Esme reacted first upon finally hearing the sound of approaching vampires. She sighed and smiled in relief, glad it hadn't resulted in a loss or a runaway. She and Carlisle stood up to greet them, while the rest of us stayed in our positions. At the sight of Alice and Jasper entering the room with a cautious Isabella following behind, a small, relieved exhale escaped me, not realising I'd been holding my breath. Rosalie glanced my way in irritation before looking back towards the others, noting Isabella's tension. She offered her a gentle smile of reassurance, which was returned until her eyes caught mine, immediately dropping it before looking away again.
At least it wasn't a growl, i thought to myself, as Alice stepped forward.
"Isabella has agreed to stay while she learns the ropes." She smiled towards her, but her eyes were nervously looking at us instead of meeting Alice's gaze.
"I appreciate the offer and i hope it won't be too much trouble." Her voice was soft, traces of anger gone; she sounded like a vulnerable girl taking a big step towards something she feared. Instinctively i wanted to help, to reassure her she was wanted here and wouldn't be alone. Esme beat me to it, which was probably for the best.
"Of course not dear, you're more than welcome." She moved forwards and gently hugged her, which Isabella slowly returned. She seemed to be focusing on her strength and taking care with her movements.
"I'm also really sorry about your window." Her expression was of sorrow and guilt, as if awaiting a scolding for misbehaviour. Esme tightened the hug slightly before moving her backwards, looking at her with a motherly smile.
"You don't need to apologize, we'll get it replaced."
"Still, I'm sorry and would like to make up for it. I don't have any money, but i can help around the house or something."
"That's really not necessary, Isabella, but if you'd like to help, I'm sure we can find something for you, ok?"
She smiled sheepishly and nodded in response, looking a little better for the offer. "Thank you and, please, call me Bella."
Esme gently squeezed her arm before stepping back, giving her some space as she then turned to us. Bella didn't seem to enjoy being the center of attention, her nervous expression remaining in place as she examined all of our watchful faces. Emmett broke the tension with a guffaw, drawing her focus.
"We all like a scuffle and some fun here, Bella, you'll fit right in. I've lost count how many times I've broken things in or out of the house."
"Or how many times Esme and Carlisle have told you to take it outside." Rosalie pretended to smack him on the head. "Yet, you and Jasper keep at it."
"You know you love it when i get competitive." He flashed her a cheeky grin, which she rolled her eyes at in response.
"When aren't you competitive?" I mumbled under my breath.
She watched their interaction, as if stunned to see vampires acting so normally, before smiling in response to Emmett. "I'm not usually a violent person, i was always the quiet kid reading in the corner and keeping to myself."
"Sounds like someone else i know." He looked back to me with a single eyebrow wag. I gave him a pointed look, before noticing Bella's glance to me; she didn't say anything, but she appeared displeased by the comparison.
Alice, noticing her discomfort, turned to her and had her immediate attention. "Why don't i show you upstairs? You can take some time to yourself, maybe shower and change into something more comfortable and less muddy. There's already some clothing upstairs for you."
Bella, having looked down to assess her state, looked back up to Alice in surprise. "When did you-?"
"Let's call it intuition, shall we?" Alice looped her arm through Bella's and began to lead her towards the staircase without further explanation.
Her wide eyes caught Rosalie's as she was moving forwards. "Don't worry Bella, you'll get used to it; Alice treats us all like her personal Barbie dolls."
Alice scoffed in response. "I didn't hear you complaining when we were working our way through Fifth Avenue!"
Rosalie laughed her reply. "Fashion week was an exception!"
Bella, distracted by their back and forth, hadn't realized i was in her path until Alice regained her attention by the staircase. She immediately stopped, eyes glaring at me and a rumble building in her chest again, before she exhaled with a huff; she seemed to be trying to control herself. I was impressed by her attempt, though her murderous glare, along with the continuous pain of my re-bonding arm, was enough of a reminder of how she felt. I backed away a few steps to give her space, our eyes never breaking contact, before Alice began moving up the sweeping staircase. She continued talking to Bella, telling her about the rooms as they went by, which bathroom to use and reminding her of the new strength she processed. My gaze continued to follow the direction of their conversation, ignoring the minds and eyes on me, until i dropped my gaze to the floor again as her door closed. I remained like this until Alice returned to us downstairs, the sound of running water starting above as she began to speak in a lowered voice.
"I explained everything and Bella has her own reservations, but she has agreed to stay with us at least for her newborn period. She understands the risks and wants to learn control; she also doesn't want to get us into trouble if she does something wrong."
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind if Eddy boy got the brunt of it." Emmett, forever amused, couldn't resist the dig. Jasper quietly chuckled in response as i growled.
Alice continued once we quietened down. "She seems fairly level headed for a newborn, despite the couple of moments she's had."
I watched in Alice's mind the replay of Bella's reaction to killing a dear and her later anger towards them. "Some newborn instincts will be more prominent; she obviously didn't realize what she was doing."
