Author's Note: Hopefully I have enough inspiration to start this chapter – it's very important to part of the plot, but for some reason, life has been getting to me and I've been procrastinating writing. :( I can't believe that I'm doing that too, especially on a Friday, when I have time. It's like 12:30 in the morning and I'm starting this because I know I'm going to be so stressed the following day! Blargh! DX Well, here comes the next chapter and I hope all you fans enjoy! Thanks for your continued support – your reviews are always such a heartwarming thing!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or New Moon to any degree – rights belong to Stephenie Meyer.
The Most Dangerous Game
Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you're gonna get.
I don't think Forest quite understood how profound his mother's words were.
You seriously never know what life will throw at you.
A phone call from your arch enemy whom you thought had disappeared from your life can certainly throw you off guard.
That night I couldn't sleep. I was up and edgy – so was Edward. He tried to soothe me throughout the entire interminable hours of the morning – but I knew he didn't put much effort into it. Eventually my alarm clock rang making both of us jump at its sound. It was indeed probably the longest night of my life – longer than some of the nights when he was gone and I had only the nightmares to keep me company.
I hoped that today would be better.
"Get dressed Bella," Edward murmured into my ear. "I'll do the same while you're in the bathroom – then I want you to go downstairs like normal and eat breakfast with Charlie."
"What about the phone?" I panicked.
He rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Forget about the phone for a second – I'll have it handled."
"It's not like Charlie wouldn't notice were missing a phone!" I cried.
"I'm not worried about the phone right now Bella!" he hissed.
"What am I going to tell him? I don't think the whole story with the plate is going to work forever once he realizes we're missing a phone!"
He shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "The phone will be back in place before you know it – it's your job to keep Charlie from noticing the phone is missing – just for this morning – until he goes to his office. Can you do that? Please?"
I sighed, defeated. "Yeah, hopefully."
He nodded. "Okay – then I'll come, ring the doorbell, and talk to Charlie."
My mouth literally dropped to the floor. "Wait – what?"
He smirked slightly. "I said I was going to take you out of the house today, did I not?"
I continued to gape at him as I said slowly, "Yeah, but I mean – after last night – I didn't think you'd…"
"Well, there's also a reason to it," his features became solemn as he carried on, "You're scent will be a bit harder to track if we get you around a lot of people and move you around from place to place. Plus, you'll be around all of us – my whole family will be able to protect you."
"Edward – you don't have to – "
"Don't start with me Bella," he looked sternly me, his glorious eyes piercing. "I'm not in the mood. Just, please, please – do it my way for once!"
I struggled in Edward's iron clasp, trying to get out of my bed. Eventually, he loosened his hold and I muttered a, "Fine," under my breath as I grabbed a change of clothes and stomped into the bathroom. I could feel Edward's fierce gaze on the back of my neck the whole time.
It could not have been ten minutes later when I was striding down the stairs into the kitchen. Charlie was sitting at the table, a coffee mug in his hand and a newspaper in his lap.
"Mornin' Bells," and then he snickered when he remembered last night, "Or, should I call you 'klutz' from now on?"
I grimaced. Last night, in our haste to come up with an excuse for the completely shattered phone on the floor, Edward commanded me to lay on the floor, obtain a dumbfounded expression across my features, and then he proceeded to break two of Charlie's nice – well, I suppose you could call them "nice" – plates. When Charlie strode into the kitchen, he came upon me, with the most insane, almost hysterical grin on my face, lying on the floor. I tried to push back the tears as I explained how I slipped on the tile and broke a plate while I was trying to make a midnight snack. Then, to extend the neat little lie, I said I hit my head against the cabinet in the process and another plate fell to the floor. Charlie appeared disbelieving but I thanked heaven that it was early morning, when one is the most incoherent, most grumpy, and the most uncaring – only caring about the sleep they would get when they arrived back into their bed. Charlie did just that. After commanding me to clean up my mess, he shuffled back to his bedroom to return to his dreams.
"Bella or Bells is just fine thanks," I said, trying to hold my composure. I made myself a bowl of cereal even though I was barely paying any attention to my actions. My mind was focused on what Edward was going to say to Charlie – how was he going to convince Charlie to let me out of the house for just one afternoon? I realized that Edward was doing this not only to keep me safe, I decided, but to keep Charlie safe as well.
I nibbled at my cereal and gave up when I took a bite that made me feel like my innards were going to fall out of my mouth. While I was rinsing off my dish, I heard a light knocking on the front door, followed by the ring of the doorbell. My heart gave a wild flutter as I dropped my bowl in the sink and went over to answer the door, praying that it was who I wanted it to be and not who I thought it might be.
"I'll get it," I said behind my shoulder to Charlie.
I placed my fingers tentatively on the doorknob and gulped when the door flung open.
"Hey Bella!" Edward said warmly in the entrance way. He was smiling, but at the same time, he wasn't. He was guarded – deluding Charlie. "Can I come in?"
"Erm – sure Edward," I said shakily.
The utter of his name sounded the alarm for Charlie. In faster than what I thought possible for him, he was standing behind me and eyeing Edward, his lips pressed together in a hard line.
"Hello Edward," he said tersely. "What are you doing here? You know Bella has rules."
He nodded to Charlie. "Yes, I know sir. But I wanted to ask you something Chief Swan," a sincere note touching his voice. He extended his hand in a friendly manner.
Charlie didn't react to Edward's gesture – not even extending his hand to shake. Instead, he continued to stare fiercely at Edward, his bottom lip protruding somewhat, waiting indignantly for the rest. Edward didn't move as he said, slowly, "Am I allowed inside?"
With not so much as a nod, Charlie moved to the side and Edward stepped into the foyer. After I shut the door, the three of us moved to the living room, Charlie and I sitting on the couch and Edward sitting towards us in the only chair. I was reminded faintly of this same set-up when Edward talked formally with Charlie for the first time.
