Chapter 8
BPOV
"You are Cold Ones," Jacob stated. "Vampires."
"Yes, we are," Carlisle admitted. "But we do not drink human blood ever. We only hunt animals."
"What about bagged blood, like from the hospital?" Embry asked.
Carlisle shook his head solemnly. "No, we do not drink that either. There are vampires who do consider that a fair compromise. Personally, I still have moral issues with that, the least of which is that it diminishes the available blood supply for patients who need it. Honestly, I have never used human blood as a food source, never in over 360 years. I was human once, a long time ago, and I chose to never relinquish my humanity. Even as a newborn, completely on my own, I chose to run away from humans rather than be tempted to attack and kill them. I would consider myself a cannibal if I were to feed on human blood. I realize that is a highly unusual opinion for a vampire to have, but I do not want to be a murderer or a monster. Unfortunately, most vampires believe they are superior to humans. They view humans as nothing more than cattle, ripe for slaughter. They spare no thought to who might be hurt by the loss of the person they kill for their dinner, much less the loss of a future for that particular person."
"So if you're not getting blood from the hospital, what are you doing there?" Quil wondered. We all looked at him like he was crazy.
Carlisle raised an eyebrow. "I'm a surgeon. I save peoples' lives. Ask anybody at the hospital. I spent 200 years, two hundred years, developing an immunity to human blood, so I would feel absolutely no temptation to taste it even if it splattered in my face. Why do you think I did it? I wanted to make a difference in this world. I wanted to spend my eternity making things better for others. Do you have any idea how many lives I've saved due solely to my advanced senses and increased speed? Lives that a human doctor would have been incapable of saving, surgeries a human doctor couldn't possibly perform. That's in addition to all the procedures I do that a human doctor could do just as easily if one were available. Can you even imagine how many babies I've delivered in the past hundred and fifty years? How many broken bones I've set, how many wounds I have stitched?"
"But why?" Jacob queried impatiently. "What is your motivation? What makes a vampire go against its nature and become a doctor for humans?"
"Ah," Carlisle responded in comprehension. "I believe I understand your question now. My father was a preacher. He raised me to obey the teachings of the Bible, particularly to love my neighbor. His pet project was hunting vampires, seeking to destroy them, considering them evil soulless demons bent on destroying innocent human lives."
All three Quileutes nodded, their attention fully fixed on Carlisle. This was something to which they could relate. It was the same thing they were taught about vampires from the cradle. Carlisle noted their nods and continued his story.
"He asked me to lead the hunt one night and, to everyone's amazement, we actually flushed a real vampire out of hiding. Since I was in the lead, he pounced on me and bit me. He then fled from the rest of my group, who were bearing torches, before he had time to drain me dry. The others left me where I had fallen, taking off in hot pursuit of the vampire. I knew my father would be devastated by what happened to me—not to mention that he would've destroyed me—so I hid myself in a nearby cellar. As I burned in the fires of hell, internally at least, I promised myself that, if I became a vampire, I wouldn't become a monster like the one who had bitten me. When the transformation was complete, I denied my thirst and tried to end my existence. That's how I discovered vampires can't drown, can't suffocate, and can survive any fall. I chose to starve myself rather than attack a human, so I ran far away from people into the wilderness. After a month without feeding at all, I came across a deer, and my instincts took over. I had eaten venison as a human, so I had no moral issue with feeding from animals. I knew then I had another option. I didn't have to be a monster or a murderer."
He paused to see if the boys had any questions about his story thus far. They nodded, indicating they had understood everything, and encouraged him to continue.
"I wandered for a while, spent time with other vampires occasionally, and eventually came to the conclusion that I preferred living amongst and interacting with humans rather than vampires. I found that my vampire skills enabled me to help others, so I worked to make my new existence a blessing rather than a curse. I had a purpose, a reason for living. For over 275 years, I lived this existence without a mate or like-minded companion. Once I became a doctor, I worked round the clock, 24/7, taking off only enough time to hunt. I worked at more than one hospital to accomplish this without drawing attention to myself. I found the work highly fulfilling, and I had no one waiting at home for me, so I worked all the time. Over the past ninety years, I have slowly accrued my family. I now spend more time at home than at work, but I still have a mission, driven by my internal moral code, to help others, to love my neighbors. That is why I work at the hospital."
Carlisle paused, staring intensely into each of their eyes, trying to make a point, trying to show how he is different from other vampires. "I refuse to be a monster. I save lives instead of taking them. I help people rather than hurt them. I use my powers for good, not evil. I help bring children into this world, instead of sending them to an early grave. I put people back together rather than break them. I stop their bleeding, not start it. I give them blood, not take it away. I didn't choose to become a vampire, but every day I choose to be a blessing, to benefit our society, to be a constructive force rather than a destructive one. I am a man of honor and integrity. I am trustworthy, thus, I can respect myself and can face myself in the mirror. Living this way is a deeply ingrained part of who I am as a man."
The soon-to-be wolves seemed taken aback and amazed. The full effect of Carlisle's authority and sincerity rang through both his voice and his body language. There was no possible way to doubt him. Quil and Embry looked to Jacob to express their lingering concerns.
"Okay, we believe you, Carlisle, but what about the rest of your family, and what about the vampires like the ones in our legends-the emotionless monsters?" Jacob inquired defensively.
"First of all, every member of my family lives the way I do, drinking only animal blood. Your legends speak of Cold Ones with red eyes, right? But they also mention that my family and I have yellow eyes, correct? When a vampire drinks human blood, whether it is from a bag or from a person, their eyes turn red. When a vampire drinks only animal blood, their eyes turn yellow. If they do both, their eyes are essentially orange. If I were to drink human blood right now, my gold eyes would immediately turn red and it would take more than a day, plus multiple feedings of animal blood for my eyes to return back to yellow. Thus, you can immediately tell, by looking at the eyes of all of my family members, that none of them partake of human blood."
Jacob, Embry, and Quil stared carefully into each vampire's eyes, finally relaxing some of the tension they had felt since arriving. They turned expectantly back to Carlisle, knowing he wasn't finished yet.
"The one exception to the eye color is that of newborn vampires. Their eyes are red because they are still full of their own human blood. It takes months of a strictly animal blood diet before their eyes turn yellow. We only know of one other family of vegetarian vampires," Carlisle explained.
"Vegetarian vampires?" Quil asked in confusion.
"It's an inside joke. That's what we call ourselves, since we don't eat humans," Edward responded. The boys nodded, showing their comprehension.
"Please continue, Carlisle," Jacob instructed.
"Most vampires consider humans like cattle. They feel no guiltier about killing a human for food than you do when you eat a steak."
The boys looked down at their plates, then back up to Carlisle, wearing expressions of disgust.
