On the way to Port Angeles, Jess gave us all the details on her date with Mike. She wanted us to examine every little detail with her, which we did, considering we were stuck in the car with her for the next hour. He bought them popcorn and a drink to share, which she saw as a good sign. I saw it as a sign that he's cheap, but I kept that to myself. Angela looked over her shoulder at me, since she was riding shotgun and I was in the back, to give me a look that told me her thoughts were in line with mine.
"I love scary movies, although I find them super predictable, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity! I'd pretend to get scared and grab his arm. Do you think that was too obvious?" She asked us, thankfully managing to keep her eyes on the road. She is driving a lot faster than the Chief, though not as fast as Alice. According to the speedometer she's doing eighty-five, although the speed limit on highway 101 is sixty.
"Not at all." Angela and I chorus at the same time, although in my head I'm saying yes.
"Right? So, by the third time, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He didn't kiss me, but I think he's just trying to take this slow. That's so sweet, don't you think? I think we'll have our first kiss at the dance, for sure." She giggles happily in her seat, moving over into the next lane without looking and almost hitting another car, which makes me grip the seat beneath me in terror.
"So sweet. So hey, think we can listen to some music?" I say, hoping that if she can't talk our ears off, she'll concentrate on the road instead.
"Sure, I had a new radio installed so you can hook your phone up to the Bluetooth." She says, turning her radio to the Bluetooth sync setting.
I decide to play Hollywood Undead, thinking that's something universal enough for all of us to enjoy. The moment Young plays, Jessica turns it up almost deafeningly loud and we get into the music. The rest of the driver there is much more pleasant, despite Jessica's scary driving. After Hollywood Undead we continue with the "old school" punk music and play The Reason by Hoobastank. I say old school, because it did come out around the time we were born. That's old to us.
With Jessica's driving, we make it to Port Angeles just after four. It's a cute little city on the bay, more lively than Forks for sure. Jessica's on a mission though, so she bypasses all the cute shops by the water and goes straight to where the only clothing stores are. I follow them into the first store, which has more wedding gowns than other dresses that I can see. However, Jessica makes for the back corner where there is a small section for prom dresses.
After a while, Jessica has narrowed her choices down to a strapless black dress that goes down to her ankles with dark red sequins along the hem forming intricate swirling patterns or a light blue dress silk dress with spaghetti straps that is more form fitting. I suggest the black dress, and hand her a sheer black shawl to go with it.
"Wow, this actually looks amazing. With the way you dress, I wouldn't think you'd actually have been good at this." She says, looking at me with wide eyes.
"Well, that's only slightly insulting." I say, rolling my eyes at her. "Hey Anglea, have you narrowed your picks down yet?"
"Um, I think so. I liked that lavender dress from earlier with the open back. But, I like this one too. What do you guys think?"
Angela steps out wearing an off shoulder hot pink dress that has not just a side slit, but missing part of the side altogether. Her left leg is completely exposed, but it looks good on her. I wolf whistle at her, making her blush.
"That one, most definitely. You have great legs, so you should show them off!" I tell her, grabbing a matching pink wrap from a nearby rack and placing it around her shoulders.
"She's right. That looks great on you. Alright, shoes next!" Jessica exclaims, marching over to the small shoe section in the other corner of the store.
Jessica picks out a pair of simple black heels, since the dress is more on the simple side too. Angela decides on a pair of silver heels, and I can see her excitement at being able to wear them. She's already tall, so I'm guessing she was worried she'd have to go with flats on her dates. Eric is a bit taller than her, so it's not an issue. I can help but note though, Ben is shorter than her. I get the feeling the height difference wouldn't make a difference though, to him, when they eventually get together. Which I'm sure will happen, with the way they are around each other.
"Did you go to any dances in Phoenix?" Jessica asks me while she and Angela browse the jewelry.
"I almost did my freshman year, but never made it to the dance." I answer quietly, not wanting to relive that night.
"Hey Jessica, what do you think of this bracelet?" Angela directs Jessica's attention to her, which earns her another grateful smile from me. She really is a good friend.
"Oooh, that's gorgeous! Wait, this one would look better. The pattern matches the designs on your dress. So, were you gonna go with a boyfriend Bella?" I should have known Jessica wouldn't get distracted from learning something about me that she could gossip later for too long.
"No, I've never had a boyfriend. I'd never even been asked out before I moved here. I was gonna go with a group of friends."
"But you've been asked out here and you've told everyone no. Well, everyone except Tyler." Jessica says, smirking as she looks over a silver necklace.
"What do you mean except Tyler?" I say a little sharper than I intended.
"He's telling everyone he's gonna take you to Prom. I found out after lunch today." Angela answers quickly when she see's I'm about to explode at her.
"That's why Lauren doesn't like you, you know. Well, that and the fact that the moment you moved here you took all the boys attention from her." Jessica giggles at the look on my face.
"I couldn't care less what Lauren thinks... Do you think if I hit Tyler with my truck he'd give up trying to make amends to me, though? We can call it even?" I ask irritated.
"I doubt that's the reason he's doing it." Angela says, laughing at me over her shoulder.
They each get necklaces, bracelets, and Angela gets an ankle bracelet to go on her leg that'll show in her new dress. Since they managed to get their dresses at the first store, and rather quickly, it's not even five yet and the restaurant isn't open.
"Well, I wouldn't mind finding a few new books. Do you either of you know where a good bookstore is around here?" I ask as we step outside.
"Yeah, there's one down the road there. Why don't we put our bags away and head over there?" Jess says, heading to her car that's parked a little further down the busy road.