"Chief Swan, I don't think its right to keep Bella inside the house for so long…" Edward began. He paused and his golden eyes examined Charlie for a moment, probably seeing if he was moving in the right direction with his speech. Charlie didn't say anything, just blinked. Edward persisted, "Bella barely had contact with the outside world when…" he stopped and didn't finish, instead continuing with something else. "So, I think you would agree with me when I say Bella hasn't had much of a life lately. She hasn't experienced the joys of life that everyone else should be. For heaven sakes, sir, I am hoping that you don't plan on keeping her imprisoned here during graduation!"
The corner of Charlie's mouth twitched.
"I'm not saying that Bella should not be punished for what she has done. I am on the right with you Chief Swan that some punitive actions must be taken – if I was a father, I'm sure I would be doing the same thing…" Edward's eyes flicked to mine briefly before focusing on Charlie again. I looked down at my fingers interlaced between each other – my thumbs playing their own thumb-war.
"But, please, I think she does deserve one day – one day for herself. I know you are very much opposed to me sir, for everything that I have done to your daughter, but… I…," he hesitated and then I could tell he edited something. "I will tell you now that she will be safe with me – no harm will come to her."
I couldn't read what expressions were forming on Charlie's features at the end of that speech. Sympathy, anger, reluctance, determination… perhaps it was a mix of all of them.
"Are you suggesting," he began crossly, "That I'm not a good father?"
Edward seemed to be expecting this and he replied in an even, honest tone, "Not at all – in fact, you are one of the most influential people I know. I am simply asking – no – begging – for you to let Bella have one day to herself. I'm also asking for a little trust. That's all."
Charlie's eyebrows furrowed, but his eyes looked sympathetic. My palms were going sweaty with the anticipation of what Charlie's reply was going to be – I began to think that Edward's words were gently but deliberately getting to Charlie at his seams.
"Well, what, um, exactly did you two want to do?" Charlie said, squirming somewhat next to me.
Edward smiled wide and genially. "Actually, I was thinking of taking to Bella to the arcade down at Port Angeles today after school – if it's okay with you of course."
At that Charlie barked a laugh. "Ha! Bella at the arcade? Are you nuts?"
I shot Charlie a look and opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off. "She has no luck whatsoever – or any coordination either!"
Presently, Edward was shaking with quiet laughter too. I glared ferociously at him and I could see the struggle he had with stifling his laughs.
"No – I think she has luck, at least sometimes," Edward smirked at me. "But you're dead on about the coordination Chief Swan."
Charlie was still having a rough time trying to control his chuckles. "Okay – well, Edward -," he tried to regain his serious composure. He stared hard at him and said sternly, "I will let Bella go with you today, but, mind you, there are rules. First off, I don't want you guys home too late. Secondly, wear your seatbelts…" Charlie began to run off a list and the consequences if we should break any of the rules. Eventually, Edward gave Charlie his cell number so that I knew he could check up on me whenever he wanted. This was turning out wonderful, I recollected acidly.
I glanced at my watch and I jumped up from the sofa. Both Charlie and Edward flinched and looked at me.
"We got to go Edward – we're almost late!" I blurted as I rushed into the kitchen and grabbed my knapsack and books. The phone was still missing. My math book was still on the kitchen table. Two shattered plates were in the trashcan next to the sink. I shuddered as I ran with awkward feet back into the living room.
Edward was standing up and waiting for me. Charlie was still on the couch but he seemed to be having his own private battle within himself.
"Come on Bella, let's go," he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the front door.
"Edward…"
Edward turned when we reached the door to Charlie right behind us.
"Please take care of my girl," his eyebrows shifted into a line of worry as he extended his hand towards Edward's.
Edward looked back at Charlie, his eyes somber as he said, "I will sir – I promise you that." I knew he meant every word – there was no denying the sincerity in his perfect voice. Then Edward carefully took Charlie's extended hand into his and shook it. Charlie withdrew quickly.
"Whoa – Edward, you should put some gloves on! Your hands are frozen! What's the temp today? I thought it was going into the seventy's…" Charlie's eyes glimpsed over at the television, probably thinking of watching the Weather Channel before he left for work.
"Uh – Edward," I breathed. "We got to go."
Edward and Charlie exchanged brief nods and then Edward's free hand was on the doorknob, the other dragging me along. Together we exited the open door to face another day.
-
I don't understand why, but school has become quite trivial to me. The point of going and confronting each and every teacher, each and every class, and each and every student… the fact was, at least to me, school was pointless. I knew college was going to be better – I still had no idea where I was going to end up at though. My college applications were probably being pushed aside because I sent them in so late. But what was strange was I didn't seem to mind much. Graduation – that was what I was waiting for. Graduation – the date in which my entire life may change. Graduation – could I actually have Carlisle do it… or would I wait for Edward? I couldn't let him know how often I had been thinking about his proposal and how much I was leaning towards giving into his demands. But there was a part of me – the stubborn part – that wanted to get it over with so that he couldn't change his mind at the last minute. Plus, I had a family… Charlie, Renee, and Phil… I had to think of them before I could tell them about… marriage…
I had that "school is pointless" attitude today. Nothing seemed to make sense to me – my mind was running a million miles a minute and more than once Edward had to whisper answers to me when teachers asked me questions. I thought of Victoria and how she and her group could be watching us now, ready to massacre the school if necessary. I was thinking of Jacob and his face when I tore his heart in two. I was thinking of Edward's deal and whether I could accept it or not. And I thought of Charlie and how he was actually allowing me free of his heavy chains – at least for an afternoon. Then my mind, if it could escape all the stress of these thoughts, lingered briefly on thoughts of me at the arcade with Edward and his family. How would it go? I knew immediately I was going to be making a fool of myself.
It was no surprise then that the day passed in a dull haze. My mind was distracted and even when Mike came up to me after gym to give another half-hearted shot at inviting me to the senior graduation party that afternoon, I barely understood what he was asking or even talking about. Declining for the second time, leaving Mike broken and Lauren surveying the scene with interest, I hurried to lunch in the same zombie-like state that I had once occupied for four months straight.
"Bella."
"Huh – what?" I looked dully up at Edward who was opening the door to his Volvo for me.
