The Long Epilogue
Breaking Dawn
Chapter One
"Jake, that is so not funny!" I groaned, but then I realized my words were futile.
Jacob was trying to massage my back, every once in a while slapping it because he couldn't make my rock-hard skin feel it. He was still making funny faces at my father too, while Charlie simply sat in one of our chairs and tried to keep a straight face. He never really was one to get along with Jacob, but I had to admit, it was difficult to keep still while he annoyed him. I chuckled.
Edward put his stone hands on my shoulder, and I looked him while he lowered his head close to my own. "Don't worry," he said. "They will work the kinks out some day."
I shrugged, wondering. "Perhaps Alice can see that, but she won't tell us."
He stared into my eyes and replied simply, "she cannot see that far ahead." Then his eyes narrowed as he gazed further into me. "Your eyes look beautiful, by the way" he said quietly, so Charlie could not hear him. "I know you're wearing those disgusting contacts, but when they're off...." He finished off with a proud smile.
It was six months since I started my new life here. I had to admit that living with eight other of my kind was daunting at first. There was no way I would be sharing my room with anyone other than Edward. It was also difficult to speak, as there was always someone who would end up catching my word travelling through the air. Since then I had learnt how to speak very quietly, and also how to hunt properly.
I remembered a long while ago how I would come home from hunting expeditions literally in tatters, my clothes ripped and bloodstained. I still arrive with some spots on me, but I am glad the "total mess" days are over. I would love to see what Edward looked like when he came home on his first trip. The thought made me giggle stiffly again. It's a good thing I was a shield, or Edward would always be pointing out my embarrassing thoughts.
The only problem was my diamond-bright skin. I could not go out into the open, that is, unless it was cloudy. But that is easily solved. I had the whole forest, plus La Push, to wander through during the day.
I stood up, hoping that my movement wasn't too quick or robotic for Charlie. He rose to his feet as well, mimicking my movement. He took one long look at me and a tiny smile erupted from his lips. "I guess I should be going now, Bells. Be seeing you later."
I couldn't hug him. He would know that something was up as soon as he felt my skin. It was too similar to Edward's now.
We said our goodbyes quickly. After Charlie left, we proceeded into the kitchen. The whole gang was there, including Carlisle and Esme. Emmett was lounging across two of the antique chairs near the table, while Rosalie and Jasper were just washing their hands at the kitchen sink. Probably just came back from a hunting trip.
After all, not even vampires could go the whole day without eating.
I heard Alice's light footsteps outside; she was climbing a tree.
Hmm. I wondered how many times she had done that so far today. Perhaps she wasn't seeing anything at the time, so she had to take her boredom out on the delicate branches.
I was pulled from my thoughts the second Jacob smacked me on the back of the head and winced.
"You shouldn't do that," I said. "First, I can hardly feel it."
He grunted. "Very funny."
"Secondly," I continued while pretending to ignore his snide comment, "it probably hurts you more than me." I took the time to savor the moment. Me hurting Jacob instead of vice versa. It made me grin.
Edward was looking on. "Jacob, could you please go get Renesmee? She's done."
He looked at my new husband (I still grimace over that word) and nodded, shrugging. "Sure, bloodsucker." Then he took off towards the entrance of the house.
A few seconds later, I heard heavy footsteps pound the earth. "There he goes."
"Maybe you should try and wrestle with him. Take out some of his energy. He's going so fast now, he's going to catch up to my speed soon." I found the hint of a joke in his smooth voice.
"Maybe," I agreed. I thought about the prospect of fighting Jacob. It looked strange, yet I did think I could come out without missing chunks.
"I'm just wondering…" he began, "if you should provoke him somehow, or just ask him."
"Now, Edward," I teased. "That's going a little far."
Edward looked thoughtful.
We both felt a silent vibration in the air, and then saw Jacob return through the kitchen door with Ness- Renesmee, in his arms. What an annoying name.
He kept our daughter as he walked back in, and did not hand her over to us.
I glared, trying to put all the emotion I could into the look.
He still did not give her up, so I got up and leaned forward.
Finally, my friend stepped back a pace and reluctantly held Renesmee out in front of him.
"Mom," she said, excited. She struggled out of Jacob's grasping hands and landed on the ground. Walking over to me, she gestured for me to pick her up.
Renesmee was approximately the height of an eight-year old now, and her grammar did not make things any less accelerated. She now had a full range of vocabulary that only a twelve-year old could know. Her growth, as Carlisle had said before, was indeed slowing. But I was still on edge. She would age until she was in her mid-twenties, and then look physically older than me. After all, I was only eighteen, frozen forever in that state of age. Charlie obviously could notice the difference in her as well, as his eyes would always pop out whenever he saw her. Next to my ageless look, she was a standout.
I gave Jake a contemplating face and handed Renesmee to Edward. "I wonder, Jake," I said, "which of us would come out clean in a fight."
I couldn't believe I actually said that. Ugh. Now he was never going to forget it.
Jake's eyes widened and then narrowed. "You're on."
The way he said those words reminded me of the bet I made with Emmett a few months ago. We had ourselves a rematch and I came out victorious once more. Warmth flushed through me, although I knew it wasn't real: just a product of my imagination. Yet I could not help but feel human in that length of time.
