Two hours later Esme found us sitting in the living room, Alex and Jasper arguing over what was and was not considered cheating. According to Jasper, shoving your fellow drivers off of rainbow road was not cheating and merely just a winning strategy. Alex however strongly disagrees.

"You can't call murdering your fellows players fair gameplay! It's obviously cheating!"

"It's not my fault you can't correct your car in time to save yourself from driving off the side. And, I never said it was cheating. It's a strategy used to win."

"A strategy called cheating! You sideswiped me!"

"I barely grazed you!"

"Grazed me? Grazed me! I died!"

Emmett and I had been sitting in our respective seats for at least half an hour silently watching the verbal sparing match go on. So far, I couldn't pick out a clear winner. But, knowing both of them, neither would give up until they won. I was almost relieved to hear a door open farther within the house, a signal that someone was entering through the garage. I say almost because there's always the chance that it could be Edward. I really didn't want to talk to Edward. Or see him. Or for him to exist near me. Or…. I'm sure you get the point.

I had had no reason to worry too much though, as a few minutes later the smoothly flowing conversation of Alice and Esme traveled into the room along with the sound of crinkling as things were presumably set down. Moments later, Esme appeared in the doorway.

"Emmett, Jasper? Could you boys come help Alice and I for a moment please? We've gone shopping and could use help bringing everything inside and putting it away."

Hearing this Alex was, polite as always, placing the controller on the coffee table and offering to help as well and voicing his concern, hoping they hadn't had to go shopping for us. Of course they had had to go shopping for us, not that Alex knew that. I had no clue whose ass they'd pulled the ingredients for this mornings breakfast out of.

"Are you sure? We could always help out with food costs, if you'd like, you are after all letting us stay here while my truck is repaired."

"Really, dear, I'm sure. It was time to go shopping again anyway. You two are really not an inconvenience."

"Well, if you're sure…"

I could tell by Alex's face that he felt badly about intruding and knew he would have felt better to at least contribute somehow to the house. Maybe Esme would eventually have something for us to help out with, other than grocery storage. Hurriedly standing from the couch, I followed the group down the hallway and towards the kitchen. I may not have felt like helping them with groceries, but I felt even less like leaving myself alone in a room where someone could attempt a heart to heart.

In the kitchen Alice was unpacking brown paper bags of their contents, which she set upon an open counter, before she folded the bags and placed them in what looked like their designated bag bin. Upon our groups arrival into the kitchen, Esme, Alex and I all stopped while Jasper and Emmett continued on through the house and into the garage. No doubt in search of the remaining grocery bags Esme had mentioned. While Esme, Alice and Alex worked on placing things where they belonged, Esme and Alice more so than Alex as they knew where their food "belonged", I leaned against the counter watching.

The was an assortment of pastas as well as sauces, rice and beans which where quickly sorted and placed in a cabinet below the silverware drawer. Next, various snacks were put into a cabinet that stood against a nearby wall.

Alex, upon seeing the empty state of literally every so called food storage spot so far jokingly announced, nudging Esme gently in the side with an elbow as his hands were full, "Wow, you really weren't kidding about needing to shop."

I couldn't help the snort from escaping.

Esme smiled and said, something which I'm sure was a practiced cover line, "Five teenagers eat a bunch more than you'd think." She even added a small laugh on at the end.

Alex laughed in response, nodding, and continued some quiet conversation with Esme as they moved onto putting away the frozen and refrigerated goods, which had just made their way inside. If anything would give them away, as vampire or as idiots, this would be it. Everyone knows you don't let those items sit out, they get tended to first.

I rolled my eyes at the judgement lapse and rounded the island to perch upon a stool near where Alex had wandered to rifle curiously through a group of bags, a smile gracing my lips over his vocal excitement after discovering pizza rolls. Esme was pulling items out of bags across from us, smothering a laugh. I wasn't sure I liked how close Alex was getting to them. They'd already hurt me, they didn't need to get to him as well.

Shifting myself in my seat, I made sure to keep my voice at a mere whisper (not that it would stop Esme from hearing).

"So…. I noticed you've been getting along nicely."

"Yeah, B, they don't seem all that bad."

Yuh, I didn't think so either. Too trusting of them, like Alex now, I guess.

He made a face, almost like he regretted saying it. I had told him about them, maybe he thought he'd offend me.

"We haven't been here all that long either."

I reminded, gently. I saw Esme tense slightly and her movement slowed as well. Not in a pretending-to-be-human kinda way either. More of a listening-to-you-more-than-focusing-on-my-task kinda way.

Alex made a noncommittal sound in his throat as he pillaged yet another bag.

"I'm just saying, don't get too attached. We are, after all," I looked up and met Esme's eyes as I finished my sentence "disposable to them."

I couldn't tell if the emotions I saw within them were real or a result of centuries of acting.