"Do you still want to go to the arcade?" he was frowning, concerned. Did I honestly look that terrible?
I smiled, hoping to present the right enthusiasm for him. "Of course I do! I'm ready to lose my share of tokens!"
He grinned, but his eyes still looked saddened. "Alright, only if you want to."
I stepped into the car and he gently closed the door behind me. He walked gracefully around to the driver seat. Once he was inside, we zoomed to Charlie's house.
Placing my knapsack back in the kitchen, I gaped at the countertop. Sitting there was an exact replica of Charlie's broken phone – restored back to its original state. What threw me even more off-balance was the fact that it didn't look totally brand new. It had the same dullness of an older phone and the plain smell of something that wasn't taken directly from a wrapped package.
"How did you manage to fix the phone?" I asked Edward in disbelief.
He laughed heartily. "What? You think I sat there and put that phone back together piece by piece?" He shook his head still smiling. "No, that's brand new."
"But it doesn't even look brand-new! It looks exactly the same as the other one!"
"Good," Edward nodded in approval. "Charlie won't notice then."
"How did you do it?" I interrogated.
"I didn't do a thing – it was the joint effort of Carlisle and Esme while we were at school."
"Hummm," I frowned, put the phone back, and rushed up to my room to grab the sock between my mattress and box springs that held my meager supply of money. I took everything that was in there and placed it in a tattered purse of mine. Afterwards, I returned downstairs, to find Edward sitting at the kitchen table, leaning back on the chair so that he was supported only by two legs, his own long legs stretched out in front of him. He hands were on the back of his head and he was staring at the ceiling, concentrating.
"Your father left you a note by the way," he said without looking at me. One of his hands straightened up in the air before him and I noticed he was holding a small post-it note. I grabbed it out of his hands as he leaned forward and put the chair back on its four legs.
Bella -
Hope you have a nice time today. Not sure when I'll be back so if you get home before me don't be surprised. I wanted to tell you that I love you and that I want you to watch that Cullen boy. I don't want you doing anything that you don't want to. If anything gets out of hand, you know where to call. See you tonight.
- Charlie
"Well," I said after I finished reading the letter. "Better start fulfilling Chief Swan's wishes."
"And what would those wishes be?"
"Allowing me to have a good time," I smiled mischievously at him as we moved out the front door.
"Oh," he chuckled darkly when he looked back down at me. "You will."
-
"You mean we can't all fit in the same car?" Alice pouted.
"All eight of us? You got to be kidding Alice!" Emmett frowned. "We'll be cramped."
Edward sighed. "Look – Alice, Jasper, Bella, and I will take the Volvo. The rest of you can take the Corvette."
"Sounds reasonable," Carlisle nodded.
This let loose an explosion.
"Wait – I want to ride with you guys!" Emmett said.
"No – Jasper and I will," Alice said, glaring up at the mass that was Emmett.
"Emmett, I want to take the Corvette," Rosalie said roughly, but she no longer had the menace in her voice that she once did when she was around me.
Emmett ignored her. "Alice, you get to see Bella every day…"
"If Bella came with us it would be a pleasant catch-up on the things we missed while we were away," Esme said thoughtfully.
Now Edward sounded. "No – Bella's staying close to me."
"Edward, we'd keep just as good of an eye on her as you," Carlisle said softly.
I think Edward growled somewhat.
"Okay-okay!" I said, eyes widening, exasperated. "Why are we arguing about car seats?" I shook my head. "How about this: Edward, Alice, Emmett and I will take the Volvo. Jasper, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme in the Corvette. Is that okay?"
They all stared at me for a moment. Jasper and Alice exchanged glances, along with Emmett and Rosalie. I amended quickly, "Then on the way home, Alice and Jasper can come with Edward and me. The rest of you will be in Rosalie's car."
Rosalie rolled her eyes but Emmett was grinning.
"Sure, that'll work," he said.
"Terrific," and Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the Volvo. "Are you ready to win some tickets?"
"More like ready to lose them," I murmured bitterly.
Alice frowned once we got in the car. Edward and I took the two front seats with Emmett and Alice in the back.
"Bella," she shook her head and looked up at the car roof. "You are so ridiculously pessimistic about your own abilities. You really should try thinking positive."
Emmett chuckled. "Hey I'll help you out Bella – don't worry."
I shuddered at the thought of Emmett's help and I saw out of the corner of my eye Edward crack a smile as we pulled out of his families driveway and onto the road to Port Angeles.
-
As soon as Edward parked outside the mall and opened the door for me, I staggered out, stumbling on my own feet. I was weak from laughing so hard. Emmett and Alice were quite the pair to be around.
"Wait, wait," Alice said looking up at Emmett. "You went streaking before or after you went in the lake?"
"After – all of us were wet and nude. It was hilarious! Yeah – those were the days back in the 1930s… So much social change. You don't get much of that nowadays. No more reform. The 1960s and 70s were interesting though. Woodstock…" and Emmett grinned, a wide grin and then nodded pensively. "Yeah, Woodstock was great."
Edward shook his head in disgust. "You think Woodstock was great?"
Emmett shot Edward a disbelieving look. "Yeah – Rose and I had an awesome wedding that year. Wasn't that the year she dressed up in the bright pink gown?"
Edward rolled his eyes and said, "Yes. She looked like a fruit-loop."
My mouth dropped a fraction of an inch. How Edward could think Rosalie looked like a "fruit-loop" in any stage of their – existence – was simply beyond me.
"A 'fruit-loop'? I happened to like that outfit!" Emmett retorted.
"That was because, at the time, you didn't have any sense in fashion whatsoever," Alice smirked. "Today if you looked at the pictures, you'd probably agree with us."
"Woodstock," Edward huffed. "You call that music? All it was was a bunch of drug induced psychotics singing whatever came into their mind."
"Hey – that's not true! Some of the best music happened in the 1960s and 70s!" Emmett said angrily. "You had Jimmie Hendrix, the Who…"
Edward pursed his lips. "Look, let's not get into another confrontation about our music preferences. This has happened on more than one occasion."
