Author's Note: Argument number two. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Chapter 14
The huge argument that followed made me want to run away. My family had never fought so seriously before. Never. Especially not about a simple human girl.
I fought the desire to grab my ears and walk away into the forest. I forced myself to sit quietly in the background while Edward, Rosalie, and Alice all argued furiously, while Emmett and Jasper pitched in now and then. Carlisle was wearing the same, weary expression as I did, as if we both could use some aspirin. Esme merely looked back and forth between them, as if she was watching a tennis game.
On the bright side, none of them had actually been paying attention to me ever since we returned from school. They were currently relying on Alice's visions, as it changed constantly, making it more exciting.
But I wasn't going to complain and butt in. No, thank you. I was quite content, despite the circumstances, and I was perfectly fine with trying to tune the shouting and cussing into the background.
There was only one thing that actually bothered me about this argument. Alice was choosing to disregard the things that I'd seen, and was totally siding with Edward. I understood the desire of wanting our brother to find someone good for him, but if she'd known exactly what I'd seen about Tanya, she wouldn't be talking right now.
"She saw you!" Rosalie hissed. "How are you going to explain that? You can't exactly tell her what we are!"
"Are you intending on betting against me?" Alice shot back. "I saw that everything was going to be fine, Rosalie! Are you saying that my visions are wrong?"
"No, I'm not saying that," Rosalie snapped. "I'm only pointing out the fact that your visions are subjective! They change constantly, and sometimes, they can be wrong! Your gift doesn't work perfectly, Alice!"
"I'm aware of that," Alice said, calmly this time. "But this time, I'm sure. Tanya is a harmless, innocent human girl! And she doesn't mean any harm to any of us!"
"You told us yourself that she would find out!"
"But she won't tell anyone!" Edward burst out. "You're forgetting the biggest point, Rosalie!"
She glared at him viciously. "How do I know that? You'll forgive me if I don't have a psychic gift like Alice, or have a mind-reading ability that allows me to believe what she's saying like you do."
"Just because you're jealous of her doesn't mean you have to insult everything about her," Edward said harshly.
Even I had to admit that his words had been harsh. Rosalie was very proud of herself, and she radiated confidence. And she probably wouldn't appreciate humiliation by being compared to a plain, human girl.
Sure enough, Rose looked ready to explode. No, she looked ready to attack Edward.
"Edward!" Emmett rose to defend her. "That was out of line, man." He was frowning at him. Jasper glanced quickly at Edward and Rosalie, trying to calm them down with his gift.
But I knew that Edward was right. The only reason Rose was going against Tanya was because she was jealous. She didn't know anything about her later betrayal. Only I knew about that. But Tanya had everything Rosalie had ever wanted. Beauty, a normal human life, a future…
"I was only thinking of our family," Rosalie said finally, stiffly. "But if that's how you're going to play this game, fine. Should I go tell her myself what we are? What you are? Does she like you enough to not run away if she knows you're a vampire?" She spit out the word.
Edward froze.
"I'm forgetting the biggest point?" she snarled. "Well, it looks like you are missing the main point. You are a vampire, while she is a defenseless human. Have you thought of that, Edward?"
The look on his face told everyone that he hadn't forgotten. But he loved her too much. It was too late, I knew.
"Of course," Rosalie continued recklessly. "For someone as talented and flawless as you, Edward, it may be possible. You can probably find a way to stay with her without causing her too much harm. But there's another minor point that you're forgetting." She sneered. "What are you going to do if she finds out? You know the rule. You know…the one where we have to keep our existence a secret."
Edward glared at her dangerously.
"There are so many flaws to what you want, Edward," she said tauntingly. "You may always get everything you want in your way, but it looks like you're going to have to be careful this time. And no matter what, I won't help you so that you can be with the girl anymore." She crossed her arms.
"I don't need you," he spat. "I think you're the only one who opposes this, Rosalie."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" she inquired smugly in a deadly sweet voice. "I think you're forgetting about our youngest sister, whom you care about most, and have been abandoning lately."
Edward blinked, taken aback, before his eyes flickered to me. He seemed to have forgotten that I was here.
