Let us all take a moment to pause and give thanks for midnight showings of Hunger Games.
Chapter 7 – Lab Rat
"I thought you might be hungry; I suspect you haven't eaten today." Edward says as he shakes a bag of food from Subway. That was really considerate of him; he looks just tired as I do with those dark circles under his eyes.
"Wow, thanks! I guess it is that time again; what did you pick up?" I say as he hands me the bag.
"It's a turkey club on honey oat bread; something sweet like honey made me think of you," he says and flashes his stellar smile. Um, what do I say to that? Maybe he's just feeling his own mortality today.
"That's nice… well either that or you saw oats and thought about me eating like a horse."
Did you just say that out loud Bella? You are an idiot. He does something nice for you and you run it through the ringer? Drop the infatuation and slowly back away.
"I take it your brutal honesty policy is set to high today?" Edward says with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm sorry; can I blame it on low blood sugar? I haven't eaten today and I don't drink coffee so I don't have that crutch either."
"Sure" he chuckled. In fact I came by to ask if you were still available for my family game night; we start at 7:30."
"I don't think I would be good company tonight; I've been up since 4 and I'm sure you've noticed the atmosphere around here." I reply as I start inhaling the sandwich.
I remember what John told me and promptly ignore it.
"Are you sure Bella? I mean, you're waiting for the lab results that won't be here until next week at least, my reports are nothing new, you don't have any interviews scheduled and you need to take a break. Not to mention you still have to make sure I'm not a creep." He says with a smile. "My family will indeed vouch for me, right down to the vapid cousin with too much nail polish."
Well, when he puts it like that…
"I would, but I'm really tired" I say as I start in on the second half of the sandwich.
"You could take off early and make it to my house by 7:30; we usually have dessert around then."
Did this guy talk to John?
"Hmmmm, you drive a hard bargain Dr. Cullen, I suppose I could take a nap since I've done about all I can do today. Leave me your address and I'll text you if I can't make it for some reason; it sounds like a great way to unwind."
"Deal. What's your favorite dessert?" He asks as he writes his address and personal phone number on the back of his business card.
"Um, ice cream or hot chocolate sounds good, but don't make something special for me, I don't need dessert." He hands me his business card and I notice he's written directions from my house to his. He is very thoughtful.
I finish the last of the sandwich and I can feel my brain waking up. I stretch and stand up.
"I should see you later, but I have a couple of things to do before I leave."
"You're the boss. And I hope you have a competitive spirit; my brothers tend to get lively."
"The linebacker? What kind of games are we playing?" I whine.
Didn't I tell him about my balance issues?
"No, nothing like that… well usually. But yes, Emmett is among the more competitive members of my family. We play board games together and sometimes we migrate to group video games."
"Ok" I say. "I'll see you at 7:30".
"Later" Edward replies as he walks out of my office.
I pick up the phone and dial Mike's extension.
"Newton here."
"Hey Mike, this is Bella. Just wanted to let you know that I'll be on my cell phone for the rest of the day, is there anything you need before I go?"
"Not really, but I wanted to thank you for what you said earlier; I have to admit, I felt like I sent them to their deaths." He said solemnly.
"I thought you might feel that way when I saw you. I know that a lot of people have a hard time distinguishing between cause and effect and I've found it helps to focus when you're more aware of what you are and are not responsible for. We both know we cannot control the actions of others; the flipside of that equation is to not let the actions of others control you."
"Let me know if you think there's anyone else who might speak with me about this or any other issue." I offer.
The last thing I thought I would turn into when I came up here was the office shrink.
"I will" said Mike, and I'll call you if anything comes up."
"I'll see you Monday if nothing changes." I say and hang up the phone.
I grab my coat, purse, gun, and lock up my office. There is one more person I need to talk to before I can get that much-needed nap. I walk up to the front desk where a well-rounded middle-age woman is just getting off the phone. I cringe a little bit as I notice a black stripe she now has across her badge.
"Can I help you Agent Swan?" she says.
"Yes, can you direct me to Detective Weber's desk?" I always feel bad for the detective that gets kicked out of their office because I show up.