"I still don't understand why you hated Woodstock!" Emmett said indignantly.
We were walking in the small, one-story mall now but I was barely paying attention to our surroundings, too engrossed in the conversation that revealed to me the nature of my soon-to-be-permanent (hopefully) family.
"Because…" Edward sounded exasperated. "I told you… It was just a bunch of kids with marijuana and LSD, thinking more about 'free love' than peace. Trust me, I know," he looked sternly at Emmett. "Plus, the music was way below standard. Just rewritten folktales in my point of view – nothing innovative, like many people thought."
Emmett gritted his teeth. "When I get home, I swear I'm going to show you some real music."
Edward groaned and rubbed his temples. I laughed at how strange the conversation had become.
We walked onward in silence. The mall was swarming with people, happy that the day was Friday. Because this was the only mall for probably another 100 miles, it was nice to come to when you had time to make the journey. I stayed close to Edward, Alice, and Emmett and, like all of them, I was watchful of my environment.
Then I caught the bright, eye-boggling neon colors that signaled the approach of the arcade. Loud music and strange buzzing and zapping noises were coming out of the opening before us. A counter stood in front of the opening and a person was stationed behind it. The person was smiling broadly at us. It was a female with pin-straight blonde hair and astonishing blue eyes that were staring at Edward and Emmett with obvious pleasure.
"Hello," she said, her voice thick with expectations as we approached the counter. "What can I do for you guys today?"
"Um -," I said up to the woman. Her eyes darted unwillingly to me and then flicked between Edward and Emmett. She looked pleased – not too much competition with my average self.
"Yes?" she said.
I looked at the prices for tokens and forced down the panic that was rising in my throat. Had I ever see that much money in my life? "I'd like – "
"Four Super-Charged cards please," Edward inserted in soft, compelling tone.
I was sure that if the woman was in a cartoon, her eyes would have been shooting out of her sockets. "Four Super-Charged cards coming right up!" she said jovially as she slipped out four orange plastic cards from beneath her counter and slid them through the scanner. My own eyes scanned the price list for the cards and, again, I stifled a jolt of panic in my stomach. I reached into my wallet and took out the amount needed.
"Here," I handed the money to Edward.
His head turned to me and then he glanced down at the money in my hands. Suddenly, his features contorted into something unreadable. He looked almost angry. "Put that away Bella."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"
"Because – this is my treat," he said, staring hard at me when he said the "my" part.
I shook my head stubbornly. "Why is it that you always pay for everything?! I've had enough! I need to contribute my share!" I was going to slam my money on the counter dramatically, but, unfortunately, Edwards hand caught mine before I did so. Emmett snickered behind him. The woman behind the counter look flustered and decided to turn her attention away from Edward to examine Emmett's brawn more closely.
"Oh no you don't. You're not paying a cent!" and then his hands worked delicately up my wrist until he was able to pry the money from my hands. Then he reached for my other hand, which was still holding my wallet, and slipped the money back in its pocket. His crooked grin appeared on his features and it nearly took my breath away. "Do you understand?"
"Fine," I said hotly, although, if I tried harder, I probably would have sounded fiercer.
"That'll be 247 dollars and 83 cents," the woman said to Emmett.
Edward pulled out the black card from his wallet but the woman shook her head sadly.
"I'm sorry – we only take MasterCard, Visa, or cash," she said sorrowfully. Oh how she hated to be an inconvenience to these fine creatures before her.
"That's okay," Edward smiled pleasantly. He pulled out of his pocket a roll of bills that took not only the woman behind the counter by surprise, but me as well. Edward laid down five 50's on the counter and said sweetly, "Keep the change."
The woman gaped at us, opened her mouth to say something, closed it, and then opened it again to say "Thank you." She tried in her last attempt in speaking with them to layer her voice with a seductive tone. To her disappointment, it proved ineffective as we steered around the counter with the orange cards in our hands.
"Where are Jasper, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme?" I questioned aloud as I stared around at my new surroundings.
I could tell the establishment was built in the 80's sometime. The floor was a black carpet with geometric shaped patterns in the floor – all in different bright, neon colors. The area was dark, most of the light coming off of the arcade games. There were a few black-lights hanging from the ceiling and when the four of us stood underneath one I watched as my white sneakers glowed in the dark.
"They're stopping at a few shops right now," Edward said and then snorted, "Rosalie had to visit 'Victoria's Secret' before she came here."
I felt my stomach squirm when I remembered that I actually owned a pair of silk pajama's from "Victoria's Secret". I turned my head to the side to look at Edward and my breath caught in my mouth. All three of them were glowing under the black-light – just like my white sneakers. I realized that since their skin was so pale, white almost, there was no reason for them not to glow. It was still astounding.
Edward, noticing my prying eyes, smiled back at me as I tried to keep my heart under control.
"So, what do you want to do first?" Edward grinned.
"Hey – wait a second!" Alice chimed in suddenly. Her four-foot-nine-inch self moved in front of Edward and she stared up at him. "We have a score to settle – remember?"
Edward narrowed his eyes at her and was about to say something but Alice cut him off.
"Don't tell me you're chicken," her voice sang softly.
Edward leaned into her face and said dangerously, "I'm no chicken."
"Then let's go."
Emmett shook his head, eyes up at the ceiling. "I'm going to shoot some hoops. Want to come Bella?"
"Um – sure?" I said hesitantly.
Emmett rolled his eyes. "You don't want to see them go at it, trust me."
A small kid walked by and was being dragged by his mother by the hand. He had light colored blonde hair and was watching the four of us with a strange sort of fascination in his eyes. I realized that it was truly not normal for human's skin to glow like Edward's, Emmett's, and Alice's were now. The little boy pointed a finger at us and was trying to say something to his mom but his mother silenced him with, "Come on Johnny. I've had enough of this place."
Edward tensed suddenly at my side and then pulled me out of the black-light. Alice and Emmett followed.
"What's wrong?" Alice said.
Edward's eyebrows furrowed and then he smirked. "The child thinks we're all superheroes."
