Chapter 9: Truth Revealed
First things first, I have to apologize for the lack of updates. My life has been crazy the last few months with my sisters wedding, university applications and just school in general. I can't promise weekly updates but I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Thanks for sticking with this story! Here's the next chapter, and I hope you like it! :)
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I sat silently in the darkness, watching the stars twinkle to life in the distant sky. I rocked back and forth, allowing the swing to move freely along with the wind.
"A little cold out here, don't you think?" I turned my head, smiling slightly as I saw Aiden leaning casually against the door frame. He quietly shut the door, making his way over to where I sat on the porch swing.
"What are you doing out here? I thought you were sleeping." I said.
"Nope, I was reading." he answered. "So what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
"I couldn't sleep," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "I thought a little fresh air might be helpful." I turned my attention back to the night sky, pulling my jacket tighter as the wind picked up.
"Is it helping?" he asked.
"Not really," I smiled. Silence ensued as the minutes ticked by, neither of us saying anything until Aiden eventually spoke.
"Do you ever wonder what our lives would be like if we, you know, weren't," he waved his hand in the air as he searched for the correct word to describe us.
"Different?" I offered.
"Yeah, I guess." he sighed, turning so he was now the one staring up into the night sky.
"Of course I do," I answered my voice a mere whisper. "Don't you?"
"Yes." he answered with the same hushed tone. "You want to know the weirdest part though?"
"What?" I watched him as he turned his face so we were staring straight at each other.
"I wouldn't trade this for the world." he smiled slightly before continuing. "We're different, but that's what makes us who we are. So we deal with it, and we move on, Bella, just like we've been doing for the past seventeen years. I know this whole thing with the Cullen's is tough, but don't forget that we're always here for you." He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into his embrace.
"Thanks, Aiden." I wrapped my arms around his torso. "But do you think Dave is right about...them."
"Honestly? I have no idea what to think about this whole situation."
"I know exactly how you feel." I said, moving back so that I was sitting normally again. "At first I thought it was great, finally having someone that we could truly be ourselves with. I've been going over it in my head for hours, and what if Dave is right, what if they really are a danger to us."
"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough won't we?" he stood up, stretching for a moment before offering me his hand. "Come on, it's almost one, we better get to bed."
"It's that late? Damn, I am going to be dead tired tomorrow." I clasped onto his hand, allowing him to pull me up. We made our way into the house as quietly as we could, making sure not to wake the others. I said good night to Aiden, and made my way into my room.
I quickly changed into my pyjamas and made my way under the covers of my comforter. I rested my head on my pillow, allowing my eyes to slowly shut.
I dreamt of vampires that night.
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I awoke with a start, my heart thumping in my chest and sweat lining my brow. I glanced at my alarm clock, the glowing red numbers telling me that it was only six in the morning.
I sighed, throwing my covers off to the side and making my way to the bathroom. I quickly undressed and hopped into the shower, the hot water instantly relaxing my tense muscles. Seeing as I had an hour or so before I even had to be up, I took my time, unlike most mornings.
I was finished earlier than usual, allowing me time to just rest before we headed out. No matter how hard I tried to relax, my mind kept reminding me of the whole Cullen debacle.
"Hey, you're ready early." Dave's said as he rushed down the stairs. "Come on, let's wait for the other two in the car."
"Alright," I stood up, grabbing my bag and followed him out into the garage. Our cars sat there looking as clean as the day we arrived.
"Hey Dave, do you think it would be alright if I drove tomorrow? I miss my car." I said sheepishly.
"Sure," he answered as he chuckled a little.
We were on the road within the next few minutes, the suns warm rays filtering in through the car windows. It was the first sunny day since we had arrived in Forks, and although it lifted my spirits it wasn't enough for me to completely forget about the upcoming Saturday. The moment we entered the parking lot my eyes instantly scanned the rest of the area.
There was no silver Volvo in sight.
I grabbed my backpack and made my way to my locker along with the guys.
"Hey Aiden," I nudged him with my elbow, successfully getting his attention. "Did you notice that the Cullen's aren't here?"
"Maybe something came up?" he shrugged in response. "If that's the case I'm sure Dave will be happy, means we might not have to go tomorrow."
"Maybe," I answered, turning back to grab my books. I shut my locker and said goodbye to Aiden as I turned to leave.
I made my way to my first period class with mixed feelings about the Cullens absence. Maybe I was more excited about our little get together then I had let on.
I walked into the classroom and quickly made my way towards my seat, passing by Jessica on my way.
"Hey," she said as I slid into my seat.
I greeted her and we chatted for a few minutes before the teacher began the lesson. Throughout the remainder of the class I debated about whether Jessica knew anything about the Cullens.
In the end my curiosity won out.
"Um, Jessica," I said as we gathered our belongings.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"Random Question, but would you by any chance know where the Cullens are today?"
"Oh, yeah! Every time there's nice whether their parents take them out hiking. I wish my parents were more like them, I mean really who wouldn't want miss some school!"
