"Evelyn, come out already! The suspense is killing me!" Angela yelled through the door of the dressing room. Evelyn grinned to herself, smoothing the dress down one last time before opening the door and walking out to meet her friends.

She was met with the collective gasps of Angela and Jessica as they scanned her up and down.

"Damn, Evelyn! You have to get that one!" Jessica gasped, grabbing Evelyn's arm and pulling her in front of the mirror. "Look at how amazing you look!"

Evelyn wasn't usually one to seriously brag about herself, but even she could admit that she did look nice in the dress. It was navy blue, almost black, the sweetheart neckline leading into thick straps that rested off of her shoulders. The dress hugged her long and tall body, accentuating her athletic build while also making her look more feminine. The left side of the skirt had a slit that ended just above Evelyn's knee, showing off one of her long legs. The color made her bronze hair shine and made her green eyes appear slightly blue. Evelyn bit her lip as she grinned, turning around to view the back of the dress, which dropped into a low V in the middle, in the mirror.

"Okay, I actually do look kinda good in this," Evelyn joked, giving a little spin for her friends. "But look at you guys! Those dresses look gorgeous on you!"

Angela grinned shyly, adjusting her glasses on her face and she smoothed the purple silk hugging her body. "You really think so? Jess, what do you think? Lavender? Is that my color?"

Jessica hurried over to stand beside the two girls, flipping her hair over shoulder and adjusting the straps of her pink dress. "I like it, but I liked that dusty rose one, too." She paused, a smile growing on her face as she stared at her reflection. "Okay, I like this one. It makes my boobs look good."

Evelyn nodded in agreement, unable to stop the laugh from leaving her throat. "Definitely. It's perfect for you, Jess."

Suddenly, a loud knock on the glass drew the girls' attention and made Bella, who was quietly writing in a notebook, jump in surprise. A group of drunken, disheveled college-age guys were gathered around the window, peering in at the girls. They knocked again, erupting in obnoxiously loud laughter.

"Hey! Nice!" The one who knocked shouted, eyeing Angela and Jessica. Evelyn made eye contact with another, and the way she watched his eyes slide over her body as if she were on display made her skin crawl. She had heard stories of men like that when she lived in Chicago, and she was grateful to be in public during the day; people like them don't care about who they hurt as long as they get what they want.

She watched them walk away with a pit in her stomach, her carefree mood suddenly gone.

"Oh my god," Angela breathed, her face a bright shade of crimson.

Jessica frowned, picking at her gloves. "That is way uncomfortable."

"It's disgusting," Bella agreed, keeping her eyes on the pages in her lap as she she continued to write. Evelyn wondered idly what was bothering her friend; she had been unusually silent on the drive to Port Angeles, and she refused to try on dresses with them since she insisted that she wasn't going to prom.

"Well, Bella? What do you think?" Jessica turned so Bella would be able to get a full view of her chosen dress.

"They look great. You guys all look really great." Evelyn grinned, knowing that Bella had not been paying them the least bit of attention the whole trip.

"Okay, but you said that about, like, the last five dresses, though."

"I guess they're all pretty good," Bella answered sheepishly.

"You're not really into this, are you, Bella?" Angela asked, the concern in her voice only just masking her disappointment.

"I actually just really want to go to this bookstore." She turned to Evelyn. "Do you wanna come with me? Maybe you could find something you like. I know how you like books." The look in Bella's eyes told Evelyn that she had something important to talk to her about, so she nodded her head immediately.

"Yeah, that sounds fun. Just let me get changed really quick." She turned to Jessica and Angela. "We'll meet you guys at the restaurant later, okay?"

Angela's eyes widened. "Wait, you're not going to buy the dress?"

Evelyn glanced at the price tag dangling innocently from the shoulder of the dress, and felt her own eyes widen in disbelief. That is a lot of zeroes. "Definitely not today. Thanks for inviting me to come, though. It was really fun doing this with you guys." Ignoring her disappointment at not being able to afford the gown, she hurried into the dressing room and changed as fast as she could so she and Bella could get away and talk.

Fifteen minutes later, the two girls were making their way down the sidewalk in the general direction of the bookstore. Evelyn waited to speak until she and Bella were about a block away from the dress store and a safe distance from prying ears. "So, why a bookstore?"

"I was doing some research, and there's supposed to be this book about the Quileute legends at this certain store. I guess it sounds dumb, but I don't know, I feel like it might help us figure out what's going on."

