It took another hour to finish up all the paperwork. Fortunately, all Sherriff Swan wanted was a statement about the accident. I had no problem keeping Edward's role to just tugging me out of the way. The chief wouldn't have believed the truth even if I'd been inclined to tell him.
He was impressed with Edward's actions, though.
Free to leave after Bobby finished signing, we took off. The roads had thawed enough that I was comfortable letting Sam drive the Ford back to the house. Bobby followed in a rental. Everyone made it back without incident.
"Are you staying overnight?" Sam asked as Bobby climbed out of the car.
Bobby gave a single, short nod. "Might as well." He went to the trunk and pulled out a duffle not dissimilar from mine or Sam's. "Engine on that truck sounded off," he added, chin jutting towards the Ford as we all walked up the rest of the driveway for the sidewalk. "I'll take a look at it tomorrow."
Once inside, Bobby claimed the couch by planting his bag on the floor beside it and strode into the kitchen. The refrigerator door rattled as he pulled it open and peered inside. "No beer?" he grumped.
"It's been me and Sam, Bobby," I pointed out.
Bobby glanced over his shoulder. "Right," he muttered, disappointed. Straightening back up, he swung the door shut. He looked Sam's way as he leaned against the counter. "Shouldn't you be back at school?"
Sam slipped his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Only one class left."
Bobby grunted. "Fair enough." He glanced at the clock. "Well, 'spose I ought to make a quick trip to the store. You two need anything?"
"A few more tv dinners wouldn't hurt," I replied.
Bobby frowned. "Neither of you are cooking?"
Sam and I exchanged a puzzled look before shaking our heads. Moving from motel to motel, we rarely had a stove in the room to cook on. We'd grown up on food from diners and drive-through. Cooking was a skill outside our wheelhouse.
Bobby blew out an exasperated breath and crossed the floor. "I'll get some hamburger. Show you how to make sloppy joes."
Later that night, Bobby made good on his promise. It was the first homecooked meal we'd had since we'd stayed at his place the year before.
≿━━━━༺ 𝑾𝒂𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 ༻━━━━≾
The next day at school, the near miss was big news. Everyone treated me like a hero for pulling Sam out of the way. Curiously, there wasn't near the same reaction when I said Edward had saved me. After a moment of surprise, they gave some justification that allowed them to brush Edward's actions away to the back of their mind. He was already there, they reasoned. He just reacted.
I'd once thought I was the only one who picked up on the strange vibe Edward gave off—the instinct to get away. I was beginning to think it wasn't just a Hunter thing. Everyone must get that feeling, and they were listening to it—even if they had to rationalize it to themselves.
At lunch, there had been what looked like a spirited conversation at the Cullen's customary table. Edward looked put out, tossing bits of food down on his plate while the others—particularly Rosalie—argued some point with him.
Unfortunately, finding myself the center of attention at my own corner of the cafeteria didn't give me much opportunity to watch the drama. Even Sam's table was suddenly crowded with people. He didn't have a single book out that day as he fielded questions.
Later at Biology, apart from a short nod at my greeting, Edward kept to himself that day in class. Lips pressed tightly together as he kept his eyes on his book or on the board, I took the hint and left him alone. That didn't make it any easier to concentrate on the material. I had too many questions left unanswered. Too many uncertainties about the boy beside me.
What was he? Was he a threat? Did he have anything to do with the security guard's death?
He raced out of the room as soon as the bell rang. I'd expected it. It was clear that he wasn't interested in getting to know me any longer. As I walked to Gym, Mike talking at my side, I had mixed feelings about Edward ignoring me. It was probably for the best, but the thought irritated me.
My spikes and serves were harsher than normal.
Bobby was still at the house when Sam and I got back from school. As soon as he saw us come in, he left the kitchen table and one of his ever-present books to put his coat on. "I'm gonna take a look at that truck," he said before heading outside.
I wandered over to the table, glancing down at the open pages of Bobby's light reading. The book was in Latin.
Considering everything Bobby knew about the supernatural, I decided to see if I could somehow get an idea about the creature that had killed that man at the Mill. Maybe even learn what Edward was... without letting Bobby know why I was asking.
Grabbing a can of beer from the fridge, I headed outside.
The truck's hood was up and Bobby was leaning over the exposed engine. I lifted the beer as I approached. "I come bearing gifts."
"Bribes, more like," Bobby retorted. He still took the beer, though. The can cracked as he pried open the top. He took a deep drink.
