Chapter 4.

Waiting for Fate

"Emmett, we are NOT playing Twister. Last time, you nearly crushed Bells, you threw Jasper through a wall and Edward chased you in the woods for seven hours to try and kill you."

"Esme, its alright! No-one got hurt last time."

"Not the point Bella. I said no." Esme metaphorically put her foot down. The discussion on what board game to play ended right there. No questions, no talking back, done. As much as Carlisle was the everyday voice of authority, I could tell Esme was the one you did not want to push past her impressive limit. This woman would take no prisoners.

We had been in each others company all day. Literally, from when Bella arrived that morning till now, 7:30pm. It had been a fabulous day but it was time for Bella to go. I didn't want her to leave. I really liked her. She was warm, and caring and delightfully funny and sarcastic. Unfortunately, her father would finish work in twenty minutes (Thank you for the schedule, Alice) and she needed to go. She gave everyone a hug and a kiss before she stood in front of me. I held my hand out for her again, being careful to make no sudden movements. She seemed comfortable around me, but best not push the human. She looked at my outstretched hand with a slightly offended look on her face.

I flashed my eyes to Edward and through him a quick, mental "What the hell did I do?" He just shook his head, and turned back to Bella. She was biting down on her bottom lip nervously. I had noticed her doing this before. It was a stress-induced habit. She never released that lip until she had made her decision. She walked forwards slowly, side-stepping my hand and wrapping her soft, warm arms around my marble waist.

"Well, this is new..." I thought, looking at Edward, whos lips were pressed into a hard, laughter supressing line, as I folded my own arms around her gently. I really didn't want to hug her to death. That would have been stupid considering the effort I had put into that plan all day.

"It was so lovely to meet you, Kali." Bella whispered into my ear. Honestly, she could have said it on the other side of the meadow at this volume and I would still have heard it. I leaned away to get a better look at the perfect little human. The look in her eyes was something I had never seen before.

It speared me to the floor. I felt a million different emotions in that one split second. So many that I felt like I was drowning. I was drowning. The feelings hit me like a tidal wave and crashed, washed over me. I struggled to re-surface. It took me a while to get my head above the 'water'. When I did, everything had changed. I had changed. I gasped a needless and pointless breath as I let go of Bella. It physically hurt to let her go. I wanted wrap her up, bury her behind me and protect her from everything and anything that might harm her.

As I looked around the room, I saw three faces that looked different from the other four. Alice looked like she would explode with happiness, literally explode with it. She was bouncing on her toes and her eyes glistened slightly. She turned to look at her mate, Jasper. His shoulders were hunched. The onslaught of the emotions I was feeling were too much for him. He was trying to calm himself, but couldn't. Edward was standing next to me. I heard him give a little 'oh' as he looked into Jaspers head. He saw what Jasper was feeling from me. He knew what happened. He should probably explain it to me.

I was barely keeping myself afloat. The flood of feelings were threatening to crush me at any moment - It was like fighting gravity. In a way I was. Gravity shifted. This family, the mother, the father, the children and the human became my everything, my sole reason to walk the earth. Every single fibre of my cold dead body was anchored to this family. It was terrifying.

"Kali..." Edward whispered. Bella looked confused as all hell, as did the other non-gifted vampires.

"Sorry," I struggled out. "Scent got a bit much for me then. I'm ok. just going to go outside. Fresh air and that." I turned towards Bella. "It was nice to meet you too Bella. I'm sure I'll see you again soon." I turned heel and walked out to the back porch. I needed breathing space, and quite a bit of it. I was about to take off, when Alice hopped through the door.

"Bella is gone now. You can come back inside." She said, holding out her hand for me to take.

"Actually, Alice. I'm thinking I might head out. I've been here for nearly two days. Wouldn't want to overstay the welcome..."

"Nonsense. You are fine. If my vision holds up, you will be here longer than that."

"What do you mean, Alice?" Carlisle joined us outside, like we were having a meeting. "How long?"

"For quite a while actually, Carlisle." Alice said confidently. "Esme will need to re-decorate the spare room next to Edwards."