Evelyn's throat tightened as she struggled with her answer. She should have expected Bella to latch on to the stories that Jacob had told her. More than anything, she wanted to pull Bella aside and tell her everything she knew about the Cullens. But she had promised Alice that she wouldn't, and Evelyn never broke a promise if she could help it. Bella was extremely smart, and she was close to figuring it out, anyway, so Evelyn just hoped that she could keep her mouth shut for as long as that took. She only hoped that Bella wouldn't be mad at her when she found out that she had known and didn't tell her immediately.

"It's not dumb," she said finally. "I just didn't realize you were still thinking about all of this."

"You're not?" Bella asked, incredulous.

"Well, yeah, I guess I am still curious, but maybe we're just blowing everything out of proportion."

"Did Jasper tell you that? Because that's what Edward told me, and I don't believe him at all."

"I wouldn't, either," Evelyn mumbled. The sudden mention of Edward reminded her that she needed to speak to him about their family, and soon. She was desperate to know about her relation to him. Just the thought of him being some distant ancestor made her head spin.

They walked a few more blocks until they noticed a lit up sign that read Thunderbird and Whale Bookstore. Evelyn followed Bella inside, instantly intrigued by the tiny shop. Despite the store's size, there were shelves upon shelves of books. There was various mediums of art hanging on the walls depicting the natural landscape and the Quileute people. As Bella spoke to the shop owner, Evelyn wandered over to a wall that was completely covered in dream catchers, each one different in shape, size, and color. Just by looking at them, she could tell they were handmade, but their intricate parts were beautiful. She gently picked one up, admiring the beads and feathers that floated on the bottom portion.

Evelyn was shaken from her thoughts by Bella's expectant voice. "Ev, I got the book. Let's go before Jess and Angela get worried."

The two girls exited the store, Evelyn leading the way as Bella flipped through the pages of her new book. The sky had grown dark, clouds obstructing the stars and moonlight. Evelyn noticed that there were no cars on the road, and the spaced out streetlights were the only sources of light. It was eerily quiet, and Evelyn had a bad feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Maybe we should call Jess and tell them to come and get us," she suggested, trying to keep her voice light. "It's pretty dark and it's getting really late, anyway."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'll call her." Bella's eyebrows furrowed as she closed her book and reached into her pocket. "Oh, shoot, I think I left my phone in the car. Do you have yours?"

Evelyn pulled out her cell phone and tapped the power button, but nothing happened. She tapped again. Nothing. She frowned, realizing that it must have died sometime in the dress shop earlier.

"And mine is dead. Perfect."

"It's okay, I don't think we're too far from the restaurant. Jess will probably be mad that we're late, though." Bella seemed unconcerned about being in an unfamiliar city where no one knew where they were, but that was just her personality. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, Evelyn thought, shaking off her anxiety as she walked down the dim sidewalk.

Bella suddenly stopped walking at the entrance to a starirway between two buildings. It seemed to cut through the shops and apartments towards the Main Street of Port Angeles. Evelyn could just barely see more streetlights and the silhouettes of people walking at the end of the alley.

"I think we should go this way. It'll be faster." Bella said, nodding towards the pathway.

"Are you sure it goes towards the restaurant?"

"I'm not completely sure, but there's lights and people that way so it's better than nothing."

Evelyn nodded, eager to get out of the dark, quiet street they were currently on. "You're right. Let's go."

They had only been walking for a few seconds before they saw two men emerge from an alleyway perpendicular to theirs just ahead of them. They stopped when they heard the girl's footsteps, and when they turned to face them Evelyn instantly recognized them from the group at the dress shop.

"Hey! Look who it is!" One called, and Evelyn felt her stomach drop as she realized that it was the one who had stared hungrily at her through the window. Without hesitation, the two men started down the sidewalk towards Evelyn and Bella. The girls immediately turned around and began walking back the other direction, not even needing to speak or make eye contact for them to understand the danger that they were in. Evelyn could hear her heart thudding in her ears. A quick glance down at her hands revealed that she was shaking.

Suddenly, the rest of the group appeared at the alleyway exit, laughing and joking as they gulped from their beer cans. Upon seeing them, they, too, started walking in their direction. The pounding in Evelyn's head was deafening, and one look at Bella and the fear in her eyes told her that she was just as scared as she was.

Evelyn grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her down a side street, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the group of men herding them would surround them. Her heart sank as they emerged into a cul de sac with nothing but dark, empty road ahead of them. There were no phones, people, or cars in sight.

