I don’t know how I got here… but I have this strange feeling I’ve been here before.

There’s a weight pressing down on me—something unseen, something chasing. The path ahead winds narrowly through towering pine trees, the scent of damp earth thick in the air. It stretches on endlessly, swallowed by the woods, and I keep moving like I have no choice.

But this time, it feel somewhat different

There’s a split in the path.

The first trail looks like the one I’ve always known—evergreen, quiet, heavy with mist—but it’s wilder now. Overgrown. Forgotten. Nature’s taken it back, vines creeping over fallen branches and patches of moss swallowing the dirt. Still, there's a certain beauty in its wildness. Soft shafts of light break through the canopy in broken pieces. What catches my eye most, though, is a flannel shirt tossed carelessly on the ground. Faded, torn at the sleeve… and familiar. I know that shirt.

The second path is nothing like the first. Paved with smooth white stone that seems to shimmer faintly in the moonlight, it winds between rows of perfect white rose bushes. Too perfect. Until you notice the thorns. Big, wicked ones hiding beneath the petals. A pair of white high heels sit just off the edge of the path. Scuffed, well-worn, but clearly cared for—like someone polished them after every storm.

I barely have time to decide which path to take before I hear it—

Thump. Thump. Thump.

A steady knocking, like someone at a door. It's getting louder. Closer.

Wait... why does that sound so—

“Kiddo! You’re gonna be late for school. Get up ‘fore I grab the bucket!”
That voice cuts through everything.

My eyes snap open.

"I—I'm up, Ma," I mutter, still half-lost in the dream.

“Good. Hurry up and get dressed,” she calls back, footsteps retreating toward the kitchen.

I groan, reach for my phone, and wince. 6:57.

“Shit.”

I throw off the covers, earning a displeased chirp from Mercy—who’d apparently decided my chest was a bed for the night—and stumble into motion Quickly getting dressed. I dart into the bathroom, wash up, tame the mess that is my hair, and swipe on just enough makeup to not look like a walking corpse. Light eyeshadow. Lip gloss. Watermelon flavored.

Not that I tasted it or something ….

By the time I make it to the kitchen, Mercy’s trotting behind me, tail high and smug. Skye’s already halfway out the door in her police uniform

“I’m headin’ out, kiddo. Made ya some hot choco—left it on the counter.”
She pauses by the door, hand on the knob.
“Don’t let Mercy fool ya now. I fed her already. Be safe, alright? See ya after school.”

The door shuts behind her with a soft thud.

I glance at the mug waiting on the counter, steam curling lazily above it, and crouch down as Mercy mews pitifully for attention.

“Oh no, don’t start with me,” I murmur, scooping her up. “Those big eyes might fool everyone else, but I heard Mom loud and clear—you’ve already been fed.”

Mercy gives a half-hearted protest meow, like she understands exactly what I said and still thinks I’m the villain in this story.

I gently set Mercy on the counter so I could sip my hot chocolate while giving her the attention she’s been quietly demanding. Not that I mind — I adore this little furball. But I’m already running late, which is why I only drink half of the hot chocolate before rinsing the mug and leaving it in the sink, planning to wash it once I get back.

Before I leave the kitchen, I make sure to place Mercy down gently on the floor. Of course, the moment I head toward the door, she trails after me, mewing with those pitiful little cries that make it sound like I’m abandoning her forever. She’s nothing if not dramatic.

Just as I reach the door, I set my bag down and crouch, scooping her up into my arms. She melts into the hug instantly. I press a kiss to the top of her soft little head — thankfully the gloss I’m wearing is clear and doesn’t leave a mark.

“I know you hate being alone, Mercy,” I murmur. “But I won’t be gone long, okay? Once I’m back, I’ll give you all the milk you want. Deal?”

She blinks up at me like she’s already preparing a counter-argument, but I gently set her back on the floor and grab my bag. She still doesn’t look pleased — so I make sure to open and close the door fast enough that she doesn’t have time to slip out after me.

Even as I’m locking the door, I can hear her soft scratching and those little mews just behind it. A part of me hates leaving her alone like this — she clearly gets stressed when I’m gone — but it’s not like I can just skip school – My mom would probobly ground me for life if I tried skipping …

Rosalie and Edward haven’t shown up since Monday last week. Part of me was a little worried something had happened, but considering the rest of the Cullens still showed up and acted like nothing was out of the ordinary, they must be fine. Still… I kept catching Alice sneaking glances at me. Not in a creepy way or anything — more like… thoughtful? At one point, we even made eye contact, and she gave me this oddly sweet smile. Total opposite of her sister.

