy to explain. It doesn’t matter, anyway.” He 11 shrugged indifferently. “You wanted to know what hap- 12 pened to Sam to make him hate the vampires for changing 13 him, to make him hate himself. And that’s what hap- 14 pened. He broke Leah’s heart. He went back on every 15 promise he’d ever made her. Every day he has to see the ac- 16 cusation in her eyes, and know that she’s right.” 17 He stopped talking abruptly, as if he’d said something 18 he hadn’t meant to. 19 “How did Emily deal with this? If she was so close to 20 Leah...?” Sam and Emily were utterly right together, 21 two puzzle pieces, shaped for each other exactly. Still... 22 how had Emily gotten past the fact that he’d belonged to 23 someone else? Her sister, almost. 24 “She was real angry, in the beginning. But it’s hard to 25 resist that level of commitment and adoration.” Jacob 26 sighed. “And then, Sam could tell her everything. There 27 are no rules that can bind you when you find your other 28 half. You know how she got hurt?” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Yeah.” The story in Forks was that she was mauled by 2 a bear, but I was in on the secret. 3 Werewolves are unstable, Edward had said. The people near 4 them get hurt. 5 “Well, weirdly enough, that was sort of how they re- 6 solved things. Sam was so horrified, so sickened by him- 7 self, so full of hate for what he’d done....He would have 8 thrown himself under a bus if it would have made her feel 9 better. He might have anyway, just to escape what he’d 10 done. He was shattered....Then, somehow, she was the 11 one comforting him, and after that....” 12 Jacob didn’t finish his thought, and I sensed the story 13 had gotten too personal to share. 14 “Poor Emily,” I whispered. “Poor Sam. Poor Leah....” 15 “Yeah, Leah got the worst end of the stick,” he agreed. 16 “She puts on a brave face. She’s going to be a bridesmaid.” 17 I gazed away, toward the jagged rocks that rose from 18 the ocean like stubby broken-off fingers on the south rim 19 of the harbor, while I tried to make sense of it all. I could 20 feel his eyes on my face, waiting for me to say something. 21 “Did it happen to you?” I finally asked, still looking 22 away. “This love-at-first-sight thing?” 23 “No,” he answered briskly. “Sam and Jared are the only 24 ones.” 25 “Hmm,” I said, trying to sound only politely interested. 26 I was relieved, and I tried to explain my reaction to myself. 27 I decided I was just glad he didn’t claim there was some 28 mystical, wolfy connection between the two of us. Our re- sh 29 lationship was confusing enough as it was. I didn’t need any reg 30 more of the supernatural than I already had to deal with.

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He was quiet, too, and the silence felt a little awkward. 1 My intuition told me that I didn’t want to hear what he 2 was thinking. 3 “How did that work out for Jared?” I asked to break 4 the silence. 5 “No drama there. It was just a girl he’d sat next to in 6 school every day for a year and never looked at twice. And 7 then, after he changed, he saw her again and never looked 8 away. Kim was thrilled. She’d had a huge crush on him. 9 She’d had his last name tacked on to the end of hers all 10 over in her diary.” He laughed mockingly. 11 I frowned. “Did Jared tell you that? He shouldn’t 12 have.” 13 Jacob bit his lip. “I guess I shouldn’t laugh. It was 14 funny, though.” 15 “Some soul mate.” 16 He sighed. “Jared didn’t tell us anything on purpose. I 17 already told you this part, remember?” 18 “Oh, yeah. You can hear each other’s thoughts, but only 19 when you’re wolves, right?” 20 “Right. Just like your bloodsucker.” He glowered. 21 “Edward,” I corrected. 22 “Sure, sure. That’s how come I know so much about 23 how Sam felt. It’s not like he would have told us all that if 24 he’d had a choice. Actually, that’s something we all hate.” 25 The bitterness was abruptly harsh in his voice. “It’s awful. 26 No privacy, no secrets. Everything you’re ashamed of, laid 27 out for everyone to see.” He shuddered. 28 “It sounds horrible,” I whispered. 29 sh “It is sometimes helpful when we need to coordinate,” 30 reg

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1 he said grudgingly. “Once in a blue moon, when some 2 bloodsucker crosses into our territory. Laurent was fun. 3 And if the Cullens hadn’t gotten in our way last Satur- 4 day...ugh!” he groaned. “We could have had her!” His 5 ﬁsts clenched into angry balls. 6 I ﬂinched. As much as I worried about Jasper or Em- 7 mett getting hurt, it was nothing like the panic I felt at the 8 idea of Jacob going up against Victoria. Emmett and Jasper 9 were the closest thing to indestructible I could imagine. 10 Jacob was still warm, still comparatively human. Mortal. I 11 thought of Jacob facing Victoria, her brilliant hair blowing 12 around her oddly feline face . . . and shuddered. 13 Jacob looked up at me with a curious expression. “But 14 isn’t it like that for you all the time? Having him in your 15 head?” 16 “Oh, no. Edward’s never in my head. He only wishes.” 17 Jacob’s expression became confused. 18 “He can’t hear me,” I explained, my voice a tiny bit 19 smug from old habit. “I’m the only one like that, for him. 20 We don’t know why he can’t.” 21 “Weird,” Jacob said. 22 “Yeah.” The smugness faded. “It probably means there’s 23 something wrong with my brain,” I admitted. 24 “I already knew there was something wrong with your 25 brain,” Jacob muttered. 26 “Thanks.” 27 The sun broke through the clouds suddenly, a sur- 28 prise I hadn’t been expecting, and I had to narrow my sh 29 eyes against the glare off the water. Everything changed reg 30

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color — the waves turned from gray to blue, the trees 1 from dull olive to brilliant jade, and the rainbow-hued 2 pebbles glittered like jewels. 3 We squinted for a moment, letting our eyes adjust. 4 There were no sounds besides the hollow roar of the waves 5 that echoed from every side of the sheltered harbor, the 6 soft grinding of the stones against each other under the 7 water’s movement, and the cry of gulls high overhead. It 8 was very peaceful. 9 Jacob settled closer to me, so that he was leaning 10 against my arm. He was so warm. After a minute of this, I 11 shrugged out of my rain jacket. He made a little sound of 12 contentment in the back of his throat, and rested his cheek 13 on the top of my head. I could feel the sun heat my skin — 14 thought it was not quite as warm as Jacob — and I won- 15 dered idly how long it would take me to burn. 16 Absentmindedly, I twisted my right hand to the side, 17 and watched the sunlight glitter subtly off the scar James 18 had left there. 19 “What are you thinking about?” he murmured. 20 “The sun.” 21 “Mmm. It’s nice.” 22 “What are you thinking about?” I asked. 23 He chuckled to himself. “I was remembering that mo- 24 ronic movie you took me to. And Mike Newton puking all 25 over everything.” 26 I laughed, too, surprised by how time had changed the 27 memory. It used to be one of stress, of confusion. So much 28 had changed that night....And now I could laugh. It 29 sh 30 reg

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1 was the last night Jacob and I had had before he’d learned 2 the truth about his heritage. The last human memory. An 3 oddly pleasant memory now. 4 “I miss that,” Jacob said. “The way it used to be so 5 easy...uncomplicated. I’m glad I’ve got a good mem- 6 ory.” He sighed. 7 He felt the sudden tension in my body as his words 8 triggered a memory of my own. 9 “What is it?” he asked. 10 “About that good memory of yours . . .” I pulled away 11 from him so that I could read his face. At the moment, it 12 was confused. “Do you mind telling me what you were do- 13 ing Monday morning? You were thinking something that 14 bothered Edward.” Bothered wasn’t quite the word for it, 15 but I wanted an answer, so I thought it was best not to 16 start out too severely. 17 Jacob’s face brightened with understanding, and he 18 laughed. “I was just thinking about you. Didn’t like that 19 much, did he?” 20 “Me? What about me?” 21 Jacob laughed, with a harder edge this time. “I was re- 22 membering the way you looked that night Sam found 23 you — I’ve seen it in his head, and it’s like I was there; that 24 memory has always haunted Sam, you know. And then I re- 25 membered how you looked the ﬁrst time you came to my 26 place. I bet you don’t even realize what a mess you were 27 then, Bella. It was weeks before you started to look human 28 again. And I remembered how you always used to have sh 29 your arms wrapped around yourself, trying to hold yourself reg 30 together. . . .” Jacob winced, and then shook his head. “It’s

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hard for me to remember how sad you were, and it wasn’t 1 my fault. So I ﬁgured it would be harder for him. And I 2 thought he ought to get a look at what he’d done.” 3 I smacked his shoulder. It hurt my hand. “Jacob Black, 4 don’t you ever do that again! Promise me you won’t.” 5 “No way. I haven’t had that much fun in months.” 6 “So help me, Jake —” 7 “Oh, get a grip, Bella. When am I ever going to see 8 him again? Don’t worry about it.” 9 I got to my feet, and he caught my hand as I started to 10 walk away. I tried to tug free. 11 “I’m leaving, Jacob.” 12 “No, don’t go yet,” he protested, his hand tightening 13 around mine. “I’m sorry. And...okay, I won’t do it again. 14 Promise.” 15 I sighed. “Thanks, Jake.” 16 “Come on, we’ll go back to my house,” he said eagerly. 17 “Actually, I think I really do need to go. Angela Weber 18 is expecting me, and I know Alice is worried. I don’t want 19 to upset her too much.” 20 “But you just got here!” 21 “It feels that way,” I agreed. I glared up at the sun, 22 somehow already directly overhead. How had the time 23 passed so quickly? 24 His eyebrows pulled down over his eyes. “I don’t know 25 when I’ll see you again,” he said in a hurt voice. 26 “I’ll come back the next time he’s away,” I promised 27 impulsively. 28 “Away?” Jacob rolled his eyes. “That’s a nice way to de- 29 sh scribe what he’s doing. Disgusting parasites.” 30 reg

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1 “If you can’t be nice, I won’t come back at all!” I threat- 2 ened, trying to pull my hand free. He refused to let go. 3 “Aw, don’t be mad,” he said, grinning. “Knee-jerk re- 4 action.” 5 “If I’m going to try to come back again, you’re going to 6 have to get something straight, okay?” 7 He waited. 8 “See,” I explained. “I don’t care who’s a vampire and 9 who’s a werewolf. That’s irrelevant. You are Jacob, and he 10 is Edward, and I am Bella. And nothing else matters.” 11 His eyes narrowed slightly. “But I am a werewolf,” he 12 said unwillingly. “And he is a vampire,” he added with ob- 13 vious revulsion. 14 “And I’m a Virgo!” I shouted, exasperated. 15 He raised his eyebrows, measuring my expression with 16 curious eyes. Finally, he shrugged. 17 “If you can really see it that way...” 18 “I can. I do.” 19 “Okay. Just Bella and Jacob. None of those freaky Vir- 20 gos here.” He smiled at me, the warm, familiar smile that 21 I had missed so much. I felt the answering smile spread 22 across my face. 23 “I’ve really missed you, Jake,” I admitted impulsively. 24 “Me, too,” his smile widened. His eyes were happy and 25 clear, free for once of the angry bitterness. “More than you 26 know. Will you come back soon?” 27 “As soon as I can,” I promised. 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6. SWITZERLAND 15 16 17 As I drove home, I wasn’t paying much attention to 18 the road that shimmered wetly in the sun. I was thinking 19 about the ﬂood of information Jacob had shared with me, 20 trying to sort it out, to force it all to make sense. Despite 21 the overload, I felt lighter. Seeing Jacob smile, having all 22 the secrets thrashed out...it didn’t make things perfect, 23 but it made them better. I was right to have gone. Jacob 24 needed me. And obviously, I thought as I squinted into 25 the glare, there was no danger. 26 It came out of nowhere. One minute there was nothing 27 but bright highway in my rearview mirror. The next min- 28 ute, the sun was glinting off a silver Volvo right on my tail. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Aw, crap,” I whimpered. 2 I considered pulling over. But I was too much of a cow- 3 ard to face him right away. I’d been counting on some prep 4 time...and having Charlie nearby as a buffer. At least 5 that would force him to keep his voice down. 6 The Volvo followed inches behind me. I kept my eyes 7 on the road ahead. 8 Chicken through and through, I drove straight to An- 9 gela’s without once meeting the gaze I could feel burning 10 a hole in my mirror. 11 He followed me until I pulled to the curb in front of 12 the Webers’ house. He didn’t stop, and I didn’t look up as 13 he passed. I didn’t want to see the expression on his face. I 14 ran up the short concrete walk to Angela’s door as soon as 15 he was out of sight. 16 Ben answered the door before I could ﬁnish knocking, 17 like he’d been standing right behind it. 18 “Hey, Bella!” he said, surprised. 19 “Hi, Ben. Er, is Angela here?” I wondered if Angela 20 had forgotten our plans, and cringed at the thought of go- 21 ing home early. 22 “Sure,” Ben said just as Angela called, “Bella!” and ap- 23 peared at the top of the stairs. 24 Ben peered around me as we both heard the sound of a 25 car on the road; the sound didn’t scare me — this engine 26 stuttered to a stop, followed by the loud pop of a backﬁre. 27 Nothing like the purr of the Volvo. This must be the vis- 28 itor Ben had been waiting for. sh 29 “Austin’s here,” Ben said as Angela reached his side. reg 30 A horn honked on the street.

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“I’ll see you later,” Ben promised. “Miss you already.” 1 He threw his arm around Angela’s neck and pulled her 2 face down to his height so that he could kiss her enthusi- 3 astically. After a second of this, Austin honked again. 4 “’Bye, Ang! Love you!” Ben shouted as he dashed 5 past me. 6 Angela swayed, her face slightly pink, then recovered 7 herself and waved until Ben and Austin were out of sight. 8 Then she turned to me and grinned ruefully. 9 “Thank you for doing this, Bella,” she said. “From the 10 bottom of my heart. Not only are you saving my hands 11 from permanent injury, you also just spared me two long 12 hours of a plot-less, badly dubbed martial arts ﬁlm.” She 13 sighed in relief. 14 “Happy to be of service.” I was feeling a bit less pan- 15 icked, able to breathe a little more evenly. It felt so or- 16 dinary here. Angela’s easy human dramas were oddly 17 reassuring. It was nice to know that life was normal some- 18 where. 19 I followed Angela up the stairs to her room. She kicked 20 toys out of the way as she went. The house was unusually 21 quiet. 22 “Where’s your family?” 23 “My parents took the twins to a birthday party in Port 24 Angeles. I can’t believe you’re really going to help me 25 with this. Ben’s pretending he has tendonitis.” She made a 26 face. 27 “I don’t mind at all,” I said, and then I walked into An- 28 gela’s room and saw the stacks of waiting envelopes. 29 sh “Oh!” I gasped. Angela turned to look at me, apologies 30 reg

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1 in her eyes. I could see why she’d been putting this off, 2 and why Ben had weaseled out. 3 “I thought you were exaggerating,” I admitted. 4 “I wish. Are you sure you want to do this?” 5 “Put me to work. I’ve got all day.” 6 Angela divided a pile in half and put her mother’s ad- 7 dress book between us on her desk. For a while we concen- 8 trated, and there was just the sound of our pens scratching 9 quietly across the paper. 10 “What’s Edward doing tonight?” she asked after a few 11 minutes. 12 My pen dug into the envelope I was working on. “Em- 13 met’s home for the weekend. They’re supposed to be hiking.” 14 “You say that like you’re not sure.” 15 I shrugged. 16 “You’re lucky Edward has his brothers for all the hik- 17 ing and camping. I don’t know what I’d do if Ben didn’t 18 have Austin for the guy stuff.” 19 “Yeah, the outdoors thing is not really for me. And 20 there’s no way I’d ever be able to keep up.” 21 Angela laughed. “I prefer the indoors myself.” 22 She focused on her pile for a minute. I wrote out four 23 more addresses. There was never any pressure to ﬁll a pause 24 with meaningless chatter around Angela. Like Charlie, she 25 was comfortable with silence. 26 But, like Charlie, she was also too observant sometimes. 27 “Is something wrong?” she asked in a low voice now. 28 “You seem...anxious.” sh 29 I smiled sheepishly. “Is it that obvious?” reg 30 “Not really.”

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She was probably lying to make me feel better. 1 “You don’t have to talk about it unless you want to,” 2 she assured me. “I’ll listen if you think it will help.” 3 I was about to say thanks, but no thanks. After all, there 4 were just too many secrets I was bound to keep. I really 5 couldn’t discuss my problems with someone human. That 6 was against the rules. 7 And yet, with a strange, sudden intensity, that’s exactly 8 what I wanted. I wanted to talk to a normal human girl- 9 friend. I wanted to moan a little bit, like any other teenage 10 girl. I wanted my problems to be that simple. It would 11 also be nice to have someone outside the whole vampire- 12 werewolf mess to put things in perspective. Someone un- 13 biased. 14 “I’ll mind my own business,” Angela promised, smil- 15 ing down at the address she was working on. 16 “No,” I said. “You’re right. I am anxious. It’s ...it’s 17 Edward.” 18 “What’s wrong?” 19 It was so easy to talk to Angela. When she asked a 20 question like that, I could tell that she wasn’t just mor- 21 bidly curious or looking for gossip, like Jessica would have 22 been. She cared that I was upset. 23 “Oh, he’s mad at me.” 24 “That’s hard to imagine,” she said. “What’s he mad 25 about?” 26 I sighed. “Do you remember Jacob Black?” 27 “Ah,” she said. 28 “Yeah.” 29 sh “He’s jealous.” 30 reg

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1 “No, not jealous . . .” I should have kept my mouth 2 shut. There was no way to explain this right. But I wanted 3 to keep talking anyway. I hadn’t realized I was so starved 4 for human conversation. “Edward thinks Jacob is...a 5 bad inﬂuence, I guess. Sort of...dangerous. You know 6 how much trouble I got in a few months back....It’s all 7 ridiculous, though.” 8 I was surprised to see Angela shaking her head. 9 “What?” I asked. 10 “Bella, I’ve seen how Jacob Black looks at you. I’d bet 11 the real problem is jealousy.” 12 “It’s not like that with Jacob.” 13 “For you, maybe. But for Jacob...” 14 I frowned. “Jacob knows how I feel. I’ve told him every- 15 thing.” 16 “Edward’s only human, Bella. He’s going to react like 17 any other boy.” 18 I grimaced. I didn’t have a response to that. 19 She patted my hand. “He’ll get over it.” 20 “I hope so. Jake’s going through kind of a tough time. 21 He needs me.” 22 “You and Jacob are pretty close, aren’t you?” 23 “Like family,” I agreed. 24 “And Edward doesn’t like him....That must be hard. 25 I wonder how Ben would handle that?” she mused. 26 I half-smiled. “Probably just like any other boy.” 27 She grinned. “Probably.” 28 Then she changed the subject. Angela wasn’t one to sh 29 pry, and she seemed to sense I wouldn’t — couldn’t — say reg 30 any more.

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“I got my dorm assignment yesterday. The farthest 1 building from campus, naturally.” 2 “Does Ben know where he’s staying yet?” 3 “The closest dorm to campus. He’s got all the luck. 4 How about you? Did you decide where you’re going?” 5 I stared down, concentrating on the clumsy scrawl of 6 my handwriting. For a second I was distracted by the 7 thought of Angela and Ben at the University of Washing- 8 ton. They would be off to Seattle in just a few months. 9 Would it be safe then? Would the wild young vampire 10 menace have moved elsewhere? Would there be a new 11 place by then, some other city flinching from horror- 12 movie headlines? 13 Would those new headlines be my fault? 14 I tried to shake it off and answered her question a beat 15 late. “Alaska, I think. The university there in Juneau.” 16 I could hear the surprise in her voice. “Alaska? Oh. 17 Really? I mean, that’s great. I just figured you’d go some- 18 where...warmer.” 19 I laughed a little, still staring at the envelope. “Yeah. 20 Forks has really changed my perspective on life.” 21 “And Edward?” 22 Though his name set butterflies fluttering in my stom- 23 ach, I looked up and grinned at her. “Alaska’s not too cold 24 for Edward, either.” 25 She grinned back. “Of course not.” And then she 26 sighed. “It’s so far. You won’t be able to come home very 27 often. I’ll miss you. Will you e-mail me?” 28 A swell of quiet sadness crashed over me; maybe it was 29 sh a mistake to get closer to Angela now. But wouldn’t it be 30 reg

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1 sadder still to miss out on these last chances? I shook off the 2 unhappy thoughts, so that I could answer her teasingly. 3 “If I can type again after this.” I nodded toward the 4 stack of envelopes I’d done. 5 We laughed, and it was easy then to chat cheerfully 6 about classes and majors while we finished the rest — all I 7 had to do was not think about it. Anyway, there were more 8 urgent things to worry about today. 9 I helped her put the stamps on, too. I was afraid to leave. 10 “How’s your hand?” she asked. 11 I flexed my fingers. “I think I’ll recover the full use of 12 it...someday.” 13 The door banged downstairs, and we both looked up. 14 “Ang?” Ben called. 15 I tried to smile, but my lips trembled. “I guess that’s 16 my cue to leave.” 17 “You don’t have to go. Though he’s probably going to 18 describe the movie for me...in detail.” 19 “Charlie will be wondering where I am anyway.” 20 “Thanks for helping me.” 21 “I had a good time, actually. We should do something 22 like this again. It was nice to have some girl time.” 23 “Definitely.” 24 There was a light knock on the bedroom door. 25 “Come in, Ben,” Angela said. 26 I got up and stretched. 27 “Hey, Bella! You survived,” Ben greeted me quickly 28 before going to take my place by Angela. He eyed our sh 29 work. “Nice job. Too bad there’s nothing left to do, I reg 30

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would have . . .” He let the thought trail off, and then 1 restarted excitedly. “Ang, I can’t believe you missed this 2 one! It was awesome. There was this ﬁnal ﬁght sequence — 3 the choreography was unbelievable! This one guy — well, 4 you’re going to have to see it to know what I’m talking 5 about —” 6 Angela rolled her eyes at me. 7 “See you at school,” I said with a nervous laugh. 8 She sighed. “See you.” 9 I was jumpy on the way out to my truck, but the street 10 was empty. I spent the whole drive glancing anxiously in 11 all my mirrors, but there was never any sign of the silver car. 12 His car was not in front of the house, either, though 13 that meant little. 14 “Bella?” Charlie called when I opened the front door. 15 “Hey, Dad.” 16 I found him in the living room, in front of the TV. 17 “So, how was your day?” 18 “Good,” I said. Might as well tell him everything — 19 he’d hear it from Billy soon enough. Besides, it would 20 make him happy. “They didn’t need me at work, so I went 21 down to La Push.” 22 There wasn’t enough surprise in his face. Billy had al- 23 ready talked to him. 24 “How’s Jacob?” Charlie asked, attempting to sound in- 25 different. 26 “Good,” I said, just as casual. 27 “You get over to the Webers’?” 28 “Yep. We got all her announcements addressed.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “That’s nice.” Charlie smiled a wide smile. He was 2 strangely focused, considering that there was a game on. 3 “I’m glad you spent some time with your friends today.” 4 “Me, too.” 5 I ambled toward the kitchen, looking for busy work. 6 Unfortunately, Charlie had already cleaned up his lunch. I 7 stood there for a few minutes, staring at the bright patch 8 of light the sun made on the floor. But I knew I couldn’t 9 delay this forever. 10 “I’m going to go study,” I announced glumly as I 11 headed up the stairs. 12 “See you later,” Charlie called after me. 13 If I survive, I thought to myself. 14 I shut my bedroom door carefully before I turned to 15 face my room. 16 Of course he was there. He stood against the wall across 17 from me, in the shadow beside the open window. His face 18 was hard and his posture tense. He glared at me word- 19 lessly. 20 I cringed, waiting for the torrent, but it didn’t come. 21 He just continued to glare, possibly too angry to speak. 22 “Hi,” I finally said. 23 His face could have been carved from stone. I counted 24 to a hundred in my head, but there was no change. 25 “Er...so, I’m still alive,” I began. 26 A growl rumbled low in his chest, but his expression 27 didn’t change. 28 “No harm done,” I insisted with a shrug. sh 29 He moved. His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge reg 30 of his nose between the fingers of his right hand.

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“Bella,” he whispered. “Do you have any idea how close 1 I came to crossing the line today? To breaking the treaty 2 and coming after you? Do you know what that would have 3 meant?” 4 I gasped and his eyes opened. They were as cold and 5 hard as night. 6 “You can’t!” I said too loudly. I worked to modulate the 7 volume of my voice so Charlie wouldn’t hear, but I wanted 8 to shout the words. “Edward, they’d use any excuse for a 9 fight. They’d love that. You can’t ever break the rules!” 10 “Maybe they aren’t the only ones who would enjoy a 11 fight.” 12 “Don’t you start,” I snapped. “You made the treaty — 13 you stick to it.” 14 “If he’d hurt you —” 15 “Enough!” I cut him off. “There’s nothing to worry 16 about. Jacob isn’t dangerous.” 17 “Bella.” He rolled his eyes. “You aren’t exactly the best 18 judge of what is or isn’t dangerous.” 19 “I know I don’t have to worry about Jake. And neither 20 do you.” 21 He ground his teeth together. His hands were balled 22 up in fists at his sides. He was still standing against the 23 wall, and I hated the space between us. 24 I took a deep breath, and crossed the room. He didn’t 25 move when I wrapped my arms around him. Next to the 26 warmth of the last of the afternoon sun streaming through 27 the window, his skin felt especially icy. He seemed like 28 ice, too, frozen the way he was. 29 sh “I’m sorry I made you anxious,” I muttered. 30 reg

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1 He sighed, and relaxed a little. His arms wound around 2 my waist. 3 “Anxious is a bit of an understatement,” he murmured. 4 “It was a very long day.” 5 “You weren’t supposed to know about it,” I reminded 6 him. “I thought you’d be hunting longer.” 7 I looked up at his face, at his defensive eyes; I hadn’t 8 noticed in the stress of the moment, but they were too 9 dark. The rings under them were deep purple. I frowned 10 in disapproval. 11 “When Alice saw you disappear, I came back,” he ex- 12 plained. 13 “You shouldn’t have done that. Now you’ll have to go 14 away again.” My frown intensiﬁed. 15 “I can wait.” 16 “That’s ridiculous. I mean, I know she couldn’t see me 17 with Jacob, but you should have known —” 18 “But I didn’t,” he broke in. “And you can’t expect me 19 to let you —” 20 “Oh, yes, I can,” I interrupted him. “That’s exactly 21 what I expect —” 22 “This won’t happen again.” 23 “That’s right! Because you’re not going to overreact 24 next time.” 25 “Because there isn’t going to be a next time.” 26 “I understand when you have to leave, even if I don’t 27 like it —” 28 “That’s not the same. I’m not risking my life.” sh 29 “Neither am I.” reg 30 “Werewolves constitute a risk.”

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“I disagree.” 1 “I’m not negotiating this, Bella.” 2 “Neither am I.” 3 His hands were in fists again. I could feel them against 4 my back. 5 The words popped out thoughtlessly. “Is this really just 6 about my safety?” 7 “What do you mean?” he demanded. 8 “You aren’t . . .” Angela’s theory seemed sillier now 9 than before. It was hard to finish the thought. “I mean, 10 you know better than to be jealous, right?” 11 He raised one eyebrow. “Do I?” 12 “Be serious.” 13 “Easily — there’s nothing remotely humorous about 14 this.” 15 I frowned suspiciously. “Or...is this something else 16 altogether? Some vampires-and-werewolves-are-always- 17 enemies nonsense? Is this just a testosterone-fueled —” 18 His eyes blazed. “This is only about you. All I care is 19 that you’re safe.” 20 The black fire in his eyes was impossible to doubt. 21 “Okay,” I sighed. “I believe that. But I want you to 22 know something — when it comes to all this enemies non- 23 sense, I’m out. I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I 24 refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between myth- 25 ical creatures. Jacob is family. You are...well, not exactly 26 the love of my life, because I expect to love you for much 27 longer than that. The love of my existence. I don’t care 28 who’s a werewolf and who’s a vampire. If Angela turns out 29 sh to be a witch, she can join the party, too.” 30 reg

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1 He stared at me silently through narrowed eyes. 2 “Switzerland,” I repeated again for emphasis. 3 He frowned at me, and then sighed. “Bella...,” he 4 began, but he paused, and his nose wrinkled in disgust. 5 “What now?” 6 “Well...don’t be offended, but you smell like a dog,” 7 he told me. 8 And then he smiled crookedly, so I knew the ﬁght was 9 over. For now. 10 11 Edward had to make up for the missed hunting trip, and 12 so he was leaving Friday night with Jasper, Emmett, and 13 Carlisle to hit some reserve in Northern California with a 14 mountain lion problem. 15 We’d come to no agreement on the werewolf issue, but 16 I didn’t feel guilty calling Jake — during my brief win- 17 dow of opportunity when Edward took the Volvo home 18 before climbing back in through my window — to let 19 him know I’d be coming over on Saturday again. It wasn’t 20 sneaking around. Edward knew how I felt. And if he broke 21 my truck again, then I’d have Jacob pick me up. Forks was 22 neutral, just like Switzerland — just like me. 23 So when I got off work Thursday and it was Alice 24 rather than Edward waiting for me in the Volvo, I was not 25 suspicious at ﬁrst. The passenger door was open, and mu- 26 sic I didn’t recognize was shaking the frame when the bass 27 played. 28 “Hey, Alice,” I shouted over the wailing as I climbed sh 29 in. “Where’s your brother?” reg 30

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She was singing along to the song, her voice an octave 1 higher than the melody, weaving through it with a com- 2 plicated harmony. She nodded at me, ignoring my ques- 3 tion as she concentrated on the music. 4 I shut my door and put my hands over my ears. She 5 grinned, and turned the volume down until it was just back- 6 ground. Then she hit the locks and the gas in the same 7 second. 8 “What’s going on?” I asked, starting to feel uneasy. 9 “Where is Edward?” 10 She shrugged. “They left early.” 11 “Oh.” I tried to control the absurd disappointment. If he 12 left early, that meant he’d be back sooner, I reminded myself. 13 “All the boys went, and we’re having a slumber party!” 14 she announced in a trilling, singsong voice. 15 “A slumber party?” I repeated, the suspicion ﬁnally 16 settling in. 17 “Aren’t you excited?” she crowed. 18 I met her animated gaze for a long second. 19 “You’re kidnapping me, aren’t you?” 20 She laughed and nodded. “Till Saturday. Esme cleared 21 it with Charlie; you’re staying with me two nights, and I 22 will drive you to and from school tomorrow.” 23 I turned my face to the window, my teeth grinding to- 24 gether. 25 “Sorry,” Alice said, not sounding in the least bit peni- 26 tent. “He paid me off.” 27 “How?” I hissed through my teeth. 28 “The Porsche. It’s exactly like the one I stole in Italy.” She 29 sh 30 reg

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1 sighed happily. “I’m not supposed to drive it around Forks, 2 but if you want, we could see how long it takes to get from 3 here to L.A. — I bet I could have you back by midnight.” 4 I took a deep breath. “I think I’ll pass,” I sighed, re- 5 pressing a shudder. 6 We wound, always too fast, down the long drive. Alice 7 pulled around to the garage, and I quickly looked over the 8 cars. Emmett’s big jeep was there, with a shiny canary yel- 9 low Porsche between it and Rosalie’s red convertible. 10 Alice hopped out gracefully and went to stroke her 11 hand along the length of her bribe. “Pretty, isn’t it?” 12 “Pretty over-the-top,” I grumbled, incredulous. “He 13 gave you that just for two days of holding me hostage?” 14 Alice made a face. 15 A second later, comprehension came and I gasped in 16 horror. “It’s for every time he’s gone, isn’t it?” 17 She nodded. 18 I slammed my door and stomped toward the house. She 19 danced along next to me, still unrepentant. 20 “Alice, don’t you think this is just a little bit control- 21 ling? Just a tiny bit psychotic, maybe?” 22 “Not really.” She sniffed. “You don’t seem to grasp how 23 dangerous a young werewolf can be. Especially when I 24 can’t see them. Edward has no way to know if you’re safe. 25 You shouldn’t be so reckless.” 26 My voice turned acidic. “Yes, because a vampire slum- 27 ber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious behavior.” 28 Alice laughed. “I’ll give you a pedicure and every- sh 29 thing,” she promised. reg 30 It wasn’t so bad, except for the fact that I was being

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held against my will. Esme brought Italian food — the 1 good stuff, all the way from Port Angeles — and Alice 2 was prepared with my favorite movies. Even Rosalie was 3 there, quietly in the background. Alice did insist on the 4 pedicure, and I wondered if she was working from a list — 5 maybe something she’d compiled from watching bad 6 sitcoms. 7 “How late do you want to stay up?” she asked when my 8 toenails were glistening a bloody red. Her enthusiasm re- 9 mained untouched by my mood. 10 “I don’t want to stay up. We have school in the morning.” 11 She pouted. 12 “Where am I supposed to sleep, anyway?” I measured 13 the couch with my eyes. It was a little short. “Can’t you 14 just keep me under surveillance at my house?” 15 “What kind of a slumber party would that be?” Alice 16 shook her head in exasperation. “You’re sleeping in Ed- 17 ward’s room.” 18 I sighed. His black leather sofa was longer than this 19 one. Actually, the gold carpet in his room was probably 20 thick enough that the ﬂoor wouldn’t be half bad either. 21 “Can I go back to my place to get my things, at least?” 22 She grinned. “Already taken care of.” 23 “Am I allowed to use your phone?” 24 “Charlie knows where you are.” 25 “I wasn’t going to call Charlie.” I frowned. “Appar- 26 ently, I have some plans to cancel.” 27 “Oh.” She deliberated. “I’m not sure about that.” 28 “Alice!” I whined loudly. “C’mon!” 29 sh “Okay, okay,” she said, ﬂitting from the room. She was 30 reg

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1 back in half a second, cell phone in hand. “He didn’t specif- 2 ically prohibit this...,” she murmured to herself as she 3 handed it to me. 4 I dialed Jacob’s number, hoping he wasn’t out running 5 with his friends tonight. Luck was with me — Jacob was 6 the one to answer. 7 “Hello?” 8 “Hey, Jake, it’s me.” Alice watched me with expres- 9 sionless eyes for a second, before she turned and went to sit 10 between Rosalie and Esme on the sofa. 11 “Hi, Bella,” Jacob said, suddenly cautious. “What’s up?” 12 “Nothing good. I can’t come over Saturday after all.” 13 It was silent for a minute. “Stupid bloodsucker,” he ﬁ- 14 nally muttered. “I thought he was leaving. Can’t you have 15 a life when he’s gone? Or does he lock you in a cofﬁn?” 16 I laughed. 17 “I don’t think that’s funny.” 18 “I’m only laughing because you’re close,” I told him. 19 “But he’s going to be here Saturday, so it doesn’t matter.” 20 “Will he be feeding there in Forks, then?” Jacob asked 21 cuttingly. 22 “No.” I didn’t let myself get irritated with him. I wasn’t 23 that far from being as angry as he was. “He left early.” 24 “Oh. Well, hey, come over now, then,” he said with 25 sudden enthusiasm. “It’s not that late. Or I’ll come up to 26 Charlie’s.” 27 “I wish. I’m not at Charlie’s,” I said sourly. “I’m kind of 28 being held prisoner.” sh 29 He was silent as that sunk in, and then he growled. reg 30

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“We’ll come and get you,” he promised in a ﬂat voice, slip- 1 ping automatically into a plural. 2 A chill slid down my spine, but I answered in a light 3 and teasing voice. “Tempting. I have been tortured — 4 Alice painted my toenails.” 5 “I’m serious.” 6 “Don’t be. They’re just trying to keep me safe.” 7 He growled again. 8 “I know it’s silly, but their hearts are in the right 9 place.” 10 “Their hearts!” he scoffed. 11 “Sorry about Saturday,” I apologized. “I’ve got to hit 12 the sack” — the couch, I corrected mentally — “but I’ll 13 call you again soon.” 14 “Are you sure they’ll let you?” he asked in a scathing 15 tone. 16 “Not completely.” I sighed. “’Night, Jake.” 17 “See you around.” 18 Alice was abruptly at my side, her hand held out for 19 the phone, but I was already dialing. She saw the number. 20 “I don’t think he’ll have his phone on him,” she said. 21 “I’ll leave a message.” 22 The phone rang four times, followed by a beep. There 23 was no greeting. 24 “You are in trouble,” I said slowly, emphasizing each 25 word. “Enormous trouble. Angry grizzly bears are going 26 to look tame next to what is waiting for you at home.” 27 I snapped the phone shut and placed it in her waiting 28 hand. “I’m done.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 She grinned. “This hostage stuff is fun.” 2 “I’m going to sleep now,” I announced, heading for the 3 stairs. Alice tagged along. 4 “Alice,” I sighed. “I’m not going to sneak out. You 5 would know if I was planning to, and you’d catch me if I 6 tried.” 7 “I’m just going to show you where your things are,” 8 she said innocently. 9 Edward’s room was at the farthest end of the third ﬂoor 10 hallway, hard to mistake even when the huge house had 11 been less familiar. But when I switched the light on, I 12 paused in confusion. Had I picked the wrong door? 13 Alice giggled. 14 It was the same room, I realized quickly; the furniture 15 had just been rearranged. The couch was pushed to the 16 north wall and the stereo shoved up against the vast 17 shelves of CDs — to make room for the colossal bed that 18 now dominated the central space. 19 The southern wall of glass reﬂected the scene back like 20 a mirror, making it look twice as bad. 21 It matched. The coverlet was a dull gold, just lighter 22 than the walls; the frame was black, made of intricately 23 patterned wrought iron. Sculpted metal roses wound in 24 vines up the tall posts and formed a bowery lattice over- 25 head. My pajamas were folded neatly on the foot of the 26 bed, my bag of toiletries to one side. 27 “What the hell is all this?” I spluttered. 28 “You didn’t really think he would make you sleep on sh 29 the couch, did you?” reg 30

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I mumbled unintelligibly as I stalked forward to snatch 1 my things off the bed. 2 “I’ll give you some privacy,” Alice laughed. “See you in 3 the morning.” 4 After my teeth were brushed and I was dressed, I 5 grabbed a puffy feather pillow off the huge bed and 6 dragged the gold cover to the couch. I knew I was being 7 silly, but I didn’t care. Porsches as bribes and king-sized 8 beds in houses where nobody slept — it was beyond irri- 9 tating. I ﬂipped off the lights and curled up on the sofa, 10 wondering if I was too annoyed to sleep. 11 In the dark, the glass wall was no longer a black mirror, 12 doubling the room. The light of the moon brightened the 13 clouds outside the window. As my eyes adjusted, I could 14 see the diffused glow highlighting the tops of the trees, 15 and glinting off a small slice of the river. I watched the sil- 16 ver light, waiting for my eyes to get heavy. 17 There was a light knock on the door. 18 “What, Alice?” I hissed. I was on the defensive, imag- 19 ining her amusement when she saw my makeshift bed. 20 “It’s me,” Rosalie said softly, opening the door enough 21 that I could see the silver glow touch her perfect face. “Can 22 I come in?” 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 7. UNHAPPY ENDING 16 17 18 Rosalie hesitated in the doorway, her breathtak- 19 ing face unsure. 20 “Of course,” I replied, my voice an octave high with 21 surprise. “Come on in.” 22 I sat up, sliding to the end of the sofa to make room. 23 My stomach twisted nervously as the one Cullen who did 24 not like me moved silently to sit down in the open space. 25 I tried to come up with a reason why she would want to 26 see me, but my mind was a blank on that point. 27 “Do you mind talking to me for a few minutes?” she 28 asked. “I didn’t wake you or anything, did I?” Her eyes sh 29 shifted to the stripped bed and back to my couch. reg 30

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“No, I was awake. Sure, we can talk.” I wondered if she 1 could hear the alarm in my voice as clearly as I could. 2 She laughed lightly, and it sounded like a chorus of 3 bells. “He so rarely leaves you alone,” she said. “I ﬁgured 4 I’d better make the best of this opportunity.” 5 What did she want to say that couldn’t be said in front 6 of Edward? My hands twisted and untwisted around the 7 edge of the comforter. 8 “Please don’t think I’m horribly interfering,” Rosalie 9 said, her voice gentle and almost pleading. She folded her 10 hands in her lap and looked down at them as she spoke. 11 “I’m sure I’ve hurt your feelings enough in the past, and I 12 don’t want to do that again.” 13 “Don’t worry about it, Rosalie. My feelings are great. 14 What is it?” 15 She laughed again, sounding oddly embarrassed. “I’m 16 going to try to tell you why I think you should stay hu- 17 man — why I would stay human if I were you.” 18 “Oh.” 19 She smiled at the shocked tone of my voice, and then 20 she sighed. 21 “Did Edward ever tell you what led to this?” she asked, 22 gesturing to her glorious immortal body. 23 I nodded slowly, suddenly somber. “He said it was close 24 to what happened to me that time in Port Angeles, only 25 no one was there to save you.” I shuddered at the memory. 26 “Is that really all he told you?” she asked. 27 “Yes,” I said, my voice blank with confusion. “Was 28 there more?” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 She looked up at me and smiled; it was a harsh, 2 bitter — but still stunning — expression. 3 “Yes,” she said. “There was more.” 4 I waited while she stared out the window. She seemed 5 to be trying to calm herself. 6 “Would you like to hear my story, Bella? It doesn’t 7 have a happy ending — but which of ours does? If we had 8 happy endings, we’d all be under gravestones now.” 9 I nodded, though I was frightened by the edge in her 10 voice. 11 “I lived in a different world than you do, Bella. My hu- 12 man world was a much simpler place. It was nineteen 13 thirty-three. I was eighteen, and I was beautiful. My life 14 was perfect.” 15 She stared out the window at the silver clouds, her ex- 16 pression far away. 17 “My parents were thoroughly middle class. My father 18 had a stable job in a bank, something I realize now that he 19 was smug about — he saw his prosperity as a reward for 20 talent and hard work, rather than acknowledging the luck 21 involved. I took it all for granted then; in my home, it was 22 as if the Great Depression was only a troublesome rumor. 23 Of course I saw the poor people, the ones who weren’t as 24 lucky. My father left me with the impression that they’d 25 brought their troubles on themselves. 26 “It was my mother’s job to keep our house — and my- 27 self and my two younger brothers — in spotless order. It 28 was clear that I was both her ﬁrst priority and her favorite. sh 29 I didn’t fully understand at the time, but I was always reg 30 vaguely aware that my parents weren’t satisﬁed with what

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they had, even if it was so much more than most. They 1 wanted more. They had social aspirations — social climb- 2 ers, I suppose you could call them. My beauty was like a 3 gift to them. They saw so much more potential in it than 4 I did. 5 “They weren’t satisfied, but I was. I was thrilled to be 6 me, to be Rosalie Hale. Pleased that men’s eyes watched 7 me everywhere I went, from the year I turned twelve. De- 8 lighted that my girlfriends sighed with envy when they 9 touched my hair. Happy that my mother was proud of me 10 and that my father liked to buy me pretty dresses. 11 “I knew what I wanted out of life, and there didn’t 12 seem to be any way that I wouldn’t get exactly what I 13 wanted. I wanted to be loved, to be adored. I wanted to 14 have a huge, flowery wedding, where everyone in town 15 would watch me walk down the aisle on my father’s arm 16 and think I was the most beautiful thing they’d ever 17 seen. Admiration was like air to me, Bella. I was silly and 18 shallow, but I was content.” She smiled, amused at her 19 own evaluation. 20 “My parents’ influence had been such that I also 21 wanted the material things of life. I wanted a big house 22 with elegant furnishings that someone else would clean 23 and a modern kitchen that someone else would cook in. As 24 I said, shallow. Young and very shallow. And I didn’t see 25 any reason why I wouldn’t get these things. 26 “There were a few things I wanted that were more 27 meaningful. One thing in particular. My very closest 28 friend was a girl named Vera. She married young, just sev- 29 sh enteen. She married a man my parents would never have 30 reg

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1 considered for me — a carpenter. A year later she had a 2 son, a beautiful little boy with dimples and curly black 3 hair. It was the first time I’d ever felt truly jealous of any- 4 one else in my entire life.” 5 She looked at me with unfathomable eyes. “It was a dif- 6 ferent time. I was the same age as you, but I was ready for 7 it all. I yearned for my own little baby. I wanted my own 8 house and a husband who would kiss me when he got 9 home from work — just like Vera. Only I had a very dif- 10 ferent kind of house in mind....” 11 It was hard for me to imagine the world that Rosalie 12 had known. Her story sounded more like a fairy tale than 13 history to me. With a slight shock, I realized that this was 14 very close to the world that Edward would have experi- 15 enced when he was human, the world he had grown up in. 16 I wondered — while Rosalie sat silent for a moment — if 17 my world seemed as baffling to him as Rosalie’s did to me? 18 Rosalie sighed, and when she spoke again her voice was 19 different, the wistfulness gone. 20 “In Rochester, there was one royal family — the Kings, 21 ironically enough. Royce King owned the bank my father 22 worked at, and nearly every other really profitable business 23 in town. That’s how his son, Royce King the Second” — 24 her mouth twisted around the name, it came out through 25 her teeth — “saw me the first time. He was going to take 26 over at the bank, and so he began overseeing the different 27 positions. Two days later, my mother conveniently forgot 28 to send my father’s lunch to work with him. I remember sh 29 being confused when she insisted that I wear my white reg 30

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organza and roll my hair up just to run over to the bank.” 1 Rosalie laughed without humor. 2 “I didn’t notice Royce watching me particularly. Every- 3 one watched me. But that night the ﬁrst of the roses came. 4 Every night of our courtship, he sent a bouquet of roses to 5 me. My room was always overﬂowing with them. It got to 6 the point that I would smell like roses when I left the house. 7 “Royce was handsome, too. He had lighter hair than I 8 did, and pale blue eyes. He said my eyes were like violets, 9 and then those started showing up alongside the roses. 10 “My parents approved — that’s putting it mildly. This 11 was everything they’d dreamed of. And Royce seemed to 12 be everything I’d dreamed of. The fairy tale prince, come 13 to make me a princess. Everything I wanted, yet it was 14 still no more than I expected. We were engaged before I’d 15 known him for two months. 16 “We didn’t spend a great deal of time alone with each 17 other. Royce told me he had many responsibilities at 18 work, and, when we were together, he liked people to look 19 at us, to see me on his arm. I liked that, too. There were 20 lots of parties, dancing, and pretty dresses. When you 21 were a King, every door was open for you, every red carpet 22 rolled out to greet you. 23 “It wasn’t a long engagement. Plans went ahead for the 24 most lavish wedding. It was going to be everything I’d 25 ever wanted. I was completely happy. When I called at 26 Vera’s, I no longer felt jealous. I pictured my fair-haired 27 children playing on the huge lawns of the Kings’ estate, 28 and I pitied her.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Rosalie broke off suddenly, clenching her teeth to- 2 gether. It pulled me out of her story, and I realized that the 3 horror was not far off. There would be no happy ending, as 4 she’d promised. I wondered if this was why she had so much 5 more bitterness in her than the rest of them — because 6 she’d been within reach of everything she’d wanted when 7 her human life was cut short. 8 “I was at Vera’s that night,” Rosalie whispered. Her 9 face was smooth as marble, and as hard. “Her little Henry 10 really was adorable, all smiles and dimples — he was just 11 sitting up on his own. Vera walked me to the door as I was 12 leaving, her baby in her arms and her husband at her side, 13 his arm around her waist. He kissed her on the cheek when 14 he thought I wasn’t looking. That bothered me. When 15 Royce kissed me, it wasn’t quite the same — not so sweet 16 somehow....I shoved that thought aside. Royce was my 17 prince. Someday, I would be queen.” 18 It was hard to tell in the moonlight, but it looked like 19 her bone white face got paler. 20 “It was dark in the streets, the lamps already on. I 21 hadn’t realized how late it was.” She continued to whisper 22 almost inaudibly. “It was cold, too. Very cold for late 23 April. The wedding was only a week away, and I was wor- 24 rying about the weather as I hurried home — I can re- 25 member that clearly. I remember every detail about that 26 night. I clung to it so hard...in the beginning. I 27 thought of nothing else. And so I remember this, when so 28 many pleasant memories have faded away completely....” sh 29 She sighed, and began whispering again. “Yes, I was reg 30

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worrying about the weather....I didn’t want to have to 1 move the wedding indoors.... 2 “I was a few streets from my house when I heard them. 3 A cluster of men under a broken streetlamp, laughing too 4 loud. Drunk. I wished I’d called my father to escort me 5 home, but the way was so short, it seemed silly. And then 6 he called my name. 7 “‘Rose!’ he yelled, and the others laughed stupidly. 8 “I hadn’t realized the drunks were so well dressed. It 9 was Royce and some of his friends, sons of other rich men. 10 “‘Here’s my Rose!’ Royce shouted, laughing with 11 them, sounding just as stupid. ‘You’re late. We’re cold, 12 you’ve kept us waiting so long.’” 13 “I’d never seen him drink before. A toast, now and then, 14 at a party. He’d told me he didn’t like champagne. I hadn’t 15 realized that he preferred something much stronger. 16 “He had a new friend — the friend of a friend, come up 17 from Atlanta. 18 “‘What did I tell you, John,’ Royce crowed, grabbing 19 my arm and pulling me closer. ‘Isn’t she lovelier than all 20 your Georgia peaches?’ 21 “The man named John was dark-haired and suntanned. 22 He looked me over like I was a horse he was buying. 23 “‘It’s hard to tell,’ he drawled slowly. ‘She’s all cov- 24 ered up.’ 25 “They laughed, Royce like the rest. 26 “Suddenly, Royce ripped my jacket from my shoul- 27 ders — it was a gift from him — popping the brass but- 28 tons off. They scattered all over the street. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “‘Show him what you look like, Rose!’ He laughed 2 again and then he tore my hat out of my hair. The pins 3 wrenched my hair from the roots, and I cried out in pain. 4 They seemed to enjoy that — the sound of my pain....” 5 Rosalie looked at me suddenly, as if she’d forgotten I 6 was there. I was sure my face was as white as hers. Unless 7 it was green. 8 “I won’t make you listen to the rest,” she said quietly. 9 “They left me in the street, still laughing as they stumbled 10 away. They thought I was dead. They were teasing Royce 11 that he would have to find a new bride. He laughed and 12 said he’d have to learn some patience first. 13 “I waited in the road to die. It was cold, though there 14 was so much pain that I was surprised it bothered me. It 15 started to snow, and I wondered why I wasn’t dying. I was 16 impatient for death to come, to end the pain. It was tak- 17 ing so long.... 18 “Carlisle found me then. He’d smelled the blood, and 19 come to investigate. I remember being vaguely irritated as 20 he worked over me, trying to save my life. I’d never liked 21 Dr. Cullen or his wife and her brother — as Edward pre- 22 tended to be then. It had upset me that they were all more 23 beautiful than I was, especially that the men were. But 24 they didn’t mingle in society, so I’d only seen them once 25 or twice. 26 “I thought I’d died when he pulled me from the 27 ground and ran with me — because of the speed — it felt 28 like I was flying. I remembered being horrified that the sh 29 pain didn’t stop.... reg 30 “Then I was in a bright room, and it was warm. I was

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slipping away, and I was grateful as the pain began to dull. 1 But suddenly something sharp was cutting me, my throat, 2 my wrists, my ankles. I screamed in shock, thinking he’d 3 brought me there to hurt me more. Then ﬁre started burn- 4 ing through me, and I didn’t care about anything else. I 5 begged him to kill me. When Esme and Edward returned 6 home, I begged them to kill me, too. Carlisle sat with me. 7 He held my hand and said that he was so sorry, promising 8 that it would end. He told me everything, and sometimes 9 I listened. He told me what he was, what I was becoming. 10 I didn’t believe him. He apologized each time I screamed. 11 “Edward wasn’t happy. I remember hearing them dis- 12 cuss me. I stopped screaming sometimes. It did no good to 13 scream. 14 “‘What were you thinking, Carlisle?’ Edward said. 15 ‘Rosalie Hale?’” Rosalie imitated Edward’s irritated tone 16 to perfection. “I didn’t like the way he said my name, like 17 there was something wrong with me. 18 “‘I couldn’t just let her die,’ Carlisle said quietly. ‘It 19 was too much — too horrible, too much waste.’ 20 “‘I know,’ Edward said, and I thought he sounded dis- 21 missive. It angered me. I didn’t know then that he really 22 could see exactly what Carlisle had seen. 23 “‘It was too much waste. I couldn’t leave her,’ Carlisle 24 repeated in a whisper. 25 “‘Of course you couldn’t,’ Esme agreed. 26 “‘People die all the time,’ Edward reminded him in a 27 hard voice. ‘Don’t you think she’s just a little recog- 28 nizable, though? The Kings will have to put up a huge 29 sh search — not that anyone suspects the ﬁend,’ he growled. 30 reg

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1 “It pleased me that they seemed to know that Royce 2 was guilty. 3 “I didn’t realize that it was almost over — that I was 4 getting stronger and that was why I was able to concen- 5 trate on what they were saying. The pain was beginning to 6 fade from my fingertips. 7 “‘What are we going to do with her?’ Edward said dis- 8 gustedly — or that’s how it sounded to me, at least. 9 “Carlisle sighed. ‘That’s up to her, of course. She may 10 want to go her own way.’ 11 “I’d believed enough of what he’d told me that his 12 words terrified me. I knew that my life was ended, and 13 there was no going back for me. I couldn’t stand the 14 thought of being alone.... 15 “The pain finally ended and they explained to me again 16 what I was. This time I believed. I felt the thirst, my hard 17 skin; I saw my brilliant red eyes. 18 “Shallow as I was, I felt better when I saw my reflection 19 in the mirror the first time. Despite the eyes, I was the 20 most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.” She laughed at herself 21 for a moment. “It took some time before I began to blame 22 the beauty for what had happened to me — for me to see 23 the curse of it. To wish that I had been...well, not ugly, 24 but normal. Like Vera. So I could have been allowed to 25 marry someone who loved me, and have pretty babies. 26 That’s what I’d really wanted, all along. It still doesn’t 27 seem like too much to have asked for.” 28 She was thoughtful for a moment, and I wondered if sh 29 she’d forgotten my presence again. But then she smiled at reg 30 me, her expression suddenly triumphant.

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“You know, my record is almost as clean as Carlisle’s,” 1 she told me. “Better than Esme. A thousand times better 2 than Edward. I’ve never tasted human blood,” she an- 3 nounced proudly. 4 She understood my puzzled expression as I wondered 5 why her record was only almost as clean. 6 “I did murder ﬁve humans,” she told me in a compla- 7 cent tone. “If you can really call them human. But I was 8 very careful not to spill their blood — I knew I wouldn’t 9 be able to resist that, and I didn’t want any part of them in 10 me, you see. 11 “I saved Royce for last. I hoped that he would hear of 12 his friends’ deaths and understand, know what was com- 13 ing for him. I hoped the fear would make the end worse 14 for him. I think it worked. He was hiding inside a win- 15 dowless room behind a door as thick as a bank vault’s, 16 guarded outside by armed men, when I caught up with 17 him. Oops — seven murders,” she corrected herself. “I 18 forgot about his guards. They only took a second.” 19 “I was overly theatrical. It was kind of childish, really. 20 I wore a wedding dress I’d stolen for the occasion. He 21 screamed when he saw me. He screamed a lot that night. 22 Saving him for last was a good idea — it made it easier for 23 me to control myself, to make it slower —” 24 She broke off suddenly, and she glanced down at me. 25 “I’m sorry,” she said in a chagrined voice. “I’m frightening 26 you, aren’t I?” 27 “I’m ﬁne,” I lied. 28 “I got carried away.” 29 sh “Don’t worry about it.” 30 reg

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1 “I’m surprised Edward didn’t tell you more about it.” 2 “He doesn’t like to tell other people’s stories — he feels 3 like he’s betraying confidences, because he hears so much 4 more than just the parts they mean for him to hear.” 5 She smiled and shook her head. “I probably ought to 6 give him more credit. He’s really quite decent, isn’t he?” 7 “I think so.” 8 “I can tell.” Then she sighed. “I haven’t been fair to 9 you, either, Bella. Did he tell you why? Or was that too 10 confidential?” 11 “He said it was because I was human. He said it was 12 harder for you to have someone on the outside who knew.” 13 Rosalie’s musical laughter interrupted me. “Now I really 14 feel guilty. He’s been much, much kinder to me than I de- 15 serve.” She seemed warmer as she laughed, like she’d let 16 down some guard that had never been absent in my pres- 17 ence before. “What a liar that boy is.” She laughed again. 18 “He was lying?” I asked, suddenly wary. 19 “Well, that’s probably putting it too strongly. He just 20 didn’t tell you the whole story. What he told you was true, 21 even truer now than it was before. However, at the 22 time . . .” She broke off, chuckling nervously. “It’s embar- 23 rassing. You see, at first, I was mostly jealous because he 24 wanted you and not me.” 25 Her words sent a thrill of fear through me. Sitting there 26 in the silver light, she was more beautiful than anything 27 else I could imagine. I could not compete with Rosalie. 28 “But you love Emmett...,” I mumbled. sh 29 She shook her head back and forth, amused. “I don’t reg 30

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want Edward that way, Bella. I never did — I love him as 1 a brother, but he’s irritated me from the first moment I 2 heard him speak. You have to understand, though...I 3 was so used to people wanting me. And Edward wasn’t the 4 least bit interested. It frustrated me, even offended me in 5 the beginning. But he never wanted anyone, so it didn’t 6 bother me long. Even when we first met Tanya’s clan in 7 Denali — all those females! — Edward never showed the 8 slightest preference. And then he met you.” She looked at 9 me with confused eyes. I was only half paying attention. I 10 was thinking about Edward and Tanya and all those females, 11 and my lips pressed together in a hard line. 12 “Not that you aren’t pretty, Bella,” she said, misread- 13 ing my expression. “But it just meant that he found you 14 more attractive than me. I’m vain enough that I minded.” 15 “But you said ‘at first.’ That doesn’t still...bother 16 you, does it? I mean, we both know you’re the most beau- 17 tiful person on the planet.” 18 I laughed at having to say the words — it was so obvi- 19 ous. How odd that Rosalie should need such reassurances. 20 Rosalie laughed, too. “Thanks, Bella. And no, it 21 doesn’t really bother me anymore. Edward has always been 22 a little strange.” She laughed again. 23 “But you still don’t like me,” I whispered. 24 Her smile faded. “I’m sorry about that.” 25 We sat in silence for a moment, and she didn’t seem in- 26 clined to go on. 27 “Would you tell me why? Did I do something...?” 28 Was she angry that I’d put her family — her Emmett — 29 sh 30 reg

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1 in danger? Time and time again. James, and now Vic- 2 toria... 3 “No, you haven’t done anything,” she murmured. 4 “Not yet.” 5 I stared at her, perplexed. 6 “Don’t you see, Bella?” Her voice was suddenly more 7 passionate than before, even while she’d told her unhappy 8 story. “You already have everything. You have a whole life 9 ahead of you — everything I want. And you’re going to 10 just throw it away. Can’t you see that I’d trade everything 11 I have to be you? You have the choice that I didn’t have, 12 and you’re choosing wrong!” 13 I flinched back from her fierce expression. I realized my 14 mouth had fallen open and I snapped it shut. 15 She stared at me for a long moment and, slowly, the fer- 16 vor in her eyes dimmed. Abruptly, she was abashed. 17 “And I was so sure that I could do this calmly.” She 18 shook her head, seeming a little dazed by the flood of emo- 19 tion. “It’s just that it’s harder now than it was then, when 20 it was no more than vanity.” 21 She stared at the moon in silence. It was a few moments 22 before I was brave enough to break into her reverie. 23 “Would you like me better if I chose to stay human?” 24 She turned back to me, her lips twitching into a hint of 25 a smile. “Maybe.” 26 “You did get some of your happy ending, though,” I re- 27 minded her. “You got Emmett.” 28 “I got half.” She grinned. “You know that I saved Em- sh 29 mett from a bear that was mauling him, and carried him reg 30

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home to Carlisle. But can you guess why I stopped the 1 bear from eating him?” 2 I shook my head. 3 “With the dark curls...the dimples that showed even 4 while he was grimacing in pain...the strange innocence 5 that seemed so out of place on a grown man’s face...he 6 reminded me of Vera’s little Henry. I didn’t want him to 7 die — so much that, even though I hated this life, I was 8 selﬁsh enough to ask Carlisle to change him for me. 9 “I got luckier than I deserved. Emmett is everything I 10 would have asked for if I’d known myself well enough to 11 know what to ask for. He’s exactly the kind of person 12 someone like me needs. And, oddly enough, he needs me, 13 too. That part worked out better than I could have hoped. 14 But there will never be more than the two of us. And I’ll 15 never sit on a porch somewhere, with him gray-haired by 16 my side, surrounded by our grandchildren.” 17 Her smile was kind now. “That sounds quite bizarre to 18 you, doesn’t it? In some ways, you are much more mature 19 than I was at eighteen. But in other ways...there are 20 many things you’ve probably never thought about seri- 21 ously. You’re too young to know what you’ll want in ten 22 years, ﬁfteen years — and too young to give it all up with- 23 out thinking it through. You don’t want to be rash about 24 permanent things, Bella.” She patted my head, but the 25 gesture didn’t feel condescending. 26 I sighed. 27 “Just think about it a little. Once it’s done, it can’t be 28 undone. Esme’s made do with us as substitutes...and 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Alice doesn’t remember anything human so she can’t miss 2 it....You will remember, though. It’s a lot to give up.” 3 But more to get in return, I didn’t say aloud. “Thanks, 4 Rosalie. It’s nice to understand...to know you better.” 5 “I apologize for being such a monster.” She grinned. 6 “I’ll try to behave myself from now on.” 7 I grinned back at her. 8 We weren’t friends yet, but I was pretty sure she 9 wouldn’t always hate me so much. 10 “I’ll let you sleep now.” Rosalie’s eyes ﬂickered to the 11 bed, and her lips twitched. “I know you’re frustrated that 12 he’s keeping you locked up like this, but don’t give him 13 too bad a time when he gets back. He loves you more than 14 you know. It terriﬁes him to be away from you.” She got 15 up silently and ghosted to the door. “Goodnight, Bella,” 16 she whispered as she shut it behind herself. 17 “Goodnight, Rosalie,” I murmured a second too late. 18 It took me a long time to fall asleep after that. 19 When I did sleep, I had a nightmare. I was crawling 20 across the dark, cold stones of an unfamiliar street, under 21 lightly falling snow, leaving a trail of blood smeared be- 22 hind me. A shadowy angel in a long white dress watched 23 my progress with resentful eyes. 24 The next morning, Alice drove me to school while I 25 stared grumpily out the windshield. I was feeling sleep- 26 deprived, and it made the irritation of my imprisonment 27 that much stronger. 28 “Tonight we’ll go out to Olympia or something,” she sh 29 promised. “That would be fun, right?” reg 30

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“Why don’t you just lock me in the basement,” I sug- 1 gested, “and forget the sugar coating?” 2 Alice frowned. “He’s going to take the Porsche back. 3 I’m not doing a very good job. You’re supposed to be hav- 4 ing fun.” 5 “It’s not your fault,” I muttered. I couldn’t believe I ac- 6 tually felt guilty. “I’ll see you at lunch.” 7 I trudged off to English. Without Edward, the day was 8 guaranteed to be unbearable. I sulked through my ﬁrst 9 class, well aware that my attitude wasn’t helping any- 10 thing. 11 When the bell rang, I got up without much enthusi- 12 asm. Mike was there at the door, holding it open for me. 13 “Edward hiking this weekend?” he asked sociably as we 14 walked out into the light rain. 15 “Yeah.” 16 “You want to do something tonight?” 17 How could he still sound hopeful? 18 “Can’t. I’ve got a slumber party,” I grumbled. He gave 19 me a strange look as he processed my mood. 20 “Who are you —” 21 Mike’s question was cut short as a loud, growling roar 22 erupted from behind us in the parking lot. Everyone on 23 the sidewalk turned to look, staring in disbelief as the 24 noisy black motorcycle screeched to a stop on the edge of 25 the concrete, the engine still snarling. 26 Jacob waved to me urgently. 27 “Run, Bella!” he yelled over the engine’s roar. 28 I was frozen for a second before I understood. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I looked at Mike quickly. I knew I only had seconds. 2 How far would Alice go to restrain me in public? 3 “I got really sick and went home, okay?” I said to Mike, 4 my voice ﬁlled with sudden excitement. 5 “Fine,” he muttered. 6 I pecked Mike swiftly on the cheek. “Thanks, Mike. I 7 owe you one!” I called as I sprinted away. 8 Jacob revved his engine, grinning. I jumped on the 9 back of his seat, wrapping my arms tightly around his 10 waist. 11 I caught sight of Alice, frozen at the edge of the cafete- 12 ria, her eyes sparking with fury, her lip curled back over 13 her teeth. 14 I shot her one pleading glance. 15 Then we were racing across the blacktop so fast that 16 my stomach got lost somewhere behind me. 17 “Hold on,” Jacob shouted. 18 I hid my face in his back as he sped down the highway. 19 I knew he would slow down when we hit the Quileute 20 border. I just had to hold on till then. I prayed silently and 21 fervently that Alice wouldn’t follow, and that Charlie 22 wouldn’t happen to see me.... 23 It was obvious when we had reached the safe zone. The 24 bike slowed, and Jacob straightened up and howled with 25 laughter. I opened my eyes. 26 “We made it,” he shouted. “Not bad for a prison 27 break, eh?” 28 “Good thinking, Jake.” sh 29 “I remembered what you said about the psychic leech reg 30 not being about to predict what I’m going to do. I’m glad

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you didn’t think of this — she wouldn’t have let you go to 1 school.” 2 “That’s why I didn’t consider it.” 3 He laughed triumphantly. “What do you want to do 4 today?” 5 “Anything!” I laughed back. It felt great to be free. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 8. TEMPER 16 17 18 We ended up on the beach again, wandering aim- 19 lessly. Jacob was still full of himself for engineering my 20 escape. 21 “Do you think they’ll come looking for you?” he asked, 22 sounding hopeful. 23 “No.” I was certain about that. “They’re going to be fu- 24 rious with me tonight, though.” 25 He picked up a rock and chucked it into the waves. 26 “Don’t go back, then,” he suggested again. 27 “Charlie would love that,” I said sarcastically. 28 “I bet he wouldn’t mind.” sh 29 I didn’t answer. Jacob was probably right, and that reg 30

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made me grind my teeth together. Charlie’s blatant pref- 1 erence for my Quileute friends was so unfair. I wondered if 2 he would feel the same if he knew the choice was really be- 3 tween vampires and werewolves. 4 “So what’s the latest pack scandal?” I asked lightly. 5 Jacob skidded to a halt, and he stared down at me with 6 shocked eyes. 7 “What? That was a joke.” 8 “Oh.” He looked away. 9 I waited for him to start walking again, but he seemed 10 lost in thought. 11 “Is there a scandal?” I wondered. 12 Jacob chuckled once. “I forget what it’s like, not having 13 everyone know everything all the time. Having a quiet, 14 private place inside my head.” 15 We walked along the stony beach quietly for a few 16 minutes. 17 “So what is it?” I ﬁnally asked. “That everyone in your 18 head already knows?” 19 He hesitated for a moment, as if he weren’t sure how 20 much he was going to tell me. Then he sighed and said, 21 “Quil imprinted. That’s three now. The rest of us are start- 22 ing to get worried. Maybe it’s more common than the sto- 23 ries say. . . .” He frowned, and then turned to stare at me. 24 He gazed into my eyes without speaking, his eyebrows fur- 25 rowed in concentration. 26 “What are you staring at?” I asked, feeling self-conscious. 27 He sighed. “Nothing.” 28 Jacob started walking again. Without seeming to think 29 sh 30 reg

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1 about it, he reached out and took my hand. We paced 2 silently across the rocks. 3 I thought of how we must look walking hand and hand 4 down the beach — like a couple, certainly — and won- 5 dered if I should object. But this was the way it had always 6 been with Jacob....No reason to get worked up about 7 it now. 8 “Why is Quil’s imprinting such a scandal?” I asked 9 when it didn’t look like he was going to go on. “Is it be- 10 cause he’s the newest one?” 11 “That doesn’t have anything to do with it.” 12 “Then what’s the problem?” 13 “It’s another one of those legend things. I wonder when 14 we’re going to stop being surprised that they’re all true?” 15 he muttered to himself. 16 “Are you going to tell me? Or do I have to guess?” 17 “You’d never get it right. See, Quil hasn’t been hang- 18 ing out with us, you know, until just recently. So he hadn’t 19 been around Emily’s place much.” 20 “Quil imprinted on Emily, too?” I gasped. 21 “No! I told you not to guess. Emily had her two nieces 22 down for a visit...and Quil met Claire.” 23 He didn’t continue. I thought about that for a moment. 24 “Emily doesn’t want her niece with a werewolf? That’s 25 a little hypocritical,” I said. 26 But I could understand why she of all people might 27 feel that way. I thought again of the long scars that marred 28 her face and extended all the way down her right arm. Sam sh 29 had lost control just once when he was standing too close reg 30

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to her. Once was all it took....I’d seen the pain in Sam’s 1 eyes when he looked at what he’d done to Emily. I could 2 understand why Emily might want to protect her niece 3 from that. 4 “Would you please stop guessing? You’re way off. 5 Emily doesn’t mind that part, it’s just, well, a little early.” 6 “What do you mean early?” 7 Jacob appraised me with narrowed eyes. “Try not to be 8 judgmental, okay?” 9 I nodded cautiously. 10 “Claire is two,” Jacob told me. 11 Rain started to fall. I blinked furiously as the drops 12 pelted my face. 13 Jacob waited in silence. He wore no jacket, as usual; 14 the rain left a spatter of dark spots on his black T-shirt, 15 and dripped through his shaggy hair. His face was expres- 16 sionless as he watched mine. 17 “Quil...imprinted...with a two-year-old?” I was fi- 18 nally able to ask. 19 “It happens.” Jacob shrugged. He bent to grab another 20 rock and sent it flying out into the bay. “Or so the stor- 21 ies say.” 22 “But she’s a baby,” I protested. 23 He looked at me with dark amusement. “Quil’s not 24 getting any older,” he reminded me, a bit of acid in his 25 tone. “He’ll just have to be patient for a few decades.” 26 “I...don’t know what to say.” 27 I was trying my hardest not to be critical, but, in truth, 28 I was horrified. Until now, nothing about the werewolves 29 sh 30 reg

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1 had bothered me since the day I’d found out they weren’t 2 committing the murders I’d suspected them of. 3 “You’re making judgments,” he accused. “I can see it 4 on your face.” 5 “Sorry,” I muttered. “But it sounds really creepy.” 6 “It’s not like that; you’ve got it all wrong,” Jacob de- 7 fended his friend, suddenly vehement. “I’ve seen what it’s 8 like, through his eyes. There’s nothing romantic about it at 9 all, not for Quil, not now.” He took a deep breath, frus- 10 trated. “It’s so hard to describe. It’s not like love at ﬁrst 11 sight, really. It’s more like...gravity moves. When you 12 see her, suddenly it’s not the earth holding you here any- 13 more. She does. And nothing matters more than her. And 14 you would do anything for her, be anything for her.... 15 You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that’s 16 a protector, or a lover, or a friend, or a brother. 17 “Quil will be the best, kindest big brother any kid 18 ever had. There isn’t a toddler on the planet that will 19 be more carefully looked after than that little girl will be. 20 And then, when she’s older and needs a friend, he’ll be 21 more understanding, trustworthy, and reliable than any- 22 one else she knows. And then, when she’s grown up, 23 they’ll be as happy as Emily and Sam.” A strange, bitter 24 edge sharpened his tone at the very end, when he spoke 25 of Sam. 26 “Doesn’t Claire get a choice here?” 27 “Of course. But why wouldn’t she choose him, in the 28 end? He’ll be her perfect match. Like he was designed for sh 29 her alone.” reg 30 We walked in silence for a moment, till I paused to toss

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a rock toward the ocean. It fell to the beach several meters 1 short. Jacob laughed at me. 2 “We can’t all be freakishly strong,” I muttered. 3 He sighed. 4 “When do you think it will happen for you?” I asked 5 quietly. 6 His answer was ﬂat and immediate. “Never.” 7 “It’s not something you can control, is it?” 8 He was silent for a few minutes. Unconsciously, we 9 both walked slower, barely moving at all. 10 “It’s not supposed to be,” he admitted. “But you have 11 to see her — the one that’s supposedly meant for you.” 12 “And you think that if you haven’t seen her yet, then 13 she’s not out there?” I asked skeptically. “Jacob, you haven’t 14 really seen much of the world — less than me, even.” 15 “No, I haven’t,” he said in a low voice. He looked at my 16 face with suddenly piercing eyes. “But I’ll never see any- 17 one else, Bella. I only see you. Even when I close my eyes 18 and try to see something else. Ask Quil or Embry. It drives 19 them all crazy.” 20 I dropped my eyes to the rocks. 21 We weren’t walking anymore. The only sound was of 22 the waves beating against the shore. I couldn’t hear the 23 rain over their roar. 24 “Maybe I’d better go home,” I whispered. 25 “No!” he protested, surprised by this conclusion. 26 I looked up at him again, and his eyes were anxious now. 27 “You have the whole day off, right? The bloodsucker 28 won’t be home yet.” 29 sh I glared at him. 30 reg

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1 “No offense intended,” he said quickly. 2 “Yes, I have the whole day. But, Jake...” 3 He held up his hands. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I won’t 4 be like that anymore. I’ll just be Jacob.” 5 I sighed. “But if that’s what you’re thinking ...” 6 “Don’t worry about me,” he insisted, smiling with de- 7 liberate cheer, too brightly. “I know what I’m doing. Just 8 tell me if I’m upsetting you.” 9 “I don’t know....” 10 “C’mon, Bella. Let’s go back to the house and get our 11 bikes. You’ve got to ride a motorcycle regularly to keep it 12 in tune.” 13 “I really don’t think I’m allowed.” 14 “By who? Charlie or the blood — or him?” 15 “Both.” 16 Jacob grinned my grin, and he was suddenly the Jacob 17 I missed the most, sunny and warm. 18 I couldn’t help grinning back. 19 The rain softened, turned to mist. 20 “I won’t tell anyone,” he promised. 21 “Except every one of your friends.” 22 He shook his head soberly and raised his right hand. “I 23 promise not to think about it.” 24 I laughed. “If I get hurt, it was because I tripped.” 25 “Whatever you say.” 26 We rode our motorcycles on the back roads around La 27 Push until the rain made them too muddy and Jacob in- 28 sisted that he was going to pass out if he didn’t eat soon. sh 29 Billy greeted me easily when we got to the house, as if my reg 30

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sudden reappearance meant nothing more complicated 1 than that I’d wanted to spend the day with my friend. Af- 2 ter we ate the sandwiches Jacob made, we went out to the 3 garage and I helped him clean up the bikes. I hadn’t been 4 here in months — since Edward had returned — but there 5 was no sense of import to it. It was just another afternoon 6 in the garage. 7 “This is nice,” I commented when he pulled the warm 8 sodas from the grocery bag. “I’ve missed this place.” 9 He smiled, looking around at the plastic sheds bolted 10 together over our heads. “Yeah, I can understand that. All 11 the splendor of the Taj Mahal, without the inconvenience 12 and expense of traveling to India.” 13 “To Washington’s little Taj Mahal,” I toasted, holding 14 up my can. 15 He touched his can to mine. 16 “Do you remember last Valentine’s Day? I think that 17 was the last time you were here — the last time when things 18 were still...normal, I mean.” 19 I laughed. “Of course I remember. I traded a lifetime of 20 servitude for a box of conversation hearts. That’s not some- 21 thing I’m likely to forget.” 22 He laughed with me. “That’s right. Hmm, servitude. 23 I’ll have to think of something good.” Then he sighed. “It 24 feels like it was years ago. Another era. A happier one.” 25 I couldn’t agree with him. This was my happy era now. 26 But I was surprised to realize how many things I missed 27 from my own personal dark ages. I stared through the 28 opening at the murky forest. The rain had picked up 29 sh 30 reg

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1 again, but it was warm in the little garage, sitting next to 2 Jacob. He was as good as a furnace. 3 His fingers brushed my hand. “Things have really 4 changed.” 5 “Yeah,” I said, and then I reached out and patted the 6 back tire of my bike. “Charlie used to like me. I hope Billy 7 doesn’t say anything about today. . . .” I bit my lip. 8 “He won’t. He doesn’t get worked up about things the 9 way Charlie does. Hey, I never did apologize officially for 10 that stupid move with the bike. I’m real sorry about rat- 11 ting you out to Charlie. I wish I hadn’t.” 12 I rolled my eyes. “Me, too.” 13 “I’m really, really sorry.” 14 He looked at me hopefully, his wet, tangled black hair 15 sticking up in every direction around his pleading face. 16 “Oh, fine! You’re forgiven.” 17 “Thanks, Bells!” 18 We grinned at each other for a second, and then his face 19 clouded over. 20 “You know that day, when I brought the bike over... 21 I’ve been wanting to ask you something,” he said slowly. 22 “But also...not wanting to.” 23 I held very still — a reaction to stress. It was a habit I’d 24 picked up from Edward. 25 “Were you just being stubborn because you were mad 26 at me, or were you really serious?” he whispered. 27 “About what?” I whispered back, though I was sure I 28 knew what he meant. sh 29 He glared at me. “You know. When you said it was reg 30

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none of my business...if—if he bit you.” He cringed 1 visibly at the end. 2 “Jake . . .” My throat felt swollen. I couldn’t finish. 3 He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Were you 4 serious?” 5 He was trembling just slightly. His eyes stayed closed. 6 “Yes,” I whispered. 7 Jacob inhaled, slow and deep. “I guess I knew that.” 8 I stared at his face, waiting for his eyes to open. 9 “You know what this will mean?” He demanded sud- 10 denly. “You do understand that, don’t you? What will 11 happen if they break the treaty?” 12 “We’ll leave first,” I said in a small voice. 13 His eyes flashed open, their black depths full of anger 14 and pain. “There wasn’t a geographic limit to the treaty, 15 Bella. Our great-grandfathers only agreed to keep the 16 peace because the Cullens swore that they were different, 17 that humans weren’t in danger from them. They promised 18 they would never kill or change anyone ever again. If they 19 go back on their word, the treaty is meaningless, and they 20 are no different than any other vampires. Once that’s es- 21 tablished, when we find them again —” 22 “But, Jake, didn’t you break the treaty already?” I 23 asked, grasping at straws. “Wasn’t part of it that you not 24 tell people about the vampires? And you told me. So isn’t 25 the treaty sort of moot, anyhow?” 26 Jacob didn’t like the reminder; the pain in his eyes 27 hardened into animosity. “Yeah, I broke the treaty — back 28 before I believed any of it. And I’m sure they were informed 29 sh 30 reg

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1 of that.” He glared sourly at my forehead, not meeting my 2 shamed gaze. “But it’s not like that gives them a freebie 3 or anything. There’s no fault for a fault. They have only 4 one option if they object to what I did. The same option 5 we’ll have when they break the treaty: to attack. To start 6 the war.” 7 He made it sound so inevitable. I shuddered. 8 “Jake, it doesn’t have to be that way.” 9 His teeth ground together. “It is that way.” 10 The silence after his declaration felt very loud. 11 “Will you never forgive me, Jacob?” I whispered. As 12 soon as I said the words, I wished I hadn’t. I didn’t want to 13 hear his answer. 14 “You won’t be Bella anymore,” he told me. “My friend 15 won’t exist. There’ll be no one to forgive.” 16 “That sounds like a no,” I whispered. 17 We faced each other for an endless moment. 18 “Is this goodbye then, Jake?” 19 He blinked rapidly, his ﬁerce expression melting in 20 surprise. “Why? We still have a few years. Can’t we be 21 friends until we’re out of time?” 22 “Years? No, Jake, not years.” I shook my head, and 23 laughed once without humor. “Weeks is more accurate.” 24 I was not expecting his reaction. 25 He was suddenly on his feet, and there was a loud pop as 26 the soda can exploded in his hand. Soda ﬂew everywhere, 27 soaking me, like it was spraying from a hose. 28 “Jake!” I started to complain, but I fell silent when I sh 29 realized that his whole body was quivering with anger. He reg 30 glared at me wildly, a growling sound building in his chest.

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I froze in place, too shocked to remember how to move. 1 The shaking rolled through him, getting faster, until it 2 looked like he was vibrating. His shape blurred.... 3 And then Jacob gritted his teeth together, and the 4 growling stopped. He squeezed his eyes tight in concen- 5 tration; the quivering slowed until only his hands were 6 shaking. 7 “Weeks,” Jacob said in a flat monotone. 8 I couldn’t respond; I was still frozen. 9 He opened his eyes. They were beyond fury now. 10 “He’s going to change you into a filthy bloodsucker in 11 just a few weeks!” Jacob hissed through his teeth. 12 Too stunned to take offense at his words, I just nodded 13 mutely. 14 His face turned green under the russet skin. 15 “Of course, Jake,” I whispered after a long minute of si- 16 lence. “He’s seventeen, Jacob. And I get closer to nineteen 17 every day. Besides, what’s the point in waiting? He’s all I 18 want. What else can I do?” 19 I’d meant that as a rhetorical question. 20 His words cracked like snaps of a whip. “Anything. Any- 21 thing else. You’d be better off dead. I’d rather you were.” 22 I recoiled like he’d slapped me. It hurt worse than if 23 he had. 24 And then, as the pain shot through me, my own tem- 25 per burst into flame. 26 “Maybe you’ll get lucky,” I said bleakly, lurching to my 27 feet. “Maybe I’ll get hit by a truck on my way back.” 28 I grabbed my motorcycle and pushed it out into the 29 sh rain. He didn’t move as I passed him. As soon as I was on 30 reg

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1 the small, muddy path, I climbed on and kicked the bike 2 to life. The rear tire spit a fountain of mud toward the 3 garage, and I hoped that it hit him. 4 I got absolutely soaked as I sped across the slick highway 5 toward the Cullens’ house. The wind felt like it was freez- 6 ing the rain against my skin, and my teeth were chatter- 7 ing before I was halfway there. 8 Motorcycles were too impractical for Washington. I 9 would sell the stupid thing ﬁrst chance I got. 10 I walked the bike into the Cullens’ cavernous garage 11 and was unsurprised to ﬁnd Alice waiting for me, perched 12 lightly on the hood of her Porsche. Alice stroked the glossy 13 yellow paint. 14 “I haven’t even had a chance to drive it.” She sighed. 15 “Sorry,” I spit through my rattling teeth. 16 “You look like you could use a hot shower,” she said, 17 offhand, as she sprang lightly to her feet. 18 “Yep.” 19 She pursed her lips, taking in my expression carefully. 20 “Do you want to talk about it?” 21 “Nope.” 22 She nodded in assent, but her eyes were raging with cu- 23 riosity. 24 “Do you want to go to Olympia tonight?” 25 “Not really. Can’t I go home?” 26 She grimaced. 27 “Never mind, Alice,” I said. “I’ll stay if it makes things 28 easier for you.” sh 29 “Thanks,” she sighed in relief. reg 30

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I went to bed early that night, curling up on his sofa 1 again. 2 It was still dark when I woke. I was groggy, but I knew 3 it wasn’t near morning yet. My eyes closed, and I stretched, 4 rolling over. It took me a second before I realized that the 5 movement should have dumped me onto the ﬂoor. And 6 that I was much too comfortable. 7 I rolled back over, trying to see. It was darker than last 8 night — the clouds were too thick for the moon to shine 9 through. 10 “Sorry,” he murmured so softly that his voice was part 11 of the darkness. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” 12 I tensed, waiting for the fury — both his and mine — 13 but it was only quiet and calm in the darkness of his room. 14 I could almost taste the sweetness of reunion in the air, a 15 separate fragrance from the perfume of his breath; the 16 emptiness when we were apart left its own bitter after- 17 taste, something I didn’t consciously notice until it was 18 removed. 19 There was no friction in the space between us. The 20 stillness was peaceful — not like the calm before the tem- 21 pest, but like a clear night untouched by even the dream 22 of a storm. 23 And I didn’t care that I was supposed to be angry with 24 him. I didn’t care that I was supposed to be angry with 25 everyone. I reached out for him, found his hands in the 26 darkness, and pulled myself closer to him. His arms encir- 27 cled me, cradling me to his chest. My lips searched, hunt- 28 ing along his throat, to his chin, till I ﬁnally found his lips. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Edward kissed me softly for a moment, and then he 2 chuckled. 3 “I was all braced for the wrath that was going to put 4 grizzlies to shame, and this is what I get? I should infuri- 5 ate you more often.” 6 “Give me a minute to work up to it,” I teased, kissing 7 him again. 8 “I’ll wait as long as you want,” he whispered against 9 my lips. His ﬁngers knotted in my hair. 10 My breath was becoming uneven. “Maybe in the 11 morning.” 12 “Whatever you prefer.” 13 “Welcome home,” I said while his cold lips pressed un- 14 der my jaw. “I’m glad you came back.” 15 “That’s a very good thing.” 16 “Mmm,” I agreed, tightening my arms around his 17 neck. 18 His hand curved around my elbow, moving slowly 19 down my arm, across my ribs and over my waist, tracing 20 along my hip and down my leg, around my knee. He 21 paused there, his hand curling around my calf. He pulled 22 my leg up suddenly, hitching it around his hip. 23 I stopped breathing. This wasn’t the kind of thing he 24 usually allowed. Despite his cold hands, I felt suddenly 25 warm. His lips moved in the hollow at the base of my 26 throat. 27 “Not to bring on the ire prematurely,” he whispered, 28 “but do you mind telling me what it is about this bed that sh 29 you object to?” reg 30 Before I could answer, before I could even concentrate

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enough to make sense of his words, he rolled to the side, 1 pulling me on top of him. He held my face in his hands, 2 angling it up so that his mouth could reach my throat. My 3 breathing was too loud — it was almost embarrassing, 4 but I couldn’t care quite enough to be ashamed. 5 “The bed?” he asked again. “I think it’s nice.” 6 “It’s unnecessary,” I managed to gasp. 7 He pulled my face back to his, and my lips shaped 8 themselves around his. Slowly this time, he rolled till he 9 hovered over me. He held himself carefully so that I felt 10 none of his weight, but I could feel the cool marble of 11 his body press against mine. My heart was hammering so 12 loudly that it was hard to hear his quiet laughter. 13 “That’s debatable,” he disagreed. “This would be diffi- 14 cult on a couch.” 15 Cold as ice, his tongue lightly traced the shape of my lips. 16 My head was spinning — the air was coming too fast 17 and shallow. 18 “Did you change your mind?” I asked breathlessly. 19 Maybe he’d rethought all his careful rules. Maybe there 20 was more significance to this bed than I’d originally 21 guessed. My heart pounded almost painfully as I waited 22 for his answer. 23 Edward sighed, rolling back so that we were on our 24 sides again. 25 “Don’t be ridiculous, Bella,” he said, disapproval 26 strong in his voice — clearly, he understood what I meant. 27 “I was just trying to illustrate the benefits of the bed you 28 don’t seem to like. Don’t get carried away.” 29 sh “Too late,” I muttered. “And I like the bed,” I added. 30 reg

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1 “Good.” I could hear the smile in his voice as he kissed 2 my forehead. “I do, too.” 3 “But I still think it’s unnecessary,” I continued. “If 4 we’re not going to get carried away, what’s the point?” 5 He sighed again. “For the hundredth time, Bella — 6 it’s too dangerous.” 7 “I like danger,” I insisted. 8 “I know.” There was a sour edge to his voice, and I 9 realized that he would have seen the motorcycle in the 10 garage. 11 “I’ll tell you what’s dangerous,” I said quickly, before 12 he could move to a new topic of discussion. “I’m going to 13 spontaneously combust one of these days — and you’ll 14 have no one but yourself to blame.” 15 He started to push me away. 16 “What are you doing?” I objected, clinging to him. 17 “Protecting you from combustion. If this too much for 18 you....” 19 “I can handle it,” I insisted. 20 He let me worm myself back into the circle of his arms. 21 “I’m sorry I gave you the wrong impression,” he said. “I 22 didn’t mean to make you unhappy. That wasn’t nice.” 23 “Actually, it was very, very nice.” 24 He took a deep breath. “Aren’t you tired? I should let 25 you sleep.” 26 “No, I’m not. I don’t mind if you want to give me the 27 wrong impression again.” 28 “That’s probably a bad idea. You’re not the only one sh 29 who gets carried away.” reg 30 “Yes, I am,” I grumbled.

