Hi. That a chapter from a story that I MIGHT write. I'm not sure if I would have the time. So, I need many reviews so I could write the next chapter the best that I can. Thanks! Enjoy.
Parking Lot Reading
Chapter 1 - Reading Preface and Engaged
"All students please gather at the school's parking lot immediately. It's urgent. I repeat –all students please gather at the school's parking lot immediately. Teachers, follow the suit and please gather at the school's parking lot." Principal Greene's voice echoed in the school cafeteria.
Students wondered what that was all about. Mr. Greene sounded stressed. They slowly left the cafeteria, taking the food with them, and gathered at the parking lot. There was a lot of noise, something that bothered the Cullen siblings. They preferred quiet.
Isabella Swan walked outside with Angela and Jessica and the others whom she couldn't remember the names of. What a way to start her fist day of school in Forks. Interesting, sure, but a bit too exciting for her taste.
Some people had to move their cars in order to make room for all of the school students and staff. When everyone was seated (at the dirty ground, may I add), Mr. Greene took a microphone and started speaking. There were still many kids talking and whispering, but he paid them no attention – his voice was loud enough with the microphone.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you all, but I brought you here to read something rather important. It's a book that has been sent to me, and I believe it to be necessary for the rest of your school year." He said.
Edward Cullen grimaced. He knew Mr. Greene was lying. The school has been threatened by an unknown group of possible terrorists. Greene got a note earlier today saying he had to gather all of the school and read them the book, or else the group would explode the whole school and parking lot, including the school gates and parts of the road leading to the school. Edward knew it could be a possibility – during the past week, a few men in work clothes came to 'check the school's electricity'. Edward didn't pay much attention to them and to their thought, and therefore it could be completely possible that the school was surrounded by bombs.
He shared that information with his brothers and sisters. Rosalie made a sour face – she really didn't want to stay here and listen to their principal read a book. But what choice did she have?
"First and foremost, I need you all to be quiet while reading this book. It's important that you listened." Greene continued. "Also, a woman must read this book." He was confused as to the 'why' part, but you don't mess with terrorists, right?
One of the female teachers came forward to read. Mr. Greene gave her the book. It was a rather thick novel, it seemed.
She flipped the book to its back and read: "I'd had more than my fair share of near-death experiences; it wasn't something you ever really got used to.
It seemed oddly inevitable, though, facing death again. Like I really was marked for disaster. I'd escaped time and time again, but it kept coming back for me.
Still, this time was so different from the others.
You could run from someone you feared, you could try to fight someone you hated. All my reactions were geared toward those kinds of killers-the monsters, the enemies.
When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options.
"Why would you love the one who was killing you?" someone asked. Kids around him shrugged.
How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give your beloved, how could you not give it?"
The teacher turned the book again and opened it to the first page. "This chapter is called 'Engaged'.
No one is staring at you, I promised myself. No one is staring at you. No one is staring at you.
"Someone is staring at her." chuckled Mike Newton. Jessica giggled. She wanted Mike to think she found him funny.
But, because I couldn't lie convincingly even to myself, I had to check.
As I sat waiting for one of the three traffic lights in town to turn green, I peeked to the right – in her minivan, Mrs. Weber had turned her whole torso in my direction.
"Wait, stop." yelled Eric Yorkie. Angela Webber had wide eyes. The teacher stopped, raising an eyebrow. "Just, do you think this book might be about us? I mean, I know Mrs. Webber form here drives a minivan." He said.
"I don't think so, no." said Angela. "It couldn't be. Who would write about us?"
Others nodded.
Her eyes bored into mine, and I flinched back, wondering why she didn't drop her gaze or look ashamed. It was still considered rude to stare at people, wasn't it? Didn't that apply to me anymore?
Then I remembered that these windows were so darkly tinted that she probably had no idea if it was even me in here, let alone that I'd caught her looking. I tried to take some comfort in the fact that she wasn't really staring at me, just the car.
My car. Sigh.
Rosalie Hale and half the boys in the school sighed as well. They absolutely loved cars. They wondered what kind of car this girl has.
I glanced to the left and groaned. Two pedestrians were frozen on the sidewalk, missing their chance to cross as they stared. Behind them, Mr. Marshall was gawking through the plate glass window of his little souvenir shop.
"Okay, this is about us." said Eric. Some of the students looked amazed. Who would want to write about old, rainy Forks?
"Mr. Yorkie, it is not uncommon to have books written about towns. It's writing material all the same, you know. Now, be quiet." chided Mr. Mason.
At least he didn't have his nose pressed up against the glass. Yet.
The light turned green and, in my hurry to escape, I stomped on the gas pedal without thinking – the normal way I would have punched it to get my ancient Chevy truck moving.
Bella Swan gasped. Someone else has a truck in Forks. Or was it about Billy, the former owner of the Chevy? Because she didn't see any other Chevys in the parking lot, and she didn't see any other ancient trucks when she drove with Charlie or to school this morning.
Engine snarling like a hunting panther, the car jolted forward so fast that my body slammed into the black leather seat and my stomach flattened against my spine.
"Arg!" I gasped as I fumbled for the brake. Keeping my head, I merely tapped the pedal. The car lurched to an absolute standstill anyway.
This girl doesn't know how to drive, thought some random student, shaking his head. Others thought on the same line of thought.
