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"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? HOW? ...JUST ...WHAT?" Ash was freaking out; I would be too if I was her. She'd just seen me walk out of a poster, and I was pretty sure that would be enough to make anyone a little shocked. Given that this was Ashleigh, who could be shocked merely by someone sneaking up to her, I was assuming she was fast approaching a state of hysteria.
It was obvious she had been doing her makeup when it happened because she now had a black streak of eyeliner down her face. That, even with her floundering arms and swishing hair, was still very visible.
"Ash, you have to be quiet. I can explain everything. Just be quiet." She seemed to relax a little but was still gawping at the Edward poster. Her eyes fixed on the spot I had come through, and her face was set in a state of horror.
I pulled her stiff body over to the bed and sat her down gently.
"Ashleigh, I need you to tell me what you saw," I spoke softly to try and get through to her, usually once Ashleigh got herself into a state it was me who was the only one to get her back out.
"I was standing right there." She pointed to my makeup and jewellery counter with the small vanity mirror.
"And I thought since you were out I would use your Dior eyeliner, you never let me use it usually." Her voice was just a daze, and I was starting to worry about just how deep she had withdrawn into herself. Then again, if she was still able to show some appreciation for expensive make up, there was still hope that I could stop her from locking up.
"I'm sorry I don't let you use it. Can you tell me what happened next?" I needed her to go through it in order for her to be responsive. She needed to acknowledge what had happened so that the shock would ease. Just enough for me to relax and know she wasn't going to be completely lost to the hysteria.
"I felt cold so I checked the window and then the door, but..." A gulp passed down her throat, and I rubbed her arm to reassure her everything was OK.
"But, what Ash? Tell me what happened next."
"That's when I saw you. You and the poster...walking through...you...the poster..not real." Her mouth clamped shut, her eyes widened marginally at the memory.
I knew her brain would be telling her what she saw was impossible, but there would be that little bit battling with her saying that her eyes couldn't make up such a convincing lie.
Her whole way of thinking would be conflicting, and I couldn't let it continue. If I did it would trigger the fits she sometimes suffered from.
It's very rare and only caused by this kind of meltdown in her brain. It was why we kept her away from scary movies, anything to stop her imagination from sending her brain into a mental anxiety attack. That was the only way the doctors could explain the fits. They said that although physically her body didn't suffer a normal anxiety attack, her mind became the focal point of the adrenaline build up. It causes her to become unresponsive, and finally ends in a fit whilst we stand by, unable to help her.
I couldn't risk putting Ashleigh through that, not just to keep a secret. I knew I had made a promise to the Cullens, but to me Ashleigh's welfare was far more important. I knew if she had an explanation it would ease the panic and prevent her from slipping too far.
"OK you're not supposed to know. No one can. I've just came out of a portal. It, kind of, goes to the Twilight world. I can't explain why, or how, but they're real, Ash, every single one of them. You literally step into Twilight." I could see in her eyes she thought this was all some joke. Although I was expecting it, it still hurt a little to have my own sister doubt me.
"Oh." It was all she said for the next ten minutes while I sat opposite, watching her intently. I had to find some way to stop her from cracking up. Just something to convince her that she hadn't been imagining the portal and that what I had said was the truth.
"Stay right here, OK? "She didn't nod but she didn't move either.
I slowly got up and stood in front of the poster. I stared into the golden eyes and begged for this to work. I focussed on the portal and watched as it began to open bringing with it a slight chilling breeze that fluttered against my face.
Edward, I need help. It's Ash, she knows.
I wasn't sure if he would hear me, or who he would send through to help, but I was given my answer as his form stepped through the portal towards me. He immediately looked toward Ash who still hadn't moved from her spot on the bed, now staring intently out the window. I watched as Edward took a careful step towards her and placed his pale hand against her light golden tan skin. Her head snapped up, and she blinked as she looked him in the eye. Her expression was funny even if the situation wasn't. She was dazzled.
"Now that's interesting," Edward murmured, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear him.
"What do you mean 'interesting', what's interesting?" Worry coated my words. Ash was my little sister; I was supposed to look after her. I always had the same reaction whenever she was distressed, my body filling with the need to protect her. These past ten minutes had been far too close for comfort. If she had fitted I didn't know what I would have done. I knew the procedures, but my parents obviously weren't in, and the state she would be in after the fit would have been horrible to see and even worse to cope with. I could clearly remember the last episode, the way her teeth had bitten down on her tongue and left a clear bite mark on her lower lip. She had thrashed in such a way that bruises blossomed instantly on her skin, but they were nothing compared to the dislocated shoulder she had gained from her jerking movements. It had seemed like eternity whilst my parents and I had waited for the ambulance. Ashleigh had been in sobs when they finally arrived, and all we could do was hold her close and tell her everything would be OK.
