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THE NEWS OF WAYLON BEING FOUND DEAD ON HIS BOAT, SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE IN THE SMALL TOWN, IN JUST A MATTER OF HOURS. Another person's life was taken from these recent animal attacks. It shook the town up, desperately wanting it to stop whatever was killing the townspeople. Everyone was on edge, keeping a close eye for any more information.

Dylan felt empathy for the man, despite not knowing him well, she tried to be there for Charlie, knowing he'd been friends with Waylon for more than thirty years. A can of pepper spray was handed to her the next morning before she had gone to school. Which she took without protest, knowing Charlie wanted his daughters to have something to defend themselves. She kept the spray on her at all times, anywhere Dylan went, it was with her.

"Honestly, this whole thing going on with Waylon is making my parents put me on house arrest." Jessica queried. Leaning her back against the wall as Dylan was organizing her locker. "Especially after knowing what happened to his body."

Dylan frowned, "His body? How do you know?" She asked while switching some books around.

"I have a friend that helps out at the mortgage, he only saw a glimpse of the body," She paused mid-sentence and leaned forward, whispering the last part. "Waylon's body is severely damaged, his neck, chest, and parts of his stomach were ripped out."

Dylan grimaced, "Poor guy," She whispered sadly. She couldn't comprehend that someone she had met and seen weeks ago was no longer here with them. The girl felt bad for his family and for the people that knew him.

Not wanting to hear any more gory details of her father's deceased friend, Dylan shut her locker. "Can we talk about something else? I don't feel like losing my appetite before lunch." She desperately wanted to change the subject.

The Stanley girl thought for a second, "Where's Bella? I haven't seen her all morning?" Jessica questioned, realizing the girl was not there with them. "She wasn't in gym class."

Another thing Dylan had been worried about. Bella ended up coming home last night with Charlie, in a dissociated state and it looked like she had a lot on her mind. She ended up heading up to her room for the night, only sharing a few words with Dylan.

Then this morning, she drove them in silence as Dylan did her usual morning chatter. Her brown eyes were focused on the road ahead of them, never once engaging or glancing at Dylan. It all came as a shock when she finally said a word from her mouth, of wanting to skip school for the day to 'hang out' with Edward. So that's where she was right now, ditching school to hang out with Edward Cullen.

"At home, she wasn't feeling good last night, the Mushroom Ravioli made her feel sick." The white lie easily rolled off her tongue.

"I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels that way! The salad was good though, but it still felt like something was off," Jessica rambled, expressing herself with her hands.

The Swan girl nodded in agreement and a sudden sound of a throat being cleared interrupted their conversation. Making the pair look at the popular jock who was standing beside Dylan. His relaxed composure and smile made Dylan stand straighter.

"Ladies," He greets while raising an arm above Dylan's head, resting it against the lockers. A pair of hazel eyes glance at Jessica before locking eyes with the Swan girl.

"Hey, Andrew," Dylan greeted back, smiling brightly as her heart started to quicken.

Jessica pushed herself off the wall and stepped closer to Dylan. "Drew, how's the shoulder?" She asked, nudging her head at his other arm that was by his side.

Andrew nodded, "Good, coach is putting me back on the field once practice starts up again." He explained, glancing once more at the girl beside him. "I was wondering if I could steal Dylan from ya, I've been wanting to ask her something."

Dylan shared a surprised look to Jessica who was intrigued. "Sure, she's all yours," She reached down and grabbed her bag from the floor. Walking past them, the girl mouthed, "Tell me everything," to Dylan as she winked.

Her face grew warm at the thought of being alone with Andrew who she found attractive. He had the height of six two with brassy brown hair that always lay parted in the middle. Broad shoulders and a slim muscular build from playing baseball. And she couldn't forget those hazel eyes that were one of her favorite features, besides his freckles.

Dylan had formed a crush on him since she's been going to school here. They had a few classes together and were friendly with one another. Sometimes he would sit with them during lunch and it was always next to Dylan.

It was painfully obvious he found interest in her and Jessica advised Dylan to ask him out. But, the girl wanted him to make the first move, since she's been the one to do that with other guys before.

"So what is it that you wanted to ask me?" She asked as they walked away from her locker, and down the hallway.

He lets out a nervous laugh from his lips, "Wanna be my date to prom?"

Dylan's eyes widened, not expecting him to ask her that. "Straight to the point I see," She chuckled, grinning from ear to ear. Though the girl was excited to be his date

Andrew cleared his throat, "To forward huh?" He glanced over, regretting his choice of not taking the time to ask her.

The girl shook her head, stopping by the door of her next class. "Nah, I actually prefer that if I am being honest." Andrew breathes out in relief at that.

She pressed her lips into a thin line before answering, "I would love to go to prom with you." Dylan smiled shyly, looking up at him.

The school bell rang for the next period to start, with students already crowding the hallways. Andrew smiled at her answer, looking down at the Swan girl. "Great, talk more later?"

The Swan girl nodded with a smile as they both said their goodbyes and Dylan entered the room of her last class. Where she saw Rosalie reading a magazine. She was practically skipping her way toward the blonde, internally squealing with happiness and excitement.