As I walk toward the garage, I start strapping on my gloves. I’d used Rosie yesterday, and since the weather’s looked fine enough, I let it out overnight but I definitely regret it now, since its covered it snow since it snowed overnight – I make sure to clear the seat before I swing a leg over the bike, settle on the seat, and pull my helmet on.

 The route to school’s already second nature by now. I hit shuffle on my Spotify, and “You” by Matilda starts playing. Normally, I love the song — but considering it’s about falling for someone who’s already taken and winding up in some messy one-night stand? Yeah… great timing.

I roll my eyes, start up Rosie, and head out for school.

By the time I pull into the school lot, "Jenny" by Studio Killers is playing through my helmet speakers. Of course. A song about a girl in love with her best friend, craving something more than friendship. It’s like Spotify’s trying to pick a fight with me.

As I cut the engine and pull off my helmet, something catches my eye — a car. Not just any car. That car. The same silver Volvo from that night. Parked in its shadow, like a staged lineup, are the Cullens. All of them — including Edward and Rosalie.

Of course it had to be them.

Was that why Carlisle was so kind to me? Did he already know?

My spiraling thoughts are cut short by a gentle nudge against my shoulder. I glance to the side — it’s Bella, smiling at me with her usual soft warmth. I hang my helmet on the throttle and blink myself back into the moment.

She nudges me again.
“Look who finally returned,” she says, clearly not just talking about the car.

My eyes flick over to the Volvo.
“Yeah, I noticed...” I murmur, then pause. “Does that car loo—”

But I stop mid-sentence. Because she is looking at me.

Rosalie.

And the second our eyes meet, my heart kicks up like it’s gunning for an Olympic medal. I can’t help it — she looks insanely good today. Like she’d put in extra effort just to mess with my head. She’s wearing a dark red petticoat dress that hugs her figure, paired with familiar white high heels trimmed in gold. A sleek white faux leather jacket finishes the look.

My eyes drink her in, and for a second I swear the world stops. But when I glance back up, she’s already looking away — chatting with Emmett like I never existed.

Hopefully he didn’t notice me gawking at his girlfriend.

“...What were you saying about the car?” Bella asks, breaking out of her own daze.

“Oh. That car — it’s the same one that almost hit me on Monday. When I was shielding Mercy.”

She blinks. “Seriously?”

“Yup.”

“Shit,” she mutters, then glances toward the lot. “I forgot my phone in the van. You staying here to keep gawking at them, or are you actually gonna come with me?”

I nod. “Like you weren’t just drooling over Eddie—or whatever his name is.”

“It’s Ed—” she starts, but I cut her off with a snort.

“Exactly.”

We walk off toward her van.

The icy wind nips at my face as we walk across the lot. Bella's digging in her pocket for her keys, still muttering something about forgetting her phone. I glance back toward the Volvo, catching one last glimpse of Rosalie—

And that’s when I hear it.
The screech of tires on wet pavement.

I spin around just in time to see a blue van skidding out of control across the lot — fast and wide, like it’s been yanked by some invisible force. It’s coming straight for us.

“Bella!” I scream, my arm instinctively shooting out toward her.

There’s no time to think — just a blur of motion.

Suddenly, a hand grips my jacket and yanks me backward.

The world twists, blurs, stops.

I crash hard into something solid — someone — and we slam together against the side of another parked car. My breath catches in my throat, more from shock than pain.

I blink up — and it’s her.

Rosalie Hale.

She’s got one arm braced above my head against the car, the other still gripping my waist where she caught me mid-dive. Her hair’s loose and wild around her face, eyes fierce, lips parted just slightly — and she’s so close.

I can feel the strength in her body, the way she’s holding back like she’s afraid she’ll hurt me if she moves. She hasn’t let go. Not yet.

And I haven’t moved either.

Behind her, I catch a flash — Edward, crouched low with one hand against Bella’s truck, shielding Bella from the van which now rests with a massive dent in its side.

It all happened in seconds.

My heart is pounding in my chest. Rosalie’s golden eyes flick down to my lips, then back up to meet my gaze.

“You alright?” she says, voice low and strained — like she’s not sure if she wants to kiss me or scold me.

“I—” My voice catches in my throat. “I think so.”

