Chapter One.

(Eavesdropping.)

I OWN NOTHING, IM NOT STEPHENIE MEYER.(:

I drove my Volvo into an empty parking space, at the school I used to refer to as purgatory, a place so tedious and monotonous that even though I was a vampire I could have probably fallen asleep. But that was all up until last Monday when a new student at our school appeared, Isabella 'Bella' Swan. Of course I thought nothing of her, until her blocked mind befuddled me. Why wasn't she bombarding me with the average petty thoughts most teenage girls always had? Maybe she was just simply blank, a bubblehead? No, it couldn't be that. Her delicious scarlet blush hinted that some thoughts were definitely going on in that head. I had then decided I needed to unravel her thoughts, maybe something was needed to get what I wanted? Physical contact? A magic word?

Bella Swan's blocked mind was not the only thing that made her more interesting than the other boring, over-hormoned teenagers that I walked among, it was also her atrociously sweet scent. This girl must had been destined to be fed on, she was even more frail and helpless than most humans; her mind was blocked from me leaving me without having to think about her as a, "talking steak", because she was just steak; and her insanely sweet scent hit me unlike anything describable. It was basically fate for me to give in to my monster, persuade her into the forest or stalk her home. I almost had let the monster win, but Carlisle's face - my hero and mentor - in my mind had gave me enough hope to get me out of that suddenly Closter phobic building and into mountains of Alaska, where the fresh air was always in supply.

While in Alaska it was hard to believe that the frail human girl, Isabella Swan, could drive me out of where I wanted to be. If I wanted to be with my family without having giving in to temptation, then I would just have to concur her scent. And finish high school and move along with my family to another place and life will go on. Until then, Isabella Swan will be a nice new challenge to distract me from this absurdly boring high school. I need to break down her mind, anything I can use as a defense against her scent. And when I do, she will be nothing more than another Jessica Stanley or Angela Weber.

I put the car in park and rolled up all the windows, got out and locked the doors. I stood by the driver's door staring at the school. I could do this, I won't hurt her. Wait, why was I repeating this to myself? Of course I wouldn't hurt Bella Swan. She was an innocent; she had never committed or even thought about committing disastrous thoughts. And never had I fed or never would feed on an innocent, Bella was no exception.

Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett all started walking to their senior classes while Alice walked around the car to stand in front of me.

"You'll be fine." Alice thought with a smile.

I halfheartedly lifted one side of my mouth at an attempt of a smile, Alice didn't look very convinced.

"Edward. I know you wont hurt her." her smile grew wider, and then she added a giggle.

I raised an eyebrow at my pixie-like vampire sister; she was hiding something from me. But when didn't she try to hide something from me? Better not to think about it, I already had enough to concentrate on. I let out a huge breath I didn't know I was holding.

Alice giggled, "Come on Edward! We're gonna be late." She turned around and started for class. I breathed in and then snorted; Bella Swan was no more than any other human. And I was going to prove it.

The rest of the day I listened all the people Bella talked to. Jessica, Mike and Angela were the main people she talked to. Every time she was only with Jessica, I swore. Her mind was probably the most unoriginal, annoying trivial mind I've heard. But I'd gladly listen to Jessica's mind rather than Newton's. He just simply got on my nerves, his infatuation with Bella was only growing and it was irritating me in a way it never had been before. Angela's mind was unusually kind for a teenage girl and for that I was thankful. I was able to eavesdrop on Bella without the irritation I got from most people. I listened to every word, watched every image that appeared in one's mind that had absolutely anything to do with Bella.

"Edward?" Rosalie called, "What are you staring at?"

"Mmm?" I murmured. I glanced back to Rosalie and the rest of my siblings who were staring at me like they were expecting something.

"What the hell are you staring at?" Rosalie spoke at low vampire speed which no human could ever keep up with even if they tried.

"Nothing." I replied and pulled my eyes down to the table. Tracing the lines in the faux wood table with my eyes, listening for Jessica who I knew Bella came to lunch with.

"Ugh. Edwards's infatuation with that girl is getting out of control. I wonder if she even does smell that good or if it's just weakness. Hmm, I bet if I were human my scent would be ten times better…"

I tuned Rosalie out; her thoughts were hardly worth hearing. Especially right now when I needed my concentration else where.

"Hello? Bella?" I heard that annoying nasally voice coming from the lunch line. "What do you want?"

I stiffened at her voice waiting for Bella's reply.

"What's wrong with Bella?" Mike Newton asked Jessica. "Is she okay? Is she sick? Should I ask if she needs to go to the nurse?"

I rolled my eyes, of course Newton would be with Bella drooling all over her.

"How should I know? God she's so weird. I probably wouldn't even be her friend if it didn't help my social status…"

"Nothing." A soft murmur came from in between the other two voices. "Ill just get a soda today."

"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked

"Actually I feel a little sick." I frowned at her answer, another feeling of what I felt last Monday when I first saw Bella showed up.

I watched as Bella made her way to their usual table, while listening to Mike keep asking Bella if she were okay and Jessica mentally curse Bella for "hogging Mike's attention."

"Edward?" Emmett called.

I looked over at Emmett who was grinning, "Up to a snow fight later tonight, my brother?"

I laughed, "Sure. But you know you're just going to lose."

"We'll see about that! Alice, don't think about tonight's snow fight, Edward already cheats enough!"

Alice slipped, she saw our family having a snow fight in the forest, and saw me hiding in the tree tops while Emmett was sneaking from tree to tree trying to hide from me which wouldn't help seeing as I would hear his thoughts from miles away. Then she saw me shaking the tree and all the snow that was piled up on leaves and branches from the tree leaving Emmett under an avalanche of snow.

The corners of my mouth turned up and Alice frowned for accidentally slipping.

"Sorry Emmett, you caught me off guard." She smiled apologetically in his direction.

"Aw, Alice!" Emmett cried. Then suddenly he smiled mischievously said loud enough to put exaggeration in his voice but low enough so no human could possibly hear, "Snap Decision!" then he started shaking his head around the table getting everything in a five foot radius wet. Both Alice and Rosalie leaned away grimacing, while Jasper and I laughed at them.

"You have got to be kidding. Bella must have a crush on Edward. Why is she always staring at him?" "Bella what are you staring at?" "I even warned her that he didn't date. Well it would be fun to watch Bella try anyway."

My eyes flashed over to meet Bella's, I watched her eyes widen and her cheeks turn pink then saw her drop her head, her hair falling around her face.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you." Jessica giggled, "Probably wondering why she was always staring at him. Fool."

"He doesn't look angry does he?" Bella asked.

My brow furrowed, angry?

"No. Should he be?" Jessica asked in turn.

"I don't think he likes me." she muttered, resting her head on her arm.

"The Cullen's don't like anybody," "I mean duh, is this girl dense? Oh but I should at least act friendly, I mean I am after all acting like her friend. "Well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you. "For what reason? Bella isn't even…"

"Stop looking at him." she hissed.

Jessica snickered at her and turned her attention to mike and started babbling about some random subject.

Bella rose her head to confirm Jessica obeyed, and then sat up all the way straight again but stared at the table without really looking at the table. What was she thinking? And why did she think I hated her? She must have noticed my rigid position last Monday, but I couldn't blame her for that. The way I acted last Monday would have gotten even the most distracted person's attention. Well she must have a good intuition, because I did in fact hate her, that's what kept the monster from exploding. The rest of lunch went by pretty fast and I stayed seated until I saw Bella and her friends leave. After a few minutes of their departure I got up and made my way to Biology Class.

a/n

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