My thanks and shout-outs at the bottom this time. Insert regular disclaimer here: I don't own anything Twilight or its characters; that's all S. Meyer. I'm really sorry that my updates have been taking forever and a day lately - I was recently on vacation. I'm gonna say this again: all of you who stick with this story really are awesome people. I promise I'm not leaving it in the dust and there will be romance in the future. (*cough* in two or tree chapters *cough*) I'm also working on my other fic, which is a Shiver one and I highly recommend that book. Very highly. There are werewolves and angst and romance and all that loverly stuff. It's in a three-book series and the second book was recently released.
Okay, I'm done telling you about it now, and I'm just going to let you read the chapter.
Once all of the colors and layouts for my wall-painting were done, Esme and I went to relax in the backyard. It was lightly drizzling, gorgeous clouds hovering in the early morning sky.
We sat down on the grass, her leaning back on her arms and crossing her legs out in front of her, and I just crossed mine and rested my arms on my legs. At some point during the planning, she had put a bandana on her head, holding her hair back. She looked over at me and smiled encouragingly. I smiled shyly and found something, buried behind my wall of secrecy and pain, I could talk about specifically with Esme.
"Did I ever tell you my mom left me when I was a child?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
Her eyes widened and her forehead wrinkled in concern. "No. You never did...?" I could tell she was politely asking me to elaborate.
I smiled lightly, mentally congratulating myself for actually starting this conversation.
I was ready.
"She... well, it's kind of a long story." She nodded again, trying to hide her eagerness and that oh-come-here-you expression on her face. "I haven't told any of you what ever happened when I was human." I tried to make it sound like a question, but my voice wouldn't cooperate. "Well, besides Edward of course," I muttered; I saw her smile in the corner of my eye. "Okay, so before all of this, I didn't exactly have a great life. My... dad-" I forced the word out between ground teeth "- hurt me. A lot. I can't really remember from before my mom left me, when I was five, but I think she was a drug addict." I heard a small gasp and knew it was from Esme; I was either looking at the ground, or my feet, avoiding her gaze and making sure that my hair was fanned out on either side of my face like curtains. It made it easier to confess some of my history to her if it felt like I was talking to myself, not someone else.
"Like I said, I don't remember much - maybe as a defense mechanism or whatever or I just didn't see much, I don't know - and even now it's all pretty hazy. I don't really care because I'm pretty sure my father didn't love me-" why was my voice shaking? "- and if my mom left me-" and my shoulders? Why am I shaking? "- then how could she... have lo- love- loved... m- howcouldshehavelovedme?" I asked myself, too fast for human ears, in barely more than a whisper. It was the first time I had actually voiced that question and it was as if my saying it was unleashing a hidden demon.
I was shaking all over, curled into myself, and squeezed my eyes shut. I wouldn't let any tears fall. I was stronger than that. Dad always said I was so weak. I'd prove him wrong again. She was nothing, just some woman who came and went like the rest of them. She made me stronger, she showed me why you don't let anyone in. I wasn't five; I was fifteen and I was waiting outside a convenience store. The clouds were raging overhead, planning another spring storm.
"Bree!" someone yelled. They sounded worried. Maybe it was one of the girls, warning me that someone was taking my pack. Why wasn't there cement under my fingers?
"Shhh, it's alright, it's over, you're here," that same girl said, startling close to my ear. I was shaking, hard, again.Another blood-sugar spike, I thought unhappily. I looked up and saw wide yellow eyes and lovely pale skin. Something sweet came from her mouth; I could smell and taste it...
Then I remembered I wasn't human anymore.
"Esme!" I breathed, relief flooding my mind and making me go slack into her grasp. And then I was shaking and crying and making sounds I recognized as sobbing, just without the tears. "Oh God, Esme, did they even love me? Did anybody love me? Why did they do that to me?" I ground out between sobs and hiccups. It felt amazing, getting everything out. I never realized I was carrying anything on my chest, but I felt so much lighter... I held onto her, and for once, I didn't feel the need to pull away. I knew Esme, and now she knew me, even if it was just a little bit.
