A/N: This is my first time, please be nice. I like constructive criticism though! This idea was one I've had for a while, and depending on how well this fic goes, I might develop my other ideas too. This author's note is being really boring and stupid. Please read!
BPOV -
The heavy greasepaint was difficult to spread over my skin, but with my hands shaking like they were it became almost completely impossible. I huffed in frustration and dropped my hands onto the counter, gazing at myself instead. It was a typical dressing room, air conditioner on too high, loud chattering girls in every direction, wigs and makeup scattered far and wide, long benches interspersed with the occassional sink, each with a naked bulb-framed mirror above it, and racks of costumes hanging in the middle, seperating this half of the room from the other. The difference between this and other dressing rooms I'd been in was in the quality. Which only served to remind me of the coming day, and increase the sickening nerves tenfold.
"You okay, newbie?", said a sharp voice from my right, making me jump. I glanced up sheepishly into the eyes of the girl beside me. She was pretty, blonde, but had that curled lip-look that I hated so much on girls, meaning I instantly disliked her. I quirked my mouth into a little smile.
"Fine. Nervous! And I thought the audition was bad," I replied cheerily. She stared at me for a second, head tilted to the side.
"You'll be fine. Just don't let the kids puke on you, or the dads touch your ass. I'm Lauren, by the way."
"Bella."
I'd wanted this job like I'd never wanted anything else before, from the second I saw the ad calling for employees. A theme park island, where workers are expected to stay in month-shifts, in character for the benefit of the guests. Mostly designed for too-rich parents and their monster kids to waste money and luxuriate, it was a place I knew I would never visit out of leisure - rather, the appeal lay elsewhere; in the escapism of it all. Tiny Forks had left me breathless for adventure and romance and beauty, and while I knew realistically it was childish of me, I jumped at this chance to live it for at least a little while. Now that I was actually here, though, nerves were eating at my insides at the idea of actually trying to pull off a fairytale princess for a bunch of harsh little critics.
I finished applying false lashes and while I waited for them to dry, I took the time to check out the rest of the girls on this bench. Beside Lauren-the-blonde, who had since pulled on a long red gown and a gold crown, there was a stunning redhead weaving bright feathers into her hair, and a russet-skinned, short-haired girl in a grass skirt, followed by a tiny curly-haired girl struggling to tuck her crazy brunette 'fro under a short blue wig. I squinted at the discarded jewellery on the bench in front of her (personal accessories that didn't match our characters were strictly prohibited) and spotted a silver bracelet with a diamante-studded 'J'. Was her name Jamie? Joanne?
A sudden bang interrupted my staring and I spun around in time to watch two more girls walk in. They couldn't possibly have been more different. One was about six foot tall, with long wavy blonde hair and the most incredible boobs I had ever seen - instantly taking a hit on my little flat-chest self. Unlike your stock-standard hot blonde though, she had a ring through her lip, heavy black eyeliner and a pair of worn Docs on her feet... interesting. The look was completed by her Sisters of Mercy shirt and bored-yet-superior expression. The other was tiny, smaller than the J girl, with messy raven hair sticking up around her face in every direction and what looked suspiciously like a runway-fresh dress clinging to her boyish figure. The little one spotted me straightaway, and, grinning bounced to the open bench top beside me, throwing down her electric blue duffle and plopping into the chair there.
"You must be Bella!", she chirped at me. My jaw dropped and, as I tried to figure out whether she was a) psychic or b) a forgotten friend of mine, she giggled and swatted me on the shoulder. "Mom said we were getting a new girl. You met Esme, the costume manager on the way in, right? Wow, you're so pretty!"
I couldn't help but grin in answer to her exuberence.
"That's me. I'm Bella. I mean... I'm Isabella, but Bella is my preference."
Her dark eyes scrunched up adorably as she laughed.
"I'm Alice. And you can call me that if you want, though it gets confusing with Ange over there." She pointed to the other end of the room, where a curvy dark-haired girl was bobbing her head to an iPod and buttoning up a tell-tale blue tea dress with a white apron over the top... obviously Story Island's Alice in Wonderland in the flesh.
