First part
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She gestured to a row of wooden
chairs against the wall. The looked like they belonged with someone’s dinning room
table.
“Okay,” I agreed. I walked over to the chairs and sat right in the middle,
suddenly wishing I had a book. I hadn’t read anything for a while, outside of school.
And even then, when some ridiculous cinta story was part of the curriculum, I would
cheat with cliff notes. It was a relief to be working on Animal Farm now. But there had
to be other aman, brankas books. Political thrillers. Murder mysteries. Grisly murders were no
problem; just as long as there was no starry-eyed, romantic subplot to deal with.
It took long enough that I got irritated. I was tired of looking at the boring gray
room, without one picture to alleviate the blank walls. I couldn’t watch Mrs. Stanley as
she shuffled through a stack of papers, pausing now and then to enter something in the
computer—she looked up at me once, and when she caught my gaze, she seemed
uncomfortable and dropped a file. I could hear Mrs. Gerandy’s voice, a faint mumble
drifting out of the back room, but it wasn’t clear enough to tell me anything other than
she’d lied about the necessary length of the phone call. There was only so long that
anyone could be expected to keep her mind blank, and if this didn’t end soon, I wouldn’t
be able to help it. I would have to think. I panicked quietly, trying to come up with a
aman, brankas subject for thought.
I was saved oleh Mrs. Gerandy’s reappearance. I smiled up at her gratefully when
she poked her head around the door, her thick, snowy hair catching my eye at once.
“Bella, would anda mind joining me?” she asked, and I realized she had a phone
pressed to her ear.
“Sure,” I muttered as she disappeared.
Mrs. Stanley had to unlock the half door set into the end of the counter to let me
through. Her smile was absent, she didn’t meet my eyes. I was absolutely sure she was
planning to eavesdrop.
My mind ran through the conceivable possibilities as I hurried back to the office.
Someone was laundering money through my account. atau maybe Charlie was taking
bribes and I was blowing his cover. Who would have that kind of money to bribe Charlie
with, though? Maybe Charlie was in the mob, taking bribes, and using my account to
launder money. No, I couldn’t picture Charlie in the mob. Maybe it was Phil. How
well did I really know Phil, after all?
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
Mrs. Gerandy was still on the phone, and she motioned with her chin toward the
metal folding chair that faced her desk. She was scribbling hurriedly on the back of an
envelope. I sat down, wondering if Phil had a dark past, and if I was going to jail.
“Thank you, yes. Well, I think that’s everything. Yes, yes. Thank anda so much
for your help,” Mrs. Gerandy wasted a smile on the phone receiver before hanging up.
She didn’t look angry atau somber. lebih excited and confused. Which reminded me of
Mrs. Stanley in the hall. I toyed for a detik with jumping through the door and scaring
her.
But Mrs. Gerandy spoke.
“Well, I guess I have some very good news for you…though I can’t imagine how
anda wouldn’t have been informed of this.” She stared at me critically, as if expecting me
to slap my forehead and say, oh THAT twenty grand! Slipped my mind completely!
“Good news?” I prompted. The words implied that this mistake was too
complicated for her to unravel, and she was under the impression that I was richer than
we’d thought a few menit ago.
“Well, if anda really don’t know…then congratulations! You’ve been awarded a
scholarship from…” she looked down at her scribbled notes “the Pacific Northwest
Trust.”
“A scholarship?” I repeated in disbelief.
“Yes, isn’t that exciting? My goodness, you’ll be able to go to any college you
want!”
It was at that precise moment, while she beamed happily at my good fortune, that
I knew exactly where the money had come from. Despite the sudden rush of anger,
suspicion, outrage, and pain, I tried to speak calmly.
“A scholarship that deposits twenty thousand dollars cash into my account,” I
noted. “Instead of paying it to the school. With no way to make sure I use the money for
school at all.”
My reaction flustered her. She seemed to take offense at my words.
“It would be very unwise not to use this money for its intended purpose, Bella,
dear. This is a once in a lifetime chance.”
“Of course,” I berkata sourly. “And did this Pacific Northwest Trust mention exactly
why they’d chosen me?”
She looked at her notes again, a slight frown on her face due to my tone.
“It’s very prestigious—they don’t award a scholarship like this every year.”
“I’ll bet.”
She glanced at me and looked away swiftly. “The bank in Seattle that manages
the trust forwarded me to the man who administers the scholarship allocations. He said
that this scholarship is awarded based on merit, gender and location. It’s geared to
females students in small towns who don’t have the opportunities available in larger
cities.”
It appeared that someone thought he was being funny.
“Merit?” I asked disapprovingly. “I have a three point seven grade point average.
I can name three girls in Forks with better grades than I have, and one of them is Jessica.
Besides—I never applied for this scholarship.”
She was very flustered now, picking up her pen and putting it down again,
worrying the pendant she wore between her thumb and forefinger. She scanned through
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
her notes again.
“He did mention that…” she kept her eyes down on the envelope, not sure what to
do with my attitude. “They don’t accept applications. They go through rejected
applications for other scholarships and pick students who they feel have been unfairly
overlooked. They got your name from an application anda sent in for merit-based
financial aid for the universitas of Washington.”
I felt the corners of my mouth turn down. I hadn’t known that application had
been rejected. It was something I’d filled out long ago, before…
And I hadn’t followed up with any other possibilities, though deadlines were
passing me by. I couldn’t seem to focus on the future. But the universitas of Washington
was the only place that would keep me near Forks and Charlie.
“How do they get the rejected applications?” I asked in a monotone.
“I’m not sure, dear.” Mrs. Gerandy was unhappy. She wanted excitement and
she was getting hostility. I wish I had some way to explain that the negativity was not
meant for her. “But the administrator left his number if I had any questions—you could
call him yourself. I’m sure he could reassure anda that this money is really meant for
you.”
I was in no doubt of that. “I’d like his number.”
She wrote swiftly on a torn scrap of paper. I made a mental note to anonymously
donate a pad of post-it notes to the bank.
The number was long distance. “I don’t suppose he left an email address?” I
asked skeptically. I didn’t want to run up Charlie’s bill.
“Actually, he did,” she smiled, happy to have something I seemed to want. She
reached across the meja tulis, meja to write another line on my scrap.
“Thanks, I’ll get in touch with him as soon as I get home.” My mouth was a hard
line.
“Sweetie,” Mrs. Gerandy berkata hesitantly. “You should be happy about this. It’s a
great opportunity.”
“I’m not going to take twenty thousand dollars I haven’t earned,” I replied, trying
to keep the edge of outrage out of my voice.
