-Chapter Twenty-Seven-


Monday morning, I invited myself into Edward's car. Well, kind of. I had already told Jasper I was going to tell them everything about Friday night with Bella, but I just figured in the privacy of Edward's Volvo was better than at lunch or something.

"Hi, friends!" Jasper caught me around the waist when I opened the door, settling me onto his lap. Alice turned in the front seat to give me one of her big smiles.

"You better not have saved her from something else life-threatening," Rosalie mumbled in lieu of a greeting.

"She made decent life choices for once and didn't wander away from the group or anything, so there was nothing to save her from."

I thought I saw a little bit of an amused smirk in the way Rosalie pouted her lips.

"So, tell us." Edward twisted in his seat, too, so that he could meet my eyes. Even though his were bright gold, meaning he must have fed recently, they were still ringed with dark circles.

I launched into the retelling of everything Bella had told me, but I had to wait for a considerable amount of time for Emmett to finish laughing after I reached one of the words Bella had used to describe the Cullens.

"Dazzling?" Emmett asked through his laughter. "She really said dazzling?"

To be fair to Emmett, Jasper and Alice were laughing, too. Jasper had pressed his face against my shoulder to try to hide his laughter, but Alice's rang out unabashed. Edward was rolling his eyes affectionately at his siblings, and I noticed Rosalie toss her hair. Obviously, she thought that Bella's adjective choice was fitting.

"Yes, but that's beside the point." I waved Emmett's questions away.

"Thank you," Edward's voice was nearly drowned out by Emmett. He just couldn't get himself together, until Rosalie elbowed him in the ribs.

"Babe, please. This is abuse." The idea of lithe, elegant Rosalie abusing Emmett, who was the definition of burly, was truly funny.

"Do you think we're dazzling, too?" Jasper asked.

"Right now, I think y'all are annoying." This just made Emmett burst out laughing again. Even Edward was smiling, now, though. I think it was the first time I had seen him truly smile, and I could see how Bella had chosen 'dazzling' for him.

"What else did she say?" Edward asked. "And why didn't you look at her? That girl wears every emotion on her face."

He must have been watching the memories in my head as I told them about it.

"Because she gets on my nerves." Rosalie smiled at that, though it was still close-lipped and reserved. "She's noticed y'all's eyes change. Yours, and Rosalie's, specifically."

"She didn't mention anyone else?" Jasper asked, while Edward cut his eyes in a glare to Rosalie.

"No," I told Jasper at the same time Edward said, "I told you showing off does you no good, Rose."

"Rosalie can't help if Bella's observant," Emmett immediately jumped in to defend her. 'Observant' wasn't the word I would have chosen; 'obsessive' fit better in my opinion, but I kept that to myself. "I mean, no offense, Maisie, but literally no other human has pieced anything together since we've been here."

"It's not like she got here on her own, though," Alice pointed out. "That Quileute boy told her the Cold Ones legend."

Jasper had filled me in on that legend, of ancient vampires that had served as the catalyst for the Quileute tribe's shapeshifting.

"I told you they're always arguing lately," Jasper whispered to me, disguising it as a kiss on my cheek.

"Bella mentioned y'all never eating lunch, too."

"Maybe we should just blind her," Rosalie mumbled, more to herself than anything.

"So, she has a few points of interest that she's using as proof, but she still hasn't actually said the word vampire, right?"

"I don't think she will until somebody else does," I told Jasper honestly. "She wants someone to confirm it for her."

"Hmm," Alice hummed her agreement. "And right now, she only has a legend. The boy doesn't know, yet, that he told her a true story. He's too young to shapeshift for another year."

Man, Gunner would be pissed if he knew that some people get to be werewolves when they turn sixteen, I thought to myself, but of course, Edward heard it. He threw a small chuckle my way before turning to Alice.

"We can only hope that she may never know. Jacob Black will be sworn to secrecy once he does shift for the first time."

"I don't know," Rosalie mused. Just from her tone, I knew she was going to say something sharp. "Some people aren't very good at keeping secrets."

I felt Jasper's arm tighten around my waist. If he was going to say anything to her, I beat him to it.

"Yeah, but I'm a joy, so there's really only gains here." This only made Emmett laugh again. I was amazed at the juxtaposition between his mirth and the ice-cold glare Rosalie was wearing. Opposites really do attract sometimes, I guess.


Before my softball season started, I got to see how Jasper and his family played baseball.

It seemed they knew all about geographical secrets in Forks. Some miles away from the Cullen house was a clearing that was too big for a traditional baseball diamond, but perfect for vampire baseball.

"Do not tell me we have to hike there," I complained when Jasper first led me into the line of trees behind his house. Per his instructions, I had dressed for hiking—jeans and a thermal long-sleeve shirt with a scarf, a heavy vest and boots. I was under the impression that this was a cover, though, since Jasper was dressed in a pinstriped jersey and baseball pants. Alice's insistence, he had said.

"We would miss the storm if we hiked." Instead, Jasper had me climb onto his back. "I'll carry you there."

"That's the best thing you've ever said to me," I told him, wrapping my arms around his shoulder.

"Just make sure you hold on, okay?" Jasper settled me more comfortably on his back. "I won't judge you if you close your eyes."

I knew about the inhuman speed Jasper and his family possessed. I had seen it, when he slipped out my window; when Alice would suddenly flit from one place to another. I hadn't realized how fast, exactly, they were able to move until that day.

My arms tightened around Jasper of their own accord, making him laugh. Everything was blurring by so quickly that it was making me sick. I buried my face in the crook of Jasper's neck, closing my eyes tight.

Suddenly, Jasper's penchant for speed with his motorcycle made total sense. The ride through the forest was over almost as soon as it had started. When I lifted my head, I saw we were still in the forest. Not far off, though, I could hear Emmett and Edward arguing over who would be playing on what team.

