Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
CHAPTER 12: WHAT WE ARE…
"Do you have any idea who you are?" Darret asked Aurora and I. I reached out for his shock to find the reason for what he was saying: 'the prophet said they would come, this could be devastating if they don't join us, the prophecy can't mean now…not when we're so close' Great, I thought, now we were referred to as "they". Why won't people just say whatever they think we are?
"I suggest you tell us," Aurora's voice lashed out at him and there was a threat to it.
Tristan and Edward were beside each of us instantly and I looked up at Edward and he was glaring at Darret and then his eyes danced from vampire to vampire, there were probably only sixty of them left, still a lot but nothing I couldn't handle.
"You are the Noster Lamia Regina," Darret yelled at us, astounded.Edward took my hand slowly as I stared blankly at Darret; he said the words as if they were supposed to mean something to us.
I looked over at Aurora and her eyes were narrowed, but not angrily. She looked over at me and raised her eyebrows and shrugged. No one was speaking. The Cullens who were all behind us now were as silent as statues and about as still as them.
"The what?" I asked, turning to look at my beautiful Edward, not really wanting to speak with Darret.
Edward looked at me. He didn't speak and his expression was pained. He opened his mouth several times to start but never did. I decided I would take his pain so I could understand why whatever Darret had said caused him to look at me like this.
'How can I tell Bella she is to be part of a war, our family can't let Victor take over but I don't want her to have to kill for that… not Bella... I am sure that is what the prophecy meant by a great evil. Bella can't be a Regina, I won't let her be part of a war, all I have ever caused her is pain and I won't let her see such horrors.'
I looked at him now with understanding and he must have seen it in my face. His expression grew fierce.
"You can't do that Bella," his voice had an edge I also understood. Then his face gave way into a gentle yet sad expression I felt deep inside my dead heart.
He wrapped his arms around me and I pulled him to me as well, everything else: enemy vampires, the Cullens, the prophecy they were talking about-everything vanished and I knew only Edward. He was clutching me with a vampire's strength now that I was one of them. The light that I had not even considered controlling was growing out of control around us as we both optionally breathed, inhaling each others comforting scents.
"That's Latin, isn't it?" Aurora's voice called out to Darret and I was forced to listen to them and the light faded slightly, even though my eyes never left Edward and he never looked away from me.
"Very good, Tutela Devinitas," he congratulated her with a hungry expression in his eyes and lust on his own flawless face.
Tristan swooped up Aurora and roared his rage for the town to hear. He set Aurora down in a flash before taking vampire speed steps toward Darret. I stepped forward to stop Tristan…I could tell he was going to kill Darret and we still needed answers, all the other vampires were new and I doubted they could tell us anything useful. I seized Tristan's arm and his head snapped back to look at me, I almost yelped as I saw his expression.
"Tristan… it's Bella," I didn't think he would recognize me, his face looked so alien I wasn't sure if it was still the same laughing and smiling Tristan I had gotten to know better today.
His mouth parted and his lips curled back to expose shining teeth as he snarled at me. It was quiet, even for my vampire ears. I knew it was a warning for me to let go of him, but if he was warning me he still knew who I was…
"Tristan…" I begged again. His features gentled and his eyes left mine as he looked at Aurora who was walking toward us, I let go of Tristan's arm and returned to Edward's comforting ones.
Edward clutched me to him for dear life, and even though I was a vampire too, it hurt. I looked at him but he ignored my questioning eyes and merely let his grip loosen.
Tristan was now kissing the back of Aurora's hand so gently I didn't accept that someone so loving could hurt anything…at the same time I knew I was terribly wrong. Aurora and Tristan returned to our sides and Edward shook his head at Tristan and Tristan grinned sheepishly at him.
"I really wanted to kill him too…next time," Tristan chuckled, this is so strange…we are laughing at the thought of murder… then again, I didn't like Darret very much either and it was an awfully tempting idea.
"What did he call us?" Aurora asked Tristan and she had a hard tone in her voice and wasn't looking at him.
"He called you Nature Protector, and Noster Lamia Regina means 'our vampire queens'," he answered her and pulled her into him; her face was buried in his chest before she could reply to him. She pushed him off of her without any humor in her eyes.
"Stop it," she growled.
"Nature Protector?" I asked Tristan but it was Edward who answered me, Tristan was looking at Aurora who was observing his pained expression with none of her own.
"That is who she is…you are Tutela Lamia, it means Vampire Protector," his expression was solemn and he did not meet my eyes. I felt something inside me nod saying, yes… that is who I am. I reached up and turned his head so he faced me, I tried to read the expression in his eyes but if he was feeling any now, I couldn't see them. I stroked his equally cold cheek with one of my white hands.
Our intimate moment was interrupted by laughter, cold heartless laughter.
