Here it is, the next chapter! Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing this story, with ideas, and encouragement, because it reminds me just how much I love this community, who is so supportive and kind. Please continue to review and message me about what you think, or what you want to see more of. Hopefully this chapter gives you a little bit of insight into what Bella is thinking and the reasons she is so reluctant to engage with the Cullens after everything she found out. Also, I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed Alice's POV, so if you feel like hearing from any of the other characters just let me know. Sorry for the ramble, and I hope you enjoy :)

. . .

Bella

Seeing them that morning had spooked me. Or rather, the urge to go over, and laugh with Alice and Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper, and pretend everything was normal had spooked me. I don't know how long I had stared at Edward for. He looked gorgeous, even just wearing jeans and a plain white top. Had I noticed last night his beauty? Becoming a vampire had amplified all the good looks he had had before, making him overwhelmingly handsome; I was surprised the students here could contain themselves. The though made me shake my head. What was I doing? I couldn't think about him this way. Yes, we had been married. But that was a century ago. Since then, he had died, I had died, and we had spent over a century apart. We were different, and although human Edward and human Bella were in love, we were not those people anymore. There was no way that he could love me like this, when he was the way he was. He had left. He said it was to protect me, but it did not change the fact that he had lived an entire life without me. A life he had been happy with before I had interrupted. It was better for everyone if I stayed away. Those were the words that I repeated to myself as I made my way to Politics.

The teacher directed me to a seat near the back, and as I got out my notebook and a pen, more for appearances than anything, another girl with light brown curly hair and a big smile, walked over to sit beside me. Getting out her stuff, she kept her attention on me.

"Hi, I'm Jessica."

"I'm…"

"Bella! I know," she interrupted, and I gave a small smile at her enthusiasm, ducking my head a little. "I've heard all about you." I frowned a little, since I could only imagine what had been said about me. Although, technically, if I paid enough attention, I could also hear exactly what was said about me.

"I've only been here a day." She waved my comment off.

"News travels fast around here. So, what's up with you and the Cullens?" Had my heart been beating, I'm sure it would have faltered at the comment, and I schooled my face into confusion, frowning slightly.

"Nothing. Why?" Jessica finally stopped unpacking her things, and looked about as the teacher walked in. This didn't seem to deter her gossiping though.

"Well, I heard that you sat with them at lunch yesterday, and chatted to Alice in Chemistry and chatted to Rosalie and Emmett in Gym." Her whispers didn't falter, even as the teacher began talking, and though I longed for her to shut up, I could tell the lesson wasn't going to be very engaging anyway. It was unfortunate, since I usually found politics very interesting, especially since it wasn't something I had learned before, when the content focussed on current affairs.

"Is sitting with them at lunch a crime or something?" I asked Jessica, wishing she'd drop the topic. She was interesting, with her upfront way of approaching things, better than the ones who whispered behind my backs, not knowing I could hear them, but thinking about the Cullens made my brain hurt.

"It's unusual, is all. They don't really interact with people." I fought a laugh, knowing exactly why they didn't make friends with the humans who were effectively a walking meal. "Did you already know them or something?" My heart clenched, but I just shook my head, shrugging a bit, showing her I didn't see why this was so strange.

"They seem nice," I commented, casually. Jessica seemed disappointed by my lack of gossip, and so she changed tactics.

"I suppose you'll be meeting Edward today, then." She looked to the board, actually taking a few notes, and I decided to start doing the same, trying to tune into the dull drone of the teacher's voice. I didn't respond to her comment, and after a moment, she continued. "He's their brother. He wasn't in last week. Something about visiting a relative." She said it all casually, as though she was just making conversation, but I could practically feel her eagerness.

"Yes, I think Alice mentioned him," I said, keeping my eyes on the board, determined not to let my voice falter. The teacher asked Jessica a question, which she answered confidently, and I was impressed, since she had spent the entire lesson chatting to me. After that, we didn't speak much, but at the end of the lesson, she gave me a wide smile.

"If you want to sit with us at lunch today, that would be cool. See you later, Bella!" She said, and breezed out of the room, linking arms with another girl, who she began chatting to enthusiastically. I was surprised it wasn't about me, but Jessica seemed content to gather the gossip for herself, rather than dish it out for other people. Despite her nosiness, I smiled a little as I left Politics, and wondered if I might just take her up on her offer to sit with her at lunch.

As I made my way to French, I heard a group of girls talking, a combination of giggles and hushed voices. I tried to tune them out, but a specific name caught my attention.

"Did you see Edward was back in today?" I wasn't entirely surprise that he was a topic for conversation. After all, he was a vampire; everything about him was made to draw humans in.

