Chapter 33: Making Amends
Bella POV
Graduation was only a week away and I felt a mixture of emotions. I felt happy and excited that I was finally able to leave school behind and move forward with my life. But then I was sad because I was leaving school behind. High school was something of an experience and there was something about it that made me never want to stop going.
Now I understood why the Cullen's kept going back.
Paul's graduation was a week after mine which was good, because we could go to each other's. Paul had been working really hard to get his grades back up and at first, we didn't think he'd be able to graduate with his grade. But the amount of work he had put in in recent months had shown their effect. His teachers were really proud of his hard work and eventually he was able to continue his classes in his own grade, meaning he'd be able to graduate with the older students. I was happy for him because this was something to look forward to. This was the start of the positives he often spoke about.
Angela called me this morning asking if I wanted to go dress shopping in Port Angeles with her. I agreed, but only because I had no formal dresses and I thought I'd treat myself, especially for graduation. She was due to pick me up soon, and I had to remember to talk to her about Gyda's surprise party. I had finally got it out of Edward, who was doing his best to stay away from Gyda, lest she read his mind and ruin the surprise.
He wanted to bring Gyda's human life to the present. He had already found an open outcrop of clearing near the Olympic mountains which was the perfect location because a) it was away from humans that didn't know what vampires were and b) it was a huge clearing. He'd shown me a photo of it and damn, you could fit a couple of football stadiums in there! He said he'd send invitations out soon and he wanted everyone to dress the part with outfits he provided. Of course, now I'd been inside Gyda's memories as had Edward, we had a bit of an understanding of what clothing they wore back then. The only problem was finding a place that could make them for us.
Edward also had another surprise for her. Something he was sure would make her realise that actually, he did love her, exactly the way she was, with everything he had in him. Because getting Gyda to understand something as complicated as love would be difficult, especially if the only love she had known was over a thousand years ago.
My phone buzzed. It was Angela letting me know she was outside. I grabbed my jacket from the hook in the hall and locked the door behind me.
"Hey Ange, how are you?" I asked, buckling my seatbelt.
"Hey Bella, I'm great! How are you? You ready for some shopping?"
I chuckled "I'm great, though a little nervous about dress shopping. I have no idea what would suit me!" I confessed. It was true. Back in Phoenix, that was my Mom's job. She had a great eye when it came to what suit me, but I guess I'd have to do without her today.
"Oh I can help with that!" she promised and drove on.
Port Angeles wasn't particularly busy today, but I supposed it was a Friday. Usually we'd be in school but the teachers gave our grade the day off in preparation for graduation, which I was thankful for.
"Hey, can you believe we only have 1 week of high school left?" Angela said.
I let out a puff of air "Tell me about it. I feel kinda sad about it though, like I have a lot of great memories of high school. Especially Forks High. I made some pretty awesome friends" I said, smiling at her.
"Well, all I can say is, it was a great day for all of us when Bella Swan moved back into town"
"You're sweet. So, how are you? What's going on with Quil?" I asked, trying to make conversation.
Her mouth dropped into a hard line before she smiled, a little too enthusiastically "Oh we're great! We're busy doing, uh, stuff, you know"
I raised an eyebrow "Stuff?"
"Yeah, stuff. Don't you and Paul do stuff?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess we do. What about your Mom and Dad? They okay?"
"Yep, Mom and Dad are great-"
"-and your brothers?-"
"-brothers too, are great. Oh look, a spot!" she parked the car in the parking lot next to the mall and climbed out before I could ask what was wrong. But stepping out into the rare heat made me forget all about it. I just wanted to enjoy the day with my best friend, without having to make it awkward by pressuring her into talking. Because I could tell that whatever it was, she wasn't ready to share and that was cool.
"Okay, where first do you think?" she asked.
"Hm, how about we walk along the high street and find a boutique?" I suggested. She agreed and we set off.
We found a little store that had windows decorated with evening gowns and thought it looked promising, so we went in to be greeted by an over enthusiastic blonde.
"Good afternoon ladies. Is there anything in particular I can help you with today?" she asked. I thought she sounded like a mouse.
"Uh, we have graduation in a week and were hoping to find ourselves some nice dresses" Angela said and the woman gushed.
