After graduation day was over, it was time for summer vacation. The days passed by quicker than I thought they would, even though we spent our summer lounging around the house and spending time as a family. I myself didn't leave the house, but everyone else did, mostly just to hunt. Before I knew it, June 1st had crept up.
The first of June was a Saturday, and Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Bella, and Nessie were going away. Rosalie and Emmett were going to spend two weeks traveling Ireland because Alice said they were having an especially rainy spell.
"Not that it doesn't rain there enough," I recall her saying.
On the other hand, Jake had invited Nessie to spend the week with him at La Push, which meant Edward and Bella could go away together. Nessie was going to stay at her biological grandfather Charlie's house, while Edward and Bella went to Isle Esme, the private island Carlisle had bought for Esme. I had found out that Bella was still able to keep in touch with her father even though she had been turned years ago. Bella told me that her eventually did find out about all the werewolf shape-shifting stuff, but with everything else he's on a need-to-know basis... which means he doesn't know our family is a family of vampires. She said he was also becoming close with a nice woman named Sue Clearwater. Her two children, Seth and Leah, were in Jake's pack.
So, while Rose, Emmett, Edward, Bella, and Nessie were away, the rest of us would be staying behind. Carlisle was staying in town because he was working an extra night shift on Sunday along with usual work on the weekdays. Esme was staying because Carlisle was staying. Alice and Jasper were staying because they felt like it and Parker was staying because, well, I was staying.
"It's going to be a little quieter around here," Alice told me as we were sitting in the living room.
"Personally, I think it would be good for all of us to have a break from Emmett and his practical jokes," I said.
Alice laughed. "True, true."
"Alice, Parker and I are going to go for a hunt," Jasper said as he walked into the room. "We'll be back in a little bit."
"Alright Jasper. Alex and I were actually going to go out anyway," she replied.
"We were?" I asked, confused.
"Yep, we're going to do a little shopping," she said with a smile. "It will be time for the two of us to spend together."
I smiled back. "That sounds fun, and I think it will be nice to get out of the house for a little bit."
"That's the spirit!" she cheered, clapping her hands together. "Now, go grab your purse! We've got a long drive to Seattle!"
With our purses on our shoulders, we were ready to leave. We headed out onto the front porch and down the stairs. Esme was tending to her garden in the front yard as we passed.
"Hi Esme," I said.
"Hello, ladies," she replied, standing up from her garden. "And where are you two headed?"
"We're going to Seattle for some shopping and sisterly bonding," Alice murmured.
Esme smiled. "That sounds fun, but don't get back too late Alice, okay?"
"I'll try not to," she sang as she pulled me towards the garage.
We walked into the garage and Alice stopped.
"Now, which car should we take?" she murmured, tapping her finger on her chin.
Rosalie and Emmett had taken his Jeep on their trip, even though they'd be renting a different car in Ireland. Edward took Bella and Nessie in the Volvo.
"We can take my car," I said, pointing to my Kia Soul. The car was a bright shade of green, and while Alice had insisted on something fancier, I was perfectly happy with it.
She huffed. "Fine. I guess we can take that car."
I gave her a look of mock sadness. "You talk about my car like it's a piece of junk. You hurt it's feelings."
She rolled her eyes. "Just get in the car. We'll take it if I can drive."
"Deal," I muttered, then climbed into the passenger's seat.
With that, we were off to Seattle.
By the time we got to Seattle, it was twelve-thirty in the afternoon. Alice parked in a parking garage, and we made our way around town to all the shops. When we had hit almost every store, I had three new pairs of jeans, four pairs of capris, two pairs of shorts, at least five pairs of various shoes, four new tops, a cute boyfriend blazer that I picked out, a pair of sunglasses, jewelry, and a black fedora that I begged Alice to get. She gave in after a lot of pleading and puppy dog eyes.
We were loaded down with bags, and ended up putting smaller bags into the larger ones. It was almost four when we got back to the parking garage to put away our bags. I had a feeling we weren't done here yet.. Alice stuffed most of bags in the trunk, and put a few in the backseat of my car.
"Will the bags be safe in the car?" I asked her.
