Dollybigmomma is the beta genius.

Chapter 1 - Silence is golden, duct tape is silver…

EDWARD

Some days, I hated being the little brother, both in age and stature.

Much to my great annoyance, Emmett had intercepted me after class and was dragging me, literally, off to the library, blabbering on yet again about that "quiet girl" he seemed to find so fascinating.

He had been going on non-stop about this silent chick all month, much to the detriment of my studious concentration, and he had finally decided I needed to see her for myself. I pointed out to Captain Oblivious the fact that he only saw her in the library, and you were supposed to be quiet in there. He insisted she never talked to anyone, anywhere, on campus. Both Emmett and Jasper had been trying to get her to talk to them for a week now to no avail.

Apparently, no one had ever heard her speak.

"Dude, she wears these fuck-awesome shirts that say funny shit all the time. Jasper said it was her way of talking without talking," Emmett continued on.

We walked into the library and sat down a few tables away from the desk where this girl was working. She hadn't looked up yet and was thumbing through a book.

Her long, blue-streaked dark hair was pulled up into messy pigtails. She didn't look like Emmett or Jasper's usual type, but I'd guess the whole quiet thing intrigued them.

A woman walked up to her, asking for directions to the fantasy fiction section of the library. The girl smiled, held up her finger, and then made a show of pointing it down to something on the desk. She ran it across something and held up three fingers on her other hand and then moved her finger again, making a circling motion.

The woman smiled and thanked her before leaving, and then the girl went back to her reading. I watched the woman she had given the directions to walk away, curious to see if she really understood them. She seemed to count out three aisles, and then she turned down one, disappearing from view.

Huh, this girl seemed to talk just fine without words.

A tall, dark-haired guy came in and went behind the desk. She waved hello without looking up, and I noticed Emmett was scowling.

"What?" I asked.

"That guy bugs me. He talks to her a lot."

"Does she talk back?"

"Sort of."

I watched the guy help a few people needing assistance. He just looked like another library employee to me.

"Dude, watch this," Emmett punched my arm.

I watched as one of our dorm mates, Mike Newton, walked up to the girl. I couldn't hear what he said, but her response was loud and clear.

She smiled sweetly at Mike, coaxing him to bend over her desk closer to her. Her hand reached out, caressing his neck while she smiled, and then her expression changed to pure fury. His attention was drawn to her other hand, which she ran down the front of him. She made a clawing motion in front of his goods and yanked her hand back in a ripping motion, threatening to rip the dude's balls off.

She hadn't said a word, but the message was crystal clear. She released him from her grip on his neck and plopped back in her chair, going back to her book and ignoring Mike's retreating form.

Emmett was laughing a little too loudly, and she glared over at us. I punched his shoulder, whisper-yelling at him to shut up. The big guy who worked with her walked up, leaning on her desk. Emmett and I moved a bit closer, so we could listen to the exchange.

The girl turned her face to the guy and smiled.

"You going to the meat club tonight?" he asked.

She shrugged.

"You know you like the pole." He said it like it would tempt her. To my surprise, she raised an eyebrow at him in interest.

"How 'bout I get the pack to come keep an eye on you?" She smiled widely at him.

"Awesome, we're going to head there around nine o'clock. Do you want us to come pick you up?" She nodded her head yes.

"Cool. I'll tell Quil we're dating, so he'll leave you alone."

She rolled her eyes playfully and smiled. They helped a few more people, while Emmett and I hung back, watching their every move. After a while, the big guy got her attention again.

"So, you want to get some lunch?" She pouted.

"You can just chuck it and come with me, Bells." She scowled.

"Oh, don't give me that starving children lecture. It's just leftovers." She huffed at him.

"Fine, they're your amazingly delicious leftovers, excuse me," he teased. She smiled, shaking her head at him. He pulled his chair up next to hers.

"The pack is heading for the beach this weekend. You in?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Our dads are having a barbeque. You know it'll be good. You could bring some of your starving children," he smiled. She smiled back.

"Cool, I'll let dad know you're in and bringing some friends." They did a little more paperwork and helped a few more people, before he stood up and stretched.

"I'm heading to Mandela's. You want me to pick you up anything?" She held up two fingers.

