Chapter 1 – Birthday Celebrations
What was that annoying beeping sound? The sound was interrupting the peaceful sleep that I was currently wrapped safely in, tonight was the first night I had managed to sleep through without any sort of dream that involved James or murderous vampires.
I had been trying to hide the fact I had been having nightmares from everyone, I didn't want to seem as if I was weak, I didn't want to admit that the whole ordeal with James had affected me as much as it had, Bella seemed to be fine, it was almost like she had almost forgot about it all, the Cullen's had returned to their normal way of life, dad was his usual self so I didn't want to worry anyone.
Hiding it proved harder than I imagined though, I wasn't blind to the looks everyone gave me when they thought I wasn't looking, hiding it from Em, Rose and Jasper had been the hardest though, over the last four months since the incident, Rose and myself had been getting to know each other and I think it was going really well, Rose saw me for me, not Bella's sister, the protector I had always thought I had to be, we had spent hours shopping and talking about life like we were two normal human teenagers, she had told me about her past and why she had been so against the idea of me and Bella when we first come around, I understood, she craved a human life, and here we were choosing to entwine ourselves with a vampire one, on one level me and Rose were the same, we just wanted to protect our loved ones, me protecting Bella and her Lucas and the Cullens, she hated having to move and wanted to stay in one place for a little while at least.
Jasper was a different story altogether, he was the one Cullen Bella and myself didn't really interact with on our own; much to my dismay. Everyone was worried and afraid about how he was the newest to the vegetarian lifestyle, and how quickly all the Cullen's had built could come crashing down in a moment if he slipped, I never felt any fear around Jasper though, I think beside Alice, I had the most trust out of him, I had spent time with him under the ever watchful eye of either Emmett or Rose, he had taught me how to play chess, the history of the civil war and I loved listening to his stories about his childhood, Jasper was always careful though, never letting himself slip up and speak about how he was turned, I was observant though, I had seen the scares that littered his arms, faded but still visible to a watchful eye, I knew his story must have been a painful one and he would one day feel comfortable confiding in me, but I knew it would take time and would tell me when he was ready, having him being able to read my emotions was hard, I would always get a look off him which I tried to ignore, luckily we had an almost unspoken agreement, he never brought my feelings up around anyone, which I was thankful for.
Emmett; my own personal piece of heaven. He was the hardest to hide the nightmares from, he was normally over here at dads with me every night expect from the times he was hunting, every night he would spend his time laid right next to me, the nightmares were a constant within my sleep routine now, although when he was here, I found them a bit more bearable, I think Em knew I was struggling more than I let on, I saw the pitiful looks he sent me when I wasn't looking after I had woken up in a cold sweat from one of the many nightmares, he had tried to bring it up, but I quickly shut the conversation down and said it was normal nightmares; homework, cheating boyfriends, loss of friends, college pressure, anything to keep him away from the actual truth.
It wasn't that I didn't trust Emmett, it was far from that, I would trust Emmett more than anyone in my life, but I didn't want him to feel guilty, I knew deep down he did, he felt as if it was his fault I was ever near the danger, without him, I would be a normal teenager, worrying about grades, boys, college and now, the only thing I worried about in his mind was evil vampires trying to end my life.
Groaning, I turned over and turned the alarm off, I glanced at the clock that read September thirteen, 06.32am, today was mine and Bella's eighteenth birthday.
I let out a little sigh, I knew today was going to be a mixture of emotions, growing up I had always loved birthdays, today was different though, Bella had spoken to me about her fears last night, she hated that now she was officially older than Edward, I had tried to reassurance her, she would actually be younger than him for years, he was after all over one hundred years old, I didn't have to worry about that, Em was changed at nineteen and the age issue didn't really matter to me, she had explained she feared the aging process me and her would take and how she didn't want to look forty and dating a teenager, I had sat there quietly listening as she poured out her fears to me, I could tell it had been playing on her mind for a while, and with Edward hunting she was finally free to express them without anybody listening.