As Alice was talking, the intimidating Goth blonde had sidled up and sat on her other side, ignoring me completely. She yanked the ring out of her lip and started powdering her face.
"I probably should have introduced myself this morning but I just couldn't find you. We're sharing an apartment, over in the staff section of the island. Rose here and I have been hanging out to meet our new roomie!" Somehow, I doubted Rose was overly ecstatic about meeting me. "We're going to be total best friends, I can tell already. So where are you from? How old are you?" Alice's barrage of questions distracted me enough that I finished curling and setting my hair without having a full blown panic attack, and by the time we were ready to go, I loved the little creature already.
Alice was dressed up in a glittery pink minidress, complete with body glitter, and butterfly wings. The pixie look came naturally to her, and from looking at her I knew every little girl she chatted to today would be enchanted. Rose's outfit was the signature Marilyn Monroe white dress, and she'd pinned her wavy hair into a graceful bob just like the actress herself. My own dress was an elegant princess gown in deep blue. Alice had filled me in on the basics of today. We were all supposed to dress, come to a quick staff breakfast in our eatery and then were basically free to roam the park and interact with guests.
She grabbed my hand as we left the dressing area, and I was again overwhelmed by the beauty of the island as she dragged us along toward the main building. The island was divided up into several buildings, the biggest of which was a gigantic stone castle in the center. This building was the main hotel area, housing guests, and also containing several restaurants and the ballroom for functions and evening parties for older guests. Aside from just rich kids, Story Island was also a fairytale honeymoon destination, a fact I myself was painfully aware of in my 19-years of singledom.
Shut up, Swan, and remember that you're here to change that! Only place on Earth you're guaranteed to meet at least a few handsome princes, or knights in shining armor.
Apart from the castle, which is where we were headed, there was a cluster of smaller buildings overlooking the beach on one side of the island. This was where we, the staff, lived in little townhouses. There was also a hall with our dressing rooms, a stable, and a small warehouse for storage of props, like carriages and garden amenities. The sun shone brilliantly down and a gentle breeze swayed the too-perfect trees and rose bushes growing beside the path, which was framed by old fashioned gaslights. I could just make out the tops of several rides on the opposite side of the park. I was breathless again with the perfection of the place; like being drawn into a dream. Alice's chatty nature meant that during the breakfast, I quickly knew most of the staff by sight. The redhead with the bird-outfit was Tanya, the severe-looking russet-skinned girl in the grass skirt was Leah. The mystery J girl with the blue wig was Jessica, and judging by her silver dress and odd-looking makeup, I could only guess she was a robot of some kind. Alice pointed out the rest of the staff as we tucked into fruit and coffee.
"The blonde guy there with the spikey hair is Mike. You'll get to know him soon enough; he's your prince. Next to him is Tyler, the guy with the eye patch and pirate hat, Ben, the guy dressed like a cowboy, and Tia, the girl dressed as Cleopatra. Over there you've got Bree in the mermaid tail - which is a pain in the ass to walk with, by the way - you're so lucky you didn't get stuck with it, and Eric in the ninja suit. The huge guys over there aren't character actors; they're fire dancers who do shows on the beach at nighttime. That's Jake, Quil and Embry, but during the day they usually just chill on the beach and do surf lessons. You already know my mom, Esme, the costume lady, and my dad works here too, Carlisle, the island medic. Aro, the owner, pops in sometimes but he probably won't be here for weeks." My head was spinning with all the introductions, but she promised me I'd know everyone soon. "You'll be seeing them every day for the next month, so don't worry if you don't know them instantly."
As she spoke, the door opened and two more guys sauntered in. Her squeal made me laugh, and I glanced at Rose, who had yet to speak to me, grinning as well. I caught her eye and she winked at me.
"Ooooh, Bella! See that totally dreamy blonde guy with the brown leggings and the bow over his shoulder? That's Jasper. He's my fairy prince," she sighed, batting her lashes in his direction. "We spend a loooot of time together, if you know what I mean." I wrinked my nose. Brown leggings may have done it for Alice, but they weren't exactly my thing. Of the group of guys, Jasper lead the way. Following him was a huge muscular guy with black curly hair and... no way! I choked on my coffee. This time Rose laughed and spoke for the first time in a husky voice.
