Disclaimer: I obviously don't own anything from Twilight!
Chapter 1
She stood in the bathroom with her hands on either side to the sink, her head hung between her shoulders. She was not sure how much longer she'd be able to keep up the façade of being a high class socialite; it just was not her. She was in the bathroom of an old hotel in Seattle, Washinton dressed like she was heading to a gala, and in essence, she was. Her hair was held loosely in a clip in the back of her head, her brown hair falling at her shoulders, and she wore a floor length purple dress.
There was a knock on the door, "We've got to go, Bells," said a man's voice from the other side, causing Elsie shudder internally.
"Give me just one minute," she replied, lifting her head to look at her face in the mirror. It was full of shame and guilt; how many more times could she pull a stunt like this off before her conscience just imploded? Wiping smudged lipstick from her front tooth, she made for the door and entered the shabby room.
"You remember the plan as it is, right?" Asked the man from before; he was tall and grimy looking. His salt and pepper hair wisped in every direction.
Bella inhaled deeply, then nodded, "Yes, quite," she replied, her eyes flicking to the shorter man in the corner, who seemed to be as dressed up as she was.
The massive man smirked cruelly, "Good. Good," he said, then his face became significantly darker, "If you don't get that painting, Bells, I swear I won't be as kind as the last time," he warned her, poking a meaty finger into her shoulder roughly.
Once again, she nodded, gulping, "No mishaps, I swear," she promised, then looked to the man in the corner, who was staring at her lecherously. "And who is he supposed to be tonight, my date?" She asked, crossing her arm, a look of disgust crossed her face.
"Precisely," the tall man said, "Why don't the you and Charlie here make up some fun names on the way there, we're on a tight schedule tonight," and with that, the man turned on his rubber heel and made for the door.
Bella looked to the other man, "Well, we better get going again, Charlie," she said solemnly, making her way out of the room.
It was decided that Bella would be playing as Bethany Hillshire, the nineteen year old daughter of Wilson and Maria Hillshire, and Charlie would be her date and soon to be fiancé. Bella fit the role quite well, considering she was, in fact, nineteen. Charlie, on the other hand, being almost twice her age, had a harder time being in character. There was also the fact that he looked rather grubby and suspicious that made him off putting.
Outside the doors at the side of the building, Bella gave Charlie a small scowl and looped her arm in his, "Let's get this over with," she said, and turned her face to the door before pushing it open.
Bella gasped as she caught sight of the hotel lobby; it was hands down the most beautiful place she'd ever set foot in. The walls were pale gold granite, and the floors where pure white marble. In the middle of the lobby, an extravagant fountain spewed water in designs ad patterns that caught the eye. Bella looked around her and examined each and every person that walked passed her into the gallery; they were all beautiful, and all rich. She wondered how it was that she could possibly fit in with these people.
Charlie nudged her with his elbow and shot her a frenzied look. "Well? Are you just gonna stand there, or are we gonna get moving? We don't have all night to-"
Bella stomped on his foot and scowled at him. "Would you keep your damn voice down?" She whispered frantically. "Is this your first time doing this? If so, then I don't mind going solo," she warned.
Charlie glowered bitterly at her before they began walking toward the gallery entrance. As they approached the door, they were stopped by two rather burly men. "We're sorry, but this is a private event," the man holding the clipboard said.
Bella, a veteran of this, put on an insulted face a gasped. "Excuse me, sir, but I think you're mistaken. Do you have any idea who I am? Who we are?" She asked, gesturing towards Charlie who now stood up straighter, seeming more respectable.
The man looked at the couple with a stern eye, then looked to his partner, "I'm afraid not ma'am. I'm going to have to ask you to leave, now."
Bella sensed Charlie beginning to panic, but she remained calm in the face of conflict. She unhooked her arm from Charlie's and stepped towards the man with the clipboard. "But you haven't even bothered to ask our names, I can't help but think your logic is flawed. Are you refusing to let us in because of my age? I assure you that I'm over 18. If you just look up our names, you'll find us on that list, I swear," she said calmly, before taking a step back and looping her arm back in Charlie's.
The man sighed in annoyance and flipped the first paper of the clipboard over. "Names, then?"
