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Chapter 7 - A shock to the System

Alice's meeting finished at 3pm. She hurried downstairs to grab some noodles before she headed home. She planned to make Bella a nice tea because she seemed low. As she started to walk to the entrance of the store, she saw Bella talking to Jasper at his station. She smiled to herself. Maybe Bella will find love after all, she thought and left the store.

~*~

Back at the apartment, Alice was cooking away as Bella walked through the door. She could smell the different aromas coming from the kitchen, and the living area smelled strongly of basil.

"Italian?" Bella questioned as she went into the kitchen. Alice was stirring a pot of sauce.

"Yep, I'm trying out one of the recipes on the sauce bottle." Alice stopped stirring and started chopping an onion on the worktop.

"What happened to us going out with everyone?" Bella asked suspiciously. She could see the colour draining from Alice's face.

"Oh, Rose called me and asked if we could make it for another time. Emmett got himself into a mess at work and he's in the emergency room."

"Is he okay?" asked Bella in concern. "Will he make it to the dinner on Saturday?"

Alice put the chopped onion into the pot and stirred again. "He should be. The doctors think he sprained his arm, but they're doing x-rays just in case."

"How did he do it?"

"Ice skating." Bella raised her eyebrows and gave Alice and incredulous look.

"Ice skating?" she repeated and couldn't hold the faint hint of amusement out of her voice.

"He took the oldies from the care home, thought they needed some excitement. Of course, the other staff went mad when they found out. One of the elderly women had a heart condition, and the other three were in wheelchairs."

"He didn't get them onto the ice? Please no!" Bella felt the shock and horror of what Emmett had done, but it was being flattened by an odd sense of humour. She was trying her hardest to stifle her giggles.

"It was just Emmett on the ice...Thankfully. The other members of staff were discussing whether he should be struck off after his suspension." Alice went to the other pot--water was bubbling dangerously over the sides--and she turned the heat down and stirred.

"Poor Rosalie," remarked Bella, and she set off to her bedroom to get showered and changed.

Alice called after her, "I'll shout when it's done!"

In her bedroom, everything was deathly quiet and still, just like it always was. But for once, she didn't feel comfortable in the loneliness. Maybe it was time to take up a different occupation? Time to settle down and find a partner? She shook off the strange thoughts and smiled to herself. The field day Alice would have if she knew what Bella had just been thinking.

After her shower, Bella changed into some sweats and went into the living area. She was unarmed, but it was her own home. Alice came in with two plates full of spaghetti. Bella grinned and took her plate.

As they ate, Alice started talking.

"Bella, I'm glad you and Jasper are getting on so well. I always hoped you'd find a good man--"

"What are you on about?" Bella asked, horrified.

"Don't play coy with me, Bella. I'm your best friend, I know these things." Bella saw the glint in Alice's eye.

"Nothing's going on with us, seriously. We're just friends. Always have been, always will be," Bella almost shouted.

"You're protesting too much about it. And haven't you seen him lately? Coming here whenever he gets the chance to. He looks like a boy in love, Bella. I think you should give it a shot." Bella thought about Alice's words. Did Jasper love her? No way! Lust after? Possibly...Bella blushed at the thought.

"I'm going to feel mightily awkward the next time I see him now."

"Oh, and that would be Saturday. Pops is coming too," Alice said nonchalantly before she took another bite of food.

"Carlisle? When did you speak to him? He's definitely going to be there?" Bella felt slightly faint. Carlisle didn't know about her job, and she didn't know if she could lie in front of him as well as she could lie to others.

"I phoned him today. He asked how you were, told him you have a lot of homework to mark these days." She could sense the annoyance in Alice's voice and she sighed.

"I'm going to bed. Too many things are going on at once. My brain is like mush."

"Okay. See you later, or in the morning, or whenever you next venture out of that room of yours." Bella hugged Alice before she retreated to her room. She lay on her bed and willed sleep to take over for a couple of hours.