"Well, I have to admit, you are a hero – all of you," I smiled hugely and my mind filled with memories of past experiences.
Edward's features softened and he leaned toward me but Alice cut him off.
"You – me – now," she said, one of her eyebrows raised – taunting him.
"Fine," he sighed and, after giving me one last longing look, left with Alice at his side.
"Hey, Emmett, what are they -," I started.
"Don't ask," Emmett said frowning. "It happens every time we come here. I wouldn't mind to go check it out later though."
I shrugged and pointed to a few bright machines that were located in front of me. "I'll just be over here okay?"
"Mmm, sure thing," Emmett replied, walking swiftly over to a row of basketball hoops.
I walked awkwardly towards the machines in front of me. Kids were running everywhere, holding buckets of tickets in there hands, and laughing as they smacked the buttons on the machines with deliberate force. I reflected on a memory of Renee and me going to an arcade like this in Phoenix – except ten times bigger. I was about six or seven at the time and, like everyone else, I would run (and repeatedly trip) around and play anything I could get my hands on. The next thing I remembered was sitting on a blue plastic bench towards the back of the building and crying to myself. In my hands sat an empty bucket of tickets – the few strips of tickets I did win where stolen by an older kid who had rushed off before I could get a good look at his face. Renee was on the bench next to me, patting my back encouragingly – her face drawn and solemn. I flinched from the memory – regretting how much trouble I caused my mom when I sobbed uncontrollably and wished for more tokens so that I could get tickets to win prizes just like the rest of the children – but I knew that was something she couldn't do.
I stopped in front of a machine that had a plastic dome over a circular row of lights. Immediately I recognized what game it was – one of those "stop-the-light-in-the-right-place" machines. The object was to get the ring of lights that circled around the inside of the machine to stop between the two lighted arches in front of you. If you were successful, you won the jackpot amount of tickets. I scanned my orange card into the slot below me to start the game. The game clicked to life and I waited with my hand over the "stop" button for the light to be in the right place. Eyeing the ring of light twisting around before me, I prepared for the right moment. I told myself that I could do it, if I believed. I imagined my hand was a snake, fast like lightning – I was going to hit it exactly right. One – two – SMACK!
The machine played a brief, tinker-sounding bit of music that lilted to a sad hanging note at the end. I stomped my foot on the ground angrily. I had missed the two arches by two inches. Below me, one ticket zipped out of its slot – a ticket for trying.
Perturbed, I slipped my orange card back into the slot. The game started again – my hand hovering over the "stop" button. SMACK!
The "sorry-loser" music played once again and another ticket shot out of its slot for me. I groaned and swiped my card once more. Leaning my body weight on my left leg, my free hand on my hip, I prepared for yet another round.
Ten minutes later, I was walking heatedly away from the machine and shoving twenty tickets – the twenty sympathy tickets I received from the game – down my pocket. I stamped in front of another game that looked promising – it was, again, one of those "stop-the-light-in-the-right-place" games, but the lights on this one seemed to go much slower. Suddenly, I felt sure that I would be able to win this game. I had no idea where the surge of confidence came from, but it was short-lived. After playing the game once, I trampled away, my mood blackening. I had lost again – this time the light stopping no less than three inches from the designated target area.
I continued to walk around idly for awhile, stopping every so often to attempt a game that caught my interest. I realized that video games were not my forte – Charlie was right about my luck – and about my dexterity. The most tickets I won at any one game was ten – for landing the light at yet another "stop-the-light-in-the-right-place" game at the "10 tickets" slot – the lowest amount of tickets you could leave with. I sighed – why did all of these games have to do with reflexes?
Suddenly, I spotted Jasper step around a row of machines in front of me. They were different than the majority of the flashing machines because they had seats in front of a video screen to sit on and a steering wheel poking out in front. Racecar games. My lips curled upward. Now here was something with potential.
"Hey Jasper! Wait for me!" I called after him.
Jasper froze and turned slowly in my direction. His expression was surprised.
"Hi Bella," he said warmly.
I caught up with him and smiled. He smiled back and suddenly I felt really at ease and happy – I think Jasper had something to do with that.
"When did you guys get here?" I asked him pleasantly.
"Actually, just about five minutes ago," he cocked his head to the side, staring at me.
"Are you going to race?" I questioned, my grin growing.
He blinked and one eyebrow rose in disbelief. "You race?"
My grin deteriorated. "Um – no, but," I simpered again, hoping, "Can't be much different than actual driving right? I'm pretty good at that."
Jasper grinned again, his eyes light. "No, not too much." He surveyed the machines around us and said, "Come – let's do this one."
I followed as he walked briskly ahead of me and sat in a "vehicle" in one fluid motion. I mirrored him, taking the seat to his left.
We swiped our cards and I was taken aback when the game yelled in my face, "READY RACERS?! CHOOSE CAR!"
I glanced over at Jasper who had chosen his car by moving the steering wheel around and then hitting the gas pedal beneath his foot to select it. I copied that – picking, I think, a Porsche – maybe a Mercedes… I was car deficient so I didn't care so much.
"PICK TRANSMISSION!"
I did as the game commanded, choosing a standard automatic. Jasper surprised me by picking manual.
"COURSE SELECT!"
"What difficulty level do you want to go at?" Jasper turned his amber eyes to me.
"Uh – does it really matter? I mean, you're just driving a car," I said blandly, quickly regretting what I said when Jasper snickered quietly.
"Let's just do medium for now and then see if you feel prepared for the next level. Sunset Shores is a medium difficulty level."
I nodded and selected "Sunset Shores". The game responded to my selection by shouting "WAITING FOR ADDITIONAL PLAYERS!" in my face. Frowning, I tapped my foot on the gas pedal, waiting impatiently for it to load. From my peripheral vision, I could see Jasper staring at me with amusement.
Finally, the game loaded and I was behind a blue car on the screen. A half-naked pixilated woman walked out into the middle of the screen with a checkered flag in her hand. She counted, "Three, two, one – go!" and then waved the flag frantically in front of us.
