Hello All! Thanks for all your fabulous reviews, messages, faves, and alerts! Some of you are hilarious! Jasper will scent you at your leisure and for you men, Char will flash her tatas for you.
This chapter contains the Psychotic Keebler Elf and another idiot. I apologize for that, but it was necessary at this point. To make up for it, Amanda says her first words-you'll actually be quite proud of her. Really, you will.
This story is AU/OOC.
All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.
Mature readers 18+ only.
Vicky's POV
My sister has finally been changed. It was a violent end to her human life, but at least we were able to save her in time to give her a new life. I wasn't happy about the circumstances that led to her change, but I was jumping up and down with joy inside that she was now a vampire.
Our lives have changed so much in the last couple of months. Bella running into the Cullens was the catalyst for change that we needed. We now had parents. Carlisle and Esme were wonderful in giving us all guidance. In addition, I gained new sisters in Charlotte and Rosalie. I was close to both of them because they both knew what it was like to be used and abused. The three of us have talked about and discussed our individual situations and we were able to give each other incredible amounts of moral support. My mother, Esme, also knew what it was like to be abused. Although, she was never raped. She knew what it was like to be beaten everyday. Her human husband used her like his own personal punching bag. She gave us strength whenever we were feeling worthless.
With my new family, I also gained brothers. Emmett was loveable and always there to lend an ear or a hand. He was also smart as a whip. He could hack into any computer system or come up with a simple solution to a seemingly complex problem. Peter, on the other hand, was a joker, but when push came to shove he was the most protective of his family and his mate.
Jasper was someone that I became extremely close to. He and I would go hunting together whenever Bella and Riley met for their brother-sister bonding time. Out of everyone in the family, including my own mate, Jasper had the best understanding of who I was. He understood the two sides to my personality. Sweet Vicky and Lethal Victoria. Sweet Vicky was who I was most of the time—caring, fun, and happy. Lethal Victoria was who I became whenever provoked or threatened—she was ruthless and unforgiving. Lethal Victoria was who Bella and the Cullens met for the first time at that baseball game in Forks. Lethal Victoria was the vampire who was hell bent on vengeance and changed Riley. Sweet Vicky is who my mate, Riley, coaxed out of Lethal Victoria's hard shell. Lethal Victoria is who controlled Alice.
"We need to call a family meeting. Too much has happened over the last few days for us not to discuss it." I heard Carlisle speaking with Eleazar.
"Everyone's here, except for Jasper and Bella." Eleazar scanned the living room. "Someone needs to go get them."
"I'm not doing it. The last time I invaded their private space, the Major nearly took my head off—literally." Peter said.
"Uh...shithead...that's because you offered to tie Bella up, spank her, and have sex with her. Of course, Jasper was gonna go all Major on you. You know how possessive he is. You're so fucking clueless sometimes!" Char shook her head in disbelief.
"I'll go." Rose offered and ran up the stairs two at a time.
Fifteen seconds later, we heard Rose yelling. "Aren't you two fucking done yet? You've been at it for nine hours. Peter is beginning to smell like a fucking Lysol factory! Jasper! There aren't any more places left on her body to scent. I swear you're worse than Emmett! Carlisle's called a family meeting so put some clothes on and get your fucking asses downstairs now!" Rose slammed their door shut.
Rosalie stomped down the stairs and sat back down. "Jasper's gone all possessive vamp again and he's scenting her. They were mid fuck when I got there so they should be down in a few minutes."
"How the hell do you scent and fuck at the same time?" Garrett asked.
"Hell if I know. He was doing it though." Rose said.
"Jasper has always been good at multi-tasking." Esme said proudly. Leave it to mom to find pride in the most fucked up things. Scenting and fucking? Come on now!
A few minutes later, Jasper and Bella walked into the living room, hand in hand, looking completely sated. Jasper sat down on the sofa and plopped Bella down on his lap. Amanda went bounding to them and jumped on a resigned Jasper's lap. I'm just relieved that it's not me that the lapdog's taken a liking to. That would just suck. I have no idea how Edward plans on training her, but he's gonna need our help. The kid has absolutely no experience in dealing with newborns. In all my years with Maria, never once have I seen a newborn that's completely lost all her faculties. She's even lost her verbal abilities. Not a bad thing since she only spouted shit when she was human, but, damn, this was gonna take some work.
"Okay, family meeting time. We have a lot to discuss." Carlisle called us and the Denalis together to the large dining table. "First of all, we need to discuss the issue of newborns. If Vicky's theory proves correct, Bella has seemingly skipped the newborn stage completely. We need to test the theory in front of humans, however. I'll need several volunteers to take Bella to the mall or supermarket to see how she fares and be ready to intervene in case her bloodlust becomes severe."
Everyone volunteered to take Bella. It was decided that it would be Jasper, Carmen, Eleazar, and Garrett that would go. The rest would be on Amanda duty.
