So I'm a day late but at least it's up now. Thank you for the few who left reviews the last chapter. I really appreciated them. I hope you guys enjoy this one and I'll see you next week, hopefully on Thursday.
Chapter 55: Game Night
The only thing I wanted to do after the conversation with Alisha was to warn everyone involved. She already knew so much, we couldn't risk her figuring out anymore. The wolves would have to start dressing normal and Sam would have to be more careful when Alisha was around. They couldn't do anything about their temperature so sucked. They wouldn't be able to touch her anymore.
The Cullens would have to change too. Maybe they could get contact. Some could stay with black eyes and some could stay with gold. They would have to start eating normally too if Alisha was there. What about their cold skin? Could they just wear gloves? What about keeping heat packs in their pockets? That would make their hands warm. What else had Alisha said she noticed?
I couldn't think of anything thing else in the moment. My mind was still too frazzled from our earlier conversation to be sure.
I was torn about what to do next. I needed to let them know about the changes that would have to happen soon but it was a discussion that I really didn't want to have over the phone. It was too important to do that. They needed to understand the gravity of the situation.
I could always talk to them at the competition but that was too public. I wouldn't be able to get the Cullens alone, wouldn't be able to tell them what was going on. It was too much to say in such a short time.
It meant I would have to wait until Monday at the earliest to talk to the Edward and Alice about what had happened. After thinking on it for a little longer, I decided that would have to work. There was nothing more that I could do right now.
Sunday was the day of the competition and although it was a lot more fun now that Alisha and I were on good terms again, we only managed second place. The other team scored a few points ahead of us. It was a bit of a disappointment but there was always the last competition to beat them a final time.
When Monday came around, I made sure I was ready and leaving the house early, arriving in the practically vacant school lot. I sat in my truck, waiting for Edward's silver car to pull in. I was ready and I had even come up with a few more plans to keep Alisha from discovering any more.
Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long before they were pulling in and parking next to me. I imagined that Alice was aware that I wanted to talk them. Before either of the Cullens could get out, I was already out of my truck and climbing into the back of their car, ignoring their almost surprised looks.
"We've got a problem."
Edward's face looked grim, his lips pressed together so tight that they looked almost non-existent.
"What's wrong?" Alice asked, her eyes wide.
"Alisha knows that something is up with you guys and she's trying to figure out what you are." I told them. "You guys will have to start eating normally when she is around and you'll have to use heat packs and wear contacts."
I listed off a few more of the ideas I had come up with before falling silent. I waited for some type of reaction from them, some plan that they might have that would fix this. Alisha needed to be kept in the dark, at least for a few more years. She wasn't old enough for all this yet.
Alice looked away, glancing towards Edward but I couldn't read their faces like I usually could. Both were smooth, void of any emotions. For a second I was worried about what they would say, what they would suggest and then finally Alice turned back to me.
"Is that it?"
I couldn't help but staring at her in surprise. "What do you mean 'is that it?'. This is important. She can't know about all this." I told them, my voice shooting up.
"Why not?" She continued.
"She's just a child."
"But she's going to find out eventually." It was Edward that spoke this time, his words smoothed over as he tried to sound reassuring. "Especially with the connection between her and the wolf."
"But what about the Volturi? Knowing about you guys puts her in danger." I argued, trying to make them see.
There was a hesitation before Edward spoke again. "Honestly, I don't think it's as big of a deal as you are making it. The connection between them makes her as much as a part of all this as you are. She won't be able to tell anyone, not to mention she wouldn't do that anyways."
"And there is the fact that she is still little. If she did slip up, it's not like anyone would believe her." Alice pointed out. "She would just be a child telling stories."
I glanced between them, opening my mouth but nothing came out. After a second, I closed it, clenching my jaw. They didn't see the danger that I did, they didn't know how this could affect my little sister.
I climbed out of their car just as fast as I climbed in, slamming the door behind me. This was unbelievable. How could they be so un-phased about all this? How could they not realize the implications?
I marched towards the school, arriving at my first class, thankful I didn't have either Alice or Edward in it right now.
I was worried. If they thought that this wasn't a big deal then what would Jake think? Would he think I was just blowing it out of proportion as well? That I was just being a protective older sister? Would he realize how important it was for Alisha to stay unaware?