Bella had spoken to me about her wishes, she wanted to join Edward in eternity, never wanting to leave his side, she wanted to be changed into a vampire. I couldn't lie and say I was concerned about her choices, she was still so young, we both were, we hadn't yet left high school, we hadn't experienced many of the typical life experiences, college, first houses, marriage, children.
I had always known I was the more practical twin, but now it showed even more, Edward was Bella's first boyfriend, and I knew what she and Edward had was a lifelong connection and soul mates but still, to give everything up for that, I couldn't help but worry, I didn't know if it was because I knew Rose's story that I was more cynical about life, I knew her longing for children and how it had really changed her, and I honestly knew I wanted Emmett in my life forever, he was my true soul mate, but the sacrifices that came with it wasn't so easy to push down, with another sigh I pushed my covers back and headed for the bathroom, I stood by the door and watched Bella staring at herself in the mirror, she hadn't even noticed me stood behind her, she was just staring at herself in the mirror, the worry lines filled her forehead, I knew what she was looking for,
"Bella, you look the exact same as yesterday, no grey hairs, no wrinkles" I whispered, I saw her jump and spin round and give me a small smile,
"I just… worry" she whispered, I sighed and hugged her,
"maybe talk to Edward, explain how you feel, just try not to get hung up on this age thing, he is like one hundred and nine or something" I joked, she laughed a little,
"happy birthday Lilliana" Bella said pulling back, I smiled,
"happy birthday Bells" I said smiling, I watched as she walked back to her room, I shook my head trying to dispel the worry I felt for her and ultimately myself, I quickly finished in the bathroom and got ready before heading downstairs.
As I walked round the doorway to the kitchen I took in the uncomfortable situation, dad was sat in his usual chair with a cup of coffee most likely like most mornings, Bella sat at the table, looking down at the untouched food in front of her,
"well happy Friday my family" I joked as I walked to the table and kissed my dad's cheek,
"Happy Birthday Liliana" dad said smiling at me, I grinned back at him,
"thank you, how does it feel to have two eighteen year olds?" I asked teasing as I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down across from dad, next to Bella,
"strange, it feels like just yesterday, your mom and I brought you two home from the hospital, both wrapped in little pink blankets" dad said, I smiled as I saw what looked like tears in his eyes,
"dad" Bella moaned, I lightly hit her arm,
"Bella, quit it, let's face it, it was the most important day in the world when I was born" I joked, even Bella cracked a smile at that,
"now girls, your mom and I sort of co-ordinated on gifts, so here you go" dad said as he picked up four gifts from under the table and slid them towards us, Bella's was wrapped in lilac wrapping, with a gold bow, definitely mom's wrapping and one in a brown wrapping paper, definitely shop wrapped, I grinned and watched as she opened them, I saw her face smile as she unwrapped a new camera and scrapbook,
"your mom wants you to document your senior year, so you have all the memories to look back on when you old like me" dad said scratching the back of his head, Bella muttered a thanks, I knew the comment of the old had brought her worries back,
"oh I'm sure, that will still be a long time off, old man" I joked, dad just shook his head smiling,
"go on Liliana, open yours" Bella muttered wanting the attention off of her, I looked down at mine, I had one very similar the Bella's wrapped in the same store wrapped brown paper, I quickly opened it and smiled at the sight in front of me, an old looking journal sat in front of me, the smell of leather filled my senses and made me instantly feel at ease,
"it's a journal, I know you love writing, so I thought it could be the start of your life story" dad muttered, I looked up and grinned at him,
"dad, it's beautiful, I absolutely love it" I said honestly, I knew dad found it easier to buy for me than Bella, I carefully put it to one side and grabbed the pale blue wrapped gift with a silver bow from my mom, I carefully opened it and saw similar to Bella, a new camera, I smiled and quickly got it out of the packaging and pointed it towards Bella,
"smile my birthday twin" I grinned, Bella laughed but gave me a small smile, I quickly snapped the photo,
"now I know I have to work today, but how about dinner at the lodge tomorrow night to celebrate?" dad said as he stood and put his mug in the sink,
"stounds good" Bella said smiling, I was glad she seemed a little more relaxed,
"wouldn't miss it for the world" I said smiling, before I opened the journal and looked in awe at the design of the pages,
"that's sorted, now have a good day at school girls" dad said as he grabbed his jacket, we quickly said our goodbyes and after one last kiss on the crown of my head, dad was out of the door and his signature cruiser heading out of the driveway.
