Chapter 12: It's My Party

BELLA CULLEN

"Okay, people, let's go, go, go!" Alice clapped. The family rushed around, preparing decorations. Emmett hung up the banner that read Wish the Missing Link a happy 243rd (give or take) birthday, directly under a larger one that read First Annual Monster Convention.

"Come on," Alice yelled. "They'll be here in minutes! You! Bird kids! Quit lounging around! We need to prepare this place for the convention!"

"Hey," Max said. "We're guests in your house! Don't make us to the busy work!"

Alice bounded over to the flock and grabbed Max by the throat. "Don't mess with me when I'm preparing a party," she snarled. "Where's Nessie? Nessie! Don't make me full-name you! Renesmee Carlie Cullen, where are you?"

"I'm here, Auntie Alice," she said quickly, popping up from behind the couch. "What is it?"

Alice swooped onto Renesmee. "You go greet the cousins and the packs!"

"Alice," I snapped. "Stop freaking out! Jasper, make her stop freaking out."

Jasper approached her. "Alice, darling, you need to relax."

"No, no, MAKE her."

"Oh, right." The atmosphere quickly settled.

"Okay," Alice said softly. "I'm good now. Okay, one second. Edward, Bella, take Nessie to La Push. Give me five or six minutes before bringing the wolves back so I can get a general idea… okay. I'm good."

"'Kay, freak. We'll be right back."

Edward and I took Nessie outside, and immediately intercepted the Denali cousins.

"Oh, hi!" I said. "How's it going? What's with the shades, Garrett?"

He shrugged. "My eyes are still a bit orange. Don't want to scare anybody."

"Orange? It's been two years. Have you been cheating?"

"Hey!" he snapped. "I don't cheat, all right? I've been weaning. Every two months or so I steal someone off the electric chair. I'm cutting back slowly. I should have the family resemblance before the year is out."

"So what's your favorite prey?" I asked him.

"Beluga."

"Beluga? White whale?"

"Yes, that's what a beluga is."

I considered that. "Wow, I never thought of hunting whales. Are they good?"

"Only the toothed ones," he said.

Alice burst through the door and began shoving the three of us. "Come on, go, go, go. I need to clear my vision."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

We collected the packs from La Push. All of the imprinted wolves brought along their mates. We invited Billy, but he elected to hang out with Charlie instead; though Charlie was aware that the packs and the family were not human, he preferred not to get too much information, and if he came to the convention we wouldn't be able to be ourselves, which was of course the entire point of the gathering.

"Tell Charlie I'm in town when he comes," I told Billy. "Just keep him entertained until the convention is over, and I'll be by with Nessie."

"Will do," Billy said.

Believing we had given Alice enough time to figure things out, we began to run back right as we saw Insectosaurus swooping in.

"Hey, everybody!" I called. "Happy birthday, Link."

"Thanks," he said. He leaned into me. "Okay, point the single women out to me."

Iggy sidled up to me as well. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind knowing that as well."

"Um, there's Leah and Tanya. I think that's all. Leah's a wolf, Tanya's a vampire."

"Ages?"

"Leah is twenty-two and Tanya is, I think, I a bit older than Carlisle."

Link glanced at Iggy. "You take Leah, I'll take Tanya."

"Deal," Iggy said. He jumped into the air and landed unerringly next to Leah. "Yo," he said. "Name's Iggy."

Dr. Cockroach approached Link with a small, wrapped gift. "Here, Link," he said. "A gift from Susan, Insectosaurus, and myself."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Meaning a gift from Insecto that you and Susan tacked your names onto because you were too busy with Project L to get me your own gift."

Susan hugged Link. "So glad you understand," she said.

"What's Project L?" I muttered to Edward.

"It's a bit private," he said. "I try not to pry into people's affairs."

"Tell me quietly, then."

He lowered his voice to a pitch that only a vampire could hear from inches away. "Well, Susan and Dr. Cockroach are dating, and they find that their vast… height difference… makes it difficult for them to express their feelings. They haven't found a way to manage yet that doesn't feel awkward and disturbing."

"I see."

"All right," Link said. He felt the box and shook it a little bit. "Okay, it's a disc of some kind. Lovin' the suspense! Is it a movie? Is it music? Is it a game? All right." He slit the packaging. "Wii Sports Resort!" he said, impressed. "You rock, Insecto!"

"Here, Link," B.O.B. said. "Here's my present. It's a coupon!"

Link took the small slip of paper from B.O.B. He read it aloud with a blank look on his face. "The bearer is entitled to one hug from this guy." Underneath that writing was a crude crayon drawing of B.O.B.

"You wanna use it now?" B.O.B. asked, spreading his arms.

"Thanks," Link said, "but I think I'll save it for a special time." He crumbled it up and tossed it over his shoulder without even waiting for B.O.B. to look away.

Esme and Carlisle rolled a covered cart into the room. "Here, Link," Esme said. "Here's your gift."

"You guys got me something?"

"From the whole family," Carlisle said. "Although I don't know if you should open it. I'd hate to have to follow a coupon for a B.O.B.-hug…"

"Oh, shut up," Link said, pulling the cloth off the cart. "What's this?"

"It's a scale model of your new vacation home in New Zealand," Esme said.

"You got me a vacation home in New Zealand?" Link demanded.

"Didn't I tell you they were generous?" I cut in.

"Man, you give people you barely know a vacation home. What do you give your family?"

"Oh, one-of-a-kind artwork," Esme said. "Lush, tropical islands. Fleets of tank-proof cars. Money is no object to us Cullens."

"Oh, I love that feeling," Link said dreamily.

"Hey, where did Edward go?" I wondered. I saw him at the dining table. He was playing cards with the youngest bird kid, and they were moving their gaze in perfect unison from each other to their cards.

"This isn't gonna work, is it?" Edward said.

"No," Angel admitted.

"We might need a few more players."

"Who'd be sucker enough to play poker with two mind-readers?" Angel wondered.

I erected a shield between the two of them.

"Thanks," Edward said. "Deal again?"

"Sure," Angel said.