We made our way out into the hallway where Aiden was casually leaning against the wall. As soon as he saw me exit the room he straightened up and walked over to where I was.
"I got bored in study hall, so I decided I'd come walk you back to our lockers." he gave me a small smile before taking notice of Jessica standing next to me.
"Oh, you two haven't met yet have you?" I turned to look at Jessica whose cheeks had turned slightly pink. "Jessica this is Aiden."
"Hi," she squeaked as she thrust her hand out for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you," Aiden answered, accepting her handshake.
We said bye to Jessica and made our way down the packed hall towards our lockers.
"I think someone might have a little crush on you," I poked him in the side as he chuckled.
"She seems nice but not really my type." He said while lightly patting my shoulder.
"Alright, but I doubt you're going to find much variety in Forks." I said as we both began laughing.
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I sat in the back of the car watching the trees fly by as we made our way home. Nothing eventful had really happened at school, but that wasn't much of a surprise.
"Hey Bella, did you hear anything else about tomorrow?" James turned from his seat in the front so he was facing me.
"Nope, one of the girls in my class told me that their whole family tends to go out hiking when it's nice out, so maybe they won't be back in time."
As if on cue my cell phone began to ring.
"Hello?" I answered, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.
"Hey Bella! It's Alice."
"Hi Alice," I answered, surprise evident in my voice.
"I know I wasn't at school today, and well I just wanted to make sure you knew that we're still on for tomorrow!" Her voice was full of excitement as she spoke.
"Oh, yeah thanks for letting me know, we weren't sure if it was still happening."
"Of course it is silly, I would never back out! Anyways, how about you guys come over at around, let's say three?"
"Three? Yeah that sounds good."
"Great! I can't wait; see you tomorrow, bye Bella!" I shut my phone, allowing my head to fall back against the seat.
"Three o'clock sharp is when we have to be there." I sighed as I straightened up.
"I thought for sure we were off the hook." James said as we pulled up to our house.
I grabbed my stuff and headed inside along with the guys, but instead of following them to the kitchen I retreated upstairs to my bedroom.
I shut my door and lazily flopped down on my bed, sighing loudly as I stared up at the ceiling.
I knew what the others opinions were about Saturday, and yet for some reason I was uncertain of my own view on it.
For once in my life the option of having other friends outside of our own little circle presented itself, and even though I felt the same cautious feeling whenever around them, I also found myself somewhat curious.
Not to say that I had never had other friends before, it had just never worked out. I laughed to myself as I remembered what a disaster my short friendship with Lindsay Michaels had been. We were both seven and although my parents had already explained to me that I was different, it didn't exactly mean that I had complete control over developing powers.
Needless to say, we never spoke again after her eyebrows mysteriously disappeared.
Alice on the other hand was different from any other person I had ever met. Before this new power had come into play, she had seemed like someone I could have easily become friends with. Even though we had only spoken a few times, I had fun with her.
Most importantly, I could be myself.
I stood up and made my way downstairs where the guys were already playing Wii, and pigging out on mountain of junk food.
I sat down next to James on the couch, my thoughts still on other things.
There was something different about Alice and her family, and although I would spend tonight with my three best friends goofing around, tomorrow would be different.
Tomorrow I would find out their secret no matter what.
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The sun shone in through my window, casting a warm glow on my bedroom. I sat up, stretching my arms above my head before turning to look at the clock.
Half past noon.
I made my way to the bathroom and began getting ready for the day's events, my nerves finally making an appearance.
Before I knew it, it was time to go and everyone was rushing around the house trying to find everything we needed. Aiden couldn't find his favourite sweater, Dave couldn't find his keys and James, well James just couldn't decide what the hell to wear in general.
I stood watching the flurry of activity, somewhat grateful for the setback. The entire morning my nerves had been a jumbled mess, my mind going over every possible outcome of today's get together.
After everyone had successfully tracked down their missing items, we made our way out to the garage and began the drive to the Cullen's house. I sped down the road following the directions Dave was giving me from the passenger seat; I turned onto an unpaved road following it until the trees opened up revealing a beautiful white house.
We all got out of the car and made our way up the front steps and onto to the porch which seemed to wrap around the entire house. Before knocking on the door, I glanced back at the three guys behind me. Although they looked fine on the outside, I had known them long enough to tell that they were already nervous and uncomfortable.
This was it.
I raised my arm and knocked on the door a few times while also taking in a deep breath to calm myself.
The door swung open as Alice launched herself into my arms for a welcoming hug.
"Hi Alice!" I said as she turned to give the rest hugs as well.
"I'm so glad you could make it," she said as she opened the door and ushered us in. "Everyone is out back; we're having a barbeque, I hope that's okay."
"That's great," I answered as we all followed Alice through the house towards the backdoors. The inside of their house was decorated beautifully, so it was no surprise to see that their backyard was amazing as well.
