Chapter 18
BPOV
While Rose and Alice were getting me ready for the dance, we talked about what we should do to the girls on our Hit list. Each of us had two girls on our list. Jessica and Lauren were on mine.
"Picture day is coming up soon," I mentioned. "I'm thinking purple or green hair dye in the shampoo bottle would be a good one for one of mine."
"I know just the product to use!" Rose eagerly admitted. "I can obtain it for you next week. It requires a full twenty washes to come out, so if we plant it the day before, there's no way she'll get it out in time to avoid the picture day."
"Ooohh! What about poison ivy? We could rub poison ivy onto Erica's pillow," Alice suggested. Erica was on her list.
I shook my head. "No, Alice; that would be cruel and unusual punishment. I couldn't agree to that. It wouldn't just make her skin red and blotchy, it would hurt and itch too. She would be absolutely miserable for days. What she did was wrong, but doesn't deserve that severe a penalty."
"How about putting some of that tanning dye on her face while she's sleeping? She'll wake up with orange skin," Rose offered.
Alice nodded enthusiastically. "I like that. How about we cut all of Sarah's hair off on one side?" Sarah was the other girl on her list.
I objected once again. "Alice, it would take months to grow out again, maybe even years. It's one thing to do something to cause embarrassment that does no physical harm, but that lasts for a few days, and quite another to do something that lasts for months. We want to teach them a lesson about respecting others' boundaries, not scar them for life."
Alice pouted. "Well, I don't hear you coming up with any bright ideas."
"Well, what if you hid all her clothes, or maybe made them all wet or something, in the middle of the night, and then lay out an atrocious outfit for her to wear for picture day. She would have to wear it because it would be the only option available," I recommended.
She pursed her lips and then nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, I can work with that one, but you still need one more."
"Don't forget about me," Rose interjected. "I don't have any plans for mine yet."
The girls had finished with my hair and make-up and were now painting my nails. We were each lost in thought for a few minutes, brainstorming.
"There's the old favourite—adding Ex-lax to their food," Alice mused.
"I don't think Carlisle would approve of that, from a medical standpoint," Rose reminded her.
"I don't know how possible this is, but maybe for one of Rose's you could get a couple of whoopee cushions and place them under her in each of her classes as she sits down. If you work at vampire speed, no one should be able to see you do it, and then you could remove it at vampire speed too, when she stands or lifts up to look underneath of herself. Everyone will think she has really bad gas, and the more she denies it, the more they'll believe it," I postulated.
Rose grinned. "I think that's a winner! I'll get Emmett and Jasper to help me with that one."
Alice's eyes glazed over, and she started laughing. She came back out of it and could barely speak, as she was laughing so hard. "Oh, that is going to be absolutely hilarious. Definitely a winner!"
We continued thinking about it. Alice's eyes lit up with excitement. "I've got one! Tiffany always packs her lunch, right? So, we could replace her usual lunch with baby food or something."
"Good one!" I encouraged her. Tiffany was the second girl on Rose's list. "They make these Gerber Graduates foods. There's also Dora yogurt and Elmo juice boxes. Since she doesn't have any younger siblings, she'll have a hard time explaining to her friends why she has it."
"Okay, but I'm also going to put an open bag of Depends in her locker, set to fall out when she opens the door," Rose decided. "I'll have that happen just before lunch, and I'll include a note in her lunch, supposedly from her mother, saying if she's going to keep wetting her pants like a baby then she's going to be treated like one."
I winced. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."
"Ooohh! You could bring a water gun and make sure she has an 'accident' after lunch," Alice added, enjoying her mental picture of the event.
Rose grinned wickedly. "You're really getting the hang of this, Alice. We'll make a prankster of you yet."
"Guys, I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable about all of this. I'm not sure I can go through with it. We've really gotten mean," I mentioned with a grimace. "I wouldn't want anyone to treat me the way we've talked about treating them. Aren't we just lowering ourselves to their level?"
"Bella, get a grip. Sometimes you are just too nice for your own good," Rose complained. "These girls know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our men are all taken. As far as Jasper and Emmett are concerned, they've witnessed our dedication to each other for over two years now. Yet, they still had the audacity to try to break up our relationships. Edward hasn't given any of them the time of day in over two years, and he is finally happy with you. Instead of letting him enjoy his happiness, they simply throw themselves at him even more, as if you're just breaking him in for them. He's not a wild horse being broken to bridle, for pity's sake."
"Okay, fine," I conceded. "You're correct. So we have one more gag we need to line up for Lauren."
"You wouldn't believe some of the things she's done," Rose commented disdainfully.
