Whoo! Two days in a row, two posts in a row, I am on fire!
~Chapter Twelve~
Standing beside Bella, a sponge in hand as I help clean her truck, as I had promised to make up for yesterday, I jump with a loud yelp as there is thundering sound, and the truck rocks, causing me to look up, giving Edward the stink eye as he jumps in the bed of the truck, Bella gawfs. "Could you ACT human?" She tucks a dark curl behind her ear. "I mean, I've got neighbors." She states, my irritation flees the moment that I feel two, familiar, arms wrap around my waist, and he plants a kiss on my cheek as my cheeks flood with heat.
"I'm going to take you to my place tomorrow." Edward jumps out of the bed of the truck, looking down at the dent from the accident, he yanks the metal out, causing it to warp back into place.
"Thanks." She rubs the mark where the dent was, before Edward's words click. "Wait, like with your family?" She look at him.
"Yeah." He nods, she bites her bottom lip, hissing a bit.
"What if they don't like me?" I snort. 'Typical Bella, not worried about the possibility of becoming dinner, just that your would-be eaters won't like you.' I think to myself.
"Lilith would you shut up for a minute?!" Edward snaps, causing me to tense as Jasper's grip tightens.
"Hey, if you don't like it- Stay. Out!" I snarl, causing them all to look at me as I step out of Jasper's grasp, flinging the sponge in the murky bucket, stalking over to Jasper's bike, where he catches me by my wrist, turning me, and bringing me into a hug. "I know! I know. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry." I keep repeating my apology, shaking my head as he reaches up, taking my face between his hands, pressing a kiss to my lips, then moves my purple streak from my eye, tucking it behind my ear as he shushes me.
"It's fine, stop apologizing." He states.
"It's just-!" I growl in annoyance, looking up at him as I stomp my combat boot clad foot. "I shouldn't have to mute my THOUGHTS, because he doesn't like them."
"So don't, Edward needs to learn to mute his mouth, and focus on other things to shut other's thoughts out." Jasper takes my hand, behind us, Edward snorts.
"Of COURSE you'd take her side." He states, causing my eyes to narrow, suddenly Edward goes flying backwards in the air, before thudding to the ground as Bella turns from her truck, looking at her boyfriend in surprise.
"Shit! I'm-I didn't mean to!" Bella turns to me at those words, confusion on her face.
"Wait!" She points a finger at me as I lift my hands up.
"Bella, wait, please!" I beg.
"Are you one of them?!" She asks.
"Whaaaaaat?! No!" Jasper looks at me with his eyes slight hurt. "Not yet, anyway!" His eyes suddenly sparkle as Bella's brow furrows. "I-It's complicated."
"How so?!" She demands.
"I'm a witch." I state, causing Bella to gape at me. "I'm new, my powers awoke after the accident, that's why I was so sick." I explain, causing her eyes to widen in surprise, wonder and understanding twinkle in them.
"Anyone else a freaking supernatural being?!" She demands, throwing her arms up, when her gaze lands on Edward, who's eyes have hardened. head lifted as he's by her side, a quick look at Jasper, and he's the exact same way.
"Jazz?" I ask, he shakes his head, looking down at me.
"It's nothing, just complications." He and Edward say in unison.
"We need to go." Jasper presses a kiss to my cheek, before climbing on the bike as I join Bella, Edward climbs in his Volvo, and the two of them speed down the road just as a large black truck comes into view, pulling up to the house, where a large russet skinned boy jumps out, he's way too young to be driving, but the minute he pulls out a wheelchair, and puts a man in it, I understand why he is.
"Hey, Billy! Jacob!" Bella greets with a slightly nervous smile. "Come to visit your truck?" The boy smiles at her, his teeth are blindingly white against his dark skin.
"Yeah, it looks good. Got that dent out." I choke down a snort at that.
"Actually, we came to visit your flat screen- First Mariners game of the season." Billy states as Charlie suddenly pulls up in the Cruiser- ever since my protecting Bella during the accident, her dad has insisted that I call him Charlie, and to come over whenever I want, especially once he learned of my adoption by Sheryl and Matthew. "Plus, Jacob here's been bugging me about seeing you again." Bella looks strangely guilty.
"Thanks dad." Jacob groans.
"Just keeping it real, son." The man answers.
"Vitamin R!" Charlie states as he lifts up two six packs in his hands, looking up at me in surprise. "Lily! I didn't know you'd be here!"
"Helping Bell-Bells clean her truck." Bella groans at the nickname I have given her.
"Harry Clearwater's fish fry." The wheelchair bound man draws the attention to the paper bags in his hand.
