Chapter 12
The market was bustling with life. It was amazing what the smugglers could get their hands on during their nightly raids. Some of the merchandise was made down in the caverns as well, such as jewellery. Bella only had a few coins left of her weekly allowance, but she could afford a pair of earrings in the shape of butterflies with small pink glass jewels on the wings.
She felt so happy walking hand in hand with the beautiful, handsome, sexy, attractive, amazing and awesome glorious Edward, knowing that their love was no longer a forbidden secret. Jake was under lock and key at the police station, where Combeferre could not get his hands on him, and there was an elated spirit about the whole town knowing that the werewolf spy had been caught.
René came over to them.
"Ok, kids," he said. "We're done shopping and are going home now. I suppose you'll want to stay out for a bit."
"No worries, Dad," said Cossette. "Marius will drive us home tonight."
"We thought we'd go sing karaoke," said Enjolras, with his arm around Eponine's shoulder. "It's been a while since we've been out on the town just enjoying ourselves."
"Yes, good idea," said Marius. "Let's go to Dark London."
As they walked along the busy streets, Bella wondered what song she was going to sing to Edward. It would have to be something romantic and heartfelt, with deep, true meaning. Was Edward going to sing a song to her as well? She hoped so. Normally she wasn't a show off, but there was something irresistable about the idea of declaring her love of Edward with a song in front of all their friends, and hearing him do the same.
Bella wished she'd known they were going out on the town, so she could have dressed up a little more flashy. She was wearing a knee-long white floral dress and a light green cardigan with Victorian-style embroidery. But she supposed it looked sweet and innocent, appropriate for a girl in her first true romance.
Dark London wasn't too full yet, because it was still quite early, and people were out enjoing the day in the parks and street cafés. On Marked Day the food was always better everywhere, because the cooks could use real eggs and milk instead of sewer turtle eggs and rat milk, which to be honest made everything taste kind of funny.
They found a table in a corner, and sat down. The other Cullen kids sat down with their significant others at the next table.
"Here's the list of songs," said Emmet, handing a clip-board to Marius.
"I'll go first," said Eponine. "Already know which song I'm going to sing."
Bella decided to wait for her turn, so she had time to pick out the best song she could think of. Emmet and Jasper were snickering over at the other table. They probably had some prank number in mind.
Eponine went up to the stage. She looked really great in a knee-long khaki coloured dress, a distressed denim jacket and high-tops. Her hair had been cut in a layered style that really suited her. Contrary to popular belief, vampires' hair did continue to grow, because hair isn't really living tissue anyway. Nails and teeth grew too, though teeth much more slowly. When Eponine became a vampire, the teeth she had left were in a terrible condition, but they had grown back healthy and white.
"Hi everyone," Eponine said from the stage. "I'm going to sing my favourite song, which is Leave the Light On by Beth Hart. It is dedicated to Enni, who is the love of my life and the reason I finally know what it feels like to be completely happy."
They all cheered for Eponine as she started to sing.
"I see myself with a dirty face
I cut my luck with a dirty ace
I leave the light on
I leave the light on"
Wow, she had a really good voice. She got a solid round of applause from the audience when she finished. After her Enjolras took the stage. He sang Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, which was sort of funny, because he usually dressed a bit like the band did in the video for that song. He truly looked like a revolutionary rock-star hero while he sang. Bella tried not to look too much at him, because he was so strikingly handsome and it was unfair to Edward and Eponine if she thought of him that way.
Next one up was Marius. Bella could look at him, because he wasn't her type at all. He sang a song by Nickelback.
Alice and Rosalie were next. They sang The Power of Love in perfect harmony. Then it was Bella's turn.
After having thought really hard about it, she had picked Fairytale By Taylor Swift, because it was the only song that could truly express how she felt at the moment. Her dark longing for Edward in lonely nights was finally over. Now they could soon reveal to the world that they were engaged, and plan their own fairytale wedding. Bella had already decided exactly what kind of dress she was going to wear. It was definitely not going to be anything weird, with the back transparent all the way down to her ss, like a dress she'd seen in a magazine recently.
Bella felt a little nervous when she entered the stage. Although the room wasn't full, she felt like there were thousands in front of her. The intro played, and she started singing, happy to realize that her voice sounded really great. While she sang, she looked directly at Edward all the time, imagining everything she sang about playing out like a film with the two of them in the main roles. She really wished she had the power of projecting images, so everyone could see how lovely it was.
After the song had finished, Bella almost fluttered down to the table, where Edward greated her with a kiss.
