"So you are telling me that this carriage is going to be able to transport all these children and their adult chaperones without anything pulling it, by using materials mined from the earth to fuel something you call an engine?" Bella was flabbergasted when she saw the bus as Rosalie had called it. When she had sealed herself away she had been prepared to awaken in the future but she hadn't imagined that it would be so far in the future that the world was impossible to comprehend. She wanted to just take the information from Rosalie and Angela's minds but that would be impolite. She still felt guilty of doing it to Angela even if the situation made the action necessary. "Are you sure this is safe?"
"Yes it's perfectly safe. I promise." Angela chuckled at the incredulous look Bella gave her. From what had been said Bella was an ancient creature even before she was sealed away. Angela would also find the world around her unbelievable if she came from a time that didn't even have indoor plumbing. Explaining to Bella what bathrooms were had been amusing and a bit awkward but in the end Bella seemed to appreciate the modern convenience.
"How are you going to go unnoticed by the humans?" Rosalie asked. Bella had told them it would be no problem for her to ride with them on the way home but Rosalie didn't think it was possible. Bella was a striking woman who would turn heads anywhere she went. Rosalie couldn't think of any way the humans wouldn't notice her.
"I have a gift that allows me to influence the thoughts of those around me. I will simply influence them to look the other way." Bella explained.
"You can control people's thoughts?" Rosalie had never heard of a gift like that. Her brother Edward could hear the thoughts of others but he couldn't influence them.
"In a way I can. I don't actually control them,it's more like I persuade them to think what I want them to. Humans are easier to manipulate then supernaturals." Bella turned her attention to Angela as they made their way to the bus following a trail of teenagers. "I'm not sure why this surprises you as you should also be quite well versed in mind magic."
"I didn't even know magic was real until we found you." Angela was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was apparently a descendant of the witch that sealed Bella away.
"I wonder why your family decided to deny it's birthright. Your ancestor Melinda was a great friend of mine for many years. She taught me much about magic. When I met her I was arrogant and thought no mere witch could teach me anything but Melinda proved me wrong. I cherished her every lesson and no time spent with her went without learning something new." Bella felt the sadness of never seeing her friend again. To her it was only a few days since she had seen the woman so the wound was fresh and she knew that eventually she would have to take time to properly mourn the life she had lost so long ago. Now was not that time however.
"My grandmother has always believed in our heritage. Most of my family thinks she's crazy with all of her talk of witches and pure bloodlines. She always talks about some prophecy that never made any sense but now that I have met you I wonder if it is actually about you." Angela wished she had payed more attention to her grandmother's stories. Her mother always claimed that her grandmother was crazy and that the stories were random delusions the woman made up and because of that Angela hadn't really given them much attention. Now she wished she had.
"I would like to meet this grandmother of yours. She may have information on what happened after I was sealed away." Maybe the old woman would be able to tell Bella what happened after she had left the castle. It would be nice to know what happened to her friends and allies.
"She would love that. I just don't think we should tell my mother about this. I don't think she would handle it well." Angela cringed at the thought of her mother's reaction to finding out that the supernatural world existed. It wouldn't be pretty.
Bella took a seat in the back of the bus across from the seat Rosalie and Angela shared. "Who are we going to be meeting when we reach your home?"
"We are going to take you to meet my coven who may be able to help you. My father Carlisle knows how to get in touch with the queens that control the Americas. I haven't been able to contact him yet as we are not near a phone tower but I will as soon as I am able so he knows what's going on." Rosalie just hoped that Carlisle took her seriously and contacted the Denali right away. If someone was trying to overthrow the queens they would need to know. They would then be able to contact their counterparts the queens of the continents across the ocean.
"I assume these are the Vampire queens?" Rosalie nodded her head. "Then would you be able to get in contact with the rulers of the weres?"
"I don't think there are rulers for the weres. Actually the only shifters I know about are the children of the moon and the wolf pack that live the next town over from us." Rosalie didn't even know dragons existed before the day before and was positive none of the vampires she knew did either. There were rumors of tiger shifters that lived in the Amazon but no-one could confirm if the information was true or not.
"That information is disturbing. During my time weres outnumbered vampires. To hear there are so little left is very concerning." Bella hoped that the clans just went underground and weren't extinct.
"We honestly wouldn't know much about shifters as vampires don't get along that well with them." Rosalie told her.
"Really?" This surprised Bella. "During my time we were great allies. During the battle with the Romanians we fight side by side. I had many friends and a few lovers that were vampires."
Rosalie made a chocking sound at hearing Bella had vampire lovers. She couldn't imagine a vampire and shifter actually getting along let alone being in a relationship. The thought alone disgusted her. "I've never heard of a shifter even being friends, let alone having a relationship with a vampire."
"I really hope I can find someone who lived through the war because the way things are now for weres are unbelievable."Bella didn't know if she would be able to find any weres even if she tried. "You said there are some close to your home?"
"Yes, but they are young and have been isolated. From what we know of them they have never met any other shifters. They consider themselves werewolves but they are nothing like the children of the moon. Even their wolf forms are different. They believe their purpose is to protect the world from vampires although they leave us alone because we don't feed off humans." Rosalie actually wanted to see the wolf pack's reaction to Bella. Although Rosalie hadn't seen it she bet they would lose control of their bowels if she met them in her dragon form. The form they met her in was scary enough but for an actual dragon to show up would cause terror.
"It seems they will need to be taught the true purpose for their kind. I will have to request a meeting with their pack leader." Bella didn't like that the wolves felt their purpose was to rid the world from vampires. This was just another problem she would need to address. If the vampires didn't know about more than two different kinds of them then she doubted they had any kind of leadership. Something must have happened to cause that. Something big. "It seems I have a lot of work to accomplish before dealing with the Romanians."
The reminder of what was to come silenced all three of them as they each thought of their role in the upcoming conflict. Rosalie held Angela close to her. No matter what was coming their way she would protect her mate until her last unneeded breath.