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He chuckled. “You have no idea, Bella. It doesn’t help 1 that you are so eager to undermine my self-control, ei- 2 ther.” 3 “I’m not going to apologize for that.” 4 “Can I apologize?” 5 “For what?” 6 “You were angry with me, remember?” 7 “Oh, that.” 8 “I’m sorry. I was wrong. It’s much easier to have the 9 proper perspective when I have you safely here.” His 10 arms tightened around me. “I go a little berserk when I try 11 to leave you. I don’t think I’ll go so far again. It’s not 12 worth it.” 13 I smiled. “Didn’t you ﬁnd any mountain lions?” 14 “Yes, I did, actually. Still not worth the anxiety. I’m 15 sorry I had Alice hold you hostage, though. That was a 16 bad idea.” 17 “Yes,” I agreed. 18 “I won’t do it again.” 19 “Okay,” I said easily. He was already forgiven. “But 20 slumber parties do have their advantages. . . .” I curled 21 myself closer to him, pressing my lips into the indentation 22 over his collarbone. “You can hold me hostage any time 23 you want.” 24 “Mmm,” he sighed. “I may take you up on that.” 25 “So is it my turn now?” 26 “Your turn?” his voice was confused. 27 “To apologize.” 28 “What do you have to apologize for?” 29 sh “Aren’t you mad at me?” I asked blankly. 30 reg

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1 “No.” 2 It sounded like he really meant it. 3 I felt my eyebrows pull together. “Didn’t you see Alice 4 when you got home?” 5 “Yes — why?” 6 “Are you going to take her Porsche back?” 7 “Of course not. It was a gift.” 8 I wished I could see his expression. His voice sounded 9 as if I’d insulted him. 10 “Don’t you want to know what I did?” I asked, starting 11 to be puzzled by his apparent lack of concern. 12 I felt him shrug. “I’m always interested in everything you 13 do — but you don’t have to tell me unless you want to.” 14 “But I went to La Push.” 15 “I know.” 16 “And I ditched school.” 17 “So did I.” 18 I stared toward the sound of his voice, tracing his 19 features with my ﬁngers, trying to understand his mood. 20 “Where did all this tolerance come from?” I demanded. 21 He sighed. 22 “I decided that you were right. My problem before 23 was more about my...prejudice against werewolves than 24 anything else. I’m going to try to be more reasonable 25 and trust your judgment. If you say it’s safe, then I’ll be- 26 lieve you.” 27 “Wow.” 28 “And...most importantly...I’m not willing to let sh 29 this drive a wedge between us.” reg 30

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I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes, 1 totally content. 2 “So,” he murmured in a casual tone. “Did you make 3 plans to go back to La Push again soon?” 4 I didn’t answer. His question brought back the mem- 5 ory of Jacob’s words, and my throat was suddenly tight. 6 He misread my silence and the tension in my body. 7 “Just so that I can make my own plans,” he explained 8 quickly. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to hurry 9 back because I’m sitting around waiting for you.” 10 “No,” I said in a voice that sounded strange to me. “I 11 don’t have plans go back.” 12 “Oh. You don’t have to do that for me.” 13 “I don’t think I’m welcome anymore,” I whispered. 14 “Did you run over someone’s cat?” he asked lightly. I 15 knew he didn’t want to force the story out of me, but I 16 could hear the curiosity burning behind his words. 17 “No.” I took a deep breath, and then mumbled quickly 18 through the explanation. “I thought Jacob would have 19 realized...I didn’t think it would surprise him.” 20 Edward waited while I hesitated. 21 “He wasn’t expecting...that it was so soon.” 22 “Ah,” Edward said quietly. 23 “He said he’d rather see me dead.” My voice broke on 24 the last word. 25 Edward was too still for a moment, controlling what- 26 ever reaction he didn’t want me to see. 27 Then he crushed me gently to his chest. “I’m so sorry.” 28 “I thought you’d be glad,” I whispered. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Glad over something that’s hurt you?” he murmured 2 into my hair. “I don’t think so, Bella.” 3 I sighed and relaxed, ﬁtting myself to the stone shape 4 of him. But he was motionless again, tense. 5 “What’s wrong?” I asked. 6 “It’s nothing.” 7 “You can tell me.” 8 He paused for a minute. “It might make you angry.” 9 “I still want to know.” 10 He sighed. “I could quite literally kill him for saying 11 that to you. I want to.” 12 I laughed halfheartedly. “I guess it’s a good thing you’ve 13 got so much self-control.” 14 “I could slip.” His tone was thoughtful. 15 “If you’re going to have a lapse in control, I can think 16 of a better place for it.” I reached for his face, trying to 17 pull myself up to kiss him. His arms held me tighter, re- 18 straining. 19 He sighed. “Must I always be the responsible one?” 20 I grinned in the darkness. “No. Let me be in charge of 21 responsibility for a few minutes...or hours.” 22 “Goodnight, Bella.” 23 “Wait — there was something else I wanted to ask you 24 about.” 25 “What’s that?” 26 “I was talking to Rosalie last night....” 27 His body tensed again. “Yes. She was thinking about 28 that when I got in. She gave you quite a lot to consider, sh 29 didn’t she?” reg 30

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His voice was anxious, and I realized that he thought I 1 wanted to talk about the reasons Rosalie’d given me for 2 staying human. But I was interested in something much 3 more pressing. 4 “She told me a little bit...about the time your family 5 lived in Denali.” 6 There was a short pause; this beginning took him by 7 surprise. “Yes?” 8 “She mentioned something about a bunch of female 9 vampires...and you.” 10 He didn’t answer, though I waited for a long moment. 11 “Don’t worry,” I said, after the silence had grown un- 12 comfortable. “She told me you didn’t . . . show any prefer- 13 ence. But I was just wondering, you know, if any of them 14 had. Shown a preference for you, I mean.” 15 Again he said nothing. 16 “Which one?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual, 17 and not quite managing. “Or was there more than one?” 18 No answer. I wished I could see his face, so I could try 19 to guess what this silence meant. 20 “Alice will tell me,” I said. “I’ll go ask her right now.” 21 His arms tightened; I was unable to squirm even an 22 inch away. 23 “It’s late,” he said. His voice had a little edge to it that 24 was something new. Sort of nervous, maybe a little embar- 25 rassed. “Besides, I think Alice stepped out....” 26 “It’s bad,” I guessed. “It’s really bad, isn’t it?” I started 27 to panic, my heart accelerating as I imagined the gorgeous 28 immortal rival I’d never realized I had. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Calm down, Bella,” he said, kissing the tip of my 2 nose. “You’re being absurd.” 3 “Am I? Then why won’t you tell me?” 4 “Because there’s nothing to tell. You’re blowing this 5 wildly out of proportion.” 6 “Which one?” I insisted. 7 He sighed. “Tanya expressed a little interest. I let her 8 know, in a very courteous, gentlemanly fashion, that I did 9 not return that interest. End of story.” 10 I kept my voice as even as possible. “Tell me some- 11 thing — what does Tanya look like?” 12 “Just like the rest of us — white skin, gold eyes,” he 13 answered too quickly. 14 “And, of course, extraordinarily beautiful.” 15 I felt him shrug. 16 “I suppose, to human eyes,” he said, indifferent. “You 17 know what, though?” 18 “What?” My voice was petulant. 19 He put his lips right to my ear; his cold breath tickled. 20 “I prefer brunettes.” 21 “She’s a blonde. That ﬁgures.” 22 “Strawberry blonde — not at all my type.” 23 I thought about that for a while, trying to concentrate 24 as his lips moved slowly along my cheek, down my throat, 25 and back up again. He made the circuit three times before 26 I spoke. 27 “I guess that’s okay, then,” I decided. 28 “Hmm,” he whispered against my skin. “You’re quite sh 29 adorable when you’re jealous. It’s surprisingly enjoyable.” reg 30 I scowled into the darkness.

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“It’s late,” he said again, murmuring, almost croon- 1 ing now, his voice smoother than silk. “Sleep, my Bella. 2 Dream happy dreams. You are the only one who has ever 3 touched my heart. It will always be yours. Sleep, my only 4 love.” 5 He started to hum my lullaby, and I knew it was only a 6 matter of time till I succumbed, so I closed my eyes and 7 snuggled closer into his chest. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 9. TARGET 16 17 18 Alice dropped me off in the morning, in keeping 19 with the slumber party charade. It wouldn’t be long until 20 Edward showed up, ofﬁcially returning from his “hiking” 21 trip. All of the pretenses were starting to wear on me. I 22 wouldn’t miss this part of being human. 23 Charlie peeked through the front window when he 24 heard me slam the car door. He waved to Alice, and then 25 went to get the door for me. 26 “Did you have fun?” Charlie asked. 27 “Sure, it was great. Very...girlie.” 28 I carried my stuff in, dumped it all at the foot of the sh 29 stairs, and wandered into the kitchen to look for a snack. reg 30 “You’ve got a message,” Charlie called after me.

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On the kitchen counter, the phone message pad was 1 propped up conspicuously against a saucepan. 2 Jacob called, Charlie had written. 3 4 He said he didn’t mean it, and that 5 he’s sorry. He wants you to call 6 him. Be nice and give him a break. 7 He sounded upset. 8 9 I grimaced. Charlie didn’t usually editorialize on my 10 messages. 11 Jacob could just go ahead and be upset. I didn’t want to 12 talk to him. Last I’d heard, they weren’t big on allowing 13 phone calls from the other side. If Jacob preferred me 14 dead, then maybe he should get used to the silence. 15 My appetite evaporated. I turned an about face and 16 went to put my things away. 17 “Aren’t you going to call Jacob?” Charlie asked. He 18 was leaning around the living room wall, watching me 19 pick up. 20 “No.” 21 I started up the stairs. 22 “That’s not very attractive behavior, Bella,” he said. 23 “Forgiveness is divine.” 24 “Mind your own business,” I muttered under my 25 breath, much too low for him to hear. 26 I knew the laundry was building up, so after I put my 27 toothpaste away and threw my dirty clothes in the ham- 28 per, I went to strip Charlie’s bed. I left his sheets in a pile 29 sh at the top of the stairs and went to get mine. 30 reg

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1 I paused beside the bed, cocking my head to the side. 2 Where was my pillow? I turned in a circle, scanning 3 the room. No pillow. I noticed that my room looked oddly 4 tidy. Hadn’t my gray sweatshirt been draped over the low 5 bedpost on the footboard? And I would swear there had 6 been a pair of dirty socks behind the rocking chair, along 7 with the red blouse I’d tried on two mornings ago, but de- 8 cided was too dressy for school, hanging over the arm.... 9 I spun around again. My hamper wasn’t empty, but it 10 wasn’t overflowing, the way I thought it had been. 11 Was Charlie doing laundry? That was out of character. 12 “Dad, did you start the wash?” I shouted out my door. 13 “Um, no,” he shouted back, sounding guilty. “Did you 14 want me to?” 15 “No, I got it. Were you looking for something in my 16 room?” 17 “No. Why?” 18 “I can’t find...a shirt....” 19 “I haven’t been in there.” 20 And then I remembered that Alice had been here to get 21 my pajamas. I hadn’t noticed that she’d borrowed my pil- 22 low, too — probably since I’d avoided the bed. It looked 23 like she had cleaned while she was passing through. I 24 blushed for my slovenly ways. 25 But that red shirt really wasn’t dirty, so I went to save 26 it from the hamper. 27 I expected to find it near the top, but it wasn’t there. I 28 dug through the whole pile and still couldn’t find it. I sh 29 knew I was probably getting paranoid, but it seemed like reg 30

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something else was missing, or maybe more than one 1 something. I didn’t even have half a load here. 2 I ripped my sheets off and headed for the laundry 3 closet, grabbing Charlie’s on the way. The washing ma- 4 chine was empty. I checked the dryer, too, half-expecting 5 to find a washed load waiting for me, courtesy of Alice. 6 Nothing. I frowned, mystified. 7 “Did you find what you were looking for?” Charlie 8 yelled. 9 “Not yet.” 10 I went back upstairs to search under my bed. Nothing 11 but dust bunnies. I started to dig through my dresser. 12 Maybe I’d put the red shirt away and forgotten. 13 I gave up when the doorbell rang. That would be Ed- 14 ward. 15 “Door,” Charlie informed me from the couch as I skipped 16 past him. 17 “Don’t strain yourself, Dad.” 18 I pulled the door open with a big smile on my face. 19 Edward’s golden eyes were wide, his nostrils flared, his 20 lips pulled back over his teeth. 21 “Edward?” My voice was sharp with shock as I read his 22 expression. “What —?” 23 He put his finger to my lips. “Give me two seconds,” 24 he whispered. “Don’t move.” 25 I stood frozen on the doorstep and he...disappeared. 26 He moved so quickly that Charlie wouldn’t even have seen 27 him pass. 28 Before I could compose myself enough to count to two, 29 sh 30 reg

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1 he was back. He put his arm around my waist and pulled 2 me swiftly toward the kitchen. His eyes darted around the 3 room, and he held me against his body as if he were shield- 4 ing me from something. I threw a glance toward Charlie 5 on the couch, but he was studiously ignoring us. 6 “Someone’s been here,” he murmured in my ear after 7 he pulled me to the back of the kitchen. His voice was 8 strained; it was difﬁcult to hear him over the thumping of 9 the washing machine. 10 “I swear that no werewolves —” I started to say. 11 “Not one of them,” he interrupted me quickly, shaking 12 his head. “One of us.” 13 His tone made it clear that he didn’t mean a member of 14 his family. 15 I felt the blood empty from my face. 16 “Victoria?” I choked. 17 “It’s not a scent I recognize.” 18 “One of the Volturi,” I guessed. 19 “Probably.” 20 “When?” 21 “That’s why I think it must have been them — it 22 wasn’t long ago, early this morning while Charlie was 23 sleeping. And whoever it was didn’t touch him, so there 24 must have been another purpose.” 25 “Looking for me.” 26 He didn’t answer. His body was frozen, a statue. 27 “What are you two hissing about in here?” Charlie 28 asked suspiciously, rounding the corner with an empty sh 29 popcorn bowl in his hands. reg 30 I felt green. A vampire had been in the house looking

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for me while Charlie slept. Panic overwhelmed me, closed 1 my throat. I couldn’t answer, I just stared at him in horror. 2 Charlie’s expression changed. Abruptly, he was grin- 3 ning. “If you two are having a ﬁght...well, don’t let me 4 interrupt.” 5 Still grinning, he put his bowl in the sink and saun- 6 tered out of the room. 7 “Let’s go,” Edward said in a low hard voice. 8 “But Charlie!” The fear was squeezing my chest, mak- 9 ing it hard to breathe. 10 He deliberated for a short second, and then his phone 11 was in his hand. 12 “Emmett,” he muttered into the receiver. He began 13 talking so fast that I couldn’t understand the words. It was 14 over in half a minute. He started pulling me toward the 15 door. 16 “Emmett and Jasper are on their way,” he whispered 17 when he felt my resistance. “They’ll sweep the woods. 18 Charlie is ﬁne.” 19 I let him drag me along then, too panicked to think 20 clearly. Charlie met my frightened eyes with a smug grin, 21 which suddenly turned to confusion. Edward had me out 22 the door before Charlie could say anything. 23 “Where are we going?” I couldn’t stop whispering, 24 even after we were in the car. 25 “We’re going to talk to Alice,” he told me, his volume 26 normal but his voice bleak. 27 “You think maybe she saw something?” 28 He stared at the road through narrowed eyes. “Maybe.” 29 sh They were waiting for us, on alert after Edward’s call. 30 reg

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1 It was like walking into a museum, everyone still as stat- 2 ues in various poses of stress. 3 “What happened?” Edward demanded as soon as we 4 were through the door. I was shocked to see that he was 5 glowering at Alice, his hands ﬁsted in anger. 6 Alice stood with her arms folded tight across her chest. 7 Only her lips moved. “I have no idea. I didn’t see any- 8 thing.” 9 “How is that possible?” he hissed. 10 “Edward,” I said, a quiet reproof. I didn’t like him talk- 11 ing to Alice this way. 12 Carlisle interrupted in a calming voice. “It’s not an ex- 13 act science, Edward.” 14 “He was in her room, Alice. He could have still been 15 there — waiting for her.” 16 “I would have seen that.” 17 Edward threw his hands up in exasperation. “Really? 18 You’re sure?” 19 Alice’s voice was cold when she answered. “You’ve al- 20 ready got me watching the Volturis’ decisions, watching 21 for Victoria’s return, watching Bella’s every step. You want 22 to add another? Do I just have to watch Charlie, or Bella’s 23 room, or the house, or the whole street, too? Edward, if I 24 try to do too much, things are going to start slipping 25 through the cracks.” 26 “It looks like they already are,” Edward snapped. 27 “She was never in any danger. There was nothing 28 to see.” sh 29 “If you’re watching Italy, why didn’t you see them reg 30 send —”

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“I don’t think it’s them,” Alice insisted. “I would have 1 seen that.” 2 “Who else would leave Charlie alive?” 3 I shuddered. 4 “I don’t know,” Alice said. 5 “Helpful.” 6 “Stop it, Edward,” I whispered. 7 He turned on me, his face still livid, his teeth clenched 8 together. He glared at me for half a second, and then, sud- 9 denly, he exhaled. His eyes widened and his jaw relaxed. 10 “You’re right, Bella. I’m sorry.” He looked at Alice. 11 “Forgive me, Alice. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. 12 That was inexcusable.” 13 “I understand,” Alice assured him. “I’m not happy 14 about it, either.” 15 Edward took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s look at this 16 logically. What are the possibilities?” 17 Everyone seemed to thaw out at once. Alice relaxed and 18 leaned against the back of the couch. Carlisle walked 19 slowly toward her, his eyes far away. Esme sat on the sofa 20 in front of Alice, curling her legs up on the seat. Only 21 Rosalie remained unmoving, her back to us, staring out 22 the glass wall. 23 Edward pulled me to the sofa and I sat next to Esme, 24 who shifted to put her arm around me. He held one of my 25 hands tightly in both of his. 26 “Victoria?” Carlisle asked. 27 Edward shook his head. “No. I didn’t know the scent. 28 He might have been from the Volturi, someone I’ve never 29 sh met....” 30 reg

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1 Alice shook her head. “Aro hasn’t asked anyone to look 2 for her yet. I will see that. I’m waiting for it.” 3 Edward’s head snapped up. “You’re watching for an of- 4 ﬁcial command.” 5 “You think someone’s acting on their own? Why?” 6 “Caius’s idea,” Edward suggested, his face tightening 7 again. 8 “Or Jane’s . . . ,” Alice said. “They both have the re- 9 sources to send an unfamiliar face....” 10 Edward scowled. “And the motivation.” 11 “It doesn’t make sense, though,” Esme said. “If who- 12 ever it was meant to wait for Bella, Alice would have seen 13 that. He — or she — had no intention of hurting Bella. 14 Or Charlie, for that matter.” 15 I cringed at my father’s name. 16 “It’s going to be ﬁne, Bella,” Esme murmured, smooth- 17 ing my hair. 18 “But what was the point then?” Carlisle mused. 19 “Checking to see if I’m still human?” I guessed. 20 “Possible,” Carlisle said. 21 Rosalie breathed out a sigh, loud enough for me to 22 hear. She’d unfrozen, and her face was turned expectantly 23 toward the kitchen. Edward, on the other hand, looked 24 discouraged. 25 Emmett burst through the kitchen door, Jasper right 26 behind him. 27 “Long gone, hours ago,” Emmett announced, disap- 28 pointed. “The trail went East, then South, and disap- sh 29 peared on a side road. Had a car waiting.” reg 30

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“That’s bad luck,” Edward muttered. “If he’d gone 1 west...well, it would be nice for those dogs to make 2 themselves useful.” 3 I winced, and Esme rubbed my shoulder. 4 Jasper looked at Carlisle. “Neither of us recognized 5 him. But here.” He held out something green and crum- 6 pled. Carlisle took it from him and held it to his face. I 7 saw, as it exchanged hands, that it was a broken fern frond. 8 “Maybe you know the scent.” 9 “No,” Carlisle said. “Not familiar. No one I’ve ever 10 met.” 11 “Perhaps we’re looking at this the wrong way. Maybe 12 it’s a coincidence...,” Esme began, but stopped when 13 she saw everyone else’s incredulous expressions. “I don’t 14 mean a coincidence that a stranger happened to pick 15 Bella’s house to visit at random. I meant that maybe some- 16 one was just curious. Our scent is all around her. Was he 17 wondering what draws us there?” 18 “Why wouldn’t he just come here then? If he was curi- 19 ous?” Emmett demanded. 20 “You would,” Esme said with a sudden, fond smile. 21 “The rest of us aren’t always so direct. Our family is very 22 large — he or she might be frightened. But Charlie wasn’t 23 harmed. This doesn’t have to be an enemy.” 24 Just curious. Like James and Victoria had been curious, 25 in the beginning? The thought of Victoria made me trem- 26 ble, though the one thing they seemed certain of was that 27 it had not been her. Not this time. She would stick to her 28 obsessed pattern. This was just someone else, a stranger. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I was slowly realizing that vampires were much bigger 2 participants in this world than I’d once thought. How 3 many times did the average human cross paths with them, 4 completely unaware? How many deaths, obliviously re- 5 ported as crimes and accidents, were really due to their 6 thirst? How crowded would this new world be when I ﬁ- 7 nally joined it? 8 The shrouded future sent a shiver down my spine. 9 The Cullens pondered Esme’s words with varying ex- 10 pressions. I could see that Edward did not accept her the- 11 ory, and that Carlisle very much wanted to. 12 Alice pursed her lips. “I don’t think so. The timing of it 13 was too perfect. . . . This visitor was so careful to make no 14 contact. Almost like he or she knew that I would see. . . .” 15 “He could have other reasons for not making contact,” 16 Esme reminded her. 17 “Does it really matter who it was?” I asked. “Just the 18 chance that someone was looking for me...isn’t that rea- 19 son enough? We shouldn’t wait for graduation.” 20 “No, Bella,” Edward said quickly. “It’s not that bad. If 21 you’re really in danger, we’ll know.” 22 “Think of Charlie,” Carlisle reminded me. “Think of 23 how it would hurt him if you disappeared.” 24 “I am thinking of Charlie! He’s the one I’m worried 25 about! What if my little guest had happened to be thirsty 26 last night? As long as I’m around Charlie, he’s a target, 27 too. If anything happened to him, it would be all my fault!” 28 “Hardly, Bella,” Esme said, patting my hair again. sh 29 “And nothing will happen to Charlie. We’re just going to reg 30 have to be more careful.”

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“More careful?” I repeated in disbelief. 1 “It’s all going to be ﬁne, Bella,” Alice promised; Ed- 2 ward squeezed my hand. 3 And I could see, looking at all of their beautiful faces 4 one by one, that nothing I could say was going to change 5 their minds. 6 7 It was a quiet ride home. I was frustrated. Against my bet- 8 ter judgment, I was still human. 9 “You won’t be alone for a second,” Edward promised as 10 he drove me to Charlie’s. “Someone will always be there. 11 Emmett, Alice, Jasper...” 12 I sighed. “This is ridiculous. They’ll get so bored, 13 they’ll have to kill me themselves, just for something 14 to do.” 15 Edward gave me a sour look. “Hilarious, Bella.” 16 Charlie was in a good mood when we got back. He 17 could see the tension between me and Edward, and he was 18 misinterpreting it. He watched me throw together his din- 19 ner with a smug smile on his face. Edward had excused 20 himself for a moment, to do some surveillance, I assumed, 21 but Charlie waited till he was back to pass on my messages. 22 “Jacob called again,” Charlie said as soon as Edward 23 was in the room. I kept my face empty as I set the plate in 24 front of him. 25 “Is that a fact?” 26 Charlie frowned. “Don’t be petty, Bella. He sounded 27 really low.” 28 “Is Jacob paying you for all the P.R., or are you a vol- 29 sh unteer?” 30 reg

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1 Charlie grumbled incoherently at me until the food cut 2 off his garbled complaint. 3 Though he didn’t realize it, he’d found his mark. 4 My life was feeling a lot like a game of dice right 5 now — would the next roll come up snake eyes? What if 6 something did happen to me? It seemed worse than petty 7 to leave Jacob feeling guilty about what he’d said. 8 But I didn’t want to talk to him with Charlie around, 9 to have to watch my every word so I didn’t let the wrong 10 thing slip. Thinking about this made me jealous of Jacob 11 and Billy’s relationship. How easy it must be when you 12 had no secrets from the person you lived with. 13 So I would wait for the morning. I most likely wasn’t 14 going to die tonight, after all, and it wouldn’t hurt him to 15 feel guilty for twelve more hours. It might even be good 16 for him. 17 When Edward ofﬁcially left for the evening, I wondered 18 who was out in the downpour, keeping an eye on Charlie 19 and me. I felt awful for Alice or whoever else it might be, 20 but still comforted. I had to admit it was nice, knowing I 21 wasn’t alone. And Edward was back in record time. 22 He sang me to sleep again and — aware even in uncon- 23 sciousness that he was there — I slept free of nightmares. 24 25 In the morning, Charlie left to go ﬁshing with Deputy 26 Mark before I was up. I decided to use this lack of super- 27 vision to be divine. 28 “I’m going to let Jacob off the hook,” I warned Edward sh 29 after I’d eaten breakfast. reg 30

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“I knew you’d forgive him,” he said with an easy smile. 1 “Holding grudges is not one of your many talents.” 2 I rolled my eyes, but I was pleased. It seemed like Ed- 3 ward really was over the whole anti-werewolf thing. 4 I didn’t look at the clock until after I’d dialed. It was a 5 little early for calls, and I worried that I would wake Billy 6 and Jake, but someone picked up before the second ring, 7 so he couldn’t have been too far from the phone. 8 “Hello?” a dull voice said. 9 “Jacob?” 10 “Bella!” he exclaimed. “Oh, Bella, I’m so sorry!” he 11 tripped over the words as he hurried to get them out. “I 12 swear I didn’t mean it. I was just being stupid. I was an- 13 gry — but that’s no excuse. It was the stupidest thing I’ve 14 ever said in my life and I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me, 15 please? Please. Lifetime of servitude up for grabs — all 16 you have to do is forgive me.” 17 “I’m not mad. You’re forgiven.” 18 “Thank you,” he breathed fervently. “I can’t believe I 19 was such a jerk.” 20 “Don’t worry about that — I’m used to it.” 21 He laughed, exuberant with relief. “Come down to see 22 me,” he begged. “I want to make it up to you.” 23 I frowned. “How?” 24 “Anything you want. Cliff diving,” he suggested, laugh- 25 ing again. 26 “Oh, there’s a brilliant idea.” 27 “I’ll keep you safe,” he promised. “No matter what you 28 want to do.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I glanced at Edward. His face was very calm, but I was 2 sure this was not the time. 3 “Not right now.” 4 “He’s not thrilled with me, is he?” Jacob’s voice was 5 ashamed, rather than bitter, for once. 6 “That’s not the problem. There’s . . . well, there’s this 7 other problem that’s slightly more worrisome than a bratty 8 teenage werewolf. . . .” I tried to keep my tone joking, but 9 I didn’t fool him. 10 “What’s wrong?” he demanded. 11 “Um.” I wasn’t sure what I should tell him. 12 Edward held his hand out for the phone. I looked at his 13 face carefully. He seemed calm enough. 14 “Bella?” Jacob asked. 15 Edward sighed, holding his hand closer. 16 “Do you mind speaking to Edward?” I asked apprehen- 17 sively. “He wants to talk to you.” 18 There was a long pause. 19 “Okay,” Jacob ﬁnally agreed. “This should be inter- 20 esting.” 21 I handed the phone to Edward; I hoped he could read 22 the warning in my eyes. 23 “Hello, Jacob,” Edward said, perfectly polite. 24 There was a silence. I bit my lip, trying to guess how 25 Jacob would answer. 26 “Someone was here — not a scent I know,” Edward ex- 27 plained. “Has your pack come across anything new?” 28 Another pause, while Edward nodded to himself, un- sh 29 surprised. reg 30

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“Here’s the crux, Jacob. I won’t be letting Bella out of 1 my sight till I get this taken care of. It’s nothing per- 2 sonal —” 3 Jacob interrupted him then, and I could hear the buzz 4 of his voice from the receiver. Whatever he was saying, he 5 was more intense than before. I tried unsuccessfully to 6 make out the words. 7 “You might be right —,” Edward began, but Jacob 8 was arguing again. Neither of them sounded angry, at 9 least. 10 “That’s an interesting suggestion. We’re quite willing 11 to renegotiate. If Sam is amenable.” 12 Jacob’s voice was quieter now. I started chewing on my 13 thumbnail as I tried to read Edward’s expression. 14 “Thank you,” Edward replied. 15 Then Jacob said something that caused a surprised ex- 16 pression to ﬂicker across Edward’s face. 17 “I’d planned to go alone, actually,” Edward said, an- 18 swering the unexpected question. “And leave her with the 19 others.” 20 Jacob’s voice rose in pitch, and it sounded to me like he 21 was trying to be persuasive. 22 “I’ll try to consider it objectively,” Edward promised. 23 “As objectively as I’m capable of.” 24 The pause was shorter this time. 25 “That’s not a half-bad idea. When?...No, that’s ﬁne. 26 I’d like a chance to follow the trail personally, anyway. Ten 27 minutes...Certainly,” Edward said. He held the phone 28 out to me. “Bella?” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I took it slowly, feeling confused. 2 “What was that all about?” I asked Jacob, my voice 3 peeved. I knew it was juvenile, but I felt excluded. 4 “A truce, I think. Hey, do me a favor,” Jacob suggested. 5 “Try to convince your bloodsucker that the safest place for 6 you to be — especially when he leaves — is on the reser- 7 vation. We’re well able to handle anything.” 8 “Is that what you were trying to sell him?” 9 “Yes. It makes sense. Charlie’s probably better off here, 10 too. As much as possible.” 11 “Get Billy on it,” I agreed. I hated that I was putting 12 Charlie within the range of the crosshairs that always 13 seemed to be centered on me. “What else?” 14 “Just rearranging some boundaries, so we can catch 15 anyone who gets too near Forks. I’m not sure if Sam will 16 go for it, but until he comes around, I’ll keep an eye on 17 things.” 18 “What do you mean by ‘keep an eye on things’?” 19 “I mean that if you see a wolf running around your 20 house, don’t shoot at it.” 21 “Of course not. You really shouldn’t do anything... 22 risky, though.” 23 He snorted. “Don’t be stupid. I can take care of my- 24 self.” 25 I sighed. 26 “I also tried to convince him to let you visit. He’s prej- 27 udiced, so don’t let him give you any crap about safety. He 28 knows as well as I do that you’d be safe here.” sh 29 “I’ll keep that in mind.” reg 30 “See you in a few,” Jacob said.

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“You’re coming up?” 1 “Yeah. I’m going to get the scent of your visitor so we 2 can track him if he comes back.” 3 “Jake, I really don’t like the idea of you tracking —” 4 “Oh please, Bella,” he interrupted. Jacob laughed, and 5 then hung up. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 10. SCENT 15 16 17 It was all very childish. Why on earth should Ed- 18 ward have to leave for Jacob to come over? Weren’t we 19 past this kind of immaturity? 20 “It’s not that I feel any personal antagonism toward 21 him, Bella, it’s just easier for both of us,” Edward told me 22 at the door. “I won’t be far away. You’ll be safe.” 23 “I’m not worried about that.” 24 He smiled, and then a sly look came into his eye. He 25 pulled me close, burying his face in my hair. I could feel 26 his cool breath saturate the strands as he exhaled; it raised 27 goose bumps on my neck. 28 “I’ll be right back,” he said, and then he laughed aloud sh 29 as if I’d just told a good joke. reg 30

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“What’s so funny?” 1 But Edward just grinned and loped off toward the trees 2 without answering. 3 Grumbling to myself, I went to clean up the kitchen. 4 Before I even had the sink full of water, the doorbell rang. 5 It was hard to get used to how much faster Jacob was with- 6 out his car. How everyone seemed to be so much faster 7 than me.... 8 “Come in, Jake!” I shouted. 9 I was concentrating on piling the dishes into the bub- 10 bly water, and I’d forgotten that Jacob moved like a ghost 11 these days. So it made me jump when his voice was sud- 12 denly there behind me. 13 “Should you really leave your door unlocked like that? 14 Oh, sorry.” 15 I’d slopped myself with the dishwater when he’d star- 16 tled me. 17 “I’m not worried about anyone who would be deterred 18 by a locked door,” I said while I wiped the front of my 19 shirt with a dishtowel. 20 “Good point,” he agreed. 21 I turned to look at him, eyeing him critically. “Is it 22 really so impossible to wear clothes, Jacob?” I asked. Once 23 again, Jacob was bare-chested, wearing nothing but a pair 24 of old cut-off jeans. Secretly, I wondered if he was just so 25 proud of his new muscles that he couldn’t stand to cover 26 them up. I had to admit, they were impressive — but I’d 27 never thought of him as vain. “I mean, I know you don’t 28 get cold anymore, but still.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 He ran a hand through his wet hair; it was falling in 2 his eyes. 3 “It’s just easier,” he explained. 4 “What’s easier?” 5 He smiled condescendingly. “It’s enough of a pain to 6 carry the shorts around with me, let alone a complete out- 7 ﬁt. What do I look like, a pack mule?” 8 I frowned. “What are you talking about, Jacob?” 9 His expression was superior, like I was missing some- 10 thing obvious. “My clothes don’t just pop in and out of 11 existence when I change — I have to carry them with me 12 while I run. Pardon me for keeping my burden light.” 13 I changed color. “I guess I didn’t think about that,” I 14 muttered. 15 He laughed and pointed to a black leather cord, thin as 16 a strand of yarn, that was wound three times below his left 17 calf like an anklet. I hadn’t noticed before that his feet 18 were bare, too. “That’s more than just a fashion statement — 19 it sucks to carry jeans in your mouth.” 20 I didn’t know what to say to that. 21 He grinned. “Does my being half-naked bother you?” 22 “No.” 23 Jacob laughed again, and I turned my back on him to 24 focus on the dishes. I hoped he realized my blush was left 25 over from embarrassment at my own stupidity, and had 26 nothing to do with his question. 27 “Well, I suppose I should get to work.” He sighed. “I 28 wouldn’t want to give him an excuse to say I’m slacking sh 29 on my side.” reg 30

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“Jacob, it’s not your job —” 1 He raised a hand to cut me off. “I’m working on a vol- 2 unteer basis here. Now, where is the intruder’s scent the 3 worst?” 4 “My bedroom, I think.” 5 His eyes narrowed. He didn’t like that any more than 6 Edward had. 7 “I’ll just be a minute.” 8 I methodically scrubbed the plate I was holding. The 9 only sound was the brush’s plastic bristles scraping round 10 and round on the ceramic. I listened for something from 11 above, a creak of the ﬂoorboard, the click of a door. There 12 was nothing. I realized I’d been cleaning the same plate far 13 longer than necessary, and I tried to pay attention to what 14 I was doing. 15 “Whew!” Jacob said, inches behind me, scaring me 16 again. 17 “Yeesh, Jake, cut that out!” 18 “Sorry. Here —” Jacob took the towel and mopped up 19 my new spill. “I’ll make it up to you. You wash, I’ll rinse 20 and dry.” 21 “Fine.” I gave him the plate. 22 “Well, the scent was easy enough to catch. By the way, 23 your room reeks.” 24 “I’ll buy some air freshener.” 25 He laughed. 26 I washed and he dried in companionable silence for a 27 few minutes. 28 “Can I ask you something?” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I handed him another plate. “That depends on what 2 you want to know.” 3 “I’m not trying to be a jerk or anything — I’m hon- 4 estly curious,” Jacob assured me. 5 “Fine. Go ahead.” 6 He paused for half a second. “What’s it like — having 7 a vampire for a boyfriend?” 8 I rolled my eyes. “It’s the best.” 9 “I’m serious. The idea doesn’t bother you — it never 10 creeps you out?” 11 “Never.” 12 He was silent as he reached for the bowl in my hands. I 13 peeked up at his face — he was frowning, his lower lip 14 jutting out. 15 “Anything else?” I asked. 16 He wrinkled his nose again. “Well...I was wonder- 17 ing...do you...y’know, kiss him?” 18 I laughed. “Yes.” 19 He shuddered. “Ugh.” 20 “To each her own,” I murmured. 21 “You don’t worry about the fangs?” 22 I smacked his arm, splashing him with dishwater. 23 “Shut up, Jacob! You know he doesn’t have fangs!” 24 “Close enough,” he muttered. 25 I gritted my teeth and scrubbed a boning knife with 26 more force than necessary. 27 “Can I ask another one?” he asked softly when I passed 28 the knife to him. “Just curious, again.” sh 29 “Fine,” I snapped. reg 30

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He turned the knife over and over in his hands under 1 the stream of water. When he spoke, it was only a whisper. 2 “You said a few weeks....When, exactly...?” He 3 couldn’t finish. 4 “Graduation,” I whispered back, watching his face war- 5 ily. Would this set him off again? 6 “So soon,” he breathed, his eyes closing. It didn’t sound 7 like a question. It sounded like a lament. The muscles in 8 his arms tightened and his shoulders were stiff. 9 “OW!” he shouted; it had gotten so still in the room 10 that I jumped a foot in the air at his outburst. 11 His right hand had curled into a tense fist around the 12 blade of the knife — he unclenched his hand and the knife 13 clattered onto the counter. Across his palm was a long, 14 deep gash. The blood streamed down his fingers and 15 dripped on the floor. 16 “Damn it! Ouch!” he complained. 17 My head spun and my stomach rolled. I clung to the 18 countertop with one hand, took a deep breath through my 19 mouth, and forced myself to get a grip so that I could take 20 care of him. 21 “Oh, no, Jacob! Oh, crap! Here, wrap this around it!” I 22 shoved the dish towel at him, reaching for his hand. He 23 shrugged away from me. 24 “It’s nothing, Bella, don’t worry about it.” 25 The room started to shimmer a little around the 26 edges. 27 I took another deep breath. “Don’t worry?! You sliced 28 your hand open!” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 He ignored the dish towel I pushed at him. He put his 2 hand under the faucet and let the water wash over the 3 wound. The water ran red. My head whirled. 4 “Bella,” he said. 5 I looked away from the wound, up to his face. He was 6 frowning, but his expression was calm. 7 “What?” 8 “You look like you’re going to pass out, and you’re bit- 9 ing your lip off. Stop it. Relax. Breathe. I’m fine.” 10 I inhaled through my mouth and removed my teeth 11 from my lower lip. “Don’t be brave.” 12 He rolled his eyes. 13 “Let’s go. I’ll drive you to the ER.” I was pretty sure I 14 would be okay to drive. The walls were holding steady 15 now, at least. 16 “Not necessary.” Jake turned off the water and took the 17 towel from my hand. He twisted it loosely around his palm. 18 “Wait,” I protested. “Let me look at it.” I clutched the 19 counter more firmly, to hold myself upright if the wound 20 made me woozy again. 21 “Do you have a medical degree that you never told me 22 about?” 23 “Just give me the chance to decide whether or not I’m 24 going to throw a fit over taking you to the hospital.” 25 He made a face of mock horror. “Please, not a fit!” 26 “If you don’t let me see your hand, a fit is guaranteed.” 27 He inhaled deeply, and then let out a gusty sigh. 28 “Fine.” sh 29 He unwound the towel and, when I reached out to take reg 30 the cloth, he laid his hand in mine.

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It took me a few seconds. I even flipped his hand over, 1 though I was sure he’d cut his palm. I turned his hand 2 back up, finally realizing that the angry pink, puckered 3 line was all that was left of his wound. 4 “But...you were bleeding...so much.” 5 He pulled his hand back, his eyes steady and somber on 6 mine. 7 “I heal fast.” 8 “I’ll say,” I mouthed. 9 I’d seen the long gash clearly, seen the blood that 10 flowed into the sink. The rust-and-salt smell of it had al- 11 most pulled me under. It should have needed stitches. It 12 should have taken days to scab over and then weeks to fade 13 into the shiny pink scar that marked his skin now. 14 He screwed his mouth up into half a smile and 15 thumped his fist once against his chest. “Werewolf, re- 16 member?” 17 His eyes held mine for an immeasurable moment. 18 “Right,” I finally said. 19 He laughed at my expression. “I told you this. You saw 20 Paul’s scar.” 21 I shook my head to clear it. “It’s a little different, see- 22 ing the action sequence firsthand.” 23 I kneeled down and dug the bleach out of the cabinet 24 under the sink. Then I poured some on a dusting rag and 25 started scrubbing the floor. The burning scent of the bleach 26 cleared the last of the dizziness from my head. 27 “Let me clean up,” Jacob said. 28 “I got this. Throw that towel in the wash, will you?” 29 sh When I was sure the floor smelled of nothing but 30 reg

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1 bleach, I got up and rinsed the right side of the sink with 2 bleach, too. Then I went to the laundry closet beside the 3 pantry, and poured a cupful into the washing machine be- 4 fore starting it. Jacob watched me with a disapproving 5 look on his face. 6 “Do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder?” he asked 7 when I was done. 8 Huh. Maybe. But at least I had a good excuse this time. 9 “We’re a bit sensitive to blood around here. I’m sure you 10 can understand that.” 11 “Oh.” He wrinkled his nose again. 12 “Why not make it as easy as possible for him? What 13 he’s doing is hard enough.” 14 “Sure, sure. Why not?” 15 I pulled the plug, and let the dirty water drain from 16 the sink. 17 “Can I ask you something, Bella?” 18 I sighed. 19 “What’s it like — having a werewolf for a best friend?” 20 The question caught me off guard. I laughed out loud. 21 “Does it creep you out?” he pressed before I could an- 22 swer. 23 “No. When the werewolf is being nice,” I qualiﬁed, 24 “it’s the best.” 25 He grinned widely, his teeth bright against his russet 26 skin. “Thanks, Bella,” he said, and then he grabbed my 27 hand and wrenched me into one of his bone-crushing 28 hugs. sh 29 Before I had time to react, he dropped his arms and reg 30 stepped away.

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“Ugh,” he said, his nose wrinkling. “Your hair stinks 1 worse than your room.” 2 “Sorry,” I muttered. I suddenly understood what Edward 3 had been laughing about earlier, after breathing on me. 4 “One of the many hazards of socializing with vam- 5 pires,” Jacob said, shrugging. “It makes you smell bad. A 6 minor hazard, comparatively.” 7 I glared at him. “I only smell bad to you, Jake.” 8 He grinned. “See you around, Bells.” 9 “Are you leaving?” 10 “He’s waiting for me to go. I can hear him outside.” 11 “Oh.” 12 “I’ll go out the back,” he said, and then he paused. 13 “Hold up a sec — hey, do you think you can come to La 14 Push tonight? We’re having a bonﬁre party. Emily will be 15 there, and you could meet Kim...And I know Quil 16 wants to see you, too. He’s pretty peeved that you found 17 out before he did.” 18 I grinned at that. I could just imagine how that would 19 have irked Quil — Jacob’s little human gal pal down with 20 the werewolves while he was still clueless. And then I 21 sighed. “Yeah, Jake, I don’t know about that. See, it’s a lit- 22 tle tense right now....” 23 “C’mon, you think somebody’s going to get past all — 24 all six of us?” 25 There was a strange pause as he stuttered over the end 26 of his question. I wondered if he had trouble saying the 27 word werewolf aloud, the way I often had difﬁculty with 28 vampire. 29 sh His big dark eyes were full of unashamed pleading. 30 reg

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1 “I’ll ask,” I said doubtfully. 2 He made a noise in the back of his throat. “Is he your 3 warden, now, too? You know, I saw this story on the news 4 last week about controlling, abusive teenage relationships 5 and —” 6 “Okay!” I cut him off, and then shoved his arm. “Time 7 for the werewolf to get out!” 8 He grinned. “Bye, Bells. Be sure you ask permission.” 9 He ducked out the back door before I could find some- 10 thing to throw at him. I growled incoherently at the empty 11 room. 12 Seconds after he was gone, Edward walked slowly into 13 the kitchen, raindrops glistening like diamonds set into 14 the bronze of his hair. His eyes were wary. 15 “Did you two get into a fight?” he asked. 16 “Edward!” I sang, throwing myself at him. 17 “Hi, there.” He laughed and wrapped his arms around 18 me. “Are you trying to distract me? It’s working.” 19 “No, I didn’t fight with Jacob. Much. Why?” 20 “I was just wondering why you stabbed him. Not that 21 I object.” With his chin, he gestured to the knife on the 22 counter. 23 “Dang! I thought I got everything.” 24 I pulled away from him and ran to put the knife in the 25 sink before I doused it with bleach. 26 “I didn’t stab him,” I explained as I worked. “He forgot 27 he had a knife in his hand.” 28 Edward chuckled. “That’s not nearly as fun as the way sh 29 I imagined it.” reg 30

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“Be nice.” 1 He took a big envelope from his jacket pocket and 2 tossed it on the counter. “I got your mail.” 3 “Anything good?” 4 “I think so.” 5 My eyes narrowed suspiciously at his tone. I went to in- 6 vestigate. 7 He’d folded the legal-sized envelope in half. I 8 smoothed it open, surprised at the weight of the expensive 9 paper, and read the return address. 10 “Dartmouth? Is this a joke?” 11 “I’m sure it’s an acceptance. It looks exactly like mine.” 12 “Good grief, Edward — what did you do?” 13 “I sent in your application, that’s all.” 14 “I may not be Dartmouth material, but I’m not stupid 15 enough to believe that.” 16 “Dartmouth seems to think that you’re Dartmouth 17 material.” 18 I took a deep breath and counted slowly to ten. “That’s 19 very generous of them,” I ﬁnally said. “However, accepted 20 or not, there is still the minor matter of tuition. I can’t af- 21 ford it, and I’m not letting you throw away enough money 22 to buy yourself another sports car just so that I can pretend 23 to go to Dartmouth next year.” 24 “I don’t need another sports car. And you don’t have to 25 pretend anything,” he murmured. “One year of college 26 wouldn’t kill you. Maybe you’d even like it. Just think 27 about it, Bella. Imagine how excited Charlie and Renée 28 would be....” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 His velvet voice painted the picture in my head before 2 I could block it. Of course Charlie would explode with 3 pride — no one in the town of Forks would be able to es- 4 cape the fallout from his excitement. And Renée would be 5 hysterical with joy at my triumph — though she’d swear 6 she wasn’t at all surprised.... 7 I tried to shake the image out of my head. “Edward. 8 I’m worried about living through graduation, let alone 9 this summer or next fall.” 10 His arms wrapped around me again. “No one is going 11 to hurt you. You have all the time in the world.” 12 I sighed. “I’m mailing the contents of my bank account 13 to Alaska tomorrow. It’s all the alibi I need. It’s far enough 14 away that Charlie won’t expect a visit until Christmas at 15 the earliest. And I’m sure I’ll think of some excuse by 16 then. You know,” I teased halfheartedly, “this whole se- 17 crecy and deception thing is kind of a pain.” 18 Edward’s expression hardened. “It gets easier. After a 19 few decades, everyone you know is dead. Problem solved.” 20 I ﬂinched. 21 “Sorry, that was harsh.” 22 I stared down at the big white envelope, not seeing it. 23 “But still true.” 24 “If I get this resolved, whatever it is we’re dealing 25 with, will you please consider waiting?” 26 “Nope.” 27 “Always so stubborn.” 28 “Yep.” sh 29 The washing machine thumped and stuttered to a halt. reg 30 “Stupid piece of junk,” I muttered as I pulled away

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from him. I moved the one small towel that had unbal- 1 anced the otherwise empty machine, and started it again. 2 “This reminds me,” I said. “Could you ask Alice what 3 she did with my stuff when she cleaned my room? I can’t 4 find it anywhere.” 5 He looked at me with confused eyes. “Alice cleaned 6 your room?” 7 “Yeah, I guess that’s what she was doing. When she 8 came to get my pajamas and pillow and stuff to hold me 9 hostage.” I glowered at him briefly. “She picked up every- 10 thing that was lying around, my shirts, my socks, and I 11 don’t know where she put them.” 12 Edward continued to look confused for one short mo- 13 ment, and then, abruptly, he was rigid. 14 “When did you notice your things were missing?” 15 “When I got back from the fake slumber party. Why?” 16 “I don’t think Alice took anything. Not your clothes, 17 or your pillow. The things that were taken, these were 18 things you’d worn...and touched...and slept on?” 19 “Yes. What is it, Edward?” 20 His expression was strained. “Things with your scent.” 21 “Oh!” 22 We stared into each others eyes for a long moment. 23 “My visitor,” I muttered. 24 “He was gathering traces...evidence. To prove that 25 he’d found you?” 26 “Why?” I whispered. 27 “I don’t know. But, Bella, I swear I will find out. I will.” 28 “I know you will,” I said, laying my head against his 29 sh chest. Leaning there, I felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. 30 reg

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1 He pulled out his phone and glanced at the number. 2 “Just the person I need to talk to,” he murmured, and then 3 he flipped it open. “Carlisle, I —” He broke off and lis- 4 tened, his face taut with concentration for a few minutes. 5 “I’ll check it out. Listen...” 6 He explained about my missing things, but from the 7 side I was hearing, it sounded like Carlisle had no insights 8 for us. 9 “Maybe I’ll go...,” Edward said, trailing off as his 10 eyes drifted toward me. “Maybe not. Don’t let Emmett go 11 alone, you know how he gets. At least ask Alice keep an 12 eye on things. We’ll figure this out later.” 13 He snapped the phone shut. “Where’s the paper?” he 14 asked me. 15 “Um, I’m not sure. Why?” 16 “I need to see something. Did Charlie already throw 17 it out?” 18 “Maybe....” 19 Edward disappeared. 20 He was back in half a second, new diamonds in his hair, 21 a wet newspaper in his hands. He spread it out on the 22 table, his eyes scanning quickly across the headlines. He 23 leaned in, intent on something he was reading, one finger 24 tracing passages that interested him most. 25 “Carlisle’s right...yes...very sloppy. Young and 26 crazed? Or a death wish?” he muttered to himself. 27 I went to peek over his shoulder. 28 The headline of the Seattle Times read: “Murder Epi- sh 29 demic Continues — Police Have No New Leads.” reg 30

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It was almost the same story Charlie had been com- 1 plaining about a few weeks ago — the big-city violence 2 that was pushing Seattle up the national murder hot-spot 3 list. It wasn’t exactly the same story, though. The numbers 4 were a lot higher. 5 “It’s getting worse,” I murmured. 6 He frowned. “Altogether out of control. This can’t be 7 the work of just one newborn vampire. What’s going on? 8 It’s as if they’ve never heard of the Volturi. Which is pos- 9 sible, I guess. No one has explained the rules to them . . . 10 so who is creating them, then?” 11 “The Volturi?” I repeated, shuddering. 12 “This is exactly the kind of thing they routinely wipe 13 out — immortals who threaten to expose us. They just 14 cleaned up a mess like this a few years ago in Atlanta, and 15 it hadn’t gotten nearly this bad. They will intervene soon, 16 very soon, unless we can ﬁnd some way to calm the situa- 17 tion. I’d really rather they didn’t come to Seattle just now. 18 As long as they’re this close . . . they might decide to check 19 on you.” 20 I shuddered again. “What can we do?” 21 “We need to know more before we can decide that. Per- 22 haps if we can talk to these young ones, explain the rules, 23 it can be resolved peacefully.” He frowned, like he didn’t 24 think the chances of that were good. “We’ll wait until Alice 25 has an idea of what’s going on....We don’t want to step in 26 until it’s absolutely necessary. After all, it’s not our respon- 27 sibility. But it’s good we have Jasper,” he added, almost to 28 himself. “If we are dealing with newborns, he’ll be helpful.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Jasper? Why?” 2 Edward smiled darkly. “Jasper is sort of an expert on 3 young vampires.” 4 “What do you mean, an expert?” 5 “You’ll have to ask him — the story is involved.” 6 “What a mess,” I mumbled. 7 “It does feel that way, doesn’t it? Like it’s coming at us 8 from all sides these days.” He sighed. “Do you ever think 9 that your life might be easier if you weren’t in love with 10 me?” 11 “Maybe. It wouldn’t be much of a life, though.” 12 “For me,” he amended quietly. “And now, I suppose,” 13 he continued with a wry smile, “you have something you 14 want to ask me?” 15 I stared at him blankly. “I do?” 16 “Or maybe not.” He grinned. “I was rather under the 17 impression that you’d promised to ask my permission to 18 go to some kind of werewolf soirée tonight.” 19 “Eavesdropping again?” 20 He grinned. “Just a bit, at the very end.” 21 “Well, I wasn’t going to ask you anyway. I ﬁgured you 22 had enough to stress about.” 23 He put his hand under my chin, and held my face so 24 that he could read my eyes. “Would you like to go?” 25 “It’s no big thing. Don’t worry about it.” 26 “You don’t have to ask my permission, Bella. I’m not 27 your father — thank heaven for that. Perhaps you should 28 ask Charlie, though.” sh 29 “But you know Charlie will say yes.” reg 30

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“I do have a bit more insight into his probable answer 1 than most people would, it’s true.” 2 I just stared at him, trying to understand what he 3 wanted, and trying to put out of my mind the yearning I 4 felt to go to La Push so that I wouldn’t be swayed by my 5 own wishes. It was stupid to want to go hang out with a 6 bunch of big idiot wolf-boys right now when there was so 7 much that was frightening and unexplained going on. Of 8 course, that was exactly why I wanted to go. I wanted to es- 9 cape the death threats, for just a few hours...to be the 10 less-mature, more-reckless Bella who could laugh it off 11 with Jacob, if only brieﬂy. But that didn’t matter. 12 “Bella,” Edward said. “I told you that I was going to be 13 reasonable and trust your judgment. I meant that. If you 14 trust the werewolves, then I’m not going to worry about 15 them.” 16 “Wow,” I said, as I had last night. 17 “And Jacob’s right — about one thing, anyway — a 18 pack of werewolves ought to be enough to protect even 19 you for one evening.” 20 “Are you sure?” 21 “Of course. Only...” 22 I braced myself. 23 “I hope you won’t mind taking a few precautions? Al- 24 lowing me to drive you to the boundary line, for one. And 25 then taking a cell phone, so that I’ll know when to pick 26 you up?” 27 “That sounds...very reasonable.” 28 “Excellent.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 He smiled at me, and I could see no trace of apprehen- 2 sion in his jewel-like eyes. 3 4 To no one’s surprise, Charlie had no problem at all with 5 me going to La Push for a bonfire. Jacob crowed with 6 undisguised exultation when I called to give him the 7 news, and he seemed eager enough to embrace Edward’s 8 safety measures. He promised to meet us at the line be- 9 tween territories at six. 10 I had decided, after a short internal debate, that I 11 would not sell my motorcycle. I would take it back to La 12 Push where it belonged and, when I no longer needed it 13 anymore...well, then, I would insist that Jacob profit 14 from his work somehow. He could sell it or give it to a 15 friend. It didn’t matter to me. 16 Tonight seemed like a good opportunity to return the 17 bike to Jacob’s garage. As gloomy as I was feeling about 18 things lately, every day seemed like a possible last chance. 19 I didn’t have time to procrastinate any task, no matter how 20 minor. 21 Edward only nodded when I explained what I wanted, 22 but I thought I saw a flicker of consternation in his eyes, 23 and I knew he was no happier about the idea of me on a 24 motorcycle than Charlie was. 25 I followed him back to his house, to the garage where 26 I’d left the bike. It wasn’t until I pulled the truck in and 27 got out that I realized the consternation might not be en- 28 tirely about my safety this time. sh 29 Next to my little antique motorcycle, overshadowing reg 30 it, was another vehicle. To call this other vehicle a motor-

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cycle hardly seemed fair, since it didn’t seem to belong to 1 the same family as my suddenly shabby-looking bike. 2 It was big and sleek and silver and — even totally mo- 3 tionless — it looked fast. 4 “What is that?” 5 “Nothing,” Edward murmured. 6 “It doesn’t look like nothing.” 7 Edward’s expression was casual; he seemed determined 8 to blow it off. “Well, I didn’t know if you were going to 9 forgive your friend, or he you, and I wondered if you 10 would still want to ride your bike anyway. It sounded like 11 it was something that you enjoyed. I thought I could go 12 with you, if you wished.” He shrugged. 13 I stared at the beautiful machine. Beside it, my bike 14 looked like a broken tricycle. I felt a sudden wave of sad- 15 ness when I realized that this was not a bad analogy for the 16 way I probably looked next to Edward. 17 “I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you,” I whispered. 18 Edward put his hand under my chin and pulled my 19 face around so that he could see it straight on. With one 20 finger, he tried to push the corner of my mouth up. 21 “I’d keep pace with you, Bella.” 22 “That wouldn’t be much fun for you.” 23 “Of course it would, if we were together.” 24 I bit my lip and imagined it for a moment. “Edward, if 25 you thought I was going too fast or losing control of the 26 bike or something, what would you do?” 27 He hesitated, obviously trying to find the right answer. 28 I knew the truth: he’d find some way to save me before I 29 sh crashed. 30 reg

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1 Then he smiled. It looked effortless, except for the tiny 2 defensive tightening of his eyes. 3 “This is something you do with Jacob. I see that now.” 4 “It’s just that, well, I don’t slow him down so much, 5 you know. I could try, I guess....” 6 I eyed the silver motorcycle doubtfully. 7 “Don’t worry about it,” Edward said, and then he 8 laughed lightly. “I saw Jasper admiring it. Perhaps it’s 9 time he discovered a new way to travel. After all, Alice has 10 her Porsche now.” 11 “Edward, I —” 12 He interrupted me with a quick kiss. “I said not to 13 worry. But would you do something for me?” 14 “Whatever you need,” I promised quickly. 15 He dropped my face and leaned over the far side of 16 the big motorcycle, retrieving something he had stashed 17 there. 18 He came back with one object that was black and 19 shapeless, and another that was red and easily identifiable. 20 “Please?” he asked, flashing the crooked smile that al- 21 ways destroyed my resistance. 22 I took the red helmet, weighing it in my hands. “I’ll 23 look stupid.” 24 “No, you’ll look smart. Smart enough not to get your- 25 self hurt.” He threw the black thing, whatever it was, over 26 his arm and then took my face in his hands. “There are 27 things between my hands right now that I can’t live with- 28 out. You could take care of them.” sh 29 “Okay, fine. What’s that other thing?” I asked suspi- reg 30 ciously.

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He laughed and shook out some kind of padded jacket. 1 “It’s a riding jacket. I hear road rash is quite uncomfort- 2 able, not that I would know myself.” 3 He held it out for me. With a deep sigh, I ﬂipped my 4 hair back and stuffed the helmet on my head. Then I 5 shoved my arms through the sleeves of the jacket. He 6 zipped me in, a smile playing around the corners of his 7 lips, and took a step back. 8 I felt bulky. 9 “Be honest, how hideous do I look?” 10 He took another step back and pursed his lips. 11 “That bad, huh?” I muttered. 12 “No, no, Bella. Actually . . .” he seemed to be strug- 13 gling for the right word. “You look...sexy.” 14 I laughed out loud. “Right.” 15 “Very sexy, really.” 16 “You are just saying that so that I’ll wear it,” I said. 17 “But that’s okay. You’re right, it’s smarter.” 18 He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against 19 his chest. “You’re silly. I suppose that’s part of your charm. 20 Though, I’ll admit it, this helmet does have its draw- 21 backs.” 22 And then he pulled the helmet off so that he could 23 kiss me. 24 25 As Edward drove me toward La Push a little while later, I 26 realized that this unprecedented situation felt oddly fa- 27 miliar. It took me a moment of thought to pinpoint the 28 source of the déjà vu. 29 sh “You know what this reminds me of?” I asked. “It’s just 30 reg

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1 like when I was a kid and Renée would pass me off to 2 Charlie for the summer. I feel like a seven-year-old.” 3 Edward laughed. 4 I didn’t mention it out loud, but the biggest difference 5 between the two circumstances was that Renée and Char- 6 lie had been on better terms. 7 About halfway to La Push, we rounded the corner and 8 found Jacob leaning against the side of the red Volkswa- 9 gen he’d built for himself out of scraps. Jacob’s carefully 10 neutral expression dissolved into a smile when I waved 11 from the front seat. 12 Edward parked the Volvo thirty yards away. 13 “Call me whenever you’re ready to come home,” he 14 said. “And I’ll be here.” 15 “I won’t be out late,” I promised. 16 Edward pulled the bike and my new gear out of the 17 trunk of his car — I’d been quite impressed that it had all 18 ﬁt. But it wasn’t so hard to manage when you were strong 19 enough to juggle full-sized vans, let alone small motorcycles. 20 Jacob watched, making no move to approach, his smile 21 gone and his dark eyes indecipherable. 22 I tucked the helmet under my arm and threw the 23 jacket across the seat. 24 “Do you have it all?” Edward asked. 25 “No problem,” I assured him. 26 He sighed and leaned toward me. I turned my face up 27 for a goodbye peck, but Edward took me by surprise, fas- 28 tening his arms tightly around me and kissing me with as sh 29 much enthusiasm as he had in the garage — before long, I reg 30 was gasping for air.

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Edward laughed quietly at something, and then let 1 me go. 2 “Goodbye,” he said. “I really do like the jacket.” 3 As I turned away from him, I thought I saw a ﬂash of 4 something in his eyes that I wasn’t supposed to see. I 5 couldn’t tell for sure what it was exactly. Worry, maybe. 6 For a second I thought it was panic. But I was probably 7 just making something out of nothing, as usual. 8 I could feel his eyes on my back as I pushed my bike 9 toward the invisible vampire-werewolf treaty line to meet 10 Jacob. 11 “What’s all that?” Jacob called to me, his voice wary, 12 scrutinizing the motorcycle with an enigmatic expression. 13 “I thought I should put this back where it belongs,” I 14 told him. 15 He pondered that for one short second, and then his 16 wide smile stretched across his face. 17 I knew the exact point that I was in werewolf territory 18 because Jacob shoved away from his car and loped quickly 19 over to me, closing the distance in three long strides. He 20 took the bike from me, balanced it on the kickstand, and 21 grabbed me up in another vice-tight hug. 22 I heard the Volvo’s engine growl, and I struggled to get 23 free. 24 “Cut it out, Jake!” I gasped breathlessly. 25 He laughed and set me down. I turned to wave good- 26 bye, but the silver car was already disappearing around the 27 curve in the road. 28 “Nice,” I commented, allowing some acid to leak into 29 sh my voice. 30 reg

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1 His eyes widened in false innocence. “What?” 2 “He’s being pretty dang pleasant about this; you don’t 3 need to push your luck.” 4 He laughed again, louder than before — he found what 5 I’d said very funny indeed. I tried to see the joke as he 6 walked around the Rabbit to hold my door open for me. 7 “Bella,” he ﬁnally said — still chuckling — as he shut 8 the door behind me, “you can’t push what you don’t have.” 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 11. LEGENDS 15 16 17 “Are you gonna eat that hot dog?” Paul asked Ja- 18 cob, his eyes locked on the last remnant of the huge meal 19 the werewolves had consumed. 20 Jacob leaned back against my knees and toyed with the 21 hot dog he had spitted on a straightened wire hanger; the 22 flames at the edge of the bonfire licked along its blistered 23 skin. He heaved a sigh and patted his stomach. It was 24 somehow still flat, though I’d lost count of how many hot 25 dogs he’d eaten after his tenth. Not to mention the super- 26 sized bag of chips or the two-liter bottle of root beer. 27 “I guess,” Jake said slowly. “I’m so full I’m about to 28 puke, but I think I can force it down. I won’t enjoy it at all, 29 sh though.” He sighed again sadly. 30 reg

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1 Despite the fact that Paul had eaten at least as much as 2 Jacob, he glowered and his hands balled up into fists. 3 “Sheesh.” Jacob laughed. “Kidding, Paul. Here.” 4 He flipped the homemade skewer across the circle. I ex- 5 pected it to land hot-dog-first in the sand, but Paul caught 6 it neatly on the right end without difficulty. 7 Hanging out with no one but extremely dexterous 8 people all the time was going to give me a complex. 9 “Thanks, man,” Paul said, already over his brief fit of 10 temper. 11 The fire crackled, settling lower toward the sand. 12 Sparks blew up in a sudden puff of brilliant orange against 13 the black sky. Funny, I hadn’t noticed that the sun had set. 14 For the first time, I wondered how late it had gotten. I’d 15 lost track of time completely. 16 It was easier being with my Quileute friends than I’d 17 expected. 18 While Jacob and I had dropped off my bike at the 19 garage — and he had admitted ruefully that the helmet 20 was a good idea that he should have thought of himself — 21 I’d started to worry about showing up with him at the 22 bonfire, wondering if the werewolves would consider me a 23 traitor now. Would they be angry with Jacob for inviting 24 me? Would I ruin the party? 25 But when Jacob had towed me out of the forest to the 26 clifftop meeting place — where the fire already roared 27 brighter than the cloud-obscured sun — it had all been 28 very casual and light. sh 29 “Hey, vampire girl!” Embry had greeted me loudly. reg 30

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Quil had jumped up to give me a high ﬁve and kiss me on 1 the cheek. Emily had squeezed my hand when we’d sat on 2 the cool stone ground beside her and Sam. 3 Other than a few teasing complaints — mostly by 4 Paul — about keeping the bloodsucker stench downwind, 5 I was treated like someone who belonged. 6 It wasn’t just kids in attendance, either. Billy was here, 7 his wheelchair stationed at what seemed the natural head 8 of the circle. Beside him on a folding lawn chair, looking 9 quite brittle, was Quil’s ancient, white-haired grandfa- 10 ther, Old Quil. Sue Clearwater, widow of Charlie’s friend 11 Harry, had a chair on his other side; her two children, Leah 12 and Seth, were also there, sitting on the ground like the 13 rest of us. This surprised me, but all three were clearly in 14 on the secret now. From the way Billy and Old Quil spoke 15 to Sue, it sounded to me like she’d taken Harry’s place on 16 the council. Did that make her children automatic mem- 17 bers of La Push’s most secret society? 18 I wondered how horrible it was for Leah to sit across 19 the circle from Sam and Emily. Her lovely face betrayed no 20 emotion, but she never looked away from the ﬂames. 21 Looking at the perfection of Leah’s features, I couldn’t help 22 but compare them to Emily’s ruined face. What did Leah 23 think of Emily’s scars, now that she knew the truth behind 24 them? Did it seem like justice in her eyes? 25 Little Seth Clearwater wasn’t so little anymore. With 26 his huge, happy grin and his long, gangly build, he re- 27 minded me very much of a younger Jacob. The resem- 28 blance made me smile, and then sigh. Was Seth doomed 29 sh 30 reg

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1 to have his life change as drastically as the rest of these 2 boys? Was that future why he and his family were allowed 3 to be here? 4 The whole pack was there: Sam with his Emily, Paul, 5 Embry, Quil, and Jared with Kim, the girl he’d imprinted 6 upon. 7 My first impression of Kim was that she was a nice girl, 8 a little shy, and a little plain. She had a wide face, mostly 9 cheekbones, with eyes too small to balance them out. Her 10 nose and mouth were both too broad for traditional 11 beauty. Her flat black hair was thin and wispy in the wind 12 that never seemed to let up atop the cliff. 13 That was my first impression. But after a few hours of 14 watching Jared watch Kim, I could no longer find any- 15 thing plain about the girl. 16 The way he stared at her! It was like a blind man see- 17 ing the sun for the first time. Like a collector finding an 18 undiscovered Da Vinci, like a mother looking into the face 19 of her newborn child. 20 His wondering eyes made me see new things about 21 her — how her skin looked like russet-colored silk in the 22 firelight, how the shape of her lips was a perfect double 23 curve, how white her teeth were against them, how long 24 her eyelashes were, brushing her cheek when she looked 25 down. 26 Kim’s skin sometimes darkened when she met Jared’s 27 awed gaze, and her eyes would drop as if in embarrass- 28 ment, but she had a hard time keeping her eyes away from sh 29 his for any length of time. reg 30 Watching them, I felt like I better understood what

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Jacob had told me about imprinting before — it’s hard to 1 resist that level of commitment and adoration. 2 Kim was nodding off now against Jared’s chest, his arms 3 around her. I imagined she would be very warm there. 4 “It’s getting late,” I murmured to Jacob. 5 “Don’t start that yet,” Jacob whispered back — though 6 certainly half the group here had hearing sensitive enough 7 to hear us anyway. “The best part is coming.” 8 “What’s the best part? You swallowing an entire cow 9 whole?” 10 Jacob chuckled his low, throaty laugh. “No. That’s the 11 finale. We didn’t meet just to eat through a week’s worth 12 of food. This is technically a council meeting. It’s Quil’s 13 first time, and he hasn’t heard the stories yet. Well, he’s 14 heard them, but this will be the first time he knows they’re 15 true. That tends to make a guy pay closer attention. Kim 16 and Seth and Leah are all first-timers, too.” 17 “Stories?” 18 Jacob scooted back beside me, where I rested against a 19 low ridge of rock. He put his arm over my shoulder and 20 spoke even lower into my ear. 21 “The histories we always thought were legends,” he 22 said. “The stories of how we came to be. The first is the 23 story of the spirit warriors.” 24 It was almost as if Jacob’s soft whisper was the intro- 25 duction. The atmosphere changed abruptly around the low- 26 burning fire. Paul and Embry sat up straighter. Jared 27 nudged Kim and then pulled her gently upright. 28 Emily produced a spiral-bound notebook and a pen, 29 sh looking exactly like a student set for an important lecture. 30 reg

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1 Sam twisted just slightly beside her — so that he was fac- 2 ing the same direction as Old Quil, who was on his other 3 side — and suddenly I realized that the elders of the coun- 4 cil here were not three, but four in number. 5 Leah Clearwater, her face still a beautiful and emotion- 6 less mask, closed her eyes — not like she was tired, but as 7 if to help her concentration. Her brother leaned in toward 8 the elders eagerly. 9 The fire crackled, sending another explosion of sparks 10 glittering up against the night. 11 Billy cleared his throat, and, with no more introduc- 12 tion than his son’s whisper, began telling the story in his 13 rich, deep voice. The words poured out with precision, as 14 if he knew them by heart, but also with feeling and a sub- 15 tle rhythm. Like poetry performed by its author. 16 “The Quileutes have been a small people from the be- 17 ginning,” Billy said. “And we are a small people still, but 18 we have never disappeared. This is because there has al- 19 ways been magic in our blood. It wasn’t always the magic 20 of shape-shifting — that came later. First, we were spirit 21 warriors.” 22 Never before had I recognized the ring of majesty that 23 was in Billy Black’s voice, though I realized now that this 24 authority had always been there. 25 Emily’s pen sprinted across the sheets of paper as she 26 tried to keep up with him. 27 “In the beginning, the tribe settled in this harbor and 28 became skilled ship builders and fishermen. But the tribe sh 29 was small, and the harbor was rich in fish. There were reg 30

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others who coveted our land, and we were too small to 1 hold it. A larger tribe moved against us, and we took to 2 our ships to escape them. 3 “Kaheleha was not the first spirit warrior, but we do 4 not remember the stories that came before his. We do not 5 remember who was the first to discover this power, or how 6 it had been used before this crisis. Kaheleha was the first 7 great Spirit Chief in our history. In this emergency, Ka- 8 heleha used the magic to defend our land. 9 “He and all his warriors left the ship — not their bod- 10 ies, but their spirits. Their women watched over the bod- 11 ies and the waves, and the men took their spirits back to 12 our harbor. 13 “They could not physically touch the enemy tribe, but 14 they had other ways. The stories tell us that they could 15 blow fierce winds into their enemy’s camps; they could 16 make a great screaming in the wind that terrified their 17 foes. The stories also tell us that the animals could see the 18 spirit warriors and understand them; the animals would 19 do their bidding. 20 “Kaheleha took his spirit army and wreaked havoc on 21 the intruders. This invading tribe had packs of big, thick- 22 furred dogs that they used to pull their sleds in the frozen 23 north. The spirit warriors turned the dogs against their 24 masters and then brought a mighty infestation of bats up 25 from the cliff caverns. They used the screaming wind to 26 aid the dogs in confusing the men. The dogs and bats 27 won. The survivors scattered, calling our harbor a cursed 28 place. The dogs ran wild when the spirit warriors released 29 sh 30 reg

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1 them. The Quileutes returned to their bodies and their 2 wives, victorious. 3 “The other nearby tribes, the Hohs and the Makahs, 4 made treaties with the Quileutes. They wanted nothing to 5 do with our magic. We lived in peace with them. When 6 an enemy came against us, the spirit warriors would drive 7 them off. 8 “Generations passed. Then came the last great Spirit 9 Chief, Taha Aki. He was known for his wisdom, and for 10 being a man of peace. The people lived well and content in 11 his care. 12 “But there was one man, Utlapa, who was not content.” 13 A low hiss ran around the ﬁre. I was too slow to see 14 where it came from. Billy ignored it and went on with the 15 legend. 16 “Utlapa was one of Chief Taha Aki’s strongest spirit 17 warriors — a powerful man, but a grasping man, too. He 18 thought the people should use their magic to expand their 19 lands, to enslave the Hohs and the Makahs and build an 20 empire. 21 “Now, when the warriors were their spirit selves, they 22 knew each other’s thoughts. Taha Aki saw what Utlapa 23 dreamed, and was angry with Utlapa. Utlapa was com- 24 manded to leave the people, and never use his spirit self 25 again. Utlapa was a strong man, but the chief’s warriors 26 outnumbered him. He had no choice but to leave. The fu- 27 rious outcast hid in the forest nearby, waiting for a chance 28 to get revenge against the chief. sh 29 “Even in times of peace, the Spirit Chief was vigilant in reg 30 protecting his people. Often, he would go to a sacred,

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secret place in the mountains. He would leave his body be- 1 hind and sweep down through the forests and along the 2 coast, making sure no threat approached. 3 “One day when Taha Aki left to perform this duty, Ut- 4 lapa followed. At first, Utlapa simply planned to kill the 5 chief, but this plan had its drawbacks. Surely the spirit 6 warriors would seek to destroy him, and they could follow 7 faster than he could escape. As he hid in the rocks and 8 watched the chief prepare to leave his body, another plan 9 occurred to him. 10 “Taha Aki left his body in the secret place and flew with 11 the winds to keep watch over his people. Utlapa waited 12 until he was sure the chief had traveled some distance with 13 his spirit self. 14 “Taha Aki knew it the instant that Utlapa had joined 15 him in the spirit world, and he also knew Utlapa’s mur- 16 derous plan. He raced back to his secret place, but even 17 the winds weren’t fast enough to save him. When he re- 18 turned, his body was already gone. Utlapa’s body lay aban- 19 doned, but Utlapa had not left Taha Aki with an escape — 20 he had cut his own body’s throat with Taha Aki’s hands. 21 “Taha Aki followed his body down the mountain. He 22 screamed at Utlapa, but Utlapa ignored him as if he were 23 mere wind. 24 “Taha Aki watched with despair as Utlapa took his 25 place as chief of the Quileutes. For a few weeks, Utlapa did 26 nothing but make sure that everyone believed he was Taha 27 Aki. Then the changes began — Utlapa’s first edict was to 28 forbid any warrior to enter the spirit world. He claimed 29 sh that he’d had a vision of danger, but really he was afraid. 30 reg

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1 He knew that Taha Aki would be waiting for the chance to 2 tell his story. Utlapa was also afraid to enter the spirit 3 world himself, knowing Taha Aki would quickly claim his 4 body. So his dreams of conquest with a spirit warrior army 5 were impossible, and he sought to content himself with 6 ruling over the tribe. He became a burden — seeking 7 privileges that Taha Aki had never requested, refusing to 8 work alongside his warriors, taking a young second wife 9 and then a third, though Taha Aki’s wife lived on — 10 something unheard of in the tribe. Taha Aki watched in 11 helpless fury. 12 “Eventually, Taha Aki tried to kill his body to save the 13 tribe from Utlapa’s excesses. He brought a fierce wolf 14 down from the mountains, but Utlapa hid behind his war- 15 riors. When the wolf killed a young man who was protect- 16 ing the false chief, Taha Aki felt horrible grief. He ordered 17 the wolf away. 18 “All the stories tell us that it was no easy thing to be a 19 spirit warrior. It was more frightening than exhilarating 20 to be freed from one’s body. This is why they only used 21 their magic in times of need. The chief’s solitary journeys 22 to keep watch were a burden and a sacrifice. Being bodiless 23 was disorienting, uncomfortable, horrifying. Taha Aki had 24 been away from his body for so long at this point that he 25 was in agony. He felt he was doomed — never to cross 26 over to the final land where his ancestors waited, stuck in 27 this torturous nothingness forever. 28 “The great wolf followed Taha Aki’s spirit as he twisted sh 29 and writhed in agony through the woods. The wolf was reg 30

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very large for its kind, and beautiful. Taha Aki was sud- 1 denly jealous of the dumb animal. At least it had a body. 2 At least it had a life. Even life as an animal would be bet- 3 ter than this horrible empty consciousness. 4 “And then Taha Aki had the idea that changed us all. 5 He asked the great wolf to make room for him, to share. 6 The wolf complied. Taka Aki entered the wolf’s body with 7 relief and gratitude. It was not his human body, but it was 8 better than the void of the spirit world. 9 “As one, the man and the wolf returned to the village 10 on the harbor. The people ran in fear, shouting for the war- 11 riors to come. The warriors ran to meet the wolf with their 12 spears. Utlapa, of course, stayed safely hidden. 13 “Taha Aki did not attack his warriors. He retreated 14 slowly from them, speaking with his eyes and trying to 15 yelp the songs of his people. The warriors began to realize 16 that the wolf was no ordinary animal, that there was a 17 spirit inﬂuencing it. One older warrior, a man name Yut, 18 decided to disobey the false chief’s order and try to com- 19 municate with the wolf. 20 “As soon as Yut crossed to the spirit world, Taha Aki 21 left the wolf — the animal waited tamely for his return — 22 to speak to him. Yut gathered the truth in an instant, and 23 welcomed his true chief home. 24 “At this time, Utlapa came to see if the wolf had been 25 defeated. When he saw Yut lying lifeless on the ground, 26 surrounded by protective warriors, he realized what was 27 happening. He drew his knife and raced forward to kill 28 Yut before he could return to his body. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “‘Traitor,’ he screamed, and the warriors did not know 2 what to do. The chief had forbidden spirit journeys, and it 3 was the chief’s decision how to punish those who disobeyed. 4 “Yut jumped back into his body, but Utlapa had his 5 knife at his throat and a hand covering his mouth. Taha 6 Aki’s body was strong, and Yut was weak with age. Yut 7 could not say even one word to warn the others before Ut- 8 lapa silenced him forever. 9 “Taha Aki watched as Yut’s spirit slipped away to the 10 final lands that were barred to Taha Aki for all eternity. He 11 felt a great rage, more powerful than anything he’d felt be- 12 fore. He entered the big wolf again, meaning to rip Ut- 13 lapa’s throat out. But, as he joined the wolf, the greatest 14 magic happened. 15 “Taha Aki’s anger was the anger of a man. The love he 16 had for his people and the hatred he had for their oppres- 17 sor were too vast for the wolf’s body, too human. The wolf 18 shuddered, and — before the eyes of the shocked warriors 19 and Utlapa — transformed into a man. 20 “The new man did not look like Taha Aki’s body. He 21 was far more glorious. He was the flesh interpretation of 22 Taha Aki’s spirit. The warriors recognized him at once, 23 though, for they had flown with Taha Aki’s spirit. 24 “Utlapa tried to run, but Taha Aki had the strength of 25 the wolf in his new body. He caught the thief and crushed 26 the spirit from him before he could jump out of the stolen 27 body. 28 “The people rejoiced when they understood what had sh 29 happened. Taha Aki quickly set everything right, working reg 30 again with his people and giving the young wives back to

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their families. The only change he kept in place was the 1 end of the spirit travels. He knew that it was too danger- 2 ous now that the idea of stealing a life was there. The 3 spirit warriors were no more. 4 “From that point on, Taha Aki was more than either 5 wolf or man. They called him Taha Aki the Great Wolf, or 6 Taha Aki the Spirit Man. He led the tribe for many, many 7 years, for he did not age. When danger threatened, he 8 would resume his wolf-self to fight or frighten the enemy. 9 The people dwelt in peace. Taha Aki fathered many sons, 10 and some of these found that, after they had reached the 11 age of manhood, they, too, could transform into wolves. 12 The wolves were all different, because they were spirit 13 wolves and reflected the man they were inside.” 14 “So that’s why Sam is all black,” Quil muttered under 15 his breath, grinning. “Black heart, black fur.” 16 I was so involved in the story, it was a shock to come 17 back to the present, to the circle around the dying fire. 18 With another shock, I realized that the circle was made 19 up of Taha Aki’s great — to however many degrees — 20 grandsons. 21 The fire threw a volley of sparks into the sky, and they 22 shivered and danced, making shapes that were almost de- 23 cipherable. 24 “And your chocolate fur reflects what?” Sam whispered 25 back to Quil. “How sweet you are?” 26 Billy ignored their jibes. “Some of the sons became 27 warriors with Taha Aki, and they no longer aged. Others, 28 who did not like the transformation, refused to join the 29 sh pack of wolf-men. These began to age again, and the tribe 30 reg