"Leaving so soon, girls?" Evelyn whipped around to see one of the guys sauntering towards them, tossing his beer can to the side. The others followed, laughing and taunting, forming a circle to block any avenue of escape.

"Stay away from us," Bella warned, slapping one's hand away.

"Oh! She's feisty!"

The man from earlier locked eyes with Evelyn, and he lunged towards her, grabbing her arm. Evelyn yanked it away, shoving him back. "Don't touch me!"

"Come on, sweetheart, there's no need to be rude." He came at her again, this time grabbing both of her arms to prevent her from hitting back at him. He leaned in close to her face, and the putrid smell of the alcohol lingering on his breath nearly made her vomit.

Evelyn struggled against his grip as she watched as one of them came at Bella. "You're pretty. Why won't you hang out with us?" He tried to grab her, but Bella drew her knee up and hit him square in the groin. He dropped, clutching himself and yelling in pain as the others yelled in surprise. She felt the man's grip on her wrists loosen, and taking a page from Bella's book, she drew her own knee up between his legs, too. He released her arms as he fell to the ground, and Bella rushed over to Evelyn and began to pull her away from the confused, and now angry, group of men.

The man who had tried to attack Evelyn glared menacingly, eyes flashing in drunken rage. "You'll pay for that, you little –"

He was interrupted by the piercing screech of tires barreling towards them. Evelyn looked up to see Edward Cullen's shiny silver Volvo swerve around the corner at impossible speed, flying past the girls and almost running over the guys laying on the ground. Edward was out of the car and stalking towards the group who suddenly didn't look so confident as they took in Edward's murderous glare.

"Get in the car!" Edward barked, and Evelyn didn't hesitate as she pulled Bella towards the Volvo. Bella scrambled awkwardly into the front seat, while Evelyn fumbled with the backseat door. She finally got it open and slid onto the clean leather seat. Edward followed close behind, and as soon as her door clicked shut the car spun aggressively around, nearly hitting the stunned men as Edward peeled out of the cul de sac and onto the main road.

Evelyn had not thought to put her seatbelt on, so at Edward's every aggressive turn she was flying across the backseat uncontrollably. "For God's sake, Edward, can you please slow down?" Bella seemed to agree since she was bracing herself against the dashboard to provide some form of stability to combat his erratic driving.

Edward completely ignored her. "I should go back there and rip their heads off," he seethed, the skin of his fingers stretched taut on the steering wheel. Seeing the anger in his eyes, Evelyn had no doubt that he would do just that, and it wouldn't take much for him to change his mind and turn around to finish the job.

Bella was panicked as she spoke. "Uh, no, you definitely shouldn't!"

"You don't know the horrible, vile things that they were thinking about."

What? How would he know? Evelyn made eye contact with Edward in the rear view mirror, and he shook his head slightly as if to say "I'll explain later."

Bella seemed just as confused as Evelyn. "And you do?"

"It's not hard to guess. Can you please talk about something else?" Edward's voice was strained, forced. "Distract me so I won't turn around."

"You're an awful driver," Evelyn commented lightly despite her disbelief and confusion. "I don't know how you even have a license."

"Yes! Can you just please put your seatbelt on?" Bella added, latching on to Evelyn's attempt at distraction.

It seemed to work, because Edward actually laughed. "Why don't you guys put your seatbelts on if you're so concerned about my driving."

The charged silence was interrupted by Edward's phone ringing, and he flipped it out and spoke quickly with whoever was on the other side as he weaved dangerously in and out of traffic.

After a moment, he met Evelyn's eyes in the rear view mirror as he held the phone out to her. "It's for you."

Evelyn cautiously took the phone and held it up to her ear, her voice unusually quiet as she spoke. "Hello?"

"Evelyn," the voice breathed, and Evelyn instantly felt calmer when she knew it was Jasper on the other end.

"Jasper? Why are you calling? Where are you?"

"Edward told me there was a..." He paused, searching for the right words. "Situation. I'm on my way to meet you guys now. Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

Evelyn shook her head, forgetting that he couldn't see her. "No, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up, I guess."

"I'm so sorry, Evelyn. If Edward hadn't been there–"

"Jasper, don't do that. I'm perfectly fine. Nobody made them do what they did, and Edward was there so it's okay."

"It's definitely not okay, but I don't want to fight with you. I'm just glad you're safe. I'll be with you soon, Evelyn."

