Wow I can't believe I'm at 14 chapters already!! BTW how do you post pictures on this site? I have pictures of the prom dresses that I wanted to post up if anyone is interested. So let me know, keep up the reviews!!!
Chapter 14
Jane entered the field flanked by two vampires I'd never seen before. The one on the right of Jane had long red hair that he kept braided. The second one was olive complexion and had dark black hair that was cropped low to his head. All three were wearing the robes of the Volturi and looked even more sinister while swiftly making their way over to us.
"Cullens." Jane simply said. I should really say smirked as she watched Alice slowly climb from the ground. Alice clung to Jasper, trying to recover the pain that Jane inflicted in her mind. Jane turned her attention to me and glared, I glared back. Jane would probably always have a hatred for me because in her eyes, I was now the main interest that Aro held. A position that I'm assuming that Jane once held. Imagine that, a centuries old vampire that's jealous of me.
"Jane. What brings you to these parts?" Edward asked innocently. "We have done nothing wrong and yet you come torturing my sister? I wonder if Aro would be pleased." At the mere mention of Aro's name, Jane shuddered. She knew Aro would not be happy about her behavior. She was only to come to Forks to check on us and see if we had any inclination of their plans, not in violence.
"I had business matters that needed to be taken care of in the area. I figured since I was so close, I'd check on your family. I only wanted to see Bella's reaction time. I can promise you there was no intent of malice behind my actions." Jane sneered when she said my name. Edward's jaw tensed at the lies that were contained within her statements. We knew the "business matters" that needed to be tended to, was us.
The training that I received from Carlisle came in handy again. Through our training sessions, I learned how to direct my shield block, as I called it sometimes, to certain people. Right now I was projecting it to the three vampires that were threatening my family. I felt something trying to break through, but the block was holding. I searched the eyes of the three and noticed that the one with the red hair was looking frustrated. Whatever his power was, it wasn't getting through. Edward followed my gaze and whispered that he has the power of teleportation. He could send anyone or any object anywhere he wanted.
"The other one is just as frustrated, it would seem that he can steal the powers of other vampires. But your block is working against his. He can't even steal your block!" Edward whispered carefully to me so that the others could not hear. I could see why Aro would choose these two to accompany Jane, even if the powers of the red headed one and Jane didn't work, the vampire with the ability to steal powers should have be able to steal mine. I cringed, if that had been possible, we'd all be dead. This was Aro's way of testing us, of testing me.
"I see you are all fine. I will be glad to pass this information along to Aro. He will be more than pleased at your family's well being." I couldn't help but noticed the double meaning to her words. It slightly reminded me of when she came to check on us shortly after the war of the newborns. She couldn't wait to tell Aro then that I was still human, despite orders that I should be changed sooner than later. "We will be on our way." The three vampires turned and just as swiftly as they were in front of us, they were gone.
For the first time, I was able to run to Alice. "I'm okay, I'm fine," she assured us. "Just promise she's brought down the next time we see her."
"I'll keep that promise." Edward's voice was still stern and tense. We ran back to the house quickly after that. Carlisle was in his study and Edward and Jasper recanted what transpired in the clearing.
"Hmmm, it seems that it was an excellent idea that we not gather the forces too early then. Though we once had time on our side at the time. It seems that will no longer be the case now. Your prom is in two weeks and the end of school is only two weeks after that. Alice, can you get a better idea of when exactly they will arrive?"
Everyone in the study looked at Alice expectedly. "It's the day of Chief Parade!" The Chief Parade was a day Forks set aside several years before Charlie's retirement to show their appreciation for what he did for the small sleepy town. It used to be Chief Swan Day, but as the years progressed, Forks added a carnival, a festive, and a parade. Eventually they changed it to the Chief Parade to honor whoever sat as the current police chief. It's quite a big deal for Forks now.
"That's the day after school lets out!" I cried. I rushed out of the room because I needed to think of a reason to keep Sarah out of Forks that day. Then I remembered about a band that she mentioned, Secret Lover. I remembered her saying that before they were signed to a label they wanted to be called Paramore, and then they found out that there was a band that already had that name about a hundred years ago. But since the name was still in use for royalties, they decided to call themselves Secret Lover, which was simply the Latin meaning of Paramore anyway. I checked the computer and found that they were in concert in Seattle that day, so I pulled my credit card out of my pocket and purchased two v.i.p. access tickets for her and Michael.
"Is everything alright love?" Edward said in such a soothing voice.
"I just wanted to make sure Sarah and Michael weren't around that day, is all. I couldn't imagine knowing the Volturi and Sarah were in the same town, let alone while there may be a battle involved." I let down my shield and reminded him of all the time that we spent with her, and how she kept our secret from day one, even from Michael. She was Angela's descendant and above all else, she was our friend. "I won't let anything happen to her Edward."