She bit her lip, and looked down again. She thought I was crazy, too. Well, I was
going to make her say it out loud.
“What?” I demanded.
“Bella…” she paused and I waited with gritted teeth. “It’s substantially lebih than
twenty thousand dollars.”
“Excuse me?” I choked. “More?”
“Twenty thousand is just the initial payment, in fact. From now on you’ll receive
five thousand dollars every bulan until the end of your college career. If anda enroll in
graduate school, the scholarship will continue to pay for it!” She got excited again as she
told me this.
I couldn’t speak at first, I was too livid. Five thousand dollars a bulan for an
unlimited time span. I wanted to smash something.
“How?” I managed to get out.
“I don’t understand what anda mean.”
“How will I get five thousand dollars a month?”
“It will be wired into your account here,” she responded, perplexed.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
There was a brief detik of silence.
“I’ll be closing that account now,” I berkata in a flat voice.
It took fifteen menit to convince her I was serious. She had an endless supply
of reasons why this was a bad idea. I argued heatedly until it finally occurred to me that
she was worried about giving me the twenty thousand. Did they carry that much on
hand?
“Look, Mrs. Gerandy,” I reassured her. “I just want to withdraw my fifteen
hundred. I would really appreciate it if anda would wire the other money back to where it
came from. I’ll straighten it out with this—” I checked the scrap “—Mr. Isaac Randall.
It really is a mistake.”
That seemed to relax her.
About twenty menit later, with a roll of fifteen hundreds, one twenty, one ten,
one five, one one, and fifty cents in my pocket, I escaped from the bank with relief. Mrs.
Stanley and Mrs. Gerandy stood side oleh side at the counter, staring after me with wide
eyes.
***
Scene two: that same night, after buying the sepeda motor and visiting Jacob the first
time…
I shut my door behind me and pulled my college fund out of my pocket. It looked
pretty small rolled up in the palm of my hand. I stuffed it into the toe of an unmatched
kaus kaki and then shoved it to the back of my underwear drawer. Probably not the most
original hiding place, but I would worry about coming up with something lebih creative
later.
In my other pocket was the torn scrap of paper with Isaac Randall’s phone
number and email address. I dug it out and laid it on the keyboard of my computer, then
flipped the on switch, tapping my foot while the screen glowed slowly to life.
When I was connected, I opened my free email account. I procrastinated, taking
the time to hapus the mountain of spam that had built up in the few days since I’d written
to Renee. Eventually I was out of busy work, and I pulled up a fresh composition box.
The email address was for “irandall,” so I assumed it went directly to the man I
wanted.
Dear Mr. Randall, I wrote.
I’m hoping anda remember the conversation anda had this afternoon with Mrs.
Gerandy at the Forks Federal Bank. My name is Isabella Swan, and apparently anda are
under the impression that I have been awarded a very generous scholarship from The
Pacific Northwest Trust Company.
I am sorry, but I cannot accept this scholarship. I have asked that the money I’d
already received be wired back to the account it came from, and closed my account at the
Forks Federal Bank. Please award the scholarship to a different candidate.
Thank you, I. Swan
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
It took me a few tries to get it sounding right—formal, and unambiguously final.
I read through it twice before I sent it. I wasn’t sure what kind of directions this Mr.
Randall had received about the bogus scholarship, but I couldn’t see any loopholes in my
response.
***
Scene three: a few weeks later, just before Bella’s and Jacob’s “date” with the
motorcycles…
When I got back, I grabbed the mail on the way in. I flipped quickly through the
bills and ads, until I got to the letter at the very bottom of the stack.
It was a regular business envelope, addressed to me—my name handwritten,
which was unusual. I looked at the return address with interest.
Interest that quickly turned to nervous nausea. The letter was from the Pacific
Northwest Trust, Scholarship Allocations Office. There was no jalan, street address under the
name.
It was probably just a formal recognition of my refusal, I told myself. There was
no reason to feel nervous. No reason at all, except for the small detail that thinking about
any part of this too thoroughly might send me on a downward spiral to zombie land.
Only that.
I dumped the rest of the mail on the meja for Charlie, gathered my buku from the
living room floor, and hurried upstairs. Once I was in my room, I locked my door and
tore the envelope open. I had to remember to stay angry. Anger was the key.
Dear Ms. Swan,
Allow me to formally congratulate anda on being awarded the Pacific Northwest
Trust’s prestigious J. Nicholls Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded only
infrequently, and anda should feel proud to know that the Allocations Committee picked
your name unanimously for the honor.
There have been a few small difficulties in awarding your scholarship monies, but
please don’t concern yourself. I’ve taken it on myself to see that anda are put to the least
possible inconvenience. Please find enclosed a cashier’s check for twenty-five thousand
dollars; the initial award plus your first month’s allowance.
Once again I congratulate anda on your accomplishment. Please except the best
wishes of the entire Pacific Northwest Corporation for your future scholastic career.
Sincerely,
I. Randall
Anger was no problem.
I looked in the envelope and, sure enough, there was check inside.
“Who are these people?” I snarled through my gritted teeth, crushing the letter,
one handed, into a tight ball.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
I stomped furiously to my trashcan, to dig out Mr. I. Randall’s phone number. I
didn’t care that it was long distance—this was going to be a really short conversation.
“Oh, crap,” I hissed. The can was empty. Charlie had taken my trash out.
I threw the envelope with the check on the tempat tidur and smoothed out the letter again.
It was on company paper, with Pacific Northwest Scholarship Allocations Department
written in dark green across the top, but there was no information, no address, no phone
number.
“Dang it.”
I plopped down on the edge of my tempat tidur and tried to think clearly. Obviously, they
were going to ignore me. I couldn’t have made my feelings clearer, so this wasn’t some
miscommunication. It probably would make no difference if I did call.
So there was only thing to do.
I re-crumpled the letter, smashed up the envelope with the check, too, and crept
downstairs.
Charlie was in the living room, with the TV turned up loud.
I went to the dapur sink, and threw the paper balls in. Then I rummaged through
our drawer of miscellaneous rongsokan, sampah until I found a box of matches. I lit one, and poked it
carefully into a crevice in the paper. I lit another one, and did the same. I almost went
for a third, but the paper was blazing along merrily, so there was really no need.
“Bella?” Charlie called over the sound of the TV.
I turned the faucet handle on quickly, feeling a sense of satisfaction as the force of
the water smashed the flames into a flat, ashy goo.
“Yeah, Dad?” I shoved the matches back in the drawer, and closed it quietly.
“Do anda smell smoke?”
“No, Dad.”