"Dear Edward," Darret laughed and then fixed us with a deep penetrating stare I didn't expect from him, a soulless front man for a twisted ruler. "Why so afraid?"
Edward stiffened in my arms and I realized Darret must have hit the mark exactly…fear. I wished to reach out to Edward with my gift but I valued his wish for me to stay out.
Edward snarled low as Darret's gaze shifted to me.
The hunger I had seen in the beautiful but wicked face that had gazed at Aurora flared again, he winked at me and I had to physically restrain Edward.
"Let him be Edward…we will see him again," Tristan sneered looking at Darret with such a disgusted expression it was clear he thought very little of Darret and would cheerily rip him to shreds.
Darret did not reveal that he had heard or seen Tristan at all; he just kept gazing at Aurora and then me.
"What is the Prophecy?" I heard Alice ask from behind me, the question was directed at everyone and her voice was lit with fear. I turned to look at her standing beside Jasper and Rosalie; she swayed a little from a vision that had just passed and Jasper was supporting her weight.
"What did you see?" came Carlisle's reassuring voice that I took comfort in even though it was a forced calm.
Alice's eyes locked with Edward's and they were communicating through their minds. Aurora's head was flicking between looking at Alice then Edward. She looked at their firm expressions and could sense the intensity. Her gaze turned to me and she raised an eyebrow.
I smiled at her. "Edward reads minds, Alice sees things…future things," I explained.
Her eyebrows went higher and her eyes grew very wide and they slowly changed back to the bright apple-red. She had let down her guard on the enemies.
The new vampires were running but Darret remained in place. "I look forward to seeing you again soon Noster Reginas," he called out to us. Then he hunched over into the catlike stance and disappeared into the same direction as the others.
We all watched them go and a chill went through my body as I thought of all those vampires returning to innocent Forks, Washington.
"We can't stay here…" I whispered sadly.
"When do we leave?" asked Tristan, he looked away from Aurora and met Carlisle's eyes.
"Tomorrow," Carlisle said in a hard tone, he was looking in the direction our new 'friends' had just left.
"How am I going to tell Charlie?" I sighed.
"I'll help," Aurora said; no one could meet each other's eyes.
I was leaving Forks, the only place I considered home. It was a place I so desperately wanted to leave months ago, but now I couldn't cry at the thought though I should have been doing so now.
"Let's go inside," Emmett said, trying desperately to get things back to the way they were but even he couldn't hide his unease.
We all turned silently and walked back to the white house I loved. Edward took my hand and squeezed it in an assuring sort of way. I was going to be okay, I realized, home was where Edward was and I would never leave him and he would never leave me, I would always be home.
We walked into the living room and Aurora sighed and landed in a leather chair with a flopping movement. Tristan settled on the floor in front of her and leaned his back up against her chair, his shoulders-always proud and broad-sagged.
Edward sat on the couch and I sat on his lap, he pulled me into his chest and I rested there thinking of what I had heard today…
My name is tutela lamia, that is what I am…it means vampire protector, which was strange. Aurora was tutela devinitas, and that meant nature protector…I understood that better than the meaning of my own Latin name. Vampire protector, I mused, what does that mean? Aurora has always been around plants, her name fits her…but me-I had not always been around vampires, always humans. Something surfaced in my mind then; I had never belonged with anyone back then…I only started belonging when I met Edward…
I am meant to be with vampires! I realized, finally with understanding, I was born to be one of them…not only one of them - the protector of vampires!…the excitement I had been feeling drained out of me instantly and logic kicked in, you are nothing special Bella, you are just ordinary-never normal-just plain…
I let out a slow sigh and Edward heard me. He put his long fingers under my chin and turned my head around to face him. His eyes were scrutinizing my face as he searched for my thoughts to be revealed there. I didn't let any emotion shine through in any form, I kept my face as firm as a stone and it was relatively easy to control my other gift of revealing them to the entire household by way of thunderstorm.
He eventually gave up and we continued to sit there in silence. I rested my head once again on his smooth chest and breathed in the scents and listened to the optional breathing of Tristan and Aurora, the only ones still in the living room with us.
I heard Aurora's steady breathing get louder and she was instantly perched on the end of her seat looking at me with a wide grin, teeth shining.
"Bella, I want to go somewhere. Let's go get Alice and Rosalie," she said, she looked happy and I was up for anything to take my mind off the unsettling news of today.
"Okay," I said and lifted myself from Edward's chest; he stood up and waited patiently beside me. Tristan stood up beside Aurora, she grimaced at them.
"You can't come," she said and cringed during the ranting and ravings that came right away.
"You two are not, I repeat not going anywhere by yourself," Edward concluded after about two minutes of yelling at her along with Tristan.
"Oh yes we are," she said calmly with authority ringing in every word.
