Chapter VIII

"Hip hip hurray!" cheered Alice. "Hip hip hurray! This is a great occasion that should be celebrated every year! For Edward and Bella!"

"For Edward and Bella," chorused Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Emmett.

Alice had gone out of her way and bought us a cake that was coated in white marzipan and frosted with tiny flowers all over it. On the middle of the cake were the words 'Bella and Edward, together forever' written in icing sugar. She had even convinced the baker to create two small people standing next to each other, holding hands all made from sugar! When I had a closer look, I realised it was me and Edward, all of our details shown with sugar.

"Alice!" said Edward, recovering from shock. "Where did you get this cake?! It must've costed you at least a hundred bucks! Bella and I told you not to get such a costly thing! A cheap cake would do! We can't pay you back now!"

Alice shrugged.

She seriously has no boundaries when it comes to gift-giving.

"Think of it as a present," she said, giving Edward a friendly poke. "I'm your sister and you don't need to pay me back! You don't have to either, Bella! I have a friend who knows a person who's sister's friend's cousin is acquainted with a great dessert chef! It's been said that he could whip up a perfect cake in half a day for little cost! He bakes cakes and desserts for the love of cooking, not money. Now, Edward, Bella, to make this celebration complete, cut the cake and KISS! Come on! Don't be shy! Here's the knife, now CUT AND KISS! CUT AND KISS!"

"That's uncalled for!" protested Edward. "Kissing and hugging is private, not for the world to see! Don't you know that?"

Emmett grinned and made kissing noises with his lips.

Jasper and Edward glared at him in disgust.

Rosalie sat sullenly, not caring whether we kissed or not.

"Okay, that's enough!" called Carlisle, from the head of the table. "Alice! Emmett! Edward, you and Bella can just cut the cake and serve it out! There will be no kissing at this table! Edward and Bella are already embarrassed enough! From now on, there will hereby be NO KISSING or intimate gestures such as hugging at meal times! You can hug and kiss privately after or before meal times! Is that understood? If you break this rule, there will be serious consequences!"

"Like what?" said Emmett, licking his lips slyly at me. "Ground us? Forbid us to go on the computer or any electronic devices?"

"All your spare time, you'll spend with me in the hospital!" decided Carlisle.

"NO!" howled Emmett.

Taking the opportunity with Emmett distracted by Carlisle's threat, Edward and I held onto one knife and together, we cut the first slice of cake and proceeded to slicing even pieces for all of us, careful not to cut through the sugared Edward and Bella.

I placed each slice of cake onto individual porcelain plates and distributed them out, firstly to Carlisle and lastly to myself. I couldn't bring myself to eat it. The cake was decorated and made so beautifully and finely that it felt wrong ruining such an exquisite piece of edible artwork with a fork or spoon. Emmett must've believed otherwise, because once he received his slice, he dug straight in and had finished half of his slice before I even started eating mine!

Rosalie and Jasper ate their slices wordlessly.

Those two hardly speak unless spoken to.

Probably they inherited silence and patience from their parents. If you don't know them well, it won't be possible to tell that all five Cullen siblings were related! If I saw them together for the first time, I would know that Jasper, Rosalie and Edward are siblings, but I would think Alice and Emmett as another pair of siblings! If I had any brothers or sisters, would they look like me?

"So!" said Alice brightly. "What's the plan now? Bella, you're definitely staying with us tonight, so what do you want to do? Go shopping?"

Go shopping?! Is she freaking insane?! It's almost eight and she wants to go shopping?! Who in their right mind would go shopping this late? Something tells me that if I go shopping with Alice at any time during the day, I would look like a totally different girl by the time we come back. I'll be Alice's doll, petted and primed up for her own amusement.

I don't want to be rude, but shopping with her would be near the bottom of my priority list, unless she convinces me to go with her.

"Isn't it a bit late?" spoke Rosalie.

"Nope!" said Alice cheerfully. "It's never too late to go shopping!"

"You should control yourself," said Carlisle seriously. "I don't mind you shopping for personal items everyday, but you've bought quite a number of stuff this month. Maybe you should tone down your shopping trips? You know what I'll do if your credit bills reaches over a thousand dollars. The bill will most likely arrive in three days' time, so we shall see if you deserve your credit card or not. I know you mean well, but you still need to discipline yourself."

"Alright," said Alice, pouting a little. "Rosalie! Can I use your make up and turn Bella into a Princess? Oh, can I use your hair stuff too?! It'll be fun! You can help if you want! It'll be like playing with Barbie dolls when we were little!"

Uh-oh.

The atmosphere changed from warm to cold when Rosalie stared icily at me.

If looks could kill, she would've shattered a dozen windows from the finest glass by now!