I couldn't bear to look around at the reaction. If there had been any doubt as to who was driving this car before, it was gone now. With the toe of my shoe, I gently nudged the gas pedal down one half millimeter, and the car shot forward again.
I managed to reach my goal, the gas station. If I hadn't been running on vapors, I wouldn't have come into town at all. I was going without a lot of things these days, like Pop-Tarts and shoelaces, to avoid spending time in public.
"Whoever it is, she has social problems." said a student. Others around her nodded, grinning and smiling.
Moving as if I were in a race, I got the hatch open, the cap off, the card scanned, and the nozzle in the tank within seconds. Of course, there was nothing I could do to make the numbers on the gauge pick up the pace. They ticked by sluggishly, almost as if they were doing it just to annoy me.
It wasn't bright out – a typical drizzly day in Forks, Washington –
"It is about us!" yelled Eric.
"Yes, I think we went over that, Mr. Yorkie. Now, be quiet. We need to finish this." said the teacher.
but I still felt like a spotlight was trained on me, drawing attention to the delicate ring on my left hand. At times like this, sensing the eyes on my back, it felt as if the ring were pulsing like a neon sign: Look at me, look at me.
It was stupid to be so self-conscious, and I knew that. Besides my dad and mom, did it really matter what people were saying about my engagement?
"Ohh. Engagement, to who?" whispered Mike in Lauren's ear. She shoved him aside, rolling her eyes.
About my new car? About my mysterious acceptance into an Ivy League college? About the shiny black credit card that felt red-hot in my back pocket right now?
"Yeah, who cares what they think," I muttered under my breath.
"Um, miss?" a man's voice called. I turned, and then wished I hadn't.
Two men stood beside a fancy SUV with brand-new kayaks tied to the top. Neither of them was looking at me; they both were staring at the car.
Personally, I didn't get it. But then, I was just proud I could distinguish between the symbols for Toyota, Ford, and Chevy. This car was glossy black, sleek, and pretty, but it was still just a car to me.
The half of the male population who were glad earlier, hoping to have something in common with this character, sighed in disappointment. It was really a shame.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but could you tell me what kind of car you're driving?" the tall one asked.
"Um, a Mercedes, right?"
This girl is really stupid, thought Rosalie Hale.
"Yes," the man said politely while his shorter friend rolled his eyes at my answer. "I know. But I was wondering, is that… are you driving a Mercedes Guardian?"
"Huh?" nobody, of course, knew what a Mercedes Guardian was. Probably a very fancy car, by the sound of it, but Rosalie Hale knew. She looked for car parts and found this new model. It hasn't been released yet, but in a few years it's supposed to be on the market. She couldn't wait for that.
The man said the name with reverence. I had a feeling this guy would get along well with Edward Cullen,
The Cullens, and those around them, gasped. Nobody, and I repeat NOBODY, was supposed to have permanent documentation of their existence in Forks, or any other town for that matter. It was a very well kept secret. They weren't supposed to know. Now, though, Edward's name was in a book. Not good.
And another thing they found suspicious, why was Edward mentioned in this book? They got their answer when the teacher read the next line.
my… my fiancé
The gasps were louder this time. How dare someone use Edward's name in that content? Him having a fiancée was scandalous. Yes, one couldn't help but wonder, what if it were true? What if Edward got married someday? What kind of a wife would he have? The girls of Forks High wondered who the lucky girl would have been, and what her features and characteristics were. They wanted to be like her, and then maybe…
(there really was no getting around that truth with the wedding just days away). "They aren't supposed to be available in Europe yet," the man went on, "let alone here."
The Cullen siblings frowned.
While his eyes traced the contours of my car – it didn't look much different from any other Mercedes sedan to me, but what did I know? – I briefly contemplated my issues with words like fiancé, wedding, husband, etc.
"Great, Edward. Whoever this girl is, she certainly doesn't want to marry you!" Emmett Cullens burst into a laugh. Jasper, beside him, smiled in amusement. Edward scowled.
I just couldn't put it together in my head.
On the one hand, I had been raised to cringe at the very thought of poofy white dresses and bouquets. But more than that, I just couldn't reconcile a staid, respectable, dull concept like husband with my concept of Edward. It was like casting an archangel as an accountant; I couldn't visualize him in any commonplace role.
"Pffftt! Amazing, that girl. I wish she was real. That could have been awesome!" Emmett laughed again. Alice Cullen, the tiniest of them all, smiled knowingly. Edward shot her a curious glare, annoyed she was hiding something from him.
Like always, as soon as I started thinking about Edward I was caught up in a dizzy spin of fantasies.
"Dizzy fantasies – Edward, you have got to buy that book." said Emmett.
The entire school was amazed at how the Cullen siblings interacted with each other. They have never seen them acting so playful, just brooding and distant.
The stranger had to clear his throat to get my attention; he was still waiting for an answer about the car's make and model.
"I don't know," I told him honestly.
"Do you mind if I take a picture with it?"
t took me a second to process that. "Really? You want to take a picture with the car?"
"Sure – nobody is going to believe me if I don't get proof."
"Um. Okay. Fine."
I swiftly put away the nozzle and crept into the front seat to hide while the enthusiast dug a huge professional looking camera out of his backpack. He and his friend took turns posing by the hood, and then they went to take pictures at the back end.
"I miss my truck," I whimpered to myself.
