Thank you everyone who reviewed this chapter. RL is hectic and will continue to be so until the end of semester. I couldn't leave you guys waiting though so let's delve into Edward's mind.
As always, a hearty thanks to my Beta SarcasticBimbo for not only editing but also brainstorming ideas with me to improve this story, and to my wonderful proof-reader Lotus Wright.
Chapter IX: Revenge is Sweet
EPOV
"We'll talk about this later," she snaps abruptly at me.
I don't know whether to take this girl over my lap to spank her or kiss her silly. She's persistent; wanting to know how I saved her, and the determination I see in her beautiful hazel eyes tells me that she won't forego knowing anytime soon.
Her stubbornness angers me, because it's too early to reveal to her what I am. My desire is to charm and woo her, which, quite honestly, has not been working well; not have her run away from me in fear.
The fear of losing her, and my anger at her insistence, forces me to speak brusquely to her. I regret it an instant later, because it's neither proper, nor fair, to speak in that manner. Anyone else would have been curious at the impossibility of what just occurred. Though, if it were anyone else besides Bella, I probably wouldn't have interfered.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss. She shouldn't know about the horrors of our world. Not because it's dark and frightening, but because, if she knew, her life would be in danger from the Volturi.
The ruling coven of the vampire world is known as the Volturi. They rule with an iron fist, and anyone defying them is executed. The brothers who lead them, Aro, Marcus, and Caius, are extremely old. Some believe them to be three thousand years old, while others estimate them to be around five thousand.
When I was a young vampire, I spent a decade on my own, separate from the Cullens. I was vampire by the truest meaning of the word; using my power to seek out the very worst in humanity, feeding from them. It was during this time that I first made my acquaintance with the Volturi. I read their minds during my time with them, and found out that Aro is the oldest known vampire. He was changed in Italy, during the Copper Age, making him more than five thousand years old. I digress, however.
Standing next to Bella, I can still feel her warmth seeping into my dead, cold body. The memory of her heat causes a shudder to run through me. I can barely restrain myself from holding her gently in my arms again. She felt so soft, so warm, and so perfect as her body molded into mine. It physically pains me not to hug her close, to bury my face in her warmth then kiss her lovingly.
Still, the most striking response from Bella was when she buried her head in between my neck and shoulders. From the way she was frowning I guessed that she had a headache and my cold skin was soothing it. Simply knowing that my coldness served a purpose elated me. I felt useful as a mate, especially when she held onto me for dear life, seeking safety. It made me feel ten feet tall.
Of course I cannot forget that scent of hers that burns my skin every time I recall it. Her combination is unlike anything I have encountered before. It's a sweet scent that simultaneously calms and thrills me. I simply want to bury my face in her slender neck and breathe her in for the rest of eternity. I can still smell and taste it on my face, and the thought of having her scent on me causes me to stir with desire.
Edward calm down, you don't want to expose yourself to Bella now.-Alice interrupts worriedly.
I stop thinking about her scent altogether. Alice shows in her mind what I look like at the exact instant Bella's undiluted scent hits my nostrils. The gold is emptied from my eyes and my lips are drawn back. I vacate my mind of everything. Everything but Bella's scent and my need to take her.
Grinding my teeth, I wait for the EMTs to move the van away from us. I could have assisted them to accelerate the process, but Bella's sharp eyes would have caught it.
My family's thoughts bombard me as I stand there waiting for the van to be shifted.
What the hell were you thinking, you inconsiderate, selfish, constipated-looking, asswipe?!- Rosalie, continuing with some creative insults.
Oh my god, Edward, that was close. Don't worry though, Bella's okay, she doesn't suffer from any physical pain. You did well to brace her head like that, or else she would have cracked her skull. And don't worry, no one saw a thing.- Alice
Dude, good job saving Hells Bells. Rosie is pissed at you though. I'd hide your sissy Volvo if I were you.- Emmett, never taking anything seriously.
