Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author-mama4dukes. The author is in no way associated with any media franchise's owners, creators, or producers. No copyright infringement is intended.
Title: Mirror Mirror
Written for: Boymomx4
Written by: mama4dukes
Rating: T
Summary/prompt used: Chocolate Cake
Banner Maker: GoOasis726
MIRROR MIRROR
CHAPTER ONE
Thump! Bella Swan banged her head on the wooden top of the makeup vanity, thinking no one deserved her fate. How was it that she was responsible for the fate of the Cullens, her father, her friends, and the Quileute Wolfpack?
She was the only daughter of Charlie Swan and Renee Dwyer. Having grown up in Arizona, she had moved to Forks, Washington, a little over a year and a half ago when her mother selfishly decided she wanted to travel with her new husband, Phil, and his minor league baseball team. She invited Bella along, but having no desire to live as a hippie with a sickeningly sweet newlywed couple, she decided to move to Forks with her father, where she met Edward Cullen, a handsome, forever seventeen vampire. They dated, broke up, got back together, and became engaged—eventually leading to today, her wedding day. In between, many tragic, life-altering events occurred. Still, the most significant was when the Volturi, the self-proclaimed rulers of the vampire world, declared that Bella had to be turned into a vampire for her, her family, and the Cullens to stay alive. Furthermore, Alice saw in a vision that if Bella remained human, the Volturi would learn about the existence of the Quileute wolves, which would lead to the destruction of the entire tribe. All of this, of course, led to today: her wedding day.
Slowly raising her head, she took in her image in the mirror and sighed. Bella wore an ornate wedding gown, her hair perfectly arranged with an uncomfortable veil hanging from a pearl comb that held her chignon bun together, and her makeup artistically applied so she had the look of innocence. She was the epitome of a young, blushing bride.
And she hated it. It was wrong. All wrong.
She was only eighteen and didn't want to get married. Not yet, at least. And not to a vampire—especially not to one she truly despised. Lately, she had come to the realization that Edward was overly possessive to the point of being controlling. She wasn't allowed to see her friends—not her human school friends, nor the ones she had made on the Quileute Reservation. According to her mind-reading vampire, the human friends were unacceptable because they were immature, and their thoughts were often crass. Alice, his annoying sister, added that they were of a different social class. The Quileute friends were not on the list of approved people because some of them turned into vampire-killing wolves. Okay, so maybe she understood that one a tiny bit, but still, she was human, so they weren't any risk to her. Also, the tribe had a treaty with the Cullens. As long as the Cullens didn't bite humans, they would be able to remain in their house in Forks. Besides, the only reason some of the teenage boys transformed into wolves was because of the presence of the vampires. So, the Cullens were to blame.
So why? Why did she agree to marry Edward Cullen? What possessed her to agree to marry a vampire?
She thought she loved him, but in hindsight, she realized it was infatuation and lust. Or was it even? Lately, Bella couldn't stand the sight of Edward, which was a valid reason not to marry him.
But then again, she was locked in. The Volturi, the rulers of the vampire world, had given her a deadline. She needed to be turned into a vampire, or the Volturi would destroy everyone. That was not an option.
Thump! Bella knocked her forehead on the vanity top again. She drew her head up and looked into the mirror.
She could do this!
No. No, she couldn't. She absolutely could not tie herself to Edward Cullen. No way. No how.
How was she to get out of the situation? Sure, she made a mistake by getting involved with a vampire, but surely, it wasn't enough to warrant a life sentence.
She stared into the mirror. She hated the image staring back at her. It simply wasn't her. She despised the dress. It wasn't her choice. The Cullen women selected it. Bella hadn't wanted a thirty-five thousand dollar Carolina Herrera custom gown with long sleeves and a ridiculous train. She had wanted a simple strapless gown that she had found on the clearance rack at the bridal shop in Port Angeles for three hundred bucks, but the Cullen females insisted she would embarrass the family if she wore a cheap satin gown, and besides, didn't Edward deserve the best?
Bella also didn't want her hair in an updo, nor did she want the uncomfortable veil hanging from her bun. She didn't want any of this at all.
She glanced out the window. The decor was perfect for a summer wedding in the middle of the forest. She could see the caterers setting up the wedding cake. The display was perfection. The wedding cake was the only thing she liked about this whole fiasco. It was a chocolate velvet cake made with care by Joy Ateara from the Quileute Reservation.
Esme Cullen wanted a Raspberry Chantilly Cake made by a fancy celebrity baker in Seattle until Bella threw a massive tantrum about how she hated raspberries. It was her wedding, after all, and vampires didn't eat anyway. She didn't give a damn how trendy raspberries were—Bella wanted chocolate. They eventually gave in on the point after Joy Ateara called Carlisle Cullen and insisted they be allowed to contribute the cake as a gesture of goodwill from the Quileute Nation; it was permitted. Sadly, afterward, Edward lectured her for hours about proper comportment within the family and showing respect to their parents because Esme's feelings were hurt by her future daughter-in-law's refusal to comply with her wishes. But still, the Chocolate Velvet Cake was a symbol of Bella's defiance, and she was proud of it.