"You got it, Bells. I'll be back in a few." Once the guy was out of sight, Emmett sat back, crossing his arms and scowling.

"See what I mean? That dude talks her ear off. I think she must be telepathic and can let him know what she's saying without talking," he said seriously. I looked at him as if he was nuts. "So, you feel like going to the club tonight?" he asked, completely ignoring my look.

"Do I have a choice?" I argued.

He grinned mischievously at me and then made his way over to the desk. I followed, standing back a little. When she looked up at us, I was stunned. Her long lashes framed the most beautiful pair of brown eyes I had ever seen. Her lips were a deep red and slightly pouty. Her skin was pale and clear, with a light sprinkling of freckles across her nose. She was gorgeous, and I was instantly smitten. She wasn't looking at me, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. I had no idea what the hell Emmett was saying to her. I was too distracted by her to hear him, but I understood her sudden scowl loud and clear.

Her next move shocked me.

She flipped him off and made a dismissing motion with her hand. She'd basically just told him to piss off. I couldn't help laughing, and her eyes snapped to me, raising an eyebrow. I was mesmerized by her, but Emmett punched my shoulder, knocking me out of whatever voodoo hypnotist thing she was doing to me. I quietly cleared my throat.

"Sorry," I whispered nervously. I shoved at Emmett to try and make him move on, so we could leave her in peace, but he grabbed my shoulders and shoved me in front of her.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Emmett teased. The girl scowled at him, but then her eyes fell on me, and she looked like she was patiently waiting for something.

"I'm so sorry my brother's an ass," I whispered nervously.

She smiled.

Emmett punched my shoulder. "Dude," he growled, "You're supposed to pick up on her, you know, get her to talk."

I glared at Emmett. "She doesn't want to talk, that much is clear, so leave her alone. Why are you bugging her?"

"Jeez, you geek, you're no fun," he growled and shoved me back in front of her. I saw her eyes darken with fury. I actually flinched back a little, but I realized her gaze was focused on Emmett. "Say something to her. You know, about her looking hot or something," Emmett pushed. My eyes involuntarily ran down her form, and that was when I saw her shirt, reading the caption.

I'm still on earth, because Heaven kicked me out and Hell is afraid I'll take over.

I couldn't help but smile.

"That's a cool shirt," I whispered, as I looked back up into her eyes, and she quirked an eyebrow at me. I cleared my throat nervously. "I mean…sorry…I'll just be going," I stammered, trying to move away from the desk, but Jasper came up behind me, trapping me.

"Hey, Bella," he said cheerfully. She didn't even look at him. "Man, she's a tough nut to crack," Jasper muttered.

Emmett pulled us aside, but I knew we were still close enough for this girl to hear. "Dude, you think she might be gay?" he asked Jasper. I just dropped my head into my hands in shame at my brother's stupidity. We heard fingers snapping, so we all turned our attention to the girl, who was looking at us seriously. She pointed at me, and I stepped back, slightly panicked, trying to escape. I was sure she was going to rip my balls off, just like she had threatened to do to that other guy. Her eyes focused on me, as if she were deciding something. She stepped up on her chair and then her desk. I thought for sure this girl was going to kick my ass.

Then, she did the most amazing thing.

She put her hands on my shoulders, and then she jumped into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. Her lips hit mine, and I was sure I had died and gone to heaven. She was kissing me. God help me, it was amazing. I mean, she really kissed me. I ended up setting her on the edge of the desk and grinding against her, not able to control myself. I finally had to break the kiss to breathe, panting hard. She gave me a sexy vixen smile, and then she slid out of my arms and walked back around her desk, plopping down in her chair and going back to her book as if nothing had happened.

"She's straight, guys," I said, still panting and leaning on her desk for support.

Jasper started laughing and punched Emmett in the shoulder. "Damn straight she's straight. It looks like we're just not her type," Jasper chuckled.

"All right, Eddie boy!" Emmett cheered.

"Shut up, dude! We're in the library," I shushed him and looked to see if Bella was scowling at us, but she wasn't. She smiled at me.

Of course, I blushed bright red, causing Jasper to chuckle.

Go me…