I drove me and Bella to school, the whole journey was basically silent apart from the low music that came from the radio, I glanced a few times at Bella as I drove, worried about her thoughts and what she was actually thinking, when I pulled up at the school, the parking lot was quickly filling up, I parked up and glanced to see Edward leaning against his signature silver Volvo, stood motionless waiting for Bella as he did every day, Jasper and Alice was stood by his side, with Alice basically jumping up and down in anticipation, while holding two gifts wrapped neatly in silver wrapping paper, I smiled as I turned the engine off, I glanced at Bella and saw her looking towards the Cullen's with a frown on her face, I know over the past month she had said over and over to Alice about the no gift rule, which to be fair she should have known was going to be ignored, I tried to not laugh as she slammed the door of our '53 Chevy truck and walked slowly toward where they waited. I grabbed my bag and quickly exited the car and followed a few steps behind Bella. Alice skipped forward to meet us, her pixie face glowing under her spiky black hair,
"Happy birthday, Bella! Happy Birthday Liliana!" she almost screamed in delight, I smiled warmly at her,
"Shh!" Bella hissed, I watched as she glanced around the every filling parking lot to make sure no one had heard her. The last thing she wanted was some kind of celebration of the black event she had made the day into, I laughed,
"thank you Alice" I said smiling, Alice ignored Bella and smiled at me,
"Do you want to open your presents now or later?" Alice asked eagerly as we now all made our way to where Edward and Jasper still waited.
"No presents" Bella protested in a mumble, I laughed at her reaction, Alice finally seemed to process her mood,
"Okay… later, then. Did you like the Camera your mom sent you? And the scrapbook from Charlie? Did you love the journal Liliana?" Alice asked still all excited, I was confused for a second before I realised of course she would know what our birthday presents were, Alice would have "seen" what our parents were planning as soon as they'd decided that themselves.
"Yeah. They're great" Bella mumbled,
"I did, it was perfect, the pages are so beautiful" I said with another grin,
"I think it's a nice idea. You're only a senior once. Might as well document the experience" Alice said as she returned to Jasper's side and he wrapped an arm around her waist,
"How many times have you been a senior?" I teased, Jasper let out a small laugh before trying to hide it quickly as Alice gave him a deathly look,
"That's different" Alice said with a pout, I laughed in response, Bella quickly took Edwards outreached hand and her mood seemed to lift a little,
"So, as discussed, I am not allowed to wish you a happy birthday, is that correct?" Edward asked Bella, I tried not to grin as she gave a sight frown,
"Yes. That is correct" Bella mumbled back,
"Just checking, you might have changed your mind, most people seem to enjoy things like birthdays and gifts" Edward said as he ran his hand through his bronze hair, Alice laughed, and the sound was all silver, a wind chime.
"Of course you'll enjoy it. Everyone is supposed to be nice to you today and give you your way, Bella. What's the worst that could happen?" Alice said meaning it as a rhetorical question, I frowned myself at this knowing the answer,
"Getting older" Bella answered anyway, her voice was not as steady as guessed she wanted it to be, beside her Edward's smile tightened into a hard line,
"Eighteen isn't very old, don't women usually wait till they're twenty-nine to get upset over birthdays?" Jasper said,
"exactly what I said" I replied nodding at him,
"It's older than Edward" Bella mumbled, I tried not to roll my eyes, she was really bringing my good mood down, Edward sighed,
"Technically, but just by one little year, though" Edward said, keeping his tone light,
"anyway happy birthday Liliana" Jasper said smiling at me, I grinned back,
"well thank you kind sir, I'm not doom and gloom like this one" I joked motioning to Bella,
"What time will you be at the house?" Alice continued, changing the subject. From her expression, she was up to exactly the kind of thing Bella had been hoping to avoid.
