Chapter Fourteen: The Birthday Girl - Bella
"Cease to resist, giving my goodbye. Drive my car into the ocean. You'll think I'm dead, but I sail away. On a wave of mutilation." - Wave of Mutilation (Pixies)
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
When I was running through the forest with Edward, it was the most exhilarating thing I had ever experienced. The sights and sounds were amazing, and the detail of every tree and branch within my eyesight was breathtaking. I could hear the bugs skittering in the earth and the birds overhead flapping against the breeze. The soft beats of our footfalls echoed off the tree canopy overhead and in the far distance I could make out a waterfall. Even further away were the sounds of people talking, and as I focused on a singular voice I could hear the words being spoken. Then there was a knock from the inside of a nearby tree, and I suddenly wanted to press my ear to every surface I could see to find hidden worlds.
But it wasn't just the sights and sounds that made me feel alive in a way I never could have imagined, it was the sensations of the air against my skin, or the taste of the molds and microscopic droplets of water that made me want to open my mouth and drink in the air around me. My sense of smell had increased to the point where I could almost see trails of the animals surrounding me. The line of a squirrel dancing among the trees, or a deer following too far behind the herd. There were no words to express the feeling of overwhelming satisfaction I was feeling. I stopped in the middle of our hunt, overwhelmed, and scared a rabbit who took off for it's life. I watched it run, and I tried to mentally describe the scent of the adrenaline coursing through its veins and the pounding of it's little heart. There were more things surrounding me then I had ever realized before, and none of them were what I thought they would be.
This existence wasn't a gift; it was a revelation. Nothing about the change so far had been for the worse, my body no longer hurt. I could move in ways I never would have dreamt of doing before, everything was more intense, and I was loving every second of it.
Then he confessed, and I was alone.
I felt like I was punched in the gut, it was raw and the feeling was tearing into me like a jackhammer. I felt this great surge of anger, and I had to do something. But there was nothing around except rabbits and deer and trees. I wanted to chase him down and tear him apart. I wanted to hurt him as much as he had hurt me. I screamed, my new voice bouncing off of every surface and echoing back towards me like a deranged parrot.
Then I was on my feet, punching the closest tree. My fist embedded into the trunk five inches, causing a split down the center. It didn't stop my rage, it only made it worse. An example of my new status as something else, other, monstrous. I was a creature of violence now, and I could feel the stirrings of that violence just below every thought and action. I pulled my arm out with ease, and hit it again, effectively cutting the tree in half. It began to fall in slow motion, and I let out a guttural shout of rage, before moving on to the next. I wasn't picturing him when I hit bark and wood, I was hitting something elusive. I was working through something. Less than two minutes later, six trees in all were destroyed in my anger. In the end I felt defeated, unable to understand anything about my situation. Not my new existence, no that felt oddly right. Even the new capacity and appetite for violence didn't bother me so much. It was the catalyst for that violence. I couldn't make sense of what he had done to me.
Edward had let me be crushed by a van.
He was the reason my spine was damaged so severely I would never recover. Why I could barely breathe on my own at night, without an oxygen tank next to my bed. Why I had to switch from being a right handed person, to using my left exclusively. Why every waking second I was in agony or so out of my mind with painkillers that I couldn't think straight. Yet despite all that, I knew my rage was selfish, a reaction to my own love for him. In his world, choosing me would have put his life and the lives of his family in danger of exposure. Potentially condemning the entire race of vampires to war and possible extinction.
It made me deeply torn. On one hand I loved him, on the other I hated him. How could a single confession change my feelings so dramatically?
I sat on the tree I had fallen, and tried to sort out those twisted and conflicted feelings. I was also hoping someone would come to find me. I desperately wanted my Angela, but I didn't have a phone. I thought about running to her house, but that could cause all kinds of issues. I would be happy if Rosalie found me, but that could get complicated. Of course it was Alice who eventually came, my other best friend. Or was she my sister now?