Very, very convenient – too convenient – that my truck would wheeze its last wheeze just weeks after Edward and I had agreed to our lopsided compromise, one detail of which was that he be allowed to replace my truck when it passed on.
"It's your fault. You ruined her truck." scolded Alice lightly. She was laughing. Edward ignored her.
Edward swore it was only to be expected; my truck had lived a long, full life and then expired of natural causes. According to him.
"Ever she knows it." remarked Alice.
And, of course, I had no way to verify his story or to try to raise my truck from the dead on my own. My favorite mechanic –
I stopped that thought cold, refusing to let it come to a conclusion. Instead, I listened to the men's voices outside, muted by the car walls.
"…went at it with a flame thrower in the online video. Didn't even pucker the paint."
"Of course not. You could roll a tank over this baby. Not much of a market for one over here. Designed for Middle East diplomats, arms dealers, and drug lords mostly."
"Think she's something?" the short one asked in a softer voice. I ducked my head, cheeks flaming.
"I'm guessing not." someone said.
"Huh," the tall one said. "Maybe. Can't imagine what you'd need missile-proof glass and four thousand pounds of body armor for around here. Must be headed somewhere more hazardous."
Body armor. Four thousand pounds of body armor. And missile-proof glass? Nice. What had happened to good old-fashioned bulletproof?
Well, at least this made some sense – if you had a twisted sense of humor.
Some people raised an eyebrow, bemused.
It wasn't like I hadn't expected Edward to take advantage of our deal, to weight it on his side so that he could give so much more than he would receive. I'd agreed that he could replace my truck when it needed replacing, not expecting that moment to come quite so soon, of course. When I'd been forced to admit that the truck had become no more than a still-life tribute to classic Chevys on my curb, I knew his idea of a replacement was probably going to embarrass me. Make me the focus of stares and whispers. I'd been right about that part. But even in my darkest imaginings I had not foreseen that he would get me two cars.
"Something's wrong. It sounds too much like us. Two cars. It sounds too much like Edward. Nobody interviewed him, and nobody spoke to him about this. How could the author of this book know Edward so well?" asked Jasper Hale quietly, just enough so his family would hear.
"I don't know." said Edward.
The "before" car and the "after" car, he'd explained when I'd flipped out.
This was just the "before" car. He'd told me it was a loaner and promised that he was returning it after the wedding. It all had made absolutely no sense to me. Until now.
Ha ha. Because I was so fragilely human,
Rosalie shot an alarmed glance at her family. Human, it had said human. She was human, so that means they are not. How in the world would the author know that?
so accident prone, so much a victim to my own dangerous bad luck, apparently I needed a tank-resistant car to keep me safe. Hilarious. I was sure he and his brothers had enjoyed the joke quite a bit behind my back.
"It mentions you." Edward told his brothers, confused. Was this going to be all about his family? Was it going to expose their secret? No, that was just too dangerous. The Volturi would go as far as to kill every human and vampire in this school, blowing them up or coming up with some convenient explanation for their deaths.
Or maybe, just maybe, a small voice whispered in my head, it's not a joke, silly. Maybe he's really that worried about you. This wouldn't be the first time he's gone a little overboard trying to protect you.
I sighed.
I hadn't seen the "after" car yet. It was hidden under a sheet in the deepest corner of the Cullens' garage. I knew most people would have peeked by now, but I really didn't want to know.
Probably no body armor on that car – because I wouldn't need it after the honeymoon. Virtual indestructibility was just one of the many perks I was looking forward to.
"Holy shit," Emmett cursed. This was certainly going to expose them. They were doomed.
"We have to take that book away." said Jasper, leaning forward.
"No, wait. Wait. It's going to be fine. Don't worry. I can see it. The secret will be out, but it will be fine. Nothing bad will happen. I promise." Alice pleaded, pushing Jasper back to where he was standing before.
Rosalie, Emmett and Edward looked reluctant, but did as she asked. Nobody bets against Alice, after all. They had to trust her.
The best parts about being a Cullen were not expensive cars and impressive credit cards.
"Hey," the tall man called, cupping his hands to the glass in an effort to peer in. "We're done now. Thanks a lot!"
"You're welcome," I called back, and then tensed as I started the engine and eased the pedal – ever so gently – down…
No matter how many times I drove down the familiar road toward home, I still couldn't make the rain-washed flyers fade into the background. Each one of them, stapled to telephone poles and taped to street signs, was like a fresh slap in the face. A well-deserved slap in the face. My mind was sucked back into the thought I'd interrupted so immediately before. I couldn't avoid it on this road. Not with pictures of my favorite mechanic flashing past me at regular intervals.
My best friend. My Jacob.
"Jacob?" asked Jacob Gregory's friend. Heads turned to stare at him.
"It's not me. I don't know the first thing about cars. I'm an artist." defended Jacob.
The HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY? posters were not Jacob's father's idea. It had been my father, Charlie,
"Oh my god." gasped Bella. This was about her. She was skeptic at first, when the book mentioned the Chevy, but now she as almost completely sure.
who'd printed up the flyers and spread them all over town. And not just Forks, but Port Angeles and Sequim and Hoquiam and Aberdeen and every other town in the Olympic Peninsula… He'd made sure that all the police stations in the state of Washington had the same flyer hanging on the wall, too.
