Chapter 21

BPOV

Rose, Alice and I confronted the girls on our hit list in a very public way in the cafeteria on Tuesday. I shall forever cherish the memory of my speech to Jessica and Lauren and their subsequent reaction.

I stalked over to Jessica and Lauren where they sat peacefully spreading malicious gossip at their usual lunch table. Rose and Alice flanked me to provide moral support. Since I've always hated being the centre of attention, as well as served the role of peacemaker my entire life, public confrontation has always been extremely low on my list of 'things to do before I die'. My relationship with Edward was worth defending though, and my new sisters would accept nothing less. I found myself surprisingly territorial where Edward was concerned, every fibre of my being shouting 'MINE' whenever I saw any girl look his way. Rose and Alice informed me that was normal behaviour for vampire soul mates, though they couldn't explain why a human would be feeling these things before the change.

"Then again, you've always been a weird one," Rose had quipped. I had given her a death glare, which had caused her to be overcome with amusement. "Oh, Bella, you're soterrifying," she had cooed, before laughing harder.

So now I found myself inwardly quaking as I forced myself to face down our grade's worst emotional and verbal bullies. I felt a sudden wave of confidence and whispered a quick thanks to Jasper. I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye.

"So, Jessica and Lauren, initially I was angry with the two of you for daring to ask my Edward to the dance, as if he might seriously consider one of you when everybody knows he only has eyes for me. I couldn't understand what could possess two girls to actually approach a happily engaged man and try to lure him away from his future wife, especially after all the times he has publicly and privately rejected both of you, even before he found me.

"Then I started thinking about it and realized how truly pathetic the two of you really were. I finally understood how absolutely desperate you must have been to approach a man who had rejected you repeatedly in the past and invite him to escort you to the dance, knowing full well he would be escorting his chosen bride-to-be, to whom he was utterly and completely devoted. I realized how far you must have fallen that not one single guy was interested enough to ask you out, leaving you to do the asking yourselves.

"I felt deep pity for you upon realizing you must have gone through the entire population of single guys here in Forks, and even the surrounding areas, and not been accepted by a single one. How embarrassing that must have been for you to be rejected so many times! Having gone through the entire list of available guys, you then had to turn to the boys who were already in relationships with somebody else, and attempt to 'steal' their affections away from their current girlfriends.

"I shudder to think of what you must have promised them in your attempts to capture their attention. You would have started with the ones who had shown some previous interest in you, ones you may have even rejected yourselves in the past, as they would have been the easiest conquests. After all of them turned you down, you would have moved on to those who had never even given you the time of day before and those you considered previously to be beneath your notice. Only after being rejected by all of them would you have been desperate enough to invite those who had already indicated they wanted nothing to do with you.

"For you to approach Edward, who has repeatedly demonstrated his disgust for both of you, you must have invited every single other male between the ages of 14 and 20 within a twenty mile radius and been turned down by each and every one. I feel so sorry for the two of you. I would never be able to hold my head up again after all of that rejection, so I admire how you can face the school knowing none of the guys want you."

We had the full attention of the entire school, who hung on baited breath to hear the two girls respond to my little speech. The girls' faces were purple with rage.

"How dare you!" Jessica spat.

"You little skank!" Lauren shrieked. I just stood there questioningly, completely unphased by their remarks. Lauren jumped up to attack me, but a glance at Rose and Alice had her sitting back down again with an uncharacteristic thump. My sisters began snickering, barely able to hang on to their amusement.

"I'll have you know Edward was the first guy I asked," Jessica retorted slyly.

I nodded my head knowingly and calmly replied, "Oh, I see. You have a fetish for rejection. Being turned down turns you on. Why didn't you just say so?"

Jessica gasped at my conclusion, enraged to have the tables turned on her once again, when she'd been hoping to embarrass me.

"Of course not!" she screamed, rapidly losing her composure. My response had drawn chuckles from many in the audience of students watching me put her firmly in her place.

"Edward would be so much better off with me than you," Lauren sneered. "I have no idea what he sees in you."

I tapped my finger on my chin, pretending to be lost in thought. "Oh, I get it. You're admitting you're one of those whores who knowingly and willingly initiate an affair with a married man in hopes of destroying his marriage and family. Well, I can see why you wouldn't want anybody knowing about that. Forewarned is forearmed after all, and now none of the respectable females in the surrounding area will let you anywhere near their boyfriends or husbands."

