Chapter 24
Two weeks into my Senior year, and to my surprise, living in Forks was turning out to be far from dull. Being around five vampires made life intriguing and eventful. When Emmett came into my life last week, we immediately clicked. His sense of humor and love for fun made us fast friends. We laughed and joked around, and it felt like we had known each other forever.
On the other hand, Rosalie, Emmett's girlfriend, or rather, his wife of over 70 years, seemed distant and aloof. She rarely spoke to me, but I didn't take it personally. Their relationship was a mystery to me, but I figured the whole 'opposites attract' cliché might be at play here, considering how different they were from each other.
Alice and I had become good friends, just as I had hoped. We enjoyed doing our physics homework together, even though I knew she could probably solve those problems in her sleep with her super vampire brain. Still, it was fun for both of us. Last weekend, we ventured to Seattle for a shopping trip, and oh my god, I was still in shock at the amount of money she spent. I couldn't help but wonder if Alice realized she had a shopping addiction. The other Cullens must know, but her energetic personality seemed to barrel over them, making it challenging for them to say no to her.
During our shopping trip, I quickly learned that if I let Alice have her way, I'd end up with an entirely new wardrobe. I had put a stop to that immediately and managed to convince her to treat me to just one piece of clothing, a red blouse that we both thought would look great on me. While she claimed money meant nothing to her, given her wealth, I wasn't comfortable with extravagant gifts. Oddly enough, I had had an easier time accepting gifts from Demetri, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why that was.
We were on our way to the Cullen house, where I would be visiting for the first time. As Alice drove, I couldn't resist asking her about her extraordinary gift, which I found the most fascinating among the three gifted Cullens. Part of me wished her ability worked around me, as I would have loved for both of us to experiment with it.
"So, Alice," I turned to her while she drove, "have you ever sent messages to yourself from the future?"
Alice looked at me questioningly, and I could tell she was curious about my inquiry. "What do you mean?" She kept her head turned towards me, which annoyed me. I wanted her to watch the road, but she always insisted she could still see it. I would have called bullshit, but she did always manage somehow to know exactly what was happening around her.
"Eyes on the road, and I'll explain," I requested, waiting until she shrugged and turned her head back to focus on driving. "Well, I was thinking. You get a vision when a decision is made. What if you made a decision in one year that you knew would cause a vision for you in the past? When you make that decision, you could be in front of, let's say, a chalkboard or something similar with a long message that you want your past self to know. That's assuming you don't get sounds in your visions? Can you hear people talking? In my mind, I had always pictured it like a silent film. Is there movement, or is it a snapshot?"
Alice looked deep in thought, taking a moment to consider my suggestion before replying, "That's an interesting idea, Bella. I have never sent a message to myself like that. As for the visions, there is usually movement if the vision is long enough, but there is no sound."
"What gives you a vision? Is it just random things, or is it important events? Have you ever forced a vision of something you wanted to know?" I couldn't help but be curious. There were a million questions and countless unknowns when you were dealing with a power like Alice's. Hers seemed to bend the rules of time and space, which was quite unlike all the other vampire gifts I had heard about.
"Sometimes the vision is of what I want, but other times it's just random things. Usually, it is related to my life in some way. I think I will try your idea later today when you're not around. I plan to do exactly what you said, and the future me from 1 year from now will send a message. I'll let you know if I receive it," Alice explained.
I smiled at her. "Great, let me know how it turns out. Let's not get into time paradoxes. I think my brain would explode. Maybe the vampire me in the future will be able to comprehend all the intricacies and ramifications of your power. I wish your power worked when you are around me. I thought up an amazing game we could play called 'What If,' but it seems we're out of luck."
As we continued talking, I noticed Alice pull down a dirt road and travel for several miles. What an unusual place to have a house. Eventually, we came upon a large white three-story house that looked breathtaking. It was clearly the nicest house in Forks, which was about as far as possible from an upscale neighborhood. "Wow, that's a nice looking house. Let's go meet the others," I said eagerly, looking forward to meeting Carlisle and Esme. I had heard a lot about them from the rest of the Cullens.
As we entered the house and walked into the living room, my gaze fell upon on two new vampires. Carlisle was quite attractive, standing tall at maybe 6'1" with blonde hair, and appearing to be in his mid-20s. Esme was equally stunning, with her long light brown hair, and she too appeared to be in her mid-20s. It baffled me how they could convincingly pass as the parents of five kids who looked only 3 or 4 years younger than them at best. Nonetheless, I approached them both with a smile, extending my hand for a handshake. "Hi, it's very nice to meet you. As you've probably guessed, I'm Bella."
