Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of Twilight. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment, etc.

A/N: This is an insert-an-OC story that will veer from canon timeline, but the actual canon events will retain great similarities.

Anna: Enjoy! Thanks for reviewing!

Basker: Daniel a creep? No! *bangs fists on table* Goshdarnit, no! That's one thing I have to nip in the bud right now. Daniel is a normal guy, he's honest, and he's a good person. *fist pump* …Whew, now that that's out of my system… :P

Alice's analogy of Maria was simply that – an analogy. About Mireille's power being 'grey' – I'm going to offer two quotes from Jasper in Chapter 39…

(1) "Whatever it is that you affect, it isn't something that's going to take away another person's free will."

(2) "If you have a gift, it's a manifestation of your strongest traits and attributes. And I can tell you right now, your strongest traits are sincerity, acceptance, and insight. You hate taking away someone's freedom, their choice; it's something so ingrained in your psyche that I don't think you could ever be rid of it."

I'm not going to go any deeper into the specifics of Mireille's power until the next story or two, but what I can tell you now is this – Mireille's ability does not override a person's free will, choices, or feelings. Jessica's personality isn't black and white. She's more complex than a simple 'loyal' or 'not loyal'. Edward described Jessica very well last chapter; she wants to be liked. Plus, she's younger here than in Twilight, so who knows how she can develop differently as events change? But I'll get more into Jessica as the story – and the series – progresses, so I'll leave this here. Thank you very much for reviewing!

GraceEllingson: Thank you so much! I'm thrilled you enjoy the story!

shurfine: Ooh, super fun long reviews are awesome! Don't ever worry about your review being too long or me being busy. I live for this kind of review. To your review itself… I love how you've taken notice of Mireille's understanding of Alice's power. That's something I tried very hard to make a gradual process while still allowing Mireille's innate sense of strategy and foresight to come through. (Not Mireille's ability, mind you, just her general personality traits.) You're right, there is a definite foundation laid in the previous chapter. From here on out, the story will pretty much snowball to the end. (So I hope, at least, lol.) You have a wonderful understanding of the way this has been played out so far and of the many possibilities waiting in the wings. Thank you so incredibly much for delving into the story so deeply. It's amazing and I will always love that! Expect a PM soon! :)

Phoebe: Recaps are a great suggestion! I'm sorry I didn't think of it sooner. Thank you for reviewing!

ColdOnePaul: *snort* Oh, that's hilarious! :P Sorry, Vanessa isn't going to meeting a vampire in this story. If wishes were dreams… Ha!

cassiadragonfly: "Making the person's life miserable" is definitely Vanessa's M.O. so that's a perfect description! I agree wholeheartedly about Jessica's potential to be a better person. Thank you for reviewing!

kessy63: LOL about Rose! A good scaring probably won't stop Vanessa, though. Vitriol is ingrained deep in her bones. Thanks for reviewing!

xenocanaan: Happy Birthday, lovely! :D I'm so inspired for this plot now that I've really fleshed it out, so I can't wait for it all to play through. I think it'll be pretty fascinating by the end. ;) Thanks for the review!

Chapter Numbering: Because FFnet doesn't allow for Prologues/Epilogues/Intermissions (which are usually not meant to be labeled "Chapter #") my numbering within the actual chapter will be different than the link FFnet displays.

Notes:
As usual, my story is a little longer than I originally set out to write. I swear, this always happens to me! Ah well, more play time. :)

Believe me, I hate Vanessa as much as anyone, but I have to warn everybody – She's smart, she's careful, and the Cullens are limited on what they can do because of the future, so Vanessa isn't going away just yet. Hold onto your hats as we roll through the rest of the story. I have a feeling you'll find a lethal vampire encounter 'too nice' by the time Vanessa meets her maker (metaphorically, not literally, haha!).

Also, I've added chapter recaps to the story. All previous chapters will have one soon. Thanks for the suggestion, Phoebe!

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed!

Previously – Mireille planned a surprise birthday party for Alice. Edward decorated while Mireille and Rosalie attended training in Olympia. The Cullens celebrated Alice's birthday. Alice and Jasper left for Milan. On Monday, the Cullens missed school because of a sunny day and took Mireille camping. Esme helped Mireille learn how to climb trees. Jessica told Mireille she didn't start any rumors and Edward gave insight into Jessica's mindset. The Cullens realized Vanessa is gossiping about Mireille.


Chapter 43: Illusions


Impossible though it seemed, I found the week leading up to Angela Weber's birthday surprisingly lacking in tension. Whether that was due to the steady increase in my training or the fact that all my teachers suddenly decided to bury us in homework and projects, I could hardly say. Regardless, my time exploded in one fell swoop and I barely had time to focus on Vanessa Travis and her instigation of rumors.

Little things crept in, of course. Jessica's continued quietude, for one thing. While the black-haired sophomore no longer seemed 'hunted' and appeared to walk very calmly out to her car after class each day, I never forgot her skittishness the previous week, nor Edward's uneasiness with it.

Angela, Katie, and my other school friends seemed quite well, however, and their constancy often pushed back the worries I felt for Jessica.

Outside of classes, Carlisle and Jasper had taken to jointly educating me in more technical chess play, the duo balancing each other with amazing fluidity. Between Carlisle' logistical expertise from surgery and research, and Jasper's strategic experience from wars both human and vampire, I found a startlingly adept team to enhance my meager skills.