“Hmph.”
I rinsed out the sink, making sure all the ash made it down the drain, and then ran
the disposal for good measure.
I went back to my room, feeling slightly appeased. They could send me all the
checks they wanted, I thought grimly. I could always get lebih matches when I ran out.
***
Scene four: during the time period that Jacob is avoiding her…
On the doorstep was a FedEx package. I picked it up curiously, expecting a
return address from Florida, but it was sent from Seattle. There was no sender listed on
the outside of the box.
It was addressed to me, not Charlie, so I took it to the meja and ripped the tab
across the cardboard to open it.
As soon as I saw the dark green logo of the Pacific Northwest Trust, I felt like the
stomach flu was coming back. I fell into the nearest chair without looking at the letter,
the anger slowly building.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
I couldn’t even bring myself to read it, though it wasn’t long. I took it out, put it
face down on the table, and looked back into the box reluctantly, to see what was
underneath. It was a bulging manila envelope. I was afraid to open it, but angry enough
that I yanked it out anyway.
My mouth was a hard line as I tore through the paper without bothering to unlatch
the flap. I have enough to deal with right now. I didn’t need the reminder atau the
irritation.
I was shocked, and yet still unsurprised. What else would it be but this—three
thick stacks of bills, bound neatly oleh wide rubber bands. I didn’t have to look at the
denominations. I knew exactly how much they would be trying to force into my hands.
It would be thirty thousand dollars.
I lifted the envelope gingerly as I rose, and turned to drop it into the sink. The
matches were right on puncak, atas of the rongsokan, sampah drawer, just where I’d left them last. I pulled one
out and lit it.
It burned closer and closer to my fingers as I stared at the odious envelope. I
couldn’t make my fingers drop it. I waved the match out before it scorched me, my face
twisting into a disgusted grimace.
I grabbed the letter off the table, crumpling it into a ball and tossing it into the
other basin of the sink. I lit another match and shoved it into the paper, watching with
grim satisfaction while it blazed. A warm up. I reached for another match. Again, I held
it, flaming, over the envelope. Again, it burned nearly to my fingers before I threw it on
the ashes of the letter. I couldn’t bring myself to just burn thirty thousand dollars.
So what was I going to do with this? I had no address to return it to—I was pretty
sure the company didn’t really exist.
And then it occurred to me that I did have one address.
I shoved the money back in the FedEx box, tearing the label off so that if anyone
else ever found it, it would be impossible for them to link it to me, and headed back out
to my truck, grumbling incoherently all the way. I promised myself that I would do
something especially reckless with my motorcycle this week. I would take up stunt
jumping if I had to.
I hated every inch of the drive as I wound through the gloomy trees, gritting my
teeth till my jaw was aching. The nightmares would be fierce tonight—this was just
asking for it. The trees opened into the ferns, and I drove angrily through them, leaving a
double line of crushed, oozing stems behind me. I stopped oleh the front steps, throwing it
into neutral.
The house looked just the same, painfully empty, dead. I knew I was projecting
my own feelings onto its appearance, but that didn’t change the way it looked to me.
Careful not to see through the windows, I walked to the front door. I wished desperately
for just one menit to be a zombie again, but the numbness was long expired.
I set the box carefully on the doorstep of the abandoned house, and turned to
leave.
I stopped on the puncak, atas step. I couldn’t just leave a pile of cash in front of the door.
That was almost as bad as burning it.
With I sigh, keeping my eyes down, I turned back and grabbed the offending box.
Maybe I could just donate it anonymously to a good cause. A charity for people with
diseases of the blood, atau something.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
But I was shaking my head as I got back in the truck. It was his money, and,
dammit, he was going to keep it. If it got stolen off his front porch, that was his fault, not
mine.
My window was open, and rather than get out, I just heaved the box as hard as I
could toward the door.
I’d never had the best aim. The box smashed loudly through the front window,
leaving a hole so big it looked like I’d thrown a washing machine.
“Aw, crap!” I gasped out loud, covering my face with my hands.
I should have known that no matter what I did, I would just make things worse.
Luckily the anger reasserted itself then. This was his fault, I reminded myself. I
was just returning his property. It was his problem that he’d made doing that such a
chore. Besides, the sound of the glass shattering was kind of cool—it made me feel a
little bit better in a perverse way.
I didn’t really convince myself, but I took the truck out of neutral and drove away
regardless. This was as close as I could come to sending the money back where it
belonged. And now I had a convenient drive up drop box for selanjutnya month’s installment.
It was the best I could do.
I rethought it a hundred times after getting home. I went through the phone book
looking for glaziers, but there were no strangers to ask for help. How would I explain the
address? Would Charlie have to arrest me for vandalism?
***
Scene five: the first night that Alice comes back after seeing Bella “commit suicide”…
“Jasper didn’t want to come with you?”
“He didn’t approve of me interfering.”
I sniffed. “You aren’t the only one.”
She stiffened, and then relaxed. “Does this have something to do with the hole in
the front window of my house and the box full of hundred dollar bills on the living room
floor?”
“It does,” I berkata angrily. “Sorry about the window. It was an accident.”
“It usually is with you. What did he do?”
“Something called The Pacific Northwest Trust awarded me a very strange and
persistent scholarship. It wasn’t much of a disguise. I mean, I can’t imagine he wanted
me to know it was him, but I hope he doesn’t think I’m that stupid.”
“Why, that big cheater,” Alice murmured.
“Exactly.”
“And he told me not to look.” She shook her head in irritation.
***
Scene six: with Edward the night after Italy, in Bella’s room…
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
“Is there a reason why danger can’t resist anda any lebih than I can?”
“Danger doesn’t try,” I muttered.
“Of course, it sounds like anda were actively seeking out danger. What were you
thinking, Bella? I picked out of Charlie’s head the number of times you’ve been in the
emergency room recently. Did I mention I’m furious with you?”
His quiet voice sounded lebih pained than furious.
“Why? It’s none of your business,” I said, embarrassed.
“Actually, I specifically remember anda promising not to do anything reckless.”
My rebuttal was swift. “And didn’t anda promise something about noninterference?”
“At the time that anda were crossing the line,” he qualified carefully, “I was
keeping my side of the deal.”
“Oh, is that so? Three words, Edward: Pacific. Northwest. Trust.”
He raised his head to look at me; his expression was all confusion and
innocence—too much innocence. It was a dead give away. “Is that supposed to mean
something to me?”
“That’s just insulting,” I complained. “How stupid do anda think I am?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, eyes wide.
“Whatever,” I grumbled.