Lauren went completely ballistic. "You dare call me a whore, you whore! Edward's going to get tired of your little 'girl next door act' and then he'll come running to me. You won't be able to satisfy his needs, and then I'll show him a good time the way a real woman does."

"Am I a whore or the girl next door? Make up your mind," I drawled.

"Whore!" Both Lauren and Jessica yelled furiously.

I laughed. "Actually, I'm a virgin and will be until my wedding night, when my husband, Edward, will be my first and only lover. It's too bad you can't offer the same gift to your future husbands."

I could see something flicker in the eyes of some of the human boys around us, as if they suddenly realized how precious and valuable the gift of virginity could be—to know their wives had never shared something so intimate with another man. Those boys looked at Lauren and Jessica in a whole new light, one of disgust, for their trampy ways. I watched the two girls splutter in indignation. Then their eyes turned evil as they attacked me once again.

"I knew you couldn't satisfy him," Lauren taunted. "He'll be coming to me before long."

"Ha! He doesn't want you; you're too ugly for him to take to his bed. No wonder you're still a virgin," Jessica laughingly condescended.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I felt another wave of confidence blast through me and glanced over to our usual table. All three of the guys were tense, but Jasper and Emmett were now physically restraining Edward to prevent him from coming to my rescue. I smiled faintly and turned back to the annoying sluts insulting me. I shook my head pityingly.

"You two just don't get it, do you? If Edward wanted what you had to offer, he would have accepted it two years ago. I am still a virgin because he is a gentleman and respects me. He will not treat me as anything less than the lady I am." Lauren and Jessica scoffed, but I could see the embarrassment underneath. "It has become obvious to me that you are either mentally deficient or completely oblivious. Either way, I've decided to break this down into small words so you can understand." I paused, making sure I had their full attention. "Edward is MINE forever and always. He will never be yours. Never, ever. So get over it."

Their jaws dropped, as my voice turned menacing. I spun on my heel and stomped away. Rose took the lead and marched over to give a similar lesson to the two girls on her hit list, and finally, Alice gave a speech to the two on hers. We were invincible. In fact, when we were done, the whole cafeteria burst out into spontaneous, wild cheering and applause. We each bowed to our fans and then hurried back to our beloved soul mates before the bell rang to signal the next class.

Now it was Friday afternoon, and I sat in Biology with Edward chatting quietly since our lab work was already finished. I wouldn't hesitate to admit that Edward and I make a great team.

"Do you really have to leave right after school today to go clothes shopping in L.A.?" he pouted, giving me his puppy dog eyes. "Why do you have to be gone for three days? I'll miss you."

I snuck a quick kiss on his full, pouty lips and sighed. "You know I promised Alice, and besides, Esme is looking forward to it. I couldn't possibly disappoint Esme," I murmured, pointing out the obvious. "Besides, you're going to be going hunting with the guys, so it's not like you'll be pining away in your room, twiddling your thumbs in utter boredom. If you get nice and full this trip, just think how much more time we'll be able to spend together before you have to leave again to go on another one."

He gave me my favorite crooked grin. "That's true, but how will you ever fall asleep without me snuggled up next to you?"

I smiled internally, but maintained my nonchalant expression. "I'll just have Alice curl up with me. She has already volunteered to be my temporary snuggle bunny."

He growled low in his chest, just loud enough for me to hear. "It won't be the same," he promised, his jealously and possessiveness kicking in even over his own sister.

Alice had forewarned me about this conversation though, so I was prepared. "I don't expect it to be the same, my darling Edward. I'm sure I'll find Alice's embrace comfortable enough though. It'll be different, sleeping with a woman, but you're always wanting me to try new experiences, right? Besides, Alice is quite beautiful in her own way, and I have a special connection to her. I believe Rose and Esme expressed their own curiosity and willingness to each take a turn sleeping with me, so I won't be all alone in my bed, Edward. Don't worry."

If anything, he looked more worried than before. "Why didn't anybody tell me?"