"He's been off for almost a week, I'm so glad he's back." The girl speaking souded like someone in love rather than someone who had stared at another person for a couple of hours longingly. I knew I should block it out, or listen to something else, but I didn't and their words followed me to French as I maintained my focus on their voices.

"I heard a rumour that he was visiting some girlfriend who lives in Alaska," one of the girls suggested, and there were various gasps of annoyance and hurt amongst the group. It felt like a blow to the chest. Even if what they said hadn't been exactly true, what were the chances of Edward having some gorgeous vampire mate somewhere. Pretty high. This was why I had to keep my distance; I couldn't risk getting hurt because what I already knew to be true was proven to me. He had built a life, a better life and I wasn't a part of it. Even being here was distrupting that life. That was why I would stay away. He didn't need me here. And I didn't need him. I wanted so hard to believe that, that I nearly did. Nearly.

French was tedious, especially since I was fluent in the language, and so writing out verbs that I could do blindfolded wasn't exactly exhilarating. Still, I sat through it, occasionally making notes when the teacher caught my eye. She was testing me throughout the lesson, I could tell, and I forced myself to speak slower, slightly stumbling through the French that was basic conversation. It wouldn't do for her to start asking questions about time I had spent in France. I was guessing saying that I had been a nurse on the front line during the Second World War wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for.

When class was over, I hung back, talking to the teacher about any extra reading I needed to do to catch up, or exercises I could complete. It never hurt to keep my teachers on my side, so that some absences were more easily looked past. I didn't want to admit that I was avoiding bumping into any of the Cullens. After I left French, there were still twenty minutes until our next lesson, and I walked to my locker, swapping my books as slowly as I could, finding anything to do to avoid venturing to the cafeteria, where I might see them again. Once I had done that, I walked to History, knocking and discussing the same thing with him as I had with the French teacher, jotting down, pointlessly, the names of several texts he had directed me to. That was my next class, and the teacher showed me my seat, and let me set up for the lesson, allowing me to stay hidden for the remainder of break. I was relieved to have avoided them and was wondering if it would be possible to do all day when the bell rang, and Jasper Cullen walked into History, heading straight for me.

I clenched my jaw as I saw him, closing my eyes for a moment, wishing that when I opened them again, he wouldn't be there. The effect was the opposite; when my eyes opened, he was sat in the seat beside mine.

"Bella." He greeted me, nodding slightly, and I looked straight ahead to the teacher, watching him write the title on the board as more students filed in. I recognised Jessica from politics that morning, and she smiled at me, her eyes flicking between Jasper and I, before she sat down, at a desk on the opposite side of the classroom, her gaze still on the pair of us. I didn't say anything to the man beside me, focussing my attention on anything else. I watched as Angela, the nice girl from the day before, walked in and Jessica waved her over, smiling to her friend and looking pointedly to us. Angela sat down, looking between us and her friend.

"Leave it, Jess," she said, shaking her head, smiling a little at her friend, and beside her Jessica began to talk, but I droned out the voice, focussing my attention back on the teacher. It was then that Jasper spoke beside me.

"You're staying?" He asked, but it sounded like he already knew the answer. This was just a confirmation.

"I have nowhere else to go," I uttered the only truth I was really sure of now. I hadn't even planned what I would do after my time here was up, let alone prepared for early departure. "I don't know how to…" I lost the words, but it didn't matter. Jasper already knew them, because they were the same words I had said the night before. I didn't know how to walk away. And I wished that I did. It would hurt a lot less.

"Your arrival created quite the commotion at the Cullen household." I immediately felt guilty for all the drama this had created. I mean, I would never have gone with them if I had known what would happen.

"I swear, I don't mean your family any harm. I will stay out of your way from now on. It'll be like I'm not even here." I didn't look at him as I said any of this, but I saw him frown slightly out of the corner of my eye.

"Bella, I didn't mean it like that."

"Really, Jasper, it's fine. I take no offence." I offered, and I hoped he knew I meant it. I was only doing what was best for everyone by staying away.

"I only meant that things tend to be the same in our house, with our well rehearsed routines and roles. You changed things." He paused. "Not in a bad way." He sounded genuine, and I could feel him projecting his sincerity, but I just kept my eyes on the teacher, making a note of an assignment he was talking about.

"Not in a good way." Jasper paused again, seeming to hesitate, as though wondering how much he should say.

"Not in as bad a way as you might think," he observed, but his voice was lowered, enough so that any other nosy vampires around the school wouldn't be able to hear him.

