AN: I do not own Twilight nor any other books from the saga. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.
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Chapter 2
The Party
After we finished Romeo and Juliet we sat and worked on the homework we had from some of our other classes for a little while. I knew Charlie would be home from work in about an hour, so figured I'd get started on fixing some dinner for him. He was never one to eat home cooked meals unless I cooked it for him. Dreading the party ahead, I took my time slicing up the vegetables to use in the tossed salad, no reason to make a hospital visit the excuse for not going to the party. I knew he liked his spaghetti sauce with extra meat, so I pulled out the 1lb package of hamburger meat I'd had thawing in the fridge when I put the mixed salad in to keep it cold. Remembering the package of lightly seasoned garlic bread in the freezer, I pulled that out as well. After getting the garlic bread into the oven, I got started on boiling the water for the spaghetti and also started browning the hamburger. It didn't take long to get the whole meal put together and I was surprised to find Charlie coming through the door a few minutes early, just as I was testing to make sure that the noodles were the perfect al dente.
Shortly after hanging up his gun belt and his jacket I heard him acknowledge Edward's presence in the living room before making his way into the kitchen. "Mmmmm…that smells absolutely delicious Bells! Skipped lunch today because of having to check out a couple of calls. I'm famished!"
"Skipping lunch isn't healthy Dad. Especially since you didn't eat much for breakfast this morning. What happened?"
"It was nothing. Security alarm was accidentally triggered at Newton's when someone tripped and hit the emergency exit door. Took a while to get the security footage to pull up and make sure nothing actually was stolen. Then had someone make a call on their neighbor because their dog refused to stop howling. Took a while to get the mutt to calm down. Apparently there had been a squirrel taunting him on the other side of the fence. Stupid stuff like that."
After setting everything on the table, Charlie dug into his meal with fervor. He was usually quiet anyway, but his intense focus on this particular meal was almost funny to see. When he was almost done with his second helping of the spaghetti, Edward walked in.
"Charlie, do you mind if I borrow Bella for the evening? Alice has planned a party for her birthday and I know that my whole family is looking forward to helping her celebrate."
Charlie considered it for a moment, I was hoping he was going to say no, that birthdays were a family affair. But, he ended up saying "That sounds like a great idea. The Mariners are playing tonight, so I wouldn't be much company anyway. It'd be a great opportunity for you to put your new camera to use anyway kiddo."
"Thanks Dad," I said while hiding my dissatisfaction.
Edward offered to clean up the kitchen while I went to go get ready for the party and while Charlie went to go relax on the couch and enjoy the game starting soon. So, up the stairs I trudged to go get ready for the party I hadn't really wanted. Alice, as much as I love her, had a tendency to always go too far. I had already taken my backpack and present from Alice upstairs earlier, so I went to open up the gift that was currently sitting on my bed. I was hesitant as I gently tugged the ribbons holding it all together. Alice said I was to wear this to the party. She had the fashion sense of a runway model, and I was afraid that it was going to be over the top, just like her bubbly personality. I truly loved Alice, but she often worried me with how much she wanted to change my style. Once I swallowed my fear and opened the box, I let out a slight gasp and a little chuckle. On top, was a beautiful yet very simple sky blue button up shirt that had a low neck line and ¾ sleeves. It was also very soft to the touch, feeling like it would just melt and slide over my skin smoothly. Next, I pulled out a long black skirt that had slits on both sides up to the knees. It was a sturdier material than the shirt, but seemed to be almost as soft somehow. Smiling even more, I noticed that Alice had even given me practical shoes, much more practical than her normal. They were 1in platform style flip-flops that had rhinestones along the straps. I'd been nervous for no reason apparently. Alice had been right, I absolutely loved the outfit.
I grabbed my toiletries bag and headed to the bathroom. I needed to brush my teeth and do something with my hair and do some makeup. I decided on styling my hair in a half-up do with my hair cascading in curls down my back and over my shoulders. I was never much for makeup, but I put a little more effort into it today. I wanted to look better than my usual self, especially if Rene actually expected pictures from this party. I actually used some foundation this time, and applied my eyeshadow a little darker than I normally would've in order to help make my eyes pop. I used my normal mascara, but used some eyeliner to make it all flow better. Then, just because Alice gave it to me a while back, I used some of the faint glittery blush on my cheeks. All in all, not a bad look, though I'd still look like a nobody while next to my vampires.
