The camping trip is just what we all needed. A breathe of fresh air away from Forks.
Away from her.
Carlisle insisted that we test our control, so he brought a few blood packs with him. It didnt compare to Bella's in the slightest, but we make due.
Everyone did good, even Jasper, which is a bit of a shock since he's the "baby" of the family. He is the last to join the family, along with Alice, but unlike her, he was completely hooked on human blood.
We stay a few states away, in Nebraska; a good friend of Carlisle's has taken a permanent residency here. And while everyone else, Edward not included, is goofing off, I spend most of my time thinking of Bella.
I can still smell her, feel the warmth radiating off her skin as she blushed.
Its agonizing really. Trying to understand, but also trying to get away from her. I hate to admit it, but as much as I want to stay away, should stay away, I want to also be near her.
"There you are." Alice's voice rings through my ear. I look down from the tree im currently perched in to see her tiny form scaling it gracefully.
I always envied that about Alice. She has this certain grace about her that no human or vampire could mimic.
"Whats up, Rosy?"
"Nothing, Tink." I sigh audibly. "Just thinking is all..."
"About Bella?" She cocks her head to the side curiously.
"Unfortunately, yes. I dont understand what's happening to me. Everytime I try to force myself not to think about her, I think about her anyway..."
"Have you sorted out your feelings for her?"
"No, and thats whats drive me crazy! Clearly I feel something for the girl, otherwise I wouldnt be brooding and beating myself up over her. I dont know," I shake my head,"Perhaps maybe...im just scared?"
"Oh, Rosy. Dont beat yourself up about it. Its okay to be scared and unsure. This is new for everyone." I feel her reach for my hand and give it a comforting squeeze. "I think you should at least try to get to know her..."
"You too, huh?" I chuckle sadly. "Carlisle pretty much told me the same thing, despite my worries of the Volturi..."
"Yes, it is and will be quite the scandal if this gets out. But you and I both know shes not going anywhere, so you cant keeping hiding or fighting it for that matter..."
"Yeah, I hear ya. I hate feeling this way, Alice. So...unsure. Vulnerable. Im not used to it. Im always in control..."
"Yes, but...thats kind of what makes this that much more appealing. Beautiful even. You're feeling things you havent felt in a long time, am I right?"
I nod my head solemnly.
"Dont fret so much. Just...go with it. Who knows, this could be your destiny.."
"Well I wouldnt go that far. But, I'll...try. I wont make any promises, but I guess it wouldnt hurt to try talking to her.
"Thats the spirit!" She giggles, literally tackling me the ground. We fall together with a loud thud, earth caving in under us from the force.
I peer up at her grinning face with a playful glare.
"Didnt see that one coming, huh?"
*T.I.M*
I return home to Forks early Wednesday morning, around four-ish, while the rest of my family stayed behind an extra day.
Something spurs me to see the girl thats been plaguing my thoughts for hours on end, so when my feet land me right near the Swans residence, im not too surprised.
Its five something as I scale her house and perch myself against her window. The first thing I notice is her scent; it is very much strong, more so in here, her room, but it doesnt quite have that strong potency it did when I first saw her.
"Guess that testing really worked out for me after all."
The second thing I noticed(though, I already knew) is that She's asleep, something I wish I so desperately had the luxury of indulging in.
But I cant.
Now, Ive never watched a human sleep before in my days as a vampire, never really needed or wanted to, but for some reason, I find it quite fascinating.
Deciding to get a better look, I shift closer, settling myself on the floor, indian style and watch, completely enthralled.
Shes facing me, body curled up into a ball, like a fetus.
I watch her mannerisms, the way she snuggles closer into the bed or mumbles something incoherent.
I watch this go on for exactly twenty minutes before im engulfed into a vision.
A vision of her waking up and possibly freaking out because im in her room, watching her sleep like some weird, perverted physco.
Deciding its best for both of us if I leave, I do just that.
I wouldnt go back to school today just yet. No, I still needed time to fully adjust. To figure out just what the hell im going to say to this girl. Not only that, but I have so many questions I need to figure out.
One being, if im vying for for attention? And if so, how exactly am I suppose to gain it?
"Ugh, who knew trying to talk to a girl would be so hard?"
The rest of the day would consist of me mulling over these thoughts, but not coming up with any type of conclusion.
As promised, the rest of my family returns the next morning. Right on time for school; I immediately hide my thoughts from Edward, humming a soft tune in my head.
He knows what Im doing of course, I always do it, so he doesnt think anything of it.
He tells us that he will not be attending school today, for he thinks heMs still to "weak". I breathe a sigh of relief and inwardly do a fist pump at the prospects of being undisturbed during my secret mission.
Its typical of him, but hey, im not complaining.
We, as in Emmett, Alice, Jasper and myself, make sure to feed twice before heading to school. Its going to be an interesting day to say the least, filled with many possibilities and I want to make sure im somewhat prepared.
