9

Sunday Alice came around as soon as lunch finished and helped prepare Bella for her family. She described them all again, this time with proper backgrounds and ages, before bundling her into a low sports car and driving her into the forest north of town.

Bella was amazed when she saw the 'house'; mansion would have been a closer description. She had seen smaller looking hotels in Phoenix! A large lawn led to the house and even though the day was overcast Bella could see it would always be in shadow as huge cedar trees spread their massive branches right over it and to the roof of the house.

She nervously got out of the car and followed a bouncing Alice up the steps to the front door. From what she could see through the huge picture windows the decor inside was mostly white, not a great colour for someone like her. She imagined dirtying the place just by sitting in it. She brushed her sweaty palms on her jeans and grimaced. There was nothing to be done, her clothes were clean if not new, she sighed and nodded to Alice who had paused with the door open. They went inside and up a flight of stairs to a room that looked like it was part of an Ideal Home exhibition. The Cullen family were all waiting in the lounge, looking like a super model convention, each of them fit perfectly into the immaculate surroundings and Bella felt even more self conscious of her clothes and looks than ever.

The first to greet Bella was Esme, she hurried to the girl she already considered her daughter and pulled her into her embrace.

"I am so happy to finally be able to meet you!" she said, Bella looked at her and then at the others, something in the back of her mind rang a bell.

"I'm happy to meet you too." Bella blushed madly as everyone swarmed around her, all wanting to hug and greet her, she had never been physical in any sense, and the lack of close contact from her mother meant she was uneasy with the family's closeness. When Emmett grabbed her and spun her around she stiffened up in discomfort.

Jasper put a calming hand on his brother's arm and made him release her so she could take a breath.

"I can feel how uncomfortable you are Bella, but we have all waited so long for this day, you'll have to forgive us." He told her, giving her a quick squeeze on her shoulder and then retreating back to the far side of the room.

"Jasper?" Carlisle asked.

"I'll be OK," he assured everyone, "it's just that she smells REALLY good."

Bella tried not to sniff herself, but then remembered what Alice and Carlisle had said about their senses being so much better than hers; at least he didn't say she smelled bad!

She looked at the Cullens, in turn, the nagging feeling was still there, it wasn't until Rosalie flicked her hair back over her shoulder that the memory surfaced.

"The 'planes!" she said, "When I used to come to Forks for my holidays… you were on the 'planes with me."

Emmett laughed, "Yeah, we used to take turns looking after you as your mother dumped…" he stopped as Rose slapped him on the back of his head, but Bella knew already, she finished it off for him…

"Dumped me at the airport and let me find my own way… yes I remember. I also remember being 'upgraded' more than once, I suppose that wasn't coincidence?"

"We hope you don't mind our interfering?" Esme asked.

"These last few years, when I worked out how rare it was, I wondered why I had been upgraded so often…" she laughed at her childish notion that maybe her mother had actually paid for the nicer seat in secret, but she didn't share it with the people in front of her. After all this was the same woman who had not even called to make sure she arrived at Charlie's. She was actually embarrassed thinking of the price they must have paid for her tickets to be changed.

"I don't see why you had to sit with the cattle," Rosalie said with a sniff, "After all the price of first class tickets isn't much when you consider we usually use our own private jet when we travel." Bella's mouth fell open. Ok so she knew the family weren't short of cash, the trips abroad that Alice had described over the years (even though… now she thought about it… they had turned out to be fictitious), the top of the range cars she had seen in the open garage when she arrived, the designer clothes they all wore, as well as the house surrounding her were testament to that, but a private jet? That was a bit… extreme.

"Don't worry about it Bella," Alice said, knowing just how uncomfortable Bella was over money. "We have plenty of money to go around… being able to see the future makes making money almost too easy."

"Erm…" Bella had no idea what to say, as someone who had struggled all her life to find enough money to do the food shopping she had a natural reluctance towards waste and extravagance.

"That reminds me!" Alice grabbed her by the hand and with Rosalie and Esme almost dragged her up stairs. They entered a bedroom on the top floor, well, bedroom may be a misnomer, as there was no actual bed, the room was decorated in soft beiges, one wall was made entirely of windows, looking out over the garden, sloping down to one of the many rivers that gave Forks its name. The opposite wall was full of shelves, stacks and stacks of music, vinyl, tape and CD. A huge sound system sat pride of place in the middle of the shelves.

"Wow, that's a LOT of music!" Bella moved closer to try and read some of the album titles. She pressed play on the CD and soft classical music surrounded them. "Clair de Lune!" She heard a small cry and turned to see Esme leave the room. "Did I do something wrong?" Bella asked horrified that she had upset the kind woman who had been so nice to her.

"No, this is Edward's room, he loved playing the piano, that was one of his favourite pieces to play, it had been his human mother's favourite." Rosalie explained.