"As far as taste is concerned, human blood would be like steak and animal blood would be like plain white minute rice. Not many people can choose to stick to a diet of nothing but plain white minute rice, with no butter, no spice or seasoning, no oil, nothing at all, day in and day out for all eternity. Especially when steak is everywhere around them, the delicious aroma filling the air. Animal blood is filling, but not very satisfying," Carlisle added calmly. "So vampires that feed off humans care no more for human feelings than you care about the feelings of the cow you just consumed."
The boys shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, sneaking glances at one another. They obviously didn't appreciate the comparison.
"So you have every right to defend your people against any human drinker. We will likely even help you, particularly if the attacks are deliberate. Normally, we just ask nomads not to hunt within 300 miles of Forks. That usually works fine, at least as far as protecting the humans in our territory. I realize it doesn't help humans elsewhere. However, I do not like taking the lives or existences of any sentient being where they are humans, vampires, or werewolves."
"Werewolves?" Jacob squeaked in shock. We all looked at him in surprise.
"Yes, like you three," Carlisle mentioned casually. The Quileutes looked at him in shock, their mouths hanging open. "Oh, had you not realized it yet? You spoke of natural enemies, so I assumed you understood."
"I meant our whole tribe is supposed to be enemies of your family. There's no such thing as werewolves," Jacob protested.
"Au contraire, mon ami," Emmett jested.
"Our family and your tribe are not enemies," Carlisle corrected. "We are allies against the human killing Cold Ones. We should be friends, since we are fighting on the same side, protecting the same people. I prefer to use nonviolent methods of persuasion whenever possible. I will, however, defend my family to the death. I am capable of fighting, though I prefer to only fight when absolutely necessary. You three have all been invited to become part of my family. The choice is yours, but, if you do accept the invitation, I would defend you with my life, risking my entire existence to protect you, just as I would do for any of my other children."
The boys looked around at the Cullens' welcoming, smiling faces. Jacob's eyes were shiny with unshed tears. They thanked everyone, obviously touched that the Cullens wanted them to join the family.
"Now, before you get too excited though, I need to warn you," Carlisle continued seriously. "All three of you are werewolves, or will be soon. You will continue to grow and mature, and will maintain a body temperature around 108 degrees. We did not realize before we moved back here to Forks that our presence alone is enough to activate your shape-shifting genes. The genetic information is encoded in the 24th pair of chromosomes you each have. We sincerely apologize for that. There are many good things about being a werewolf, and I hope you'll keep that in mind when the time comes for your first transformation. Just try to remember that your anger and fear trigger the change into wolf form. In that form, you are horse-sized wolves who can run hundreds of miles an hour, can heal extremely quickly, stop aging, are immensely strong, are immune to sickness or illness of any kind, and are fully capable of killing vampires. Your calmness will help trigger the change back to your human form."
"So that portion of our legends is true too?" Jacob gulped.
"Yep, you're gonna get all furry," Emmett teased. "And you'll stink too. Werewolves smell like wet dogs, at least to vampires. Of course, vampires smell bad to werewolves too, so we're even. We'll smell sickeningly sweet to your delicate noses." Jacob looked to Carlisle for confirmation.
"You know, I've always wanted a dog, Jake," I mused. "But Renée would never let me get one." She started singing an old song, "Feed Jake, he's been a good dog. My best friend, right to the end. If I die before I wake, feed Jake."
Everybody laughed, lightening the tension that had been building up around the table.
"Thanks a lot, Bells," Jacob growled, rolling his eyes. "I love you too."
"Yeah, once you've gone furry, I challenge you three to a baseball game, Cullen Style," Emmett taunted. "You'll finally be some decent competition."
"Besides, you're not the only werewolves in the tribe. You'll have Sam Uley to help you. He's been a wolf for a while now," Carlisle assured them, getting back to business.
"Sam Uley's a werewolf?" Jacob muttered in disbelief. "Well, I guess that explains a lot."
"Who else hangs out with Sam?" Edward asked.
"Paul!" Quil and Embry answered together.
"So Paul is one too. You know, he is supposed to imprint on your sister, Jacob. Why don't you see if you can get her home for a visit soon? Paul will mellow out quite a bit once he finds her," I suggested.
"Why do I want Paul anywhere near my sister?" Jacob wondered, looking irritated.
I grumbled. "It's going to happen sooner or later anyway, Jacob. Imprinting is a good thing, guys. You get to find your one true love, and you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are meant to be together. The love bonds between a wolf and his imprint are just as strong as those between vampire mates. The bonds between you and your soul mate are unbreakable. Think how wonderful it is to have complete confidence in the rightness of your relationship. If you find your mate while she is still a child, you can take comfort in the knowledge that you won't age while you wait for her to grow older. In the meantime, you can be there for her in whatever capacity she needs, brother, friend, protector, etc."
"By the way, Jacob, you are the true Alpha of the pack, but Sam is the acting Alpha for the time being. Oh, who is Sam dating right now?" I queried.
"Emily. It was rotten. He made all kinds of promises to Leah Clearwater and then broke her heart by ditching her for her cousin," Jacob grumbled angrily.
"Has Emily been attacked by a bear?" I demanded.
"Yeah, a few months ago. She has terrible scars on her face," Jacob replied.
"Okay, I've got a plan, if you guys are with us. Now that you have gotten to know the Cullens and heard their side of the story, do you feel like we can put aside past prejudices and all be friends?" I challenged.
Jacob exchanged meaningful glances with Quil and Embry. He shrugged, and they both nodded. Suddenly, Jacob looked at Bella with concern.
"I'm willing to be friends with the Cullens, family even, but where do you fit into all of this, Bella?"
Carlisle chose to answer for her. "Edward and Bella are soul mates. They are already bonded. Once you share memories with a wolf that has imprinted, you'll be able to understand the strength of the bond. Which reminds me, you'll have a shared pack mind once you change. You'll be able to communicate with each other telepathically while in wolf form. Both Bella and Edward would experience debilitating physical and emotional pain if separated, so she has, of course, joined our family as Edward's mate. For now, she will remain human, but she will be changed into a vampire someday."
"You're going to turn Bella into a bloodsucker?" Quil shouted in horror.
"You'll make her a monster! She'd be better off dead," Jacob protested heatedly. Five young vampires and myself glared angrily at them. A few even growled to express their displeasure.
Carlisle met their gazes calmly. "I have just finished explaining to you that we choose not to be monsters. Please explain to me how we are monsters more so than you are? Would you consider yourself to be better off dead? We will train her properly to partake solely of animal blood. We will actively prevent her from hunting humans until she develops enough self-control to prevent herself from taking human life."
"Okay, maybe she wouldn't be a monster, but she wouldn't be human either," Jacob admitted. "What about all the human experiences she'll miss once you stop her heart?"