Clearing her throat, Bella looked to Charlie and gave him an encouraging smile; she could sense how nervous he was. "Bethany Hillshire, and this is my fiancé, Bryce. His name isn't on there, but I was informed that I was allowed to bring a date along?" She asked, her voice sounding as polished and innocent as she had practiced.
The man with the clipboard looked shocked, "Your fiancé? Isn't he a bit old for you?"
Bella glowered as if she had been insulted by his words although she really agreed with them. "Is it your job to judge us, or to let people into the gallery?" She asked in a better-than-thou voice.
The man nodded, "Yes, ma'am, I apologize," he said as he skimmed through the page. "Ah, my apologies, Miss Hillshire. It says on here that you weren't attending, though."
The man looked at Bella with slightly suspicious eyes. She smiled and kept her cool, "Yes, well, Mother and Father weren't coming, off in Rome or Paris, I assume. They said it would be fine if I came alone. They do know how much I love art," she said, placing her hand on her heart and smiling happily.
The bouncer nodded and let her in, "I apologize again, Miss Hillshire."
She waved him off and stalked passed him into the large, white gallery. "Wow," she whispered, taking her arm away from Charlie's and looking around her. "This is beautiful."
"Yea, well don't get carried away," he said, "stick to the part. You've been here before, remember?" He said, meaning both figuratively and literally. "I'm going off to socialize; I suggest you do the same. Keep an eye out, Bella, and don't do anything stupid," he warned in her ear before stalking away.
Bella found herself encompassed in the arts, and in the culture. Around her, people spoke of politics and galas of sorts, sipping on champagne in tall glasses. Bella felt out of place, as she always seemed to. Nervously, she bit her lip and looked around her, unsure of where to go. That was her biggest problem in this business; she was always so good at playing her part, but when it came to committing the crime, she always flaked. She was never sure what to do.
A small, soft hand touched her arm, "You seem a little nervous," a voice said from behind her. Bella turned to look at the voice's owner and was suddenly greeted with a warm smile. "I was, too, my first time."
The woman was small, with short, dark, spiky hair and a pixie like face. She wore a green, floor length dress adorn with jewels that flowed over her beautiful body. Bella was taken aback. "Y-Yea. It's a lot to take in," Bella laughed and smacked herself for stuttering.
"I'm Alice, by the way. Alice Cullen; this is my father's gallery. Well, not his work, but he's funding it," she said with a proud smile.
Bella nodded and bit her lip apprehensively. She didn't know what to say; this was her father's gallery, what if she knew who Bethany Hillshire really was? What if this all came crashing down on her, just like that. That's the problem with playing a real person, there's always a chance you'll get caught. Bella decided to take a chance. "Bethany," she said.
Alice furrowed her brows, "Hillshire?"
At the sound of that name Bella's heart stopped. She knew her, she knew her, give it up. Change the last name, Bella. Bella gulped lightly and took a chance, "Yes," she said with a nod.
Much to Bella's relief, Alice cracked a wide smile and pulled her into a hug, "Oh I've just been dying to meet you for the longest time, but you're always gone! I was hoping you'd come, but my father said you and your family wouldn't be here-sorry, I'm scaring you aren't I?"
Bella felt a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach as she was hit with the wave of Alice Cullen's enthusiasm and joy. She brushed it off though, just as she always did. She'd likely never see Alice again after tonight, and eventually she'd meet the real Bethany.
"Have you seen the Van Buren Vermeer, yet?" She asked, instantly catching my attention; that's exactly what they were here for, wasn't it? She hid her excitement and shook her head. Alice looked at her and smiled widely, "It's the star of the show, tonight! You simply must go see it later on; it's in the very back room. It's beautiful, and very, very pricey, even for me. Thirty million dollars for a painting, could you believe it?" She continued talking, but Bella tuned her out as dollar signs appeared in her head. The split she would get from this would be enough for her to move on in life, end this lifestyle of robbery and sin.
Alice went on talking until Bella raised her hand, "It's been nice speaking with you, Miss Cullen, but I must be on my way. I don't want my fiancé to be missing me for much longer," she said with a grin.
