TODAY'S QUOTE:
My room isn't messy - it's an obstacle course designed to keep me fit.
CHAPTER TEN
PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR NOTE AT THE BOTTOM!
"Are you finished?" Edward asked.
After my awkward crying session with Carlisle, the rest of the week had continued smoothly.
He dropped me off at Dad's, and promised Rosalie would bring my stuff to school on Monday, which she did.
Wednesday night Billy and Jacob Black came over, and I took my dinner to eat in my room. I didn't like the way Billy stared disapprovingly at me, or how Jacob's eyes kept flicking to my chest despite my many glares and threats. For once though, Bella didn't chastise my mood, instead choosing to safely ignore the whole situation.
And now, both Isabella and I were heading over to the Cullens house for an afternoon of playing with the vampires. I was looking forward to it - Rosalie promised that she'd give me some pointers to looking after my bike.
"Um, in a minute," Bella said, poking her head out the hallway and smiling at us. I didn't return it. We were still testy with each other.
I heard several loud thumps, and an 'I'm fine!', before she rushed down the stairs, almost tripping. Only Edward's speed and good instincts kept her from tumbling to her death.
She wore a white skirt and black blouse, pink trainers on her feet. She almost looked like she was going to a tennis match.
I, however, decided to don my tatty jeans and and jacket, a dark long sleeved blue shirt under, with sunnies perched upon my head, resting against my bun.
"Finally," I muttered.
Bella and Edward got in her truck, and I followed slowly on my bike. I in no way wanted to intrude on their little lovey-dovey moments, but I still didn't know the way.
We passed over the bridge at the Calawah River, the road winding northward, the houses flashing past us growing farther apart, getting bigger. And then we were past the other houses altogether, driving through misty forest. We then turned abruptly onto an unpaved road. It was unmarked, barely visible among the ferns.
The forest encroached on both sides, leaving the road ahead only discernible for a few meters as it twisted, serpentlike, around the ancient trees.
I parked first, and the Cheevy stopped right next to my bike, which made me a little uneasy.
"Wow," Bella breathed, stepping out of her truck, her door narrowly missing hitting me in the head.
"You like it?" he smiled.
"It… has a certain charm."
He pulled the end of her ponytail and chuckled. "Ready?"
"Not even a little bit — let's go." she tried to laugh, but it seemed to get stuck in her throat.
I ignored the two and, choosing to walk up to the door as opposed to watching them in their own bubble.
"Morgana!" Esme said happily, pulling me inside before I had the chance to knock.
"Afternoon," I said, smiling back at her. It was impossible not to - the woman was an absolute godsend.
"I made food," she said. She dragged me to the kitchen and sat me down at a chair behind the counter, passing me a small bowl of panna cotta.
"Are we Italian, today?" I asked, amused. Yesterday she made German noodles, Thursday was Mexican tacos, which the Cullens enjoyed watching me try to eat with spilling any out of the shell, and on Tuesday she made lamingtons which were absolutely awesome.
"Yes, now eat," she ordered.
I didn't bother resisting - I knew not only would it offend her, I would cave anyways.
"This is so good," I said, after my first bite. She beamed.
"Carlisle, Esme," Edward's voice said from behind me. I turned to find that he and Bella had finally arrived, and that Carlisle had appeared at the dining room table which I'm sure they had for no other reason than decoration.
"And appearances," Edward supplied. I scowled at him. Get out of my head! "This is Bella," he added.
"You're very welcome here, Bella."
Carlisle's step was measured, careful as he approached her. He raised his hand tentatively, and Bella stepped forward to shake hands with him.
"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen."
"Please, call me Carlisle."
"Carlisle." She grinned at him, and I felt my hands clench in a sudden burst of jealousy. Where had that come from?
Esme smiled and sped forward as well, reaching for Bella's hand, which she shook quickly and firmly.
"It's very nice to know you," she said.
"Thank you. I'm glad to meet you, too."
It suddenly got very awkward, and I distracted myself from the silence washing up the bowl and spoon in the sink before drying them and giving them to Esme to put away in the top shelf, which I apparently could not reach, much to the amusement of Emmett.
"I made Panna Cotta, Bella," Esme said, breaking the silence. "Would you care for some?"
"Oh, um, I already ate."
When? We had lunch like, four hours ago, and she had spent those hours with Edward in her room.
"Where are Alice and Jasper?" Edward asked, but no one answered, as they had just appeared at the top of the wide staircase.
"Hey, Edward!" Alice called enthusiastically. She ran down the stairs, a streak of black hair and white skin, coming to a sudden and graceful stop in front of Bella.
"Hi, Bella!" Alice said, and she bounced forward to kiss her cheek. "You do smell nice, I never noticed before. Much better than Morgana."
"Thanks," I said sarcastically, amused, annoyed and embarrassed all in one.