"Bella, if you pass this test then I will allow you to attend Harvard as planned. You must keep Jasper or Garrett with you at all times, though—at least during the first year. Fair enough?" Carlisle asked.
"Definitely!" Bella smiled then ran up to hug Carlisle. Amanda followed her and hugged him too.
"Our second, more pressing order of business is the matter of Amanda. None of us were expecting her to be so...erm...helpless. We all lead busy lives, some of us are in school, some of us are working. Unfortunately, though, Edward is going to need help. What I am...excuse me for a minute..." Just then, Carlisle's phone rang.
"Yes Alice?"
The shrill voice of my new pet was coming through loud and clear from the other end. "Um...Father...I was pulled over for a speeding ticket in Beverly Hills, California and for some reason they took me into custody."
"Why did they take you into custody for a simple speeding ticket."
"I don't know. Something about missing a court date in Provincetown. I told them that I've never been in Provincetown, but they flat out refused to believe me."
We all looked up to see Rose and Bella chuckling along with Emmett. Carlisle glared at the three of them, then sighed. "What do you need me to do, Alice?"
"Well, I need you to fly to California and bail me out. Really, Carlisle is it so difficult for you to understand? Are you that clueless?"
Why that insolent little bitch! How dare she talk down to my father!
"Alice, if you want me to bail you out, you're going to have to watch your attitude." Carlisle said.
"Watch my attitude? I'm under duress! They've forced me into this hideous orange jumpsuit. They're not even 100% cotton. They're some sort of polyester blend. On top of that, orange sallows out my complexion." Alice cried. "How can you be so concerned about my attitude at a time like this! Just get me out of this hell!"
Esme looked fierce with anger. She took the phone from Carlisle and spoke. "Alice, you will treat your father with respect. Now, we can't just drop everything and fly to California to bail you out at the moment. We're kind of busy here with Amanda's change."
"Mother, surely Amanda doesn't require a whole family to handle her. She has such a sweet temperament. How difficult can one newborn be?" Alice questioned. "I'm in a real jam here. Please, just bail me the fuck out!"
"Alice, that attitude of yours is getting you nowhere. Think about it before you call us back!" Esme pressed the "end" button and handed the phone back to Carlisle.
"That was interesting. Care to explain—Emmett, Rosalie, and Bella?" My father asked menacingly.
Emmett was the first to speak. "Well, it started off like this. Ro..." He was interrupted by Carlisle's phone ringing again.
"Dr. Cullen speaking?"
"Dr. Cullen. This is Pastor Paine calling. I just received a disturbing phone call from the Provincetown Police Department. I wonder if I might have a moment of your time?"
"Yes, of course." My father replied politely.
"According to the police, there's an outstanding warrant out for the arrest of Amanda Cullen for missing a court date. Apparently, she and Alice were both arrested two weekends ago in Providence for disorderly conduct and assault and battery. I tried to tell them that it must be a case of mistaken identity because Amanda and Edward were at their home two weekends ago. I asked them to take my word as a minister, but they refused to. They said that some of the wildest kids are the offspring of church leaders. Can you believe the nerve?"
"Yes, well..." Carlisle started, but was soon interrupted by the sleazy minister.
"Anyway, I asked them to email a picture of the Amanda and Alice Cullen they were looking for and sure enough the photos were of my daughter and your daughter. I believe our daughters have been taken in by the devil himself. That devil, Dr. Cullen, is your son Edward."
We all started giggling at that one—Edward being the loudest. He was banging his head on the table, clutching his stomach and laughing. "I'm the devil? I'm a 109 year old virgin and I'm the devil. Dad, maybe you should tell him that I've taken to studying Wicca. Better yet, tell him that Amanda and I are at a nudist colony in New Zealand."
Okay, I have to hand it to the little prick. That was kind of funny.
"Ahem." Carlisle cleared his throat loudly so that we'd all stay quiet. "Pastor Paine, why do you feel that Edward is the devil? You said yourself that he was a worthy gift from God."
"Dr. Cullen, prior to their marriage, Amanda promised me that Edward would fund the five million dollars I need to start my own ministry. When she asked him for the capital last week, he apparently refused to provide the funds stating that he couldn't fund something that he had no faith in. Having no faith in my ministry means that he's lost his way with the Lord. Clearly, he's taken up with the Devil."
Carlisle was seething. So was everyone at the table. Amanda, sensing everyone's emotions whimpered and snuggled into Bella. Poor Bella. Bella handled it like a pro and ran her fingers through Amanda's hair in an attempt to calm her.
"Pastor Paine, what makes you think that Edward has that kind of money. My son just recently graduated from college with your daughter. What kind of twenty-two year old has that kind of money?"
"Dr. Cullen, even if your son doesn't, surely you can find it in your heart to support such a worthy cause." Why that fucking greasy, money grubber! Everyone was growling at this point.
