Chapter four
So here I am standing in front a glass house in the middle of the woods in the state of Washington. The chaos of the clashing personalities had a real toll on my soul. Mentally and physically I ached. My mind was reeling from the compassion, curiosity, bitchiness, pure energy, humor, shock and disciplined vampires I was just surrounded with. I feel bad for yelling but I needed to thin the herd so to speak. Thankfully I am only left with the three males and strangely enough the moment I sponged off of Jasper's militant emotions they all three changed emotions to a wavering mix of fear and curiosity. It actually made me dizzy.
"Okay here's how this is gonna go. I need a moment to center myself but after that I will situate the three of you so that you are exactly the same distance from me. I need to get used to the personalities and it helps if I know how they are affected by others in the house. Spending time alone with all the members of the house is necessary but I also need to learn how your personalities morph as others come within range." I announced.
Emmett raised his hand and I can only assume it was his way of being polite and moving slow or in a non threatening way. "Yes Emmett, do you have a question?" I asked.
"What do you mean by center yourself?" He whispered. I thought he was supposed to be the loud prankster?
"My bag is in the car if you grab it I can show you what I mean." An Emmett was handing me the bag as I finished the sentence. He had a quirky smile on his face. Note to self remind Emmett that if he pranks me it better not be while in my room. I burn a lot of candles and it could get messy for the vampires if they startle me around an open flame.
"Centering myself means that I need to draw energy from the Earth and to do that I need…" I started as I dug in my bag. "Where are you? Ah there you are." I squealed as I pulled out a large green candle and my trusty Zippo. All three men took a large step back.
"Don't worry the Zippo is for the candle not any of you." I clarified as I sat cross legged on the ground and lit the candle.
I mumbled my prayers to Mother Earth keeping one hand above the flame and the other palm down and fingers splayed on the grass. I felt the energy rise up through the ground and into the candle. The flame grew higher and I swirled my fingers around as the flame danced with my hand. I then placed my hand on the ground mirroring the position of the other and thanked Mother Earth again for her kindness. I blew the candle out and quickly placed it back in my bag with my Zippo.
"That is centering myself. It calms me and helps me to focus. At the end of the day I will release the energy I have taken from the Earth and send it on the wind where the trees will absorb it and return it to the Earth." I stated.
"You do seem more at ease but I can't read your mind so I can't tell for sure." Edward said.
"That would be my shields. Aro couldn't read my mind either." I replied and Edward nodded.
"I feel your emotions but they feel more like an echo of everyone else's, it's very confusing." Jasper growled quirking his head to the side.
"Amazing, it's like watching a mocking bird mimic a sound." Edward said as he stared at the ground obviously listening to Jasper's thoughts.
"You sound like Carlisle. Are you a scientist or doctor as well?" I asked.
"I hold several degrees but mainly I'm curious in nature and do plenty of reading."
"Okay well let's get this whole thing started. Jasper you're good where you're standing. Edward don't move a muscle. Emmett I want you to stand over there about twenty feet back from me." I instructed.
Once Emmett was in place I laid out the ground rules. "Okay you each get a chance to ask me a question but be forewarned that I will ask the same question back of you. We can keep going until you are done or bored with the activity. And since I'm in charge I have decided that Jasper will go first and then counter clockwise from there. Don't pout Emmett it looks too adorable for such a big man. I'm still sponging off of his militant tendencies and that's the way I want this to go. So without further ado, Jasper the forest floor is yours."
"What is your full name?" Jasper asked.
"Isabella Marie Francesca Swan. And you Major?" I asked. Noticing his slight flinch at hearing me say Major.
"Major Jasper Anthony Whitlock ma'am. How did you know I was a major?" He replied.
"Ah ah ah, only one question at a time major. Either hold onto that for round two or wait until we have some one on one time." I chastised.
"Edward." I continued.
"How old are you?"
"Physically, I'm 20. Technically I'm 198 years old." "And you?"
"Physically, I'm 17. Technically I'm 112 years old." Edward replied.
"Emmett you're up big guy. Hit me with your best shot." I joked.
"What do you like to do for fun?" He asked.