I grimaced when I thought about how close it could have been to ending in the same way today. I should have been more careful with the portal, if not for the secrets sake, then for Ashleigh's. I should have just assumed she would be in my room. She usually was.
Edward's voice snapped me back from my worry.
"I can hear her, unlike you. It's not very loud at the moment, but I can still hear her. She's alright, Holly." Something must have passed through Ash's mind because Edward produced a strained chuckle.
"More than alright, trust me." As Edward said this Ashleigh blushed. If my first encounter with Edward was anything to go by I could imagine what was going through her mind right now. Unluckily for her, Edward could hear it all.
Edward, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for her to find out. She was in my room when I came home. I know it's not ideal but it was always going to be hard to keep it from her, she has no respect for privacy.
I smiled at Ash when I thought the last bit, it was so true. The number of times she'd barged into my room and demanded my attention were numerous. I eventually got a lock put on my door, but then she just took to knocking repetitively 'til I let her in. It was fair to say the lock didn't really get used much now.
"It's fine, I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded in a form of a polite goodbye, a small smile on his lips. Then he left through the portal with a wisp of a breeze behind him.
"Oh wow, wow, wow, WOW! That was Edward Cullen! Edward Freaking Cullen!" Ash had fully woken up from her little day dream.
"Yes, Ash, it was. Edward Freaking Cullen" I sighed as I thought of his smile again, the way it lights up his face. Perfection.
"MUUUUM! I don't feel well," Ash pouted and grimaced as she curled in her bed. I could see the blusher on her counter that she had used to paint on her fever. I smirked at her over Mum's shoulder.
Such a little liar.
I knew the reason for Ash's sudden sickness. We had spent the night talking about the portal and my plans to visit again today. Of course, when she heard this, she wanted to come too.
I felt a little uneasy springing her on the Cullens, but once Ash got an idea in her head, she was relentless. Obviously, it all depended on how good her acting skills were this morning as to whether Mum would fall for her being ill.
Ash had a lot of good practice at convincing our parents. They fell for her antics every time. I swear she could get away with murder if she batted her eyelashes.
"Holly, you don't mind, do you? Looking after Ash today? I really need to get to work. We've got a lot of new patients in today." Mum, of course, knew I would look after Ash, so she didn't bother waiting for a response. Soon it was just me and Ash left in her room.
"See. I told you it would be easy-peasy." Ash's face was split with a huge grin; she'd never doubted her ability to persuade Mum. Not even for a second.
"OK well, be ready in an hour. I told them I'd get there early." This was the excuse I used to get Ash to hurry up. It wasn't much of an excuse because Alice did want me there early, but I couldn't deny that I was excited to see them again.
We were ready in record time. Ash had obviously gone all out with her shoulder length blonde hair styled into messy curls and her face made up to perfection. I had only quickly blow dried my hair and left it to fall down my back in soft waves. As for makeup, mascara was my limit.
I held Ashleigh's hand as we passed through the portal. I could hear her gasp at the cold sensation just as I had.
As soon as the wooden floor hit my foot we were pulled into a tight hug by Alice.
"Yey! You're here! Hi I'm Alice. You must be Ashleigh!" Alice bounced from me to Ash gripping her in another hug. Ash looked like she was ready to explode with excitement. This only increased when she took in Alice's outfit.
"Wow, I love your jacket, and your shoes are gorgeous! God, I'm so jealous." Ash beamed at Alice, and they were soon deep in conversation over the latest fashion in each of their worlds.
"Heylo." A velvet voice spoke from beside me; I jumped a little from shock and saw Edward standing looking stunning with a pale blue button down and his hair its usual dishevelled mess of loveliness.
I blushed at his use of the silly mixed up greeting I had used the first time I met him.
"Hi, I'm sorry about this." I pointed to Ash who looked like a kid in a candy store, dashing about the house with Alice in the lead.
"It's not a problem; I wondered how you handled Alice so well, now I understand perfectly. Ashleigh is very similar." I smiled at his comment and joined him in watching Ash and Alice buzzing through the downstairs rooms. I wasn't sure why he was being so nice to me now but I wasn't going to question it too much, just enjoy the fact that his face wasn't stuck in a sour expression.
Edward and I followed Ash and Alice upstairs when they moved. From what I could make out from their conversation I was the main topic, along with what they were going to do to me. Apparently it involved curling tongs and other metal contraptions that sounded a little like torture devices.
I grimaced at Edward as they called me from Alice and Jaspers room.
