A/N: Thank you all for reading and especially for commenting. ShadowCub, I love this version of Bella too.
Some of you commented about Leah. One of the things I didn't like in the books, is the way the author handled Leah. I have plans for her in the near future and they don't include of her being just a member in a pack full of boys. But I've read anything I could find about her and nowhere said she is the rightful Alpha. Can you give me your explanation please? (I do have mine).
Some of you may not like the slow plot. I do this on purpose (not to piss you off of course). But I want to portray Bella as a human too. She is nearly sixteen and she never had a relationship before. And, suddenly, she is a Wolf with a mate and a fate to do great things. For that reason, I want to show her human side, her likes and dislikes and most of all her relationship with Alice and Charlie. I'm not gonna portray a sixteen year old as a hero when most of the teenagers at that age have normal human problems and they butcher the English language (worse than me). Having said that... I hope you like this chapter and you continue reading. Be safe and keep your loved ones safe too.
Chapter 4
My dad haven't said a word about the incident with Jake. I calmed down a little and then I prepared a plate for him. Esme's food was too good to be wasted. So, I let him eat peacefully before we begin our lessons. He watched some game on the tv while I was cleaning and when I entered the living room he looked at me seriously and nodded once. I was curious about his thoughts but I would never invade his privacy like that so I restrained myself to not use my power. He would tell me when he was ready. We left the house and went to the woods behind it. He said it would be easier to concentrate if I was in the nature.
So here I am in a seiza posture trying to concentrate on my breath and find my inner self. Let me tell you that it's not as easy as it sounds and sure as hell not as easy as it was for me to change to my human form after my first change. I was frustrated and I showed it with a sigh. Dad put his arms on my shoulders and massaged them for a moment or two.
"Baby, relax. Don't think of anything. Not even the task at hand. Clear your mind of everything and just concentrate or your breath. Nothing else, just your breath."
I did as he said for a long time. I inhaled and exhaled and tried to clear my mind. I imagined a coin on my chest rising and falling with my breath. I don't know how much time had passed but I felt better, more relaxed. The pressure in my head that accompanied me all day wasn't there anymore. More time passed and I had nothing but darkness in my mind. And it was then that I saw her. My Wolf. It was pitch black around us, yet I could see her beautiful white fur and her ice blue eyes as if a spotlight was illuminated her. She was sitting with the head held high and was looking straight at me. I didn't know what to do.
"Come closer." She said without opening her mouth. Perhaps our minds were connected like that. I hunkered down in front of her. I was afraid.
"What are you afraid of?" She asked casually.
"I don't know. You. I don't want you to be angry at me." I said truthfully. To my astonishment she laughed.
"It's not possible to be mad at myself. The first thing you need to understand is that we are one and the same. There is no me and you. It's all you. You are the Wolf, not me. You have the ability to control yourself as wolf. I'm just your spirit, a part of you." She said and I had no idea how that was possible.
"I'm afraid I don't understand." I said somberly.
"Every creature have a spirit, you might know it better as soul. The moment of the conception of every creature, a connection is made to the spirit world. That's me to you. I'm you not some other presence in your body. You have the ability to turn into a Wolf like you have the ability to talk. It's in your genes."
"I might start to comprehend what you are talking about." I said slowly. "So, how do I control my other form? I have no idea what to do."
"You are a wolf Bella. You are an animal. As such, you have instincts. You need to learn to control your instincts. For example, it's pure instinct when you hiss and growl to someone who even thinks to harm your mate. Animals get very territorial in their lands and their mates. They tend to get aggressive. You have the same mechanisms in your DNA, but you also have the brain to think things over. So, it's all down on how you control your instincts."
"And how do I control them? Every time someone tries to do something to Alice, or even imply for that matter, I am ready to wolf out and do some damage!" I was frustrated for a while.
"With the power of will. Will and time. You are still new at all this. You need to be patient." She advised.
"I think I can do that. Or at least I can try." We stayed silent for quiet some time. I don't know what to ask next. I want to know about my grandpa, about my tattoo, about... everything and I don't know how to ask all these questions.
"Can you tell me what it means to be an Ultimate Alpha? And why did it happen to me? And why now?" I popped question after question.
