Chapter Four
I figured I wouldn't have to be seen in Forks and if I ever really had to go outside I could use make-up to make myself appear aged. But the Cullen's house was so far out of town, I didn't think that it would be a problem.
As we pulled into the driveway, memories flooded back to me, it was painful, but I only pressed the pedal harder.
"Mom, what's wrong? You stopped breathing." Had I? I let out the breath I had been holding in.
"Sorry," I mumbled incoherently.
"Wow." I heard him breathe as we approached the house.
I smiled at this, "That's what I said."
Having super strength and speed, Mason and I were able to unload our stuff within the hour. When we were finished the first load, the other three moving trucks approached. Mason faked a tired sigh, and I gave him a little shove. "Come on." I told him.
"You over work me." He sighed sarcastically, "This is an abusive relationship."
"Oh, really? Get over it," I laughed.
"Thanks," I told the men while giving them there money. I heard a soft growl next to me, and I gave Mason a warning glance. I can only imagine what those three dirty men were thinking..
MPOV
After an hour of work in front of the mirror, I heard my mom say, "Okay I am going into town." She knew I would hear her.
"Okay, Bye." Just as I knew she would hear me.
"Wait, before I leave!" I heard her sprint at vampire speed down the main staircase, I also heard a loud crash, meaning she had fallen. Again. "I'm okay!" She yelled. More slowly she walked down the basement steps, "Wala!" She said hopping into my vision. "What do you think? I think it's the best make up job yet."
I heard her mumble something about someone named Alice being proud, but she grimaced as she said the name. Another Cullen. "I think that you are right."
BPOV
After showing Mason my wonderfully done make up I headed into town since Mason and I actually needed food to survive I had to hit up the grocery store. Before going to the local grocery store though, I decided to stop in and see my old house. I was surprised when it was twice as big. I smiled to myself as memories flooded back to me. The tree that Edward had so often climbed to get into my room had flourished and looked wonderful. It was in full bloom and small white flowers were scattered underneath it's shade.
I suddenly realized there was a girl in the window of what used to be my room, I blushed and turned my head towards the road. She must have thought I was so sort of creep slowly passing her house as I was.
I finally arrived at the store I grabbed the list from the dashboard and walked clumsily through the automatic front doors. I had been there for only ten minutes when I heard a familiar voice behind me, "Bella?!" It screeched.
Alarmed I tripped falling on the tiles, hard. I got up as quickly as I could. "Jessica?" I asked.
"Oh my gosh! I hadn't known that you were back!" She shrieked again. Her once curly black hair had flattened tremendously. But she hadn't gained as many wrinkles as other humans might have.
"Wow. Hey Jess. You look great."
"Thanks Bell! How are you? Are you with Edward still, I mean you got married right out of high school."
"Yeah, he's… on business though." I lied in order to make a less complicated story, plus I didn't want to give her the pleasure of spreading the gossip of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen's huge break up. Though technically speaking, we were still together, I hoped.
"Oh my gosh! I should get Mike. He would love to see you, he's with Sarah and Bill somewhere." She looked around and then seemed to spot him. "Mike! Come here! You'll never believe who I found!"
He rushed over with a small blonde girl with curls and a dark haired boy both seeming rather bored behind him. They both looked roughly Mason's age, "Mike! It's Bella!"
He was balding, but still had that over helpful golden retriever look about him, "Wow, Bella you look great." I knew that I did, just because I wanted to look older didn't necessarily mean that I needed to look uglier, especially when I went through eighteen years of being a plain Jane.
"You too, Mike. Are these your kids?" I asked gesturing to the two children.
"Oh! Yeah. Bella this is Sarah and Bill. Grace is at home, she absolutely refused to come shopping with the family, to uncool I guess. She's twelve," He said nodding in their direction as he spoke. "Do you have kids?"
I smiled, excited to get a chance to show off Mason. "Yes, a son. His name is Mason."
"Do you have a picture?" Jessica asked, I didn't need to be a mind reader to know what she was thinking, she wanted to know what Edward's offspring looked like.
"Of course," I smiled again. I pulled out a picture of him and me that was taken my Renee weeks before she passed away. He was wearing jeans and a dark fitted shirt which made him look very handsome in contrast to his skin.
The whole family leaned over to look at the picture, Sarah seemed especially interested which was less than surprising.
Jessica handed it back to me, "He looks just like Edward," She said
"Doesn't he though? He's great."
"It's just the three of you than?" She asked curiously.
I debated for a moment whether or not to mention Marie, seeing as it would be very suspicious when she didn't arrive at school with Mason. I decided it would be rude of me not to, she was still my daughter. "I have a daughter, Marie. She is with Edward. He had to take care of a few things before moving here, and she volunteered to go. She and Mason are twins." Bill now seemed thoroughly interested, which I was also unsurprised by, if Mason was that good-looking it would only make sense that his twin would be just as good looking. It upset me that I didn't know.
"Do you have a picture of her?" Bill asked eagerly.
"Afraid not, well with me at least," I lied easily. "Well I have to get going, Mason will be expecting dinner. It was great to see you all, you have a lovely family. I am sure we will see each other again very soon."
"Bye Bella!" Jessica said hugging me.