"Good man!" Charlie cheers as I clear my throat, awkwardly standing there. "Oh! Billy, this is the young woman the protected Bella in that incident with the van." Charlie states, setting the beer in the man's lap, he reaches out to shake my hand.
"Nice to meet you." He states.
"You too." I murmur, the four of them head inside as I wave goodbye, walking down the road, where Jasper picks me up on his bike, taking me home. The next morning, I dress in black slacks, a low cut, long sleeve gray top with a navy blue, short ruffle sleeved blouse, and my black combat boots, braiding back my black hair, which is now to the middle of my back, using my magic to turn my streaks the same blue as my top, shrugging on my black and gray windbreaker as I enter my room, Jasper is sitting in his usual spot on my ottoman, watching me with a smirk as he stands, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"That's one sexy parka." He jokes, causing me to scoff as he pecks me lips, then pulls away to lead me out the door, where the two of walk down the stairs, I slide down the banister happily as he chuckles, walking out the front door to jump on his bike, wearing our helmets as he drives us over to his home, the two of us enter through the front door.
"I'm home!" I call, joking as I shrug off my windbreaker, twirling past my soulmate into the kitchen, where I find everyone is gathered, cooking as I stare. "What's this?"
"We're making Bella Italiano." Esme states as she smiles at me, putting down her knife to step up, hugging me lightly around the waist, once she steps back to her place, I am scooped up in a bear hug by Emmett, causing me to groan as my back seems to pop in two dozen different places, causing Rosalie to wince as her mate puts me down, the beautiful blonde then pecks me on the cheek, causing me to smile as I move past, patting Carlisle on the shoulder, hopping up on an empty counter, while Jasper disappears outside. I know it's strange, but I feel strangely lonely without him near me.
Kicking my legs as I watch them, all of them move about the kitchen in sync, as if it's a dance routine, something they all do regularly. "Is she even Italian?" Rosalie suddenly asks.
"Her name's Bella." Emmett states as I roll my eyes.
"None the less, I am sure she will love it." Carlisle states, suddenly all of their heads lift to the kitchen entrance.
"Whew. Get a whiff of that." Rosalie states as I see Edward's arm come into view. "Here comes the human." Suddenly, Bella comes into view as Esme beams excitedly at the others, moving around the corner to wrap a surprised Bella in a hug, then simply holds her hands.
"Bella, we're making Italiano for you." Esme's lovely motherly voice wraps around me, much like a hug.
"Bella, this is Esme, my mother for all intensive purposes." Edward introduce, Bella says something in Italian, which Esme responds to in Italian as well, tone surprised.
"Hi, Bella." Alice suddenly appears in the window, dropping down from a long, winding tree branch, Jasper follows as I jump down, walking over to him as Alice wraps Bella in a tender, much longer hug, before pulling back in surprise. "Oh, you do smell good!"
"Alice, what are you-?" Alice cuts her brother off.
"Don't worry, Bella, Lily, and I are going to be best friends." Alice states, Jasper murmurs a quick, nervous greeting, I can tell his hunger is that much worse from everyone else's.
"I hope you're hungry," Carlisle speaks up, joining his wife to change the subject. "You given us a reason, other than Lily, to use the kitchen." He smiles proudly.
"Yeah, I'm st-" Edward cuts Bella's lie off.
"She already ate." He states, suddenly Rosalie drops the bowl of salad in her hands, causing my hands to shoot out, catching the bowl with my levitation spell, quickly setting it on the counter.
"Great." Rosalie snaps.
"No, it's just- I know you guys don't eat, so-" Bella hurries to attempt to explain her thought process.
"Of course." Esme's expression dims. "That's so thoughtful."
"I'm still hungry!" I cry, causing her eyes to brighten instantly.
"Just ignore Rosalie, I do." Edward states.
"Yes, let's just ignore the threat you've cast upon us!" Rosalie growls.
"Rose-" Emmett attempts to calm his wife.
"No, she should know!" She states, stepping forward a bit. "The whole family will be implicated, if this ends badly!" I rest a hand on her arm.
"Implicated, as in... I become the meal." Bella chokes out.
"No, everything's fine." Esme states.
"The problem is," Emmett states, stepping up to Rosalie to wrap his arms around her waist. "you two have gone public, now." My brother figure shrugs.
"Okay, I'm going to give Bella a tour of the rest of the house." Edward quickly directs her away as I press a kiss to Jasper's cheek as he let's out a relieved breath.
"So," I step up to the counter between Emmett and Esme as everyone goes back to cooking. "what can I do to help, mom?" I freeze at my words, everyone else does too as I look up, thinking that Esme is now looking at me in horror, but she's smiling brighter than I have ever seen, venom fills her eyes, as though she's going to cry, before I realize that she can't.
