I drove to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was 84 degrees in DFW, the sky was baby blue with threads of white clouds scattered across. I was wearing my favorite boots-black and decorated in buckles and studs; I wore them as a farewell tribute. My carry-on item was a Parka.
In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was this town that my younger cousin Isabella lived with her father, Charlie Swan. It was here that I now sought refuge.
I was actually related to Bella on her Mother's side but when Uncle Charlie found out about The Incident from Aunt Renee, he decided to lend a hand. He had been on great terms with my Dad, both men having married into the family, both who could bond over the great and manly sport of fishing. It was good to know that Uncle Charlie still cared about me even after his divorce.
I arrived in Forks by taxicab late in the afternoon. As it pulled up in front of the little house, I noticed that Uncle Charlie's Cruiser was nowhere to be found but there were two unfamiliar vehicles parked in the driveway. I briefly wondered if Bella had company as I made my way to the front door.
The moment my boots hit the porch, the door swung open and I was face to face with a tiny woman with black hair and unusual golden-colored eyes. I stood there staring in surprise for a half a second before a familiar voice called my name from behind the stranger's shoulder.
"Anna!" Bella cried in dismay as she spotted me in her doorway. Before I could become offended over her lack of enthusiasm she grabbed my arm and hauled me bodily to one of the unfamiliar cars and shoved me inside.
"What? What?" I sputtered incoherently, unable to express myself in words when I was confused.
"There's no time to explain! Hurry!" Bella hopped into the car after me.
"My bags!" I protested. The two suitcases I had brought with me were still lying in the driveway.
"Alice!" Bella called and a blur flew by the car before the pixie woman I confronted before climbed into the driver's seat and stepped on the gas with the vague promise to Bella that she had 'taken care of it.'
OoooOOoooOOoooO
I sat in the back seat of a canary yellow Porsche that was hurtling along the roads of Italy at breakneck speeds. I had been brought up to speed, more or less, on the situation. Not that it made a lick of sense forwards or backwards but I figured Bella could handle it. She was quite mature and well put together for a high schooler. What I didn't understand was why she wouldn't let Charlie know what was going on. Both his daughter and his niece where halfway across the world chasing some random guy named Edward, who was apparently some on again-off again lover, (Who knew Bella had it in her?) and he was just supposed to be okay with it?
"EEP!" I yelped and clutched my seat as we swerved into a crowd of people gathered in the town square, all of whom where decked out in bright red cloaks and plastic fangs. I listened to Alice's explanation of their bizarre dress with half an ear as I watched her navigate the crowd in horror. I let out another squeak as I was thrown against the back of the driver's seat when Alice screeched to a halt and Bella threw the car door open and streaked through the horde at an incredible velocity. I was left staring after her in amazement until Alice parked the car and hopped out, gesturing for me to follow. I obeyed and we made our way around the square in silence. As we approached a tall Clock Tower I saw the most curious scene. Bella was already there, holding onto a boy with no shirt. The boy seemed to be arguing with two figures in cloaks, one large and hulking, the other smaller and slender. Alice and I moved toward the group and they glanced up at our approach, I smirked at Bella and raised a pointed, judging eyebrow. She turned red and looked at her feet.
"We are leaving." The half-naked boy, who, by proxy of Bella clinging to him like a limpet, must be this Edward guy we were supposed to be saving from certain death, spoke up with an arm protectively around my younger cousin's waist.
"So soon? Master Aro was hoping to speak to you." One of the cloaked figures said.
"I think we will decline Dimitri."
"Enough." Came a high commanding voice. I glanced over my shoulder to see another cloaked figure approach. This one was tiny with a cherub face, in fact, I noticed that everyone in this group, with the exception of Bella and myself, looked as if they were carved from white marble by one of those Greek or Italian Sculptors you read about in History class. The contact red eyes made the cloaked ones look handsomely devilish. It was more appealing than Alice and Edwards' strange yellow eyes.
"Jane." Edward said with an air of defeat. The argument seemed to be automatically won with her arrival, judging by the victorious smirks of the other two.
The Jane girl turned and walked back through the doors of the clock tower and Edward, Alice and Bella followed. I watched my cousin curiously for a long moment, it appeared so natural for her to be following him like this, I wondered what had happened to her in the years we had been apart for her to change so much. Granted, I hadn't seen her since she was fourteen but still, Bella was a pretty consistent person. Throwing herself all over a man and following him blindly wasn't much like her.
A none-too-gentle nudge forward propelled me to start moving in the others' direction and I did it without protest. My curiosity was beginning to overwhelm common sense at this point and I went eagerly, oblivious to the air of danger present around these strangers.