CHAPTER 10. Interrogations

Summary

The next morning, Bella gets ready for school and finds Edward outside in his car, waiting to drive her in his Volvo. Bella asks what the other Cullen children are going to school in, and Edward says Rosalie's car - a red convertible Bella easily spots in the parking lot. Jessica is waiting for Bella to return her jacket from the previous night, and they agree to talk in Trig. When they're along again, Edward warns Bella that Jessica has many questions, including whether or not she and Edward are secretly dating and what she feels for him. Edward also adds that he'll be listening in on Jessica's thoughts as he wants to hear the answers. In English class, Mike asks if Jessica said anything about their dinner date Monday night, and is excited when Bella tells him that Jessica said she had a really good time. In Trigonometry, Jessica does indeed grill Bella about her time with Edward last night, and Bella gives answers knowing that Edward is "listening" in on the conversation. She then turns the tables on Jessica by sharing her earlier talk with Mike about the Monday night date.

During lunch, she joins Edward and for this reason receives stares just like her first day at school. He buys lunch for both of them and Bella asks him to eat food, which he obliges despite clearly not enjoying it. Edward then confesses to being bothered about Bella telling Jessica that she believes she cares more for Edward than he does for her. She explains that he sometimes seems to be trying to say goodbye when he's saying something else; in his defense, Edward says this shows he cares more for her, as he is trying to do the right thing to keep her safe. Edward then asks if she really needs to go to Seattle on Saturday or would be open to a different destination together. She agrees to this alternate plan as long as they ride in her car, as she doesn't want Charlie to know she's involved with Edward. Edward thinks Charlie should know, though, in order to keep Bella safer, but she refuses. They then discuss his hunting trip to Emmett at Goat Rocks, and Edward reveals he prefers mountain lion while Emmett has a taste for grizzly bears, but that they try to preserve the ecosystem regardless of what they hunt. She asks if she can ever see him hunt and he says absolutely not; she asks if it's too scary and Edward retorts that she needs a healthy dose of fear but there's more to it than that. At this point, Edward points out they're late for class and they leave the cafeteria.

Notes

Bella quickly adapts to Edward's ability to read other people's minds, as her conversation with Jessica indicates. In a way, this is simply a supernatural variation of how people talk to each other through intermediaries - for example, how high school students gossip and pass along messages to other people by first telling mutual friends. Edward's preferred hunting choice of mountain lion reinforces his regal nature in an indirect manner, while his comment on preserving the ecosystem shows that he is a virtuous predator who cares about the environment and his impact on it.

CHAPTER 11. Complications

Summary

In Biology, Mr. Banner shows a film to the class but Bella can't concentrate because of her proximity to Edward and desire to touch him. Edward sees Bella to Gym, where they're playing badminton and Mike volunteers to be her partner. After class, Mike tries to warn Bella about Edward, saying he looks like her like she's something to eat. Edward meets her after Gym, revealing that he listened in on her talk with Mike. She's angered by this but he apologizes; she makes him promise not to do it again and Edward does so, adding that she can drive on their Saturday outing. When they reach Charlie's house, Edward answers her earlier question about watching him hunt: it would be dangerous because when hunting, he gives int to his instincts and may lose control. Saying good bye to Bella, he adds that tomorrow is his turn to ask questions.

The next morning, Charlie is around for breakfast for a change, not having already left for work, and asks if she's still going to Seattle on Saturday - she lies and says yes - and if she still sure she won't be back for the dance. Bella again insists she's not going and when Charlie asks if anyone asked her, she says it was a girl's choice dance - leaving out that three boys did indeed ask her. After he leaves, Bella gets ready to be picked up by Edward and he's there when she's outside. He notes she looks tired and she says she couldn't sleep, then asks about what he did last night. However, Edward turns it around and says it's his turn to ask questions and starts plying her with an ongoing series of queries about the details of her preferences and personal history. When asked her favorite gemstone, she says topaz and is embarrassed because it had been garnet until she noticed that his eyes were the color of topaz, then refers to how they will turn to onyx in a couple weeks. Edward is not phased by this observation and continues to ask his own questions. The film continues in Biology class and Bella has the same experience as the day before.

Edward drives her home after school and they continue to talk in his car for hours, until twilight which Edward calls the safest time of day. He notes that Charlie will be home soon and she gets out the car, asking if it's her turn tomorrow. He says no, as he told her he wasn't done asking yet. He is then surprised by an arriving car, and leaves before Charlie arrives. The other car pulls up to Charlie's house and inside are Jacob Black and his father Billy Black. Based on his expression of fear and anxiety, Bella can tell that Billy had seen Edward and does indeed believe in the legends of the cold ones and that Edward is one of them.

Notes

The tension between predation and romance is emphasized when Edward says that he cannot be near Bella while hunting: if the bloodlust which seizes him during a hunt occurs in her presence, he risks preying on her as well.