"No you are not, Aurora!" Tristan growled, I noted his use of her full name. Then he grabbed her small wrist in his massive hand, his eyes daring her to try to get away from him. He flexed his forearm as she struggled and she gave up physical force and used her other talents.
"Oh really?" she slipped her hand slowly up his gray shirt and I could see it moving gracefully across his abdomen beneath the soft gray material.
He shivered and his eyes burned with lust as he looked at her and his hold lightened on her wrist. She maintained eye contact with him and slowly removed her wrist from his now limp hand. She grabbed my hand and drew me to her as she dazzled Tristan some more.
"Go tell Alice and Rosalie we are going into Seattle," she said so softly not even Edward could hear her. But that didn't include his mind reading power, I looked back at him and saw that he had a frustrated expression on his face and was concentrating on Aurora. When he saw me looking at him he quickly looked away but didn't say anything about Seattle, He can't hear her! Hah! We've got him now!
"Okay," I whispered back to her just as quietly. I was intrigued to go to Seattle. I was disappointed that Edward wasn't going; maybe I did want to stay with him here...I let my thoughts wander a little… No, I have to get out of the house. I also have to ask her why we are going without them though; there must be a reason…
I stepped quickly to Edward and kissed him on the cheek, he opened his mouth and was about to say something but I ran up the stairs to Alice's room and burst in the door and saw Alice standing in front of me with a small black hand bag dangling by her side.
"Aurora is a genius!" she said smiling and I figured she had had a vision. She slipped her arm through mine and led me out the door. Jasper was sitting on the bed and he sighed and rolled his eyes before getting up and walking down the hall behind us to Emmett and Rosalie's room down the hall.
"Rosalie!" Alice called as she banged on the door.
"What!" Rosalie yelled, annoyed, through the door. She still wasn't opening it.
"We're going to Seattle!" Alice called.
"Really?" Rosalie said, she was curious this time and the door opened immediately, "Why?" she looked at me and forced a smile. I smiled at her naturally and she smiled wider and her smiled relaxed.
"You'll find out," Alice giggled. "You want to come though, believe me." She winked conspiratorially at Rosalie. Rosalie looked at Alice quizzically and then her eyes widened and her gaze darted to me and she looked at Alice and grinned wickedly.
"I'm in," she said.
Alice swayed a little and her eyelids fluttered and then she regained her normal posture and Jasper asked, "What did you see?" intensely.
"Nothing dangerous," she said and gave him a sad smile, and then she looked at me. "I did see that if you don't get to Aurora soon she may very well choose to stay here," she smiled as she said this.
I raced down the stairs and turned toward the living room; Edward came from the dining room and was beside me in a flash, he is so fast. Alice was right, I walked into the living room to see Tristan and Aurora lying on the couch kissing passionately and he was shirtless.
I saw the muscles ripple on his back and contemplated staying home once again. I pushed the thought from my mind, I wanted to stay but I also wanted to know why Alice and Rosalie were so excited about the Seattle trip and from the looks I was given they would probably force me to go anyway.
I cleared my throat, "Aurora?" I said loudly, much more loudly than was necessary for vampires to hear. Tristan growled at me. Edward was now running his hand up and down my spine, I was losing any control I had had. Thankfully Alice and Rosalie came to our rescue.
Alice jerked me away from Edward's side and he glared at her. "That's not fair Alice," he snarled.
"No, what you were trying to do isn't fair, she wants to go to Seattle with us, don't cheat!" she scolded but looking right cheery about it with a smug smile playing on her lips. I really wanted to go back to him.
I heard Aurora's light musical laugh coming from the couch. "I have to go, Tristan," she said, though she didn't sound happy about it.
"Ha!" he almost snorted, still not getting up from his position above her. "Like to see you try, even with them."
He really shouldn't have said that. Alice looked at me and I looked at Rosalie, she grinned at me- it seemed to be getting easier for her all the time. We went over to Tristan and started pulling on him and Aurora was pushing half-heartedly from her position beneath him, he laughed.
About two minutes later and no progress had really been made, Aurora counted out loud and when she said three we all pulled and pushed our very hardest to get this giant off of her. He flattened himself even deeper into the couch and Aurora yelled out, "Ouch!"
Tristan quickly righted himself and Aurora slipped out of his hold, smiling. We all got the full view of his perfect chest before the chase began.
Aurora darted out the door with him only a couple feet behind, it was nearly six o'clock and the sun in gloomy Forks was starting to set already.
"Follow her!" Alice called and we all darted to the door. I heard Alice yell and looked back to see her entrapped in Jasper's arms. "Keep going!" she shouted as she squirmed out of them.
Rosalie and I now saw Edward and Emmett running side by side right toward us, oh no, someone has changed their mind about letting us go. Great job Tristan! I thought bitterly as I now had to run from the fastest Cullen.
He was catching up fast, Rosalie darted off in another direction to avoid Emmett and I called out for help, I knew only one being faster than Edward, "Aurora!"
