A/N: I've started writing this at very close to twelve in the morning, but I think I'll go to bed soon. There are only a few precious hours of sleep before my cat wakes me up -.-
Disclaimer: I do not own twilight. Not even Edward (tear)
Chapter Four: Beach Party
It was only when I woke up the next day that I realized that I had many more bags of clothes than I had bought. Alice had slipped clothes into my bags and had given me extra bags of clothing when she had pulled them out of the back. I found a bagful of make up and sighed, I was clueless when it came to this stuff.
I hated that she bought me these things; it felt like taking charity, almost. I opened my purse hoping she'd left the receipts, and at the same time hoping she never. And she never. But, she had written me a letter.
'Bella, When I get back from camping we're going to have an awesome time! I'll teach you how to use that make up and you're going to have to show off all that clothes I bought for you. Don't worry about it I wanted to buy it for you. Besides, you're going to be like a sister to me! The camping trip won't be too long, Edward wants to come back (I think he likes you!) so we'll probably only be gone a week and then I'll come see you first thing! I'm so glad I get to have a friend like you! Love, Alice.'
I sighed and shook my head, leaving the room to take a shower. I changed into a brown T-shirt that said "I heart John & Paul & Ringo & George" and then pulled on a pair of beige Capri pants.
When I got downstairs I saw Charlie cleaning up the dishes, a plateful of toast, bacon and fried eggs waiting for me. I grinned, sitting down and began pushing it into my mouth. Charlie looked at me and laughed, passing me a glass of orange juice.
"What did you want to do today, Bells?" he asked me. I thought. There wasn't much to do. I thought about my room which hadn't changed since I was a baby. There was a project. I scoffed out loud at the idea.
"What is it?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and looked to him, swallowing the mouthful of food.
"Let's paint my room!" I said so excitedly I was sure it sounded sarcastic. Charlie seemed a little taken aback.
"Sure, we can go down and pick out the colours now if you want," I was stunned. Was he actually going for this?
"Do you mean it?" I asked. He nodded and smiled, picking up his car keys. I grinned and slipped into a pair of shoes that were mostly brown with splashes of orange and blue.
Charlie drove us down to the Hardware store and I picked out a couple of colours. They looked well with each other, orange, fuchsia and a chocolate brown. Charlie bought them all, and even brought me to pick out fabrics for the room. I was amazed at how fatherly he was being, even giving me complete control over my room.
"You sleep and work in there," He explained. "I don't have to go in there if I don't want to." I laughed at him. He had a good point. "Besides, letting you do this yourself is making me happy to see you happy." I smiled and hugged him ferociously, causing him to nearly drop all of the fabrics and pillow forms I'd bought.
When we got home Charlie and I started drawing out patterns on the all that I wanted painted there. It would be mostly chocolate brown, with the orange and fuchsia crating patterns of circles and waves and flowers all over the wall. Charlie was pretty good at painting, so once we had drawn it out, I left it to him. If I'd been in there then I probably would've tripped and gotten paint everywhere.
I made myself happy with digging up an old sewing machine that had belonged to my Grandma and then started to sew together curtains and pillow cases. When supper time came around Charlie came downstairs and brought me out to eat.
The minute we walked back inside the house the phone began to ring. I ran to pick it up, slipping on the floor and banging my knee against the coffee table. "Hello?" I said when I picked up the phone, rubbing my knee and holding back my tears.
"Bella? It's Mike!" he said so cheerfully. I rolled my eyes. Was he ever not happy? "Listen, we're going to go down to the beach tomorrow, so do you think your Dad can drop you off at my parents store around noon?"
"Sure Mike, no problem, I'll see you then," and then I quickly hung up the phone. Charlie and I spent most of the night in silence. I kept working on my sewing and Charlie took a break from the painting, sitting down and watching some sports instead.
I was very impressed with myself when I had finished all of the pillow cases, and even a pair of curtains. Because I hadn't had enough fabric the curtains were a variety of the shimmering fabric, different colours patched here and there. I gave Charlie a quick kiss on the cheek and ran up the stairs. Once I had picked out the clothes I was going to wear tomorrow I lay in bed and curled up, instantly falling asleep.
The sun was shining through the window when I opened my eyes. I jumped out of bed and ran to the window, careful not to knock over any paint. The sun was actually shining. There was a strange greenish shade cast over the street, from the light coming through the leaves of many trees. To top all of that it actually felt a little warm too. I was ecstatic. I pulled on a pair of light jeans shorts that came to my knee and a yellow t-shirt with a worn out 7up logo on it.
I ran down the stairs and grabbed Charlie into a huge hug. "Whoa, Bella. What's gotten into you?" I pulled back from him and looked into his eyes. He seemed shocked and clearly confused by my behavior.
"It's sunny outside!" I exclaimed. When I glanced at the clock my stomach lurched. It was nearly noon. "I'm going to be late!" I squealed and ran to pull on my converse. Charlie looked confused again and followed me to the porch.
