ENTRY 3
THE INVITATION


I climb out of the hired car Alice sent to fetch me. A chilly breeze sweeps through the trees surrounding me, causing me to shiver. But even once the crisp air stills the goose bumps on my arms won't settle and I have the feeling of being watched. Looking around all I can see is the full moon hanging heavily in the dark sky.

The columns framing the opening of the porch have some sort of vine curling around them like slithering snakes. But there are no lit jack o lanterns, no creepy Halloween decorations, no loud music, nothing to indicate this is a high school Halloween masquerade party. And not another teenager in sight. I expected the entire school or at least our senior class to have come out of some sort of morbid curiosity if nothing else. Reaching the looming large wooden door, I ring the doorbell and hear it echo loudly through the house in a haunting sort of way. The door suddenly swings open to reveal a short, masked girl dressed as a gothic fairy princess.

"Alice?" I ask, seeing her red contacts through the eye holes of her mask. She always wore them, believing them to be cool.

"I'm so glad you are here, Bella." She smiles widely displaying her bright white teeth.

"I really couldn't resist your invitation," I admit.

"We'll see." She says, waving me in like she's Vanna White. "Follow me."

Doing as she asks; I take in the old-world décor style of the house. Everything appears as if it surely costs a fortune.

"Not much of a turnout?" I inquire as she leads me through the house.

"Oh I think we have just enough guests to have all the fun we need," Alice replies, stopping at a set of double doors.

Turning one of those old skeleton keys, Alice flings open both doors with a bit of a dramatic flair.

"Our guest of honor has arrived."

I look around intrigued by the darkness of the room. The only lighting is provided by the full moon streaming in from the large ceiling to floor windows and several candles lit on the black marble mantle and an antique looking buffet across the room. The black painted walls, crimson red velvet curtains, black and white checkered marble floors, and the large dining table in the same black marble as the mantle are all very fitting for tonight's event.

"Good evening, my dear." I'm caught off guard when two women I hadn't noticed before appear in front of me. The first one leans forward and presses a brief kiss to my cheek. "Alice has told us so much about you."

I immediately notice how cool to the touch she feels. As cool as the marble in this room must feel.

Maybe she was outside, I think to myself.

"Bella, this is my mother, Esme." She motions toward the first woman who greeted me. "And this is my sister Rosalie."

Mother?

Sister?

None of these women look anything alike.

Except their odd affinity for red contact lenses.

"Nice to meet you both," I return.

"We shall see," Rosalie whispers as she turns and walks over by the window. I briefly wonder what she is looking at out there. All I can see is the shadow of forest that surrounds the house barely visible in the moonlight.

"So where's the party?" I ask. I feel like something very strange is going on. "Surely I'm not the only one who came."

"Forgive me for being so rude," Esme states. "Alice go get our other guests please so we can begin dinner."

"I am so excited for the party to begin." Alice is practically vibrating in her excitement. I've never seen her so giddy the entire time I've known her.

"Rose," Esme calls. "Please go let the men know its time to join us."

"Men?" I wonder out loud.

Esme takes my hand, "Come, my dear." She leads me to the table and pulls out one of the chairs covered in crimson fabric matching the drapes.

I sit in the offered chair as Alice enters the room with Angela Weber and Mike Newton. Its surprises me they are the only two here besides me.

"Hi, Bella," Angela says nervously. She probably had to lie to her parents in order to be here.

"'Sup, Bella. You're looking fantastic in that dress. Who knew you had all that hiding under your clothes." He nods at my chest while he practically undresses me with his eyes. As usual Mike is a vulgar ass. Every day at school he has another lewd comment to make and I've about had enough.

"Hold that thought, Isabella." My head spins towards the doors Alice entered through. An auburn-haired guy I've never seen before enters the room with three other men I've never seen before. I'm momentarily stunned by how gorgeous he is, when I realize he used my whole name. I rack my brain trying to recall if I've ever mentioned it to Alice. I don't think I have. And what is he mean hold that thought?

Everyone takes a seat as Alice introduces the men to Angela, Mike, and me. Though she claims they are family members she doesn't tell us what relation they are to her other than the tall blonde man is her father. I am again shocked at the lack of resemblance all of them hold. But I reason with myself that everyone is wearing a mask.

Before I can dwell on it too much, Rose enters pushing a serving cart with only three covered plates along with three glasses of wine. Alice quickly rises from where she sat next to me and helps her sister serve Angela, Mike, and myself.

"Oh, are the rest of you not eating?" Angela asks, beating me to it.

"My apologies," Mr. Cullen offers. "Alice must have forgotten to mention we are on a special diet and have already eaten. But please don't let it stop you from enjoying your meal."

"Steak, you won't have to tell me twice to eat up," Mike announces, eagerly cutting into his food.