"Pastor Paine, aren't you even remotely concerned about your daughter's arrest warrant?" Carlisle asked angrily.
"Yes, well, I'm sure you can help remedy the situation. Her being arrested is going to make me look bad. I looked online and news of their arrest is already in the local newspaper in Provincetown. I'm very upset at your son, Dr. Cullen." Sleazy minister said. "Now, since it was your son that caused the downfall of my daughter, I'm sure you can see where some financial restitution on your part is due to me and my wife."
"Pastor Paine?" Carlisle said gently.
"Yes, Dr. Cullen?" I could just picture the creep on the other end smiling his greasy smile.
"Fuck off!" With that my father ended the phone call. He then turned his scathing glare towards the table. "Isabella, Rosalie, and Emmett! I want answers and I want them right the fuck now! What happened after your arrest?"
"When were you three arrested?" Esme asked perplexed.
"Apparently, Isabella and Rosalie were arrested for fighting in a bar in Provincetown." Carlisle told Esme.
Esme looked deadly. "Well, answer your father kids. Now!"
Rosalie spoke first. "It's possible that Emmett may have superimposed photos of Alice and Amanda onto the arrest records."
"Okay, then how come they want Alice and Amanda Cullen? They're now known as Alice Brandon and Amanda Masen."
"Well, maybe, just maybe I ordered fake I.D.'s for me and Bella, using those names."
"Maybe or you did, Rosalie?" Esme asked.
"Did." Rosalie said.
"What's done is done. Emmett, hack into wherever you need to and expunge Amanda's arrest record. We're going to need to keep Alice's record in there for now since she's already been picked up. It'll look too suspicious." Carlisle said. "Do it now, Emmett."
"Yes, Dad." He said and ran up to his room to clear the records.
"Rose and Isabella. What in hell made you two use aliases in Provincetown?" Carlisle asked.
"Um...we were hanging out at our favorite bar and they already knew us by that name." Bella explained.
"Yes, well why did you two feel you needed to use aliases?" Carlisle prompted.
"It all started out when we went to Provincetown the first time. We were kind of in a wet t-shirt contest." Bella stated.
"A wet t-shirt contest?" Everyone except for Jasper and Amanda burst out.
"Why?" Carlisle asked furiously. "I want to know why the hell my daughters would feel the need to expose themselves in public?"
"Yeah, and more importantly, did you win?" Peter added.
"It's just that no one was there to stop us and we wanted to let our hair down and have fun for once." Rose said. "It was at a lesbian bar anyway so no men saw us."
"Wait a minute! Are you telling me that Alice and Amanda Cullen were in a wet t-shirt contest at a lesbian bar in Provincetown?" Garrett asked.
"Yeah and Alice won." Bella said.
"This shit gets better and better. The prune and the prude are now known lesbian criminals in Provincetown, Massachusetts." Garrett chuckled.
"Language, Garrett!" Carmen chided.
"Sorry Mom." How the hell does Garrett manage to look so remorseful. I can't even manage to look even half as sorry.
"When do they hold these wet t-shirt contests?" Tanya asked.
"I don't know. You'd have to call The Lonely Barmaid and ask." Rose said.
"I'll get on it right away, Tanya." Char was suddenly businesslike and pulled out her iPhone.
I swear those two are insatiable. They don't ever stop. They're total swingers too. It's not uncommon to find Rex in Char's bed or Peter in Tanya's or vice versa. We all just let them be because, hell, it's their lives. As long as they're not in our beds it shouldn't matter at all. Although, Riley and I freaked out one night when we found a naked Char laying in between us. She has a way of sneaking up on you when you're least expecting it.
"I want you girls to both sit and think about your behavior in public and the consequences of your actions!" Carlisle admonished both Rose and Bella. They flashed quick smiles to each other before managing to look dejected in front of our parents.
"Okay, done!" Emmett came downstairs with a smile on his face. "All records of Amanda Cullen have been erased."
"Oh Grizz, I love it when you go all computer geek on me." Rosalie latched on to Emmett's lips and started kissing him furiously. They stopped when Carlisle cleared his throat.
"Okay, now to deal wi..." Carlisle was interrupted by Jasper's phone ringing.
"Hello?"
"Jazzy? Jazzy pooh! It's your wife Alice. I'm in a bind, honey. I'm in jail and Carlisle and Esme won't bail me out. You need to fly to L.A., come to the Beverly Hills Police Department and bail me out. Please Jazzy pooh. I've seen you doing this—it's for the best. Afterwards we go back to my hotel and have mind-blowing sex. I can't wait to have you in my pussy. I'll even let you eat my pussy out."
Bella was growling and Amanda was sitting on her lap mimicking her. In fact, everyone was either growling or scowling.
