Everyone was freaking out.
"How much time, Alice," Carlisle asked.
"They'll be appearing in a matter of seconds," She whispered, shooting a worried glance in my direction.
"Guys, it's o-" I was trying to say, getting someone, anyone's, attention. They were too distracted. They were afraid for my life, the weak human. I had tried numerous times to tell Edward the truth, my little secret. When I finally found the courage to tell him, each time he would interrupt me, breaking my resolve.
They created a front, standing shoulder to shoulder. Edward remained at my side, tension rolling off of him as he gazed into the distance, waiting for danger.
"Edward, there is something I NEED to tell you," I pleaded. Keeping his eyes on the distant tree line, he ran a soothing hand down my cheek.
"I love you, too," He cooed.
"Well, that's nice, but that wasn't what I was going to say," I said, gripping his shoulder and shaking it to get his attention.
"Not now, love," He hissed as the three vampires appeared.
"No one ever listens to me," I pouted crossing my arms. I listened to the formal introductions, catching my name being thrown in by Carlisle as part of the family. I smiled at that. Edward had a tight grip on my upper arm, tensed to make a run for it with me at a moments notice. I heard Carlisle and the one called Laurent plan another game of baseball and with that, the line they had created broke. Edward began to make a move towards the car with me still in tow.
"Edward, I-" I exclaimed.
"You brought a snack," I heard the biker-boy-looking vampire hiss. I rolled my eyes. In a flash, Edward was crouched, face to face with him, his family following suit.
"This is REALLY not necessary," I said, loudly. No one even looked in my direction. Frustrating! I sighed and circumvented the hissing and snarling battle line. Edward must have seen me pass him from the corner of this eye. "What the HELL are you doing, Bella? Get-" He started. I put a flat hand to him to shut him up.
James sneered and straightened up. "That is what I call service," he laughed. I rolled my eyes once more. He took a step in my direction and I put a hand to my face, dramatically faking fear.
"Oh, dear," I gasped, flicking my other hand in his direction. In a fast second, James disappeared, a deer now standing where he had been. I chuckled. "Look's like YOU'RE the snack now, a-hole."
His two companions hissed and charged in my direction. I put up my hand and flicked it at them.
"Duck," I said, casually. In place of the red-head and Laurent were two very confused looking mallard's. I snickered. I glanced over at the Cullen's whose mouths were wide open in shock. Whoops. I flashed an embarrassed smile in their direction and shrugged my shoulders.
"I TOLD you not to worry," I said weakly, watching James-deer spring fearfully away. I looked back at the Cullen's and they still hadn't moved.
"What the…" I heard Emmett say, finally breaking the silence. I bit my lip and twiddled my thumbs in front of me. I tried to figure out in my head where I should start.
"I haven't exactly…been honest with you, guys," I started. Edward straightened up and let out a loud sigh. He shot an angry look at me. I pouted once more.
"Hey, look! It's not like I haven't TRIED! You were always interrupting me and putting words in my mouth. You viewed me as a weak human and my resolve would wear…I thought if you knew the truth, that I wasn't a weak, normal teenage girl, you would not love me or want me around anymore," I tried explaining.
"But you ARE human…I mean, heart beat, check. Warm-blooded, check. Clumsy, check," Emmett started, counting off each point with his fingers. I sneered at the "clumsy" comment.
"Yes, I am human…," I hesitated, "Mostly."
"Mostly? Mostly! How can you be MOSTLY human," Edward shouted, still pacing furiously.
"Well…did I ever tell you that Charlie is part Quileute," I started. Carlisle looked contemplative.
"So you are a shape-shifter," Carlisle asked. Edward stopped and glanced at Carlisle and then at me. His anger was starting to subside.
"Well, yes, kinda," I replied, looking down at my hands,
"Bella, you are not making sense," Edward huffed.
"Okay, okay, okay," I said, putting my hands up like I was waving a white flag in defeat. "What I mean to say is, well, Charlie is not my dad…he's my uncle."
"So you lied? What else did you lie about, Bella," Edward asked, his anger now present and accounted for once more. I felt my own anger brimming and glared at him.
"My 'lies' were meant to protect my secret, much like your own, Edward," I snapped. He stopped again and looked into my eyes, tenderness beating out anger once more.
"Okay, fair enough. But will you please explain this a little more…coherently," He asked.
"Okay, so, as I was saying, Charlie is my uncle. But my mom, Renee, she is Charlie's sister, you see. And my father…well…his name is Marcus," I said with my voice getting weaker near the end. I heard Carlisle gasp and Edward, having heard his thoughts, gasped a second later. I looked up to see him staring at me quite puzzled.