After I switched out my purses for a simple little clutch, I got dressed and went downstairs to find Edward on the couch with Charlie watching the pre-game entertainment.
Edward smiled brightly when he looked up to watch me descend the stairs. Shortly after I reached the bottom of the steps and started to head toward the couch, Charlie looked up as well and rose to give me a hug before I left. Looking at me with a slightly wide-eyed look, he just shook his head, smiled, and sighed as he said, "Wow Bells…you look amazing! New outfit for the party?"
"Yeah…Alice gave it to me at school today and said I should wear it tonight," I replied with a blush.
Edward couldn't help the big crooked grin as he watched our interaction. "Are you ready to go?" he asked as he walked up to us.
"Hang on a sec. Let me get a picture of you before you head out Bella. Where's the camera I gave you this morning?" Charlie asked in a hurry.
"Right here Dad," I said as I pulled it out of my little clutch and handed it to him.
He smiled as he stood back and got ready to take the picture. "Smile!"
After my solo pic, I had to have one with Charlie and one with Edward. If they were going to make me suffer with being in pictures, they were going to suffer right along with me. Before I could snap another picture of him, Charlie shooed us out the door and told us to have fun and to make sure we took lots of pictures so that Renée, my loveable and ditzy mother, wouldn't chew his head off.
Heading out the truck, Edward took my hand and lead me to the passenger side. Normally I would've objected to him driving my truck, since he usually like to push the limits of its capabilities, but I knew that I still struggled with finding the obscure entrance to his driveway down that side road they lived on. Letting him drive would just make things easier. He held open the door for me, always so chivalrous. Then with a little jog, since Charlie was still watching, he made his way around to jump into the driver's side. I scooted closer to him as we began our drive to his place. It didn't take long for him to start fiddling with the radio in The Beast.
"Your radio really has horrible reception," he said with a sly grin.
"If you want a great radio, drive your own car," I said in a frustrated tone. I really didn't like it when he picked on my truck. It wasn't the fastest nor the newest, but it was perfect for what I needed it for. Plus, it had been free and was a very solid piece of equipment.
He just chuckled, took my hand and proceeded to kiss the back of it with a smirk on his lips. We drove in silence the rest of the way to his house. Pulling into his mile long driveway though showed the beginning of the decorations that Alice had put up. There were thousands of fairy lights in the trees lining the drive. It was absolutely gorgeous, and FAR too much for my birthday.
Seeing my slight grimace, Edward looked over at me and said, "Be nice. We haven't had a birthday to celebrate around here since Emmet's in 1935. They all love you and can't wait to celebrate your birthday with you."
I just looked over at him with a 'uh huh' type look on my face when I said, "Not all of them."
"Rosalie is just very protective of our family. You knowing our secret complicates matters for us…or at least it could."
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"If they knew, the Volturi would step in possibly hurt our family. But there's no need to worry about them finding out. They live in Volterra, Italy and have lived there for thousands of years. They never leave, and our family stays well under the radar. Plus Carlisle is very good friend of theirs. Remember that painting I showed you in his office?"
"The one of him with Aro, Caius, and Marcus?"
"That's the one. They make up the Volturi family. Those three, and two women who joined them later and become the wives of two of them. They're like the royalty of the vampire world," he had gone on to say.
Before we could get any further with that conversation, we pulled up in front of his beautiful home. It was a glorious white mansion that had nearly a solid wall of glass on the other side of it facing the forest and the winding stream behind it. I was always in awe of his home. It always seemed like it would outshine any house featured in Better Homes and Gardens. Esme, Edward's mother for all intents and purposes, was the best interior decorator on the planet! Walking into their home tonight, I was stunned even further by the garlands of flowers along the bannisters and the vases of red and white roses everywhere.
I gasped in my awe, "Alice!" I said in a stunned whisper. "This beautiful…but it's just far too much!"
