I load up in my car and head towards the local grocery store here in Tennessee. This is currently where we are staying. Emmett wanted to come visit his hometown for a while. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be. There is plenty of forest here in the Smokey Mountains, a variety to eat, much is the same as my own hometown, except the sun actually shines here. Esme designed Edward and I our own little cabin much the same as the one we had in Forks. It isn't far from the main house. I know Edward doesn't really see a need to live away from the family. But I happen to like the privacy I have away from everyone else. I have lived on my own basically my whole life, even in my newborn years Edward and I had a place of our own. I don't suppose I will ever want to live with the family again. Close sure, together, that's a no. Edward still has his own room in the main house, but I don't see a need for it.
I get all the groceries that I buy every week, mostly canned goods, that won't go bad, and head off towards the next town over. Esme and Carlisle insist we buy food to blend, and since we have no use for it, I donate it to the next town over so suspicion doesn't arise.
"Mrs. Cullen, I am so glad you have come back! We did so appreciate you bringing us food out here last week." Ms. Shell the lady in charge of the shelter tells me.
"Sure it's no problem. I like being involved in the community and I always was a softy for helping out those less fortunate than I." I smile; she does seem like a genuinely sweet woman.
"Listen, I know you said you would be making a donation every week or two, but I was wondering if you would be interested in donating a little something different."
"That shouldn't be a problem, what is it you need?"
She giggles and smiles; "Now I am sure you probably haven't been asked this before, but I need more people to donate their actual time here in the shelter. So many donate food, clothes, and other things, and we are very grateful to have those things, but what I really need are some young people to volunteer to help teach some of these folks around here to read that haven't had the chance to do so. So many here have little to no education, and that seems to be a big reason they can't support themselves. I am trying to get a GED program started, and I just need someone to help out. If you need training, we would provide that for you, we could sit down and discuss what days you are available and what age group you would like to help out. I really need a younger lady like yourself to help out the teen group. As most of them are single mothers, that haven't had a chance to finish their diploma. Now, when can we sit down and have that talk?"
I am truly flabbergasted as most want to get away from me the minute they sense me for the true predator that I am. Yet this lady wants me to come help out teen mothers. I think I am stunned, not for the first time in my undead life, but certainly stunned none the less.
I suppose I should close my mouth and answer her. "Okay, sure! I'd love to help out as much as I can. I do have a writing degree from Dartmouth so I am not sure what other training I would need, but it would be an honor to help out wherever I am able."
"That's wonderful, dear! How about when you come next week we will sit down and talk it all over and see what else we need, schedules and the like."
"I will be here!" I grin at her.
I speed down the highway towards home and I can't seem to get the grin off my face. I actually get to do something other than go to school. Thankfully, Carlisle and Esme haven't signed any of us up for school yet, as it is still summer break. I am so happy that I won't have to go to high school again for the 34th time!
I turn up the driveway and hear everyone inside. As soon as I park I run at my full speed into the house. "Family meeting!" I say as I go through the door. I know everyone will hear me no matter where they are.
"Isabella, is everything okay?" Carlisle always the family patriarch.
"Better than, Carlisle." I almost want to squeal.
"What do you need, Darlin'?" Jasper asks in his southern drawl.
I see Edward frown, at the side of me. I figure he is trying to get a reading on me to see what it is that I want. I don't open to let him in though. I just grin at him and start rushing through it.
"I went to the shelter this morning and they want me to come help out the teenagers. They want me to help them earn their GED. Most of them will be teen age mothers that didn't get to finish their diploma, and I think since we haven't signed up yet for school that I really want to do this." I finish up my speech telling them all what was said, and what I had told Ms. Shell.
"You can't!" Edward growls out at me.
"Why not? They don't seem to be scared of me, and I really would like to help out. Carlisle works out in the community; I can't see why I cannot. Plus Esme is always telling us to try something new and this is what I want to do Edward." I plead with him.
"No. Then I will have nothing to do, I can't very well go to high school while you are supposedly out of college. That would not go over well for any of us. And I don't have anything else to do, and I refuse to stay at home while everyone else goes to school or work!"
"Edward, that isn't fair! I have already been to high school more times than I ever would have wished for and I don't want to go this time. It shouldn't always be what you want to do! I should get to choose sometimes too." I almost want to pout and stamp my foot like a child right now, but I know it will only make me look worse to the family and it is a family decision so I stand up to him for what feels like the first time in a century.
