A/N:
charmedtomeetyou: Well, thank you so much! These type of reviews make me feel so giddy!
Katchelle87: Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
Marie: Thank you. I've already gotten a review about the '&' symbol. Well, it's habitual. I'm not going to go back & change all of my chapters, & I want to be consistent, so I'm not going to change it now, but I'll keep that in mind for my future stories. But thank you for the thought.
Rachel1616: Thank you, I'm so glad you like it! You smell that too. Hmm...
Dark fairy79: hehe, I'm still trying to figure it out myself.
Jaspersgirl: thank you so much!!!
Totalvampire-holic: ...um?
Vampire's love: Deer, yeah, yeah. Good! Finally, an obedient keyboard. There's a real problem with keyboards over here in Forks where I live. Many reports of USB cord strangulation. Um... & thanks!
Twilightfan21: haha thank you! I'm updating, I'm updating!
M.A. Queen: Yes, thank you, I didn't take any offense. I've gotten reviews about all of that, except for the run on sentances... I'll work on that! Thank you!
Queen Isualia: Thanks. :)))
So, I've written up to chapter 14... typing is the problem! Ha ha... another thing is that, let's just kind of go with the notion that all of this happened a little later than in the book, because I need her to be 18. Sorry. I doubt I'll actually say that she's 18, but just ahead of time so nobody says "Bella can't do this & this, she isn't legal..." whatever. Warning now: If Bella's oldness gets in the way of your reading experiance. STOP NOW. Then... pull the stick out of your ass. Haha. Yeah but anyway...
Chapter 10:
Alice lent Bella a pair of jeans & a comfy flannel shirt, so she could change out of her dirty clothes. She was relieved to see that everyone else were wearing similar outfits - hiking clothes. Then they set off.
They loaded into Emmett's Jeep, filling up all eight seats, & drove away from the house. They were going in the opposite direction of the paved road, following a trail that Bella wouldn't have even noticed was big enough for cars. It was simply a winding path, spaces between trees just big enough for the Jeep.
Before long, they were in a huge clearing with rolling hills, & plenty of deer, which scattered at the sight of the vehicle. Wordlessly, they all got out & started heading off in different directions, but Edward stayed glued to Bella's side. The deer resumed grazing, & Edward whispered to her in a voice so fast & quiet, nothing but vampires could hear.
"You see the one over there?" he pointed to a slight looking one. "She was limping - go for her." Bella nodded. She was much more excited now - very anxious, & dying of thirst. "When I say so, start running after her. I'll be watching. Go for the neck." Edward glanced around & noticed that everyone else had gone out of sight range - for the deer anyway. "Go!"
Bella sprang from her crouched position up in a blinding leap & landed running. She was next to the deer before it even reacted. It turned to run, but Bella grabbed it & sank her teeth into it's neck, sucking it's blood all out in less than minute. Bella felt more satisfied & alive than she had ever before, & the blood was more delicious than anything she had ever tasted.
Edward was by her side instantly.
"Very nicely done," he beamed, proud of her. "My turn," he said with a wink, & was off, grabbing a strong & vital looking male & finished it off much quicker than Bella had. It was very strange to have such good feelings as she did, considering the place & circumstances, but she didn't give it a second thought. She actually felt proud of him, watching him hunt, seeing the muscles rippling beneath his skin, watching him move with such strength & agility. Edward seemed satisfied but Bella repeated the routine twice more.
Before long, they were all back together, their black eyes replaced with a beautiful shade of topaz, & Bella wondered if hers were the same. The whole process took much last time then she had expected.
They rode back to the house, not in silence as they had before, but happy chatter going all around. The adrelanline rush was incomparable, or so Bella thought, until she remembered that there was nothing coarsing through her veins, no blood nor adrenaline, nothing at all.
Once back at the house, Bella, Edward & Alice sat on Edward's couch, to discuss the problem of Charlie. It had been four days, much too long to go without an explination.
"Could you say that you went back to Phoenix?" asked Edward.
"No, my mom is there."
"Well, what about-" Bella cut him off.
