Author's Note:
Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, I am learning :). So, like I had said before, this is a slow burn. I am slowly heading the direction of Rosella, so hang in there. This is a short but necessary chapter to tie up a loose end. I already have chapter 4 written, it is a little bit longer and it does have some Rosalie and Bella interaction. Hopefully, you all are enjoying this. I'll release chapter 4 tomorrow...probably.
Chapter 3: Communication is Key
Before I knew it, Dawn broke. I survived my first night as a vampire. It was odd to not feel tired. I was pretty sure I would like this part about my new existence. We were still camped on the couch, but Emmitt had gone up to his room to read comics, because he was actually twelve.
Rosalie passed through the living room on her way out to the garage. She held a firm composed expression of hatred mixed with apathy, if that were possible. I felt myself sink lower into the couch.
Alice was so easy to talk to. Well, to be honest, I didn't really talk that much; I just listened to her rant about everything. She never seemed to run out of topics. During a particularly passionate rant about the difference between wearing fashionable vintage clothing and old trash worthy hand me downs; Edward came back from his long walk. He noticed us immediately on the couch and greeted us. His sad smile didn't reach his eyes, I knew he had a heavy night. He tried to remain positive.
"Alice, Bella. Are you having a good time?" He said cheerfully.
"Of course, we are Edward, we are best friends. Did you have a nice walk?" Alice stated matter-of-factly.
Edward signed. He moved to the couch and sat down. I almost thought he was going to ignore her question, but he answered.
"I did, I spent some time hunting on my own. I'm sorry that I have been so distant to all of you. I have been preoccupied with my thoughts. Speaking of, Bella, do you mind if we go for a walk later?"
Instant fear and adrenaline flowed through my nonexistent veins. I was so happy that he wanted to finally be alone with me, but at the same time I was so afraid. My mind raced with all the possibilities the situation could produce. Maybe Emmitt was right in a way, maybe he was upset that I wouldn't need him like I did before. I still needed him, I needed to be loved by him, but I wasn't frail. Maybe Rosalie was right; maybe he could not handle what he thought he had done to my soul. I hoped it wasn't the later, I could probably show him I still needed him. I had no idea how to fix the soul going to be damned thing.
"Yeah, do you want to go right now?" I said hoping that he wouldn't leave me tortured.
"Actually, Bella, we should probably first discuss your situation in Forks." Carlisle spoke, suddenly in the room behind us.
"Yeah, so, when can I see my dad, or go back to school?" I hesitated some; worried the answer would be never.
"I hear your first encounter with a human was touch and go? It could have been a lot worse, but we still need to get you more in control." He said in a tone that made me think of how dads should sound.
"So, how long do you think that will take? Can I at least call Charlie? Or my mom?" I was desperate to tell my father I was sorry, and I didn't mean any of what I had said. He must have been so torn up.
"Well, we are trying to come up with a good explanation to give both Charlie and your mother. I am not exactly sure how long it will take you. Some newborn vampires cannot ever control their blood lust very well. Others are naturals and take less than a year."
"A year! Are you serious?" I was scared that I wouldn't see Charlie for that long.
"We will see how you do, maybe do a few tests on your strength of will. We can have some of us go with you on a trip into Port Angeles. There is less of a chance that locals will see you and we can see how you do. Until you are able to see your family and friends, we need a good explanation for all of this. Based on what Alice got from talking to Charlie, your mom is not aware of your leaving. We think you should call her and pretend as if all is normal. Don't tell her about you leaving to go to Phoenix, and pretend you are with Charlie." Carlisle stopped for a minute to think.
"I think you should pretend to do the same with Charlie. Tell him you are in phoenix until the end of spring break. We can see how you are doing by then, maybe you can "come back to Forks" at the end of it. We can pretend that Alice and Rosalie went to see you. They can lay low for the next week and help you with your bloodlust. If they miss school this week and then the next week is spring break, maybe we can at least have you back in forks officially by then. We can cross the bridge of your living situation after that. You might have to pretend to need some space if living with a human is too challenging."
Carlisle explained everything as if it would go so smoothly. At least this meant I could call Charlie and apologize. I just wanted to know he was ok.
"Even better, we can go shopping again in Port Angles to test you." Alice said with a smile.
"Sure, so when can I call?"
"You can try now." He grabbed my cell phone from his pocket and handed it to me.
I took the phone and made the easier of the two calls first. I dialed my mom, within 3 rings I heard her pick up. There was a lot of background noise, she must have been in a market or someplace very crowded.
"Hello?" she said as if she didn't see who was calling.
"Hey mom, how are you?"
"Bella! Hey sweetie, I'm good, just at a Latin festival with Phil, how are you honey?"
"I'm good, same stuff going on here, school, Charlie, rain." I laughed trying to sound normal.
"I do not miss the rain! I miss you honey, but it is kind of hard to hear you. I have a lot going on over here, can I call you later?" She was happy and bubbly as ever.
"Erm, sure mom, just call when you can. I love you."
"I love you too sweetie. Bye." With that the line was dead.
"Well, that was easy. I guess now comes the hard one." I spoke as I gained the strength to dial Charlie. The phone rang twice and an out of breath Charlie picked up. He sounded almost frantic.
"Hello? Hello?"
"Hey Dad!"
"Bells? Bells, I was so worried about you." He sounded like his nerves were shot.
"I'm so…I'm so sorry dad. I am ok, I didn't mean any of what I said." I felt so guilty as the worlds fell out of my mouth.
"I'm just glad you are ok. Are you in phoenix? Are you safe where you are? Are you going to come home?"
"I'm safe dad. And, yeah, Alice and Rosalie are on their way down to see phoenix this week and stay here for spring break. I think I had just been holding in a lot of stuff from the move and changes and all. I didn't mean to scare you. I think I just needed something familiar for a bit."
"Uh, okay, as long as you are okay and safe Bells, I do wish you would come home though. Are you going to be okay with school?"
"Alice is bringing my homework with her, I'll work on it this week. They will help me get caught up. I talked to the school today too."
"Okay Bells, is everything okay with your mother? Is she moving back there?" He tried to sound interested in how his ex was doing. I think he wasn't sure what else to ask to make sure I was okay.
"No, Phil is just on an away streak, so she is visiting with me. She is good, same as normal."
"Well, be safe, call me this week, okay? I wanna know you are still alive." He sort of chuckled. That made me happy, I didn't want him to worry. It was good to hear him relax.
"Okay dad, I love you."
"Love you too bells, talk to you later, okay?" he sounded like he wanted a promise out of me.
"Talk to you in a couple days. Bye dad."
I was instantly relieved; both of my parents were alive and okay. It was easier than I thought to convince them that I was okay and not…well not an undead being thirsty for their blood. I had two weeks to get my control in, well in control. All I had to do was try to focus on not killing people. That should be easy, right?