"Yeah, no one will mess with them or the car," she replied with a smile, tapping her temple.
I nodded, and then my stomach growled.
"Sorry," I mumbled. "I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast."
"There was a coffee shop a little ways down the road," she told me. "Want to stop there before we head home?"
"Please," I said. "I could use something to eat right now."
We left the parking garage and walked down the street to the café and walked inside. Lucky for us there were only two other people here, so we walked right up to the counter.
"Hello," the teen at the counter said. She had long, light-brown hair that was pulled up into a ponytail and a beauty mark above her lip. "What can I get for you today?"
"Can I get a Caramel Frappuchino and a brownie?" I asked.
She nodded, then looked at Alice. I could tell she was trying not to stare. Alice could obviously tell as I could see her mouth twitch, trying not to smile.
"I'll have a Caramel Frappuchino as well," Alice said, now flashing a smile.
The girl nodded and went to fix our drinks. When she was out of hearing range, I looked at Alice.
"A prop?" I whispered, referring to the drink she ordered.
She nodded once as the teen came back over with my brownie.
"Your drinks will be ready in a few minutes," she muttered.
"Take your time," Alice said, giving her another big smile.
The girl looked down and scurried away.
"Stop it," I said, giggling into my hand. "I think you're crushing her self-esteem."
Alice shook her head. "Watch this."
The girl came back with our two coffees. "That'll be ten dollars and twenty-eight cents."
Alice handed her a twenty. "Keep the change. Oh, and by the way, your hair is very pretty."
The girl blushed furiously. "T-thank you. Have a nice day."
"You too," Alice smiled, walking away to one of the tables against the wall of the café. I followed behind her.
"That was nice of you," I said as we sat down.
"It's the least I can do," Alice said with a wink. "it wasn't a lie, though. Her hair was very shiny."
I giggled then took a sip of my frappuchino. After walking and shopping for hours, this really hit the spot.
"Is it good?" Alice inquired.
"Extremely," I murmured.
"Sometimes I wonder what I'm missing out on," she whispered.
We sat in silence for a moment. Alice pretended to sip on her frappuchino as I munched on my brownie.
"So... sixty-eight more days, huh?" she asked me.
I swallowed my bite of brownie.
"Time really flies, doesn't it?"
I just stared at her. I hadn't thought about the transformation all day. As much as I wanted to be turned, it still made me a little nervous.
"There's something I've been..." she said, then paused to lean across the table. "Seeing, that leaves me slightly confused."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Well, it's about you," she told me. "And you're different."
"Different as in"- I glanced at the other people in the café that were getting up to leave - "Past August eighth different?"
She nodded.
"Well, what happens?" I questioned.
"The vampire you is standing in the forest," she said quietly. "Your eyes are bright red, which means you are a newborn... I hope."
"You hope?" I asked
"Like I said, this vision is leaving me slightly confused. There's not much details," she murmured. "But anyway, I say that I hope you're a newborn, because your eyes... seem sad. Empty. You looked depressed, and lost... It makes me worried that something happened... Maybe you slipped up."
She paused, then continued.
"Then you looked up and said 'I had a feeling you would be here', then the vision was over," she said. "I don't know what's going on, or what it means. It's slightly fuzzy."
"Do you think Nessie's involved?" I asked. "That could explain it."
"I honestly don't know," she sighed, gripping her coffee cup.
Suddenly, a memory came back to me. "On graduation night, was this the vision you had before Emmett tipped my plate into my face?"
She laughed and shook her head. "No, that was actually a vision showing me that he was going to tip your plate into your face... I was a little late to warn you."
We both laughed, and then I took another sip of my frappuchino.
"Well, we better get going," Alice said. "We've got a long drive ahead of us, and Esme said not to get home too late."
I nodded and stood up from the table, following Alice out the door. We walked back to the parking garage, got in the car, and began our drive home.
It was a little after eight-thirty when we got home. I ended up showering and going straight to bed because I was just plain tired.
My dream that night was calm. It was of me, but I didn't really look like myself. It was like looking at an enhanced version of me. My hair was sleek and shiny, my face was free of any marks, and my newly pale skin stood out greatly.