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1 discovered that the wolf-men could grow old like anyone 2 else if they gave up their spirit wolves. Taha Aki had lived 3 the span of three old men’s lives. He had married a third 4 wife after the deaths of the first two, and found in her his 5 true spirit wife. Though he had loved the others, this was 6 something else. He decided to give up his spirit wolf so 7 that he would die when she did. 8 “That is how the magic came to us, but it is not the end 9 of the story....” 10 He looked at Old Quil Ateara, who shifted in his chair, 11 straightening his frail shoulders. Billy took a drink from a 12 bottle of water and wiped his forehead. Emily’s pen never 13 hesitated as she scribbled furiously on the paper. 14 “That was the story of the spirit warriors,” Old Quil 15 began in a thin tenor voice. “This is the story of the third 16 wife’s sacrifice. 17 “Many years after Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, 18 when he was an old man, trouble began in the north, with 19 the Makahs. Several young women of their tribe had dis- 20 appeared, and they blamed it on the neighboring wolves, 21 who they feared and mistrusted. The wolf-men could still 22 read each other’s thoughts while in their wolf forms, just 23 like their ancestors had while in their spirit forms. They 24 knew that none of their number was to blame. Taha Aki 25 tried to pacify the Makah chief, but there was too much 26 fear. Taha Aki did not want to have a war on his hands. He 27 was no longer a warrior to lead his people. He charged his 28 oldest wolf-son, Taha Wi, with finding the true culprit be- sh 29 fore hostilities began. reg 30 “Taha Wi led the five other wolves in his pack on a

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search through the mountains, looking for any evidence of 1 the missing Makahs. They came across something they 2 had never encountered before — a strange, sweet scent in 3 the forest that burned their noses to the point of pain.” 4 I shrank a little closer to Jacob’s side. I saw the corner 5 of his mouth twitch with humor, and his arm tightened 6 around me. 7 “They did not know what creature would leave such a 8 scent, but they followed it,” Old Quil continued. His qua- 9 vering voice did not have the majesty of Billy’s, but it had 10 a strange, ﬁerce edge of urgency about it. My pulse jumped 11 as his words came faster. 12 “They found faint traces of human scent, and human 13 blood, along the trail. They were sure this was the enemy 14 they were searching for. 15 “The journey took them so far north that Taha Wi sent 16 half the pack, the younger ones, back to the harbor to re- 17 port to Taha Aki. 18 “Taha Wi and his two brothers did not return. 19 “The younger brothers searched for their elders, but 20 found only silence. Taha Aki mourned for his sons. He 21 wished to avenge his sons’ death, but he was old. He went 22 to the Makah chief in his mourning clothes and told him 23 everything that had happened. The Makah chief believed 24 his grief, and tensions ended between the tribes. 25 “A year later, two Makah maidens disappeared from 26 their homes on the same night. The Makahs called on the 27 Quileute wolves at once, who found the same sweet stink 28 all through the Makah village. The wolves went on the 29 sh hunt again. 30 reg

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1 “Only one came back. He was Yaha Uta, the oldest son 2 of Taka Aki’s third wife, and the youngest in the pack. He 3 brought something with him that had never been seen in 4 all the days of the Quileutes — a strange, cold, stony 5 corpse that he carried in pieces. All who were of Taha Aki’s 6 blood, even those who had never been wolves, could smell 7 the piercing smell of the dead creature. This was the en- 8 emy of the Makahs. 9 “Yaha Uta described what had happened: he and his 10 brothers had found the creature, who looked like a man but 11 was hard as a granite rock, with the two Makah daughters. 12 One girl was already dead, white and bloodless on the 13 ground. The other was in the creature’s arms, his mouth at 14 her throat. She may have been alive when they came upon 15 the hideous scene, but the creature quickly snapped her 16 neck and tossed her lifeless body to the ground when they 17 approached. His white lips were covered in her blood, and 18 his eyes glowed red. 19 “Yaha Uta described the ﬁerce strength and speed of 20 the creature. One of his brothers quickly became a vic- 21 tim when he underestimated that strength. The creature 22 ripped him apart like a doll. Yaha Uta and his other 23 brother were more wary. They worked together, coming at 24 the creature from the sides, outmaneuvering it. They had 25 to reach the very limits of their wolf strength and speed, 26 something that had never been tested before. The creature 27 was hard as stone and cold as ice. They found that only 28 their teeth could damage it. They began to rip small sh 29 pieces of the creature apart while it fought them. reg 30

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“But the creature learned quickly, and soon was match- 1 ing their maneuvers. It got its hands on Yaha Uta’s brother. 2 Yaha Uta found an opening on the creature’s throat, and 3 he lunged. His teeth tore the head off the creature, but the 4 hands continued to mangle his brother. 5 “Yaha Uta ripped the creature into unrecognizable 6 chunks, tearing pieces apart in a desperate attempt to save 7 his brother. He was too late, but, in the end, the creature 8 was destroyed. 9 “Or so they thought. Yaha Uta laid the reeking re- 10 mains out to be examined by the elders. One severed hand 11 lay beside a piece of the creature’s granite arm. The two 12 pieces touched when the elders poked them with sticks, 13 and the hand reached out towards the arm piece, trying to 14 reassemble itself. 15 “Horriﬁed, the elders set ﬁre to the remains. A great 16 cloud of choking, vile smoke polluted the air. When there 17 was nothing but ashes, they separated the ashes into many 18 small bags and spread them far and wide — some in the 19 ocean, some in the forest, some in the cliff caverns. Taha 20 Aki wore one bag around his neck, so he would be warned 21 if the creature ever tried to put himself together again.” 22 Old Quil paused and looked at Billy. Billy pulled out a 23 leather thong from around his neck. Hanging from the 24 end was a small bag, blackened with age. A few people 25 gasped. I might have been one of them. 26 “They called it The Cold One, the Blood Drinker, and 27 lived in fear that it was not alone. They only had one wolf 28 protector left, young Yaha Uta. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “They did not have long to wait. The creature had a 2 mate, another blood drinker, who came to the Quileutes 3 seeking revenge. 4 “The stories say that the Cold Woman was the most 5 beautiful thing human eyes had ever seen. She looked like 6 the goddess of the dawn when she entered the village that 7 morning; the sun was shining for once, and it glittered off 8 her white skin and lit the golden hair that flowed down to 9 her knees. Her face was magical in its beauty, her eyes black 10 in her white face. Some fell to their knees to worship her. 11 “She asked something in a high, piercing voice, in a 12 language no one had ever heard. The people were dumb- 13 founded, not knowing how to answer her. There was none 14 of Taha Aki’s blood among the witnesses but one small 15 boy. He clung to his mother and screamed that the smell 16 was hurting his nose. One of the elders, on his way to 17 council, heard the boy and realized what had come among 18 them. He yelled for the people to run. She killed him first. 19 “There were twenty witnesses to the Cold Woman’s ap- 20 proach. Two survived, only because she grew distracted by 21 the blood, and paused to sate her thirst. They ran to Taha 22 Aki, who sat in counsel with the other elders, his sons, and 23 his third wife. 24 “Yaha Uta transformed into his spirit wolf as soon as he 25 heard the news. He went to destroy the blood drinker 26 alone. Taha Aki, his third wife, his sons, and his elders fol- 27 lowed behind him. 28 “At first they could not find the creature, only the evi- sh 29 dence of her attack. Bodies lay broken, a few drained of reg 30

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blood, strewn across the road where she’d appeared. Then 1 they heard the screams and hurried to the harbor. 2 “A handful of the Quileutes had run to the ships for 3 refuge. She swam after them like a shark, and broke the 4 bow of their boat with her incredible strength. When the 5 ship sank, she caught those trying to swim away and broke 6 them, too. 7 “She saw the great wolf on the shore, and she forgot the 8 fleeing swimmers. She swam so fast she was a blur and 9 came, dripping and glorious, to stand before Yaha Uta. 10 She pointed at him with one white finger and asked an- 11 other incomprehensible question. Yaha Uta waited. 12 “It was a close fight. She was not the warrior her mate 13 had been. But Yaha Uta was alone — there was no one to 14 distract her fury from him. 15 “When Yaha Uta lost, Taha Aki screamed in defiance. He 16 limped forward and shifted into an ancient, white-muzzled 17 wolf. The wolf was old, but this was Taha Aki the Spirit 18 Man, and his rage made him strong. The fight began again. 19 “Taha Aki’s third wife had just seen her son die before 20 her. Now her husband fought, and she had no hope that he 21 could win. She’d heard every word the witnesses to the 22 slaughter had told the council. She’d heard the story of 23 Yaha Uta’s first victory, and knew that his brother’s diver- 24 sion had saved him. 25 “The third wife grabbed a knife from the belt of one of 26 the sons who stood beside her. They were all young sons, 27 not yet men, and she knew they would die when their fa- 28 ther failed. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “The third wife ran toward the Cold Woman with the 2 dagger raised high. The Cold Woman smiled, barely dis- 3 tracted from her fight with the old wolf. She had no fear of 4 the weak human woman or the knife that would not even 5 scratch her skin, and she was about to deliver the death 6 blow to Taha Aki. 7 “And then the third wife did something the Cold 8 Woman did not expect. She fell to her knees at the blood 9 drinker’s feet and plunged the knife into her own heart. 10 “Blood spurted through the third wife’s fingers and 11 splashed against the Cold Woman. The blood drinker 12 could not resist the lure of the fresh blood leaving the 13 third wife’s body. Instinctively, she turned to the dying 14 woman, for one second entirely consumed by thirst. 15 “Taha Aki’s teeth closed around her neck. 16 “That was not the end of the fight, but Taha Aki was 17 not alone now. Watching their mother die, two young 18 sons felt such rage that they sprang forth as their spirit 19 wolves, though they were not yet men. With their father, 20 they finished the creature. 21 “Taha Aki never rejoined the tribe. He never changed 22 back to a man again. He lay for one day beside the body of 23 the third wife, growling whenever anyone tried to touch 24 her, and then he went into the forest and never returned. 25 “Trouble with the cold ones was rare from that time 26 on. Taha Aki’s sons guarded the tribe until their sons were 27 old enough to take their places. There were never more 28 than three wolves at a time. It was enough. Occasionally a sh 29 blood drinker would come through these lands, but they reg 30 were taken by surprise, not expecting the wolves. Some-

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times a wolf would die, but never were they decimated 1 again like that first time. They’d learned how to fight the 2 cold ones, and they passed the knowledge on, wolf mind 3 to wolf mind, spirit to spirit, father to son. 4 “Time passed, and the descendants of Taha Aki no 5 longer became wolves when they reached manhood. Only 6 in a great while, if a cold one was near, would the wolves 7 return. The cold ones always came in ones and twos, and 8 the pack stayed small. 9 “A bigger coven came, and your own great-grandfathers 10 prepared to fight them off. But the leader spoke to Ephraim 11 Black as if he were a man, and promised not to harm the 12 Quileutes. His strange yellow eyes gave some proof to his 13 claim that they were not the same as other blood drinkers. 14 The wolves were outnumbered; there was no need for the 15 cold ones to offer a treaty when they could have won the 16 fight. Ephraim accepted. They’ve stayed true to their side, 17 though their presence does tend to draw in others. 18 “And their numbers have forced a larger pack than the 19 tribe has ever seen,” Old Quil said, and for one moment 20 his black eyes, all but buried in the wrinkles of skin folded 21 around them, seemed to rest on me. “Except, of course, in 22 Taha Aki’s time,” he said, and then he sighed. “And so the 23 sons of our tribe again carry the burden and share the sac- 24 rifice their fathers endured before them.” 25 All was silent for a long moment. The living descen- 26 dants of magic and legend stared at one another across the 27 fire with sadness in their eyes. All but one. 28 “Burden,” he scoffed in a low voice. “I think it’s cool.” 29 sh Quil’s full lower lip pouted out a little bit. 30 reg

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1 Across the dying fire, Seth Clearwater — his eyes wide 2 with adulation for the fraternity of tribal protectors — 3 nodded his agreement. 4 Billy chuckled, low and long, and the magic seemed to 5 fade into the glowing embers. Suddenly, it was just a cir- 6 cle of friends again. Jared flicked a small stone at Quil, and 7 everyone laughed when it made him jump. Low conversa- 8 tions murmured around us, teasing and casual. 9 Leah Clearwater’s eyes did not open. I thought I saw 10 something sparkling on her cheek like a tear, but when I 11 looked back a moment later it was gone. 12 Neither Jacob nor I spoke. He was so still beside me, 13 his breath so deep and even, that I thought he might be 14 close to sleep. 15 My mind was a thousand years away. I was not think- 16 ing of Yaha Uta or the other wolves, or the beautiful Cold 17 Woman — I could picture her only too easily. No, I was 18 thinking of someone outside the magic altogether. I was 19 trying to imagine the face of the unnamed woman who 20 had saved the entire tribe, the third wife. 21 Just a human woman, with no special gifts or powers. 22 Physically weaker and slower than any of the monsters in 23 the story. But she had been the key, the solution. She’d 24 saved her husband, her young sons, her tribe. 25 I wish they’d remembered her name.... 26 Something shook my arm. 27 “C’mon, Bells,” Jacob said in my ear. “We’re here.” 28 I blinked, confused because the fire seemed to have dis- sh 29 appeared. I glared into the unexpected darkness, trying to reg 30 make sense of my surroundings. It took me a minute to

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realize that I was no longer on the cliff. Jacob and I were 1 alone. I was still under his arm, but I wasn’t on the ground 2 anymore. 3 How did I get in Jacob’s car? 4 “Oh, crap!” I gasped as I realized that I had fallen asleep. 5 “How late is it? Dang it, where’s that stupid phone?” I 6 patted my pockets, frantic and coming up empty. 7 “Easy. It’s not even midnight yet. And I already called 8 him for you. Look — he’s waiting there.” 9 “Midnight?” I repeated stupidly, still disoriented. I 10 stared into the darkness, and my heartbeat picked up 11 when my eyes made out the shape of the Volvo, thirty 12 yards away. I reached for the door handle. 13 “Here,” Jacob said, and he put a small shape into my 14 other hand. The phone. 15 “You called Edward for me?” 16 My eyes were adjusted enough to see the bright gleam 17 of Jacob’s smile. “I ﬁgured if I played nice, I’d get more 18 time with you.” 19 “Thanks, Jake,” I said, touched. “Really, thank you. 20 And thanks for inviting me tonight. That was . . .” Words 21 failed me. “Wow. That was something else.” 22 “And you didn’t even stay up to watch me swallow a 23 cow.” He laughed. “No, I’m glad you liked it. It was... 24 nice for me. Having you there.” 25 There was a movement in the dark distance — 26 something pale ghosting against the black trees. Pacing? 27 “Yeah, he’s not so patient, is he?” Jacob said, notic- 28 ing my distraction. “Go ahead. But come back soon, 29 sh okay?” 30 reg

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1 “Sure, Jake,” I promised, cracking the car door open. 2 Cold air washed across my legs and made me shiver. 3 “Sleep tight, Bells. Don’t worry about anything — I’ll 4 be watching out for you tonight.” 5 I paused, one foot on the ground. “No, Jake. Get some 6 rest, I’ll be fine.” 7 “Sure, sure,” he said, but he sounded more patronizing 8 than agreeing. 9 “’Night, Jake. Thanks.” 10 “’Night, Bella,” he whispered as I hurried into the 11 darkness. 12 Edward caught me at the boundary line. 13 “Bella,” he said, relief strong in his voice; his arms 14 wound tightly around me. 15 “Hi. Sorry I’m so late. I fell asleep and —” 16 “I know. Jacob explained.” He started toward the car, 17 and I staggered woodenly at his side. “Are you tired? I 18 could carry you.” 19 “I’m fine.” 20 “Let’s get you home and in bed. Did you have a nice 21 time?” 22 “Yeah — it was amazing, Edward. I wish you could 23 have come. I can’t even explain it. Jake’s dad told us the 24 old legends and it was like...like magic.” 25 “You’ll have to tell me about it. After you’ve slept.” 26 “I won’t get it right,” I said, and then I yawned hugely. 27 Edward chuckled. He opened my door for me, lifted 28 me in, and buckled my seat belt around me. sh 29 Bright lights flashed on and swept across us. I waved reg 30

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toward Jacob’s headlights, but I didn’t know if he saw the 1 gesture. 2 3 That night — after I’d gotten past Charlie, who didn’t 4 give me as much trouble as I’d expected because Jacob had 5 called him, too — instead of collapsing in bed right away, 6 I leaned out the open window while I waited for Edward 7 to come back. The night was surprisingly cold, almost 8 wintry. I hadn’t noticed it at all on the windy cliffs; I 9 imagined that had less to do with the ﬁre than it did with 10 sitting next to Jacob. 11 Icy droplets spattered against my face as the rain began 12 to fall. 13 It was too dark to see much besides the black triangles 14 of the spruces leaning and shaking with the wind. But I 15 strained my eyes anyway, searching for other shapes in the 16 storm. A pale silhouette, moving like a ghost through the 17 black...or maybe the shadowy outline of an enormous 18 wolf....My eyes were too weak. 19 Then there was a movement in the night, right beside 20 me. Edward slid through my open window, his hands 21 colder than the rain. 22 “Is Jacob out there?” I asked, shivering as Edward 23 pulled me into the circle of his arm. 24 “Yes...somewhere. And Esme’s on her way home.” 25 I sighed. “It’s so cold and wet. This is silly.” I shivered 26 again. 27 He chuckled. “It’s only cold to you, Bella.” 28 It was cold in my dream that night, too, maybe because 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I slept in Edward’s arms. But I dreamt I was outside in the 2 storm, the wind whipping my hair in my face and blinding 3 my eyes. I stood on the rocky crescent of First Beach, try- 4 ing to understand the quickly moving shapes I could only 5 dimly see in the darkness at the shore’s edge. At first, there 6 was nothing but a flash of white and black, darting toward 7 each other and dancing away. And then, as if the moon had 8 suddenly broken from the clouds, I could see everything. 9 Rosalie, her hair swinging wet and golden down to the 10 back of her knees, was lunging at an enormous wolf — its 11 muzzle shot through with silver — that I instinctively 12 recognized as Billy Black. 13 I broke into a run, but found myself moving in the 14 frustrating slow motion of dreamers. I tried to scream to 15 them, to tell them to stop, but my voice was stolen by the 16 wind, and I could make no sound. I waved my arms, hop- 17 ing to catch their attention. Something flashed in my 18 hand, and I noticed for the first time that my right hand 19 wasn’t empty. 20 I held a long, sharp blade, ancient and silver, crusted in 21 dried, blackened blood. 22 I cringed away from the knife, and my eyes snapped 23 open to the quiet darkness of my bedroom. The first thing 24 I realized was that I was not alone, and I turned to bury 25 my face in Edward’s chest, knowing the sweet scent of his 26 skin would chase the nightmare away more effectively than 27 anything else. 28 “Did I wake you?” he whispered. There was the sound sh 29 of paper, the ruffling of pages, and a faint thump as some- reg 30 thing light fell to the wooden floor.

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“No,” I mumbled, sighing in contentment as his arms 1 tightened around me. “I had a bad dream.” 2 “Do you want to tell me about it?” 3 I shook my head. “Too tired. Maybe in the morning, if 4 I remember.” 5 I felt a silent laugh shake through him. 6 “In the morning,” he agreed. 7 “What were you reading?” I muttered, not really 8 awake at all. 9 “Wuthering Heights,” he said. 10 I frowned sleepily. “I thought you didn’t like that book.” 11 “You left it out,” he murmured, his soft voice lulling 12 me toward unconsciousness. “Besides...the more time I 13 spend with you, the more human emotions seem compre- 14 hensible to me. I’m discovering that I can sympathize 15 with Heathcliff in ways I didn’t think possible before.” 16 “Mmm,” I sighed. 17 He said something else, something low, but I was al- 18 ready asleep. 19 The next morning dawned pearl gray and still. Edward 20 asked me about my dream, but I couldn’t get a handle on 21 it. I only remembered that I was cold, and that I was glad 22 he was there when I woke up. He kissed me, long enough 23 to get my pulse racing, and then headed home to change 24 and get his car. 25 I dressed quickly, low on options. Whoever had ran- 26 sacked my hamper had critically impaired my wardrobe. If 27 it wasn’t so frightening, it would be seriously annoying. 28 As I was about to head down for breakfast, I noticed 29 sh my battered copy of Wuthering Heights lying open on the 30 reg

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1 ﬂoor where Edward had dropped it in the night, holding 2 his place the way the damaged binding always held mine. 3 I picked it up curiously, trying to remember what he’d 4 said. Something about feeling sympathy for Heathcliff, of 5 all people. That couldn’t be right; I must have dreamed 6 that part. 7 Three words on the open page caught my eye, and I 8 bent my head to read the paragraph more closely. It was 9 Heathcliff speaking, and I knew the passage well. 10 11 And there you see the distinction between our feelings: 12 had he been in my place and I in his, though I hated 13 him with a hatred that turned my life to gall, I never 14 would have raised a hand against him. You may look 15 incredulous, if you please! I never would have banished 16 him from her society as long as she desired his. The 17 moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his heart 18 out, and drank his blood! But, till then — if you 19 don’t believe me, you don’t know me — till then, I 20 would have died by inches before I touched a single hair 21 of his head! 22 23 The three words that had caught my eye were “drank 24 his blood.” 25 I shuddered. 26 Yes, surely I must have dreamt that Edward said any- 27 thing positive about Heathcliff. And this page was proba- 28 bly not the page he’d been reading. The book could have sh 29 fallen open to any page. reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 12. TIME 15 16 17 “I have foreseen...,” Alice began in an ominous 18 tone. 19 Edward threw an elbow toward her ribs, which she 20 neatly dodged. 21 “Fine,” she grumbled. “Edward is making me do this. 22 But I did foresee that you would be more difﬁcult if I sur- 23 prised you.” 24 We were walking to the car after school, and I was 25 completely clueless as to what she was talking about. 26 “In English?” I requested. 27 “Don’t be a baby about this. No tantrums.” 28 “Now I’m scared.” 29 sh “So you’re — I mean we’re — having a graduation 30 reg

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1 party. It’s no big thing. Nothing to freak out over. But I 2 saw that you would freak out if I tried to make it a surprise 3 party” — she danced out of the way as Edward reached 4 over to muss her hair — “and Edward said I had to tell 5 you. But it’s nothing. Promise.” 6 I sighed heavily. “Is there any point in arguing?” 7 “None at all.” 8 “Okay, Alice. I’ll be there. And I’ll hate every minute 9 of it. Promise.” 10 “That’s the spirit! By the way, I love my gift. You 11 shouldn’t have.” 12 “Alice, I didn’t!” 13 “Oh, I know that. But you will.” 14 I racked my brains in panic, trying to remember what 15 I’d ever decided to get her for graduation that she might 16 have seen. 17 “Amazing,” Edward muttered. “How can someone so 18 tiny be so annoying?” 19 Alice laughed. “It’s a talent.” 20 “Couldn’t you have waited a few weeks to tell me about 21 this?” I asked petulantly. “Now I’ll just be stressed that 22 much longer.” 23 Alice frowned at me. 24 “Bella,” she said slowly. “Do you know what day it is?” 25 “Monday?” 26 She rolled her eyes. “Yes. It is Monday...the fourth.” 27 She grabbed my elbow, spun me halfway around, and 28 pointed toward a big yellow poster taped to the gym door. sh 29 There, in sharp black letters, was the date of graduation. reg 30 Exactly one week from today.

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“It’s the fourth? Of June? Are you sure?” 1 Neither one answered. Alice just shook her head sadly, 2 feigning disappointment, and Edward’s eyebrows lifted. 3 “It can’t be! How did that happen?” I tried to count 4 backwards in my head, but I couldn’t figure out where the 5 days had gone. 6 I felt like someone had kicked my legs out from under 7 me. The weeks of stress, of worry...somehow in the 8 middle of all my obsessing over the time, my time had 9 disappeared. My space for sorting through it all, for mak- 10 ing plans, had vanished. I was out of time. 11 And I wasn’t ready. 12 I didn’t know how to do this. How to say goodbye to 13 Charlie and Renée...to Jacob...to being human. 14 I knew exactly what I wanted, but I was suddenly ter- 15 rified of getting it. 16 In theory, I was anxious, even eager to trade mortality 17 for immortality. After all, it was the key to staying with 18 Edward forever. And then there was the fact that I was be- 19 ing hunted by known and unknown parties. I’d rather not 20 sit around, helpless and delicious, waiting for one of them 21 to catch up with me. 22 In theory, that all made sense. 23 In practice...being human was all I knew. The future 24 beyond that was a big, dark abyss that I couldn’t know un- 25 til I leaped into it. 26 This simple knowledge, today’s date — which was so 27 obvious that I must have been subconsciously repressing 28 it — made the deadline I’d been impatiently counting 29 sh down toward feel like a date with the firing squad. 30 reg

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1 In a vague way, I was aware of Edward holding the car 2 door for me, of Alice chattering from the backseat, of the 3 rain hammering against the windshield. Edward seemed 4 to realize I was only there in body; he didn’t try to pull me 5 out of my abstraction. Or maybe he did, and I was past 6 noticing. 7 We ended up at my house, where Edward led me to the 8 sofa and pulled me down next to him. I stared out the 9 window, into the liquid gray haze, and tried to find where 10 my resolve had gone. Why was I panicking now? I’d 11 known the deadline was coming. Why should it frighten 12 me that it was here? 13 I don’t know how long he let me stare out the window 14 in silence. But the rain was disappearing into darkness 15 when it was finally too much for him. 16 He put his cold hands on either side of my face and 17 fixed his golden eyes on mine. 18 “Would you please tell me what you are thinking? Be- 19 fore I go mad?” 20 What could I say to him? That I was a coward? I 21 searched for words. 22 “Your lips are white. Talk, Bella.” 23 I exhaled in a big gust. How long had I been holding 24 my breath? 25 “The date took me off guard,” I whispered. “That’s all.” 26 He waited, his face full of worry and skepticism. 27 I tried to explain. “I’m not sure what to do...what 28 to tell Charlie...what to say...how to . . .” My voice sh 29 trailed off. reg 30 “This isn’t about the party?”

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I frowned. “No. But thanks for reminding me.” 1 The rain was louder as he read my face. 2 “You’re not ready,” he whispered. 3 “I am,” I lied immediately, a reﬂex reaction. I could tell 4 he saw through it, so I took a deep breath, and told the 5 truth. “I have to be.” 6 “You don’t have to be anything.” 7 I could feel the panic surfacing in my eyes as I mouthed 8 the reasons. “Victoria, Jane, Caius, whoever was in my 9 room...!” 10 “All the more reason to wait.” 11 “That doesn’t make any sense, Edward!” 12 He pressed his hands more tightly to my face and 13 spoke with slow deliberation. 14 “Bella. Not one of us had a choice. You’ve seen what it’s 15 done...to Rosalie especially. We’ve all struggled, trying 16 to reconcile ourselves with something we had no control 17 over. I won’t let it be that way for you. You will have a 18 choice.” 19 “I’ve already made my choice.” 20 “You aren’t going through with this because a sword is 21 hanging over your head. We will take care of the prob- 22 lems, and I will take care of you,” he vowed. “When we’re 23 through it, and there is nothing forcing your hand, then 24 you can decide to join me, if you still want to. But not be- 25 cause you’re afraid. You won’t be forced into this.” 26 “Carlisle promised,” I mumbled, contrary out of habit. 27 “After graduation.” 28 “Not until you’re ready,” he said in a sure voice. “And 29 sh deﬁnitely not while you feel threatened.” 30 reg

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1 I didn’t answer. I didn’t have it in me to argue; I 2 couldn’t seem to ﬁnd my commitment at the moment. 3 “There.” He kissed my forehead. “Nothing to worry 4 about.” 5 I laughed a shaky laugh. “Nothing but impending 6 doom.” 7 “Trust me.” 8 “I do.” 9 He was still watching my face, waiting for me to relax. 10 “Can I ask you something?” I said. 11 “Anything.” 12 I hesitated, biting my lip, and then asked a different 13 question than the one I was worried about. 14 “What am I getting Alice for graduation?” 15 He snickered. “It looked like you were getting us both 16 concert tickets —” 17 “That’s right!” I was so relieved, I almost smiled. “The 18 concert in Tacoma. I saw an ad in the paper last week, and 19 I thought it would be something you’d like, since you said 20 it was a good CD.” 21 “It’s a great idea. Thank you.” 22 “I hope it’s not sold out.” 23 “It’s the thought that counts. I ought to know.” 24 I sighed. 25 “There’s something else you meant to ask,” he said. 26 I frowned. “You’re good.” 27 “I have lots of practice reading your face. Ask me.” 28 I closed my eyes and leaned into him, hiding my face sh 29 against his chest. “You don’t want me to be a vampire.” reg 30 “No, I don’t,” he said softly, and then he waited for

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more. “That’s not a question,” he prompted after a mo- 1 ment. 2 “Well...I was worrying about...why you feel that 3 way.” 4 “Worrying?” He picked out the word with surprise. 5 “Would you tell me why? The whole truth, not sparing 6 my feelings?” 7 He hesitated for a minute. “If I answer your question, 8 will you then explain your question?” 9 I nodded, my face still hidden. 10 He took a deep breath before he answered. “You could 11 do so much better, Bella. I know that you believe I have a 12 soul, but I’m not entirely convinced on that point, and to 13 risk yours . . .” He shook his head slowly. “For me to allow 14 this — to let you become what I am just so that I’ll never 15 have to lose you — is the most selfish act I can imagine. I 16 want it more than anything, for myself. But for you, I want 17 so much more. Giving in — it feels criminal. It’s the most 18 selfish thing I’ll ever do, even if I live forever. 19 “If there were any way for me to become human for 20 you — no matter what the price was, I would pay it.” 21 I sat very still, absorbing this. 22 Edward thought he was being selfish. 23 I felt the smile slowly spread across my face. 24 “So...it’s not that you’re afraid you won’t . . . like me 25 as much when I’m different — when I’m not soft and 26 warm and I don’t smell the same? You really do want to 27 keep me, no matter how I turn out?” 28 He exhaled sharply. “You were worried I wouldn’t like 29 sh you?” he demanded. Then, before I could answer, he was 30 reg

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1 laughing. “Bella, for a fairly intuitive person, you can be 2 so obtuse!” 3 I knew he would think it silly, but I was relieved. If he 4 really wanted me, I could get through the rest...some- 5 how. Selﬁsh suddenly seemed like a beautiful word. 6 “I don’t think you realize how much easier it will be for 7 me, Bella,” he said, the echo of his humor still there in his 8 voice, “when I don’t have to concentrate all the time on 9 not killing you. Certainly, there are things I’ll miss. This 10 for one...” 11 He stared into my eyes as he stroked my cheek, and 12 I felt the blood rush up to color my skin. He laughed 13 gently. 14 “And the sound of your heart,” he continued, more se- 15 rious but still smiling a little. “It’s the most signiﬁcant 16 sound in my world. I’m so attuned to it now, I swear I 17 could pick it out from miles away. But neither of these 18 things matter. This,” he said, taking my face in his hands. 19 “You. That’s what I’m keeping. You’ll always be my Bella, 20 you’ll just be a little more durable.” 21 I sighed and let my eyes close in contentment, resting 22 there in his hands. 23 “Now will you answer a question for me? The whole 24 truth, not sparing my feelings?” he asked. 25 “Of course,” I answered at once, my eyes opening wide 26 with surprise. What would he want to know? 27 He spoke the words slowly. “You don’t want to be my 28 wife.” sh 29 My heart stopped, and then broke into a sprint. A cold reg 30

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sweat dewed on the back of my neck and my hands turned 1 to ice. 2 He waited, watching and listening to my reaction. 3 “That’s not a question,” I finally whispered. 4 He looked down, his lashes casting long shadows across 5 his cheekbones, and dropped his hands from my face to 6 pick up my frozen left hand. He played with my fingers 7 while he spoke. 8 “I was worrying about why you felt that way.” 9 I tried to swallow. “That’s not a question, either,” I 10 whispered. 11 “Please, Bella?” 12 “The truth?” I asked, only mouthing the words. 13 “Of course. I can take it, whatever it is.” 14 I took a deep breath. “You’re going to laugh at me.” 15 His eyes flashed up to mine, shocked. “Laugh? I cannot 16 imagine that.” 17 “You’ll see,” I muttered, and then I sighed. My face 18 went from white to scarlet in a sudden blaze of chagrin. 19 “Okay, fine! I’m sure this will sound like some big joke to 20 you, but really! It’s just so...so...so embarrassing!” I 21 confessed, and I hid my face against his chest again. 22 There was a brief pause. 23 “I’m not following you.” 24 I tilted my head back and glared at him, embarrass- 25 ment making me lash out, belligerent. 26 “I’m not that girl, Edward. The one who gets married 27 right out of high school like some small-town hick who 28 got knocked up by her boyfriend! Do you know what 29 sh 30 reg

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1 people would think? Do you realize what century this 2 is? People don’t just get married at eighteen! Not smart 3 people, not responsible, mature people! I wasn’t going to 4 be that girl! That’s not who I am. . . .” I trailed off, losing 5 steam. 6 Edward’s face was impossible to read as he thought 7 through my answer. 8 “That’s all?” he ﬁnally asked. 9 I blinked. “Isn’t that enough?” 10 “It’s not that you were...more eager for immortality 11 itself than for just me?” 12 And then, though I’d predicted that he would laugh, I 13 was suddenly the one having hysterics. 14 “Edward!” I gasped out between the paroxysms of 15 giggles. “And here...I always...thought that...you 16 were...so much...smarter than me!” 17 He took me in his arms, and I could feel that he was 18 laughing with me. 19 “Edward,” I said, managing to speak more clearly with 20 a little effort, “there’s no point to forever without you. I 21 wouldn’t want one day without you.” 22 “Well, that’s a relief,” he said. 23 “Still...it doesn’t change anything.” 24 “It’s nice to understand, though. And I do understand 25 your perspective, Bella, truly I do. But I’d like it very 26 much if you’d try to consider mine.” 27 I’d sobered up by then, so I nodded and struggled to 28 keep the frown off my face. sh 29 His liquid gold eyes turned hypnotic as they held mine. reg 30 “You see, Bella, I was always that boy. In my world, I

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was already a man. I wasn’t looking for love — no, I was 1 far too eager to be a soldier for that; I thought of nothing 2 but the idealized glory of the war that they were selling 3 prospective draftees then — but if I had found . . .” He 4 paused, cocking his head to the side. “I was going to say if 5 I had found someone, but that won’t do. If I had found you, 6 there isn’t a doubt in my mind how I would have pro- 7 ceeded. I was that boy, who would have — as soon as I dis- 8 covered that you were what I was looking for — gotten 9 down on one knee and endeavored to secure your hand. I 10 would have wanted you for eternity, even when the word 11 didn’t have quite the same connotations.” 12 He smiled his crooked smile at me. 13 I stared at him with my eyes frozen wide. 14 “Breathe, Bella,” he reminded me, smiling. 15 I breathed. 16 “Can you see my side, Bella, even a little bit?” 17 And for one second, I could. I saw myself in a long skirt 18 and a high-necked lace blouse with my hair piled up on 19 my head. I saw Edward looking dashing in a light suit 20 with a bouquet of wildﬂowers in his hand, sitting beside 21 me on a porch swing. 22 I shook my head and swallowed. I was just having Anne 23 of Green Gables ﬂashbacks. 24 “The thing is, Edward,” I said in a shaky voice, avoiding 25 the question, “in my mind, marriage and eternity are not 26 mutually exclusive or mutually inclusive concepts. And 27 since we’re living in my world for the moment, maybe we 28 should go with the times, if you know what I mean.” 29 sh “But on the other hand,” he countered, “you will soon 30 reg

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1 be leaving time behind you altogether. So why should the 2 transitory customs of one local culture affect the decision 3 so much?” 4 I pursed my lips. “When in Rome?” 5 He laughed at me. “You don’t have to say yes or no to- 6 day, Bella. It’s good to understand both sides, though, 7 don’t you think?” 8 “So your condition...?” 9 “Is still in effect. I do see your point, Bella, but if you 10 want me to change you myself....” 11 “Dum, dum, dah-dum,” I hummed under my breath. I 12 was going for the wedding march, but it sort of sounded 13 like a dirge. 14 15 Time continued to move too fast. 16 That night flew by dreamlessly, and then it was morn- 17 ing and graduation was staring me in the face. I had a pile 18 of studying to do for my finals that I knew I wouldn’t get 19 halfway through in the few days I had left. 20 When I came down for breakfast, Charlie was already 21 gone. He’d left the paper on the table, and that reminded 22 me that I had some shopping to do. I hoped the ad for the 23 concert was still running; I needed the phone number to 24 get the stupid tickets. It didn’t seem like much of a gift 25 now that all the surprise was gone. Of course, trying to 26 surprise Alice wasn’t the brightest plan to begin with. 27 I meant to flip right back to the entertainment section, 28 but the thick black headline caught my attention. I felt a sh 29 thrill of fear as I leaned closer to read the front-page story. reg 30

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1 SEATTLE TERRORIZED BY SLAYINGS 2 3 It’s been less than a decade since the city of Seattle was 4 the hunting ground for the most proliﬁc serial killer in 5 U.S. history. Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was 6 convicted of the murders of 48 women. 7 And now a beleaguered Seattle must face the possi- 8 bility that it could be harboring an even more horrifying 9 monster at this very moment. 10 The police are not calling the recent rash of homi- 11 cides and disappearances the work of a serial killer. Not 12 yet, at least. They are reluctant to believe so much carnage 13 could be the work of one individual. This killer — if, in 14 fact, it is one person — would then be responsible for 39 15 linked homicides and disappearances within the last three 16 months alone. In comparison, Ridgway’s 48-count mur- 17 der spree was scattered over a 21-year period. If these deaths can be linked to one man, then this is the most vi- 18 olent rampage of serial murder in American history. 19 The police are leaning instead toward the theory that 20 gang activity is involved. This theory is supported by the 21 sheer number of victims, and by the fact that there seems 22 to be no pattern in the choice of victims. 23 From Jack the Ripper to Ted Bundy, the targets of se- 24 rial killings are usually connected by similarities in age, 25 gender, race, or a combination of the three. The victims of 26 this crime wave range in age from 15-year-old honor stu- 27 dent Amanda Reed, to 67-year-old retired postman Omar 28 Jenks. The linked deaths include a nearly even 18 women 29 sh 30 reg

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1 and 21 men. The victims are racially diverse: Caucasians, 2 African Americans, Hispanics and Asians. 3 The selection appears random. The motive seems to 4 be killing for no other reason than to kill. 5 So why even consider the idea of a serial killer? 6 There are enough similarities in the modus operandi 7 to rule out unrelated crimes. Every victim discovered has 8 been burned to the extent that dental records were neces- 9 sary for identification. The use of some kind of acceler- 10 ant, like gasoline or alcohol, seems to be indicated in the 11 conflagrations; however, no traces of any accelerant have 12 yet been found. All of the bodies have been carelessly dumped with no attempt at concealment. 13 More gruesome yet, most of the remains show evi- 14 dence of brutal violence — bones crushed and snapped 15 by some kind of tremendous pressure — which medical 16 examiners believe occurred before the time of death, 17 though these conclusions are difficult to be sure of, con- 18 sidering the state of the evidence. 19 Another similarity that points to the possibility of a 20 serial: every crime is perfectly clean of evidence, aside 21 from the remains themselves. Not a fingerprint, not a tire 22 tread mark nor a foreign hair is left behind. There have 23 been no sightings of any suspect in the disappearances. 24 Then there are the disappearances themselves — 25 hardly low profile by any means. None of the victims are 26 what could be viewed as easy targets. None are runaways 27 or the homeless, who vanish so easily and are seldom re- 28 ported missing. Victims have vanished from their homes, sh 29 from a fourth-story apartment, from a health club, from reg 30 a wedding reception. Perhaps the most astounding: 30-

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year-old amateur boxer Robert Walsh entered a movie 1 theater with a date; a few minutes into the movie, the 2 woman realized that he was not in his seat. His body was 3 found only three hours later when fire fighters were called 4 to the scene of a burning trash Dumpster, twenty miles 5 away. 6 Another pattern is present in the slayings: all of the 7 victims disappeared at night. 8 And the most alarming pattern? Acceleration. Six of 9 the homicides were committed in the first month, 11 in 10 the second. Twenty-two have occurred in the last 10 days 11 alone. And the police are no closer to finding the respon- 12 sible party than they were after the first charred body was 13 discovered. 14 The evidence is conflicting, the pieces horrifying. A 15 vicious new gang or a wildly active serial killer? Or some- 16 thing else the police haven’t yet conceived of ? 17 Only one conclusion is indisputable: something hideous is stalking Seattle. 18 19 20 It took me three tries to read the last sentence, and I re- 21 alized the problem was my shaking hands. 22 “Bella?” 23 Focused as I was, Edward’s voice, though quiet and not 24 totally unexpected, made me gasp and whirl. 25 He was leaning in the doorway, his eyebrows pulled to- 26 gether. Then he was suddenly at my side, taking my hand. 27 “Did I startle you? I’m sorry. I did knock....” 28 “No, no,” I said quickly. “Have you seen this?” I 29 sh pointed to the paper. 30 reg

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1 A frown creased his forehead. 2 “I hadn’t seen today’s news yet. But I knew it was getting 3 worse. We’re going to have to do something...quickly.” 4 I didn’t like that. I hated any of them taking chances, 5 and whatever or whoever was in Seattle was truly begin- 6 ning to frighten me. But the idea of the Volturi coming 7 was just as scary. 8 “What does Alice say?” 9 “That’s the problem.” His frown hardened. “She can’t 10 see anything...though we’ve made up our minds half a 11 dozen times to check it out. She’s starting to lose confi- 12 dence. She feels like she’s missing too much these days, that 13 something’s wrong. That maybe her vision is slipping away.” 14 My eyes were wide. “Can that happen?” 15 “Who knows? No one’s ever done a study...but I 16 really doubt it. These things tend to intensify over time. 17 Look at Aro and Jane.” 18 “Then what’s wrong?” 19 “Self-fulfilling prophecy, I think. We keep waiting for 20 Alice to see something so we can go . . . and she doesn’t 21 see anything because we won’t really go until she does. So 22 she can’t see us there. Maybe we’ll have to do it blind.” 23 I shuddered. “No.” 24 “Did you have a strong desire to attend class today? 25 We’re only a couple of days from finals; they won’t be giv- 26 ing us anything new.” 27 “I think I can live without school for a day. What are 28 we doing?” sh 29 “I want to talk to Jasper.” reg 30 Jasper, again. It was strange. In the Cullen family,

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Jasper was always a little on the fringe, part of things but 1 never the center of them. It was my unspoken assumption 2 that he was only there for Alice. I had the sense that he 3 would follow Alice anywhere, but that this lifestyle was 4 not his first choice. The fact that he was less committed to 5 it than the others was probably why he had more difficulty 6 keeping it up. 7 At any rate, I’d never seen Edward feel dependent on 8 Jasper. I wondered again what he’d meant about Jasper’s 9 expertise. I really didn’t know much about Jasper’s history, 10 just that he had come from somewhere in the south before 11 Alice found him. For some reason, Edward had always shied 12 away from any questions about his newest brother. And 13 I’d always been too intimidated by the tall, blond vampire 14 who looked like a brooding movie star to ask him outright. 15 When we got to the house, we found Carlisle, Esme, 16 and Jasper watching the news intently, though the sound 17 was so low that it was unintelligible to me. Alice was 18 perched on the bottom step of the grand staircase, her face 19 in her hands and her expression discouraged. As we walked 20 in, Emmett ambled through the kitchen door, seeming 21 perfectly at ease. Nothing ever bothered Emmett. 22 “Hey, Edward. Ditching, Bella?” He grinned at me. 23 “We both are,” Edward reminded him. 24 Emmett laughed. “Yes, but it’s her first time through 25 high school. She might miss something.” 26 Edward rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored his fa- 27 vorite brother. He tossed the paper to Carlisle. 28 “Did you see that they’re considering a serial killer 29 sh now?” he asked. 30 reg

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1 Carlisle sighed. “They’ve had two specialists debating 2 that possibility on CNN all morning.” 3 “We can’t let this go on.” 4 “Let’s go now,” Emmett said with sudden enthusiasm. 5 “I’m dead bored.” 6 A hiss echoed down the stairway from upstairs. 7 “She’s such a pessimist,” Emmett muttered to himself. 8 Edward agreed with Emmett. “We’ll have to go some- 9 time.” 10 Rosalie appeared at the top of the stairs and descended 11 slowly. Her face was smooth, expressionless. 12 Carlisle was shaking his head. “I’m concerned. We’ve 13 never involved ourselves in this kind of thing before. It’s 14 not our business. We aren’t the Volturi.” 15 “I don’t want the Volturi to have to come here,” Ed- 16 ward said. “It gives us so much less reaction time.” 17 “And all those innocent humans in Seattle,” Esme 18 murmured. “It’s not right to let them die this way.” 19 “I know,” Carlisle sighed. 20 “Oh,” Edward said sharply, turning his head slightly to 21 look at Jasper. “I didn’t think of that. I see. You’re right, 22 that has to be it. Well, that changes everything.” 23 I wasn’t the only one who stared at him in confusion, 24 but I might have been the only one who didn’t look 25 slightly annoyed. 26 “I think you’d better explain to the others,” Edward 27 said to Jasper. “What could be the purpose of this?” Ed- 28 ward started to pace, staring at the ﬂoor, lost in thought. sh 29 I hadn’t seen her get up, but Alice was there beside me. reg 30

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“What is he rambling about?” she asked Jasper. “What are 1 you thinking?” 2 Jasper didn’t seem to enjoy the spotlight. He hesitated, 3 reading every face in the circle — for everyone had moved 4 in to hear what he would say — and then his eyes paused 5 on my face. 6 “You’re confused,” he said to me, his deep voice very 7 quiet. 8 There was no question in his assumption. Jasper knew 9 what I was feeling, what everyone was feeling. 10 “We’re all confused,” Emmett grumbled. 11 “You can afford the time to be patient,” Jasper told 12 him. “Bella should understand this, too. She’s one of us 13 now.” 14 His words took me by surprise. As little as I’d had to 15 do with Jasper, especially since my last birthday when 16 he’d tried to kill me, I hadn’t realize that he thought of me 17 that way. 18 “How much do you know about me, Bella?” Jasper 19 asked. 20 Emmett sighed theatrically, and plopped down on the 21 couch to wait with exaggerated impatience. 22 “Not much,” I admitted. 23 Jasper stared at Edward, who looked up to meet his gaze. 24 “No,” Edward answered his thought. “I’m sure you can 25 understand why I haven’t told her that story. But I sup- 26 pose she needs to hear it now.” 27 Jasper nodded thoughtfully, and then started to roll up 28 the arm of his ivory sweater. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I watched, curious and confused, trying to figure out 2 what he was doing. He held his wrist under the edge of 3 the lampshade beside him, close to the light of the naked 4 bulb, and traced his finger across a raised crescent mark on 5 the pale skin. 6 It took me a minute to understand why the shape 7 looked strangely familiar. 8 “Oh,” I breathed as realization hit. “Jasper, you have a 9 scar exactly like mine.” 10 I held out my hand, the silvery crescent more promi- 11 nent against my cream skin than against his alabaster. 12 Jasper smiled faintly. “I have a lot of scars like yours, 13 Bella.” 14 Jasper’s face was unreadable as he pushed the sleeve of 15 his thin sweater higher up his arm. At first my eyes could 16 not make sense of the texture that was layered thickly 17 across the skin. Curved half-moons crisscrossed in a feath- 18 ery pattern that was only visible, white on white as it was, 19 because the bright glow of the lamp beside him threw the 20 slightly raised design into relief, with shallow shadows 21 outlining the shapes. And then I grasped that the pattern 22 was made of individual crescents like the one on his wrist . . . 23 the one on my hand. 24 I looked back at my own small, solitary scar — and re- 25 membered how I’d received it. I stared at the shape of 26 James’s teeth, embossed forever on my skin. 27 And then I gasped, staring up at him. “Jasper, what 28 happened to you?” sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 13. NEWBORN 15 16 17 “The same thing that happened to your hand,” 18 Jasper answered in a quiet voice. “Repeated a thousand 19 times.” He laughed a little ruefully and brushed at his 20 arm. “Our venom is the only thing that leaves a scar.” 21 “Why?” I breathed in horror, feeling rude but unable to 22 stop staring at his subtly ravaged skin. 23 “I didn’t have quite the same...upbringing as my 24 adopted siblings here. My beginning was something else 25 entirely.” His voice turned hard as he ﬁnished. 26 I gaped at him, appalled. 27 “Before I tell you my story,” Jasper said, “you must un- 28 derstand that there are places in our world, Bella, where 29 sh 30 reg

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1 the life span of the never-aging is measured in weeks, and 2 not centuries.” 3 The others had heard this before. Carlisle and Emmett 4 turned their attention to the TV again. Alice moved 5 silently to sit at Esme’s feet. But Edward was just as ab- 6 sorbed as I was; I could feel his eyes on my face, reading 7 every ﬂicker of emotion. 8 “To really understand why, you have to look at the 9 world from a different perspective. You have to imagine 10 the way it looks to the powerful, the greedy...the per- 11 petually thirsty. 12 “You see, there are places in this world that are more 13 desirable to us than others. Places where we can be less re- 14 strained, and still avoid detection. 15 “Picture, for instance, a map of the western hemi- 16 sphere. Picture on it every human life as a small red dot. 17 The thicker the red, the more easily we — well, those who 18 exist this way — can feed without attracting notice.” 19 I shuddered at the image in my head, at the word feed. 20 But Jasper wasn’t worried about frightening me, not over- 21 protective like Edward always was. He went on without a 22 pause. 23 “Not that the covens in the South care much for what 24 the humans notice or do not. It’s the Volturi that keep 25 them in check. They are the only ones the southern covens 26 fear. If not for the Volturi, the rest of us would be quickly 27 exposed.” 28 I frowned at the way he pronounced the name — with sh 29 respect, almost gratitude. The idea of the Volturi as the reg 30 good guys in any sense was hard to accept.

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“The North is, by comparison, very civilized. Mostly 1 we are nomads here who enjoy the day as well as the night, 2 who allow humans to interact with us unsuspectingly — 3 anonymity is important to us all. 4 “It’s a different world in the South. The immortals 5 there come out only at night. They spend the day plotting 6 their next move, or anticipating their enemy’s. Because it 7 has been war in the South, constant war for centuries, with 8 never one moment of truce. The covens there barely note 9 the existence of humans, except as soldiers notice a herd of 10 cows by the wayside — food for the taking. They only 11 hide from the notice of the herd because of the Volturi.” 12 “But what are they fighting for?” I asked. 13 Jasper smiled. “Remember the map with the red dots?” 14 He waited, so I nodded. 15 “They fight for control of the thickest red. 16 “You see, it occurred to someone once that, if he were 17 the only vampire in, let’s say Mexico City, well then, he 18 could feed every night, twice, three times, and no one 19 would ever notice. He plotted ways to get rid of the com- 20 petition. 21 “Others had the same idea. Some came up with more 22 effective tactics than others. 23 “But the most effective tactic was invented by a fairly 24 young vampire named Benito. The first anyone ever heard 25 of him, he came down from somewhere north of Dallas 26 and massacred the two small covens that shared the area 27 near Houston. Two nights later, he took on the much 28 stronger clan of allies that claimed Monterrey in northern 29 sh Mexico. Again, he won.” 30 reg

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1 “How did he win?” I asked with wary curiosity. 2 “Benito had created an army of newborn vampires. He 3 was the first one to think of it, and, in the beginning, he 4 was unstoppable. Very young vampires are volatile, wild, 5 and almost impossible to control. One newborn can be 6 reasoned with, taught to restrain himself, but ten, fifteen 7 together are a nightmare. They’ll turn on each other as 8 easily as on the enemy you point them at. Benito had to 9 keep making more as they fought amongst themselves, 10 and as the covens he decimated took more than half his 11 force down before they lost. 12 “You see, though newborns are dangerous, they are still 13 possible to defeat if you know what you’re doing. They’re 14 incredibly powerful physically, for the first year or so, and 15 if they’re allowed to bring strength to bear they can crush 16 an older vampire with ease. But they are slaves to their in- 17 stincts, and thus predictable. Usually, they have no skill in 18 fighting, only muscle and ferocity. And in this case, over- 19 whelming numbers.” 20 “The vampires in southern Mexico realized what was 21 coming for them, and they did the only thing they could 22 think of to counteract Benito. They made armies of their 23 own.... 24 “All hell broke loose — and I mean that more literally 25 than you can possibly imagine. We immortals have our 26 histories, too, and this particular war will never be forgot- 27 ten. Of course, it was not a good time to be human in 28 Mexico, either.” sh 29 I shuddered. reg 30 “When the body count reached epidemic proportions —

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in fact, your histories blame a disease for the population 1 slump — the Volturi finally stepped in. The entire guard 2 came together and sought out every newborn in the bot- 3 tom half of North America. Benito was entrenched in 4 Puebla, building his army as quickly as he could in order 5 to take on the prize — Mexico City. The Volturi started 6 with him, and then moved on to the rest. 7 “Anyone who was found with the newborns was exe- 8 cuted immediately, and, since everyone was trying to pro- 9 tect themselves from Benito, Mexico was emptied of 10 vampires for a time. 11 “The Volturi were cleaning house for almost a year. 12 This was another chapter of our history that will always be 13 remembered, though there were very few witnesses left to 14 speak of what it was like. I spoke to someone once who 15 had, from a distance, watched what happened when they 16 visited Culiacán.” 17 Jasper shuddered. I realized that I had never before seen 18 him either afraid or horrified. This was a first. 19 “It was enough that the fever for conquest did not 20 spread from the South. The rest of the world stayed sane. 21 We owe the Volturi for our present way of life. 22 “But when the Volturi went back to Italy, the survivors 23 were quick to stake their claims in the South. 24 “It didn’t take long before covens began to dispute 25 again. There was a lot of bad blood, if you’ll forgive the ex- 26 pression. Vendettas abounded. The idea of newborns was 27 already there, and some were not able to resist. However, 28 the Volturi had not been forgotten, and the southern 29 sh covens were more careful this time. The newborns were 30 reg

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1 selected from the human pool with more care, and given 2 more training. They were used circumspectly, and the hu- 3 mans remained, for the most part, oblivious. Their cre- 4 ators gave the Volturi no reason to return. 5 “The wars resumed, but on a smaller scale. Every now 6 and then, someone would go too far, speculation would 7 begin in the human newspapers, and the Volturi would re- 8 turn and clean out the city. But they let the others, the 9 careful ones, continue....” 10 Jasper was staring off into space. 11 “That’s how you were changed.” My realization was a 12 whisper. 13 “Yes,” he agreed. “When I was human, I lived in Hous- 14 ton, Texas. I was almost seventeen years old when I joined 15 the Confederate Army in 1861. I lied to the recruiters 16 and told them I was twenty. I was tall enough to get away 17 with it. 18 “My military career was short-lived, but very promis- 19 ing. People always...liked me, listened to what I had to 20 say. My father said it was charisma. Of course, now I know 21 it was probably something more. But, whatever the rea- 22 son, I was promoted quickly through the ranks, over older, 23 more experienced men. The Confederate Army was new 24 and scrambling to organize itself, so that provided oppor- 25 tunities, as well. By the ﬁrst battle of Galveston — well, 26 it was more of a skirmish, really — I was the youngest 27 major in Texas, not even acknowledging my real age. 28 “I was placed in charge of evacuating the women and sh 29 children from the city when the Union’s mortar boats reg 30 reached the harbor. It took a day to prepare them, and then

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I left with the ﬁrst column of civilians to convey them to 1 Houston. 2 “I remember that one night very clearly. 3 “We reached the city after dark. I stayed only long 4 enough to make sure the entire party was safely situated. 5 As soon as that was done, I got myself a fresh horse, and I 6 headed back to Galveston. There wasn’t time to rest. 7 “Just a mile outside the city, I found three women on 8 foot. I assumed they were stragglers and dismounted at 9 once to offer them my aid. But, when I could see their 10 faces in the dim light of the moon, I was stunned into si- 11 lence. They were, without question, the three most beau- 12 tiful women I had ever seen. 13 “They had such pale skin, I remember marveling at it. 14 Even the little black-haired girl, whose features were 15 clearly Mexican, was porcelain in the moonlight. They 16 seemed young, all of them, still young enough to be called 17 girls. I knew they were not lost members of our party. I 18 would have remembered seeing these three. 19 “‘He’s speechless,’ the tallest girl said in a lovely, deli- 20 cate voice — it was like wind chimes. She had fair hair, 21 and her skin was snow white. 22 “The other was blonder still, her skin just as chalky. 23 Her face was like an angel’s. She leaned toward me with 24 half-closed eyes and inhaled deeply. 25 “‘Mmm,’ she sighed. ‘Lovely.’ 26 “The small one, the tiny brunette, put her hand on the 27 girl’s arm and spoke quickly. Her voice was too soft and 28 musical to be sharp, but that seemed to be the way she in- 29 sh tended it. 30 reg

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1 “‘Concentrate, Nettie,’ she said. 2 “I’d always had a good sense of how people related to 3 each other, and it was immediately clear that the brunette 4 was somehow in charge of the others. If they’d been mili- 5 tary, I would have said that she outranked them. 6 “‘He looks right — young, strong, an ofﬁcer....’ The 7 brunette paused, and I tried unsuccessfully to speak. ‘And 8 there’s something more...do you sense it?’ she asked the 9 other two. ‘He’s . . . compelling.’ 10 “‘Oh, yes,’ Nettie quickly agreed, leaning toward me 11 again. 12 “‘Patience,’ the brunette cautioned her. ‘I want to keep 13 this one.’ 14 “Nettie frowned; she seemed annoyed. 15 “‘You’d better do it, Maria,’ the taller blonde spoke 16 again. ‘If he’s important to you. I kill them twice as often 17 as I keep them.’ 18 “‘Yes, I’ll do it,’ Maria agreed. ‘I really do like this one. 19 Take Nettie away, will you? I don’t want to have to protect 20 my back while I’m trying to focus.’ 21 “My hair was standing up on the back of my neck, 22 though I didn’t understand the meaning of anything the 23 beautiful creatures were saying. My instincts told me that 24 there was danger, that the angel had meant it when she 25 spoke of killing, but my judgment overruled my instincts. 26 I had not been taught to fear women, but to protect them. 27 “‘Let’s hunt,’ Nettie agreed enthusiastically, reaching 28 for the tall girl’s hand. They wheeled — they were so sh 29 graceful! — and sprinted toward the city. They seemed to reg 30 almost take ﬂight, they were so fast — their white dresses

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blew out behind them like wings. I blinked in amaze- 1 ment, and they were gone. 2 “I turned to stare at Maria, who was watching me curi- 3 ously. 4 “I’d never been superstitious in my life. Until that sec- 5 ond, I’d never believed in ghosts or any other such non- 6 sense. Suddenly, I was unsure. 7 “‘What is your name, soldier?’ Maria asked me. 8 “‘Major Jasper Whitlock, ma’am,’ I stammered, unable 9 to be impolite to a female, even if she was a ghost. 10 “‘I truly hope you survive, Jasper,’ she said in her gen- 11 tle voice. ‘I have a good feeling about you.’ 12 “She took a step closer, and inclined her head as if she 13 were going to kiss me. I stood frozen in place, though my 14 instincts were screaming at me to run.” 15 Jasper paused, his face thoughtful. “A few days later,” 16 he ﬁnally said, and I wasn’t sure if he had edited his story 17 for my sake or because he was responding to the tension 18 that even I could feel exuding from Edward, “I was intro- 19 duced to my new life. 20 “Their names were Maria, Nettie, and Lucy. They 21 hadn’t been together long — Maria had rounded up the 22 other two — all three were survivors of recently lost bat- 23 tles. Theirs was a partnership of convenience. Maria 24 wanted revenge, and she wanted her territories back. The 25 others were eager to increase their...herd lands, I sup- 26 pose you could say. They were putting together an army, 27 and going about it more carefully than was usual. It was 28 Maria’s idea. She wanted a superior army, so she sought 29 sh out speciﬁc humans who had potential. Then she gave us 30 reg

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1 much more attention, more training than anyone else had 2 bothered with. She taught us to fight, and she taught us to 3 be invisible to the humans. When we did well, we were 4 rewarded....” 5 He paused, editing again. 6 “She was in a hurry, though. Maria knew that the mas- 7 sive strength of the newborn began to wane around the 8 year mark, and she wanted to act while we were strong. 9 “There were six of us when I joined Maria’s band. She 10 added four more within a fortnight. We were all male — 11 Maria wanted soldiers — and that made it slightly more 12 difficult to keep from fighting amongst ourselves. I fought 13 my first battles against my new comrades in arms. I was 14 quicker than the others, better at combat. Maria was 15 pleased with me, though put out that she had to keep re- 16 placing the ones I destroyed. I was rewarded often, and 17 that made me stronger. 18 “Maria was a good judge of character. She decided to 19 put me in charge of the others — as if I were being pro- 20 moted. It suited my nature exactly. The casualties went 21 down dramatically, and our numbers swelled to hover 22 around twenty. 23 “This was considerable for the cautious times we lived 24 in. My ability, as yet undefined, to control the emotional 25 atmosphere around me was vitally effective. We soon be- 26 gan to work together in a way that newborn vampires had 27 never cooperated before. Even Maria, Nettie, and Lucy 28 were able to work together more easily. sh 29 “Maria grew quite fond of me — she began to depend reg 30 upon me. And, in some ways, I worshipped the ground she

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walked on. I had no idea that any other life was possible. 1 Maria told us this was the way things were, and we be- 2 lieved. 3 “She asked me to tell her when my brothers and I were 4 ready to fight, and I was eager to prove myself. I pulled to- 5 gether an army of twenty-three in the end — twenty-three 6 unbelievably strong new vampires, organized and skilled 7 as no others before. Maria was ecstatic. 8 “We crept down toward Monterrey, her former home, 9 and she unleashed us on her enemies. They had only nine 10 newborns at the time, and a pair of older vampires control- 11 ling them. We took them down more easily than Maria 12 could believe, losing only four in the process. It was an 13 unheard-of margin of victory. 14 “And we were well trained. We did it without attract- 15 ing notice. The city changed hands without any human 16 being aware. 17 “Success made Maria greedy. It wasn’t long before she 18 began to eye other cities. That first year, she extended her 19 control to cover most of Texas and northern Mexico. Then 20 the others came from the South to dislodge her.” 21 He brushed two fingers along the faint pattern of scars 22 on his arm. 23 “The fighting was intense. Many began to worry that 24 the Volturi would return. Of the original twenty-three, I 25 was the only one to survive the first eighteen months. We 26 both won and lost. Nettie and Lucy turned on Maria even- 27 tually — but that one we won. 28 “Maria and I were able to hold on to Monterrey. It qui- 29 sh eted a little, though the wars continued. The idea of 30 reg

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1 conquest was dying out; it was mostly vengeance and 2 feuding now. So many had lost their partners, and that is 3 something our kind does not forgive.... 4 “Maria and I always kept a dozen or so newborns ready. 5 They meant little to us — they were pawns, they were 6 disposable. When they outgrew their usefulness, we did 7 dispose of them. My life continued in the same violent 8 pattern and the years passed. I was sick of it all for a very 9 long time before anything changed... 10 “Decades later, I developed a friendship with a new- 11 born who’d remained useful and survived his first three 12 years, against the odds. His name was Peter. I liked Peter; 13 he was...civilized — I suppose that’s the right word. He 14 didn’t enjoy the fight, though he was good at it. 15 “He was assigned to deal with the newborns — babysit 16 them, you could say. It was a full-time job. 17 “And then it was time to purge again. The newborns 18 were outgrowing their strength; they were due to be re- 19 placed. Peter was supposed to help me dispose of them. 20 We took them aside individually, you see, one by one... 21 It was always a very long night. This time, he tried to con- 22 vince me that a few had potential, but Maria had in- 23 structed that we get rid of them all. I told him no. 24 “We were about halfway through, and I could feel that 25 it was taking a great toll on Peter. I was trying to decide 26 whether or not I should send him away and finish up my- 27 self as I called out the next victim. To my surprise, he was 28 suddenly angry, furious. I braced for whatever his mood sh 29 might foreshadow — he was a good fighter, but he was reg 30 never a match for me.

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“The newborn I’d summoned was a female, just past 1 her year mark. Her name was Charlotte. His feelings 2 changed when she came into view; they gave him away. 3 He yelled for her to run, and he bolted after her. I could 4 have pursued them, but I didn’t. I felt...averse to de- 5 stroying him. 6 “Maria was irritated with me for that... 7 “Five years later, Peter snuck back for me. He picked a 8 good day to arrive. 9 “Maria was mystified by my ever-deteriorating frame of 10 mind. She’d never felt a moment’s depression, and I won- 11 dered why I was different. I began to notice a change in 12 her emotions when she was near me — sometimes there 13 was fear...and malice — the same feelings that had given 14 me advance warning when Nettie and Lucy struck. I was 15 preparing myself to destroy my only ally, the core of my 16 existence, when Peter returned. 17 “Peter told me about his new life with Charlotte, told 18 me about options I’d never dreamed I had. In five years, 19 they’d never had a fight, though they’d met many others 20 in the north. Others who could co-exist without the con- 21 stant mayhem. 22 “In one conversation, he had me convinced. I was ready 23 to go, and somewhat relieved I wouldn’t have to kill 24 Maria. I’d been her companion for as many years as 25 Carlisle and Edward have been together, yet the bond be- 26 tween us was nowhere near as strong. When you live for 27 the fight, for the blood, the relationships you form are ten- 28 uous and easily broken. I walked away without a backward 29 sh glance. 30 reg

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1 “I traveled with Peter and Charlotte for a few years, 2 getting the feel of this new, more peaceful world. But the 3 depression didn’t fade. I didn’t understand what was wrong 4 with me, until Peter noticed that it was always worse after 5 I’d hunted. 6 “I contemplated that. In so many years of slaughter and 7 carnage, I’d lost nearly all of my humanity. I was undeni- 8 ably a nightmare, a monster of the grisliest kind. Yet each 9 time I found another human victim, I would feel a faint 10 prick of remembrance for that other life. Watching their 11 eyes widen in wonder at my beauty, I could see Maria and 12 the others in my head, what they had looked like to me 13 the last night that I was Jasper Whitlock. It was stronger 14 for me — this borrowed memory — than it was for any- 15 one else, because I could feel everything my prey was feel- 16 ing. And I lived their emotions as I killed them. 17 “You’ve experienced the way I can manipulate the 18 emotions around myself, Bella, but I wonder if you realize 19 how the feelings in a room affect me. I live every day in a 20 climate of emotion. For the ﬁrst century of my life, I lived 21 in a world of bloodthirsty vengeance. Hate was my con- 22 stant companion. It eased some when I left Maria, but I 23 still had to feel the horror and fear of my prey. 24 “It began to be too much. 25 “The depression got worse, and I wandered away from 26 Peter and Charlotte. Civilized as they were, they didn’t 27 feel the same aversion I was beginning to feel. They only 28 wanted peace from the ﬁght. I was so wearied by kill- sh 29 ing — killing anyone, even mere humans. reg 30

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“Yet I had to keep killing. What choice did I have? I 1 tried to kill less often, but I would get too thirsty and 2 I would give in. After a century of instant gratiﬁcation, I 3 found self-discipline...challenging. I still haven’t per- 4 fected that.” 5 Jasper was lost in the story, as was I. It surprised me when 6 his desolate expression smoothed into a peaceful smile. 7 “I was in Philadelphia. There was a storm, and I was 8 out during the day — something I was not completely 9 comfortable with yet. I knew standing in the rain would 10 attract attention, so I ducked into a little half-empty 11 diner. My eyes were dark enough that no one would notice 12 them, though this meant I was thirsty, and that worried 13 me a little. 14 “She was there — expecting me, naturally.” He chuck- 15 led once. “She hopped down from the high stool at the 16 counter as soon as I walked in and came directly toward me. 17 “It shocked me. I was not sure if she meant to attack. 18 That’s the only interpretation of her behavior my past had 19 to offer. But she was smiling. And the emotions that were 20 emanating from her were like nothing I’d ever felt before. 21 “‘You’ve kept me waiting a long time,’ she said.” 22 I didn’t realize Alice had come to stand behind me again. 23 “And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gen- 24 tleman, and said, ‘I’m sorry, ma’am.’” Alice laughed at the 25 memory. 26 Jasper smiled down at her. “You held out your hand, 27 and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was 28 doing. For the ﬁrst time in almost a century, I felt hope.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Jasper took Alice’s hand as he spoke. 2 Alice grinned. “I was just relieved. I thought you were 3 never going to show up.” 4 They smiled at each other for a long moment, and then 5 Jasper looked back to me, the soft expression lingering. 6 “Alice told me what she’d seen of Carlisle and his fam- 7 ily. I could hardly believe that such an existence was pos- 8 sible. But Alice made me optimistic. So we went to ﬁnd 9 them.” 10 “Scared the hell out of them, too,” Edward said, rolling 11 his eyes at Jasper before turning to me to explain. “Em- 12 mett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered 13 in battle scars, towing this little freak” — he nudged Al- 14 ice playfully — “who greets them all by name, knows 15 everything about them, and wants to know which room 16 she can move into.” 17 Alice and Jasper laughed in harmony, soprano and bass. 18 “When I got home, all my things were in the garage,” 19 Edward continued. 20 Alice shrugged. “Your room had the best view.” 21 They all laughed together now. 22 “That’s a nice story,” I said. 23 Three pairs of eyes questioned my sanity. 24 “I mean the last part,” I defended myself. “The happy 25 ending with Alice.” 26 “Alice has made all the difference,” Jasper agreed. 27 “This is a climate I enjoy.” 28 But the momentary pause in the stress couldn’t last. sh 29 “An army,” Alice whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me?” reg 30

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The others were intent again, their eyes locked on 1 Jasper’s face. 2 “I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. 3 Because where is the motive? Why would someone create 4 an army in Seattle? There is no history there, no vendetta. 5 It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no 6 one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there’s no one to 7 ﬁght for it. No one to defend it from. 8 “But I’ve seen this before, and there’s no other explana- 9 tion. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. 10 Fewer than twenty, I’d guess. The difﬁcult part is that 11 they are totally untrained. Whoever made them just set 12 them loose. It will only get worse, and it won’t be much 13 longer till the Volturi step in. Actually, I’m surprised 14 they’ve let this go on so long.” 15 “What can we do?” Carlisle asked. 16 “If we want to avoid the Volturi’s involvement, we will 17 have to destroy the newborns, and we will have to do it 18 very soon.” Jasper’s face was hard. Knowing his story now, 19 I could guess how this evaluation must disturb him. “I can 20 teach you how. It won’t be easy in the city. The young ones 21 aren’t concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It 22 will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure 23 them out.” 24 “Maybe we won’t have to.” Edward’s voice was bleak. 25 “Does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat 26 in the area that would call for the creation of an army 27 is...us?” 28 Jasper’s eyes narrowed; Carlisle’s widened, shocked. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Tanya’s family is also near,” Esme said slowly, unwill- 2 ing to accept Edward’s words. 3 “The newborns aren’t ravaging Anchorage, Esme. I 4 think we have to consider the idea that we are the targets.” 5 “They’re not coming after us,” Alice insisted, and then 6 paused. “Or...they don’t know that they are. Not yet.” 7 “What is that?” Edward asked, curious and tense. 8 “What are you remembering?” 9 “Flickers,” Alice said. “I can’t see a clear picture when I 10 try to see what’s going on, nothing concrete. But I’ve been 11 getting these strange ﬂashes. Not enough to make sense 12 of. It’s as if someone’s changing their mind, moving from 13 one course of action to another so quickly that I can’t get a 14 good view....” 15 “Indecision?” Jasper asked in disbelief. 16 “I don’t know....” 17 “Not indecision,” Edward growled. “Knowledge. Some- 18 one who knows you can’t see anything until the decision is 19 made. Someone who is hiding from us. Playing with the 20 holes in your vision.” 21 “Who would know that?” Alice whispered. 22 Edward’s eyes were hard as ice. “Aro knows you as well 23 as you know yourself.” 24 “But I would see if they’d decided to come....” 25 “Unless they didn’t want to get their hands dirty.” 26 “A favor,” Rosalie suggested, speaking for the ﬁrst 27 time. “Someone in the South...someone who already 28 had trouble with the rules. Someone who should have sh 29 been destroyed is offered a second chance — if they take reg 30

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care of this one small problem....That would explain 1 the Volturi’s sluggish response.” 2 “Why?” Carlisle asked, still shocked. “There’s no rea- 3 son for the Volturi —” 4 “It was there,” Edward disagreed quietly. “I’m sur- 5 prised it’s come to this so soon, because the other thoughts 6 were stronger. In Aro’s head he saw me at his one side and 7 Alice at his other. The present and the future, virtual om- 8 niscience. The power of the idea intoxicated him. I would 9 have thought it would take him much longer to give up 10 on that plan — he wanted it too much. But there was also 11 the thought of you, Carlisle, of our family, growing 12 stronger and larger. The jealousy and the fear: you hav- 13 ing...not more than he had, but still, things that he 14 wanted. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn’t 15 hide it completely. The idea of rooting out the competi- 16 tion was there; besides their own, ours is the largest coven 17 they’ve ever found....” 18 I stared at his face in horror. He’d never told me this, but 19 I guessed I knew why. I could see it in my head now, Aro’s 20 dream. Edward and Alice in black, ﬂowing robes, drifting 21 along at Aro’s side with their eyes cold and blood-red.... 22 Carlisle interrupted my waking nightmare. “They’re 23 too committed to their mission. They would never break 24 the rules themselves. It goes against everything they’ve 25 worked for.” 26 “They’ll clean up afterward. A double betrayal,” Ed- 27 ward said in a grim voice. “No harm done.” 28 Jasper leaned forward, shaking his head. “No, Carlisle 29 sh 30 reg

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1 is right. The Volturi do not break rules. Besides, it’s much 2 too sloppy. This...person, this threat — they have no 3 idea what they’re doing. A first-timer, I’d swear to it. I 4 cannot believe the Volturi are involved. But they will be.” 5 They all stared at each other, frozen with stress. 6 “Then let’s go,” Emmett almost roared. “What are we 7 waiting for?” 8 Carlisle and Edward exchanged a long glance. Edward 9 nodded once. 10 “We’ll need you to teach us, Jasper,” Carlisle finally 11 said. “How to destroy them.” Carlisle’s jaw was hard, but 12 I could see the pain in his eyes as he said the words. No 13 one hated violence more than Carlisle. 14 There was something bothering me, and I couldn’t put 15 my finger on it. I was numb, horrified, deathly afraid. And 16 yet, under that, I could feel that I was missing something 17 important. Something that would make some sense out of 18 the chaos. That would explain it. 19 “We’re going to need help,” Jasper said. “Do you think 20 Tanya’s family would be willing...? Another five mature 21 vampires would make an enormous difference. And then 22 Kate and Eleazar would be especially advantageous on our 23 side. It would be almost easy, with their aid.” 24 “We’ll ask,” Carlisle answered. 25 Jasper held out a cell phone. “We need to hurry.” 26 I’d never seen Carlisle’s innate calm so shaken. He took 27 the phone, and paced toward the windows. He dialed a 28 number, held the phone to his ear, and laid the other hand sh 29 against the glass. He stared out into the foggy morning reg 30 with a pained and ambivalent expression.

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Edward took my hand and pulled me to the white love- 1 seat. I sat beside him, staring at his face while he stared at 2 Carlisle. 3 Carlisle’s voice was low and quick, difﬁcult to hear. I 4 heard him greet Tanya, and then he raced through the sit- 5 uation too fast for me to understand much, though I could 6 tell that the Alaskan vampires were not ignorant of what 7 was going on in Seattle. 8 Then something changed in Carlisle’s voice. 9 “Oh,” he said, his voice sharper in surprise. “We didn’t 10 realize...that Irina felt that way.” 11 Edward groaned at my side and closed his eyes. “Damn 12 it. Damn Laurent to the deepest pit of hell where he be- 13 longs.” 14 “Laurent?” I whispered, the blood emptying from my 15 face, but Edward didn’t respond, focused on Carlisle’s 16 thoughts. 17 My short encounter with Laurent early this spring was 18 not something that had faded or dimmed in my mind. I 19 still remembered every word he’d said before Jacob and his 20 pack had interrupted. 21 I actually came here as a favor to her.... 22 Victoria. Laurent had been her ﬁrst maneuver — she’d 23 sent him to observe, to see how hard it might be to get to 24 me. He hadn’t survived the wolves to report back. 25 Though he’d kept up his old ties with Victoria after 26 James’s death, he’d also formed new ties and new relation- 27 ships. He’d gone to live with Tanya’s family in Alaska — 28 Tanya the strawberry blonde — the closest friends the 29 sh Cullens had in the vampire world, practically extended 30 reg

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1 family. Laurent had been with them for almost a year pre- 2 vious to his death. 3 Carlisle was still talking, his voice not quite pleading. 4 Persuasive, but with an edge. Then the edge abruptly won 5 out over the persuasion. 6 “There’s no question of that,” Carlisle said in a stern 7 voice. “We have a truce. They haven’t broken it, and nei- 8 ther will we. I’m sorry to hear that....Of course. We’ll 9 just have to do our best alone.” 10 Carlisle shut the phone without waiting for an answer. 11 He continued to stare out into the fog. 12 “What’s the problem?” Emmett murmured to Edward. 13 “Irina was more involved with our friend Laurent than 14 we knew. She’s holding a grudge against the wolves for 15 destroying him to save Bella. She wants —” He paused, 16 looking down at me. 17 “Go on,” I said as evenly as I could. 18 His eyes tightened. “She wants revenge. To take down 19 the pack. They would trade their help for our permission.” 20 “No!” I gasped. 21 “Don’t worry,” he told me in a flat voice. “Carlisle 22 would never agree to it.” He hesitated, then sighed. “Nor 23 would I. Laurent had it coming” — this was almost a 24 growl — “and I still owe the wolves for that.” 25 “This isn’t good,” Jasper said. “It’s too even a fight. 26 We’d have the upper hand in skill, but not numbers. We’d 27 win, but at what price?” His tense eyes flashed to Alice’s 28 face and away. sh 29 I wanted to scream out loud as I grasped what Jasper reg 30 meant.

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We would win, but we would lose. Some wouldn’t 1 survive. 2 I looked around the room at their faces — Jasper, Al- 3 ice, Emmett, Rose, Esme, Carlisle . . . Edward — the faces 4 of my family. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 14. DECLARATION 16 17 18 “You can’t be serious,” I said Wednesday after- 19 noon. “You’ve completely lost your mind!” 20 “Say whatever you like about me,” Alice answered. 21 “The party is still on.” 22 I stared at her, my eyes so wide with disbelief it felt like 23 they might fall out and land on my lunch tray. 24 “Oh, calm down, Bella! There’s no reason not to go 25 through with it. Besides, the invitations are already sent.” 26 “But...the...you...I...insane!” I spluttered. 27 “You’ve already bought my present,” she reminded me. 28 “You don’t have to do anything but show up.” sh 29 I made an effort to calm myself. “With everything that reg 30 is going on right now, a party is hardly appropriate.”

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“Graduation is what’s going on right now, and a party 1 is so appropriate it’s almost passé.” 2 “Alice!” 3 She sighed, and tried to be serious. “There are a few 4 things we need to get in order now, and that’s going to 5 take a little time. As long as we’re sitting here waiting, we 6 might as well commemorate the good stuff. You’re only 7 going to graduate from high school — for the ﬁrst 8 time — once. You don’t get to be human again, Bella. 9 This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot.” 10 Edward, silent through our little argument, ﬂashed her 11 a warning look. She stuck out her tongue at him. She was 12 right — her soft voice would never carry over the babble 13 of the cafeteria. And no one would understand the mean- 14 ing behind her words in any case. 15 “What few things do we need to get in order?” I asked, 16 refusing to be sidetracked. 17 Edward answered in a low voice. “Jasper thinks we 18 could use some help. Tanya’s family isn’t the only choice 19 we have. Carlisle’s trying to track down a few old friends, 20 and Jasper is looking up Peter and Charlotte. He’s consid- 21 ering talking to Maria...but no one really wants to in- 22 volve the southerners.” 23 Alice shuddered delicately. 24 “It shouldn’t be too hard to convince them to help,” he 25 continued. “Nobody wants a visit from Italy.” 26 “But these friends — they’re not going to be...vege- 27 tarians, right?” I protested, using the Cullens’ tongue-in- 28 cheek nickname for themselves. 29 sh “No,” Edward answered, suddenly expressionless. 30 reg

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1 “Here? In Forks?” 2 “They’re friends,” Alice reassured me. “Everything’s 3 going to be fine. Don’t worry. And then, Jasper has to 4 teach us a few courses on newborn elimination....” 5 Edward’s eyes brightened at that, and a brief smile 6 flashed across his face. My stomach suddenly felt like it 7 was full of sharp little splinters of ice. 8 “When are you going?” I asked in a hollow voice. I 9 couldn’t stand this — the idea that someone might not 10 come back. What if it was Emmett, so brave and thought- 11 less that he was never the least bit cautious? Or Esme, so 12 sweet and motherly that I couldn’t even imagine her in a 13 fight? Or Alice, so tiny, so fragile-looking? Or...but I 14 couldn’t even think the name, consider the possibility. 15 “A week,” Edward said casually. “That ought to give us 16 enough time.” 17 The icy splinters twisted uncomfortably in my stom- 18 ach. I was suddenly nauseated. 19 “You look kind of green, Bella,” Alice commented. 20 Edward put his arm around me and pulled me tightly 21 against his side. “It’s going to be fine, Bella. Trust me.” 22 Sure, I thought to myself. Trust him. He wasn’t the one 23 who was going to have to sit behind and wonder whether 24 or not the core of his existence was going to come home. 25 And then it occurred to me. Maybe I didn’t need to sit 26 behind. A week was more than enough time. 27 “You’re looking for help,” I said slowly. 28 “Yes.” Alice’s head cocked to the side as she processed sh 29 the change in my tone. reg 30

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I looked only at her as I answered. My voice was just 1 slightly louder than a whisper. “I could help.” 2 Edward’s body was suddenly rigid, his arm too tight 3 around me. He exhaled, and the sound was a hiss. 4 But it was Alice, still calm, who answered. “That really 5 wouldn’t be helpful.” 6 “Why not?” I argued; I could hear the desperation in 7 my voice. “Eight is better than seven. There’s more than 8 enough time.” 9 “There’s not enough time to make you helpful, Bella,” 10 she disagreed coolly. “Do you remember how Jasper de- 11 scribed the young ones? You’d be no good in a fight. You 12 wouldn’t be able to control your instincts, and that would 13 make you an easy target. And then Edward would get hurt 14 trying to protect you.” She folded her arms across her 15 chest, pleased with her unassailable logic. 16 And I knew she was right, when she put it like that. I 17 slumped in my seat, my sudden hope defeated. Beside me, 18 Edward relaxed. 19 He whispered the reminder in my ear. “Not because 20 you’re afraid.” 21 “Oh,” Alice said, and a blank look crossed her face. 22 Then her expression became surly. “I hate last-minute can- 23 cellations. So that puts the party attendance list down to 24 sixty-five....” 25 “Sixty-five!” My eyes bulged again. I didn’t have that 26 many friends. Did I even know that many people? 27 “Who canceled?” Edward wondered, ignoring me. 28 “Renée.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “What?” I gasped. 2 “She was going to surprise you for your graduation, but 3 something went wrong. You’ll have a message when you 4 get home.” 5 For a moment, I just let myself enjoy the relief. What- 6 ever it was that went wrong for my mother, I was eternally 7 grateful to it. If she had come to Forks now ...I didn’t 8 want to think about it. My head would explode. 9 10 The message light was flashing when I got home. My feel- 11 ing of relief flared again as I listened to my mother describe 12 Phil’s accident on the ball field — while demonstrating a 13 slide, he’d tangled up with the catcher and broken his 14 thigh bone; he was entirely dependent on her, and there 15 was no way she could leave him. My mom was still apolo- 16 gizing when the message cut off. 17 “Well, that’s one,” I sighed. 18 “One what?” Edward asked. 19 “One person I don’t have to worry about getting killed 20 this week.” 21 He rolled his eyes. 22 “Why won’t you and Alice take this seriously?” I de- 23 manded. “This is serious.” 24 He smiled. “Confidence.” 25 “Wonderful,” I grumbled. I picked up the phone and 26 dialed Renée’s number. I knew it would be a long conver- 27 sation, but I also knew that I wouldn’t have to contribute 28 much. sh 29 I just listened, and reassured her every time I could get reg 30 a word in: I wasn’t disappointed, I wasn’t mad, I wasn’t

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hurt. She should concentrate on helping Phil get better. I 1 passed on my “get well soon” to Phil, and promised to call 2 her with every single detail from Forks High’s generic 3 graduation. Finally, I had to use my desperate need to 4 study for ﬁnals to get off the phone. 5 Edward’s patience was endless. He waited politely 6 through the whole conversation, just playing with my hair 7 and smiling whenever I looked up. It was probably super- 8 ﬁcial to notice such things while I had so many more im- 9 portant things to think about, but his smile still knocked 10 the breath out of me. He was so beautiful that it made it 11 hard sometimes to think about anything else, hard to con- 12 centrate on Phil’s troubles or Renée’s apologies or hostile 13 vampire armies. I was only human. 14 As soon as I hung up, I stretched onto my tiptoes to 15 kiss him. He put his hands around my waist and lifted me 16 onto the kitchen counter, so I wouldn’t have to reach as far. 17 That worked for me. I locked my arms around his neck 18 and melted against his cold chest. 19 Too soon, as usual, he pulled away. 20 I felt my face slip into a pout. He laughed at my ex- 21 pression as he extricated himself from my arms and legs. 22 He leaned against the counter next to me and put one arm 23 lightly around my shoulders. 24 “I know you think that I have some kind of perfect, un- 25 yielding self-control, but that’s not actually the case.” 26 “I wish,” I sighed. 27 And he sighed, too. 28 “After school tomorrow,” he said, changing the sub- 29 sh ject, “I’m going hunting with Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie. 30 reg

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1 Just for a few hours — we’ll stay close. Alice, Jasper, and 2 Emmett should be able to keep you safe.” 3 “Ugh,” I grumbled. Tomorrow was the first day of fi- 4 nals, and it was only a half-day. I had Calculus and His- 5 tory — the only two challenges in my line-up — so I’d 6 have almost the whole day without him, and nothing to 7 do but worry. “I hate being babysat.” 8 “It’s temporary,” he promised. 9 “Jasper will be bored. Emmett will make fun of me.” 10 “They’ll be on their best behavior.” 11 “Right,” I grumbled. 12 And then it occurred to me that I did have one option 13 besides babysitters. “You know...I haven’t been to La 14 Push since the bonfire.” 15 I watched his face carefully for any change in expres- 16 sion. His eyes tightened the tiniest bit. 17 “I’d be safe enough there,” I reminded him. 18 He thought about it for a few seconds. “You’re proba- 19 bly right.” 20 His face was calm, but just a little too smooth. I almost 21 asked if he’d rather I stayed here, but then I thought of the 22 ribbing Emmett would no doubt dish out, and I changed 23 the subject. “Are you thirsty already?” I asked, reaching 24 up to stroke the light shadow beneath his eye. His irises 25 were still a deep gold. 26 “Not really.” He seemed reluctant to answer, and that 27 surprised me. I waited for an explanation. 28 “We want to be as strong as possible,” he explained, sh 29 still reluctant. “We’ll probably hunt again on the way, reg 30 looking for big game.”

