A/N: I'm taking you folks on a whole other journey here. I hope you enjoy the update, and have a wonderful day! :)
+ So I realized that I had some mixed up with Bella's age when I first post the chapter. She's ten now. I apologize for that and I fixed that mistake. I was writing at 3-4am in the early morning, and I can now officially say that I don't function too well at those hours. hahaha Thanks for the reviews/feedbacks!
Four years later…
The Monongahela National Forest encompassed nearly all of the southern third of the Allegheny Mountains range, a section of the vast Appalachian Mountains range, and is entirely within the states of West Virginia.
Not so far away was a three-story mountain cabin abutting the national forest. The mountain cabin looked like a rustic and charming retreat with all the comforts of home. True to its appearance, the majestic cabin was built and occupied by seven centuries-old vampires and one little human who had just turned ten not so long ago. It was a glorious location to enjoy the beautiful forest as it was filled with plenty of wildlife viewing. The cabin was approximately 10,000 square feet on three levels, which Esme has spent an extensive amount of time drawing blueprints and interior designs for. Every room in the house was undoubtedly built and created with love and care. The home even had a bright kitchen, which had been recently remodeled with all new appliances. It was the perfect place to relax after a long day.
Right to the side of the cabin was a small trail that led to a lake nearby. The lake was set in a scenic surrounding, backdropped with mountains, trees, and other natural wildlife. It was a nice addition to their month-old home, and the place held many spectacular views.
It was also in that place where a private conversation suddenly began.
"I know I'm different." the little girl finally whispered when they've sat in silence for long enough by the picturesque lake. Edward glanced over to the small figure beside him that was mirroring his posture. They were both leaning back on their hands with their legs stretched out before them on the grass. It was strange even to the mind reader how close they've gotten. Edward had always thought that Bella would feel closest to Alice, since she was Alice's mate, but the vampires had forgotten to factor into the equation that Bella was still human and might not feel the same pull that Alice had. He knew the reason why she felt close to him, and that was because he understood her. Edward read her mind freely even though it was never intentional, and he simply knew all the emotions she felt even without Jasper's gift.
"Bella…" Edward began to sense her nervous breakdown.
"And I know that you're different too. So are the others, and Alice." the little human decisively set the truth free. It had been hidden away in the corner of her mind ever since the encounter with the young boy on the beach in Canada. Bella began to notice small things at first. The way they carried themselves, the hours where all but one would go away for a trip, and the way their eyes changes colors depending on their mood. Then she began to recognize how she's never seen them eat, the unbelievable strength that they have, their incredible speed, the practice of moving their lips soundlessly to keep her out of their conversations, and their unfathomable beauty that suddenly affected her as she grew older. It all added up to something, but she couldn't come up with anything at all. It was mind-boggling for the young thinker and curiosity won her over these last few days. She knew that the family had to leave for one of their trips again and Edward would be the one looking over her today. So she led him out to the lake they've found when the family first moved to West Virginia, and decided to set the records straight for herself.
"How long have you known?" Edward asked. He suddenly felt unsure of himself after being caught off-guard by the sudden outbreak in Bella's mind of all the details she had collected of the family over the years. How had she hid it so well? The vampire tried to think real hard about how a young child could just close away certain thoughts. Detailed thoughts. It just wasn't possible. None of the others could do that.
"Jack." the little girl simply responded.
"Oh." Edward couldn't seem to come up with anything more to say as he remembered the little boy from four or so years ago. How was he now to explain to the ten-year-old human that her family was in fact immortals? How would she take it? How didn't Alice see this beforehand?
"I know you don't want to tell me. You think I'm too young to understand. All of you." Bella's words surprised the vampire beside her again.
"How do you do that?" Edward finally asks.
"Do what?" Bella responded with a question of her own. Edward's brows furrowed and he tried to penetrate her mind, only to see the serene picturesque lake before them. Her mind zoomed in on the details of the rippling effect on the surface of the body of water, and then quickly jumped to the alpines in the far distance.
"That." Edward said pointedly.
"I don't get it." Bella frowned as she watched Edward's upset expression. What did I do? Bella asked herself. Edward was able to read her thought then, and it caused him to be furthermore confused.
"I'm not quite sure what you did." Edward accidentally blurted out. Bella's eyes widened and she began to look at him curiously. Can you hear me? Edward looked at the little girl hesitantly, trying to decide quickly if he should tell her, and then he slowly nodded.
You can read minds?
"Yes." Edward said aloud causing the little human to gasp and sit upright.
"Is that why you always know what I'm thinking and feeling?" Bella asked out of curiosity.
