Chapter 3: Creepy neighbors
The unexpected always happens – Benjamin Disraeli~
"Honey, where did Sasha get that tiara? It looks wonderful on her!" Mom gushed with a wide smile.
"It's the new boutique downtown, mom. You should go visit it sometime. The tiara looks very authentic, doesn't it?" I bit my lip as I clicked the next photo.
Mom wanted to see all the photos I had taken during the Halloween dance. There wasn't much since I wasn't really photogenic so I tried to avoid most of the shots. But Heidi had the camera and nothing could stop her.
The next photo was a picture of me near Heidi's borrowed car from her mom. My smile looked a little forced and my eyes looked freaked out, probably scared of something. That was because it was taken a little after my strange encounter with Edward Masen.
"Mmm…..you don't look happy in this." Mom caught on, and gave me a concerned glance.
"I was just tired," I reasoned looking down and then I jumped up from the chair I was sitting before the computer. "Mom, you know what, I'm not feeling good so you look at the pictures and tell me later if you liked them."
"Okay," She blinked in confusion but she placed herself before my computer.
I walked to the large window in my room and stared outside at the busy road. Heidi came out of her house correctly at that time and seemed to have sensed my stare. She looked up and waved at me. I gave a tiny wave back.
Heidi pulled her iphone out of her jeans pocket and typed something. Immediately my cell chirped from where it sat on the desk. I flipped it open and saw a new text.
What's up? – H
I glanced at my mom who was engrossed in staring at a photo of Alec and me.
Mom is looking through our Halloween pics – B
She better not see my cleavage shot – H
I gave her a wink but I didn't know if she saw it. She sat beside her mom in the car and they both backed out of the street. Heidi had her dentist appointment today and Sasha was still sleeping. She slept till noon on Saturday mornings. Her little cousin brother sounded very amused when he informed me that through the phone.
I didn't know how he got hold of Sasha's cell. She would throw a fit if she came to know that.
"Bella, come here." Mom suddenly interrupted me. The computer screen was displaying the picture of a beautiful old house.
Uh-oh
"Yes?" I prompted as I neared her. I wasn't really keen on answering her suspicious questions.
"When did you take this?" She asked.
"It was test shot. I took it before I went to the dance on Wednesday." I replied casually.
The house in the picture was just at the corner of my street. It was abandoned since its residents had died a century ago. And surprise, surprise, the Masens owned that house. They weren't alive, of course. The house was just four houses away from mine.
"Mom, do you know anything about the Masens?" I asked tentatively.
Mom looked up with a smirk. "Not really, just that their son Edward died during the World War 1. His parents died soon after him, they had caught the Spanish flu."
"Anything else? I know these things already." I waited eagerly while she thought about it.
"Well...there's a rumour that Edward fought in the front line of the Army." She turned back to click the next picture.
Wow, he fought in the front line? He must have been ncredibly brave and courageous. The only disturbing problem was, whenever I thought about the soldier Edward Masen, all I could see was the other handsome Edward Masen's face I had met days ago on Halloween.
"Bella, can you go grocery shopping for me? My car key is on the coffee table." Mom pleaded suddenly.
"Sure," I muttered under my breath. "Anything to get my mind off Edward Masen."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Give me the list."
After she told me all the things she needed, she came down with me to the living room and tossed me her car key.
"It would be so much easier if I had my own car." I said suggestively as I glanced at her.
"We'll see about that," She smirked and disappeared inside the kitchen.
Fifteen minutes later, I parked mom's Ford Fiesta and went inside the Kal-key grocery store. Sadly, it was the only largest grocery store available in Forks.
I went down the second aisle and started collecting the required things in the basket. I paused in the snacks section to get myself a few things. Though Sasha and Heidi put on the act that they were on a strict diet, I knew that they loved the particular spicy chips I always bought.
I was bent down, picking a packet on the last shelf when a strong perfume smell filled the area. It definitely wasn't cheap; it was more like entering the perfume section in the Saks. It was a mixture of rose and cinnamon. I didn't know if they went well together but they actually did.
I rose up and saw the backside of that perfume woman. Her walnut colored hair was long and wavy, it kind of made me touch my hair and sigh. She had a cookie packet in her hand, reading the label. I grimaced when I saw the brand of that cookie.
"You shouldn't eat it unless you want to know what poop tastes like," I supplied to her as I picked my basket from the floor.
"Oh," She turned to look at me. I decided that her face was gorgeous than her hair with delicate features. She was paler than me when compared, hey; growing up in Forks was like growing under the earth without any sunlight.
"I'm not really familiar with the brand," She confessed with a striking smile. "Would you kindly help me?"
I let out a small laugh. "Sure,"
I gave her another reliable brand of cookies and she thanked me, looking grateful. Her eyes were really pretty-a rare golden, I decided.
"Are you from around here?" I asked, trying not to pry too much. I had never seen her before. Forks was starting to hold many strangers now.
"No, I'm from Chicago. My husband - oh, there he is!" She wrapped her arms around a handsome blond man who had just entered the aisle.
"I'm Esme and this is my husband Carlisle Cullen." She introduced, looking at me expectantly.
"Oh, I'm Bella." I said and shook their hands. Woah, their hands were really cold.