Alice nodded. "The deer freaked her out and she was scared her instincts could be so overpowering. I believe that's the main reason she agreed to our help."
Esme shook her head sadly. "Poor girl, i imagine she may be hesitant to go out again."
Carlisle nodded in response. "We'll do what we can to help her. Once she's returned, we'll talk with her openly and answer anything she'd like to know."
"I agree, she got very angry when she felt we were lying and believed Jasper was trying to control her. It's best to be honest with her." Alice remembered Bella stepping away and shaking off Jasper's influence, the anger obvious as she moved to flee.
"It'll take a while for her to believe we genuinely care and want to help. I guess all we can do is keep trying and for Jasper to maybe tone down the involvement." I spoke my thoughts aloud before glancing up in the quiet room, all golden eyes on me,
Good luck convincing her that. Rosalie was amused by my conclusion. Alice's resigned expression was along similar lines.
"I wouldn't recommend being alone with her without me, Edward, that's when she's most likely to snap." Jasper didn't soften his words, reminding me of the surge of anger Bella felt whenever she looked at me.
"Ten bucks says she'll go for you again before we go to school tomorrow." Emmett grinned as i signed in response, knowing there was a strong possibility of that.
It wasn't much later when the water stopped and there was movement. We were slightly bemused when we heard the sound of a rip following by a frustrated "dammit", as Alice excused herself to assist. The rest of the family talked among themselves as my mind returned to potential plans to help Bella, even if it was anonymously. An idea had crossed my mind, though i wanted to discuss it with Esme first. I could work on it over the next few days, knowing i wouldn't be able to return to school until my eyes had returned to their golden color. I was then distracted by the return of Alice coming down the stairs, with Bella following behind. She was dressed in simple, flattering clothing, her damp hair swept into a ponytail.
"I'm still sorry Alice, you bought these for me and-"
"Bella it's fine! Why do you think i bought you multiple things?"
"I just didn't think clothing would tear so easily..."
She was distracted by the sound of our laughing, ducking her head and smiling awkwardly in response. I could picture her blushing with embarrassment, chuckling at the image, which drew her attention. Her smile faded again, but she still didn't growl as she moved past me. Her eyes kept contact with mine, untrusting, before taking a seat in the spare armchair.
She then looked at the rest of us, her teeth biting her bottom lip in what I'd guess were nerves, before she voiced what was on her mind.
"Alice told me a bit about you already, but there are a few blanks. I still don't know where we are or what exactly you do each day, other than Carlisle. What would i be expected to do while I'm here?"
Carlisle answered her with a kind smile. "You're still in Forks, Bella. We're just a little further out of the town center, and you aren't expected to do anything."
She looked surprised by this, as Alice continued answering her question. "We have a few acres of land for hunting and privacy; we can be ourselves here without fear of being watched. Carlisle's shifts vary, but the rest of us, other than Esme, go to school."
Bella stared blankly for a moment, before she gave a startled laugh. "Seriously, you go to school? By choice?"
Emmett guffawed loudly. "It's exactly as much of a drag as you think it is."
Bella's expression became curiously confused as she thought on her words. "Then, why do you do it? Surely you can go out into the world and do anything you want, maybe something more... exciting?"
"It's more to feel a sense of normalcy. We move every few years to remain discreet and before humans can discover we aren't aging. The younger we pretend to be, the longer we can stay." Rosalie explained calmly to the still surprised Bella. "It can be tedious, but we think it's worthwhile."
She shook her head in what i imagine was disbelief as she absorbed that, then paused thoughtfully. "Is this expected of me too?"
Carlisle was shaking his head before she finished her question. "Not at all, Bella. You would need to learn to control your bloodlust before that was even considered."
She appeared to accept this, though remained skeptical. "I don't know if that's something i could do for eternity." She paused for a moment, before taking a deep breath and then looking at Carlisle with a more serious expression. "What about my disappearance and... what about my dad?"
Everyone in the room froze up at her question, unsure how to answer her and not wanting to trigger another emotional outburst. Her eyes darted to each of us, uncertain what to make of it and Jasper could feel her anxiety rising. He began to lighten the atmosphere in the room, but immediately stopped when her annoyed eyes darted to him in response.
Carlisle moved to speak as her attention returned to us, waiting for an answer. "In all honesty, Bella, we don't know yet; we've all remained out of the public eye since you arrived. I'll be taking the morning shift at the hospital and the others will be returning to school. We should have more of an idea tomorrow evening."
She remained perfectly still as she listened, then nodded and lowered her head with hunched shoulders. "I guess that makes sense." She then looked back up. "Wouldn't you all suddenly hiding be considered suspicious?"
"True, it may, but there's not much we can do about that. Our priority was supporting you rather than how we appeared to others. We will handle it, come what may." Alice had moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder, while Bella looked touched by her words. "Plus, we have an early alert system, remember? If anything goes amiss, Edward and i can give us a heads up."
"It would be more useful if Edward could go to school with us." Rosalie's annoyed tone brought Bella's alarmed eyes straight to me.
