"Evelyn, you promised you would come with me."

The brunette sighed, leaning against the wall of her aunt's office at the diner. "I know, Bells. I know. But Leah called out and Marie needs me to stay, there's no one else that can come in."

She heard her friend sigh on the other end of the phone, and she could practically see Bella deflating at the news. "What am I supposed to do with Mike and Jacob, then? They're the only other ones that can come."

Evelyn grinned. "Dude, you brought that one on yourself. I told you not to ask out Mike..."

"I didn't ask him out," Bella argued, but Evelyn could hear her smile from the other side of the line. "I just don't want things to be... weird."

"You'll be okay, Bella. Worst case, call me and I'll come and pick you up. I'll have Will cover for me, or something."

Bella laughed. "Alright, will do. I think I see Mike pulling up. Wish me luck."

"You'll need it with those two pining after you."

"Oh, shut up."

Evelyn laughed. "Bye, Bella."

The girl sighed as she slid her phone back into her pocket, worrying about Bella. She could only hope things would go well tonight; she felt terrible for not being able to support her, but Leah had called out and Marie had to go and visit a friend who was sick before closing, so it was just her and Will tonight until Marie got back. She groaned internally at the thought of being alone with the irritating vampire all night. She wasn't in the mood for cryptic answers and know-it-all smirks.

For the next hour or so, Evelyn worked quickly, and by eight o'clock there were no customers left in the dining room. As she waved goodbye to the last elderly couple, she saw Will gather the last set of dishes from the table out of the corner of her eye. She watched him as he retreated back into the kitchen without looking back to wash all of the dishes from the night, and with a satisfied nod she made her way to the bar counter. Good, she thought. That should keep him busy for a while.

Since there were no customers in the building, Evelyn decided to catch up on some of her homework. She yanked her worn-out backpack up from behind the bar and set it on the counter. After settling onto one of the worn leather bar stools, she pulled out her copy of The Great Gatsby for her English class and began to read.

There was peace and quiet for all of thirty minutes before she heard the kitchen door open, and she was annoyed to see Will sauntering over to her with his signature smirk on his face. He walked around the other side of the bar, so he was standing in front of her with only the counter in between them. She met his eyes briefly before returning to her book.

"Done already?" She asked, her voice clipped. She wanted it known that she was not interested in becoming friends with the vampire.

"I had forgotten what a never-ending chore dishes were. Still, I suppose I'm faster at it than humans are." He rested his forearms on the counter, leaning forward to try and get her attention again. She did not oblige.

After a few moments of feeling him staring at her, she rolled her eyes and met his gaze. "Does it get old?"

He grinned. "Does what? The dishes?"

She shook her head, offering him an innocent smile. "No. Does it get old being so full of yourself?"

Will's eyes widened in surprise as he watched the human girl return to her book. Still, he was not deterred. "No actually, I quite enjoy myself and my company." He frowned when she didn't respond, then turned his attention to the book that she was reading. "I've never understood the fascination with Fitzgerald and his work. The twenties honestly weren't all that interesting. Take it from someone who lived through it."

"He wasn't writing about if they were interesting or not. It's supposed to be a commentary on the corruption of the American Dream." She met his eyes again, growing more irritated at the grin that always seemed to be on his lips. "But you know that, don't you? You're just trying to annoy me."

Will smiled fully then, showing his perfectly white teeth and the dimple on his left cheek. "It's just too easy. You let things bother you too much."

"I do not. You don't even know me."

He leaned forward slightly, pulling the book down from her face so she was forced to meet his eyes. "I don't have to know you to know that it's true. You worry too much. It weighs you down. It's pretty obvious, actually."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes at him, snatching her book back from his fingers. "I didn't realize you were an expert in analyzing people you've just met."

"Ah, well, you pick up a few things over the years." Will straightened up, looking around the dining room. "You know, this place is pretty boring late at night. I thought humans liked to go out to eat in the evenings."

