Chapter 4

EPOV

The sun had just come up and Emmet and I were finishing our hunt. I drained the mountain lion I'd just captured and was feeling quite satisfied. It had been a while since we'd had a good long hunt. I quickly ran through the trees and found Emmett who had just finished his meal as well.

"I'm ready to go if you are." I told him.

"I'm finished. Race you back to the house?" He challenged.

I smiled and took off at the same time he did, although I was ahead of him now. I'll never know why he insists on racing me; he knows I'm going to win anyway. We raced through the forest back towards forks. We were several hours away, but it would take us less than a half hour to get there. I was feeling pretty content at the moment, my thirst was somewhat quenched, and the run was exhilarating, and I was so far away from anyone that my mind was peacefully quite. Except for Emmett that is, but his thoughts were only focused on running faster, and when you are used to having hundreds of voices in your mind hearing only one is a welcome change.

We were a few miles from the house when my day was ruined. A sent, so strong it felt like a slap in the face, suddenly hit me like a tidal wave. Dear god, the scent. There was nothing I could compare it with. I knew I was smelling blood, the most delicious blood I'd ever smelt, And I wanted it. I didn't care if it was human; I needed to satisfy this burning thirst in me. It felt like I hadn't hunted at all, like I'd been depriving myself for years. I forgot about the race but started 

running faster, that's when I heard everyone's thoughts. I focused on Rosalie's.

Rosalie: Argh! I hate this, I hate her! And Alice. Damn-it she knows I hate being left out of a secret.

Why is Rose mad at Esme and Alice; what was their secret? I listened for Alice's thoughts. She was reciting the periodic table of elements, and then translating it into French, one element at a time. Alice is so odd. I moved on to Esme.

Esme: oh dear, I hope she's ok up there she's been asleep for an awfully long time...Should I check on her? No, she needs her rest. I'm sure this a lot to take in.

I saw a picture of a nervous human teenage girl in her thoughts. I realized Rose wasn't mad at Esme at all.

What the hell? What is going on?

I could barely concentrate with his overwhelming desire in me, but I wanted to know what happened and the answer wasn't in anyone's thoughts. I was at the house now, and the sent was all around it. Clearly the girl had been here. She was still here according to Esme. She was sleeping.

Easy target. She'll never even hear me.
Emmett had caught up to me now and he looked confused as well.

No. Fight this. You don't have to be a monster.

"What is this?" he asked sniffing the air. He smiled.

"Human." I answered. For some reason, that grin he had on his face made me want to punch him in the jaw.

"No shit, Sherlock. I meant why is it in the house? He was still smiling, why is this amusing? Isn't he as tortured by this sent as I am?Rosalie was suddenly outside. She looked pissed. Emmett kissed her on the cheek, but she wasn't in the mood that.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" she asked me. She was furious. She thought I knew what Alice was keeping from her and wanted me to read Alice's thoughts and tell her what they were.

"No. Rose, why is there a human in the house?" I asked through my clenched teeth. I had my 

hands clenched into fists at my sides trying to choke down this bloodlust.

"How the Hell should I know? Alice won't tell anyone." She snapped at me. Her thought finished the sentence. All they would tell us is that we have to live with this human until, who knows how long. I can't even be comfortable in my own home.

"They?" I asked; teeth still clenched.

"I think Carlisle's in on it, but he said she stays, and we can't argue the point."

I pushed past Rose and went into the house. Alice was sitting on the sofa, with Jasper on the floor, his head resting on her knees. He was reading a book in another language and Alice was absentmindedly running her fingers through his hair. She was still reciting Elements but now she had moved on to German.

"What is going on!?" I directed my question at Alice but she ignored me. Esme came into the room and spoke.

"Hello Edward, Did you have a nice hunt?"

I ignored he question. "Esme tell me what's going on here."

"We have a guest. She's a friend of Alice's. Bella will be here until Carlisle or Alice tells us otherwise. I know it's uncomfortable, but Carlisle likes her and asked us to be kind to her."

