Chapter Five-Voices
As we ran back to our new house, I thought I heard Alice and Jasper muttering as they ran alongside of me. Edward was completely silent to my left. Probably mulling over this new mystery, I reasoned. Alice and Jasper didn't usually mumble like this, nor did the rest of the house, when we got there, all talking to themselves. I didn't spend much time thinking about it, however. Renesmee was tired, so she and Jacob headed straight off to sleep the moment we got home (In separate rooms, of course). The rest of the night was for Edward and me to enjoy. All thoughts of mumblings, and mutterings left my head, there was nothing left but him, and me. I didn't even notice when Renesmee's alarm clock went off that morning. Or perhaps she forgot to set it that night, being half-asleep when she stumbled into her room and fell asleep.
At any rate, Edward and I were almost late to school. Everyone else was already at school when we arrived at two hundred miles-per hour. Since the rest of our family had decided it would be fine to take Edward's newest Volvo, we took the Ferrari. Of course, I wanted to just run, but Edward claimed he didn't want us to be seen running to school at inhuman speeds. He said it was the exposure risk, but I was willing to bet my entire wardrobe (the shoes alone cost twice as much my Ferrari) that it was just an excuse to get me to drive the car he bought me.
The buzzing began when we first reached the parking lot. It was a dizzying hum that grew louder and louder, the closer we got to school. I could usually pick out a few faint voices from the parking lot with my vampire hearing, but this was louder than most. I wondered if perhaps there was an especially loud assembly this morning.
"Is there supposed to be an assembly this morning?" I asked Edward. He looked quizzically at me.
"No, not to my knowledge"
"Oh. Because it's awfully loud this morning."
"Really? I'm finding it unnaturally quiet today."
"Huh," I said, not thinking too much of it. Perhaps the humans' thoughts were quieter for him today, and their physical voices louder. That made some sense, in a convoluted way.
When we entered the building the buzz of voices became even louder, and my head felt like spinning. I gasped.
"It's so loud!"
"Bella? Are you alright? It's unnaturally quiet today" countered Edward. I felt my brow wrinkle at the same time as his did.
The further into school we got, the louder the noise got. It was a clamor of voices churning through my head. My brow wrinkled further as I tried to unravel this mystery. We stopped at Edward's homeroom first so he could get his "travel pass" and come to my homeroom.
When we reached my homeroom and sat down, the babbling became even louder. It was like every single person in the room was babbling into a megaphone. The resulting cacophony was as unintelligible as it was incessant. For the first time in thirteen years, I felt as if I was going to have a headache.
"Owww. Hi, Alice. Isn't it really loud in here?" I asked her, sitting down on Edward's lap in a move we had become so accustomed to over the past thirteen years that neither Edward nor I ever thought about it any longer.
"Um, Bella, hardly anyone is talking. I just wish I could see what Jazz was doing. It must be something with Jacob, or Nessie, because I can't see anything. I can't even see around them," Alice muttered.
"Edward, what's Jazz doing?" asked Alice "I have a horrible feeling that something is wrong." Edward didn't reply. "Edward? Is he up to something? Why can't I see him? Is he planning anything?" Alice kept asking questions, Edward remained silent.
"Edward," Alice's voice came again, "What's Jazz up to?" she murmured.
"I don't know. I can't hear—I can't hear!" gasped Edward. Just at that moment, Jasper came cautiously, but swiftly into our classroom, grabbed Alice's wrist, and looked at Edward and I, his face tense.
"We need to go outside, now" he muttered urgently. Suddenly, a picture of Alice, Edward and I going absolutely insane filled my mind. It was exactly the same way it felt to see one of Renesmee's memories—oh. Oh dear. I reached for Edward the split second he reached for me, and we slid out of the classroom, leaving Emmett to make our apologies.
"Um, Emmett, your sisters and brothers," I heard Mrs. Smith begin. I wonder what's gotten into them. There's something odd about that whole family.
Geez, what's eating you, kid? What do you want me to tell her anyway? You owe me an explanation later—this isn't the first time I've had to cover for you, you know!
My eyes bugged even wider, as we walked as swiftly as humanly possible, which is to say, far too slowly, to the car. It was the Volvo we ended up in, with Edward and I in the front, and Alice and Jasper in the back.