Evelyn scoffed, rolling her eyes as she flipped a page. "I don't really know what you were expecting. We live in a town with three thousand people." She met his golden eyes briefly. "You could go home, wherever that is, if you're so bored. I can wait here until my aunt comes back."

"And leave you here by yourself? You and I both know your aunt would not be too pleased with me if I did that." He paused, looking around for a moment before his eyes settled on her again. "Actually, you were right before."

"About what?" She asked, not bothering to look up from her novel as she turned the page.

He leaned towards her again, eyes shining. "I don't know you very well. And, in turn, you don't know me very well."

"And that is perfectly fine with me," Evelyn said. "We can keep it that way."

Will laughed, the deep, melodious sound filling the room with warmth. "But that's no fun. Come on, let's play a game. What is that one that humans like? Twenty questions?"

Evelyn rolled her eyes. "You sound like a middle school boy."

He didn't answer, instead raising his eyebrows in anticipation of her answer. Evelyn met his eyes, her breath momentarily stopping as she stared into the pools of endless gold. Sure, she was curious to know about him, as well as his reason for wanting to get to know her so badly, but she was childish enough to not want to give him the satisfaction of knowing anything about her.

"Hmm... I don't think I want to." She held up her book. "Some of us have homework to do."

She had only barely turned her attention back to the novel in her hands before it was plucked from her grasp. She scowled at Will, who was standing above her with the book in his hand high above his head.

"You are so juvenile, Will."

"It doesn't even have to be twenty questions. Maybe ten? I can negotiate to five."

Evelyn stood, reaching up to grab the book, but he moved it out of the way of her grasp. "You are a child."

Will smiled innocently. "Come on, Evelyn. Please?"

The girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why do you care so much? Why are you suddenly so interested in me and my life?"

The vampire shrugged. "I don't know. Boredom? Curiosity? You can't tell me it won't help pass the time." When the girl didn't answer, he continued. "I'm sure you've got tons of questions for me in that pretty little head of yours. This is your chance. I'm an open book."

Sure you are. "I doubt that. If I say yes, will you please give me my book back?" She held out her hand expectantly, her eyes narrowed. God, I can't believe I'm giving in to this idiot.

Will slowly moved the book back towards her, letting it hover just above her waiting hand. "Say the word and it's yours. I'll even let you go first."

She held his stare for a few moments, the both of them hoping the other would break. Finally, knowing that her patience was no match for a who knows how old vampire, she sighed. "Fine. We can play your question game. But only five questions."

Will frowned, retracting his hand with the book in it. Evelyn grumbled in frustration, her fingers having just missed the book. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that. Why only five? That isn't much too work with."

Evelyn smiled thinly, looking up at him through her lashes. "Then I guess you better make them count." She reached for the book again, only to be denied as he pulled it from her grasp once more.

"Five questions apiece and you have a deal. And I'll still let you ask first, since I am, of course, a gentleman."

Evelyn wanted to smack the devilish grin off his face, but seeing no other possible way that she could win, she groaned in defeat. "Okay, deal. Can you please give me my book back now?"

With an inncent smile, Will set the novel down in her waiting hands. "Perfect. Now, ask me anything you want to know." He rested his hands against the counter again, leaning in close to the human girl in front of him.

Evelyn frowned, leaning back since she was uncomfortbale with his closeness. What did she want to know about him? She thought for a few moments, suddenly remembering the strange lilt that she had noticed in his voice.

"Okay, question one. Where are you from? Originally," she added, knowing that they both knew what she meant. Where were you before you were turned?

Will smiled, his eyes clouding over as he seemed to be remembering something from long ago. "What makes you think I'm not from America?"

"Your accent," she answered truthfully. "It's not as perfect as you think it is."

"Observant," he complimented, meeting her green eyes. "But you are correct. I was born in Scotland many lifetimes ago. I lived there my whole life until I was changed."