"I'll take that as a joke," said Rosalie in the coldest tone she had ever used. "And a not very funny one either. That bitch's face will never have my eyeliner or lipstick on her. My ones are expensive and of the best quality. Isabella Swan can use the cheap ones that make her look like a whore. Oh? Did I strike a nerve or something? Oh yes, your family profession is whoring and prostituting themselves, isn't it? I'm sure you'll make your dead mother proud."

I always tolerated Rosalie and her snide remarks, but what she said, just hurt me more than any comment she made about my taste in clothes or behaviour. Rosalie had no idea how much I valued my mother, even if she was a prostitute before she died.

She took Esme for granted, but if it was me, I would've loved and respected her more.

Before Alice could say anything, Rosalie stood up and left.

"Are you alright?" said Alice and Edward at once.

"I'm fine," I said shakily. "A bit of a shock, that's all. I suppose we should all go to bed? Esme, why don't I help you clean up?"

"It's alright," said Esme, patting my hand. "You, Edward and the others go and do what you want. I'll clean up. Thanks for the offer, but you're still a guest. Alice, if you want to treat Bella like a doll, you're welcome to use my make up and hair accessories. Just don't overdo it, and I'm sure Carlisle and I will both love to see your finished product."

Did Esme just give Alice permission to doll me up?

Alice bounded for the stairs in her cheerful mood again.

Edward and I stood up and followed her.

"You're in for a treat," said Edward, with a small chuckle. "Alice had been waiting for ages to do someone's hair and make up. She normally does that if she likes you. Some people want her to do their hair and make up, but she's very choosy. It also means that she wants to talk to you privately. I'm sorry I can't protect you against Alice's magical charms of hair styling and make up, but I'm sure you'll enjoy talking to her."

"You're leaving me all alone with her?" I said, pretending to be shocked.

"Come on Bella!" called Alice from inside her room. "Get in! How slow are you? I'm sure even a snail can crawl faster than you! Move it! Do you want me to get Emmett and drag you in here? He can carry you like a sack of flour!"

Edward kissed my forehead and watched me enter Alice's room.

Before I could open my mouth, Alice had pushed me onto the chair and wheeled me in front of a dressing mirror that looked exactly the same as the ones that Hollywood stars have. On the table were hair accessories and make up.

"I'm sorry about Rosalie," said Alice, brushing my hair slowly. "She's been like that since…well, you're now Edward's girlfriend. Who knows? Maybe in another eight years, you and Edward will marry and you'll be officially part of the Cullen family. I guess you should know more about Rosalie. She wasn't always so mean to people, you know. Once, she was really nice and would laugh and be carefree. She didn't care a lot about herself and was actually a fun sister."

"Really?" I said, trying to imagine Rosalie and Alice hanging out together.

"Hard to imagine?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know if I should tell you this, but you should know. Rosalie won't bite off your head. It'll just trigger her sensitive side."

"If it's that bad, maybe you shouldn't tell me? I should wait until she feels ready to tell me about it herself. I want to be friends with her, and even what she said about my mum won't stop me. I can wait as long as I need to for her to accept me as a friend. Even just as an acquaintance. She doesn't have to acknowledge me as Edward's girlfriend. I met girls like Rosalie before, but much worse. Their hearts are black and solid, but I know Rosalie has a heart, even if she's a bit rude. It could be her shield for her emotions she doesn't want us to know."

"No one ever said Rosalie like that before."

"What do they normally say about her?"

"Dunno. She has friends, but I never see them around here. She's nice to people at school, but I think she does that because she doesn't want rumours spreading around about her being a bitch. Just don't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you."

"Okay."

Alice was silent.

"It was at night," she said quietly. "Rosalie was with friends and was walking home with them. It was pretty late, but she had late nights before. We were sure she would be safe with them, and it was like, around midnight when she called us. None of us answered. Emmett, Edward and Jasper were watching movies late, and the volume was pretty high up. I was in my room, and mum and dad were in the hospital, treating a very sick patient. Well, dad was. Mum was keeping him company. The phone rang again half an hour later, and again, none of us picked it up. Five minutes later, the doorbell rang and it was the police. I remember answering the door and finding out that if one of us answered the first phone call, none of this would've happened. Our Rosalie would've remained happy if it wasn't for us. If we only paid more attention to the bloody phone! That night, Rosalie was raped."

I stared at her, the truth falling sinking into me like soap on a sponge.

