1I knocked on the familiar door in front of me with Edward on my left and Renesmee on my right holding my hand. Alice had dressed Renesmee this morning as I escaped her and went to Edward and I's cottage to dress myself. And, since I dressed myself, I was wearing a plain pair of denim jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. But, Renesmee, being dressed by Alice, wore a pink and white plaid frilly dress that reached her knees. She looked adorable and loved that Alice had done so. She giggled happily as she looked at her reflection in the tall mirror in the hallway before we left the house.
Jacob walked up behind us and put a fiery hand on my shoulder and kissed the top of Renesmee's head. She looked up at him and smiled, her dimples showing softly in her pink cheeks.
Then, the door flew open and Charlie waved us in, grinning from ear to ear at us all. It seemed as if we were all smiling, that we were all so joyous. It was nice.
"Come in everyone," Charlie said. "How are you guys?"
"Good Grandpa," Renesmee answered in her high soprano. Her voice played like music in our ears and lit up everyones faces that were already so happy.
Since the Volturi had departed, leaving without a fight, without bloodshed, we were all extremely grateful for everything. We had Alice back with us and we had all gained friendships. I appreciate everything I have so much more now than I did before. I don't think I have seen a frown on anyone's face since the day we watched their gray cloaks disappear into the forest.
"Yes, definitely. Everything has been wonderful Charlie," Edward said, his topaz eyes sparkling. "What about you? How have you been?"
"Better now that all of you are here." He chuckled.
"Aw, thanks," Jacob replied sarcastically as he closed the door behind him.
Sue was in the kitchen making dinner when we got there. The smell of beef stew swirled in the air and filled my lungs. Definitely not appetizing to me or Edward. But, I could tell Jacob was enjoying the scent. He inhaled deeply and rubbed his stomach with his large, muscular hands.
"Mmm, smells good Sue. I'm hungry."
Sue turned her head to see Jacob, "Why thank you, you're welcome to have some. But, don't make a pig of yourself," she chided.
Jacob chuckled. "I won't....that much." He flashed Sue a grin. Sue rolled her eyes at him and sighed. When didn't Jake make a pig of himself? I giggled under my breath.
"Can I have some, too, Sue?" Renesmee asked innocently, fear of rejection in her sincere furrowed brow. She tilted her head and looked deeply into Sue's eyes.
We all bursted into an uproar of laughter. Renesmee was so cute, but I knew this was just an act that she was putting on for Charlie and Sue. I pinched her cheek and cooed at her. Renesmee smiled and winked at me. She's become so smart, she can act like a mortal so easily. Once she's full grown, she'll have no problem fitting into society.
"Of course you can," answered Sue, patting Nessie on the head.
We all sat down at the dining room table, the exact amount of chairs to fit all of us. Renesmee had only a tiny portion of stew in her bowl because she was definitely only eating out of pure politeness. I know that she much rather prefers our vegetarian vampire diet to human food. Like I said, she's a smart half-vampire. Knowing what to do and what not to do to act like a human child. Renesmee has yet to fail at impressing me. While she sipped her first spoonful, Jacob had his bowl filled to the rim with the beef stew, which was expected. He began to dig in barely before he sat down. As Jacob spattered broth in every direction, Edward and I ate nothing while Sue and Charlie had a normal portion in their bowls. I got a glass of water to drink to be polite and try to act somewhat human. It was hard to even drink the water, I wrinkled my nose as I drank tiny sips.
We made small talk at the old wooden table we were seated at. I was talking to Charlie about his job as police chief and he was enjoying himself. I could hear Edward and Jacob talking about Renesmee and how impressive her intelligence is. I nodded in agreement without Charlie noticing, but I could tell Edward had caught that it was aimed towards the subject he and Jake were talking about. I listened in occasionally and caught tidbits of Renesmee and Sue's conversation about how pretty the dress Alice put her in was. Nessie's wind-chime voice floating through the air and filled everyone's ears with beautiful music.
Sue got up when she was finished with her stew and put her bowl in the sink. She then took a pan of brownies out of the oven and put them in the middle of the dining room table for everyone to eat for dessert. Jacob took four brownies while Renesmee ate half of one off of Jake's plate. Charlie ate two brownies while Sue had one. They all spoke of how delicious they were. I couldn't even imagine how someone could even find a brownie edible. They smelled so....repulsive. I remember faint, foggy human memories of how scrumptious I used to find them. Now, not so much. Haha.
