The rest of the school week was uneventful. The entire school body wanted nothing more than to go to prom, and I had made it abundantly clear to Edward that I would not be going. I told him that if he really wanted, he could kidnap me away to the meadow, or something similar, but prom wasn't on my bucket list any time soon. I was appropriately excited and helpful for Angela and Jessica though, and assisted them with eager tips wherever I could. I was very glad when both prom was over and the school year was coming to a close.
When I finally had my cast off I was so relieved that I wouldn't have to safe guard my arm any more that I hugged Carlisle. Watching him remove my cast had been surreal. He had simply pinched at the encasing plaster and it had crumbled beneath his fingers as if he had constructed a cast of wet sand. That was not the only amazing thing to happen on that day.
I sat stretching out my hand, scratching the free skin. I was facing Carlisle, sitting at a seat around their dining room table. Esme was giving me a gentle and totally appreciated but unnecessary shoulder massage. I had been telling them about the worst cast I had ever had to endure – one that wrapped up most of my leg and part of my hip – when Edward appeared beside Carlisle, Alice at his side, looking remarkably pleased with herself.
"Hi." I said, although I was relatively sure it came out more as a question than a statement.
We have a birthday present for you. Alice signed. I blinked at her, confused.
"Um, it's not my birthday until September." I said, wondering how on earth the little psychic could have possibly missed that fact.
I know. She signed sarcastically, with a smile. But I have a limited set of conditions to work with.
"What?" I asked, looking over to Edward, hoping he would shed a little light on the situation.
Oh no. This is all Alice. He signed, laughing at my confused expression.
"Well basically…. Edward told me about your conversation about visiting your mother."
"She lives in Phoenix." I said. "It's pretty sunny there, so unless Edward's going to go in a burqa?"
The three Cullens in front of me shook with gentle laughter, before Alice rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Yessssss. Which is why your present is so unfashionably early." She explained. "There's some awful inbound clouds that will bring a solid three day overcast period, but only one short shower."
My heart skipped a beat. You serious? I signed.
"Completely. It'll even be a Friday morning when you can fly in. Unfortunately it's in the middle of June, which is a tad early for your birthday. Perhaps we should call it a graduation present instead?"
I stood up too quickly, and flung myself into Alice in excitement. She hugged me, shaking with laughter, and then passed me off to Edward.
"You're going to meet my mom?" I asked.
"I'm going to meet your mom." He affirmed, pulling back to be sure I understood properly.
"I'll have to call her." My mind was suddenly filled with possibility. I could show Edward how I'd grown up, where the other half of my life had occurred. For once, I'd be the tour guide. It was definitely a place he hadn't been. Nothing I showed him he could have seen before, so for once, I would have an upper hand. Plus I knew that my mother would absolutely love having me home, and go crazy to have the chance at meeting Edward so soon.
Alice produced a piece of paper with a whole pack of details about a flight, and I fumbled for my phone. I checked my watch, to try and figure out where my mom might even be at this time, and video called her. When I looked back up at the room, Edward and I were the only inhabitants. I grinned at him, fiddling with my hair while I waited for Renee to pick up. There was a slight delay, and then the call accepted. At first I couldn't really see her, and then she switched on a light to throw herself into better video clarity.
"Hi mom." I said. "I have news."
Don't tell me… you've taught Charlie how to cook? She signed.
"Now that would be news. I'm sorry to say that it's not that good. Unfortunately all I have to say is that Edward and I will be coming to visit you in June."
There was some absolutely incomprehensible squealing on the other end, and my mother's face shot in and out of view as she readjusted the screen. I trusted Edward to tell me if anything actually legible or important came through. She finally began blabbing about everything we could do, and plans we could make, and where we could go. What I missed because of pixelated lag, Edward filled in for me. It was a short and excited conversation, and yet my face was sore from smiling so enthusiastically at my mother's excitement. I hugged Edward for a brief moment, and then asked him the most important question.
"So what exactly are you looking forward to most?"
"Listening to your mother's thoughts." He responded quite quickly. "Especially when I ask her to recall some baby stories."
"Oh god no. Please don't."
"I am always interested in learning as much about you as possible. This offers me an opportunity I would never have been able to have. I'm interested in what you think I should see too. I've shown you my favourite parts of Forks, I cannot wait for your favourite parts of Phoenix." He brushed my hair away from my face, smiling.
"Why did you start looking at coming to Phoenix?" I asked.
"To be perfectly honest?" he responded. I frowned at him.
"Always."
"Because I was missing out on the opportunity to take you to prom." He laughed.
"Prom?" I sneered. "Seriously?"
"I've always wanted to take a girl to a dance." Edward shrugged. "Especially someone I loved as much as you."
I blushed and beamed but managed to roll my eyes. "Maybe if you're nice enough, I'll let you take me to prom next year."
His brow furrowed slightly. "You don't have to."
"I can't dance. And I can't see."
"I'll make sure Alice is on the decorating committee. She'll ensure the venue is beautifully lit."
His eyes were so sincere about this idea that I had to cave.
"Okayyyyy. I'll let you take me to prom next year." I laughed. "I still can't dance."
Edward pulled me close, lifting me gently to rest my feet on top of his. He spun slowly in place, we danced across the living room gracefully. He guided me into the larger entrance-way, and we span around. My vision was filled with green scenery and white architectural flashes. All I had to do was let Charlie know where I was headed. Whether I told him that Edward was coming too was a different story.
When the big trip finally came around Charlie was driving both Edward and I to the airport, looking less than enthused about the trip. Initially he had been excited, but the addition of my boyfriend, and my mother's scatterbrained reputation had Charlie a little understandably wary. Edward sat in the back of the cruiser, smiling at the mental images running through my father's head. Undoubtedly he was imagining arresting Edward and locking me into a room somewhere forever. I tried to focus on those positive thoughts instead of the negativity that was being a passenger again. I wasn't exactly looking forward to the plane ride either, but with Edward at my side I knew I would be as safe as I possibly could. With Edward, and Alice only a phone call away, sometimes I felt practically invulnerable.