"Yes, he is really wearing a loincloth. That's Emmett, also known as Tarzan. Don't let his size fool you, he's actually kind of nice. When he's not being a total moron." She pursed her lips and refused to glance in their direction, though the pair made a beeline for our table. Emmett plonked himself down beside me and grinned, stealing a piece of pear from my plate and popping it in his mouth. I tried very hard not to look below his neck at all the exposed flesh above his leopard-print loincloth.
"Hey little princess. New?," he rumbled. I smiled at him shyly.
"I'm Bella," I told him. Across the table, Jasper had sat himself beside Alice and she had started chatting to him about her ideas for their day. From what I gathered, she wanted him to carry her on his shoulders while she threw handfuls of glitter and I felt kind of sorry for the kids she was planning on hanging out with today.
Jasper glanced over at me and, catching my eye, rolled his eyes deliberately in Alice's direction. She huffed dramatically and stuck her tongue out at us both, and I knew straight away that I would like Jasper too. I tried to finish my breakfast amidst Emmett's teasing comments about my "fabulous prince", whatever that meant, but couldn't help but feel supremely grateful to the people at my table for welcoming me so readily.
Alice tugged on my hand. "Beeella, are you ready to go? The rides and attractions start operating at ten, so we really need to get out there to start interacting with people." I nodded dumbly and the five of us made our way to the door, just as the other staff members started to head outside too. As I stepped out into the garden behind Alice, I felt something solid collide with my back and I stumbled forward a couple of steps. Automatically pissed off, I spun around to face someone very huge and very tanned. He grinned apologetically, showing brilliant white teeth.
"I'm so sorry, I'm a bit of a klutz. Are you okay?"
Stunned, I shook myself a little and felt my scowl disappear. "I'm fine, don't mention it."
He nodded slowly. "You're new, right? Belle? I'm Jacob."
I smiled tentatively. "Bella. You were close. Nice to meet you, Jacob."
"Ah, I'm making an awful first impression. Bella, right. It's much prettier than Belle anyway. Are you heading somewhere?"
"Um, I guess the rose gardens? I think I need to find my prince. But thanks."
His answering smile was radiant. "I'm headed to the beach anyway, I'm tending the Sand Bar. Come by and see me when you're finished this afternoon and I'll make you my special caprioska to make up for nearly bowling you over?"
I giggled and promised him I would before heading to my designated section for the day. The rose garden was more of a tiny shopping area. Rose bushes fringed a small clump of cafes, beauty salons and souvenir boutiques, where later in the day mothers and daughters would be milling around looking to meet fairytale handsome prince didn't seem to be here yet, so I sat down primly on a bench and hummed a pretty tune to myself. Ordinarily I would curl up and bite my nails or something, but the number one rule here was to never break character whilst in costume. Even when you couldn't see a young guest, chances were that they might see you doing something against your character, and the spell of the entire island would be broken instantly, thus lowering the experience of the holiday and losing all of our charm. In other words, yeesh, pressure.
As I waited, my mind drifted to fantasies of meeting this cute Mike boy, how we would be swept up in the magic of our fairytale pairing and would fall in love, to live happily ever after. My musings were interrupted by the arrival of my prince himself, who stuck his hand in my face. I shook it awkwardly and stared up at him.
"Hi.," he snapped.
What the? "Um. hi. I'm Bella. You're Mike, right?"
"Yeah, right. Whatevs. Look, I need to make something clear with you. We have to be, like, all sweet and whatever in front of people? But like, I am not kissing you. Sorry babe. You're just not my type."
I stared at him blankly for a few seconds. Oh. Oh!
"That's fine, Mike. I wasn't going to ask you to. But I hope we can be really good friends while we're working together."
He seemed to relax perceptibly and we lapsed into character mode as guests began to fill the area. He took my arm like a true gentleman and we chatted to people all morning, occasionally bowing or curtseying to people, and flirting for the sake of the audience we'd gained. Though the time passed quickly enough, and we hadn't encountered any brats so far, my mind was occupied.
Just my luck that my prince would be gay. The whole idea was to find a handsome prince for myself! Urghhh.