She doesn’t move. Neither do I.

I'm not sure who’s holding who anymore.

“I saw it coming,” she mutters, not really explaining anything, not even to herself. Her hand lingers a moment longer on my waist before she finally pulls away, jaw tight, eyes unreadable.

By then, people are running over. Teachers shouting. The van driver yelling apologies. Edward’s already helping Bella stand up, pretending like nothing supernatural just happened.

But Rosalie?

She walks away without a word, every step perfectly composed — like she didn’t just catch me out of midair and pin me like some Greek goddess in combat boots.

My knees are still shaking.

And I’m pretty sure I just fell even harder.

You’re not sure what worries you more—
The fact that Rosalie just saved your life and walked off like there was an explosion somewhere… or the way the remaining Cullens linger on the outskirts of the forming crowd, their eyes flicking between you and Bella.

But it’s Emmett’s gaze that unsettles you most.

Not because he looks angry—if anything, he seems relieved that neither of you ended up flattened like pancakes. Still, the weight of that attention sits heavy on your chest.

Before you can spiral too deep into that thought, you’re moving—running toward Bella and dropping to your knees beside her. You tackle her in a hug before pulling back to check her over, your hands brushing her arms and shoulders.

“Are you alright?” you ask, voice tight with worry.

Edward, you notice, has already used your sudden entrance as an excuse to disappear—walking off like none of it ever happened. Bella, meanwhile, is still staring after him, dazed.

“Bella?” you say softly.

“Elodie?” she echoes, blinking like she’s only just remembered you were there. Then it all seems to come back to her at once. “Are you okay?! It happened so fast, I didn’t even have a chance to look for you—”

“It’s okay, Bells. I’m fine… um, thanks to Rosalie,” you reply, risking a glance in Rosalie’s direction.

Ugh… Bella groans. “What the hell is wrong with those two? One minute they’re switching classes just to avoid us, and the next they’re—what? Playing hero?”

She huffs in frustration, clearly done with the emotional whiplash.

Before I can respond, the bell rings—sharp and shrill—and a nearby teacher hurries over, already asking if we have someone who can drive us to the hospital.

Before either of us can answer—

“I’ll take them,” says an oddly cheerful voice.

Turning toward it, I spot Alice, gliding over with both Edward and Rosalie in tow.

“Are you—?” the teacher starts, but Alice cuts her off smoothly.

“Yeah, Ms. Thompson. Since both my brother and Rosalie were involved in the accident, it’s only right I take Bella and Elodie with me,” she says with a kind smile.

“Alright,” Ms. Thompson nods, clearly relieved to pass the responsibility along. “Once they’re checked out, be sure to return to school and let the secretary know.”

With that, she turns and walks off, leaving us in a fog of awkward silence. Neither Edward nor Rosalie makes eye contact. Alice, of course, is still wearing her usual grin like it’s stitched to her face.

“Come on, you two,” she says, already heading toward the silver Volvo.

Since there’s no avoiding this, Bella and I glance at each other and start walking after her. But just as Alice reaches the driver’s side door, she suddenly turns back with an unexpectedly guilty expression.

“By the way, I just wanted to apologize,” she says sheepishly.

“For what?” I ask, though I already have a guess.

“For… you know. Almost running you over,” she mutters, shifting her weight awkwardly.

“Oh,” I say with a small laugh, “it’s okay, really. I’m just glad it all ended up fine—for me and Mercy.”

“Mercy…” Alice repeats. “Is that the kitten you rescued that day?”

“Yeah. I kind of met your dad at the hospital—there weren’t any vets available, but he offered to help. He didn’t even charge me.”

Before Alice can reply, I hear Rosalie mutter under her breath, “Pfft… just like Carlisle to play the hero.”

The irony isn’t lost on me—especially coming from her, considering she’d just done the exact same thing for me.

We pile into the Volvo: me and Bella in the back, Edward next to her, and Rosalie taking the passenger seat while Alice drives. And I swear, it’s the most awkward car ride I’ve ever been on.

Bella keeps sneaking glances at Edward, and it’s obvious he wants to look back, but is somehow keeping himself in check. As for Rosalie… she doesn’t turn around once, but more than once I catch her checking the rearview mirror, her gaze lingering a second too long before she pretends she couldn’t care less.

Alice is the only one trying to make conversation—bless her. But the tension in the car is so thick, I don’t think even she could cut through it.