Suddenly, I was experiencing a jolt of adrenaline in my system – I really wanted to beat Jasper. I slammed my foot on the gas and my car lurched forward on the screen. The first turn was coming up and I was cherishing the feeling of being ahead of Jasper too much that I didn't decrease my speed at all – only twisting the steering wheel to the left sharply.
That's where I went wrong. The car swung out of control, making loud screeching noises, and careening around in the wrong direction. Jasper's green car ganged up on me and swerved effortlessly out of my way – along with the rest of the other computer operated racecars. My car was still spinning along and didn't stop until I crashed into a wall over on the side of the screen and then flipped over. I hit my forehead on the wheel, cursing under my breath for not thinking the game through. Jasper obviously knew there was more to it than driving – there had to be some strategy. My car flashed back to life on the screen. It was repaired and put in the right direction. I sped forward, hoping in vain that I could catch up to Jasper. Next to me, I could hear Jasper laugh at my attempt to gain back up on him. It was futile for sure – he was already a lap ahead of me at least. Plus, the car was giving me unnecessary trouble – especially on turning and stopping. I kept losing control of the car, which resulted in me having to start over again.
To my relief, the game ended when Jasper crossed the finish line first. He did gain an entire lap on me – and just to taunt me even further, he passed by me towards the end of the game and hit me into another wall. Shaking my head, I got up from the game and muttered, "Video games suck," under my breath. Jasper was beside me, chortling freely.
"You're fun to play with – sure you don't want to go again?" he offered.
"No, I'm sure," I eyed him. "I'm just going to look around at some more games."
He shrugged. "Suit yourself." Then he turned on his heel and glided swiftly over to another area on the gaming floor.
After I watched him go, I sauntered absent-mindedly over to some of the games that I missed. I saw Emmett at the game in which you use a hammer to try to bang the bell at the top of a tall, vertical tower. It was Emmett's turn and he was holding the hammer in his hands – I tried not to show any emotion when he fluidly swung the hammer around his torso and hit the targeted area, sending the corresponding block to shoot up towards the bell like a missile. When it did hit the bell, there was an ear-splitting BANG! – it almost sounded like the bell cracked. I stared as Emmett grabbed his prize, a huge stuffed bear, from a dumbstruck attendant and walked away as quickly as possible from the scene. Putting my head in my hands, I turned the corner into another section. I looked up and saw Rosalie at a claw machine – it appeared as if she was pulling out her sixth item worth of fake jewelry. To Rosalie's right was a row of ski-ball machines. At the farthest machine from me, Carlisle and Esme were competing against each other at the game. To me at least, it seemed completely pointless – they were making the 100 point slot every single time. Little kids at the game dropped their balls to watch them, mouths wide open and astonished. I noticed a few envious kids throw their balls roughly at the rings – hoping to make a basket instead of rolling the balls into the holes. I giggled to myself as I watched Carlisle and Esme smile at each other – amused by how the kids had taken a liking to them.
As I ambled off into yet another area, something caught my eye. A large crowd of boisterous teenagers and a few younger children were congregating in the far corner of the building. As I got closer, I could hear some of them cheering while still others booed. The two boys directly in front of me, both of them unusually tall, turned to each other grinning.
"Dude – I'm betting on the guy – he's so fast!" said one of the guys whose sandy-blond hair was pulled back into a pony-tail – his face showing the first hints of stubble.
"No way man! I'm betting on the girl – did you see her? She's hardcore!" said the second guy, whose curly black hair almost covered his eyes completely.
"Betcha ten bucks the girl gets her ass whooped," the pony-tail guy dared.
"You're on – but, I'm tellin' you, he's going down!" replied the second guy defiantly.
"Excuse me," I said hesitantly to the curly black haired boy. "What's going on?"
He looked down at me and said, "Girl – you have to see for yourself."
Frustrated, I started to push through all the bodies in front of me, wanting to discover what was causing all the pandemonium. Annoyed, many people pushed back and argued. I ignored the disgruntled kids and continued wiggle my way through. I was reminded of another situation in which I was forced to make it through a crowd of people, but I shooed it away quickly. It was not something I wanted to think about at a time like this.
There was a light in front of me – a break in the crowd. I struggled my way through the last of the crowd and found myself standing face-to-face with –
"Alice?" I said awe-struck.
She wasn't paying attention to me however. All her focus and concentration was centered on the table in front of her – an air hockey table. In her pale right hand was the object used to try and bang the hockey puck into the opponents' goal. I watched in wide-eyed fervor as her hand flew effortlessly across the table to hit the hockey puck with accurate speed back to her adversary. Once I was able to shut my wide-open mouth and look over at the other side of the table, it was already open again.
Standing on the opposite side was Alice's opponent – Edward. He was just as concentrated on the table as Alice – his white hand moving fast and precisely to the hockey puck wherever Alice hit it. His amazing topaz eyes flicked a fraction of a second to me and then back onto the table where he was grinning. Just then, a loud click sounded and I heard some more booing and cheering behind me. Edward straightened and said, sneering at Alice, "It's a tie now." I realized then what had happened. I looked over at Alice, who was frowning, her eyebrows bent forward, very much annoyed. On the scoreboard, hanging above the table, it read "6:6".
"One more point and you lose," she said smoothly to Edward as she placed the hockey puck back on the table.
Edward looked back at Alice and said with an air of menace, "You wish. I know everything you're thinking."
"And I know everything you're going to do," Alice replied bluntly, a smile etching her features.
I laughed a little – only I would understand what they meant in the context of that.
Alice shot the puck off from where she was standing with a small flick of her wrist. The crowd roared as the game went on. If only they saw them play baseball, I thought smiling to myself. I knew immediately that the two of them, although playing competitively now, could be going so much faster if they wanted to. I was startled that they haven't broken the table in two. They were being extra cautious with an audience present.
So suddenly that I didn't even catch it, the puck flew into one of the goals. There was an ear-splitting cheer from the people behind me – while still others shook their heads sadly. In the back of the swarm of people, I saw the tall, blonde, pony-tailed guy shake his head sadly and hand the triumphant curly haired teen ten dollars.
