𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘌𝘐𝘎𝘏𝘛𝘌𝘌𝘕

(the cursed witch, act one)

IT WAS JUST BEGINNING TO DRIZZLE WHEN EDWARD TURNED ONTO HER STREET. He was dropping her off just before Natalie would be coming home so the woman wouldn't be suspicious. It was handy having Carlisle work with her.

"Will you come inside?" The witch asked softly as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

He shook his head. "I'll come back soon. You still have to prepare Natalie to meet your new boyfriend." He grinned widely, showing all of his teeth.

Nina groaned. "Thanks a lot." He smiled the crooked smile that she loved.

"I'll be back soon," He promised.

He leaned in to swiftly kiss her just under the edge of her jaw.

She blushed softly. "Soon," She stressed as she opened the door and stepped out into the rain. She could feel his eyes on her back as she half-ran through the light sprinkle toward the porch, turning back when she opened the door and waved goodbye.

She could see him smile before he drove away.

She stood in the hallway for a minute, taking off her shoes as she thought over the events that had occurred.

When her thoughts eventually faded a bit, she headed upstairs to change out of her dressy clothes. She tried on a couple of different tops, not sure what to expect tonight. She eventually got tired of ransacking her room and changed into a simple black scoop neck top, keeping the same pants while grabbing a red, pleated leather jacket.

If it began to rain hard, she could always keep it away from her vicinity with her magic.

The phone rang and she sprinted down the hall to get it.

"Hello?" She asked, breathless.

"Nina? It's me," Bella said.

"Oh, hey, Bells." Nina scrambled for a moment to come back down to reality. It felt like months rather than days since she'd spoken to Bella. "How was the dance?"

"It was so much fun!" Bella gushed.

Needing no more invitation than that, she launched into a minute-by-minute account of the previous night.

Nina listened intently, taking in her every word. Bella's voice was absolutely star-struck as she spoke about her and Jacob.

"He kissed me! Can you believe it?"

The witch grinned. "That's wonderful, Bells."

"So what did you do yesterday? Have fun with Edward?"

"We went for a hike," Nina smiled. "He brought me to this beautiful meadow. It was like something out of a movie."

"I'm glad he didn't murder you," Bella smiled. "I kinda like having you around, my witchy friend."

Nina giggled, "Alright, humie."

The front door slammed and she could hear Natalie banging around in the main hallway. "We'll talk later. Mom just got home."

"You better tell me the dirty details," Bella chuckled before hanging up.

"Hey, honey!" Natalie called as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom," She said. "How was work?"

"Busy day today. Dr. Cullen came in though and helped us out. What did you do all day?"

Carlisle hadn't sold her out thankfully. Good man, Nina thought to herself. "Not much. Got some more studying done."

"I brought home pizza," Natalie told her, gesturing to the box on the stove. "My feet have been dragging all day. Can't bring myself to cook."

Nina grinned as she opened the box, quickly serving them both two pieces. "Great. I'm starved."

"You seem happy again today. What is this? Three days in a row?" Natalie was smiling wide at her daughter. "Could it be a certain someone making you so happy?"

"What?" Nina blushed. "How'd you know that?"

"A mother always knows. And Dr. Cullen is a bit of a gossip."

I take it back.

"Oh yeah?" Nina hesitated. "What did he tell you exactly?"

"Just that his son won't ever stop talking about you. Is he a potential candidate for your sudden chipper attitude?"

The young witch blushed again. "Yes." She glanced up at her mother, "Is that okay?"

"More than okay. I'm glad you're happy, Nia... I just want you to be careful."

Nina's mind instantly cleared. "You know?"

Natalie knew without Nina having to finish the sentence. "I do. I know what the Cullens are. And I know what Edward is to you–"

"How?"

"As you get older, and as your magic develops, you will earn the sense too. I knew the moment we drove into the school on your first day."

"And you didn't tell me?" Nina groaned. "That would have saved me so much stress about him murdering me in a forest."

The woman smiled at her overly dramatic daughter.

"And does he know? About what you are?"

"He knows I'm a witch," Nina shrugged. "And that Dad went crazy and joined the vampy government..."

"Does he know the rest?"

