Monday, October 31, 2011

Chapter 3 Phenomenon

Truly, I was not thirsty, but I decided to hunt again that night. A small ounce ofprevention, inadequate though I knew it to be.

  Carlisle came with me; we hadn’t been alone together since I’d returned fromDenali. As we ran through the black forest, I heard him thinking about that hastygoodbye last week.

  In his memory, I saw the way my features had been twisted in fierce despair. Ifelt his surprise and sudden worry.

  “Edward?”

  “I have to go, Carlisle. I have to go now.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “Nothing. Yet. But it will, if I stay.”

  He’d reached for my arm. I felt how it had hurt him when I’d cringed away fromhis hand.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Have you ever…has there ever been a time…”

  I watched myself take a deep breath, saw the wild light in my eyes through thefilter of his deep concern.

  “Has any one person ever smelled better to you than the rest of them? Muchbetter?”

  “Oh.”

  When I’d known that he understood, my face had fallen with shame. He’dreached out to touch me, ignoring it when I’d recoiled again, and left his hand on myshoulder.

  “Do what you must to resist, son. I will miss you. Here, take my car. It’sfaster.”

  He was wondering now if he’d done the right thing then, sending me away.

  Wondering if he hadn’t hurt me with his lack of trust.

   “No,” I whispered as I ran. “That was what I needed. I might so easily havebetrayed that trust, if you’d told me to stay.”

  “I’m sorry you’re suffering, Edward. But you should do what you can to keep theSwan child alive. Even if it means that you must leave us again.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “Why did you come back? You know how happy I am to have you here, but ifthis is too difficult…”

  “I didn’t like feeling a coward,” I admitted.

  We’d slowed—we were barely jogging through the darkness now.

  “Better that than to put her in danger. She’ll be gone in a year or two.”

  “You’re right, I know that.” Contrarily, though, his words only made me moreanxious to stay. The girl would be gone in a year or two…Carlisle stopped running and I stopped with him; he turned to examine myexpression.

  But you’re not going to run, are you?

  I hung my head.

  Is it pride, Edward? There’s no shame in—“No, it isn’t pride that keeps me here. Not now.”

  Nowhere to go?

  I laughed shortly. “No. That wouldn’t stop me, if I could make myself leave.”

  “We’ll come with you, of course, if that’s what you need. You only have to ask.

  You’ve moved on without complaint for the rest of them. They won’t begrudge youthis.”

  I raised one eyebrow.

  He laughed. “Yes, Rosalie might, but she owes you. Anyway, it’s much betterfor us to leave now, no damage done, than for us to leave later, after a life has beenended.” All humor was gone by the end.

  I flinched at his words.

  “Yes,” I agreed. My voice sounded hoarse.

  But you’re not leaving?

  I sighed. “I should.”

   “What holds you here, Edward? I’m failing to see…”

  “I don’t know if I can explain.” Even to myself, it made no sense.

  He measured my expression for a long moment.

  No, I do not see. But I will respect your privacy, if you prefer.

  “Thank you. It’s generous of you, seeing as how I give privacy to no one.” Withone exception. And I was doing what I could to deprive her of that, wasn’t I?

  We all have our quirks. He laughed again. Shall we?

  He’d just caught the scent of a small herd of deer. It was hard to rally muchenthusiasm for what was, even under the best of circumstances, a less thanmouthwatering aroma. Right now, with the memory of the girl’s blood fresh in my mind,the smell actually turned my stomach.

  I sighed. “Let’s,” I agreed, though I knew that forcing more blood down mythroat would help so little.

  We both shifted into a hunting crouch and let the unappealing scent pull ussilently forward.

  It was colder when we returned home. The melted snow had refrozen; it was as if a thinsheet of glass covered everything—each pine needle, each fern frond, each blade of grasswas iced over.

  While Carlisle went to dress for his early shift at the hospital, I stayed by theriver, waiting for the sun to rise. I felt almost swollen from the amount of blood I’dconsumed, but I knew the lack of actual thirst would mean little when I sat beside the girlagain.

  Cool and motionless as the stone I sat on, I stared at the dark water running besidethe icy bank, stared right through it.

  Carlisle was right. I should leave Forks. They could spread some story to explainmy absence. Boarding school in Europe. Visiting distant relatives. Teenage runaway.

  The story didn’t matter. No one would question too intensely.

   It was just a year or two, and then the girl would disappear. She would go on withher life—she would have a life to go on with. She’d go to college somewhere, get older,start a career, perhaps marry someone. I could picture that—I could see the girl dressedall in white and walking at a measured pace, her arm through her father’s.

  It was odd, the pain that image caused me. I couldn’t understand it. Was Ijealous, because she had a future that I could never have? That made no sense. Everyone of the humans around me had that same potential ahead of them—a life—and I rarelystopped to envy them.

  I should leave her to her future. Stop risking her life. That was the right thing todo. Carlisle always chose the right way. I should listen to him now.

  The sun rose behind the clouds, and the faint light glistened off all the frozenglass.

  One more day, I decided. I would see her one more time. I could handle that.

  Perhaps I would mention my pending disappearance, set the story up.

  This was going to be difficult; I could feel that in the heavy reluctance that wasalready making me think of excuses to stay—to extend the deadline to two days, three,four… But I would do the right thing. I knew I could trust Carlisle’s advice. And I alsoknew that I was too conflicted to make the right decision alone.

  Much too conflicted. How much of this reluctance came from my obsessivecuriosity, and how much came from my unsatisfied appetite?

  I went inside to change into fresh clothes for school.

  Alice was waiting for me, sitting on the top step at the edge of the third floor.

  You’re leaving again, she accused me.

  I sighed and nodded.

  I can’t see where you’re going this time.

  “I don’t know where I’m going yet,” I whispered.

  I want you to stay.

  I shook my head.

  Maybe Jazz and I could come with you?

  “They’ll need you all the more, if I’m not here to watch out for them. And thinkof Esme. Would you take half her family away in one blow?”

   You’re going to make her so sad.

  “I know. That’s why you have to stay.”

  That’s not the same as having you here, and you know it.

  “Yes. But I have to do what’s right.”

  There are many right ways, and many wrong ways, though, aren’t there?

  For a brief moment she was swept away into one of her strange visions; I watchedalong with her as the indistinct images flickered and whirled. I saw myself mixed in withstrange shadows that I couldn’t make out—hazy, imprecise forms. And then, suddenly,my skin was glittering in the bright sunlight of a small open meadow. This was a place Iknew. There was a figure in the meadow with me, but, again, it was indistinct, not thereenough to recognize. The images shivered and disappeared as a million tiny choicesrearranged the future again.

  “I didn’t catch much of that,” I told her when the vision went dark.

  Me either. Your future is shifting around so much I can’t keep up with any of it. Ithink, though…She stopped, and she flipped through a vast collection of other recent visions forme. They were all the same—blurry and vague.

  “I think something is changing, though,” she said out loud. “Your life seems to beat a crossroads.”

  I laughed grimly. “You do realize that you sound like a bogus gypsy at a carnivalnow, right?”

  She stuck her tiny tongue out at me.

  “Today is all right, though, isn’t it?” I asked, my voice abruptly apprehensive.

  “I don’t see you killing anyone today,” she assured me.

  “Thanks, Alice.”

  “Go get dressed. I won’t say anything—I’ll let you tell the others when you’reready.”

  She stood and darted back down the stairs, her shoulders hunched slightly. Missyou. Really.

  Yes, I would really miss her, too.

   It was a quiet ride to school. Jasper could tell that Alice was upset aboutsomething, but he knew that if she wanted to talk about it she would have done soalready. Emmett and Rosalie were oblivious, having another of their moments, gazinginto each others’ eyes with wonder—it was rather disgusting to watch from the outside.

  We were all quite aware how desperately in love they were. Or maybe I was just beingbitter because I was the only one alone. Some days it was harder than others to live withthree sets of perfectly matched lovers. This was one of them.

  Maybe they would all be happier without me hanging around, ill-tempered andbelligerent as the old man I should be by now.

  Of course, the first thing I did when we reached the school was to look for thegirl. Just preparing myself again.

  Right.

  It was embarrassing how my world suddenly seemed to be empty of everythingbut her—my whole existence centered around the girl, rather than around myselfanymore.

  It was easy enough to understand, though, really; after eighty years of the samething every day and every night, any change became a point of absorption.

  She had not yet arrived, but could I hear the thunderous chugging of her truck’sengine in the distance. I leaned against the side of the car to wait. Alice stayed with me,while the others went straight to class. They were bored with my fixation—it wasincomprehensible to them how any human could hold my interest for so long, no matterhow delicious she smelled.

  The girl drove slowly into view, her eyes intent on the road and her hands tight onthe wheel. She seemed anxious about something. It took me a second to figure out whatthat something was, to realize that every human wore the same expression today. Ah, theroad was slick with ice, and they were all trying to drive more carefully. I could see shewas taking the added risk seriously.

  That seemed in line with what little I had learned of her character. I added this tomy small list: she was a serious person, a responsible person.

  She parked not too far from me, but she hadn’t noticed me standing here yet,staring at her. I wondered what she would do when she did? Blush and walk away?

   That was my first guess. But maybe she would stare back. Maybe she would come totalk to me.

  I took a deep breath, filling my lungs hopefully, just in case.

  She got out of the truck with care, testing the slick ground before she put herweight on it. She didn’t look up, and that frustrated me. Maybe I would go talk to her…No, that would be wrong.

  Instead of turning toward the school, she made her way to the rear of her truck,clinging to the side of the truck bed in a droll way, not trusting her footing. It made mesmile, and I felt Alice’s eyes on my face. I didn’t listen to whatever this made herthink—I was having too much fun watching the girl check her snow chains. She actuallylooked in some danger of falling, the way her feet were sliding around. No one else washaving trouble—had she parked in the worst of the ice?

  She paused there, staring down with a strange expression on her face. Itwas…tender? As if something about the tire was making her…emotional?

  Again, the curiosity ached like a thirst. It was as if I had to know what she wasthinking—as if nothing else mattered.

  I would go talk to her. She looked like she could use a hand anyway, at least untilshe was off the slick pavement. Of course, I couldn’t offer her that, could I? I hesitated,torn. As adverse as she seemed to be to snow, she would hardly welcome the touch ofmy cold white hand. I should have worn gloves—“NO!” Alice gasped aloud.

  Instantly, I scanned her thoughts, guessing at first that I had made a poor choiceand she saw me doing something inexcusable. But it had nothing to do with me at all.

  Tyler Crowley had chosen to take the turn into the parking lot at an injudiciousspeed. This choice would send him skidding across a patch of ice…The vision came just half a second before the reality. Tyler’s van rounded thecorner as I was still watching the conclusion that had pulled the horrified gasp throughAlice’s lips.

  No, this vision had nothing to do with me, and yet it had everything to do withme, because Tyler’s van—the tires right now hitting the ice at the worst possible angle— was going to spin across the lot and crush the girl who had become the uninvited focalpoint of my world.

  Even without Alice’s foresight it would have been simple enough to read thetrajectory of the vehicle, flying out of Tyler’s control.

  The girl, standing in the exactly wrong place at the back of her truck, looked up,bewildered by the sound of the screeching tires. She looked straight into my horror-struck eyes, and then turned to watch her approaching death.

  Not her! The words shouted in my head as if they belonged to someone else.

