Part XII 'Love At Last'

Chapter 38

One weekend, Bella was spending her time in the forest honing her abilities. She had been making impressive progress in mastering her powers, especially in controlling her shield. It had become so natural for her to manipulate it that it felt like an extension of her body. Bella kept exploring different ways to utilize her shield, constantly searching for new applications. One of her favorite tricks was running and placing the shield under her feet, effectively defying gravity. Although she could not perform this feat around humans, she relished the freedom of running through the sky with no regard for the ground.

Bella remembered how Emmett and Seth had commented that her abilities were like flying. Those comments especially those by Seth had started her thinking about her shield in a new way. She had gotten really good at moving the shield under her while she stood still or walked and most recently ran but she has never used it to mimic the ability of flight. Her mind quickly ran though how she might achieve this feat. She realized that in order to achieve this, she needed to have much finer control over her shields, making them much smaller and numerous, perhaps even hundreds of them, tightly hugging her body. With such precise control, she could manipulate all the shields at once, creating the illusion of flight. The amount of control and expertise to do this correctly was daunting for her at this point. On the other hand what she could do now with her shield she could not even have envisioned two or three years ago so it was her firm belief with lots of practice and time she could achieve this feat and one day would be able to make it appear that she could fly.

Bella had great confidence in herself and her abilities. Her abilities had never failed her and had only gotten better and stronger the more she used them. She decided to do a quick initial test to see what it would look like right now for her to fly.

She had brought her video camera along with her and set it up in a tree at the edge of a wide clearing. With it set to record, she wrapped her shield around her body and aimed herself parallel to the ground. She put one arm out, mimicking Superman's iconic pose, and made her shield go forward. Though she felt very foolish in this pose, she sped around the field. However, it did not seem right.

When she watched the video, she had to laugh at herself. She looked like she was lying down on some invisible magic carpet. She quickly deleted the video and vowed never to try that in front of her family until she had refined her technique. She made a firm decision to practice with this flight application of her shield and Bella know one day she would achieve her goal.

Alice POV

Alice was alone in her sewing room on the second floor of the Cullen house, her slender fingers delicately working on the final touches of a stunning dress she had been designing for weeks. The noonday sun was shining through the window, illuminating all the fabrics that were strewn around Alice's workshop.

Suddenly, her entire body tensed up, and her hands stilled as if by magic. Her eyes widened, and she felt her consciousness being pulled away from the present, as if by an invisible force. Alice's face became slack and unresponsive, and as her eyes closed she focused on the vision that was unfolding before her. The world around her seemed to fade away as she delved deeper into the future, her mind's eye transporting her to a distant time and place. As the vision came into focus, she saw Bella standing in an open field, surrounded by wildflowers and bathed in the warm glow of the sun. In the distance, she could see a towering metropolis, a city of vast skyscrapers and buildings that were unlike any she had ever seen before. It was a world that was foreign and unfamiliar, a world that seemed to exist far in the future.

But that was not the strangest thing about the vision. As Alice watched Bella, she noticed that she was not sparkling like all vampires do when exposed to direct sunlight. She looked normal. Alice was confused by what she was seeing.

As she continued to watch, Bella turned and began talking to a man who stood a few feet away from her. His back was turned to Alice's perspective, so she couldn't see his face, but she could tell that he was tall and broad-shouldered. As they talked, Alice could see the love in Bella's eyes, she had a connection with this man that was deep and profound. Suddenly, Bella jumped into the man's arms, kissing him passionately.

After their kiss, Bella stood back, and Alice could lip read when Bella said "love you" to the man and then lifted off into the air with a grace and ease that was almost otherworldly. It was as if flying was the most natural thing in the world for her. She stopped about 20 feet up, smiled, and waved goodbye to the man. As Bella turned and flew off into the sky at vampire speed, she disappeared from her sight. Alice was left with a sense of confusion and wonder, struggling to comprehend the extraordinary sight she had just witnessed.

The vision ended abruptly, and Alice jolted back to reality, gasping for breath as if she had just woken from a deep slumber. She blinked a few times, trying to regain her bearings and make sense of the vision she had just experienced.

As Alice sat alone with her thoughts, her mind raced with questions about what she had just seen in her vision. She couldn't help but wonder how far into the future it was, as the architecture of the buildings in that city didn't resemble anything like the buildings of today. On top of that, there were all the mysteries surrounding Bella and that man. Her confusion was palpable, but she also felt a sense of relief that Edward was not there to witness the vision with her.

Despite the unanswered questions, Alice couldn't help but feel a sense of joy for Bella. Seeing all that she would accomplish in the future made Alice proud and happy for her friend. Bella had always been a determined and resilient person, and it was inspiring to see that she would continue to thrive in the future, reaching new heights and achieving great things. She was also happy that Bella had found her mate in this future and she hopped that Bella would meet him soon and not hundreds of years in the future.

As Alice returned to her designs, she couldn't shake the vision from her mind. She knew it was best to keep it to herself and not share it with anyone else. It was a vision of what could be, not what was, and it had no bearing on the present. With a sense of determination, she focused her attention back on her designs, hoping that they would provide a distraction from the mysterious vision that had just played out in her mind.