"You don't have to go with me. When I'm book shopping, I tend to get pretty into it. I won't pay you any attention, so you wouldn't have any fun. Why don't you go hit check out other dress stores, just in case you find something you like better than the dresses you picked out here? I know it'll probably be impossible, but you never know."
"Are you sure Bella? It's not smart to walk around alone." Angela says, looking nervous.
"It's a busy street, I doubt anyone would try anything with so many people around. I'll be fine. Why don't we meet at the restaurant at six?" I say, already walking backwards and starting to turn away.
"Fine, but text me if you head there earlier!" Angela calls over, to which I wave back in acknowledgment.
I head in the direction Jessica pointed out and find the bookstore she was referring to. Leave it to Jessica to send me to a spiritual shop instead of an actual bookstore. Even through the window I can see that there are more herbs, crystals, and other objects than there are actual books. An older woman smiles up at me through the window from behind the counter, and I awkwardly wave back, considering I have no intention of actually going in.
I reach into my hoodie pocket, intending to search Google for an actual bookstore on my phone, and all I feel are my keys. Shit, I left my phone on the seat next to me in the car when we were playing music. Rather than go find Jessica to get my phone, I figure I can just keep heading down and see if I can find something before just meeting up with them at the restaurant. I can tell time enough to know when an hour has passed.
I walk for ten minutes, passing an antique store, several empty shops for rent, and a few cafe's. No bookstores though. Along the way, I swear I saw a red BMW convertible parked in a small mall parking lot across the road on a wharf. That just gets me thinking of Alice, who I'm starting to miss now that I haven't seen her since Thursday. Ugh, stupid vampire. As I keep walking, I see that I'm passing more and more empty stores before finally coming across small warehouse buildings. Rather than just head back and wait around for forty minutes, I decide to head up a street away from the bay and then circle back around, figuring maybe there will be more shops that way on the way back.
As I turn the corner, I see a group of guys across the street from me. They're each dressed exactly the same; jeans and Letterman jackets. They remind me of the guys back in Phoenix, which makes me walk as close to the buildings, avoiding them as much as possible. I hope they don't notice me, that I just blend in with the wall next to me. I glance up as we pass each other on opposite sides of the road, and notice they're about the same age as them.
"Oh, hey there! You know, it's dangerous to be out here on your own." One of them calls over to me, his voice suggesting he's the danger he's talking about.
I ignore him, quickening my pace and putting my head down further. I hear him yell angrily behind me, while his friends laugh. When I've gotten a few blocks down, I turn right and head back in the direction that the restaurant should be in. After a few minutes, I realize I can faintly hear footsteps behind me.
Using my hood in hopes of being discreet, I glance behind me and see that two of the guys from the group are following about thirty feet behind me. The one closest to the wall is average height and build with his blonde hair pulled back in a man bun. The one next to him is the same height, but looks to have more muscle on him. His bald head and glasses catch the light of the street lamp on the next street over.
Just as I turn back around I see the one who called out to me and his other buddy step out of an alley in front of me. The one with the mouth is tall, but slightly heavyset, with a shaggy mop of brown hair on his head. The one next to him is a little shorter, but skinny with his black hair in a buzz cut. I stop in my tracks, looking around for an escape. Stupid me went down a street that has a cliff along my left and buildings to my right. The only way out is past the guys in front of and behind me. Shit...
"Nice job guys. This'll be fun!" The one who called out to me earlier says to his friends behind me. Just as I suspected, they pincered me in here.
"I don't know. Her clothes are too baggy to tell." One of the guys behind me says, and I look over my shoulder to see them step closer to me.
"Don't you dare touch me, I'm warning you." I say, turning toward the building to my right and walking backward into the deserted street, putting my back to the cliff so I can see them all at once.
"Oh come on now, you're gonna like what we have planned for you." Fatty says to me in what he must think is a sultry tone.
"Come on Tank, no need to lie to her. There's nothing she can do anyway." Baldy says, smirking at me.
"Oh, you'd be surprised." I answer, trying to figure out if I can run past any of them and get back to the busier streets.
"Don't even think about it, bitch." Baldy says when he sees me glance toward the alley Tubby came from.
"I get first dibs, since I spotted her." Fatty announces smugly as he walks toward me.
"Fair enough." Buzz shrugs his shoulders, stepping aside to cover the exit Fatty left open.
"I warned you guys." I mumble as I ball my fists, ready to defend myself.
Just as he gets within my reach, I raise my fists to the sides of my face and quickly jab my left, leaning my body into it, and connect my fist with his nose. With a satisfying crunch, he clutches his face and I see blood pour down through his fingers. I start breathing through my mouth, staving off the nausea I know will come if I smell the blood for as long as I can.
"You bitch!" He yells, lunging at me.
I grab the wrist of his outstretched right arm with my left hand, pivoting my right leg in front of him while jutting my hip out. Wrapping my right arm around him I use his momentum to launch him over my hip where he lands on his side. I hear a satisfying thud when his head slams into the concrete, and look down to see him clutching it and writhing on the ground in pain.
"What the fuck?" Man bun says, looking to Baldy with wide eyes. Well, now we know who the second-in-command is.
"You gonna get out of my way, or do the rest of you wanna try me?" I say to them angrily, breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush.