Mike smiled warmly, "Goodbye Bella, you guys should come over for dinner or something soon."
"We would love to."
"We'll call you!" Jessica called after me as I headed to the checkout counter.
MPOV
I had claimed my room. All the other rooms were so… lived in. So I made a very cool living arrangement out of the finished basement. On the other side of the basement was a door, I decided to scope it out and see what was in there. It most mostly full of old boxes. In one of those boxes was a brand new huge plasma TV. What kind of person leaves a TV this nice in their house? A photo album was also under the TV along with a CD. I opened the photo album the face I saw looked very familiar and yet, I couldn't remember who it was nor put a name to the face. She was small almost pixie like and she was very beautiful. Next to her was a very good looking guy with blonde hair. They were in love, anyone could have told you that. She was looking up at him in awe, and he was looking down at her the same way. They were both smiling and I imagine, had the person taken another second to take the picture, they would have been kissing.
The next picture also felt strangely familiar the woman in it was beautiful, more beautiful then anyone I had ever seen. Her eyes were wide in shock, but she was smiling, she obviously was in love with the guy who had snuck up on her and gave her a kiss. He was huge, he must have been a football player or on steroids or something. He had a huge grin on his face as he kissed her, he must have been pleased that he caught her by surprise. She was leaning against a, now, old model of the Volvo.
I turned the page and the next picture was torn and the faces were almost worn away, I could see was a teenager around 17 or 18 looking down on a girl who was in his lap and cuddled against him. He was grinning a huge, crooked smile which as my mom would say, definitely reached his eyes. The girl must have been sleeping.
I was so close to figuring out where I knew these people from but I suddenly heard my mom upstairs. "I'm home." I hadn't realized how much time had passed as I investigated this mystery family.
"Hey mom!" I yelled grabbing the photo album and shoving it under my pillow, I would figure out where I knew them from.
"Are you seriously going to make your room in the basement? There are plenty of rooms upstairs." As she said this I could tell there was something behind what she was saying, as if she didn't really want me to move in there, as if there was something already there. But that was impossible, "You start school tomorrow, by the way." She added casually, "Sorry kid, but because of the different age things here, you have to take eleventh grade over again."
"Are you kidding me?" I choked out.
"No, sorry!" And with that she ran back up the steps, "Dinner is in ten."
As we ate she started to laugh, "What?" I asked.
"You remember how I told you about Mike and Jessica when we were in school."
"Yeah the kid who followed you around even though you were with dad."
"Yes, he's the one! Well I saw him in the store and he has three kids! Three kids! And two are around your age, watch out for that girl, she thought you were very handsome."
I blushed slightly, "Great."
My mom was as she said, a unique vampire, she hated blood as a human so she passed that trait onto the "after life." She never hunted, and she ate normal food.
"So, why did you pick here mom?" I asked her, maybe there was a connection with the pictures. Maybe she even knew who those couples were, so full of love. They must be ancient now. I hope they ended up happy.
"Have you seen the place, it's amazing." She stated, though I could tell she had the hint of a lie. I let the subject drop.
It was times like these when I wish I could say, well mom, I think I am going to go to bed. I am wiped. But too bad I didn't get that human trait.
"Well mom, I am going to go to my room."
"Kay, sweetie," She said. She was already start to zone out what I said. I wonder what she was thinking, but this happened often and when I asked her, she would snap out of it and put on a fake smile, so I learned to just let her go.
After I reached under my pillow and grabbed the album I looked at the next picture. It was the pixie-like girl, the beautiful blonde, and another woman I hadn't seen yet, she was also very pretty, she seemed the oldest. They were all looking at the camera and grinning. They were all in matching dresses, the only thing I would think of that would call for three matching outfits was a wedding, or a costume party. I was leaning towards wedding.
On the other side of the page was a picture of three very good looking men two of which were the blonde haired guy and the muscular man. The third I also had never seen before. He also seemed the oldest of the three but not by much. His eyes were caring and concerned, but thrilled all the same. They were all wearing black tuxedos. They were all beaming and had there arms over each others shoulders laughing.
I turned the page and found that it was the second to last one in the book. It was a extremely happy and attractive couple, it looked like the 17-year-old from the picture with the girl asleep. He had the girl in his arms bridal style and he was smiling broadly down at the love of his life. He was wearing a tux and she was wearing a white dress, which I could only assume was a wedding dress. She was looking him in the eyes and the looked as if they were about to kiss. The picture spelled out fairy tale.
The last picture was everyone, they were surrounding the bride and groom who were kissing in the center. Everyone was watching them and laughing. It was such a happy picture. It made me happy to be seeing it.
I sat in my bed all night wondering what had happened. Why did they leave such memories in a basement? Had they forgotten? I could only hope that they were somewhere happy. But somehow, deep inside I knew they weren't.
I remembered the CD and got up quickly. I rushed over to the box and found it at the bottom. I uploaded the 4 songs to my computer, and played the nameless song softly.
My stomach dropped as I realized this was the song that I remembered so distantly from my childhood, this was the only song that I could play on the piano. Maybe my mother had dropped one of CD's in the box while moving in. Yes, that must be it, I thought to myself turning off the computer. I couldn't think of any other explanation.