"I might have gotten a little choked up about the wolf thing..." Natalie sighed. "I know I should have told him. I know. I just– I got nervous and I know wolves and vampires don't have the strongest relationship and I didn't want that to scare him off and..." She paused. "I really don't want him to leave, Mom. I don't know why but I feel like my heart couldn't take it."

Natalie nodded softly, reaching over to grab her daughter's hand. "That feeling is due to you being mates. It's not easy for mates to be apart... But you won't scare him away, Nia. He has encountered far worse than a beautiful hybrid. And if he does run, I'll get out the bat and beat him with it before he can get too far."

"I will tell him," Nina promised. "Just not yet. I'm still figuring it out myself and I don't even know where to start on how to phrase it." She paused. "This might be a good time to tell you I actually spent most of the day at the Cullens' home."

"Did you now?" Natalie asked, grinning widely. "And what were you doing there?"

"Well, I sort of have a date with Edward tonight, and he wanted to introduce me to his parents."

"That's why Carlisle kept smiling all day. I thought he was just having a vampire seizure. When is he coming over?"

"He'll be here in a few minutes."

"Where is he taking you?"

"We're going to play baseball with his family."

Natalie's eyebrows furrowed, and then she finally chuckled. "You're playing baseball?"

"Well, I'll be watching while they play."

She heard the roar of an engine pull up in front of the house. She jumped up and started cleaning her dishes.

"Leave the dishes, I can do them tonight."

The doorbell rang, and Natalie stalked off to answer it. Nina was half a step behind her.

She hadn't realized how hard it was pouring outside. Edward stood in the halo of the porch light, an inviting grin on his lips.

"Come on in, Edward."

"Thanks, Miss. Evans," Edward said in a respectful voice.

"Go ahead and call me Natalie. Here, I'll take your jacket."

"Thanks, ma'am."

"Have a seat there, Edward."

Nina grimaced. Edward sat down fluidly in the only chair, forcing her to sit next to her mother on the sofa. She quickly shot him a dirty look. He winked behind Natalie's back.

"So I hear you're getting my girl to watch baseball."

Only in Washington would the fact that it was raining buckets have no bearing at all on the playing of outdoor sports.

"Yes, ma'am, that's the plan."

He didn't look surprised that Nina had told her mother the truth. He might have been listening, though.

"Well, more power to you, I guess." Natalie laughed, and Edward joined in. He knew the woman knew more than she let on.

"Okay." Nina stood up. "Enough humor at my expense. Let's go." She walked back to the hall and pulled on the jacket she had picked out earlier. They followed.

"Not too late, Nia."

"Don't worry, Natalie, I'll have her home early," Edward promised.

"You take care of my girl, all right?"

Nina groaned, but they ignored her.

"She'll be safe with me, I promise, ma'am."

Natalie couldn't doubt Edward's sincerity, it rang in every word.

Nina stalked out. They both laughed, and Edward followed her.

Nina stopped dead on the porch. There, behind her mothers car, was a massive Jeep. Its tires were higher than her waist. There were metal guards over the headlights and tail-lights, and four large spotlights attached to the crash bar. The hardtop was polished white.

It was Emmett's, she recognized, having seen it in the school parking lot, though she had never been so close to it. 

Edward followed her around to her side and opened the door. She gauged the distance to the seat and prepared to jump for it. He chuckled, and then lifted her in with one hand. She was glad her mother had already gone inside.

As he went around to the driver's side, at a normal, human pace, she tried to put on her seat belt. But there were too many buckles.

"What's all this?" She asked when he opened the door.

"It's an off-roading harness."

His answer didn't help.

She tried to find the right places for all the buckles to fit, but it wasn't going too quickly. He chuckled again and reached over to help her. She was glad that the rain was too heavy and that Natalie had gone inside. That meant she couldn't see how Edward's hands lingered at her neck, brushing along her collarbones.

Edward turned the key and the engine roared to life. They pulled away from the house.

"This is a... um... big Jeep you have."

"It's Emmett's. I didn't think you'd want to run the whole way."

"Where do you keep this thing?"

"We remodeled one of the outbuildings into a garage."

"Aren't you going to put on your seat belt?" She teased.

He threw her a disbelieving look. Then something sunk in.

"Run the whole way? As in, you're going to make me run part of the way? In these shoes?" She glanced at her black heeled boots. The heel was only two inches, but still.

He grinned tightly. "You're not going to run."

