The days following Bella's confrontation with Rosalie were filled with a tense kind of quiet. Rosalie avoided her even more than before, and Bella, torn between frustration and hurt, threw herself into her schoolwork and daily routines to distract herself. But no amount of homework or mundane conversations with Jessica and Angela could erase Rosalie's words—or her presence—from Bella's mind.
By midweek, the rain had given way to a rare streak of sunlight. The school buzzed with excitement over the clear skies, but Bella's attention was elsewhere. She sat in the library during lunch, flipping through a biology textbook without really reading it. Her thoughts wandered back to the vampire Rosalie had chased away, the raw danger in his demeanor, and the way Rosalie had defended her so fiercely.
Why was he here? And why didn't Rosalie just... kill him? Bella frowned, remembering Rosalie's words. "We don't kill unless we have to." It was another layer to the Cullens' strange moral code, one that Bella both admired and found difficult to fully grasp.
As she sat there, Alice suddenly appeared, sliding into the seat across from her with effortless grace.
"Do you always sneak up on people?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's part of my charm," Alice replied with a grin. "You've been avoiding me."
Bella blinked. "I haven't been avoiding you."
Alice tilted her head, her expression playfully skeptical. "You've been avoiding everyone. Except Rosalie, of course."
At the mention of Rosalie, Bella stiffened. "I'm not—"
Alice held up a hand. "Relax. I'm not here to pry. I just wanted to see how you're doing."
Bella sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I don't know. I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of something I don't understand."
Alice's smile softened. "You're not wrong about that. But you're tougher than you think, Bella. You'll figure it out. I have seen it."
"What do you mean you have seen it?" Bella asked.
Alice answered sheerily "Some vampires have powers mine is that i can see someone's future but it depends on the decision they will make!"
Bella hesitated, then asked, "Do you ever... see things about me? In your visions, I mean."
Alice's expression shifted, her smile faltering slightly. "Sometimes."
"And?" Bella pressed.
"And... I see someone who's going to have to make a lot of hard choices," Alice said carefully. "But I also see someone who doesn't give up."
Bella wasn't sure how to feel about that. "That's not very reassuring."
Alice laughed lightly. "It's not supposed to be. But for what it's worth, you've got people looking out for you."
Bella thought of Rosalie and the way she had stepped between her and the nomad. "Yeah. I guess I do."
That afternoon, Bella decided to visit La Push. The idea had been simmering in the back of her mind ever since she arrived in Forks. If there was one place she could find answers—or at least perspective—it was there. Her memories from her previous life told her the Quileutes held secrets of their own, secrets that might explain why she felt so... different lately.
When she pulled into the gravel parking lot near First Beach, the sound of crashing waves greeted her. The air was crisp and salty, carrying the faint cries of seagulls. Bella walked along the shoreline, her boots crunching against the pebbles.
She wasn't alone for long. A familiar figure appeared in the distance, jogging toward her with an easy, loping gait. As he got closer, Bella recognized Jacob Black, his grin wide and welcoming.
"Bella Swan, as I live and breathe," Jacob said, his tone warm and teasing. "What brings you to La Push?"
"Needed a change of scenery," Bella replied, smiling despite herself.
"Well, you picked a good day for it," Jacob said, gesturing to the sunlit beach. "Come on, I'll show you the best spot."
They walked together, falling into an easy rhythm. Jacob's energy was infectious, and Bella found herself laughing more than she had in days. When they reached a secluded stretch of the beach, Jacob plopped down on a driftwood log, motioning for Bella to join him.
"So," Jacob began, leaning back on his hands. "What's going on? You seem... different."
Bella hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "It's just been... a lot. Moving here, school, adjusting to everything."
Jacob studied her for a moment, his dark eyes thoughtful. "You know, if you ever need to talk, I'm pretty good at listening."
Bella smiled, grateful for his kindness. "Thanks, Jake. I might take you up on that."
They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the waves roll in. Bella felt a strange sense of peace here, as though the beach itself was soothing her restless thoughts. But beneath that peace was a flicker of something else—an awareness she couldn't quite name, like the hum of an approaching storm.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, Jacob walked her back to her truck.
"Don't be a stranger, okay?" he said as she climbed into the driver's seat.
"I won't," Bella promised.
As she drove back to Forks, her thoughts turned to the Quileutes. Jacob had mentioned his father, Billy, was still friends with Charlie. Maybe it was time to pay the Blacks a visit—and see if her instincts about La Push were right.
That evening, Bella sat at her desk, staring at the blank page of her notebook. Her sketchbook lay beside her, filled with half-finished drawings of the forest, the beach, and a certain golden-haired vampire who refused to leave her thoughts.
She picked up her pencil and began to write, letting the words flow without overthinking them:
"There's something about Forks—something I didn't understand before, but I'm starting to see it now. It's not just the Cullens or the Quileutes. It's the way this place feels alive, like it's holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. And somehow, I'm in the middle of it. I just wish I knew why."
Bella paused, the pencil hovering over the page. Then, with a sigh, she closed the notebook. Whatever answers she was searching for, they wouldn't come easily. But she wasn't giving up.
Not yet.