Just as she emerged from the treeline a stray beam of sunlight broke through the canopy for a moment, and lit up a section of my forearm. Suddenly I understood why they never came out during bright days, because my skin appeared bejeweled in diamonds so tiny that a thousand could fit on the head of a pin. I looked up at her in mild awe and total emotional defeat.
"He told me." I sounded pathetic, but I wasn't sure I cared.
"Oh, well I guess that explains why you're not naked." She gave me her patented bright smile. I almost laughed.
"Probably." I shut my eyes tightly, and shook my head. "I told him to go away."
I could hear her moving, and she sat next to me. "Is he?" She sounded sympathetic, and it was clear she wasn't blaming me for anything.
"Gone, no, I made it very clear he cannot just leave. I just said I didn't want to look at him for a while." I frowned and looked over at her. "I think I get it. He was protecting the family, and he was under no obligation to save me. It just hurts more than I can express to know he could have done something and chose not to."
"I still don't understand why he held back. I tried to get to you, even though I wasn't fast enough." She looked ashamed, but all I felt was gratitude for the attempt.
"Thank you for trying, that's enough. Honestly though, it doesn't matter anymore; you are all my family now so eventually I'm going to forgive him. I just don't know if I can love him." I kept eye contact to let her know I was serious, but I couldn't really hide the conflict raging just beneath the surface.
"Do you love him?" Alice looked curious, but I wasn't sure how to answer.
"Yes, and no. I thought I did, but I don't think I know him. So how can I love someone that I don't know? How can I trust someone who hurt me like that? I'm feeling torn too, because physically I feel right. Powerful, in balance for the first time in my life." I looked back down at my hands as she spoke. My hands; stronger than hardwood, capable of tearing a tree down without a single bruise.
"I'm not sure I follow you." She admitted sounding confused.
"I've literally stumbled through my life. It's like I was never fully connected to my body. Or really the world for that matter. I've always been an outsider. Now, it's like suddenly I have an answer to the question that has haunted me all my life. I think I was always meant to be like this. Well, I've never been this angry, and I'm not exactly prone to throw tantrums so all of this is unsettling." I motioned around the clearing and then down at the tree we were sitting on.
"All newborns go through growing pains, a fit of anger taken out on some trees is not so bad in comparison to most in your position." She offered, and I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't imagine how the inner rage I was feeling could be worse.
"Oh? How so?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.
"Ask Rose, her story is kind of legendary." I tried not to react, but I nodded. Alice still had no idea about my indiscretion with Rosalie, and I wasn't sure it was wise to bring it up now. But I had to tell someone.
"About Rose." I started, and Alice frowned.
"She's always been a bit of a loner, standoffish. If she's said something…" I touched her arm to stop her.
"Alice, no. Rose has been great. We're kind of close, or we were." I couldn't quite meet her eyes, especially with what I was about to confess to her.
"Yeah, I've been wondering why you stopped the mechanic lesson thing." Alice made a face, she clearly didn't know anything about cars. I could easily get a job working at a garage with everything Rose taught me, especially since I was fully mobile.
"Something happened on the trip down from Alaska." I admitted.
"Some kind of argument." She guessed, but I shook my head.
"The other thing." I still couldn't bring myself to say it out loud.
"What other… oh. Bella did you and Rosalie…" I looked up at her, the implication was clear and I immediately shook my head. Then stopped and sighed.
"No, we just kissed, but we both wanted more." Saying it loud felt very strange, as though just putting it out there made it more real.
"What about Edward and Emmett?" I grimaced, because while they were the primary reason we stopped I hated being defined by my relationship with Edward.
"That is part of the reason why we stopped. It's just, I haven't been able to tell anyone. Even Angela." It did feel good to get it off my chest, but I was terrified it would ruin my new life with this family.
"Why now?" She furrowed her brow, glaring at me without blinking. I was starting to get upset when I realized I wasn't blinking either.