"Well, I can see your thoughts and then I get a sense of what you're feeling, but Jasper's the empath. He can feel and control your emotions." Edward explained before he blinked furiously, realizing his misstep.
"Jasper can feel what I'm feeling?" Bella asked confusedly. Edward's brows were knotted again and he pursed his lips in disgruntlement with himself before nodding again.
"So everyone in our family has different powers?" the little girl eagerly asks.
"Well, no. Not everyone have powers. We actually call them gifts." Edward explained.
"Oh, so only you and Jazz have gifts?" Bella inquired.
"Alice has one too." Edward said and began to relax, seeing that the little girl wasn't panicking. In fact, she was unusually calm.
"She does?" Bella asked hesitantly before frowning. She never told me.
"There's a reason why she didn't tell you. We all agreed that we'd tell you about us when you're…older." Edward explained.
"What is her gift?" Bella wanted to know. Edward looked at the little human thoughtfully before answering.
"Alice can see the future, but it's subjective, meaning that it's based on each person's decision that decides what becomes of their future. So once you make a decision and commit to it, Alice will see what your future looks like." Edward prayed that Alice wouldn't be upset with him for telling the little girl of their gifts. He knew how self-conscious she was when it came to Bella, and he hoped that this wouldn't add to the list of her insecurities.
"I see." Bella sighed as she lay all the way down on the patch of grass. Her small fingers begin to clasp onto some of the leaves and pulled them gently without plucking them out of the ground.
"I'm sorry, Bella." Edward said as he turned his body towards her while still sitting. He had pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs as he gaze down at the little girl all sprawled out on the grass.
"You don't have to be sorry for being who you are." Bella quoted Alice. Edward grinned as the little girl closed her eyes and began to let her thoughts be filled with beautiful images and dreams of Alice. Edward chuckled as he unintentionally saw them as well, and Bella's eyes quickly snapped open. The images disappeared instantly and Edward quirked an eyebrow again.
"How did you do that?" Edward asked once more.
"Do what?" the little girl asked again. The both of them broke out in laughter as Bella and Edward realized that they were having the same conversation again.
"How did you make the mental images go away like that?" Edward snapped his fingers on the last word to emphasize how quick the snapshots had gone away. Bella giggled and then smiled at the puzzled vampire.
"I just hide them in a room inside my head. When the door is closed, you can't see what's behind the door. When it's opened, I guess you can read my mind." Bella explained it in a simple matter. The explanation perplexed the vampire and caused him to reach up a hand and scratch his head.
"How did you… When did you figure this out?" Edward questioned. Bella sat up and mirrored his posture before casually shrugging like it was no big deal.
"Well, I get this feeling. When it feels safe, I leave the door open. But when I want to keep secrets, I close the door." Bella made an intelligible description of what it's like in her mind.
"Ah, so you panicked when you realized I could see Alice in your – "
"You saw them?!" Bella cried out.
"Well, some but – " Edward was cut off again before he could finish.
"Edward, please don't tell Alice." the little girl begged. Edward was again mystified by the little creature in front of him. He smiled amusedly at the little girl before nodding his head in agreement. Bella let out a sigh of relief and then turned serious again.
"When will you tell me?" Bella asked. Edward laughed and the ten-year-old just looked at him in confusion.
"I don't think we need to tell you by then. You'll have it all figure out yourself, considering how you're so clever and perceptive even at this age. If anything, Carlisle will answer all the questions you may have. But of course, if you haven't figured it out by the time you're eighteen, that's when." Edward revealed. Bella's face scrunched up before she dropped her shoulders and let out a sigh.
"Will you all still love me?" Bella's voice dropped to a whisper. Edward's expression was that of surprise as he changed position so that he was now on his knees. He gesture for Bella to stand up and she rose to his eye level on her two feet.
"Bella, we will always love you. You are forever a part of the family." Edward said as he looked her in the eyes.
"Promise?" Bella held out her pinky. Edward smiled and entwined his pinky with her little one.
"I promise." Bella let go of his finger and immediately threw herself into his arms. Edward held her close and the warmth from the child filled him with hope. A desire that believed the little girl will someday grow and wholly accept their family.
Edward flickered his eyes to the trees not too far away where Alice was standing and hidden away by the dark shadows. The tears that threatened to fall from her topaz eyes would forever remain unshed as she witnessed almost the entire scene before her. Her grip on one of the trees tightened from the overwhelming emotion she felt crumbling inside of her. The hard fibrous materials gave way and were crushed in her granite hand. They fell to the floor like rains of sand falling in an hourglass that measured the passage of time.
It was inevitable that the day would later come.
Eight more years.
Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight.