Author Note:- Please excuse the shortness of this chapter. My character had missed a whole lot of Cullen history and I needed her to catch up quickly. I bullet-pointed the major happenings in the Cullen's lives because it was the only way to get through two and a half books worth of Saga without taking up two chapters of its own. That being said, Enjoy.
Oh, I don't own Twilight. I wish I owned The Cullen Boys though. ;-)
Chapter 9
She Told Me.
"Have you sent out your announcements yet?" Angela had a slightly crazed look about her as she quizzed us all on our graduation arrangements. The poor thing had a look about her that suggested she was trying to squeezed thirty hours worth of work into a twenty-four hour day. As we sat around the lunch table, I realised that the whole school was buzzing with anticipation. There wasn't that long left until final exams, the seniors would be finishing school and everyone else moving up. The excitement was palpable, and altogether, quite nice. The slightly increased heart rates tickled the old throat a bit, but nothing unmanageable.
"Nope." Bella finally answered her frazzled friend " Renee knows when I am graduating. Who else is there?" The girl had a point.
"What about you, Alice?" Unsatisfied by Bella's apparent lack of work to do, Angela hunted for a new target.
"All done." Alice chirped. Lying little pixie! She did bugger all! Who would she tell that she was graduating from high-school for the ninth time?
"Kali?"
"Sorry, Ang. I got mines done already. Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme are the only family I have. They already know." I pitied the poor girl. She must have had a big family.
"Lucky you." She huffed. "My mother has a thousand cousins and she expects me to hand address each and every one. I swear, I'm going to get carpel tunnel doing it." Theory confirmed.
I feel slightly ashamed to say that I tuned oput of the conversation at that point. The story in the newspaper I brought to school grabbed my attention. The Seattle problem was getting worse. another two dissappearances in the last week and four more arson attacks. It was getting a lot worse. I focused on Edward.
"Edward" I thought "Have you seen the newspaper today?"
"No." he replied silently. "Why?" I quickly scanned the article again, so he could read it through my thoughts. I could tell he was picking up the same details I was when my concentration was dragged elsewhere.
"Alice? Aaaaalice..." Angela's voice interrupted mine and Edward's silent conversation. She was waving her hands not six inches from Alice's face. I could tell from my sister's eyes that she was a thousand miles away. Her eyes were fogged over and her face told me she was seeing something dangerous. I focused harder on her mind...
Images of a white blurr whizzed through my mind. Flame coloured hair, wilder than mines weaving in and around trees en route to Forks. A female vampire was winging her way here and she had a purpose.
"Oh shit!" Alice thought. I had never, not once, heard Alice swear, even in her head. This was bad.
"Edward, whatever she is seeing, we will deal with it. Snap her out of it! Kick her in the shin." I thought, all the while I pretended to laugh with the two humans who didn't know any better. Bella had gone a very unflattering shade of green. Edward followed my instructions and kicked Alice, who seemed to snap out of it.
"Nap time already, Alice?" Edward teased, keeping up appearances.
"Sorry, I guess I was daydreaming." She had at least recovered enough to pass off a half convincing smile.
"Day dreaming is better than two more hours of school." Ben offered. He seemed to grow more comfortable around us every day. I think it was just his subconcious dealing with the uncomfortable feeling that was brought on by being around us, and working through it.
"Edward," I thought again "The second we get out of here, you are going to explain to me what in the hell that was." It was not a question.
"Not in front of Bella." He thought. I nodded once and threw myself back into the discussion at the table with a little more ferver than was necessary. I shovelled another mouthful of the hot dog (A.k.a rotting garbage) into my mouth and, like a good soldier, swallowed it. I instantly shuddered. Urgh. I would be gagging this up for days. No amount of blood was getting this taste out.
Edward had successfully avoided Bella's interogation all day. In fact, he went so far as to strike up a conversation with, of all people, Mike Newton. The boy's mind was a cesspit. Idont think there was a moment in all the times that I had the misfortune of hearing inside his head, that he wasn't thinking about sex or how 'hot' someone looked. What did that even mean? Since when did body temperature have anything to do with it?
I walked with alice to the Volvo. We had started taking turns about driving to school. Whith only the four of us, it was pointless to take two cars. I had to hastily invest in a five door hatchback. A lovely little Volkswagon Golf GTI. Looked like a tiny, slow thing, but it was a bloody pocket rocket. It kicked the Volvo's ass on it's first time out. Rosalie was stuck under it when we left for school today and she was mumbling sonething about suspension springs and turbo-chargers.
I was roused from my own little daydream when I heard Edward offer Mike Newton car advice. Alright, something was seriously off. The only thing Edward would offer Mike Newton was a fist to the head under normal conditions. Something had both he and Alice spooked. I turned to Alice, with my face showing nothing but determination as we both climbed in the back seat of Edward's car.
"Alright, enough. What the hell is going on?"
Alice looked like she was pleading with me. "Please, wait till we drop Bella home. I promise I will explain everything."
"You better. We will talk about this." She nodded as Edward and Bella got into the car. Alice went on full 'Distract Bella' mode.
"You're really not that good a mechanic, Edward. Maybe you should ask Rosalie to take a look at it tonight, just so you look good if Mike decides to let you help, you know. Not that it wouldn't be fun to watch his face if Rosalie showed up to help. But since she is supposed to be attending college across the country. I guess that's not the best idea. Too bad though, I suppose for Mike's car, you'll do. It's only with the finer tunings of a good Italian sports car that you are out of your depth with. And speaking of Italy and sports cars I stole there, you still owe me a yellow porsche. I don't know if I want to wait til christmas for it."
"You owe her a Porsche?" I asked Edward, slightly amused now. "How did that happen?"
"Alice did me a favour." Edward replied sardonically.