I leaned against the side, peeking over at the Ford's guts. Unfortunately, I wasn't a gearhead like Dean. Apart from changing the oil and a tire, I was mostly in the dark when it came to cars. "What's the verdict?"
"Nothin' wrong that I wouldn't expect in an old truck like this," Bobby replied after wiping his mouth off with his sleeve. "Spark plugs could use replacing. Radiator hose has seen better days."
"Thanks for letting us use it."
Bobby shrugged off my gratitude. "Was gathering dust." He returned to working at a bolt beside what I assumed was the radiator hose. "We gonna talk about what happened?"
I blinked. "What happened?"
"Don't play dumb." The wrench stilled as Bobby met my stare. "Yesterday at the hospital. You and Sam disappearing on the staff."
Damn. I'd hoped his silence the night before meant he was going to let that go. "Oh. That."
Bobby fixed me with another look. "Yes. That."
Lips pressed into a thin line, I shrugged.
"Wouldn't have anything to do with that animal attack the next county over, would it?" Startled, my eyes widened as I shifted. Bobby snorted before turning back to the engine. "I've been at this game a lot longer than you, Nancy Drew." He arched a brow at me. "So what d'you find?"
Lips pressed together in a grimace, I acknowledged defeat. At least he didn't know about Edward. "Apart from the guy's neck having been ripped open? A ton of human bite marks."
Bobby frowned and turned back to the engine. "Hm." He gave the bolt another crank.
"I mean, that's not a ghoul, is it?" I yammered. Bobby slid a side-eyed glance my way before his sights fell away. "They wouldn't leave so much flesh on the bone." Or so I understood.
Bobby grunted, "You ain't wrong."
Lips pursed and eyes narrowing, I realized the too-relaxed expression on his face as he peered into the inner workings of the Ford had to be a farce. "That's it?" I loosed an disbelieving huff. "I tell you something with human teeth bit into this guy, ripped his neck out, and that's all you have to say about it?"
Annoyance colored Bobby's pressed brows and sharp eyes as he met my incredulous stare. "You expectin' me to faint, girl?" He shook his head and gave the wrench a hard pull. "Ain't the worst wounds I ever seen, let alone heard of."
"No," I defended, grabbing the edge of the truck's frame. "I just—c'mon, Bobby. Some monster killed him." I studied his face, confused by the lack of concern there. "Don't you want to know what? Find it and gank it?" Bobby paused to glare at me, and I could see he was about to unleash another volley of curmudgeonly insults my way, but an epiphany struck. "Unless you already know what got him."
Bobby grumped as he turned back to the engine.
"You do," I accused. "Why are you just sittin' here, then?!"
"'Cause right now, I'm mindin' the two of you," he snapped back, slapping the wrench down with a loud bang that had me wincing. He huffed out another irritated breath and fixed me with a serious stare. "Besides, this area ain't without hunters of its own."
"Like who?" I threw my hands up and made a show of looking around. "'Cause I don't see any hunters here 'cept you and me."
"You ain't a hunter!"
The furious retort echoed around the massive yard, all the way to the trees.
A hot ball of anger sparked and grew in my belly before making its way up all the way to my neck and face. Pushing off the truck, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and glared.
Head bowing, Bobby exhaled a long, slow breath. Lifting his head back up, he met my furious stare with insulting ease. "Listen, kid. I know you're itchin' to get out there with your ol' man." He pulled off his baseball cap to reveal a head of thinning dark hair that he ran his hand through. "But you ain't there yet." He fit his cap back on and fixed me with serious eyes full of concern. "Don't be in such a hurry to throw yourself into this crap."
"Something killed that man," I insisted through clenched teeth.
"And it'll get what's comin'." Bobby turned back to the engine. "Just not from you."
"So you're not going to tell me anything, is that it?" I squeezed my hands into fists.
Bobby's wrench smacked into the side of the truck again before he glared over at me. "Why don't you try worrying about normal things for a change?" The wrench clanged against the metal body as he shoved it back in without a whole lot of care. The bolt gave a creaking protest as he yanked at it. "Grades and boys and getting asked to the dance."
I stared, mystified and more than a little offended. "With all that goes on out there that no one knows about? The people that get hurt or killed? What's any of that stupid high school stuff matter?"
Bobby leaned on his arms before pushing himself up. He wasn't as tall as Sam, but he was tall enough to loom over me. "Because it's what girls your age are supposed to care about, Sarah. The world will always be a crap place even without the monsters and demons. High school's there to help you figure some of the practical stuff out before throwing yourself headfirst into crazy town."