"When do you want to do it?" my soprano voice had a slight threat of a growl in it, but not because I was trying to coax Jacob in any way. It was a natural reaction when it came to discussing this kind of thing. Even Carlisle slipped one out last week. It was the funniest thing in the world: the first time I heard the disciplined doctor truly sound stern.
He stepped away once, and then looked around the room. Like he was thinking carefully. His head turned to look at Rosalie, who was now on the couch beside Jasper, and then back at me. "When the blonde gets a brain. Oh wait, that's never going to happen," he added casually.
I hissed softly, then I heard Rosalie groan. These jokes were driving me up the wall. Why couldn't the two get along already?
"Hey, I was only kidding," he said, backing away even more. "I can take you on anytime."
Behind me, Renesmee jostled in Edward's arms. She clapped and shouted. "Go Jacob!"
I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. At first, she would be saying that to me. Now, it was all about Jacob. It made me tighten up.
"Take it easy, vampire girl. Trust me, this was the last thing I wanted." The words came out in a whisper.
Renesmee heard him, though. Her eyebrows creased, and she began to speak, protesting against the words he had just said. "Hey, you don't really mean that, do you?"
He looked past my shoulder at her. "Of course not, Nessie." He sounded like he was reassuring someone whose son had died.
"Anyways…" I said slowly. Jacob's attention returned to me. "I think I want to do this now."
Edward laughed.
"Jake?" I guessed, without turning around to look at the beautiful vampire.
"Yes. He's wondering how to kill you so he can have Renesmee all to himself."
Now I did spin around, in a movement that would be invisible to human eyes. "Edward!"
"Alright, perhaps I rephrased that a bit."
Renesmee looked up and raised her eyebrow. "Can I watch?" she asked, thrilled.
"Of course," Edward said. She wasn't looking for his answer, though. It was only when Jacob seconded his statement that she relaxed.
Edward let her down and she ran over to Jacob. "Jake will beat you up, Mom," she giggled.
I rolled my eyes, trying to direct the action to Jacob rather than Renesmee. "Watch out."
"Try me," he said, sounding as if he were prepping himself up.
Renesmee clapped again, and that did it. I got up and dashed to Edward's- and now mine as well- room. The bleached white wallpaper, and his enormous CD collection, was still there, waiting to welcome me. There was still no bed, although there was no need for one.
Jacob's heavy footsteps followed me, faster than usual, and he arrived. I couldn't help but crack a random joke. "Is Billy still upset with you hanging around here twenty-four seven?"
It appears I hadn't lost my bad sense of humor.
He shrugged, throwing his hands halfway up into the air. "Nah. He's a bit uncomfortable, but it doesn't bother him as much anymore. Seeing how we're not actually werewolves and all."
That statement brought up a strange question that had been manifesting in my mind since we first heard those words. The truth first came from Edward, and then Aro, months ago.
"If you're not werewolves, why are you imprinting?"
The question brought him up short. He looked at me and simply replied, "Uh. I don't know. Good question, Bella."
Then he was running for the window. I saw him burst into a million colors, and then in his place was the russet wolf. I followed after him, leaping out into the outdoors in a single bound.
I landed before he did, much to my surprise. The wolf turned towards me and growled, although his teeth were not bared. One of his eyelids dropped, then rose again.
A wink.
"Shut up," I muttered. I could hear Renesmee's playful cheerleading inside.
Would Jacob win against me? I just hoped I wouldn't hurt him; I was still fresh as a vampire.
I pulled the thought of my shield from the back to the forefront of my mind, and let it flex. It rippled out from my head quickly, without any of the elasticity it used to have. As I did, I felt Rosalie, Jasper, and Edward become a part of it. I knew he could read my mind now. He was inside the shield, on the opposite side of what he once was.
What's he thinking now? I asked in my mind.
Edward chuckled. I could hear his low whisper in the house behind me. "Don't worry about it, love. He's not thinking anything right now. Oh, wait-" He cut off. After a few moments' pause, he kept speaking. "Jacob's just wondering if you'll be upset when he wins."
Wow, real mature Jacob. Okay. Okay, I can do this. Bye, Edward.
I forced the shield into my head again, disconnecting Edward. Jacob was looking at me with a confused expression, not understanding what I was talking about.
"It's nothing," I reassured the Jacob-wolf. But then he grinned at me, revealing hard, crystalline teeth.
I gulped. Even though he was not a true werewolf, I knew from experience that he was able to rip apart vampires with ease. Maybe that's one thing they had in common. But it would just be a tussle, nothing more. "Alright, Jake," I said.
Not wasting any time, without a warning I bolted into the forest with the speed of a bullet. The branches and trees around me felt like soft feathers against my skin. I wondered how it felt to Jacob. Probably like, well, branches. I was soon aware of him following me, although he wasn't as fast. I skidded to a halt and become totally still. I was a living statue that would attack when he got close enough.
I saw him trampling through the woods, slower now, and then sniffing the ground. His ear pricked when he caught my scent. Then, with a swish of his shaggy red tail, he looked straight at me in the bush. That was fast.
"Ugh! No way!" I shouted. I charged for him, pretending to look intimidating, when Edward appeared between me and my prize.
"Bella," he said urgently. "It's your father. You have to come inside…" he looked down.
My expression turned into a confused one. "What about Charlie?" Jacob's face mirrored my own, even though it was on a dog.
"Please, come inside Bella."
