Chapter Two

My mouth fell open when I took in the Cullens' house, or should I say mansion. It was much larger than any house I had ever seen. There were at least three floors, but the house itself didn't appear bulky. It looked rather spacious and gracefully put together; one of the sides of the house was made entirely of glass, and I was enraptured by it. To the eyes of a child, it looked like a palace.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Rosalie said, interpreting my silence for awe. She let me down from her back and took my hand, leading me into the house. "Esme designed it."

"Wow," I breathed. "Esme's very talented."

"She is," Rosalie agreed. Alice bounded to the front door and flung it open, welcoming us all inside with wide arms and an even wider grin. She just never seemed to stop smiling.

"This," Alice said, twirling in the living room with outstretched arms, "is our homely abode." The walls were painted a light beige, with some abstract paintings stuck on as decoration. A huge black couch was placed in the center, with a cozy rug laid out in front of it. A grand piano stood a few paces off from the couch, with a radio perched atop it.

I reached the floor mat, and then stopped, realizing that my galoshes were heavy with mud. I looked down at them, frowning at the muck that I had tracked in. Rosalie looked down at me with confusion.

"What's the matter?" she asked, a tinge of worry creeping into her voice.

"Her boots are muddy," Edward explained for me, somehow knowing of my situation. He was pretty observant, I supposed. "She doesn't want to mess the house."

"You are quite the proper young lady," Carlisle acknowledged teasingly.

I nodded, wanting to please these new neighbors of mine. "Grandmama always says that good etiquette is of the highest importance."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "You better not be like this all the time, kiddo."

I wrinkled my nose again. "Kiddo?"

"That's no good either, huh? It's gonna take a while to come up with a good nickname for you."

"But I already have a nickname. It's Tess, remember?"

Emmett scratched his head, a little confused. "Well, yeah, technically it's a nickname. But, like, a real nickname, y'know."

"But that is a real nickname," I said matter-of-factly.

Emmett let out a loud sigh and fell onto the large couch. He threw his hands into the air. "I give up."

I giggled softly and turned to Rosalie who was looking at her husband with adoration. "Can you help me out of my boots, please?"

"Of course," Rosalie replied, bending down and removing the galoshes carefully. She set them right by the door, and I slid onto the wood paneling with my neon green socks. Emmett snickered at them.

"Don't laugh," I said, crossing my arms and sticking my nose in the air. "These are my most fashionable socks."

Alice beamed at me while Emmett doubled over in laughter. I grinned at him, happy to be the source of his amusement. I clambered onto the large couch and seated myself beside the hulking man.

"I like her," Emmett said after his laughter had died down. He patted my head heavily, and I huffed as strands of my pale blonde hair flew into my face. Rosalie sauntered toward the couch as well and sat beside me, leaving me squeezed between the two of them. She fixed the flyaway strands of hair with expert precision, her cool fingertips brushing against the side of my scalp.

"Would you like something to eat, Tess?" Esme called, her warm voice piercing the quiet air. Her hands were clasped together, her eyes awaiting a response. "Cookies maybe?"

My face lit up with excitement. Mama rarely let me have sweets; she thought I got too hyper off of sugar. Papa would always try to sneak me a few, though. "I'd love some! Do you have chocolate chip?"

Esme nodded happily. "I'll be right back." She walked speedily toward the open kitchen, which was somewhat visible from the living room since there was no door.

"We'll be back, too," Carlisle said as Esme left. He was looking at Alice with an expectant expression.

"We?" Alice said indignantly, her dark brows creasing. She ran a hand through her short hair. "But I wanted to—"

"Alice," Carlisle said lowly, sounding like a parent who was scolding their young child.

Alice fidgeted with the hem of her shirt for a moment before giving in. "Right. Let's go talk." She looked back at me and gave me a bright smile and quick wave before bounding into the kitchen as well. Carlisle, Jasper, and Edward followed her.

"Why're they leaving?" I asked Rosalie, looking up to her. The ends of her gleaming curls brushed against the top of my head.

She merely shrugged, not quite making eye contact with me.

"So...whadya do for fun, champ?" Emmett asked.

I pouted. I guess he wasn't going to let go of the nickname thing anytime soon. "Well, last summer, Papa bought me a whole new dollhouse. It's purple on the outside and has seven rooms inside of it!"

Emmett made a face. "Dollhouse?"

"What's wrong with dollhouses?" I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Wouldn't you rather go out and play ball or something?" He moved his head back a little and squinted at me. "You look like you could bat well."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Leave her be, Em."

"We used to go outside a lot," I said uneasily, my voice soft and shy, "but since Papa has so many shifts and I have school, we don't as much now."

Rosalie seemed to sense that I didn't want to talk about my family, so she tried to veer the conversation away. "Oh, you're in school? What grade are you in?"

"The first grade," I said proudly. "It's really, really fun! Last week, we started fractions!"

"Fractions," Emmett said with mock distaste. "My mortal enemy."