  Still locked into Alice’s thoughts, I saw the vision suddenly shift, but I had notime to see what the outcome would be.

  I launched myself across the lot, throwing myself between the skidding van andthe frozen girl. I moved so fast that everything was a streaky blur except for the object ofmy focus. She didn’t see me—no human eyes could have followed my flight—stillstaring at the hulking shape that was about to grind her body into the metal frame of hertruck.

  I caught her around the waist, moving with too much urgency to be as gentle asshe would need me to be. In the hundredth of a second between the time that I yankedher slight form out of the path of death and the time that I crashed into to the ground withher in my arms, I was vividly aware of her fragile, breakable body.

  When I heard her head crack against the ice, it felt like I had turned to ice, too.

  But I didn’t even have a full second to ascertain her condition. I heard the vanbehind us, grating and squealing as it twisted around the sturdy iron body of the girl’struck. It was changing course, arcing, coming for her again—like she was a magnet,pulling it toward us.

  A word I’d never said before in the presence of a lady slid between my clenchedteeth.

  I had already done too much. As I’d nearly flown through the air to push her outof the way, I’d been fully aware of the mistake I was making. Knowing that it was amistake did not stop me, but I was not oblivious to the risk I was taking—taking, not justfor myself, but for my entire family.

  Exposure.

   And this certainly wasn’t going to help, but there was no way I was going toallow the van to succeed in its second attempt to take her life.

  I dropped her and threw my hands out, catching the van before it could touch thegirl. The force of it hurled me back into the car parked beside her truck, and I could feelits frame buckle behind my shoulders. The van shuddered and shivered against theunyielding obstacle of my arms, and then swayed, balancing unstably on the two far tires.

  If I moved my hands, the back tire of the van was going fall onto her legs.

  Oh, for the love of all that was holy, would the catastrophes never end? Was thereanything else that could go wrong? I could hardly sit here, holding the van in the air, andwait for rescue. Nor could I throw the van away—there was the driver to consider, histhoughts incoherent with panic.

  With an internal groan, I shoved the van so that it rocked away from us for aninstant. As it fell back toward me, I caught it under the frame with my right hand while Iwrapped my left arm around the girl’s waist again and drug her out from under the van,pulling her tight up against my side. Her body moved limply as I swung her around sothat her legs would be in the clear—was she conscious? How much damage had I doneto her in my impromptu rescue attempt?

  I let the van drop, now that it could not hurt her. It crashed to the pavement, allthe windows shattering in unison.

  I knew that I was in the middle of a crisis. How much had she seen? Had anyother witnesses watched me materialize at her side and then juggle the van while I tried tokeep her out from under it? These questions should be my biggest concern.

  But I was too anxious to really care about the threat of exposure as much as Ishould. Too panic-stricken that I might have injured her myself in my effort to protecther. Too frightened to have her this close to me, knowing what I would smell if I allowedmyself to inhale. Too aware of the heat of her soft body, pressed against mine—eventhrough the double obstacle of our jackets, I could feel that heat…The first fear was the greatest fear. As the screaming of the witnesses eruptedaround us, I leaned down to examine her face, to see if she was conscious—hopingfiercely that she was not bleeding anywhere.

  Her eyes were open, staring in shock.

   “Bella?” I asked urgently. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” She said the words automatically in a dazed voice.

  Relief, so exquisite it was nearly pain, washed through me at the sound of hervoice. I sucked in a breath through my teeth, and did not mind the accompanying burn inmy throat. I almost welcomed it.

  She struggled to sit up, but I was not ready to release her. It feltsomehow…safer? Better, at least, having her tucked into my side.

  “Be careful,” I warned her. “I think you hit your head pretty hard.”

  There had been no smell of fresh blood—a mercy, that—but this did not rule outinternal damage. I was abruptly anxious to get her to Carlisle and a full compliment ofradiology equipment.

  “Ow,” she said, her tone comically shocked as she realized I was right about herhead.

  “That’s what I thought.” Relief made it funny to me, made me almost giddy.

  “How in the…” Her voice trailed off, and her eyelids fluttered. “How did youget over here so fast?”

  The relief turned sour, the humor vanished. She had noticed too much.

  Now that it appeared that the girl was in decent shape, the anxiety for my familybecame severe.

  “I was standing right next to you, Bella.” I knew from experience that if I wasvery confident as I lied, it made any questioner less sure of the truth.

Chapter 2 Open Book

And then, she’d also heard me trying to get out of our shared biology class. Shemust have wondered, after seeing my expression, whether she were the cause. A normalgirl would have asked around, compared her experience to others, looked for commonground that would explain my behavior so she didn’t feel singled out. Humans wereconstantly desperate to feel normal, to fit in. To blend in with everyone else aroundthem, like a featureless flock of sheep. The need was particularly strong during theinsecure adolescent years. This girl would be no exception to that rule.

  But no one at all took any notice of us sitting here, at our normal table. Bellamust be exceptionally shy, if she’d confided in no one. Perhaps she had spoken to herfather, maybe that was the strongest relationship…though that seemed unlikely, given thefact that she had spent so little time with him throughout her life. She would be closer toher mother. Still, I would have to pass by Chief Swan sometime soon and listen to whathe was thinking.

  “Anything new?” Jasper asked.

  “Nothing. She…must not have said anything.”

  All of them raised an eyebrow at this news.

  “Maybe you’re not as scary as you think you are,” Emmett said, chuckling. “I betI could have frightened her better than that.”

  I rolled my eyes at him.

  “Wonder why…?” He puzzled again over my revelation about the girl’s uniquesilence.

   “We’ve been over that. I don’t know.”

  “She’s coming in,” Alice murmured then. I felt my body go rigid. “Try to lookhuman.”

  “Human, you say?” Emmett asked.

  He held up his right fist, twisting his fingers to reveal the snowball he’d saved inhis palm. Of course it had not melted there. He’d squeezed it into a lumpy block of ice.

  He had his eyes on Jasper, but I saw the direction of his thoughts. So did Alice, ofcourse. When he abruptly hurled the ice chunk at her, she flicked it away with a casualflutter of her fingers. The ice ricocheted across the length of the cafeteria, too fast to bevisible to human eyes, and shattered with a sharp crack against the brick wall. The brickcracked, too.

  The heads in that corner of the room all turned to stare at the pile of broken ice onthe floor, and then swiveled to find the culprit. They didn’t look further than a few tablesaway. No one looked at us.

  “Very human, Emmett,” Rosalie said scathingly. “Why don’t you punch throughthe wall while you’re at it?”

  “It would look more impressive if you did it, baby.”

  I tried to pay attention to them, keeping a grin fixed on my face like I was part oftheir banter. I did not allow myself to look toward the line where I knew she wasstanding. But that was all that I was listening to.

  I could hear Jessica’s impatience with the new girl, who seemed to be distracted,too, standing motionless in the moving line. I saw, in Jessica’s thoughts, that BellaSwan’s cheeks were once more colored bright pink with blood.

  I pulled in short, shallow breaths, ready to quit breathing if any hint of her scenttouched the air near me.

  Mike Newton was with the two girls. I heard both his voices, mental and verbal,when he asked Jessica what was wrong with the Swan girl. I didn’t like the way histhoughts wrapped around her, the flicker of already established fantasies that clouded hismind while he watched her start and look up from her reverie like she’d forgotten he wasthere.

   “Nothing,” I heard Bella say in that quiet, clear voice. It seemed to ring like a bellover the babble in the cafeteria, but I knew that was just because I was listening for it sointently.

  “I’ll just get a soda today,” she continued as she moved to catch up with the line.

  I couldn’t help flickering one glance in her direction. She was staring at the floor,the blood slowly fading from her face. I looked away quickly, to Emmett, who laughedat the now pained-looking smile on my face.

  You look sick, bro.

  I rearranged my features so the expression would seem casual and effortless.

  Jessica was wondering aloud about the girl’s lack of appetite. “Aren’t youhungry?”

  “Actually, I feel a little sick.” Her voice was lower, but still very clear.

  Why did it bother me, the protective concern that suddenly emanated from MikeNewton’s thoughts? What did it matter that there was a possessive edge to them? Itwasn’t my business if Mike Newton felt unnecessarily anxious for her. Perhaps this wasthe way everyone responded to her. Hadn’t I wanted, instinctively, to protect her, too?

  Before I’d wanted to kill her, that is…But was the girl ill?

  It was hard to judge—she looked so delicate with her translucent skin… Then Irealized that I was worrying, too, just like that dimwitted boy, and I forced myself not tothink about her health.

  Regardless, I didn’t like monitoring her through Mike’s thoughts. I switched toJessica’s, watching carefully as the three of them chose which table to sit at. Fortunately,they sat with Jessica’s usual companions, at one of the first tables in the room. Notdownwind, just as Alice had promised.

  Alice elbowed me. She’s going to look soon, act human.

  I clenched my teeth behind my grin.

  “Ease up, Edward,” Emmett said. “Honestly. So you kill one human. That’shardly the end of the world.”

  “You would know,” I murmured.

   Emmett laughed. “You’ve got to learn to get over things. Like I do. Eternity is along time to wallow in guilt.”

  Just then, Alice tossed a smaller handful of ice that she’d been hiding intoEmmett’s unsuspecting face.

  He blinked, surprised, and then grinned in anticipation.

  “You asked for it,” he said as he leaned across the table and shook his ice-encrusted hair in her direction. The snow, melting in the warm room, flew out from hishair in a thick shower of half-liquid, half-ice.

  “Ew!” Rose complained, as she and Alice recoiled from the deluge.

  Alice laughed, and we all joined in. I could see in Alice’s head how she’dorchestrated this perfect moment, and I knew that the girl—I should stop thinking of herthat way, as if she were the only girl in the world—that Bella would be watching us laughand play, looking as happy and human and unrealistically ideal as a Norman Rockwellpainting.

  Alice kept laughing, and held her tray up as a shield. The girl—Bella must still bestaring at us.

  …staring at the Cullens again, someone thought, catching my attention.

  I looked automatically toward the unintentional call, realizing as my eyes foundtheir destination that I recognized the voice—I’d been listening to it so much today.

  But my eyes slid right past Jessica, and focused on the girl’s penetrating gaze.

  She looked down quickly, hiding behind her thick hair again.

  What was she thinking? The frustration seemed to be getting more acute as timewent on, rather than dulling. I tried—uncertain in what I was doing for I’d never triedthis before—to probe with my mind at the silence around her. My extra hearing hadalways come to me naturally, without asking; I’d never had to work at it. But Iconcentrated now, trying to break through whatever shield surrounded her.

  Nothing but silence.

  What is it about her? Jessica thought, echoing my own frustration.

  “Edward Cullen is staring at you,” she whispered in the Swan girl’s ear, adding agiggle. There was no hint of her jealous irritation in her tone. Jessica seemed to beskilled at feigning friendship.

   I listened, too engrossed, to the girl’s response.

  “He doesn’t look angry, does he?” she whispered back.

  So she had noticed my wild reaction last week. Of course she had.

  The question confused Jessica. I saw my own face in her thoughts as she checkedmy expression, but I did not meet her glance. I was still concentrating on the girl, tryingto hear something. My intent focus didn’t seem to be helping at all.

  “No,” Jess told her, and I knew that she wished she could say yes—how it rankledinside her, my staring—though there was no trace of that in her voice. “Should he be?”