"I'm so sorry," she choked out. "I'm so sorry, Bree, I don't know. They're horrible people, and you never have to see them again. We're here, Bree. I'm here," she whispered, shaking a little herself.
The absence of tears surprised me just as much as it did a few weeks ago when I first met this wonderful woman. "Thank you," I mumbled into her shoulder, pouring my heart into those words. "Thank you so much, Esme. You'll never know how much this all means to me." I hiccuped again and laugh-sobbed after, thinking of how extremely I fought opening myself up. "I don't know what would've happened if..." I trailed off, not really able to finish. That day, I wanted to die. I didn't have my Diego, and without him I was alone. But now that I had Esme and Alice and Jasper and Carlisle and Rosalie and Emmett, I could survive.
"I know, dear. Shh, I know. I'll always be here, no matter where you are or what anybody else says, I'll be here." Her words, thick with emotion, sank in, deep through my chest and into my bones, reassuring me. Surrounding me. Lifting me. Suddenly, it was clear to me: This is what a mother does. This is what a mother says to her daughter in her darkest of hours.
I pulled back and looked at her face; she was looking back at me, worry obvious in the shape of her lips, assurances in the arches of her eyebrows, and ultimately care, grief, and some other emotion in her eyes. Family, my thoughts whispered to me simply. "Family," I repeated to her, but this time with relief and finality.
I wrapped my arms around her neck once more and she whispered gently, "No, Bree. Not just family. Love." The implications of that left my heart swelling with happiness and content.
Someone loves me. Really loves me.
##
After some time - we had been embracing still, with me still cross legged and her still on her knees, arms wrapped around my torso - we went back into the house. I felt some sense of embarrassment because I was sure that one or more of them had heard that conversation. But every time I looked nervously over at Esme, I didn't care because I was ready, I had made the decision, and I wasn't alone.
Alice greeted me cheerfully as I made it to the second floor, saying something about fitting.
"You'll never believe what just arrived!" She rattled off some words like "dress" and "designer" and a foreign name that I wouldn't be able to pronounce. "Come with me! You have to try this on! If it doesn't fit you, then at least I'll know if it'll fit Bella." Alice looked hopefully at me and tugged on my arm.
I gave her a suspecting and dubious look, about to shake my head. "Please?" she whined. Then, the little psychic, smiled brilliantly and led me to her room.
I sighed. "Alice, if I rip this one, how many times will you kill me?" I asked hopefully.
She looked back at me and frowned. "You're not going to rip this because if you do, I'll make sure it will be the last thing you wear," Alice warned.
I felt my eyebrows draw together in confusion. What did she mean? Was she going to make me wear it forever or something? Oh, she wouldn't. I gasped, "Alice, no! You- you can't! That's not fair!"
"Well, I find that you tearing this glorious work of art is worthy of a punishment such as eternal nudity." She waggled her thin brows, narrowed her eyes menacingly, and laughed at my horrified expression.
"Alright, I give in. You'd see if I were planning on ripping it up, so no taking away my clothes," I muttered.
Her face lightened and she smiled. "Okay. Good. Now, if you'll just wait over here..." She pulled me over to her window and rooted me there. "And I'll get the dress ready. I'm so excited to see it on you!" she gushed.
I sat down on the floor in one smooth motion and listened to her getting the dress in question prepared for me. Her rhythmic footsteps to the closet, the knob turning, and the quiet sounds of metal clinking against the metal hanger. The rustling of the garment bag, the almost inaudible gliding of fabric against the plastic, and a whoosh as she pulled it out and was, I'm sure, admiring it. I started to stand up, but heard Alice say, "Ah ah ah! Not yet, you stay right there Bree Tanner. I'm not nearly done."
"But you've already seen me in it! Your visions show me in the dress, right?" I complained.
"Well, I'm deciding on makeup and hair, so yes, I see the dress and your body, but your face keeps changing." She sighed wistfully. "So no, I haven't technically seen you in the dress, completely, yet. Oh Bree, you're going to love it!"
I made a noncommittal sound and sat back down. About a minute later, she was in front of me, once again pulling me. "What now?" I asked impatiently.