Baldy runs up to me, managing to avoid my right hook, and swings his arm around to punch me somewhere around my right eye. I raise my hand to my head, like I'm sweeping my hand through my hair, causing his arm to glance off my forearm. While it kept my face safe, it still leaves a throb in my arm, which I ignore. Taking advantage of the opening and close distance between us, I use the same arm I used to block him to elbow him in the side of his head. He reels back and then surprises me when he lunges at me and takes me down to the ground. I tuck my chin into my chest and breath out right before my back hits the concrete, saving myself from the pain of having the air knocked out of my lungs.
I put my arms over my face horizontally rather than vertically when he starts punching at me. When I've wiggled myself into the right spot, I wrap my legs around his waist and squeeze my knees together, pulling him down. He puts his hands down on either side of my head to catch himself when I put him off balance, which gives me the perfect opportunity to get out of this predicament.
I grab his right arm wrist and pull it across his chest at the same time that I take my right arm and wrap it around his neck, pulling him down onto me. I kick my leg straight down against his own so he is thrown more off balance and roll to my left, putting myself on top of him. I turn my body so I'm perpendicular on him now, and using all my strength pull his arm back as I put myself in a sitting position, placing my feet under his body to his side. I squeeze my legs against his arm and pull down on his wrist, arching my hips up, until I hear the satisfying pop of his elbow hyperextending and him screaming out in pain.
Just as I go to get up, Buzz and Man Bun have snuck up behind me and grab each of my arms, lifting me from the ground. Fatty has gotten up now, his lip and chin stained red and a huge lump on the side of his head. He's furious, obviously, so takes advantage of my predicament by punching me in the stomach, making me gasp out in pain.
"Not so smug now, huh?" He yells angrily, punching me again.
Suddenly I hear a snarl from somewhere to my right and look over just in time to see Alice run at Fatass and tackle him to the ground. Just as he makes contact with the ground, she flips over him and lands on her feet, turning around and hissing at my captors. I take advantage of her distraction to thrust my foot as hard as I can into Man Bun's knee, which makes him let go of me to grab his leg. With my free arm, I turn and elbow Buzz Lightyear in the side of the head and he falls to the ground. In my rage, I straddle him and start throwing punches at every part of him I can.
When he throws his arms up to protect his face, I grab his right forearm and slam it to the ground. Grabbing his wrist with my right hand, my elbow dug into his neck, I reach my left hand under his arm and grab my right wrist with it. Lifting my left arm up and pulling his hand down like I'm painting the ground with his hand until I can feel something tear in his wrist. I get up and look around to see all four guys writhing around in pain, with Alice standing amongst them and looking at me worriedly.
"Are you okay?" I ask her before she can ask me, knowing full well what the answer is.
"I'm fine. I should be asking you that. How's your stomach?" She asks, stepping to me and gently placing her hand to my ribs and feeling for breaks.
"I'm good. In case you didn't notice, I'm tougher than I look." I say, just a little smugly.
"Trust me, I've noticed." She says, giving me a knowing smirk. "Um, anyway. We should call the police."
"No! Let's just leave them and get out of here." I say quickly when she pulls her phone out of her purse that she had picked up off the ground where she must have dropped it when she came to my rescue.
"Bella, we can't let them get away with this." She says, eyeing me disbelievingly.
"Yes we can and we will. Trust me, the police will believe them over us. I've been through this before." I hurry on when she gives me a quizzical look, trying to cover my slip-up. "I mean, look at them. Do you think the cops will believe that you and I took down those four without a scratch on us?"
"If we don't report them, they could try this again on some other girl who may not be able to defend herself like you just did. Could you really live with yourself if that happened?" She shoots back at me.
She has a point... But, I can't go through this, not again. And I can't put Charlie and Renee through this again either. So, I turn away from Alice and walk over to the leader of the bunch. Using my foot, I force the Fat Flabby Fucker over onto his back and put the same foot to his neck, cutting off his air supply.
"If I find out that you or your buddies even look at a woman with anything but love in your eyes, I will cut each of your dicks off and flambé them. Then I'm gonna force you to eat Baldy over there's dick. Baldy will have Man Bun's. Man Bun get's Buzz's. And Buzz will eat yours. Do I make myself clear?" I say, stepping down harder on his throat.
He looks up at me, eyes wide in fear, and quickly nods his head. I lift my foot, and he gasps in a deep breath. I make my way to Buzz and Man Bun, making sure they heard and understood my threat. Then I make my way to Cueball, kicking him hard in the stomach to flip him over. He looks up at me angrily, and spits up at me. I kick him in the face, and see a tooth fall out on the ground next to him.
"Since you seem to be the more stubborn one, I'll cut your balls out too and feed them to you raw as a side dish for your Man Bun dick." I reach down and pull out the wallet I see sticking out from his back pocket. "Brock Persky, seriously? No wonder you have issues. Well, now that I know your name and that you go to the local high school, I'll be can keep an eye on you and your buddies." I drop his wallet down on his face and make my way back to Alice, who is looking at me with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open.
"I think that should help. Brock there may be stubborn, but I think his friends will keep him in line. So, can we go now, please?" I've wrapped my arm around my stomach now, which is starting to throb now that I'm coming out of defense mode.
"Um, yeah. Sure. I think that will suffice..." She says, shaking her head and wrapping an arm around my waist to steady me when I wince after taking too deep a breath.
"Alice... How did you know I was in trouble?" I ask her when we've made it to a populated street.
"I didn't. I was out shopping with Rose when I sme-saw you walking down the street in the wrong direction. I tried to call out to you, but you didn't hear me. You didn't answered when I called your phone either. So, I went to catch up with you. By the time I did, you were already fighting them. I was going to step in, but I saw that you were doing fine on your own. So, I sort of just watched. When the two meek ones grabbed you from behind, I figured it was time to help." She says, and I can't help but smile at the pride in her voice when she mentions me fighting and then grimace when she gets angry at the end.