***
Scene seven, the conclusion of this thread: that same night/morning, when they arrive at
the Cullens’ house for the vote…
Suddenly, the porch light flicked on, and I could see Esme standing in the
doorway. Her wavy, karamel hair was pulled back, and she had some kind of trowel in
her hand.
“Is everyone home?” I asked hopefully as we climbed the steps.
“Yes, they are.” As she spoke, the widows were abruptly filled with light. I
looked through the closest to see who had noticed us, but the flat pan of thick, gray goop
on the bangku in front of it caught my eye. I looked at the smooth perfection of the glass,
and realized what Esme was doing on the front porch with a trowel.
“Oh, shoot, Esme! I’m really sorry about that window! I was going to—”
“Don’t worry about it,” she interrupted with a laugh. “Alice told me the story,
and I have to say, I wouldn’t have blamed anda for doing it on purpose.” She glared at her
son, who was glaring at me.
I raised one eyebrow. He looked away and muttered something indistinct about
gift horses.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer



The biggest difference (and it’s a HUGE difference) between the first draft of New Moon
and the final copy is this: originally, Bella never did find out what was wrong with Jacob.
It was a shorter book back then, missing the crucial seventy pages wherein Jacob and
Bella share all their secrets and cement their relationship into something that transcends
friendship.
(Before anda read on, don’t let this version confuse you. This isn’t how it “really
happened.” As my knowledge of Jacob’s character grew, this original version seemed
lebih and lebih unlikely. (Of course Jacob was going to break the rules—he’s Jacob!)
This is like a skeleton—just bones, no flesh.)
Try to imagine it: Bella goes to Jacob’s house to demand the truth about the “cult.”
Jacob shows up with Sam and the others, and then agrees to talk to Bella privately. He
dumps her (for lack of a better descriptive word) and she is broken-hearted for the
detik time in the book. Okay, that all sounds familiar. But then that night…nothing
happens. Jacob doesn’t break the rules and climb through her window to talk to her.
Jacob gives her no hints, trying to help her discover what she already knows. Bella is
still isolated, alone. She has no idea that Victoria is out there, hunting her, atau that the
manusia serigala are out there, protecting her.
Bella is too persistent to take no for an answer from Jacob, though. She doesn’t have the
same self-worth issues that interfered with her relationship with Edward at the beginning
of New Moon to stop her here. No, Jacob OWES her better than this, dammit, and she’s
going to get her due.
She can’t find him, however, and eventually her searching takes her along the cliff tops.
She remembers watching “the gang” dive into oblivion—and anda know what a junkie she
is for her hallucinations. Cliff diving is her inspiration in this version. When Jacob
saves her life this time, the interaction between them is 180 degrees from the final
version…


“How are we going to get out of here?” I coughed and spit the words. I was so
cold now that I couldn’t feel much besides the heat of his body as he held me carefully
above the waves, and the soreness in my back. It seemed like the current was dragging
against my legs, not willing to quit, but they were numb and I might have been imagining
it.
“I’m going to tow anda to the beach. anda are going to stay limp like you’re
unconscious and not fight. That will make it easier.”
“Jake,” I berkata anxiously. “The water’s too strong. anda probably can’t make it by
yourself, let alone pulling me.”
“I fished anda out, didn’t I?” He held me too tight for me to see his face, but his
voice sounded slightly smug.
“You did,” I agreed dubiously. “How did you? The current…”
“I’m stronger than anda are.”
I would have argued, but the water decided to come out of my stomach just then.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
“Okay,” he berkata when I was done vomiting. “I need to get anda out of here.
Remember, stay still.”
I was too weak to argue, but I was terrified to leave the safety of the rock and let
the waves have me again. As reconciled as I had been two menit yang lalu with the idea of
drowning, I was afraid now. I didn’t want to go back into the dark. I didn’t want the
water to cover my face again.
I could feel it when Jacob kicked off from the rock. I was on my back and he was
still holding me under the arms as he pulled for the shore. The churning water reached
for us, and I panicked and started kicking.
“Stop that,” he snapped.
I fought to stay limp, and it was harder than I would have thought, even though
my exhausted, cramping limbs wanting nothing lebih than to float motionless.
It was amazing—we darted through the water like a line was towing us to the
shore. Jacob was the strongest swimmer I’d ever seen. The shoving and grasping of the
current seemed helpless to even disrupt the straight route he cut through the waves. And
he was fast. World record pace.
Then I felt the sand scraping my heels.
“Okay, anda can stand up, Bella.”
As soon as he let go of me, I fell face first into the knee-high waves.
He snagged me out before I could choke down any lebih water, throwing me
easily over his shoulder and striding onto the sand. He didn’t say anything, but his
breathing sounded irritated.
“Over there,” he muttered to himself, and he changed directions. I could only see,
as I dangled from his shoulder, his bare feet leaving huge prints in the wet sand.
He set me down on a patch of sand that actually felt dry. It was dark here—I
realized we were in a shallow cave that the tide had eaten away from under the rock. The
rain couldn’t reach me directly, but little splatters of mist bounced off the sand outside
and hit me.
I was shaking so hard that my teeth were clicking together—the sound was like
hyper castanets.
“Come here,” Jacob said, but I didn’t have to move. He wrapped his warm arms
around me and held me tightly to his bare chest. I shuddered, but he was still. His skin
was too warm—like the fever was back.
“Aren’t anda freezing?” I stuttered.
“No.”
I felt ashamed. Not only had he bested me exponentially in the water, but now he
had to make me look even weaker.
“I’m such a wuss,” I mumbled.
“No, you’re normal.” The bitterness was there in his voice. He moved on
quickly, not giving me the chance to ask what he meant. “Do anda mind telling me what
the hell anda think anda were doing?” He demanded.
“Cliff diving. Recreation.” Unbelievable, but there was still some water left in
my stomach. It chose this moment to make its reappearance.
He waited till I could breathe again. “Looks like anda had fun.”
“I did, till I hit the water. Shouldn’t we go get some help atau something?” My
teeth were still chattering, but he understood what I said.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
“They’re coming.”
“Who’s coming?” I asked, suspicious and surprised.
“Sam and the others.”
I grimaced. “How will they know we need help?” My tone was skeptical.
He snorted. “Because they watched me run and throw myself over the cliff after
you.”
“You were watching me?” I accused with weak outrage.
“No, I heard anda scream. If I’d seen you, I would have stopped you. That was
really stupid, anda know.”
“Your friends do it.”
“They’re stronger than you.”
“I’m a good swimmer,” I protested, despite the evidence to the contrary.