"You are the rightful leader of your species. We have one Alpha in every one of the seven families of Wolves. An Alpha of one family can control only members of his or her family but not members of other families. To have one Wolf to unite the seven Werewolf families it's imperative because this way we put an end to the endless conflict that started after Alexander died about what family will rule. Also, an Ultimate cannot lie but equally no Wolf can lie to an Ultimate. As of why it happened to you, well you are the descendant of an Ultimate so there is your answer. You will wander why not your mom then. Your mom was born before your grandpa became an Ultimate thus her connection to her Wolf was already made. The Wolf inside her chose to be an Enforcer. But the genes of her father passed down to you so you are the Ultimate. You asked me why now. Well, you turned into a Wolf early because you found your imprintee. Your Wolf made the connection and is an Ultimate because in the future there will be a time that an Ultimate Wolf will be needed. That doesn't mean tomorrow or next week but in general sometime in the near future. If there was no need for an Ultimate your Wolf would have connected to one of the families that run through you. The Traditionalists, the Pures, the Rulers, the Enforcers and the Keepers."
"How long is the time-frame of a near future?" I asked a bit a distressed.
"Everything is in supernatural time frame. Time is different for supernaturals because most of them have the ability to live for centuries. So near future is anything between tomorrow and a couple of hundred years really." She clarified.
"Oh." Was my super intellectual answer that would make any parent proud... not. "Can you tell me about Alexander?"
"You can ask your dad about your grandfather. He was there since he was born."
"So my dad is older than my grandfather? That is weird!" I wanted to laugh. That was so absurd. Well, not more than all the others things that happened to me in the last couple of days really. So, I would ask dad about the great man that was my grandfather. "Can you tell me about my tattoo?" I've changed the subject.
"It's the Calling. It's the weapon you will need to defeat your opponents. Alexander was defeated in the end because he didn't want to use it." She told me and I was instantly alarmed. Weapon? I have no idea how to use weapons! What kind of weapon was it? Why did Alexander refused to use it? I was more in trouble than I thought I was! Her words had such an impact that I lost my concentration and thus my connection to my spirit.
I opened my eyes and looked around the forest. I was taller than usual. How was that possible? Oh, I was a Wolf. I guess transformation while in meditation is easier and less painful. I looked at the sky and noticed the moon. It was beautiful. I inhaled the scent of the forest around me. Earth, pine wood and different kind of animal scents that somehow I could identify. Elks, deers, bobcats, bears, chipmunks... so many different animals. It was great to try and identify them. My mind went to Alice. I cleared it from any other thoughts to open the link with her. I can't believe that I had actually missed her presence so much. It's only been a few hours since I last saw her.
"Hi! You had me worried for a second. It feels like it's been ages since we last talked." She said eagerly when she sensed me. I chuckled a little.
"It's only been a few hours Ally! How about I make it up to you and we go have some fun out in the woods? I want to run and feel how it is to be a Wolf. What do you say?"
"I'll be right there! Where are you?"
"At the woods behind my house."
"I will only be a second. Wait up." She said and honestly a minute later I could hear her running through the forest. A few seconds later a body collided to mine. I knew it was Alice and as we rolled around from the impact I laughed.
"What? I missed you." She told me lovingly and I nuzzled her neck. The vanilla and chocolate combination was so addictive that I didn't want to let go of her. I took one deep breath and then looked at her.
"Ready to run around for the whole night?" I asked her playfully.
"The whole night? We have slightly over an hour Bells. It's four thirty." She informed me.
"Really?! I didn't know I was meditating for so long!" I was genuinely surprised.
"Weeeell..." She trailed off.
"What?" Did I miss something?
"You didn't actually meditate until around three in the morning. All the other time was you trying to concentrate." She giggled. She is such a tease! I shoved her and she nearly fell but she regained her balance fast. She narrowed her eyes at me and I run away fast! We played tag for the next hour and went a bit further than intended.
"If you want to be home in time we need to go back. Unless you prefer me to curry your naked ass home. I certainly wouldn't mind." She said and I saw the picture of me butt naked in her arms bridal style in her mind. I barked my horror and started running back. I heard her behind me laughing at me. That little witch! We arrived at my house and I could feel the need to change soon. I looked at her sadly. I didn't want her to leave.
"Turn around so I can go in and put some clothes on." I said and before she could say anything I answer her. "No, you can't peek unless you want me to call you peeping Tom from now on!" I told her smirking. She huffed but then turned around. I've eased into my human form easier than any other time. I guess meditating helps. I ran to my room and quickly got dressed. I dived into my senses to see where dad was. I heard his even breathing in his room. He was sleeping but not for much longer. He would have to go to work soon.
I went outside and saw Alice still with her back to the house. I had to smile at that. I jumped to her back and locked my hands around her neck and my legs around her waist. She wasn't concerned of course.
