I wake up around noon, making up for the sleep I missed the day before, to the sound of my phone ringing on the nightstand. It stops as soon as I reach for it, and a glance at the still lit screen shows me it was Jess. She no doubt wants to tell me all about the dance last night and analyze every word Mike said. Not wanting to deal with that so soon after waking up, I change out of my clothes from yesterday, which smell fishy from Pike Place and walking along the waterfront.
I get to the kitchen and there is a note from Charlie on the fridge for me. He's gone down to the reservation to hang out with his friend Harry, which I'm kind of glad for. I don't think I'm quite ready for him to meet Alice yet. I grab some bread, eggs, milk, and bacon from the fridge.
While I cook up some bacon and French toast for myself, I give Angela a call instead. I'm curious how her night went with Eric, hoping he didn't ruin it for her, and knowing she'll be less intense than Jessica. Angela finally picks up after the sixth ring, right as I was about to hang up, sounding like I woke her from a good sleep.
"Hey, Bella." She croaks, sounding like she's wiping away drool.
"Hey sleepyhead! Does the fact you're still asleep at noon mean you had a good night?" I ask, flipping French toast over in the skillet.
"With Eric, no. He and Kate wandered off together at some point. When Ben and I found out, we just made the most of it and danced together." She answers, waking up more fully when she mentions Ben.
"Well, that was a dick move on Eric's part. He never deserved you anyway. Ben seems way more your type. Although I wouldn't have expected that from Kate. Anyway, did you guys get up to anything after the dance?" I ask, hoping Ben managed to salvage her night, like I expect he would.
"We drove out to La Push and walked along the beach, actually. We talked for hours. When it got cold, he put his jacket around my shoulders. He was so sweet." She tells me, sighing dreamily.
"Hm, I'm glad he was a gentleman. Although, I don't think he could be anything but decent." I say, trying not to burn myself with bacon grease.
"No, he really can't. Actually, he asked me to go out with him next weekend. We're gonna go catch a movie out in the city. He said US just came out, so we're gonna see that." She tells me, a touch of excitement creeping into her voice.
"Oh, gonna get cuddled up and watch a scary movie? Sounds like a perfect night." I say fondly, hoping the date goes well for her. They really are a cute couple.
"I'm sure it will. Now, enough about me. How was your date? Which plan did you end up going with?" She asks, sounding just as excited to hear about my night as she was about telling me about hers.
"Plan C." I say, and she interrupts me before I can continue.
"Ah, that was The Great Wheel and that burlesque show, right?" She asks, and I can hear her bed squeak from her moving around.
"It was a cabaret, although I'm not sure if there's a difference. We had the best time. She never stopped smiling. I think that means it was a success, right?" I say, grinning ear to ear at the memories of last night.
"Hm, you can't call it a true success if the night didn't end with a kiss. So, was it really a success?" She asks coyly.
"Oh, well if that's the stipulation… Was your night with Ben?" I turn the tables on her, and I can tell I take her off guard.
"Oh… Uh- no, we didn't get that far. I don't think I'd have wanted to anyway, since it wasn't really meant to be our night together. Ya know?" She says, not sounding too terribly sad, which makes me think she means it about it not being the right time for them.
"Yeah, I get it…" I say, kinda sad for her but also wanting to keep her on the edge of her seat about Alice and I's kiss a bit longer. I guess I am more a teenage girl than I thought.
"So, are you gonna answer me or not?" She asks, clearly getting exasperated.
"So, the stipulation for a good date night being an end with a kiss… I guess mine was." She responds with a high-pitched squeal I would have expected more to come from Jess than her, but it's contagious, nonetheless.
"So, does that mean you're going out again?" She asks after she's calmed down.
"Yeah, she said she's coming to pick me up today. In a few hours, actually. She wouldn't tell me what we're doing though. I suspect she's getting her payback on me." I answer, setting my plate down on the kitchen table and turning off the stove.
"Clever girl. I knew I liked her for a reason. You'll have to tell me what you end up doing then, in class tomorrow. For now, though, I think I should let you get to eating. Sounds like you're making a feast over there." She says chuckling.
"I don't know about feast, but I am gonna chow down. You go be productive or something, lazy ass. I'll see you tomorrow." I say, teasing her.
"Don't tell me what to do, bitch. Byeeee!" She starts off with a mock angry tone, then ends in an overly cheerful one, drawing out the end and sounding like a toddler.
While eating breakfast, I think over what Alice could possibly have planned for us today. Seeing the weather forecast on my phone's home screen, it's supposed to be mostly cloudy, with some sun making an appearance sporadically throughout the day. So, that rules out doing anything outside. Sighing, I wash my dishes and collapse on the couch, turning on Practical Magic while I try to get some homework done before Alice comes over.
