Trust Factor
Chapter 2: Cleo's Not a 7-Year-Old Little Girl Anymore
Thursday January 9-8:36pm-Cleo's room-Cleo's House (Two days before party)
"Things will work out guys," Cleo said softly into the phone as she typed the name Alice Cullen into goggle for the third time that night. "I promise everything will work out." She clicked the first link and found a school directory with a picture of who she was looking for and a phone number. "I have to go. I will call you in the morning before we leave." Cleo hung up and dialed the number on the screen.
There was not even half a ring before a sweet voice fill the phone saying a questioning, "Hello."
"Hello is this Alice Cullen?" Cleo asked in as best a business voice she could manage.
"It is," the speaker said with her song like voice echoing in Cleo's ear.
"I'm Cleo Sertori, you use to watch me when I was 7," Cleo started. "Now I know what you must be thinking, Why is she calling me now after, what, 10 years, but I really need help and as far as I know you are the only person I can ask."
There was silence on the other end as Alice took all of this in. She was in shock.
"I know what you are, and you might not believe what I am, but we have to trust each other or I will be hurt or even worse… killed." Cleo kept her voice even as she told her story. There wasn't even an ounce of the fear she felt in her voice.
"What do you need?" She finally heard Alice say on the other end.
"A place to runaway to."
Friday January 10-4:50am-Cullen house-Forks, Washington
Alice walked back down the stars slower than usual. Bella looked up at the sound of her feet on the stars. Renesmee lay asleep in Bells' lap. Rosalie came into the living room from the kitchen when she heard her sister come down.
"Who was that?" Rose asked quietly, not to wake Nessie.
"It was no one important. Bella can you give Nessie to Rosalie and come up stars with me?" Alice asked as Rose speed over to pick up the little girl from her mother's lap.
Bella followed Alice upstairs and into hers and Jasper's room. The boys were out hunting in Nevada and wouldn't be back for another few days. Esme was visiting an old friend in Main and would be back at the same time as the boys. This gave Rose, Alice, Bella and Nessie the house, except for the more than occasional visits from Jacob Black and the occasional visits from Seth Clearwater.
"Bella… I lied. That girl on the pone was a girl named Cleo Sertori. I knew her when she was 7," Alice confessed. "She said she knew what we were."
"She found you after what 7 years?" Bella asked.
"10, actually, and the even weirder part is, she lives in Australia," Alice told her.
"How did she find you?" Bella asked.
"Google, school website's directory, it doesn't matter right now. Because she is in trouble. She too has a secret and to keep this secret she needs a place to runaway to. So I said she could come here." Alice confessed. "You and I will pick her up in Italy on January 12th at the airport."
Bella looked up at Alice, "You and I."
"I think it would give something away to Rosalie if only I go. If we both go she might not be that suspicious."
"No because no one would be that suspicious if you and I leave for, O', two days and come back with some girl you knew when she was 7," Bella pointed out.
"I promised her. Don't make me break that promise," Alice said gilting Bella into going along.
"So what are we doing exactly?"
Sunday January 12-12:40pm-International airport-Italy
"You know they will be back this afternoon," Rosalie pointed out as she Alice, Bella, and Nessie stood at the check in desk in the Italian airport.
"We won't be that long," Alice said looking around at every girl who passed them.
Bella stood next to them arm on Nessie as they waited for the girl that called Alice.
"How did I let you talk me into this?" Rosalie asked.
Bella looked up and said, "Same way she talked me into this, gilt."
"We're here now. There's nothing we can do about that," Alice pointed out as she watched a small group of girls walk in.
"Do you even know what she looks like now?" Bella asked.
Alice looked at her and said, "I have an idea."
Rosalie looked at Bella and they exchanged a look that said Alice-has-lost-it. Then went back to admiring every teenage girl who walked in parentless. There were millions, blonds, brunettes, redheads, blue eyes, green eyes, dresses, miniskirts even one wearing a suit, but there was no girl that fit the description in Alice's head.
Finally after an hour and a half a brunette walked in wearing a long red dress, hair done up in a bun, nice makeup, and high heels. She looked like a girl out of a magazine. She walked-a walked that resembled a model- over to where the Cullens were standing and said, "Alice, I can't believe you actually came."
"Whoa, Cleo's not a 7-year-old little girl anymore. She's well, whoa," Rosalie said in shock at how Cleo look now.
"I know I'll change when Bella gets here with my bag," She said with a smile.
"I'm Bella. I don't have any bags," Bella said shocked to hear her name.
"Not you-your name's Bella- no my friend, she is staying here in Italy while her father thinks she never showed up at her new boarding school," Cleo explained. "She's running away like me."
"You said she is staying here. Where?" Rosalie asked.
"She lived here once, an old friend," Cleo answered as the five of them started to the terminal.
"So how did you get here if you didn't fly?" Bella asked. "Alice said you lived in Australia."
"O', I swam," Cleo admitted.
"You swam!" the four of them asked in shock.
Cleo stopped walking. Everyone else followed her actions. She got real close to them and whispered, "I told you, Alice, you won't believe me, but I'm a mermaid."
"That's so cool," Nessie whispered in her barely heard voice.
"We need to get to the terminal before Bella," Cleo said as she started to walk again. Nessie quickly followed with Bella, Rosalie, and Alice on her tail.
Just as they got to the terminal, a blond girl was getting off the flight with a carryon bag. She smiled as she walked quickly to Cleo, set down the bag and gave her a big hug.
"Thank god you made it," Bella Hartley said giving Cleo the bag.
"You must be the other Bella," Bella Cullen asked pulling Nessie back up ageist her chest.
"Ok, Bella, this is, well Bella and her daughter Renesmee, right? And Alice and her sister Rosalie," Cleo introduced. "I'll be staying with them."
Bella Hartley smiled and shock the Cullen's hands. "It's nice to know who one of my friends are staying with."
"You can say that again. I just don't know if Rikki made it," Cleo said with a small sense of sadness in her voice.
Sunday January 12-8:00pm-International airport-Mexico
Rikki walked off the plain slowly. Her black hood hide most of her face from other passengers. She anxiously looked around for the one familiar face. In the crowd, it would be hard to pick him out from all the others.
"Rikki," She heard from behind her.
Rikki turned around to see Ash smiling at her. She walked over to him and gave her best friends boyfriend a hug.
"Thank you for doing this," She said.
"It's no problem, Rikki. You will be safe here. I'll make sure of it," Ash said as the two of them walked toward baggage claim.
"Let's hope so," Rikki said with obvious fear in her voice.