"Now, for your face," Alice replied happily. "I decided on- wait, no, I'm not telling." She grinned and, in all honesty, it made me want to shred that little dress of hers because I hated that I-know-something-you-don't-know look.
"Fine," I groaned. "Just don't make me look like a clown or something," I muttered.
She trilled a laugh. "No, I would never do that to you. It would be a disgrace to the cosmetics industry to use makeup for evil." She laughed again.
Alice sat me back down in her vanity chair and began to assemble all sorts of powders, brushes, and colorful eyeliner pencils. "What exactly do you plan on doing with me once we're finished?" I asked cautiously. "I mean, you didn't... set up a..."
She started giggling. "Oh no, no, no! I'm not telling you anyways. It's a surprise, silly!"
I exhaled in relief. "Good. I don't really think I could date. Ever." She didn't say anything.
"So no humans?"
"Nope." Her lips popped on the 'p.'
"That's nice. Any scenic areas? We're not doing a family portrait or anything like that, are we?" I joked.
Alice snorted. "No. We never change, anyways. And I suppose you could say there will be scenic areas," she said thoughtfully.
"Okay. Whatever, I'm just going to relax and let you play Barbie on me since I don't sweat and can sit still."
"Sounds good."
I closed my eyes and let my head roll back, resting it on the chair. I felt Alice's hands rest on my face and apply something using a brush or pencil every now and then, accompanied by her humming a familiar song. It seemed like I'd heard it as a child or in a dream, something that nagged at the back of my mind and was on the tip of my tongue. "What song is that?" I blurted out, unable to take not knowing anymore. I opened my eyes, too, to see if I screwed up her makeup job.
She paused and smiled at me, hovering directly above my head. "All I ask of You from Phantom of the Opera. Do you like it?"
"That's where I've heard it!" Realization dawned on me. "I knew this girl, before, who was obsessed with that play. She'd walk around singing All I ask of You and other songs from it." I thought back to the day she claimed that soon enough, her Raoul would come and save her from her world of night. A lump formed in my throat, wondering how she was and if her Raoul did come.
"Bree, what's wrong?" Alice asked worriedly. "You look like someone just kicked your puppy."
"Oh, um, nothing, nothing. I'm fine." I plastered a smile on my face to let her know and so she could get back to work.
"Alright," she replied warily. "If you need anything, you can come to me, you know that right? I mean anything. Seriously."
"Got it. Thanks, really. It means a lot to me." I'm pretty sure we both knew I wasn't okay, but neither of us said anything. I would tell her when I was ready; I would wait because you always know when the time is right.
Once she finished up with my makeup, she did my hair quickly and efficiently. I was spun around and met a mirror with two young dark haired women. One, of course, was spritely Alice with her petite frame and raven hair framing her face. the one standing next to her was a tad bit taller and had darker eyes. She had delicate ringlets adorning her head, a deep, dark shade of brown that was almost black. Her face was lovely, with barely-there makeup in colors of green and black. There was a spark of life behind her eyes that she thought she had lost for good not too long ago, and a sense of grief and sadness that seemed much too heavy for her young age. Her lips curved up into a smile and it was matched by Alice, standing next to her.
And I found that, somehow, this girl was me.
I turned and faced Alice, smiling widely. I grabbed her hands and held them between us and hugged her with abandon. I needed to show her how much I thanked her for sparking some young liveliness back into me, for giving me some normalcy and making me feel like a teenage girl. She returned the embrace, just as enthusiastic, and I whispered, "You're the best sister a girl could ask for, Alice."
Her reply was simply, "I know." I laughed at how she said it, as if it was the most obvious thing. "And you know what, Bree?"
"What's that?"
"You're going to make a great sister, too." She pulled back and gave me a reassuring smile. "Now, let's go get you dressed up!"
It was my turn to snort. "Great pun."
She playfully smacked me on the arm and flitted ahead of me. She spun on her heels and grasped my shoulders, startling me. I instinctively let out a low warning growl and muttered, "Sorry," quickly.