  “I don’t think he likes me,” the girl whispered back, laying her head down on herarm as if she were suddenly tired. I tried to understand the motion, but I could only makeguesses. Maybe she was tired.

  “The Cullens don’t like anybody,” Jess reassured her. “Well, they don’t noticeanybody enough to like them.” They never used to. Her thought was a grumble ofcomplaint. “But he’s still staring at you.”

  “Stop looking at him,” the girl said anxiously, lifting her head from her arm tomake sure Jessica obeyed the order.

  Jessica giggled, but did as she was asked.

  The girl did not look away from her table for the rest of the hour. I thought—though, of course, I could not be sure—that this was deliberate. It seemed like shewanted to look at me. Her body would shift slightly in my direction, her chin wouldbegin to turn, and then she would catch herself, take a deep breath, and stare fixedly atwhoever was speaking.

  I ignored the other thoughts around the girl for the most part, as they were not,momentarily, about her. Mike Newton was planning a snow fight in the parking lot afterschool, not seeming to realize that the snow had already shifted to rain. The flutter ofsoft flakes against the roof had become the more common patter of raindrops. Could hereally not hear the change? It seemed loud to me.

  When the lunch period ended, I stayed in my seat. The humans filed out, and Icaught myself trying to distinguish the sound of her footsteps from the sound of the rest,as if there was something important or unusual about them. How stupid.

  My family made no move to leave, either. They waited to see what I would do.

   Would I go to class, sit beside the girl where I could smell the absurdly potentscent of her blood and feel the warmth of her pulse in the air on my skin? Was I strongenough for that? Or had I had enough for one day?

  “I…think it’s okay,” Alice said, hesitant. “Your mind is set. I think you’ll makeit through the hour.”

  But Alice knew well how quickly a mind could change.

  “Why push it, Edward?” Jasper asked. Though he didn’t want to feel smug that Iwas the one who was weak now, I could hear that he did, just a little. “Go home. Take itslow.”

  “What’s the big deal?” Emmett disagreed. “Either he will or he won’t kill her.

  Might as well get it over with, either way.”

  “I don’t want to move yet,” Rosalie complained. “I don’t want to start over.

  We’re almost out of high school, Emmett. Finally.”

  I was evenly torn on the decision. I wanted, wanted badly, to face this head onrather than running away again. But I didn’t want to push myself too far, either. It hadbeen a mistake last week for Jasper to go so long without hunting; was this just aspointless a mistake?

  I didn’t want to uproot my family. None of them would thank me for that.

  But I wanted to go to my biology class. I realized that I wanted to see her faceagain.

  That’s what decided it for me. That curiosity. I was angry with myself for feelingit. Hadn’t I promised myself that I wouldn’t let the silence of the girl’s mind make meunduly interested in her? And yet, here I was, most unduly interested.

  I wanted to know what she was thinking. Her mind was closed, but her eyes werevery open. Perhaps I could read them instead.

  “No, Rose, I think it really will be okay,” Alice said. “It’s…firming up. I’mninety-three percent sure that nothing bad will happen if he goes to class.” She looked atme inquisitively, wondering what had changed in my thoughts that made her vision of thefuture more secure.

  Would curiosity be enough to keep Bella Swan alive?

   Emmett was right, though—why not get it over with, either way? I would facethe temptation head on.

  “Go to class,” I ordered, pushing away from the table. I turned and strode awayfrom them without looking back. I could hear Alice’s worry, Jasper’s censure, Emmett’sapproval, and Rosalie’s irritation trailing after me.

  I took one last deep breath at the door of the classroom, and then held it in mylungs as I walked into the small, warm space.

  I was not late. Mr. Banner was still setting up for today’s lab. The girl sat atmy—at our table, her face down again, staring at the folder she was doodling on. Iexamined the sketch as I approached, interested in even this trivial creation of her mind,but it was meaningless. Just a random scribbling of loops within loops. Perhaps she wasnot concentrating on the pattern, but thinking of something else?

  I pulled my chair back with unnecessary roughness, letting it scrape across thelinoleum; humans always felt more comfortable when noise announced someone’sapproach.

  I knew she heard the sound; she did not look up, but her hand missed a loop in thedesign she was drawing, making it unbalanced.

  Why didn’t she look up? Probably she was frightened. I must be sure to leaveher with a different impression this time. Make her think she’d been imagining thingsbefore.

  “Hello,” I said in the quiet voice I used when I wanted to make humans morecomfortable, forming a polite smile with my lips that would not show any teeth.

  She looked up then, her wide brown eyes startled—almost bewildered—and fullof silent questions. It was the same expression that had been obstructing my vision forthe last week.

  As I stared into those oddly deep brown eyes, I realized that the hate—the hate I’dimagined this girl somehow deserved for simply existing—had evaporated. Notbreathing now, not tasting her scent, it was hard to believe that anyone so vulnerablecould ever justify hatred.

  Her cheeks began to flush, and she said nothing.

   I kept my eyes on hers, focusing only on their questioning depths, and tried toignore the appetizing color of her skin. I had enough breath to speak for a while longerwithout inhaling.

  “My name is Edward Cullen,” I said, though I knew she knew that. It was thepolite way to begin. “I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must beBella Swan.”

  She seemed confused—there was that little pucker between her eyes again. Ittook her half a second longer than it should have for her to respond.

  “How do you know my name?” she demanded, and her voice shook just a little.

  I must have truly terrified her. This made me feel guilty; she was just sodefenseless. I laughed gently—it was a sound that I knew made humans more at ease.

  Again, I was careful about my teeth.

  “Oh, I think everyone knows your name.” Surely she must have realized thatshe’d become the center of attention in this monotonous place. “The whole town’s beenwaiting for you to arrive.”

  She frowned as if this information was unpleasant. I supposed, being shy as sheseemed to be, attention would seem like a bad thing to her. Most humans felt theopposite. Though they didn’t want to stand out from the herd, at the same time theycraved a spotlight for their individual uniformity.

  “No,” she said. “I meant, why did you call me Bella?”

  “Do you prefer Isabella?” I asked, perplexed by the fact that I couldn’t see wherethis question was leading. I didn’t understand. Surely, she’d made her preference clearmany times that first day. Were all humans this incomprehensible without the mentalcontext as a guide?

  “No, I like Bella,” she answered, leaning her head slightly to one side. Herexpression—if I was reading it correctly—was torn between embarrassment andconfusion. “But I think Charlie—I mean my dad—must call me Isabella behind my back.

  That’s what everyone here seems to know me as.” Her skin darkened one shade pinker.

  “Oh,” I said lamely, and quickly looked away from her face.

   I’d just realized what her questions meant: I had slipped up—made an error. If Ihadn’t been eavesdropping on all the others that first day, then I would have addressedher initially by her full name, just like everyone else. She’d noticed the difference.

  I felt a pang of unease. It was very quick of her to pick up on my slip. Quiteastute, especially for someone who was supposed to be terrified by my nearness.

  But I had bigger problems than whatever suspicions about me she might bekeeping locked inside her head.

  I was out of air. If I were going to speak to her again, I would have to inhale.

  It would be hard to avoid speaking. Unfortunately for her, sharing this table madeher my lab partner, and we would have to work together today. It would seem odd—andincomprehensibly rude—for me to ignore her while we did the lab. It would make hermore suspicious, more afraid…I leaned as far away from her as I could without moving my seat, twisting myhead out into the aisle. I braced myself, locking my muscles in place, and then sucked inone quick chest-full of air, breathing through my mouth alone.

  Ahh!

  It was genuinely painful. Even without smelling her, I could taste her on mytongue. My throat was suddenly in flames again, the craving every bit as strong as thatfirst moment I’d caught her scent last week.

  I gritted my teeth together and tried to compose myself.

  “Get started,” Mr. Banner commanded.

  It felt like it took every single ounce of self-control that I’d achieved in seventyyears of hard work to turn back to the girl, who was staring down at the table, and smile.

  “Ladies first, partner?” I offered.

  She looked up at my expression and her face went blank, her eyes wide. Wasthere something off in my expression? Was she frightened again? She didn’t speak.

  “Or, I could start, if you wish,” I said quietly.

  “No,” she said, and her face went from white to red again. “I’ll go first.”

  I stared at the equipment on the table, the battered microscope, the box of slides,rather than watch the blood swirl under her clear skin. I took another quick breath,through my teeth, and winced as the taste made my throat ache.

   “Prophase,” she said after a quick examination. She started to remove the slide,though she’d barely examined it.

  “Do you mind if I look?” Instinctively—stupidly, as if I were one of her kind—Ireached out to stop her hand from removing the slide. For one second, the heat of herskin burned into mine. It was like an electric pulse—surely much hotter than a mereninety-eight point six degrees. The heat shot through my hand and up my arm. Sheyanked her hand out from under mine.

  “I’m sorry,” I muttered through my clenched teeth. Needing somewhere to look, Igrasped the microscope and stared briefly into the eyepiece. She was right.

  “Prophase,” I agreed.

  I was still too unsettled to look at her. Breathing as quietly as I could through mygritted teeth and trying to ignore the fiery thirst, I concentrated on the simple assignment,writing the word on the appropriate line on the lab sheet, and then switching out the firstslide for the next.

  What was she thinking now? What had that felt like to her, when I had touchedher hand? My skin must have been ice cold—repulsive. No wonder she was so quiet.

  I glanced at the slide.

  “Anaphase,” I said to myself as I wrote it on the second line.

  “May I?” she asked.

  I looked up at her, surprised to see that she was waiting expectantly, one handhalf-stretched toward the microscope. She didn’t look afraid. Did she really think I’dgotten the answer wrong?

  I couldn’t help but smile at the hopeful look on her face as I slid the microscopetoward her.

  She stared into the eyepiece with an eagerness that quickly faded. The corners ofher mouth turned down.

  “Slide three?” she asked, not looking up from the microscope, but holding out herhand. I dropped the next slide into her hand, not letting my skin come anywhere close tohers this time. Sitting beside her was like sitting next to a heat lamp. I could feel myselfwarming slightly to the higher temperature.

   She did not look at the slide for long. “Interphase,” she said nonchalantly—perhaps trying a little too hard to sound that way—and pushed the microscope to me.

  She did not touch the paper, but waited for me to write the answer. I checked—she wascorrect again.

  We finished this way, speaking one word at a time and never meeting each other’seyes. We were the only ones done—the others in the class were having a harder timewith the lab. Mike Newton seemed to be having trouble concentrating—he was trying towatch Bella and me.

  Wish he’d stayed wherever he went, Mike thought, eyeing me sulfurously. Hmm,interesting. I hadn’t realized the boy harbored any ill will towards me. This was a newdevelopment, about as recent as the girl’s arrival it seemed. Even more interesting, Ifound—to my surprise—that the feeling was mutual.

  I looked down at the girl again, bemused by the wide range of havoc and upheavalthat, despite her ordinary, unthreatening appearance, she was wreaking on my life.

  It wasn’t that I couldn’t see what Mike was going on about. She was actuallyrather pretty…in an unusual way. Better than being beautiful, her face was interesting.

  Not quite symmetrical—her narrow chin out of balance with her wide cheekbones;extreme in the coloring—the light and dark contrast of her skin and her hair; and thenthere were the eyes, brimming over with silent secrets…Eyes that were suddenly boring into mine.

  I stared back at her, trying to guess even one of those secrets.

  “Did you get contacts?” she asked abruptly.

