A/N: Allow me to sing a little triumphant anthem and impress u with a victory speech…joking! I wouldn't pain anyone like that any given day- with the exception of kt, wishy, and other peeps my school.

Angel: b nice loosie!

Loosie: mean, stinky conscience. Grr.

Well here it is. Sorry to keep anyone waiting…ok, sorry for everything, and thank you so much for the reviews. You know what? I'm going to shut up now and let you read. Enjoy! (hopefully)

Chapter Eight

"Hope! The Cullens are here! They want to…holy shit!" I said and ran out of the room, disgusted. "My eyes! My eyes! They burn!"

"Oh, shut up." Hope grumbled, slowly getting out of the bed as she broke her sloppy kiss with Trey, who saw us and growled. "Could you knock next time? That way you wont have to see us."

"Perfect timing, Karm." Trey muttered, fixing his clothes. I shot him a glare in response.

"Well you guys shouldn't have been getting intimate when you knew that we were having guests over today." I accused, but Hope merely rolled her eyes as she straightened out her shirt.

"Whatever." She said and turned to look at the Cullens, her eyes growing wide as she took them in. "Sorry about that." She said sheepishly; you couldn't miss that it was directed to the Cullens only and not me. She could really care less about me.

"Now that that's over, we can have intros. Hope and Trey, this is…" I gestured towards them, reminding them that I hadn't yet heard their names. Alice said her name first; their voices were completely dull, not showing any emotion at all. "Right. Cullens, the repulsive couple is Hope and Trey." I turned to Hope, starting to get impatient. "You know, this would go a heck of a lot faster if we were all in the den or something."

"Fine." She turned to exit. "I'll go round up the others. We'll meet you there."

"Cool." I exited, waving the Cullens after me. "This way."

"So, what are we doing again?" Hunter inquired dully, his arm draped possessively around Chantal.

"Introductions love." She said as he pulled her into a kiss. I turned my gaze from Will- who was still pouting over the gay kiss- to the Cullens.

Emmett sighed loudly, annoyed. "We might as well get this over with." Jasper nodded feebly: the emotions were most likely overwhelming. "All right. My name is Emmett, my power is that I'm strong, and my mate is Rosalie." He tightened his grip on Rosalie, who was leaning into him.

"I'm Rosalie. And my power is that I'm extraordinarily beautiful." She flipped her hair dramatically for the full effect. Out of my corner of my eye, I say Chantal roll her eyes.

"My name's Jasper, and I can influence the emotions of a crowd. This is my mate, Alice."

"I'm Alice, and I can see the future." Alice's eyes were fixated on me, and I leaned back into Will. She waved at Him. "This is my brother Edward, and he can read minds." He was slumped against the wall, his head bent sadly, and it was then that I realized that he hadn't spoken all day. I shrugged it off, and focused on what was going on.

"I'm Sparrow, and I can communicate with animals in a twenty mile radius."

"I'm Chase, Sparrow's mate, and I can detect when something big or unusual is coming."

"I'm Hunter, and I'm strong and fast. This is my mate, Chantal."

"My name is Chantal and I'm extremely fashionable…and gorgeous." She shot at Rosalie, who huffed in response while Emmett sniggered good-naturedly.

"I'm Hope, and I can give someone happiness or hope."

"I'm Trey, Hope's mate, and I'm a troublemaker."

"My name's Will and I can hack into whatever piece of technology that I want. This is my girlfriend Karma." Will's arms wrapped tightly around me, and I sighed.

"My name's Karma, and my power has yet to be discovered." I added grimly.

"So…would you like to join us on a trip into town tomorrow?" Hunter asked casually.

"Sure." The Cullens agreed. Alice stretched, avoiding my eyes.

"I'm going to go in my room unpack." She walked out of the room to her corridors, and was soon followed by everyone else. I flopped into the fluffy recesses of my own bed and closed my eyes to think.

A soft knock woke me from my sleepless dream. "It's open."

"Hey. Can we talk?" Alice whispered as she gently closed the door behind her. I nodded, understanding her reasons.

"Let's go somewhere more private." I grabbed my keys from my nightstand, and leapt of the bed. "We'll take my car."

We flew away from the mansion in my Mercedes at seventy miles per hour until we were out of the ten-mile radius. I cut the engine so that the car stopped on the side of the road; facing the looming trees. The night was dark and heavy like a thick black blanket despite the light of the moon, but our eyesight was keen. I closed my eyes, waiting for the interrogation to begin.

"I…I don't know why you're doing this to him." Alice said at last, her eyes glued forward. "Making him believe you've been dead for three years?" She shook her head as if in disappointment.

"I just can't tell him who I am." I whispered, my words as quiet as the fall wind that rustled the leaves ever so gently. "I couldn't handle that, you know?"

"You knew that I would have that vision." She accused, her voice slightly bewildered as she turned to glare at me. "Clever, but unfair." Her lips curled into a snarl, and I shivered. "Do you know how hard it was to block him? Do you know how hard it was to conceal my feelings? Do you?"

"Yes I do." I couldn't look at her, ashamed. "And I'm extremely sorry to have to put you through that. I have told my coven the truth, and how not to let you guys in." She relaxed, sharing the same comfort in knowing that we weren't the only ones dealing in enduring concentration. I sighed. "Let me warm up to the idea before telling him."

Alice shook her head and turned to face the front once more. "I don't know why I'm agreeing to this. After what you put him through." Her voice rose dangerously. "Damn me! Damn me to the deepest hell!" My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "You don't know do you?" She asked in wonder. I shook my head, and she growled menacingly. "When he heard that you had died, everything became eerily quiet. We just couldn't believe our ears. I was terrifying, how long we stood in silence." She shivered from the memory. "Then Edward," I winced at his name, "took off at the speed of light. There was no question as to where he was going- the Volturi. I took the full strength of Carlisle, Emmett, Rosalie, and me to pin him down while Esme and Jasper did their best to console him. Now, he doesn't speak at all, he's mute." Her glare deepened. "Jasper started having suicidal thoughts because he took just a little bit of the weight off of Edward. Do you know how scary it is to see the one that you love most in this word quake and curl up in a ball from all that evil?" I couldn't help but feel shocked. "No, you don't." She concluded settling into the dark leather heavily and grumpily.

"It doesn't make any sense." My answer was soft, even for vampires. "He said he didn't love me anymore, and he never would."

"He lied." Her answer was grim, explaining the truth after three years. "It was an extremely stupid plan too. He thought you'd go away and be safe- he loved and still loves you more than anything and would do anything to keep you from getting hurt. A whole lot of good that did him."

Silence took over us. It crept through the car, soft and quiet. "So…Will, huh?"

"Yes." I watched the distant lights rise and fade through the trees in front of the car.

"And…"

"Well, he's great and everything…but" I bit my lip. Bella started to come out, and I was scared that she wouldn't shut up.

"Yes?"

"Well, it just doesn't feel right, you know? It's like…it's like if you kissed Jacob Black! That wouldn't be right, because you're a vampire and your married to Jasper." She frowned, repulsed.

"I can imagine…a dog! Ech!" She made a hacking noise, and I managed a small chuckle. "So this means you're not…"

"No, I'm not involved with another vampire."

"Good." She smiled wickedly and silence fell again, making me feel worlds apart from the Alice I used to know and love. "Bella?" Her voice broke through, cautious and worried. "How did you die?"

I looked out the window, watching the moon's silver rays dance in street puddles and trees bend and sway. I watched the ice creep up to form lace on the windshield, and the stars glimmer magnificently. Finally, I whispered my answer. "I don't know." I turned my key into the ignition and we drove back through the dark, black night.