After knocking out the Calculus homework, I head upstairs and sit at my computer desk so I can type up my short essay on The Great Gatsby and work on lighting cues for the play. After I finish that, I decide to look up inspiration for mine and Angela's history project. An hour into the abyss that is the internet later, I'm on a website I've found with dozens of pictures from the 1913 Women's Suffrage Parade in Washington D.C.
While cycling through the pictures, I suddenly stop on one. I pull the screen closer to me, burning my eyes a little as I try to squint at a face in the background. Remembering I'm on a computer, and a decent one at that, I save the picture and open photo editing software to blow the picture up. There are two little girls, watching the parade from the sidelines, holding each other's hands. The older looking of them is holding who I would venture is their mother's hand.
At first, it was the mother that caught my attention, because some features on her face, despite the age of the photo and general blurriness, resemble so strongly some of Alice's more prominent features. Her slightly upturned nose, high cheekbones, and the set of her eyes are a spitting image of Alice.
When I look down at the older girl, I suddenly hear the loud chatter of hundreds of people on the street along with heavy hoof falls on gravel from nearby horses. I smell the dust coming from the road, being kicked up by the crowds of people, mingling with the sweaty smell of the horses. I can see the youngest girl look up at her sister in excitement, squeezing her hand and bouncing up and down as she watches the women walk by, holding their banners in front of them.
I'm watching from the other side of the street, my gaze on the young girl across the street broken when people pass in front of us. She looks to be around 12 or 13, based on her height. Her face is covered in shadow, caused by her large-brimmed hat, flowers sticking out of the ribbon that wraps around it.
Just as she looks up, I'm transported back to the present, startled by my phone ringing next to me. Jess again. I close the image quickly and push away from my desk. Shaking my head as if that can dislodge the thoughts invading them. Deciding it best to answer the phone, lest she blows it up later when I'm with Alice, I hit accept. At the very least this will be a nice distraction from trying to figure out what just happened.
"Hey Jess, how was the dance?" I answer shakily, getting up and pacing around my small room. I never was one who could sit still while talking on the phone, plus I'm still freaking out a little from whatever that was with the picture.
"Oh my God Bella, it was amazing. Mike and I danced all night. Angela and Ben ended up together an hour in, after Eric and Kate snuck off together to who knows where. Tyler and Lauren got kicked out for 'dancing inappropriately'. It was definitely a night to remember." She relays excitedly, obviously still euphoric from the night before.
"That's great! And Lauren getting kicked out doesn't surprise me one bit. What about after the dance? You and Mike do anything inappropriate yourselves?" I ask suggestively, raising my eyebrows a few times, forgetting she can't see me through the phone.
"Oh, he's much too a gentleman. He took me home after the dance, saying he wanted to respect the curfew my mom set. I think he's scared of her, which I don't blame him for. She brings a whole new meaning to resting bitch face. Could even give that Rosalie chick a run for her money. Anyway, I could tell he definitely wanted to kiss me on the porch but kept jumping back at every little noise." She sighs wistfully on the other end. "Next time, I'm sure."
"There's no way he can resist your charm for long. I'm glad you had a great time Jess. How'd he react to your dress? I hope we did well with the choice." I say, wanting to keep her from asking about my night as long as possible.
"Oh, he loved it! I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head when he saw me. He especially liked the low cut on my cleavage, which isn't surprising since he is of the male species and straight. I caught his eyes looking down at them quite a few times while we were dancing." She chuckles at the memory, and I gag a little.
"Nice, I knew he would like it. Didn't I call it?" I answer, doodling absent-mindedly on a blank page in a notebook on my desk.
"Yes, yes, you're amazing. So, are you gonna tell me what you did last night? Did my advice pan out? Of course, I know it did, but I want to hear it from you." She says in a rush.
"Yes yes, you're amazing. A Goddess wasted upon us mere mortals." I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes before I answer her more pressing question. "We ended up wandering around Pike Place and the waterfront for a while. When it got dark, we took a few rides on the Great Wheel. After that, we went back to Pike Place to see the midnight cabaret show. So, yes, you gave me some sage advice. I will try not to doubt you again, oh mighty one." I end in fake reverence.
"While I don't appreciate the sarcasm, I am glad things went well. You two do make an adorable couple, and I'd hate for you to have screwed it up with a lame plan for a date." She says, making me cringe at the fact she is completely right. "Did it go well enough to get that first date kiss?" She asks, and I can hear her grinning like mad and her eyebrows raised in excitement for me.
"Yes, Jessica, we kissed. It was amazing, fireworks and all. Then she asked me out for today. As a matter of fact, she should be here any moment, so I should go. I'll see you at school tomorrow!" I answer, getting a look at the time and seeing it's already 3:50.
