AN- Okay guys, I know I said I'd be stricter with you guys, but I'm really into this story and I want to share. But please review, and tell me I'm not writing all this for nothing!
P.S.- I OWN NOTHING.
CHAPTER THREE- A WHITE LIE
Those sleeping dogs lie, never far enough away.
Speeding Cars, by Imogen Heap
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3:09 am. The pain had left me completely by now, the fire within me quenched no more by morphine, but by the fact that there was no more blood in my body.
I had been in this house once before, at the graduation party. This house was theirs, yet all of the Cullens seemed to be out of sight at that party. And Bella was acting strange.
Maybe that was when Bella first found out about these monsters... They- we were indeed something that would cause fear to a human. I've wondered in these past couple of days, half drugged from the morphine, why Bella stuck around for so long.
I could see Edward cared, he had spent most of his hours outside of Bella's house, only coming back to change clothes. He would inform us that Bella didn't seem to be eating, that her window was still locked shut, and she had started waking up screaming again, just like when he left her.
We could all see Edward's pain now, shut off from the girl he loved.
And this whole scene was because of me. I couldn't help but feel guilty, and I don't think I've been imagining the glares from my new family.
I suddenly remembered Ben, and I turned my head away from the closed door. No doubt Jasper would feel the sadness that washed over me, and would be sending waves of false happiness and comfort any second now, but I couldn't help but think that maybe it would be harder for him to see the sadness if I looked away.
Grin and bear it, Angela. I thought to myself, as I suddenly felt giddy. Though it calmed my emotions, it didn't stop my mind from working, and realizing what was really happening. I sighed, and pulled my knees close to my body, craving the warmth that was stripped from me. Carlisle told me my machines were tampered with, and I would have died. Who did that boy think he was? He was, in fact, only a boy. But so big! Probably didn't even know what my machines did for me. And then I wondered why I had let him. I was so used to the thought that there was a good chance I'd die, that I allowed it to almost happen right in front of me.
Cold either way. I thought, and looked up as I heard someone at the door. There came two knocks, then Alice entered without waiting for my reply. She came over and silently sat next to me, wrapping an arm around me, though it was far from comforting. It was nice to have all the beauty enhancements, the strength, the sense of smell and all of that, but it wasn't worth it to not see anyone I loved. I couldn't even see Bella! And how long has she been hanging out with vampires before? Oh, only two years!
I looked over at Alice, and she faked a smile. "Are you starting to feel it yet?" She asked.
Blood thirst. She had warned me that it was around now when I would start to want it. Ah, what the heck. I nodded.
It would give me something else to think about.
Alice jumped up, grabbing my hand and practically yanking me out the door. "Alright, most of the time we just hunt in this immediate area for deer, but I've decided we're going to go a bit farther than normal. Nowhere special, just some woods nearby where there are some elk.
I nodded, and started running after Alice. The Cullens and I had raced, to see where I fit in how fast I could run. They said that Edward was the fastest runner, so I raced against him first.
Everyone was surprised to see that I could actually get pretty close to beating him. As for strength, my newborn abilities made it simple; I was stronger than Emmett. But once he had locked himself in his room, Carlisle pointed out that once I was a bit older I would probably have the strength of Rosalie or Alice. But those silly games didn't last long, and pretty soon I was back to just thinking about what had happened... I had my whole life in front of me!
I had actually started to think of that day as the day I died. That is how I would refer to it- Before Angela and After Death. I let out a chuckle that lacked humor.
I wished I could speak to Bella, but she wouldn't answer her phone. And I couldn't call anyone from my family, or any of my friends. I sniffed loudly as I remembered that I had been declared dead five days ago, and that Angela Weber's coffin was to be buried tommorrow. I wondered how the Cullens would be able to conceal the fact that the coffin is empty now.
I hope Bella will at least go to my fake funeral. Maybe I'll be able to speak to her after... Or at least Edward would be able to.
4:47.
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7:25, and Alice had shown me the basics of pretty much everything I needed to know. I was surprised to find that I actually felt a lot better, and I was in a much more playful mood, despite how shy I always was. We were on our way back when Alice stopped, a now-familiar look on her face would have sent my heart beating out of control, when I was human. After a moment she opened her eyes, to find me standing in front of her. I grasped her shoulders and looked at her, questioning in my crimson eyes. Alice's face went paler than normal, and then a new smell hit my nose.
I suddenly realized that this smell made me think of the boy who had been in my hospital room, when my equipment was turned off. Maybe I had somehow smelt it, and it would have been near impossible, but it was there in my memory somehow.
"Dogs." She sneered, after a very long pause, and I spun around as I now heard the sound of a loud and sloppy arrival. My eyes caught sight of six large shapes making their way toward us. I watched as the leader paused, and his shape spun into a more human shape, and after a moment he stepped forward, only wearing some torn up jeans. I recognized him as Sam Uley, the one who had found Bella that morning after Edward had left her.
My nose crinkled at the awful smell, and my eyes flew to Alice's pixie-like form, crouched defensively, a step in front of me.
"You broke the treaty." Sam said, his eyes flashing to me. What treaty? I thought wildly, but kept my face clear.
"What makes you think that, dog?" Alice sneered, her teeth bared.
