After telling a disappointed Emmett about the change of plans, Bella went back outside to find Edward. She found him sitting in her truck which would have been fine had he not been in the driver's seat and she not been holding the keys. There wasn't a chance Bella was going to let the guy who freaked out over wolves on tv drive her truck
"How'd you get in?" Bella asked
"Spare key," Edward replied. "Midnight showed me where to find it."
Alice often hid the keys to Bella's truck saying she couldn't bear to see her sister driving around town in such an eyesore. After missing out on a day at the beach with Jake, Bella had a spare key made and hid in a hollowed-out spot behind the license plate. Alice had been hunting for that key for months. How had Edward managed to find it in less than five minutes? Bella didn't believe for a second the cat showed him.
Bella rolled her eyes. "Did Midnight also teach you how to drive?
"No."
"Then move over."
Edward scooted over into the passenger seat. Midnight hissed when he nearly stepped on her tail. Somehow, Midnight's presence was far more shocking than Edward finding the spare key.
Bella stared at Edward's arms. "How did you get Midnight in here?"
How was he not torn to ribbons?
Edward shrugged. "She got in on her own."
Carlisle was still covered in scratches Midnight's yearly trip to the vet. There wasn't a chance she'd just jumped into the truck without a fight.
Bella tried to pick Midnight up. "I'll bring her back inside then we can go."
"Why?" Edward asked.
Midnight dug her claws into the seat.
"We can't bring a cat to the castle," Bella said, trying to pry Midnight off without shredding the upholstery.
If the incident with the coffin hadn't already earned the Cullen family a lifetime ban showing up with a poorly behaved pet surely would. Bella imagined Midnight knocking over a priceless artifact or using a throne as a litter box.
"I have two problems with that statement," Edward said. "First of all, it's my castle therefore I'll be the one to decide what is and isn't allowed."
The castle hadn't belonged to the Masen family for almost 300 years. In 1778, the people of Forks got tired of living under the tyranny of the monarchy and stormed the castle. The royal family was executed and Forks joined the United States.
" Second," Edward continued. Midnight isn't a cat."
Whiskers, fur, claws. Any sane person would call Midnight a cat.
Bella raised an eyebrow. "Then what is she?"
Edward frowned. "You really don't know?"
"Obviously not."
"She's your guardian. Has been since you were a child."
"I've only had Midnight for a year."
"That's unusual. Guardians usually appear by a child's tenth birthday." Edward stroked Midnight's back. "I see. You shouldn't trouble yourself too much. It wasn't your fault." He looked up at Bella. "Midnight was present when you were a child. She was born under a wooden platform that was attached to your house."
"You mean a deck?"
Edward looked at Midnight then nodded.
"You've seen the backyard," Bella said. "We don't have a deck."
"Not this house. The orange one in the desert."
How could Edward possibly know what color Phil's house was? She didn't talk about that house or what went on it with anyone.
"You used to play with her," Edward continued. "But you called her a different name back then...Stormy."
Bella squeezed the steering wheel until her knuckles went white. When she was nine, a stray cat gave birth under the deck. Most of the cats were too afraid to come out and play, but one black female she named Stormy, was different. Stormy walked Bella to the bus stop every morning and snuck in for a quick cuddle before bed. She allowed Bella to dress her up in doll clothes and cry into her fur when things inside got scary. Stormy was without a doubt the best friend Bella had in Phoenix.
"She loved you and you loved her," Edward said. "But your mother's husband did something awful. He captured her and left her in the desert to die."
While losing her best friend hurt, Bella was glad Phil didn't "accidentally" run Stormy over like he did to one of her littermates. She liked to imagine Stormy being adopted by a rich family who would feed her fresh tuna and let her sleep inside. She should have known Phil was lying about the animal shelter.
"You were gone by the time she made it home," Edward said. "It took her many years to find you."
Midnight couldn't possibly be the same kitten she played with all those years ago, could she?
Bella looked into Midnight's eyes. "Stormy?"
Midnight rubbed against Bella's leg and started purring. For a split second, Bella wondered. How amazing would it be if her cat loved her enough to cross deserts, highways, and mountains just to be together?
"She'll be with you for the rest of your life," Edward said. " She won't get sick or grow old.
Edward's words snapped Bella back to reality. Forks and Phoenix were over 1500 miles apart. There wasn't a chance a house cat could survive a journey like that when plenty of humans died trying to cross the street.
Bella glared at Edward. "Are you saying my cat is immortal?"
When Bella was five, her birthday wish was for her hamster to live forever. Two weeks later, Renee had an accident while cleaning Mr. Chewy's cage. Bella was baffled to find Mr. Chewy had become a Mrs. Chewy and had five babies while she was at school. The experience taught her two things. First, pets can't live forever no matter how hard you wish. Second, everyone lies, including parents.
"Not exactly," Edward said. "Midnight's life is connected to yours. She won't die until you do."
Edward must have had an incredibly sheltered childhood if he'd made it to sixteen and still believed in magical animals that never died.
"I'd recommend getting multiple black cats and changing Midnight's name every decade or so," Edward said. "People are frightened by animals who exceed their natural life spans."
Bella stopped petting Midnight when a dark thought crossed her mind. Phil had plenty of money and loyal fans willing to do his bidding. What if he'd sent Edward to torture her? If so, Edward was doing an excellent job. Bella was starting to doubt her sanity.
"Don't be afraid," Edward said. "Guardians aren't dangerous. They're common among royals."
"Then why do I have a guardian?" Bella asked. "I'm not a royal."
She couldn't dance in glass slippers or carry a tune to save her life. In a hundred years, no one would remember her name. She was just an orphan with an evil stepfather.
Edward smiled. "Not now, but you will be after the wedding."
Bella's eyes widened. The two of them didn't seem to see eye to eye on anything. She'd hoped he'd given up on making her his bride.
Edward furrowed his brow. "You seem surprised."
"I thought the wedding was off."
"We've had a few disagreements but that doesn't mean I'm giving up on our happily ever after." He scooted over until their knees were touching. "True love isn't always easy but it's well worth it in the end."
While many girls would have swooned over the thought of true love, Bella felt threatened. She couldn't bury her head in the sand and hope Edward would just go away. She had to take action if she wanted to make it out unscathed. Bella looked up at the sky. Had she been anywhere but Forks, she would have worried the dark clouds were a bad omen.
"We should go," Bella said, starting her truck."It's going to rain soon."
All good detectives knew to start investigating at the scene of the crime. Maybe the castle would have some clues that didn't point towards Phil or the supernatural.