I wasn't going to ask him anymore until we got inside. We both walked together, back to the house. Jacob followed a few minutes later, human, his white shirt in his arms and his pants on but too small for him.
Edward sat me down in the family room. I could see that my family was all sitting there; Carlisle and Esme were sitting together, her arm slung over her husband's shoulders, and the rest were sitting in their own chairs, although Rosalie was pacing back and forth, her face twisted into a look of anxiety.
Once I had sat down beside Esme, I began. "Will someone tell me what's going on?"
Emmett and Jasper looked at each other. Rosalie snarled.
I was about to ask for the fourth time when Carlisle looked at me with a sullen expression in his eyes. "Charlie is becoming very suspicious, Bella," he said.
"What?"
He looked down briefly, and then at me again. "He hid wireless camera inside three rooms here, the last time he visited… All our habits and secrets could be on camera, out for him to see."
I gasped. "NO! How could he even possibly think about doing that?!"
"Bella," Edward said, now sitting down beside me, "the three rooms were where we're most active as… as far as vampires go. We destroyed the cameras, but we're not sure what to do now."
My whole body went cold. I didn't know what to think, or do, or say either. But I did know what this meant.
We would have to go in and question him about what he saw. So help me if he found out about our existence. The Volturi would have to step in, and then everything would be over. They would kill Charlie!
"We have to do something," I whispered.
"Bella," Edward said. "I'm sorry I didn't stop him."
"What?" This was Edward's fault? That I couldn't believe.
"I read his mind. He was thinking about how similar we all looked, and how we all acted the same. I… I didn't pay much attention to it. Like Jacob said to do earlier, I decided to get out of his head and just let him make his own assumptions."
"It's not your fault. You always take the blame on yourself, and it's not right."
"I know." Then he left the room.
* * *
The atmosphere was tense while the next few minutes ticked by. Rosalie quickly played with her thumbs, a strange and unusual human habit, while the others sat down and waited for anything to happen.
"Well?" I prompted. I may not be living with him any longer, but I would not be letting my father do what he was doing again.
Esme looked at me. "I think we'll have to speak with him. And since it's going to be cloudy the rest of the day, we should get going as soon as possible." Her eyes were apologetic.
I stared at her without blinking. "We?"
"Of course, you should not go alone. I believe we would get our point across when we all go. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper?"
The three children looked up at her request.
"Emmett, please start your Jeep. And Jasper, I would advise you to come at your own risk. As for Rosalie…" she lingered at the words as she saw her stand up.
"I'm sorry, Esme," she said, not to my surprise. "I cannot go there and try to convince a human that we're normal. I'm not… ready for that yet. I still have a lot to learn."
"Emmett's younger than you, and he can go," I urged her.
She turned towards me, glaring. "You can go too, so why do you need me?"
I looked down, avoiding her gaze. "Because you're part of my family now."
I heard a sigh, although I was not sure whether it came from Esme or Rosalie. Then I heard Rosalie's voice again. "That's reason enough. I will go, but I am not promising anything."
"Thanks."
Looking up at her again, I had just realized that Jacob was nowhere to be found. Renesmee had disappeared amidst our discussion as well.
"Where's Renesmee? Jacob?" I could not hear anything.
Edward walked back into the room. "We went for a walk. They're still outside, way down by La Push beach. They'll be back shortly. I told them what was happening."
"Oh."
"Bella, I think you should know…" Esme was trying to speak again.
I glanced at her without turning.
"That if Charlie does know about… We…" She looked down. "He might not adjust as well as you, without any preparation."
"I know, Esme. I'm sorry about my father. He's very distrustful."
"There's no need to apologize, Bella. My father would have been the same way." She smiled her most beautiful smile at me, and for a second I felt overwhelmed by it.
Alice interrupted our momentary silence. She'd returned, and she had a familiar white box with her. "Bella," she said softly, "I think you'd probably want to use these."
Chapter Two
When I walked into the enormous garage, I saw Emmett's jeep parked on the far right side. I blurred over towards it and saw that everyone was already inside. No seatbelts done up, of course. I snorted.
I jumped up top, trying not to make a shoe-shaped dent in the fragile car frame. There was no more room inside it for me, anyways. "All set."
The long distance from here to Forks was easily solved by running, although Charlie would think it's a little strange to be travelling by foot all that way. Unless we pretended to park somewhere far away, but he would ask to see where the vehicle was. I knew my dad all too well.
"All right!" Emmett's voice was raised. "Let's do this before he gets any more bright ideas!"
"Watch it," I said, looking down at the top of the car. "He's still my father."
I could hear Edward and Jasper's tense breathing. Then, Edward's began to slow and then stop altogether. He took one more deep breath and silenced himself for the remainder of the ride.
Jasper, I figured. I couldn't feel anything trying to calm me down too, though. I made it quite clear last time that I didn't want any change of feelings, when he tried to make me sleep.
We arrived at Charlie's house. My past house. I sighed. This was either going to go over very well, or horribly.
Only Esme, Carlisle, and Edward emerged from the jeep with me. Well, I sort of bounced off the top of it. Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were still inside. I could see Rosalie's face all twisted up behind the glass windows.
So she didn't have the strength to come out, after all.
Edward, I thought, my shield pressing outwards to include him, be wary about your word choice. I'm not sure whether Charlie will be accepting of anything we say tonight.