"Hey trouble." She greeted me mischievously. Her eyes were shining and I swear I've never seen something more beautiful. I dove my head to her neck and took a whiff of her heavenly scent before I let her free.
"Do you want to come in?" I invited hopefully.
"Of course. I want to see your bedroom. You have no idea how much the bedroom reveals for one's character." She said and laugh with what I'm sure was my face of horror. When was the last time I cleaned my bedroom? Crap! Well, now it's too late to change my mind. "I don't care how clean is your room Bells." She added to make me feel easier.
"You say this now but don't tell me I didn't warn you. Let's go." I dragged her through the hall and up the stairs. "Not a word about how untidy it is or you will never come in again." I halfheartedly warned her. She nodded although I'm sure she knew I didn't mean it. We enter and she gasped. I turned to see her and she was taking all in. It was a dark room, even with the lights on, mostly because every available surface was covered with posters of my favorite things like cars, motorbikes, animals and even some actresses. The places that had no posters were the shelves with my books and cds. My desk had my laptop and my printer on along with a monitor, that I used only for movies, and next to it was my bed. On the other side of the room was my wardrobe and a small table with my stereo system-a gift from dad. The bed was unmade with a couple of tank tops and my pj's on it. Some jeans were thrown in my desk chair and two pairs of socks were on the floor. I smelled around the air. It wasn't so bad but I opened the window just in case. I threw all the clothes in the wardrobe and took the socks to the bathroom basket as fast as I could. When I went back to my bedroom Alice had already made the bed and was sitting looking at my car sketchbook.
"These are amazingly detailed Bella." She said somewhat impressed.
"I know. I wanted my car perfect. It took me a couple of months to sketch them because as you can see I added things all the time. Sometimes I would change my mind too. It was a nightmare." I said remembering what last year was like.
"Yes but the result was a beautiful car. By the way, when can I drive it?" She asked me and I could hear the playful tone in her voice.
"Eh, how about later today? I want to go to Seattle and spend the day there. You know, buy a couple of things, see a friend of mine and eat to a nice restaurant for once instead of the old restaurant- only by name- here in Forks."
"Sounds good. Will Charlie let you go alone?"
"Please! I'm a Wolf and have a vampire to accompany me. What will happen to me?" I asked perplexed.
"I meant driving."
"Well, my previous statement still stands. If I have problems with the law, a certain girl could see it in my future, correct?" I said conspiratory grinning at her.
"I will, yes." She chuckled and closed her eyes for a moment. I didn't want to invade her privacy so I restrained myself and didn't put our link in good use. She opened them and grinned at me. "Oh, there will be no problem. We will have a great time!" She was all excited but that silly grin on her face scared the crap out of me. It meant only one thing, trouble for me! Little minx... I chose to ignore it for now.
"So, what does my bedroom says about me?" I asked changing the subject as I lay in the bed next to where she was sitting.
"Well, you like cars and bikes, obviously, and if I judge from your books, you like to make things with your hands. I mean you have volumes of engineering and wood crafting and you already told me that you restored your own car. So there is that. You like classic literature and history too. You are very good at sketching according to what I've seen in your car sketchbook and your taste in music is...eh... chaotic! And apparently you have no time to clean your bedroom." She smirked at her last statement.
"I like my room untidy just fine. For some reason, when I straighten it up I can't find anything when I want it. But when it's messy I know where everything is anytime. It's one of those things I guess." I explained not looking at her. I'm sure her room is spotless.
"And what about your music? What on earth is Barry White doing next to Backstreet Boys?! For the life of me I can't understand this!" She asks genuinely confused.
"I'll have you know that my taste in music includes every genre. I'm not in the mood for one specific genre all the time. I mean when I'm down I like listening sad, old songs. And equally when I run around like crazy doing different kinds of work I want something upbeat. I don't have a favorite band... scratch that, I love U2 and Aerosmith but I'm not listening to them all the time. Listening to music is depending on my mood. Contrary to most people, I can go on without music for days."
"Wow! I don't think I can go a day without listening to music." She admitted. We were talking about her choice in music when dad knocked on the door and his head appeared on the frame.
"Hey Bells, I heard voices. Good morning girls."
"Good morning Chief." Alice greeted cheerfully.
"What did you do to her Bella? She is way too cheerful for this time of the morning."
"I told her she can drive my car if it's ok for us to go to Seattle and spend the day there." It wasn't a question but I surely was asking permission.