"We promise not to change her until it becomes medically necessary. She will remain human until the choice becomes either let her die or change her into a vampire," Edward promised solemnly.
"We will not let her go gently into that good night," Carlisle added. "We will not doom Edward to an eternity without his mate. That isn't fair to either of them."
The Quileutes were silent for a few minutes. Then they conducted a hasty discussion in Quileute, effectively excluding everyone but Carlisle, who had learned their language in a previous century. He did not indicate his knowledge however, neither commenting nor reacting to whatever they were saying, giving them the illusion of privacy. After just a few minutes, they came to a consensus and Jacob spoke for all of them.
Surprisingly, the voice coming from Jacob's mouth was infused with all the authority of an Alpha werewolf as the words poured out from him. "If Bella agrees to an end of life measure of allowing the change solely to prolong her existence in the face of imminent death, then we will have no objection. You will need a written living will from her, signed in the presence of witnesses, indicating her permission to allow the change to occur, along with medical evidence to support a diagnosis of imminent death at the time of the change. If you have these two things, I, Jacob Black, will officially allow her change to be an exception to the treaty."
"Thank you, Jacob," Carlisle approved happily.
"Wow, Jacob," I quipped. "I didn't know you knew all those big words, much less how to string them together into a meaningful sentence."
He ducked his head, looking chagrined, then met her eyes with a smile. "I know. I don't know what came over me, but suddenly I knew just what to say."
"Interesting," Carlisle pondered. "Perhaps there is some kind of pack memory encoded in the DNA that gets passed down from generation to generation."
"You know, technically we wouldn't be breaking the treaty anyway. We've figured out how to perform the transformation without biting the person, but we appreciate your understanding and acceptance of the situation. We really do want to work with you instead of against you," Edward mentioned.
The boys seemed intrigued that Bella could be changed without being bit, and so did half the vampires. Those in the know, namely Edward, me, Carlisle, and Alice, chose not to share any of the details at that time.
"Well, now that we're all on the same page, why don't you share your plan, Bella?" Jacob suggested. I nodded, looking around the table.
"Okay, we need to be proactive here to accomplish our goal of peace and unity. We need to make friends with Jared, Kim, Leah, and Seth. We need to get them on our side before it's too late. If we wait, they will be brainwashed by the whole enemy propaganda, and it will be that much harder for them to form an unbiased opinion on the matter. Once we have them on our side, Jacob's sister can manage Paul, and that just leaves Sam. I was thinking about how we might reach him, to show him how the Cullens are different from the monsters in the legends, how they are people who care about others. I know the way to Sam's heart is through Emily, because she is his imprint, and he would do anything for her."
"Wait a minute," Jacob interrupted. "Emily is Sam's imprint? I thought you said imprinting was a good thing. Look at all the pain it has caused to Leah, Sam, and Emily. How can you say it's good?"
"It is good in that you find your true soul mate. Leah and Sam loved one another, but they didn't belong together. Their relationship would have eventually failed for one reason or another. At least they found out before they got married. However, ideally, you wouldn't get involved in a serious relationship, knowing you will one day imprint. You would know you would one day leave whoever you were with to be with the one you love, so you wouldn't put yourself into a position to cause the kind of heartbreak Leah has had to suffer. Sam unfortunately made commitments to Leah before he became a werewolf. This is the warning to the rest of you. Date if you want, but don't make any promises to any girl, because your heart is not your own to give. It already belongs to somebody you simply haven't found yet."
"Well, that kind of sucks, don't you think? That we have no say so in whom we love?" Jacob griped.
"Honestly, Jake, it's that way for everyone. They just don't realize it. Regular humans can't command their hearts to love or not to love any more than you can. Unfortunately, because they don't have something as obvious as an imprint to guide them, so many of them make foolish mistakes in relationships and end up divorced. They lose their happy ever after because they don't recognize when they've found it and when they haven't."
Everyone nodded, murmuring quietly in agreement with my sentiments. Several of the people around the table were looking at me with new found respect. Sheesh. I may not be a vampire, but I am pretty smart for a human, if I do say so myself. Not that I'd admit that out loud, because I wouldn't want to boast, but my IQ was definitely up at the high end of the range.
"Back to Sam and Emily," I reminded everyone. They looked at me expectantly. "Because Emily is Sam's imprint, he would move heaven and earth for her. His whole universe revolves around her. So the easiest way to win him is to win her. Besides, I wanted to do something nice for her. She didn't choose this life, but she is trying to make the best of it. I know she is self-conscious about her scars, and they are a constant reminder to Sam of how he hurt her."
"Sam did that to her?" Quil burst out in outrage. "How dare he, the bastard?"
"It was an accident," Edward soothed. "He never meant to hurt her. He got angry, lost control, and phased into his wolf form while he was standing too close to her. He accidentally gashed her with his claws during the process of changing."
"That's terrible!" Jacob gasped. The three of them appeared lost in thought, disturbed looks on their faces, as they finally began to comprehend the fate in store for them, and the dangers their friends and families would face if they didn't learn how to control themselves properly.
"Carlisle, couldn't you do plastic surgery on Emily and make those scars all but invisible? I feel certain you could do whatever reconstructive surgery might be necessary to restore her looks to her as much as possible. If anyone can, you can," I suggested. I had complete faith in Carlisle. He appeared touched by my belief in him and his abilities. Everyone at the table stared at me in approval and amazement for my ingenious plan. I didn't know why nobody else had thought of it.
"Yes, of course," Carlisle replied thoughtfully. "I'd have to take a look at the actual injury before I could say for sure what needed to be done, but a good picture should be enough for an initial evaluation."
Jake, Quil, and Embry looked excitedly at him, with their eyes full of hope. Knowing now that it wasn't her fault in any way that Sam broke things off with Leah, they wanted to do something nice and helpful for the sweet, pretty young girl. They wanted to make amends for the way the tribe had been treating her as well.
"I'll take a picture and bring it to you as soon as possible," Jacob volunteered.
"Any other ideas, Bella?" Carlisle asked me respectfully. It thrilled me to hear him use that tone with me. It was nice to be appreciated.
"Not right now, no," I confessed, wishing I had a few more tricks up my sleeve.
"You know, Bella," Jasper mused thoughtfully. "You're one smart cookie. The Confederacy could have used someone with your strategizing abilities on our side. It might have turned the tide of the war in our favor." He paused, stroking his chin with a frown. "Though that might not have been a good thing. Perhaps I'll write a series of alternate history novels portraying the likely outcomes of civilization if the South had won the war. Hmmm."
I realized he was lost in thought, making mental outlines for his new pet project, so I tuned him out and focused back on the rest of the family.
"Great! Now that we're all family, let's go get my car, so Rosalie and I can get started working on it," Jacob recommended enthusiastically.