"I'm confident you don't need a mind reader in a school yard to know everything that's happening." Gossip in a town this small? Of course i wouldn't be needed.
"You're going to be around here too?" Her tone was a mixture of concern and annoyance, as if I'd just ruined a surprise.
"I'm not planning to invade your space, Bella, trust me; i won't repeat my mistakes."
I immediately winced at the angry flash of her eyes, uncertain if it was my words, or knowing I'd be around that had upset her. Before i could say anything more, Bella was in front of me, enraged with fury and standing tall as she snarled at me.
"Trust you? Trust you?! Look what you've done to me! Now you'll leave me alone? How very considerate of you, trying to avoid repeating your mistakes!" She spat the last word with malice, striking against me like a whip. I stared at her, stunned; how could someone at least a full head shorter make me feel so tiny in comparison?
Rosalie's amused smirk had returned, thoroughly entertained by Bella's fiery temperament. Esme's concern was evident, but Carlisle had a grip on her to stop her involvement. Jasper had moved forward, sensing another fallout coming and placed his hand on her arm. She didn't react to it at first, her eyes still boring into mine, before the sensation began to seep through. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to get herself back under control, before she looked to Jasper with a small nod of gratitude.
"I'm sorry, i didn't mean to lose my temper like that."
I exhaled in response, relieved it was over for now. "You don't need to apologize-"
"I wasn't talking to you." Her lethal eyes darted back to me, her tone ice cold, before she slowly turned away and moved back towards her armchair.
I really like her. Rosalie was practically applauding Bella, proud she had stood up for herself and taken me down a peg in the process.
Pay up. Emmett was shaking his head at our confrontation, but i could see he was repressing his own amusement. Seriously, you need to think before you speak man.
An awkward, tense silence had fallen over us. Bella, now she had restored her control, returned to her sheepish expression with her eyes to the ground. No one seemed sure on how to proceed, until Carlisle came up with a solution.
"Bella, how would you like to explore the study?" Her nervous eyes looked up to meet Carlisle's gentle smile, possibly wondering if he was annoyed at her. "You mentioned earlier you liked to read, i thought you may wish to choose some books to enjoy."
Bella examined him a little longer, as if to make sure he wasn't lying. She then gave him a cautious, small smile as she responded. "Yes, thank you, I'd like that."
He stood with her and slowly led her forwards, back up the staircase. I watched her eyes light up through Carlisle's mind as she took it in, making me smile in turn; at least something could bring her joy during her time with us.
I then focused on the collective thoughts from the events of the day, sighing in agreement as i leaned against the wall again.
"I know; this is going to be a problem."
You don't need to tell me that. Jasper was very aware of how difficult ill-tempered newborns were, though he was grateful Bella could now see the benefit to his assistance.
Correction; you're the problem. I glared in Rosalie's direction, but held back my retort.
Alice didn't respond as she flicked through futures, trying to find potential solutions to help the next year go smoothly. I was concerned seeing how many occasions ended in some form of attack on me, yet not surprised by it.
"She clearly doesn't want to cause any trouble, but having you two together so often, i feel many more fireworks will fly. I'm not sure what we can do about that and I wouldn't want you to leave either." Esme loved us all dearly and didn't want us to be broken apart, though she couldn't help her thoughts straying down that path.
"Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if he did, at least for a little while." Rosalie's prudent tone annoyed me as she continued. "The humans are already aware of a family emergency, what's to say it couldn't relate to him?"
Esme was shaking her head immediately. No, you're my son, you belong with us.
I hated to admit it, but Rosalie did have a point. I'd already considered that leaving may be the best thing, yet when i thought about actually going i felt hesitant, almost anxious at the thought of not being here.
You're imagining things, i told myself, shaking it off as i moved to reassure Esme.
"Maybe we can think of another way." I wondered again about putting my idea into practise; it wouldn't send me miles away, but it would keep Bella and i apart at least.
"Oh!" Alice's exclaim caught our attention and i immediately zeroed in on her mind. Instead of witnessing the vision she'd seen, she was reciting the Latin alphabet; she didn't want me to know whatever the vision was.
"What is it, Alice? What are you stopping me from seeing?" I hated when she did this, but i knew my sister too well; she wouldn't yield easily.
"Now's not the time, Edward." She had a smile on her face as she waved me off, steering the conversation away from her. "For now, let's just focus on helping Bella."
Evidently, that was the end of that; i would get nothing more from her and gave in with a frustrated sigh. As we already had the last few days, our focus returned towards Bella as we worked on a plan together.
A/N: Thank you so much for your continued support!
I apologise for this one taking slightly longer. In the past couple of months i've abruptly lost my job, had to frantically search for another and them rapidly learn my new position before the person left, then ended up taking on a secondary role because of an unexpected resignation; needless to say things have been manic!
As things begin to calm back down, i plan to put more focus into the story and keep their adventure going. This chapter is a little longer than the previous, so hopefully it makes up for it too :)