Evelyn nodded thoughtfully, standing up to slowly walk around the room. "So you're old, then?"

Will grinned at her, his eyes following her as she moved. "I thought it was my turn to ask a question, now."

"It wasn't an official question," she countered, raising an eyebrow. "Just an assumption. You can answer if you want, or not. I don't care."

"Well, if you must know, then yes, I suppose you could say that I am old. 280 years old, if you count my human years, as well."

Evelyn grinned, leaning against an empty table as she watched him. "You don't look too bad for being such an old man."

He laughed then, his white teeth flashing. "Technically I still look like I'm only twenty." He paused, studying her. "And you're fishing for more information without asking questions. Not fair."

"It's not my fault that I'm smarter than you," she countered, but she knew he was right. She had been trying to discreetly get him talking, probably the same way he would try to get her to open up. It seemed the game they were playing was not as simple as a childhood distraction, after all. "Alright then, ask away if you're so concerned about your turn."

Will straightened, crossing his arms over his chest as he thought for a moment. "Why did you come to live with your aunt here in Forks?"

The girl pursed her lips, knowing he asked this on purpose because it was a complicated answer. She was annoyed at the smug grin on his face as he watched her think, so she decided to spare most of the details.

"My parents died about a year ago, and Marie was the only family I had left. She volunteered to take me in until I graduate."

Will frowned at her words. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"Is that your official second question? You only get five, remember?" She reminded him in an effort to change the subject. She didn't really want to expose one of the most painful and vulnerable experiences of her life to anyone, let alone the vampire in front of her.

The vampire smiled thinly. "You're right. And no, it's not." He studied her for a moment before continuing. "I can see that you don't want to talk about it. It's your turn."

She smiled gratefully at the subject change. "Okay, um... how do you know Carlisle and the Cullens?"

"It's actually a fun story," Will said, his eyes lighting up. "I met Carlisle during the American Revolution. I had swam to the colonies about a year after I was turned to learn to control my thirst, and I ended up enlisting in the Continental Army."

"So you're a revolutionary?" Evelyn asked, her tone teasing. "Why is that not surprsing?"

Will grinned at her, his eyes twinkling. "Only against the British. Old habits die hard, I'm afraid. As I was saying, I was a soldier in the army. Carlisle was serving as a soldier and doctor at the time, as well. We met at the Battle of Yorktown when the city was under siege. I helped him save the life of another vampire's human sister. She had pretended to be a man to enlist and gotten hit by a stray musketball."

"That was very brave of her," Evelyn complimented, entranced by his story. She adored history, and found it intriguing that the vampire in front of her had seen so much of it.

"The bravest person I've ever met," Will agreed. "A true patriot. Although Garrett, her brother, was pissed as hell when he found her. He's another one of Carlisle and my old friends," he added at her confused look.

"And you've been friends with Carlisle ever since?" She asked, and Will nodded.

"The last time I saw him was when he and Esme were travelling the country in the thirties. We write each other occasionally, though." He paused, shooting her a lopsided grin. "That was your third question, by the way."

Evelyn scoffed, rolling her eyes as she waved her hand dismissively at him. "Oh, whatever. You can ask me two to catch up."

"Okay, fine, I'll give you an easy one for the first one. Where are you from?"

"Chicago," the girl answered, a soft smile on her face. "I miss it, sometimes."

Will nodded, sympathizing with the fact that he missed his home across the ocean, too. "A beautiful city, indeed. I lived there for a while a couple decades ago. It was nice."

Evelyn hummed in response, noticing how he seemed to be thinking critically about every word she spoke. She wondered idly why he was so concerned with her and her life, but she kept entertaining his game, anyway. "Alright, then, what's your next one?"

Will leaned forward, and immediately she knew that this one would be more prying than the last. "Do you know of a red-haired vampire by the name of Victoria?"

Evelyn's breath caught in her throat as she froze at the sound of her name. How does he know Victoria? "You know Victoria?"

