Edward and I had gotten safely back into the Cullen's mansion. It seemed as though the rest of the journey had gone by fast and quietly. The entire time, all I could think about was what Edward had said to cover up for our whereabouts. It had been smooth; a good excuse to use, considering how we apparently looked old enough to be engaged. I was always afraid that people would think poorly of Edward if they saw what a person like HIM was dating. Edward was so perfect. He looked like an angel, and he was always kind, polite, and he could keep his balance. Me on the other hand – well, I'm just plain and simple Bella. I'm not ugly, but I'm really not the kind of girl that a guy would stop in the hallway to look at. I didn't want Edward's values to be in the wrong place. He could use a girl that was so much better than me. He needed a girl who was drop-dead gorgeous, with good coordination, and more self-confidence. Why on earth did he want me? None of it made sense. But, according to most others, we were pretty good together. I guess whatever good looks I had were brought out more by Edward's stunning beauty. I had always been afraid that I would look like a dog compared to him. Sometimes, you see boys who are dating girls that are just so UGLY. You have to wonder – with all the pretty girls in the world, why are they with that person? Is it because this person puts up with their problems and dishonesty because she knows she would have a hard time finding someone else? It's brutally mean, I know, but it's always been something I've thought about: even more so since I started dating Edward. Love must be the key. If you were in love, it shouldn't matter what you looked like. The problem was, even though Edward loved me, I felt that he deserved a girl who had so much more to offer than I did. Instead of mentioning this minor fear and concern to him, I decided to keep quiet for the time being. Right now, the circumstances at hand were our safety, and the safety of all others around us.
"Guys what on earth HAPPENED?!?" Alice ran over to us as we walked in the door, clearly knowing that we had met up with human visitors. She looked obviously shocked, and the ferociousness in her voice took me aback.
"Alice, relax." Edward started answering. "They were out looking to have a picnic. I covered us to the best of my ability – saying that Bella and I were trying to find a place for our outdoor wedding. I guess it worked. They moved on, not questions asked."
I heard a distinct grunt fro the opposite side of the room, and noticed Rosalie, sitting in a chair, looking more beautiful than ever. Everyone looked over at her.
"What? Do you seriously think these two could be married? You're all insane. She's not even a monster. She's a human. That's like mixed breeding." Rosalie tilted her head back and shut her eyes, visibly annoyed with everything that was happening.
"You know what, don't even worry about her." Emmett promised he would take care of the situation later.
"Alright, alright. But what happened is they find our house?"
"Alice chill. We can act like a bunch of normal humans. It's not that hard. Just spread yourselves around the house and pretend that you're doing something fun." Esme always knew how to stay calm.
"Guys I really don't think we have to worry. Just go about your business, but with eyes wide open. They're no secrets now – just calm down." Everyone looked to Edward in these situations, and this time, they seemed to trust him once again. Everyone just cleared out of the living room, except for Rosalie, who kept her eyes shut in the same position as she was before. Leading me from the room, Edward took me upstairs to his room so we could talk. What we were talking about was something that I was not prepared for.
"Bells, I want you with me forever. The thing is, I don't know if changing you is the right thing to do."
"Edward, if you don't change me, you're going to be a seventeen-year-old boy dating an eighty-year-old woman one day." I almost laughed at the very thought. It was so ridiculous. The only clear solution was to give me an immortal life.
"Bella, I really want to talk to Carlisle about this. But if you are sure, maybe we'll consider it. It's just that I've felt closer to you in these past few days than I ever have. I'm getting tired of staying away. For crying out loud, I have to control myself when I kiss you for fear that I will kill you. I don't want that anymore." He looked as though he was being pushed to tears. Taking a step toward him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my head against his back.
"Edward honey, what I want more than anything in the world right now, is to become a Vampire, and live eternity with you. I love you. I really just love you, Edward."
Closing his eyes, Edward leaned down and kissed my head. We stayed in this position for a long time, just holding each other and promising our eternal love. It was a moment like no other, and I would not have traded it for the world. Such a moment was probably too good to last, right? Well, in Bella Cullen's world, it was.
Frantically, Alice came running up the stairs and bounded into Edward's room.
"Ed, they're coming! They want to meet us. They're curious about who lives in this house! Please Ed, come down and help us. I don't know what to do and Rose will not do anything."
Edward and I raced downstairs.
"How much time do we have?" he asked.
"About twenty minutes."
