Chapter 9 - Tai Por Waverley
Bella POV
I am still buzzing from all that's happened on my first day at school. I mean, how can I not? Not only did I meet Leah, Angela, and Rachel, I also received a heart stopping grand confession from Rosalie in the school parking lot, followed by experiencing my first kiss.
After a few more earth shattering kisses by Rosalie's car, we truly didn't feel ready to part ways yet, so we decided to drop by Rosalie's house first for a quick afternoon snack that Esme had prepared for me, before she reluctantly drove me back to my house.
The perks of this new life has been overflowing so far. It's still really hard to believe that this was all real. I even found myself reluctant to go to sleep at night, afraid that I would wake up to the nightmare that was my old life. I am also still somewhat experiencing cultural shock doubled over. The amnesia excuse can help me justify the Aussie part of me to people, especially since no one been in touch with Renee, but when it comes to the Chinese part of me, I have to conceal it fully. There will only be so many times I could use the 'Maybe I was Chinese in my past life." joke. But apart from that, I am feeling very happy, very wanted, and very secure.
To celebrate a good first day of school, Charlie decided to take me out for dinner at Fork's only Chinese fusion restaurant, famously known as Waverley's. I was so excited to hear this. It has felt like forever since I've eaten Asian food. Well apart from those pork buns. Standing outside the restaurant, I gave the whole building a once-over and was curious by what I saw. It was a four storey stand alone building that consisted of a Chinese restaurant, a Chinese medical dispensary, a small Asian grocery shop on the ground floor, and the other floors I assume were residential areas. This place had a very warm and welcoming vibe to it. I'm liking it already.
"You coming in, Bells." Charlie asked, by now use to my random spacing outs.
"Absolutely!" I replied excitedly.
Upon entering the restaurant, I was embraced with a sense of comfort. The aroma of Chinese food combined with the background noise of loud chatter, Chinese tv, and something else I couldn't put a name to, had me smiling like the Cheshire cat. The place wasn't big, but it was just perfect in my opinion. There were quite a few tables already occupied by couples and families.
"Hello, uncle Charlie! Hi, Bella. Lovely to see you again!" a cheerful Angela greeted.
"Hey, Angela. What a coincidence to see you here. Do you work here part time?" I asked Angela curiously with a smile.
"My family actually owns this restaurant, so I help out here whenever I'm free. Please follow me, I'll show you to your table." Angela said, directing us to a cozy corner booth seat, handing us both menus.
"Thanks Angie. Is Wesley around? I didn't get to see him this morning. Your grandpa kicked me out too soon." Charlie said humorously. Angela and I both chuckled at the memory of how things went down for him this morning.
"Haha yea, I think dad's upstairs settling my brothers for bed. Feel free to go look for him after your meal, I'm sure he'll be very eager to catch up with you." Angela told Charlie smiling.
"Great, I definitely will drop by to see him after our meal." Charlie replied before Angela walked off to serve another table.
Listening to their conversation, it sounds like Charlie and Angela's dad were very close friends.
"So you seem close with Angela's dad. Have you known each other long?" I asked, hoping he would tell me more about his life.
Charlie laughed with a fond look on his face. "I have known Angela's dad, Wesley all my life. Their family has lived here in Forks for more generations than I can count. We are practically brothers. I think it would be wonderful if you got to know Angela better too. She's a lovely girl. As are her whole family. They're the ones who got you that air fryer and milk warmer. You'll probably be seeing them a lot in the near future." Charlie told me, smiling warmly.
What Charlie just shared really caught my interest. These are things the books never mentioned. Actually a lot of things were missing, or were already proven wrong in the book so far. Hmm, I wonder what else will be different.
"Charlie Swan! You heartless boy. You come in here and don't even come say hello to me? And is this your lovely daughter? Why haven't you brought her over to see us until now?" a really old Chinese lady with snow white hair said semi sternly, while taking a seat next to me.
"Hi, Tai Por Waverley. We just got here. You know I would have introduced Bella to you sooner, but we just didn't have time till now. Bella, this is Angela's great grandmother. We all call her Tai Por Waverley." Charlie introduced awkwardly, looking somewhat like a chastised child.