"Depends on who I'm with. For instance, with you I believe it would be video games or something outdoorsy. Edward would probably be something along the lines of enjoying the arts. Now Jasper seems to be a strategizer by nature but something else is left underneath nearly buried. And I'm gonna bet it's on the kinky side."
"My favorites are definitely sports and video games. And of course trying to pull pranks on people. Edward usually tattles or stops me though." Emmett whispered.
"And we're back to you Major. Care to re-ask that question?"
"Are you Italian?" He asked.
"Yes, born in New York but my family did originate from southern Italy." "Are you Texan?"
"Galveston, ma'am." He drawled out and I melted just a little.
"Edward?"
"What's your favorite book?" He spoke to the ground.
"Currently, Pride and Prejudice." "Yours?"
"Romeo and Juliet."
"Shakespeare is better at tragedies then romance. I would have chosen MacBeth. Oh well moving on, Emmett you're up again."
"Do you sleep?"
"How unfair a question. You know I already know the answer to yours and no I don't. I haven't for 178 years."
"Do you eat?" Jasper interrupted.
"Yes, occasionally. Kind of at the same pace as an angel but if I use a large portion of my energy then I need to consume more food." I replied.
"What's your favorite food?" Edward asked.
"Anything chocolate and then pasta, lots and lots of pasta. And before you answer that question I'm going to wager a bet that you Edward prefer to drain rapists. Emmett seems like murderers or gang bangers and Jasper would be sociopaths and psychopaths. My question back to you and that's all three of you would be what animal would you prefer to drain if you had no other choice." I asked.
"Are we narrowed to this region?" Edward asked.
"No."
"African lion." Edward replied.
"Grizzly bear." Emmett added.
"Black panther." Jasper cooed.
"Fascinating."
(((CHAMELEON)))
The questions went on for what felt like hours and I was getting a bit bored with the topic but they wanted to know everything about me so I allowed it.
"Are you sure you're not tired? Your emotions are a bit muddled, well more so than usual."
"You're sweet, I'm fine." I replied.
"No Jasper's right and I do believe he felt a bit of boredom in there. I can't read your mind but I can tell you that none of us are bored with the topic at hand." Edward interjected.
"Oh all right, I'm a bit bored with the topic but talking about me is never something I care to do for long periods of time." I answered.
"Maybe we should take you inside and you can officially meet the rest of the household." Jasper stated.
"Oh yes the ladies. Are they going to be angry with me for shouting at them?" I asked.
"Nah Carlisle told them how it was supposed to be but they didn't listen." Emmett answered.
"Besides I can tell you that Alice and Esme are chomping at the bit to meet you. Rose well, Rose is Rose. It takes some time to get used to her. Also, she sees you as a threat." Edward replied.
"Why?"
"Because you are a single female in the same house as her beloved Alice. Draw your own conclusions?" Jasper chuckled.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot that they were a pair. That must be difficult for you boys to watch." I giggled.
"You have no idea." They responded in unison.
(((CHAMELEON)))
I took a quick moment to center myself before wrapping my arm around Emmett's arm and walking toward the house. Edward quickly told me that they were patiently waiting in the living room and that Esme was so excited she started baking chocolate chip cookies. How in the world does a vampire know how to bake? Oh well on the bright side it looks like I'll have my own personal chef when I drain myself dry. Kind of funny to think of that while in the midst of seven vampires, such is my life but then again I'm good with weird.
As I walked into the room Alice was practically bouncing with energy and I was fighting to keep it in check. I found myself easing towards Esme and her calm and compassionate nature. Rose as Edward put it was Rose and in full force ice queen mode. Carlisle took a step forward to make the official introductions.
"Bella I'd like you to meet my wife and mate Esme." He stated grandly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, you have a sweet and caring husband. Also I'd like to apologize for my behavior before. I'm centered now and would like to make a fresh start." I apologized.
"Hush none of that! We were so excited that we completely forgot about your needs and caused your reaction. Are you hungry or thirsty? I baked cookies. I needed something to do. I also overheard you tell the boys that your favorite food was chocolate." Esme cooed. I swear if she could blush she would be right now. I'm just not sure if it was from embarrassment or eavesdropping.
"I'll take one for now but do you mind if I pack a bag for later? It's a full moon and I would like to perform a blessing ceremony around the house. It makes me feel closer to my family."
