The next few days were uneventful. I became more acquainted with the Cullens, learning about each of their pasts, and also more about Forks. Carlisle had a few books that could have helped, and Alice was speed reading through them to find out more about me. So far, there wasn't anything that I didn't already know, or had already guessed. Admittedly, it wasn't much.
"Did you know that I can't see you?" Alice suddenly said one afternoon.
"Huh?"
"I can't see your future. Edward can't read your mind either."
That was weird. I knew some of the Cullens had gifts, I especially liked Jasper's one. Oh the things I could do to my various crushes..
But I didn't know that Alice couldn't see me. That was weird. I asked her if anyone else couldn't be seen.
"Sure. The werewolves."
I freaked out a bit at that one. There are wolves in Forks? Alice had to explain to me a little bit more about the Quileute werewolves, and of course about the treaty.
"And they smell awful to us too. Like wet dogs."
Ew?
"I can't smell you either."
"I'm sorry?"
"Everyone has a scent, Irma. Not you though, you don't smell like anything."
I was pondering about why I was so weird, when suddenly Alice froze. I glanced at her and saw her eyes clouded, like she was seeing something in her head. As suddenly as she froze, she fled from the room and fed back, this time carrying a cellphone.
"Bella, is something wrong? I.."
Carlisle came rushing into the room as well.
In words that were too low for me to catch, I watched as Carlisle's face morphed into a mask of handsome horror. I was guessing that something horrible had happened to either Edward or Bella. I just sat there being useless when Carlisle hung up the phone and said,"Bella's pregnant."
This was hardly surprising to me, but Carlisle and Alice started zooming around the house and gathering the other vampires. Rosalie was the last to come down, for some reason. I had always guessed that she cared the least for Bella, but couldn't she at least pretend?
Everyone was worried, and Jasper asked,"How would the baby turn out?" I tried to cough delicately, but it turned out to be quite a raucous bout. Everyone turned to me, and I could almost see the realisation dawning behind their golden eyes. I smiled guilelessly.
After that we rushed to the airport as soon as we could. This was turning out to be quite an adventure. I'd never sped anywhere so fast before, and I'm dying to see the Cullens in the midst of so many humans. Of course I'd heard their side of the story, but to actually see it happening. Most Moroi can't help but take a sip themselves, but these Strigoi are something else.
I was almost disappointed that they didn't start attacking innocents when we walked through the airport, but then I admonished myself for being so selfish. We were here for Bella, and Edward, not to see humans being torn and sucked dry.
When the couple came out of the arrival gates, Bella ran immediately to Rosalie. I was shocked, I'd clearly read their dynamics wrongly. On the way home, Bella explained that she wanted to keep the baby and everyone got stressed again. I suppose that there were differences. Strigoi are stronger, and in my case, the mother was the stronger vampire, not the mortal human.
*********
Arguments were erupting all around me. Edward and Rosalie were fighting over whether the baby should be kept. Carlisle was trying to reason with Esme, and Jasper was trying to calm Alice down, because she couldn't see Bella clearly. While this was going on, Edward suddenly started walking to the door and opened it just as there was a knock.
"Where's Bella?" an angry voice said. I surmised that this was Jacob, one of the wolves Alice told me about.
Edward was explaining things to Jacob, and I was beginning to feel very out of place when suddenly Carlisle said,"Bella's cracked a rib, I think." Everyone rushed to her side. Carlisle got out his medical bag and started rooting around for something.
Bella certainly looked like she was in pain, and she was bruised all over. I glanced over at Jacob and Edward, their faces contorted with pain. I walked over to her, and placed my hand over her side. Concentrating, I watched as my hands glowed. I felt weaker, but choked out,"Does that feel better?" Bella nodded fervently and it was Edward's turned to gaze at me gratefully. Jacob hurriedly said, "Who is she? What'd she do?"
Edward explained in a rushed whisper and Jacob thought of something. "Irma can heal Bella over and over, right? That means you don't have to turn Bella into a vampire to save her."
"I don't think I'm strong enough for that."
"Can't you do something to make yourself stronger? Why do you get so weak anyway?"
"I believe the spirit element makes use of Irma's own life force. The spirit is not that easy to replace," Carlisle explained. "I do think that her powers would be stronger if she felt a strong emotion, like happiness. Anger may work as well, but I think the results would be more detrimental rather than helpful."
I hung my head at that one. I was a very miserable little girl, and always feeling hopeless. I'd given up on myself a long time ago, and hadn't felt very 'happy' in ages. I couldn't help but feel more awful that I couldn't save Bella from vampirehood because I was such an emo kid.
"It might," Edward suddenly said. I could only guess that he'd answered someone's thoughts aloud.
I went to work trying to heal as many of Bella's bruises as much as I possibly could. Soon though, I started to feel faint, and excused myself to take a small nap to regain some of my strength back.
***
When I woke up and went down, I noticed that Jacob had gone, and that Bella was looking a bit worse for wear. I tried to get rid of any more aches that I could, but it didn't seem to be helping much. I was getting weaker, and weaker.
Alice tried getting food in me, but I was too tired to eat. I just sat at the kitchen table sipping some juice from a straw when the front door opened yet again. I heard Jacob's voice announcing someone else's arrival as well. I was about to nod off when suddenly, I heard shuffling somewhere near me.
"Irma?"
I struggled to open my eyes. When I did though, I did not regret missing out on some sleep.
Next to Jacob was the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. He was tall, almost as tall as Jacob, and had shiny black hair that hung to his shoulders and was parted in the middle. One side was tucked behind his ear. He had a sweet face, and skin that was a tad fairer than Jacob's rust tone. Edward and the rest can be as handsome as they liked, but this boy was breathtakingly my type. I almost sighed.
"Irma, this is Embry. Embry, Irma,"Jacob chuckled at how weird our two names were. Suddenly, I realised that at the same time I was staring at Embry, Embry was in full view of me too. I tried to tame wild strands of my hair back into my bun. Embry glanced at Jacob, then back at me and smiled a smile so sweet that I would've jumped off many tall bildings just to see it again. His dimple was too much for me to take. I tried to hide myself in my men's hoodie as much as I could before he could completely see how undesirable I was.