"I didn't know I had plans to be there" Bella mumbled, I shook my head,
"Oh, be fair, Bella! you aren't going to ruin all our fun like that, are you? It's Liliana's day too" Alice scolded her too with a light hearted tone,
"I thought my birthday was about what I want" Bella grumbled, I knew she didn't mean any harm by it, but I couldn't deny it hurt a little, I saw Jasper give me a small sad smile, I smiled back brushing it off,
"I'll get her and Liliana from Charlie's right after school," Edward told Alice, ignoring Bella's comment altogether, I smiled knowing It wouldn't be too long then till I see Emmett,
"I have to work" Bella protested, I sighed she really wasn't letting this go was she?
"You don't, actually" Alice told her smugly, glancing at me,
"I already spoke to Mrs. Newton about it. She's trading your shifts" I said trying not to look at Bella to avoid her no doubt murderous stare at me,
"I…I still can't come over, I, well, I haven't watched Romeo and Juliet yet for English" Bella stammered, scrambling for an excuse, I frowned even more,
"You have Romeo and Juliet memorized" I grumbled to myself mainly but I knew they all heard, Finally, Alice lost the smug smile and glared at Bella,
"This can be easy, or this can be hard, Bella, but one way or the other—" Alice started to threaten her, I smiled holding my laugh back, but Edward interrupted her threat.
"Relax, Alice. If Bella wants to watch a movie, then she can. It's her
birthday" he said, Bella grinned in excitement,
"So there" Bella said in glee,
"I'll bring her over around seven, That will give you more time to set up" Edward continued while not even looking at Bella, Alice's laughter chimed again.
"Sounds good. See you tonight, Bella! It'll be fun, you'll see" Alice
grinned, the wide smile exposed all her perfect, glistening teeth—then pecked Bellas cheek and grabbed my hair before dragging me towards the school, before Bella could respond.
As I sat in my usual seat in class, I glanced and saw Edward and Bella at the other side of the aisle, we had almost every class together now, it was amazing the favours Edward could get the female administrators to do for him, he couldn't bear to be apart from Bella for long, Edward and Bella had been together too long now to be an object of gossip anymore. Even Mike Newton didn't bother to give her the glum stare that used to make her feel a little guilty. He smiled now instead, and I was glad he seemed to have accepted that they could only be friends.
Bella seemed to enjoy school a little better now Edward was here every day, I on the other hand found it boring, lunch was my only saving grace, I loved Bella but seeing her and Edward together all the time was a little sickening, I hated the fact Em was older than Edward, it meant he had 'graduated' last school year with Rose and Lucas, which meant most of the day I was alone, he had offered to 'fail a year and be held back' I laughed at the thought and told him I would be fine, I just counted the hours of the day till I got to see him again, it scared me sometimes, it was like I was addicted to him.
I sat day dreaming and doodling on my notepad, I knew why Bella was so against gifts, she felt guilty, we wasn't poor but we definitely were not rich like the Cullen's.
Emmett's family had a lot of money, I didn't even want to think about how much. Money meant next to nothing to Emmett, Edward or the rest of the Cullens. It was just something that accumulated when you had unlimited time on your hands and a sister who had an uncanny ability to predict trends in the stock market.
I knew Edward didn't seem to understand why Bella objected to him spending money on her, why it made her uncomfortable if he took her to an expensive restaurant in Seattle, why he wasn't allowed to buy her a car that could reach speeds over fifty-five miles an hour, or why she wouldn't let him pay her college tuition, but I knew the struggle all too well, I felt the same with Emmett, how could I let him give me things when I had nothing to reciprocate with? He, for some unfathomable reason, wanted to be with me. Anything he gave me on top of that just threw us more out of balance, and me and Bella hated that feeling.
As the day went on, neither Edward, Jasper nor Alice brought our birthday up again, and I could tell Bella began to relax a little, as we sat at our usual table for lunch.
