Song: No One's Gonna Love You-by Band of Horses
BPOV
"I've been staying with friends of the family," Edward was saying to me. I was able to focus on what he was saying as well as the sensation of my hand within his. I could practically feel the sparks flying between us. I had never felt anything like this before. What did this mean? Were we mates? Whatever it meant, I was enjoying it.
Edward was still talking. "Well, to be more accurate, they're sort of extended family. I normally live with my parents and siblings. They're the ones who will be coming here to talk to you. But right now, we're heading toward our cousins' home."
"Were they your cousins when you were human?" I asked. The thought of a vampire having something he called "family" seemed strange and foreign to me, but I was trying to be polite and not ask too many questions.
He laughed gently. "No. Some of them are almost a thousand years older than me. None of us are related by blood, as it were. We call them 'cousins' because we don't normally live together, but they share our diet."
"Oh," I said. "How many family members do you have?"
"My father and mother, two brothers, two sisters, and six cousins," he said.
I froze in my tracks, pulling Edward to a stop. I'd never been around so many vampires!
I hated to admit that I was afraid, especially after my little breakdown earlier. But I was afraid. I still vividly remembered the pain of having my arms ripped off, and the helplessness that I'd felt as I'd been pushed to the ground...I wasn't sure whether the pain or helplessness was worse.
Edward was looking into my face, probably trying to figure out what I was thinking. "Bella? What's wrong?"
I decided it would probably be best to be honest with him. "I've...never been around so many vampires before. I'm...well, I'm scared."
Edward looked concerned. "Bella, I don't know anything about the past six-and-a-half years of your life. Has anyone...ever hurt you?"
In response, I took off my jacket and pulled up the sleeves of my T-shirt, revealing the joints of my shoulders. Edward inhaled sharply as he saw the paper-thin lines where my arms had been severed. I looked down.
"Bella," he said seriously. He laid a finger underneath my chin, gently pushing my face up so that I looked into his earnest eyes. "I'm about to tell you some very important things. First: My immediate family loves you. They adore you. Trust me, they will be overjoyed to see you again. Second: My extended family has never met you, but they will love you too. I'm sure of it. Third: We will never allow anyone to hurt you again."
I took a few deep breaths as I looked into Edward's eyes. I trusted him. So I nodded and picked up my jacket. He continued to lead me.
We ran for quite a long time, but I never questioned where he was taking me. Finally, a somewhat large building came into sight. We slowed as we approached. As we neared, a group of six vampires exited the house, coming toward us. I overcame the urge to pull Edward to a stop again.
There were three fair females who all looked very much alike, a male and female with similar olive-toned skin, and a dark-skinned male with dreadlocks. He froze in place by the door upon seeing us, looking suddenly like he was deep in concentration.
The strawberry blonde and the olive-skinned women outpaced the others, coming directly toward us. The strawberry blonde one kept stopping and starting toward us, looking unsure of herself, but the other woman kept coming until she was right in front of us. She enveloped Edward in a hug, and he returned it with his free arm. So far, he was refusing to drop my hand. I was happy about that.
"We were so worried!" she cried. She spoke with an accent, slightly rolling her r's. "Alice didn't call us, so we knew nothing bad had happened. You were gone so long we were about to go out and look for you anyway! But it looks like you were just getting acquainted with a neighbor. Who's this lovely thing?" she asked, stepping out of Edward's half-hug and turning to me.
But Edward wanted to introduce everyone to me, first.
"This is Carmen," he said, gesturing to the woman before us. He then gestured to the strawberry blonde one, who was drawing near us now with a hesitant smile on her face. "That's Tanya." He pointed to one blonde woman, then the other. "That's Kate, and Irina." He pointed to the olive-skinned male. "Carmen's mate, Eleazar, and..." He frowned slightly at his last cousin, as if he was trying to figure out what he was thinking. "Irina's mate, Laurent."
The frown was forgotten in an instant as he turned to me, drawing himself up proudly. "Everyone...this is Bella."
I smiled at them shyly, but they all froze. None of them looked like they knew what to say, and I didn't either.
"I'm not crazy," Edward said abruptly, turning to frown at them all. "I didn't just find an amnesiac vampire in the wilderness who happened to answer to the same name and project Bella onto her. This is Bella. I'd know her anywhere. And my family can confirm who she is. Alice knows, and they're coming to see her."
"Amnesiac?" Kate asked, eyeing me worriedly.