"So…you are half-vampire, half-human," Carlisle asked. All eyes shot from him back to me. I shrugged and smiled, looking embarrassed.
"How is that possible, Carlisle," Jasper asked, aghast. Carlisle shook his head, as if saying he had no idea.
"Okay, so if you are part vampire, what's with the heart beat and human blood and eating human food," Emmett challenged.
"Well, genetics are a funny thing, Emmett. I appear to have taken more of my mother's human characteristics. I have the warm, breakable skin, but my muscles and bones are quite strong. And blood runs through them, much like…say and man-made canal as opposed to a normal human who is more like a soft-river bed of veins," I scratched my head at my own explanation. Everyone looked as puzzled as me. I walked over to Edward and quickly lifted his up over my head. Before he could protest, I placed him back on the ground. Emmett grinned and snickered as Edward huffed.
"How came I didn't know your strength before," Edward asked, coolly.
"It's an act, as well. Just like I don't see you running around tearing through walls at school. It's for my protection…and frankly, I was trying to keep this from you for your protection as well," I explained, softly. I took a step towards Edward.
"Protection," Edward scoffed.
"Yes, well. I'm kinda in hiding…I am not supposed to exist," I explained.
"What do you mean, Bella," Carlisle inquired. I sighed.
"Well, Marcus is my father…Obviously, you know who he is," I directed towards Carlisle. He nodded, silently. "Well, he is not exactly THE man 'in charge' over there with the Volturi." Gasps rang out as comprehension of my father's identity hit the rest of the group.
I waited for the shock to pass and continued. "Let me start further back…Renee went to Europe for a summer backpacking trip just out of high school. When we was in Italy, she came across a good-looking man. He was pretty depressed looking when she found him sitting in the middle of the forest…Well, you see, he instinctively went to attack when he noticed her presence, but she smelled different, not as appealing as a normal human…He stopped before he was about the sink his teeth into her and saw that she was pretty good looking. He got all depressed again and let her go. But, she tells me, when he touched her, she felt like an electric shock…She called it 'love at first bite'," I laughed at the joke. I glanced up and no one else saw the humor so I continued. "But, he didn't really bite her…Well, he began to confide in her that he was living a life of misery. His wife was killed by her own brother, his best friend, just because they wanted to live separately from him, away from the empire that Aro had built up. He felt weak because he couldn't stop Aro from killing her. He blamed himself but in all actuality, Aro's no-good, eavesdropping wife had overheard their plans and let him know."
"How had he kept it from Aro, with Aro's gift of reading thoughts," Carlisle inquired,
"Oh, Marcus is a shield," I explained matter-of-factly. "As am I…Hence the reason you can't hear my thoughts, Edward." Edward was pouting now as he sat on the ground in front of me.
"Interesting…Please continue," Carlisle said.
"Well, Renee, having fallen in love with Marcus, sort of set up shop in Italy. She got an apartment, a job…Every few days, they would meet up in the forest…Well, one day, she found out she was pregnant. Marcus flipped as he thought it would kill her. In most cases with a vampire get's a human girl pregnant, the results are disastrous. But my mom was confident. She was strong, a shape shifter. She assured him that if her body could handle contorting into an animal or whatever then she could surely handle a vampire-baby." I noticed all eyes were intensely on me. They were holding their breaths for the next part. I paused, dramatically, making them wait.
"Well," Emmett exclaimed, loudly. I giggled.
"Well, she was right! A few months later, I came, no harm done to mom. But, as corrupt as Aro's little kingdom or whatever is, people, and I use that term loosely, were starting to get suspicious of Marcus's little expeditions into town. He caught one of the guard following him one day. He sent a trusted friend to alert Mom and give her some money…For her own safety as well as mine, he sent us away and acted like we didn't exist…to protect us. So, we moved to Phoenix. Having human skin, I don't have the sparkle-issue. And what perfect place to hide than in the freakin' desert. Aro's stupid guard wouldn't be likely hanging around there for us to run into," I explained.
"So…why did you leave Phoenix," Edward asked. My face dropped. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his side.
"Well, you see…We got a message that Aro might have caught on…The messenger said a member of the guard was going to investigate my mom and that were pretty sure they still didn't know about me. Mom thought it would be best if we separated. It's not exactly like I had a lot of options, so she sent me to live with Uncle Charlie and she went to Florida," I sighed. "Do you understand why I kept this from you?" I directed the question at Edward. He nodded his head slowly and pulled me in for an embrace, kissing the top of my head.
"But Bella…" started Emmett. "That still doesn't explain what the hell happened just now with those nomads."
I smiled, mischievously. "Oh, that…"