Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. All those belong to Stephanie Meyer, and I am not her. If I were, I'd be rich. No money is made off of this. This is for entertainment only.
When Alice came to pick me up in Edward's silver Volvo that day, I felt no suspicion. I climbed in, feeling the vibrations of the stereo shake the frame of the car. I folded my hands in my lap, watching her as she sang in a high soprano to the music.
"Hey, Alice," I called through the noise, "Where's Edward?"
She hit the locks and gas simultaneously, and started down the road.
"They needed to hunt," she replied, turning down the volume.
"Oh." I sat back. If Edward wasn't here, I could go see Jacob and-
"Your future just disappeared," Alice commented, cutting my train of thought.
I sighed. Busted.
It was only then that I realized that we weren't heading to my house. Instead, we were nearing the Cullen's. Alice noticed me noticing and trilled,"We're having a slumber party!"
My stomach sank. "You're kidnapping me, aren't you?"
She laughed and nodded. "It'll just be us girls. Esme cleared it with Charlie, and I will drive you to and from school."
I turned my face to the window, grinding my teeth.
"Sorry," Alice said, her eyebrows pulling together. Her tone was apologetic. "He cares about you. That's all."
"It's because of Jacob, right?" I growled. "Alice, he's not dangerous!"
"You don't seem to be able to grasp how dangerous a young werewolf can be, and I can't see you when you're with those dogs."
"Edward is going to be in in so much trouble when he comes back," I threatened uselessly.
Alice grinned.
"I'm going to sleep now," I announced, heading for the stairs. Alice tagged along.
"Alice," I sighed. "I'm not going to try and break out. You'd catch me if I tried."
"I'm just here to show you where your things are," she said innocently.
Edwards room was the farthest end of the third floor hallway, but when I opened the door, I blinked in surprise. Had I picked the wrong door?
Alice giggled.
"What the hell is this?" I spluttered. A colossal bed dominated the center of the room, the frame black, and covered with a dull gold. Edward's things were shoved up against the wall.
"You didn't really think he would make you sleep on the couch did you?" Alice laughed.
I mumbled unintelligibly as I stalked forward to snatch my things off the bed.
"I'll give you some privacy," Alice sang. "See you in the morning."
After my teeth were brushed, and I was dressed, I grabbed the huge, puffy pillow and the gold coverlet. Dragging them over to the couch, I settled into the soft cushions.
It was silly, but I didn't care. This was all too much.
There was a light knock on the door.
"What is it, Alice?" I called irritably.
"It's me," Rosalie said softly, opening the door slightly. "Can I come in?"
"Of course," I replied, an octave higher that normal.
I got up, and slid to the side, making room. My mind was blank.
"Can I talk to you for a few minutes?" she asked. "I didn't wake you up or anything did I?" Her golden eyes swept over my makeshift bed.
"No, I was awake. Yes, we can talk."
She laughed lightly, and it sounded like a chorus of bells. Then she stopped. "Please don't think of me as horribly interfering," she pleaded gently, sitting on the other end of the couch. Keeping her distance. "I'm going to try to tell you why I think you should stay human."
She laughed again, sounding oddly embarrassed, the moonlight illuminating her perfect features as I blinked uncomprehendingly.
"Okay," I forced out slowly. Rosalie gave me a small smile, and began her story.
She told me about her human life, her transformation, and finding Emmett.
"I got luckier than I deserved," she recalled. "Emmett is everything I would have asked for if I had known myself well enough. But there will never be more than just the two of us. I'll never sit on a porch somewhere, gray-haired with him, surrounded by our grandchildren."
I was silent for a while, taking it in.
"Don't you see Bella?" Rosalie asked, looking me straight in the eye. "You already have everything, and now you want to throw it all away!"
She froze abruptly. "Sorry," she apologized. "I thought I could go through this calmly."
"It's okay, Rosalie. It's nice to know you better."
"I apologize for being such a monster. I'll try to behave myself from now on," Rosalie replied. She stood up in a fluid gesture, and made as if to leave.
"Would you like me better if I chose to stay human?" I blurted out. The question had been prodding at me, a spike in the back of my head.
She turned back to me, her lips turning up wryly in the corners. "Undoubtedly."
The next question flowed out of my lips before I could stop it. "Would you rather I be with a werewolf than become one of you?"
Rosalie paused, and I froze, wondering if I had gone too far.
"Bella," she said finally," Anything is better than this. Even being with some stinking dog." She tilted her head to the side. "Although, it would probably be better if Edward didn't know you asked."
"He'll find out anyways," I mumbled miserably. And it was true. I couldn't confide in anyone without Edward knowing. The realization was stifling. Where was my privacy?