"Because I think part of the reason I pushed Edward away was because of that kiss. He betrayed me, but I betrayed him too. Now I'm rethinking everything, and I'm really starting to feel really guilty about putting Dad through hell. He has to be in so much pain right now." This guilt about my Dad was making everything else harder.
"We'll table the Rose thing for another time. Although it will come up again, you won't be able to hide it forever." Her warning rang true, and I nodded in understanding. "Look, about your Dad, I don't know how to tell you this, but there is more bad news. Harry Clearwater died yesterday." I felt my eyes grow wide, and a sharp pain seemed to run through me. I looked at her intensely for a long time, trying to wrap my head around the fact my father lost his daughter and best friend in the space of twenty-four hours. I felt my mouth quivering despite the absence of tears.
"No." I finally said in a small pathetic voice, and shut my eyes tightly trying to push away the pain. I liked Harry. Eventually I looked over at her again. "What happened?"
"We don't know for sure. What I do know is it must've happened after your funeral." I desperately wanted to find out more, to go home and comfort my father. But I was stuck, unable to do anything.
"Dad must be in so much pain." I had faked my death, leaving my parents in a state of grief and shock. Yet I had to walk away from them, because there was nothing I could do for their pain.
"I had no idea it happened, I generally cannot see the Quileutes, the pack is a blindspot for me." Alice frowned, but the mention of a pack made me tense up.
"Pack. Oh, no. Are they an enemy werewolf pack?" I asked, hoping I was wrong.
"Not exactly enemies, but how do you know that?" She didn't give me the answer I wanted, because she basically just confirmed that werewolves were just as real as vampires. It made me wonder what kind of world I was actually living in? Were there wizards and fairies or any number of wondrous magical creatures?
"Billy gave me a warning at the wake. He said the pack wouldn't let me hunt in the area and that you broke the treaty." I watched her reaction, and it struck me as deeply upset and worried.
"Well that's just not good. But it's something for another time. I'm sorry about Harry, he seemed like a good guy and he clearly cared about you. Even his fake emotions over your death were believable." Alice wasn't helping, but it was nice to hear people actually cared.
That's when I realized there were several people at my funeral that knew I wasn't dead. "How many people at my funeral knew the truth about me?"
"Well I'm pretty sure only Billy Black and Harry Clearwater, then there was me and Angela. So four out of fourteen, not too bad considering."
"How did Dad look?" I knew I should've asked about mom too, but she had Phil. Dad had no one.
"You don't want to know that." She warned.
"Yes I do." I countered, because I had to know.
"He was in pain. So was your mom, although she was more open about it." It wasn't enough.
"Sounds about right. Did they say anything?" I was pushing, but I needed something to calm down my guilt and inner turmoil.
She was quiet for almost a minute before answering. "Your dad said a few things. Mostly that he loved you and was proud of you."
"Can you tell me exactly what he said?" I hoped, since finding out about our eididic memory.
"Yes." She nodded slowly.
"Tell me. Please." I begged.
She nodded once more, then started to speak, "He knelt down next to your grave, next to the urn with your ashes and directed his words towards you." She took a breath and then began to mimic my dad's voice rather too well. I closed my eyes and listened intently. "He said, 'Bella, I don't have the words to explain how I feel right now. Pain I guess is the easiest, but it is so much more than that. I can't remember how many times I held back telling you how much I love you. I can't remember how many times I didn't tell you that you were special. After the accident I wanted you to know I still cherished you, and I was so proud. So proud that you managed to find a way to be strong with that much weight on your shoulders. I'll miss you terribly Bells, god I hope you know that.' That's it, except for what Angela said."
"I'll get the highlights from her later. Thank you Alice, I needed to hear that. You know if someone had told me I could have this amazing gift and the only price I had to pay was several months of pain and humiliation, I probably would've been glad to pay it. I just didn't realize how much I would be hurting my family. Now I'm in a strange place, because how can I ever trust Edward again with my heart? I'm so confused Alice." I closed my eyes and rested my head on her shoulder. Then she wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
"I never told you why Jasper left." She muttered, and I looked up at her. She was staring up into the canopy clearly lost in thought.