Alice was unexpectedly at my side in one graceful, merry hop.
"Wow, Alice…" my voice trailed when I couldn't think of what else to say.
I felt something cool and soothing grasp my right hand.
"So this was what you two were up to," I said when my heart was able to beat normally again.
Edward nodded, looking a bit irked. He was staring at Alice with a sort of envy. I suppressed a giggle. Edward wasn't perfect after all.
"What did you think Bella?" Alice spoke lightly.
"Amazing as usual – you even managed to gain a few fans on the way," I nodded over towards the few people lingering behind us.
Edward leaned close to me and asked, "Are you a fan?"
"Always been one," I choked out, staring at him.
He laughed, kissed me in the crevice between my jaw and my neck, and withdrew quickly – staring hard at the few remaining people watching at us. His eyes told them all they needed to know – they rushed off in a hurry, eyes wide and resentful.
Alice, sensing the moment, intoned, "I think I see Jasper over at the basketball hoops," and left with a lilt in her step and a smile too wide for even me to accomplish.
Edward, staring at Alice as she walked away, said softly, "Alice is the only one I can really play one-on-one with because each of us has a fair advantage of winning." His eyes flickered to me as he grinned and tapped his forehead lightly. I nodded, understanding.
"I see – I could tell both of you were holding back though."
He shrugged. "If we didn't, the table would have fallen apart."
"Yeah, I thought about that later," I admitted, laughing slightly.
"So," Edward put his arms around my waist and led me forward, "How much tickets have you won so far?"
I groaned and stopped walking. He watched me as my hand flew into my pocket and extracted my total of forty measly tickets.
He shook his head in disbelief. "Bella – that's it?"
I gave him a look and stalked off in front of him. He caught up with me easily.
"I'm sorry," he was struggling not to laugh. "I didn't realize you were truly that…"
"Bad?" I said sardonically as I turned to him glaring.
"No," he shook his head frowning. "I was going to say unlucky I guess." He took my head suddenly and said as he stared intensely into my eyes, "I know something that you would be good at."
"And what's that?"
He didn't answer as he kissed the back of my hand gently and then abruptly began to pull me forward. I stumbled as goose-bumps rose up my arm.
"Here," he stopped and I nearly banged into him.
My heart flipped as I glared at what he was going to force me to do.
"No," I murmured, my head slowly shaking back and forth.
"Yes," he said simply and pulled me inside.
I was surprised that I wasn't claustrophobic when we sat down on the two-seater bench and pulled the black curtain closed. I guess it was because I was so close to him and I was focusing more on controlling my unreliable heart.
"I think we should do ten pictures – does that sound reasonable?"
I nodded, staring at what was in front of me.
We were inside a photo booth and a huge mirror made up a portion of the machine before us. Edward was leaning forward and fiddling with the contraption while I stared at the two of us in the mirror. I tried to push back the horrible feeling of inadequacy as I pulled my eyes off myself in the mirror.
"There," he said and sat back up on the bench. He raised one of his long, white fingers and tapped a green button that was on a keypad in front of us.
I jumped and Edward laughed when the machine said suddenly, "THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. PLEASE PREPARE FOR YOUR FIRST PICTURE."
I swear I was never going to get used to machines talking to me.
A red light began to flash in front of us from what I realized to be a camera lens above the mirror.
"Quick!" Edward said urgently as he smiled and took me into his arms. I clasped my arms around his chest and we pressed our cheeks together, both of us turning to smile at the camera.
The flashing red light began to get faster until it looked like it was vibrating. Then a brighter white flash occurred and I was momentarily stunned.
"Alright, the next one!" Edward said exuberantly.
The red light was flashing again and Edward leaned towards the camera and made a face that almost drove me up the wall. He was gritting his teeth at the camera and growling – making a huge effort to contort his face to look furious – but it was so funny! I copied him, leaning forward towards the camera and making an angry face.
The camera flashed again.
As the red light started on its flashing cycle once more, I leaned back against the booth, put my hands over my stomach, placed my chin on my neck, and bloated my cheeks. Edward began to laugh hysterically next to me.
"Bella -" he gasped.
The red light was flashing faster.
"Are you going -" but before I could finish my question, Edward laid his head on my shoulder, his eyes closed and his face angled towards the camera. He puffed out his cheeks just like I did and bent his chin forward. We looked like a couple of over-fed people taking a nap.
A white flash.
"Here," I placed my hands on either side of Edward's head. Then I used my fingers to pull the corners of his eyes upward to make them narrow and look Asian. It wasn't easy either – his marble skin was not very pliable.
He chuckled when he looked at himself in the mirror. He moved his hands delicately on either side of my face as well and pulled my eyes upward.
Another bright flash.
"How about this," Edward placed his hand on the back of my neck, scooped up my brown hair between his fingers, and pulled it up over my head. I laughed and took as much of Edward's bronze hair into my hand as possible and pulled it up over his head. Both of us turned our heads slightly towards the camera grinning.
Flash!
We released each other's hair and then I looked towards the camera, widened my eyes, and made my mouth as small as possible, trying to develop my best "shock" face. Edward chuckled next to me and I felt something cold on my neck but before I could figure out what it was, the camera zapped us again.
"Hmmm," Edward murmured next to me. He picked up one of my hands carefully between both of his and raised it up to his lips. He stared at me, with that all-to-familiar desire in his eyes again, and kissed my hand delicately.
Flash!
The camera didn't seem to matter anymore – Edward was sliding closer to me on the bench and bending forward. He closed his eyes and worked his hands around my back so that I was pressed against his firm body. He kissed my neck.
Flash!
Edward pulled away, looked deeply into my eyes, and began to lean forward slowly. As he drew near, I could smell his heady scent that drove me nearly insane. His hands crawled up my back until they were on either side of my face, holding me in place. His soft, cool lips pressed against mine…
Flash!
My hands flung behind his head so that I was pressing him closer to me. He didn't fight me or pull away either, compensating so that he was actually pressing my back against the side of the photo booth.