He merely nodded, the tiniest of movements. I pulled the shield back again and we stalked up towards the door. Carlisle was in the lead, and the first to get up the last step. He exhaled and knocked on the door.
No answer.
We waited for moments, but there was no reply or sound from inside the house. Just a person holding their breath. I decided to speak. "Charlie?" I said, trying to force as much innocence into the question as I could.
Rosalie was whispering under her breath back in the car. I heard Jasper say, "shh. Stop, Rose."
Charlie's footsteps echoed throughout the entrance to the house. He didn't emerge though.
Edward leaned towards me. "He's trying to grab something, I'm not sure what though. He won't say it."
I froze. What could he be looking for?
We waited for two more minutes.
Then Charlie slowly opened the door, and I saw him. He looked restless; I could see the dark circles under his eyes. Carlisle cleared his throat to talk, but when Charlie spoke, he was talking through Carlisle, to me. His voice was shaky. "Bell- Bella?"
Carlisle and Esme stepped aside so I could walk forward a bit. I kept my distance.
"Hey dad," I said cautiously. "What's wrong?"
I noticed his hand was behind his back. He was definitely holding something. I heard the soft clang of hard metal, something Charlie wouldn't have thought I could hear.
"What do you have there?" I asked, gesturing to his arm. It was an unnatural thing, but I tensed. Something was definitely going on, and I was afraid of what he knew.
"Nothing, honey. I was just watching a real scary movie. Panic Room." He pulled his hand out from behind his back, revealing a tiny gun. A weapon. He looked down at it, and then at me again.
He continued to talk. "I thought you were the characters in the movie, for a second." He tapped his head. "Films can play games on you, you know, right?"
I nodded sheepishly. I wished he would put the gun away though, it was beginning to creep me out.
He looked at the gun, raising it a little, and then looked at me with his head tipped to the side. "You know, Bella, I'm really worried about you."
I tried to put a confused expression on my face. "Why?"
"Well, don't be upset, but…" He stopped for a brief moment, as if he were trying to figure out how to word something. "I hid some cameras in your house. Being a policeman, I'm pretty darn suspicious about everything."
The poker face stayed put. "What? You didn't have to do that, you know…" I trailed off. He was glaring at me with a look of menace mixed with pain, while Edward stiffened at my side. Rosalie growled softly from the jeep. Charlie heard her.
"What the hell was that?" he said, his eyes widening. "A bear?"
I pretended I didn't hear anything. "Charlie, I think you're imagining things." I gave him a look of silliness and stuck my perfect tongue out.
"Enough, Bella." His voice was as firm as a rebuff. "Tell me what's going on, why you always make me come over instead of the other way around. Why you never come outside when it's sunny and bright."
"You think something's up because I prefer to be at Edward's house instead of here? Charlie, I'm… Er… Married now. I have a family."
"I remember you saying you'd not get married until you were older. What made you do it so quickly? Tell me!" He was hyperventilating. This was becoming dangerous.
Before I could speak another lie, Charlie's hand with the gun moved dreamily slowly, and then it pointed at my head. I couldn't move fast enough to dodge the bullet, yet if it hit me, it would bounce off like rubber. I was trapped.
"Char-" I heard Emmett's plea, and he tried to run forward to stop him. At a human speed, of course. But it was too late; I stayed in place while the bullet struck my immune cheek. A glass-like thunk, and the bullet was on the ground. My eyes were wide, a direct reflection of Charlie's.
He gaped, and it looked as if he were having a heart attack. I didn't move. Edward and the others were statues beside, and one behind, me. Rosalie and Jasper were still hidden in the jeep, their breathes held.
Would my father react horrifyingly wrong? What did he know about vampires?
"You're not Bella," he choked.
"Oh no," Edward whispered.
Charlie glared and shouted at Edward. "You abomination! Get out of here!" He pointed the gun at my husband, and as the bullet erupted from it with a burst of smoke, Edward whirled to the side like a tornado. He grabbed my hand and he said, "Bella, do it."
Charlie's gun was out of ammo. There were endless presses on the trigger, but nothing came out. He stared at me and began to back up. Then, he tripped over a rug in the entranceway and fell down.
"Dad!" I said, crying although no tears came out. "Stop!"
"What the hell happened to you?" he shouted.
"Calm down," Edward said, coolly. It was amazing he was able to hold his temper so well. "Let me help you up, and we'll explain everything."
"No!" Charlie said, his voice edging closer and closer toward hysteria with every reply. "Get away from me!"
But then Edward lost it. He growled, and before I knew it, he was after Charlie. He moved like a streak of light; one moment he was beside me, and the next he was on my father. "Don't move, Charlie," he growled.
"Edward, don't frighten him!" I shrieked, my voice still coming out like beautiful music.
"Sorry, Bella," he said. "We can't let him stay like this now. He knows too much." He looked back at me, while Charlie continued to struggle against his rock-hard grip.
I stared. "He doesn't know anything!" My voice was suddenly monotone.
"He's seen two things he should never have seen with human eyes," Edward snarled, and then his face was directly in front of Charlie's. "Sorry Charlie, but you're coming with us now."
I didn't say anything as Edward gestured for me to come towards him.
"Do it." His voice was harder than ever, but still thick with guilt.
"I can't…" That was my answer. But Edward continued to gesture.