"I'll be waiting." She heard him hang up, and she handed back the phone without a word. Ignoring Bella and Edward's conversation, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, her heart feeling much lighter than it had just moments before.

***

Jasper was waiting for them as Edward pulled up against the curb in front of the restaurant. Before Evelyn could open the car door Jasper had pulled it open himself, taking her hand and gently guiding her out of the car.

Evelyn met his intense gaze, her heartbeat quickening as his ocher eyes searched hers. She was secretly pleased, and a little shocked, to know that he had been worried about her. He didn't need to speak for her to know that what he felt was genuine. Jasper hesitantly reached towards her hand with his, gently brushing his fingers against hers before sliding his large hand around her small one. Evelyn suddenly felt the vulnerability she had felt with him the night before, and her cheeks flushed pink.

He looked as if he was about to say something, but they were interrupted by Jessica and Angela's voices coming from the restaurant entrance. Jasper offered Evelyn a smile, squeezing her hand as he led her to where Bella, Edward, and the other girls were standing.

"Where were you guys? We left you tons of messages!"

"Yeah, we waited but we were, like, really hungry, so..." Jessica trailed off, not sounding very sorry that they had already eaten. Evelyn didn't blame her, though. She probably would have done the same thing.

She noticed her friends' eyes widen as they took in Edward and Jasper standing next to them. Ever the charmer, Edward stepped in to smooth the situation over.

"It's our fault that Evelyn and Bella were late. We just ran into each other and got talking. We must have just lost track of time." Evelyn noticed that Edward had put on his most dazzling smile.

"Our sincerest apologies," Jasper added, nodding politely. Evelyn grinned to herself and squeezed his hand; she knew that Angela would be freaking out about the fact that Jasper Hale and Edward Cullen had actually spoken to them.

Jessica shared a look with Angela, her smile growing as she looked between Bella and Evelyn. "Oh no, it's totally fine. I mean, that happens, right? We were just leaving. Are you guys going to come, or..."

"I think Jasper and I should make sure they get something to eat. We'll make sure they get home safely, only if you'd like, of course," Edward said, turning to Bella. She nodded frantically, and Evelyn had to try really hard not to laugh.

"Yeah, I should totally eat something." Evelyn wasn't hungry, but she nodded in agreement, shooting Angela a wink in the process.

"That's really thoughtful of you guys!" Angela said as she and Jessica shared a knowing look. "We'll see you guys later, then?"

Evelyn nodded, reassuring Angela with a smile. "Definitely. Drive safe, guys!"

Evelyn watched the pair of girls walk to the car, laughing and giggling as they occasionally glanced back at the group standing by the door to the restaurant.

"They seemed very excited about something," Jasper commented, looking down at Evelyn with a grin.

Evelyn rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Don't judge them. It's the first time they've ever had any sort of interaction with you guys." She glanced towards Edward and Bella, who were waiting expectantly for them by the door to the restaurant. "You know, I'm not really that hungry. Can we go do something else, instead?" She also wanted to be alone with Jasper, but she kept that to herself.

Jasper looked at Edward, and Evelyn noticed that they seemed to have a conversation with just their eyes. Edward nodded once, giving Evelyn and Jasper one last glance before placing his hand on the small of Bella's back and leading her inside.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Jasper asked softly, his eyes suddenly concerned. Evelyn thought for a moment: she still felt a little jittery from the encounter earlier, and she didn't know if she wanted to go home where Marie would be able to see something was off. She knew she needed a little more time to calm down, so she shook her head.

"No, I don't want to go home yet."

He smiled, and started walking backwards down the sidewalk towards the shops and attractions farther down the street. He pulled her along by her hand, and her feet easily followed his lead. "Good, because I'm not ready to let you leave so easily. Do you trust me?"

Evelyn felt her smile widen as she hurried to catch up to him. "Of course."

And with that, she followed the angelic boy into the dark and unknown of the night.

**********

Hey friends! I AM SO SO SORRY that this update took so long; this week was my first week of my first year of college and everything was so hectic, and I didn't have time to put out a chapter that I was proud of. Just know that I did not abandon this, lol :) I made this chapter extra long to make up for my absence! I'll probably have to switch to one update a week for a while until things get settled, so expect future updates around Friday/Saturday. Thanks again for your patience and all of your support, I am so very grateful!

ALSO we hit 1k reads this past week??!!!! WOAH I never expected that at all, thank you so much!

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I hope you are all safe and healthy wherever you are!
Kris <3