"Who the hell is growling Jazzy? Tell them to stop! They're making me uncomfortable!" Alice sounded like a fucking brat. That's it! I can't take this shit anymore. I held my hand out to Jasper for his phone and winked at him. My brother wagged his eyebrows at me and handed me the phone.
"Hello, my pet." I spoke into the phone. "In a little bind, are we?"
"Eeeeeek!" Alice squealed. "V...V...V...Victoria?"
"Oh, you remember me, my pet. What a good girl. I heard every conversation you had with the family. Lucky for you I happened to be in the room. Now, do I have to remind you about your behavior? Yes or no will do, my pet."
"N...n...no." Alice managed to squeak out.
"Now, you've been a bad girl and you need us to bail you out, yes?" I made sure my tone of voice was sickly sweet.
"Y...y...yes."
"We're going to do that for you, my pet, but you need to learn some patience first and wait for someone to bail you out."
"Yes, Victoria." Alice whimpered.
"Oh, and Alice, you will no longer sexually harass my brother Jasper it really upsets him and his mate. I'll also be teaching you a lesson in respecting your parents. So, be ready for that my pet. Just to be sure you understand, I want you to run your fingernails over that little mark I gave you. Do it now, pet!" Lethal Victoria commanded.
"Aaaagh!" Alice shrieked in pain.
"Good girl. We'll have a few more things to go over when you get back to New Hampshire. Now, I want you to sit and wait patiently. Someone will come and get you out-eventually. No more phone calls, pet." Click. I snapped Jasper's phone shut and handed it back to him with a smile. Jasper grinned and gave me a peck on the cheek. Amanda did the same. Wonderful, now I smell like Lysol.
"Well, you handled that perfectly, angel." My mom said proudly then turned to my dad. "Carlisle, I don't think we should bail her out right away. Why don't we let her stew in jail over the weekend then have Jenks send one of his assistants down to bail her out on Monday?"
"I think that's a terrific idea, love." Carlisle smiled then started the meeting again. "Before we were interrupted, multiple times, we were discussing the topic of Amanda. Clearly, she's going to need help getting through her newborn stage. Right now, she seems to be the most comfortable with Bella, Peter, and Jasper. Unfortunately, Bella's a newborn herself, Jasper will be going to school, and Peter will be working. They simply do not have the time to care for Amanda full time and I would never ask them for that type of commitment anyway. First and foremost, she is Edward's responsibility."
"Dad, may I interject here?" Edward asked. Carlisle nodded and gave him the go ahead. "I know that my behavior in the last five years has been reprehensible to say the least. I said some cruel things about Bella and I forced my decisions and opinions on you when I had no right to. I'd like to apologize for that. I am truly sorry." He took a deep breath before he continued. "I've been working with Riley to relax my standards. He's helped me see that I can't hold anyone, including myself, to the ridiculously rigid set of rules I set."
Well, my husband really is a miracle worker. I have to hand it to him. He got through to the little shit. I still want to hurt him for what he did to Bella in Forks, though, just not as much. Maybe Kate and I can go hunting with him and she can shock him a couple of times.
Edward went on. "I know that this is a lot to ask and I know her past behavior does not warrant your kindness, but I am begging for your assistance in the matter of Amanda. She is still my mate and I feel the pull to her, but I am unequipped to handle a newborn. If you could all just pitch in just a little, I'd greatly appreciate it. The only thing that I have to offer in return is my appreciation and my tutoring services for those of you in school."
Eleazar then interrupted. "Edward, Carmen and I can definitely pitch in. We only ask that you help our girls and Garrett with their schoolwork. The girls are over a thousand years old and have never been in school since women didn't have that option at that time."
"Yeah, Eddie. I could really use your help too. I was never really good at the school thing. Kept chasing boys. I'm kinda nervous about college, I don't have the brains that the rest of ya do." Charlotte said.
"Now, Char, I don't ever wanna hear you chastising yourself like that again!" Peter said. "You have the brains, you just never put in the effort. I've got faith in you sugar." Despite his cockiness and lack of filter, Peter really does love Charlotte. He'll do anything to keep her happy.
Charlotte planted a passionate kiss on Peter's lips. Aww...that was sweet. Oh-oh! Here comes Amanda. Poor Peter, there she goes mimicking Charlotte and kissing him smack, dab on the lips.
"Your mate tastes like Listerine." Peter said to Edward, as he wiped his mouth off with the sleeve of his shirt. He looked like he wanted to vomit.
"Yes, I know. Refreshing, isn't it?" Edward actually looked excited—almost as if he were sharing a good thing about his mate.
"Whatever you say Eddie. Listen, I'll help you with Amanda after work and stuff if you help my wife get through school. Who knows? She may be able to teach you a thing or two too." Peter winked.
