If anyone still wants to vote on who will get axed next the poll is on the top of my profile page! :)
Esme's eyes flickered open and it took her a moment to process where she was. Light filtered in through a pair of windows to the left that were covered only be screens. A light breeze blew back the fluttering thin, white curtains, exposing her vision to the overhanging trees outside.
The space next to her in the bed was empty, though her eyes quickly moved to a mirror attached to an oversized dresser. Written in red lipstick across it was the message: It's Friday the 13th! A smiley face accompanied it, and Esme couldn't help but grin.
She glanced over toward the nightstand, reading the small, red numbers that indicated the time.
"Seven-thirty," she said to herself, listening for movement around the house. She then thought, I didn't even hear Carlisle get up.
Esme yawned and raised her hands above her head before swinging her legs off the side of the bed. She made her way to the door, slowly creaking it open. The smell of bacon and eggs washed over her and she smiled, heading for the staircase that lead downstairs.
"It is the most important meal of the day." Edward's voice carried onto the stairs and Esme smiled as she reached the first level, immediately noting Carlisle and Edward teaming up in their attempts to cook a big breakfast for everyone.
"Wow," she said, greeting them both with a smile and a wave.
Carlisle grinned and held up the spatula. He still sported his pajamas, a white tank top and navy blue pajama bottoms. "Good morning."
"Morning," Esme said to him, still grinning. "I liked your message on the mirror."
"I figured you'd like that." He chuckled lightly to himself, and Edward looked back and forth between them in attempt to catch on.
"Inside joke," Esme told him. "Carlisle scared me last night and used red lipstick to leave me a 'scary' message on the mirror."
Edward gave a lopsided grin. "Well, if it makes you feel any better Bella must've checked to make sure the windows in our room were locked about a hundred times."
"He's lying." Bella said in a groggy voice as she strolled out of their room. "But I guess I'll let it slide since you're making breakfast."
Edward smiled and welcomed her to him with a quick kiss. "Couldn't resist the smell of the bacon, huh?"
She grinned and reached onto a plate with crispy, cooked bacon, slipping a piece into her mouth. "You know me too well."
"Jake up?"
Bella shook her head. "Snoring... loud."
Carlisle and Esme both smiled before he shifted a pile of scrambled eggs onto a plate. "Help yourselves," he told them, "I'll make some more once everyone else wakes up."
...
The group took a break from work around noon and took advantage of lake in the hot, summer weather.
"You never did get that swim in yesterday," Bella said to Edward with a grin. She tugged on the fabric of his t-shirt and he quickly peeled it off.
Emmett took off running down the dock and was the first to dive into the lake, shedding all of his clothing aside from his gym shorts as he went.
"Has anyone heard from Steve?" Carlisle asked, looking around. "I haven't seen him since we first arrived."
"He left a bunch of supplies on the porch," Alice explained with a shrug. "His Jeep isn't here, so maybe he went to grab a few more things in town."
"When did he leave supplies on the porch?" Leah asked. She put her hands on her hips.
She shrugged, "I guess early this morning... or last night after we went to bed."
"Weird."
Mike nodded. "Just a little bit."
"Maybe he doesn't like us," Bella joked with a grin.
"Or just you," Jacob commented from where he sat on the ground, attempting to get a knot out of a rope.
"Ouch," Mike said, "What's not to like?"
"Thank you, Mike," Bella said, pretending to glare at Jacob. She reached down into a blue and white striped beach bag and grabbed a bottle of sunscreen. "Edward, let me get your back."
Jacob leaned an arm up to compare their skin tones. "Don't worry Edward... pale's the new tan."
He rolled his eyes as Bella began to apply the white lotion to his back and shoulders. "Well it must be, because I'm the one getting rubbed down by the girl."
Jasper slipped an arm around Alice's shoulders. "He's got a point Jake."
"You going swimming?" Esme asked Carlisle.
He shrugged, and then nodded. "I guess we could use a little break."
She smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that." Esme took off her shirt, already prepared with a bikini. "I figured we'd be testing out the water."
Carlisle laughed and took her hand. The two of them walked down toward the lake where Emmett and Rosalie were already enjoying themselves. Edward and Bella followed closely behind while Alice and Jasper settled down to next to the lifeguard stand on matching blue beach towels in an attempt to get a tan.
"Mike!" Emmett called from the water, "Mike, grab the football!"
"What football?" he shouted back.
"In the red gym bag!"
Mike's eyes scanned the immediate area before he eyed the bag that Emmett was talking about. He ripped off his shirt, kicked off his shoes and joined the rest of them in the water.
Leah slumped down where Jacob sat on a short, wooden wall that served as a barrier between the beach sand and the grass. He glanced at her for a second before getting back to the rope.
"What's that for?" she asked him.
"It's for the row boat," he explained.
When he didn't elaborate, Leah cut to the chase.
"Are you at all interested in... checking out that place?" she asked him.
Jacob stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. "What place?"
"Camp Blood." Leah raised her eyebrows, "The place Jasper told us about."
"Didn't he say it's off limits?"
"Who's going to know we went there?"
Jacob looked down at their friends and co-workers in the water. "I thought cops were monitoring that place."
She made a face, "I'm sure they have better things to do."
"In this town?" he scoffed. "Probably not. You heard how nuts the townies were about the story."
"Yeah..." Leah sighed, "You're right."
Jacob saw the look of disappointment on her face, and then glanced out toward the water again.
Why not? he thought. She could've asked Mike, and instead she asked me.
"Ehh, what the hell." Jacob tossed the rope down in the sand and flashed her a toothy grin, "Let's go."
"Really?" Leah smiled.
He nodded, "Why not? I guess we can tell everyone we were there."
"What if Steve comes back and we're missing?" she asked him, "Should we have a cover story?"
Jacob stood up, prompting Leah to do the same. "Why don't we discuss that on the walk over to... Camp Blood." He lowered his voice and narrowed his eyes when saying the estranged camp's local nickname.
She laughed and glanced out toward the water once more before following Jacob away from the group toward a path that lead past the fire pit and in the direction that Jasper had pointed out as the way to Camp Blood.