At school on Thursday, I remembered to wish Angela a happy birthday and asked if there was anything I should bring to her birthday. Angela refused, of course, but Esme also planned to call Julie while were in school – just to make sure. Hence the ease with which I accepted the tall girl's typical refusal. Esme's call also jumpstarted an invitation to the rest of the family to come for the party, at least. Carlisle and Esme agreed without hesitation and Edward decided with a heavy exhale to come along for the party. That part of the birthday celebrations would at least have some of the boys from school; Ben, Austin, Conner, and Lee had all agreed to attend. Besides, Carlisle's mind would be a place of respite if Edward needed it.

Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice all magically had some kind of event or trip they'd each had in the works for months. Emmett's overly loud suggestion of a boy scout meeting had thankfully been drowned out by Esme's sudden excuse of rugby camp. Rolling golden eyes more broadly than usual, Carlisle had offered his son a singularly stinging expression Emmett had the decency to respect.

By Friday night, I was all ready to go with an orange print blouse, orange cardigan, and blue jeans; I figured I may as well match the theme of the upcoming party – Mr. Weber had kindly informed us it was a mostly orange and pink affair. Given the transition outside from snowy slush to straight rain the past few weeks, I only wore a light jacket with a hood. Most importantly, I was prepared with a gift, a card, and a container full of orange creamsicle fudge Esme helped me make the night before. According to Pastor Weber, orange creamsicle was a favorite of Angela's.

Esme drove me to the Weber house – its mailbox decorated with orange and hot pink balloons – and walked me up to the door, carrying my duffle in one hand and knocking with the other. I arrived early so Mrs. Weber could place the fudge where she wanted it, as well as to make sure it was available when the others arrived. School friends weren't the only ones who would be there. Angela had a few relatives who were coming over, as well as some of Pastor Weber's parishioners.

"Hi Esme, Ray," Mrs. Weber greeted us at the door, smiling in a harried way that unseated me a bit. She looked well, dressed in a dark pink pullover and jeans, but all the same the mother of three appeared rushed.

"Good evening, Julie," Esme tried to smile, but looked a bit concerned as we stepped inside the house. "Is everything all right?"

"I just got a little behind," Julie responded, tossing eyes to the ceiling as if to say 'what else?'

"Do you need any help?" Esme inquired tentatively while I set my things down just inside the door.

"Oh, no," Julie laughed a little, calming visibly with company to distract her from her troubles. "It's just the second layer on the cake took longer than I expected, but I'm prepared for the next one."

"All right," Esme joined the sandy-haired woman in laughing slightly.

"Where's Angela?" I wondered curiously.

"Dale took her and the boys out," Julie explained with a shake of her head. "They got her license earlier today. He'll probably stop to get them an ice cream, too. I told him not to, since we're having so many sweets tonight, but I doubt he'll listen. Mostly he's going to just spend some time so I can get all this done."

"I'll let you keep working then," Esme laughed more strongly at the little anecdotes. "Carlisle and I are coming back a little later. I just to have to get Edward to stop whining about it."

So saying, Esme offered me a brief hug and winked as she left.

Despite Mrs. Weber's claim she didn't need help, all of the party decorations and supplies were still jumbled together in a box and the desserts she'd already completed sat in a cluster of containers on the sofa.

"Ray, you can go take your things up to Angela's room, if you want," Julie informed me distractedly, audibly mixing frosting in a bowl.

"Sure thing," I agreed, hoping a moment alone might ease Mrs. Weber's nerves.

Hardly had I set my bag down in front of Angela's closet than did I hear an utterly frustrated moan of despair floating all the way upstairs.

Worried, I hurried back down the stairs and stopped at the smell of something unquestionably burned.

"Mrs. Weber, are you okay?" I ventured with a wince as the woman in question forcibly set a pan full of something very dark on the counter.

Expelling a deep sigh and closing her eyes, hands stuck on her hips, Julie took a breath before answering.

"Not really," she confessed, beyond frustrated as she threw her hands in the air. "I already burned the third layer of the cake. By the time I make a new one, I won't have time to put the decorations up. I can wait to frost the cake until later, but I can't wait on those. Dale will be back in an hour-and-a-half."

At a loss, Julie eventually started to adjust her measurements for a single layer's worth of cake batter. As she did so, I sat debating with myself about the situation. On the one hand, I could try my hand at making that third cake layer and let Mrs. Weber complete her party theme in the living room and dining room. On the other hand, I wasn't even sure what kind of cake it was nor if I was even capable of making it the way Julie might want it. Decorating, though…

Finally decided on a course of action, I approached Angela's mother and proposed my idea.

"Mrs. Weber, I know it's not exactly my business, but I'd really like to help out," I started out as she mixed some ingredients together.

"You're a guest, hon," Julie shook her head. "I don't want you to have to worry about that."

"Honestly, I'd probably get as much out of it as you would," I shrugged sheepishly. "Besides, today's about Angela, right?"

In spite of her obvious concerns, Julie tilted her head to hear me out, emboldening my request. "I don't know exactly how you wanted to decorate for the party, but we like to decorate a lot at our house, so I've got some experience with it. Would you like me to set some things up while you make the cake? I totally understand if you want to do it yourself! I just know you're kind of overwhelmed right now and I thought it might help you out…"

While I paused uncertainly, Julie considered me for a minute, mixing bowl temporarily forgotten in the crook of her arm.

