3. WILL POWER
A wave of relief washed over me once I finished hunting. I felt content, but no where near satisfied. The thirst was subdued, but I still craved for the scent I caught at the diner. If I wasn't so easily distracted with so many responsibilities, it would've been the only thing on my mind.
My eyes were liquid topaz when Edward and I reached the house. Jacob and Nessie were already there, waiting patiently. Nessie had grown almost half an inch since I'd seen her early that morning. She looked seven years old and had the intelligence to match someone in their forties. Rapid growth was just one of the things that came with being half-human and half-vampire. She would stop growing once she reached maturity. After that, Renesmee would stay the same forever, just like her parents.
"How was Charlie's?" Jacob asked as everyone else was just arriving behind us.
While Edward and I stayed in Forks to hunt, Carlisle and the rest had gone a little further north. Emmett had been in the mood for polar bears.
"Fine," I said, impassively.
"So, what was so extremely urgent that Charlie needed to tell you up there?" Alice was annoyed at not already knowing, and it showed on her delicate, porcelain face.
"Sue and Charlie…got engaged."
Alice flashed her brilliant white teeth. "Awe! A wedding in the future! I'm so excited!!!"
She quickly ran toward my direction and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. A moment later, Alice was already in her room planning out Sue's dream wedding.
"Sue and Charlie," Jacob sighed. "Well, it's not like I didn't see it coming." Nessie nodded her head in agreement.
I smiled at Nessie. "How was hunting, sweetie?"
"I beat Jacob in getting the biggest bear. Of course, he tackled his first, so we called it a tie."
"I thought we agreed, I won?" Jacob chucked.
"No, that was just you. I was brought up to believe it takes more than just one person for an agreement."
Nessie's comment reminded me of all the times Edward and I had to compromise. In the end, we both got what we wanted, though. Sometimes I wondered if I even deserved all that I had been blessed with.
Jacob and Nessie continued their battle over who won while I just stood there and watched. It amused me, shockingly enough. A few minutes later, I felt eyes on my back, so I looked around and saw that Jasper was staring at me. Did I have a twig in my hair? I brushed my fingers through my silk hair but found nothing.
All of a sudden, Carlisle was out of the room when we heard him say, "I should call up Charlie and send my congratulations." Esme followed.
"Is it me or is everyone getting married around here?" Emmett laughed at his joke. "It's like an epidemic. First Edward, now Bella's dad. Whose next, Nessie?"
Rosalie, clearly bored with the turn of events, stalked out of the room. Jasper continued to stare in my direction. Edward dropped my hand and walked over to his brother with the honey blonde hair. They seemed to be having a one-way conversation and now it was Edward's turn to speak since Jasper couldn't read minds himself.
"What?" I asked, after they both turned towards me, a long five minutes later.
Edward was the first to speak. "He wondered why you are so... apprehensive. I informed him on the events at the diner."
Of course, Jasper had the talent to not only change the mood around him, but the power to know what everyone was feeling at any given moment. My shield, unfortunately, couldn't protect me from physical gifts like Alice's and his.
"He thinks you have met your 'singer,'" added Edward, coolly. I could tell, however, he was nervous for me just as I was for myself. But, I would never intentionally hurt someone. All those times of inflicting pain on Mike Newton in gym class had been because of a lack of hand-eye coordination and skill, and the mere fact I was human then.
I managed to find words, even if they didn't complete a full sentence. "No-no…I don't believe--I can't."
"Hush, love. It doesn't mean you'll fall for him romantically like how it was for me and you. The blood that flows through this human's veins just appeals more to you than any other."
"I'm going to kill an innocent just because he smells too good?" The thought disturbed me.
"Bella, I've seen you when you were just a week old. You ran away from the hikers mid-hunt. I think you have a little more will power than you give yourself credit for."
"I agree with Edward. Though, I do believe we should take some precautions…" Jasper began to say. "There is no need for any drastic decision involving a move."
I turned to face Edward in disbelief. "You were thinking of moving? Forks is home. And, I couldn't expect everyone to just pick up and leave. Carlisle has a solid job here. I'd hate for us to have to start all over just because of me."