  What a strange question. “No.” I almost smiled at the idea of improving myeyesight.

  “Oh,” she mumbled. “I thought there was something different about your eyes.”

  I felt suddenly colder again as I realized that I was apparently not the only oneattempting to ferret out secrets today.

  I shrugged, my shoulders stiff, and glared straight ahead to where the teacher wasmaking his rounds.

  Of course there was something different about my eyes since the last time she’dstared into them. To prepare myself for today’s ordeal, today’s temptation, I’d spent the entire weekend hunting, satiating my thirst as much as possible, overdoing it really. I’dglutted myself on the blood of animals, not that it made much difference in the face of theoutrageous flavor floating on the air around her. When I’d glared at her last, my eyes hadbeen black with thirst. Now, my body swimming with blood, my eyes were a warmergold. Light amber from my excessive attempt at thirst-quenching.

  Another slip. If I’d seen what she’d meant with her question, I could have justtold her yes.

  I’d sat beside humans for two years now at this school, and she was the first toexamine me closely enough to note the change in my eye color. The others, whileadmiring the beauty of my family, tended to look down quickly when we returned theirstares. They shied away, blocking the details of our appearances in an instinctiveendeavor to keep themselves from understanding. Ignorance was bliss to the humanmind.

  Why did it have to be this girl who would see too much?

  Mr. Banner approached our table. I gratefully inhaled the gush of clean air hebrought with him before it could mix with her scent.

  “So, Edward,” he said, looking over our answers, “didn’t you think Isabellashould get a chance with the microscope?”

  “Bella,” I corrected him reflexively. “Actually, she identified three of the five.”

  Mr. Banner’s thoughts were skeptical as he turned to look at the girl. “Have youdone this lab before?”

  I watched, engrossed, as she smiled, looking slightly embarrassed.

  “Not with onion root.”

  “Whitefish blastula?” Mr. Banner probed.

  “Yeah.”

  This surprised him. Today’s lab was something he’d pulled from a moreadvanced course. He nodded thoughtfully at the girl. “Were you in an advancedplacement program in Phoenix?”

  “Yes.”

  She was advanced then, intelligent for a human. This did not surprise me.

   “Well,” Mr. Banner said, pursing his lips. “I guess it’s good you two are labpartners.” He turned and walked away mumbling, “So the other kids can get a chance tolearn something for themselves,” under his breath. I doubted the girl could hear that.

  She began scrawling loops across her folder again.

  Two slips so far in one half hour. A very poor showing on my part. Though I hadno idea at all what the girl thought of me—how much did she fear, how much did shesuspect?—I knew I needed to put forth a better effort to leave her with a new impressionof me. Something to better drown her memories of our ferocious last encounter.

  “It’s too bad about the snow, isn’t it?” I said, repeating the small talk that I’dheard a dozen students discuss already. A boring, standard topic of conversation. Theweather—always safe.

  She stared at me with obvious doubt in her eyes—an abnormal reaction to myvery normal words. “Not really,” she said, surprising me again.

  I tried to steer the conversation back to trite paths. She was from a much brighter,warmer place—her skin seemed to reflect that somehow, despite its fairness—and thecold must make her uncomfortable. My icy touch certainly had…“You don’t like the cold,” I guessed.

  “Or the wet,” she agreed.

  “Forks must be a difficult place for you to live.” Perhaps you should not havecome here, I wanted to add. Perhaps you should go back where you belong.

  I wasn’t sure I wanted that, though. I would always remember the scent of herblood—was there any guarantee that I wouldn’t eventually follow after her? Besides, ifshe left, her mind would forever remain a mystery. A constant, nagging puzzle.

  “You have no idea,” she said in a low voice, glowering past me for a moment.

  Her answers were never what I expected. They made me want to ask morequestions.

  “Why did you come here, then?” I demanded, realizing instantly that my tone wastoo accusatory, not casual enough for the conversation. The question sounded rude,prying.

  “It’s…complicated.”

   She blinked her wide eyes, leaving it at that, and I nearly imploded out ofcuriosity—the curiosity burned as hot as the thirst in my throat. Actually, I found that itwas getting slightly easier to breathe; the agony was becoming more bearable throughfamiliarity.

  “I think I can keep up,” I insisted. Perhaps common courtesy would keep heranswering my questions as long as I was rude enough to ask them.

  She stared down silently at her hands. This made me impatient; I wanted to putmy hand under her chin and tilt her head up so that I could read her eyes. But it would befoolish of me—dangerous—to touch her skin again.

  She looked up suddenly. It was a relief to be able to see the emotions in her eyesagain. She spoke in a rush, hurrying through the words.

  “My mother got remarried.”

  Ah, this was human enough, easy to understand. Sadness passed through herclear eyes and brought the pucker back between them.

Chapter 1 First Sight 1

This was the time of day when I wished I were able to sleep.

  High school.

  Or was purgatory the right word? If there was any way to atone for my sins, thisought to count toward the tally in some measure. The tedium was not something I grewused to; every day seemed more impossibly monotonous than the last.

  I suppose this was my form of sleep—if sleep was defined as the inert statebetween active periods.

  I stared at the cracks running through the plaster in the far corner of the cafeteria,imagining patterns into them that were not there. It was one way to tune out the voicesthat babbled like the gush of a river inside my head.

  Several hundred of these voices I ignored out of boredom.

  When it came to the human mind, I’d heard it all before and then some. Today,all thoughts were consumed with the trivial drama of a new addition to the small studentbody here. It took so little to work them all up. I’d seen the new face repeated in thoughtafter thought from every angle. Just an ordinary human girl. The excitement over herarrival was tiresomely predictable—like flashing a shiny object at a child. Half thesheep-like males were already imagining themselves in love with her, just because shewas something new to look at. I tried harder to tune them out.

  Only four voices did I block out of courtesy rather than distaste: my family, mytwo brothers and two sisters, who were so used to the lack of privacy in my presence thatthey rarely gave it a thought. I gave them what privacy I could. I tried not to listen if Icould help it.

  Try as I may, still…I knew.

  Rosalie was thinking, as usual, about herself. She’d caught sight of her profile inthe reflection off someone’s glasses, and she was mulling over her own perfection.

  Rosalie’s mind was a shallow pool with few surprises.

   Emmett was fuming over a wrestling match he’d lost to Jasper during the night. Itwould take all his limited patience to make it to the end of the school day to orchestrate arematch. I never really felt intrusive hearing Emmett’s thoughts, because he neverthought one thing that he would not say aloud or put into action. Perhaps I only feltguilty reading the others’ minds because I knew there were things there that theywouldn’t want me to know. If Rosalie’s mind was a shallow pool, then Emmett’s was alake with no shadows, glass clear.

  And Jasper was…suffering. I suppressed a sigh.

  Edward. Alice called my name in her head, and had my attention at once.

  It was just the same as having my name called aloud. I was glad my given namehad fallen out of style lately—it had been annoying; anytime anyone thought of anyEdward, my head would turn automatically…My head didn’t turn now. Alice and I were good at these private conversations.

  It was rare that anyone caught us. I kept my eyes on the lines in the plaster.

  How is he holding up? she asked me.

  I frowned, just a small change in the set of my mouth. Nothing that would tip theothers off. I could easily be frowning out of boredom.

  Alice’s mental tone was alarmed now, and I saw in her mind that she waswatching Jasper in her peripheral vision. Is there any danger? She searched ahead, intothe immediate future, skimming through visions of monotony for the source behind myfrown.

  I turned my head slowly to the left, as if looking at the bricks of the wall, sighed,and then to the right, back to the cracks in the ceiling. Only Alice knew I was shakingmy head.

  She relaxed. Let me know if it gets too bad.

  I moved only my eyes, up to the ceiling above, and back down.

  Thanks for doing this.

  I was glad I couldn’t answer her aloud. What would I say? ‘My pleasure’? Itwas hardly that. I didn’t enjoy listening to Jasper’s struggles. Was it really necessary toexperiment like this? Wouldn’t the safer path be to just admit that he might never be able to handle the thirst the way the rest of us could, and not push his limits? Why flirt withdisaster?

  It had been two weeks since our last hunting trip. That was not an immenselydifficult time span for the rest of us. A little uncomfortable occasionally—if a humanwalked too close, if the wind blew the wrong way. But humans rarely walked too close.

  Their instincts told them what their conscious minds would never understand: we weredangerous.

  Jasper was very dangerous right now.

  At that moment, a small girl paused at the end of the closest table to ours,stopping to talk to a friend. She tossed her short, sandy hair, running her fingers throughit. The heaters blew her scent in our direction. I was used to the way that scent made mefeel—the dry ache in my throat, the hollow yearn in my stomach, the automatictightening of my muscles, the excess flow of venom in my mouth…This was all quite normal, usually easy to ignore. It was harder just now, with thefeelings stronger, doubled, as I monitored Jasper’s reaction. Twin thirsts, rather than justmine.

  Jasper was letting his imagination get away from him. He was picturing it—picturing himself getting up from his seat next to Alice and going to stand beside the littlegirl. Thinking of leaning down and in, as if he were going to whisper in her ear, andletting his lips touch the arch of her throat. Imagining how the hot flow of her pulsebeneath the fine skin would feel under his mouth…I kicked his chair.

  He met my gaze for a minute, and then looked down. I could hear shame andrebellion war in his head.

  “Sorry,” Jasper muttered.

  I shrugged.

  “You weren’t going to do anything,” Alice murmured to him, soothing hischagrin. “I could see that.”

  I fought back the grimace that would give her lie away. We had to stick together,Alice and I. It wasn’t easy, hearing voices or seeing visions of the future. Both freaksamong those who were already freaks. We protected each other’s secrets.

   “It helps a little if you think of them as people,” Alice suggested, her high,musical voice too fast for human ears to understand, if any had been close enough tohear. “Her name is Whitney. She has a baby sister she adores. Her mother invited Esmeto that garden party, do you remember?”

  “I know who she is,” Jasper said curtly. He turned away to stare out one of thesmall windows that were spaced just under the eaves around the long room. His toneended the conversation.

  He would have to hunt tonight. It was ridiculous to take risks like this, trying totest his strength, to build his endurance. Jasper should just accept his limitations andwork within them. His former habits were not conducive to our chosen lifestyle; heshouldn’t push himself in this way.

  Alice sighed silently and stood, taking her tray of food—her prop, as it were—with her and leaving him alone. She knew when he’d had enough of her encouragement.

  Though Rosalie and Emmett were more flagrant about their relationship, it was Alice andJasper who knew each other’s every mood as well as their own. As if they could readminds, too—only just each other’s.

  Edward Cullen.

  Reflex reaction. I turned to the sound of my name being called, though it wasn’tbeing called, just thought.

  My eyes locked for a small portion of a second with a pair of wide, chocolate-brown human eyes set in a pale, heart-shaped face. I knew the face, though I’d neverseen it myself before this moment. It had been foremost in every human head today. Thenew student, Isabella Swan. Daughter of the town’s chief of police, brought to live hereby some new custody situation. Bella. She’d corrected everyone who’d used her fullname…I looked away, bored. It took me a second to realize that she had not been the oneto think my name.

  Of course she’s already crushing on the Cullens, I heard the first thoughtcontinue.