"Oh, okay bye. You better tell me everything in class!" Jess gets in before I hang up on her, which I feel slightly bad for, but also glad I have the excuse to get out of that inevitably lengthy conversation.
Just as I finish putting food in the animal's bowls, there is a knock on the door. When I open it, my breath catches as I gaze upon a true Goddess on the other side. She's exposing more of her skin than I've ever seen. She's wearing short jean shorts, fraying at the bottoms, with a plain white tank-top, and her jacket tied around her waist. After a moment, I hear her tinkling laugh and look up.
"Excuse me, my eyes are up here, Ms. Swan." She teases me, stepping up to me and kissing me quickly, making my head spin.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry. Right." I answer, my thoughts still jumbled from the kiss, brief as it was. "So, I'm guessing you won't be revealing what you have in store for me?"
"Oh, come now. I don't believe in tit-for-tat, Bella. Weeeeee… Are going hiking! I've packed you a lunch and some water bottles in my bag. It's gonna be sunny today, so it's something we can safely do since there won't be any people on the trail we'll be on." She answers, sitting down on the floor and giving Mindy her attention. "I'd suggest you change into something else that you don't mind getting a little dirty." She says, eyeing one of the nicer outfits I put on thinking we would be going out somewhere more inside and in public, not outside in nature.
"Oh… Alright. I'll be right back then." I answer, not quite able to fully dread today since I'll be spending it with Alice. However, the thought of having to make my way through the uneven ground of the forests makes me cringe.
"Much better!" She sings when I make it back downstairs after changing into an old t-shirt, jeans, and some boots I found at a consignment shop back in Phoenix.
"You sure you wanna do this Alice? I think you should know by now that I can't even walk on a flat, stable, unobstructed surface without tripping over myself. You really want me to go trekking through the woods? With roots, branches, rocks, and other things just begging for me to catch my feet on?" I ask, hoping to talk her out of this disaster waiting to happen.
"Well, I've seen you play some sports without an issue. I don't see how this is much different." She answers with a smirk.
"That's different. I was pissed at Lauren those times. I dunno why, but anger seems to be a great subconscious motivator for me to not make a fool of myself. A motivator I don't think you want to bring out when it is just the two of us… Not that I think you could anyway." I answer, crossing my arms as I watch her trying to pet Chip and Mindy with equal attention from her position on the floor.
"Alright, I get it. Now, don't worry, I won't let you hurt yourself. We'll have fun, you'll see." She answers, getting up off the floor and grabbing the bag she dropped on the floor when she walked in. "I'm even gonna let you drive us." She announces cheerily.
"I guess there's one bright side to this." I grumble quietly, almost forgetting she can hear me.
"Come on grumpy gus, you'll be fine." She says, grabbing my hand and tugging me along to Linda.
We head north on the 101 for about twelve miles, and then just before the 113, she has me turn off onto an unmarked dirt road. Good thing my old truck can't actually make it to the speed limit without a struggle, otherwise I would have missed it. I drive for another couple of miles until it ends, and I worry I'll have a hard time reversing back out, since there is no way my truck can turn around in this tiny space.
Alice is at my door the moment I stop and turn off the engine. She opens it for me and holds her hand out to help me down.
"This way, m'lady." Alice says after grabbing her backpack from the bed of the truck and leading me into the woods on the opposite side from where there is a more worn route into the trees that I thought would be the start of the trail.
"Where are we going?" I ask, already having slipped on a pile of wet leaves.
"Not far. There's a place I found when I first moved here with the family that I've come to think of as my sanctuary of sorts. I want to share it with you. It's only five or six miles. You'll be fine." She answers from ahead of me, holding back a branch for me to pass by when I finally catch up.
"Five or six miles?" I ask incredulously, stopping for a moment to look at her for a hint that she's joking.
"Yes. That shouldn't take long, right?" She asks, suddenly looking uncertain of herself.
"Alice, even a person who is only half as clumsy as me would take at least an hour or two to go that far without obstacles blocking their path. As disastrous as I am, and adding in trees, boulders, and whatever else in this forest... We won't get to wherever this place is until it's dark. That'll make it take me even longer to get back out." I say, sighing and walking ahead.
"Oh… I didn't realize. I guess I should have looked up how long it takes humans to hike. We should have started sooner. I'm sorry Bella." She says, trailing along behind me and sadness tainting her beautiful voice.
"It's okay Al-ice!" I gasp as I trip over a rock, but Alice grabs my waist right before I hit the ground and steadies me.
"You know, I could get us there in no time at all. If you'd like?" She says, perking up and making her perfectly arched eyebrows dance.
"How?" I ask, skeptically.
"I could carry you. Then you can see how I get through the woods." She purrs, stepping closer to me and grabbing my hand.
