AN: Oh hai! Thank-you guys for all the reviews and responses to my update. I'm happy that people are enjoying it. Here's another chapter, it might take a while for me to post another as my exams are starting up and I have loads of work to do. I'd love more reviews, I want to know if you have any ideas you want me to include in the story and I'll try my best to fit it in with the story line. Reviews also let me know if you're enjoying the story or not, I want to know all of this, so please! Review!
Carlisle wanted to talk to me and Edward in his office; in his office alone. Carlisle sent me to go get Edward for him. I'd tried to talk myself out of it but Carlisle was having none of it and sent me ignoring my protests.
I walked slowly across the hallway and made my way to Edward's bedroom.
The door was closed which made me a bit more at ease as I would have more time to plan what I was going to say to him when he saw me at his door, but he would hear me lingering outside his door so it only delayed me a couple of seconds.
I knocked lightly on the bedroom door. "Edward." I said softly, knocking on the door and opening it a fraction. As I stepped into the room I saw Edward spread out on a great black leather sofa. Sun beams leaked through his bedroom window and his face and neck sparkled, the content look on his face stiffened as he heard my voice.
"Bella?" Edward spoke softly. He got up out of his seat and walked slowly over to me, a shiver ran down my back as he started to come towards me. Edward ran a hand through his unruly bronze hair as he halted in front of me. "Who did this to you?"
I opened and closed my mouth, trying to speak but the words wouldn't come out. I knew that if he found out who did this to me he'd go back there and try to find them himself. It would do no good though as someone had already beaten him to it, I cringed at the memory flashing into my mind. Even after the pain of the change, that is one of the many things that I will never forget about my human life, that and being with Edward.
"Carlisle wants to see us in his office Edward; he wants to talk to us." I told him looking down the floor, trying to avoid the gaze that was current boring into my face.
It was effecting me too much being under that intimidating gaze so I dashed out of the room and back the way I'd come to Carlisle's office.
I heard footsteps behind me, I assumed these were Edwards as they were nearly inaudible, even to me; a vampire.
"Thank-you Bella." Carlisle smiled in my direction and then looked in Edwards. "Thank you for joining us Edward." Edward nodded.
"Bella, now that you are going to be staying a while with us so I took the liberty of enrolling you in the same school that Edward and everyone else attends." Carlisle smiled a very charming smile at me and I felt my stomach melt a little.
"Carlisle, I really do appreciate it but I'm not sure I can stay." I looked down at my lap trying to avoid eye contact with him. "I know I said I would but I've been thinking and I have to move on; I can't live off your money, besides I'll find somewhere."
Much to my displeasure, he disagreed straight away. "Nonsense! You have been living alone, yes?" He asked me.
"Well yes but-"I started.
"But nothing! You will stay with us Bella, I must insist, it isn't right for such a fine young lady to be living by herself, isn't that right Edward?"
I wasn't able to control my movements but before I knew it, my head had snapped into Edward's direction. Our eyes locked and his mouth dropped open and to my intense surprise, Edward. Edward Cullen started to stutter.
"W-w-well, I mean I don't w-well I don't really k-know." He closed his mouth and cleared his throat unnecessarily. "I think we should respect Bella's decision Carlisle, I mean if she wants to go, then I see no reason as to why she shouldn't."
I felt my face form into a hurt expression, and I didn't like to feel vulnerable. That was one thing that I wasn't anymore. I wasn't the frail little human that everyone was so used to. I was a Vampire; I was just as strong as anyone else in this house, just as powerful, just as indestructible.
"Carlisle, I would like to stay with you a while longer, if that okay with you and your family." I said in a shy voice. "I just want to try and get back on my feet, then I'll be on my way, I just want to have a home for a while."
Carlisle smiled and nodded. "We'd all be delighted having you here, we've missed you quite a lot and I imagine that you and Edward have a lot of catching up to do."
I felt a pang in my chest and my face scrunched up again. I heard Edward take a breath and clear his throat again.
"Carlisle." He said smoothly. "I don't want Bella to stay here."
"Well I'm afraid that is not your decision to make Edward, you are not the only one in this house. Everyone else seems to be fine with my decision, I'm sure that if they were not I would have had protests shouted at me and since I have none, Isabella will be staying with us." I cringed at the usage of my full name.
My face fell again, and I hated it again but I couldn't help it. Edward Cullen, the only person I would ever love fully, didn't want me. Not that I was surprised, even as I vampire I would never be worthy of his perfection and I hated that about myself and I hated him for it to some extent, if he wasn't so perfect; maybe I would have stood a chance and spent forever together like we intended to.
When I lifted my head, Edward was staring right at me, those gorgeous amber eyes boring into mine. My unnecessary breath hitched, and if I was able to blush I would have been very flushed. I scowled at him, irritated he could make me feel this way even though he just claimed that he didn't want me to stay with him and his family.
Edward looked taken aback by my scowling but said nothing to me, simply averted his gaze and looked at Carlisle, by the looks of it, Edward was reading his mind and Carlisle would nod occasionally.
"Bella, feel free to leave I believe you will need to hunt before you go into school tomorrow." Carlisle told me. "I am not yet aware of how strong you are when it comes to human blood, it's purely a precaution."