"You were wonderful, darling Bella," he said, gazing fathomlessly into her eyes. "Now I will sing a song to you."
Edward went up on the stage, and took the mike. "I will now sing a special song to a very special lady," he said. The audience barely looked interested, those bastards. "This is a song for my true love, Isabella Aberforce, the Swan. I have written it myself from my own heart."
Bella's face was a big cheesy grin, but tears were dripping down her cheeks. Then Edward started singing.
"oh my darling the day I met you
My heart was cryin black tears of pain
Like the petals of a black grieving rose
But then you came and turned my world around again
Now all I think of is you, my graceful songbird
The one my bleeding heart loves the most
It was so beautiful that Bella was nearly sobbing. How could someone be so talented that they could write something as amazing as that? Of all the people she knew, only Edward was capable of such true art.
"I love you now and forever
And with a raven's midnight feather
I will paint your face on the ceiling
So I can look at you when I sleep
And if you ever leave me
I will rip my chest open in a pool of blood
And carve your name onto my heart
Because my love is just that deep" sang Edward.
Bella could hear the barely hidden pain in his voice. She had no doubts that he meant every word of it. How could he even think that she'd ever leave him? Just the thought of hurting him carved a hole in her soul.
"I was being pierced
By the rusty spikes of an iron maiden
But now you have set me free
I was being streched on the rack
My heart and lungs were in the pillory
Oh darling if you only knew
How a barbed wire feels in your soul
And how cold the dungeons are without you
OK, now she was bawling, and she didn't care about the others giving her funny glances. Edward was crying too. She could see the big, crystal tears running down his alabaster marble cheeks. That made her cry even more. She felt like the heroine of a great romance.
"But my darling butterfly
My faceless love for you
Will survive volcano eruptions
And grow coral reefs in the blue
And when marshmallow hearts with sprinkles
Melt in the glow of our love
The stars will dance in your eyes
And the unicorns sing in the roses"
Bella slowly lifted her head from her arms, still shaking from crying so hard. She looked around her. Eponine was drawing a "tattoo" on Enjolras. Cosette and Marius were sucking face. Hadn't they paid attention at all to Edwards anguished declaration of his love for her? That was a major let down. Some friends they were. For some reason Jasper and Emmett were hiding their faces in their hands. And it dawned on her! They were laughing!
"How dare you laugh, you despicable tapeworms?" Bella shouted, running over to their table. "He's your brother, show some respect!"
Angry tears were pouring from her eyes. She felt Cosette's arm around her shoulder, leading her back to the table.
"What's wrong Bella?" Edward asked, coming back from the stage. "Didn't you like my song?"
"Oh, Edward!" she gasped, throwing her arms around his neck. "I loved it! It was beautiful! But those two burgeoise mongrels," she pointed at Emmett and Jasper, "they laughed at you Edward! They thought your pain was funny!"
Edwards eyes grew firey red, and small glowing dots appeared on his brother and brother-in-law's foreheads. Alice jumped in front of Jasper.
"No, Edward! Don't hurt him!"
Just then the door burst up, and in came Combeferre
"What on Earth are you doing?" he asked. "Why are you here at this dingy bar, getting into childish fights, when the revolution needs every one of you?"
"It's OK," said Enjolras. "I said we could take the day off since Noir has been caught. It's been too long since we've had fun, Com."
"Wrong!" said Combeferre. "Noir has not been caught. He's been taken to that corrupt snake pit of a police station, were Aberforce will probably give him instructions and set him free to go on with his mission."
"That's not true!" Cosette shouted. "How much does Dad have to do for the city before you'll believe that he's not a werewolf?"
"She's right," Bella intervened. "Dad has said that he's going to interrogate Jake and try to turn him to our side."
Combeferre sneered. "You're both such gullible morons!" he spat. "Either you wizen up and stop adoring your corrupt hick father, or you're both out of the resistance. And yes, that means that none of the resistance can have anything to do with you anymore, and that we will treat you like the enemy on similar terms as your father, the Noirs and Javert."
"Please, Bella," Edward said pleadingly. "Give it a rest, I can't bare to have you as my enemy!"
"Enough of the puppy love," Combeferre snapped. "And that goes for all of you. Your pityful teenaged woes has derailed me from what I came here to say."
"And what was that?" Enjolras asked.
"Valjean is back in town," Combeferre answered with a smug grin. "Things are going to be different around here. And that, my comrades, means that you need to take this revolution seriously! So hop into your cars, and we're off to Valjean's house."