Chapter Two: Game One.
Bella was the first to put her hand, tentatively into "the hat." All eyes were on her as she pulled out a slip of paper and read it.
"Oh damn." She muttered and ran into the dining room to get changed. The Cullens waited for her return with bated breath and finally Bella crawled out dejectedly.
"Woof." She said dispiritedly.
"Oh come on Bella, put some omf into it." Edward teased and patted her on the head. Bella slumped down onto the floor, rested her head on his feet and gazed up into his eyes. Edward chuckled and bent down to stroke her.
Alice was next but didn't seem like she liked her choice.
"That isn't fair." She screamed, outraged.
The others just shock there heads and pushed her into the dining room. Alice didn't come out for ten minutes. Jasper stood at the door trying to coxe her out.
"Come on Alice, we'll all have embarrassing ones." He pleaded.
There was a sniffle from inside. Jasper rolled his eyes.
"Come on Alice, how made can it be?" it was the wrong question to ask.
"HOW BAD CAN IT BE?" bellowed Alice as she burst through the door, knocking Jasper to the floor. " I'M A MUSHROOM!" and Alice was indeed a mushroom, decked out in the costume Esme had made for Emmett when he had been cast as a mushroom in the school's production of Alice in Wonderland sometime in the sixties. Bella didn't feel quite as bad about her choice as Alice plonked herself down on the ground in silence and stared into space.
Rosalie picked next. She burst out of the room five minutes later, a vision in white satin.
Alice made a rude gesture at her.
"Ah ah ah." said Jasper, still angry at being knocked to the floor. "Mushrooms can't swear Alice." Alice gave him a dirty look and folded her arms, with difficulty, over the foam stalk.
"Why'd she do that?" said Rosalie looking distastefully at Alice crouched on the floor.
"I think. . ." said Edward. " It's because she got picked as a mushroom and you're a bride." Rosalie smiled happily to herself, picked up a copy of 'Bride's magazine' and proceeded to ignore everyone.
Edward insisted that he went next. He pulled out a slip of paper uttering "Oh man!" under his breath and slamming the door behind him. He was out a second later.
"Ho Ho Ho." He said hugging his now gigantic belly.
"Santa Claus!" said Jasper, amazed. "Why do we even have a Santa Claus costume?"
"Me and Carlisle bought it a while back." said Esme smiling in a reminiscent sort of way. "We went round the hospital greeting all the kids who were stuck in there at Christmas. I was dressed as an. . . ."
"An elf?" Jasper finished her sentence for her.
"Yes how did you. . ." Esme started to say but then turned to see Jasper holding a tiny slip of paper. He stalked off into the dining room and slammed the door loudly.
"Oh dear!" said Rosalie worriedly looking up from her magazine. Everyone exchanged grim looks, except Alice who refused to meet anyone's eyes because as she put it, in her head of course Mushrooms can't exchange grim looks.
Sure enough Jasper skipped into the room wearing a full elf uniform complete with a
tinkling bell on his hat. Edward smiled evilly.
"Come, my elffy chum." He said to Jasper in his deep voice. "We have to start preparations for Christmas.
"Right-o" Jasper squeaked. Bella was surprised at how seriously they were taking this.
"Stop right there." said Emmett grabbing the back of Jasper's uniform as he began to skip away. "I haven't picked yet." Jasper just started skipping on the spot joyfully.
Why are you doing that? thought Alice. Edward heard her and referred the question to Jasper.
Jasper merely gave Alice an insane grin and said, still at a ridiculously high pitch.
"I can't stop." There was a slight note of panic in his voice which made Alice think for a brief moment that he wasn't joking, however she had no time to question him further (through Edward of course) because Emmett was plunging his hand into the hat, rummaging around, his tongue slightly out of his mouth in concentration. After a substantial amount of time he pulled out his arm and zoomed into the dining room, not even pausing to look at his piece of paper.
He burst out a minute later adorned with moustache, white apron and hat. He carried a bloody chopping knife. Alice thought this was going a bit too far but she supposed it was necessary if you were a chef.
"Bonjourno!" boomed Emmett in a thick Italian accent. "My name is Antonio. I shall be your chef for this evening." He flung the knife up in the air, caught it and started to twirl it in his fingers. The dog nearly clapped after this performance but realised that she was no longer Bella.
"The hour starts now." Said Esme, and she set a cooking timer down on the coffee table and went back to Edward's closet to continue her work.
AN: Phew that took ages to write. I don't exactly like writing these starter chapters cos they are awfully boring but it's just about to get fun so read on.