I turned to face Tai Por Waverley. Her presence had such a comforting effect on me. I understood what "Tai Por" meant. It literally translated to great grandmother in Chinese. Hearing Charlie use Chinese words was kind of strange to me.
"Hello, Bella. I have been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time. After you finish dinner, you will come and have a nice talk with me, okay? And you, Charlie boy, will behave yourself with Wesley upstairs later. If I hear you boys waking up my precious great grand babies because of some mischief, I will make you both drink my famous full body detox herbal soup. Understand?" Tai Por Waverley said sternly. Unable to form words we both just nodded. Tai Por Waverley gave my cheek a light pat, then walked off to another room without any further words.
"Wow, Dad. She sure has a powerful presence. You looked so scared of her." I commented feeling both amused and stunned.
"You have no idea." Charlie whispered while turning his focus on to the menu. I followed his lead and did the same. Once we've found what we wanted, Angela came over and took our orders. It was quite comical seeing how Angela reacted when she took my order. She triple checked with me to make sure I was aware of just how much food I had ordered.
While waiting for the food, I told Charlie about my day at school. "So dad, guess who I met at school today?" I started off.
"Don't make me guess, Bella. Just tell me." Charlie responded with a chuckle.
"You're no fun. Fine, I'll just tell you. I met Rachel Black and Leah Clearwater today. They are both certainly something. Leah told me the whole story of her first meeting with me as a new born. What an adorable story that was." I told Charlie with a fond smile on my face.
Charlie cracked a megawatt smile after listening to what I've just shared. "That is wonderful, Bella. I'm glad you took a shining to those girls. I too remember the day little Leah first met you. Boy was she the cutest, bossiest four year old ever. She practically demanded I let you live in her house with her forever, even willing to swap her younger brother Seth in exchange for you." Charlie recalled humorously, laughing as he no doubt continued reminiscing all sorts of memories in his mind.
"Aww, that sounds adorable. I also heard that Leah's mother nursed me my first meal. She must be a very kind and lovely woman." I told Charlie.
Charlie looked up at me suddenly blushing fire engine red. He opened his mouth a few times, but no sound came out. I couldn't help but laugh at his embarrassment.
"What's got you so flustered, Charlie? Something you want to share?" I asked Charlie teasingly, wiggling my eyebrows at him. Charlie coved his face with his hands and let out an embarrassed groan.
"Uh..well...you see...Sue has always been the nurturing type, and at the time you were born, she had just weaned Seth, so because Renee didn't want to ruin her figure by breastfeeding you, Sue stepped up by offering to be your w...w...wet nurse." Charlie explained with a stutter.
I laughed at how painfully embarrassed Charlie looked while uttering out those words. It really warmed my heart to hear how loving and generous this Sue sounded.
"So how long did that arrangement go for?" I asked Charlie curiously.
"Leah actually got her wish, as you more than often spent the night at their house for the first three years of your life. Renee was experiencing some baby blues at the time, so on the nights I had to work, Sue kindly kept you with her." Charlie explained, looking somewhat sad for a moment. I'm not sure which part of the statement made him sad, but from what Leah had told me about my abrupt departure with Renee, I could easily guess.
Just as I was going to say something to change to a lighter subject, the food started to arrive.
"Hi ya, Chief Swan. Bella. Here's your food. Enjoy!" Eric greeted as he placed two dishes in front of us, followed by Angela, and then Eric again. Once all the dishes arrived, I immediately dug in, the heaviness from our previous conversation long forgotten in that moment.
By the end of our meal, you could see that everyone in the restaurant were stunned by how I had polished off the banquet of food on our table. In total we ate three entrees, six main dishes, a bucket of rice, and dessert for four. The highlight being the Peaking duck. Now that I thought about it, I'm actually surprised by how much my eating had increased in volume since landing in Twilight world. At first I was just wolfing down all sorts of food because of its bursting flavours, but now I've become aware of the fact that if I didn't eat regularly, and till my heart's content (meaning enough food to feed a family), I actually start to feel lethargic and drowsy.
"Right! Food is done. Charlie, you go upstairs and play with Wesley. Bella, you can come have a talk with me now." Tai Por Waverley suddenly announced, scaring the shit out of us.