"We've been curious about that for months, I never really pushed because I could tell there were things you couldn't say." I pulled one of her hands over and held it in both of mine. I was surprised again to feel how normal her skin felt, almost warm to the touch and incredibly soft and smooth. Then I gave her my best sympathetic smile.
"I was with him for over fifty years. Yet in all that time, he never truly fit our lifestyle. He tried, partially because he loved me and partially because he wanted to escape the violence of our lives for a while. But he always struggled, and deep down I knew I wasn't going to be enough in the long run. Now here I am, alone." She couldn't keep eye contact with me, but when she was finished, I lifted her chin up to meet her eyes again.
"You're saying don't start a relationship on shaky ground." I guessed, even though I wasn't sure she was even trying to make a point.
She seemed to think about it, and almost immediately she shook her head a couple of times. "Not exactly. I miss Jazz, but I'm not torn apart. He left, and I think I'm okay. So, I guess what I'm really trying to say is, make sure you love the one you're with. It is very easy for us to fall into complacency because we live so long. Emmett loves Rose unconditionally, although I'm not so sure about Rose anymore. But Carlisle and Esme have the kind of love that people write books about. If you don't love Edward that way, don't commit to him." She then leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and pulled me into a deep hug. She held me close for almost a full minute and when we let go, she stood up.
"Angela is waiting for your call, and honestly I don't think you're going to have to stay away from her for long, because despite all this," She motioned around the clearing. "You're entirely too sane for a newborn. I also may have decorated the house a bit." She smiled and began to fidget which was weird because I knew it was a human behavior so it was intentional.
"Decoration? Oh Alice, you didn't!" I couldn't help but frown. She had decorated the house for my birthday party.
"Happy Birthday." She grabbed my hands and pulled me up. As I stood I glanced down quickly and felt a small smile curl up my mouth slightly as I felt my legs hold me easily. Then I blew out a blast of air up towards a lock of hair which had fallen into my face.
"I think I need a few more minutes alone, is that okay?" I asked, and she nodded back.
"Of course. We'll be waiting." She took off with a small wave and a big smile and I was suddenly alone again. I sat back down and tried to think about everything, but after a few minutes it felt weird so I got up and started to race back towards the house. As I approached I could hear Rosalie's voice and it made me stop and hide behind a tree.
"...All I'm saying is that Edward had better tell her, I cannot abide this kind of lie." Rosalie was clearly upset.
"Rose, hun, it isn't our place." Emmett tried, but I could see her through the back window and she shook her head emphatically.
"I've had to lie to her for a year, and I don't care if Edward is in love. Right now their entire relationship is based on a lie." I couldn't help but smile, and then felt an immediate twinge of guilt.
"He will tell her, I'm sure of it." Esme said confidently, her voice more alive than it had been in months. Rose nodded once, and crossed her arms and moved towards the back window watching for anything approaching.
"Snoop much?" Alice said from behind me, somehow she had snuck up on me making me jump.
"Jesus Alice." I almost slashed at her, my instincts wanting to react to any potential threat with violence. Alice began to chuckle, but it was short lived as Rosalie rushed over to us in a blink.
"Are you okay?" Rose sounded concerned, and she almost reached out to me. Alice gave her a look, and they stared at each other for a second. Rose's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open and looked towards me with a pained expression and then back at Alice.
"I'm okay, he told me." I looked towards Alice and shrugged slightly. Rose gritted her teeth and shook her head slightly then looked at Alice with a helpless expression. Alice just mouthed 'later' and we turned towards the house.
Once inside the rest of the family was waiting. "He told her the truth about the accident." Rose said and everyone held their breath.
"I'm okay, but we're broken up. I hope I'm still welcome." I couldn't meet their eyes, I was afraid they were about to reject me.
