Alice opened her mouth to speak but Edward stepped forward, looking angry. "You haven't told her! She only knows part of the truth. Emmett you idiot!" Edward shouted. He got in Emmett's face, snarling at him. Emmett pulled me behind him, protecting me in case Edward was in a fighting mood.
Uh Oh!
Chapter Eleven: Past
"Emmett, what are you thinking? Ugh, compulsive as always. Tell her now!" Edward ordered. His sudden temper confused me. What hadn't Emmett told me?
"Ok, ok. Chill, Edward. I haven't had time to tell her but I will. She knows a lot already though." Emmett was calm even though Edward glared and was still in his face. I looked from Emmett's face to Edward's, scared that they would fight.
"This is dangerous enough as it is especially when I can't read her mind, but for you to bring her here without the whole story? This is the most reckless think you have ever done, Emmett!" Edward shouted in Emmett's face. I didn't like that.
I decided to step in. "Someone tell me what is going on. Stop yelling and tell me." I demanded loudly, glaring at Edward.
"Everyone into the dining room." Carlisle's voice was calm but authoritative. Emmett pulled me close to him and walked toward the stairs. There was a doorway that opened into a room that was glass on one wall. There was a large, ornate table in the center with eight chairs around it. The others were already there, having moved too fast for me to see. Emmett sat me down in between him and Alice, his arms keeping me close.
"Emmett, tell her. Now!" Edward said. He didn't sound as angry but he watched me closely. I felt like a bug under a microscope when he looked at me like that.
"Ok. Bella, I'm not really seventeen. I just look like a seventeen year old. We are all much older than you are and the ages we appear to be. We'd all be dead by now if we were human, decrepit as we are." Emmett chuckled at the last part.
"So how old are you?" I asked, surprised that my voice didn't shake.
"I was born in 1919 somewhere in eastern Tennessee. It was near Appalachia for sure. My father had deserted my mother just before I was born and her mother died before I was a year old." Emmett wasn't looking at me, just staring at the wall. I could tell that it still hurt him to talk about this. I squeezed his hand in encouragement to tell him that I was here for him.
"My mother hated me. She blamed me for my father leaving her and her mother dying. She was never sober, always drinking in an attempt to escape her pain. I pretty much fended for myself because she wouldn't take care of me. It's a wonder I survived at all!" Emmett sounded bitter when he spoke about his mother. I sat listening to his story, my own anger at his mother burning.
Emmett continued after a minute. "What kind of mother despises her only child? What kind of person shuts down and leaves a kid on his own?" he asked angrily. I knew he wasn't looking for an answer; he knew that the answer was his mother.
"I guess I looked like my father." Emmett muttered. "She tried when I was little but as I got older, she couldn't even look at me. I was a constant reminder of what she had lost. I tried to stay away from her, especially when she was in an abusive mood. She would slap me for no reason." He grimaced, remembering the blows, no doubt. "She died a few months after I turned seventeen, though. I buried her body, packed up what little I had and left. I was headed north through the mountains to a big city –maybe New York- when I was attacked by a bear. He must have been hungry after the long hibernation since it was early spring and I was easy prey then.
"Just before the bear killed me, I was saved by an angel. She was beautiful as she lured the bear away from me and killed it. Then she picked me up and I thought she was carrying me to heaven. Scared me to death but I didn't fight. Part of me felt save with this angelic savior. The bear had trashed me pretty badly and I was in a lot of pain so I lost consciousness." He was looking at Esme as he said this with a loving grin.
"When I woke up, she was there along with a blond man. I thought he was god and that I was in heaven but I didn't feel dead. I felt alive and strong. They explained what they were, what I now was. I knew it was true, my senses were a lot sharper, my skin harder, nothing felt cold to me anymore, and I wasn't hungry like I usually am. But my throat burned like the Sahara on a hot July day." He chuckled and I sensed that he had edited some of that part of the story.
"I found out that it was Esme who had saved me from the bear and Brought me back to Carlisle to change me into this. I'm here because of them." He smiled affectionately at Carlisle and Esme, and then looked down at me. His expression quickly changed to worry. "Bella are you ok? Why are you crying?" I saw his eyes flick over to jasper briefly before they returned to my face.
I hadn't even realized that I was until he pointed it out. I felt the need to comfort him so I pulled him close to me with my arms around him in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Emmett. I'm overwhelmed by all this but mostly thankful that you're ok." I said into his chest.
"Hey, it's ok. I'm fine, Bella. Look, I have a great life now. I have a family now. I have a mother who actually loves me, a father I always wanted, and brothers and sisters I wouldn't trade for almost anything. Now I have you too. All I want now is for you and my family to be happy. Don't dwell on the past, I don't." Emmett said, rubbing soothing circles into my back.
"Ok, I want you to be happy too. I just can't help but think how unfair your human life was." I said, wiping my eyes.
"Hey, you know me. Life should be as fun as you can make it. Don't look at the past, you can't change it now. That's what I always say." Emmett said, smiling at me.
I smiled back. His happiness was contagious especially when he smiled like that at me; the dimpled smile I adore.