"Oh, Gosh, Bella. It's talking about you!" shouted Jessica Stanly. That was not the smartest thing to do, because now Bella's location was revealed. She silently wanted to hit Jessica, but didn't.
The Cullens stared, too.
"So this is-"
"Don't you dare complete that sentence!" hissed Edward at his brother. He has known what he was about to say, and it was just disgusting.
Emmett snickered at his brother.
Edward looked at Isabella, too. In the book, they were engaged. He wondered if it was possible for him to love this girl in reality. He wondered if she would hate him when she finds out about him being a vampire.
His own station had a whole corkboard dedicated to finding Jacob. A corkboard that was mostly empty, much to his disappointment and frustration.
My dad was disappointed with more than the lack of response. He was most disappointed with Billy, Jacob's father – and Charlie's closest friend.
"Oh. Jacob Black." whispered Bella. Realization suddenly dawned on her. This was her thoughts. Hers. Out in the open. So embarrassing. She blushed.
For Billy's not being more involved with the search for his sixteen-year-old "runaway."
"Jacob's fifteen." Bella suddenly said.
People looked at her, and she regretted opening her mouth.
"That means it's a year from now. The book, I mean." she explained.
For Billy's refusing to put up the flyers in La Push, the reservation on the coast that was Jacob's home. For his seeming resigned to Jacob's disappearance, as if there was nothing he could do. For his saying, "Jacob's grown up now. He'll come home if he wants to."
And he was frustrated with me for taking Billy's side.
Bella wondered why she would do that. It was important that Jacob was found.
I wouldn't put up posters, either. Because both Billy and I knew where Jacob was, roughly speaking, and we also knew that no one had seen this boy.
"Of course – Quileutes." said Edward to his brothers and sisters. "They are wolves. Of course no one has seen this boy."
The flyers put the usual big, fat lump in my throat, the usual stinging tears in my eyes, and I was glad Edward was out hunting this Saturday.
Rosalie frowned. She didn't like it that their secret would be discovered.
People were wondering what it meant that Edward was hunting. Sure, they knew the Cullens were big on camping trips, but hunting?
If Edward saw my reaction, it would only make him feel terrible, too.
Of course, there were drawbacks to it being Saturday. As I turned slowly and carefully onto my street, I could see my dad's police cruiser in the driveway of our home. He'd skipped fishing again today. Still sulking about the wedding.
So I wouldn't be able to use the phone inside. But I had to call…
I parked on the curb behind the Chevy sculpture and pulled the cell phone Edward had given me for emergencies out of the glove compartment. I dialed, keeping my finger on the "end" button as the phone rang. Just in case.
"Hello?" Seth Clearwater answered, and I sighed in relief.
"Clearwater? Another Quileute family, then." said Edward.
I was way too chicken to speak to his older sister, Leah. The phrase "bite my head off" was not entirely a figure of speech when it came to Leah.
"Another wolf?" asked Rosalie.
"But she is a girl." said Edward, confused now. A girl can't be part of the wolf pack – Carlisle has told them that much.
"Hey, Seth, it's Bella."
"Oh, hiya, Bella! How are you?"
Choked up. Desperate for reassurance. "Fine."
"She only said 'fine', by the way." said the teacher.
"Calling for an update?"
"You're psychic."
"Not hardly. I'm no Alice
"Oh, god." said Rosalie.
"What do they mean?"
"Is it true?"
"Cool, I wonder what power I have in this book!"
– you're just predictable," he joked. Among the Quileute pack down at La Push, only Seth was comfortable even mentioning the Cullens by name, let alone joking about things like my nearly omniscient sister-in-law-to-be.
"Me, obviously." said Alice, grinning.
"I know I am." I hesitated for a minute. "How is he?" Seth sighed. "Same as ever. He won't talk, though we know he hears us. He's trying not to think human, you know. Just going with his instincts."
"What?" asked someone.
"I don't know." Someone else said.
"Do you know where he is now?"
"Somewhere in northern Canada. I can't tell you which province. He doesn't pay much attention to state lines."
"Any hint that he might…"
"He's not coming home, Bella. Sorry."
I swallowed. "S'okay, Seth. I knew before I asked. I just can't help wishing."
"Yeah. We all feel the same way."
"Thanks for putting up with me, Seth. I know the others must give you a hard time."
"They're not your hugest fans," he agreed cheerfully.
"Kind of lame, I think. Jacob made his choices, you made yours. Jake doesn't like their attitude about it. 'Course, he isn't super thrilled that you're checking up on him, either."
I gasped. "I thought he wasn't talking to you?"
"He can't hide everything from us, hard as he's trying."
So Jacob knew I was worried. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Well, at least he knew I hadn't skipped off into the sunset and forgotten him completely. He might have imagined me capable of that.
"I guess I'll see you at the… wedding," I said, forcing the word out through my teeth.
"Yeah, me and my mom will be there. It was cool of you to ask us."
I smiled at the enthusiasm in his voice. Though inviting the Clearwaters had been Edward's idea,
"What?" hissed Emmett, "you invited them to your wedding?"
"I haven't done it. It's just a book, Emmett." said Edward.
I was glad he'd thought of it. Having Seth there would be nice – a link, however tenuous, to my missing best man. "It wouldn't be the same without you."
"Tell Edward I said hi, 'kay?"
"Sure thing."