Bella POV

Bella was thriving in her classes, she particularly liked her debate course where she gained an appreciation for analyzing arguments from multiple perspectives. The class frequently engaged in lively debates where they broke up into smaller groups where half of the students took one side of an issue while the other half took the opposing viewpoint. Midway through the class, they switched sides, forcing each student to articulate the argument of the opposing side as their own. This exercise allowed Bella to develop a deeper understanding of complex issues and sharpen her critical thinking skills.

Bella's interest in politics grew as she engaged in class discussions about current events. Although she had never paid much attention to political issues before, she found herself developing strong beliefs as she learned more. Her viewpoints were solidly liberal, and she became particularly passionate about women's rights. To make a difference, Bella decided to volunteer for her local State Representative's re-election campaign. The race was tight, but Bella remained determined to support her candidate and help advocate their stance on the issues. She spent a good amount of time canvassing the district, passionately explaining to voters why their vote mattered and why her candidate was the best choice.

Bella was already several months into her senior year, and it was shaping up to be the best year yet. She had reconnected with her old friends that she had made before she went to Europe and was making new friends with students from her current classes.

One evening Bella found herself at the Cullen house with Rosalie, hard at work in the Cullen family's spacious garage. The garage was filled with the scent of motor oil and the clinking of metal tools. The sun had long since set, casting the garage in dim shadows, and a row of bright fluorescent lights illuminated their workspace.

Rosalie was lying on her back under Emmett's Jeep, her long blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, as she worked on replacing the engine. "Bella, could you grab the torque spanner from the workbench, please?" she called out.

"Sure." Bella said and made her way over to the cluttered workbench, covered in an assortment of tools and car parts. She located the torque spanner and brought it over to Rosalie, who thanked her.

"So, what did Emmett do to blow the engine this time?" Bella asked, wiping her hands on a rag.

Rosalie let out a frustrated sigh. "He decided it would be fun to try and jump the Jeep over a series of dirt bike mounds, so the Jeep would fly through the air like in the Dukes of Hazzard. Needless to say, it didn't end well."

Bella shook her head in disbelief. "Boys and their toys, right?"

They worked in companionable silence for a while, the only sounds the hum of the overhead lights and the occasional clank of metal on metal. Finally, they successfully removed the engine, and Rosalie let out a sigh of relief.

As they stepped back to admire their handiwork, they heard Carlisle's voice calling from the living room. "Bella, Rosalie, would you come to the living room, please?"

Bella wiped her greasy hands on a rag and followed Rosalie to the living room, leaving behind a trail of oil and grime. As they entered the room, the polished floors and pristine furniture stood in stark contrast to their dirty appearance. Esme tut-tutted at them and motioned for them to stand by the side of the room, a clear indication that they shouldn't sit on the sofa covered in oil and grease. Bella couldn't help but agree with Esme's unspoken request - they were quite a mess.

With all the Cullens now in the living room, Carlisle began, "I just received an interesting call from my old friend Garrett. I've known him since the late 1700s. He usually likes to live as a nomad, and he called to say that he'll be in Denver in a few days and heard that I reside here now. He wanted to catch up, and of course, I said I would be delighted to have him visit. I haven't seen Garrett for close to 100 years, and it would be nice if everyone was here so he could meet the whole family. The last time I saw him, only Edward was with me."

Bella was happy to meet one of Carlisle's old friends, and everyone agreed to be there for Garrett's visit.

Edward, on the other hand, didn't seem pleased. "I don't know why you would want him in our house, Carlisle. He was so uncouth the last time we met him."

Carlisle looked at Edward with a stern expression. "Please don't start anything with him, Edward. I remember you two bickering last time we met him. He seemed pretty annoyed with you as I recall."

Edward's expression darkened. "I understand, Carlisle. I'll hold my tongue," he said, clearly unhappy with the prospect of meeting Garrett again.

Bella and Rosalie walked back into the garage, their hands still smeared with grease and their clothes stained with oil. Emmett trailed behind them, his gaze fixed solely on the Jeep, which now sat engineless due to his reckless stunt.

The excitement in Emmett's voice was palpable as he tried to convince Rosalie to install a bigger, more powerful engine. Despite his enthusiasm, Rosalie's disapproving expression made it clear that she was far from amused. However, Emmett seemed oblivious to her mood and continued to ramble on about his ideas.

"And you know what would be the coolest thing," he continued. "If we put hydraulics in the wheels, like those awesome lowriders. I've never seen them used in a Jeep before."

Bella sensed the tension in the air and knew that Rosalie was about to blow her top. So she spoke up, hoping to save Emmett from the inevitable consequences of his actions.

"Hey, Em," she said. "Read the room. You'll be lucky if you still have a Jeep if you keep going on."

Finally, Emmett took notice of Rosalie's displeasure and realized he was in trouble. "On second thought," he said quickly, "maybe just a normal engine would be fine, Rosie. Yes, that would be perfect."

As he backed out of the garage, looking frightened, Emmett said, "I love you," before hightailing it out of there.