"Uh, see you in a bit, Bella. If you need me, I'll just be upstairs." Charlie awkwardly told me with a reassuring pat on the shoulder. I nodded and smiled shyly in response.
"She'll be fine with me, Charlie. Come. Follow me, Bella." Tai Por Waverley said while gesturing her hand at me.
I nervously followed her through various doors and long corridors. It felt like a maze as we turned left and right multiple times. We finally arrived in front of a room with strong double oak doors, and Tai Por Waverley pointed at it and said "Go in." I nodded and did as I was told.
The inside of the room was warm, simple, but interesting. One side of the room was covered with a wall of many different sized Chinese medicine drawers, and on the opposite wall was a mini bar holding a traditional Chinese tea set, and a large comfortable looking white plush sofa with a coffee table in front of it. In the middle of the room, there was a large rectangular dark oak table set that filled the room with a crisp smell of the forest.
"Would you like some Chinese tea, Bella?" Tai Por Waverley asked.
"Yes please, I would love some." I replied politely.
"Of course you do. You like lychee red tea, correct?" Tai Por Waverley stated.
I was shocked that she knew my tea preference. Not even my own family and closest friends in my old life knew. How did she make such an accurate assumption about a white teenage girl that she just met?
"I know you, Eliana. I have waited 30 years for this day. I know you are confused, but worry not. I will explain everything to you." Tai Por Waverley calmly reassured me.
My mind was reeling. I was so confused and very curious to find out what she was talking about. But as luck would have it, Tai Por Waverley took her sweet time boiling hot water, and preparing the tea. It's as if she purposely wanted me to sit there and learn patience.
"Okay, let me start by saying, welcome home. I know you have many questions for me, but I want you to just listen to everything I tell you first, and answer my questions, then afterwards you can ask your questions, okay?" Tai Por Waverley stated.
I gave her a silent nod, and took the cup of tea she offered me. We both took a sip of our freshly brewed teas, and Tai Por Waverley began speaking.
"First I want to review what I know about your life as Ella, okay? And remember, nothing I say will leave this room, so you do not have to feel worried or ashamed." Tai Por Waverley said while looking at me for my agreement.
"Sure, I'm okay with that." I replied nervously, taking another sip of my tea.
"Good. Let's start. So 30 years ago, at the breaking of dawn, you were born on the land of the Arrernte people, or as most call it, Alice springs. Your parents were there on a business trip, and the Great Spirits saw that it was the right moment to welcome you and your brother into the world. In total, you have 4 older brothers and sisters. All had been greatly gifted, but also destined to carry the same bitter seeds in which your parents had planted in all your hearts from birth.
With this seed, they have all moved in different paths.
Elijah, the first born son of your family. He had the gift of persuasion, strong intuition, and good looks. Sadly, after enduring much of the abuse at home, the bitter seed in his heart roared with too much hatred. Just before your third birthday, he emancipated himself from your parents, and was never heard from again.
Amber, the oldest daughter, gifted with academic intelligence and the ability to draw followers in everything she does. The bitter seed in her manifested in the form of infidelity and fickleness. Her loyalty lies with only herself, and everyone in her life was nothing but a tool for her own gratification.
Aaliyah, the second born daughter, gifted with fearlessness and the ability to see the true intentions in people. She did not let the bitter seed take root in her heart. Instead, she removed it and defended herself fiercely from all with ill intent. She was your closest sister, and played a big part in protecting you from the worse of the abuse.
And then there was Jonah, your twin brother. The one destined to be your main guardian in your old life. He has a kind and generous soul, and was gifted with academic intelligence and music. Sadly the bitter seed had deeply rooted in his heart, causing great pain and darkness. But despite his suffering, he was still able to love you and protect you throughout your vulnerable years, just like Aaliyah." Tai Por Waverley stated, then paused for a moment to observe my reactions.
I was feeling slightly overwhelmed with the memories of my siblings, all of which Tai Por Waverley was describing quite accurately. Wanting to soldier on, I took another large gulp of my tea, and gestured for her to continue. Tai Por Waverley nodded, refilled my tea, and started speaking again.