Both Carlisle and Esme greeted me with warm smiles as we shook hands. "It's very nice to finally meet you, Bella," Carlisle said, "You caused quite the reaction in our family on that first day."
"Yes, I didn't know what had happened," Esme added, her smile warm. "I was upstairs working, and all of a sudden, I heard loud commotion downstairs. I came down and found everyone home, minus Alice and Jasper, all in an uproar."
I chuckled, imagining the scene. "Yeah, I was just as surprised seeing five vampires walk into the cafeteria. I certainly was not expecting that one. I wonder what I would have thought of you all if I had come to live with my dad and had not known the truth?"
"You would have thought, 'Hot Damn,' who is that adonis that just walked in!" Emmett exclaimed, his voice booming as he descended the wide staircase leading from the upper floors.
"But I did think that, Emmett, just as soon as your ugly mug moved out of the way and I saw Jasper," I deadpanned right back, causing Alice to giggle and Carlisle and Esme to smirk.
Before Emmett could reply, I heard, "Let's go, Emmett. I need to pick up some parts in Seattle," Rosalie's voice rang out quite loudly as she walked past Emmett and descended the stairs. She gave me a once-over as she walked by but didn't acknowledge me.
"What? I wanted to hang out with Bella," Emmett protested.
"Now, Emmett," Rosalie barked, opening the front door and striding out.
Emmett looked unsure, so I offered some assistance. "It's cool, Emmett. We can do something during the week. Maybe we can make some more food bets."
Emmett smiled. "Yeah, I'll think up some good ones. Later, B," he said as he zipped out of the house at vampire speed.
"Don't mind Rosalie, Bella. She's never been comfortable with new people coming into our lives," Esme said, her expression sympathetic.
"Think nothing of it. I have a pretty thick skin," I replied, then added playfully, "not as thick as yours, of course."
"Please know you're welcome here any time," Esme continued, her smile equally welcoming. "Would you like a tour of the house? I designed it almost 90 years ago."
"Really? You lived in Forks before? No one had mentioned that. Were there any Swans here at that time?" I mused, my mind spinning with thoughts about my own family history. I made a mental note to ask Charlie about our ancestry later and see if we had any relatives living here at the same time as the Cullens.
"And yes, I'd love a tour of the house. It really looks amazing. I doubt I've ever been in as nice a house," I added with genuine admiration.
As I started to look around the living room, Carlisle added, "I don't remember anyone here with the last name Swan back in the 30s, but we didn't know everyone." Carlisle continued, "Forks, as you can imagine, was much more rural back then."
"I'll be sure to ask my dad about our family history sometime. I actually don't know a thing about it, and I really should know at least the basic facts of the past few generations," I continued, looking around the first floor of the house. The open floor plan with the main living room, where we were, took up much of the first floor. Further towards the back of the house was a large dining room table, for all the family dinners they must eat together, of course. Then there were several doors, which I assumed led to a kitchen and maybe a bathroom. I looked back to Esme, "This really is a beautiful home. I never would have guessed the designer was right in front of me," I replied, "Lead the way."
Esme gave me a full tour of the house, and I couldn't help but be amazed by its beauty and uniqueness. During our exploration, she shared that she had worked as an architect on and off for the last 40 years and I was glad she had found her calling.
When we finally reached Carlisle's office and study, my eyes were drawn to the hundreds of books neatly arranged on the shelves. It was an impressive collection, and some of them looked quite old and rare. With a playful wink and a smile, I couldn't resist asking, "You really have an amazing collection of books, Carlisle. Many of them look quite old. I assume you bought them all when they were new?"
"Yes, pretty much," Carlisle chuckled. "If you like old books, you will love the library in the Volturi castle. It is most likely the most complete library in the world. Marcus has been collecting knowledge for thousands of years."
"Wow, I can't wait to see it. I plan on visiting Volterra at the end of the school year. Just another thing to look forward to," I replied with excitement.
"You plan on visiting the Volturi while still human?" Carlisle asked, looking a little troubled as he spoke.
"Yes, Demetri thought it would be a good chance for me to meet everyone. Why?" I inquired, curious about his concern.