"Alice!" Carlisle hissed.
"What? She smells fine, but Bella smells like good food and Morgana doesn't at all."
I raised an eyebrow at her. No one else seemed to know quite what to say, and then Jasper was there — tall and leonine.
A feeling of ease spread through me, and I pushed it back easily, making Jasper make an almost pout like expression.
"Hello, Bella," Jasper said, nicely. "Morgana." He said that with a little bit more exasperation.
'What?" I asked, with a fake mocking tone. "It's not my fault you're not strong enough to overpower me."
Alice laughed daintily, as did Esme.
Bella wandered with Edward over to the piano, where Esme began teasing him until he played for them. Alice and Jasper sped upstairs together, and I found myself in the room alone with Carlisle.
"How was school?" he asked conversationally, moving over to stand by me.
"Small talk, Carlisle? I thought we were passed this point of awkward exchanges."
He chuckled softly. "Okay, let's talk about something deeper. Women's rights? Pro-life? The philosophical belief on whether or not we have free will?"
I remembered the excuse that I gave Bella on the day of the knife incident, and my eyes narrowed. "How do you know about that?"
He suddenly looked uncomfortable, his fingers picking at a thread on his cotton shirt. "I, um, I heard about it."
"You 'heard about it'?" I asked, my voice slightly strangled. "You didn't…"
"Alice warned me you would get hurt. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't too serious," he explained quickly.
"I can't believe you!" I snarled, clenching my hands. "You had no right to- to stalk me!"
"I wouldn't exactly call it 'stalking'..." he defended weakly.
"Wouldn't you?" I asked, giving him a harsh glare and inwardly smirking when he took a half step back. "What would you call it, Carlisle?"
"Making sure you were okay."
"Get back to me when you have a better excuse," I snapped, walking past him, ignoring his hurt expression and making my way to Rosalie's room. She would understand why I was so angry.
"C'mere," she said the second I entered. She hugged me tightly, before letting me go and pulling me onto her bed.
"It's so infuriating," I said, knowing full well he could probably hear me rant.
"Think of it from his side," she said, taking my hand and holding it in hers. "You're pretty damn important to him, and he already knew you were going to get hurt."
"Yes, and he watched me! Like some sick pervert or something."
She rolled her eyes at me. "You know it's not like that."
"What is it, then?"
Why wouldn't she just let me be mad? What right did he have to stalk me? How long had this been going on?
"It's just not like that," she repeated.
"Right," I said sarcastically. "That clears it up so much, thanks Angel."
"Maybe you should ask him," she suggested.
"No way am I going near him."
"Morgana," she said.
"No! Don't try to tell me that he was in the right, or some shit like that."
"That's not what I'm saying." She pursed her lips. "Just, don't be too hard on him."
I raised an eyebrow. "Fine. I'll just ignore him."
"He just wants to protect you. It's just his nature."
"I can assure you that I don't need protection," I said bluntly
"We all know that," she laughed. I glared at her. "Fine, fine. Carlisle just wants to protect those close to him, even if he does it wrong."
I rolled my eyes.
"Did I ever tell you how I was changed?" she asked suddenly. I didn't have time to answer, she instead just began talking. "I lived a very good life, I was rich, and my family was well-known. I was engaged to Royce Royale, who I realize now only wanted me for my looks and money. Even as a human, I was very beautiful."
Rosalie laughed bitterly before continuing. "I thought I had it all. Just a few days before my wedding, Royce and his friends got drunk."
I drew in sharp breath. "Rose…"
"They beat and raped me. I was going to die when Carlisle smelt the blood. I wanted to die. He changed me."
"And- and you don't want to be a vampire, do you?"
"No. There are parts I love, like Emmett, but I want to be human. I'd rather have died that night."
I grimaced. "Are they still alive?"
I knew Rosalie was only eighty-ish, so it was possible. If so, I was going to go burn their fucking houses down.
"No," she said shortly. "I killed them all. It was very dramatic. I wore a wedding dress."
I had to suppress a dark laugh.
"C'mon," she said, pulling me up off the bed. It was a fast change in attitude, and I worried, but I knew better than to bring it up. "I think Carlisle's dying of hurt."
I glared at her. I got the point of her telling me the story - Carlisle saved her in the wrong way, but I was still pissed.
"Morgana, I-"
"Save it," I said, interrupting Carlisle's sentence. "Let me be mad at you, okay? Then we'll talk."
He nodded wordlessly, and let me walk past him into the living room.
"Hello Morgana," Alice said softly. I had to strain to hear the words. "He's very upset."
"Good," I said shortly.
"Alice believes there'll be a storm tonight," Jasper said, pulling Alice into his arms and holding her tightly.
"Believes or knows?" I asked, somewhat sarcastically.