"He's right," I shrugged. "I don't remember anything clearly until about six-and-a-half years ago, when I woke up like this."
"You don't remember anything from your human years?" Eleazar asked, looking concerned. "You don't...remember Edward?"
"As much as I hate to admit it, no," I said sadly.
They were all looking very concerned now. Meeting the family wasn't going as well as I'd hoped...
"Bella," the one called Laurent finally said. He was before us in a flash. "Of course. It's been some time. How wonderful to see you whole." He picked up my free hand and kissed it.
"That's right," Irina said. "You're the only one of us who met her-briefly, when that tracker was after her. So...this is Bella?" she finished hesitantly.
"Yes, of course, dearest," Laurent said. "She was human then, as you said, but it is undoubtedly the same girl. It just took me a few moments to see the similarities."
Edward was squinting at Laurent suspiciously, as though he thought he was hiding something. As he opened his mouth to say something, Tanya suddenly stepped forward and threw her arms around me.
"Bella," she said quietly. "How wonderful. I can't begin to tell you how much Edward has missed you."
Tanya led Edward and me into the building, the rest following behind. "Welcome to our home," she said, throwing open the doors. I looked around curiously. I had never been in a building before. At least, not that I could remember.
The floors were hardwood, and the walls were made of stone and wood. As Tanya led us into the living room, I was surprised to see that they even had furniture-a few large, comfortable-looking leather couches. But what use was comfort to a vampire?
Tanya turned abruptly back to Edward and me. "You're pretty close in size to all of us women, I think," she said thoughtfully, looking me up and down. "Of course you need your own wardrobe, but I don't dare take you shopping until Alice gets here; she would have my head." The vampires surrounding us laughed. Even Edward cracked a smile. "But if Alice has seen you, she's seen the state of your clothes. And I'm sure she wouldn't begrudge us a little fashion show." She picked up my hand and tugged, but neither Edward nor I moved. I was loath to leave his side, and Edward appeared to feel the same way.
Tanya turned back to us, looking at Edward meaningfully. They seemed to be having a silent conversation. After a few moments, Edward released my hand with a sigh. "Go on," he said with a reluctant-seeming smile. "I'm sure it's been a while since you've been properly fussed over."
I bit my lip. That was true. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been pampered. And I couldn't help but feel terribly shabby in my worn clothes next to the gorgeous, well-groomed Denali women. But still...
Seeing my hesitation, Edward leaned in close to my ear, and whispered, "I'll be here. Don't be afraid to let me know if you need rescuing."
I couldn't help but smile as he dodged Tanya's playful swat. This time, she succeeded in leading me upstairs, followed by her sisters.
The Denali women first insisted that I take a nice, long bath. While vampires didn't have sweat glands and didn't need to shower or bathe regularly, our skin did get dirty. And considering the only water I had touched in six years had been natural bodies of water-which apparently didn't count-they considered me to be in pretty rough shape.
I had to admit, the bath did feel nice. I stayed in long enough for the water to grow as cold my frigid skin. Kate had to pound on the door to get me to come out. The rest of them were eager to start the "fashion show," as they kept putting it.
Kate led me into Tanya's room, where I found the rest of the women chatting about which color would go best with my hair. They had mostly laid out Carmen's wardrobe on the bed, with a few selections from Tanya's, Kate's, and Irina's closets. They'd decided that her wardrobe would be the most flattering on me. I was disappointed to see that they'd seemed to pick out the most impractical items they owned.
Carmen in particular clucked over me like a mother hen, and her sisters weren't much better. For some reason, I thought I would hate all the attention. And while I wasn't used to it, I found that I did somewhat enjoy it.
"Oh, Bella, green is your color," Irina cooed, as I emerged from the walk-in closet wearing the ninth dress I'd tried on, Carmen's emerald-colored cocktail one.
"Where on earth would I wear this?" I laughed, looking down at myself.
"For your reunion with the Cullens, of course," Kate said. "Alice would skin us alive if she saw you wearing anything less than the best."
"Well, not that playing dress-up isn't fun," I said. "But I think I'd feel more comfortable if I wore something a little more...day-to-day."
The sisters all looked at each other.