"Oh, goodness, what now," she yelled to me as she darted in my direction with Tristan hot on her heels. She grabbed my hand just before Edward could grab me and we headed toward the front of the house again. She was practically dragging me; the boys were not playfully following us like before- this time they meant business. She had to run very hard as she pulled me and she practically threw me in the Mustang, the black convertible was already started and I saw Rosalie's ostentatious BMW pull away from one of the out buildings they had converted into a garage. She was flooring it as Jasper and Emmett easily kept pace. My head jerked back as Aurora shifted in gear and we pulled out just in time. Edward and Tristan had ran past it and had to turn around and start up their momentum again. Alice and Rosalie drove up beside us and cut in behind as Aurora's Mustang showed what it was worth. We were driving on the little dirt road that led to the Cullen's house at 105 mph, I was frightened, and yet the speed didn't seem enough. We were still trying to out run our guys. Edward and Tristan ran in the small ditches on the side of the forest road to go around Rosalie. They now ran up beside the car and were smiling at us, obviously thrilled that we weren't going to escape.
"I swear to God if either of you gets one scratch on this car I'll kill you," Aurora said to them, not taking her eyes off the road as she shifted into fourth and an extra burst of speed propelled us in front of them. They easily overtook the space the car had worked hard to get between us.
"Bella, do you really want to go to Seattle?" Edward asked and we hit the main road. The car accelerated much faster as we hit the pavement. We turned in the direction of the highway and we reached 160 mph. Tristan and Edward striding beside us, almost casually.
I looked up at Edward's dazzling features and I wanted to tell him that 'yes, yes I did want to leave him for a couple hours and go into Seattle randomly'... but I'd be lying. I desperately wanted to stay with my Greek god. I looked at Aurora uncertainly and she glanced at me and upon seeing my expression she shifted into her 5th and final gear. I looked at the speedometer and my mouth dropped, we were going 195 mph and accelerating! Tristan and Edward were still keeping pace and Tristan was saying something to Aurora I couldn't hear with the wind pounding in on my heightened senses.
"I'll meet you at the house after," she said loudly, ignoring him. "I am not turning around and you are not coming with us to Seattle so you better go back." She was warning them. Then she turned her eyes to me and winked reassuringly and squeezed my hand. She looked back at Tristan, "I could inflict many cruel and unusual punishments on you, you know," she said with a wicked smile. I took her hint as she squeezed my hand gently.
"Me too," I said to Edward and my voice was strong even though I knew I could not resist him in anything, it was a hollow threat.
He leaned back from the car slightly. He wore a disbelieving expression, "You wouldn't…" his voice revealed that he was unsure if I really would or not.
"I would," I said confidence growing in his insecurity.
He looked up at Tristan and nodded sadly, he leaned in and kissed me before he and Tristan slowed down and they soon became specks in the distance. I finally looked back to see how Alice and Rosalie were doing. With my vampire vision I saw their big smiles clearly and they waved at us cheerily, there was no Jasper and Emmett with them now.
I felt alone, I didn't like not being with Edward, maybe if I called his cell phone…
"Aurora can I borrow your cell phone?" I was sure she had one though I had never seen one with her. She gazed at me suspiciously.
"Why Bella?" she asked and from her tone I didn't think she wanted me to call him.
"No reason," I said and quickly looked out the windshield.
"When will we reach Seattle?" I didn't know how fast we could get there going this speed.
"About an hour and a half," she answered calmly.
"How fast are we going to go?" I asked surprised. I looked at the speedometer, 205 mph.
"Fast," she said with a grin, never taking her bright red eyes from the road. I hated wearing these stupid contacts when she could change her eye color.
"Oh," I said. I already missed him terribly. "Why are we going to Seattle anyway?" I asked, no longer really interested… more like depressed.
"We are going shopping," she said and a different, more evil smile came. What kind of shopping are we going to be doing?
"What!" I yelled, outraged. "We went through all that to go shopping!"
"Special shopping, Bella, calm down," she said and her voice was the definition of calm.
"I could be at home with Edward!" I yelled at her, thinking she was insane.
She looked at me then and her stunning face and beautiful features were serene as I protested further.
"I could be home with Tristan as well," she said and a shiver racked her body. "And stop yelling, you sound like a child."
My jaw dropped at her nerve. Coming and taking me away from my soul mate, indirectly not allowing me to call him…and then-oh yes, it gets worse- telling me I am acting like a child to be angry about it. I was barley controlling the fire in me that was begging to be released. I growled at her and sulked in my seat as a compromise.
We reached the Seattle mall at 7:45 p.m. and parked the car. Rosalie parked next to us and Alice was barely containing her enthusiasm. I had to smile at her, her happiness was contagious. I was beginning to consider this may be fun.