"Knows," he said, his smile growing wider on his face. "Which means we can play baseball."
"I'm sure you'll enjoy that," I said drily. Why was he telling me this?
"Vampire baseball," he added. I nodded warily. "You're invited."
"Oh. Sounds interesting. Will I need an umbrella?"
"You're just like Bella," Alice laughed. "She asked the exact same thing."
"But will I?"
"The storm will hit over town. It should be dry enough in the clearing."
I found myself a little excited. Vampire baseball would be undoubtedly more interesting than normal baseball.
"I look forward to it," I said. Alice squealed.
I took the fast way to the clearing - Rosalie carried me. Or rather, Rosalie tried to carry me, and Emmett kept trying to steal me out of her arms. Much to my glee, Emmett rarely succeeded, and the second he did, Rosalie would turn on her charm and he'd drop me, allowing her to catch me and keep running.
"You are so annoying," I said, hands on hips, faking irritation with him. In truth, it had been fun, if not a little scary.
Emmett pouted. "It was her fault," he defended, making Rosalie and I both roll our eyes.
"Men!" she scoffed. I had to hold back a laugh at Emmett's petulant expression.
The clearing was large, at least three times as big as any stadium, and had many trees and ferns surrounding it.
Emmett had rolled a boulder over to the side, which Rosalie had sat me on when she finally let me down, and the two were standing at the foot of it. I could just make out little bits of sparkle every now and then, which I teased Emmett mercilessly about. I still hadn't seen them fully in the sun, and Emmett claimed I was never going to.
Esme was with Carlisle, and they were both marking the bases, each set at least a mile apart.
Much farther out I could see Jasper and Alice, at least a quarter of a mile apart, appearing to throw something back and forth, but I never saw any ball.
Rosalie coughed delicately, and pointed at an opening of the clearing. "Bella and Edward are here."
I jumped off the rock, and onto Emmett's back, who sped me over to the two. Most of the Cullens had come over, with the exception of Carlisle who had taken to keeping his distance, which made me feel bad, but also… good?
"Was that you we heard, Edward?" Esme asked as she approached.
"It sounded like a bear choking," Emmett clarified. I was so confused. What had they heard that I hadn't?
Bella smiled hesitantly at Esme. "That was him."
"Bella was being unintentionally funny," Edward explained.
"It's time," Alice announced. As soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest beyond us, and then crashed westward toward town.
"Eerie, isn't it?" Emmett said with easy familiarity, winking at me. "Let's go."
Alice reached for Emmett's hand and they darted toward the oversized field; she ran like a gazelle. He was nearly as graceful and just as fast — yet Emmett could never be compared to a gazelle. Rosalie and Jasper followed suit, though Esme stayed behind.
"Are you ready for some ball?" Edward asked Bella, who nodded eagerly. Edward kissed her cheek before darting off.
"Always the gentleman," Esme smiled. "Edward was the first of my new sons. I've always thought of him that way, even though he's older than I, in one way at least." She smiled at Bella warmly. "That's why I'm so happy that he's found you, dear."
"You don't mind, then?" Bella asked, hesitant again. "That I'm… all wrong for him?"
"No." She was thoughtful. "You're what he wants. It will work out, somehow," she said, though her forehead creased with worry.
Another peal of thunder began. It looked as if they had formed teams. Edward was far out in left field, Carlisle stood between the first and second bases, and Alice held the ball, positioned on the spot that must be the pitcher's mound.
Emmett was swinging an aluminum bat; it whistled almost untraceably through the air. I waited for him to approach home plate, but then I realized, as he took his stance, that he was already there — farther from the pitcher's mound than I would have thought possible. Jasper stood several feet behind him, catching for the other team.
"All right," Esme called in a clear voice, which I knew they would all hear. "Batter up."
Alice stood straight, deceptively motionless. Her style seemed to be stealth rather than an intimidating windup. She held the ball in both hands at her waist, and then, like the strike of a cobra, her right hand flicked out and the ball smacked into Jasper's hand.
"Was that a strike?" Bella whispered to Esme.
"If they don't hit it, it's a strike," I said distractedly. My skin was crawling, and I felt the hairs on my arm stand tall. I pulled my jacket tighter.
Jasper hurled the ball back to Alice's waiting hand. She permitted herself a brief grin. And then her hand spun out again. This time the bat somehow made it around in time to smash into the invisible ball.
The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous; it echoed off the mountains — I immediately understood the necessity of the thunderstorm. The ball shot like a meteor above the field, flying deep into the surrounding forest.
"Home run," Bella murmured.
"Wait," Esme cautioned, listening intently, one hand raised. Emmett was a blur around the bases, Carlisle shadowing him. I realized Edward was missing. "Out!" Esme cried in a clear voice.
