Morning came much too soon for Bella's liking. It took Rosalie more than ten minutes to get Bella to open her eyes. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to get out of Rosalie's comfortable bed. It wasn't about hiding. She was just so tired. The many nights of not sleeping well were taking a toll on her.
"Bella," Rosalie said softly. "Come on. We have school. Esme's making you breakfast."
"I don't want to go," Bella muttered. She removed the blanket from her face. Rosalie was sitting on the edge of the bed, already dressed for school.
Rosalie cupped her cheek. "Why?" she questioned. "Are you afraid?"
Bella shook her head. "Just tired," she replied. "I haven't been sleeping well."
Rosalie nodded in understanding. "You haven't been eating much either," Rosalie noted. Bella frowned. She couldn't tell if that was true or not. She didn't think it was true. "Do you want to call your dad and have him call the school?"
"No," Bella said with a sigh. "If I call Charlie, he will want to know why and I can't tell him." Bella yawned. "I'll be okay."
"We can stop for coffee," Rosalie offered. She shifted so she was closer to Bella. "We need to talk on the way to school."
Bella pulled away from Rosalie. "Talk about what?" she asked nervous. Was this where Rosalie left her? Was she going to tell Bella she was mistaken about being her mate?
"It's about the nomads," Rosalie said. She got off the bed. "Get ready love. We'll talk after." Rosalie left the room to give Bella some privacy to get ready.
Bella decided on a shower. She assumed Alice knew she would want to shower and Rosalie got her up in plenty of time. If not, well they would be late for school. Not that she wanted to be late.
Bella showered as quickly as possible. She didn't want the others to get stuck waiting for her longer than necessary. She quickly dried off and wrapped her hair in a towel. She dressed as fast as she could without falling over.
Rosalie's bedroom was empty when she got out of the bathroom. She grabbed her shoes and made her way downstairs. She could smell bacon. It smelled rather good.
"Good morning Bella," Esme greeted.
"Morning," Bella greeted. She looked around for Rosalie but didn't see her.
"She went for a quick hunt," Esme explained. "Emmett and Alice are upstairs. Jasper is with Rose and Peter and Charlotte are watching your father." Esme put a plate of food in front of Bella. Bacon, eggs, toast and fresh fruit. Now that the food was in front of her, she didn't feel like eating. "Bella, honey, you need to eat," Esme said softly. "Even if it's just a piece of fruit."
Bella stared at Esme for a solid minute. All she could see on the older woman's face was concern. Concern for her and her health. Bella sighed and picked up a piece of toast. She took a small bite. The last thing she wanted to do was throw up in front of Esme. To her surprise her stomach didn't rebel. She took another bite and before she knew it, she had finished the piece of toast. She quickly moved onto the second piece. Esme got the hint and made her two more pieces of toast. She pulled out the jam and peanut butter, just in case Bella wanted it.
"Thanks for this Esme," Bella said gesturing to the food in front of her. "I appreciate it and I'm sorry I didn't eat it all."
Esme waved away her apology. "Don't worry about it Bella. I can put it in the fridge for later." She put the two pieces of toast in front of Bella. Bella reached for the peanut butter and put a small amount on each piece of toast. "Would you like me to make you lunch? Or would you rather get food at school?"
"I…" Bella started, unsure how to answer. Why was Esme being so nice to her? She knew Esme and Rosalie made up but the relationship was still rocky. But they didn't know each other, so why did Esme care so much?
Esme studied her face. "I know I made a mistake," Esme started. Bella looked down at her toast. "I will spend the rest of eternity trying to make it up to her."
Bella nodded. "I'm scared," Bella admitted. "I'm scared of what Edward will do, not just to me but to Rose. I just… I feel so overwhelmed and I don't know what to do."
Esme moved closer to Bella. "I've never seen Rosalie so happy," Esme confessed. "I always worried that Carlisle made a mistake changing her because she didn't want this life. But now, I see how happy she is and I'm glad Carlisle changed her. She loves you so much Bella and she will do everything in her power to keep you safe. I promise you, you will never be hurt again."
