Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Please read and review, if you've gotta moment. Enjoy!
Rosalie couldn't understand how things could become so mucked up in just a couple of hours. She was a vampire for god's sake. Unless it had something to do with your mate, vampires rarely felt so...confused by the mundane events that sent humans into frenzies. Rosalie couldn't name all of her emotions-another first-but there was one she did recognize...righteous anger. Who the fuck was this girl who dared do this to her and Edward? None of them have seen her face, yet she's already introduced chaos into their family. Rosalie growled to herself. She hadn't felt such anger in a long time, and one glance from Esme had both worried about Rosalie's control at that very moment.
"Maybe you should stay in the car," Esme said, staring pointedly at her.
She sighed but it came out more like a hiss. She sighed again, this time deliberately slow. "No," she said firmly. "I need the distraction. I'll be fine."
"Rose..." Esme looked uncertain.
This time Rosalie softened her facial features, trying her best to calm herself down. "I'm Ok. Really."
Esme nodded. "If you feel like you can't handle it, RUN back to the car."
Rosalie nodded back, aware that if she ran anywhere within sight of a human, they'd have a lot more things to discuss at home than one stupid girl.
They walked into the store. Esme had done this thousands of times, and knew the routine well. She picked up a cart and started the counter-clockwise dance around the foul-smelling place.
"Ugh," Rosalie crinkled her nose as she whispered for only Esme to hear. "How do you stand it?"
Esme chuckled, though she too had a crinkle all over her usually flawless face that suggested disgust. "You get used to it after a few thousand times."
"Ugh," Rosalie said again. "I'm going to go to the deli. I can stomach that a little better than this," she pointed to the rows of vegetables.
Esme frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Please!" Rosalie whispered, almost indignantly. "These humans smell nearly as foul as their produce."
Esme allowed herself a small grin. "All right, but please sweetheart be careful."
Rosalie smiled a real smile for the first time that evening. "I will. You too," she added unnecessarily. Esme wasn't as good as Carlisle when it came to resisting the temptations, but because she was so determined and tried so damn hard, she was much less likely than any of them to make a mistake. She put herself through the torture of places like this on a daily basis because her heart couldn't stand the thought of hurting others, even humans.
As she walked to the back of the store, Rosalie found herself thanking whatever vampires were supposed to pray to for belonging to such a wonderful coven, no, family. She wouldn't wish it on anyone, but given no other choice she knew that Esme and Carlisle were the best possible "parents" anyone could ask for.
Her spirits slightly raised, she wandered at a frustrating human speed towards the deli...when everything suddenly came crashing down.
She had rounded the corner when she caught the scent, and so when she stopped dead in her tracks she had a perfect view, at last, of their mystery girl.
She was of average height, shorter than Rosalie but much taller than Alice. Of course, almost everyone was taller than Alice. She was skinny, almost too skinny but not quite. Her arms and legs she could see, even through her plain, worn jeans and long-sleeved shirt, had a healthy definition and tone (for a human) to them. Her shoes looked like something to wear in the outdoors, and they were obviously well-worn. Rosalie held her breath the second she sensed her, but she decided to chance a whiff-wow! If Edward were here he'd kill half the people in the store in his blood lust. It was...heavenly, but she sighed in relief when she found herself able to regain control. I'm stronger than Edward, she smirked. She was just about to congratulate herself when the girl turned to look in another direction and Rosalie saw her face. Shit, she thought.
Rosalie felt herself getting torn to pieces in 10 different directions. She hated this girl for her beauty. She envied her. She pitied her. She admired her. She was undoubtedly curious as hell, but also angry as hell. She wanted to step closer and caress her cheek. She wanted to pounce and end her once and for all.
If you kill her, Rosalie thought to herself, Esme will kill you...and Edward too cause he'll be mad he didn't get her first. Oh shit!
Still, for all the racing thoughts going through her mind, she stood still as she watched the girl frown at the prepared dinners in front of her. Why did she look so confused? Shouldn't humans be familiar with these disgusting things?
Rosalie realized she'd been standing still as a statue for a solid minute and that might attract unsolicited attention, so she edged toward the lunch meats in front of her while still keeping the girl in her line of sight.
She was slowly walking the length of the glass buffet table, muttering the names of the dishes to herself. Her voice...there was no doubt that it was her. How can one person, one human be blessed with so many enchanting qualities at the same time? How is it that she was making her feel all of...this? How?!
Rosalie was lost, staring at her, all the while wondering what her deal with this food was. Was it really that difficult to choose? No...she looks confused. She looks almost as lost as Rosalie was over here.