"Well, I didn't get a chance to say it back there. So, thank you Alice. I don't wanna think what would have happened if you hadn't run into the fray." I say, giving her a grateful smile and deciding to bring up the fact she was going to say smell instead of saw later. "Also, thank you for not calling the cops. I just... I can't put Charlie through that. He'd regret ever letting me move out here and would send me back to Renee. I don't want to do that to him. He needs me too much."
"Don't thank me yet. I still have half a mind to go back and... Well, you better distract me before I do something I'll regret." She says, her eyes going dark.
"Excuse me?" I ask, distracted myself by the change in her eye color.
"I don't know. Talk about something trivial to calm me down. I was too shocked at you back there to get angry, but now the rage is catching up to me." She says, her grip on my waist loosening.
"Um... I'm gonna ram Linda into Tyler's new Dart. He apparently has it in his head that he's taking me to Prom, even though I never agreed to it, and is telling everyone. I figure, maybe if I total his car, that would make us even for him almost killing me a couple weeks ago and he'll give up. Hopefully it'll get him off this Prom thing and maybe make Lauren ease up on me." My confession comes out of me like word vomit in my haste to do what Alice asked.
"Hmm, I'd heard about that. Tyler plans on wearing a white tux and expects you to wear a white dress to match." Alice says, the corner of her mouth twitching and eyes lightening.
"You did? Oh great, maybe I should paralyze him. Then he can't dance or drive. No reason or way to go to prom then." I mumble to myself. "Do you feel better now?" I ask louder.
"A little. Keep distracting me though, at least until we get to the car." She's renewed her grip on my waist, which has my head in a fog.
"Will you go out with me?" I spit out, and grimace when I gasp at what I just did.
"What?" She says, dropping her arm altogether and stopping to stare at me.
"Uh... Will you... You know, go out with me? Like, o-on a date?" I say, stopping and turning to her. Just as I'm about to bolt down the road to hide under the first rock I find, she answers me.
"I thought you'd never ask. When would you like to have our first date?" She says, a big grin lighting up her beautiful face as she puts her arm back around me and continues leading me down the road.
"Oh, uh... I hadn't gotten that far." I say, my cheeks reddening.
Just then I look up to see Jessica and Angela coming out of a building and walking away from us toward the parking lot on the other side of it, both on their phones looking frantic. I run to catch up, Alice following close behind. They both turn around when I call their names, relief washing over their faces and then anger.
"Where have you been? We've been freaking out thinking you'd been kidnapped or something! I was just about to call your dad." Angela says, smacking me pretty hard on my arm, which makes me step back and rub it. I realize, I never want to see this side of her again. She is scary when she's mad.
"I'm sorry, guys. I sorta got lost." I answer sheepishly, running my hand through my hair.
"How could you possibly have gotten lost? You have a cell phone for crying out lo-loud!" Jessica stutters at the end when she spots Alice behind me. "Oh, uh. Hey Alice."
"I actually ran into Alice and she helped me find my way back here. Do you mind if she joins us for dinner? I figure that's the least I can do to thank her for saving me from the streets." I joke, then remember Alice doesn't eat. At least, not human food.
"Actually, we already ate while we were waiting for you. We were just gonna stop and get you McDonald's or something on the way home if you didn't show up before seven." Angela answers, relieving me of trying to figure out the Alice doesn't eat predicament.
"Oh... That's okay then. I'm not really that hungry." I shrug, holding in a grimace when the movement jostles my bruised ribs.
"Actually, I think you should eat. I can take her home, that way you guys don't have to wait for her." Alice steps in, looking at me pointedly before turning her charms to my friends.
"Uh... Sure, I don't see why not. I'll see you tomorrow Bella." Jessica answers, an amusing mixture of awe and confusion on her face.
"Jess, can I get my phone out of your car before you leave? I want to make sure I didn't miss any calls from Charlie." I ask, reminding her she can't leave me just yet.
"Oh yeah! Come on, I moved the car over here when we came to the restaurant." She says, leading me to a small parking lot nearby.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow. Thanks for inviting me guys, it was nice to hang out. Sorry it wasn't as much as we originally planned." I say, leaning into the rolled down passenger side window after they've gotten in and I've gotten my phone from the back.
"It's okay. Thank you for helping us pick out our amazing dresses. We are gonna be the hottest girls at the dance, guaranteed!" Angela says, hugging me through the window, and whispering so Jessica can't hear. "Good luck with your date."
"Hell yeah! There's no way Mike will be able to resist me in that dress." Jessica says, fist bumping me, oblivious to the stunned look I'm giving Angela who just winks at me as I step back to let them leave.
"I really can wait to eat. Besides, how are you going to get us home if you came here with Rosalie in her car?" I ask, realizing maybe I shouldn't have let Jessica leave.
"I never said we came here in Rose's car. We took separate cars, since we usually have too many bags to fit in just one trunk after our shopping excursions." She says, leading me back to the restaurant.
"Well then, I just want to clarify that this will not count as our date. I think our first date should be something we both enjoy, and eating at an Italian restaurant after fighting off four creeps doesn't qualify." I say, checking over the notifications on my phone. There aren't any from Charlie, thankfully. Just several missed calls from Alice, Jessica, and Angela along with some super pissed texts from the latter two.