Edward, she's suspicious of you. Tread carefully or I will be forced to do something to protect Alice from the Volturi. I know what she saw, but the future can always change.- Jasper warns.
I hiss threateningly at Jasper's warning thoughts and glare at all of them. "Keep your thoughts to yourself. You will not touch her!"
I then focus my mind on the rest of the student body to read their thoughts about the incident.
The students' and the staffs' thoughts are jumbled in panic. Nevertheless, I'm able to discern a pattern and hear that a lot of them are surprised to see me standing next to Bella. Their attention is mostly on Tyler, however.
His thoughts are dim but still present. His heart beat is low, although steady, and his breaths are shallow, probably due to a puncture wound in one of his lungs.
The scent of adrenaline spiked blood causes my thirst to flare, burning my throat like a suddenly combusting fire. Venom pools in my mouth and I manage to gulp it down. I would lock my muscles to hold myself in place, but I can't without arousing Bella's suspicion.
I focus my gaze on her while she observes her surroundings. Her silent mind still confounds and astonishes me. It's as if her thoughts are on another frequency entirely.
As I stare at her, I'm dazed by her beauty, so I start to memorize it, feature by feature: Her curly locks flow in waves past her shoulders to the middle of her back. Her beautiful dark skin is contrasted by the light hazel of her sparkling eyes, which scrutinously observe her surroundings. Her high cheekbones frame a cute flat nose that is complemented by a sparkling diamond stud piercing. Her full, pouty lips, the bottom fuller than the top, that I want to slowly kiss and taste if she is sweet, despite the insults she hurls at me.
I cannot afford to reveal any more of my supernatural state to her. The damage has already been done. In addition to my failing plan to woo her, I had planned to reveal my vampire nature slowly, so as to not overwhelm her. Damn it! I don't wish to burden her with the knowledge of supernatural beings existing this early on, then have her run away from me. Had that child been more careful, I wouldn't have to lie through my teeth to her. I want Bella to slowly trust me, not think of me as a lying jerk.
Since that plan is useless now, I must charm her, instead. First, I must have her smile or laugh by the end of today. With that thought in mind, I begin to plan phase two.
~E&I~
Part one of my plan to charm Bella was successful.
As I was walking a few steps behind her to ensure she was well taken care of, I wondered whether she might be thirsty. So, I decided to enter the hospital's gift shop to get her some juice or water, which I've seen humans drink. While I was looking around I noticed a small display of reusable water bottles.
Perfect.
The bottle read 'I've never faked a sarcasm in my life.' I laughed softly to myself, thinking that she would love it.
I was correct. She did love it, if the laughter and the brightness in her eyes was any indication. She looked so beautiful when she laughed, I imagined I could feel my dead heart beating wildly in my chest.
The only doubt I had was whether she would keep the bottle. To my delight, she put it in her bag and took it home with her. Hopefully, each time she saw it or used it, she would think of me, and her thoughts would be kind.
Alice had assured me through her thoughts that Bella loved it.
She had 'awwwwwed' at me when I told her that I got Bella a basketful of chocolates.
I know human girls love chocolate, and it's known to help reduce pain. Hopefully, it would provide her with some comfort. I didn't know which ones she liked, so instead of standing there with a scowl on my face, I just bought two of every kind on the aisle from the local supermarket and hurried to her house to place it there.
I also thought about placing flowers in it, but Alice advised against it. To be precise, she replied "nope" with a cheeky grin and laughed at my face.
Well, if flowers weren't acceptable at this particular point, then I will commence to part two of my plan: payback. If I am to win her admiration, I have to repay her in kind with a prank that excels hers.
For my plan to succeed, I sought counsel with my boisterous brother since he is the mastermind prankster of the family.
I approached Emmett with the plan and told him the details. His response was a rambunctious laugh.
"Well, well, well, who would've thought Eddie boy here had the guts to think of something like that! It's genius bro! Bellie will be so mad! Hahahahahaha!"
I growled at his nickname for me. "Don't call me that! Will you help me or not?"