With a nod, Mrs. Weber decided, "All right, Ray. Thank you for giving me a hand. I wrote some ideas down for the decorations, actually. There's a list by the desserts on the couch. It's not a full theme or anything, but it's a start. If you could at least set those up, I'd be happy. You can use Angela' birthday card for ideas if you need it."

"You got it," I smiled and gladly headed into the living room to find the list in question.

Mrs. Weber's initial ideas were definitely basic and foundational, mostly listing where food and supplies would go, and framing out a general party space. Clearly Julie hadn't had enough time to plan out anything more for the orange, pink, and yellow spring birthday party. Angela's orange and pink birthday card with printed butterflies was very pretty and much more inspiring than the list, thankfully. I felt like my own handmade card would match well enough, the dotted orange and pink creation at least reminiscent of the bright spring design on the card from Angela's parents.

With their furniture moved closer to the front door than normal, the opposite end of the Webers' living room housed two folding tables with white plastic tablecloths, the big box of decorations I'd noticed, another box toting air-filled balloons and homemade tissue flowers, and several folding chairs. I worked on the tables first, adding three tiers of satiny skirting – one hot pink, one orange, and one yellow.

Checking the list, my next move was to throw orange and pink confetti circles all over the tabletops and place each table's items. The left table became filled with hot pink paper plates and orange napkins, and paper cups in pink and yellow that appeared spray-painted. I wasn't sure how Julie wanted to arrange the yellow plasticware or pink and orange striped straws, until I noticed mini metal pails in the party box. While the little orange and pink buckets had been labeled for desserts, I couldn't see any more desserts that needed storage. Hoping I hadn't missed something, I separated each type of utensil into a different bucket and put all the straws into the fourth one, lining them up behind the plates and napkins. Reserving space for a gallon beverage of some kind and cans of soda, I placed the aluminum ice bucket at the back and moved on to the next table.

The right table already housed some of Angela's presents along the back, all wrapped in hot pink and orange diamond paper and tied with white ribbons. The rest of the table was intended for all food items, I realized, so I shrugged and began to sort through the decorations in Julie's box.

A birthday banner was only wide enough to cover one table width; I supposed it could have been put up in the middle of both tables, but it looked a little odd hanging across the window on that side of the house. Frowning, I set that aside and looked at the rest of the placements Julie listed on her paper. Looking back and forth between the tabletops and the large list of items, I recognized immediately there wasn't enough room for it all on just two tables.

"Mrs. Weber," I called out to the busy mother, "I don't think all of this is going to fit on those two little tables."

Heaving a resigned sigh, Julie responded, "Dale thought it would be fine, but I worried about that…"

"Do you have any other tables?" I wondered. "Maybe a smaller size than these? We could put the cake and cupcakes on it or something like that."

"No, we're fresh out," Julie sighed again, more pensively this time. After another anxious moment, she walked out to the doorway between kitchen and living, white apron covered in pink and orange frosting, and spoke again, "Tell you what… We'll put the skewers and sandwiches on the dining table with some of the plates and napkins, then leave these tables for the rest. That would probably fit okay."

"That looks like just enough room," I nodded, looking over the list again.

"Great," Mrs. Weber half-laughed, then sighed again, this time more sheepishly. "I know everything can't be perfect, but… Well, Angie's our only girl and I want her sweet sixteen to be special like yours was. I loved how Carlisle and Esme used something you loved to make the party theme. That's what inspired me to base Angela's party on her favorite colors and her favorite season. It seems obvious I guess, but Angela's always been so satisfied with everything we gave that I didn't consider it before. I really should have thought of what she wanted."

Struck by the effect something so simple had made on another person, I smiled happily for the simple care I would never fail to recognize from the Cullens, and the love Angela's parents showed her. At the same time, I felt like Julie had now filled herself with a lot of unnecessary guilt.

"Mrs. Weber," I began tentatively, her list a means of distraction as I slipped it back and forth between my fingers, "From the short time I've known your daughter, I've never seen her disappointed about her life. With Angela, it's never going to be about how much you spent, how big the guest list is, or if you used her favorite colors for the theme. You're right – Angela has always been satisfied. Not because she got everything she ever wanted, but because she was happy with what she had."

Letting that thought sink in, I turned away to give Julie space and privacy for her own musings. Quiet steps took the mother of three back into the kitchen, stirring renewed, and I hoped she took what I said to heart.

Absently checking the clock, I started when I realized the time. Only an hour left until Angela, Dale, Josh, and Isaac came home. Newly determined, I returned to the box of decorations and set to my work.

First of all, the table arrangement simply had to go. Careful not to let any gifts fall off, I dragged the right table into the corner at the front of the house, and then moved the presents in a spread across the back corner. The left table I moved into the opposite corner of the space, leaving the window empty in-between tables.

Across the window I strung lengths of streamer in alternating shades of hot pink, orange, and yellow, and attached pinwheels along the top of the streamer backdrop between the folding tables. Hung from the same hooks was the banner of circles bearing the phrase 'Happy Birthday' in pink letters. The front windows looked exceptionally empty, so I hung a circle garland of hot pink and orange two times across the width. Along the sides of the doorway between the kitchen and living area, I attached sections of pink and orange tulle and draped them over one another across the top.

My last step for the living room was a feature to liven up the two corners. On either side, a large tissue flower was attached to the ceiling and held a clutch of streamers that twisted across the ceiling and then down the wall in orange and pink strands. Smaller tissue flowers held the streamers in place at the junction of ceiling and wall, leaving the streamers to fall just above the tabletop.

