Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Claws

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 04:

It had been a long day for four of the guys on Connolly’s team. They finished their task around 6 PM and met back at his residence.

Bella had requested that numerous small devices be planted a half mile apart on trees in the forest surrounding Forks. They were interesting gadgets, speakers about the size of a half dollar that could radiate sounds of hearts beating at different rates across the forest by a remote Bella carried in her tactical suits that the men had yet to see.

The girl explained that once she activated the devices the forest would be surrounded by heartbeats, drowning hers out and confusing any vampire who might be in the area. So long as she stayed downwind her scent should not give her away unless the creatures came too close.

Bella offered to position them herself but Dante refused, telling her he needed to become familiar with the local wilderness he would be pretending to patrol. The men joined him with the exception of Ty. Gavin gave no indication of what he would be doing but they let it alone. He had been out late with Bella the night before and probably decided not to get out of bed all day.

Bella was left to prepare her closet and make herself more comfortable with her surroundings, perhaps touring the small town.

The teenager told them tonight she would be running the ten mile radius that had been set up around Forks with the speakers, getting the lay of the land. She assured Connolly that she would not go far.

Tomorrow and the next day the men would expand the perimeter to La Push. Once that was done, it would be time to prepare for their new roles.

The men crashed in Connolly’s living room, damp and dirty from the forest and considered what to have for dinner.

“Maybe we should ask Gavin’s lazy ass to come over.” Jack suggested.

“Nope.” Hawk disagreed. “He can deal with cereal at the bunk. Call Bella. I doubt she is eating with her old man. Anybody even talked to her today while we were setting up her toys?”

Connolly looked at Jack and the man pulled out the laptop. He hadn’t heard from Bella today which was kind of a surprise. He thought she would be monitoring their progress and eventually insist on helping.

“She is at… Gavin and Hawk’s place?” Jack told him, sounding very confused. “I figured she would be here waiting on us if she wasn’t at home. Want me to call her?”

Connolly shook his head. “I’ll let them know, pick up some takeout on the way back.”

Ten minutes later he pulled into Ty’s driveway. Bella’s bike was parked on the street.

The door wasn’t locked, something that always annoyed him about Ty. The man had no sense of security. A locked door may not do much but if an enemy had to kick it in that could be the split second one would need to respond.

The TV was on, sounds of gunfire erupting from it. Turing the corner into the living room he found Bella and Ty on separate recliners with an end table between them. On top of the table were two empty pizza boxes. Bella had a PlayStation controller in her hand and a look of fierce concentration on her face.

Connolly cleared his throat.

“Hello Connolly.” Bella greeted him, eyes never leaving the screen and fingers furiously pushing buttons.

“Hello Bella. Ty, sorry you couldn’t join us today.” Connolly told the man who had a huge smile on his face watching the giant screen.

“Sorry bout that man. Not really. Me and Bells had to do some research work and stuff. She needed some help blending in. Its been a hard day. We binged some Netflix, set up her social media accounts, and searched the net for the hottest styles. Thought we would handle some video games tonight. You guys have fun today? Looked like it rained quite a few times. Hope you stayed dry.”

Connolly should have been annoyed but watching Bella play a video game with an intensity of a life or death battle made it hard.

“Damn it!” the girl yelled as her character fell dead. “This is impossible!”

“Chill girl. You got to learn how to aim.” Ty told her. “You can’t go stealth all the time and knife people.”

“I can aim. I am an expert marksman. Its these damn little sites on this sensitive controller and how many people can take four shots to the chest and live? No one. Even with body armor they would be knocked unconscious and easy prey, not stand unmoving and throw a grenade at you!”

“You got to shoot him before the grenade leaves his hand. He drops it and it takes him and his two partners out. Relax Bells, you got this.”

Bella shook her head. “I can gut Lycans before they know I am within striking distance but these bastards… where the hell did they even get high grade military weapons and advanced body armor on an abandoned island? It makes no sense!”

Connolly shook his head, trying to hold back a laugh. This was exactly the reason he never played these dumb games.

“Hey, we are going to eat over at mine and Jack’s place. You guys want to come along?”

Ty shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. Somebody discovered French fries and Reese’s Cups today and is no longer a dedicated carnivore. We also had pizza delivered twice. Girl went through two herself.”

“What about you Bella?”