"How?..." She trailed off. "Is this another superpower you haven't told me about?"

"Potentially."

"Super," She sighed. She pulled out her bag suddenly, remembering what she had placed in there before leaving. "I got you something."

He glanced over. "You got me something? When did you do that?"

"It was a while ago, actually. I just kept forgetting to give it to you." She pulled out the mug and held it up for him to see.

"Really?" He sighed, as he read over the bright red lettering.

"What? It's funny!"

"Bite me?"

"It's even better when you say it, honey."

He sighed again.

"You can have your blood in a mug now! You should drink out of this every morning. Maybe I should have gotten more– you know, for your family. Christmas will roll around soon enough."

"You'd get my mom a mug that says 'bite me'?"

"Esme would love it," Nina defended.

He let out a breath of air. "Yeah, she would."

Nina grinned. "Do you like it then?"

"I always thought your first gift to me would be something different... a t-shirt, a tie–"

"–All very boring things."

"I love it," He ended, knowing she wouldn't let it go until he said the words. "I'll drink my blood in that mug every morning and embarrass myself in front of my entire family just for you."

She smiled brightly, placing the cup in the cup holder before leaning over and kissing his cheek. "I knew you'd like it."

She didn't know how he found his way in the gloom and downpour, but he somehow found a side road that was less of a road and more of a mountain path. For a long while conversation was impossible, because she was bouncing up and down on the seat like a jackhammer. He seemed to enjoy the ride, though, smiling hugely the whole way.

And then they came to the end of the road; the trees formed green walls on three sides of the Jeep. The rain was a mere drizzle, slowing every second, the sky brighter through the clouds.

"Sorry, darling, we have to go on foot from here."

Nina froze. In her peripheral vision, she could see the slippery wet mud that surrounded them. "You know what? I'll just wait here."

"What happened to all your courage? You were extraordinary this morning."

"That was all Jasper."

He was around to her side of the car in a blur. He started unbuckling her. "I'll get those, you go on ahead," She protested.

"Hmmm..." He mused as he quickly finished. "It seems I'm going to have to tamper with your memory."

Before she could react, he pulled her from the Jeep and set her feet on the ground. It was barely misting now; Alice was going to be right. "Tamper with my memory? You can do that?" She asked nervously.

"Something like that." He was watching her intently, carefully, but there was humor deep in his eyes. He placed his hands against the Jeep on either side of her head and leaned forward, forcing her to press back against the door. He leaned in even closer, his face inches from hers. She had no room to escape – not that she wanted too.

"Now," He breathed, and just his smell disturbed her thought processes, "what exactly are you worrying about?"

"Well, um, I assume this new superpower is running fast otherwise we wouldn't get there nearly in time so... hitting a tree —" she gulped "— and dying. Flying off of you and getting impaled by a stick and then having my remains being eaten by Bambi..."

He fought back a smile. Then he bent his head down and touched his cold lips softly to the hollow at the base of her throat.

"Are you still worried now?" He murmured against her skin.

"Yes." She struggled to concentrate. "About hitting trees... Bambi...."

His nose drew a line up the skin of her throat to the point of her chin. His cold breath tickled her skin.

"And now?" His lips whispered against her jaw. "Trees," She gasped. "Motion sickness."

He lifted his face to kiss her temple.

"Nina, you don't really think I would hit a tree, do you?"

"No, but I might."

He smelled an easy victory. He kissed slowly down her cheek, stopping just at the corner of her mouth.

"Would I let a tree hurt you? Or let Bambi eat you?" His lips barely brushed against her trembling lower lip.

"No," She breathed. She knew there was a second part to her brilliant defense, but she couldn't quite call it back.

"You see," He said, his lips moving against hers. "There's nothing to be afraid of, is there?"

"No," She sighed, giving up.

Then he took her face in his hands almost roughly, and kissed her in earnest, his unyielding lips moving against hers. There really was no excuse for her behavior. Obviously she knew better by now.

Her arms reached up to twine tightly around his neck, and she was suddenly welded to his stone figure. She sighed, and her lips parted. He sucked on her lower lip before slowly parting.

"You'll be the death of me, I swear you will."

She grinned in his arms. "You're indestructible," She reminded, trying to catch her breath.

"I might have believed that before I met you. Now let's get out of here before I do something really that will make us late."