"Alice, you shouldn't make presumtions like that." He chided. The disapproving look on his face was soul destroying, in a matter of speaking.

"But Carlisle..." Alice pleaded. Her face bearing a ghost of the devestation I was starting to feel.

"Alice, It is not your place to decide all of our fates." He said, using his natural authority to silence her. "This is something that affects the whole family. You cannot invite someone to live with us while the others haven't been asked. Two of them aren't even here!"

"I've seen it Carlisle. Besides, She wants to stay."

"I know that, but you can't make this decision for everyone, Alice. It's not fair."

"Um... Do I get a say?" I murmured. Not entirely sure I would be listened to. Carlisle and Alice froze at the sound of my voice. Their heads turned to me and I suddenly felt very self concious. I never missed a beat though. I had to say what I wanted before I ran.

"I'm glad to havbe met you guys; All of you. I like you all but I won't be the source of any fighting. I will go. No, don't interrupt me Alice." I said holding up a hand to stop her talking over me. "I will leave you my mobile phone number. Once you have managed to talk about things, call me. I will come back and hear the decision. I do want to stay. I don't think I have wanted anything this much in my whole life. But there are other people to consider here. I'll wait for your call and I will come back to hear your decision."

I ran then. I hadn't run that fast for decades. I was escaping. Escaping the misery of hearing them reject me. Escaping the uncertainty of their decision. I wanted to be with them, of course, but I wasn't sure that I was ready to be part of such a wonderful and loving family. I didn't stay in Forks. I couldn't. They had my number and could call me with their decision. I got in my car and drove. I shot down the winding driveway and hit the motorway at a rate that was mocking the imposed speed limit. The windows were down and the wind ripped through the car, clearing my head. The engine provided the only noise as my rarely over-crowded head worked overtime to process everything that had happened over the past two days.

I may have been able to run indefinitely, but my car couldn't. I only stopped once on my way back to Seattle. I pulled into a suburban petrol station about forty miles from Seattle. Due to the fact that this stations usual clientele were station wagons and mini-vans, my car was sure to get attention. Just what I needed at 11:30pm on a Saturday night. I pulled up, shut off the engine, opened the door, flipped the filler cap open and had the nozzle in the car in less than twenty seconds. There was people about or it would have been a lot faster. Only one other car on the forecourt should have made this a quiet fill-up. With the luck I was having today, I should have known better.

"Hey beautiful! I like your car..." The words were falling out of the mouth of one of the passengers from the other car. I flat out ignored him, turning my head and focusing on the numbers whirring on the pump. They were going slow on purpose, I swear to God.

"Hey, beautiful! I said I liked your car!" The voice was outside the other car now. The smell of alcohol in the air and coming from him was repulsive. I turned my head to look at the person who decided yelling at me was a good idea. Oh, fan-bloody-tastic. Frat boys. Four of them, three drunk and one designated driver who was nowhere to be seen. I wondered where he was only to be distracted by the slurring drunken wreck that was now staggering towards me.

"Look, I'm not in the mood, okay? Just get back in your car." I told him. My voice was firm, but not challenging. I wasn't in the mood to knock out drunken humans. I wasn't sure I had the control necessary at that moment to stop myself putting my fist right through his head. I turned my head back to the numbers again. I didn't notice until he had done it- Until I felt the hot touch and the dull itch at the back of my throat.

"Look, gorgeous, come and party with us!" He suggested, the words all mashing together as he struggled to form them. His hand tighetened around my wrist. He must have been completely out of it because the touch and temperature of my skin should have scared him miles off.

"If you plan on keeping that hand, you will take it off of me." My voice was quiet enough but I made sure that every syllabel promised very graphic violence.

"Aw, don't be like that honey! Come party!"

"Last warning. Let. Go. Off. Me. Now!" I spoke very slowly, enunciating every word to make sure he understood. My eyes flashes and venom surged beneath the surface of my skin. I was so close to losing it. A low and dangerous growl began to build in my chest. He slowly lightened his grip and removed his hand from my arm as his face twisted in anger.