Rosalie released the air she held in her lungs and slowly sucked in another mouthful of the girl's scent. Definitely human. Aside from...its potency, the girl was 100% human. She shook her head. Why then, did she look like she felt as out of place in this store as Rosalie did?
Oh, finally. Decision made. Yipee. Rosalie rolled her eyes, and though it took more willpower than she liked to admit, turned on her heels and left the store. She would take Esme's advice and wait in the car after all.
Breathe, Bella. Just breath, she told herself. Over and over in her head. This was not a good idea.
The store was packed, much more so than she would have thought considering the town's small population. Everyone goes shopping at the same time so it would seem. She hadn't been around this many people at once in a long time. Breathe, count backwards from 10. From 100.
If the crowd wasn't bad enough, she felt like an utter fool looking at all the choices before her. Now that she had more than a few dollars to spend, and since she'd adamantly decided to treat herself just this once tonight, she looked forward to getting a prepared hot meal...something she never had before, at least in part 2 of her life.
What on earth was a paneer? Or a quiche? Or a ziti? She was furious at herself for not knowing. She should have read something before...Or at least paid some attention in the other stores she'd been in. She had seven long years to prepare for this, and now here she was about to rejoin the human race and still behaving, looking, and now eating like an outsider.
She stopped the coil of emotion before it started its long wind around her heart and chose the quiche. The label said it was made of egg, and she knew she liked egg.
She walked slowly over to the sitting area, eager to finish this thing while it was hot and then get the hell out of there when she bumped into something hard that turned out to be a person.
"Oh man, I'm sorry! That was totally my fault. I need a license to walk!" Bella apologized to the person she hit, cringing a bit at the joke her mother used to make.
"That's quite all right dear," a voice called so softly and gently Bella had to look up from her perpetual downward glare.
'Wow,' Bella thought. She's beautiful. She had a small, pale, heart-shaped face that immediately reminded Bella of her mother. Her eyes were something else-the strangest color Bella had ever seen, a honey-golden hue unlike anything she'd encountered. But what drew Bella to her eyes wasn't the color, strange though it was. Bella could see a kindness and compassion in them that she hadn't seen in years. She knew it was partly her own fault for choosing not to interact with others on anything more than the most base level. Wherever the blame lay, it had been years since Bella had felt...anything...for someone else.
"Is...something wrong?" The woman asked.
Bella realized she probably looked like a moron, staring at the poor woman like that. Or a complete creep. She could see the woman was starting to look uncomfortable. God, no! Please God, let me make this connection, she silently screamed.
"No! I'm-I'm sorry. Really. It's just..you look-you look a lot like my mother," Bella cringed as she said it. Great, she thought, let's freak out the nice lady. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to stare. I was just...shocked that's all."
The woman stared back at her, and immediately Bella felt like she did something right for a change, because the woman's eyes seemed to glisten for a moment, and one of her hands reached out to touch her heart.
"Oh my," she said. "Well then I completely understand. Your mother...?"
"She's gone," Bella answered her unspoken question quickly. "She died when I was little."
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
Bella shook her head, trying but she knew she failed completely at looking like she was over it. She decided to steer the subject away from what could only make things worse.
"I'm Bella," she said, remembering at the last second not to reveal her last name. Shit, she thought, she really shouldn't be out here before talking to her dad.
"Esme," she smiled as she introduced herself. Bella stuck out her hand, and though the hesitation was very, very brief she still saw it. It's probably nothing, she thought. Strangers introducing themselves to you at the supermarket? Hell I'd be suspicious too.
"It's very nice to meet you," Bella said, and she meant it. She hoped that she was able to communicate that to her. Even if she was nothing to this woman, Bella wanted Esme to know how much these few minutes meant to her. It was the longest conversation she'd had in years.
Bella smiled again, a soft smile that, unknowingly to her, was able to warm Esme from the inside out. She let go of her cool hand, nodded and smiled once more, and walked away to eat her first ever quiche.
She wolfed down her quiche (yum! she thought) then decided she'd had enough of homo sapiens for one night. She longed to return to her stream. Making sure her purchases were secure in her backpack, she headed out.
She smelled them before she saw them. Cigarettes, beer, something else that screamed foul. They were scrawny though, and she could see baby fat on some of their faces. School age dicks. Great.
Bella's discomfort notwithstanding, she knew she had to do something when she saw them. They were crowded around a tall girl with flowing golden hair as she leaned next to a ridiculously good-looking car. The girl looked bored, but Bella could see a tiny hint of irritation in the crease of her brow, so she knew she was uncomfortable. One of the boys said something the others laughed loudly at, and the girl rolled her eyes.