"Sure, follow me." She says.
I followed a clerk around the wall and down the hallway to a larger room with about 20 desks in it. Angela is sitting at a desk near the corner of the room. She looks just as depressed as everyone else in the room; I can understand why."
"Thank you" I say towards the clerk. "I see her."
"You're welcome" she says as she turns to leave.
I walk over to Angela's desk where I can see she is following up on a different case she's working on. "Hello Detective Weber, can I sit down?"
She looks up, "Uh, sure. What can I do for you?"
"First thing, I wanted to know what detectives Newton and Stanley have told you about today's events; specifically, my request."
"Your request?" she said with a puzzled look on her face.
"Yes, concerning the interviews I wanted you to perform."
"You requested those interviews?" she says as her eyes widened. "Jessica told me that she thought I would be a good fit to interview some fringe religious figures in the community."
I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. I think Jessica's current rank is a mixture of seniority and affirmative action; I really hate public employee unions.
"Actually, I was the one who is requested that you interview those people and I'd like to talk to about that."
"Um, ok, what did you have in mind?" Angela replied. I can see her brain clicking into gear as she adjusts her posture.
"First, I wanted to tell you why I thought of you for this assignment. I take it you have a natural ability to put people at ease, am I correct?"
She responded, "That's what people keep telling me, and I think my build may have something to do with it as well. I don't exactly scream body builder" she says as she motions over her petite frame.
She really is not self-centered at all. "Okay, I'm going to give you a small crash course in profiling. You may have already heard some of this before but I wanted to make sure you knew what to look for."
"Agent Swan, I have a question. Why don't you do the interviews yourself? You clearly have more experience than me in this."
"It's a good question, and there are several reasons. One reason is because a federal agent interviewing religious zealots tends to attract more attention in their community than would otherwise occur." I reply. "Fringe and radical groups tend to breed an aura of paranoia about them and if I start nosing around it's going to raise more attention than we need directed at this case. The second reason is because I think you would be far better at these interviews then Newton or Stanley because cult leaders feel more at ease with women. In their experience women can be more easily manipulated. I also don't think Stanley has the observation skills to pull this off. You strike me as the kind of person who is able to look for what's presented as well as what is missing from a situation and use that information to come up with a cohesive picture."
"Wow, how did you get that from speaking with me for 10 minutes?" Angela replies. "Before I became a cop, I was a social worker. When you interview parents or potential foster parents, inevitably they will try to hide the parts of their lives they think you won't agree with. You have to pay special attention to what parts of their lives they don't talk about; it's the fastest way to find their skeletons in the closet. It's also the most reliable way to interview children."
I think I might have found a recruit for John after all…
"Ok, I can clearly see you have what it takes. That is what I want to focus on the most in these interviews, what's not there. Your job during these interviews is to look and act like a mild-mannered woman looking for an old friend. Wear your hair down and slightly curled, do not wear a suit, wear a shirt that does not button up the front and a loose skirt or dress that goes past your knees."
"Okay, but why?" Angela asks while taking notes.
"Because a suit is meant to convey power and you don't want them to know you have any. The skirt is for two reasons, one, it's subconsciously reinforces that you are a woman, and two, making it a loose skirt provides an excellent place to carry a gun on your thigh. You should also wear flat shoes to make you seem more petite. Also, the reason your hair needs to be down is because men subconsciously process women by their hairstyle and long hair is more sexually attractive." I continue, "You'll have to introduce yourself as a police officer, but the goal here is to make the person you're interviewing forget what you are as soon as you put the badge away."
"Got it" Angela says as her notes catch up to the conversation. She looks up and asks, "Now, what specifically did you want me to ask them?"
I begin. "There are two pieces of information I want. One, I want to ask them about any people or groups of people that they have had a falling out with in the past 3 to 5 years. Tell them that we've received threats against them with fanatical religious connotations and we're looking to narrow the suspect list. Ask them if they parted ways with anybody who did not view their organization as devout enough. Second, ask if they have any knowledge of any religious survivalist groups in the area."
