The sign read Thunderbird and Whale Bookstore. The building stood alone on the hill above Port Angeles, a low, weathered place with its porch lights just coming on against the dusk.
Raizel studied it for a moment. There was a certain patience to the place, built to last but not to impress. The only car parked outside was streaked with mud, a detail that told him the owners had never worried about foot traffic.
He stepped inside.
The smell was old paper and something faintly resinous. Shelves lined every wall, the rows uneven but cared for. The man at the counter glanced up- dark hair, broad face, an easy nod that said he'd seen stranger things than a stranger in the rain.
Raizel gave his name and asked for the book he'd called about. The man reached below the counter, brought out a slim volume wrapped in brown paper, and slid it across.
"Not a popular one," the man said, friendly but unobtrusive.
Raizel nodded. "Thank you."
He took the book outside, pausing beneath the awning as a misting rain began. He broke the paper, turned a few pages. The text was dense, more speculation than fact, the kind of writing that wanted to be believed. He read a little more, frown just visible.
He realized with disappointment, that it would not help him.
He was closing the cover when a shadow shifted beside him.
A girl stood there, hair damp against her cheek, holding a paperback close to her chest. Her gaze darted to the book in his hand, then away.
He recognized her at once. A small flash of surprise crossed his eyes, Bella Swan. For a beat, it broke his composure. He covered it quickly.
"Hi," she said, uncertain. "Sorry, I don't mean to bother you. I… was looking for that one too."
He regarded her a moment longer, seeing both the awkwardness and the odd familiarity that only he could feel. He held the book out to her. "You may take it. I have no use for it."
She hesitated, but took it, holding it as if expecting someone to tell her she shouldn't. "Thank you. I can pay....."
Raizel shook his head. "It would only gather dust otherwise."
She managed a small smile and a murmured thanks, then turned away.
Raizel watched her cross the lot, her steps uncertain. She was halfway down the street before he realized she was not alone.
Two men had noticed her and drunk, their laughter a little too sharp for the quiet of the evening. One called something crude. She kept walking, but her shoulders tightened.
Raizel followed silently, his footsteps lost in the wet.
He saw the moment the men cut off her path. He saw her hands curl into fists, small and helpless.
He stepped forward calmly, no warning in his stride. Only presence.
One man looked up, sneered and then something in Raizel's gaze stopped him cold. The other cursed, shifted his weight, tried to look bold. The air had changed; the light on the pavement seemed colder.
Raizel said nothing.
That was enough. One broke first, muttering, stepping back. The other followed, slower, but with no more confidence. They left Bella standing alone, shivering, unsure what had happened.
She turned. Her eyes widened, as if seeing Raizel for the first time.
He inclined his head neither smile nor greeting, simply acknowledgment.
"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, or tried to.
A car rounded the corner and came to a sudden stop. The driver's door opened. Edward stepped out, his expression filled with worry. His eyes flicked from Bella to Raizel, sharp and searching.
Raizel met his gaze. He felt the brush of power mind to mind and felt nothing.
Edward's look sharpened, unsettled.
"Bella, get in the car," Edward said. His voice was careful, not commanding. He held the door open for her, never taking his eyes off Raizel.
Bella hesitated, looked at Raizel as if asking for some kind of permission.
Raizel gave none. He only watched.
She went to Edward, slipping into the passenger seat.
Edward lingered, studying Raizel with a kind of respectful wariness. "Thank you," he said, almost grudgingly.
Raizel regarded him for a moment. Then, quietly, "Take care."
Edward nodded once, then drove away, slow and careful through the rain.
Raizel remained on the sidewalk, watching the car's taillights vanish.
He had come out of curiosity. He stayed out of necessity.
Some patterns, it seemed, repeated themselves in any world.
He turned back toward the bookstore, letting the rain wash the night clean behind him.