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“That makes you stronger?” 1 He searched my face for something, but there was 2 nothing to find but curiosity. 3 “Yes,” he finally said. “Human blood makes us the 4 strongest, though only fractionally. Jasper’s been thinking 5 about cheating — adverse as he is to the idea, he’s nothing 6 if not practical — but he won’t suggest it. He knows what 7 Carlisle will say.” 8 “Would that help?” I asked quietly. 9 “It doesn’t matter. We aren’t going to change who 10 we are.” 11 I frowned. If something helped even the odds...and 12 then I shuddered, realizing I was willing to have a stranger 13 die to protect him. I was horrified at myself, but not en- 14 tirely able to deny it, either. 15 He changed the subject again. “That’s why they’re so 16 strong, of course. The newborns are full of human blood — 17 their own blood, reacting to the change. It lingers in the 18 tissues and strengthens them. Their bodies use it up 19 slowly, like Jasper said, the strength starting to wane after 20 about a year.” 21 “How strong will I be?” 22 He grinned. “Stronger than I am.” 23 “Stronger than Emmett?” 24 The grin got bigger. “Yes. Do me a favor and challenge 25 him to an arm-wrestling match. It would be a good expe- 26 rience for him.” 27 I laughed. It sounded so ridiculous. 28 Then I sighed and hopped down from the counter, be- 29 sh cause I really couldn’t put it off any longer. I had to cram, 30 reg

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1 and cram hard. Luckily I had Edward’s help, and Edward 2 was an excellent tutor — since he knew absolutely every- 3 thing. I figured my biggest problem would be just focus- 4 ing on the tests. If I didn’t watch myself, I might end up 5 writing my History essay on the vampire wars of the 6 South. 7 I took a break to call Jacob, and Edward seemed just as 8 comfortable as he had when I was on the phone with 9 Renée. He played with my hair again. 10 Though it was the middle of the afternoon, my call 11 woke Jacob up, and he was grouchy at first. He cheered 12 right up when I asked if I could visit the next day. The 13 Quileute school was already out for the summer, so he told 14 me to come over as early as I could. I was pleased to have 15 an option besides being babysat. There was a tiny bit more 16 dignity in spending the day with Jacob. 17 Some of that dignity was lost when Edward insisted 18 again on delivering me to the border line like a child be- 19 ing exchanged by custodial guardians. 20 “So how do you feel you did on your exams?” Edward 21 asked on the way, making small talk. 22 “History was easy, but I don’t know about the Calcu- 23 lus. It seemed like it was making sense, so that probably 24 means I failed.” 25 He laughed. “I’m sure you did fine. Or, if you’re really 26 worried, I could bribe Mr. Varner to give you an A.” 27 “Er, thanks, but no thanks.” 28 He laughed again, but suddenly stopped when we sh 29 turned the last bend and saw the red car waiting. He reg 30

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frowned in concentration, and then, as he parked the car, 1 he sighed. 2 “What’s wrong?” I asked, my hand on the door. 3 He shook his head. “Nothing.” His eyes were narrowed 4 as he stared through the windshield toward the other car. 5 I’d seen that look before. 6 “You’re not listening to Jacob, are you?” I accused. 7 “It’s not easy to ignore someone when he’s shouting.” 8 “Oh.” I thought about that for a second. “What’s he 9 shouting?” I whispered. 10 “I’m absolutely certain he’ll mention it himself,” Ed- 11 ward said in a wry tone. 12 I would have pressed the issue, but then Jacob honked 13 his horn — two quick impatient honks. 14 “That’s impolite,” Edward growled. 15 “That’s Jacob,” I sighed, and I hurried out before Jacob 16 did something to really set Edward’s teeth on edge. 17 I waved to Edward before I got into the Rabbit and, 18 from that distance, it looked like he was truly upset about 19 the honking thing...or whatever Jacob was thinking 20 about. But my eyes were weak and made mistakes all the 21 time. 22 I wanted Edward to come to me. I wanted to make 23 both of them get out of their cars and shake hands and be 24 friends — be Edward and Jacob rather than vampire and 25 werewolf. It was as if I had those two stubborn magnets in 26 my hands again, and I was holding them together, trying 27 to force nature to reverse herself.... 28 I sighed, and climbed in Jacob’s car. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Hey, Bells.” Jake’s tone was cheerful, but his voice 2 dragged. I examined his face as he started down the road, 3 driving a little faster than I did, but slower than Edward, 4 on his way back to La Push. 5 Jacob looked different, maybe even sick. His eyelids 6 drooped and his face was drawn. His shaggy hair stuck out 7 in random directions; it was almost to his chin in some 8 places. 9 “Are you all right, Jake?” 10 “Just tired,” he managed to get out before he was over- 11 come by a massive yawn. When he ﬁnished, he asked, 12 “What do you want to do today?” 13 I eyed him for a moment. “Let’s just hang out at your 14 place for now,” I suggested. He didn’t look like he was up 15 for much more than that. “We can ride our bikes later.” 16 “Sure, sure,” he said, yawning again. 17 Jacob’s house was vacant, and that felt strange. I real- 18 ized I thought of Billy as a nearly permanent ﬁxture there. 19 “Where’s your dad?” 20 “Over at the Clearwaters’. He’s been hanging out there 21 a lot since Harry died. Sue gets lonely.” 22 Jacob sat down on the old couch that was no bigger 23 than a loveseat and squished himself to the side to make 24 room for me. 25 “Oh. That’s nice. Poor Sue.” 26 “Yeah...she’s having some trouble. . . .” He hesi- 27 tated. “With her kids.” 28 “Sure, it’s got to be hard on Seth and Leah, losing their sh 29 dad....” reg 30 “Uh-huh,” he agreed, lost in thought. He picked up

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the remote and flipped on the TV without seeming to 1 think about it. He yawned. 2 “What’s with you, Jake? You’re like a zombie.” 3 “I got about two hours of sleep last night, and four the 4 night before,” he told me. He stretched his long arms 5 slowly, and I could hear the joints crack as he flexed. He 6 settled his left arm along the back of the sofa behind me, 7 and slumped back to rest his head against the wall. “I’m 8 exhausted.” 9 “Why aren’t you sleeping?” I asked. 10 He made a face. “Sam’s being difficult. He doesn’t trust 11 your bloodsuckers. I’ve been running double shifts for two 12 weeks and nobody’s touched me yet, but he still doesn’t 13 buy it. So I’m on my own for now.” 14 “Double shifts? Is this because you’re trying to watch 15 out for me? Jake, that’s wrong! You need to sleep. I’ll be 16 fine.” 17 “It’s no big deal.” His eyes were abruptly more alert. 18 “Hey, did you ever find out who was in your room? Is there 19 anything new?” 20 I ignored the second question. “No, we didn’t find any- 21 thing out about my, um, visitor.” 22 “Then I’ll be around,” he said as his eyes slid closed. 23 “Jake...,” I started to whine. 24 “Hey, it’s the least I can do — I offered eternal servi- 25 tude, remember. I’m your slave for life.” 26 “I don’t want a slave!” 27 His eyes didn’t open. “What do you want, Bella?” 28 “I want my friend Jacob — and I don’t want him half- 29 sh dead, hurting himself in some misguided attempt —” 30 reg

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1 He cut me off. “Look at it this way — I’m hoping I can 2 track down a vampire I’m allowed to kill, okay?” 3 I didn’t answer. He looked at me then, peeking at my 4 reaction. 5 “Kidding, Bella.” 6 I stared at the TV. 7 “So, any special plans next week? You’re graduating. 8 Wow. That’s big.” His voice turned flat, and his face, al- 9 ready drawn, looked downright haggard as his eyes closed 10 again — not in exhaustion this time, but in denial. I real- 11 ized that graduation still had a horrible significance for 12 him, though my intentions were now disrupted. 13 “No special plans,” I said carefully, hoping he would 14 hear the reassurance in my words without a more detailed 15 explanation. I didn’t want to get into it now. For one 16 thing, he didn’t look up for any difficult conversations. 17 For another, I knew he would read too much into my 18 qualms. “Well, I do have to go to a graduation party. 19 Mine.” I made a disgusted sound. “Alice loves parties, and 20 she’s invited the whole town to her place the night of. It’s 21 going to be horrible.” 22 His eyes opened as I spoke, and a relieved smile made 23 his face look less worn. “I didn’t get an invitation. I’m 24 hurt,” he teased. 25 “Consider yourself invited. It’s supposedly my party, so 26 I should be able to ask who I want.” 27 “Thanks,” he said sarcastically, his eyes slipping closed 28 once more. sh 29 “I wish you would come,” I said without any hope. “It reg 30 would be more fun. For me, I mean.”

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“Sure, sure,” he mumbled. “That would be very... 1 wise . . .” His voice trailed off. 2 A few seconds later, he was snoring. 3 Poor Jacob. I studied his dreaming face, and liked what 4 I saw. While he slept, every trace of defensiveness and bit- 5 terness disappeared and suddenly he was the boy who had 6 been my very best friend before all the werewolf nonsense 7 had gotten in the way. He looked so much younger. He 8 looked like my Jacob. 9 I nestled into the couch to wait out his nap, hoping he 10 would sleep for a while and make up some of what he’d 11 lost. I ﬂipped through channels, but there wasn’t much on. 12 I settled for a cooking show, knowing, as I watched, that 13 I’d never put that much effort into Charlie’s dinner. Jacob 14 continued to snore, getting louder. I turned up the TV. 15 I was strangely relaxed, almost sleepy, too. This house 16 felt safer than my own, probably because no one had ever 17 come looking for me here. I curled up on the sofa and 18 thought about taking a nap myself. Maybe I would have, 19 but Jacob’s snoring was impossible to tune out. So, instead 20 of sleeping, I let my mind wander. 21 Finals were done, and most of them had been a cake- 22 walk. Calculus, the one exception, was behind me, pass or 23 fail. My high school education was over. And I didn’t 24 really know how I felt about that. I couldn’t look at it ob- 25 jectively, tied up as it was with my human life being over. 26 I wondered how long Edward planned to use this “not 27 because you’re scared” excuse. I was going to have to put 28 my foot down sometime. 29 sh If I were thinking practically, I knew it made more 30 reg

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1 sense to ask Carlisle to change me the second I made it 2 through the graduation line. Forks was becoming nearly 3 as dangerous as a war zone. No, Forks was a war zone. Not 4 to mention...it would be a good excuse to miss the 5 graduation party. I smiled to myself as I thought of that 6 most trivial of reasons for changing. Silly...yet still 7 compelling. 8 But Edward was right — I wasn’t quite ready yet. 9 And I didn’t want to be practical. I wanted Edward to 10 be the one. It wasn’t a rational desire. I was sure that — 11 about two seconds after someone actually bit me and the 12 venom started burning through my veins — I really 13 wouldn’t care anymore who had done it. So it shouldn’t 14 make a difference. 15 It was hard to deﬁne, even to myself, why it mattered. 16 There was just something about him being the one to 17 make the choice — to want to keep me enough that he 18 wouldn’t just allow me to be changed, he would act to 19 keep me. It was childish, but I liked the idea that his lips 20 would be the last good thing I would feel. Even more em- 21 barrassingly, something I would never say aloud, I wanted 22 his venom to poison my system. It would make me belong 23 to him in a tangible, quantiﬁable way. 24 But I knew he was going to stick to his marriage 25 scheme like glue — because a delay was what he was 26 clearly after and it was working so far. I tried to imagine 27 telling my parents that I was getting married this sum- 28 mer. Telling Angela and Ben and Mike. I couldn’t. I sh 29 couldn’t think of the words to say. It would be easier to tell reg 30 them I was becoming a vampire. And I was sure that at

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least my mother — were I to tell her every detail of the 1 truth — would be more strenuously opposed to me get- 2 ting married than to me a becoming vampire. I grimaced 3 to myself as I imagined her horrified expression. 4 Then, for just a second, I saw that same odd vision of 5 Edward and me on a porch swing, wearing clothes from 6 another kind of world. A world where it would surprise no 7 one if I wore his ring on my finger. A simpler place, where 8 love was defined in simpler ways. One plus one equals 9 two.... 10 Jacob snorted and rolled to his side. His arm swung off 11 the back of the couch and pinned me against his body. 12 Holy crow, but he was heavy! And hot. It was swelter- 13 ing after just a few seconds. 14 I tried to slide out from under his arm without waking 15 him, but I had to shove a little bit, and when his arm fell 16 off me, his eyes snapped open. He jumped to his feet, 17 looking around anxiously. 18 “What? What?” he asked, disoriented. 19 “It’s just me, Jake. Sorry I woke you.” 20 He turned to look at me, blinking and confused. 21 “Bella?” 22 “Hey, sleepy.” 23 “Oh, man! Did I fall asleep? I’m sorry! How long was 24 I out?” 25 “A few Emerils. I lost count.” 26 He flopped back on the couch next to me. “Wow. Sorry 27 about that, really.” 28 I patted his hair, trying to smooth the wild disarray. 29 sh “Don’t feel bad. I’m glad you got some sleep.” 30 reg

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1 He yawned and stretched. “I’m useless these days. No 2 wonder Billy’s always gone. I’m so boring.” 3 “You’re ﬁne,” I assured him. 4 “Ugh, let’s go outside. I need to walk around or I’ll pass 5 out again.” 6 “Jake, go back to sleep. I’m good. I’ll call Edward to 7 come pick me up.” I patted my pockets as I spoke, and re- 8 alized they were empty. “Shoot, I’ll have to borrow your 9 phone. I think I must have left his in the car.” I started to 10 unfold myself. 11 “No!” Jacob insisted, grabbing my hand. “No, stay. 12 You hardly ever make it down. I can’t believe I wasted all 13 this time.” 14 He pulled me off the couch as he spoke, and then led 15 the way outside, ducking his head as he passed under the 16 doorframe. It had gotten much cooler while Jacob slept; 17 the air was unseasonably cold — there must be a storm on 18 the way. It felt like February, not May. 19 The wintry air seemed to make Jacob more alert. He 20 paced back and forth in front of the house for a minute, 21 dragging me along with him. 22 “I’m an idiot,” he muttered to himself. 23 “What’s the matter, Jake? So you fell asleep.” I 24 shrugged. 25 “I wanted to talk to you. I can’t believe this.” 26 “Talk to me now,” I said. 27 Jacob met my eyes for a second, and then looked away 28 quickly toward the trees. It almost looked like he was sh 29 blushing, but it was hard to tell with his dark skin. reg 30 I suddenly remembered what Edward had said when he

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dropped me off — that Jacob would tell me whatever he 1 was shouting in his head. I started gnawing on my lip. 2 “Look,” Jacob said. “I was planning to do this a little 3 bit differently.” He laughed, and it sounded like he was 4 laughing at himself. “Smoother,” he added. “I was going 5 to work up to it, but” — and he looked at the clouds, 6 dimmer as the afternoon progressed — “I’m out of time to 7 work.” 8 He laughed again, nervous. We were still pacing 9 slowly. 10 “What are you talking about?” I demanded. 11 He took a deep breath. “I want to tell you something. 12 And you already know it...but I think I should say it 13 out loud anyway. Just so there’s never any confusion on the 14 subject.” 15 I planted my feet, and he came to a stop. I took my 16 hand away and folded my arms across my chest. I was sud- 17 denly sure that I didn’t want to know what he was build- 18 ing up to. 19 Jacob’s eyebrows pulled down, throwing his deep-set 20 eyes into shadow. They were pitch black as they bored into 21 mine. 22 “I’m in love with you, Bella,” Jacob said in a strong, 23 sure voice. “Bella, I love you. And I want you to pick me 24 instead of him. I know you don’t feel that way, but I need 25 the truth out there so that you know your options. I 26 wouldn’t want a miscommunication to stand in our way.” 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 15. WAGER 16 17 18 I stared at him for a long minute, speechless. I 19 could not think of one thing to say to him. 20 As he watched my dumbfounded expression, the seri- 21 ousness left his face. 22 “Okay,” he said, grinning. “That’s all.” 23 “Jake —” It felt like there was something big sticking 24 in my throat. I tried to clear the obstruction. “I can’t — I 25 mean I don’t ...I have to go.” 26 I turned, but he grabbed my shoulders and spun me 27 around. 28 “No, wait. I know that, Bella. But, look, answer me sh 29 this, all right? Do you want me to go away and never see reg 30 you again? Be honest.”

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It was hard to concentrate on his question, so it took 1 a minute to answer. “No, I don’t want that,” I finally ad- 2 mitted. 3 Jacob grinned again. “See.” 4 “But I don’t want you around for the same reason that 5 you want me around,” I objected. 6 “Tell me exactly why you want me around, then.” 7 I thought carefully. “I miss you when you’re not there. 8 When you’re happy,” I qualified carefully, “it makes me 9 happy. But I could say the same thing about Charlie, Ja- 10 cob. You’re family. I love you, but I’m not in love with you.” 11 He nodded, unruffled. “But you do want me around.” 12 “Yes.” I sighed. He was impossible to discourage. 13 “Then I’ll stick around.” 14 “You’re a glutton for punishment,” I grumbled. 15 “Yep.” He stroked the tips of his fingers across my 16 right cheek. I slapped his hand away. 17 “Do you think you could behave yourself a little better, 18 at least?” I asked, irritated. 19 “No, I don’t. You decide, Bella. You can have me the 20 way I am — bad behavior included — or not at all.” 21 I stared at him, frustrated. “That’s mean.” 22 “So are you.” 23 That pulled me up short, and I took an involuntary 24 step back. He was right. If I wasn’t mean — and greedy, 25 too — I would tell him I didn’t want to be friends and 26 walk away. It was wrong to try to keep my friend when 27 that would hurt him. I didn’t know what I was doing here, 28 but I was suddenly sure that it wasn’t good. 29 sh “You’re right,” I whispered. 30 reg

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1 He laughed. “I forgive you. Just try not to get too mad 2 at me. Because I recently decided that I’m not giving up. 3 There really is something irresistible about a lost cause.” 4 “Jacob.” I stared into his dark eyes, trying to make him 5 take me seriously. “I love him, Jacob. He’s my whole life.” 6 “You love me, too,” he reminded me. He held up his 7 hand when I started to protest. “Not the same way, I 8 know. But he’s not your whole life, either. Not anymore. 9 Maybe he was once, but he left. And now he’s just going 10 to have to deal with the consequence of that choice — me.” 11 I shook my head. “You’re impossible.” 12 Suddenly, he was serious. He took my chin in his hand, 13 holding it firmly so that I couldn’t look away from his in- 14 tent gaze. 15 “Until your heart stops beating, Bella,” he said. “I’ll be 16 here — fighting. Don’t forget that you have options.” 17 “I don’t want options,” I disagreed, trying to yank my 18 chin free unsuccessfully. “And my heartbeats are num- 19 bered, Jacob. The time is almost gone.” 20 His eyes narrowed. “All the more reason to fight — 21 fight harder now, while I can,” he whispered. 22 He still had my chin — his fingers holding too tight, till 23 it hurt — and I saw the resolve form abruptly in his eyes. 24 “N —” I started to object, but it was too late. 25 His lips crushed mine, stopping my protest. He kissed 26 me angrily, roughly, his other hand gripping tight around 27 the back of my neck, making escape impossible. I shoved 28 against his chest with all my strength, but he didn’t even sh 29 seem to notice. His mouth was soft, despite the anger, his reg 30 lips molding to mine in a warm, unfamiliar way.

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I grabbed at his face, trying to push it away, failing 1 again. He seemed to notice this time, though, and it ag- 2 gravated him. His lips forced mine open, and I could feel 3 his hot breath in my mouth. 4 Acting on instinct, I let my hands drop to my side, and 5 shut down. I opened my eyes and didn’t ﬁght, didn’t 6 feel...just waited for him to stop. 7 It worked. The anger seemed to evaporate, and he 8 pulled back to look at me. He pressed his lips softly to 9 mine again, once, twice...a third time. I pretended I was 10 a statue and waited. 11 Finally, he let go of my face and leaned away. 12 “Are you done now?” I asked in an expressionless voice. 13 “Yes,” he sighed. He started to smile, closing his eyes. 14 I pulled my arm back and then let it snap forward, 15 punching him in the mouth with as much power as I 16 could force out of my body. 17 There was a crunching sound. 18 “Ow! OW!” I screamed, frantically hopping up and 19 down in agony while I clutched my hand to my chest. It 20 was broken, I could feel it. 21 Jacob stared at me in shock. “Are you all right?” 22 “No, dammit! You broke my hand!” 23 “Bella, you broke your hand. Now stop dancing around 24 and let me look at it.” 25 “Don’t touch me! I’m going home right now!” 26 “I’ll get my car,” he said calmly. He wasn’t even rub- 27 bing his jaw like they did in the movies. How pathetic. 28 “No, thanks,” I hissed. “I’d rather walk.” I turned 29 sh toward the road. It was only a few miles to the border. As 30 reg

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1 soon as I got away from him, Alice would see me. She’d 2 send somebody to pick me up. 3 “Just let me drive you home,” Jacob insisted. Unbe- 4 lievably, he had the nerve to wrap his arm around my waist. 5 I jerked away from him. 6 “Fine!” I growled. “Do! I can’t wait to see what Edward 7 does to you! I hope he snaps your neck, you pushy, obnox- 8 ious, moronic DOG!” 9 Jacob rolled his eyes. He walked me to the passenger 10 side of his car and helped me in. When he got in the 11 driver’s side, he was whistling. 12 “Didn’t I hurt you at all?” I asked, furious and an- 13 noyed. 14 “Are you kidding? If you hadn’t started screaming, I 15 might not have ﬁgured out that you were trying to punch 16 me. I may not be made out of stone, but I’m not that soft.” 17 “I hate you, Jacob Black.” 18 “That’s good. Hate is a passionate emotion.” 19 “I’ll give you passionate,” I muttered under my breath. 20 “Murder, the ultimate crime of passion.” 21 “Oh, c’mon,” he said, all cheery and looking like he 22 was about to start whistling again. “That had to be better 23 than kissing a rock.” 24 “Not even remotely close,” I told him coldly. 25 He pursed his lips. “You could just be saying that.” 26 “But I’m not.” 27 That seemed to bother him for a second, but then he 28 perked up. “You’re just mad. I don’t have any experience sh 29 with this kind of thing, but I thought it was pretty in- reg 30 credible myself.”

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“Ugh,” I groaned. 1 “You’re going to think about it tonight. When he 2 thinks you’re asleep, you’ll be thinking about your op- 3 tions.” 4 “If I think about you tonight, it will be because I’m 5 having a nightmare.” 6 He slowed the car to a crawl, turning to stare at me 7 with his dark eyes wide and earnest. “Just think about 8 how it could be, Bella,” he urged in a soft, eager voice. 9 “You wouldn’t have to change anything for me. You know 10 Charlie would be happy if you picked me. I could protect 11 you just as well as your vampire can — maybe better. And 12 I would make you happy, Bella. There’s so much I could 13 give you that he can’t. I’ll bet he couldn’t even kiss you 14 like that — because he would hurt you. I would never, 15 never hurt you, Bella.” 16 I held up my injured hand. 17 He sighed. “That wasn’t my fault. You should have 18 known better.” 19 “Jacob, I can’t be happy without him.” 20 “You’ve never tried,” he disagreed. “When he left, you 21 spent all your energy holding on to him. You could be 22 happy if you let go. You could be happy with me.” 23 “I don’t want to be happy with anyone but him,” I in- 24 sisted. 25 “You’ll never be able to be as sure of him as you are of 26 me. He left you once, he could do it again.” 27 “No, he will not,” I said through my teeth. The pain of 28 the memory bit into me like the lash of a whip. It made 29 sh me want to hurt him back. “You left me once,” I reminded 30 reg

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1 him in a cold voice, thinking of the weeks he’d hidden 2 from me, the words he’d said to me in the woods beside 3 his home.... 4 “I never did,” he argued hotly. “They told me I 5 couldn’t tell you — that it wasn’t safe for you if we were 6 together. But I never left, never! I used to run around your 7 house at night — like I do now. Just making sure you 8 were okay.” 9 I wasn’t about to let him make me feel bad for him now. 10 “Take me home. My hand hurts.” 11 He sighed, and started driving at a normal speed, 12 watching the road. 13 “Just think about it, Bella.” 14 “No,” I said stubbornly. 15 “You will. Tonight. And I’ll be thinking about you 16 while you’re thinking about me.” 17 “Like I said, a nightmare.” 18 He grinned over at me. “You kissed me back.” 19 I gasped, unthinkingly balling my hands up into ﬁsts 20 again, hissing when my broken hand reacted. 21 “Are you okay?” he asked. 22 “I did not.” 23 “I think I can tell the difference.” 24 “Obviously you can’t — that was not kissing back, 25 that was trying to get you the hell off of me, you idiot.” 26 He laughed a low, throaty laugh. “Touchy. Almost 27 overly defensive, I would say.” 28 I took a deep breath. There was no point in arguing sh 29 with him; he would twist anything I said. I concentrated reg 30 on my hand, trying to stretch out my ﬁngers, to ascertain

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where the broken parts were. Sharp pains stabbed along 1 my knuckles. I groaned. 2 “I’m really sorry about your hand,” Jacob said, sound- 3 ing almost sincere. “Next time you want to hit me, use a 4 baseball bat or a crowbar, okay?” 5 “Don’t think I’ll forget that,” I muttered. 6 I didn’t realize where we were going until we were on 7 my road. 8 “Why are you taking me here?” I demanded. 9 He looked at me blankly. “I thought you said you were 10 going home?” 11 “Ugh. I guess you can’t take me to Edward’s house, can 12 you?” I ground my teeth in frustration. 13 Pain twisted across his face, and I could see that this af- 14 fected him more than anything else I’d said. 15 “This is your home, Bella,” he said quietly. 16 “Yes, but do any doctors live here?” I asked, holding up 17 my hand again. 18 “Oh.” He thought about that for a minute. “I’ll take 19 you to the hospital. Or Charlie can.” 20 “I don’t want to go to the hospital. It’s embarrassing 21 and unnecessary.” 22 He let the Rabbit idle in front of the house, deliberat- 23 ing with an unsure expression. Charlie’s cruiser was in the 24 driveway. 25 I sighed. “Go home, Jacob.” 26 I climbed out of the car awkwardly, heading for the 27 house. The engine cut off behind me, and I was less sur- 28 prised than annoyed to ﬁnd Jacob beside me again. 29 sh “What are you going to do?” he asked. 30 reg

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1 “I am going to get some ice on my hand, and then I am 2 going to call Edward and tell him to come and get me and 3 take me to Carlisle so that he can ﬁx my hand. Then, if 4 you’re still here, I am going to go hunt up a crowbar.” 5 He didn’t answer. He opened the front door and held it 6 for me. 7 We walked silently past the front room where Charlie 8 was lying on the sofa. 9 “Hey, kids,” he said, sitting forward. “Nice to see you 10 here, Jake.” 11 “Hey, Charlie,” Jacob answered casually, pausing. I 12 stalked on to the kitchen. 13 “What’s wrong with her?” Charlie wondered. 14 “She thinks she broke her hand,” I heard Jacob tell him. 15 I went to the freezer and pulled out a tray of ice cubes. 16 “How did she do that?” As my father, I thought Char- 17 lie ought to sound a bit less amused and a bit more con- 18 cerned. 19 Jacob laughed. “She hit me.” 20 Charlie laughed, too, and I scowled while I beat the 21 tray against the edge of the sink. The ice scattered inside 22 the basin, and I grabbed a handful with my good hand and 23 wrapped the cubes in the dishcloth on the counter. 24 “Why did she hit you?” 25 “Because I kissed her,” Jacob said, unashamed. 26 “Good for you, kid,” Charlie congratulated him. 27 I ground my teeth and went for the phone. I dialed Ed- 28 ward’s cell. sh 29 “Bella?” he answered on the ﬁrst ring. He sounded reg 30 more than relieved — he was delighted. I could hear the

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Volvo’s engine in the background; he was already in the 1 car — that was good. “You left the phone...I’m sorry, 2 did Jacob drive you home?” 3 “Yes,” I grumbled. “Will you come and get me, please?” 4 “I’m on my way,” he said at once. “What’s wrong?” 5 “I want Carlisle to look at my hand. I think it’s 6 broken.” 7 It had gone quiet in the front room, and I wondered 8 when Jacob would bolt. I smiled a grim smile, imagining 9 his discomfort. 10 “What happened?” Edward demanded, his voice going 11 ﬂat. 12 “I punched Jacob,” I admitted. 13 “Good,” Edward said bleakly. “Though I’m sorry you’re 14 hurt.” 15 I laughed once, because he sounded as pleased as Char- 16 lie had. 17 “I wish I’d hurt him.” I sighed in frustration. “I didn’t 18 do any damage at all.” 19 “I can ﬁx that,” he offered. 20 “I was hoping you would say that.” 21 There was a slight pause. “That doesn’t sound like 22 you,” he said, wary now. “What did he do?” 23 “He kissed me,” I growled. 24 All I heard on the other end of the line was the sound 25 of an engine accelerating. 26 In the other room, Charlie spoke again. “Maybe you 27 ought to take off, Jake,” he suggested. 28 “I think I’ll hang out here, if you don’t mind.” 29 sh “Your funeral,” Charlie muttered. 30 reg

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1 “Is the dog still there?” Edward finally spoke again. 2 “Yes.” 3 “I’m around the corner,” he said darkly, and the line 4 disconnected. 5 As I hung up the phone, smiling, I heard the sound of 6 his car racing down the street. The brakes protested loudly 7 as he slammed to a stop out front. I went to get the door. 8 “How’s your hand?” Charlie asked as I walked by. 9 Charlie looked uncomfortable. Jacob lolled next to him on 10 the sofa, perfectly at ease. 11 I lifted the ice pack to show it off. “It’s swelling.” 12 “Maybe you should pick on people your own size,” 13 Charlie suggested. 14 “Maybe,” I agreed. I walked on to open the door. Ed- 15 ward was waiting. 16 “Let me see,” he murmured. 17 He examined my hand gently, so carefully that it 18 caused me no pain at all. His hands were almost as cold as 19 the ice, and they felt good against my skin. 20 “I think you’re right about the break,” he said. “I’m 21 proud of you. You must have put some force behind this.” 22 “As much as I have.” I sighed. “Not enough, apparently.” 23 He kissed my hand softly. “I’ll take care of it,” he 24 promised. And then he called, “Jacob,” his voice still quiet 25 and even. 26 “Now, now,” Charlie cautioned. 27 I heard Charlie heave himself off of the sofa. Jacob got 28 to the hall first, and much more quietly, but Charlie was sh 29 not far behind him. Jacob’s expression was alert and eager. reg 30 “I don’t want any fighting, do you understand?” Char-

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lie looked only at Edward when he spoke. “I can go put 1 my badge on if that makes my request more ofﬁcial.” 2 “That won’t be necessary,” Edward said in a restrained 3 tone. 4 “Why don’t you arrest me, Dad?” I suggested. “I’m the 5 one throwing punches.” 6 Charlie raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to press 7 charges, Jake?” 8 “No.” Jacob grinned, incorrigible. “I’ll take the trade 9 any day.” 10 Edward grimaced. 11 “Dad, don’t you have a baseball bat somewhere in your 12 room? I want to borrow it for a minute.” 13 Charlie looked at me evenly. “Enough, Bella.” 14 “Let’s go have Carlisle look at your hand before you 15 wind up in a jail cell,” Edward said. He put his arm 16 around me and pulled me toward the door. 17 “Fine,” I said, leaning against him. I wasn’t so angry 18 anymore, now that Edward was with me. I felt comforted, 19 and my hand didn’t bother me as much. 20 We were walking down the sidewalk when I heard 21 Charlie whispering anxiously behind me. 22 “What are you doing? Are you crazy?” 23 “Give me a minute, Charlie,” Jacob answered. “Don’t 24 worry, I’ll be right back.” 25 I looked back and Jacob was following us, stopping to 26 close the door in Charlie’s surprised and uneasy face. 27 Edward ignored him at ﬁrst, leading me to the car. He 28 helped me inside, shut the door, and then turned to face 29 sh Jacob on the sidewalk. 30 reg

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1 I leaned anxiously through the open window. Charlie 2 was visible in the house, peeking through the drapes in 3 the front room. 4 Jacob’s stance was casual, his arms folded across his 5 chest, but the muscles in his jaw were tight. 6 Edward spoke in a voice so peaceful and gentle that it 7 made the words strangely more threatening. “I’m not go- 8 ing to kill you now, because it would upset Bella.” 9 “Hmph,” I grumbled. 10 Edward turned slightly to throw me a quick smile. His 11 face was still calm. “It would bother you in the morning,” 12 he said, brushing his ﬁngers across my cheek. 13 Then he turned back to Jacob. “But if you ever bring 14 her back damaged again — and I don’t care whose fault it 15 is; I don’t care if she merely trips, or if a meteor falls out 16 of the sky and hits her in the head — if you return her to 17 me in less than the perfect condition that I left her in, you 18 will be running with three legs. Do you understand that, 19 mongrel?” 20 Jacob rolled his eyes. 21 “Who’s going back?” I muttered. 22 Edward continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “And if you 23 ever kiss her again, I will break your jaw for her,” he prom- 24 ised, his voice still gentle and velvet and deadly. 25 “What if she wants me to?” Jacob drawled, arrogant. 26 “Hah!” I snorted. 27 “If that’s what she wants, then I won’t object.” Edward 28 shrugged, untroubled. “You might want to wait for her to sh 29 say it, rather than trust your interpretation of body lan- reg 30 guage — but it’s your face.”

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Jacob grinned. 1 “You wish,” I grumbled. 2 “Yes, he does,” Edward murmured. 3 “Well, if you’re done rummaging through my head,” 4 Jacob said with a thick edge of annoyance, “why don’t you 5 go take care of her hand?” 6 “One more thing,” Edward said slowly. “I’ll be fighting 7 for her, too. You should know that. I’m not taking any- 8 thing for granted, and I’ll be fighting twice as hard as you 9 will.” 10 “Good,” Jacob growled. “It’s no fun beating someone 11 who forfeits.” 12 “She is mine.” Edward’s low voice was suddenly dark, 13 not as composed as before. “I didn’t say I would fight fair.” 14 “Neither did I.” 15 “Best of luck.” 16 Jacob nodded. “Yes, may the best man win.” 17 “That sounds about right...pup.” 18 Jacob grimaced briefly, then he composed his face and 19 leaned around Edward to smile at me. I glowered back. 20 “I hope your hand feels better soon. I’m really sorry 21 you’re hurt.” 22 Childishly, I turned my face away from him. 23 I didn’t look up again as Edward walked around the car 24 and climbed into the driver’s side, so I didn’t know if Ja- 25 cob went back into the house or continued to stand there, 26 watching me. 27 “How do you feel?” Edward asked as we drove away. 28 “Irritated.” 29 sh He chuckled. “I meant your hand.” 30 reg

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1 I shrugged. “I’ve had worse.” 2 “True,” he agreed, and frowned. 3 Edward drove around the house to the garage. Emmett 4 and Rosalie were there, Rosalie’s perfect legs, recognizable 5 even sheathed in jeans, were sticking out from under the 6 bottom of Emmett’s huge Jeep. Emmett was sitting be- 7 side her, one hand reached under the Jeep toward her. It 8 took me a moment to realize that he was acting as the jack. 9 Emmett watched curiously as Edward helped me care- 10 fully out of the car. His eyes zeroed in on the hand I cra- 11 dled against my chest. 12 Emmett grinned. “Fall down again, Bella?” 13 I glared at him ﬁercely. “No, Emmett. I punched a 14 werewolf in the face.” 15 Emmett blinked, and then burst into a roar of laughter. 16 As Edward led me past them, Rosalie spoke from un- 17 der the car. 18 “Jasper’s going to win the bet,” she said smugly. 19 Emmett’s laughter stopped at once, and he studied me 20 with appraising eyes. 21 “What bet?” I demanded, pausing. 22 “Let’s get you to Carlisle,” Edward urged. He was star- 23 ing at Emmett. His head shook inﬁnitesimally. 24 “What bet?” I insisted as I turned on him. 25 “Thanks, Rosalie,” he muttered as he tightened his arm 26 around my waist and pulled me toward the house. 27 “Edward...,” I grumbled. 28 “It’s infantile,” he shrugged. “Emmett and Jasper like sh 29 to gamble.” reg 30

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“Emmett will tell me.” I tried to turn, but his arm was 1 like iron around me. 2 He sighed. “They’re betting on how many times 3 you...slip up in the first year.” 4 “Oh.” I grimaced, trying to hide my sudden horror as I 5 realized what he meant. “They have a bet about how many 6 people I’ll kill?” 7 “Yes,” he admitted unwillingly. “Rosalie thinks your 8 temper will turn the odds in Jasper’s favor.” 9 I felt a little high. “Jasper’s betting high.” 10 “It will make him feel better if you have a hard time 11 adjusting. He’s tired of being the weakest link.” 12 “Sure. Of course it will. I guess I could throw in a few 13 extra homicides, if it makes Jasper happy. Why not?” I 14 was babbling, my voice a blank monotone. In my head, I 15 was seeing newspaper headlines, lists of names.... 16 He squeezed me. “You don’t need to worry about it 17 now. In fact, you don’t have to worry about it ever, if you 18 don’t want to.” 19 I groaned, and Edward, thinking it was the pain in my 20 hand that bothered me, pulled me faster toward the house. 21 My hand was broken, but there wasn’t any serious dam- 22 age, just a tiny fissure in one knuckle. I didn’t want a cast, 23 and Carlisle said I’d be fine in a brace if I promised to keep 24 it on. I promised. 25 Edward could tell I was out of it as Carlisle worked to 26 fit a brace carefully to my hand. He worried aloud a few 27 times that I was in pain, but I assured him that that 28 wasn’t it. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 As if I needed — or even had room for — one more 2 thing to worry about. 3 All of Jasper’s stories about newly created vampires had 4 been percolating in my head since he’d explained his past. 5 Now those stories jumped into sharp focus with the news 6 of his and Emmett’s wager. I wondered randomly what 7 they were betting. What was a motivating prize when you 8 had everything? 9 I’d always known that I would be different. I hoped 10 that I would be as strong as Edward said I would be. 11 Strong and fast and, most of all, beautiful. Someone who 12 could stand next to Edward and feel like she belonged 13 there. 14 I’d been trying not to think too much about the other 15 things that I would be. Wild. Bloodthirsty. Maybe I 16 would not be able to stop myself from killing people. 17 Strangers, people who had never harmed me. People like 18 the growing number of victims in Seattle, who’d had fam- 19 ilies and friends and futures. People who’d had lives. And I 20 could be the monster who took that away from them. 21 But, in truth, I could handle that part — because I 22 trusted Edward, trusted him absolutely, to keep me from 23 doing anything I would regret. I knew he’d take me to 24 Antarctica and hunt penguins if I asked him to. And I 25 would do whatever it took to be a good person. A good 26 vampire. That thought would have made me giggle, if not 27 for this new worry. 28 Because, if I really were somehow like that — like the sh 29 nightmarish images of newborns that Jasper had painted reg 30 in my head — could I possibly be me? And if all I wanted

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was to kill people, what would happen to the things I 1 wanted now? 2 Edward was so obsessed with me not missing anything 3 while I was human. Usually, it seemed kind of silly. There 4 weren’t many human experiences that I worried about 5 missing. As long as I got to be with Edward, what else 6 could I ask for? 7 I stared at his face while he watched Carlisle ﬁx my 8 hand. There was nothing in this world that I wanted more 9 than him. Would that, could that, change? 10 Was there a human experience that I was not willing to 11 give up? 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16. EPOCH 16 17 18 “I have nothing to wear!” I moaned to myself. 19 Every item of clothing I owned was strewn across my 20 bed; my drawers and closets were bare. I stared into the 21 empty recesses, willing something suitable to appear. 22 My khaki skirt lay over the back of the rocking chair, 23 waiting for me to discover something that went with it 24 just exactly right. Something that would make me look 25 beautiful and grown up. Something that said special occa- 26 sion. I was coming up empty. 27 It was almost time to go, and I was still wearing my fa- 28 vorite old sweats. Unless I could ﬁnd something better sh 29 here — and the odds weren’t looking good at this reg 30 point — I was going to graduate in them.

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I scowled at the pile of clothes on my bed. 1 The kicker was that I knew exactly what I would have 2 worn if it were still available — my kidnapped red blouse. 3 I punched the wall with my good hand. 4 “Stupid, thieving, annoying vampire!” I growled. 5 “What did I do?” Alice demanded. 6 She was leaning casually beside the open window as if 7 she’d been there the whole time. 8 “Knock, knock,” she added with a grin. 9 “Is it really so hard to wait for me to get the door?” 10 She threw a ﬂat, white box onto my bed. “I’m just 11 passing through. I thought you might need something to 12 wear.” 13 I looked at the big package lying on top of my unsatis- 14 fying wardrobe and grimaced. 15 “Admit it,” Alice said. “I’m a lifesaver.” 16 “You’re a lifesaver,” I muttered. “Thanks.” 17 “Well, it’s nice to get something right for a change. 18 You don’t know how irritating it is — missing things the 19 way I have been. I feel so useless. So...normal.” She 20 cringed in horror of the word. 21 “I can’t imagine how awful that must feel. Being nor- 22 mal? Ugh.” 23 She laughed. “Well, at least this makes up for missing 24 your annoying thief — now I just have to ﬁgure out what 25 I’m not seeing in Seattle.” 26 When she said the words that way — putting the two 27 situations together in one sentence — right then it 28 clicked. The elusive something that had been bothering 29 sh me for days, the important connection that I couldn’t 30 reg

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1 quite put together, suddenly became clear. I stared at her, 2 my face frozen with whatever expression was already in 3 place. 4 “Aren’t you going to open it?” she asked. She sighed 5 when I didn’t move immediately, and tugged the top of 6 the box off herself. She pulled something out and held it 7 up, but I couldn’t concentrate on what it was. “Pretty, 8 don’t you think? I picked blue, because I know it’s Ed- 9 ward’s favorite on you.” 10 I wasn’t listening. 11 “It’s the same,” I whispered. 12 “What is?” she demanded. “You don’t have anything 13 like this. For crying out loud, you only own one skirt!” 14 “No, Alice! Forget the clothes, listen!” 15 “You don’t like it?” Alice’s face clouded with disap- 16 pointment. 17 “Listen, Alice, don’t you see? It’s the same! The one who 18 broke in and stole my things, and the new vampires in 19 Seattle. They’re together!” 20 The clothes slipped from her ﬁngers and fell back into 21 the box. 22 Alice focused now, her voice suddenly sharp. “Why do 23 you think that?” 24 “Remember what Edward said? About someone using 25 the holes in your vision to keep you from seeing the new- 26 borns? And then what you said before, about the timing 27 being too perfect — how careful my thief was to make no 28 contact, as if he knew you would see that. I think you were sh 29 right, Alice, I think he did know. I think he was using reg 30 those holes, too. And what are the odds that two different

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people not only know enough about you to do that, but 1 also decided to do it at exactly the same time? No way. It’s 2 one person. The same one. The one who is making the 3 army is the one who stole my scent.” 4 Alice wasn’t accustomed to being taking by surprise. 5 She froze, and was still for so long that I started counting 6 in my head as I waited. She didn’t move for two minutes 7 straight. Then her eyes refocused on me. 8 “You’re right,” she said in a hollow tone. “Of course 9 you’re right. And when you put it that way....” 10 “Edward had it wrong,” I whispered. “It was a test... 11 to see if it would work. If he could get in and out safely as 12 long as he didn’t do anything you would be watching out 13 for. Like trying to kill me....And he didn’t take my 14 things to prove he’d found me. He stole my scent...so 15 that others could ﬁnd me.” 16 Her eyes were wide with shock. I was right, and I could 17 see that she knew it, too. 18 “Oh, no,” she mouthed. 19 I was through expecting my emotions to make sense 20 anymore. As I processed the fact that someone had created 21 an army of vampires — the army that had gruesomely 22 murdered dozens of people in Seattle — for the express 23 purpose of destroying me, I felt a spasm of relief. 24 Part of it was ﬁnally solving that irritating feeling that 25 I was missing something vital. 26 But the larger part was something else entirely. 27 “Well,” I whispered, “everyone can relax. Nobody’s 28 trying to exterminate the Cullens after all.” 29 sh “If you think that one thing has changed, you’re 30 reg

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1 absolutely wrong,” Alice said through her teeth. “If some- 2 one wants one of us, they’re going to have to go through 3 the rest of us to get to her.” 4 “Thanks, Alice. But at least we know what they’re 5 really after. That has to help.” 6 “Maybe,” she muttered. She started pacing back and 7 forth across my room. 8 Thud, thud — a ﬁst hammered against my door. 9 I jumped. Alice didn’t seem to notice. 10 “Aren’t you ready yet? We’re gonna be late!” Charlie 11 complained, sounding edgy. Charlie hated occasions about 12 as much as I did. In his case, a lot of the problem was hav- 13 ing to dress up. 14 “Almost. Give me a minute,” I said hoarsely. 15 He was quiet for half a second. “Are you crying?” 16 “No. I’m nervous. Go away.” 17 I heard him clump down the stairs. 18 “I have to go,” Alice whispered. 19 “Why?” 20 “Edward is coming. If he hears this...” 21 “Go, go!” I urged immediately. Edward would go ber- 22 serk when he knew. I couldn’t keep it from him for long, 23 but maybe the graduation ceremony wasn’t the best time 24 for his reaction. 25 “Put it on,” Alice commanded as she ﬂitted out the 26 window. 27 I did what she said, dressing in a daze. 28 I’d been planning to do something more sophisticated sh 29 with my hair, but time was up, so it hung straight and reg 30 boring as on any other day. It didn’t matter. I didn’t

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bother to look in the mirror, so I had no idea how Alice’s 1 sweater and skirt ensemble worked. That didn’t matter, 2 either. I threw the ugly yellow polyester graduation robe 3 over my arm and hurried down the stairs. 4 “You look nice,” Charlie said, already gruff with sup- 5 pressed emotion. “Is that new?” 6 “Yeah,” I mumbled, trying to concentrate. “Alice gave 7 it to me. Thanks.” 8 Edward arrived just a few minutes after his sister left. 9 It wasn’t enough time for me to pull together a calm 10 façade. But, since we were riding in the cruiser with Char- 11 lie, he never had a chance to ask me what was wrong. 12 Charlie had gotten stubborn last week when he’d 13 learned that I was intending to ride with Edward to the 14 graduation ceremony. And I could see his point — parents 15 should have some rights come graduation day. I’d con- 16 ceded with good grace, and Edward had cheerfully sug- 17 gested that we all go together. Since Carlisle and Esme had 18 no problem with this, Charlie couldn’t come up with a 19 compelling objection; he’d agreed with poor grace. And 20 now Edward rode in the backseat of my father’s police car, 21 behind the ﬁberglass divider, with an amused expression — 22 probably due to my father’s amused expression, and the 23 grin that widened every time Charlie stole a glance at 24 Edward in his rearview mirror. Which almost certainly 25 meant that Charlie was imagining things that would get 26 him in trouble with me if he said them out loud. 27 “Are you all right?” Edward whispered when he helped 28 me from the front seat in the school parking lot. 29 sh “Nervous,” I answered, and it wasn’t even a lie. 30 reg

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1 “You are so beautiful,” he said. 2 He looked like he wanted to say more, but Charlie, in 3 an obvious maneuver that he meant to be subtle, shrugged 4 in between us and put his arm around my shoulders. 5 “Are you excited?” he asked me. 6 “Not really,” I admitted. 7 “Bella, this is a big deal. You’re graduating from high 8 school. It’s the real world for you now. College. Living on 9 your own....You’re not my little girl anymore.” Charlie 10 choked up a bit at the end. 11 “Dad,” I moaned. “Please don’t get all weepy on me.” 12 “Who’s weepy?” he growled. “Now, why aren’t you ex- 13 cited?” 14 “I don’t know, Dad. I guess it hasn’t hit yet or some- 15 thing.” 16 “It’s good that Alice is throwing this party. You need 17 something to perk you up.” 18 “Sure. A party’s exactly what I need.” 19 Charlie laughed at my tone and squeezed my shoul- 20 ders. Edward looked at the clouds, his face thoughtful. 21 My father had to leave us at the back door of the gym 22 and go around to the main entrance with the rest of the 23 parents. 24 It was pandemonium as Ms. Cope from the front ofﬁce 25 and Mr. Varner the math teacher tried to line everyone up 26 alphabetically. 27 “Up front, Mr. Cullen,” Mr. Varner barked at Edward. 28 “Hey, Bella!” sh 29 I looked up to see Jessica Stanley waving at me from reg 30 the back of the line with a smile on her face.

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Edward kissed me quickly, sighed, and went to go 1 stand with the C’s. Alice wasn’t there. What was she go- 2 ing to do? Skip graduation? What poor timing on my 3 part. I should have waited to figure things out until after 4 this was over with. 5 “Down here, Bella!” Jessica called again. 6 I walked down the line to take my place behind Jessica, 7 mildly curious as to why she was suddenly so friendly. As 8 I got closer, I saw Angela five people back, watching Jes- 9 sica with the same curiosity. 10 Jess was babbling before I was in earshot. 11 “. . . so amazing. I mean, it seems like we just met, and 12 now we’re graduating together,” she gushed. “Can you be- 13 lieve it’s over? I feel like screaming!” 14 “So do I,” I muttered. 15 “This is all just so incredible. Do you remember your 16 first day here? We were friends, like, right away. From the 17 first time we saw each other. Amazing. And now I’m off to 18 California and you’ll be in Alaska and I’m going to miss 19 you so much! You have to promise that we’ll get together 20 sometimes! I’m so glad you’re having a party. That’s per- 21 fect. Because we really haven’t spent much time together 22 in a while and now we’re all leaving....” 23 She droned on and on, and I was sure the sudden return 24 of our friendship was due to graduation nostalgia and 25 gratitude for the party invite, not that I’d had anything to 26 do with that. I paid attention as well as I could while I 27 shrugged into my robe. And I found that I was glad that 28 things could end on a good note with Jessica. 29 sh Because it was an ending, no matter what Eric, the 30 reg

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1 valedictorian, had to say about commencement meaning 2 “beginning” and all the rest of the trite nonsense. Maybe 3 more for me than for the rest, but we were all leaving 4 something behind us today. 5 It went so quickly. I felt like I’d hit the fast forward 6 button. Were we supposed to march quite that fast? And 7 then Eric was speed talking in his nervousness, the words 8 and phrases running together so they didn’t make sense 9 anymore. Principal Greene started calling names, one after 10 the other without a long enough pause between; the front 11 row in the gymnasium was rushing to catch up. Poor Ms. 12 Cope was all thumbs as she tried to give the principal the 13 right diploma to hand to the right student. 14 I watched as Alice, suddenly appearing, danced across 15 the stage to take hers, a look of deep concentration on her 16 face. Edward followed behind, his expression confused, 17 but not upset. Only the two of them could carry off the 18 hideous yellow and still look the way they did. They stood 19 out from the rest of the crowd, their beauty and grace other- 20 worldly. I wondered how I’d ever fallen for their human 21 farce. A couple of angels, standing there with wings intact, 22 would be less conspicuous. 23 I heard Mr. Greene call my name and I rose from my 24 chair, waiting for the line in front of me to move. I was 25 conscious of cheering in the back of the gym, and I looked 26 around to see Jacob pulling Charlie to his feet, both of 27 them hooting in encouragement. I could just make out the 28 top of Billy’s head beside Jake’s elbow. I managed to throw sh 29 them an approximation of a smile. reg 30 Mr. Greene ﬁnished with the list of names, and then

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continued to hand out diplomas with a sheepish grin as we 1 ﬁled past. 2 “Congratulations, Miss Stanley,” he mumbled as Jess 3 took hers. 4 “Congratulations, Miss Swan,” he mumbled to me, 5 pressing the diploma into my good hand. 6 “Thanks,” I murmured. 7 And that was it. 8 I went to stand next to Jessica with the assembled 9 graduates. Jess was all red around the eyes, and she kept 10 blotting her face with the sleeve of her robe. It took me a 11 second to understand that she was crying. 12 Mr. Greene said something I didn’t hear, and everyone 13 around me shouted and screamed. Yellow hats rained 14 down. I pulled mine off, too late, and just let it fall to the 15 ground. 16 “Oh, Bella!” Jess blubbered over the sudden roar of 17 conversation. “I can’t believe we’re done.” 18 “I can’t believe it’s all over,” I mumbled. 19 She threw her arms around my neck. “You have to 20 promise we won’t lose touch.” 21 I hugged her back, feeling a little awkward as I dodged 22 her request. “I’m so glad I know you, Jessica. It was a good 23 two years.” 24 “It was,” she sighed, and sniffed. Then she dropped her 25 arms. “Lauren!” she squealed, waving over her head and 26 pushing through the massed yellow gowns. Families were 27 beginning to converge, pressing us tighter together. 28 I caught sight of Angela and Ben, but they were sur- 29 sh rounded by their families. I would congratulate them later. 30 reg

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1 I craned my head, looking for Alice. 2 “Congratulations,” Edward whispered in my ear, his 3 arms winding around my waist. His voice was subdued; he’d 4 been in no hurry for me to reach this particular milestone. 5 “Um, thanks.” 6 “You don’t look like you’re over the nerves yet,” he noted. 7 “Not quite yet.” 8 “What’s left to worry about? The party? It won’t be 9 that horrible.” 10 “You’re probably right.” 11 “Who are you looking for?” 12 My searching wasn’t quite as subtle as I’d thought. 13 “Alice — where is she?” 14 “She ran out as soon as she had her diploma.” 15 His voice took on a new tone. I looked up to see his 16 confused expression as he stared toward the back door of 17 the gym, and I made an impulse decision — the kind I 18 really should think twice about, but rarely did. 19 “Worrying about Alice?” I asked. 20 “Er . . .” He didn’t want to answer that. 21 “What was she thinking about, anyway? To keep you 22 out, I mean.” 23 His eyes ﬂashed down to my face, and narrowed in sus- 24 picion. “She was translating the Battle Hymn of the Re- 25 public into Arabic, actually. When she ﬁnished that, she 26 moved on to Korean sign language.” 27 I laughed nervously. “I suppose that would keep her 28 head busy enough.” sh 29 “You know what she’s hiding from me,” he accused. reg 30

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“Sure.” I smiled a weak smile. “I’m the one who came 1 up with it.” 2 He waited, confused. 3 I looked around. Charlie would be on his way through 4 the crowd now. 5 “Knowing Alice,” I whispered in a rush, “she’ll proba- 6 bly try to keep this from you until after the party. But 7 since I’m all for the party being canceled — well, don’t go 8 berserk, regardless, okay? It’s always better to know as 9 much as possible. It has to help somehow.” 10 “What are you talking about?” 11 I saw Charlie’s head bob up over the other heads as he 12 searched for me. He spotted me and waved. 13 “Just stay calm, okay?” 14 He nodded once, his mouth a grim line. 15 In hurried whispers I explained my reasoning to him. 16 “I think you’re wrong about things coming at us from all 17 sides. I think it’s mostly coming at us from one side... 18 and I think it’s coming at me, really. It’s all connected, it has 19 to be. It’s just one person who’s messing with Alice’s vi- 20 sions. The stranger in my room was a test, to see if some- 21 one could get around her. It’s got to be the same one who 22 keeps changing his mind, and the newborns, and stealing 23 my clothes — all of it goes together. My scent is for them.” 24 His face had turned so white that I had a hard time ﬁn- 25 ishing. 26 “But no one’s coming for you, don’t you see? This is 27 good — Esme and Alice and Carlisle, no one wants to 28 hurt them!” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 His eyes were huge, wide with panic, dazed and horri- 2 fied. He could see that I was right, just as Alice had. 3 I put my hand on his cheek. “Calm,” I pleaded. 4 “Bella!” Charlie crowed, pushing his way past the 5 close-packed families around us. 6 “Congratulations, baby!” He was still yelling, even 7 though he was right at my ear now. He wrapped his arms 8 around me, ever so slyly shuffling Edward off to the side as 9 he did so. 10 “Thanks,” I muttered, preoccupied by the expression 11 on Edward’s face. He still hadn’t gained control. His hands 12 were halfway extended toward me, like he was about to 13 grab me and make a run for it. Only slightly more in con- 14 trol of myself than he was, running didn’t seem like such a 15 terrible idea to me. 16 “Jacob and Billy had to take off — did you see that 17 they were here?” Charlie asked, taking a step back, but 18 keeping his hands on my shoulders. He had his back to 19 Edward — probably an effort to exclude him, but that 20 was fine at the moment. Edward’s mouth was hanging 21 open, his eyes still wide with dread. 22 “Yeah,” I assured my father, trying to pay enough at- 23 tention. “Heard them, too.” 24 “It was nice of them to show up,” Charlie said. 25 “Mm-hmm.” 26 Okay, so telling Edward had been a really bad idea. Al- 27 ice was right to keep her thoughts clouded. I should have 28 waited till we were alone somewhere, maybe with the rest sh 29 of his family. And nothing breakable close by — like win- reg 30 dows...cars...school buildings. His face brought back

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all my fear and then some. Though his expression was past 1 the fear now — it was pure fury that was suddenly plain 2 on his features. 3 “So where do you want to go out for dinner?” Charlie 4 asked. “The sky’s the limit.” 5 “I can cook.” 6 “Don’t be silly. Do you want to go to the Lodge?” he 7 asked with an eager smile. 8 I did not particularly enjoy Charlie’s favorite restau- 9 rant, but, at this point, what was the difference? I wasn’t 10 going to be able to eat anyway. 11 “Sure, the Lodge, cool,” I said. 12 Charlie smiled wider, and then sighed. He turned his 13 head halfway toward Edward, without really looking at him. 14 “You coming, too, Edward?” 15 I stared at him, my eyes beseeching. Edward pulled his 16 expression together just before Charlie turned to see why 17 he hadn’t gotten an answer. 18 “No, thank you,” Edward said stifﬂy, his face hard and 19 cold. 20 “Do you have plans with your parents?” Charlie asked, 21 a frown in his voice. Edward was always more polite than 22 Charlie deserved; the sudden hostility surprised him. 23 “Yes. If you’ll excuse me. . . .” Edward turned abruptly 24 and stalked away through the dwindling crowd. He 25 moved just a little bit too fast, too upset to keep up his 26 usually perfect charade. 27 “What did I say?” Charlie asked with a guilty expression. 28 “Don’t worry about it, Dad,” I reassured him. “I don’t 29 sh think it’s you.” 30 reg

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1 “Are you two fighting again?” 2 “Nobody’s fighting. Mind your own business.” 3 “You are my business.” 4 I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go eat.” 5 The Lodge was crowded. The place was, in my opinion, 6 overpriced and tacky, but it was the only thing close to a 7 formal restaurant in town, so it was always popular for 8 events. I stared morosely at a depressed-looking stuffed elk 9 head while Charlie ate prime rib and talked over the back of 10 the seat to Tyler Crowley’s parents. It was noisy — everyone 11 there had just come from graduation, and most were chat- 12 ting across the aisles and over the booth-tops like Charlie. 13 I had my back to the front windows, and I resisted the 14 urge to turn around and search for the eyes I could feel on 15 me now. I knew I wouldn’t be able to see anything. Just as 16 I knew there was no chance that he would leave me un- 17 guarded, even for a second. Not after this. 18 Dinner dragged. Charlie, busy socializing, ate too 19 slowly. I picked at my burger, stuffing pieces of it into my 20 napkin when I was sure his attention was somewhere else. 21 It all seemed to take a very long time, but when I looked 22 at the clock — which I did more often than necessary — 23 the hands hadn’t moved much. 24 Finally Charlie got his change back and put a tip on the 25 table. I stood up. 26 “In a hurry?” he asked me. 27 “I want to help Alice set things up,” I claimed. 28 “Okay.” He turned away from me to say goodnight to sh 29 everyone. I went out to wait by the cruiser. reg 30 I leaned against the passenger door, waiting for Charlie

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to drag himself away from the impromptu party. It was al- 1 most dark in the parking lot, the clouds so thick that there 2 was no telling if the sun had set or not. The air felt heavy, 3 like it was about to rain. 4 Something moved in the shadows. 5 My gasp turned into a sigh of relief as Edward appeared 6 out of the gloom. 7 Without a word, he pulled me tightly against his 8 chest. One cool hand found my chin, and pulled my face 9 up so that he could press his hard lips to mine. I could feel 10 the tension in his jaw. 11 “How are you?” I asked as soon as he let me breathe. 12 “Not so great,” he murmured. “But I’ve got a handle 13 on myself. I’m sorry that I lost it back there.” 14 “My fault. I should have waited to tell you.” 15 “No,” he disagreed. “This is something I needed to 16 know. I can’t believe I didn’t see it!” 17 “You’ve got a lot on your mind.” 18 “And you don’t?” 19 He suddenly kissed me again, not letting me answer. 20 He pulled away after just a second. “Charlie’s on his way.” 21 “I’ll have him drop me at your house.” 22 “I’ll follow you there.” 23 “That’s not really necessary,” I tried to say, but he was 24 already gone. 25 “Bella?” Charlie called from the doorway of the restau- 26 rant, squinting into the darkness. 27 “I’m out here.” 28 Charlie sauntered out to the car, muttering about im- 29 sh patience. 30 reg

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1 “So, how do you feel?” he asked me as we drove north 2 along the highway. “It’s been a big day.” 3 “I feel ﬁne,” I lied. 4 He laughed, seeing through me easily. “Worried about 5 the party?” he guessed. 6 “Yeah,” I lied again. 7 This time he didn’t notice. “You were never one for the 8 parties.” 9 “Wonder where I got that from,” I murmured. 10 Charlie chuckled. “Well, you look really nice. I wish 11 I’d thought to get you something. Sorry.” 12 “Don’t be silly, Dad.” 13 “It’s not silly. I feel like I don’t always do everything for 14 you that I should.” 15 “That’s ridiculous. You do a fantastic job. World’s best 16 dad. And . . .” It wasn’t easy to talk about feelings with 17 Charlie, but I persevered after clearing my throat. “And 18 I’m really glad I came to live with you, Dad. It was the 19 best idea I ever had. So don’t worry — you’re just experi- 20 encing post-graduation pessimism.” 21 He snorted. “Maybe. But I’m sure I slipped up in a few 22 places. I mean, look at your hand!” 23 I stared down blankly at my hands. My left hand rested 24 lightly on the dark brace I rarely thought about. My bro- 25 ken knuckle didn’t hurt much anymore. 26 “I never thought I needed to teach you how to throw a 27 punch. Guess I was wrong about that.” 28 “I thought you were on Jacob’s side?” sh 29 “No matter what side I’m on, if someone kisses you reg 30 without your permission, you should be able to make your

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feelings clear without hurting yourself. You didn’t keep 1 your thumb inside your fist, did you?” 2 “No, Dad. That’s kind of sweet in a weird way, but I 3 don’t think lessons would have helped. Jacob’s head is 4 really hard.” 5 Charlie laughed. “Hit him in the gut next time.” 6 “Next time?” I asked incredulously. 7 “Aw, don’t be too hard on the kid. He’s young.” 8 “He’s obnoxious.” 9 “He’s still your friend.” 10 “I know.” I sighed. “I don’t really know what the right 11 thing to do here is, Dad.” 12 Charlie nodded slowly. “Yeah. The right thing isn’t al- 13 ways real obvious. Sometimes the right thing for one per- 14 son is the wrong thing for someone else. So...good luck 15 figuring that out.” 16 “Thanks,” I muttered dryly. 17 Charlie laughed again, and then frowned. “If this party 18 gets too wild...,” he began. 19 “Don’t worry about it, Dad. Carlisle and Esme are go- 20 ing to be there. I’m sure you can come, too, if you want.” 21 Charlie grimaced as he squinted through the wind- 22 shield into the night. Charlie enjoyed a good party just 23 about as much as I did. 24 “Where’s the turnoff, again?” he asked. “They ought to 25 clear out their drive — it’s impossible to find in the dark.” 26 “Just around the next bend, I think.” I pursed my lips. 27 “You know, you’re right — it is impossible to find. Alice 28 said she put a map in the invitation, but even so, maybe 29 sh everyone will get lost.” I cheered up slightly at the idea. 30 reg

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1 “Maybe,” Charlie said as the road curved to the east. 2 “Or maybe not.” 3 The black velvet darkness was interrupted ahead, just 4 where the Cullens’ drive should be. Someone had wrapped 5 the trees on either side in thousands of twinkle lights, im- 6 possible to miss. 7 “Alice,” I said sourly. 8 “Wow,” Charlie said as we turned onto the drive. The 9 two trees at the entry weren’t the only ones lit. Every twenty 10 feet or so, another shining beacon guided us toward the 11 big white house. All the way — all three miles of the way. 12 “She doesn’t do things halfway, does she?” Charlie mum- 13 bled in awe. 14 “Sure you don’t want to come in?” 15 “Extremely sure. Have fun, kid.” 16 “Thanks so much, Dad.” 17 He was laughing to himself as I got out and shut the 18 door. I watched him drive away, still grinning. With a 19 sigh, I marched up the stairs to endure my party. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 17. ALLIANCE 15 16 17 “Bella?” 18 Edward’s soft voice came from behind me. I turned to 19 see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair wind- 20 blown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, 21 just like he had in the parking lot, and kissed me again. 22 This kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, 23 too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine — 24 like he was afraid we only had so much time left to us. 25 I couldn’t let myself think about that. Not if I was go- 26 ing to have to act human for the next several hours. I 27 pulled away from him. 28 “Let’s get this stupid party over with,” I mumbled, not 29 sh meeting his eyes. 30 reg

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1 He put his hands on either side of my face, waiting un- 2 til I looked up. 3 “I won’t let anything happen to you.” 4 I touched his lips with the ﬁngers of my good hand. 5 “I’m not worried about myself so much.” 6 “Why am I not surprised by that?” he muttered to him- 7 self. He took a deep breath, and then he smiled slightly. 8 “Ready to celebrate?” he asked. 9 I groaned. 10 He held the door for me, keeping his arm securely 11 around my waist. I stood frozen there for a minute, then I 12 slowly shook my head. 13 “Unbelievable.” 14 Edward shrugged. “Alice will be Alice.” 15 The interior of the Cullens’ home had been trans- 16 formed into a nightclub — the kind that didn’t often ex- 17 ist in real life, only on TV. 18 “Edward!” Alice called from beside a gigantic speaker. 19 “I need your advice.” She gestured toward a towering 20 stack of CDs. “Should we give them familiar and comfort- 21 ing? Or” — she gestured to a different pile — “educate 22 their taste in music?” 23 “Keep it comforting,” Edward recommended. “You 24 can only lead the horse to water.” 25 Alice nodded seriously, and started throwing the edu- 26 cational CDs into a box. I noticed that she had changed 27 into a sequined tank top and red leather pants. Her bare 28 skin reacted oddly to the pulsing red and purple lights. sh 29 “I think I’m underdressed.” reg 30 “You’re perfect,” Edward disagreed.

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“You’ll do,” Alice amended. 1 “Thanks.” I sighed. “Do you really think people will 2 come?” Anyone could hear the hope in my voice. Alice 3 made a face at me. 4 “Everyone will come,” Edward answered. “They’re all 5 dying to see the inside of the reclusive Cullens’ mystery 6 house.” 7 “Fabulous,” I moaned. 8 There wasn’t anything I could do to help. I doubted 9 that — even after I didn’t need sleep and moved at a much 10 faster speed — I would ever be able to get things done the 11 way Alice did. 12 Edward refused to let me go for a second, dragging me 13 along with him as he hunted up Jasper and then Carlisle 14 to tell them of my epiphany. I listened with quiet horror 15 as they discussed their attack on the army in Seattle. I 16 could tell that Jasper was not pleased with the way the 17 numbers stood, but they’d been unable to contact anyone 18 besides Tanya’s unwilling family. Jasper didn’t try to hide 19 his desperation the way Edward would have. It was easy to 20 see that he didn’t like gambling with stakes this high. 21 I couldn’t stay behind, waiting and hoping for them to 22 come home. I wouldn’t. I would go mad. 23 The doorbell rang. 24 All at once, everything was surreally normal. A perfect 25 smile, genuine and warm, replaced the stress on Carlisle’s 26 face. Alice turned the volume of the music up, and then 27 danced to get the door. 28 It was a Suburban-load of my friends, either too ner- 29 sh vous or too intimidated to arrive on their own. Jessica was 30 reg

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1 the ﬁrst one in the door, with Mike right behind her. Ty- 2 ler, Conner, Austin, Lee, Samantha...even Lauren trail- 3 ing in last, her critical eyes alight with curiosity. They all 4 were curious, and then overwhelmed as they took in the 5 huge room decked out like a chic rave. The room wasn’t 6 empty; all the Cullens had taken their places, ready to put 7 on their usual perfect human charade. Tonight I felt like I 8 was acting every bit as much as they were. 9 I went to greet Jess and Mike, hoping the edge in my 10 voice sounded like the right kind of excitement. Before I 11 could get to anyone else, the bell rang again. I let Angela 12 and Ben in, leaving the door wide, because Eric and Katie 13 were just reaching the steps. 14 I didn’t get another chance to panic. I had to talk to 15 everyone, concentrate on being upbeat, a hostess. Though 16 the party had been billed as a joint event for Alice, Ed- 17 ward, and me, there was no denying that I was the most 18 popular target for congratulations and thanks. Maybe be- 19 cause the Cullens looked just slightly wrong under Alice’s 20 party lights. Maybe because those lights left the room dim 21 and mysterious. Not an atmosphere to make your average 22 human feel relaxed when standing next to someone like 23 Emmett. I saw Emmett grin at Mike over the food table, 24 the red lights gleaming off his teeth, and watched Mike 25 take an automatic step back. 26 Probably Alice had done this on purpose, to force me 27 into the center of attention — a place she thought I 28 should enjoy more. She was forever trying to make me be sh 29 human the way she thought humans should be. reg 30

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The party was a clear success, despite the instinctive 1 edginess cause by the Cullens’ presence — or maybe that 2 simply added a thrill to the atmosphere. The music was 3 infectious, the lights almost hypnotic. From the way the 4 food disappeared, that must have been good, too. The 5 room was soon crowded, though never claustrophobic. 6 The entire senior class seemed to be there, along with 7 most of the juniors. Bodies swayed to the beat that rum- 8 bled under the soles of their feet, the party constantly on 9 the edge of breaking into a dance. 10 It wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it would be. I followed 11 Alice’s lead, mingling and chatting for a minute with 12 everyone. They seemed easy enough to please. I was sure 13 this party was far cooler than anything the town of Forks 14 had experienced before. Alice was almost purring — no 15 one here would forget this night. 16 I’d circled the room once, and was back to Jessica. She 17 babbled excitedly, and it was not necessary to pay strict at- 18 tention, because the odds were she wouldn’t need a re- 19 sponse from me anytime soon. Edward was at my side — 20 still refusing to let go of me. He kept one hand securely at 21 my waist, pulling me closer now and then in response to 22 thoughts I probably didn’t want to hear. 23 So I was immediately suspicious when he dropped his 24 arm and edged away from me. 25 “Stay here,” he murmured in my ear. “I’ll be right back.” 26 He passed gracefully through the crowd without seem- 27 ing to touch any of the close-packed bodies, gone too 28 quickly for me to ask why he was leaving. I stared after 29 sh 30 reg

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1 him with narrowed eyes while Jessica shouted over the 2 music eagerly, hanging on to my elbow, oblivious to my 3 distraction. 4 I watched him as he reached the dark shadow beside 5 the kitchen doorway, where the lights only shone inter- 6 mittently. He was leaning over someone, but I couldn’t see 7 past all the heads between us. 8 I stretched up on my toes, craning my neck. Right 9 then, a red light ﬂashed across his back and glinted off the 10 red sequins of Alice’s shirt. The light only touched her face 11 for half a second, but it was enough. 12 “Excuse me for a minute, Jess,” I mumbled, pulling my 13 arm away. I didn’t pause for her reaction, even to see if I’d 14 hurt her feelings with my abruptness. 15 I ducked my way through the bodies, getting shoved 16 around a bit. A few people were dancing now. I hurried to 17 the kitchen door. 18 Edward was gone, but Alice was still there in the dark, 19 her face blank — the kind of expressionless look you see 20 on the face of someone who has just witnessed a horrible 21 accident. One of her hands gripped the door frame, like 22 she needed the support. 23 “What, Alice, what? What did you see?” My hands 24 were clutched in front of me — begging. 25 She didn’t look at me, she was staring away. I followed 26 her gaze and watched as she caught Edward’s eye across 27 the room. His face was empty as a stone. He turned and 28 disappeared into the shadows under the stair. sh 29 The doorbell rang just then, hours after the last time, reg 30

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and Alice looked up with a puzzled expression that 1 quickly turned into one of disgust. 2 “Who invited the werewolf?” she griped at me. 3 I scowled. “Guilty.” 4 I’d thought I’d rescinded that invitation — not that 5 I’d ever dreamed Jacob would come here, regardless. 6 “Well, you go take care of it, then. I have to talk to 7 Carlisle.” 8 “No, Alice, wait!” I tried to reach for her arm, but she 9 was gone and my hand clutched the empty air. 10 “Damn it!” I grumbled. 11 I knew this was it. Alice had seen what she’d been 12 waiting for, and I honestly didn’t feel I could stand the 13 suspense long enough to answer the door. The doorbell 14 peeled again, too long, someone holding down the button. 15 I turned my back toward the door resolutely, and scanned 16 the darkened room for Alice. 17 I couldn’t see anything. I started pushing for the stairs. 18 “Hey, Bella!” 19 Jacob’s deep voice caught a lull in the music, and I 20 looked up in spite of myself at the sound of my name. 21 I made a face. 22 It wasn’t just one werewolf, it was three. Jacob had let 23 himself in, ﬂanked on either side by Quil and Embry. The 24 two of them looked terribly tense, their eyes ﬂickering 25 around the room like they’d just walked into a haunted 26 crypt. Embry’s trembling hand still held the door, his 27 body half-turned to run for it. 28 Jacob was waving at me, calmer than the others, 29 sh 30 reg

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1 though his nose was wrinkled in disgust. I waved back — 2 waved goodbye — and turned to look for Alice. I squeezed 3 through a space between Conner’s and Lauren’s backs. 4 He came out of nowhere, his hand on my shoulder 5 pulling me back toward the shadow by the kitchen. I 6 ducked under his grip, but he grabbed my good wrist and 7 yanked me from the crowd. 8 “Friendly reception,” he noted. 9 I pulled my hand free and scowled at him. “What are 10 you doing here?” 11 “You invited me, remember?” 12 “In case my right hook was too subtle for you, let me 13 translate: that was me uninviting you.” 14 “Don’t be a poor sport. I brought you a graduation 15 present and everything.” 16 I folded my arms across my chest. I didn’t want to ﬁght 17 with Jacob right now. I wanted to know what Alice had 18 seen and what Edward and Carlisle were saying about it. I 19 craned my head around Jacob, searching for them. 20 “Take it back to the store, Jake. I’ve got to do some- 21 thing....” 22 He stepped into my line of sight, demanding my at- 23 tention. 24 “I can’t take it back. I didn’t get it from the store — I 25 made it myself. Took a really long time, too.” 26 I leaned around him again, but I couldn’t see any of the 27 Cullens. Where had they gone? My eyes scanned the dark- 28 ened room. sh 29 “Oh, c’mon, Bell. Don’t pretend like I’m not here!” reg 30

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“I’m not.” I couldn’t see them anywhere. “Look, Jake, 1 I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.” 2 He put his hand under my chin and pulled my face up. 3 “Could I please have just a few seconds of your undivided 4 attention, Miss Swan?” 5 I jerked away from his touch. “Keep your hands to 6 yourself, Jacob,” I hissed. 7 “Sorry!” he said at once, holding his hands up in sur- 8 render. “I really am sorry. About the other day, I mean, 9 too. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. It was wrong. I 10 guess...well, I guess I deluded myself into thinking you 11 wanted me to.” 12 “Deluded — what a perfect description!” 13 “Be nice. You could accept my apology, you know.” 14 “Fine. Apology accepted. Now, if you’ll just excuse me 15 for a moment...” 16 “Okay,” he mumbled, and his voice was so different 17 from before that I stoppd searching for Alice and scruti- 18 nized his face. He was staring at the ﬂoor, hiding his eyes. 19 His lower lip jutted out just a little bit. 20 “I guess you’d rather be with your real friends,” he said 21 in the same defeated tone. “I get it.” 22 I groaned. “Aw, Jake, you know that’s not fair.” 23 “Do I?” 24 “You should.” I leaned forward, peering up, trying to 25 look into his eyes. He looked up then, over my head, 26 avoiding my gaze. 27 “Jake?” 28 He refused to look at me. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Hey, you said you made me something, right?” I 2 asked. “Was that just talk? Where’s my present?” My at- 3 tempt to fake enthusiasm was pretty sad, but it worked. 4 He rolled his eyes and then grimaced at me. 5 I kept up the lame pretense, holding my hand open in 6 front of me. “I’m waiting.” 7 “Right,” he grumbled sarcastically. But he also reached 8 into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small 9 bag of a loose-woven, multi-colored fabric. It was tied 10 shut with leather drawstrings. He set it on my palm. 11 “Hey, that’s pretty, Jake. Thanks!” 12 He sighed. “The present is inside, Bella.” 13 “Oh.” 14 I had some trouble with the strings. He sighed again and 15 took it from me, sliding the ties open with one easy tug of 16 the right cord. I held my hand out for it, but he turned the 17 bag upside down and shook something silver into my hand. 18 Metal links clinked quietly against each other. 19 “I didn’t make the bracelet,” he admitted. “Just the 20 charm.” 21 Fastened to one of the links of the silver bracelet was a 22 tiny wooden carving. I held it between my ﬁngers to look 23 at it closer. It was amazing the amount of detail involved 24 in the little ﬁgurine — the miniature wolf was utterly 25 realistic. It was even carved out of some red-brown wood 26 that matched the color of his skin. 27 “It’s beautiful,” I whispered. “You made this? How?” 28 He shrugged. “It’s something Billy taught me. He’s sh 29 better at it than I am.” reg 30

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“That’s hard to believe,” I murmured, turning the tiny 1 wolf around and around in my fingers. 2 “Do you really like it?” 3 “Yes! It’s unbelievable, Jake.” 4 He smiled, happily at first, but then the expression 5 soured. “Well, I figured that maybe it would make you re- 6 member me once in a while. You know how it is, out of 7 sight, out of mind.” 8 I ignored the attitude. “Here, help me put it on.” 9 I held out my left wrist, since the right was stuck in the 10 brace. He fastened the catch easily, though it looked too 11 delicate for his big fingers to manage. 12 “You’ll wear it?” he asked. 13 “Of course I will.” 14 He grinned at me — it was the happy smile that I 15 loved to see him wear. 16 I returned it for a moment, but then my eyes shot re- 17 flexively around the room again, anxiously scanning the 18 crowd for some sign of Edward or Alice. 19 “Why’re you so distracted?” Jacob wondered. 20 “It’s nothing,” I lied, trying to concentrate. “Thanks 21 for the present, really. I love it.” 22 “Bella?” His brows pulled together, throwing his eyes 23 deep into their shadow. “Something’s going on, isn’t it?” 24 “Jake, I...no, there’s nothing.” 25 “Don’t lie to me, you suck at lying. You should tell me 26 what’s going on. We want to know these things,” he said, 27 slipping into the plural at the end. 28 He was probably right; the wolves would certainly be 29 sh 30 reg

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1 interested in what was happening. Only I wasn’t sure what 2 that was yet. I wouldn’t know for sure until I found Alice. 3 “Jacob, I will tell you. Just let me ﬁgure out what’s hap- 4 pening, okay? I need to talk to Alice.” 5 Understanding lit his expression. “The psychic saw 6 something.” 7 “Yes, just when you showed up.” 8 “Is this about the bloodsucker in your room?” he mur- 9 mured, pitching his voice below the thrum of the music. 10 “It’s related,” I admitted. 11 He processed that for a minute, leaning his head to one 12 side while he read my face. “You know something you’re 13 not telling me...something big.” 14 What was the point in lying again? He knew me too 15 well. “Yes.” 16 Jacob stared at me for one short moment, and then 17 turned to catch his pack brothers’ eyes where they stood in 18 the entry, awkward and uncomfortable. When they took 19 in his expression, they started moving, weaving their way 20 agilely through the partiers, almost like they were danc- 21 ing, too. In half a minute, they stood on either side of Ja- 22 cob, towering over me. 23 “Now. Explain,” Jacob demanded. 24 Embry and Quil looked back and forth between our 25 faces, confused and wary. 26 “Jacob, I don’t know everything.” I kept searching the 27 room, now for a rescue. They had me backed into a corner 28 in every sense. sh 29 “What you do know, then.” reg 30 They all folded their arms across their chests at exactly

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the same moment. It was a little bit funny, but mostly 1 menacing. 2 And then I caught sight of Alice descending the stairs, 3 her white skin glowing in the purple light. 4 “Alice!” I squeaked in relief. 5 She looked right at me as soon as I called her name, de- 6 spite the thudding bass that should have drowned my 7 voice. I waved eagerly, and watched her face as she took in 8 the three werewolves leaning over me. Her eyes narrowed. 9 But, before that reaction, her face was full of stress and 10 fear. I bit my lip as she skipped to my side. 11 Jacob, Quil, and Embry all leaned away from her with 12 uneasy expressions. She put her arm around my waist. 13 “I need to talk to you,” she murmured into my ear. 14 “Er, Jake, I’ll see you later...,” I mumbled as we 15 eased around them. 16 Jacob threw his long arm out to block our way, bracing 17 his hand against the wall. “Hey, not so fast.” 18 Alice stared up at him, eyes wide and incredulous. “Ex- 19 cuse me?” 20 “Tell us what’s going on,” he demanded in a growl. 21 Jasper appeared quite literally out of nowhere. One sec- 22 ond it was just Alice and me against the wall, Jacob block- 23 ing our exit, and then Jasper was standing on the other 24 side of Jake’s arm, his expression terrifying. 25 Jacob slowly pulled his arm back. It seemed like the 26 best move, going with the assumption that he wanted to 27 keep that arm. 28 “We have a right to know,” Jacob muttered, still glar- 29 sh ing at Alice. 30 reg

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1 Jasper stepped in between them, and the three were- 2 wolves braced themselves. 3 “Hey, hey,” I said, adding a slightly hysterical chuckle. 4 “This is a party, remember?” 5 Nobody paid any attention to me. Jacob glared at Al- 6 ice while Jasper glowered at Jacob. Alice’s face was sud- 7 denly thoughtful. 8 “It’s okay, Jasper. He actually has a point.” 9 Jasper did not relax his position. 10 I was sure the suspense was going to make my head ex- 11 plode in about one second. “What did you see, Alice?” 12 She stared at Jacob for one second, and then turned to 13 me, evidently having chosen to let them hear. 14 “The decision’s been made.” 15 “You’re going to Seattle?” 16 “No.” 17 I felt the color drain out of my face. My stomach 18 lurched. “They’re coming here,” I choked out. 19 The Quileute boys watched silently, reading every un- 20 conscious play of emotion on our faces. They were rooted 21 in place, and yet not completely still. All three pairs of 22 hands were trembling. 23 “Yes.” 24 “To Forks,” I whispered. 25 “Yes.” 26 “For?” 27 She nodded, understanding my question. “One carried 28 your red shirt.” sh 29 I tried to swallow. reg 30 Jasper’s expression was disapproving. I could tell he

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didn’t like discussing this in front of the werewolves, but 1 he had something he needed to say. “We can’t let them 2 come that far. There aren’t enough of us to protect the town.” 3 “I know,” Alice said, her face suddenly desolate. “But it 4 doesn’t matter where we stop them. There still won’t be 5 enough of us, and some of them will come here to search.” 6 “No!” I whispered. 7 The noise of the party overwhelmed the sound of my 8 denial. All around us, my friends and neighbors and petty 9 enemies ate and laughed and swayed to the music, oblivi- 10 ous to the fact that they were about to face horror, danger, 11 maybe death. Because of me. 12 “Alice,” I mouthed her name. “I have to go, I have to 13 get away from here.” 14 “That won’t help. It’s not like we’re dealing with a 15 tracker. They’ll still come looking here first.” 16 “Then I have to go to meet them!” If my voice hadn’t 17 been so hoarse and strained, it might have been a shriek. 18 “If they find what they’re looking for, maybe they’ll go 19 away and not hurt anyone else!” 20 “Bella!” Alice protested. 21 “Hold it,” Jacob ordered in a low, forceful voice. “What 22 is coming?” 23 Alice turned her icy gaze on him. “Our kind. Lots of 24 them.” 25 “Why?” 26 “For Bella. That’s all we know.” 27 “There are too many for you?” he asked. 28 Jasper bridled. “We have a few advantages, dog. It will 29 sh be an even fight.” 30 reg

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1 “No,” Jacob said, and a strange, ﬁerce half-smile spread 2 across his face. “It won’t be even.” 3 “Excellent!” Alice hissed. 4 I stared, still frozen in horror, at Alice’s new expression. 5 Her face was alive with exultation, all the despair wiped 6 clean from her perfect features. 7 She grinned at Jacob, and he grinned back. 8 “Everything just disappeared, of course,” she told him 9 in a smug voice. “That’s inconvenient, but, all things con- 10 sidered, I’ll take it.” 11 “We’ll have to coordinate,” Jacob said. “It won’t be 12 easy for us. Still, this is our job more than yours.” 13 “I wouldn’t go that far, but we need the help. We aren’t 14 going to be picky.” 15 “Wait, wait, wait, wait,” I interrupted them. 16 Alice was on her toes, Jacob leaning down toward her, 17 both of their faces lit up with excitement, both of their 18 noses wrinkled against the smell. They looked at me im- 19 patiently. 20 “Coordinate?” I repeated through my teeth. 21 “You didn’t honestly think you were going to keep us 22 out of this?” Jacob asked. 23 “You are staying out of this!” 24 “Your psychic doesn’t think so.” 25 “Alice — tell them no!” I insisted. “They’ll get killed!” 26 Jacob, Quil, and Embry all laughed out loud. 27 “Bella,” Alice said, her voice soothing, placating, “sep- 28 arately we all could get killed. Together —” sh 29 “It’ll be no problem,” Jacob ﬁnished her sentence. Quil reg 30 laughed again.