The girl shook her head. “Pizza and chocolate taste better than a vampire’s throat but even I have my limits. I’m going to spend the night running the forest. I really need to stretch my legs and test out the heartbeat speakers you have set up. I’m going to do that… as soon as I get to a save point.”

“How long are you planning on staying out?” he asked, not crazy about her ‘spending the night’. The man could imagine her sleeping on a tree limb instead of a bed.

“Not sure. If you need me, turn on my GPS. There is a messenger function. I have a small keypad on the left cuff of my uniform. I only check it every ten minutes or so. It doesn’t make a sound or light up so as not to give away my position. I can send messages to you if you are watching. There is no need to watch tonight though. It’s just a routine run, and I need to mark my hunting area. It’s not for strategic purposes, just an instinct. I’ve marked off my main residence but I have to claim the entire area as mine or it will bug the hell out of me.”

Ty looked at the man and shrugged his shoulders. “You heard the lady. She got to piss on a tree to make herself comfortable…”

“I don’t piss on a tree.” Bella told him. “I just have to… you wouldn’t understand. I mark my grounds by clawing tree trunks. We all had a part of the Rainforest that was our personal ground during training. I suppose I could piss on the ground but I prefer to claw trees and leave bodily fluids for the restroom.”

Connolly chuckled. “Looks like you are doing wonders for her language skills, Ty.”

“She’s come a long way in a short time.” the man admitted.

“Bella doesn’t need compliments on her language skills.” she told the two men. “Bella can speak four languages proficiently and can now speak of herself in the third person thanks to being around Ty all day. Right now Bella is trying to kill a dozen enemies who refuse to die, so Bella needs to concentrate on this damn controller.”

Connolly shook his head. “We will be on tonight. Anytime you are out patrolling or hunting, whatever you call it, someone is going to be watching you on GPS. If you get in trouble…”

“Bella can handle it.” she finished. “Let Bella do what Bella does.”

Ty reached over and pushed the girl’s shoulder gently. “I’m starting to think you are makin fun of me.”

“I’m thinking you don’t want to keep your hand if you touch again me while I am aiming.” she mumbled.

“We will be watching you. Don’t stay out too late. You need sleep.”

Connolly could have sworn she said yes dad before he got to the door.

At eight PM Bella was in her room, going through her cases. She slipped a black long sleeve top on and pants, the material resembling lycra but actually a special polymer blend that resisted most natural tears. Taking a handgun with twelves rounds capable of knocking a vampire or Lycan back and her holster she strapped it to her thigh tightly.

She placed her special knife in the sheath around her calve. The knife blade was bone, the femur of the first Lycan she had killed. Bella had spent every spare moment she had over the course of a week using her claws to cut it in half and whittle down the two pieces to very sharp blades capable of cutting through any supernatural creature. She kept one for herself and gave one to Julie. Bella had no idea what they had done with Julie’s and she never asked.

The girl did not bother tying her hair into a bun. She loved the way it felt moving in the wind. She once had long thick hair but it had been shorn when she was 12 and never grew out as full again. Now she wore it at a practical length but still as long as she was allowed. The girl had never like close cropped hair for herself though it would have been more practical. Her hair length was one of the little decisions she had been allowed to make for herself and she cherished it.

Bella wore boots that were more of the same fabric and had no soles, with the toes open so her claws would be unimpeded just as the gloves on her hand were the same.

She moved towards her window, only to be stopped by a knock on her door. The girl groaned. She had avoided contact with Chief Swan for the last day and a half. That morning he had not bothered to offer her breakfast as he did the day before or tried to speak to her. She suspected he was learning quickly what her response would be and hoped the fumbling attempts at verbal exchanges would have ended.

Now here he was again.

“Hey Bella… if you are in there… I saw your bike… anyway I grilled some steaks, if you are hungry.”

Bella considered jumping out the window as she had planned without a word but a mean spirited part of her would not let her. Instead her body shifted, her eyes turned and claws extended. She opened the door quickly and met her father’s eyes with her own yellow and ones.

“No thank you. I am going hunting tonight.” she told him, allowing her incisors to drop.

The look on his face was what she had hoped. The man actually stumbled away from her, hitting the wall opposite her door.

Bella retracted her incisors and laughed.