Overlarge yellow balloons caught my attention in the decor box, along with some stray tissue tassels not hooked to anything. Inspired, I blew up the balloons and knotted the tassels along a string, finally tying the balloons off with the strand of tassels acting as a weight.

With twenty minutes left, I quickly attached a selection of yellow, pink, orange, and white balloons around the edge of the front door trim and tied a few balloons at random around the living and dining rooms.

"Ray, can you help me move these drinks out to the table?" Julie inquired from the kitchen.

"Sure," I called back, tying off one last balloon before I met Mrs. Weber in the doorway.

"Ooh, strawberry Crush," I remarked eagerly as I saw the pink cans in her arms.

Laughing, Julie responded, "I take it that's a favorite of yours."

"It is," I grinned slightly, taking the soda into my own grasp.

"We have orange Crush, too," was her simple reply, the sandy-haired woman still smiling at my excitement as she went back for the aforementioned soda.

Walking into the living room with the orange pop in her hands, Mrs. Weber stopped in the middle of the room with a gasp.

"Ray, this is beautiful!" she complimented my party theme with wide eyes. "I didn't know we even had enough to do all this!"

"I'm good with limited resources, you might say," I smiled sheepishly.

"Well, thank goodness I let you do the decorating!" Julie laughed out loud. "Thank you, hon. This is wonderful."

"You're welcome," I answered quietly as she set down the cans of pop and headed back into the kitchen for more. While she was gone, I arranged the soda cans into an alternating pattern of pink and orange several rows back.

When Mrs. Weber returned the next few times, it was with a three gallon drink dispenser, pink liquid in gallon jugs, and a bowl of lemon slices.

"What's that?"

"Strawberry lemonade," Julie answered, setting down the lemon. "Where should this go, do you think?"

"Up here near the window, maybe?" I suggested. "Then it's out of the way everything, but it's still accessible and pretty to look at."

Smiling at the silly logic, Julie nonetheless agreed and moved the drink dispenser as indicated. "While I fill this up, why don't you put those desserts on the table?"

Leaving room for Angela's cake at the center of the gift table, I added a glass container of rock candy swizzle sticks on the left side and a glass jar of gumballs and jellybeans on the right.

"These are pretty, Mrs. Weber," I told the woman of her orange, yellow, and pink flower cupcakes.

"I ordered them," she informed me right off the bat, sealing the lid of the dispenser and picking up the remaining lemons. "I'm terrible at anything more than basic frosting."

Smothering a laugh, I took the cupcakes out of their box and set them out around the front half of the gift table, between the jars of candy and the empty space for the cake.

"I wonder where Dale is?" Julie muttered more to herself than to me, frowning as she headed to the phone.

Before she could dial a number, keys jangled in the front door. In a hurry, I picked up any trash from my decorating and excess containers from the desserts and rushed them into the kitchen. Julie pointed me to the trash instantly.

Sure enough, as the door swung open, Pastor Weber called out pleasantly, "We're back, Julie. Is it safe for everybody to come in?"

"Who's everybody?" she wondered amusedly.

"Carlisle, Esme, and Edward are here," Dale explained.

"Oh, yes, they can come in," Mrs. Weber called back, waving it off and removing her apron.

Excited, I walked out to meet my 'family' in the living room. Carlisle and Esme smiled warmly as they stepped in together, hands intertwined. Following behind them, Angela was decked out in a hot pink blouse and jeans, long hair pulled into a half-ponytail and little pink ball studs on her ears. I had the feeling her mom had encouraged the unusually vivid outfit to match the party and have a little fun for a change. Beyond all that, Angela carried an absolutely enormous bunch of balloons in one hand, all as orange and pink as the decorations.

"Dale!" Julie scolded her husband exasperatedly when she saw the balloons.

"Oh, what?" the pastor chuckled at his wife and threw an arm around an incredibly shy Angela. "I can spoil my girl a little for her sweet sixteen, can't I?"

"I think you've been spending too much time around Carlisle," Esme teased. We all laughed while Carlisle eyed his wife shrewdly, but his lips twitched too much to be taken seriously.

"Angie, why don't you take a look around?" Dale recommended mischievously once he saw the decorations more clearly.

Doing as her father suggested, albeit confusedly, Angela gasped the same as he mother had earlier and quickly exclaimed, "That's so wonderful, Mom!"

"Don't give me too much credit," Julie laughed. "I bought the decorations and desserts, but I didn't put it together. You can thank Mireille for such a beautiful party."

"Thank you, Ray!" Angela smiled broadly and hugged me in gratitude. "You really know how to decorate."

"You're welcome, Ang," I returned her hug, but had to add, "Really though, if your mom hadn't bought such nice decorations, I wouldn't have had such good stuff to work with."

Julie opened her mouth to say something, but two loud voices overrode us as they dove into the house and two small bodies propelled themselves at Julie's legs, nearly knocking her for a loop until she grabbed the wall for balance.

"We want kabobs!"

"No, we want cake!"

Joshua and Isaac looked nearly identical in every way, except one of them had a very different nose from the other.

"And who are these little rascals?" Carlisle wondered with an indulgent smile matched only by Esme's.

"These troublemakers are Josh and Isaac," Julie emphasized each boy with chuckle and a tap on their messy heads. Josh was the one whose nose had a smooth bridge, whereas Isaac had a slight bump in his.