"Sorry about all this," Tanya finally said sheepishly, gesturing to the bed, which was storing all of the dresses and strappy heels that I had left to try on. "I guess we just got carried away." As she talked, she casually moved past me into the closet. "We were just so excited. We've wanted to meet you ever since we first heard about you, but then that terrible-"
"Isn't that your denim drawer?" Carmen hissed, interrupting Tanya as her fingers twitched toward one of her dressers.
"I don't know what you mean," Tanya said innocently.
"No jeans!" Irina agreed. "Alice would never stand for it."
Sorry. I tried, Tanya mouthed to me. I smiled reassuringly at her, but I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at whoever this Alice was. Who did she think she was, that she had a say in how I dressed?
Edward did end up coming to the rescue right then, however.
"I'm on the phone with Carlisle," Edward said from the kitchen. "He says Alice says she's not bossy, Bella, really, and you can wear jeans if you want to."
I hadn't been paying much attention to Edward's phone conversation until then, but I could have sworn I heard a high-pitched voice faintly yell, "Just this once!" on the other end of the line. I couldn't help but chuckle.
In the end, I decided I did like the feeling of dresses on my skin better than the scratchy denim, and we compromised between formal and casual. Kate picked a soft cotton dress of hers that was a beautiful azure. The neckline gently scooped to reveal my collarbones. Its sleeves went over the shoulders, and had ruching across the bust that gathered into a high banded waistline. It cascaded softly from the waist, gently accentuating my hips, ending just above my knees.
As I emerged from the closet, all the women gasped. They all murmured their agreement that this outfit was the one. Tanya, smiling, led me to the top of the stairs and gestured for me to descend. I knew her intention; she wanted Edward to see me like this.
All of a sudden, my nerves felt like frayed wires. This suddenly seemed like one of the most important things I had ever done. "I can't-" I whispered.
Tanya cut me off. "Of course you can!" she whispered back. "You're beautiful, Bella. Knock his stuffy blazer off!" She smiled encouragingly at me and gave my shoulder a gentle shove.
I took a deep breath, and slowly began to descend the stairs. The nude heels I was wearing easily allowed me to navigate the slightly steep steps. I didn't hear Edward in the kitchen anymore. I went straight down the hall, toward the double living room doors, where I could hear a conversation.
"You haven't told her yet?" Eleazar was saying.
"There's quite a bit that I haven't told her," Edward said. "I don't know where to start."
"Well, start somewhere!" Eleazar said firmly. "She needs to know!"
"I don't want to overwhelm her," Edward said.
A little annoyed that they were talking about me, I decided to make my presence known. I opened the doors and stepped inside the living room. "What would I be overwhelmed with?" I asked.
Upon my entrance, Eleazar gave me a warm smile. Edward looked to be at a loss for words.
"Bella...you-wow!" he said.
I smiled and ducked my head to look at the floor, my annoyance forgotten. I didn't think the change in my appearance was that drastic, though I had to admit that my hair was silkier and shinier than I could ever remember seeing it.
"You look beautiful, Bella," Eleazar assured me. "Come, sit with us. There are some things you should know."
I swallowed nervously and stepped further into the room. I noticed that Edward immediately sat on a loveseat, and was eyeing me hopefully. Eleazar was left to an armchair across from him. I took Edward's unspoken invitation and sat next to him.
"Have you ever heard anything about vampires possessing supernatural talents, Bella?" Eleazar asked me gently.
I stared at him, baffled. "What-like our strength and speed? Stuff like that?"
"Not exactly," Eleazar said, shaking his head. "As far as we know, every vampire possesses those abilities. But some vampires are special. Some have...extra gifts. For example..." He gestured to Edward.
Edward took a deep breath. "I can read people's thoughts," he said.
I jumped up from the couch, looking between the two of them. "You-what!" I cried. He'd been reading my thoughts this whole time, and hadn't thought to tell me? "Prove it," I said. "What am I thinking about right now?" I wasn't sure why I thought it was a good idea to invite him further into my mind. But maybe this whole thing was an elaborate joke.
Edward looked sad. "I can't, Bella," he said. "Because I can't read your mind. It's funny...yours is the only mind I've ever been unable to hear."
"Because you see, Bella," Eleazar said calmly, gesturing for me to sit down again. "You have a talent of your own." After a few deep breaths, I sat down again. "It seems you have a mental shield."
I quirked an eyebrow. I was skeptical. "It seems I have a mental shield?" I repeated.
"Yes," Eleazar confirmed, unfazed. "It's unlike any talent I've ever come across. Oh," he said, noticing the confused look on my face, "I have a talent, too. I am able to identify the gifts of other vampires."