After a quick lunch break, it was finally five in the afternoon, and Mike and I began to walk back toward the staff buildings, stopping to pose for photos and chat with kids along the way. Mike removed his arm from mine as soon as we were close to the buildings and sped away. I stood motionless for a moment, sighing. I had meant it when I said I wanted to be friends, so he didn't really have to be so hostile towards me. It's not like I was going to force my female parts anywhere near him or something. I headed up the steps leading to the dressing space and, two steps from the top, caught my foot on the too-long hem of my gown and stumbled forward. I cried out and prepared to faceplant onto the stairs, but a pair of arms caught me around the waist and steadied me.
"Easy, princess.," came an amused, velvet voice from the person descending the stairs from the opposite direction. I turned my face upwards, blushing at being caught in a moment of clumsiness but couldn't answer him the moment I glimpsed his face. He was desperately pale, but I couldn't tell whether it was natural or costume makeup. His bronze hair was a complete mess, sticking up in an incredibly sexy rebellious kind of way, which matched with the badass crooked smirk on his face. The thing that stood out the most, though, was his complete beauty. High cheekbones gave him a classic, angelic look, in contrast to a strong jaw and a sinful mouth.
Oh. My. God.
"Um...," was my brilliant response. His smirk faltered for a second as I just kept staring, speechless.
"Are you okay? You should really watch where you're going.," he told me seriously, his breath washing over my face. He smelt like musk and cigarettes and cinnamon and something incredibly sweet yet masculine; pure deliciousness. I shook myself mentally and made my brain work.
"I'm fine. It's this stupid dress; I should have been holding it up. Thank you, for catching me though."
He inclined his head the slightest bit.
"The least I could do. After all, if you went down, you'd have taken me with you. I'm Edward."
"Bella." I blushed furiously, realizing that his hands were still holding my waist. "Well, I should be going. Thanks again."
I tried to maneouvre myself past him on the stairs, but he didn't budge. "Bella, you're aware this is the male dressing room, right?"
"Oh...," I mumbled, realizing that he was right. My face grew even hotter. He chuckled lightly.
"Don't be too embarrassed, this place is a nightmare when you're new. Everything looks exactly the same." He paused for a second and then wrinked his nose in distaste. "This place is a nightmare when you've been here for ages as well, actually." He shot me that crooked smile again and I felt my knees go weak. He placed his hand gently on the small of my back and guided me back down the stairs.
Finally finding my voice again, I managed to blurt, "What makes you call this place a nightmare?"
He shook his head and laughed. "It gets pretty painful, that's all. The gushy, fakeness of it all. Everything is just total bullshit and it wears on you after a while."
My jaw clenched. "So why do you work here, if you hate romance so much?"
"My grandfather owns it. Aro." He peered at me through the twilight and I glared back. "Why do you work here, Bella?"
"Because I, for one, think that romance is beautiful. And I can't imagine a greater joy than making people believe it every day that they spend here."
He snorted. "Making people buy some cheap lie? Yeah, that's just got to feel awesome." I opened my mouth to snap something back at him, but he stepped away from me and ran his hands through his already disheveled hair. "I'd love to stand here and fight with you, Bella, but my shift is about to start. I'll catch you later." I blinked in confusion for a second. Why would he be starting work now instead of this morning? I finally broke my eyes away from his face and couldn't stop from snorting. He was wearing a pair of leather pants under a black, high-necked cape with blood-red lining and a selection of heavy silver chains criss-crossed over his chest. Clutched in his hand was what looked like a pair of fangs and tooth adhesive.
He watched me perusing his costume with raised eyebrows, and once I swept my eyes back to his face he shook his head, looking irritated and turning away to slouch down the darkening path. I stood there for a moment, mouth set in a grim line, before hurrying up the stairs to the female dressing room and away from Edward, the vampire jerk extraordinaire.
Alice and Rose were waiting in our little apartment when I finally finished removing my costume and escaped the dressing room. Rose had popped her lip ring back in and had changed into a ripped black miniskirt and tank top. She was lounging on the sofa watching TV. Alice was wearing a silver sequined dress and launched herself at me the second I walked in the door.