"Okay." I answer, dazed from the tone in her voice and close proximity.
She grins then, and in a flash, she slings me onto her back and shoots off in the direction we were heading. Trees blur past us, and I have to close my eyes because I get crazy motion sickness. I'm afraid she'll forget that I'm bigger than her, and I'll hit my foot on a tree or something. That would be terrible and would definitely shatter my leg.
Barely three minutes pass and we come to a stop at the edge of the woods. I can see the sun peeking through the leaves and branches ahead, giving off a green glow on the ground. I can hear the rush of water from what I expect is a river or stream nearby. Alice sets me down and holds out her hand to indicate I should go ahead. Adrenaline still pumping, I wobble ahead of her toward the light. When I step out, I'm rendered speechless by the sight before me.
A hundred yards ahead is the source of the water sound, a small waterfall that lands into a shallow stream, weaving its way along the tree line that signifies the end of the meadow that lies before me. The meadow is filled with wildflowers, reminding me of a Monet painting I once saw of a woman holding a bouquet of colorful flowers in each hand while walking down a road surrounded by the same flowers.
I bend down and smell a nearby red flower and find myself relaxing in its subtle aroma. I turn around to tell Alice to come smell it, but don't see her. My shoulders tense for a moment as I look around, panicking slightly when I can't find her right away. I finally spot her still behind the trees in the direction I came from.
"Alice, what's wro-?" I start to ask, before it dawns on me when I see a shimmer of sunlight reflect off the water of the stream in the corner of my eye. "Oh, the sun. I thought it didn't hurt you?" I ask fully now, confused.
"It doesn't… But, like I said, that doesn't mean it doesn't have an effect on us." She says so quietly I almost don't hear her.
"Hey, you don't have to show me now, if you don't want to. I understand this is probably a big step for you." I say, stepping toward her.
"No, I want to show you. Just give me a minute." She says, before taking a deep and unnecessary breath.
After a few heartbeats, she steps forward and into the evening sun. Her skin, still pale underneath, shimmers in the light as if it is embedded with thousands of tiny diamonds. The light bounces off of her skin, shimmering along the flowers that surround her. When she looks up and our eyes meet, she smiles nervously. It takes me a few moments to get over the shock of seeing her before I step forward, reaching my hand out and cupping her cheek in my palm.
"You're so beautiful." I whisper, and she steps forward into my arms, capturing my lips with her own.
The kiss lasts longer this time, and with it comes even stronger affects than before. A fire forms in my core and spreads its way languidly throughout my body. The smell of the surrounding flowers in tandem with Alice's natural scent envelope me. My fingers find their way to her waist, now bare from her shirt riding up during our run.
Her skin is soft and smooth under mine, the cold smoldering the flames that course through my veins. If not for the sound of the water nearby, I'd forget where we are. It's the only thing, besides Alice, keeping me tethered to the ground. I swipe my tongue along her bottom lip, causing her to gasp into my mouth, and I taste the vanilla and blueberries that make up part of her scent.
Then, all of a sudden, I'm standing alone with my mouth open and arms still up, where Alice previously stood in front of me. After a second, I process the fact I haven't moved and close my mouth and lower my arms. Looking up, I see Alice leaning against a tree and taking deep breaths a few dozen yards away. She holds her finger up when she sees I'm about to speak, and I snap my mouth shut.
"I'm sorry. I felt like I was starting to lose control and didn't want to risk doing something reckless." She tells me when she finally walks back to me.
"It's okay. I think we're making progress though. Unless my sense of time got warped, which is very possible with the way my head was spinning from that, you lasted longer than last night." I say, sitting down on the banket Alice sets down for us from the bag she's brought.
"Mm, you know that could be interpreted in a completely different way. I'll have you know, I'm not a one-minute woman." She says jokingly, laying back with me and stroking my arm with her finger, causing goosebumps to raise along the path of her movements.
I pull her to me, snickering slightly. "I don't doubt that in the slightest, Ali."
She rests her head on my chest, wrapping her arm around my waist while I stroke her back. We lay like that in silence for a long while, the sun disappearing behind the clouds every once in a while. Each time it comes back, and lights Alice up, I think of the part of Hercules when he comes out of the River Styx, now a God, after rescuing Meg. The comparison makes me smile, considering how often I compare the woman in my arms to a real-life Goddess.
"Now that there aren't secrets between us anymore, can I ask you some questions?" I ask as the sun starts setting, breaking the silence.
"Of course, I'll do my best to answer them. Would you like to eat while we talk?" She inquires, just in time for my stomach to start rumbling.
"I think you have your answer." I laugh when my stomach finally stops.
"For sure! I hope you like what I made. I don't remember what food tastes like, but I think I did okay anyway." She says, pulling out a storage container from her bag.