She blushed, thinking over the possibilities of what he might have meant as he let her climb onto his back. She could see the extra effort it took for him to be as gentle as he was.

She locked her legs around his waist and secured her arms in a choke hold around his neck. "Don't forget to close your eyes," He warned her. She quickly tucked her face into his shoulder blade, under her own arm, and squeezed her eyes shut.

All she could tell was that they were moving. She could feel him gliding along beneath her, but he could have been strolling down the sidewalk, the movement was so smooth. She was tempted to peek, just to see if he was really flying through the forest, but she resisted.

She contented herself with listening to his breath come and go evenly. She wasn't quite sure they had stopped until he reached back and touched her hair. "It's over, Nina."

She dared to open her eyes, and, sure enough, they were at a standstill. She stiffly unlocked her stranglehold on his body and slipped to the ground, stumbling as she did so.

Edward quickly caught a hold of her arms, stopping her just before she could slip in the mud. Her bewildered expression pushed him over the edge, and he broke into a roar of laughter.

The witch rolled her eyes, moving out of his hold as she began to walk. That only made him laugh harder. Annoyed, she began to stride off into the forest. She felt his arm around her waist.

"Where are you going, darling?"

"To watch a baseball game. You don't seem to be interested in playing anymore, but I'm sure the others will have fun without you."

"You're going the wrong way."

She turned around without looking at him, holding up her middle finger, and stalked off in the opposite direction. He caught her again.

"Don't be mad, I couldn't help myself. You should have seen your face." He chuckled before he could stop himself.

"Oh, you're the only one who's allowed to get mad?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I was never mad at you."

"Says the guy who disappeared for a week because I hung around someone with strong scented blood."

"Well now that you say it outloud..." He trailed off, continuing to follow her. "But I've never been angry with you."

"Then why?"

"I infuriate myself," He said gently. "The way I can't seem to keep from putting you in danger. My very existence puts you at risk. Sometimes I truly hate myself. I should be stronger, I should be able to —"

She placed her hand over his mouth. "Don't."

He took her hand, moving it from his lips, but holding it to his face. "I love you," He said. "It's a poor excuse for what I'm doing, but it's still true."

It was the first time he'd said he loved here— in so many words. He might not realize it, but she certainly did.

"Now, please try to behave yourself," He continued, and he bent to softly brush his lips against hers.

"You promised my mom that you would have me home early, remember? We'd better get going."

He grinned against her lips. "Yes, ma'am."

He smiled wistfully and released all of her but one hand. He led her a few feet through the tall, wet ferns and draping moss, around a massive hemlock tree, and they were there, on the edge of an enormous open field in the lap of the Olympic peaks. It was twice the size of any baseball stadium.

She could see the others all there; Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie, sitting on a bare outcropping of rock, were the closest to them, maybe a hundred yards away. Much farther out she could see Jasper and Alice, at least a quarter of a mile apart, appearing to throw something back and forth, but she never saw any ball. It looked like Carlisle was marking bases, but could they really be that far apart?

When they came into view, the three on the rocks rose. Esme started toward them. Emmett followed, Rosalie at his side.

"Was that you we heard, Edward?" Esme asked as she approached.

"It sounded like a bear choking," Emmett clarified.

Nina smiled hesitantly at Esme. "That was him."

"Nina was being unintentionally funny," Edward explained, quickly settling the score but earning an elbow to the side.

Alice had left her position and was running, or dancing, toward them. She hurtled to a fluid stop at their feet. "It's time," She announced. As soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest beyond us, and then crashed westward toward town.

"Eerie, isn't it?" Emmett said with easy familiarity, winking at the witch.

"Let's go." Alice reached for Emmett's hand and they darted toward the oversized field; she ran like a gazelle. He was nearly as graceful and just as fast — yet Emmett could never be compared to a gazelle.

"Are you ready for some ball?" Edward asked, his eyes eager, bright.

Nina tried to sound appropriately enthusiastic. "Go team!"

He snickered and, after mussing her hair, bounded off after the other two. His run was more aggressive, a cheetah rather than a gazelle, and he quickly overtook them. The grace and power took her breath away.

"Shall we go down?" Esme asked in her soft, melodic voice, taking the witch's eyes off of the three vampires. Esme kept a few feet between them, and she wondered if she was still being careful not to frighten her. She matched her stride to Nina's without seeming impatient at the pace.

