Hey Guys!
I'll bet you all thought I'd given up! The last chapter was posted in haste, so please excuse the lack of an A/N.
Also, I'd like to thank amobutterfly25, l3monhea2, Grace, Kelsey, Katlyn, Jmolly, and everyone who favorited this story!
I've had a bit of a crazy week, but managed to crank out one more chapte before I leave for a short vacation. Hopefully, I'll update by Wednesday of next week.
This chapter was, admittedly, a little stubborn. To be honest, I'm still not completely satisfied with it. Thankfully, I've begun to start the next chapter, which is proving to be much easier to write. In all, I think the story will end within 3 more chapters.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own many things, including a Swifter Duster, a purple bathrobe, and red poka dot shoes. However, I do not own The Twilight Saga, as that belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
Call Me Bella, Chapter 4: Mattress Racing and Brown Eyed Girls
BPOV
I'm pretty sure that when Edward had written for me to stay safe, he wasn't thinking about this.
Teetering at the edge of the grand staircase in the Cullen household, I could only consider this idea briefly before there was a quick shove from behind, and then we were gone. Beside me, Kate screamed with joy as the mattress zoomed down the staircase, the bumps of each stair only a minor factor in comparison to the speed. When Kate had mentioned polish, I was clueless. Apparently a part of the race in general included the removal of Esme's beautiful oriental carpeting from the area, followed by a good buffing. The stairs gleamed in the afternoon light.
After discovering that I had truly never had a mattress race, it was unanimously decided I would be given a test ride. And what a ride it was.
Over the next half hour, we raced on the inner- spring mattresses in pairs. Mostly, it was Tanya and Irina against Kate and myself. We won some and lost some, mostly because I was significantly lighter than the vampires on the other team. We switched partners every few runs, and even convinced Carmen and Eleazar to join in once. The whole time, Carmen screamed various words in Spanish, most of which weren't included in my high school Spanish courses. Eleazar's rich laugh bounced off the walls, mixing with the radio music Kate had turned on in the background.
By the time Emmett, Alice, and Jasper had turned up, I was a mess. My cheeks were pink, my hair was a disaster, and my throat hurt from screaming. Emmett, of course, insisted he would "pown" anyone in a race, and quickly faced off against Tanya in a race. By that point, I didn't think anyone was keeping track of wins or losses, not that I minded. The tension of the earlier had disappeared, and I tried not to pause when Tanya suggested we race against Jasper and Alice. Glancing over, I saw Jasper rope his arm around Alice's waist, pulling her to sit between his legs on the mattress. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with longing for Edward, wishing he was here to join in on the fun. Putting on a smile, I agreed to join Tanya.
The afternoon turned to evening, and the mattresses were eventually returned to the attic. Why Kate went in search of them up there to begin with, I didn't have the slightest clue.
AlicePOV
If I didn't feel so sorry for her, I would have laughed.
Just as Tanya and Bella flew over the edge of the stairs, I got the familiar feeling of a vision. My second sight resembled a whirlpool. As it began, I could feel myself being gently pulled deeper into the vision, the feeling increasing as it went on.
In one second, I could see Bella's face, a laugh turning into a frown. Then, the sight of a small, empty cardboard box. The next second, she emerged from one of the house's bathrooms, looking mortified. I caught a whisper of two words in her voice as the vision faded, my sight coming back into startling focus. The three words caused a laugh to bubble up in my chest:
"...started my period..."
Road trip!
EPOV (Because I think we've gone entirely too long without some Edward lovin')
I wasn't brooding.
Really.
However, this was not where I wanted to be right now. As I ran through the forest beside Carlisle, my mind wandered. Brown eyes, hair the color of milk chocolate. Creamy skin, and a laugh that could put an angle's to shame. My brown eyed girl, my Bella.
What had I been thinking when I agreed to accompany them on a hunting trip? Granted, I hadn't left since we went in June, and had been feeding off of small game (which tasted incredibly unappealing) but it was worth it. For months after our return, it had been near- impossible to stay away from her for an extended period of time. It had gotten somewhat better until the threat of Victoria became undeniable, at which point I was more guarded than ever. It was after Bella accepted my proposal that she began suggesting my hunting habits change. I must say, the idea of some mountain lion in Southern Canada was appealing, but so far, the stress of being away from her made the hunting trip a failure in my eyes.
We had taken Carlisle's BMW to the mountain range, parking it in some shade as we departed. We would be gone for a while.
Esme had shot me sympathetic glances in the following days, as Carlisle chuckled and Rosalie heaved exaggerated sighs. Why we brought her along, I would never know. She was annoying when she had Emmett to balance her vanity out, but on her own she was near impossible to deal with. Sure, she had been marginally nicer to Bella since their heart- to- heart, but she seemed not to understand why it was so difficult for me to leave Bella for more than a few hours.
At least, that was her basic train of thought. Her exact thoughts went along the lines of, "I swear, it's only two days. Considering how long he's been plaguing the world with his presence, you'd think he'd get used to the idea of time. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure he and Alice have had chess games that last longer than this. Get over yourself! She's just a girl!" By this point, I was openly glaring. "Oh, are you listening in, Mr. I Don't Believe In Giving People Mental Privacy? Good, maybe you'll enjoy this!" This thought was followed by a stream of explicit visual images of herself and Emmett, doing things I would be forever haunted by. Within seconds, I was sprinting in the opposite direction, desperately trying to get away from the downright graphic images.
As a result we split up, with Esme and Rosalie going after a group of elk. Carlisle and I had spent the night alternately talking and hunting, a welcome distraction. It had been a long time since we had wandered around, talking and joking; it reminded me of the days when it was just the two of us, after I had gotten over my newborn mania but before he had found Esme. We used to spend hours just talking about anything that interested us, from religious beliefs to economic trends to medical developments.
This time, we discussed Bella and my upcoming nuptials, a subject that made me ecstatic to even ponder. He recounted his and Esme's initial wedding and subsequent renewal of vows, leaving me in awe of them. Esme and Carlisle had set a wonderful example for all of their children, and I couldn't wait to call Bella mine.
By the second day, I was all but vibrating in place. As Carlisle and I headed north towards our appointed meeting place, I picked up on Esme's stream of thoughts. The tone was languid, as it often was for our kind after a good hunt. "Hmm, is that Carlisle I smell? Thank goodness Rosalie has finally calmed down. I wonder if Bella has eaten all the food I left her. Maybe I didn't make enough? She's entirely too thin, all this stress can't be good for her. Speaking of size, did I schedule that second fitting for her gown? I need to remember to call the florists and double check the arrangements. Was that a deer we just passed. Ah, but I'm too full as it is. Ah, there they are! Hello, Edward!"
I chuckled quietly as they came into view, both looking as if they had just stepped out of Dolce and Gabbana after a day of shopping, instead of hunting large game in the middle of a dense forest. Esme smiled, linking arms with Carlisle, and Rosalie wore her trademark bored expression.
"I think it's about time we headed home. With any luck, Edward, we can be back before Bella wakes up." Carlisle began to lead us in the direction of the car.
"Oh, yes, because we wouldn't want Eddie to miss out on his favorite game, Watch the Human Sleep Like a Creepy Stalker." Rosalie murmured under her breath.
Her words barely penetrated my buoyant mood. Within a few hours, I would be home with my brown eyed girl.
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Gotbooks93
(June 23, 2010)