To say Evelyn's head hurt the next morning was an understatement.

The knot on the back of her skull had thankfully shrunk in size, but the pounding headache still remained. She glanced out the window to see a steady rainfall dripping from the clouds and onto the town below. Evelyn dressed accordingly in a pair of jeans and a Chicago Cubs sweatshirt, throwing her long brown hair up into a messy bun. She shoved her feet into some sneakers and trudged down the steps, not even bothering to look in the mirror.

Marie was sitting at the kitchen table nearly buried in boxes and papers. When she looked up and took in Evelyn's appearance, her eyes widened.

"Woah, Ev. You look like crap."

Evelyn scowled as she turned on the coffee maker and dug through the cabinet for her favorite travel mug. "I feel like crap. My head is killing me."

"Maybe you should stay home today. You had a pretty rough go of it yesterday." She was searching through a stack of pictures on the table. Evelyn noticed that they were all very old, most of them probably from the last century.

"I can't. I have a biology field trip today." She also had to talk to Jasper, but she decided Marie didn't need to know the details of what happened the day before. "Hey, what are you doing anyway?" She poured her coffee into her mug and sat down across from her aunt.

"I'm going through your grandfather's old genealogy research. I'm trying to clean out the storage closet to put all of my shoes in. Look at all this!" She gestured to the boxes and stacks of paper. "He kept such meticulous records of every single detail. Some of this goes all the way back to the 1700s."

"So it's basically our whole family history? That's actually really cool. I can help you after school if you want?" The sound of Bella's truck horn outside interrupted their conversation. "Speaking of school, I gotta go. Have a good day, Marie." She got up and leaned over her aunt, kissing her cheek.

"Take some Tylenol before you go, hon! And take a nap on the bus or something, you look like you didn't sleep at all."

"Love you!" Evelyn shouted as she ran out the door, coffee in one hand and her bag in the other. Her aunt wasn't wrong; she kept waking up the night before because she couldn't calm her mind. Long story short: lack of sleep and a concussion do not mix well together.

Bella seemed anxious too, because as soon as Evelyn's door was closed she peeled out onto the road and sped down the Highway to Forks High School.

"I talked to Edward yesterday, after you left. I confronted him and he refused to answer any of my questions. All he said was that no one would believe me if I told anyone, which I wasn't even planning on doing anyway. Can you believe that? They're hiding something, I just know it."

Evelyn wasn't really in the mood for talking, so she let Bella do most of the speculating on their drive to school, providing hums of agreement here and there so her friend knew she was listening. By the time they arrived, the students were piling onto the buses while Mr. Molina, their teacher, chattered on excitedly about agriculture to anyone who made eye contact with him.

Mike Newton was waiting for them as soon as they stepped out of the truck. Or, more specifically, Bella. Evelyn wasn't surprised; at the moment, she quite literally looked like a zombie. If she was a boy, she would choose Bella, too.

"Hey! Look at you two, huh? You're alive!"

Evelyn smiled at the Mike, but just over his shoulder, she noticed Jasper, Alice, and Edward walking towards the buses. Jasper's gaze met hers for a brief moment before he looked away, his face conflicted.

"I'll see you on the bus, Bella," Evelyn breathed, not hearing a word that Mike was saying. She walked quickly towards the Cullen trio, determined to stop him before he boarded the bus. She needed answers, and he was going to give them to her whether he liked it or not. She carefully stepped around Mr. Molina so as not to get caught by his enthusiastic plant life spiel. She had almost reached them when Angela grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Hey, Ev! I saved you and Bella seats on the other bus. Are you coming?" Angela was so kind and considerate, Evelyn felt bad that she was about to blow her off.

"Um, Angela I really have to talk to..." She trailed off as she watched the Cullens board the bus. None of them looked back except for Edward, who was staring at Bella. His eyes suddenly flickered to hers, their stare holding for the briefest moment before he disappeared with his siblings. He seemed to know exactly what she had been thinking; his face was worried, as if she had caught him in a lie.