"Oh, they were probably worried you'd overreact. I can't imagine what give them that impression," I answered, tongue in cheek. "I think they said something about you being a prude and what you didn't know wouldn't hurt you," I continued, adding fuel to the fire. "Rose mentioned something about their husbands all being jealous of all of us women being together on the same bed but none of them being allowed to watch. Why on earth would they want to watch us sleeping together? I just don't get it."

I saw his eyes widen as he processed my words. Then his brows lowered. He looked incredulous, like he either couldn't believe what he was hearing or that I was naïve enough to not know what I was suggesting. I was sure my sisters were eagerly listening in on our conversation and wondered how they were managing to keep themselves from cracking up in class. I glanced over at Alice to see how she was handling my revelations and saw her literally biting her hand to keep herself from laughing. Edward was glaring at her, and I knew she was blocking her thoughts. I also knew it was to keep Edward from guessing our little joke, but he would think it was about this weekend, which would make him even more suspicious.

I could tell Edward was rapidly approaching the end of his limits and linked my arm with his to help him calm down. "Don't worry, Edward. I'm yours, only yours, forever."

He squeezed my hand gently and narrowed his eyes at Alice. "Mary Alice Brandon Cullen, tell me what is going on right now or so help me I'll mutilate all of your credit cards and soak your clothes in cheap perfume!"

Frankly, I was impressed with his threat. It was rather creative and personalized for maximum effect. I saw Alice's eyes glaze over as she processed a vision. Her eyes widened in horror, and she stared at her brother as if she'd never seen him before.

"You wouldn't," she whispered, shaking her head.

He nodded, eyes glinting with malicious intent.

"Wal-Mart brand perfume?" she wailed almost silently. "And how did you know about my secret stash of credit cards?"

Edward merely grinned evilly, baring his teeth in a threatening way. She gulped and quickly backed down, letting him into her thoughts.

"You were just messing with me?" he grumbled. "So funny, ha ha."

He leaned over to whisper in my ear, his fingers deftly slipping under my shirt to tug at my waistband. "I'll punish you later, little Miss Innocent."

He felt me shiver and knew it wasn't from the coldness of his touch. He chuckled, which went right through me in the most pleasant way.

Esme was all set and ready to go when we got back to the house. Alice had made sure our bags were all packed before we even left for school that morning. Once he knew that Esme was going too and that it would only be us girls, Charlie had been more than happy to send me on my way. We were taking the SUV so we would have enough room for all our shopping to return home with us. I knew Alice would have no trouble completely filling the rear compartment.

All we had left to do before leaving was to kiss our gentlemen goodbye. Each couple chose a semi-private spot to exchange our intimate sentiments. Edward swept me into his arms and began turning on both the heat and the charm. I had a few moments to wonder what had gotten into him, before all conscious thought deserted me, rendering me prisoner to passion and desire. By the time Edward pulled back to look down into my eyes, his lips and hands had left me dazed and speechless. I clung to him like a vine and never wanted to part. I was ready for us to throw all caution to the wind and let him make me his right there on the side of the house. I was practically throbbing with need and desperately grinding myself against his thigh. He waited patiently for some semblance of reason to return to my eyes. As soon as he saw I would understand his words, his velvety voice caressed my skin. He smiled against my lips and proclaimed, "Sweet dreams, love!"

Then the bastard pulled away completely and walked toward the SUV, waiting to help me into my seat. He left me a screaming ball of nerves, desperate for more, for friction, for release. I stared after him, unable to believe he would be so cruel, speechless and rooted to the spot. He turned around and smirked at me.

"Payback sucks, eh dear?" he challenged, letting me know he deliberately started this and just as deliberately didn't finish it. He was a dead man. I was so furious, I was seeing red. Yes, payback sucks. I would find a way to etch that concept into his brain so deeply he would never dare cross me again. I crossed my arms over my chest and stomped over to the SUV. I threw myself into the seat, ignoring the idiot standing by my door. I didn't even bother to speak to or look at him as he kissed my temple chastely, whispered a smug goodbye, and shut my door.

I knew the other females had figured out what he had done. It was fairly obvious, considering my flushed face, swollen lips, heaving chest, rapid heartbeat, and scent of arousal, combined with the level of my ire.

"Oh, Rosie, dear," I called sweetly, knowing the guys would hear, and also knowing Rose would be most likely to play along with me. "I need a favor."

She met my eyes in the rear-view mirror and grinned as she read my expression. "Yes, Bella, how can I help you?"