"We could fill her locker with condoms, so they all spill out onto the floor when she opens it," I offered.
"Nah, that's been done before. It's too obvious," Rose decided.
"Used condoms!" Alice suggested gleefully.
"Ew, gross! Where are we going to get used condoms?" I protested. Rose and Alice exchanged a smirk, and I put my hands over my ears, just in case they were going to volunteer their husbands to assist with that task. "Never mind, I don't think I want to know."
Rose laughed and pulled my hands away from my ears. "They don't have to actually be used; they just have to look like they have been. I'm sure we could whip up some concoction in either the kitchen or the bathroom that will approximate the consistency well enough to fool the casual eye."
I grinned. "Now you're talking. Except, I've never actually seen it—virgin, remember. Are you sure vampire stuff looks the same as human stuff? That reminds me of a conversation I've been meaning to have with Carlisle, sometime when Edward is on a hunting trip."
"Bella, trust me. After all these years in high school and college, we've seen way more things than we could ever possibly have wanted. Not to mention that each of those unpleasant experiences of TMI are forever burned into our perfect memories. Forgetting is actually a luxury and a natural defense of the mind. Some things are better off being lost to the mists of time," Alice explained.
I nodded. There were a few memories of my own I would like to erase, and I was certain Rose had memories she would much prefer to surrender to the blackness of oblivion, to the thought graveyard.
"Instead of putting them in her locker, we put them in her jacket pocket, with one hanging out just enough to call attention to it, and when that one is pulled, the others would come out too," Rose plotted.
"And unopened ones in the other pocket, so it looks like she is planning more escapades," Alice added.
"Wouldn't that be 'sexcapades'?" I quipped. "How about flavoured condoms instead of regular ones?" They both grinned at me.
"Now you're getting the hang of it," Rose encouraged. "That's the spirit! So half a dozen used ones and half a dozen unopened."
As we wrapped our planning session, the girls put the last minute finishing touches on me—their masterpiece. I couldn't help grinning at that thought. "I'll try to make you proud, oh great artistic geniuses," I teased. I gasped when I finally got a glimpse of myself in the mirror. They really had outdone themselves.
"Hey, instead of the usual 'ugly duckling', I finally actually look like a 'beautiful swan'. I can finally live up to my name!" I realized. "Thanks, guys. You're totally awesome."
I waited the requisite ten minutes for Rose and Alice to make their own preparations. I was immensely grateful they were coming to the dance as a show of support for me. My thoughts drifted to Mike.
"So, Alice, is Mike coming with Shawn tonight?" I wondered. I heard her laughter from the next room.
"No, he finally got up the courage to tell Shawn he thinks of him like a brother. Poor Shawn. I must say, I'm impressed that Mike had the guts to stand up for himself like that. Maybe there's hope for that boy yet," she responded.
"Have you seen anything about his future?"
She strolled into the room where I was waiting and raised her eyebrow. "Why would I? Just because I can do something doesn't mean I have to do it. I would never get anything done if I wasted my time looking at visions of people unrelated to this family. I'm not the least bit interested in Mike's future as long as it doesn't negatively affect ours."
Rose chose that moment to join us. "C'mon, girls, don't waste any more breath on Newt. We've got much better things to do with our time. Our guys are waiting for us."
That last sentence was enough to snap us out of it and send us scurrying down the stairs to throw ourselves into the arms of our beloveds.
We would enjoy ourselves tonight, for tomorrow was the day we would go play baseball in the clearing. Tomorrow, we would find out just how much of our fate was fixed and how much could still be changed. Tomorrow, I would come face to face with the nomads.
EPOV
Sam, Jacob, Jasper and I were all out scouting around the baseball clearing. Alice had done projections earlier to predict the wind direction at various times during the future game. In addition to figuring out the best hiding places downwind, we were also determining how far away the wolves had to be from the clearing before their scent was undetectable, knowing the wind would change direction in the middle of the confrontation.
If James made the decision to hunt, neither he nor Victoria would ever leave the clearing. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. They would become one with the earth once again.
As we returned back to the house, I lost myself in peaceful memories of last night.
Bella had been so beautiful, blushing delightfully as I complimented her appearance. I ushered her into my Vanquish, and she wisely made no complaint. We zoomed off to the dance, followed by my siblings, who were coming along in a show of support. I really loved my family and was thrilled they loved my mate almost as much as I did.