"Oh, I remember my high school graduation! Feels like it was only yesterday! Well, follow me to the back. We have a whole collection of dresses that I think you'll love"
We were soon holed up in the dressing rooms, being passed different dresses by the attendant, who would either compliment us after each, or tell us that we looked hideous in it. I admired her honesty because that's all we were looking for. After an hour of dresses being thrown in and out of the dressing rooms, we both found our dresses. Angela settled on a red, knee length with a sweetheart trim, whilst I went for a dark blue form fitting knee length, with half sleeves and a V neck trim.
"You girls are going to look amazing on your graduation day! Can you imagine the pictures now? Ugh, come on, let's choose some shoes to go with those dresses!" said the attendant, dragging us over to a colossal selection of shoes. Angela and I looked at each other in pain at the thought of trying on how many shoes.
After another hour, we had our dresses and our shoes and were ready to go. We paid for our purchases and both agreed on lunch. We walked along the high street and found a little restaurant that didn't look particularly busy, so decided it was worth a look.
"I have blisters on my blisters. The thought of wearing those shoes for the whole day next week is killing my brain!" Angela complained, as the waiter brought over a couple of menus.
"I have some of that second skin stuff at home, you can try that, see if it helps?" I offered.
She looked grateful "Please! What are you going to have?" she asked, knocking my menu with hers. I scanned it and thought the mushroom ravioli sounded pretty good.
"I'm gonna try the mushroom ravioli. What about you?"
She grimaced "Ugh, mushrooms! I think I'm gonna have a burger and fries. I'm craving greasy stuff at the moment" she said. I watched her eyes freeze in place at what she'd said, and then she continued to look at the menu.
"Is everything alright Ange? I mean, you are okay, right?"
"Hm? Oh yes, everything's perfect. I think I'm going to get a water with my food, maybe that'll balance out the un-healthiness of the burger" she laughed, a little too loudly. Hm, I couldn't tell what was up with her. But I let it drop. I didn't want to spoil the day.
Our food arrived and we ate appreciatively, starved of energy from our dress shop.
"Oh, Gyda's surprise party is next Saturday, but Edward is sending invitations out soon-" I reminded her.
"-ooh, what's the theme?"
"Well, you know Gyda was a Viking when she was human-"
"-wait what! I did not know that! God, how old is she?"
"Uh, I forgot the exact number, but she's over a thousand years old"
Angela's eyes bugged out of her head "Are you serious? That's just-"
"-unbelievable?" I offered with a smirk. I had got over the initial shock of Gyda's age, though it didn't make it any less shocking.
"Okay, well what about outfits?" Ange asked.
"Edward is sorting something with a friend of his that makes costumes, but obviously, he's told the guy to respect that these are in fact not costumes"
Angela giggles "So what did he tell him they were for?"
"Historical re-enactment" I chuckled.
After dinner, we just decided to walk along the high street again and go into any stores that looked inviting. We passed a small boutique that made hand-made children's clothes and Angela stopped to admire a two piece dungaree set.
"Aw, look at this Bella! Isn't this so cute?" she gushed.
I raised an eyebrow "Yeah it does look cute. Hey, you think we should get something for Emily's baby?" I suggested, opening the door.
"That's a good idea. Maybe something neutral in colour so a boy and a girl could wear it" I agreed, though not with the part about neutral colours. Why did it matter what colour a baby wore? I'm pretty sure a baby boy wouldn't notice if he were wearing a pink dress.
"Ooh Bella, look at this!" she cooed from the corner, where she fawned over a pink dress with glitter detail in the seams.
"That's real cute! I thought we were going for neutral though?" I reminded her.
"Oh, yeah you're right. Unisex is over there. Hey, I'm just gonna check this section out a little longer, you go ahead" she said, continuing to walk along the wall filled with baby girl clothes. Hm, Angela wanted to look at baby clothes? I shrugged my shoulders and headed over to the unisex section where straight away, my eyes found the perfect piece for Emily's baby. It was a cute little onesie set that came with a hat and a pair of mittens. I looked for size newborn, hooked it onto my finger and continued to look for anything else that caught my eye. I found a knitted cardigan and it looked perfect! They had a whole rainbow of colours and decided on the yellow. A boy and a girl could wear yellow.
"Aw, look at this" Angela gushed from beside me, making me jump a little at her quiet appearance.