"Well, I seem to be in a bit of discomfort at the moment and was wondering if you'd be willing to comfort me?" I asked, giving her a wink.

"Why, certainly, Bella!" she exclaimed. "I'm sure we can comfort each other and both feel much better afterward. Esme, would you mind driving for a bit while I take care of Bella's needs?"

Esme eyed us both with amusement. "Of course, Rose, I'd be happy to do that. It's good to see the two of you getting along so well together. I'm glad you've realized how much pleasure can be derived from meeting Bella's fragile human needs."

Rose, Alice, and I all snorted. Mama Cullen could run with the best. In the blink of an eye, Rose and Esme had changed places, so that Rose was now seated in the back with me.

"These pants look awfully snug on you, Bella. That can't be comfortable for you. Maybe you should slip them off?" Rose suggested seductively, reaching for my waist. On that note, Esme peeled off down the driveway, leaving our menfolk in the dust. Their smug expressions had rapidly changed to astonishment over the course of my conversation with Rose and Esme, and at Rose's final suggestions, all four of their jaws had dropped.

As soon as we were out of earshot, all four of us burst out laughing.

"Thanks, Mom, you're a real champ!" I praised Esme, gratefully squeezing her arm.

"My pleasure, honey. You can always count on me," she responded lovingly.

Alice went into a vision and came out laughing hysterically. "They're all despondent. They keep reassuring each other that we were only kidding, but they keep getting bummed out anyway at the idea they might be missing out on something interesting. Well, except for Edward, who is having a conniption fit, thinking maybe we're better at 'certain things' than he is."

We all giggled at the thought of our guys working themselves up like that. Rose grinned. "I've got a naughty idea. Why don't we really drive them up the wall?" she suggested, holding up her cell phone. We all nodded mischievously, and she pressed send before setting the phone on the center console.

Rose started moaning, and as soon as we heard Emmett pick up, Alice and I added our own heavy breathing, gasps, and groans.

"Ohhh, yes…yes…Oh, Bella!" Rose pretended.

At the same time, Alice added her own script. "Mmmm, Bella, you're a natural! You're even better than Rose, and I thought she was talented!"

"Esme, why don't you pull over and join us?" Rose invited with a playful moan.

Esme chuckled, "Don't worry about me, darlings. I'd rather wait until we get to the hotel where you can all shower me with your undivided attention."

The three of us all moaned and groaned invitingly as if excited by the idea.

"Rose, darling, is your phone on?" Esme asked.

"Oh, crap!" Rose exclaimed, pretending to scramble for the phone. "I hope nobody heard that!" Then she pressed end. We all burst out laughing again and looked expectantly at Alice.

She checked her vision then and came back snickering. "They're frozen in shock! Emmett had it on speakerphone, and they're all sitting around the living room staring into space, frozen into statues. The first to recover will be…Edward. After 22 minutes and 13 seconds, he's going to storm off into the forest and start taking out trees. The next will be Emmett, 14 minutes and 25 seconds after Edward leaves he'll race up to his bedroom and use some toys to relieve his physical stress. It'll be hours before he's done. Carlisle will move next, 3 minutes and 18 seconds after Emmett. He'll go lay on his bed unmoving for the rest of the night. Don't worry; he's not upset, just lost in his own thoughts. I'm pretty sure he knew you were bluffing, Esme. Finally, my Jasper will stir himself, after another 36 minutes and 42 seconds. He's going to swim to Alaska and back." She couldn't stop giggling at the thought of how her husband was going to 'cool off' his fantasies.

"I guess we ought to call them all later and reassure them we were only teasing," I decided with a sigh. "I don't want Edward to still be angry when we get back.

"I don't know, Bella," Alice cautioned. "I think this might actually work in your favor, now that he's got a standard to live up to and all."

We all started laughing again. I loved my family and wouldn't trade them for the world. To think, the weekend had just begun.

BPOV

"Okay, Alice, since our drawing session was cancelled Monday due to the 'love bug', I thought it would be a fun way to spend the time on our way to L.A.," I suggested.

Alice beamed at me. "Yes, I agree, I have all the stuff with me," she acknowledged. She pulled out her quality art supplies and drawing paper.

"So, where should we start?" "Mine first!" Rose insisted. "I agreed not to actually prank them against my instincts, so the least you can do is show me what would have happened if we had gone ahead with it."