"Table for two please!" Alice says cheerily to the hostess when we walk in, who smirks predatorily when she sees Alice. Looking over at me, and seemingly satisfied that I appear completely out of Alice's league compared to her bleach blonde hair and nose job, her grin grows wider.
"Of course, follow me." She says to Alice in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Here we are!" She announces like a car salesman, starting to lay down our menus for us at a large table in the middle of the almost empty restaurant.
"I'm sorry, but could we have something more private, please?" Alice asks, and I swear I see her slide the hostess a bill with Franklin on it. I though that only happened in movies?
"Oh, sure!" The hostess looks just as surprised as me, but leads us around a partition that dulls the chatter from the rest of the guests. "How's this?"
"Much better, thank you!" Alice smiles at her, making the poor woman zone out for a moment.
"Uh, you're welcome. Your server will be right out." She says, after shaking her head and regaining her composure.
"You know, that's not very nice when you do that." I say, grinning at Alice as I take my seat facing the opening of the partition.
"Do what?" She looks so shocked, like I offended her as she sits across from me, her back to the opening.
"Dazzle people. You and your siblings. I wonder how many people you've caused to faint or hyperventilate because of it?"
"Hmm... Do I dazzle you?" She asks, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Absolutely. All the time." I answer truthfully.
Just then our server joins us. He seems way too excited, and when I see the way he is eyeing Alice, I understand why. The hostess must have told him about our table, and it seems he isn't disappointed. I suddenly get the urge to smack him, when I see the predatory look in his eyes. She doesn't notice though, because her eyes are on me.
"Hello, my name is Austin and I'll be your server this evening. What can I start you off with to drink?" He asks Alice, having not even looked in my direction since walking up to our table, and tucking a long lock of dark hair behind his ear.
"Bella?" Alice asks, which makes the server finally look over at me.
"Oh, uh." I glance at the drink menu. "Root beer, please."
"I'll have one as well, thank you." Alice says, still never looking up from me.
"I'll bring that right back." He walks away, shoulders slumped slightly.
"Why are you staring at me?" I ask, not able to hide the twitch at the corners of my mouth.
"You know, you were pretty amazing, the way you took on those guys. Where did you learn that?" She says, putting her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand.
"Well, my best friend back in Phoenix, Jeana, her dad is the director of the Criminal Justice department at the community college. He's also the squad leader of the Reserve SWAT team for the Sheriff Department, a former Ranger in the Army, and does MMA. He started a class called Police Officer Survival, which teaches self-defense among other things.
"When he realized his students were interested in continuing the self-defense training part of the class, he offered to let students come during his off hours in the afternoon to learn for free. I may not have been a student, but he let me in since Jeana and I are friends. I studied with him three times a week after school for two years before moving out here."
"Here you are." Alex is back and sets down two bottles of IBC Root Beer and a basket of breadsticks. "Now, have you decided on what you'll be eating?" He asks Alice again, going as far as turning his back to me completely.
"What'll you have, Bella?" Alice asks, forcing our waiter to face me.
"Um, I'll have the Tuscan Steak, please." I say, shoving the menu back at Alex a little too roughly, which causes Alice to smirk.
"And for you?" Alex eagerly turns back to Alice.
"Nothing for me, thanks." Of course not. She hands him back the menu, and he stalks off disappointed.
"You really should drink that. The sugar will do you good." She says, indicating the sodas in front of us. She also pushes the basket toward me, gesturing to it like a hand model.
I grab a breadstick and take a bite, but put it back down. It's kind of chewy and doesn't have much flavor to it. I'd need something to dip it in if I'm going to be able to eat them. I take a few gulps from the bottle, it's my favorite brand of Root Beer, which is why I chose it. I shiver slightly when I feel the cold liquid travel down my body.
"Are you cold?" Alice sounds concerned now, and starts taking her jacket off.
"No, I'm fine. It's just the soda. Thank you though." She hesitantly pulls the jacket back around her.
"You know, a normal person wouldn't be so calm after what happened. No matter how much training they did." She says, cocking her head to the side to observe me while pushing her soda to me when I drain mine. I notice her eyes are back to their honey color, which confirms a theory I didn't know I had until now.
"Well, I'm not exactly normal. And neither are you, for that matter. I take it you're feeling better now? You're eyes aren't black anymore, so you must be." I shrug, taking a sip of the soda she pushed to me.
"What do you mean by that?" She says, shifting uncomfortably in her seat and lowering her eyes.
"You seem to be in better spirits the lighter your eyes are. I think I know why that is..." I say, taking another bite of the bland breadstick.
"Do tell. After you've gotten your food, of course." She says, glancing up at me and giving me a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.
Just a few seconds later, Austin comes around the partition with my food. There have been a few times she's alluded to 'being able to predict' things before. Maybe I should start with that, before I bring up the whole vampire theory. Austin provides a brief distraction for me while I contemplate how to work this conversation.
"Are you sure there isn't anything I can get you?" Austin asks Alice, the double meaning not lost on me, making me grab my fork so tight I can feel the sides of it creating indents in my fingers and palm.
"No thank you, but we could use a couple more Root Beers, please." She says, indicating the empty bottle in front of her and the half empty one in front of me.
Austin leaves, slouching in defeat, which makes me smile as I stab a strip of steak with my fork and take a bite. It's pretty good, although a little too heavy on the rosemary. I take a few more bites, using it to make up the time I lost imagining stabbing Austin with my fork. Austin returns with two more bottles of soda, puts them on the table, and leaves without saying a word.
"So, are you going to tell me your theory?" Alice asks when he's out of earshot.
