I am so sorry it has been a while! The holidays happened, and then I lost the notebook that had what should have been chapter 12 for a while, came up with another chapter 12, and then had to integrate everything once I found the notebook. I hope this was worth the wait!
I shouldn't have been intimidated by the prospect of shopping with the energetic Alice Cullen. I was a vampire, for goodness sake, able to take care of myself just fine. Hadn't I proven that over the past year? It wasn't as if I'd gone as wild as some of the nomads I'd met, and I was comfortable mingling with humans as needed. All in all, I was pretty self-sufficient and confident in my abilities. There was no reason I shouldn't be able to hold my own with her.
Unfortunately, Alice exuded far more personality than her petite frame could hold, I decided as I slid into the passenger seat of her canary yellow sports car while she bounced happily behind the wheel. The enthusiasm she showed was overwhelming, and the worst part was that I had no idea what was behind it. Was she happy to gain a new member of her unusual family? Did she really enjoy shopping so much? Did she expect something…more from me? And what might that entail?
"So, I think we'll stick to the basics for now, just enough to help you blend in. We can customize your wardrobe later, when there's more time." Alice's chatter interrupted my thoughts and answered at least one of my questions at the same time. She showed signs of being a shopaholic. "The basics"? I didn't remember ever bothering to go beyond them, even as a human.
"I appreciate your help," I ventured and then hesitated. I was curious about her and the rest of her family, and I blurted out the first question that came to mind. "So how did you become a Cullen? Did Carlisle change you?"
When she sobered and concentrated on the road ahead of us, I scrambled. "Not that I need to know, if you don't want to tell me." Some vampires avoided discussing their pasts, even the recent past.
Alice shook her head and offered me a small smile. "No, it's okay. We've all heard your story, and it was a lot more traumatic than mine." She paused, a faraway look in her eyes. "I don't remember anything about my human life or my change. My first memory is of waking up as a vampire. I had no idea what was going on. It felt as if my throat was on fire, and I didn't know if that was normal or not. I didn't know how to fix it. I was in the middle of a forest, in Mississippi as it turned out, and I was pretty overwhelmed by everything I could see and hear. When the pain became unbearable, I decided to stand up. Before I could, I received my first vision." Her smile grew.
"I've always wondered if the decision to move was the catalyst, since what I saw seemed so disconnected to anything around me. My first vision was of Carlisle, Edward, and Esme hunting somewhere with a lot of pine trees. The way they interacted…I knew I wanted to be part of that. They seemed so happy, although I found out later that Edward wasn't quite so content with his life at that time. Somehow I knew I was like them; the blood of the animals in my vision made my throat hurt even worse. I decided to mimic their actions, and that's when the second vision hit. This time I saw myself and Jasper—I had no idea who he was at the time, of course—approaching Esme hand-in-hand. She gave us a hug, and I had a goal. I would make what I saw happen, no matter what it took. I didn't connect my visions to decisions then, but that didn't take long, and I was able to guide my life in a way that helped me achieve that goal. The rest is a long story for another time, though," Alice finished, her impish smile back in place.
Unsure how to react at first, I latched on to the beginning of her tale. "You don't remember anything? Your parents? Brothers or sisters?"
She shook her head. "Not a thing. As far as I'm concerned, I've always been like this. Of course, it's really only been since the 1920s."
Her actual age was a shock. She was so tiny, although it was obvious she was in her late teens when she was changed, that I thought for sure she hadn't been a vampire for long. She certainly didn't seem to be close to one hundred years old.
Alice let out a tinkling laugh at my expression. "Come on, Bella. You know the Volturi are ancient, right? Why are you so surprised?"
If I was still human, I would have blushed.
"They're always so serious. It's not difficult to remember how old they are, even the guards. I heard plenty while I was there about how it had been more than four centuries since Volterra housed a newborn and more than two since anyone new joined. You Cullens are different—especially you!" I dared to tease her.
She shrugged. "Someone has to keep up spirits around here. Between us, we all have issues to deal with that tend to build up if we're not careful. Emmett and I work hard to make sure that the others don't lose sight of all the good things this life has to offer, especially Edward."
That caught my interest. "Why Edward specifically?"
With a snort that I never would have expected from her, she told me, "Emmett's favorite nickname for him is 'Emoward'. He takes the downs in life pretty hard, and he has a tendency to dwell on whatever is making him unhappy. Don't get me wrong. I love my brother. He can just be a little depressing to be around sometimes if someone doesn't make the effort to cheer him up."
Well, at least she wasn't trying to sugarcoat her brother's personality for my benefit. Did that answer my earlier question? Did I want her to push us together? I pulled myself from that train of thought and focused on her description of Edward instead. It was difficult to reconcile the shy, eager boy I walked through the woods with to the image of a manically depressed Edward, though. Maybe she only saw the sad side of him because he was less extroverted than Alice would ever be, even on a slow day. I could sympathize. I had vague memories of my mother complaining about how few friends I had, how little I went out, and how I spent all my time with my nose buried in a book. I hoped Alice wouldn't decide I was depressed, too, once we were living under the same roof.