"What is it?" I asked. She held the onesie piece I had just picked up for Emily's baby in her hands, but she was feeling the material with her fingers. Caressing it.
I had to ask "Angela. Is there something you want to tell me? Something that's maybe a secret?"
She stopped her caressing and turned to me, looking serious.
"I wasn't supposed to say anything yet-"
My hands flew to my mouth in shock.
"You're pregnant?" I shouted loudly in my surprise, causing the nearby customers and staff to applaud and offer their congratulations.
Angela blushed brightly "Yes and keep your voice down" she whispered.
"Sorry. Oh Ange! Is this what you were keeping from me?" I asked. I was jumping up and down on the balls of my feet in excitement. My best friend was going to have a baby!
She looked down at her shoes "I didn't want to, but I just didn't know how everyone would react. Quil and I agreed to keep it secret until my first scan-"
"-I'm not going to say anything I promise! Oh Ange! How far along are you?"
"A month. But I still have 2 months until the first scan, so you need to keep it quiet until then!" she said seriously.
"Can I maybe tell Paul? You know he won't say anything and I hate keeping secrets from him-"
"-Bella no! This isn't your secret to tell, okay? I just want to keep it quiet for now"
"Okay, I'm sorry. I won't say anything. You have my word as your best friend"
She laughed "Thanks"
I looked around the store, which suddenly looked more inviting "Can I choose something for your baby?" I asked.
She laughed "I'm not even sure if it's a boy or a girl yet-"
"-what about this?" I asked, holding up the yellow knit cardigan. Angela's mouth fell into an O shape as she caressed the material.
"Aw look at it. Okay, yes you can get this for the baby. I love yellow, by the way"
I smiled "Come on, let's find some more stuff" I said, suddenly more excited than when I first walked in here.
When we were back in the car, weighed down with our graduation dresses, shoes and a few items of clothing for both Angela and Emily's babies, we set off home. Oh my God, this was the best day ever!
"Oh Ange, I'm so happy for you and Quil. You're going to be great parents" I said.
"Thanks Bella, you don't know how good it is to hear that. I thought you'd all be mad at me or something, but I guess I just get stuck in my own head sometimes" she confessed.
"It's alright Ange, I know what that's like. But you never have to be afraid of my opinion, you know I'd never ever judge you, on any decision you make. We're best friends, aren't we?" I said, raising my eyebrow and smiling.
She giggled "Yes we are and you're a great best friend"
I squeezed her hand "Love you"
"Love you too Bella"
Once I was home, I threw my purchases onto my bedroom floor and fell flat onto my bed. I was exhausted! I turned my head to check the time on the little alarm clock on the dresser. Ugh, it was only 4. How could it only be 4? I reluctantly pulled myself up and went downstairs, with the intention of doing some housework so Charlie came back to a clean house.
Charlie came home from work at 5:30 to a healthy home cooked dinner and a fresh pair of pyjamas. I told him to take a shower and change into them whilst I threw his uniform into the washer. Then I seated him at the table and served our dinner.
"Wow Bells, you didn't have to go to all this trouble!" he said, though it didn't stop him from digging in right away. I chuckled as I served his side of salad.
"Of course I did. I figured it was time you started eating healthy again, now my leg is back too normal, so I want that salad eaten before the spaghetti, okay?" I said, raising my eyebrow. He grimaced but dropped the meatball he had speared on his fork and dragged the bowl of salad forward.
"Thank you for taking care of your old man Bells, I really do appreciate it" he said and I watched as he ate every single piece of his salad.
"Enjoy" I smirked, as he dug into his spaghetti and meatballs. Gyda's meatballs were way better than these store bought ones, but I didn't have a clue how to make my own. I'd have to ask her to show me one day.
Charlie cleaned the dishes as I wiped the table clean and then I decided to get myself ready for bed. I sent a quick text to Paul as I waited for my bath to fill, telling him that I loved him and I'd see him soon. He was due to start his 'spirit journey' as we had dubbed it, after his graduation. The same day I flew out of the US to Sweden with Gyda. I had asked Melinda to keep an eye on Charlie's eating whilst I was away and she assured me she'd keep him in check.