The hospital entrance was just as quiet as the last time we were here with Mercy. We approached the receptionist, explained the situation, and gave our names. She nodded and told us to wait until we were called.

Thankfully, we didn’t wait long. When the nurse finally called us in, Alice insisted that Bella and I go first. Rosalie and Edward just nodded silently, which didn’t exactly ease the tension still clinging to all of us like fog.

Inside the exam room, there were two doctors. Of course one of them had to be Carlisle himself. Don’t get me wrong—part of me was almost relieved to see him, considering how kind he’s always been to me. But still… awkward. Bella, in true betrayal fashion, immediately made a beeline for the other doctor, leaving me with Carlisle.

Thanks, girl. You and I are going to have a serious chat about not throwing each other under the metaphorical bus.

“Miss Matthews, we really have to stop meeting like this,” Carlisle said gently, his tone warm as always. “Please, take a seat.”

I did as asked, trying to play it cool. He glanced at his chart before continuing. “I was informed that you and Bella were involved in an incident with two of my children. Could you explain what happened in your own words, so I know what to look for during the exam?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it an accident exactly,” I began. “We were heading to Bella’s car so she could grab her phone when, out of nowhere, this blue pickup—or whatever it was—completely lost control and came straight for us. Thankfully, Edward and Rosalie intervened.”

At the mention of Rosalie, Carlisle's eyes widened slightly—barely a flicker—but he masked the reaction quickly.

“Could you describe how my children intervened?” he asked, still calm but… curious. Maybe a little too curious.

“Basically, Rosalie was the one who, um… saved me. She pulled me back just in time, and before I even realized it… she was holding me.”

And wow, did I sound way more breathless than I meant to. I could practically feel the heat crawling up my neck. Why did that sound so… intimate?

When I looked up again, Carlisle had looked away, thoughtful. But the moment he noticed me watching him, he turned back with his usual easy smile.

“Sorry about that,” he said smoothly. “I guess I’m just a little worried. But enough of that—let’s get the exam started.”

He moved into full doctor mode. The check-up didn’t take long. Nothing broken, nothing major. He did warn that I’d probably feel sore the next day and suggested some over-the-counter painkillers, which he helpfully noted down.

“Thanks,” I said as I stood, ready to leave.

“How’s Mercy doing, by the way?” he asked gently, and I couldn’t help but smile at that. The fact that he remembered her meant more than I expected.

“She’s doing a lot better. We’re still working on the whole litter box thing,” I said with a small laugh.

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said sincerely. “Oh—and could you send Rosalie in after you, please?”

I nodded and stepped back into the hallway. Bella was still with the other doctor, so I looked over at Rosalie, who glanced up the second she heard my voice.

“Um… Rosalie, you’re next,” I said softly.

She held my gaze for a moment—longer than necessary—then gave a short nod and headed inside.

Since Alice wasn’t around, I assumed she went to the bathroom or something which left me alone. With him.

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for…

I turned slightly. “Edward.”

He looked over, almost surprised. “Yes?”

This was it—the moment I’d been building toward.

“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing with Bella,” I said evenly, my voice edged with something sharper than usual. “But if you hurt her, I will hunt you and your over-gelled hair to the ends of the earth. Got it?”

I’m not normally confrontational. But no one messes with my friends. Especially not one who’s been there for me when others weren’t.

Edward stared at me, genuinely confused for a beat—then it clicked. I was threatening him. And oddly… he didn’t seem offended. If anything, his mouth twitched into the faintest trace of a smirk.

“I see why Rosalie is so… intrigued by you,” he said with amused interest.

Before I could smack that smug look off his face, Bella returned and told Edward it was his turn.

“Did I see that right?” she asked, brows raised. “Was Edward almost… smiling just now?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call that a smile,” I muttered, still side-eyeing the door he’d disappeared through.

Before Bella could respond, we heard the hospital doors swing open.

With Mom and Charlie?
What the heck were they doing here? Did someone call them or—?

I didn’t have to wonder long. The moment Mom spotted me, she practically ran down the hallway. She slowed once she got close, gently cupping my face in both hands, eyes scanning for any sign of injury.

“What am I gonna do with you, kiddo?” she muttered softly, clearly shaken. “This is the second time in two weeks you’ve been in a dang accident…”

Behind her, I could hear Charlie asking Bella what had happened—but before she could respond, a cheery voice cut through the tension.

“Oh hi!”