"Where am I taking you?" he asked slowly. I grinned and rolled my eyes.
"I'm going to the beach with Mike and Jessica and everyone. All I know is that we're meeting at his parent's store." Charlie nodded and held the door open for me. At least he knew where to go.
Mike's parents shop was north of town. I vaguely remember seeing it before on our way to La Push, but I'd never had any need to go in there. There were three vehicles in the parking lot, and a small crowd of people waiting outside. I jumped out of the car quickly and called goodbye to Charlie as he drove off.
I saw all of the kids that I had been introduced to at the park, and a large handful more. Mike ran up to me enthusiastically.
"You came!" his face was beaming. If he was smiling any bigger his face would crack. I smiled back.
"I said I would, didn't I?" he nodded and pulled me up to the others. After I was introduced to the extra people I immediately forgot their names. Everyone I had met at the park was friends enough for the friendless girl from phoenix. We all managed to squeeze into the three cars, a mother from either friend driving.
I, luckily, got a window seat and quickly rolled down the windows, absorbing as much sunlight as I could. I kept my head out of the claustrophobic car and smelt in the cool ocean breeze. I was familiar with this road, and predicted every turn and every landmark.
When we reached the beach I jumped out the car, kicking off my shoes and running over the hot sand. It felt so good to have some sort of heat. Jessica ran down with me and started giggling, we immediately began to race over the beach, chasing the waves in and out of the shore, and it wasn't long before Lauren, Angela and the others followed us.
The parents had gathered driftwood and started a fire, which, to my amazement, had turned blue. I stared at it in fascination before Mike came up to me.
"It's the salt in the wood that does it, isn't it pretty?" I nodded, still awestruck by the sight. The parents forced us down to the beach, pulling out refreshments as we all jumped into the ocean, still fully clothed. After an hour has passed the boys started exploring through the woods while the girls, myself included, went beach combing. We found beautiful shells and on the dark rocks near the edge of the beach, Angela had found a starfish.
We headed back to the fire where sodas and sandwiches were being passed around. To my surprise I noticed a few copper-skinned teenagers around our age. Their beautiful black hair led me to believe they were from the Quileute reservation.
"Bella!" one of them called to me, waving a slender hand. I focused on who it was, only to realize there was two of her. Then it hit me, they were the twins Rachel and Rebecca Black. I smiled at them and waved a hand awkwardly. Next to them was a young boy, and a few older boys around our age were talking with the others.
"Hey girls," I said, smiling for real. "It's so nice to see you again."
"You know them Bella?" Jessica asked me. I nodded and sat down next to the twins.
"We've known each other since we were born," I stated with a laugh. The two smiled and nodded.
"We weren't too close though," Rachel said. "But it's still so nice to see you back!" I smiled warmly and nodded, taking a drink from Mike's mom.
"So, are these the only friends you could make in rainy Forks?" Rebecca asked me jokingly. I laughed and everyone else seemed to as well. Except for Lauren. She shot Rebecca a dirty look and then flicked her hair over her shoulders with a 'hmph!'
"Bella was making very good friends with the Cullens," she said curtly. Rachel and Rebecca looked at me and the boy next to them perked up. "It's too bad they couldn't come" Lauren said, faking disappointment.
When I looked around I noticed all the other girls present were genuinely disappointed, and I didn't blame them.
"Is that Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?" an older boy asked. Lauren nodded and all of the Quileute teens present turned very serious. "They don't come here." The boy said fiercely. The statement had sounded like an unwritten rule, like the Cullen's weren't allowed to come and it took me by surprise.
I tried to push the way he'd said it to the back of my brain but it wouldn't work. It kept forcing its way in like the friend no one likes. It drew me away from any conversation I was having at the time and made me wonder. Why wouldn't the Cullen's be allowed? It's not like they could have done anything…
It was then I had a stroke of genius. It was a stupid plan and it probably wasn't going to work. I mean, Rachel and Rebecca were my childhood friends, sort of. I stood up straight, drawing everyone's attention to me.
"Do you want to go for a walk, to catch up?" I asked them, tactfully ignoring everyone else.
"Sure," Rachel said. The boy looked at them blankly and Rebecca grabbed his hand.
"You're coming too," she hissed to him. "Dad told us to keep an eye on you.
"You're their brother?!" I asked him, astonished. "How come I don't remember you?"
"You spent all your time with them," he said motioning to his sisters. I looked him over. He was about my height and had shoulder length black hair. His face was cute, rounded and boyish.
"So you must be my age, right?" I asked. The girls laughed and he blushed.
"Jacob just turned twelve," Rebecca told me. "He's tall for his age." Jacob shoved his fists into the pockets of his track jacket and stared off towards the ocean. I was guessing he was at that age where girls were still ucky. He'd probably want to be anywhere but here.