"They took a short cut from the movies," Alice continued. "Through the dark alley. They met a gang of thugs, and well…Rosalie's lucky to be alive. There was Rosalie and her four friends and five thugs. Two of Rosalie's friends were beaten to death, and all of them were raped. Rosalie was um, raped more than once by more than one guy. She was also slashed with knives. The thugs left her and her friends bleeding, but two of them were caught and sentenced for life. One of Rosalie's friends committed suicide after discovering she was pregnant. Apart from Rosalie, there was only one survivor."

I deeply felt sorry for Rosalie.

Creeaak.

The door opened and Rosalie herself stood in front of it, her arms crossed.

"Rosalie!" said Alice, a guilty expression on her face. "Um…"

"Yes," said Rosalie, looking at me. "You might as well know now that Alice spilled the beans. Yes, I was raped. Yes, I experienced depression and probably still do. I'm sorry for earlier. About your mum and all. It kind of slipped. I'm sorry. I know I'm the last person you want to see, so, I'll go and leave you with Alice. I know you won't accept my apology. At least I tried."

"Wait!" I said, before she could leave. "Don't go! I accept your apology! I know how hard it is for you to say sorry to me! I know the pain you've been through! Why don't you sit with us and talk? It must be hard for you to keep it all to yourself."

"Is this some sort of trick?" said Rosalie suspiciously.

"No!" I said at once. "I want to be your friend!"

"First person to say that," said Rosalie in a tone I couldn't tell whether it was sarcasm or not. "Not many people want to be my friend. Yes, I have a bunch of friends at school. Who can tell whether they're my true friends or not? My guess is that they'll leave me once I run out of cash, or there's a nasty rumour about me being spread around school. You're lucky to have Edward as a friend. He's a good brother, and an extremely thoughtful friend. You're young, fresh and innocent. Factors that I'll never have that can appeal any kind and loving man."

"You're so beautiful. You can charm anyone."

"What good is that? Only a fool will marry you for your looks! A loving man will find you beautiful in the inside and the outside."

"Have you talked to a psychologist or anyone? It'll help. Alice told me about your friends. I'm really sorry about them. Don't be angry at your family for not being with you when you needed them the most. They believed you were alright, and they trusted you to walk the streets at night. It was those thugs that you should be angry at."

"When were you ever a psychologist?"

"What do you mean?"

"When were you this good at talking to people emotionally?"

"I know what you went through. I wasn't raped, but I cam close to it. Even though you seem to be jealous of me, I'm envious of you. Your life is a life I only live in my dreams. I would love to live and look like you in real life. Why don't you tell me what happened after you were assaulted, and I'll tell you what I experienced that's so similar to you?"

Rosalie frowned slightly, but eventually nodded. I couldn't believe it! Rosalie and I were actually getting along for the first time!

"Where should I start?" she said, sitting next to me.

"When the police found you?" I suggested.

"I think I was knocked out," Rosalie remembered. "It was dark and cold. I felt blood trickling down not just from my face, but everywhere on my body. It felt sticky on my arms. Probably more blood. There was pain everywhere, and I think I twisted a few muscles or something. As I drifted through consciousness, I heard my friends moan in agony, and I couldn't help them! When I touched the one next to me, she was stone cold and silent. I didn't realise she was dead. We must've laid there for hours before police sirens were heard and we were carried into the ambulance. I faintly remembered hearing them talking on walkie talkies about some of us being dead. We were all taken to Forks Hospital, and then I don't remember what happened. The next thing I know, I was lying on a hospital bed three days later, with flowers on both the tables next to me, and my whole family watching me. Two of my friends were in the beds on either side of me. One was awake and the other was still unconscious. I asked about our other two friends, and it was devastating when the policeman told me that they were beaten savagely to death after being raped by the same guys that raped me."

"When did you leave the hospital?"

"A week later. Mum suggested for me to see a psychologist, but I said I was fine. I wasn't. I guess I did a pretty good job at pretending I was okay, because a few days after I went home, Emmett and mum believed I was all good. Carlisle's a doctor, so he knows something's up. Jasper just knew I was lying, Edward didn't believe me and Alice had a way of knowing I was lying."

"Does it feel better now that you told me what happened? It probably wasn't much, but I'm sure you feel much better inside you."

"I do."

To my surprise, Rosalie smiled.

It wasn't a fake smile or a nasty one she would give me, but a genuinely happy one. Rosalie even looked prettier than she was when I first saw her!

"Tell me your story," said Rosalie, looking at me expectedly.

"It hasn't ended yet," I said mournfully. "You're lucky. I'm not. You have family members who love and care for you. See these marks on me? My family members did all that. You were abused on the streets by a group of strangers, while I am still being attacked by my family members. I have no one close in my family to turn to, while you do."