"Guess who got asked to prom?" Dylan expressed cheerfully, sitting in her seat. "This girl right here." She points to herself, giggling happily as Rose flips a page, remotely showing no interest other than the page itself.

A short hum comes from her lips, "You know that Andrew guy is only asking you because Cindy and him broke up." The blonde spoke, doing a short glance at her.

Dylan's smile dropped, and all the excitement vanished in realization. Recalling when Jessica first told the girl about the big breakup that happened between the couple a month prior before the Swan's moved to Forks. Everyone knew the pair's relationship was toxic, considering the many fights that would happen almost every day. Ending with many breakups between the two.

"I know. Everyone knows. It's been the main gossip around here lately." She replied, looking down at her hands while starting to feel insecure.

Rosalie clicked the side of her mouth. "Only a desperate guy would ask another girl to be their date to prom. The wise theory is, why would the said girl agree to go with him in the first place?" Her question seems accusingly towards Dylan.

The light-brunette scoffed "It's not like he's asking me to be his girlfriend, Rose, we're just going to prom as friends. Nothing more." She defends and turns in her seat to face the blonde.

"I would be careful if I were you. It would be a shame to have your said date stood you up, if his ex-girlfriend took him back." She then gave a knowing look to Dylan.

Dylan frowned, "That won't happen. Besides, they broke up like two months ago. You know I heard that Cindy started seeing this guy from another school. Pretty sure she'd already asked him to prom." Though it seemed more like a reassurance for the girl herself. Being optimistic was the only thing helping her at this point.

The blonde sarcastically laughed. "Did that nosey little friend of yours tell you that?" Rosalie found Jessica so annoying, that she wanted to rip out the Stanley girl's hair or worse. Even though she shouldn't care, it bothered her greatly.

A glimmer of hope and wonder laced Dylan's voice when she questioned, "Why are you telling me this? You're not starting to care about me are you?" A small smile peeked through her lips.

The Hale girl lowered her magazine. In truth, she didn't care about the human girl. However, Alice got a vision a few days ago of Andrew asking Dylan to prom, but the outcome of it wouldn't end well. She wouldn't have bothered to tell the girl sitting beside her. But, Alice insisted that the blonde warn Dylan before it was too late. "Why would I care? I barely even know you" She shrugged.

Dylan smiled, "Well for starters, you know my name and I know yours." Rose rolled her eyes and went back to reading.

She sighed before beaming at a thought she had, "Look, you should come to my soccer game this Thursday, watch us beat our competition."

"I'll take a rain check." The Hale girl waved off.

Though Dylan was persistent, "There won't be any sun that day," She said, knowing the weather was going to be cloudy, like any other day. Knowing the Cullen family liked to make themselves scarce when the weather was nice.

Rose lightly shook her head, sighing out annoyed. "Still taking a rain check."

Facing herself in the front, Dylan slumped further in her seat. She didn't understand why Rosalie didn't like her. I mean, wasn't their conversation about Edward enough for them to have something in common? Out of all the attempts of trying to talk about other things to the blonde. The bashing of Edward only seemed to catch her attention. So Dylan tried again, "Can I ask you a question?"

"No,"

"Why not?"

"Cause you annoy me." Rose shot her a glare as Dylan smiled sheepishly, not at all offended by the mean remark.

"I can't be that bad," Dylan chuckled, leaning her arm against the chair.

"Not as bad as your sister Bella," Rosalie added, looking at the blue-eyed girl.

Dylan frowned at that but decided to ignore Rose's comment. "Are you close with Edward?" She asked carefully, seeing Rose pursed her lips and a pointed look was given.

" I don't know, what do you think?" She said coldly.

The Swan girl winced, "Right, stupid question to ask." Dylan reached up and started to play with her necklace. Though Rose was still looking at her like she was waiting for Dylan to continue. "The reason I ask is cause Bella and I used to be so close, we would tell each other everything and now-" Dylan sighed, resting her chin on her palm. "We barely talk, she doesn't tell me anything and I'm starting to worry."

The blonde clenched her teeth, the anger rising again. Not that she felt bad for Dylan, but for the fact of Bella possibly putting them all in danger. The human was selfish and Alice's vision of Bella finding out who they were, made her deeply dislike the human. Without thinking, Rose spoke, before taking her words back. "I'd check her room, find out if she's hiding anything."

The girl perked up at the advice, why didn't she think of this sooner? Nothing else was said after that as class began with Dyaln thinking about what Rosalie had said.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Dylan drove herself home after school, with her mind thinking about what Rosalie had said. Could Bella be hiding something? Was this the reason why she wouldn't tell Dylan anything? In that case, what could Dylan possibly find?

Turning off the engine, Dylan opened the door, letting herself out before slamming it shut behind her. She takes notice of Charlie's cruiser not being in the driveway. Meaning he's working late tonight, again.

Hanging up her jacket after getting inside, she wasted no time and headed up the stairs. She started getting nervous, what if she does find something that solves all this mystery Bella is seemingly hiding? Her thinking quickly came to a halt when she stood by the older Swans door.