Alice. I recognized her instantly, and apparently so did both our parents, because they immediately tensed. Mom even took a subtle step back.

“I already know Chief Swan,” Alice said, nodding politely toward him. “You, on the other hand…” She turned to face us, still smiling. “You must be one of Elodie’s parents?”

“Yes, I am,” Mom answered, instantly slipping into her polite-but-formal tone. “Officer Skye Matthews. And who might you be, sugar?”

Alice shot me a knowing look—soft and strangely… expectant. Like she was waiting for me to speak instead of introducing herself.

Weird.

But then again, when have the Cullens ever been normal?

I cleared my throat. “Mom, this is Alice Cullen. She’s, um… the sister of the two who kinda saved our lives today.”

Charlie visibly processed that, eyebrows raising a bit. Mom, though, looked completely lost—and I couldn’t blame her. Alice still had that grin on her face, like she thought it might ease the tension. But after what just happened… it almost made it worse.

Mom turned back to me, brows furrowed. “Could you please explain what the heck happened?”

I looked at Bella, hoping for backup. She gave me a small nod and started first.

“Basically, I forgot my phone in the pickup this morning.”

“And Bella asked me to tag along,” I added, offering a small smile. “Which I did.”

“As we were walking there, this… blue pickup came outta nowhere. Lost control and started sliding right at us,” Bella continued.

“That’s when Rosalie and Edward Cullen showed up,” I said.

“Yeah. And that’s pretty much it,” Bella finished, awkward as ever.

“But how—?” Charlie started to ask, but didn’t get far.

A smooth voice interrupted. “Chief Swan. And…” A pause, then: “Officer Matthews. What do we owe the honor to?”

Carlisle Cullen.

He approached with Rosalie and Edward flanking him. He was his usual calm, polished self, already looking like he belonged in a soap opera hospital.

“Skye, this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen,” Charlie said quickly. “He’s a talented doctor, and also the father to Alice, Rosalie, and Edward.”

“Doctor Cullen,” Charlie started again, but Carlisle raised a hand.

“Charlie, haven’t I told you it’s perfectly fine to call me Carlisle?” he said with a warm smile.

“And I recall telling you the same thing , Carlisle “ Charlie answered

Carlisle chuckled. “Touché.”

“Carlisle, this is our newest officer, Skye Matthews,” Charlie added. “Elodie’s mom.”

Mom stepped forward and offered her hand. “Seems I owe your children a great deal for savin’ these two,” she said gently, gratitude softening her voice.

“You don’t owe us anything, Officer Matthews,” Carlisle replied, shaking her hand. “We’re just thankful Rosalie and Edward were close enough to help. I’d hate to think what might’ve happened if they hadn’t been.”

Before Mom could say anything else, Carlisle turned back toward us. “Would it be alright if my children spoke with yours for a moment? I promise we won’t keep them long, but I imagine they’d like to say a few words before heading back to school.”

Mom glanced at me, and Charlie looked at Bella. We both nodded—after all, it wasn’t like the Cullens had literally changed their entire class schedules to sit far away from us or anything.

We followed Rosalie and Edward to a quiet corner. Bella was the first to speak.

“Are you two going to explain how the hell you managed to reach us when you were on the opposite side of the lot?”

Well. She was getting straight to the point, and honestly, I didn’t blame her.

“We were closer than you think, Bella,” Edward said calmly.

“Yeah,” Rosalie added. “It’s completely normal to see things that aren’t there when your body’s full of adrenaline.”

That… sounded just condescending enough to sting.

“Do you really expect us to believe that?” I asked, my gaze settling on Rosalie.

“Whether you believe it or not, Elodie,” she said coolly, “that’s what happened. Now, if you’ll excuse us—we need to get back to school. I’m sure your parents can give you a ride.”

And just like that, she turned on her heel and walked off.

Even Edward looked a little thrown by her tone, but he followed her without a word.

Me and Bella just stood there for a beat, stunned.

Then I felt Mom’s hand rest on my shoulder.

“You sure you wanna head back to school, kiddo?” she asked, her usual warmth laced with concern. “I understand if you wanna rest after all this.”

“I’m sure, Ma,” I said. “Like we told you, we weren’t hurt. And the doctors who checked us said we’re fine to go back.”

Bella chimed in next. “But since the Cullens kinda bailed on us… would it be okay if you drove us back, please?”

“Course,” Charlie said, nodding. “C’mon, let’s get you girls to class.”

