Just a Pretense
Chapter 3: Secrets
Author's Note: More characters introduced. Hopefully more plot happening soon. Horse is named after Renee's spirited nature. Also some said they wouldn't mind having 'Spatula' as a place name, so I changed it. xD
Wow, thanks for all the reviews! ;D
Disclaimer: Characters from Twilight, some plot and ideas from Tortall world. Owned by Stephenie Meyer and Tamora Pierce respectively
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They crept up another flight of stairs, following the bobbing light of the torch in front of them.
"Just around the corner." Tyler Crowley said in a low voice to the two pages following him.
Edward and Emmett nodded and they followed the servant around the corner where he knocked on a wooden door. A melodic voice called for them to enter and Tyler pushed the door, standing aside for Edward and Emmett to enter, and closing it behind them.
"Emmett!" The melodious voice called out once again as the blonde figure swept over swiftly to hug Emmett.
"Rosalie!" Emmett's voice was warm with delight.
Edward looked over the two women. Rosalie was indeed beautiful and he could tell why Emmett would agree to be betrothed to her – he had vehemently fought over betrothals in the past. Edward could also tell that Emmett liked her a lot and they seemed a good combination.
His gaze swept over to the second lady, whose name he did not know yet. Her bright red hair was swept up a little messily and her brown eyes bordered on the colour red, however she was pleasant to look at – although it did pale in comparison to Rosalie.
"This is Victoria James of Spatula." Rosalie introduced her friend to her fiancée and his friend. "And I, of course, am Rosalie." She smiled at Edward. "Rosalie Hale of Palestar."
"You aren't by any chance part elvish?"
Emmett rolled his eyes. "He's Edward Masen of Forks and you should already know who I am."
"I always thought you could be part ogre."
"That's insulting!" Emmett glared at Edward but he only grinned back. "I'm pretty much pure human if you want to know – or should know."
"Elvish people are said to be the most beautiful upon the earth." Edward continued, ignoring Emmett again.
"Maybe I am, I wouldn't be surprised." Rosalie finally got the chance to reply. "And you, Edward?"
Edward went still for a moment. He didn't really want to talk about this. He had had enough running and screaming to last a lifetime – or more in his case – and did not welcome another chance to make people run in terror.
He noticed that Victoria had not said much and then realised it would be the best to divert the attention from himself with her. He felt guilty about using her, but not enough that he would tell them what he was to stop.
"You haven't said anything yourself, Victoria." He prompted and Emmett shot him a glance.
Victoria slowly looked at Rosalie then turned back at the same speed. "I am what my people call cat-demon." She said in accented English.
"Full?" Emmett asked, not disgustedly, but his voice full of honest curiosity.
"Yes. I have no human blood in me."
"Edward?" Rosalie prompted again.
Edward's eyes narrowed and he stood up abruptly. "I'm afraid I must be going. Thank you for your time." He looked at Emmett. "Emmett, go back whenever you feel like it. Good night."
With that, he swept out of the room and motioned for Tyler to take him back to the dormitories. It was silent as he followed the servant, but his mind was ticking and angry. He was not going to tell anyone about what he was. He strove to be normal and could almost achieve it, mostly; however he had of enough people watching him in fear and did not want people to fear what h was ever again. Emmett knew, but was under oath not to tell anyone.
No one must know.
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It was one of those rare sunny days and Bella smiled as she saw it. She had missed the sun, although she did admit that cloudiness wasn't all that bad either. Hefting her saddle onto her mare, she tightened the straps and double-checked the cinches so she knew she wouldn't slid off the minute she got on. She vaulted up into the saddle easily and Spirited – what she had named her chestnut mare – gave a neigh at the sudden weight.
She urged the horse forwards before she realised she didn't see Edward, which was unusual as he was usually close by and quite willing to provide help to his sponsoring – where there were no secrets she was a country bumpkin. He had been surprised to know she could do more than hold her own in a fight, even with her never-ending clumsiness which meant she often got injured a lot.
As the second last person rode by her, she dismissed the thought that Edward was still getting ready from her mind and guessed that perhaps he was further ahead already. She wasn't one for spurs, so she nudged Spirited faster by pressing against her mare's flank gently and broke into more of a canter.
She was pulling ahead; catching up to the group when there was a call behind and she reined Spirited in abruptly.
"Swan!"
"Yes, sir?"
Bella turned to see horse-master Jasper Whitlock give her a glare. There was a rush of what seemed to be fear and she didn't doubt at that moment that the horse-master was using his ability of emotional control – as everyone knew well – to make her feel frightened and apprehensive. Edward had insisted he wasn't so bad though – she had yet to find out.