"We always put that tune in the equipment, waiting for his return." Alice said, sighing.

"I'm sorry!" Bella switched it off quickly. "I didn't realize Edward had ever lived here,"

"It was a long time ago, Alice buys new music for him as it comes out, and we keep everything just the way it was in here when he last lived here. Which was long before Alice and Jasper joined us. We update things, like the sound system as technology progresses, but if he walked in here today he would know it was his room straight away." She sighed and looked at her sister. "Wasn't there something you wanted to show Bella?" she asked.

"Oh yes," Alice seemed to break out of her thoughts and pulled open a huge walk in wardrobe. "I bought some clothes for you," she explained. Bella's face drained of blood as she surveyed the 'closet' that was almost as large as her old room back in Phoenix. More than half the space was taken up with male clothes, these must be Edwards, but the rest were female. She backed away, her hands raised in horror. "Bella, come on, you know I know what's going to happen! You will protest, I know, but the clothes are paid for now and if you don't accept them then it will just be a waste of money."

"Alice NO!" Bella was now bright red. There was nothing wrong with the clothes she had on! They were clean and tidy, if not brand new. She closed the sides of the plaid shirt together as she backed away. "I don't need charity!" she snapped.

Suddenly Esme was in the room again, her cold hands resting comfortingly on Bella's shoulders, not holding her just resting.

"Bella honey, let us do this for you. We know Renée was supposed to send you with enough clothes, and we know she spent the money Charlie sent for you on herself." Bella's eyes closed in mortification. She had often suspected that Charlie sent extra money at times and that Renée had spent it quickly, how very sad that her friends knew all about it.

"I don't NEED them!" Bella was angry, at Renée, at herself; but it came out as angry at the Cullen's. She hated anyone knowing about her life with Renée, about her struggles. After all she had survived and she was fine. There was no use raking over dead coals.

"Please Bella; we were just trying to do something nice for you." Rose said, almost in tears. Bella gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, trying not to say anything that would upset the kind people. She turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

As she made her way downstairs Carlisle stood on the landing, he opened a door and gestured her to enter. She looked in the room; all she could see were books, shelf after shelf of books.

She knew if she left the Cullen house in the temper she was in she could hurt the only friendship she had ever had. She didn't want that to happen. But she really could not accept their charity, and she didn't need their pity!

"Alice was wrong to spend so much on you," Carlisle said as he walked around to the leather chair behind a huge desk piled with medical journals, "we all know how much you value your independence, but she wanted you to fit in with the school better."

Bella lowered her face into her hands and sank into the sofa opposite the desk. "Why bother? I've never fit in before." She asked. Carlisle sighed, he had known that Alice was going about it wrong, but she would not be persuaded. Even after the mistake with Edward she still relied on her visions too much. Not taking into account other people's free will.

"You don't have to take the clothes," he assured her, "Alice is used to getting her own way, and she has this thing about clothes…" he chuckled slightly. Bella looked up at him. As usual he was immaculately dressed, in a white shirt, tie, fawn coloured sweater and fawn trousers, the crease in them razor straight. In fact all of them were smartly dressed, now she thought of it. It wasn't just that they were good looking, their clothes were smart and suited them well too, not designer for the sake of it, but more because they actually looked good. "She spends a small fortune shopping every month, and if you haven't realized it yet, she buys for us all. We rarely wear anything more than once."

Bella's face was a picture of horror. The sheer waste! She had never actually followed fashion herself, but the school she had gone to in Phoenix had been in a very well off area, names like Yves St Laurent, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choos were commonplace, though she never could see why someone would pay a month's wages for a pair of shoes! Especially the death traps that some of the popular kids at school wore.

"I know," Carlisle assured her, "Honestly I do, but we donate all our 'old' clothing to charity, in a way it helps the local communities that we live in, and Alice doesn't spend a fraction of what she earns on such things." She frowned, he sighed. "Remember Alice sees the future, not just the family's future, but things that will or could affect us. She sees stock market trends and big corporate decisions, she plays the stock market." Bella understood what he was saying, after all what person wouldn't use such a gift to make sure they were comfortable? Just because Alice's version of comfortable was as far above Bella's version as the observation deck on the Empire state building was above ground level… "Last year the Cullen stocks brought in $4.8 million dollars, which was low because of the recession, and that was only the stocks and shares, we have other incomes as well. So don't worry about her spending a few hundred on clothing for you, she really is just trying to be helpful."

"But I don't NEED them!" Bella insisted, worried that she was offending the family, but adamant that they not spend their money on her.

"You DO need a decent winter coat," he reminded her gently, "and a few pairs of jeans extra wouldn't hurt, remember this IS Forks! You will be surprised just how wet the weather is day in and day out at this time of year." She sighed defeated. He was right, she knew this place well enough to realize that hanging the washing out on a line wouldn't happen too often, and she had a natural reluctance to using the dryer.

