A/N: Well it appears your happy so far, thanks. A few guesses about future mating, but I'm saying nothing all will be revealed. xx AAP
It appears that Rose, as she likes to be called and Emmett were also meant to be attending Forks high but they went off on an extended holiday instead. I mentioned this was probably best as three runway models, were as much as the school could handle at one time. But anyway, they looked more college age, than for high school, Jasper barely looked like a senior as it was. Alice jumped on the runway comment asking what I meant.
"Well dear, you were a smidge overdressed for school today don't you think?" I say to her.
"This is a small community and if you expect to blend in, you really need to tone it down several notches. Humans don't wear that level of designer clothes too small high schools; this isn't Seattle or any other major city. Those kinds of clothes stand out and draw attention not deflect it". She doesn't look happy about this at all.
I tell them "When you leave here, the impression should be that nice doctor and his family, who helped in the community. Not that nice doctor and his stuck up spoiled children who never quite fitted in" I stated to her.
"The more different you are the more someone will look closer, for instance not one of you even pretended to eat today, I noticed and therefore so did everyone else. They all watched you like hawks today" I informed them.
"Edward you're supposed to be aware of what everyone around you is thinking why didn't you pick up on that? Carlisle asked. Edward hummed and looked away.
"I'll tell you why he was so intent on trying to burn a hole through my shield. Then with all his orders and demands and the physically grabbing me he didn't have time for anything else!" I assured him, everyone else who wasn't there gasped.
"Edward, Alice, I asked you what happened with Iseabail. You said nothing, other than what Jasper said went on at lunch" Carlisle thundered. They looked away, caught out in their lie.
"You're the one who assaulted me" Edward shouted at me. Oh dear, how immature is this child?
"How old are you Edward?" I queried, he told me in his most pompous voice as if that drop in the ocean of time was important.
"Well, how about you act your age and not your shoe size, hmm," I told him. He stormed off saying he didn't have to sit here and listen to this rubbish.
"No you'll just do it from your room, raking through our thoughts weirdo" yelled Emmett after him, no love lost there then.
Esme apologised on his behalf and said he'd calm down soon enough. I shielded everyone in the room and asked did he always listen to their private thoughts, they nodded, saying he can't turn it off.
"That's not actually true," I told them, "every gift can be muted and some even turned off completely when and if necessary".
I explained that Marcus Volturi and I have been documenting gifts and their strengths, types and application, for nearly six hundred years now.
"In all that time no gift was found to be on at all times, even my shield can be turn off if I want, but as I use it for protection duty it rarely is" I continued, "Could you imagine if Kate Denali couldn't turn hers off? She'd never be able to touch her sisters or friends and lovers without zapping them!" I said.
"Certain gifts have a breakthrough, for instance, Alice's visions, important ones will come through whether it's muted or not. The same with Jasper's empathy, some emotions cannot be ignored, severe pain, profound loss etc, I informed them.
"You two would have gone insane by now if you couldn't control them to a large degree, even if you didn't realise you were doing it. Alice dear, if you got every vision of every decision the family made you would be unable to function properly" I told her.
"Of course! It all used to be so intense, but as the years went on they became easier for me to ignore and push aside even" said Jasper. They both nodded and were thinking about it deeply.
"So, therefore, Edward's is on all the time because he keeps it on," I told them.
I then proffered them a little offering. I told them that I was shielding them at the moment; in fact, this whole conversation had not gone beyond my shield, so Edward had not heard a thing. Neither audibly nor mentally and I could temporarily disable his gift if they wanted me too. Just until he learned a little respect for others privacy and some humility as well I suggested.
Carlisle was wavering, but as Edward just then rushed down the stairs demanding to know why he couldn't read their thoughts or hear what we were saying either, how dare they keep things from him deliberately, who did they think they were to block him intentionally. He nodded yes to me.
I informed Edward that I was shutting off his gift and it would stay like that until he had a serious change of attitude. I also told him that everyone was now fully aware that he could have turned it off at any time if he'd wanted too, he looked frantically over at Carlisle who nodded, but he didn't dare look at either Jasper or Emmett in the eye, they were seething mad at his deception.
