Chapter 25
You know those moments where you can't think? Well that was exactly what was happening to Alice Swan.
Her mind was completely blank; she simply stared at her sister who was pacing around the Cullen's apartment like crazy. Bella, unlike her oldest sister – or should I say, her sister since there was no need for the age distinction anymore, was there? –couldn't make her mind be quiet. A million theories ran through her mind: maybe Rosalie had undergone plastic surgery and now her face was completely different so that's why nobody could find her, maybe she'd gotten married to a rich mobster and was now living in Russia, maybe the body they'd found wasn't of Rosalie, maybe Renee had found Rose, but Rosalie hadn't wanted to speak to Alice or Bella ever again and so their mother had agreed to tell the sisters that Rosalie was dead.
Bella shook her head angrily, why would any of her theories be true? None of them made sense. On her seventeenth time she went by the living room an annoying voice spoke up.
"So, what now?" Royce asked only half attempting to sound concerned. Bella resisted the urge to punch him again and wondered how she'd managed to get so good at not resorting to violence. Edward groaned at his cousin's question and Jasper glared at his brother, willing him to shut his mouth.
"What? Isn't anyone else curious? Is there going to be a funeral or…?" Royce shrugged.
"Actually, no." Vera gasped at Bella's admission. "Renee said that it's already been done. So." Now it was Bella's turn to shrug and Vera shook her head.
"And she didn't wait for you?" She couldn't believe that her best friend was dead and now she wouldn't even get to say a proper goodbye. It didn't seem fair to Rosalie, at all. Mason hugged her, wanting to ease her pain.
"Said she couldn't handle so many people crying." Bella explained as she kept pacing. Why would her mother do this to them? She wondered before deciding that no, Renee wouldn't do that kind of thing on purpose, she must be suffering a millionth times more than her and Alice combined.
"She's Rosalie's mother. She deserves some alone time with her." Royce spoke once again, hoping that he could head back home now. Maybe have a decent meal. Jasper shot him a look as if he knew what his brother was thinking and Royce gave a small grunt in complaint.
"And you two are Rosalie's sisters." Edward interjected. "You deserve some time to grieve. Not to just find out over the phone and told that you didn't make it into the guest list for the funeral." He was obviously far more upset about this whole thing than he should have, considering he hadn't even met Rosalie. Which is why Royce kept staring at him as if he'd grown a second head. "What else did your mother say? Did she try to explain herself?"
"She said she'd show us all the paperwork and the–" Bella sucked in a deep breath to keep her voice from breaking halfway through, "the grave when she got back." At those words everyone jumped to attention.
"She left?" Emmet asked indignant, speaking for the first time since they'd found out about Rosalie's death.
"What?" Jasper and Vera said at the same time, voices laced with disbelief.
"Where to?" Angela questioned and everyone nodded, where could their mother be more needed than with them?
"I don't know. She didn't say." Bella answered, resigned. "Look, she never has and I doubt she ever will."
Murmurs started to erupt, mainly filled with disapproval and a huge dislike of the woman that the Swan girls had as a mother. Bella, not wanting to listen to a bunch of people criticize someone they had never even met, crouched down in front of her sister and gently squeezed her hand.
"Come on Ali, we should call it a night." Even though it was still light out, Alice looked at her quizzically.
"I don't–" she shook her head, finally coming out of her dazed denial.
"Alice, please." Bella pleaded quietly. "You can tell me all of your crazy theories tomorrow."
"No." Alice let out in a strangled voice. Bella's face softened and she hugged her and after a while she started coaxing her to the door.
Bella realized she Alice's purse, which was somewhere in the kitchen so she started making her way there. All the while sneaking back glances to her sister to make sure she didn't start freaking out; reason why she didn't notice the body of a certain Edward Cullen before crashing into him. She made a surprised noise and swiftly apologized.
"Oops. Hey since you're here, have you seen Alice's purse? Small thing, probably looks like it was bedazzled?"
Edward shook his head but graced Bella with one of his infamous crooked smiles. Like, why? Does he find it crookedly amusing that she has a sister that still bedazzles her stuff? Or maybe Bella is being obnoxious in her descriptions because he had simply offered her a small sad smile. As if he knew that she was trying very hard to not break down in front of so many people and that making fun of glittery fashion accessories was her way of coping.
Bella grimaced at the realization that maybe being obnoxious was her way of coping and clumsily walks away from the man. Meanwhile, Alice stared at the floor, confused as to why she's trying to find dust.
"I'm sorry." Jasper tells her, attempting to get Alice to stop staring so intently at the floor.
"It's not your fault." Alice said while struggling to remember which face muscles do what and in what order so that it looks like she's smiling. Jasper's face grows soft and Alice figures that her attempt at a smile was probably a failure.
"I know, but I'm sorry that you have to live through this. I can't even imagine what it's like to lose a sibling." Jasper admitted. Sure, he'd lost three, maybe. But he'd never met them and in all honesty – after Royce – he didn't really feel like having any more of those annoying additions to the family.
"Don't worry about it." Alice responded, albeit a little vacantly, having returned her gaze to the floor.
"Just–" Jasper struggled to find something appropriate to say. "Could I give you a call someday?"
"Sure." Alice nodded. "Take care."
"You too, darling." He said tenderly and Bella scrunched up her nose as she looked at them.
"Those two are the sweetest, don't you think?"
