Right as Bella was about to place a plate of leftover nachos into the microwave, the front door slammed wide open.

“What a nightmare,” Charlie grumbled as he set his gun aside and plopped down on his armchair. He sat crouched over, pinching the bridge of his nose with a loud sigh.

Not wanting to disturb him, Bella silently prepared Charlie’s dinner and handed him his plate. She bit her lip as she studied the clock on the wall. It was 7:05 pm, and she wanted to get dressed and leave for Port Angeles as soon as possible.

“Four hikers went missing today,” Charlie announced tonelessly. “One of the Canadian wolves was found dead and mutilated in the woods.”

Bella stopped dead in her tracks once she heard this. Who…? She felt her blood run cold as she tried to envision Jacob, the once kind-hearted and gentle Jacob, ruthlessly attack one of the Spanish werewolves.

Bella, completely absorbed in the thick silence, nearly jumped in the air at the sound of the doorbell. She quickly regained her senses, walked across the hall, and opened the front door.

Her heart sped up at the sight of Edward, looking quite handsome in his dark green sweater and his khakis.

“Hello Bella,” Edward greeted with a polite smile.

“Hi Edward,” Bella’s face turned beet red. “I didn’t know you’d be stopping by.”

“Cha-Dad,” She quickly corrected herself. “This is Edward Cullen.”

Charlie’s sullen frown turned into a strained grimace, yet he stood from his chair and shook Edward’s hand.

“Where will you be taking my daughter tonight?” Charlie questioned, still wearing the same grimace. “I trust she’ll be back before long.”

“Of course Mr. Swan,” Edward replied amiably. “We’re just going to Port Angeles for dinner.”

“Good, good.”

“I’ll be right back,” Bella excused herself from the conversation to go to her room.

Miraculously, Bella got dressed and applied make-up in under five minutes. She studied herself in her full-length mirror, surprisingly liking what she saw. Her heart-shaped face had a healthy glow and her blue dress hugged the contours of her body perfectly. After grabbing her scruffy wallet and stuffing it into an unused purse, she carefully stepped downstairs.

Bella’s favorite crooked smile appeared on Edward’s face, and he opened the front door for her.