“Don’t like the outfit?” she asked. “Sorry Chief Swan, but tight is necessary where stealth is concerned. If I see any poachers would you like me to bring their bodies to you? I am a huge supporter of animal rights and wildlife conservation.”

Turning on a wide eyed Charlie, Bella moved swiftly to her window and was gone, leaving him standing in the hallway speechless.

She hit the tree line and moved swiftly, climbing to the top of the first tree and gliding from one to the next, moving quickly, never stumbling. It felt good to be out in her natural habitat, her lean legs pumping, her claws sinking into the damp wood, the air blowing past her as she glided silently over the forest floor.

Occasionally Bella would descend to the ground, a roar escaping from her throat as she carved her mark into the soft wood.

She had not been this free in a very long time. The girl stopped eight miles from Forks when she heard the sound of movement with no accompanying heartbeat.

Gluing herself to the high branch she resided in, Bella opened her senses, her eyes seeing clear in the darkness, her ears listening to footsteps moving quickly.

Too quickly. It sounded like two creatures running beside each other.

To the east of her, two hundred yards away on the ground.

Bella checked the wind and planned her approach when she heard the low guttural growl and the cry of a dying deer.

Vampires. Two vampires? They usually traveled alone or in couples so it was expected. What were they doing out here though? Why did they attack a deer?

Bella moved, gliding soundlessly across the branches, staying downwind. The wind was barely present but she caught the scent quickly.

Definite vampire.

Her incisors dropped and her pupils dilated. She quietly worked her way to a tree, high above them and perched on a limb, ready to drop.

Bella saw a very large male and a blonde female. The large one had his teeth clamped to a deer’s neck and was draining the now very dead animal.

What the hell was this? the teen asked herself.

Her brain was already formulating an attack strategy from above, landing on the big one and blinding him, then going for the female’s throat.

But another part of her mind told her to hold off, listen, learn.

What she heard fascinated her.

“We should have gone with Alice and Jasper to Colorado, Rose. Hunting here sucks.”

“I wasn’t in the mood for a trip. Besides Jasper needs the larger animals more. Between the two of you, the animal population would have fallen out of balance.”

Jasper and Alice? There were two others in the coven? Animal population? Who the hell were these vampires?

“I can’t believe school starts on Monday. After we graduate this time, we are leaving the family for a while, understand Emmett?” the female told him. “I am tired of keeping up this charade so Carlisle can play doctor.”

“He promised us a college town next time. That could be fun.” the man argued.

Family? Bella thought. Doctor? School?

The one who was called Rose groaned. “Probably Alaska again. Edward is so fond of that damn state. Perhaps we can go to Denmark and just live on our own? Its been two decades Emmett. I am getting tired of never having any privacy. We can at least take a few years.”

Bella’s plan of attack was quickly erased from her mind. This was too fascinating not to listen to. Carlisle, Edward, Alice, Jasper and these two? Were there more? What coven called themselves a family? What vampires fed on deer and worried about animal population numbers?

Could they be from Forks? Surely not. Of course if they didn’t feed on humans, it could conceivably be possible. Perhaps they fed on humans away from the immediate vicinity. Could the doctor work in a larger city and it was luck these two traveled to Bella’s hunting ground?

“Hey,” the man spoke, “I hear another heartbeat, I think. Do you hear it?”

Bella fought back the urge to move. Running now may alert them to her presence even more.

“Sounds almost human but too slow, especially one hiking these woods at night. Its above us somewhere. Maybe a cougar.” the female guessed.

Bella smirked despite the seriousness of the situation. Close but not quite vampires. Something much deadlier was above them. She reached slowly to her cuff and uncovered the message keypad, pressing a digital button.

The sounds of heartbeats lit up the forest.

“What the hell is going on?!” Emmett asked, his and Rose’s ears drowning in the thumps of heartbeats coming from all directions.

“I have no idea.” Rose answered uneasily. “I think it’s time to go. We can come back in the morning and see if there is… let’s just go.”

The two ran quickly and silently as all vampires did. Bella gave ground but pursued, using her superior night vision and nose to follow their trail. It was only a minute later that the trail ended at a huge modern mansion.

Bella sat on perched high on a branch taking in the residence with walls mostly glass on the front side of the structure.

Whoever these vampires were they were not hiding. She focused on slowing her heartrate and breathing even more and simply watched. The lights were on in a sort of large entertainment area and she saw the two she had been following along with three others, two males and a female watching television.