I sat next to Jasper at the head of the table as Bella sat a few seats down, of course next to Edward but on her other side sat her other friends, Mike and Jessica; who were in the awkward post-breakup friendship phase, I was loving the drama. Angela and Ben, Eric, Conner, Tyler, and Lauren all sat at the same table, on the other side of what I can only describe as a sort of invisible line, I was just sat there in my own little world, when I felt a nudge on my arm, I looked up and saw Jasper looking at me,
"how's your birthday so far?" he whispered low enough so others, well them that were human wouldn't hear, I smiled,
"it's good, just wish Bella would lighten up a little, I'm excited to see everyone tonight" I said with a genuine smile, already counting down the hours till I see Em, Jasper gave a small smile in return,
"you will see Emmett soon enough, he can't wait" Jasper said, I blushed knowing he was really the only one I wanted to see.
The afternoon passed quickly. School ended, and Edward walked Bella to our truck as he usually did, with my trailing a small way behind, But this time, he held the passenger door open for her, Alice must have been taking his car home so that he could keep her from making a run for it. I watched as Bella folded her arms and made no move to get out of the rain.
"It's my birthday, don't I get to drive?" Bella said, I shook my head and quickly got into the back,
"I'm pretending it's not your birthday, just as you wished" Edward said smugly,
"If it's not my birthday, then I don't have to go to your house tonight…" Bella said grinning, I watched as he shut the passenger door and walked past her to open the driver's side.
"All right, Happy birthday Isabella" he said teasing her, I laughed a little,
"Shh," Bella shushed him half-heartedly. She then climbed in the opened door.
Edward played with the radio while Bella drove, shaking his head in disapproval, I glanced up from my sketch when he spoke,
"Your radio has horrible reception" he grumbled, I laughed knowing he was right,
"You want a nice stereo? Drive your own car" Bella said, the words came out more sharper than I'm sure she had meant them, she was hardly ever bad-tempered with Edward, and her tone made him press his lips together to keep from smiling.
When Bella parked in front of dad's house, Edward reached over to take Bella's face in his hands, I quickly got out and excused myself, giving them a private moment, I quickly unlocked the door and headed up to my room, I quickly chose an outfit and left in ready on bed and headed downstairs for a drink, I glanced and saw Bella and Edward watching Romeo and Juliet in the living room, I sat in the kitchen, giving them space, although I could still hear their voices, I got my journal out and started to write a few things down,
"It's something I had to think about once, and I knew from Carlisle's experience that it wouldn't be simple. I'm not even sure how many ways Carlisle tried to kill himself in the beginning… after he realized what he'd become…" Edward's voice, which had grown serious, I stopped writing in the journal and zoned into the conversation, wondering that they were talking about,
"What are you talking about? What do you mean?, this something you had to think about once?" Bella demanded,
"Last spring, when you were… gone… and I didn't know what was happening or if I would reach you in time" Edward seemed to pause to take a deep breath,
"Of course I was trying to focus on finding you alive, but part of my mind was making contingency plans. Like I said, it's not as easy for me as it is for a human" Edward said, I tried not to alert them to my ease dropping, but the memory of my last trip to Phoenix washed through my head and made me feel dizzy, I could see it all so clearly, the blinding sun, the heat waves coming off the concrete as I ran with desperate haste to find the sadistic vampire who wanted to torture me to death, and my willingness of the fact to save the people I loved,
"Contingency plans?" Bella repeated, I shook my head, as if I could shake away the bad memories,
"Well, I wasn't going to live without you." Edward said,
"But I wasn't sure how to do it, I knew Lucas, Emmett and Jasper would never help… so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi" Edward said, I was now listening very closely,
"What is a Volturi?" Bella said almost demanding, I had to admit I wanted to know too,
"The Volturi are a family, a very old, very powerful family of our kind. They are the closest thing our world has to a royal family, I suppose. Carlisle lived with them briefly in his early years, in Italy, before he settled in America" Edward explained, I wondered how they would help in the situation,
"Anyway, you don't irritate the Volturi, not unless you want to die, or whatever it is we do" His voice was so calm, as he answered my unanswered question,
"You must never, never, never think of anything like that again! No matter what might ever happen to me, you are not allowed to hurt yourself!" Bella almost yelled at Edward,
"I'll never put you in danger again, so it's a moot point" Edward said with a light tone,
"What would you do, if the situation were reversed?" Edward asked, I listened carefully to her answer,
"That's not the same thing" Bella grumbled, He didn't seem to understand the difference, as I heard him chuckle,
"What if something did happen to you, would you want me to go off myself?" Bella asked, she had him there I thought,
"I guess I see your point… a little, but what would I do without you?" he admitted to her, I stood and tried silently to make my way upstairs feeling like again I was intruding on a private moment, I sat crossed leg on my bed thinking about the conversation I had just heard, did Emmett think the same? Would he had done something stupid and reckless? On would he had gone on with his life? This birthday really wasn't turning out like I expected it to.
Before I knew it, I was sat in the back on the truck as Edward drove north through Forks, visibly chafing at the speed limit enforced by the prehistoric Chevy, the engine groaned even louder than usual as he pushed it over fifty,
"Take it easy" Bella warned him,
"You know what you would love? A nice little Audi coupe. Very quiet, lots of power…" Edward said smiling, I just watched the scenery pass the window the earlier conversation still running through my head, I had my ear phones in, music filling my ears, there conversation just a whisper over the music,
"There's nothing wrong with my truck. And speaking of expensive nonessentials, if you know what's good for you, you didn't spend any money on birthday presents" Bella warned,
"Not a dime" he said virtuously,
"Good" Bella said as a matter of fact,
"Can you do me a Favor?" Edward asked,
"That depends on what it is" Bella said with intrigue in her voice, he sighed,
"Bella, the last real birthday any of us had was Emmett in 1935, cut us a little slack, and don't be too difficult tonight. They're all very excited, and Liliana deserves to enjoy it too" Edward said quietly, I kept my gaze out of the window so they didn't know I could hear or listening,
"Fine, I'll behave for Liliana, does she seem okay to you?" Bella whispered, Edward seemed to pause before answering,
"I'm not sure to be honest" Edward answered, I knew without looking towards them, Bella would be frowning, I knew my mood had took a dip, I had to fix that before we got there,
"I probably should warn you…" Edward said once again changing the subject
"Please do" Bella said
"When I say they're all excited… I do mean all of them" Edward said,
"Everyone? I thought Lucas and Rosalie were in Africa" Bella asked, the rest of Forks was under the impression that the older Cullens had gone off to college this year, to Dartmouth, but I knew better, Rose had wanted a second honeymoon as she called it,
"Lucas wanted to be here, to celebrate your birthday" Edward answered,
"But… Rosalie?" Bella pressed,
"I know, Bella. Don't worry, she'll be on her best behaviour, but she wouldn't have missed it, she sees Liliana as like a younger sister" Edward said honestly, I was glad though, I didn't think she would be here and it seemed wrong to celebrate without her, I'm guessing Bella wasn't too thrilled as Edward decided to change the subject.
"So, if you won't let me get you the Audi, isn't there anything that you'd like for your birthday?" Edward asked,
"You know what I want" Bella's words came out in a whisper, my ears barely being able to hear them, I glanced round to see a deep frown carved creases into Edwards marble forehead,
"Not tonight, Bella. Please" he pleaded,
"Well, maybe Alice will give me what I want" Bella said, sounding like a child,
Edward growled, a deep, menacing sound, I tried not to let the sound get to me, but all I could hear was the growl from James, I quickly looked back outside trying to ignore the panicked feeling that was creeping up my spine,
"This isn't going to be your last birthday, Bella" Edward vowed,
"That's not fair!" Bella whined, I saw we were pulling up to the house now, I just glad when I saw the bright lights that shined from every window on the first two floors. A long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that surrounded the house. Big bowls of flowers, pink roses, lined the wide stairs up to the
front doors, I smiled it reminded me of when Em asked me to be his girlfriend,
Bella moaned in annoyed as I took my headphones out,
"This is a party, try to be a good sport" he reminded her,
"Sure" she muttered, Edward quickly came around to get mine and Bella's door, and offered Bella his hand, she accepted it and let Edward guide her up the steps, I smiled and followed, wondering where Em was, I smiled as I let my fingers run over the stunning flowers that lined the walkway.