"What!" I turned to Alice. I was getting impatient. I was thirsty again and it was unbearable knowing the finest blood in the country, possibly the world, was only a few feet away. How can they just stand here? Why aren't they fighting for her blood like I want to? "What do you mean- "She's going to live here.''" I quoted angrily. Alice ignored me.

That's when I snapped.

BPOV

"ALICE WHAT ARE THINKING! ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?!"

I woke up to the sound of someone yelling at the top of their lungs. Not just any someone. Him.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS IS DOING TO ME RIGHT NOW?! DO YOU!?"

I got up from Alice's bed and peeked out the door; I couldn't see anyone, so they must be downstairs.

"I WANT HER GONE BY THE TIME I GET BACK ALICE!"


I could hear Emmett now. "Oh, come on Edward, I always wanted a pet. And Carlisle already said we could keep this one." He laughed. I would have too if I wasn't so terrified.

"SHE'S NOT A DOG, EMMETT, SHE'S A FUCKING DEMON. ARGH! GET IT OUT OF THE HOUSE!"

Now I could hear Alice as well.

"No Edward, she's staying here."

Then I couldn't hear anything. After a moment I heard a car speeding down the drive and guessed it must be Edward.

I sighed and sat back on bed. If I knew Alice, which I did, she would be up here in two seconds to check on me. Sure enough I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." I said softly, knowing she would hear me full well even if I whispered.

"Good morning Bella." she sounded calm, but not her usual chipper self.

"What happened?" I asked

"Oh, Edwards just unhappy. He's mad that you're here. Well, not you exactly, just that a human is here."

"A very tasty human." I muttered.

"So it appears that you affect him the same so far. He's mostly angry with me because I keep ignoring him. I almost slipped when he started yelling at me but I managed to speak to him without giving anything away."

"And he left?"

"Yes."

"Will he be back?"

"I'm not sure yet; he hasn't decided. I'll let you know when he does. But first things first; you can shower in there," she pointed to her bathroom door. "I have everything you'll need in there; then you can come downstairs for breakfast."

She got up and left the room. I took what toiletries I had, (which wasn't much,) out of my bag and went in to the bathroom. I realized Alice must have gone to a store to get me my own things 

while I was still sleeping because displayed on the counter she had every kind of product you could think of that someone could use to groom one's self. I browsed through the different brands of shampoo and found the only one I recognized. Everything else had a French label. It was the same brand Alice insisted I used after I moved into the house in my old life. I knew for a fact that this was probably the most expensive shampoo you could buy in the US, and I felt guilty using it, but until I could go to the store myself, this would have to do. I vaguely wondered where Alice would have gotten this in forks, but then, she was Alice and that seem like a good enough answer in itself.

I showered quickly and then went back to the bed for my bag. It was gone; and in its place was an 'Alice approved' outfit. If I wasn't used t this already I might have slightly offended, but I put the outfit on anyway. I combed through my wet and let it hang to air dry. I took deep breath and went downstairs. They were all in the living room again, with the new addition of Emmett and no Carlisle. He would be working right now.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and was watching me. Emmett didn't even bother to pause the video game he was playing and now sound of it seemed abnormally loud as everyone froze.

Oh god, what are they thinking?

Alice decided to spare me the awkward silence. "Hey Bella, this is Emmett, my brother." She said with a wink. "Emmett, this is Bella."

"So, you're the reason Edward's got is panties in a twist, huh?" He looked me over as I frowned. He laughed at my expression and went back to his video game shaking his head. Rose was still glaring. I had a feeling that would be the only expression I'd see on her face for a very long while.

I noticed that I was feeling rather comfortable instead of nervous and looked over at Jasper. I smiled and he raised an eyebrow. I knew him well enough to recognize the gesture. He had little expressions that he'd use when he had those silent conversations with my Edward, and I'd learned a few. This meant he was asking a question. He was probably wondering if I knew what he was doing.