Moving away from Alice, Bella scoured the crowd for Charlie, spotting him almost immediately by the refreshment table; it didn't seem like he was making many friends tonight. It took all she had to keep herself from running to Charlie, to grab him and kiss him on the lips in the heat of the moment. Thirty million dollars, all for their taking! She could just die. She calmly approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump.
She placed her lips to his ear, which caused him to shiver as she said, "I've found the painting; it's here and real." Her excitement was evident, as was Charlie's.
He turned to look at her and smiled, "You know what to do to get people out of here, I'm sure?" He said in a very low whisper so that only she heard. She nodded quickly and he placed his hand on the small of her back, pushing her forward, "Well, go on them," he said, "I'll know the signal."
Bella quickly walked away from Charlie, striding to the back of the gallery towards a set of stairs, leading to the bathrooms. As she climbed to the top, she was met with a mirror reflecting herself back to her. For a moment, her ecstasy faltered and she frowned. This was not who she was; she wasn't a socialite, she wasn't a criminal, but right now she sure was acting like it. She swiped a lock of hair from her face and huffed, turning away from the mirror. There was no time to worry about yourself when there is so much at stake. Looking around her, she made sure she was alone before walking over to a fire alarm she'd spotted moments before. This was her chance. She'd better not screw it up.
She wiped her hand on her dress, removing the sweat that had accumulated there before lifting the lid over the alarm. She'd done this so many times before; why was she so nervous now? Perhaps it was because there was so much on the line; her biggest gig yet. She gulped and raised her hand to the alarm, gripping it. She shut her eyes, and just as she was about to pull it, a voice invaded her thoughts.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Bella jumped and turned to the perpetrator, her eyes wide, like a deer in headlights. The person she saw before her was a man, in his early to mid-twenties, standing in an expensive suit with his arms crossed. He didn't look too pleased with her at all. She examined him some more; she would have been struck by his attractiveness had she not been so scared. His hair was neither blonde nor brown, but bronze, and his eyes were the greenest she'd ever seen, and he was about seven feet away from where she stood. He was tall, taller than she was at 5'6" and easily towered over her. His face was strong and angular, yet angelic in a way, even as he scowled. She was pulled from her thoughts as he spoke again.
"I'll ask you one more time; what in the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded, stepping closer to Bella in an intimidating fashion. He was about two feet closer now.
Bella stuttered nervously, "N-nothing! I, uh, er…." She cursed herself for being unable to find the words she needed. She was usually very smooth and collected in these situations… what's different now?
The man scowled deeply at her, "I knew, I just knew there was something strange when my sister gushed to me that Bethany Hillshire was here. You're not Bethany at all, are you?" He demanded again, his voice not quite yelling, but not quite talking calming either.
"It's not what you think," she said, although what she was planning was probably exactly what he was thinking.
He snorted. "Yea? Let me tell you what I'm thinking, and then you can tell me if I'm wrong," he began, tapping his chin. "It looks like a little girl came up to the gallery after hearing about a painting that cost millions was going to be there, am I right so far?" He asked. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off, "Don't answer. She comes dressed in a gown from Sears and heels from Payless posing as the daughter of some of the richest people in the country; see how flawed that logic may be? Anyway, she's able to fool the bouncer, and my sister, and probably many other patrons, but once I saw her climb suspiciously up these stairs, I knew something was up. You're trying to rob the painting in the heat of panic, aren't you?"
Bella said nothing, standing there shocked and slightly insulted.
"Aren't you?!" He demanded, causing her to jump back against the wall.
She slowly nodded her head, "Y-yes…," she said, "but you don't understand."
"I don't want to understand, I want you to get out. I don't ever want to see you around here again. Leave," he said, pointing towards the stairs.
Bella looked at him confused; he wasn't going to call the cops? That's what anyone else would do. She stood there, frozen. He growled, "Now! Before I change my mind and call the police! Take whoever else is here with you and get out." He said, his handsome face wrinkled as he scowled.
Bella lifted her dress and scurried down the stairs. At the exit, she looked over her shoulder and spotted Charlie from across the room, staring at her rather hatefully. She needed to leave, get out. She could never go back to the hotel, back to her 'boss.' She didn't know where to go, but she had to leave.
She looked over her shoulder once more before pushing the door open and sprinting down the alley way. She was on her own now.
What do you think? Do you like it? Review, and I'll continue!