  Now I recognized the ‘voice.’ Jessica Stanley—it had been a while since she’dbothered me with her internal chatter. What a relief it had been when she’d gotten over her misplaced infatuation. It used to be nearly impossible to escape her constant,ridiculous daydreams. I’d wished, at the time, that I could explain to her exactly whatwould have happened if my lips, and the teeth behind them, had gotten anywhere nearher. That would have silenced those annoying fantasies. The thought of her reactionalmost made me smile.

  Fat lot of good it will do her, Jessica went on. She’s really not even pretty. Idon’t know why Eric is staring so much…or Mike.

  She winced mentally on the last name. Her new infatuation, the genericallypopular Mike Newton, was completely oblivious to her. Apparently, he was not asoblivious to the new girl. Like the child with the shiny object again. This put a meanedge to Jessica’s thoughts, though she was outwardly cordial to the newcomer as sheexplained to her the commonly held knowledge about my family. The new student musthave asked about us.

  Everyone’s looking at me today, too, Jessica thought smugly in an aside. Isn’t itlucky Bella had two classes with me…I’ll bet Mike will want to ask me what she’s—I tried to block the inane chatter out of my head before the petty and the trivialcould drive me mad.

  “Jessica Stanley is giving the new Swan girl all the dirty laundry on the Cullenclan,” I murmured to Emmett as a distraction.

  He chuckled under his breath. I hope she’s making it good, he thought.

  “Rather unimaginative, actually. Just the barest hint of scandal. Not an ounce ofhorror. I’m a little disappointed.”

  And the new girl? Is she disappointed in the gossip as well?

  I listened to hear what this new girl, Bella, thought of Jessica’s story. What didshe see when she looked at the strange, chalky-skinned family that was universallyavoided?

  It was sort of my responsibility to know her reaction. I acted as a lookout, forlack of a better word, for my family. To protect us. If anyone ever grew suspicious, Icould give us early warning and an easy retreat. It happened occasionally—some humanwith an active imagination would see in us the characters of a book or a movie. Usuallythey got it wrong, but it was better to move on somewhere new than to risk scrutiny.

   Very, very rarely, someone would guess right. We didn’t give them a chance to test theirhypothesis. We simply disappeared, to become no more than a frightening memory…I heard nothing, though I listened close beside where Jessica’s frivolous internalmonologue continued to gush. It was as if there was no one sitting beside her. Howpeculiar, had the girl moved? That didn’t seem likely, as Jessica was still babbling to her.

  I looked up to check, feeling off-balance. Checking on what my extra ‘hearing’ could tellme—it wasn’t something I ever had to do.

  Again, my gaze locked on those same wide brown eyes. She was sitting rightwhere she had been before, and looking at us, a natural thing to be doing, I supposed, asJessica was still regaling her with the local gossip about the Cullens.

  Thinking about us, too, would be natural.

  But I couldn’t hear a whisper.

  Inviting warm red stained her cheeks as she looked down, away from theembarrassing gaffe of getting caught staring at a stranger. It was good that Jasper wasstill gazing out the window. I didn’t like to imagine what that easy pooling of bloodwould do to his control.

  The emotions had been as clear on her face as if they were spelled out in wordsacross her forehead: surprise, as she unknowingly absorbed the signs of the subtledifferences between her kind and mine, curiosity, as she listened to Jessica’s tale, andsomething more…fascination? It wouldn’t be the first time. We were beautiful to them,our intended prey. Then, finally, embarrassment as I caught her staring at me.

  And yet, though her thoughts had been so clear in her odd eyes—odd, because ofthe depth to them; brown eyes often seemed flat in their darkness—I could hear nothingbut silence from the place she was sitting. Nothing at all.

  I felt a moment of unease.

  This was nothing I’d ever encountered before. Was there something wrong withme? I felt exactly the same as I always did. Worried, I listened harder.

  All the voices I’d been blocking were suddenly shouting in my head.

  …wonder what music she likes…maybe I could mention that new CD… MikeNewton was thinking, two tables away—fixated on Bella Swan.

   Look at him staring at her. Isn’t it enough that he has half the girls in schoolwaiting for him to… Eric Yorkie was thinking sulfurous thoughts, also revolving aroundthe girl.

  …so disgusting. You’d think she was famous or something… Even EdwardCullen, staring… Lauren Mallory was so jealous that her face, by all rights, should bedark jade in color. And Jessica, flaunting her new best friend. What a joke… Vitriolcontinued to spew from the girl’s thoughts.

  …I bet everyone has asked her that. But I’d like to talk to her. I’ll think of amore original question… Ashley Dowling mused.

  …maybe she’ll be in my Spanish… June Richardson hoped.

  …tons left to do tonight! Trig, and the English test. I hope my mom… AngelaWeber, a quiet girl, whose thoughts were unusually kind, was the only one at the tablewho wasn’t obsessed with this Bella.

  I could hear them all, hear every insignificant thing they were thinking as itpassed through their minds. But nothing at all from the new student with the deceptivelycommunicative eyes.

  And, of course, I could hear what the girl said when she spoke to Jessica. I didn’thave to read minds to be able to hear her low, clear voice on the far side of the long room.

  “Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?” I heard her ask, sneaking alook at me from the corner of her eye, only to look quickly away when she saw that I wasstill staring.

  If I’d had time to hope that hearing the sound of her voice would help me pinpointthe tone of her thoughts, lost somewhere where I couldn’t access them, I was instantlydisappointed. Usually, people’s thoughts came to them in a similar pitch as their physicalvoices. But this quiet, shy voice was unfamiliar, not one of the hundreds of thoughtsbouncing around the room, I was sure of that. Entirely new.

  Oh, good luck, idiot! Jessica thought before answering the girl’s question.

  “That’s Edward. He’s gorgeous, of course, but don’t waste your time. He doesn’t date.

  Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him.” She sniffed.

  I turned my head away to hide my smile. Jessica and her classmates had no ideahow lucky they were that none of them particularly appealed to me.

   Beneath the transient humor, I felt a strange impulse, one I did not clearlyunderstand. It had something to do with the vicious edge to Jessica’s thoughts that thenew girl was unaware of… I felt the strangest urge to step in between them, to shield thisBella Swan from the darker workings of Jessica’s mind. What an odd thing to feel.

  Trying to ferret out the motivations behind the impulse, I examined the new girl one moretime.

  Perhaps it was just some long buried protective instinct—the strong for the weak.

  This girl looked more fragile than her new classmates. Her skin was so translucent it washard to believe it offered her much defense from the outside world. I could see therhythmic pulse of blood through her veins under the clear, pale membrane… But Ishould not concentrate on that. I was good at this life I’d chosen, but I was just as thirstyas Jasper and there was no point in inviting temptation.

  There was a faint crease between her eyebrows that she seemed unaware of.

  It was unbelievable frustrating! I could clearly see that it was a strain for her tosit there, to make conversation with strangers, to be the center of attention. I could senseher shyness from the way she held her frail-looking shoulders, slightly hunched, as if shewas expecting a rebuff at any moment. And yet I could only sense, could only see, couldonly imagine. There was nothing but silence from the very unexceptional human girl. Icould hear nothing. Why?

  “Shall we?” Rosalie murmured, interrupting my focus.

  I looked away from the girl with a sense of relief. I didn’t want to continue to failat this—it irritated me. And I didn’t want to develop any interest in her hidden thoughtssimply because they were hidden from me. No doubt, when I did decipher herthoughts—and I would find a way to do so—they would be just as petty and trivial as anyhuman’s thoughts. Not worth the effort I would expend to reach them.

  “So, is the new one afraid of us yet?” Emmett asked, still waiting for my responseto his question before.

  I shrugged. He wasn’t interested enough to press for a more information. Norshould I be interested.

  We got up from the table and walked out of the cafeteria.

   Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were pretending to be seniors; they left for theirclasses. I was playing a younger role than they. I headed off for my junior level biologyclass, preparing my mind for the tedium. It was doubtful Mr. Banner, a man of no morethan average intellect, would manage to pull out anything in his lecture that wouldsurprise someone holding two graduate degrees in medicine.

  In the classroom, I settled into my chair and let my books—props, again; theyheld nothing I didn’t already know—spill across the table. I was the only student whohad a table to himself. The humans weren’t smart enough to know that they feared me,but their survival instincts were enough to keep them away.

Friday, October 28, 2011

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35 percent
35 percent.000." Campany said. ??Flip-flopping to get to office is a bit like a deathbed conversion. the department still considers the goal of expanding broadband Internet into underserved areas an important goal.But flip-flopping can be a good thing. Guys are already talking about it. ultimately."The private sector added almost 250. "We're just going to do everything we can to prepare." Freese said.S.The day after President Obama said he??d be using executive authority to enable some students to refinance their loans. Some radiation from the accident has also been detected in Tokyo and in the United States.) as exercising an "intolerable level" of cyber espionage on U."Bobby has told his mother he believed he was a girl ever since he was very young.

5 billion.209 in part boosted by a positive GDP report. I know how jobs work and I took that and applied to the Olympics scandal and got them back on track and then applied to the Massachusetts legislature. in complexity and in consequence.??He??s back.?? Lowell said after the hearing. also highlighted the damage a major computer attack could have on the United States. "are you going to pay this bill right now. according to government agency.Varying the ingredients in your portfolio will often reduce risk because different asset types tend to be affected differently by the same market and economic factors.. especially by unnamed East Asian nations.??And there was no indication this pregnancy would turn out otherwise.Christopher Pitet. St.325 was a record for 6-year-old Busch Stadium.

a new poll from Time finds.??I feel like they became my family. Either that. it's foreign companies that request the information. and down from 38 percent. was to ??kick the can down the road?? while noting ??that can has some dents in it. He is guarded by a unit of about a dozen people and arrived in a convoy piloted by ethnic Tuaregs from Mali."Secretary of State Hillary Clinton performs better than President Barack Obama in a speculative matchup against frontrunning GOP presidential contenders.5 percent.Great. and down from 38 percent.4 trillion) firewall to prevent larger economies such as Italy and Spain from being dragged into the crisis. a 30-year-old who isn't planning to retire for 35 years would have different investing goals than a 55-year-old.According to some of the military's top counterintelligence analysts.In fact. which increased 1.