"Wait, she isn't! She's with Phil! That could work!"
"That's great!" Alice cried enthusiastically. "Say you left in a rush. You were homesick. You hate it here. Whatever. Say you jumped on a plane in a rush, without packing anything. Or you already had what you need at your mom's house."
"Maybe..." Bella murmered. It didn't sound very convincing. Alice seemed to be concentrating.
"Well, we have another obstacle to deal with as well," Edward said.
"Which is...?" Bella inquired.
"Well, the smell of human blood is not easily resisted, I don't think you understand." Bella threw her head back. She knew he was right. He had almost 100 years of experiance, & obviously, he bit her.
"How long do you think it will take for me to stand it?"
"Hmm..." he thought for a minute. "I'm not sure. Let's try this. Why don't you call Charlie now. Tell him you're in Phoenix. When you're ready, tell him you're coming back. Stay with him for a little while. But it won't last long. You'll have too many things to explain. For one, your eyes - they're definately not brown anymore. You'll have to pretend to sleep, & remember to breathe. Eating is another thing. Also, you can't touch him - your skin feels ice cold to human touch..."
It won't work, Bella thought, absently staring at Alice, who was being uncharacteristically quiet.
"It won't work," Alice spoke suddenly.
"Did you see something?" Edward asked. Alice looked dumbfounded.
"No..." she felt utterly at a loss. Edward just stared at her, & Bella got an idea. She concentrated hard on Edward.
I'm very thirsty, she thought. Edward's eyes instantly turned from amber to the deepest black. Bella's eyes grew wide, & she jumped up, running upstairs. Esme was the first person she found.
Bella really needs a hug, she thought, testing. Esme smiled at her kindly & wrapped Bella up in her arms, wordlessly. Bella screamed in excitement & ran back downstairs, leaving poor Esme dumbfounded.
"Guys!" she squealed, running up to Edward & Alice excitedly. "I think I can do something!" They stared at her blankly. She decided to show them instead.
Wow, something smells awful, she thought, focused on Edward.
"What the hell is that?!" he exclaimed, distracted from all other thoughts.
"I can make people think things!" she screamed.
"What do you mean, Bella?" Alice asked. Edward's face was still scrunched, & he was pinching his nose.
Oh, it's me! She thought at Edward. He picked his shirt away from his body & smelled it. Bella burst out laughing at her own private joke, giddy from excitement.
"You don't really smell badly, Edward! & it may very well work, Alice. If I concentrate on someone & think something, they think it themselves!"
"Oh my god, Bella! That's crazy! Manipulating the thoughts of others?! That's so cool!" Alice exclaimed. Bella stared at her.
Wow, I really hate Bella, she thought, testing more, but Alice still smiled at her, excited. I love Bella so much, she tried again. Nothing changed. My arm itches, she tried yet again, hoping it wasn't just a fluke & that her powers hadn't dissapeared. Alice absently scratched her arm.
"I don't seem to be able to affect love or hate though. Huh." Alice & Edward gave her questioning looks. "I just tried to make you hate me Alice, just to test it. Then I tried to make you really love me. Did any of those thoughts come to you?"
"Well, I do love you, silly. But nothing changed just now."
"That's weird. I made your arm itch though," she said with a laugh.
"Well, this," Edward said, "can definately be useful with the Charlie situation." Bella smiled, nodding. "But not with your control, unfortunately... But..." he was suddenly excited. "It can help the rest of us! Jasper can use it. God knows I could. If you could make me think I smelled badly, you could make us think the human smell to be unappealing as well!"
"I wonder how lasting the effect is," Alice added.
"Well, personally, I still smell rank to myself." Edward's nose scrunched. "Bella...?"
"Oh, sorry!" I smell fantastic! Edward smiled.
"Thank you."
"You want to get started with your self-control, Bella?" Alice asked. "I'll help you!" She was just too adorable.
"I will as well," Edward offered, "If you wish." Bella nodded, a little more anxiously than neccesary.
"Maybe we should start with animals," Alice continued. "They don't smell as good as humans."
"That's a good idea, Alice," Edward said.
& so the training began.