Ok, so right now our average reviews per chapter is seven. I'd like to bump that up to eight within the next two chapters. Please! Oh! I posted new character pictures on my Links account! The six other Cullens and the first Bella picture! Go check them out!
Edward-
"Guys, stay out of it!" I ordered, throwing my backpack across the living room upon entering the house after school. It smacked into the wall, too close to leaving a mark. And yet not close enough. I tugged on the hair my hand was tangled in atop my nearly exploding head, eyes closed in an attempt to calm myself. When I reopened them, I winced at the ferocious gazes of my four siblings.
"Edward, we're concerned about you," Alice explained, stepping forward and capturing my attention. She placed my head between her tiny hands, forcing my neck to make a straight horizontal line so I could look her in the eyes. How could one vampire be so tiny?! "You aren't well."
Her words would have sounded soothing and caring if I hadn't known Alice for so long. Deep down, her true intentions were to mock me. She didn't understand why I couldn't march across the street and convey my heart's every feeling to Bella, and why we couldn't simply ride off into the sunset-aside from the fact that we'd be sparkling like nobodies' business, that is-and live happily ever after. I didn't need to read her mind to know that's what she was thinking. It was in her eyes.
I ripped my face from her grasp and turned away from them all, my eyes closed to fight back tears that couldn't fall. "I'm handling it," I growled, fists clenching at my sides.
"No you're not!" boomed Emmett, menace in his voice that I had never heard there before. Snapping my eyes to his-since by that point every mythical mind in the area was blocked from me-and saw the pain that had only been hinted at in his thoughts conveyed completely for me to read. His tone softened a bit for his next sentiment. "Edward, we all miss her." Everyone ignored Rosalie's grumbled protest. "And we all want her back. If you're not going to do anything about it, then we will." I saw finality in all of their eyes, even the blonde standing by his side.
"Rosalie?" I questioned, not willing to believe what my eyes were reading. She turned away.
"I'm not saying that I miss her, Edward. But none of us have been the same since we left. Alice has been so depressed, not even shopping in stores more than once a week. Then there's Esme, whose heart literally broke the day we left, and hasn't been the same since. Emmett hardly teases anybody anymore! Bella was his favorite person to pick on. Add all that, plus your guilt and grief that practically equals theirs', and push it all onto Jasper, who's so overloaded with those two emotions he's been forced to push them onto us, only adding to his guilt, and you get Carlisle, who sits there and tries to hold us all together but it's just not working anymore! Dammit Edward, let us help!" She was practically in hysterics by the time she finished, but none of us could overcome our shock at the depths of her emotions to help her out. Emmett, of course, got over it first and pulled her into his arms.
I came around second, and pushed back the awe and love I felt for my sister in order to enforce my next statement. "Stay out of it."
Alice attacked me the very second my back was to her, and Emmett wasted no time in helping her. He had me pinned in milliseconds, leaving Alice to punch and kick any part of me she could reach. And damn if the little pixie wasn't strong!
Thankfully some God took pity on me, sending Carlisle home from the hospital early because none of the patients that came in were in critical condition. One order from him and my brother and sister were on their feet on the opposite side of the room.
"What the hell is going on here?!" That was bad. Carlisle never swore.
Alice and I began spluttering out everything, and if he wasn't a vampire Carlisle would've had no idea what in the world we'd said. But he was, and didn't ask for repetition. "Kids, I think Edward has a point. Ok, he brought Bella into our lives and took her out. It's his and her choice if she comes back. I don't want to hear anymore on this topic. I suggest you all go hunt. You're too wound up."
They're faces were varied mixtures of shock, anger, hurt, and betrayal for a second. Then they simultaneously cast their heads downward and marched out the front door. Perfect harmony. I, however, turned and stomped my way up the stairs, figuratively of course. Vampires can't really stomp. The hell if I was gonna spend time with them after this!
No One-
"So, what's the plan?" Emmett asked after the four of them had stopped running through the trees, and had perched themselves on branches, coupling off on them.
Alice smirked proudly to her big brother.
Bella-
"Well if you'd calm down I'd tell you my plan! Damn dog, you sure have your tail in a twist." I chuckled at my own joke, lame as it may have been.
"Har-dee-har-har-har," Jacob mumbled dryly through the phone. "Gosh Bella, you're so funny sometimes! That's just one of the many qualities I love about you!" I rolled my eyes, even if he couldn't see it.
"Can the flattery, mutt, I've already agreed to help you."
"Oh thank God!" I could just see him wiping the imaginary sweat from his deeply tanned brow. "Cuz that joke was terrible! So what's the plan?"
"Well, our winter formal is coming up in a month. Come with us and we'll introduce you. Then just charm her." I nodded to myself, satisfied with my ingenious plan. I spent nearly four seconds coming up with it!
"Oh really, that's great and all Bells. There's just one little problem; how the hell do I charm a girl?!" I couldn't help the laughter that burst from my throat.
"Ugh, it's simple! You just have to understand her character. She's shy, uncoordinated, a tad self-conscious, kind of a wise ass when she wants to be-" Jacob cut me off with a chuckle.