"Alright, let's see what you made here." I say, opening the container and peering inside.
With all the talking, I was expecting her to have actually cooked something, but it turns out to be a simple roast chicken sandwich with Havarti cheese, mayo, and mustard. She layered it, two slices of meat for every slice of cheese. She also pulls out some chips, grapes, and apple slices. After I bite into the sandwich, I have to suppress a gag. She put a bit too much mustard on it, and it oozes out of the bottom.
"Pro tip for next time, mustard has a strong taste. Gotta take it easy on it." I tell her gently, using the lid of the container to scrape some off.
"Shit, I'm sorry. Now I know for next time though!" She says, staying her usual positive self. "Alright, what're your questions?" She asks as I take a bite of the more edible sandwich.
"So, you said you woke up in 1920 and don't remember anything at all about your human life, right?" She nods in answer as I take another bite of the sandwich and swallow before continuing. "Do you know who turned you?"
"No. I just woke up alone in a forest outside of Louisville, Kentucky." She answers quietly. I can tell she is holding something back, but I don't push it. We don't have secrets, but I know we both have things we probably just aren't ready to talk about yet, which there is a difference.
"When did you meet up with everyone else?" I ask, hoping that will lighten the suddenly tense mood.
"Not long after I woke in those woods, I had my first three vision. The second was of me meeting Jasper, which didn't happen until one night in the Summer of 1948. I knew he was coming, so I was seated at a booth, pretending to sip on a cup of coffee. He came in and sat down at the bar near me.
"I struck up a conversation and eventually told him about my vision of the Cullen's. He could feel that I wasn't some crazy person making things up. He didn't hesitate in joining me and in the Fall of 1950, we finally caught up with everyone else in the small town of Rockport, Maine."
"Wow, that was almost 70 years ago. Damn, you're old." I state with a laugh. With a scoff Alice slaps me on the arm lightly with the back of her hand before she starts laughing with me. "Wait, you said you had three visions. What was the first?" I ask after I've sobered up enough to talk again.
"My first vision… Was of you." She states after a pause, looking me in the eyes in a way that makes me melt.
"Really? How can that be?" I ask, baffled. "That was before even my great-grandparents were born. And I'm not saying that to make an old joke again." I clarify with my hands up defensively before she starts swinging again.
"I don't know. I only had the vision the one time, but I never forgot a single detail in the almost hundred years before it came true. When I first saw you in the cafeteria your first day of school, that was when my vision came true. Every detail was exactly how I remembered it. Your beautiful brown hair, captivating chocolate eyes, red hoodie, rosy cheeks, and glossy pink lips." She says, grabbing my hand and making my heart feel like it's grown three sizes. "You looked so surprised, with your jaw dropped and eyes wide; it was adorable." She snickers, making me roll my eyes and groan at the memory of how awkward I was.
"Well, to be fair you are insanely beautiful. Like seriously, it's completely unfair." I say, trailing off at the end when Alice locks her bright golden eyes on mine, and I forget how to breathe.
She finally looks down, breaking the spell and I take a deep breath that I was missing for the last few seconds. She's looking at my lips this time, and after a beat she leans forward and captures them with her own. I instinctively reach my right hand up to cup her face in my palm and my left hand wraps around her hip. The kiss is slower this time, just warming me rather than lighting my body on fire like that last few times.
"We should go, it's getting late and we have school tomorrow." She says after breaking the kiss, resting her forehead against my own after what feels like hours, but not nearly long enough. It makes me happy when I realize she didn't run from me this time.
"Do we have to?" I ask, a slight whine to my voice.
"Not technically, but I think it's for the best I'm not a bad influence on you this early in the relationship." She answers with a smile at my reaction.
"Pssh. You? Influence me?" I ask, mocking an incredulous tone. "Yeah, that's completely fair." I finish normally, nodding my head and shrugging my shoulders in affirmation because it's true. She could influence me to do literally anything.
"Come on, weirdo. Let's get you home." She says, packing everything up in a flash as soon as I get up. "Hop on then." She says, letting me clamber up to her back myself this time, which is only slightly awkward with the vast difference in our sizes.
We make it to the truck in no time, but this time I have a harder time keeping my stomach contents down. When she sets me down next to the truck, I have to take a seat with my head between my knees. Alice rubs my back in slow circles, and I can hear her laughing quietly as I take slow, deep breaths.
"Maybe I should drive?" She says when I have yet to move.
"Only if you can keep it to the speed limit." I respond quietly, afraid to open my mouth too much.
"I don't think I could speed in your truck even if I did want to." She chuckles, then startles me by picking me up from the ground and putting me in the passenger seat of my truck.