"Of course, you're family." Esme said without a second of hesitation as she pulled me into a tight hug. I pressed into her, needing the support. "Are you alright?" Esme sounded deeply worried, so I pulled away far enough to nod once.
"I'm confused, but I'll be okay." I said and she hugged me again briefly.
"She killed a couple of trees, but I don't think there's much we will have to worry about. She is almost too rational right now. She isn't acting at all like a newborn." Alice said, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Did you feed?" Carlisle asked.
"Yeah, he showed me the basics." I refused to say his name.
"Good, but we'll go again tomorrow, and I'll give you a proper lesson, and some information about our world. There are a lot of things you need to know." Carlisle gave me a reassuring smile, and I actually felt more secure. They weren't going to kick me out, not that it was a real worry, but in the back of my mind I was sure this was almost too good to be true.
"Thank you, could I have a phone? I really need to call Angela." I asked, wondering if I would get my own or if I would have to borrow one every time I wanted to talk to my best friend.
"Maybe we could come up with a reason to change Angela, then Bella here would have a companion like the rest of us." Emmett suggested with a big grin, but I could tell his joke was only a cover. I had no idea what was going to happen next, and I was a bit furious that Angela was already a part of this. I wanted her to have a long and happy life, and I couldn't reconcile that with my new life as a vampire.
"Emmett, we don't talk about changing humans so cavalierly, even when they are important to us. It's bad manners." Esme didn't even sound convinced, but Emmett nodded apologetically anyway.
"Of course, here's your phone." Carlisle pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. "We'll work on getting you a new identity when we move on. For now you are unfortunately house bound unless there is a trip out of town where we will not run into anyone you might know."
"I knew that of course, but I don't think I fully realized what this was going to involve. I'm gonna go call Angela." Carlisle nodded and as I turned towards the back he continued with Alice.
"Alice, have you seen anything else? I'm still worried about Angela's involvement in all of this. I cannot help but think you have doomed her to join us eventually." Carlisle said, giving her a look that made Alice flinch.
"We'll find out at 9pm sharp. Right now I cannot see past tonight's visit." She looked exhausted with that particular question.
But I didn't wait and stepped outside far enough that I could no longer hear them talking. I carefully dialed the number I knew by heart. It rang three times until a familiar voice answered.
"Who is this?" Angela sounded upset, almost panicked.
"It's me." I said through a smile so wide I thought my face was going to crack in half.
"Bella?!" She practically shouted. "Shit, hold a sec." She pulled the phone from her ear and shouted, "It's okay Dad, I'm on the phone with Alice." Then she brought the phone back to her ear and almost whispered, "I can't believe it's you!"
"I would've called earlier but there was some drama. Edward-shaped drama." I found myself frowning again, the joy of talking to my friend dashed by just mentioning his name.
"Oh no, I'm sorry sweetie. Did you guys have a fight?" She asked as I heard the springs of a bed creak.
"Yes, you could say that. He, god this is actually hard to say, he didn't save me. That probably sounds bizarre." I didn't want to explain, I was already having trouble talking about it.
"That asshat! Of course, that makes so much sense. That's why he vanished that day, he chose not to save you." I could hear Angela fidgeting on the other end.
"We're kind of not talking to each other now. Knowing Edward, he's probably moping in some dank part of the forest or in his room. Listening to something harsh and classical." I said with a smirk, happy that he was probably suffering even though it was petty.
"I heard him listen to alternative music once in his car. It was a bit startling." She started to giggle at the thought.
"When?" I was curious about the odd behavior.
"The day before the accident. Anyway, how are you doing? How are you feeling? You sound so different." She sounded excited, but there was a note of fear in her voice.
"I feel different, this is so much better than anything I could describe. I feel strong, graceful and I hate to toot my own horn but I'm gorgeous now." I almost chuckled into the phone.
"You were always gorgeous, I'm glad you can see it now. I'm happy this will work for you, and I can't wait to see you. I got the impression from Carlisle that you would be nearly monosyllabic for a while until you got your thirst under control." The question was a good one, and I didn't have a good answer for her.