Seven. Seven vampires living in one residence. Bella had been told that the Italian vampires were on oddity in the vampire world, most likely enforcers and closely resembling a vampire army considering their size compared to the mostly two or three member covens in the world.

Were these enforcers as well?

Looking closely into the lit room even from her distance she could tell one other oddity about these vampires.

Their eyes were gold.

In all the information her and her friends had drilled into them, vampires having golden eyes was never mentioned. Vampire eyes were black or red. Black meant hungry, red meant full but probably wanting a snack.

Bella back away, stopping a mile from Forks and sent a message to whoever was monitoring her for everyone to meet at Connolly’s.

Bella waited without a word until everyone gathered.

After she told them what she found, no one was certain what to say.

“Uh…”Connolly started…”Damn, what are the odds? We move to the middle of nowhere and find an infestation? You can’t take them alone Bella. As much as I hate to say this, we might actually have to contact those bastards for help.”

Bella shook her head. “We aren’t contacting the Organization or saying a word. I’m not going to attack them unless I know they are a danger. I studied this area thoroughly when I found out I was being assigned here. I looked at homicide rates, accidental deaths involving extreme blood loss and missing persons reports from here to Oregon. There is nothing indicating a large coven of vampires is operating anywhere near this immediate area. If they are killing humans I want to know where they are doing it. Perhaps Colorado but why mention animal population? The golden eyes I don’t understand either. It is entirely possible that this coven only feeds from animals. I suspect they may go to school here and I would not be surprised if the one called Carlisle is actually a doctor. Jack check the Forks Hospital website. See if there are pictures of the physicians.”

Thirty seconds later Jack had the photos of six doctors on the screen. Bella saw the face she expected.

“Carlisle Cullen.” she whispered. “The stories you could tell I bet.”

“So what now? We just watch?” Ty asked, not liking the sound of it. “What if they kill someone while we…”

“What if they do?” Bella asked. “You five have ammunition that is powerful but you can’t kill a vampire. I can only kill so many. If these vampires feed from animals alone there is no reason to pick a fight when there are real threats to human life in the Northwest.”

The room quieted digesting her words.

“You are right Bella.” Connolly finally said. “We don’t need to pick fights. If they aren’t dangerous, they would defend themselves if provoked by us. If they are, we will know soon enough. Bella, you realize they are going to know you are different if they are in the same school as you, right?”

The girl nodded. “No doubt. Dan and Ty, don’t put your scramblers in your ear. Communicate with me by text during the day and keep the scramblers in your pockets. A vampire will spot even the tiniest thing in your ear. We have to assume they have powers but the scramblers will work as long as they are near you. I hope so anyway. As far as me, they won’t attack. They will be curious, try to find out what I am, why my scent is off, why I smell part animal and I am betting if they sniff hard enough, they can smell the vampire venom in my blood. Eventually they will see the scars on my arms. I’m not going to tell them what I am. I won’t have to. They will come to me out of curiosity and then I will know if they are a threat.”

“And if they straight up attack you?” Ty asked, not liking this plan. He wasn’t crazy about sitting back and doing nothing. It wasn’t in any of their natures.

Bella shrugged her shoulders. “I would have the same odds as if I attacked them. I could have blinded one tonight and fought the other. It would have been fifty fifty, probably less in my favor because even blind vampires can still use their other senses to defend and attack. Its best to leave it alone for now. We go forward as planned unless we are forced to act. School starts Monday. We will need to find out as much as we can on them before then. If something pops up that screams threat, we come up with another plan. Everybody on board?”

No one said anything so Bella told them all goodnight and headed to the door. Connolly followed and stepped out in the yard with her.

“I think this is the right move as much as I hate it. I’m surprised though. I figured you would be chompin at the bit to get your hands on some vampires. You aren’t telling us to lay back so you can take them on your own in some misguided attempt to protect us, are you?” he asked.

Bella shook her head. “I have no reason to attack them. They didn’t know I was listening and had no reason to lie. If you think I have some grudge against their kind because of Julie, I don’t.”

