Chapter 18

As September approached, I felt it was time to see my parents again. It had been almost two years now and I missed them greatly. I sought out Alice for her help and we went off into the forest.

Back when I was still human, I had invented a game with Alice called 'What If...'. It was a game where I would come up with a hypothetical scenario, and if I made a firm decision to do what we talked about, Alice could use her clairvoyant abilities to have a vision of it and describe the outcomes. We had played this game countless times during my sleepovers in Forks, and it was always entertaining. I remember how much fun we had coming up with outrageous scenarios involving our classmates.

One time, I had asked Alice, "What if I broke into Lurean Mallery's house while she slept and shaved her head?" Alice had laughed and then described how Lurean would wake up screaming, and I would be caught and punished severely. Another time, I had asked, "What if I told Mike Newton I would go on a date with him if he streaked naked across the school?" Alice had giggled and then described how Mike would comply, but the consequences would be dire.

After I became a vampire, I was forced to stay away from civilization for the first few months. During this time, Alice and I continued to play our game of 'What If...', but with a supernatural twist. It was a welcome distraction. We started coming up with even more ridiculous scenarios, like "What if I painted my skin green and smashed my way into a building pretending to be the Incredible Hulk?" or "What if I stole an armored car and used it to go through a McDonald's drive-through with the cops in pursuit?" As the days went by, the scenarios seemed to get stupider and stupider, but we had an absolute blast.

Now we needed to play a more serious 'What if' game. "Okay Alice, this time it's important. We are going to play 'What if' for me visiting my mother and father. Lets find out what works out and what I have to change to make my visits go off without a hitch."

"I'm ready Bella, start making decisions and we'll get it so nothing goes wrong"

Alice and I spent the entire day preparing for my upcoming visits to see my parents. We wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly and there would be no surprises.

We tried out different strategies to handle difficult conversations, and rehearsed responses to potential questions.

When it came to my appearance, Alice noticed that my supernatural beauty might draw attention and cause an issue. Alice determined that if I used some light makeup techniques, I could tone down my otherworldliness and look more natural.

I also decided to wear contact lenses instead of showing off my striking golden eyes, which could also cause an issue.

With these changes in place, I felt confident that my visits would go well. It had been almost two years since I last saw my parents, and my change in appearance made me look a little older, which worked out perfectly for my current age.

I decided to surprise my dad so we could celebrate my 21st birthday together and I did not tell him I would be visiting.

As I landed in Seattle it was like deja vu all over again. Only now I was a supernatural, immortal, super model. Okay, there were a few differences.

I rented a car and made my way to Forks, the small town where I spent some of the happiest and most tumultuous years of my life. As I passed the 'Welcome to Forks' sign, memories flooded back, and I couldn't help but smile. Even though it did not work out with him, I was so grateful for Edward for introducing me to my new life.

But now, I was here to visit my father, Charlie, who still lived in the small white house I grew up in. As I pulled up to the driveway, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. It had been years since I last saw him.

As I stepped out of the car and made my way to the front door, I saw Charlie's police cruiser so he must be home. After I knocked I could hear Charlie walking down the stairs muttering 'who the hell is knocking on my door now' making me smile. When he opened the door and saw me, his expression was priceless. He stared at me in shock, and for a moment, I wondered if I had made a mistake coming here.

"Hi Dad," I greeted him with a smile.

"Bella?" Charlie's expression was filled with disbelief.

"Yeah, dad. I missed you," I said as I wrapped my arms around him, being careful not to squeeze too tightly. As Charlie regained his composure, he beamed at me and welcomed me in.

Catching up with Charlie was both enjoyable and challenging. I had to recall so many things, and if it weren't for my vampire brain, I would never have been able to do it. I shared everything I could and skipped over anything he couldn't know. He was simply overjoyed to see me, and we spent hours exchanging stories about what we had been up to for the past year and a half.

Later on, I offered to cook dinner for Charlie, and it felt just like old times. I bit the bullet and ate the whole meal with him. I thought, "In for a penny, in for a pound."

During dinner Charlie got around to asking how 'Edwin' was.

"Actually dad we broke up several months ago." I told him. Charlie looked worried for a bit.

"Are you okay Bella? I remember how hard you took it last time." It looked like Charlie was praying I was okay. I realized I must have really done a number on him when I was in my 'zombie' state.

"I'm more then fine dad. We had just grown apart in our interests and what we wanted in life so I ended it."

