Hi gang. Sorry about the delay in the update. Work has been a little crazy. Thanks for those of you that have added this story to their favorites list and of course a huge thanks to those that take the time to write reviews, they are greatly appreciated. As usual, I own nothing Twilight. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.
Blood Moon
Alice:
"Here's all the books on Dr. Armitage." I said coming through the front door and dropping them on the coffee table with a satisfying thump. Rosalie walked into the living room in full yoga gear, grabbing one of the books and plunked down on the leather sofa.
"Looks like we have serious reading to do." Rosalie said, absorbed in a biography about the marine biologist. There were at least five other books on the table.
"Where's Bella?" I asked, settling in to start reading.
"I'm here. Glad you two are here, I have a few questions." She was holding the family mermaid chronicles. This was going to get very interesting, very fast.
"What's up?" Rosalie asked.
"Can you two explain the moons?" Bella looked thoroughly confused. Rosalie and I looked at each other. It was obvious we didn't expect this question at this point.
"Oh wow. The moons. Well, um…that was incredibly fast. Well, certain civilizations have names for moons, because they go by the lunar calendar. Mermaids follow the Celtic lunar calendar, because we are supposed to observe the old religion. Its also used to dictate when it's the best time of year for certain activities. Keep in mind, some of those activities are obsolete. The other reason we focus on the lunar calendar, is because of the push and pull of the moon over the water, and how we count the passage of time." I explained, attempting to keep form blushing. Bella noticed my blushing.
"What aren't you telling me?" Bella asked. Rosalie sighed and continued to explain.
"Sex rituals are also observed, if you have a significant other. It practically can't be helped, its who we are." She explained. Bella went completely ashen.
"S-s-sex rituals? Like what kind of sex rituals?" Bella asked.
"Nothing serious, but on Halloween, you don't trick or treat, you basically fuck all night long, the same on Easter. The chronicles should explain in greater detail as you read them." Rosalie stated. Bella's eyes were huge in her head.
'But Charlie…" Before she could finish
"That's part of the reason why Charlie is nervous about us dating." I finished.
"Would he…"
"Let the Cullen boys have their way with us on designated days? Yes. Right here, in the house if needed." Rosalie finished. Bella suddenly sat down abruptly, she was completely dumbfounded.
"Bella, if you and Edward fall in love, you will have sex with him. A lot. Mixed creatures are very very sexual beings, you need to understand this." I tried to explain. She had no idea.
"Yeah, just ask my parents. I've heard my Dad tell my Mom that he's not a machine, many times." Rosalie explained, looking nauseous.
"Rose, that was a bit of an overshare." I said, looking at Bella's reaction. I was worried for Bella.
"I can't believe Charlie will permit this." Bella choked out.
"He will permit it, but I don't think he will be around to hear anything." I said.
"So have you two ever…"
"had sex? No, I haven't." Rose answered.
"Neither have I." I answered.
"So how do you know?" Bella asked, still stunned.
"Because its inevitable. Mom explained this when she had the sex talk with me. Its part of the reason she seemed to fall into a decline when she realized Daddy truly didn't love her. Don't get me wrong, Mom made Daddy pay in certain ways, its part of the reason why the Brandons hate me so much, but that's what happens when you cross a mermaid. But I digress. Mom explained that it physically hurt when Daddy began to pull away from her, and when he found out what she was, well that's a story for another day." I explained.
"Yeah, ironically, the whole sex life of a mermaid was the only thing my mother was willing to discuss," Rosalie explained, "I think she wanted me to be prepared more than anything. She even told me she had petty cash available, specifically for condoms and such if I bring a boy home. She told me if I ever brought someone home, that I would have to be discreet, because Dad couldn't handle the concept of his teenage daughter having sex under his roof. Thanks goodness Dad never brought it up."
Bella looked lost, and I had not a clue as to what to say to her, so I just didn't say anything, but buried myself into one of the books about the local history of Forks.
"Okay, so what happens during the Blood Moon?" Bella asked after a long while. Rosalie and I looked at each other, deciding who should speak. Finally Rose piped up.
"Well since most people agree that the Blood Moon falls in October, so symbolizes hunting season. Mer families set up their own traditions, and for those that lived on land, join in the hunting season with regular humans. Mer families that lived closer to some sort of body of water, would fish and smoke the fish and store their catches for winter, and of course those that live only in the water hunted anything from treasure to humans. Humans for their own pleasure, either sexual or murderous."
"Murderous?" Bella squeaked.
"Yes. There are wild mer-people hunt humans in order to drown them for sport. I've even heard of some areas where mer-people actually kill and eat humans, but I've never been able to get Mom to tell me anything really. However, for our family, in order for the women to keep busy while the men went on hunting trips, they went treasure hunting and pearl diving." Rosalie answered.
"Eat people?" Bella rasped in shock.
"Yes. The history of mermaids of mer-people is very sketchy, but there are some things we learn, that don't seem to go away and cannibalism is one of those subjects. We're not exactly sure why some chose to live on land or just near the water, but usually the wild mermaids live very remote places. Lets not focus on that just yet, but focus on our own family history and now the moons, because those subjects are what's going to matter in our immediate future." I jumped in. Bella was white as a sheet.
"Hey, the history of our kind is really not very pretty, even some of the fiction is depressing. Read the original story of The Little Mermaid. I've always hated the story, but Disney made it palatable. Our culture is something that you have to get used to. That's why you need to know as much as possible." Rosalie said to Bella. After that, we all settled down and started our research on Dr. Armitage.
Rosalie:
"I'm going to finish this upstairs." Bella said, taking one of the books up to her room. I knew she was trying to absorb what she had heard this evening. I noticed Alice pretend to be absorbed in the book she was attempting to read.
"Have a goodnight!" We both said at the same time. Even after Bella descended the stairs, we waited until she was settled and quiet in her bed. Then we started talking.
"Rose, she's already asked about the meaning of the moons. Plus I think we told her too much." Alice said, worrying her bottom lip.
"We? You told her too much. Cannibalism? Really? She's barely able to grasp that she's a mermaid, and you go straight to one of the more darker natures of being a mermaid." I replied.
"Well, I guess once I started talking, I just was on a roll." At least Alice had the grace to look sheepish.
"So, if we're all serious about the Cullens by the end of this month, Charlie will clear this house faster than we can think." I added.
"Can you really see Charlie letting this happen?" Alice asked.
"Begrudgingly, yes." I answered. We were quiet for a few moments, when Charlie walked in from his weekend fishing trip with Billy.
"Hey Charlie, catch anything?" Alice asked.
"Halibut were biting like crazy today." Charlie said, open a cooler her was carrying.
"I'll go and prepare those out in the shed." I said, grabbing the cooler from my uncle. Alice flitted over to help me.
"I'll help Rose." She said.
"Great, I get the TV all to myself!" Charlie said, heading upstairs to clean up, before settling down to watch ESPN. Once Alice and I were in the shed, we continued our conversation.
"I think Halloween is a bit soon to have sex, don't you think?" Alice asked.
"I agree, we'll need to tread lightly for the next few weeks. School is turning into a circus, the Cullens are definitely interested, and then the three suspicious characters in Forks. Have I covered everything?"
"Don't forget about Bella's training." Alice replied.
"How could I forget. I suggest we head out to La Push after school tomorrow. We really need to get Bella up to speed. We also need to discuss what happened to you in Rochester." Alice said. The last part she attempted to add without appearing obvious. It didn't work.
"Alice, I told you. I'll tell you when I'm ready." I really didn't want to tell my cousins at all.
"Rosalie. Now would not be a good idea to have secrets from each other. There's just too much going on." Alice retorted.
"Fine. I'll tell you. You know," I started, but Alice interrupted.