I didn't speak to either Edward or Alice in the following classes we shared. I was too frustrated with them to act civilly, too incredulous over their lack of a reaction.
Instead, as soon as the bell for lunch rang, I hurried out to my truck and fished out my cell phone. Originally I hadn't wanted to talk about this over the phone but now I needed the reassurance that I wasn't making this into a bigger problem than it was. I didn't know when Jake had lunch or if he was even at school right now but I crossed my fingers as I dialed his number, hoping that he would pick up.
He did on the fourth ring.
"Annabell, is everything okay?" He asked, his voice pinched with worry.
I listened for a second and even though his voice seemed to echo just a tad, I didn't hear any other noise. Good, it meant I should be fine to talk about it.
"It's Alisha. She knows that something is up with you guys." I told him.
"What do you mean?" He asked and I could almost imagine the serious look his eyes would be taking on right now.
"She knows that there is something different with both you and the Cullens. She's trying to figure it all out." I explained to him, stressing my words so he would understand the importance of them. "She can't know, it's too dangerous."
There was a pause before he spoke again. "You know, she is allowed to know about us. Quil's imprint, Claire, knows about us even if she is only two. Every time she's over, she always asks for 'her wolf' and she usually falls asleep curled up in his fur."
"But Jake, this wouldn't be just you guys. She wants to know about the Cullens too. What would happen if the Volturi found out that my eight-year-old sister knew about them?"
"Okay, okay, calm down. I'll talk to Sam and see what he has to say about it but I have to go. I ran out of class to answer your call."
I bit my lip, wincing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pull you away. I just hoped you'd be at lunch too."
"Yeah, I wish." In that second, I could almost imagine him rolling his eyes. "I'll see you around. Bye."
He was gone before I had the chance to respond.
Well, at least he took that seriously. I sat in my truck for the rest of lunch and I only returned back to school when the warning bell for the next period went off. I honestly was getting sick and tired of this. I was ready to graduate and just be done with school.
Thankfully, the rest of the week was better than Monday had been. After the initial irritation I had with the Cullens, they promised that they would do more to hide their irregularities around Alisha. It did an amazing job of erasing the worries, though they were still present.
Alisha, thankfully didn't say anything more about the things she noticed, though when Rosalie or Alice was around, I sometimes caught her with a calculating look on her face. Still, from the little she had noticed, I knew she wouldn't be able to come to the right conclusion.
By the time Friday arrived, my worry over Alisha's knowledge had mostly evaporated. I trusted Edward and Alice to keep their secret and I trusted Jake to do what was best for my sister.
Before we left school, Alice reminded me of the game night they were having on Sunday. They wanted us all there, especially Esme who thought it would be a wonderful idea to have Dad and Kathy so it could be a real Sunday Diner. I promised Alice I would let everyone know and it was only after that she let me leave so I could pick Alisha up from school.
The next day, the competition went almost perfectly. It even ended in Alisha's team taking first. We did get a glare from the team we had beat out but most of us were too busy cheering to actually notice. After the competition was over, our little family of four went out to eat on the way home. The Cullens had declined the offer to join, no surprise there.
When Sunday morning rolled around, I woke up to the alarm I had set the previous night. Alice wanted us there by nine so it was currently seven. Plenty of time for us to have breakfast and get around before arriving at the Cullens. Although I still had to ask Dad about it all.
I descended the stairs and went in the kitchen to see Dad groggily standing over the coffee maker. I couldn't help but laugh as I pushed him aside, setting it up myself. He seemed happy to relinquish control of breakfast to me if the grin he gave me was anything to go by.
"You should serious consider cutting back on coffee if you are this dead without." I told him as the machine started to gurgle. I swear he almost growled.
"My coffee. You no touchy."
I glanced back to him, an incredulous look on my face. "Since when are you Emperor Kuzco?"
"Since you want to take away my coffee." He replied quickly.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes but my lips were fighting the grin that wanted to appear. Instead, I changed the subject. "Anything in particular you want for breakfast?"
"Hm, french toast sounds good."