I shook my head. The friendship that had sprung up between Edward and Seth was something that still boggled my mind. It was proof, though, that things didn't have to be this way. That werewolves and vampires could get along just fine, thank you very much, if they were of a mind to.
"Vampires? Werewolves? What kind of a book is that?" asked some student.
Suddenly, every pair of eyes was fixed on the Cullens.
Alice sighed. "Just keep reading, please."
The teacher nodded, but nobody looked back from the Cullens.
Not everybody liked this idea.
"Ah," Seth said, his voice cracking up an octave. "Er, Leah's home."
"Oh! Bye!"
The phone went dead. I left it on the seat and prepared myself mentally to go inside the house, where Charlie would be waiting.
My poor dad had so much to deal with right now. Jacob-the-runaway was just one of the straws on his overburdened back. He was almost as worried about me, his barely-a-legal-adult daughter who was about to become a Mrs. in just a few days' time. I walked slowly through the light rain, remembering the night we'd told him…
As the sound of Charlie's cruiser announced his return, the ring suddenly weighed a hundred pounds on my finger. I wanted to shove my left hand in a pocket, or maybe sit on it, but Edward's cool, firm grasp
"How would they know all of this?" asked Rosalie from between her teeth.
"Maybe it's a book telling the future." Emmett smiled. That would be interesting.
"Maybe," Alice said mysteriously. Edward now saw what she meant – she couldn't block her thoughts from him forever. He was surprised. So this book was actually from the future. Did it mean he was going to get married to Isabella, the new girl?
kept it front and center. "Stop fidgeting, Bella. Please try to remember that you're not confessing to a murder here."
"Easy for you to say."
Bella blushed. This was what she would have said, probably. How would the author of the book know her so well? It wasn't possible.
Other people wondered the same thing. They didn't know any authors, and they have never heard of this book. They were starting to get suspicious about this whole thing. Maybe it told the future? Maybe Bella wrote it? Maybe one of the Cullens wrote it?
Edward slightly shook his head. It wasn't them who wrote the book, but was it the Swan girl? He, again, couldn't hear even a thought from her. Nothing, absolutely nothing. It could have been her, but how would she know their secret? And how would she know how he usually acted, and his family?
I listened to the ominous sound of my father's boots clomping up the sidewalk. The key rattled in the already open door. The sound reminded me of that part of the horror movie when the victim realizes she's forgotten to lock her deadbolt…
"Dramatic, aren't you?" Mike chuckled.
Kids who heard his remark laughed.
Bella blushed a deeper color of red.
"Calm down, Bella," Edward whispered, listening to the acceleration of my heart.
Rosalie frowned again.
"Just accept it. The secret's out. It will be fine." Alice reassured her.
The door slammed against the wall, and I flinched like I'd been Tasered.
"Hey, Charlie," Edward called, entirely relaxed.
"No!" I hissed under my breath.
"What?" Edward whispered back.
"Wait till he hangs his gun up!"
Edward chuckled and ran his free hand through his tousled bronze hair.
A book from the future, of course it would know every little thing about him. Edward wondered again who the author might be.
Charlie came around the corner, still in his uniform, still armed, and tried not to make a face when he spied us sitting together on the loveseat. Lately, he'd been putting forth a lot of effort to like Edward more. Of course, this revelation was sure to end that effort immediately.
"Hey, kids. What's up?"
"We'd like to talk to you," Edward said, so serene. "We have some good news."
Charlie's expression went from strained friendliness to black suspicion in a second.
"Good news?" Charlie growled, looking straight at me.
"Have a seat, Dad."
He raised one eyebrow, stared at me for five seconds, then stomped to the recliner and sat down on the very edge, his back ramrod straight.
"Don't get worked up, Dad," I said after a moment of loaded silence. "Everything's okay."
Edward grimaced, and I knew it was in objection to the word "okay." He probably would have used something more like "wonderful" or "perfect" or "glorious."
"That's true." said Jasper, smiling.
"Ahh. Hey everyone!" Alice suddenly yelled.
Every pair of eyes turned to look at her. Was something going on? Was someone going to confess for writing this book? Are they going to be told what is happening here?
"It's a book from the future. Deal with it. Nothing will happen to you, trust me." She added when she saw their terrified faces. Edward could practically hear the wheels turning inside their brains.
"You're vampires!" someone screamed.
"OhMyGosh!"
"Ahhh!"
"Lucy, RUN!"
"Jacob, come on, let's get out of here!"
"How didn't we realize this sooner?"
"Mike, save me!"
"Ahem." Alice was holding the microphone, speaking into it. There were more screams, because of her speed. People were scared. Vampires? They would drink their blood! They would kill them! "Relax. We're not going to hurt anyone. Just to Mrs. Liingue read. I promise, you're safe with us."
That did not calm the student body much, but Jasper felt it helped a bit.
Alice went back to her family and Mrs. Liingue went back to reading.
"Sure it is, Bella, sure it is. If everything is so great then why are you sweating bullets?"
"I'm not sweating," I lied.
Mike made a tsk tsk sound at Bella. "Lying to your father, Bella?" he was still a little scared from the vampires only a hundred feet away from him, but he tried to seem macho in front of Bella and Jessica, and other girls. After all, he had a reputation to keep.
She looked away, embarrassed. She was still a bit shaken from the news, but didn't say a word.
I leaned away from his fierce scowl, cringing into Edward, and instinctively wiped the back of my right hand across my forehead to remove the evidence.