Flash!
"PRINTING PICTURES."
We both jumped off each other at the sound, gasping. Suddenly, Edward laughed mischievously to himself.
"See, I told you that you would be good at this game."
I shook my head numbly, trying to relax my jittery body.
A little "Zip!" sound happened somewhere close to me. I turned to my side to see the strip of pictures printing out from a slot in the booth. Edward's hand jolted out before mine to grab the pictures.
"Hmmm, I especially like the last one," he said softly.
He handed me the pictures and I took them tentatively.
I laughed at the first few pictures on the strip and then my heart sped up when I reached the last few. The cold thing that was pressing against my neck in the sixth picture was Edward's hand. He was making a suggestive face next to my shocked one, his mouth slightly open, leaning in next to his hand on my neck…
I looked at the last one. My heart began to do aerial flips inside my chest. Edward caught my expression and took me up in his arms again. He whispered in my ear, "What do you think?"
His scent flowed into my nostrils as I pressed my lips lightly to his, slipping my fingers through his hair. I withdrew smiling broadly.
He exhaled slowly and said, "Glad you like them."
-
"Which one do you want?"
I was staring in front of a row of prizes, shaking my head feverishly.
"Edward, I don't want anything! Bringing me here is enough!"
He shook his head just a furiously. "Please Bella, can't I get you something?"
I didn't deserve anything – I only contributed forty tickets to the immense amount that Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme were able to win. Alice won the most – especially at the fake slot machines. She would walk past the machines and then stop at a few, slide her card, and the buzzers would ring that she one the jackpot. If only I had her psychic abilities, I thought bitterly.
But, in all honesty, I truly didn't want anything. I was so low maintenance – and all these prizes were extremely beyond anything I could imagine myself using or even wanting. I don't think Edward quite understood how different it was for me to go out like this for casual purposes only, instead of for vacation or something like that.
"Look – I really don't want anything!" I nearly shouted.
Alice butted in, "Edward, what if I want something? Or Emmett? Jasper? What about the rest of us?"
Saved by Alice.
Edward stepped aside, visibly seething, and let the rest of the family choose something. Alice got a huge stuffed bear, not unlike the one Emmett won. Rosalie received some frilly looking purse, Jasper got a CD that he thought he would like, Emmett also got a CD, and Carlisle and Esme weren't interested in any of the prizes. Edward went up to the counter and, using the last of the tickets we won, got a bunch of candy bars.
"Candy bars?" I said puzzled. Vampires don't eat candy bars. "Why did you get candy bars? You could have gotten anything – and you got candy bars?"
He rolled his eyes and shoved all the candy bars in my direction. "They're for you silly."
I gaped at him and then said, "But I told you I didn't want anything!"
"And I deliberately got you something anyway," he smiled malevolently. "Who doesn't like candy bars?"
I sighed and took the candy bars from his hands.
"You didn't have to," I breathed, exasperated.
"But I wanted to," he answered candidly.
And the eight of us walked smoothly out of the arcade, smiling wistfully.
-
It was nightfall; the sun ray's making their last appearance over the horizon before us. I was staring blankly out the passenger's seat window thinking about life and about my day. We had stopped at the food court before we went to the parking lot – Edward understanding my need to eat about every four hours. To my dismay, I realized that I didn't want to go home. I could sit in this car with my family – all the people I've fallen in love with – forever. I continued to watch the blurring landscapes of the forest out the window while Alice talked up a storm in the back seat.
"Now I have to gloat, just a bit Edward," she said.
Edward groaned in the passenger seat. He was holding my hand again, his thumb making circular motions in my palm.
"You see – knowing how a game is going to turn out in the end is much better than trying to read someone's every move throughout the entire match, hoping to change the future," she said, full of herself.
"The future is never set in stone," Edward muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing at the road in front of him.
"True – but obviously my vision was -" and Alice's voice cut off mid-sentence as she inhaled sharply.
Edward tensed abruptly next to me and his golden eyes, although staring at the road, seemed to be looking at something much different.
"Edward, slow down," Jasper said hurriedly from the backseat. "Alice is having a vision." Then Jasper was addressing Alice, "Alice! Alice?! What do you see?"
Something in the pit of my stomach told me the world wasn't right. Instinct jolted me up in my seat – something was wrong.
"Edward!" Alice screamed from behind us.
And then several things happened simultaneously before my eyes as the adrenaline coursed through my body.
Edward suddenly slammed on the brakes of the car but it was too late.
The world seemed to slow as I moved my eyes off of Edward, who was trying desperately to control the car, and onto the road before me.
There, standing in the middle of the road was a small female, her white-blonde hair swaying in the oncoming wind. But the headlights from the Volvo illuminated the girl in such a way for me to make out some distinct features – the pale, almost white skin – the red, fiery eyes – the lean, strong body…
And the brake was doing nothing – we were heading straight for her – and she wasn't moving.
I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out. My heart was pounding in my ears as the girl's insidious red eyes turned from looking at Edward in the car to me – and then she smiled. She extended her hands in front of her as the car made contact with her…
Edward leaped out of his seat and before I understood what was happening, I was being clutched against his marble body while the car began to rotate around us. I could see glass shards floating in the air before my eyes. Crashing and banging sounds were happening everywhere but I couldn't register what they were coming from. And then Edward and I hit the ground somewhere – my head hitting something hard. The world began to blacken and dissolve before my eyes…
-----
AN: Geez – man. .. This turned out absurdly long – sorry if it was waaaaaaaay to much fluff. I got a little carried away with the arcade. XD
Oh, and about the chapter title. I got inspiration for the title from a short story I read in like 7th grade called "The Most Dangerous Game". I suggest you read it – it's one of my favorites by Richard Connel. Anyway, it seemed to fit with what was going on in this chapter.
Okay, well, be patient with me because the next chapter is going to be relatively long as well. Plus, I'm on spring break and I'm going to be gone for a few days so no writing! Hopefully, the next chapter will be up within the next 2-3 weeks :)