Dylan brought her thumb to her lips, biting on the nail, debating if she should go through with it. A second later she nodded to herself in reassurance. She twists the nob and the door slowly opens, peeking her head first before going in and closing the door behind her.

She looked around the room, noticing the unmade bed and scattered clothes on the floor. For a second it looked like her own room, unkept and messy. Bella was the complete opposite and was always organized.

Whatever was bothering Bella, was sure taking a toll on her and Dylan was determined to find out what.

Heading over to the desk, she takes a seat in Bella's chair and opens her laptop. Not even having to click the power button, the computer turned on and a website popped up. The girl frowned before gliding her finger around on the mouse and started scrolling.

Some time had gone by and Dylan was engrossed with what she was reading. Legends of vampires with cold-skinned, who are undead creatures that drink fresh blood from their prey. Undeniably having speed, strength, and immorality.

Dylan couldn't lie, but she found it fascinating to read, except for the gruesome pictures shown with each article.

After reading the last paragraph, she sat back with a sigh. Questions were still unanswered as to why Bella was acting strange. But, this gave her a major clue and she needed to keep digging.

When her blue eyes glanced around the desk, she noticed something unfamiliar and quickly sat up. She reached over and grabbed the book, taking a look at the cover. A Quileute Legends book. Dylan knew well that it was new since the spine wasn't broken in and suspected the reason why Bella was at the bookstore yesterday.

Dylan turned a few pages, and before she could read more, a voice from behind made her freeze. "Dylan, what are you doing?"

Abruptly closing the book, Dylan clutched onto it. Slowly turning herself in the chair, she saw Bella at the foot of the door, with a confused look.

When Dylan didn't answer her question, her eyes narrowed at the younger twin. "Why are you in my room?" Bella asked, with slight annoyance in her voice.

Her face then widens in horror, finally taking notice of the book in Dylan's hands. "And going through my things!" She yelled, charging towards the girl.

Dylan scrambled to get up, furthering herself away from Bella. "Bella, what is all this?" She asked, gesturing to the computer while moving the book behind her.

The older Swan steps forward, "It's nothing that concerns you." She dismisses the question. Eying the book Dylan is trying to hide behind her.

A scoff erupts into the air. "C'mon Bella I need answers!" Dylan cries out, "I tried talking to you and you always shut me out." She snapped, growing tired of Bella avoiding any of her concerns.

Bella glared at her sister, lounging forward. "Give me that-"

Dylan, however, was quicker and dodged Bella's attack, who was slower and managed to trip on air. Though she catches herself on the edge of the bed.

"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on," Dylan demanded as Bella pulled herself up, "Bella, I'm worried, and you not telling me isn't going to solve anything or stop me from looking further." She expressed, now sharing the irritated tone Bella used on her.

The dark-headed brunette sighed and sat on her bed, looking defeated. It had gotten quiet and Dylan hesitated before asking the question she was most nervous about. "Is he hurting you?"

Bella's head shot up, "What? No," She said in disbelief like it was a crime for Dylan to accuse Edward of doing such a thing.

"Bella.." She pressed further, the name trailing off.

"Edward is not hurting me, or at least he's not." She whispered the last bit while Dylan sat down next to her.

The entire day Dylan was left worried and Bella owed her an explanation. And she wasn't going to leave without one. "Where did you go today? Can you at least give me that?"

Bella took a long sigh, staring off at the wall. Pushing her hair back, before looking at Dylan. "I was in the woods," She simply explained like it was a normal thing she did.

"You were in the woods?" Dylan repeated, confused, "By yourself?"

The older twin shook her head, "I found something about Edward and wanted to confront him about it."

Letting out a frustrated groan, and an eye roll following after. The girl gave a serious look to her older sister. "Bella, the woods aren't safe. Especially with everything that's going on." Dylan scolded.

Bella shook her head once more, "I wasn't alone and nothing would've happened to me." She pointed out, giving Dylan a look to ensure she was telling the truth.

The blue-eyed girl's tense form deflated and looked away from Bella. "So what does any of this have to do with him?" Dylan asked, glancing at the messy desk.

Bella swallowed thickly, not sure how Dylan would react. "Edward is not..like us," She responded to the question slowly, eyeing Dylan.

Looking down at the book in her hands, she let out a humorous snort. "Not like us, how? Like, is he a vampire?" Dylan joked, trying not to suppress a laugh.

It sounded ridiculous coming out of her mouth. Those fairytale myths don't exist, only in books and movies that provide a source of entertainment and wonder. It's all fantasy. All make-believe.

However, the next words said, made Dylan's head turn so fast. At first, she laughed, like really laughed and it seemed to make Bella upset and grab ahold of Dylan's arm. Gaining her attention the laughter was cut short. The stare Bella had made Dylan realize how serious she was. Bella repeated those words and this time, it grasped onto Dylan more clearly.

"He's a vampire, Dylan."

𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊

Hope you liked this chapter! Don't forget to vote and comment, those are greatly appreciated! 🫶🏻🫶🏻

-M

𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