"Hmm, I think it best I save that one for when we're in the car. I'd like to discuss something else though... Let's say, hypothetically, someone could predict the future. How would that work? Are there limitations? Well, besides not being able to see some people." Alice smirks at this, some of the humor returning to her eyes.
"Hypothetically speaking... Well, that someone's power would most likely be based on the decisions made by those the, let's call them visions, pertain to. If they change their mind, the future changes. There is an exception though. No matter how hard that someone tried to focus on a certain someone else, they'd draw a blank." I'm happy she's playing along, and she seems to be enjoying herself.
"Shall we continue in the hypothetical, or can we just come out with it now?" I ask, smirking at Alice.
"I'm kind of enjoying this game, but we can be serious. I'm sure you have more questions, right?" She asks, spreading her napkin out on the table.
"A few. So, were you really shopping with Rosalie or were you following me? It's a little hard to believe we ended up in Port Angeles at the same time on the night a group of guys try to attack me knowing what you can do."
"No, I wasn't stalking you. I really was shopping with Rose. I had no idea you were coming out here. We come either here, Seattle, or Olympia every other weekend. Last weekend we happened to come here, and Esme was with us and commissioned a painting. It's finished, so she wanted us to pick up it up over at the Landing Mall. We figured we would do some shopping since we were already out. As you seemed to figure out, I can't see you in my visions. I've managed to see glimpses of your future through those around you, but I have to concentrate on them. I can't really see those I don't know, otherwise I might have seen what those cretins were planning." She says, grabbing the table at the end and I can hear the wood start to splinter.
"Hey, look at me." She does, and I reach out to put my hand on hers. I pull away though when she pulls her's back slightly. "You've saved my life twice now. Thank you."
"You really shouldn't thank me. You're aren't as safe as you think you are." She says bitterly, looking somewhere over my shoulder.
"Are you talking about yourself or Edward?"
"Both..." She whispers so low I barely hear her.
"Edward, I get the feeling your right about. But you, Alice, I feel absolutely safe with you. I know you wouldn't hurt me. I trust you, unconditionally." I say, reaching out and putting my hand on hers, ignoring it when she starts to pull away this time. She watches me carefully when I grasp her hand firmly, and visibly relaxes when I don't react to how cold it is.
"You really shouldn't..." She says, but I can see the internal struggle she's facing.
"Well, tough shit. I do. Now, back to your powers. Mind if I test you?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.
"How do you plan on doing that?" She asks, my plan seeming to work so far.
"Hmmmm..." I think, and then remember a scene from the game Life is Strange. "Tell me a few things that happen within the restaurant in the next minute."
"Alright..." She rolls her eyes at me, then her eyes glaze over for a moment before focusing on me and smirking before quickly rattling off her predictions. "In seventeen seconds Austin will drop a stack of menus, then seven seconds after that the man at the table by the door will sneeze rather dramatically, followed immediately by the woman in the back corners phone going off with an old-school game version of Bad Guy as her ringtone."
I immediately started counting when she said seventeen seconds, so rushed to get up and peek around the partition when she finished talking, hyper aware of Alice right next to me. Sure enough, at seventeen seconds on the dot Austin drops a large stack of black menus that slide every which way on the hardwood floor. He quickly glances in our direction and blushes when he sees that I saw. Again, right on the money, an overweight man at least in his 60s lets out a loud, dramatic sneeze that shakes his table and causes the glasses and plates to rattle. Before the glasses even settle, a business woman in the corners phone rings, the 8-bit version Bad Guy by Billie Eilish playing, and she hastily pulls it from her purse to silence it.
"That was amazing..." I say, sitting back down in my chair while Alice aims some over exaggerated bowing to me. "So, you can't see my future. Why is that? Do you think there's something wrong with me?"
"I can see the future, but you think you're the one with issues?" She snorts at me.
"Alright, let's put the focus back on you now." I say, rolling my eyes. "Can you only see the people who are physically close to you's future, or can you see people no matter the distance?"
"It's not about being physically close to someone, it's about being mentally or emotionally close. I can see my family rather easily, since we have both connections. If I focus, I can see people I've only met in passing, but it's a lot more strenuous."
"Can anyone else in your family see the future?"
"No, just me..." I got the feeling there was more she was going to say, but didn't push it.
"How's everything going over here?" Austin returns, less enthusiastic than before, but not in the slump he was a few minutes ago.
"Wonderful, but I think we're ready to go. Can we have the check, please?" She answers sweetly.
"Oh, of course. Let me go split it for you." He answers, looking defeated as he turns to walk away.
"That won't be necessary." Alice says, pulling a bill from her purse and handing it to him. "You can keep the change. Thank you for the wonderful meal."
"Have a great evening." He answers, dazed by the smile she gives him as she escorts me to the door.
It's well past eight o'clock now, so it's much colder outside. I follow Alice as she tries to lead me quickly back down to the bay to the parking lot I thought I saw Rosalie's BMW. She stops when we get to a yellow Porsche 911 Turbo and my jaw drops when she opens the passenger door and motions for me to get inside. She immediately turns the heater on when she starts it and angles all the vents toward me. In what I come to realize is typical Alice fashion, she tears out of the parking lot. After a few turns, we are back on 101, which is a straight shot back to Forks.
"So, we're in the car now. You going to tell me this theory of yours?" She asks, taking her eyes off the road and looking at me.
"Can you slow down first?" I had noticed she's doing 125, and tried to keep my voice steady so she wouldn't know the panic I feel at going so fast.
"I told you, I hate going slow. We aren't going to get into an accident or anything. Don't forget, I can see it coming." She says, winking at me.