Rose's face lit up with a radiant smile. "Sounds good to me," she agreed, looking forward to the challenge of rebuilding the car essentially from scratch. "I'll go get everything set up and ready in the garage."
Jacob and I headed back to La Push in the SUV, while Quil and Embry stayed to play video games with Emmett and Jasper. Carlisle and Esme cleaned up the dining room, putting away all the excess food. The boys assured Esme they would be glad to polish off the leftovers in a couple of hours. Edward and Alice went outside so Alice could try to search the future beyond the wolves' sphere of influence.
On the way to Jacob's house, another idea struck me.
"Hey, Jacob, how about you introduce me to Seth and Leah, and Kim today. While we're at it, maybe you could track down Jared and we could take him and Seth back to the house to hang with all of you guys. I'm supposed to meet Angela this afternoon, to spend some time getting to know her. Kim and Leah can come with me and we can make it a girls' day out. What do you think?"
"Sure, sure, Bells," Jacob muttered absentmindedly. He used my cell phone to call and invite the four of them to join us. To my surprise, Leah and Seth showed up a few minutes later, while Jacob was busy attaching his car to the tow bar of the SUV. Jacob quickly made introductions before focusing all his attention back on his task. Seth meandered over to help, leaving me alone with Leah. I was nervous about how to approach her. I decided to just bite the bullet.
"Hey, Leah. I just arrived in town a week ago and wanted to make some new friends. What do you think about going on a little Girl's Day Out trip with me and a couple of other girls? At least it would be a good excuse to get off the rez for a few hours," I offered hopefully. She looked deep into my eyes judging the sincerity of my offer. Reading my genuine desire to be friends, she accepted with a shy smile. I could see the pain she was trying to hide, having lost her best friend, her intended husband, her beloved cousin, and her dreams for the future all at the same time.
Kim showed up shortly thereafter, and also accepted my offer with shy gratitude. Jared met Jacob at the garage. Jacob asked them if they wanted to hang with him, Quil and Embry at the Cullens' house. After the initial shock wore off, they hastily agreed. The girls were surprised at our initial destination, and Leah was concerned for Seth at first, but after receiving reassurance from Jacob, she let it go.
"If anything bad happens to him there, I'll have your head on a platter, Jacob Black," She threatened. Jacob scoffed, unintimidated.
We all piled back into the SUV and made the journey to the Cullens' house in relative silence.
Once we arrived, after all the introductions, I pulled Rosalie aside and explained Leah's situation to her. I asked her to share her own story with Leah, of being betrayed by the man she expected to marry only a week before the wedding. Leah hadn't been raped by her ex-fiancé, but the feelings of hurt and betrayal of losing one's hopes and dreams for the future in the face of utter rejection by the one you had chosen to spend the rest of your life with, were similar. I felt like the two of them could relate to one another, and pain shared results in a slight easing of the burden we all carry around with us. I thought maybe they could help each other come to terms with the feelings of loss, betrayal, hate, anger, distrust, guilt, shame and self-loathing that were a natural result of this type of hurt by someone they trusted. Maybe they could even become friends.
Rosalie agreed and pulled Leah aside, taking her for a walk down by the river. Seth gravitated to Edward and engaged him in conversation. Jacob and Jared took the car over to the garage and got it situated so it would be ready for a major overhaul. Alice made off with Kim, excited to have a new Barbie available for a makeover. She spouted fashion and makeup tips the whole way to the stairs, dragging a bewildered Kim behind her.
I took a deep breath and used the opportunity to call Angela to make sure she was okay with two girls from La Push joining us for the afternoon. She was totally fine with the idea. In fact, she was excited by the opportunity to make some new friends.
I had a sudden premonition, or perhaps intuition would be more accurate, and realized there was a good chance Alice would desire to come also. So I quietly asked Angela if she would be comfortable with Alice joining us. She quickly agreed. She admitted Alice seemed really nice and in a group setting away from school, she didn't expect to be intimidated at all. I confessed that Alice could be a bit intimidating and occasionally overwhelming, particularly when shopping was involved, but Angela was determined. She then confessed that Rosalie and Emmett were the ones she found most intimidating, which was why she didn't want to sit at the Cullen table during lunch. I laughed and agreed that they could be rather intimidating, but admitted both were real softies on the inside, calling Emmett a big teddy bear. She giggled at the idea.
I hung up and went back inside, followed by Leah and Rosalie. Rose called Emmett over, and he came right away. He gave her a scorching kiss and a grin before going back to the guys and the games. Rose whispered something to Leah and gave her a gentle hug of encouragement. Jacob and Jared came in, looking for Rose, eager to get started on the project.
Alice and Kim chose that moment to make their entrance.
"Wow, Kim, you look gorgeous," I pointed out, helping draw the attention of the room to her. All the Quileute boys' jaws dropped as they stared at the vision of Kim, especially Jared's.
"Kim?" Jared asked in surprised disbelief, looking at her as if seeing her for the first time. Quil let out a wolf whistle and Embry punched his arm, reminding him to mind his manners.
"Looking good, Kim," Jacob complimented her. Alice danced over to Leah and smiled winningly.
"Your turn!" Alice sang, holding out her hand. Leah looked over at Kim, then back to Alice. She took a deep breath, snuck one more quick glance at Kim, nodded nervously, and took Alice's hand. Alice quickly dragged her upstairs before she could regain her sanity and change her mind.
"Thanks, Rose," I murmured under my breath, knowing she would hear me. "I think you've really helped her." She smiled at me with genuine pleasure, which warmed my heart.
"C'mon, guys," Rose commanded Jacob and Jared. "Time to get to work. Enough lazing around. If you want Esme to keep feeding you like she has been, then you need to earn your keep."
"Feeding?" Jared asked, looking at Jacob. Jacob grabbed his belly and dramatically moaned in pleasure. He licked his chops and grinned.
"It's pure heaven! That woman is a sheer genius in the kitchen. Best food I've ever tasted," he professed.
"Really?" Jared asked skeptically, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"Heck, yeah!" Embry shouted form his position of the couch. "I begged for her to run away with me, but the poor woman is completely devoted to Carlisle, so she had to turn down my offer." Everybody started laughing.
"Do I hear my name being used in vain?" Carlisle inquired mischievously, escorting Esme into the room.
"Oh, look, honey!" Esme enthused. "We have new guests! Somebody please introduce us."
I took it upon myself to introduce Seth, Kim, and Jared, letting them know Leah was upstairs with
Alice. Carlisle and Esme cheerfully welcomed them, encouraging them to make themselves at home. Esme offered them food, but they preferred to wait a bit.
"These are the scary Cullens our parents have threatened us with when we refuse to obey? These are the emotionless, soulless, bloodthirsty monsters who will eat us alive if we look at them funny? These are the evil masterminds bent on the senseless destruction of the tribe and all life as we know it?" Jared whispered to Jacob, not realizing all the vampires could hear him, even Alice upstairs.