Rosalie looked at me sympathetically (properly for the first time) and opened a small handbag she had with her. Alice raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. Rosalie took out a small black pot (how much space did it take up in her handbag?) and handed it to me. Curiously, I opened it and saw it contained some sort of cream that smelled like grapes.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's cream," answered Rosalie. "Try it on your wounds. I kept it since my dad gave it to me after the assault. It really helps."

Surprised at myself for not taking her word without a pinch of salt, I applied the cream onto a scratch on my arm, and it felt more soothing. I wondered if Carlisle had another pot of that cream with him in the house that I could take home. It would really help cover the injuries on my body from prying eyes, and it would make me feel tons better.

"Keep it," encouraged Rosalie. "I have another pot in my room."

"Really?" I said, not believing my ears. "You sure about it?"

"Yeah," said Rosalie carelessly. "You need it more than I do."

"Is this Rosalie speaking?" said Alice, pretending to faint with shock. "I can't believe it! For once she cares about someone else more than herself! The world is at an end! Shock horror! Now that you exchanged sad stories, what do you think of Bella's hair?"

"Not bad," said Rosalie, having a closer look at my reflection. "You did a great braid! Instead of just doing her hair, why don't we dress her up a bit? I mean literally dress her up? We can fix up Bella's hair, make up and dress as if there's a prom coming up. It'll be fun, and we haven't done much together. Ever since you know, what happened to me. I'm sure Edward will get himself into a tux while we get Bella all dressed up, and the two of them can have a romantic time together in the dining room with candles and ice cream. I'll text Jasper while you continue doing her hair. After that, we'll go to my room and we can apply make up onto her and give her dresses to try on."

Alice nodded enthusiastically.

"Do I have a say in this?" I said helplessly.

Alice and Rosalie looked at each other.

"Nope," they said in unison.

I groaned. Hopefully Jasper doesn't answer his phone. A few minutes later, Rosalie's mobile beeped, and Rosalie and Alice grinned. Damn. Jasper must've agreed with Rosalie's plan and will tell Edward to change and wear a tux.

Hopefully Emmett won't be involved in this…

Alice pushed me out the door into Rosalie's room while Rosalie followed us, a smirk on her face. I wondered what she had in mind for me…

"What dress do you think matches you the most?" inquired Rosalie, opening her oak wardrobe. "I can imagine you in black, red, blue…Alice, any suggestions?"

"The blue one," said Alice, bobby pins in her mouth.

Rosalie closed it and flung open the doors of another oak wardrobe!

I gasped.

Inside, with around a hundred coat hangers were a stash of beautiful, colourful dresses for all parties and formal events. The ones towards the left were shorter, the middle were knee-length (I think) and the ones at the other end were flowing and long. Rosalie opened a cupboard at the bottom of her wardrobe (under the shorter formal dresses) and I saw that it was full of shoes! There was a variety of flats, high-heels, stilettos…too many to count! I knew Rosalie enjoyed shopping, but when would she have the time to wear all those dresses?!

"You're right," said Rosalie, pulling out a dress. "You might have to change her hairstyle. A white jacket will match quite well. Oh! I got the perfect shoes for you Bella! We'll take care of you. In half an hour, you'll be a beautiful swan!"

Was that a joke around my last name?

After Alice played with my hair, I stood up and Rosalie handed me a dress.

It was of knee-length and a beautiful, perfect shade of blue that I loved. At the front, there was a slim hole around the neck area and was a bit too revealing for my taste, but I'll trust Rosalie with the dress for now. There were three layers of ruffles and was two thirds bare back. The material felt comfortable, but I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to afford a dress like this, unless I manage to find myself a job and save up weeks of money. Rosalie and Alice went out for a few minutes while I changed. As I slipped the dress over my head, it felt cool against my skin. I wondered what I'll look like in front of the mirror. Alice had done a terrific job on my hair!

The door opened and Alice and Rosalie returned.

"You look perfect!" Alice declared. "Edward won't recognise you when he sees you! Jasper and Emmett have set up the table, and Edward will meet you downstairs. It'll be your own private date in the dining room! I promise that no one will disturb you!"

"Are you sure I look alright?" I said nervously.

"Yes!" exclaimed Rosalie. "Here! Where this jacket!"

I allowed her to help me put on a white jacket studded with pale Sapphires.

Alice opened the door.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out with Rosalie and Alice behind me. I knew there was nothing formal, but it still somehow made me nervous.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs with a smile on his face, was Edward.


Again, my apologies for another delay! Does anyone know what Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett's rooms look like? If you do, can you please PM me? I normally won't ask that, but I'm really busy at the moment to try and find out! :) Please review! If I get 7-10 reviews for THIS CHAPTER, I'll put All I Need at the top of my priority list and I PROMISE to upload in 2-3 days! :)