I walked into the huge white living room beside Bella now, when we walked through the door, we were greeted by with a loud chorus of "Happy birthday, Bella and Liliana!" while Bella blushed and looked down, I grinned and looked to see Alice, I assumed, had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses,
"thank you guys, you really didn't need to do all this" I said grinning still, I saw there was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward's grand piano, holding a pink and violet birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver and Lilac wrapped presents, It was a hundred times worse than Bella imagined I guessed, Edward, sensing Bella's distress, wrapped an encouraging arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head.
Emmett parents, Carlisle and Esme, who both were impossibly youthful and lovely as ever, were the closest to the door. Esme hugged me carefully, her soft, caramel-coloured hair brushing against my cheek as she kissed my forehead, and then Carlisle put his arm around my shoulders.
"Sorry about this, Liliana and Bella, we couldn't rein Alice in" Carlisle stage-whispered to us both, I laughed,
Rosalie and Lucas stood behind them. Rosalie didn't smile towards Bella, but at least she didn't glare her, it was progress, Lucas's face was stretched into a huge grin. It had been weeks since I'd seen them, I grinned at them,
"Rose!" I almost squealed and ran to give her a hug, to which she gladly returned,
"happy birthday Liliana!" she laughed as she let me go, I grinned back,
"You haven't changed at all" Lucas said with mock disappointment, I laughed
"I have to step out for a second" Lucas said but he paused to wink conspicuously at Alice,
"Don't do anything funny while I'm gone" he mocked glared at me,
"I'll try" I teased back, I turned back to everyone and Alice let go of Jasper's hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light. Jasper smiled, too, but kept his distance. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the foot of the stairs, I glanced round again but didn't see the other person I was dying to see, where was he?
"the garden" Rose said suddenly, like she had read my mind, I blushed a little,
"go on, we all know you don't want us" Jasper said, I smiled and quickly walked, trying not to show my excitement as I reached the doors, I took a deep breathe before I slid the door open and stepped through.
The sun was just setting casting a glorious colour over the garden, I smiled when I saw a figure with his back to me, I took a few steps forward,
"thought you had abandoned me" I joked, he turned and the sun sparkled it's last few rays onto his marble like skin, I stood and stared at the perfect man stood in front of me, he was like the perfect model just stood grinning at me, I blushed as I saw his intense gaze on mine,
"happy birthday baby" his angel like voice said, I smiled even wider and almost ran towards him, he opened his arms and caught me like a weighed nothing more than a feather and he spun me round, I giggled as he put me back on the ground and smiled down at me,
"thank you" I whispered, he reached down and placed his lips on mine, the dizziness was almost instant, like the mere touch of his lips sent my body into a frenzy, he pulled back then chuckled at my frowning face,
"breathe baby" he whispered, I shivered at his tone, I was well and truly addicted to this man,
"how come your not with everyone else?" I whispered, not sure why I was whispering, it was like my voice would ruin this moment,
"well I'm selfish and wanted you all alone, so I could do this" he whispered and placed his lips on mine once again, the passion ran through me like a bolt of lightning, I never wanted this to end, I felt his hands on the waistline of my jeans, my hands grabbed his shirt as if I would never let him go, I reluctantly pulled back needing air, I hugged him and held onto him with everything I had, the thoughts invading my brain from earlier, what kind of world would this be without Emmett in, what would he had done if I didn't survive last summer? Would he had done something stupid,
"baby?" Em whispered, I glanced up to see him looking at me with concern, I gave him a small smile, I knew he was concerned, I was never this clingy to him,
"I just missed you" I whispered and gave him a smile,
"jump" he whispered, without a second thought I complied and suddenly my legs were wrapped around his waist bringing us to the same eye level, I marvelled in the beauty of his honey-comb coloured eyes, I blushed and smiled
"hey" I said in an even quieter whisper, he was running small circles into the exposed skin from the bottom of my back,
"you look stunning baby, you having a good day?" he asked smiling at me, I loved Em, to everyone else he seemed like a huge, loud and intimidating muscular man, to me? He was the most generous, perfect creature that ever existed,
"I am now I'm here with you, I'm perfect" I smiled and placed a small chase kiss on his lips, I felt his hand going lower and stop on my jeans covered bottom, I smiled but then I heard him almost groan,
"Yes Alice?" he said almost grumpy, I turned my head to see her and Jasper stood by the door,
"Time to open presents" Alice declared grinning, I blushed as I realised how this looked,
"plus you two need breaking up before he locks you in his room forever" Jasper joked, Emmett let me down, and I blushed in embarrassment,
"oh shhh" I joked as I connected our hands, we walked behind Alice and Jasper, we all walked into the room again and stood by the door,
"you know he isn't wrong, with how you look I could run and keep you all to myself, forever" Em whispered into my ear, his breathe tickling my ear, causing me to blush even harder,
"okay Romeo, stop hogging her" Alice said as she put her cool hand under my elbow and towed me to the table with the cake and the shiny packages, I glanced back and saw Em grinning at me, I blushed and turned my focus back towards the table,
"Alice, I know I told you I didn't want anything—" Bella started to say,
"But I didn't listen," Alice interrupted, smug.