Will looked surprised at her answer. "I'm surprised that you do. Actually, I'm more surprised that you're alive to tell me so. I've been following her for a while. That's actually part of the reason that I'm in Forks. How did you meet her?"

The girl did not answer, instead feeling her mind wander back to that fateful trip almost a year ago when James had led them to the ballet studio in Phoenix. She had almost died then because of James and Victoria. Her hand subconsciously went to the bitemark-shaped scar on her shoulder as the fear she had felt when she first saw the blood-thirsty vampires simmered in her stomach once more. If he was looking for her, he must think that she's close by. What if she is still in Forks?

Will Cameron's eyes followed the girls pale fingers as they settled over the iridescent scar tissue that he just now noticed on her exposed shoulder. Instantly, he knew what it meant, and he could not help but feel both amazed and curious. "You were bitten? But you're still human... that's impossible. How?"

Evelyn's wide green eyes met his, and for a moment she could not speak. She refused to talk about what had happened since then, and it was as if the words would not come, no matter how hard she tried. But just as she opened her mouth, the door of the restaurant jingled behind her. She whirled around, her hand flying from her neck to her side as she took in the frazzled form of Marie walking into the dining room.

"Sorry I was gone so long, guys. I had to cook Brenda and her grandkids dinner and then help her get them to bed since she could barely leave the couch." She eyed the empty dining room, a surprised smile on her face. "I'm assuming you didn't have any trouble?"

Will was the first to speak while Evelyn merely shook her head. "Everything has been perfect, Ms. Masen. Evelyn and I were just talking about her English homework." He gestured to the novel that was resting innocently on the counter, and Evelyn let out the breath that she did not realize that she had been holding.

"Oh, good, good, thank you, Will," Marie said, sounding more exhausted as she spoke. "You can head home, now, if you want. Ev, I just have to grab a few things from the office but then I'll close up. You can go home, too." Evelyn nodded as she watched her aunt disappear into the kitchen. Suddenly, she felt a slight gust of air rush past her, and she jumped when she turned to see Will standing only a foot away from her.

He frowned, his eyebrows furrowed as he leaned in close to her shoulder. Evelyn watched him with wide eyes as the vampire studied the bite mark on her skin. The air around them was tense, and she held perfectly still as the vampire raised a finger to gently trace the teeth marks on her skin. Goosebumps immediately formed on her arms, and his cold touch made her breath catch because of how similar it felt to Jasper's. The sensation was making her head spin. When she grew too uncomfortable, she cleared her throat and covered the scar with her hand, signaling to Will that she wanted him to back off.

Will stepped back carefully, a perplexed look still on his face as his eyes shifted from the scar to her face. "It just doesn't make any sense," he said, mostly talking to himself. "I've never seen anything like it before. I'd love to hear the story behind it, sometime."

"I'm sure you would," she said, her voice quiet. "But I'd rather not relive that night."

"Of course," he nodded. "But listen, Evelyn, I meant what I said before. Stay out of the woods, if you can. It's not safe. Something a lot worse than that," he nodded towards her scar, "can happen at any time."

Without waiting for her answer, Will turned and strode out the front door into the cold air outside. She watched him walk towards the woods from the window until he disappeared into the treeline, and she wondered where he could be going. But most of all, she was worried about what he had told her. He was in Forks because he was looking for Victoria... so that meant he must have some reason to believe that she might still be here.

She gulped, her fingers tracing over her scar once again. She and Bella were still in danger. She could feel it in her gut.

***

After school the next day, Evelyn and Bella sat on the latter girl's bed with their calculus textbooks open and their homework strewn across the comforter. But neither of them were paying any particular attention the the problems they had to do. Instead, Evelyn was listening to Bella recount her night at the movie theater with Jacob and Mike, which apparently had not gone well at all.

"Jacob started acting super aggressive and threatening Mike and everything, so I took him home. He said he wasn't feeling like himself and he was just burning up when I touched him. I have no idea what's happening and now he won't answer any of my calls."