Edward caught my attention as he entered the house belatedly and the twin boys prattled to their mother about something or other regarding food. The bronze-haired vampire seemed to have been keeping the two entertained outside for a moment. Catching my eye, Edward smiled ruefully, silently admitting his amusement over the rambunctious kids.

"Boys, why don't you say hi to Carlisle, Esme, Edward, and Mireille?" Dale prompted his boys.

"Hi," they replied in unison, rapidly turning back to their mother in hope of food or sweets.

"No," Mrs. Weber concluded decisively, although a smile teased her mouth.

Groaning disappointedly, the two boys turned to offer their big sister a scowl.

"Don't look at me like that," Angela laughed. "I can't help what Mom and Dad say."

"Yeah, but it's your birthday," Isaacs wheedled, but Angela just laughed again.

"How old are you guys, anyway?" I asked, squatting at their level. With a hidden smile, I intentionally suggested older ages than I knew them to be, "Ten? Eleven?"

"Yeah!" Josh smiled, lying through his teeth, and his family laughed loudly at the obvious deception. Even Isaac laughed at his brother, whose grin turned a bit embarrassed.

"We're only eight," Isaac confessed solemnly, more laughter following his remarks.

"Aw, shucks," I snapped my fingers disappointedly. "I thought you were all grown up."

"You knew we weren't ten!" Josh accused, but he was grinning widely as he said it.

Barely able to stop laughing with everyone, I kept up the charade longer and clasped a hand to my heart, "Oh! Are you calling me a liar? I'm so offended!"

Both boys laughed freely together over the obvious ruse, their voices still young enough to have an adorable childlike quality.

"All right, you two little monsters," Julie sighed humorously, "Go wash your hands and change those muddy shoes."

"Aw, Mom!"

The dual complaints did nothing except draw both parents' stern gazes and encourage the boys upstairs as instructed, Dale following to ensure the directive was followed to the letter.

While the twins cleaned up, Julie brought out a three-layer cake frosted in pink, orange, and white, with a single '16' candle in canary yellow just waiting to be lit.

Everything snowballed after that, relatives and churchgoers dropping in left and right, as well as our classmates and their parents. I doubted the Cullens had ever interacted so closely and familiarly with humans before, but they behaved as normally as I had ever seen them and even seemed to enjoy it as the night wore on.

Carlisle, in particular, simply shone in this social capacity and I regretted he could never truly live that kind of life without fear of being found out. As Angela began opening her gifts, a pained look entered Edward's eyes across the room and I felt guilty for putting it there. Edward shook his head and I knew he wasn't blaming me – but I was.

Whenever I ran into Jessica during the party, she wasn't precisely friendly, but she didn't particularly avoid me, either. I didn't think much on it because we would be spending an entire night around each other; that alone worried me. Katie more than made up for Jessica's quiet; the redhead rambled about things at school like nobody's business.

At last the party came to a close, the relatives left little by little, and of our school friends, only we four girls remained. Carlisle, Esme, and Edward prepared to leave quickly, and then it would be time for another movie night.

"Have fun," Edward teased lightly as I said goodnight to him and his parents at the door.

"I will," I retorted with equal lightness, knowing all too well he meant to loosen up my anxieties over the worries Vanessa caused.

Chuckling over our bit of banter, Carlisle and Esme both hugged me before they walked out to the Mercedes.

"This is really cute," Katie remarked in quiet amazement from behind me.

Turning, I found the three teen girls sitting on the couch with a soda, cupcake, or candy and examining the remains of party decorations all around. The balloons above waist level had all survived Josh and Isaac's earlier 'sneak attack' and the streamers miraculously remained unharmed wherever they hung. The tulle doorway and the table skirting had gone a little askew and boasted frosting in a couple of places, but overall everything still looked quite nice.

"You decorated so pretty, Mrs. Weber," Katie complimented the mother of three, who picked up a few stray pieces of trash. "I love streamers a bunch."

"I didn't even really notice the decorations earlier," said Jessica. "There were so many people in here."

"It was packed," Julie chuckled over their comments. "And you can actually thank Ray for the design in here."

"Wait, you decorated it?" Jessica wondered in surprise, finally looking me in the face for the first time that night.

"Well, Mrs. Weber chose all the decorations," I refuted.

"I bought them and that's it," Mrs. Weber laughed. "My Lord, Ray, you're as reluctant to take credit as Angela is."

"I like to give credit where it's due," I countered.

"Then you'd better include yourself," Julie argued calmly and far more effectively, silencing my debate.

"Oh, hey, would you like to help me with the church egg hunt this year?" Angela spouted in the awkward pause, whirling around to face me with excited eyes. "I'm not so good at decorating, but no one volunteered to take the egg hunt, so I did it. The little kids just love it, even my brothers, and I hate to see them miss out."

"Why would you need decorating for an egg hunt?" I asked, nose scrunched with confusion.

"We have to hold it inside usually," Julie offered. "Rain is so constant around here, especially around Easter, and we just don't like to chance it."

"I always remember a bunch of funny Easter characters people made," Angela recounted wistfully. "You know those cardboard stand-up things? They ended up hiding eggs behind them every time. I got really good at finding them."

Laughing at the admission, I remarked, "Well, I guess if you really want help…"

"I'd love it!" Angela exclaimed gladly. "It's hard to think up ideas. Maybe it's just me, though."

