DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, and all the characters.
POV: This chapter is in Emmett's point of view.
The Glamorous Twelve
Friday, July 15, 2011
We decided to begin our day with a hunt, and the wolves once more joined us. The valet had our SUVs ready, and we intended to make this a quick trip. The twelve of us walked through the lobby, but stopped as a man dressed like a freak approached our group. He wore a large red felt hat, a silk yellow suit, and odd-looking red leather boots that matched his belt. He noticed us and ran over holding out a few cards, some chocolate, and a bottle of Champaign.
He smiled brightly, and with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm called out, "Welcome to New York! I am Justin Winters of the Leopold Talent Agency." We took a step back from this oddball, as he opened his arms wide to us saying, "Have you guys ever wanted fame? I can make that happen, and if you sign up with me, we can start today. With me you guys will be wealthier than you can imagine, and everyone will know your name." He had cards in his hands, and quickly began shoving them into our palms.
Jacob looked to the man and began to laugh as he said, "no way man, we have more important stuff to do." Seth seemed somewhat interested in the talent agent, until Jacob spoke and he quickly followed his alpha out the door. Jake called over his shoulder saying, "We'll meet you guys back at the hotel later tonight. New York is killing us." I almost envied him. The wolves left the hotel, and headed to their waiting SUV. They didn't get far, as people with cameras ran up to them and started taking pictures.
"Bloody Hell," I said using Dad's expression as we watched with horror-filled eyes. "What was that about?" I let out a loud whoop as I saw Jacob push a camera out of his way, allowing the wolves to make it to their SUV. We watched the pack climb in with cameras stuffed in their faces, and laughed as cameramen stumbled backwards from the car as if being forcibly shoved. Suddenly, a large growl erupted from the SUV as members of the media flew away, and the doors slammed shut behind the wolves. "Did he ..." a stunned silence hung in the air as we turned to one another curiously, "wolf?" We stared hard to the SUV, but were unable to see anything due to the tinted windows. Fortunately, this seemed to cause the media to lose interest as well.
Justin jumped in quickly to exclaim, "You guys are famous. The glamorous twelve, the world can't get enough of you!" He held up a photo of us outside the stadium. We stared dubiously at the picture obviously taken from a distance and not of the best quality. Edward, Jasper, the wolves, and I stood among a crowd of people, but it was a hazy photo. None of this made sense, and where do they see the glamour in these photos? There is no way they could bring about this attention. I cursed silently as I thought of how we laid on the charm, and wondered if that had anything to do with it. Sure, we are beautiful in the eyes of humans, but we cannot be the first charismatic people they have seen. What the hell?
Rose smiled warmly to the man, and reached out to take his card. "Hello there," she said with a most charming smile, "my name is Rose. Do you work with movies as well or just models and commercials?" She flirted with the man, and drew his attention toward her. He explained how she could get into movies, and he spoke words of flattery to her. He pulled out pictures, she squealed at recognizing some of the people, and my wife became interested in what Justin had to say.
Edward ran up to Rose and grabbed her elbow while he whispered below human levels of hearing, "Rose, are you out of your mind. You can't possibly think Dad would approve of this." He turned to Justin and said while giving a firm yank on Rose's arm in trying to bring her back to us, "thanks, but we don't need your money and have no wish to become famous." I stared in shock to Edward, as that boy was nuts! A guffaw escaped me as Rose hauled off and slapped him hard across the face. We all saw that coming, and as a group, we roared loudly with laughter at the smack in an attempt to mask the noise.
I approached my Rose quickly, and embraced her warmly as I mentioned, "Rose, your beauty is beyond the stars. You are better than them." I paused to look at Edward and stated, "Alice was right, we should have stayed in our rooms today. This is nuts!" Rose quickly told the talent agent which room we were in, and to our horror, she invited him upstairs where we could discuss this further. I stared in disbelief to my wife and whispered to her, "Rose, this will draw unwanted attention."
Now it was my turn to feel Rose's hand, but she held back at the last second and asked, "What, you don't think I have what it takes? Is it because I'm not beautiful enough for you Emmett? Is that it, you don't think me ready?" Justin took this opportunity to flatter her to the excess as she continued, "I'll show you! You just wait and see!" With that, she turned back to Justin, and laid on the charm. She smiled warmly to him and enquired, "So tell me what you can do for me?"
He glanced to his phone and with a wide smile he mentioned, "I just received a text, and you guys aren't going to believe it! Coors wants to hire you for their next series of commercials." He smiled brightly to us explaining, "There is good money in that, and you guys will have more than you ever need. Sign with my talent agency, and I'll make sure you go all the way!" His smile widened as he motioned to the cameras outside, "they each want credit for taking the first clear picture of you." He frowned at the photo in his hand and admitted, "This isn't much, but when you left the crowd went wild. They couldn't stop talking about you, and your dazzling beauty. The police officer who wrote out the violation spoke with the media about the wonderful group of people. People talked about you all night, and the stories only became larger. New York wants to know who you are; they want to know everything about you!