"No problem," she replied. "Okay, you close your eyes - I'll know if you open them - and wait until I say, alright?" I nodded. "Fantastic. Now close."
I obliged and waited for her signal, standing as still as I could and listening. I could hear the Cullens busying themselves throughout the house and Alice's whisper quiet feet making their way around her room. I heard the dress whoosh some more and then Alice sang, "Open!"
My eyelids flew up and my jaw dropped. It was a cotton candy pink, strapless, long, and gorgeous. Oh, was it gorgeous! Alice had a smug look on her face, but I ignored it and took a tentative step toward the dress. It was made out of tulle, and it had a wispy, dreamlike quality to it. The torso was fitted down to the waist and was loose the rest of the way down to the ankle. I ghosted my hand over the fabric, marveling at how fragile it must be. I looked up at Alice with wide eyes. "Where am I supposed to wear this?" I asked. "It's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it's not exactly casual, per se." I went back to gazing at the dress.
"It's a surprise. You'll see. And who cares if it's not casual?" She looked at me as if it really didn't matter.
"Okay, I guess you're right. So can I put it on now?" I asked excitedly.
She beamed at me. "Of course! Come on, get in the bathroom and hurry! But..."
"I know, I'll be extra careful. You really surprised me this time, Alice."
Her laughter followed me into the tiled room and echoed, trailing off into mere shadows of her voice. I undressed, avoiding the mirror, and peeked at the tag. "'Dior Vintage Copyright 1950s,'" I murmured. Was it French? And how old was it? It didn't look faded... I continued on and put on the under garments Alice gave me, then the dress. I gingerly pulled it over my head, stretching my arms out through the top and situating it so it fit correctly. I looked down and brushed the dress off out of habit, satisfied with how it felt and looked. I spun around quickly and stopped when I was in front of Alice's full body mirror.
"Whoa," I mumbled, once again taken by surprise at how different I looked. I heard her chuckle from the bedroom. The dress seemed to fit like a glove, wrapping around my mid-section and flowing down my hips and legs, leaving my feet and ankles bare on the floor. The pink color and green on my eyelids complimented each other, and along with my dark hair and ivory skin, it looked... well, not half bad.
"Bree, what's taking you so long?" Alice asked impatiently. "We have to show the rest of them! Come on!" I could practically see her bouncing in place, waiting for me to finally open the door.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," I said quietly. I turned and went for the door, but suddenly it was pulled open and I was faced with the culprit herself.
She squealed loudly and threw up her hands, gazing from my feet to my head. "I knew it! I knew it would look great on you!"
I thought of how old the dress was again. "Alice, just how old is this?" I asked, gesturing to myself.
She waved me off. "The tulle was restored, but it was originally designed and released a few decades ago-"
"Like the 1950's," I interrupted.
"Yes," she drew the syllable out, "like the fifties. As I was saying, it was released when Christian Dior expanded to New York. He was capitalizing on America's interest in his newer fashion, and this one was inspired by ballerinas.* I fell in love when I saw it, and since money is next to nothing for us... I did what I had to do to get it," she admitted sheepishly. I grinned back at her.
"I see what you mean. Thanks for the history lesson, by the way."
She rolled her eyes. "Sure. Let's go! You're going to blow them away."
We walked, arm in arm, downstairs and Alice called everyone over. I started fidgeting out of habit, and my hand was slapped away as I brought it closer to the dress.
"What did I say?" Alice admonished me. "No ripping. You were going to tear it if you touched it. And there's no need to fidget; it's just the family."
"Whatever," I muttered, ducking me head.
She sighed. "Sorry. I just had a vision while we were coming down here and it's not exactly to my liking."
"What was it?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.
"Can't tell you."
Ugh. "Surprise?"
"Mm-hmm."
Suddenly we had an audience. Jasper looked at me - appraising my cooperation with Alice - sending me calm and something else that settled me down within the blink of an eye. Carlisle looked proud and Esme looked like she was going to get teary-eyed. Emmett smirked and Rosalie smiled softly, no judgment to her. "Oh man, this makes me feel like I'm going to prom or something." I blurted out, rolling my eyes. "There's the parents and the older brothers and older sister." I said, pointing to the couples and Jasper.