"I don't know, I woke up and I've been in control… for the most part. I knocked down a tree, it was kind of amazing. I don't know how I'll be around humans yet… human's I'm no longer human that's a mind fuck. Give me a few more days and hopefully I'll be ready to see you. How are you holding up?" I gushed, I felt amazing.
"Freaked, anxious and a little terrified. Can't wait to see you." She paused as if she wanted to say something else, but when she continued, she sounded sad. "I should probably go. Hug Alice for me." It was clearly a goodbye, and I didn't want to say it.
"Talk to you soon." I said after a few seconds, she had a home life and schoolwork. I knew I couldn't monopolize her time.
"Love you Bella." She said simply.
"Love you too." I said back, and the call ended from her end. As I approached the house I heard music coming from Edward's room, Beethoven's 9th symphony. Then his door opened and he spoke to whoever had checked on him.
"I'm glad you went to her." He whispered, it must've been Alice then, I leaned against the exterior wall below his window and listened.
"I was worried." She said somewhat neutrally.
"When she comes back let her know I will stay away from her sight as long as she needs." I could tell from his voice that he was suffering, and a part of me wanted to go up and forgive him right away. But I knew not only was it too soon, but I hadn't actually forgiven him yet.
"I will Edward, and if it makes you feel any better, I don't think she has any intention of making us choose between the two of you." Alice was right, if it came to that kind of choice I would respect the family and leave.
"Thank you for that, but I won't make that choice difficult if the time comes." Edward said, his ability to sacrifice himself was actually a little irritating.
Then Alice gasped. "Don't ever think that again." She warned and I could only imagine what she had seen.
"I won't, I promise." He said with a sigh and then turned up the music. I made my way around to the back again quietly, and opened the door softly.
"I'm back." I called out. I noticed Alice cringe as I walked in and she rushed over and covered my eyes. I squeaked a bit as she dragged me upstairs. Then she uncovered my eyes, and I leveled a withering glare at her.
"Why did you just drag me to… a closet?" I felt my rage dissipate immediately as my emotions shifted in a split second from furious to confusion.
"I'm getting you into a new dress, because that one is completely unsalvageable. But first!" I looked down and realized the dress I had on was caked in blood and torn in several places, when I looked back up she practically pushed me into an adjoining bathroom. "Shower." She demanded, and then closed the door. The bathroom was larger than my room back home, and the shower had so many attachments and options that it took me a few minutes to figure it out. When I did get it to work, it felt so good that I just stood in the blazing hot water for longer than I intended. When I shut it off she stuck a hand through a crack in the door holding a towel.
"Sorry, I lost track of time." I said a little sheepishly and took the proffered towel. I wrapped myself up and opened the door. The room was nice, and big. It was also a part of the house I hadn't seen before. "Where are we?"
"Your room." I couldn't think of a response and just stared at her. "You didn't think we were going to force you to share Edward's space. I looked around, and I had to admit they decorated the room to my tastes. There was even a new computer on a gorgeous oak writing desk next to a window overlooking the river behind the house.
"Thank you… I don't have clothes or underwear here." I was feeling a little exposed in just a towel.
"I filled your closet and guessed your sizes which I can alter as needed. We can go shopping later down the line to get more stuff." I gave her a smile, but it was restrained because I knew Alice had a flair for fashion that I didn't share. "I picked some stuff you would normally wear too."
I nodded and moved into the closet, sure enough there were dozens of shirts and dresses hung up according to style and color. There were several dressers, and after a bit of searching I found underwear and a pair of black jeans. I pulled a dark blue blouse off a hanger and stepped out in bare feet. She frowned slightly, but I shrugged. I had no use for the fancier stuff, at least not yet.
"That'll do for now. Let's do something with that hair of yours." I reached up and found my hair was somehow already dry. She led me to a vanity tucked into a corner of the room next to a floor length mirror. One look and I almost laughed, my hair looked better than it ever did when I was human.