"What did I say about hating on Linda?" I respond after she starts reversing down the dirt road at a speed I would never have dared to do.
"Sorry, my mistake." She says as she takes my hand and starts driving down the highway back to town.
We get back to my house around nine and Charlie still isn't home. Feeling a lot better after having the window down on the drive home to cool me down and give me some fresh air, coupled with Alice not driving like a psycho. I'm also feeling a bit hungry again, which isn't too surprising with my metabolism. Alice follows me into the house and takes a seat at the kitchen table while I start heating up leftover lasagna from a few nights ago in the microwave.
"So, I doubt you want to just sit here and watch me eat. Do you wanna watch a movie or something?" I ask, pulling some grated parmesan from the fridge and can of Vanilla Coke.
"Do you think you're ready for your dad to meet me yet?" Alice asks me seemingly out of nowhere.
"Uh, I think I would rather that wait until I've talked to him about… You know, the whole being a lesbian or whatever I am thing, first." I answer, feeling guilty.
"Then I think I should go instead. He's going to walk through that door in about thirty seconds." She says, and suddenly is gone.
"Alice! You better not go far. I'm not done with you yet." I say, frustrated. Immediately I'm answered with a tinkling laugh, followed by a brief silence, and then keys unlocking the front door.
"Hey Bells! Oh, that smells good. Can you fix me a plate? I'm starving." Charlie calls out as he takes off his jacket and boots by the door.
"Sure, get any good bites?" I answer as I take the last of the lasagna out of the pan, onto a plate, and put the pan in the sink to soak.
"Nah, we fished for a few hours this morning, but didn't get any bites. We ended up giving in and just ended up watching the game at Harry's place. What did you get up to today?" He says after grabbing a beer from the fridge and having a seat at the table.
"Not much, just hung out." I answer carefully, since I don't like to lie and am not good at it, as I put his plate down in front of him.
"You didn't see any of your friends or anything?" He asks with his brow furrowed as he takes a bite.
"Uh, yeah I saw one of the girls for a little bit. Besides that, I just hung out here." I say, shrugging and hoping he doesn't ask which of the girls I'm talking about.
"Oh, well you should get out more. You're young, need to live a little. Uh, not too much though. I don't need to get any calls that my daughter is out causing or getting into trouble." He says awkwardly.
"Dad, you don't have to worry about that. I haven't been caught yet and don't plan on getting caught anytime soon." I laugh, winking at him as I wash our now empty dishes and the pan in the sink.
"I'm not gonna ask. Ignorance is bliss, right?" He says, tapering off at the end.
"True that, Pops. I'm gonna go ahead to bed. School tomorrow and all that jazz. Night, Dad." I say, hugging him from the side.
"Good night, kiddo." He says, hugging back and kissing my temple. "And don't call me Pops!" He calls out suddenly, like he just realized what I said earlier.
I giggle as I walk away toward the stairs. When I get to them, I walk up them as calmly as I can, so Charlie isn't suspicious. When I'm out of sight of the kitchen I bound up the rest of the stairs two at a time. I get to my room and don't have to look around to see that Alice is on the floor enjoying the attention Mindy and Chip are giving her, them enjoying the attention their getting just as much. I close the door quietly and lean against it, smiling at the sight.
"You know, I think they love you more than they love me. Kinda makes me wonder if you're only with me so you can hang out with them." I say after a few minutes, earning a breathtaking (literally) grin from Alice, accompanied by a wink. "You two keep her company some more while I go have myself a human moment."
I grab some clothes to sleep in from my dresser and head to the bathroom for a shower and to brush my teeth. When I get back, Alice has transferred herself to lay on the right side of my bed (the side I don't ever lay on) with Mindy and Chip snuggled next to her. I put my dirty clothes in the hamper by my door and lay down on my side of the bed, plugging my phone in and setting it on my nightstand.
"Alright, I'm gonna need for you guys to move. She's mine, ya know." I say, gently pushing Mindy and Chip, who huff and meow in protest while Alice giggles.
"Sorry guys, I'll make it up to you later." Alice mock whispers to them as she wraps her arm around my shoulders while I rest my head on her chest. Mindy settling in behind my legs and Chip taking residence against my back.
"As long as it doesn't require you moving from this spot." I tell her, yawning and resting my arm across her stomach. "You're comfy."
"Really? I'm not too cold or… Bony?" Alice asks in all seriousness.
"Really… I usually sleep with the fan on, makes it more comfortable to snuggle under the covers. Also, I don't think you're bony. You make a nice body pillow." I answer, pulling the comforter up higher around myself and sighing in contentment.
"Good, cause I actually find this to be quite nice. You're so warm." She says, squeezing me tighter to herself and resting her cheek against the crown of my head.
