I sighed. We were slowing, passing into the boundaries of Forks. It had
taken less than twenty minutes.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I demanded.

"Yes í¬ I have a paper due, too." He smiled. "I'll save you a seat at
lunch."

It was silly, after everything we'd been through tonight, how that little
promise sent flutters through my stomach, and made me unable to speak.

We were in front of Charlie's house. The lights were on, my truck in its
place, everything utterly normal. It was like waking from a dream. He
stopped the car, but I didn't move.

"Do you promise to be there tomorrow?"

"I promise."

I considered that for a moment, then nodded. I pulled his jacket off,
taking one last whiff.

"You can keep it í¬ you don't have a jacket for tomorrow," he reminded me.

I handed it back to him. "I don't want to have to explain to Charlie."

"Oh, right." He grinned.

I hesitated, my hand on the door handle, trying to prolong the moment.

"Bella?" he asked in a different tone í¬ serious, but hesitant.

"Yes?" I turned back to him too eagerly.

"Will you promise me something?"

"Yes," I said, and instantly regretted my unconditional agreement. What
if he asked me to stay away from him? I couldn't keep that promise.

"Don't go into the woods alone."

I stared at him in blank confusion. "Why?"

He frowned, and his eyes were tight as he stared past me out the window.

"I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there. Let's leave it at
that."

I shuddered slightly at the sudden bleakness in his voice, but I was
relieved. This, at least, was an easy promise to honor. "Whatever you
say."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he sighed, and I knew he wanted me to leave now.

"Tomorrow, then." I opened the door unwillingly.

"Bella?" I turned and he was leaning toward me, his pale, glorious face
just inches from mine. My heart stopped beating.

"Sleep well," he said. His breath blew in my face, stunning me. It was
the same exquisite scent that clung to his jacket, but in a more
concentrated form. I blinked, thoroughly dazed. He leaned away.

I was unable to move until my brain had somewhat unscrambled itself. Then
I stepped out of the car awkwardly, having to use the frame for support.
I thought I heard him chuckle, but the sound was too quiet for me to be
certain.

He waited till I had stumbled to the front door, and then I heard his
engine quietly rev. I turned to watch the silver car disappear around the
corner. I realized it was very cold.


I reached for the key mechanically, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Charlie called from the living room. "Bella?"

"Yeah, Dad, it's me." I walked in to see him. He was watching a baseball
game.

"You're home early."

"Am I?" I was surprised.

"It's not even eight yet," he told me. "Did you girls have fun?"

"Yeah í¬ it was lots of fun." My head was spinning as I tried to remember
all the way back to the girls' night out I had planned. "They both found
dresses."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm just tired. I did a lot of walking."

"Well, maybe you should go lie down." He sounded concerned. I wondered
what my face looked like.

"I'm just going to call Jessica first."

"Weren't you just with her?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes í¬ but I left my jacket in her car. I want to make sure she brings it
tomorrow."

"Well, give her a chance to get home first."

"Right," I agreed.

I went to the kitchen and fell, exhausted, into a chair. I was really
feeling dizzy now. I wondered if I was going to go into shock after all.
Get a grip, I told myself.

The phone rang suddenly, startling me. I yanked it off the hook.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Bella?"

"Hey, Jess, I was just going to call you."

"You made it home?" Her voice was relievedí¡ and surprised.

"Yes. I left my jacket in your car í¬ could you bring it to me tomorrow?"

"Sure. But tell me what happened!" she demanded.

"Um, tomorrow í¬ in Trig, okay?"

She caught on quickly. "Oh, is your dad there?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye!" I could hear the impatience
in her voice.

"Bye, Jess."

I walked up the stairs slowly, a heavy stupor clouding my mind. I went
through the motions of getting ready for bed without paying any attention
to what I was doing. It wasn't until I was in the shower í¬ the water too
hot, burning my skin í¬ that I realized I was freezing. I shuddered
violently for several minutes before the steaming spray could finally
relax my rigid muscles. Then I stood in the shower, too tired to move,
until the hot water began to run out.


I stumbled out, wrapping myself securely in a towel, trying to hold the
heat from the water in so the aching shivers wouldn't return. I dressed
for bed swiftly and climbed under my quilt, curling into a ball, hugging
myself to keep warm. A few small shudders trembled through me.

My mind still swirled dizzily, full of images I couldn't understand, and
some I fought to repress. Nothing seemed clear at first, but as I fell
gradually closer to unconsciousness, a few certainties became evident.

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a
vampire. Second, there was part of him í¬ and I didn't know how potent
that part might be í¬ that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was
unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

===========================================================================


10. INTERROGATIONS




It was very hard, in the morning, to argue with the part of me that was
sure last night was a dream. Logic wasn't on my side, or common sense. I
clung to the parts I couldn't have imagined í¬ like his smell. I was sure
I could never have dreamed that up on my own.

It was foggy and dark outside my window, absolutely perfect. He had no
reason not to be in school today. I dressed in my heavy clothes,
remembering I didn't have a jacket. Further proof that my memory was real.

When I got downstairs, Charlie was gone again í¬ I was running later than
I'd realized. I swallowed a granola bar in three bites, chased it down
with milk straight from the carton, and then hurried out the door.
Hopefully the rain would hold off until I could find Jessica.

It was unusually foggy; the air was almost smoky with it. The mist was
ice cold where it clung to the exposed skin on my face and neck. I
couldn't wait to get the heat going in my truck. It was such a thick fog
that I was a few feet down the driveway before I realized there was a car
in it: a silver car. My heart thudded, stuttered, and then picked up
again in double time.

I didn't see where he came from, but suddenly he was there, pulling the
door open for me.

"Do you want to ride with me today?" he asked, amused by my expression as
he caught me by surprise yet again. There was uncertainty in his voice.
He was really giving me a choice í¬ I was free to refuse, and part of him
hoped for that. It was a vain hope.

"Yes, thank you," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. As I stepped into
the warm car, I noticed his tan jacket was slung over the headrest of the
passenger seat. The door closed behind me, and, sooner than should be
possible, he was sitting next to me, starting the car.

"I brought the jacket for you. I didn't want you to get sick or
something." His voice was guarded. I noticed that he wore no jacket
himself, just a light gray knit V-neck shirt with long sleeves. Again,
the fabric clung to his perfectly muscled chest. It was a colossal
tribute to his face that it kept my eyes away from his body.

"I'm not quite that delicate," I said, but I pulled the jacket onto my
lap, pushing my arms through the too-long sleeves, curious to see if the
scent could possibly be as good as I remembered. It was better.

"Aren't you?" he contradicted in a voice so low I wasn't sure if he meant
for me to hear.

We drove through the fog-shrouded streets, always too fast, feeling
awkward. I was, at least. Last night all the walls were downí¡ almost all.