"Um Alice, my hair looks fine." I looked over at her incredulously, but she actually pouted.
"Just need some style." She argued, and I shrugged. I would have to get used to her influence eventually. She giggled and went about making my hair look like I stepped out of a magazine shoot. "All done." She exclaimed, raising the bush into the air triumphantly. I started to laugh and she actually took a deep breath in obvious relief. "Now close your eyes and follow my lead." She spun me around and took my hands, then pulled me up and started to march me out of my new room.
She led me downstairs and I kept my promise by keeping my eyes closed. It was strange though, because I could almost sense where the stairs were and never felt out of control even without looking. I knew we were going to the upper living room, which was a room I had only seen in passing. She took a moment once we stopped to position me, and I vaguely felt like a mannequin she was setting up for her next grand fashion display.
"Open your eyes." Alice said excitedly. I cautiously opened my eyes and let a small smile curl at my lips. Carlisle, Rose, Emmett and Esme were waiting, along with a small pile of exquisitely wrapped presents. The room was decorated in lovely tasteful decorations in purples, reds and blues with silver trim, my favorite colors.
"Happy birthday Bella!" Everyone said in unison, and I felt oddly happy to be celebrated. This year had been awful, and now I was in a completely different place.
"Thank you all, you really didn't have to go to the trouble. For once I thought everyone forgot." I bit my lip, holding back any sarcasm or negativity.
"Blame Angela, most of us were so wrapped up in your transformation that it slipped our minds." Alice grinned at me and gave me a wink. I rolled her eyes and chuckled in spite of my mild irritation at my best friend.
"Ok present time!" Alice said loudly, and for some reason I actually looked around for a cake before remembering I was a vampire.
"Thanks for the party Alice." I said as sincerely as I could, even if I felt weird about all the attention.
"My pleasure." Alice said happily and squeezed my hand once before walking us over to the table.
They gave me several incredibly generous gifts from a digital music player to some fine jewelry and even a video game system from Emmett along with a TV for my room. I felt a bit overwhelmed, and then as it got close to nine, Edward finally came down. I nodded towards him once, I was still furious with him but I could stand to be in the same room for a time at least.
"It's almost nine. Our visitor should be arriving momentarily." Alice said with a clear case of nerves. Then a thought occurred to me, if our strange visitor was human, should I make myself scarce? Alice almost chuckled and shook her head.
"The answer is no, there is no reason for you to hide Bella, he is one of us." I gave her a look, and she just smiled at me and tapped her temple.
"Right, still getting used to all that." I suddenly felt like I was beginning to understand her. To live with that kind of gift, there had to be equal amounts of blessing and curse.
Then a firm knock came at the front door. Carlisle raised his hand and we all followed him. I felt my anticipation peak as the simple act of reaching for the door handle felt like it took forever. The door opened on a beautiful man with long straight white hair and mismatched blue and brown eyes. For a second, I mistook him for a human, until I caught a whiff of his scent. There was no mistaking his vampiric nature. He smiled at us all, and then quickly examined our faces with interest, finally resting on mine for several seconds before speaking.
"Good evening. I imagine my coming here is both random and unexpected. I am relatively new to the area and I would like to officially introduce myself. My name is Mason, and it is a great honor to meet you all." Then he bowed his head slightly in greeting and waited for us to react.
Author's Note:
Well this was an interesting one to write. I had actually finished the draft using Alice as the POV. Then I realized there were things that we needed to see, specifically from Bella. So I took the time to re-write, add and ultimately reformat this chapter with a totally different POV. It was kind of like putting together Frankenstein's monster, there were so many pieces cobbled together. Overall I'm happy with this one.
So Mason, this is my OC that will have a POV for several chapters throughout the rest of the story. I'm using an OC for two big reasons; the first is there is no one like him in Canon that I could use. Secondly, I needed a new character to help broaden the story a bit.
Next Chapter: The Stranger - Mason
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Thank you for reading!