"You have to, Bella. The Volturi will kill him, then, or we will have to. We don't know what he will do..."
"Who's the-" Charlie tried to ask the question, but Edward's hand softly went against his mouth, smothering his words.
"What about Alice?" I shrieked.
"Alice can't see him," Edward hissed back. "Not with his future as clouded as this. She's right in the jeep, I can hear everything she's thinking, but she can't see right now."
Charlie's eyes bulged with the weight of our discussion, and he began to struggle even more. But Edward's arms were a steel cage around him.
"Alright." I took a deep breath. Charlie's scent filled my nose, but I was almost immune to it, as Carlisle was. I kneeled down to Charlie and whispered to him, "Charlie, take it easy."
He tried to curse at me, I thought, but the words didn't form under the hand that was covering his lips. I hated the look of Charlie being muffled like some animal.
"Calm down. Dad."
I tried to put as much gentleness into the words, but it was useless. I ended up growling like some crazy lion bickering over prey with another.
But he seemed to sense my effort. He tried calming down; first in his hands, and then his torso went limp like a fish. He still glared harshly and worriedly at me, however, and that was still worse than anything.
Edward released his grip slightly, but still held on. He looked at me, all the anger in his expression suddenly gone.
With a quick movement, I brushed my hand against Charlie's shoulder, a stroke.
Then I stepped back. "No. I won't sentence him like that. He won't make it."
Edward slowly got up and let go of my dad. "I feel for you. We'll see to him first, instead of taking such barbaric measures."
I half-expected Charlie to bolt, but he stayed put. He was crying, and I felt the worst feeling I had ever felt before in all my life. But I couldn't put a word to it. It was a new feeling. "I miss you, Bella. I don't know what happened, but please tell me. I want to know, whatever comes out of it."
I held my hand out to him. "Come on, dad. It's not really as bad as you think it is." I tried to sound optimistic, but I sounded morose. Yuck.
He stared at it, and then I let it drop.
"Okay… But perhaps we should talk somewhere else. There are too many people around here." It was amazing how the gunshot didn't attract any attention. But I still didn't want to risk our entire species just because of the area of discussion.
Charlie sighed slightly. "Fine, Bells."
He followed us back into the jeep, looking warily at the others inside. Rosalie gave him a curt wave, while Emmett greeted him loudly and cheerfully. Jasper just stared, but he nodded and smiled once when Charlie looked at him.
Charlie sat down beside Rosalie, looking awfully cramped up. I sat on top of the jeep and shook as it thrummed to life. No one, including Charlie, did up their seatbelt.
That was when he noticed where I was. "I suppose I shouldn't worry about you being up there, right?" he said, unsure of himself.
I couldn't help holding back a chuckle. "No. Trust me."
He sounded unconvinced. "Alright then. So… Anyways, where are we going?"
Carlisle responded. "Our home."
"Sure, sure." Charlie said in a very uptight voice (even though he didn't know he was surrounded by vampires), but at least he was more relaxed than before.
No one spoke throughout the entire trip, which was all of forty minutes. Charlie was breathing very heavily, which made Jasper twitch every once in a while. I wondered how he smelled like to him, and if it was difficult for him to resist attacking.
Then we were there. Jacob, who was sitting on the steps with Renesmee hidden around the corner, waved to me and smiled.
When we emerged from the jeep, Renesmee's absence was the first thing he noticed. "Where's Nessie?"
His question was directed towards Jacob. Without a thought, he replied. "Hun-"
I groaned, and quickly stepped in. "Renesmee is inside reading a book, right Jacob?"
He smiled again, awkwardly this time.
"I see. Tell her I said hi, okay?"
"Sure, dad."
He looked at me. I took his hand and he cussed at the temperature of my skin. "Bells, now would be a good time to explain."
"Come upstairs. Have you been to our room yet?"
Silence. Then, "you share a room?"
"Of course…"
He nodded to himself. "Right. No, I haven't. Lead the way."
We walked into the house and went upstairs. He was looking around at all the new sights; after all, he had never been anywhere but our living room. As we arrived at the room, he asked something that brought back a fuzzy human memory.
"No bed?" He looked at me, one eyebrow raised.
I burst out laughing, and leaned against Charlie. "That's exactly what I said the first time I came here." Then I straightened out. Edward was right behind us, trying not to laugh as well. I could tell from his stiffness and the way his lips were pressed together tightly.
"Hint number one," I said. Well, he thought that vampires slept in coffins, but it was still a hint.
Charlie frowned. "Hints? Perfect."
We continued on to the most obvious part. I warned Charlie before we came to our garage. "Dad," I said, "this might prove to be a bit too much at first. Try to stay… Um, calm." I didn't feel comfortable doing what I was about to do, but Edward suggested it when we were still back upstairs.
"Nothing's going to be too bad for me," Charlie said. But he shivered.
The garage towered over us. Once two extended bedrooms, it had been changed into a massive supergarage. There were eight shiny, clean vehicles in it, accenting the modern fixtures and wallpaper. A small grey cupboard was against the wall, standing, just waiting for me to open it. Its color was mismatched with the rest of the garage's interior.
I took a step towards the cupboard, but then Edward put his hand on my shoulder. "Be careful, Bella," he cautioned me. "His mind is very unstable. It might be too much."
Charlie clearly did not hear those words. He walked a few more steps and then realized that I was stopped. "Everything all right?"