I stared in disbelief as Edward sprang from the fringe of the trees, ball in his upraised hand, his wide grin visible even to me. "Emmett hits the hardest," Esme explained, "but Edward runs the fastest."
It was impossible to keep up with the speed at which the ball flew, the rate at which their bodies raced around the field. I learned the other reason they waited for a thunderstorm to play when Jasper, trying to avoid Edward's infallible fielding, hit a ground ball toward Carlisle. Carlisle ran into the ball, and then raced Jasper to first base.
When they collided, the sound was like the crash of two massive falling boulders. I jumped up in concern, worry filling my head for Carlisle, but they were somehow unscathed.
"Safe," Esme called in a calm voice. Emmett's team was up by one — Rosalie managed to flit around the bases after tagging up on one of Emmett's long flies — when Edward caught the third out.
He sprinted to Bella's side, sparkling with excitement. "What do you think?" he asked.
"One thing's for sure, I'll never be able to sit through dull old Major League Baseball again." "And it sounds like you did so much of that before," he laughed. "Are you enjoying it?" he asked me as an added afterthought.
"Mhmm," I said. I couldn't help but feel as though something was going to go terribly wrong.
"I'm up," he said, heading for the plate. He played intelligently, keeping the ball low, out of the reach of Rosalie's always-ready hand in the outfield, gaining two bases like lightning before Emmett could get the ball back in play.
Carlisle knocked one so far out of the field — with a boom that hurt my ears — that he and Edward both made it in. Alice slapped them dainty high fives.
The score constantly changed as the game continued, and they razzed each other like any streetball players as they took turns with the lead. Occasionally Esme would call them to order. The thunder rumbled on, but we stayed dry, as Alice had predicted.
Carlisle was up to bat, Edward catching, when Alice suddenly gasped. My eyes were on the trees, and I didn't realise anything was wrong until the family appeared right in front of me.
"Alice?" Esme's voice was tense.
"I didn't see — I couldn't tell," she whispered.
"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asked with the calm voice of authority, although I could hear the worry.
"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," she murmured.
"Who was travelling?" I asked.
"Namads," Esme said to me, before turning to the group. "What changed?"
"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," she said, contrite, as if she felt responsible for whatever had frightened her.
"How soon?" Carlisle said, turning toward Edward. A look of intense concentration crossed his face.
"Less than five minutes. They're running — they want to play." He scowled.
"Can we make it?" Carlisle asked him, his eyes flicking toward me.
"No, not carrying —" He cut short. "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch their scents and start hunting."
"How many?" Emmett asked Alice.
"Three," she answered tersely.
"Three!" he scoffed. "Let them come." The steel bands of muscle flexed along his massive arms. For a split second that seemed much longer than it really was, Carlisle deliberated.
"Emmett's right," I said. He grinned at me. "Why don't we just kill them?"
"Let's just continue the game," Carlisle finally decided. His voice was cool and level. "Alice said they were simply curious. We make peace with them."
"If they're going to hunt us, then why bother playing nice?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"They might not. And we don't have time to run," Carlisle explained.
"You catch, Esme," Edward said. "I'll call it now." And he planted himself in front of Bella. Carlisle stood a few meters in front of me, pretending to do something on his phone. The others returned to the field, warily sweeping the dark forest with their sharp eyes.
"Take your hair down," Edward said in a low, even voice. Bella obediently slid the rubber band out of my hair and shook it out around herself.
"Come here," I said to her. She walked warily to me, and I pulled my gloves off. "Don't move."
"That could work," Edward said. I nodded.
I took the ends of her hair, and singed them slightly, before running my smoking hands through the rest of her hair.
"You just burnt my hair!" Bella shrieked.
"Yes. Turn."
She growled slightly, and gave me a weak glare, but did as I said. I burnt the bottom of her shirt, hoping the smoky smell might hide her scent.
Bella stated the obvious. "The others are coming now."
"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please," Edward said.
"What about her?" Bella asked, pointing at me. So she did care.
"I'll be fine. They can't touch me."
Edward took a half step, angling himself between me and what was coming. Carlisle came closer, standing protectively in front of me. I positioned myself so he was beside me. I could handle myself.
Emmett, and the others turned in the same direction, hearing sounds of passage much too faint for my ears.
READ THIS! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!
I'm thinking about introducing a new character with James, Laurent and Victoria, and this new person will be Esme's mate. It's pretty much decided, as this will tie up a loose end, BUT please tell me if this will annoy you. Also, feel free to tell me possible names, powers, appearance, personality, ect.
Read, review, fav and follow!
I'm not planning to have Morgana be pregnant, at all. Yes, Bella is a bitch to Morgana, but think of it from her POV. She's grown up being told her sister tried to blow up their house, kill people, ect.
I hope you all enjoyed this Chapter - it's finally picking up.