A/n: I feel like I haven't posted in forever. And unfortunately only two people got the answer… Oh well, this story is for bandgeekbeth09, and tinkerbell0403 (she told me via MSN). But for the rest who didn't get it, it was Mythbusters. You'll all get hugs and cookies anyway! )
Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters in this story. I don't own some of the plot either. Well, too bad for me.
Chapter 9
"What? How did you know that?"
"A strange mixture of super hearing, and thought hearing."
"Oh… You know, I don't think he should find out about what we're talking about here… yet. He'll freak," I said as Charlie's car pulled into the driveway, "wow, you really are accurate."
"I know, so what do we tell him?" Charlie was already crossing the front porch, there was the melody of jingling keys, and the door swung open.
"Hey Bella," he said, and then looked at Edward, who was sitting beside me, "Who's this?"
I then introduced Edward and launched into a story about him being my biology lab partner, and that we were just discussing a biology project. It was kind of true anyway, minus the discussing the project crap. Charlie accepted the story, and Edward mouthed me a "nice save".
When Charlie went up to take a shower, Edward asked, "how about you come over to my place, and we can talk some more? Since we can't discuss it in front of Charlie."
"Um… Okay, but wouldn't your family freak?
"No, I don't think so, Alice would have probably told them about you coming before you came," I showed him a blank expression, "seeing the future remembered?" I nodded and then agreed to go.
When Charlie came back down, I lied to him to him about Edward having left some of his research back home, and that we would go to his place to continue with the project discussion.
"Okay, you can go, but you're hiding something, I can tell. What is it?"
"There isn't anything, really!" I protested.
"No, there is something… Are you two… together?"
"No!"
"Good because there is no point in loving a mortal, remember what happened last time?"
God, he was really good and dragging up the past, even though Edward wasn't really mortal. I thought back to my last love. We had been married for 5 years, until he was called to war, and died in a battle. I had been so cut up, I spent the next few months grieving. I had slit my wrist so many times, jumped from a bridge a few times, and had also stabbed myself in the heart more than once. But I knew it wouldn't hurt, not permanently anyway.
"At least I wasn't the one who attempted suicide," it was a stupid retort. I regretted it as soon as I had said it.
Renee had only left Charlie two decades ago, Charlie must still be quite upset. Charlie looked like he was in a lot of emotional pain, so I apologized to him, and left with Edward as quickly as possible to avoid seeing his face.
As we left the porch, I asked, "so, do we take my truck?"
"Okay, but let me drive."
"I know how to drive, thank you very much."
"Yes, but you don't know the direction to my place, and I don't want to keep on giving you directions."
I sighed and threw him the keys to my truck. As we got into the truck, he commented that I should really get a proper car, but I just pretended to ignore him.
…:::…:::…:::…
"So, what was that attempted suicide thing about?" He asked as he drove.
"Huh? You meant what I was discussing with Charlie?" I didn't realize he had been listening. "Wait… Were you eavesdropping on us?"
"Not intentionally, but Charlie's mind was practically shouting about it." I flushed red. "So, are you going to tell me what that was about? I thought you couldn't die."
"Actually we aren't as invulnerable as you think we are. When Renee left Charlie, he was so upset he was ready to poison himself and his Homewater which is the only way to die. I had to keep an eye on him all the time, and hide all the possible poisons."
"Oh."
Yes, "oh," indeed. I've found that it always ends with an "oh," and then silence when people talk about death. I looked out the window to find that the town and its houses rushing by. I glanced at the speedometer and got the fright of my life. Edward was driving like a crazy speed demon at break-neck speed.
"Are you crazy?! You could get us both killed! Slow down!"
"What? This is quite a normal speed to drive at."
"For you, maybe, but not me. Please, just slow down."
He sighed and loosened his step on the accelerator. He looked so cute when he sighs like that.
Edward caught me looking at him, and said, "Stop leering at me."
"Me? Leering?" I put on a pretentiously innocent face.
Edward just chuckled and rolled his eyes, while searching for a topic to talk about. A look then flashed across his face as he came upon another question to ask me.
"What did you mean when you said mermaids didn't really exist?"
I gave a laugh. "Mermaids don't exist because we are the so-called mermaids. When we live in a community, like the oceans or seas, we can't be in our water form or we will drift apart, or flow into one another. So we take the form of merpeople to let us breathe and move efficiently in water, while not flowing into each other.
"Also what we turn into is dependent on the area we live in. The selkies of Britain's Shetland and Oakley islands prefer the form of seals in water, while the Greek ones are called sirens. But in the end, they are all just water sprites."
"Well, that clears up my confusion. Wait there are communities of you?"
"Of course, where else do the stories of Atlantis come from?"
"What? There really is an Atlantis?"
"Yes, but of course it is not actually called 'Atlantis'. It is the biggest city of the water sprite's world, and the governing family and noblemen and women of our world live there. It is a huge place, with a lot of structures that are hidden from human, or in your case, vampire, eyes."
"Wow, a whole city hidden underwater. We have a sort of royal family too, and they are the oldest and one of the largest coven around."
"Oh! Why do you think our kind has never met before?"
"I guess we probably do, but never revealed our identities. I think it is kind of like we are from different worlds, like an anglerfish has probably never met a butterfly."
"So who's the anglerfish, and who's the butterfly?"
"I would really like to say you're the butterfly, but it doesn't really matter, because we are here."
I looked out of the window to find the most beautiful house in the town of Forks, it was large, magnificent, and definitely the grandest house around. I stepped out of the truck to take in the surroundings. The mansion had a beautiful, large lawn, and was surrounded by the forest, but before I could take it all in, a nearly-invisible, speeding, mass of something hurtled towards me, knocking me off balance, and to the ground.
"Oof." I hit the ground hard, and the fall knocked the wind out of me. I looked up to see what, or as I can see now, who, had knocked me down.
"Hi,I'mAlice.YoumustbeBella.Edwardonlytoldyousolittle.Ialreadygoteveryonegatheredandreadytomeetyou.Ithinkwewillbeverygoodfriends.Willyoubemyfriend?" she said while pulling me up and half-dragging me to the door. I didn't get much of what she said, except for the last part.
"Sure, I'll be your friend," I said hesitantly.
"Yay!" she squealed, hugging me so tight I would have broken my bone if it was possible.
She threw open the front door, and led me to where I suppose the living room was, while Edward shot me an apologetic look.
"Is everyone here?" asked Alice as she did a speedy head count. "Yup, so this is Isabella, or Bella as she prefers to be known as." Then she turned to me and continued, "Bella, this is Carlisle, and Esme, and Rosalie, and Emmett, and this is Jasper," She said while pointing them out, and ended with a happy smile.
"Um… Hi everyone," I turned to look at everyone I the room. I knew recognized everyone in the room, either from school, or from the day of that accident. My eyes landed on the only stranger in the room… but she didn't seem like a stranger. In fact, she looked down right familiar. Esme… The name sounded familiar too… Then it clicked.
"Esme!" I half-screamed as I ran to hug her. She looked at me stunned, while I caught Alice grinning behind me.
"Don't you recognize me Esme? Wait, what am I saying? Of course you don't, not looking like this," and so I changed into the form I took almost a century ago. "Do you know me now? It's me, Francis Gordon."
Esme looked ready to faint.
A/n: Good chapter much? Please R&R. I'll try to write and post Chapter 10 ASAP.
This chapter's password requires you to complete this statement. There is no right or wrong answer. Just use your imagination. "Cover your butt…"