Evelyn sighed, plopping down on her back and staring up at the ceiling. "That is weird. Maybe he's just really sick or something. I would give it a couple days, and then try again."

"I'm just worried about him, that's all," Bella said, picking at her nails.

"I know, and that's okay. You're his friend. But I'm sure he'll call you back when he's feeling better." Evelyn watched her friend merely nod, and she quickly changed the subject. "Was the movie at least decent?"

Bella laughed at that, rolling her eyes. "Oh my god, no, it was terrible. Mike was puking his guts out because it was just so gross. He says he had Eric and Angela's flu, though."

"Liar," Evelyn scoffed. "He was just trying to cover up the fact that he has a weak stomach. I'm so glad you never started dating him. I don't think I could have dealt with that."

"I don't think I could, either," Bella laughed. "And I think Jessica would have killed me if I did."

Evelyn nodded, a yawn escaping her lips as she stretched out on the bed. "Very true."

"Well, did you at least have a good night at the restaurant?' Bella asked, shoving their homework out of the way and laying down next to the bronze-haired girl. "I'm sure it was probably boring with just you and that new dishwasher guy there. What was his name again?"

"Will," Evelyn breathed, wishing that her friend had not asked about him and their night last night. She had done her best to mention him as little as possible around Bella, but she felt terrible lying to her friend. She knew, though, that if Bella found out that there was a vampire who knew Carlisle and a possibility that Victoria was still here, she would freak out. She would tell her everything eventually... she just had to find the right time to tell her what was going on.

"It was fine, I guess. We just cleaned up and talked, and I read a little bit of Gatsby before we start our project next week." Also I was blackmailed into playing a middle school game and a vengeful vampire might still be hanging around, but otherwise nothing too crazy.

Bella groaned, running her hands through her hair. "Ugh, I forgot about that. I haven't even started the book."

"Well," Evelyn started, sitting up and beginning to grab her things, "I will leave you to get started on that. I promised Marie I would pick her up from Sue's at five since her car is in the shop. And I only have... fifteen minutes to get there." She looked at the clock as she spoke, suddenly realizing that she was almost late. "I'll see you later, Bella."

"See you tomorrow. Your game is at seven, right?" Bella asked, referencing the basketball game at their school the following night.

Evelyn nodded. "Yes ma'am. Hopefully you can come."

"Of course I'll come. My dad loves coming to watch you, too, so I'm sure we'll both be there. Tell Marie to save us seats."

Evelyn giggled as she shoved her things in her backpack before she dashed out the door and out of the Swan house. "I'll make sure she knows. Bye, Bells!"

She drove quickly through the neighborhood, barely stopping at stop signs so she could make it to the highway quicker. I'll never hear the end of it if I'm late, she thought to herself as she glanced at the clock on her dashboard.

Luckily for her, there were not many cars out on the road since it was getting close to dinner time. She sped down the freeway with ease, feeling better and better after she crossed into the Reservation after passing the La Push sign.

She had only been driving for a few moments, the light slowly fading as the sun sunk down behind the mountains while it was still blanketed in clouds, when she noticed a group of people walking along the treeline up ahead. As she got closer, she realized they were all tan, muscular teenage boys with only their shorts and shoes on despite the chilly air.

They must be from the reservation, she thought to herself as she neared where they were walking. As she got closer, though, the striking aura of Sam Uley immediately got her attention. Her foot cautiously moved to the brake to slow down, and then suddenly she recognized Embry Call walking into the woods begind the two other boys that she had seen at the cookout party a couple weeks ago. She couldn't remember their full names, but Paul and Jared stuck out in her mind.

Evelyn's stomach dropped when she recognized the last boy to disappear into the trees. With a fresh tattoo on his deltoid and long hair shaved off, she watched as Jacob Black looked back at her passing car before he turned to follow Sam, Embry, and the other two boys into the forest beyond.