"Do you mind if I ask you more questions?" I ask, suppressing another yawn.
"I think it's my turn, but I'll let you have one more first." She answers, and I can feel her grin against my hair.
"Fine… What's your favorite decade when it comes to music?" I ask after a huff at only getting one more question for the day.
"Hmmm… That's a tough one. I guess it would depend on my mood and the genre. Each decade has had their moments when it's come to great music." She answers, and I nod, understanding what she means.
"Alright, that's fair. I don't think I could narrow it down either. Can I get a do-over question then?" I plead.
"I supposed, because you asked so nicely." Alice laughs quietly, jostling me along with her.
"What has been your favorite concert to attend? Assuming you have, of course." I amend, hoping this will be easier to narrow down.
"That's a little easier. Yes, I've been to a few hundred concerts actually. It helps that the majority are at night or inside. Hmm… The most memorable is of course Woodstock, I would say. Cliché, I know, but I was there all four days. I actually hid in the trees during the day to watch and listen, since the sun peeked out occasionally, when it wasn't raining. At night and when the clouds were out, I tried to mingle with everyone. Even got into a few little mud fights with different groups of people."
"Holy shit, Woodstock? God, that must have been amazing." I say in awe, before she continues.
"Thankfully, I had myself under control by then. There were literally hundreds of thousands of people there. So many people were laid out on blankets on the grass. People sitting on top of their VW vans. There was so much flower power, it was unreal. I loved it though. People were having a great time. No one thinking about the problems out in the real world."
As she continues describing the festival, I start to hear the deafening crowd as if I'm there. I start to smell the musk that comes with thousands of people crammed in a small space. As I close my eyes and listen to her talk, I can see the sea of people dressed in everything from simple jeans and t-shirts, to men wearing just jeans and nothing else, to women wearing bikini's or flowing dresses and sporting sunglasses or hats of all styles.
"Sweetwater was supposed to go first, but they got pulled over on the way to the festival, so they moved up Richie Havens instead. He did okay but wasn't truly amazing. That's probably why Bert Sommers got the first ovation four hours later."
While Alice continues, I can hear Bert Sommer singing Jennifer from far off. Looking up, I see Alice perched in a tree above me wearing big, green colored sunglasses that cover most of her face. She's wearing a tie-dye button up shirt that she has tied in front of her which just barely covers her chest, leaving her stomach exposed, and a pair of short jean shorts that just covers her ass. She's sporting the biggest grin as she sways, hidden amongst the leaves unless you're looking, singing along to the performers.
"I can just imagine you wearing some Janis Joplin-esque sunglasses, some kind of front tying crop top, and some barely there shorts. Must have been a real… Wait for it… Foxy Lady. You know, you're a cute little heartbreaker." I tell her through a grin, doing my best Jimi Hendrix impression.
"Smooth, Ms. Swan. So smooth." She says with a fond eyeroll as I peer up at her through my lashes. "But, that's actually exactly what I was wearing the first day." She say's through a laugh. "Since you seem to know me so well, what color were my sunglasses and shirt?" She shoots back, sticking her tongue out at me.
"Definitely green for the sunglasses. If you can even call them that, since I doubt they actually blocked the sun in any capacity. Your top, considering the time, would have had to have been tie-dyed. Maybe some yellows and blues, à la John Sebastian."
"Okay, you've gotten to know me a little too well in such a short time. That's exactly what I was wearing the first day of the festival." She says, laughing, not noticing the shift in me when I ponder if what I'm seeing is just my very vivid imagination or something more.
"Anyway, yeah I saw them all. Tim Hardin, Santana, Grateful Dead, CCR, The Who, Johnny Winter, and Joe Cocker. Not to mention Jimi Hendrix, which was beyond amazing. Janis Joplin, holy shit was she amazing. She even poured me a drink at one point on what was supposed to be the final day, Sunday, before the thunderstorm hit. Not that I actually drank it. I poured it on the ground when she wasn't looking."
"You met Janis Joplin? She poured you a drink and you dumped it? I would have zipped it in a bag and treasured it forever. What is wrong with you?" I say in awe.
"To be fair, I wasn't thinking a whole lot at the time. I was kind of shocked to be talking to her. I just didn't want to offend her by not drinking at all." She answers as she giggles.
"I hate you so much right now." I say in awe.
"You do not. You love me." She says matter-of-factly.
"True. Well, why didn't your family go with you?" I ask, curious when I realize she said she went alone.
"Edward has always hated music from the sixties and seventies. He wasn't interested in the slightest to go. Jasper didn't have the best… Tolerance at that time. He still struggles with large crowds, but not nearly as he did back then. I was going to stay, but he and Esme insisted I not deprive myself of something so momentous just to keep him company. Esme stayed to keep him company, since Carlisle couldn't take away from work either. He was working the night shift at a military hospital to help with the victims coming back from Vietnam. Rosalie and Emmett were on their third honeymoon, so they weren't even with us."
