From across the room, I saw you—a quiet figure amidst the noise. Their minds buzzed with trivial thoughts, yet you sat in perfect stillness. A void. Your silence was maddening. Why couldn’t I hear you? Everyone else’s thoughts intruded relentlessly, but you... nothing. It infuriated me.

And yet, I couldn’t stop watching you. You were beautiful, and breathtaking in a way that defied explanation. The others noticed, too, their shallow minds filled with thoughts about you. Most of them revolved around me—Edward Cullen—taking an interest. As though I wanted this. As though I chose to be drawn to you. But you were different. The silence of your mind was a mystery, one I couldn’t help but chase.

My sister, Alice, with her maddening foresight, had declared you my mate—as if the word alone could justify the chaos you’d wrought in my existence. The notion was absurd, a human as my mate, but as I watched you, I couldn’t bring myself to reject the idea. Not when it was you. Not when the thought of you stirred something long dormant within me.

Then your gaze lifted, meeting mine. My frozen world seemed to fracture in that instant. If my heart could still beat, it would have stopped. For a moment, I forgot to breathe, forgot to feign normalcy. You were so beautiful, and I hated that others noticed, their thoughts clouded with desire. The idea of anyone else near you was unbearable.

You waved—a small, shy gesture—and something in me cracked. I fought the urge to respond, rolling my eyes instead. You always tried to reach out, and though I savored those moments, I wished you wouldn’t. You deserved safety, light—everything I could never offer. I was the shadow that could consume you, the danger you didn’t see.

Gripping my tray, I forced myself to move. Anger simmered, directed as much at myself as at this impossible pull toward you. I discarded my tray and stepped outside, into the cold air that couldn’t still the fire you’d lit within me.