"I just thought you might be uncomfortable being around so many human-drinking vampires. I'm sure nothing bad would happen. I didn't mean to give that impression," Carlisle quickly apologized.
"They are vampires just like you and Esme, Carlisle. Under that logic, I should have been afraid to visit you. Anyway, I guess eventually, I'll be one of those human-drinking vampires as well. I'm glad I'm not squeamish," I replied matter-of-factly.
"Have you ever considered being a 'vegetarian vampire' like our family?" Carlisle asked, looking at me with hope in his eyes.
"I did consider it when Alice and Jasper told me about your diet, but I determined it was not for me. Maybe the vampire version of me will think differently, but I doubt it," I answered honestly.
As I stood there, I noticed something on the wall that caught my attention. It was a very large framed oil painting that looked quite old. Curious, I walked over to study it up close.
"Oh, I see you like the painting Aro gave me," Carlisle said, noticing my interest. "It was done in the early 1700s in Volterra at one of their opulent soirées. Those three in the center are the three kings. That's Caius on the left, Aro in the middle, and Marcus on the right. You can make me out at the side over there." He pointed to himself in the painting. It was surreal to see a piece of art that old and talk with someone who had actually been in it. I paused, studying it more closely.
"Is that Demetri?" I inquired, as I studied a man resembling Demetri who stood a little off to the left of the kings, next to a giant. "And I assume that is Felix standing next to him?"
"Yes, you're right. That is Demetri and Felix," Carlisle replied, sounding a bit surprised by my knowledge.
As I continued examining the painting, I couldn't help but be captivated by Demetri's striking appearance, even in a mere painting. Maybe I was biased, but he certainly looked better than any of the other men. My attention then turned to two young teenagers depicted on the right side of the kings.
"That must be Jane and Alec," I said, pointing to the youthful figures. It was unfortunate that they had been turned into vampires at such a young age.
"Yes," Carlisle confirmed, his tone tinged with apprehension. I presumed Jane must have zapped Carlisle a lot, as Demetri had mentioned that she had an itchy trigger button in her head. I'm just hoping I'll be immune to her powers as well. It certainly appears that I will be.
After the tour, Alice and I spent some time in her room, chatting away. She showed me a collection of pictures, capturing everyone in their crazy getups over the decades, and we had a good laugh at how funny everyone looked compared to the fashion trends of the day.
"Alice, you love fashion so much, and it gave me another idea. It's similar to sending the time messages that we talking about earlier. But this time, stand in front of a mirror, let's say fifty and one hundred years from now. Instead of conveying a message, just wear what's considered the fashion trends of those days. If you get the vision, draw it out, and we can have a good laugh at what our future getups will look like. They'll probably appear as unusual to us as the 'flower power Alice' or the 'disco dancing Emmett' looks to me now."
"I love it! I'll definitely give it a try and let you know how it works out," Alice replied, her smile bright with excitement.
Later in the day, Esme insisted on making lunch for me. By that time, Jasper and Edward had returned home from wherever they were, while Emmett and Rosalie were still away, and I was pretty sure they were not coming back while I was invading Rosalie's home turf. I tried to tell Esme it wasn't necessary to make me anything, but she begged, saying it was a crime to have such nice kitchen appliances and never be able to use them. I couldn't fault her logic and relented. Surprisingly, she prepared an excellent meal that I greatly enjoyed. While I ate, all of the Cullens stood around me, watching as if I were some sort of lab rat. I hoped they wouldn't mind when I did the same thing to them, regarding the aspects of their vampirism that interested me.
I left a little before dinner so Alice could drive me back to Charlie's. I thanked the Cullens for their hospitality and departed, feeling glad that the day had gone so well.
When I got home, Charlie was just starting to think about food. "Hey, Bells. How was your day at the Cullens? I've never been inside their house. What's it like?"
"I had a great day. Both Carlisle and Esme were very nice and Esme gave me the full tour. The house was massive and has to be the nicest house I've ever been in. Whoever designed it certainly knew their stuff."
"That's nice. How about I order a pizza?" Charlie asked, looking hopeful.
"Great. Give me a yell when it's here, and I'll come right down."