"I know." Now that she's reminded me of that, I feel a lot better. But still, I want to savor this moment with her. The drive home is only an hour at the normal speed and at this rate, we'll be there in less than half an hour. "As fast as you're goin', I won't even finish telling you before we get to my house."
She seems to think this over for a moment before I see the needle on the speedometer lower dramatically and land on seventy. "Ugh, so slow." I hear her mutter under her breath, making me giggle at her. "Shut up!" She says poutily, but I see the corners of her mouth twitch.
"Poor Ali!" I mock her in a baby voice.
"ANYWAY!" She yells in order to be heard over my baby noises. "You're supposed to be telling me this theory of yours, Miss Bella."
"Um... I dunno where to start..." I say, my cheeks reddening.
"Did you come up with this theory on your own, or did you have help? Movies, books, TV shows, video games?" Alice prods.
"Not on my own. I had help from an old friend from the reservation when I was at the beach with the kids from school." I notice her stiffen in her seat.
"Oh, and what did they say?" Her voice is calm, but I have gotten to know her well enough by now to hear the slight tremor in it.
"It wasn't what Jacob said that pointed me in your direction at first, but someone else that crashed the party. Lauren, of course, was trying to bait me and mentioned you guys. An older guy from the res perked up when she did and alluded to you guys not being allowed there. I got Jacob, my friend, to walk with me and he told me one of their legends and said the tribe believes it pertains to your family." I say, realizing it was easier to just let it out than try to be more tactful.
"Really? I thought the tribe was more tight-lipped about their history..." She says, still in that falsely calm voice.
"Well, I sort of... Wheedled it out of him..." I say sheepishly, which she notices.
"Oh, and how did you do that?" She says, smirking at my awkwardness.
"I flirted it out of him. I didn't think it would work, but I guess all those movies I've watched came in handy." I say, chuckling a little at the memory.
"Poor Jacob. And you think I'm the mean one! Anyway, what legend supposedly alludes to my family?" She laughs, but her body is still stiff in her seat.
"You are..." I grumble under my breath. "So, he told me about how important wolves are to them, an utterly ridiculous story about how their ancestors survived the flood, and about... vampires." I say, shuffling in my seat.
"And which of those has to do with my family and my eyes?" She asks, leveling her gaze on me.
"Well, it doesn't really tell me anything about your eyes. I actually got that theory on my own. But, they say your family are the vampires in one of their legends..." She's quiet for a while after I finally reveal my suspicion.
"And you're still here, alone with me, even though you believe I'm a vampire?" She says, eyeing me disbelievingly.
"I told you in the restaurant, I feel safe with you. It doesn't matter what you are, it doesn't change that." I say, meeting the challenge in her eye.
"You know, you're just a trouble magnet. It wouldn't be a stretch for you to to meet vampires with all that you get yourself into. I feel like I couldn't keep you safe no matter how hard I try, despite how you feel." She says, rolling her eyes at me when she realizes she's going to lose the stare down.
"What do you mean by that?" I ask, to which she grabs my hands and turns them over so the palms are up, revealing a few faint scratches that are already healing and a couple that are scabbed over.
"Oh jeez, I tripped at the tide pools on Saturday. Those rocks are slippery! Besides, they didn't really bleed that much. I could barely smell them, so at least I didn't get faint again." I say, closing my hands to hide them and tucking them to my sides.
"Is it just the legend that makes you think we're blood hungry monsters?" She says, chuckling slightly and my irritation.
"No, I've made my own observations. And I don't think you're a monster, just to get that out of the way." She scoffs at me, which makes me continue in a more threatening tone."So, do you want me to tell you what I've noticed or not?"
"Yes..." She answers quietly, but I can still hear the frustration in her voice.
"Let's start with the physical stuff. You're all pale, I've yet to see any of you get flushed, even in gym. You're all beautiful, a certain someone more than the others." I'm pleased to see the corners of her mouth inch up for a moment at my compliment. "And then there's the behaviors I've noticed, mostly from you and Edward since I've been around you two the most. You and Edward both have talked like you're from the turn of the previous century rather than this one. I haven't seen any of you take even one bite of your food at lunch.
"Edward ditched class the day we did the blood typing, despite actually being at school that day. Usually, if he misses class, it's for a full day. You guys always skip school when it's actually sunny. Your eyes change color, I'm guessing when you haven't... Eaten for a while or feel a strong emotion. Like when you were pissed at those guys earlier. You're cold, which would explain why the Quileute's call you guys the cold ones. Ummm... I can't think of anything else right now." I finish my rant, finally looking up at Alice. She's staring at me in shock, and I notice out the corner of my eye the car never goes over the lines.
"Wow... No one's ever paid that much attention to us." She says, finally looking back at the road.
"Well, only one of you really grabbed my attention." I say, turning back to face front in my seat.
"So, you're not going to ask?"
"Ask what?"
"What our... diet is?" She's facing ahead, a sad look in her eyes.
"Well, the Quileute's say you drink animal blood. That's why they didn't kill your family when they first met you."
"Hmm... And you believe them?"
"I do."
"That doesn't mean your safe though. We've made mistakes before. There are people who are more tempting to us than most others. You fall into that category, moreso than anyone I've met before. I... I couldn't bear it if you were a casualty." She glances at me, and I know she's frustrated when I am looking back without the fear she expects to see.
"So, do I smell that good to you? I didn't miss your slip earlier. I know you were gonna say you smelled me walking in the wrong direction, instead of saw me."