"Well, fuck you too, FREAK!" he spat as he turned and staggered away. If it wasn't so infuriating, his attempt at anger would have been hysterical. He actually thought he was dangerous? I let out a low, strained chuckle I knew he wouldn't hear as I finished filling up. I walked across the forecourt, paid the attendant, and made my way back to the car. I had barely turned my head when the smell of alcohol was near my car again. What the fuck was this idiots problem?

He was leaning against the driver-side door, waiting for me to approach. I barely noticed that. All I could focus on was that tis drunken, insignificant human was leaning against my baby. MY car!.

"Are you brain dead or do actually have a death wish?" I asked, walking towards my car.

"Look, freak! You are coming to party with us!"

"I don't think so, now move."

"No. make me, freak"

"Suit yourself."

I made my way closer. I rolled my eyes as I watched him come towards me with the most ridiculous smile on his face, thinking he had one. I was around tenft away when I smiled at him. My vampire brain was good with all kinds of calculations. Tension, velocity, mass, impact... they were all calculated in the time it took for me to walk the last two steps towards him. Without missing a beat, I took the final step and aimed on very well placed, and carefully calculated fist into his solar plexes. Hard enough to hurt, but not to injure. He collapsed in a heap, cursing breathlessly as he writhed on the floor. I leaned down closer to him, ignoring the putrid smell of the alcohol, to whipser in his ear.

"If you get off the ground before I leave, I will take your fucking head off." I promised. He didn't reply to me. He just gawped at me, mouth hung open and clutching his stomach. I shoved him out of the way with my foot, opened the door and got in. I had the engine going in about a second before I hit the accelerator, wheel sopun and lifted the handbrake, causing me to shoot off onto the road, spraying the drunken moron with dirt and dust. I had the biggest smile on my face as I glanced into the rear-view mirror to see the idiot on all fours still clutching his torso. Human could be complete imbecils. No other species opn the entire planet would even think about trying to provoke a vampire and think they could win. It was definitely a laughing point.

The hilarity ended relatively quickly as I hit the motorway again and I was alone. I remember the last 36 hours and wave of sadness crashed over me. My foot pounded the accelerator again. The sooner I got home, the sooner I could hit the forest and let out some of these feelings. I was pulling up in front of my house before I fully realised I was here. Another wave of sadness struck. If I could have cried, I would have. I shook my head, got out of the car and headed to the house. I hadn't been here for two days, I needed to shower. My body didn't secrete oils or odours, but hunting and running took its toll. I could smell smell human and alcohol off of my clothes too. I stripped off on the way to the bathroom, got in the shower and hit the hot water.

I'm not sure how long I stood under there. Long enough that my body was nearly human temperature, without the tempting bounding heart. Water ran down my forehead, collecting in the corner of my eyes, forming the tears that my dead body wouldn't let me cry. I felt more lonely now than I had for the past four hundred years. I saw where my future was. I didn't know if I could walk away from it. The thought that I might have to was killing me. I got out of the shower, dressed and headed downstairs. CNN was still on the TV that I didn't switch off. I sat in the chair, placing my mobile phone on the table next to me. I sat and waited.

RING RING. RING RING.

I looked at my phone with mild surprise. I had meant to move from this chair a couple of times over the past three days.

RING RING

I moved my hand, making it hover over my phone.

RING RING RING RING

I picked up the phone, pressing the answer button. I held the phone against my ear and waited for my fate.

"Kali, It's me, Alice! How are you? It took me a moment to remember how to speak.

"I'm alright, Alice. How are you?" I was slightly surprised that my voice was so even, considering I hadn't spoken in seventy-one hours and sixteen minutes.

"I'm great! Could you come by the house tonight? We all want to see you" I could imagine her bouncing up and down on her toes.

"Sure, when do you want me?"
"After dinner, about six pm? Its a school night, so Bella has to be home early." Her trilling giggle caused the corners of my mouth to pull up into a half smile. Her enthusiasm was infectious. "Wait, It will be 5:49pm we will see you." Annoying little pixie!