"Sure. Just avoid trouble and if something happens call me." He agreed
"Nothing bad will happen Chief." Alice said and tapped her temple a couple of times. Dad nodded.
"Well, have a nice day ladies. Bells, we will talk later tonight. I'm off to work." He left after our usual hug. Alice looked at me for a few moments without saying anything.
"What is it?" I asked suddenly aware of the mood changing.
"Nothing bad really. I see you and your dad are close." She commented.
"We are. My mom left when I was two and I guess it drove us closer. I love him to pieces and I can't imagine not talking to him for a day. I hear other people my age complain about their parents for the stupidest of reasons, like kissing them while saying goodbye and things like that. Not me. I'm a daddy's girl and I don't have a problem showing it in public. I have the best dad why not tell him from time to time?" I said smiling. "How about you? Were you close to your family before you became a vampire?" I asked her cautiously. She looked at me and smiled a little but it didn't reach her eyes.
"I don't remember my life as a human. My first memory is me waking up outside of Biloxi, Mississippi and being thirsty... really thirsty. When I realized what I was being thirsty for, I nearly lost it. There were some hikers nearby and I..." She paused and looked outside the window. She was so sad and it broke my heart seeing her like this. I went to her and enveloped her in an embrace from behind.
"Ally, it's a vampire's nature to drink blood. I know that you feel bad but you shouldn't. It's the circle of life and how things should be. The same Supreme Being that created the humans, created us too and it's for a reason ok?" I leaned my chin to her shoulder and tightened my arms around her. A moment later I heard her melodious laughter.
"You suck at making people feel better, you know that right?" I looked at her and nodded. It was true. Angela told me the same thing many times before. She leaned forward and her cold lips kissed my nose. That made the Wolf in me so happy that for a moment I was tempted to look behind me to make sure my tail was not out. My face burned red as I watched her go back to my bed.
"I was hiding in the forest for the next few months. I was having visions but I didn't know what it were back then. When I realized that it was the future I had a better understanding of my gift. One of the first visions I had was of a family of vampires living together and drinking animal blood. It was my salvation. I was living in the forest anyway, so I tried it. I felt relieved but I had little success on feeding solely on animals. A few months later, I had a vision of Jasper. We would meet in a cafe in Philadelphia. He kept me waiting for twenty eight years. We were traveling for two years before we found Carlisle and his family and we live with them ever since adjusting perfectly to their way of life."
"You said one of the first visions you had was of the Cullen's, so it wasn't the first one. What was your first vision?" I asked intrigued. She smiled at me, a Mona Lisa smile. As if she knew something that I didn't.
"I will answer that later." She said resolutely. I complied of course.
"How did you decide to come here?"
"Well, before Jasper and I joined them, the Cullen's had lived here once. The place was ideal for our kind. Not very sunny- even during the summer time- and miles of forest around. They had already established a treaty with the Shifters nearby so we decided it was time to come back. When we arrived, we talked to them. Carlisle explained why there were two more vampires than the original five. We established the treaty and went our separate ways. The night we found you, we were coming back from a night out at Seattle. Carlisle and Esme wanted to do their thing so they had their car as did Emmett and Rose. Edward and I were fighting about who would drive and Jasper said that we were killing his mood so he decided to ride his bike instead. That left Eddie and me still fighting until Esme said to take both the cars. And the rest is history."
"Did you see me that day? I mean in your visions. Did you see what would happen on your way back from Seattle?" I wanted to know if she ever saw me in her visions but I didn't know how to ask her. Apparently our link was open because she came to me and took my face in her hands.
"The first vision I had when I first woke up as a vampire was of you. It was very brief. I was driving a yellow car and I stopped to the side of the road to see if the person there needed help for something. Then I saw you enveloped in the moon's light and I swear to you in everything that's holy... I've never seen anything more beautiful. And then the other night it happened and... The bottom line is that I was waiting for you for ninety three years Isabella Marie Swan. I knew that I would meet you one day. I just didn't know when. For the next seventy seven years, I would see the same vision sporadically. And then the visions changed. I saw you and Charlie and Rene when you were born. Then I saw you and Charlie in different moments. I've watched you growing up and becoming the amazing person that you are today. So, rest assured Bells, I did see you coming and I couldn't wait to meet you." She concluded and touched my forehead with hers. I closed my eyes. The moment was too much for my nerves. She must have felt it because she took me in her arms and rested my head in her shoulder. We stood like that for what felt like hours but of course it was mere moments before my stomach decided it was time to interrupt this beautiful moment. Alice chuckled.