Alice screamed, and we all turned to her fearfully. She shook her head saying, "this is not good. This is so not good. We need to get up to our room and stay there." Even Rose turned at hearing her, and told the talent agent to return another day. Alice shouted, "Upstairs, now! We have to get upstairs!" She held her fingers to her temple, as we gathered around to avoid others seeing her actions. The rest of us rushed to the elevator while Edward went to speak with hotel security. They knew how to keep the media out.
We made our way upstairs, and once inside our room Alice turned to us saying, "I knew something bad would happen at the ball game, but I didn't expect this! What are we going to do?" She turned an accusing finger toward me, and poked me in the chest saying, "This is your entire fault Emmett! You and that stupid temper of yours. You were to charm the police officer, and not everyone else in the crowd!"
A growl emanated from my chest as I said, "you told us to charm him. Can we help it if humans find us so attractive and irresistible?" I motioned to the window and exclaimed, "if you think this is nuts, how is Jacob going to explain what his pack did? Someone went wolf with the media watching! The SUV pulled out immediately, so it wasn't Jacob."
Bella looked rather concerned and hugged Renesmee tightly as she mentioned, "Jacob is the alpha of his pack, and is responsible for them. He once told me that he is the alpha of all the wolves, and that his alpha voice is stronger than Sam's. Jacob is the leader of his people. He and Renesmee will eventually be like Mom and Dad are for us, but Jacob is still maturing and growing into his role. The council of elders still provides guidance for him, and they have the power to make things very difficult for all of us." She placed her hand on Renesmee's head as she continued, "he escaped the media for now, but we have to help him leave New York. He cannot come back to the hotel."
"Dad is going to kill us," Edward mentioned as he moved to take a seat on the couch. "The Volturi, how do we keep this from them?" We stared to one another, and then everyone turned their gaze to Alice as he enquired, "Alice, can you see what happens?" She shook her head.
"No problem guys, there is nothing to worry about" I mentioned quickly as an idea came to me. "We just have to make sure that Dad never finds out, and how is he going to know if they can't even take our picture? Simple, we wear a disguise, and leave the hotel. They don't know anything about us. We put on the costume, go back to Forks, and he never has to know." It seemed so obvious, and my siblings agreed.
Alice mentioned, "I can get us disguises, as Jasper and I had to wear many of them in our past. I know a store that sells what I need, and the hotel has many celebrity guests. They know how to sneak us out, so I'll get some gear." She looked up to her mate and mentioned, "You really need to hunt. Jasper, your eyes are going black." At her words, we began to worry about something entirely different, as our brother's ability to control his thirst was much weaker than any of ours.
I called down to the hotel and spoke with security who knew exactly what we needed. This had not been the first time they had to sneak guests in or out. Alice went shopping with the assistants she hired before, but this time she dressed in the uniform of the hotel and easily walked out without the media paying any attention to her.
The rest of us snuck out through the hotel's kitchen, and into a laundry truck. The hotel was more than happy for us to leave, and assured they packed everything from our rooms into the two SUVs. The laundry truck met with the valet's about twenty minutes out-of-town. We were safe for now, as the media had no idea who we were. The hotel would never tell them, as was their policy. It was fortunate for us that Alice chose one known for catering to celebrities and royalty, as they knew well how to handle the media. We gratefully paid the hotel many times more than the cost of our bill, and the three drivers who aided our escape received nice tips for their effort.
I phoned Alice to let her know what happened, and told her that we were looking for another camping spot. Silence greeted me as I assumed she searched for answers, and then she responded with, "no, you cannot do that. People in the camping ground will identify you Emmett, and the media will swarm our campsite. We just have to hold them off for a couple more days. The media frenzy won't last long, but we have to stay out of sight." More silence greeted me when she suggested, "Thomas knows of another hotel that might be to our liking. We are going to check it out. Go on and take Jasper out for now, as he needs it. If you can, please bring me back a thermos or two." I frowned, as what she asked is so messy. The thought of drinking cold blood disgusted me, but I guess shopping meant more to her. Then it dawned on me, as I realized at least one of her shopping assistants was a man. Sucker!
Alice hung up, and we found a place to park the SUVs while we hunted. Jacob had a great idea earlier, and following his lead we decided to stay out for the rest of the day and gorge ourselves with blood. If we had to stay inside for a few days, at least we won't thirst. Flying home was out of the question, as there are so many camera's at the airport. I thought about the costumes she intended to buy. She had better not make me dress like a woman.
Alice's POV
I could not keep the worry from my shopping assistants, but they were so nice. We went to this store that sold makeup and kits for the stage. I bought a great deal of makeup, wigs, facial hair for the guys, and the cutest little get-up for Renesmee. She would look adorable as a pre-pubescent boy. Jacob might even get a kick out of that. Oh, Jacob! I've got to buy costumes for the wolves too! There was so much to buy. My sisters and I didn't really need much, as we were not in the brawl. The wigs and makeup would do us well. I saw an outfit on display, and smirked as I thought of Emmett wearing that. He would probably hate me, but I had to get it!