She shook her head slightly, turning back to Angela. "You know what? Nevermind. Let's go." It's fine, she thought. I have all day to get what I need.

***

"Compost is cool, guys! Look, I can make a steaming hot cup of fresh compost tea." Evelyn watched as Eric and Tyler fought over the cup that Mr. Molina had just given them. She was bored out of her mind, and even worse, she still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Jasper yet. He had done an excellent job of avoiding her the whole trip, weaving in and out of the crowd of students to stay just out of her line of sight. She didn't even have Bella for company, because Edward had stolen her away when she got separated from Evelyn a moment ago. Jessica was telling anyone who would listen that Mike had finally asked her to prom (after Bella had just rejected him, of course, but Jessica didn't need to know that). Evelyn avoided her because she didn't feel like "girl talk" today. So instead, she decided to just bide her time by pretending to look at the plants around her.

She was observing a table of ferns when she noticed that down the row, Alice left Jasper's side and walked out of the greenhouse. He was finally alone. She bounded quickly down the walkway between her fellow classmates, muttering rushed apologies as she stepped on toes or knocked people as she brushed by them. Just before she reached him, he turned to face her as if he had known that she had been coming.

"I need to talk to you," Evelyn stated, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared up into his eyes. They were a strange shade of black-gold today; she was used to seeing his usual butterscotch irises instead.  She also noticed he had deep purple circles under his eyes that almost looked like bruises.

"So talk," Jasper said, crossing his own arms. He scanned her up and down, taking in her disheveled appearance. Despite the fact that her bronze hair was a mess on top of her head and her eyes had bags under them, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. To him, she was simultaneously beautiful and deadly. It was going to be difficult to ease her suspicions, but there was no way she would be safe if she knew the truth.

She frowned at his brash words. "Fine. I want to know how you got over to me so quickly yesterday. I want to know how you managed to stop a moving car from hitting us with your bare hand."

"I was standing right next to you, Evelyn."

"Don't pull that crap with me, Jasper Hale. You were not. I saw you – I waved at you just before it happened."

His eyes darkened. He had forgotten about that little detail. "Look, Evelyn, I had an adrenaline rush. It's actually quite common in situations like yesterday. That's all that happened. Can't you just accept that?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"Because I know that's not what happened! What you did, it's physically impossible! At least, it should've been. I don't even know what to think anymore."

"Can't you just be thankful and get over it? Why does it matter so much to you that you know what happened?" She flinched, and immediately Jasper regretted his words. They had come out harsher than he'd meant them to.

She studied him for a long moment, searching his face. If Jasper was able to, he would've started nervously sweating under the gaze of her sharp eyes. She could be quite intimidating when she wanted to be, and he knew that she knew it, too.

Finally, she stepped back. "I don't understand you. You can be so nice to me sometimes and then totally flip the next day." She started to walk away, but then she whirled back around to face him again. "And you know what else? You're a rotten liar, Jasper. I'm not stupid. You and I both know that you did not just have an 'adrenaline rush' yesterday. You don't want to tell me the truth? Fine. But one way or another, I'm going to find out."

Jasper debated between his heart and his mind on whether or not to go after her; his heart won.

"Evelyn, wait!" He called, jogging up to her. He caught her upper arm, pulling her to a stop. She looked at him expectantly. "Not here." He nodded his head towards the door to the greenhouse that lead back to the parking lot. Jasper moved his hand from her arm to her hand, pulling her through the crowd of students and out into the brisk early spring air.

Once they were outside, Jasper led Evelyn around the building so that they were out of sight from the other students.

"Look, there are things about me that you don't understand. Things that aren't normal. I just need you to trust me, okay? It's just better this way."

Evelyn leaned in, her eyes never leaving his. "I would understand if you would just let me in, Jasper. I just want to know the truth."