"Son, she is right, she has never asked for anything, and she always goes along with what you want to do when we move. It's only fair that she gets to do something she likes every now and again too. How about you put that medical degree to work for a while this time, or maybe one of those other degrees you have earned over the years. I think it is a wonderful idea, Bella. I am glad someone in this family thinks of not only themselves." Carlisle smiles at me.
"What about the rest of us, we can't very well go to school when the others have already completed college. We look to close in age for that, and we don't want to look to obvious." Rosalie points out.
"Then we will do as we have never done before, and you will all go out and put those educations I have paid for to use. It's about time we did something for humanity, since we live and thrive in their world." Carlisle announces.
I hear four load groans around me, and can't believe that we are at even odds this time. That never happens.
Alice goes into a vision; Edward watches her and seems to take longer than usual for it to end. "That will never happen, Alice!" Edward growls and stomps off to his room.
"What was that Alice?"
"I just saw were we would all be working." She giggles, "Edward was not happy with his employment," she laughs out loud again, "he won't be able to find a job where he wants so he will be working at the local McDonald's!"
We all burst out laughing to think about, Edward working in a fast food restaurant. The smells alone would be horrid, not to mention, how bad those employees usually get treated. I don't think my husband would do well in that environment, but can't stop laughing none the less.
"What about the rest of us?" Emmett asks.
"Well, I will of course be working with clothing, there is a new store opening in a couple of weeks and they will hire me to be a personal shopper for their big wig clients. Rosalie will open her own car shop where she and Emmett will both work. And Jasper, well I didn't get anything off of Jasper, so it could be he hasn't decided yet."
"That's, great my beautiful Rosie!" Emmett tells his wife. "But I wanna be a boss to, so what do ya think, equal partnership?" He wiggles his eyebrows at her.
"No way in hell, Em! But you can work for me." Rose laughs at him.
"Okay then, I am going to go start searching to see what I am going to need to do to get started working." I grin and head out the door for my house.
I am almost home when I hear footsteps rushing towards me, I can't help but to turn crouch, growl and bare my teeth to the one coming up at me in a hurry.
"Easy, Darlin', I was just wondering if I could talk to you for a minute." I raise up out of my crouch a little abashed that I have just bared my teeth at Jasper.
"It's alright, no sense in feeling that way. I'd want you to be careful with your safety. I still don't understand why Edward wants to stay in the main house away from you. I wouldn't let Alice out here alone, and I don't like the thoughts of you out here alone, either. Guess I just seen to much in this world to ever let someone I care about be in a bad situation. So don't feel ashamed that you almost attacked, Bella. I am glad to know I am the one that trained you. At least that gives me some comfort you being out here alone and all." Jasper tries to make me feel better.
I throw my arm over his shoulders, "Thanks, Larry!" I can't help the giggle that escapes me thinking about our silly nick names for one another.
"No problem, Moe!" Jasper laughs at me. Now if Curly (Emmett) was here, we could get into all kinds of trouble. Rose had named us the three stooges after we got in a little bit of trouble the last time we all three went out together.
"Now, what did you need to talk to me about?"
"I was just wondering if you knew if they needed any one else to help out where you are going to be working. I'd love a chance to help others out, being as I am just a little country boy at heart, and I know that working on farms like a lot of this area does, doesn't help out in the education part, and I figure since someone will be there to help me out in the blood lust department, I could help out to."
"That'd be great Jasper! And I have no doubts that you could do this without my help, but I love that someone will be there with me. That way I won't let anything slip or whatever, ya know."
"I am sure you'd never let anything slip, Bella. I am positive you would be fine on your own. But since I don't really have anything else to do, I figure why not help out where I can."
"Pot, meet kettle."
Jasper looks at me like I have lost my mind. "It's an expression, Jasper. You think I'd be fine, I think you'd be fine. Neither of us have any confidence in that area, so pots and kettles are the same. Just never mind!" I laugh, cause hell I don't think I have explained it right and now the moment is over and it just sounds crazy.
"I'm sure they need more help, you can go with me next week when I go and we will find out what we can till then. I am on my way to look up teen age mothers in this area, and look into seeing what all I need to know for GED's so I can be sure I know everything there is to know about what will be on the test and all."
"Thanks, Bella. I am gonna go hunt. I'll catch up with you soon." Jasper takes off into the woods.