"Okay, can do." I replied, pulling the eggs from the fridge. After cracking a couple and mixing them, I added milk, cinnamon and just a tiny bit of vanilla before mixing all of that. Next was dipping the bread into the mixture before putting them on the warm pan. I had the first four placed and started to cook before I turned back to dad.
"So, the Cullens are doing a game night today and they were wondering if we wanted to join them?"
"What time?" He asked, glancing to the clock that was hanging off the wall.
I did as well. "In an hour and a half."
He gave me a look before shaking his head in disbelief.
I gave him my most innocent smile. "Esme would also like us all to stay for supper."
"Kathy and I were planning on going out to lunch. If it's alright with them, you and Alisha can head over this morning and we'll join you later today."
"I'm sure that will be fine but I'll send you a message when we get there." I promised as I flipped french toast.
He nodded but didn't say anything as he busied himself with getting a cup of coffee.
Within ten minutes, the smell of breakfast had lured both Kathy and Alisha from bed. They dug in as I cooked off the last few pieces. Dad told Kathy and Alisha about what would be taking place when I finally sat down with my slices of french toast. I was halfway done when Alisha ran upstairs to get ready and I followed soon after.
To be completely honest, I was looking forward to the day ahead, even if I was a little nervous. This would be the first time I had hung out with any of the Cullens since, well since they had left. I didn't count any of the times we had seen each other at the competitions simply because neither Alisha or I had actually been able to spend any time with them. Following that same thought, school didn't really count either. I wanted to see if Edward and I could really be friends, outside of a school setting. I wanted to know if we could actually make this work, start to rebuild what had been broken.
That and there was the fact that I missed the rest of the Cullens. I missed Emmett's teasing, Jasper's serenity, Esme's motherly affection and seeing Rosalie and Alisha get along so well.
I paused in front of my closet as I debated what to wear. After a second, I pulled out a pair of loose fitting jeans and then a nice looking black, v-neck shirt. It was simply and comfy, perfect for a day of gaming and then supper. Shower was next on the list, especially after the competition yesterday. I took extra care in washing the small amount of makeup I had worn yesterday off. I didn't need to look like a raccoon.
I was just throwing my hair up in a towel when Alisha started knocking on the door, telling me to hurry. It was fifteen minutes later that she was dragging me down the stairs. At her insistence, I had just thrown my wet hair into a messy bun to keep it off my neck.
"Well, aren't you in quite a hurry." I teased.
She scoffed. "I get to spend the whole day with Rosy and you're holding me up. Of course I'm in a hurry."
I chuckled and in response received a glare as we headed out the door. Thanks to Alisha's pestering, we arrived early. Alice was waiting for us on the steps as I parked my truck, a smug grin stretched across her lips. I almost turned around and drove out when I saw it. I didn't want to know what had caused that smile. I knew Alisha wouldn't let me though so instead I took my time climbing out of the truck as my sister ran on ahead.
"Dad and Kathy will be down later." I told Alice as I got closer.
"I already informed Esme." She said, the grin not leaving.
I paused before sighing. "Okay, you might as well spill. What's got you looking like that?"
"Oh nothing." She replied in a sing-song voice. "It's just going to be such a fun day."
I cast a glance back to my truck, wondering if it was really too late to escape. Before I could make a break for it though, Alice had already twined her arm around me, leading me into the house.
All the Cullens seemed to be converged into the living room. Emmett and Jasper were already going head to head on a racing game and as I watched, Emmett reached out to shove Jasper although he had already moved out of the way.
Alisha was sitting on Rosalie's lap, practically snuggling with her as she laughed at the boys behavior. Edward was sitting at his piano bench, though he was turned so he was facing everyone rather than the giant instrument. Carlisle and Esme were standing in the doorway, looking over their family with joy and pride shining on their faces.
It looked like a scene cut directly from a movie.
There was a sudden cheer from Emmett as he beat Jasper, who groaned in reply. It didn't last long though as Emmett turned to me, a devilish grin on his face.
"Okay, lil' sis. It's your turn to get over here. I have some payback that needs to be handed out."
I laughed at his comment but still, I moved closer, accepting the controller from Jasper. The games had begun.
