Ugh! He was being such an idiot!
I could feel a low growl rising in my chest. He thinks he can just disappear one day, with out a forewarning or even an explanation, driving off to Alaska to hide apparently, from this one human girl who he claims scent drives him insane! So here we all are, sitting here with nothing we can do and worrying about him.
Esme especially-how could he do that to her, have her not knowing when or even if he'll come back! It makes her unbearably depressed not knowing whether or not our whole family's lives we worked hard for will just deteriorate…like that. But then, POOF! He's back again after a week, not even caring to elaborate on the more specific details of his absence, just plainly mentioning that he realized he's strong enough an he can do it-whatever it is. He's going to tough it out and go to school, to face this girl and restrain himself.
After all, what was this one little human female compared to the brave, almighty, all-conquering Edward Cullen?
So, of course he goes. And he's able to do restrain himself during that one dreaded biology class. To withstand her blood or control himself or whatever, and comes home happy, smiling and triumphant-the result of what I thought pride in himself.
The self-righteous idiot.
But don't get me wrong: sure, I was proud of him-we all were. But did he truly feel the impulse to ignore us all, sitting by himself on his beloved piano, away from everyone and "thinking"?
Like I said, the self-righteous idiot!
But...the next day was when it happened. It was a chilly morning-for humans, obviously-and time to get out the heavy winter down coats and put the salt on the roads. So this is what we did too, of course. We followed their lead to fit in, to be inconspicuous, as Carlisle says-even though we could barely even feel the temperature of the air around us. But the humans couldn't see us running around in tank-tops and shorts, oblivious to the frigid cold, now could they?
No...that would be too much attention.
But anyways, it was the start of a normal, positively boring day at Forks High, the high school we were forced to enroll in despite the countless decades we'd been learning. It was all the same among the hormone-crazed teenagers, too-most girls and boys chatting animatedly next to their cars, some catching up on homework they mistakenly thought was due the next day, or studies for a test they'd had no time to study for-not unusual. Most likely everyone was talking of the sudden snowfall, something new to talk about.
I could hear Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley, both across the parking lot from me. Jessica was smiling unnaturally wide, flipping her dark curls every once in a while as she batted her eyelashes.
Mike, however, was not paying any attention to this and looked around the parking lot anxiously, as if waiting for someone to arrive. I looked towards Edward, who stood next to me quietly, and found he was looking at the same thing.
"What's he thinking about?" I asked curiously.
To my surprise, he growled. What could possibly anger him that the immature Mike Newton could be thinking? My brow wrinkled in confusion, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he turned away, walking off to his beloved Volvo and leaving me to stand there and watch the sight.
I smiled to myself, shaking it off. I came up with a new way to entertain myself-how much do you want to bet they were thinking about the snow?
I laughed. Don't cheat now Alice.
I listened to them closely. Jessica began the conversation, breaking the silence I had heard from over in that area with her high, annoying voice. "So Mike, it's awesome that it snowed, right?"
I snorted.
Humans were so predictable, even without a power that enabled you to see the future.
We were about to get to classes when I got the vision.
The new girl stood quietly by her old red monster of a truck, looking down at her feet. She was thinking about something very hard, her forehead wrinkled in concentration. So hard that, a moment later, when a screech sounded and a faded blue van slid across the ice in her direction, she didn't even have time to react. It was spiraling faster and faster, and it would crush her, no doubt.
I quickly brought myself out of the vision in horror before I could see the crash...or rather, the hit.
It was tragic, really. The new death in Forks would devastate her father, Chief Charlie Swan. I could see him at her funeral, and in the years to come as he sat alone in his chair at home. Everyone could tell how much he loved her by the way he talked of her arrival this fall, so surely he would need to be comforted after today. I hoped there was someone to comfort him, as his wife left many years ago. At least, that was the rumor here in Forks.
But the vision was about to happen-and soon, too-it was so clear, that it would most likely begin to play out in a matter of seconds.
And, as always, I was right.