"Bella," Edward grinned. "You take things so seriously. It was just a suggestion if it were to happen."
That was apparent. Naturally, we would have to move after I slaughtered someone in Forks. We wouldn't be able to stay in Washington after that.
"So, should I stay away from Charlie for a while?"
What excuse would I come up with this time? Anything I could think up wouldn't be good enough either way. Charlie was getting married. He would need me in these upcoming months of planning so I could stop Alice from going overboard. I couldn't let him down now after everything he's done for me.
How strange... It seemed that times felt so much simpler when I was human and blood-thirsty vampires were out to destroy me and my family. The only thing on my mind back then was worrying about staying alive long enough to see Edward one last time. Now, it was trying to keep an unknown stranger from getting killed by me, on top of everything else.
Jasper was in deep thought. "The opposite, I suppose. You need to go into town and find out who your 'singer' is. It will be easier to protect you if we all know who we're looking for."
"Protect me?" Confusion spread through my entire body. "You mean him?"
"He means both of you," Edward stated as he began to rub my shoulder. I hadn't realized it, but the three of us had formed a small circle.
Emmett, who was sitting still on a couch, finally spoke. "I don't really see the big issue here. So, Bella kills one guy by accident. It happens. It's not the end of the world."
Edward snarled at Emmett. "Go find Rosalie." Like a pet dog, Emmett heeled. He left the room in-search of Rose.
"We should go in two days," Jasper proposed. "We'll hit the diner first. Then all the major tourist attractions second--"
I rolled eyes. "That shouldn't be difficult. Forks has none of those."
"The library? The supermarket?" Edward was throwing random places out of his head.
"The police station. The high school. We have lots of ground to cover."
"Not really. Forks is quite small for a town." I thought they had lived here longer than I had. I was shocked to find that they believed that the task of finding a person in a town with only sixty-seven total senior graduates from last year, remotely challenging.
"Alright. It's probably a good time for Nessie to go to bed." Edward annouced facing me.
I quickly glanced at the antique clock that hung on the wall, Esme probably bought in the late 1930s. It read a quarter to eleven at night.
Where did all the time go? Was this how it was going to be for the rest of eternity? Would I ever notice time passing by? I guess it would be easier that way for someone who never sleeps. However, Nessie still did, and she needed her rest. I planned on spending the whole next day with her since I hadn't been around as much. The one thing I didn't condone in a great quantity was how much she spent her time with Jacob. He already would get to take her away when she reached maturity. Her childhood was only a small sliver of time that I was to have her with me constantly.
I smiled at Edward. "Just what I was thinking. Let me ask Alice a quick question and then we can go to the cottage."
I reached up on my tippie-toes and met his lips. I felt his hands cup my face as we continued to kiss for a few more seconds. This time he pulled away.
"Go, talk to Alice. I'll wait here with Nessie."
---
I knocked on Alice's door.
"Come in!" she sang loudly.
I pulled the door open and noticed Alice laying on her lounge chair, reading a bridal magazine. "Hey…"
Alice threw the magazine beside the chair and stood straight up. "Oh my gosh, Bella, great news. I'd been talking to Sue for the past hour and she agreed on a Winter Wonderland theme for the wedding. I thought it was a great idea on accounts that it always snows here. It's set to be in January. The day I picked it will be snowing just the right amount. It'll be magical, I promise!"
"Alice--" It was really hard to ask her this. Especially, since she was in such a good mood because of the engagement announcement.
She looked at me gravely. Her cheerful expression completely vanished. How quickly she knew something was up. My furrowed brow must have gave it away.
"What is it?"
"Can you see far enough into the future to know if I will kill anybody?"
She shook her head sideways."No. Bella, you know the visions are subjective. They change when a person makes a decision no matter how little or inconsequential it is. There is no set path. Just free-will and all that."
"But sometimes…like when you knew we were going to be best friends before I even met you…"
"Right, but the picture wasn't one-hundred percent defined. I saw you as one of us and I saw you living a long, happy life. It changes invariably. Back and forth with every tick of the clock."
"So right now, though?" I took a deep breath and sighed. This was exactly the thing I needed to hear.
Alice finally smiled. "Don't fret, you're conscience stays clear."
For now.
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