"This could be your destiny, Rose..." Alice's words ring into my ear, somewhat encouraging me.
"Yes, it could..."
*T.I.M*
Unfortunately when I get to school, Edward is there. Says he didn't want to take the risk of me doing something stupid so he'd "monitor" the situation.
I call bullshit. Somehow I must of slipped up with my thoughts and he heard something he didnt like.
She hasn't noticed our presence, we keep our distance, parking away from from our usual spot, and do our best to keep out of sight.
I want to suprise her, if you will.
We skip lunch all together, opting to sit outside, chatting and doing nothing in particular.
Im anxious for English. Anxious to see how this will all play out.
As usual, im the first to arrive to class, anxiously awaiting in my seat for class to start.
For her.
It doesnt take long of course, that mouth watering scent waffles into class without a minute to spare.
The anxiousness welling into the pit of my stomach has now turned into nervousness as her eyes flash towards my own. They widen a bit, before slightly squinting into a scowl.
Shes mad, that much is sure from the way she purposely tries to ignore my presence. Of course she falters a bit; the way her hearts beating lets me know she somewhat excited to see me.
"Hello, Bella." Instantly and in all forms of anger is washed away, leaving a somewhat shocked expression. I cant help but smile about it. "Its nice to see you again. Im Rosalie..." She looks slightly taken aback by my unusual bright behavior; almost as if shes dazzled.
Which isnt too farfetched.
"Umm, y-yeah. I uh...I know who you are.."
Yes, she knows who you are Rosalie, we all introduce ourselves the last time in class, remember?
"Right," I smirk at my inner thoughts. "Well, I wanted to apologize for the way my brother and I were acting. We werent really...feeling good and it was very rude of us to-.."
"-Edward. He...he wasnt in Biology today.." She cuts me off, eying me expectedly.
"Um yeah. He's still a bit sick so he's been in the nurses office. He asked me to get any notes he may have missed..."
So its a lie, no harm done.
"Oh, um yeah. But, you guys werent in lunch either though..." That peaks my interest.
So she's been looking for us?
I smirk at this knowledge, lifting a fine brow teasingly.
"Were you...looking for me, Bella?"
Her face instantly flares, and I have to stop breathing for a moment at how intense it is.
"N-no! I..I mean yes! I was but not like..." Shes stuttering like a mad man.
"Bella," I begin, chuckling and deciding to put her out of her misery. She blushing more at the sound, I assume, making my eyes dilate, coaxing them into dark embers. "Calm down, Bella. Im joking. As for me not being at lunch, well, maybe I just wanted to surprise you..."
My attempt at being suave and mysterious have officially failed. Its a blow to the ego when after saying something like that, it gets uncomfortably silent.
"Good job, Rose.." I berate myself.
"Sooo...how are you liking the weather..?"
Her features scrunch up in confusion at my words, and I cant help but think that im digging myself into an even lamer hole.
"You're...you're asking me about the weather?" She deadpans, obviously expecting something better.
"Well yeah. Is that...okay?"
"No its not okay. Its lame."
"Y-yeah, its just," she begins with a shrug but seems to get caught up in my eyes.
"You okay?" Im fully aware of what's happening, its natural, her finding me alluring that is.
"Y-Yeah, sorry. Um the weather?" I nod my head, trying to keep from smiling. "Umm I dont know...I dont really do so well with cold and wet. Anything cold I just dont..like."
Oh I just cant help but find the irony in that.
"If she only knew.." I muse to myself, shaking my head and chuckling.
"What's so funny?" She asks a bit confused, which only serves to amuse me more.
"Nothing, its just...kind of a inside joke type of thing."
"-And I wouldnt understand.." She questions in a serious yet sarcastic tone; her face is neutral so I cant tell if shes joking or not.
"No, thats not what I meant. Its just..well I...you wouldn't really get it unless I...," that eyebrow raises and I literally feel like face palming myself for digging that whole that much more deep. "Crap! Wait, what I mean is.." I try to reel back, but the sound of her giggling breaks my train of thought.
"You should see the look on your face right now.." She manages through her laughter; she lets out a snort, something I hadnt expected and neither did Angela.
"Wow, did you really just snort?"
"Stopppp," is her whiny reply, turning a deeper shade of red. I shake my head willing both her scent and my giggles to subside. "Ugh, dont make fun of me...its so embarrassing."
"Its really not," I say with a smile, taking a few unneeded breaths. "I think its cute..."
And for the second time today, its gets uncomfortably silent; we all sit there, kind of acting as if I didnt just say that.
I scrunch up my face, clearly confused as to why I felt the need to say it in the first place.
I glance at Angela and notice the slightly awkward look on her face. She catches my stare and opts for putting in her ear plugs to her Ipod.
Beyond awkward.