Bella nodded her head and got to her feet, she hated this! She hated being considered a charity case. But they were right; she was supposed to have more clothing than she had. Just another reason to find a job and quick, she didn't want all her hard earned money being wasted on clothes, that was for college. She dismissed his comment about school, she knew she was going to have to attend for a while, but she had no intention of staying there.

She dragged her feet as she climbed back up two flights of stairs. Alice was sat on a black leather couch near the huge windows.

"I'm sorry," she said before Bella could speak. "I know I get carried away, but I meant well."

Bella just nodded and pulled the smaller girl into a brief hug. "Let's see what there is," she said, "Mind you I'm not promising to take everything, but some of them…"

Alice bounced on the spot, "I know! I know just which ones you will take!" She rushed into the small room and grabbed hanger after hanger, piling them on the couch.

"Alice!" Bella's eyes almost crossed as she tried to follow her friend's movements, she was just too fast. It was making her nauseous. "No, Alice! Too much!" She pulled a couple of pairs of jeans from the pile, some sweaters and a couple of coats, one of which was a heavy duty parka. "This is all I'm taking!" she crossed her arms over the clothing to demonstrate her inflexibility. Alice's face dropped.

"You don't have any underwear!" she pointed out, "or shoes, or skirts!" Bella shuddered. The thought of having someone else buy her underwear was disturbing, but SKIRTS? REALLY? She thought of the many, many times she fell, a skirt was just asking for trouble, at least with a decent pair of jeans she would have some protection for her poor knees, not to mention she wouldn't flash everyone who went past her. No, she hadn't worn a skirt since junior school and she wasn't going to start now!

"Alice…" her voice was deep with warning. The small vampire sighed, defeated, and as quick as a flash the rest of the clothing was put back into their place. She did bring out one extra thing though, a parcel. Bella was about to object when Alice turned it and she could see through the plastic bag. Bella sighed and nodded, knowing that it was one thing she really must accept. She picked up one of the large plastic bags Alice had put on the sofa and put the package into it, then folded the clothes on top.

They made their way downstairs, the rest of the Cullens were in the lounge, and Bella took some time this time, to look around. In the corner, beside the staircase was a grand piano. Though it was dust free and as clean as the rest of the room, she sensed an air of abandonment around the instrument, as if it was a shrine no longer worshipped at. On the wall opposite the piano the biggest flat screen TV she had ever seen, a game was paused on the screen and Emmett and Jasper were sat on the huge leather sofa opposite the screen with controllers for what she believed was an Xbox held loosely in their hands. Rosalie and Esme were sat on another sofa, this one facing the outside world through another wall made entirely of windows. Bella could see from the view that they were directly below Edward's bedroom 2 floors above. The women were reading, Esme a horticultural encyclopaedia, Rosalie an issue of Car and Driver! Carlisle walked downstairs behind them; he patted Bella on the shoulder as he passed. Bella still jumped slightly when anyone touched her, not through fear but rather still not used to physical contact.

"Way to go Bella!" Emmett shouted, jumping up and heading to her, obviously intending to grab her and swing her around again.

"Emmett!" Rosalie's voice stopped him dead. "Leave her alone, she's had enough to deal with today without you mauling her." Emmett's face fell but he retreated back to the sofa.

"I was just going to congratulate her on sticking to her guns and beating Alice!" he grumbled.

Alice huffed and crossed her arms, Jasper nudged Emmett in the ribs and he started and glanced guiltily at the small annoyed pixie.

Bella grinned at him slightly, more because of his childlike behaviour than what he said, and he smiled back, pleased to have cheered her up. She liked Emmett… in fact she liked all of them.

"This is going to be FUN!" Emmett enthused, "I can't wait to see Bella in Gym!"

Bella groaned, of course he would know about her clumsiness, Alice had explained how the Cullens had kept watch over her for years. But wait… Gym?

"I won't be taking Gym!" she told them, "I dropped it two years ago." Alice sighed.

"It's compulsory." She dropped the bad news.

"I don't see why I have to go to school at all, I already graduated!" Bella complained.

"Charlie told you already Bella, Forks has a no early graduation policy, everyone has to attend until the school year they turn 18."

"School year?" Bella was aghast, "that means I have to go for almost two whole school years? That isn't fair! Charlie said I could leave when I turned 18! I have plans!"

"He was wrong, with you turning 18 in September you have the rest of this year and next year to go." Alice winced as Bella let out a moan. "Sorry, Bella."

"It isn't your fault Alice." Bella was pissed that she only just found out. "I just am so tired of school."

Rosalie snorted inelegantly (as if anything she did could be considered inelegant, Bella thought), "Tell me about it! This is the ninth time for me through school, and I had completed my education before I was turned!" Bella was aghast!