The only thing I actually found appetizing was blood. My vegetarian vampire diet is enough to satisfy a tiny portion of my thirst, but I still yearned for something more. I know I can control myself around humans, but there's still a nagging pain in the back of my throat. An aching dryness that is never quenched. I'm lucky that I practically skipped the newborn thirst frenzy that most vampires go through so I can live among humans, but it's still hard. The only scent in the room that I was focused on was that of the blood pumping through Charlie, Sue, Jacob, and Renesmee's veins. It made me oblivious to the scent of the human food on the table, it made me oblivious to the reeking scent of dog that flowed off of Jake.
I could see the pulse of Charlie's blood through his carotid from where I sat and the scent was overpowering and deliciously vindictive. But, I stopped myself from thinking of this because I love Charlie and he's my father, not my meal. It was getting easier and easier to stop myself from thinking of this kind of behavior. I was grateful for that.
Edward grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed it, indicating it was about time to go. I looked over at Renesmee as she yawned adorably. I could feel the contacts that I wore starting to dissolve from the venom in my eyes. I would hate to have Charlie see the faded red ring around my pupils. They were much more faint than the crimson red irises that I used to have, but I still looked quite scary to the mortals. I had an extra set of contacts in my purse, but I needed them for tomorrow when Charlie would pick up Renesmee for the day, they were my last pair.
Renesmee and Charlie are going to Port Angeles so Charlie can buy her a toy for Valentine's Day. He insisted on it a few days ago. Apparently, February fourteenth isn't just a 'Hallmark Holiday' to him anymore and there's a reason to celebrate and give gifts. It delighted Renesmee, so I didn't bother to ask him where the change of heart came from.
All of a sudden, I felt a weird, but faint pull at the back of my mind. I didn't know where it was from, but I could feel it. The pull was like a nagging tug that was just reappearing, a pressure that pushed against my brain stem. I shrugged it off.
"Well, I think it's about time to go. Sue, dinner smelled fabulous and, by the looks of it, it tasted that way too. It seemed like everyone enjoyed it. Thanks," Edward chimed. He turned to Charlie. "And thank you Charlie for inviting us. I'll see you tomorrow." Edward shook Charlie's hand. Charlie didn't shudder from the cold temperature of his granite skin because he was finally used to it. It took him awhile.
"No problem Edward, it was nice having all of you. And, don't worry, I can't wait to pick Nessie up tomorrow." Charlie beamed, kissing Renesmee on the cheek. He was proud of himself for actually getting our approval. Of course we would monitor him and Nessie from a distance, but he didn't know, nor would he ever. I liked letting him gloat and feel responsible.
"Bye Dad, see ya later. Night." I kissed him on his warm, human lips. I could feel the blood flooding through the thin layer of skin on his soft lips. I took in a breath not thinking. His delicious scent was all I could focus on. I needed to gain control. It was hard to pull away from him, but I did. He winced at the touch of my icy cool lips.
"G'night Bells," he replied.
"Later everybody," Jake yelled to Sue and Charlie as he walked out the door to the Volvo.
"Bye Nessie," Sue cooed. "Bella, Edward, Jake, Charlie. I better get going. I need to check in with Leah and Seth." She picked up her coat and walked out the door waving.
"Good night grandpa," Renesmee whispered to Charlie. "I love you." She skipped gracefully after Jacob.
"Love you Nessie, I love all of you," Charlie called to Edward and I as we walked out the door, hand in hand.
"Love you too Dad," I murmured back to him without turning around, we were almost to the car; Edward kissing me down my jaw line. "Not now Edward," I whispered into his ear without anyone else hearing. I smiled a devilish smile at him. "Later when Renesmee's asleep in her room and we have our privacy." I winked at him, opening the passenger side door and slipping into the seat.
"Okay love."
Edward went around the Volvo in the blink of an eye and slid into the driver's seat igniting the engine and accelerating the speed to sixty miles per hour. Seventy, eighty, and stopping at ninety-five. In only a minute or two we arrived home. Edward parked the car in the garage next to Alice's yellow Porsche. Renesmee was already asleep in the back, snoring sweetly and quietly in Jake's bulky arms.