Emmett wiped the floor at the racing game, lapping me multiple times. The only one that had been able to beat him was Rosalie who grinned viciously as she crossed the finish line. He only laughed though, pulling her into a kiss that elicited groans from Edward and Jasper.
It was when Just Dance was pulled out that things got interesting though, especially because we pulled Esme and Carlisle into playing as well.
Esme got the first pick of the game, mostly because it would be her first time playing. After a quick scroll through, she ended up picking the song "Time Warp." Edward, Alice, and Emmett joined her and to be honest it was quite a show. Esme got super into it and ended up winning, although she looked amazing as she did the dance. I hadn't expected it but then again she had lived through that period and probably knew the dance better than I imagined.
Alisha had a turn to pick next, insisting that Rosalie and I joined her. Jasper took the last spot to make it an even four and then Alisha picked out the song "Gagnum style." I almost gave up but a quick glare from Alisha kept me where I was. Instead, I made a face back to her as I prepared myself for this. It was no secret that I really didn't like this song.
When it started, I did the moves, although I wasn't into it like I usually was. It was fun though because I spent a good portion of the dance making faces at Alisha. It caused her to break into fits of giggles that made her miss the moves. I'm not going to lie though, it did get a little awkward when I had to lay on the floor and climb between Jasper's legs. Thankfully, that was laughed off as well.
Carlisle picked the next song, "Time of My Life," before turning to Esme and asking her to join him in the duet. Everyone else sat out this time to watch them as they began the song and to be honest, it was incredible. Although some of the moves were simple, fast paced and the two hardly touched, the whole dance was infused with the love they felt for each other. It seemed like each flick of the wrist and move of a finger worked to convey their feelings and when the song ended, it was like a spell had been lifted. I had been utterly mesmerized. They passed the controllers off to a round of applause.
Perhaps going off from Esme's and Carlisle's early performance, Rosalie and Alice stepped up next, picking the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." This dance was a bit more... risque, especially with the way Alice and Rosalie were making eyes at their mates the whole time. I spent most of the song making sure Alisha's eyes were covered so she couldn't see some of the more intimate gestures.
Edward got the remote next and I blinked in surprise when he immediately turned to me, holding a hand out in invitation. His eyes were alight and he wore a smile that was just as mischievous as Alice's had been early.
I hesitated, glancing around at the others. Alice was looking at me hopefully, a grin stretched across her face and Emmett was grinning in a way that was far too suspicious.
"Come dance with me?" Edward asked, pulling my attention back to him.
I could feel my heart thudding in my chest. I wasn't stupid, I had noticed the pattern and I was sure I knew what type of song he would pick. Only, I wasn't ready for that. I had come here to see how we could do being friends, not to rush into things again. I might still love Edward, but he didn't need to know that yet.
"No thanks, I think I'll sit this one out." I told him, my voice quiet.
I could almost feel it as everyone around us tensed. Edward however, did his best to hold his smile in place as he turned to Alisha instead. "Are you going to come up and dance then?"
She didn't pause before accepting a controller. Edward quickly scrolled through the song before picking "It's the Final Countdown." Jasper and Emmett stood up to join in and I had to admit that it did look a bit ridiculous with them all lined up. Within a few seconds, two wrestlers had appeared on the screen as the music started playing. The funniest part of the entire song was watching Edward and Alisha circle each other as they did wrestling poses. Alisha couldn't keep in her laughter and it did much to relieve the tension I had caused just a moment ago.
When they had finished with the song, Edward handed the remote over to me. I took my time selecting the next song. I didn't want anything that could be seen as love or romance so that took about half of them out to begin with. I also didn't want to replay any of the songs that had been done so far. In the end, I settled on "Distrubia" and stood to play as Carlisle, Alice and Alisha joined me.
As the song started, we began dancing. The movements were quick but also stilted in a way, as if disjointed. It almost made me think of Frankenstein. As we got to the chorus, I couldn't help but think that I had chosen the right song when I had picked this. In a way, it represented how I had been acting and feeling the past few months. It was the uncertainty I had felt over the Cullens, the worry I had when Fake-Edward had appeared and it was all the feelings I had tried to hide.
By the time the song was over, I was breathing heavily and sweat had broken out across my forehead. I took a seat, passing the remote off to Alice.