"Sounds like a different human I used to know!" I growled into the phone, causing him to chuckle more. "Ok, ok, so I what, woo her by catching her when she falls, tease her about it, and then apologize for being a dick?"
"I dunno, Jake, you're the one in love with her, not me! You figure it out!" I clicked the phone off, tired of trying to be cupid. I decided to go out for a hunt.
"No, no, I'm fine by myself," I assured my family as some of them made moves to get up. "I just need to clear my head of a few things."
After taking down a few bucks, I propped myself up in a tree, not ready to return to the real world. I began to drift into my thoughts, perched on a branch in the middle of a pine tree, when the gentle patter of feet much to be nimble to be human broke through my reverie. I growled softly to myself.
It didn't take long for the intruder to come into my line of vision, and I nearly launched myself at her once I saw who it was.
"Bella, I know you're up there," she called out confidently when she reached the trunk of my tree. I rolled my eyes. No shit, Sherlock.
"I'm aware of your extra senses, Rosalie," I called back, my eyes lazily rolling down to look at her. She was standing there, arms crossed over her prominent chest, glaring up at me expectantly. I sighed, turning my body around to face her. "What do you want?"
"To talk, duh!"
"So talk."
"Get down from there!" she ordered, her patience finally boiling over and I smirked. Shrugging, I hopped lightly down from branch to branch, landing with a barely audible thud in front of her. She seemed a bit shell-shocked, same as the rest of her family, and I felt smug.
If any of the other Cullens had ordered me around like that I would've flipped them the bird and told them to F off. But the fact that Rosalie was treating me the same as she used to, granted with a bit more talking, was something I respected. She wasn't trying to kiss up to me like the others. It was… refreshing.
"What?" I demanded, not breaking through my icy demeanor just because of the little respect I'd gained for her. She wasn't about to get special treatment.
"Ok, this whole bitchy thing you have going on, while granted it's entertaining, is stupid. So we left. It was our choice, and you shouldn't be mad about it." My only response was to raise an eyebrow at her. Inside I was fuming. Who was she to boss me around anyway?! But I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of my rage. I decided to focus on my shield, testing its strength. I'd never had so many people under it at such a great distance; and especially not for so long. I'd been gone at least three hours. It was still going strong.
"Really, that's all you're gonna say?" she asked in disbelief, her expression matching mine. I shrugged. Her jaw locked tightly, and I had to fight the smirk. "Bella, you're not fooling me. I know how in love you still are with Edward." Oh, she was good. My mouth fell open, finally giving her an involuntary reaction. It lasted less than half a second, before I snapped it shut and glared.
"That's not true."
"Isn't it? If you weren't still madly in love with him-which I don't understand, by the way, but whatever-you wouldn't be so angry with him."
I had my practiced excuse ready by the time she was finished. "Look." I stretched out the word for emphasis. "When you guys left, I was devastated." I didn't like admitting this to people, but admitting it to their family might pick their consciences, even if just a bit. "That hurt doesn't just go away, even if I'm over him. Ok?"
Her black eyes filled with repressed humor; she didn't believe me. Well damn. And I thought I'd been pretty convincing.
I stomped away from the annoying blonde bitch; because sprinting top speed would've felt like running away, and I was much a fan of running from my problems.
Um, excuse me, but weren't you the one who wanted to run all the way back to Forks the millisecond the Cullens showed up and pretend to be Izzy Swan, Bella and Edward's bastard?! Hmmm?!
Antagonizing voice in my head, I griped at Old Bella. Well I wouldn't have enjoyed it, I assured her, still marching away from Rosalie, who had made no move to follow me; a giant step in the intelligence department for blondes everywhere. She was no doubt going off hunting; eyes that dark should never be allowed around the human population.
"Don't worry," she called back and I froze in my tracks. "I won't tell Edward."
No One-
"So how'd it go?!" Alice pounced on Rosalie, literally, the second she walked through the door. Edward had gone off to sulk in the middle of the forest, as per usual, and Esme and Carlisle had decided to go out on a date; a night aboard the family's yacht on the middle of the Colombia River. The four schemers had the whole night to their plans.
"I like this new Bella much more than the old one," Rosalie stated with a tone of admiration. "And do you really need to ask?"
"I was… occupied during the last hour or so."
Emmett shuddered. "Yea, no amount of TV could block out the sounds coming from up there."
"Well, I know one thing: She's still in love with him." Alice beamed, Emmett cheered, and Jasper looked unsurprised.
"I coulda told ya that," he informed her arrogantly, causing Rosalie to scoff. "Anything else?"
"Alice was right. She's more tolerant of me for some reason." They all nodded. It made sense. Bella had turned into a bitch, and bitches tended to respect one another. "So, what's our next idea?"
Alright, shortest chapter yet, and I'm sorry for that! It was just another filler, but I do like this one a bit more than the last. I'm going out of town this week and wanted to post something before I left. Please send me some love!
Luv Wendy! :)(: