Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I blame her for the fact that laundry is left undone and I've learned to survive on less than five hours of sleep a night. I'm sure when she started writing, she had no idea what kind of monster she was creating…
Playlist for Chapter Nine – "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age and "Right Where It Belongs" by Nine Inch Nails
Chapter Nine - Right Where It Belongs
~Bella~
The big day had finally arrived. Angela spent Friday night at my house and we were both packed and ready to go when Edward and Alice pulled into my driveway in the silver Volvo.
Alice jumped out of the car and literally bounced up to the door, knocking in rhythm to whatever song she had running through her head.
"Good morning ladies, are you ready to go?" she sang.
"As ready as we'll ever be," I replied, laughing at her display of unbridled energy.
Angela and I stepped out through the door carrying our things and before I realized what was happening, Edward had taken the bags from us and was loading them into the trunk of the Volvo. Alice grabbed our hands and skipped to the car. She opened the door and shoved me into the passenger seat next to Edward, and she and Angela hopped into the back seat. Angela shot a knowing glance at me as she scooted in beside Alice, and I rolled my eyes and grinned at her in return.
Alice's enthusiasm was infectious, and before long we were all laughing and singing along with the songs playing on Edward's iPod. I was taking requests and scrolling through his music selection, which I had to admit, was very impressive. He had songs by every band I had ever heard of and even more that I wasn't familiar with. We eventually decided to play "Name That Tune" by putting his iPod on shuffle and letting it play whatever. It was great fun, and I won most of the rounds. I had a huge smile on my face when Edward said he was impressed with my musical expertise.
Edward drove like a bat out of hell and we made it to Portland in just over four hours. I had no idea how he didn't end up with a ticket – he definitely had a future career in NASCAR written all over him.
Our first stop in Portland was the Pioneer Place Mall, otherwise known as "Heaven" to Alice. I can honestly say that until I met Alice, I never believed anyone could truly live to shop. I had always thought it was a figure of speech, but setting Alice loose in a high-end shopping mall was a formidable sight. Angela and I were glad to be with Alice, because there is no way any of those stores would have let us in the door on our own. Their "Lack of Credit" alarms would have gone off the second we crossed the threshold. They saw Alice and fell all over themselves trying to help her spend an obscene amount of money.
Poor Edward served as Alice's pack mule, loaded down with shopping bags from nearly every designer store in the mall. He had to make several trips out to the car to put the spoils of Alice's shopping war in the Volvo's now limited trunk space. At least he was a good sport about it, or perhaps he was just resigned to Alice's typical shopping habits.
Angela and I stopped to eat in the Food Court while Alice continued on her mission to single-handedly boost the nation's economy. We were happy to be off our feet, both of us thankful that we had worn comfortable shoes. Neither Angela nor I were fashion mavens, we went for function over form, so this was completely new territory for us.
"What do you think of our trip so far?" Angela asked between bites.
"It's been great! Alice is amazing – I wish I had her energy – and Edward is, well… he's… I mean, his… I can't describe…" I stammered. I didn't have words to express how he made me feel.
"I know. I'm so glad they invited us. You and Edward seem to have a lot in common…" she trailed off, raising an eyebrow.
"He's great. But he is so far out of my league, Angela. There is no way on earth that a guy like him could ever see anything in a girl like me. Just look at him! He's gorgeous enough to be a Greek god, and then look at me… as plain as a brown paper bag." I frowned, wishing that I was beautiful enough to attract his attention.
~Edward~
The drive to Portland had been the most enjoyable trip I had ever made. Sharing my passion of music with Bella was something I had longed for in the past, but never expected to experience. I was stunned with her knowledge of the artists and songs as we played "Name That Tune" along the way. The only ones she missed were selections from my library of 40's and 50's music.
When we reached the mall, I was worried that Alice was going to run the girls ragged and they would be too tired to enjoy the concert, but they didn't have any trouble keeping up with Forks' own shopping force of nature.
I had to put my foot down, though, when I heard Bella's stomach growling.
"Alice, you have to give them a break and let them stop and eat. They can't keep up with the Paris Hilton of the Undead without some sustenance," I growled under my breath so the girls wouldn't hear.