"Did you survive?" Jasper helped me down and then rested his hands on my shoulders, holding me steady. My head was still swimming from the speed.

"Barely. Why do y'all bother to drive anywhere if you can run that fast?"

He was in a great mood, if the smile that had yet to budge from his face was any indication. "We do like to pretend to be normal, Maisie."

Before walking out of the forest to join his family, Jasper caught me up in his arms. Thunder started to rumble all around as he kissed me, not at all helping my dizziness. He was still smiling when he pulled away from me.

"You ready?"

"I better be," I told him, nodding to the field. "Emmett's yelling for you."

Voice booming nearly as loud as the thunder, Emmett was shouting, "Hurry up, Jasper! We have Eddy on our team for once and I am not going to waste that while you play hanky panky!"

While Jasper and his brothers took their positions, Esme waved me over to a little outcropping of rocks at the edge of the field.

"You can help me umpire." Esme had a big blanket with her. She lifted a corner, wordlessly inviting me to join her. "They'll deny it, but cheating is nothing new in these games. Even Carlisle's been caught a time or too."

Jasper had explained to me that the cold did not affect vampires. It would freeze them, and hypothermia was certainly out of the question. But just because it didn't hurt them did not necessarily mean that they liked the cold. Esme and Emmett, according to Jasper, were particularly disinclined to the cold.

"We don't cheat!" I noticed that Emmett had a long-sleeve shirt layered under his own jersey. "We just get really, really invested in winning!"

They lined up to play three-on-three: Jasper and Edward positioning themselves sparsely in the outfield with Emmett pitching; Carlisle, Alice, and Rosalie lined up to bat.

"Cheaters and liars," Esme said more quietly. She was smiling despite the scolding in her tone. Another thing that Esme and Emmett shared: deep dimples when they grinned. "Jasper tells me that you play softball yourself."

"I do." I watched Emmett pitch. Or, I should say, I was pretty sure he pitched, but I couldn't see the ball. Carlisle must have been able to, because he hit the ball with a crashing boom that mimicked the thunder. I wasn't expecting it, so I jumped. Jasper had only told me that I would 'see why they needed the thunder' before we came over.

"I play second base and sometimes outfield," I told Esme, trying to cover my shock at Carlisle's hit. There was no use trying to hide it, I knew, because she must have been able to hear my heart race. "We don't play like this, though."

Even I could see the way that the ball had zoomed past both Edward and Jasper. Both of them lunged for it, but neither quite caught it. Not that it mattered much; Edward disappeared into the forest and was back, the ball in his raised hand, before Carlisle could make it to third base.

"We have to separate Alice and Edward," Esme explained. "To make it at least a little more equal. Otherwise, the others wouldn't stand a chance against them."

That made sense, between Alice's clairvoyance and Edward's telepathy. "But, of course, putting Emmett and Rosalie on different teams can be detrimental. Watch how he pitches to her, compared to how he pitched to Carlisle."

It was immediately obvious what Esme was hinting at. Emmett lobbed the ball much more softly and slower to Rosalie, allowing her to get an extraordinary hit off him.

"This family of mine." Esme shook her head, though the love practically shined off her face. Under our shared blanket, Esme took my hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I really have to tell you, Maisie, how thankful I am for you."

I didn't often have one-on-one conversations with Esme, though I liked her. Like a true mother, she was always flitting from one of her children to another. The others were so wrapped up in their game that I doubted they were paying attention to our conversation.

"For me?" I sounded dumb even to myself, but I was truly surprised. If anyone should have been doling out thanks, it should have been me. This family had, after all, provided me with answers to my own mystery with Maria as well as saving my life from James.

"Yes, darling," she reassured me with one of her soft, dimpled smiles. "For you. You have been such a comfort and blessing for Jasper. He's had uncertain footing in this world for so long."

I looked out across the field at Jasper, where he was laughing and helping Alice to her feet. Edward had knocked her down on accident in his earnestness to make a double play and get both of his sisters out at once. Jasper set Alice upright, mussing her hair to shake the grass loose.

I couldn't help but smile at them, too. Putting it into words, how I felt about Jasper, was hard for me. There was so much there: I liked his old-fashioned Southern manners. I admired the steadfast way he defended his family. I loved his bright smiles, his quick wit when he teased me in Spanish, the way he always kissed me in greeting and farewell.

"He's easily one of the best people I've ever met," I told her genuinely, softly. It was the truth, but it was one that I hadn't realized until I said it aloud. Turning back to Esme, I saw that her smile had turned brighter than the sun. We were sitting close enough together that she was able to easily plant a kiss on my forehead.

"You have no idea, sweet girl, how you have kept him going with all of this madness disrupting life. Between Edward's thirst and Rosalie's tendency to be volatile, I would dare to say you're helping him stay sane."

In the end, Emmett's leniency toward Rosalie and Alice's visions were no match for the Cullen boys. Despite the fact that they played for over an hour, Carlisle, Alice, and Rosalie came out on top with a winning score of four to three.

All of them were covered in dirt and grass by the time the game was over. Edward's hair was matted down on one side with mud, from Emmett tackling him to the ground in a post-game argument. Alice and Rosalie still looked like fashion plates even with their clothing grass-streaked. Jasper wore a thick smudge of mud down the length of his face and neck. The earth on his skin betrayed his scars, showing how thickly they were placed along his throat.

"Did you like the game?" He asked, leftover excitement coloring his words. The gold of his eyes shimmered despite the low, dark clouds overhead.

"Yes, but I seem to remember someone promising they would win."

"Well, maybe you'll cheer harder for me next time instead of gossiping with my mother, huh?"


A/N: Hello, sweet friends! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reads, favorites, follows, and reviews this story. I love you all.