"Should I take her to the cottage or the main house?" Jacob asked in a hushed tone as he peered down at Renesmee, his husky voice barely below a whisper.
"The cottage is fine, Jake, thank you." I smiled at him, showing my glimmering fangs. "I'll be at the house for awhile with Edward, maybe until midnight. Do you mind watching her until then?"
"Sure. You know I'd watch her whenever you need me to Bells. When you come back to the cottage, I'll head home and crash. Boy, now that I think of it, I'm tired," he replied yawning.
For about a week now he's been sleeping at Billy's again. Billy definitely got a kick out of having Jake under his roof again. I know Billy enjoys the company, even if he complains of Jake from time to time.
"'Kay, sounds good. Bye Jacob, love you. And thank you for watching Renesmee for Edward and I."
"No prob Bells. She'll be safe with me, love you, too," He assured me, hugging me with one arm with Nessie sound asleep in the other and sauntered towards the cottage.
Edward scooped me up in his arms and ripped out of the garage and into the house where Alice and Jasper sat at the clear glass table in the kitchen. Rosalie and Emmett were absent–probably in their room with the door locked–so their seat on the couch was filled in by Carlisle and Esme.
"Hello everyone," I sighed cheerfully; my arms hooked tightly around Edward's smooth, muscular neck. He dropped me to my feet as I glided over to Alice gracefully in rhythmic, lithe dancer's steps.
"Hey Bella," Alice sang.
"Hello, how was Charlie's?" asked Carlisle from the living room.
"Excellent. Sue was over and she cooked for everyone, minus Edward and I of course," I replied in my bell voice.
"That's terrific," Esme chimed in. She smiled at me, turned to Edward, and smiled at him as well.
"Yeah, everything's working out wonderfully. Things have just fallen perfectly into place," I said, twirling around in joy to have Edward catch me and then dip me back as if we were dancing. I giggled in excitement.
Edward and I stopped waltzing as Emmett ran down the steps with Rosalie on his back yelling. He cut in between the two of us and dropped Rose on the couch to the left of Carlisle. Emmett ran and jerked to a stop beside Edward and I, putting his arm around the both of us.
"So, how are you two love birds?" he prompted, then turned his face to Edward. "The newborn feisty in the bedroom, brother?" Emmett looked me up and down, lifting an eyebrow.
I punched him hard in the stomach. Trying my hardest to do as little damage as I could. I didn't want to hurt him, just let him now how much he irritated me. He sucked in a sharp breath and grumbled, "Ouch, Bella! You know I'm just kidding. That hurts." He let go of our shoulders and elbowed Edward.
Emmett leaned in towards him and whispered, "Contain your newborn. She seems pretty feisty to me. Bella must leave bruises, if you know what I mean." He laughed and dodged the second punch I threw at him, running over to Rosalie and pulling her up off the couch. He wrapped his arms around her and licked her ear. If only that punch managed to hit him, I actually put some power behind my clenched fist that time.
"Ew, Emmett!" Rose snarled at him. Emmett was extremely annoying today, he always is when he's in a good mood.
I laughed at his vulgarity and disgustingness with Edward and everyone else joining in. Rosalie glowered at all of us, letting a low hiss escape from between her pursed lips.
"Very funny," she snapped, uncoiling Emmett's burly arms from around her waist and forcing them down to his sides. She was stronger than she looked–or maybe Emmett just didn't want to upset her further, she did have a nasty temper.
Rose crossed her thin, pale arms and glared at Emmett through slitted, coal black eyes. Rosalie hasn't hunted for awhile so her attitude is much worse than normal, plus her eyes were nowhere near the pretty butterscotch they could be. Speaking of which, I'm getting pretty thirsty myself. Maybe I can do some hunting tomorrow–make a pit stop on my way to Port Angeles and get a deer or two. Edward could join in; if we were fast enough, we wouldn't even miss any of Charlie and Renesmee's shopping trip
As I thought of this, the reoccurring blaze of heat lit my throat on fire and burned the inside of my stomach. The need to quench my thirst was getting worse, I could feel it. Venom pooled in my mouth making it almost drip out of my mouth. I swallowed quickly so no venom could escape my plump lips. I accidently made a slurping sound and everyone stared at me.