"Sure, Eddie. We'll just have to make a small adjustment to that plan of yours." He grinned impishly.
Ignoring that horrendous nickname, I mirrored his grin back.
I regret asking Emmett for help. The idiot's boisterous laughter could be heard in the entire neighbourhood.
"Shut up, Emmett! Or do you desire to awaken the entire neighbourhood?!" I hiss in an annoyed tone.
He quiets down to a snicker.
"What is so funny anyway?" I ask irritated.
"This, little bro! I can't believe your uptight ass is doing something so out-of-character. You've got to see the humour in that!" He grins in reply.
It does sound funny, however, he doesn't need to know that.
"I'm technically older than you by three decades, Emmett." I retort. "Now come on, let's do this quietly."
He goes to the back of Bella's hideous truck, while I stand in front, to lift it up.
We run to the high school parking lot carrying the monstrosity between us.
When we reach the quiet, dark lot we place it on the ground.
I scale the roof of the building and whisper to Emmett to throw me the unsightly piece of metal.
The idiot throws the truck with too much force sending it flying over the roof. I jump and barely intercept it before it lands somewhere in the distance.
"You almost shattered it, Emmett!" I hiss furiously. "If you break anything, I'll rip your arm off"
He guffaws loudly, then somehow composes himself.
Geez, dude, relax. Don't worry, I won't break your precious Bellie's truck.
I growl in annoyance, placing the truck gently on the roof.
Touchy, touchy, bro. You and Bellsie-boo would sure make a great couple. - Emmett chortles.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I snarl from the roof.
Oh, nothing. Mmmmm, Rosie sure looked good in those tight jeans today. I'd like to bend her over-
"I don't need to see that. And don't think I don't know what you're doing, Emmett," I whisper angrily.
He simply smiles goofily at me in response.
"Nice," Emmett grins, after he climbs over.
"Do you have it with you?" I ask with a mischievous grin.
Emmett wiggles his eyebrows."Sure, do, bro. Here you go."
He shrugs off the backpack on the ground, and takes out a few spray-paint cans.
Grabbing two sprays in each hand, within seconds, Emmett and I paint Bella's faded red truck, as Emmett puts it, a beautiful shade of metallic hot pink.
Stepping back, we admire our handiwork.
Emmett roughly pats me on the back. "I'm proud of you bro. Your first prank is genius. I didn't know you had it in you man."
He then mockingly sniffs and dries his eyes. "They grow up so fast."
My lips twitch and I glance sideways at him. "Thanks for helping me out with this, Em."
He roughly pats my back again, almost causing me to fall over. "It was my pleasure, bro. I'm here for you whenever, man. Besides, it was fun to work with you. Hey! We should join forces and prank the unsuspecting townspeople. What d'ya say?" He asks with a grin, continuing. "We can even call ourselves Vampire Prankmasters! That would be so dope!"
I snort at the suggested name. "We'll see, Em," then notice that there's a bit of paint left in the can I'm holding. With lightning speed, I coat Emmett with paint before sprinting away laughing hysterically at his stunned, open-mouthed expression.
A couple of seconds later, I hear his running footsteps chasing after me in the forest.
"You're gonna get it, Eddie!" Emmett shouts.
"Bring it!" I shout, laughing hysterically.
~E&I~
Buzzing with excitement, I drive my siblings to school, holding the steering wheel tightly. Alice keeps reciting poetry in Latin but giggling at random times.
My excitement is affecting Jasper. I can tell since he's bouncing his knees up-and-down. He's trying to keep his emotions at bay so as not to spread it to Emmett and Rosalie, who are busy, loudly making out in the back.
I grimace at their outward display of affection and focus my thoughts on something else to get rid of the images of compromising positions with which they are bombarding me.
I'm too enthusiastic, however, to be too bothered with their thoughts and mannerisms.
Edward, what's got you so excited? I've never seen and felt you like this for as long as I've known you. - Jasper suddenly thinks to me.