I shrugged. "Yeah. Everything is fine." I lightly elbowed Edward in the gut with Charlie still watching. He made a small, hearty laugh, but was beginning to sound unnerved.
Deciding to do this fast, I darted to the cabinet with inhumane speed, shocking my dad. Edward tensed again, but I simply looked at Charlie's shocked expression and said, almost as if showing off, "yeah."
He grimaced, but before his expression changed again, I swung open the cupboard and revealed our store of animal blood. Snack food for going out of town, Carlisle told me.
Charlie took a few seconds to turn around and see what was inside.
The scent caught me off guard. A primal instinct told me to immediately rip one of the bags open and drink its store. I resisted easily, but this was not something I should be keeping from Charlie any more. I took a bag, looked at his expressionless face (you would not believe how much he looked like a ghost at that time), and bit it, letting a small portion of the blood drip to the ground. Charlie just looked down and stared at the red blot on the garage floor.
I shrugged. My lips touched the bag, and then I drank. It was the most delicious of the animal blood I had taken in this week, and so there was no hesitation as I dug in. At least he would not have to see me hunting; that was crossing the line with the way I would come back home looking like a ghoul. He'd run away screaming.
I wiped my mouth on my shirt, and was just finished in time to see Edward lean forward a bit and then pull himself back in.
"Having trouble, Edward?" I joked. He looked at me and winked, but didn't smile.
Charlie was unresponsive. He looked at me as if I were some sort of monster. Well, I was in a way, but…
"Charlie?" I pressed. I hoped he would not have a heart attack. He barely survived the time when Jacob phased in front of him, so I crossed my fingers.
"What the hell, Bella! That's disgusting! What's that blood doing there, anyways?"
Wow. He was tougher than I thought. But.
Okay. I knew that he wasn't picking anything up. Vampires were probably the last thing on his mind right now, so I gave him the third hint of the day. "Hmm… Contrary to popular beliefs, I don't sleep…"
His head slowly came up again, looking at me with a disgusted look in his eyes. "So, you're hard as rock. You just drank a big bag of blood…" He shivered as he said that. "Uh, you don't sleep? How's that going to help?"
I sighed, clearly exasperated. Playing it obvious was the only way I'd ever get through to him. "Dad." I began. I looked at Edward, frowning a little. "Um…"
Edward was clearing trying to encourage me. "Go on, Bella. I'm not going to be the one to tell him."
Hesitation. I was still not sure if I could do this. It was too big a risk.
Edward snarled, and Charlie jumped, hands up.
"Edward..." I tried again.
"Bella!" he interrupted me loudly.
I groaned. Well, this was it. "Dad, you know how Jacob told you about werewolves?"
Charlie's eyes popped, and then he grimaced. "You're not a werewolf too, are you? Jacob said you weren't!"
"No. I'm, uh, not a werewolf. But I am supposedly the enemy of a werewolf."
"I'm not following."
Edward whispered softly in my ear, "just tell him Bella, and stop beating around the bush."
I could feel Charlie's pulse speeding up.
"Okay." I looked at Charlie, drew in a stinging hot breath, and said slowly, "you know the Cullens? Carlisle is over three hundred years old. Edward is almost one hundred and fifty, although he looks seventeen. I'm not aging anymore either. We're vampires."
Chapter Three
Impossible, was the look on his face. He lit up and then the whole expression fell through, back into a look of horror and disgust. "Vampires aren't real," he scoffed, twiddling around with his stubby fingers.
Edward was a beautiful marble statue beside me, not breathing nor speaking. But then the statue came to life. "That's what you believe," he said, stepping in. "Vampires were known entities in the thirteenth century. We descended into myth as we went into hiding. No human other than Bella has openly known about the existence of them for centuries."
Charlie gagged. I slowly stepped forward to help him if he needed it, but he stepped back at the same time. "You're not going to kill me, are you?!" he asked. Scared. Afraid.
I gasped. "No! Of course not!" My temper was beginning to flare, but I tried to rein it in again. "I'm never going to hurt you, dad."
"How am I supposed to believe that?" He pointed at me with a shaking finger, his voice trembling. "Vampire!" He backed away some more, closer to a skid than a slow walk this time.
"Trust us," Edward said soothingly, taking over the conversation again. "We're different. We only drink the blood of animals. We restrict ourselves vastly."
When Charlie's face turned a bright shade of olive green, I began to cry.
"W-was this the right course of action, Edward?" I whispered stutteringly to him.
He nodded carefully. He was so sure of himself.
"I can't stay here…" Charlie said.
"When you're ready, Charlie," Edward growled.
"What?" My father was at a little over eight feet away from me now.
"Edward, come on," I pleaded. "I can't let you do that to him."
"We have to," he hissed, turning towards me. "Think of the Volturi."
Hundreds of hazy images whirled through my mind as I remembered the past events involving the royal family of vampires. If they saw just one human, they would be at the location in an hour, ready to kill.
"You do it, then," he said, softer now.
"No," I replied coldly. "That's my final answer. I will keep you off him if you try to touch him."
He paused for a moment without replying. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'll keep my distance. You have a point. I should not do anything this harshly to your father." He put his hand around my waist.
"Who the hell are the Volturi?" Charlie asked, nervous.