“You don’t? Cause I figure you… I don’t know… I guess…”

“I’ve never been attacked by a vampire.” Bella told him. “Those Italian vampires did not attack us. We set ourselves up to be fed on planning to kill them. We have attacked other vampires, other creatures. If anyone has a right to want revenge it is those we killed. This is a job, not personal. My job is to take out supernatural threats to humans. That’s it. Vampires didn’t kill Julie and my friends, the Organization did. They’ve killed a lot of people. They have killed a lot of everything and I don’t think their purpose is so altruistic as to protect humanity, do you?”

Connolly shook his head. He had no doubt the Organization was not creating super soldiers like Bella for the sole purpose of protecting humans. They had other motives. Everyone in power usually did.

“Sounds good. You going home?”

“I’m going to the house I reside at, yes. Do not put up any speakers tomorrow. The vampires may go back to their kill site to investigate. If they do, the speakers won’t be hard to find. No point in putting up more if they are just going to destroy them.”

“Sounds like a plan. Get some sleep kid.” he told her.

Bella smiled and ran into the tree line across the road. Deciding to investigate further she stayed on the ground and returned to the scene of the deer murder. The kill had not been buried, no doubt left in the surprise at believing they were surrounded suddenly.

The teen examined the carcass closely. The neck had been snapped cleanly and the bite had occurred directly over the jugular vein. Bella was impressed by how little blood actually spilt on the ground or even on the deer’s skin. He had done this before and was a master at it. This sort of precision on a beast of this size took time to perfect. She had attacked wild animals as a child and made a literal bloody mess.

The girl shook her head and smiled. She had no doubt they would be back in the morning, probably before daylight to bury their kill. Deciding to have a little fun, she sunk her claws into the nearest tree and dragged down the bark. She though it was a good introduction and should keep them guessing for a while.

She snorted at the idea of a cougar. As if.

Bella was exhausted by the time she slipped into her bedroom but also filthy. It was after midnight and Charlie sounded as if he was sleeping so she chanced a quick shower. Once her head hit the pillow she was out.

At 9 AM Charlie woke her with a knock on her door.

Surprised at being awoke from a deep sleep by the abrupt noise Bella sat up and roared loudly enough to shake her empty shelves hanging on the wall.

“Uh… Bella?” Charlie’s voice called to her. She could hear the fear in his voice. Perhaps he wouldn’t attempt to wake her in such a manner again.

“What?” she asked through the closed door.

“Can I come in?”

“No, I’m naked.” Bella lied, hoping he would go away.

“Oh… uh… you said you wanted, I mean in public… the cover story and all… my best friend is coming over. He and his son have been wanting to meet you since I told them you were coming… since I told them the story. They are bringing fried fish. I wasn’t sure if you ate fish but I have some steaks I could grill for you. I just thought for the sake of the cover story you might want to pretend I’m your… Dad… for a little while.”

Bella put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She knew this moment would come eventually but hoped to put it off as long as possible. Now the time had come. She had to play the happy reunited daughter.

“When are they arriving?” she asked through the door.

“In an hour?”

Bella groaned and laid back down. Her activities from the night before had left her more exhausted than she realized.

The enormous amount of pizza and candy she ate probably didn’t help.

“I’ll be there in 55 minutes.”

“Great! Uh, is fish okay? If it isn’t, I can make something for you.”

“Fish is fine.” she told him, hoping he would get away from her door before she had to roar again. The neighbors might take notice if that became a regular occurrence.

Letting her hair fall free, she pulled on a new pair of stone washed jeans, black boots and a long sleeve black tee, not having it in her to explain the scars on her arm to some strangers.

She had thought of trying the makeup, remembering the YouTube instructional video on how to apply it, but decided against it. Instead she turned her television along with her own PS4 and worked on her aim for the next forty minutes.

She heard a truck pull up in the yard and took a deep breath.

Show time.

The girl planted a wide smile on her face and walked slowly down the stairs. She joined her father on the front porch where he was helping his best friend who was confined to a wheelchair up onto the porch. She couldn’t help but think if this was his best friend why didn’t Charlie put a ramp on the porch?

A thin boy exited the truck with a bright smile and innocent eyes Bella was jealous of. She wondered if she ever had that innocent look in her eyes.

“Bella, this is my friend Billy Black and his son Jacob.” Charlie told her.

“A pleasure to meet you both.”

“”I have to say Bella, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Billy said, winking at her. “Charlie hasn’t stopped talking about you since he found out you were coming to live with him. I was beginning to think we would never meet you in person.”