"Where first?" Aurora asked as she hopped out of the car and the fabric top of the Mustang whirred up to enclose the cab.
"I don't care," I said.
"I know where I want to go," Rosalie glanced at me and then back to Alice quickly.
"I agree, I want to make this a short trip," she said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked as I glared at them both.
"You'll see," Aurora said. She was in on it too, of course.
We walked through the mall pretending not to notice all the looks we were getting, or the smell of them that was so inviting. We also pretended not to hear their hearts accelerating with fear and wonder as we approached and then quickly passed them. It was maddening but I couldn't help but smile slightly at their fascination, even though I wanted them to stop staring, it was making their blood rush.
I casually absorbed human shock and caught the image of Alice, Rosalie, Aurora, and I walking gracefully through the mall with our pale smooth skin and inhuman, unnatural and terrifying beauty.
Most of the women felt pain and looked away from us quickly. The men were on the edge of heart attacks. I felt bad for them; it wasn't fair that vampires had such control over humans. I understood Edward even more now when he demonstrated in the meadow, and wondered to myself what was the point of all our superhuman abilities if we didn't even need them? Any of these men would willingly go with us to the Gates of Hell. I almost laughed bitterly, the ultimate predator… designed perfectly for their prey.
I noticed that we had stopped outside of a store and the others turned to go inside of it; I froze and a thrill ran through my body at the words…Victoria's Secret…
They eventually coaxed me in and I rubbed my arms self-consciously. They went straight to the back, past all the Pink© stuff I was hoping we were there for. We were not here for anything practical to say the least-Rosalie was holding up a red bra with bangles…Alice was over looking at something with leopard skin print and Aurora wasn't visible. I stood in the middle of the lingerie section alone and awkward. None of the clerks were going to help me and I was inwardly glad I wouldn't get anywhere near their jugulars…they stared at all of us and their instincts told them that we were different…not like them.
I smelled Aurora now, she was to my left but hidden behind a wrack, I focused on her scent approaching to distract myself from the irritating yet appetizing smell. Then she revealed herself among a sea of wracks and walked up to me holding out something that looked a little too reasonable. The item in her left hand was not however what I would call acceptable; I raised my eyebrows at her.
"That's for me," she said simply and held it up, admiring it. It was a black strapless top that looked like a corset with a matching black thong hanging on the little golden hanger behind it.
To me she now held out the item I found overly acceptable. "This is for you, I figured you wouldn't be more daring," she said and sarcastically handed me the simple pink bra and she then threw huge grandma panties at me.
"Ugh…" I said and I didn't catch them and they hit the floor quietly, I marveled at how heightened my hearing was.
"By the way," she added in a serious tone. "If you do buy those I will have to hurt you." She shuffled the items under a wrack with her foot, not bothering to pick them up.
"I wouldn't," I said, trying to sound offended instead of extremely uncomfortable.
"Good. I have something that I want to show you," she smiled at me kindly, noticing my uncomfortable position. She turned on her heel gracefully in front of a wandering astounded clerk who was straightening out things and I could tell it was on purpose. I resisted laughing at this little tease.
She led me to a wall that was lit up beautifully and I saw the angel winged manikin wearing the black corset and thong Aurora had picked out, it would probably go with her white-blonde hair well, a perfect contrast-blonde and black.
I heard the soft scrape and click of metal hangers being pushed together as Aurora looked for my size in something. I looked at her and she lifted out a beautiful white bra with a sheer white fabric coming from the bottom of the bra. The sheer fabric was just long enough to cover my belly button. Beautiful exotic flowers were embroidered on the bottom edges and climbed up the fabric and finally running along the edge on the right side of the actual bra. I gaped at it.
Her musical laughter filled the store and I heard all of its occupants stop to listen to it.
"C'est parfait, no?" she asked me, I had no idea what she had just said.
"What?" I said, still looking at the beautiful lingerie.
"It's perfect, no?" she repeated in English. "French," she answered my unspoken question.
"Oh, that's right, you're fluent…" I said and ran my hand gently over the colorful exotic flowers. "Yes, it beautiful." She handed me the hanger and I took it this time.
"Let's try them on!" she said with a quick smile.
"Why," I asked, even though my body was more perfect than any humans I still didn't want to try on underwear with friends…weird.
She grabbed my hand and ran me back to the dressing room. They were locked and I sighed in relief, but she wasn't planning on giving up that easily.
"Excuse me! Excuse me!" she walked up to a mesmerized clerk, dragging me along. "Could get two dressing rooms, please?"
The clerk's eyes darted to me and she opened her mouth but no words came out. Aurora waited for her to speak with a polite smile on her face. The clerk ended up just nodding and heading off to the dressing rooms reaching for her key. She passed by me, maybe inches away and I could almost feel her heart racing, her instincts were telling her we weren't human. She unlocked them for us and I couldn't help taking her bad feelings away, I felt bad for her even though I was marveling in the beat of her heart. I remembered being among vampire woman and feeling unattractive… 'I will never be that pretty' the woman felt. I took her sadness and added it to one of my reserves. I watched as her back straightened a little and a small smile spread across her face.
