-BPOV, No duh-
Disclaimer: A piece of cheddar cheese I found under my bed this morning :-P
. . .
The Seventh Month, August
. . .
The snow had left the ground about three months ago, but I was still freezing my butt off whenever I went outside. What was really annoying, was when one of the triplets would get excited when I went outside and start kicking my gut, liking the fresh air, while another would get excited when I went inside, liking the warmth. So, to sum it up, my gut was almost always aching, except for those times when they decided to be still. Edward has been feeling quite happy and excited lately, smiling and laughing more. He's even working on a new lullaby, just for them. I can tell they like it, because whenever he plays, they get excited and pound on my gut. Then again, that can be good or bad. Either way, my gut still aches, so bleh. I think I'm in the mood for key lime pie dipped in vegetable soup right about now. . .
I strolled into the kitchen, knowing Alice had already gotten what we needed for my current craving. But, as I passed the threshold between the hallway and the kitchen-slash-living room, there sat, on the couch, the last thing I would have expected to find sitting there. Sydney. All alone. No one right next to her, making sure she didn't cause trouble. Just her, sitting back on the couch so that her thin legs didn't touch the floor, swinging them merrily. I was instantly alert, even though her eyes didn't even have the slightest tinge of blackish-red in them. Her chestnut head swerved in my direction, probably smelling me before seeing me, and turned a tad bit stiff, but still relaxed, as she was before.
"Hello, Auntie Bella." She said, lifting her delicate arm to wave at me. I smiled stiffly, then raised my arm ever so slightly to barely wave back. Her attention turned back to where she was watching 'Spongebob Squarepants' on the T.V., but I could feel her watching me out of the corner of her eye. Yes, I know what your thinking, 'How in the world did she get out of her room'? Let me tell you, that thought had occurred to me the second I saw her sitting there, but I didn't dare ask, in case of somehow upsetting her. So, I walked as casually as possible to the fridge and pulled out the key lime pie and leftover vegetable soup. I was still aware of her watching me, even as I turned around to heat the soup. I could still feel her eyes on me as I sat down at the table to take my first bite of pie. What I didn't know really bugged me: one, for how long was she going to be out here, two, where were the rest of the Cullens, and three, did she want me for lunch or not? That last question made me shudder, even though the soup was quite hot. I ate without really tasting it, even though it satisfied my craving. As I got up to put my dishes in the dishwasher, Sydney finally spoke up.
"What kind of shampoo do you use?" Her question would have been perfectly innocent for a normal six year old, put Sydney was a vampire, so her question made my blood run suddenly cold. Hehe, vampire humor. Sooo not funny.
"W-why do you ask, sw-sweetie?" I could feel my voice growing weak. Sydney paused, swinging her feet, before answering me.
"You just smell different from everybody else here. I don't know why you don't smell like them, 'cause you live with them. But you smell really sweet, and the rest of them smell cold. Do they use a different shampoo?" Her question was slightly amusing, yet scary, because she thought I smelled good, and, if you hadn't already noticed, that is not a good thing. My mouth was open, because I meant to speak, but I couldn't find the right words. I simply made this weird sound, which sounded kind of like a retarded duck. No joke. Sydney was now looking up at me with her large golden eyes staring at me in awe, expecting an answer. When she didn't get one, she hurried to speak.