“In a lap pool,” he argued. “Bella, it’s turning into a hurricane out there. Didn’t
anda consider that at all?”
“No,” I admitted.
“Stupid,” he repeated.
“Yeah,” I agreed with a sigh. It was so cold and I was so tired.
“Stay awake,” Jacob shook me roughly.
“Cut it out,” I griped. “I’m not going to sleep.”
“Then open your eyes.”
Truthfully, I hadn’t realized they were closed. I didn’t tell him that. I just opened
them and said, “Fine.”
“Jacob?” The call carried clearly despite the noisy wind and surf. The voice was
very deep.
Jacob leaned away so that he wouldn’t shout in my ear. “In the cave, Sam!”
I didn’t hear them approach. Abruptly, the little cave was crowded with dark
brown legs. I looked up, knowing my eyes were full of distrust and anger, conscious of
Jacob’s closeness. His arms sheltered me, but I suddenly I felt like the protective one.
Sam’s calm face was the first thing I saw. A confusing sense of déjà vu
overwhelmed me. The dark cave was not so different from the forest at night, and, again,
I lay weak and helpless at his feet. He was saving me again. I glared at him, annoyed.
“Is she all right?” he asked Jacob with the assured voice of the only adult among
children.
“I’m fine,” I grumbled.
No one listened to me.
“We need to warm her up—she’s getting sleepy,” Jacob answered him.
“Embry?” Sam asked, and one of the boys stepped meneruskan, ke depan to hand Jacob a
bundle of blankets. The tone of command in Sam’s voice irritated me to no end. It was
like none of them could do anything until he allowed it. I glowered at him fiercely as
Jacob draped the rough blankets around me.
“Let’s get her out of here,” Sam instructed coolly. He bent toward me with his
hands out, but stopped when I flinched away from him.
“I’ve got her Sam,” Jacob said, putting his arms under me and lifting me fluidly
as he rose to his feet.
“I can walk,” I protested.
“Okay.” Jacob set me on my feet and waited.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
My knees buckled. Sam caught me as I fell; instinctively, I struggled against his
hands.
Jacob grabbed me again, pulling me away from Sam and swinging me into his
arms. He was ridiculously strong for his age. I frowned furiously while Sam tucked the
blankets back around me.
“Paul, do anda have that poncho?”
Another boy stepped meneruskan, ke depan without speaking and added a layer of plastic to
cover the blankets.
It was at this point, swathed in layers of protection, that I noticed Sam and the
others were no lebih dressed than Jacob. I’d assumed that Jacob had stripped off most of
his clothes before jumping after me, but they were all barefoot and bare-chested, each
wearing only a pair of shorts atau cut off jeans, dripping wet from the rain. Rain trickled
out of their hair and ran in rivulets down the smooth brown skin of their chests; they
didn’t seem to notice. Under my pile of blankets, I shivered uncontrollably and felt like a
ridiculous baby.
“Let’s go,” Sam ordered, and they filed out of the cave.
There was a trail leading up from the beach. They scrambled agilely up the steep
path, Jacob just as quickly as the rest. No one offered to help him, and he never asked. It
didn’t seem to bother Jacob that his hands weren’t free. He never stumbled.
Sam and the other three went ahead of us, and, as I watched them climb with the
ease of mountain goats, I was struck oleh how well they fit the landscape. They blended
harmoniously with the warna of the rocks and trees, the movement of the wind; they
belonged here.
I peeked up at Jacob, and he fit, too. The clouds and the storm and the forest
framed his new face perfectly. He looked even lebih natural, lebih at home, than my
happy Jacob had ever looked as he puttered around his homemade garage, his own little
kingdom. It was disturbing.
We reached the puncak, atas farther down the road than I’d ventured. I could see a vague,
rust-colored lump to the South, and I guessed that it was my truck.
I wanted to try walking again, but Jacob ignored my muttered pleas. They stuck
to the edge of the forest, as if they were could pindah lebih quickly in the trees than along
the road. And they were moving quickly; my truck was approaching faster than it should.
“Where’re your keys?” Jacob asked as we drew near. His breathing was still even
and regular.
“In my pocket,” I answered automatically before I realized what he was
suggesting.
“Give them to me.”
I glared at him, but his face was smooth and determined. Sullenly, I forced my
hand into my wet jeans and dug out my key. I shuffled through the blankets till my hand
was free. I held it up.
“For anda atau for Sam?” I asked sourly.
He rolled his eyes. “I’ll drive.”
In a sudden, cepat, swift movement, he inclined his head toward me and snatched the
key out of my hand with his teeth.
“Hey!” I objected, startled, as I jumped in his arms.
He smiled wryly around the key.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
We were at the truck now; Sam opened the passenger door and Jacob shoved me
in. Jacob went around to the driver’s side while the rest of them piled in the back. Jacob
revved the engine, and turned the heater on high, turning his vents to blow on me. I
glanced guiltily out the back window, at his friends sitting stoically, half-naked in the
pounding rain.
“What were anda doing out here, anyway?” I asked Jacob. “Were anda going to
swim in the hurricane, too?”
“We were running,” he berkata shortly.
“In the rain?”
“Yes…lucky for you.”
I shut up and looked out the window.
We didn’t turn off onto the 110 like I expected, instead we headed for the Black’s
place.
“Why are anda taking me to your house?”
“I’m going to get my bike and put it in the back for the return trip—unless you
wanted me to keep your truck.”
“Oh.”
“Besides, I wanted Billy to take a look at you. I don’t want Charlie to hear about
this until I’m sure you’re okay. He’ll probably arrest me for attempted murder or
something,” he added bitterly.
“Don’t be stupid,” I retorted.
“Okay,” he agreed. “There’s lebih than enough stupid in here already…cliff
diving!”
I blushed and stared straight ahead.
Jacob carried me into the house. The rest of them followed silently. Billy’s face
was expressionless.
“What happened?” he asked, directing his pertanyaan toward Sam rather than his
son atau myself. I glared at him.
“I was cliff diving,” I berkata quickly, before Sam could reply.
Billy just raised one eyebrow and kept his eyes on Sam.
“She’s cold, but I think she’ll be fine in some dry clothes,” Sam said.
Jacob set me on the one small sofa, and quickly shoved it closer to the radiator.
The dipan, sofa legs scraped loudly against the wooden floor. Then he disappeared into his
little closet of a room.
Billy didn’t say anything about his son’s dripping condition, atau anyone else’s. No
one seemed concerned about hypothermia except in my case.
