Agh! So sorry I haven't updated in so long. I'm just really really busy, but I did try to make this one a bit longer than usual to make up for it. I'm going to try and write more often, I promise! Love love LOVE you guys!
Luckily for me, the morning that followed was to some degree, less hectic. I did have to get up earlier in order to be back in my bed before Charlie woke up. Edward carried me yet again, claiming that Alice was going to show up to pick me up.
"She gave me a list of what you have to wear." He said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes.
"Again?" He nodded, and tried to hide a smile. "Its not funny! I swear, she could stop a war because the uniforms weren't fashionable enough." He thought about that for a moment.
"You're probably right." He conceded. "It's just funny to see how see excited she is. I mean, its not every day that she gets to hang out with someone who doesn't have, you know, habits that involve munching on deer every other week." I rolled my eyes. He took the whole vampire thing way too lightly.
"I guess." I conceded, relaxing a bit more in his arms. I was becoming a bit more accustomed to being carried around I guess. It wasn't like I had any real choice in the matter. Edward carried me; Jake carried me…even though I protested that I was not, in fact, a porcelain doll. "So what's on the list?" I asked, curiously. Even though I thoroughly protested against being a Barbie doll, I was still interested as to what she wanted me to wear. He shook his head and laughed.
"You are ridiculous." He teased. "First you complain and then you ask? I'm afraid you'll just have to wait and see." I pouted. That wasn't fair. Dang vampires. We finally arrived at my house, and he scaled a tree to bring me to my bedroom window. I breathlessly widened my eyes, in shock at how easily he glided from the ground to branch. If I hadn't known better, I would have said that he was a cat. He gently deposited me into my room. "There you go." He said, handing me the list of clothes Alice had planned for me to wear. I shifted nervously on my room.
"Thanks." I said, uncomfortably. He just stayed on the branch on the tree. "Can you um…like…go back to the house?" His eyes widened.
"Why would I do that? I should probably join Esme on surveillance." He said innocently. I looked at him.
"Right…." I said, crossing my arms.
"What?" he asked, "You don't think I would spy on you while you were changing, would you?" He asked a tad too dramatically, so I supposed that I had guessed his intentions right. Teenage boys. Vampires or not, they still were the same. I nodded. He rolled his eyes overdramatically. "Fine, I'll go." He said with an exasperated sigh. "Just call me if you need me." He dropped to the ground, and I called after him.
"Won't do!" He glanced back at me and gave me an annoyed look. I just smiled and waved back to him. I swiftly shut my window and locked it. Then, I closed the curtains firmly and tight. Just in case.
I got changed quickly into a white sundress that went with a jean jacket and of course, my black ballet flats. I glared at the curtains. I went downstairs, feigning sleepiness, in order to fool a possibly observant Charlie. I couldn't be too careful nowadays.
"Hey Dad," I said nonchalantly, plopping into the chair across from him. He looked up, holding his cup of coffee.
"Morning Bells. I hafta talk to you about something," he said "I've got to go to this state town leaders conference thing…and it's gonna take about a week. Billy's going too, otherwise I'd suggest staying at his place for the week. But I was wondering what you might think?" I pretended to think this over. I already knew the answer. Of course I would be staying at the Cullens. I would adore being able to spend more time with Jake and the tribe, but I knew that with Billy and Charlie out of town, that idea would not fly.
"Hmm…Maybe I should stay with Alice?" I suggested. His eyes widened and a smile went on his face. He loved Alice. He thought she was one of the most polite kids he'd ever met, and he just loved me and her spending time together. Almost as much as he loved me and Jake hanging out. I don't think Charlie could have been more proud of my choice in a boyfriend
"That sounds wonderful. But would her parents be fine with it?" he fretted. I loved Charlie. He was so silly sometimes.
"I'm sure," I soothed. "Remember. Alice is the queen of persuasion." He mulled that over for a second and then nodded.