"Dean never got this lecture," I snapped.
"Sure he did." Bobby replied, surprising me. "I told him the same thing I'm telling you. Don't know why I bother," he muttered archly as he moved back over the engine. "You Winchesters are more stubborn than mules."
"That's right." I pressed against the side of the truck, willing Bobby to meet my eyes. He stayed down, fiddling with the radiator hose. I ground my teeth. "So you might as well tell me what you know about the security guard."
Bobby looked up, frowning, and shot back, "I ain't got to tell you squat."
I gripped the side of the truck. I couldn't think of a way to persuade Bobby short of whining to him till he either broke or shot me. "Enjoy the beer."
He waved off my snide tone with a, "I will," as I marched back for the house.
But the anger stayed with me past the threshold, burning in my gut. I couldn't look around without wanting to kick something. I continued through to the kitchen and its back door. The screen door hit the side of the house with a bang. I didn't care. I marched across the backyard to the trees, found the old trail, and took off.
I hiked the trail at a furious pace. I kicked at the moss-covered rocks and ripped leaves off the branches blocking my way as I slapped them aside. Each day in school felt more restless than the last. Sammy was fifteen and more than capable of looking after himself.
I was starting to wonder if Dad thought like Bobby. Was he holding me back from the big hunts because I was the princess Dean always mockingly called me? The notion made my blood boil. I was the best shot in the family, hands down. I could hold my own with Dean if I had to—by using dirty tricks, but still. Maybe I wasn't as smart as Sam, but I wasn't stupid, either.
I had stomped a good mile down the trail, letting the angry thoughts fester in my head, when I heard the snap of a branch less than ten feet away. I rounded, gun drawn and pointed.
Across the distance, between the trees, a doe stared at me.
I lifted my hand, pointing the muzzle up at the sky. We stood, human and deer, for several long moments. The soft light of the forest gentled her already lissome features. Her big eyes fixed on me. Her nose twitched as she sniffed the air between us.
The anger finally began to quiet.
A crack further within the forest startled us both. She bounded away in an elegant leap, hooves thudding against the omnipresent moss that carpeted the ground, displaying an innate grace that I felt lucky to witness.
I let out a long breath and leaned back against a nearby tree. I glanced down at the gun still in my hand and frowned, troubled by the thought of having fired before looking. Shifting, I settled it back inside its holster and let my hands fall against the rough, sharp-edged bark of the pine.
In the privacy of the woods, with nothing but the rustle of leaves and the occasional chirrup of a cricket to distract me, my calmer mind drifted to mystery of Edward Cullen. To the question of why he had saved me. He'd revealed himself, a fact which obviously worried him, judging by his behavior afterwards. Him and the rest of his family.
Everything I'd ever been taught told me he was dangerous. My instincts said as much. I had yet to hear of something that wasn't human, that was stronger or faster, that wasn't a threat. That wouldn't eventually maim or kill.
Maybe there were beings like that out there, though. Maybe we didn't hear about them because we had no reason to go looking for them. Surely if evil existed, good had to be a thing too? Maybe there were powerful creatures out there who were looking after us. Or at least content to leave us be. Maybe Edward was one of them.
But there were too many troubling signs that I couldn't as easily brush aside. The security guard who'd been killed by something that looked human. The shadow that had entered my room for reasons unknown my first night in Forks, followed by Edward's disappearance. My gut said these things were connected.
Maybe I wasn't as experienced a hunter as Bobby or my dad, but I wasn't ignorant of what lurked in the dark, either. This wasn't a salt and burn, sure, but it was something. I knew it. I just had to find out what.
I should've gone to my brother. Sam was a natural when it came to research. He beat the rest of us, even Dad, hands down when it came to finding some esoteric fact. He was brilliant at piecing clues together. He could figure out what Edward was.
But the way Edward had looked down at me after saving my life—how he'd silently pleaded not to tell—I just couldn't bring Sam into this. Not until I knew, for certain, that Edward Cullen was a threat.
That Edward Cullen had to be hunted.
≿━━━━༺ 𝑾𝒂𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 ༻━━━━≾
However I was going to discover Edward Cullen's secret, speaking to him was not going to be it. The next day at school, it was obvious he was still ignoring me.
Traditionally, confronting a suspect wasn't a very good idea anyway. That was a road which often led to dead bodies, either the hunter themselves or the innocent people surrounding them. The longer the suspect didn't know they were in the crosshairs, the better.
