It was dinnertime at the Cullen house, which really was just a scene of Bella sitting in a lavish dining room, scarfing down whatever Esme Cullen had experimented with that day.

Tonight, a steaming platter piled with strings of spaghetti was placed in front of her. With the fresh tomato sauce and herbs straight from Esme's garden, it smelled delicious. Edward sat beside her at the long, glass family table that could comfortably seat at least 18. Even though Bella was the only one eating, all of the place settings were present. Acorns were tonight's theme of the dinner table, as they were laid out carefully throughout the middle length with silk ribbon.

As the family's matriarch, Esme played the part of the chef almost daily. Bella was constantly bombarded with food whenever she arrived at Edward's house. This was because the food that was generated would remain uneaten by all seven members of the Cullen family. And, naturally, she played the role of the dumpster.

"Thank you, Esme," Bella said, picking at the pasta with her fork. "And I'd again like to remind you that I'm still not Italian."

Esme wasn't in the dining room, but vampiric hearing meant that she heard her just fine.

"I'm sure you're not, my dear Isabella," she called out from the kitchen.

"You're lucky you're a good cook for someone who can't even eat," Bella murmured, taking a quick bite of the food.

Isabella, she had called her. Isabella Swan.

There didn't exist a more awkward combination of names. Who was Isabella? Bella certainly didn't know her. She was too uptight and formal. She'd fall asleep by the time she got through all four syllables.

Bella.

Better. It was easy to remember for a few seconds, and definitely easy to forget. Bella liked Bella. She was low maintenance.

And what about Swan? A creature representing beauty, elegance, and grace. It was probably more embarrassing than flattering that Bella's parents were desperate enough to give her two names that hinted at beauty.

Did she live up to the names she was given? Edward certainly thought so. She was beautiful, he would always say. For a human, Bella would tack on for him.

There was a reason Edward took all of Bella's attention in HIST 202. There was something in his face, his eyes, his lips. The way his bones were arranged in his face. It was all just so pleasant to look at. Edward Mason Cullen was, simply put, beautiful.

And there Bella was, sitting beside him, and shoving heaps of spaghetti into her face. Self consciously, she dabbed her lips with the pristine, white napkin that had rested on her lap. She frowned at the tomato stains she painted it with.

The red against the white was stark. Dramatic. Her brain imagined what it would look like had it been blood instead. Did Edward carry a napkin with him when he hunted for his meals?

Alice Cullen swung into the dining room. She was one of Edward's adopted sisters. Another vampire, of course.

"Bella!" She exclaimed with a big, cheeky grin. She quickly took a seat next to her. "I knew you would be here."

Her sentence was too literal. Alice knew, because she really knew. While Edward could read (most) minds, Alice could see the future.

Bella sat her fork down. "Hey."

"Oh, no no. Please don't let me stop you from eating."

Eating was not a pretty sport, and Bella's comfort level regarding eating in front of vampires only dipped by how many of them were present in the room.

"I'm done, actually." She hadn't even made a dent.

"Really?" Alice glanced down to the plate quickly. "Well, okay. I just wanted to let you know that your Calculus professor will be out sick next Thursday. That should free up your entire afternoon, right?"

Bella tried to carefully tune her reaction so it didn't come across as shocked or in any way bothered. It was hard—when every move you made was audible, and now every decision and its resulting impact were on display for this little vampire. And since Edward could read her mind, he was always included in this particular play of anxiety.

"Yes. What's Thursday?"

Edward put a casual arm around her. "Baseball. It's a Cullen family event."

"Really? Baseball?"

Alice smiled brightly. "Carlisle has hit the most home runs to date. Though Emmett would gladly fight you over that."

Emmett was the burly brother, and surely would be better at baseball compared to the family's father figure. But Bella wasn't entirely sure how vampiric characteristics were distributed in the family. Were there stronger ones? Some didn't have vampiric gifts like mind reading or psychic powers—did that make them stronger in other aspects?

There were a lot of questions on her list that only seemed to get longer each day.

"Emmett and Rosalie get very competitive," Edward said with a fond smile.

Alice nodded. "It keeps their marriage interesting, I suppose."

Emmett and Rosalie were the only two Cullen kids that were actually together. Married. It was odd at first, knowing that the kids were supposed to be siblings under Carlisle and Esme's protective umbrella. But none of them were actually related.

"I don't see you playing," Alice said with a slightly pitiful tone. "If that's okay?"

Bella kept her face relaxed, because it was truly an absurd question. "Sure, it definitely sounds like me to watch first. Strategize."

Alice smiled. "Right."

"But without me, that would mean uneven teams. Is that a problem?"

Alice's smile dimmed only a little bit. "Problem?"

Edward's strong arm shifted against Bella's shoulder. "Three-on-three, Bella. No problem."

No, that couldn't be right. "Esme, Carlisle, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and you. Seven."

Alice and Edward shared a light laugh.

"Six," Alice explained. "Jasper won't be there."

Odd, Bella thought. He was never there. For anything.

Bella rarely saw Jasper Cullen. He hadn't been there the first night Edward brought her home to meet Carlisle and Esme. She had never seen him in any classes. He wasn't in any of the family portraits she'd seen in the Cullen house. He just didn't exist. Except for the brief moments they'd cross paths, and that was only when he was leaving.

Bella had hardly seen his face. Actually, she didn't think he knew what he even looked like besides the blonde blur of hair. That's what he was to her. Just a blur of hair that couldn't seem to get out of the house quickly enough.

"Huh." Bella considered. "He doesn't like baseball?"

Bella looked at Edward, but Edward only cocked his head to the side strangely at Alice. "No."

The moment of silence only made Bella squirm in her chair. So, she saved herself. "I mean, I get it. It's a confusing sport. The nomenclature is odd. What even is a curve ball, and why do authors love the term?"

Esme came in, rubbing a dishcloth on her porcelain hands. She frowned slightly at the table. "You didn't finish."

Bella glanced down at the plate mostly filled with pasta, and her cheeks began to heat up. "I wasn't that hungry."

But that was a lie, and they all knew it. They could probably diagnose hunger a mile away from their catalog of her stomach noises.

"Just no appetite, really," she offered further. She wasn't sure if it helped, but Esme didn't waver a beat. She swooped the plate out from in front of her.

"Also," she said, holding up the dish, "baseball isn't for everyone. But I, for one, am so excited for you to join us."

Bella smiled warmly at her and watched her carry the unfinished dish back to the kitchen. Her stomach instantly soured at the sound of a metal trash can opening, and she hated herself just a little more for not finishing the meal.


A/N: The Cullens can be just a little eerie.