"You don't play with them?" Nina asked shyly.

"No, I prefer to referee — I like keeping them honest," She explained.

"Do they like to cheat, then?"

"Oh yes — you should hear the arguments they get into! Actually, I hope you don't, you would think they were raised by a pack of wolves."

"You sound like my mom," Nina laughed, surprised.

She laughed, too. "Well, I do think of them as my children in most ways. I never could get over my mothering instincts — did Edward tell you I had lost a child?"

"No," Nina murmured, stunned, scrambling to understand what lifetime she was remembering.

"Yes, my first and only baby. He died just a few days after he was born, the poor tiny thing," She sighed. "It broke my heart — that's why I jumped off the cliff, you know," She added matter-of-factly.

"Edward just said you f-fell," She stammered.

"Always the gentleman." Esme smiled. "Edward was the first of my new sons. I've always thought of him that way, even though he's older than I, in one way at least." She smiled at the witch warmly. "That's why I'm so happy that he's found you, dear." The endearment sounded very natural on her lips. "He's been the odd man out for far too long; it's hurt me to see him alone."

"You don't mind, then?" She asked, hesitant again. "That I'm... not like him?"

"No." She was thoughtful. "You're what he wants. It will work out, somehow," She said, though her forehead creased with worry. Another peal of thunder began.

Esme looked at her after a moment of silence. "Edward said it was only you and your mother. Did your father pass away?"

Nina pursed her lips. "Sometimes I wish he had. But, uh no. My mom was just reaching nine months pregnant when he left. She says he got scared that he wasn't going to be responsible enough to raise a child... It's kind of ironic, the responsible thing to have done would have been to stay."

"I'm sorry."

Nina shrugged when another round of thunder sounded. "It doesn't really matter to me now. It used to bother me a lot when I was younger but... How can you miss someone you've never met?"

Esme's soft eyes stared at the witch for a moment before she nodded. "I guess that is true." She stopped then; apparently, they'd reached the edge of the field. It looked as if they had formed teams. Edward was far out in left field, Carlisle stood between the first and second bases, and Alice held the ball, positioned on the spot that must be the pitcher's mound.

Emmett was swinging an aluminum bat; it whistled almost untraceably through the air.

She waited for him to approach home plate, but then she realized, as he took his stance, that he was already there — farther from the pitcher's mound than she would have thought possible.

Jasper stood several feet behind him, catching for the other team. Of course, none of them had gloves.

"All right," Esme called in a clear voice, which Nina knew even Edward would hear, as far out as he was. "Batter up."

Alice stood straight, deceptively motionless. Her style seemed to be stealth rather than an intimidating windup. She held the ball in both hands at her waist, and then, like the strike of a cobra, her right hand flicked out and the ball smacked into Jasper's hand.

"Was that a strike?" Nina whispered to Esme, wishing she had of prepared herself with some baseball knowledge beforehand.

"If they don't hit it, it's a strike," She told her.

Jasper hurled the ball back to Alice's waiting hand. She permitted herself a brief grin. And then her hand spun out again.

This time the bat somehow made it around in time to smash into the invisible ball. The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous; it echoed off the mountains — Nina immediately understood the necessity of the thunderstorm. The ball shot like a meteor above the field, flying deep into the surrounding forest.

"That's gotta be a home run," She murmured.

"Wait," Esme cautioned, listening intently, one hand raised. Emmett was a blur around the bases, Carlisle shadowing him. Nina realized Edward was missing.

"Out!" Esme cried in a clear voice. Nina stared in disbelief as Edward sprang from the fringe of the trees, ball in his upraised hand, his wide grin visible even to her.

"Emmett hits the hardest," Esme explained, "but Edward runs the fastest."

The inning continued before her incredulous eyes. It was impossible to keep up with the speed at which the ball flew, the rate at which their bodies raced around the field.

She learned the other reason they waited for a thunderstorm to play when Jasper, trying to avoid Edward's infallible fielding, hit a ground ball toward Carlisle. Carlisle ran into the ball, and then raced Jasper to first base. When they collided, the sound was like the crash of two massive falling boulders. Nina jumped up in concern, but they were somehow unscathed.