"Your father had a kind heart, but was weak spirited. He lacked self-control, and was easily provoked and manipulated. Although he loved and treated everyone in the family well, he failed to guide and protect you and your siblings like a father should. He was blinded and bound by the controls of your mother, as well as the demons in his life. Although he was able to eventually escape the clutches of your mother, the damage had already been done to the family. Because of that, he will never fully feel the unity and warmth of his descendants.
As for your mother, it is truly hard to understand how exactly she grew to be the complex woman she was. A bitter seed was planted in her heart by her own parents as a child. With time, that bitterness took a dark form in building your mother to become power hungry and extremely narcissistic. She lusted for control, and prided herself in being able to remain on center stage wherever she went. She was the ultimate example of wolf in sheep skin. She was charming and charismatic. She could manipulate situations to put herself in favourable positions. She portrayed her role of perfect mother and perfect wife to the public eye so well, no one would believe otherwise. She had a corrupted sense of love and affection. She found power in isolating, psychologically manipulating, and implementing distorted feelings of guilt in her children, all for the purpose of satisfying her dark needs. Because of the damage she had done to you and your siblings, none of you have been able to form healthy relationships with other people. The consequences she will face for the remainder of her life is isolation from her family, and the eventual shadow that will overtake her spotlight of narcissism." With that statement, Tai Por Waverley took another sip of her tea, and stood up to take something out from one of the medicine draws.
Walking back to sit next to me, I could see my favourite chestnut cake in her hand. She opened the package for me, and gestured for me to eat it.
"And you my dear precious Ella, oh how special you are. I am so sorry such a fate was handed to you. I can see you have suffered a very hard 30 years.
For a reason unknown to me, your soul was split and placed into two different bodies, in two different realities. It seems the purpose you were born as Eliana, was to be a shining light to a very bitter dark family that had the ability to cause great destruction to many lives. You were made in hopes, your gift of healing and the light you emit could mend the brokenness in their hearts. Although at the time you were born, darkness had already consumed your mother and 2 older siblings beyond repair, you did fulfill your purpose in saving your sister Aaliyah and brother Jonah from being fully consumed by darkness. And because of your shining presence in their lives, they were able to go on and become very successful adults who used their skills and intelligence to save many lives instead of killing them. I know it must sound very unfair to be born just to be a mending tool for a broken family, especially when you had to suffer so much for it, but that is why you are here now. It seems the moment your life as Eliana ended, your soul came here to reunite with its other half." Tai Por Waverley concluded.
There were so many feelings in me right now, I'm not even sure how to process them. I felt torn. On the one hand, I felt very grateful to have this second chance in life, but on the other hand, I felt heartbrokened that my siblings who suffered worse than me wasn't here too. Tai Por Waverley gave me a few moments of silence and left the room to go somewhere. She came back not long after and placed a big plate of my favourite tropical fruits on my lap. I quickly took hold of a large slice of papaya and demolished it in no time, then I worked on eating my beloved mangosteen.
"I know it has been hard for you to hear everything I have been saying, but I promise the next part will be better, okay?" Tai Por Waverley said reassuringly to me, giving my arm a light squeeze.
"Yes, it was hard hearing all that, but I'm okay. You can keep going." I replied while continuing my task of munching on all the tasty fruits.
"Brave girl. Can I ask you some questions?" Tai Por Waverley asked.
"Sure." I replied.
"Can you tell me, are you still pure?" Tai Por Waverley boldly asked. Hearing her very blunt and personal question, I nearly choked on my fruit.
"Uh..Why do you ask? Is it important?" I asked embarrassingly.
"Yes, very important. So are you?" Tai Por Waverley asked again, not at all embarrassed by her question.
"Er...well if you are asking if I'm still a virgin, then yes. After all that mother had done to us, I have never felt comfortable enough to share my body with another person." I replied shamefully. How pathetic it must sound that in all 30 years of my life, I have not once been intimate with anyone. I haven't even been on a date before.
"Ay my dear, it is a good thing you stayed pure. You are very lucky your body was kept sacred. Don't ever be embarrassed about such a thing. I know your mother had hurt you and your siblings in very wrong ways, but I am grateful she never manage to take away your most precious jewel. Jonah and Aaliyah had done well protecting you. Because of their merits and sacrifice of themselves, they will be blessed in everything they do in every life thereafter. Before I explain to you why I asked about your purity, I also want to know, have you noticed anything different about your body since becoming Bella?" Tai Por Waverley asked.
