Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapter! I suggest people get as much as possible out of this chapter......important AN at the bottom.

Chapter Twenty Six: Cluedo

Bella

Nothing. No phone calls. No letters. Only Billy's quickly averted eyes and his feeble explanation of mono. Apparently, I couldn't even come down to the house because it was under quarantine. Fairly dodgy, if you ask me. The fact that Billy was roaming around freely was a dead giveaway. After all, quarantine was based on the idea of isolation for a reason.

I hadn't heard from Jake for around ten days; things were getting fishy and I didn't like it.

I had been spending more time with the Cullens now. Playing chess with Alice (losing miserably, stupid fortune teller), playing video games with Emmett and Jasper (got an occasional win there) and having philosophical discussions with Carlisle. He had a very acute belief about religion alongside morality. I was also teaching Esme how to cook better; some of her creations hadn't been edible! Esme frequently confused ingredients such as sugar with salt or flour with baking powder. Once, I had discovered chilli powder in my pumpkin soup!

Rosalie and I...... we weren't really friends but at least she had stopped glaring every time I entered the room.

Edward on the other hand, was a different story. I frequently saw him staring at me and was aware of him even when my back was turned. Annoying git! Couldn't he take a hint? I didn't want anything to do with Edward. Whenever I wanted some time to be alone, Edward would suddenly appear down the corridor! It was like he really could read my mind. And was trying to infuriate me to insanity, using the knowledge he had seized.

But Edward was not the most irritating thing of all....

I wished.

Sometimes, the Cullens would become cryptic, as though they knew something that I didn't. It occurred most frequently when I fretted about Jacob. I would catch snippets of hasty glances and even strangled hissing sounds, presumably from Rosalie. They would speak about 'transformations' yet still reassure me that Jacob would be fine. I would try to ask Carlisle about the symptoms of mono but the doctor would become cryptically vain and veer the conversation to another topic. Alice and Emmett wouldn't help me; they would pull on their innocent faces, an expression I was becoming all too familiar with.

Even sweet motherly Esme was in on the secret. I would catch her steal concerned glances at Carlisle and sometimes at me.

It was very, very frustrating. My suspicions must have increased when I stumbled across a conversation that I was never supposed to hear.

*Flashback*

Playing Sumer Smash Brothers Brawl with Emmett and Jasper was incredibly exhausting. I had been controlling Zelda while Emmett went for Mario and Jasper, Snake. After I had been crushed to death, I decided to head over to the kitchen for a drink.

I never got there.

I heard Alice and Assward arguing, arguing about me. So, I did what the normal curious human would do. I eavesdropped.

"He's already changed Alice!" Edward stated hotly. "And you can't see him anymore. What if he hurts Bella?"

"Edward!" Alice retorted in a bickering tone. "Don't you see how much it's hurting Bella to be away from Jake? Don't you care?"

"I don't care if she never sees the pup again!"

*End Flashback*

Gah! Couldn't somebody just tell me what was going on already? It was rather evident that they were hiding a secret. One that probably involved me and by the looks of it, Jake as well.

I felt like I was playing a reality version of Cluedo. There were so many hints being tossed in my face, revolving around, trying to fit together and make sense. So many possibilities, each more impossible than the last. Yet, at the same time, I had no idea. There was no signpost to tell for sure. No indicator to say whether or not I was looking in the right direction.

It was just me vs everyone else. In a board game.

Jasper

The worst drawback about being an empath is feeling someone else's pain and being able to do nothing about it. Standing by to watch as a friend's anxiety rose steadily upwards and not being able to help.

That's exactly how I felt.

We had all come to the conclusion that Jacob Black had been transformed into a werewolf; it made sense. The kid was from Quileute heritage with strong bloodlines, the descendant of Ephraim. A few other boys had also made the change recently. There were five now; we had to be careful not to cross the treaty line. This wouldn't make the situation fun for us Cullens. Oh no.

And, Edward was adamant that Bella stayed far away from La Push, now that her boyfriend was an immature, young werewolf. They were impossible to control and gave in too easily to their animalistic instincts. Reminded me of newborn vampires. On other words, dangerous.

At first, I was doubtful. Scared of my control, afraid that she would blabber. In so many ways, I was wrong. Bella had grown on us all, Alice particularly. I would frequently feel Carlisle and Esme's familial love and fondness every time she walked into the room. Edward (though in a suppressed manner) radiated unconditional love. Okay, stepping into by brother's shoes would not be nice right now. Life must suck if you thought you'd found your soul mate but she didn't like you back.

I couldn't really empathise; I had Alice and would never look back.

With Ali and Emmett, their happiness dor more video games and human shopping sprees were becoming part of me as well.

When looking back and reflecting, it would be said without doubt that Bella had changed us all. Even Rosalie, the queen of all icy queens.

Yes, Bella had affected the Cullen family positively.

So, back to the original issue. While we were (mostly) decided on not telling Bella, I got the impression that she would fight to discover the truth. I would frequently get vibes of curiosity mingled with suspicion. And Bella was extremely observant, several times more perceptive than the average human.

Alice, bless her was acting all smug. Chances were, one of her visions had showed an interesting outcome; one that would dent or flaw Edward's argument.

Hilarious.

Quil

Was I supposed to be the friend that got left behind? Was I supposed to be the little lost minion? Ditched? Forgotten? Ignored? The suspense of not knowing was getting me quickly anxious. Though, honestly what did anyone else expect? They always used to call me the loyal one.

I wanted to know what happened to all my friends. First Sam, then Embry and finally Jake. They were disappearing into a cult – one close knit circle which was for some bizarre reason respected by the Quileute elders. The worst part of it? I thought that they were coming to get me. I was to be the next target.

Just the snide look and awkward gazes to give anything away. But, I didn't want to join their exclusive group.

I just wanted my friends back.

But I was scared.

The other two boys, Jared and Paul were huge and could probably bash my brains out with a single punch. But, I wasn't going to let them get the better of me.

I refused to join their cult.

Hoping you guys enjoyed this chapter and will take the two seconds to review. Unfortunately, this story will be on hiatus until the completion of 'The Hole In Her Heart' one of my other Twilight fics. I'm sorry but I just can't juggle all three fics and this is one of the more time consuming.

So until next time........

~alicecullen5