"Yeah." Emmet answered her even though he was a little too far away from her. "Hey, Bells, if–" He walked closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder, "If you guys need anything or maybe if you find out where Rosie is buried at–"
"Of course." Bella nodded, "I'll let you know, buddy."
"Thank you."
Once inside their house after a dreadfully quiet car ride, Bella started up the stairs while Alice stood by the bottom of them, her mouth trying to form words yet unable to say even one. Bella sighed and climbed down to stand in front of her sister.
"Should we–" Alice managed to get out as she pointed to their shared room.
"I don't know" Bella admitted while wincing. "Maybe not right away."
"I don't think I'll ever be able to do it though." It came out in a weak and frail voice, so unlike Alice's usually strong and bright speech.
"One day it won't hurt as much." Bella stated before sitting down.
"We should tell Sue." The oldest of the two stated and picked up the phone.
"Maybe not over the phone?" the other suggested while taking the piece of technology out of Alice's hands. Alice nodded, she had hated how Renee had chosen to tell them, and if they could choose how to break the news to someone else, she knew she'd do it to their faces.
The phone rang. Alice frowned. "Am I going crazy or is that…?"
"The phone?" Bella glanced at the vibrating phone on her hand. "Yeah, I should answer it, right?" Alice nodded at her absently, having returned to whatever thought had been haunting her.
"Hello?" Bella said hesitantly, she didn't really know who could be calling them. Especially at their house, everyone they knew were well aware to call
"Sorry, what?" Bella looked at Alice, hoping to find some enlightenment from her usually knowledgeable sister and instead finding her staring at the door. Bella focused back on the weird conversation she was having.
"No, I don't–" she raised her eyebrows, befuddled. "Oh, um, yeah this is she."
Alice was now lying on the ground, eyes glazed over and Bella wondered if maybe she should hang up and see if her sister wasn't going into shock or something.
"What?" The woman on the other side of the phone said something so weird that Bella momentarily forgot about Alice. "No, I don't have a TGI Friday's membership– I don't even want one. Look, I can't even remember when it was the–" Bella's mouth opened up in an 'o' shape and Alice seemed snap out of her haze. "Huh?"
"And why should I even consider–" Bella nodded. "Okay, well, just, calm down."
Bella groaned. "If I can't tell my mom then I'm at least bringing a body guard."
Alice wondered if the dull feeling in her chest was because of the call or because of the initial phases of grief. She didn't even know the stages of grief, so either of her theories were plausible. After a string of 'perfect', 'I'll see you then' and 'I really hope you're not a serial killer' Bella hung up the phone and turned to Alice.
"Who was that?"
"I'm not entirely sure." Bella shrugged. "She said that she knew about Rosalie. Didn't want me to tell Renee though."
"That's odd." Alice said, a little curiosity now permeating her words. "Can I come?"
"She said that only one of us to avoid Renee being suspicious."
"How does se know about Renee? Also, I don't think she's on her right mind. She just lost a child." Alice tried to persuade Bella. "And why would Renee be suspicious? She's not here."
"No, but we don't know if she'll decide to head back home when the truth of Rosalie's situation hits her." Bella smiled at her sister, glad to see that maybe she hadn't lost two sisters in one day.
"So are you taking your gargantuan best friend?" Said Alice meekly.
"Obviously." Bella responded with her signature eye roll. "He's got that je 'ne sais quoithat makes people fear him."
"Oh, you know what it is. It's his ginormous height and bulky physique." Bella smiled at Alice's dispassionate tone.
"Maybe." Bella said sheepishly. "Anyway, I'll let you know what's going on."
"When did you guys agree to meet?"
"Before dusk." Alice looked out the window with a smile.
"What are you waiting for? That's in less than an hour. Call Emmet."
Ten minutes later and Emmet was at the Swan's door. Bella didn't even bother inviting him in, simply nodding as a greeting and once they were inside her car she spoke.
"Sorry to drag you out."
"It's no problem at all." Emmet smiled at her, although it was a far cry from his usually bright grins he'd been dolling out the past four days she'd known him. "She said she knew somethin' 'bout Rose, right?" He tried very hard to not sound too hopeful, but a part of him wasn't ready to give up the girl he was sure was his soul mate.
"Yeah," Bella continued, aiming to make her next statement as considerate as she knew either of her sisters would. She didn't want to give her friend empty hope. "I just really, really wish this doesn't turn out to be a scam or something like that."
"Nah, maybe she found her phone and wanted to give it back?" Emmet took his queues from Bella and followed her 'let's not get too excited about this' attitude.
Bella shrugged at his reply.
"Well, here we are. Vanderbilt Gate." They got out of the car; not bothering to park it, knowing that if the person was dangerous they needed an easy escape route. Emmet made a quick survey of their surroundings and noted that nothing seemed too strange. The black wrought iron gate loomed above them and for a few moments everything seemed to sit at a standstill. That is, until Emmet asked the next obvious question.
"Who are we looking for?"
Bella shook her head. "I don't know. She said she'd be wearing a pink scarf on her head."
Emmet nodded as he looked at a slight figure making her way towards them. "Sunglasses?"
"She didn't say, but maybe." Bella answered him, looking at the opposite side of Emmet.
The woman was now in front of them and she seemed to take a moment to pick her next move. Slowly she took off her glasses, not really believing what she was seeing.
"Emmet?"
"Mom?"
A/N: So, how'd you guys like it (or not)? As always, thank you so much for reading, reviewing and following this story. Hope you had a great weekend, and until next week.