"Whoops, sorry," I laughed embarrassed; still surprised that my cheeks didn't get hot and turn red. It's been about two months since I was last human, so I still have the tendency to forget that I can't blush anymore–or be clumsy and vulnerable–which I did often as a mortal.
My family all chuckled at me. Being a newborn was a nuisance.
We all stood around the kitchen now. Carlisle and Esme had gotten up and walked over to us as well as Jasper and Alice. Emmett took Rosalie back in his arms without any resistance from her. She seemed to have forgiven him for his repulsiveness as she did every other time he acted that way. Alice put her arm on my shoulder and smiled at me.
There was a silence in the room that settled easily. A scent of cinnamon, hyacinth, and vanilla from the potpourri floated on the breeze and filled the room. It was a sweet smell that actually appealed to me. Something besides human blood that smelled good, I sighed contentedly.
The sun was setting outside the large glass windows that surrounded us, leaving a pink and red ring around the sun on the horizon that shone onto us all. We glittered as the light reflected off of us, creating an appearance of diamond encrusted, pale white skin. I looked around at my family, taking in the beauty of us all. The light refracted between us, passing on a slant from person to person–well, vampire to vampire really.
"If only Nessie was here," Alice chimed. "She loves sparkly things–especially us when it's actually sunny." She chuckled.
"Yeah, I remember the first time she saw one of us sparkle, I think it was either Edward or me. Renesmee was so fascinated," I replied remembering back to that rare sunny day about a week or two ago. "I'd go get her, but I'm positive that she's already asleep. I wouldn't want to wake her."
"I know, I was just saying. Please don't disturb little Nessie."
"Wasn't planning on it Alice," I exclaimed flashing her a grin and tapping her nose with my index finger. Alice wrinkled her nose and lifted her arm from my shoulder stepping back into Jasper's grasp. She hugged her; his bulky arms that held her in place close to his silent, immobile heart.
I turned around and skipped out the door, gliding over the wooden floor. "Wait a sec Alice. I got something for you."
Alice looked after me with a confused look on her face. She looked up at Jasper as if to ask him what was going on. He shrugged his shoulders; his navy blue shirt collar wrinkling up and settling back down as if he had never moved.
I simmered my skip down to a saunter and walked into the garage, each of my steps weightless and graceful. I went to my purse that sat on the soft passenger seat of the shiny Volvo. I found the little midnight blue–almost black–velvet box that was wrapped in a silk light pink ribbon in a pocket on the side of my purse where I had put it. The tiny package had a rectangular card attached to it by a piece of white translucent silk that read, 'To Alice, enjoy.'
The tugging that I had felt earlier at Charlie's had came back. The tiny elastic pull was starting to get annoying. Once again, I just shrugged it off and tried to ignore it.
I had picked this up at a jewelry store in Port Angeles a week ago and saved it for tonight. It was Alice's human birthday today, which isn't normally even acknowledged so this'll hopefully surprise her. Yet again, she can see into the future so maybe not. She probably already figured out what I was doing and what I had gotten her. Oh well, it's the thought that counts. Hopefully she'll at least act surprised for my sake. Let's see if Alice is a good actor.
Since Alice's always the gift giver, I decided to spoil her with something for a change. I mean, I appreciate all the gifts she showers me in when there's just the lamest excuse to celebrate, but I hate receiving presents, it's unnecessary. Alice won't be upset by my generosity like I would've been if I were in her shoes; she'll be completely delighted, which is good. I like giving gifts much better than receiving them so I hope Alice likes what I got her. She should; the magnificent opal gemmed earrings that I had bought for her suited her well. They were in the shape of tear drops, smaller than dimes. If you tilted them in the light, they gave off an iridescent glow, faintly displaying all the colors of the rainbow. I'm sure Alice would love them.
I picked up the box and closed my purse, putting it under the dash. I closed the car door and threw the box into the air. It spun and flipped in a full circle, landing perfectly in the center of my snow-white palms. I smirked at my graceful coordination.
I zipped out of the garage and into the living room with the rest of my family. It seemed as if I never left, everyone was in the same pose and standing in the same posture as before. The only difference in the scene I had left between the scene I had just arrived to was that everyone was in a quiet conversation now. But, I interrupted there insignificant chitchat with my presence.