"Oh Bella, you're finally back. How was it? How was Mike? You're coming out with us, by the way. We get the evenings off, so most of the staff come and chill on the beach. Are you going to wear that! No way, I have the perfect outfit for you!" I glanced at my clothing, feeling a little hurt. I was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a flowy white cotton top and a pair of Chucks, but from the look Alice was giving me, you'd think it was a garbage bag.
"Alice, why did nobody warn me about Mike?" I pouted, as she pushed me into the bathroom and threw a handful of black material at me. She shrugged nonchalantly.
"You didn't ask. Mike's gay, so don't hit on him." She grinned at me and I huffed at her. The black material in my hands turned out to be a very short, slinky dress with a cutout neckline and waist. I gaped at it and handed it back to her.
"I think I'll stick with the jeans. Are we ready to go?" She stuck her bottom lip out like she was going to cry, but then stepped back and looked me over again.
"Oh Bella. I'll let you off tonight, but next time we go out, you'll let me dress you. I know you will." She giggled and patted my shoulder, and we collected our purses before heading out. As we made our way to the beach bar, where the throb of music and smell of kerosene was coming from, I gritted my teeth and felt like punching myself at the thought spinning in my head: Please let vampire Edward be there tonight.
Alice grabbed my hand and lead me into the throng of people on the beach, some of whom I recognised as park employees and some who I could tell were guests. Rose disappeared from view; leaving me alone with Alice.
"I think I need a drink," I told her, and she shrugged as we made our way to the bar. A familiar warm smile greeted me and I couldn't help but grin back at the infectiously cheerful giant.
"Bella! How was your first day? I believe I promised you a drink," Jacob called over the music to me. I laughed and waved my hand at him.
"You don't owe me a thing, Jacob. My first day was... long. I'm sure I'll get used to it. My cheeks hurt from smiling," I told him conspirationally and he shrugged, handing me a tall glass of a mysterious bright liquid.
"The kids would have gotten their money's worth though, with a smile as beautiful as yours." I ducked my head, embarrassed, and held my glass up to him.
"Thanks, Jake. How much do I owe you?" He just shook his head and passed a similar glass to Alice.
"Just have a good night. I'll be out there later, fire dancing, trying not to burn myself like last time. Make sure you check it out." He shook his head in mock disgust and Alice teasingly reassured him that she had moisturizing lotion in her purse if he needed it later.
Drinks in hand, we made our way to a pair of sun lounges that had been pushed to the side of the lit beach area. She grilled me about my day and I shared all the boring details with her, right down to my encounter with the beautiful but mean vampire. Alice flicked an ice cube from her drink at me.
"Edward's my big brother, Bells. Don't tell me I forgot to mention that!" I stared at her in horror.
"You mean your grandpa..."
"Owns the park, yeah. My mom and dad live and work here too. Carlisle and Esme. I told you about them." I shook my head in disbelief that this major bit of information seemed to have slipped her mind this morning and launched back into my tirade about Edward.
"He was being so nice and charming, and then he just totally shuts down what I said about romance. How can anyone be so cold and skeptical?" I lamented. She shrugged her little shoulders at me and sipped her drink.
"Edward's always been a bit moody. Don't let him get to you. Anyway, there's a cute tourist checking you out. Blonde, by that tiki torch. Go girl!" I snapped my head up and found the guy in question. He was tall, lanky, with messy facial hair and a ponytail. He looked kind of dirty, even from a distance and I wrinkled my nose involuntarily.
"Alice, he looks like a hobo. What's going on with the ponytail?" As I spoke I kept an eye on him, and noted uncomfortably that his eyes never stopped boring into me. Creep. To make matters worse, he noticed me looking, and headed in our direction.
"Ladies," he drawled, staring straight at me. I gave him the tiniest of nods, but didn't say a word.
Alice, on the other hand, beamed brightly at him and chirped merrily in response. "Hi there! Park guest? I'm Alice and this is Bella."
"James," he murmured, barely glancing at her. "And yes, I'm here for my sister's wedding. We're staying for a week." He waved a hand absently in the direction of a pretty redhead with long ringlets, who had her arms curled around a laughing, tall black guy with long dreads. "So you work here?" he questioned, still not taking his eyes from me and making my palms sweat in discomfort.