"So um, if you dont really like the cold or wet. Why's you move to one of the wettest places in the U.S?" I ask handing her my English sheet. She seems stuck for a minute, caught up in my presence as she tries to answer.
"Well, my moms always been sort of a free spirit I guess you can say. So I dont know...she just got remarried a year ago to a Minor Leaguer named Phil.." She scribbling down her answers just as I put my pencil down. She blinks a couple times, peering over at my sheet.
"You're done?" Shes clearly surprised as she looks around to see that everyone else is still working, including herself. "Thats fast. Took about what, five minutes?"
Three minutes and thirty-eight seconds to be precise.
"Well, lets just say im really good when it comes to English. All my classes are A.P.."
"This is A.P? It seems a bit..."
"-Remedial? Yeah, thats because its the beginning of the semester...it might get harder for you later on." I dont try to hide my teasing, triumphant smile either.
"For me? And What's that suppose to mean exactly?" She trying to sound hard and somewhat appalled by my words, as if shes truly hurt and angry at my assumption, but the smile on her lips tells me otherwise.
"Nothing at all," I smirk, shoulders shrugging. "Just talking.."
"Yeah, mhmm. You mind if I check?"
She can check all she wants, but I guarantee she wont find a single mistake.
"Sure, if you want. Butttt theres really no need.." I slide the paper over her way, watching as she scans each line, biting the inside of her cheek.
I watch her amusedly, and somewhat aroused at the sight of her biting her lips. Its a bad habit, but she makes it look really good.
And I shouldnt admit that because its wrong, so very wrong.
"But so very right!"
My own lips curls up in the corner as she hesitantly hands me the paper, catching each others gaze.
"Like I was saying. Theres no need...Im good at English."
The bell rings sometime after, signaling for the break in between classes. We walk down the hall together, gaining a few stares as we continue to talk.
"So, back to you and your mom. The guy she married..."
"-Phil?"
"Yeah, do you not like him much or...?"
"No. Phil's nice enough. He makes her happy so Im happy.."
"So why'd you move then?" She seems to ponder this question for a minute, scratching at her neck and furrowing her brows.
"Look, im sorry if im being too nosy, its just...Im trying to figure you out. You're very hard to read.." To make my point clear, I lean forward on my toes, as if im physically trying to break down her mind with my intent gaze.
Doesnt work, if anything, it makes me look like a weirdo.
"Well, I um...I guess the main reason is because I felt like she needed her space...ya know, since she has phil and all? I just want her to be able to enjoy her life more. That...and they're always on the road..."
Slowly, I lean back, tilting my head to side before nodding in agreement.
"Hey um...did you get contact?" The question catches me off guard for a minute, blinking a few times as I try to hear her thoughts once more.
But again, I fail.
"No, uh...why do you ask?"
"Its just...your eyes. They were like pitch black the other day and now...their like golden. Like the sun..."
The only thing I can think to do is shut my eyes. Or run, which would be the best thing to do.
"Uh, no. Its the lights...fluorescent..." Despite what I really want to do, which is keep my eyes shut, I do the opposite.
"Weird.." Is what I pick up under her breath.
"Um listen. I gotta...I gotta go..I'll see ya later, Bella.." I abruptly turn on my heels, ending any and all inquiries.
"Shes way too damn observant..."
*T.I.M*
Leaning against my car and watching Bella lazily, I feel Edward presence beside me. I open my mind to him, showing him what happened in class.
"You're getting way to close to her, Rose..." Is his supercilious reply.
"You're just mad that I beat you to it.."
The little rant that follows suit is my own fault of course; I ignore it, focusing only on the girl ahead.
Suddenly im pulled into a vision; a van, Tyler's van was going to crush Bella. And the blood?
God the blood.
"You cant," I hear Edward growl as I come to. "She'll find out!"
"Im not gonna let her die, Edward!" I pull my arm out from his grasp, just as the sound of screeching tires rings in my ear.
Fuck!
Saying to hell with the consequences, I sprint towards the shocked girl, gently grabbing her by the waist, and slightly pull her up under me as I jut my arm out. The van collide with my solid arm, causing it to push back slightly from the force before halting in its tracks.
I could smell her, hear the fear pumping in her veins; a look of sheer terror on her face as she stares at me wide eye, trying to figure out what the fuck just happen.
My sentiments exactly.
"What the fuck did I just do?"
Im acutely aware of her attempts to voice these thoughts, but I cut her off. Before she can even finish the sentence, I just take off running, Edwards voice screaming in my head all the while.
"You idiot! You realize what you've just done! This puts everybody at risk..!"
"Fuck off, Edward! I wasnt just gonna sit there and let her die. Have you even considered how bad that would be...the blood?"
He quiet now.
"Besides, I doubt she'll remember anything , especially since she bumped her head. And if she does, then I'll handle it.."
"No, I'll handle it. You've done enough damage for today." He huff irritably; I can picture him running his hand through is ridiculous hair.
Pompous little shit.