"I-I mean, they don't smell bad, an-and neither do you, and, um, it's not a bad thing, but I was just wondering why, 'cause y-you smell different from mommy, and I thought 'evy-body sm-sm-smelled the same here, 'an I just think it's kind of funny, not like ha ha funny, but weird funny." She was fidgeting awkwardly now, standing up from her spot on the couch. I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her. She didn't know, and I certainly wasn't making it any easier on her. I wanted to comfort her, but I feared that the slightest brush of the fingertips might set her off, so I remained where I stood. Sydney took I step toward me. "Can I smell your hair?" She asked, ever so innocently. I made the retarded duck sound again, not knowing what else to say. What could I say? I certainly didn't want to let her touch me, but she was just so small and innocent, that I wasn't sure on how to tell her no. But, lucky for me, I didn't have to, because, at that very second, Edward came bursting through the front door and into the room, followed by the rest of the Cullens. The next thing I knew, Rosalie and Emmett were restraining her, all the while being gentle and parent like. Edward had put himself between Sydney and me, along with Alice and Jasper, who was sending her all sorts of calming and peaceful vibes, and Carlisle and Esme were ready to pounce. My eyes were wild, not knowing any more on what was going on here than the retarded duck stuck in my throat, and it was killing me. Edward was alert, his eyes on Sydney, who was also looking scared and bewildered. Alice was the most startling of all, though. She looked vicious, like a vampire. I had never seen the delicate, perky little vampire look like such a, well, vampire. Her teeth were bared, and she was in a slight crouch, ready to pounce at any moment. It shocked me, but this was who she was, and, in a way, it shouldn't have surprised me.
I snapped out my current thoughts and into new ones. Where had everyone been? Why were they suddenly protecting me from a six year old? How did they know that this exact moment was the one where I would be in danger? Then, I saw it. Sydney was struggling against her parents, her eyes crimson, her face wild and barbaric. She was trying to get to me. Me! All looks of six-year-old innocence had fled from her, and she looked slightly like something dangerous. No duh, she was. Well, sort of, but that wasn't exactly the point right now, was it? What did matter was the fact that she had suddenly become a threat. Rosalie and Emmett were succeeding in holding her back, and were trying to get her back to her room. Edward was also ready to fight, but as his gaze rested on me, his expression became gentler, and he picked me up as easy as ever, and dashed upstairs to our room, the safest place for me at this moment.
"Edward, what is going on? She wasn't about to hurt me." I said, quite bewildered, after we were settled safely in our room. Edward stared at me quizzically.
"Yes, love, not that very second. But if we had been just another minute late, you wouldn't be here." He reached over to put a hand on my cheek. "I know how innocent she seems, but you remember when I first met you. I had just hunted, but I still couldn't resist but want you, erm, your blood, I guess. If she had smelled your hair, it would be too much for her, and she would lose control." He was uncomfortable saying that he had wanted my blood. I suppose I didn't blame him. He shook it off and continued. "What I'm trying to say here, Bella, is that she is a vampire. A new one, at that. She's dangerous. I have no idea how she got out of her room, one, because we were all out hunting. More humans in the house means more stress on them to not hurt you, and two, because she is purposefully not thinking about it. But I assure you; we're going to take more precautions." I nodded, wishing for better circumstances. Poor little vampire kid.
. . .
The Eighth Month, September
. . .
"Bella, love, news." Edward walked over, human speed, to were I sat wrapped up in my book in an armchair. I groaned, sick of news. He chuckled and sat down on the couch across from me, his expression now serious. "Do you remember when I left for awhile when you first moved here?"
"I try not to." I murmured, making him sigh.
"I'll take that as a yes. Well, anyway, I had gone here, to Alaska, to stay with another coven of vampires, the other good ones." I raised my eyebrows, not sure where he was going with this. " Well, anyway, I was hoping you remembered them, because, well, one will be staying with us for a little while. You know, to help with the kids?" His teeth gritted as he the last two sentences, and I could tell that he was not in the least bit thrilled about this.
"Okay. . ." I began slowly. "Who? I mean, which one?" He closed his eyes, this obviously being his least favorite fact of the ordeal.
"Tanya." He opened his eyes to see my shocked reaction. Yes, I remembered Tanya. The beautiful blond who had been in love with Edward, even before he met me. The one, who, even though she was also a 'vegetarian', I considered bad. Because she wanted my Edward. My Edward! I felt the anger bubble up inside of me, ready to burst at any given moment. A true monster was to be in our midst. And we were to welcome it! In my mind, I was working through a million different responses, some sassy, some rejecting her kindly. I decided on what I found was the best one.
"Oh," I said, standing up from my chair, taking my book with me. "That sounds good."