"Alright." He said. "As long as it's okay with them, and if they call me by the end of the day saying it's okay. Otherwise, I'm not sure what we'll do." I nodded. It would be no problem. I was sure of it. I quickly ate breakfast and headed out to school. I drove the truck to school, without any sign of Edward. I took it as a good sign, since Charlie would have probably noticed Edward emerging from the trees. When I arrived at school, there was a big crowd of guys in the front of the building. Around them was a pile of girls. The girls were seething. The guys were drooling. I was confused.
I made my way to Jessica, who was past angry. I wouldn't have been surprised if she suddenly had steam pouring out of her ears.
"What's going on?" I asked, afraid to add anything to the already volatile volcano in front of me.
"New girl." She managed to get out. "The guys are acting like they've never seen a female before." I heard an airy voice.
"Oh you boys are so welcoming." I heard the presumable new girl purr. "However, I think I need to find a Bella Swan? She was assigned to help me around the school." I heard several collective groans. "Could you guys be ever so helpful and help me find her?" The new girl sweetly asked. I grimaced. Her voice was sweeter than caramelized cotton candy. The boys made their way to me, and showed her to me. My jaw dropped.
Her outfit was indefinitely inappropriate for school. She was wearing a black tube top with something that barely qualified as a white miniskirt along with black stilettos. Her long maple hair reached her waist, and she had dark eyes that were as black as pitch.
"There you are," she said almost condescendingly. "I was wondering where you had disappeared to me."
"Do I know you?" I asked, uncertain. She threw her head back and giggled. That's funny. I thought witches only cackled.
"Of course not." She said, looking me up and down. "I'm new. I'm Nicole Venus." She smiled and outstretched her hand to me. I gasped. When she smiled, I saw a quick flash of fangs. Or maybe it was just the light…still. I had to maintain a normal persona. I took her outstretched hand.
"Nice to meet you Nicole." I greeted her. She squeezed my hand so tight I had trouble actually getting circulation to it.
"You too, Bella." She said with a sneer. "Now, be a doll and show me where our first period is." I looked at her.
"Our first period?" She nodded.
"That's the reason I'm following you around all day. We have five classes a day together." I groaned. I had this possible vampiress in my class all day. Well, at least it would limit the numbers of possible enemies we had here in Forks. This was one. As we walked to first period, we escaped her many admirers. She turned to me in an almost deserted hallway.
"You know Bella, you should be more careful." She said, crossing her arms.
"What do you mean?" I asked. I hadn't really seen the Cullens yet today, but I had figured they were trying to come up with some kind of game plan before they did anything.
"I mean, you should watch your scent more carefully. This town reeks of you. Of you and the Cullens. And that wolfish scent. I haven't figured out what that is yet. But trust me." She said, bending down to my ear. "I will." The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. This girl, whoever she was, was dangerous. I tried to get us out of there as soon as possible. I went through the next four periods with her, and soon enough, we reached lunch, where we didn't see each other for the rest of the day. I met up with Alice.
"Alice, I need to tell you something." I said frantically to her. She looked concerned.
"Bella, what's going on?" she asked.
"You know those vampires you guys have been looking out for? Well, I've met one. And she's in five of my classes." Alice's face dropped. I quickly filled her in. Her face grew tighter.
"This is worse than I saw in my vision." She murmured. Then we saw the rest of the Cullens approaching. Alice turned to me. "We need to tell Jacob directly after school. Do you have any objection with that?" I looked at her. Did I have an objection to talking to my amazing boyfriend? Um no. She got the message. When the other Cullens arrived, she filled them in, and we quickly stopped talking about it when Nicole Venus herself arrived in the lunchroom. Instantly our mouths slammed shut, and we didn't say a word for the rest of the period.
Edward and I went to Bio, as usual, and did a lab with less talk than normal. I think he was trying to figure out other possible candidates of vampires. The class ended and I went to gym, and I was amused as Mike and I played tennis. I of course, didn't hit a single ball. I did however, hit poor Mike. He shrugged it off, but I felt bad for the poor guy. I was not a good tennis partner.
As soon as class ended, I called my Jacob, and slightly filled him in on what had happened. I planned to pick him up in a half hour and we'd meet at the Cullens. Alice insisted on accompanying me in the truck to pick him up, and when we finally got to the Cullen house, Jake and all, we got settled and prepared to figure out what to do.