A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list.
Chapter 5-
Inviting your enemy over for dinner was never the wisest choice a person had made. Now, I am aware that "enemy" would be a mighty strong word to use, but the way Kate's sisters were glaring at me, they sat planning my cold-blooded murder. Which wouldn't be that off the mark considering, you know?
"So, Bella," Tanya sneered in disgust. "I have heard a lot about you. From Charlie, of course."
Of course.
"Unfortunately…Tanya, was it?" I smiled in supposed victory, "Charlie has told me nothing of you."
The sneer on her face widened, insulted as she sat, her mouth glued together as she threw an irritable and wish I was anywhere but here-party for one.
"You are pretty ordinary, you know that?" The other sister joined into the party. I did not bother to know her name. Pretty sure it screamed the word 'tantrum queen'!
"Irina!" Kate scowled in disbelief.
I waved her off, a smile on my face. I had heard worse. Much worse. You did not attend high school with Lauren Mallory and not get used to the insults!
"Of course. But I am just human." There you go. If we are going to get personal, I can get personal, too!
The five of them sat up straighter in their seat, Kate looking terribly uncomfortable by my admission. Edward had told me the truth; he should have to take responsibility for his actions.
Kate fake-coughed, squeezing Charlie's encompassed hand tightly. From which angle did she resemble a human, I would never know. She was clearly…just not that.
She did not even look human.
Everything about her seemed to be fake. Her short blonde hair that seemed to be cut unevenly using a razor, her too much makeup look, or her uncomfortable looking clothes… I mean why was she wearing the tightest skirt and shortest crop top a person could find in the market for a casual dinner? My bra occupied more space on my body than her top did on hers.
Jesus. Had no one given her the memo that this was a family dinner? I had innocent kids here!
And don't even get me started on the fact that she didn't look a day older than eighteen! Heck, probably without all this makeup on, she looked under-eighteen.
Open your eyes, Charlie, can't you see, 'you and her' is creepy and possibly about to get arrested for!
"Bella," Jake whispered in my ear, terribly uncomfortable by how the evening was progressing. "Can we talk in private?"
No use, Jake. Might as well talk in their ears.
I nodded my head in agreement, excusing myself and following him into the kitchen, his head in his hands as he let out a sigh.
"Is it just me, or does everything feel super uncomfortable and weird?"
"Nah. It is creepy." I agreed with him. "What does Charlie see in her?" she was clearly not human. For one, she had been sitting perfectly still since the time they arrived. She hadn't even blinked once! The entire family was terrible at playing human!
"Now, Charlie loves her." Jake shrugged.
"Why?" I whined like a baby. "She is not correct for him. He could do much better." And human. Definitely human.
"Aww." Jake smirked. "Is this what I think it is? Are you jealous?"
"What? No?" I scowled in disbelief. What did I have to be jealous of? I was so not jealous. I wanted my father's happiness. Just that she wasn't the correct one for that.
"Bella," Jake attempted to pull me in his arms; I shushed him off. "You are a grown woman. You can't stand in the way of your father's happiness. He can offer someone else his attention."
What the hell?
How dare he accuse me of being selfish and an attention seeker?
"That is so not it." I scowled. "I want to be happy for him. But I just don't like Kate."
"Bella." Kate stood in the doorway, her eyes never straying far from mine. Obviously, she had heard a seemingly private conversation.
"Can we talk? In private?"
"Well, that's my cue." Jake nodded to himself, leaving the room to the two of us.
"Why don't you like me?"
"Cut the crap, Kate." I glared at her. "I know the truth. Stop playing my father for a fool."
"I love him."
"Yes, just like Edward loved me. He couldn't wait to get away from me, breaking my heart mere days after that disastrous birthday party he forced me to have."
"I know about that."
"I don't care. Look, you and I both know that this can't last. One fine day he will realize that you don't grow old…"
"I will change him."
What?
"On our wedding night. I can't tell him the secret; he is still a human. Once he becomes like me, it will all be alright."
Unbelievable!
"You are insane, you know that? You want him to be unprepared?"
"All of us came unprepared." She scowled back at me. "We all adapted. He will too."
"Look, I am not going to stand here and…"
"I will kill you." she pushed me to the wall, a gasp leaving my lips as my eyes widened. "If you stand in my way, you will not last to see tomorrow's sunrise. Or better yet, I will change you and force you to an eternity you don't want. So, mind your own business, missy. Take this as a warning. Is this clear?"
Her perfectly manicured and terribly sharp nails lay leaving a mark on my neck, and I was forced to nod my head, a gulp being my only verbal response.
Her words were clear like water.
I did not want to die. Or become one of them. That ship had sailed long ago.
I could not protest out loud for the simple reason of keeping myself alive…but then how was I supposed to get Charlie out of her deadly clutches?