After Edward storms off once again, threatening me with 'The Volturi', a horrendous accident and some various other childish death threats, that you would expect from a wilful child of about ten, perhaps. Carlisle was so apologetic and mortified by his behaviour.
I tell him to forget about it and say "I'd suggest a stint in Volterra for him, but I think Caius or the guard would kill him after the first day, I'm sure Jane would just love to play with him, though". Jasper laughs as he knows Jane gift of pain is beyond excruciating.
"You need to do some serious retraining with him Carlisle, he's totally out of control," I tell him.
"What do you mean retraining, he's never been trained," huffed Emmett, "he refused to do anything that, we might be better at or let it interfere with his lifestyle and Carlisle just lets him away with it, Of Course! Because Edward thinks himself above everyone else, with or without a gift and he's never been challenged about it, till now".
Oh dear, I see problems in the near future if the boy isn't curbed.
"Well, I... yes alright Esme and I" Esme coughed loudly, "Okay, I have let him away with too much over the years, and I know this. So what do you suggest I do?" he pleaded.
I look at the Major and say "Peter and yourself maybe?"
"Yes" he nods" and possibly Garrett" he suggests.
I tell him "I've never met 'The Patriot' but heard good things about him".
Soon it's all hashed out, boot camp for Edward and some much-needed training for everyone else; it will be perfect to do it while he has no power, so he won't have an advantage and therefore cheat because he can't be trusted to play fair.
"Well this will liven up things around here, it's been very quiet for years in Forks," I say laughing. "Although, now your back there will most likely be a new pack" I mention to Carlisle.
"What do you mean, now we're back?" he asked perplexed.
"I thought you knew it's the presence of vampires that triggers the gene, no vampires, no wolves," I said.
"What about you?" the Major queried.
"Nope just lucky I guess. There have been no wolves since Ephraim Black stopped phasing" I stated.
Before I left for the evening, I chatted with the ladies, turns out Rose is the family mechanic. I tell her Jasper's brother restores and sells classic cars, she should consider something like it as a business, if she does it on-line then it won't matter where they live. Emmett, she tells me is a brilliant builder; he works with Esme on all the housing projects. Has a real flair for architecture. I tell them they're wasting their talents, just using it for family housing. They could be helping each community they have lived in, just like Carlisle does.
"So what is it exactly that you do! that benefits the community? Or do you just like telling other people what they should do but do nothing yourself?" Edward spat at me from the doorway.
"Still listening at keyholes Edward?" I asked him.
"Have you heard of 'The E. C. Cygnus Trust', Homeless Shelters, Battered Woman's Refuges, Children's Homes and Halfway Houses for Ex-Offenders? Been going for one hundred and fifty years here in America, longer in Europe, it's named so, in honour of my brother" I tell them.
"That's what I do and have been for nigh on five hundred years. I used to personally run smaller ones in each area I lived in, but the not ageing thing tended to be a problem when Christianity took more hold over the previously pagan lands, so I started small local, then regional trusts. Till I eventually had national and then international ones". They were all looking at me with their mouths open and I just laughed.
"Eternity is a long time to do nothing, you know". I say as I get up to leave.
"Of course, the way I make the money to fund the trust is in the vampire world" I comment, "Jasper you're aware of 'The C. & M. C Foundation', aren't you?" I ask.
"Yes, they fronted my publication costs for my first book, but that was a long time ago though" he answered. "Are you saying that's you too?" I nod and smile.
"A girl's got to make money somehow. You'd be amazed how many vampire businesses are out there, some small like the Major who publish the occasional book, or like his brother who restores classic cars and others who run big companies that employ large numbers of humans, they aren't just food, you know, but are a vast source of revenue to some of our world. I lend them the money to start up, then receive one percent of the profits for the first one hundred years, then it's halved from then on. Anyway, the foundation, like, the trust is named in memory of family members, this time, my parents." I explain.
They seem dumbfounded when I leave, but it's so obvious. We live among humans, so why not utilise their needs and wants. Help them to help ourselves, they read history books, drive classic cars and need employment, it's a basic principle but it works.