"Yep!" Jacob replied with a laugh.
"I think the elders must have been smoking something when they came up with that nonsense. I'm about as afraid of Esme as I am my own grandma, and the way Carlisle acts, it feels like he ought to be nominated for sainthood or something," Jared mumbled.
"I know," Jacob chuckled. "There are evil vampires like the ones in the legends, but the Cullens are on the same side we are. They help protect humans from the murdering kind, just like we do. There's no reason we can't be friends with them, or even one big happy family."
"Cool!" Jared agreed. They followed Rosalie out to the garage, missing Leah's grand entrance. Carlisle and Esme went back up to his study.
Leah walked gracefully down the stairs, brimming with confidence. She was beautiful, and she knew it. Alice followed along behind her.
"Absolutely gorgeous, Leah," I commented. "All the guys in Port Angeles are going to be drooling when they see the five of us strolling along."
Alice grasped her hands together, shrieking with excitement. "Oh thank you, Bella! Just give me a few seconds, and I'll be ready to go."
"Hey, Alice!" I called up the stairs after her, not bothering to raise my voice.
"Great idea, Bella. I'll take care of it," came the reply, floating down to me. I smiled. We were going to have so much fun.
Quil, Embry and Seth had gathered around Leah and were behaving foolishly to get her attention. I put my arm around Kim, seeing she felt a little left out.
"So, Kim, it seemed Jared was rather impressed with your new look," I smirked. She lit up like a light bulb and nodded shyly. "Don't worry, you'll get your share of attention at the mall, but it was pretty obvious to everyone that there was a special chemistry between you and Jared, and none of them want to intrude on it."
"Really? Are you sure?" she gasped in surprise. I nodded and grinned. She relaxed, filled with joy. Alice came racing back down the stairs, a small duffel bag on her arm.
"I'm ready!" She sang. I laughed, loving her exuberance.
"So, shall we go show all the guys in Port Angeles how hot the girls in Forks really are?" I asked the girls.
"Absolutely!" they agreed, congregating around me.
"We need to pick up Angela, and then we'll be ready to knock their socks off and give them something to dream about when they're all alone at night," I giggled.
"Heck, yeah!" Leah exclaimed happily. "Let's knock them dead."
"I don't think I like this plan, Bella," Edward grumbled. "They'd better keep their socks and everything else on their bodies where it belongs." We all started laughing.
"It's just a saying, Edward," I laughed. "Boy are you behind the times." He growled and I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Yeah, now that's mature," Emmett teased. "Nice comeback, Bells."
Jasper came over and hugged Alice to him. "Maybe I should follow you guys and make sure the menfolk keep their paws to themselves, darlin'."
"Well, I for one, don't think they should go out at all, at least not without us to escort them safely,"
Edward protested.
"Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world. I want to be the one to walk in the sun, oh, girls just want to have fun," I sang softly, smirking at Edward. The other girls joined me in the chorus, belting it out with their hands on their hips and grins on their faces.
"That's all they really want, is some fun. When the working day is done, oh, girls, girls just want to have fun. They just wanna, they just wanna. Girls, girls just wanna have fun."
The guys all watched us in amusement, shaking their heads at our antics. Carlisle and Esme came back down the stairs to say goodbye.
"Aren't I supposed to ask when you're going to live your life right?" Esme asked with amusement, giving us each a hug.
"I suppose I should be inquiring what you are going to do with your life?" Carlisle added, playing along. I laughed.
"That's right! Nice to know you have good taste in music!" I teased, giving Carlisle a warm hug. He rolled his eyes.
"Yes, that is one of the songs Alice tortured us with a few years ago," he murmured, winking at me.
"Hey! It's got a great beat for dancing!" Alice defended.
"Sure thing," Emmett shouted over the volume of the video game. "It made it onto Dance Dance Revolution."
"Yeah, that's Emmett's criteria for good music," Jasper quipped. "It has to have been chosen for use in a video game."
"Darn tootin'" Emmett laughed. "Works for me."
Edward stood off to the side looking very cross with everyone and everything. I moved over to him, giving him another kiss.
"Don't worry, dear, you know you're still number one, but girls, they wanna have fun," I whispered against his lips. He chuckled.
"Just don't forget whose arms you're coming home to, my dear," he reminded me, giving me one last hug. I winked at him and headed for the front door.
"Let's get this show on the road, people," I shouted cheerfully. "Time's a wastin'."
We drove over to Angela's house and rang her doorbell. She opened the door happily, but then seemed overwhelmed to see us all crowded onto her front porch. I saw her take in everyone's looks and outfits and then look down at herself self-consciously.
"Can we come in for a few minutes, Angela?" I inquired eagerly. She nodded shyly, stepping back so we could pass by into her living room. I made the introductions, saving Alice for last. Angela looked at the duffel in Alice's hand in confusion.
"This little pixie is Alice. She's an unstoppable force of nature. She has given us all makeovers this morning, and is insisting on giving you one too before we head out. I would try to stop her, but I have learned over the past week that Alice always gets her way, so it's just easier to flow with the current rather than fight against it. We'll just make ourselves at home here in your living room until she's finished with you."
Angela looked at me in confused surprise. "Makeover?"
Alice grabbed her hand and dragged her down the hallway to her bedroom. "Why, yes! Don't mind if I do," Alice agreed as if Angela had been offering.
Ten minutes later, I heard Angela muttering 'wow' over and over again. I figured she was getting her first glimpse of herself in the mirror. After a minute or two, she walked back into the living room with a new level of confidence. She grinned cheekily at me.
"So what are we waiting for, girls?" she demanded eagerly. "Let's go turn some heads."
"Even more beautiful than usual, Angela," I complimented her.
"You look fabulous. We all do," Kim mentioned happily.
"Let's go have some fun," Leah giggled. "The boys in Port Angeles won't know what hit them."
Alice came out with the duffel repacked, a big grin on her face. "I can't wait to see their jaws drop when they see us coming!"
"Thanks, Alice," we all told her, happy to be looking and feeling bold and beautiful. We all piled in the SUV and took off down the highway, singing, laughing, and having a grand old time.
The five of us headed into the mall together, still laughing and enjoying each other's company.
"Time for shopping!" Alice trilled, bouncing in place. We laughed at her enthusiasm.
"Remember, Alice, you may have unlimited credit, but the rest of us don't," I reminded her. She pouted, looking extremely downcast. Then she had an idea and was back to bouncing again.
"Let me treat you today! Please? Please? I have more money than I could ever possibly spend, so it means so little to me. Spending time with all of you, having friends, is worth way more than money," she pleaded.
The other girls looked uncomfortable. "We don't want your charity," Leah responded stiffly.