"I'll try not to think about this in front of him," Rosalie assured me. "And you should probably go to sleep."
I dreamed of Edward that night. As usual.
He stood before me with his perfect crooked smile, stealing my breath away. Not moving, and frozen in all his glorious beauty.
I tried to take a step towards him, but something was holding me back, and I looked back to see Jacob gripping my wrist. His hand was rough and very warm, his black eyes intense and pleading. Don't go, they seemed to be begging.
They snared my attention, but I was still aware of the cold aura at my back. It neared with every passing second, and suddenly I could feel a sharp pang at my neck.
Edward had bitten me.
Instantly, I was overwhelmed by the unbearable pain, but though my hazy focus, I could see Jacob fading away.
I screamed. Jacob!
I woke in a pool of sweat, panicking momentarily, wondering were I was.
I saw Alice standing over me. "Time for school!" her voice chimed enthusiastically "We got blueberry pancakes."
"Oh yea. Sure."
Alice hovered by me while I got ready, chattering about the things we could do after school.
I walked wearily to the car, hoping to get the day over with.
While Alice drove, I tapped my finger nervously on the side of the door. The speed of the car still made me nervous and edgy.
I closed my eyes and not tried to think about. Unfortunately, that led to me thinking about my dream.
It unnerved me, as I realized that I wasn't ready to be transformed yet. That I still had a lot of things that I hadn't dealt with yet.
Worst of all, I was confused. I had been so sure that Edward and I were perfect for each other, and that had led me to want to become a vampire. Now that I knew that I was Jacob's imprint, I needed more information. I was not going to rush into eternity without thinking it through.
"Alice," I said. "Can I make a call?"
She turned to face me. "Well..." she started doubtfully.
"Come on," I whined, fully aware that I sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, "You're already kidnapping me."
A bit of guilt flashed over Alice's small face. "Alright," she allowed, handing me the silver phone.
I flipped it open, and punched in Jacob's number.
"Hello?" his husky voice drawled.
"Jake?"
"Bella? Is that you?" His voice transformed, turning joyous.
"Yeah, it's me. I wanted to asked you some more about the imprint in person, but..." I paused. "Let's just say I got kidnapped."
He understood what I meant immediately. "We'll come get you," he growled, instinctively using plural.
"Jake, it's fine. I don't mind. Much. Anyways, it's a school day," I assured him, biting my lip. I wondered what I had expected to accomplish with this call. Ask Jacob to explain supernatural things through the phone? Maybe my subconscious had just wanted to hear his voice.
"We do need to talk. Soon." His voice conveyed every bit of the impatience that I felt.
"Yeah. We do," I murmured softly.
"When are they going to leave you alone?"
"Honestly? I don't know."
"Damn those bloodsuckers!" Jacob cursed. He was quiet for a while. Then he said, "Talk later."
He hung up abruptly.
"Well that was fast," I muttered, handing Alice back the phone.
When Alice pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine, I got out, tripping on my untied shoelace.
Alice stood next to me, waiting patiently as I fumbled with the knot.
"Go to class, Alice," I grumbled. My fingers were not cooperating with me, and I could tell it would take a while.
She hesitated, assessing my dexterity, before agreeing. She flitted to the building, seeming more graceful than a ballerina.
In the corner of my eye, I could see Rosalie parking her red convertible a few lots down. That was when I heard the growling of a motorcycle.
Like everyone else, I turned in shock to see it screech to a stop.
"C'mon Bella!" Jacob called, waving urgently.
I was frozen for a second before I understood.
I glanced over at Rosalie. She was close enough that she could stop me.
She looked at me, and the hint of a smirk played on her lips. Very obviously, she feigned ignorance, looking away.
My knees practically gave out from under me with relief, and I sprinted towards freedom.
Jacob revved his engine, grinning. I jumped on the back of his seat, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist.
I caught sight of Alice, frozen at the edge of the cafeteria. Instead of looking furious like I had expected, her expression seemed slightly resigned, yet also amused.
Then we were racing across the blacktop.
"Hold on," Jacob shouted.
I leaned my cheek onto his back as we sped down the highway. It was obvious when we reached the safe zone, because the bike slowed, and Jacob straightened up, howling with laughter.
"Not bad for a prison break, eh?" he asked.
"Good thinking, Jake."
"I remembered what you said about the psychic leech not being able to predict what I'm doing."
He pulled me into a scorching hug. "So what do you want to do?" he asked, his breath ruffling my hair.
I rolled my eyes at him; he knew what I wanted. Offhandedly, I wondered whether that was part of the imprint.
He sighed and took my hand in his rough one. "Okay, okay. Let's talk."
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