Suddenly, I find myself getting choked up, my mother's image flashes across my eyes as my knees shake, then I remember my mother wrapping me in a hug, kissing my palm when I catch it on a nail, tears in my eyes as the pain is gone, before I remember when the strange woman who took me away from the tiny black boxes where my mother and father are resting, side by side. Blinking as tears fall from my eyes, one of my hands grips the countertop, the other is pressed to my mouth as my knees give, causing me to fall to the floor.
Screaming in the night for mother, her coming in, holding me close after a nightmare, glow in the dark stars paint my ceiling and walls. My mother hums as we walk down the aisle at the market. My mother making breakfast, early in the morning. My mother and father kissing, the two of them madly in love. A newspaper clipping about my parent's strange deaths. My breathing starts to come out in short, uneven puffs, my hands grip the edge of counter as sobs rack my body, a motherly set of arms pull me into a hug as my voice scraps out. Apologizing over and over again, before I feel a familiar tugging at my emotions, allowing the tugging to wrap around my anxiety, grabbing it by a frayed string, and quickly unravels it, a feeling of calmness stitching itself back into place.
"It's okay, Lily. You can call me mom, you can call me Esme, it's all okay." I realize that it's Esme holding me, my face buried in her shirt, once I've calmed down enough, she hands me off to Jasper, who takes me outside.
"Feel better after that cry?" He asks, curiosity and worry in his tone as I nod, our hands clasped.
"Jasper, I... I remember more, about my mother." I state, causing him to pause.
"Isn't that good?" He asks, causing me to let out a nervous laugh, nodding my head thrice. "Then, I am glad you did, darlin." He turns to me suddenly, looking me in the eyes. "I want to show you something."
"Okay." I can tell this is serious, very important to him as he clasps my hand in his, leading out into the forest begin the house.
"I need a safe haven, every once and a while, from my family, and the other residents of the town, so when I found this place, the last time we lived here, I started on this place, and I finished, when we came back this time." As soon as he stops talking. we're about two miles into the woods, where he stops us before a large wall of hanging ivory, which he brushes to the side, showing a large clearing, full of flowers of all colors, in the middle of the clearing is a large, strangely grown, oak tree, it's branches are spread out, almost grown around the house it holds, the leafs of the tree make a roof across the entire clearing, letting in streams of sunlight and gentle wind.
The house is made of smooth wood, a tiny dirt path leads to it, little lantern style lights on either side of the path, connected by chains, a small bride leads over a little stream that I have now noticed, that runs the length of the clearing. The house is multiple stories, that much is clear from the outside, with small circular windows, with glass panes in them, and there is a set of stairs that leads to a beautiful, hand carved, front door.
"It's beautiful." I breath, causing Jasper to grin, wrapping his arms around my waist, he holds out a little key to me.
"And it's all ours, nobody knows about it except you and me." He folds the key into my hand. "You can come here. whenever you want." He presses a kiss to my cheek, resting his chin in my shoulder.
"Can we go inside?" I ask, my tone is evidently excited as he chuckles, taking me by the hand once more, we cross to the treehouse, climbing the steps, I unlock the door, where I plan in going outside, but he lifts me off my feet, bridal style, and crosses the threshold as though we were just married, causing me to burst into light laughter once he's set me down, once more.
"What do you think?" He asks, I look around at his words, realizing that the inside is much bigger than I thought it would be, there is a gourmet kitchen, a lovely dining room, a living room with a flat screen TV, multiple game stations hooked up to it, bookshelves carved into the trunk of the tree, each shelf filled with books by my favorite authors, a working bathroom, complete with a claw foot, marble tub, and a laundry room, working lights on the high ceilings. The second floor is five rooms, the master bedroom is one, complete with a master bathroom, and a gigantic closet, a study/library is another, filled with books and a beautiful PC, the third and fourth room are empty, to be filled later (Mini AN: guess what they're for! ^-^), and another bathroom, then there is the fifth room, which looks like a guest room, the top floor is completely nothing but extra space.
"I..." Looking in the master bedroom, one more, my heart quickens a bit. The walk-in closet and master bathroom aside, this is the largest room in the tree house, the bed is a queen-size, four post with navy blue, silk bedding, the floor has fluffy white carpet, the kind your feet sink into, there is a vanity on the left wall, beside the closet, an ottoman at the foot of the bed, and both the windows have bench seats under them. Spotting a picture frame collage on the right wall, beside the bathroom door, I step over to it, surprise coloring my features as my heart sputters then kicks into gear again.