"Oh, you should join Prom committee, too," Katie mentioned, fueling the girls' enthusiasm. "Aren't your meetings on Wednesdays, Jess?"

A little hesitant at first, Jessica nonetheless confirmed, "Yeah, they are."

"Sophomores at Prom?" I inquired confusedly.

"Freshmen and sophomores decorate for the upperclassmen," Angela explained, "but freshmen usually don't come."

"We're short a couple people, actually…" Jessica confessed.

"Uh, I'm not sure about it," I waited, tentative in the extreme. One more thing to possibly bring Vanessa closer to me? Or to leave me without the Cullens' protection? That didn't sound helpful at all.

"Just think about it," Katie waved my seeming concerns away and stood with a hop to lead us upstairs.

Katie simply couldn't wait for Pearl Harbor to start, bouncing on a pink bean bag while the previews began. Once again, I had chosen the films for the sake of keeping the peace between the three girls.

On the other side of Katie, Jessica sat more quietly than usual, even though Katie had already revealed the short girl's interest in the movie. While Angela took the time to grab more sodas from downstairs – despite our protests she was the birthday girl and therefore exempt from work – I surreptitiously studied Jessica's profile.

She looked a little tired, but nothing abnormal from what I could see; mostly like she just stayed up too late watching TV or something similar. Her clothes were the same as usual, too, and her hair stood out as the same curly mass it was almost every day. From all angles, Jessica Stanley appeared normal and unbothered. Unwavering alertness deep in the set of her eyes, however, stood out like a beacon.

Whatever Jessica tried to play off for her façade, she still held an unceasing belief someone at school was listening in on her conversations. Seeing the expression so heavily buried in Jessica's features, I didn't doubt, even for a moment, that Vanessa Travis was that someone. An indefinable feeling in my bones told me it was true, and it took several minutes after Angela's reappearance to determine if the feeling was my natural instinct or the effect of my gift as Rosalie believed.

My gift, such as it was, had nothing to do with the sensation I felt; if anything, it fell by the wayside because I knew the truth so inherently.

Irritated and increasingly incensed by Vanessa's continued interference and the clinging claws she had locked onto my life and experiences, I decided unequivocally to ascertain the potential purpose in the bully's rumor peddling.

Try as I might, however, I couldn't really understand the reason for spreading such ignorant rumors around the school. Most everyone would notice Jessica's silence on the matter, surely?

Then again, her silence could reinforce the idea of emotional distress beyond her control. That didn't sound very encouraging for the impression others took away when they thought of me.

It remained possible, then, that Vanessa hoped to demoralize my image in front of the school so no one would back me up if I ever tried to point a finger in her direction.

Yet that still didn't make much sense; there was no reason for Vanessa to think I would accuse her. After all, Vanessa knew – had to know – I never saw her face that night in November.

Even the Cullens' hostility towards Vanessa in the hallway didn't reveal our knowledge of her participation in the attack. For all Vanessa knew, my 'family' acted hostile towards her because she was Greg's girlfriend and seemed a likely target. No proof actually existed to show we knew the identity of my second attacker. Vanessa would have to be working from the merest crumbs of suspicion to believe such a thing. As smart and stealthy as the blonde was, I doubted her intelligence stood to such a grand level as all that.

Perhaps, as Carlisle had told me in the hospital, there was no rhyme or reason at all. Perhaps Vanessa wanted to inflict more pain because she was simply an extremely angry individual with deep-seated jealousy of the Cullens.

While this line of reasoning began to feel more and more likely, I hated the thought of such a black and white answer. If there were no real reasons other than jealousy and causing pain of some kind, then how could I plan against the threat Vanessa presented to me? She could do anything at any time and no matter what, it would satisfy her simplistic, selfish goals with ease.

"Mireille?" a much stronger voice than expected called to me, breaking me from my growing anxiety like the crack of a whip.

"What?" I responded too sharply, eyes keen on the three – oh… no… make that five – surprisingly worried faces staring back at me where I sat on the far right of our high school quartet.

"Are you okay, Mireille?" Julie Weber asked me with deep concern, squatted beside me where I sat on a couch cushion on the floor.

Realizing only to easily how I must have looked to her and Dale, who stood in the doorway, or even to my three tense human friends, I cursed my intensive inward focus for worrying everyone. The movie had long since ended, judging by the black TV screen. Angela must have gone to get her parents when I failed to respond.

"I'm fine," I replied strongly, despite the lack of foundation for that belief. I could only do so much to appease after letting my mind wander so deep as to become lost to the girls' calling. "I just need to stop daydreaming so much. Sometimes I can get seriously lost in my own thoughts. Sorry if I scared you."

Relief crowded everyone's features except Julie, but something in my gaze must have told her I would not be moved to speak further. With pursed lips, Mrs. Weber finally nodded.

"All right, Ray," she accepted, a level of comprehension I didn't expect crossing her face. "If you need to go home, or you want Carlisle or Esme to come over, that's okay, honey. No one would judge you for that."

Taken aback by the odd suggestion and even odder addendum at the end, I simply nodded my understanding.

"Call us if you need anything," Dale said to the room at large as the two parents left, the husband casting his wife a strange look she failed to acknowledge while still in our presence.

"We will," Angela agreed quietly. She seemed less relieved than before, also offering an unusual look to Mrs. Weber before the door closed.

"Are you really okay?" the tall girl turned to me next, all too focused for any diversion in my features.

