Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They all belong to the amazingly talented Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 4: A Nice Surprise

When I woke up, I felt surprisingly well-rested, despite the events of earlier in the morning. I also had a very positive outlook on the day—the sun was shining, I got to have the whole house to myself without any awkward Charlie moments, and I'd see Jasper and Rosalie later. I stretched and took a deep breath. That's when I noticed a difference in my room. When I first walked in yesterday, it was very musty smelling, and in desperate need of a good dusting. Now, every surface in my room sparkled in the morning sunlight. And the room was filled with a sweet, intoxicating fragrance. Now, all that needed attending to were the three or four boxes left over from last night. Though Charlie was a great guy, I didn't think he'd be this considerate. There was only one other possibility.

I chuckled softly. "Thank you," I said aloud.

I listened for a moment, half hoping that I would hear some kind of response. When I did not, I remembered the promise that I made to myself earlier—I would let this spirit come to me. If it didn't want to communicate, I wouldn't make it. But this small surprise that I woke up to was surely a step in the right direction wasn't it?

After I took a shower and got dressed, I set out to start on my tasks. First up: my room. I figured that I had better take care of those boxes before I forgot and got distracted. I also decided that I'd put on my classical music CD so I'd enjoy myself at least a little bit while I unpacked. And it did help. I made quick work of those boxes. But I had to pause and listen to my absolute favorite song on the CD: "Clair de Lune". I think it meant so much to me because my mom used to play it a lot. It reminded me of her. It also reminded me that I needed to check in with her and see how everything was going.

In addition to my room, I had wanted to do a little cleaning of the house, starting on the first floor. Though it wasn't terribly untidy, I thought I'd do some dusting and vacuuming for good measure. It was a little odd, but I actually enjoyed cleaning. It was something I just didn't mind at all. I started with the dining room, dusting the table and getting the cobwebs out of the corners. After I vacuumed the rug, I moved on to the living room…the setting of the early morning piano recital.

When I walked into the room, I looked around. Nothing seemed different, except for the piano cover, which was back in place. I found it comical that the thick coating of dust was still on top of the cover. I laughed to myself and decided that this was one part of the room that would remain undusted. But for the next fifteen minutes, I vacuumed and cleaned everything else. After I finished, I stood quietly for a moment, admiring a job well-done. But then, I noticed a small change. The same intoxicating scent that had blanketed my bedroom when I woke up was now here. It was an indescribable scent, but I couldn't get enough of it. I breathed in deeply, enjoying and savoring it. This was the pattern that continued for the rest of my cleaning time. Every time I finished a room, the fragrance filled it. I wished I could figure out what exactly the scent was—though I had a pretty good idea as to what was causing it. As silly as it sounds, that scent was like a drug. I needed to smell it before moving on to the next room, and I always craved more.

By 2:00, I was actually done with the whole house. I credited the addition of that wonderful fragrance in helping me along. I stood in the foyer, taking in the scent that now enveloped the whole house. I was so engrossed in it that I almost didn't hear the phone ringing. I ran to pick it up.

"Hello," I answered breathlessly.

"Hey, Bella. How are you," asked Jasper.

"Oh, I'm pretty good. I actually just finished cleaning the house, so your timing was right on."

"Well, it's a gift I suppose." He laughed. "But really, I'm glad you're finished. Would 2:30 be all right for me and Rose to come by?"

"Yup, 2:30 would be great," I said. "I'm excited to hang out with you and see downtown Chicago. And I'm really looking forward to meeting Rosalie."

"Yeah, she's looking forward to meeting you, too! Anyways, we'll see you in a little bit, alright?"

"Ok, see you soon."

I hung up and went to my room to get ready. It was a cooler day for early August, so I decided to war my favorite dark blue, ¾ length sleeve blouse and short denim skirt with some flip flops. But as I was going through my closet, I realized that my blouse wasn't there. Weird, considering that I specifically remembered hanging it up in my closet this morning. I checked my dresser just in case—not there. I was really confused. What the hell had happened to it? I searched through my room twice, three times until I just gave up. It was 2:25—Jasper and Rosalie were going to be here in five minutes, and I needed something to wear. Since apparently, my blouse decided to make an impromptu disappearing act, I chose a fitted t-shirt and hoodie to go with the skirt and sandals. But just as I was getting ready to put on my shirt, I noticed something sitting on the corner of my bed that hadn't been there a few minutes ago—my blouse, neatly folded. Puzzled, I picked it up. I couldn't see why my blouse had been taken, but there was no time for analyzing the situation. I decided to put on the blouse and forget about it, but I soon realized what the point was in taking it. As I was buttoning the blouse, I discovered that something had changed. Apparently, the spirit wanted to leave a little something on my blouse to remind me of this morning—that heavenly scent.

So the next chapter is going to focus just on Bella's time in downtown Chicago! And we're going to find out a bit more about Rosalie. I'm not really sure why I went off on a Rosalie tangent…I think because I just felt a good idea coming on. And I suppose I just felt that she really needed more face time than she got in the books. But I hope you all liked this chapter! I based the scent in the house off of how Edward's scent is described throughout the series. I wish that Stephenie could have been a bit more specific about what the scent was…but oh well. Please read and review. See you all Thursday when I update next!