Jessica and Lauren had tried to be mean toward my Bella, but she just snickered at their attempts. I wasn't sure what she was mentally picturing each time she looked at them, but by the evil grins on Rosalie's and Alice's faces, they had an idea. I think the girls had been plotting against the pathetic humans who had foolishly asked us guys to the dance, but I wasn't sure. Emmett, Jasper, and I had been hunting while the girls were getting ready. It just didn't take us guys that long to get ready, especially at vampire speed. Eventually, Bella's obvious amusement in the face of every snide comment they made got to Jessica and Lauren. They stomped off angrily, uncomfortable and unsure with what could be so amusing that Bella could totally blow off their veiled insults. They also hadn't missed the fact that Rose and Alice were just as amused as Bella was. In fact, the three of them kept sharing glances, before breaking out into fresh snickers.
Later that evening, Jessica and Lauren had tried to anger Bella again, being more overt in their insults, deliberately attempting to provoke a response. Bella had started outright laughing in their faces. She turned to me and grinned.
"I almost feel sorry for them, Edward. Almost, but not quite. If they only knew what was in store for them, they'd hardly be so complacent. Each comment they make only digs their hole deeper. Just make sure you duck when the 'you know what' hits the fan. They'll be drowning in manure! Don't bother arguing with them, love, they're going to get what they deserve soon enough," my Bella announced happily.
I could hear the sheer panic in Jessica's and Lauren's minds at Bella's words. They made the connection to Rose and Alice and were suddenly quite fearful. They went pale and clutched at each other's arms.
Bella just laughed in their faces again as we waltzed away. Those two left the dance early, jumping at shadows. I had a feeling they intended to watch their backs very closely for a long time.
Bella was waiting for me when I got back to the house. Jasper sent her waves of calm, as she was practically jumping out of her skin.
"I know you're nervous, love, but you know we will not let them hurt you. There are many of us and only three of them," I reassured her.
"I'm not worried about me, Edward! I just don't want any of you to get hurt while trying to protect me," Bella answered. What a foolish girl. Would she never understand?
"Silly Bella! None of us will get hurt. Even if someone suffers a minor injury, it will heal almost instantaneously. Stop wasting your energy worrying about the supernatural creatures. Keep your worry confined to the mortal ones," I suggested. She rolled her eyes.
"As much as you want to consider yourself immortal, the fact of the matter is that you can die. Therefore, you are not immortal. You are merely 'hard to kill'. The same is true for the wolves. They can die even more easily than you can. Your cockiness may be your downfall someday, so please try to be careful and keep yourself safe—for my sake," she implored. I gave her my crooked grin and agreed. How could I deny her anything?
"Okay, well, everyone in the house is all keyed up, and it is driving Jasper crazy, so let's play a game to help distract our minds from what is to come," I recommended. To Jasper's relief, everyone agreed. Everyone in the Forks family was here, except for Angela and Ben. With nomads in the area, the wolves wanted their imprints nearby.
"How about a quick game of 'I never'?" Embry called. The vampires shrugged. It wasn't much fun for us to play by ourselves, because we already knew everything about each other. With the humans and wolves playing, it might actually get interesting, especially with the wolves highly developed sense of competition. We sat around in a circle.
"Okay, no restrictions for this first go around, except of course that you cannot repeat what someone else said, or what you said, nor can you lie," Alice declared. Everybody nodded. "Now hold up your ten fingers. If the statement is not true for you, then you have to put away one of your fingers. If the statement is true for you, you may leave your fingers up. The winner is the last one to have any fingers standing."
BPOV
I had never played this game before, but it sounded like it could get interesting. I was elected to start, but I wasn't feeling very creative. "I have never been a male."
The group groaned at my lame attempt, and all the guys put down one finger. Edward was next, and he rolled his eyes. "Time to level the playing field again. I have never been a female." All the women dutifully put down one finger.
"How original," I muttered.
"Well, that was a waste. Let's make it more interesting, shall we? I have never tasted human blood," Sam challenged. The vampires gasped, uncomfortable with responding, especially with the wolves watching so closely. Carlisle and Jasper were the first to drop a finger, followed by Edward. Then came Esme and Emmett. Before the tension could mount, I realized how foolish the question was.
I laughed. "Well, considering that I've bitten my tongue more times than I can remember, that one definitely doesn't apply to me." I very deliberately put my finger down. Rose looked at me gratefully, smiled and then laughed.
"I don't remember doing that in my human life, but I know babies bleed when they are cutting teeth, and I have a mouth full of teeth, so I'm certain it doesn't apply to me either." Everyone started laughing, and once again everyone put down a finger. Now we were all tied, displaying eight fingers.
"At this rate, we're all going to win or lose at the same time," Emily teased. "I'll have to think of something better. I have never turned into a giant wolf." The wolves all put down a finger.