"Here you go my darling sister," I chirped, leaning towards Alice and hugging her tightly. I kissed her lightly on her forehead as I stepped away and let her go from my embrace.
"Oh my gosh," she whimpered flabbergasted. Her dumbfounded expression spreading across her face and onto Edward's. Apparently, it was a contagious reaction.
I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, I know. It's shocking. The gift-exchange hater giving you a present," I scoffed sarcastically.
"No, it's not that. I really appreciate you buying me a gift for something we don't normally celebrate. It's something that I thank you greatly for. It's just that I didn't expect anything from you, that's what's so odd," Alice exclaimed staring at the floor, racking her brain for answers.
I paused for a moment, thinking. Something occurring to me. "Wait, how come you didn't already know I had gotten you something? You should've been able to see that I had," I said stumped, I didn't know what was going on. Either they were really good actors, or something was up.
"You're right. I should've. I tried to see what you were doing Bella, but I couldn't. It was....weird. You weren't blurry like Nessie or the wolves are, the vision was....obscured. It wasn't like a void or an abyss, it was a vivid vision like any other time I'd look into the future, but there was a façade to it. I could tell that it was fake, but there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't push the fake vision away, I couldn't see the real future that was supposed to be," Alice explained shocked, her golden topaz eyes panicked.
"Really?..." I asked confused. What had happened to Alice's visions? We need them to protect us from the Volturi. A worry-line creased my forehead.
"I could see in your mind Alice, it was fake–even I could tell," Edward added astonished. This has never happened before, we were all confused at why it had occurred.
"Well, I really wanted this to be a surprise. I'm glad it was, but I don't want anything going wrong with your visions," I admitted, rubbing Alice's shoulder. She looked up from the floor and turned her gaze to me. If she could have been able to cry, she would have been. I could see the despair in her eyes and realized that she relies on her visions much more than I had thought. I bit my hard granite lip with my razor sharp teeth.
"Wait. Bella, did you say that you wanted it to be a surprise? As in, you didn't want Alice to see her present in advance?" asked Carlisle.
"Yeah, I wanted Alice to not know what I got her ever since I bought it."
"But, were you actually trying not to let her see the gift, trying to block it mentally?" he asked.
"A little, I guess. Not really consciously though. Why?"
Carlisle put his index finger up in the air, indicating for me to wait for an answer. He pondered the situation, scrutinizing my face. As he was lost in deep thought, Alice held the velvet box in her pixie-like fingers. She tossed it back in forth between her left and right hands; if a mortal were to see her doing so, they wouldn't even be able to see the box let alone identify it as one. Carlisle squinted his eyes as if he were thinking harder.
"While we wait for Carlisle to figure this out–or try to at least–can I open the present?" asked Alice, her voice going up an octave in excitement. Apparently the gift helped lift her spirits immensely. That's wonderful because I absolutely hate seeing Alice sad, she's the happiest person I know. A smile crossed my face in relief.
"Sure," I replied. "Go ahead."
We exchanged joyous glances as she untied the light pink ribbon, her smile a wistful grin. She placed the ribbon on my wrist and tied it, making me a soft, silk bracelet. Alice then opened the box which exposed her gift, she set the lid in my palm to hold momentarily. She smiled from ear to ear as she ogled at the opal gemstones.
"They're beautiful Bella! I love them," Alice screeched, still managing to keep her voice sounding like music. "I'll wear them always! Thank you so much." She took the earrings out of the packaging cotton and lightly threw the box onto the dining table, having it land almost silently on the glass top.
The annoying pull in the back of my mind suddenly let go and I couldn't feel the pressure anymore. I was relieved it was gone.
I threw the lid onto the box that Alice had thrown, having it land perfectly atop it, securing itself closed. Jasper took the velvet box that we had literally thrown together and held it.
"No problem Alice," I said proudly. I knew I had picked out the perfect gift for her. "Want me to put them in for you?"
"Why not?"
I took the two pieces of perfectly hand-crafted jewelry out of Alice's tiny hands, fastening them into her earlobes. I stepped back to admire them. Magnificent; they even matched her outfit.