Carlisle regarded me curiously. He had golden eyes just like his wife and was very handsome, more handsome than any Hollywood actor I had ever seen in a movie.
"I was having food trouble; and this beautiful girl saved me from buying poop." Esme said meaningfully to Carlisle and we shared a laugh.
"So, nice meeting you both." I said with a grin as I backed away.
"Yeah, nice meeting you," Carlisle nodded and Esme waved merrily.
I went to the counter and paid the bill before I left to the car. As I reversed the car from the parking lot, I glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Esme and Carlisle watching me from the entrance of the store.
The next day, Sunday, I woke up to a commotion. I walked to the window which gave me an clear view of the street. Three moving vans stood in front of the abandoned Masens house at the corner of the street.
I quickly took a bath, dressed and ran downstairs.
"Is someone moving into the Masens house?" I asked dad who was reading the newspaper in the kitchen. Dad was the chief of police, so I knew that he was aware of everything that happened in this town.
He looked up and nodded. "The Cullens, I heard. I haven't met them yet."
"Cullens?" I sputtered in surprise. "Cullens as in Carlisle Cullen and Esme Cullen?"
"I am not sure of their first names, Bella." Dad wasn't useful. Aaaaagh.
"Where is mom, anyway?"
"Here," Mom came in through the front door. "I just went to greet our new neighbors and yes, you're right, they are Carlisle and Esme."
"They are not our neighbors, mom. They are, like, four houses away." I reasoned drily.
She rolled her eyes. "Bella, when are you ever going to learn to be friendly? They are going to live in our street here after."
"Yeah, but doesn't mean that I have to give them plate of brownies." I joked and rolled my eyes back at her.
Mom and dad exchanged weird looks.
"No, you don't. You are not giving them plate of brownies." I eyed them dubiously.
"Actually, we were thinking about making you give it to them." Dad laughed.
"That is so movie cliché!" I pulled out a chair and sat down.
"They have brought their adopted kids too, Bella. Go make friends with them." She gave me a glass of orange juice.
"Kids?" I looked at her skeptically.
"Yes, there are four of them."
"Four? Are they organizing a charity for adopting kids?" I snorted.
Mom and dad simply shook their heads with smiles on their faces and they resumed doing their work.
"Don't be late; I had already made the reservation. If you're late, Sasha's devil brother will take your place." Heidi warned me.
Heidi and I were in a deep conversation through the phone. She had booked a table for us at a costly restaurant and wanted me to be there on time. It had been a long time since Sasha, Heidi, Jane and I had been on a girls-only night.
So we had planned a small get together dinner.
I opened my closet and sighed at the perfect outfit I had picked for the date. I quickly got dressed and admired myself in front of the mirror.
The dark hot purple sleeveless wide strapped racer back top was a perfect contrast against my creamy skin and the black skinny pants molded to my legs like they were second skin. The top and the pant was a match made in heaven.
I curled the edge of my hair and let them fall in the front of my shoulder. Then I put on my brand new beautiful purple colored earrings. It had fantastic gem workings in the top and the middle. I slipped my feet into my purple high heels.
Heidi and Sasha were going to drool for sure.
I ran downstairs as I threw my Dolce & Gabanna matching purple hand bag over my shoulder but I froze when I heard voices outside the front door. Dad and mom were nowhere to be seen. So I assumed they were talking to someone outside.
Then suddenly mom came inside and froze when she saw me.
"Oh honey, I totally forgot you were going out with your friends. I'm afraid you have to cancel." She decided to drop the bomb.
"What? Mom, you have to be kidding me...seriously?"
"The Cullens have come. I invited them this morning for lunch but they were busy at that time. So they have come for dinner instead." Then she whispered. "You dad needs to get acquainted with them, Bella."
"This is unbelievable! Please let me go, mom. My friends will be devastated." I cried, clutching her hand.
"Go some other day, dear. I'm sure you're friends will understand." She started walking to the door where I now knew that the Cullens were standing.
"That's the problem, they won't." I pleaded, almost at the point of crying.
"Bella," She said sternly. "The conversation is over."
She opened the door and dad came inside along with the Cullens. I immediately hid myself in the kitchen. I could not believe what was happening.
The children must have also tagged along so I expected chatter since there were four of them. But nothing. Just silence. I could hear Dad and another man, Carlisle I assumed, talking.
"Bella?" Mom called. "Come outside and meet the Cullens."
I felt like killing her. I took a deep breath and went inside the living room where they were all standing.
"Bella, what a surprise! We met Bella at the grocery store this morning." Esme gushed as soon as she saw me. I gave her a reluctant smile.
"Oh, that's nice." Mom threw me a look.
"Well Bella, I'd like you meet my adopted children," Carlisle began as he placed his hand warmly on my elbow. "This is Edward, Randall, Emmett and Rosalie..."
I was completely frozen. And there stood Edward Masen himself. The boy I had been thinking non-stop the entire week.
Hey guys,
So I am getting these really funny ideas for the story and I'm sure you'll love the upcoming chapters. Wonder how their dinner will be? Awkward or...creepy? Well, wait and see...I mean, read.
Bella's outfit link is in my profile.
-BellaEdwardJacobLove