Alice just grinned at me and trilled out in her beautiful wind-chime voice, "Nonsense Bella, this is nothing. Really!" She continued to smile as she practically danced up to me and kissed my cheek and pulled me into a hug. "You look lovely tonight sweetie! Just like I knew you would," she said as she winked at me.
Next to greet me was Esme. "Happy birthday Bella! We're so glad that you decided to come." Her hug was so warm and motherly. She truly was like a mother to me in a way that my own dear Renée could never be.
Carlisle stepped forward next and placed his arm around me to pull me into a gentle one armed hug. "Happy birthday Bella. I hope you've had good one so far." His smile was so warm and comforting in this setting of feeling like everything was so much, that I couldn't tell if it was his calm demeanor or Jasper's talent that started to ease my nerves.
Jasper stood at small distance away and was holding Alice close to himself. He nodded and smiled at me when he said "Happy birthday darlin'." I'd hoped that our time together in Phoenix while he and Alice had been protecting me would've completely broken the ice between us, but it looks like things have slid back. He definitely wasn't as distant as he used to be, but he was still very cautious around me now. Though he really was much friendlier than he was when I first met him, that distance still stung a little.
Emmett just couldn't stand it anymore and came barreling over to me and picked me up and big bear hug and swung me around. I couldn't help but laugh at his antics as he said "Happy birthday Bella!"
"Can't breathe Emmett!" I wheezed through my laughter as he set me back down.
"So…Edward, dating an older woman now. That's hot!" he joked as he backed away to stand next to Rosalie.
I tried not to let anyone see my grimace at his words, but I think the look in Carlisle's eyes said that I wasn't able to hide it from everyone. Edward just stood there grinning.
"She's still beautiful, both mind and body," Edward said in reply.
Looking up at him, I just smiled softly and blushed.
"Happy birthday Bella," Rosalie said in a slightly strained voice. It hurt to think that she might not ever accept me into the family. I knew now that she was afraid that I would hurt them because of knowing what they all were, but it still stung. Especially since I have been hoping to join her family for forever someday.
"Come, let's go into the living room. Alice set up everything in there," Carlisle said as he lead the way.
"I'll be right back. Don't do anything funny while I'm gone!" Emmett said with a huge grin and a laugh as he ran out the door.
Walking into the living room, I was stunned again by more flowers and assorted party decorations everywhere. You'd think that the party would have like 100 people here to impress, instead of just this small gathering of 8. When I looked at the table, I was glad to see that it wasn't overflowing with gifts, just a couple packages and a card. The cake was far too much though, it was beautifully decorated and it looked like it could feed 30 people at least, and I was the only one here who would be eating any of it.
Looking at the stunned speechless look on my face, Carlisle said, "We really did try to rein Alice in, but there really is no stopping her when she puts her mind to something."
"No…there really isn't. Alice is a force of nature! Good thing I love the little pixie as much as I do," I replied with a wry smile.
Alice just grinned and clapped her hands together as she sang, "Time for presents!"
"You guys really shouldn't have gotten me anything, the chance to hang out with all of you at this party is enough for me," I said.
"Don't be ridiculous Bella," Alice chirped. "Here, this one is from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper."
Taking the rather large box out of her hands, I was surprised at how light that it was. With a quizzical expression I slowly tore open the wrapping paper. On the box was a bunch of numbers that didn't make sense. Opening the box didn't help matters either. "Thanks?" it had come out as more of a question than a statement though.
Jasper just laughed. "It's a new stereo for your truck darlin'. Emmett's out there right now installing it so that you can't return it."
"Oh, so that was why you were ragging on my radio earlier. Setting me up for this," I said looking at Edward as I smiled and laughed lightly. "Thank you Jasper. Thank you Rosalie." Then thinking about Emmett outside, I raised my voice a little more and said "And thank you Emmett!" I could just hear his booming laugh in response. I just chuckled lightly to myself and shook my head, still smiling.
Just then, I realized there was a flash coming from my right. Looking over, I saw that Alice had somehow managed to get my camera from my clutch. She was just too good! I just had to look at her, smile, close my eyes, and shake my head in resignation. She just smiled and winked at me. It looked like she was planning to be my photographer for the night and capture all the photos Renée would be expecting to see. I'd have to remember to thank her later…as much as I didn't feel like I'd be able to fit in with this beautiful family, I know I'd appreciate the pictures with them in it. A few seconds later, Emmett was back inside and standing next to Rosalie.