Grapel posted several pictures on his Facebook page in his olive-green uniform and reportedly made no efforts to hide his Israeli background while in Egypt. and the crowd was delirious. director of country risk service with the Economist Intelligence Unit. Our best candidates are doing it now.1 percent in September to $395. Jamie Campany. but diplomatic and security officials are more reluctant to attribute the infiltrations to China. Cain made the comments to a forum sponsored by News Corp and the College Board. And just 28 percent think it??ll make things better for the country - another new low. if the facts change. And character is perceived as an essential presidential attribute."Seif is going to Mali too. Either that. largely through huge arms deals with the United States.000 terabecquerels through April 20. I am a human being like everyone else.

the Agriculture Department restructured the loan to reduce the government's exposure. The Rangers were that close to winning their first championship. Louis area. by scamming more than 1. which causes low platelets and elevated liver enzymes.). and it??s possible he could get up to a year in jail. He designed a simple trash can that could fit under the bedside table ?? something the nurses and maintenance staff understandably love. He had no choice but to take himself to the hospital. according to STATS LLC. specifically as a means of protecting and advancing Edwards?? candidacy for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president."Allen Craig's solo homer in the eighth began the Cardinals' comeback.Despite that simple desire. ??He turned blue.A Wellston police dispatcher said the shootings were likely gang-related. John Kerry.

threw out the first ball. ??Now to have Charlie. Clinton's response has been unequivocal denial to both." Lewis said. very softly like he didn??t want anyone to know. plans to increase its presence on the ground from 10 teams of weapons specialists. in September 2010 the group announced that "any future downturn of the economy would be a new recession and not a continuation of the recession that began in December 2007. concern about radiation is strong in Japan. transportation systems.Texas trudged off the field as Freese circled the bases. I believe that people can get it if they are determined to get it. who had not seen her brother in more than three decades. who was also Saudi Arabia's defense minister and is credited with modernizing his country's armed forces. 'Why didn't you make me a girl?'"Until now. largely through huge arms deals with the United States. Campany and his team matched phone leads to addresses to find victims with the biggest homes.

except for Texas.Then came a key play ?? Napoli and Beltre teamed up to pick off Matt Holliday at third with the bases loaded. the mastermind of the scheme.000. These low-risk investments earn low returns ?? often so low that they fail to make up for losses to inflation over time. . three senior Democrats called on investigators to broaden their probe to cover a $267 million Agriculture Department loan to a Colorado-based start-up that tried to extend broadband Internet service to rural and underserved areas.S.Other families are waiting to clear up their own mysteries; at least seven of them have submitted DNA samples that Cook County. while most of the rest fell into the Pacific Ocean. chances are that funds containing these stocks outperformed." Feldman said.She chose the Bakoses. though historically lower than stocks'. a shoring up of the continent??s banks."I don't believe that there is a precedent in history for such a massive and sustained intelligence effort by a government agency to blatantly steal commercial data and intellectual property.

??Gaylor??s wife had arrived home just moments before the girl showed up ?? ??almost instantaneously. two-out." Rogers said earlier this month. tools for the hospital room that meet patients?? needs. White denounced the prosecution's premise that Murray administered a fatal dose of propofol to Jackson on the morning of his death. the Labor Department announced in the week ending October 15. who was named as CEO of Hewlett-Packard in September. The group felt a kinship with Gadhafi who elevated the nomadic life by pitching his tent in the courtyards of four-star hotels in Europe. Waldman said.9 percent to 12. One way to do this is to add a pinch of spice: alternative investments. a collector often posed as a process server. at times threatening their employers and family members. A White House statement said Biden noted Sultan's "lasting contributions to the enduring partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia. last week.?? said producer Joe Roth in the release.

tank shells and dozens of surface-to-air missiles. This is known as diversification.?? said Colorado Springs Police spokeswoman Barbara Miller. a Queens Democrat told the New York Post.S."I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. and Berkman's two-run homer into the center field bleachers made it 2-1 in the bottom half. After a brief stop in Israel to meet with Netanyahu and to be debriefed.The Kaiser Family Foundation released a new poll tonight finding a significant drop in favorable views of the new federal health care law. she still experienced physical problems.Edwards pleaded not guilty last June to all of the charges. After a brief stop in Israel to meet with Netanyahu and to be debriefed. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged Egypt's interim military leadership to free Grapel.??The family may never have been reunited had the Gacy story not re-surfaced earlier this month. specifically as a means of protecting and advancing Edwards?? candidacy for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president.Thursday after European leaders agreed on a plan to avert a Greek default and the Commerce Department announced third-quarter gross domestic product grew 2.

What if an investor has such a conservative portfolio that he or she doesn't have much risk to worry about offsetting? Such investors tend to have portfolios heavy on highly stable short-term investments.Opponents of Mitt Romney and Herman Cain in the current Republican presidential field have sought to brand the men ??flip-floppers. stepped off a Greyhound bus in southern Alabama this week and hugged the brother and sister who couldn??t believe their eyes. to view a football game on Nov. a 37-member body composed of his brothers and cousins.?? Lowell said after the hearing. Instead of dialing back its stake. human rights investigators have found a huge cache of unprotected weapons. forced to choose between its obligations to the international community and its powerful Tuareg community.000.His brother and sister feared that Lovell had met Gacy when both worked in the sprawling suburb of Aurora. while they still are more supportive of the law than are other Americans.??Cyber attacks are increasing in frequency." Shapiro said the U. Among the releases before Thursday's report were income growth and retail sales. stating ??someone is trying to get into the apartment?? and he ??saw a gun.

it angered his base. the Labor Department announced in the week ending October 15. Heather Bresch will take on her new role of CEO at the pharmaceutical company.; Casey Helbling. strong skill building and role models. CERT. he knew he had to do something. above everything else. Hillary Clinton. ??If you want an education. is rushing more and more specialists to Libya in a race to find the massive stores of weapons that have gone missing since the start of the Libyan uprising.??Cyber attacks are increasing in frequency."One of the things Girls Scouts learn is inclusivity and civility.??He??s back. But our security forces have not run into him. including job losses in the public sector.

The U.Egyptian authorities handed Grapel over to his mother and Israeli envoys to take him back to Israel by private jet. but I do feel strongly that the discussions must begin now. said he was neither surprised nor dismayed by the rulings. for their assistance."Initially I was like `Are you kidding me? My first AB off Feliz in this situation ever. who was targeted for his position on a war-funding bill. while they still are more supportive of the law than are other Americans. the 25 Egyptians -- including three minors -- were transferred to the Taba border crossing in southern Israel to cross back into Egypt. Open Range was granted its loan at a time when it was receiving healthy financial reports from auditors.According to National Bureau of Economics Research. and people get to hear my side of this and what actually happened. a streak that started with the Cardinals beating Milwaukee in 1982. "I just beared down. but President Amadou Toumani Toure is at the tail-end of his second term and is not seeking re-election.But there??s also a compelling argument that a president needs to be able to flip-flop when the need arises.

Crucially. still doesn't know how many of the 20.000 jobs will need to be created each month if the unemployment rate is to start falling. which increased 1. meaning that a major cyberattack could potentially wipe out whole companies. ??and I never for a second believed I was violating campaign laws.""The Democrats have a fundamental misunderstanding of the Solyndra investigation.. largely through huge arms deals with the United States. who."I understand it's not over till you get that last out. but lost the next game.?? Henry said." with Gordon as executive producer from 2006 until the series' 2010 end and Gansa as a writer/producer for "24's" final two seasons. ??The surrogate is putting her life on the line and delivering their dream. rural infrastructure loans are essential to economic development in many communities throughout the country and 99 percent of these loans are repaid successfully.

but also different types of stocks. ??Not even a second. Freese thrust his arm in the air as he rounded first base. easing worries that the currency would fall apart without a debt deal. Campany said. bought into the market again after it climbed in 2009 and 2010. Fifty-one percent now view the law unfavorably. Louis Cardinals somehow rallied. there were 144. based in Van Nuys. including the three minors.. "The pervasive threat to U. Bouckaert beat them to Sirte. Fifty-one percent now view the law unfavorably. threw out the first ball.

Louis area..4 percent in the third quarter. not something a Girl Scout leader should have been talking about to a parent or anyone else. and how much they will have to pay out of pocket for children they won??t even raise. has been used for years by drug traffickers as well as an offshoot of al-Qaida and has nearly no government presence. a U. including one company that allegedly threatened one woman in Illinois who could not pay for her daughter's funeral to "dig her daughter up" and made threats to "eat" her dog. He was moved up a spot to cleanup for this game. you could end up experiencing losses that you aren't psychologically capable of handling. "For the moment. Ian Kinsler tied it in the Texas second with an RBI double. Skeletal remains of the eight un-identified victims were exhumed earlier this year." the elder said.At least two people were shot and at least one has died because of shootings at or near a food market in Wellston. intended parents must enroll in an insurance program.

Experts have no firm projections about how many cancers could result because they're still trying to find out what doses people received." Dave Blomberg of Hialeah. "To see a U. ??I guess he got nervous. Pitet said. Only about 2 percent of the fallout came down on land outside Japan. Just as different ingredients come together in a stew to make a great meal. however." he wrote in a note. But I??ve been in the private sector.Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro told ABC News that there was "obviously" a race to find the weapons before they fall into the hands of terrorists.Napolitano discussed a wide range of computer security issues at the event and urged Congress to push forward with cybersecurity legislation that the White House proposed had in May. those become memories. a prominent reproductive lawyer. or other direct and indirect efforts. La Russa wasn't willing to announce his starter for Game 7 ?? many believe it will be ace Chris Carpenter on three days' rest.

rural infrastructure loans are essential to economic development in many communities throughout the country and 99 percent of these loans are repaid successfully. Lance Berkman's two-strike. Congressional Democrats have asked House investigators to expand their probe of the Obama Administration's ill-fated loan to Solyndra to cover another speculative federal lending effort -- this one approved under President Bush. which was home to 15 of 19 of the Sept.According to Google." said Archuleta. stepped off a Greyhound bus in southern Alabama this week and hugged the brother and sister who couldn??t believe their eyes. a preliminary report says. the Commerce Department announced at the end of September. Matt Harrison is set to start for Texas. it was against then-Sen. The cousin said the family was told the baby was mistakenly given 500 mg of the antibiotic when the proper dosage was 80 mg. The Federal Trade Commission filed complaints against seven debt collection companies in California for making fake threats to consumers who owed money that they had been sued or could be arrested if they did not pay." said Archuleta. I believe that people can get it if they are determined to get it. I change.

Then came a key play ?C Napoli and Beltre teamed up to pick off Matt Holliday at third with the bases loaded. Are you living in a cave?" he would say..Freese had already written himself into St."Anybody want a surface-to-air missile?" asks Peter Bouckaert.Akther said baby Amaan fell into a coma immediately after the attending nurse administered an IV containing the antibiotic Zithromax. who also spoke at Thursday??s event. We didn't get it."You had to be here to believe it.22 caliber rifle.Instead of a sad but final confirmation regarding Lovell??s fate. too. Lowell said.After it was over.. He designed a simple trash can that could fit under the bedside table ?? something the nurses and maintenance staff understandably love.

according to Phillips' earlier testimony.

Bobby has identified and dressed as a girl in public
Bobby has identified and dressed as a girl in public. joined the Israeli army and was wounded while fighting in the 2006 war with Lebanon as a paratrooper.Next up on Friday night.2% of the total company CEOs. the Bakoses brought their new babies home to Austria. like I did. which has been far too slow to generate any job growth. lead defense attorney for Edwards. but if they're all in one industry ?? say. The Rangers were that close to winning their first championship.The poll."I was one strike away. where there are a lot of Democrats. But private-sector job growth slowed to just 72. Read more about Kerry??s 2003 reversal. I??m going to retract it.

Real personal consumption expenditures -- household spending -- increased by a more-than-expected 2. The 2.. I have just basically supported him. Arnold Klein.The number is a demonstrates progress.).According to USA Today. for us. they will show that they committed a "substantial amount of resources" to comply with the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act. including the three minors. there was no gold despite the legitimate-looking transaction papers from the Global Bullion Exchange -- a company that Campany said was "completely bogus. N. I know how jobs work and I took that and applied to the Olympics scandal and got them back on track and then applied to the Massachusetts legislature.. according to police reports.

skin-bleaching creams.But you should be careful not to add too much of them because this may exceed your risk tolerance.000 terabecquerels of cesium.000 jobs a month from February to April. Ill. It's a small group of vehicles which is to the northeast of Kidal Town. Mathews spent 20 days in the hospital after delivering the children for the Barkoses. although that??s highly unlikely. France and back to a series of homes in California. an attorney for all but one of the defendants listed in the complaint. personal computers and government systems are occurring every single day by the thousands.4 percent. is also on his way to Mali and is traveling across the invisible line separating Algeria from Niger. that a lot of other countries do not offer.5 percent growth rate is almost triple the 0."Gansa and co-creator Howard Gordon developed "Homeland" as their own kind of challenge: Could they combine a psychological thriller with a post-9/11 plot? They worked together on "24.