"Who am I?" Alice wondered jokingly.
"You're the best friend, of course," I whispered to her, my tone kidding but my words serious. Alice pulled me into a quick hug again.
We continued to the bottom of the steps and I walked over to Esme, taking one of her hands into both of mine. She looked at me, her eyebrows raised and a small smile threatening to take over. I nodded, answering her unspoken question.
I wrapped my arms around her torso. "You look so beautiful, Bree." she whispered.
It was strange and new, and maybe even a little frightening, that feeling inside me. I wasn't sure if I liked the idea of accepting these people as family permanently. But for the moment, I went with it. "Thanks." I mumbled. "It's all Alice; she's the mastermind of clothes, hair and makeup." I heard her quiet little laugh.
I pulled back and smiled at her once more. "Alright, if we're all ready..." Alice announced. "Jasper?"
"Ready to go," he replied. He walked over and Alice hooked onto his arm, looking especially delicate compared to him.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" She flitted out of the room and was back within seconds, a pair of flats in her hands that were a shade of pink similar to the dress. Alice smiled, handing the shoes that were probably quite costly to me. I slipped them on in record time. "Okay, Bree, let's go! We're taking my Porsche," she stated.
"Got it. Bye, guys," I called behind me as we walked to the foyer and out the door. Their murmured 'goodbyes' fell silent as we climbed in the sleek vehicle, me in the back, and Alice in the driver's seat. "Okay, so now are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked, buckling up as nerves started to build up in me. What if Alice lied about the humans? What if I slipped up? Were we heading for a city? Surely, she knew I couldn't be around people just yet... But what if she wanted to test me? I was stronger than both of them! What-
"Bree," Jasper said soothingly, calming the storm that began raging in my mind. "Everything will be fine. We're not going to unleash you into some crowded building, or anything like that. We wouldn't do that to you." I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "You'll see what we have planned, and it's going to be fine. If anything were going to go amiss, Alice would know," he finished confidently.
Of course, I thought. Alice will see. Nothing to worry about.
"Are we going out of state?" I asked. "Or out of country? I bet we're going to Canada, right?" I joked. "Oh my gosh, we're totally going to go tree-watching, aren't we?" I chortled. I busted out laughing at the idea of people getting excited about looking at trees.
"No, Bree. We are not going tree-watching," Alice muttered, not sounding impressed.
"That's what you want me to think!" I said, laughing even harder. I heard Jasper join in, though he wasn't laughing as hard as I was. Or he was hiding it. Smart guy.
Alice sighed. "Whatever you say, Bree. If you're not careful we might actually go tree-watching in Canada." Her warning tone made me cool down, slowly going quiet. Jasper opened the glove-box, pulling out a CD. I didn't get a chance to see the front, so my ears were at the mercy of him and Alice. The music began playing, and I couldn't help the almost silent gasp it elicited from me.
The song was Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.
My stomach dropped and a lump sat in the back of my throat, making it almost impossible to speak. Jasper turned around to look at me, but I closed my eyes to try to hide any hint of what I was thinking and feeling. But of course it was Jasper sitting there, not Rose or Emmett or Alice. He would know how I was feeling, anyway.
"You okay?" he asked quietly. I only nodded, not able to say anything. "You and I both know-"
"I'm... I'm fine." I was not ready to talk about Diego with him. Not with him or Alice. I couldn't do it. I wouldn't say his name, and they wouldn't force it out of me. "It's just this song..." My voice was much more hoarse than I would have expected.
"I heard you and Alice talking about it earlier... so I just thought you might like it..." he trailed off.
"Jazz," Alice said quietly. "I don't think she's ready." My eyes were still clamped shut, so I couldn't see what look they were giving each other.
"How about we just forget about this, guys? Can we just go back to how we were a minute ago? I'll talk when I'm ready, okay?" I pleaded with them.
Wishing you were somehow near.
Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed
Somehow you would be here.
Wishing I could hear your voice again
Knowing that I never would.
Dreaming of you won't help me to do
All that you dreamed I could.