The entire morning was spent playing the different versions of Just Dance. Every one went against everyone and it was amazing to see some people really break out and get into the songs. At one point, Alice had tried to make me dance with Edward to "Sway," the song we had danced when his family was over after the accident he had saved me from. I firmly declined it though and I was thankful that Edward didn't comment on it.
By the time lunch arrived, both Alisha and I were ready for a nap. We ignored the urge to curl up in a bed though as we headed to the kitchen for lunch. Esme had made homemade pizza and it smelled heavenly. I grabbed two slices before moving aside. I then proceeded to watch, eyes wide as all of the Cullens grabbed their own slices. Everyone took a seat around the table and I kept my eyes on the vampires as I ate my lunch. I also did my best not to laugh at their disgusted looks that they did very well to hide from Alisha.
They were eating, taking exaggerated bites when Alisha was looking and then spitting them into their napkins when she wasn't. I had to say it was incredibly entertaining, especially at one point when Rosalie of all people started to wipe her tongue on a napkin to get rid of the taste. She shot me a glare when she noticed me staring and I did my best not to laugh, only smiled innocently back at her.
It made the whole day that much better.
After lunch was over, everyone slowly dispersed for an hour or two of rest, for me and Alisha. Rosalie, Alice and Jasper took Alisha into the living room to watch a movie while Emmett challenged Esme to a game of chess.
I sat down by them, watching as the game progressed. I was kind of surprised to see that Emmett even knew how to play the chess, it wasn't something I had expected from him, but I suppose that even he could learn after being alive for 70+ years.
The game was half over when I noticed that Carlisle was standing next to me. "If you have a moment, may I take some of your time to talk with you?"
I was confused for a second before I remembered someone saying that he had wanted to talk to me about my gift and the changes that had occurred.
I nodded, glancing towards Alisha as I stood. She was enraptured in the movie she was watching so I didn't worry about her, only followed Carlisle. He led me up the stairs before stopping at his office, holding the door open for me.
Although I had been over to visit quite a bit, I had never been inside his office. I had always thought of it a bit like his secret sanctum. I was surprised by the vast amount of pictures that cluttered the walls. There were all types from hand painted to black and white and finally color. Some of the people depicted in the portraits I could tell were vampires and there were some that were obviously human. Some were landscapes on places I had never seen and there were even pictures of buildings, the architect in them absolutely beautiful.
And that was just the photos. Books lines ever wall and I was sure that a vast majority were probably older than even Edward. There were some books that looked like they had been hand-bound, small pieces of thread holding them together. I wanted so badly to take a step closer, to actually see what the books were about and what type of information they held.
"This place is amazing." I told Carlisle, glancing towards him.
He was sitting at an old and beautifully crafted desk that I hadn't even noticed. There were two chairs in front of it and I moved towards one of them as I continued to glance around the room.
"I'm glad you find it so pleasing." He said, giving me a blinding smile.
I turned to give him a smile back but I froze, my breath catching in my throat as saw one picture. It was probably the largest one that was in the room and I was sure that it had been hand painted. In it stood four figures, all dressed in clothing that was at least three hundred years out of date. I could recognize every single one of them and not one had aged a day. There was Carlisle with his golden eyes and the three Kings, Aro, Marcus, and Caius.
For a second, a flare of rage burned through me at seeing those three again, even if it was only in a picture. These were the three that had sealed my fate, the three that had made me promise to become one of them. They were the reason I was so worried for Alisha.
I looked towards Carlisle and suddenly a hint of betrayal flared up as well. That's right, Aro had said something as we were leaving, that he was happy for Carlisle. They must have known each other before then and from the picture, I would guess that they had a long history.
"Has Edward told you much about my own change?" He asked, gesturing to the chair across from him.
I started moving towards it again, sitting down almost hesitantly as I eyed Carlisle. "No." I told him, not bothering to explain why.
"From what I can remember, I was born in the 1640's in London. I can't be quite sure as time wasn't kept as accurate for the commoners. My mother died giving birth to me and I grew up with my father, a religious pastor that spent his time hunting werewolves, witches and vampires. I was twenty-three when I took over for him as his health was failing. Although I was not as blood-thirsty as he was in the hunts, I managed to track down a coven of vampires living in the sewers. When we went to confront them, I was bitten. I knew what my father would do to me if he knew so rather than return home, I hid myself and endured the change. Three days later I awoke as what I am."
