So, still not a doppelganger.
I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my girlfriends the other night and as we were watching the tragic scene where Harry brings Cedric's body back, I commented, "And, so begins his transformation to Edward Cullen."
Shout out to:
Auguruj because she's just a riot! Bloody bureaucracy! She's also threatened to take a bite out of her PC and I'm in agreement that it probably wouldn't be good for her teeth.
BPOV
It'd been two weeks since that Friday. I was fully moved in and had gone shopping for some new clothes, wishing the entire time I had Alice and Rose with me to help.
The shock of finding them gone had worn off. I'd shed all the tears I could and was accepting that they were gone and I'd never see them again most likely. My mind kept repeating they were gone. She'd broken her promise. Time would start healing the wounds I knew.
I stood staring in the mirror in my bathroom, seeing not the woman I'd become, but the girl I'd been. Scared, hurt, and uncertain. How could they have wanted me? No one else had. I'd had no hope at the time of finding a family of my own at that time and when I thought I had, it'd been taken from me. I still felt as if I'd never find a family.
The family that had looked promising I'd lost and then lost again. The wound still cut deep, even after all these years.
"We'll always want you, Bella."
"Yea, if only that were true. If you wanted me you'd have been there when I returned."
"You'll find your way back to us."
"How can I do that when I don't even know where you are? And, besides, you broke your promise! Why would I look for you anyway?"
Sighing, I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and left for my classes, knowing that I was lying to myself. Broken promises or not, I would look for them.
There were more important things on my mind though. It was the first day of classes and I needed my mind present. I had two English classes, Dance, Math, and Biology. It was a busy schedule, but the more I got done each semester, the less I had to do. I wasn't happy with the Biology either, but the way my classes had transferred from England, I'd been left with a couple classes that I'd have to take for my Master that I didn't particularly want to take.
My morning passed in a blur, English and Dance being favorites of mine. It seemed class would just start and the teacher would be announcing it was over. As I walked towards the cafeteria, I mulled my classes over in my mind, not paying attention to where I was walking and managing to bump into a brick wall. Or, what felt like one anyway. A brick wall with hands, as it prevented me from falling flat on my ass.
Breathing a little heavy from being startled, I looked up and into the most brilliant blue eyes framed by dark lashes. A lock of blonde hair fell over the forehead of a perfectly chiseled face. And my word, it had to be illegal to have lips that sexy. "Hi."
His voice caressed my skin and I was breathless as I replied, "Hi."
"In a hurry?" he teased, still holding onto my shoulders.
"Hurry?" I shook my head, trying to clear it. "No! No. I was…I was lost in my thoughts. I'm so sorry. I really wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. I should have been, but I wasn't. That's what I get for paying more attention to what's in my head then in front of me. I didn't mean to run…bump…collide with you."
I was rambling! Bloody hell! I was rambling! Get a grip on yourself, Bella!
He chuckled, a delicious, sinful sound. Bending closer, he whispered against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "Did you know you have the sexiest accent I've ever heard?"
I shook my head dumbly. Shit, he was intoxicating. Bad boy to the bone I'd bet, but shit…
"You do. Where are you from," he pressed, pulling back to look in my eyes.
"I've been living in England the last few years."
"British…hmmm…very sexy."
He released me, stepping back. I hadn't a clue what to reply to that. I blinked, trying to pull my wits around me and failing miserably. God, I could stare at him all day. I managed a whispered, "Thanks."
"Maybe I'll see ya round?"
"Yea."
I watched him walked…swagger…away, feeling as if I needed to sit down and fan myself. Hot damn! They made guys that hot? Food…you need food. But, still…hot damn…
JaPOV
"Dudes, I just had the hottest chick run into me," I stated, sitting down at the table my friends and I congregated at.
"What did she look like?"
"She had to be 'bout five five. Long auburn hair. Brown eyes. Sexy lips. British accent. Curves in all the right places. Slim."
"Geez, James! You gotta introduce her to us!"
"No can do, Em…didn't get her name. Figured I'd just hand around the area again and get her to 'bump' into me again."
"Why the hell did you get her name?"
"Not my style, Em. You know that," I retorted, listening to him grumble. "You working this Friday?"
"Yea. You?"
I nodded.
"Hey, Eddie," Tanya, a long-legged, strawberry blonde and Edward's girlfriend, walked over and sat down on his lap.
"Hey, Tanya."
"What are you guys talking about?"
"The hot chick James met and neglected to get a name or number for," Emmett supplied.
"Can it, Emmett," I ordered.
"Well, it isn't a mistake I'd make!"
"What about, Rose?"
"She'd sooner punch me than date me."
"Well, don't go after my catch."
BPOV
Lunch helped until Biology. I'd just taken a seat at a table in the back when he walked in. Great…I make a fool of myself at lunch and now I'll be spending the semester in the same class with him.
"Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here."
And, just my luck, of course he'd take the free seat next to me. Now I really get to be a rambling idiot.
"Hello again," I smiled at him, watching him lean back and prop an ankle on his knee.
"Since I was far more interested in your beauty earlier-" I blushed, pleased with the compliment. "I didn't catch your name."
"You didn't ask for it," I informed him, doodling in my notebook.
"Well, then, I'll just have to rectify that now won't I?"
"If you want," I drew a flower.
He dropped his foot back to the floor, leaning towards me and putting an arm on the back of my chair. I looked over my shoulder at him, my breath catching. Breathe, Bella. Come on. It's just a guy. You're almost twenty-two. I think you can handle him.
"So then, gorgeous. What's your name?"
"Umm…name…uh…Bella. It's Bella," I stuttered along. For damn's sake! Get your act together! You're not a child. Act like an adult.
"Bella…such a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman," he whispered in my air, sending a chill down my spine again. "I'm James."
"It's nice to meet you," I responded. Please let this class go fast. He is way too sexy and way too charming for his own good and the best thing for me to do would be to just get away from him.
"Everybody take a seat. I'm Mr. Dubois. Take a look at the person sitting next to you. You will be lab partners for the semester. By the end of class, I expect you to have exchanged contact information."
Shit. I was going to have to be in close contact with him for the semester. Can this day just end so I can go home before I make a greater fool of myself?
JaPOV
Hot fucking damn! The sexy, ass chick from lunch was in my Biology class. How lucky could a guy get? Wait till I tell Emmett about this.
I pulled into the drive of the townhouse I shared with my friends, cutting the engine. Emmett and Edward were in the media room. We'd combined the living room and dining room into one room. They were playing video games.
"You will never guess what happened to me," I announced lying down on the free couch.
"Why don't you save us the trouble and just tell us," was Edward's bright response.
"The sexy chick I mentioned at lunch? Well, it just so happens that said chick is in my Biology class. And, not only that, but is my lab partner."
"Shit! You serious?" Emmett exclaimed, glancing over in my direction quickly.
"Would I joke about something like that?"
"So then, what's her name?" Emmett inquired, curiosity dripping from his voice.
"Bella."
They paused the game and two sets of eyes looked at me and then between each other, Edward muttering, "It couldn't be."
"She's in England. Definitely can't be," Emmett replied.
"You two want to fill me in on what's going on?" I jumped in.
"You didn't happen to get a last name did you?" Edward questioned, returning his attention to me.
"Nay. She only gave me her first. Why? What's going on? What aren't you telling me?" I was beyond puzzled.
"Nothing," Edward sighed, turning back to the game.
EPOV
It couldn't be. Bella was in England and had been for a few years. What would she be doing back in Washington? She'd probably made a nice life for herself. And, beyond us, she didn't have any reason to be here. Sides, wouldn't she have found us if she were? All that didn't change the fact that each of us missed her.
I glanced quickly at James. He was a cool dude. We'd met him at Voultri. He worked as a bouncer, like Emmett. We'd fallen in together and found a place to live. Jasper lived here, but might as well have moved out since he spent all his time over at Alice's place.
I looked at Emmett, our game forgotten. We'd never mentioned to James anything about the sixth Cullen sibling that had been lost. He didn't need to know. It wasn't anything of his concern and it was a painful part of our past. It hit all of us hard when Victoria had taken her away. I motioned with my head to Emmett and we both got up and left the room. We needed to discuss this.
We headed down the hall to my room, shutting the door behind us. I immediately asked, "Do you think it's her?"
"It could be anyone. Besides, if she'd really come back, don't you think she'd have looked us up?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. Bella was probably a popular name. There wasn't a guarantee that it was her. But, still.
"Edward, we all miss her. But, come on man, it's been five years. I highly doubt she's coming back."
I looked at my brother, knowing he was right. There wasn't any point to keeping hope up now.
EmPOV
I looked at Edward. Bella's leaving had been hard on all of us, but my opinion was that Edward took it the hardest. It had been looking like they'd started something. God, they slept in the same bed every night for the entire time she was there! Me? She'd been a damn great sister. Willing to play a prank on anyone. I missed those times. There wasn't anyone willing to do that with me.
It wasn't that I didn't want her back, I did, but we needed to be realistic though. "We can't tell the others. We need to find out for sure. No use in getting up Alice's hopes only to crush them."
Edward nodded in agreement. "She would flip if we told her and it turned out to be false. It was hard enough getting her to accept the fact that Bella really was gone.
"We'll tell James to invent her to one of the gatherings," I suggested. It was stupid, but I really wanted this to be Bella and what better way to find out? I wanted my sister back. There were so many pranks out there to pull and no one to pull them with! It sucked having great ideas and being unable to follow through on them.
"It would do Mom good if it is Bella," Edward mused.
"Yea. She'll be thrilled to see her again," I responded. It'd been just as hard on Mom losing Bella as it had on the rest of us. Wasn't surprising. She had a big heart and had accepted Bella as her daughter long before we'd met her. Bella had started getting really attached to Mom, too.
"What do you want to do?" Edward questioned.
"Wait and see. James and no one else need know of any of this. It's not his business and I won't get everyone else's hopes up. We'll suggest he invite her along to one of the gatherings."
BPOV
I collapsed onto my bed. Gah! What a day! Sexy as sin playboy who seemed interested in me and joys of all joys, I got him as a lab partner. I wasn't sure what to feel about that.
What was I going to do? The guys back in England had treated me as if I were a pariah. And, they had nothing on this James. I was going to be having a lot of contact with him. I guess I'd figure out how to deal with it as I went.
Was I even interested in dating? I mean…oh hell; I didn't know what I meant. My life felt more screwed up then a screw driver. Why couldn't I have just had some semblance of a normal existence? Surrounded by people who loved me and a family? No, I got a home with a bitch of a witch. All that had been missing were the flying monkeys.
"We want you, Bella. You belong with us."
"You'll always have a home with us, Bella."
"You're our sister."
"Don't you love me, Bella?"
"Spirit, Bella. Show some spirit."
"You're a daughter to me, Bella."
"Right," I tried fighting my tears, failing miserably as I felt them falling down my cheeks. After so many years, why now? Why were the memories coming forth now? "That's why you left the only place I knew where to find you."
I just wanted…just wanted a family. Wanted to know that my long ago wishing had been worth something and hadn't been for naught like I once thought. I wanted to know that wishing wasn't a waste of time and something good could come of it. There had to be more then bitchy witches and flying monkeys. There had to me.
Getting up, I walked over to the French doors that opened to a small balcony overlooking the backyard. There wasn't much to see, the yard had fallen into disarray and the sky was cloudy. I'd chosen the third floor bedroom. It took up the entire top floor and I'd duped it the master floor. Opening the French doors, I walked out and leaned against the railing, wishing that I could see the stars. Night had fallen at some point and I hadn't even noticed it.
But, wait…there was one tiny star trying to shine through the cloud cover. It never hurt to try again. "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."
Please, any gods that may be. Let me have my family back. Let me have a family. Let me belong and be wanted. Please, any gods that are out there. I wish this with all my heart.
"I'm not unwanted furniture to be shuffled around. I'm not. I'm worth something. I know I am." Why, then, did it feel otherwise.
"This will be your room from now on. There is no internet connection in here. You'll have to use the library for that," Victoria announced, leading me into an opulent bedroom of green located in the west wing, away from her and her husband. "You're clothes will have to go. We'll go shopping for more appropriate things."
"I like my clothes, though," I protested, not wanting to lose any link I had to the Cullens.
"You are a niece of the peerage now. You will dress like it and not some hoodlum from the streets," Victoria sneered, looking me up and down. "I will not have you disgracing this family."
Of course her new family meant more to her. Rich and titled. How could I ever think of disgracing the name of Whetherby.
"Can I get an internet connection in her?" I inquired softly, not wanting to wander the house trying to find the library each time I needed the internet.
"It's may I and no you may not. All internet activity is monitored as well. So, don't expect to be emailing the Cullens. You're here to stay. I won't have you holding out hope to return to the States."
With those final words, Victoria swept out of the room and I realized just how stuck here I was. The wicked witch of the east makes her appearance and not the first.
I set down my carryon, looking around the room. We'd entered into a sitting room of sorts, I thought. It had a fireplace with a loveseat and coffee table in front of it, off to the right. The wall directly across from the door had windows lining it and a desk in front of one of them, a computer already on it. I looked to the left, seeing another door and nothing else. It was sparsely decorated in way of furniture. The walls themselves looked to be oak paneling three-fourths of the way up, topped off with dark green wallpaper.
Wandering over to the other door, I walked into the bedroom. A king size canopy bed dominated the room. On it was a gold comforter with a mixture of green and gold pillows. The wood was the same coloring of that in the sitting room. There were two nightstands, one on each side of the bed with a lamp on each one and a clock on the one to the right. The wall to the right had more windows and nothing else. And, as the windows in the sitting room, heavy damask curtains of green were tied off to the side.
Looking to the left, I saw two doors and walked over to the first, opening them up to find a closet the size of a small bedroom. The second door revealed my own private bathroom done in the same gold and green colors as the rest of the room. It even had a Jacuzzi tub.
The lap of luxury. That's what I'd landed myself into. Yep. It was all I could describe everything as, but, they were right. Money didn't buy happiness and I knew I wasn't going to be happy here.