The words were like knives, stabbing me with every lilting note. Because that was how I felt about Diego, missing him so much it hurt to even think about it and knowing that I may not ever see him again. And not knowing if you'll ever completely move on, I thought, not able to stop it. Far worse, though, was being scared to move on at times, not wanting to let him go just yet. Maybe once I found someone else to share my forever with...
"Okay, but you'll have to talk sometime. It's not good to hold it all in," Jasper said, pressing a button that made the hurt go away...
"Yeah. Remember what I said, hon. Any time, any place, you can talk to me," Alice added. The term of endearment sounded foreign to me.
"I know," I sighed. "When the moment is right, I'll know."
##
The yellow car zipped through Washington on the 101 highway, a wall of green on either side of us most of the time save for bodies of water and the towns we passed through (very quickly) or stopping for gas. I always locked down all of my muscles during the drives through civilization and when the car needed to be refilled, they stopped far enough away so that I wouldn't do any harm and let me get out of the car to wait for them. I appreciated it and let them know, and I was also careful not to hurt Alice's vintage Dior dress.
The sun, thankfully, didn't make an appearance throughout the morning. This also made me wonder where we were going that was so far away.
"When are we going to get there?" I would all but whine from the back seat.
And every time, either Alice or Jasper would say something that involved "surprise" and "not telling." The boredom was becoming stifling, with no reading material and the same constant scenery passing us outside. Trees, trees, and more trees.
Port Angeles, Sequim, and even Olympia were behind us as we traveled east. "Okay, you guessed it!" Alice announced from the front.
"What?"
"You were going to ask if we were going to Seattle, and you guessed it! I thought I'd at least give you that."
A cloud of anxiety filled my mind at the thought of going back to Seattle. "Alice, what's in Seattle? Why are we going there? I- I can't! I can't go back there and see everything, all over again. I'm... I'm... I just can't, Alice," I sputtered. What was she thinking? Calm down, Bree. You're probably just going to the city. Not your old neighborhood. I shoved away the logic, not thinking I would be able to even be in the same city as my bastard father, plus, if we were going to be in the city, that meant people...
A wave of tranquility was making its way toward my mind. Irrational anger boiled inside of me, not wanting to be calm when I felt like I needed to just freak out.
Alice was obviously just as confused as me. "Why would you-? No, we're not going there. We've been over this. Don't you trust me? We're going somewhere special. I know you'll like it, and you won't even have to be around people. Just pretend like it's a different city," she instructed. It did little to reduce my anxiety, but my anger went just as easily as it came, my little fit coming to an end. Jasper was trying too hard, making me slouch against the back of my seat.
"Enough," I mumbled. "Alright, I give up. I'll go peacefully. I feel like I'm about to pass out. Cut it out."
He happily obliged, letting me go back to full awareness. I sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Sorry. I'm ruining this for everyone, aren't I?" I said guiltily
Alice exclaimed, "No you're not!" just as Jasper replied, "Not at all."
They exchanged a glance and Jasper started talking again. "You're only four months old. Nobody expects you to have complete control over yourself and it's good that you're expressing yourself." I snorted. "Really. I don't think you're effecting Alice and as long as she's happy, I'm happy." I suppressed an eye roll.
"He's right," the smart-alec up front added. "Your moodiness isn't as contagious as you think."
I smiled a little. "Great. At least I can feed off of your guys' happiness," I said, my tone all sarcasm.
"Exactly," Jasper replied simply, using more mood control to make my demeanor shift from anxious to chipper.
We continued on, and as we neared humans and bigger cities, Jasper moved to the backseat to sit with me and help control my thirst. I felt bad for him, since he had problems, too, but it was their idea so I wasn't too ashamed. I asked if I should stop breathing, but he said that there was no point; we wouldn't have the AC on or any of the vents open, so I wouldn't get their scent. Too bad I could still hear their heartbeats.
As more and more cars passed us and my throat was set ablaze each time, I slipped my shoes off and pulled my legs up gently, wrapping my arms around them and putting my forehead on my knees. "Is it really worth it?" I ground out between my teeth, flashes of that day coming to mind.