"Hungry?" She asked looking at me with those gorgeous eyes of hers. I nodded. I couldn't speak. "How about I go home and ask Esme to fix you something to eat while you get ready? That way we can leave after you eat and you don't need to cook." I nodded again. That would be great. She gave me a smile and a hug before she disappear.
It took me a while to shake off the moment we had. When my brain was able to function again I took a shower and got dressed. I drove to her house and I saw that the garage door was open. I went in to see who was there and what treasures it stored inside. To my surprise, Emmett was holding up his Wrangler- style Jeep while Rosalie in sweat pants was fixing things around.
"Good morning guys." I greeted them. Rosalie grumbled something unintelligible but the bulky vampire greeted me back.
"Morning Bells. Ready for more fighting today?" He asked excited.
"Nope, sorry Em. I am gonna go to Seattle with Alice. Rain check?" I asked sheepishly. He nodded and grinned. I looked around to all the vehicles and bikes. Heck! I needed a tour of this place one of these days.
I went inside and greeted the rest of the family. I was informed that Carlisle was at the hospital for his first day at work. I would ask Alice later about that. Esme as always prepared mouthwatering food and too much for one person. In the end she packed some croissants overstuffed with nutella- best thing ever made- along with a flask of coffee for the road just in case I wanted some later. You gotta love her. She has great ideas. It was time to go so I gave the keys to Alice with a warning.
"If something happens to my car while you drive it, you never drive it again." I said seriously. She rolled her eyes.
"Nothing will happen to your car, Bella. Relax!" Jasper and Edward laughed at that.
"Like the BMW you had before the Porsche?" Jasper piped in.
"Or my first Volvo?" Edward contributed. I'm sure my face was pale as a ghost. Or better yet, I was as pale as the vampires. Alice was next to me a few moments later.
"Bella, breath damn it! They are just teasing!" She huffed and narrowed her eyes at me and her brothers. I looked at them.
"Hey Bead Head? You better watch it!" I said and he instantly complained.
"I told you not to call me that!"
"Yeah well... we didn't get to actually spar for it. How about it right now?" I said ready for some ass kicking. He left the porch and that moment an image of me having Edward in a headlock appeared in my mind. I looked at Alice confused and she had a grin on her face while her brother was frowning and growling at me. Ha!
"Looks like we have a winner Bed Head!" I threw in his face. He growled some more and went inside pissed. Jasper laughed. I looked at him seriously. "Next time I won't stop her for running you to the ground!" I said pissed that he had the audacity to scare me like that. Then I opened the passenger's door, sat in and fastened my seat-belt. I saw Jazz dropping his jaw and Alice laughing at his expense. I felt good.
On the way there we talked about things we liked. She loved to paint and she was able to shop like no one else. At one time she managed to spent around two hundred grand on clothes and shoes- nearly a decade ago- so Esme put her foot down and now she has a budget of fifteen grand a month until she is more responsible. I was really stunned to silence hearing her money spending.
"Bella, I keep an eye on the stock market with my gift and we are all more than a hundred years old. We have more money than the annual GDP of a small country. We try to give to charities and good causes and the money still increases. So, stop being so shocked."
"It blows my mind really. My dad was a police officer and now is Chief of police and we had a good life, you know. We didn't have money problems as far as I know but I always wanted to have my own money. It's great to know that what I've spent to buy and build this car came from five years of working hard." I looked at her and she nodded.
"I know what you mean. And I would love to work too but for us it's dangerous to be near people so much. We go to school and even that is dangerous. Only Carlisle works as a doctor because he is so amazing at handling his thirst around humans. He is the only one of us that haven't killed a human, not even as a newborn."
I listened, fascinated to the older vampire's story. He was born in London and he was turned when he was twenty three. Alice told me how he managed to get away from the humans and live in a cave for months until he smelled some deers and thought that he could survive drinking animal blood. I was impressed with his conviction to not kill humans. She also told me how he wanted a companion for decades yet he would never condemned another human being to a life like his. Then he had found Edward and his mother had begged him to do whatever it takes to save her son from the Spanish Influenza. So he did save him in the end. Then he had found Esme. She didn't delve into her story much but she left it hanging in the air that Esme might have committed suicide and that's how Carlisle saved her. The next member of the family was Rosalie. She didn't say much about her story but she told me that Rosalie was the one to find Emmett nearly dead. He saved him from a bear attack and had to carry him more than a hundred miles so that Carlisle could turn him. She had found her mate and she was afraid that he would kill him if she had tried to turn him herself.
I was in awe of the people that were members of this family. They were amazing. I wanted to get to know them better, I wanted to be a member of this family too and I was glad that my mate was one of them. My mate... I thought and looked at her. I was careful to keep our link closed because I wanted some privacy for my next few thoughts. She was so perfect. How could I be her mate? She needed someone extraordinary by her side to match her. Would I be enough? Damn it! She pulled me out of my misery by announcing that we had arrived. I gave her directions to Luke's shop. When we arrived he greeted me by hugging me and spinning me around. Alice was amused.
"Luke, this is my friend Alice. Alice this guy over here is the one I bought my car from. He is a good friend."
"Any friend of Bella's is my friend too. Nice to meet you Alice." He said and hugged her. If he noticed how cold she was he didn't say anything.
"Likewise Luke." She beamed. We stayed and talked shop for a couple of hours. Luke told me that he had found several cars that needed my touch as he had put it.
"I can't right now. We had a fall out with Sam and I doubt it he will let me use his garage and equipment." I said sadly. I explained to Alice what I had done for the Mustang that I had repaired and how it was my dream to own a full car restoration shop equipped with its own upholstery and paint section.
"Where did you do your car's upholstery?" She asked.
"I went to Port Angeles and found an upholstery shop. I asked the guy who owned the place if he could teach me a few things and let me do my own car. I paid for the lessons and for the products of course. I did the same for the Mustang."
"You are such a perfectionist!" She exclaimed. Luke laughed.
"That is an understatement!" He agreed with her.
"Pff... as if it's a bad thing. I like doing things for myself. It was my car. And as for the Mustang it was less expensive to do it myself because I didn't have to pay for man hours. It took me three days to do the whole car like I wanted it. And in the end it paid off. I had thirty two grand pure profit to my account and I can buy my bike whenever I want to! And since you are the one who has the shop that I will buy her one day from, quit complaining before I change my mind!" I punched him playfully. He grinned.
"I'm not saying anything. I only wish you were a Seattle resident so you could use my shop for the cars. It's such a pity that you can't work on them. I have a couple of them in mind and you would do a great job on them."
"Stop bugging me man! I already feel terrible that I can't work on cars any more!" I whined at him and he laughed.
"I've found a '67 Corvette Sting Ray..." He trailed off when he saw my jaw dropping.
"You are lying!" I nearly shouted.
"I'm not. It's true. I was going to call you because I have some troubles with the owner. He doesn't lower the price. The car hasn't moved for more than thirty years. He got it from his dad. I checked the vin number and everything is authentic. It has rust on the body and the interior needs everything from scratch. Of course it needs a new engine or at least restoring the old one." He had me when he said '67 Sting Ray but giving me all these details... man, I was sold.
"What date is it?" I asked hooked. I already had a plan forming.
"Seventeen of August." Alice replied. I did a quick math in my head...
"Ok, we have seventeen whole days before school starts. We can do a lot of work that period. Then we have forty three half days until the seventeenth of October. Twenty is the next Swap Meet in Pomona. I think we can do it. And even if we can't, we certainly can do it for December. What do you think?" I asked them both. Luke was ecstatic but Alice was skeptical.
"Where are you going to find the garage?" She asked. Luke took offense of that.
"My garage of course!" He scowled.
"And what is she going to do? Go back and forth for more than two months?" Alice was still skeptical. Yeah, that would be a problem.
"Look, you can stay at my apartment until school starts. I have a guest bedroom. If Charlie is ok with it of course. You won't have to worry about going back to Forks. Then, you can come the weekends. I don't know, we will see." He was so hopeful that I didn't want to say no to him. But I had to talk to dad about it.
"Let me talk to dad and see what he says first before I commit to anything." I grabbed my phone and went outside. His only concern was about the full moon coming up in four days and I needed to go home for that. Of course I agreed. I wasn't planning on being alone in the full moon. And I promised to keep meditating and working on controlling my instincts. He agreed to let me do it for a few trial days. I thanked him and told him that I would come and pick some clothes up later today. After that I called my editor at the newspaper and I told him I wanted to quit and because it was a short notice I had a replacement in mind- Bed Head would do anything to get rid of his beautiful nickname. He said not to worry, that he had someone to cover for me. I thanked him for the job all these years and we ended the call. Now I had to call the Olympic Outfitters, the sporting store I was working on the weekends. Mrs Newton was not so understanding but she made the whole thing about Mike, my classmate. I didn't understand what he had to do about me not working there anymore but I told her that I had found an opportunity that I couldn't pass. I went back inside smiling from ear to ear. Luke punch the air from the excitement but Alice was less enthusiastic and a light bulb went on in my mind.
"Luke, Alice can stay with me sometimes, right?" I asked as if it was a given.
"Of course. She can stay every night for all I care. My house is your house." He was so high that it would take a natural disaster to take him down. And then I realized that he had the same love for cars and bikes as me. I turned to Alice and kissed her cheek.
"Smile. It doesn't suits you to frown." I said playfully and she did smile. She stood up then and started walking to the door. "Where are you going? Are you mad at me?" I asked through our link.
"Of course not. But in thirty two seconds your stomach will start its weird noises and you will state that you are hungry." She explained.
"Oh!" I said embarrassed and flashed.
"So I'm gonna bring in the croissants." She smiled at me and disappeared.
Luke and I ate while we talked some more. When we finished- let's face it, it was a taster not a meal for me- Alice and I followed him in my car to the guy who had the Corvette. He was a guy around seventy and he wanted ten grand just for a rusty body and an unused- for more than thirty years- engine.
"Alice, ask him if you can pop the hood again and act like you are contemplating something." I said through our link. She did and Luke looked at me confused. I'm sure that he knew by now that Alice had no idea about cars. I shrugged. "Now, tell me that you are not sure if you can keep the engine or if you will need to buy another one because of the damage." Again she complied and I just nodded. "Close the hood and look at the interior again. Tell me that the floor is too rusty to patch it up so we will probably need to replace it completely if we don't want to waste time." She smiled secretly at me and repeated my words. "Great. Lastly, list everything we need to fix so far and make an estimation around sixty five thousand." I winked at her.
"Well, let's see. New engine and transmission, complete new interior and from the body we need new floor along with replacing the rusty parts from the rest of the car. We talk about sixty to seventy grand in total. Plus ten grand for buying... Then we put on hold any other projects that we currently have in the shop because of this one... I don't think you should buy it. I have another car in my mind that is in better shape than this one." She said and I saw Luke nearly gagging. I almost laughed.
"Ok, you've heard the expert Luke. I'm sorry for wasting your time Mr. Burke. It seems that we won't buy your car." I said and turned to go.
"Wait!" The older man said. "How much do you think you can pay?" He asked. I knew then that he wanted the car gone.
"Mr. Burke, the problem isn't how much I can pay. The car, in its current state doesn't worth ten grand. I only have one offer to you. Five grand cash, right now and we will have your car wheeled out of here within the next couple of hours." I said and pulled the wad of hundred dollar bills out of my pocket so he could look at it. I thanked my foresight to stop at the bank before we came here. That was it. He agreed. I raised my eyebrow to Luke and gave him the money.
"Luke will do the rest Mr. Burke. Have a great weekend." I said and took Alice's hand to leave.
"You too Bella, Alice." He said and started going inside for the papers.
"Where are you going?" Luke asked panicked.
"Luke, you only need to sign the papers and have someone tow the car to your garage. I promised Alice some shopping time and I think after that performance she deserves it. I will come to the garage when it's closing time. So, see you later pal!" I said and we indeed left.
For the next five hours Alice and I went shopping. She was in her element and she was very persistent on things. She bought me anything I would possible need for the next two weeks. She told me that going back to Forks today was a waste of time. So she really bought me some work clothes and boots, some casual clothes for everyday and even some nicer things for 'just in case' as she had put it. I went down to the parking lot to leave shopping bags three times. We had just bought some toiletries when she got that look on her face. The one that smelled trouble from miles away! I looked at her suspiciously and then my gaze fell to the next shop she wanted to go. Crap! Scratch that, double crap! Victoria's Secret? Really? She wanted me to go in there with her? Is she crazy?! No way.
"Bella!" She whined.
"But it's..." I gulped. "...It's underwear Alice!" I stated the obvious.
"So? We are both girls!" She pointed out.
"That is so not the point." I mumbled knowing full well she could hear me. My mind was inundated with images of Alice only in underwear. Different styles and colors and...
"Jesus Bella! You have a dirty mind!" She chuckled.
Oh heck no! Dear Mother of everything holy, just take me with you now! Open up the soil in two and let me get lost in the abyss! I was as red faced as I could get, I'm sure.
