AN: SM owns all. I own my shame. Not fair.
Chapter 2
Oh no! What was I thinking? I ask myself as I look at a picture of myself from my human years. How could I be so stupid? Vampires look everything like the humans they came from! I'll never be able to pull it off…
"Bella, you here?" I rough voice asks from outside my room. Without waiting for a response, which would have been too polite, Jacob waltzes inside and sits on my bed. "I just got off the phone with Nessie. She wants to move up the wedding because of something you said. What did you say?" Jacob asks me, while I continue to fret over a picture of me and Edward. When I don't respond Jacob snatches the photo from my hand. "Why are you looking at this?" Jacob stares at it intently and flips it over to see if there is something on the back. "It's just a picture…" He decides and I snatch the picture back.
"I know it is just a picture. I'm not looking at it for that." I say helplessly and place the picture back in the scrapbook. Jacob frowns.
"Then why are you looking at it?" persists Jacob.
"I'm going to meet Charlie. But he doesn't think it's me, because I'm dead. I just want to see him again but I don't want to get in trouble. I thought vampires looked different from humans but they don't…"
"Bella you look different. Don't worry. You just have to emphasize your differences. Act opposite of how you normally would. So instead of dressing in jeans and a tee-shirt, dress like Alice," Jacob laughs at the thought. I shudder and picture myself like Alice. It could work.
"Do you think I could pull it off?"
Jacob looks over me and back at the picture. "Yeah, Charlie hasn't seen you in forever. I'm sure he won't be able to tell. And if he does…"
"Then I'm dead. D-E-A-D, dead," I spell out to Jacob. I let each letter sink into my head.
"Is this worth it, Bells? Death for a day with your dad who won't even know it's you?" Jacob asks me. I smile.
"Yeah, it's worth it."
Having a psychic in the family may be bad for some people. The psychic in my family can't see me anymore. Even since I chose to have my daughter I went POOF! So now I don't have to worry about being caught. As long as I'm sneaky enough.
"Edward?" I say into the receiver. I hate it when he puts me on hold.
"Sorry, Bella. I didn't think you wanted to hear what Emmett was saying."
"Thanks. I was just calling to yell you I'm going to spend the day with Renesmee and Jacob." I say confidently. Lying is so much easier now. I'll feel guilty about it later. I pinky promise.
"Instead of hanging out over here? We made a deal, love. Can't you spend the day with them tomorrow?" Edward pleas.
"Nope. Sorry. I'll tell you all about it tonight, okay?" I can feel the guilt setting in.
"We're going to talk tonight?" Edward asks incredulously. I laugh. We never talk during the night. Something about being eternal teenagers with a house all to ourselves…
"Okay, I'll make it up to you tonight!" I laugh and hear Emmett groan in the background. "Emmett really shouldn't eavesdrop. It's impolite."
"I'll let him know. I love you," Edward says and clicks his phone shut.
"I love you too…" I say after he hangs up.
I pull out my red bike from the garage and sigh. It would easier to ride the bike if I wasn't wearing a dress. I can't drive my car though; I think to myself, I'm seventeen and searching for a job.
I sigh again and hop on to the bike and start peddling towards Charlie's house.
My newly curled hair flows in the wind as I ride down the largest hill in Forks; it lasted three point six seconds. The dress flaps unnaturally behind me. But as soon as I see the small two bedroom one bathroom house of Charlie my face breaks into a giant grin.
I place my bike next to the woods and head up to the front door. Before I get there Charlie is already opening the door.
"Oh! Marie! I thought you would be later…well, I guess since you're already here…c'mon in…" Charlie backtracks into his house and I follow tentatively behind. "How did you get here so fast?" Charlie asks me. I shrug and gesture to my still visible bike. Charlie nods slowly and beckons me to the kitchen.
His house is a mess! When I left it was clean and shining…and now…now it is…a pigsty! Nothing is homey about this place. If anything it is a place of a squatter. Not a place for the police chief.