"Good luck," he whispered before I trudged along the corridor. The sight when I opened the door to the room was astonishing. Alice was already flying through her closet full of clothes and bags full of ne clothes, whilst Ash set up her torture chamber of various beauty products.
"Come on, Holly, we're going to make you beautiful." Ash grinned as she sat me down in the chair.
The next few hours went by in a blur of makeup fabric and various aroma therapy products. Ash, under Alice's command, raided Alice's closet and pulled out things she liked in her size or could be altered to make them fit her. Apparently it was impossible for anyone in the Cullen coven to wear an outfit more than once.
As Alice finished off my makeover, I listened intently to the squeals coming from Ash as she found something new that she loved. I had no idea how we were going to sneak all the clothes past Mum, but I was sure Ash would do whatever it took to keep her new favourite outfits.
As I got to know Alice I fell for her personality even more than I had in the books. She just made you feel worth a million whenever she was with you. I smiled and laughed the whole time 'til my jaws ached and my abs were tensed from the work out.
"OK you're done, and I have to say this is some of my best work." She turned to Ash and high fived her. Meanwhile I turned to face the mirror.
The girl reflected back at me was gorgeous. Her golden brown hair shined in the light showing a multitude of colours from dark chocolaty browns to golden blondes. It fell gently in full voluptuous waves whilst her eyes sparkled with a mild brown shimmer and thick black long eyelashes, making her blue eyes stand out against her creamy flawless skin. Her full lips were split into a bright smile and were stained a natural soft pink.
I couldn't believe the girl in the mirror was me. Alice had let me keep my grey skinny jeans on, but they were now teamed with stunning black Louboutin heeled boots. She'd altered my black baggy top so it hugged perfectly into my curves, showing off my small waist and what Alice called a 'fabulous BB combo', when asked what a BB combo was she said it meant boobs and bum.
"You're a genius, Alice. I love it." I pulled Ash and Alice into a hug, and then took one last look at the girl in the mirror before reaching to take the shoes off.
"What are you doing?" Ash started.
"We haven't shown everyone yet, so that means we're going out," Alice informed me. I hadn't known we were going anywhere. I mean, was there even anywhere to go in Forks?
"What do you mean we're going out, it's Monday afternoon. Which reminds me, our parents don't know where we are, they're going to freak when they find out you haven't been ill all day." I could feel the stress building; I would get my ass kicked for letting Ash go out. That's obviously without my parents knowing anything about where exactly we'd been.
"Chill out, Holly, its fine. It's only 3.30 in the afternoon, so I figured we could go with Edward to pick up Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie from school." Alice tried to soothe my mood by lightly brushing my arm. Surprisingly, her cold touch didn't bother me too much; it didn't feel like ice and had a lovely silky texture to it. The stone like firmness of it wasn't particularly odd, but I assumed that was because I expected it.
"OK, but me and Ash should really be back home by eight latest. Mum and Dad will be in by then. How come you and Edward weren't in school today?" It didn't make sense; usually they were only out of school if it was sunny.
"Well, Edward has been pretending to be sick for the past week. He's taking his time getting used to Bella's scent. He usually spends time at her house when she's at school to get used to it. It's nice he hasn't been today actually. He usually gets so crabby after. As for me, I wanted to see you, so I begged with Carlisle and Esme to let me stay home." She gave me her bright smile as we headed down the stairs. Apparently Edward was waiting for us in the car due to Alice's mental instruction.
We finally got in the Volvo and set off at break neck speed to school. We were only going to pick up Jasper because Rosalie and Emmett had the BMW, and with me and Ash in the car there wouldn't be space for all of them.
I was tapping my leg excitedly. I was in the Volvo. The Volvo. I grinned at how many girls I knew that would kill to be in this Volvo, let alone with Alice and Edward at the same time.
I loved the speed that we travelled at. The way the scenery blurred past us made adrenaline slowly pulse into my system. Some would complain at missing the views of the surrounding area but to me the blurring of all the greenery created interesting patterns. I glanced at Ash and chuckled at how her hands were clamped onto the armrest. She never was one for thrills.
We were at the school in no time, Alice leapt out the car toward Jasper whilst Ash and I exited with a little less grace. I saw Edward's face out the corner of my eye and he looked a little affronted. He had come round the front to my side of the car just as I exited, and he waited patiently behind the car door as I shut it. I hadn't realised I had been so rude as to just open the door in front of him, blocking his path and forcing him to wait for me to fumble my human form out of the car. I ducked my head after realising what I had done.
As the door clicked shut I looked up to see Edward's eyes widen.
"Wow look at you girlie, looking good," Emmett called then him and Jasper wolf whistled making my face split into a wide grin.