Which brought me back to the fact that I had decided to willingly leaving Paul. Something I promised myself I'd never do again when he woke up from his spirit walk. The pain and heartache I felt when he was gone, not knowing if he'd ever come back to me and now I was going to leave him for how many weeks? Why did I always make these decisions without thinking them through?
I wasn't getting cold feet exactly, but the thought I going somewhere without Paul made me think I was being selfish, again. But the thought of going back to Gyda's home, to where she felt like she belonged, well, I felt honoured that she'd asked me to go with her. I couldn't exactly turn her down because she needed me as much as Paul did, maybe even more.
Ugh, if only I could get her to see sense with Edward! Maybe if she found companionship with Edward, I'd worry about her less. Because I did worry about her. I worried about her mental health, because even though vampires are frozen in time, their mental health is still a real thing. I'm convinced that Gyda is depressed, even though she may not show it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
I thought maybe that was why she was always joking around, always acting like she wasn't serious all the time. Was she trying to hide her true pain? I knew her son was the root of it, and it really doesn't matter how long ago she was his mother because in her heart, she still is his mother. One day, when I inevitably became a mother myself, I'd feel the unconditional love that came with being a mother. I'd feel it first-hand. Even the very thought of losing my future child was painful to think about, and Gyda had suffered through this for a millennia? All by herself?
Both Gyda and Paul were my family. The whole Pack and even the Cullen's were my family. We had all been through some bad stuff together and came out of it even stronger. So, what did that prove? It proves that it doesn't matter what you believe of someone, what you truly think of them, even in the difficult times. It didn't even matter what species they were. The only thing that matters is how a family bands together during those difficult times and overcomes it, together.
Because nothing, absolutely nothing is more important to me than my crazy family.
Embry POV
One of the only things I hated about being a shapeshifter was my ability to not date. That was the only thing though. Having super strength, speed and eating all the time without getting fat, yes! But not being able to go out on a date with an actual girl, well, that sucked. Usually, I wouldn't mind, I'd tolerate it, you know. But the end of year Prom was coming up, and I would probably be the only one there without a date.
I just wanted to imprint so I could have someone. Someone to confide in, someone to love. Was that too much to ask for Taha Aki?!
I was on my way over to Jacob's to play some video games. I figured I hadn't seen him for a while and thought it'd be nice to spend some time together playing video games like we used to. Before the phase took that away. And look, he may be the Alpha now, but he was still Jacob Black, my best friend. And that came before the Alpha title to me.
As Jacob's house came into view, I saw someone leaving and running into the forest. Wait, that was Leah, and was she… crying? Without rationally thinking, I abandoned my plans for COD and followed Leah into the forest. Well, I had to make sure she was alright, didn't I?
"Leah?" I called out. I found her hunched down by the tree that had fallen years ago. She was crying. Oh man, how do you deal with crying girls?
"Leah? You alright?"
"Go away!"
"Well that's not happening. Why are you crying?" I asked. I sat down opposite her and waited for her to speak. To say anything.
"It's stupid!" she sobbed. I sighed and got up, choosing to sit next to her and tentatively, put my arm around her.
"Hey, come on. It's alright, whatever it is-"
"-it's not alright! I was over it! I was over him-"
Ah, this was about Sam. Every time Leah got upset, it was usually about Sam. Or her Dad.
"What did he do?" I asked gently.
She wiped her tears away furiously "It's nothing he did! It's what Colin showed me during patrol!"
I furrowed my brow in confusion "Colin? What did he show you?"
"Ugh, something stupid Sam told him about us! When we were together! He played it back in his mind when we were patrolling together and it just brought stuff up. Stuff I thought I'd pushed away already. God, it's so stupid-"
"-no it's not Leah. You and Sam were serious, right? You were getting engaged, you were gonna get married! It's not stupid to be sad about the past, especially given the circumstances-"
"-especially the circumstances Embry! Emily is pregnant with Sam's child! I have to let it go, I have to let him go because he isn't mine anymore, I'm just struggling to let the memories go. I went to talk to Jake about it but he just doesn't get it! None of you do!"