"So is that everything or is there more?" I asked as Edward grunted impatiently.
Emmett pushed his hand through his curls and sighed. Then he looked at Edward pointedly. I had a feeling that some communication was going on between them but I didn't know what.
"She needs to know about our abilities, Emmett. Tell her everything or I will." Edward said suddenly.
That kind of irritated me. "Ok Edward, that's getting annoying. Either talk to me or don't talk at all. You keep addressing me through Emmett at yelling at him. What's your problem with me?" I asked heatedly.
I felt Emmett chuckle and kiss my cheek. I refused to let the feel of his lips or the scent of his breath distract me as I waited for Edward to answer.
Edward smirked and shook his head, his odd bronze hair tumbling into his eyes. "To be honest, you do kind of irritate me, Bella. I can't figure you out." He tapped his temple with his fore finger. "I get none of your thoughts."
I gaped at him for a second. "Wait, you said you had abilities. You read minds, don't you?" I knew it was true. It explained so much.
He nodded. "Yes, but I'm the only one of us who can. I can hear everyone's thoughts, human and vampire alike except-"
I cut him off. "So you knew what I was thinking from the first day. You knew that I liked Emmett from the beginning." I was mortified by that. Emmett knew how crazy I was about him all along. How embarrassing!
"No, Bella." Edward contradicted. "I can't read your mind. You are the only person I've ever met in my entire existence whose thoughts are silent. It irritates me that your thoughts thwart me. I don't hate you though. My brother loves you and that alone would be enough for me to accept you. Rosalie is your friend and therefore you are mine too." Edward wrapped an arm around Rosalie and smiled at me.
I smiled back." I'm glad about that. I don't want you to be able to read my mind. The alternative is too embarrassing. I am sorry that I frustrate you, Edward."
Then something occurred to me that made my smile fade. "Is there something wrong with me? Am I a freak?" my voice was high and panicked as I said it.
Emmett held me closer as Edward chuckled and folded his arms over his chest. There was this crooked grin on his face and his bronze hair covered his eyes.
See, I tell you that I can read minds and you think there's something wrong with you? You're in a house full of vampires talking to us like you would with humans and you're worried that you are the freak?" Edward burst out laughing. I was mortified at this point. He was right; I was a freak. A normal person would never go to a house full of vampires and not be terrified. I wasn't scared; in fact, I felt comfortable here.
Alice interrupted my panic attack by saying, "there's nothing wrong with you, Bella. You belong with us. My power works just fine with you and so does Jasper's. I can see the future."
While see talked, I felt a calm that had nothing to do with me settle over me. I had been wondering if she could. It made a lot of sense because she seemed to know a lot of things most people wouldn't. "I bet you saw me coming." I murmured.
"Something likes that." She smirked. "My visions don't always happen though. The future is always changing. For instance, I saw that Emmett was the one to tell you what we are but Rose beat him to it."
"Actually, your vision did happen Alice. Just differently from what you thought." Edward contradicted again. That seemed to be his favorite thing to do.
"O-Kay. So what can you do, jasper?" I asked. I thought I knew but I wanted to be sure.
"Emotions; I can sense and control them. I knew Emmett's feelings for you from the first day he met you." Jasper answered. I blushed and pressed my cheek to Emmett's cool chest. It pleased me to know how much he liked me from the beginning. I had a few questions now but they were only for Emmett.
"I'm so happy about it too." Esme said warmly. She smiled so widely I could see a good amount of teeth.
"I have to thank you, Esme. If you hadn't saved Emmett, I wouldn't be here. Thank you for him, for my life. I owe you." I needed to tell her that. Esme had saved the man I love and I couldn't thank her enough.
"Not at all. I'm so glad you're here. My son finally found someone. I couldn't be happier." Esme looked positively jubilant, almost smug, when Emmett kissed my cheek again.
"Well if y'all are done, I'm going to show Bella upstairs." I could hear a slight Tennessee accent in Emmett's voice now. It took me a second to realize what he said because I was taking in the change in his voice. He stood up and held his hand out for me. I took it and he pulled me to him.
"You have half an hour before we need her again." Alice warned Emmett as he led me out of the room.
"You'll get her when I'm ready." Emmett said darkly, tucking me into the crook of his arm. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his chest. Alice folded her arms over her chest but didn't argue.
Emmett led me up the stairs to the second floor. He pointed out rooms as we went down the paneled hallway. We took another set of stairs to the next floor.
There were only two doors on this hallway. He stopped in front of the second door and looked at his feet, not saying a word.
"What's this? Where are we?" I asked when he didn't move.
Emmett grinned shyly. "My room."
A/N: sorry about the cliffhangers guys. it keeps you in suspense and begging for more. i didnt plan two cliffies in a row but that's how it happened. sorry for the wait. i can only type on weekdays for about half an hour. please dont get too upset with me. i love you guys. oh, before i forget. my birthday is coming up. i'll be 19 on may, 9th! yay! oh and thanks to jacob-imprinted-on-me-hehe for being my 135th reviewer on this story. you guys rock!
emeralda violeta