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“How many?” Quil asked eagerly. 1 “No!” I shouted. 2 Alice didn’t even look at me. “It changes — twenty-one 3 today, but the numbers are going down.” 4 “Why?” Jacob asked, curious. 5 “Long story,” Alice said, suddenly looking around the 6 room. “And this isn’t the place for it.” 7 “Later tonight?” Jacob pushed. 8 “Yes,” Jasper answered him. “We were already plan- 9 ning a...strategic meeting. If you’re going to ﬁght with 10 us, you’ll need some instruction.” 11 The wolves all made a disgruntled face at the last part. 12 “No!” I moaned. 13 “This will be odd,” Jasper said thoughtfully. “I never 14 considered working together. This has to be a ﬁrst.” 15 “No doubt about that,” Jacob agreed. He was in a 16 hurry now. “We’ve got to get back to Sam. What time?” 17 “What’s too late for you?” 18 All three rolled their eyes. “What time?” Jacob re- 19 peated. 20 “Three o’clock?” 21 “Where?” 22 “About ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger 23 station. Come at it from the west and you’ll be able to fol- 24 low our scent in.” 25 “We’ll be there.” 26 They turned to leave. 27 “Wait, Jake!” I called after him. “Please! Don’t do this!” 28 He paused, turning back to grin at me, while Quil 29 sh and Embry headed impatiently for the door. “Don’t be 30 reg

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1 ridiculous, Bells. You’re giving me a much better gift 2 than the one I gave you.” 3 “No!” I shouted again. The sound of an electric guitar 4 drowned my cry. 5 He didn’t respond; he hurried to catch up with his 6 friends, who were already gone. I watched helplessly as Ja- 7 cob disappeared. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 18. INSTRUCTION 15 16 17 “That had to be the longest party in the history 18 of the world,” I complained on the way home. 19 Edward didn’t seem to disagree. “It’s over now,” he 20 said, rubbing my arm soothingly. 21 Because I was the only one who needed soothing. Ed- 22 ward was fine now — all the Cullens were fine. 23 They’d all reassured me; Alice reaching up to pat my 24 head as I left, eyeing Jasper meaningfully until a flood of 25 peace swirled around me, Esme kissing my forehead and 26 promising me everything was all right, Emmett laughing 27 boisterously and asking why I was the only one who was 28 allowed to fight with werewolves....Jacob’s solution had 29 sh them all relaxed, almost euphoric after the long weeks of 30 reg

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1 stress. Doubt had been replaced with confidence. The 2 party had ended on a note of true celebration. 3 Not for me. 4 Bad enough — horrible — that the Cullens would fight 5 for me. It was already too much that I would have to allow 6 that. It already felt like more than I could bear. 7 Not Jacob, too. Not his foolish, eager brothers — most 8 of them even younger than I was. They were just oversized, 9 over-muscled children, and they looked forward to this like 10 it was picnic on the beach. I could not have them in danger, 11 too. My nerves felt frayed and exposed. I didn’t know how 12 much longer I could restrain the urge to scream out loud. 13 I whispered now, to keep my voice under control. 14 “You’re taking me with you tonight.” 15 “Bella, you’re worn out.” 16 “You think I could sleep?” 17 He frowned. “This is an experiment. I’m not sure if it 18 will be possible for us all to...cooperate. I don’t want 19 you in the middle of that.” 20 As if that didn’t make me all the more anxious to go. 21 “If you won’t take me, then I’ll call Jacob.” 22 His eyes tightened. That was a low blow, and I knew it. 23 But there was no way I was being left behind. 24 He didn’t answer; we were at Charlie’s house now. The 25 front light was on. 26 “See you upstairs,” I muttered. 27 I tiptoed in the front door. Charlie was asleep in the 28 living room, overflowing the too-small sofa, and snoring sh 29 so loudly I could have ripped a chainsaw to life and it reg 30 wouldn’t have wakened him.

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I shook his shoulder vigorously. 1 “Dad! Charlie!” 2 He grumbled, eyes still closed. 3 “I’m home now — you’re going to hurt your back sleep- 4 ing like that. C’mon, time to move.” 5 It took a few more shakes, and his eyes never did open 6 all the way, but I managed to get him off the couch. I 7 helped him up to his bed, where he collapsed on top of the 8 covers, fully dressed, and started snoring again. 9 He wasn’t going to be looking for me anytime soon. 10 Edward waited in my room while I washed my face and 11 changed into jeans and a ﬂannel shirt. He watched me un- 12 happily from the rocking chair as I hung the outﬁt Alice 13 had given me in my closet. 14 “Come here,” I said, taking his hand and pulling him 15 to my bed. 16 I pushed him down on the bed and then curled up 17 against his chest. Maybe he was right and I was tired enough 18 to sleep. I wasn’t going to let him sneak off without me. 19 He tucked my quilt in around me, and then held me 20 close. 21 “Please relax.” 22 “Sure.” 23 “This is going to work, Bella. I can feel it.” 24 My teeth locked together. 25 He was still radiating relief. Nobody but me cared if 26 Jacob and his friends got hurt. Not even Jacob and his 27 friends. Especially not them. 28 He could tell I was about to lose it. “Listen to me, Bella. 29 sh This is going to be easy. The newborns will be completely 30 reg

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1 taken by surprise. They’ll have no more idea that were- 2 wolves even exist than you did. I’ve seen how they act in a 3 group, the way Jasper remembers. I truly believe that the 4 wolves’ hunting techniques will work ﬂawlessly against 5 them. And with them divided and confused, there won’t 6 be enough for the rest of us to do. Someone may have to sit 7 out,” he teased. 8 “Piece of cake,” I mumbled tonelessly against his chest. 9 “Shhh,” he stroked my cheek. “You’ll see. Don’t worry 10 now.” 11 He started humming my lullaby, but, for once, it didn’t 12 calm me. 13 People — well, vampires and werewolves really, but 14 still — people I loved were going to get hurt. Hurt be- 15 cause of me. Again. I wished my bad luck would focus a 16 little more carefully. I felt like yelling up at the empty 17 sky: It’s me you want — over here! Just me! 18 I tried to think of a way that I could do exactly that — 19 force my bad luck to focus on me. It wouldn’t be easy. I 20 would have to wait, bide my time.... 21 I did not fall asleep. The minutes passed quickly, to my 22 surprise, and I was still alert and tense when Edward 23 pulled us both up into a sitting position. 24 “Are you sure you don’t want to stay and sleep?” 25 I gave him a sour look. 26 He sighed, and scooped me up in his arms before he 27 jumped from my window. 28 He raced through the black, quiet forest with me on sh 29 his back, and even in his run I could feel the elation. He reg 30 ran the way he did when it was just us, just for enjoyment,

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just for the feel of the wind in his hair. It was the kind of 1 thing that, during less anxious times, would have made 2 me happy. 3 When we got to the big open field, his family was 4 there, talking casually, relaxed. Emmett’s booming laugh 5 echoed through the wide space now and then. Edward set 6 me down and we walked hand in hand toward them. 7 It took me a minute, because it was so dark with the 8 moon hidden behind the clouds, but I realized that we 9 were in the baseball clearing. It was the same place where, 10 more than a year ago, that first lighthearted evening with 11 the Cullens had been interrupted by James and his coven. 12 It felt strange to be here again — as if this gathering 13 wouldn’t be complete until James and Laurent and Victo- 14 ria joined us. But James and Laurent were never coming 15 back. That pattern wouldn’t be repeated. Maybe all the 16 patterns were broken. 17 Yes, someone had broken out of their pattern. Was it 18 possible that the Volturi were the flexible ones in this 19 equation? 20 I doubted it. 21 Victoria had always seemed like a force of nature to 22 me — like a hurricane moving toward the coast in a 23 straight line — unavoidable, implacable, but predictable. 24 Maybe it was wrong to limit her that way. She had to be 25 capable of adaptation. 26 “You know what I think?” I asked Edward. 27 He laughed. “No.” 28 I almost smiled. 29 sh “What do you think?” 30 reg

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1 “I think it’s all connected. Not just the two, but all 2 three.” 3 “You’ve lost me.” 4 “Three bad things have happened since you came 5 back.” I ticked them off on my ﬁngers. “The newborns in 6 Seattle. The stranger in my room. And — ﬁrst of all — 7 Victoria came to look for me.” 8 His eyes narrowed as he thought about it. “Why do 9 you think so?” 10 “Because I agree with Jasper — the Volturi love their 11 rules. They would probably do a better job anyway.” And 12 I’d be dead if they wanted me dead, I added mentally. “Re- 13 member when you were tracking Victoria last year?” 14 “Yes.” He frowned. “I wasn’t very good at it.” 15 “Alice said you were in Texas. Did you follow her 16 there?” 17 His eyebrows pulled together. “Yes. Hmm...” 18 “See — she could have gotten the idea there. But she 19 doesn’t know what she’s doing, so the newborns are all out 20 of control.” 21 He started shaking his head. “Only Aro knows exactly 22 how Alice’s visions work.” 23 “Aro would know best, but wouldn’t Tanya and Irina 24 and the rest of your friends in Denali know enough? Lau- 25 rent lived with them for so long. And if he was still 26 friendly enough with Victoria to be doing favors for her, 27 why wouldn’t he also tell her everything he knew?” 28 Edward frowned. “It wasn’t Victoria in your room.” sh 29 “She can’t make new friends? Think about it, Edward. reg 30

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If it is Victoria doing this in Seattle, she’s made a lot of new 1 friends. She’s created them.” 2 He considered it, his forehead creased in concentration. 3 “Hmm,” he ﬁnally said. “It’s possible. I still think the 4 Volturi are most likely...But your theory — there’s 5 something there. Victoria’s personality. Your theory suits 6 her personality perfectly. She’s shown a remarkable gift for 7 self-preservation from the start — maybe it’s a talent of 8 hers. In any case, this plot would put her in no danger at 9 all from us, if she sits safely behind and lets the newborns 10 wreak their havoc here. And maybe little danger from the 11 Volturi, either. Perhaps she’s counting on us to win, in the 12 end, though certainly not without heavy casualties of our 13 own. But no survivors from her little army to bear witness 14 against her. In fact,” he continued, thinking it through, “if 15 there were survivors, I’d bet she’d be planning to destroy 16 them herself....Hmm. Still, she’d have to have at least 17 one friend who was a bit more mature. No fresh-made 18 newborn left your father alive....” 19 He frowned into space for a long moment, and then 20 suddenly smiled at me, coming back from his reverie. 21 “Deﬁnitely possible. Regardless, we’ve got to be prepared 22 for anything until we know for sure. You’re very percep- 23 tive today,” he added. “It’s impressive.” 24 I sighed. “Maybe I’m just reacting to this place. It 25 makes me feel like she’s close by...like she sees me now.” 26 His jaw muscles tensed at the idea. “She’ll never touch 27 you, Bella,” he said. 28 In spite of his words, his eyes swept carefully across the 29 sh 30 reg

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1 dark trees. While he searched their shadows, the strangest 2 expression crossed his face. His lips pulled back over his 3 teeth and his eyes shone with an odd light — a wild, fierce 4 kind of hope. 5 “Yet, what I wouldn’t give to have her that close,” he 6 murmured. “Victoria, and anyone else who’s ever thought 7 of hurting you. To have the chance to end this myself. To 8 finish it with my own hands this time.” 9 I shuddered at the ferocious longing in his voice, and 10 clenched his fingers more tightly with mine, wishing I 11 was strong enough to lock our hands together perma- 12 nently. 13 We were almost to his family, and I noticed for the first 14 time that Alice did not look as optimistic as the others. 15 She stood a little aside, watching Jasper stretching his 16 arms as if he were warming up to exercise, her lips pushed 17 out in a pout. 18 “Is something wrong with Alice?” I whispered. 19 Edward chuckled, himself again. “The werewolves are 20 on their way, so she can’t see anything that will happen 21 now. It makes her uncomfortable to be blind.” 22 Alice, though the farthest from us, heard his low voice. 23 She looked up and stuck her tongue out at him. He 24 laughed again. 25 “Hey, Edward,” Emmett greeted him. “Hey, Bella. Is 26 he going to let you practice, too?” 27 Edward groaned at his brother. “Please, Emmett, don’t 28 give her any ideas.” sh 29 “When will our guests arrive?” Carlisle asked Edward. reg 30 Edward concentrated for a moment, and then sighed.

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“A minute and a half. But I’m going to have to translate. 1 They don’t trust us enough to use their human forms.” 2 Carlisle nodded. “This is hard for them. I’m grateful 3 they’re coming at all.” 4 I stared at Edward, my eyes stretched wide. “They’re 5 coming as wolves?” 6 He nodded, cautious of my reaction. I swallowed once, 7 remembering the two times I’d seen Jacob in his wolf 8 form — the ﬁrst time in the meadow with Laurent, the 9 second time on the forest lane where Paul had gotten an- 10 gry at me....They were both memories of terror. 11 A strange gleam came into Edward’s eyes, as though 12 something had just occurred to him, something that was 13 not altogether unpleasant. He turned away quickly, before 14 I could see any more, back to Carlisle and the others. 15 “Prepare yourselves — they’ve been holding out on us.” 16 “What do you mean?” Alice demanded. 17 “Shh,” he cautioned, and stared past her into the dark- 18 ness. 19 The Cullens’ informal circle suddenly widened out into 20 a loose line with Jasper and Emmett at the spear point. 21 From the way Edward leaned forward next to me, I could 22 tell that he wished he was standing beside them. I tight- 23 ened my hand around his. 24 I squinted toward the forest, seeing nothing. 25 “Damn,” Emmett muttered under his breath. “Did you 26 ever see anything like it?” 27 Esme and Rosalie exchanged a wide-eyed glance. 28 “What is it?” I whispered as quietly as I could. “I 29 sh can’t see.” 30 reg

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1 “The pack has grown,” Edward murmured into my ear. 2 Hadn’t I told him that Quil had joined the pack? I 3 strained to see the six wolves in the gloom. Finally, 4 something glittered in the blackness — their eyes, higher 5 up than they should be. I’d forgotten how very tall the 6 wolves were. Like horses, only thick with muscle and 7 fur — and teeth like knives, impossible to overlook. 8 I could only see the eyes. And as I scanned, straining 9 to see more, it occurred to me that there were more than 10 six pairs facing us. One, two, three ...I counted the pairs 11 swiftly in my head. Twice. 12 There were ten of them. 13 “Fascinating,” Edward murmured almost silently. 14 Carlisle took a slow, deliberate step forward. It was a 15 careful movement, designed to reassure. 16 “Welcome,” he greeted the invisible wolves. 17 “Thank you,” Edward responded in a strange, ﬂat tone, 18 and I realized at once that the words came from Sam. I 19 looked to the eyes shining in the center of the line, the 20 highest up, the tallest of them all. It was impossible to 21 separate the shape of the big black wolf from the darkness. 22 Edward spoke again in the same detached voice, speak- 23 ing Sam’s words. “We will watch and listen, but no more. 24 That is the most we can ask of our self-control.” 25 “That is more than enough,” Carlisle answered. “My 26 son Jasper” — he gestured to where Jasper stood, tensed 27 and ready — “has experience in this area. He will teach us 28 how they ﬁght, how they are to be defeated. I’m sure you sh 29 can apply this to your own hunting style.” reg 30 “They are different from you?” Edward asked for Sam.

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Carlisle nodded. “They are all very new — only 1 months old to this life. Children, in a way. They will have 2 no skill or strategy, only brute strength. Tonight their 3 numbers stand at twenty. Ten for us, ten for you — it 4 shouldn’t be difficult. The numbers may go down. The 5 new ones fight amongst themselves.” 6 A rumble passed down the shadowy line of wolves, a 7 low growling mutter that somehow managed to sound en- 8 thusiastic. 9 “We are willing to take more than our share, if neces- 10 sary,” Edward translated, his tone less indifferent now. 11 Carlisle smiled. “We’ll see how it plays out.” 12 “Do you know when and how they’ll arrive?” 13 “They’ll come across the mountains in four days, in the 14 late morning. As they approach, Alice will help us inter- 15 cept their path.” 16 “Thank you for the information. We will watch.” 17 With a sighing sound, the eyes sank closer to the 18 ground one set at a time. 19 It was silent for two heartbeats, and then Jasper took a 20 step into the empty space between the vampires and the 21 wolves. It wasn’t hard for me to see him — his skin was as 22 bright against the darkness as the wolves’ eyes. Jasper 23 threw a wary glance toward Edward, who nodded, and 24 then Jasper turned his back to the werewolves. He sighed, 25 clearly uncomfortable. 26 “Carlisle’s right.” Jasper spoke only to us; he seemed to 27 be trying to ignore the audience behind him. “They’ll 28 fight like children. The two most important things you’ll 29 sh need to remember are, first, don’t let them get their arms 30 reg

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1 around you and, second, don’t go for the obvious kill. 2 That’s all they’ll be prepared for. As long as you come at 3 them from the side and keep moving, they’ll be too con- 4 fused to respond effectively. Emmett?” 5 Emmett stepped out of the line with a huge smile. 6 Jasper backed toward the north end of the opening be- 7 tween the allied enemies. He waved Emmett forward. 8 “Okay, Emmett ﬁrst. He’s the best example of a new- 9 born attack.” 10 Emmett’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll try not to break any- 11 thing,” he muttered. 12 Jasper grinned. “What I meant is that Emmett relies 13 on his strength. He’s very straightforward about the at- 14 tack. The newborns won’t be trying anything subtle, ei- 15 ther. Just go for the easy kill, Emmett.” 16 Jasper backed up a few more paces, his body tensing. 17 “Okay, Emmett — try to catch me.” 18 And I couldn’t see Jasper anymore — he was a blur as 19 Emmett charged him like a bear, grinning while he 20 snarled. Emmett was impossibly quick, too, but not like 21 Jasper. It looked like Jasper had no more substance than a 22 ghost — any time it seemed Emmett’s big hands had him 23 for sure, Emmett’s ﬁngers clenched around nothing but 24 the air. Beside me, Edward leaned forward intently, his 25 eyes locked on the brawl. Then Emmett froze. 26 Jasper had him from behind, his teeth an inch from his 27 throat. 28 Emmett cussed. sh 29 There was a muttered rumble of appreciation from the reg 30 watching wolves.

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“Again,” Emmett insisted, his smile gone. 1 “It’s my turn,” Edward protested. My fingers tensed 2 around his. 3 “In a minute.” Jasper grinned, stepping back. “I want 4 to show Bella something first.” 5 I watched with anxious eyes as he waved Alice forward. 6 “I know you worry about her,” he explained to me as 7 she danced blithely into the ring. “I want to show you why 8 that’s not necessary.” 9 Though I knew that Jasper would never allow any 10 harm to come to Alice, it was still hard to watch as he sank 11 back into a crouch facing her. Alice stood motionlessly, 12 looking tiny as a doll after Emmett, smiling to herself. 13 Jasper shifted forward, then slinked to her left. 14 Alice closed her eyes. 15 My heart thumped unevenly as Jasper stalked toward 16 where Alice stood. 17 Jasper sprang, disappearing. Suddenly he was on the 18 other side of Alice. She didn’t appear to have moved. 19 Jasper wheeled and launched himself at her again, only 20 to land in a crouch behind her like the first time; all the 21 while Alice stood smiling with her eyes closed. 22 I watched Alice more carefully now. 23 She was moving — I’d just been missing it, distracted 24 by Jasper’s attacks. She took a small step forward at the ex- 25 act second that Jasper’s body flew through the spot where 26 she’d just been standing. She took another step, while Jas- 27 per’s grasping hands whistled past where her waist had 28 been. 29 sh Jasper closed in, and Alice began to move faster. She 30 reg

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1 was dancing — spiraling and twisting and curling in on 2 herself. Jasper was her partner, lunging, reaching through 3 her graceful patterns, never touching her, like every move- 4 ment was choreographed. Finally, Alice laughed. 5 Out of nowhere she was perched on Jasper’s back, her 6 lips at his neck. 7 “Gotcha,” she said, and kissed his throat. 8 Jasper chuckled, shaking his head. “You truly are one 9 frightening little monster.” 10 The wolves muttered again. This time the sound was 11 wary. 12 “It’s good for them to learn some respect,” Edward 13 murmured, amused. Then he spoke louder. “My turn.” 14 He squeezed my hand before he let it go. 15 Alice came to take his place beside me. “Cool, huh?” 16 she asked me smugly. 17 “Very,” I agreed, not looking away from Edward as he 18 glided noiselessly toward Jasper, his movements lithe and 19 watchful as a jungle cat. 20 “I’ve got my eye on you, Bella,” she whispered sud- 21 denly, her voice pitched so low that I could barely hear, 22 though her lips were at my ear. 23 My gaze ﬂickered to her face and then back to Edward. 24 He was intent on Jasper, both of them feinting as he closed 25 the distance. 26 Alice’s expression was full of reproach. 27 “I’ll warn him if your plans get any more deﬁned,” she 28 threatened in the same low murmur. “It doesn’t help any- sh 29 thing for you to put yourself in danger. Do you think either reg 30

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of them would give up if you died? They’d still ﬁght, we 1 all would. You can’t change anything, so just be good, 2 okay?” 3 I grimaced, trying to ignore her. 4 “I’m watching,” she repeated. 5 Edward had closed on Jasper now, and this ﬁght was 6 more even than either of the others. Jasper had the century 7 of experience to guide him, and he tried to go on instinct 8 alone as much as he could, but his thoughts always gave 9 him away a fraction of a second before he acted. Edward 10 was slightly faster, but the moves Jasper used were unfa- 11 miliar to him. They came at each other again and again, 12 neither one able to gain the advantage, instinctive snarls 13 erupting constantly. It was hard to watch, but harder to 14 look away. They moved too fast for me to really under- 15 stand what they were doing. Now and then the sharp eyes 16 of the wolves would catch my attention. I had a feeling the 17 wolves were getting more out of this than I was — maybe 18 more than they should. 19 Eventually, Carlisle cleared his throat. 20 Jasper laughed, and took a step back. Edward straight- 21 ened up and grinned at him. 22 “Back to work,” Jasper consented. “We’ll call it a draw.” 23 Everyone took turns, Carlisle, then Rosalie, Esme, and 24 Emmett again. I squinted through my lashes, cringing 25 as Jasper attacked Esme. That one was the hardest to 26 watch. Then he slowed down, still not quite enough for 27 me to understand his motions, and gave more instruction. 28 “You see what I’m doing here?” he would ask. “Yes, 29 sh 30 reg

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1 just like that,” he encouraged. “Concentrate on the sides. 2 Don’t forget where their target will be. Keep moving.” 3 Edward was always focused, watching and also listen- 4 ing to what others couldn’t see. 5 It got more difficult to follow as my eyes got heavier. I 6 hadn’t been sleeping well lately, anyway, and it was ap- 7 proaching a solid twenty-four hours since the last time I’d 8 slept. I leaned against Edward’s side, and let my eyelids 9 droop. 10 “We’re about finished,” he whispered. 11 Jasper confirmed that, turning toward the wolves for the 12 first time, his expression uncomfortable again. “We’ll be 13 doing this tomorrow. Please feel welcome to observe again.” 14 “Yes,” Edward answered in Sam’s cool voice. “We’ll be 15 here.” 16 Then Edward sighed, patted my arm, and stepped 17 away from me. He turned to his family. 18 “The pack thinks it would be helpful to be familiar with 19 each of our scents — so they don’t make mistakes later. If 20 we could hold very still, it will make it easier for them.” 21 “Certainly,” Carlisle said to Sam. “Whatever you need.” 22 There was a gloomy, throaty grumble from the wolf 23 pack as they all rose to their feet. 24 My eyes were wide again, exhaustion forgotten. 25 The deep black of the night was just beginning to 26 fade — the sun brightening the clouds, though it hadn’t 27 cleared the horizon yet, far away on the other side of the 28 mountains. As they approached, it was suddenly possible sh 29 to make out shapes...colors. reg 30

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Sam was in the lead, of course. Unbelievably huge, 1 black as midnight, a monster straight out of my night- 2 mares — literally; after the ﬁrst time I’d seen Sam and the 3 others in the meadow, they’d starred in my bad dreams 4 more than once. 5 Now that I could see them all, match the vastness with 6 each pair of eyes, it looked like more than ten. The pack 7 was overwhelming. 8 Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Edward was 9 watching me, carefully evaluating my reaction. 10 Sam approached Carlisle where he stood in the front, 11 the huge pack right on his tail. Jasper stiffened, but Em- 12 mett, on the other side of Carlisle, was grinning and re- 13 laxed. 14 Sam sniffed at Carlisle, seeming to wince slightly as he 15 did. Then he moved on to Jasper. 16 My eyes ran down the wary brace of wolves. I was sure 17 I could pick out a few of the new additions. There was a 18 light gray wolf that was much smaller than the others, the 19 hackles on the back of his neck raised in distaste. There 20 was another, the color of desert sand, who seemed gangly 21 and uncoordinated beside the rest. A low whine broke 22 through the sandy wolf’s control when Sam’s advance left 23 him isolated between Carlisle and Jasper. 24 I stopped at the wolf just behind Sam. His fur was 25 reddish-brown and longer than the others, shaggy in com- 26 parison. He was almost as tall as Sam, the second largest in 27 the group. His stance was casual, somehow exuding non- 28 chalance over what the rest obviously considered an ordeal. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 The enormous russet-colored wolf seemed to feel my 2 gaze, and he looked up at me with familiar black eyes. 3 I stared back at him, trying to believe what I already 4 knew. I could feel the wonder and fascination on my face. 5 The wolf’s muzzle fell open, pulling back over his 6 teeth. It would have been a frightening expression, except 7 that his tongue lolled out the side in a wolfy grin. 8 I giggled. 9 Jacob’s grin widened over his sharp teeth. He left his 10 place in line, ignoring the eyes of his pack as they followed 11 him. He trotted past Edward and Alice to stand not two 12 feet away from me. He stopped there, his gaze flickering 13 briefly toward Edward. 14 Edward stood motionless, a statue, his eyes still assess- 15 ing my reaction. 16 Jacob crouched down on his front legs and dropped his 17 head so that his face was no higher than mine, staring at 18 me, measuring my response just as much as Edward was. 19 “Jacob?” I breathed. 20 The answering rumble deep in his chest sounded like a 21 chuckle. 22 I reached my hand out, my fingers trembling slightly, 23 and touched the red-brown fur on the side of his face. 24 The black eyes closed, and Jacob leaned his huge head 25 into my hand. A thrumming hum resonated in this throat. 26 The fur was both soft and rough, and warm against my 27 skin. I ran my fingers through it curiously, learning the 28 texture, stroking his neck where the color deepened. I sh 29 hadn’t realized how close I’d gotten; without warning, Ja- reg 30 cob suddenly licked my face from chin to hairline.

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“Ew! Gross, Jake!” I complained, jumping back and 1 smacking at him, just as I would have if he were human. 2 He dodged out of the way, and the coughing bark that 3 came through his teeth was obviously laughter. 4 I wiped my face on the sleeve of my shirt, unable to 5 keep from laughing with him. 6 It was at that point that I realized that everyone was 7 watching us, the Cullens and the werewolves — the Cul- 8 lens with perplexed and somewhat disgusted expressions. 9 It was hard to read the wolves’ faces. I thought Sam looked 10 unhappy. 11 And then there was Edward, on edge and clearly disap- 12 pointed. I realized he’d been hoping for a different reac- 13 tion from me. Like screaming and running away in terror. 14 Jacob made the laughing sound again. 15 The other wolves were backing away now, not taking 16 their eyes off the Cullens as they departed. Jacob stood by 17 my side, watching them go. Soon, they disappeared into 18 the murky forest. Only two hesitated by the trees, watch- 19 ing Jacob, their postures radiating anxiety. 20 Edward sighed, and — ignoring Jacob — came to 21 stand on my other side, taking my hand. 22 “Ready to go?” he asked me. 23 Before I could answer, he was staring over me at Jacob. 24 “I’ve not quite ﬁgured out all the details yet,” he said, 25 answering a question in Jacob’s thoughts. 26 The Jacob-wolf grumbled sullenly. 27 “It’s more complicated than that,” Edward said. “Don’t 28 concern yourself; I’ll make sure it’s safe.” 29 sh “What are you talking about?” I demanded. 30 reg

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1 “Just discussing strategy,” Edward said. 2 Jacob’s head swiveled back and forth, looking at our 3 faces. Then, suddenly, he bolted for the forest. As he 4 darted away, I noticed for the first time a square of folded 5 black fabric secured to his back leg. 6 “Wait,” I called, one hand stretching out automatically 7 to reach after him. But he disappeared into the trees in 8 seconds, the other two wolves following. 9 “Why did he leave?” I asked, hurt. 10 “He’s coming back,” Edward said. He sighed. “He 11 wants to be able to talk for himself.” 12 I watched the edge of the forest where Jacob had van- 13 ished, leaning into Edward’s side again. I was on the point 14 of collapse, but I was fighting it. 15 Jacob loped back into view, on two legs this time. His 16 broad chest was bare, his hair tangled and shaggy. He wore 17 only a pair of black sweat pants, his feet bare to the cold 18 ground. He was alone now, but I suspected that his friends 19 lingered in the trees, invisible. 20 It didn’t take him long to cross the field, though he 21 gave a wide berth to the Cullens, who stood talking qui- 22 etly in a loose circle. 23 “Okay, bloodsucker,” Jacob said when he was a few feet 24 from us, evidently continuing the conversation I’d missed. 25 “What’s so complicated about it?” 26 “I have to consider every possibility,” Edward said, un- 27 ruffled. “What if someone gets by you?” 28 Jacob snorted at that idea. “Okay, so leave her on the sh 29 reservation. We’re making Collin and Brady stay behind reg 30 anyway. She’ll be safe there.”

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I scowled. “Are you talking about me?” 1 “I just want to know what he plans to do with you dur- 2 ing the ﬁght,” Jacob explained. 3 “Do with me?” 4 “You can’t stay in Forks, Bella.” Edward’s voice was 5 pacifying. “They know where to look for you there. What 6 if someone slipped by us?” 7 My stomach dropped and the blood drained from my 8 face. “Charlie?” I gasped. 9 “He’ll be with Billy,” Jacob assured me quickly. “If my 10 dad has to commit a murder to get him there, he’ll do it. 11 Probably it won’t take that much. It’s this Saturday, right? 12 There’s a game.” 13 “This Saturday?” I asked, my head spinning. I was too 14 lightheaded to control my wildly random thoughts. I 15 frowned at Edward. “Well, crap! There goes your gradua- 16 tion present.” 17 Edward laughed. “It’s the thought that counts,” he re- 18 minded me. “You can give the tickets to someone else.” 19 Inspiration came swiftly. “Angela and Ben,” I decided 20 at once. “At least that will get them out of town.” 21 He touched my cheek. “You can’t evacuate everyone,” 22 he said in a gentle voice. “Hiding you is just a precaution. 23 I told you — we’ll have no problem now. There won’t be 24 enough of them to keep us entertained.” 25 “But what about keeping her in La Push?” Jacob inter- 26 jected, impatient. 27 “She’s been back and forth too much,” Edward said. 28 “She’s left trails all over the place. Alice only sees very young 29 sh vampires coming on the hunt, but obviously someone 30 reg

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1 created them. There is someone more experienced behind 2 this. Whoever he” — Edward paused to look at me — “or 3 she is, this could all be a distraction. Alice will see if he de- 4 cides to look himself, but we could be very busy at the 5 time that decision is made. Maybe someone is counting on 6 that. I can’t leave her somewhere she’s been frequently. She 7 has to be hard to ﬁnd, just in case. It’s a very long shot, but 8 I’m not taking chances.” 9 I stared at Edward as he explained, my forehead creas- 10 ing. He patted my arm. 11 “Just being overcautious,” he promised. 12 Jacob gestured to the deep forest east of us, to the vast 13 expanse of the Olympic Mountains. 14 “So hide her here,” he suggested. “There’s a million 15 possibilities — places either one of us could be in just a 16 few minutes if there’s a need.” 17 Edward shook his head. “Her scent is too strong and, 18 combined with mine, especially distinct. Even if I carried 19 her, it would leave a trail. Our trace is all over the range, 20 but in conjunction with Bella’s scent, it would catch their 21 attention. We’re not sure exactly which path they’ll take, 22 because they don’t know yet. If they crossed her scent be- 23 fore they found us...” 24 Both of them grimaced at the same time, their eye- 25 brows pulling together. 26 “You see the difﬁculties.” 27 “There has to be a way to make it work,” Jacob mut- 28 tered. He glared toward the forest, pursing his lips. sh 29 I swayed on my feet. Edward put his arm around my reg 30 waist, pulling me closer and supporting my weight.

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“I need to get you home — you’re exhausted. And 1 Charlie will be waking up soon....” 2 “Wait a sec,” Jacob said, wheeling back to us, his eyes 3 bright. “My scent disgusts you, right?” 4 “Hmm, not bad.” Edward was two steps ahead. “It’s 5 possible.” He turned toward his family. “Jasper?” he called. 6 Jasper looked up curiously. He walked over with Alice 7 a half step behind. Her face was frustrated again. 8 “Okay, Jacob.” Edward nodded at him. 9 Jacob turned toward me with a strange mixture of 10 emotion on his face. He was clearly excited by whatever 11 this new plan of his was, but he was also still uneasy so 12 close to his enemy allies. And then it was my turn to be 13 wary as he held his arms out toward me. 14 Edward took a deep breath. 15 “We’re going to see if I can confuse the scent enough to 16 hide your trail,” Jacob explained. 17 I stared at his open arms suspiciously. 18 “You’re going to have to let him carry you, Bella,” Ed- 19 ward told me. His voice was calm, but I could hear the 20 subdued distaste. 21 I frowned. 22 Jacob rolled his eyes, impatient, and reached down to 23 yank me up into his arms. 24 “Don’t be such a baby,” he muttered. 25 But his eyes ﬂickered to Edward, just like mine did. 26 Edward’s face was composed and smooth. He spoke to 27 Jasper. 28 “Bella’s scent is so much more potent to me — I 29 sh thought it would be a fairer test if someone else tried.” 30 reg

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1 Jacob turned away from them and paced swiftly into 2 the woods. I didn’t say anything as the dark closed around 3 us. I was pouting, uncomfortable in Jacob’s arms. It felt 4 too intimate to me — surely he didn’t need to hold me 5 quite so tightly — and I couldn’t help but wonder what it 6 felt like to him. It reminded me of my last afternoon in La 7 Push, and I didn’t want to think about that. I folded my 8 arms, annoyed when the brace on my hand intensified the 9 memory. 10 We didn’t go far; he made a wide arc and came back 11 into the clearing from a different direction, maybe half a 12 football field away from our original departure point. Ed- 13 ward was there alone and Jacob headed toward him. 14 “You can put me down now.” 15 “I don’t want to take a chance of messing up the exper- 16 iment.” His walk slowed and his arms tightened. 17 “You are so annoying,” I muttered. 18 “Thanks.” 19 Out of nowhere, Jasper and Alice stood beside Edward. 20 Jacob took one more step, and then set me down a half 21 dozen feet from Edward. Without looking back at Jacob, I 22 walked to Edward’s side and took his hand. 23 “Well?” I asked. 24 “As long as you don’t touch anything, Bella, I can’t 25 imagine someone sticking their nose close enough to that 26 trail to catch your scent,” Jasper said, grimacing. “It was 27 almost completely obscured.” 28 “A definite success,” Alice agreed, wrinkling her nose. sh 29 “And it gave me an idea.” reg 30 “Which will work,” Alice added confidently.

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“Clever,” Edward agreed. 1 “How do you stand that?” Jacob muttered to me. 2 Edward ignored Jacob and looked at me while he ex- 3 plained. “We’re — well, you’re — going to leave a false trail 4 to the clearing, Bella. The newborns are hunting, your scent 5 will excite them, and they’ll come exactly the way we want 6 them to without being careful about it. Alice can already 7 see that this will work. When they catch our scent, they’ll 8 split up and try to come at us from two sides. Half will 9 go through the forest, where her vision suddenly disap- 10 pears....” 11 “Yes!” Jacob hissed. 12 Edward smiled at him, a smile of true comradeship. 13 I felt sick. How could they be so eager for this? How 14 could I stand having both of them in danger? I couldn’t. 15 I wouldn’t. 16 “Not a chance,” Edward said suddenly, his voice dis- 17 gusted. It made me jump, worrying that he’d somehow 18 heard my resolve, but his eyes were on Jasper. 19 “I know, I know,” Jasper said quickly. “I didn’t even 20 consider it, not really.” 21 Alice stepped on his foot. 22 “If Bella was actually there in the clearing,” Jasper ex- 23 plained to her, “it would drive them insane. They 24 wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything but her. It 25 would make picking them off truly easy....” 26 Edward’s glare had Jasper backtracking. 27 “Of course it’s too dangerous for her. It was just an er- 28 rant thought,” he said quickly. But he looked at me from 29 sh the corner of his eyes, and the look was wistful. 30 reg

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1 “No,” Edward said. His voice rang with ﬁnality. 2 “You’re right,” Jasper said. He took Alice’s hand and 3 started back to the others. “Best two out of three?” I heard 4 him ask her as they went to practice again. 5 Jacob stared after him in disgust. 6 “Jasper looks at things from a military perspective,” 7 Edward quietly defended his brother. “He looks at all the 8 options — it’s thoroughness, not callousness.” 9 Jacob snorted. 10 He’d edged closer unconsciously, drawn by his absorp- 11 tion in the planning. He stood only three feet from Ed- 12 ward now, and, standing there between them, I could feel 13 the physical tension in the air. It was like static, an un- 14 comfortable charge. 15 Edward got back to business. “I’ll bring her here Friday 16 afternoon to lay the false trail. You can meet us afterward, 17 and carry her to a place I know. Completely out of the way, 18 and easily defensible, not that it will come to that. I’ll take 19 another route there.” 20 “And then what? Leave her with a cell phone?” Jacob 21 asked critically. 22 “You have a better idea?” 23 Jacob was suddenly smug. “Actually, I do.” 24 “Oh....Again, dog, not bad at all.” 25 Jacob turned to me quickly, as if determined to play 26 the good guy by keeping me in the conversation. “We 27 tried to talk Seth into staying behind with the younger 28 two. He’s still too young, but he’s stubborn and he’s resist- sh 29 ing. So I thought of a new assignment for him — cell reg 30 phone.”

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I tried to look like I got it. No one was fooled. 1 “As long as Seth Clearwater is in his wolf form, he’ll be 2 connected to the pack,” Edward said. “Distance isn’t a 3 problem?” he added, turning to Jacob. 4 “Nope.” 5 “Three hundred miles?” Edward asked. “That’s impres- 6 sive.” 7 Jacob was the good guy again. “That’s the farthest we’ve 8 ever gone to experiment,” he told me. “Still clear as a bell.” 9 I nodded absently; I was reeling from the idea that lit- 10 tle Seth Clearwater was already a werewolf, too, and that 11 made it difficult to concentrate. I could see his bright 12 smile, so much like a younger Jacob, in my head; he 13 couldn’t be more than fifteen, if he was that. His enthusi- 14 asm at the council meeting bonfire suddenly took on new 15 meaning.... 16 “It’s a good idea.” Edward seemed reluctant to admit 17 this. “I’ll feel better with Seth there, even without the in- 18 stantaneous communication. I don’t know if I’d be able to 19 leave Bella there alone. To think it’s come to this, though! 20 Trusting werewolves!” 21 “Fighting with vampires instead of against them!” Ja- 22 cob mirrored Edward’s tone of disgust. 23 “Well, you still get to fight against some of them,” Ed- 24 ward said. 25 Jacob smiled. “That’s the reason we’re here.” 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 19. SELFISH 16 17 18 Edward carried me home in his arms, expecting 19 that I wouldn’t be able to hang on. I must have fallen 20 asleep on the way. 21 When I woke up, I was in my bed and the dull light 22 coming through my windows slanted in from a strange 23 angle. Almost like it was afternoon. 24 I yawned and stretched, my ﬁngers searching for him 25 and coming up empty. 26 “Edward?” I mumbled. 27 My seeking ﬁngers encountered something cool and 28 smooth. His hand. sh 29 “Are you really awake this time?” he murmured. reg 30

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“Mmm,” I sighed in assent. “Have there been a lot of 1 false alarms?” 2 “You’ve been very restless — talking all day.” 3 “All day?” I blinked and looked at the windows again. 4 “You had a long night,” he said reassuringly. “You’d 5 earned a day in bed.” 6 I sat up, and my head spun. The light was coming in 7 my window from the west. “Wow.” 8 “Hungry?” he guessed. “Do you want breakfast in bed?” 9 “I’ll get it,” I groaned, stretching again. “I need to get 10 up and move around.” 11 He held my hand on the way to the kitchen, eyeing me 12 carefully, like I might fall over. Or maybe he thought I 13 was sleepwalking. 14 I kept it simple, throwing a couple of Pop-Tarts in the 15 toaster. I caught a glimpse of myself in the reﬂective 16 chrome. 17 “Ugh, I’m a mess.” 18 “It was a long night,” he said again. “You should have 19 stayed here and slept.” 20 “Right! And missed everything. You know, you need to 21 start accepting the fact that I’m part of the family now.” 22 He smiled. “I could probably get used to that idea.” 23 I sat down with my breakfast, and he sat next to me. 24 When I lifted the Pop-Tart to take the ﬁrst bite, I noticed 25 him staring at my hand. I looked down, and saw that I was 26 still wearing the gift that Jacob had given me at the party. 27 “May I?” he asked, reaching for the tiny wooden wolf. 28 I swallowed noisily. “Um, sure.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 He moved his hand under the charm bracelet and bal- 2 anced the little figurine in his snowy palm. For a fleeting 3 moment, I was afraid. Just the slightest twist of his fingers 4 could crush it into splinters. 5 But of course Edward wouldn’t do that. I was embar- 6 rassed I’d even had the thought. He only weighed the wolf 7 in his palm for a moment, and then let it fall. It swung 8 lightly from my wrist. 9 I tried to read the expression in his eyes. All I could see 10 was thoughtfulness; he kept everything else hidden, if 11 there was anything else. 12 “Jacob Black can give you presents.” 13 It wasn’t a question, or an accusation. Just a statement 14 of fact. But I knew he was referring to my last birthday 15 and the fit I’d thrown over gifts; I hadn’t wanted any. Es- 16 pecially not from Edward. It wasn’t entirely logical, and, 17 of course, everyone had ignored me anyway.... 18 “You’ve given me presents,” I reminded him. “You 19 know I like the homemade kind.” 20 He pursed his lips for a second. “How about hand-me- 21 downs? Are those acceptable?” 22 “What do you mean?” 23 “This bracelet.” His finger traced a circle around my 24 wrist. “You’ll be wearing this a lot?” 25 I shrugged. 26 “Because you wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings,” he 27 suggested shrewdly. 28 “Sure, I guess so.” sh 29 “Don’t you think it’s fair, then,” he asked, looking reg 30 down at my hand as he spoke. He turned it palm up, and

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ran his ﬁnger along the veins in my wrist. “If I have a lit- 1 tle representation?” 2 “Representation?” 3 “A charm — something to keep me on your mind.” 4 “You’re in every thought I have. I don’t need re- 5 minders.” 6 “If I gave you something, would you wear it?” he 7 pressed. 8 “A hand-me-down?” I checked. 9 “Yes, something I’ve had for a while.” He smiled his 10 angel’s smile. 11 If this was the only reaction to Jacob’s gift, I would 12 take it gladly. “Whatever makes you happy.” 13 “Have you noticed the inequality?” he asked, and his 14 voice turned accusing. “Because I certainly have.” 15 “What inequality?” 16 His eyes narrowed. “Everyone else is able to get away 17 with giving you things. Everyone but me. I would have 18 loved to get you a graduation present, but I didn’t. I knew 19 it would have upset you more than if anyone else did. 20 That’s utterly unfair. How do you explain yourself?” 21 “Easy.” I shrugged. “You’re more important than every- 22 one else. And you’ve given me you. That’s already more 23 than I deserve, and anything else you give me just throws 24 us more out of balance.” 25 He processed that for a moment, and then rolled his 26 eyes. “The way you regard me is ludicrous.” 27 I chewed my breakfast calmly. I knew he wouldn’t lis- 28 ten if I told him that he had that backward. 29 sh Edward’s phone buzzed. 30 reg

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1 He looked at the number before he opened it. “What is 2 it, Alice?” 3 He listened, and I waited for his reaction, suddenly 4 nervous. But whatever she said didn’t surprise him. He 5 sighed a few times. 6 “I sort of guessed as much,” he told her, staring into my 7 eyes, a disapproving arch to his brow. “She was talking in 8 her sleep.” 9 I flushed. What had I said now? 10 “I’ll take care of it,” he promised. 11 He glared at me as he shut his phone. “Is there some- 12 thing you’d like to talk to me about?” 13 I deliberated for a moment. Given Alice’s warning last 14 night, I could guess why she’d called. And then remem- 15 bering the troubled dreams I’d had as I’d slept through 16 the day — dreams where I chased after Jasper, trying to 17 follow him and find the clearing in the maze-like woods, 18 knowing I would find Edward there...Edward, and the 19 monsters who wanted to kill me, but not caring about 20 them because I’d already made my decision — I could also 21 guess what Edward had overheard while I’d slept. 22 I pursed my lips for a moment, not quite able to meet 23 his gaze. He waited. 24 “I like Jasper’s idea,” I finally said. 25 He groaned. 26 “I want to help. I have to do something,” I insisted. 27 “It wouldn’t help to have you in danger.” 28 “Jasper thinks it would. This is his area of expertise.” sh 29 Edward glowered at me. reg 30

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“You can’t keep me away,” I threatened. “I’m not going 1 to hide out in the forest while you all take risks for me.” 2 Suddenly, he was fighting a smile. “Alice doesn’t see you 3 in the clearing, Bella. She sees you stumbling around lost in 4 the woods. You won’t be able to find us; you’ll just make 5 it more time consuming for me to find you afterward.” 6 I tried to keep as cool as he was. “That’s because Alice 7 didn’t factor in Seth Clearwater,” I said politely. “If she 8 had, of course, she wouldn’t have been able to see anything 9 at all. But it sounds like Seth wants to be there as much as 10 I do. It shouldn’t be too hard to persuade him to show me 11 the way.” 12 Anger flickered across his face, and then he took a deep 13 breath and composed himself. “That might have worked . . . 14 if you hadn’t told me. Now I’ll just ask Sam to give Seth 15 certain orders. Much as he might want to, Seth won’t be 16 able to ignore that kind of injunction.” 17 I kept my smile pleasant. “But why would Sam give 18 those orders? If I tell him how it would help for me to be 19 there? I’ll bet Sam would rather do me a favor than you.” 20 He had to compose himself again. “Maybe you’re right. 21 But I’m sure Jacob would be only too eager to give those 22 same orders.” 23 I frowned. “Jacob?” 24 “Jacob is second in command. Did he never tell you 25 that? His orders have to be followed, too.” 26 He had me, and by his smile, he knew it. My forehead 27 crumpled. Jacob would be on his side — in this one in- 28 stance — I was sure. And Jacob never had told me that. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Edward took advantage of the fact that I was momen- 2 tarily stumped, continuing in a suspiciously smooth and 3 soothing voice. 4 “I got a fascinating look into the pack’s mind last 5 night. It was better than a soap opera. I had no idea how 6 complex the dynamic is with such a large pack. The pull 7 of the individual against the plural psyche...Absolutely 8 fascinating.” 9 He was obviously trying to distract me. I glared at him. 10 “Jacob’s been keeping a lot of secrets,” he said with a 11 grin. 12 I didn’t answer, I just kept glaring, holding on to my 13 argument and waiting for an opening. 14 “For instance, did you note the smaller gray wolf there 15 last night?” 16 I nodded one stiff nod. 17 He chuckled. “They take all of their legends so seri- 18 ously. It turns out there are things that none of their sto- 19 ries prepared them for.” 20 I sighed. “Okay, I’ll bite. What are you talking about?” 21 “They always accepted without question that it was 22 only the direct grandsons of the original wolf who had the 23 power to transform.” 24 “So someone changed who wasn’t a direct descendant?” 25 “No. She’s a direct descendant, all right.” 26 I blinked, and my eyes widened. “She?” 27 He nodded. “She knows you. Her name is Leah Clear- 28 water.” sh 29 “Leah’s a werewolf!” I shrieked. “What? For how long? reg 30 Why didn’t Jacob tell me?”

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“There are things he wasn’t allowed to share — their 1 numbers, for instance. Like I said before, when Sam gives 2 an order, the pack simply isn’t able to ignore it. Jacob was 3 very careful to think of other things when he was near me. 4 Of course, after last night that’s all out the window.” 5 “I can’t believe it. Leah Clearwater!” Suddenly, I re- 6 membered Jacob speaking of Leah and Sam, and the way 7 he acted as if he’d said too much — after he’d said some- 8 thing about Sam having to look in Leah’s eyes every day 9 and know that he’d broken all his promises....Leah on 10 the cliff, a tear glistening on her cheek when Old Quil had 11 spoken of the burden and sacriﬁce the Quileute sons 12 shared....And Billy, spending time with Sue because she 13 was having trouble with her kids...and here the trouble 14 actually was that both of them were werewolves now! 15 I hadn’t given much thought to Leah Clearwater, just 16 to grieve for her loss when Harry had passed away, and 17 then to pity her again when Jacob had told her story, about 18 how the strange imprinting between Sam and her cousin 19 Emily had broken Leah’s heart. 20 And now she was part of Sam’s pack, hearing his 21 thoughts...and unable to hide her own. 22 I really hate that part, Jacob had said. Everything you’re 23 ashamed of, laid out for everyone to see. 24 “Poor Leah,” I whispered. 25 Edward snorted. “She’s making life exceedingly un- 26 pleasant for the rest of them. I’m not sure she deserves 27 your sympathy.” 28 “What do you mean?” 29 sh “It’s hard enough for them, having to share all their 30 reg

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1 thoughts. Most of them try to cooperate, make it easier. 2 When even one member is deliberately malicious, it’s 3 painful for everyone.” 4 “She has reason enough,” I mumbled, still on her side. 5 “Oh, I know,” he said. “The imprinting compulsion is 6 one of the strangest things I’ve ever witnessed in my life, 7 and I’ve seen some strange things.” He shook his head 8 wonderingly. “The way Sam is tied to his Emily is impos- 9 sible to describe — or I should say her Sam. Sam really had 10 no choice. It reminds me of A Midsummer Night’s Dream 11 with all the chaos caused by the fairies’ love spells...like 12 magic.” He smiled. “It’s very nearly as strong as the way I 13 feel about you.” 14 “Poor Leah,” I said again. “But what do you mean, ma- 15 licious?” 16 “She’s constantly bringing up things they’d rather not 17 think of,” he explained. “For example, Embry.” 18 “What’s with Embry?” I asked, surprised. 19 “His mother moved down from the Makah reservation 20 seventeen years ago, when she was pregnant with him. 21 She’s not Quileute. Everyone assumed she’d left his father 22 behind with the Makahs. But then he joined the pack.” 23 “So?” 24 “So the prime candidates for his father are Quil Ateara 25 Sr., Joshua Uley, or Billy Black, all of them married at that 26 point, of course.” 27 “No!” I gasped. Edward was right — this was exactly 28 like a soap opera. sh 29 “Now Sam, Jacob, and Quil all wonder which of them reg 30 has a half-brother. They’d all like to think it’s Sam, since

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his father was never much of a father. But the doubt is al- 1 ways there. Jacob’s never been able to ask Billy about that.” 2 “Wow. How did you get so much in one night?” 3 “The pack mind is mesmerizing. All thinking together 4 and then separately at the same time. There’s so much to 5 read!” 6 He sounded faintly regretful, like someone who’d had 7 to put down a good book just before the climax. I laughed. 8 “The pack is fascinating,” I agreed. “Almost as fasci- 9 nating as you are when you’re trying to distract me.” 10 His expression became polite again — a perfect poker 11 face. 12 “I have to be in that clearing, Edward.” 13 “No,” he said in a very final tone. 14 A certain path occurred to me at that moment. 15 It wasn’t so much that I had to be in the clearing. I just 16 had to be where Edward was. 17 Cruel, I accused myself. Selfish, selfish, selfish! Don’t do it! 18 I ignored my better instincts. I couldn’t look at him 19 while I spoke, though. The guilt had my eyes glued to the 20 table. 21 “Okay, look, Edward,” I whispered. “Here’s the thing... 22 I’ve already gone crazy once. I know what my limits are. 23 And I can’t stand it if you leave me again.” 24 I didn’t look up to see his reaction, afraid to know how 25 much pain I was inflicting. I did hear his sudden intake of 26 breath and the silence that followed. I stared at the dark 27 wooden tabletop, wishing I could take the words back. 28 But knowing I probably wouldn’t. Not if it worked. 29 sh Suddenly, his arms were around me, his hands stroking 30 reg

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1 my face, my arms. He was comforting me. The guilt went 2 into spiral mode. But the survival instinct was stronger. 3 There was no question that he was fundamental to my sur- 4 vival. 5 “You know it’s not like that, Bella,” he murmured. “I 6 won’t be far, and it will be over quickly.” 7 “I can’t stand it,” I insisted, still staring down. “Not 8 knowing whether or not you’ll come back. How do I live 9 through that, no matter how quickly it’s over?” 10 He sighed. “It’s going to be easy, Bella. There’s no rea- 11 son for your fears.” 12 “None at all?” 13 “None.” 14 “And everybody will be ﬁne?” 15 “Everyone,” he promised. 16 “So there’s no way at all that I need to be in the clearing?” 17 “Of course not. Alice just told me that they’re down to 18 nineteen. We’ll be able to handle it easily.” 19 “That’s right — you said it was so easy that someone 20 could sit out,” I repeated his words from last night. “Did 21 you really mean that?” 22 “Yes.” 23 It felt too simple — he had to see it coming. 24 “So easy that you could sit out?” 25 After a long moment of silence, I ﬁnally looked up at 26 his expression. 27 The poker face was back. 28 I took a deep breath. “So it’s one way or the other. Ei- sh 29 ther there is more danger than you want me to know reg 30 about, in which case it would be right for me to be there,

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to do what I can to help. Or...it’s going to be so easy 1 that they’ll get by without you. Which way is it?” 2 He didn’t speak. 3 I knew what he was thinking of — the same thing I 4 was thinking of. Carlisle. Esme. Emmett. Rosalie. Jasper. 5 And...I forced myself to think the last name. And Alice. 6 I wondered if I was a monster. Not the kind that he 7 thought he was, but the real kind. The kind that hurt 8 people. The kind that had no limits when it came to what 9 they wanted. 10 What I wanted was to keep him safe, safe with me. Did 11 I have a limit to what I would do, what I would sacriﬁce 12 for that? I wasn’t sure. 13 “You ask me to let them ﬁght without my help?” he 14 said in a quiet voice. 15 “Yes.” I was surprised I could keep my voice even, I felt 16 so wretched inside. “Or to let me be there. Either way, so 17 long as we’re together.” 18 He took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. He 19 moved his hands to place them on either side of my face, 20 forcing me to meet his gaze. He looked into my eyes for a 21 long time. I wondered what he was looking for, and what 22 it was that he found. Was the guilt as thick on my face as 23 it was in my stomach — sickening me? 24 His eyes tightened against some emotion I couldn’t 25 read, and he dropped one hand to pull out his phone 26 again. 27 “Alice,” he sighed. “Could you come babysit Bella for a 28 bit?” He raised one eyebrow, daring me to object to the 29 sh word. “I need to speak with Jasper.” 30 reg

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1 She evidently agreed. He put the phone away and went 2 back to staring at my face. 3 “What are you going to say to Jasper?” I whispered. 4 “I’m going to discuss...me sitting out.” 5 It was easy to read in his face how difficult the words 6 were for him. 7 “I’m sorry.” 8 I was sorry. I hated to make him do this. Not enough 9 that I could fake a smile and tell him to go on ahead with- 10 out me. Definitely not that much. 11 “Don’t apologize,” he said, smiling just a little. “Never 12 be afraid to tell me how you feel, Bella. If this is what you 13 need . . .” He shrugged. “You are my first priority.” 14 “I didn’t mean it that way — like you have to choose 15 me over your family.” 16 “I know that. Besides, that’s not what you asked. You 17 gave me two alternatives that you could live with, and I 18 chose the one that I could live with. That’s how compro- 19 mise is supposed to work.” 20 I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his 21 chest. “Thank you,” I whispered. 22 “Anytime,” he answered, kissing my hair. “Anything.” 23 We didn’t move for a long moment. I kept my face hid- 24 den, pressed against his shirt. Two voices struggled inside 25 me. One that wanted to be good and brave, and one that 26 told the good one to keep her mouth shut. 27 “Who’s the third wife?” he asked me suddenly. 28 “Huh?” I said, stalling. I didn’t remember having had sh 29 that dream again. reg 30

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“You were mumbling something about ‘the third wife’ 1 last night. The rest made a little sense, but you lost me 2 there.” 3 “Oh. Um, yeah. That was just one of the stories that I 4 heard at the bonﬁre the other night.” I shrugged. “I guess 5 it stuck with me.” 6 Edward leaned away from me and cocked his head to 7 the side, probably confused by the uncomfortable edge to 8 my voice. 9 Before he could ask, Alice appeared in the kitchen 10 doorway with a sour expression. 11 “You’re going to miss all the fun,” she grumbled. 12 “Hello, Alice,” he greeted her. He put one ﬁnger under 13 my chin and tilted my face up to kiss me goodbye. 14 “I’ll be back later tonight,” he promised me. “I’ll go 15 work this out with the others, rearrange things.” 16 “Okay.” 17 “There’s not much to arrange,” Alice said. “I already 18 told them. Emmett is pleased.” 19 Edward sighed. “Of course he is.” 20 He walked out the door, leaving me to face Alice. 21 She glared at me. 22 “I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “Do you think this will 23 make it more dangerous for you?” 24 She snorted. “You worry too much, Bella. You’re going 25 to go prematurely gray.” 26 “Why are you upset, then?” 27 “Edward is such a grouch when he doesn’t get his way. 28 I’m just anticipating living with him for the next few 29 sh 30 reg

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1 months.” She made a face. “I suppose, if it keeps you sane, 2 it’s worth it. But I wish you could control the pessimism, 3 Bella. It’s so unnecessary.” 4 “Would you let Jasper go without you?” I demanded. 5 Alice grimaced. “That’s different.” 6 “Sure it is.” 7 “Go clean yourself up,” she ordered me. “Charlie will 8 be home in fifteen minutes, and if you look this ragged 9 he’s not going to want to let you out again.” 10 Wow, I’d really lost the whole day. It felt like such a 11 waste. I was glad I wouldn’t always have to squander my 12 time with sleeping. 13 I was entirely presentable when Charlie got home — 14 fully dressed, hair decent, and in the kitchen putting his 15 dinner on the table. Alice sat in Edward’s usual place, and 16 this seemed to make Charlie’s day. 17 “Howdy, Alice! How are you, hon?” 18 “I’m fine, Charlie, thanks.” 19 “I see you finally made it out of bed, sleepyhead,” he 20 said to me as I sat beside him, before turning back to Al- 21 ice. “Everyone’s talking about that party your parents 22 threw last night. I’ll bet you’ve got one heck of a clean-up 23 job ahead of you.” 24 Alice shrugged. Knowing her, it was already done. 25 “It was worth it,” she said. “It was a great party.” 26 “Where’s Edward?” Charlie asked, a little grudgingly. 27 “Is he helping clean up?” 28 Alice sighed and her face turned tragic. It was probably sh 29 an act, but it was too perfect for me to be positive. “No. reg 30 He’s off planning the weekend with Emmett and Carlisle.”

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“Hiking again?” 1 Alice nodded, her face suddenly forlorn. “Yes. They’re 2 all going, except me. We always go backpacking at the 3 end of the school year, sort of a celebration, but this year I 4 decided I’d rather shop than hike, and not one of them 5 will stay behind with me. I’m abandoned.” 6 Her face puckered, the expression so devastated that 7 Charlie leaned toward her automatically, one hand reach- 8 ing out, looking for some way to help. I glared at her sus- 9 piciously. What was she doing? 10 “Alice, honey, why don’t you come stay with us,” Char- 11 lie offered. “I hate to think of you all alone in that big 12 house.” 13 She sighed. Something squashed my foot under the 14 table. 15 “Ow!” I protested. 16 Charlie turned to me. “What?” 17 Alice shot me a frustrated look. I could tell she thought 18 that I was very slow tonight. 19 “Stubbed my toe,” I muttered. 20 “Oh.” He looked back at Alice. “So, how ’bout it?” 21 She stepped on my foot again, not quite so hard this 22 time. 23 “Er, Dad, you know, we don’t really have the best ac- 24 commodations here. I bet Alice doesn’t want to sleep on 25 my ﬂoor....” 26 Charlie pursed his lips. Alice pulled out the devastated 27 expression again. 28 “Maybe Bella should stay up there with you,” he sug- 29 sh gested. “Just until your folks get back.” 30 reg

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1 “Oh, would you, Bella?” Alice smiled at me radiantly. 2 “You don’t mind shopping with me, right?” 3 “Sure,” I agreed. “Shopping. Okay.” 4 “When are they leaving?” Charlie asked. 5 Alice made another face. “Tomorrow.” 6 “When do you want me?” I asked. 7 “After dinner, I guess,” she said, and then put one ﬁn- 8 ger to her chin, thoughtful. “You don’t have anything go- 9 ing on Saturday, do you? I want to get out of town to shop, 10 and it will be an all-day thing.” 11 “Not Seattle,” Charlie interjected, his eyebrows pulling 12 together. 13 “Of course not,” Alice agreed at once, though we both 14 knew Seattle would be plenty safe on Saturday. “I was 15 thinking Olympia, maybe....” 16 “You’ll like that, Bella.” Charlie was cheerful with re- 17 lief. “Go get your ﬁll of the city.” 18 “Yeah, Dad. It’ll be great.” 19 With one easy conversation, Alice had cleared my 20 schedule for the battle. 21 Edward returned not much later. He accepted Charlie’s 22 wishes for a nice trip without surprise. He claimed they 23 were leaving early in the morning, and said goodnight be- 24 fore the usual time. Alice left with him. 25 I excused myself soon after they left. 26 “You can’t be tired,” Charlie protested. 27 “A little,” I lied. 28 “No wonder you like to skip the parties,” he muttered. sh 29 “It takes you so long to recover.” reg 30 Upstairs, Edward was lying across my bed.

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“What time are we meeting with the wolves?” I mur- 1 mured as I went to join him. 2 “In an hour.” 3 “That’s good. Jake and his friends need to get some 4 sleep.” 5 “They don’t need as much as you do,” he pointed out. 6 I moved to another topic, assuming he was about to try 7 to talk me into staying home. “Did Alice tell you that 8 she’s kidnapping me again?” 9 He grinned. “Actually, she’s not.” 10 I stared at him, confused, and he laughed quietly at my 11 expression. 12 “I’m the only one who has permission to hold you 13 hostage, remember?” he said. “Alice is going hunting 14 with the rest of them.” He sighed. “I guess I don’t need to 15 do that now.” 16 “You’re kidnapping me?” 17 He nodded. 18 I thought about that brieﬂy. No Charlie listening 19 downstairs, checking on me every so often. And no house- 20 ful of wide-awake vampires with their intrusively sensi- 21 tive hearing....Just him and me — really alone. 22 “Is that all right?” he asked, concerned by my silence. 23 “Well...sure, except for one thing.” 24 “What thing?” His eyes were anxious. It was mind- 25 boggling, but, somehow, he still seemed unsure of his 26 hold on me. Maybe I needed to make myself more clear. 27 “Why didn’t Alice tell Charlie you were leaving to- 28 night?” I asked. 29 sh He laughed, relieved. 30 reg

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1 I enjoyed the trip to the clearing more than I had last 2 night. I still felt guilty, still afraid, but I wasn’t terrified 3 anymore. I could function. I could see past what was com- 4 ing, and almost believe that maybe it would be okay. Ed- 5 ward was apparently fine with the idea of missing the 6 fight...and that made it very hard not to believe him 7 when he said this would be easy. He wouldn’t leave his 8 family if he didn’t believe it himself. Maybe Alice was 9 right, and I did worry too much. 10 We got to the clearing last. 11 Jasper and Emmett were already wrestling — just 12 warming up from the sounds of their laughter. Alice and 13 Rosalie lounged on the hard ground, watching. Esme and 14 Carlisle were talking a few yards away, heads close to- 15 gether, fingers linked, not paying attention. 16 It was much brighter tonight, the moon shining 17 through the thin clouds, and I could easily see the three 18 wolves that sat around the edge of the practice ring, 19 spaced far apart to watch from different angles. 20 It was also easy to recognize Jacob; I would have known 21 him at once, even if he hadn’t looked up and stared at the 22 sound of our approach. 23 “Where are the rest of the wolves?” I wondered. 24 “They don’t all need to be here. One would do the job, 25 but Sam didn’t trust us enough to just send Jacob, though 26 Jacob was willing. Quil and Embry are his usual...I 27 guess you could call them his wingmen.” 28 “Jacob trusts you.” sh 29 Edward nodded. “He trusts us not to try to kill him. reg 30 That’s about it, though.”

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“Are you participating tonight?” I asked, hesitant. I 1 knew this was going to be almost as hard for him as being 2 left behind would have been for me. Maybe harder. 3 “I’ll help Jasper when he needs it. He wants to try some 4 unequal groupings, teach them how to deal with multiple 5 attackers.” 6 He shrugged. 7 And a fresh wave of panic shattered my brief sense of 8 confidence. 9 They were still outnumbered. I was making that worse. 10 I stared at the field, trying to hide my reaction. 11 It was the wrong place to look, struggling as I was to 12 lie to myself, to convince myself that everything would 13 work out as I needed it to. Because when I forced my eyes 14 away from the Cullens — away from the image of their 15 play fighting that would be real and deadly in just a few 16 days — Jacob caught my eyes and smiled. 17 It was the same wolfy grin as before, his eyes scrunch- 18 ing the way they did when he was human. 19 It was hard to believe that, not so long ago, I’d found 20 the werewolves frightening — lost sleep to nightmares 21 about them. 22 I knew, without asking, which of the others was Embry 23 and which was Quil. Because Embry was clearly the thin- 24 ner gray wolf with the dark spots on his back, who sat so 25 patiently watching, while Quil — deep chocolate brown, 26 lighter over his face — twitched constantly, looking like 27 he was dying to join in the mock fight. They weren’t mon- 28 sters, even like this. They were friends. 29 sh Friends who didn’t look nearly as indestructible as 30 reg

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1 Emmett and Jasper did, moving faster than cobra strikes 2 while the moonlight glinted off their granite-hard skin. 3 Friends who didn’t seem to understand the danger involved 4 here. Friends who were still somewhat mortal, friends who 5 could bleed, friends who could die.... 6 Edward’s confidence was reassuring, because it was 7 plain that he wasn’t truly worried about his family. But 8 would it hurt him if something happened to the wolves? 9 Was there any reason for him to be anxious, if that pos- 10 sibility didn’t bother him? Edward’s confidence only ap- 11 plied to one set of my fears. 12 I tried to smile back at Jacob, swallowing against the 13 lump in my throat. I didn’t seem to get it right. 14 Jacob sprang lightly to his feet, his agility at odds with 15 his sheer mass, and trotted over to where Edward and I 16 stood on the fringe of things. 17 “Jacob,” Edward greeted him politely. 18 Jacob ignored him, his dark eyes on me. He put his 19 head down to my level, as he had yesterday, cocking it to 20 one side. A low whimper escaped his muzzle. 21 “I’m fine,” I answered, not needing the translation that 22 Edward was about to give. “Just worried, you know.” 23 Jacob continued to stare at me. 24 “He wants to know why,” Edward murmured. 25 Jacob growled — not a threatening sound, an annoyed 26 sound — and Edward’s lips twitched. 27 “What?” I asked. 28 “He thinks my translations leave something to be de- sh 29 sired. What he actually thought was, ‘That’s really stupid. reg 30

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What is there to be worried about?’ I edited, because I 1 thought it was rude.” 2 I halfway smiled, too anxious to really feel amused. 3 “There’s plenty to be worried about,” I told Jacob. “Like a 4 bunch of really stupid wolves getting themselves hurt.” 5 Jacob laughed his coughing bark. 6 Edward sighed. “Jasper wants help. You’ll be okay with- 7 out a translator?” 8 “I’ll manage.” 9 Edward looked at me wistfully for one minute, his ex- 10 pression hard to understand, then turned his back and 11 strode over to where Jasper waited. 12 I sat down where I was. The ground was cold and un- 13 comfortable. 14 Jacob took a step forward, then looked back at me, and 15 a low whine rose in his throat. He took another half-step. 16 “Go on without me,” I told him. “I don’t want to 17 watch.” 18 Jacob leaned his head to the side again for a moment, 19 and then folded himself on to the ground beside me with 20 a rumbling sigh. 21 “Really, you can go ahead,” I assured him. He didn’t re- 22 spond, he just put his head down on his paws. 23 I stared up at the bright silver clouds, not wanting to 24 see the ﬁght. My imagination had more than enough fuel. 25 A breeze blew through the clearing, and I shivered. 26 Jacob scooted himself closer to me, pressing his warm 27 fur against my left side. 28 “Er, thanks,” I muttered. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 After a few minutes, I leaned against his wide shoulder. 2 It was much more comfortable that way. 3 The clouds moved slowly across the sky, dimming 4 and brightening as thick patches crossed the moon and 5 passed on. 6 Absently, I began pulling my ﬁngers through the fur 7 on his neck. That same strange humming sound that he’d 8 made yesterday rumbled in his throat. It was a homey 9 kind of sound. Rougher, wilder than a cat’s purr, but con- 10 veying the same sense of contentment. 11 “You know, I never had a dog,” I mused. “I always 12 wanted one, but Renée’s allergic.” 13 Jacob laughed; his body shook under me. 14 “Aren’t you worried about Saturday at all?” I asked. 15 He turned his enormous head toward me, so that I 16 could see one of his eyes roll. 17 “I wish I could feel that positive.” 18 He leaned his head against my leg and started hum- 19 ming again. And it did make me feel just a little bit better. 20 “So we’ve got some hiking to do tomorrow, I guess.” 21 He rumbled; the sound was enthusiastic. 22 “It might be a long hike,” I warned him. “Edward 23 doesn’t judge distances the way a normal person does.” 24 Jacob barked another laugh. 25 I settled deeper into his warm fur, resting my head 26 against his neck. 27 It was strange. Even though he was in this bizarre 28 form, this felt more like the way Jake and I used to be — sh 29 the easy, effortless friendship that was as natural as breath- reg 30 ing in and out — than the last few times I’d been with

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Jacob while he was human. Odd that I should ﬁnd that 1 again here, when I’d thought this wolf thing was the cause 2 of its loss. 3 The killing games continued in the clearing, and I 4 stared at the hazy moon. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 20. COMPROMISE 16 17 18 Everything was ready. 19 I was packed for my two-day visit with “Alice,” and my 20 bag waited for me on the passenger seat of my truck. I’d 21 given the concert tickets to Angela, Ben, and Mike. Mike 22 was going to take Jessica, which was exactly as I’d hoped. 23 Billy had borrowed Old Quil Ateara’s boat and invited 24 Charlie down for some open sea ﬁshing before the after- 25 noon game started. Collin and Brady, the two youngest 26 werewolves, were staying behind to protect La Push — 27 though they were just children, both of them only thir- 28 teen. Still, Charlie would be safer than anyone left in sh 29 Forks. reg 30 I had done all that I could do. I tried to accept that, and

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put the things that were outside of my control out of my 1 head, for tonight at least. One way or another, this would 2 all be over in forty-eight hours. The thought was almost 3 comforting. 4 Edward had requested that I relax, and I was going to 5 do my best. 6 “For this one night, could we try to forget everything 7 besides just you and me?” he’d pleaded, unleashing the 8 full force of his eyes on me. “It seems like I can never get 9 enough time like that. I need to be with you. Just you.” 10 That was not a hard request to agree to, though I knew 11 that forgetting my fears would be much easier said than 12 done. Other matters were on my mind now, knowing that 13 we had this night to be alone, and that would help. 14 There were some things that had changed. 15 For instance, I was ready. 16 I was ready to join his family and his world. The fear 17 and guilt and anguish I was feeling now had taught me 18 that much. I’d had a chance to concentrate on this — as 19 I’d gazed at the moon through the clouds and rested 20 against a werewolf — and I knew I would not panic again. 21 The next time something came at us, I would be ready. An 22 asset, not a liability. He would never have to make the 23 choice between me and his family again. We would be 24 partners, like Alice and Jasper. Next time, I would do my 25 part. 26 I would wait for the sword to be removed from over my 27 head, so that Edward would be satisﬁed. But it wasn’t nec- 28 essary. I was ready. 29 sh There was only one missing piece. 30 reg

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1 One piece, because there were some things that had not 2 changed, and that included the desperate way I loved him. 3 I’d had plenty of time to think through the ramifications 4 of Jasper and Emmett’s bet — to figure out the things I 5 was willing to lose with my humanity, and the part that I 6 was not willing to give up. I knew which human experi- 7 ence I was going to insist on before I became inhuman. 8 So we had some things to work out tonight. After 9 everything I’d seen in the past two years, I didn’t believe 10 in the word impossible anymore. It was going to take more 11 than that to stop me now. 12 Okay, well, honestly, it was probably going to be much 13 more complicated than that. But I was going to try. 14 As decided as I was, I wasn’t surprised that I still felt 15 nervous as I drove down the long path to his house — I 16 didn’t know how to do what I was trying to do, and that 17 guaranteed me some serious jitters. He sat in the passen- 18 ger seat, fighting a smile at my slow pace. I was surprised 19 that he hadn’t insisted on taking the wheel, but tonight he 20 seemed content to go at my speed. 21 It was after dark when we reached the house. In spite of 22 that, the meadow was bright in the light shining from 23 every window. 24 As soon as I cut the engine he was at my door, opening 25 it for me. He lifted me from the cab with one arm, sling- 26 ing my bag out of the truck bed and over his shoulder 27 with the other. His lips found mine as I heard him kick 28 the truck’s door shut behind me. sh 29 Without breaking the kiss, he swung me up so that I reg 30 was cradled in his arms and carried me into the house.

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Was the front door already open? I didn’t know. We 1 were inside, though, and I was dizzy. I had to remind my- 2 self to breathe. 3 This kissing did not frighten me. It wasn’t like before 4 when I could feel the fear and panic leaking through his 5 control. His lips were not anxious, but enthusiastic 6 now — he seemed as thrilled as I was that we had tonight 7 to concentrate on being together. He continued to kiss me 8 for several minutes, standing there in the entry; he seemed 9 less guarded than usual, his mouth cold and urgent on 10 mine. 11 I began to feel cautiously optimistic. Perhaps getting 12 what I wanted would not be as difﬁcult as I’d expected it 13 to be. 14 No, of course it was going to be just exactly that difﬁ- 15 cult. 16 With a low chuckle, he pulled me away, holding me at 17 arm’s length. 18 “Welcome home,” he said, his eyes liquid and warm. 19 “That sounds nice,” I said, breathless. 20 He set me gently on my feet. I wrapped both my arms 21 around him, refusing to allow any space between us. 22 “I have something for you,” he said, his tone conversa- 23 tional. 24 “Oh?” 25 “Your hand-me-down, remember? You said that was 26 allowable.” 27 “Oh, that’s right. I guess I did say that.” 28 He chuckled at my reluctance. 29 sh “It’s up in my room. Shall I go get it?” 30 reg

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1 His bedroom? “Sure,” I agreed, feeling quite devious as 2 I wound my ﬁngers through his. “Let’s go.” 3 He must have been eager to give me my non-present, 4 because human velocity was not fast enough for him. He 5 scooped me up again and nearly ﬂew up the stairs to his 6 room. He set me down at the door, and darted into his 7 closet. 8 He was back before I’d taken a step, but I ignored him 9 and went to the huge gold bed, plopping down on the 10 edge and then sliding to the center. I curled up in a ball, 11 my arms wrapped around my knees. 12 “Okay,” I grumbled. Now that I was where I wanted to 13 be, I could afford a little reluctance. “Let me have it.” 14 Edward laughed. 15 He climbed onto the bed to sit next to me, and my 16 heart thumped unevenly. Hopefully he would write that 17 off as some reaction to him giving me presents. 18 “A hand-me-down,” he reminded me sternly. He 19 pulled my left wrist away from my leg, and touched the 20 silver bracelet for just a moment. Then he gave me my 21 arm back. 22 I examined it cautiously. On the opposite side of the 23 chain from the wolf, there now hung a brilliant heart- 24 shaped crystal. It was cut in a million facets, so that even 25 in the subdued light shining from the lamp, it sparkled. I 26 inhaled in a low gasp. 27 “It was my mother’s.” He shrugged deprecatingly. “I 28 inherited quite a few baubles like this. I’ve given some to sh 29 Esme and Alice both. So, clearly, this is not a big deal in reg 30 any way.”

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I smiled ruefully at his assurance. 1 “But I thought it was a good representation,” he con- 2 tinued. “It’s hard and cold.” He laughed. “And it throws 3 rainbows in the sunlight.” 4 “You forgot the most important similarity,” I mur- 5 mured. “It’s beautiful.” 6 “My heart is just as silent,” he mused. “And it, too, is 7 yours.” 8 I twisted my wrist so the heart would glimmer. “Thank 9 you. For both.” 10 “No, thank you. It’s a relief to have you accept a gift so 11 easily. Good practice for you, too.” He grinned, ﬂashing 12 his teeth. 13 I leaned into him, ducking my head under his arm and 14 cuddling into his side. It probably felt similar to snuggling 15 with Michelangelo’s David, except that this perfect marble 16 creature wrapped his arms around me to pull me closer. 17 It seemed like a good place to start. 18 “Can we discuss something? I’d appreciate it if you 19 could begin by being open-minded.” 20 He hesitated for a moment. “I’ll give it my best effort,” 21 he agreed, cautious now. 22 “I’m not breaking any rules here,” I promised. “This is 23 strictly about you and me.” I cleared my throat. “So ...I 24 was impressed by how well we were able to compromise 25 the other night. I was thinking I would like to apply the 26 same principle to a different situation.” I wondered why I 27 was being so formal. Must be the nerves. 28 “What would you like to negotiate?” he asked, a smile 29 sh in his voice. 30 reg

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1 I struggled, trying to find exactly the right words to 2 open with. 3 “Listen to your heart fly,” he murmured. “It’s fluttering 4 like a hummingbird’s wings. Are you all right?” 5 “I’m great.” 6 “Please go on then,” he encouraged. 7 “Well, I guess, first, I wanted to talk to you about that 8 whole ridiculous marriage condition thing.” 9 “It’s only ridiculous to you. What about it?” 10 “I was wondering...is that open to negotiation?” 11 Edward frowned, serious now. “I’ve already made the 12 largest concession by far and away — I’ve agreed to take 13 your life away against my better judgment. And that 14 ought to entitle me to a few compromises on your part.” 15 “No.” I shook my head, focusing on keeping my face 16 composed. “That part’s a done deal. We’re not discussing 17 my...renovations right now. I want to hammer out some 18 other details.” 19 He looked at me suspiciously. “Which details do you 20 mean exactly?” 21 I hesitated. “Let’s clarify your prerequisites first.” 22 “You know what I want.” 23 “Matrimony.” I made it sound like a dirty word. 24 “Yes.” He smiled a wide smile. “To start with.” 25 The shock spoiled my carefully composed expression. 26 “There’s more?” 27 “Well,” he said, and his face was calculating. “If you’re 28 my wife, then what’s mine is yours...like tuition money. sh 29 So there would be no problem with Dartmouth.” reg 30 “Anything else? While you’re already being absurd?”