I purchased t-shirts that were way too large for Emmett, and baggy pants to go with his new ensemble. I bought a ball cap he could wear backwards. To complete the outfit I found a pair of big floppy shoes. It was the worst assault on fashion I could think of, but he might actually like it. I snorted at that idea, and bought it anyhow. Let's see how Mr. Charm appeals to people when he looks like he wears his big brother's hand-me-downs that don't yet fit, and hasn't the brains to pull up his pants.
Jasper's costume needed a little more thought, as I couldn't possible see him wearing anything so offensive. With his southern drawl, I had to get something that looked a little more convincing. I found a felt black cowboy hat, and nodded in approval as the idea came to me. He is my Texan cowboy, and with that in mind, I quickly picked up a number of shirts, jeans, and a stylish pair of black leather boots. To complete the ensemble I bought a belt and a large buckle to add to it. He needed something to cover his face, so I purchased Wyatt Earp's handlebar mustache. That facial rug goes into the fire the moment it is safe to do so.
Edward needed something to remove his charm as well. He is somewhat effeminate, so ideas of having him dress as a woman crossed my mind. I didn't think that would go over too well, and had to think of something else. I turned to the Amish for inspiration with his disguise. I bought him a number of plain-looking black shirts, and simple black pants that needed suspenders to hold them up. I found a suitable black cap, and shoes to complete the ensemble. He would not draw too much attention, but it is very easy to see him as a youth fresh from the farm. To appease his anger, I made sure to buy him the black jeans he loved so well.
Now what could I do about Jacob and the wolf pack? Then it dawned on me, and I ran to the licensed sports store and purchased clothing football fans would wear. I bought jerseys from all the teams. A group of tall people like them would stand out less in a crowd if it looked like they played football, or were obsessive football fans. The last thing they needed to perfect the costume was a six-pack of beer. I had to smirk at that thought, as I'm sure the beer wouldn't last too long.
With the costumes picked out, Thomas showed me to the hotel he had in mind. It was beyond perfect. The top three floors were one suite, and we could easily fit our entire crew there. This was truly a royal hotel, as it came equipped with a staff quarters on the lower floor. The third floor of the suite had six bedrooms and a few bathrooms. There was also an entertainment area, a place to cook and another to eat. I could see how Royal guests would need such quarters for the many servants they bring with them. There were stairwells that connected this floor to the upper ones in the kitchen and another down a hall. The upper floors joined to form an elegant suite that stood about two floors high. Tinted glass surrounded everything. Privacy was the main goal in the design of this suite. The third floor separated the main suite from the rest of the hotel, and allowed for even greater privacy for the many loud parties celebrities often threw. I delightedly checked in, and rented the suite for a month.
I dropped off my purchases, and said goodbye to my shopping assistants who had been such a help to me. I tipped them very well, as it was much more enjoyable going out with them than my siblings. I had even picked up some items for them. The new hotel quickly offered replacements for my friendly pack mules, and I set off once more for some real shopping. I called the family and pack with directions to the new hotel before I headed out.
Stores were beginning to close, and suddenly I had a powerful premonition. In it, I saw the Volturi guard approach and enslave Mom and Dad. Fearfully I called Dad's cell to warn him what was about to happen. Nobody answered my call. I phoned Edward with what I saw, and we began making plans for Alaska. Shortly after my call, I saw Mom and Dad stripping before the guard, and then dad in a shroud of mist while Mom wreathed from Jane's burning wrath. "This is terrible," I cried as venom tears fell from my eyes.
My cell phone rang, and it was Dad telling me the things in my vision had already happened. How was that possible? He explained how Aro deceived my premonitions by not making any decisions. He explained the two sets of orders given to Alec, and his having to decide between the two orders. Each decision led to another two sets of orders, one from Aro, and the other from Caius. He informed me that they survived, and that there was little for the family to do. He then asked about his trousers, and I assured him I picked up at least a dozen pairs.
I phoned my siblings after Dad's call, and let them know what had happened. We met at the hotel, and watched television while waiting to hear from our parents. We sat there with our phones in hand, as if we might miss their call if we dared to set our cells down. When Dad finally phoned, we had many questions for him. I spoke with Mom for quite a while. We offered to rush home, but mom suggested we stay in New York and enjoy ourselves. They had no idea about our little situation, and I planned to keep it that way. Renesmee and the wolves turned in while we chatted, and I informed her that we planned to stay in our suite tonight and watch movies. We said goodnight, and I passed the phone around so my siblings could wish her well too. Venom tears of relief slid down my cheeks, as I had feared the worst.
I leaned back into Jasper's arms to enjoy the movie, and suddenly I saw another premonition. My eyes bulged, as I sat up quickly. I stared to my siblings, and gasped for unneeded breath at what it told me. Edward turned to me, and his reaction was no better. We stared to one another as he read my mind, and our siblings immediately demanded to know what we saw. With a slight squeak I replied, "We must stay in the hotel, or things will be much worse." I turned to Edward, and he nodded his head in agreement.
"Well, what did you see?" Emmett asked with frustration clearly evident in his voice.
I chewed at my bottom lip for a moment, and nervously played with the hem of my shirt as I mentioned, "I need to call the front desk, and let them know to expect Mom and Dad."
Silence hung in the air.