"Why do you put yourself through it again and again Rosalie?" she asked.

"Call me Rose," her new friend said. Bella nodded. "The younger we start in a place, the longer we can stay," she explained, shrugging her shoulders, "we have been here a year already, but we knew you were coming, and that you would be more comfortable with Alice in your year, so we made our ages accordingly, usually when we come to a place I pretend to be 16 to start, Emmett and Jasper are usually the same age as me, and Alice a year below us, it gives us more time."

"16?" Bella looked at the beautiful woman in front of her, "How the hell…sorry" she apologized for her language, "how can you pass for 16?" she asked.

"It's a matter of make-up, muscle control, the way we dress, and the way we hold ourselves," Rose slumped in her seat slightly; her face seemed to get rounder and younger. Bella could well believe that she was actually almost the same age, if not younger, than herself. She looked at the other 'children' all seemed to have put on weight slightly around their faces. She was puzzled. Alice and Carlisle had said that when they were 'turned' they were stuck the way they were. How could they change like this? Though really if they didn't change at all year in year out, they would soon be raising suspicions.

"It's mainly the muscle control." Jasper told her, "it takes quite a lot of concentration, but it gives us something to think about," he gave a half grin that made Bella smile back at him. "after all school isn't exactly challenging for us."

"But why go to school in the first place?" she asked.

"It would look strange if a family as large as ours came into the neighbourhood and didn't go to school, if we were to get jobs we would have to have time off every time the sun was out… and there aren't a lot of night jobs in a small town like this." Carlisle explained. "Sometimes we go to places like Ithaca, where the 'children' enrol in the university rather than school, the trick then is to make them look older than their human age." Bella looked at Rose again and saw her straighten up, her carriage and posture now was of a much older, more confident person. She was impressed. "But still, we are limited to about 4 or 5 years in one place, and that is mostly my fault." He admitted.

"Your fault?"

"Yes, I like being a doctor, I like helping people, but I can't be a doctor and my human age, I was too young for what is considered acceptable nowadays, so my ID's have me at 29 when we move to a place, by the time we have been there 5 years it is pushing it, even with 'good genes' I am hard pushed to be 34, that's 10 years older than my true age." He explained. Bella agreed, he definitely didn't look that old. "Also of course, we have to be old enough to 'foster' so many teenagers, even though no foster agency has us on their books, several times people have tried to interfere with the family, citing the fact that it is obvious that Alice and Jasper, and Emmett and Rose are together, yet living as supposed siblings."

"Yeah I suppose that would look strange in a small town, especially if they are supposed to be underage," Bella said, remembering something else, "if you only foster the 'children' why are they all called Cullen?" she asked.

"You're quick." Jasper said, impressed at the way her mind grasped minute details. "Rose and I are usually either called Hale, which was her real name, or Whitlock, which was mine," he explained, "Emmett and Alice are, supposedly, children of one of Carlisle's brothers."

"When Edward returns and we move, he too will be one of our siblings." Alice added.

"But…" Bella tried to sort through her thoughts. "if Jasper and Rose are, brother and sister…"

"Twins," Esme supplied.

"Then shouldn't they sound alike? I mean it's obvious that Jasper is from Texas or somewhere south, and Rose just…isn't."

"I can be, Suga!" Rose put on a very convincing southern accent. "It's obvious to all that Jasper just cannot be bothered to get rid of his accent, whereas I did!"

Wow, there was a lot more to this living forever and blending in with humans than Bella would have ever guessed.

"I can also lose the southern accent if needed." Jasper said, sounding like Rose usually did now.

"So at the moment?" Bella asked.

"Jasper and Rosalie Hale, from New York!" his accent was now definitely one from north New York State.

"Good to know," Bella hoped she didn't give anything away about the family by knowing too much.

"You'll be fine." Alice said, giving her a one armed hug. "We have to get you home." Bella looked out of the house; it was very dark out there. She gasped and looked at her watch, it had stopped, again! "It's ok; the sun sets earlier this far north in winter. It's only just gone 7, but Charlie is home and wondering where you are, do you want to ring him?" she asked holding out a cell phone.

"No, that's ok," Bella said, "I'll see you all tomorrow?" she asked, the three other youngsters nodded. Emmett unpaused the game and Jasper quickly turned back to the screen, accusing his brother of trying to cheat.

Esme walked up to Bella and hugged her briefly, "Come back soon!" she told her.

"I will." Bella promised.

"I'll see you soon too," Carlisle said, he grabbed a bag from the side of the sofa and made his way out of the door. "Got to run, I'm on shift at the hospital this evening."

Bella's head was spinning as Alice dropped her off at her home. She 'accidently' left the bag of clothing in the back of the rather pedestrian saloon that Alice used to take her back, just taking the heavy coat, as she was already wearing it, and she really did need it.