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“I wouldn’t mind some time.” 1 “No. No time. That’s a deal breaker right there.” 2 He sighed longingly. “Just a year or two?” 3 I shook my head, my lips set in a stubborn frown. 4 “Move along to the next one.” 5 “That’s it. Unless you’d like to talk cars...” 6 He grinned widely when I grimaced, then took my 7 hand and began playing with my fingers. 8 “I didn’t realize there was anything else you wanted be- 9 sides being transformed into a monster yourself. I’m ex- 10 tremely curious.” His voice was low and soft. The slight 11 edge would have been hard to detect if I hadn’t known it 12 so well. 13 I paused, staring at his hand on mine. I still didn’t 14 know how to begin. I felt his eyes watching me and I was 15 afraid to look up. The blood began to burn in my face. 16 His cool fingers brushed my cheek. “You’re blushing?” 17 he asked in surprise. I kept my eyes down. “Please, Bella, 18 the suspense is painful.” 19 I bit my lip. 20 “Bella.” His tone reproached me now, reminded me 21 that it was hard for him when I kept my thoughts to my- 22 self. 23 “Well, I’m a little worried...about after,” I admitted, 24 finally looking at him. 25 I felt his body tense, but his voice was gentle and vel- 26 vet. “What has you worried?” 27 “All of you just seem so convinced that the only thing 28 I’m going to be interested in, afterward, is slaughtering 29 sh everyone in town,” I confessed, while he winced at my 30 reg

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1 choice of words. “And I’m afraid I’ll be so preoccupied 2 with the mayhem that I won’t be me anymore...and that 3 I won’t ...I won’t want you the same way I do now.” 4 “Bella, that part doesn’t last forever,” he assured me. 5 He was missing the point. 6 “Edward,” I said, nervous, staring at a freckle on my 7 wrist. “There’s something that I want to do before I’m not 8 human anymore.” 9 He waited for me to continue. I didn’t. My face was 10 all hot. 11 “Whatever you want,” he encouraged, anxious and 12 completely clueless. 13 “Do you promise?” I muttered, knowing my attempt 14 to trap him with his words was not going to work, but un- 15 able to resist. 16 “Yes,” he said. I looked up to see that his eyes were 17 earnest and confused. “Tell me what you want, and you 18 can have it.” 19 I couldn’t believe how awkward and idiotic I felt. I was 20 too innocent — which was, of course, central to the dis- 21 cussion. I didn’t have the faintest idea how to be seductive. 22 I would just have to settle for ﬂushed and self-conscious. 23 “You,” I mumbled almost incoherently. 24 “I’m yours.” He smiled, still oblivious, trying to hold 25 my gaze as I looked away again. 26 I took a deep breath and shifted forward so that I was 27 kneeling on the bed. Then I wrapped my arms around his 28 neck and kissed him. sh 29 He kissed me back, bewildered but willing. His lips reg 30 were gentle against mine, and I could tell his mind was

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elsewhere — trying to figure out what was on my mind. I 1 decided he needed a hint. 2 My hands were slightly shaky as I unlocked my arms 3 from around his neck. My fingers slid down his neck to the 4 collar of his shirt. The trembling didn’t help as I tried to 5 hurry to undo the buttons before he stopped me. 6 His lips froze, and I could almost hear the click in his 7 head as he put together my words and my actions. 8 He pushed me away at once, his face heavily disap- 9 proving. 10 “Be reasonable, Bella.” 11 “You promised — whatever I wanted,” I reminded him 12 without hope. 13 “We’re not having this discussion.” He glared at me 14 while he refastened the two buttons I’d managed to open. 15 My teeth clamped together. 16 “I say we are,” I growled. I moved my hands to my 17 blouse and yanked open the top button. 18 He grabbed my wrists and pinned them to my sides. 19 “I say we’re not,” he said flatly. 20 We glowered at each other. 21 “You wanted to know,” I pointed out. 22 “I thought it would be something faintly realistic.” 23 “So you can ask for any stupid, ridiculous thing you 24 want — like getting married — but I’m not allowed to 25 even discuss what I —” 26 While I was ranting, he pulled my hands together to 27 restrain them in just one of his, and put his other hand 28 over my mouth. 29 sh “No.” His face was hard. 30 reg

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1 I took a deep breath to steady myself. And, as the anger 2 began to fade, I felt something else. 3 It took me a minute to recognize why I was staring 4 down again, the blush returning — why my stomach felt 5 uneasy, why there was too much moisture in my eyes, why 6 I suddenly wanted to run from the room. 7 Rejection washed through me, instinctive and strong. 8 I knew it was irrational. He’d been very clear on other 9 occasions that my safety was the only factor. Yet I’d never 10 made myself quite so vulnerable before. I scowled at the 11 golden comforter that matched his eyes and tried to ban- 12 ish the reﬂex reaction that told me I was unwanted and 13 unwantable. 14 Edward sighed. The hand over my mouth moved under 15 my chin, and he pulled my face up until I had to look 16 at him. 17 “What now?” 18 “Nothing,” I mumbled. 19 He scrutinized my face for long moment while I tried 20 unsuccessfully to twist away from his gaze. His brow fur- 21 rowed, and his expression became horriﬁed. 22 “Did I hurt your feelings?” he asked, shocked. 23 “No,” I lied. 24 So quickly that I wasn’t even sure how it happened, I 25 was in his arms, my face cradled between his shoulder and 26 his hand, while his thumb stroked reassuringly against my 27 cheek. 28 “You know why I have to say no,” he murmured. “You sh 29 know that I want you, too.” reg 30 “Do you?” I whispered, my voice full of doubt.

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“Of course I do, you silly, beautiful, oversensitive girl.” 1 He laughed once, and then his voice was bleak. “Doesn’t 2 everyone? I feel like there’s a line behind me, jockeying for 3 position, waiting for me to make a big enough mis- 4 take....You’re too desirable for your own good.” 5 “Who’s being silly now?” I doubted if awkward, self- 6 conscious, and inept added up to desirable in anyone’s 7 book. 8 “Do I have to send a petition around to get you to be- 9 lieve? Shall I tell you whose names would be on the top 10 of the list? You know a few of them, but some might sur- 11 prise you.” 12 I shook my head against his chest, grimacing. “You’re 13 just trying to distract me. Let’s get back to the subject.” 14 He sighed. 15 “Tell me if I have anything wrong.” I tried to sound de- 16 tached. “Your demands are marriage” — I couldn’t say the 17 word without making a face — “paying my tuition, more 18 time, and you wouldn’t mind if my vehicle went a little 19 faster.” I raised my eyebrows. “Did I get everything? 20 That’s a hefty list.” 21 “Only the ﬁrst is a demand.” He seemed to be having a 22 hard time keeping a straight face. “The others are merely 23 requests.” 24 “And my lone, solitary little demand is —” 25 “Demand?” he interrupted, suddenly serious again. 26 “Yes, demand.” 27 His eyes narrowed. 28 “Getting married is a stretch for me. I’m not giving in 29 sh unless I get something in return.” 30 reg

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1 He leaned down to whisper in my ear. “No,” he mur- 2 mured silkily. “It’s not possible now. Later, when you’re 3 less breakable. Be patient, Bella.” 4 I tried to keep my voice ﬁrm and reasonable. “But that’s 5 the problem. It won’t be the same when I’m less breakable. 6 I won’t be the same! I don’t know who I’ll be then.” 7 “You’ll still be Bella,” he promised. 8 I frowned. “If I’m so far gone that I’d want to kill Char- 9 lie — that I’d drink Jacob’s blood or Angela’s if I got the 10 chance — how can that be true?” 11 “It will pass. And I doubt you’ll want to drink the 12 dog’s blood.” He pretended to shudder at the thought. 13 “Even as a newborn, you’ll have better taste than that.” 14 I ignored his attempt to sidetrack me. “But that will al- 15 ways be what I want most, won’t it?” I challenged. “Blood, 16 blood, and more blood!” 17 “The fact that you are still alive is proof that that is not 18 true,” he pointed out. 19 “Over eighty years later,” I reminded him. “What I 20 meant was physically, though. Intellectually, I know I’ll be 21 able to be myself...after a while. But just purely physi- 22 cally — I will always be thirsty, more than anything else.” 23 He didn’t answer. 24 “So I will be different,” I concluded unopposed. “Be- 25 cause right now, physically, there’s nothing I want more 26 than you. More than food or water or oxygen. Intellectu- 27 ally, I have my priorities in a slightly more sensible order. 28 But physically...” sh 29 I twisted my head to kiss the palm of his hand. reg 30

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He took a deep breath. I was surprised that it sounded 1 a little unsteady. 2 “Bella, I could kill you,” he whispered. 3 “I don’t think you could.” 4 Edward’s eyes tightened. He lifted his hand from my 5 face and reached quickly behind himself for something I 6 couldn’t see. There was a muffled snapping sound, and the 7 bed quivered beneath us. 8 Something dark was in his hand; he held it up for my 9 curious examination. It was a metal flower, one of the roses 10 that adorned the wrought iron posts and canopy of his bed 11 frame. His hand closed for a brief second, his fingers con- 12 tracting gently, and then it opened again. 13 Without a word, he offered me the crushed, uneven 14 lump of black metal. It was a cast of the inside of his hand, 15 like a piece of play dough squeezed in a child’s fist. A half- 16 second passed, and the shape crumbled into black sand in 17 his palm. 18 I glared. “That’s not what I meant. I already know how 19 strong you are. You didn’t have to break the furniture.” 20 “What did you mean then?” he asked in a dark voice, 21 tossing the handful of iron sand to the corner of the room; 22 it hit the wall with a sound like rain. 23 His eyes were intent on my face as I struggled to ex- 24 plain. 25 “Obviously not that you aren’t physically able hurt me, 26 if you wanted to...More that, you don’t want to hurt 27 me...so much so that I don’t think that you ever could.” 28 He started shaking his head before I was done. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “It might not work like that, Bella.” 2 “Might,” I scoffed. “You have no more idea what you’re 3 talking about than I do.” 4 “Exactly. Do you imagine I would ever take that kind 5 of risk with you?” 6 I stared into his eyes for a long minute. There was no 7 sign of compromise, no hint of indecision in them. 8 “Please,” I ﬁnally whispered, hopeless. “It’s all I want. 9 Please.” I closed my eyes in defeat, waiting for the quick 10 and ﬁnal no. 11 But he didn’t answer immediately. I hesitated in disbe- 12 lief, stunned to hear that his breathing was uneven again. 13 I opened my eyes, and his face was torn. 14 “Please?” I whispered again, my heartbeat picking up 15 speed. My words tumbled out as I rushed to take advan- 16 tage of the sudden uncertainty in his eyes. “You don’t have 17 to make me any guarantees. If it doesn’t work out right, 18 well, then that’s that. Just let us try . . . only try. And I’ll 19 give you what you want,” I promised rashly. “I’ll marry 20 you. I’ll let you pay for Dartmouth, and I won’t complain 21 about the bribe to get me in. You can even buy me a fast 22 car if that makes you happy! Just...please.” 23 His icy arms tightened around me, and his lips were at 24 my ear; his cool breath made me shiver. “This is unbear- 25 able. So many things I’ve wanted to give you — and this is 26 what you decide to demand. Do you have any idea how 27 painful it is, trying to refuse you when you plead with me 28 this way?” sh 29 “Then don’t refuse,” I suggested breathlessly. reg 30 He didn’t respond.

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“Please,” I tried again. 1 “Bella . . .” He shook his head slowly, but it didn’t feel 2 like a denial as his face, his lips, moved back and forth 3 across my throat. It felt more like surrender. My heart, rac- 4 ing already, spluttered frantically. 5 Again, I took what advantage I could. When his face 6 turned toward mine with the slow movement of his inde- 7 cision, I twisted quickly in his arms till my lips reached 8 his. His hands seized my face, and I thought he was going 9 to push me away again. 10 I was wrong. 11 His mouth was not gentle; there was a brand-new edge 12 of conflict and desperation in the way his lips moved. I 13 locked my arms around his neck, and, to my suddenly 14 overheated skin, his body felt colder than ever. I trembled, 15 but it was not from the chill. 16 He didn’t stop kissing me. I was the one who had to 17 break away, gasping for air. Even then his lips did not 18 leave my skin, they just moved to my throat. The thrill of 19 victory was a strange high; it made me feel powerful. Brave. 20 My hands weren’t unsteady now; I got through with the 21 buttons on his shirt this time easily, and my fingers traced 22 the perfect planes of his icy chest. He was too beautiful. 23 What was the word he’d used just now? Unbearable — 24 that was it. His beauty was too much to bear.... 25 I pulled his mouth back to mine, and he seemed just as 26 eager as I was. One of his hands still cupped my face, his 27 other arm was tight around my waist, straining me closer 28 to him. It made it slightly more difficult as I tried to reach 29 sh the front of my shirt, but not impossible. 30 reg

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1 Cold iron fetters locked around my wrists, and pulled 2 my hands above my head, which was suddenly on a pillow. 3 His lips were at my ear again. “Bella,” he murmured, 4 his voice warm and velvet. “Would you please stop trying 5 to take your clothes off?” 6 “Do you want to do that part?” I asked, confused. 7 “Not tonight,” he answered softly. His lips were slower 8 now against my cheek and jaw, all the urgency gone. 9 “Edward, don’t —,” I started to argue. 10 “I’m not saying no,” he reassured me. “I’m just saying 11 not tonight.” 12 I thought about that while my breathing slowed. 13 “Give me one good reason why tonight is not as good 14 as any other night.” I was still breathless; it made the frus- 15 tration in my voice less impressive. 16 “I wasn’t born yesterday.” He chuckled in my ear. “Out 17 of the two of us, which do you think is more unwilling to 18 give the other what they want? You just promised to marry 19 me before you do any changing, but if I give in tonight, 20 what guarantee do I have that you won’t go running off 21 to Carlisle in the morning? I am — clearly — much less 22 reluctant to give you what you want. Therefore...you 23 ﬁrst.” 24 I exhaled with a loud huff. “I have to marry you ﬁrst?” 25 I asked in disbelief. 26 “That’s the deal — take it or leave it. Compromise, re- 27 member?” 28 His arms wrapped around me, and he began kissing me sh 29 in a way that should be illegal. Too persuasive — it was reg 30

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duress, coercion. I tried to keep a clear head . . . and failed 1 quickly and absolutely. 2 “I think that’s a really bad idea,” I gasped when he let 3 me breathe. 4 “I’m not surprised you feel that way.” He smirked. 5 “You have a one-track mind.” 6 “How did this happen?” I grumbled. “I thought I was 7 holding my own tonight — for once — and now, all of a 8 sudden —” 9 “You’re engaged,” he ﬁnished. 10 “Ew! Please don’t say that out loud.” 11 “Are you going back on your word?” he demanded. He 12 pulled away to read my face. His expression was enter- 13 tained. He was having fun. 14 I glared at him, trying to ignore the way his smile 15 made my heart react. 16 “Are you?” he pressed. 17 “Ugh!” I groaned. “No. I’m not. Are you happy now?” 18 His smile was blinding. “Exceptionally.” 19 I groaned again. 20 “Aren’t you happy at all?” 21 He kissed me again before I could answer. Another too- 22 persuasive kiss. 23 “A little bit,” I admitted when I could speak. “But not 24 about getting married.” 25 He kissed me another time. “Do you get the feeling 26 that everything is backward?” he laughed in my ear. “Tra- 27 ditionally, shouldn’t you be arguing my side, and I yours?” 28 “There isn’t much that’s traditional about you and me.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “True.” 2 He kissed me again, and kept going until my heart was 3 racing and my skin was ﬂushed. 4 “Look, Edward,” I murmured, my voice wheedling, 5 when he paused to kiss the palm of my hand. “I said I would 6 marry you, and I will. I promise. I swear. If you want, I’ll 7 sign a contract in my own blood.” 8 “Not funny,” he murmured against the inside of my 9 wrist. 10 “What I’m saying is this — I’m not going to trick you 11 or anything. You know me better than that. So there’s 12 really no reason to wait. We’re completely alone — how 13 often does that happen? — and you’ve provided this very 14 large and comfortable bed....” 15 “Not tonight,” he said again. 16 “Don’t you trust me?” 17 “Of course I do.” 18 Using the hand that he was still kissing, I pulled his 19 face back up to where I could see his expression. 20 “Then what’s the problem? It’s not like you didn’t 21 know you were going to win in the end.” I frowned and 22 muttered, “You always win.” 23 “Just hedging my bets,” he said calmly. 24 “There’s something else,” I guessed, my eyes narrow- 25 ing. There was a defensiveness about his face, a faint hint 26 of some secret motive he was trying to hide behind his ca- 27 sual manner. “Are you planning to go back on your word?” 28 “No,” he promised solemnly. “I swear to you, we will sh 29 try. After you marry me.” reg 30 I shook my head, and laughed glumly. “You make me

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feel like a villain in a melodrama — twirling my mus- 1 tache while I try to steal some poor girl’s virtue.” 2 His eyes were wary as they flashed across my face, then 3 he quickly ducked down to press his lips against my col- 4 larbone. 5 “That’s it, isn’t it?” The short laugh that escaped me 6 was more shocked than amused. “You’re trying to protect 7 your virtue!” I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle 8 the giggle that followed. The words were so...old- 9 fashioned. 10 “No, silly girl,” he muttered against my shoulder. “I’m 11 trying to protect yours. And you’re making it shockingly 12 difficult.” 13 “Of all the ridiculous —” 14 “Let me ask you something,” he interrupted quickly. 15 “We’ve had this discussion before, but humor me. How 16 many people in this room have a soul? A shot at heaven, or 17 whatever there is after this life?” 18 “Two,” I answered immediately, my voice fierce. 19 “All right. Maybe that’s true. Now, there’s a world full 20 of dissension about this, but the vast majority seem to 21 think that there are some rules that have to be followed.” 22 “Vampire rules aren’t enough for you? You want to 23 worry about the human ones too?” 24 “It couldn’t hurt.” He shrugged. “Just in case.” 25 I glared at him through narrowed eyes. 26 “Now, of course, it might be too late for me, even if you 27 are right about my soul.” 28 “No, it isn’t,” I argued angrily. 29 sh “‘Thou shalt not kill’ is commonly accepted by most 30 reg

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1 major belief systems. And I’ve killed a lot of people, 2 Bella.” 3 “Only the bad ones.” 4 He shrugged. “Maybe that counts, maybe it doesn’t. 5 But you haven’t killed anyone —” 6 “That you know about,” I muttered. 7 He smiled, but otherwise ignored the interruption. 8 “And I’m going to do my best to keep you out of tempta- 9 tion’s way.” 10 “Okay. But we weren’t ﬁghting over committing mur- 11 der,” I reminded him. 12 “The same principle applies — the only difference is 13 that this is the one area in which I’m just as spotless as you 14 are. Can’t I leave one rule unbroken?” 15 “One?” 16 “You know that I’ve stolen, I’ve lied, I’ve coveted... 17 my virtue is all I have left.” He grinned crookedly. 18 “I lie all the time.” 19 “Yes, but you’re such a bad liar that it doesn’t really 20 count. Nobody believes you.” 21 “I really hope you’re wrong about that — because 22 otherwise Charlie is about to burst through the door with 23 a loaded gun.” 24 “Charlie is happier when he pretends to swallow your 25 stories. He’d rather lie to himself than look too closely.” 26 He grinned at me. 27 “But what did you ever covet?” I asked doubtfully. 28 “You have everything.” sh 29 “I coveted you.” His smile darkened. “I had no right to reg 30 want you — but I reached out and took you anyway. And

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now look what’s become of you! Trying to seduce a vam- 1 pire.” He shook his head in mock horror. 2 “You can covet what’s already yours,” I informed him. 3 “Besides, I thought it was my virtue you were worried 4 about.” 5 “It is. If it’s too late for me...Well, I’ll be damned — 6 no pun intended — if I’ll let them keep you out, too.” 7 “You can’t make me go somewhere you won’t be,” I 8 vowed. “That’s my deﬁnition of hell. Anyway, I have an 9 easy solution to all this: let’s never die, all right?” 10 “Sounds simple enough. Why didn’t I think of that?” 11 He smiled at me until I gave up with an angry humph. 12 “So that’s it. You won’t sleep with me until we’re married.” 13 “Technically, I can’t ever sleep with you.” 14 I rolled my eyes. “Very mature, Edward.” 15 “But, other than that detail, yes, you’ve got it right.” 16 “I think you have an ulterior motive.” 17 His eyes widened innocently. “Another one?” 18 “You know this will speed things up,” I accused. 19 He tried not to smile. “There is only one thing I want 20 to speed up, and the rest can wait forever...but for that, 21 it’s true, your impatient human hormones are my most 22 powerful ally at this point.” 23 “I can’t believe I’m going along with this. When I 24 think of Charlie...and Renée! Can you imagine what 25 Angela will think? Or Jessica? Ugh. I can hear the gossip 26 now.” 27 He raised one eyebrow at me, and I knew why. What 28 did it matter what they said about me when I leaving soon 29 sh and not coming back? Was I really so oversensitive that I 30 reg

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1 couldn’t bear a few weeks of sidelong glances and leading 2 questions? 3 Maybe it wouldn’t bug me so much if I didn’t know 4 that I would probably be gossiping just as condescend- 5 ingly as the rest of them if it was someone else getting 6 married this summer. 7 Gah. Married this summer! I shuddered. 8 And then, maybe it wouldn’t bug me so much if I 9 hadn’t been raised to shudder at the thought of marriage. 10 Edward interrupted my fretting. “It doesn’t have to be 11 a big production. I don’t need any fanfare. You won’t have 12 to tell anyone or make any changes. We’ll go to Vegas — 13 you can wear old jeans and we’ll go to the chapel with the 14 drive-through window. I just want it to be official — that 15 you belong to me and no one else.” 16 “It couldn’t be any more official than it already is,” I 17 grumbled. But his description didn’t sound that bad. 18 Only Alice would be disappointed. 19 “We’ll see about that.” He smiled complacently. “I 20 suppose you don’t want your ring now?” 21 I had to swallow before I could speak. “You suppose 22 correctly.” 23 He laughed at my expression. “That’s fine. I’ll get it on 24 your finger soon enough.” 25 I glared at him. “You talk like you already have one.” 26 “I do,” he said, unashamed. “Ready to force upon you 27 at the first sign of weakness.” 28 “You’re unbelievable.” sh 29 “Do you want to see it?” he asked. His liquid topaz reg 30 eyes were suddenly shining with excitement.

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“No!” I almost shouted, a reflex reaction. I regretted it 1 at once. His face fell ever so slightly. “Unless you really 2 want to show it to me,” I amended. I gritted my teeth to- 3 gether to keep my illogical terror from showing. 4 “That’s all right,” he shrugged. “It can wait.” 5 I sighed. “Show me the damn ring, Edward.” 6 He shook his head. “No.” 7 I studied his expression for a long minute. 8 “Please?” I asked quietly, experimenting with my 9 newly discovered weapon. I touched his face lightly with 10 the tips of my fingers. “Please can I see it?” 11 His eyes narrowed. “You are the most dangerous creature 12 I’ve ever met,” he muttered. But he got up and moved with 13 unconscious grace to kneel next to the small bedside table. 14 He was back on the bed with me in an instant, sitting be- 15 side me with one arm around my shoulder. In his other 16 hand was a little black box. He balanced it on my left knee. 17 “Go ahead and look, then,” he said brusquely. 18 It was harder than it should have been to pick up the 19 inoffensive little box, but I didn’t want to hurt him again, 20 so I tried to keep my hand from shaking. The surface was 21 smooth with black satin. I brushed my fingers over it, hes- 22 itating. 23 “You didn’t spend a lot of money, did you? Lie to me, if 24 you did.” 25 “I didn’t spend anything,” he assured me. “It’s just an- 26 other hand-me-down. This is the ring my father gave to 27 my mother.” 28 “Oh.” Surprise colored my voice. I pinched the lid be- 29 sh tween my thumb and forefinger, but didn’t open it. 30 reg

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1 “I supposed it’s a little outdated.” His tone was play- 2 fully apologetic. “Old-fashioned, just like me. I can get 3 you something more modern. Something from Tiffany’s?” 4 “I like old-fashioned things,” I mumbled as I hesi- 5 tantly lifted the lid. 6 Nestled into the black satin, Elizabeth Masen’s ring 7 sparkled in the dim light. The face was a long oval, set 8 with slanting rows of glittering round stones. The band 9 was gold — delicate and narrow. The gold made a fragile 10 web around the diamonds. I’d never seen anything like it. 11 Unthinkingly, I stroked the shimmering gems. 12 “It’s so pretty,” I murmured to myself, surprised. 13 “Do you like it?” 14 “It’s beautiful.” I shrugged, feigning a lack of interest. 15 “What’s not to like?” 16 He chuckled. “See if it fits.” 17 My left hand clenched into a fist. 18 “Bella,” he sighed. “I’m not going to solder it to your 19 finger. Just try it on so I can see if it needs to be sized. 20 Then you can take it right off.” 21 “Fine,” I grumbled. 22 I reached for the ring, but his long fingers beat me 23 there. He took my left hand in his, and slid the ring into 24 place on my third finger. He held my hand out, and we 25 both examined the oval sparkling against my skin. It 26 wasn’t quite as awful as I’d feared, having it there. 27 “A perfect fit,” he said indifferently. “That’s nice — 28 saves me a trip to the jeweler’s.” sh 29 I could hear some strong emotion burning under the reg 30 casual tone of his voice, and I stared up at his face. It was

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there in his eyes, too, visible despite the careful noncha- 1 lance of his expression. 2 “You like that, don’t you?” I asked suspiciously, ﬂutter- 3 ing my ﬁngers and thinking that it was really too bad that 4 I had not broken my left hand. 5 He shrugged his shoulders. “Sure,” he said, still casual. 6 “It looks very nice on you.” 7 I stared into his eyes, trying to decipher the emotion 8 that smoldered just under the surface. He gazed back, and 9 the casual pretense suddenly slipped away. He was glow- 10 ing — his angel’s face brilliant with joy and victory. He 11 was so glorious that it knocked me breathless. 12 Before I could catch that breath, he was kissing me, his 13 lips exultant. I was lightheaded when he moved his mouth 14 to whisper in my ear — but his breathing was just as rag- 15 ged as mine. 16 “Yes, I like it. You have no idea.” 17 I laughed, gasping a little. “I believe you.” 18 “Do you mind if I do something?” he murmured, his 19 arms tightening around me. 20 “Anything you want.” 21 But he let me go and slid away. 22 “Anything but that,” I complained. 23 He ignored me, taking my hand and pulling me off the 24 bed, too. He stood in front of me, hands on my shoulders, 25 face serious. 26 “Now, I want to do this right. Please, please, keep in 27 mind that you’ve already agreed to this, and don’t ruin it 28 for me.” 29 sh “Oh, no,” I gasped as he slid down onto one knee. 30 reg

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1 “Be nice,” he muttered. 2 I took a deep breath. 3 “Isabella Swan?” He looked up at me through his im- 4 possibly long lashes, his golden eyes soft but, somehow, 5 still scorching. “I promise to love you forever — every sin- 6 gle day of forever. Will you marry me?” 7 There were many things I wanted to say, some of them 8 not nice at all, and others more disgustingly gooey and ro- 9 mantic than he probably dreamed I was capable of. Rather 10 than embarrass myself with either, I whispered, “Yes.” 11 “Thank you,” he said simply. He took my left hand and 12 kissed each of my ﬁngertips before he kissed the ring that 13 was now mine. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 21. TRAILS 15 16 17 I hated to waste any part of the night in sleep, 18 but that was inevitable. The sun was bright outside the 19 window-wall when I woke, with small clouds scuttling 20 too quickly across the sky. The wind rocked the treetops 21 till the whole forest looked as if it was going to shake 22 apart. 23 He left me alone to get dressed, and I appreciated the 24 chance to think. Somehow, my plan for last night had 25 gone horribly awry, and I needed come to grips with the 26 consequences. Though I’d given back the hand-me-down 27 ring as soon as I could do it without hurting his feelings, 28 my left hand felt heavier, like it was still in place, just 29 sh invisible. 30 reg

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1 This shouldn’t bother me, I reasoned. It was no big 2 thing — a road trip to Vegas. I would go one better than 3 old jeans — I would wear old sweats. The ceremony cer- 4 tainly couldn’t take very long; no more than fifteen min- 5 utes at the most, right? So I could handle that. 6 And then, when it was over, he’d have to fulfill his side 7 of the bargain. I would concentrate on that, and forget the 8 rest. 9 He said I didn’t have to tell anyone, and I was planning 10 to hold him to that. Of course, it was very stupid of me 11 not to think of Alice. 12 The Cullens got home around noon. There was a new, 13 businesslike feel to the atmosphere around them, and it 14 pulled me back into the enormity of what was coming. 15 Alice seemed to be in an unusually bad mood. I 16 chalked it up to her frustration with feeling normal, be- 17 cause her first words to Edward were a complaint about 18 working with the wolves. 19 “I think” — she made a face as she used the uncertain 20 word — “that you’re going to want to pack for cold 21 weather, Edward. I can’t see where you are exactly, because 22 you’re taking off with that dog this afternoon. But the 23 storm that’s coming seems particularly bad in that general 24 area.” 25 Edward nodded. 26 “It’s going to snow on the mountains,” she warned him. 27 “Ew, snow,” I muttered to myself. It was June, for cry- 28 ing out loud. sh 29 “Wear a jacket,” Alice told me. Her voice was un- reg 30

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friendly, and that surprised me. I tried to read her face, but 1 she turned away. 2 I looked at Edward, and he was smiling; whatever was 3 bugging Alice amused him. 4 Edward had more than enough camping gear to choose 5 from — props in the human charade; the Cullens were 6 good customers at the Newton’s store. He grabbed a down 7 sleeping bag, a small tent, and several packets of dehy- 8 drated food — grinning when I made a face at them — 9 and stuffed them all in a backpack. 10 Alice wandered into the garage while we were there, 11 watching Edward’s preparations without a word. He ig- 12 nored her. 13 When he was done packing, Edward handed me 14 his phone. “Why don’t you call Jacob and tell him we’ll 15 be ready for him in an hour or so. He knows where to 16 meet us.” 17 Jacob wasn’t home, but Billy promised to call around un- 18 til he could find an available werewolf to pass the news to. 19 “Don’t you worry about Charlie, Bella,” Billy said. 20 “I’ve got my part of this under control.” 21 “Yeah, I know Charlie’ll be fine.” I didn’t feel so confi- 22 dent about his son’s safety, but I didn’t add that. 23 “I wish I could be with the rest of them tomorrow.” 24 Billy chuckled regretfully. “Being an old man is a hard- 25 ship, Bella.” 26 The urge to fight must be a defining characteristic of 27 the Y chromosome. They were all the same. 28 “Have fun with Charlie.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Good luck, Bella,” he answered. “And...pass that 2 along to the, er, Cullens for me.” 3 “I will,” I promised, surprised by the gesture. 4 As I gave the phone back to Edward, I saw that he and 5 Alice were having some kind of silent discussion. She was 6 staring at him, pleading in her eyes. He was frowning 7 back, unhappy with whatever she wanted. 8 “Billy said to tell you ‘good luck.’” 9 “That was generous of him,” Edward said, breaking 10 away from her. 11 “Bella, could I please speak to you alone?” Alice asked 12 swiftly. 13 “You’re about to make my life harder than it needs to 14 be, Alice,” Edward warned her through his teeth. “I’d 15 really rather you didn’t.” 16 “This isn’t about you, Edward,” she shot back. 17 He laughed. Something about her response was funny 18 to him. 19 “It’s not,” Alice insisted. “This is a female thing.” 20 He frowned. 21 “Let her talk to me,” I told him. I was curious. 22 “You asked for it,” he muttered. He laughed again — 23 half angry, half amused — and strode out of the garage. 24 I turned to Alice, worried now, but she didn’t look at 25 me. Her bad mood hadn’t passed yet. 26 She went to sit on the hood of her Porsche, her face 27 dejected. I followed, and leaned against the bumper be- 28 side her. sh 29 “Bella?” Alice asked in a sad voice, shifting over and reg 30 curling up against my side. Her voice sounded so miser-

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able that I wrapped my arms around her shoulders in com- 1 fort. 2 “What’s wrong, Alice?” 3 “Don’t you love me?” she asked in that same sad tone. 4 “Of course I do. You know that.” 5 “Then why do I see you sneaking off to Vegas to get 6 married without inviting me?” 7 “Oh,” I muttered, my cheeks turning pink. I could see 8 that I had seriously hurt her feelings, and I hurried to de- 9 fend myself. “You know how I hate to make a big deal out 10 of things. It was Edward’s idea, anyway.” 11 “I don’t care whose idea it was. How could you do this 12 to me? I expect that kind of thing from Edward, but not 13 from you. I love you like you were my own sister.” 14 “To me, Alice, you are my sister.” 15 “Words!” she growled. 16 “Fine, you can come. There won’t be much to see.” 17 She was still grimacing. 18 “What?” I demanded. 19 “How much do you love me, Bella?” 20 “Why?” 21 She stared at me with pleading eyes, her long black 22 eyebrows slanting up in the middle and pulling together, 23 her lips trembling at the corners. It was a heart-breaking 24 expression. 25 “Please, please, please,” she whispered. “Please, Bella, 26 please — if you really love me...Please let me do your 27 wedding.” 28 “Aw, Alice!” I groaned, pulling away and standing up. 29 sh “No! Don’t do this to me.” 30 reg

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1 “If you really, truly love me, Bella.” 2 I folded my arms across my chest. “That is so unfair. 3 And Edward kind of already used that one on me.” 4 “I’ll bet Edward would like it better if you did this tra- 5 ditionally, though he’d never tell you that. And Esme — 6 think what it would mean to her!” 7 I groaned. “I’d rather face the newborns alone.” 8 “I’ll owe you for a decade.” 9 “You’d owe me for a century!” 10 Her eyes glowed. “Is that a yes?” 11 “No! I don’t want to do this!” 12 “You won’t have to do anything but walk a few yards 13 and then repeat after the minister.” 14 “Ugh! Ugh, ugh!” 15 “Please?” She started bouncing in place. “Please, please, 16 please, please, please?” 17 “I’ll never, never ever forgive you for this, Alice.” 18 “Yay!” she squealed, clapping her hands together. 19 “That’s not a yes!” 20 “But it will be,” she sang. 21 “Edward!” I yelled, stalking out of the garage. “I know 22 you’re listening. Get over here.” Alice was right behind 23 me, still clapping. 24 “Thanks so much, Alice,” Edward said acidly, coming 25 from behind me. I turned to let him have it, but his ex- 26 pression was so worried and upset that I couldn’t speak my 27 complaints. I threw my arms around him instead, hiding 28 my face, just in case the angry moisture in my eyes made sh 29 it look like I was crying. reg 30 “Vegas,” Edward promised in my ear.

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“Not a chance,” Alice gloated. “Bella would never do 1 that to me. You know, Edward, as a brother, you are some- 2 times a disappointment.” 3 “Don’t be mean,” I grumbled at her. “He’s trying to 4 make me happy, unlike you.” 5 “I’m trying to make you happy, too, Bella. It’s just that 6 I know better what will make you happy...in the long 7 run. You’ll thank me for this. Maybe not for ﬁfty years, 8 but deﬁnitely someday.” 9 “I never thought I’d see the day where I’d be willing to 10 take a bet against you, Alice, but it has arrived.” 11 She laughed her silvery laugh. “So, are you going to 12 show me the ring?” 13 I grimaced in horror as she grabbed my left hand and 14 then dropped it just as quickly. 15 “Huh. I saw him put it on you....Did I miss some- 16 thing?” she asked. She concentrated for half a second, fur- 17 rowing her brow, before she answered her own questions. 18 “No. Wedding’s still on.” 19 “Bella has issues with jewelry,” Edward explained. 20 “What’s one more diamond? Well, I guess the ring 21 has lots of diamonds, but my point is that he’s already got 22 one on —” 23 “Enough, Alice!” Edward cut her off suddenly. The 24 way he glared at her...he looked like a vampire again. 25 “We’re in a hurry.” 26 “I don’t understand. What’s that about diamonds?” I 27 asked. 28 “We’ll talk about it later,” Alice said. “Edward is 29 sh right — you’d better get going. You’ve got to set a trap 30 reg

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1 and make camp before the storm comes.” She frowned, 2 and her expression was anxious, almost nervous. “Don’t 3 forget your coat, Bella. It seems...unseasonably cold.” 4 “I’ve already got it,” Edward assured her. 5 “Have a nice night,” she told us in farewell. 6 It was twice as far to the clearing as usual; Edward took 7 a long detour, making sure my scent would be nowhere 8 near the trail Jacob would hide later. He carried me in his 9 arms, the bulky backpack in my usual spot. 10 He stopped at the farthest end of the clearing and set 11 me on my feet. 12 “All right. Just walk north for a ways, touching as 13 much as you can. Alice gave me a clear picture of their 14 path, and it won’t take long for us to intersect it.” 15 “North?” 16 He smiled and pointed out the right direction. 17 I wandered into the woods, leaving the clear yellow 18 light of the strangely sunny day in the clearing behind me. 19 Maybe Alice’s blurred sight would be wrong about the 20 snow. I hoped so. The sky was mostly clear, though the wind 21 whipped furiously through the open spaces. In the trees it 22 was calmer, but much too cold for June — even in a long- 23 sleeved shirt with a thick sweater over the top, there were 24 goose bumps on my arms. I walked slowly, trailing my ﬁn- 25 gers over anything close enough: the rough tree bark, the 26 wet ferns, the moss-covered rocks. 27 Edward stayed with me, walking a parallel line about 28 twenty yards away. sh 29 “Am I doing this right?” I called. reg 30 “Perfectly.”

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I had an idea. “Will this help?” I asked as I ran my fin- 1 gers through my hair and caught a few loose strands. I 2 draped them over the ferns. 3 “Yes, that does make the trail stronger. But you don’t 4 need to pull your hair out, Bella. It will be fine.” 5 “I’ve got a few extras I can spare.” 6 It was gloomy under the trees, and I wished I could 7 walk closer to Edward and hold his hand. 8 I wedged another hair into a broken branch that cut 9 through my path. 10 “You don’t need to let Alice have her way, you know,” 11 Edward said. 12 “Don’t worry about it, Edward. I’m not going to leave 13 you at the altar, regardless.” I had a sinking feeling that 14 Alice was going to get her way, mostly because she was to- 15 tally unscrupulous when there was something she wanted, 16 and also because I was a sucker for guilt trips. 17 “That’s not what I’m worried about. I want this to be 18 what you want it to be.” 19 I repressed a sigh. It would hurt his feelings if I told 20 the truth — that it didn’t really matter, because it was all 21 just varying degrees of awful anyway. 22 “Well, even if she does get her way, we can keep it 23 small. Just us. Emmett can get a clerical license off the In- 24 ternet.” 25 I giggled. “That does sound better.” It wouldn’t feel 26 very official if Emmett read the vows, which was a plus. But 27 I’d have a hard time keeping a straight face. 28 “See,” he said with a smile. “There’s always a compro- 29 sh mise.” 30 reg

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1 It took a while for me to reach the spot where the new- 2 born army would be certain to cross my trail, but Edward 3 never got impatient with my pace. 4 He had to lead a bit more on the way back, to keep me 5 on the same path. It all looked alike to me. 6 We were almost to the clearing when I fell. I could see 7 the wide opening ahead, and that’s probably why I got too 8 eager and forgot to watch my feet. I caught myself before 9 my head bashed into the nearest tree, but a small branch 10 snapped off under my left hand and gouged into my palm. 11 “Ouch! Oh, fabulous,” I muttered. 12 “Are you all right?” 13 “I’m fine. Stay where you are. I’m bleeding. It will stop 14 in a minute.” 15 He ignored me. He was right there before I could finish. 16 “I’ve got a first aid kit,” he said, pulling off the back- 17 pack. “I had a feeling I might need it.” 18 “It’s not bad. I can take care of it — you don’t have to 19 make yourself uncomfortable.” 20 “I’m not uncomfortable,” he said calmly. “Here — let 21 me clean it.” 22 “Wait a second, I just got another idea.” 23 Without looking at the blood and breathing through 24 my mouth, just in case my stomach might react, I pressed 25 my hand against a rock within my reach. 26 “What are you doing?” 27 “Jasper will love this,” I muttered to myself. I started 28 for the clearing again, pressing my palm against every- sh 29 thing in my path. “I’ll bet this really gets them going.” reg 30 Edward sighed.

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“Hold your breath,” I told him. 1 “I’m ﬁne. I just think you’re going overboard.” 2 “This is all I get to do. I want to do a good job.” 3 We broke through the last of the trees as I spoke. I let 4 my injured hand graze across the ferns. 5 “Well, you have,” Edward assured me. “The newborns 6 will be frantic, and Jasper will be very impressed with 7 your dedication. Now let me treat your hand — you’ve 8 gotten the cut dirty.” 9 “Let me do it, please.” 10 He took my hand and smiled as he examined it. “This 11 doesn’t bother me anymore.” 12 I watched him carefully as he cleaned the gash, looking 13 for some sign of distress. He continued to breathe evenly 14 in and out, the same small smile on his lips. 15 “Why not?” I ﬁnally asked as he smoothed a bandage 16 across my palm. 17 He shrugged. “I got over it.” 18 “You...got over it? When? How?” I tried to remember 19 the last time he’d held his breath around me. All I could 20 think of was my wretched birthday party last September. 21 Edward pursed his lips, seeming to search for the 22 words. “I lived through an entire twenty-four hours think- 23 ing that you were dead, Bella. That changed the way I 24 look at a lot of things.” 25 “Did it change the way I smell to you?” 26 “Not at all. But...having experienced the way it feels 27 to think I’ve lost you...my reactions have changed. My 28 entire being shies away from any course that could inspire 29 sh that kind of pain again.” 30 reg

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1 I didn’t know what to say to that. 2 He smiled at my expression. “I guess that you could 3 call it a very educational experience.” 4 The wind tore through the clearing then, lashing my 5 hair around my face and making me shiver. 6 “All right,” he said, reaching into his pack again. 7 “You’ve done your part.” He pulled out my heavy winter 8 jacket and held it out for me to slide my arms in. “Now it’s 9 out of our hands. Let’s go camping!” 10 I laughed at the mock enthusiasm in his voice. 11 He took my bandaged hand — the other was in worse 12 shape, still in the brace — and started toward the other 13 side of the clearing. 14 “Where are we meeting Jacob?” I asked. 15 “Right here.” He gestured to the trees in front of us 16 just as Jacob stepped warily from their shadows. 17 It shouldn’t have surprised me to see him human. I 18 wasn’t sure why I’d been looking for the big red-brown wolf. 19 Jacob seemed bigger again — no doubt a product of 20 my expectations; I must have unconsciously been hoping 21 to see the smaller Jacob from my memory, the easygoing 22 friend who hadn’t made everything so difﬁcult. He had his 23 arms folded across his bare chest, a jacket clutched in one 24 ﬁst. His face was expressionless as he watched us. 25 Edward’s lips pulled down at the corners. “There had to 26 have been a better way to do this.” 27 “Too late now,” I muttered glumly. 28 He sighed. sh 29 “Hey, Jake,” I greeted him when we got closer. reg 30

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“Hi, Bella.” 1 “Hello, Jacob,” Edward said. 2 Jacob ignored the pleasantry, all business. “Where do I 3 take her?” 4 Edward pulled a map from a side pocket on the pack 5 and offered it to him. Jacob unfolded it. 6 “We’re here now,” Edward said, reaching over to touch 7 the right spot. Jacob recoiled from his hand automatically, 8 and then steadied himself. Edward pretended not to notice. 9 “And you’re taking her up here,” Edward continued, 10 tracing a serpentine pattern around the elevation lines on 11 the paper. “Roughly nine miles.” 12 Jacob nodded once. 13 “When you’re about a mile away, you should cross my 14 path. That will lead you in. Do you need the map?” 15 “No, thanks. I know this area pretty well. I think I 16 know where I’m going.” 17 Jacob seemed to have to work harder than Edward to 18 keep the tone polite. 19 “I’ll take a longer route,” Edward said. “And I’ll see 20 you in a few hours.” 21 Edward stared at me unhappily. He didn’t like this part 22 of the plan. 23 “See you,” I murmured. 24 Edward faded into the trees, heading in the opposite 25 direction. 26 As soon as he was gone, Jacob turned cheerful. 27 “What’s up, Bella?” he asked with a big grin. 28 I rolled my eyes. “Same old, same old.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Yeah,” he agreed. “Bunch of vampires trying to kill 2 you. The usual.” 3 “The usual.” 4 “Well,” he said as he shrugged into his jacket to free his 5 arms. “Let’s get going.” 6 Making a face, I took a small step closer to him. 7 He bent down and swept his arm behind my knees, 8 knocking them out from under me. His other arm caught 9 me before my head hit the ground. 10 “Jerk,” I muttered. 11 Jacob chuckled, already running through the trees. He 12 kept a steady pace, a brisk jog that a fit human could keep 13 up with...across a level plane...if they weren’t bur- 14 dened with a hundred-plus pounds as he was. 15 “You don’t have to run. You’ll get tired.” 16 “Running doesn’t make me tired,” he said. His breath- 17 ing was even — like the fixed tempo of a marathoner. “Be- 18 sides, it will be colder soon. I hope he gets the camp set up 19 before we get there.” 20 I tapped my finger against the thick padding of his 21 parka. “I thought you didn’t get cold now.” 22 “I don’t. I brought this for you, just in case you weren’t 23 prepared.” He looked at my jacket, almost as if he were 24 disappointed that I was. “I don’t like the way the weather 25 feels. It’s making me edgy. Notice how we haven’t seen 26 any animals?” 27 “Um, not really.” 28 “I guess you wouldn’t. Your senses are too dull.” sh 29 I let that pass. “Alice was worried about the storm, too.” reg 30

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“It takes a lot to silence the forest this way. You picked 1 a hell of a night for a camping trip.” 2 “It wasn’t entirely my idea.” 3 The pathless way he took began to climb more and 4 more steeply, but it didn’t slow him down. He leapt easily 5 from rock to rock, not seeming to need his hands at all. 6 His perfect balance reminded me of a mountain goat. 7 “What’s with the addition to your bracelet?” he asked. 8 I looked down, and realized that the crystal heart was 9 facing up on my wrist. 10 I shrugged guiltily. “Another graduation present.” 11 He snorted. “A rock. Figures.” 12 A rock? I was suddenly reminded of Alice’s unﬁnished 13 sentence outside the garage. I stared at the bright white 14 crystal and tried to remember what Alice had been saying 15 before...about diamonds. Could she have been trying to 16 say he’s already got one on you? As in, I was already wearing 17 one diamond from Edward? No, that was impossible. The 18 heart would have to be ﬁve carats or something crazy like 19 that! Edward wouldn’t — 20 “So it’s been a while since you came down to La Push,” 21 Jacob said, interrupting my disturbing conjectures. 22 “I’ve been busy,” I told him. “And...I probably 23 wouldn’t have visited, anyway.” 24 He grimaced. “I thought you were supposed to be the 25 forgiving one, and I was the grudge-holder.” 26 I shrugged. 27 “Been thinking about that last time a lot, have you?” 28 “Nope.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 He laughed. “Either you’re lying, or you are the stub- 2 bornest person alive.” 3 “I don’t know about the second part, but I’m not lying.” 4 I didn’t like having this conversation under the present 5 conditions — with his too-warm arms wrapped tightly 6 around me and nothing at all I could do about it. His face 7 was closer than I wanted it to be. I wished I could take a 8 step back. 9 “A smart person looks at all sides of a decision.” 10 “I have,” I retorted. 11 “If you haven’t thought at all about our...er, conver- 12 sation the last time you came over, then that’s not true.” 13 “That conversation isn’t relevant to my decision.” 14 “Some people will go to any lengths to delude them- 15 selves.” 16 “I’ve noticed that werewolves in particular are prone to 17 that mistake — do you think it’s a genetic thing?” 18 “Does that mean that he’s a better kisser that I am?” Ja- 19 cob asked, suddenly glum. 20 “I really couldn’t say, Jake. Edward is the only person 21 I’ve ever kissed.” 22 “Besides me.” 23 “But I don’t count that as a kiss, Jacob. I think of it 24 more as an assault.” 25 “Ouch! That’s cold.” 26 I shrugged. I wasn’t going to take it back. 27 “I did apologize about that,” he reminded me. 28 “And I forgave you...mostly. It doesn’t change the sh 29 way I remember it.” reg 30 He muttered something unintelligible.

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It was quiet then for a while; there was just the sound 1 of his measured breathing and the wind roaring high 2 above us in the treetops. A cliff face rose sheer beside us, 3 bare, rough gray stone. We followed the base as it curved 4 upward out of the forest. 5 “I still think it’s pretty irresponsible,” Jacob suddenly 6 said. 7 “Whatever you’re talking about, you’re wrong.” 8 “Think about it, Bella. According to you, you’ve kissed 9 just one person — who isn’t even really a person — in your 10 whole life, and you’re calling it quits? How do you know 11 that’s what you want? Shouldn’t you play the ﬁeld a little?” 12 I kept my voice cool. “I know exactly what I want.” 13 “Then it couldn’t hurt to double check. Maybe you 14 should try kissing someone else — just for comparison’s 15 sake...since what happened the other day doesn’t count. 16 You could kiss me, for example. I don’t mind if you want 17 to use me to experiment.” 18 He pulled me tighter against his chest, so that my face 19 was closer to his. He was smiling at his joke, but I wasn’t 20 taking any chances. 21 “Don’t mess with me, Jake. I swear I won’t stop him if 22 he wants to break your jaw.” 23 The panicky edge to my voice made him smile wider. 24 “If you ask me to kiss you, he won’t have any reason to get 25 upset. He said that was ﬁne.” 26 “Don’t hold your breath, Jake — no, wait, I changed 27 my mind. Go right ahead. Just hold your breath until I 28 ask you to kiss me.” 29 sh “You’re in a bad mood today.” 30 reg

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1 “I wonder why?” 2 “Sometimes I think you like me better as a wolf.” 3 “Sometimes I do. It probably has something to do with 4 the way you can’t talk.” 5 He pursed his broad lips thoughtfully. “No, I don’t 6 think that’s it. I think it’s easier for you to be near me 7 when I’m not human, because you don’t have to pretend 8 that you’re not attracted to me.” 9 My mouth fell open with a little popping sound. I 10 snapped it shut at once, grinding my teeth together. 11 He heard that. His lips pulled tightly across his face in 12 a triumphant smile. 13 I took a slow breath before I spoke. “No. I’m pretty 14 sure it’s because you can’t talk.” 15 He sighed. “Do you ever get tired of lying to yourself? 16 You have to know how aware you are of me. Physically, I 17 mean.” 18 “How could anyone not be aware of you physically, Ja- 19 cob?” I demanded. “You’re an enormous monster who re- 20 fuses to respect anyone else’s personal space.” 21 “I make you nervous. But only when I’m human. 22 When I’m a wolf, you’re more comfortable around me.” 23 “Nervousness and irritation are not the same thing.” 24 He stared at me for a minute, slowing to a walk, the 25 amusement draining from his face. His eyes narrowed, 26 turned black in the shadow of his brows. His breathing, so 27 regular as he ran, started to accelerate. Slowly, he leaned 28 his face closer to mine. sh 29 I stared him down, knowing exactly what he was try- reg 30 ing to do.

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“It’s your face,” I reminded him. 1 He laughed loudly and started jogging again. “I don’t 2 really want to fight with your vampire tonight — I 3 mean, any other night, sure. But we both have a job to do 4 tomorrow, and I wouldn’t want to leave the Cullens one 5 short.” 6 The sudden, unexpected swell of shame distorted my 7 expression. 8 “I know, I know,” he responded, not understanding. 9 “You think he could take me.” 10 I couldn’t speak. I was leaving them one short. What if 11 someone got hurt because I was so weak? But what if I was 12 brave and Edward...I couldn’t even think it. 13 “What’s the matter with you, Bella?” The joking 14 bravado vanished from his face, revealing my Jacob un- 15 derneath, like pulling a mask away. “If something I 16 said upset you, you know I was only kidding. I didn’t 17 mean anything — hey, are you okay? Don’t cry, Bella,” 18 he pled. 19 I tried to pull myself together. “I’m not going to cry.” 20 “What did I say?” 21 “It’s nothing you said. It’s just, well, it’s me. I did 22 something...bad.” 23 He stared at me, his eyes wide with confusion. 24 “Edward isn’t going to fight tomorrow,” I whispered 25 the explanation. “I’m making him stay with me. I am a 26 huge coward.” 27 He frowned. “You think this isn’t going to work? That 28 they’ll find you here? Do you know something I don’t 29 sh know?” 30 reg

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1 “No, no. I’m not afraid of that. I just...I can’t let him 2 go. If he didn’t come back . . .” I shuddered, closing my 3 eyes to escape the thought. 4 Jacob was quiet. 5 I kept whispering, my eyes shut. “If anyone gets hurt, 6 it will always be my fault. And even if no one does...I 7 was horrible. I had to be, to convince him to stay with me. 8 He won’t hold it against me, but I’ll always know what I’m 9 capable of.” I felt just a tiny bit better, getting this off my 10 chest. Even if I could only confess it to Jacob. 11 He snorted. My eyes opened slowly, and I was sad to see 12 that the hard mask was back. 13 “I can’t believe he let you talk him out of going. I 14 wouldn’t miss this for anything.” 15 I sighed. “I know.” 16 “That doesn’t mean anything, though.” He was sud- 17 denly backtracking. “That doesn’t mean that he loves you 18 more than I do.” 19 “But you wouldn’t stay with me, even if I begged.” 20 He pursed his lips for a moment, and I wondered if he 21 would try to deny it. We both knew the truth. “That’s 22 only because I know you better,” he said at last. “Every- 23 thing’s going to go without a hitch. Even if you’d asked 24 and I’d said no, you wouldn’t be mad at me afterwards.” 25 “If everything does go without a hitch, you’re probably 26 right. I wouldn’t be mad. But the whole time you’re gone, 27 I’ll be sick with worry, Jake. Crazy with it.” 28 “Why?” he asked grufﬂy. “Why does it matter to you if sh 29 something happens to me?” reg 30 “Don’t say that. You know how much you mean to me.

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I’m sorry it’s not in the way you want, but that’s just how 1 it is. You’re my best friend. At least, you used to be. And 2 still sometimes are...when you let your guard down.” 3 He smiled the old smile that I loved. “I’m always that,” 4 he promised. “Even when I don’t . . . behave as well as I 5 should. Underneath, I’m always in here.” 6 “I know. Why else would I put up with all of your crap?” 7 He laughed with me, and then his eyes were sad. 8 “When are you ﬁnally going to ﬁgure out that you’re in 9 love with me, too?” 10 “Leave it to you to ruin the moment.” 11 “I’m not saying you don’t love him. I’m not stupid. 12 But it’s possible to love more than one person at a time, 13 Bella. I’ve seen it in action.” 14 “I’m not some freaky werewolf, Jacob.” 15 He wrinkled his nose, and I was about to apologize for 16 that last jab, but he changed the subject. 17 “We’re not far now, I can smell him.” 18 I sighed in relief. 19 He misinterpreted my meaning. “I’d happily slow 20 down, Bella, but you’re going to want to be under shelter 21 before that hits.” 22 We both looked up at the sky. 23 A solid wall of purple-black cloud was racing in from 24 the west, blackening the forest beneath it as it came. 25 “Wow,” I muttered. “You’d better hurry, Jake. You’ll 26 want to get home before it gets here.” 27 “I’m not going home.” 28 I glared at him, exasperated. “You’re not camping 29 sh with us.” 30 reg

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1 “Not technically — as in, sharing your tent or anything. 2 I prefer the storm to the smell. But I’m sure your blood- 3 sucker will want to keep in touch with the pack for coor- 4 dination purposes, and so I will graciously provide that 5 service.” 6 “I thought that was Seth’s job.” 7 “He’ll take over tomorrow, during the fight.” 8 The reminder silenced me for a second. I stared at him, 9 worry springing up again with sudden fierceness. 10 “I don’t suppose there’s any way you’d just stay since 11 you’re already here?” I suggested. “If I did beg? Or trade 12 back the lifetime of servitude or something?” 13 “Tempting, but no. Then again, the begging might be 14 interesting to see. You can give it a go if you like.” 15 “There’s really nothing, nothing at all I can say?” 16 “Nope. Not unless you can promise me a better fight. 17 Anyway, Sam’s calling the shots, not me.” 18 That reminded me. 19 “Edward told me something the other day...about 20 you.” 21 He bristled. “It’s probably a lie.” 22 “Oh, really? You aren’t second in command of the 23 pack, then?” 24 He blinked, his face going blank with surprise. “Oh. 25 That.” 26 “How come you never told me that?” 27 “Why would I? It’s no big thing.” 28 “I don’t know. Why not? It’s interesting. So, how does sh 29 that work? How did Sam end up as the Alpha, and you as reg 30 the...the Beta?”

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Jacob chuckled at my invented term. “Sam was the 1 ﬁrst, the oldest. It made sense for him to take charge.” 2 I frowned. “But shouldn’t Jared or Paul be second, 3 then? They were the next to change.” 4 “Well...it’s hard to explain,” Jacob said evasively. 5 “Try.” 6 He sighed. “It’s more about the lineage, you know? 7 Sort of old-fashioned. Why should it matter who your 8 grandpa was, right?” 9 I remembered something Jacob had told me a long 10 time ago, before either of us had known anything about 11 werewolves. 12 “Didn’t you say that Ephraim Black was the last chief 13 the Quileutes had?” 14 “Yeah, that’s right. Because he was the Alpha. Did you 15 know that, technically, Sam’s the chief of the whole tribe 16 now?” He laughed. “Crazy traditions.” 17 I thought about that for a second, trying to make all 18 the pieces ﬁt. “But you also said that people listened to 19 your dad more than anyone else on the council, because he 20 was Ephraim’s grandson?” 21 “What about it?” 22 “Well, if it’s about the lineage...shouldn’t you be the 23 chief, then?” 24 Jacob didn’t answer me. He stared into the darkening 25 forest, as if he suddenly needed to concentrate on where he 26 was going. 27 “Jake?” 28 “No. That’s Sam’s job.” He kept his eyes on our path- 29 sh less course. 30 reg

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1 “Why? His great-granddad was Levi Uley, right? Was 2 Levi an Alpha, too?” 3 “There’s only one Alpha,” he answered automatically. 4 “So what was Levi?” 5 “Sort of a Beta, I guess.” He snorted at my term. 6 “Like me.” 7 “That doesn’t make sense.” 8 “It doesn’t matter.” 9 “I just want to understand.” 10 Jacob finally met my confused gaze, and then sighed. 11 “Yeah. I was supposed to be the Alpha.” 12 My eyebrows pulled together. “Sam didn’t want to step 13 down?” 14 “Hardly. I didn’t want to step up.” 15 “Why not?” 16 He frowned, uncomfortable with my questions. Well, 17 it was his turn to feel uncomfortable. 18 “I didn’t want any of it, Bella. I didn’t want anything 19 to change. I didn’t want to be some legendary chief. I 20 didn’t want to be part of a pack of werewolves, let alone 21 their leader. I wouldn’t take it when Sam offered.” 22 I thought about this for a long moment. Jacob didn’t 23 interrupt. He stared into the forest again. 24 “But I thought you were happier. That you were okay 25 with this,” I finally whispered. 26 Jacob smiled down at me reassuringly. “Yeah. It’s really 27 not so bad. Exciting sometimes, like with this thing to- 28 morrow. But at first it sort of felt like being drafted into a sh 29 war you didn’t know existed. There was no choice, you reg 30 know? And it was so final.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I guess

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I’m glad now. It has to be done, and could I trust someone 1 else to get it right? It’s better to make sure myself.” 2 I stared at him, feeling an unexpected kind of awe for 3 my friend. He was more of a grown-up than I’d ever given 4 him credit for. Like with Billy the other night at the bon- 5 fire, there was a majesty here that I’d never suspected. 6 “Chief Jacob,” I whispered, smiling at the way the 7 words sounded together. 8 He rolled his eyes. 9 Just then, the wind shook more fiercely through the 10 trees around us, and it felt like it was blowing straight off 11 a glacier. The sharp sound of wood cracking echoed off the 12 mountain. Though the light was vanishing as the grisly 13 cloud covered the sky, I could still see the little white 14 specks that fluttered past us. 15 Jacob stepped up the pace, keeping his eyes on the 16 ground now as he flat out sprinted. I curled more willingly 17 against his chest, recoiling from the unwelcome snow. 18 It was only minutes later that he dashed around to the 19 lee side of the stony peak and we could see the little tent 20 nestled up against the sheltering face. More flurries were 21 falling around us, but the wind was too fierce to let them 22 settle anywhere. 23 “Bella!” Edward called out in acute relief. We’d caught 24 him in the middle of pacing back and forth across the lit- 25 tle open space. 26 He flashed to my side, sort of blurring as he moved so 27 swiftly. Jacob cringed, and then set me on my feet. Ed- 28 ward ignored his reaction and caught me in a tight hug. 29 sh “Thank you,” Edward said over my head. His tone was 30 reg

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1 unmistakably sincere. “That was quicker than I expected, 2 and I truly appreciate it.” 3 I twisted to see Jacob’s response. 4 Jacob merely shrugged, all the friendliness wiped clean 5 from his face. “Get her inside. This is going to be bad — 6 my hair’s standing up on my scalp. Is that tent secure?” 7 “I all but welded it to the rock.” 8 “Good.” 9 Jacob looked up at the sky — now black with the 10 storm, sprinkled with the swirling bits of snow. His nos- 11 trils ﬂared. 12 “I’m going to change,” he said. “I want to know what’s 13 going on back home.” 14 He hung his jacket on a low, stubby branch, and 15 walked into the murky forest without a backward glance. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 22. FIRE AND ICE 15 16 17 The wind shook the tent again, and I shook with it. 18 The temperature was dropping. I could feel it through 19 the down bag, through my jacket. I was fully dressed, my 20 hiking boots still laced into place. It didn’t make any dif- 21 ference. How could it be so cold? How could it keep get- 22 ting colder? It had to bottom out sometime, didn’t it? 23 “W-w-w-w-w-what t-t-t-t-time is it?” I forced the 24 words through my rattling teeth. 25 “Two,” Edward answered. 26 Edward sat as far from me as possible in the cramped 27 space, afraid to even breathe on me when I was already so 28 cold. It was too dark to see his face, but his voice was wild 29 sh with worry, indecision, and frustration. 30 reg

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1 “Maybe...” 2 “No, I’m f-f-f-f-f-fine, r-r-r-really. I don’t w-w-w-want 3 to g-go outside.” 4 He’d tried to talk me into making a run for it a dozen 5 times already, but I was terrified of leaving my shelter. If 6 it was this cold in here, protected from the raging wind, I 7 could imagine how bad it would be if we were running 8 through it. 9 And it would waste all our efforts this afternoon. Would 10 we have enough time to reset ourselves when the storm was 11 over? What if it didn’t end? It made no sense to move now. 12 I could shiver my way through one night. 13 I was worried that the trail I had laid would be lost, but 14 he promised that it would still be plain to the coming 15 monsters. 16 “What can I do?” he almost begged. 17 I just shook my head. 18 Out in the snow, Jacob whined unhappily. 19 “G-g-g-get out of h-h-h-ere,” I ordered, again. 20 “He’s just worried about you,” Edward translated. “He’s 21 fine. His body is equipped to deal with this.” 22 “H-h-h-h-h-h.” I wanted to say that he should still 23 leave, but I couldn’t get it past my teeth. I nearly bit my 24 tongue off trying. At least Jacob did seem to be well 25 equipped for the snow, better even than the others in his 26 pack with his thicker, longer, shaggy russet fur. I won- 27 dered why that was. 28 Jacob whimpered, a high-pitched, grating sound of com- sh 29 plaint. reg 30 “What do you want me to do?” Edward growled, too

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anxious to bother with politeness anymore. “Carry her 1 through that? I don’t see you making yourself useful. Why 2 don’t you go fetch a space heater or something?” 3 “I’m ok-k-k-k-k-k-kay,” I protested. Judging from Ed- 4 ward’s groan and the muted growl outside the tent, I 5 hadn’t convinced anyone. The wind rocked the tent roughly, 6 and I shuddered in harmony with it. 7 A sudden howl ripped through the roar of the wind, 8 and I covered my ears against the noise. Edward scowled. 9 “That was hardly necessary,” he muttered. “And that’s 10 the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” he called more loudly. 11 “Better than anything you’ve come up with,” Jacob an- 12 swered, his human voice startling me. “Go fetch a space 13 heater,” he grumbled. “I’m not a St. Bernard.” 14 I heard the sound of the zipper around the tent door 15 pulling swiftly down. 16 Jacob slid through the smallest opening he could man- 17 age, while the arctic air flowed in around him, a few flecks 18 of snow falling to the floor of the tent. I shivered so hard it 19 was a convulsion. 20 “I don’t like this,” Edward hissed as Jake zipped the 21 tent door shut. “Just give her the coat and get out.” 22 My eyes were adjusted enough to see shapes — Jacob 23 was carrying the parka that had been hanging on a tree 24 next to the tent. 25 I tried to ask what they were talking about, but all that 26 came out of my mouth was, “W-w-w-w-w-w,” as the shiv- 27 ering made me stutter uncontrollably. 28 “The parka’s for tomorrow — she’s too cold to warm it 29 sh up by herself. It’s frozen.” He dropped it by the door. “You 30 reg

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1 said she needed a space heater, and here I am.” Jacob held 2 his arms as wide as the tent allowed. As usual, when he’d 3 been running around as a wolf, he’d only thrown on the 4 bare essentials — just a pair of sweats, no shirt, no shoes. 5 “J-J-J-J-Jake, you’ll f-f-f-freez-z-z-ze,” I tried to com- 6 plain. 7 “Not me,” he said cheerfully. “I run at a toasty one-oh- 8 eight point nine these days. I’ll have you sweating in no 9 time.” 10 Edward snarled, but Jacob didn’t even look at him. In- 11 stead, he crawled to my side and started unzipping my 12 sleeping bag. 13 Edward’s hand was suddenly hard on his shoulder, re- 14 straining, snow white against the dark skin. Jacob’s jaw 15 clenched, his nostrils flaring, his body recoiling from the 16 cold touch. The long muscles in his arms flexed automati- 17 cally. 18 “Get your hand off of me,” he growled through his 19 teeth. 20 “Keep your hands off of her,” Edward answered blackly. 21 “D-d-d-don’t f-f-f-f-fight,” I pleaded. Another tremor 22 rocked through me. It felt like my teeth were going to 23 shatter, they were slamming together so hard. 24 “I’m sure she’ll thank you for this when her toes turn 25 black and drop off,” Jacob snapped. 26 Edward hesitated, then his hand fell away and he slid 27 back to his position in the corner. 28 His voice was flat and frightening. “Watch yourself.” sh 29 Jacob chuckled. reg 30

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“Scoot over, Bella,” he said, zipping the sleeping bag 1 open farther. 2 I stared at him in outrage. No wonder Edward was re- 3 acting this way. 4 “N-n-n-n-n,” I tried to protest. 5 “Don’t be stupid,” he said, exasperated. “Don’t you like 6 having ten toes?” 7 He crammed his body into the nonexistent space, forc- 8 ing the zipper up behind himself. 9 And then I couldn’t object — I didn’t want to any- 10 more. He was so warm. His arms constricted around me, 11 holding me snugly against his bare chest. The heat was ir- 12 resistible, like air after being underwater for too long. He 13 cringed when I pressed my icy ﬁngers eagerly against his 14 skin. 15 “Jeez, you’re freezing, Bella,” he complained. 16 “S-s-s-s-sorry,” I stuttered. 17 “Try to relax,” he suggested as another shiver rippled 18 through me violently. “You’ll be warm in a minute. Of 19 course, you’d warm up faster if you took your clothes off.” 20 Edward growled sharply. 21 “That’s just a simple fact,” Jacob defended himself. 22 “Survival one-oh-one.” 23 “C-c-cut it out, Jake,” I said angrily, though my body 24 refused to even try to pull away from him. “N-n-n-nobody 25 really n-n-n-n-needs all ten t-t-t-toes.” 26 “Don’t worry about the bloodsucker,” Jacob suggested, 27 and his tone was smug. “He’s just jealous.” 28 “Of course I am.” Edward’s voice was velvet again, under 29 sh 30 reg

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1 control, a musical murmur in the darkness. “You don’t 2 have the faintest idea how much I wish I could do what 3 you’re doing for her, mongrel.” 4 “Those are the breaks,” Jacob said lightly, but then his 5 tone soured. “At least you know she wishes it was you.” 6 “True,” Edward agreed. 7 The shuddering slowed, became bearable while they 8 wrangled. 9 “There,” Jacob said, pleased. “Feeling better?” 10 I was finally able to speak clearly. “Yes.” 11 “Your lips are still blue,” he mused. “Want me to warm 12 those up for you, too? You only have to ask.” 13 Edward sighed heavily. 14 “Behave yourself,” I muttered, pressing my face against 15 his shoulder. He flinched again when my cold skin touched 16 his, and I smiled with slightly vindictive satisfaction. 17 It was already warm and snug inside the sleeping bag. 18 Jacob’s body heat seemed to radiate from every side — 19 maybe because there was so much of him. I kicked my 20 boots off, and pushed my toes against his legs. He jumped 21 slightly, and then leaned his head down to press his hot 22 cheek against my numb ear. 23 I noticed that Jacob’s skin had a woodsy, musky 24 scent — it fit the setting, here in the middle of the forest. 25 It was nice. I wondered if the Cullens and the Quileutes 26 weren’t just playing up that whole odor issue because of 27 their prejudices. Everyone smelled fine to me. 28 The storm howled like an animal attacking the tent, sh 29 but it didn’t worry me now. Jacob was out of the cold, and reg 30 so was I. Plus, I was simply too exhausted to worry about

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anything — tired from just staying awake so late, and 1 aching from the muscle spasms. My body relaxed slowly as 2 I thawed, piece by frozen piece, and then turned limp. 3 “Jake?” I mumbled sleepily. “Can I ask you some- 4 thing? I’m not trying to be a jerk or anything, I’m hon- 5 estly curious.” They were the same words he’d used in my 6 kitchen...how long ago was it now? 7 “Sure,” he chuckled, remembering. 8 “Why are you so much furrier than your friends? You 9 don’t have to answer if I’m being rude.” I didn’t know the 10 rules for etiquette as they applied to werewolf culture. 11 “Because my hair is longer,” he said, amused — my 12 question hadn’t offended him, at least. He shook his head 13 so that his unkempt hair — grown out to his chin now — 14 tickled my cheek. 15 “Oh.” I was surprised, but it made sense. So that was 16 why they’d all cropped their hair in the beginning, when 17 they joined the pack. “Then why don’t you cut it? Do you 18 like to be shaggy?” 19 He didn’t answer right away this time, and Edward 20 laughed under his breath. 21 “Sorry,” I said, pausing to yawn. “I didn’t mean to pry. 22 You don’t have to tell me.” 23 Jacob made an annoyed sound. “Oh, he’ll tell you any- 24 way, so I might as well....I was growing my hair out be- 25 cause...it seemed like you liked it better long.” 26 “Oh.” I felt awkward. “I, er, like it both ways, Jake. 27 You don’t need to be...inconvenienced.” 28 He shrugged. “Turns out it was very convenient to- 29 sh night, so don’t worry about it.” 30 reg

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1 I didn’t have anything else to say. As the silence 2 lengthened, my eyelids drooped and shut, and my breath- 3 ing grew slower, more even. 4 “That’s right, honey, go to sleep,” Jacob whispered. 5 I sighed, content, already half-unconscious. 6 “Seth is here,” Edward muttered to Jacob, and I sud- 7 denly understood the point of the howling. 8 “Perfect. Now you can keep an eye on everything else, 9 while I take care of your girlfriend for you.” 10 Edward didn’t answer, but I groaned groggily. “Stop 11 it,” I muttered. 12 It was quiet then, inside at least. Outside, the wind 13 shrieked insanely through the trees. The shimmying of 14 the tent made it hard to sleep. The poles would suddenly 15 jerk and quiver, pulling me back from the edge of uncon- 16 sciousness each time I was close to slipping under. I felt so 17 bad for the wolf, the boy that was stuck outside in the snow. 18 My mind wandered as I waited for sleep to ﬁnd me. 19 This warm little space made me think of the early days 20 with Jacob, and I remembered how it used to be when he 21 was my replacement sun, the warmth that made my empty 22 life livable. It had been a while since I’d thought of Jake 23 that way, but here he was, warming me again. 24 “Please!” Edward hissed. “Do you mind!” 25 “What?” Jacob whispered back, his tone surprised. 26 “Do you think you could attempt to control your 27 thoughts?” Edward’s low whisper was furious. 28 “No one said you had to listen,” Jacob muttered, deﬁ- sh 29 ant, yet still embarrassed. “Get out of my head.” reg 30

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“I wish I could. You have no idea how loud your little 1 fantasies are. It’s like you’re shouting them at me.” 2 “I’ll try to keep it down,” Jacob whispered sarcastically. 3 There was a brief moment of silence. 4 “Yes,” Edward answered an unspoken thought in a mur- 5 mur so low I barely made it out. “I’m jealous of that, too.” 6 “I ﬁgured it was like that,” Jacob whispered smugly. 7 “Sort of evens the playing ﬁeld up a little, doesn’t it?” 8 Edward chuckled. “In your dreams.” 9 “You know, she could still change her mind,” Jacob 10 taunted him. “Considering all the things I could do with 11 her that you can’t. At least, not without killing her, that is.” 12 “Go to sleep, Jacob,” Edward murmured. “You’re start- 13 ing to get on my nerves.” 14 “I think I will. I’m really very comfortable.” 15 Edward didn’t answer. 16 I was too far gone to ask them to stop talking about me 17 like I wasn’t there. The conversation had taken on a dream- 18 like quality to me, and I wasn’t sure I was really awake. 19 “Maybe I would,” Edward said after a moment, answer- 20 ing a question I hadn’t heard. 21 “But would you be honest?” 22 “You can always ask and see.” Edward’s tone made me 23 wonder if I was missing out on a joke. 24 “Well, you see inside my head — let me see inside 25 yours tonight, it’s only fair,” Jacob said. 26 “Your head is full of questions. Which one do you want 27 me to answer?” 28 “The jealousy...it has to be eating at you. You can’t 29 sh 30 reg

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1 be as sure of yourself as you seem. Unless you have no 2 emotions at all.” 3 “Of course it is,” Edward agreed, no longer amused. 4 “Right now it’s so bad that I can barely control my voice. 5 Of course, it’s even worse when she’s away from me, with 6 you, and I can’t see her.” 7 “Do you think about it all the time?” Jacob whispered. 8 “Does it make it hard to concentrate when she’s not 9 with you?” 10 “Yes and no,” Edward said; he seemed determined to 11 answer honestly. “My mind doesn’t work quite the same as 12 yours. I can think of many more things at one time. Of 13 course, that means that I’m always able to think of you, al- 14 ways able to wonder if that’s where her mind is, when she’s 15 quiet and thoughtful.” 16 They were both still for a minute. 17 “Yes, I would guess that she thinks about you often,” 18 Edward murmured in response to Jacob’s thoughts. “More 19 often than I like. She worries that you’re unhappy. Not 20 that you don’t know that. Not that you don’t use that.” 21 “I have to use whatever I can,” Jacob muttered. “I’m 22 not working with your advantages — advantages like her 23 knowing she’s in love with you.” 24 “That helps,” Edward agreed in a mild tone. 25 Jacob was deﬁant. “She’s in love with me, too, you 26 know.” 27 Edward didn’t answer. 28 Jacob sighed. “But she doesn’t know it.” sh 29 “I can’t tell you if you’re right.” reg 30

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“Does that bother you? Do you wish you could see 1 what she’s thinking, too?” 2 “Yes...and no, again. She likes it better this way, and, 3 though it sometimes drives me insane, I’d rather she was 4 happy.” 5 The wind ripped around the tent, shaking it like an 6 earthquake. Jacob’s arms tightened around me protectively. 7 “Thank you,” Edward whispered. “Odd as this might 8 sound, I suppose I’m glad you’re here, Jacob.” 9 “You mean, ‘as much as I’d love to kill you, I’m glad 10 she’s warm,’ right?” 11 “It’s an uncomfortable truce, isn’t it?” 12 Jacob’s whisper was suddenly smug. “I knew you were 13 just as crazy jealous as I am.” 14 “I’m not such a fool as to wear it on my sleeve like you 15 do. It doesn’t help your case, you know.” 16 “You have more patience than I do.” 17 “I should. I’ve had a hundred years to gain it. A hun- 18 dred years of waiting for her.” 19 “So...at what point did you decide to play the very 20 patient good guy?” 21 “When I saw how much it was hurting her to make her 22 choose. It’s not usually this difﬁcult to control. I can 23 smother the...less civilized feelings I may have for you 24 fairly easily most of the time. Sometimes I think she sees 25 through me, but I can’t be sure.” 26 “I think you were just worried that if you really forced 27 her to choose, she might not choose you.” 28 Edward didn’t answer right away. “That was a part of it,” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 he ﬁnally admitted. “But only a small part. We all have our 2 moments of doubt. Mostly I was worried that she’d hurt 3 herself trying to sneak away to see you. After I’d accepted 4 that she was more or less safe with you — as safe as Bella 5 ever is — it seemed best to stop driving her to extremes.” 6 Jacob sighed. “I’d tell her all of this, but she’d never 7 believe me.” 8 “I know.” It sounded like Edward was smiling. 9 “You think you know everything,” Jacob muttered. 10 “I don’t know the future,” Edward said, his voice sud- 11 denly unsure. 12 There was a long pause. 13 “What would you do if she changed her mind?” Jacob 14 asked. 15 “I don’t know that either.” 16 Jacob chuckled quietly. “Would you try to kill me?” 17 Sarcastic again, as if doubting Edward’s ability to do it. 18 “No.” 19 “Why not?” Jacob’s tone was still jeering. 20 “Do you really think I would hurt her that way?” 21 Jacob hesitated for a second, and then sighed. “Yeah, 22 you’re right. I know that’s right. But sometimes...” 23 “Sometimes it’s an intriguing idea.” 24 Jacob pressed his face into the sleeping bag to mufﬂe 25 his laugher. “Exactly,” he eventually agreed. 26 What a strange dream this was. I wondered if it was 27 the relentless wind that made me imagine all the whisper- 28 ing. Only the wind was screaming rather than whisper- sh 29 ing... reg 30 “What is it like? Losing her?” Jacob asked after a quiet

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moment, and there was no hint of humor in his suddenly 1 hoarse voice. “When you thought that you’d lost her for- 2 ever? How did you...cope?” 3 “That’s very difficult for me to talk about.” 4 Jacob waited. 5 “There were two different times that I thought that.” 6 Edward spoke each word just a little slower than normal. 7 “The first time, when I thought I could leave her...that 8 was...almost bearable. Because I thought she would for- 9 get me and it would be like I hadn’t touched her life. For 10 over six months I was able to stay away, to keep my prom- 11 ise that I wouldn’t interfere again. It was getting close — 12 I was fighting but I knew I wasn’t going to win; I would 13 have come back...just to check on her. That’s what I 14 would have told myself, anyway. And if I’d found her rea- 15 sonably happy...I like to think that I could have gone 16 away again. 17 “But she wasn’t happy. And I would have stayed. That’s 18 how she convinced me to stay with her tomorrow, of 19 course. You were wondering about that before, what could 20 possibly motivate me...what she was feeling so need- 21 lessly guilty about. She reminded me of what it did to her 22 when I left — what it still does to her when I leave. She 23 feels horrible about bringing that up, but she’s right. I’ll 24 never be able to make up for that, but I’ll never stop try- 25 ing anyway.” 26 Jacob didn’t respond for a moment, listening to the 27 storm or digesting what he’d heard, I didn’t know which. 28 “And the other time — when you thought she was 29 sh dead?” Jacob whispered roughly. 30 reg

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1 “Yes.” Edward answered a different question. “It will 2 probably feel like that to you, won’t it? The way you 3 perceive us, you might not be able to see her as Bella any- 4 more. But that’s who she’ll be.” 5 “That’s not what I asked.” 6 Edward’s voice came back fast and hard. “I can’t tell 7 you how it felt. There aren’t words.” 8 Jacob’s arms flexed around me. 9 “But you left because you didn’t want to make her a 10 bloodsucker. You want her to be human.” 11 Edward spoke slowly. “Jacob, from the second that I re- 12 alized that I loved her, I knew there were only four possi- 13 bilities. The first alternative, the best one for Bella, would 14 be if she didn’t feel as strongly for me — if she got over 15 me and moved on. I would accept that, though it would 16 never change the way I felt. You think of me as a...liv- 17 ing stone — hard and cold. That’s true. We are set the 18 way we are, and it is very rare for us to experience a real 19 change. When that happens, as when Bella entered my 20 life, it is a permanent change. There’s no going back.... 21 “The second alternative, the one I’d originally chosen, 22 was to stay with her throughout her human life. It wasn’t 23 a good option for her, to waste her life with someone who 24 couldn’t be human with her, but it was the alternative 25 I could most easily face. Knowing all along that, when 26 she died, I would find a way to die, too. Sixty years, sev- 27 enty years — it would seem like a very, very short time to 28 me....But then it proved much too dangerous for her to sh 29 live in such close proximity with my world. It seemed like reg 30 everything that could go wrong did. Or hung over us...

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waiting to go wrong. I was terrified that I wouldn’t get 1 those sixty years if I stayed near her while she was human. 2 “So I chose option three. Which turned out to be the 3 worst mistake of my very long life, as you know. I chose to 4 take myself out of her world, hoping to force her into the 5 first alternative. It didn’t work, and it very nearly killed us 6 both. 7 “What do I have left but the fourth option? It’s what 8 she wants — at least, she thinks she does. I’ve been trying 9 to delay her, to give her time to find a reason to change 10 her mind, but she’s very...stubborn. You know that. I’ll 11 be lucky to stretch this out a few more months. She has 12 a horror of getting older, and her birthday is in Septem- 13 ber....” 14 “I like option one,” Jacob muttered. 15 Edward didn’t respond. 16 “You know exactly how much I hate to accept this,” Ja- 17 cob whispered slowly, “but I can see that you do love 18 her...in your way. I can’t argue with that anymore. 19 “Given that, I don’t think you should give up on the 20 first alternative, not yet. I think there’s a very good chance 21 that she would be okay. After time. You know, if she 22 hadn’t jumped off a cliff in March...and if you’d waited 23 another six months to check on her....Well, you might 24 have found her reasonably happy. I had a game plan.” 25 Edward chuckled. “Maybe it would have worked. It 26 was a well thought-out plan.” 27 “Yeah.” Jake sighed. “But...,” suddenly he was whis- 28 pering so fast the words got tangled, “give me a year, bl — 29 sh Edward. I really think I could make her happy. She’s 30 reg

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1 stubborn, no one knows that better than I do, but she’s ca- 2 pable of healing. She would have healed before. And she 3 could be human, with Charlie and Renée, and she could 4 grow up, and have kids and...be Bella. 5 “You love her enough that you have to see the advan- 6 tages of that plan. She thinks you’re very unselfish...are 7 you really? Can you consider the idea that I might be bet- 8 ter for her than you are?” 9 “I have considered it,” Edward answered quietly. “In 10 some ways, you would be better suited for her than an- 11 other human. Bella takes some looking after, and you’re 12 strong enough that you could protect her from herself, and 13 from everything that conspires against her. You have done 14 that already, and I’ll owe you for that for as long as I 15 live — forever — whichever comes first.... 16 “I even asked Alice if she could see that — see if Bella 17 would be better off with you. She couldn’t, of course. She 18 can’t see you, and then Bella’s sure of her course, for now. 19 “But I’m not stupid enough to make the same mistake 20 I made before, Jacob. I won’t try to force her into that first 21 option again. As long as she wants me, I’m here.” 22 “And if she were to decide that she wanted me?” Jacob 23 challenged. “Okay, it’s a long shot, I’ll give you that.” 24 “I would let her go.” 25 “Just like that?” 26 “In the sense that I’d never show her how hard it was 27 for me, yes. But I would keep watch. You see, Jacob, you 28 might leave her someday. Like Sam and Emily, you wouldn’t sh 29 have a choice. I would always be waiting in the wings, reg 30 hoping for that to happen.”