"This is from me and Edward," Alice said holding out a small package.
I just glared at Edward, "I told you no gifts," I practically growled at him.
"I didn't spend a dime on it. I promise," he said in reply.
Shooting daggers at him, I opened the small gift. Alice was basically bouncing with her enthusiasm. Once I got the wrapping paper off, I noticed that it was a CD with no markings. "What is it?" I asked.
"It's a recording of me playing on the piano. There are also a couple of duets with Alice."
I just stared at him in amazement. "Thank you…both of you," I said looking from him to Alice. Just as I looked over at her with a smile, Alice snapped another picture of me and Edward. Though this was the first one that I had been truly aware of, I began to realize that she had been taking photos of everyone and everything quite frequently. I actually couldn't wait to see what they all looked like later when I started to go through them on my computer tomorrow. For now though, it was better if I could just pretend that she didn't take any pictures of me. I'd be far too nervous for that.
"This is from me," Esme said handing me a small rectangular box with a bow on top.
I had a sneaky suspicion that it was a necklace. The box looked just like the ones that I'd seen in movies where the guy gives his girl a beautiful and very expensive necklace from Tiffany's or something. Trying not to let anyone know just how nervous I was, I slowly opened the hinged box. Inside was a simple yet beautiful necklace. It was a small snowflake pendant with crystals set into silver and had a silver chain that looked like it was long enough to have the snowflake sit right between my collar bones once I put it on.
Staring at it in awe, I could only say, "Thank you Esme. It's beautiful." She gave me a hug and gestured as if to ask if she could help put it on. Nodding, I felt my eyes well up just a little as she clasped the necklace into place while I held my hair back. I had been right, the little snowflake sat right in the groove between my clavicles. I couldn't see it, but I simply touched it lightly and turned around to thank her again.
Smiling shyly and blushing again, I looked up at Carlisle who was walking toward me with a card in his hand. "This is from me," he said with slight smile. "Hopefully it could help brighten your days for a little while," he said with a wink.
Confused, I cocked my head a little as I smiled and looked at him. I wasn't paying enough attention to what I was doing as I stared at him, and I accidentally sliced my finger trying to open the envelope.
"Ow! Paper cut." I said simply as I pulled my finger up to look at it.
Looking up from the cut that had been deep enough to cause a single large drop of blood to fall to the floor rather quickly, I saw everyone in the room had gone statue still. Then, it seemed as if a million different things all happened in one instant. Edward was the closest to me, and he shoved me behind him. The problem was, he didn't pay attention the force he used and he flung me halfway across the room and into the table we had passed earlier that had the cake, some crystal vases of roses, and some crystal glasses for the punch. As I crashed down hard into the table, the force of it causing me to shatter every crystal item, I heard low growling and what had sounded like a fight. Looking up from my frozen and stunned position on the floor, I saw that Edward, I assume, at some point in time had shoved Jasper so far back that he had been thrown to the other side of the room and had completely demolished Edward's piano in his landing. Currently, the growls were coming from most of the men. Jasper was desperately fighting to get away from Emmett's steel grasp. Emmett was growling in his attempt to keep him there. Edward was growling as a threat to keep everyone away from me. Carlisle had his hands on Jasper's shoulders and was pushing him back. Rosalie soon had gone to them and grabbed onto one of Jasper's arms as Alice went up to his other side and took hold of the other. Both of them coming to take hold of Jasper's arms, allowed for Carlisle to step back so he could start making his way toward me.
Alice, trying to calm her husband down said, "It's ok Jasper. It's only a little…blood."
That's when all eyes turned to me. That's when everyone, including me, seemed to realize just how much blood was involved. Thankfully, everyone seemed to stop breathing in that instant, but I had noticed just how many black eyes were in the room. Everyone, except Carlisle it seemed, was now fighting hard against their intense thirst. Suddenly, I noticed that there were six very ravenous vampires staring at me, all of whom could kill me in an instant if they wanted to.