"If I'm looking for what's not there, what do you expect to be missing?" Angela asks, her voice gaining more confidence.
"If they can't remember anyone they've had a falling out with, I would find that odd. Fanatical and tolerant are opposite ends of the spectrum. Another thing is if they seem overtly hostile. Fanatics are naturally distrustful of outside authority; but if you play up the "we-are-investigating-a-threat-against-you" line, it should loosen them up a bit. The last thing you will need to do some homework for, but turn your first attention towards groups that focus on blood as part of their teachings."
"I can record the conversation if you would like Agent Swan" Angela offers.
"That would be nice, but only if it won't make you feel more self-conscious than you already will be. And please, call me Bella; I don't like titles unless I need to use it."
"Alright Bella" Angela says as she finishes her notes. "I think I will record it, that way I won't have to take notes and it will seem less like a police interview.
She is good, I wonder if she would be interested in joining the FBI…
I stand up. "I'll be on my cell phone until Monday; let me know if you have any other questions, after lunch is the best time to do these interviews."
"Thanks, I'll be sure to mention your ideas to Jessica after the interviews are complete." Angela says with a spark in her eye.
Angela is my new favorite Portland detective.
I walk to my car in the parking lot and climb in. The drive back to the house is uneventful, except for the stop sign I didn't see until I passed it; I accepted the other driver flipping me off with dignity, and I deserved that one. I pull into the driveway and make my way into the house. I stumble on the top step of the stairs, silently cursing my retarded coordination. I hop in the shower for about 20 minutes and climb into bed with a towel wrapped around my wet hair. Before I fall asleep I set my alarm for 6:30pm, giving me a 4 hour nap. I hope Edward does the same; I'm not going to force him to stay up late for my sake.
The alarm goes off and I bolt up in bed screaming; it takes a few minutes to shake off the dream I was having. I was in this house, but it was a home invasion robbery and I was losing the fight. I kept trying to fight the guy, but I couldn't get a good look at him and he grabbed me from behind and threw me into the desk by the kitchen. I really hate my dreams.
I'm so sick of feeling like a hunted creature; it's just part of the price I pay for being able to do what I do. "Hunter by day, hunted by night."I say to myself out loud.
Remember Bella, you are stronger than them and it's my choices that define me, not their actions.
I blow dry my damp hair and put in some small curls, slap on some makeup and pick out a square collar dark blue fitted shirt with a burgundy flair skirt and gold buttons down the front. It goes just below my knee, I decide to take a chance on heeled sandals that lace up my calf. I remember what I told Angela earlier and strap my subcompact 9mm Glock to my thigh. Giving myself the once-over in the full length mirror I remember what I told Angela. Am I sub-consciously trying to make myself attractive to Edward?
I blush at the thought. Bella, you are interested in this guy and you don't even know it. Either decide you're going to give this dating thing another go or stop teasing yourself.
I lock up the house and check my phone.
"Seven thirty? Crap I'm late!" I say out loud as I climb into my car. I text Edward's number to tell him that I'm on my way and not to hold up dessert for me. Iback out of the driveway and start following the directions to his house. It's a good thing he gave me directions, it's getting dark and I'm not the best driver. 30 fast-paced minutes later I see his driveway but no house. I make the turn and drive for over half a mile when I see an absolutely huge house that looks like it came out of a colonial era picture. I pull up in front of the large columns and carefully walk up the steps to the double French doors. I take a deep breath and ring the doorbell. Time to play nice.
And the door opens…
XXX
EPOV
I decided to go hunting before going home to set up the "party" I had worked so hard to get Bella to come to. She had been reluctant after the day's events, but with the Denali family here I needed to get her and Eleazar in the same room. My family normally plays games together, but playing them with human rules and speed is going to be like watching molasses in January.
I happened upon a hunt in progress and quickly took both the deer and cougar for myself. Bella's interest in animals drained of blood reminds me to dispose of the carcasses by spreading pieces of them over a few miles. It might be overkill, but Bella's observation and investigative skills are quite terrifying in their accuracy and my family and I are going to have to take extra precautions.