"Oh, that still must have been a bummer, not getting to experience such an amazing point in history with anyone." I say, imagining how that must have felt.
"Well, it would have been nice to share it with someone, but I still had an amazing time and can say I was part of an extremely historic moment. Again… So, I'm sure you get the gist of the story. It was amazing and the only thing that would have made it better was if the Beatles were able to perform too. Anyway, I think I've made you jealous enough." She says with her tinkling laugh.
"That you did. Now to move on before I have to kick you out." I say jokingly as I poke her ribs, hurting myself slightly in the process on her marble-like body.
"You wouldn't!" She gasps in mock indignation.
"Sure I would. Now, that was the most incredible. What was the funniest?" I ask, wanting to keep Alice and listen to her beautiful voice as long as possible.
"The most amusing was definitely Knotfest in 2016. Not the concert itself, more-so those I accompanied to it. Esme asked Rosalie and I to go with her for a girls night. She's a maggot, so tries to attend every year when she can. That year also had Marilyn Manson, Disturbed, Lamb of God, Hoobastank, The Offspring, and Avenged Sevenfold. Well, as long as you went to both the Mexico and Japan shows, which we of course did. I hadn't attended a concert with Esme before then, but it was amazing. Not only was the music great, but watching Esme jump into the mosh pit and go crazy was so surreal. Rosalie kept having to pull her out, reminding her she could accidentally hurt someone." She rattles off, giggling at the memories.
"You're mom, Esme? Are you serious?" I ask, not ready to believe that from the way Charlie has described the Cullen matriarch.
"Dead serious. She's not so secretly a metal head. She was going to have us go with her this year, but I saw that the main show she wanted to see is going to be cancelled, so we're skipping it. There's going to be a riot, so Evanescence and Slipknot will have to cancel their night." She informs sadly.
"Wow, seriously? I'd have loved to see that. I've never been to a concert, so wouldn't mind them being my first." I sigh out.
"Wait, you've never been to a concert? As much as you love music?" Alice asks a little too loudly, making me shush her.
"Yeah… My mom never had the money to take us to one or could get the time off if there was one cheap enough. I'm old enough to go on my own now, but have yet to find one coming around where I've lived that I want to see. The few that have, I haven't had the money for tickets or found out too late to get tickets before they sold out. Now, what with the move and everything, I don't know when I'll get a chance to." I say, shrugging like it isn't a big deal, but deep down it is.
"Nope, we're gonna fix that. Esme was still wanting to go to Knotfest meets Hellfest in France this summer. You're going with us… That is, if you're okay with that?" Alice started off firmly, but seemingly realized I actually get a say in where I go and what I do, so she trails off in question.
"I'd love that, but I think I actually need to meet your family first. And you know, make sure they want me to go too. France is a long way away to travel with a virtual stranger, after all. Not to mention, I'll need more time to save up for a ticket, which I'm sure will be expensive." I say, shifting my head to kiss her cheek.
"They'll love you. I already know it." She answers, pointing to her head with a sly grin. "Also, you're not paying for anything. I'm inviting you, therefore I'm paying."
"Whatever, babe. You said so yourself, people can change their minds. Maybe they'll learn what a dork I am and not want me to come and embarrass them. Also, I'm not letting you spend that much money on me." I answer, turning away before she sees my frown.
"Even if I couldn't see the future, I know it's true. They'd have to be fools not to love you. And believe me, my family are many things. Foolish is not one of them. Also, you are indeed a dork, but I happen to think it's adorkable. Lastly, we have more money than we know what to do with. It really isn't a problem, so don't fight me on that. Now, you need to get to sleep. We have school in the morning." She says, kissing my head again and shuffles around like she's getting out of bed.
"First of all, I appreciate the vote of confidence. Second, I can't believe you said adorkable. Third, I'll only let you pay if you let me repay you someday. Lastly, but most importantly, you better not dare to leave me, Alice." I say, tightening my grip on her waist, even though I know I can't actually do anything to keep her there if she really wanted to leave.
"It's a deal. Also, no need to get hostile. I wasn't planning to leave, unless you asked of course. I'm just trying to get into a more comfortable position for you." She answers fondly.
"Promise?" I ask, looking up at her with my best puppy pout.
"You don't need to give me that look. I promise, I'll be here when you wake up. Now, go to sleep human." She answers, kissing my pout away.
"Good night, Allie Cat." I say, snuggling into her more with the biggest sleepy grin on my face.
"Good night, Bells." She replies, stroking my hair slowly, lulling me to sleep as she quietly hums an unfamiliar song.