Bella shook her head. "I appreciate that but you can't promise that," she said sadly. She buried her nose into Rosalie's sweater. She hated feeling weak. She knew compared to the vampires she was weak. But she tried so hard to be strong, to not be a helpless human and she worried she was failing.
Esme put twenty dollars on the counter. "For food," she explained. "I'll pack you some fresh fruit too, just in case you want it."
Bella tucked the money into her pocket. She knew how generous the Cullen's were so she didn't complain about the money. But that didn't mean she would use the money she was given. Esme beamed and turned to work on putting together some fruit for Bella.
Emmett and Alice came downstairs just as Bella finished up the last piece of toast. "Morning Bells," Emmett greeted happily.
"Morning," Bella said.
Alice sat down beside Bella. "You okay Bella?" she questioned concerned. Bella stared at her. "I'm being polite. Most of the others don't appreciate me telling them how they feel. Same with Jasper."
"Damn straight," Emmett muttered from Bella's other side.
"Language," Esme scolded. She turned around with a small lunch bag for Bella. "I added some crackers for you. I thought they might work better for your stomach."
"Thank you Esme," Bella said with a soft smile. Esme beamed.
Rosalie and Jasper appeared moments later. Even though Bella knew they went hunting, it didn't look like it. Both of their clothes were clean and neat.
Rosalie went straight to Bella. "Good morning," she greeted hugging her mate. Bella leaned into the touch. She still didn't like anyone touching her, except for Rosalie. Rosalie was the one-person Bella felt comfortable with. Which made sense considering the mate thing. "Are you ready?"
Bella pushed away the last quarter piece of toast. "Yes, I'm ready," she confirmed.
Bella hopped off the stool and turned to grab her plate so she could wash it before they left. But when she went to reach for it, it disappeared before she could touch it. She looked up and found Esme drying it off before sticking it back in the cabinet. Bella sighed and grabbed the lunch bag that Esme made for her.
Rosalie raised an eyebrow at the sight of the lunch bag. "It's just fruit and crackers, in case I don't want whatever the school is serving," Bella explained.
Rosalie nodded in understand. Her appreciation for Esme just skyrocketed. She had talked to Emmett while Bella was asleep. He mentioned that Bella had eaten but it didn't seem like much. Then again, he had no idea how much humans were supposed to eat. Rosalie vowed to pay more attention to Bella's eating habits. She didn't want Bella making herself sick from the stress of everything that was going on.
"We need to go," Alice said jumping off the stool. "We're going to be late for school."
Bella grabbed her stuff. "Bye Esme," she called, before allowing Rosalie to lead her to the garage. Today Rosalie, Bella and Emmett were riding in Emmett's jeep, with Rosalie and Bella in the back, while Alice and Jasper were riding in Jasper's new car.
Emmett pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. "I'll leave you two to talk," he said before jumping out of the Jeep.
Bella turned to face Rosalie. "What's going on?" she asked.
Rosalie sighed. It was best to get this over with as quickly as possible. "Emmett caught the scent of a vampire near your house, so he snuck in to check around. He found the scent in your room."
"Edward?" Bella questioned, fearing the answer.
"No," Rosalie answered. "It's a nomad but not the one Jasper and I found. Alice says he's a tracker. Once he has a scent he can find that person, human or vampire, anywhere. There's nowhere to hide. Jasper thinks he went rogue. Edward doesn't want to kill you and having a tracker around you is dangerous. Why he got a tracker involved in the first place, I don't know."
Bella sighed. Nothing could ever be easy. Just when she gets a day of peace, something comes up. "So, what do we do?"
Rosalie hesitated for minute. "You won't be alone, ever," Rosalie started. "Even if we're not in the room with you, one of us will always be close. The wolves will most likely be close by as well. And you can't go anywhere alone." She paused. "I know this sounds cruel or controlling but you have to be kept safe."
Bella undid her seatbelt and shifted closer to Rosalie so she was in her lap. "Thank you," Bella whispered, laying her head on Rosalie's shoulder. Rosalie automatically wrapped her arms around Bella. "Thank you for protecting me," Bella continued. "I mean… I don't particularly like the idea of someone watching me 24/7 but I do understand. Besides, if it's you with me at night it won't be too bad."