As I reach the back door I pick up on the conversations going on inside. Carlisle and Eleazar are conversing in his study about the Irish coven, Carmen and Esme are trading tales of their respective children out front while Emmett, Jasper and Kate play a video game and Alice, Rosalie, Tanya and Irina have gone shopping. I make my way to Carlisle's study and knock.
"Come in Edward" Carlisle says.
"Hello Eleazar" I say as I take the last remaining chair.
"Nice to see you again" he replies. "Carlisle tells me you may have found quite an interesting specimen."
"Yes, she is very unique. I suspect she may have a talent similar to mine and possibly more. Have you ever encountered someone with more than one talent?"
He pauses while thinking, "Only a handful of times. It depends on how the talent works. Take Chelsea for example, she can strengthen or reduce the attachments people feel towards one another. That could be classified as 2 talents that are closely related as opposed to Heidi, who can only draw people toward her."
Carlisle spoke, "I had never thought of it that way, how often would you say you've seen a vampire with multiple talents?"
"It's not common, but both Alice and Jasper have dual talents while you Edward, have a single talent. Alec, Jane, Demetri, Aro and Kate have singular talents as well. I think overall it's less than a 1 in 5 chance of finding a vampire with more than one gift."
This I had never thought of.
"Wait, what? What do you mean by Alice and Jasper possessing dual talents?" I ask.
"Concerning Jasper, he has the ability to both feel the emotions of people in proximity to him and influence the emotions of those nearby. Projection and observation are two different abilities that in Jasper's case work in tandem."
"Interesting, how is Alice's ability a split talent?" Carlisle says. He was clearly interested in this information and his thoughts were moving quickly as they always did when discovering something new.
"Alice has spontaneous visions of the future based on the decisions people make. However, she also has the ability to purposefully focus on an individual's future. Random occurrence and conscious intent are two different mechanisms."
"I don't see how blocking my thoughts and elevated levels of observation can be related." I say distractedly; I was focusing more on how Bella seemed to act this afternoon in her office. She looked so tired and I know how seriously she takes her job, she's trying to catch something that can't be caught; I wonder how she deals with the pressure.
Eleazar brings me out of my head, "This is speculation at this point because I haven't seen her yet. You seem quite distracted by this human Edward."
I poke back, "Just wait until you see her, you will be too. She has a way keeping you on your toes."
Carlisle changes the subject. "Eleazar, what do you think the Volturi will do about this spree or our involvement with killing the vampire I told you about?"
He thought for a moment and said, "It surprises me that they have not sent a team to investigate; this may not have been drawn to their attention yet. Perhaps they are waiting to see if you will act as a police force and defend your territory. I know the size of your coven interests him and he is instinctively cautious of what he considers to be 'other concentrations of power' in vampire society.
Carlisle replies, "I agree, they may be just as curious as to how we claim territory and power as this nomadic coven is. Aro believes that all vampires are as interested in power as he is; this could be an experiment from Volterra."
"I disagree" I reply. "When we questioned Laurent in the forest, he spoke of the Volturi but he didn't think he had the support of Aro; he thought they would mediate and find in his favor because of our diet. He didn't think about acting as an agent of theirs at all. That reminds me, I have to go see Esme about some props we will need for tonight." I say as I stand up to leave.
"How long until she arrives?" Asked Carlisle.
"I expect her around 7:30."
I close the door to Carlisle's study and make my way down the hall. I didn't tell them I wasn't distracted by her abilities, I was distracted by her. I don't know what I'm more attracted to, what I don't know about Bella or what I do know about her. She is as much of a predator as me or Jasper; yet she separates and compartmentalizes large chunks of her life. She's such a breath of fresh air I don't know what to do with her; or what I should try to do with her.
I locate Esme in the garden with Carmen discussing what could possibly grow in tundra and join the conversation, "Hello Carmen, how was Ireland?"
"Mossy." She says as Esme chuckles.
"I want to thank you and your family for interrupting your plans to help with our situation." I say after she kisses my cheeks.
"It's not a problem at all and it's been too long since we've seen each other. Tanya especially has missed you." Her thoughts wander too far into matchmaker mode for my comfort.