"Okay, which of your two should I look at first?" Alice asked.

Rose thought for a minute. "Let's start with Stacey," Rose decided. "For her prank, we're going to assault her with whoopee cushions all day long."

Esme cleared her throat and eyed us all disapprovingly. "What are you girls discussing?"

"There are six girls at our school who keep annoying our guys. They had the nerve to ask our husbands to take them to the dance. We need to put them in their place," Rose explained.

Esme appeared troubled. She sighed. "Girls, I understand how you feel. There are a couple of nurses at the hospital who repeatedly flirt with Carlisle, touching him inappropriately and making him uncomfortable. They are committing sexual harassment, but we can't afford to get caught up in a big investigation and court case, so he can't report them. I am angry at the way they treat him when he has done nothing but reject their advances ever since we came here. They know he is happily married with five children. I can't understand why they think it is okay to try to entice him into an affair. Don't they understand it would ruin his marriage, his family, his reputation, and his standing in the community if he ever succumbed to their advances?" We all commiserated with her, squeezing her shoulders and arm in a silent show of support, knowing she wasn't finished yet. "As much as I would like to retaliate against those women, I know it is the wrong thing to do. Carlisle would not appreciate it, and I would have to live with the knowledge that I was not above petty acts of jealousy. Instead, I must cling to the knowledge that my Carlisle will never betray me, and force myself to turn the other cheek."

"Oh, Esme," I sighed sadly.

"We came to the same conclusion as you. However, we did make a public spectacle of the girls as we confronted them on their behaviour." Alice repeated our speeches to her. She seemed rather impressed.

"Esme, we would be your support team if you wanted to confront them one day at the hospital, or perhaps in town," I volunteered. She met my eyes in the rear view mirror and smiled wholeheartedly at me.

"Thank you, Bella! That means a lot to me. Perhaps I will take you up on your offer after we get back," Esme replied sweetly. Rose and Alice cheered.

"We decided that even though we weren't going to retaliate with the pranks we thought of, we needed the stress relief of enjoying the reactions they would have had if we had actually gone through with it. Thus, we are going to decide to go through with each prank, and Alice is going to watch a vision of the results. She will then draw a few pictures of what she sees, so we can all enjoy them," Rose expounded.

Esme grinned, a sparkle in her eye. "Well, I don't see how that could possibly hurt, considering no one will actually be harmed. Please continue." We grinned back at her and huddled around Alice again.

"You might want to think of a few plans of your own, Esme," I recommended to her with a wink. "A little stress relief of your own directed toward those nurses." She smiled but didn't reply. I shrugged. The choice was hers either way.

"Remember, it's Stacey and the whoopee cushions," Rose reminded Alice.

"I do remember. I'm a vampire, silly," Alice protested. Rose rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Yes, but you're so easily distracted. I'm just trying to keep you on task," Rose complained. Alice went into her vision. Before she even came out of it, she was drawing furiously. We allowed her peace and quiet to finish her drawings. It looked like a blur to me, as she was working at vampire pace. Before long, she had three drawings completed. The first was in class, with Stacey looking bewildered and embarrassed, noise issuing from her bottom. The children around her were pointing and laughing, and the teacher was frowning in disgust. The second showed her making farting noises with each step as she walked down the hallway. Her head was hanging and the kids at their lockers were staring at her—some with laughter, some with disgust, and some with pity. Emmett was hiding in the shadows with a remote control, pushing the button. I quickly realized that instead of a whoopee cushion, they must have slipped a tiny speaker into her pants. The final scene was in the lunch room, where the distraught girl sat alone. People were waving their hands in front of their noses and shaking their heads at her. The caption at the bottom read 'Stinky Stacey.' I was glad we hadn't done any of that for real. Rose, on the other hand, found it extremely funny.