"You're pregnant!" Charlie exploded. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"
"Oh my god, are you?" Jessica asked. Bella noticed she moved away from her slightly.
"Of course I'm not." She said.
"It would be okay if you were." Angela told her.
Bella smiled.
Though the question was probably meant for me, he was glaring at Edward now, and I could have sworn I saw his hand twitch toward the gun.
Emmett grinned.
"No! Of course I'm not!" I wanted to elbow Edward in the ribs, but I knew that move would only give me a bruise. I'd told Edward that people would immediately jump to this conclusion! What other possible reason would sane people have for getting married at eighteen?
"Love," said Edward.
(His answer then had made me roll my eyes. Love. Right.) Charlie's glower lightened a shade. It was usually pretty clear on my face when I was telling the truth, and he believed me now. "Oh. Sorry."
"Apology accepted."
There was a long pause. After a moment, I realized everyone was waiting for me to say something. I looked up at Edward, panic-stricken. There was no way I was going to get the words out. He smiled at me and then squared his shoulders and turned to my father.
"Charlie, I realize that I've gone about this out of order. Traditionally, I should have asked you first. I mean no disrespect, but since Bella has already said yes and I don't want to diminish her choice in the matter, instead of asking you for her hand, I'm asking you for your blessing.
"So romantic," said Alice approvingly.
We're getting married, Charlie. I love her more than anything in the world, more than my own life, and – by some miracle – she loves me that way, too. Will you give us your blessing?"
Jasper chuckled. "Edward, some of the girls-"
"I know Jasper. Don't say that." He shuddered. He didn't want to hear about their lust for him more than he had to. Although, now that they knew he was a vampire many of them were more scared than anything. Some, though, fantasized about him in an even more disturbing way. Vampires are apparently sexy.
He sounded so sure, so calm. For just an instant, listening to the absolute confidence in his voice, I experienced a rare moment of insight. I could see, fleetingly, the way the world looked to him. For the length of one heartbeat, this news made perfect sense.
And then I caught sight of the expression on Charlie's face, his eyes now locked on the ring.
I held my breath while his skin changed colors – fair to red, red to purple, purple to blue. I started to get up – I'm not sure what I planned to do; maybe use the Heimlich maneuver to make sure he wasn't choking – but Edward squeezed my hand and murmured "Give him a minute" so low that only I could hear.
"No father wants to hear his daughter is getting married," Mr. Greene sighed sadly.
The silence was much longer this time. Then, gradually, shade by shade, Charlie's color returned to normal. His lips pursed, and his eyebrows furrowed; I recognized his "deep in thought" expression. He studied the two of us for a long moment, and I felt Edward relax at my side.
"Guess I'm not that surprised," Charlie grumbled. "Knew I'd have to deal with something like this soon enough."
"Because you were so in love, so sweet together that he already knew." said Emmett.
"Probably." Alice smiled.
"Oh, shut it." Edward said.
I exhaled.
"You sure about this?" Charlie demanded, glaring at me.
"I'm one hundred percent sure about Edward," I told him without missing a beat.
Bella Swan was still in a daze. She was going to marry a vampire in this book, and she wasn't even scared or hesitant. She then looked at the Cullens, or more specifically, at Edward Cullen. How did she manage to make that god want to marry her? She really didn't know.
She flushed again because her thoughts were read out in public. At least, she thought, they aren't my thoughts yet. Not yet, not for a year. It was like reading about someone very, very familiar, but not her.
"Getting married, though? What's the rush?" He eyed me suspiciously again.
The rush was due to the fact that I was getting closer to nineteen every stinking day, while Edward stayed frozen in all his seventeen-year-old perfection.
"Is that a vampire trait?" someone asked.
"Yes," answered Alice simply. The boy looked startled from being addressed to by a vampire, but kept quiet.
Not that this fact necessitated marriage in my book, but the wedding was required due to the delicate and tangled compromise Edward and I had made to get to this point, the brink of my transformation from mortal to immortal.
"What?" asked Mike, "You're going to turn into one of them?"
"It hasn't happened yet. I don't know." Bella told him.
Rosalie was angry. Why would she want to turn into a vampire? To never have kids, or a family of her own? How dare she? Didn't she realize what she was giving up? Stupid human!
These weren't things I could explain to Charlie.
"We're going away to Dartmouth together in the fall, Charlie," Edward reminded him. "I'd like to do that, well, the right way. It's how I was raised." He shrugged.
He wasn't exaggerating; they'd been big on old fashioned morals during World War I.
"Just how old are you?" asked a girl who was sitting on the ground near the Cullens. Well, not near, but close enough. She was one of the first to move away from them when they told the school they were vampires.
"Old enough," said Edward. He was annoyed. Why did he have to tell those people everything about him? Just because of a book, they thought they had the right to know everything.
The girl accepted the answer, not really wanting to but knowing she wouldn't get any more from him.
Charlie's mouth twisted to the side. Looking for an angle to argue from. But what could he say? I'd prefer you live in sin first? He was a dad; his hands were tied.
"That's true." said Mr. Jefferson. He had a daughter and a son. His daughter wanted to marry her boyfriend before they moved in together after college, and he couldn't say no.
"Knew this was coming," he muttered to himself, frowning. Then, suddenly, his face went perfectly smooth and blank.