"Traitor!" Sam growled. She just laughed and kissed him.
"I have never been to medical school," Jasper added.
"You always do that one," Rose complained as she dropped a finger. Edward and Carlisle did as well.
"I have never been to First Beach," Alice proclaimed with a sly grin. All the Quileutes, plus me, put down a finger. I stuck my tongue out at Alice, and she threw a pillow at me. Edward caught it and put it in his lap so I could lay my head on it if I chose. I smirked over at Alice, and this time she stuck her tongue out at me.
It was now Seth's turn, and he laughed heartily. "I have never had sex." All the vampires, except Edward, put down a finger. The wolves looked at Edward in surprise. While they were distracted, Sam and Emily both put down a finger, blushing profusely. Everyone decided to ignore it for their sake, even Emmett. I gave him a big smile of thanks and encouragement. Maybe there's hope for that boy yet. He winked at me, discerning the direction of my thoughts.
"You're still a virgin, Edward?" Jacob asked in disbelief. Edward nodded, looking completely embarrassed.
"Aren't you like, over a hundred years old?" Embry added in surprise. Edward nodded again. "And you've never?" Edward shook his head.
"Wow!" Quil exclaimed in shock.
"Vampires mate not just for life, but for eternity," Edward murmured quietly. "And I had not yet met my soul mate." The wolves nodded in understanding, as they mated for life. They shot glances between Edward and me.
"I see now why Bella is so important to you. You've been waiting for her for longer than most humans' lifespans, haven't you?" Sam inquired thoughtfully. Edward nodded. A new level of comprehension drifted into the wolves' eyes.
"Enough with the mushy gushy stuff!" Leah protested. "We're supposed to be playing a game here and it's my turn. I have never moved from one house to another."
She looked triumphant as all the vampires and I put down a finger. Sam and Emily also put down a finger.
Carlisle smiled thoughtfully, tapping his finger on his chin. "I have never doubted the existence of God."
Edward, Jasper, Alice, and Rose immediately put their fingers down. After a moment's thought, Leah, Jacob, Embry, Quil, Kim, Sam, Emily and I all put a finger down. The only ones who didn't were Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jared, and Seth.
Esme grinned triumphantly. "I have never eaten at McDonald's."
"Oh, boo, Mom! So unfair," Jacob whined. The Quileutes and I all put a finger down. I was surprised to see Emmett put a finger down too.
"Emmett, you've eaten at McDonalds?" I joked. He grinned and nodded.
"Hell, yeah, Bells. Hasn't everyone?" he responded.
We all looked at him like he was crazy, well except for Jasper, Alice, and Edward who were all smirking.
"Emmett?" Rose prompted.
He hung his head. "I lost a bet and had to eat a happy meal."
We all burst out laughing. He shook his head in remembered disgust. "I don't know how you guys can eat that crap. That stuff was nasty! Do you even know what's in those things?"
I stuck my fingers in my ears. "La la la, I don't want to know, la la la!" Everyone laughed again.
"My turn!" Jacob crowed. "I've got a good one. I've never had my heart stop beating."
Rose glared at Jacob. "Talk about unfair." The vampires all put down a finger.
Embry chuckled. "I have never been to college." The vampires groaned and all put down a finger again. Rose glared at them again and snorted. "I have never worn second-hand clothes."
"Oooohh, cold!" Quil griped. Everyone except the vampires put down a finger. Jasper and Emmett also put down a finger.
"I had older b
rothers, so I wore hand-me-downs as a human," Emmett explained.
Jasper shrugged. "When you're fighting a war, you don't care where the clothes come from, as long as they cover you."
"Oh, boy! It's my turn now!" Emmett yelled excitedly. He appeared deep in thought and counted everybody's fingers. "I have never been a leader or second in command."
Carlisle, Edward, Jasper, Sam, Jared, Jacob, and Embry all put down a finger.
"Gotcha!" Emmett appeared pretty proud of himself.
"I have never gotten married," Kim reported shyly.
"I'm out," Jasper announced, putting down his last finger. The rest of the vampires, except Edward, all put down a finger.
"I have never voted in an election," Jared declared.
"Good one!" Quil encouraged.
"I'm out," Sam announced. "Me, too," added Carlisle. "And me," Emmett said sadly.
Esme, Rose, Edward, Emily, Alice, and Leah all put down a finger.
"Hmmm, it's getting close now," Quil mumbled, lost in thought. His eyes lit up as he thought of something. "I have never gone more than 48 hours without sleeping."