My red eyes were what really caught my attention, though. The color was bright, almost like two rubies had been stuck there. However, there seemed to be sadness in my eyes. Pain seemed to be etched into my flawless features.
It then occurred to me that I was picturing Alice's vision. The forest, myself alone as a vampire, my eyes... Exactly how she described it. The dream wasn't in my point of view, though, because of the fact that I was looking at myself. It was like I was a ghost, watching real life unfold in front of me.
I, well, the vampire version of me, looked straight ahead at what seemed to be nothing. I glanced to my left, where the other me seemed to be staring, and saw not a person nor thing there. Only trees, if that even counted.
I looked back at myself and a small, sad smile spread across the vampire me's face. The last thing I remember of the dream was the same phrase Alice mentioned to me only hours ago.
"I had a feeling you would be here."
I wouldn't classify this dream as a nightmare, even though I woke up with my heart racing. The dream wasn't scary, and nothing really happened. I haven't had true nightmares in a little over a year, but why was this dream still bothering me? Was Alice's confusion about her vision making me nervous?
Time passed quickly, almost too quickly. The month of June rushed by faster than a bullet train, and July 1st was here before I knew it. Edward, Bella, and Nessie came back a week after me and Alice's shopping trip. Rosalie and Emmett were back a week after them.
I spent most of my time in the house, but occasionally I did get out for a bit. Mostly I went to run errands with Esme or went on forest walks with someone, but it was still nice. I think everyone was trying to keep me safe and in one piece for the summer. No need for me to get seriously hurt before I was changed...
The fourth of July was a Thursday this year, and Nessie had been invited by Jake to spend it in La Push so they could light off some fireworks.
"He said you were more than welcome to come to La Push, too," Nessie told me. "Besides, I would love for you to visit. Grandpa's supposed to be coming, too!"
"Carlisle's coming to the beach?" I asked, confused.
"No, my grandpa Charlie," she told me. "I would like you to meet him. I've told him about you."
"Sure, I guess I can meet him when I'm there," I said.
"Cool!" she cheered. "We'll get there Thursday afternoon, then Jake's gonna drive us back here. It will be late when we get back, but whatever."
On that Thursday, Nessie and I climbed into Edward's Volvo. He drove us up to Washington, all the way to the vampire/werewolf border, where we met Jake. After saying goodbye to Edward, Nessie and I then got into Jake's for the short rest of the drive.
"We're going over to my place for dinner," Jake told us as we drove. "Billy's making spaghetti for dinner, and Charlie's going to be eating with us."
"I remember Bella saying that he was managing all the details about what everybody is..." I murmured. "So, he knows that you're a shape-shifter and that Nessie..."
"He has been told that Nessie has a growth defect, which explains- to him- why Nessie looks much older than she should."
We pulled into the driveway of his little red house, and I didn't say anymore. Nessie excitedly jumped out of the car, and Jake and I followed behind her.
A brown-haired man wheeled Billy out and down the front ramp to us.
"Hello Nessie, Alex," Billy said politely.
"Hello," Nessie and I both replied.
"Alex, this is Charlie," Jake told me, gesturing to brown-haired man.
"Nice to meet you," he said, outstretching his hand.
I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, too."
"Well, let's go inside, shall we?" Billy said.
Everyone nodded and headed into the house.
"We'll be eating in the backyard, since it's a little cramped in here," Jake said as we walked inside.
"Sounds good," I said.
Nessie ran over and gave her grandfather a hug.
"You're even taller this time, Ness," Charlie said.
"Well, I think my growth will slow down soon, Grandpa," she told him.
"I certainly hope so," he said. "I still want you to be my little granddaughter for a while... Even though you're not really little anymore."
She smiled at him.
-oOo-
So, I decided I'd put my author's note at the end of the chapter, see how I like the formatting and stuff. I really need to apologize... I've been really neglectful of this story, and there's no excuse for it. This isn't how I wanted the final story to go... So, I really hope you're still reading, and you'll take some time out of your surely busy schedules to leave me a review. Thanks :)