He shook his head, his eyes pained. "I can't, Evelyn. It's safer for you if you just let it go. It's safer for you if you just stay away from me. I'm not– I'm not good."

"I don't believe that."

"Well, you should!" He snapped, ripping his hand out of hers and taking several steps back. She had forgotten that they had still been holding hands. Her fingers had become cold from touching his skin.

The tension stewed between them for what seemed like hours, neither one willing to back down. Finally, Evelyn broke their eye contact. She was tired of being angry.

"I do trust you, you know," she whispered, looking down at her feet. "I just wish you would be honest with me."

Just then, the bus drivers honked their horns in unison, signaling that it was time to go.

"I'll see you at school," Evelyn mumbled, brushing past him to make her way towards the buses. "And Jasper," she said, stopping for a moment to speak to him. "Thank you. For saving me."

Jasper watched her walk away, even more conflicted than before. He knew that she was getting closer to their secret; it was only a matter of time before she would realize something that would put him and his family in danger. Still, he couldn't shake the desire for her to know everything about him. He hated knowing that he had caused her pain. Would she still trust him if she knew the darkest part of himself? Would she be afraid?

***

"La Push, babies! You guys in?" Eric said, waggling his eyebrows at Bella and Evelyn as they sat down at their usual table.

"Should I know what that means?" Asked Bella.

"La Push beach down on the Quileute Rez, we're all going tomorrow," Mike explained.

"There's a big swell coming in," Jessica added excitedly.

"But there's whale watching too! You guys should totally come!"

"La Push, baby. It's... La Push!"

"Okay, I'll go if you stop saying that." Bella eyed Evelyn, silently pleading with her to say yes.

She groaned internally, but put on a smile for everyone at the table. "Yeah, I'll come too. That sounds really fun."

And so that's how Evelyn found herself sitting bundled up next to Bella and Angela in Mike's Suburban near the water's edge. She didn't understand how the others could possibly be excited to surf in this weather; if it was this cold outside, it was definitely freezing in the water.

"So I keep thinking that Eric is gonna ask me to the prom, and he just... doesn't." Angela frowned softly as she spoke, clearly hurt that Eric hadn't asked her.

"You should ask him," Bella encouraged. "Take control. You're a strong, independent woman."

"I am?"

"Yes, you are. You might be surprised, Ang. I think he'll say yes." Now that he knows Bella isn't going, Evelyn added in her head.

"Bella!" An unfamiliar voice called, and the girls all looked to see three Quileute boys coming up to their car. Bella smiled at the taller one in the front, which Evelyn assumed to be Jacob. Bella had mentioned him a few times, but this was the first time she had seen him in person.

"Hey! Guys, this is my friend Jacob."

Evelyn offered him a small wave. "Bella told me about you."

He grinned at her. "Really? You must be Marie's niece, then. My dad loves your aunt's restaurant, by the way."

"I'll be sure to pass that on. She'd love to hear that."

"Hey, you guys should keep them company while we surf. Bella's date bailed." Jessica said. Evelyn didn't miss the slight tone of condescension in her voice.

"Date? What date?" Eric asked, not even trying to conceal his alarm.

Jessica giggled as she answered. "She invited Edward."

Evelyn's eyebrows raised. "You invited him?"

"Um yeah, to be polite. That's it." Evelyn knew that she was lying, but she decided to ask her about it later when their nosy friends weren't around.

"I think it's nice," Angela chimed in. "Nobody ever does."

"Yeah," Mike scoffed. "Cause Cullen's a freak. They all are."

"You got that right," one of Jacob's friends added.

Evelyn was intrigued. "You guys know them?"

The one who had spoken faced her, his eyes and face darkening. "The Cullens don't come here." There was an ominous finality in his tone, as if there was a history behind the statement. There was an uncomfortable silence that hung in the air as everyone looked between each other, unsure of what to say next.

Jessica changed the subject to the incoming waves, and the people who wanted to surf made their way out to the water. Bella decided to go take a walk with Jacob, leaving Evelyn and Angela to talk freely about boys, prom, and school.