"Yes. Your scent is... God, it's indescribable. That's what terrifies me." She says after whipping her head to look at me in shock.
"I trust you Alice. I know you wouldn't hurt me, or let anyone else for that matter."
"I wish I believed in me the way you do." She says, smiling sadly at me.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to prove that I'm right." I say, winking at her and giving her a huge smile that she reluctantly returns. "So, how old are you?"
"Eighteen or nineteen. I'm not sure exactly." She answers more readily now.
"How long have you been eighteen or nineteen? Has it been so long you can't remember?"
"Since 1920. And no, when I told you I don't remember my parents, it's because I don't remember my past at all." I notice we are on my street now, and realize our time is almost up.
"So, do you burst into flames in sunlight?"
"No, that's one of many myths." She answers, smirking now.
"So, why don't you guys come to school when it's sunny?" I ask, confused now.
"We don't burn up, but that doesn't mean the sun doesn't have an effect on us. Maybe I'll show you sometime."
"I'm holding you to that. So, do you not sleep in a coffin?"
"Nope. Another myth"
"Damn, I was looking forward to seeing that." She laughs at the disappointed look on my face.
"Bella, we don't sleep. Like, at all. We don't get fatigued, tired, sore, or any of the like. That also means our brains have no need to recharge. Hence, we don't need to sleep."
"Oh... So, I've already debunked the no shadows, no reflection, and no pictures myths. How about garlic?"
"Also a myth. You're really on a losing streak right now." She teases.
"So, do I not have to lock away my wooden stakes when you're around?" I joke, going to push her jokingly and only managing to feel like I've pushed against a wall.
"No, there isn't much that can kill us. But Bella, you really should get inside. I don't want your dad to start worrying about you. He already should be, but I'll keep your secret. As long as you keep mine, of course."
"Alice, I hope you know enough about me by now to know I'm not going to say anything to anyone about you. Now, will I see you tomorrow?" I ask, desperation tainting my voice.
"Are you sure you still want to?" She asks, searching my eyes.
"More than anything." I answer immediately, which seems to both please and sadden her.
"I'll be at school tomorrow. It won't be sunny again for a while." I answer simply with a smile, then get out of the car. I start walking toward the door, but am stopped when Alice calls my name. "Bella, please do me a favor... Stay out of the woods. My family and I aren't the only threats around here."
I nod stiffly at her in response and wave as she pulls away. When I get inside, I see Charlie sitting at the TV, a plate in front of him with the remnant of one of the sandwiches I made this morning drying out on it. He's watching the end of the Chicago Blackhawks vs. Arizona Coyotes game. Arizona is winning 1-0, which makes me grin.
"Bells?" He calls over his shoulder, not looking away from the screen.
"Yeah dad, it's me." I say, petting Mindy who is sniffing me like crazy and wagging her tail. After taking my shoes off, I walk over and pick up his plate and a few empty beer cans from the table.
"I was gonna get that." He grumbles, but doesn't move to stop me."So, have a fun girl's night out? Find a nice dress for yourself and decide to go?" He asks loudly, so I can hear him in the kitchen while I clean his plate.
"Ha ha dad. I did have fun though. Jess and Ang found dresses that look great on them. They're definitely gonna catch some eyes at the dance."
"Are you alright? You sound off." He says, concern for me pulling his eyes from the TV so he can look me over.
"I'm just tired dad. We did a lot of walking around and then got Italian after, so I'm stuffed and exhausted. I'm gonna call Jess to make sure she got Ang and herself home safely then head to bed. Night dad." I say, kissing the top of his head.
"Night, Kid." He calls as Mindy and Chip race ahead of me upstairs.
My phone rings as I hit the first step, and after a quick glance at the screen I accept the call. "Hey Jess, I was just about to call you. I'm guessing you made it home okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. So, what happened with Alice? Get any juicy info on Edward?" She sounds way too excited, and I'm sure it's more to do with the potential to learn something she can use to gain Edwards attention more than an actual curiosity on me making attempts at him (yeah right.)
"We just had a quick dinner and she drove me home. We didn't talk about anything interesting and only brought up Edward once in passing."
"Oh." She sounds so disappointed at my lack of juicy details.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night, Jess."
Now that I have time to myself and can go over the events of the night, I realize I desperately need a shower. Not only did I get sweaty fighting those creeps, I feel utterly disgusting from having touched them and them touch me, even though they didn't get the opportunity to do so sexually. I grab my pajamas from my pillow and go to the bathroom for a long, hot, and thorough shower. I scrub my skin raw in my fervor to clean away the ghost touch of the boys from earlier.
I'm shivering when I get out. Charlie doesn't make that much money, despite being the Chief of Police, so keeps the heat down to save money. I rush to dry off, get dressed, and run to my room to get under the covers and curl up tightly. Chip and Mindy, sensing my discomfort, curly up on either side of me. When my trembling finally slows ten minutes later, I reach my arm out to plug my phone in and turn on the next band in my music library, Infant Annihilator. It's not exactly relaxing music, but I can fall asleep to anything.
As I lay there, I realize three things. One, Alice is a fucking vampire! Until I moved out here, I never would have expected them to exist, let alone to meet a whole family of them just blending into a typical high school. Well, blending is being way too generous, but I know what I mean. Second, Alice thirsts for my blood. Although I trust her without question, I wonder how to ease her pain and make it so I can lessen her burden and temptation. Third, I can no longer picture a life that doesn't have that beautiful goddess in it. And the thought of losing her scares me more than anything that was revealed or happened tonight.