"Oh," I said. "How does that work?"
"I've never been very sure, to be honest," Eleazar said. "How do any of our talents work? No one seems to know for sure. The going theory is that we had the potential for a talent in our human lives...some trait that was enhanced after we changed. But you seem different, even in that regard. Edward tells me that he could never hear your thoughts, even when he knew you as a human. That suggests that your gift now is incredibly powerful."
"Suggests? Can't you tell?" I asked.
"No," Eleazar said, shaking his head. "Your gift is blocking out even me. I can sort of tell there's something there, like a glass wall or something. But I can't get past it to get a close look at the details. I'm sorry," he said.
"Then...then how can you be sure?" I asked. "I'm not trying to be rude, but...how do you know I'm talented, and not just dense or something?"
Edward and Eleazar began to laugh. "You're not dense, Bella," Edward said.
"Well, there's one way to find out. Kate?" Eleazar called. "Can you come here?"
The grin was wiped from Edward's face. "No!" he said, leaping up just as Kate appeared in the living room.
"Yes?" she said, smiling at me. I smiled back.
"Kate has a talent, as well," Eleazar explained to me. "Psychic electrokinesis."
"Absolutely not!" Edward was still protesting.
I frowned. "Okay," I said. "I think I know what that means. But please explain, just in case I don't."
"There'll be no explaining!" Edward said, striding between Kate and me to face her. "Don't even think about it, either of you!"
"I think it'd be easier just to demonstrate," Eleazar said.
"Are you crazy?" Edward hissed. "I'm not going to allow you to shock her just to prove your theory!"
"Shock me?" I repeated.
"If we're right-and I'm fairly certain we are-you should feel nothing, since, as far as I can tell, Kate's power is purely a mental illusion," Eleazar said, unperturbed by Edward's outcries.
"And...if you're wrong?" I asked, swallowing nervously.
"I'll start on my lowest setting," Katie volunteered. "If you feel anything right away, we'll stop, of course."
"Okay," I said.
"What?" Edward cried, whirling to face me. "Bella, no! Absolutely not, you can't-"
"I can't what?" I challenged, suddenly peeved at him. "I want to see if what Eleazar thinks is true. This is the easiest way to find out. And last time I checked, I get the final say in what happens to me, thanks."
Edward looked as if I had struck him, but I was surprised to find that I didn't feel that bad.
"Okay, Kate," I said, stepping around Edward towards her. "Go ahead."
"Sure thing," she said, a grim smile on her face. Edward winced as she reached out towards me. She briefly tapped my bare arm. "Anything?" she asked.
"Not a thing," I said, shaking my head.
"Okay. If you're all right with it, I'm going to turn it up a few notches."
I nodded, feeling nervous but hopeful at the same time.
This time, she kept contact with my arm for a few seconds longer before pulling away. "Nothing, you didn't feel anything?" she asked, looking impressed.
"No," I said.
"Wanna try one more time?" she asked.
"Sure," I said.
She held her hand on my arm for a full minute, her eyebrows going higher and higher on her forehead until she released me.
"Wow!" she said. "Cool!"
"So this means I'm a shield?" I asked.
"Oh, yeah," Kate said, nodding. "You should have felt something. If I had tried that on anyone else, they would have started convulsing, at the very least."
"A mental shield, it seems," Eleazar clarified. "If someone tried to tackle you, it doesn't seem you could stop that. But still, your power seems exceedingly powerful. Especially if it's up unconsciously. Say...I wonder if you could become aware of it and learn to project it, like Renata. That would be a sight to see!"
"Who's Renata?" I asked.
"She's not important," Edward said quickly. "You won't meet her."
"Her gift is a physical shield," Eleazar explained. "She can stop people from tackling her. And she can project it at least a few yards, in order to protect others."
Before I could ask any more questions about exactly what others this Renata was protecting, Edward's phone buzzed. He looked at the screen.
"It's Alice," he announced. "They're about to take off from Abbotsford. Factoring in the drive from Anchorage, she predicts they'll arrive here in ten hours and ten minutes." He looked up at me. "You think you're ready for this?"
I took a deep breath and nodded. Part of me wished they would knock on the front door right now; another, smaller part of me hoped they just wouldn't come at all. But I knew I needed answers, answers they could provide. If I wasn't ready for anything else, I was ready for answers.