Sam let out a laugh lacking humor. "That's new Bella, isn't it?"
It was Alice's turn for a laugh. "Hah! You think that's Bella? Did you even bother sniffing out her house before you came to attack us here? You're not even close." Our eyes snapped to a large reddish wolf turned tail and headed in the direction of Forks, a frantic whimper escaping him as he cast one quick, longing look at me. What was that about? I thought, watching his retreating figure.
Sam looked surprised, but he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "You think that makes a difference? Bella or not, it's new meat." He growled, as a whine echoed from somewhere in the trees behind him, and a ripple of unease passed through the pack. I allowed a look at Alice, and she was watching them with the same confused expression as mine before she regained her composure to answer Sam.
"It's not my fault. She was passing through, and we decided to let her in to our coven. She's to be strictly on our diet."
I nodded appreciatively at Alice's choice of words, not exactly lying but not telling them what I guess was a treaty-breaking truth.
Sam sighed, unsatisfied, but motioned for the dogs to prepare to leave. "Right. But we've got tabs on you, leech." He said to me, turning and leaping, morphing into a wolf before he touched the ground. A couple of cracks issued from the creature's back in protest, then there was nothing but the sound of the dog's retreating footsteps.
I turned to Alice, and saw her relax. "That's not the way I saw it. They must have changed their minds when Jacob left." She said to me.
Jacob? Oh right, that other big Quileute. I remembered him from that trip to La Push so long ago, when he was still boyish. Bella said that she knew him since they were kids. I thought, then set off with Alice back to the house. We would have to tell the family of this meeting as soon as possible, to get a more detailed story.
I looked over at her, watching where I was going out of my peripheral vision. "What do you think went on with that pack just then, when they saw I wasn't Bella?"
Alice shrugged. "I have a hunch, but nothing big."
We reached the house at 7:32.
And scent of dog was all over.
Alice gasped, and a growl erupted from her throat. I sniffed again, and my eyes flew open. "Alice! Wait a second. The scent is much staler than it should be if they just came."
She turned to face me, her eyes wide and desbelieving, but she paused long enough to sniff one more time. "You're right. How'd you see that?"
I shrugged, but then another scent hit me- Bella?
I turned, wide-eyed as my enhanced sight caught the stumbling figure through the lingering fog of the morning. Oh no. No, no, no, NO! I looked incredulously at Alice, who seemed to still be unaware of Bella. If I lose it now, just think of what Edward... Oh, god no! Please, let me not smell her!
Then, against my better judgement, I turned and pranced towards her, feeling my brown waves tumble behind me. I ran up and hugged my friend eagerly, with Alice following more enthusiastically that she had caught sight of their friend. Huh. I don't even smell Bella...
As I looked at her, it seemed that Edward's assumptions were true. There were dark circles under Bella's eyes, and I could feel her ribs threatening to stick out of her when I had hugged her. So Edward was right. Bella will have to get some food in her soon. I pushed these thoughts out of my head- when Edward saw that Bella would be fine around me (which I had just convinced myself, that she would be), she'd be happy and back to normal.
"How'd you get away from Edward?" I demanded, grinning widely. And he thought I'd attack my friend!
Bella grinned as she leaned back, and looked me over. "You look great, Ang, really." She told me, then an animated look came over her face. "Well, it was Jacob really. I saw Jake coming, then Edward of course got distracted. I took the chance to get over here. So someone turned off your machines?" She asked, making a face.
I nodded. "Yeah. It was only a kid, too. But he was big, like one of those Quileutes. I think he kinda smelt like the things, too."
Both Alice and Bella's faces looked shocked at the same time. I could understand Bella's look, but shouldn't Alice have seen this?
"You didn't know?" I asked her, and she shook her head, understanding crossing her face, along with the traces of annoyance. She was about to say something when a loud growl was heard directly behind us.
I had already heard of his arrival, when I was telling them about the Quileute, but I had forgotten in my surprise at their reaction. "Edward." I said calmly, as Bella whipped around, her face a mix of surprise, guilt, and pleasure.
He looked at me carefully, and drew his arm around Bella's waist. She still seemed angry, since she didn't return the favor, but I heard her heartbeat accelerate like a drumming in my ears. A very loud drumming. I doubled over in pain, clutching my head.
Bella dropped down beside me a second after Alice already had her arm around me. "Angela, what's wrong?"
Again, her voice was ripping at my eardrum. What was happening? I willed my ears to stop listening, and closed my eyes while I waited for the pounding to go away.
Then after a good ten seconds, two pairs of hands were shaking me. I looked up to see Alice and Bella above me, mouthing my name. "Why aren't you talking?" I asked, and tested my ears and imagining a volume knob in my head, turning it up what I imagined a safe volume.
Edward gasped, and a large smile was spread across his face. "Angela! You can contol the precision of your senses!" He said, turning to the others. "That means she could program herself so she doesn't smell humans... That would make her ready to be with them soon... As soon as she controls her power! That could be tomorrow!" He said, and grinned.
"That explains why I didn't even notice Bella... I guess I was willing myself not to lose it, so I didn't."
"And it explains how you could tell that the dog scent wasn't fresh."
Edward and Bella's heads whipped around, and me and Alice shared a glance.
"Uh... Let's have a family reunion."
7:36