"You're such a drama queen," Alice said with mock impatience. Or maybe it was real. I didn't care, either way.
"Bree, it'll pass. Just be glad you're able to be this close. Remember the last car ride?" I think Jasper was trying to be helpful, but I flinched away from the memory, the sound of metal shredding making my stomach flip. "Sorry, I didn't think about that. But you've made so much progress in the few weeks you've been with us." I thought about that; I really had made some progress. Even my eyes were getting closer to orange than red with each hunt.
I groaned despite myself. "It's just so... fiery!" I thought I heard someone laugh, but they were silenced with my low hiss.
I sighed, groaning again because that exchange of air did nothing but torch my throat even more. "I'll try to shut up, but please Alice, for the love of all that is holy, just hurry up!"
"I will, Bree, I will. I don't see any bloodshed happening involving you, so that's one less thing for you to worry about."
A small part of my brain did, in fact, appreciate that bit of information. "Thanks."
##
After some time, the heartbeats came less and less, fewer people passing us on the road. I rested my chin on my knees rather than my forehead so I could see out the window. The Seattle skyline was to the east of us, the Space Needle jutting out from the rest of the tall structures. The view to the west was all water and sea.
"We almost there?" I asked, not as whiney as before.
"In fact, yes, we are almost there!" Alice announced happily. "Just a couple more minutes, then some walking, and we'll be there."
I looked up at the sky from my window, a little worried about if the sun would trap us under a tree or in the car. "The sun will stay behind the clouds until the sun is setting, so we have nothing to worry about," Jasper said, sensing my nerves.
"Good, good," I replied, nodding. I sat there, curled up, for the rest of the ride, until we passed a sign that said "DISCOVERY PARK," signaling to me that we were reaching our destination. We had passed other parks, but I knew this was the last one without turning around.
Alice had slowed down significantly, and we pulled over, under some trees, on the small road that led us into the park. I slowly uncurled, slipping on my flats and waiting for someone to say something.
"Ummm..." I began saying in the silence. "Is, uh...?"
She turned around in her seat so she was facing me, with an almost smug smile on her face. "No." Alice drew out the syllable. "This is the part where we walk. Are you ready?" They both looked at me for affirmation.
I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm ready."
"Okay then! Let's go. Bree, you come over to my side." She paused, her eyes glazing over for a second. "You'll be fine. And there aren't any people within a couple hundred feet, so you can move at a normal speed to get to me." Translation: No one can see us, so you can get your newborn butt over here at vampire speed.
"'Kay." I did as she said, linking arms with her and, surprisingly, Jasper, with Alice on my left and Jasper on my right. "So when are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked, knowing that she would answer it as she had before.
"Not until we get there, impatient." Her tone was joking, so I didn't take offense at her words.
We walked along the side of the road we parked on at a leisurely, human pace for about five minutes and then went off the path, into the trees. I could hear the waves from the water, lapping against the shore, but couldn't see it. I only knew that we were going in an almost parallel line to the beach. I was curious, but kept it at bay, not really minding the silence - aside from the few heartbeats I could hear that were too far away to make me frenzied. (They may have tried to make it seem otherwise, but I knew Alice and Jasper were holding onto me for security.)
As we continued walking through the trees, my mind informed me that we were nearing the water's edge. Again, I was wondering what we could be doing, but didn't say anything because at that point, I had no choice but to trust my keepers. Alice began humming quietly to herself, a happy little tune that I definitely didn't recognize; Jasper looked over my head at her and she looked back, both of them smiling. Even though it looked innocent enough, I felt intrusive, ducking my head.
I noticed something, up ahead, in my line of sight: A large, all-white building that was geometrical in its shape. We picked up pace, giving me a better view of the building in question. There were windows of all shapes and sizes on the walls, the smaller ones towards the bottom and the larger ones towards the top. Trees surrounded the building with few spaces, bathing the bottom half of the building in a soft, greenish glow. I had already accounted that there were letters on the building - they were hard to miss, black against white, plus my peripherals always caught every detail - but only then did I look up at really read what they said.
