Chapter 25
"I'm sorry to have to leave so quickly but I have to get to work. Have fun today Bella." Carlisle said as he kissed Esme and left. Looking over at the clock I noticed that we would be late for school if we didn't leave also.
"You're not going to school today Bella." Alice told me her tone was one of no nonsense. I chuckled and sat down again.
"Then what are we doing today Alice?" I asked and then smiled evilly. "Going to wonderland?" I asked and everyone laughed.
"Not quite. But it's a surprise so no more questions and hand me your keys." She said her hand out and I reluctantly complied. Edward chuckled at me and I stuck my tongue out at him which only made everyone else start giggling. Alice took my hand and led me out to my car.
"May I join you?" Edward asked and I smiled as Alice shoved me in the back seat with Edward. Esme sat in the front seat and Jasper joined Emmet and Rose. They sped away and I think I saw a flash of curly blond hair. Esme made no comment as Alice pealed out and drove as dizzying speeds so all Cullens must have a thing for speed.
The sun light though blocked by the clouds was beginning to chase away all traces of darkness. There were cars lining the parking lot and only a few scattered kids in sight. I wasn't part of most of the activities in the town but I was here with people who cared about me spending the day doing something together. It was too bad that Carlisle had to work today or he could have joined us.
"Bella?" Edward asked and I turned from looking out the window to meet his gaze. "Do you still paint?" he asked and I nodded.
"Yeah almost every weekend now. Charlie bought me painting supplies and takes me to different places to get inspired. Why?" I asked as I looked at him. The original question didn't really make sense to me since I was doing the mural obviously I still painted.
"Well you said you were talented." He explained and I nodded once again.
"Yeah my style changed and suddenly no one wanted what I painted so I stopped selling." I told him and he nodded.
"But that doesn't mean you're no longer talented." Edward spoke with conviction but I just shrugged.
"I know but it's hard to go from selling for way too much money to not selling at all. I only recently started painting again and so I guess I don't view myself as very good right now." I answered honestly.
"Your mural is amazing." Alice interjected and I shrugged but smiled.
"Is that your style now?" Edward asked and I thought about it.
"No I don't really have a style. I mean I don't recreate things I see like a photographer, I like to play with things and make them into something more than a flat recreation of reality. Fantasy is more fun than reality." I finished and Edward nodded.
I turned back to the window looking at the green blurs that were trees when you went a reasonable speed. Oh well they were vampires with better senses I'm sure they know what their doing. I thought about the painting resting in the trunk of the car with the other amazing gifts they had given me. It was too much and yet I could find no words to complain to them that they had spent too much money or that I was unworthy of such gifts. I knew that they were merely giving me their love and so I smiled at the thought of the gifts from them. My hand went to the now warm pearls at my neck as I thought about my mother and little sister.
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I car slowed and I was roused from my thoughts. We were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees and the sunlight was flickering behind the much lighter clouds here. It was a lovely place but I wondered what it was that we were going to do here.
"Come on Bella." Alice said as she took my hand and pulled me into the forest. For a moment I worried about tripping before giving in and hoping Alice would catch me. I noted that me and Alice were in the front and wondered what these sneaky vampires were up to. "Okay close your eyes." Alice instructed as she moved to put her hands over my eyes also. Well there goes peaking. Edward took my arm and moved me and Alice further into the woods. I tripped only once and Edward stabilized me before I managed to meet the ground. Emmet and Rose got a giggle out of it.
After a few more steps Alice began to bounce more which told me that we were here, where ever that was. Edward's hands moved from my arm to my face as Alice moved away from me. I turned to look at Edward behind his hands and he chuckled.
"She needs to apply a few finishing touches apparently." He answered and I cocked an eyebrow but let it go. The others seemed to move passed us and position themselves in front of me. I wonder what this gift was, if they bought me a house or a horse or something else huge I may cry and freak out at them. I began to squeeze my eyes shut and pray that it was a random picnic and not another gift.
"It's not that bad Bella." Jasper said laughingly from my left and I stuck my tongue out at him. "Love I think your frightening her." I'm pretty sure that Alice's reaction was similar to mine as everyone chuckled.
"Open your eyes Bella!" Alice called and Edward dropped his hands and I slowly opened my eyes. The scene was beautiful; the Cullens were in a semi circle in front of me with mountains and beautiful ancient trees and an open plain with flowers all around. Beside Alice and Esme was an easel and painting basics. I understood now that Edward was making sure I would like this gift when he was asking me if I still painted in the car ride.