My look of disgust must have been visible. Charlie laughs nervously and sits at the table. I follow his lead and sit across from him. In the center of us is a half eaten plate of French fries. Nice…
"So anyways, thanks Marie for coming in. I'm sorry I didn't have time to clean up at all…usually I just clean the kitchen…but lately…" Charlie shrugs helplessly and hands me a piece of paper. "If you just fill in the hours you can work, I'm sure we can figure out a payment plan. Or something like that."
"I can work whatever you need. Payment isn't necessary. If anything I just wasn't five dollars a week. I don't need anything."
"What about a car? If you had a car you could get rid of the bike. Cars are expensive," Charlie presses.
"You're the employer, you can decide. "
Charlie has started to show his age. His curly brown hair has flecks of grey throughout and some worry lines embedded in his forehead. His eyes are sorrowful even when there is nothing to show that sort of emotion for. My heart falls at his appearance. At the wedding he looked so nice. The wedding…the last time I saw him…
"I can give you a tour of the house. You can start tomorrow if you want."
"The sooner the better, I think." I laugh and look around the kitchen again.
"Yeah, yeah. C'mon Marie. Let's get the party started."
The house hasn't changed much. The pictures of Renee are still floating around in the oddest of places and the trash seems to be consistent. Charlie leads me through his tiny house and mentions every now and then what he would like to see in the room. Mainly the floor.
When we come to my old room Charlie stops short and looks at the ground.
"Are you okay, Mr. Swan?" I say worriedly.
"I'm fine. This room won't need much tending too. Maybe once a week you could come clean it but other than that no one goes in here." Charlie says sadly and then opens the door.
Inside my room there is no trash. It is almost exactly how I left it. The clothes I had scattered across the floor have been picked up and folded. My books are still open on the last page. My bed is still half-way made. My CD player is still open to show the CD of my lullaby Edward gave me. I choke back the words that want to come spilling out. The words that all go along the lines of: 'Charlie, it's me, Bella! I'm not dead. I'm a vampire! I lied. I'm sorry. I have a daughter. You're a grandfather. She's going to marry Jacob. Everything is fine! I love you!' All the words I can never say.
I look to my desk and smile. Charlie has placed my wedding picture there. I look around the room again. It looks like every picture Charlie has ever taken of me is on the walls. A shrine. A shrine to me. A shrine to his dead daughter.
"Her name was Bella. She died a while ago. This was her room. She was married to Edward Cullen. Died because of a rare disease she picked up on her honeymoon." Charlie mumbles as an explanation. I look at him and see the tears prickling in his eyes. He blinks them back and nods.
"I'm sorry. Edward talks about her all the time. I didn't know she was your daughter. Will it make it hard me being here?" I don't want to hurt him again. This one lie has practically killed him.
Charlie's eyes glance at me curiously and back at the pictures on the walls. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. "You look a little like her. She was a beautiful woman…you are too…No it won't be hard. This is the last room anyways. So I'll see you tomorrow right? For breakfast?"
I smile appreciatively. I guess I got the job. I nod and let myself out. It was still worth it.
I jumped on my bike and peddled as fast as I could home. Half way there I stopped and picked up my phone.
"So did he buy it?" Jacob asks me impatiently. I laugh.
"I think so. Only one close call when we were in my room. He has a shrine to me Jacob! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know! No one goes to your house anymore. Let alone your room. He's almost a hermit, Bella!"
"Oh okay…do you think I'm doing the right thing by taking the job? I don't want to hurt him more…"
"Bella, we have all seen his house. He needs you. Plus, you can't breathe so you can handle the harsh fish smells. You'll be great. So when do you go back?"
"I can breathe Jacob! I just don't need to! I go back tomorrow…I'm in charge of meals too. "
"Be careful Bella. What are you going to tell, Edward?"
"Yes, Bella, what are you going to tell me?" Edward hisses from behind. I snap the phone shut and turn to see a fuming vampire.
Oops.
Author's Note-Thanks for reading. Please review if you feel inclined to flame me for this piece of crap.