"Dad?" I asked anxiously. I glanced at Edward, but I couldn't read his face, either, as he watched Charlie.
"Ha!" Charlie exploded. I jumped in my seat. "Ha, ha, ha!"
"Have he gone crazy?" Jessica asked Bella.
"Honestly, he might have." Bella had never seen her father act like this.
I stared incredulously as Charlie doubled over in laughter; his whole body shook with it.
I looked at Edward for a translation, but Edward had his lips pressed tightly together, like he was trying to hold back laughter himself.
"I don't get the joke." someone said.
"Okay, fine," Charlie choked out. "Get married." Another roll of laughter shook through him. "But…"
"But what?" I demanded.
"But you have to tell your mom! I'm not saying one word to Renée! That's all yours!" He busted into loud guffaws.
"Is she that bad?" asked Angela.
"No, but she prefers I marry in my thirties." said Bella.
"Weird." Mike remarked.
"She had a failed marriage when she married at a young age. She doesn't want Bella to do the same." Eric said. Bella looked at him, surprised. She expected him to be less… smart.
I paused with my hand on the doorknob, smiling. Sure, at the time, his words had terrified me. The ultimate doom: telling Renée. Early marriage was higher up on her black list than boiling live puppies. Who could have foreseen her response? Not me. Certainly not Charlie. Maybe Alice, but I hadn't thought to ask her.
"You should have." Alice yelled to Bella. Bella was far away, almost on the other side of the parking lot. Bella nodded at her and wanted to hide, because now all of the attention was on her.
"Well, Bella," Renée had said after I'd choked and stuttered out the impossible words: Mom, I'm marrying Edward. "I'm a little miffed that you waited so long to tell me. Plane tickets only get more expensive. Oooh," she'd fretted. "Do you think Phil's cast will be off by then? It will spoil the pictures if he's not in a tux – "
"Back up a second, Mom." I'd gasped. "What do you mean, waited so long? I just got en-en…" – I'd been unable to force out the word engaged – "things settled, you know, today."
"I wonder how you proposed." said Jasper.
Alice smiled. "I'm sure it was grand."
"Today? Really? That is a surprise. I assumed…"
"What did you assume? When did you assume?"
"How long do you assume you have been together?" someone asked Bella. She didn't recognize her. Had she talked to her before? She couldn't remember.
"If my dad accepted it, then I suppose more than a year." Bella said.
"Well, when you came to visit me in April, it looked like things were pretty much sewn up, if you know what I mean.
"But she lives in Phoenix." Bella said, confused by this. If Edward was a vampire, wouldn't he burn to death from the sun?
"Maybe I stayed in the shadows." Edward said loudly enough for her to hear.
Others, who have been wondering the same, nodded in understanding.
You're not very hard to read, sweetie. But I didn't say anything because I knew it wouldn't do any good. You're exactly like Charlie." She'd sighed, resigned. "Once you make up your mind, there is no reasoning with you. Of course, exactly like Charlie, you stick by your decisions, too."
And then she'd said the last thing that I'd ever expected to hear from my mother.
"You're not making my mistakes, Bella. You sound like you're scared silly, and I'm guessing it's because you're afraid of me." She'd giggled. "Of what I'm going to think. And I know I've said a lot of things about marriage and stupidity – and I'm not taking them back – but you need to realize that those things specifically applied to me. You're a completely different person than I am. You make your own kinds of mistakes, and I'm sure you'll have your share of regrets in life. But commitment was never your problem, sweetie. You have a better chance of making this work than most forty-year-olds I know." Renée had laughed again. "My little middle-aged child. Luckily, you seem to have found another old soul."
Emmett snickered. "No kidding."
"You're not… mad? You don't think I'm making a humongous mistake?"
"Well, sure I wish you'd wait a few more years. I mean, do I look old enough to be a mother-in-law to you? Don't answer that.
Bella smiled. Even if it has been only two days, she missed her mother. It was nice to hear her words. Bella knew it was exactly along what she would have said.
But this isn't about me. This is about you. Are you happy?"
"I don't know. I'm having an out-of-body experience right now."
Renée had chuckled. "Does he make you happy, Bella?"
"Yes, but – "
"Are you ever going to want anyone else?"
"No, but – "
"But what?"
"But aren't you going to say that I sound exactly like every other infatuated teenager since the dawn of time?"
"You do actually." said Mike. He knew that this book said she was going to marry Cullen, but he also knew that it was only a book. Not real. A writer's imagination land. He had a chance with her still.
"You've never been a teenager, sweetie. You know what's best for you."
For the last few weeks, Renée had unexpectedly immersed herself in wedding plans. She'd spent hours every day on the phone with Edward's mother, Esme – no worries about the in-laws getting along. Renée adored Esme, but then, I doubted anyone could help responding that way to my lovable almost-mother-in-law.
The Cullen siblings shared a smile. Their mother was a very lovable woman, indeed.
It let me right off the hook. Edward's family and my family were taking care of the nuptials together without me having to do or know or think too hard about any of it.
Charlie was furious, of course, but the sweet part was that he wasn't furious at me. Renée was the traitor.
People laughed and snickered. They have never seen the Chief act like that. It was funny, human. It was nice to get to know the real Charlie Swan. The staff of the school smiled. They knew Charlie, too.