I could see the relief and gratitude in Bella's expression when I suggested that she and Angela get something to eat while I help Alice cart her purchases to the car.
When we returned to the Food Court area of the mall, the smell of all the different types of food was overwhelming our enhanced senses, so we stayed on the perimeter rather than joining Bella and Angela at their table. It gave me the chance to observe Bella through Angela's thoughts.
Bella really has it bad for him. I can't believe she thinks she isn't pretty… I wish she could see herself clearly. Edward can hardly take his eyes off of her.
"Bella, you are anything but plain. You only think you are plain because you aren't plastic-perfect like Lauren and Jessica, but you are beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. It isn't about having perfect clothes and perfectly styled hair and perfect make-up. You don't even need make-up! You should see the way Edward looks at you, I'm sure you would think differently if you could see what I see," Angela told her gently.
I watched Bella blush in response.
Bella thought she was plain? How could she not see how beautiful she was? Everything about her was beautiful. There was no other woman on the planet to compare to her – human, vampire, or other. Bella was sheer perfection.
Alice cleared her throat. Edward, I have an idea. Let's take Bella and Angela to see a movie. Why don't you ask them if they'd like to see the new one?
I nodded, and followed Alice to the table where Bella and Angela were seated.
"Bella, Angela, we have some time to kill before we can check in to our hotel. Would you like to see 'Flightplan'? It just came out, and the trailers for it look really good." I smiled at Bella, waiting for her response.
Her expression went blank for a moment and then she shook her head as if to clear it. After a brief pause she answered, "Yeah, that would be great. Angela?" She turned to her friend.
Angela nodded. "Sure. I love Jodie Foster – 'Panic Room' is one of my all-time favorite movies."
Alice led the parade to the theater, and we scooted into the center seats of the middle row for the best view. Alice and Angela conveniently ducked into their seats first, leaving Bella and I to sit together. I tried to concentrate on the movie but ended up spending most of it watching Bella's expressions as the plot twisted. When the movie built up to a particularly frightening point, Bella reached over in anticipation and latched onto my forearm with an amazingly strong death grip. Even though my jacket kept her from feeling the cold temperature of my skin, it seemed like jolts of electricity were running up my arm from where she made contact. When she realized what she was doing, her cheeks flamed crimson while she frantically apologized. I could feel the heat from her face.
"Edward, I'm so sorry for grabbing your arm. Sometimes I get carried away when I'm watching a really intense scene in a movie," she whispered.
"It's no problem, Bella. I don't mind at all," I admitted. I hoped there would be more intense scenes before the movie was over.
After the movie ended, we packed into the Volvo and headed to our hotel. Carlisle had booked rooms for us at the RiverPlace Hotel, a stunning landmark overlooking a marina on the Willamette River. I was anxious to see Bella's reaction when we arrived. I smiled, remembering how excited she was years ago as a little girl when she first saw the treehouse I had built for her. Her eyes grew wide when we pulled onto the drive leading to the hotel, and a huge grin stretched across her face. I could feel the vibrations from her seat as she bounced eagerly, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling.
"Well, what do you think? Will this do?" I turned to ask her.
"Holy crow, Edward! It's amazing! I've never stayed anywhere near this nice," she exclaimed.
I winked as I told her, "Wait until you see the rooms!" We would be staying in the fireplace suites, and while they were practical for the fall weather in Portland, they were elegant as well.
We entered the lobby, and Bella and Angela looked around with wide eyes, waiting as I picked up our card keys and arranged for the hotel staff to bring up our belongings.
The sound of a text message chimed from Alice's cell phone. "Carlisle and Esme are already here in their room. We can visit with them before we leave for the concert," Alice announced.
Bella, Angela and Alice entered their room to get ready for the evening and I heard the girls' squeals of delight when they saw the sumptuous modern furnishings and the cheerful fire burning in the room's fireplace. In our adjacent room, Carlisle and Esme chuckled quietly at the girls' reaction.
I knew this would be fun for them, Alice thought. They need to get out and enjoy themselves more often. Granted, the primary purpose of this trip is to keep them from being killed by sadistic vampires in Port Angeles, not necessarily to have fun, but we need to do this again!