"Open it" Alice finished as she placed a big, square silver box in front of me and Bella.
The box was so light that it felt empty. The tag on top said that it was from Lucas, and Jasper,
Self-consciously, me and Bella tore the paper off and then stared at the box it concealed. It was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name. I opened the box, hoping for further illumination. But the box was empty.
"Um… thanks" Bella said, I was still confused, I looked and saw everyone smiling at Bella, even Rosalie actually cracked a smile.
"It's a stereo for your truck, Lucas's installing it right now so that you can't return it" Jasper said, I smiled,
"Thanks, Jasper," Bella said, I gave my thanks and smiled as I remembered Edward's complaints about the radio this afternoon, it had all been a setup, apparently,
"Thanks, Lucas!" I called more loudly, I heard his booming laugh from my truck, and I couldn't help laughing, too,
"Open mine and Rose's next," Alice said, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She held a flat square box in her hand, handing that to Bella, and a silver bag to me, I smiled and waiting for Bella to go first,
"it's beautiful, thank you" Bella said as she lifted out a necklace, clearly Alice had chosen it, I smiled and turned to the bag and noticed a note, I picked it up and read it,
For Whenever you might need it, flaunt what you have
Love
Rose x
I was confused and moved the tissue paper and then quickly put it back over the item, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks,
"Rose! Alice!" I said out of embarrassment, Rose and Alice laughed, Bella looked at me confused, I shook my head, I risked a glance at Em, to see him looking at me curiously, I blushed even more and put my head down, putting the bag firmly behind my back,
"our turn, this one is from us as well as Edward and Emmett" Esme said, breaking the awkward silence I had created, Bella turned to give Edward a basilisk glare.
"You promised" she accused, I laughed still trying not to let the pervious gift make me blush as I glanced at Em, before Edward could answer Bella, Lucas bounded through the door,
"Just in time!" he crowed. He pushed in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look at the presents,
"I didn't spend a dime" Edward assured Bella, as he brushed a strand of hair from her face,
Esme handed us both a small package, again wrapped in the elegant silver paper, I looked confused and watched Bella as she took the little package, rolling her eyes at Edward while she stuck her finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape.
"Shoot" I heard her mutter when the paper sliced her finger, I watched as she pulled it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut.
It all happened very quickly then.
"No!" Edward roared, my body moved before I had a chance to think I pushed Bella behind me as Edward threw himself at Bella, in the process flinging me back across the table, the table quickly fell, as I did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers and the plates. I landed in the mess of shattered crystal, pain searing in my arm,
Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide.
There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's face.
Emmett grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggled on, his wild, empty eyes now focused only on me.
Beyond the shock, there was also pain starting to make its way to the front of my thoughts, only now did I feel the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my elbow, Bella was suddenly by my side.
Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm and into the image straight out of my nightmares, the fevered eyes of a ravenous vampire.