"What do you think, Edward?" Alice asked, but there was too much innocence in her voice to be genuine. I decided to have a little fun with this and turned to Edward doing a slow spin as I looked him in the eye.
"Yeah, what do you think, Edward," I teased slightly with a small smile flickering on my face. He might be more reserved than the others, but I wanted to see if he'd join in our fun.
I watched as Edward took in my outfit. "You look nice, Holly, as always," he replied with a crooked smile on his face. Seemed Eddie boy was lightening up.
I laughed and gave him a playful nudge, "very good answer. So, do I get to see Bella Swan?" His face turned serious for a second, and I followed his gaze across the parking lot.
Standing amongst a group of chatting teenagers was a slender girl with long chocolate brown hair; although I couldn't see her clearly her appearance was exactly how I had imagined Bella. She had a very classic look about her, not the obvious beauty a lot of girls tried to put out but something different. I could see that the guys all wanted her. They stood as close to her as they could without causing suspicion. A blonde boy was closest on her left, trying to get her attention with smiles and loud jokes.
Mike Newton, you poor boy, you don't stand a chance
I almost felt pity for him. He obviously liked her a lot, but he could never compare to Edward. He just had to learn that the hard way.
Ash was busy chatting with Alice and Rosalie about my outfit. It seemed Rosalie approved although she wasn't as expressive about it as Alice.
I dragged my eyes away from the group of Forks teenagers, and instead turned to see Edward was watching Bella intently.
I think you should go back to school tomorrow. You're strong enough to do this. You won't hurt her.
Edward acknowledged my thought with a nod of his head and turned back towards the car. Rosalie and Emmett piled into the BMW whilst the rest of us settled into the Volvo. I sat up front with Edward whilst Ash placed herself next to Alice and Jasper.
The short drive to the Cullen house was quiet, even Ash had talked herself dry. By the time we got back it was four that meant four hours left in the Twilight world.
We all sat in the living room watching some silly soap opera show. Ash and I loved laughing at the ridiculous plots and characters. The Cullens soon joined in, and I could see why Emmett loved Rosalie so much. She might not have shown it in the book, but her dry humour fit his playful personality well.
We spent the next few hours just laughing about everything and anything as we got to know each other. I couldn't believe I had spent the day with some of the most beautiful people in existence, and I didn't feel small or unworthy. They made me and Ash welcome in their little bubble, and it felt like we just fit. Even my relationship with Edward, which at first seemed strained and awkward, was now at perfect ease. We had fired insults at the TV, bouncing off each other opinions whilst the other's laughed around us.
It felt like the same feeling I got when I was with my friends sitting watching a film, relaxed and simple. I couldn't say that whenever he smiled it didn't brightened my day just a little, that his laugh wasn't like velvet against my ear, and his eyes didn't make my heart pound against my ribcage. But even though I felt these things, I knew he was meant for Bella, so I could control my instinctive feelings and see him a friend, just like all the other Cullen's.
For the first time since meeting the Cullens, I thought of them in my world. What it would be like to introduce them to my family and friends. How they would fit in. Just the idea of it made me happy. I knew my family and friends would adore them, but would they want to take the risk and become something more than a secret?
Although Twilight fever wasn't rife in my hometown, there would still be a few people who would recognise the similarities between the Cullens I knew and the fictional family that the actors portrayed on the big screen. I knew all it would take would be those few people to start gossiping and spreading their ideas, and then before I could even act to stop it the Twilight world would be exposed.
I was certain my parents wouldn't be aware of the resemblance. They had never taken a real interest in the books or films. My friends would be a different story, but there was a chance that they might not make the connection.
My mind churned with the facts and possibilities as we all sat together.
When it came to leave Ash brought her many bags of clothes downstairs and began the process of transporting them through the portal into my room. She had passed through with the second to last bag as I stood next to the portal with the last, saying goodbye to everyone.
I had decided that it was up to the Cullens to consider the risks of exposure on my side. It would be rude not to extend an invitation for them to visit, and I felt it was better for the invitation to be there if they wanted it. They were intelligent enough to understand the obvious risks that visiting on my side would hold. They could probably think of risks that hadn't even crossed my mind.
"Thank you for everything, today's been great. Maybe you could visit sometime, see a bit of the world on my side. I mean, only if you think it's safe, but you're more than welcome." They all smiled and waved as I gathered my stuff. Edward was the last one left near me as I went to step through the portal.
"Holly, I was wondering if I could take you up on that offer of a visit. Maybe tomorrow? After school?" His voice sounded a bit unsure as if he expected me to say no. Fat chance of that happening.
"Sure, see you about four?" He nodded and left the portal to close behind me, leaving me staring at the bombsite that was currently my room thanks to Ashleigh's lack of organisation.