~*~

"I'm sorry, Aro. It's true. They found three bodies in Eric Yorkie's flat," Felix said as he adjusted the collar on his shirt nervously. Aro wasn't upset about the death of his brother, but furious that someone would have the cheek to belittle him in such a way.

"Find out who did this, and bring them to me." Aro was slightly shaken about what the mystery killer might have uncovered. People from Mike Newton's industries were dropping like flies at the order of his hand, and if anyone was to find out the purpose, the result could be catastrophic.

Aro turned to his computer that was open on a page describing the genome experiment in question. The disc had been taken from Mike's office, along with papers that authenticated his donations and involvement in the project. Aro was exasperated because he knew that if Mike Newton was still alive, he could find out everything about the project without having to bring in some of the scientists. If the scientists didn't tell him, he would be at a loss of what to do. His own scientists were working tirelessly to reach the advanced level of research achieved at Newton's industries, and without definite instruction, the effort may be wasted.

Just then, the intercom rang and he came out of his stupor to answer it. "Mr Volturi speaking."

"Sir, there is one Jessica Stanley here to speak to you. She may have information about the project." Aro felt a sudden surge of joy spread through his veins.

"Send her up," he replied nonchalantly. He had perfected the art of hiding his true feelings when necessary.

The girl looked no older than twenty. She was short but overwhelmingly attractive. Her dark hair was like a curtain of soft silk, her eyes bright and large in her small face. Her cheekbones were set high and she seemed to emit an aura of sensuality.

Aro swallowed back his amazement and filled his face with an empty expression.

"Ah, Miss Stanley, take a seat." He motioned to the chair on the opposite side of his expensive desk. "And may I ask what it is you want to speak to me about?"

Jessica smiled slightly, not flashing any teeth.

"I'm here to speak to you about the genome project Newton was involved in. I'm one of the first experiments, but it didn't go as well as planned."

Aro's eyes widened as he looked over the beautiful girl in front of his eyes. "And what makes you think that?" he asked vehemently.

"This," she said and bared a set of sharp, pointed fangs.

~*~

Bella woke up in the middle of the night. Her throat was dry and her head was pounding. Grudgingly, she got out of bed and dragged herself towards the kitchen for water and aspirin. After taking two, she started to walk back to her room, when she heard a sound outside--A scratching sound. She wasn't armed and wondered whether to go back for the gun, but then the phone rang.

Hurrying over to the kitchen phone, she picked up at once. "Hello?" she asked into the receiver.

"Bella, is that you?" asked the voice on the other end. She recognised the voice almost immediately, but then realised she must be hallucinating or in a strange dream. She pinched her arm, but didn't wake up.

"Bella? Bella?" asked the voice again. Bella took a gulp of breath and rested her forehead again the cold marble of the kitchen worktop.

"It is," she said simply, her voice hoarse.

"Oh." There was silence on the other end and Bella wondered whether to fill it. After a moment, she grew impatient and did just that.

"I know this sounds crazy, but you sound like a girl I knew. But I thought she was dead. I know, it's crazy, maybe I'm just tired or--"

"Bella, you're not going crazy. It's me, it's Jessica." Bella dropped the phone, and when she picked it up again, all she could here was the empty dial tone. She cursed under her breath as she called the number back.

"Jessica?" she asked as the phone picked up.

"Yes, it's me. I thought you'd fainted or something. I didn't mean to scare you--"

"I'm fine. I'm made of strong stuff these days," she replied but gulped back her confusion and fear-- Although the fear seemed to be growing.

"I'm waiting outside the apartment building; I need to talk to you." Bella nodded, and realising Jessica couldn't hear the nod, she answered.

"I'll be down in five." Then the phone clicked shut. She wondered for a second whether she should tell Alice. What would Alice think? She shook her head and hurried back to her room.

Wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt, a holstered gun and a jacket; she left the apartment. A sense of dread was growing in the pit of her stomach.

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A/N: JESSICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Emmett!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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