Esme spoke and pulled my attention way from Jasper. "Are you hungry dear? Alice and I made breakfast, we weren't sure what you like," she led me to the kitchen and Alice followed. I should have been shocked to see that together they had either made or bought every kind of typical breakfast food, but somehow I wasn't. It was so like Alice to go over the top.

"Wow, you guys really didn't have to do all this. Cereal would have been fine."

"Oh nonsense. What kind of hosts would we be if our guest wasn't provided with a nutrious, balanced diet?" Alice asked. I gave up, not wanting to argue. I decided on eggs, toast and 

bacon, then nibbled on a few different things so I could at least taste them before they went to waste.

After breakfast I excused myself and went back up to Alice's room to escape. I found my journal and kept writing. Even if that life was over, I still didn't want to forget any part it. I was left undisturbed until late in the afternoon when Alice brought me something to eat. I'd skipped lunch, but I wasn't hungry. My hand was cramping so I took a break and walked over to the window.

It was a little cloudy, but I could make out the moon behind one of the clouds. Most of the stars were hidden as well. I let out a sigh and walked out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door. It was dry, but still cold. I didn't really care. I walked into the yard and sat down on the grass. I looked at the sky and let my mind wander. I started thinking of Edward again, My Edward. I saw a star between the clouds and found myself wishing on it. Wishing that My Edward would find a way back to me.

Where are you Edward? I Sighed. I laid down in the grass, please come and find me. I was feeling cold but not from the weather. I felt cold and empty inside. I saw another star as the clouds shifted. I wished again, knowing it was no good. You're breaking my heart, Edward. You said you'd never let anything separate us. I felt tears stinging my eyes; I didn't bother to wipe them away. I just let them fall down out of the outer corners of my eyes. Can't you see how lost I am? Just look at me. I'm wishing on stars. That's pathetic. I knew the wishing wasn't doing any good, so I closed my eyes. I thought of Edward holding me, his arms around me; lying in our bed. I longed for his kisses, to feel his hands on my bare skin, his gentle caresses. I sighed again. This is all I can do Edward; dream about you. Suddenly I wanted to sleep, just so I could see him, his laugh, his smile; just to be with him. I felt another tear roll down the side of my face. That was all I could do; dream of him. But that wasn't good enough, because if I went to sleep and dreamed of him it would be so much harder to wake up and lose him all over again. But what else am I supposed to do? I started thinking of all the promises Edward made me, useless now. He promised me forever. I used to believe him, but it turned out that forever with Edward was just too good to be true. I wondered if Edward was still out there somewhere, alone right now, missing me, daydreaming of me like I was of him. Did that other world seize to exist once I left it? The pain of thinking my Edward wasn't there somewhere anymore was worse than the pain of not being with him. I knew there was an Edward here in this world at this time, exactly like the one I just left. But he wasn't mine. He hadn't felt anything for me and experienced what Edward and I had together. It was a miracle we ended up together the first time, what if he doesn't feel the same this time? I shook my head to try and clear it. No, Alice said everything would be ok. Even if I have to start over, I'll be with him again. Ok enough self pity...I stood up and went back inside; Alice was waiting for me in the hall. She looked Happy if the grin on her face was any indication.

"What is it?" I asked.



"Edward is on his way home." she chimed.

"Oh, when will he be here?"

"Tomorrow morning sometime, he's taking his time for some reason."

"What's going to happen when he gets here?"

"Sorry Bella, I can't see that. I'll let you know if anything comes up. It's late, are you going to bed?"

I nodded even though I doubted whether I would get much sleep tonight or not. I said goodnight to her and went up to her room for the night. I changed into some new pajamas that Alice (I assumed) put out for me. I was starting to think she wasn't going to give my old things back. I think she was trying to slowly replace my wardrobe before I realized what she was doing. I'd have to tell her that I figured out her little scheme later.

After I was dressed I picked up my journal and lay down on my stomach on the bed and started writing again. An hour later I could feel my eyelids getting heavy and it was taking more effort to hold my pen. I closed my eyes just for a moment and the next thing I knew I was fast asleep.