"I'll help when I can." Bella said to everyone's shock. "What? Why are you all surprised? She's kind of growing on me. Besides, it's the only pet that Peter and I will ever own together." Amanda crawled over to Bella, climbed onto her lap, and snuggled into her.
The rest of us told Edward that we'd be happy to pitch in. Edward thanked us graciously. The Cullens really are a forgiving bunch, aren't they?
Alice's POV
"Miss, that was two phone calls. I'm gonna have to take you back to lock-up now." The prison guard said. I looked up at him, resigned to my fate, and allowed him to put handcuffs on me and bring me back to my cell. The irony was that I could easily break free of the handcuffs, overtake the guard, and just run. I knew the importance of keeping up a human facade though so I just went with it.
I couldn't believe that Carlisle and Esme were so selfish on the phone. They couldn't pull their heads out of their asses and think about the situation I was in, for once. Okay, sure I was the one that was stupid enough to be pulled over for a speeding ticket, but this warrant for arrest for missing a court date in Provincetown, of all places—that's clearly human error. Why would I be in Provincetown? Why would I be anywhere near that place? On top of those charges, I was also booked for using a false name. I guess when they ran my driver's license, a note came up that said, " Known Alias: Alice Cullen." That's why they booked me. All I know is that whomever was trying to sabotage me was thorough. I wonder if it was the Volturi? I better start searching my visions for answers—I have nothing better to do anyway.
I was thrown into a 6 X 8 feet jail cell with a bunk bed on one side and a toilet on the other. My roommate was a large tattooed woman named Bernice who kept winking at me—almost as if she were trying to pick me up at a bar or something. As if? Why would I ever be interested in a woman? I'm Alice Brandon Cullen and I'm a sex goddess. Men fall to my feet in lust. I remember when I was married to Jasper, he used to beg to make me cum. I have to admit that Jasper was good at his job. He knew it too. After a mind blowing orgasm, he'd always have a shit-eating grin on his face. He'd never hover around and expect to hold me or anything stupid like that afterwards. He'd always go on and do his own thing and let me clean up in peace. Most men liked to shower with their mates afterwards, but never Jasper. He was amazing. I miss the physical aspect of our relationship tremendously.
Now, though, my sworn enemy is Bella Swan. How dare the little whore encroach on my territory. My entire family seems to be taken in by her—especially Jasper. Jasper is fucking her. He's actually fucking her. The worst thing is that I thought I had taken care of the little bitch when we left Forks. I knew that Jasper and Bella were mates, but that she'd have to date Edward first before it happened. I knew that almost one year from the day that we left Forks, on Bella's 19th birthday, Emmett would find her, bring her home to New Hampshire, and Jasper and Bella would see each other and become instantly mated. I couldn't let that happen, even though I knew he wasn't my mate—I don't like to share what was once mine—so I worked diligently to find a solution in my visions. My visions told me that if Bella spilt blood on her birthday, Jasper would be completely overcome by our combined bloodlust and there was a fifty-fifty chance that he would drain her. If that didn't happen, I had a back-up plan. I saw it, clear as day, in a vision while I was shopping that Victoria had decided to drain her and leave her for dead. So, with Bella as good as dead and Jasper out of the picture, all I had to do was wait for Edward to meet his true mate, marry her, and change her—then I would meet mine. A split second decision that Victoria made must have changed everything because now, not only is Victoria mated to Bella's brother—who, by the way, is hot as hell—but she is now part of the Cullen family and has some sort of control over me. I've never been so terrified of any one person in my life and my brain seems to automatically register that if I don't do what she says the consequences would be deadly. The worst thing is that she's actually taking orders from Jasper who really seems to like her.
I needed to look for a solution to my current problems. The thing is, I couldn't see anything to do with my family anymore—even Edward and Amanda. I do hope Amanda is doing well, she was so obedient and let me play dress up with her all the time. She never complained like that skank Bella did.
I can't see a thing. At least not anything to do with the family. Oh no. Oh no. They're going to put me on laundry duty here in jail starting tomorrow. Oh God! I've never done laundry in my entire life. Esme always took care of it for me and when I was living in Dartmouth, Amanda did everything for me—she even cleaned our house from top to bottom for us. She did use a boatload of Lysol though. Oh well, can't complain though—beggars can't be choosers.
Hmm...what else? Oh! Oh! I get to meet my mate as soon as I get out of here. I go for a quick hunt, do some shopping, and I'll run into him. Still can't see a face though. Maybe it'll come to me soon.
"Alice, Bernice get your asses down to the mess hall for dinner!" The lock to the cell clinked open and Bernice and I were escorted to the cafeteria. Oh fuck me, I have to eat human food! Probably three times a day by the looks of it. Get me the fuck out of here!
Anything else before I have to eat human food? Ew! Bernice is going to proposition me after dinner. No way am I doing that to her! Absolutely not! I only like men. Oh God! If I don't, I'll end up draining her and get charged with murder. That can't happen either. The Volturi will get involved and execute me on the spot. What am I going to do?