There is a picture of me, the first day of school, sitting beside Bella at lunch, head low, then there is one of Jasper and I, in the French Bistro, his hand on top of mine, the two of us evidently in our own world, then one of Alice hugging me, one of Rosalie and I watching Alice and Emmett play video games. One of Esme and I talking over her house designs, and even one of Carlisle and I playing chess. One below that one is of Emmett and I playing a video game, his hand in my face, my legs across his lap, the two of us trying to distract each other, then Edward and I, last time I was over, the two of us at his piano, me leaning against it while he plays, this was shortly after the first visit.
The last picture is one, I don't remember, it's Jasper and I, my arms around his neck, his arms around my waist, the two of us smiling softly, his head resting against my own. "Lily?" Jasper draws me out of my reverie, looking over at him with a bright smile.
"I love it." I murmur, causing him to smile, pulling me close to press his lips to mine in a gentle, sweet kiss. Barbie Girl interrupts the kiss as Jasper pulls back with a growl, flipping it open as to press to his ear.
"Alice." Jasper's voice is short, before he blinks, his face is passive for a full minute, before his lips spread into a smile, and he looks up at me. "We'll be right there." He hangs up, beaming at me as confusion fills me.
"What?" I ask.
"Your second surprise is here." He grabs my hand, leading me down the stairs, and outside, locking the door behind us, he picks me up, tucking my head into his chest, and runs back to the house, once we're inside, he sets me down on the floor, leading into the dining room.
"What is it?" I finally manage to ask as he sets a large box in my hands.
"Open it." He gestures, beaming like HE is the one with the present, setting the box in the table, I lift the lid, finding another box, this one has holes in it, causing me to look at him in confusion, when a loud mewl comes from inside, causing my eyes to widen. Opening the box, inside is a tiny, furry black face, with two azure blue orbs, staring up at me, a blue bow is around the kitten's neck, and it mewls again, causing me to squeal as I pick it up. In the light, the kitten has a gray, spotted, patch over half of it's face, including one eye.
"She's SO cute! What's her name?" I ask as I scratch her head softly, causing her to start purring at me, lifting her to my face, her tiny pink tongue stretches out, licking the tip of my nose, causing me to coo. "Aw!"
"She doesn't have one yet." I look up at him, sighing.
"You know Sheryl and Matthew will never let me keep her without permission." He nods.
"That's why I already got it." He chuckles at my shocked expression, staring at him as the kitten licks and nibbles on my knuckles.
"Nee! She opened her!" Alice cries, skipping into the room, hugging me as she pets the kitten, who is surprisingly relaxed around them both, as I now notice. "So, you're playing baseball with us tonight, right?" She asks me.
"Yes, please. I owe you for last time." I state. "We should invite Bella."
"Why don't you three go do that?" Alice says, twirling away as I look up at Jasper, who nods, lead me up to Edward's room, the kitten in my hands. There is a loud thud, that comes from the room as Jasper smirks, knocking softly, before I just enter the room, twirling with the kitten in my arms.
"Jasper. Lily. How can I help you?" Edward asks, Bella in his lap while the vampire is soft of grinning.
"It sounded like you were having Bella for lunch, we came to ask if you can share." I quip, sitting in the floor before them.
"Sorry," Edward's arms wind around my best friend's shoulders. "I don't think I have enough to share." He jokes.
"Actually," Jasper walks across the floor, stopping behind me. "we came to ask if you and Bella are planning on joining us for baseball tonight, Alice thinks there's going to be a storm, and last time we got rained out."
"Sorry." I murmur, looking down to scratch the kitten between the ears.
"I'm don't know, Bella?" Edward asks.
"Am I going to need an umbrella?" She asks.
"You shouldn't, the storm's going to hit, right over town." Jasper answers as I stand, he rests his chin on my shoulder, arms around my waist as he inhales my scent, preferring it over Bella's.
"Then, yeah. That sounds like fun." Bella states.
"See ya later tonight." I state, Jasper and I both leave them alone, heading back downstairs, where Jasper feeds and plays with the kitten while I eat, then he takes me home to get ready for the baseball game, leaving the kitten in my room with her food, water, litter box, and little kitty bed. Jasper puts up the cat tree/scratching post he'd bought her, Alice having brought it over earlier, while I take a shower, dressing in my black baseball pants, black combat boots, and a gray long sleeve under a open sleeved baseball jersey, leaving my hair down now, and changing it with magic so my hair is just black, I leave my room, snatching up Jasper's baseball cap from his head, he had obviously gone home and came back, completely changed for the game.
Baseball scene is next! And, Lily got her kitty, how cute is that? We need to name her. If you guys haven't figured it out yet, Lily's parent's were magically erased from her mind, and Esme's lovely motherly self, is breaking the spell (because Esme needs a bigger part in the series, I just love her!). Review a kitty name! It's a little girl! Read, review, enjoy! 2 reviews, equals one new chapter!