I turn back towards my mother, "When I invited Bella this afternoon, I told her that we would be having dessert around 7:30. Do you think you could make some sort of dessert with ice cream? She mentioned that she liked hot chocolate and ice cream; I think she meant separately."
"Are we all going to need to eat this?" She asks hopefully. Her thoughts were about as enthusiastic as my delight at eating Chinese food.
"I don't think so, we can just tell her that dinner was early and we just finished. I don't think Rosalie would do it even if asked."
Esme laughs softly, "You're probably right. I'll go shopping for Banana splits; does that sound good?"
"I think so, but when was the last time you had to think about human food?" I reply.
"It's been a few years, but living on the east coast makes it easier, the culture here is very isolated." Esme says as she chuckles.
She's right. People on this coast are far more proper and detached than other parts of the continent; in my experiences among them they just didn't care about friends enough to maintain relationships.
"Come find me if you need any help, and thank you." I say.
Esme and Carmen walk to her Bentley and speed off. I wander towards the house thinking about the likelihood of a Volturi visit. It would certainly make dispatching the nomadic coven easier as the Volturi weren't well known for letting people off with a warning. However, the tradeoff was an increased interest in my family. Carlisle had lived with them long enough to know that Aro would greatly desire me, Alice, Jasper and Carlisle himself to join the ruling coven.
That alone is reason enough to negate a preference for the Volturi visit; another concern is Bella. The thought of her meeting a member of the nomadic coven was worrisome enough; replacing the nomads with a Volturi contingent made that thought far more disconcerting.
I reach the house with my thoughts drawn back towards Bella. She seems like such a genuine person, I mean really, how can anyone go through life with the integrity to tell people the painful truth and not be absolutely authentic? I wonder what kind of upbringing she had; she said that she spent her childhood lying to herself and that she would never go back to that. Did that mean that her honesty was a backlash against her parents? She did mention she didn't want to talk about her family.
As I wander through the family room, Jasper pulls me aside with his thoughts carefully in check.
He says quietly, "Hey I wanted to ask you about something."
"Sure" I reply, "But why all the secrecy?"
"I wanted to ask you how you have been feeling with the current events."
That's not a question worth keeping to himself, there must be more… I wonder if Alice is involved.
I shoot back, "That doesn't answer my question, but I'm doing just fine. Why do you ask?"
"It's just that I'm feeling a large amount of contentment and excitement from you and that's a very new thing."
I had been thinking about Bella, but I didn't feel excited, just a little more awake than usual.
"I don't know what to do about her" I say quietly. "She's like a roller coaster and I can't figure out how to control the ride."
"That is a new experience for you I take it?" Jasper replies. He looks like he's getting into doctor mode.
"You know what I'm talking about, everywhere you go you sense the difference between what people say, do and think. It never bothered me until now because I don't really have anything to do with humanity and their polite pretenses. Well, that and I know honesty would get us all killed. But Bella has shown me what it would be like to live honestly and I love it."
Jasper paused for a moment, "I have found that almost anything can be most clearly defined by examining its opposite; so what is Bella the opposite of for you?"
I had never thought of that perspective. What did she define for me?
"Drudgery. Everywhere I go I know what's going to happen and what the outcome will be; our lives are lived in repetition. She's the opposite of that because I'm constantly surprised by everything she says and does. She's like a breath of fresh air when I've been breathing the same old stale air my whole life."
"Do you love her?" Jasper says calmly.
That question stops me in my tracks.
"I don't think it matters much; it wouldn't change anything if I did" I snap. That is not a question I should even ask, let alone answer.
"That wasn't my question Edward." Jasper says coolly, "I asked how you felt about her."
I closed my eyes and thought of Bella.
Jasper continued, "Let me ask you another question. If we left tomorrow, would you compare every new experience to your time with her?"
I opened my eyes. "Yes, I would. How could I not?"
"Then I have my answer." Jasper said while his thoughts focused on what to tell Alice.
"Is there a particular reason you need to tell Alice about this conversation?" I say with just a hint of an accusatory tone. I bet Alice put him up to this.
He puts his hands up saying, "She only told me that you needed help sorting out something about Bella. As you walked in I got a strong wave of contentment from you and I put two and two together."
"Now that you're aware you care about her" he continues, "What do you intend to do about it?"
"I don't see how it changes anything" I said as I ran my hands through my hair.
"Don't worry about it for now" He replies. "We have other things to take care of first like the nomadic coven; I just wanted to know your preferences in this matter. Think on it and you should probably assume that Alice will be interested in your answer."
"How long do I have?" I ask jokingly.
"Does Alice strike you as a patient person?" He shoots back with a huge grin on his face.
"Thanks for the warning." I say as I slap him on the back.
Why Alice is so interested in my relationship with Bella?
I retreat to my room; if Alice wants me she can come find me. I put on some Chopin and grab a book from the shelf about Elizabethan England. I start reading, but Jasper's little chat keeps my mind off the pages.
What does he mean "where does it go from here?" There is nowhere to go from here. We will dispatch the remaining vampires causing her to stay and she'll head back to Boston none the wiser. She'll be disappointed she didn't catch the killers but she'll move on. This won't be her last case and she'll have more opportunity to distinguish herself; heaven knows she's brilliant at what she does.
But the more I thought about that the worse I felt. Boston is only a couple of hours away, maybe I could watch over her for a while, maybe I could stay near her to help her get over the fallout of this case; she would never have to know.
The thought of such a temporary, fleeting moment was intoxicating as well as tormenting. To savor and fully inhale that breath of fresh air thrilled me, but the price of that breath was an eternity of knowing what I couldn't have and would never have again.
How long could I stay with her, five, maybe ten years? And then another 60 years of watching her from a distance while she aged towards the day I couldn't follow her? Was that worth it?
I hear two cars approaching and realize that both Esme and Alice's groups have returned. Esme and Carmen are carrying two bags of groceries each.
That seems like quite an order for one banana split and a cup of hot cocoa.
I look at the clock that reads 7:20. I decide to take a quick shower before Bella arrives as I hear Alice think "She's going to be late; expect her just before 8."
Alice really knows how to take advantage of my gift. I love my family, but the only real peace I get is if I hunt alone.
I shower, dress and get downstairs with less than 10 minutes to spare. Everyone is in the main family room and turn their attention towards me.
Carlisle stands close to me, "I want to thank everybody for the work they've been doing to keep my family safe and I want to especially thank you Eleazar, for generously agreeing on such short notice to lend your expertise to our need."
"Always a pleasure to see your family; I think my family would agree." He replies.
Carlisle nodded, "Edward has had the most contact with this federal agent and he can answer your questions better than I."
Eleven pairs of golden eyes focus on me.
"Her name is Bella Swan and she's not your garden variety cop, she is a behavioral profiler. For those who don't know what that is, her job is to asses cases that local police suspect to be the work of a serial killer. Once a profiler is assigned to a cluster of killings their job is to build a psychological profile of said killer based on the crime scenes and interviews of victim's acquaintances. From this profile they are able to narrow the suspect pool and focus investigative resources."
I continue. "I don't know why I am unable to hear her thoughts; she may have latent abilities that she may or may not use in her profession and she has an eerie sense of intuition. It could just be her training; that's one thing we are here to find out."
I didn't mention that I was just as excited to find out more about the parts of her life she kept away from work. I hoped my family would be able to get her to loosen up; she has a way using an offense as a good defense. She also might be immune to my gift, but she is no match for Alice.
"What exactly do you want the rest of us to do?" Rosalie says, looking like she was just asked to give a cat a bath.
"We have plenty of things to do, just act casual and welcoming. She referred to herself as a 'freak' so I don't think she gets out much. Don't hover, but look for opportunities to engage her in conversation. I don't think you'll be bored; Bella has a very entertaining way of phrasing things." I can only hope that Rosalie gets a double dose of Bella's "brutal honesty."
"She's coming up the driveway now" Alice says.
"Alright everybody" Carmen says as she starts over to the other side of the room. "Look alive and don't treat her like an experiment."
Aaaaaand here we go.