"Wait, don't you want to tell Bella as well?" Alice looked concerned. I really had to think about what I was going to reveal, especially after what we revealed to Bella only a few hours ago.
"Ok, let's go and wake her up." I said. We got cleaned up and headed to Bella's room. I knocked on the door, and she replied almost immediately, so we walked in.
"I thought you were asleep." I said, taking in the sight of Bella diligently doing her homework.
"Yeah, I'm a little behind on assignments, considering how things have been going lately." She answered.
"So what's going on?" Bella looked shuttered, almost nervous.
"She's going to tell us what happened in Rochester." Alice answered. Bella looked back at me in surprise.
"Ok. You know the story about the group of guys that were found dead?" I asked.
"Yes." They both answered, looking very eager and scared at once.
"I killed them, by drowning them." I said very quickly. I had my eyes squinted shut. Silence. Absolute silence. So I slowly opened on eye, then the other. Alice and Bella just stared at me with their mouths hanging wide open.
"You two have nothing to say." I stated.
"Well, I'm not totally surprised." Alice responded after a few moments. Bella was still quiet.
"They were going to gang rape me." Once again, shock and surprise covered the faces of my cousins
"What happened exactly?" Bella asked, when she found her voice.
"We went out to a local beach, and the guys started drinking. I was already uncomfortable, being the only girl, but Royce insisted that everything was fine. Suddenly, Royce suggested that I sleep with all of them. I knew he was drunk, by even suggesting the idea. When I refused, they started to attack, so I ran for the water. Once they were all in, I drowned them." I explained.
"Oh man, no wonder you wanted to move here. I would leave Rochester after that, myself." Alice commented.
"Rose, I'm really sorry." Bella offered.
"It's fine, I mean, I didn't see it coming, and I had no choice. I don't think they would have left me alive." I felt relief, but I also felt anxious. Its hard being the oldest, and I just don't want Bella and Alice thinking horrible things about me. Believe me when I tell you, taking someone's life isn't easy. I took six lives. Yeah, they were assholes, but they were still living creatures, and I still felt unbelievably guilty.
"Rose, don't feel bad about this! They tried to kill you." This was Alice, of course. It must be nice to be able see things so black and white. Bella remained quiet, however I knew she just needed time to mull over things at this point. My secret was out, now I just needed to learn to cope. Would it be embarrassing to consider therapy? And how would I go about it, without admitting to murder? I guess that would be another conversation for another day.
Bella:
I actually had a migraine. Once my cousins left my room, I put my books away, took two aspirin and turned out my lights. I stared at the dark ceiling, thinking about what would happen at school the next day. It was a long time before I finally fell asleep.
MnmNmnmNmn
School was different today. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the one thing that really stood out was Edward and his brothers. They were far too subdued. It wasn't until lunch, that I really noticed how off key there were behaving.
"Hey Bella." Edward said, as he pulled up a seat next to me, at our table. Emmett and Jasper joined him shortly after his arrival. Angela was blushing beyond belief, Alice immediately began flirting with Jasper, and Rosalie was trying not to look extremely pleased that Emmett was catering to her needs. I sat there, like an idiot, blushing like Angela, while Edward switched between eating his lunch and staring at me. Everyone else in the cafeteria was staring at out table. Jessica and Lauren had found a new lunchtime residence.
"Angela, when is your boyfriend coming back up from UW?" Jasper asked.
"In a few weeks, I think." She squeaked, trying to take in everything that was happening.
"Cool, we should all get together and hang out." Jasper replied, giving Angela a winning smile. Angela blushed harder and crammed a cookie in her mouth and nodded her head vigorously.
"Hey, you ladies want to come over and study after school? Angela, you're more than welcome to join us." Emmett asked. I thought it was sweet that the boys were including our friend.
"I'd love to, but I have to prepare for the church's fall open air market. You know, the one that's held in the basement of the church." Angela replied, sounding a bit annoyed.
"We can't either, we have plans." Alice explained.