I was left gaping after him. 1640's? That meant Carlisle was approaching 400, well, in a couple decades. I knew that they he was old but I didn't know that he was that old. And if Carlisle was that old, what about the rest? What about the Volturi? How old could a vampire actually live to be? Would they just continue to survive as long as they weren't killed?
This was a bit different. I mean, I knew that they became immortal when they went through the change but I guess I hadn't realized what that meant actually meant. Carlisle was born in a time of no technology, with only horse and cart, where people died from common diseases that usually weren't even a problem today. I couldn't imagine all the changes he must have seen over all those years.
Carlisle started up again, having given me time to absorb the information he had shared already. "Knowing what I was, I ran away. I tried to kill myself in various ways but as you've seen, that can be pretty hard to do. Eventually I grew weak from hunger. I was hiding in a cave deep in the woods when a deer passed by. I went crazy with blood-lust and fed from it. It was then that I realized that I could live without having to kill people."
"At that point, I began studying at night as I perfected my control. I was in Italy when I discovered a coven of old vampires. I'm sure you can imagine who they were."
My lips pressed into a line at the thought of who he had met.
"In my travel, all other vampires I meant had lived in sewers and were truly the monsters they were perceived as. Here was this coven that was strong and that lived together. They were capable and intelligent, had laws and governed the populace. It was amazing to be around someone of my own kind that I could have an intelligent conversation with."
After a second, I realized the loneliness he must have felt and it softened the sting of what I was feeling. The Volturi must have seemed truly astounding to him. I mean, it had even been amazing to me, in a creepy and dangerous way.
"I lived with them for a decade or so as I tried to get them to try my diet and they tried to get me to try there's. Eventually though, I couldn't stay any longer. I traveled to America where I eventually found my family."
I was sure that he had skipped over most of the things that had happened but I understood. It's not like he could tell me almost 400 years of knowledge in one little sitting. I had just gotten the compressed version.
"So you were close with the Volturi then?"
"To an extent. I wouldn't call us friends but I definitely benefited from them and I think I was a bit of an entertainment for Aro."
I nodded in understanding. He had seemed a little bent on finding the next best thing.
"Now, do you mind if I ask you a few things about what happened in Italy?" He asked, his voice soothing. After a second, I recognized it as his voice he used with patients. I remembered it from when I had seen him after the accident so long ago.
"Sure."
He nodded but hesitated as he tried to figure out where to start. "First, I want to say thank you for coming to my family's rescue. I am sure that we would not have come out unscathed if it weren't for your arrival. It was a courageous thing you did, especially after how my family treated you last fall."
I wanted to wave off his comment, that it was really only Alice and Edward who were at fault but I couldn't seem to. Instead, I just sat there, waiting for him to continue.
"Now, I must say that I am extremely curious about the development of your gift. We have not met a human before that had such a pronounced gift or even any control over it. Not to mention it seems to be changing, developing. I wonder if you having the knowledge about it, gives you the ability to do so. If it changes just as you do. It's a thrilling thought."
I couldn't help but smile at his behavior, especially the keen interest he seemed to have. "That's an interesting theory." I told him. Still, I waiting for him to actually ask a question.
"Do you remember the what happened to cause this new development?" He finally asked. "From what I know, Edward has heard you every time you've projected. In Italy, he could not hear you, even through Jane's own mind. In that moment, it was cut off from him, although I daresay that was a good thing that he couldn't."
I had to agree with Carlisle there. I don't know what I would have done if my power had caused Edward more pain when I had just been trying to get it to stop.
"To be honest, I'm not sure what the difference was. It was as if something changed in my head. Has Edward told you how I think about my gift as a volcano?" I asked, pausing as he nodded. "The best was to describe what happen is if the lava had carved out a path underneath the ground, a channel that connected our minds. I think it allowed me to cause the level of pain that I did."