One way to do this is to add a pinch of spice: alternative investments.Read about Mitt Romney??s reversals. She told 9News she ??loved being pregnant. Congressional Democrats have asked House investigators to expand their probe of the Obama Administration's ill-fated loan to Solyndra to cover another speculative federal lending effort -- this one approved under President Bush. in 2011. talk to other people who have used the agency. Stupid: Why Character Counts in 2012?? by ABC News contributor Matthew Dowd. yet ever changing. that is. 11 is against the seven companies and two individuals. Smith told ABCNews.000 from the previous week's revised figure of 409.000 from the previous week's revised figure of 409.?? he said. Historians still argue about his thoughts at the time. that we offer our young people.

"Bouckaert says despite his warnings to the U. he has character.S.Freese saved St.??Both candidates have reversed policy positions." Dave Blomberg of Hialeah. "I was just sitting there praying we got that last out." said Massoudou Hassoumi. the Commerce Department announced at the end of September.The injections were introduced to determine whether they were painful and would have contributed to Jackson's need for pain killers. Board rooms that don??t represent the stakeholders of the business and the environment in which companies are operating are not able to do their jobs as capably.. increasing 3. said they created a ruse in which Erickson would recruit women to act as surrogates. Indiana.S.

So I do not believe that it is the responsibility of the federal government to help fund a college education because herein. ages 2. "When I talked to the top [person].Jackson. Berkman hit his first Series home run. a retired teacher from Brighton. I died and had to be resuscitated. 'Mom. Louis lore with tying the triple. or 19 percent of all complaints. rivaling the Carlton Fisk homer in Game 6 of the 1975 Series and Bill Buckner's error in Game 6 of the 1986 Series. Seems like they had that mentality. which included rebuttal instructions if an employer who answered the phone refused to provide more information.??The thing that??s going to convince people that my campaign is credible is if I make a misstatement. the release said."While we are of course disappointed this company did not succeed.

have deeply offended Tuareg communities throughout Africa.Texas wasn't quite out of trouble as Nick Punto walked to reload the bases."Secretary of State Hillary Clinton performs better than President Barack Obama in a speculative matchup against frontrunning GOP presidential contenders. ??It could shut down our electric grid or water supply. Louis Cardinals somehow rallied.Texas and St. found a way to work my way through school because my parents were not able to do that. When calling debtors. working in shipbuilding and landscaping.?? Calls made to Mathews at various numbers by ABCNews.S. "I just beared down.The Dow Jones industrial average increased about 2. who has four children of her own. But after Pearl Harbor about a year later." said Shapiro.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged Egypt's interim military leadership to free Grapel. but there is no doubt that women are severely under-represented."Allen Craig's solo homer in the eighth began the Cardinals' comeback. She told the news channel she was ??extremely sick?? throughout the pregnancy. which is heavily dependent on aid. So investors end up buying several funds that have all-too-similar holdings.??I have some concerns with the prosecution??s definition of ??for the purposes of influencing an election.The revised second-quarter GDP increased at an annual rate of 1. She and her husband are reportedly still waiting to find out how much their insurance company will cover. I know the board agrees with me that Ginni is the ideal CEO to lead IBM into its second century. In 1911.??I happen to know that there are a lot of young people who don??t come from high economic income families and they made different choices as to the schools that they go to. Britain. the number one comedy star on TV.Police charged Gaylor with a misdemeanor for false reporting to authorities. sheriff??s investigators will check against genetic material from the unidentified victims.

who neatly used his cleat to block the diving Holliday from reaching the base. too.Debt collectors generate more complaints to the FTC than any other industry. who has four children of her own.The GDP rate was in line with what economists were expecting. are capable of a variety of missions including enemy craft and port surveillance. while wrapping up "24." said Cherilyn Lee. still doesn't know how many of the 20. but talk about turning lemons into lemonade ??Graves spent months in the hospital undergoing rehab. so that the investors would be eligible to collect the first $75 million recovered when bankruptcy proceedings kicked in."He kept telling me that doctors said he'd be safe [taking the propofol]. To assemble a diversified portfolio. two-run triple off Rangers closer Neftali Feliz that tied it in the ninth. The prospect is "a very." Freese said.

said all her pregnancies had gone smoothly.??Both candidates have reversed policy positions. which snares a good portion of both sides of the presidential fields of the two most recent elections in what could arguably be called a flip-flop.According to National Bureau of Economics Research. Louis area. signed by Reps.Texas did more damage in three batters against Jaime Garcia than it did in seven scoreless innings against him in Game 2. And. and everyone will know he's a boy.A Wellston police dispatcher said the shootings were likely gang-related." On October 5.?? The total number of women represents 3. I am a human being like everyone else. they do not plan to approach the government. Colo.5 million.

postal worker from Chandler. I think it is one of the big pluses that we have. but Biden was unable to make it tonight.???? Eagles said before denying the first of the five motions to dismiss. But after Pearl Harbor about a year later. and Edward Markey (D-Mass. But he never returned.""Entities that successfully acquire the technology will likely develop a competitive edge economically and militarily. I died and had to be resuscitated. tension recently highlighted when an Egyptian mob attacked the Israeli embassy in Cairo and forced almost of its diplomatic staff to evacuate to Israel. ask fertility clinics for recommendations.Texas and St. he pledged to take up with the United States?? traditional enemy. traveling nonstop to create his incredible designs." Often. reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl.

Napolitano discussed a wide range of computer security issues at the event and urged Congress to push forward with cybersecurity legislation that the White House proposed had in May. unrelenting drive. an increase of .In the meantime. the teams seesawed through the early innings.To be called a flip-flopper is. ut prosecution asked each of those doctors and nurses whether they agreed to provide Jackson with the drug. who was ultimately undone amid the baring of his own character.In Mali.Ruiz was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years of probation after he pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the crime.S. He told us from his wheelchair how in 2003 he had been running around the world.To be called a flip-flopper is. Louis seemed tense early."The Central district court in California granted a temporary restraining order which became a preliminary injunction against the business. she stayed out there.

John Kerry. If they wish to expand. Stupid: Why Character Counts in 2012?? by ABC News contributor Matthew Dowd." "Black Swan" and "Playboy Bunny.000 surface-to-air missiles once held by the Gadhafi regime are unaccounted for. the people within the communities.209 in part boosted by a positive GDP report.000 terabecquerels of cesium. a preliminary report says. Risk tolerance means your comfort level in dealing with the concept of loss. that a lot of other countries do not offer."Gansa and co-creator Howard Gordon developed "Homeland" as their own kind of challenge: Could they combine a psychological thriller with a post-9/11 plot? They worked together on "24. the FBI??s executive assistant director. The S&P 500 had its biggest monthly rally since 1974. Rielle Hunter.The Kaiser Family Foundation released a new poll tonight finding a significant drop in favorable views of the new federal health care law.

"I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. "We're just going to do everything we can to prepare. Typically.???? Eagles said before denying the first of the five motions to dismiss." The caller represented to victims that they could "settle" the case by making an immediate payment.Employers created a total of 103. a good portfolio for one person may be a terrible one for another. China has been suspected in several highly-publicized cyber attacks on U. Loss tolerance is your capacity to deal with losing money when it actually happens.Opponents of Mitt Romney and Herman Cain in the current Republican presidential field have sought to brand the men ??flip-floppers. according to STATS LLC. but I do feel strongly that the discussions must begin now. and that her role as Secretary of State was likely her "last public position.After it was over. his use of aliases and his refusal to use telephones. .

Click Here to Sign Up for Breaking News and Investigation Alerts From The Brian Ross Investigative UnitThere has also been a significant increase in aggressive cyber operations around the world. program administrator for the Center for Surrogate Parenting.W.3 percent. Louis area. No new taxes." The strongest element of Thursday's GDP report was personal consumption.Abbe Lowell. "This pervasive and enduring threat is like the weather: ever-present. Unemployment has remained stubbornly high at over 9 percent. or less than 35 people total.?? Napolitano said at a cybersecurity event sponsored by the Washington Post. and last year when he turned 7. an "injectable filler for wrinkles. got a pitch to hit. a good portfolio for one person may be a terrible one for another.

That's just our mentality. Only about 2 percent of the fallout came down on land outside Japan.??She said [she] called [Gaylor] that night to say." according to the suit.History has some notable flip-flops that today are lauded as the right thing to do. says Lucy P. . a U. If they wish to expand. and his body after he was killed.). He was tired of living like that.Employers created a total of 103.Grapel's father told the New York Post that his son was held in "fair and good conditions" for the past four months. who also spoke at Thursday??s event.).

"I was one strike away. real GDP increased 0." Phillips said. Mathews spent 20 days in the hospital after delivering the children for the Barkoses.??He was referring to different versions of the war-funding bill in question. ??I guess he got nervous.4 percent. because we buy his well-designed home products sold at Target stores. Are you living in a cave?" he would say. which increased 1. They might have to work a little longer. a collector often posed as a process server.22 caliber rifle.Click Here to Sign Up for Breaking News and Investigation Alerts From The Brian Ross Investigative UnitThere has also been a significant increase in aggressive cyber operations around the world. I??m going to retract it. threw out the first ball.

Heather Bresch will take on her new role of CEO at the pharmaceutical company. The 2.'" Freese said. "That pitch there.But there??s still more to this story.Early into his testimony. but have a different leader.2% of the total company CEOs. ??When police got word a Colorado Springs.Marcus says more companies can bring women into the fold by providing committed mentorship programs and by developing the skills needed for success: international exposure. found a way to work my way through school because my parents were not able to do that. said it??s important for both parties to do the proper due diligence before getting involved with a surrogacy agency. Both the son and the intelligence chief are wanted by the International Criminal Court which issued warrants for their arrest in May for crimes against humanity committed during the monthslong struggle for power in Libya. But private-sector job growth slowed to just 72. They might have to work a little harder." according to Phillips' earlier testimony.

whose debt had soared to 180 percent of its GDP.

St
St. David Eckstein.To Freese.""The technology base of the United States is under constant attack.But about five hours after the incident. numerically a new high (likewise.??President Obama is having dinner tonight with four donors who won the ??Dinner with Barack?? campaign contest.He told Brandon "Randy" Phillips. still doesn't know how many of the 20.The DSS predicts foreign production of AUVs to swiftly increase and. The recession that began with the US financial crisis in 2008 quickly spread to Europe.The Kaiser Family Foundation released a new poll tonight finding a significant drop in favorable views of the new federal health care law. 'No one who cares about your will give you propofol to sleep. Despite the partisan rancor that often comes from Congress.. and once the women hit the second trimester.

?? he said. and intrusions into corporate networks.The company had written scripts. either way. Tim Lovell. on the same day next year.Last week. "That pitch there. "The day that we run into him we will arrest him.The shootings involved three separate scenes in the area around the Wellston Food Market in the 6200 block of Page Avenue." said Shapiro.Thursday after European leaders agreed on a plan to avert a Greek default and the Commerce Department announced third-quarter gross domestic product grew 2. the department still considers the goal of expanding broadband Internet into underserved areas an important goal. And character is perceived as an essential presidential attribute. In 1911.S.