"Pitiful!" Rose scoffed. "I'm out."
"Me too," Alice reported glumly. "C'mon, Bella it's your turn again. Avenge me!"
I laughed. Nobody was really playing fair, but we humans were benefiting from it. "Fine, I've never run on four legs."
"Humph! Traitor!" Quil grumbled, as all the werewolves put down finger.
"She's not a traitor. She's loyal to me!" Edward taunted with a chuckle. "I think all the non-vampires have been having it too easy. I have never cut my hair in the past twenty years." Everyone except for him and Esme had to put down a finger.
Jacob, Embry, and Leah all shouted "I'm out!" at the same time.
Emily grinned. "I have never used a urinal. Girls rule!"
We ladies all laughed as the remaining guys dropped a finger. Jared, Quil, and Edward dropped out on that round.
Seth smiled eagerly. "It's up to me to avenge the guys. Give me a minute to think. Ooooh, I have never worn a bra!" Now it was the guys turn to laugh as we ladies groaned and all put down a finger. Esme and Emily dropped out.
Kim looked around the circle. Seth and I only had one finger left, whereas Kim still had two fingers up, and it was now her turn to make the statement. She was obviously trying to think of a way to take us both out at the same time.
"I don't know. I have never gone skinny dipping."
I looked at her and shook my head. I had never gone swimming naked either, but I knew Seth had, because all the wolves had swum in the river.
"Okay, well I guess I'm out then," Seth sighed.
"I have never kissed a werewolf," I announced. I was feeling victorious, until I realized the flaw. Kim still had one finger left, and it was her turn. I knew what was coming next. She would simply turn my phrase back on me. Kim had obviously figured out the solution as well.
"I have never kissed a vampire!" she squealed happily, her victory in sight. At the moment she said the word vampire, Emmett, who was sitting right next to her, leaned over at vampire speed and kissed her on the lips. She put her hand up to her lips. "What the heck was that, Emmett?"
"You've kissed a vampire too!" Emmett crowed in delight, very proud of himself. "Now you both have to put a finger down and nobody wins!" He started doing a little victory dance.
"I'm going to kick your butt for kissing my girl, Emmett!" Jared threatened. He wasn't really angry because he knew it had just been done in fun and there was nothing other than brotherly affection behind it. Rose reached up and smacked him on the back of the head.
"Oh, I know, but it was worth it!" Emmett laughed. "Besides, I think it's safe to say the humans won. How often do you think they'll be able to have those bragging rights? The humans beat the vampires and the werewolves. How pathetic is that?"
We all started laughing again.
Esme fixed a hearty dinner for the humans and werewolves. After dinner, it was time to go play baseball. Seth was elected to stay back at the house to guard Kim and Emily, who would not be coming with us. He whined about missing out on all the fun, but he was promised to get a turn next time.
"Sometimes it sucks to be the youngest," Jacob empathized. I remembered he was the youngest in his family too. That reminded me of his sister and Paul.
"Has anyone heard from Paul yet?" I wondered.
"No, not yet," Sam replied. "He'll come back when he's ready."
I nodded, though I wasn't quite convinced. Maybe once this thing with the nomads was over, we might want to send somebody out looking for him.
Carlisle asked Esme to stay behind as well, just in case the nomads came to the house. We figured it was better safe than sorry.
"Wait, aren't there three of them?" Sam asked.
We confirmed it. "In that case, I want Jared to stay here too. If there's even the slightest chance of them coming here, I want better odds on our side."
Jared quickly agreed, feeling safer guarding his imprint himself, rather than leaving her for someone else to protect.
Edward loaded me into the Jeep and adjusted my harness. The rest of them took off running. Edward drove as close as he could and then helped me out of the Jeep and onto his back. I closed my eyes, hiding my head into his shoulder. In no time, we were on the field. I wasn't too surprised to see everyone else was already there. They could all easily run faster than a car. They had even already set up the bases and picked teams.
"In the spirit of camaraderie, we decided not to play werewolves versus vampires. Instead, we will mix up the teams. Alice has agreed to sit out and referee for us," Carlisle declared. "The teams are Edward, Leah, Jacob, Jasper and myself versus Emmett, Rose, Quil, Embry, and Sam."
The teams took their positions on the field. They all turned to look at Alice.
"It's time," she announced.
As soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest beyond us, and then crashed westward toward town.
"Play ball!" she shouted eagerly.
A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been updating but I have had a rough time with everything going on in my life and I tried updating last week but I smashed my laptop so I couldn't. So sorry so I will post whenever I can as I have got the rest of the chapters ready.
Love
Becky xxx