"Just yell if you need anything," she said in a cheery salesperson's voice that they all have to force, so as not to seem rude. She walked away from us with a little skip in her step.
"What did you do?" Aurora asked quietly as she held open the door of her and my dressing rooms.
"I don't know… I think I just completely took her sadness away," I wasn't sure so I reached out to the woman again and searched for it, but I couldn't find any sadness… none at all. I heard her laughter as she talked with some colleagues.
"You're going to have to be careful with that," Aurora said, though she didn't sound one bit worried and I almost heard the smile.
I turned around to see her door close. I walked into my dressing room and I wanted to reach out for Aurora's emotions, see if I could find anything bad. I remembered the other times I had tried to do so and hit a gap, a black hole. I reached out to her with some hope that that might have changed. I clawed and grasped at what I couldn't get for about a second before her lovely voice cut through my concentration.
"Hurry up Bella, try yours on, I want to see," her voice called through the door and I heard her clothes dropping quietly.
I sighed and closed the door after me into my own dressing room. I let all my clothes hit the ground and clasped the intricate white garment in place. It forced my breasts together making smooth white half moons and more cleavage than I would have thought possible. I look amazing…I couldn't help but think. The beautiful exotic flowers and my shiny dark chocolate hair were the only touches of color against the white of my skin and the garment…when my eyes are bright red this will look very stunning.
"Okay, come out and let me look," Alice called. I smiled, knowing that this was probably the best I would ever look. I was no longer self conscious about my attire, though I did slip on jeans. I stepped toward the door and instantly hated the uncomfortable thong.
I opened the door slightly and peeked out and looked both ways in the separated little room in the back corner of the store that we were in. I saw Alice and Rosalie sitting in two chairs with the pink striped bags already in their hands. I stepped out-yep, definitely never getting another thong.
Their mouths dropped, even Rosalie's-though she recovered herself quickly and arranged her face back to the impassiveness she was operating on. It was better than the glare I would have received a week ago.
Alice jumped up and hugged me lightly. "You look fabulous, Bella! Edward is going to be stunned," she added with a little laugh.
I smiled; he would definitely forgive me for threatening him to let me go to Seattle now. I heard Aurora's hand grasp the knob and turned to see her.
She looked breathtaking as always, and the black against her white skin was dazzling. She had let her long white blonde hair down and leaned her head forward letting it fall into her face from an angle. She struck an alluring pose that would have made any model cry with grief and she let her eyes go bright red.
"How do I look?" she said in her low bell-like voice-knowing full well she looked amazing. None of us could speak. "That bad?" she said with an evil smile.
"No," I heard Rosalie sigh. "You look fine." It was the closest thing to a compliment I had ever heard Rosalie give.
"Thanks…You look amazing Bella!" she exclaimed with a wide toothy smile.
"Thank you," I said, not allowing the music to start.
"Well we had better move on, I want to get some more things," she said and started ripping the tags off her garments.
"What are you doing?" I breathed, astounded.
She rolled her eyes at me. "I'm going to pay for them. We should probably leave these on, I don't think we would get time to change into them when we get home." The evil smile came back. She walked over to me and ripped off my tags and told me to get the one off the thong myself.
We walked into the dressing rooms and threw our clothes back on over the lingerie and we went to the counter and Aurora took my tag from me. She handed the clerk our tags and cash then we left. The thong bothered me the whole rest of the trip. We all went into the stores but only Alice and Aurora bought things, they didn't try anything on so we were out of the mall pretty quickly.
It was a quiet car trip back as neither of us felt we needed to say anything and I think she liked the quiet too. My mind was not quiet though, several thoughts were raging around in my head.
"I can't understand or take your emotions," I blurted out.
"I figured that," she said calmly, not even looking at me even though it had been almost a full hour of calm silence. "I can't use your energy, so I didn't think you could use my emotions."
It was a simple statement yet it made no sense to me. "My energy?"
"Yes," then came a smile that could brighten the world. "Your body has absorbed energy, as you have not yet rid yourself of all your own human blood or fed yet, your own blood still contains the Earth's minerals: iron, magnesium, and others that I am aware of. I can feel them in every human, animal and you. I can use every human's to kill them…yet not yours…" she looked at me then and shrugged. "It makes sense in a way; if we are to become the two Queens, like that vile Darret implied, we won't be able to use each other if we were fighting."
"I wonder what the prophecy is…" I wondered out loud after a couple minutes of letting her revelation sink in. I leaned back in my chair and reclined it slightly to look up at the stars as we raced down the highway, this time behind Rosalie's BMW.