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Jacob snorted quietly. “Well, you’ve been much more 1 honest than I had any right to expect...Edward. Thanks 2 for letting me in your head.” 3 “As I said, I’m feeling oddly grateful for your presence 4 in her life tonight. It was the least I could do....You 5 know, Jacob, if it weren’t for the fact that we’re natural en- 6 emies and that you’re also trying to steal away the reason 7 for my existence, I might actually like you.” 8 “Maybe...if you weren’t a disgusting vampire who 9 was planning to suck out the life of the girl I love... 10 well, no, not even then.” 11 Edward chuckled. 12 “Can I ask you something?” Edward said after a moment. 13 “Why would you have to ask?” 14 “I can only hear if you think of it. It’s just a story that 15 Bella seemed reluctant to tell me about the other day. 16 Something about a third wife...?” 17 “What about it?” 18 Edward didn’t answer, listening to the story in Jacob’s 19 head. I heard his low hiss in the darkness. 20 “What?” Jacob demanded again. 21 “Of course,” Edward seethed. “Of course! I rather wish 22 your elders had kept that story to themselves, Jacob.” 23 “You don’t like the leeches being painted as the bad 24 guys?” Jacob mocked. “You know, they are. Then and now.” 25 “I really couldn’t care less about that part. Can’t you 26 guess which character Bella would identify with?” 27 It took Jacob a minute. “Oh. Ugh. The third wife. 28 Okay, I see your point.” 29 sh “She wants to be there in the clearing. To do what little 30 reg

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1 she can, as she puts it.” He sighed. “That was the second- 2 ary reason for my staying with her tomorrow. She’s quite 3 inventive when she wants something.” 4 “You know, your military brother gave her the idea just 5 as much as the story did.” 6 “Neither side meant any harm,” Edward whispered, 7 peace-making now. 8 “And when does this little truce end?” Jacob asked. 9 “First light? Or do we wait until after the fight?” 10 There was a pause as they both considered. 11 “First light,” they whispered together, and then laughed 12 quietly. 13 “Sleep well, Jacob,” Edward murmured. “Enjoy the 14 moment.” 15 It was quiet again, and the tent held still for a few min- 16 utes. The wind seemed to have decided that it wasn’t go- 17 ing to flatten us after all, and was giving up the fight. 18 Edward groaned softly. “I didn’t mean that quite so lit- 19 erally.” 20 “Sorry,” Jacob whispered. “You could leave, you 21 know — give us a little privacy.” 22 “Would you like me to help you sleep, Jacob?” Edward 23 offered. 24 “You could try,” Jacob said, unconcerned. “It would be 25 interesting to see who walked away, wouldn’t it?” 26 “Don’t tempt me too far, wolf. My patience isn’t that 27 perfect.” 28 Jacob whispered a laugh. “I’d rather not move just sh 29 now, if you don’t mind.” reg 30

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Edward started humming to himself, louder than 1 usual — trying to drown out Jacob’s thoughts, I assumed. 2 But it was my lullaby he hummed, and, despite my grow- 3 ing discomfort with this whispered dream, I sank deeper 4 into unconsciousness . . . into other dreams that made bet- 5 ter sense.... 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 23. MONSTER 16 17 18 When I woke up in the morning, it was very 19 bright — even inside the tent, the sunlight hurt my eyes. 20 And I was sweating, as Jacob had predicted. Jacob was snor- 21 ing lightly in my ear, his arms still wrapped around me. 22 I pulled my head away from his feverishly warm chest 23 and felt the sting of the cold morning on my clammy 24 cheek. Jacob sighed in his sleep; his arms tightened un- 25 consciously. 26 I squirmed, unable to loosen his hold, struggling to lift 27 my head enough to see.... 28 Edward met my gaze evenly. His expression was calm, sh 29 but the pain in his eyes was unconcealed. reg 30 “Is it any warmer out there?” I whispered.

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“Yes. I don’t think the space heater will be necessary 1 today.” 2 I tried to get to the zipper, but I couldn’t free my arms. 3 I strained, fighting against Jacob’s inert strength. Jacob 4 muttered, still fast asleep, his arms constricting again. 5 “Some help?” I asked quietly. 6 Edward smiled. “Did you want me to take his arms all 7 the way off?” 8 “No, thank you. Just get me free. I’m going to get heat 9 stroke.” 10 Edward unzipped the sleeping bag in a swift, abrupt 11 movement. Jacob fell out, his bare back hitting the icy 12 floor of the tent. 13 “Hey!” he complained, his eyes flying open. Instinc- 14 tively, he flinched away from the cold, rolling onto me. I 15 gasped as his weight knocked the breath out of me. 16 And then his weight was gone. I felt the impact as Ja- 17 cob flew into one of the tent poles and the tent shuddered. 18 The growling erupted from all around. Edward was 19 crouching in front of me, and I couldn’t see his face, but 20 the snarls were ripping angrily out of his chest. Jacob was 21 half-crouched, too, his whole body quivering, while 22 growls rumbled through his clenched teeth. Outside the 23 tent, Seth Clearwater’s vicious snarls echoed off the rocks. 24 “Stop it, stop it!” I yelled, scrambling awkwardly to 25 put myself between them. The space was so small that I 26 didn’t have to stretch far to put one hand on each of their 27 chests. Edward wrapped his hand around my waist, ready 28 to yank me out of the way. 29 sh “Stop it, now,” I warned him. 30 reg

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1 Under my touch, Jacob began to calm himself. The 2 shaking slowed, but his teeth were still bared, his eyes fu- 3 riously focused on Edward. Seth continued to growl, a 4 long unbroken sound, a violent background to the sudden 5 silence in the tent. 6 “Jacob?” I asked, waiting until he finally dropped his 7 glare to look at me. “Are you hurt?” 8 “Of course not!” he hissed. 9 I turned to Edward. He was looking at me, his expression 10 hard and angry. “That wasn’t nice. You should say sorry.” 11 His eyes widened in disgust. “You must be joking — 12 he was crushing you!” 13 “Because you dumped him on the floor! He didn’t do it 14 on purpose, and he didn’t hurt me.” 15 Edward groaned, revolted. Slowly, he looked up to 16 glare at Jacob with hostile eyes. “My apologies, dog.” 17 “No harm done,” Jacob said, a taunting edge to his voice. 18 It was still cold, though not as cold as it had been. I 19 curled my arms around my chest. 20 “Here,” Edward said, calm again. He took the parka off 21 the floor and wrapped it over the top of my coat. 22 “That’s Jacob’s,” I objected. 23 “Jacob has a fur coat,” Edward hinted. 24 “I’ll just use the sleeping bag again, if you don’t mind.” 25 Jacob ignored him, climbing around us and sliding into the 26 down bag. “I wasn’t quite ready to wake up. That wasn’t 27 the best night’s sleep I ever had.” 28 “It was your idea,” Edward said impassively. sh 29 Jacob was curled up, his eyes already closed. He yawned. reg 30

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“I didn’t say it wasn’t the best night I’ve ever spent. Just 1 that I didn’t get a lot of sleep. I thought Bella was never 2 going to shut up.” 3 I winced, wondering what might have come out of my 4 mouth in my sleep. The possibilities were horrifying. 5 “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Edward murmured. 6 Jacob’s dark eyes fluttered open. “Didn’t you have a 7 nice night, then?” he asked, smug. 8 “It wasn’t the worst night of my life.” 9 “Did it make the top ten?” Jacob asked with perverse 10 enjoyment. 11 “Possibly.” 12 Jacob smiled and closed his eyes. 13 “But,” Edward went on, “if I had been able to take your 14 place last night, it would not have made the top ten of the 15 best nights of my life. Dream about that.” 16 Jacob’s eyes opened into a glare. He sat up stiffly, his 17 shoulders tense. 18 “You know what? I think it’s too crowded in here.” 19 “I couldn’t agree more.” 20 I elbowed Edward in the ribs — probably giving my- 21 self a bruise. 22 “Guess I’ll catch up on my sleep later, then.” Jacob 23 made a face. “I need to talk to Sam anyway.” 24 He rolled to his knees and grabbed the door’s zipper. 25 Pain crackled down my spine and lodged in my stom- 26 ach as I abruptly realized that this could be the last time I 27 would see him. He was going back to Sam, back to fight 28 the horde of bloodthirsty newborn vampires. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Jake, wait —” I reached after him, my hand sliding 2 down his arm. 3 He jerked his arm away before my fingers could find 4 purchase. 5 “Please, Jake? Won’t you stay?” 6 “No.” 7 The word was hard and cold. I knew my face gave away 8 my pain, because he exhaled and half a smile softened his 9 expression. 10 “Don’t worry about me, Bells. I’ll be fine, just like I al- 11 ways am.” He forced a laugh. “’Sides, you think I’m going 12 to let Seth go in my place — have all the fun and steal all 13 the glory? Right.” He snorted. 14 “Be careful —” 15 He shoved out of the tent before I could finish. 16 “Give it a rest, Bella,” I heard him mutter as he re- 17 zipped the door. 18 I listened for the sound of his retreating footsteps, but 19 it was perfectly still. No more wind. I could hear morning 20 birdsong far away on the mountain, and nothing else. Ja- 21 cob moved in silence now. 22 I huddled in my coats, and leaned against Edward’s 23 shoulder. We were quiet for a long time. 24 “How much longer?” I asked. 25 “Alice told Sam it should be an hour or so,” Edward 26 said, soft and bleak. 27 “We stay together. No matter what.” 28 “No matter what,” he agreed, his eyes tight. sh 29 “I know,” I said. “I’m terrified for them, too.” reg 30

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“They know how to handle themselves,” Edward as- 1 sured me, purposely making his voice light. “I just hate 2 missing the fun.” 3 Again with the fun. My nostrils flared. 4 He put his arm around my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he 5 urged, and then he kissed my forehead. 6 As if there was any way to avoid that. “Sure, sure.” 7 “Do you want me to distract you?” He breathed, run- 8 ning his cold fingers along my cheekbone. 9 I shivered involuntarily; the morning was still frosty. 10 “Maybe not right now,” he answered himself, pulling 11 his hand away. 12 “There are other ways to distract me.” 13 “What would you like?” 14 “You could tell me about your ten best nights,” I sug- 15 gested. “I’m curious.” 16 He laughed. “Try to guess.” 17 I shook my head. “There’re too many nights I don’t 18 know about. A century of them.” 19 “I’ll narrow it down for you. All of my best nights have 20 happened since I met you.” 21 “Really?” 22 “Yes, really — and by quite a wide margin, too.” 23 I thought for a minute. “I can only think of mine,” I 24 admitted. 25 “They might be the same,” he encouraged. 26 “Well, there was the first night. The night you stayed.” 27 “Yes, that’s one of mine, too. Of course, you were un- 28 conscious for my favorite part.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “That’s right,” I remembered. “I was talking that 2 night, too.” 3 “Yes,” he agreed. 4 My face got hot as I wondered again what I might have 5 said while sleeping in Jacob’s arms. I couldn’t remember 6 what I’d dreamed about, or if I’d dreamed at all, so that 7 was no help. 8 “What did I say last night?” I whispered more quietly 9 than before. 10 He shrugged instead of answering, and I winced. 11 “That bad?” 12 “Nothing too horrible,” he sighed. 13 “Please tell me.” 14 “Mostly you said my name, the same as usual.” 15 “That’s not bad,” I agreed cautiously. 16 “Near the end, though, you started mumbling some 17 nonsense about ‘Jacob, my Jacob.’” I could hear the pain, 18 even in the whisper. “Your Jacob enjoyed that quite a lot.” 19 I stretched my neck up, straining to reach my lips to 20 the edge of his jaw. I couldn’t see into his eyes. He was 21 staring up at the ceiling of the tent. 22 “Sorry,” I murmured. “That’s just the way I differen- 23 tiate.” 24 “Differentiate?” 25 “Between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Between the Jacob 26 I like and the one who annoys the hell out of me,” I ex- 27 plained. 28 “That makes sense.” He sounded slightly molliﬁed. sh 29 “Tell me another favorite night.” reg 30 “Flying home from Italy.”

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He frowned. 1 “Is that not one of yours?” I wondered. 2 “No, it is one of mine, actually, but I’m surprised it’s on 3 your list. Weren’t you under the ludicrous impression I 4 was just acting from a guilty conscience, and I was going 5 to bolt as soon as the plane doors opened?” 6 “Yes.” I smiled. “But, still, you were there.” 7 He kissed my hair. “You love me more than I deserve.” 8 I laughed at the impossibility of that idea. “Next would 9 be the night after Italy,” I continued. 10 “Yes, that’s on the list. You were so funny.” 11 “Funny?” I objected. 12 “I had no idea your dreams were so vivid. It took me 13 forever to convince you that you were awake.” 14 “I’m still not sure,” I muttered. “You’ve always seemed 15 more like a dream than reality. Tell me one of yours, now. 16 Did I guess your ﬁrst place?” 17 “No — that would be two nights ago, when you ﬁnally 18 agreed to marry me.” 19 I made a face. 20 “That doesn’t make your list?” 21 I thought about the way he’d kissed me, the concession 22 I’d gained, and changed my mind. “Yes...it does. But 23 with reservations. I don’t understand why it’s so impor- 24 tant to you. You already had me forever.” 25 “A hundred years from now, when you’ve gained 26 enough perspective to really appreciate the answer, I will 27 explain it to you.” 28 “I’ll remind you to explain — in a hundred years.” 29 sh “Are you warm enough?” he asked suddenly. 30 reg

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1 “I’m fine,” I assured him. “Why?” 2 Before he could answer, the silence outside the tent was 3 ripped apart by an earsplitting howl of pain. The sound 4 ricocheted off the bare rock face of the mountain and filled 5 the air so that it seared from every direction. 6 The howl tore through my mind like a tornado, both 7 strange and familiar. Strange because I’d never heard such 8 a tortured cry before. Familiar because I knew the voice at 9 once — I recognized the sound and understood the mean- 10 ing as perfectly as if I’d uttered it myself. It made no dif- 11 ference that Jacob was not human when he cried out. I 12 needed no translation. 13 Jacob was close. Jacob had heard every word we’d said. 14 Jacob was in agony. 15 The howl choked off into a peculiar gurgled sob, and 16 then it was quiet again. 17 I did not hear his silent escape, but I could feel it — I 18 could feel the absence I had wrongly assumed before, the 19 empty space he left behind. 20 “Because your space heater has reached his limit,” Ed- 21 ward answered quietly. “Truce over,” he added, so low I 22 couldn’t be sure that was really what he’d said. 23 “Jacob was listening,” I whispered. It wasn’t a question. 24 “Yes.” 25 “You knew.” 26 “Yes.” 27 I stared at nothing, seeing nothing. 28 “I never promised to fight fair,” he reminded me qui- sh 29 etly. “And he deserves to know.” reg 30

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My head fell into my hands. 1 “Are you angry with me?” he asked. 2 “Not you,” I whispered. “I’m horrified at me.” 3 “Don’t torment yourself,” he pleaded. 4 “Yes,” I agreed bitterly. “I should save my energy to 5 torment Jacob some more. I wouldn’t want to leave any 6 part of him unharmed.” 7 “He knew what he was doing.” 8 “Do you think that matters?” I was blinking back 9 tears, and this was easy to hear in my voice. “Do you think 10 I care whether it’s fair or whether he was adequately 11 warned? I’m hurting him. Every time I turn around, I’m 12 hurting him again.” My voice was getting louder, more 13 hysterical. “I’m a hideous person.” 14 He wrapped his arms tightly around me. “No, you’re 15 not.” 16 “I am! What’s wrong with me?” I struggled against his 17 arms, and he let them drop. “I have to go find him.” 18 “Bella, he’s already miles away, and it’s cold.” 19 “I don’t care. I can’t just sit here.” I shrugged off Jacob’s 20 parka, shoved my feet into my boots, and crawled stiffly to 21 the door; my legs felt numb. “I have to — I have to...” I 22 didn’t know how to finish the sentence, didn’t know what 23 there was to do, but I unzipped the door anyway, and 24 climbed out into the bright, icy morning. 25 There was less snow than I would have thought after the 26 fury of last night’s storm. Probably it had blown away 27 rather than melted in the sun that now shone low in the 28 southeast, glancing off the snow that lingered and stabbing 29 sh 30 reg

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1 at my unadjusted eyes. The air still had a bite to it, but it 2 was dead calm and slowly becoming more seasonable as 3 the sun rose higher. 4 Seth Clearwater was curled up on a patch of dry pine 5 needles in the shadow of a thick spruce, his head on his 6 paws. His sand-colored fur was almost invisible against 7 the dead needles, but I could see the bright snow reﬂect off 8 his open eyes. He was staring at me with what I imagined 9 was an accusation. 10 I knew Edward was following me as I stumbled toward 11 the trees. I couldn’t hear him, but the sun reﬂected off his 12 skin in glittering rainbows that danced ahead of me. He 13 didn’t reach out to stop me until I was several paces into 14 the forest shadows. 15 His hand caught my left wrist. He ignored it when I 16 tried to yank myself free. 17 “You can’t go after him. Not today. It’s almost time. And 18 getting yourself lost wouldn’t help anyone, regardless.” 19 I twisted my wrist, pulling uselessly. 20 “I’m sorry, Bella,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I did that.” 21 “You didn’t do anything. It’s my fault. I did this. I did 22 everything wrong. I could have...When he...I shouldn’t 23 have...I...I...” I was sobbing. 24 “Bella, Bella.” 25 His arms folded around me, and my tears soaked into 26 his shirt. 27 “I should have — told him — I should — have said —” 28 What? What could have made this right? “He shouldn’t sh 29 have — found out like this.” reg 30 “Do you want me to see if I can bring him back, so that

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you can talk to him? There’s still a little time,” Edward 1 murmured, hushed agony in his voice. 2 I nodded into his chest, afraid to see his face. 3 “Stay by the tent. I’ll be back soon.” 4 His arms disappeared. He left so quickly that, in the 5 second it took me to look up, he was already gone. I was 6 alone. 7 A new sob broke from my chest. I was hurting every- 8 one today. Was there anything I touched that didn’t get 9 spoiled? 10 I didn’t know why it was hitting me so hard now. It 11 wasn’t like I hadn’t known this was coming all along. But 12 Jacob had never reacted so strongly — lost his bold over- 13 confidence and shown the intensity of his pain. The sound 14 of his agony still cut at me, somewhere deep in my chest. 15 Right beside it was the other pain. Pain for feeling pain 16 over Jacob. Pain for hurting Edward, too. For not being 17 able to watch Jacob go with composure, knowing that it 18 was the right thing, the only way. 19 I was selfish, I was hurtful. I tortured the ones I loved. 20 I was like Cathy, like Wuthering Heights, only my op- 21 tions were so much better than hers, neither one evil, nei- 22 ther one weak. And here I sat, crying about it, not doing 23 anything productive to make it right. Just like Cathy. 24 I couldn’t allow what hurt me to influence my decisions 25 anymore. It was too little, much too late, but I had to do 26 what was right now. Maybe it was already done for me. 27 Maybe Edward would not be able to bring him back. And 28 then I would accept that and get on with my life. Edward 29 sh would never see me shed another tear for Jacob Black. 30 reg

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1 There would be no more tears. I wiped the last of them 2 away with cold fingers now. 3 But if Edward did return with Jacob, that was it. I had 4 to tell him to go away and never come back. 5 Why was that so hard? So very much more difficult 6 than saying goodbye to my other friends, to Angela, to 7 Mike? Why did that hurt? It wasn’t right. That shouldn’t 8 be able to hurt me. I had what I wanted. I couldn’t have 9 them both, because Jacob could not be just my friend. It 10 was time to give up wishing for that. How ridiculously 11 greedy could any one person be? 12 I had to get over this irrational feeling that Jacob be- 13 longed in my life. He couldn’t belong with me, could not 14 be my Jacob, when I belonged to someone else. 15 I walked slowly back to the little clearing, my feet 16 dragging. When I broke into the open space, blinking 17 against the sharp light, I threw one quick glance toward 18 Seth — he hadn’t moved from his bed of pine needles — 19 and then looked away, avoiding his eyes. 20 I could feel that my hair was wild, twisted into clumps 21 like Medusa’s snakes. I yanked through it with my fingers, 22 and then gave up quickly. Who cared what I looked like, 23 anyway? 24 I grabbed the canteen hanging beside the tent door and 25 shook it. It sloshed wetly, so I unscrewed the lid and took 26 a swig to rinse my mouth with the ice water. There was 27 food somewhere nearby, but I didn’t feel hungry enough 28 to look for it. I started pacing across the bright little sh 29 space, feeling Seth’s eyes on me the whole time. Because reg 30 I wouldn’t look at him, in my head he became the boy

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again, rather than the gigantic wolf. So much like a 1 younger Jacob. 2 I wanted to ask Seth to bark or give some other sign if 3 Jacob was coming back, but I stopped myself. It didn’t 4 matter if Jacob came back. It might be easier if he didn’t. 5 I wished I had some way to call Edward. 6 Seth whined at that moment, and got to his feet. 7 “What is it?” I asked him stupidly. 8 He ignored me, trotting to the edge of the trees, and 9 pointing his nose toward the west. He began whimpering. 10 “Is it the others, Seth?” I demanded. “In the clearing?” 11 He looked at me and yelped softly once, and then 12 turned his nose alertly back to the west. His ears laid back 13 and he whined again. 14 Why was I such a fool? What was I thinking, sending 15 Edward away? How was I supposed to know what was go- 16 ing on? I didn’t speak wolf. 17 A cold trickle of fear began to ooze down my spine. 18 What if the time had run out? What if Jacob and Edward 19 got too close? What if Edward decided to join in the 20 fight? 21 The icy fear pooled in my stomach. What if Seth’s dis- 22 tress had nothing to do with the clearing, and his yelp had 23 been a denial? What if Jacob and Edward were fighting 24 with each other, far away somewhere in the forest? They 25 wouldn’t do that, would they? 26 With sudden, chilling certainty I realized that they 27 would — if the wrong words were said. I thought of the 28 tense standoff in the tent this morning, and I wondered if 29 sh I’d underestimated how close it had come to a fight. 30 reg

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1 It would be no more than I deserved if I somehow lost 2 them both. 3 The ice locked around my heart. 4 Before I could collapse with fear, Seth grumbled 5 slightly, deep in his chest, and then turned away from his 6 watch and sauntered back toward his resting place. It 7 calmed me, but irritated me. Couldn’t he scratch a mes- 8 sage in the dirt or something? 9 The pacing was starting to make me sweat under all 10 my layers. I threw my jacket into the tent, and then I went 11 back to wearing a path across the center of the tiny break 12 in the trees. 13 Seth jumped to his feet again suddenly, the hackles on 14 the back of his neck standing up stifﬂy. I looked around, 15 but saw nothing. If Seth didn’t cut it out, I was going to 16 throw a pinecone at him. 17 He growled, a low warning sound, slinking back 18 toward the western rim, and I rethought my impatience. 19 “It’s just us, Seth,” Jacob called from a distance. 20 I tried to explain to myself why my heart kicked into 21 fourth gear when I heard him. It was just fear of what I 22 was going to have to do now, that was all. I could not al- 23 low myself to be relieved that he’d come back. That would 24 be the opposite of helpful. 25 Edward walked into view ﬁrst, his face blank and 26 smooth. When he stepped out from the shadows, the sun 27 shimmered on his skin like it did on the snow. Seth went 28 to greet him, looking intently into his eyes. Edward nod- sh 29 ded slowly, and worry creased his forehead. reg 30

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“Yes, that’s all we need,” he muttered to himself before 1 addressing the big wolf. “I suppose we shouldn’t be sur- 2 prised. But the timing is going to be very close. Please have 3 Sam ask Alice to try to nail the schedule down better.” 4 Seth dipped his head once, and I wished I was able to 5 growl. Sure, he could nod now. I turned my head, annoyed, 6 and realized that Jacob was there. 7 He had his back to me, facing the way he’d come. I 8 waited warily for him to turn around. 9 “Bella,” Edward murmured, suddenly right beside me. 10 He stared down at me with nothing but concern showing 11 in his eyes. There was no end to his generosity. I deserved 12 him now less than I ever had. 13 “There’s a bit of a complication,” he told me, his voice 14 carefully unworried. “I’m going to take Seth a little ways 15 away and try to straighten it out. I won’t go far, but I 16 won’t listen, either. I know you don’t want an audience, no 17 matter which way you decide to go.” 18 Only at the very end did the pain break into his voice. 19 I had to never hurt him again. That would be my mis- 20 sion in life. Never again would I be the reason for this look 21 to come into his eyes. 22 I was too upset to even ask him what the new problem 23 was. I didn’t need anything else right now. 24 “Hurry back,” I whispered. 25 He kissed me lightly on the lips, and then disappeared 26 into the forest with Seth at his side. 27 Jacob was still in the shadow of the trees; I couldn’t see 28 his expression clearly. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “I’m in a hurry, Bella,” he said in a dull voice. “Why 2 don’t you get it over with?” 3 I swallowed, my throat suddenly so dry I wasn’t sure if 4 I could make sound come out. 5 “Just say the words, and be done with it.” 6 I took a deep breath. 7 “I’m sorry I’m such a rotten person,” I whispered. “I’m 8 sorry I’ve been so selﬁsh. I wish I’d never met you, so I 9 couldn’t hurt you the way I have. I won’t do it anymore, I 10 promise. I’ll stay far away from you. I’ll move out of the 11 state. You won’t have to look at me ever again.” 12 “That’s not much of an apology,” he said bitterly. 13 I couldn’t make my voice louder than a whisper. “Tell 14 me how to do it right.” 15 “What if I don’t want you to go away? What if I’d 16 rather you stayed, selﬁsh or not? Don’t I get any say, if 17 you’re trying to make things up to me?” 18 “That won’t help anything, Jake. It was wrong to stay 19 with you when we wanted such different things. It’s not 20 going to get better. I’ll just keep hurting you. I don’t want 21 to hurt you anymore. I hate it.” My voice broke. 22 He sighed. “Stop. You don’t have to say anything else. 23 I understand.” 24 I wanted to tell him how much I would miss him, but 25 I bit my tongue. That would not help anything, either. 26 He stood quietly for a moment, staring at the ground, 27 and I fought against the urge to go and put my arms 28 around him. To comfort him. sh 29 And then his head snapped up. reg 30

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“Well, you’re not the only one capable of self-sacrifice,” 1 he said, his voice stronger. “Two can play at that game.” 2 “What?” 3 “I’ve behaved pretty badly myself. I’ve made this much 4 harder for you than I needed to. I could have given up 5 with good grace in the beginning. But I hurt you, too.” 6 “This is my fault.” 7 “I won’t let you claim all the blame here, Bella. Or all 8 the glory either. I know how to redeem myself.” 9 “What are you talking about?” I demanded. The sud- 10 den, frenzied light in his eyes frightened me. 11 He glanced up at the sun and then smiled at me. “There’s 12 a pretty serious fight brewing down there. I don’t think it 13 will be that difficult to take myself out of the picture.” 14 His words sank into my brain, slowly, one by one, and 15 I couldn’t breathe. Despite all my intentions to cut Jacob 16 out of my life completely, I didn’t realize until that pre- 17 cise second exactly how deep the knife would have to go 18 to do it. 19 “Oh, no, Jake! No, no no no,” I choked out in horror. 20 “No, Jake, no. Please, no.” My knees began to tremble. 21 “What’s the difference, Bella? This will only make it 22 more convenient for everyone. You won’t even have to 23 move.” 24 “No!” My voice got louder. “No, Jacob! I won’t let you!” 25 “How will you stop me?” he taunted lightly, smiling to 26 take the sting out of his tone. 27 “Jacob, I’m begging you. Stay with me.” I would have 28 fallen to my knees, if I could have moved at all. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “For ﬁfteen minutes while I miss a good brawl? So that 2 you can run away from me as soon as you think I’m safe 3 again? You’ve got to be kidding.” 4 “I won’t run away. I’ve changed my mind. We’ll work 5 something out, Jacob. There’s always a compromise. 6 Don’t go!” 7 “You’re lying.” 8 “I’m not. You know what a terrible liar I am. Look in 9 my eyes. I’ll stay if you do.” 10 His face hardened. “And I can be your best man at the 11 wedding?” 12 It was a moment before I could speak, and still the only 13 answer I could give him was, “Please.” 14 “That’s what I thought,” he said, his face going calm 15 again, but for the turbulent light in his eyes. 16 “I love you, Bella,” he murmured. 17 “I love you, Jacob,” I whispered brokenly. 18 He smiled. “I know that better than you do.” 19 He turned to walk away. 20 “Anything,” I called after him in a strangled voice. 21 “Anything you want, Jacob. Just don’t do this!” 22 He paused, turning slowly. 23 “I don’t really think you mean that.” 24 “Stay,” I begged. 25 He shook his head. “No, I’m going.” He paused, as if 26 deciding something. “But I could leave it to fate.” 27 “What do you mean?” I choked out. 28 “I don’t have to do anything deliberate — I could just sh 29 do my best for my pack and let what happens happen.” He reg 30

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shrugged. “If you could convince me you really did want 1 me to come back — more than you wanted to do the self- 2 less thing.” 3 “How?” I asked. 4 “You could ask me,” he suggested. 5 “Come back,” I whispered. How could he doubt that I 6 meant it? 7 He shook his head, smiling again. “That’s not what I’m 8 talking about.” 9 It took me a second to grasp what he was saying, and 10 all the while he was looking at me with this superior ex- 11 pression — so sure of my reaction. As soon as the real- 12 ization hit, though, I blurted out the words without 13 stopping to count the cost. 14 “Will you kiss me, Jacob?” 15 His eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed suspi- 16 ciously. “You’re blufﬁng.” 17 “Kiss me, Jacob. Kiss me, and then come back.” 18 He hesitated in the shadow, warring with himself. He 19 half-turned again to the west, his torso twisting away 20 from me while his feet stayed planted where they were. 21 Still looking away, he took one uncertain step in my direc- 22 tion, and then another. He swung his face around to look 23 at me, his eyes doubtful. 24 I stared back. I had no idea what expression was on my 25 face. 26 Jacob rocked back on his heels, and then lurched for- 27 ward, closing the distance between us in three long 28 strides. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I knew he would take advantage of the situation. I ex- 2 pected it. I held very still — my eyes closed, my fingers 3 curled into fists at my sides — as his hands caught my face 4 and his lips found mine with an eagerness that was not far 5 from violence. 6 I could feel his anger as his mouth discovered my pas- 7 sive resistance. One hand moved to the nape of my neck, 8 twisting into a fist around the roots of my hair. The other 9 hand grabbed roughly at my shoulder, shaking me, then 10 dragging me to him. His hand continued down my arm, 11 finding my wrist and pulling my arm up around his neck. 12 I left it there, my hand still tightly balled up, unsure how 13 far I could go in my desperation to keep him alive. All the 14 while his lips, disconcertingly soft and warm, tried to 15 force a response out of mine. 16 As soon as he was sure I wouldn’t drop my arm, he 17 freed my wrist, his hand feeling its way down to my 18 waist. His burning hand found the skin at the small of 19 my back, and he yanked me forward, bowing my body 20 against his. 21 His lips gave up on mine for a moment, but I knew he 22 was nowhere close to finished. His mouth followed the 23 line of my jaw, and then explored the length of my neck. 24 He freed my hair, reaching for my other arm to draw it 25 around his neck like the first. 26 Then both of his arms were constricted around my 27 waist, and his lips found my ear. 28 “You can do better than this, Bella,” he whispered sh 29 huskily. “You’re overthinking it.” reg 30 I shivered as I felt his teeth graze my earlobe.

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“That’s right,” he murmured. “For once, just let your- 1 self feel what you feel.” 2 I shook my head mechanically until one of his hands 3 wound back into my hair and stopped me. 4 His voice turned acidic. “Are you sure you want me to 5 come back? Or did you really want me to die?” 6 Anger rocked through me like the whiplash after a heavy 7 punch. That was too much — he wasn’t fighting fair. 8 My arms were already around his neck, so I grabbed 9 two fistfuls of his hair — ignoring the stabbing pain in 10 my right hand — and fought back, struggling to pull my 11 face away from his. 12 And Jacob misunderstood. 13 He was too strong to recognize that my hands, trying 14 to yank his hair out by the roots, meant to cause him pain. 15 Instead of anger, he imagined passion. He thought I was 16 finally responding to him. 17 With a wild gasp, he brought his mouth back to mine, 18 his fingers clutching frantically against the skin at my 19 waist. 20 The jolt of anger unbalanced my tenuous hold on self- 21 control; his unexpected, ecstatic response overthrew it en- 22 tirely. If there had been only triumph, I might have been 23 able to resist him. But the utter defenselessness of his sud- 24 den joy cracked my determination, disabled it. My brain 25 disconnected from my body, and I was kissing him back. 26 Against all reason, my lips were moving with his in 27 strange, confusing ways they’d never moved before — 28 because I didn’t have to be careful with Jacob, and he cer- 29 sh tainly wasn’t being careful with me. 30 reg

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1 My fingers tightened in his hair, but I was pulling him 2 closer now. 3 He was everywhere. The piercing sunlight turned my 4 eyelids red, and the color fit, matched the heat. The heat 5 was everywhere. I couldn’t see or hear or feel anything that 6 wasn’t Jacob. 7 The tiny piece of my brain that retained sanity screamed 8 questions at me. 9 Why wasn’t I stopping this? Worse than that, why 10 couldn’t I find in myself even the desire to want to stop? 11 What did it mean that I didn’t want him to stop? That my 12 hands clung to his shoulders, and liked that they were 13 wide and strong? That his hands pulled me too tight 14 against his body, and yet it was not tight enough for me? 15 The questions were stupid, because I knew the answer: 16 I’d been lying to myself. 17 Jacob was right. He’d been right all along. He was 18 more than just my friend. That’s why it was so impos- 19 sible to tell him goodbye — because I was in love with 20 him. Too. I loved him, much more than I should, and 21 yet, still nowhere near enough. I was in love with him, 22 but it was not enough to change anything; it was only 23 enough to hurt us both more. To hurt him worse than I 24 ever had. 25 I didn’t care about more than that — than his pain. I 26 more than deserved whatever pain this caused me. I hoped 27 it was bad. I hoped I would really suffer. 28 In this moment, it felt as though we were the same sh 29 person. His pain had always been and would always be my reg 30

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pain — now his joy was my joy. I felt joy, too, and yet his 1 happiness was somehow also pain. Almost tangible — it 2 burned against my skin like acid, a slow torture. 3 For one brief, never-ending second, an entirely differ- 4 ent path expanded behind the lids of my tear-wet eyes. As 5 if I were looking through the filter of Jacob’s thoughts, I 6 could see exactly what I was going to give up, exactly 7 what this new self-knowledge would not save me from los- 8 ing. I could see Charlie and Renée mixed into a strange 9 collage with Billy and Sam and La Push. I could see years 10 passing, and meaning something as they passed, changing 11 me. I could see the enormous red-brown wolf that I loved, 12 always standing as protector if I needed him. For the tini- 13 est fragment of that second, I saw the bobbing heads of 14 two small, black-haired children, running away from me 15 into the familiar forest. When they disappeared, they took 16 the rest of the vision with them. 17 And then, quite distinctly, I felt the splintering along 18 the fissure line in my heart as the smaller part wrenched 19 itself away from the whole. 20 Jacob’s lips were still before mine were. I opened my 21 eyes and he was staring at me with wonder and elation. 22 “I have to leave,” he whispered. 23 “No.” 24 He smiled, pleased by my response. “I won’t be long,” 25 he promised. “But one thing first...” 26 He bent to kiss me again, and there was no reason to re- 27 sist. What would be the point? 28 This time was different. His hands were soft on my face 29 sh 30 reg

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1 and his warm lips were gentle, unexpectedly hesitant. It 2 was brief, and very, very sweet. 3 His arms curled around me, and he hugged me securely 4 while he whispered in my ear. 5 “That should have been our ﬁrst kiss. Better late than 6 never.” 7 Against his chest, where he couldn’t see, the tears 8 welled up and spilled over. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 24. SNAP DECISION 15 16 17 I lay facedown across the sleeping bag, waiting 18 for justice to ﬁnd me. Maybe an avalanche would bury me 19 here. I wished it would. I never wanted to have to see my 20 face in the mirror again. 21 There was no sound to warn me. Out of nowhere, Ed- 22 ward’s cold hand stroked against my knotted hair. I shud- 23 dered guiltily at his touch. 24 “Are you all right?” he murmured, his voice anxious. 25 “No. I want to die.” 26 “That will never happen. I won’t allow it.” 27 I groaned and then whispered, “You might change 28 your mind about that.” 29 sh “Where’s Jacob?” 30 reg

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1 “He went to fight,” I mumbled into the floor. 2 Jacob had left the little camp joyfully — with a cheer- 3 ful “I’ll be right back” — running full tilt for the clear- 4 ing, already quivering as he prepared to shift to his other 5 self. By now the whole pack knew everything. Seth Clear- 6 water, pacing outside the tent, was an intimate witness to 7 my disgrace. 8 Edward was silent for a long moment. “Oh,” he finally 9 said. 10 The tone of his voice worried me that my avalanche 11 wasn’t coming fast enough. I peeked up at him and, sure 12 enough, his eyes were unfocused as he listened to some- 13 thing I’d rather die than have him hear. I dropped my face 14 back to the floor. 15 It stunned me when Edward chuckled reluctantly. 16 “And I thought I fought dirty,” he said with grudging 17 admiration. “He makes me look like the patron saint of 18 ethics.” His hand brushed against the part of my cheek 19 that was exposed. “I’m not mad at you, love. Jacob’s more 20 cunning than I gave him credit for. I do wish you hadn’t 21 asked him, though.” 22 “Edward,” I whispered to the rough nylon. “I...I... 23 I’m —” 24 “Shh,” he hushed me, his fingers soothing against my 25 cheek. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that he would 26 have kissed you anyway — even if you hadn’t fallen for 27 it — and now I don’t have an excuse to break his face. I 28 would have really enjoyed that, too.” sh 29 “Fallen for it?” I mumbled almost incomprehensibly. reg 30 “Bella, did you really believe he was that noble? That

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he would go out in a flame of glory just to clear the way 1 for me?” 2 I raised my head slowly to meet his patient gaze. His 3 expression was soft; his eyes were full of understanding 4 rather than the revulsion I deserved to see. 5 “Yes, I did believe that,” I muttered, and then looked 6 away. But I didn’t feel any anger at Jacob for tricking me. 7 There wasn’t enough room in my body to contain any- 8 thing besides the hatred I felt toward myself. 9 Edward laughed softly again. “You’re such a bad liar, 10 you’ll believe anyone who has the least bit of skill.” 11 “Why aren’t you angry with me?” I whispered. “Why 12 don’t you hate me? Or haven’t you heard the whole story 13 yet?” 14 “I think I got a fairly comprehensive look,” he said in 15 a light, easy voice. “Jacob makes vivid mental pictures. 16 I feel almost as bad for his pack as I do for myself. Poor 17 Seth was getting nauseated. But Sam is making Jacob fo- 18 cus now.” 19 I closed my eyes and shook my head in agony. The sharp 20 nylon fibers of the tent floor scraped against my skin. 21 “You’re only human,” he whispered, stroking my hair 22 again. 23 “That’s the most miserable defense I’ve ever heard.” 24 “But you are human, Bella. And, as much as I might 25 wish otherwise, so is he....There are holes in your life 26 that I can’t fill. I understand that.” 27 “But that’s not true. That’s what makes me so horrible. 28 There are no holes.” 29 sh “You love him,” he murmured gently. 30 reg

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1 Every cell in my body ached to deny it. 2 “I love you more,” I said. It was the best I could do. 3 “Yes, I know that, too. But...when I left you, Bella, I 4 left you bleeding. Jacob was the one to stitch you back up 5 again. That was bound to leave its mark — on both of 6 you. I’m not sure those kinds of stitches dissolve on their 7 own. I can’t blame either of you for something I made nec- 8 essary. I may gain forgiveness, but that doesn’t let me es- 9 cape the consequences.” 10 “I should have known you’d ﬁnd some way to blame 11 yourself. Please stop. I can’t stand it.” 12 “What would you like me to say?” 13 “I want you to call me every bad name you can think of, 14 in every language you know. I want you to tell me that 15 you’re disgusted with me and that you’re going to leave so 16 that I can beg and grovel on my knees for you to stay.” 17 “I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I can’t do that.” 18 “At least stop trying to make me feel better. Let me 19 suffer. I deserve it.” 20 “No,” he murmured. 21 I nodded slowly. “You’re right. Keep on being too un- 22 derstanding. That’s probably worse.” 23 He was silent for a moment, and I sensed a charge in 24 the atmosphere, a new urgency. 25 “It’s getting close,” I stated. 26 “Yes, a few more minutes now. Just enough time to say 27 one more thing....” 28 I waited. When he ﬁnally spoke again, he was whisper- sh 29 ing. “I can be noble, Bella. I’m not going to make you reg 30 choose between us. Just be happy, and you can have what-

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ever part of me you want, or none at all, if that’s better. 1 Don’t let any debt you feel you owe me influence your de- 2 cision.” 3 I pushed off the floor, shoving myself up onto my 4 knees. 5 “Dammit, stop that!” I shouted at him. 6 His eyes widened in surprise. “No — you don’t under- 7 stand. I’m not just trying to make you feel better, Bella, I 8 really mean it.” 9 “I know you do,” I groaned. “What happened to fight- 10 ing back? Don’t start with the noble self-sacrifice now! 11 Fight!” 12 “How?” he asked, and his eyes were ancient with their 13 sadness. 14 I scrambled into his lap, throwing my arms around 15 him. 16 “I don’t care that it’s cold here. I don’t care that I stink 17 like a dog right now. Make me forget how awful I am. 18 Make me forget him. Make me forget my own name. 19 Fight back!” 20 I didn’t wait for him to decide — or to have the chance 21 to tell me he wasn’t interested in a cruel, faithless monster 22 like me. I pulled myself against him and crushed my 23 mouth to his snow-cold lips. 24 “Careful, love,” he murmured under my urgent kiss. 25 “No,” I growled. 26 He gently pushed my face a few inches back. “You 27 don’t have to prove anything to me.” 28 “I’m not trying to prove something. You said I could 29 sh have any part of you I wanted. I want this part. I want every 30 reg

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1 part.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and strained to 2 reach his lips. He bent his head to kiss me back, but his 3 cool mouth was hesitant as my impatience grew more pro- 4 nounced. My body was making my intentions clear, giv- 5 ing me away. Inevitably, his hands moved to restrain me. 6 “Perhaps this isn’t the best moment for that,” he sug- 7 gested, too calm for my liking. 8 “Why not?” I grumbled. There was no point in fight- 9 ing if he was going to be rational; I dropped my arms. 10 “Firstly, because it is cold.” He reached out to pull the 11 sleeping bag off the floor; he wrapped it around me like a 12 blanket. 13 “Wrong,” I said. “First, because you are bizarrely moral 14 for a vampire.” 15 He chuckled. “All right, I’ll give you that. The cold is 16 second. And thirdly...well, you do actually stink, love.” 17 He wrinkled his nose. 18 I sighed. 19 “Fourthly,” he murmured, dropping his face so that he 20 was whispering in my ear. “We will try, Bella. I’ll make 21 good on my promise. But I’d much rather it wasn’t in re- 22 action to Jacob Black.” 23 I cringed, and buried my face against his shoulder. 24 “And fifthly...” 25 “This is a very long list,” I muttered. 26 He laughed. “Yes, but did you want to listen to the 27 fight or not?” 28 As he spoke, Seth howled stridently outside the tent. sh 29 My body stiffened to the sound. I didn’t realize my reg 30 left hand was clenched into a fist, nails biting into my

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bandaged palm, until Edward took it and gently smoothed 1 my fingers out. 2 “It’s going to be fine, Bella,” he promised. “We’ve got 3 skill, training, and surprise on our side. It will be over 4 very soon. If I didn’t truly believe that, I would be down 5 there now — and you’d be here, chained to a tree or some- 6 thing along those lines.” 7 “Alice is so small,” I moaned. 8 He chuckled. “That might be a problem...if it were 9 possible for someone to catch her.” 10 Seth started to whimper. 11 “What’s wrong?” I demanded. 12 “He’s just angry that he’s stuck here with us. He knows 13 the pack kept him out of the action to protect him. He’s 14 salivating to join them.” 15 I scowled in Seth’s general direction. 16 “The newborns have reached the end of the trail — it 17 worked like a charm, Jasper’s a genius — and they’ve 18 caught the scent of the ones in the meadow, so they’re 19 splitting into two groups now, as Alice said,” Edward 20 murmured, his eyes focused on something far away. “Sam’s 21 taking us around to head off the ambush party.” He was so 22 intent on what he was hearing that he used the pack plural. 23 Suddenly he looked down at me. “Breathe, Bella.” 24 I struggled to do what he asked. I could hear Seth’s 25 heavy panting just outside the tent wall, and I tried to 26 keep my lungs on the same even pace, so that I wouldn’t 27 hyperventilate. 28 “The first group is in the clearing. We can hear the 29 sh fighting.” 30 reg

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1 My teeth locked together. 2 He laughed once. “We can hear Emmett — he’s enjoy- 3 ing himself.” 4 I made myself take another breath with Seth. 5 “The second group is getting ready — they aren’t pay- 6 ing attention, they haven’t heard us yet.” 7 Edward growled. 8 “What?” I gasped. 9 “They’re talking about you.” His teeth clenched to- 10 gether. “They’re supposed to make sure you don’t es- 11 cape....Nice move, Leah! Mmm, she’s quite fast,” he 12 murmured in approval. “One of the newborns caught our 13 scent, and Leah took him down before he could even turn. 14 Sam’s helping her ﬁnish him off. Paul and Jacob got an- 15 other one, but the others are on the defensive now. They 16 have no idea what to make of us. Both sides are feint- 17 ing....No, let Sam lead. Stay out of the way,” he mut- 18 tered. “Separate them — don’t let them protect each 19 other’s backs.” 20 Seth whined. 21 “That’s better, drive them toward the clearing,” Ed- 22 ward approved. His body was shifting unconsciously as he 23 watched, tensing for moves he would have made. His 24 hands still held mine; I twisted my ﬁngers through his. At 25 least he wasn’t down there. 26 The sudden absence of sound was the only warning. 27 The deep rush of Seth’s breathing cut off, and — as I’d 28 paced my breaths with his — I noticed. sh 29 I stopped breathing, too — too frightened to even reg 30

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make my lungs work as I realized that Edward had frozen 1 into a block of ice beside me. 2 Oh, no. No. No. 3 Who had been lost? Theirs or ours? Mine, all mine. 4 What was my loss? 5 So quickly that I wasn’t exactly sure how it happened, I 6 was on my feet and the tent was collapsing in ragged shreds 7 around me. Had Edward ripped our way out? Why? 8 I blinked, shocked, into the brilliant light. Seth was all 9 I could see, right beside us, his face only six inches from 10 Edward’s. They stared at each other with absolute concen- 11 tration for one infinite second. The sun shattered off Ed- 12 ward’s skin and sent sparkles dancing across Seth’s fur. 13 And then Edward whispered urgently, “Go, Seth!” 14 The huge wolf wheeled and disappeared into the forest 15 shadows. 16 Had two entire seconds passed? It felt like hours. I was 17 terrified to the point of nausea by the knowledge that 18 something horrible had gone awry in the clearing. I 19 opened my mouth to demand that Edward take me there, 20 and do it now. They needed him, and they needed me. If I 21 had to bleed to save them, I would do it. I would die to do 22 it, like the third wife. I had no silver dagger in my hand, 23 but I would find a way — 24 Before I could get the first syllable out, I felt as if I was 25 being flung through the air. But Edward’s hands never let 26 go of me — I was only being moved, so quickly that the 27 sensation was like falling sideways. 28 I found myself with my back pressed against the sheer 29 sh 30 reg

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1 cliff face. Edward stood in front of me, holding a posture 2 that I knew at once. 3 Relief washed through my mind at the same time that 4 my stomach dropped through the soles of my feet. 5 I’d misunderstood. 6 Relief — nothing had gone wrong in the clearing. 7 Horror — the crisis was here. 8 Edward held a defensive position — half-crouched, his 9 arms extended slightly — that I recognized with sicken- 10 ing certainty. The rock at my back could have been the an- 11 cient brick walls of the Italian alley where he had stood 12 between me and the black-cloaked Volturi warriors. 13 Something was coming for us. 14 “Who?” I whispered. 15 The words came through his teeth in a snarl that was 16 louder than I expected. Too loud. It meant that it was far 17 too late to hide. We were trapped, and it didn’t matter 18 who heard his answer. 19 “Victoria,” he said, spitting the word, making it a 20 curse. “She’s not alone. She crossed my scent, following 21 the newborns in to watch — she never meant to fight with 22 them. She made a spur-of-the-moment decision to find 23 me, guessing that you would be wherever I was. She was 24 right. You were right. It was always Victoria.” 25 She was close enough that he could hear her thoughts. 26 Relief again. If it had been the Volturi, we were both 27 dead. But with Victoria, it didn’t have to be both. Edward 28 could survive this. He was a good fighter, as good as sh 29 Jasper. If she didn’t bring too many others, he could fight reg 30

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his way out, back to his family. Edward was faster than 1 anyone. He could make it. 2 I was so glad he’d sent Seth away. Of course, there was 3 no one Seth could run to for help. Victoria had timed her 4 decision perfectly. But at least Seth was safe; I couldn’t see 5 the huge sandy wolf in my head when I thought his 6 name — just the gangly fifteen-year-old boy. 7 Edward’s body shifted — only infinitesimally, but it 8 told me where to look. I stared at the black shadows of the 9 forest. 10 It was like having my nightmares walk forward to 11 greet me. 12 Two vampires edged slowly into the small opening of 13 our camp, eyes intent, missing nothing. They glistened 14 like diamonds in the sun. 15 I could barely look at the blond boy — yes, he was just 16 a boy, though he was muscular and tall, maybe my age 17 when he was changed. His eyes — a more vivid red than I 18 had ever seen before — could not hold mine. Though he 19 was closest to Edward, the nearest danger, I could not 20 watch him. 21 Because, a few feet to the side and a few feet back, Vic- 22 toria was staring at me. 23 Her orange hair was brighter than I’d remembered, 24 more like a flame. There was no wind here, but the fire 25 around her face seemed to shimmer slightly, as if it were 26 alive. 27 Her eyes were black with thirst. She did not smile, as 28 she always had in my nightmares — her lips were pressed 29 sh 30 reg

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1 into a tight line. There was a striking feline quality to the 2 way she held her coiled body, a lioness waiting for an 3 opening to spring. Her restless, wild gaze flickered be- 4 tween Edward and me, but never rested on him for more 5 than a half-second. She could not keep her eyes from my 6 face any more than I could keep mine from hers. 7 Tension rolled off of her, nearly visible in the air. I 8 could feel the desire, the all-consuming passion that held 9 her in its grip. Almost as if I could hear her thoughts, too, 10 I knew what she was thinking. 11 She was so close to what she wanted — the focus of her 12 whole existence for more than a year now was just so close. 13 My death. 14 Her plan was as obvious as it was practical. The big 15 blond boy would attack Edward. As soon as Edward was 16 sufficiently distracted, Victoria would finish me. 17 It would be quick — she had no time for games 18 here — but it would be thorough. Something that it 19 would be impossible to recover from. Something that even 20 vampire venom could not repair. 21 She’d have to stop my heart. Perhaps a hand shoved 22 through my chest, crushing it. Something along those lines. 23 My heart beat furiously, loudly, as if to make her target 24 more obvious. 25 An immense distance away, from far across the black 26 forest, a wolf’s howl echoed in the still air. With Seth 27 gone, there was no way to interpret the sound. 28 The blond boy looked at Victoria from the corner of his sh 29 eye, waiting on her command. reg 30 He was young in more ways than one. I guessed from

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his brilliant crimson irises that he couldn’t have been a 1 vampire for very long. He would be strong, but inept. Ed- 2 ward would know how to ﬁght him. Edward would sur- 3 vive. 4 Victoria jerked her chin toward Edward, wordlessly or- 5 dering the boy forward. 6 “Riley,” Edward said in a soft, pleading voice. 7 The blond boy froze, his red eyes widening. 8 “She’s lying to you, Riley,” Edward told him. “Listen to 9 me. She’s lying to you just like she lied to the others who 10 are dying now in the clearing. You know that she’s lied to 11 them, that she had you lie to them, that neither of you 12 were ever going to help them. Is it so hard to believe that 13 she’s lied to you, too?” 14 Confusion swept across Riley’s face. 15 Edward shifted a few inches to the side, and Riley au- 16 tomatically compensated with an adjustment of his own. 17 “She doesn’t love you, Riley.” Edward’s soft voice was 18 compelling, almost hypnotic. “She never has. She loved 19 someone named James, and you’re no more than a tool 20 to her.” 21 When he said James’s name, Victoria’s lips pulled back 22 in a teeth-baring grimace. Her eyes stayed locked on me. 23 Riley cast a frantic glance in her direction. 24 “Riley?” Edward said. 25 Riley automatically refocused on Edward. 26 “She knows that I will kill you, Riley. She wants you to 27 die so that she doesn’t have to keep up the pretense any- 28 more. Yes — you’ve seen that, haven’t you? You’ve read 29 sh the reluctance in her eyes, suspected a false note in her 30 reg

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1 promises. You were right. She’s never wanted you. Every 2 kiss, every touch was a lie.” 3 Edward moved again, moved a few inches toward the 4 boy, a few inches away from me. 5 Victoria’s gaze zeroed in on the gap between us. It 6 would take her less than a second to kill me — she only 7 needed the tiniest margin of opportunity. 8 Slower this time, Riley repositioned himself. 9 “You don’t have to die,” Edward promised, his eyes 10 holding the boy’s. “There are other ways to live than the 11 way she’s shown you. It’s not all lies and blood, Riley. You 12 can walk away right now. You don’t have to die for her 13 lies.” 14 Edward slid his feet forward and to the side. There was 15 a foot of space between us now. Riley circled too far, over- 16 compensating this time. Victoria leaned forward onto the 17 balls of her feet. 18 “Last chance, Riley,” Edward whispered. 19 Riley’s face was desperate as he looked to Victoria for 20 answers. 21 “He’s the liar, Riley,” Victoria said, and my mouth fell 22 open in shock at the sound of her voice. “I told you about 23 their mind tricks. You know I love only you.” 24 Her voice was not the strong, wild, catlike growl I 25 would have put with her face and stance. It was soft, it was 26 high — a babyish, soprano tinkling. The kind of voice 27 that went with blond curls and pink bubble gum. It made 28 no sense coming through her bared, glistening teeth. sh 29 Riley’s jaw tightened, and he squared his shoulders. reg 30 His eyes emptied — there was no more confusion, no more

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suspicion. There was no thought at all. He tensed himself 1 to attack. 2 Victoria’s body seemed to be trembling, she was so 3 tightly wound. Her fingers were ready claws, waiting for 4 Edward to move just one more inch away from me. 5 The snarl came from none of them. 6 A mammoth tan shape flew through the center of the 7 opening, throwing Riley to the ground. 8 “No!” Victoria cried, her baby voice shrill with dis- 9 belief. 10 A yard and a half in front of me, the huge wolf ripped 11 and tore at the blond vampire beneath him. Something 12 white and hard smacked into the rocks by my feet. I 13 cringed away from it. 14 Victoria did not spare one glance for the boy she’d just 15 pledged her love to. Her eyes were still on me, filled with 16 a disappointment so ferocious that she looked deranged. 17 “No,” she said again, through her teeth, as Edward 18 started to move toward her, blocking her path to me. 19 Riley was on his feet again, looking misshapen and 20 haggard, but he was able to fling a vicious kick into Seth’s 21 shoulder. I heard the bone crunch. Seth backed off and 22 started to circle, limping. Riley had his arms out, ready, 23 though he seemed to be missing part of one hand.... 24 Only a few yards away from that fight, Edward and 25 Victoria were dancing. 26 Not quite circling, because Edward was not allowing 27 her to position herself closer to me. She sashayed back, 28 moving from side to side, trying to find a hole in his de- 29 sh fense. He shadowed her footwork lithely, stalking her with 30 reg

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1 perfect concentration. He began to move just a fraction of 2 a second before she moved, reading her intentions in her 3 thoughts. 4 Seth lunged at Riley from the side, and something tore 5 with a hideous, grating screech. Another heavy white 6 chunk ﬂew into the forest with a thud. Riley roared in 7 fury, and Seth skipped back — amazingly light on his feet 8 for his size — as Riley took a swipe at him with one man- 9 gled hand. 10 Victoria was weaving through the tree trunks at the far 11 end of the little opening now. She was torn, her feet 12 pulling her toward safety while her eyes yearned toward 13 me as if I were a magnet, reeling her in. I could see the 14 burning desire to kill warring with her survival instinct. 15 Edward could see that, too. 16 “Don’t go, Victoria,” he murmured in that same hyp- 17 notic tone as before. “You’ll never get another chance like 18 this.” 19 She showed her teeth and hissed at him, but she 20 seemed unable to move farther away from me. 21 “You can always run later,” Edward purred. “Plenty of 22 time for that. It’s what you do, isn’t it? It’s why James kept 23 you around. Useful, if you like to play deadly games. A 24 partner with an uncanny instinct for escaping. He shouldn’t 25 have left you — he could have used your skills when we 26 caught up to him in Phoenix.” 27 A snarl ripped from between her lips. 28 “That’s all you ever were to him, though. Silly to waste sh 29 so much energy avenging someone who had less affection reg 30

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for you than a hunter for his mount. You were never more 1 than a convenience to him. I would know.” 2 Edward’s lips pulled up on one side as he tapped his 3 temple. 4 With a strangled screech, Victoria darted out of the 5 trees again, feinting to the side. Edward responded, and 6 the dance began again. 7 Just then, Riley’s fist caught Seth’s flank, and a low yelp 8 coughed out of Seth’s throat. Seth backed away, his shoul- 9 ders twitching as if he were trying to shake off the pain. 10 Please, I wanted to plead with Riley, but I couldn’t find 11 the muscles to make my mouth open, to pull the air up 12 from my lungs. Please, he’s just a child! 13 Why hadn’t Seth run away? Why didn’t he run now? 14 Riley was closing the distance between them again, 15 driving Seth toward the cliff face beside me. Victoria was 16 suddenly interested in her partner’s fate. I could see her, 17 from the corner of her eyes, judge the distance between 18 Riley and me. Seth snapped at Riley, forcing him back 19 again, and Victoria hissed. 20 Seth wasn’t limping anymore. His circling took him 21 within inches of Edward; his tail brushed Edward’s back, 22 and Victoria’s eyes bulged. 23 “No, he won’t turn on me,” Edward said, answering 24 the question in Victoria’s head. He used her distraction to 25 slide closer. “You provided us with a common enemy. You 26 allied us.” 27 She clenched her teeth, trying to keep her focus on Ed- 28 ward alone. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Look more closely, Victoria,” he murmured, pulling at 2 the threads of her concentration. “Is he really so much like 3 the monster James tracked across Siberia?” 4 Her eyes popped wide open, and then began flickering 5 wildly from Edward to Seth to me, around and around. 6 “Not the same?” she snarled in her little girl’s soprano. 7 “Impossible!” 8 “Nothing is impossible,” Edward murmured, voice 9 velvet soft as he moved another inch closer to her. “Except 10 what you want. You’ll never touch her.” 11 She shook her head, fast and jerky, fighting his diver- 12 sions, and tried to duck around him, but he was in place to 13 block her as soon as she’d thought of the plan. Her face 14 contorted in frustration, and then she shifted lower into 15 her crouch, a lioness again, and stalked deliberately forward. 16 Victoria was no inexperienced, instinct-driven new- 17 born. She was lethal. Even I could tell the difference be- 18 tween her and Riley, and I knew that Seth wouldn’t have 19 lasted so long if he’d been fighting this vampire. 20 Edward shifted, too, as they closed on each other, and it 21 was lion versus lioness. 22 The dance increased in tempo. 23 It was like Alice and Jasper in the meadow, a blurred 24 spiraling of movement, only this dance was not as per- 25 fectly choreographed. Sharp crunches and crackings rever- 26 berated off the cliff face whenever someone slipped in their 27 formation. But they were moving too fast for me to see 28 who was making the mistakes.... sh 29 Riley was distracted by the violent ballet, his eyes anx- reg 30 ious for his partner. Seth struck, crunching off another

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small piece of the vampire. Riley bellowed and launched a 1 massive backhanded blow that caught Seth full in his 2 broad chest. Seth’s huge body soared ten feet and crashed 3 into the rocky wall over my head with a force that seemed 4 to shake the whole peak. I heard the breath whoosh from 5 his lungs, and I ducked out of the way as he rebounded off 6 the stone and collapsed on the ground a few feet in front 7 of me. 8 A low whimper escaped through Seth’s teeth. 9 Sharp fragments of gray stone showered down on my 10 head, scratching my exposed skin. A jagged spike of rock 11 rolled down my right arm and I caught it reflexively. My 12 fingers clenched around the long shard as my own survi- 13 val instincts kicked in; since there was no chance of flight, 14 my body — not caring how ineffectual the gesture was — 15 prepared for a fight. 16 Adrenaline jolted through my veins. I knew the brace 17 was cutting into my palm. I knew the crack in my knuckle 18 was protesting. I knew it, but I could not feel the pain. 19 Behind Riley, all I could see was the twisting flame of 20 Victoria’s hair and a blur of white. The increasingly fre- 21 quent metallic snaps and tears, the gasps and shocked 22 hissings, made it clear that the dance was turning deadly 23 for someone. 24 But which someone? 25 Riley lurched toward me, his red eyes brilliant with 26 fury. He glared at the limp mountain of sand-colored fur 27 between us, and his hands — mangled, broken hands — 28 curled into talons. His mouth opened, widened, his teeth 29 sh glistening, as he prepared to rip out Seth’s throat. 30 reg

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1 A second kick of adrenaline hit like an electric shock, 2 and everything was suddenly very clear. 3 Both fights were too close. Seth was about to lose his, 4 and I had no idea if Edward was winning or losing. They 5 needed help. A distraction. Something to give them an 6 edge. 7 My hand gripped the stone spike so tightly that a sup- 8 port in the brace snapped. 9 Was I strong enough? Was I brave enough? How hard 10 could I shove the rough stone into my body? Would this 11 buy Seth enough time to get back on his feet? Would he 12 heal fast enough for my sacrifice to do him any good? 13 I raked the point of the shard up my arm, yanking my 14 thick sweater back to expose the skin, and then pressed the 15 sharp tip to the crease at my elbow. I already had a long 16 scar there from my last birthday. That night, my flowing 17 blood had been enough to catch every vampire’s attention, 18 to freeze them all in place for an instant. I prayed it would 19 work that way again. I steeled myself and sucked in one 20 deep breath. 21 Victoria was distracted by the sound of my gasp. Her 22 eyes, holding still for one tiny portion of a second, met 23 mine. Fury and curiosity mingled strangely in her expres- 24 sion. 25 I wasn’t sure how I heard the low sound with all the 26 other noises echoing off the stone wall and hammering in- 27 side my head. My own heartbeat should have been enough 28 to drown it out. But, in the split second that I stared into sh 29 Victoria’s eyes, I thought I heard a familiar, exasperated reg 30 sigh.

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In that same short second, the dance broke violently 1 apart. It happened so quickly that it was over before I 2 could follow the sequence of events. I tried to catch up in 3 my head. 4 Victoria had flown out of the blurred formation and 5 smashed into a tall spruce about halfway up the tree. She 6 dropped back to the earth already crouched to spring. 7 Simultaneously, Edward — all but invisible with 8 speed — had twisted backward and caught the unsuspect- 9 ing Riley by the arm. It had looked like Edward planted 10 his foot against Riley’s back, and heaved — 11 The little campsite was filled with Riley’s piercing 12 shriek of agony. 13 At the same time, Seth leaped to his feet, cutting off 14 most of my view. 15 But I could still see Victoria. And, though she looked 16 oddly deformed — as if she were unable to straighten up 17 completely — I could see the smile I’d been dreaming of 18 flash across her wild face. 19 She coiled and sprang. 20 Something small and white whistled through the air 21 and collided with her mid-flight. The impact sounded like 22 an explosion, and it threw her against another tree — this 23 one snapped in half. She landed on her feet again, 24 crouched and ready, but Edward was already in place. Re- 25 lief swelled in my heart when I saw that he stood straight 26 and perfect. 27 Victoria kicked something aside with a flick of her bare 28 foot — the missile that had crippled her attack. It rolled 29 sh toward me, and I realized what it was. 30 reg

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1 My stomach lurched. 2 The fingers were still twitching; grasping at blades of 3 grass, Riley’s arm began to drag itself mindlessly across 4 the ground. 5 Seth was circling Riley again, and now Riley was re- 6 treating. He backed away from the advancing werewolf, 7 his face rigid with pain. He raised his one arm defensively. 8 Seth rushed Riley, and the vampire was clearly off- 9 balance. I saw Seth sink his teeth into Riley’s shoulder and 10 tear, jumping back again. 11 With an earsplitting metallic screech, Riley lost his 12 other arm. 13 Seth shook his head, flinging the arm into the woods. 14 The broken hissing noise that came through Seth’s teeth 15 sounded like snickering. 16 Riley screamed out a tortured plea. “Victoria!” 17 Victoria did not even flinch to the sound of her name. 18 Her eyes did not flicker once toward her partner. 19 Seth launched himself forward with the force of a 20 wrecking ball. The thrust carried both Seth and Riley into 21 the trees, where the metallic screeching was matched by 22 Riley’s screams. Screams that abruptly cut off, while the 23 sounds of rock being ripped to shreds continued. 24 Though she spared Riley no farewell glance, Victoria 25 seemed to realize that she was on her own. She began to 26 back away from Edward, frenzied disappointment blazing 27 in her eyes. She threw me one short, agonized stare of 28 longing, and then she started to retreat faster. sh 29 “No,” Edward crooned, his voice seductive. “Stay just a reg 30 little longer.”

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She wheeled and ﬂew toward the refuge of the forest 1 like an arrow from a bow. 2 But Edward was faster — a bullet from a gun. 3 He caught her unprotected back at the edge of the trees 4 and, with one last, simple step, the dance was over. 5 Edward’s mouth brushed once across her neck, like a 6 caress. The squealing clamor coming from Seth’s efforts 7 covered every other noise, so there was no discernible 8 sound to make the image one of violence. He could have 9 been kissing her. 10 And then the ﬁery tangle of hair was no longer con- 11 nected to the rest of her body. The shivering orange waves 12 fell to the ground, and bounced once before rolling toward 13 the trees. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 25. MIRROR 16 17 18 I forced my eyes — frozen wide open with shock — 19 to move, so that I could not examine too closely the oval 20 object wrapped in tendrils of shivering, ﬁery hair. 21 Edward was in motion again. Swift and coolly busi- 22 nesslike, he dismembered the headless corpse. 23 I could not go to him — I could not make my feet re- 24 spond; they were bolted to the stone beneath them. But I 25 scrutinized his every action minutely, looking for any evi- 26 dence that he had been harmed. My heart slowed to a 27 healthier rhythm when I found nothing. He was lithe and 28 graceful as ever. I couldn’t even see a tear in his clothes. sh 29 He did not look at me — where I stood frozen to the reg 30 cliff wall, horriﬁed — while he piled the quivering,

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twitching limbs and then covered them with dry pine nee- 1 dles. He still did not meet my shocked gaze as he darted 2 into the forest after Seth. 3 I didn’t have time to recover before both he and Seth 4 were back, Edward with his arms full of Riley. Seth was 5 carrying a large chunk — the torso — in his mouth. They 6 added their burden to the pile, and Edward pulled a silver 7 rectangle from his pocket. He flipped open the butane 8 lighter and held the flame to the dry tinder. It caught at 9 once; long tongues of orange fire licked rapidly across the 10 pyre. 11 “Get every piece,” Edward said in a low aside to Seth. 12 Together, the vampire and the werewolf scoured the 13 campsite, occasionally tossing small lumps of white stone 14 into the blaze. Seth handled the pieces with his teeth. My 15 brain wasn’t working well enough for me to understand 16 why he didn’t change back to a form with hands. 17 Edward kept his eyes on his work. 18 And then they were done, and the raging fire was send- 19 ing a pillar of choking purple toward the sky. The thick 20 smoke curled up slowly, looking more solid than it should; 21 it smelled like burning incense, and the scent was uncom- 22 fortable. It was heavy, too strong. 23 Seth made that snickering sound again, deep in his 24 chest. 25 A smile flickered across Edward’s tense face. 26 Edward stretched out his arm, his hand curled into a 27 fist. Seth grinned, revealing the long row of dagger teeth, 28 and bumped his nose against Edward’s hand. 29 sh “Nice teamwork,” Edward murmured. 30 reg

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1 Seth coughed a laugh. 2 Then Edward took a deep breath, and turned slowly to 3 face me. 4 I did not understand his expression. His eyes were as 5 wary as if I were another enemy — more than wary, they 6 were afraid. Yet he’d shown no fear at all when he’d faced 7 Victoria and Riley....My mind was stuck, stunned and 8 useless as my body. I stared at him, bewildered. 9 “Bella, love,” he said in his softest tone, walking 10 toward me with exaggerated slowness, his hands held up, 11 palms forward. Dazed as I was, it reminded me oddly of a 12 suspect approaching a policeman, showing that he wasn’t 13 armed.... 14 “Bella, can you drop the rock, please? Carefully. Don’t 15 hurt yourself.” 16 I’d forgotten all about my crude weapon, though I rea- 17 lized now that I was grasping it so hard that my knuckle 18 was screaming in protest. Was it rebroken? Carlisle would 19 put me in a cast for sure this time. 20 Edward hesitated a few feet from me, his hands still in 21 the air, his eyes still fearful. 22 It took me a few long seconds to remember how to 23 move my ﬁngers. Then the rock clattered to the ground, 24 while my hand stayed frozen in the same position. 25 Edward relaxed slightly when my hands were empty, 26 but came no closer. 27 “You don’t have to be afraid, Bella,” Edward mur- 28 mured. “You’re safe. I won’t hurt you.” sh 29 The mystifying promise only confused me further. I reg 30 stared at him like an imbecile, trying to understand.

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“It’s going to be all right, Bella. I know you’re fright- 1 ened now, but it’s over. No one is going to hurt you. I 2 won’t touch you. I won’t hurt you,” he said again. 3 My eyes blinked furiously, and I found my voice. “Why 4 do you keep saying that?” 5 I took an unsteady step toward him, and he leaned 6 away from my advance. 7 “What’s wrong?” I whispered. “What do you mean?” 8 “Are you . . .” His golden eyes were suddenly as con- 9 fused as I felt. “Aren’t you afraid of me?” 10 “Afraid of you? Why?” 11 I staggered forward another step, and then tripped over 12 something — my own feet probably. Edward caught me, 13 and I buried my face in his chest and started to sob. 14 “Bella, Bella, I’m so sorry. It’s over, it’s over.” 15 “I’m fine,” I gasped. “I’m okay. I’m just. Freaking out. 16 Give me. A minute.” 17 His arms tightened around me. “I’m so sorry,” he mur- 18 mured again and again. 19 I clung to him until I could breathe, and then I was 20 kissing him — his chest, his shoulder, his neck — every 21 part of him that I could reach. Slowly, my brain started to 22 work again. 23 “Are you okay?” I demanded between kisses. “Did she 24 hurt you at all?” 25 “I am absolutely fine,” he promised, burying his face in 26 my hair. 27 “Seth?” 28 Edward chuckled. “More than fine. Very pleased with 29 sh himself, in fact.” 30 reg

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1 “The others? Alice, Esme? The wolves? 2 “All fine. It’s over there, too. It went just as smoothly 3 as I promised. We got the worst of it here.” 4 I let myself absorb that for a moment, let it sink in and 5 settle in my head. 6 My family and my friends were safe. Victoria was never 7 coming after me again. It was over. 8 We were all going to be fine. 9 But I couldn’t completely take in the good news while 10 I was still so confused. 11 “Tell me why,” I insisted. “Why did you think I would 12 be afraid of you?” 13 “I’m sorry,” he said, apologizing yet again — for what? 14 I had no idea. “So sorry. I didn’t want you to see that. See 15 me like that. I know I must have terrified you.” 16 I had to think about that for another minute, about the 17 hesitant way he’d approached me, his hands in the air. 18 Like I was going to run if he moved too fast.... 19 “Seriously?” I finally asked. “You...what? Thought 20 you’d scared me off?” I snorted. Snorting was good; a voice 21 couldn’t tremble or break during a snort. It sounded im- 22 pressively offhand. 23 He put his hand under my chin and tilted my head 24 back to read my face. 25 “Bella, I just” — he hesitated and then forced the 26 words out — “I just beheaded and dismembered a sen- 27 tient creature not twenty yards from you. That doesn’t 28 bother you?” sh 29 He frowned at me. reg 30

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I shrugged. Shrugging was good, too. Very blasé. “Not 1 really. I was only afraid that you and Seth were going 2 to get hurt. I wanted to help, but there’s only so much I 3 can do....” 4 His suddenly livid expression made my voice fade out. 5 “Yes,” he said, his tone clipped. “Your little stunt with 6 the rock. You know that you nearly gave me a heart at- 7 tack? Not the easiest thing to do, that.” 8 His furious glower made it hard to answer. 9 “I wanted to help...Seth was hurt....” 10 “Seth was only feigning that he was hurt, Bella. It was 11 a trick. And then you...!” He shook his head, unable to 12 finish. “Seth couldn’t see what you were doing, so I had 13 to step in. Seth’s a bit disgruntled that he can’t claim a 14 single-handed defeat now.” 15 “Seth was...faking?” 16 Edward nodded sternly. 17 “Oh.” 18 We both looked at Seth, who was studiously ignoring 19 us, watching the flames. Smugness radiated from every 20 hair in his fur. 21 “Well, I didn’t know that,” I said, on the offense now. 22 “And it’s not easy being the only helpless person around. 23 Just you wait till I’m a vampire! I’m not going to be sit- 24 ting on the sidelines next time.” 25 A dozen emotions flitted across his face before he set- 26 tled on being amused. “Next time? Did you anticipate an- 27 other war soon?” 28 “With my luck? Who knows?” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 He rolled his eyes, but I could see that he was flying — 2 the relief was making us both lightheaded. It was over. 3 Or...was it? 4 “Hold on. Didn’t you say something before — ?” I 5 flinched, remembering what exactly it had been before — 6 what was I going to say to Jacob? My splintered heart 7 throbbed out a painful, aching beat. It was hard to believe, 8 almost impossible, but the hardest part of this day was not 9 behind me — and then I soldiered on. “About a complica- 10 tion? And Alice, needing to nail down the schedule for 11 Sam. You said it was going to be close. What was going to 12 be close?” 13 Edward’s eyes flickered back to Seth, and they ex- 14 changed a loaded glance. 15 “Well?” I asked. 16 “It’s nothing, really,” Edward said quickly. “But we do 17 need to be on our way....” 18 He started to pull me into place on his back, but I stiff- 19 ened and drew away. 20 “Define nothing.” 21 Edward took my face between his palms. “We only 22 have a minute, so don’t panic, all right? I told you that you 23 had no reason to be afraid. Trust me on that, please?” 24 I nodded, trying to hide the sudden terror — how 25 much more could I handle before I collapsed? “No reason 26 to be afraid. Got it.” 27 He pursed his lips for a second, deciding what to say. 28 And then he glanced abruptly at Seth, as if the wolf had sh 29 called him. reg 30

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“What’s she doing?” Edward asked. 1 Seth whined; it was an anxious, uneasy sound. It made 2 the hair on the back of my neck rise. 3 Everything was dead silent for one endless second. 4 And then Edward gasped, “No!” and one of his hands 5 flew out as if to grab something that I couldn’t see. 6 “Don’t —!” 7 A spasm rocked through Seth’s body, and a howl, blis- 8 tering with agony, ripped from his lungs. 9 Edward fell to his knees at the exact same moment, 10 gripping the sides of his head with two hands, his face fur- 11 rowed in pain. 12 I screamed once in bewildered terror, and dropped to 13 my knees beside him. Stupidly, I tried to pull his hands 14 from his face; my palms, clammy with sweat, slid off his 15 marble skin. 16 “Edward! Edward!” 17 His eyes focused on me; with obvious effort, he pulled 18 his clenched teeth apart. 19 “It’s okay. We’re going to be fine. It’s —” He broke off, 20 and winced again. 21 “What’s happening?” I cried out while Seth howled in 22 anguish. 23 “We’re fine. We’re going to be okay,” Edward gasped. 24 “Sam — help him —” 25 And I realized in that instant, when he said Sam’s 26 name, that he was not speaking of himself and Seth. No 27 unseen force was attacking them. This time, the crisis was 28 not here. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 He was using the pack plural. 2 I’d burned through all my adrenaline. My body had 3 nothing left. I sagged, and Edward caught me before I 4 could hit the rocks. He sprang to his feet, me in his arms. 5 “Seth!” Edward shouted. 6 Seth was crouched, still tensed in agony, looking as if 7 he meant to launch himself into the forest. 8 “No!” Edward ordered. “You go straight home. Now. As 9 fast as you can!” 10 Seth whimpered, shaking his great head from side to 11 side. 12 “Seth. Trust me.” 13 The huge wolf stared into Edward’s agonized eyes for 14 one long second, and then he straightened up and ﬂew 15 into the trees, disappearing like a ghost. 16 Edward cradled me tightly against his chest, and then 17 we were also hurtling through the shadowy forest, taking 18 a different path than the wolf. 19 “Edward.” I fought to force the words through my 20 constricted throat. “What happened, Edward? What hap- 21 pened to Sam? Where are we going? What’s happening?” 22 “We have to go back to the clearing,” he told me in a 23 low voice. “We knew there was a good probability of this 24 happening. Earlier this morning, Alice saw it and passed 25 it through Sam to Seth. The Volturi decided it was time to 26 intercede.” 27 The Volturi. 28 Too much. My mind refused to make sense of the sh 29 words, pretended it couldn’t understand. reg 30

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The trees jolted past us. He was running downhill so fast 1 that it felt as if we were plummeting, falling out of control. 2 “Don’t panic. They aren’t coming for us. It’s just the 3 normal contingent of the guard that usually cleans up this 4 kind of mess. Nothing momentous, they’re merely doing 5 their job. Of course, they seem to have timed their arrival 6 very carefully. Which leads me to believe that no one in 7 Italy would mourn if these newborns had reduced the size 8 of the Cullen family.” The words came through his teeth, 9 hard and bleak. “I’ll know for sure what they were think- 10 ing when they get to the clearing.” 11 “Is that why we’re going back?” I whispered. Could I 12 handle this? Images of flowing black robes crept into my 13 unwilling mind, and I flinched away from them. I was 14 close to a breaking point. 15 “It’s part of the reason. Mostly, it will be safer for us to 16 present a united front at this point. They have no reason to 17 harass us, but...Jane’s with them. If she thought we 18 were alone somewhere away from the others, it might 19 tempt her. Like Victoria, Jane will probably guess that I’m 20 with you. Demetri, of course, is with her. He could find 21 me, if Jane asked him to.” 22 I didn’t want to think that name. I didn’t want to see 23 that blindingly exquisite, childlike face in my head. A 24 strange sound came out of my throat. 25 “Shh, Bella, shh. It’s all going to be fine. Alice can see 26 that.” 27 Alice could see? But...then where were the wolves? 28 Where was the pack? 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “The pack?” 2 “They had to leave quickly. The Volturi do not honor 3 truces with werewolves.” 4 I could hear my breathing get faster, but I couldn’t 5 control it. I started to gasp. 6 “I swear they will be fine,” Edward promised me. “The 7 Volturi won’t recognize the scent — they won’t realize the 8 wolves are here; this isn’t a species they are familiar with. 9 The pack will be fine.” 10 I couldn’t process his explanation. My concentration 11 was ripped to shreds by my fears. We’re going to be fine, he 12 had said before...and Seth, howling in agony...Ed- 13 ward had avoided my first question, distracted me with 14 the Volturi.... 15 I was very close to the edge — just clinging by my 16 fingertips. 17 The trees were a racing blur that flowed around him 18 like jade waters. 19 “What happened?” I whispered again. “Before. When 20 Seth was howling? When you were hurt?” 21 Edward hesitated. 22 “Edward! Tell me!” 23 “It was all over,” he whispered. I could barely hear him 24 over the wind his speed created. “The wolves didn’t count 25 their half...they thought they had them all. Of course, 26 Alice couldn’t see....” 27 “What happened?!” 28 “One of the newborns was hiding....Leah found sh 29 him — she was being stupid, cocky, trying to prove some- reg 30 thing. She engaged him alone....”

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“Leah,” I repeated, and I was too weak to feel shame for 1 the relief that ﬂooded through me. “Is she going to be 2 okay?” 3 “Leah wasn’t hurt,” Edward mumbled. 4 I stared at him for a long second. 5 Sam — help him — Edward had gasped. Him, not her. 6 “We’re almost there,” Edward said, and he stared at a 7 ﬁxed point in the sky. 8 Automatically, my eyes followed his. There was a dark 9 purple cloud hanging low over the trees. A cloud? But it 10 was so abnormally sunny....No, not a cloud — I recog- 11 nized the thick column of smoke, just like the one at our 12 campsite. 13 “Edward,” I said, my voice nearly inaudible. “Edward, 14 someone got hurt.” 15 I’d heard Seth’s agony, seen the torture in Edward’s face. 16 “Yes,” he whispered. 17 “Who?” I asked, though, of course, I already knew the 18 answer. 19 Of course I did. Of course. 20 The trees were slowing around us as we came to our 21 destination. 22 It took him a long moment to answer me. 23 “Jacob,” he said. 24 I was able to nod once. 25 “Of course,” I whispered. 26 And then I slipped off the edge I was clinging to inside 27 my head. 28 Everything went black. 29 sh *** 30 reg

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1 I was first aware of the cool hands touching me. More than 2 one pair of hands. Arms holding me, a palm curved to fit 3 my cheek, fingers stroking my forehead, and more fingers 4 pressed lightly into my wrist. 5 Then I was aware of the voices. They were just a hum- 6 ming at first, and then they grew in volume and clarity 7 like someone was turning up a radio. 8 “Carlisle — it’s been five minutes.” Edward’s voice, anx- 9 ious. 10 “She’ll come around when she’s ready, Edward.” Car- 11 lisle’s voice, always calm and sure. “She’s had too much to 12 deal with today. Let her mind protect itself.” 13 But my mind was not protected. It was trapped in the 14 knowledge that had not left me, even in unconsciousness — 15 the pain that was part of the blackness. 16 I felt totally disconnected from my body. Like I was 17 caged in some small corner of my head, no longer at the 18 controls. But I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t 19 think. The agony was too strong for that. There was no es- 20 cape from it. 21 Jacob. 22 Jacob. 23 No, no, no, no, no... 24 “Alice, how long do we have?” Edward demanded, his 25 voice still tense; Carlisle’s soothing words had not helped. 26 From farther away, Alice’s voice. It was brightly chip- 27 per. “Another five minutes. And Bella will open her eyes 28 in thirty-seven seconds. I wouldn’t doubt that she can hear sh 29 us now.” reg 30

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“Bella, honey?” This was Esme’s soft, comforting voice. 1 “Can you hear me? You’re safe now, dear.” 2 Yes, I was safe. Did that really matter? 3 Then cool lips were at my ear, and Edward was speak- 4 ing the words that allowed me to escape from the torture 5 that had me caged inside my own head. 6 “He’s going to live, Bella. Jacob Black is healing as I 7 speak. He’ll be fine.” 8 As the pain and dread eased, I found my way back to 9 my body. My eyelids fluttered. 10 “Oh, Bella,” Edward sighed in relief, and his lips 11 touched mine. 12 “Edward,” I whispered. 13 “Yes, I’m here.” 14 I got my lids to open, and I stared into warm gold. 15 “Jacob is okay?” I asked. 16 “Yes,” he promised. 17 I watched his eyes carefully for some sign that he was 18 placating me, but they were perfectly clear. 19 “I examined him myself,” Carlisle said then; I turned 20 my head to find his face, only a few feet away. Carlisle’s ex- 21 pression was serious and reassuring at the same time. It 22 was impossible to doubt him. “His life is not in any dan- 23 ger. He was healing at an incredible rate, though his in- 24 juries were extensive enough that it will still be a few 25 days before he is back to normal, even if the rate of repair 26 holds steady. As soon as we’re done here, I will do what 27 I can to help him. Sam is trying to get him to phase back 28 to his human form. That will make treating him easier.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Carlisle smiled slightly. “I’ve never been to veterinarian 2 school.” 3 “What happened to him?” I whispered. “How bad are 4 his injuries?” 5 Carlisle’s face was serious again. “Another wolf was in 6 trouble —” 7 “Leah,” I breathed. 8 “Yes. He knocked her out of the way, but he didn’t have 9 time to defend himself. The newborn got his arms around 10 him. Most of the bones on the right half of his body were 11 shattered.” 12 I flinched. 13 “Sam and Paul got there in time. He was already im- 14 proving when they took him back to La Push.” 15 “He’ll be back to normal?” I asked. 16 “Yes, Bella. He won’t have any permanent damage.” 17 I took a deep breath. 18 “Three minutes,” Alice said quietly. 19 I struggled, trying to get vertical. Edward realized 20 what I was doing and helped me to my feet. 21 I stared at the scene in front of me. 22 The Cullens stood in a loose semicircle around the bon- 23 fire. There were hardly any flames visible, just the thick, 24 purple-black smoke, hovering like a disease against the 25 bright grass. Jasper stood closest to the solid-seeming 26 haze, in its shadow so that his skin did not glitter bril- 27 liantly in the sun the way the others did. He had his back 28 to me, his shoulders tense, his arms slightly extended. sh 29 There was something there, in his shadow. Something he reg 30 crouched over with wary intensity....