"Safe," Esme called in a calm voice. Emmett's team was up by one — Rosalie managed to flit around the bases after tagging up on one of Emmett's long flies — when Edward caught the third out. He sprinted to Nina's side, sparkling with excitement.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"One thing's for sure, I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Major League Baseball."

"Like you'd ever put yourself through that kind of torture," He laughed.

"I am a little disappointed," She teased.

"Why?" He asked, puzzled.

"Well, it would be nice if I could find just one thing you didn't do better than everyone else on the planet." 

He flashed his special crooked smile, leaving her breathless.

"I'm up," he said, heading for the plate after pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

He played intelligently, keeping the ball low, out of the reach of Rosalie's always-ready hand in the outfield, gaining two bases like lightning before Emmett could get the ball back in play. Carlisle knocked one so far out of the field — with a boom that hurt her ears — that he and Edward both made it in. Alice slapped them dainty high fives.

The score constantly changed as the game continued, and they razzed each other like any street ballplayers as they took turns with the lead. Occasionally Esme would call them to order. The thunder rumbled on, but they  stayed dry, as Alice had predicted. Carlisle was up to bat, Edward catching, when Alice suddenly gasped. Nina's eyes were on Edward and she saw his head snap up to look at her. Their eyes met and something flowed between them in an instant. He was at Nina's side before the others could ask Alice what was wrong.

"Alice?" Esme's voice was tense.

"I didn't see — I couldn't tell," She whispered.

All the others were gathered by this time.

"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asked with the calm voice of authority.

"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," She murmured.

Jasper leaned over her, his posture protective. "What changed?" He asked.

"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," She said, contrite, as if she felt responsible for whatever had frightened her.

Seven pairs of quick eyes flashed to Nina's face and away.

"How soon?" Carlisle said, turning toward Edward.

A look of intense concentration crossed his face. "Less than five minutes. They're running — they want to play." He scowled.

"Can you make it?" Carlisle asked him, his eyes flicking toward Nina again.

"No, not carrying —" He cut short. "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting."

"How many?" Emmett asked Alice.

"Three," She answered tersely.

"Three!" He scoffed. "Let them come." The steel bands of muscle flexed along his massive arms. For a split second that seemed much longer than it really was, Carlisle deliberated. Only Emmett seemed unperturbed; the rest stared at Carlisle's face with anxious eyes.

"Let's just continue the game," Carlisle finally decided. His voice was cool and level. "Alice said they were simply curious."

All this was said in a flurry of words that lasted only a few seconds. Nina had listened carefully and caught most of it, though she couldn't hear what Esme now asked Edward with a silent vibration of her lips. She only saw the slight shake of his head and the look of relief on her face.

"You catch, Esme," He said. "I'll call it now."

And he planted himself in front of Nina. The others returned to the field, warily sweeping the dark forest with their sharp eyes. Alice and Esme seemed to orient themselves around where she stood.

"Take your hair down," Edward said in a low, even voice. She obediently slid the pins out of her hair and shook it out around her.

She stated the obvious. "The others are coming now."

"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please." He hid the stress in his voice well, but she could hear it.

He pulled her long hair forward, around her face.

"That won't help," Alice said softly. "I could smell her across the field."

"I know." A hint of frustration colored his tone. Carlisle stood at the plate, and the others joined the game halfheartedly.

"There's something I could try," Nina told him.

"Do it."

"Invisique," She whispered, before her body went invisible, shocking the Cullen family.

Edward sighed, shaking away his amazement. "I can still smell you."

She took the spell down, making herself visible again.

"What did Esme ask you?" She whispered, defeated.

He hesitated for a second before he answered. "Whether they were thirsty," He muttered unwillingly, pulling off his jacket and wrapping it around her, hoping his scent would cover hers. He then took off his baseball hat, placing it gently on her head. "Keep your head down."

The seconds ticked by; the game progressed with apathy now. No one dared to hit harder than a bunt, and Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper hovered in the infield.

Edward paid no attention to the game at all, eyes and mind ranging the forest. "I'm sorry, Nina," He muttered fiercely. "It was stupid, irresponsible, to expose you like this. I'm so sorry."

She heard his breath stop, and his eyes zeroed in on right field. He took a half step, angling himself between her and what was coming. Carlisle, Emmett, and the others turned in the same direction, hearing sounds of passage much too faint for her ears.