Her eyes were just like Esme's.
Bella felt her insides shake, surprising and shocking herself in an instant. Oh no, No! She couldn't lose control like that, but she needed to get those monsters away from that girl, who was clearly a member of Esme's family. She wouldn't let them hurt her.
"Hey boys!" Bella spoke with a clarity that surprised herself. She didn't notice the girl stiffen suddenly as she looked towards Bella with a slow mounting horror. "You know how a drunk guy goes to the bathroom?"
Silence. Then laughter. "Come with us babe and we'll show you!"
Bella's faced betrayed nothing. "He holds his right thumb in his left hand, and pisses in his pants."
The blonde stared at her. The guys did too.
"You know why god created men? Because vibrators can't mow the lawn."
Bella didn't give them time to react. She just kept them coming and hoped the girl would get the hint and get the hell out of there.
"What's the difference between men and government bonds? Bonds mature."
"How are men like noodles? They're always in hot water, they lack taste, and they need dough."
"What's a man's idea of foreplay? A half hour of begging."
"What do men and beer bottles have in common? They're both empty from the neck up."
"How is a man like a snowstorm? Because you don't know when it's coming, how many inches you'll get, and how long it'll stay."
The girl still hadn't moved. Bella realized then that she wasn't going to-just like the pervs here, she was speechless and hadn't moved an inch.
Bella paused then, and that brought the boys out of their states of shock.
"Bitch has a death wish, Will," one of them slurred. "Let's grant it."
Oops.
The girl finally moved. And moved!
Before Bella could blink, the girl had somehow made her way in front of her. Bella couldn't see her face, but from the looks on the guys' faces...and then Bella heard a low growl...and just as quickly as this whole thing started, the guys stumbled over themselves as they ran to their car and sped away from the parking light.
Neither of them moved for a moment. Then Bella decided to break the ice.
"Well if I'd known you could do that I totally would've let you handle them!" She said with a smile in her voice...anything to break through this tension.
The blonde turned around, and it was all Bella could do not to gasp out loud.
Bella struggled to keep her stare casual, not ogling. She figured she probably got that every waking minute of her life and didn't need some strange girl doing it too.
She thought her willpower to contain her destructive gift was difficult. It was nothing compared to this.
Bella didn't really pay attention to her clothes or superficial things like hair, though she noted that hers looked like a waterfall of gold, and probably felt like it too. It was the way she carried herself and the way she rested her gaze on Bella that nearly drew her to her knees. If looks could kill...
Don't ogle. Don't ogle. Don't open your mouth! Meet her fucking killer gaze with your own. Don't move!
Those eyes...
They were the same color as Esme's, yes, but where Esme had nothing but kindness in hers, this one had a fiery, angry, violent passion. Bella had the feeling that she would look the same whether she was snapping a person's neck or making love to them.
Finally, the girl flickered. Bella let out a small breath, then realized she was looking past her towards...Esme, thank god!
Esme's face was blank as she approached them, but Bella sensed a deep caution and decided she'd had enough excitement for one night.
"Well...I better start heading back. It's getting dark." Bella said, trying to lift the unease from her voice. She looked at Esme, and found it easier to convey her warm feelings. "Esme, it was very nice to meet you." She turned to the girl for a moment, then nodded slightly and smiled. "Goodnight."
She turned and started walking to her bike.
"I'm Rosalie," a soft voice spoke behind her.
This time, the big gulp of air that Bella took in was as noticeable as the rolling clouds above them.
Bella stopped and slowly turned around, giving the girl, Rosalie, a gentle but long look.
"Bella," she said in a voice just as soft.
Rosalie continued to stare, and Bella wondered if it was her imagination that she looked like she was in pain, or maybe she was about to do something distasteful-
"Thank you," she said, very slowly. Esme's face for the first time that night showed the disbelief she had felt since meeting the young girl.
Bella smiled, a true smile that reached her eyes. "And you," she said as she nodded slightly.
She turned around once again, got onto her bike and quickly sped away.
Rosalie and Esme stood unmoving by their car.
Esme was the first to speak. "What...what was that all about?" She asked in wonder.
Rosalie continued to look to the horizon, where Bella and her bike disappeared long ago.
"That," she paused not really wanting to bring up Edward's name, "that was her."
Author's Note: Jokes aren't mine. I got them off of a website I can't recall the name of now. Oh, and I have nothing against men :)