I nodded. "Thank-you so much Carlisle, I'll pull my weight around the house and do whatever I can to help." He smiled a charming smile my way.
I found Alice downstairs bouncing around in the living room, I think it was save to say that she had been waiting for me to come out of Carlisle's office.
Alice offered to come with me and danced her way over to their hunting area, she showed me the entire forest.
"Bella I know you already know this but I'll remind you anyway, you need to make sure you dispose of the bodies properly, if someone found anything suspicious then we'd have to find another place to hunt." Alice said cheerfully.
It was really strange watching Alice hunt. I could never imagine it, she was so small and fragile looking. She almost looked like she was performing a complicated dance routine as she crouched and the leaped to life over to the small crowd of deer. It looked as though she was simply kissing the necks of the deer, she was so very graceful and I was envious.
When Alice and I had polished off a couple of the deer and we're burying the bodies I told Alice about the meeting with Carlisle and Edward in the office.
"He told Carlisle that he didn't want me to stay with you all." I told her furious.
"Well Edward has changed since we left you Bella." Alice told me. "He barely smiles anymore, he didn't like me looking into your future or trying to see if you were alright. He didn't even let me say goodbye to you."
I didn't respond, simply because I didn't know what to say. If he didn't love me, and he didn't want me, then why would he be affected by the fact that I had not been in his life for the past 15 years? Maybe he felt remorse for what he did to me, just leaving me, the 'Clean break'.
When we got back to the house it was dark outside, and we could hear everyone laughing inside the house somewhere. Me and Alice entered the house and took our shoes and walked in the direction of the noise. Emmett and Jasper were watching a baseball game and Carlisle and Esme were sat on a sofa by themselves.
I looked into the corner of the room and Edward was sat on a great leather chair, with his legs crossed. He had a book in his hand and his golden eyes shot across the pages quickly.
He looked up as though he could feel my eyes resting on him. I shot my eyes downwards and became suddenly absorbed with the carpet. Esme got up from her place on the floor and sat next to a leather chest and began to open it.
"I thought we could watch a movie Isabella." Esme said clutching many discs in her petite hands. "Or would you rather turn in for the night?"
"Esme I'd love to." I smiled showing my brilliant white teeth; I'd practiced doing this to ensure that I would not frighten any of the humans. Esme smiled and selected a movie out of the vast selection that they seemed to have in the house.
"Esme, would it be alright if I changed into something more comfortable?" I asked walking swiftly past Edward and twirled around when I reached the door.
Esme nodded in encouragement, I noticed Alice followed me up the stairs and into my bedroom behind me. I looked at her with a curious look on my face.
"Clothes!" She announced with a stunning smile plastered on her porcelain face and my mouth formed an 'O' shape, I knew that this couldn't be good. Alice pulled out several pairs of jeans and blouses, t-shirts and cardigans. I still hated money being spent on me that had not changed even though my body had done.
"Don't worry Bells, this is just until we get a chance to go shopping," Alice began to reassure me unnecessarily. "We can go on Thursday, its suppost to be sunny, or we can go on Friday after school. Or we can go both days!"
"Alice, what I have now is fine, thank-you it was very thoughtful of you." I told her giving her a swift hug. As I searched through the mounds of clothes I found some night clothes, a red pyjama vest and some mid thigh length shorts that had red polka dots on them which Alice had purchased from Victoria's Secret. I pulled off my socks and then bounded down the stairs.
Everyone was seated on the various black sofas around the large sitting area, Alice and Jasper occupied the arm chair that Edward was sat in mere minutes and he was now sat on the floor in the same position as he was on the air chair with a look of distaste on his perfect face. Esme and Carlisle sat on the sofa with Rosalie and Emmett.
That ment that I would have to sit next to Edward on the only available sofa, which I was perfectly certain, was exactly what Alice wanted. I took a seat on the empty sofa and sighed when I knew that Edward wouldn't move from his position on the floor, I shifted my knees and pulled them up to my chest.
Again I caught Edward looking directly at me, our eyes connected yet again and he looked down at his lap and then closed his book and shifted himself off the floor and set himself on the sofa next to me, his weight caused the cushions to sink, he fidgeted until he was content with his position and opened his book again as the film started.
Everything was very tense between me and Edward; his scent kept washing through my head and made it hard for me to concentrate on the movie. Watching everyone huddled together with their spouses made me feel very jealous and envious of each and every one of them.
Alice and Jasper clung to each other for dear life and at least part of their bodies were touching each others, I felt foolish as I continued to stare at them both, I felt as though I was intruding on the private moment and drew my attention to Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle's hand clutched Esme's and he ran his fingers up and down hers, a pang of sorrow hit my chest. I would give anything to have a relationship like theirs, loving someone and having a strong relationship after being together for so long.
Emmett and Rose we're not ashamed of showing their love in front of the rest of the family as they were quietly kissing and whispering sweet nothings to one another.
I'm not sure I could stand watching this much longer, having Edward in such close proximity and not being able to touch him, kiss him or being held by him was agony. Him not talking to me, not looking at me and when he did look at me, having a disgusted look on his face when he did; was torture.