"Letting someone go and letting the memories with them go are two completely different things Lee. I can't imagine how much it hurts you to see him with Emily, even though you try your best to put on a brave face and convince yourself that you're okay with it, but a normal person wouldn't be okay with it! Not even if it took them 10 years to get used to it! I know this might sound harsh Lee, but you need to try to move on-"
"-how the hell can I move on when I have to wait for stupid imprinting! The crap that got me into this mess in the first place! Do the spirits hate me or something? Have they though 'Oh, I know, let's torture her even more than the rest just because she's the only female wolf!' It's stupid!-"
"-okay, first, you're not stupid. Second, I think you're pretty badass to be the only female wolf, in the entire history of what we are. That makes you pretty damn special Leah, one of a kind, unique. You're not a freak, you're a gift to the Pack. I just hope that one day you'll see yourself like that. How we all see you"
She sniffed loudly and wiped her face with the back of her hand "You're a great person Embry. Some girl out there will be lucky to have you when you-"
It was at this moment, she lifted her eyes to mine and everything changed. Oh Jesus dammit, she was going to kill me!
"-imprint" she finished with a whisper. Nuh-uh, I wasn't dying, not today! I got up and retreated back, holding my hands up ready to defend myself.
"Hey, I couldn't help it! Please don't kill me-"
"Em-"
"-look I'm sorry I did it, you know I can't help it!" Oh God, why was I pleading? I didn't plead!
"Em-"
"and you know I can't help it right? So maybe if you wanted to, you could just pretend I didn't imprint on you and we can just-"
"-EM!" she shouted. I dropped my hands, realising I looked stupid.
"I'm sorry, okay?" I said in a softer voice. I mean, I guess it wasn't all bad imprinted on Leah Clearwater. At least she had guts.
"Embry. You think you were the only one that imprinted just now?" she said, wiping her forgotten tears away.
"You- you imprinted on me too?" When the hell did the world get so confusing?
She smiled "Yeah, I did"
"Double imprint?" she nodded her head. Oh man, this was a lot to take in. I sunk to the forest floor to sit down and digest this. It wasn't bad, but how long had I been wishing I could just imprint, find my life partner and live happily ever after? And Leah was chosen for me all along?
"I don't get it either, but it's obvious we were supposed to imprint on each other, right?"
I closed my eyes and rested my head on the tree behind me.
"I'm not mad or anything, but this is kinda huge. I mean, how long have you been in the Pack now? How long have I known you? And it's only just taken this minute for us to imprint on each other?"
"I know it's crazy. But I guess you're not all that bad"
I smirked "You're not all that bad either Clearwater"
She sat next to me "Well, what do we do?" she asked in a small voice.
I looked at her and now only realised how beautiful she was. Her hair, black and short in length, made my eyes unfocused and bright. Her face, her perfect Native features that could make even the strongest man on earth fall to his knees.
Well, I knew my answer already.
"Let's see where this takes us" I smiled. She squealed and clung onto my arm. I'd never heard Leah make that kind of noise before.
"As long as you don't do a Sam on me, we'll be alright" she said, though I didn't miss the hidden threat.
I scoffed again "I don't think it's possible to hurt you, not like that anyway. Hey, you think we should tell them?" I jutted my chin towards Jacob's house.
"I don't want them to know, not yet anyway. Can we just take the time we need to figure out what this means?"
I agreed. I didn't think she was asking for a lot at all. I suggested that maybe we go talk to Old Quil about our double imprint. What does it mean?
"We'll be alright Clearwater" I kissed the top of her head as she leaned into me and we spent the next hour just sitting in silence, letting the fact that the first double imprint of our entire history had just happened.
Edward POV
You don't know how difficult it is to avoid someone you really want to be with until you have to do it for their own good! Well, not exactly for Gyda's own good, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise and if she read my mind and figured it out, then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. I wanted to show her that just because her human life was over, it doesn't mean that she should forget about it. She had to move on eventually, so maybe this party would help her do that.
Besides the party, I had another surprise for her, but it was difficult trying to hide it from her. She must think I hate her or something, they way I've been avoiding her. As soon as she enters the room, I up and leave straight away. If she tries to find me to talk to me, I tell her I'll be back later and don't come back for days. I hate it, but it's the way it has to be if this is going to work.
I really wish she would believe me when I say I love her because it's true. So true. I've never loved anyone like I love Gyda before, and I think I'd know the difference between friendship and romantic feelings. Back in 1934, when she happened to stumble upon me in Chicago, I knew it then. I knew I'd found my life partner, my mate. But it seemed Gyda didn't want to stick around and she left after a few years of travelling together. I tried finding her, but it was like she had completely vanished from the face of the earth. According to her, she hadn't left the United States during that time, which made me think she had been evading me on purpose.
