Meanwhile, Alice had dragged Ana up the stairs to her own bedroom, throwing open the enormous walk-in closet. She strolled inside, clasping her hands delicately behind her back, a huge mischievous grin on her face.
"Now I'm sure you'd like to get yourself cleaned up a bit, but I always like to plan my outfit before anything else."
"You really like clothes, don't you?" Ana was in shock at the size of the closet and the quantity of clothes it contained. Being a nomad, she was much more used to slim pickings when it came to wardrobe. It had been a long time since she had seen so many clothes outside of a shopping mall. Alice's grin spread wider at Ana's reaction and she immediately began to search through the racks and drawers. She pulled out a strapless silken blouse in a cool shade of cream and flashed to Ana's side, reaching for the buttons on her coat. Ana instantly slammed back into the far wall of the bedroom in a low crouch, her eyes wide and her hand pressed over her chest. It was right at this moment that Rosalie had chosen to check on them, and she sank back into an attack position in the doorway. Alice didn't speak, but she held a hand up to stop Rosalie from acting. They both watched Ana warily. It took only a moment for Ana to straighten up, embarrassment clouding her eyes. The hand on her chest tightened, pulling on her scarf so that it slid off her head and lay limply around her shoulders. She opened her mouth to speak, but it took a few beats of silence before she was able to make any sound.
"I have scars too," she whispered, the words speeding from her mouth. She sucked in her breath, startled by her own statement. Alice's eyes creased in confusion and Ana dropped her gaze to the floor. "Not like Jasper's, of course. I wasn't in any wars. It was…"
"Your former mate," Rosalie guessed when Ana was unable to continue. Ana's head shot up, uncertainty now shading her eyes. Alice explained quickly that they had listened in on her conversation with Jasper in the woods. "Nicholas was uncomfortable leaving you totally alone with one of us, and I was equally uncomfortable leaving Jasper outnumbered." Ana nodded, and after a moment, continued.
"We weren't in a fight or anything. I can't really remember it that well. Maybe I've repressed it." She chuckled sadly, but Alice was confused. The scars must have come after she had been changed, so her memory of it, even if painful enough to be repressed under normal circumstances, should have been crystal clear as were all vampires' memories. She shot a look at Rosalie, who looked equally perplexed, but shrugged minutely. She decided that Ana must simply not want to talk about the way in which she had received the scars, though Alice was burning with curiosity now. Rather than ask, however, she remained silent waiting for Ana to continue, letting the cool fabric of the sleeveless shirt dangle from her fingertips.
"Anyway, I just prefer not to wear anything that might show…" Ana's eyes flickered to the blouse and then to Alice's face.
"This top isn't right for you," Alice said, holding it out in front of her. She acted as though Ana hadn't spoken, but immediately went to the section of the closet holding anything and everything long-sleeved.
"I think you should go for more coverage on top, don't you?" Rosalie commented. Her tone was offhand and she managed to look vaguely uninterested. Alice considered for a moment, nodding her head slowly.
"How do you feel about short skirts?" she asked with an analytical eye. Her smile sparkled.
"Wonderful," Ana replied brightly, relief barely concealed in her voice. Alice chimed a laugh and reached for a short, dark grey cashmere tunic dress and an even shorter bright blue, short-sleeved dress. When she put them on, the outfit reached just barely halfway down Ana's thighs. Alice threw a sparkling gold chain-link belt around her waist and giggled gleefully.
"You are so much more fun to dress than Bella," Alice sang clapping her hands together. "My sister-in-law doesn't let me have any fun." Rosalie laughed softly, rolling her eyes at Ana. Ana held Rosalie's gaze for a moment, a subtle smile pulling at her lips. She ran her hands over the exquisite softness of the cashmere that enveloped her arms.
"Can I really?" Alice squeaked. Ana jumped and Rosalie's perfect eyebrow arched at her sister. Alice ignored both of their reactions and grasped hold of Ana's shoulders. Ana looked to Rosalie for help and Rosalie put a hand on her sister's arm.
"I think Ana and I are missing something, Alice," she said, her cool voice edged with peeved amusement. Alice looked at her for a moment before realization hit. A sweet laughter burst through her lips.
"Of course, I jumped the gun. It's just that I saw what you decided and it made me so excited!"
"Nicholas mentioned Alice's gift earlier," Rosalie remarked. Ana nodded, beginning to understand.
"And you just decided to let me dress you whenever I want!" Ana's mouth fell slightly agape as what had happened became fully clear.
"You truly are a fascinating family, aren't you?" she remarked as Alice bounced up and down and Rosalie shook her head, an exquisite smirk on her painted lips.
Jasper, however, was only just beginning to relax again. He stood at the top of the stairs, gripping the railing to hold himself in place. Having felt the sudden surge of tension and disturbance coming from Alice's room only a few moments earlier, he had raced up the stairs to aid his love only to find that the atmosphere had as quickly shifted back to one of quiet, if not tranquility. This alone had prevented him from bursting into the room and seizing hold of Ana. Something in Ana's emotional state had hinted to him that an intrusion would not have helped the situation, and may have made her feel more harassed. Yet, he still could not bring himself to leave the top of the stairs and when he heard the sudden rush of water indicating that the shower had been turned on, he strode into Alice's room. She looked at him with appraising eyes, delicate arms folded.
"Couldn't you trust that I had the situation under control?" she asked, faux irritation pursing her lips. Rosalie remained inconspicuous in the closet, busying herself with folding Ana's new clothes, as Jasper entered the room. Alice's eyes turned playful. "But I suppose the cavalry must always be there, just in case."
"Precisely," Jasper said in a low voice. He took a few steps closer to her, holding her gaze and they both smiled. After a couple minutes, he turned his eyes to the bathroom door.
"Will they still be here when Edward and Bella return?"
Alice took a moment before nodding and replying, "Yes, they will."
"Should we let them know that we have company before they get back?"
"Only if they call first. I don't see any reason why they would need forewarning."
Alice and Jasper continued their discussion, leaving the room to return downstairs. Rosalie hung back for a few minutes, scanning Alice's racks of shoes for an appropriate pair for Ana. Once she found a simple pair of flats, and had laid them out next to Ana's outfit, she headed for the door to follow her siblings. However, just as she turned to leave, she felt a sudden urge not to leave. It was almost a magnetic pull, holding her in the doorway. She found herself with the sudden and strange desire to check on Ana. Without a thought, she was drifting towards the bathroom door. She rapped her knuckles against the door just as the water shut off.
Almost instantly, the force drawing her to the door seemed to dissipate and Rosalie was left feeling slightly dazed, her hand fist frozen in front of her from knocking on the door. The room was suddenly utterly silent, an odd humming no longer present in the background, though she hadn't noticed its presence until it was gone. A moment later, a dripping and towel-clad Ana popped her head out to see where the noise had come from.
"Yes?" Rosalie didn't answer. She stared at her hand for a moment and then shifted a somewhat suspicious gaze to Ana's face. "Is something wrong? Was I bothering you?"
"Bothering me?"
"My singing," Ana replied with a soft grin. "I forgot you didn't know." Rosalie was even more confused now.
"Why don't you get dressed and then explain," she said, eyes squinted, considering Ana's words. Ana nodded silently and slipped back into the bathroom to dry off.