"You are such a drama queen. You think I haven't thought of you that way? Please! You are sexy and hot as hell, of course I have thought of you like that!" She said and I'm sure I have invented a deeper shade of red by now. She looked at me up and down as if she wanted to eat me. She bit her bottom lip and her eyes were a couple of shades darker than what normally are. Now my mind was inundated with images of me in really sexy positions with all kind of underwear on...
"Alice!" I hissed.
"What?" She asked innocently. Innocent my ass! But what was I supposed to tell her? Stop thinking of me this way?
"I don't like lace." I heard myself uttering and I really wished there was a hole big enough for me to hide. She chuckled again and interlaced our fingers together.
"Good to know. Now let's go inside." She told me resolutely and I knew there was no power on earth that would make her change her mind.
The experience was... embarrassing to say the least. Alice made me go into a changing room and from time to time she would give me things to try on. I focused on keeping our mind link closed and our time there went on fast. In the end we added another four bags of shopping to the car.
"See? It wasn't that bad." She told me smiling sweetly.
"Yes, only now you know all my underwear." I said sulking.
"That's not a bad thing. Come on cheer up! Do you want to go somewhere to eat?" She asked as if the previous discussion was over. I nodded meekly. "Ok, what do you want?"
"Pizza." I said and eyed the pizzeria on the other side of where we were standing.
I ordered one pizza and Alice faked eating so that we didn't attract eyes on us. When I was nearly done, we ordered three more pizzas to go. On the way to the car I ate one. I was still not full. We went to Luke's shop and I gave him one box while I happily started eating mine. He told us that he had brought the car and we could start tomorrow tearing it apart. After that he and Alice talked about an exhibition of some type of art that was opening next week. I had no clue about art so I just listened to them talking.
It was time to leave. I would go with Luke and Alice would go back to Forks with my car. But I could feel my Wolf being restless with this idea. So tonight I would go back with Alice. I said to Luke that I would see him tomorrow bright and early and we left Seattle. This time I was driving. We were home in less than three hours and it was nearly ten. I floored it yes... I killed the engine but no one made a move to get out of the car. I turned to her hopefully.
"Do you want to come inside?"
"Don't you have to talk to your dad or something?" She asked.
"I will, later. Come inside for a while." I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.
"Ok, I will help you bring the shopping bags in." She said smiling.
When dad saw as with all the bags he nearly had a heart attack. I told him I would be right back once we had the bags upstairs. We left everything on the floor since most of them were clothes and needed washing first anyway. We went back to the living room and I hugged dad. After the greetings I sat with Alice at the love seat while dad took the armchair. I told him about the talk I had with my spirit and that we needed to talk about Alexander. He agreed. I didn't mention the weapon because I was afraid of the answer. I left it for another time. I explained the rest. He told me again that the better connection I have to my spirit, the easiest it will be to control my Lycan. I promised again that I would continue meditating. I wanted to learn more. We talked some more until I yawned.
"I'm gonna leave you to rest." She stood up and said goodnight to dad. I walked her to the door. "What time do you me to come in the morning?"
"Can you be here at five? We have a long way to drive and I want to be there early."
"Sure. I'll bring food too. Sleep well." She hugged me and I hold her close to me for a few moments. I kissed her cheek and she disappeared into the night.
I did my usual routine before going to sleep but before I went to bed I tried to meditate. It was much easier this time since I knew what to expect. My wolf form was as if waiting for me. We talked about the differences between Werewolves and Lycans. If a Lycan bites a human, the human will be a Lycan forever. They will never take a human form again. They will be beasts unless they are killed. They are usually killed by their creators because they cannot be controlled. If a human is bitten by a Werewolf in full moon, then the human will become a Werewolf too the next full moon. At any other night, the attack on the human will be like any other animal attack. The tattoo that will appear in their shoulder will be the same as the Werewolf's who has bitten them. That was good to know. I would need to have control only one night. Then another thought entered my mind and I wanted to ask since that morning when Alice told me her story.
"Alice has lost her memories as a human. She only remembers life as a vampire. Is there a way that I can find out what happened to her?" I asked hopefully.
"Alice has the purest spirit I've ever seen. I know what happened to her because her spirit knows too. Talk to her and tell her to meditate too. Her spirit will tell her if she wants to know. Or she can let me show you. Either way, you need to talk to her first." I nodded. I would talk to Alice in our way to Seattle.
I stopped the meditation easier this time and when I came to my senses I was still human. I must have more control subconsciously then. Another good sign. I went to bed feeling relaxed and slept like a baby. It was the first day since my change that I couldn't wait for tomorrow.