They both dig into their meal. Feeling that something more is going on here, that something is off, I take a bite of food and try to discretely watch what everyone is doing. The auburn-haired guy, Edward, and Mr. Cullen keep whispering back and forth, and more than once have glanced my way.

I'm about to put another bite in my mouth when Mrs. Cullen announces, "Oh my, it seems two of our guests have nodded off."

I glance to my right and see Mike and Angela both slumped over in their chairs. Rising so quickly, I nearly fall in my effort to back away from the table.

"What the hell is going on here?" I demand, slowly making my way to the door, ready to flee. I barely catch a blur of blonde hair flying by me to find Rose at the door blocking my exit. "I want to leave."

"It would be a shame for you to depart before you hear the proposition we have for you. Why don't you have a seat and hear us out?" Mr. Cullen suggests.

"I think I'll stay right here," I insist, not know what the fuck they're talking about.

"Very well," he states. "Let's begin with you telling us why you moved here."

"To spend time with Charlie. But I fail to see what that has to do with, with…this." I motion with my hand to the two sleeping at the table.

Alice comes over and takes my hand. "We're friends, right, Bella? Like really good friends. The kind of friend you can trust with your deepest darkest secrets. It's okay. You can tell us the truth."

No, no, no, repeats in my head. There's no way they can know.

"But we do," the one named Edward says.

"How do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?" he flashes me this smile that's nearly disarming.

"Answering my thoughts." I feel like I might be on the verge of a panic attack.

"How about this?" he proposes. "You tell us how you killed your half sister's best friend and almost her too, and I'll tell you how I can answer your thoughts."

"You don't know what you're talking about. That was a horrible accident."

"It's okay, Bella. We know the truth. You don't have to hide it from us. We're killers too."

"What are you talking about?" This keeps getting weirder and weirder.

"Maybe if we tell her our secret first it will help her feel safe with us?" Mrs. Cullen suggests.

"Does The Prince of Darkness, Nosferatu, Vlad the Impaler, or maybe the more popular Dracula ring any bells?" Mr. Cullen asks.

A million things circle in my brain, trying to figure out what they could mean. Surely they don't expect me to believe them. That's absurd. "Dracula, right. If you're trying to tell me you're a vampire, you're all fucking nuts."

They all laugh, then just stare at me.

"You…you're serious." I must be fucking dreaming or something. "Where's your fangs? And Alice is always out in the daylight."

They all laugh again. "All myths made in movies to hide the truth."

"I don't believe you," I tell them.

"Jasper, show her," Alice tells the blonde who'd sat next to her.

He gets up and moves around the table, stopping behind Mike. Grabbing him by the hair, he yanks his head back and says, "Who needs fangs when you can do this?" He then proceeds to clamp onto Mike's neck.

"Save some for the rest of us," the big guy, Emmett, Rose sat by says.

Jasper pulls back, blood covering his mouth. He licks his lips as he lets go of Mike's head.

I can't believe what I'm seeing. I know I should be terrified, but the fact is, I'm so tremendously intrigued. Vampires as I live and breathe.

The word vampire sticks in my head as I remember something about a proposition mentioned.

"Why am I here? What do you want with me?" Hopefully I'm not dessert.

The big guy rubs his hands together as if in anticipation. "Now we're getting to the good part."

"Behave, Emmett," Rose admonishes as she walks over to me. Stopping in front of me she picks up a lock of my hair and twirls it around her finger. "Such a pretty color." She drops the lock of hair and begins to circle around me, like a shark swimming around its prey. "She's quite pretty already for a human. Her change will only enhance it. Are you sure, she's the one, Edward?" She stops and turns to wait for his reply.

"Yes," he says. In a flash he's across the room standing in front of me. "But first, admit it, Isabella," he leans in and whispers next to my ear, "You killed her."

"Okay, fine. I killed her. She was horrible to me. They both were. They bullied me all the time and Alexia stole my mother from me. I wish she'd had died too." Damn that felt good to get off my chest.

"You have a decision to make, my dear." Mrs. Cullen says. She comes over and wraps her arm around me. "My son Edward has chosen you as his mate. You can become one of us, or you can become one of…" she waves her hand in the direction of Mike and Angela. "One of them."

"You mean, I would become the meal?"

"Only if you choose wrong, silly," Alice chimes in. "But you won't I've seen it."

They spend the next several minutes telling me all the perks of being a vampire. Alice can see the future. Edward can read minds. Super strength and speed. And lastly, immortality. I'd never have to age. Never have to die. And I would finally have a family of my own that would never leave me.

"I'm in."


You can find the image that goes with this entry in our FB group A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words and on our Instagram page Instagram dot com slash twilightimagecontest

Please leave the creator some love.