I simply shake my head and smile, staring straight ahead at the road, even though I could drive with my eyes closed due to my built in radar.
Bella's good for you - Alice suddenly comments. I've never seen you look so happy and smiling so broadly.
She shows me in her mind how I look: My eyes are bright and I have the biggest grin on my face.
You deserve to be happy, Edward. Fight for her. - Alice implores.
"That's the plan," I mumble.
The parking lot is already filled with students when I reach it.
Almost everyone is looking at the roof with astonished faces, their phones clicking away. Even some of the staff are outside wondering about the commotion in the parking lot.
We all get out of my car and stand next to each other. Besides myself, only Emmett and Alice know, the latter due to her visions. I keep my expression neutral whereas Emmett is having difficulty not laughing. Alice, also, is not faring well. Their mates look at them with questioning gazes. Jasper is curious but knows that Alice would tell him when the time is right. Rosalie, on the other hand, is hissing at Emmett to tell him why he is behaving in that manner.
I, however, am waiting for Bella's arrival. I keep part of my mind focused on the crowd. It's a reflex reaction to ensure the safety of my family from any dangerous suspicions.
A few minutes later, Chief Swan's car enters the parking lot and parks in the middle.
My love steps out of the car, her silky soft curly hair framing her beautiful face. Today, she's wearing a flower patterned sweater that is flattering on her. The dark jeans she's wearing are tight,and show her perfect curves that make my hands twitch in longing to hold her. The green scarf wrapped around her neck has changed her eyes to a green hue.
He's in love with her. I've never seen Edward look at a girl with such tenderness. What is it about her that makes him look so enamored?- Rosalie wonders bitterly.
She has always felt offended that I have never been charmed by her beauty. She has always had suitors and admirers falling on their knees at the sight of her; a beautiful woman she is, though I have never been enchanted by her. I have always thought of Rose as my sister and nothing more. I know she is in love with her mate; nevertheless, my lack of interest at the time had insulted her, even though she never harbored any romantic feelings towards me.
I shift my gaze to her. She simply glares and turns her head away, embarrassed.
I ignore her and watch my love again. Charlie is out of the car and inspecting the scene.
Upon noticing that Bella's car is on the roof, the Chief bursts into uncontrollable laughter. "You've got yourself a match there, Bells!"
Bella glares at him and Charlie says to her, "Now, now, I think that this should be the end of it. I don't want to have to put you in jail, young lady."
That Cullen boy sure did one-up her.
Seeing Bella's furious face causes me to burst into hysterics. Those raging eyes, and that mouth open in shock is too much for me to bear.
My poker face slips as I bend over, holding on to my knees, laughing loudly. Emmett's barely-held composure slips as he guffaws alongside me, while Alice snickers quietly.
Everyone's thoughts shift to our laughing forms.
Through my laughter, I can still hear their confused thoughts; that the "proper Cullens" are behaving normally.
I can also see through the Chief's thoughts that he is amused and excited that someone has challenged his girl. Apparently, Bella had a reputation at her previous school for intimidating her peers with her devious pranks.
My laughter is cut off short when Bella suddenly turns around and stomps towards the building.
"Bells, wait! I'm sure that Bob will be back in the driveway by morning with no harm done." He calls after his daughter, then turns around to grin at me before sitting in the cruiser and driving away.
Worry clouds my mind as I suddenly realize that I may have overestimated her ability to take a joke as well as she can play one. I hope I haven't just ruined any chance I may have had with her.
I think the kid might actually have a chance to win my little girl's heart. She sure has never reacted like this to any other boy before.- Charlie's final thought interrupts my worrying.
Then Alice says, "He's right, Edward. She's not as angry as you think she is." Then my sister winks at me and walks calmly into the school.
I scowl in annoyance at her flippant remark.
As I mull over my sister's and the Chief Swan's comments, the crowd slowly disperses and the bell rings, signaling the beginning of class.
I would love to hear to read your thoughts about the chapter :)