"I ordered a trot. Do not canter unless you are told otherwise. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"You are to clean armour again this afternoon for not obeying instructions."
"Yes, sir."
She had long learnt to simply obey instructions and not question them. A simple 'yes,sir' and 'no,sir' well sufficed in a conversation with teachers. She had been told that by Edward and was glad of the advice.
But now that she had caught up with the others again, she could still see that Edward wasn't with the others even as she rode up beside Emmett.
She wondered where he was.
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Edward found Bella in the armory that afternoon, the sunlight which streamed in through the cracks not touching him, but glinted off his bronze hair. He was smiling at her, but for the first time, she felt her heart skip a beat when she looked up at him.
Edward also heard it – thanks to his hearing – but couldn't understand and dismissed it. He watched his friend dump the cleaned armour into the 'clean' heap and reach into the 'dirty' one again.
"I thought I might find you here, Bel."
"Nnn, did you, now?"
Edward rolled his eyes. "Alright, so Carlisle told me."
She stopped rubbing for a minute and stared at him. "You call him Carlisle?"
Edward collected a cloth, dipped it in the sand and who-knows-what-else mixture, and sat down next to her, rubbing at the mud on another piece of armour before answering. His tone was very casual.
"He's a family friend, remember? I can get away with more."
"Is that why you weren't riding with us today?" Bella's voice was slightly acidic.
Edward laughed uneasily. "Not really. I would have gone to class today if I could have." He looked uncomfortable and Bella glanced at his face again – heart seemingly in her throat for some reason – and remembered what she knew about vampires.
"Is it because of… well, what you are?"
Edward froze, statue-like, and his eyes narrowed as he slowly turned his head towards her. His expression was dark and seemed to be expecting something.
"How do you know?"
"What do you mean?" She decided to play it safe.
He relaxed infinitesimally, but was still tense. "Why did you say 'what I am'?"
"You are a vampire, am I right?" She was frowning now as well and Edward looked as though he were about to run from her as he looked at her again, body straining away.
"How do you know?" He whispered, repeating, anger tight in the voice.
"I – I , well…" Bella wondered whether to tell him about Alice, bewildered.
"Tell me!" There was quiet desperation in the voice and Edward's gold eyes were burning as they turned back.
"Alice told me! She sees visions because she's half pixie!"
Edward frowned, still dreading something. "Alice is your maid." It wasn't so much a question. "Have you – or her – told anyone else?"
Bella shook her head, still bewildered. "It's not our place to tell anyone else. Alice is fine with people knowing, but I'm not so fine with it, so we try not to tell anyone about each other's abilities unless people ask specifically.
Edward seemed to have calmed down now, though he looked away as though still expecting something to happen.
"What is your background then? Your power?" his voice was polite, but curious.
"I'll tell you if you tell me if you have a power and why you weren't riding with us today."
"Deal."
"I am partly elvish." Bella began cautiously. "And I can play with memories."
Edward paled – even paler than he was already. "Play with memories?"
The idea was terrible to him, Bella could tell even as she kept her eyes on her work while explaining. That was one of the reasons she didn't tell anyone of it. The idea of taking away memories and replacing memories with who-knows-what was terrible to behold. Playing with a person's mind.
Edward sighed as she finished. It was an interesting power, although he wanted very much to keep his memories the way they were and not have memories replaced or added. Bel was waiting expectedly for him to keep his side of the bargain.
"I do have a power. I can read minds, although…" He paused, frowning, "I've tried time and time again, but I can't read yours. Your maid's mind I can read sometimes, but yours, never." He glared at her. "Something's strange."
"Natural defense?" Bella offered weakly.
"Perhaps. Although no elves have blocked me before. No pixies either, for that matter, even if I can still hear her sometimes. You?" He looked at her again. "It's like you aren't there."
Bella was laughing weakly now. "Ehehe. What about the second part?"
"Oh, the riding. It's sunny today."
He looked up from his work for a minute to stare out a crack in the wall which was now growing darker as twilight came.
"Oh, I remember. Vampires are supposed to do something in the sun, aren't they?"
Edward rolled his eyes. "They sparkle, yes."
"They do?" Bella's voice was incredulous. She swiped away the last patch of mud rather lamely and threw the armour into the clean pile.
Edward dared her to disbelieve him. She sighed, still shaking her head even as Alice came running in, not seeing Edward.
"Bella, you have to – " She stopped as she stared wide-eyed at Edward who was now frowning in confusion at her.
"Oops."
Bella almost groaned in frustration but instead tried to avert her eyes from his burning, furious gaze and gathered the armour together. He stood up slowly and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You had better start explaining what is going on here." His voice was dark and livid.
"Now."
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Author's Note: That's it for now. ;)