A/N: It gets really weird from here on out. I changed the lyrics so its different than last time. If you want to see the ones I used first, message me. The lyrics I used now and then are completely mine. I own them, I created them.

Chapter 25

As per usual Edward won. He picked up on it very quick. We played two rounds—a practice round and for real—where he won both. I need to think of more games.

I drummed my fingers on my knee to the chorus of the last song I heard on the way back to Forks.

I look at a picture
To see face so familiar
Even though her soul as changed
She acts more dominant
They just want to dispose. of. her.

She's taking over
She may not be me
But she's carefree

It was sung by a new artist that I hadn't heard of but they were good. The radio played it a few times and that's when Nessie started to sing to it. It's not like she was bad at singing but when the song finished I was laughing.

I blew the falling strand of hair out of my eyes and looked at the clock and sighed, 6:23. Five hours and thirty-seven minutes to go. I wasn't in the mood for another game and Jacob might just be bored. He'd been standing a long time. "Hey, Jacob, sit down; get comfortable."

"Nah, I'm good."

"Are you sure? I thought vampires were the only ones that could stand for hours and be comfortable."

He shrugged "I guess any creature that lives forever can be comfortable standing."

I shrugged, too, "maybe." I was really getting bored. Humans wouldn't have to worry about the extra eight hours they would get from not sleeping. And being like this makes things seem… faster? Slower? I couldn't tell any more.

I moaned as I fell backwards on to the plush carpet. I spilled blood here, I remembered. Right before Renesmee was born. I thought about Jacob, how I suddenly felt like I was on Cloud 9 whenever he showed up. And how he suggested I try drinking blood—which saved the lives of both me and Nessie. And what she showed me when I first held her, Jacob holding my hand. At the same time he was protective.

I guess if it wasn't for him we wouldn't be here today. But we also wouldn't be in the mess we're in now. Stupid Felix, why did my blood have to smell so good? Then there would be no James, no Victoria, no Laurent, and no Volturi. But there might also be no Edward.

I closed my eyes and thought back. Way, way back, back before Forks.

I thought back to my young days in Phoenix. I never imagined back then of being married at eighteen and a mother at nineteen. Back then I didn't even think of ever becoming a mythical creature or even if they existed. But it was my decision to come back here I guess.

Screw the past. I'm in the present—a present full of mystical beings that would only be in movies and books. I scoffed and felt the corners of my mouth turn up and heard my laughter. I opened my eyes and sat up.

"What's so funny, love?" Edward asked from the piano.

"Nothing, just looking back," I said shaking my head.

"Was something in your past funny?"

"Not really. I was just remembering how I never thought I'd be where I am now when I was nine. To be honest this entire world was unknown and I thought it was all make believe and scary stories like the 'Boogie Monster.' I really didn't think I'd be anywhere close to now, not even in college."

"I'm not surprised." He got up and walked to me. "When I was nine I thought I would be in the draft after high school. Of course I imagined when I came back from war I'd have a family waiting for me. That's how every boy back then thought I guess." He sat down in front of me leaning back against the couch.

"So many things are different from when we were kids."

Edward and I laughed.

"I think you could say that about all of us," Felix said abruptly.

"I guess you could. We were all human. The only person that doesn't apply is Nessie." My smile wavered.

"Sorry," Edward said running his hand through his hair.

"It's not your fault, I asked for it."

"Whoa whoa change the subject," Jacob said holding up one hand while still gripping Felix in the other.

I leaned to the side to sit against the couch.

"Play something for me," I said.

"What if I teach you?" he countered.

"Deal."

The next two hours were spent on my lessons. I didn't learn Debussy or any other famous composers' pieces, just the basics; like scales, which fingers should go where, the location of middle C and so on. Edward was a good teacher. He'd play something short and have me play it back. The only song I really learned was the first part of my lullaby.

I groaned internally, four hours and twenty-six minutes more.

"You did well, Bella."

"Thanks, Edward. It was fun."

He just smiled his crooked smile. I wished for once that the day would come to an end. So that the Volturi would be over with and we could all move on with our lives. I could go back to playing with Nessie in the back yard without a threat, and hunt freely in the forest, and go to college.

Calm, Bella, calm, Alice's voice rang through my head and I took a deep breath. I was practically on the edge of hysteria with all this stress. I got up and went to find a notebook and pencil. I didn't know why, but I just felt like drawing.

I didn't draw much; just little things like flowers and butterflies and stars. I advanced to more complicated work—stick people. That obviously wasn't hard, so I drew a stick house, then a stick neighborhood. I sighed heavily and turned the page. I didn't draw this time. This time I wrote. Multiple times on the paper was written three simple words: I am bored.

I filled the entire page with "I am Bored"s. That didn't take long, even writing slowly. Twenty minutes worth of lines. This was useless. I laid back and closed my eyes and tried not to think. I tried to go to sleep.

A few minutes later I was just sitting with my eyes closed doing nothing. So, I listed; five sets of breathing and two heartbeats. I counted the loudest beat. One, two, three, four… Why did they have to come at noon? Why not ten in the morning? Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two… They think they're royalty. Not really, they aren't. Fifty-five, fifty six…

Wait, the beats are speeding? Why? Eighty-eight, eighty-nine, ninety, ninety-one… Are they running or something? Because the beat is loud so it's close. One hundred twenty-two, one hundred twenty-three, one hundred twenty-four…

I don't really hear anything moving. It better not be what I think it might be…

I opened my eyes and sat up. I didn't feel different. I put two fingers on my wrist to try and find my pulse, nothing. I sighed, relieved and slouched back down. Then what was the fast beating? I looked around the room. Jacob was still with Felix—he should rest, Jacob should, not Felix; Felix could rest in a few hours after he dies. Nessie was napping on the arm chair. And Edward was sitting at the third step with his chin resting on his hand and looking at me, confused.

Then it wasn't just me who thought something weird was going on, right? Or was he staring at me because of what just happened? I was tired with questions. I looked at the clock again; I guess that whole episode was longer than I thought. Three hours and thirty-seven minutes. It was 9:23 A.M. and the sun was up. I couldn't really go outside, no one was out but still. With this problem going on it was best to be inside.

I listened to try and find that pulse I heard before. It was gone.

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