Charlie had opened the door before Bella could knock.
"Hey, guys! It seems like it's been years! Look at you, Nessie! Come to Grampa! I swear you've grown half a foot. And you look skinny, Ness." He glared at Bella. "Aren't they feeding you up there?"
"It's the growth spurt," Bella muttered. "Hey, Sue," she called over his shoulder. I could smell chicken, tomato, garlic, and cheese coming from the kitchen. It probably only smelled better than the chip because it wasn't being shoved in my face. I could also smell fresh pine and packing dust.
Renesmee smiled; I knew she never talked in front of Charlie.
"Well, come on in out of the cold, kids. Where's my son-in-law?"
"Entertaining friends," Jacob said, and then snorted. "You're so lucky you're out of the loop, Charlie. That's all I'm going to say.
Bella punched Jacob 'lightly' in the kidney while Charlie cringed at his words.
"Ow," Jake complained under his breath.
"Actually, Charlie, I have some errands to run," Bella said.
Jake shot a glance at her but didn't say anything.
"Behind on your Christmas shopping, Bells? You only have a few days, you know."
"Yeah, Christmas shopping," she said lamely.
"Don't worry, Nessie," he whispered in her ear. "I got you covered if your mom drops the ball."
"Lunch's on the table," Sue called from the kitchen. "C'mon, guys."
"See you later, Dad," Bella said, walking through the still open doorway.
Jacob, Charlie, Nessie, Briana, and Sue all sat down at the table to eat- -I was seriously surprised they could all fit. Nessie was only eating because it was in front of Charlie.
"Erin, you gonna eat anything?" Charlie asked me as he sat down. I was standing awkwardly in the entrance area.
"I already ate," I lied, shrugging. "Do you have any Diet Coke, though?"
Jacob snorted.
"We got a can or two in the fridge," Charlie said. "Help yourself."
"Thanks." I took one of the three cans in the fridge and sort of leaned against the counter while I sipped on it. They were eating chicken ravioli. Nessie only had a small portion, while Jacob totally pigged out.
"How're you and Seth doing, Erin?" Sue asked with a smirk.
"We're good," I said. "I don't know how to describe it- -we're not, like, kissing every chance we get. We just talk and have fun."
"What's this about you and Seth, Erin?" Charlie asked. "You're dating?"
"I wouldn't call it that." I took a sip. "Like I said, it's hard to describe."
He just nodded. "So, why are you and- -" he gestured to Bri with his fork "- -her here?"
"Well…" I hesitated, thinking fast. "We had planned to go on a vacation for a few days. Thing is, that was before Briana came to stay at the Cullen's. We were wondering if it would be okay with you if she could stay here while we're on vacation?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Charlie said immediately. "Why can't you take her with you, though?"
"The reservations had already been made," I said simply. "We tried to get her a plane ticket, but the airport said that it was impossible."
"Oh."
Bri, I thought to my friend. Why can't you stay in your apartment?
She seemed startled slightly at my voice in her head, but replied. I haven't been paying the rent for the past few months, because I lost my job. The only way I got food at the store was through food stamps. So, really, I lost my apartment.
Oh. Did you get everything you needed/wanted out of there when we were there?
Bri nodded, but only so I could notice.
When everyone finished eating, we worked on putting Christmas decorations up. I was kind of happy that Briana was in the dark about a lot of things, even though she wasn't, because that would put her in less danger when Aro read Edward's mind at the standoff. Really, only Seth and I knew that it was going to be a standoff, nothing more. I was going to tell Bella, but that would ruin the whole plot of the book. I was so lost in thought, that I actually tripped over my own feet. I tripped. Me, a vampire, tripped. I mean, seriously!
I grunted when I landed on the floor, and Jacob burst out laughing.
"Wow, Erin!" He choked out between the laughter. "When I tell Emmett- -"
"Don't you dare tell Emmett!" I threatened him as I got up, trying to keep myself from growling. "One word out of your mouth, Jacob Black, and I'll- -"
"Now, we'll be making no death threats in my home, abnormal or not," Charlie said, interrupting me. "People trip from time to time, it's nothing to be upset over."
"People like me never trip," I mumbled, causing Jake to laugh again. "This was probably a first." That just caused made him laugh even harder. "Oh, shut up!"
"I'm still telling Emmett." He chuckled, and I growled so low only he could hear me, though Charlie could see my death glare. "Okay, maybe I won't tell Emmett." He said, obviously threatened enough to be terrified.
The rest of the afternoon went without a hitch. When Bella came by to pick us up, she seemed very tense. I stayed behind, cause I wanted to go for a run in the woods. I think Charlie overheard the conversation, because he asked: "Running in that forest at night is dangerous."
"I'll be fine," I said coolly after Bella drove out of the driveway. "But if you honestly want to see how fast I can run? Just ask."
With that, I jogged into the woods at human pace. Once I was out of sight, I sprinted at full speed.
Faintly, I heard Charlie ask Jake: "How fast can she run?"
"Fast, Charlie. Real fast," was how he answered. Charlie probably thought it was as fast as the fastest known person on the earth. Nope- -much faster.
I didn't know where I was running, all I knew is I was running east. Don't ask me how I knew that, I just did. And I ran, not thinking, just running. By the time I knew it, I was already halfway through Montana when I stopped. It wasn't that I needed a break, I just felt like stopping. I whipped out my phone and saw that I'd been running for roughly an hour and a half, when it started to ring. It was Bri.
"Hello?"
"Erin!" I could practically hear the smile in her voice. "Where are you?"
"Um…somewhere in the middle of Montana?" It was more of a question than a statement.
"Montana?" She asked, bewildered. "Okay, um, well we need you here."
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." I hung up, and ran full speed towards Washington. I tried pushing it, and discovered I could go even faster. The exhilaration made me laugh, though I don't know why.
I made it the house in an hour and fifteen minutes, and swiftly entered through the front door.
"Where's the fire?" I asked as I came in.
Bri pointed to the coffee table, and I saw it- -the copy I owned of Breaking Dawn.
"How did this get here?" I asked, snatching it up.
"We don't know," my friend answered. "I made sure nobody read it, though."
"Do they know what it's about?" I asked, serious.
Bri shook her head.
I sighed with relief. "That's good."
"How did this get here, though?" I asked myself. I opened it up to a random page. I read at the top of page number 653:
We went to see Charlie on Christmas Day, Edward, Renesmee, Jacob, Erin, Briana, and I. All of Jacob's pack were there, plus Sam, Emily, and Sue.
What the heck? Me and Briana? What, were we in the book officially? Hey, just sends us a pair of certificates and we're good to go. All I could think was that I didn't belong in my world anymore. This was not good.