"Plans?" Edward asked. Was it me, or did he just look at his brothers, as if he knew something.
"Yes, we're going to visit Billy and Jacob." Rosalie answered. Edward scowled immediately, but Jasper and Emmett seemed to be giving off an air of repressed excitement.
"I'm sure Jacob wouldn't mind if you reschedule," Edward started, but Rosalie interrupted. "Sorry, Edward, but this is something we have to do."
"We understand, do you think perhaps the three of you would like to come to dinner at our house? This weekend?" Emmett asked. It was strange how such a large and handsome guy could look like an adorable nine year old, when he wanted something.
"Ok!" Alice and Rosalie said in unison. I had to figure out how they did that, it was becoming a bit much.
"What time should we be there?" Alice asked. I could already tell she was picking out ensembles for herself, me and Rose. I guess I had better get a good start on my homework this weekend.
"Around four thirty. What do the three of you do out at La Push when you're visiting the Blacks?" Edward asked. Jasper and Emmett were paying rapt attention to our responses, and once again, I got the feeling something was off.
"Surfing." Rosalie replied without missing a beat. Was it me, or did all three brothers glance at each other and start smirking. I looked questioningly at Alice and then back at Edward. She followed my eyes, and just caught the look on Edward's face, right before he carefully blanked his face again. She glanced back at me, with look of mild surprise. Rosalie was busy smiling at something Emmett was whispering to her. Finally the bell rang and the next thing I knew, I was being dragged down the hallway by Alice. It all happened so fast.
"They know something!" Alice all but screeched when she dragged me into the nearest restroom.
"No, really? I hadn't noticed." I replied. I knew I really needed to work on the sarcasm, but sometimes I felt it was needed.
"Bella, be serious. They know, I just know it!" Alice replied. I had to admit, the thought of Edward knowing was unnerving.
"Well, why don't we just tell them?" I suggested.
"What if they don't like us, after they find out?" Alice asked.
"If you think they know, I really don't think that's a problem. Emmett just asked us all to dinner. At their home. To meet their parents." I said, breaking the invitation down in bits, just in case it escaped her attention. Alice looked at me with a mixed expression. I just don't know what she was thinking.
"Bella, I'm just scared. No one outside of my family knows what I am, what we are. Its like that for almost all mermaids." Alice explained.
"Cleary that's about to change. Why are you so surprised? Didn't you see this coming?" I asked.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I know how everything happens." Alice was exasperated. I didn't have a reply to that.
"Bella, this could be huge! Not just one, but three people, outside of our family knowing who and what we are!" Alice was headed into panic mode.
"Alice, I'm just as scared as you are, but there isn't anything we can do about now if they know. I recommend the only solution. Come clean." I said. It made sense to me. Alice looked as me as if I was currently "wearing" my fins.
"I wish my mother were here, she would know what I was feeling, she would know what to do." Alice whispered, as tears pooled in her eyes. It was the first time I had seen Alice show any signs of being upset about her mother's death. I pulled her into a hug, wishing I knew what to say. Before I knew it, the bell sounded to alert us that we were officially late for class. I let Alice go, with the promise that we would talk about this when we were home for the evening. However on a good note, I was happy we were late, this meant that Edward wouldn't have a chance to speak with me when I got to class.
Edward:
I found it convenient that Bella came into class late today. I wanted to ask her a few questions, but that really wasn't going to be possible.
"Nice of you to join us Miss Swan, please don't make this a habit." Mr. Banner said to Bella as she handed him a hall pass. How in the world did she con Mrs. Cope into giving her one?
"Hi" I whispered. Bella just gave me a shy wave back. Banner was talking about some boring project that would be due in a few weeks. I didn't care to listen, because he passed out instructions on the what, when, and how of the thing.
"Bella" I whispered, close to her ear, hoping no one noticed. I was surprised to she her shiver slightly and blush. She passed me a note instead.