CLAIRE CENTER FOR ART & ART HISTORY
An art museum. They took me to an art museum.
The dirt and grass we had been walking on gave way to a small cement parking lot, but I froze in place. I didn't feel any hesitation on their part when Alice and Jasper simply picked me up and continued carrying me to the door as if I were a toddler. "Stop!" I hissed, my eyes darting around and looking for any sign of human habitation. "Alice. Alice. You're crazy," I continued. I waited for some response.
Nothing.
So I reluctantly asked, "Humans?"
"No," Alice replied, drawing out the syllable. She must have let it slip that she sounded nervous.
"What? What do you mean by that? If you're all nervous about this, then we really shouldn't-"
I was cut short by an almost painful, if not surprising, feeling in my right arm. I looked up at Jasper, a small candle sparked by my anger inside me. He looked down at me, almost laughing. "Did you just flick me?" I demanded, trying to sound menacing.
He looked forward again, but I didn't budge. The side of his mouth I could still see was curved up in a wicked smile. "Maybe."
I started laughing at his ridiculous reply. "Maybe? You maybe flicked my arm?" I chuckled as he grinned even wider. I could feel Alice shaking with silent laughter on my other side. "Fine. You can maybe go su-"
"Shut up, Bree, look!" Alice exclaimed, finally setting me back down on my feet along with the jerk to my right. I might have gotten angered at her telling me to 'shut up,' but I was too stunned by what I saw in front of me.
My mouth went agape as we stepped through the glass doors and entered the Claire Center for Art and Art History. Paintings were spread along both of the walls, only interrupted by doorways, but what really caught my attention was the sculpture in the middle of the room. The ceiling was all glass, so as the light filtered into the hall, the sculpture was obviously the center piece.
"What is that?" I whispered in awe.
I could sense the smug looks on either vampire as Alice answered. "It's a Chihuly glass sculpture. It's called Inside and Out. How do you like it?"
Jasper chuckled quietly, my amazement almost palpable in the air. I was still arm-in-arm with both of them. "I love it," I whispered simply. The shapes and colors really were beautiful and I catalogued every detail of the behemoth so I could always remember this, remember the beauty. "So what were you nervous about before Jasper harassed me?" I asked jokingly.
"Oh, it wasn't about humans or anything. I was worried about the scene you might have made."
"Ummm... Sorry," I muttered.
"No harm, no foul."
*I got this info from Decades Inc. Their blog/website that I got the image and description from is decadesinc (dot) blogspot (dot) com. If you want to learn more, you can go to the search box in the upper left corner of that page and type in "dior." You'll find the vintage ballerina dress in the search results. On my profile, I have a link to a picture of the dress. Personally, I love it but that's just me. :) Oh, and I don't know if they were selling it back in 2006, but hey. Let's just count on Alice's crazy fashion obsession to get her whatever she wants, mkay?
There is no Claire Center for Art and Art History, at least not in Seattle. I used Google Maps to find my location for the building, so I may have gotten some things wrong (who knows how reliable Google really is?). So if you're from the Seattle area, sorry if I got things wrong. I do try c: I also added a link to an Inside and Out picture. It's way, way, way bigger in person (I saw it in my last hometown's museum). So if ever you pass through Omaha, NE, check out the Joslyn Art Museum and you can see that awesome glass beast.
Songs from my playlist (this might actually reflect a bit of the chapter):
"Somewhere I belong" by Linkin Park
"Disloyal Order of the Water Buffalo" by Fall Out Boy
The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack (the one with Gerard Butler and Patrick Wilson)
"I'd Hate to be You When People Find Out What This Song is About" by Mayday Parade
And pretty much the whole New Moon soundtrack, save for a few songs – if you would like to know which ones I chose specifically, reviews or PMs or whatever are cool.
Thanks to all my readers and people who stuck through with this story despite the frickin ridiculous update schedule, special thanks to all those who favorite/follow, etc. this story, and super extra special thanks to my beta, EverlastingMuse, and reviewers. And all you little reviewers get a teaser. Because bribery works like magic.