Rosalie laughed even though she didn't find any of this remotely funny. She hated the idea of taking away Bella's privacy but she didn't know what else to do. Watching from a distance would only do so much. If the tracker ran in and grabbed her they would be too late. "I'll be by your side as long as you want," she promised.
Bella pulled away slightly so she could look at Rosalie's face. "I want you by my side," Bella said softly. "I like having you with me. I sleep better and feel safer in general."
Rosalie leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad." She checked her watch. "Come on. We're going to be late." Rosalie hopped out of the Jeep and helped Bella out. "How do you feel about our relationship at school?" she questioned. They were holding hands but Rosalie was prepared to let her hand go if Bella wanted to hide their relationship.
"I don't care if anyone knows we're together," Bella said squeezing Rosalie's hand. "I mean… we are together, right?"
They stopped just inside the door of the school. Several students stopped to stare at the two that walked in hand in hand. Rosalie leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to Bella. "Yes, we are," Rosalie whispered to her. She gently pulled Bella further inside the school as Bella was still stunned from the kiss.
Bella squeezed Rosalie's hand again. Rosalie walked Bella to her first class, History. It was a class she shared with Alice and she was glad for that. With everything going on Bella had completely forgotten about the project they were supposed to do together. Bella had started it but never finished her part. Luckily, Jasper had stepped in and together him and Alice finished it. Even going as far as to copy her handwriting. Normally, Bella would be appalled at having Jasper and Alice do their entire project. But with everything going on Bella couldn't bring herself to care about a history project.
Bella walked into the room and found Alice waiting at their shared desk. "It's already turned in," Alice said before Bella could say anything.
"Thanks," Bella muttered. "I'm sorry you and Jasper were stuck doing everything."
Alice shrugged. "It only took ten minutes," she said. She glanced at Bella. "You look like hell Bella," she commented.
Bella glared at her. "I haven't been sleeping well," Bella admitted.
"Or eating," Alice added. Bella sighed. There was no use arguing. "Is there anything we can do for you?" Alice asked concerned. "Carlisle could prescribe you some sleeping meds."
Bella shook her head. "I don't need sleeping meds," Bella said firmly. "I… I have less nightmares when Rosalie is there. But with everything piling on, it's becoming difficult."
"We could take you out of town," Alice offered. She paused when two students walked past them. "A vacation might do you some good."
"No, I will not run away," Bella said. She glanced at Alice. "I won't do that to Charlie. He doesn't deserve what I've been putting him through the last couple months. I refuse to make it worse, especially since I can't give him a real explanation."
Alice nodded in understanding. She knew how much Bella loved her father and how much it pained her to lie to him. She also knew, at the end of the day, she would always choose Rosalie. No matter how much she loved her father, her mate would always come first. It was easier right now, while she was still human. She could still prioritize her father. But once she was changed…if she was changed… she would never be able to see him again. Alice wondered if she knew that. Perhaps that was why she was so resistant to being changed.
"Alice, you okay?" Bella said, nudging her friend. "Did you see something?"
Alice turned her attention back to Bella. "I'm good," she told her. "I was just thinking. No vision."
Bella sighed in relief. She wasn't sure she could handle any more of Alice's visions right now. Lately, they all seemed to be bad and focused on her.
She didn't have a chance to say anything else as Mrs. Light had started the lecture for the day. Bella zoned out during the lecture. One of the perks of sharing a class with a psychic was that Alice would have perfect notes written out for the both of them before the class even started. It meant she didn't have to pay as much attention in class. She tried not to take advantage of Alice's ability but for day's like this it was perfect.
Alice nudged Bella at the end of class. "Do you want to go home?" Alice asked concerned.
"I'm fine," Bella said, following Alice out of the classroom. "Can you see anything about the nomads?"
"No," Alice admitted. "I have no idea who they are, so I don't know whose future to search. I can only see them in relation to the rest of us."
"What have you seen?" Bella questioned. They stood outside of the creative writing class Bella shared with Jasper.
"Not much," Alice admitted, though it pained her to do so. "Some things are not coming in clear. But I have this feeling…"
"What kind of feeling?" Bella asked nervously.
Alice turned to face Bella. "A feeling something really bad is going to happen."