We lapsed into silence after that. I stared out the window and watched the trees flash past. I could run so much faster than this car moved, but I understood the need to keep up human appearances. Every detail of the trees and their inhabitants was still crystal-clear, though, down to the spots on a snail's shell a mile away. That was strangely comforting, just as my ability to identify birds while riding in an aircraft had been. It was a reminder that I was not human and chose willingly to give up control over my movements, that I could take that control back any time I needed to.
The rest of the trip to Seattle was quiet and uneventful. I had the feeling that Alice was trying to give me time to process everything that had happened in the last twelve hours. It was definitely a lot. Never would I have expected my search for Carlisle Cullen to end with my adoption into a new family, a new way of living what was the rest of my existence beyond wandering from place to place. I might have hoped for an outcome like that, or at least companionship or even a friend, but I hadn't expected it.
Alice hesitated before getting out of the car after we parked in front of what looked like a small, high-end boutique. That surprised me. I expected her to jump right out. Instead, she sat there staring at the bright red car parked next to us in tiny but otherwise empty parking lot.
"Well, I didn't think she'd show," Alice muttered. I had no idea what she meant until I noticed the blond staring impatiently at us through the store window. My eyes widened and nostrils flared.
Rosalie was waiting for us inside.
Alice turned to me, an apology evident in her golden eyes. "I'm sorry, Bella. It was a last minute decision on her part, and I kept thinking she'd change her mind. I should have told you she might be shopping with us."
I pushed down my unease and lifted my chin. "I survived a year with the Volturi. I think I'll survive a morning with a grumpy vampire who dislikes me." I knew Rosalie was able to hear me, but I didn't think what I said would offend her any more than my presence already did.
Alice sighed and nodded, but the frown between her eyes remained. "Well, let's get going then."
The interior of the store was everything I avoided as a human. Too smooth, too polished, with salespeople who acted as if they were doing us a favor, even though we were the only customers so early in the morning. Thankfully, Alice dismissed the saleswoman who condescended to greet us with a wave of her hand, and then she pulled me over to where her sister stood.
To my shock, I thought I saw a gleam of something that might have been respect before Rosalie turned her attention to Alice and commented, "Took you long enough."
Shaking her head with a laugh, Alice seemed to regain some of her energy. "Not all of us are speed demons," was all she replied.
Thankfully, Rosalie ignored me as she and Alice became a whirlwind, pulling items off of the racks and either immediately discarding them or putting them in the "try-on" pile. Alice explained in a voice too low for the humans to hear that trying on the clothes was just for show since she could determine whether we would like a choice or not just by deciding to buy it. I was sure she meant whether she would like something, but I did appreciate her attempt to include me in purchasing what would be my own clothes.
One hour later, we walked out of the store with more bags than I thought necessary. Alice glowed with contentment, Rosalie was still ignoring me, and I felt mentally exhausted for the first time since I left Volterra. However, I was now in possession of enough clothes to satisfy Alice for the moment and to blend in with the Alaskan population—including a blue wool coat I actually fell in love with. For once, I couldn't wait to wear something, so I gave in to Alice's insistence that I should trade out my tattered leather jacket for the sleek wool.
Neither Alice nor I talked much on the drive back. I felt too uncomfortable to ask her any more questions about the family with Rosalie following us back to the house in her red BMW and decided it was a better idea to just observe for a while. Alice seemed lost in her own thoughts, or maybe it was visions. Either way, the silent drive was enough to rejuvenate my spirits after what I considered to be marathon shopping.
Edward was waiting for us when we pulled up at the end of the long driveway. Something in me couldn't resist staring at him as I got out of the car. The way his face lit up in a smile made my stomach clench with an unfamiliar yet pleasant longing. I scolded myself immediately and tried to believe that he was just happy to see his sisters—except his eyes never left mine.
"I'll get her clothes packed into one of my suitcases and be right back down," Alice trilled beside me, and I realized she had unloaded all of the bags from the car.
"I can get some of those," I told her, feeling guilty that I had ignored her to stare at her brother.
"Nonsense. It won't take me more than a few seconds anyway." She waved me off and sped upstairs.
"There's usually no arguing with Alice," Edward informed me with a long-suffering sigh and a wink.
"Why try when I'm always right?" Alice asked from the second floor of the house. Edward rolled his eyes, and I laughed.
Alice was as good as her word. Within minutes we were saying good-bye to the Cullens—I still couldn't quite include myself as one of them in my head—and climbing into Edward's car. I felt a little lightheaded knowing we would be stuck in that car for hours, but again it was a welcome sensation.
So what did you think? I promise more EdwardxBella interaction next chapter! It's already mostly written.