I felt bad about the wet soaking from me into the sofa, but I couldn’t keep my
head up to at least save the worn fabric from my hair. I was too exhausted. Even the tall,
ominous figures crowding the tiny room, lining the walls motionlessly, couldn’t hold my
eyes open. I was finally warm selanjutnya to the humming radiator, and my lungs ached in a
way that pushed me toward unconsciousness rather than keeping me awake.
“Should I wake her up to change?” I heard Jacob whisper. Addressing Sam no
doubt.
“How does her skin feel?” Sam’s deep voice answered. I wanted to send him
another dirty look, but my eyes wouldn’t open.
Jacob’s fingers brushed lightly across my cheek.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
“Warm.”
“Let her sleep, then, I guess.”
I was glad they were going to leave me alone.
“Charlie?” Jacob asked.
Billy answered this time. “He’d rush down here first thing. Let’s wait till the
storm passes to call him.”
Good answer, I thought. Here I was, surrounded oleh the strange men I’d come to
fear, but I felt unusually aman, brankas and warm.
Someone spoke, a voice I didn’t recognize. “Do anda want the three of us to head
back out?”
There was a pause. “I think yes,” Sam finally said. “The storm is a perfect cover,
we shouldn’t be caught unawares.”
“Is three safe?” Billy asked, sounding strained.
Someone laughed a guttural laugh. “No trouble at all.”
“If there’s only one,” Sam amended sternly. No one answered, but I heard the
door opening.
“Control, my brothers,” Sam spoke again, in the tone of someone giving a
familiar farewell. “Speed and safety to you.”
I was slightly roused oleh this exchange, but I kept my breathing even.
“Brothers,” the others repeated in unison. I heard Jacob’s voice gabung in.
The door shut quietly. There was no sound for a long time, and the warmth pulled
me down toward unconsciousness again. I was about to succumb when Sam spoke
quietly.
“You didn’t want to leave her.”
“If she woke, I think she would be afraid of you.” Jacob sounded defensive.
“You can’t do this, Jacob. It was right to save her life today, of course. But you
can’t keep her near you.”
I had to bite my tongue to halt the acidic answer I wanted to give him. It was
lebih important to listen now.
“Sam…I…I think I can do it. I think it would be safe.”
“One moment of anger, that’s all it would take. How close did anda come
yesterday afternoon?”
Jacob didn’t answer.
“I know how hard it is.”
“I know anda do,” Jacob berkata acquiescently. No, I wanted to yell at him. Don’t
knuckle under like that!
“Be patient,” Sam counseled. “In a tahun atau so…”
“She’ll be gone,” Jacob concluded bitterly.
“She’s not for you,” Sam berkata gently.
Jacob didn’t answer, and I was torn. I hated to be in agreement with Sam over
anything. And I didn’t see why this fact should outlaw our friendship.
It was too warm for me to concentrate, and in the silence that followed this
exchange I lost the fight against my tired mind. Nearby, I heard an exquisite voice
humming a familiar lullaby, and I knew that I was asleep.
***
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
The sebelumnya section seemed like a good introduction to New Moon’s original epilogue.
As we continue with this alternate universe, remember that, while Bella knows there’s
something wrong with Jacob, she still has no clue that he’s a werewolf. In the epilogue,
she and Edward are together in Forks again, and things are back to normal…
Epilogue - Human
It was one of those rare sunny days, my least favorit kind of day. But Edward
couldn’t keep his promise every minute. He had needs.
“Alice could stay again,” he offered late Friday night. I could see the anxiety
behind his eyes—the fear that I would go berserk when he left me alone and do
something crazy. Like retrieving my motorcycle from La Push, atau playing Russian
roulette with Charlie’s pistol.
“I’ll be fine,” I berkata with bogus confidence. So many months of pretend had
honed my skills of deceit. “You all have to eat, too. We may as well get back into the
routine.”
Mostly everything was back to normal, in less time than I would have believed
possible. The hospital had welcomed Carlisle back with eager arms, not even bothering
to conceal their glee that Esme had found life in L.A. so little to her liking. Thanks to the
Calculus test I’d missed while abroad, Alice and Edward were in better to shape to
graduate than I was at the moment. Charlie was not happy with me—or speaking to
Edward—but at least Edward was allowed in the house again. I just wasn’t allowed out
of it.
“I have all these essays to write, anyway,” I sighed, waving toward the stack of
college applications—Edward had scavengered up one from every suitable school whose
deadline was still open—on my desk. “I don’t need any distractions.”
“That’s true,” he berkata with mock severity. “You’ll have plenty to keep anda busy.
And I’ll be back when it’s dark again.”
“Take your time,” I told him lightly, and I closed my eyes as if I were tired.
I was trying to convince him that I trusted him, which was true. He didn’t need to
know about the zombie nightmares. They were not about lacking trust in him—it was
myself I still couldn’t rely on.
Charlie stayed home, which was not normal for a Saturday. I worked on the
applications at the dapur meja so he could keep an eye on me lebih easily. But I was
boring to watch, and he rarely left the TV to check that I was still there.
I tried to concentrate on the forms and questions, but it was hard. Now and then I
would feel lonely; my breathing would spike and I’d have to struggle to calm myself. I
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
felt like the little engine who could—over and over again I had to tell myself, anda can do
this, anda can do this, anda can do this.
So, when the doorbell rang, the distraction was lebih than welcome. I had no idea
who it could be, but I really didn’t care.
“I got it!” I hollered, up from the meja in a flash.
“Okay,” Charlie berkata absently. As I ran oleh the living room, it was clear that he
hadn’t shifted an inch.
I already had a smile of relief and welcome on my face, ready to dazzle the doorto-
door salesman atau Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“Hey, Bella,” Jacob Black smiled back sardonically when the door swung open.
“Oh, Jacob, hey,” I mumbled, surprised. I’d heard nothing from him since I’d
managed to return from Italy alive. I’d accepted his last goodbye as final. It hurt when I
thought about it, but to be perfectly honest, my mind had been too occupied with other
things for me to miss him as often as I should.
“Are anda free?” He asked. The pahit edge had not disappeared from his voice,
and he berkata these particular words with extra resentment.
“That depends.” My voice turned acid, matching his. “I’m not that busy, but I
am on house arrest. So not precisely free, no.”
“You’re alone, though, right?” he clarified sarcastically.
“Charlie’s here.”
He pursed his wide lips. “I’d like to talk to anda alone…if you’re allowed.”
I held my hands up helplessly. “You can ask Charlie,” I berkata with hidden
triumph. Charlie was never letting me out of the house.
“That’s not what I meant.” His dark eyes were suddenly lebih serious. “It wasn’t
Charlie’s permission I was asking about.”