I rolled my eyes at his antics, sliding off of the couch. I looked up at Rosalie, and beckoned her to follow me. She took my hand as she got off of the couch, and I led her into the kitchen. I was curious to see what everyone else was up to and eager to see if the cookies were done.

Rosalie pulled me back a little. Her forehead creased in worry. "Maybe we should just wait out here, Tess."

I took my hand away from her grasp and crossed my arms. "Why?"

Just beyond the entranceway to the kitchen, I could hear the others talking quietly.

"They're probably busy," Rosalie said, laughing nervously. She turned around and waved Emmett over with a quick gesture of her hand. "Maybe we could just go outside and play?"

"...can't just take her," I heard Esme say indignantly.

My brows furrowed. My gaze fluttered from Rosalie to the kitchen and back.

"Yeah," Emmett agreed, nodding his head. "We could play catch in the backyard? How about it, champ?"

"How long?" someone said. It could've been Carlisle; the voice was deep but airy.

There was a pause, then I heard Alice's high voice. "Two days."

Emmett and Rosalie exchanged apprehensive glances.

"I wanna know what's happening," I said defiantly, making up my mind to figure out what exactly the Cullens were hiding. I had scarcely taken my first step into the kitchen, when Esme zipped up to me, a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in her mitted hands.

"Cookies are ready!" she said, a wide smile plastered onto her face. It didn't quite reach her eyes like before. From the corner of my eye, I saw Carlisle, Jasper, and Alice were seated at the dining table, artificial grins fixed onto their faces as well. Edward had the refrigerator half open, his head peering inside. The inside was bare.

I hesitatingly took a cookie from the tray. "What's in two days?"

I hoped it wasn't something bad.

Edward slammed the door of the refrigerator shut, and I jumped at the unexpected noise. The others turned to him, and Edward shot a very conspicuous glare at Alice before stalking away from the kitchen.

"I tried to stop her," Rosalie said sheepishly as Edward left.

Alice cleared her throat. "In two days...we'll be...leaving."

The cookie dropped from my hand, splitting in half as it hit the linoleum. "Leaving? But I just met you!"

Esme stooped down to pick up the fallen cookie pieces. She gazed down at me; her eyes seemed like they were glazed over with tears, but she wasn't crying. "It's complicated."

My mouth shifted into a small frown. That was usually grown-up code for trouble.

"Will I still see you guys around somewhere?" I asked after a moment, my tone hopeful. I'd only been with the Cullens for a couple of hours at the most, but I felt close to them. I couldn't help but think that we were meant to be friends. Even if they did seem a little strange.

"Yes," Alice said definitively. She stood from the chair. "Very soon."

Carlisle was looking at Alice with a torn expression. "Alice..."

"In any case..." Jasper said, standing up as well. He glanced at the clock above the oven. "It's about time we get you home."

I nodded. Grandmama was probably getting worried by my prolonged absence. I moved toward Rosalie, my hands outstretched, ready for a piggyback ride back home. She scooped me into her arms. I could feel the cold radiating from her, even through my rain jacket.

"Wait, Tess," Carlisle said, moving forward. "There's one thing we must ask of you."

Rosalie shifted me so I was now on her back. I peered over her shoulder, my hair tangling into hers. "What?"

"You can't tell your family that you saw us."

My mouth fell open. Secret friends? "But why?"

"Because...because..." Carlisle struggled.

"Because we're planning a surprise introduction for them!" Alice said with only a smidgen of her usual pep. I was confused by her sudden soft tone. "We need to properly introduce ourselves to our new neighbors, right?"

I nodded along. I guess that made sense. I felt Rosalie sigh heavily. Carlisle shot Alice another look, and Jasper put an arm around Alice's petite shoulders. Rosalie turned away from the scene and began trekking back to the living room. She grabbed my galoshes as we made our way to the door.

"See ya, champ!" I heard Emmett boom. The others soon followed with their own goodbyes, their voices melding together.

"Bye, everyone!"

Rosalie began running at a leisurely pace into the woods. I clung a little tighter onto her neck.

"Tess…" Rosalie whispered up to me.

"Yes?"

There was a long pause between the two of us. The trees flickered by as Rosalie's pace increased. I gripped her neck a little tighter.

"In two days, you're going to have to be very brave," she said at last.

She stopped, and I lurched forward a little by the suddenness of it. We were back at the small clearing where I had first met her family. I could see my cream colored house in the near distance. Rosalie let me down from her back, and helped me slip my boots back on.

"Why do I have to be brave? Because you're all leaving?" I questioned.

She squatted down to my level and pulled me in for a hug. Her long fingers began to stroke my hair. "If you want us to come get you, then just think about us, okay? Think about leaving with us. Think about coming back outside into the woods and seeing us again like today. Make the decision to see us, and we'll be there, okay?"

"Okay," I whispered. I was beyond confused, but I wasn't sure what to ask of her. There were already quite a few questions burgeoning in my head. Where are they all going? Why was Edward so angry? Why are you so sad?

She let go of me and turned me around so I was facing the direction of my house. When I looked back, she was gone.