Before long, the girls were dressed and ready to go, so Alice herded them to the room I shared with Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle was standing in front of the fireplace with his arm around Esme's waist, when Bella and Angela came in.
Carlisle stepped forward to shake Bella's and then Angela's hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Alice and Edward have spoken so kindly of you," he said warmly.
"Dr. Cullen, thank you so much for allowing us to stay here with your family, we really appreciate this," Bella responded radiantly.
"Please, call me Carlisle, and we are grateful that you have joined us here."
"Welcome, girls, and please don't call me Mrs. Cullen. I'm Esme, and we are thrilled to have you," she introduced herself to Bella and Angela.
Esme pulled Bella into a gentle hug and whispered to Bella, "I'm so glad you could come. You have no idea how much this means to Edward and Alice." She's beautiful, Edward. I can easily see why you love her so much.
The arena was packed full of bodies. The smell of sweat, an endless assortment of colognes, and pungent herbal odors clinging to glassy-eyed concert-goers permeated every inch of the space. Alice, Angela, Bella and I took our seats in the front of the section just to the right of the stage. We had a great view of the bands, and Bella's excitement was tangible.
The opening band, Autolux, finished their set and the members of Queens of the Stone Age took their places. They opened with "Someone's In the Wolf" which merely served as a dark reminder of our long-standing treaty with the Quileute tribe. While hunting near the treaty line, Jasper and Emmett had encountered the distinct foul odor that indicated the shape-shifting gene had currently manifested in at least three members of the tribe.
I worried about Bella's safety around the volatile young wolves. She went to LaPush regularly with her father to visit their friends, the Blacks. Billy Black and his son, Jacob, were the grandson and great-grandson of Ephraim Black, the tribal chief who had negotiated the treaty with Carlisle. I wondered if there was any way I could warn Bella to exercise caution around her Quileute friends without violating the terms of the treaty regarding disclosure.
Her friend Jacob had not phased yet, and I was hoping that he had not inherited the genetic anomaly that turned the young Quileute men into giant wolves as a response to the presence of vampires, but I couldn't trust my luck to hold.
As part of my mind considered Bella's situation with the residents of LaPush, another part was mesmerized watching her enjoying the performance. She knew the lyrics to most of the songs they played, and her body kept time as she sang along.
Everyone was on their feet as Queens of the Stone Age played their closing number, "No One Knows". The entire crowd was dancing and singing with the band. Our little group was waving back and forth to the rhythm, Bella's long hair was swaying along with her movements, and it would brush against me as it swung in my direction, feeling like strands of silk against my skin. I inhaled deeply to catch the scent that was uniquely Bella and felt a smile spreading across my face as I listened to the words of the song.
I journey through the desert
Of the mind
With no hope
I follow
I drift along the ocean
Dead lifeboats
In the sun
They come undone
Pleasantly caving in
I come undone
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
Heaven smiles above me
What a gift here below
But no one knows
The gift that you give to me
No one knows
~Bella~
This was turning out to be the best weekend of my life. Sitting in the darkened theater next to Edward, I could feel the atmosphere between us seem to hum with electricity. I fought a nearly irresistible force pulling me toward him, and it took every ounce of my restraint not to touch him. At one point during the movie, the suspense had built to a fever pitch and unintentionally – well, mostly unintentionally – I reached over and grabbed Edward's arm. Even through the fabric of his shirt, the tingly sensations shot through my fingertips and up along my arm. I was only slightly embarrassed, but mostly ecstatic at the fact that I was actually touching him. At least he didn't pull away, or act upset about it.
When we reached the hotel, I was nearly left speechless by the elegant yet inviting surroundings. Each of our rooms had a working fireplace, plush furnishings, and high-end complementary personal hygiene products. The room was so inviting and comfortable that I was actually looking forward to coming back to it after the concert. Angela gave me a look that said she felt the same way about our accommodations.
We got ready quickly, showering and dressing in record time for a group of teenage girls. Alice led us next door to Dr. and Mrs. Cullen's room, where Edward was staying.
Meeting Edward's parents was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. They were both breathtakingly beautiful, but I wasn't intimidated by them at all. They made me feel instantly at home, as if I'd known them my entire life. For whatever bizarre reason, I felt as if I belonged with them.