"Oh, and Kali, wear the green one. It will look lovely with your hair." And with that, she hung up. I sighed quietly to myself. Green what? Iwent to my master bedroom and started getting ready. New jeans, biker boots, leather jacket... green shirt or red shirt? Remembering Alice's advice, I plumped for the green one. For what I knew, Alice was the one to listen to when it came to clothes. Thinking of the phonecall I had recieved, I began to think about Alice's family. The seven oddly matched vampires and the one extraordinary little human. The human. Crap! I would need to hunt again. Just remembering Bella's scent set my throat to a dull ache.I grabbed the first set of keys I could lay my hands on, not noticing which car they belonged to and shot out of the door. I settled quickly into my BMW One Series and pulled out of the driveway, racing at speed towards the place I was hoping to call home.

I was in Forks again. I parked my car in front of the police station again. I took a short walk to the trees just beyond it and broke into a run as the jade canopy covered me. I hunted quickly. According to the clock in the car, it was 4:22pm. I had about ninety minutes to hunt and get to the house if I wanted to beat Alice. I didn't need much, I had literally done nothing for the past three days, It was more of a top up than anything else. A couple of Elk did the job nicely. When I was full and sloshy again, I turned around and I was back in town in record problem was, I now only had thirty minutes to get to the house. I got back into my car and shoved the keys in the ignition. I was just about to turn the key and head off when I heard a human heart thudding next to my car. I looked in the mirror to find a police officer walking up to the drivers side of the car.

"Good evening Miss. How are you this evening?" The policeman eyed me with slight suspicion. I mentally screamed at myself for parking here. Stupid place to park in the middle of the fecking day! I would have to turn on the 'charm' to get this one done with quickly. I smiled widely and batted my eyelashes once. I dropped the natural scottish accent for a reasonably brash american one. I hated this part. I liked my accent.

"I'm good, thank you sir. How are you?" I drawled.

"Just fine thanks." I watched as he blushed. the red colour seeping up from his neck and onto his cheeks. "Haven't seen you around before though." Slight accusation peppering the words.

"Oh, I'm just visiting some family outside of town. The Cullens?"

"You know the Cullens?"

"Sure do. Carlisle is my Uncle." I lied smoothly. I would have to warn them about that one. Do you know him?" I asked innocently.

"Yep. He works at the hospital in town. My daughter dates his youngest son." I could hear the grudging tone of his voice even as he tried to hide it from me.

"You're Bella's father? Bella swan?"

"Yeah. You know my Bells?" I looked at his face as he spoke and instantly saw the resemblance. Bella had the exact same eyes. Warm melted chocolate, as deep as water wells.

"My Aunt Esme talks aout her all the time. She sounds brilliant. I'm getting to meet her this visit. I have missed her the last couple of times I came here. I'm looking forward to meeting her." I offered, Hoping to get this conversation finished. I glanced at the clock, twenty-two minutes left.

"Yeah, Bells is fantastic."

"I don't mean to be rude, sir but..."

"Call me Charlie, hun. "

"Thanks Charlie. Its just that, my Aunt and Uncle are expecting me. I'm already running late." I said, putting just the tiniest hint of panic in my voice.

"Oh, sure thing..." He was looking for my name. I hadn't told him that yet.

"Kali. Kali Douglas Cullen. "

"Okay Kali, You tell Esme and Carlisle I said hi. "

"Will do, sir. It was nice to meet you." I said cheerfully, waving as I buzzed the window back up. I pulled away fromt he curb and took off at a sensible, human pace. It wasn't until I hit the motorway that I opened the engine up a bit. I was pulling into the huge driveway soon enough. 2 minutes to clear the drive. I checked the clock as I arrived at the front door of the house... 5:48pm. Ha! Pixie got it wrong. I got to the door of the house. Before I could even knock, A shock of spikey black hair appeared in the doorway.

"Kali! Right on time!" Alice declared, ushering me inside. I checked my watch. 5:49pm. DAMN IT!

"Remind me never to bet against you Alice." I said ruefully.

"Come on in!" she squeaked and I allowed her to pull me into the living room and, ultimately, my fate.