I hadn't been to the Cullen's house since Esme had become ill, however, without Charlie knowing I had still been seeing Edward. He picked me up for school, because Charlie would have already left by then, and dropped me off after, because Charlie wouldn't be home until later on. Every day I asked for updates, the news was usually the same, but today was different.
"Hey." I smiled at Edward as I climbed into his Volvo. He could barely force out a smile back.
"Hello." He reached over and squeezed my hand lightly, but returned it to the steering wheel in a matter of seconds and started speeding off towards our school.
"How is everyone today?" I fiddled with the bottom of my blouse as I waited for his reply.
"Esme and Alice have got to the point where they can't even get up from the sofa." I saw his knuckles turn white as he gripped the steering wheel.
"Edward, let go or loosen your grip on that wheel." I spoke quickly in the steering wheel's defence. It took him a moment to realise what I meant, but once he realised, he loosened it, the blood rushing back to his knuckles.
"How can they just be getting worse?" I threw my head into my hands.
"I have no idea, Bella." We didn't speak again until we pulled into the parking lot of the school. There was so much tension in the air; I knew that whatever he'd say next wasn't going to be good.
"Bella, there's something else." I gulped and turned to face him.
"What else, Edward?" If a vampire could cry, I swear that's what Edward was doing right now.
"Emmett and Rosalie have gotten ill too." I gawped at him.
"Edward, how is that even possible? Emmett and Rosalie have kept to themselves; they've avoided Alice and Esme to the point where Rosalie has all but locked herself in her room!" I threw my hands in the air as I spoke.
"I know, Bella. It's making Carlisle even question the chance of it being contagious." Edward pressed his fingers into his temple.
"Speaking of Carlisle, shouldn't he ideally be the next one to get sick? He's been close to Alice and Esme, especially Esme, and he's not ill at all?" I was so unbelievably confused.
"Carlisle is 100% healthy; this is why it doesn't make any sense. He's been locking himself in the lounge with my sister and Esme as a safety precaution to prevent whatever he might have, spreading." I was afraid Edward's fingers would snap under the amount of pressure that he was forcing into his temple. "Emmett came down last night and told Carlisle and I that Rose wasn't feeling well, she'd got a temperature and was sweating bullets. Half an hour later he was calling us from his mobile upstairs to say that he was feeling worse for wear, but neither he nor Rose had been anywhere near our mother and sister for over a week." Edward smiled my favourite crooked smile. "So, aside from my brother and sister being the latest additions to our family "sick list", things might actually be ok for the time being." I took Edward's hand in mine and grinned.
"What about a cure?" I cocked my head to one side.
"Well, ideally we need to know what is actually wrong with us, and where it came from." Edward frowned slightly.
"Sounds like a mission!" I giggled.
"Maybe so." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "But not for you, Bella. Jasper's already working on it." I'd forgotten all about Jasper. It sounded like a horrible thing to realise, however, he'd been so distant and muted since Alice had gotten ill, that I'd barely noticed him.
"Jasper's not ill either then?" I bit down on my lip.
"Nope." Edward smiled. "But I guess that's not really surprising as Jasper hasn't really been anywhere near any of us for the past few weeks." We laughed together. "This also means you might be able to visit Alice." I let out a squeal of excitement.
"Straight after Charlie's sleeping! Please!" I was behaving like Alice would if I'd agreed to her doing my make-up or dressing me up. Maybe I'd be nice and let her do those things once she was better... I'd have to be feeling extra nice though.
"Ok, I promise! But first we have to get to class or Mr Varner is going to put us both in detention. I suppose I could dazzle him out of it though?" He winked at me. Edward would never let me live down the fact I'd admitted to him frequently dazzling me.
We went to class and spent the rest of the day in hope that eventually things would work out for the best.
"Night, Dad." I kissed Charlie's forehead and he'd blushed scarlet just before I'd gone up to my room.
"Night, Bella." He patted my arm, still recovering from the embarrassment, and I headed upstairs, my converse still laced up. I hoped Charlie hadn't noticed them, and if he had, hopefully he wasn't thinking about it too much.
I went into the bathroom and performed my usual routine so that Charlie wouldn't suspect anything. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and walked into my bedroom, where I found Edward sitting in the rocking chair.
