CHAPTER SIX

I stood on a gravel driveway with Alice at my side as the cab sped away, kicking up rocks and dust behind it. Alice had phoned Edward from the taxi, telling him we were still trying to pick out outfits for graduation. I spoke with him briefly, putting on an act worthy of an Oscar nomination. It was scary how good of a liar I was becoming. But if I was to be a vampire, deceit would be a constant fixture in my life.

"I miss you, more than you could possibly know." Edward had said to me. We had been playing that "no, you hang up first" game that only couples can play, only our game was less playful and more heart wrenching. Or at least on my side it was.

Alice had finally had enough and pried the small cell phone from my hand, quickly muttering a goodbye to Edward. I pouted considerably and Alice rolled her eyes as the cab pulled onto a long winding gravel road weaving through a forest of pine trees. At the end of the long drive, stood a house. The house. The Denali Coven's house.

It was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was a mansion, but at the same time it was a homely log cabin nestled deep in the woods. The type of home in which you picture yourself curling up by the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate and a book. It was a two-story structure with a wrap-around porch and large storybook windows. As Alice and I walked up the steps onto the porch I ran my fingers over the smooth, glossy wood marveling at the softness. The wooden door opened and a woman stepped out. My eyes widened. I'd never thought I'd find another vampire that could give Rosalie a run for her money.

Strawberry blonde hair fell in gentle curls around her face. Her lips were full and pink. A straight nose, prominent cheekbones, and wide, childlike eyes gave her the appearance of an angel.

"Tanya," Alice said, nodding her head in greeting.

She gave Alice a tight-lipped smile, her hard eyes flicking to me unwillingly. I got the feeling I wasn't quite a welcome guest in her eyes. I hoped I wouldn't get such a chilly reception from the others.

Her gaze returned to Alice.

"The others are out hunting. They had hoped to be back in time for your arrival, but no such luck. They should be here shortly." Tanya inclined her head towards the open door, and Alice glided through. Tanya followed her without a glance at me. I half expected her to slam the door in my face and lock me out.

I shut the door behind me quietly and was hit by a sense of déjà vu. I had felt like I had walked into this house before. Only instead of white paneled walls, there were wooden logs.

Alice chuckled at the look of wonder on my face.

"This house served as the blue print for our house back in Forks. Esme just loved it so much, she had to recreate it. With her own unique touches, of course." She explained.

I could believe that. The only thing missing was the glass wall that extended across one entire side of the house. The living room was still situated on the left side of the door, and I noticed a large brick fireplace. Where Edward's piano would have been sitting on my right had I been at the Cullen's, there was a large armchair and bookcases. The staircase leading to the next floor, living room, and what I could see of the kitchen and dining room were the same floor plan as the white house near the river I was so accustomed to.

It made me feel homesick.

Alice and Tanya walked into the living room. Alice sat on a white couch while Tanya took the chair opposite. I followed and sat next to Alice, not meeting the cold stare boring through me.

"Tanya, would you lighten up and stop acting like Bella plunged a stake through your heart? It's unbecoming and not a very polite way to make a guest feel welcome." Alice admonished.

Tanya's lips titled upwards a fraction of an inch, but she didn't say anything. Her gaze went to her fingernails and she pretended to examine them while studiously ignoring me.

Alice sighed, but then her ears perked up and she grinned just as the door was flung open and four people filed into the living room. Three of them female and the other male. One zipped out of the room carrying plastic bags.

"Welcome," the male, Eleazar, flung out his arms with a wide smile. "We apologize for not being here to greet you upon arrival but we went hunting and then to the store to get Bella some human food." He smiled at me and I smiled back, happy that he seemed to like me. He came forward and clasped my hand in his, shaking it. "So nice to meet you, Bella. I am Eleazar. I hope Tanya wasn't too unbearable." He shot a look at her and then turned towards Alice. "And, as always, Alice, it's lovely to see you again."

"You too," Alice smiled.

Someone behind Eleazar cleared her throat. "Oh! How rude of me," he said, turning to look at the women standing behind him. The one carrying my 'human food' had already flitted back into the room without me noticing. "These lovely ladies are Carmen, Kate, and Irina." He pointed each out with an indulgent smile.

Carmen and Eleazar were both dark haired with a hint of an olive complexion underneath the typical vampire pallor. Kate had pin-straight pale blonde hair that fell to the middle of her back while Irina's was almost silvery looking and cut severely at her chin. The resemblance between the two and Tanya was unmistakable. They looked nearly identical except for the hair and where Tanya radiated a cold indifference, Kate and Irina exuded warmth. They both held large smiles as they greeted me.

"It's so nice to meet you, Bella." Carmen, Eleazar's mate, said and gave me a light kiss on the cheek. The rest, save Tanya, nodded their heads. Alice looked pleased while Tanya looked sullen.

"Thank you. It's nice meeting you, too." I was careful to avoid looking at Tanya. The other four caught on and Kate chuckled.

"Ah, don't mind Tanya," she told me. "She's just a little bitter is all." She waved her hand dismissively and reached over to pinch Tanya's cheek like she were a petulant child. Tanya shot her a withering glare.

"Bitter?" I asked. I felt Alice tense beside me and wondered why.

Irina looked at me coyly and took over for Kate. "You won our dearest Edward's heart," Irina drawled. "We were starting to think the boy would remain celibate until the world caught fire. Obviously we were wrong," she smirked.

Tanya's eyes flickered over my body. "Lord knows why," she muttered loud enough for me to hear, though I was too busy digesting this new information to be insulted.

My heart was running a marathon in my chest. I felt like I was hyperventilating.

"You…uh…and…Edward?" I finally managed to choke out. Tanya raised a blonde eyebrow and sat a little straighter.

"You mean you didn't know about mine and Edward's…history?" The word sounded sordid coming from her mouth. She smiled and cocked her head to the side.

My eyes widened.

Alice grabbed my arm, a little too tightly, and pulled me towards the stairs.

"Eh, I think that's enough reminiscing," Alice hissed at Tanya and shot a look at the others. They must have got the meaning behind Alice's look because Irina immediately grasped Tanya's forearm and gracefully pulled her from the room, the others trailing behind.

Alice proceeded in tugging me up the stairs and steered me towards a door on the second floor. I couldn't even pay attention to the room once we were inside it. It could have been a dungeon for all I cared. My thoughts were too consumed on images of Edward and Tanya kissing…touching…doing things I couldn't do with him. The things that lovers do.

Alice set me on a bed and her cool hands cupped my cheeks. She pulled my face so I was looking into her golden eyes.

"Bella," she said softly and stroked the side of my face. My eyes filled with tears.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered.

"Because it wasn't important." She said quietly. "Tanya's not important."

"They didn't…you know…did they?" My voice came out a broken whisper.

Alice ran her fingers under my eyes, brushing away my tears. "Of course not," she whispered fiercely. "It's you, Bella. It's always been you. Even before Edward or anyone else knew it, you possessed his heart. That's something Tanya the seductress will never be able to touch, has never been able to touch." She continued rubbing my cheeks with her cool fingers. "No matter how hard she's tried, Edward has never showed the least interest."

"It's you," she whispered again.

I smiled a watery smile and put my hands over hers, squeezing gratefully. "Thanks, Alice."

"Anytime." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, like she hadn't just saved me from a huge emotional breakdown.

It was comforting to know, that even if things went disastrously, Alice would still be my biggest confidante in this crazy scheme of ours.