Prologue:
"You're slowing down Eddie boy." I laughed lightly as he punched my arm smiling.
"You say that after you've already lost James." He laughed as we walked the rest of the way out of the woods, towards my house. The sun was shining brilliantly, of course, causing our skin to glitter colorfully.
Edward... I sighed heavily and tried to fight the weighing feeling in my head. We were about to have the talk again.
James concerned me. For I knew the struggle between him and his cravings. Animal blood was never meant to fully satisfy our needs, like a human living off tofu. But James had seriously lost interest in our way as vegetarians. He was getting more and more tempted by the day. His will was strong...but I could hear his thoughts.
"James. Control." he sucked in a breath unpolluted by the scent of human blood. Fortunately.
"Yes, Eddie. I know. I've been a good boy." I glanced at him skeptically, trying not to peer into his mind, against my instincts telling me otherwise.
You worry too much. I smiled slightly and shook my head.
"And you have no conscience."
"Ah, the joy." He gave me a playful push and took off once again-me a foot ahead.
"Ying and Yang"
Edward
"Here comes Yin and Yang." James laughed, hearing my sister Rosalie's poisonous voice. Luckily, the venom was at a minimum, which meant she was in a good mood.
"And hello to you too, Rosie." He flashed a plastic smile and she rolled her eyes.
"James! James!" My overly eccentric little sister appeared in front of us out of thin air. Of course Jasper was behind her, trying to control his looming thoughts.
Jasper has never fully trusted James, for he too, could feel James's temptations. I appreciated his efforts and understood where he was coming from. But I had the situation under control. James was fighting it. As long as I keep him on track, he won't be forced to give in.
I hope.
"Little monster!" alice laughed as she always did at James's nickname for her and beamed brightly.
"What do you think?" she twirled around in a brand new designer dress from Marc Jacob, who was currently sponsoring her most recent fashion phase. Last year it was Tommy Hilfiger.
James eyebrows rose impressively as I gave an amused smile as my response.
I've told her a million times she looks perfect.
My eyes briefly glanced at Jasper before murmuring, "You know Alice. Always in need of a fresh opinion."
His opinion. I said nothing to that. Oddly enough, jasper's most horrifying fear is that Alice will leave him for James.
But as Alice reached for Jasper's hand and intertwined his fingers with hers, I knew that would never happen.
Jasper seemed to believe that too. For the moment.
"Stunning." Alice's smile brightened proudly as it always did when she received a compliment for her flawless ensembles she worked so hard to create.
"Thank you." She turned to me, ignoring the fact I had already seen the images flash in her mind. "Bella will be awaiting you at Twilight, Edward."
"Ah, love," James cooed mockingly. I shoved his shoulder smiling.
"Don't be jealous, James. I see love in your future."
"Who would want him? He is way too cranky in the mornings," My big brother Emmet. Always capable of saying the most random and profound things at the most inappropriate times.
James ignored him, as he sat on the couch in the living room and turned on the TV to baseball; and smiled genuinely at Alice. Jasper stiffened.
"Thank you Alice." She winked at him and leaned back into Jasper. He wrapped his arm around her and tried to calm himself.
Still jealous, eh? I nodded slightly in response to Alice's thoughts. She pursed her lips barely long enough for anyone who wasn't looking at her to notice.
Hmph. Well you better get going. You know, Bella can't last long.
Ah, my sweet Bella. Though her blood sings to me, causing me to understand James's predicament, I had managed to fall in love with the mortal beauty who did know about me and my family but didn't care. She didn't seemed very afraid either, which worried me. Then again, I worried about Bella all the time. She was fragile and rather clumsy. I didn't know what I'd do if Charlie called and said she fell in a well somewhere.
I'd have a heart attack.
"Uh oh. Eddie boy has that look."
"Must be Bella time." Rose walked into the living room to join her mate.
"Oo. Tell her I said hi!"
"Of course Alice."
