New Moon

engine was comforting and sane. It helped me control the tears as I sped as fast as my truck would allow toward the main highway.

I was calmer, but still a mess when I got home. Charlie's cruiser was in the driveway—I hadn't realized how late it was. The sky was already dusky.

'Bella?' Charlie asked when I slammed the front door behind me and hastily turned the locks.

'Yeah, it's me.' My voice was unsteady.

'Where have you been?' he thundered, appearing through the kitchen doorway with an ominous expression.

I hesitated. He'd probably called the Stanleys. I'd better stick to the truth.

'I was hiking,' I admitted.

His eyes were tight. 'What happened to going to Jessica's?'

'I didn't feel like Calculus today.'

Charlie folded his arms across his chest. 'I thought I asked you to stay out of the forest.'

'Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I won't do it again.' I shuddered.

Charlie seemed to really look at me for the first time. I remembered that I had spent some time on the forest floor today; I must be a mess.

'What happened?' Charlie demanded.

Again, I decided that the truth, or part of it anyway, was the best option. I was too shaken to pretend that I'd spent an uneventful day with the flora and fauna.

'I saw the bear.' I tried to say it calmly, but my voice was high and shaky. 'It's not a bear, though—it's some kind of wolf. And there are five of them. A big black one, and gray, and reddish-brown…'

Charlie's eyes grew round with horror. He strode quickly to me and grabbed the tops of my arms.

'Are you okay?'

My head bobbed in a weak nod.

'Tell me what happened.'

'They didn't pay any attention to me. But aftet they were gone, I ran away and I fell down a lot.'

He let go of my shoulders and wrapped his arms around me. For a long moment, he didn't say anything.

'Wolves,' he murmured.

'What?'

'The rangers said the tracks were wrong for a bear—but wolves just don't get that big…'

'These were huge.'

'How many did you say you saw?'

'Five.'

Charlie shook his head, frowning with anxiety, He finally spoke in a tone that allowed no argument. 'No more hiking.'

'No problem,' I promised fervently.

Charlie called the station to report what I'd seen. I fudged a little bit about where exactly I'd seen the wolves—claiming I'd been on the trail that led to the north. I didn't want my dad to know how deep I'd gone into the forest against his wishes, and, more importantly, I didn't want anyone wandering near where Laurent might be searching for me. The thought of it made me feel sick.

'Are you hungry?' he asked me when he hung up the phone.

I shook my head, though I must have been starving. I hadn't eaten all day.

'Just tired,' I told him. I turned for the stairs.

'Hey,' Charlie said, his voice suddenly suspicious again. 'Didn't you say Jacob was gone for the day?'

'That's what Billy said,' I told him, confused by his question.

He studied my expression for a minute, and seemed satisfied with what he saw there.

'Huh.'

'Why?' I demanded. It sounded like he was implying that I'd been lying to him this morning. About something besides studying with Jessica.

'Well, it's just that when I went to pick up Harry, I saw Jacob out in front of the store down there with some of his friends. I waved hi, but he… well, I guess I don't know if he saw me. I think maybe he was arguing with his friends. He looked strange, like he was upset about something. And… different. It's like you can watch that kid growing! He gets bigger every time I see him.'

'Billy said Jake and his friends were going up to Port Angeles to see some movies. They were probably just waiting for someone to meet them.'

'Oh.' Charlie nodded and headed for the kitchen.

I stood in the hall, thinking about Jacob arguing with his friends. I wondered if he had confronted Embry about the situation with Sam. Maybe that was the reason he'd ditched me today—if it meant he could sort things out with Embry, I was glad he had.

I paused to check the locks again before I went to my room. It was a silly thing to do. What difference would a lock make to any of the monsters I'd seen this afternoon? I assumed the handle alone would stymie the wolves, not having opposable thumbs. And if Laurent came here…

Or… Victoria.

I lay down on my bed, but I was shaking too hard to hope for sleep. I curled into a cramped ball under my quilt, and faced the horrifying facts.

There was nothing I could do. There were no precautions I could take. There was no place I could hide. There was no one who could help me.

I realized, with a nauseous roll of my stomach, that the situation was worse than even that. Because all those facts applied to Charlie, too. My father, sleeping one room away from me, was just a hairsbreadth off the heart of the target that was centered on me. My scent would lead them here, whether I was here or not.

The tremors rocked me until my teeth chattered.

To calm myself, I fantasized the impossible: I imagined the big wolves catching up to Laurent in the woods and massacring the indestructible immortal the way they would any normal person. Despite the absurdity of such a vision, the idea comforted me. If the wolves got him, then he couldn't tell Victoria I was here all alone. If he didn't return, maybe she'd think the Cullens were still protecting me. If only the wolves could win such a fight…

My good vampires were never coming back; how soothing it was to imagine that the other kind could also disappear.

I squeezed my eyes tight together and waited for unconsciousness—almost eager for my nightmare to start. Better that than the pale, beautiful face that smiled at me now from behind my lids.

In my imagination, Victoria's eyes were black with thirst, bright with anticipation, and her lips curled back from her gleaming teeth in pleasure. Her red hair was brilliant as fire; it blew chaotically around her wild face.

Laurent's words repeated in my head. If you knew what she had planned for you …

I pressed my fist against my mouth to keep from screaming.

11 CULT

EACH TIME THAT I OPENED MY EYES TO THE MORNING light and realized I'd lived through another night was a surprise to me. After the surprise wore off, my heart would start to race and my palms would sweat; I couldn't really breathe again until I'd gotten up and ascertained that Charlie had survived as well.

I could tell he was worried—watching me jump at any loud sound, or my face suddenly go white for no reason that he could see. From the questions he asked now and then, he seemed to blame the change on Jacob's continued absence.

The terror that was always foremost in my thoughts usually distracted me from the fact that another week had passed, and Jacob still hadn't called me. But when I was able to concentrate on my normal life—if my life was really ever normal—this upset me.

I missed him horribly.