"I'm proud of you Bells. I know you don't approve but I never liked that boy."

"I know dad, and it's okay if you want to hate any of my future boyfriends." I smiled back at him.

"That reminds me. What did you and Edward think when you heard the Cullen's house had been destroyed. I'm so glad you had already moved away. When I got there all I could think about was what if you had been inside when it happened. I got to tell you Bella it was terrible. It looked like a nuclear bomb had detonated right in the middle of the house. It's a shame too as that was such a beautiful home."

I looked at Charlie with a blank stare. "Yeah, a real shame."

"Anyway, how are you doing, Dad? Have you been seeing anyone?" I quickly changed the subject, trying to steer the conversation away from the incident.

Charlie's voice trembled slightly as he shared, "Actually, I am. I've been dating Sue Clearwater for the past year now." I could sense his nerves and wanted to offer some reassurance, so I responded with genuine enthusiasm, "That's fantastic news, dad! I'm so happy for you. You deserve to find happiness, especially after all those years of living alone."

Despite my attempt to put him at ease, Charlie still seemed uncomfortable talking about himself. So, I decided to shift the conversation to other topics. As we chatted, I couldn't help but wonder if Sue's knowledge of vampires would become a problem, given that her children were part of the pack. Although none of them knew I was a vampire, I knew it was only a matter of time before they found out.

I had a great few days with Charlie and it was kind of like stepping back in time with me 'sleeping' in my old bed. I looked forward to the next time I visit Charlie when I will have some real college stories I could tell him.

With a heavy heart we said good bye and I drove back to the airport to travel to Florida to visit my mom. With my mom I called ahead and asked if she would be able to pick me up at the airport as you never knew what to expect from my mother.

I hopped off my flight at sundown, timed perfectly to avoid that pesky Florida sun. Alice had warned me about the weather, and I knew better than to ignore her advice. She had also given me a heads up on which days I would be "writing essays" for college, which turned out to be most of them.

When I saw my mom waiting for me at the airport, her eyes widened in surprise. "You look amazing!" she exclaimed, giving me a big hug. "You've always been a stunner, but wow."

I couldn't help but grin. It was good to see her again after so long. We chatted excitedly on the way back to her place, catching up on everything we had missed since we last saw each other.

As we settled in for the night, my mom filled me in on her life since she moved to Florida with Phil. She was working at an art gallery and was loving every minute of it, while Phil was still pursuing his baseball career. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't think Phil would make it as a professional ballplayer, but as long as he and my mom were happy, that was all that mattered.

Each day after I finished working on my 'term papers', my mom took me out to experience the local nightlife. We had a blast, and like with Charlie I ate everything that was placed in front of me. For my parents it seems I would literally eat garbage to make them happy.

When I told my mom about my breakup with Edward, she wasn't concerned at all. "It was just a high school crush sweetheart," she said dismissively. "You'll move on to greener pastures." Thinking about it now I guess she was right all along.

The next night, Phil and my mom took me to a popular nightclub they liked to go to for dancing and to unwind from a long day. I was relieved when we walked in and I saw that it wasn't another strip club like the one Alice and Rosalie had taken me to in Vegas. Knowing my mom, I would not have put it past her.

As we settled at a cozy table and ordered some drinks, I observed the happy faces around me. The pulsing beat of the music and the vibrant energy of the crowd made me feel alive. Phil and my mom got up to dance, their bodies moving in perfect synchrony. I couldn't help but smile at their sheer joy.

Feeling emboldened, I decided to join in on the fun and made my way to the dance floor. The moment I stepped onto the crowded floor, I was greeted by a sea of eager faces. Handsome guys vied for my attention, each one hoping to be my dance partner for the night. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I was enjoying myself.

The music was infectious, and I found myself moving my body in ways I never thought possible. I laughed and twirled and lost myself in the moment. The night seemed to go on forever, but eventually, my mom and Phil got tired, signaling the end of the night.

As we made our way back to the car, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the experience. The warm glow of the night's revelry stayed with me long after we returned home.

On the day of my departure, my mom drove me to the airport. She gave a tearful goodbye and demanded that I visit more often. I promised her that I would, grateful that I had been able to keep my parents in my life. It made my new life so much more fulfilling.

It's now been almost two years since I became a vampire, and I've had some amazing experiences. But with college just around the corner, I can't help but think that things are only going to get better.