I would be lying if I said I hadn't expected my family's warm, unconditional "Welcome Home". I would also be lying if I said I hadn't missed them terribly. The look on Esme's face alone was more than enough to make me wish I'd never left in the first place.
I would be lying, however, if I said I was ecstatic to be back in Forks.
To be fair, Forks was far from unbearable. We had everything we could possibly need or want here. Anonymity, wealth, and perhaps even a small part to play in this small, unwitting human society we chose to impose ourselves upon. There were other things too, that made Forks more appealing to us than it did for most. For one, the perpetually gloomy, sunless weather allowed us to walk about during the day without fear of exposing what we truly are. The deep, secluded forests teeming with wildlife proved to be conducive to my family's vegetarian diet as well. That facet was non-negotiable, after all.
I had been expecting the "Welcome Homes" to drift into "What have you been doing?" and other probing questions regarding my absence. I disliked the idea of explaining how I'd been the intense object of vampire affections for the past three months to my brothers, especially Emmett. They wouldn't understand why I'd rebuffed Tanya's advances. Not even I did. Yes, the Denali vampires were absolutely beautiful and infinitely charming, but, at the risk of sounding snobbish, who among us was not? There had been no connection between us, and thus had parted ways amicably. With the one condition that I deliver Tanya's best regards to my father, of course.
"How are the Denalis doing, Edward?" Carlisle asked as he strolled beside me towards the sofa.
"They're well," I replied, "Tanya sends her love." Carlisle smiled and nodded thoughtfully.
After an hour or so of questions, I'd decided that I'd had enough, and excused myself upstairs to change, citing the fact that I'd been wearing the same set of clothes for three days now. I opened the door to my room, casually flicking on the light. Alice was waiting, sitting cross-legged on my black leather sofa, the only real piece of furniture in the room.
"Alice." I acknowledged. She made a face.
You smell like you've been swimming in dirt for days. Don't even get me started on the condition of your clothes…She thought.
I sighed and grabbed a pair of khakis and an ivory sweater from the dresser in the corner, zipping quickly into my bathroom to change. When I emerged, her face had not changed.
"What? Not chic enough?" I demanded jokingly. Alice was forever the fashionista.
"It's not that…" She said aloud, staring off into space with her mouth pressed in a hard line, eyes squinted ever so slightly. I read through her thoughts as she showed me her visions from the past two days.
"What do you make of it?" I asked calmly, concealing the worry in my voice. I already knew that she had no idea, but I figured I would be polite.
I watched silently for a few seconds as she rubbed her temples, eyes still closed. I probed her thoughts gently.
I've never had this happen before. It's like there's a…hole…in my sight. There's definitely something there—I can make out the edges. I don't think it's our kind, I always see them the clearest. It couldn't be human either, though. I was getting perfect reception on the police chief. Could it be some kind of animal?
"Or maybe a trick…a talent." I suggested. Some of our kind were known to possess gifts that allowed us to do things out of the ordinary. Alice, for example, could see the future. Jasper held sway over people's emotions. I could read minds.
"Maybe." She seemed hopeful, despite shaking her head slowly. "Whenever I think about it, I get the worst headache." She complained.
"Then don't think about it anymore!" A husky voice asserted from the doorway. "Sheesh, what are you Alice, a masochist?" Emmett's eyes twinkled with laughter at the last part as he walked into the room. Rosalie followed, her platinum hair pulled into a high ponytail.
"Emmett's right, you know. We have other things to think about. School starts again tomorrow." She rolled her eyes. Jasper, suddenly in the doorway behind her, let out a huff.
School. What a charade. It was necessary though, since we all looked so young. The last thing we needed was law enforcement knocking on our door, trying to haul Carlisle and Esme away to jail for allowing truancy.
"I bet you can't wait to tell the class what you've been doing on your spring break, Edward." Emmett teased.
I scowled. I had been absent from Fork's High School for much longer than two weeks. Carlisle had told the school that I'd transferred, was living with family in Los Angeles for a while. Of course nobody gave him any trouble about it, despite how abrupt my departure was. No one in this murky little town would question a choice to move away to L.A., the land of the sun.
But what was the excuse for me coming back? I would have to make one up before tomorrow morning. They'd take it, whatever it was. People didn't put up much of a fight against our charms. As if they could even if they tried.
As everybody filed out of my room, Alice hung back.
"We'll figure it out, Alice. Don't worry." I said. I was glad at that moment she couldn't read my thoughts.
She nodded solemnly. Then she flashed a small smile, adding "Don't forget you're driving us tomorrow." I laughed as she danced down the hall.