I walked up to the supplies as though I was hyper critical of what they had bought. Alice frowned slightly and then I hugged her and Esme and giggled. It was a beautiful place and would be lovely to paint.
"Thank you. But what are the rest of you going to do for the next 6 hours?" I asked sounding completely serious. Emmet looked horrified and I had to giggle. "Oh come on Emmet I'm not that mean." I answered as he laughed his booming laugh and picked me up in a bear hug.
"Good one Bells you had me there for a moment." Emmet laughed.
"Actually I was hoping that you guys would model for me?" I said looking up at him with a puppy pout and shinning eyes. He looked hesitant but when a tear slid from my eye he nodded sadly. I laughed and wiped the tear away Emmet laughed but glared at me. "It will only take a few minutes Emmet I promise."
"If you'd like to dear, where do you want us?" Esme asked as she stepped slightly away from me. I closed my eyes and thought about what arrangements would work for them in this setting.
"I have no clue. What would you do if you were out here just relaxing?" I asked and Esme moved and eventually sat down cross legged thinking. Rose and Emmet moved to sit near her Rose sitting in Emmet's lap. Edward sat next to Esme and she smiled as she took his hand in hers. Alice and Jasper moved much further away and began to dance. "Perfect." I said and Esme smiled at me. Looking through the supplies I found a pencil and sketched out the basic design and layers I wanted for the painting.
Starting with Esme and Edward I began to paint them in basic colours completely unrelated to what they were actually wearing. I put Esme in a gentle older styled summer dress a pale robin's egg blue and Edward in a navy blue button down shirt and grey dress slacks. Moving on to the grounds around them I sketched in a light green the flowers and grasses.
Quickly moving to Rose and Emmet who were now playing around and laughing. It suited them to be so youthful. I put Rose in a white summer dress with a deep red ribbon around her waist that had in the back had the ties simply hanging. Emmet was in black dress slacks and a white button down shirt. Both wore smiles and seemed to be laughing.
Finally I moved onto Alice and Jasper still dancing in the soft light. I put Alice in summer dress also not wanting to mess with the pattern only hers was a dark crisp green. Jasper matched Edward in grey pants and wore a black button down shirt. As I finished with the meadow and its delightful inhabitants I moved onto the mountains and the trees. The trees needed to be sparse and fairly dark where not green in order to highlight the light blues and purples of the mountains.
Once I had the background in place I looked at the painting and felt it to ordinary so I added many thousands of bright colours all around for new flowers. Still it felt something was missing as I added streams of light making it seem to glow. After a moment I knew Carlisle was missing and so I added the man in tan pants and a white shirt sitting close to his wife arm on her shoulders.
Putting the paints down I looked at the painting and liked what it had become and so began to clean my tools. Esme and Edward moved up to see what I had created in barely an hour. I tend to work quickly I have never really understood how to put more time into a piece. But then again the length of time did change if the canvas grew or shrunk.
"It looks lovely, you even added Carlisle." Esme smiled as her eyes rested on her husband.
"We look like something out of the 1950's or earlier." Edward commented and I shrugged.
"Told you I twist reality." I responded and he smiled down at me.
"I love the lighting and everything in this looks perfect. It's hard to believe you did this so quickly." He added and I shrugged there was nothing I could say to that really.
"We look like such a happy family mingling about in our meadow." Rose said and I turned to look at her. Her voice was light but something in her tone told me that she wasn't sure if she liked my portrayal of them.
"She totally captured you and me." Emmet said wrapping his arms around her. She smiled at him and seemed to let an old hostility go for the moment.
"It's good that this is only a painting or else I would be sparkling like mad in that beam of sunlight." Alice said and I looked at her curious as to what she meant by sparkling. "You'll see the sun will come out here in a few minutes." Alice then vanished and I looked at Esme.
"Just gone to get lunch dear." Esme told me and I smiled. I was hungry, with vampires around I seemed to forget my own needs.
I sat down near where Esme and Edward had been before and looked at the change in view from this angle. The woods seemed vast and scary and yet also an adventure waiting to happen. Everyone settled around me and Alice returned bringing a packed lunch care of Esme. As I ate they talked about different things. How few birthdays they had celebrated before now, which I thought was sad. To not mark each passing year with joy and a party, Alice seemed to like this idea.
I suggested celebrating when the family became whole, apparently when Alice and Jasper joined the family. It was an alternative to them deciding to celebrate the day they changed since they didn't all remember their birthdays. Knowing me I would never forget mine, two days after my sister's death. It would be on my calendar even if I didn't celebrate.