"Of course dear. Whatever you want, the contents of the kitchen are yours and at your disposal."
"Okay well moving on. This bouncing Pixie is Alice and the blond next to her is Rosalie." Carlisle interrupted.
"Hello to you both. Again I apologize for my behavior I am much calmer now. Even with Jasper trying to penetrate my shield with his mojo whammy." I said turning to glare at said empath.
"Sorry Darlin' just trying to make it easier on you."
"Don't worry about it, even I'm aware how intense I can be at times. I'll try my best to tone it down. Do you like to shop? I could use another partner, Rose would rather tinker on the cars then go shoe shopping." Alice babbled.
"If I'm around you I'm sure I will love it. But let's give Rose some time before that happens. I'm a threat to her and alone time with you could be the death of me." I stage whispered.
"Nonsense, Rose would do anything that would cause me to be upset. And that would definitely make me upset." Alice said while glaring at Rose.
"It's Rosalie by the way. I didn't give you permission to call me Rose." She sneered.
"Well then Rosalie, call me Isabella. You are a lucky woman to have such a beautiful and energetic mate." I replied.
"The strawberry scent, did you bath in it? Thankfully the chocolate scent brings it down a bit but it's still nauseating. If I weren't a vampire I'd probably be puking." She growled.
"Well your lily and rose combo is not exactly my cup of tea either. As for the strawberries, yes I do. It comes from my shampoo but I didn't realize that I also smelled like chocolate. It may be my favorite food but I don't eat that often so I'm not sure what to tell you on that." I replied.
"What do you mean you don't eat often? How do you survive?" Esme asked.
"I just got done explaining that to the boys, weren't you listening?" I joked.
"I-I tried to give you your privacy b-but I was worried and when I heard the part about food I wanted to make a good impression." Esme stammered.
"Relax Esme I was teasing. Because of my immortality I tend to only eat about as often as an angel does. That is unless I drain my energy supply. Hence the bag of cookies tonight during my ceremony." I replied.
"Oh." Esme replied while nodding.
Rosalie was looking both bored and angry so I thought I'd let them all get back to their own lives.
"I don't want to keep you, I'm sure you have other things you want to do. After all Esme I kept your husband away from you for several days and he was half way around the world. That had to be lonely." I apologized again.
"Hush, think nothing of it. I have eternity to make it up. But let me at least show you to your room so you can rest and unpack." Esme countered.
"We'll do it Esme." Emmett bellowed.
"Whoa big guy, I don't have the super hearing like everyone else but I still know that had to be loud to everyone else." I teased.
"Oops, sorry guys."
"Don't worry about it Emmett, just take Bella to her room." Carlisle said.
"The entire third floor is yours dear." Esme cooed.
"Thanks." I said as I followed Emmett. After the first flight Jasper scooped me up and ran the rest of the way with me in his arms.
"Sorry Darlin' my patience is very low and I also wanted a chance to get you in my arms." He drawled. Okay I'm not ashamed to admit I swooned. Hell who wouldn't, he's southern and oozes both authority and southern gentlemanly finesse.
"He's just putting on a show for you Bella. He knows how the women love the accent." Edward reasoned.
"Jealousy goes well with those beautiful green eyes of yours." I said adding my own flirtatious ways to the mix.
"Bella bean, took you long enough to get up here." Emmett chuckled.
"Bean now there's a new one. I haven't heard that one in about 30 years." I teased.
"Well how do you like your new digs?" Emmett asked.
"It's beautiful but this is too much. I can't take up all this space. You saw my luggage, I don't travel heavy." I pleaded.
"Try to convince Esme to downsize your room I guarantee she'll find a way to make it bigger." Edward chuckled.
"Huh. Guess I'll have to fix that." I mumbled looking at the four poster bed.
"What's that Bella Boo?" Emmett asked.
"Oh it's nothing, just a little fung shui needed on the room. I'll take care of it later."
"Nonsense tell me what you want and I'll fix it now."
"Well the bed should face those windows and the armoire should be wedged in the corner. The desk needs to be over there and the rug centered just a tad this way."
As soon as I finished my sentence Emmett was a blur and I actually jumped into Edward's arms from the shock of it all.
"Now look who's showing off." I giggled.