Garrett's POV
This should be interesting. Jasper and I are taking Bella to the little country store on Main Street. If that goes well, then we're moving on to the huge Walmart Supercenter on Route 101. I'm hopeful that she'll pass her test because so far she's so unlike any newborn I've ever known. When Vicky thrust that mug AB positive under her nose, she didn't even flinch. I could smell it from the living room and I nearly knocked down Emmett in order to go get it. Animal blood is okay, but it's just not as satisfying as the real thing. Unfortunately, with this family, it's go vegetarian or goodbye.
Jasper and I climbed out of my truck with Bella. Carmen and Eleazar were parked, waiting in their Mercedes in case they were needed. We walked into the store where Bella was to ask for a pack of Marlboro's and some lottery tickets.
Bella was completely calm as she approached the counter. "Hi. Can I have a pack of Marlboro's and two Powerball tickets please?"
"Which one's?" The store clerk asked. Bella looked to me since they were my cigarettes.
"Red." I whispered, so only she could hear.
"Uh...the red ones please."
"I'll need to see your ID." The clerk said.
Bella handed her ID over to the clerk.
"Such a pretty little thing." He said. "Too bad you aren't single." Why that fucking scum bucket! Don't you go flirting with Bella!
The clerk looked scared when Jasper and I both started growling. "Uh...that'll be $10.52." He gulped, then pissed himself.
Bella gave him fifteen bucks, told the guy to keep the change and high tailed it out of the store and into Carmen and Eleazar's Mercedes.
"That bad?" Eleazar asked sympathetically.
"Yes. I can't take these two anywhere. They started growling at the store clerk and he peed his pants." Bella said.
Carmen glared at me and Jasper. "What happened?"
"He looked at Bella." We both said.
"Well, Bella is beautiful. People are going to look at her." Carmen grabbed both of us by our chins. "You two can't go growling at everyone who glances at her. It's going to happen more often than not. Imagine if you were with the three succubus sisters. Now get in your truck and meet us at Walmart."
"Yes, Carmen." We both said as we got into my truck.
"Why the fuck did you have to growl at the guy?" Jasper asked me.
"Me? You're the one that went fucking caveman. I bet you were thinking of scenting her, weren't you?"
Jasper looked out of the window. "Why the hell would I scent her there? That guy was no threat."
"We were both growling at him fucker!"
"Fuck you!" He yelled.
"Fuck you too!" I lit up a cigarette and offered him one, which he took. "You know, you lucked out completely with your mate, man."
"I know. She could have easily been like Amanda. I can't even imagine it. I've never met a newborn like Bella before and I've known thousands. The only bloodlust I felt in that store was coming from you and me. When I took her hunting yesterday, she heard the heartbeat and went for the kill, but I felt absolutely no bloodlust coming from her."
"Gee whiz! Victoria said that Riley was like that too. Lucky fuckers! It took me years before I could be around humans. I'm actually worried about starting school. What if I drain a classroom full of kids?" I was more than worried. I would be alone in all of my classes since I'm an undergraduate and Jasper and Bella were graduate students.
"You'll be fine. Your bloodlust isn't as bad as Edward's is. His is actually the worst in the family and he can still control himself in a classroom full of kids. Have you met your singer yet?"
"Yeah, I drained her years ago. I couldn't control myself. I was only two years into this life when it happened." I took a drag off of my cigarette.
"Well, they say you only have one singer, so at least you know that you won't be meeting anyone as tempting." Jasper assured. "If you need help, just call or text me. We're on the same campus so I'll find a way to get to you."
We got out of the truck and were met by Carmen, Eleazar, and Bella. I was actually pretty excited about going to Walmart. I'd heard about this store, but never been inside one. Hell, the only stores I've ever really been in are convenience stores where I just run in for my smokes and an occasional lighter.
"Welcome to Walmart. Have a nice day." An old man in a blue vest greeted us. Well, that's friendly. I might as well get used to interacting with humans. I was a human-drinking nomad up until five years ago and the only human interaction I had for over two hundred years prior to that was immediately before I drained them. In Denali, we were secluded so we rarely dealt with humans. I extended my hand to shake the man's hand.
"Good day, kind sir. My name is Garrett? How fare thee today?"
"Wrong era, Garrett." Jasper whispered. Damn! I keep forgetting to adjust my speech to keep up with the times.
"Good, I suppose." The man seemed a little perplexed. Okay, what do I do now? Oh, I know, I'll talk about the weather.
"A fine day out today, I must say." I said.
"It's overcast and cloudy. It's probably going to rain." The man answered.
"Yes, I know. Perfect day for our kind...oops...I meant humans...yes, that's right...humans to go out."