I glanced at him. "They are a family of vampires; they're the ones who enforce the rules within our world. They're very fond of killing humans who know too much."
Charlie looked like he was about ready to vomit. "I'm not ready to die, Bells," he told me with great hardness.
"I know." I decided to tell him at that moment what the two choices were. "Charlie," I began, "we have two options here. Or, you do, at least. Option one is choosing a vampire life, and avoid the Volturi's aggression." I gave him no time to take in my words. "The other is to remain human, and possibly be killed."
Charlie bolted.
"Dad!" I shouted. "Come back!" I made no effort to move, in case I was to frighten him. I thought things would turn out this way. As soon as I had thought that, the footsteps were silent. He was hiding just behind a large tree, some fifty feet away from us.
Edward sighed. "Charlie," he said, putting as much plead into his voice as he could, "please come out. We know you're there, and we don't want to scare you."
One movement and then the other told both of us that Charlie was slowly emerging from his hiding spot. His breathing was erratic. The invisible voice said, "how can I trust you?"
The question surprised me. How could he not trust me? "Dad, if I wanted to, I would have eaten you by now." I let out a sigh of exasperation.
His footing sped up now, and finally we could see him coming out of the brush.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it, Bells… Don't blame me for hating you after this, though."
Edward growled. "She had no choice. We d-"
"Right, right," Charlie said quickly, looking down. "Sorry I've been doubting you. You've grown so much, it's astounded me."
I grinned. But I didn't want to become sidetracked. My mind was already beginning to skip all over, so I spoke again to prevent that from happening. "So, Charlie. We need to know your decision as soon as possible."
He looked as if he were being pulled from some other train of thought, too. "Yeah. I know."
"As soon as possible," I repeated. "There's no time for blabbering on and on about this. They're probably at our doorstep already."
"Fine. I'll decide tomorrow."
"Charlie," I said for the third time, "we need a decision right away."
I had been so absorbed in my repetitive comments that I didn't notice Carlisle and Esme come up behind me. I jumped and then growled a little, but only until I spun around to make sure it was them.
Esme was eyeing Charlie with remorseful eyes, as she always looked at me. "I'm sorry Charlie," she said sweetly, "but this is was a secret that must be kept. As you understand, we must remain inconspicuous."
"If you would like to speak with Jacob about this," Carlisle added, "you may. He's in the family room." He chuckled flippantly, his face dimpling slightly, and then continued. "It may be best to get a second opinion on the matter."
"Okay. But let this be a warning to you all," Charlie said. "If one of you attacks me, I will be telling the whole force to watch out."
"The only thing you have to keep an eye out for is the Volturi," I said quickly.
"I suppose." Then he slowly stepped sideways, still wary, and headed over to where Jacob was. I heard him walking up the stairs after he closed the back door behind him. Looking down at the remaining blood on the ground, I told Edward, "feel free to finish that up."
He raised one eyebrow at me and smiled wryly.
I heard the discussion between Jacob and Charlie, and although it was in a whisper, I caught almost every word.
"I already told you, she knew about this for a long time, Charlie."
"Why didn't she tell me?"
"She could trust no one with keeping the secret," Jacob whispered gruffly, aware that some of us may be listening. "But you already knew that."
Charlie snorted. "She could trust me."
"She couldn't, and you know that."
"You win."
I looked up to see Rosalie walking stiffly towards me, yet still fluidly. "Bella," she growled, "I'm sick and tired of watching more and more people coming to know about us. Watch what you do, and who you invite into the house next time." Her hands were clenched into fists, and it looked as if she were prone to taking a chunk out of me any instant.
I sighed. "Go away, Rose. You don't control my life."
She disappeared in a quick movement, leaving me with Edward. He said nothing, but walked away after her, growling quietly.
I listened to the rest of the conversation.
"So, how do you fix the Volturi problem without being a vampire?" Charlie asked.
Jacob grunted uneasily. "Well, Charlie, I hate to put it this way, but that's the only way unless you want to die. We could fight them, but we would be vastly outnumbered. You wouldn't want to endanger Bella like that, would you?"
I heard Charlie exhale, the quietest of sounds. "No."
Before Jacob could speak again, he interrupted him. "What do you do to…"
"Well, Bella or another one of the Cullens has to bite you. Their venom is what changes the body. But trust me; it's not going to be pleasant. You would burn for around three days, and then it would be all but disorienting for a while. Bella was so confused at first, you wouldn't believe it."
Charlie sighed. "I'm not really going to be able to withstand something that harsh," he told Jacob.
"Maybe. But even Bella didn't know how it would go over for her."
"You have a point."
I decided to intervene so not to overload Charlie. I dashed over to the family room and peered in. Jacob and Charlie were both sitting in couches across from each other. Charlie looked a bit uncomfortable. "Charlie? Jacob?" I asked.
Both of them looked at me. Charlie jumped first, though.
"Um… Are you hungry, dad?" I was hoping not to scare him too much.
Jacob chuckled, and then Charlie replied. "Really?"
"We have food here, you know. We're not that different."
Jacob's head turned to Charlie. "Despite the vampire smell, the food here actually is pretty good."
"I guess I can try something. What do you have, Bells?"
"I can make some eggs, or some bacon. We have some sodas in the fridge too."
Charlie immediately got up and headed towards the kitchen. There was the sound of the refrigerator opening, and then he reappeared with a can of Pepsi. But he didn't sit down.