It seemed like it was in slow motion to me-there was a loud, ear-piercing screech as the Tyler Crowley's faded blue van started to slide and swivel towards her across the slippery frozen ice. I hung my head sadly, closing my eyes, having a feeling that the others in my family were doing the exact same out of respect for the girl, while everyone else in the parking lot gasped and screamed at the sight.
But I didn't shut my eyes fast enough that I missed the flash of white that shot past me, and I didn't need to be able to see the future to know who it was and what they were doing.
Edward! My mind screamed at him as he rushed over there, too quick for human eyes to see. But it was too late-he had already pulled the girl out of the truck's path, blocking it with his form from hitting her own vehicle.
It took all I had not to take my brother down right there in front of the humans. You imbecile! You just might have betrayed out secret!
I was more than enraged-how dare he? But it didn't seem as if he was paying any attention whatsoever to my mental screams or anyone else's for that matter. All his focus was on the girl, lying in his lap while teachers and students called the paramedics.
...That was only a few hours ago and now he was at the hospital, with her in one of the beds, talking to Carlisle.
I shook my head in frustration.
I mean, I loved my brother-how could I not? We all looked up to him-his extreme self-restraint, his kindness-and after all, he was the first in this family, besides Carlisle. He was also one of the eldest, and we respected him. But he was always serious, tense-in fact, I don't think I had seen him really grin in decades.
And he was the only one in the family without a partner.
He was the lone man, in ways-the odd man out. He hadn't found love, and definitely wasn't searching for it. He claimed that he didn't want a mate-that he preferred to be by himself.
But I knew what he was missing. There were always two pieces to every one puzzle-a Jasper to my Alice, an Esme to Carlisle, an Emmett to Rosalie. But we all minded our business with Edward's nonexistent personal life-or existence, for that matter-no matter how much it hurt us to see him by himself.
But even my sympathy wasn't enough to cloud over the anger I felt towards him now.
We had just moved here to Forks, just two years ago, and we were doing well! Also, Edward, some of us actually liked living here! Forks was the absolute perfect place for our kind-cloudy all of the time, in a small, sort of secluded area. Not to mention access all around to wildlife and forests.
But NO-he had to go and ruin it all! Just to save this one little human's life!
He was going to get a lot of crap when he got home. Especially from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. Esme and Carlisle would side with him, no doubt. They still held a soft spot for him, and wanted him to be happy as we all had already found a life as close to happiness as were ever going to get.
Gee, I wonder which side I would choose? I laughed bitterly at my own sarcastic thought. It was hardly a fair guess, though, seeing as I would smash his perfect little nose into his perfect little face if I could.
But just as I was thinking that, my surroundings started to fade, blackening, bringing me into a whole different time altogether. It was a vision.
It was Edward, lying on his leather couch in his "bedroom", a soft jazz number playing quietly in the background. It wasn't unusual for him. But then the picture shifted. He wasn't alone-next to him, a girl with long, brown locks lay with her eyes closed, a mask of serenity painted on her face, resting her head softly on his chest. He gazed admiringly down at her, playing with the pieces of chocolate brown hair. She smiled, blushing, quite obviously aware of his presence.
The vision ended, leaving me dazed and confused. Was that…Edward? My brother-the depressed and repressed vampire who loved only his stupid cars? And he was lying with a girl…
I knew that look in his eyes. It was the same way Jasper looked at me when we were embracing, the way Carlisle's got when he looked at Esme, the same way Rosalie's sharp, vain eyes softened when she saw Emmett. It was a look of love.
Edward was in love in my vision, however hard it was to believe.
I shook my head, smiling. Maybe I'd have to recheck my side choice for the big argument tonight if this was what would come out of it! Maybe he would take her out, and they would want to be together forever! Maybe there wouldn't JUST be seven in the family anymore, and that we would all be happy together...I gasped-maybe I would have a new shopping partner! Oh my, and what about the wedding? It had to be absolutely magical. I had to start searching for the perfect dress, the decorations, the flowers...so much to do, and an eternity to do it.
But then was when it hit me. She had blushed.
This girl was human.