"Oh, you can pay me back if you like!" Alice insisted. "Just let me pick out some new outfits for you, and in return, you can let me do your hair and makeup and pick out your outfits before you go on a date! How's that?"
I groaned loudly. "Oh, I don't think so, Alice. You'd have to buy us half the mall to make that worthwhile." I winked at her where the others couldn't see. The others were looking at me like I was insane, which I am, but that's beside the point.
"She can spend hours getting you ready for your date," I explained. "What she did to you today is nothing compared to the way she usually operates. She'll torture you endlessly for an hour or two before finally deciding you pass muster. In the end, you do look fabulous. She is absolutely brilliant at what she does, but the agony of having to sit still for so long while she pokes and prods your face and hair almost outweighs the end result. Especially when she then fixes herself up just as well in about five minutes. So unfair."
Alice smirked. "I've had a lot of practice fixing myself, silly Bella. Besides, you know it is one the things I love to do most of all, but I haven't had any friends willing to let me play Barbie with their bodies."
"Yeah, there's a reason for that, Alice," I muttered. "I don't really enjoy being Bella Barbie."
"Yet, Edward is always pleased with the results," she prodded.
"Yes, of course he is, but he still thinks I look beautiful just the way I am. Though I have to admit, it is fun to see him go speechless at the sight of me."
The other three girls were paying close attention to our conversation.
"Oooooohh! I know!" Alice squealed. "We could have a slumber party! If you girls will let me buy stuff for you today, you can pay me back by having a slumber party at my house next weekend! We'll do our nails and our makeup and our hair. We'll watch movies and talk about boys. We'll play games and giggle and stay up all night long and throw popcorn at each other. I've never had a slumber party before! Oh, please, please, please!" She pulled out her puppy dog eyes expression, going so far as to drop to her knees, hands clutched together as she begged. Leah, Kim, and Angela all looked at her like she had escaped from a mental institution. Come to think of it, she had, several decades ago.
"Let me get this straight," Leah began, crossing her arms across her chest. "You want to buy us a bunch of clothes, and in return, you want us to spend the night at your house and allow you to give us makeovers whenever you want?"
Alice nodded enthusiastically. "I know I get the better end of the deal, but please, say yes! I have impeccable taste in clothes. I promise I won't buy anything that won't look absolutely fabulous on you. Please?"
The girls exchanged incredulous glances. The looked to me in question, as if asking, 'Is she for real?'
"She's perfectly serious," I confirmed. "You'll really make her day if you let her buy things for you. She's positively addicted to shopping, but she's already filled all the closets in the Cullen house to the bursting point. She buys all their clothes for them, with the exception of Rosalie. This girl practically lives to shop. I think she considers it her purpose in life. It's a good thing she's filthy rich or her little habit would have all of them in the poorhouse within a week."
Alice glared at me.
"Hey, sometimes the truth hurts," I shrugged.
"Shopping is a perfectly fine life goal," Alice growled. "So is helping others understand style and develop fashion sense. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it."
We all started laughing uproariously at her comment. It was so Alice. She glared for a few seconds longer and then joined in the laughter.
"Okay, okay," Leah capitulated once she calmed down. "You can buy me whatever you want, and I won't complain. In return, I'll allow you to make me look fabulous whenever you want and attend a slumber party with all my new friends, where I will have tons of fun and enjoy myself immensely."
"Sounds like a fair trade to me," Kim agreed, chuckling.
"Sure, I'm in," Angela agreed. "I'll force myself to wear the beautiful outfits you choose, force myself to endure your ministrations to make me look my best, and force myself to spend time at a party with the four of you, whose company I have enjoyed more than anyone else's thus far. It's a tough sacrifice, but I'm willing to take one for the team."
Alice threw her arms around Angela, giving her an excited hug. "Oh thank you! I'll try to make your sacrifice worthwhile."
We all started laughing again. I swear, Alice is something else.
"Okay, let's start with lingerie!" Alice exclaimed happily. I groaned, rolling my eyes. I hadn't forgotten the last time she took me lingerie shopping, only this time there was no Edward waiting to catch a mental glimpse of my figure. Leah punched me lightly on the arm.
"Hey, don't ruin her fun, Bella!" Leah protested. "I'm sure we could all use a few things from that store." She smirked at my discomfort. "C'mon, we're all girls here. Besides, I'm sure we need some decent pajamas for our slumber party."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Alice shrieked. She took off down the walkway at a fast human pace. I had to jog to keep up with her. She noticed us struggling to match her pace and slowed down a bit, allowing us to catch up to her. We went in, and the others had a field day, picking out items for each other, encouraging each other to try things on, and finding things they really liked. They were surprised when they realized how many things Alice actually bought. I knew she had paid attention to everything they had liked, even if they put it back afterward. As a result, we each ended up with our own bag full. Great, now we would be walking through the mall holding bags that prominently displayed the name of the lingerie store. Well, I guess that's one way to get the guys' attention.
"Dresses now!" Alice enthused. We all followed behind her, trailing along like little ducklings following their mother to the pond. I chuckled to myself at the analogy. Once inside the new store, Alice became like a drill sergeant, ordering us to try on the dresses she pulled from the racks as fast as we could carry them. We would then model them for her and each other. It would only take Alice seconds to determine whether the dress was a 'keeper' or if it should be thrown back. Charlie would be proud of me using a fishing analogy, I thought to myself. Sometimes she made her decision before the rest of us could even get a good look. None of us argued with her though. Her taste was inevitably impeccable, as she had said.
We walked out of that store with three new dresses each. Angela, Kim, and Leah were looking a little overwhelmed by the little dictator Alice had become once we entered her shopping domain.
"I tried to warn you, guys, but you didn't listen," I teased. "I told you she was an unstoppable force of nature. She's like a tornado. She'll suck you up, twirl you around until you're dizzy, and then set you down again someplace else."
We all laughed again, except Alice. Alice glared at us, her hands on her hips. "But that's a good thing, right?"
The other three frantically began to try to reassure her. I just gave her an affectionate hug and a peck on the cheek.
"You're my favorite tornado, Alice, and heaven help anybody who stands in your way. They'll be completely obliterated," I murmured lovingly.
"Exactly!" Alice grinned in satisfaction, deciding she rather liked the comparison after all. "Now it's time for tops and bottoms. Follow me!"
We followed her, like good little sheep, all in charity with one another once again. In the next store, we ran into Lauren and Jessica, who were simply window shopping, as they couldn't afford the clothes in that store.
"Well, well. If it isn't Alice Cullen and her little sidekick Bella," Lauren sneered nastily. "Along with two little native girls who wandered off the reservation."
I felt rage building inside of me. How dare she speak about my friends like that? I wanted to tear into her, but couldn't think of anything to say. Why is it I always think of the good comebacks long after the confrontation is over and done?
