Midnight Sun (Twilight #1.5)(75)

"Thanks," Jacob said. "But that doesn't seem to help me out in this book."

"Sorry," Bella said, but Jacob did look slightly better now.

It was as bad as it could get.

She knew the truth.

My mind was flying through the ramifications as the car flew around the dark curves in the road, my body rigid with anguish - motionless except for the small, automatic actions it took to steer the car.

She knew the truth.

"Yes, yes, I know the truth... now talk to me about it," Bella said and Jacob had to smile at her childish behavior since she rarely acted this way.

But...if she'd learned the truth Saturday...then she'd known it all evening long...and yet...

"We went for a walk," she went on. "And he was telling me about some old legends - trying to scare me, I think. He told me one..."

"I would not just tell you about these things," Jacob hissed, looking angry and Bella wasn't sure if he was angry at what her book self just said or if he was angry because he thought his book self would have said that.

"Um... We're not sure what happened on the beach," Bella said, hoping that would calm him down a bit... it didn't work.

She stopped short, but there was no need for her qualms now; I knew what she was going to say. The only mystery left was why she was here with me now.

"Go on," I said.

"About vampires," she breathed, the words less than a whisper.

Somehow, it was even worse than knowing that she knew, hearing her speak the word aloud. I flinched at the sound of it, and then controlled myself again.

"He didn't seem to mind calling himself a vampire," Bella mumbled to herself.

"And you immediately thought of me?" I asked.

"No. He...mentioned your family."

"Argh," Jacob groaned, how could he be so stupid?

How ironic that it would be Ephraim's own progeny that would violate the treaty he'd vowed to uphold. A grandson, or great-grandson perhaps. How many years had it been? Seventy?

I should have realized that it was not the old men who believed in the legends that would be the danger. Of course, the younger generation - those who would have been warned, but would have thought the ancient superstitions laughable - of course that was where the danger of exposure would lie.

Jacob was seething as he read this, feeling both guilty and angry about what his book self had done.

I supposed this meant I was now free to slaughter the small, defenseless tribe on the coastline, were I so inclined. Ephraim and his pack of protectors were long dead...

"NO!" Bella said furious as Jacob looking angrily at the book; seeing how dangerous this slip really was.

"He just thought it was a silly superstition," Bella said suddenly, her voice edged with a new anxiety. "He didn't expect me to think anything of it."

"You must have realized how he was reacting to this," Jacob hissed in a tight, angry voice.

"He never would have hurt your family anyway," Bella said; she knew that was true, no matter how mad he was at the moment, he wouldn't do that.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her twist her hands uneasily.

"It was my fault," she said after a brief pause, and then she hung her head as if she were ashamed. "I forced him to tell me."

Jacob raised an eyebrow at that. Forced me, he thought, how could she force me?

"Why?" It wasn't so hard to keep my voice level now. The worst was already done. As long as we spoke of the details of the revelation, we didn't have to move on to the consequences of it.

"Lauren said something about you - she was trying to provoke me." She made a little face at the memory. I was slightly distracted, wondering how Bella would be provoked by someone talking about me... "And an older boy from the tribe said your family didn't come to the reservation, only it sounded like he meant something different.

"Well, at least you're not the one that mentioned the Cullens," Bella said and Jacob felt slightly better about that.

So I got Jacob alone and I tricked it out of him."

And now he looked completely hurt. That really didn't make him sound too good... nor did it sound like they were remotely friends.

Bella put her head in her hands, she felt horrible. How could she have done that to Jacob?

"I'm sorry," Bella said quietly.

"Whatever," Jacob said bitterly.

Her head dropped even lower as she admitted this, and her expression looked...guilty.

I looked away from her and laughed out loud. She felt guilty? What could she possibly have done to deserve censure of any kind?

"Tricked him how?" I asked.

"I tried to flirt - it worked better than I thought it would," she explained,

"You flirted with me," Jacob said, yeah that would do it. He couldn't lie, he definitely thought Bella was beautiful, and if she would be up for it, he would love to go out with her. But, that option clearly wasn't available to him, not with Edward. And that was okay, because he liked hanging out with Bella... it was nice being around her... Her friendship was enough.

Still, to hear that her book self had flirted with him, just so he would spill the beans about his family heritage... that wasn't nice at all. Nor was hearing her say she tricked him... like he was some kind of fool. Did she even like him? He wondered as he gave her a cold look.