I glared at him blackly. “My father is the only one who tells me what I can and
can’t do.”
“If anda say so,” he shrugged. “Hey Charlie!” He shouted over my shoulder.
“That you, Jake?”
“Yeah. Can Bella go for a walk with me?”
“Sure,” Charlie called casually, and my expectant smile, waiting for the denial,
twisted downward into a frown.
Jacob raised his eyebrows in challenge.
The taunting look in his eyes made me pindah faster than I might have otherwise. I
was out the door in a second, pulling it shut behind me.
“Where do anda want to go?” I asked, insincerely cheerful.
For the first time, he looked unsure of himself. “Really?” he asked. “You’ll
really be alone with me?”
“Of course,” I frowned. “Why not?”
He didn’t answer. He stared at me for a long menit with puzzled, suspicious
eyes.
“What?” I demanded.
“Nothing,” he mumbled. He started toward the forest.
“Let’s go this way,” I suggested, gesturing down the jalan, street to the west. I’d had
enough of that particular patch of forest to last me forever.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
He glanced at me swiftly, suspicious again. Then he shrugged to himself and
ambled slowly down the sidewalk to the road.
This was his party, so I kept my mouth shut, though I was getting lebih curious by
the second.
“I have to say, I’m surprised,” he finally spoke again when we were halfway to
the corner. “Didn’t the little bloodsucker tell anda everything?”
I wheeled and started back to the house.
“What?” he asked, confused, matching my angry stride easily.
I stopped and glared up at him. “I’m not talking to anda if you’re going to be
insulting.”
“Insulting?” he blinked in surprise.
“You can refer to my friends oleh their proper names.”
“Oh.” He still seemed a little surprised that I found his word offensive. “Alice
then, right? I can’t believe she kept her mouth shut.” He started back down the street
and I followed reluctantly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t anda ever get tired of playing dumb?”
“I’m not playing,” I berkata sourly. “Apparently, I’m just dumb.”
He eyed me carefully. “Humph,” he muttered.
“What?” I demanded.
“She really didn’t tell anda about me?”
“About you? What about you?”
His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized my face again. Then he shook his head in
resignation and changed the subject.
“Did they make anda choose yet?”
I knew what he meant immediately.
“I told anda they wouldn’t do that. You’re the only one obsessed with picking
sides.”
He smiled a tight smile, and his eyes narrowed. “We’ll see about that.”
Abruptly, he leaned down and caught me in an enthusiastic beruang hug that yanked
my feet right off the ground.
“Let me go!” I struggled futilely. He was too strong.
“Why?” he laughed.
“Because I can’t breathe!”
He dropped me, stepping back with a sly smile on his face.
“You are on drugs,” I accused, looking down in embarrassment, pretending to
smooth my shirt.
“Just remember that I warned you,” he smirked, leaning down again—not quite as
far—to take my face in his big hands.
“Um, Jacob…” I protested, my voice shooting up an octave, one hand flying up
childishly to cover my mouth.
He ignored me, inclining his head to press his lips firmly to my forehead for a
prolonged second. The ciuman seemed to begin as a joke, but his face was angry when he
straightened up.
“You should let me ciuman you, Bella,” He berkata as he stepped away, dropping his
hands. “You might like it. Something warm for a change.”
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
“I told anda from the beginning, Jacob.”
“I know, I know,” he sighed. “My fault. I’m the one who lost my grip on the
grenade.”
I looked down, biting my lip.
“I still miss you, Bella,” He said. “A lot. And then, just at the point when we
might have at least been able to be friends again, he comes back.”
I glared at him. “If it weren’t for Sam, we would be friends anyway.”
“You think so?” Jacob suddenly smiled, and the smile was arrogant. “Okay, I’ll
leave it in his hands then.” It was obvious the pronoun he sneered did not refer to Sam.
“What do anda mean?”
“I’ll be your friend—if he doesn’t have a problem with that,” Jacob offered, and
then he began to laugh with something resembling real amusement.
I frowned, but I wasn’t going pass up the unexpected opportunity. “Fine.” I held
my hand out in front of me. “Friends.”
He shook my hand with a smirk. “The ironic part is that—if he’d let anda be my
friend,” he snorted in derision, “it would probably work out. I’m better at this than the
rest of them. Sam says I’m a natural.” He made a revolted face.
“A natural what?” I asked in confusion.
“I’ll let the bloodsucker tell anda that—when he explains why you’re not allowed
to be friends with me.” Jacob laughed again.
I turned automatically, but he grabbed my shoulder.
“Sorry. It slipped out. I meant…Edward, of course.”
“Of course. Just remember that anda made a deal,” I reminded him darkly.
“I’ll keep my side of the bargain, don’t worry about that.” He chuckled.
“I don’t get the joke,” I complained.
“You will.” He continued to laugh. “Though I can’t guarantee that you’ll think
it’s funny.”
He started to saunter back toward the house, so I guessed that he had berkata all he’d
planned to say.
“How’s Sam?” I asked in a bland tone.
“Not pleased, as anda could probably guess,” he said, matter of fact. “You can’t
expect us to be thrilled that the vampire moved back to town.”
I stared at him, my face Frozen in shock.
“Oh, c’mon, Bella,” he groaned, rolling his eyes.
I frowned and looked away, while he chuckled again. My temper flared.
“How’s Quil?” I taunted him.
His expression immediately turned into a glower. “I don’t see him much,” he
growled.
“Good.”
“It’s only a matter of time,” he berkata in a sick, angry voice. “Now.”
“Now what?”
“Now that your friends are back.”
We glared at each other for a moment.
“I can’t talk to anda when you’re being like this,” I eventually decided.
I didn’t expect him to back down, but he did.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
“You’re right. I’m not being very friendly, am I? I shouldn’t waste the
moment—this is probably the last conversation we’ll have.”
“I’m really going to enjoy proving anda wrong,” I muttered.
“That’s funny. I don’t think I’m going to enjoy proving anda wrong at all.”
We were back at the house. Jacob walked me to the porch, but stopped there.
“Do anda expect him back soon?” Jacob asked casually.
“Edward, anda mean?”
“Yes…Edward.” It seemed hard for him to say the name. He’d had less trouble
with ‘Alice.’
“Later,” I berkata in a vague tone.
Jacob squinted up at the sun, beaming from between the uncharacteristically thin
clouds.
“Ah,” he said, clearly understanding only too well. “Tell him I berkata ‘hi.’”
He let loose with another long peal of laughter.
“Sure,” I grumbled.