Leah pointedly turned her back on Lauren and sighed. "Looks like somebody forgot to take out the trash. The stench is rather off-putting, don't you think?"
Alice nodded. "Perhaps I should speak to the manager. I spend enough money in this story to pay his salary, so I'm sure he won't mind throwing out the garbage to make our shopping excursion more pleasurable." She marched off to speak to the manager, leaving us all sneering back at Lauren. It was really quite something to see super shy girls like Angela and Kim actually sneering at somebody in public. I wished I had brought a camera. This would have been one for the scrapbook.
"Is that you, Angela?" Jessica asked in disbelief. "You look…pretty…today, much improved over your usual. What are you doing with these losers?"
Angela put her arm around Kim's shoulders, and Kim responded by putting her arm around Angela's waist, in a show of solidarity. "I'm spending a wonderful day with my friends. In fact, I've never had more fun than I have in the past two hours. It's so nice to be able to talk to other girls who actually have brains in their heads and can discuss things other than malicious gossip. But you wouldn't know about that, would you?"
Leah and I laughed, giving her a high five.
"Go get 'em, tiger!" Leah crowed. "Show those claws!"
Jessica's face turned red with anger. "Just wait, Angela, you'll be sorry you messed with me. You're not welcome to sit at our lunch table anymore. You'll have to find someplace else to sit your sorry butt." Lauren nodded, her teeth clenched.
Angela laughed. "That's okay; my friends already invited me to sit with them last week. I just stayed at your table because I felt sorry for you in your mundane existence, living your dreary little lives caught up in your pathetic little dramas. I can see you aren't worth my time though, so I'll gladly join the Cullens and Bella tomorrow where I can at least get some decent conversation."
"Wonderful, Angela! I'm so glad you finally accepted!" Alice exclaimed, coming over with the manager.
"What seems to be the problem here, ladies?" he inquired professionally.
"Well, sir, these two girls have done nothing but insult me and my friends since we came into this store. We are here to replace my friends' wardrobes. They'll need at least five outfits each. I doubt those two girls have any intention of actually buying anything, so all they're doing is loitering around and scaring away your real customers."
The manager looked sternly at Lauren and Jessica. "Well, do you intend to buy anything?"
"Maybe!" Lauren yelped defiantly.
"You've been in here for an hour already. Bring your intended purchases up to the register, please."
Jessica's face flushed red. "We haven't found anything we like yet."
The manager continued to stare at them grimly. "You've tried on at least twenty items apiece and neither of you have found anything to your liking?"
They both shook their heads.
"Then I don't think you'll find whatever it is you're looking for here at our store. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
They both huffed and stomped to the exit. Jessica passed through fine, but the alarm started beeping when Lauren went through the exit. The manager dashed over, grabbing hold of Lauren's wrist. He reached up and pulled back her collar, revealing another shirt underneath the one she was wearing.
"I do believe this shirt belongs to us, miss. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to undress in the dressing room with Wendy to be certain you haven't tried to walk off with anything else," he growled, waving the cashier over to his side. "Go with this young lady and remove the garment or garments she has attempted to steal."
"I just forgot I was wearing it!" Lauren protested. "I was looking for something to go along with it, when those losers came in and started giving us trouble. I just wanted to try it on with a jacket to see the overall effect. I wasn't trying to steal it! Honest!"
The manager ignored her, dragging her bodily over to the dressing room and pushing her into it.
"She had another pair of pants on underneath her own, sir," Wendy announced from the dressing room. Jessica's mouth dropped open at the news. She had come back into the store to witness Lauren's humiliation.
"It was part of the outfit I was planning to try with a jacket!" Lauren whimpered. "Really, I wasn't going to steal it."
Wendy stepped out of the dressing room, handing the shirt and pants to the manager.
"Fine," he grunted, as Lauren stumbled sheepishly out of the dressing room. "Then come and pay for this outfit, and we'll let it go."
All the color drained from Lauren's face. She swallowed loudly. "I, uh, can't afford it, sir. I don't have enough money," she admitted, unable to meet his eye. He nodded his head, as if he had suspected as much.
"Call security and the police," he instructed Wendy. "Tell them we caught a shoplifter. Since the amount is over $200, this is considered grand larceny, which is a felony. Are you eighteen yet?" Lauren shook her head no. "Consider yourself lucky then. If they decide to try you as a juvenile, you'll actually get to have your record sealed later."
Lauren was trembling with fright. "Jessica?" she stuttered pitifully.
Jessica looked scared at first, but then seemed to realize she was sitting on top of a major gossip story, one only she would have the details about. She knew Alice, Angela, and I wouldn't gossip about it, as we considered that beneath us, and Kim and Leah didn't go to our school, so they didn't count. She smiled smugly and took a picture of Lauren with her phone. "I'll wait here with you until the police come, but then I really have to get home," she assured Lauren slyly. I was certain she wanted to get a picture of Lauren being led away in handcuffs.
"I wish Edward was here, so we could tell whether or not she's really guilty," I whispered to the others, feeling bad for Lauren. What if she was telling the truth?
Alice gave me a strange look. "Of course she's guilty, Bella! It's obvious to anyone who can read body language that she is lying through her teeth." Leah nodded in agreement. Though she wasn't sure how she knew, she did know Lauren was lying and was guilty of the crime.
"Why would it help to have Edward here?" Angela asked curiously.
"Oh," I started, blushing bright red. Oops. That must be why Alice looked at me so strangely. I was a little too comfortable with my new friends, I think. "He's just really good at reading people."
"Actually, Bella," Alice teased. "You're just really gullible. You're such a bad liar yourself; you'll believe anybody who's even remotely good at it."
"Thanks," I grumbled. "I love you too." They all chuckled. Well, my philosophy is: If you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime. That and: You reap what you sow. I wasn't going to lose any sleep over Lauren's predicament. She brought it on herself.
"Now that you've had your entertainment for the day, let's get down to business," Alice commanded, back to being the Shopping General. By the time we got finished in there, we were all exhausted, except for Alice, of course. Being a vampire does have its benefits. We did enjoy seeing Lauren led out in handcuffs, and Jessica did get a picture of it, just as I suspected. Lauren seemed outraged that Jessica would spread the word about what happened, but I wasn't surprised. What comes around goes around. When you're a backstabber who hangs out with other backstabbers, you shouldn't really be surprised when you get stabbed in the back, right? I mean, it's only common sense. There may be honor among thieves, but apparently the same doesn't hold true for gossips.
"Shoes now!" Alice announced happily. We all groaned.
"Alice, I realize you are like the Energizer bunny—you keep going and going, but the rest of us are tired and hungry. We need a break," I informed her.
"Oh, right!" she realized in embarrassment. "Sorry! Let's head to the food court then and find something yummy. You can all rest while you eat." She quickly changed direction and headed for the food court. I chuckled to myself. Good old Alice.