So I settled for covert observation. I had to be careful not to let my gazes linger—or for there to be absolutely none at all. Either would have been unsual. My next few days of class went by with no further news on any killings. Edward didn't lift anymore vehicles with his hands. He appeared grumpier than usual where his family was concerned. But apart from his peculiar stillness when sitting next to me, he didn't do anything to shine a light on the mystery of what he was.
Not until the last day before the weekend, when Mike cornered me at my locker after lunch.
"I know it's a few months away," he began as I pulled out my biology text. After a small nervous laugh, Mike asked, "Would you go to the prom with me?"
The small mirror stuck to the inside of my locker door revealed my too-wide eyes and tight expression. I was careful to smooth my face into something close to neutral as I slid my book into my bag. Straightening up, I smiled at an anxious Mike. "I'm not going to be here that long," I settled on. As Mike's face fell, a stab of pity struck me between the ribs. "Sorry, Mike."
"Hey," he tried to play off with a shrug, forcing a smile that clearly wanted to fall to a frown, "I get it." I watched quietly as he collected the remnants of pride around him like mismatched bits of armor. He stuck a thumb out towards our classroom. "I'll, ah, see you inside."
"Okay," I agreed, but he'd already turned around and was hurrying off.
I blew out a breath, catching a bang and causing it to fall in front of my eyes. My next breath was more annoyed as I huffed at the stray lock of hair. Ultimately, it took a wayward swipe of my hand to hook it back behind my ear. I gave Mike a good head start before following.
Mike didn't bother chatting with me at my station before class. He was back in his seat, thumbing through his book. I held back a sigh and sat down.
I was unloading my own book and notebook when that too-attractive voice I hadn't heard in days bothered speaking to me. "Where are you going?"
I shifted on my stool, angling slightly to meet Edward's curious stare. "What?"
"You're planning on leaving." His face had a strange tension to it. His eyes were severe.
I thought about my talk with Mike. I hadn't seen Edward anywhere near us. "How'd you—" I stopped, hand gripping my pen even tighter. Had he been able to hear our conversation? A chill crawled down my spine as I realized I might have to add super hearing to the growing list of crazy abilities he possessed. Edward's lips pressed into a line but relaxed a moment later. "I don't think I've ever stayed anywhere longer than two months," I told him.
That only seemed to intensify whatever emotions were going on behind those eyes.
"I don't know where I'll end up next." Which was true. Wherever the latest case cropped up was where we'd go. It could be anywhere.
Edward slowly turned his head back to the front of the room. But his muscles were strained, his eyes narrowed and mouth pressed tightly together. Eventually the parted just enough to ask, "How long until you leave?"
I shrugged. "No idea. Whenever my dad finishes the job." I bent my head back over my notebook. "Could be next week. Could be tomorrow."
Class started and he didn't speak again. He just stared at the board with a troubled look in his eyes.
He stayed like that until the bell rung. And, to my surprise, he lingered with the rest of us mere humans as I packed up my bag. For the first time, I realized I only reached Edward's shoulder as he kept pace with me out of the classroom. He'd always raced away as if hellhounds nipped at his heels before. "We shouldn't be friends."
Startled, I paused. The people behind us shot us glances as they parted around us. I looked up to meet his serious expression. I couldn't make heads or tails out of what he was talking about. "Okay?" Shaking my head, I made myself start moving again. "Thanks for the F.Y.I."
Considering he could've kept up with superman, he had no trouble with me. "It's a bad idea."
I couldn't argue with that. So I didn't. I kept up my silent stride to gym, all the way to the girl's locker room. When he made no show of parting for wherever his last class of the day might be, I ended up stalled near the door.
With a short, incredulous huff of laughter, he leaned on the wall beside me. He was watching the other students arrive. Amusement lightened his usually serious features, but it was an incredulous kind of delight. As if he found something so ludicrous, it was funny.
"You never did thank me."
I blinked before looking up at him. He had a sardonic twist to his lips.
We were going to talk about it, apparently. Right outside of gym. I let myself stare at him, taking in the sight of his perfect features like I was admiring the genius of some marble statue, thinking of the secrets I was keeping from my family for him. He stared right back, lips levelling out into his typical serious, intense expression.
I met those bright topaz eyes and held them. "Thank you for saving my life."
For a moment his eyes seemed to soften. Then he turned away, huffing out a breath. He looked down to the ground, shook his head, turned on his heel and took off.
Confused—and to my surprise a little hurt—I watched his back as he strode out the building into a grey afternoon.