"Right. Let's go Garrett. We've got some shopping to do before we take you back to the 'facility'." Jasper dragged me into the store. "He's called a greeter, man, his job is to greet people at the front as they walk in. You're not supposed to have conversations with them."
"Well, how the hell was I supposed to know? We didn't have greeters back in my day."
"Okay, Bella, if you need to leave. Just let one of us know. You'll be within arms reach of someone at all times." Eleazar said a little worried.
Bella nodded, then grabbed a shopping cart and started pushing. "God, I love this store. Everything you need in one stop. Look, we can even get the oil changed. Okay, so what do we need?"
"Well, we need tons of clothes for Amanda." Carmen said. "Her closet is filled with functionally obsolete clothes that Alice chose. We're just going to get rid of those and purchase some easy pieces. She'll need everything from underwear to t-shirts to jeans. I suspect she'll be going through at least ten outfits a day until she can gain control of her motor skills."
"Fuck me!" Bella exclaimed in shock. "Ten outfits a day?"
"Language, carina!" Carmen scolded.
"Lo siento." Bella apologized in Spanish. "Okay, let's do this. Do you have her sizes?"
"Yes, carina, now we should get a hundred of everything plus two hundred bras and panties."
Bella's jaw dropped. "I think everyone's going to need a shopping cart."
We loaded up the carts with clothes for Edward's mate. With Bella choosing her outfits, for the first time in her life, the girl was going to look her age. Alice is going to throw a fit when she finds out what Bella's done to Amanda's wardrobe. I can't wait.
"Carmen, is there stuff we can get Amanda to mask her scent a little?" Jasper asked. No shit, the girl smells like a nursing home.
"Sure, maybe we can change her soap and shampoo so she doesn't smell like a hospital waiting room mixed with kitty litter." Carmen said.
"Why is it that Edward isn't repulsed by her scent?" Bella asked.
"The boy has strange tastes. It's clear she's his mate, though, because he's the only one that thinks she smells refreshing. He told me that her scent reminds him of his boyhood home." Eleazar crinkled his nose.
We all had disgusted looks on our faces after hearing that. He must have grown up in a stinky home. Carmen loaded the shopping cart up with scented soaps and shampoos for Amanda. "Hey, Carmen, we used to mask my dad and my scents by spraying everything with Lysol because it was repulsive to Victoria. What if we sprayed all her clothes with Febreeze?"
"Carina, that might work. At this point we should try anything and everything. I think my sense of smell is becoming dulled." Carmen and Bella filled the shopping carts up with all sorts of air fresheners and fabric refreshers.
Eleazar then spoke. "Bella, you seem to be doing fine. How do you feel? Any bloodlust?"
"Normal." Bella said.
"I don't feel an ounce of bloodlust coming from her." Jasper said. "More from the four of us, but minimal. It's not like going to one of these places with Edward or Alice."
"Interesting." Eleazar had a fascinated expression on his face. "Well, let's see what all the hype about Walmart is and look around, then."
We walked around the store and I was amazed. I had never been to a store such as this. It was one-stop shopping at it's best. "Look! They even have bicycles here." I couldn't help myself. I've always wanted to try riding one of these. I grabbed a blue one and mounted it. Eleazar grabbed a red one and did the same. "So how do we drive these things?"
"You hold on to the handle bars to steer and put your feet on the pedals and propel yourself." Bella explained.
"Sounds easy enough." Eleazar said. "Let's give it a go." With that Eleazar and I both did as Bella instructed. It really was easy. Soon the two of us were pedaling the bicycles throughout the store. I started going faster and soon the humans and the store aisles looked like blurs to me.
"Um...guys. You should probably stop. You're attracting attention." We heard Jasper speaking from somewhere.
Good idea. How do I stop this? "How do these things stop?" I called out.
"Pull back on the silver levers sticking out from the handles!" Bella yelled out.
Ah, these must be it. I pulled back on the levers and was suddenly flung unceremoniously off the bicycle onto a display of apples. I saw Eleazar landing a few feet away from me into a display of tomatoes. Oh fuck.
The store manager came running up to us out of breath, his face as red as a lobster. "I'm tired of you college kids coming in here and pulling pranks in the store. Out! Get out!" He yelled, then turned to Carmen, Bella, and Jasper with their five loaded shopping carts. "You three—leave with them! Did you think you could just fill up the shopping carts and abandon them somewhere in the store just to make more work for my employees. Out! Get out! Don't come back either!"
The five of us left the store quickly. We didn't need the manager calling the cops on us or anything.
"I swear, I can't take you boys anywhere!" Carmen huffed. "Now what are we going to do? We still have to shop for Amanda."
"Yes, and we have to buy bicycles for everyone. Those are fun!" Eleazar added. He was covered from head to toe in tomato juice just like I had bits and pieces of apples clinging to me.
"We can always drive to a different Walmart or go to Target. I don't see the point in going to the mall if Amanda's going to be ripping through ten outfits a day." Bella said.
