Silence Is a Virtue

The next morning I awoke with a thousand more questions for Edward. It seemed that I had so much to ask, and there wasn't enough time in a day to ask it all. I leapt out of bed, realising in the back of my mind that I was up before Emmett, and that was rare for me. I dressed quickly, throwing on a pale blue blouse and a pair of jeans.

As I bounded down the stairs, I heard Emmett yawn loudly.

"Put some coffee on, would you?" he called, his words barely understandable. I smiled to myself and dropped my bag in the hallway, then entered the kitchen. I made two cups of coffee, and poured myself some orange juice, then leant against the kitchen counter, waiting impatiently for Emmett to get ready. My leg was bouncing - it hadn't registered to me that I has excited. Although upon thinking it, I knew why that was.

Charlie wandered into the kitchen sleepily, grabbing his gun belt as he passed the doorway.

"Morning, Bells." he yawned.

"Morning. Coffee on the table, for you." I mumbled from behind the glass. He gulped half of it down, sighing.

"I needed that. I'd better head out, you'll be okay today?"

"Of course." I eyed him suspiciously. Why wouldn't I be?

"Okay. I'll see you later, then." he downed the rest of his coffee then disappeared, closing the front door behind him. I heard the cruiser pull out of the driveway.

Emmett practically danced into the kitchen, snatching up his cup of coffee and sitting down heavily at the table.

"Not hungry, Bell?" he asked. I shook my head, sipping my orange juice and attempting to stop my leg from bouncing so viciously. Emmett had seen it. He raised an eyebrow. "What's got you so keyed up?" he smirked, probably already knowing the answer.

"Nothing." I replied sharply. He grinned.

"It's nothing to do with the fact that Edward Cullen is going to be in school today, right?" he teased. I felt myself blush, and my heartbeat quickened at the sound of Edward's name.

"Of course not. I only met him yesterday Em, don't be so stupid. I'll be waiting in the car." I quickly downed the rest of my juice and left the room, grabbing my bag as I went.

Once inside Emmett's jeep, I closed my eyes and rested my head on the back of the seat. I couldn't get my head around what was making me so crazy about Edward. I barely knew the guy, and yet some part of me was craving to be close to him again. I shook my head.

My phone began ringing and I pulled it out of my pocket, glancing at the number.

"Hey, pixie. What's up?" I said.

"Bella?" Alice's voice was nervous, strained somehow. "Something's wrong."

"What is it? Are you still ill?" I asked, my forehead creasing with worry.

"Yeah, but that's not it. It's about you. I had a dream and since I woke up I've felt like I need to tell you..." she trailed off.

"Tell me what?" My eyes snapped open. This was serious.

"Don't go to school today. Don't face Cullen. Don't do it, Bells, please." her voice cracked.

"What? It was only a dream, pix, don't worry." I frowned. Alice had never been this nervous before, and it had me worried.

"No, really, it was more than that. Just please don't face him, Bella. You'll get hurt." she was about to cry, I could hear her voice wobbling.

"Okay, I'll try and avoid him, but I have a lesson with him today. I can't avoid him all day." I said, doing my best to make my voice soothing. It didn't work.

"No!" her voice cracked again. "No, Bella, I've seen what you'll be like, you can't let him near you, he'll upset you and you'll break-"

"Alice, it was a dream! Calm down!" My own voice was trembling now. She was scaring me. I heard her mother in the background.

"Mary-Alice? Get off the phone and back to bed! I'll be up in a moment!"

"Ugh, crap. Bella if anything happens, anything at all, I want you to call me immediately, okay?" she was fighting to keep her voice steady.

"I promise. I love you." I said, blinking back the tears that had formed.

"Love you, Bells." she hung up. I cleared the lump from my throat and shook my head. That was weird. Alice normally never let her dreams phase her, she was never normally superstitious at all.

Emmett climbed into the car, took one look at my watery eyes and blotchy face, and froze.

"What?" he said warily, his brow creasing. I shook my head, smiling.

"Nothing. Alice was just being a freak on the phone. That fever must have really screwed her up." I said, laughing. Emmett wasn't convinced, but he smiled slightly and started the car.

The journey to school was peculiar. Emmett didn't play any music, and the tension was so thick I could almost feel it pressing against me. We arrived at school to see Rosalie and Jasper sitting on the hood of their car, their pale and beautiful faces blank and deep in thought. I stepped out of the car and smiled at them as they turned to face me.

"Hey, Bells." Rosalie smiled sweetly, holding her arms out to Emmett, who immediately wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Hey... Erm, Jazz? Can I speak to you?" I said nervously, pushing my lips to the side as I looked up at Jasper. He nodded, frowning, and placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me to a sheltered part of the path.

"What's up, Bell?" he said, his grey eyes clouded with confusion.

"Did Alice call you this morning?" I asked him. He cocked his head to the side.

"No... Why?"

"She called me. She was really upset, begging me not to go to school and to avoid Cul- Edward." I shrugged, biting my lip. He frowned.

"Really? Why?"

"She said she had a dream. She said that since she woke up she felt like she wanted to warn me." I examined Jasper's expression closely. He really seemed to have no idea what had happened, but Jasper had always been a good actor. I couldn't tell.

"That's weird... But I'm sure it's nothing. Leave her for a few days, show her she doesn't need to worry. She'll be okay." Jasper smiled and hugged me gently. I felt immediately comforted.

"You're right. Maybe you should call her, though. See if she's alright." I smiled as he released me. He nodded, pulling out his phone and walking away slightly. I turned around, called over Emmett and Rosalie, and walked into school with them.

We sat down at our usual table in the cafeteria and Emmett left to buy us drinks. Rosalie reached across the table and touched the back of my hand.

"Did you dream about him?" she said quietly, her eyes glittering. I blushed and nodded slowly. She beamed. "And I bet you can't wait to see his face again." I nodded again, looking down.

"To be honest, Rose, I'm kinda scared." I whispered.

"Why?" her voice was soft and concerned. I looked up.

"I don't know what to do. Alice called me this morning and she was terrified, absolutely terrified that I might see Edward again. She asked me to avoid him. It was only because of a dream, but you should've heard her... She sounded so scared..." I mumbled, looking up into Rose's kind blue eyes.

"Well... Maybe it's worth the risk." she said thoughtfully. I frowned.

"But Alice was so worried, don't you think I should listen to her?"

"You of all people should know my advice, Bella." she smiled playfully. "I'm a romantic, you know that. I think you should talk to Edward again. Alice won't be mad."

"Yeah... Maybe." I squeezed her hand as Emmett returned with two coffees.

"Mocha for Bells, skinny latte for Rose." he placed them infront of us, sitting down beside Rose and kissing her cheek. I rolled my eyes as she flushed with delight, and looked away.