Placid in a way I most assuredly didn't feel, I smiled at the kind teenager and confirmed, "I really am, Ang."

Satisfied enough to stop asking or staring, Angela sighed gently and stood to change DVDs.

Quite unlike Angela, Katie had accepted my story so well that she went right back to the snacks and drinks left from the birthday party, grabbing what she wanted before the next movie.

Far and away the most peculiar reaction of all, Jessica eschewed a tenuous hold on her reassured look. Against all logic, the black-haired girl's vigilance increased while at the same time her confidence seemed to return a little.

"You really should join prom committee," Jess spoke up, bringing my attention directly to her face. "Most of us don't have a clue about decorating. There are ten of us right now and only two of the girls have ever really decorated much of anything. The boys are totally lost. We've only had two meetings so far, so you wouldn't be out of the loop."

"I just want to double check with Carlisle and Esme," I allowed cautiously. Whatever confidence boost Jessica had gained, it made me rethink my immediate refusal a little.

"Okay," the short girl left it at that, another surprising gesture on her part.

Carlisle and Esme, along with the rest of the Cullens, amazingly had no issue with my joining prom committee – just as long as Vanessa didn't catch wind of it and wait for me after the meeting ended. Alice didn't see any issues, though, so I figured it was worth a shot joining the small group. Edward would have to drive even faster than usual to make up that hour of time and still reach Olympia, but he was all too excited to have the opportunity and I laughed out loud at his gleaming eyes.

By the time Wednesday rolled around, of course I felt a little less sure of my chances, but Alice continued to see a good day right up until we separated after last class and the meeting was to start.

Edward waited out in the car for me while I followed Jess to an empty classroom they were using for the meeting that day. Apparently they changed every day to make sure no one overheard and saw their surprises for the dance.

Nine people – six girls and three boys – sat in desks they had moved into a circle for the meeting. To my surprise, two empty desks waited for Jessica and me already.

"Hey guys, this is Ray," Jessica introduced me, brief and to-the-point as we sat down.

"I thought you two didn't talk to each other?" one of the girls queried in astonishment.

"Of course we talk to each other," Jess spoke before I could, that confidence I had noticed at Angela's sleepover now bubbling up. "We were both at Angela's birthday hanging out, right Ray?"

While her phrasing left a bit to be desired, I decided fighting back those rumors was a little more important. "Yeah, us, Katie, and Angela. Just like last time."

"Yep," Jessica agreed, seeming pleased by my additional comment.

"Yeah, but Lauren said—" a second girl added uncertainly.

"You're not going to believe a bunch of crap rumors, are you?" Jessica cut the girl off, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"No, I guess not," one of the guys shrugged.

"It's Lauren, I guess," another girl rolled her eyes. "Should have known better."

"Anyway," Jessica pushed on, clearly trying to get past the topic quickly. "So Ray, these guys are Nathan, John, and Chad. John's our secretary."

Each of the guys waved a little when their name was called, thankfully not looking at all interested in flirting like Mike and Tyler.

"And that's Brittany, Jennifer, Ashley, and Megan. Amanda's in charge and Jamie's the treasurer."

Each of the girls smiled or waved a bit apologetically, but I just smiled back and left it alone.

"Welcome to prom committee, Ray." Amanda finally started the meeting. John had a notebook out and pen in hand. "Okay, as a recap, the first meeting we decided committee chair, treasurer, and secretary. And we wrote down the dance themes we've seen so far at the high school. Last meeting, we just tried to decide on a theme, but there was a lot of disagreement. Any new ideas?"

"Just that we have to choose a theme today," Nathan pointed out. "Mr. Green wasn't too happy with how long we've taken."

"You've only had two meetings so far," I half-laughed. I couldn't help it.

"They really should give us a little more time," Brittany commented irritably. "I mean it's only eleven weeks away now."

"That's just what we have," Amanda drew us back to task. "So we mentioned disco, 1980s, surfing, candy, and a casino. And John mentioned the moon…"

"What was the prom theme last year?" I asked.

"Stars," Megan sighed a bit tiredly. "My sister said it was super boring. Like all white and gray balloons or something."

"Ew," Jessica remarked simply, to which I couldn't help but agree.

"They seem like stars around here," Jamie mentioned.

"Well, clearly we don't want stars in our theme," Nathan concluded rapidly, leaving the discussion open to silence.

Everyone seemed to be looking at me, the only one who had not participated in their previous theme argument, which of course made it ten times harder to not give their theme ideas a dirty look. My high school back in Michigan had used all but the casino theme for our dances and I had zero illusions of wanting to retreat into my memories during this new life if I didn't have to.

"What about something to do with spring?" I suggested delicately, giving no indication of my disillusioned memories. "There's so much green in May and I think it would be nice to utilize that in a theme somehow. Everyone loves the beauty of nature and we could bring that indoors. There are a million ways to lower our spending if we use plants rather than all cardboard cutouts and prefabricated items from a prom shop."

"So… what theme could we do that with?" Jess spoke up, seeming to be the only one who had fully grasped my paragraph of speech.

"Well, a garden theme in general," I offered first, but scrunched noses around the circle convinced me otherwise. "A forest theme like Forks? …Maybe a jungle?"