She didn't want to be found.
Until of course, she came to us willingly, with information on Maria and Victoria. I tried to push my true feelings down then, obviously they weren't appropriate at that current time. What with Bella and the Quileute Nation to protect, it sort of got pushed to the back of my mind. But when we took off together, to hunt the nomads, I knew it then. It was like fate had brought us back together. Two souls damned to an eternity. I couldn't push it away anymore. So, I had to tell her, to let her know she didn't have to be alone anymore. But even now, when she knows I love her, she pushes me away. It's not her fault. Her existence has been really hard on her and she's not used to companionship as well as the rest of us.
"Edward, Gyda's here again" Jasper called out. I grit my teeth and shook my head, hating myself. I didn't want to avoid her, but somehow we were both blessed with the ability to read minds, which wasn't very helpful when it came to surprise parties.
"Tell her I'm going out. I'll be back to talk later-"
"-she heard you and uh, I don't know if I want to repeat what she said-"
"-just tell her that I'm not avoiding her to be cruel-"
"-she said something else, and I'm not sure I want to repeat that either"
Rosalie appeared in front of me.
"Tell me what you want me to say to her. She won't get anything from you if you tell me and I pass it on" she winked. Well, why didn't I think of that?
"Okay, uh, tell her I'm not avoiding her on purpose to be cruel. Tell her that I'm trying to make things better and tell her that I love her" I said, because that was all I could say. She couldn't read too much into that could she?
Rosalie disappeared for a second and then I heard Gyda shout at the top of her lungs "I'll just go and be lonely somewhere else then! Maybe Bella will enjoy my company more than you! Oh, and another thing! You can take your love and shove it straight up your ass!" and then a door slammed and it was quiet again. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to stop myself from going after her.
"That didn't go well" Rosalie commented coming back into the room. I glared at her.
"What? I said it exactly how you wanted me to! It's not my fault she's a tad touchy-"
"-she's not touchy, she's lonely! Goddammit, where's Alice?"
"I'm here!" her soft voice echoed from the kitchen.
I approached her, a plan forming in my mind. By the time I got to her, she was already excited.
"You're gonna let me do that? Really?" she squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
I sighed "Yes. Listen, I need to get started on the other thing I'm doing for her, so can you handle organising the rest of the party?" I asked her.
"Yes! Of course!"
Then I read her mind and groaned.
"Alice, under no circumstances are you to hang anything pink or shiny or anything that… sparkles. Clear?"
She rolled her eyes "I wasn't going to do that-"
"-it's sitting there, at the back of your mind" I said, smirking.
"I wasn't going to act on it! Trust me! I'll make it perfect!" she said, kissing me on the cheek and dragging Jasper away with her.
"Anything I can do?" Rosalie offered.
I considered her for a minute "Yeah. It's complicated, but I think you can pull it off. I need a long house, built in the wood near the clearing. You know which area I'm talking about?"
"I know. I'll get Emmett to help" she said, whisking herself away.
The sooner the preparations were done, the sooner we could get the surprise out of the way and then the sooner I could talk to Gyda about us! My only job now was to source some oil paints and a canvas.
But first, I needed to see Bella, again. Preferably Paul too.
I knew she'd be home, either by herself, with Charlie or with Paul, but regardless, she'd be home. I headed straight over there, opting to drive myself in case my hope extends and Bella actually agrees.
I parked up and knocked on the door quickly.
"Edward, you know you don't have to knock" she complained when she unbolted the door.
I smirked "Why break a habit? Is anyone else here?" I asked, though I could already smell Paul.
"Charlie's at work and Paul's upstairs. What's up?" I followed her into the kitchen, where she continued cooking something. It looked like cous-cous.
"Okay, I wanted to tell you about my gift to Gyda, but I need Paul's help with it" I said, sitting down at the table.
"How can he help? If it's something to do with heavy lifting, you're better off asking Emmett-"
I chuckled "No silly, I need him to remember the face of Gyda's husband, Eirík- "
She turned quickly to look at me with a furrowed brow "Why?"