We followed them toward the parking lot, silent for now. But my mind was spinning. Not just about the Cullens…
But about the way Rosalie had looked at me—like she knew something she wasn’t saying.

By the time we finally got back to school, it was already close to 10 a.m. We must’ve taken longer at the hospital than we thought. But it wasn’t until lunch that we noticed it—
Edward and Rosalie were gone. Again.

Like, seriously?

They just came back today. You’d think they’d stick around a little longer after saving our lives. But no. Poof. Gone.

And as if that wasn’t weird enough, I kept getting strange looks from the rest of the Cullens—especially Emmett. He didn’t look mad, just… confused. Honestly, same.

Bella looked just as rattled as I felt. At least we had each other, someone to make sense of this madness with.

Before lunch ended, we agreed to meet at Sully’s after school. Not to eat—neither of us had much of an appetite—but to talk. To try and figure out what the hell was going on.

Luckily, the school day went by fast, and Sully’s wasn’t far. We took our usual seats in the back, hoping the booth would offer enough quiet to think without interruption.

At first, we didn’t even know where to begin. Bella kept staring out the window, clearly lost in her head. I fiddled with my ring, twisting it round and round like it could ground me somehow.

It wasn’t until the waitress came over that we broke out of the fog. Bella ordered coffee. I went for a chocolate milkshake. With whipped cream.

Don’t judge me—I needed the serotonin.

Once the waitress left, I figured I should probably say something before we slipped right back into silence.

“What a day, huh?” I blurted.

Ugh. Really?

Bella’s upper lip twitched, just barely. “Seriously?”

“Yeah…” I gave her a weak smile.

She shifted, tone sobering again. “It’s definitely been one hell of a day, Elodie. First they save our lives… and then bam, they’re gone. Again. What the hell.”

“Right?” I nodded, feeling the same frustration bubbling up again. “And let’s not forget how they dragged us aside just to tell us we were imagining things. Like, are you kidding me?”

Rosalie’s voice still echoed in my head—cold, clipped, almost cruel. Nothing like the way she’d held me right after the accident, gentle and careful, like she was afraid I’d break.

Bella hesitated, then looked at me with that expression she got whenever she was about to say something weird.

“Elodie… Can I ask you something kinda out there?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

“When… when Rosalie held you. Was she, like… ice cold?”

She nailed it.

“Um, yeah,” I said slowly. “Back in Biology, when we had that weird hand thing, I noticed how cold her grip was. But at the time, I felt like I was burning up, so I didn’t think much of it…”

Bella nodded like that confirmed something she’d been mulling over.

“So it’s not just Edward, then.” She paused, thinking. “And what about Carlisle?”

I blinked at her. “Why the hell would I know that?”

“Ugh—get your mind out of the gutter,” she deadpanned. “I meant because he’s the one who checked you out after the crash.”

“Oh.” My ears went warm. “Right. Well, yeah. His hands were just as ice cold.”

That was when the drinks arrived, sparing me further embarrassment. We both went quiet, letting the hum of the diner and our swirling thoughts fill the space between us.

Eventually, I reached into my bag and pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen.

“What are you doing?” Bella asked, finally taking her eyes off her coffee.

“I’m making a list,” I explained. “Of all the weird crap we’ve noticed about the Cullens.”

I jotted down the obvious stuff first:
— Ice-cold hands
— Pale, almost sickly skin (even paler than Bella, which is saying something)
— The way they always disappear after talking to us—first day of school, and again today
— How they somehow got across the parking lot in time to save us, even though we saw where they were

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Bella asked, leaning closer.

“We watch them,” I said. “During lunch, maybe between classes. See if we catch anything else.”

Bella considered it, then gave a small, crooked smile. “Well… I don’t have a better idea. Why not?”

We finished our drinks and headed home. Before we split up, I sent her a photo of the list so she could copy it later.

As we expected, Rosalie and Edward were no-shows the next day. And the day after that. We tried keeping an eye on the Cullens in the cafeteria, but there wasn’t much to go on. They kept to themselves, as usual—perfect little statues in a perfectly normal routine.

Too perfect, honestly.

Then Thursday came.

I was running late, rushing into class with an apology on my lips. “Sorry, Mr. Varner, I—”

And then I saw it.

Out of the corner of my eye, in the back of the room—her.

Rosalie.

Sitting in the last row, perfectly still. And staring right at me.