"So who was that guy talking to Lauren," I asked, trying to change the subject off of Jacob.
"That was Sam, he's seventeen," Rachel said like it was a common statistic.
"What was it he was saying about the doctor's family?" I began innocently.
"The Cullens? They're not supposed to be on the reservation," Rebecca said nonchalantly. Then she stopped mid-pace and stared at me, her eyes wide opened. Rachel sighed and Jacob smacked her arm.
She had just confirmed what I had been thinking. "Why not?" I pressed.
"Woops," she said, laughing nervously. "We're not supposed to talk about it."
"Come on," I continued. "Who am I going to tell? I'm not here for very long." The siblings nodded at each other and nodded, leading me to a log near the water. We all sat down and the twins slipped out of their sandals, dipping their toes in the water.
"Do you like scary stories?" Jacob asked. I nodded, trying to look as enthusiastic as possible. Hopefully they'd take the hint and tell me.
"Do you know any of the old stories of where the Quileutes came from?" Rebecca asked me, her voice changing low and serious. I shook my head. "Well, one of the legends say that our people are descended from wolves and that wolves are still our brothers. It's against tribal law to hunt them."
"Then there are stories about the cold ones," Rachel said, picking up the story from Rebecca. She glanced at me and saw the interest on my face. Grinning she continued. "The cold ones are as old as the legends of the wolves, and some are much more recent. According to the legends, our great-grandfather made the treaty with them that kept them off our land."
"Really," I encouraged, actually interested now. "You're great-grandfather?"
The three nodded and then the story was passed to Jacob. "He was the tribal elder, like our Dad. See, cold ones are like… the natural enemies of the wolves." He paused, seeming to think it over. "Well, I guess it's not the wolf really, but the wolves that turn into men. You'd call them werewolves."
"Werewolves have enemies?"
"Only one," Rebecca added, laughing.
Rachel picked up now. "So, you can see that the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But a pack that came to our territory during out great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others did --- they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So, great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they promised to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to your kind."
I was confused. "If they weren't dangerous then why would they---"
Rebecca cut me off. "There's always a risk for humans to be around cold ones, even if they're civilized. They claimed to feed off of animals, not humans. But, you never know when their hunger gets out of control."
"So where does this fit in with the Cullens?" I asked. "Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather met?"
"No," Jacob said. He turned to look at me, to better gauge my reaction. "They're the same ones." I gasped quietly, my eyes practically popping.
"And, what are the cold ones exactly?" Rachel grinned, turning to look back at the water.
"They're blood drinkers, vampires," she said, her voice flat and serious. I felt shivers run up my arms, and goose bumps pop over every inch of my skin.
"I won't tell anyone," I whispered, my voice cracking. My mouth felt dry and I felt slightly dizzy. How could they be vampires? Cheerful Alice and gorgeous Edward? I shook my head lightly.
"Seriously, though," Rebecca said. "Some people are pretty mad that we're not going to the hospital because Carlisle is there. So, you really can't tell anyone."
"I won't I promise." I knew they believed me, the smile on their face confirmed it.
"Bella!" I heard a voice call. I turned to see Mike running towards us.
"Ooh," the girls called. "Bella, is that your boyfriend?" I scoffed as I stood up.
"Nope, and I'm not too sad about that," they laughed at me as I walked up to meet Mike. He bent over to catch his breath.
"We're packing up to leave, it looks like it's going to rain soon," I nodded and turned back to wave a goodbye to Jacob and the twins.
The ride back was only half as noisy as the ride in. I was squashed between Angela and Jess. So, while Jess was trying to catch Mike's attention I leaned my head back and cleared my mind, trying very hard not to think.
Mike's mother dropped me off right in my driveway. I thanked them all for the wonderful day and ran inside, just when the rain started. I called out to Charlie that I was home.
I climbed the stairs stiffly and took a nice, hot shower, washing away the smell of saltwater. When I walked into my room, toweling dry my hair, I stopped dead in my tracks.
It was gorgeous. Charlie had finished the painting and even dressed my room with all of the shimmering fabrics. The way it looked made me feel more grown up, better than the pale blue that had clung to the walls every year before now. I turned to see Charlie standing in the doorway, grinning wildly.
I flung myself into his arms and thanked him a thousand times over. He left after we looked around and I felt more exhausted than I should have been. I lay in bed, staring at the pink light shining through the window from the street lamp.
I ran over everything the Blacks had said on the beach today. It seemed so unreal and yet, a part of it made sense somehow. I turned over to my side, letting the heaviness of sleep consume me. I was now counting down the days till the Cullens came home.
A/N: there she is. All done. I don't like this one as much. A) theres hardly any Edward. B) most of it is what was said in Twilight. Don't know when I'll update again as another week of school starts again tomorrow, but I'll keep writing when I can.
Mr T. says: I pity the foo' who don't review! (Disclaimer: yeah… I don't own mr. t??!)