Bella shrugged her shoulders. “I’m sure Char… Dad, has told you stories about me growing up. We had so much fun when he visited me. I can’t begin to tell you all the wonderful memories we have made, right Dad?”

Charlie looked a bit uncomfortable but smiled and nodded his head. “Yeah, Bella has never been a fan of our climate but I didn’t mind visiting her in… Phoenix.”

“Hi, I’m Jake.” the young man said stepping around his father.

“I know, Dad just told me.” Bella reminded him. “Dad, are we going to go in or stand out here all day?”

Charlie nodded his head quickly and began pushing Billy inside, Jake offering to let Bella go in before him.

The girl took a bag of what she believed was fish covered in batter, seasoning and grease then went to the kitchen to have a moment to herself.

Of course the boy followed.

“So how are you liking Forks?” Jacob asked.

Bella grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “I love it. The forest is beautiful.”

“Not many forests in Phoenix, huh?” he asked in an attempt to keep her talking. Despite his jovial attitude she wanted to go to the bathroom and vomit pizza after calling Swan Dad. But this was the role she had been given so she would perform.

“Do you go to Forks High School?” Bella asked. If she was stuck in this conversation perhaps she could gather intel.

“No, I go to the school on the Rez.” he told her and she noted the regret in his voice.

“La Push? I have read about it. Do you like living there?”

Jacob nodded his head quickly. “Its beautiful. You should come see it sometime. I could give you a tour. No problem at all. Just say when.”

Bella did not need a tour. She had been planning to scout the area that night.

“Maybe once I am settled in. I haven’t had a lot of time to myself right now.” she offered hoping he would be happy with that and not push the issue further. “Do you know a lot of kids in Forks?”

The boy shrugged his shoulders and it was obvious to Bella he wanted the conversation focused on the two of them.

“Not really. I’ve seen some kids on First Beach but don’t really know them. Hey, is that your Harley out there? It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, its mine.” she answered wondering why he would think it was anyone else’s. She couldn’t see Charlie Swan on a Harley. Of course to someone who didn’t know her, she probably did not look like a typical biker either.

“Do you know any Cullens? I met one the other day. I believe he said his name was Emmett?

Jake frowned at the name and Bella knew she had struck a nerve. This was interesting. He did know something and by his face it was obvious he was hesitant to talk about it.

“I… yeah, I heard they kind of keep to themselves. Our Dads, they had a disagreement a couple months ago. Got pretty heated. My Dad doesn’t really like the Cullens. Charlie being Chief knows the Dr. and thinks a lot of him.”

Billy didn’t like the Cullens. Interesting.

“Did the Cullens do something to your Dad to make him feel that way?”

The boy poked his head out the kitchen door as if checking if the two older men were listening to them.

“Dad is kind of superstitious I guess you could say. There are tribal legends… it’s just old timer stuff, spooky stories, things like that. Still its best to not bring them up. I would hate to see them argue again.”

Billy did know something. Something big enough to fight with his best friend over? Tribal legends she could definitely look into and may shed some light on why the Cullens were here of all places.

“Figures. Old guys, right?” Bella told him, doing her best to sound amused. “Maybe we should put some of this… fish on plates and serve the old men. Aren’t that what kids are for?”

Jake shrugged his shoulders, not liking the idea of joining the older men but having no way to talk Bella out of it.

The two men were watching a baseball game when she walked in. Bella sat on the couch and Jacob sat next to her.

“Jacob?”

“You can call me Jake.” he told her.

“Jake, why are you sitting right next to me when there is a whole other end of the couch?”

Bella supposed she shouldn’t have been so blunt in her question because his tan skin could not hide the blush. He did move from the middle to the other end so at least the question had the effect she wanted.

“Bella, how have you been settling in?” Billy asked her. “I can imagine this is a big change for you.”

“You have no idea. Its quite a bit different than where I grew up. Dad has been such a huge help though. It isn’t easy but I’m sure I will become used to Forks soon. I love the area. Living in Phoenix for so long I am still getting used to so much green everywhere. I also love the small town atmosphere. I have already met a few people who seemed really nice.”

“You did Bella?” Charlie asked, surprised. He had assumed correctly that she spent all her time alone or with her team.

“Yes, I forgot to tell you Dad. I met a nice young man yesterday. Do either of you know an Emmett Cullen?”