The guests were gathering, and Edward was waiting alongside the minister.
Crap.
"Bella, it's time," Alice said, peeking into the room.
Bella wanted to glare at the little witch but chose to smile at her instead. No need to borrow trouble. "I just need a few more minutes. Is that okay?"
"Of course." Alice stepped into the room and closed the door.
"Alone," Bella stated firmly.
Alice huffed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Bella scrutinized her appearance again in the vanity mirror and declared, "I hate this. I hate everything about this." She wished she had a magic mirror like Queen Grimhilde did in Snow White. On a lark, she said, "Mirror, Mirror on the vanity, please help me out of this disaster."
Nothing. Of course not. While the supernatural world was real, apparently, there was no such thing as a supernatural helpline.
"I really don't want to do this," Bella whispered sadly to the heavens. But no help came.
Instead, Alice Cullen walked in and ordered, "Enough dawdling, Bella. Everyone is waiting. It's time to go, and Reverend Weber has a funeral service he needs to preside over after your wedding."
Funny. Bella felt like she was going to her own funeral.
"Okay. I'm just going to hop into the ladies' room real quick," Bella informed her. "I wouldn't want to pee myself during the ceremony."
"No, I didn't see you peeing yourself in my visions," Alice declared.
"Did it ever occur to you that it's because I use the bathroom? Geez, Alice. I can't believe you're married to an empath. You have absolutely no empathy for human beings," Bella snapped.
"Fine," Alice snipped, "use the bathroom. And I happen to have a lot of empathy."
"Sure you do," Bella mumbled sarcastically as she hopped into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it. She didn't really need to use the toilet. She was simply stalling because she didn't want to get married. And if she was going to have a panic attack, she was going to do it in privacy, even if it was in the bathroom.
Bella ran the faucet and stared into the mirror. "I can do this. I can do this," she whispered in an attempt to reassure herself. "Nope. No. No, I can't. No way. Oh, my God. What am I going to do?"
She spotted her old Maybelline powder compact in the trash, remembering Alice had thrown it out, stating she was going to be a Cullen, so drugstore makeup brands weren't good enough. Apparently, she needed to use a high-end department store brand going forward. "Well, screw Alice Cullen!" Bella swore before reaching into the trash and grabbing her powder compact.
Feeling nostalgic for her soon-to-be past life, Bella opened the compact. She peered into the mirror and examined her face. No amount of makeup could disguise her inner turmoil. "Mirror, Mirror, please help me get out of this situation."
Of course, there was no answer. She knew there would not be. She wished there was a way to save her life and the lives of the Quileute wolves and her father. She wished she had more of a backbone.
Maybe she should pray to Taha Aki as everyone on the reservation did. Bella giggled.
Knock! Knock! Knock! "Bella, you need to hurry up!" Alice called from outside the door.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" She grumbled as she shut off the faucet. At this point, she didn't give a fig about the Cullens.
"Well! I never. After all, I did for that human!" She heard Alice snap.
Bella glanced one last time into her compact and pleaded, "Mirror, Mirror in the Maybelline compact, God, Jesus, Buddha, the Greek and Roman Gods, Captain Kirk, Captain America, and especially Taha Aki," she paused, shrugged her shoulders, and added, "also Thor. Yes, Thor would be really nice. I am in dire need of assistance. Please help me!"
Knock! Knock! Knock! Alice pounded on the door again.
Again, there was no answer. She slumped back against the wall into a seated position, and whispered, "If only I could go back in time and fix all of the mistakes that led to this disaster."
"Well, then, let's get you out of here," a gruff male voice replied.
Bella glanced around her and saw no one. She was the only one in the bathroom. Great! She was hearing things now.
Knock! Knock! Knock! "Hurry up, Bella! You're being rude to the guests and especially to Edward." Alice shouted from outside the door. Knocking over and over again.
"Shut up, you annoying bitch! I said I'll be right out!" Bella snapped. She was done. If she was hallucinating, she was on her way to insanity. She might as well go out doing and saying whatever she felt like. In fact, going forward, she planned on living life on her own terms. She would speak up. No one was going to tell her what to do.
Knock! Knock! Knock! "Do not ever talk to me that way! Show some respect!" Alice hollered from the other side of the door.
"Fuck off, you little twat!" Bella replied.
"Hey, are you still there?" the male voice asked.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Where was the voice coming from? Bella stood up and peeked into the shower. Nope, no one there. She looked into the toilet. Nope, no one in there. She flushed the toilet just in case. She even looked under the sink and in the drain. And another negative. She even checked all four corners of the bathroom.
"Hey, Dingaling?" the voice said again. It was coming from the vicinity of her hand.
And then she had a thought. Could it be? Slowly, she raised the compact and opened it. She peered into the mirror, where a Native American man was smiling back at her. Just as she was about to say something, the man disappeared and was replaced by a blinding white light. At the same time, Alice Cullen angrily broke down the door, nails extended like talons and teeth bared, ready to attack, with a look of sheer evil etched onto her face.
Bella screamed.