Once we entered the food area, Angela suddenly stopped in her tracks, clutching my arm. The others stopped with us, looking to Angela in surprise. I followed her gaze and saw Ben Cheney. I remembered from the books that Angela had a crush on him as he did on her.
"Awesome! You are looking your best, and you have our support. This is the best time for you to approach Ben!" I suggested. She quickly shook her head.
"Oh no, I can't!" she wailed. "What if he doesn't like me?"
"I've seen him watching you when you weren't looking," I encouraged.
"Really?" she asked in surprise. I nodded. "Oh, well maybe we can just walk by his table and see if he notices me."
Alice sent me a wink, and I knew she had something up her sleeve, so I simply agreed to Angela's plan. We strolled along toward his table, talking quietly amongst ourselves, and he didn't even look up as we approached. When we got to his table, Alice suddenly gave Angela a little shove, causing her to bump into him and drop all her bags. Angela shot Alice a brief glare, but her attention was soon taken up with Ben.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" she apologized, blushing red. "I must have tripped." Ben looked at Angela, his mouth open and his eyes somewhat glazed. After a few seconds, he closed his mouth and shook his head, appearing just as flustered as she did.
"No need to apologize, Angela. You didn't hurt me. Are you okay?" he asked courteously. She smiled. The rest of us melted away to get our food, leaving the two of them with at least the illusion of privacy.
"I'm fine, just a bit embarrassed," Angela admitted shyly. He smiled back at her.
"Oh, you dropped your bags, let me help you with those," he offered, kneeling down to pick them up off the floor. He saw the lingerie bag and lifted an eyebrow, then chanced a look up at her through his lashes. "So, uh, are you here with someone?"
"Oh, yeah," she answered, confused by the sudden flash of disappointment in his eyes. "Bella Swan, the new girl, and Alice Cullen, plus two new girls I just met today. Leah and Kim are both really nice. They live in La Push." His eyes lit up again once he realized she was here with her female friends.
He worked up his courage, while he gathered up her bags. "So are you…seeing…anyone?" He blushed, staring at the floor.
She blushed too. "Oh, no. I've never actually had a boyfriend."
His eyes flicked to her in surprise. "No? But you're so beautiful and so smart and so nice! Would you consider…maybe…spending some time…with me?"
She flashed him a breath-taking smile that seemed to stun him. She dazzled him, I thought in amusement. "I would love to, Ben."
His face lit with joy. "Really?" She nodded. "Awesome! I could take you home today, if your friends don't mind, and we could spend a little time together now."
She looked over at me with a hopeful expression. I smiled and nodded. "Go for it!" I mouthed, giving her a thumbs up to show my approval. She grinned back at me in appreciation. Alice came up beside me. "You're welcome," she whispered. Angela grinned even wider and nodded. She turned back to her new boyfriend.
"I would love to spend some time with you now."
We left them happily conversing. "Two down, two to go," she murmured to me triumphantly. I lifted my eyebrow.
"You know, Kim is going to be with Jared," I mumbled back.
"Oh, I know," she muttered archly. "But they're not together yet, so it doesn't count yet."
"It won't be long though, especially with you 'helping' things along," I mentioned with a grin. She grinned back.
"Absolutely." Suddenly, she gasped. "It's Kim, she's in trouble!"
We had been walking over to Leah, so she was within hearing distance. Alice took off, and Leah and I followed along behind her. She was going slightly faster than human speed, in her concern, but I wasn't going to object. I hoped she could get to Kim before anything bad happened. We raced after her, trying to keep her in sight as she wove through people and tables. Since I wasn't familiar with the mall, I had no idea where she was going.
We rounded a corner and went down a long hallway. I realized we were headed to a set of restrooms. We arrived in the bathroom area just in time to see Alice wrench the door handle off the bathroom door of the family restroom. It was a large, handicap accessible restroom which included a diaper changing station and was designed mainly for mothers of sons who were too old to go into the women's bathroom but were still young enough that the mothers didn't feel comfortable allowing them to use the men's room alone. It was also big enough for mothers of multiple children to keep them all under close surveillance while they took turns using the potty. In this case, two men had locked Kim in with them and were planning to use the space to take advantage of her. They stopped when they heard the door handle break, the inside half falling to the floor. Wasting no time, Alice used her fingers to unlock the door and pulled it open.
"Let her go!" Alice growled fiercely.
"Oh, did you want to join the party, sweetheart?" one of them sneered. "We've got enough for you too." He tried to grab her, and she threw him across the bathroom, where he hit his head on the sink and promptly passed out.
She stomped angrily over to the other man who was holding Kim's wrists up against the wall and staring at Alice in disbelief. "I said let her go," she growled again, grabbing the man's arm and snapping a bone with the force of her grip. He immediately let go of Kim, howling in pain. Alice shoved him into the opposite wall with enough force to break the tile, before gently grabbing Kim into a hug.
"He's certainly going to feel that tomorrow," I mentioned cheerfully. Leah was staring at Alice in surprise. Kim choked out a few sobs. "Did they hurt you, Kim?"
She shook her head no, squeezing Alice hard.
"I was so scared! I had to go to the bathroom, and I should have told one of you, but I thought I'd be quick. When I came out of the ladies room, those two were waiting for me and shoved me into this room. They pushed me up against the wall, telling me all the things they planned to do to me. I could tell they were getting excited by my fear, but I couldn't stop trembling. They didn't even have a chance to kiss me before you busted in though. You saved me! Thank you!" Kim explained, pulling back to look at Alice in awe.
"Yes, you did," Leah agreed, looking at the two bad guys lying on the floor unconscious, one of them with a gash on his head that was oozing blood. She turned to look back at Alice. "How?"
Alice dropped her arms, smiling sadly. "You already knew what I am, didn't you?"
Leah nodded thoughtfully. "And now I know what you are not." She and Alice shared a look of understanding and both of them smiled. Leah came over, giving both Alice and Kim a hug. She went back and took both men's' wallets out, looked at the IDs and then put them back.
I lifted my eyebrows in question. She gave me an evil smile. "Just in case Jared wants to know."
I nodded in understanding, though I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to tell him. An angry young werewolf and the two men who tried to rape his imprint wouldn't be a good combination. I doubted anyone would ever find their bodies. I'd have to have a little talk with everyone on the way home and decide just how much about our trip we really wanted to share with the guys.
Leah came back over to Alice and Kim, throwing an arm around each of them. "I'm starving, Let's grab a bite."
Alice started giggling. "Good thing I'm not hungry. I don't think you really want me to grab a bite."
We all started laughing, relieving the tension we had felt since we realized Kim was in trouble. A vampire and a future werewolf laughing together over feeding habits. I felt like reciting Martin Luther King's