"Yes?" the note read. I almost laughed out loud. Bella became more interesting with each interaction.
"Can we join you at First Beach?" I scribbled quickly. I noticed Bella's face pale slightly, and wondered what would make her have such a reaction.
"Maybe not today, we'll make plans to go to First Beach some other time." Was her reply. I felt my jealousy rise, at the thought of Jacob Black getting to spend time with Bella so freely, while it seemed I never got a chance to see her outside of school. I noticed Bella peeking at me now and then from the curtain of hair concealing her face. I wondered not for the first time, what was going on in that head of hers. All too soon class ended.
"Bella, wait." I said, before she bolted out of the classroom.
"Yeah?" She asked again, fidgeting nervously. Did I make her nervous?
"I just wanted to ask you, when will we be able to spend more time together?" I was surprised that I had to ask that question. I've never had to work so hard to get a girl to spend time with me before. I wasn't the only one who was surprised, because Bella looked absolutely shocked.
"I-I-I don't know how to answer that," Bella replied, she seemed genuinely confused.
"Look, I really like you. I want to know more about you, I want to spend time with you to get to know you. I guess what I'm asking you is, do you want to be my girlfriend?" It's official. I'm pathetic. I couldn't help myself. Once I got started, I couldn't stop. It also didn't help to know that she would be spending her afternoon with Jacob Black. Suddenly, I had an idea.
"Your girlfriend?" Bella replied, completely thrown.
"Yes. I want you to be my girlfriend. Please." She looked a little frightened, but then again, I guess I must of looked pretty intense.
"Ok." She whispered, staring back into my eyes, almost as if she were in a trance.
"So, I'll see you Saturday? Remember, four thirty." I said, and before I knew what I was doing, I leaned in a kissed the tip of her nose. I heard a few audible gasps, and I knew, before even turning around, we had an audience. I whirled around to see several girls looking at us. We must have stirred a bit of attention, talking so long in the classroom and all.
"Wait until Jessica hears about this!" Someone said, followed by the sound of running feet.
"Wow. We won't even get a chance to tell anyone ourselves." Bella said.
"Guess not." I added.
"I better get going." Bella said.
"Oh wait! Can I get your phone number?" I asked.
Emmett:
I was on my way to my car when I noticed Rosalie getting ready to get into hers. Right before I could speak to her, my phone chirped. It was Edward with one of his brilliant ideas. This time however, I had to admit, it was an excellent idea.
"Hey Rose." I said, as I made my way to my jeep.
"Hi." She answered with this inviting smile. I smiled back like an idiot before I remembered that I actually had to ask her something.
"Hey I wanted to know, if we could go out on a date." I stated like a fool. Rosalie blinked rapidly a few times before letting out a nervous giggle. She actually giggled.
"Ok, when?" She asked, blushing slightly.
"How about we aim for a day after you meet my parents?" I answered. I felt like a complete dork. My palms were sweaty and I felt overheated. It was then that I realized that I had never actually brought a girl home with the intent to date. I'd never had a serious steady girlfriend before, and I was a nervous wreck.
"Ok, here's my cell number. I gotta get going. Bye Emmett." She said sliding into her car. I watched her drive away, and I waited until she was out of sight, before I scrambled to my car to head home. I had a feeling that following through with Edward's idea, might yield results.
"Hello Emmett." Mom said as I rushed into the door leading into the kitchen. The best room in the house.
"Hi Mom." I replied heading straight for the fridge.
"Honey, there are some snacks on the counter." Mom said. I turned and was disgusted to find vegetables and dip. I pulled a horrified face.
"Emmett, you need to try and cut down on the junk food."
"But Mom, vegetables before dinner?" Was she serious?
"Ok, I'll make a deal. You eat a handful of these veggies, and I'll give you a kitchen sink cookie." She drove a hard bargain, kitchen sink cookies are my favorite. So without another word, I grabbed a handful of celery, baby carrots and tossed them on a small plate with dip. Mom then forked over the cookie. I headed upstairs, munching on my healthy snack and headed into my room. Jasper was already waiting for me.
