Bella:
"Are you sure?" I asked Hilly for the fifth time.
"Yes. I'm telling you, something bad will happen if we won't go now. Something I've done – or, will do, to be precise – needs to be fixed or redone. I can feel that." She answered me, her fingers running across her shabby bag-pack. The bag-pack that she took with her to her travels. Her time-travels.
"I thought that you can travel in time, not to feel what will happen." I laugh after mimicking her voice, just to ease the pressure. But if Hilly felt something, that means only one thing – big troubles.
"Yhea, yhea." She smiled an unhappy smile. "They're here." She said after a moment.
"Momma!" Nessie called when she entered to the room, her father right after her.
"Hallo sweethearts." I hugged her after she jumped into my arms. Edward kissed my forehead and smiled to Hilly.
"So, are you planning a time-travel with my wife?" he asked her with the crooked smile I loved so-much.
"Yep, We're gonna have so much fun! Maybe we will see her as a baby… or see you're first wedding… or even – " She started to bring up ideas for a cover, which meant I had to cover her with my shield or I'll be in big troubles. In less than a second she was protected, and Edward couldn't read her mind. He raise his eyebrow at me, still smiling.
"How long would you be gone?" Nessie asked me, playing with my long her. She didn't want me to leave. I kissed her chick, humming.
"We'll be here in no-time – you already now that." The travels may take months for Hilly, but minutes for us to notice her absence and than – PUFF – she's back. "And Hilly may bring you a birthday present." I tried to bribe her. She considered that for a second, while the wrinkle between her eyebrows showed itself to the world.
"Can I join you?" she pleaded, her brown eyes digging into mine. "You said that on my sixth birthday – "
"That will happen in two months from today," Hilly pated on her head. Nessie crossed her arms in her lap and looked angry.
"Don't be mad, Mini-Edward. I Swear I'll bring you some cool stuff." Hilly tried to reconcile her. Nessie looked at her, suspicion in her brown eyes.
"Promise?"
"Yes, Mini-Edward. Have I EVER let you down?" Hilly stood on her tip-toes, looking into my daughters' eyes. Yes, Hilly was shorter than me in two inches. Her long hair was blacker than black itself, and she was stuffed in the right places. She was beautiful, though she wouldn't admit that.
"No." Nessie whispered before she jumped from my arms and disappeared.
"She's too spoil." Nelly, Hilly's sister, said whilst entering into the room. She was thin and pretty – though not like her sister – but they were very similar. Both of them had the same angle-like full lips, little nose and big, smart eyes.
"So, who's coming this time?" I asked Hilly, rolling my eyes.
Her face lit up. "So you're coming with me?" She asked. I nodded, thinking do I have any other choice? "Great. But you should know that this time it will be a journey for… well, longer than usual." She bit her bottom lip – something she learnt from me, unfortunately.
"What do you mean, little sis?" Nelly asked. Oh, btw, none of us knew who the elder from them was – they both claimed to be the eldest. But after three years, you get used to that.
"You should come too." Hilly said to her sister, squeezing her hand a little too hard.
"Of cause I will! If I won't go, who on Earth will clean up you're messes?" she chuckled. Nelly had a very rare talent, just like her sister – she could control thoughts. She could change them, and even erase them. Since she came, Alice's visions are less… stable than ever.
Carlisle said that he hadn't seen that kind of talents in he's entire existence. What he also said, is that their power match; because no one can know about them, they need to erase themselves from everyone's memory they'd been in touch with while they where in the past.
"So, where are we going?" I asked.
"Oh Bella, why are you so worried?" Hilly sighed. "Relax. We're going on vacation." She winked.
"Vacation that makes a vampire wants to throw-up." I said under my breath. In the first time I've 'traveled' with her I had dizziness for a whole week.
"What should we bring?" Nelly asked. That was the right question – the last time I went to one of Hilly's 'trips', I found myself watching in Marie Antoinette's death. I could still see her pretty head on the ground. It was awful. And bloody.
Hilly thought about it for a second. "Just money." That was what she said last time.
"Is that mean – "
"Yes, we're going to the dinosaur's era." She rolled her eyes at me. "c'mon, Bella, be – " but she didn't finish the sentence.
She blinked twice, and whispered. "We don't have much time. I feel like I'm already starting to vanish away."
"Bella, hurry!" Nelly called.
I took the money from our room and put it in my purse, knowing that my credit card won't be useful in a few minutes from now. "When, Hilly?" I asked her, grabbing her hand. I was ready.
"Nelly!" she yelled at the air. It was close. When I touched her, my vision got blurry, like we're about to go.
"I'm here!" Nelly got in, a bag on her shoulders, tree coats on her thin body. "To look normal." She explained when she grabbed her sister's left hand.
"We're going!" Hilly yelled. "Love you all. See you in a – "
WOOSH and KABOOM.
We crashed into grin grass. I got up quickly, helping Nelly lift dazzle-Hilly.
"Is everyone OK?" Nelly asked. In the time-trips – just in the time trips – she was the responsible adult.
"Yes." I answered.
"A little dizzy, but fine." Hilly said, her eyes starting to focus on my nose.
"You're the first dizzy vampire in the history. Respect." Nelly chuckled along with her sister.
"Whatever, little sis." Hilly settled on her feet and looked at us.
"Good. You two, come on. We don't want to be outside in the dark, looking like this." She gestured at her skinny-jeans and red top. I looked around.
"Where are we?" I asked. A huge lake with a few old-but-new-looking boats in it was a few yards from us. Besides that, everything was green. Trees, bushes, a long trail…
We all looked around, searching for answers. "We're in Grant Park, Chicago." Good thing Nelly knew everything – literally.
"Which year?" I asked. That was the most important question.
Hilly looked around, peeking up scents, or whatever she was doing with her super-power. "1918. May." She said after a few seconds.
I choked out. "What?"
"Hello, human Edward." Nelly muttered to herself. "Please go to the receipt to welcome your future wife and friends."
"Hilly, what happened to Edward? Why are we here? Why now? What happened?" I grabbed her shoulders as tight as I could, and shook her back and forth.
"Bella calm down! You know that everything will come in it's time." Hilly said in a low voice.
"I don't want to calm down! Something will happen to Edward, and we won't know what it is 'till your crappy power says so." I pointed out. She winced.
"Thanks a lot." Glum Hilly said.
"C'mon, Hill, you know I didn't mean to – " I wanted to apologize. It was cruel to treat her like that, especially when she couldn't control her powers.
"Never mind," She said with a sour face. "Let's go." We ran as fast as we could till we got out of the park.
"Where are we going next?" I asked, looking around. Soldiers were in the streets, in the little stores, in the small inns. I immediately understood how this idea got into Edward's mind. It was like a brainwash – no matter where, you could see young men and women who served your country.
"We'll stay here for a while, so we need a permanent residence." Hilly said, searching for something in the crowded street.
"And where for haven sake will we found one?" Nelly asked her sister in sarcastic tone.
Hilly focused on one house, a huge house that looked pretty new. "There?" Nelly asked, horrified. Her deep-brown hair flew in the light breeze, and she tried to catch it without success.
"What's wrong with it?" hilly pouted.
Nelly thought about it for a minute. "Everything!"
"Well, it's the only place where we could live in for the moment."
"Bella, say something!" Nelly bagged. "We have enough money to buy a house, here and now."
"I think it OK for now," I said to her. Hilly smiled at her sister, doing 'V' with her fingers. Oh, right, for the Dolevs, 'V' meant Victory, not Peace.
Nelly growled. "Well, fine. But if I have to live in that thing, at least let's go get some clothes that will fit into this madness. I can't believe I'm gonna shop clothes that looks like my grandma's." But she was right – everyone that came toward us looked at us like we were some kind of aliens. Not that that wasn't true, but…
"You know that we'll have to use clean English, right? So don't mess this up by saying 'crap, gonna, dammit, shoot and etc.', 'k?" Hilly broke into short laugher.
"ya right, sis. But, seriously, we have to get going before they would close up."
"OK." Hilly said, still happy with her victory, and caught our hands. We went down the road while Nelly brought to each one of us a coat – Luckily it was Retro – and we entered into a small clothing store.
"Behave." Hilly muttered under her breath. "Hello miss," she said to the seller. "Do you have some clothes we shall see?"
"And who are you?" she asked. She was wearing a huge, fluffy dress, and a huge-yellow sun-hat held her hair. Omg, I won't wear that. It lookes like one of Jane Austen characters! But then, I wondered if that's what Edward thinks about today's clothes. If he miss those kind of clothes, his time clothes. I had no answer.
I sighed. "We're from Washington, Miss. We'd just moved here." Hilly said with warm-but-polite voice. The lady eyed us, scanning us from our stiletto shoes (Alice's fault) till our long, loose hair.
"Are the three of you sisters?" she asked, pushing her glasses up-and-right so she could see us better.
I nodded. "Yes ma'am. We are Hillary, Nelly, and Isabella Bennet." I gesture one at the time, and pick the last name from one of my favorite books. Nelly sent me a killer – her I want to kill you look – when she heard our new last name.
" Nice to meet you, ma'am." Nelly said a little harsh because of me. I hide my smile, just like Hilly.
"I'm Ms. Clay, nice to meet you too. Where are you living?" she asked. OK, people from here are much more gossipers than back home.
"For the meanwhile, we are staying in the hostel down the street." Hilly said, obtusely trying to speak like someone from this era. I could almost hear the gears turning in her mind. "When our uncle will arrive we will be living with him." She smiled softly.
"Sho uncle?" her sister whispered.
"Carlisle." She breathed.
"You're insane." I gasped.
"Very well, then. Which dresses would you like to see?" The seller – unaware to our little discussion - asked us and showed us for the next hour every dress that the little store could offer.
Hilly:
In the end we bought five dresses for each, claiming that our luggage won't be here till next week. Man, I love being someone else.
After packing everything in three heavy-looking bags, we went toward the hostel I'd find. We entered to it, looking around. It was simple but cozy. Warm wood was on the walls, a big black piano near the reception and two stories.
"Hello, sir." Nelly smiled to the old man. He bowed. Oh my god… where were we?
"Hello misses. How can I help three young ladies in this hour?" something told me that he already knew exactly what we wanted.
"Just do your magic." I sighed. Nelly looked at his eyes, concentrating. After a minute or so – he probably was drunk, if it took so long – the old man grab his keys and got upstairs as we followed.
"You will get the best room for free – it's beautiful, with full-view to the street and the park." He entered to the last room and opened it. I entered in.
It had four beds, two desk and three chars, and some lamps here and there. Though I knew Nelly would freak out… "Perfect. Thank you very much sir. But, I wish you keep our staying as a secret." He murmured something that sounds like OK, and went after handing Bella the keys.
Nelly closed the door and she stopped breathing. "It's so romantic!" She finally said.
"I beg your pardon," I said, confused.
"The candles! The big beds, those Retro chars and tables. It looks like we're in an old romantic movie!" she put her hands together.
"Maybe it's because we are in one." I rolled my eyes.
"yhea, yhea." She said, not listening. I just shook my head half-smiling.
"OK," Bella said, tense. "What are we doing next?"