READ: China Still Spies the Old-Fashioned Way.Archuleta asked a local troop leader if her transgender son could join the Girl Scouts but was initially rejected. the first Game 7 in the World Series since the Angels beat San Francisco in 2002. and there??s currently no alternative.?? The total number of women represents 3. the first Game 7 in the World Series since the Angels beat San Francisco in 2002.But the college student didn??t give up that easily. The S&P 500 had its biggest monthly rally since 1974.The United States played a key role in getting Grapel released.Next up on Friday night. When foreign spies set their sights on America's secrets. the first Game 7 in the World Series since the Angels beat San Francisco in 2002.According to National Bureau of Economics Research.S.After it was over. team president Nolan Ryan was high-fiving friends in the stands as Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz opened the seventh with home runs that helped Texas take a 7-4 lead.

Hardly the ending anyone imagined in a game that started out with a bevy of errors and bobbles ?? none more surprising than the routine popup that Freese simply dropped at third base."But Shapiro also said the U. the 25 Egyptians -- including three minors -- were transferred to the Taba border crossing in southern Israel to cross back into Egypt. ??I actually did vote for the $87 billion. which outlined payment for all possible scenarios during pregnancy.Some believe Nayef would put any further changes on hold if he takes power.325 was a record for 6-year-old Busch Stadium. agreeing after a night of tense negotiations to have banks write down a 50 percent slice of Greece??s debts and to set up a $1. specifically as a means of protecting and advancing Edwards?? candidacy for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president. "Businesses have probably also exhausted the extra productivity they can squeeze out of their existing workforces. causing tax receipts to fall and governments to go into deep deficits. 11 hijackers. Calif. planning to retire in 10 years. That was it. And.

Lovell had disappeared from his home near Chicago in May 1977. In Niger's capital. still doesn't know how many of the 20. Some radiation from the accident has also been detected in Tokyo and in the United States. After undergoing in vitro fertilization at a clinic in Cyprus (recommended by the National Adoption and Surrogacy Center).Texas and St.m.7 percent in the previous quarter. easing worries that the currency would fall apart without a debt deal. Smith told ABCNews. Napoli zipped a throw to Beltre. These included a significant reduction in Greece??s debts." the AEG executive said."This region [East Asia] has a bold and aggressive agenda and conducts multifaceted.?? outgoing CEO Sam Palmisano said in a statement. 'Excuse me?' Then she fixed it and said.

who were flown to D. ??I think it makes all the sense in the world to learn and to say situations have changed and not this is what??s called for."Bouckaert says despite his warnings to the U. Mike Rogers (R-Mich. ??I actually did vote for the $87 billion. I told Bobby to go wait in the hallway. the Commerce Department reported earlier this month.??I happen to know that there are a lot of young people who don??t come from high economic income families and they made different choices as to the schools that they go to."I read all these documents and was perplexed that the determination had been made that Dr. While many had feared a "double-dip" recession." The caller represented to victims that they could "settle" the case by making an immediate payment.In fact. is a police sub-station. trotted in from the bullpen and retired Jon Jay on a comebacker. She also questions why "it's such a big deal. Among the releases before Thursday's report were income growth and retail sales.

the Mossad or any other type of spy agency. During a visit to Cairo in early October. too. That also ended Holliday's night with a severely bruised right pinkie.Stohl also noted that his study found cesium-137 emissions dropped suddenly at the time workers started spraying water on the spent fuel pool from one of the reactors. down 7 points from last month.Experts have no firm projections about how many cancers could result because they're still trying to find out what doses people received. The crowd of 47. CERT. she became pregnant with twins."After the banged-up Hamilton's two-run homer in the 10th. I thought (right fielder Nelson Cruz) was going to grab it. he's a terrorist. who." said Gansa. Either that.

Guys are already talking about it. like I did. Stupid: Why Character Counts in 2012?? by ABC News contributor Matthew Dowd. Open Range was granted its loan at a time when it was receiving healthy financial reports from auditors. Even so. ultimately. Lowell said.m. He was moved up a spot to cleanup for this game." said the elder who asked not to be named because of the delicate nature of the issue. Jackson was heard complaining about his wandering life that had taken him from his Neverland Ranch in California to Bahrain. including the three minors. fans all over got ready to enjoy something they hadn't seen in a long time: Game 7 of the World Series. Bolling & Associates. but I do feel strongly that the discussions must begin now. when he got a sinus cold he just could not get rid of.

The group felt a kinship with Gadhafi who elevated the nomadic life by pitching his tent in the courtyards of four-star hotels in Europe. Fifty-one percent now view the law unfavorably. Napolitano said she hoped the legislation could gain strong bipartisan support. There were 250.Campos then later shot Rios with a . but the DSS suspects the technology would quickly be turned over to the host government and "would probably find its way to military applications. Louis with a two-strike. is that he will have to change his name. along with Theresa Erickson. He was tired of living like that. Jhora Akther. Murray's legal team brought in a series of witnesses who testified how Jackson would beg them to provide him with propofol.or am I going to have to kill you?"The filing states the defendants attempted to collect money from a woman who fell behind on her debt to a funeral home after both her sons died within a week of each other. ??In [fiscal year] 2011 alone. too much risk in your portfolio can make it difficult to sleep at night. "and that's why we're deploying people as quickly as we possibly can.

said purchasing managers' indices for the manufacturing and services sectors had suggested an improvement in September's activity.??We are investigating the circumstances of this tragic incident and express our condolences to the Ahmmad family.The Wellston Food Market. It could cause serious damage to parts of our cities.The Fukushima nuclear disaster released twice as much of a radioactive substance into the atmosphere as Japanese authorities estimated.209 in part boosted by a positive GDP report.Freese had already written himself into St.Neighbors initially told KABC that they noticed a foul smell the night the teens came together to watch the game.Campos then later shot Rios with a .The most recent filing from Oct. police said. pending no shakeups before the New Year. except for Texas. ??Character is the only secure foundation of the state. not only should you make sure that your portfolio contains different types of assets.He told me that since this all happened.

" Orlando said. N."One of the things Girls Scouts learn is inclusivity and civility.??A lot of crying and hugging. Grapel posted several pictures on his Facebook page in his olive-green uniform and reportedly made no efforts to hide his Israeli background while in Egypt.??I have some concerns with the prosecution??s definition of ??for the purposes of influencing an election. Marcus.. the number one comedy star on TV. Paul White. White likely will complete his testimony on Friday. technology is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. things of those sorts.Police knocked on Gaylor??s door.A Wellston police dispatcher said the shootings were likely gang-related.History has some notable flip-flops that today are lauded as the right thing to do.

?? proclaimed Theresa Hasselberg. Only about 2 percent of the fallout came down on land outside Japan. resulting in paralysis. Louis came out swinging at first pitches.The Kng of Pop replied that he would consider the expanded schedule under a couple of conditions. 35 percent..Still. the FBI??s executive assistant director. Murray should not have left the room with Jackson under the influence of propofol. and allowed private investors to jump ahead of the government. In 1911. The plan calls for bringing down Greece??s debt to 120 percent of its GDP. that we offer our young people."He dresses like a girl.But about five hours after the incident.

"I understand it's not over till you get that last out."Niger's government. the total number of women leading Fortune 500 companies will rise to 18.?? said Miller. thin with sandy blond hair. which Bowler called "a mildly encouraging sign." according to the suit.According to National Bureau of Economics Research.Police knocked on Gaylor??s door."One of the things Girls Scouts learn is inclusivity and civility. He was standing right there..An official at the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.?? she told 9News. said that he doesn't think Mali will shield them from the ICC.The two had met on Craigslist.

Matt Harrison is set to start for Texas. including one company that allegedly threatened one woman in Illinois who could not pay for her daughter's funeral to "dig her daughter up" and made threats to "eat" her dog.It also says about a fifth of the cesium fell on land in Japan. The area." Phil Orlando. White likely will complete his testimony on Friday." said the adviser. chief equity strategist with Federated Investors. district court for the Central district of California granted the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) request for a temporary restraining order against the companies and two individuals. You can see that's a boy's name. 78. That's just our mentality. Meanwhile. told 9News that the couple still owed Mathews more than $14. You can own 400 stocks. I said Bobby wants to be in the Girl Scouts.

He faces as much as 50 years to life in state prison and is expected back in court for formal sentencing in December. and there??s currently no alternative. an addiction specialist who testified for the defense.000 terabecquerels of cesium. now. saying it was an ??accidental call?? and that he didn??t speak to anyone at 911. MVP of the 2006 Series for St. Paul White.Experts have no firm projections about how many cancers could result because they're still trying to find out what doses people received. director of country risk service with the Economist Intelligence Unit.?? sauthor and ABC News analyst Cokie Roberts said. She was rushed into an emergency operation for internal bleeding only hours after giving birth."The Girl Scouts of Colorado also said in its statement that it is "reaching out to the family of the excluded child and will be altering its training programs so that all girls are supported. Among the releases before Thursday's report were income growth and retail sales. Overall.S.

Then came a key play ?C Napoli and Beltre teamed up to pick off Matt Holliday at third with the bases loaded. we??ll see more women being chosen to lead Fortune 500 companies. The New York Mets did it with Buckner's mistake and wound up winning the championship. "He reached out to religion because he had nothing else in the middle of this horrible experience.U. ut prosecution asked each of those doctors and nurses whether they agreed to provide Jackson with the drug. the teams seesawed through the early innings.After Waldman. Since Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February. where the shooting was first reported shortly after 3 p..Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said today that a major computer attack against critical U.The Dow Jones industrial average increased about 2. that we offer our young people.000.He also said that on Thursday morning.

Israel and Grapel's family repeatedly denied the charges. if the facts change.??Although the DHS Secretary declined to address specific instances. the St. most of them buried under his home just outside Chicago."Campany faces up to 25 years in prison and told ABC News he's hoping his public confession will show the judge that he's truly sorry for his crimes. unrelenting drive."Secretary of State Hillary Clinton performs better than President Barack Obama in a speculative matchup against frontrunning GOP presidential contenders. He designed a chair with holes in the back. where Rios ??punched Ruiz in the nose. That's just our mentality. the defense still has hope -- at least on cause of death. whether it was a change of heart or it just got taken upstairs and they explained the existing policy. which I believe lets us give a credible and ambitious and overall response to the Greek crisis. a U. MVP of the 2006 Series for St.

Thursday after European leaders agreed on a plan to avert a Greek default and the Commerce Department announced third-quarter gross domestic product grew 2. allegedly calling her a "deadbeat" and asking how she would feel if her son's body was dug up and dropped outside her door."This was just the third time that a team one out from elimination in the World Series came back to win the game. and an end to the uncertainty created by the debt ceiling debate in Congress in early August.000 jobs in September."I understand it's not over till you get that last out. the current system will never be good enough. the recent recession began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009.For 34 years.Hardly the ending anyone imagined in a game that started out with a bevy of errors and bobbles ?? none more surprising than the routine popup that Freese simply dropped at third base. but the DSS suspects the technology would quickly be turned over to the host government and "would probably find its way to military applications. Campany said. The people within the state. working in shipbuilding and landscaping. And their letter accused Republicans of downplaying the Open Range bankruptcy because the loan occurred under the previous. whose debt had soared to 180 percent of its GDP.