Carlisle, with his blond hair and easy smile was handsome enough to be a movie star, and Esme looked as if she just walked off the silver screen and into the room, her caramel hair framing her face in soft waves. Both had the same honey-gold eyes as Edward and Alice, and they shone with genuine warmth and friendliness.
Esme wrapped me up in a tight hug, and I felt a twinge of sadness in my heart that I couldn't remember ever being touched my own mother. It felt so wonderful that I didn't want Esme to let go of me.
"Carlisle, I wanted to thank you for talking to my Dad, so I could come," I told him.
"It was my pleasure. Charlie is a good man, and the citizens of Forks are lucky to have him around to protect them," Carlisle answered.
"Dad speaks highly of you, too, Carlisle."
"Yes, thank you for speaking with my father, too. I was certain he wouldn't let me miss the Sunday morning service," Angela said.
"I enjoyed talking with your father, Angela. My father was an Anglican minister, so we have a great deal in common."
"It's getting late, we should probably head out now," Edward pointed out, herding Alice, Angela and I toward the door.
"Have a great time at the concert, kids," Carlisle and Esme called to us in unison.
The concert opened with Autolux, a band that Edward and I didn't know much about. They were okay, but we were anxious to see Queens of the Stone Age and Nine Inch Nails. When the eerie sounds of "Someone's In the Wolf" began, Edward and I grinned at each other. By the time they got to "No One Knows" the entire audience was on their feet, dancing and singing along with the song.
When Trent and the band took the stage, the anticipation had reached a near-frenzy. They rocked through "Pinion", an instrumental song, and progressed into "Love Is Not Enough", a song with excellent lyrics.
The visual effects were phenomenal; it was a veritable feast for the eyes. Added to the fact that Edward smelled amazing, I was quickly nearing sensory overload.
I braced myself, knowing the inevitable was coming (and hoping against hope that Trent would leave it off the set list), and when I finally heard the familiar scratchy beat beginning the song, I knew I had reached new heights in blushing. I could feel the heat radiating off my full-body blush as the explicit lyrics of "Closer" filled the arena. Please God, kill me now. I refused to make eye contact with Edward, but I knew he was watching my reaction, and from the far edge of my peripheral vision I could see the corner of his mouth raised in a knowing smirk. As much as I loved the song, I preferred to hear it in private, and not in the company of the glorious boy standing inches away from me.
A huge sigh of relief escaped me as the song came to a close. I still couldn't look at Edward, but Alice winked at me from her end of our group. One look at Angela showed her to be nearly as red as I was. I recognized the irony when "Closer" was followed by "Burn".
My embarrassment had faded by the time I heard the quiet opening guitar notes of "Right Where It Belongs," my favorite Nine Inch Nails song, and then Trent started singing and I was lost in the music.
See the animal in his cage that you built
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye
Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?
See the safety of the life you have built
Everything where it belongs
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart
And it's all...
Right where it belongs
What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks?
Would you find yourself...
Find yourself afraid to see?
I could feel Edward standing beside me, and the electrical current flowing between us was becoming a presence of its own. In my imagination, he was standing behind me with his arms around my waist, mouth close to my ear, singing the lyrics in his silky-smooth voice. Goosebumps covered my arms, and I shivered involuntarily at the very thought of being touched by him.
~Edward~
My body was warming from the heat pouring from Bella as she blushed furiously when "Closer" started. I could see her from the corner of my eye and noticed that she was turning shades of red that I had never seen before. I felt the corners of my mouth lifting in amusement without my permission, but I couldn't help it… she was so cute when she was embarrassed. That blush alone was worth the price of admission, hotel and gas.
Edward, she is absolutely adorable! Alice thought as she caught my attention and winked at me. Then I caught just a glimpse of one of Alice's visions, and before I could focus on it, Alice was translating the "Closer" lyrics to French. And we think it sounds dirty in English…
All I could catch of Alice's vision was a brief image of Bella and Alice, smiling, with their arms over each other's shoulders. It went so quickly that I couldn't make out any details.