"It's only been five hours since you've last seen her." James finished my thought as he always did. Rosalie's nickname for us came her not so insane theory, me and James were mentally connected. Like twins. I was almost certain if it weren't for my talent, I'd still be able to read what he was thinking clear as a bell.
Alice stuck her tongue out at him and I slowly stood up straight.
"You coming?" James usually raced me to Bella's house; say hi to Charlie and Jake, Bella's watchdog who was also in love with Nessie; then run to La Push to annoy the mutts.
He shook his head. "I think you're old enough to find your way. Besides, Rose would miss me." there was a bitter cackle from the living room. I chuckled before nodding.
"Alright. I'll see you at school." we both attended an all boy High School along with Jacob and his pack of dogs.
"See ya Eddie boy." I rolled my eyes and walked outside to my silver Volvo.
My happiness was just moments away.
James
I hummed the sweet melody of despair as I walked alone through the woods. Edward's time with his high school sweetheart gave me the opportunity to think without knowing-without a doubt-he was hearing every word, every syllable, every letter.
Yes, Edward is my best friend. He was the first person I met after being changed into a vampire, a monster. He helped me see I wasn't dead, but alive to the world hidden from humanity's eyes; and I helped him realize he wasn't a monster. There were other ways to feed then taking a human life-then I hadn't known my words would backfire on me.
I could feel my cravings pounding at the back of my mind with ferocious fists. It was becoming harder and harder to keep the lingering predator at bay in the restrictions of my mind. I knew Eddie frequently saw this predator and for that I truly felt remorse.
Before we both found Carlisle and his wife, Esme, Edward had been my only family. And I would have killed for him. There was just something in me that needed Edward's approval. That something was giving me the extra boost to kill animals-not humans-and not let Eddie boy down.
"Lose your way?" I smirked at Jake before turning around. His stench gave him away and he knew it.
"Aren't you in the wrong set of trees, mutt?" he smiled, liking the exchange of witty comments. As do I. Which explained this limited friendship.
He was the only dog's ass, I would not kick.
"What are you doing here?" his voice had lost all roughness which was about as friendly as it got.
"I could ask you the same thing. Shopping for a new bathroom?" he rolled his eyes and flipped me the bird as he leaned against a tree.
"Edward came over and he and Bella got frisky." I raised an eyebrow playfully.
"And you didn't stay and watch?"
"I thought it was best to give them their privacy," He muttered sarcastically.
"How generous." he chuckled darkly but I caught the slight tremor. Time to quit while I was ahead.
"Ness is pissed at me again." I laughed.
"If I counted the number of times you pissed Nessie off, it'd be two hours later and I'd be at a hundred." he kicked dirt at me and I laughed again.
Nessie, Jake's true love-who just so happens to be an immortal- was in the same grade as us, in the all girls high school across the street from our school. Her, Bella, and Alice were practically inseparable when they weren't spending quality time with their boyfriends. Nessie was Bella's little sister, which meant Bella was an immortal too. Soon to become a vampire in her future. So Alice says. She also says to keep our traps shut, since to Bella's knowledge-she's 100% human, which is more or less true. Nessie's genes are cooperating with the transformation while Bella, not sure of what's happening, is trying to fight it off like a disease. So, naturally, Nessie will show signs of her immortality before Bella, who is doomed to find out what she is when she turns 17-two months from now.
"What did you do now?" He sighed.
"She knows about me and Bella." ouch. That was a biggie.
"She knows everything?"
"Everything. Remind me to tackle Rosalie next time I see her." Rosalie was always going out of her way to prove she couldn't stand Jake. As if saying it and thinking it at least three times a day wasn't effective. Rose was pretty tough for an ice queen and looked as if she could handle her own; her and Jake having a death match-that I would love to see.
"Think I should get her a card and flowers?" I laughed, fully amused with the idea.
"Sure. Sorry Ness for not telling you, I dated and deflowered your big sister. Will you ever be able to look at me without cursing under breath and forgive me?" Changing my voice to perfectly mimic his. he winced slightly before trying to make a light joke out of it.
"Do I really sound like that?"