"I can't explain why, but I need him to think of his face, and I'll see it. Just trust me"
"Why can't I do it?" she asked, innocently.
I chuckled "Uh, I can't hear your mind. It's one of the things I like about you Bella. You're so damn quiet to be around. It's a nice change-"
"-oh yeah, I forgot. Hang on, PAUL!" she called. His heavy footfalls were heard coming down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" he asked, giving her a quick one over with his eyes.
"Nothing. Edward needs your help. Edward-" she gestured for me to get on with it.
I stood up and looked at him "Can you remember the face of Gyda's husband, Eirík?" I asked.
"Uh, yeah. Why do you need that?" he asked.
"I'll get to that in a sec. Quick sticks, start thinking"
He rolled his eyes, but I could see the image in his mind. Stocky build, black stubbly beard, tattoos on his face and neck, no hair on top of his head-
"Perfect! I have an image of Har, but could you think about the one you saw?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and immediately I could see Har's face. It was exactly the same as I had seen it, though he was laughing in this image. I stored it in my mind and thanked him.
"Why did you want me to think about them? What are you planning?" he asked, suspicious.
"It's a surprise for Gyda , but I guess I could tell you both. I'm going to need Bella's help anyway"
"My help? How can I help, again?" she chuckled.
"Do you know any nearby paint stores? You know, somewhere that sells good quality paints?"
She thought for a minute "Hm, well, I think there's a place up in Port Angeles. I walked past with Angela the other day when we went shopping. We could take a look up there?"
I was up immediately "Brilliant. Can we go now?" I asked.
She looked at the oven "I have to wait for the timer to go off. Only 5 more minutes and then we can go"
I rolled my eyes "Okay, we'll wait"
How could 5 minutes possibly be so long? Paul said he'd stay home, he didn't feel like sitting in a stuffy car with vampire stink as he called it, so I drove to Port Angeles quickly, much to Bella's unenthusiasm, but we got there within 20 minutes and were now standing in the paint shop, looking at the different colours of paints.
"How can there be so many colours?" she said, looking up at the vast wall.
I shrugged my shoulders "I only need simple colours. I can always mix-"
"-wait! I know what you're doing!" she accused, a mischievous smile forming on her face.
I shrugged my shoulders "Sue me. Can you help me choose colours?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.
"Of course, but I didn't know you could paint"
I chuckled "100 years is a long time, I got bored"
"Fair enough" she stated.
We decided on simple colours. Beige, brown, black, white, and three different shades of blue. Bella insisted I get Gyda's eye colour correct, lest I face her human fury. I also picked up a couple of large canvas' and an aisle. We loaded the goods into the trunk of my car and headed back.
"Where exactly do you plan to paint these? You can't do it at your house, what if she finds them?"
"I haven't thought that far ahead yet. Do you have any suggestions?" I asked. She was quiet for a minute, and not being able to read her mind was very frustrating at times like this.
"Ah, we could ask Paul if you could go to Grandma Inola's to do it? Gyda hasn't been there before and I doubt she's go there anyway-"
"-you think he'd let me go there? I know Jacob's given us unlimited treaty void time but all the same-"
"-come on, I thought we were all past this mortal enemies business? The Pack and the Cullen's are friends now, right?" I nodded "So, I don't see why he'd have a problem with it. Anyway, Grandma Inola would love to see you again" she pointed out.
I guess it made sense to paint them there.
"Okay, we'll ask him when we get back. Hopefully he hasn't burned the house down in your absence" I said, making her laugh.
"He's getting there with the cooking. He wants to teach himself how to make Gyda's famous meatballs, but she won't show him!"
"I didn't know Gyda could cook" I said, with a grimace of guilt. Why didn't I know that?
"Oh yeah! She cooks me Swedish meals all the time. I think she likes cooking" she stated.
We got back to Bella's home and Paul was quick to say yes at allowing me to paint at Grandma Inola's house.
"I gotta warn you though, she might get a little too excited at seeing you again. You know she hasn't touched that book you started reading her since I was a corpse at your house-"
"-Paul!"
"Sorry babe"
I chuckled "Well I'm sure I can fit in some story time with her. Can we go now?" I asked. Bella said she would stay behind to finish of Charlie's meals, so I drove Paul and I over.
I only hoped Gyda would appreciate my gift to her.