"What about you?" Charlie asked me. "I'm sure you're probably hungry too."
"Dad," I said, rolling my eyes.
He remembered. "Oh. You already ate."
"Yes," I said, suddenly laughing. Jacob joined me, and then we were quiet again in a matter of seconds. "Anyways, have you decided yet?" I asked him.
His eyes looked away. "Sorta," he said. "I'm not sure I understand the concept though."
"Of…?" I pressed.
"How it feels and all. Surely you would know something about that?"
I sighed. Since I had been feigning memory loss of those events to my family, I didn't want to tell Charlie about it either. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I've forgotten all about it. It affects everyone differently, though, so even if I were to remember-"
"Yeah, you wouldn't be of much help."
"You need to choose now. I'm scared what they'd do to you if they find out you're a human who knows about us."
He shivered and locked his eyes shut, and I didn't blame him. This was all crashing down on him so fast, it was probably frightening.
"It's okay dad," I told him. "It's worth it in the end, especially if there's someone you love on the other side."
He looked up at me. "But what about Renee? Sue?"
I remembered those people; I hadn't seen Renee in a long time. Sue was at Charlie's house a few months ago, but… "Well, what do you feel like doing about them?"
"Hmm… Could you change me and them?"
I hesitated in my reply. "Maybe. But if they don't have the beforehand briefing or anything, they will be both shocked and may not adapt to our lifestyle. After all, normal vampires drink human blood." My beautiful voice came out shaky, and my throat choked up. "We don't. It's extremely difficult to withstand it at first, especially without warning that you were going to be turned. Normal vampires are drawn to the scent of human blood like an alcoholic to wine. Or, a heroin addict to drugs."
I laughed, remembering the fading memory.
"Could you… Talk to them or something?"
I frowned. "Yeah, but think of their reaction. I bet Renee would have a heart attack."
"Well… I still think we should. But that would put your family up to, like, twenty. I'm not so fond of staying in a house with that many other people."
Chuckling, I replied, "dad, you don't have to live with us. That would be weird. Five adults in one house…" I laughed inwardly at the image in my head. "You could always just move. And don't worry about money; you'll accumulate a lot of it over the years." I paused to let it sink in, and then continued. "And think about this. You don't have to buy food, so you save even more," I joked.
He laughed, slapping his knee once. "I guess so." Then he was abruptly serious. "But really, Bells, can you put up with all three of us until we leave?"
"Sure. But I'm not going to tell them. You will." I grinned.
"Deal." He held his hand out.
"Deal," I repeated, closing my rock hand around his. He flinched, trying to pull his hand back at the feel of my cold skin, but then I loosened my hold. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
Edward snarled. "Watch it, Charlie. Stop sighing inwardly and thinking that Bella should have told you about this. She couldn't have."
"So, you can read minds…" Charlie mused. "I'm joking, by the way," he said, turning to me. Then his gaze flicked to Edward again. "Do all vampires read minds?" he asked.
"No, just me. Only some vampires have special abilities. Alice can see the future… And Bella is sort of like a shield. She can protect herself from my mind reading. But it's not just abilities. Carlisle… and Esme have brought their compassion and abilities to love over to the other side… and they have been magnified."
"Fascinating," Charlie said, and began murmuring to himself in an inaudible voice.
* * *
"So," I broke into Carlisle and Charlie's conversation two hours later (what a surprise, Charlie was still at our house). "What's the plan?"
Charlie looked away from Edward's father and at me. "I'm going to give it a try, Bells," he told me with sincere sureness.
I was about to ask, are you sure, but then he continued before I could get a word out. "Trust me, I'm fine."
"Great," I explained, but then thought the better of my use of words. "Well, maybe not great, but you get the picture."
"Carlisle's explained everything. I'm ready whenever, I am just really nervous about what will happen afterwards."
I didn't blame him. My first instant as a vampire had been jostling too, especially since there was so much to take in. "Stuck forever in your mid-ages," I mused.
Then I remembered Renesmee, who had now been gone for almost three hours. "Where's Renesmee?" I demanded to Carlisle, my voice high.
Edward answered from the other room. "Don't worry Bella, she went to La Push to swim. Jacob's there with her."
I grimaced. Jacob. Always Jacob. Never me.
Edward spoke again. "Jacob, Seth, Leah, and Quil, to be more precise. Sam's watching them and thinking how they can stand being close to a vampire. Well, half-vampire. The other werewolves are having some fun by themselves."
It was only two times in this second life that Renesmee had actually offered a place for me in their little trips. I felt hollow.
Jasper peered around the corner from the kitchen. "Bella, are you alright?" he asked me.
"I'm fine," I lied, trying to push the feeling of ease and relaxation away from my mind. "Please don't do that unless you know what I am thinking about, Jasper."
"Sorry."
"No hard feelings, I'm just asking you to try." I winked at him.
"I am." Then he disappeared.
"Whoa," Charlie said, who was looking at Jasper. "How can you move so fast?" When I turned to him, I saw that his eyes were as big as oranges.
"I'm not sure, actually," I said. "It's a very strange feeling." I ghosted quickly to sit next to him in the couch. Jacob blinked and rubbed his fists on his eyes.
Charlie's head whipped around, and he moved a small amount away from me.
"Thanks, dad, I feel really scary now."