once in my direction.
Carlisle stepped closer to her and ran his fingers gently over her scalp until he found the bump under her
hair.
I was caught off guard by the wave of emotion that crashed over me.
I had seen Carlisle work with humans a thousand times. Years ago, I had even assisted him informallythough
only in situations where blood was not involved. So it wasn't a new thing to me, to watch him
interact with the girl as if he were as human as she was. I'd envied his control many times, but that was#p#分页标题#e#
not the same as this emotion. I envied him more than his control. I ached for the difference between
Carlisle and me -that he could touch her so gently, without fear, knowing he would never harm her...
She winced, and I twitched in my seat. I had to concentrate for a moment to keep my relaxed posture.
"Tender?" Carlisle asked.
Her chin jerked up a fraction. "Not really," she said.
Another small piece of her character fell into place: she was brave. She didn't like to show weakness.
Possibly the most vulnerable creature I'd ever seen, and she didn't want to seem weak. A chuckle slid
through my lips.
She shot another glare at me.
"Well," Carlisle said. "Your father is in the waiting room-you can go home with him now. But come back
if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."
Her father was here? I swept through the thoughts in the crowded waiting room, but I couldn't pick his
subtle mental voice out of the group before she was speaking again, her face anxious.
"Can't I go back to school?"
"Maybe you should take it easy today," Carlisle suggested.
Her eyes flickered back to me. "Does he get to go to school?"
Act normal, smooth things over...ignore the way it feels when she looks me in the eye... "Someone has
to spread the good news that we survived," I said.
"Actually," Carlisle corrected, "most of the school seems to be in the waiting room."
I anticipated her reaction this time -her aversion to attention. She didn't disappoint.
"Oh no," she moaned, and she put her hands over her face. I liked that I'd finally guessed right. I was
beginning to understand her...
"Do you want to stay?" Carlisle asked.
"No, no!" she said quickly, swinging her legs over the side of the mattress and sliding down till her feet
were on the floor. She stumbled forward, off-balance, into Carlisle's arms. He caught and steadied her.
Again, the envy flooded through me.
"I'm fine," she said before he could comment, faint pink in her cheeks. Of course, that wouldn't bother
Carlisle. He made sure she was balanced, and then dropped his hands.
"Take some Tylenol for the pain," he instructed.
"It doesn't hurt that bad."
Carlisle smiled as he signed her chart. "It sounds like you were extremely lucky."
She turned her face slightly, to stare at me with hard eyes. "Lucky Edward happened to be standing next
to me."
"Oh, well, yes," Carlisle agreed quickly, hearing the same thing in her voice that I heard. She hadn't
written her suspicions off as imagination. Not yet.
All yours, Carlisle thought. Handle it as you think best.
"Thanks so much," I whispered, quick and quiet. Neither human heard me.
Carlisle's lips turned up a tiny bit at my sarcasm as he turned to Tyler. "I'm afraid that you'll have to stay
with us just a little bit longer," he said as he began examining the slashes left by the shattered
windshield.
Well, I'd made the mess, so it was only fair that I had to deal with it.
Bella walked deliberately toward me, not stopping until she was uncomfortably close. I remembered
how I had hoped, before all the mayhem, that she would approach me... This was like a mockery of that
wish.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she hissed at me.
Her warm breath brushed my face and I had to stagger back a step. Her appeal had not abated one bit.
Every time she was near me, it triggered all my worst, most urgent instincts. Venom flowed in my mouth
and my body yearned to strike-to wrench her into my arms and crush her throat to my teeth.
My mind was stronger than my body, but only just.
"Your father is waiting for you," I reminded her, my jaw clenched tight.
She glanced toward Carlisle and Tyler. Tyler was paying us no attention at all, but Carlisle was
monitoring my every breath.
Carefully, Edward.
"I'd like to speak to you alone, if you don't mind," she insisted in a low voice.
I wanted to tell her that I did mind very much, but I knew I would have to do this eventually. I may as
well get on with it.
I was full of so many conflicting emotions as I stalked out of the room, listening to her stumbling
footsteps behind me, trying to keep up. I had a show to put on now. I knew the role I would play-I had
the character down: I would be the villain. I would lie and ridicule and be cruel.