"Apart from the big shock of waking up in the body of a 15 year old white girl, I don't really see anything different about my body. I did notice my very big appetite though. It seems I'm always hungry, and food just bursts with flavour in my mouth. Do you have any idea why?" I asked inquisitively.
"Hmm, interesting. It seems the changes are happening already." Tai Por Waverley stated cryptically.
"What do you mean? What changes?" I asked confusingly.
"Child, now that your soul is whole again, your new body will gradually transform into its original complete form. The reason I had questioned you about your purity has everything to do with your transformation. It is said that only if two parts of the same soul are pure and sacred, will it unite and become one again. And as for what kind of transformation you will experience, I'm going to leave that as a surprise for you. But some of your changes will be dependant on what it is your predestined soul mate needs." Tai Por Waverley explained cryptically.
Hearing all that just confused me more than anything. It's like everything I asked her was answered, but in return I just had more questions.
"Tai Por Waverley, where did you get all this information from? How come you know so much about me? Do you have some sort of gift?" I questioned.
"That is a very good question. As you know, our world is full of mystical creatures, and this land has been specially blessed by the original creators. My ancestors migrated here from China over 500 years ago. Yin Liang, and his wife Yu Shou were a young newly wedded couple seeking a fresh start and some new adventures in life. They both came from a long family line of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. With time, they intergrated their practice with local native healers, creating many new medicinal formulas and saving many lives. Proven to be honourable people to the local dwellers of the land, when the couple's first born son, Xin Yao became of age, the Chief of Quileute tribe received instructions from the great spirits to give him the name Micah, and to propose a marriage union between Micah and his first born daughter, Tia.
As a blessing on Micah and Tia's union, the Great Spirits bestowed a generational gift and responsibility upon our family. It is written that when the first born female of every new generation of our family turns 16, she will be chosen to carry on the gift of knowing and guidance. As you can see, I am still the carrier of this gift, and that is because there were no daughters born into our family after me until Angela. Angela, my great granddaughter will be next in line to take over my role soon. Her 16th birthday is nearing, and when she takes over my gift, she will be your new guide." Tai Por Waverley explained.
"What about the other sons and daughters? Do they have gifts too?" I asked inquisitively.
"They certainly do, little one. All who are descendants from our family will have on some level, the wisdom and intuition to heal a person physically, psychologically, and/or spiritually. If you look at my family's occupation list, you would probably find many of them working in medical and health alliance sectors. My father though, he found his calling in healing through food. That is why we have many family restaurants, catering businesses, and food related charity services throughout the world. It's our way of paying forward the gifts we were blessed with." Tai Por Waverley shared proudly. My mind was blown. Who knew behind that one dimensional character Angela portrayed in the book, was a whole mystical world of unspoken family histories.
"Wow, your family history sounds fascinating. Thank you for sharing it with me. You must be so proud to be born from such an honourable family." I responded in awe. I definitely did not see that coming.
"So what exactly does a 'Guide' do? Why do I need one?" I asked backtracking my thoughts to before.
"As a Guide, we have the ability to see the past, present and future across all universes. This is so we can find the answers to what we need to know in order to help with our assigned tasks or charges. Our role is to support you and others through their journey to fulfilling a certain destiny." Tai Por Waverley explained.
That was just unbelievable. If I had heard all this back in my old world, I would have made a run for it thinking that was all crazy talk. But weirder than weird, I am a white teenage girl living in a fictional world right now, so I'm prepared to keep an open mind about basically anything. Nothing seemed impossible here.
"So are there any other gifted people like you here in Forks?" I asked, now feeling very intrigued.
"Ah, yes there are. As you know there are vampires and shape shifters here. There are also other gifted people around that I am very sure you will meet quite soon. I won't tell you who and what their gifts are, you will just have to find out for yourself. Life is more fun that way." Tai Por Waverley told me cheekily, giving out a chuckle at the small pout I had on my face.
"Charlie is very close to a few of them. The most important one you should know for now is Sue Clearwater. She is a very lovely woman with a gift perfect for you. Very soon, she will become a very important person in your life. I cannot tell you how and why, but you will find out soon enough." Tai Por Waverley hinted to me again, cryptically. Gah! I hate the suspense of waiting.