"I don't know…" she sighed. "I don't really want to leave this place, Bella. I actually went back to school; I hadn't been to school since I was a freshman at Berkley boarding school..." she shivered.
"You went to a boarding school?" I leaned up now, interested. "Why?"
"My parents died in a car accident when I was 11," she said bluntly and stared out the windshield. I could see the muscles in her forearm tense and her grip on the steering wheel shifted slightly.
"Oh," I muttered, I wasn't good in these situations as I had already demonstrated to her when she told me how she met Tristan. "I'm sorry."
"So am I," she sighed, and looked up at the sky; the car didn't swerve and inch. "I lived with my aunt for a while but she had her own life to live so I went off to the East Coast, as far away from California as she could possibly get me, to Berkley." Her nose wrinkled at the last word.
"Why?" I asked and it seemed nosy so I should have blushed.
"Undeserved hatred," she said coldly. "My wealthy parents didn't leave her a cent; it all went to me, the only child."
"How much?" now I knew I was being too bold but the question escaped my lips before I could stop it.
She smiled freely and finally turned her beautiful face toward me. "Enough…"
I didn't press the subject any further. We sat there and another thought came to my mind as I shifted uncomfortably.
"This is really uncomfortable," I said.
"You're not wearing a corset," she grumbled.
"No, I'm wearing a thong," I said, sure I was every bit as uncomfortable as she was.
"You get used to them," she said confidently.
"No I won't," I said just as confidently.
We didn't speak for the rest of the ride home and it was calming to just sit and breathe and smell. I was experimenting with my senses the remainder of the trip, shifting between smelling Aurora's alluring scent mix with the clean air and hearing the tires revolve on the road smoothly, the engine humming loudly to prove its horse power.
We eventually rolled into Forks and we were on the dirt road leading to the Cullens' home before I knew it. We pulled up to the driveway and parked the car. Aurora looked at me and then looked at the door; she took a deep breath and let it out.
Rosalie had parked her car in the garage and they were running over to us. They went inside then as we just sat in the car.
"Should we go in?" Aurora asked suggestively as she hopped over the door and hit the gravel quietly.
"I guess," I jumped out and smoothed out my shirt, trying to conceal the sheer fabric of the new lingerie. We went to the trunk and got Aurora's shopping bags as there were many of them, I didn't want any more clothes because I could throw out an outfit daily and still live for two years with plenty of clothes and- I could exert self control…unlike Alice.
I opened the door and as it swung open I caught the sight of Edward and Tristan standing inside the entrance imposingly. Legs spread apart and arms crossed, it was evident they had talked themselves up and were going to yell at us.
Their jaws dropped as we walked into the house. Edward was the first to speak, "You went shopping! That's what you left for!"
I cringed. "She didn't know we were going shopping Edward, it was my idea," Aurora took the blame for me and once again she was the target of both Tristan and Edward's yelling streaks. I had to help her even though she didn't seem phased at all.
"Stop it, Edward," I said quietly. He paused and looked at me and sighed, exaggerating the motion. I couldn't stop Tristan from scolding though; he was growling in a deadly quiet voice at her and looked furious.
I looked at Aurora and her eyes were wide and she was breathing quick and shallow. He was speaking in the nasal French I knew they both spoke fluently. She then yelled something at him and he cracked his knuckles and she gave a reproaching look to him and muttered something darkly. Edward was watching me but looked up as Tristan replied to her; he must understand French as well. Tristan then stormed out of the house brushing past Aurora. The next second I heard a thunderous crash that hurt my ears, then another and another. We all rushed out the door after him.
We stopped right outside the door as another crash shook the ground and our ears rang.
We stood on the porch and gaped as we saw tree after tree drop in front of us. Tristan was moving from tree to tree and punching each of them, there went tree number 5…
"Tristan Ivan James Merlo!" Aurora yelled to him. "What the hell do you think you're doing!"
He took down tree # 6 and roared his reply, "Trying to get rid of some built up anger!"
Aurora waved her hand and all the smithereens of the trees jumped back together and the trees righted themselves before our eyes. Tristan growled furiously and I reached out to him to take his anger like I did the sadness of the salesgirl. I absorbed it and caught his reason for punching trees: 'I can't stand to be away from her for one moment and she can leave me to go shopping!'
I took his impressive anger and stored it in my reserves. I then looked up expecting to see my results which I thought would be a calm Tristan…wrong. He had slowed down but was still hitting trees.
"Aurora," I looked at her and she looked at me. "He's mad because you left him to go shopping."
"I know that Bella!" she snapped.
"Sorry," I muttered, taken aback.
"Tristan, knock it off right now!" she yelled. He continued, ignoring her. "I'm sorry," she barely whispered, looking at the floor.