"So what's going on between you and Jasper? I see the way you guys look at each other."

Evelyn frowned, biting into another one of Bella's Twizzlers with a little bit too much force. "Nothing. Something? I don't know. He's so hard to understand. Plus, I'm mad at him right now so our relationship isn't too great at the moment."

Angela nodded understandingly. "Well if it's worth anything, I've never seen him talk as much as he does when he's around you. He only really talks to his family, and even then, it's limited. He probably just doesn't know how to act around you."

"Maybe. Boys are dumb." Evelyn bumped Angela with her shoulder, and they laughed together as they watched their friends try – and fail – to stand up on their surfboards.

"Tell me about it. Hey, did Bella bring any more candy?"

When the rest of their group finally decided to give up and go home, Evelyn was so cold that she thought she was on the cusp of getting hypothermia. She was happy, though, along with everyone else from today. The mood in the car was relaxed; everyone had been able to let loose at the beach.

Bella remained quiet on the drive home, refusing to meet anyone's eyes as she stared out the window. Evelyn wondered what had happened on her walk with Jacob. Did he hurt her? Did she hurt him? What could they have possibly talked about?

Evelyn wasn't in suspense for long, because not even five minutes after she had gotten home their house phone rang.

"Hey, Bella. What's up?" Evelyn said, leaning against the kitchen counter as she held the phone up to her ear.

"Jacob told me about the tribe legends and Quileute history today, and he told me something really weird about the Cullens."

"Really? What did he say?"

"He said that they're supposedly descended from an enemy clan of the Quileute tribe. They were called the 'Cold Ones.' They were different than others of their kind, so the Quileutes made a peace treaty with them. And what's even weirder is that he said that the Cullens now are the same ones that made this treaty with his ancestor that prevents them from coming onto the reservation."

"That's impossible, though. If this is even true, they should be dead by now, right?"

"Well that's the thing. Jacob said that his tribe is supposed to be descended from wolves, making them werewolves. And the Cullens, or Cold Ones, are their natural enemy."

"So they think the Cullens are vampires?"

"Yeah. Pretty crazy, huh?"

"Yeah, it definitely is. Hey Bells, I gotta get off here. Marie is on her way home and I promised her I would have dinner ready."

"Okay cool. See you Monday. Bye, Ev."

"Bye." She hung up the phone, moving towards the kitchen table and plopping down on the pulled out chair with a loud huff. Werewolves and vampires? Really? Evelyn knew the Cullens were different, but she certainly didn't believe in fictional creatures meant to scare people. She knew Bella would be considering this story all night, maybe even all day tomorrow. She was a little too willing to believe everything she heard about the Cullens.

Evelyn surveyed the table in front of her, her eyes glossing over all the pictures and old letters and family tree charts. One particular square of paper caught her eye. It was halfway buried underneath a pile of aging paper, but the elegant script she saw written on the half that was visible intrigued her. She pulled the little palm-sized square out of its hiding place to read it.

The black ink had faded, pieces of it having chipped off over time, but Evelyn could just make out what the graceful handwriting said:

Edward Anthony Masen Sr.
Elizabeth Masen
Edward Anthony Masen Jr.
Elias Robert Masen
Chicago, 1917

With a start, she realized it was a caption for a photograph, and she flipped it over to see it.

"Oh my god," she whispered, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

The black and white photo was of a family of four standing on the front steps of their house. There was a woman and a man, obviously the parents, with their arms wrapped around each other. They were both smiling. There were two teenage boys standing in front of them on the lower steps. They, too, were also grinning. The father had his hand on the shoulder of the boy on the left, while the mother had her hand on the shoulder of the boy on the right. This boy in particular was the one who had captured her attention with his messy hair and sharp, angular, and familiar features. The image of him shook her to her core.

As she looked down at the century-old photograph in her hand, she stared directly into the eyes of none other than Edward Cullen.