As I was reflecting on everything said tonight, another plate of food was offered to me. Mmm, steamed custard buns and egg tarts. One of my favourites. Now that I thought about it, where is she getting all these food from? And why does she keep feeding me?
"Hey, Tai Por Waverley. Why do you keep feeding me food? And how are you getting all these food in here without me noticing?" I asked.
"It's part of my gift. I can access anything I sense my charge needs. As for why I keep feeding you, well it's just what your body is telling me you need. As I mentioned before, your body is changing, but I haven't gotten an answer on the reasons for your high food intake yet. I will let you know if I do." Tai Por Waverley assured me.
After eating up my delicious custard buns and egg tarts, Tai Por Waverley got up from her seat, and gestured for me to follow her out of the room.
"I think we have covered all the important talk we needed to have tonight. Anytime you need me, or just missing your Chinese roots, come here. This is a home you are part of. Take the time to bond with my Angela. I have a feeling you will be good for each other. Especially since she will be your next Guide." Tai Por Waverley said as we entered an elevator to go up.
When we reached the third floor, I could hear a few voices laughing and chattering. Following my Guide, we removed our shoes outside the door, and walked into a very cozy looking home. I could see Charlie sitting by a dining table with a couple who I'm guessing are Angela's parents. With all the beers, nuts and playing cards scattered all over the table, it looks like they're having a great time.
"Hi, Bella! That was quite a long talk you had. Come over here. I want you to meet Wesley and Ava. They are Angela's parents, and my good friends since our diaper days." Charlie introduced in a cheerful tone.
Wesley was a handsome clean shaven middle age man with short jet black hair. He looked like the kind of cheeky man that could bring out the mischief in others. Ava was beautiful. She appears to have Eurasian features, just like Ms Rachel, and her whole presence can only be described as graceful.
"Hi, Wesley and Ava. It's nice to meet you." I greeted shyly.
"Hello, Bella! We have been looking forward to meet you. I see you've inherited Charlie's shyness. Don't be. You're family. I'm sure Tai Por Waverley will make you feel right at home." Wesley replied with a secretive wink.
"Hi sweetheart, you sure have grown into a beautiful young woman. I look forward to getting to know you better. I have a feeling you and I will be seeing a lot of each other from now on." Ava also said with a knowing smile.
"Thanks." I replied meekly. Looking around the apartment, I noticed it looked a lot bigger on the inside than I imagined. It seems Tai Por Waverley had left too, so I went over and took a seat next to Charlie at the table.
"So sweetheart, how are you liking it here in Forks so far?" Ava asked me with genuine interest.
"It's been wonderful so far. Everyone has been very nice and welcoming towards me. And thank you both for the generous gifts you've given me. I love them very much." I replied gratefully.
"That's wonderful to hear, Bella. And you are very welcome. We knew you would love those gifts. Tai Por Waverley has never been wrong." Ava said with a beautiful smile, then laughed along with Charlie and Wesley. I laughed as well understanding the humour of her last statement.
"So is this entire building owned by your family? Does Tai Por Waverley live here too?" I asked, curious of this seemingly complex building.
"Yes, the whole building belongs to our family. As you know, the ground level is where we have the restaurant, the Chinese medical dispensary, the grocery store, and our garages. Tai Por Waverley has her own apartment on the first floor, where you will also find a recreational area, a gym studio, swimming pool, and our office. My parents, and my brother's family lives on the second floor. On this floor there is just me, Ava, Angela, and our two year old twin boys, Arlo and Theo. And finally there is the top floor where we have two self contained units used for accomodating guests, and a greenhouse where we grow all sorts of herbs, spices, and edible plants. If at anytime you want to get away from your naggy old man, you can come stay over here with us. Heck you can even claim one of those units upstairs as yours already." Wesley offered sincerely, giving me a playful wink. Charlie punched him lightly on the arm, while throwing some peanut shells at his head. I watched their interactions with a warm smile. It's so obvious how at home they all were with each other.
How wonderful it must be, to get along so well with your family members that you can all live in the same building. What a refreshing new perspective to family ties. I definitely look forward to getting to know this family more.