"All set?" He asked. I nodded and he held out his hand. I took hold of it and in a matter of milliseconds he had swept me up into his arms and was cradling me like a baby.
Edward leapt onto the window sill and jumped. I felt the air swoosh past my ears and through my hair, but it wasn't long before Edward was standing upright on the ground, in one piece, me still in his arms, also in one piece.
He ran us to his house, which was still pretty lifeless on the inside. Emmett and Rosalie had joined Esme and Alice in the lounge, which was now being referred to as the "sick bay". Jasper was nowhere to be seen, but I hadn't been expecting to bump into him tonight.
To my great pleasure, Alice's eyes lit up as I walked into the lounge.
"Bella!" She croaked. I ran forward and lightly wrapped my arms around here, it felt strange having to be the one that had to be careful around people. "It's nice to finally see you!" I smiled at her.
"How are you feeling, Alice?" I bit my lip.
"Truly awful, Bella, truly and utterly awful." She shrugged.
"I'm the same, thanks for asking!" Emmett winked.
"This may have affected your health, Emmett, but it certainly hasn't affected your ability to be an idiot!" I exclaimed as the rest of the Cullen's – apart from Emmett – laughed. I winked back at him.
"Where's Jas?" Edward asked Alice.
"How am I supposed to know?" She sighed. "He briefly pops his head round the door to see how I am once a day. Apart from then, I have no idea where he is." I squeezed her hand for reassurance.
"Jasper is trying his very hardest to find out why we have ended up this way." Esme explained. Her face no longer held the glow that she usually carried everywhere with her. It was now pale and haggard; the dark circles under her eyes made me almost believe she had been punched in both.
"Esme, I don't mean to be rude, but when did you last hunt? You look so thirsty." I felt instantly rude saying this. I looked around the room at the rest of the Cullen's, everyone apart from Edward and Carlisle had the same dark circles. "When was the last time any of you hunted?" I fiddled with the bracelet on my left wrist anxiously.
"We can't keep any blood down, Bella, so it's been pointless trying." Rosalie snapped at me. Emmett cautioned her with his eyes, but before anything else was said, Carlisle stood up, looking slightly wobbly on his legs.
"Carlisle?" If she hadn't been so weak, Esme looked as if she would have launched from the sofa to her husband's aid. Carlisle raised his hand to tell her that he was ok, but he most definitely didn't look ok.
"Oh, fabulous!" Alice wailed. "Now the only Dr in the house is sick too!"
Carlisle collapsed into the nearest armchair and put his head in his hands, I noticed that his forehead was shiny and his skin looked a little flushed. I ran forward and laid the back of my hand on his head – he was burning hot.
"Carlisle, you have a serious temperature!" I took a step backwards feeling slightly overwhelmed, straight into Edward's arms. "So much for feeling 100%." I mumbled into Edward's ear. He didn't reply.
Rosalie threw him a blanket that was draped over the back of the chair she lounged in and Carlisle hesitantly tucked it around himself.
"It's ok to look weak once in a while you know, Carlisle." I reassured him, he could only smile back.
"This just doesn't make sense anymore!" Edward moaned. He collapsed into a heap on the floor and ran his hands through his impossible hair.
"I can't even see my visions anymore. I'm going to end up back in an asylum." Alice sounded so little and vulnerable huddled under her blanket, she was barely visible behind the overly large cushion that was propping her up on the sofa.
"I promise you, Alice, you will not end up back there." Carlisle stared into her eyes as he said it, and he most definitely meant it.
"It's so bazaar." Esme began. "Alice and I had only recently hunted when we got ill; when we've hunted we're supposed to be at our strongest! Instead it's weakened us." Esme sobbed tearlessly.
Whatever happened next happened fast. Jasper flew into the room, startling everyone, especially me.
"I've got it!" He announced. "Thanks to Esme, I think I know what's happened!" A smile spread broadly across his face.
"Well, are you going to share it with us, Jas, or stand there grinning like the Cheshire cat?" Emmett grumbled from the corner, under his thick blanket. It was like an old people's home, but I thought I better not share that with everyone.
Jasper walked over to Alice and took hold of her hands, stroking the back of them with his thumbs. He cleared his throat and began.