"Alright everyone, just relax. These people are nice – they did even seem curious about the noise from the game. Just sit tight, and act like you're doing your normal activities. I was by them earlier, and none of them had a scent too desperately appealing. We should all be fine. I know that we're growing used to Bella's scent around here, and another might cause some trouble, but please, use a little self-control, and we'll be fine."
Edward led me into the great room where his piano was located. Sitting me down in a chair, he made his way toward the instrument, smiled at me, and began playing. The confusion that was taking place right now was melted away from my mind the minute he started playing. How did he do that? He knew exactly how to calm me down. He was amazing. Edward Cullen was simply perfect, and I would get to spend eternity with him; fighting danger at his side.
For the next twenty minutes or so, the entire house was in a complete state of tension. No one could move. Though everyone was trying to act natural, the staging was completely obvious. Getting more and more stressed by the second, we could feel time ticking away. Eventually, Alice spoke up.
"They've decided to take a different path." She said. "They'd rather go home. It looks like they're tired and want to rest. Ok, I can see it now. They're going to be getting in their car, and they're going to drive away from here. I think we're safe. I don't see anything or anyone else around."
The aura of the atmosphere changed instantly. Everyone's shoulders relaxed, and we could all easily breathe again. Now my only concern was Charlie.
He had been hidden in the back of my mind since Carlisle told me about the attack. I tended to mask my fears and forget about things that upset me. That is, of course, unless that thing was Edward. The entire time he was gone, I couldn't focus on anything BUT his sudden disappearance. Charlie though, was stored at the back of my mind. I did not want to think about what had happened to him. It seemed almost insane; believing that your father had been attacked by a Vampire. A few years ago, if someone had even hinted at that very idea, I would've told them they were crazy. It's not often that you stumble upon a life like this. It should be expected, however, if you choose to spend your entire life in the presence of someone like Edward Cullen. According to Carlisle, Charlie would be ok. They would have to destroy his memory, but he would be safe. The whole memory thing didn't really much bother me. It seemed to be the best thing to do in such a situation. With enough luck, Charlie would even forget that I ran away from home in search of Edward. Even if he did remember, it's not like there was much he could do about it. I was eighteen, and therefore, I was legally responsible for myself and all of my actions. There were a few times when I had felt like a child around Charlie. He didn't understand that he had missed out on the part of my life when I actually needed such guidance. Though I felt badly about that, I was not going to let my life be controlled by someone who could not even respect my decision to love Edward.
One thing that I had appreciated about my mother was her insane ability to understand my feelings. I had not given her much to think about – I'd always been a fairly average person. Edward was even my first real boyfriend. This made things easier for my poor mother. She had yet to take care of me and mend a broken heart. The funny thing was, she never would have to help me get over a broken heart. Edward and I could never be separated. We'd be together forever. It was scary to me, actually, that I had found my lifelong partner before even experimenting with dating, like most teenagers did. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to one day show up at my mother's house with Edward, and introduce him as my husband? It almost felt like things in my life were changing in the blink of an eye. Bella was no fool, but deep down, she knew what she was getting herself into.
A whirlwind of emotion were the only words that could describe my true feelings for Edward. But those words were even not enough. He was simply out of this world. I guess in a way, he sort of was. I remember the day when I first met him. It was not one I could easily forget. You couldn't exactly say that I had "met" him, but you definitely could say that we both had made quite an impression on each other. He had been sitting at a lunch table back at our Forks High School, and I had been sitting at a table on the opposite side of the room, filling in the expectations on everyone's minds. I was the new girl around school. Because of legal reasons, I was now supposed to attend Forks High School, and unfortunately at the time, I was dreading it. What made matters worse, was Edward. He had been so evil to me our first day, giving me nervous, anxious, rude glances every time our eyes met. It made me uncomfortable to be in his very presence. Later on I found out, however, that this was because he had been drastically drawn-in by the scent of my blood. He'd been infatuated by my smell, and could not understand why he couldn't read my thoughts. This was frustrating to him because he was so used to knowing what everyone else was thinking. Once we had begun talking, however, things warmed up between us, and here we are today.
I knew that no matter what happened to Charlie, or anyone else, that everything would be ok because I had Edward. Things would always look promising as long as my love was here. I was frightened of losing him, though. Like I have said, being in a relationship with a Vampire is a very risky thing. I would not advise you to do so, unless you are truly in love with the one you're pursuing. As for me, well, Edward was just my type.