"It's a long story." Alice offered, giving me one of those 'Shut it and I'll tell you later' looks that were so popular around Bella. I also noted that Italy had been mentioned again. I would have to get that story out of Alice at some point as well. She nodded to me after her eyes unfogged. She must have seen that I was going to be asking a lot of questions and wanting, nay, demanding answers to each and every one of them. Edward's face froze as he heard my thought process and looked in the rear-view mirror at my face.
"Yeah, you too, Mr. Mechanic. We will talk as well." I thought, staring at back of his head. He nodded and looked at Bella. I turned that way too and noticed that she hadn't actually said anything since she got in the car. She hadn't really moved either. She didn't look confused, or upset or even bored. She was determined. She know something was up and she was gonna get her answers, just like me. "Oh, you are in trouble!" I thought to Edward, barely containing my humour. "You better have some good lies picked out." He nodded again and went back to the pursuit of driving. More distraction time was called for.
"Alice, did you know I have a Porsche?"
She squealed. "YAY! What kind?"
"I have a Carrera GT and a Boxter. I looked into the 911 a while back, but opted for a nice Mercedes."
"How do they drive?"
"They are fantastic. I will have to have one shipped over. Maybe the Carerra. The boxter doesn't travel well."
"You make them sound like horses." Edward noted, trying get Bella to break out of whatever thought coccoon she was in. It didn't look like he was very successful. We reached the mouth of the Cullen's driveway. Bella was still a million miles away and it took three attempts at yelling her name six feet from her head for her to pay attention. After she bid us fairwell, Edward took off and Alice and I headed up the driveway. The volvo was barely out of sight when I turned on my sister.
"Alright, spit it out. ALL of it!" I almost yelled. I had hit the limit. I couldn't and wouldn't tolerate people keeping things from me. Not after I exposed myself so freely to them.
"Kali, let's just get up to the house, first." Alice said softly. I knew she was trying to calm me down. I hated to admit that it worked, just a little bit. I huffed out a breath and rolled my eyes.
"Alice, you were terrified. I could feel it. I could hear it. Whatever you saw. Whoever you saw, has you scared shitless. If that is the case, this person is a threat. If they intend to hurt my family, it is best I be around things I am allowed to destroy... like trees."
"Fine. We will put the bags at the house and then go for a quick hunt." She relented. I took care of that for her. I took her very nice Prada handbag and put it in the same hand as my own rucksack. I looked up the drive once and swung the bags upwards and forwards. I waited for four seconds until I heard a dull little thud that told me I got them on the porch. Alice looked incredulous at the idea of me treating designer bags with such disrespect, but honestly, I didn't care. If she hurried up with the story telling, I would buy her ten of them, in all different colours. "Come on, lets get you away from the house." She suggested, pulling at my elbow. When we were about five miles out, she started talking.
She told me everything.
She told me about when Bella moved to Forks eighteen months previously.
She told me about Edward's bloodlust for her and his almost Herculian effort to keep his monster caged up and keep her alive.
She told me about Edwards fleeing to Denali until he got himself under control.
She told me about how he watched her sleep.
She told me about how he changed when he realised he loved her.
She told me about the visions she had of Bella's 'dual' futures. Vampiric and deceased.
She told me about how he introduced her to the family and the baseball game that follwed.
She told me about the nomads, interrupting the game and trying to kill Bella; About James, the tracker and Victoria, his mate. About the other one with them, Laurent.
She told me about the game James devised after he saw Edward defend Bella.
She told me about the cross country chases that culminated in Phoenix after James followed Bella.
She told me about the ballet studio where Bella was hurt, bitten and nearly died.
She told me about Edward fighting James.
She told me about how her, Jasper and Emmett ripped James apart.
She told me about Edward had to suck James' venom out of Bella's hand to stop her changing.
She told me about Bella's long and arduous recovery after the Phoenix incident.
She told me about Bella's now 'not to be mentioned' eighteenth' birthday party.
She told me about bella's papercut. the one single drop of blood that had cause Jasper to try and kill Bella.
She told me about the day edward demand that the entire family pack up and leave Forks to protect Bella from their nature.
She told me about Edward's self inmposed exile and the devestation it caused the family.
She told me about James' mate, Victoria coming after her and the Quileute wolves keeping her back.
She told me about Laurent coming to visit the Cullen's and finding Bella on her own. the Quileutes dealt with him too.
She told me about the six months of sporadic and hazy visions of a defeated and broken Bella screaming in her sleep.
She told me about the vision of Bella jumping off of a cliff and her hurried attempts to return to Forks to help Charlie Swan.
She told me about her surprise when she got to Bella's house and Bella was there.
She told me about the conversation she had with Bella and her morotcycle riding, cliff-jumping escapades and the werewolves she called friends.
She told me about rosalie telling Edward that Bella was dead.
She told me about her vision of Edward going to the Volturi and asking them to kill him.
She told me about the trans-atlantic race to get to Volterra before Edward was killed.
She briefly mentioned the Fabulous Italian sports car that she stole in order to get their faster.
She told me about the reunion of Bella and Edward.
She told me about Aro, the mind-reading leader of the Volturi, who couldn't access Bella's mind.
She told me about how interested Aro was in Bella's future abilities.
She told me about the condition Caius, another of the Volturi Elder, put upon their release from Volterra; That Bella either be changed, or killed as a human who knew too much.
She told me about 'The Vote'. The one where Bella's very mortality was decided upon. The outcome was that she was to become one of us.
She told me of the stipulation Edward had put on the decision if Bella wanted him to change her - Marriage.
She told me of the alternative, and current, plan. That Bella be changed after graduation.
She told me about he vision from earlier in the day. The crazed, red-headed vampire was Victoria. And she was coming back for Bella this weekend.
She told me everything.