He'd counted on her to play the heavy. What could he do now, when his ultimate threat – telling Mom – had turned out to be utterly empty? He had nothing, and he knew it. So he moped around the house, muttering things about not being able to trust anyone in this world…
More laughs.
"Dad?" I called as I pushed open the front door. "I'm home."
"Hold on, Bells, stay right there."
"Huh?" I asked, pausing automatically. "Gimme a second. Ouch, you got me, Alice."
Alice?
"Sorry, Charlie," Alice's trilling voice responded. "How's that?"
Jasper turned wide-eyed to Alice, gaping at her in disbelief.
"I'm not doing anything out of line." she promised him.
He smiled, and she knew he was teasing her.
"I'm bleeding on it."
"You're fine. Didn't break the skin – trust me."
"Yes, trust the vampire." Emmett laughed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the parking lot, people grumbled in unease.
"She would know." someone remarked.
"What's going on?" I demanded, hesitating in the doorway.
"Thirty seconds, please, Bella," Alice told me. "Your patience will be rewarded."
"Humph," Charlie added.
I tapped my foot, counting each beat. Before I got to thirty, Alice said, "Okay, Bella, come in!"
Moving with caution, I rounded the little corner into our living room.
"Oh," I huffed. "Aw. Dad. Don't you look – "
"Silly?" Charlie interrupted.
"I was thinking more like 'debonair.'"
Bella blushed. Her behavior was typical for her, and it was strange having the whole school know everything about her.
Charlie blushed. Alice took his elbow and tugged him around into a slow spin to showcase the pale gray tux.
"Now cut that out, Alice. I look like an idiot."
"No one dressed by me ever looks like an idiot."
"Uhh-"
"Don't, Emmett, just don't." Edward said after seeing Alice's furious (well, she was pretending to be furious) glare.
"She's right, Dad. You look fabulous! What's the occasion?" Alice rolled her eyes. "It's the final check on the fit. For both of you."
I peeled my gaze off the unusually elegant Charlie for the first time and saw the dreaded white garment bag laid carefully across the sofa.
"Aaah."
"Go to your happy place, Bella. It won't take long."
I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes. Keeping them shut, I stumbled my way up the stairs to my room. I stripped down to my underwear and held my arms straight out.
Some guys blushed, some grinned. Mike was one of the grinning. Bella wanted to hit his arm, but refrained from doing so.
"You'd think I was shoving bamboo splinters under your nails," Alice muttered to herself as she followed me in.
I paid no attention to her. I was in my happy place.
In my happy place, the whole wedding mess was over and done. Behind me. Already repressed and forgotten.
We were alone, just Edward and me. The setting was fuzzy and constantly in flux – it morphed from misty forest to cloud-covered city to arctic night – because Edward was keeping the location of our honeymoon a secret to surprise me. But I wasn't especially concerned about the where part.
Emmett barked out a laugh, "Oh my god, Edward! You got yourself a tiger!"
Bella was blushing furiously, fiddling with the hem of her shirt while everyone around her laughed and 'ooh'ed and whistled.
Edward and I were together, and I'd fulfilled my side of our compromise perfectly. I'd married him. That was the big one. But I'd also accepted all his outrageous gifts and was registered, however futilely, to attend Dartmouth College in the fall. Now it was his turn.
Before he turned me into a vampire – his big compromise – he had one other stipulation to make good on.
"You compromised on that?" Emmett was ecstatic. This whole thing was just so amusing. And the girl, the Swan girl, Isabella, was perfect for Edward in personality.
Edward had an obsessive sort of concern over the human things that I would be giving up, the experiences he didn't want me to miss. But there was only one experience I was insisting on. Of course it would be the one he wished I would forget all about.
"Why?" asked Tommy, a sophomore. Did vampires hate sex?
"It's dangerous. We're strong. She could get hurt." Alice explained. She had taken it upon herself to inform the school on the vampire qualities. Nobody else wanted to, and it was essential that the school knew.
Here was the thing, though. I knew what I was going to be like when it was all over. I'd seen newborn vampires firsthand, and I'd heard all my family-to-be's stories about those wild early days.
"She saw newborns?" Jasper was surprised. He had worked with newborns back in the days. How was she still alive? Maybe his family protected her. Edward seemed to think about it.
"Yes, that was probably it. Maybe it was some nomad vampire, who just passed by." He said.
For several years, my biggest personality trait was going to be "thirsty."
"Thirsty? As in, for blood?" asked Lauren, wrinkling her nose.
"I think so." said Bella.
Jessica looked at her, scared.
It would take some time before I could be me again. And even when I was in control of myself, I would never feel exactly the way I felt now.
Human… and passionately in love.
I wanted the complete experience before I traded in my warm, breakable, pheromone-riddled body for something beautiful, strong… and unknown. I wanted a real honeymoon with Edward. And, despite the danger he feared this would put me in, he'd agreed to try.
"I shouldn't have." Edward whispered to his siblings. Rosalie and Jasper nodded.
Emmett didn't listen to him, and Alice knew he wouldn't hurt her. She really knew, I mean.
I was only vaguely aware of Alice and the slip and slide of satin over my skin. I didn't care, for the moment, that the whole town was talking about me. I didn't think about the spectacle I would have to star in much too soon. I didn't worry about tripping on my train or giggling at the wrong moment or being too young or the staring audience or even the empty seat where my best friend should be.
I was with Edward in my happy place. And that was the end of the chapter." The teacher turned the page.