The teacher interrupted our conversation, not that he could hear what we were saying, since our volume was too low for human ears, but simply to ask how far I had gotten in studying the Second World War in my previous school. I assured him that I was up to date, and felt Jasper smirk beside me. If he wanted an essay of the impact of war, I could just submit my diary entries over the relevant years. I smiled at my own thought, looking at my desk, and was grateful when the teacher returned to the content of the lesson, as many of the stares that had turned to me returned to the board. "Interesting," Jasper murmured beside me, and I frowned a little at whatever observation he had made.

"What?" I asked, and he looked at me, smiling a little, as though I was a historical artefact that he found interesting. Then he shrugged slightly, and turned back to the teacher.

"I've never met a self conscious vampire before." I knew if I could I would have blushed at having that part of my personality pointed out, and frowned a little deeper.

"I don't like attention. I never have."

Jasper didn't say anything else for a while, and I found the courage to ask the question I had been really wondering about. Well, one of them, anyway. "Why did you help me? Last night, when I saw…him, you helped me. Why?" He seemed to consider the question before responding, looking at me.

"Well," he started, "I could feel your pain and I didn't like it. I am aware of everyone's emotions, but they have to be especially strong for me to feel them the way I did yours. The pain, and confusion, and grief…" I flinched at the description, and he seemed to note it. "Sorry." I shook my head at his apology. It was unnecessary when it was me who couldn't come to terms with her own feelings. He waited a moment before continuing. "I don't think anyone should feel like that. And so, I tried to help."

"Thank you," I said, after a moment.

"And, believe it or not, I liked you. I mean, I do like you." He gave me a small smile, that I returned, and observed how different he was from his small mate, with her big beams and loud personality. Jasper was quieter, but with the same kind soul that his mate showed so openly. Part of me wished that nothing had changed yesterday, and I hated myself for it. How could I regret finding out that my former husband was alive? Only in the way that had I gone home with the Cullens yesterday, and met Carlisle and Esme, and that had been it, perhaps I would be a little closer to finding the family I had longed for since I had died nearly a century ago. But that wasn't how it was. This was Edward's family, his coven, and I had no place sticking my nose in where it wasn't wanted. It would be better for everyone if I stayed away, especially for Edward. And so I would.

Jasper was quiet after that, as was I, and he seemed to be thinking about something, frowning at his paper on which he had made no notes. He got a text about ten minutes after our conversation, and he read it, but didn't respond. After a couple of minutes, though, the phone buzzed again, as though reacting to some response that I wasn't aware of. It continued like this for a short while, but the teacher was none the wiser, and I decided to ignore it. I could ask, but I wouldn't. This would be just one of the ways I would stay away. Avoid contact and conversation. I could do that. The rest of the lesson passed quickly enough, and I tried not to listen to the teacher after that, as he explored the war with the class. Those were memories I really didn't need to relive. As the bell rang, I picked up my things, and was part way down the corridor when Jasper's voice stopped me. "Bella!" He called after me, and I turned, smiling a little at the effort he went to to keep up appearances, since he could have whispered the name and I still would have heard him and turned. "Look," he said, sounding conflicted about what exactly to say to me, although it seemed like he wanted to say something. "You can still…I mean, even with…"

"Jasper," I interrupted, shaking my head. He didn't have to try to say anything to make this better. He nodded, and I turned to walk away.

"You don't have to avoid us all." He said, and I paused, but didn't look back to him. I waited a second, to see if there was anything to add, but when he didn't speak, I hurried away down the corridor and towards my next class, my thoughts lingering on Jasper's words. On how they contradicted everything I had been telling myself since last night.

The next lesson passed quickly, and I ran over the conversation Jasper and I had had, wondering about his parting words. He couldn't truly believe that me getting to know any of them would help the situation. Or if he did believe it, then he clearly didn't understand everything that had happened. Besides, even if it would help, to know them, to understand them, so that we could live in such close proximity in the following years, I didn't know if I could bear it. Or if he could. Seeing him this morning, hearing those girls talk about him, I was reliving everything, remembering all the grief our lives together had brought me. Not that our life together had lasted very long. By the time the lesson finished, I was more confused than ever, my brain spiralling through thoughts at a million miles a minute. I made my way to the cafeteria, still engrossed in my own thoughts, so much so that I wasn't listening to the buzz of the school, the voices that normally bombarded me. As I pushed open the door, I kept my head down, and made my way over to the food, not really seeing what I was picking up, just handing over some money, before turning to face the room. My eyes immediately moved to the table of five vampires, only to find all of their gazes locked on me. What was I going to do?