Sheilds of power

Chapter 15- Invitations

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of Twilight or its characters, they are all owned by Stephanie Meyer.

Chapter 15- Invitations

The next couple of days at school were fairly normal, with the Cullen's all being their usual friendly selves and Edward ignoring me. I had gotten over feeling hurt by his silence, and now I just felt annoyed. The rest of his family didn't see the need to avoid me so why did he? I decided I was going to have to tell them soon that I knew what they were. Hopefully that would make Edward relax and start talking to me again.

During these days though, sometimes I would catch Edward staring at me, and when our eyes met, neither of us could look away. It happened a few times, once in Biology, and twice while we were sitting together at lunch. The first time our eyes met we stared intensely at each other, completely oblivious to the rest of the class, until Mr Banner interrupted us by asking me a question about meiosis.

The second and third times, Alice interrupted us, giving us a knowing smile as she did and confirming my suspicions that she knew we were mates, in fact she had probably seen some of our future together.

Despite these looks, Edward still didn't talk to me until Wednesday arrived. I had just joined a still silent Edward at my biology table when Mike walked up. To give him credit, since his little 'talk' with Emmett he had stopped being so cocky around me, and usually either avoided me, or was incredibly polite. Still, it was a little odd for him to approach me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward stiffen slightly, and surmised that whatever Mike was up to, Edward didn't like it. "So Bella, I just wanted to apologise again for treating you like that on your first week," he had an appropriately abashed look on his face, but I could tell he was lying. I mentally groaned, couldn't this guy take a hint?

I tried to smile, which it came out closer to a grimace, as he continued to talk. "So Jessica asked me to the spring dance," he stated.

I grinned happily, if he was going with her he wouldn't be asking me out, "That's great Mike." I exclaimed.

He frowned slightly, "Yeah, well I told her I would think about it." I grimaced slightly at that, "I thought I wait and see if you asked me first, because I would totally go with you." He finished with a wink.

Next to me Edward's hand clenched into a fist, and I half hoped that he would backhand Mike across the room for asking out his mate. No such luck. I put on my best fake smile. "Sorry Mike, but I've already got someone in mind to ask and it isn't you." I said as sweetly as possible. I would rather walk naked through fire than go to the dance with him.

In the first stroke of luck I had had all day, the class started and Mike was forced to go to his seat. I turned slightly, and once again my eyes were locked into a staring match with Edwards, but this time his eyes held a type of emotion I couldn't identify. Once again we were interrupted by Mr Banner, and as Edward turned to answer I let my hair fall around my face, hiding the sudden blush I now had on my cheeks.

I could feel Edward's gaze on me throughout the lesson, and eventually he whispered softly, "Tu és tão bela, e ainda assim tão difícil de ler (Portuguese for: You are so beautiful and yet so hard to read)."

My eyes darted up to his in shock. I knew he hadn't meant for me to understand it, but I was glad that I did, and, if I was being honest, I was pleased that he thought I was beautiful, and smug that he couldn't read my mind. "Eu estou longe de ser bela, e fico contente por ser difícil de ler (I'm hardly beautiful, and I'm thankful that I'm hard to read)." I whispered back in flawless Portuguese.

He looked at me in astonishment. "tatandaan ko iyan, (Filipino for: I'll have to remember that)." He muttered to himself softly, obviously filing away that I understood Portuguese.