"Cool! Now do Tiffany with the baby food and Depends," she enthused, encouraging Alice. Alice complied and was soon back to drawing again. The first scene showed an embarrassed Tiffany at her locker, surrounded by the football team as she picks up the urine pads off the floor and stuffs them back in the bag that had fallen out of her locker. The boys on the team were stuck between surprise and amusement. The second picture showed a confused Tiffany with her baby food lunch spilled out onto the table and one of her 'friends' reading aloud the note from her mother announcing that if she continued wetting her pants like a baby then she would be treated like one. The third picture showed her shoulders slumped and hands over her face as she reported to the nurse's office, a big wet spot at her crotch and down her legs. The nurse was trying to give her some Depends, and had pulled out a hideous green skirt and some white granny briefs for her to wear for the rest of the day. The caption underneath read 'Princess Pottypants'. I couldn't help feeling sorry for her. I hoped I never got on Rose's bad side. Her revenges were brutal.

"I'm going to do Jessica and Erica next," Alice declared. She went to work, only making two pictures each for them. The first picture of Jessica had her staring into her mirror at herself with bright green hair. She looked desperate and distraught. Her hands were tugging on her hair. The second picture showed Jessica in the chair for yearbook pictures, the photographer having just pushed the button to capture the shot. The principal was looking down at Jessica in disapproval, while holding a hat out of her reach. Jessica's hands were shielding her head, but not enough to hide the colour of her hair. Her face was grimacing in a snarl, and her mouth was formed as if she were screaming obscenities while glaring at everyone. The caption under that picture was 'The Wicked Witch of the West'. The first picture of Erica showed her looking in the mirror with confusion and concern as she noticed her bright orange skin. She was poking at herself as she peered at her reflection. The next picture showed her at school, her first teacher looking upset and angry, her head tilted in confusion and surprise, and the rest of the kids doubled over in laughter, but not pointing at her. I didn't get it, so I looked at the caption underneath, hoping for insight, 'Oompah-Loompah'.

"Oompah-Loompah?" I asked Alice in confusion.

"She decided she'd become an Oompah-Loompah, which are the little people in the story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, who work in Willie Wonka's factory. They had orange skin," Alice snickered.

"Did she really believe that she'd become one?" Rose asked in disbelief.

Alice nodded with a smirk. "She really did. If we'd have painted her blue, I bet she would've thought she'd been turned into a Smurf." We all snickered at that thought. "She would probably have been thrilled at that idea, considering there was only one female smurf and the rest were males who all had the hots for the one girl," Rose sneered.

"Okay, now I'm going after Sarah," Alice decided. The first picture showed Alice packing Sarah's clothes into two giant garbage bags while Sarah slept peacefully in the bed near the closet. The next picture showed Alice down by the sewage treatment plant, pouring smelly water into the bags to be absorbed by the clothes. The third picture showed Sarah's nauseous face as she got a whiff of her odoriferous belongings and a glance at the most hideous outfit laid out on the chair beside the bed. The fourth picture showed Sarah with a bright red face sitting in the chair for the yearbook pictures. The photographer was cracking up as he pressed the button to snap the photo. The outfit consisted of: a shirt with lime green and bright orange stripes, with giant appliqués of UFOs and aliens; a short pink and blue plaid skirt with a black lacy fringe; and red leggings with large yellow paint splotches randomly placed all over them. The caption under that read "The Clown".

"Where on earth did you find that outfit?" Rose demanded, making a face.

"I couldn't find anything horrible enough, so I made my own," Alice answered with a devious smirk.

"Remind me to never make Alice mad," I whispered to Esme, knowing the other two would hear. They all chuckled, though Rose and Esme both nodded meaningfully.

Alice bounced excitedly in her seat. "We've saved Lauren for last. This should be fun." Once again, she went to work. The first picture showed Lauren walking down the hallway at school while several boys pointed to the used condom hanging out of her jacket pocket. The second picture showed Mike dangling the used condom in Lauren's face, clearly asking a question. Several used condoms had fallen to the floor at her feet. Tyler was on the other side of her with a handful of new condoms he had just pulled out of her other pocket, a lusty leer present on his features. More boys had surrounded her while the girls and several teachers looked on with disdain and disgust. The third picture showed Lauren dancing on a tabletop in the cafeteria, her face excited and pleased, while a large group of boys surrounded the table, cheering for her. The principal and guidance counsellor were angrily approaching and the girls were all keeping their distance, though one group of girls were actually in the process of throwing food at Lauren. I couldn't help but laugh at the thought. The caption under the picture read 'The Slut'.