A couple of noses eased at the last intriguing idea, but Jessica, among others, remained set against it. I tried to think of an actual, cohesive theme that used plants a lot, but I supposed most seemed less than 'cool' for a typical high-school student. Feeling a little like I had stepped back in time to the stuck-up group of wealthy teenagers at my old high school who had an overlarge sense of entitlement, I thought hard about something unique but not too adult.

"Oh, what about mythology?" I brought up, an inspiration hitting me. Perhaps going all garden was over-selling it. "Greek gods and goddesses, columns and ivy? White and green, some light blue like the sky and brighter blues like the ocean? We could paint a fountain, a Greek monument, or something like that to cover the bleachers…"

"That's kind of cool," John noted. Interest from the guys was a good sign; it meant the theme wasn't outrageously girly and childish.

"I like the idea of a big painting or drawing to cover the bleachers," said Brittany.

"Yeah, they're such an eyesore," Jessica agreed, nodding.

"None of us can draw except Nathan, though," Jamie admitted.

"I only draw anime characters, Jamie," the boy in question deflected with a light laugh. "Trust me, I don't do buildings or plants."

"I can paint and draw."

Startled as much as anyone else by the words spewing from my mouth, I tried to play it off as nonchalantly as possible, but I didn't feel all too successful.

"You never said!" Jessica remarked agog.

"Never had the opportunity," I shrugged awkwardly.

"Would you be able to make all that in eleven weeks?" Chad wondered. "That's a lot of art to get down."

"It's easy for me, actually," I responded honestly. "I just love art so much."

"Well, that's the best idea we've had so far. Any problems with it?" Amanda looked around at everyone, but they all shook their heads, appeased. "Cool! We have our theme!"

"What should we call it?" Ashley wanted to know.

"We could name it 'The Pantheon' prom," Brittany offered up.

"That's just a building, though," Megan countered. "It doesn't sound like it would have ivy and fountains and blue skies."

"It rhymes too much," Chad griped.

"How about 'Ancient Greece'?" John recommended.

"Yeah, that could work," Jennifer tilted her head side to side, not exactly happy.

"What about 'Mount Olympus'?" I proposed. For some reason fashion week had sprung to mind and the name of it had spurred me on. "We could add white fluff or batting to make clouds around the plants and columns and everything; it would make it look like a dream up in the clouds with all those deities."

"That's awesome!" Jess agreed empathically. "The white fluff will show up in the dark really cool."

"Maybe if we have enough of a budget, we could add lights under the batting or something," Jamie added with growing interest. "That way it'll show up even better."

"Plus we use that for the photo background!" Ashley appended excitedly.

"I love that idea," Amanda approved. "We only have a few minutes left, so let's leave this for now. We'll meet tomorrow after school to see what we're working with in the gym. Is everybody okay with that?"

Amid agreement from everyone, John wrote furiously quick, adding everyone's' additions to his notebook.

"All right, before we leave, is there anything about Girls' Choice Dance?" Amanda asked of us. "Most of us are on both committees, so I figured we could get any big issues out of the way now instead of Friday."

"Um, I had a problem yesterday," Jennifer mentioned hesitantly.

"What happened?" Nathan wondered. It sounded as though a lot of things had been problematic for them lately.

"I didn't mean to do it…" Jennifer continued nervously. "But… well, when I went to open up the banner and ticket pictures for the Kinko's guy, I sort of… accidentally deleted them…?"

Groans went up around the room at this proclamation.

"Why do I have the feeling those were your only copies?" I remarked dryly.

"Yep," Ashley asserted succinctly, eyes closed as if to pray for patience.

"So… no banner, no tickets…" Chad reaffirmed out loud.

"What now?" Jamie threw her hands into the air.

"Uh, Ray, I know it's kind of last minute," Jessica stepped in with extreme hesitance, "but um… you said you're quick on art and you really love it, soo…."

"Is there any way you could create a banner we could get printed?" Brittany completed the short girl's request for her, not beating around the bush. "And a picture for the tickets, too?"

"What's the theme?" I asked, biting my lip at the added pressure on top of my already loaded homework and training.

"Under the Sea," Megan answered. "We really only had a blue banner with bubbles and white lettering on it, but it wasn't what we all wanted to do. It's just what we were able to make at the time."

"What did you all want, then?"

"We liked the bubbles," Chad added, "but we kind of hoped we could have fish or seaweed. Something to tell you right off the bat it's actually under the water."

Despite my busy schedule and the lurking presence of Vanessa, I found excitement flowing through me. Art was my third great love along with writing and music; the prospect of using it in such a fun, simple way sounded too wonderful to pass up.

"Can you write down everything you'll need on it?"

"Sure can," John enthusiastically agreed, quickly turning to a fresh sheet of paper.

Bombarded with responsibilities upon leaving that first committee meeting, I barely talked while Edward drove us to training that afternoon.

"You're remarkably quiet today," the bronze-haired vampire observed quietly, glancing my way.

"I just agreed to so much," I revealed, exhaling as a means of loosening up. "I know it's not the end all, but it's still a lot to do."

"Yes, it is," Edward concurred plainly, "but you can do it. I know you. You always do what you set out for."

"Thank you," I replied, smiling. "Your vote of confidence means a lot."

Silent moments passed as we came closer to Olympia, the world speeding behind us in a rush of color and dull light in the early evening hours.

At last, with the gym in our sights just down the street, Edward murmured gently, "You'll always have my vote of confidence, Miss Holden."

"Whitlock," I corrected him just as gently, deeply touched by his soft declaration of support.


A/N: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 42: Influence!