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I was too numb to feel more than a mild shock when I 1 realized what it was. 2 There were eight vampires in the clearing. 3 The girl was curled into a small ball beside the flames, 4 her arms wrapped around her legs. She was very young. 5 Younger than me — she looked maybe fifteen, dark-haired 6 and slight. Her eyes were focused on me, and the irises 7 were a shocking, brilliant red. Much brighter than Riley’s, 8 almost glowing. They wheeled wildly, out of control. 9 Edward saw my bewildered expression. 10 “She surrendered,” he told me quietly. “That’s one I’ve 11 never seen before. Only Carlisle would think of offering. 12 Jasper doesn’t approve.” 13 I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the scene beside the 14 fire. Jasper was rubbing absently at his left forearm. 15 “Is Jasper all right?” I whispered. 16 “He’s fine. The venom stings.” 17 “He was bitten?” I asked, horrified. 18 “He was trying to be everywhere at once. Trying to 19 make sure Alice had nothing to do, actually.” Edward 20 shook his head. “Alice doesn’t need anyone’s help.” 21 Alice grimaced toward her true love. “Overprotective 22 fool.” 23 The young female suddenly threw her head back like 24 an animal and wailed shrilly. 25 Jasper growled at her and she cringed back, but her fin- 26 gers dug into the ground like claws and her head whipped 27 back and forth in anguish. Jasper took a step toward 28 her, slipping deeper into his crouch. Edward moved with 29 sh overdone casualness, turning our bodies so that he was 30 reg

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1 between the girl and me. I peeked around his arm to 2 watch the thrashing girl and Jasper. 3 Carlisle was at Jasper’s side in an instant. He put a re- 4 straining hand on his most recent son’s arm. 5 “Have you changed your mind, young one?” Carlisle 6 asked, calm as ever. “We don’t want to destroy you, but we 7 will if you can’t control yourself.” 8 “How can you stand it?” the girl groaned in a high, 9 clear voice. “I want her.” Her bright crimson irises focused 10 on Edward, through him, beyond him to me, and her nails 11 ripped through the hard soil again. 12 “You must stand it,” Carlisle told her gravely. “You 13 must exercise control. It is possible, and it is the only 14 thing that will save you now.” 15 The girl clutched her dirt-encrusted hands around her 16 head, yowling quietly. 17 “Shouldn’t we move away from her?” I whispered, tug- 18 ging on Edward’s arm. The girl’s lips pulled back over her 19 teeth when she heard my voice, her expression one of tor- 20 ment. 21 “We have to stay here,” Edward murmured. “They are 22 coming to the north end of the clearing now.” 23 My heart burst into a sprint as I scanned the clearing, 24 but I couldn’t see anything past the thick pall of smoke. 25 After a second of fruitless searching, my gaze crept 26 back to the young female vampire. She was still watching 27 me, her eyes half-mad. 28 I met the girl’s stare for a long moment. Chin-length sh 29 dark hair framed her face, which was alabaster pale. It was reg 30

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hard to tell if her features were beautiful, twisted as they 1 were by rage and thirst. The feral red eyes were domi- 2 nant — hard to look away from. She glared at me vi- 3 ciously, shuddering and writhing every few seconds. 4 I stared at her, mesmerized, wondering if I were look- 5 ing into a mirror of my future. 6 Then Carlisle and Jasper began to back toward the rest 7 of us. Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme all converged hastily 8 around where Edward stood with Alice and me. A united 9 front, as Edward had said, with me at the heart, in the 10 safest place. 11 I tore my attention away from the wild girl to search 12 for the approaching monsters. 13 There was still nothing to see. I glanced at Edward, 14 and his eyes were locked straight ahead. I tried to follow 15 his gaze, but there was only the smoke — dense, oily 16 smoke twisting low to the ground, rising lazily, undulat- 17 ing against the grass. 18 It billowed forward, darker in the middle. 19 “Hmm,” a dead voice murmured from the mist. I rec- 20 ognized the apathy at once. 21 “Welcome, Jane.” Edward’s tone was coolly courteous. 22 The dark shapes came closer, separating themselves 23 from the haze, solidifying. I knew it would be Jane in the 24 front — the darkest cloak, almost black, and the smallest 25 ﬁgure by more than two feet. I could just barely make out 26 Jane’s angelic features in the shade of the cowl. 27 The four gray-shrouded ﬁgures hulking behind her 28 were also somewhat familiar. I was sure I recognized the 29 sh 30 reg

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1 biggest one, and while I stared, trying to confirm my sus- 2 picion, Felix looked up. He let his hood fall back slightly 3 so that I could see him wink at me and smile. Edward was 4 very still at my side, tightly in control. 5 Jane’s gaze moved slowly across the luminous faces of 6 the Cullens and then touched on the newborn girl beside 7 the fire; the newborn had her head in her hands again. 8 “I don’t understand.” Jane’s voice was toneless, but not 9 quite as uninterested as before. 10 “She has surrendered,” Edward explained, answering 11 the confusion in her mind. 12 Jane’s dark eyes flashed to his face. “Surrendered?” 13 Felix and another shadow exchanged a quick glance. 14 Edward shrugged. “Carlisle gave her the option.” 15 “There are no options for those who break the rules,” 16 Jane said flatly. 17 Carlisle spoke then, his voice mild. “That’s in your 18 hands. As long as she was willing to halt her attack on us, 19 I saw no need to destroy her. She was never taught.” 20 “That is irrelevant,” Jane insisted. 21 “As you wish.” 22 Jane stared at Carlisle in consternation. She shook her 23 head infinitesimally, and then composed her features. 24 “Aro hoped that we would get far enough west to see 25 you, Carlisle. He sends his regards.” 26 Carlisle nodded. “I would appreciate it if you would 27 convey mine to him.” 28 “Of course.” Jane smiled. Her face was almost too sh 29 lovely when it was animated. She looked back toward the reg 30

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smoke. “It appears that you’ve done our work for us to- 1 day...for the most part.” Her eyes flickered to the hos- 2 tage. “Just out of professional curiosity, how many were 3 there? They left quite a wake of destruction in Seattle.” 4 “Eighteen, including this one,” Carlisle answered. 5 Jane’s eyes widened, and she looked at the fire again, 6 seeming to reassess the size of it. Felix and the other 7 shadow exchanged a longer glance. 8 “Eighteen?” she repeated, her voice sounding unsure 9 for the first time. 10 “All brand-new,” Carlisle said dismissively. “They were 11 unskilled.” 12 “All?” Her voice turned sharp. “Then who was their 13 creator?” 14 “Her name was Victoria,” Edward answered, no emo- 15 tion in his voice. 16 “Was?” Jane asked. 17 Edward inclined his head toward the eastern forest. 18 Jane’s eyes snapped up and focused on something far in the 19 distance. The other pillar of smoke? I didn’t look away to 20 check. 21 Jane stared to the east for a long moment, and then ex- 22 amined the closer bonfire again. 23 “This Victoria — she was in addition to the eighteen 24 here?” 25 “Yes. She had only one other with her. He was not as 26 young as this one here, but no older than a year.” 27 “Twenty,” Jane breathed. “Who dealt with the creator?” 28 “I did,” Edward told her. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 Jane’s eyes narrowed, and she turned to the girl beside 2 the fire. 3 “You there,” she said, her dead voice harsher than be- 4 fore. “Your name.” 5 The newborn shot a baleful glare at Jane, her lips 6 pressed tightly together. 7 Jane smiled back angelically. 8 The newborn girl’s answering scream was ear-piercing; 9 her body arched stiffly into a distorted, unnatural posi- 10 tion. I looked away, fighting the urge to cover my ears. I 11 gritted my teeth, hoping to control my stomach. The 12 screaming intensified. I tried to concentrate on Edward’s 13 face, smooth and unemotional, but that made me remem- 14 ber when it had been Edward under Jane’s torturing gaze, 15 and I felt sicker. I looked at Alice instead, and Esme next 16 to her. Their faces were as empty as his. 17 Finally, it was quiet. 18 “Your name,” Jane said again, her voice inflectionless. 19 “Bree,” the girl gasped. 20 Jane smiled, and the girl shrieked again. I held my 21 breath until the sound of her agony stopped. 22 “She’ll tell you anything you want to know,” Edward 23 said through his teeth. “You don’t have to do that.” 24 Jane looked up, sudden humor in her usually dead eyes. 25 “Oh, I know,” she said to Edward, grinning at him before 26 she turned back to the young vampire, Bree. 27 “Bree,” Jane said, her voice cold again. “Is his story 28 true? Were there twenty of you?” sh 29 The girl lay panting, the side of her face pressed against reg 30 the earth. She spoke quickly. “Nineteen or twenty, maybe

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more, I don’t know!” She cringed, terrified that her igno- 1 rance might bring on another round of torture. “Sara and 2 the one whose name I don’t know got in a fight on the 3 way....” 4 “And this Victoria — did she create you?” 5 “I don’t know,” she said, flinching again. “Riley never 6 said her name. I didn’t see that night...it was so dark, 7 and it hurt. . . .” Bree shuddered. “He didn’t want us to be 8 able to think of her. He said that our thoughts weren’t 9 safe....” 10 Jane’s eyes flickered to Edward, and then back to the 11 girl. 12 Victoria had planned this well. If she hadn’t followed 13 Edward, there would have been no way to know for certain 14 that she was involved.... 15 “Tell me about Riley,” Jane said. “Why did he bring 16 you here?” 17 “Riley told us that we had to destroy the strange 18 yellow-eyes here,” Bree babbled quickly and willingly. 19 “He said it would be easy. He said that the city was theirs, 20 and they were coming to get us. He said once they were 21 gone, all the blood would be ours. He gave us her scent.” 22 Bree lifted one hand and stabbed a finger in my direction. 23 “He said we would know that we had the right coven, be- 24 cause she would be with them. He said whoever got to her 25 first could have her.” 26 I heard Edward’s jaw flex beside me. 27 “It looks like Riley was wrong about the easy part,” 28 Jane noted. 29 sh Bree nodded, seeming relieved that the conversation 30 reg

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1 had taken this non-painful course. She sat up carefully. “I 2 don’t know what happened. We split up, but the others 3 never came. And Riley left us, and he didn’t come to help 4 like he promised. And then it was so confusing, and 5 everybody was in pieces.” She shuddered again. “I was 6 afraid. I wanted to run away. That one” — she looked 7 at Carlisle — “said they wouldn’t hurt me if I stopped 8 ﬁghting.” 9 “Ah, but that wasn’t his gift to offer, young one,” Jane 10 murmured, her voice oddly gentle now. “Broken rules de- 11 mand a consequence.” 12 Bree stared at her, not comprehending. 13 Jane looked at Carlisle. “Are you sure you got all of 14 them? The other half that split off?” 15 Carlisle’s face was very smooth as he nodded. “We split 16 up, too.” 17 Jane half-smiled. “I can’t deny that I’m impressed.” 18 The big shadows behind her murmured in agreement. 19 “I’ve never seen a coven escape this magnitude of offensive 20 intact. Do you know what was behind it? It seems like ex- 21 treme behavior, considering the way you live here. And 22 why was the girl the key?” Her eyes rested unwilling on 23 me for one short second. 24 I shivered. 25 “Victoria held a grudge against Bella,” Edward told 26 her, his voice impassive. 27 Jane laughed — the sound was golden, the bubbling 28 laugh of a happy child. “This one seems to bring out sh 29 bizarrely strong reactions in our kind,” she observed, smil- reg 30 ing directly at me, her face beatiﬁc.

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Edward stiffened. I looked at him in time to see his face 1 turning away, back to Jane. 2 “Would you please not do that?” he asked in a tight 3 voice. 4 Jane laughed again lightly. “Just checking. No harm 5 done, apparently.” 6 I shivered, deeply grateful that the strange glitch in my 7 system — which had protected me from Jane the last time 8 we’d met — was still in effect. Edward’s arm tightened 9 around me. 10 “Well, it appears that there’s not much left for us to do. 11 Odd,” Jane said, apathy creeping back into her voice. 12 “We’re not used to being rendered unnecessary. It’s too 13 bad we missed the fight. It sounds like it would have been 14 entertaining to watch.” 15 “Yes,” Edward answered her quickly, his voice sharp. 16 “And you were so close. It’s a shame you didn’t arrive just 17 a half hour earlier. Perhaps then you could have fulfilled 18 your purpose here.” 19 Jane met Edward’s glare with unwavering eyes. “Yes. 20 Quite a pity how things turned out, isn’t it?” 21 Edward nodded once to himself, his suspicions con- 22 firmed. 23 Jane turned to look at the newborn Bree again, her face 24 completely bored. “Felix?” she drawled. 25 “Wait,” Edward interjected. 26 Jane raised one eyebrow, but Edward was staring at 27 Carlisle while he spoke in an urgent voice. “We could ex- 28 plain the rules to the young one. She doesn’t seem unwill- 29 sh ing to learn. She didn’t know what she was doing.” 30 reg

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1 “Of course,” Carlisle answered. “We would certainly be 2 prepared to take responsibility for Bree.” 3 Jane’s expression was torn between amusement and 4 disbelief. 5 “We don’t make exceptions,” she said. “And we don’t 6 give second chances. It’s bad for our reputation. Which re- 7 minds me . . .” Suddenly, her eyes were on me again, and 8 her cherubic face dimpled. “Caius will be so interested to 9 hear that you’re still human, Bella. Perhaps he’ll decide to 10 visit.” 11 “The date is set,” Alice told Jane, speaking for the ﬁrst 12 time. “Perhaps we’ll come to visit you in a few months.” 13 Jane’s smile faded, and she shrugged indifferently, 14 never looking at Alice. She turned to face Carlisle. “It was 15 nice to meet you, Carlisle — I’d thought Aro was exag- 16 gerating. Well, until we meet again...” 17 Carlisle nodded, his expression pained. 18 “Take care of that, Felix,” Jane said, nodding toward 19 Bree, her voice dripping boredom. “I want to go home.” 20 “Don’t watch,” Edward whispered in my ear. 21 I was only too eager to follow his instruction. I’d seen 22 more than enough for one day — more than enough for one 23 lifetime. I squeezed my eyes tightly together and turned 24 my face into Edward’s chest. 25 But I could still hear. 26 There was a deep, rumbling growl, and then a high- 27 pitched keen that was horribly familiar. That sound cut off 28 quickly, and then the only sound was a sickening crunch- sh 29 ing and snapping. reg 30

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Edward’s hand rubbed anxiously against my shoulders. 1 “Come,” Jane said, and I looked up in time to see the 2 backs of the tall gray cloaks drifting away toward the curl- 3 ing smoke. The incense smell was strong again — fresh. 4 The gray cloaks disappeared into the thick mist. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 26. ETHICS 16 17 18 The counter in Alice’s bathroom was covered with 19 a thousand different products, all claiming to beautify a 20 person’s surface. Since everyone in this house was both 21 perfect and impermeable, I could only assume that she’d 22 bought most of these things with me in mind. I read the 23 labels numbly, struck by the waste. 24 I was careful never to look in the long mirror. 25 Alice combed through my hair with a slow, rhythmic 26 motion. 27 “That’s enough, Alice,” I said tonelessly. “I want to go 28 back to La Push.” sh 29 How many hours had I waited for Charlie to ﬁnally reg 30

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leave Billy’s house so that I could see Jacob? Each minute, 1 not knowing if Jacob was still breathing or not, had 2 seemed like ten lifetimes. And then, when at last I’d been 3 allowed to go, to see for myself that Jacob was alive, the 4 time had gone so quickly. I felt like I’d barely caught my 5 breath before Alice was calling Edward, insisting that I 6 keep up this ridiculous sleepover façade. It seemed so in- 7 signiﬁcant.... 8 “Jacob’s still unconscious,” Alice answered. “Carlisle or 9 Edward will call when he’s awake. Anyway, you need to go 10 see Charlie. He was there at Billy’s house, he saw that 11 Carlisle and Edward are back in from their trip, and he’s 12 bound to be suspicious when you get home.” 13 I already had my story memorized and corroborated. “I 14 don’t care. I want to be there when Jacob wakes up.” 15 “You need to think of Charlie now. You’ve had a long 16 day — sorry, I know that doesn’t begin to cover it — but 17 that doesn’t mean that you can shirk your responsibili- 18 ties.” Her voice was serious, almost chiding. “It’s more 19 important now than ever that Charlie stays safely in the 20 dark. Play your role ﬁrst, Bella, and then you can do what 21 you want second. Part of being a Cullen is being meticu- 22 lously responsible.” 23 Of course she was right. And if not for this same rea- 24 son — a reason that was more powerful than all my fear 25 and pain and guilt — Carlisle would never have been able 26 to talk me into leaving Jacob’s side, unconscious or not. 27 “Go home,” Alice ordered. “Talk to Charlie. Flesh out 28 your alibi. Keep him safe.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I stood, and the blood flowed down to my feet, sting- 2 ing like the pricks of a thousand needles. I’d been sitting 3 still for a long time. 4 “That dress is adorable on you,” Alice cooed. 5 “Huh? Oh. Er — thanks again for the clothes,” I mum- 6 bled out of courtesy rather than real gratitude. 7 “You need the evidence,” Alice said, her eyes innocent 8 and wide. “What’s a shopping trip without a new outfit? 9 It’s very flattering, if I do say so myself.” 10 I blinked, unable to remember what she’d dressed me 11 in. I couldn’t keep my thoughts from skittering away 12 every few seconds, insects running from the light.... 13 “Jacob is fine, Bella,” Alice said, easily interpreting my 14 preoccupation. “There’s no hurry. If you realized how much 15 extra morphine Carlisle had to give him — what with his 16 temperature burning it off so quickly — you would know 17 that he’s going to be out for a while.” 18 At least he wasn’t in any pain. Not yet. 19 “Is there anything you want to talk about before you 20 leave?” Alice asked sympathetically. “You must be more 21 than a little traumatized.” 22 I knew what she was curious about. But I had other 23 questions. 24 “Will I be like that?” I asked her, my voice subdued. 25 “Like that girl Bree in the meadow?” 26 There were many things I needed to think of, but I 27 couldn’t seem to get her out of my head, the newborn whose 28 other life was now — abruptly — over. Her face, twisted sh 29 with desire for my blood, lingered behind my eyelids. reg 30

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Alice stroked my arm. “Everyone is different. But some- 1 thing like that, yes.” 2 I was very still, trying to imagine. 3 “It passes,” she promised. 4 “How soon?” 5 She shrugged. “A few years, maybe less. It might be 6 different for you. I’ve never seen anyone go through this 7 who’s chosen it beforehand. It should be interesting to see 8 how that affects you.” 9 “Interesting,” I repeated. 10 “We’ll keep you out of trouble.” 11 “I know that. I trust you.” My voice was monotone, dead. 12 Alice’s forehead puckered. “If you’re worried about 13 Carlisle and Edward, I’m sure they’ll be ﬁne. I believe Sam 14 is beginning to trust us...well, to trust Carlisle, at least. 15 It’s a good thing, too. I imagine the atmosphere got a lit- 16 tle tense when Carlisle had to rebreak the fractures —” 17 “Please, Alice.” 18 “Sorry.” 19 I took a deep breath to steady myself. Jacob had begun 20 healing too quickly, and some of his bones had set wrong. 21 He’d been out cold for the process, but it was still hard to 22 think about. 23 “Alice, can I ask you a question? About the future?” 24 She was suddenly wary. “You know I don’t see every- 25 thing.” 26 “It’s not that, exactly. But you do see my future, some- 27 times. Why is that, do you think, when nothing else works 28 on me? Not what Jane can do, or Edward or Aro . . .” My 29 sh 30 reg

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1 sentence trailed off with my interest level. My curiosity 2 on this point was ﬂeeting, heavily overshadowed by more 3 pressing emotions. 4 Alice, however, found the question very interesting. 5 “Jasper, too, Bella — his talent works on your body just as 6 well as it does on anyone else’s. That’s the difference, do 7 you see it? Jasper’s abilities affect the body physically. He 8 really does calm your system down, or excite it. It’s not 9 an illusion. And I see visions of outcomes, not the reasons 10 and thoughts behind the decisions that create them. It’s 11 outside the mind, not an illusion, either; reality, or at 12 least one version of it. But Jane and Edward and Aro and 13 Demetri — they work inside the mind. Jane only creates 14 an illusion of pain. She doesn’t really hurt your body, you 15 only think you feel it. You see, Bella? You are safe inside 16 your mind. No one can reach you there. It’s no wonder 17 that Aro was so curious about your future abilities.” 18 She watched my face to see if I was following her logic. 19 In truth, her words had all started to run together, the syl- 20 lables and sounds losing their meaning. I couldn’t concen- 21 trate on them. Still, I nodded. Trying to look like I got it. 22 She wasn’t fooled. She stroked my cheek and mur- 23 mured, “He’s going to be okay, Bella. I don’t need a vision 24 to know that. Are you ready to go?” 25 “One more thing. Can I ask you another question about 26 the future? I don’t want speciﬁcs, just an overview.” 27 “I’ll do my best,” she said, doubtful again. 28 “Can you still see me becoming a vampire?” sh 29 “Oh, that’s easy. Sure, I do.” reg 30 I nodded slowly.

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She examined my face, her eyes unfathomable. “Don’t 1 you know your own mind, Bella?” 2 “I do. I just wanted to be sure.” 3 “I’m only as sure as you are, Bella. You know that. If 4 you were to change your mind, what I see would 5 change...or disappear, in your case.” 6 I sighed. “That isn’t going to happen, though.” 7 She put her arms around me. “I’m sorry. I can’t really 8 empathize. My ﬁrst memory is of seeing Jasper’s face in my 9 future; I always knew that he was where my life was 10 headed. But I can sympathize. I’m so sorry you have to 11 choose between two good things.” 12 I shook off her arms. “Don’t feel sorry for me.” There 13 were people who deserved sympathy. I wasn’t one of them. 14 And there wasn’t any choice to make — there was just 15 breaking a good heart to attend to now. “I’ll go deal with 16 Charlie.” 17 I drove my truck home, where Charlie was waiting just 18 as suspiciously as Alice had expected. 19 “Hey, Bella. How was your shopping trip?” he greeted 20 me when I walked into the kitchen. He had his arms 21 folded over his chest, his eyes on my face. 22 “Long,” I said dully. “We just got back.” 23 Charlie assessed my mood. “I guess you already heard 24 about Jake, then?” 25 “Yes. The rest of the Cullens beat us home. Esme told 26 us where Carlisle and Edward were.” 27 “Are you okay?” 28 “Worried about Jake. As soon as I make dinner, I’m go- 29 sh ing down to La Push.” 30 reg

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1 “I told you those motorcycles were dangerous. I hope 2 this makes you realize that I wasn’t kidding around.” 3 I nodded as I started pulling things out of the fridge. 4 Charlie settled himself in at the table. He seemed to be in 5 a more talkative mood than usual. 6 “I don’t think you need to worry about Jake too much. 7 Anyone who can cuss with that kind of energy is going to 8 recover.” 9 “Jake was awake when you saw him?” I asked, spinning 10 to look at him. 11 “Oh, yeah, he was awake. You should have heard 12 him — actually, it’s better you didn’t. I don’t think there 13 was anyone in La Push who couldn’t hear him. I don’t know 14 where he picked up that vocabulary, but I hope he hasn’t 15 been using that kind of language around you.” 16 “He had a pretty good excuse today. How did he look?” 17 “Messed up. His friends carried him in. Good thing 18 they’re big boys, ’cause that kid’s an armful. Carlisle said 19 his right leg is broken, and his right arm. Pretty much the 20 whole right side of his body got crushed when he wrecked 21 that damn bike.” Charlie shook his head. “If I ever hear of 22 you riding again, Bella —” 23 “No problem there, Dad. You won’t. Do you really 24 think Jake’s okay?” 25 “Sure, Bella, don’t worry. He was himself enough to 26 tease me.” 27 “Tease you?” I echoed in shock. 28 “Yeah — in between insulting somebody’s mother and sh 29 taking the Lord’s name in vain, he said, ‘Bet you’re glad reg 30 she loves Cullen instead of me today, huh, Charlie?’”

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I turned back to the fridge so that he couldn’t see my 1 face. 2 “And I couldn’t argue. Edward’s more mature than Ja- 3 cob when it comes to your safety, I’ll give him that much.” 4 “Jacob’s plenty mature,” I muttered defensively. “I’m 5 sure this wasn’t his fault.” 6 “Weird day today,” Charlie mused after a minute. “You 7 know, I don’t put much stock in that superstitious crap, 8 but it was odd....It was like Billy knew something bad 9 was going to happen to Jake. He was nervous as a turkey 10 on Thanksgiving all morning. I don’t think he heard any- 11 thing I said to him. 12 “And then, weirder than that — remember back in 13 February and March when we had all that trouble with the 14 wolves?” 15 I bent down to get a frying pan out of the cupboard, 16 and hid there an extra second or two. 17 “Yeah,” I mumbled. 18 “I hope we’re not going to have a problem with that 19 again. This morning, we were out in the boat, and Billy 20 wasn’t paying any attention to me or the ﬁsh, when all of 21 a sudden, you could hear wolves yowling in the woods. 22 More than one, and, boy, was it loud. Sounded like they 23 were right there in the village. Weirdest part was, Billy 24 turned the boat around and headed straight back to the 25 harbor like they were calling to him personally. Didn’t 26 even hear me ask what he was doing. 27 “The noise stopped before we got the boat docked. But 28 all of a sudden Billy was in the biggest hurry not to miss 29 sh the game, though we had hours still. He was mumbling 30 reg

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1 some nonsense about an earlier showing...of a live 2 game? I tell you, Bella, it was odd. 3 “Well, he found some game he said he wanted to 4 watch, but then he just ignored it. He was on the phone 5 the whole time, calling Sue, and Emily, and your friend 6 Quil’s grandpa. Couldn’t quite make out what he was 7 looking for — he just chatted real casual with them. 8 “Then the howling started again right outside the 9 house. I’ve never heard anything like it — I had goose 10 bumps on my arms. I asked Billy — had to shout over the 11 noise — if he’d been setting traps in his yard. It sounded 12 like the animal was in serious pain.” 13 I winced, but Charlie was so caught up in his story that 14 he didn’t notice. 15 “’Course I forgot all about that till just this minute, 16 ’cause that’s when Jake made it home. One minute it was 17 that wolf yowling, and then you couldn’t hear it any- 18 more — Jake’s cussing drowned it right out. Got a set of 19 lungs on him, that boy does.” 20 Charlie paused for a minute, his face thoughtful. 21 “Funny that some good should come out of this mess. I 22 didn’t think they were ever going to get over that fool 23 prejudice they have against the Cullens down there. But 24 somebody called Carlisle, and Billy was real grateful when 25 he showed up. I thought we should get Jake up to the hos- 26 pital, but Billy wanted to keep him home, and Carlisle 27 agreed. I guess Carlisle knows what’s best. Generous of 28 him to sign up for such a long stretch of house calls.” sh 29 “And . . .” he paused, as if unwilling to say something. reg 30 He sighed, and then continued. “And Edward was really . . .

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nice. He seemed as worried about Jacob as you are — like 1 that was his brother lying there. The look in his eyes...” 2 Charlie shook his head. “He’s a decent guy, Bella. I’ll try to 3 remember that. No promises, though.” He grinned at me. 4 “I won’t hold you to it,” I mumbled. 5 Charlie stretched his legs and groaned. “It’s nice to be 6 home. You wouldn’t believe how crowded Billy’s little 7 place gets. Seven of Jake’s friends all squished themselves 8 into that little front room — I could hardly breathe. Have 9 you ever noticed how big those Quileute kids all are?” 10 “Yeah, I have.” 11 Charlie stared at me, his eyes abruptly more focused. 12 “Really, Bella, Carlisle said Jake will be up and around in 13 no time. Said it looked a lot worse than it was. He’s going 14 to be fine.” 15 I just nodded. 16 Jacob had looked so...strangely fragile when I’d hur- 17 ried down to see him as soon as Charlie had left. He’d had 18 braces everywhere — Carlisle said there was no point in 19 plaster, as fast as he was healing. His face had been pale 20 and drawn, deeply unconscious though he was at the time. 21 Breakable. Huge as he was, he’d looked very breakable. 22 Maybe that had just been my imagination, coupled with 23 the knowledge that I was going to have to break him. 24 If only I could be struck by lightning and be split in 25 two. Preferably painfully. For the first time, giving up be- 26 ing human felt like a true sacrifice. Like it might be too 27 much to lose. 28 I put Charlie’s dinner on the table next to his elbow 29 sh and headed for the door. 30 reg

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1 “Er, Bella? Could you wait just a second?” 2 “Did I forget something?” I asked, eyeing his plate. 3 “No, no. I just...want to ask a favor.” Charlie 4 frowned and looked at the ﬂoor. “Have a seat — this won’t 5 take long.” 6 I sat across from him, a little confused. I tried to focus. 7 “What do you need, Dad?” 8 “Here’s the gist of it, Bella.” Charlie ﬂushed. “Maybe 9 I’m just feeling...superstitious after hanging out with 10 Billy while he was being so strange all day. But I have 11 this...hunch. I feel like...I’m going to lose you soon.” 12 “Don’t be silly, Dad,” I mumbled guiltily. “You want 13 me to go to school, don’t you?” 14 “Just promise me one thing.” 15 I was hesitant, ready to rescind. “Okay...” 16 “Will you tell me before you do anything major? Be- 17 fore you run off with him or something?” 18 “Dad...,” I moaned. 19 “I’m serious. I won’t kick up a fuss. Just give me some 20 advance notice. Give me a chance to hug you goodbye.” 21 Cringing mentally, I held up my hand. “This is silly. 22 But, if it makes you happy,...I promise.” 23 “Thanks, Bella,” he said. “I love you, kid.” 24 “I love you, too, Dad.” I touched his shoulder, and then 25 shoved away from the table. “If you need anything, I’ll be 26 at Billy’s.” 27 I didn’t look back as I ran out. This was just perfect, 28 just what I needed right now. I grumbled to myself all the sh 29 way to La Push. reg 30 Carlisle’s black Mercedes was not in front of Billy’s

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house. That was both good and bad. Obviously, I needed 1 to talk to Jacob alone. Yet I still wished I could somehow 2 hold Edward’s hand, like I had before, when Jacob was un- 3 conscious. Impossible. But I missed Edward — it had 4 seemed like a very long afternoon alone with Alice. I sup- 5 posed that made my answer quite obvious. I already knew 6 that I couldn’t live without Edward. That fact wasn’t go- 7 ing to make this any less painful. 8 I tapped quietly on the front door. 9 “Come in, Bella,” Billy said. The roar of my truck was 10 easy to recognize. 11 I let myself in. 12 “Hey, Billy. Is he awake?” I asked. 13 “He woke up about a half hour ago, just before the doc- 14 tor left. Go on in. I think he’s been waiting for you.” 15 I ﬂinched, and then took a deep breath. “Thanks.” 16 I hesitated at the door to Jacob’s room, not sure 17 whether to knock. I decided to peek ﬁrst, hoping — 18 coward that I was — that maybe he’d gone back to sleep. 19 I felt like I could use just a few more minutes. 20 I opened the door a crack and leaned hesitantly in. 21 Jacob was waiting for me, his face calm and smooth. The 22 haggard, gaunt look was gone, but only a careful blank- 23 ness took its place. There was no animation in his dark eyes. 24 It was hard to look at his face, knowing that I loved 25 him. It made more of a difference than I would have 26 thought. I wondered if it had always been this hard for 27 him, all this time. 28 Thankfully, someone had covered him with a quilt. It 29 sh was a relief not to have to see the extent of the damage. 30 reg

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1 I stepped in and shut the door quietly behind me. 2 “Hi, Jake,” I murmured. 3 He didn’t answer at first. He looked at my face for a 4 long moment. Then, with some effort, he rearranged his 5 expression into a slightly mocking smile. 6 “Yeah, I sort of thought it might be like that.” He 7 sighed. “Today has definitely taken a turn for the worse. 8 First I pick the wrong place, miss the best fight, and Seth 9 gets all the glory. Then Leah has to be an idiot trying to 10 prove she’s as tough as the rest of us and I have to be the 11 idiot who saves her. And now this.” He waved his left 12 hand toward me where I hesitated by the door. 13 “How are you feeling?” I mumbled. What a stupid 14 question. 15 “A little stoned. Dr. Fang isn’t sure how much pain 16 medication I need, so he’s going with trial and error. 17 Think he overdid it.” 18 “But you’re not in pain.” 19 “No. At least, I can’t feel my injuries,” he said, smiling 20 mockingly again. 21 I bit my lip. I was never going to get through this. 22 Why didn’t anyone ever try to kill me when I wanted 23 to die? 24 The wry humor left his face, and his eyes warmed up. 25 His forehead creased, like he was worried. 26 “How about you?” he asked, sounding really con- 27 cerned. “Are you okay?” 28 “Me?” I stared at him. Maybe he had taken too many sh 29 drugs. “Why?” reg 30 “Well, I mean, I was pretty sure that he wouldn’t actu-

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ally hurt you, but I wasn’t sure how bad it was going to be. 1 I’ve been going a little crazy with worrying about you ever 2 since I woke up. I didn’t know if you were going to be al- 3 lowed to visit or anything. The suspense was terrible. 4 How did it go? Was he mean to you? I’m sorry if it was 5 bad. I didn’t mean for you to have to go through that 6 alone. I was thinking I’d be there....” 7 It took me a minute to even understand. He babbled 8 on, looking more and more awkward, until I got what he 9 was saying. Then I hurried to reassure him. 10 “No, no, Jake! I’m fine. Too fine, really. Of course he 11 wasn’t mean. I wish!” 12 His eyes widened in what looked like horror. “What?” 13 “He wasn’t even mad at me — he wasn’t even mad at 14 you! He’s so unselfish it makes me feel even worse. I wish 15 he would have yelled at me or something. It’s not like I 16 don’t deserve...well, much worse that getting yelled at. 17 But he doesn’t care. He just wants me to be happy.” 18 “He wasn’t mad?” Jacob asked, incredulous. 19 “No. He was...much too kind.” 20 Jacob stared for another minute, and then he suddenly 21 frowned. “Well, damn!” he growled. 22 “What’s wrong, Jake? Does it hurt?” My hands flut- 23 tered uselessly as I looked around for his medication. 24 “No,” he grumbled in a disgusted tone. “I can’t believe 25 this! He didn’t give you an ultimatum or anything?” 26 “Not even close — what’s wrong with you?” 27 He scowled and shook his head. “I was sort of counting 28 on his reaction. Damn it all. He’s better than I thought.” 29 sh The way he said it, though angrier, reminded me of 30 reg

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1 Edward’s tribute to Jacob’s lack of ethics in the tent this 2 morning. Which meant that Jake was still hoping, still 3 ﬁghting. I winced as that stabbed deep. 4 “He’s not playing any game, Jake,” I said quietly. 5 “You bet he is. He’s playing every bit as hard as I am, 6 only he knows what he’s doing and I don’t. Don’t blame 7 me because he’s a better manipulator than I am — I 8 haven’t been around long enough to learn all his tricks.” 9 “He isn’t manipulating me!” 10 “Yes, he is! When are you going to wake up and realize 11 that he’s not a perfect as you think he is?” 12 “At least he didn’t threaten to kill himself to make me 13 kiss him,” I snapped. As soon as the words were out, I 14 ﬂushed with chagrin. “Wait. Pretend that didn’t slip out. 15 I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to say anything about 16 that.” 17 He took a deep breath. When he spoke, he was calmer. 18 “Why not?” 19 “Because I didn’t come here to blame you for any- 20 thing.” 21 “It’s true, though,” he said evenly. “I did do that.” 22 “I don’t care, Jake. I’m not mad.” 23 He smiled. “I don’t care, either. I knew you’d forgive 24 me, and I’m glad I did it. I’d do it again. At least I have 25 that much. At least I made you see that you do love me. 26 That’s worth something.” 27 “Is it? Is it really better than if I was still in the dark?” 28 “Don’t you think you ought to know how you feel — sh 29 just so that it doesn’t take you by surprise someday when reg 30 it’s too late and you’re a married vampire?”

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I shook my head. “No — I didn’t mean better for me. I 1 meant better for you. Does it make things better or worse 2 for you, having me know that I’m in love with you? When 3 it doesn’t make a difference either way. Would it have 4 been better, easier for you, if I never clued in?” 5 He took my question as seriously as I’d meant it, 6 thinking carefully before he answered. “Yes, it’s better to 7 have you know,” he finally decided. “If you hadn’t figured 8 it out...I’d have always wondered if your decision would 9 have been different if you had. Now I know. I did every- 10 thing I could.” He dragged in an unsteady breath, and 11 closed his eyes. 12 This time I did not — could not — resist the urge to 13 comfort him. I crossed the small room and kneeled by his 14 head, afraid to sit on the bed in case I jostled it and hurt 15 him, and leaned in to touch my forehead to his cheek. 16 Jacob sighed, and put his hand on my hair, holding me 17 there. 18 “I’m so sorry, Jake.” 19 “I always knew this was a long shot. It’s not your fault, 20 Bella.” 21 “Not you, too,” I moaned. “Please.” 22 He pulled away to look at me. “What?” 23 “It is my fault. And I’m so sick of being told it’s not.” 24 He grinned. It didn’t touch his eyes. “You want me to 25 haul you over the coals?” 26 “Actually...I think I do.” 27 He pursed his lips as he measured how much I meant 28 it. A smile flashed across his face briefly, and then he 29 sh twisted his expression into a fierce scowl. 30 reg

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1 “Kissing me back like that was inexcusable.” He spit 2 the words at me. “If you knew you were just going to take 3 it back, maybe you shouldn’t have been quite so convinc- 4 ing about it.” 5 I winced and nodded. “I’m so sorry.” 6 “Sorry doesn’t make anything better, Bella. What were 7 you thinking?” 8 “I wasn’t,” I whispered. 9 “You should have told me to go die. That’s what you 10 want.” 11 “No, Jacob,” I whimpered, ﬁghting against the bud- 12 ding tears. “No! Never.” 13 “You’re not crying?” he demanded, his voice sud- 14 denly back to its normal tone. He twitched impatiently on 15 the bed. 16 “Yeah,” I muttered, laughing weakly at myself through 17 the tears that were suddenly sobs. 18 He shifted his weight, throwing his good leg off the 19 bed as if he were going to try to stand. 20 “What are you doing?” I demanded through the tears. 21 “Lie down, you idiot, you’ll hurt yourself!” I jumped to 22 my feet and pushed his good shoulder down with two 23 hands. 24 He surrendered, leaning back with a gasp of pain, but 25 he grabbed me around my waist and pulled me down on 26 the bed, against his good side. I curled up there, trying to 27 stiﬂe the silly sobs against his hot skin. 28 “I can’t believe you’re crying,” he mumbled. “You sh 29 know I just said those things because you wanted me to. I reg 30 didn’t mean them.” His hand rubbed against my shoulders.

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“I know.” I took a deep, ragged breath, trying to con- 1 trol myself. How did I end up being the one crying while 2 he did the comforting? “It’s all still true, though. Thanks 3 for saying it out loud.” 4 “Do I get points for making you cry?” 5 “Sure, Jake.” I tried to smile. “As many as you want.” 6 “Don’t worry, Bella, honey. It’s all going to work out.” 7 “I don’t see how,” I muttered. 8 He patted the top of my head. “I’m going to give in 9 and be good.” 10 “More games?” I wondered, tilting my chin so that I 11 could see his face. 12 “Maybe.” He laughed with a bit of effort, and then 13 winced. “But I’m going to try.” 14 I frowned. 15 “Don’t be so pessimistic,” he complained. “Give me a 16 little credit.” 17 “What do you mean by ‘be good’?” 18 “I’ll be your friend, Bella,” he said quietly. “I won’t ask 19 for more than that.” 20 “I think it’s too late for that, Jake. How can we be 21 friends, when we love each other like this?” 22 He looked at the ceiling, his stare intent, as if he were 23 reading something that was written there. “Maybe...it 24 will have to be a long-distance friendship.” 25 I clenched my teeth together, glad he wasn’t looking 26 at my face, ﬁghting against the sobs that threatened to 27 overtake me again. I needed to be strong, and I had no 28 idea how.... 29 sh “You know that story in the Bible?” Jacob asked 30 reg

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1 suddenly, still reading the blank ceiling. “The one with 2 the king and the two women ﬁghting over the baby?” 3 “Sure. King Solomon.” 4 “That’s right. King Solomon,” he repeated. “And he 5 said, cut the kid in half...but it was only a test. Just to 6 see who would give up their share to protect it.” 7 “Yeah, I remember.” 8 He looked back at my face. “I’m not going to cut you 9 in half anymore, Bella.” 10 I understood what he was saying. He was telling me 11 that he loved me the most, that his surrender proved it. I 12 wanted to defend Edward, to tell Jacob how Edward 13 would do the same thing if I wanted, if I would let him. I 14 was the one who wouldn’t renounce my claim there. But 15 there was no point in starting an argument that would 16 only hurt him more. 17 I closed my eyes, willing myself to control the pain. I 18 couldn’t impose that on him. 19 We were quiet for a moment. He seemed to be waiting 20 for me to say something; I was trying to think of some- 21 thing to say. 22 “Can I tell you what the worst part is?” he asked hesi- 23 tantly when I said nothing. “Do you mind? I am going to 24 be good.” 25 “Will it help?” I whispered. 26 “It might. It couldn’t hurt.” 27 “What’s the worst part, then?” 28 “The worse part is knowing what would have been.” sh 29 “What might have been.” I sighed. reg 30

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“No.” Jacob shook his head. “I’m exactly right for you, 1 Bella. It would have been effortless for us — comfortable, 2 easy as breathing. I was the natural path your life would 3 have taken. . . .” He stared into space for a moment, and I 4 waited. “If the world was the way it was supposed to be, if 5 there were no monsters and no magic...” 6 I could see what he saw, and I knew that he was right. 7 If the world was the sane place it was supposed to be, Ja- 8 cob and I would have been together. And we would have 9 been happy. He was my soul mate in that world — would 10 have been my soul mate still if his claim had not been 11 overshadowed by something stronger, something so 12 strong that it could not exist in a rational world. 13 Was it out there for Jacob, too? Something that would 14 trump a soul mate? I had to believe that it was. 15 Two futures, two soul mates...too much for any one 16 person. And so unfair that I wouldn’t be the only one to 17 pay for it. Jacob’s pain seemed too high a price. Cringing 18 at the thought of that price, I wondered if I would have 19 wavered, if I hadn’t lost Edward once. If I didn’t know 20 what it was like to live without him. I wasn’t sure. That 21 knowledge was so deep a part of me, I couldn’t imagine 22 how I would feel without it. 23 “He’s like a drug for you, Bella.” His voice was still 24 gentle, not at all critical. “I see that you can’t live without 25 him now. It’s too late. But I would have been healthier for 26 you. Not a drug; I would have been the air, the sun.” 27 The corner of my mouth turned up in a wistful half- 28 smile. “I used to think of you that way, you know. Like the 29 sh 30 reg

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1 sun. My personal sun. You balanced out the clouds nicely 2 for me.” 3 He sighed. “The clouds I can handle. But I can’t fight 4 with an eclipse.” 5 I touched his face, laying my hand against his cheek. 6 He exhaled at my touch and closed his eyes. It was very 7 quiet. For a minute I could hear the beating of his heart, 8 slow and even. 9 “Tell me the worst part for you,” he whispered. 10 “I think that might be a bad idea.” 11 “Please.” 12 “I think it will hurt.” 13 “Please.” 14 How could I deny him anything at this point? 15 “The worst part . . .” I hesitated, and then let words 16 spill out in a flood of truth. “The worst part is that I saw 17 the whole thing — our whole life. And I want it bad, 18 Jake, I want it all. I want to stay right here and never 19 move. I want to love you and make you happy. And I can’t, 20 and it’s killing me. It’s like Sam and Emily, Jake — I 21 never had a choice. I always knew nothing would change. 22 Maybe that’s why I was fighting against you so hard.” 23 He seemed to be concentrating on breathing evenly. 24 “I knew I shouldn’t have told you that.” 25 He shook his head slowly. “No. I’m glad you did. 26 Thank you.” He kissed the top of my head, and then he 27 sighed. “I’ll be good now.” 28 I looked up, and he was smiling. sh 29 “So you’re going to get married, huh?” reg 30 “We don’t have to talk about that.”

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“I’d like to know some of the details. I don’t know 1 when I’ll talk to you again.” 2 I had to wait for a minute before I could speak. When 3 I was pretty sure that my voice wouldn’t break, I answered 4 his question. 5 “It’s not really my idea...but, yes. It means a lot to 6 him. I ﬁgure, why not?” 7 Jake nodded. “That’s true. It’s not such a big thing — 8 in comparison.” 9 His voice was very calm, very practical. I stared at him, 10 curious about how he was managing, and that ruined it. 11 He met my eyes for a second, and then twisted his head 12 away. I waited to speak until his breathing was under con- 13 trol. 14 “Yes. In comparison,” I agreed. 15 “How long do you have left?” 16 “That depends on how long it takes Alice to pull a 17 wedding together.” I suppressed a groan, imagining what 18 Alice would do. 19 “Before or after?” he asked quietly. 20 I knew what he meant. “After.” 21 He nodded. This was a relief to him. I wondered how 22 many sleepless nights the thought of my graduation had 23 given him. 24 “Are you scared?” he whispered. 25 “Yes,” I whispered back. 26 “What are you afraid of?” I could barely hear his voice 27 now. He stared down at my hands. 28 “Lots of things.” I worked to make my voice lighter, 29 sh but I stayed honest. “I’ve never been much of a masochist, 30 reg

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1 so I’m not looking forward to the pain. And I wish there 2 was some way to keep him away — I don’t want him to 3 suffer with me, but I don’t think there’s any way around it. 4 There’s dealing with Charlie, too, and Renée....And 5 then afterward, I hope I’ll be able to control myself soon. 6 Maybe I’ll be such a menace that the pack will have to take 7 me out.” 8 He looked up with a disapproving expression. “I’d 9 hamstring any one of my brothers who tried.” 10 “Thanks.” 11 He smiled halfheartedly. Then he frowned. “But isn’t it 12 more dangerous than that? In all of the stories, they say it’s 13 too hard...they lose control...people die. . . .” He 14 gulped. 15 “No, I’m not afraid of that. Silly Jacob — don’t you 16 know better than to believe vampire stories?” 17 He obviously didn’t appreciate my attempt at humor. 18 “Well, anyway, lots to worry about. But worth it, in 19 the end.” 20 He nodded unwillingly, and I knew that he in no way 21 agreed with me. 22 I stretched my neck up to whisper in his ear, laying my 23 cheek against his warm skin. “You know I love you.” 24 “I know,” he breathed, his arm tightening automati- 25 cally around my waist. “You know how much I wish it was 26 enough.” 27 “Yes.” 28 “I’ll always be waiting in the wings, Bella,” he prom- sh 29 ised, lightening his tone and loosening his arm. I pulled reg 30

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away with a dull, dragging sense of loss, feeling the tear- 1 ing separation as I left a part of me behind, there on the 2 bed next to him. “You’ll always have that spare option if 3 you want it.” 4 I made an effort to smile. “Until my heart stops 5 beating.” 6 He grinned back. “You know, I think maybe I’d still 7 take you — maybe. I guess that depends on how much 8 you stink.” 9 “Should I come back to see you? Or would you rather I 10 didn’t?” 11 “I’ll think it through and get back to you,” he said. “I 12 might need the company to keep from going crazy. The 13 vampire surgeon extraordinaire says I can’t phase until he 14 gives the okay — it might mess up the way the bones are 15 set.” Jacob made a face. 16 “Be good and do what Carlisle tells you to do. You’ll 17 get well faster.” 18 “Sure, sure.” 19 “I wonder when it will happen,” I said. “When the 20 right girl is going to catch your eye.” 21 “Don’t get your hopes up, Bella.” Jacob’s voice was 22 abruptly sour. “Though I’m sure it would be a relief 23 for you.” 24 “Maybe, maybe not. I probably won’t think she’s good 25 enough for you. I wonder how jealous I’ll be.” 26 “That part might be kind of fun,” he admitted. 27 “Let me know if you want me to come back, and I’ll be 28 here,” I promised. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 With a sigh, he turned his cheek toward me. 2 I leaned in and kissed his face softly. “Love you, Jacob.” 3 He laughed lightly. “Love you more.” 4 He watched me walk out of his room with an unfath- 5 omable expression in his black eyes. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 sh 29 reg 30

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 27. NEEDS 15 16 17 I didn’t get very far before driving became impos- 18 sible. 19 When I couldn’t see anymore, I let my tires ﬁnd the 20 rough shoulder and rolled slowly to a stop. I slumped over 21 on the seat and allowed the weakness I’d fought in Jacob’s 22 room crush me. It was worse that I’d thought — the force 23 of it took me by surprise. Yes, I had been right to hide this 24 from Jacob. No one should ever see this. 25 But I wasn’t alone for very long — just exactly long 26 enough for Alice to see me here, and then the few minutes 27 it took him to arrive. The door creaked open, and he 28 pulled me into his arms. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 At first it was worse. Because there was that smaller 2 part of me — smaller, but getting louder and angrier every 3 minute, screaming at the rest of me — that craved a dif- 4 ferent set of arms. So then there was fresh guilt to season 5 the pain. 6 He didn’t say anything, he just let me sob until I began 7 to blubber out Charlie’s name. 8 “Are you really ready to go home?” he asked doubt- 9 fully. 10 I managed to convey, after several attempts, that it 11 wasn’t going to get any better anytime soon. I needed to 12 get past Charlie before it got late enough for him to call 13 Billy. 14 So he drove me home — for once not even getting 15 close to my truck’s internal speed limit — keeping one 16 arm wrapped tightly around me. The whole way, I fought 17 for control. It seemed to be a doomed effort at first, but I 18 didn’t give up. Just a few seconds, I told myself. Just time 19 for a few excuses, or a few lies, and then I could break 20 down again. I had to be able to do that much. I scrambled 21 around in my head, searching desperately for a reserve of 22 strength. 23 There was just enough for me to quiet the sobs — hold 24 them back but not end them. The tears didn’t slow. I 25 couldn’t seem to find any handle to even begin to work 26 with those. 27 “Wait for me upstairs,” I mumbled when we were in 28 front of the house. sh 29 He hugged me closer for one minute, and then he was reg 30 gone.

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Once inside, I headed straight for the stairs. 1 “Bella?” Charlie called after me from his usual place on 2 the sofa as I walked by. 3 I turned to look at him without speaking. His eyes 4 bugged wide, and he lurched to his feet. 5 “What happened? Is Jacob...?” he demanded. 6 I shook my head furiously, trying to find my voice. 7 “He’s fine, he’s fine,” I promised, my voice low and husky. 8 And Jacob was fine, physically, which is all Charlie was 9 worried about at the moment. 10 “But what happened?” He grabbed my shoulders, his 11 eyes still anxious and wide. “What happened to you?” 12 I must look worse than I’d imagined. 13 “Nothing, Dad. I...just had to talk to Jacob about . . . 14 some things that were hard. I’m fine.” 15 The anxiety calmed, and was replaced by disapproval. 16 “Was this really the best time?” he asked. 17 “Probably not, Dad, but I didn’t have any alternatives — 18 it just got to the point where I had to choose....Some- 19 times, there isn’t any way to compromise.” 20 He shook his head slowly. “How did he handle it?” 21 I didn’t answer. 22 He looked at my face for a minute, and then nodded. 23 That must have been answer enough. 24 “I hope you didn’t mess up his recovery.” 25 “He’s a quick healer,” I mumbled. 26 Charlie sighed. 27 I could feel the control slipping. 28 “I’ll be in my room,” I told him, shrugging out from 29 sh underneath his hands. 30 reg

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1 “’Kay,” Charlie agreed. He could probably see the 2 waterworks starting to escalate. Nothing scared Charlie 3 worse than tears. 4 I made my way to my room, blind and stumbling. 5 Once inside, I fought with the clasp on my bracelet, 6 trying to undo it with shaking ﬁngers. 7 “No, Bella,” Edward whispered, capturing my hands. 8 “It’s part of who you are.” 9 He pulled me into the cradle of his arms as the sobs 10 broke free again. 11 This longest of days seemed to stretch on and on and 12 on. I wondered if it would ever end. 13 But, though the night dragged relentlessly, it was not 14 the worst night of my life. I took comfort from that. And 15 I was not alone. There was a great deal of comfort in 16 that, too. 17 Charlie’s fear of emotional outbursts kept him from 18 checking on me, though I was not quiet — he probably 19 got no more sleep than I did. 20 My hindsight seemed unbearably clear tonight. I could 21 see every mistake I’d made, every bit of harm I’d done, the 22 small things and the big things. Each pain I’d caused Ja- 23 cob, each wound I’d given Edward, stacked up into neat 24 piles that I could not ignore or deny. 25 And I realized that I’d been wrong all along about the 26 magnets. It had not been Edward and Jacob that I’d been 27 trying to force together, it was the two parts of myself, Ed- 28 ward’s Bella and Jacob’s Bella. But they could not exist to- sh 29 gether, and I never should have tried. reg 30

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I’d done so much damage. 1 At some point in the night, I remembered the promise 2 I’d made to myself early this morning — that I would 3 never make Edward see me shed another tear for Jacob 4 Black. The thought brought on a round of hysteria which 5 frightened Edward more than the weeping. But it passed, 6 too, when it had run its course. 7 Edward said little; he just held me on the bed and let 8 me ruin his shirt, staining it with salt water. 9 It took longer than I thought it would for that smaller, 10 broken part of me to cry herself out. It happened, though, 11 and I was eventually exhausted enough to sleep. Uncon- 12 sciousness did not bring full relief from the pain, just a 13 numbing, dulling ease, like medicine. Made it more bear- 14 able. But it was still there; I was aware of it, even asleep, 15 and that helped me to make the adjustments I needed 16 to make. 17 The morning brought with it, if not a brighter out- 18 look, as least a measure of control, some acceptance. In- 19 stinctively, I knew that the new tear in my heart would 20 always ache. That was just going to be a part of me now. 21 Time would make it easier — that’s what everyone always 22 said. But I didn’t care if time healed me or not, so long as 23 Jacob could get better. Could be happy again. 24 When I woke up, there was no disorientation. I opened 25 my eyes — ﬁnally dry — and met his anxious gaze. 26 “Hey,” I said. My voice was hoarse. I cleared my throat. 27 He didn’t answer. He watched me, waiting for it to start. 28 “No, I’m ﬁne,” I promised. “That won’t happen again.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 His eyes tightened at my words. 2 “I’m sorry that you had to see that,” I said. “That 3 wasn’t fair to you.” 4 He put his hands on either side of my face. 5 “Bella...are you sure? Did you make the right choice? 6 I’ve never seen you in so much pain —” His voice broke 7 on the last word. 8 But I had known worse pain. 9 I touched his lips. “Yes.” 10 “I don’t know. . . .” His brow creased. “If it hurts you 11 so much, how can it possibly be the right thing for you?” 12 “Edward, I know who I can’t live without.” 13 “But...” 14 I shook my head. “You don’t understand. You may be 15 brave enough or strong enough to live without me, if that’s 16 what’s best. But I could never be that self-sacrificing. I 17 have to be with you. It’s the only way I can live.” 18 He still looked dubious. I should never have let him 19 stay with me last night. But I had needed him so much. . . . 20 “Hand me that book, will you?” I asked, pointing over 21 his shoulder. 22 His eyebrows pulled together in confusion, but he gave 23 it to me quickly. 24 “This again?” he asked. 25 “I just wanted to find this one part I remembered... 26 to see how she said it. . . .” I flipped through the book, 27 finding the page I wanted easily. The corner was dog-eared 28 from the many times I’d stopped here. “Cathy’s a monster, sh 29 but there were a few things she got right,” I muttered. I reg 30

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read the lines quietly, mostly to myself. “‘If all else per- 1 ished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and 2 if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe 3 would turn to a mighty stranger.’” I nodded, again to my- 4 self. “I know exactly what she means. And I know who I 5 can’t live without.” 6 Edward took the book from my hands and ﬂipped it 7 across the room — it landed with a light thud on my desk. 8 He wrapped his arms around my waist. 9 A small smile lit his perfect face, though worry still 10 lined his forehead. “Heathcliff had his moments, too,” he 11 said. He didn’t need the book to get it word perfect. He 12 pulled me closer and whispered in my ear, “‘I cannot live 13 without my life! I cannot live without my soul!’” 14 “Yes,” I said quietly. “That’s my point.” 15 “Bella, I can’t stand for you to be miserable. 16 Maybe...” 17 “No, Edward. I’ve made a real mess of things, and I’m 18 going to have to live with that. But I know what I want 19 and what I need...and what I’m going to do now.” 20 “What are we going to do now?” 21 I smiled just a bit at his correction, and then I sighed. 22 “We are going to go see Alice.” 23 24 Alice was on the bottom porch step, too hyper to wait for 25 us inside. She looked about to break into a celebration 26 dance, so excited was she about the news she knew I was 27 there to deliver. 28 “Thank you, Bella!” she sang as we got out of the truck. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 “Hold it, Alice,” I warned her, lifting a hand up to halt 2 her glee. “I’ve got a few limitations for you.” 3 “I know, I know, I know. I only have until August thir- 4 teenth at the latest, you have veto power on the guest list, 5 and if I go overboard on anything, you’ll never speak to 6 me again.” 7 “Oh, okay. Well, yeah. You know the rules, then.” 8 “Don’t worry, Bella, it will be perfect. Do you want to 9 see your dress?” 10 I had to take a few deep breaths. Whatever makes her 11 happy, I said to myself. 12 “Sure.” 13 Alice’s smile was smug. 14 “Um, Alice,” I said, keeping the casual, unrufﬂed tone 15 in my voice. “When did you get me a dress?” 16 It probably wasn’t much of a show. Edward squeezed 17 my hand. 18 Alice led the way inside, heading for the stairs. “These 19 things take time, Bella,” Alice explained. Her tone 20 seemed...evasive. “I mean, I wasn’t sure things were 21 going to turn out this way, but there was a distinct possi- 22 bility....” 23 “When?” I asked again. 24 “Perrine Bruyere has a waiting list, you know,” she 25 said, defensive now. “Fabric masterpieces don’t happen 26 overnight. If I hadn’t thought ahead, you’d be wearing 27 something off the rack!” 28 It didn’t look like I was going to get a straight answer. sh 29 “Per — who?” reg 30

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“He’s not a major designer, Bella, so there’s no need to 1 throw a hissy ﬁt. He’s got promise, though, and he special- 2 izes in what I needed.” 3 “I’m not throwing a ﬁt.” 4 “No, you’re not.” She eyed my calm face suspiciously. 5 Then, as we walked into her room, she turned on Edward. 6 “You — out.” 7 “Why?” I demanded. 8 “Bella,” she groaned. “You know the rules. He’s not 9 supposed to see the dress till the day of.” 10 I took another deep breath. “It doesn’t matter to me. 11 And you know he’s already seen it in your head. But if 12 that’s how you want it....” 13 She shoved Edward back out the door. He didn’t even 14 look at her — his eyes were on me, wary, afraid to leave 15 me alone. 16 I nodded, hoping my expression was tranquil enough 17 to reassure him. 18 Alice shut the door in his face. 19 “All right!” she muttered. “C’mon.” 20 She grabbed my wrist and towed me to her closet — 21 which was bigger than my bedroom — and then dragged 22 me to the back corner, where a long white garment bag 23 had a rack all to itself. 24 She unzipped the bag in one sweeping movement, and 25 then slipped it carefully off the hanger. She took a step 26 back, holding her hand out to the dress like she was a 27 game show hostess. 28 “Well?” she asked breathlessly. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 I appraised it for a long moment, playing with her a 2 bit. Her expression turned worried. 3 “Ah,” I said, and I smiled, letting her relax. “I see.” 4 “What do you think?” she demanded. 5 It was my Anne of Green Gables vision all over again. 6 “It’s perfect, of course. Exactly right. You’re a genius.” 7 She grinned. “I know.” 8 “Nineteen-eighteen?” I guessed. 9 “More or less,” she said, nodding. “Some of it is my de- 10 sign, the train, the veil. . . .” She touched the white satin 11 as she spoke. “The lace is vintage. Do you like it?” 12 “It’s beautiful. It’s just right for him.” 13 “But is it just right for you?” she insisted. 14 “Yes, I think it is, Alice. I think it’s just what I need. I 15 know you’ll do a great job with this...if you can keep 16 yourself in check.” 17 She beamed. 18 “Can I see your dress?” I asked. 19 She blinked, her face blank. 20 “Didn’t you order your bridesmaid dress at the same 21 time? I wouldn’t want my maid of honor to wear some- 22 thing off the rack.” I pretended to wince in horror. 23 She threw her arms around my waist. “Thank you, Bella!” 24 “How could you not see that one coming?” I teased, 25 kissing her spiky hair. “Some psychic you are!” 26 Alice danced back, and her face was bright with fresh 27 enthusiasm. “I’ve got so much to do! Go play with Ed- 28 ward. I have to get to work.” sh 29 She dashed out of the room, yelling, “Esme!” as she dis- reg 30 appeared.

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I followed at my own pace. Edward was waiting for me 1 in the hallway, leaning against the wood-paneled wall. 2 “That was very, very nice of you,” he told me. 3 “She seems happy,” I agreed. 4 He touched my face; his eyes — too dark, it had been 5 so long since he’d left me — searched my expression mi- 6 nutely. 7 “Let’s get out of here,” he suddenly suggested. “Let’s go 8 to our meadow.” 9 It sounded very appealing. “I guess I don’t have to hide 10 out anymore, do I?” 11 “No. The danger is behind us.” 12 He was quiet, thoughtful, as he ran. The wind blew on 13 my face, warmer now that the storm had really passed. 14 The clouds covered the sky, the way they usually did. 15 The meadow was a peaceful, happy place today. Patches 16 of summer daisies interrupted the grass with splashes of 17 white and yellow. I lay back, ignoring the slight dampness 18 of the ground, and looked for pictures in the clouds. They 19 were too even, too smooth. No pictures, just a soft, gray 20 blanket. 21 Edward lay next to me and held my hand. 22 “August thirteenth?” he asked casually after a few min- 23 utes of comfortable silence. 24 “That gives me a month till my birthday. I didn’t want 25 to cut it too close.” 26 He sighed. “Esme is three years older than Carlisle — 27 technically. Did you know that?” 28 I shook my head. 29 sh “It hasn’t made any difference to them.” 30 reg

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1 My voice was serene, a counterpoint to his anxiety. “My 2 age is not really that important. Edward, I’m ready. I’ve 3 chosen my life — now I want to start living it.” 4 He stroked my hair. “The guest list veto?” 5 “I don’t care really, but I . . .” I hesitated, not wanting 6 to explain this one. Best to get it over with. “I’m not sure 7 if Alice would feel the need to invite...a few were- 8 wolves. I don’t know if...Jake would feel like...like he 9 should come. Like that’s the right thing to do, or that I’d 10 get my feelings hurt if he didn’t. He shouldn’t have to go 11 through that.” 12 Edward was quiet for a minute. I stared at the tips of 13 the treetops, almost black against the light gray of the sky. 14 Suddenly, Edward grabbed me around the waist and 15 pulled me onto his chest. 16 “Tell me why you’re doing this, Bella. Why did you 17 decide, now, to give Alice free reign?” 18 I repeated for him the conversation I had with Charlie 19 last night before I’d gone to see Jacob. 20 “It wouldn’t be fair to keep Charlie out of this,” I con- 21 cluded. “And that means Renée and Phil. I might as well 22 let Alice have her fun, too. Maybe it will make the whole 23 thing easier for Charlie if he gets his proper goodbye. Even 24 if he thinks it’s much too early, I wouldn’t want to cheat 25 him out of the chance to walk me down the aisle.” I gri- 26 maced at the words, then took another deep breath. “At 27 least my mom and dad and my friends will know the best 28 part of my choice, the most I’m allowed to tell them. sh 29 They’ll know I chose you, and they’ll know we’re together. reg 30

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They’ll know I’m happy, wherever I am. I think that’s the 1 best I can do for them.” 2 Edward held my face, searching it for a brief time. 3 “Deal’s off,” he said abruptly. 4 “What?” I gasped. “You’re backing out? No!” 5 “I’m not backing out, Bella. I’ll still keep my side of 6 the bargain. But you’re off the hook. Whatever you want, 7 no strings attached.” 8 “Why?” 9 “Bella, I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to make 10 everyone else happy. And I don’t care about anyone else’s 11 feelings. I only need you to be happy. Don’t worry about 12 breaking the news to Alice. I’ll take care of it. I promise 13 she won’t make you feel guilty.” 14 “But I —” 15 “No. We’re doing this your way. Because my way 16 doesn’t work. I call you stubborn, but look at what I’ve 17 done. I’ve clung with such idiotic obstinacy to my idea of 18 what’s best for you, though it’s only hurt you. Hurt you 19 so deeply, time and time again. I don’t trust myself any- 20 more. You can have happiness your way. My way is always 21 wrong. So.” He shifted under me, squaring his shoulders. 22 “We’re doing it your way, Bella. Tonight. Today. The sooner 23 the better. I’ll speak to Carlisle. I was thinking that maybe 24 if we gave you enough morphine, it wouldn’t be so bad. 25 It’s worth a try.” He gritted his teeth. 26 “Edward, no —” 27 He put his ﬁnger to my lips. “Don’t worry, Bella, love. 28 I haven’t forgotten the rest of your demands.” 29 sh 30 reg

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1 His hands were in my hair, his lips moving softly — 2 but very seriously — against mine, before I realized what 3 he was saying. What he was doing. 4 There wasn’t much time to act. If I waited too long, I 5 wouldn’t be able to remember why I needed to stop him. 6 Already, I couldn’t breathe right. My hands were gripping 7 his arms, pulling myself tighter to him, my mouth glued 8 to his and answering every unspoken question his asked. 9 I tried to clear my head, to ﬁnd a way to speak. 10 He rolled gently, pressing me into the cool grass. 11 Oh, never mind! my less noble side exulted. My head was 12 full of the sweetness of his breath. 13 No, no, no, I argued with myself. I shook my head, and 14 his mouth moved to my neck, giving me a chance to 15 breathe. 16 “Stop, Edward. Wait.” My voice was as weak as my will. 17 “Why?” he whispered into the hollow of my throat. 18 I labored to put some resolve into my tone. “I don’t 19 want to do this now.” 20 “Don’t you?” he asked, a smile in his voice. He moved 21 his lips back to mine and made speaking impossible. 22 Heat coursed through my veins, burning where my skin 23 touched his. 24 I made myself focus. It took a great deal of effort just to 25 force my hands to free themselves from his hair, to move 26 them to his chest. But I did it. And then I shoved against 27 him, trying to push him away. I could not succeed alone, 28 but he responded as I knew he would. sh 29 He pulled back a few inches to look at me, and his eyes reg 30

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did nothing to help my resolve. They were black fire. They 1 smoldered. 2 “Why?” he asked again, his voice low and rough. “I 3 love you. I want you. Right now.” 4 The butterflies in my stomach flooded my throat. He 5 took advantage of my speechlessness. 6 “Wait, wait,” I tried to say around his lips. 7 “Not for me,” he murmured in disagreement. 8 “Please?” I gasped. 9 He groaned, and pushed himself away from me, rolling 10 onto his back again. 11 We both lay there for a minute, trying to slow our 12 breathing. 13 “Tell me why not, Bella,” he demanded. “This had bet- 14 ter not be about me.” 15 Everything in my world was about him. What a silly 16 thing to expect. 17 “Edward, this is very important to me. I am going to do 18 this right.” 19 “Who’s definition of right?” 20 “Mine.” 21 He rolled onto his elbow and stared at me, his expres- 22 sion disapproving. 23 “How are you going to do this right?” 24 I took a deep breath. “Responsibly. Everything in the 25 right order. I will not leave Charlie and Renée without the 26 best resolution I can give them. I won’t deny Alice her 27 fun, if I’m having a wedding anyway. And I will tie myself 28 to you in every human way, before I ask you to make me 29 sh 30 reg

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1 immortal. I’m following all the rules, Edward. Your soul 2 is far, far too important to me to take chances with. You’re 3 not going to budge me on this.” 4 “I’ll bet I could,” he murmured, his eyes burning again. 5 “But you wouldn’t,” I said, trying to keep my voice 6 level. “Not knowing that this is what I really need.” 7 “You don’t fight fair,” he accused. 8 I grinned at him. “Never said I did.” 9 He smiled back, wistful. “If you change your mind . . .” 10 “You’ll be the first to know,” I promised. 11 The rain started to drip through the clouds just then, a 12 few scattered drops that made faint thuds as they struck 13 the grass. 14 I glowered at the sky. 15 “I’ll get you home.” He brushed the tiny beads of wa- 16 ter from my cheeks. 17 “Rain’s not the problem,” I grumbled. “It just means 18 that it’s time to go do something that will be very un- 19 pleasant and possibly even highly dangerous.” 20 His eyes widened in alarm. 21 “It’s a good thing you’re bulletproof.” I sighed. “I’m 22 going to need that ring. It’s time to tell Charlie.” 23 He laughed at the expression on my face. “Highly dan- 24 gerous,” he agreed. He laughed again and then reached 25 into the pocket of his jeans. “But as least there’s no need 26 for a side trip.” 27 He once again slid my ring into place on the third fin- 28 ger of my left hand. sh 29 Where it would stay — conceivably for the rest of reg 30 eternity.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 EPILOGUE — CHOICE 15 16 17 Jacob Black 18 19 “Jacob, do you think this is going to take too much 20 longer?” Leah demanded. Impatient. Whiney. 21 My teeth clenched together. 22 Like anyone in the pack, Leah knew everything. She 23 knew why I came here — to the very edge of the earth and 24 sky and sea. To be alone. She knew that this was all I 25 wanted. Just to be alone. 26 But Leah was going to force her company on me, 27 anyway. 28 Besides being crazy annoyed, I did feel smug for a 29 sh brief second. Because I didn’t even have to think about 30 reg

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1 controlling my temper. It was easy now, something I just 2 did, natural. The red haze didn’t wash over my eyes. The 3 heat didn’t shiver down my spine. My voice was calm 4 when I answered. 5 “Jump off a cliff, Leah.” I pointed to the one at my feet. 6 “Really, kid.” She ignored me, throwing herself into a 7 sprawl on the ground next to me. “You have no idea how 8 hard this is for me.” 9 “For you?” It took me a minute to believe she was seri- 10 ous. “You have to be the most self-absorbed person alive, 11 Leah. I’d hate to shatter the dream world you live in — 12 the one where the sun is orbiting the place where you 13 stand — so I won’t tell you how little I care what your 14 problem is. Go. Away.” 15 “Just look at this from my perspective for a minute, 16 okay?” she continued as if I hadn’t said anything. 17 If she was trying to break my mood, it worked. I 18 started laughing. The sound hurt in strange ways. 19 “Stop snorting and pay attention,” she snapped. 20 “If I pretend to listen, will you leave?” I asked, glanc- 21 ing over at the permanent scowl on her face. I wasn’t sure 22 if she had any other expressions anymore. 23 I remembered back to when I used to think that Leah 24 was pretty, maybe even beautiful. That was a long time 25 ago. No one thought of her that way now. Except for Sam. 26 He was never going to forgive himself. Like it was his 27 fault that she’d turned into this bitter harpy. 28 Her scowl heated up, as if she could guess what I was sh 29 thinking. Probably could. reg 30 “This is making me sick, Jacob. Can you imagine what

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this feels like to me? I don’t even like Bella Swan. And 1 you’ve got me grieving over this leech-lover like I’m in 2 love with her, too. Can you see where that might be a lit- 3 tle confusing? I dreamed about kissing her last night! 4 What the hell am I supposed to do with that?” 5 “Do I care?” 6 “I can’t stand being in your head anymore! Get over her 7 already! She’s going to marry that thing. He’s going to try 8 to change her into one of them! Time to move on, boy.” 9 “Shut up,” I growled. 10 It would be wrong to strike back. I knew that. I was 11 biting my tongue. But she’d be sorry if she didn’t walk 12 away. Now. 13 “He’ll probably just kill her anyway,” Leah said. Sneer- 14 ing. “All the stories say that happens more often than not. 15 Maybe a funeral will be better closure than a wedding. Ha.” 16 This time I had to work. I closed my eyes and fought 17 the hot taste in my mouth. I pushed and shoved against 18 the slide of ﬁre down my back, wrestling to keep my shape 19 together while my body tried to shake apart. 20 When I was in control again, I glowered at her. She was 21 watching my hands as the tremors slowed. Smiling. 22 Some joke. 23 “If you’re upset about gender confusion, Leah...,” I 24 said. Slow, emphasizing each word. “How do you think 25 the rest of us like looking at Sam through your eyes? It’s 26 bad enough that Emily has to deal with your ﬁxation. She 27 doesn’t need us guys panting after him, too.” 28 Pissed as I was, I still felt guilty when I watched the 29 sh spasm of pain shoot across her face. 30 reg

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1 She scrambled to her feet — pausing only to spit in my 2 direction — and ran for the trees, vibrating like a tuning 3 fork. 4 I laughed darkly. “You missed.” 5 Sam was going to give me hell for that, but it was 6 worth it. Leah wouldn’t bug me anymore. And I’d do it 7 again if I had the chance. 8 Because her words were still there, scratching them- 9 selves into my brain, the pain of it so strong that I could 10 hardly breathe. 11 It didn’t matter so much that Bella’d chosen someone 12 else over me. That agony was nothing at all. That agony 13 I could live with for the rest of my stupid, too long, 14 stretched-out life. 15 But it did matter that she was giving up everything — 16 that she was letting her heart stop and her skin ice over 17 and her mind twist into some crystallized predator’s head. 18 A monster. A stranger. 19 I would have thought there was nothing worse than 20 that, nothing more painful in the whole world. 21 But, if he killed her... 22 Again, I had to ﬁght the rage. Maybe, if not for Leah, it 23 would be good to let the heat change me into a creature 24 who could deal with it better. A creature with instincts so 25 much stronger than human emotions. An animal who 26 couldn’t feel pain in the same way. A different pain. Some 27 variety, at least. But Leah was running now, and I didn’t 28 want to share her thoughts. I cussed her under my breath sh 29 for taking away that escape, too. reg 30 My hands were shaking in spite of me. What shook

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them? Anger? Agony? I wasn’t sure what I was ﬁghting 1 now. 2 I had to believe that Bella would survive. But that re- 3 quired trust — a trust I didn’t want to feel, a trust in that 4 bloodsucker’s ability to keep her alive. 5 She would be different, and I wondered how that 6 would affect me. Would it be the same as if she had died, 7 to see her standing there like a stone? Like ice? When her 8 scent burned in my nostrils and triggered the instinct to 9 rip, to tear...How would that be? Could I want to kill 10 her? Could I not want to kill one of them? 11 I watched the swells roll toward the beach. They disap- 12 peared from sight under the edge of the cliff, but I heard 13 them beat against the sand. I watched them until it was 14 late, long after dark. 15 Going home was probably a bad idea. But I was hun- 16 gry, and I couldn’t think of another plan. 17 I made a face as I pulled my arm through the retarded 18 sling and grabbed my crutches. If only Charlie hadn’t seen 19 me that day and spread the word of my “motorcycle acci- 20 dent.” Stupid props. I hated them. 21 Going hungry started to look better when I walked in 22 the house and got a look at my dad’s face. He had some- 23 thing on his mind. It was easy to tell — he always overdid 24 it. Acted all casual. 25 He also talked too much. He was rambling about his 26 day before I could get to the table. He never jabbered like 27 this unless there was something that he didn’t want to say. 28 I ignored him as best I could, concentrating on the food. 29 sh The faster I choked it down... 30 reg

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1 “. . . and Sue stopped by today.” My dad’s voice was 2 loud. Hard to ignore. As always. “Amazing woman. She’s 3 tougher than grizzlies, that one. I don’t know how she 4 deals with that daughter of hers, though. Now Sue, she 5 would have made one hell of a wolf. Leah’s more of a 6 wolverine.” He chuckled at his own joke. 7 He waited brieﬂy for my response, but didn’t seem to 8 see my blank, bored-out-of-my-mind expression. Most 9 days that bugged him. I wished he would shut up about 10 Leah. I was trying not to think about her. 11 “Seth’s a lot easier. Of course, you were easier than your 12 sisters, too, until...well, you have more to deal with 13 than they did.” 14 I sighed, long and deep, and stared out the window. 15 Billy was quiet for a second too long. “We got a letter 16 today.” 17 I could tell that this was the subject he’d been avoiding. 18 “A letter?” 19 “A...wedding invitation.” 20 Every muscle in my body locked into place. A feather 21 of heat seemed to brush down my back. I held onto the 22 table to keep my hands steady. 23 Billy went on like he hadn’t noticed. “There’s a note in- 24 side that’s addressed to you. I didn’t read it.” 25 He pulled a thick ivory envelope from where it was 26 wedged between his leg and the side of his wheelchair. He 27 laid it on the table between us. 28 “You probably don’t need to read it. Doesn’t really sh 29 matter what it says.” reg 30

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Stupid reverse psychology. I yanked the envelope off 1 the table. 2 It was some heavy, stiff paper. Expensive. Too fancy for 3 Forks. The card inside was the same, too done-up and for- 4 mal. Bella’d had nothing to do with this. There was no 5 sign of her personal taste in the layers of see-through, 6 petal-printed pages. I’d bet she didn’t like it at all. I didn’t 7 read the words, not even to see the date. I didn’t care. 8 There was a piece of the thick ivory paper folded in half 9 with my name handwritten in black ink on the back. I 10 didn’t recognize the handwriting, but it was as fancy as 11 the rest of it. For half a second, I wondered if the blood- 12 sucker was into gloating. 13 I ﬂipped it open. 14 15 Jacob, 16 17 I ’m breaking the rules by sending you this. She was 18 afraid of hurting you, and she didn’t want to make you 19 feel obligated in any way. But I know that, if things 20 had gone the other way, I would have wanted the 21 choice. 22 I promise I will take care of her, Jacob. Thank 23 you — for her — for everything. 24 25 Edward 26 27 “Jake, we only have the one table,” Billy said. He was 28 staring at my left hand. 29 sh 30 reg

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1 My fingers were clamped down on the wood hard 2 enough that it really was in danger. I loosened them one by 3 one, concentrating on that action alone, and then clenched 4 my hands together so I couldn’t break anything. 5 “Yeah, doesn’t matter anyway,” Billy muttered. 6 I got up from the table, shrugging out of my t-shirt as 7 I stood. Hopefully Leah had gone home by now. 8 “Not too late,” Billy mumbled as I punched the front 9 door out of my way. 10 I was running before I hit the trees, my clothes strewn 11 out behind me like a trail of crumbs — as if I wanted to 12 find my way back. It was almost too easy now to phase. I 13 didn’t have to think. My body already knew where I was 14 going and, before I asked it to, it gave me what I wanted. 15 I had four legs now, and I was flying. 16 The trees blurred into a sea of black flowing around 17 me. My muscles bunched and released in an effortless 18 rhythm. I could run like this for days and I would not be 19 tired. Maybe, this time, I wouldn’t stop. 20 But I wasn’t alone. 21 So sorry, Embry whispered in my head. 22 I could see through his eyes. He was far away, to the 23 north, but he had wheeled around and was racing to join 24 me. I growled and pushed myself faster. 25 Wait for us, Quil complained. He was closer, just start- 26 ing out from the village. 27 Leave me alone, I snarled. 28 I could feel their worry in my head, try hard as I might sh 29 to drown it in the sound of the wind and the forest. This reg 30 was what I hated most — seeing myself through their

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eyes, worse now that their eyes were full of pity. They saw 1 the hate, but they kept running after me. 2 A new voice sounded in my head. 3 Let him go. Sam’s thought was soft, but still an order. 4 Embry and Quil slowed to a walk. 5 If only I could stop hearing, stop seeing what they saw. 6 My head was so crowded, but the only way to be alone 7 again was to be human, and I couldn’t stand the pain. 8 Phase back, Sam directed them. I’ll pick you up, Embry. 9 First one, then another awareness faded into silence. 10 Only Sam was left. 11 Thank you, I managed to think. 12 Come home when you can. The words were faint, trailing 13 off into blank emptiness as he left, too. And I was alone. 14 So much better. Now I could hear the faint rustle of 15 the matted leaves beneath my toenails, the whisper of an 16 owl’s wings above me, the ocean — far, far in the west — 17 moaning against the beach. Hear this, and nothing more. 18 Feel nothing but speed, nothing but the pull of muscle, 19 sinew, and bone, working together in harmony as the 20 miles disappeared behind me. 21 If the silence in my head lasted, I would never go back. 22 I wouldn’t be the ﬁrst one to choose this form over the 23 other. Maybe, if I ran far enough away, I would never have 24 to hear again.... 25 I pushed my legs faster, letting Jacob Black disappear 26 behind me. 27 28 29 sh 30 reg

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Acknowledgments 1 2 I would be very remiss if I did not thank the many people 3 who helped me survive the birthing of another novel: 4 5 My parents have been my rock; I don’t know how anyone does this without a dad’s good advice and a mom’s shoulder to cry on. 6 7 My husband and sons have been incredibly long-suffering— 8 anyone else would have had me committed to an asylum long ago. 9 Thanks for keeping me around, guys. 10 My Elizabeth—Elizabeth Eulberg, publicist extraordinaire— 11 has made all the difference to my sanity both on and off the road. 12 Few people are lucky enough to work so closely with their BFF, 13 and I am eternally grateful for the wholesomeness of cheese-loving Midwestern girls. 14 15 Jodi Reamer continues to guide my career with genius and finesse. 16 It is very comforting to know that I am in such good hands. 17 It is also wonderful to have my manuscripts in the right hands. 18 Thanks to Rebecca Davis for being so in tune with the story in my head 19 and helping me find the best ways to express it. 20 Thanks to Megan Tingley, first for your unwavering faith in my work, 21 and second for polishing that work until it shines. 22 Everyone at Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers has taken such 23 amazing care of my creations. I can tell it is a true labor of love for you all, 24 and I appreciate it more than you know. Thank you Chris Murphy, Shawn Foster, 25 Andrew Smith, Stephanie Voros, Gail Doobinin, Tina McIntyre, Ames O’Neill, and the many others who have made the Twilight series a success. 26 27 I can’t believe how lucky I was to discover Lori Joffs, 28 who somehow manages to be both the fastest and the most meticulous reader 29 sh at the same time. I am thrilled to have a friend and accomplice who is so insightful, talented, and patient with my whining. 30 reg

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1 Lori Joffs again, along with Laura Cristiano, Michaela Child, and Ted Joffs, 2 for creating and maintaining the brightest star in the Twilight online universe, 3 the Twilight Lexicon. I truly appreciate all the hard work you put into providing a happy place for my fans to hang out. 4 Thanks also to my international friends at Crepusculo-es.com 5 for a site so amazing it transcends the language barrier. 6 Kudos as well to Brittany Gardener’s fabulous work 7 on the Twilight and New Moon by Stephenie Meyer MySpace Group, 8 a fan site so large that the idea of keeping track of it boggles my mind; Brittany, you amaze me. 9 Katie and Audrey, Bella Penombra is a thing of beauty. 10 Heather, the Nexus rocks. 11 I can’t mention all the amazing sites and their creators here, 12 but thank you very much to each of you.

13 Many thanks to my cold readers, Laura Cristiano, Michelle Vieira, 14 Bridget Creviston, and Kimberlee Peterson, for their invaluable input 15 and encouraging enthusiasm. 16 Every writer needs an independent bookstore for a friend; 17 I’m so grateful for my hometown supporters at Changing Hands Bookstore 18 in Tempe, Arizona, and especially to Faith Hochhalter, 19 who has brilliant taste in literature. 20 I am in your debt, rock gods of Muse, for yet another inspiring album. 21 Thank you for continuing to create my favorite writing music. 22 I am also grateful to all the other bands on my playlist 23 who help me through the writer’s block, and to my new discoveries, 24 Ok Go, Gomez, Placebo, Blue October, and Jack’s Mannequin.

25 Most of all, a gargantuan thank-you to all of my fans. 26 I ﬁrmly believe that my fans are the most attractive, intelligent, 27 exciting, and dedicated fans in the whole world. 28 I wish I could give you each a big hug and a Porsche 911 Turbo. sh 29 reg 30

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