His golden eyes were distant although he was nodding along with my explanation. "Perhaps the fact that it was 'underground' as you said, kept it so that Edward was not able to here. It's quite fascinating as it means you would be able to extend the ability to cover your mind to other people, almost like a shield. It's really quite fascinating. Do you remember what caused you to react that way?"
I bit my lip, glancing around the room. Of course I did. It was seeing Edward on the ground, realizing I still cared for him, deciding that I never wanted to see him like that again but I couldn't tell Carlisle that, not when Edward could either hear my answer or pick it right out of his thoughts. I wasn't ready for that to be public information.
"Well, to be honest, everything is a bit fuzzy around me using my gift. All I remember is seeing Edward on the ground and then everything just happened so fast afterwards." I told him, instead. That was close enough to the truth.
"Interesting. I'm sure that using you gift to that capability, especially when it was such a new part must have been incredibly taxing on you."
I nodded along with his words, remembering how utterly exhausted I had been after.
"Have you tried doing something similar since then?" He asked.
I quickly shook my head. The past couple weeks I had been worrying only about getting things back to normal. Working on a new development of my gift wasn't a way to do that.
"In a way, I would love it for you to meet Eleazer. He was a guard in the Volturi but after finding his mate, they left and eventually joined the coven up in Denali. He has the ability to sense gifts. I would be very interested to see what he would find when he met you."
After sitting for a moment in silence, Carlisle titled his head to the side. "Well, we should be joining everyone else. It would seem that your sister is done with the movie and Emmett is ready to play some more games." He said as he stood.
I couldn't help but grin as I stood with him and we both made our way downstairs. True to what Carlisle had said, Emmett was down stairs ready for another round, although this time he had broken out the ones that didn't require electronics. The one that was set up as we joined everyone was Twister.
With so many of us, we had to split into two different rounds to allow everyone to play. The first consisted of Emmett, Me, Alice, and Edward. The second was Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Jasper and Alisha.
It was Alice who won our round, much to Emmett's displeasure. Emmett was actually the first one to fall, although that was most probably due to a small push on Edward's part. I think Alice must have planned some of what was happening though because I did find myself in one of two positions that was a little bit too close to Edward for my comfort.
When it came to the second round, it was surprisingly Jasper who won.
After that, we kept on playing, doing other games like Jenga, Life and Phase 10. Emmett insisted I play some games against Edward seeming I was the only one he couldn't 'cheat' against. We ended up playing Battleship, Guess Who and Old Maid much to everyone's pleasure.
By the time Dad and Kathy arrived later in the afternoon, they walked in on a heated game of monopoly between Rosalie, Edward and Carlisle. The rest of us had gone bankrupt by then, although I think that watching the match between these three was even more fun than playing had been.
Esme stood up to greet them though the rest of us stayed where we were littered around the living room.
After a few minutes I could hear them approaching and I turned around to see Dad.
"Have you guys been having a good time?" He asked.
Alisha was the first one to pipe up with an cry of excitement. Carlisle had just gone bankrupt when he landed on one of Rosalie's properties.
"Well, as you can see it's been an exciting day." I supplied.
"It looks it." Kathy said, grinning.
I was about to reply when the smell of food hit my nose. I paused, sniffing at the air as my mouth watered. I hadn't even realized that Esme had already started on supper.
We watched for another ten minutes before Rosalie finally beat Edward. She was rewarded with a round of cheering, especially loud coming from Alisha and Emmett. After that, we slowly made our way to the dinning table where Esme already had everything set up.
It was a true Sunday dinner with a juicy looking ham in the center of the table, mashed potatoes, peas, squash, dinner rolls and gravy. It was a feast and one that could not be bested. Between enjoying the food, I did keep an eye on the Cullens though. Again they were eating the food, at least half the time and hiding it in their napkins the rest. Rosalie even made a comment about this being her favorite meal. I had to work incredibly hard to keep from laughing at that. Instead I shoved about three spoonfuls of potato into my mouth.
As soon as the main meal was done, Esme brought out dessert, strawberry shortcake. Even though I was already full, I made room for a decently sized helping seeming it was one of my favorites. When the meal was finally over, everyone helped to pack up the leftovers and wash the dishes. It only took a few minutes and then we were all migrating back to the living room. Games resumed after that, although at a much more subdued level. With all the humans being full and all the vampires looking just slightly green at the amount of food they had consumed today, no one had the energy to get into another Just Dance match.