Their backyard was large and spacious as it led into the woods surrounding their house. Along with a large deck they also had steps which led down to their underground pool: slide included.
"Hey!" Emmett wrapped his large arms around me and picked me up as he spun me around.
"Emmet, can't breathe." I gasped as he finally released his hold and gently placed me back on the ground.
"Sorry about that, he tends to forget about his strength when he gets excited." Rosalie stood beside Emmett as he laughed and moved onto saying hello to the guys.
We all exchanged hellos before Alice brought us over towards the barbeque where their stood a middle aged couple.
"Mom, Dad these are my friends: Bella Swan, Aiden Sutter, Dave Waller and James Nelson." Her parents moved forward, wrapping each of us in a hug.
"It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," Dave said.
"Oh please call me Esme," she said as she smiled sweetly.
"And call me Carlisle," he said as he moved forward to give me a hug.
"Thank you so much for having us here today," James said.
"Oh it's no problem," Esme replied, "The food is almost ready so if you would like to sit we can begin eating."
We all took our spots at the table, Aiden and Emmett sitting on either side of me. As we awaited the food an easy flow of conversation began, everyone laughing and speaking with each other. As soon as the food was placed on the table we all began loading our plates, even the Cullen's.
I didn't know what took over me, or why I even said it, but for some reason my brain decided to spew out a little bit of word vomit.
"You know you don't have to eat if you don't want to, I'm sure it's very uncomfortable." I felt more than saw both Aiden and Emmett tense beside me as the entire table went quiet.
My eyes shot up to meet Edwards tense stare from across the table.
"What do you mean?" Emmett said from beside me as attempted to laugh.
The atmosphere at the table was incredibly tense and the silence dragged on. I opened my mouth, ready to explain my odd behaviour from before.
"Bella, don't." Dave's voice rang out through the silence. To everyone else it sounded calm, but I knew better, I knew that underneath that calm exterior he was pissed.
Incredibly pissed.
"Sorry," My voice was soft, a mere whisper, but I knew they had heard. "We can leave if you-"
"How did you know?" Carlisle asked from the other end of the table.
I quickly glanced at Dave and James, both seemed somewhat nervous about what was about to be released.
"I- I've read about it," I replied, "I'm sorry; I know it's completely crazy."
"You're right," Carlisle smiled slightly as the rest of the Cullen's turned their wide eyes towards him.
"Carlisle, what the hell are you doing?" Rosalie hissed from her spot next to Emmett.
"I know what I'm doing, don't worry," He said as he raised his hand slightly. "But now, if I may I'd like to ask you a question."
"Why ask when you already know?" James said.
"Could someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Jasper asked.
"It seems like we're not the only ones keeping a secret." Carlisle smiled as he stared straight at me.
"How did you know?" Aiden asked.
"I've read about it, your families were very well known some time ago."
"But that's not possible, most of those books were burned and the others are in our parent's possession."
"You seem to be forgetting the fact that I've been around for quite some time." Carlisle replied as he chuckled to himself.
"Okay, I'm completely lost. Someone mind telling the rest of us what is going on?" Emmett said.
"Well, it seems like we're in the presence of a few warlocks, and a witch." At Carlisle's words, each of the Cullen's turned to us in shock.
Except for one.
Alice jumped up from her seat and sped over to where I sat, her arms encircling me in a hug.
"Oh Bella, I can't wait! We're going to be the best of friends, I can already tell." Alice said as she bounced up and down, her eyes alight with excitement.
"Hold on a second, how the hell do we know that we can even trust them?" Rosalie said as she stood, pointing one perfectly manicured nail at Dave.
"Honey, calm down," Esme said as she gently placed a hand on Rosalie's arm.
"No," Rosalie yanked her arm away as she glared at Esme. "I'm not willing to put my ass on the line just so Alice can have a friend."
"Rosalie," Carlisle said as he turned his hard gaze toward her.
"Fuck this," Rosalie turned and walked into the house, Emmett following right behind.
"Don't worry about her," Alice rolled her eyes and nodded her head towards the door. "She'll get over it – eventually."
I laughed nervously, feeling Aiden reach under the table to grab my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"So?' Alice asked, her eyes alight with curiosity as they danced from me, then to Dave, James and finally to Aiden.
"So...what?" Aiden asked, confusion written on his face.
"Is it true?" Alice asked as she leaned forward.
My eyes shot up to meet Dave's stare, both of us contemplating our next move.
This was it.
If we said yes, it would be giving up everything we had ever done to attain the protection we had.
If we said no, we would once again be alone in our little world, but this time with suspecting persons close by.
I waited quietly with the rest to see what Dave would decide. I thought over the possible outcomes, silently praying that Dave would allow me this one opportunity at a somewhat normal life.
"Yes," he whispered as the entire table turned to face him.
Alice squealed, launching herself at me once again.
"Tell me everything." She said.
And so we did.
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There you have it! Let me know what you thought!
-Dumblydor