I turned my attention to Bella when she started singing along with "Right Where It Belongs". Her head was tipped back and her eyes were closed, and she had the most beautiful smile as she swayed back and forth in time to the music. The space between us was virtually humming with energy. I wanted so desperately to stand behind her, hold her in my arms, and sing with her. My proximity to Bella must have made her cold, because her skin was covered in goosebumps and she was shivering. To ease her discomfort, I stepped away to increase the distance between our bodies, the pull I felt increasing exponentially with each inch.
The excitement level among the concertgoers had reached fever pitch by the time Nine Inch Nails ended with "Head Like A Hole". The entire crowd had been dancing and jumping, shouting the lyrics along with Trent and company. Bella, Angela, Alice and I were high-fiving, and grinning like fools. It was hands-down the most fun I had experienced in my very long life.
We made it back to the hotel just after midnight and spent some time visiting with Carlisle and Esme before a huge yawn from Bella indicated that it was time for the girls to get their rest. Alice told them she would join them in a little while and stayed for an informal family meeting.
"You should have seen Bella and Angela when they played 'Closer'!" Alice shrieked. "I've never seen anyone blush so hard before. I thought Bella was going to spontaneously combust!"
I chuckled at the memory of Bella's embarrassment. "It's true," I told Carlisle and Esme, "She turned a shade of red I didn't know was even possible."
"So I take it that great fun was had by all, then?" Carlisle asked with a smile.
Alice could hardly contain herself as she responded, "Oh yes, it was the most fun I've had in decades! And Edward can back me up on this – well, at least from Angela's point of view – the girls had a blast!"
"I'm so happy that they enjoyed themselves, but even more, I'm thankful that you were able to get them out of harm's way," Esme said, as Carlisle nodded in agreement. "I just hope that nobody else was hurt in Port Angeles by those sadistic nomads." She frowned in concern.
I shuddered at the memory of Alice's earlier vision of Angela and Bella being tortured and killed by the evil vampires. Even the traditional vampires we were acquainted with would consider that treatment cruel and unusual. The thought of anyone harming my Bella made my chest clench. If someone were to even attempt to hurt her, I would annihilate them.
A/N: Happy Thursday everyone!!! I hope you enjoyed the trip to Portland! (I know I would have!) There are links to the music played by both Queens of the Stone Age and Nine Inch Nails on my profile. The setlist site lists all the songs played at the September 24, 2005 concert in Portland (in the order they were played) and links to the video and lyrics for each song. It's pretty cool stuff!
Random Story Fact #3: Regarding Edward's taste in music – from Personal Correspondence with Stephenie Meyer on the Twilight Lexicon:
Q:Other than Debussy, what kinds of music does Edward listen to? Does he prefer classical or has he a favorite modern style of music?
A: Edward likes a wide range of music (he has a lot of time on his hands for listening). He likes classical, jazz, progressive metal, alternative rock, punk rock, and some emo. He prefers indie rock to mainstream. He doesn't prefer rock over classical–he appreciates both. As a general rule, he doesn't like country.
Also, on Stephenie's personal website, she answers a question that refers to Bella's listening choice:
Q: What CD is Bella listening to in Chapter Seven (of Twilight)?
A: I took that information out because I wasn't sure how long it was going to take to get Twilight published. If it took ten years, would the band still be cool, or would it be embarrassing? Lucky for me, it didn't take that long, and the band is still quite cool (in my eyes, at least). Bella is listening to Linkin Park. As I am at this very moment.
So, in summary, if you want to hear representative "Edward" music, listen to Stephenie's "Midnight Sun" playlist on her website. If you want to hear representative "Bella" music, listen to her "Twilight" playlist.
I would like to offer thanks to my completely amazing Beta and partner in fanfiction crime, A Little Distracted, for everything she does to help me bring this story to you each week. Without her, it would never have seen the light of day.
Now for the bad news: I will be out of town on business next week (Denver – here I come!), so I may not be able to post Chapter 10 until I get back, but I promise I will post it as soon as possible.
Fics that I'm reading this week – I heart them, hard:
"Grasping Darkness" by KiyaRaven
"Gloaming" by readingmama
"Stranger Than Fiction" by MasenVixen