"Bella here is a princess by day. And I'm a pixie. You don't recognize us?" Alice teased him. I suddenly stood, unable to withstand his burning eyes anymore.
"I'll be right back Alice, I just need to visit the bathroom." I shot at her, nodding at James and darting in between dancers until I was out of their sight. Sighing, I planted myself in an unoccupied bar stool and jumped out of my skin when a cold hand touched my arm.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," came a smooth, low voice. I cringed internally and gave Edward a tight smile.
"You didn't. I'm just a little jumpy." I stared at the fangs in his mouth, my eyebrow raised in silent question. He ducked his head.
"I'm on duty right now. The nocturnal entertainers have it a little more laid back than the daytime ones. As long as we remain in character to an extent, we can do what we want. We get to drink and everything," he grinned, toasting me with his glass.
"Oh," I replied brilliantly. An awkward silence descended between us and I attempted to break it, saying "How could you -" at the exact same time that he said "I can't believe you -". We both stopped and stared at each other for a moment. He spoke first.
"I wasn't attacking you, before. I was just astounded that you really got sucked in by this place. You really think that working here is going to be like a fairy tale?"
I thought carefully before replying. "I feel sorry for the people who can't find romance and magic in their lives." He nodded, the smirk having returned. His bright green eyes sparkled in amusement and I felt my temper spiking at the idea that he was laughing at me.
"I'm going to go hiss at some tourists, maybe bite a few necks. Have a nice night, Bella," he stood smoothly, leaving me completely alone at the bar again. I clenched my fists at my sides and counted to ten, slowly, before heading back to Alice. Luckily the creep had disappeared, and we returned to our gossiping about our days. I learnt that Alice and Jasper were on the brink of becoming an item, but were still at the flirtatious but meaningless stage of their relationship. And Emmett was desperately trying to court Rosalie, but she kept rebutting his advances coolly, which only made him more determined.
True to his word, later in the night Jake and two other incredibly well muscled guys performed a fire routine, much to the excitement of the females present. The three guys were nothing but cutoff shorts, and their beautiful copper skin complimented the white warpaint they spread over their chests. Jacob's fire twirling was incredible and I realized that he had been making fun of me earlier when he said he burnt himself. Despite his size, his speed and agility meant that he twisted the burning stick around him in a blur of heat and light, making him look like an ancient fire god. My jaw dropped and I could tell from the hoots of other women watching that the sensual nature of his routine wasn't lost on them either. He caught my eye and winked right as he breathed fire as his finale and I squealed, clapping and cheering with everyone else on the beach.
All too soon, we were walking back up the sandy path to the apartment.
"Sorry that this was a quiet one, Bella. There don't seem to be too many guests hanging around and I'm kind of tired," Alice yawned and pouted simulataenously, making her look like a sad doll. I reassured her that it was fine, but couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding about another long day with my bitchy prince.
I dug my favourite toiletries from my bags and had a long shower, relaxing in the fragrant steam of the bathroom and fighting images of Edward from my mind. I couldn't believe myself. I'd just watched the incredibly friendly and not-at-all-mean Jacob perform an incredibly sexy fire routine, and my mind was still plagued with Edward. All I could think of was his hands seizing my waist and his messy hair, crooked smirk and the sound of his velvet voice murmuring my name... Bella, Bella, Bella...
Frustrated, I pulled on my white cotton pajama pants and blue singlet, and stood on the balcony of my room, breathing in the scent of flowers and ocean and a hint of something else, something musky and smokey. I let the breeze play through my hair and took in the dreaminess of the park bathed in silver-blue moonlight as I leant on the railing. I could hear the quiet sounds of someone playing an acoustic guitar somewhere nearby, occasionally catching strings of a low and heartbreakingly sweet male voice singing, too. It sounded too perfect, someone must have been playing a CD in their apartment. Sighing, I turned and pulled the door closed behind me, climbing into the soft double bed and trying very hard not to imagine who I wanted beside me tonight, and how unlike my dreams today had been.