"Where the hell is Edward?" He asked.
"Probably with Bella." I replied.
"Mom got you with the carrots as well?" he asked, looking resigned.
"Yes, but its Mom, what else did you expect? Where are your veggies?" I asked, cramming celery and carrots into my mouth.
"I ate them already. She made me eat them in front of her." I choked on my snack with laughter. While I was laughing, Edward walked in with a plate of the healthy snack, and a kitchen sink cookie.
"So this idea," Jasper started, cutting straight to the chase, "What do we?"
"We head down to Billy's with more questions about our car projects. We got the parts and info we needed for the Datsun, we could ask about the Camaro." Edward replied.
"Sounds like a good idea, we need to make it convincing." I replied.
"That shouldn't be a problem, we'll just make sure we have our work clothes on." Jasper relied.
"I hope they don't get upset with us. You know what Billy said, it best if we let them tell us." Edward reminded us. We were silent for a few moments.
"You think we should go?" Jasper asked.
"Hell yeah! I'm tired of being sidelined, I want to get things started with Rosalie already." I answered, looking over at Edward.
"Yeah, I think we sort of need to push the issue in order to get things going." He said. I couldn't argue with that. So we all get ready, and about forty-five minutes later, we had piled up in my jeep with out work gear, car manual and notebook. I always enjoyed the drive down First Beach, it was scenic and relaxing.
"Hey, let's drive by the cliffs and see if anyone is jumping today." Jasper suggested. Seemed like a good idea to me.
Jasper:
I was momentarily happy in my own little world, thinking about the conversation I had with Alice at her locker earlier today. I glanced out the window, knowing I had to have looked like a lovesick idiot.
Had I known what we would see at the cliffs, I wouldn't have suggested going passed.
"What the fuck!" I yelled at the sight before me. I was immediately yanked from my dream world into the real world, and let me tell you. What I saw, scared the shit out of me.
Edward and Emmett looked over at the cliffs and they both let out blood cuddling sounds of some sort. There on the edge of one of the cliff stood Charlie's Angels, and Alice was the first to dive over the side, followed by Rosalie and then Bella. Needless to say we pulled over. More so to get over the shock of watching our girlfriends jumping off a cliff. Emmett was the first to reclaim his voice.
"Did we just see that?" he asked, practically hyperventilating.
"Yes, let's get to Billy's house. NOW!" Edward yelled. I think I had wet my pants. I've never been so scared before in my life. I just wanted to know that the girls were ok, but there was no way I could know from where we were. Even though Emmett broke the speed limit on the way to Billy's, it still took an eternity. Finally, the house was in view, and we all jumped out of the car. We ran to the front door and I pounded on it like my life depended on it.
"Coming!" I heard a muffled voice from inside. Harry Clearwater opened the door a few moments later.
"Hi boys!" Harry said, when he opened the door. We barged in.
"Where's Billy." Emmett growled.
"He's in the kitchen," Harry pointed towards the kitchen, with a startled look on his face. The next thing I knew, we were in the kitchen.
"Hello boys," Billy said frying fish.
"Why are the girls cliff diving?" I asked. I hadn't noticed that I was shaking.
"Now now boys. I can't answer that. Remember I told you, it would be best if they told you themselves." Billy replied as if he asked us to sit down for a cup of tea.
"Want to stay for dinner? We have plenty." He offered. I noticed Emmett was about to say no.
"Yes, we'll stay. We have to ask you about a Camaro anyway, so we may as well." I answered.
"Where's Jacob?" Edward asked. I looked at him like he had lost his mind.
"He's with Charlie's Angels." Billy answered, trying to conceal his laughter. Edward looked as if he wanted to hit something.
"Don't worry, they'll be back shortly." Billy replied.
"Will they ever tell us?" I asked.
"After today, they may not have a choice." Billy answered.