I'm super-duper sorry this took so long to update. I'll be honest, and not say that I was busy, 'cause I wasn't…I forgot. Soooo, I'm making up for it with a chapter I think everyone will like!
Chapter 9
Meeting
Alice POV
After my revelation, Carlisle instructed that I summon everyone to a family meeting, but not to include Edward. That was a stupid assumption, even for Carlisle, to think that, even if invited, Edward would attend. He exiled himself in his room most of the time, the door locked, but he left it up to our imagination what it would be like if we disturbed him. I looked, and no, I never tried it. Scary, seriously for Edward. Talk about 14-year-old-girl-ish.
Esme was in her and Carlisle's room, pouring over the latest Nicholas Sparks book. Emmett and Jasper made fun of her for it, but they didn't know that Rosalie and I read some when we happened to be bored. I knocked on the door, and she looked up, a smile already on her face.
"Come in, Alice. You'll never guess what just happened!" her enthusiasm was enlightening, but I had a job to do.
"Can you please come to the living room, Esme? We're having a family meeting."
"Okay, dear." she paused. "Is it about Edward, because I keep telling everyone he'll be okay soon, it'll clear up, I know it…" she trailed off, and my stomach plummeted while I thought about how the meeting would be about the one thing that would never make Edward better.
Esme didn't deserve to feel like this. She blamed herself, like everyone, but her, of all people, had no room to blame. I knew how she felt, how she tried desperately to cry every night, but couldn't and was only consoled by Carlisle's arms, while he, too, tried to find another outlet for their grief at their family crumbling apart. Esme had never had a family until Carlisle had turned her, and then for a while, it was just her, Carlisle and Edward. She knew Edward the longest and she probably felt closest to him, though she would never admit it. Edward had forgotten most about his mother, and Esme was more than happy to fill the void she left behind. Seeing him like this really tore her up, and seeing her torn up made the rest of us even more sad.
I'd never really thought much about how connected a family is until I came to Carlisle's. It made even less sense, because none of us were really related, but we were all affected by the change in moods and feeling of the other members of our make-shift family. We were all assured by Carlisle; all soothed and loved by Esme; all cheered by Emmett; all annoyed by Rosalie; all everything by Jasper; all in-the-knowing by me; and all connected. Edward just seemed to be there. He was mate-less, but he never said a word about it. Now that he had found one, and lost her so tragically, we all felt his pain. Esme felt it internally, while we seemed to feel the mental tremors of it.
I just nodded, and walked over to where Emmett was waiting with the Halo set up. I prepared for an apology to Emmett, but he pulled a psychic on me, and nodded, his eyes already losing their light.
"Hey, Emmett, don't forget about this. I'm gonna destroy you after this meeting."
"What meeting?" Rosalie spoke from behind me.
"Carlisle's asked that I herd everyone into the living room for a family counsel." I said.
"One guess what it's about." she murmured. She stalked into the living room and slouched onto our leather couch.
Jasper appeared next to me, and took my hand gently. We both entered the living room, where everyone but the person the news would affect the most was present.
Rosalie's POV
This meeting is pointless. It really is. All we have to do is go up to Edward's room and tell him to get over her. End of story. That's not the road we can take, though. No, that would hurt Edward's feelings and he might leave…
Okay, that road is out of question. I, nor anyone, would never allow him to leave. Thinking what he would be like on his own brought shudders to my frame. He practically never hunted unless prodded, and his social life among the family was forced to endure school with Alice.
How anyone could be sullen with Alice around is beyond me, but Alice was as depressed as him. Okay, no she wasn't but close. Besides Edward, Bella had been closest to Alice, and I knew it hurt Alice to have to leave.
But Edward was being selfish, acting like he was around Esme and Emmett. I shouldn't be forced to have to play Halo and Guitar Hero every day, but I do it because Emmett has no other playmate. Edward's brooding, and Jasper sits there, thinking over his past mistakes. That must be why he sits there so long…
So now Carlisle's prepared a meeting. Great.
"Alice has just informed me of something quite…" my father figure struggled for words, "She's just told me something that changes everything."
Oh this is big. Emmett straightened up, and Esme folded her hands.
Emmett's POV
I hope this really big thing that changes everything will make everything better. Make Edward come down to the house more.
I want him to socialize more not only just for my video-game playing's sake, but for the sake of everyone.
"It seems that Bella is in town." Carlisle took time to look at everyone.
Oh. My. God.
Esme's POV
I couldn't help it. I gasped. It felt like a part of my throat opened up, and I found myself gasping for air I didn't need. Carlisle stopped and sped over to smooth my hair and whisper:
"I know what you're feeling, and I'm sure everyone is feeling it. It's okay." That 'okay' part was stopped as I felt his lips press to my forehead.
He returned to his spot that pivoted all of us and continued.
"Alice, if you could please come explain the rest. You know more."
Alice hesitated, but I saw Jasper squeeze her hand and she stood up to face up.
"She's in my fifth period class, Trigonometry. I knew something was wrong when she walked in. I looked and discovered that the day that Edward…she was in a car accident."
The hole in my throat seemed to shrink and I felt the tearless sobs come on. Carlisle rubbed circles on my palm, and I let Alice continue.
"She was not injured, physically, but she…she developed amnesia."
The world seemed to stop.
Jasper's POV
It will never cease to amaze me how one human can become the focal point of a family's life so quickly, and how fast one person, one despicable, monstrous thing can ruin it all in a split second.
As much as I try to forget, it seems that there's a part of my brain that refuses to let me forget what I've done. Every time I look into someone's eyes, I mentally scream "Why aren't you blaming me?" Why aren't they, really? Why isn't Edward? His feelings give nothing away. He's turned hollow. Or unreadable. Either way, it kills me. It's strangely consolable to feel the others feelings, but Edward learned to block out everything and everyone overnight. He's just…there. No feeling, but I can tell that inside, he's suffering indescribable pain and torture. And it's all my fault.
This news shook me like an earthquake. Not only was Bella in a car accident, but she also forgets what happened.
Rosalie spoke what everyone was thinking. "How much did she forget?"
Alice's voice came out like a whisper. "Everything. She can only remember up to the point that the plane dropped her off at Forks."
"Why is she here?" Again, Rosalie took up Edward's role of reading minds.
"I don't know." Alice snapped. "I only see the future, Rosalie, not the past. I think Charlie sent her off to family friends for her health."
Rosalie's POV
I don't see why Bella gets to forget, but all of us have to feel like crap all the time. It isn't fair. I wonder what it would've been like if she had remembered everything. How would she have felt? Interesting. She might be like Edward. Maybe worse, but I doubt it.
"What are we going to do?" Esme said, looking up from her hands on her lap. "Edward obviously doesn't know, right?"
Alice nodded. "He's worse than I thought, if he was in the same room with her, and he didn't react." Alice said,
"They were in the same room?" Emmett said, shocked.
"Well, the cafeteria, but enough, I thought. I didn't see her until my class. She didn't even look at me when she entered. I tried to ask her what happened, but that was before I knew. She didn't even know who I was…" Alice sank to the floor and Jasper walked to her side, sending enough calm over her to challenge Valium.
"He has no idea that she's here?" I classified. "You didn't say or do anything out of the ordinary?"
"Of course not," she looked up out of Jaspers arms. "What could I say? Think about how he would react to that."
The thought was scary.
I like it. The next chapter will be all Bella, probably, but the Cullens will play a bigger role in her POV, believe me. Reviews are L-O-V-E!!!!
XOXO
Hannah