I went up to my room and locked the door. I flopped down on my bed and rolled over, reaching to take two baseballs out from my side drawer. I had been using them to practice my abilities when I'm home and can't go into the forest. I added the second baseball to challenge myself more and further improve my control. Moving around one item was now all too easy, but manipulating multiple items simultaneously was much harder. I'm always striving to push myself and make my abilities stronger and better. As I lay there looking up at the floating baseballs, I watched, entranced, as I moved them around in different ways.
All of a sudden, Charlie called out, "Pizza's here!" He startled me, and the baseballs fell, with one almost hitting me in the stomach. I managed to move out of the way just in time. I realized that practicing while being distracted would help me build up my tolerance for such events, preventing me from losing focus so easily.
While we were eating, Charlie spoke up, "So, tomorrow I have to go to Port Angeles to the shooting range. I'm training my new deputy, and I need to make sure he knows how to handle a firearm personally before I'm comfortable putting him out on the streets."
The idea of a shooting range intrigued me. Memories of the fun I had during the paintball excursion with my friends back in Phoenix flashed through my mind. Curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn't resist asking, "Dad, any chance I could go with you? I'd love to try shooting off some rounds with a real gun. You can teach me how to handle a gun properly too. It might be useful to learn, as you never know what the future holds."
Charlie gazed at me, his expression reflecting deep contemplation. "You really want to shoot a gun?" he finally voiced. I nodded, a smile playing on my lips as I was eager to learn. He scrutinized me for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I can teach you, but it's crucial to remember that a gun is not a toy, Bella. You'll have to follow my instructions precisely. Is that understood?"
"Yes, I'll do everything you say. Thanks, Dad. This will be a good learning experience."
"Alright then. We'll leave early so I can give you some lessons before Deputy Crabtree arrives. I can introduce him to you as well. He and his wife just moved here from Toronto last month. He's still quite green, but I think he shows promise. He comes from a long line of police officers."
"Great, I look forward to meeting him," I could not wait for tomorrow. The prospect of trying something new always intrigued me these days.
The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and the next morning, Charlie and I set off for the shooting range. During the drive, I couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Dad, how long have our ancestors lived in Forks? Yesterday, Carlisle was showing me his family tree, and he can trace his relatives all the way back to the 1600s."
Charlie thought for a few seconds then answered, "Well, I can't get anywhere close to going that far back, but my grandparents on my father's side were from Oregon and moved to Forks in the 1940s. On my mother's side, I'm not quite sure where they were from, as my mom had no living relatives by the time I was born. I believe my great-grandparents must have emigrated to this country from Europe, probably in the late 1800s to early 1900s."
"Thanks. One day I might do one of those family tree things we see advertised on TV. It can't hurt to know where we're from." I knew the Swan line would end with me, and I felt it was only right that I knew as much as I could about the generations that came before me so they would never be forgotten.
Charlie then began to brief me on safety procedures and shared other important tips for being around firearms. Once we arrived, Charlie led me to a side room where he patiently explained in detail how to hold a firearm correctly and the dos and don'ts of handling it. He was thorough and knowledgeable, ensuring I comprehended everything before allowing me to even hold the unloaded gun. We reviewed more safety procedures, and when he was confident in my understanding, we moved to the shooting range. Since we were the only ones there at the time, we weren't interrupted by loud noises as Charlie instructed me on the proper method of loading the gun.
"Alright, I think you're ready to actually fire some shots now. Here's the target," Charlie said, taking a paper target sheet from the other side of the room and bringing it over to me. It was the standard outline of a man, much like the ones I've seen in movies or TV shows. He hooked it up to a line and pressed a button, sending it far down the gun range.
"How far should I take it back, Bells? The further back it goes, the less likely you'll hit anything," Charlie explained.
"Why don't you position it where you'd want your deputy to aim? I've found I have pretty good hand-eye coordination, so I'd like to truly challenge myself," I replied confidently. I wanted Charlie to understand that I might perform well, as I suspected my enhanced abilities would be helpful in this situation.
Charlie smiled reassuringly at me. "Okay, but don't be discouraged if you don't do well. I've moved the target all the way to the back, and it's quite uncommon for beginners to shoot accurately at this distance." The target sheet reached the end of the range. "Alright, I believe we're all set. Now follow my instructions carefully, keeping in mind all the safety measures. Your gun has six shots. Aim for the center of the chest. The gun's safety is on. Only flip it off when you're prepared to take your shots."
He handed me the gun and stepped back, giving me space. As I felt the weight of the gun, I psyched myself up. I took a deep breath and followed all the steps Charlie had just taught me. Standing as he had showed me and lining my body correctly, I aimed the gun using the sight and flipped off the safety. I quickly fired six successive shots, aiming dead center of the target's chest. After I had unloaded the clip, I carefully put the gun down as Charlie had instructed, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"Okay, your form was good, Bella. Let's see how you did," Charlie said, his tone reassuring. He pressed the button, and we waited as the target sheet started moving towards us. As the target approached, it seemed I could see how I did before Charlie could make it out. Soon enough, though, his amazed voice chimed in, "I don't believe it. Six perfect shots, Bells. All right in the chest. I don't even think I could do that. You're like a sharpshooter. And you've never shot before?" He held the target in his hands, looking at me with astonishment.
"No, that was the first time. Knowing what to do definitely helped, though, so thank you for teaching me. Could I give it another shot?"
"Sure. Why don't you load the gun this time? I'll observe," Charlie responded, clearly impressed by my skills.
As I loaded the gun, Charlie watched closely. When I was ready, I fired again, and once more, it was perfect. A small part of me considered intentionally missing a few shots to avoid raising Charlie's suspicion about anything unusual happening. However, in reality, I couldn't imagine him suspecting supernatural forces were at play just because I could shoot a gun accurately.
We kept shooting back and forth for about an hour until Deputy Crabtree arrived. "Bella, I would like you to meet Geordie Crabtree. Geordie, this is my daughter Bella. I was just teaching her to shoot. It turns out she's one of the best marksmen I have ever seen," Charlie proudly introduced us.
"Nice to meet you, Bella," Geordie said, extending his hand. He appeared to be an average-looking fellow with black hair and a kind face.
"Nice to meet you too," I replied, offering a warm smile.
"Okay, Bella, why don't you observe as I check on Deputy Crabtree's skills. Please handle your sidearm as you would in the field, Deputy," Charlie instructed. He stood back next to me, and we both watched attentively as Geordie demonstrated his actions, similar to what I had done earlier.
After about half an hour, Charlie seemed satisfied. "That's fine, Geordie. I just like to ensure that anyone who carries a gun in my town knows how to handle themselves. You put my mind at ease. You did just fine," Charlie commended Geordie. Turning towards me, he suggested, "Before we head home, how about we all have a shooting contest?" A playful smile spread across his face, and I couldn't help but smile back, eager for the challenge.
Geordie thought it would be fun too, and soon we were all ready to fire. As I lined up my gun, a playful idea popped into my head, and I quickly adjusted my aim, firing all six shots at my target. As the targets were coming back to us, I heard Charlie break out in laughter.
"I don't believe it. Geordie, take a look at this," he said, holding up my target sheet, which now had two shots in the head for eyes, one for the nose, and three forming a smile. "If you can believe it, this is Bella's first time shooting a gun. She's a natural. You would never guess that she was actually quite uncoordinated when she was a child."
I smiled as Charlie's praise, but then Geordie spoke up, "You know, Sir, I was watching a movie yesterday, Captain America, and he took this super soldier serum which increased all his abilities: it increased his strength, vision, hand and eye coordination; it even made him taller. What if a serum like this actually exists, and maybe the government injected it into Bella somehow without her knowing? Or perhaps aliens…"
"Are you daft, Crabtree?" Charlie looked incensed. "Super soldier serum? Aliens? That's my daughter you're talking about, and this is the real world, not some movie. Let's keep our thoughts grounded in reality."
Geordie looked a bit sheepish. "Of course, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir. Sometimes my imagination gets ahead of my brain," he said apologetically.
Holy shit, that was a close one. He didn't explicitly say the word "vampires," but he was dangerously close to hitting the mark. I'll definitely have to be more cautious around Geordie. Thank God Charlie stepped in and put an end to Crabtree's wild musings. As we carefully put away all the firearms, I couldn't help but think that Deputy Crabtree might have the makings of a pretty good detective someday.
Despite the close call at the end, I had a great time with Charlie. We had never done anything like that before, and it was wonderful to spend the day with him, engaged in an activity we both enjoyed.
Let me know your thoughts. I decided to do a crossover with another TV show that I like in this chapter, and I was wondering if anyone caught it or if the other show is too far removed from fans of the Twilight genre to catch? I'll include what it was for those who are interested at the end of the next chapter.