I sprawled out on the couch, taking one completely for myself. It was incredibly comfy and I had to fight not to doze off after a meal like we just had. Instead I glanced around, trying to find something to focus on that wouldn't put me to sleep.
After a few second, my eyes landed on a newspaper that was laying on the coffee table. I probably wouldn't have even paused to look at it if I didn't see the big, bold words of Slaughter and Seattle.
I sat up, so quickly I was left seeing dots for a second before scooping up the newspaper. Even though the article was front page, it didn't give a lot of information. Apparently there had been several recent killings. All of them had occurred at night with random victims, the bodies left burned to a corpse with very little evidence. They had to rely on dental records to confirm the identities of the bodies. There was a list of names but I didn't read them, felt too sick at how many there to do so. According to the newspaper, the police was worried about possible gang activity, especially because the victims weren't related in any way, no patterns.
"Isn't it horrible?"
I visibly jumped at the voice behind me, my heart flying in my chest. I hadn't heard Kathy approach.
"My parents have been keeping me informed with everything because they live on the edge of Seattle. They're a bit worried so they've been making sure to always be home before sunset. I can't say I blame them, I would be to if I lived that close to everything."
"It's surprising and it is really terrible. I hope this doesn't get anywhere near them." I told her.
She nodded, a small smile on her face though there was clear worry in her eyes. "Me too."
The rest of the night went smoothly after that, even if we did have a semi-competitive match Uno. Okay, to be honest, it was brutal, especially with Edward and I next to each other. It got to the point that we would save up all of our draw 2 and draw 4 to lay down on each other, which of course meant we lost the game in the end. Alisha was the person who won, probably because no one had the heart to stick her with a draw 4.
After the game ended, we started getting ready to leave. It was after all a school night and although it wasn't quite late yet, it was starting to get there. Esme gave us most of the leftovers which I'm sure everyone was happy about. Dad and Kathy packed those into their car after saying their goodbyes. Alisha went with them as she was still telling them about what had happened earlier during the day.
I lingered behind, waiting until their taillights had disappeared between the trees before turning to the Cullens. "Thank you, everyone for inviting us over and playing along the whole day." I told them. "It really means a lot to me."
Esme was the first to speak, waving away my words. "Don't worry. It's not the first time we've had to eat human food and I can guarantee it won't be the last either."
I chuckled at her comment, my cheeks starting to ache after all the smiling and laughing I had done that day.
"Well, still, thanks." I told them, stepping out the door.
"I'll walk you out." Edward said after a second, walking up next to me.
I hesitated for a second. I almost wanted to say that I could find the way to my truck but instead, I only nodded, giving him a tight smile.
He gestured for me to continue, closing the door, and his family, behind us.
The walk to my truck wasn't far but it felt like it was walking next to Edward. Our hands were only inches apart and the hair on my arms were standing up. Earlier it had been easy to resist this, especially with everyone else around but now that we were alone, I wanted to reach out and take his hand like we used to. My hand even twitched in his direction before I twined my fingers together in front of me.
"Today was fun," he said, his voice breaking the silence of the cool night.
"Yeah, I can't remember who's idea it was initially but it was a good one." I told him.
"We'll have to do it again, in a month or two though. Give us time to prepare us for another day of eating."
I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh, I'm sure you're all going to have fun getting all that food out of your system."
He grimaced and I hid my grin behind my hand, trying to look sympathetic. I don't think he believed me.
We stopped next to my truck though I made no move to climb into it immediately. "I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow."
"It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow," he said, shaking his head. "But we'll be there Tuesday."
"Oh, I hadn't realized."
He nodded in understanding before silence fell again. I glanced up, meeting his eyes. They were darker than they had been recently, almost brown in the dim light. He looked almost hesitant before he shook his head, just the smallest bit.
"Be safe on the drive home, okay?"
After a second I nodded, turning to climb in my truck. He took a few steps back, giving me room to pull out. As I angled my truck towards the path between the trees, I glanced in my rear view mirror. He was still standing there, turned in my direction. I kept my eyes on him until he was obscured by the foliage.
I wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.