"Very pretty," Esme said in awe. Everyone seemed to like them.
"I agree, they look very lovely on you," Jasper added hugging Alice from behind, securing her waist into his arms and giving her the box. She let go of his grasp and zoomed out of the room, heading upstairs, and reappearing seconds later empty handed.
I smiled at her, knowing that she had put the box in her room, on her bedside table, to place her earrings at nighttime. Alice smiled back at me, slipping back into Jasper's arms.
"Nice earrings Alice," Edward complimented, smiling at her.
"Thanks," Alice said, smiling back at him.
"Bella," Carlisle said, interrupting our compliments to Alice and her gift.
"Yes?" I asked, my voice seeming to twinkle as I said the single word.
"I think you were the one to deceive Alice in her future seeing," he accused, giving me the blame.
"How?" I was taken aback by his accusations. I looked at him confused.
"You know your mental shield? Maybe you shielded Alice's visions with a fake future. It's a completely legit answer."
I assessed his hypothesis; it made complete sense. The mental shield, the protecting layer in a film around me, it was there. I remembered how I could feel the resistence of something that wrapped around me after I bought the gift, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. It was like an elasticity that tugged at the back of my brain, in my subconscious. All week, I tried desperately to not bring anything up around Alice to make her look into the future to this night.
"Maybe you're right," I considered. "I haven't been thinking of my shield lately at all, but I do remember distinctively that the night I bought Alice's earrings the shield was activated in some way, I just hadn't realized it until now."
"Then that must have been what happened." Carlisle smiled at his discovery.
"That's good, I thought that there was something wrong with my visions," Alice sighed relieved.
Edward hugged me tighter as I reached up and stood on my toes to turn and kiss him on the lips. He kissed me hungrily, but I was conscious of our audience; I pulled away and turned back around, leaning back into his chest.
"You impress me greatly love," Edward said, kissing the top of my head. I smiled at him, flashing my perfect teeth, and whispered in his ear to thank him.
As I thought of the mental power I must possess to be able to do such a thing, the earrings that I had gotten Alice grabbed my attention from the light they gave off. It flickered faintly around her ear. That reminded me of the other part of Alice's gift. I looked out the window to see that the sun was still on the horizon, we still had time left.
"Alice, I have yet another gift for you," I taunted her, my sudden gift-giving mood showing bright in my dark golden eyes.
"Really?" she asked, her eyes sparkling in curiosity.
Before Alice could see into the future, I quick blocked out her vision with my elastic shield stretching over the future she was seeking. It was the annoying tug at the back of my mind once again. It was easy to hold the pressure there, it was just a nuisance.
"Damn, I can't see what your next surprise is," Alice exclaimed stubbornly.
Edward chuckled. "Her fake vision this time is that you're taking her to a petting zoo, Bella."
We all cracked up at hearing this, even Alice.
"It's better than a petting zoo, I'll assure you that much," I hinted winking at Alice. I could tell she was anxious, I could see it in her butterscotch eyes.
"So, Carlisle, can we talk about the vision predicament in deeper discussion after Bella reveals Alice's second gift?" Edward asked.
"Sure, I have more thinking to do anyway," Carlisle replied.
Alice whined, "Come on, what's the next gift?"
I grinned at her and winked.
My next surprise for Alice today, October 31st–Alice Cullen's birthday, Halloween–we're taking Alice out trick-or-treating in Forks! Since we'll be in costumes, no one will recognize us so everything will work out perfectly. Alice loves getting dressed up and dressing me up so she'll have some fun with that. Let's hope that we can all have fun tonight–I'm sure Emmett'll get a kick out of scaring the little kids senseless. If I were a kid again and I didn't know him, I'd be frightened by the huge, bulky vampire. Who wouldn't?
It's too bad Nessie fell asleep, then she could've went with us and had fun winning over the entire the neighborhood; she always had that affect on people. Oh well, at least we'll get lots of candy for her. And, if Jake wants to come, he'll get a boatload of sweets for him to devour and he'll probably have lots of fun. He's one person that I can definitely tell's a kid at heart. Haha, I love Jacob. But, I'll need to make sure he saves some trick-or-treat candy for Nessie or else he'll pig out and eat it all.
Surprisingly, I can't wait.