Tristan froze and turned around slowly to look at her and he was smiling. "You're what?" he said loudly from across the yard and Aurora winced. Then he ran up to the bottom step of the house and stared at her, still with the smile in place.
Aurora shrunk back into herself and stepped back from the stairs. Edward slipped his arm around my waist as we watched the two of them. "Say it," Tristan demanded looking at her intently and he started walking up the stairs to her slowly.
She was frozen in place and looking at him very nervously. "I a-already d-did," she stuttered, terrified.
He reached her and placed his hands on her hips and drew her resisting form in. "Say it to me," his smug grin was lording over her.
She shrunk away from his huge form, shaking her head slowly. He bent down and he buried his face in her neck, I could hear Aurora's gasp as his mouth opened on the arch of it. Edward steered me around, back toward the door.
I could hear Tristan muttering seductively against her skin, "Say it, Aurora." This time she did.
"I'm sorry," it was her voice but the words were weak and gasped.
"I know," I heard the smile in his voice and then the door closed and Edward and I were in the house.
He led me to the living room and we sat down in two chairs that faced each other. He pulled the chair I was sitting in to his so that the fronts of the chairs were touching and we were only about a foot and a half away. He leaned back in his chair and his eyes were studying my face. I looked down at the ground.
"What did you buy?" he asked and my breath caught, but his voice wasn't suspicious. I looked up to judge his eyes; they held know glint of knowing what we were up to.
"Nothing," I said, trying to sound polite and casual to pull off the lie.
He smiled wide and his teeth flashed, "You're a terrible liar, Bella." He ran out of the room and returned with all of Aurora's shopping bags, I fought a smile back.
He pulled out pants and shirts and a colorful bikini that he knew I wouldn't buy. "These aren't your size and…" he held up the slightly skimpy swimsuit top and looked at it then his eyes returned to me and I couldn't help but smile. "I know this isn't yours."
"Those are Aurora's," I shrugged. "I didn't buy anything."
He gaped at me, "You didn't buy anything?"
"Nope," I said cheerfully.
"What?" he couldn't grasp this.
"I didn't buy anything," I repeated slowly.
"Why did you go?" anger was surfacing now, I decided to head off his short and unpredictable temper.
"What did you do while we were gone?" I cast my eyes around the room, as if looking for a clue as to what he did.
His voice was hard and I could feel his eyes on me. "We sat around and talked because our girlfriends all abandoned us."
"We di-" I had started to protest and he silenced me with the look in his eyes, I decided this was a good time to tell him what I bought.
"Well I did buy something," I whispered and the room grew warmer before I could stop it, I quickly drew the warmth back in but Edward had already noticed it.
"What?" he asked trying to catch my eye.
"Nothing," I muttered, chickening out.
"Alice?" Edward yelled and his eyes studied my face as I stared at him wide eyed…Alice wouldn't tell him, unless he broke into her mind…but he wouldn't do that.
A couple long seconds passed in silence. "I'm sorry Bella!" I heard her voice shout to me through her bedroom door.
Edward turned back to me with the beautiful crooked grin in place and the room got very warm before I pulled it back in.
"Hmmm…I think we should continue this discussion in our room…" he picked me up in his arms and before I knew it we crashed down on the bed and the door slammed shut. We were kissing fast and he moved his mouth to my neck and my jeans and shoes hit the floor. I was breathing in his heady scent and letting the smell overwhelm my senses. My shirt was off and he held himself above me and looked me up and down.
"Wow…" he said before removing his shirt in a blink of an eye and his lips were at my ear, "you look amazing." They moved down to my neck and I felt their cold pressure against my skin. His full weight was on me for the first time as I wasn't a breakable human anymore. His arms wrapped around me and his lips returned again to mine and they tasted amazing. The venom in our mouths was the source of the smell I discovered now.
The lingerie I had rode 3 hours to buy was stripped off in a few seconds.
We came out of our room at about 2:00 a.m. and heard everyone but Aurora and Tristan talking in the living room. I could hear their happy voices and laughter. I looked down the stairs and saw suitcases piled up by the door and sudden sadness overwhelmed me.
We were leaving Forks; it hit me like a ton of bricks. I still had to tell Charlie and Renee. Edward took my hand and I was okay again, we would always be okay.
"Where are we going?" I said looking up into his golden eyes.
"Tristan says that Victor will be in Paris," he answered me, and moved his fingertips along my cheekbone softly. "Everything will get better, we are going to stop him from turning people into vampires," he said with a small smile.
I forced myself to smile back at him, "Yes we will stop him." He didn't buy my smile for an instant and kissed my forehead gently.
"Do you want to go downstairs?" he asked. I nodded.
Please Review! I know for a fact that more than 500 people have been reading this from chapter 1 through 2 and I haven't heard from yall. I will give you the next chap within the weekend if I get a lot of reviews…I promise!
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