"Well, I have to admit I feel much better," I confessed. "Seeing the girls get what they deserve in pictures soothes the savage beast within even better than doing it in reality. If I had really done these things, I would've had to feel guilty, but since it's just in my imagination, I don't have to feel bad. No harm, no foul." Rose and Alice nodded.

"You really should think about it, Esme," Rose added. "It has worked wonders for me too. I shall treasure these beautiful works of art forever and always."

Alice began pretending to bow. "Why, thank you, thank you. It was my pleasure."

We pulled into L.A. and went to the hotel. I didn't bother to protest as we were led to a suite that was bigger than Charlie's whole house. I didn't want to know how much things cost. I had promised not to complain, and I intended to keep that promise. "It's too late to go dress shopping," Alice announced. "But we've got about two hours of daylight left. Would you like to go see the Hollywood sign now? We can do the Walk of Fame after dark, as the street is well lit."

"Really?" I shrieked, throwing my arms around her. "Awesome! Let's do it!" I couldn't believe she was actually going to let me do sightseeing first instead of hopping right into shopping. Downtown Hollywood was rather disappointing to me. It didn't really look the way it did in the movies. In fact, it looked rather normal. Everyday people doing everyday things. What a let-down. I wasn't exactly sure what I had been expecting, but it wasn't what I found. Perhaps I had expected to see movies being shot on every other street. Or maybe movie stars in glamorous costumes waltzing down the sidewalks, followed by crowds of crazy fans. No, there were apartments and office buildings right next to some of the famous sights. It looked a lot like any other city in the U.S. I got excited as we approached the Hollywood sign. It was awesome to see it up on the hill, like I had in so many movies. It was weird to be driving through someone's neighbourhood looking for a way up the mountain though. The homes were large and close together, perched on the edge on one side and built into the mountain on the other. The road itself was narrow with no markings. The sides of the road dropped off sharply. There was no place to pull over and park. In fact, there were neighbourhood signs preventing it, refusing tourists and naming them as private roads for residents only. Alice was driving, and to my surprise, she pulled into someone's driveway, blocking their garage. She parked and turned off the engine.

"Alice? Are you sure it's okay to park here? What if the owner comes home?" I wondered. She gave me a look, like she couldn't believe I was foolish enough to question her. "What about the neighbours?"

She double checked her vision and assured me the car would be just fine where it was. I shrugged and got out of the car. I never bet against Alice. We walked around behind the house. Rose picked me up in her arms and jumped over the fence with me. By the time we landed, Alice and Esme were on the other side as well. Rose kept hold of me and raced to the back fence. She jumped over it, as did the other two. Then she started running up the hill toward the sign. I gulped and shut my eyes quickly as I felt my stomach lurch. Before I could think about getting comfortable, Rose came to an abrupt halt. I opened my eyes to see we were right underneath the sign.

"Wow, it's huge!" I mumbled. Rose snorted. She moved me to her back.

"Hang on tight," she warned. In a flash, she had scaled the scaffolding on the 'W'. "Emmett thinks it's the funniest thing that it says 'wood', so he decided to leave his mark." She showed me a heart he had etched into the metal on the inside which read, "EMC luvs RHC". I laughed, and Rosalie rolled her eyes. She scared the crap out of me as she lunged over to the 'O' grabbing hold of the scaffolding there. My heart was going a mile a minute. She looked over her shoulder at me and smirked.

"Excited, are we?" she asked. I was shaking too much to respond and worked on calming myself with deep breaths. She showed me another carving, featuring a face peering over a wall Kilgore-style and the words 'Emmett C was here.' She showed me the carvings he had made on the other 'O' and the 'D' as well, before we headed back to the car. Once we got close to the house where we parked, Rose stopped to allow me to take in the full effect of the view from an unobstructed distance. I watched as the beautiful rays of the sunset hit the sign and the sky was streaked with oranges, pinks, and purples. Then we went back to the Walk of Fame. I walked along the sidewalk, looking at the stars, but soon found myself bored. I wasn't obsessed with any one star in particular, so after a few minutes, they all seemed to run together. My stomach growled, and I was glad of the excuse to return to the hotel. My companions were also ready to go, so we simply headed back to our suite, where I ordered room service. My family was thankful they wouldn't have to suffer through the pretence of eating, though they would have gladly done so for me. We had fun just talking and getting to know each other better. I headed off to bed early, knowing Alice had a big day planned the next day.