"Do you realize that you haven't so much as greeted her these days when you come home from stalking that girl?" Rosalie hissed. "Bella holds the key to your future, and yet, you don't even think to ask her. Isn't it ironic, considering that it was always you who has been curious about everything that she sees?"
Edward's face hardened. I knew he was beyond reason right now. He didn't even see the younger sister that he'd grown attached to these last few decades. I wasn't important anymore. Tanya was.
And that hurt.
"Bella always takes my side," he said stonily.
Rosalie laughed sarcastically. "Have you seen her taking your side once these last few weeks? Especially when we were arguing about Tanya?"
I wasn't pleased that Rosalie had finally dragged me into the argument. And I hated the fact that I was the one who saw the definite future, especially when Alice turned to me.
"Tell us what you saw, Bella," she pestered. "You saw Edward's future. Then that means you also saw Tanya. I know for a fact that she plays a part in his life. My visions aren't perfect, but that much, I'm sure. So tell us now, Bella. Please. There's no point in keeping anything a secret; it's going to happen eventually."
I looked up at her coldly. "No point? So you think I never say anything just because I want to? Do you think I've been wasting my time, trying to shut myself up about the things I see?"
Alice immediately backtracked when she heard me going into defensive mode. "No, Bella. I didn't mean that. I just… I'm sorry. I was getting a bit frustrated, and I got carried away… But you said so yourself that the future hardly changes. Even if you told the person about their future, they probably can't do much to change the whole thing."
"Probably," I repeated flatly. "Not exactly reassuring."
"I need to know," Edward said, now addressing me directly. "What did you see, Bella? Please. I have to know."
"She saw that you were going to kill her," Rosalie said sharply. "Happy?"
My eyes flickered towards her. I knew that she was only saying it to get him off my back, but what she said was actually true. How ironic.
He ignored her. "Please, Bella. I know that what Rose says isn't true. And I trust you. Don't you trust me?"
I didn't meet his gaze. I merely looked away from him, not even wanting to see his face. It was probably childish, but at the moment, I hated him for making all the wrong choices that would make his life difficult for a long time.
I would do anything to make that hatred disappear. I would even go as far as killing the human girl myself, like Rosalie would. But, of course, my silly loyalty towards Edward held me back, telling me that he would not appreciate it.
"Bella," Edward repeated urgently. "What did you see? Why are you so scared to tell me?"
Dummy, I thought to myself. I'm not scared. I'm worried.
"Tell him that he's making all the wrong choices," Rosalie said to me. "You've seen that it's true, haven't you?"
Bingo.
"Shut up," Edward shot at her. "You don't know anything."
"I know that you were silly enough to fall in love with a simple human," she snapped back. "That's all I need to know."
"Enough," Carlisle said sternly, intervening. "That's enough, you two. Let's all stop this."
"Carlisle," Edward said. "Please." He looked pleading, and I almost felt sorry for him. He looked lost and helpless, and most of all…unhappy.
He was unhappy if he wasn't with her. The thought made my dead heart throb in pain. He really was taking it too far.
Carlisle sighed. "I hardly think it's for me to decide."
"Of course it is, Carlisle," Alice said. "Your decision is the one that counts the most."
Carlisle glanced at me. "You know I never bet against you, Alice. But I absolutely refuse to bet against Bella even more. Especially since she's always right."
I bit my lip at his words. While I appreciated his confidence and trust in me, it meant that the decision was all mine. Sure enough, everyone turned to me.
Finally, I exhaled sharply and impatiently. Rising, I threw out my words like I was hurtling knives at him. "Do whatever you want. I really couldn't care less if you decided to ruin your life for someone who would turn out to be worthless in the end."
And I glided out of the room, leaving behind shocked silence. I climbed the stairs, heading towards my bedroom, wanting to be alone.
I paused in front of Edward's room. The door was opened, revealing the portrait of me smiling, hanging on the wall.
I glared at myself. I resisted the temptation to break off a piece of the staircase banister and throw the chunk at the frame.
Taking a deep breath, I looked away, then continued on towards my own bedroom, my shoulders slumping.
I knew that my words had been the key. Edward was going to bring his girl home soon, and I was already regretting what I'd said not one minute ago.
AN: How do you think you would have felt if you had told someone you loved that? I think I would've felt resentful, with both him and me. Sigh. Anyhoo… Reviews, please!