In the end, we decided to go to a different Walmart. Bella and Carmen ran in to pick up new clothes for Eleazar and me first. Bella even grabbed some bath towels so we could wipe off some of the apples and tomatoes before getting dressed.
"Bella picked the clothes. You both look so young!" Carmen commented smiling. Bella had put us both in sneakers, jeans, and sports team jerseys. Mine was a Boston Red Sox baseball jersey while Eleazar wore a New England Patriots football jersey. "Now, you two behave yourselves this time when we go into the store!"
We quickly grabbed what we needed for Amanda and loaded everything into the trunk and the backseat of the Mercedes. We didn't have room in the bed of my truck because Eleazar insisted on purchasing bicycles for every Cullen and Denali. He apparently found a new hobby.
We drove back to the Cullens where everyone was waiting anxiously to hear about Bella's first day out in public. "What took you guys so long? How did Bella do?" Carlisle asked from the front porch where he had apparently been pacing the entire day.
"She was fantastic!" Eleazar beamed. "Not an ounce of bloodlust."
"She was well behaved too—unlike these two." Carmen pointed at me and Eleazar.
"Excellent. I suppose you can go to school as planned, Bella." Carlisle had a look of pride on his face as he engulfed his newest daughter in a hug. "So, why are you all so late and why are there twenty bicycles in the bed of Garrett's truck?"
"Dad, Uncle Eleazar and Garrett decided to take up bike riding." Bella explained. "They tried them out at the first Walmart and ended up crashing into a display of apples and tomatoes. The manager threw us out and banned us from the store so we had to go to a different Walmart."
"That's why we're so late." Jasper added. "We had to drive all the way to Salem to a different Walmart."
Carlisle had an amused expression on his face. "Eli, you're looking a bit young?"
"Yes, well, I had tomato juice all over me. Bella dressed me up."
The others soon came out of the house to greet us and to help us unload. Amanda came bounding up to Bella and jumped up into her arms. Bella just patted her head as if she were a baby. The women all went to Edward and Amanda's room to try to weed through her wardrobe and to teach her how to dress herself while we men sat around the living room to talk.
Suddenly, Jasper's cell phone started ringing. "Oh, thank God I got you Jazzy! This is your wife." It was the fucking delusional pixie bitch.
"I don't have a wife." Jasper stated. "What the fuck do you want?"
"Jazzy pooh! I'll always be your wife. You really need to get me out of here! They want me to work in the laundry room! Can you imagine?"
"How are you using the phone, Alice?" Jasper asked.
"I snuck out of the mess hall and into one of the offices. Jazzy please! I won't survive in here. It's brutal in here! If you get me out I saw in a vision that you and I have mind-blowing sex afterwards at the Beverly Hills Hotel."
"I have mind-blowing sex everyday Alice." Jasper chuckled.
"Yes, well the whore you're with is only a human. How mind-blowing can it be?" Alice fucked up right then and there. Calling Bella a whore wasn't helping her case at all. We all started growling.
"Why the fuck is everyone growling? It's a fact, Bella Swan is a greedy, money grubbing whore! You should just let Amanda eat her!"
Peter took the phone away from Jasper—who, at this point, looked like a raging bull. "Hello, bitch." Peter said casually.
"What do you want? Put my husband back on the phone!" Alice ordered.
"Bitch. I just wanted to ask, how are ya liking your new cellmate?"
"I don't know what you're talking about?" Alice scoffed.
"Really, cause something popped into my brain a few hours ago. I didn't realize you swung that way, bitch. That would explain why you couldn't keep your man."
"You...you...how dare you!" Alice screeched.
"I want to offer you some words of wisdom, bitch. First of all, stay away from the Major. You try and call him again and I'll make sure to fuck you up then turn all of the pieces into ash. Second, you even talk about Bella again, in a less than flattering way, I can promise you that I'll burn your ass alive. Oh wait a minute. You don't have an ass." Peter then paused before speaking again. "Third and this is the most important part, watch your teeth when you go down on your cellmate. You wouldn't want the Volturi coming to get ya now, would ya?"
"You...you...if you tell anyone..." Alice started threatening Peter just as Amanda came flying onto Peter's lap."
"Goodbye, bitch." Peter said to Alice.
From atop Peter's lap, we heard Amanda say her first words loud and clear—just before Peter ended the phone call. "Goodbye, bitch." As the word's left his mate's mouth, Edward's jaw hit the floor.
Peter looked like a proud father as he heard the words tumble out of her mouth. "Good girl." He cooed as Amanda snuggled up to him. Aww...what a touching moment.
So, anyone want to kill Alice? What about our greedy minister? I can't believe the vamps got thrown out of Walmart, can you? I'd love to hear what you think. I'll write back, you know I love chatting with ya! XOXO