“I can’t tell anda how much I wish that anda could win this one,” he berkata when he
was done, his smile fading. “La Push is no fun without you.”
So fast that my breath caught in shock, Jacob threw his arms around me again.
“Bye, Bella,” he muttered, exhaling warmly into my hair.
Before I could recover and respond, Jacob swung around and headed off down the
street, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. It was only then that I wondered how
he’d gotten here. There was no vehicle in sight. But his long legs took him away so
quickly, I would have had to shout to ask. And I was sure he was meeting Sam
somewhere close by.
It seemed like all I did with Jacob anymore was say goodbye. I sighed.
Charlie didn’t look up when I walked past him.
“That was short,” he noted.
“Jacob’s being a brat,” I told him.
He laughed briefly, eyes on the TV.
I took my work with me up to my room then, determined to concentrate better. I
knew that if I stayed in the kitchen, I’d never keep my eyes off the clock over the stove
for any length of time. In my room, I was able to simply pull the plug on the alarm clock
to solve that problem. I had five applications ready for the mail when the sound of the
rain broke my attention. I glanced out the window. Apparently, the nice weather had
spent itself. I smiled fleetingly, and started on the selanjutnya question. I still had hours ahead
of me.
Something hard caught me roughly around the waist and jerked me off the bed.
Before I could suck in a breath to scream, my back was against the far wall. I was pinned
there oleh something hard and cold—and familiar. A low, warning growl slid from
between his teeth.
“Edward, what’s wrong? Who’s here?” I whispered in terror. There were so
many bad jawaban to that question. We were too late. I never should have listened to
them, I should have made Alice change me at once. I started to hyperventilate in fear.
And then Edward said, “Hmm,” in a voice that did not sound even vaguely
concerned. “False alarm.”
I took a deep, steadying breath. “Okay.”
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
He turned around, backing slightly away to give me room. He put his hands on
my shoulders, but did not pull me closer. His eyes scrutinized my face, and his perfect
nose wrinkled slightly.
“Sorry about that,” he grinned ruefully. “Overreaction.”
“To what?” I wondered.
“In a minute,” he promised me. He took a step back and looked at me with a
strange expression that I couldn’t make out. “First, why don’t anda tell me what you’ve
been up to today?”
“I was good,” I berkata breathlessly. “I’m halfway done.”
“Only halfway?” he teased, his eyes running over me with the strange look again.
“You’re back early. Not that I’m complaining.” Now that I was beginning to
recover from the moment of panic, I could feel the surge of happiness welling up inside
me. He’d come back.
“Did anda do anything else?” he continued, expectant.
I shrugged. “Jacob Black stopped by.”
He nodded, unsurprised. “He chose his moment well. I suppose he’s been
waiting for me to leave.”
“Probably,” I admitted, and I was suddenly anxious. “Because, Edward,
he…well, he seems to know everything. I don’t know why he started believing Billy
now—”
“I do,” he muttered.
“What?” I asked, taken off guard again.
But Edward had paced away, his face distant and thoughtful.
I started to get irritated. “This is so annoying. Are anda going to tell me what’s
going on?”
“Maybe,” but he hesitated. “Can I ask a favor first?”
I groaned. “Fine.” I went to sit on the bed, trying to reassemble the scattered
papers. “What do anda want?” He must know there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for him.
Asking was almost superfluous.
“I’d appreciate if very much if anda would promise to stay away from Jacob Black.
Just for the sake of my peace of mind.”
My jaw fell open. I stared at him in horrified disbelief. “You’re joking,” I said
incredulously.
“No, I’m not.” He stared back at me with somber eyes. “You nearly gave me a
jantung attack just now—and that’s not the easiest thing to do.”
I didn’t understand what he meant oleh that, only that he was doing exactly what I’d
been so sure he wouldn’t do. “You can’t be serious. anda can’t honestly be telling me to
pick sides.”
“Pick sides?” he asked, frowning.
“Jacob berkata I would have to choose, that anda wouldn’t let me be friends with
him—and I told him that was ridiculous.” I looked at him with pleading eyes—pleading
for him validate my trust.
His eyes narrowed slightly. “As much as I truly hate to make Jacob Black
right…” he began.
“No!” I wailed. “I can’t believe this!” I kicked my foot out petulantly and my
tidied stack of applications fluttered to the floor.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer
His eyes grew cool. “You could pick the other side,” he reminded me.
“Don’t be an idiot!” I growled.
“I didn’t realize he was so important to you,” Edward berkata in a grim voice. His
eyes tightened again.
“You can’t be jealous,” I moaned in disbelief.
He sniffed once, and wrinkled his nose again. “Well, it does smell like he was
fairly close this afternoon.”
“That wasn’t my idea.” But I blushed.
He noted that. He raised one eyebrow.
“There’s absolutely no reason for anda to ever be jealous of anyone atau anything.
How can anda not know that? But Jacob is important to me. He’s the best human friend I
have. He’s family. If it weren’t for Jacob…” I trailed off, shaking my head. Dead was
not the worst thing I could be without Jacob.
“Best human friend,” Edward repeated in a low voice, staring absently out the
window for a detik before turning back to me. He came to sit selanjutnya to me on the bed,
though leaving a little luar angkasa between us, which surprised me. “I have to admit, I owe
him one—at least one—for saving anda from the watery grave. Regardless of that,
I’d…prefer that anda kept your distance. Because whether I’m jealous atau not isn’t the
issue. anda ought to realize oleh now that the only thing that I really get bent out of shape
over is your safety.”
I blinked in surprise. “Safety? What on earth do anda mean?”
He sighed, frowning. “It’s not really my secret to tell. Why haven’t anda asked
Jacob what’s going on?”
“I have.”
He put his finger to his lips, reminding me to keep it down.
“I just did, again,” I continued angrily, but lebih quietly. “And Jacob said, ‘I’ll
let the bloodsucker tell anda that, when he explains why you’re not allowed to be friends
with me.’”
He just rolled his eyes, so I kept going.
“He also berkata to tell anda ‘hi,’” I added, using the same jeering tone Jacob had.
He shook his head, and then smiled ruefully. He put his hands on my shoulders,
holding me a little ways away, as if to get a better view of my expression. “Fine, then,”
he said. “I’ll tell anda everything. In fact, I’ll explain every tiny detail and answer every
single pertanyaan anda have. Only, could anda do something for me first?” He raised his
eyebrows, almost apologetically, and wrinkled his nose again. “Do anda mind washing
your hair? anda absolutely reek of werewolf.”
I have to admit, I still have a soft spot for that last line.
© 2006 Stephenie Meyer