"Big News"
"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!!" she began to scream.
"Alice what's wrong??" Jasper asked a
strong base of concern and worry
in both his soft voice and his
black eyes. He moved toward Alice before
Bella or Edward could do
anything.
"He's coming!" Alice said with a small
note of hysteria in her frantic
voice.
"What's going
on?" asked Carlisle emerging from the staircase followed
closely by Esme. Emmett entered through the garage and Rosalie
peered at
Alice from the kitchen.
"He's on his way! He'll be here tomorrow morning" Alice squealed.
"Who's
coming my love?" Jasper whispered into Alice's ear trying to
calm
her. It worked because she then closed her eyes in an
attempt to
recompose herself.
"Joshua is on his way
here" she said as the hysterical smile began to
etch its way
back onto her face. Silence then enveloped the room for a
brief
minute.
"Excellent!!" Carlisle said with wide grin on his face.
"Wonderful" Esme said.
"The
runt's coming back?? Yes I can't wait to wail on him some."
Emmett
shouted.
"I can't wait to see what he's
brought for me" Rosalie's voice was heard
from the
kitchen.
That's amazing what's it been ten years since me and
Emmett tackled with
the boy."
"Wow the prodigal
son returns" Edward laughed alongside his family in
excitement.
"Uhhh...who's Joshua?" a small
voice was heard in the chorus of
laughter in the vampiric
household. All seven Cullen stopped their
laughter and let the
silence wash over them almost at once. And after a
brief moment's
quiet, the laughter returned redoubled upon its self as
everyone
began cheering and laughing together.
"Joshua is our
brother, Bella." Edward laughed. "He's actually the
youngest of us all. He left us a few years ago to discover
himself and
see the world. He's been spending the last year in
New York with his
real family."
"What?"
Bella said completely confused. "There's another Cullen?"
she
asked.
"Yea you make it sound like a bad thing,
Bells" Emmett called from
across the room.
(It is) she thought. (Another member of the family who isn't me.)
"Bella
there's no reason to be upset. From what I can tell he's not
staying
long he just wants to see the family again." Alice said
obviously reading my face. It was hard to hear her as Emmett
Jasper and
Edward began sing a roaring chorus of 'the Fourth Son
Returns'.
This was the tone for the rest of the day at the
Cullen's. Jasper and
Emmett began to gamble on the arrival of
Joshua, Carlisle, Esme and
Edward talked lovingly about the
youngest of the Cullens. And Bella was
left with Alice and her
frantic planning.
"Alice calm down would you, all your
bickering is making me queasy."
Bella said resting her
forehead into her palms in an attempt to uncross
her
eyes.
"Sorry Bella but everything's gotta be perfect
for Joshua. I talked to
Carlisle and Esme they think we should
all go hunting tonight so we won't
be a bore for him tomorrow
morning. God its been awhile since we've I've
seen that innocent
smile." Alice began to reminisce.
"Uhh he's a vampire right?" Bella asked.
"Yes"
"What innocence??"
"Good point. It was hard to control
him when he was thirsty and he was
the most violent one of us
all. But I hear he's doing better nowadays."
She
laughed.
"Yea" Bella responded in a hope to hide her now present terror.
"Oh that reminds me. You're spending
the night tonight so while we're
still out tomorrow you'll be the
one woman welcome wagon." Alice smiled
while already putting
out some nighty-night pajama's for Bella.
"No Alice I can't. Charl-"
"Charlie already gave the ok. Your
staying here tonight Missy" Alice
said with a stern gaze
through dark brown eyes. Bella knew that she had
lost. "The
boys are leaving ahead of Esme Rosalie and I so they can get
a
good fill to antagonize Joshua. You know Emmett and Jasper are
betting
500 dollars that they'll make him cry." Alice
continued, but Bella
wasn't really listening.
"What
about Edward?" she asked. "How close were Edward and
Joshua?"
Bella asked through her own confusion.
"Those
two were as thick as thieves. You would have thought them actual
brothers. They would wrestle all the time against Jasper and
Emmett and
they won 85 of the time too." She smiled. Bella
on the other hand made
her way out of the small room and down to
the garden where Rosalie sat
tending her flowers.
"Bella,
you really try sneaking up on someone who can hear your
heartbeat."
She smiled up over the tulips.
"Uhh Rose I'm a bit worried." Bella began
"About what?" Rosalie
asked. Still not as close as Bella and Alice,
however Rosalie
began to accept Bella as her sister soon to be.
"About
Joshua. Its like every vampire I meet besides you guys here,
eventually wants to kill me." Bella said. Rosalie stopped
her work and
looked up thoughtfully at her soon to be
sister.
"You kinda have a point. But don't worry if Josh
steps outta line we'll
be sure to put him in check. Carlisle'll
won't let him do anything like
that and it would crush Edward to
see that even come to reality or even
to know you feel that way."
She said with a sad smile across her lips.
Bella sat on the back
porch of the Cullen house talking with Rosalie for
the better
part of the night until the men of the house shot into the
night
like bats out of hell and Bella drifted to sleep in the large bed
that laid in the center of Edward's room.
--