"I know dear. I know."
The next few weeks were at a crawl, even for vampires who had all the time in the world. The entire family was tense and I'm sure even the kids at school could tell something was up with us. We tried keeping it as low key as possible for Sarah's sake, but she never noticed. She was to jazzed about prom. "I've been looking forward to this my entire life! Of course I always thought I'd be a junior, but this is so much better! I'm going to be with the one I love," she kissed Michael on the cheek as she continued talking, "and my best friends! I just know this night will be magical." Sarah was absolutely adorable when she rambled.
My innocent little Sarah started humming and couldn't wait to put on the dress she bought with us in New York. Prom was tonight, and the entire school buzzed with excitement. There weren't many sophomores going to the senior prom, so some gave us a jealous eye at lunch time. I mistakenly told Alice one day that I'd gladly trade places with them, but she made me feel guilty. "How could you do that to Sarah? You know she's too excited for this night to go as planned, and that includes you dancing along side of her all night!" Everyone knew how much it meant to me that Sarah was happy, and they knew exactly how to push the right buttons. Alice was the master.
Because of prom, the high school was letting everyone who was attending to leave early. Alice had rented a white limo for the occasion and reminded Sarah that we'd be by her house around 6:30 to pick her and Michael up and for pictures. We had plenty of time to get ready so the four of us and Renesmee went into the woods to hunt. I was in the mood for mountain lion again, but Forks was having an over population of deer, so deer it was.
We each had two deer, except Renesmee, it had been awhile since she hunted so she was starving for blood and had three. We ran back to the house to get ready for our twentieth prom. Honestly I didn't know why Alice bothered getting excited over these things anymore. But I guess being eternally young, there really isn't anything that we can do but go to high school and prom. Since we were ahead of schedule, Alice took her time doing our hair for tonight. All three of us had up do's and our neckline was wonderfully marked with the necklaces that we purchased with our dresses.
The limo picked us up and we headed over to Sarah's house. Michael arrived at the same time as we did and we all stood in the backyard of the Moore house waiting for Sarah. Her mother came outside and offered us some cookies. We each took a bite of one and swallowed. Sarah's mom always offered us food and since she was just as sweet as her daughter, we politely always accepted. Unfortunately for us, we can't taste any human food, let alone digest it. Fortunately for us, because of her generosity, we were now at least able to swallow the food without grimacing. We were better actors for it, and I'd hate to hurt her feelings over something we can't control. When her back was turned to us, we each gave Renesmee our cookies and let her devour them. We each regurgitated the cookie and threw the mess into the other yard.
Mrs. Moore was at the screen door and holding it open for Sarah to come through. I smiled as I heard Michael catch his breath. Edward was smiling also. I let my shield down and asked him if I was as breathtaking to him as Sarah was to Michael when we went to prom for the first time. "And more" was his simple reply. I knew that wasn't the case since vampires couldn't breathe. Plus the fact that I was in a cast the day of my prom, thanks to James. Edward always felt that he needed to remind me that no matter what, I was always stunning to him. But to this day I still say he had it backwards, he was stunning to me. I was the one that was too lucky to have him.
Mrs. Moore took so many pictures I thought we were going to be late to the prom. The Moore's had a beautiful backyard complete with a garden and a pool. We took the group shots in front of the garden that was full of ruffled tulips. The waterfall was the background for the couple shots, and then we were on our way. No sooner did we get in the limo did Alice start blasting the radio. I think for my benefit, Jasper sent waves of happiness in my direction even though I didn't need it. For once I was happy for the distraction of prom. I didn't have to think about the Volturi and best of all, I was with Edward, Jasper, Alice and best of all Sarah.
We coupled up as we walked into the banquet hall, and I was shocked when I looked around. "Alice, you didn't?" I started chuckling and when Edward started looking at the decorations and caught on.
"I personally thought it was a nice touch to the evening," Alice was beaming. This year's theme for the senior prom was a Casino Royale, the exact same prom theme when I first went to Forks. "I just couldn't resist!" No one could deny that Alice was a great party planner. We found the table that we would claim as ours and took turns getting our formal pictures taken. Edward liked collecting and framing them throughout the years, but I thought it to be silly. His favorite was the very first prom we went to, I was human then. I actually hated that one because I looked so plain standing next to him. And even though you couldn't see that cast, I knew it was there. If I had to choose it would be my first prom as a vampire. We were living in Denali with Tanya and her family. Me and Edward were married by then and I looked just as angelic as him.
I wasn't a clumsy human anymore, but I still hated to dance. Whenever a slow song would come on, Edward would pick me up and place my feet on his and we'd dance that way. I liked that part, and if I could, I would've stayed just like that, but Alice constantly reminded us that we had to act like we were tired from dancing every so often. Only because of Sarah did I volunteer to go on the dance floor at all.